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ayyappashastabhutanathadharma-shasta

භූතනාථ ස්තෝත්රම් (භූතනාථ සදානන්ද)

भूतनाथ स्तोत्रम् (भूतनाथ सदानन्द) in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 Daily morning and evening; especially during the 41-day Ayyappa vratam and Mandala-Makaravilakku season·📜 Traditional Ayyappa / Sri Dharma Shasta dhyana sloka
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Origin & Story

Traditional Ayyappa / Sri Dharma Shasta dhyana sloka · Traditional

'Bhutanatha Sadananda' is the dhyana sloka by which devotees open the worship of Lord Ayyappa, the deity of Sabarimala, revered as Bhutanatha — the Lord of all beings. Ayyappa is worshipped as Hariharaputra, the son born of Hari (Vishnu, as Mohini) and Hara (Shiva), and as Manikanta, raised in the Pandya royal household. This single verse gathers the heart of his devotees' prayer: it hails him as ever-blissful (sadananda) and compassionate to every creature (sarva-bhuta-dayapara), and twice cries 'raksha raksha' — 'protect, protect, O mighty-armed one'. It is sealed with his salutation 'Om Sri Maha-Shastre Namah' and resounds through the pilgrimage season with the cry 'Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa'.

As told in scripture

Ayyappa devotees hold that to begin worship with this verse is to place oneself in the arms of Bhutanatha himself — and that the twofold cry 'raksha raksha', uttered in faith through the 41-day vratam, draws the Lord's protecting grace upon the pilgrim as he climbs the eighteen sacred steps of Sabarimala.

Complete Text with Meaning

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

Verse 1

භූතනාථ සදානන්ද සර්වභූතදයාපර . රක්ෂ රක්ෂ මහාබාහෝ ශාස්ත්රේ තුභ්යං නමෝ නමඃ ..

bhūtanātha sadānanda sarvabhūtadayāpara | rakṣa rakṣa mahābāho śāstre tubhyaṃ namo namaḥ ||

Meaning:हे भूतनाथ (समस्त प्राणियों के स्वामी), सदा आनन्दमय, समस्त भूतों पर दया करने वाले; रक्षा करो, रक्षा करो, हे महाबाहो — हे शास्ता, आपको बार-बार नमस्कार है।

Verse 2

ඕං ශ්රීමහාශාස්ත්රේ නමඃ .

oṃ śrīmahāśāstre namaḥ |

Meaning:ॐ श्रीमहाशास्त्रे नमः।

Word-by-Word Meaning

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භූතනාථ🔊bhūtanāthaO Lord of all beings (Bhutanatha) — a name of Ayyappa / Shasta
සදානන්ද🔊sadānandaO ever-blissful one, eternally joyous
සර්වභූතදයාපර🔊sarva-bhūta-dayāparaO you who are full of compassion towards all beings
රක්ෂ රක්ෂ🔊rakṣa rakṣaprotect, protect (me) — the plea repeated for emphasis
මහාබාහෝ🔊mahābāhoO mighty-armed one, O great hero
ශාස්ත්රේ🔊śāstreO Shasta (the Lord and ruler) — vocative of Shasta, a name of Ayyappa
තුභ්යං නමෝ නමඃ🔊tubhyaṃ namo namaḥto you, salutations again and again
ඕං ශ්රීමහාශාස්ත්රේ නමඃ🔊oṃ śrī-mahā-śāstre namaḥOm, salutations to the great Lord Shasta — the sealing mula-mantra

Benefits of Chanting भूतनाथ स्तोत्रम् (भूतनाथ सदानन्द)

The classic dhyana (meditation) sloka of Lord Ayyappa / Sri Dharma Shasta — used to open his worship

A single, easily-memorised verse of total surrender, crying 'raksha raksha' — 'protect, protect'

Salutes Ayyappa as Bhutanatha, the Lord of all beings, ever-blissful and compassionate to every creature

Invoked for protection, peace of mind and the Lord's compassionate grace

Recited daily by Ayyappa devotees and especially during the 41-day vratam and the Sabarimala pilgrimage

Sealed with the mula-mantra 'Om Sri Maha-Shastre Namah', joining meditation and salutation in one prayer

How to Chant भूतनाथ स्तोत्रम् (भूतनाथ सदानन्द)

Repetitions11times
Best TimeDaily morning and evening; especially during the 41-day Ayyappa vratam and Mandala-Makaravilakku season

Bathe and sit before an image of Lord Ayyappa, after lighting a lamp. Recite the dhyana sloka 'Bhutanatha Sadananda' with feeling, dwelling on the cry 'raksha raksha' as an act of complete surrender, and seal with 'Om Sri Maha-Shastre Namah'. It is most often used as the opening meditation before a longer Ayyappa worship or bhajan, or chanted on its own, followed by 'Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa'.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete भूतनाथ स्तोत्रम् (भूतनाथ सदानन्द) 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.
It is the classic dhyana sloka of Lord Ayyappa (Sri Dharma Shasta), beginning 'Bhutanatha Sadananda'. In one verse it salutes him as Bhutanatha — the Lord of all beings, ever-blissful and compassionate — and prays 'raksha raksha', 'protect, protect', ending 'Shastre tubhyam namo namah'.
'Bhutanatha' means 'Lord of all beings (bhutas)'. It is a name of Ayyappa / Dharma Shasta, the deity of Sabarimala, worshipped as Hariharaputra (son of Vishnu and Shiva) and as Manikanta. As Bhutanatha he is the compassionate protector and ruler of all creatures.
It is the dhyana (meditation) verse most often recited at the very start of Ayyappa worship, to fix the mind on the Lord and to surrender oneself for his protection. Many also chant it on its own as a short daily prayer, followed by 'Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa'.
It is recited daily by Ayyappa devotees, and especially during the 41-day vratam and the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, when devotees observe austerity before the journey to Sabarimala.

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