The Shiva Tandava Stotram

May that Shiva, whose throat is purified by the torrent of water flowing from his dense matted locks, who wears a lofty garland of serpents hanging from his neck, and who performed the fierce Tandava dance accompanied by the resounding beat of his damaru, grant us auspiciousness.

May I have constant affection for that Shiva, who wears the crescent moon as his crest, on whose head the celestial river Ganga, swirling with waves, wildly flows from the vessel of his matted locks, and on whose forehead the fire blazes with a crackling sound.

May my mind find delight in that sky-clad Lord, whose mind is ever joyful in the sports of Parvati, the daughter of the mountain king, and whose compassionate glance completely restrains all unbearable calamities.

May my mind find wonderful delight in that Lord of beings, whose matted locks are adorned with a serpent, whose forehead is smeared with the red kumkum from the glowing hoods of serpents, and who wears the flapping skin of a maddened elephant as his upper garment.

May that Shiva, whose feet are constantly showered with a stream of flowers from the crowns of all gods beginning with the thousand-eyed Indra, and whose matted hair is bound with a garland of the king of serpents, become the source of prosperity for us forever.

May that Shiva, on whose forehead the fire blazes with sparks, who has consumed the god of love, who is bowed to by the lord of the gods, who is adorned with the crescent moon, and whose matted hair is the abode of great Kapali, be our protector.

May I have affection for that three-eyed Shiva, who offers the fierce god of love as an oblation into the blazing fire on his forehead, and who is the sole artist in painting the breasts of Parvati with exquisite patterns.

May that Shiva, whose neck is bound by the dense darkness of the new moon night enveloped by a mass of fresh clouds, who holds the celestial river Ganga, who wears the elephant's skin, who is adorned with the moon, and who bears the burden of the world, grant us prosperity.

I worship that Shiva, whose neck is dark like a fully blossomed blue lotus, who destroys desire, destroys the three cities, destroys worldly existence, destroys sacrifices, destroys the elephant demon, destroys Andhaka, and destroys the god of death.

I worship that Shiva, who is like a bee intoxicated by the sweetness of the flow of nectar from the cluster of all-auspicious virtues, who destroys desire, destroys the three cities, destroys worldly existence, destroys sacrifices, destroys the elephant demon, destroys Andhaka, and destroys the god of death.

May that Shiva be victorious, whose fierce fire on the forehead flares up with the breath of the serpent moving in his matted locks, and who performs the fierce Tandava dance accompanied by the auspicious sound of the mridanga drum going "dhimid dhimid dhimid".

When will I worship that eternal Shiva, who remains equanimous towards a bed of stone or a bed of serpents, a garland of pearls or a garland of bones, a precious gem or a clod of earth, a friend or an enemy, a blade of grass or a lotus, and a common man or a great king?

When will I become happy, dwelling in a cave on the banks of the celestial Ganga, with my mind freed from evil thoughts, always holding my hands folded above my head, with my eyes free from attachment, my forehead marked with sacred ash, and chanting the mantra "Shiva"?

Indeed, any person who always reads, remembers, or recites this most excellent hymn, which is thus described, attains constant purity. He quickly attains supreme devotion to the Guru, and there is no other path; for the contemplation of the auspicious Shiva is the remover of delusion for embodied beings.

At the end of worship, in the evening, whoever reads this hymn sung by the ten-headed Ravana, which is meant for the worship of Shambhu, to him Shambhu grants everlasting prosperity, accompanied by stable chariots, elephants, and horses, and always a smiling face.