ी आ द शंकराचाय वर चत

ग ा कम्
Gaṅgāṣṭakam
Of Ādi Śaṅkara

भगव त भवलीलामौ लमाले तवा ः-

कणमणुप रमाणं ा णनो ये ृश त ।
अमरनगरनारीचामर ा हणीनां
वगतक लकलङ् कातङ् कमङ् के लुठ त ॥ १ ॥

bhagavati bhavalīlāmaulimāle tavāmbhaḥ-

kaṇamaṇuparimāṇaṃ prāṇino ye spṛśanti ;
amaranagaranārīcāmaragrāhiṇīnāṃ
vigatakalikalaṅkātaṅkamaṅke luṭhanti . 1 .

ा डं ख डय ती हर शर स जटाव लमु लासय ती

वल कादापत ती कनक ग रगुहाग डशैला खल ती ।
ोणीपृ े लुठ ती रतचयचमू नभरं भ सय ती
पाथो ध पूरय ती सुरनगरस र पावनी नः पुनातु ॥ २ ॥

brahmāṇḍaṃ khaṇḍayantī haraśirasi jaṭāvallimullāsayantī

svarlokādāpatantī kanakagiriguhāgaṇḍaśailātskhalantī ;
kṣoṇīpṛṣṭhe luṭhantī duritacayacamūrnirbharaṃ bhartsayantī
pāthodhiṃ pūrayantī suranagarasaritpāvanī naḥ punātu . 2 .

म मात कु युतमदम दरामोदम ा लजालं

नानैः स ा नानां कु चयुग वगल कु ङ् कु मास प म् ।
सायं ातमुनीनां कु शकु सुमचयै छ तीर नीरं
पाया ो गा म ः क रकरमकरा ा तरंह तर म् ॥ ३ ॥

majjanmātaṅgakumbhacyutamadamadirāmodamattālijālaṃ
snānaiḥ siddhāṅganānāṃ kucayugavigalatkuṅkumāsaṅgapiṅgam ;
sāyaṃ prātarmunīnāṃ kuśakusumacayaiśchannatīrasthanīraṃ
pāyānno gāṅgamambhaḥ karikaramakarākrāntaraṃhastaraṅgam . 3 .

आदावा द पतामह य नयम ापारपा े जलं

प ा प गशा यनो भगवतः पादोदकं पावनम् ।
भूयः श ुजटा वभूषणम णज ोमहष रयं
क या क मषना शनी भगवती भागीरथी पातु माम् ॥ ४ ॥

ādāvādipitāmahasya niyamavyāpārapātre jalaṃ

paścātpannagaśāyino bhagavataḥ pādodakaṃ pāvanam ;
bhūyaḥ śambhujaṭāvibhūṣaṇamaṇirjahnormaharṣeriyaṃ
kanyā kalmaṣanāśinī bhagavatī bhāgīrathī pātu mām . 4 .

शैले ादवता रणी नजजले म नो ा रणी

पारावार वहा रणी भवभय ेणीसमु सा रणी ।
शेषाहेरनुका रणी हर शरोव लीदलाका रणी
काशी ा त वहा रणी वजयते ग ा मनोहा रणी ॥ ५ ॥

śailendrādavatāriṇī nijajale majjajjanottāriṇī

pārāvāravihāriṇī bhavabhayaśreṇīsamutsāriṇī ;
śeṣāheranukāriṇī haraśirovallīdalākāriṇī
kāśīprāntavihāriṇī vijayate gaṅgā manohāriṇī . 5 .

कु तोऽवीची वी च तव य द गता लोचनपथं

वमापीता पीता बरपुर नवासं वतर स ।
व स े ग े पत त य द काय तनुभृतां
तदा मातः शात तवपदलाभोऽ य तलघुः ॥ ६ ॥

kuto’vīcī vīcistava yadi gatā locanapathaṃ

tvamāpītā pītāmbarapuranivāsaṃ vitarasi ;
tvadutsaṅge gaṅge patati yadi kāyastanubhṛtāṃ
tadā mātaḥ śātakratavapadalābho’pyatilaghuḥ . 6 .

भगव त तव तीरे नीरमा ाशनोऽहं

वगत वषयतृ णः कृ णमाराधया म ।
सकलकलुषभ े वगसोपानस े
तरलतरतर े दे व ग े सीद ॥ ७ ॥

bhagavati tava tīre nīramātrāśano’haṃ

vigataviṣayatṛṣṇaḥ kṛṣṇamārādhayāmi ;
sakalakaluṣabhaṅge svargasopānasaṅge
taralatarataraṅge devi gaṅge prasīda . 7 .

मातजा व श ुस म लते मौलौ नधाया ल

व ीरे वपुषोऽवसानसमये नारायणाङ् यम् ।
सान दं मरतो भ व य त मम ाण याणो सवे
भूया र व युता ह रहरा ै ता मका शा ती ॥ ८ ॥

mātarjāhnavi śambhusaṅgamilite maulau nidhāyāñjaliṃ

tvattīre vapuṣo’vasānasamaye nārāyaṇāṅghridvayam ;
sānandaṃ smarato bhaviṣyati mama prāṇaprayāṇotsave
bhūyādbhaktiravicyutā hariharādvaitātmikā śāśvatī . 8 .

ग ा क मदं पु यं यः पठे यतो नरः ।

सवपाप व नमु ो व णुलोकं स ग त ॥ ९ ॥
gaṅgāṣṭakamidaṃ puṇyaṃ yaḥ paṭhetprayato naraḥ ;
sarvapāpavinirmukto viṣṇulokaṃ sa gacchati . 9 .

॥ ग ा कं स ूणम् ॥

. gaṅgāṣṭakaṃ sampūrṇam .

Meaning :
The octet on Ganga composed by Adhi Shankara
(Translated by : P.R.Ramachander)

1. Oh, Goddess who is the garland on the head of Shiva,

And meant for his happiness,
Those beings, who are lucky,
To touch drops of your water,
Get relieved of all black sins,
And would enjoy the fondling,
In the laps of those maidens of heaven,
Who hold fans in their hands.

2. Let the pure waters of the Ganga of heaven,

Originating from the breaking the universe in to two,
Watering the hair curls of Lord Shiva’s head,
Falling from the heights of heaven,
Coming out of the sandal wood trees of the caves of Meru,
Falling torrentially on the earth,
Washing away the crowds of sins,
And making full the waters of the sea,
Take care of all of us.

3. Let this waters of Ganga,

Which is full of several crowds of bees rushing to drink,
The water coming out of the bathing elephants,
Which is fully red because of the saffron coloured water ,
Flowing from the head through the busts of holy ladies,
Which is full of different types floating grasses and flowers ,
After the dawn and dusk salutations done by saints in the morn and evening,
And which is full of waves created by the playful elephants and calves,
Because of their beating the water by their trunks,
Save all of us.
4. This Goddess brought down by King Bhageerath,
Was initially seen as the water of worship from the pot of Brahma,
Later it became the purest holy waters washing the feet of Vishnu,
And then became an ornamental gem on the head of Lord Shiva,
And then later was born as the daughter of sage Jahnu.

5. Victory to that pretty Ganga, who took birth from king of mountains,
Who makes people who dip in her waters cross he ocean of life,
Who reaches and plays in the ocean,
Who completely uproots sorrows from life,
Who imitates Adhisesha and bends and flows,
Who appears like leaves on the hairs of Lord Shiva,
And who flows very near the city of Kasi.

6. Hey river Ganga, Where are the pains of hell to him,

Whose eyes see at least one of your waves?
Hey Ganga, You give to anyone taking a sip of your water,
Permanent residence in Vaikunta,
And Oh, mother , to any being whose body falls on you,
Even the post of Indra become worthless.

7. Goddess, I cam to your shore,

And sat there praying on Krishna,
And taking nothing else but water.
So Oh Ganga, who removes all dirt.
Who is the ladder for the heaven,
And who is full of spreading waves,
Be pleased with me.

8. Hey mother Jahnavi, at the end of my wanderings devoted for search

For the company of lord Shiva, the end celebration of my travel of the soul,
Would happen in your bank , while I would be meditating,
Holding my two hands in salute over my head,
With happiness , on the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu.
Let my devotion to Vishnu and Shiva be permanent, Oh Goddess.

9. That holy devotee who reads this holy octet on Ganga,

Would become free of all sins and reach the world of Vishnu.

Ends