Stotra

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title: "Stotra" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hindu-devotional-texts", "hindu-texts", "chants", "stotras"] description: "Sanskrit work meaning "ode" or "eulogy"" topic_path: "society/religion" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stotra" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Sanskrit work meaning "ode" or "eulogy" ::

Stotra (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode, eulogy or a hymn of praise." It is a literary genre of Indian religious texts designed to be melodically sung, in contrast to a shastra which is composed to be recited.

A stotra can be a prayer, a description, or a conversation, but always with a poetic structure. It may be a simple poem expressing praise and personal devotion to a deity for example, or poems with embedded spiritual and philosophical doctrines.

A common feature of most stotras other than Nama stotras is the repetition of a line at the end of every verse. For example, the last line of every verse in the Mahiṣāsura Mardinī Stotra ends in "Jaya Jaya Hē Mahiṣāsura-mardini Ramyakapardini śailasute."

Many stotra hymns praise aspects of the divine, such as Devi, Shiva, or Vishnu. Relating to word "stuti", coming from the same Sanskrit root stu- ("to praise"), and basically both mean "praise". Notable stotras are Shiva Tandava Stotram in praise of Shiva and Rama Raksha Stotra, a prayer for protection to Rama.

Stotras are a type of popular devotional literature. Among the early texts with Stotras are by Kuresha, which combine Ramanuja's Vedantic ideas on qualified monism about Atman and Brahman (ultimate, unchanging reality), with temple practices. Stotras are key in Hindu rituals and blessings.

Etymology and definition

Stotra comes from the Sanskrit root stu- which means "to praise, eulogize or laud" combined with the ṣṭran suffix. Literally, the term refers to "poems of praise". The earliest trace of stotras are Vedic, particularly in the Samaveda.

The genre of stotras spans from refined, personal works of poetic phrase such as kavya to impersonal lists of a deity's names (nama-stotras) that can function like mantras through repetition. Historically linked to Vedic hymns and other lyrical poetry, stotras appear in many South Asian traditions, including Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism, and are often included in larger works like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and various Puranas and Tantras.

Example

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/God_marriage_AS.jpg" caption="A seated Ardhanarishvara with both the vahanas"] ::

The following is a Peterson translation of a Stotra by the Tamil poet Appar for Ardhanarishvara, the Hindu concept of a god who incorporates both the masculine and the feminine as inseparable halves.

An earring of bright new gold one ear, a coiled conch shell sways on the other, On one side he chants the Vedic melodies, on the other, he gently smiles, Matted hair adorned with sweet konrai blossoms on one half of his head, and a woman's curls on the other, he comes. The one the nature of his form, the other of hers, And both are the very essence of his beauty. |Appar, Ardhanarishvara Stotra|}}

Nama-stotra

The nama-stotra is based on chanting a litany of names for a deity. The Sahasranama, a type of nama-stotra, is a litany of a thousand names for a particular deity. Sahasranama means "1000 names"; Sahasra means 1000 and nama means names. For example, Vishnu Sahasranama means 1000 names of Vishnu. Other nama-stotras may include 100 or 108 epithets of the deity. According to Hinduism, the names of God are valuable tools for devotion.

Notable stotras

Stotras for Siva

• Śiva Tāṇḍava Stotra
• Śiva Mahimna Stotra
• Panchākṣara Stotra
• Nataraja Stotra
• Asitakṛtam Śivastotram
• Dakshinamūrti Stotra

Stotras for Devi

• Mahiṣāsura Mardinī Stotra
• Aṣṭalakshmī Stotra
• Agasti Lakshmi Stotra
• Annapūrṇa Stotra
• Radha Sahasranama Stotra
• Lalita Sahasranama Stotra
• Bala Tripurasundari Sahasranama Stotra
• Bhavani Sahasranama Stotra
• Dakaradi Sridurga Sahasranama Stotra
• Durga Sahasranama Stotra
• Gayathri Sahasranama Stotra
• Kali Sahasranama Stotra
• Kalika Sahasranama Stotra
• Lalitarahasya Sahasranama Stotra
• Lakshmi Sahasranama Stotra
• Minakshi Sahasranama Stotra
• Parvati Sahasranama Stotra
• Saraswati Sahasranama Stotra
• Sita Sahasranama Stotra
• Sodasi Rajarajeswari Sahasranama Stotra
• Syamala Sahasranama Stotra

Stotras for Vishnu & avatara

• Hayagrīva Stotra
• Hari Stotra
• Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra
• Narasimha Kavacham Stotra
• Rāma Raksha Stotra
• Venkatesa Sahasranama Stotra
• Santanagopala Sahasranama Stotra
• Rakaradi Srirama Sahasranama Stotra
• Makaradi Srirama Sahasranama Stotra
• Lakshminarasimha Sahasranama Stotra
• Kakaradi Krishna Sahasranama Stotra

Stotras for other Gods & Goddesses

• Māruti Stotra
• Anjaneya Sahasranama Stotra
• Surya Sahasranama Stotra
• Sanaischara Sahasranama

General / Philosophical Stotras

• Dvādaśa Stotra by Madhvacharya
• Mohamudgara Stotra (Bhaja Govindam) by Sankaracharya

Jainism

• Bhaktamara Stotra
• Uvasagharam Stotra

References

Bibliography

References

1. Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on '''[http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/2014/web/webtc/indexcaller.php?input=HK&output=SktRomanUnicode&citation=stotra Stotra]'''
2. (2024-06-30). "Stotra".
3. www.wisdomlib.org. (2024-09-20). "Stotra: Significance and symbolism".
4. Nancy Ann Nayar. (1992). "Poetry as Theology: The Śrīvaiṣṇava Stotra in the Age of Rāmānuja". Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.
5. Nancy Ann Nayar. (1992). "Poetry as Theology: The Śrīvaiṣṇava Stotra in the Age of Rāmānuja". Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.
6. Stainton, Hamsa. (2019). "Poetry as prayer in the Sanskrit hymns of Kashmir". Oxford University Press.
7. Ellen Goldberg. (2012). "Lord Who Is Half Woman, The: Ardhanarisvara in Indian and Feminist Perspective". State University of New York Press.
8. [https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Vishnu_Sahasranamam Vishnu Sahasranamam] on Hindupedia, the Online Hindu Encyclopedia
9. Rita Thyagarajan, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrNyYldbm3I Sri Radha Sahasranama]
10. Yaśodā Kumāra Dāsa, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqJBVCHGfHY Sri Radha Sahasranama Stotram]
11. Nidhi, Stotra. (2022-04-16). "Sri Bala Tripurasundari Sahasranama Stotram 1 - śrī bālā tripurasundarī sahasranāma stōtram 1".
12. Srividya Tantram. (2023-04-04). "Sri Bala Sahasranamam".
13. Durga Lal Sharma Raj Purohit Kishtavad, [https://archive.org/details/bhavani-sahasranama-stavaraj-durga-lal-sharma-raj-purohit-kishtavad Bhavani Sahasranama Stavaraj]
14. ''[https://archive.org/details/rnwc_shri-bhavani-sahasra-nam-stotram-chaukhamba-stotra-granth-mala-9-sanskrit-chaukh/page/n23/mode/2up Shri Bhavani Sahasra Nam Stotram],''Chaukhamba Sanskrit Pratisthan, Delhi
15. Swami Nirdosha, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JFS5aGcTm8 Bhavani Sahasranama Stotram]
16. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iquBJsZyBLI Durga Sahasranama Stotram] chanting in Sanskrit
17. Bengaluru Sister, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1L5lw6LE6o Sri Gayathri Sahasranama]
18. "Astro Mantra® Official {{!}} The Astro Products Store".
19. Rajalakshmee Sanjay - Topic. (2023-08-03). "Kali Sahasranamam Stotram".
20. [https://stotranidhi.com/en/sri-kalika-sahasranama-stotram-in-english/ Stotranidhi.com]
21. [https://archive.org/details/Kalika_Sahasranama_Stotra_From_Kalika_Kulasarvasva Kalika Sahasranama Stotra (From Kalika Kulasarvasva)]
22. L[https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Lakshmi_Sahasranama_Stotram akshmi Sahasranama Stotram], translated by P.R.Ramachander
23. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRIQAitIcCo Lakshmi Sahasranama Stotram] with lyrics
24. [https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_devii/pArvatIsahasranAmastotram.html Shri Parvati Sahasranama Stotram] in Sanskrit
25. Koushik K, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y_nx7EuhdQ Parvati Sahasranama] from Kurma Purana
26. [https://vignanam.org/english/sarasvati-sahasra-nama-stotram.html Sarasvati Sahasra Nama Stotram]
27. [https://www.kamakoti.org/kamakoti/details/skandapurana50.html Essence of Skanda Purana] by Kamakoti Peetham
28. Prema Rangarajen, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s33xvWjF36E Saraswati Sahasranama Stotram]
29. Prem Prakesh Dubey, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8v65FdRIms&t=8s Sri Sita Sahasranama Stotram]
30. Anika Aggarwal, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LivdRqBdNXM Sri Sita Sahasranama Stotram] with lyrics
31. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4JhIHzNqCo&t=5s Shri Rajarajeswari Sahasranama Stotram] chanting
32. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhM2ZF9USJI Shri Syamala Sahasranama] Chants by Dr.R.Thiagarajan
33. Tangirala Lakshmi Murty, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdwaq4evPX0 Sri Hanuman, Anjaneya Sahasranamam]
34. Rajalakshmee Sanjay, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGmKswbZci8 Surya Sahasranama]
35. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gG6RJjx8AU Surya Sahassthranaam] by Rattan Mohan Sharma
36. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2ruilUQvnU Shri Sanaischara Sahasranama], Chants by Dr.R.Thiagarajan

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