dhumavatimahavidyadasha-mahavidyashakti

ධූමාවතී ස්තෝත්රම් (ධූමාවත්යෂ්ටකම්)

Dhumavati Stotram (Dhumavatyashtakam) in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 9× repetitions·🕐 Pradosh or night, Saturdays, Dhumavati Jayanti (Jyeshtha Shukla Ashtami), and during periods of crisis or affliction·📜 Tantric Shakta tradition; preserved in the Shaktapramoda and Mantramaharnava compilations

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Englishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

Origin & Story

Tantric Shakta tradition; preserved in the Shaktapramoda and Mantramaharnava compilations · Traditional (anonymous); transmitted in the Mahavidya / Dhumavati tantras · Medieval Tantric period

Dhumavati arose, according to one well-known account, when Sati, unable to bear hunger, swallowed Shiva himself; when he asked to be released, she emerged from the smoke as the widow-goddess, ever hungry and inauspicious in worldly terms yet supremely wise. As the seventh Mahavidya she embodies the great void that remains when all forms dissolve. The Dhumavatyashtakam is the principal hymn used in her worship, invoking her fierce, smoky form to drive away every danger.

✦ As told in scripture

Devotees and tantric texts hold that sincere recitation of the Dhumavatyashtakam during times of crisis can dispel seemingly hopeless misfortune — turning away enemies, lawsuits, disease and poverty — for the hymn itself promises that gods, demons and even wild beasts flee at its mere remembrance, leaving the devotee in peace.

0all time

Complete Text with Meaning

Tap any line — or the ▶ button — to hear it recited

Verse 1

ප්රාතර්යාස්යාත් කුමාරී කුසුමකලිකයා ජාපමාලාං ජපන්තී මධ්යාහ්නේ ප්රෞඪරූපා විකසිතවදනා චාරුනේත්රා නිශායාම්. සන්ධ්යායාං වෘද්ධරූපා ගලිතකුචයුගා මුණ්ඩමාලාං වහන්තී සා දේවී දේවදේවී ත්රිභුවනජනනී කාලිකාපාතු යුෂ්මාන්..1..

Prātar yāsyāt kumārī kusumakalikayā jāpamālāṁ japantī madhyāhne prauḍharūpā vikasitavadanā cārunetrā niśāyām। sandhyāyāṁ vṛddharūpā galitakucayugā muṇḍamālāṁ vahantī sā devī devadevī tribhuvanajananī kālikā pātu yuṣmān॥1॥

Meaning:At dawn she is a young maiden turning her rosary; at midday she is full-grown with a radiant face and lovely eyes; at dusk she is aged, with sagging breasts, wearing a garland of skulls — may that Goddess of gods, Mother of the three worlds, Kalika (Dhumavati), protect you all.

Verse 2

බද්ධ්වා ඛට්වාඞ්ගකෝටෞ කපිලවරජටාමණ්ඩලං පද්මයෝනේඃ කෘත්වා දෛත්යෝත්තමාඞ්ගෛඃ ස්රජමුරසි ශිරශ්ශේඛරං තාර්ක්ෂ්යපක්ෂෛඃ. පූර්ණං රක්තෛඃ සුරාණාං යමමහිෂමහාශ‍ෘඞ්ගමාදාය පාණෞ පායාද්වෝ වන්ද්යමානඃ ප්රලයමුදිතයා භෛරවඃ කාලරාත්ර්යාම්..2..

Baddhvā khaṭvāṅgakoṭau kapilavarajaṭāmaṇḍalaṁ padmayoneḥ kṛtvā daityottamāṅgaiḥ srajam urasi śiraśśekharaṁ tārkṣyapakṣaiḥ। pūrṇaṁ raktaiḥ surāṇāṁ yamamahiṣamahāśṛṅgam ādāya pāṇau pāyādvo vandyamānaḥ pralayamuditayā bhairavaḥ kālarātryām॥2॥

Meaning:With the matted locks of Brahma bound atop his khatvanga staff, wearing a garland of demons' heads upon his chest and a crest of Garuda's feathers, holding in his hand the great horn of Yama's buffalo brimming with the blood of the gods — may the fierce Bhairava, worshipped and delighted at the time of dissolution, protect you on the night of Kalaratri.

Verse 3

චර්වන්තීමස්ථිඛණ්ඩං ප්රකටකටකටාශබ්දසඞ්ඝාතමුග්රං කුර්වාණි ප්රේතමධ්යේ කහහකහකහාහාස්යමුග්රං කෘශාඞ්ගී. නිත්යං නිත්යප්රසක්තාං ඩමරුඩිමඩිමාං ස්ඵාරයන්තීං මුඛාබ්ජං පායාන්නශ්චණ්ඩිකේයං ඣඣමඣමඣමා ජල්පමානා භ්රමන්තී..3..

Carvantīm asthikhaṇḍaṁ prakaṭakaṭakaṭāśabdasaṅghātam ugraṁ kurvāṇi pretamadhye kahahakahakahāhāsyam ugraṁ kṛśāṅgī। nityaṁ nityaprasaktāṁ ḍamaruḍimaḍimāṁ sphārayantīṁ mukhābjaṁ pāyānnaś caṇḍikeyaṁ jhajhamajhamajhamā jalpamānā bhramantī॥3॥

Meaning:Thin-bodied, crunching pieces of bone with a loud crackling sound, laughing terribly 'kahaha-kahakaha' amid the ghosts, ever absorbed, sounding her damaru with a 'dima-dima' beat and opening wide her lotus-face, wandering and muttering 'jhama-jhama' — may this Chandika protect us.

Verse 4

වාමේ කර්ණේ මෘගාඞ්කං ප්රලයපරිගතං දක්ෂිණේ සූර්යබිම්බං කණ්ඨේ නක්ෂත්රහාරං වරවිකටජටාජූටකේ මුණ්ඩමාලාම්. ස්කන්ධේ කෘත්වෝරගේන්ද්රධ්වජනිකරයුතං බ්රහ්මකඞ්කාලභාරං සංහාරේ ධාරයන්තී මම හරතු භයං භද්රදා භද්රකාලී..4..

Vāme karṇe mṛgāṅkaṁ pralayaparigataṁ dakṣiṇe sūryabimbaṁ kaṇṭhe nakṣatrahāraṁ varavikaṭajaṭājūṭake muṇḍamālām। skandhe kṛtvoragendradhvajanikarayutaṁ brahmakaṅkālabhāraṁ saṁhāre dhārayantī mama haratu bhayaṁ bhadradā bhadrakālī॥4॥

Meaning:With the moon at her left ear and the dissolution-bound sun at her right, a necklace of stars at her throat, a garland of skulls upon her fearsome matted crown, bearing upon her shoulders the great serpent-banner and the skeletal weight of Brahma — may the welfare-giving Bhadrakali, who upholds all in dissolution, take away my fear.

Verse 5

ධූමාවත්යෂ්ටකං පුණ්යං සර්වාපද්විනිවාරකම්. යඃ පඨේත් සාධකෝ භක්ත්යා සිද්ධිං වින්දති වාඤ්ඡිතාම්..5..

Dhūmāvatyaṣṭakaṁ puṇyaṁ sarvāpadvinivārakam। yaḥ paṭhet sādhako bhaktyā siddhiṁ vindati vāñchitām॥5॥

Meaning:This sacred Dhumavati Ashtakam wards off every calamity; the devotee who recites it with devotion obtains his cherished accomplishment. In great danger, great terror, great disease and great battle; in driving away enemies, in subjugation and bewildering of beings — whoever recites this hymn, O Goddess, gains success everywhere. Gods, demons, gandharvas, yakshas, rakshasas, serpents, lions, tigers and all such — merely by the remembrance of this hymn — flee far, far away; how much more then ordinary men and creatures. By this hymn, O Lord of gods, what cannot be accomplished on earth? Complete peace results, and in the end one attains liberation.

Verse 6

මහාපදි මහාඝෝරේ මහාරෝගේ මහාරණේ. ශත්රූච්චාටේ මාරණාදෞ ජන්තූනාං මෝහනේ තථා..6..

Mahāpadi mahāghore mahāroge mahāraṇe। śatrūccāṭe māraṇādau jantūnāṁ mohane tathā॥6॥

Verse 7

පඨේත් ස්තෝත්රමිදං දේවි සර්වත්ර සිද්ධිභාග්භවේත්. දේවදානවගන්ධර්වා යක්ෂරාක්ෂසපන්නගාඃ..7..

Paṭhet stotram idaṁ devi sarvatra siddhibhāg bhavet। devadānavagandharvā yakṣarākṣasapannagāḥ॥7॥

Verse 8

සිංහව්යාඝ්රාදිකාස්සර්වේ ස්තෝත්රස්මරණමාත්රතඃ. දූරාද්දූරතරං යාන්ති කිං පුනර්මානුෂාදයඃ..8..

Siṁhavyāghrādikāssarve stotrasmaraṇamātrataḥ। dūrāddūrataraṁ yānti kiṁ punar mānuṣādayaḥ॥8॥

Verse 9

ස්තෝත්රේණානේන දේවේශි කිං න සිද්ධ්යති භූතලේ. සර්වශාන්තිර්භවේද්දේවි හ්යන්තේ නිර්වාණතාං ව්රජේත්..9..

Stotreṇānena deveśi kiṁ na siddhyati bhūtale। sarvaśāntir bhaved devi hyante nirvāṇatāṁ vrajet॥9॥

Word-by-Word Meaning

Click any word to hear its pronunciation

ප්රාතඃ🔊prātaḥIn the morning

කුමාරී🔊kumārīA young maiden (the Goddess appears youthful at dawn)

ජාපමාලාං ජපන්තී🔊jāpamālāṁ japantīCounting/turning her rosary in japa

මධ්යාහ්නේ ප්රෞඪරූපා🔊madhyāhne prauḍharūpāAt midday she has a mature, full-grown form

සන්ධ්යායාං වෘද්ධරූපා🔊sandhyāyāṁ vṛddharūpāAt dusk she takes an aged, elderly form

මුණ්ඩමාලාං වහන්තී🔊muṇḍamālāṁ vahantīWearing a garland of skulls

ත්රිභුවනජනනී🔊tribhuvanajananīMother of the three worlds

කාලිකා පාතු යුෂ්මාන්🔊kālikā pātu yuṣmānMay that Goddess Kalika (Dhumavati) protect you all

භෛරවඃ🔊bhairavaḥThe fierce Bhairava (her companion aspect)

කාලරාත්ර්යාම්🔊kālarātryāmOn the night of cosmic dissolution (Kalaratri)

චර්වන්තීම් අස්ථිඛණ්ඩම්🔊carvantīm asthikhaṇḍamChewing/crunching pieces of bone

ප්රේතමධ්යේ🔊pretamadhyeIn the midst of ghosts and spirits (the cremation ground)

ඩමරුඩිමඩිමාම්🔊ḍamaruḍimaḍimāmSounding the damaru drum with a 'dima-dima' beat

භද්රකාලී🔊bhadrakālīThe auspicious Kali; bestower of welfare (bhadra)

බ්රහ්මකඞ්කාලභාරම්🔊brahmakaṅkālabhāramBearing the weight of the skeleton of Brahma (her cosmic vastness)

ධූමාවත්යෂ්ටකං පුණ්යම්🔊dhūmāvatyaṣṭakaṁ puṇyamThis auspicious, merit-giving Dhumavati Ashtakam

සර්වාපද්විනිවාරකම්🔊sarvāpadvinivārakamThat which wards off all calamities and dangers

සිද්ධිං වින්දති වාඤ්ඡිතාම්🔊siddhiṁ vindati vāñchitāmAttains the desired accomplishment (siddhi)

ස්තෝත්රස්මරණමාත්රතඃ🔊stotrasmaraṇamātrataḥMerely by remembering/reciting this hymn

අන්තේ නිර්වාණතාං ව්රජේත්🔊ante nirvāṇatāṁ vrajetIn the end one attains liberation (nirvana)

Benefits of Chanting Dhumavati Stotram (Dhumavatyashtakam)

✦

Wards off all calamities, accidents and great dangers (sarva-apad-nivaraka), as the hymn itself declares

✦

Drives away enemies, evil spirits, ghosts and negative forces by mere remembrance

✦

Grants protection in lawsuits, debts, disease, poverty and times of crisis — Dhumavati is the remover of misfortune

✦

Fulfils the sincere devotee's cherished desires and grants tantric siddhis

✦

Bestows deep detachment (vairagya) and freedom from worldly craving

✦

Brings ultimate peace of mind and, in the end, liberation (nirvana)

How to Chant Dhumavati Stotram (Dhumavatyashtakam)

Repetitions9times

Best TimePradosh or night, Saturdays, Dhumavati Jayanti (Jyeshtha Shukla Ashtami), and during periods of crisis or affliction

Dhumavati is a fierce Mahavidya traditionally worshipped outside the home, at night, or in cremation grounds, and often for nivritti (cessation of trouble) rather than worldly gain. Bathe and sit facing a chosen direction with a simple offering (she is the 'widow' goddess and is offered plain or pungent items rather than sweets or flowers of luxury). Light a lamp, invoke her with reverence, and recite the eight verses with concentration, followed by the phala-shruti. It is best learned and practised under the guidance of a qualified guru. Householders seeking only auspiciousness may simply recite it with devotion for protection and removal of obstacles.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Dhumavati Stotram (Dhumavatyashtakam) written in the Sinhala script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

Dhumavati ('the smoky one') is the seventh of the ten Mahavidyas, the great Tantric wisdom-goddesses. She is depicted as an aged widow riding a crow, smoky in complexion, representing the void, dissolution and the formless aspect of the Divine Mother. Though fearsome in appearance, she is a compassionate teacher who removes misfortune and grants detachment and liberation.

The first verse describes her as a maiden in the morning, a mature woman at midday, and an old woman at dusk wearing a garland of skulls. This reveals her as Time itself (Kala) and as the Mother who pervades all stages of existence — youth, fullness and decay — and presides over creation, sustenance and dissolution.

Reciting this devotional hymn for protection and the removal of obstacles is widely considered safe and beneficial. However, the formal tantric upasana of Dhumavati (with her mantra, yantra and elaborate ritual) is traditionally undertaken under the guidance of a qualified guru, often for specific purposes such as warding off enemies or calamity.

The concluding verses declare that this Dhumavatyashtakam wards off every calamity; that in great danger, disease and battle, and against enemies, the reciter gains success everywhere; that gods, demons and even lions and tigers flee at its mere remembrance; and that it bestows complete peace and finally leads to liberation (nirvana).