Shiva Tandava Stotram

From His thick matted hair, like a forest, flows the purifying waters of the river Ganga. Around His neck hangs a long garland of lofty serpents. To the resounding 'damad-damad-damad' sound of His damaru drum, Lord Shiva performs the fierce Tandava dance. May He shower auspiciousness upon us.

My mind finds constant delight in Lord Shiva, whose head is adorned by the celestial river Ganga swirling in the deep well of His matted locks, whose forehead blazes with a fiercely burning fire, and who wears the crescent moon as a jewel on His head.

May my mind seek joy in the supreme Lord, who is the sportive companion of Parvati (the daughter of the mountain king), whose mind rejoices at the continuous creation of the universe, whose compassionate glance controls invincible hardships, and who is clad in the directions (Digambara).

May my mind find wonderful delight in the Lord of all beings, whose matted hair contains creeping snakes with reddish-brown hoods, the luster of whose gems spreads like liquid saffron on the faces of the maidens of the directions, and who wears the thick, quivering skin of an intoxicated elephant as His upper garment.

May Lord Shiva, whose footstool is greyed by the continuous flow of pollen from the flowers on the heads of Indra and all other gods bowing to Him, whose matted locks are bound by the king of serpents, and who wears the moon (friend of the Chakora bird) on His head, grant us everlasting prosperity.

May we attain the wealth of the great Kapali (Shiva), who consumed the God of Love (Kamadeva) with the sparks of fire blazing on His broad forehead, to whom the leaders of the gods bow, and whose head is beautifully adorned with the crescent moon shedding nectar-like rays.

My interest is in the three-eyed Lord, who offered the powerful God of Love into the fiercely blazing fire on His dreadful forehead, and who is the sole expert artist capable of drawing decorative lines on the breasts of Parvati, the daughter of the mountain king.

May the bearer of the burden of the universe, whose neck is as dark as the midnight of a new moon covered by layers of fresh clouds, who bears the celestial river Ganga, who wears the elephant's skin, and who is beautiful with the crescent moon, bestow prosperity upon us.

I pray to Lord Shiva, whose neck is tied with the luster of fully bloomed blue lotuses that match the dark hue of His throat. I worship the destroyer of Kamadeva, the destroyer of Tripura, the destroyer of worldly existence, the destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice, the destroyer of the demons Gajasura and Andhaka, and the conqueror of Yama (the God of Death).

I worship Lord Shiva, who is like a bee hovering over the sweet nectar flowing from the beautiful bunch of auspicious Kadamba flowers. I worship the ender of Kamadeva, the ender of Tripura, the ender of worldly bonds, the ender of the sacrifice, the ender of Gajasura and Andhaka, and the ender of Yama himself.

Victorious is Lord Shiva, whose dreadful forehead fire blazes, fanned by the breath of the snakes whirling rapidly in the sky, and who performs the fierce Tandava dance in rhythm with the auspicious and lofty 'dhimid-dhimid' sounds of the mridangam drum.

When will I worship Lord Sadashiva with an equal vision towards a stone and a beautiful bed, towards a snake and a pearl garland, towards a precious gem and a lump of dirt, towards friends and enemies, towards a blade of grass and a lotus-eyed maiden, and towards an ordinary subject and a great emperor?

When will I be happy, living in a cave near the celestial river Ganga, free from all evil thoughts, holding my hands folded above my head, and with trembling eyes focused on the beautiful forehead of the Lord, constantly chanting the mantra 'Shiva'?

Anyone who reads, remembers, or recites this supreme stotra daily becomes eternally pure and quickly attains deep devotion to Lord Shiva, the supreme Guru. There is no other way; the mere contemplation of Lord Shiva removes the delusions of living beings.

Whoever recites this hymn composed by the ten-headed Ravana at the end of worship or during the Pradosha time, Lord Shiva blesses him with stable wealth, chariots, elephants, horses, and the constant favorable presence of the Goddess of Wealth.