Jai Ambe Gauri is the aarti most people mean when they say the Durga aarti. It is addressed to Ambe, the Mother, who is also called Gauri, the fair one, and Shyama, the dark one. The two names for the same Goddess show how the song treats her: as a figure with many forms, praised by Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva alike. An aarti is a song sung while a lit lamp is waved before the deity, and this one is sung in homes, temples and community gatherings across north and west India, above all during Navratri.
The final couplet names Swami Shivananda, and tradition accordingly credits the aarti to him. Printed versions of several aartis carry the same signature line, so the attribution is traditional rather than certain, and no date is known. This page treats the author as uncertain.
The text, transliteration and meaning
The aarti has thirteen couplets. Each is followed by the refrain Jai Ambe Gauri, shown below the verses, and the first couplet is sung again at the end. Many singers also repeat the second half of a line, which is why printed versions look longer than this page. Here each couplet is shown once, in the plain form on which the sources agree.
Verse 1
जय अम्बे गौरी, मैया जय श्यामा गौरी।
तुमको निशिदिन ध्यावत, हरि ब्रह्मा शिवरी॥
Jai Ambe Gauri, maiya jai Shyama Gauri
Tumko nishdin dhyavat, Hari Brahma Shivri
MeaningVictory to Mother Ambe, to Gauri, to dark-hued Gauri. Day and night Hari (Vishnu), Brahma and Shiva meditate on you.
Verse 2
माँग सिन्दूर विराजत, टीको मृगमद को।
उज्जवल से दोउ नैना, चन्द्रवदन नीको॥
Maang sindoor virajat, tiko mrigmad ko
Ujjwal se dou naina, chandravadan niko
MeaningA line of vermilion shines in the parting of her hair and a musk mark on the forehead. Her two eyes are bright and her moon-like face is lovely.
Verse 3
कनक समान कलेवर, रक्ताम्बर राजै।
रक्त पुष्प गल माला, कण्ठन पर साजै॥
Kanak saman kalevar, raktambar raje
Rakt pushp gal mala, kanthan par saje
MeaningHer body is the colour of gold and her clothes are red. A garland of red flowers lies at her neck and adorns her throat.
Verse 4
केहरि वाहन राजत, खड्ग खप्परधारी।
सुर-नर-मुनिजन सेवत, तिनके दुखहारी॥
Kehari vahan rajat, khadg khapparadhari
Sur-nar-munijan sevat, tinke dukhhari
MeaningHer vehicle is the lion, and she holds a sword and a bowl. Gods, men and sages serve her, and she takes away their sorrows.
Verse 5
कानन कुण्डल शोभित, नासाग्रे मोती।
कोटिक चन्द्र दिवाकर, सम राजत ज्योति॥
Kanan kundal shobhit, nasagre moti
Kotik chandra divakar, sam rajat jyoti
MeaningEarrings and a pearl at the tip of her nose adorn her, and her radiance is like crores of moons and suns together.
Verse 6
शुम्भ-निशुम्भ बिदारे, महिषासुर घाती।
धूम्र विलोचन नैना, निशिदिन मदमाती॥
Shumbh-Nishumbh bidare, Mahishasur ghati
Dhumra vilochan naina, nishdin madmati
MeaningShe is the destroyer of Shumbha and Nishumbha and the slayer of Mahishasura. The second line is read in two ways: as naming the demon Dhumralochana, or as describing her smoky-coloured eyes, always lost in divine joy.
Verse 7
चण्ड-मुण्ड संहारे, शोणित बीज हरे।
मधु-कैटभ दोउ मारे, सुर भयहीन करे॥
Chand-Mund sanhare, shonit beej hare
Madhu-Kaitabh dou mare, sur bhayheen kare
MeaningShe destroyed Chanda and Munda and overcame Raktabija. She killed both Madhu and Kaitabha and freed the gods from fear.
Verse 8
ब्रह्माणी रुद्राणी, तुम कमला रानी।
आगम-निगम बखानी, तुम शिव पटरानी॥
Brahmani Rudrani, tum Kamla rani
Agam-nigam bakhani, tum Shiv patrani
MeaningYou are Brahmani and Rudrani, and you are Kamala, the queen. The scriptures of both kinds, agama and nigama, praise you, and you are the chief consort of Shiva.
Verse 9
चौंसठ योगिनी गावत, नृत्य करत भैरों।
बाजत ताल मृदंगा, अरु बाजत डमरु॥
Chausanth yogini gavat, nritya karat Bhairon
Bajat tal mridanga, aru bajat damru
MeaningSixty-four yoginis sing and Bhairava dances, while the beat of the drum and the damaru sounds.
Verse 10
तुम ही जग की माता, तुम ही हो भरता।
भक्तन की दुख हरता, सुख सम्पत्ति करता॥
Tum hi jag ki mata, tum hi ho bharta
Bhaktan ki dukh harta, sukh sampatti karta
MeaningYou are the mother of the world and also its supporter. You remove the sorrow of your devotees and give comfort and prosperity.
Verse 11
भुजा चार अति शोभित, वरमुद्रा धारी।
मनवांछित फल पावत, सेवत नर-नारी॥
Bhuja char ati shobhit, varmudra dhari
Manvanchhit phal pavat, sevat nar-nari
MeaningShe has four arms of great beauty, held in the boon-giving gesture. The text says men and women who serve her receive the fruit they wish for.
Verse 12
कंचन थाल विराजत, अगर कपूर बाती।
श्रीमालकेतु में राजत, कोटि रतन ज्योति॥
Kanchan thal virajat, agar kapoor bati
Shrimalketu mein rajat, koti ratan jyoti
MeaningA golden plate holds a lamp of fragrant wood and camphor wicks. The word Shrimalketu is not clear in every source, and some read it as garland and banner, with the light of crores of jewels shining there.
Verse 13
श्री अम्बेजी की आरती, जो कोई नर गावै।
कहत शिवानन्द स्वामी, सुख-सम्पत्ति पावै॥
Shri Ambeji ki aarti, jo koi nar gavai
Kahat Shivanand Swami, sukh-sampatti pavai
MeaningWhoever sings this aarti of Ambe, says Swami Shivananda, gains comfort and prosperity. This is the song's own closing claim of faith.
Refrain after every verse
जय अम्बे गौरी
Jai Ambe Gauri
MeaningVictory to Mother Ambe, to Gauri. This line is sung after each couplet.
Text: no edition of this aarti exists on Hindi or Sanskrit Wikisource, so the words were compared across four independent publishers (Bhakti Bharat, Sanskrit Documents, Drik Panchang and Hindi Bhajan Manjari) with a word-by-word script. No word is printed unless at least two of them spell it the same way. A page on a fifth site was treated as a copy of one of them and not counted. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own.
Where the versions differ
The versions agree on the order of the couplets and differ in spelling and in a handful of words. The words ujjwal and chandravadan appear with different spellings, and dukh is printed with and without the visarga. In the fourth couplet one source has khadg kripan dhari (holding a sword and a short sword) where most have khadg khapparadhari. In the eleventh couplet one version gives eight arms (bhuja asht) where the sources compared give four (bhuja char), and in the same couplet one reads devata nar-nari (gods, men and women) in place of sevat nar-nari.
Some versions begin the refrain with Om jai Ambe Gauri. One of the sources compared closes the page with a short prayer, the verse beginning ya devi sarvabhuteshu, which comes from the Devi Mahatmya and is not part of the aarti. The final line, with the name of Shivananda, is spelled differently in different books.
When and how it is traditionally sung
The Goddess is worshipped on all nine nights of Navratri, and this aarti usually closes the evening puja during those days. It is also sung on Fridays, which many families link to the Goddess, at the time of a jagran (a night of devotional singing), at Durga Puja pandals, and at festivals such as Gangaur and Karva Chauth in some regions. A lamp is waved clockwise and the singers clap, and a bell and drum often keep the beat. The tune differs between regions, so follow the one your temple or household uses.
What the song describes
The first nine couplets paint the Goddess. She is gold-bodied and red-robed, the lion is her vehicle, and her face is moon-like. Couplets six and seven name the demons she is said to have defeated, which come from the story told in the Devi Mahatmya, the text of about seven hundred verses that is part of the Markandeya Purana: Shumbha and Nishumbha, Mahishasura, Chanda and Munda, Raktabija, and Madhu and Kaitabha. The eighth and ninth couplets say that she is Brahmani, Rudrani and Kamala, a way of stating that the powers of the three great gods are hers, and that sixty-four yoginis and Bhairava dance before her.
The last four couplets turn to the devotee. She is the mother and supporter of the world, the one who takes away sorrow. The song then says that those who serve her receive what they wish for and that the singer of the aarti gains comfort and prosperity. These are the text’s own words of faith. This page does not promise any result, and a prayer sits alongside practical help in hard times, never in place of it.
Pronunciation notes
Ambe is “um-bay”, with a short first vowel. Gauri is “gau-ree”, where gau rhymes with “cow”. Shyama is “shyaa-maa” with a soft shy. In Shumbh-Nishumbh the mbh is a breathy b after the nasal. The word kanthan has a retroflex th, said with the tongue curled back, and chausanth has the same sound.
Related mantras and pages
- Durga Chalisa: the forty-verse Hindi poem to the Goddess
- Devi Suktam: the Vedic hymn to the Goddess
- Bhavani Ashtakam: eight verses to Bhavani
- Sharad Navratri: the nine nights of autumn and their dates
- Chaitra Navratri: the nine nights of spring
- Navratri Daily Puja: the steps for each of the nine days
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ Is Jai Ambe Gauri the same as the Durga aarti?
It is the aarti most people mean by that name. Ambe and Gauri are names of the Goddess as Durga, and the song names Durga's victories over demons. Other aartis to the Goddess exist, including one that begins Ambe tu hai jagdambe kali.
↳ Who wrote Jai Ambe Gauri?
The last couplet names Swami Shivananda, and tradition credits him. Because the same signature appears in several aartis, the attribution is uncertain and no date can be given.
↳ When is the Durga aarti sung?
It is sung at the close of the evening puja through Navratri, on Fridays in many families, and at jagrans and Durga Puja. Customs differ by region and family.
↳ Who are Shumbha, Nishumbha and Raktabija?
They are demons in the Devi Mahatmya, the text that tells how the Goddess defeated them. The aarti refers to the story in one line each and does not retell it.
↳ Why do some versions have eight arms and others four?
Sources differ on one word, and the sources compared here read four arms. The Goddess is shown with many arms in different images, so both readings are familiar to devotees.