Ganga Ashtottara Shatanama Stotra: 108 Names of Mother Ganga
Ganga Ashtottara Shatanama Stotra - Sanskrit Text
॥ श्रीगङ्गाष्टोत्तरशतनामावलिः ॥
ॐ गङ्गायै नमः।
ॐ विष्णुपादसम्भूतायै नमः।
ॐ हरवल्लभायै नमः।
ॐ हिमाचलेन्द्रतनयायै नमः।
ॐ गिरिमण्डलगामिन्यै नमः।
ॐ तारकारातिजनन्यै नमः।
ॐ सगरात्मजतारकायै नमः।
ॐ सरस्वतीसमयुक्तायै नमः।
ॐ सुघोषायै नमः।
ॐ सिन्धुगामिन्यै नमः।
ॐ भागीरथ्यै नमः।
ॐ भाग्यवत्यै नमः।
ॐ भगीरथरथानुगायै नमः।
ॐ त्रिविक्रमपदोद्भूतायै नमः।
ॐ त्रिलोकपथगामिन्यै नमः।
ॐ क्षीरशुभ्रायै नमः।
ॐ बहुक्षीरायै नमः।
ॐ क्षीरवृक्षसमाकुलायै नमः।
ॐ त्रिलोचनजटावासायै नमः।
ॐ ऋणत्रयविमोचिन्यै नमः।
ॐ त्रिपुरारिशिरश्चूडायै नमः।
ॐ जाह्नव्यै नमः।
ॐ नरकभीतिहृते नमः।
ॐ अव्ययायै नमः।
ॐ नयनानन्ददायिन्यै नमः।
ॐ नगपुत्रिकायै नमः।
ॐ निरञ्जनायै नमः।
ॐ नित्यशुद्धायै नमः।
ॐ नीरजालिपरिष्कृतायै नमः।
ॐ सावित्र्यै नमः।
ॐ सलिलावासायै नमः।
ॐ सागराम्बुसमेधिन्यै नमः।
ॐ रम्यायै नमः।
ॐ बिन्दुसरसे नमः।
ॐ अव्यक्तायै नमः।
ॐ अव्यक्तरूपधृते नमः।
ॐ उमासपत्न्यै नमः।
ॐ शुभ्राङ्गायै नमः।
ॐ श्रीमत्यै नमः।
ॐ धवलाम्बरायै नमः।
ॐ आखण्डलवनवासायै नमः।
ॐ कण्ठेन्दुकृतशेखरायै नमः।
ॐ अमृताकारसलिलायै नमः।
ॐ लीलालिङ्गितपर्वतायै नमः।
ॐ विरिञ्चिकलशावासायै नमः।
ॐ त्रिवेण्यै नमः।
ॐ त्रिगुणात्मिकायै नमः।
ॐ सङ्गताघौघशमन्यै नमः।
ॐ भीतिहर्त्र्यै नमः।
ॐ शङ्खदुन्दुभिनिस्वनायै नमः।
ॐ भाग्यदायिन्यै नमः।
ॐ नन्दिन्यै नमः।
ॐ शीघ्रगायै नमः।
ॐ शरण्यै नमः।
ॐ शशिशेखरायै नमः।
ॐ शाङ्कर्यै नमः।
ॐ शफरीपूर्णायै नमः।
ॐ भर्गमूर्धकृतालयायै नमः।
ॐ भवप्रियायै नमः।
ॐ सत्यसन्धप्रियायै नमः।
ॐ हंसस्वरूपिण्यै नमः।
ॐ भगीरथसुतायै नमः।
ॐ अनन्तायै नमः।
ॐ शरच्चन्द्रनिभाननायै नमः।
ॐ ओङ्काररूपिण्यै नमः।
ॐ अनलायै नमः।
ॐ क्रीडाकल्लोलकारिण्यै नमः।
ॐ स्वर्गसोपानशरण्यै नमः।
ॐ सर्वदेवस्वरूपिण्यै नमः।
ॐ अम्बःप्रदायै नमः।
ॐ दुःखहन्त्र्यै नमः।
ॐ शान्तिसन्तानकारिण्यै नमः।
ॐ दारिद्र्यहन्त्र्यै नमः।
ॐ शिवदायै नमः।
ॐ संसारविषनाशिन्यै नमः।
ॐ प्रयागनिलयायै नमः।
ॐ श्रीदायै नमः।
ॐ तापत्रयविमोचिन्यै नमः।
ॐ शरणागतदीनार्तपरित्राणपरायणायै नमः।
ॐ सुमुक्तिदायै नमः।
ॐ पापहन्त्र्यै नमः।
ॐ पावनाङ्ग्यै नमः।
ॐ परब्रह्मस्वरूपिण्यै नमः।
ॐ पूर्णायै नमः।
ॐ पुरातनायै नमः।
ॐ पुण्यायै नमः।
ॐ पुण्यदायै नमः।
ॐ पुण्यवाहिन्यै नमः।
ॐ पुलोमजार्चितायै नमः।
ॐ भूदायै नमः।
ॐ पूतत्रिभुवनायै नमः।
ॐ जयायै नमः।
ॐ जङ्गमायै नमः।
ॐ जङ्गमाधारायै नमः।
ॐ जलरूपायै नमः।
ॐ जगद्धात्र्यै नमः।
ॐ जगद्भूतायै नमः।
ॐ जनार्चितायै नमः।
ॐ जह्नुपुत्र्यै नमः।
ॐ जगन्मात्रे नमः।
ॐ जम्बूद्वीपविहारिण्यै नमः।
ॐ भवपत्न्यै नमः।
ॐ भीष्ममात्रे नमः।
ॐ सिक्तायै नमः।
ॐ रम्यरूपधृते नमः।
ॐ उमासहोदर्यै नमः।
ॐ अज्ञानतिमिरापहायै नमः।
॥ इति श्रीगङ्गाष्टोत्तरशतनामावलिः सम्पूर्णा ॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
oṁ gaṅgāyai namaḥ · oṁ viṣṇupāda-sambhūtāyai namaḥ · oṁ haravallabhāyai namaḥ · oṁ himācalendra-tanayāyai namaḥ · oṁ bhāgīrathyai namaḥ · oṁ jāhnavyai namaḥ · oṁ tripurāri-śiraścūḍāyai namaḥ · ... · oṁ dāridrya-hantryai namaḥ · oṁ tāpatraya-vimocinyai namaḥ · oṁ ajñāna-timirāpahāyai namaḥ. (Each of the 108 names is prefixed with oṁ and closed with namaḥ, offered as salutation to Mother Ganga.)
Meaning
This namavali offers one hundred and eight salutations to Ganga, the sacred river-goddess. She is honoured as the one born from Vishnu's feet (Vishnupada-sambhuta), beloved of Shiva (Haravallabha), daughter of the Himalaya (Himachalendra-tanaya), brought to earth by King Bhagiratha (Bhagirathi), and held in Shiva's matted locks (Trilochana-jata-vasa). Successive names praise her as the destroyer of the fear of hell, the giver of liberation, the remover of the three afflictions, the slayer of poverty (Daridrya-hantri), and the dispeller of the darkness of ignorance. To invoke each name is to invite her purifying, redeeming grace.
About this Stotra
The Ganga Ashtottara Shatanama is drawn from the Puranic and Tantric praise-literature surrounding the holiest of India's rivers. Ganga descends through three worlds - heaven, earth, and the netherworld - and the names trace her celestial origin, her descent through the locks of Shiva, her course past Prayaga and the great pilgrimage sites, and her power to liberate the ancestors of Sagara. Recited at the riverbank, during snana (sacred bathing), and on Ganga-centred festivals, the namavali is among the most beloved hymns of Hindu devotion.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
Ganga is the very emblem of purification. Reciting her hundred and eight names is held to wash away accumulated sin, release one from the fear of rebirth in lower realms, bestow prosperity (she is Shrida and Daridrya-hantri, dispeller of want), and grant ultimate liberation (Sumuktida). The names are chanted for the peace of departed ancestors, for the dissolving of the three-fold suffering of body, mind, and circumstance, and for inner and outer cleansing alike.
Astrological Relevance
Flowing, nourishing waters are governed in Vedic astrology by Chandra (the Moon) and by the watery element, while Ganga's role in the liberation of ancestors ties her directly to Pitru Dosha and to the lunar fortnight of Pitru Paksha. Her power to dispel poverty links her to the wealth-significations of the second and eleventh houses, and her cooling, mind-calming grace is invoked to soothe an afflicted Moon and to remedy emotional unrest. Bathing in or offering Ganga-jal during Amavasya and Pitru Paksha is a classic remedy for ancestral and lunar afflictions.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Ideally recite at the bank of the Ganga or any sacred river; otherwise keep a vessel of Ganga-jal before you. After a bath, light a lamp and incense, offer flowers and a little water back to the river, and recite the 108 names with devotion, touching or sprinkling the holy water. Completing the namavali before sunrise multiplies its merit.
Best Day & Time
Ganga Dussehra (the tenth lunar day of Jyeshtha, marking her descent), Ganga Saptami, every Purnima and Amavasya, and the predawn hour are the most auspicious times. Pitru Paksha is especially suitable when reciting for the peace of ancestors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Ganga Ashtottara Shatanama contain?
It is a litany of 108 names of the river-goddess Ganga, each offered as a salutation describing her divine origin, sacred power, and liberating grace.
What benefits does chanting it bring?
Tradition holds that it purifies sin, dispels poverty and the fear of lower rebirth, brings peace to ancestors, and grants liberation and inner calm.
When is the best time to recite it?
Ganga Dussehra, Purnima, Amavasya, and the predawn hour are ideal, with Pitru Paksha favoured for ancestral worship.
Mother Ganga in her hundred and eight forms - purity as a living presence
The Ganga Ashtottara Shatanama Stotra belongs to the rich Stuti tradition of worshipping a deity through a carefully arranged cascade of names, each one an attribute, a myth compressed to its essence, a point of concentrated contemplation. The Ganga is venerated not merely as a geographical river but as a living goddess whose waters are believed to carry purifying power from the heavenly source through the matted locks of Shiva and into the human world. Reciting the 108 names is traditionally practised during the sacred months of Kartik and Shravan, on Ganga Dussehra, and on Makar Sankranti, when the river is held to be especially wakeful and receptive to sincere devotion.
Devotees believe that chanting this namavali with sincere intention cleanses accumulated karmic burdens, aids the peaceful onward journey of departed ancestors, and fills the home with auspicious energy. In the Jyotish tradition, the Moon governs the waters, the emotions, and maternal nurturing - and Ganga's grace is frequently invoked to bring calm where a difficult Chandra placement or pitru dosha creates turbulence in life. The breadth of epithets gathered in this composition - encompassing the Ganga's cosmic origin, her earthly course, and her role as dispeller of ignorance - makes it a remarkably complete act of devotional remembrance, an offering in words when the sacred river itself may be far away.