Avalokiteshvara Ashtottara Shata Nama Stotra
This is a devotional hymn consisting of 108 names of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Reciting these names is believed to bring blessings, protection, and spiritual advancement.
Verses
Homage to Avalokiteshvara.
Verse 1
O Lotus Being, Great Lotus, Lord of the World, Great Lord; O Avalokita, foremost of the courageous, Vajra Dharma—salutations to You.
Verse 1
O Dharma King, Great Purity, King of Beings, of Great Wisdom; O Lotus-Self, Great Lotus, Lord of Lotuses—salutations to You.
Verse 2
O Born of the Lotus, Radiant with the Perfect Lotus, Pure Lotus, Thorough Purifier; O Vajra Lotus, Marked with the Perfect Lotus, Lotus of Lotuses—salutations to You.
Verse 3
O Great Universe, Great World, Great Body, Incomparable One; O Greatly Steadfast, Great Hero, Great Warrior—salutations to You.
Verse 4
O Abode of Beings, Great Vehicle, Great Yoga, Grandsire; O Auspicious One, Bringer of Blessedness, of Pure Purpose, Buddha Lotus—salutations to You.
Verse 5
O True Reality of Dharma, True Dharma, Pure Dharma, Practitioner of Good Dharma; O Great Dharma, Foremost of Good Dharma, Wheel of Dharma—salutations to You.
Verse 6
O Buddha Being, Foremost of Good Beings, Dharma Being, Sustainer of Good Beings; O Supreme Being, Knower of Good Beings, Being of Beings—salutations to You.
Verse 7
O Avalokita, Foremost Lord, Great Lord, the One Who Is Beheld; O Illuminator of the World, Purpose of the World, Lord of the World—salutations to You.
Verse 8
O Syllable of the World, Syllable, Great One, Foremost Syllable, Incomparable Syllable; O Syllable of Syllables, All Syllables, Wheel Syllable—salutations to You.
Verse 9
O Lotus-Handed, Great-Handed, Grantor of Perfect Consolation; O Buddha Dharma, Great Buddha, Buddha-Nature—salutations to You.
Verse 10
O Buddha Form, Great Form, Vajra Form, Knower of True Beauty; O Light of Dharma, Foremost of Pure Radiance, Light of the World—salutations to You.
Verse 11
O Lord of Lotus Glory, Foremost of Lords, Lord of Dharma Glory, Possessor of Lordship; O Lord of Brahma, Great Brahma, Son of Brahma—salutations to You.
Verse 12
O Lamp, Foremost Lamp, Fierce Lamp, Lamp of Light, Good Illuminator; O Lord of Lamps, Great Lamp, Buddha Lamp—salutations to You.
Verse 13
O Anointed by the Buddhas, Foremost of Buddhas, Son of the Buddhas, Greatly Wise; O Supreme Crown of Buddha Anointment, Buddha of Buddhas—salutations to You.
Verse 14
O Eye of the Buddha, Great Eye, Eye of the Dharma, Far-Seeing One; O All-Possessing Essence of Meditation and Knowledge, Vajra Eye—salutations to You.
Verse 15
Thus, by considering or praising these one hundred and eight names of Yours, which are secondary in nature, one attains lordship over the world.
Verse 16
Thus ends the hymn of the hundred and eight names of the Noble Avalokiteshvara, requested for recitation.
Verse 17
Background
This stotra belongs to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, where Avalokiteshvara is revered as the bodhisattva of compassion. It is traditionally chanted as a devotional practice, often recited daily or during special rituals to invoke the bodhisattva's blessings, protection, and guidance. The text is part of a wider corpus of Buddhist hymns dedicated to various bodhisattvas and is used by practitioners seeking spiritual progress and worldly benefits.
About this Text
Source: sanskritdocuments.org
Did You Know?
Version and variant traditions
This text, the Avalokiteśvara Aṣṭottaraśata Nāmā Stotra (Hymn to the 108 Names of Avalokiteśvara), exists in multiple Buddhist traditions; this particular version is in Sanskrit and is especially revered in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, where chanting 108 names is a common devotional practice associated with spiritual protection and blessings.
Structure as a litany
The hymn is a litany of honorifics, fifteen verses of names (about seven per verse, 108 in all), each closing with the refrain 'namo'stu te' ('homage to you'). The final verse (v. 16) reveals that meditating on or reciting these 108 names is believed to grant worldly sovereignty (lokaiśvarya), linking devotional praise to tangible spiritual attainments.
Buddha and Bodhisattva titles
Many of the names blend Avalokiteśvara's identity with Buddha-nature (e.g., 'Buddhapadma' in v. 5, 'Buddhacakṣus' in v. 15). This reflects the Mahayana teaching that a fully enlightened being (a Buddha) and a Bodhisattva of high realization like Avalokiteśvara share the same ultimate reality, while Avalokiteśvara remains active in the world for others' benefit.
Padma (Lotus) motif
The name 'Padma' (lotus) appears repeatedly—sometimes as a standalone title, sometimes compounded (e.g., 'Padmasattva', 'Padmanātha' in vv. 1–3). The lotus symbolizes purity arising from worldly stain, a core image for Avalokiteśvara's compassion that is unstained by suffering, and ties him to the Padma family of Buddhas in Vajrayana iconography.
Key epithets revealing function
Verses 5–8 combine names like 'Mahāyāna' (Great Vehicle), 'Mahāyoga,' and 'Lokanātha' (Lord of the World), highlighting Avalokiteśvara's role as a guide on the Bodhisattva path and as a universal protector. 'Dharmacakra' (Wheel of Dharma) in v. 6 directly alludes to his teaching of liberation.
Avalokiteshvara
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