Vishnu Shatpadi Meaning — Line by Line
विष्णु षट्पदी
Every verse and every word explained in English & Hindi
Meaning — Line by Line
Every verse of Vishnu Shatpadi with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.
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- Verse 1. avinayamapanaya viṣṇo damaya manaḥ śamaya viṣayamṛgatṛṣṇām |
- Verse 2. divyadhunīmakarande parimalaparibhogasaccidānande |
- Verse 3. satyapi bhedāpagame nātha tavāhaṃ na māmakīnastvam |
- Verse 4. uddhṛtanaga nagabhidanuja danujakulāmitra mitraśaśidṛṣṭe |
- Verse 5. matsyādibhiravatārairavatāravatā'vatā sadā vasudhām |
- Verse 6. dāmodara guṇamandira sundaravadanāravinda govinda |
- Verse 7. nārāyaṇa karuṇāmaya śaraṇaṃ karavāṇi tāvakau caraṇau |
avinayamapanaya viṣṇo damaya manaḥ śamaya viṣayamṛgatṛṣṇām |
अविनयमपनय विष्णो दमय मनः शमय विषयमृगतृष्णाम् । भूतदयां विस्तारय तारय संसारसागरतः ॥ १॥
avinayamapanaya viṣṇo damaya manaḥ śamaya viṣayamṛgatṛṣṇām | bhūtadayāṃ vistāraya tāraya saṃsārasāgarataḥ || 1||
MeaningO Vishnu, take away my unruliness, subdue my mind, still my thirst for sense-pleasures (that fleeting mirage chased by the deer of the senses); expand my compassion for all beings, and carry me across the ocean of worldly existence.
divyadhunīmakarande parimalaparibhogasaccidānande |
दिव्यधुनीमकरन्दे परिमलपरिभोगसच्चिदानन्दे । श्रीपतिपदारविन्दे भवभयखेदच्छिदे वन्दे ॥ २॥
divyadhunīmakarande parimalaparibhogasaccidānande | śrīpatipadāravinde bhavabhayakhedacchide vande || 2||
MeaningI bow to the lotus-feet of Shripati (the Lord of Lakshmi) — feet that are nectar honey of the divine Ganga, fragrant and enjoyable, of the very nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, which sever the fear and sorrow of mundane life.
satyapi bhedāpagame nātha tavāhaṃ na māmakīnastvam |
सत्यपि भेदापगमे नाथ तवाहं न मामकीनस्त्वम् । सामुद्रो हि तरङ्गः क्वचन समुद्रो न तारङ्गः ॥ ३॥
satyapi bhedāpagame nātha tavāhaṃ na māmakīnastvam | sāmudro hi taraṅgaḥ kvacana samudro na tāraṅgaḥ || 3||
MeaningO Lord, even when all difference between us has vanished (in the highest truth), still I belong to you and you do not belong to me — for the wave belongs to the ocean, but the ocean never belongs to the wave.
uddhṛtanaga nagabhidanuja danujakulāmitra mitraśaśidṛṣṭe |
उद्धृतनग नगभिदनुज दनुजकुलामित्र मित्रशशिदृष्टे । दृष्टे भवति प्रभवति न भवति किं भवतिरस्कारः ॥ ४॥
uddhṛtanaga nagabhidanuja danujakulāmitra mitraśaśidṛṣṭe | dṛṣṭe bhavati prabhavati na bhavati kiṃ bhavatiraskāraḥ || 4||
MeaningO Lord who lifted up the mountain (Govardhana), younger brother of Indra who split the mountains, foe of the demon clans, whose eyes are the friendly sun and the cooling moon — once you are truly seen, what power, what fear, what scorn of the world can prevail any longer?
matsyādibhiravatārairavatāravatā'vatā sadā vasudhām |
मत्स्यादिभिरवतारैरवतारवताऽवता सदा वसुधाम् । परमेश्वर परिपाल्यो भवता भवतापभीतोऽहम् ॥ ५॥
matsyādibhiravatārairavatāravatā'vatā sadā vasudhām | parameśvara paripālyo bhavatā bhavatāpabhīto'ham || 5||
MeaningThrough your incarnations beginning with the Fish, O Supreme Lord, you ever descend to protect the earth; therefore I, terrified by the burning torments of worldly existence, am surely worthy to be protected by you.
dāmodara guṇamandira sundaravadanāravinda govinda |
दामोदर गुणमन्दिर सुन्दरवदनारविन्द गोविन्द । भवजलधिमथनमन्दर परमं दरमपनय त्वं मे ॥ ६॥
dāmodara guṇamandira sundaravadanāravinda govinda | bhavajaladhimathanamandara paramaṃ daramapanaya tvaṃ me || 6||
MeaningO Damodara, temple of all virtues, lotus-faced beautiful Govinda, O Mandara mountain that churns the ocean of samsara — remove from me this deepest dread.
nārāyaṇa karuṇāmaya śaraṇaṃ karavāṇi tāvakau caraṇau |
नारायण करुणामय शरणं करवाणि तावकौ चरणौ । इति षट्पदी मदीये वदनसरोजे सदा वसतु ॥
nārāyaṇa karuṇāmaya śaraṇaṃ karavāṇi tāvakau caraṇau | iti ṣaṭpadī madīye vadanasaroje sadā vasatu ||
MeaningO compassionate Narayana, let me take refuge at your two feet. May this Shatpadi (this hymn of six verses) ever abide in the lotus of my mouth.
Word-by-Word Breakdown
Origin & History
Source: Shatpadi Stotram composed by Adi Shankaracharya in praise of Lord Vishnu
Author: Adi Shankaracharya
Period: 8th century CE (circa 788-820)
The Vishnu Shatpadi (also called simply the Shatpadi Stotra) is one of Adi Shankaracharya's most beloved short devotional poems to Lord Vishnu. Though Shankara is best known as the expounder of Advaita Vedanta, here he sings as a humble devotee, asking the Lord to purify his mind and senses and to grant the grace of surrender. The hymn's third verse — the wave and the ocean — is among the most quoted lines in all of bhakti literature, capturing how devotion and non-duality meet: the liberated soul knows itself as one with God, yet lovingly remains 'the wave that belongs to the ocean'.
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