Navagraha Stotra: Sanskrit Text, Meaning & Planetary Benefits
Navagraha Stotra - Sanskrit Text
जपाकुसुमसंकाशं काश्यपेयं महाद्युतिम् ।
तमोऽरिं सर्वपापघ्नं प्रणतोऽस्मि दिवाकरम् ॥१॥
दधिशङ्खतुषाराभं क्षीरोदार्णवसम्भवम् ।
नमामि शशिनं सोमं शम्भोर्मुकुटभूषणम् ॥२॥
धरणीगर्भसम्भूतं विद्युत्कान्तिसमप्रभम् ।
कुमारं शक्तिहस्तं तं मङ्गलं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥३॥
प्रियङ्गुकलिकाश्यामं रूपेणाप्रतिमं बुधम् ।
सौम्यं सौम्यगुणोपेतं तं बुधं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥४॥
देवानां च ऋषीणां च गुरुं काञ्चनसन्निभम् ।
बुद्धिभूतं त्रिलोकेशं तं नमामि बृहस्पतिम् ॥५॥
हिमकुन्दमृणालाभं दैत्यानां परमं गुरुम् ।
सर्वशास्त्रप्रवक्तारं भार्गवं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥६॥
नीलाञ्जनसमाभासं रविपुत्रं यमाग्रजम् ।
छायामार्तण्डसम्भूतं तं नमामि शनैश्चरम् ॥७॥
अर्धकायं महावीर्यं चन्द्रादित्यविमर्दनम् ।
सिंहिकागर्भसम्भूतं तं राहुं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥८॥
पलाशपुष्पसंकाशं तारकाग्रहमस्तकम् ।
रौद्रं रौद्रात्मकं घोरं तं केतुं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥९॥
इति व्यासमुखोद्गीतं यः पठेत्सुसमाहितः ।
दिवा वा यदि वा रात्रौ विघ्नशान्तिर्भविष्यति ॥
नरनारीनृपाणां च भवेद्दुःस्वप्ननाशनम् ।
ऐश्वर्यमतुलं तेषामारोग्यं पुष्टिवर्धनम् ॥
ग्रहनक्षत्रजाः पीडास्तस्कराग्निसमुद्भवाः ।
ताः सर्वाः प्रशमं यान्ति व्यासो ब्रूते न संशयः ॥
॥ इति श्रीव्यासविरचितं नवग्रहस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
japā-kusuma-saṅkāśaṁ kāśyapeyaṁ mahādyutim |
tamo'riṁ sarva-pāpaghnaṁ praṇato'smi divākaram ||1|| (Surya / Sun)
dadhi-śaṅkha-tuṣārābhaṁ kṣīrodārṇava-sambhavam |
namāmi śaśinaṁ somaṁ śambhor-mukuṭa-bhūṣaṇam ||2|| (Chandra / Moon)
(verses 3–9 salute Mangala, Budha, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu and Ketu in turn, followed by the phalashruti.)
Meaning
The Navagraha Stotra offers one verse of homage to each of the nine planets. Surya (Sun): glowing like the hibiscus flower, son of Kashyapa, of great splendour, enemy of darkness and destroyer of all sin; I bow to the day-maker. Chandra (Moon): white as curd, conch and frost, born of the ocean of milk, the ornament on Shiva's crown. Mangala (Mars): born of the Earth, radiant as lightning, the youthful spear-bearer. Budha (Mercury): dark as the priyangu bud, peerless in form, gentle and full of gentle virtues. Brihaspati (Jupiter): guru of gods and sages, golden-hued, wisdom embodied, lord of the three worlds. Shukra (Venus): bright as snow, jasmine and lotus-fibre, supreme guru of the demons, expounder of all scriptures. Shani (Saturn): dark as blue collyrium, son of the Sun and elder brother of Yama, born of Chhaya. Rahu: the half-bodied, mighty one who eclipses Sun and Moon, born of Simhika. Ketu: like the palasha flower, head of the star-planets, fierce and terrible. The closing phalashruti promises that whoever recites this hymn of Vyasa, by day or night, gains peace from obstacles, freedom from bad dreams, matchless prosperity, health and the calming of all troubles born of planets, stars, thieves and fire.
About this Stotra
The Navagraha Stotra is the classic Sanskrit hymn to the nine planets - Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu and Ketu - traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa (śrī-vyāsa-viracita). Each crisp verse fixes the planet's image, lineage and quality, making it the single most widely used prayer for collective worship of the navagrahas, recited in temples at the navagraha shrine and in homes for planetary peace.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
As its own phalashruti declares, the stotra brings shanti (peace) from obstacles, freedom from bad dreams, prosperity, health and protection from danger by thieves and fire. It is recited to propitiate all nine grahas together, to soften their malefic effects and strengthen their benefic ones, and to invite their collective blessing on any undertaking. Regular recitation is held to harmonise the planetary influences governing one's life.
Astrological Relevance
The Navagraha Stotra is one of the most directly astrological of all stotras: each verse is a remedy for a specific graha. Recite the relevant verse - or the whole stotra - to pacify a planet that is debilitated, combust, retrograde or afflicted in the birth chart, or that is running an unfavourable mahadasha or antardasha. It is chanted during Navagraha shanti rituals, before remedial pujas, and on the weekday ruled by the planet one wishes to strengthen (Sunday for Surya, Monday for Chandra, Tuesday for Mangala, Wednesday for Budha, Thursday for Guru, Friday for Shukra, Saturday for Shani). For Rahu and Ketu, Saturday and Tuesday respectively, or the appropriate ritual time, are favoured.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Bathe and sit facing east before a navagraha yantra or image, or at the navagraha shrine in a temple. Light a lamp, offer flowers and, if observing a specific planet, that planet's colour, grain and offering. Recite the nine verses with the phalashruti, ideally daily; to strengthen one planet, repeat its verse additionally. Conclude with a prayer for the peace and balance of all the grahas in your life.
Best Day & Time
Best recited daily at dawn for overall planetary harmony. To address a particular graha, recite on that planet's weekday. Saturdays and amavasya are widely used for general navagraha shanti.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the Navagraha Stotra?
It is traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa, as the colophon "śrī-vyāsa-viracitaṁ navagraha-stotram" states; its own phalashruti speaks of "this hymn sung from the mouth of Vyasa."
Can I recite just one verse for one planet?
Yes. Each verse is complete in itself and may be recited as a focused remedy for that graha - for instance the Shani verse on Saturdays during sade-sati. Reciting the whole stotra worships all nine together.
What does the stotra promise the reciter?
Its phalashruti promises peace from obstacles, freedom from bad dreams, prosperity, health, and protection from troubles caused by planets, stars, thieves and fire.
One prayer for nine planets - the Navagraha Stotra as a complete planetary remedy
The Navagraha Stotra, traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa, achieves something remarkable in the economy of devotional literature: in nine focused verses, it addresses each of the nine planetary deities - Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu and Ketu - with a specific salutation that honours the distinctive nature and role of each graha. This is not a generic planetary prayer but a precisely structured sequence, moving through the celestial order and acknowledging each planet as a deity with its own personality, domain and power to bestow grace. Devotees who recite it in full perform, in a sense, a complete planetary puja in the space of a single sitting.
In the Jyotish tradition, planetary worship is understood as one of the most effective forms of graha shanti, and the Navagraha Stotra is among the most accessible remedies for those who cannot undertake elaborate rituals. It is particularly recommended for Sundays at sunrise to honour Surya, but the full stotra recited any morning before one's daily activity is believed to create a protective and harmonising influence across all nine grahas simultaneously. Temples dedicated to the Navagrahas - common across South India - typically have the stotra inscribed on their walls or recited by priests at the morning aarti. For practitioners and novices alike, the phalashruti's promise of peace, prosperity and freedom from obstacles reflects the tradition's deep confidence in this concise, complete prayer.