Sita Stotram
श्रीसीताष्टाक्षरस्तोत्रम्
What is the Sita Stotram?
Sita Ashtakshara Stotram The Sita Stotram most commonly chanted under this name is the Sita Ashtakshara Stotram, a twelve-part Sanskrit hymn preserved in the Vasishtha Samhita. In the text, Hanuman teaches this praise of Sita to Angada on the battlefield at Lanka, describing her as the mother of all worlds and the giver of strength, devotion and liberation, and closing with her eight-syllable mantra Om Hrim Shrim Sitayai Namah.
Sita, daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and wife of Rama, is worshipped across India as the embodiment of steadiness, purity and devoted love. The Sita Stotram presented here is the Sita Ashtakshara Stotram, a hymn preserved inside the Vasishtha Samhita in which Hanuman recites Sita’s praise to Angada, son of Vali, while they are still in the thick of the war in Lanka. Each verse closes on the same line, Shri Sita sharanam mama, I take refuge in Sri Sita, building a hymn of surrender rather than narration. It is commonly read on Fridays, on Ram Navami, and on Sita’s own observance days, and it ends with her personal eight-syllable mantra.
Sita Stotram Lyrics in Sanskrit
The Devanagari below follows the text preserved in the Vasishtha Samhita as published on sanskritdocuments.org, with a plain-roman line alongside for easy reading. Tap any verse to open its meaning.
Lankaya hi prachandogrer yat pathad rakshito si tat
Shri Sitashtakshara stotram vaktum arhasi Marute
लङ्काया हि प्रचण्डोग्रेर्यत्पाठाद् रक्षितोऽसि तत्
श्रीसीताष्टाक्षरस्तोत्रं वक्तुमर्हसि मारुते
Meaning
Angada turns to Hanuman on the battlefield and asks him to recite the very hymn whose recitation once carried him safely through the fierce fire at Lanka. It is offered as the reason he wants to hear it now, not simply as a request for a song.
Ramabhakta mahabhaga sanmate Valinandana
Shri Sitashtakshara stotram sarva-bhiti-haram shrinu
रामभक्त महाभाग सन्मते वालिनन्दन
श्रीसीताष्टाक्षरस्तोत्रं सर्वभीतिहरं शृणु
Meaning
Hanuman answers by naming Angada as the fortunate son of Vali and a true devotee of Rama, then tells him to listen closely, because this eight-syllable hymn to Sita is said to dissolve every kind of fear in the one who hears or repeats it.
Shrimad Rama-priya punya shrimad Rama-parayana
Shrimad Ramad abhinna cha Shri Sita sharanam mama
श्रीमद् रामप्रिया पुण्या श्रीमद् रामपरायणा
श्रीमद् रामादभिन्ना च श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
Sita is described as dear to Rama, pure in herself, and wholly turned toward him in devotion, then as not separate from Rama at all. This is the verse of marital oneness, husband and wife spoken of as a single reality, and the speaker offers himself at her feet.
Sharanashrita rakshitri bhaskarardevi-bhasita
Akara traya shikshitri Shri Sita sharanam mama
शरणाश्रित रक्षित्री भास्करार्देविभासिता
आकार त्रय शिक्षित्री श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
She protects everyone who takes refuge in her, is described as radiant like the sun, and is honored as the teacher behind the three fundamental forms of creation. The verse presents her as both a shelter for the frightened and a quiet source of instruction.
Shaktida shakti-hinanam bhaktida bhakti-kaminam
Muktida mukti-kamanam Shri Sita sharanam mama
शक्तिदा शक्तिहीनानां भक्तिदा भक्तिकामिनाम्
मुक्तिदा मुक्तिकामानां श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
One of the most quoted lines of the hymn: to those without strength she gives strength, to those wanting devotion she gives devotion, and to those wanting liberation she gives liberation. Three different needs, three different gifts, in a single verse.
Brahmanyu-maramaradhya Brahmeshadi sura-stuta
Veda-vedya gunambodhih Shri Sita sharanam mama
ब्रह्माण्युमारमाराध्या ब्रह्मेशादि सुरस्तुता
वेदवेद्या गुणाम्भोधिः श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
The verse places her above the usual pecking order of gods, saying she is worshipped by Brahma, Shiva and the wider host of devas, and that the Vedas themselves point toward her as an ocean of good qualities rather than one deity among many.
Shunya hi nigrahenya anugrahabdhih suvatsalah
Janani sarva-lokanam Shri Sita sharanam mama
शुन्या हि निग्रहेण्यानुग्रहाब्धिः सुवत्सलाः
जननी सर्वलोकानां श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
She is described as never punishing, only pouring out grace the way an ocean holds water, deeply affectionate by nature. The line that follows calls her the mother of every world, not only of one household or one kingdom.
Chidachidabhyam vishishta cha sachchidananda-rupini
Karya-karana-rupa cha Shri Sita sharanam mama
चिदचिदाभ्यां विशिष्टा च सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणी
कार्यकारणरूपा च श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
A more philosophical verse: she is set apart from both the conscious and the unconscious side of existence, described in the classic language of being-consciousness-bliss, and understood as both the cause of the world and its visible effect.
Vishoka divya-loka cha bimbi divya cha bhushana
Divyambara cha divyangi Shri Sita sharanam mama
विशोका दिव्यलोका च बिम्बी दिव्या च भूषणा
दिव्याम्बरा च दिव्यांगी श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
Free of sorrow and belonging to a divine world of her own, she is pictured here in radiant ornaments and celestial garments, her whole form described as luminous rather than earthly.
Sarva-karma-samaradhya sarva-karma-phala-prada
Sarveshvari cha sarvajna Shri Sita sharanam mama
सर्वकर्मसमाराध्या सर्वकर्मफलप्रदा
सर्वेश्वरी च सर्वज्ञा श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
Every act of worship is said to ultimately reach her, and she alone gives the fruit of every action performed. The verse closes by calling her the ruler of all and the knower of all, rather than a deity limited to one domain.
Kalpavalli hi dinanam sarva-daridrya-nashini
Bhumija shantida shanta Shri Sita sharanam mama
कल्पवल्ली हि दीनानां सर्वदारिद्र्यनाशिनी
भूमिजा शान्तिदा शान्ता श्रीसीता शरणं मम
Meaning
For the poor and downhearted she is described as a wish-fulfilling vine that removes every kind of hardship. As the daughter of the earth she is called peaceful in herself and a giver of peace to others, closing the epithet verses on a note of quiet reassurance.
Phalashruti
Pathad Hanumata proktam nitya muktana sada
Shri Sitashtakshara-stotram bhukti-mukti-pradan sada
पाठाद् हनुमता प्रोक्तं नित्य मुक्तन सदा
श्रीसीताष्टाक्षरस्तोत्रं भुक्तिमुक्ति प्रदान् सदा
Meaning
Sage Vasishtha closes the hymn by declaring the fruit of reciting what Hanuman has just spoken: this Sita Ashtakshara Stotram is said to steadily grant both worldly wellbeing and liberation to whoever recites it with regularity.
Meaning of the Sita Stotram
The Sita Ashtakshara Stotram is built as a conversation rather than a straight description. Angada, son of Vali, asks Hanuman on the battlefield at Lanka to teach him the hymn that once protected Hanuman himself, and Hanuman answers with a string of verses, almost every one of them ending on the same line, Shri Sita sharanam mama, I take refuge in Sri Sita. That repeated surrender is the emotional center of the text: it is not primarily a hymn of description but a hymn of taking shelter.
Within that frame, the verses move through several ideas about who Sita is. Some verses stay close to her human story, as Janaka’s daughter and Rama’s inseparable wife. Others expand outward, calling her mother of all worlds, an ocean of virtue that even Brahma and Shiva are said to honor, and a being described in the philosophical language usually reserved for the Divine Mother, sat-chit-ananda, being, consciousness and bliss together. The hymn also names very practical gifts: strength for the weak, devotion for those who long for it, liberation for those who seek it, and peace for the poor and downhearted. It closes with Sita’s own eight-syllable mantra, Om Hrim Shrim Sitayai Namah, which many who chant this stotram repeat afterward as a short daily practice.
How and When to Chant the Sita Stotram
- – Bathe or wash your hands and face, and set aside a clean, quiet spot for the recitation.
- – Light a lamp or a stick of incense and, if you keep one, sit facing an image of Sita and Rama together.
- – Read or recite the twelve verses in order, without rushing the refrain, Shri Sita sharanam mama, since that line is the heart of the hymn.
- – Close with the eight-syllable mantra, Om Hrim Shrim Sitayai Namah, repeated quietly nine or more times.
- – Sit for a moment afterward before returning to the day's work, letting the final refrain settle rather than moving on immediately.
- – On Fridays or on Sita's own observance days, some households add a simple offering, such as a flower or a diya, before beginning.
Benefits of the Sita Stotram
The phalashruti verse credits the hymn with granting both worldly wellbeing and liberation, and the individual verses spell out what that covers in practical terms.
- : Verse two states the hymn removes every kind of fear in the one who recites or hears it with attention.
- : Verse five names three specific gifts in sequence: strength for the weak, devotion for the devoted, and liberation for those seeking it.
- : Verse eleven describes relief from hardship and poverty, comparing Sita to a wish-fulfilling vine for the downhearted.
- : Several verses (four, seven, eleven) return to the theme of peace and protection for anyone who takes refuge in her.
- : The opening frame verse itself is a small witness to protection in crisis, since it recalls the hymn shielding Hanuman during the burning of Lanka.
- : Devotees who chant it around Ram Navami or Vivaha Panchami often connect it to steadiness and harmony within marriage, given how directly verse three speaks of Sita and Rama as inseparable.
Origin of the Sita Ashtakshara Stotram
The Sita Ashtakshara Stotram is preserved as part of the Vasishtha Samhita, a text attributed in tradition to the sage Vasishtha, and it is framed as a battlefield exchange during the war at Lanka. Angada, the son of Vali, asks Hanuman to teach him the hymn that once protected Hanuman through the burning of Lanka, and Hanuman replies by reciting the twelve verses in Sita’s praise, each closing on the line Shri Sita sharanam mama. The hymn ends with Vasishtha himself stepping in to state the fruit of reciting it, and with Sita’s personal eight-syllable mantra, Om Hrim Shrim Sitayai Namah, which gives the stotra its name.
This is a different hymn from the well known Janaki Stotram that opens with the line Neel-neeraj-dalayatekshanam, which belongs to the episode of Sita’s agni-pariksha, her trial by fire after the war, and follows its own separate six-verse structure. The Sita Ashtakshara Stotram instead builds its praise around the repeated surrender-refrain and a broader picture of Sita as mother of all worlds. As with much orally transmitted devotional literature, the exact age of the text and the precise manuscript lineage of the Vasishtha Samhita passage are not independently dated; the text itself has been circulating in print and online transcription for at least the past two decades under this same title and attribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Sita Stotram?
The hymn commonly shared under the name Sita Stotram or Sita Ashtakshara Stotram is a twelve-verse Sanskrit praise of Sita preserved in the Vasishtha Samhita, framed as Hanuman teaching it to Angada during the war at Lanka, and closing with Sita's eight-syllable mantra.
Who is said to have first spoken this stotram?
Within the text, Hanuman recites it to Angada, explaining that its earlier recitation had protected him during the burning of Lanka. Sage Vasishtha then adds the closing verse describing the fruit of reciting it, which is why the hymn is placed inside the Vasishtha Samhita.
What does ashtakshara mean in the title?
Ashtakshara means eight syllables. It refers to Sita's closing mantra, Om Hrim Shrim Sitayai Namah, which has eight syllables and gives the whole stotra its name, even though the hymn itself runs to twelve main verses.
When should the Sita Stotram be chanted?
It is commonly read on Fridays, on Ram Navami, on Sita Navami or Janaki Navami (her own observance day in the Vaishakh month), and on Vivaha Panchami, the remembered date of her wedding to Rama. There is no restriction against reciting it on any other day as well.
Is this the same as the Janaki Stotram?
No. The Janaki Stotram is a separate six-verse hymn opening with the line Neel-neeraj-dalayatekshanam, tied specifically to Sita's agni-pariksha or fire-ordeal episode after the war. The Sita Ashtakshara Stotram described here is a different text, from the Vasishtha Samhita, with its own frame story, its own repeated refrain (Shri Sita sharanam mama), and its own closing mantra.
What benefits are described for chanting it?
The verses themselves mention relief from fear, the granting of strength, devotion and liberation according to what the reciter seeks, relief from poverty and hardship, and general peace, with the closing phalashruti verse summarizing this as both worldly wellbeing and liberation.
Can I chant the Sita Stotram if I do not read Sanskrit?
Yes. The roman transliteration alongside each Devanagari verse on this page is written without diacritics for easy reading, and many devotees begin by reading the transliteration aloud slowly before attempting the Devanagari directly.
Is there a specific mantra connected to this stotram?
Yes, its closing mantra is Om Hrim Shrim Sitayai Namah, an eight-syllable salutation to Sita that many devotees repeat on its own, apart from the full stotram, as a short daily practice.
ॐ श्री सीतायै नमः ॐ