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StotramShiva · शिव
शिव ताण्डव स्तोत्रम्
Shiva Tandava Stotram · Uma Mohan · 6:33
Ravana's Shiva Tandava Stotram — a Puranic-era composition (not part of the core Vedic Samhitas) in which Ravana praises Shiva's cosmic dance of dissolution and grace, prized for its thunderous rhythm and imagery.
0:00 / 6:33
A note on this transcription: The verses above are the standard published text of this well-known traditional composition (attributed to Ravana in later legend), reproduced from established sources rather than a word-by-word transcription of this specific recording. The traditional text runs to sixteen verses; verses beyond those given here, and exact alignment with Uma Mohan's rendition, are flagged above for manual verification against the audio rather than reconstructed from memory.
Verse 1
जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम्। डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम्॥ १॥
Jaṭāṭavīgalajjalapravāhapāvitasthale gale'valambya lambitāṁ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikām, ḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamanninādavaḍḍamarvayaṁ cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṁ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam
Meaning
From his matted locks, purified by the Ganga's falling waters, a towering garland of serpents hangs at his throat. Damaru drums thunder "ḍam-ḍam-ḍam" as Shiva dances his fierce cosmic dance — may that dance bring us auspiciousness.
Verse 2
जटाकटाहसंभ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि। धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम॥ २॥
Jaṭākaṭāhasambhramabhramannilimpanirjharī vilolavīcivallarīvirājamānamūrdhani, dhagaddhagaddhagajjvalallalāṭapaṭṭapāvake kishoracandraśekhare ratiḥ pratikṣaṇaṁ mama
Meaning
The celestial river swirls and eddies within the whirl of his matted hair, its rippling waves crowning his head; on his brow a fire crackles and blazes. My heart delights, moment after moment, in this youthful bearer of the crescent moon.
Verse 3
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर स्फुरद्दिगन्तसन्ततिप्रमोदमानमानसे। कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि॥ ३॥
Dharādharendranandinīvilāsabandhubandhura sphuraddigantasantatipramodamānamānase, kṛpākaṭākṣadhoraṇīniruddhadurdharāpadi kvacid digambare mano vinodam etu vastuni
Meaning
Delighting in play with the daughter of the mountain king (Parvati), his mind ever joyful — a single stream of his compassionate glance holds every hardship at bay. May my mind find its joy in that sky-clad one, source of all things.
Verse 4
जटाभुजङ्गपिङ्गलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा कदम्बकुङ्कुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वधूमुखे। मदान्धसिन्धुरस्फुरत्त्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे मनो विनोदमद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि॥ ४॥
Jaṭābhujaṅgapiṅgalasphuratphaṇāmaṇiprabhā kadambakuṅkumadravapraliptadigvadhūmukhe, madāndhasindhurasphurattvaguttarīyamedure mano vinodam adbhutaṁ bibhartu bhūtabhartari
Meaning
The glow of jewels on the hoods of the serpents coiled in his hair tints the horizon like saffron on the face of the quarters; a great elephant's hide, still trembling, is his upper garment. May my mind hold wonder-filled delight in him, the Lord and sustainer of all beings.
Verse 5
सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर प्रसूनधूलिधोरणी विधूसराङ्घ्रिपीठभूः। भुजङ्गराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटक श्रियै चिराय जायतां चकोरबन्धुशेखरः॥ ५॥
Sahasralocanaprabhṛtyaśeṣalekhaśekhara prasūnadhūlidhoraṇī vidhūsarāṅghripīṭhabhūḥ, bhujaṅgarājamālayā nibaddhajāṭajūṭaka śriyai cirāya jāyatāṁ cakorabandhuśekharaḥ
Meaning
The dust of flowers offered by Indra of the thousand eyes and every other crowned god settles grey upon the ground at his feet; his matted crown is bound with a garland of the serpent king. May that wearer of the moon's crescent grant us lasting fortune.
Verse 6
ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनञ्जयस्फुलिङ्गभा निपीतपञ्चसायकं नमन्निलिम्पनायकम्। सुधामयूखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं महाकपालिसंपदेशिराजतु मम मस्तके॥ ६॥
Lalāṭacatvarajvaladdhanañjayasphuliṅgabhā nipītapañcasāyakaṁ namannilimpanāyakam, sudhāmayūkhalekhayā virājamānaśekharaṁ mahākapālisampade śirā jatu mama mastake
Meaning
The sparks of fire blazing on his broad forehead consumed the god of love; even the lords of heaven bow before him. Crowned with the crescent moon's nectarous light — may this great, skull-adorned lord abide, for my true fortune, upon my head.
Verse 7
करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वल द्धनञ्जयाहुतीकृतप्रचण्डपञ्चसायके। धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम॥ ७॥
Karālabhālapaṭṭikādhagaddhagaddhagajjvala ddhanañjayāhutīkṛtapracaṇḍapañcasāyake, dharādharendranandinīkucāgracitrapatraka prakalpanaikaśilpini trilocane ratirmama
Meaning
On his fearsome brow a fire crackles "dhagad-dhagad," into which the fierce god of love was offered as oblation. The same three-eyed lord is also the sole artist who paints delicate patterns upon Parvati's breast — my heart delights in this three-eyed one, terrible and tender at once.
Verse 8
नवीनमेघमण्डली निरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत् कुहूनिशीथिनीतमः प्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः। निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसिन्धुरः कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरंधरः॥ ८॥
Navīnameghamaṇḍalī niruddhadurdharasphurat kuhūniśīthinītamaḥ prabandhabaddhakandharaḥ, nilimpanirjharīdharastanotu kṛttisindhuraḥ kalānidhānabandhuraḥ śriyaṁ jagaddhuraṁdharaḥ
Meaning
His throat is dark as a bank of fresh monsoon clouds, dark as the moonless night itself; he bears the celestial river in his hair, wears an elephant's hide, and carries the crescent moon. May he, the bearer of the world's burden, grant us prosperity.
Verse 9
इदम् हि नित्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमोत्तमं स्तवं पठन्स्मरन्ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेतिसंततम्। हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं विमोहनं हि देहिनां सुशङ्करस्य चिन्तनम्॥
Idam hi nityam evam uktam uttamottamaṁ stavaṁ paṭhan smaran bruvan naro viśuddhim eti santatam, hare gurau subhaktim āśu yāti nānyathā gatiṁ vimohanaṁ hi dehinām suśaṅkarasya cintanam
Meaning
(Phalashruti — the fruit of recitation.) Whoever regularly reads, recalls, or recites this finest of hymns attains constant purity and swiftly gains true devotion to the Guru and to Hari; there is no other path — for contemplating the auspicious Shankara alone frees embodied beings from delusion.
Verse 10
[शेष श्लोक — मूल पाठ से सत्यापन आवश्यक]
[remaining verses of the traditional 16-verse text — pending manual verification against source]
Meaning
Flagged for manual correction — not yet verified against the source audio.
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