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Shiva Pratah Smarana Stotram Meaning — Line by Line

शिव प्रातः स्मरण स्तोत्रम्

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Meaning — Line by Line

Every verse of Shiva Pratah Smarana Stotram with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.

Verse 1#

Pratah Smarami Bhava-bhiti-haram Suresham

प्रातः स्मरामि भवभीतिहरं सुरेशं गङ्गाधरं वृषभवाहनमम्बिकेशम्। खट्वाङ्गशूलवरदाभयहस्तमीशं संसाररोगहरमौषधमद्वितीयम्॥

Pratah Smarami Bhava-bhiti-haram Suresham Gangadharam Vrishabha-vahanam-ambikesham Khatvanga-shoola-varadabhaya-hastam-isham Samsara-roga-haram-aushadham-advitiyam

MeaningAt dawn I remember Shiva, the remover of the fear of worldly existence, the Lord of the gods, the bearer of the Ganga, whose vehicle is the bull, the Lord of Ambika; whose hands hold the skull-staff and the trident and show the gestures of boon-giving and fearlessness — the peerless medicine that cures the disease of worldly existence.

Verse 2#

Pratar-namami Girisham Girija-ardha-deham

प्रातर्नमामि गिरिशं गिरिजार्धदेहं सर्गस्थितिप्रलयकारणमादिदेवम्। विश्वेश्वरं विजितविश्वमनोभिरामं संसाररोगहरमौषधमद्वितीयम्॥

Pratar-namami Girisham Girija-ardha-deham Sarga-sthiti-pralaya-karanam-adi-devam Vishveshvaram Vijita-vishva-manobhiramam Samsara-roga-haram-aushadham-advitiyam

MeaningAt dawn I bow to Shiva, the Lord of the mountain, whose body is half Parvati (the mountain's daughter), the primordial God who is the cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution, the Lord of the universe, who has conquered the universe and is the delight of every mind — the peerless medicine that cures the disease of worldly existence.

Verse 3#

Pratar-bhajami Shivam-ekam-anantam-aadyam

प्रातर्भजामि शिवमेकमनन्तमाद्यं वेदान्तवेद्यमनघं पुरुषं महान्तम्। नामादिभेदरहितं षड्भावशून्यं संसाररोगहरमौषधमद्वितीयम्॥

Pratar-bhajami Shivam-ekam-anantam-aadyam Vedanta-vedyam-anagham Purusham Mahantam Nama-adi-bheda-rahitam Shad-bhava-shoonyam Samsara-roga-haram-aushadham-advitiyam

MeaningAt dawn I worship Shiva, the One, the infinite, the primordial, knowable through Vedanta, the sinless Supreme Person, the great One, free of all distinctions of name and form, beyond the six modifications of all that exists — the peerless medicine that cures the disease of worldly existence.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

प्रातः स्मरामि
Pratah Smarami
At dawn I remember / call to mind
भवभीतिहरं
Bhava-bhiti-haram
The remover of the fear of worldly existence (samsara)
सुरेशं
Suresham
The Lord of the gods
गङ्गाधरं
Gangadharam
The bearer of the Ganga in his matted locks
वृषभवाहनम्
Vrishabha-vahanam
One whose vehicle is the bull (Nandi)
अम्बिकेशम्
Ambikesham
The Lord of Ambika (Parvati)
खट्वाङ्गशूलवरदाभयहस्तम्
Khatvanga-shoola-varadabhaya-hastam
One whose hands hold the skull-staff and trident and show the boon-giving and fear-dispelling gestures
संसाररोगहरम्
Samsara-roga-haram
The remover of the disease of worldly existence
औषधमद्वितीयम्
Aushadham-advitiyam
The one without a second — the peerless medicine
प्रातर्नमामि
Pratar-namami
At dawn I bow down
गिरिशं
Girisham
The Lord of the mountain (Kailasa)
गिरिजार्धदेहं
Girija-ardha-deham
One whose body is half the daughter of the mountain (Parvati) — Ardhanarishvara
सर्गस्थितिप्रलयकारणम्
Sarga-sthiti-pralaya-karanam
The cause of creation, preservation and dissolution
आदिदेवम्
Adi-devam
The primordial God
विश्वेश्वरं
Vishveshvaram
The Lord of the universe
प्रातर्भजामि
Pratar-bhajami
At dawn I worship
शिवमेकमनन्तमाद्यं
Shivam-ekam-anantam-aadyam
Shiva, the One, the infinite, the primordial
वेदान्तवेद्यम्
Vedanta-vedyam
Knowable through Vedanta (the Upanishads)
अनघं
Anagham
The sinless, the flawless one
नामादिभेदरहितं
Nama-adi-bheda-rahitam
Free of all distinctions such as name and form
षड्भावशून्यं
Shad-bhava-shoonyam
Devoid of the six modifications (birth, existence, growth, change, decay, death)

Origin & History

Source: Pratah Smarana Stotram tradition, attributed to Adi Shankaracharya

Author: Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya

Period: Classical (associated with the 8th century CE)

The 'Pratah Smarana' (dawn remembrance) hymns form a cherished class of morning prayers in the Hindu tradition, with verses devoted to Shiva, Vishnu and the Devi. The Shiva Pratah Smarana Stotram, attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, was composed so that a devotee's very first thought on waking would be of Lord Shiva. Its three verses deliberately ascend from Shiva as the loving, ornament-bearing Lord, to the cosmic cause of the universe, to the attributeless Absolute of Vedanta — teaching that the same Shiva is both the personal deity of devotion and the infinite reality of knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Shiva Pratah Smarana Stotram?▼
'Pratah Smarana' means 'remembrance at dawn.' It is a short three-verse hymn recited first thing in the morning to remember, bow to, and worship Lord Shiva, beginning the day with his name and grace.
Why is Shiva called 'the peerless medicine' in this hymn?▼
Each verse ends with 'Samsara-roga-haram-aushadham-advitiyam' — 'the one without a second, the medicine that removes the disease of worldly existence.' Shiva is the cure for samsara, the endless cycle of birth, fear and suffering, healed by his remembrance and grace.
What do the three verses describe?▼
The first verse describes Shiva's gracious personal form (Gangadhara, bull-rider, Lord of Ambika). The second describes his cosmic role as cause of creation, preservation and dissolution. The third describes his absolute, formless nature — infinite, knowable through Vedanta, beyond name and change.
Who composed this stotram and when should it be chanted?▼
It is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. As a 'pratah smarana' (dawn remembrance), it is ideally chanted at sunrise or immediately upon waking, as the first devotional act of the day.

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