Bhimashankar Stotram
भीमाशंकर स्तोत्रम्
What is the Bhimashankar Stotram?
Bhimashankar Stotram The Bhimashankar Stotram is the Sanskrit invocation to Bhimashankar, the sixth Jyotirlinga in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra. Its core is the verse from Adi Shankaracharya's Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram that salutes Shiva as Bhima, the benefactor of his devotees.
Bhimashankar is the sixth of the twelve Jyotirlingas, seated deep in the Sahyadri range where the Bhima river takes its rise. The verses gathered here are the Sanskrit lines by which Shiva of this shrine is remembered. The central verse comes from the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, and it greets the Lord as Bhima, worshipped by fierce attendant spirits yet ever kind to those who seek him.Reciting these lines is a way of holding the pilgrimage in the mind when the mountain shrine is far away. Tradition holds that remembering the Jyotirlingas morning and evening lightens the weight of past wrongs and steadies the heart.
Bhimashankar Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Verse 1 is the Bhimashankar verse from Adi Shankaracharya's Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram; verses 2-3 are the naming couplet and the phalashruti of the shorter Dwadasa Jyotirlingani.
yam dakini-shakinika-samaje nishevyamanam pishitashanaishcha
sadaiva bhimadi-pada-prasiddham tam shankaram bhakta-hitam namami
यं डाकिनीशाकिनिकासमाजे निषेव्यमाणं पिशिताशनैश्च ।
सदैव भीमादिपदप्रसिद्धं तं शङ्करं भक्तहितं नमामि ॥
Meaning
I bow to that Shankara who is the well-wisher of his devotees, who is attended even by the hosts of Dakinis and Shakinis and by flesh-eating spirits, and who is ever celebrated by the name Bhima. The verse places him as master over the wildest, least tamed forces, and yet turns at once to his gentleness toward those who trust him.
paralyam vaidyanatham cha dakinyam bhimashankaram
setubandhe tu ramesham nagesham darukavane
परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमाशंकरम् ।
सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने ॥
Meaning
This couplet names the Lord as Bhimashankara of the Dakini country, set among the roll-call of the twelve shrines. It fixes the shrine in its place: after Vaidyanath comes Bhimashankar, then Rameshwar at the causeway and Nagesh in the Daruka forest. Reciting the names in order is itself an act of pilgrimage in speech.
etani jyotirlingani sayam pratah patthen-narah
sapta-janma-kritam papam smaranena vinashyati
एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः ।
सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति ॥
Meaning
Whoever recites these Jyotirlingas at dusk and at dawn finds, by that very remembrance, the burden of wrongs gathered across seven lifetimes falling away. This closing verse states the promised fruit of the recitation and folds Bhimashankar into the larger circle of the twelve.
Meaning & Significance
The Bhimashankar verse works on two levels at once. On the surface it describes a Shiva surrounded by Dakinis, Shakinis and pishitashana, the spirits that feed on flesh. These are the beings that live at the edges of the ordered world, and their presence signals a form of the Lord that is fierce rather than mild.
Why he is called Bhima
The name Bhima means immense, formidable, awe-striking. In the local telling, Shiva took a towering form here to end the tyranny of the demon Tripurasura, and the sweat of that effort is said to have flowed away as the Bhima river. The verse keeps that memory alive by naming him Bhima and by surrounding him with untamed attendants.
The turn toward the devotee
The last words, bhakta-hitam namami, change the mood completely. The same Lord who commands the fiercest spirits is bhakta-hita, one whose whole care is the good of his devotees. The verse asks you to hold both truths together: overwhelming power and unfailing kindness meeting in one form.
How to Chant the Bhimashankar Stotram
- Settle and face the light – Sit facing east or toward a lit lamp or a Shiva image. Take a few slow breaths until the mind is quiet.
- Open with the mula mantra – Begin with Om Namah Shivaya three times to place the recitation under Shiva's name.
- Read the verses slowly – Recite each verse aloud at an even pace, letting the long compounds like dakini-shakinika-samaje unfold without hurry.
- Hold the meaning – As you reach bhakta-hitam namami, pause on the sense of the Lord's care for those who seek him.
- Repeat if you wish – Recite the set once, or in rounds of three or eleven for a longer sitting.
- Close with a bow – End with a silent pranam and Om Shanti, offering the recitation without asking for anything in return.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
What reciters traditionally seek from a steady practice of these verses.
- Merit of the pilgrimage: The verses are held to carry something of the fruit of visiting Bhimashankar itself, useful when the distant hill shrine cannot be reached in person.
- Release from old wrongs: The phalashruti promises that morning and evening recitation loosens the weight of past misdeeds and clears the conscience.
- Courage in fear: Addressed to the Bhima, the formidable form of Shiva, the lines are turned to when a devotee wants steadiness against dread and hostile forces.
- A quieter mind: The measured Sanskrit cadence slows the breath and settles restless thought, so the practice doubles as a short meditation.
- A thread of devotion: Daily recitation keeps a living link to Shiva and to the wider circle of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
- Protection felt as care: The closing bhakta-hita note reassures the reciter that the same Lord who rules fierce spirits watches over his own.
Who Composed This Stotram?
Bhimashankar sits in the Sahyadri hills of the Pune region, at the head of the Bhima river. It is counted as the sixth of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the self-arisen lights of Shiva scattered across the land. The shrine’s Nagara-style stone temple grew over centuries, with later additions from the Maratha period, and it is wrapped today in a protected forest that shelters the rare giant squirrel.
The name is tied to a story of Shiva rising in a vast, burning form to destroy the demon Tripurasura, after which he agreed to remain on the mountain at the prayer of gods and sages. Because the district was long known as Dakini country, the classical verse names the shrine as Bhimashankar of the Dakinis. The stotram is the way that faraway devotees keep the shrine present, standing in for the long climb to the Sahyadri ridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there one single official Bhimashankar Stotram?
There is no widely agreed standalone ashtakam of eight or ten verses that reliable Sanskrit sources agree on. The text most consistently attached to this shrine is the Bhimashankar verse from Adi Shankaracharya's Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram, which is what is given here.
What does the word Bhima mean in the stotram?
Bhima means immense, formidable or awe-striking. It points to the towering form Shiva is said to have taken to defeat the demon Tripurasura, and it also names the Bhima river that rises near the shrine.
Who are the Dakinis and Shakinis in the verse?
They are fierce attendant spirits that dwell at the edges of the ordered world. Naming them shows that this form of Shiva commands even the wildest forces, which makes his kindness to devotees all the more striking.
When is the best time to recite it?
Mondays, the month of Shravan, Pradosh evenings and Maha Shivaratri are favoured. Within the day, dawn and dusk lamp time are the traditional hours.
Do I need to visit the temple to recite the stotram?
No. The verses are meant to bring the shrine to mind wherever you are, and tradition holds that faithful recitation carries part of the merit of the pilgrimage even from home.
Which Jyotirlinga number is Bhimashankar?
Bhimashankar is counted as the sixth of the twelve Jyotirlingas, located in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra near Pune.
॥ ॐ नमः शिवाय ॥