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कामासिकाष्टकम् Meaning — Line by Line

कामासिकाष्टकम्

Every verse and every word explained in English & Hindi

Meaning — Line by Line

Every verse of कामासिकाष्टकम् with its Hindi meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.

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  1. Verse 1. śrutīnāmuttaraṃ bhāgaṃ vegavatyāścha dakṣiṇam |
  2. Verse 2. tapanendvagninayanaḥ tāpānapachinotu naḥ |
  3. Verse 3. ākaṇṭhamādipuruṣaṃ kaṇṭhīravamupari kuṇṭhitārātim |
  4. Verse 4. bandhumakhilasya jantorbandhuraparyaṅkabandharamaṇīyam |
  5. Verse 5. svasthāneṣu marudgaṇān niyamayan svādhīnasarvendriyaḥ
  6. Verse 6. vikasvaranakhasvarukṣatahiraṇyavakṣaḥsthalī
  7. Verse 7. saṭāpaṭalabhīṣaṇe sarabhasāṭṭahāsodbhaṭe
  8. Verse 8. tvayi rakṣati rakṣakaiḥ kimanyaistvayi chārakṣati rakṣakaiḥ kimanyaiḥ |
Verse 1#

śrutīnāmuttaraṃ bhāgaṃ vegavatyāścha dakṣiṇam |

श्रुतीनामुत्तरं भागं वेगवत्याश्च दक्षिणम् कामादधिवसन् जीयात्कश्चिदद्भुतकेसरी

śrutīnāmuttaraṃ bhāgaṃ vegavatyāścha dakṣiṇam | kāmādadhivasan jīyātkaśchidadbhutakesarī || 1 ||

Meaningवह अद्भुत सिंह-रूप (नृसिंह) सदा विजयी रहे, जो प्रेमपूर्वक वेदों के शिखर (उपनिषदों) के उत्तर में और वेगवती नदी (कांचीपुरम) के दक्षिण में निवास करते हैं।

Verse 2#

tapanendvagninayanaḥ tāpānapachinotu naḥ |

तपनेन्द्वग्निनयनः तापानपचिनोतु नः तापनीयरहस्यानां सारः कामासिकाहरिः

tapanendvagninayanaḥ tāpānapachinotu naḥ | tāpanīyarahasyānāṃ sāraḥ kāmāsikāhariḥ || 2 ||

Meaningजिनके तीन नेत्र सूर्य, चन्द्र और अग्नि हैं, जो नृसिंह-तापनीय उपनिषद् के रहस्यों के सार हैं — वे कामासिका हरि हमारे समस्त तापों (त्रिविध दुःखों) को दूर करें।

Verse 3#

ākaṇṭhamādipuruṣaṃ kaṇṭhīravamupari kuṇṭhitārātim |

आकण्ठमादिपुरुषं कण्ठीरवमुपरि कुण्ठितारातिम् वेगोपकण्ठसङ्गाद्विमुक्तवैकुण्ठबहुमतिमुपासे

ākaṇṭhamādipuruṣaṃ kaṇṭhīravamupari kuṇṭhitārātim | vegopakaṇṭhasaṅgādvimuktavaikuṇṭhabahumatimupāse || 3 ||

Meaningमैं उस आदिपुरुष की उपासना करता हूँ, जो कण्ठ तक मनुष्य और ऊपर सिंह हैं, जो शत्रुओं को कुण्ठित करते हैं, और जो वेगवती के तट के प्रेमवश वैकुण्ठ के प्रति अपने अत्यधिक अनुराग को भी त्यागकर यहाँ विराजते हैं।

Verse 4#

bandhumakhilasya jantorbandhuraparyaṅkabandharamaṇīyam |

बन्धुमखिलस्य जन्तोर्बन्धुरपर्यङ्कबन्धरमणीयम् विषमविलोचनमीडे वेगवतीपुलिनकेलिनरसिंहम्

bandhumakhilasya jantorbandhuraparyaṅkabandharamaṇīyam | viṣamavilochanamīḍe vegavatīpulinakelinarasiṃham || 4 ||

Meaningमैं उन उग्र-नेत्र नृसिंह की स्तुति करता हूँ, जो वेगवती के बालुकामय तट पर क्रीड़ा करते हैं — जो समस्त प्राणियों के सच्चे बन्धु हैं, और अपने पर्यङ्क पर सुन्दर योगासन में बैठे मनोहर प्रतीत होते हैं।

Verse 5#

svasthāneṣu marudgaṇān niyamayan svādhīnasarvendriyaḥ

स्वस्थानेषु मरुद्गणान् नियमयन् स्वाधीनसर्वेन्द्रियः पर्यङ्कस्थिरधारणाप्रकटितप्रत्यङ्मुखावस्थितिः प्रायेण प्रणिपेदुषः प्रभुरसौ योगं निजं शिक्षयन् कामानातनुतादशेष जगतां कामासिका केसरी

svasthāneṣu marudgaṇān niyamayan svādhīnasarvendriyaḥ paryaṅkasthiradhāraṇāprakaṭitapratyaṅmukhāvasthitiḥ | prāyeṇa praṇipeduṣaḥ prabhurasau yogaṃ nijaṃ śikṣayan kāmānātanutādaśeṣa jagatāṃ kāmāsikā kesarī || 5 ||

Meaningवायुगणों (प्राणों) को उनके स्थानों में नियन्त्रित करते हुए, समस्त इन्द्रियों के स्वामी, पर्यङ्क पर स्थिर धारणा में अन्तर्मुख विराजमान — मानो प्रणाम करने वालों को अपना योग सिखाते हुए, कामासिका के यह सिंह-प्रभु समस्त लोकों के मनोरथ पूर्ण करें।

Verse 6#

vikasvaranakhasvarukṣatahiraṇyavakṣaḥsthalī

विकस्वरनखस्वरुक्षतहिरण्यवक्षःस्थली निरर्गलविनिर्गलद्रुधिरसिन्धुसन्ध्यायिताः अवन्तु मदनासिका मनुजपञ्चवक्त्रस्य मां अहम्प्रथमिका मिथः प्रकटिताहवा बाहवः

vikasvaranakhasvarukṣatahiraṇyavakṣaḥsthalī nirargalavinirgaladrudhirasindhusandhyāyitāḥ | avantu madanāsikā manujapañchavaktrasya māṃ ahamprathamikā mithaḥ prakaṭitāhavā bāhavaḥ || 6 ||

Meaningनृसिंह की वे भुजाएँ मेरी रक्षा करें — जो परस्पर 'मैं पहले' की होड़-सी करती हुई खुला युद्ध प्रकट कर रही थीं, जबकि उनके विकसित नखों ने हिरण्यकशिपु के स्वर्ण-वक्षःस्थल को विदीर्ण कर दिया, जिससे अबाध बहती रुधिर-धारा सन्ध्या-आकाश-सी लाल हो उठी।

Verse 7#

saṭāpaṭalabhīṣaṇe sarabhasāṭṭahāsodbhaṭe

सटापटलभीषणे सरभसाट्टहासोद्भटे स्फुरत्क्रुधिपरिस्फुटभ्रुकुटिकेऽपि वक्त्रे कृते कृपाकपटकेसरिन् दनुजडिम्भदत्तस्तना सरोजसदृशा दृशा व्यतिविषज्य ते व्यज्यते

saṭāpaṭalabhīṣaṇe sarabhasāṭṭahāsodbhaṭe sphuratkrudhiparisphuṭabhrukuṭike'pi vaktre kṛte | kṛpākapaṭakesarin danujaḍimbhadattastanā sarojasadṛśā dṛśā vyativiṣajya te vyajyate || 7 ||

Meaningहे करुणा को छिपाए कपट-सिंह! जब आपका मुख जटाओं की भीषणता, प्रचण्ड अट्टहास और क्रोध से फड़कती भृकुटि से भयंकर बना भी रहता है, तब भी आपका प्रेम झलक उठता है — जैसे माता दैत्य-शिशु (प्रह्लाद) को स्तनपान कराती हो, वह वात्सल्य आपके कमल-समान नेत्रों में प्रकट होता है।

Verse 8#

tvayi rakṣati rakṣakaiḥ kimanyaistvayi chārakṣati rakṣakaiḥ kimanyaiḥ |

त्वयि रक्षति रक्षकैः किमन्यैस्त्वयि चारक्षति रक्षकैः किमन्यैः इति निश्चितधीः श्रयामि नित्यं नृहरे वेगवतीतटाश्रयं त्वाम्

tvayi rakṣati rakṣakaiḥ kimanyaistvayi chārakṣati rakṣakaiḥ kimanyaiḥ | iti niśchitadhīḥ śrayāmi nityaṃ nṛhare vegavatītaṭāśrayaṃ tvām || 8 ||

Meaningजब आप रक्षा करते हैं, तो अन्य किसी रक्षक की क्या आवश्यकता? और जब आप रक्षा न करें, तो अन्य रक्षकों से क्या लाभ? इसी निश्चय-बुद्धि से, हे नरहरि, मैं वेगवती-तट पर विराजमान आप में नित्य शरण लेता हूँ।

Word-by-Word Breakdown

श्रुतीनाम् उत्तरं भागं
śrutīnām uttaraṃ bhāgaṃ
The northern region / the latter (concluding) portion of the Vedas (the Upanishads)
वेगवत्याः दक्षिणम्
vegavatyāḥ dakṣiṇam
To the south of the river Vegavati (at Kanchipuram)
कामात् अधिवसन्
kāmāt adhivasan
Dwelling there out of his own free will / loving desire
जीयात्
jīyāt
May he be ever victorious / glorious
अद्भुतकेसरी
adbhuta-kesarī
The wondrous lion (Narasimha)
तपन-इन्दु-अग्नि-नयनः
tapana-indu-agni-nayanaḥ
Whose three eyes are the sun, the moon and fire
तापान् अपचिनोतु नः
tāpān apachinotu naḥ
May he remove / lessen our afflictions (the three tapas)
तापनीयरहस्यानां सारः
tāpanīya-rahasyānāṃ sāraḥ
The very essence of the Nrisimha-tapaniya Upanishad's secrets
कामासिका हरिः
kāmāsikā hariḥ
Lord Hari (Narasimha) of Kamasika (the shrine at Kanchi)
आकण्ठम् आदिपुरुषं
ākaṇṭham ādipuruṣaṃ
The Primal Person (Vishnu) up to the neck
कण्ठीरवम् उपरि
kaṇṭhīravam upari
And a lion (kaṇṭhīrava) above (the neck)
कुण्ठितारातिम्
kuṇṭhitārātim
Who blunts / subdues his enemies
विमुक्त वैकुण्ठ बहुमतिम्
vimukta vaikuṇṭha bahumatim
Who has set aside his high regard even for Vaikuntha (to dwell at Vegavati's bank)
बन्धुम् अखिलस्य जन्तोः
bandhum akhilasya jantoḥ
The kinsman / true friend of every living being
विषम विलोचनम्
viṣama vilochanam
Of fierce / uneven (terrible) eyes
वेगवतीपुलिनकेलि नरसिंहम्
vegavatī-pulina-keli narasiṃham
Narasimha who sports on the sandy bank of the Vegavati
मरुद्गणान् नियमयन्
marudgaṇān niyamayan
Controlling the vital airs (pranas) in their proper places
स्वाधीन सर्वेन्द्रियः
svādhīna sarvendriyaḥ
Having all his senses under his own mastery
योगं निजं शिक्षयन्
yogaṃ nijaṃ śikṣayan
As if teaching his own yoga (to devotees who bow before him)
कृपाकपटकेसरिन्
kṛpā-kapaṭa-kesarin
O lion whose ferocity is but a disguise for compassion
दनुजडिम्भदत्तस्तना
danuja-ḍimbha-datta-stanā
Tender as a mother giving her breast to the demon's child (Prahlada)
त्वयि रक्षति किम् अन्यैः रक्षकैः
tvayi rakṣati kim anyaiḥ rakṣakaiḥ
When you protect, what need is there of any other protector?
नृहरे श्रयामि नित्यं त्वाम्
nṛhare śrayāmi nityaṃ tvām
O Man-Lion (Narahari), I take refuge in you forever

Origin & History

Source: Composed by Sri Vedanta Desika (Stotra literature, Kanchipuram)

Author: Sri Vedanta Desika (Venkatanatha)

Period: c. 13th–14th century CE

At Kanchipuram, near the Ashtabhuja temple on the bank of the river Vegavati, Lord Narasimha is enshrined in the serene Yoga-Narasimha form known as Kamasika. Sri Vedanta Desika, who spent much of his life at Kanchi, composed this eight-verse hymn in praise of this very deity. Rather than dwelling only on the terrifying man-lion who tore apart Hiranyakashipu, Desika reveals the Lord's inner calm and boundless compassion — a yogi seated in meditation, fierce only as a 'disguise' for his grace toward devotees.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Kamasika Ashtakam?
It is an eight-verse Sanskrit hymn (ashtakam) by Sri Vedanta Desika in praise of Lord Narasimha worshipped as 'Kamasika' (Yoga-Narasimha) at the Vegavati shrine in Kanchipuram, where the Lord is seen in a calm, meditative yogic posture rather than his fierce battle form.
Who composed the Kamasika Ashtakam?
It was composed by Sri Vedanta Desika (Venkatanatha, 1268–1369 CE), the renowned Sri Vaishnava philosopher and poet, who lived at Kanchipuram near the Kamasika Narasimha shrine.
Why is this Narasimha called 'Kamasika'?
'Kamasika' refers to the Lord dwelling at this Kanchipuram shrine out of his own loving will ('kāmāt' — by desire). Here Narasimha is worshipped in the gentle Yoga-Narasimha form, seated in meditation, rather than in the ferocious moment of slaying Hiranyakashipu.
What is the famous last verse about?
The eighth verse is a celebrated expression of prapatti (surrender): 'When you protect, what need of any other guardian? And when you do not, what use is any other?' — declaring that the Lord alone is the devotee's sole refuge.

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