The Durga Suktam, which begins with the words jatavedase sunavama, is a short Vedic hymn from the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajur Veda, in its tenth section, the Mahanarayana Upanishad. It is chanted in Durga worship, in homas and during Navratri, and families often recite it beside the Devi Suktam and the Narayana Suktam, from the same section of the Aranyaka.
The word durga has two senses in the hymn. It means a difficult place or hardship, and it is the name of the goddess. Five of the six printed mantras are addressed to Agni, the fire, who is called Jatavedas, and ask him to carry the worshipper across difficulties (durgani) as a boat crosses the sea. Only the second mantra names the goddess, as Durga, fire-coloured and blazing, and takes refuge in her. The two senses are joined: the goddess is the one who carries across hard places.
The first mantra is also found in the Rigveda, where it is the opening of a hymn to Agni, and the later mantras use other Vedic verses to Agni. Below are all six mantras in Devanagari with a simple transliteration and a plain meaning. The Vedic tone marks, which a teacher gives by ear, are not shown.
The text, transliteration and meaning
The meanings give the sense in plain words. In a few mantras a word has more than one sense in the tradition; we give the commonest.
Mantra 1
जातवेदसे सुनवाम सोममरातीयतो निदहाति वेदः ।
स नः पर्षदति दुर्गाणि विश्वा नावेव सिन्धुं दुरिताऽत्यग्निः ॥
Jatavedase sunavama somamaratiyato nidahati vedah
Sa nah parshadati durgani vishva naveva sindhum durita'tyagnih
MeaningFor Jatavedas, the fire, we press the soma. May he burn up the wealth of the one who wishes us ill. May that Agni carry us across all our difficulties and beyond all wrongs, as a boat carries people over the sea.
Mantra 2
तामग्निवर्णां तपसा ज्वलन्तीं ।
वैरोचनीं कर्मफलेषु जुष्टाम् ।
दुर्गां देवीं शरणमहं प्रपद्ये ।
सुतरसि तरसे नमः ॥
Tamagnivarnam tapasa jvalantim
Vairochanim karmaphaleshu jushtam
Durgam devim sharanamaham prapadye
Sutarasi tarase namah
MeaningI take refuge in the goddess Durga, who has the colour of fire, who blazes with her own heat, who belongs to the radiant Lord and is sought after in the fruits of action. Good carrier across, who bring us over: salutation to you.
Mantra 3
अग्ने त्वं पारया नव्यो अस्मान् ।
स्वस्तिभिरति दुर्गाणि विश्वा ।
पूश्च पृथ्वी बहुला न उर्वी ।
भवा तोकाय तनयाय शंयोः ॥
Agne tvam paraya navyo asman
Svastibhirati durgani vishva
Pushcha prithvi bahula na urvi
Bhava tokaya tanayaya shamyoh
MeaningAgni, you who are to be praised anew, carry us across all difficulties with blessings. May our city be wide, the earth broad and rich for us, and be a source of well-being for our children and grandchildren.
Mantra 4
विश्वानि नो दुर्गहा जातवेदः ।
सिन्धुं न नावा दुरिताऽतिपर्षि ।
अग्ने अत्रिवन्मनसा गृणानो ।
ऽस्माकं बोध्यविता तनूनाम् ॥
Vishvani no durgaha jatavedah
Sindhum na nava durita'tiparshi
Agne atrivanmanasa grinano
'smakam bodhyavita tanunam
MeaningJatavedas, remover of hard times, you carry us over all wrongs as a boat carries one over the sea. Agni, praised in the mind as the sage Atri praised you, wake up and be the guardian of our bodies.
Mantra 5
पृतनाजितं सहमानमुग्रम् ।
अग्निं हुवेम परमात्सधस्थात् ।
स नः पर्षदति दुर्गाणि विश्वा ।
क्षामद्देवो अति दुरिताऽत्यग्निः ॥
Pritanajitam sahamanamugram
Agnim huvema paramatsadhasthat
Sa nah parshadati durgani vishva
Kshamaddevo ati durita'tyagnih
MeaningWe call on Agni, the victor over hostile armies, the patient and mighty one, from the highest seat. May he carry us across all difficulties. May the forgiving god take us beyond all wrongs.
Mantra 6
प्रत्नोषि कमीड्यो अध्वरेषु ।
सनाच्च होता नव्यश्च सत्सि ।
स्वां चाग्ने तनुवं पिप्रयस्व ।
अस्मभ्यं च सौभगमायजस्व ॥
Pratnoshi kamidyo adhvareshu
Sanachcha hota navyashcha satsi
Svam chagne tanuvam piprayasva
Asmabhyam cha saubhagamayajasva
MeaningAgni, you are worthy of praise at the sacrifices, as you have been from of old. You are the priest, both ancient and new, and you take your seat. Gladden your own body, and give us good fortune.
Text: the Taittiriya Aranyaka with the commentary of Sayana (Anandashrama Sanskrit Series, Pune, 1898), tenth prapathaka, first anuvaka, read from the page images; checked against Sanskrit Wikisource, Mahanarayana Upanishad. Transliteration is simplified; the Vedic tone marks are not shown; meanings are our own.
Where the readings differ
The six mantras follow the printed Anandashrama edition. Recitation often goes beyond it:
- Many reciters add a seventh mantra, gobhir jushtam ayujo nishiktam tavendra vishnor anusancharema, nakasya prishtham abhi samvasano vaishnavim loka iha madayantam. It speaks of Indra and Vishnu and of following their way to the high vault of heaven. The Wikisource text, which follows the other recension of the Aranyaka, has it as mantra 7. The Anandashrama print does not give it in this anuvaka.
- The printed edition numbers the hymn as the first anuvaka of the tenth prapathaka, and the other recension places it in the second anuvaka. This is a difference between the recensions, not between the words.
- The Durga Gayatri, katyayanaya vidmahe kanyakumari dhimahi, tanno durgih prachodayat, which is often chanted with the Durga Suktam, is a separate mantra and is not part of these six.
When and how it is traditionally recited
The Durga Suktam is chanted in Durga puja, in homas to the goddess, and on the nine nights of Navratri, often at the end of the day’s puja. Some households chant it on Tuesdays and Fridays, which are held dear to the goddess, and before travel or the start of a new work. It is also part of the Vedic recitation of the Mahanarayana Upanishad. The tradition counts it among the mantras for turning aside difficulties. This is a custom of faith, and the hymn itself lays down no rule of day, count or posture.
It takes about two minutes to recite. If you cannot yet say the Sanskrit, read the meanings first and then follow a recording by a Vedic reciter. See the Navratri daily puja guide for how the nine nights are kept at home.
What the hymn says and what the tradition says it is for
The hymn is a prayer to cross over. The images are of a boat on the sea and a carrier over a river, and the thing to be crossed is hard times and wrongs. Agni, the fire that carries offerings to the gods, is asked to carry the worshipper in the same way. The goddess in the second mantra is the same carrier: sutarasi, the one who brings across well.
The tradition reads the hymn as a request for protection from obstacles and for the safety of one’s body, family and home. That is the tradition’s reading, and the hymn does not promise a result. Nothing in it replaces medical, legal or financial advice. Many people simply find the chanting steadying at a time of worry, in the way that any slow, repeated prayer can be. For other prayers to the goddess, see the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram and the Devi Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram.
Pronunciation notes
Say the words evenly and without hurry. The sh in sharanam is the sh of “shoe”, and ri in prishtham is a light rolled r. The dh in duritat is a breathy d, and j in jatavedase is as in “jam”. The h after a vowel at the end of a line, as in vedah, is a light breath followed by an echo of the vowel.
How the text on this page is sourced
The Devanagari follows an old printed edition: the Krishna Yajurvediya Taittiriya Aranyaka with the commentary of Sayana, in the Anandashrama Sanskrit Series (Pune, 1898), tenth prapathaka, first anuvaka (archive.org item in.ernet.dli.2015.486959, scan pages 711 to 713), read from the page images, since the machine-read text of this print is poor. It was compared with the typed text of Sanskrit Wikisource’s Mahanarayana Upanishad, which follows the other recension, and with the Rigveda reading of the first mantra. Vedic tone marks are omitted. The hymn has no named human author, as is usual for Vedic texts. The meanings are our own.
Related mantras and pages
- Devi Suktam: the Rigveda hymn spoken by the Goddess
- Narayana Suktam: the Vedic hymn to Narayana from the same Aranyaka
- Mahishasura Mardini Stotram: the hymn to the slayer of the buffalo demon
- Durga Chalisa: forty Hindi verses to Durga
- Durga Aarti: the lamp song to the goddess
- Bhavani Ashtakam: a Sanskrit prayer of refuge
- Sharad Navratri: the nine nights of the goddess, with dates
- Durga Saptashati: the Devi Mahatmya, chapter by chapter
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Durga Suktam?
It is a Vedic hymn of six printed mantras, beginning jatavedase sunavama, from the Taittiriya Aranyaka. It asks Agni and the goddess Durga to carry the worshipper across difficulties.
↳ Is the Durga Suktam addressed to the goddess?
Mostly to Agni, the fire. Five of the six printed mantras are to Agni and one names the goddess Durga. The word durga also means a hard place, so the hymn joins the two senses: the goddess is the one who carries across hardship.
↳ Does it have six or seven mantras?
The printed Anandashrama edition has six. Many reciters add a seventh, gobhir jushtam, which the other recension has in the same place. Both counts are in use.
↳ When is it chanted?
It is chanted in Durga puja, in homas to the goddess and through Navratri, and some families chant it on Tuesdays and Fridays. These are customs and there is no fixed rule.
↳ Is the Durga Gayatri part of it?
No. The Durga Gayatri, katyayanaya vidmahe, is a separate mantra often chanted along with the Durga Suktam. It is not among the six printed mantras of this hymn.