Shri Narayani Stuti

Shri Narayani Stuti: Mantra with Meaning

Narayani Stuti, also called as Durga Devi Stuti, is a popular prayer (hymn) dedicated to Goddess Durga. It is taken from Chapter 11 of the glorious Devi Mahatmyam. Devi Mahatmyam is also called Durga Saptashati or Chandi Paath. It is a part of the Markandeya Mahapurana, which relates to the history of the various Manvantaras (age of a Manu). It is during the story of the eight Manu (called Savarni) that the chapters of the Chandi Paath occurred.

Goddess Durga (an incarnation of Parvati) is also known as Narayani because She is revered to be the younger sister of Lord Narayana (Vishnu).

The Devi Mahatmyam describes the story of the battle between good and evil, where the Devi (manifesting as Goddess Durga) leads the forces of good against the demon Mahishasura. After a fierce battle with the forces of evil, the Devi killed Mahishasura bringing peace to the Universe (to the demi-Gods). She also killed the most powerful demons Sumbha and Nisumbha along with their armies. The Devas (led by Indra) were once again joyous, and it is then when the Devas sang a popular prayer called the Narayani Stuti, as a respect to the Goddess, praising Her glorious deeds and attributes.

It is well known that Veda Vyasa is the composer of the 18 Maha Puranas (and the divider of the Vedas). Therefore, since Devi Mahatmyam is a part of Markandeya Purana (one of the 18 Maha Puranas), and Narayani Stuti is taken from the Chapter 11 of the Devi Mahatmyam, there is no doubt in saying that this beautiful hymn is composed by no other than Maharshi Veda Vyasa himself. Veda Vyasa is revered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and therefore he is capable of knowing anything of past, present, and future through his meditative power.

In this hymn, the Devas have explained that the Goddess comes to aid those who seek refuge in Her grace. For the sake of Her devotees, She fights fiercely to abolish evil and liberate them from tyranny and suffering. She has promised to the Devas that whenever evil arises in the world, She will take an avatar (incarnation) and defeat it.

The recitation (or listening) of Shri Narayani Stuti atleast once a day wards off the enemies of the devotees and clears the path towards success. As Indra and the other Gods bow, so do we pray to Narayani to drive evil from our lands and calm the fear of the unknown in our hearts. We ask Devi to bestow upon us the faith in Her grace, and give us strength and resolve to fight evil courageously, in whatever form we may perceive it.

Goddess in Hinduism are depicted as the motherhood of God. She is the transforming power behind the sustaining power of the God. She represents the energy (Shakti) of the God. She is the Mother Who gave birth to this Universe including the Gods (here, Gods means different forms or aspects or manifestations of the same God, but not different Gods). She is the One Who operates it and She is the One Who consumes it in Herself during the time of dissolution (Pralaya). She is the power of Vishnu (as Lakshmi), She is the power of Brahma (as Saraswati), and She is the power of Shiva (as Parvati). She has taken thousands of manifestations representing various characteristics of Her various forms. All are significant and have their own meanings.

Composed By: Veda Vyasa

Goddess Narayani (Parvati)

Play the music, and sing the stotra along with it

॥ नारायणीस्तुतिः ॥

देवि प्रपन्नार्तिहरे प्रसीद प्रसीद मातर्जगतोऽखिलस्य ।
प्रसीद विश्वेश्वरि पाहि विश्वं त्वमीश्वरी देवि चराचरस्य ॥

O Devi, the remover of distress of those who approach and take refuge in You, please be gracious. O Mother of the entire Universe, please be gracious.
Please be gracious O Goddess of the world! You protect the world and You alone are the Goddess of all the moving and non-moving beings in the Universe.

आधार-भूता जगतस्त्वमेका मही-स्वरूपेण यतः स्थितासि ।
अपां स्वरूप-स्थितया त्वयैत-दाप्यायते कृत्स्नमलङ्घ्य-वीर्ये ॥

O Divine Mother! Existing as the Earth, You support all life,
Existing as the Water, You (of inviolable power) cause the growth and prosperity of the entire world.

त्वं वैष्णवी-शक्ति-र्अनन्त-वीर्या विश्वस्य बीजं परमासि माया ।
सम्मोहितं देवि समस्तमेतत् त्वं वै प्रसन्ना भुवि मुक्ति-हेतुः ॥

You are the endless power of Vaishnavi Shakti (Power of Vishnu), You are the Supreme Maya which is the seed of the Universe.
[Note: The power of Maya projects this Universe over the substratum of Brahman. See Dakshinamurti Stotram to learn more about this knowledge.]
O Devi! This whole world is enchanted by the illusion (of Your Maya). By Your grace alone can one be released (or get liberated) from this illusive Maya.

विद्याः समस्तास्तव देवि भेदाः स्त्रियः समस्ताः सकला जगत्सु ।
त्वयैकया पूरितमम्बयैतत् का ते स्तुतिः स्तव्य-परापरोक्तिः ॥

O Devi! All knowledge (revealed to humans in all fields) are Your differentiation (arising from You). All women in this world are Your parts (or Your Own form).
O Mother, by You alone is filled all this (the world). What praise is there (of You) which is glorious and which contains the hymns capable of extolling You?
[Note: The attributes of Goddess (as Shakti) is infinite, it cannot be expressed in entirety. Her nature is even beyond the comprehension of the trinity Gods; what then about others? (This sentence doesn’t imply that She and the Trinity Gods are different. It is only the divine play of God by manifesting Herself in the physical form, deceive that physical form by Herself, and finally enlighten that physical form by Herself. And what is even more beautiful (about God in Hinduism) is, every incarnation of God respect the other. For example, Lord Vishnu bow down to the Goddess, and the Goddess bow down to Lord Vishnu (and so on).]

सर्वभूता यदा देवी भुक्ति-मुक्ति-प्रदायिनी ।
त्वं स्तुता स्तुतये का वा भवन्तु परमोक्तयः ॥

O Devi, the effulgent One! You are present in all beings, You are the bestower of worldly happiness and You alone are the bestower of liberation (release from the bondage of birth-cycle).
You are praised thus (as above); what better expression can there be for praising You?

सर्वस्य बुद्धि-रूपेण जनस्य हृदि संस्थिते ।
स्वर्गापवर्गदे देवि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।१।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who abide in the heart of all beings in the form of their intelligence,
And grants the joy of heavenly pleasures and also the bliss of liberation, salutations to You.

कला-काष्ठादि-रूपेण परिणाम-प्रदायिनि ।
विश्वस्योपरतौ शक्ते नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।२।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who brings about transformation in the Universe from moment to moment in the form of divisions of time (like Kala, Kastha, etc.),
[Note: Kala and Kastha are the Vedic measurements of time. Kala is equivalent to 30 Kasthas, Kastha is equal to 18 Nimeshas. 1 Nimesha equals one twinkling of an eye.]
And Who has the power to withdraw the entire Universe (which was projected from Your Own Maya Shakti), salutations to You.

सर्व-मङ्गल-माङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थ-साधिके ।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।३।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who is the giver of all auspicious things, Who is Herself auspicious (having auspicious attributes), and Who is the giver of all kinds of wealth (Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha),
Who is the giver of refuge (to Her devotees), Who has three eyes, and Who has a shining (fair) face, salutations to You.

सृष्टि-स्थिति-विनाशानां शक्तिभूते सनातनि ।
गुणाश्रये गुणमये नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।४।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who is the Power behind creation, preservation, and dissolution, Who is eternal,
Who is the support of the Gunas (qualities as Sattwa (truth), Rajas (passion) and Tamas (anger)) and the embodiment of the Gunas, salutations to You.
[Note: Here (in divine world), Rajas and Tamas doesn’t imply lower qualities, as these are the attributes that are needed to be embodied (by God) in order to bring peace and order in the Universe at different times and situations. Even in earth (by mortals), if these qualities are embodied due to knowledge (or for the good of the world), it is considered as Sattwa only, whereas if they are embodied due to passion or anger, then it is considered sinful.]

शरणागत-दीनार्त-परित्राण-परायणे ।
सर्वस्यार्तिहरे देवि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।५।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who is intent upon protecting the distressed and the oppressed who take refuge in Her,
And remove all their sufferings, O Devi, salutations to You.

हंस-युक्त-विमानस्थे ब्रह्माणी-रूप-धारिणि ।
कौशाम्भःक्षरिके देवि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।६।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who rides on a celestial chariot yoked with white Swans by assuming the form of Devi Brahmani (Power of Brahma),
And purifies the world by sprinkling the sanctified water with the Kusha grass, O Devi, salutations to You.

त्रिशूल-चन्द्राहि-धरे महा-वृषभ-वाहिनि ।
माहेश्वरी-स्वरूपेण नारायणि नमोऽस्तुते ।।७।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who holds a Trident, Who is adorned with a crescent moon and a snake, and rides the great bull –
Assuming the form of Maheshwari (Power of Shiva), salutations to You.

मयूर-कुक्कुट-वृते महा-शक्ति-धरेऽनघे ।
कौमारी-रूप-संस्थाने नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।८।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who is surrounded by peacocks and cocks, Who is armed with invincible power crystallized in the form of a Spear –
Assuming the form of Kaumari (Power of Subrahmanya/Kumara), salutations to You.

शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-शार्ङ्ग-गृहीत-परमा-युधे ।
प्रसीद वैष्णवी-रूपे नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।९।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who holds conch, discus, mace and bow (the most excellent weapons) –
Assuming the form of Vaishnavi (Power of Vishnu), salutations to You, O Devi, please be gracious to us.

गृहीतोग्र-महा-चक्रे दंष्ट्रोद्धृत-वसुन्धरे ।
वराह-रूपिणि शिवे नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।१०।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who, assuming the ferocious form and holding a great discus, rescued the Mother Earth with Her Tusk –
In the auspicious (blissful) form of Varahi (Power of Vishnu), salutations to You.

नृसिंह-रूपेणोग्रेण हन्तुं दैत्यान् कृतोद्यमे ।
त्रैलोक्य-त्राण-सहिते नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।११।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who, assuming the fierce form of Narasimha (Power of Vishnu as lion-faced Lord), killed the demons,
And bear the task of protecting the three worlds, salutations to You.

किरीटिनि महावज्रे सहस्र-नयनोज्ज्वले ।
वृत्र-प्राण-हरे चैन्द्रि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।१२।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who is adorned with a diadem, Who holds the great thunderbolt (as a celestial weapon), and Who is resplendent with the brilliance of thousand eyes,
And Who took away the life of demon named Vritra by assuming the form of Aindri (Power of Indra), salutations to You.

शिवदूती-स्वरूपेण हत-दैत्य-महाबले ।
घोररूपे महारावे नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।१३।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who, assuming the form of Shivaduti, killed the very powerful demons having great strength,
Who has a terrific form and a loud roar, salutations to You.

दंष्ट्रा-कराल-वदने शिरो-माला-विभूषणे ।
चामुण्डे मुण्ड-मथने नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।१४।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who has a fearful face with curving canine teeth, Who is adorned with a garland of severed heads (of demons),
Who, in the form of Chamunda, killed the demons Chanda and Munda (hence named Chamunda), salutations to You.

लक्ष्मि लज्जे महाविद्ये श्रद्धे पुष्टि स्वधे ध्रुवे ।
महारात्रि महामाये नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ।।१५।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who is Devi Lakshmi in modesty (shyness), great knowledge, and in right faith, Who is the Essence (nourishment) of sacrificial offerings and of nectar,
Who is the darkness of the great night (night of delude), and Who is the greatest of Maya-Shakti (Mother of Illusion), salutations to You.

मेधे सरस्वति वरे भूति बाभ्रवि तामसि ।
नियते त्वं प्रसीदेशे नारायणि नमोऽस्तुते ।।१६।।

Salutations to You O Narayani, Who is Devi Saraswati (in bestowing Intelligence), Who is Devi Lakshmi (in bestowing prosperity and boons), and Devi Kali (Devi Durga in Her dark/Tamasic form, in restraining the evil forces),
Always be gracious with us, O Mother, salutations to You.

सर्व-स्वरूपे सर्वेशे सर्व-शक्ति-समन्विते ।
भयेभ्यस्त्राहि नो देवि दुर्गे देवि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

One Who exists in all forms and in all Gods, and Who is endowed with all the powers,
Please protect us from fear, O Devi Durga. Salutations to You.

एतत्ते वदनं सौम्यं लोचन-त्रय-भूषितम् ।
पातु नः सर्व-भूतेभ्यः कात्यायनि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

May Your serene face adorned with three eyes –
Protect us from all evil, O Devi Katyayani. Salutations to You.
[Note: Katyayani is the sixth form (among the nine forms) of Nava-Durga (or Parvati). Goddess Parvati incarnated this form to kill the demon Mahishasura.]

ज्वाला-करालमत्युग्रमशेषासुर-सूदनम् ।
त्रिशूलं पातु नो भीतेर्भद्रकालि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

The blazing (surrounded by flames), dreadful, exceedingly sharp, and which causes the destruction of all devilish forces;
May that Trident of Yours protect us from all kinds of dangers, O Devi Bhadrakali. Salutations to You.

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NOTE:
The prayer “Narayani Stuti” is taken from the verse 8 to 23 (out of 55 verses) of the chapter 11 of Devi Mahatmyam. Therefore, the verses with blue background is the actual hymn as per the audio for the praise of the power of Goddess (embodied in the Gods and demi-Gods) by entitling Her as Narayani, and the remaining few verses in the start and end of the prayer is about the glory of Her own incarnations, and praising Her as the basic substratum of everything. This is not the complete chapter (of Narayani Stuti), but only the particular verses in which the Devas have praised Goddess as Narayani. Therefore, I have not written the terminating verse.
For easy reading, dash sign (-) is placed in the middle of texts, leaving space as it is. If you want the original format, just remove dash sign from all the verses. You may find that some texts do not match the words from the song. Know that, the texts written here is the correct and complete one.