Ganga Stotram (Ganga Ashtakam)
गङ्गा स्तोत्रम्
What is the Ganga Stotram?
Ganga Stotram (Ganga Ashtakam) The Ganga Stotram, also called the Ganga Ashtakam, is a short Sanskrit hymn to the river goddess Ganga, traditionally credited to Adi Shankaracharya. It opens with the line 'Devi sureshwari bhagavati gange' and praises Ganga as the mother-river who carries all three worlds across. On this page you will find the full Ganga Stotram lyrics in Sanskrit and English transliteration, a clear verse-by-verse meaning, and the benefits of reciting it. Devotees chant it during their bath, at daily worship, and especially on Ganga Dussehra.
Say the words ‘Devi sureshwari bhagavati gange’ out loud and you step straight into one of the best-loved prayers in the Hindu tradition. The Ganga Stotram, known just as widely as the Ganga Ashtakam, gathers a handful of verses in praise of Ganga, the river worshipped as a living mother.The hymn is usually placed in the hands of Adi Shankaracharya, and its pull is easy to feel. Each verse asks Ganga to wash away wrongdoing, to soften the fear of death, and to ferry the singer across the long ocean of birth and rebirth. Below you will find the complete Ganga Stotram lyrics in Sanskrit and Roman transliteration, an honest line-by-line meaning, guidance on how and when to chant it, and the benefits people have turned to it for across the centuries.
Ganga Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Each verse is shown in Devanagari and in an easy Roman transliteration for chanting, with a plain-English meaning you can open beneath it. A single ' / ' marks the break between the two halves of a verse.
Devi sureshwari bhagavati gange, tribhuvana-taarini tarala-tarange
Shankara-mauli-vihaarini vimale, mama matir-aastaam tava pada-kamale
देवि सुरेश्वरि भगवति गङ्गे त्रिभुवनतारिणि तरलतरङ्गे ।
शङ्करमौलिविहारिणि विमले मम मतिरास्तां तव पदकमले ॥
Meaning
Goddess Ganga, queen of the gods, you carry all three worlds across on your restless, shimmering waves. You play in the matted hair of Shiva, spotless one. Let my mind come to rest at your lotus feet and stay there.
Bhaagirathi sukha-daayini maatas, tava jala-mahimaa nigame khyaatah
Naaham jaane tava mahimaanam, paahi kripaamayi maam-ajnaanam
भागीरथि सुखदायिनि मातस्तव जलमहिमा निगमे ख्यातः ।
नाहं जाने तव महिमानं पाहि कृपामयि मामज्ञानम् ॥
Meaning
Bhagirathi, giver of comfort, mother, the Vedas themselves sing of the glory of your waters. I cannot begin to measure how great you are. Guard me all the same, compassionate one, unknowing as I am.
Hari-pada-paadya-tarangini gange, hima-vidhu-muktaa-dhavala-tarange
Doori-kuru mama dushkriti-bhaaram, kuru kripayaa bhava-saagara-paaram
हरिपदपाद्यतरङ्गिणि गङ्गे हिमविधुमुक्ताधवलतरङ्गे ।
दूरीकुरु मम दुष्कृतिभारं कुरु कृपया भवसागरपारम् ॥
Meaning
Ganga, your current first washed the feet of Vishnu, and your waves run white as snow, as the moon, as pearls. Take this heavy load of my wrongdoing far from me, and out of pure kindness carry me to the far shore of the ocean of worldly life.
Tava jalam-amalam yena nipeetam, parama-padam khalu tena griheetam
Maatar-gange tvayi yo bhaktah, kila tam drashtum na yamah shaktah
तव जलममलं येन निपीतं परमपदं खलु तेन गृहीतम् ।
मातर्गङ्गे त्वयि यो भक्तः किल तं द्रष्टुं न यमः शक्तः ॥
Meaning
Whoever has once drunk your pure water has, in effect, already taken hold of the highest state. Mother Ganga, the one who is truly devoted to you cannot even be looked upon by Yama, the lord of death.
Patitoddhaarini jaahnavi gange, khandita-giri-vara-mandita-bhange
Bheeshma-janani he muni-vara-kanye, patita-nivaarini tribhuvana-dhanye
पतितोद्धारिणि जाह्नवि गङ्गे खण्डितगिरिवरमण्डितभङ्गे ।
भीष्मजननि हे मुनिवरकन्ये पतितनिवारिणि त्रिभुवनधन्ये ॥
Meaning
Rescuer of the fallen, Jahnavi, Ganga, your leaping waves are shaped and broken by the great mountains along your path. Mother of Bhishma, daughter of the sage, you turn the fallen back from ruin, and all three worlds count themselves blessed by you.
Kalpa-lataam-iva phala-daam loke, pranamati yas-tvaam na patati shoke
Paaraavaara-vihaarini gange, vimukha-yuvati-krita-tarala-apaange
कल्पलतामिव फलदां लोके प्रणमति यस्त्वां न पतति शोके ।
पारावारविहारिणि गङ्गे विमुखयुवतिकृततरलापाङ्गे ॥
Meaning
To the world you give fruit the way a wish-granting vine does, and whoever bows to you never sinks into sorrow. Ganga, you play between both banks, and your tremulous, rippling glance falls even on those who had once turned away.
Tava chen-maatah srotah-snaatah, punar-api jathare so-api na jaatah
Naraka-nivaarini jaahnavi gange, kalusha-vinaashini mahimottunge
तव चेन्मातः स्रोतःस्नातः पुनरपि जठरे सोऽपि न जातः ।
नरकनिवारिणि जाह्नवि गङ्गे कलुषविनाशिनि महिमोत्तुङ्गे ॥
Meaning
Mother, if a person has bathed even once in your stream, he is not born again into a womb. Ganga, Jahnavi, you turn hell aside, you undo every stain, and your glory rises higher than all.
Phalashruti
Bho bhuvaneshwari punye dhanye, devi dravamayi muni-vara-kanye
Gangaa-stavam imam amalam nityam, pathati naro yah sa jayati satyam
भो भुवनेश्वरि पुण्ये धन्ये देवि द्रवमयि मुनिवरकन्ये ।
गङ्गास्तवमिमममलं नित्यं पठति नरो यः स जयति सत्यम् ॥
Meaning
O Bhuvaneshwari, holy and blessed Devi, made of flowing water, daughter of the great sage: the person who recites this pure hymn to Ganga every day truly triumphs in life. This is the traditional phalashruti, the verse that names the reward of daily recitation.
Meaning & Significance
Read as a whole, the Ganga Stotram is a plea and a love-letter at the same time. Shankaracharya stacks up name after name for the goddess: Bhagirathi, Jahnavi, mother of Bhishma, daughter of the sage. Each name carries a story the old listeners would have known by heart, so the hymn doubles as a compact retelling of who Ganga is.
Two threads run through every stanza. The first is water as mercy. Ganga’s waves are called white as snow, moon and pearl, and a single sip or a single bath is said to place the highest goal within reach. The second is rescue. The poet keeps coming back to the picture of being carried across, whether across the ocean of worldly life or past the reach of Yama. The closing phalashruti puts it plainly: whoever keeps this hymn on their lips and in their heart lives a life that genuinely wins.
How to Chant the Ganga Stotram
- Settle and face the water or the east – Sit calmly, facing the river if you are near one, or facing east at home. A clean seat and a few slow breaths are enough to begin.
- Bring Ganga to mind – Picture the river or keep a small vessel of water in front of you. A short bow and the thought 'Har Har Gange' sets the tone before you start.
- Recite verse by verse – Move through the eight verses at an unhurried pace. Reading the transliteration first and the meaning after helps the words settle in.
- Offer water or a lamp – If you have Ganga water, sprinkle a little; otherwise offer a small lamp or a flower as you finish each round.
- Close with the phalashruti – End on the final verse, which promises that daily recitation carries its own reward, and sit quietly for a moment before rising.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
Devotees have leaned on the Ganga Stotram for centuries, less as a request list and more as a daily reset. These are the reasons it stays close to so many.
- Washes away wrongdoing: Verse after verse asks Ganga to lift the weight of past mistakes, which is why the hymn is a favourite before or during a river bath.
- Steadies a restless mind: The slow, repeating rhythm and the familiar names of the goddess give the mind something calm to hold, a small pause in a busy day.
- Eases the fear of death: Two verses speak directly of being carried past Yama, and reciting them is a gentle way to loosen anxiety about the end of life.
- Deepens devotion to Ganga: Chanting the names and stories, from Bhagirathi to Jahnavi, builds a warm, personal bond with the river-mother over time.
- Fits neatly into daily worship: At roughly five minutes, the full stotram slips easily into a morning routine or a temple visit without asking for much.
- Keeps you connected to a sacred river: For anyone far from the Ganga, the hymn is a way to stand at her banks in spirit, wherever you happen to be.
Who Composed This Stotram?
The Ganga Stotram belongs to the wide body of devotional verse attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, the teacher who travelled the length of India and left behind hymns to many deities. The complete text runs to several stanzas. The eight verses gathered here draw on the hymn’s core devotional stanzas and close with its traditional phalashruti, the verse that names the reward of daily recitation.
Ganga herself sits at the heart of countless stories. She is the river said to flow first from Vishnu’s feet, caught in Shiva’s hair as she fell toward the earth, and drawn down at last by the tireless king Bhagiratha to free his ancestors. Shankaracharya folds all of it in, so the hymn reads as both a prayer and a short, vivid account of why Ganga is loved the way she is.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ganga Stotram and who wrote it?
The Ganga Stotram, also known as the Ganga Ashtakam, is a Sanskrit hymn praising the goddess Ganga, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. It opens with 'Devi sureshwari bhagavati gange' and its verses ask the river-mother to wash away sin and carry the devotee across the cycle of birth and death.
What are the benefits of reciting the Ganga Stotram?
People recite the Ganga Stotram to seek purification from past wrongdoing, a calmer mind, and freedom from the fear of death, all of which the verses ask for directly. Beyond that, regular recitation deepens devotion to Ganga and is felt as a simple daily reset, especially when done at bath time or during morning worship.
When should the Ganga Stotram be chanted?
The most common time is early morning, often during or just after a bath. It carries special weight on Ganga-linked festivals such as Ganga Dussehra, Ganga Saptami and Kartik Purnima, though there is no wrong day to recite it.
Is the Ganga Stotram the same as the Ganga Ashtakam?
Yes. 'Ganga Ashtakam' is the name for the eight-verse form of the hymn, and it is the version most people learn and recite. The longer recensions of the Ganga Stotram carry additional stanzas, but the opening verses and the phalashruti shown here are the heart of the prayer.
Can I recite the Ganga Stotram if I am not near the river Ganga?
Absolutely. The hymn can be chanted from anywhere. Many keep a small vessel of Ganga water nearby or simply picture the river as they recite, and the intention matters more than the location.
What does 'Devi sureshwari bhagavati gange' mean?
It is the opening address of the hymn and means 'O Goddess Ganga, queen of the gods, divine one'. The full first line goes on to call her the one who carries all three worlds across on her shimmering, restless waves.
॥ हर हर गंगे ॥