shivashiva-mahimna-stotrapushpadantamahadeva

Asita Giri Samam Syat

असितगिरिसमं स्यात्

🕉️ hindu·📿 1× repetitions·🕐 Pradosha Kaal, Mondays, Maha Shivaratri, and during Shiva worship or study·📜 Shiva Mahimna Stotra, verse 32

Also known as: asita giri samam syat · asitagirisamam syat kajjalam sindhupatre · shiva mahimna ocean of ink verse · likhati yadi grihitva sharada

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant ⬇️ PDF Download

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

This is the thirty-second verse of the Shiva Mahimna Stotra, one of the most famous and beloved verses in all of Sanskrit devotional poetry. It paints an unforgettable image: even if the ocean were the inkpot, a mountain of ink, the wish-fulfilling tree the pen and the earth the paper, and Goddess Saraswati wrote forever — the glories of Shiva could never be fully described. It is a sublime declaration of the infinitude of the Divine.

Origin & Story

Shiva Mahimna Stotra, verse 32 · Pushpadanta (king of the Gandharvas) · Ancient / classical (a widely recited Shaiva hymn)

Toward the close of the Shiva Mahimna Stotra, the Gandharva poet Pushpadanta — having extolled Shiva through many verses — confesses the impossibility of ever completing his praise. In this celebrated verse he summons the grandest images he can conceive: the ocean as inkpot, a mountain of ink, the wish-tree as pen, the earth as paper and Saraswati as the writer, only to declare that even these could never reach the end of the Lord's glory.

✦ As told in scripture

This verse is treasured by devotees as the supreme expression of Shiva's infinitude; tradition holds that contemplating it dissolves intellectual pride and awakens humble devotion, the very mood that won Pushpadanta release from his curse through this hymn.

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The Mantra

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असितगिरिसमं स्यात् कज्जलं सिन्धुपात्रे सुरतरुवरशाखा लेखनी पत्रमुर्वी । लिखति यदि गृहीत्वा शारदा सर्वकालं तदपि तव गुणानामीश पारं न याति ॥

asitagirisamaṃ syāt kajjalaṃ sindhupātre surataruvaraśākhā lekhanī patramurvī | likhati yadi gṛhītvā śāradā sarvakālaṃ tadapi tava guṇānāmīśa pāraṃ na yāti ||

Meaning:Were the ink as vast as the dark mountain, the ocean the inkpot, a branch of the celestial wish-tree the pen, and the whole earth the writing sheet — and were Goddess Sharada (Saraswati) herself to write with them for all eternity — even then, O Lord, the end of your glories would never be reached.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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असितगिरिसमं🔊asita-giri-samaṃEqual to (the size of) the dark mountain (Mount Meru's black peak / a mountain of collyrium)

स्यात्🔊syātWere it to be; if it should be

कज्जलं🔊kajjalaṃInk, lamp-black, collyrium

सिन्धुपात्रे🔊sindhu-pātreWith the ocean as the inkpot / vessel

सुरतरुवरशाखा🔊sura-taru-vara-śākhāA branch of the celestial wish-fulfilling tree (Kalpavriksha) as the pen

लेखनी🔊lekhanīPen, writing instrument

पत्रम् उर्वी🔊patram urvīThe earth itself as the writing sheet (paper)

लिखति यदि🔊likhati yadiIf (she) were to write

गृहीत्वा🔊gṛhītvāHaving taken (these up)

शारदा🔊śāradāSharada — Goddess Saraswati, goddess of learning and speech

सर्वकालं🔊sarvakālaṃFor all time, eternally, forever

तदपि🔊tadapiEven then, even so

तव गुणानाम्🔊tava guṇānāmOf your virtues / glories / attributes

ईश🔊īśaO Lord (Ishvara, Shiva)

पारं न याति🔊pāraṃ na yātiWould not reach the end / would never be exhausted

Benefits of Chanting Asita Giri Samam Syat

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Evokes awe and devotion through its sublime image of Shiva's infinite glory

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A cherished standalone verse, often quoted to convey the limitlessness of the Divine

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Recitation is believed to deepen bhakti and dissolve the ego's pride in knowledge

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Invokes both Shiva and Goddess Sharada (Saraswati), uniting devotion and learning

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Brings peace and expansiveness of mind through contemplation of the boundless

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Forms the climactic praise of the Shiva Mahimna Stotra, the foremost hymn to Shiva

How to Chant Asita Giri Samam Syat

Repetitions1times

Best TimePradosha Kaal, Mondays, Maha Shivaratri, and during Shiva worship or study

Recite this verse slowly, allowing its grand imagery to unfold in the mind as a meditation on Shiva's boundlessness. It is often chanted near the conclusion of the Shiva Mahimna Stotra; it may also be recited on its own before a Shiva Linga, or invoked by students and seekers of wisdom (as it praises Goddess Sharada). Pair it with the full stotra for the complete blessing.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is verse 32 of the Shiva Mahimna Stotra and one of the most quoted verses in Sanskrit literature for its breathtaking image: even if the ocean were the inkwell, a mountain the ink, the celestial tree the pen and the earth the paper, and Saraswati wrote eternally, Shiva's glories could never be fully written. It beautifully expresses the infinitude of God.

Sharada is a name of Goddess Saraswati, the deity of speech, learning and the arts. The verse imagines even she — the supreme power of expression — being unable to exhaust the praise of Shiva, however long she writes.

'Asita-giri' (dark mountain) conveys an immeasurably huge quantity of ink. Together with the ocean as inkpot and the earth as paper, the verse stacks cosmic-scale images to show that no measure of effort could capture the endless glory of the Lord.

Yes. Because of its self-contained beauty and meaning, it is frequently recited and quoted on its own. Within worship, it is chanted as part of the complete Shiva Mahimna Stotra near its conclusion.