Shiva Bhujanga Prayata Stotram — Benefits & How to Chant
श्री शिव भुजङ्गप्रयात स्तोत्रम्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Shiva Bhujanga Prayata Stotram
Invokes Shiva as the supreme Guru (Dakshinamurti) who bestows Self-knowledge and awakening
Said to swiftly grant the gift of eloquence and poetry (ashu-kavya)
The phalashruti promises victory over death and eventual union (sayujya) with the Lord
Cultivates one-pointed devotion through its flowing, musical Bhujanga-prayata metre
Fulfils the heartfelt wishes of those who bow with surrender
Calms the mind and steadies it in the remembrance of Shiva and Bhavani
How to Chant Shiva Bhujanga Prayata Stotram
Instructions
Recite all nine verses with a calm, concentrated mind, ideally before a Shiva Lingam or an image of Dakshinamurti. The hymn is set in the Bhujanga-prayata metre (four feet of laghu-guru-guru per line), so let the recitation flow smoothly and rhythmically. The final (ninth) verse is the phalashruti and is included in the recitation. Daily chanting, or weekly on Mondays, is traditional.
Spiritual Significance
Devotees hold that because the hymn invokes Shiva as Mrityunjaya — the conqueror of death — and ends with the promise that its reciter 'conquers death by Shambhu's grace', earnest recitation during illness or danger is believed to grant protection, fearlessness, and a peaceful, liberated end.
Origin & History
Source: Shaiva stotra corpus attributed to Adi Shankaracharya
Author: Adi Shankaracharya (traditionally)
Adi Shankaracharya, the founder of the Advaita Vedanta tradition and establisher of the four mathas, composed numerous lyrical stotras during his travels across India. Several of these — to Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Ganesha and Subrahmanya — were set in the elegant Bhujanga-prayata metre. This hymn celebrates Shiva as 'Shankara', the auspicious Guru who, like Dakshinamurti, silently bestows Self-knowledge upon seekers, while also adoring his Ardhanarishvara form united with Bhavani.