''Stotra'' (Sanskrit: स्तोत्र) is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word that means "ode, eulogy or a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

of praise."Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on '
Stotra
'' It is a literary genre of Indian religious texts designed to be melodically sung, in contrast to a ''

shastra ''Śāstra'' ( ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The word is ge ...

'' which is composed to be recited. 'Stotra' derives from 'stu' meaning 'to praise' A stotra can be a prayer, a description, or a conversation, but always with a poetic structure. It may be a simple poem expressing praise and personal devotion to a deity for example, or poems with embedded spiritual and philosophical doctrines. A common feature of most stotras other than Nama stotras is the repetition of a line at the end of every verse. For example, the last line of every verse in the Mahiṣāsura Mardinī Stotra ends in "Jaya Jaya Hē Mahiṣāsura-mardini Ramyakapardini śailasute." Many ''stotra'' hymns praise aspects of the divine, such as

Devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, or

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

. Relating to word "''stuti''", coming from the same Sanskrit root *''stu-'' ("to praise"), and basically both mean "praise". Notable stotras are ''

Shiva Tandava Stotram The ''Shiva Tandava Stotra(m)'' () is a Sanskrit religious hymn (''stotra'') dedicated to the Hinduism, Hindu deity Shiva, one of the principal gods in Hinduism and the supreme god in Shaivism. Its authorship is traditionally attributed to Rav ...

'' in praise of Shiva and ''Rama Raksha Stotra'', a prayer for protection to

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

. Stotras are a type of popular devotional literature. Among the early texts with Stotras are by Kuresha, which combine

Ramanuja Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

's Vedantic ideas on qualified

monism Monism attributes oneness or singleness () to a concept, such as to existence. Various kinds of monism can be distinguished: * Priority monism states that all existing things go back to a source that is distinct from them; e.g., in Neoplatonis ...

about Atman and

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

(ultimate, unchanging reality), with temple practices. Stotras are key in Hindu rituals and blessings.

Etymology and defintion

''Stotra'' comes from the Sanskrit root √''stu-'' which means "to praise, eulogize or laud" combined with the ''ṣṭran suffix''. Literally, the term refers to "poems of praise". The earliest trace of stotras are Vedic, particularly in the ''

Samaveda The ''Samaveda'' (, , from '' सामन्'', "song" and ''वेद'', "knowledge"), is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, and is one of the sacred scriptures in Hinduism. One of the four Vedas, it is a l ...

''. The genre of stotras spans from refined, personal works of poetic phrase such as ''kavya'' to impersonal lists of a deity's names (''nama-stotras'') that can function like mantras through repetition. Historically linked to Vedic hymns and other lyrical poetry, stotras appear in many South Asian traditions, including

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

, and

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

, and are often included in larger works like the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, and various

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

and Tantras.

Example

The following is a Peterson translation of a Stotra by the Tamil poet

Appar Appar (), also referred to as Tirunavukkaracar () or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Shaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Shaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is generally placed sometime betwe ...

for Ardhanarishvara, the Hindu concept of a god who incorporates both the masculine and the feminine as inseparable halves.

Nama-stotra

The ''nama-stotra'' is based on chanting a litany of names for a deity. The

Sahasranama ' is a Sanskrit term which means "a thousand names".Sir Monier Monier-Williams, ''sahasranAman'', A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages, Oxford Univer ...

, a type of ''nama-stotra,'' is a litany of a thousand names for a particular deity.

means "1000 names"; Sahasra means 1000 and nama means names. For example, Vishnu Sahasranama means 1000 names of Vishnu.Vishnu Sahasranamam
on Hindupedia, the Online Hindu Encyclopedia Other ''nama-stotra''s may include 100 or 108 epithets of the deity. According to Hinduism, the names of God are valuable tools for devotion.

Notable stotras

* '' Śiva Tāṇḍava Stotra'' * Mohamudgara Stotra(Bhaja Govindam) * ''Aṣṭalakshmī Stotra'' * '' Hayagrīva Stotra'' * ''Dakshinamūrti Stotra'' * '' Hari Stotra'' * '' Śiva Mahimna Stotra'' * '' Panchākṣara Stotra'' * '' Rāma Raksha Stotra'' * '' Mahiṣāsura Mardinī Stotra'' * '' Māruti Stotra'' * ''Agasti Lakshmi Stotra'' * Naṭarāja Stotra * ''Dvādaśa Stotra'' * '' Annapūrṇa Stotra'' * ''Radha Sahasranama Stotra'' * Vishnu Sahasranama Stotra * Lalita Sahasranama Stotra * ''Narasimha Kavacham Stotra'' * Asitakṛtam Śivastotram ;Jainism *'' Bhaktamara Stotra'' *'' Uvasagharam Stotra''

References

Bibliography

External links

Read Stotras in multiple languages
(archived 14 May 2011)
Read Samskrit Stotra with their English Translation and English Transcription
{{Authority control Hindu devotional texts Hindu texts Chants Hymns