जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले
गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम्।
डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं
चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम्॥१॥
Jatatavi-galaj-jala-pravaha-pavita-sthale
Gale-'valambya lambitam bhujanga-tunga-malikam
Damad-damad-damad-daman-ninada-vaddamarvayam
Chakara chanda-tandavam tanotu nah shivah shivam (1)
जटाकटाहसंभ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी
विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि।
धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके
किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम॥२॥
Jata-kataha-sambhrama-bhraman-nilimpa-nirjhari
Vilola-vichi-vallari-virajamana-murdhani
Dhagad-dhagad-dhagaj-jvalal-lalata-patta-pavake
Kishora-chandra-shekhare ratih pratikshanam mama (2)
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर
स्फुरद्दिगन्तसन्ततिप्रमोदमानमानसे।
कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि
क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि॥३॥
[Verses 3-15 continue in the Devanagari above; full transliteration follows the same drum-beat metre, closing with the phala-shruti promising lasting fortune to those who recite it at the end of worship.]
जटाभुजङ्गपिङ्गलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा
कदम्बकुङ्कुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वधूमुखे।
मदान्धसिन्धुरस्फुरत्त्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे
मनो विनोदमद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि॥४॥
सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर
प्रसूनधूलिधोरणी विधूसराङ्घ्रिपीठभूः।
भुजङ्गराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटकः
श्रियै चिराय जायतां चकोरबन्धुशेखरः॥५॥
ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनञ्जयस्फुलिङ्गभा
निपीतपञ्चसायकं नमन्निलिम्पनायकम्।
सुधामयूखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं
महाकपालिसम्पदेशिरोजटालमस्तु नः॥६॥
करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वल
द्धनञ्जयाहुतीकृतप्रचण्डपञ्चसायके।
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक
प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम॥७॥
नवीनमेघमण्डली निरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत्
कुहूनिशीथिनीतमः प्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः।
निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसिन्धुरः
कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरंधरः॥८॥
प्रफुल्लनीलपङ्कजप्रपञ्चकालिमप्रभा
वलम्बिकण्ठकन्दलीरुचिप्रबद्धकन्धरम्।
स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं
गजच्छिदान्धकच्छिदं तमन्तकच्छिदं भजे॥९॥
अखर्वसर्वमङ्गलाकलाकदम्बमञ्जरी
रसप्रवाहमाधुरी विजृम्भणामधुव्रतम्।
स्मरान्तकं पुरान्तकं भवान्तकं मखान्तकं
गजान्तकान्धकान्तकं तमन्तकान्तकं भजे॥१०॥
जयत्वदभ्रविभ्रमभ्रमद्भुजङ्गमश्वस
द्विनिर्गमत्क्रमस्फुरत्करालभालहव्यवाट्।
धिमिद्धिमिद्धिमिध्वनन्मृदङ्गतुङ्गमङ्गल
ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तितप्रचण्डताण्डवः शिवः॥११॥
दृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजङ्गमौक्तिकस्रजोर्
गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्ठयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः।
तृणारविन्दचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः
समं प्रवर्तयन्मनः कदा सदाशिवं भजे॥१२॥
कदा निलिम्पनिर्झरीनिकुञ्जकोटरे वसन्
विमुक्तदुर्मतिः सदा शिरःस्थमञ्जलिं वहन्।
विलोललोललोचनो ललामभाललग्नकः
शिवेति मन्त्रमुच्चरन् कदा सुखी भवाम्यहम्॥१३॥
इमं हि नित्यमेवमुक्तमुत्तमोत्तमं स्तवं
पठन्स्मरन्ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेति संततम्।
हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं
विमोहनं हि देहिनां सुशङ्करस्य चिन्तनम्॥१४॥
पूजावसानसमये दशवक्त्रगीतं
यः शम्भुपूजनपरं पठति प्रदोषे।
तस्य स्थिरां रथगजेन्द्रतुरङ्गयुक्तां
लक्ष्मीं सदैव सुमुखीं प्रददाति शम्भुः॥१५॥
Verse 1: May Shiva, who performed the fierce tandava dance to the beat of his damaru drum, his neck graced by a garland of lofty serpents, in the ground made holy by the stream flowing from his matted hair, grant us auspiciousness. Verse 2: My mind ever delights in Shiva, on whose head the celestial Ganga surges through his hair, whose forehead blazes with fire, and who bears the young crescent moon. The hymn goes on to adore Shiva as the destroyer of Kama, of the three cities, of worldly bondage, of Daksha's sacrifice and of death itself; it describes the serpents, the ash, the elephant hide, the fire of the third eye, and the thundering drum of his dance. The devotee longs for the day he will dwell by the Ganga, treating palace and cremation-ground, friend and foe, gem and clod alike, chanting only 'Shiva'. The closing verse promises that whoever recites this hymn of the ten-faced Ravana at the close of evening worship is granted lasting wealth and grace by Shambhu.
The Shiv Tandav Stotram is the most powerful hymn to Shiva as Nataraja, the lord of the tandava — the cosmic dance of creation and dissolution. Tradition attributes it to Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka and a supreme devotee of Shiva. The story goes that when Ravana tried to lift Mount Kailasa, Shiva pressed it down with his toe and trapped him; Ravana, in pain and awe, sang this stotra until the Lord, pleased, released him and gave him the sword Chandrahasa.
Its fourteen verses are built on tumbling, alliterative metre that imitates the beat of Shiva’s damaru drum — “dhimid-dhimid-dhimi” — so that reciting it feels like dancing with the dance it describes. It pictures Shiva’s matted locks washed by the Ganga, the serpents coiled around him, the fire on his brow that burnt Kama, the crescent moon on his head, and his supreme indifference to palace or cremation-ground, friend or foe, jewel or clod of earth.
The closing verse promises that one who recites this hymn of the ten-faced one at the end of worship is blessed by Shambhu with lasting fortune. Devotees chant it for courage, for the dissolving of ego, and for the single-minded devotion that Ravana, for all his faults, embodied toward his Lord.
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