The Kashi Panchakam is a hymn of five verses on Kashi, the holy city also known as Varanasi. It is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya in the sources it is printed in, and scholars debate which stotras are truly his. It is a different kind of pilgrim’s song from most: instead of describing the city’s temples and ghats, it says that Kashi is a state of knowing, and that this state is the speaker’s own awareness.
The first three verses share a refrain: sa kashika aham nijabodharupa, which can be read as “that Kashi am I, whose nature is my own awareness”. In these verses the most sacred spots of the city, such as Manikarnika, the Ganga and Bhavani, are matched with experiences within the mind. The fourth verse plays on the word Kashi, which comes from a root meaning to shine. The fifth gathers the whole teaching into one question about pilgrimage.
The page gives the Devanagari with a transliteration and a plain meaning of every verse, followed by notes on how it is read, what tradition says of it and how to pronounce it. For other hymns attributed to the same teacher, see the Narmada Ashtakam.
The text, transliteration and meaning
Read the first three verses with the refrain in mind, and watch how each one names an outer holy place and then turns it inward.
Verse 1
मनोनिवृत्तिः परमोपशान्तिः सा तीर्थवर्या मणिकर्णिका च ।
ज्ञानप्रवाहा विमलादिगङ्गा सा काशिकाहं निजबोधरूपा ॥
Manonivrittih paramopashantih sa tirthavarya manikarnika cha
Jnanapravaha vimaladiganga sa kashikaham nijabodharupa
MeaningWhere the mind comes to rest, that is supreme peace: that is Manikarnika, the best of holy places. The stream of knowledge is the stainless first Ganga. That Kashi am I, whose nature is my own awareness.
Verse 2
यस्यामिदं कल्पितमिन्द्रजालं चराचरं भाति मनोविलासम् ।
सच्चित्सुखैका परमात्मरूपा सा काशिकाहं निजबोधरूपा ॥
Yasyamidam kalpitamindrajalam characharam bhati manovilasam
Sachchitsukhaika paramatmarupa sa kashikaham nijabodharupa
MeaningIn her this world of moving and unmoving things appears like a magic show, a play of the mind, imagined. She is the one supreme Self, being, consciousness and joy. That Kashi am I, whose nature is my own awareness.
Verse 3
कोशेषु पञ्चस्वधिराजमाना बुद्धिर्भवानी प्रतिदेहगेहम्
साक्षी शिवः सर्वगतोऽन्तरात्मा सा काशिकाहं निजबोधरूपा ॥
Kosheshu panchasvadhirajamana buddhirbhavani pratidehageham
Sakshi shivah sarvagato'ntaratma sa kashikaham nijabodharupa
MeaningShining over the five sheaths of the self, the intellect is Bhavani in the home of every body. The inner Self is the witness, Shiva, present everywhere. That Kashi am I, whose nature is my own awareness.
Verse 4
काश्यां हि काश्यते काशी काशी सर्वप्रकाशिका ।
सा काशी विदिता येन तेन प्राप्ता हि काशिका ॥
Kashyam hi kashyate kashi kashi sarvaprakashika
Sa kashi vidita yena tena prapta hi kashika
MeaningIn Kashi, Kashi truly shines. Kashi lights up everything. The one who knows that Kashi has indeed reached the shining one, Kashika.
Verse 5
काशीक्षेत्रं शरीरं त्रिभुवन-जननी व्यापिनी ज्ञानगङ्गा भक्तिः श्रद्धा गयेयं निजगुरु-चरणध्यानयोगः प्रयागः ।
विश्वेशोऽयं तुरीयः सकलजन-मनःसाक्षिभूतोऽन्तरात्मा देहे सर्वं मदीये यदि वसति पुनस्तीर्थमन्यत्किमस्ति ॥
Kashikshetram shariram tribhuvana-janani vyapini jnanaganga bhaktih shraddha gayeyam nijaguru-charanadhyanayogah prayagah
Vishvesho'yam turiyah sakalajana-manahsakshibhuto'ntaratma dehe sarvam madiye yadi vasati punastirthamanyatkimasti
MeaningThe field of Kashi is the body. The Ganga of knowledge, which fills the three worlds, is devotion. Faith is Gaya, and meditation on the feet of one's own teacher is Prayaga. This Vishvesha is the fourth state, the inner witness of every mind. If all of this lives in my own body, what other pilgrimage is there?
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource, page “काशीपञ्चकम्”. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
When and how it is traditionally recited
The Kashi Panchakam is read by some pilgrims at Varanasi and by students of Advaita Vedanta wherever they live. Some read it as part of a morning study, others after a bath in the Ganga, and many simply keep it as a reflective text to be read slowly. There is no fixed count or ritual.
Because the hymn is a teaching, many people read a verse, pause, and let the meaning settle before moving to the next. Some chant it with the refrain sung aloud and the rest in a quieter voice. Customs vary by teacher and region, so follow what you have been taught.
What the tradition says it is for
In Advaita Vedanta, the school associated with Shankaracharya, the highest reality is one awareness that is the same as the Self. The hymn applies that teaching to a place that millions of people travel to. Tradition does not say the pilgrimage is pointless; it says that its inner meaning is available to anyone, wherever they are.
Several terms in the hymn come from this school. The five sheaths are the layers from body to bliss in which the Self is described as being clothed, and the fourth state, turiya, is awareness beyond waking, dream and deep sleep. Different teachers explain them in slightly different ways.
This hymn does not carry a closing benefit verse and does not promise any result. It is a text for reflection. For the festival most tied to Shiva, whose city Kashi is, see Maha Shivaratri, where dates are listed.
Pronunciation notes
The refrain is sa kashikaham nijabodharupa, said as sa ka-shi-ka-ham ni-ja-bo-dha-ru-pa. The sh is soft, and the ham near the end carries a light h. Long vowels, as in kashi and bodha, last about twice as long as short ones.
The fifth verse is very long, with a line of several compound words. Take it in breaths: kashi-kshetram sha-ri-ram, then tribhuvana-janani, and so on, pausing at the hyphens. The aspirates dh and bh carry a small puff of breath, and jna, as in jnana, is usually said as gya in the north and jna in the south.
Related mantras and pages
- Narmada Ashtakam: another hymn attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, on a sacred river
- Annapurna Ashtakam: the goddess of food who is worshipped at Kashi
- Rudrashtakam: a hymn to Shiva, the Lord of Kashi
- Om Namah Shivaya: the mantra of Shiva
- Maha Shivaratri: the night of Shiva, whose city is Kashi
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Kashi Panchakam?
It is a five-verse hymn on Kashi that treats the city as the inner Self. It is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya in the printed sources.
↳ What does Kashi mean in the hymn?
The fourth verse links the word to a root meaning to shine, so Kashi is the shining one, that which illuminates everything. In the first three verses, Kashi is the awareness that is one's own nature.
↳ Is the Kashi Panchakam about visiting Varanasi?
It is about the meaning of Kashi, and it affirms that the true pilgrimage can happen within. Pilgrims in Varanasi still recite it, and the verse does not say that visiting is wrong.
↳ What are the five sheaths mentioned in verse 3?
The five sheaths are the traditional layers of the self in Vedanta, from the physical body to the blissful one, and the hymn says the intellect, as Bhavani, shines over them. Teachers describe the layers in slightly different ways.
↳ Who wrote the Kashi Panchakam?
It is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya in the printed source. Scholars debate which stotras are truly his, so this is a traditional attribution.