Shodashi Stotram (Tripura Sundari Ashtakam)

By the BhaktiRas Editorial Team · Updated 16 July 2026

Shodashi Stotram is the name most search engines and devotees now use for the Tripura Sundari Ashtakam, an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn traditionally credited to Adi Shankaracharya. It praises Devi Shodashi in her form as Tripura Sundari – the third of the ten Mahavidyas and the presiding Goddess of the Shri Vidya tradition – through vivid, physical imagery rather than doctrine.The hymn is also called Kadambavanavasini Stotram, after its opening image of the Goddess wandering the kadamba forest. Every verse ends with the same line of surrender: refuge at the feet of Tripura Sundari, consort of the three-eyed Shiva. None of the eight verses contain or spell out the Shodashi bija-mantra – that sixteen-syllable mantra is a separate, guru-guarded transmission (see the FAQ below). This stotram is simply an open hymn of praise that anyone can recite.

Shodashi Stotram Lyrics (Tripura Sundari Ashtakam)

What the Shodashi Stotram Means

Read as a whole, the eight verses build one continuous picture rather than eight separate ideas. The kadamba forest that opens every verse stands for the universe itself – the Goddess is described as pervading it the way she pervades all of creation. Her recurring epithet, ‘wife of the three-eyed one’, ties her directly to Shiva, while the veena, the wine bowl and the flower garlands are classical Shakta symbols of beauty, intoxication with the divine, and creative energy rather than literal objects.

Verse 7 is the most quoted of the eight – it doubles as the dhyana shloka (meditation verse) recited before both the Lalita Sahasranama and the Lalita Trishati, which is one reason this ashtakam is so closely linked with the Goddess Shodashi in devotional practice. Nowhere in the text, however, does Shankaracharya spell out the sixteen-syllable Shodashi mantra or its syllable order – the hymn stays entirely in the realm of open, public praise.

When to Chant the Shodashi Stotram

1. – Sit facing east or north and light a lamp or a stick of incense before you begin.
2. – Offer a red flower or a pinch of kumkum if you have one, as a simple gesture of respect.
3. – Begin with a short invocation to your own guru or Ganesha, in whatever form is familiar to you.
4. – Recite the eight verses slowly, letting the imagery of each one form in your mind rather than rushing to the next.
5. – Close by silently repeating the final line – 'I bow to this mother of all the worlds' – and sit quietly for a minute before rising.
6. – Chanting it once a day is enough; there is no fixed count of repetitions required for this hymn.

Benefits of Reciting the Shodashi Stotram

Tradition holds that steady recitation of this ashtakam calms the mind and draws a devotee closer to the Goddess’s grace. These are the benefits described in Shakta devotional practice, not medical claims.

• : Helps settle a restless mind before meditation or a longer Shri Vidya practice.
• : Builds a felt sense of the Goddess's presence through repeated, unhurried visualization of each verse.
• : Traditionally associated with confidence and inner poise, since Tripura Sundari is worshipped as the source of beauty and grace.
• : Works well as an opening hymn before the Lalita Sahasranama or Lalita Trishati, since verse 7 already appears in their dhyana shloka.
• : Offers a way to connect with Shri Vidya devotion for anyone not yet initiated, since the hymn itself carries no restriction on who may recite it.
• : Gives Fridays and Navratri a simple, short addition to an existing puja routine.

Origin and Author

The Tripura Sundari Ashtakam is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya and is composed entirely in prithvi metre – seventeen syllables to a line, with the same pause pattern repeated across all eight verses. Its older manuscript title is ‘Kadambavanavasini Stotram’ – the Hymn to the Dweller of the Kadamba Forest – after the image that opens the first four verses.

Over time, as devotees searched for material connected to Devi Shodashi (Tripura Sundari, the third Mahavidya), this ashtakam became the hymn most commonly indexed and shared under the label ‘Shodashi Stotram’, since it is one of the few substantial, publicly available hymns dedicated to her by name. It is worth being clear about what that label does and does not mean: this ashtakam is open praise-poetry safe for anyone to read and chant. The actual Shodashi mantra – the sixteen-syllable formula built on the Panchadashi mantra with one additional guru-assigned syllable – is a separate, initiate-only transmission given at diksha and is not written out anywhere on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

॥ ॐ श्री त्रिपुरसुन्दर्यै नमः ॥