Declared sequence
0117-unit received edition
The sequence follows Rohana Seneviratne's 2025 presentation of the popular recension. Manuscripts differ in stanza count, order, openings, and wording.
शिवताण्डवस्तोत्रम्
Śivatāṇḍavastotram
Feel the hymn's drum-like movement while studying every received stanza through Devanagari, consistent IAST of the selected reading, a pāda-by-pāda compound guide, close meaning, manuscript-aware variants, metre, and a careful account of the Rāvaṇa attribution.
शिव
On-site scope
17 annotated units
Sanskrit · Devanagari + IAST
15 body stanzas · phalaśruti · received supplement
01 / Authenticity ledger
Source disclosed. Language named. Attribution qualified. Editorial choices made visible. It does not mean that one modern web page has erased every living recension or interpretive tradition.
Declared sequence
01The sequence follows Rohana Seneviratne's 2025 presentation of the popular recension. Manuscripts differ in stanza count, order, openings, and wording.
Attribution
02Devotional tradition credits the hymn to the Rāmāyaṇa's king of Laṅkā. The historical poet and date have not been securely established.
Poetic form
03The body uses an energetic sixteen-syllable line with strong short-long alternation. The common pūjāvasāna phalaśruti is in Vasantatilakā.
Reader standard
04The selected surface reading remains intact, consistent IAST tracks it, and each long metrical unit is opened through an editorial compound guide.
02 / Pāda & compound reader
Complete declared study sequence
The reader includes 17 units following a documented popular sequence: 15 body stanzas, one concluding phalaśruti, and one transmitted supplementary stanza. It is a transparent received edition, not a reconstructed critical edition.
Reader controls
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Showing 12 of 17 entries
जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले गलेऽवलम्ब्य लम्बितां भुजङ्गतुङ्गमालिकाम् । डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं चकार चण्डताण्डवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम् ॥
jaṭāṭavīgalajjalapravāhapāvitasthale gale 'valambya lambitāṃ bhujaṅgatuṅgamālikām | ḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamaḍḍamanninādavaḍḍamarvayaṃ cakāra caṇḍatāṇḍavaṃ tanotu naḥ śivaḥ śivam ||
Close meaning
With Gaṅgā streaming through his matted locks, a serpent garland swinging at his neck, and the ḍamaru sounding, Śiva performs the fierce Tāṇḍava. May that Śiva bring us auspiciousness.
This famous opening heads the received popular sequence used here. The manuscript evidence surveyed in the cited 2025 study preserves different openings and arrangements.
Pāda & compound guide
in the place made pure by the stream of water falling through his forest of locks
having hung upon his neck a lofty, swaying garland of serpents
to the rolling ḍamaḍ sound of this ḍamaru drum
Śiva performed the fierce dance; may he extend auspiciousness to us
जटाकटाहसम्भ्रमभ्रमन्निलिम्पनिर्झरी विलोलवीचिवल्लरीविराजमानमूर्धनि । धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके किशोरचन्द्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम ॥
jaṭākaṭāhasambhramabhramannilimpanirjharī vilolavīcivallarīvirājamānamūrdhani | dhagaddhagaddhagajjvalallalāṭapaṭṭapāvake kiśoracandraśekhare ratiḥ pratikṣaṇaṃ mama ||
Close meaning
May my delight dwell every moment in the moon-crested Śiva, whose locks carry Gaṅgā's dancing waves and whose forehead fire flashes with the syllabic force of dhagad-dhagad.
Pāda & compound guide
the celestial river whirling vigorously in the cauldron of his matted locks
whose head shines with its playfully moving tendrils of waves
whose forehead fire blazes with the sound dhagad-dhagad
may my delight rest every moment in the bearer of the young moon
धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीविलासबन्धुबन्धुर स्फुरद्दृगन्तसन्ततिप्रमोदमानमानसे । कृपाकटाक्षधोरणीनिरुद्धदुर्धरापदि क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि ॥
dharādharendranandinīvilāsabandhubandhura sphuraddṛgantasantatipramodamānamānase | kṛpākaṭākṣadhoraṇīniruddhadurdharāpadi kvacid digambare mano vinodam etu vastuni ||
Close meaning
May the mind delight in sky-clad Śiva: joyful in Pārvatī's radiant glances and able, through a current of compassion, to hold even formidable adversity in check.
This reader selects kvacid digambare. A widely transmitted variant reads kvacic cidambare, shifting the image from 'sky-clad' toward the sacred space of consciousness.
Pāda & compound guide
beautifully joined to the graceful play of the mountain king's daughter
whose mind rejoices in the succession of her radiant sidelong glances
whose stream of compassionate glances restrains overwhelming adversity
may the mind find delight in that sky-clad reality
जटाभुजङ्गपिङ्गलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा कदम्बकुङ्कुमद्रवप्रलिप्तदिग्वधूमुखे । मदान्धसिन्धुरासुरत्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे मनो विनोदमद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि ॥
jaṭābhujaṅgapiṅgalasphuratphaṇāmaṇiprabhā kadambakuṅkumadravapraliptadigvadhūmukhe | madāndhasindhurāsuratvaguttarīyamedure mano vinodam adbhutaṃ bibhartu bhūtabhartari ||
Close meaning
May the mind find wondrous delight in the Lord of beings, glowing with the jewels of serpents in his locks and magnificent in the elephant-demon's hide.
Pāda & compound guide
the tawny radiance of jewels flashing on serpent hoods among his locks
anointing the faces of the maidens of the directions like liquid saffron
splendid in the elephant-demon's hide worn as an upper garment
may the mind bear wondrous delight in the Lord of beings
ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनञ्जयस्फुलिङ्गया निपीतपञ्चसायकं नमन्निलिम्पनायकम् । सुधामयूखरेखया विराजमानशेखरम् महः कपालि सम्पदे सरिज्जटालमस्तु नः ॥
lalāṭacatvarajvaladdhanañjayasphuliṅgayā nipītapañcasāyakaṃ namannilimpanāyakam | sudhāmayūkharekhayā virājamānaśekharam mahaḥ kapāli sampade sarijjaṭālam astu naḥ ||
Close meaning
O Kapālin, may the splendour of your Gaṅgā-wreathed locks, moonlit crest, and forehead fire—which consumed the five-arrowed Kāma—be our enduring wealth.
Some popular editions place the sahasralocana stanza before this one. The ordering here follows the declared 17-unit study sequence.
Pāda & compound guide
by sparks from the fire blazing upon the open space of his forehead
who consumed the five-arrowed Kāma and before whom the celestial lord bows
whose crest shines with a slender ray of the nectar-bearing moon
O skull-bearer, may the splendour of your river-wreathed locks be our wealth
सहस्रलोचनप्रभृत्यशेषलेखशेखर प्रसूनधूलिधोरणीविधूसराङ्घ्रिपीठभूः । भुजङ्गराजमालया निबद्धजाटजूटकः श्रिये चिराय जायतां चकोरबन्धुशेखरः ॥
sahasralocanaprabhṛtyaśeṣalekhaśekhara prasūnadhūlidhoraṇīvidhūsarāṅghripīṭhabhūḥ | bhujaṅgarājamālayā nibaddhajāṭajūṭakaḥ śriye cirāya jāyatāṃ cakorabandhuśekharaḥ ||
Close meaning
May the moon-crested Lord grant lasting well-being: the gods' floral pollen settles at his feet, while a garland of serpent kings binds his matted locks.
Pāda & compound guide
Indra and all the other celestial beings, their crowns adorned
whose footstool is grey with streams of pollen from their flowers
whose massed locks are bound by a garland of serpent kings
may the moon-crested Lord manifest for lasting prosperity
करालभालपट्टिकाधगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलद् धनञ्जयाहुतीकृतप्रचण्डपञ्चसायके । धराधरेन्द्रनन्दिनीकुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचने रतिर्मम ॥
karālabhālapaṭṭikādhagaddhagaddhagajjvalad dhanañjayāhutīkṛtapracaṇḍapañcasāyake | dharādharendranandinīkucāgracitrapatraka prakalpanaikaśilpini trilocane ratir mama ||
Close meaning
May my devotion rest in the three-eyed divine artist: Śiva, whose fearsome forehead fire consumed Kāma and whose intimacy with Pārvatī is rendered through ornate poetic imagery.
Pāda & compound guide
blazing dhagad-dhagad upon the fearsome surface of his forehead
whose fire made the fierce five-arrowed Kāma its offering
the decorative leaf-pattern upon the breast of the mountain king's daughter
may my devotion rest in the three-eyed, incomparable artist
नवीनमेघमण्डलीनिरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुरत् कुहूनिशीथिनीतमःप्रबन्धबद्धकन्धरः । निलिम्पनिर्झरीधरस्तनोतु कृत्तिसुन्दरः कलानिधानबन्धुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरन्धरः ॥
navīnameghamaṇḍalīniruddhadurdharasphurat kuhūniśīthinītamaḥprabandhabaddhakandharaḥ | nilimpanirjharīdharas tanotu kṛttisundaraḥ kalānidhānabandhuraḥ śriyaṃ jagaddhurandharaḥ ||
Close meaning
May Śiva—the world-bearer whose dark throat resembles a moonless night beneath rain clouds, who carries Gaṅgā and wears the crescent moon—grant well-being.
Pāda & compound guide
enveloped in the irresistibly spreading mass of fresh rain clouds
whose neck is bound in the deep darkness of a new-moon night
may the bearer of the celestial river, beautiful in his hide garment, bestow
the moon-adorned bearer of the world's burden, prosperity
प्रफुल्लनीलपङ्कजप्रपञ्चकालिमप्रभा वलम्बिकण्ठकन्दलीरुचिप्रबद्धकन्धरम् । स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिदं भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदम् गजच्छिदान्धकच्छिदं तमन्तकच्छिदं भजे ॥
praphullanīlapaṅkajaprapañcakālimaprabhā valambikaṇṭhakandalīruciprabaddhakandharam | smaracchidaṃ puracchidaṃ bhavacchidaṃ makhacchidam gajacchidāndhakacchidaṃ tam antakacchidaṃ bhaje ||
Close meaning
I worship the dark-throated Śiva, destroyer of Kāma, the three cities, binding existence, the sacrifice, the elephant demon, Andhaka, and even death itself.
Pāda & compound guide
with the dark radiance of a vast field of fully opened blue lotuses
whose neck is marked by the beauty of the darkened throat
destroyer of Kāma, the cities, worldly becoming, and the sacrifice
I worship the destroyer of the elephant demon, Andhaka, and death itself
अखर्वसर्वमङ्गलाकलाकदम्बमञ्जरी रसप्रवाहमाधुरीविजृम्भणामधुव्रतम् । स्मरान्तकं पुरान्तकं भवान्तकं मखान्तकम् गजान्तकान्धकान्तकं तमन्तकान्तकं भजे ॥
akharvasarvamaṅgalākalākadambamañjarī rasapravāhamādhurīvijṛmbhaṇāmadhuvratam | smarāntakaṃ purāntakaṃ bhavāntakaṃ makhāntakam gajāntakāndhakāntakaṃ tam antakāntakaṃ bhaje ||
Close meaning
I worship Śiva as the bee drawn to the nectar of every auspicious art, and as the one who ends Kāma, the cities, bondage, sacrifice, the elephant demon, Andhaka, and death.
This edition reads akharva, 'abundant' or 'not small'; agarva, 'without pride', appears in other received readings.
Pāda & compound guide
the abundant cluster of every auspicious art, like kadamba blossoms
a bee drinking the expanding sweetness of their flowing nectar
ender of Kāma, the cities, conditioned existence, and the sacrifice
I worship the ender of the elephant demon, Andhaka, and the ender of death
जयत्यदभ्रविभ्रमभ्रमद्भुजङ्गमश्वसद् विनिर्गमक्रमस्फुरत्करालभालहव्यवाट् । धिमिं धिमिं धिमिं ध्वनन्मृदङ्गतुङ्गमङ्गल ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तितप्रचण्डताण्डवः शिवः ॥
jayaty adabhravibhramabhramadbhujaṅgamaśvasad vinirgamakramasphuratkarālabhālahavyavāṭ | dhimiṃ dhimiṃ dhimiṃ dhvananmṛdaṅgatuṅgamaṅgala dhvanikramapravartitapracaṇḍatāṇḍavaḥ śivaḥ ||
Close meaning
Victorious is Śiva: serpent breath fans his forehead fire, and the ascending dhimiṃ-dhimiṃ of the mṛdaṅga sets his fierce Tāṇḍava in motion.
The opening jayaty adabhra is a declared reading; jayatv adabhra is also widely printed. The onomatopoeia and Pañcacāmara rhythm are part of the stanza's meaning.
Pāda & compound guide
victorious amid the immense motion and breath of whirling serpents
whose fearsome forehead fire flares in time with their exhalation
to the lofty auspicious mṛdaṅga resounding dhimiṃ-dhimiṃ
Śiva's fierce Tāṇḍava is set in motion by the succession of sound
दृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजङ्गमौक्तिकस्रजोर् गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्ठयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः । तृणारविन्दचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः समप्रवृत्तिकः कदा सदाशिवं भजाम्यहम् ॥
dṛṣadvicitratalpayor bhujaṅgamauktikasrajor gariṣṭharatnaloṣṭhayoḥ suhṛdvipakṣapakṣayoḥ | tṛṇāravindacakṣuṣoḥ prajāmahīmahendrayoḥ samapravṛttikaḥ kadā sadāśivaṃ bhajāmy aham ||
Close meaning
When shall I worship Sadāśiva with equal vision toward comfort and hardship, ornament and danger, wealth and earth, friend and foe, beauty and the ordinary, subject and king?
This stanza has substantial syntactic variants. The selected reading understands sama-pravṛttikaḥ as an even or impartial disposition.
Pāda & compound guide
toward a stone and an ornate bed; a serpent and a string of pearls
toward the finest jewel and a clod; a friend and an opposing side
toward grass and lotus-like eyes; an ordinary person and a mighty king
when, holding an equal disposition, shall I worship Sadāśiva?
shiva tandava stotram · editorial study edition
03 / Attribution & biography
A sacred text can have a poet, a speaker inside its story, a traditional compiler, and later commentators. These roles are named separately so reverence never requires blurred history.
Poet in devotional tradition
Rāvaṇa is the mythic king of Laṅkā in the Rāmāyaṇa: son of Viśravas and Kaikasī, brother of Kumbhakarṇa, Śūrpaṇakhā, and Vibhīṣaṇa, and half-brother of Kubera. The epic portrays immense ascetic power and royal ambition alongside grave wrongdoing. Uttarakāṇḍa tells how Śiva's pressure on Kailāsa provoked Daśagrīva's great cry and the name Rāvaṇa; the surviving passage does not quote this hymn. This is a traditional literary biography, not a historically verifiable life. Devotional tradition credits him with the stotram; its historical poet remains unidentified.
04 / Editorial method
The 17-unit sequence and IAST base are adapted from Rohana Seneviratne's 2025 CC BY 4.0 study; the Devanagari presentation, segmentation, close glosses, and notes are newly prepared for this site.
The page names its received sequence: 15 body stanzas, the pūjāvasāna phalaśruti, and the idaṃ hi nityam supplement. Other recensions are not silently folded into it.
Devanagari and consistent IAST represent the selected surface reading. Pāda boundaries, hyphenated compound guides, and concise English glosses are editorial study aids.
High-impact variants—including digambare/cidambare, akharva/agarva, jayatyad/jayatvad, stanza order, and concluding material—are disclosed instead of declaring one universal wording.
Benefits in the phalaśruti are reported as the transmitted stanza's devotional promise, not as a scientific, financial, or guaranteed outcome.
05 / Source shelf
Primary texts, manuscript records, and scholarly studies are linked directly. External texts remain with their custodians and under their stated terms.