Guru Paduka Stotram
गुरु पादुका स्तोत्रम्
What is the Guru Paduka Stotram?
Guru Paduka Stotram The Guru Paduka Stotram is a nine-verse Sanskrit hymn by Adi Shankaracharya that venerates the padukas, the sandals, of one's Guru. Each verse praises the sandals as the boat that carries a seeker across the ocean of worldly existence and closes with the refrain 'namo namah shri guru padukabhyam', repeated salutations to the sandals of the Guru.
Few hymns hold reverence for a teacher the way the Guru Paduka Stotram does. Adi Shankaracharya is said to have composed it as a young seeker, standing before the wooden sandals of his own master, Govinda Bhagavatpada. Rather than praise the Guru directly, he sings to the padukas, the sandals, treating even the dust they carry as worthy of worship.Across its nine verses the same line returns like a heartbeat: namo namah shri guru padukabhyam, salutations again and again to the sandals of the Guru. If you have ever wanted to thank a teacher and found ordinary words too small, this is the prayer that lends you its own.
Guru Paduka Stotram Lyrics (Sanskrit & English)
Tap any verse to open its meaning. The closing line, 'namo namah shri guru padukabhyam', is a refrain that repeats in every verse, so it settles into memory quickly.
Ananta samsara samudra tara naukayitabhyam guru bhaktidabhyam
Vairagya samrajyada poojanabhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
अनन्तसंसारसमुद्रतारनौकायिताभ्यां गुरुभक्तिदाभ्याम्
वैराग्यसाम्राज्यदपूजनाभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
The sandals are the boat that ferries us across the shoreless sea of birth and death. Worshipping them plants steady devotion to the Guru in the heart, and hands the seeker the throne of dispassion. To them I bow, again and again.
Kavitva varashi nishakarabhyam daurbhagya davambuda malikabhyam
Doorikrita namra vipattitibhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
कवित्ववाराशिनिशाकराभ्यां दौर्भाग्यदावाम्बुदमालिकाभ्याम्
दूरीकृतानम्रविपत्तितिभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
For the sea of a disciple's wisdom and poetry, the sandals are the moon that draws the tide upward. For the wildfire of ill fortune they are a bank of rainclouds, and they carry away wave after wave of trouble from those who bow low. My repeated salutations to them.
Nata yayoh shripatitam sameeyuh kadachidapyashu daridravaryah
Mookashcha vachaspatitam hi tabhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
नताययोः श्रीपतितां समीयुः कदाचिदप्याशु दरिद्रवर्याः
मूकाश्च वाचस्पतितां हि ताभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
One touch of these sandals, and even the most wretchedly poor have risen overnight into people of wealth, while those who could not speak have turned into masters of eloquence. To sandals of such power I bow.
Nalika nikasha padahritabhyam nana vimohadi nivarikabhyam
Namajjanabhishta tati pradabhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
नालीकनीकाशपदाहृताभ्यां नानाविमोहादिनिवारिकाभ्याम्
नमज्जनाभीष्टततिप्रदाभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
Lovely as a cluster of opening lotuses, they draw the mind toward the Guru's feet, dissolve every kind of delusion and craving, and grant the many longings of those who bow before them. My salutations to them.
Nripali mauli vraja ratna kanti saridviraja jjhasha kanyakabhyam
Nripatvadabhyam natalokapankteh namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
नृपालिमौलिव्रजरत्नकान्तिसरिद्विराजज्झषकन्यकाभ्याम्
नृपत्वदाभ्यां नतलोकपङ्क्तेः नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
They gleam like the jewel set in the crowns of kings, graceful as a bright fish darting in a river lit by many royal diadems. To the whole line of the humble who bow before them, they give the standing of sovereigns. I bow, again and again.
Papandhakararka paramparabhyam tapatrayaheendra khageshvarabhyam
Jadyabdhi samshoshana vadavabhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
पापान्धकारार्कपरम्पराभ्यां तापत्रयाहीन्द्रखगेश्वराभ्याम्
जाड्याब्धिसंशोषणवाडवाभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
They are a procession of suns before the long night of gathered sin, the king of birds before the serpent of the three afflictions, and a submarine fire that drinks up the whole ocean of dullness and ignorance. My salutations to them.
Shamadi shatka prada vaibhavabhyam samadhi dana vrata deekshitabhyam
Ramadhavanghri sthira bhaktidabhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
शमादिषट्कप्रदवैभवाभ्यां समाधिदानव्रतदीक्षिताभ्याम्
रमाधवाङ्घ्रिस्थिरभक्तिदाभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
They carry the wealth to bestow the six inner disciplines that begin with sama, calm of mind. They seem sworn to a vow of granting samadhi, and they plant unshakable devotion at the feet of Rama's Lord. To them I bow.
Svarcha paranam akhileshtadabhyam svaha sahayaksha dhurandharabhyam
Svantachchha bhava prada poojanabhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
स्वार्चापराणामखिलेष्टदाभ्यां स्वाहासहायाक्षधुरन्धराभ्याम्
स्वान्ताच्छभावप्रदपूजनाभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
To those given wholly to the Guru's worship, they grant every wish. Steady as the axle that bears a wheel, they carry the seeker's burden, and through their worship they reveal the clear, pure light of one's own inner Self. My repeated salutations.
Phalashruti
Kamadi sarpa vraja garudabhyam viveka vairagya nidhi pradabhyam
Bodha pradabhyam druta mokshadabhyam namo namah shri guru padukabhyam
कामादिसर्पव्रजगारुडाभ्यां विवेकवैराग्यनिधिप्रदाभ्याम्
बोधप्रदाभ्यां द्रुतमोक्षदाभ्यां नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम्
Meaning
They are Garuda to the swarming serpents of desire, the treasure house that gives discrimination and dispassion, the bearers of awakening and of swift release. To the sandals of my Guru, again and again, I bow. This closing verse names the fruit of the hymn plainly: knowledge, freedom from craving, and liberation.
Meaning & Significance
The whole hymn turns on one striking choice. Shankara does not sing to the Guru’s face or feet but to the padukas, the plain wooden sandals the teacher leaves at the door. In Indian tradition the sandals stand in for the Guru’s living presence, which is why they are still placed on the seat in monasteries and homes long after a master has gone. Bowing to them is a way of saying that reverence belongs not to a personality on a pedestal but to the very ground a teacher walks.
Read verse by verse, the Guru Paduka Stotram builds a chain of images: the sandals as a boat across the ocean of samsara, as a moon lifting the tide of wisdom, as rainclouds over the fire of misfortune, as an eagle over the serpents of desire. Each picture points at the same quiet claim, that a true teacher’s grace can carry a seeker where their own effort alone cannot reach.
How to Chant the Guru Paduka Stotram
- Settle in – Sit facing east or toward your altar, spine easy, and take a few slow breaths to let the mind grow quiet.
- Bring the Guru to mind – Picture your teacher, or the sandals themselves, and let a feeling of gratitude rise before the first word.
- Recite unhurried – Chant each verse slowly, letting the closing line, 'namo namah shri guru padukabhyam', land fully every time.
- Keep the count – The stotram is often repeated three or nine times, though even a single heartfelt round carries its own weight.
- Close in silence – Sit quietly for a minute at the end and simply rest in the mood the words leave behind.
What Are the Benefits of Chanting?
Devotees return to the Guru Paduka Stotram for far more than its poetry. Sincere, regular recitation is traditionally held to bring:
- Deepened devotion: Softens the heart and steadies one's trust in the teacher's guidance.
- Inner clarity: Helps thin the fog of confusion and sharpen the discrimination between the lasting and the passing.
- Relief from hardship: Long believed to ease misfortune and the grip of poverty for those who recite it with faith.
- Calm and focus: The repeating refrain quietens a restless mind and draws attention gently inward.
- Growth in dispassion: Nurtures vairagya, a healthy loosening of craving that the first verse calls a kingdom in its own right.
- A step toward liberation: The closing verse states the fruit plainly: awakening, and swift release from bondage.
Who Composed This Stotram?
The story behind the hymn is loved as much as the hymn itself. As a boy, Shankara left home in search of a master and found Govinda Bhagavatpada seated in a cave on the banks of the Narmada, near Omkareshwar. When he asked to be taken as a student, tradition holds that his devotion overflowed not into praise of the Guru’s person but into these verses for his sandals, the humblest thing the teacher wore.
That choice is the whole teaching in miniature. The disciple bows not to greatness set high on a seat but to the ground the Guru treads. Over the centuries the padukas came to represent the teacher’s continuing presence, and worshipping them, whether in a shrine or through this stotram, became a way of keeping that presence near.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote the Guru Paduka Stotram?
It is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th-century philosopher and saint who reshaped Advaita Vedanta. Tradition says he composed it as a young seeker on first meeting his own Guru, Govinda Bhagavatpada.
What does 'paduka' mean?
Paduka means sandals, usually the simple wooden footwear worn by sages and teachers. In devotional practice the sandals represent the Guru's presence and are honoured in his place, which is why the whole hymn is addressed to them.
How many verses does the Guru Paduka Stotram have?
Nine verses in Sanskrit. Every one of them ends with the same line, 'namo namah shri guru padukabhyam', so the hymn is short and settles into memory with a little practice.
When is the best time to recite it?
Thursday, the day of the Guru, and Guru Purnima are especially favoured. Many recite it in the early morning after bathing, or at dusk. Any moment of gratitude toward a teacher is a fitting one.
Why is the hymn addressed to the Guru's sandals rather than the Guru?
It is a gesture of humility. Bowing to the sandals means honouring the very ground the teacher walks on, without placing the person on a pedestal. The padukas came to stand for the Guru's living presence, which is why they are still worshipped in shrines and homes.
Do I need to know Sanskrit to chant it?
No. You can follow the Roman transliteration line by line, and the meaning of each verse is given here so the words carry feeling rather than sound alone. Sincerity matters more than perfect pronunciation.
॥ श्री गुरु पादुकाभ्यां नमः ॥