There is a prayer that was composed in blood and pain, by a man trapped under a mountain, in the presence of the most formidable force in the universe - and it has outlasted everything else he ever built. The Shiv Tandav Stotram is not a gentle hymn. It is Ravana - scholar, warrior, sinner, and devotee all at once - reaching for Shiva at the absolute edge of his capacity.
People across the world chant it today not because it is beautiful (though it is), but because something in it touches the part of you that is also, at some level, trapped - and reaching.
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What it is: The Shiv Tandav Stotram is one of the most powerful Sanskrit hymns ever composed, written by the demon king Ravana in praise of Lord Shiva.
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Who wrote it: Ravana — scholar, warrior, and devout Shiva bhakta — composed it spontaneously during an intense encounter with Shiva at Mount Kailash.
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What it does: Chanting or listening to it is said to invoke Shiva's fiercest, most transformative energy — the Tandav, his cosmic dance of creation and destruction.
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Why it matters today: People across the world use it for mental strength, fearlessness, spiritual awakening, and to feel a direct, visceral connection to Shiva.
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The Rudraksha connection: Rudraksha — Shiva's own tool for transformation — amplifies the power of Shiv Tandav Stotram recitation when worn during practice.
What Is the Shiv Tandav Stotram?
If you've ever felt a sudden chill hearing Sanskrit chanted with raw power - chances are you've encountered the Shiv Tandav Stotram.
This isn't a gentle, devotional prayer. It's an invocation of Shiva at his most primal: the Adiyogi, the cosmic destroyer, the one who dances creation into existence and dissolves it back to nothing. The Shiv Tandav Stotram is the sound of that dance put into words.
It is a Sanskrit hymn of 17 verses (some versions cite 16), composed in the Drutavilambita metre - a fast, rhythmic cadence that mirrors the urgency and ferocity of Shiva's Tandav itself. When recited correctly, the rhythm alone moves something inside you.
Who Wrote Shiv Tandav Stotram?
Quick answer: Ravana - the powerful king of Lanka, as described in the Ramayana.
This surprises many people. Ravana is typically remembered as the antagonist of the Ramayana. But within the tradition of Shaiva texts, he is equally revered as one of Shiva's most devoted bhaktas - a scholar of the Vedas, a master of the Veena, and a man of extraordinary spiritual power.
The story behind the composition goes like this:
Ravana, in his arrogance and devotion simultaneously, attempted to lift Mount Kailash - Shiva's abode - to bring it to Lanka as a gift for his mother. When he tried to uproot the mountain, Shiva simply pressed his toe down, trapping Ravana's hand beneath it. In tremendous pain and realising the enormity of his error, Ravana did not cry out in fear - he sang.
He composed the Shiv Tandav Stotram on the spot, his blood mixing with the earth, his voice rising with both agony and devotion. Shiva, pleased with the sincerity and power of the praise, released him and blessed him with a divine sword - the Chandrahas.
What this story tells us: even the most flawed, even the most powerful, can reach Shiva through genuine, undiluted devotion.
Shiv Tandav Stotram Lyrics in Sanskrit (Full)
Below is the complete Shiv Tandav Stotram in Devanagari script with transliteration in English.
Verse 1
Sanskrit: जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजंगतुंगमालिकाम्। डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम्॥
Transliteration: Jatatavīgalajjala pravāhapāvitasthale Gale'valambya lambitāṃ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikām Ḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamannināda vaḍḍamarvayaṃ Cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṃ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam
Verse 2
Sanskrit: जटाकटाहसम्भ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि। धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम॥
Transliteration: Jaṭākaṭāhasambhrama bhramannilimpanirjharī Vilola vīcivallari virājamānamūrdhani Dhagaddhagaddhagajjvala llālaṭapaṭṭapāvake Kiśoracandraśekhare ratiḥ pratikṣaṇaṃ mama
Verse 3
Sanskrit: धराधरेन्द्रनंदिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर स्फुरद्दिगन्तसंततिप्रमोदमानमानसे। कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि॥
Transliteration: Dharādharendranandini vilāsabandhubandhurasphura Ddigantasantati pramodamānamānase Kṛpākaṭākṣadhōraṇī niruddha durdharāpadi Kvaciddigambare mano vinodam etu vastuni
Verse 4
Sanskrit: जटाभुजंगपिंगलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा कदम्बकुंकुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वधूमुखे। मदान्धसिन्धुरस्फुरत्त्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे मनो विनोदमद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि॥
Transliteration: Jaṭābhujaṅgapiṅgala sphurat phaṇāmaṇi prabhā Kadambakuṅkumadrava pralipta digvadhūmukhe Madāndhsindhura sphurattva guttarīya medure Mano vinodam adbhutaṃ bibhartu bhūtabhartari
Verse 5
Sanskrit: सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर प्रसूनधूलिधोरणीविधूसरांघ्रिपीठभूः। भुजंगराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटकः श्रियैचिरायजायतां चकोरबंधुशेखरः॥
Transliteration: Sahasralocana prabhṛtyaśeṣalekhśekhara Prasūnadhūlidhōraṇī vidhūsarāṅghripīṭhabhūḥ Bhujaṅgarāja mālayanibaddha jāṭajūṭakaḥ Śriyai cirāya jāyatāṃ cakōrabandhuśekharaḥ
Verse 6
Sanskrit: ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनंजयस्फुलिंगभा निपीतपंचसायकंनमन्निलिम्पनायकम्। सुधामयूखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं महाकपालिसम्पदेशिरोजटालमस्तुनः॥
Transliteration: Lalāṭacatvara jvaladd hanaṃjaya sphulińgabhā Nipīta pañcasāyakaṃ namannilampa nāyakam Sudhāmayūkhalekhayā virājamāna śekharaṃ Mahākapālisampad e śirojāṭālamastutaḥ
Verse 7
Sanskrit: करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वल द्धनंजयाहुतीकृतप्रचंडपंचसायके। धराधरेन्द्रनंदिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम॥
Transliteration: Karālabhālapaṭṭikā dhagaddhagad dhagajjvala Ddhanañjayāhutīkṛta pracaṇḍa pañcasāyake Dharādharendranandini kucāgracitra patrakā Prakalpa naikaśilpini trilocanae ratirmama
Verse 8
Sanskrit: नवीनमेघमण्डली निरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत् कुहूनिशीथिनीतमः प्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः। निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसिन्धुरः कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरंधरः॥
Transliteration: Navīnamegha maṇḍalī niruddha durdharasphurat Kuhū niśīthīnī tamaḥ prabandha baddha kandharaḥ Nilimpa nirjharī dhara stanotu kṛttisindhu raḥ Kalāniddhāna bandhurah śriyaṃ jagaddhurandha raḥ
Verse 9
Sanskrit: प्रफुल्लनीलपंकजप्रपंचकालिमप्रभा विडम्बि कंठकन्दलीरुचि प्रबन्धकन्धरम्। स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं गजच्छिदांतकच्छिदं तमन्तकच्छिदं भजे॥
Transliteration: Praphullanīla pañkaja prapañca kālima prabhā Viḍambi kaṇṭhakandalī ruci prabandha kandharam Smaracchidaṃ puracchidaṃ bhavacchidaṃ makhacchidaṃ Gajacchidānta kacchidaṃ tama ntakacchidaṃ bhaje
Verse 10
Sanskrit: अखर्वसर्वमंगला कलाकदम्बमञ्जरी रसप्रवाह माधुरी विजृम्भणा मधुव्रतम्। स्मरान्तकं पुरान्तकं भवान्तकं मखान्तकं गजान्तकान्तकान्तकं तमन्तकान्तकं भजे॥
Transliteration: Akharva sarvama ṅgalā kalā kadamba mañjarī Rasapravāha mādhurī vijṛmbhaṇā madhu vratam Smarāntakaṃ purāntakaṃ bhavāntakaṃ makhāntakaṃ Gajāntakāntakāntakaṃ tama ntakāntakaṃ bhaje
Verse 11
Sanskrit: जयत्वदभ्रविभ्रमभ्रमद्भुजंगमश्वस द्विनिर्गमत्क्रमस्फुरत्करालभालहव्यवाट्। धिमिद्धिमिद्धिमिध्वनन्मृदंगतुंगमंगल ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तित प्रचण्डताण्डवः शिवः॥
Transliteration: Jayatvadabhra vibhrama bhramad bhujaṅgamaśvasa Dvinirgamat kramasphurat karāla bhāla havyavāṭ Dhimiddhimiddhimid dhvanan mṛdaṅga tuṅga maṅgala Dhvani krama pravartita pracaṇḍa tāṇḍavaḥ śivaḥ
Verse 12
Sanskrit: दृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजंग मौक्तिकमस्रजोर् गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्ठयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः। तृणारविन्दचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः समप्रवृत्तिकः कदा सदाशिवं भजाम्यहम्॥
Transliteration: Dṛṣadvicitratalpayōr bhujaṅgamauktika msrajōr Gariṣṭharatna lōṣṭhayōḥ suhṛdvipakṣa pakṣayōḥ Tṛṇāravinda cakṣuṣōḥ prajāmahīma hendrayōḥ Samapravṛttikaḥ kadā sadāśivaṃ bhajāmyaham
Verse 13
Sanskrit: कदा निलिम्पनिर्झरी निकुञ्जकोटरे वसन् विमुक्तदुर्मतिः सदा शिरःस्थमञ्जलिं वहन्। विमुक्तलोललोचनो ललामभाललग्नकः शिवेति मन्त्रमुच्चरन् कदा सुखी भवाम्यहम्॥
Transliteration: Kadā nilimpa nirjharī nikuñja kōṭare vasan Vimukta durmatī ḥ sadā śiraḥsthamañjaliṃ vahan Vimuktalōlalōcanō lalāmabhālalagnakah Śiveti mantramuccaran kadā sukhī bhavāmyaham
Verse 14
Sanskrit: इमं हि नित्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमोत्तमं स्तवं पठन्स्मरन् ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेतिसंततम्। हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं विमोहनं हि देहिनां सुशंकरस्य चिंतनम्॥
Transliteration: Imaṃ hi nityam eva mukta muttamōttamaṃ stavaṃ Paṭhansmaran bruvannaro viśuddhim eti santatam Hare gurau subhaktimāśu yāti nānyathā gatiṃ Vimōhanaṃ hi dehināṃ suśaṅkarasya cintanam
Verse 15
Sanskrit: पूजावसानसमये दशवक्त्रगीतं यः शम्भुपूजनपरं पठति प्रदोषे। तस्य स्थिरां रथगजेन्द्रतुरंगयुक्तां लक्ष्मीं सदैव सुमुखीं प्रददाति शम्भुः॥
Transliteration: Pūjāvasānasamaye daśavaktra gītaṃ Yaḥ śambhu pūjana paraṃ paṭhati pradōṣe Tasya sthirāṃ rathagajendra turaṃgayuktāṃ Lakṣmīṃ sadaiva sumukhīṃ pradadāti śambhuḥ
Shiv Tandav Stotram Lyrics in English (Meaning, Verse by Verse)
Understanding the meaning transforms the Shiv Tandav Stotram from a set of sounds into a living experience. Below is a plain-language meaning of each verse - not a literal translation, but the felt meaning.
Verse 1 - Invocation of the Cosmic Dancer "May Shiva, from whose matted locks the sacred Ganges flows — adorned with serpents, beating his Damru drum, performing his fierce, ecstatic Tandav — bestow auspiciousness upon us."
The image here is total: Shiva as wild energy held in perfect control. The Ganges flows from his hair — purification as a natural consequence of his being. The Damru beats - creation and dissolution in every rhythm.
Verse 2 — The Burning Forehead "May I have unceasing devotion to Shiva - whose forehead blazes like fire, whose hair holds the crescent moon, through whose locks the river Ganga rushes chaotically."
Fire on the forehead: the third eye. The destruction of ignorance is not gentle - it blazes. Ravana is asking not for comfort, but for proximity to that burning truth.
Verses 3–8 — Descriptions of Shiva's Form and Power These verses build upon each other, painting Shiva in increasingly intense imagery: serpents as ornaments, the universe compressed in his form, mountains bowing, gods humbling themselves. Each verse is Ravana piling devotion upon devotion, his pain forgotten in the intensity of his praise.
Verse 9 — The Destroyer of Obstacles "I worship Shiva — destroyer of Kama (desire), destroyer of the three cities, destroyer of the cycle of rebirth, destroyer of the sacrifice, destroyer of the elephant demon, destroyer of death itself."
This is the pivot of the stotra. Shiva doesn't just help — he ends things. The things that bind you. The things that drag you back. The fear of death itself. This is why his energy is not comfortable. It is liberating.
Verses 10–11 — The Tandav in Full The Damru is thundering now. These verses describe the Tandav at full force — the cosmic dance that simultaneously dissolves old patterns and creates new ones. The sound dhimid dhimid dhimid is the drum itself in the language.
Verse 12 — The Prayer for Equanimity "When will I regard stone and jewel, friend and enemy, grass and lotus, king and commoner with complete equality — and thus truly worship Sadashiva?"
This is Ravana at his most honest. He knows what he lacks. He is asking for the very thing his ego has prevented him from having: equanimity. The realisation that Shiva is not reached through power — but through stillness.
Verse 13 — The Longing "When will I live in the grotto by the celestial stream, freed of all wrong thinking, hands folded above my head, chanting only 'Shiva'? When will I be truly happy?"
The most human verse in the entire stotra. Here, the demon king simply asks: when will I be free? When will I be at peace?
Verse 14 — The Blessing of Recitation "Whoever recites this stotra daily with devotion will achieve purity, devotion to Shiva, and will find no other path necessary."
This is the phala shruti — the statement of what consistent recitation brings. Not wealth, not power. Purity. Devotion. And freedom from confusion.
Verse 15 — Closing Blessing "Whoever recites this ten-versed song of Ravana at the time of Shiva's worship in the evening — Shambhu will grant them enduring prosperity and auspiciousness."
The Meaning and Significance of Shiv Tandav Stotram
Why Does This Hymn Hit So Differently?
If you've heard the Shiv Tandav Stotram chanted - especially at full speed, with the Drutavilambita rhythm - you'll know it bypasses the rational mind entirely. Something shifts. Something wakes up.
Here's what makes it singular:
1. It was written in extremity: Ravana composed it while trapped, in agony, facing death. When someone calls on Shiva from the very edge of their capacity - that prayer carries a different frequency.
2. It describes Shiva's most primal form: Not Shiva the husband. Not Shiva the meditator. But Shiva the Tandava dancer - the one who destroys what no longer serves. This is the Shiva that people reach for when everything else has failed.
3. It ends in longing, not arrival: The most powerful aspect of the Shiv Tandav Stotram is that Ravana doesn't claim to have attained Shiva. He is still asking. The prayer is an expression of yearning - and yearning, in Shaiva tradition, is itself a form of union.
Jata Tavi Galaj Pravahapavitasthale — The Opening Line Explained
"Jata tavi galaj pravaha pavitasthale" - this is the line people hear and immediately recognise. Let's break it down:
- Jata — matted locks (Shiva's hair, which represents the untamed, ascetic nature)
- Tavi — of the forest/grove (the locks are themselves like a dense forest)
- Galaj — flowing/dripping (the water cascading down)
- Pravaha — stream, current
- Pavita — purified, made holy
- Sthale — at the place/region (the chest and throat of Shiva)
Together: "At the place purified by the stream of water flowing from the forest of his matted locks..."
The image is extraordinary. Shiva's hair is so vast it is like a jungle. The Ganges doesn't merely flow from his head - it cascades through him like water through a forest canopy.
The purification it creates is not abstract: it falls, it spreads, it reaches everything.
This is why this opening line resonates so deeply. It places you immediately in the presence of something ancient, vast, and real.
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Shiv Tandav Stotram in Hindi - Cultural Context
The Shiv Tandav Stotram, while composed in Sanskrit, has a deep cultural resonance across Hindi-speaking parts of India, Nepal, and the broader Shaiva world. During Shravana (the holy month of Shiva, typically July–August), this stotra is chanted continuously in temples, homes, and ashrams.
In Nepal - where Nepa Rudraksha is rooted and where Pashupatinath Temple stands as one of Shiva's most sacred abodes - the Shiv Tandav Stotram is woven into the fabric of daily devotion. The same Pashupatinath Temple where every Rudraksha from Nepa Rudraksha is energized through Vedic ritual.
The connection is not incidental. Rudraksha and the Shiv Tandav Stotram are both expressions of the same energy: Shiva's transformative, purifying, fearless presence.
The Shiv Tandav Stotram and Rudraksha - A Living Practice
You can listen to the Shiv Tandav Stotram. You can chant it. Both are powerful.
But if you want to inhabit it - if you want to bring its energy into your daily life, not just the moments of chanting - that is where Rudraksha becomes relevant.
Rudraksha is Shiva's own tool for transformation. According to the Shiva Purana, the bead was born from Shiva's tears of compassion - dropped onto the earth after thousands of years of meditation, to give humanity a tangible connection to his transformative energy.
When you wear Rudraksha while chanting the Shiv Tandav Stotram, you are not adding an accessory. You are aligning two of Shiva's most direct gifts to humanity.
Which Rudraksha to Wear While Chanting Shiv Tandav Stotram?
Different Mukhis resonate with different aspects of Shiva's energy invoked in the stotra.
| Your Intent |
Recommended Mukhi |
Why It Aligns |
| Fearlessness, courage, breaking mental blockages |
1 Mukhi Rudraksha |
The rarest, most direct Shiva connection - for those seeking union at the highest level |
| Emotional balance, calming the mind |
2 Mukhi Rudraksha |
Harmonises inner conflict; the mind becomes receptive to Shiva's frequency |
| Clearing past Karma, starting fresh |
3 Mukhi Rudraksha |
Associated with Agni - the purifying fire mirrored in the stotra's imagery |
| Stress relief, mental calm for sustained practice |
5 Mukhi Rudraksha |
The most widely worn bead globally; stabilises the nervous system for deeper chanting |
| Spiritual awakening, third-eye activation |
14 Mukhi Rudraksha |
Connected to Shiva's Ajna (third eye) - the same eye described blazing in the stotra |
| Complete transformation across all life areas |
Siddha Mala |
A holistic Mala of all Mukhis for those committed to deep Sadhana |
How to Use Shiv Tandav Stotram in Daily Practice?
You do not need to be an expert. You do not need a perfect Sanskrit accent. What matters is sincerity - which is exactly what Ravana demonstrated.
Simple daily practice:
- Wake up, bathe, and wear your Rudraksha with intention (use the Mantra: Om Namah Shivaya)
- Sit in a clean, quiet space — ideally facing east or north
- Light a diya (lamp) if available
- Chant or listen to the Shiv Tandav Stotram — ideally 1, 3, or 11 times
- Sit in silence for a few minutes after — let the vibration settle
- Move into your day carrying that stillness
Start Your Practice With Authentic Rudraksha
If the Shiv Tandav Stotram has moved something in you, and you want to bring that energy into every day - not just the moments of chanting - your first step is wearing the right Rudraksha.
🔱 Explore All Rudraksha Mukhis
🪨 Shop Most worshiped Shaligrams
🔮 Book a rudraksha consultation with our Vedic experts
Conclusion
The Shiv Tandav Stotram is not ancient history. It is alive right now - in every person who has ever faced something they could not lift, and turned toward something greater than themselves.
Ravana, for all his flaws, composed something in that moment of trapped, humbled, agonised devotion that has outlasted empires. He asked the question every sincere seeker asks: when will I be free?
The Shiv Tandav Stotram is the prayer of that question. And Rudraksha - worn consistently, with intention - is the daily companion for the journey toward its answer.
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FAQs on Shiv Tandav Stotram
Can women chant Shiv Tandav Stotram?
Yes, completely. There is no restriction on women chanting any Shiva mantra or stotra. Shiva himself has no such limitation - and neither does authentic Shaiva tradition.
Is it okay to listen to it rather than chant?
Yes. Listening with attention and intention carries significant benefit. The vibration reaches you regardless of whether you are producing it or receiving it.
Can it be chanted during periods of grief or difficulty?
Especially then. Shiva is the destroyer of obstacles - not a deity approached only in comfort. The Shiv Tandav Stotram was composed in extremity. It is built for difficult moments.
How long does it take to memorise?
With daily listening, most people find the rhythm and syllables come naturally within 2–3 weeks. Start with Verse 1 (Jata tavi galaj pravaha pavitasthale) - once you have the rhythm, the rest follows.
Does reciting it carry risk?
No. This is a common misconception around powerful mantras. The Shiv Tandav Stotram is a praise hymn, not an invocation of forces that need careful containment. Shiva's energy is fierce but compassionate - the very same compassion that gave birth to Rudraksha.
