Stotra
Sanskrit hymns of praise, often more elaborate and philosophically dense than a chalisa or mantra.
Mahishasura Mardini Stotram – Aigiri Nandini
The thundering 21-verse hymn to Durga as slayer of the buffalo-demon Mahisha, every verse ending "Jaya jaya he Mahishasura-mardini ramya-kapardini shaila-sute". What it describes — the battle, Shumbha-Nishumbha, Raktabija — its sound-play, authorship and its place in Navratri and Mahalaya.
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Mahalakshmi Ashtakam – Namaste'stu Mahamaye
Indra's eight verses to Mahalakshmi, each ending "Mahalakshmi namo'stu te" — the goddess on Garuda who terrified Kolasura, giver of both bhukti and mukti. Their meaning, the phalashruti on reciting it once, twice or three times a day, and when to chant it.
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Shri Gayatri Stotram (Vasishtha Samhita)
A twelve-verse hymn to Gayatri Mata from the Vasishtha Samhita, beginning "Namaste devi Gayatri Savitri tripade'kshare". It praises her as Vedamata, as every god and every scripture, and closes by asking forgiveness for the day's faults.
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Shri Shyam Stuti: Haath Jod Vinti Karun
The Rajasthani prayer sung at Khatu Shyam temples and jagrans: "With folded hands I make my plea, listen with your heart." It praises Khatu in the Dhundhar country, the Phalgun mela, and ends with the mantra Om Shri Shyam Devaya Namah.
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Uma Maheshwara Stotram
Adi Shankaracharya's twelve-verse hymn to Shiva and Parvati as one divine couple, each verse ending "namo namah Shankara-Parvatibhyam", salutations to Shankar and Parvati. Recited by couples, on Mondays and at weddings.
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Shri Hari Stotram (Jagajjalapalam)
Eight rhythmic Sanskrit verses to Vishnu by Swami Brahmananda, each a chain of epithets ending in the double refrain "bhaje'ham bhaje'ham", "I worship, I worship". It moves from the guardian of the web of the world and Lakshmi's beloved to the Lord beyond old age and birth, and calls itself a necklace for Murari's throat.
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Shiva Panchakshara Stotram (Nagendraharaya)
Five verses attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, built on the five syllables of "Na-ma-shi-va-ya". Each verse begins with one syllable of the mantra and ends by saluting Shiva as that syllable. Short enough for children to learn and rich enough for a lifetime, it is chanted daily and during abhishek.
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Sankat Nashan Ganesh Stotra (Pranamya Shirasa Devam)
A short stotra from the Narada Purana, spoken by the sage Narada, that gives Ganesha's twelve names, from Vakratunda to Gajanana, and promises that reciting them at the three junctions of the day removes the fear of obstacles. It is the standard recitation for Sankashti Chaturthi and a favourite of students before exams.
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Shri Rudrashtakam (Namami Shamishan)
Tulsidas's eight Sanskrit verses to Shiva, from the Uttarakanda of the Ramcharitmanas. In the poem a Brahmin sings them to calm Shiva's anger at an arrogant disciple. They move from Shiva as formless Brahman to the ash-white ascetic with Ganga in his hair, and end with the famous confession "I know no yoga, no japa, no puja".
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Shri Ram Raksha Stotra
The protective hymn of the sage Budhakaushika, who, its own verses say, wrote it down at dawn exactly as Shiva had recited it to him in a dream. Its heart is a kavach in which every part of the body is guarded by a name of Rama drawn from the Ramayana, and it gathers some of the most-loved Rama verses, from "Lokabhiramam ranarangadhiram" to "Shri Rama Rama Rameti".
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Navagraha Stotra (Japakusuma Sankasham)
The nine-planet hymn attributed to Vyasa: one verse each for the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu, beginning with the Sun "bright as the hibiscus flower". Each verse gives the planet's colour, birth and nature, and the closing verses promise relief from obstacles, bad dreams and planetary afflictions.
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Durga Saptashloki
Seven verses chosen from the 700 of the Durga Saptashati, given by the Devi herself to Shiva as a way to her grace in the Kali age. They include "Sarva mangala mangalye" and "Durge smrita harasi bhitim", and are read when there is no time for the full Saptashati, especially in Navratri.
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Achyutashtakam (Achyutam Keshavam)
Adi Shankaracharya's hymn to Achyuta, "the one who never falls", whose first verse, "Achyutam Keshavam Rama Narayanam", is among the most-sung bhajans in India. Its verses move freely between Rama and Krishna, naming Sita and Radha, Dandaka forest and the Yamuna, to show that every name and form belongs to one Vishnu.
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Durga Kavach (Devi Kavacham)
The 56-verse armour of the Goddess recited before the Durga Saptashati — the nine Durgas, the Matrikas guarding every direction, and protection placed on every part of body and life.
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Shiva Tandava Stotram
A powerful hymn attributed to Ravana, praising Lord Shiva's cosmic dance of creation and destruction.
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Bajrang Baan
An intense, urgent hymn invoking Hanuman for immediate protection from fear, evil forces and danger.
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Sankat Mochan Hanuman Ashtak
An eight-verse hymn recounting Hanuman's greatest deeds, recited specifically to resolve serious difficulty.
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Hanuman Apaduddharak Stotram
A protective hymn of salutations to Hanuman, chanted for rescue and refuge during calamity, danger and adversity.
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Shri Tulsi Stotram – Pundarika Krit
The fifteen-verse Sanskrit hymn to Tulsi composed, its colophon says, by the devotee Pundarika while worshipping Vishnu with tulsi leaves — with the sixteen names of Tulsi in its last verses. Full text, meaning, and its place in daily tulsi puja, Kartik and Tulsi Vivah.
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Sheetala Ashtakam – Skanda Purana
The Sanskrit hymn to Sheetala Devi spoken by Shiva — her iconic image on a donkey with broom, pot and winnowing fan, her power over fevers and pox, and the curious closing verses that name her donkey. Full text with the viniyoga, meaning, and how it is used on Sheetala Ashtami.
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Gajendra Moksha Stotram – Shrimad Bhagavatam 8.3
The prayer of the elephant king Gajendra, caught by a crocodile and abandoned by his herd, from the third chapter of the Bhagavatam's eighth canto. All 33 verses, what Gajendra actually says to the Lord, the story around it, and why it is recited in times of crisis.
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Kalabhairava Ashtakam
Adi Shankaracharya's eight verses to Kaal Bhairav, the lord of Kashi, each ending "I worship Kalabhairava, lord of the city of Kashi": a portrait of the fierce guardian who frees from karma and the fear of death.
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Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram
Adi Shankaracharya's cry for help to Lakshmi-Narasimha: verse after verse pictures worldly life as a dark forest, a well, an ocean, a burning fire and a net, and every verse ends with the same plea, "give me your hand".
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Ganga Stotram (Devi Sureshwari Bhagavati Gange)
Adi Shankaracharya's fourteen-verse hymn to Ganga, sung on the ghats and on Ganga Dussehra: a musical, rhyming prayer that asks the river to carry away sin, sorrow and rebirth, and to keep the mind at her lotus feet.
Read more →How a stotra differs from a chalisa
A stotra is a Sanskrit hymn of praise addressed to a deity, similar in purpose to a chalisa but generally older, composed entirely in Sanskrit rather than a vernacular language, and often more elaborate in its imagery and philosophical content. Where a chalisa is typically a fixed, folk-accessible form of forty verses, stotra length and structure vary considerably by text.
Examples on this site
The Shiva Tandava Stotram and the Hanuman Ashtak are two examples — each includes the Sanskrit, a transliteration, and an explanation of its meaning and traditional use.
Who typically recites a stotra
Because stotras are often more textually demanding than a chalisa, they're commonly recited by those already comfortable with Sanskrit pronunciation, or read alongside a transliteration and translation until the wording becomes familiar.