You may have heard it at a temple at dusk, or in a recording that stays with you long after it ends: Namami Shamishan Nirvan Roopam… Many people love the sound before they know what the words mean.
Namami Shamishan is the opening of the Rudrashtakam, an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn to Shiva composed by Goswami Tulsidas in the Ramcharitmanas. It means “I bow to the Lord, the ruler of all, whose very form is liberation.” Below are the Namami Shamishan lyrics with meaning, the story behind the hymn and a simple way to chant it.
Key points
- Namami Shamishan is the Rudrashtakam: eight verses to Shiva plus a closing verse, in the Uttarkand of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas.
- In the story, a brahmin guru sings it to ask Shiva’s mercy for a disciple who had insulted him.
- The hymn’s own promise is simple: Shiva is pleased with whoever recites it with devotion. It promises no worldly result.
Listen to Namami Shamishan
Play HealThyRam’s recording and read along with the verses below. Listening a few times is the easiest way to learn the rhythm before you chant it yourself.
Watch the videoNamami Shamishan, recorded by HealThyRam · The video loads only when you tap.
What is Namami Shamishan?
Namami Shamishan is the popular name of the Rudrashtakam (also written Shri Rudrashtakam or Shiv Rudrashtakam), a hymn of praise to Shiva. “Rudrashtakam” means “eight verses to Rudra”, an old name of Shiva. The name comes from the hymn itself, in its closing verse.1
- Who wrote it: Goswami Tulsidas, the poet-saint of the Ramcharitmanas. He began that epic in 1574, as the poem itself records,1 and he died in Varanasi in 1623. His birth year is disputed.
- Where it appears: in the Uttarkand, the last book of the Ramcharitmanas, between dohas (couplets) 107 and 108.1,2
- Language: Sanskrit, set inside an epic written in Awadhi, a form of Hindi. A few word forms bend the usual grammar to keep the rhyme and rhythm.3
- How many verses: eight verses (the “ashtakam”) and a ninth, closing verse that says who spoke the hymn and why.1
- Metre: bhujangaprayata, “the serpent’s gait”. Each half-line of the eight verses has twelve syllables in a repeating short-long-long pattern, which gives the hymn its rolling, even beat.4
You’ll also see it spelled Namami Shamisham, Namami Shamishaan or Namaamishamishaan. These are all the same hymn.
What is the story behind the Rudrashtakam?
The hymn is a prayer for mercy, sung by a teacher for a student who had wronged him. Tulsidas tells it through Kakbhushundi, the wise crow-devotee, who describes one of his past lives to Garuda, the eagle who carries Vishnu.1,2
- In that life, Kakbhushundi lived in Ujjain and worshipped Shiva. A kind brahmin taught him like a son and gave him a Shiva mantra. But the young man grew proud and scorned the devotees of Vishnu, and he resented his guru’s teaching that true Shiva worship leads to devotion to Rama.
- One day, in a Shiva temple, his guru walked in and he didn’t rise to greet him. The guru wasn’t angry, but Shiva couldn’t bear the insult to a teacher. A voice from the sky cursed the young man to be born as a serpent.
- Seeing his student tremble, the guru bowed before Shiva with folded hands and, his voice choked with feeling, began to pray. That prayer is the Rudrashtakam.
- Pleased, Shiva offered a boon. The guru asked first for devotion, then for mercy on his student. The curse had to stand, but Shiva softened it. The pain of birth and death would not touch him, and his knowledge would stay with him. Devotion to Rama would also rise in his heart.
So the hymn’s first meaning is about humility and grace: a teacher who answers an insult with a prayer for the one who insulted him. Some websites say the sage Lomasha composed it. In the Ramcharitmanas, Lomasha appears later in Kakbhushundi’s story; the hymn is spoken by the unnamed brahmin guru.1
Namami Shamishan lyrics with meaning, verse by verse
Each verse below gives the Sanskrit as printed by Gita Press,1 a simple English transliteration for chanting, and our own plain-English meaning. In the transliteration, a doubled vowel (aa, ee, oo) is held a little longer, and a hyphen shows where two words join.
Verse 1
नमामीशमीशान निर्वाणरूपं। विभुं व्यापकं ब्रह्म वेदस्वरूपं॥
निजं निर्गुणं निर्विकल्पं निरीहं। चिदाकाशमाकाशवासं भजेऽहं॥१॥
Namaamee-sham-eeshaana nirvaana-roopam, vibhum vyaapakam brahma veda-svaroopam.
Nijam nirgunam nirvikalpam nireeham, chidaakaasham-aakaasha-vaasam bhaje’ham.
Meaning: I bow to the Lord, the ruler of all, whose very nature is liberation: all-pervading, present everywhere, the Absolute whose form is the Veda. I worship him who rests in his own being, beyond all qualities, beyond division and beyond desire: consciousness as vast as space, with the sky itself for his garment.
Verse 2
निराकारमोंकारमूलं तुरीयं। गिरा ग्यान गोतीतमीशं गिरीशं॥
करालं महाकाल कालं कृपालं। गुणागार संसारपारं नतोऽहं॥२॥
Niraakaaram-omkaara-moolam tureeyam, giraa gyaana goteetam-eesham gireesham.
Karaalam mahaakaala kaalam kripaalam, gunaagaara samsaara-paaram nato’ham.
Meaning: I bow to the formless one, the root of the sacred syllable Om, who is beyond the waking, dreaming and sleeping states. He is past the reach of words, thought and the senses: Lord of Mount Kailash, fearsome yet full of mercy, the end even of Mahakala (time, the great destroyer), the home of every virtue, and the shore beyond the cycle of worldly life.
Verse 3
तुषाराद्रि संकाश गौरं गभीरं। मनोभूत कोटि प्रभा श्री शरीरं॥
स्फुरन्मौलि कल्लोलिनी चारु गंगा। लसद्भालबालेन्दु कंठे भुजंगा॥३॥
Tushaaraadri samkaasha gauram gabheeram, manobhoota koti prabhaa shree shareeram.
Sphuran-mauli kallolinee chaaru gangaa, lasad-bhaala-baalendu kanthe bhujangaa.
Meaning: He is fair as the snow-covered Himalaya and deep beyond measure, his body glowing with the beauty of countless Kamadevas (the god of love). The lovely Ganga ripples on his head, the young crescent moon shines on his brow, and serpents circle his throat.
Verse 4
चलत्कुंडलं भ्रू सुनेत्रं विशालं। प्रसन्नाननं नीलकंठं दयालं॥
मृगाधीशचर्माम्बरं मुण्डमालं। प्रियं शंकरं सर्वनाथं भजामि॥४॥
Chalat-kundalam bhroo sunetram vishaalam, prasannaananam neelakantham dayaalam.
Mrigaadheesha-charmaambaram mundamaalam, priyam shankaram sarvanaatham bhajaami.
Meaning: I worship Shankara, beloved of all and lord of all: earrings swaying, fine brows and wide, beautiful eyes, a gentle, smiling face, blue-throated and kind, wearing the skin of the king of beasts and a garland of skulls.
Verse 5
प्रचंडं प्रकृष्टं प्रगल्भं परेशं। अखंडं अजं भानुकोटिप्रकाशं॥
त्रयः शूल निर्मूलनं शूलपाणिं। भजेऽहं भवानीपतिं भावगम्यं॥५॥
Prachandam prakrishtam pragalbham paresham, akhandam ajam bhaanu-koti-prakaasham.
Trayah shoola nirmoolanam shoolapaanim, bhaje’ham bhavaanee-patim bhaava-gamyam.
Meaning: I worship the husband of Bhavani (Parvati): fierce, supreme and fearless, the highest lord, whole and unborn, bright as countless suns. Trident in hand, he uproots the three kinds of suffering (of body and mind, from other beings, and from nature), and he is reached through loving devotion.
Verse 6
कलातीत कल्याण कल्पान्तकारी। सदा सज्जनानन्ददाता पुरारी॥
चिदानंदसंदोह मोहापहारी। प्रसीद प्रसीद प्रभो मन्मथारी॥६॥
Kalaateeta kalyaana kalpaanta-kaaree, sadaa sajjanaananda-daataa puraaree.
Chidaananda-sandoha mohaapahaaree, praseeda praseeda prabho manmathaaree.
Meaning: Beyond all parts and measures, auspicious, the one who brings each age of the world to its close, always the giver of joy to good people, destroyer of the demon cities of Tripura: you are a fullness of consciousness and bliss who takes away delusion. Be gracious, be gracious, O Lord, conqueror of desire.
Verse 7
न यावद् उमानाथ पादारविन्दं। भजंतीह लोके परे वा नराणां॥
न तावत्सुखं शान्ति सन्तापनाशं। प्रसीद प्रभो सर्वभूताधिवासं॥७॥
Na yaavad umaanaatha paadaaravindam, bhajanteeha loke pare vaa naraanaam.
Na taavat-sukham shaanti santaapa-naasham, praseeda prabho sarva-bhootaadhivaasam.
Meaning: O Lord of Uma, as long as people do not worship your lotus feet, they find no happiness or peace, in this world or the next, and no end to their anguish. So be gracious, O Lord who dwells in every being.
Verse 8
न जानामि योगं जपं नैव पूजां। नतोऽहं सदा सर्वदा शंभु तुभ्यं॥
जरा जन्म दुःखौघ तातप्यमानं। प्रभो पाहि आपन्नमामीश शंभो॥८॥
Na jaanaami yogam japam naiva poojaam, nato’ham sadaa sarvadaa shambhu tubhyam.
Jaraa janma duhkhaugha taatapyamaanam, prabho paahi aapannamaameesha shambho.
Meaning: I know nothing of yoga, of japa (repeating a mantra) or of ritual worship; I can only bow to you, Shambhu, always and at every moment. Burned again and again by the sorrows of birth and old age, I come to you in distress: protect me, O Lord, O Shambhu.
Closing verse
रुद्राष्टकमिदं प्रोक्तं विप्रेण हरतोषये।
ये पठन्ति नरा भक्त्या तेषां शम्भुः प्रसीदति॥९॥
Rudraashtakam-idam proktam viprena hara-toshaye.
Ye pathanti naraa bhaktyaa teshaam shambhuh praseedati.
Meaning: This eight-verse hymn to Rudra was spoken by the brahmin to please Shiva. Shambhu is pleased with all who recite it with devotion.
Our meanings are written fresh from the Sanskrit, with the Monier-Williams dictionary5 and the Gita Press commentary2 as references. Translators differ on a few words. Gita Press reads Shiva’s garment in verse 4 as a lion skin; some read tiger skin. In verse 2, Gita Press spells “gyaana” (ग्यान) where Sanskrit editions write ज्ञान; both are said the same way. In verse 8, we read “aapannam maam eesha” as “protect me, the afflicted, O Lord”; Gita Press reads “I bow to you, O Lord”.
What does “Shamishan” mean? Shiva’s names in the hymn
“Shamishan” isn’t one word. Namaami (I bow) + eesham (to the Lord) join to make namaamee-sham, followed by Eeshaana (the ruler, an ancient name of Shiva). So the first line reads “I bow to the Lord, Ishana, whose form is liberation.” The hymn calls Shiva by many names, each with its own meaning.5
| Name in the hymn | Meaning | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| Ishana (ईशान) | The ruler, master of all | 1 |
| Nirvana-roopa (निर्वाणरूप) | Whose form is liberation | 1 |
| Turiya (तुरीय) | The “fourth”, beyond waking, dream and deep sleep | 2 |
| Girisha (गिरीश) | Lord of the mountain (Kailash) | 2 |
| Mahakala-kala (महाकाल काल) | The end even of Mahakala, time the great destroyer | 2 |
| Neelakantha (नीलकंठ) | The blue-throated one, who drank the poison from the churning of the ocean | 4 |
| Shankara (शंकर) | The one who brings well-being | 4 |
| Shoolapani (शूलपाणि) | Holder of the trident | 5 |
| Bhavani-pati (भवानीपति) | Husband of Bhavani (Parvati) | 5 |
| Purari (पुरारी) | Destroyer of the three demon cities | 6 |
| Manmathari (मन्मथारी) | Conqueror of Kama, of desire | 6 |
| Shambhu (शंभु) | The source of happiness, the kind one | 8, 9 |
How do you pronounce Namami Shamishan?
The hymn has a steady beat: short-long-long, four times in every half-line. Once your ear catches it, the words fall into place. Listen to the recording a few times, then try these tips.
- Feel the rhythm: na-maa-mee | sha-mee-shaa | na nir-vaa | na-roo-pam. Each group is one light syllable and two heavy ones.
- Hold the long vowels: “Namaamee”, not “Namami”; “Eeshaana”, not “Ishan”. The long sounds carry the beat.
- Let “m” at the end hum lightly: the dot over a letter (ं) is a soft nasal, as in “roopam” or “bhaje’ham”.
- Don’t add an extra “a”: in “bhaje’ham” and “nato’ham”, the mark ऽ shows where the “a” of aham (“I”) has merged into the word before it. Say “bhaje-ham”, smoothly, not “bhaje-aham”.
- Go slowly at first: clear words matter more than speed. The recording is a good guide to pace.
How do you chant the Rudrashtakam?
There’s no fixed rule. The closing verse asks only for devotion,1 and it is a hymn rather than an initiation mantra, so no initiation is needed. It is printed in the everyday Ramcharitmanas and recited openly in homes and temples. A simple way to begin:
- Choose a quiet time. Many people recite it in the morning or at dusk. Mondays, Pradosh evenings (the 13th day of each lunar fortnight) and the month of Shravan (Sawan) are popular customs for Shiva prayers.
- Sit comfortably. On the floor or on a chair, back upright but relaxed. If you like, light a lamp before an image of Shiva or a Shivalinga. Many people bathe first; that is custom, not a rule.
- Take a few slow breaths and read the meaning of the first verse once, so you know what you’re saying.
- Listen, then join in. Play the recording and follow the words with your eyes. When the rhythm feels familiar, chant along softly, then on your own.
- Chant all nine verses once, unhurried. One attentive recitation is better than many rushed ones. Sit quietly for a minute when you finish.
Make it comfortable for you
- If sitting on the floor hurts your knees, hips or back, use a chair. Devotion doesn’t need a posture.
- Chant at a comfortable volume. If your voice tires or your throat hurts, rest, or listen instead.
- Breathe naturally between lines. If you feel light-headed, stop and breathe normally.
What are the benefits of Namami Shamishan? An honest answer
The hymn names its own reward, and it is a spiritual one: Shiva is pleased with whoever recites it with devotion.1 It doesn’t promise wealth, a marriage, victory over enemies or good health, whatever some websites say. Its heart is humility. The eighth verse admits, “I know nothing of yoga, japa or worship; I can only bow to you.”
Does chanting bring calm? Research hasn’t studied the Rudrashtakam itself, but it has looked at slow, rhythmic recitation and mantra practice in general:
- Breathing slows down. In a study of 23 healthy adults, reciting a prayer or a yoga mantra naturally slowed breathing to about six breaths a minute in a single lab session.6 The effect came from the slower breathing, so it isn’t special to one prayer.
- Small changes in the body’s “rest” signals. In a small study of 36 young adults, five minutes of chanting Om raised a heart-rate marker linked with rest, more in experienced practitioners. The study wasn’t randomised.7
- Modest effects on stress scores. A 2022 review of 51 trials of mantra-based meditation (silent repetition, about half of it Transcendental Meditation, not hymn singing) found small-to-moderate improvements in stress scores. The authors found that none of the trials was free of design weaknesses.8
The studies are small and short, and a recent review of Om meditation research calls for longer, better-designed trials.9 So treat chanting as a practice of devotion and a few calm minutes in your day, not as a treatment for any health condition.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Namami Shamishan?
Goswami Tulsidas, the 16th-century poet-saint, wrote it as part of the Ramcharitmanas. In the story it is sung by a brahmin of Ujjain to ask Shiva’s mercy for his disciple, who later became the crow-devotee Kakbhushundi. It appears in the Uttarkand, between dohas 107 and 108.
Is the Rudrashtakam in Sanskrit or Hindi?
It is in Sanskrit, though it sits inside the Ramcharitmanas, which is written in Awadhi, a form of Hindi. Tulsidas uses a few unusual Sanskrit forms to keep the rhyme, such as “Shambhu” where the grammar expects “Shambho”. That’s why the hymn can look slightly different from one book to the next.
Can anyone chant Namami Shamishan?
Yes. It is a hymn of praise, not a mantra given through initiation. Its closing verse speaks of “whoever recites it with devotion”, with no condition. Men and women of any age chant it at home and in temples. Gita Press prints it in the everyday edition of the Ramcharitmanas for all readers.
Can I listen to the Rudrashtakam instead of chanting it?
Many people begin by listening, and it’s a good way to learn the rhythm and pronunciation. Listening attentively, with the meaning in mind, is a form of devotion in itself. Over time, try chanting along softly. Your own voice and breath make the practice more personal.
Does Namami Shamishan help with marriage or other wishes?
The hymn itself makes no such promise. Its closing verse says only that Shiva is pleased with those who recite it with devotion. Claims about marriage, enemies or money come from popular websites and astrology columns, not from the text. People chant it to praise Shiva and seek his grace; it is a prayer of praise and humility.
Sources
- Tulsidas. Shri Ramcharitmanas (Mool). Gorakhpur: Gita Press. Uttarkand, doha 105–109 (the hymn between dohas 107 and 108); Balkand 34 (date of composition). archive.org · Primary text
- Tulsidas. Shri Ramcharitmanas, with Hindi commentary by Hanuman Prasad Poddar. Gorakhpur: Gita Press. Uttarkand, pp. 1011–1014. archive.org · Primary text with commentary
- Shri Rudrashtakam (Tulsidas), Sanskrit text with notes on its irregular forms. Sanskrit Documents collection. sanskritdocuments.org · Text
- Bhujangaprayata (metre). Wisdom Library, with the Natyashastra definition. wisdomlib.org · Reference
- Monier-Williams M. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press; 1899. Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries. sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de · Dictionary
- Bernardi L, Sleight P, Bandinelli G, et al. Effect of rosary prayer and yoga mantras on autonomic cardiovascular rhythms: comparative study. BMJ. 2001;323(7327):1446–9. doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7327.1446 · Study
- Inbaraj G, Rao RM, Ram A, et al. Immediate effects of OM chanting on heart rate variability measures compared between experienced and inexperienced yoga practitioners. Int J Yoga. 2022;15(1):52–58. doi:10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_141_21 · Study
- Álvarez-Pérez Y, Rivero-Santana A, Perestelo-Pérez L, et al. Effectiveness of mantra-based meditation on mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(6):3380. doi:10.3390/ijerph19063380 · Meta-analysis
- Kumar R, et al. Tradition, science and practice of Om dhyana (meditation): a comprehensive review. Adv Mind Body Med. 2025;39(2):17–25. PubMed 40265989 · Review
Keep going
- Another Shiva prayer: Karpur Gauram Karunavtaram: meaning and how to chant.
- Chant along: HealThyRam’s Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, 108 times on YouTube.
- More recordings: the HealThyRam mantra and music collection.
Published by the HealThyRam team. How we write our posts. The Sanskrit text is from the Gita Press edition; the transliteration and English meanings are our own. Educational content only, not medical advice.
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