The Narmada Ashtakam is a hymn to the river Narmada, which flows through central India and is worshipped as a goddess. The text has eight verses and a ninth that states the benefit of reading it. Its colophon, which is shown below the verses, attributes the hymn to Adi Shankaracharya, although scholars debate which stotras are truly his.
Every verse ends with the same refrain, tvadiya-pada-pankajam namami devi narmade: “I bow to your lotus feet, goddess Narmada”. Before that, the lines are packed with long, rhythmic compounds that describe the river’s waves, its banks, the fish and birds that live there and the many sages said to have honoured her. The sound is musical, and the refrain makes it easy to join in.
The page gives the Devanagari, a simple transliteration and a plain meaning of each verse, then notes on how the hymn is recited, tradition, and pronunciation. Shiva and the river are closely linked in popular devotion, so you may also like Maha Shivaratri and the Rudrashtakam.
The text, transliteration and meaning
The compounds in these verses are very long and some words are unclear to scholars, so the meanings below give the safest reading of each verse.
Verse 1
सबिन्दुसिन्धुसुस्खलत्तरङ्गभङ्गरञ्जितं
द्विषत्सुपापजातजातकारिवारिसंयुतम्।
कृतान्तदूतकालभूतभीतिहारिवर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Sabindusindhususkhalattarangabhangaranjitam
Dvishatsupapajatajatakarivarisamyutam
Kritantadutakalabhutabhitiharivarmade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. They are coloured by the tossing, breaking waves of your sparkling stream, and your waters are set against the enemies born of sin. You are the armour against the fear of the messengers of Death.
Verse 2
त्वदम्बुलीनदीनमीनदिव्यसम्प्रदायकं
कलौमलौघभारहारिसर्वतीर्थनायकम्।
सुमच्छकच्छनक्रचक्रचक्रवाकशर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Tvadambulinadinaminadivyasampradayakam
Kalaumalaughabharaharisarvatirthanayakam
Sumachchhakachchhanakrachakrachakravakasharmade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. Your waters offer a divine gift to the humble fish that live in them, and in this dark age you take away the burden of accumulated impurity, the foremost among holy places. You give comfort to fish, turtles, crocodiles and flocks of chakravaka birds.
Verse 3
महागभीरनीरपूरपापधूतभूतलं
नमत्समस्तपातकारिदारितापदाचलम्।
जगल्लये महाभये मृकण्डुसूनुहर्म्यदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Mahagabhiranirapurapapadhutabhutalam
Namatsamastapatakaridaritapadachalam
Jagallaye mahabhaye mrikandusunuharmyade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. Your vast, deep floods wash the earth clean of sin and break the mountain of calamity for those who bow. You are the refuge of Markandeya's son when the world dissolves in great fear.
Verse 4
गतं तदैव मे भयं त्वदम्बु वीक्षितं यदा
मृकण्डुसूनुशौनकासुरारिसेविसर्वदा।
पुनर्भवाब्धिजन्मजं भवाब्धिदुःखवर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Gatam tadaiva me bhayam tvadambu vikshitam yada
Mrikandusunushaunakasurarisevisarvada
Punarbhavabdhijanmajam bhavabdhiduhkhavarmade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. My fear vanishes the moment I see your water. You are always served by Markandeya's son, by Shaunaka and by the gods, and you protect against the sorrow of the ocean of rebirth.
Verse 5
अलक्षलक्षकिन्नरामरासुरादिपूजितं
सुलक्षनीरतीरधीरपक्षिलक्षकूजितम्।
वसिष्ठशिष्टपिप्पलादकर्दमादिशर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Alakshalakshakinnaramarasuradipujitam
Sulakshaniratiradhirapakshilakshakujitam
Vasishthashishtapippaladakardamadisharmade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. Countless kinnaras, gods, demons and others worship you. Your shore, with its clear water and calm banks, echoes with the song of hundreds of thousands of birds. You bring welfare to Vasishtha, Pippalada, Kardama and many other sages.
Verse 6
सनत्कुमारनाचिकेतकश्यपात्रिषट्पदैः
धृतं स्वकीयमानसेषु नारदादिषट्पदैः।
रवीन्दुरन्तिदेवदेवराजकर्मशर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Sanatkumaranachiketakashyapatrishatpadaih
Dhritam svakiyamanaseshu naradadishatpadaih
Ravindurantidevadevarajakarmasharmade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. Sanatkumara, Nachiketa, Kashyapa and Atri hold you in their minds like bees, and so do Narada and others. You grant well-being through the deeds of the Sun, the Moon, Rantideva and the king of the gods.
Verse 7
अलक्षलक्षलक्षपापलक्षसारसायुधं
ततस्तु जीवजन्तुतन्तु भुक्तिमुक्तिदायकम्।
विरिञ्चिविष्णुशंकरस्वकीयधामवर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Alakshalakshalakshapapalakshasarasayudham
Tatastu jivajantutantu bhuktimuktidayakam
Virinchivishnushankarasvakiyadhamavarmade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. You are a weapon against hundreds of thousands of sins, and you give living beings both enjoyment and release. You are a shelter in the abodes of Brahma, Vishnu and Shankara.
Verse 8
अहोऽमृतं स्वनं श्रुतं महेशकेशजातटे
किरातसूतवाडबेषु पण्डिते शठे नटे।
दुरन्तपापतापहारिसर्वजन्तुशर्मदे
त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥
Aho'mritam svanam shrutam maheshakeshajatate
Kiratasutavadabeshu pandite shathe nate
Durantapapatapaharisarvajantusharmade
Tvadiyapadapankajam namami devi narmade
MeaningGoddess Narmada, I bow to your lotus feet. Ah, the sound heard on the banks of the river born from Shiva's hair is like nectar. You bring comfort to every creature, whether hunter, charioteer, priest, scholar, rogue or actor, and you remove the heat of long sins.
Benefit verse
इदं तु नर्मदाष्टकं त्रिकालमेव ये सदा
पठन्ति ते निरन्तरं न यान्ति दुर्गतिं कदा।
सुलभ्यदेहदुर्लभं महेशधामगौरवं
पुनर्भवा नरा न वै विलोकयन्ति रौरवम् ॥
Idam tu narmadashtakam trikalameva ye sada
Pathanti te nirantaram na yanti durgatim kada
Sulabhyadehadurlabham maheshadhamagauravam
Punarbhava nara na vai vilokayanti rauravam
MeaningThis Narmada Ashtakam, the text says, is read by those who recite it three times a day, and they never meet a bad end. It adds that they easily gain the glory of Shiva's abode, which is otherwise hard to win, and do not see the hell called Raurava. This is the hymn's own statement of benefit.
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource, page “नर्मदाष्टकम्”. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
When and how it is traditionally recited
Devotees recite the Narmada Ashtakam at the river itself, at places such as Omkareshwar or Amarkantak, and at home before a picture or a small pot of Narmada water. The verse about reciting three times a day has led many people to read it at dawn, noon and dusk, though others read it once. Mondays and the days of river festivals are also favoured.
The hymn is often sung to a lilting tune. The greeting Narmade Har, which closes the text, is also the cry heard among the river’s devotees. Customs vary by region and by family, and no fixed count is laid down by the text beyond the benefit verse.
What the tradition says it is for
The Narmada is one of India’s holy rivers, and tradition regards her as a goddess closely tied to Shiva, and the hymn itself calls her the river born of Mahesha’s hair. The verses name many sages and gods as her devotees, and this is a way of saying that she is revered by all.
The refrain asks for the river’s grace and for freedom from fear, sin and rebirth. These are spiritual aims in the language of devotion. The benefit verse states that those who recite the hymn regularly are spared a bad end and attain Shiva’s world, which is the text’s own claim, read by devotees as an assurance of grace and not a guarantee of any worldly result.
The hymn is a prayer and not a remedy. Where you need health, legal or financial help, seek proper advice. For the pilgrimage festivals, see Purnima for the full-moon days when river bathing is often observed, with dates on the festival page.
Pronunciation notes
The refrain is said as tvadiya-pada-pankajam namami devi narmade, with tva pronounced quickly as a single sound, pankajam with a nasal n before the k, and narmade as nar-ma-de, the final e as in say. The line is the same in all nine verses, so you can learn it once.
The other lines contain long compounds with repeated sounds such as laksha and chakra, which are meant to ripple like the water. Say them in small groups of syllables and keep a steady beat. The ksh in laksha is said as ksh, the sh is retroflex, and the aspirates carry a puff of breath. A trusted recording helps a great deal with the rhythm.
Related mantras and pages
- Kashi Panchakam: another hymn attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, on a sacred city
- Rudrashtakam: a hymn to Shiva, from whom the river is said to be born
- Lingashtakam: eight verses to Shiva with a repeating refrain
- Shiva Tandava Stotram: a long hymn with a similar rippling rhythm
- Purnima: full-moon days when river bathing is observed
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Narmada Ashtakam?
It is a hymn of eight verses and a benefit verse in praise of the river Narmada as a goddess. Each verse ends with a refrain bowing to her lotus feet.
↳ Who wrote the Narmada Ashtakam?
The colophon in the source attributes it to Adi Shankaracharya. Scholars debate which stotras are truly his, so this is a traditional attribution.
↳ What does 'Narmade Har' mean?
It is the traditional cry of devotees of the river, and it appears at the end of this hymn. Har is a name of Shiva, and the phrase salutes the river in his name.
↳ How often should the Narmada Ashtakam be recited?
The benefit verse speaks of reciting it three times a day, so some devotees read it at dawn, noon and dusk. Many others read it once daily or on special days. Follow your own custom.
↳ Where is the Narmada river?
The Narmada flows westward through central India, mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and reaches the sea in the Gulf of Khambhat. Omkareshwar and Amarkantak are among its well-known sacred places.