𑌤𑍋𑌟𑌕𑌾𑌷𑍍𑌟𑌕𑌮𑍍
Totakashtakam in Grantha · 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥
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Origin & Story
Totakacharya, disciple of Adi Shankaracharya · Totakacharya · Classical
The Totakashtakam is traditionally ascribed to Totakacharya. Eight verses sung by Totakacharya in praise of his guru Adi Shankaracharya — "O ocean of the nectar of all scriptures, dispeller of the world’s suffering, teacher of teachers, be my refuge." A model of the disciple’s devotion to the guru.
✦ As told in scripture
It is said that to recite the Totakashtakam with a sincere and devoted heart is to draw near to the grace of the divine, which never forsakes those who lovingly call upon it.
The Mantra
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𑌵𑌿𑌦𑌿𑌤𑌾𑌖𑌿𑌲𑌶𑌾𑌸𑍍𑌤𑍍𑌰𑌸𑍁𑌧𑌾𑌜𑌲𑌧𑍇 𑌮𑌹𑌿𑌤𑍋𑌪𑌨𑌿𑌷𑌤𑍍 𑌕𑌥𑌿𑌤𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥𑌨𑌿𑌧𑍇 । 𑌹𑍃𑌦𑌯𑍇 𑌕𑌲𑌯𑍇 𑌵𑌿𑌮𑌲𑌂 𑌚𑌰𑌣𑌂 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௧॥ 𑌕𑌰𑍁𑌣𑌾𑌵𑌰𑍁𑌣𑌾𑌲𑌯 𑌪𑌾𑌲𑌯 𑌮𑌾𑌂 𑌭𑌵𑌸𑌾𑌗𑌰𑌦𑍁𑌃𑌖𑌵𑌿𑌦𑍂𑌨𑌹𑍃𑌦𑌮𑍍 । 𑌰𑌚𑌯𑌾𑌖𑌿𑌲𑌦𑌰𑍍𑌶𑌨𑌤𑌤𑍍𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌵𑌿𑌦𑌂 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௨॥ 𑌭𑌵𑌤𑌾 𑌜𑌨𑌤𑌾 𑌸𑍁𑌹𑌿𑌤𑌾 𑌭𑌵𑌿𑌤𑌾 𑌨𑌿𑌜𑌬𑍋𑌧𑌵𑌿𑌚𑌾𑌰𑌣 𑌚𑌾𑌰𑍁𑌮𑌤𑍇 । 𑌕𑌲𑌯𑍇𑌶𑍍𑌵𑌰𑌜𑍀𑌵𑌵𑌿𑌵𑍇𑌕𑌵𑌿𑌦𑌂 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௩॥ 𑌭𑌵 𑌏𑌵 𑌭𑌵𑌾𑌨𑌿𑌤𑌿 𑌮𑍇 𑌨𑌿𑌤𑌰𑌾𑌂 𑌸𑌮𑌜𑌾𑌯𑌤 𑌚𑍇𑌤𑌸𑌿 𑌕𑍗𑌤𑍁𑌕𑌿𑌤𑌾 । 𑌮𑌮 𑌵𑌾𑌰𑌯 𑌮𑍋𑌹𑌮𑌹𑌾𑌜𑌲𑌧𑌿𑌂 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௪॥ 𑌸𑍁𑌕𑍃𑌤𑍇𑌽𑌧𑌿𑌕𑍃𑌤𑍇 𑌬𑌹𑍁𑌧𑌾 𑌭𑌵𑌤𑍋 𑌭𑌵𑌿𑌤𑌾 𑌸𑌮𑌦𑌰𑍍𑌶𑌨𑌲𑌾𑌲𑌸𑌤𑌾 । 𑌅𑌤𑌿𑌦𑍀𑌨𑌮𑌿𑌮𑌂 𑌪𑌰𑌿𑌪𑌾𑌲𑌯 𑌮𑌾𑌂 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௫॥ 𑌜𑌗𑌤𑍀𑌮𑌵𑌿𑌤𑍁𑌂 𑌕𑌲𑌿𑌤𑌾𑌕𑍃𑌤𑌯𑍋 𑌵𑌿𑌚𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌤𑌿 𑌮𑌹𑌾𑌮𑌹𑌸𑌶𑍍𑌛𑌲𑌤𑌃 । 𑌅𑌹𑌿𑌮𑌾𑌂𑌶𑍁𑌰𑌿𑌵𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌰 𑌵𑌿𑌭𑌾𑌸𑌿 𑌗𑍁𑌰𑍋 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௬॥ 𑌗𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌪𑍁𑌂𑌗𑌵 𑌪𑍁𑌂𑌗𑌵𑌕𑍇𑌤𑌨 𑌤𑍇 𑌸𑌮𑌤𑌾𑌮𑌯𑌤𑌾𑌂 𑌨𑌹𑌿 𑌕𑍋𑌽𑌪𑌿 𑌸𑍁𑌧𑍀𑌃 । 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌾𑌗𑌤𑌵𑌤𑍍𑌸𑌲 𑌤𑌤𑍍𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌨𑌿𑌧𑍇 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௭॥ 𑌵𑌿𑌦𑌿𑌤𑌾 𑌨 𑌮𑌯𑌾 𑌵𑌿𑌶𑌦𑍈𑌕𑌕𑌲𑌾 𑌨 𑌚 𑌕𑌿𑌂𑌚𑌨 𑌕𑌾𑌞𑍍𑌚𑌨𑌮𑌸𑍍𑌤𑌿 𑌗𑍁𑌰𑍋 । 𑌦𑍍𑌰𑍁𑌤𑌮𑍇𑌵 𑌵𑌿𑌧𑍇𑌹𑌿 𑌕𑍃𑌪𑌾𑌂 𑌸𑌹𑌜𑌾𑌂 𑌭𑌵 𑌶𑌂𑌕𑌰 𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕 𑌮𑍇 𑌶𑌰𑌣𑌮𑍍 ॥ ௮॥ 𑌇𑌤𑌿 𑌶𑍍𑌰𑍀𑌮𑌤𑍍𑌤𑍋𑌟𑌕𑌾𑌚𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌯𑌵𑌿𑌰𑌚𑌿𑌤𑌂 𑌶𑍍𑌰𑍀𑌶𑌙𑍍𑌕𑌰𑌦𑍇𑌶𑌿𑌕𑌾𑌷𑍍𑌟𑌕𑌂 𑌸𑌮𑍍𑌪𑍂𑌰𑍍𑌣𑌮𑍍 ।
viditākhilaśāstrasudhājaladhe mahitopaniṣat kathitārthanidhe | hṛdaye kalaye vimalaṃ caraṇaṃ bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 1|| karuṇāvaruṇālaya pālaya māṃ bhavasāgaraduḥkhavidūnahṛdam | racayākhiladarśanatattvavidaṃ bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 2|| bhavatā janatā suhitā bhavitā nijabodhavicāraṇa cārumate | kalayeśvarajīvavivekavidaṃ bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 3|| bhava eva bhavāniti me nitarāṃ samajāyata cetasi kautukitā | mama vāraya mohamahājaladhiṃ bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 4|| sukṛte'dhikṛte bahudhā bhavato bhavitā samadarśanalālasatā | atidīnamimaṃ paripālaya māṃ bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 5|| jagatīmavituṃ kalitākṛtayo vicaranti mahāmahasaśchalataḥ | ahimāṃśurivātra vibhāsi guro bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 6|| gurupuṃgava puṃgavaketana te samatāmayatāṃ nahi ko'pi sudhīḥ | śaraṇāgatavatsala tattvanidhe bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 7|| viditā na mayā viśadaikakalā na ca kiṃcana kāñcanamasti guro | drutameva vidhehi kṛpāṃ sahajāṃ bhava śaṃkara deśika me śaraṇam || 8|| iti śrīmattoṭakācāryaviracitaṃ śrīśaṅkaradeśikāṣṭakaṃ sampūrṇam |
Meaning:Eight verses sung by Totakacharya in praise of his guru Adi Shankaracharya — "O ocean of the nectar of all scriptures, dispeller of the world’s suffering, teacher of teachers, be my refuge." A model of the disciple’s devotion to the guru.
Benefits of Chanting Totakashtakam
Recitation of the Totakashtakam is held to bring the grace, blessings and protection of the deity.
Cultivates devotion, calms the mind and steadies the heart in the Lord’s remembrance.
Most auspicious on Mondays, and during Maha Shivaratri and Shravan.
A treasured Sanskrit hymn, suitable for daily recitation with faith.
How to Chant Totakashtakam
Bathe and sit facing east or north before an image of the deity. Light a lamp and recite the Totakashtakam slowly and with devotion. It may be chanted daily, or especially on Mondays and during Maha Shivaratri and Shravan.
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Read the full Totakashtakam with verse-by-verse meaning, or explore more sacred texts