Shri Guru Ashtakam - Adi Shankaracharya's Eight Verses on the Guru
Shri Guru Ashtakam - Sanskrit Text
शरीरं सुरूपं तथा वा कलत्रं
यशश्चारु चित्रं धनं मेरुतुल्यम् ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ १ ॥
कलत्रं धनं पुत्रपौत्रादि सर्वं
गृहं बान्धवाः सर्वमेतद्धि जातम् ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ २ ॥
षडङ्गादिवेदो मुखे शास्त्रविद्या
कवित्वादि गद्यं सुपद्यं करोति ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ ३ ॥
विदेशेषु मान्यः स्वदेशेषु धन्यः
सदाचारवृत्तेषु मत्तो न चान्यः ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ ४ ॥
क्षमामण्डले भूपभूपालवृन्दैः
सदा सेवितं यस्य पादारविन्दम् ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ ५ ॥
यशो मे गतं दिक्षु दानप्रतापात्
जगद्वस्तु सर्वं करे सत्प्रसादात् ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ ६ ॥
न भोगे न योगे न वा वाजिराजौ
न कान्तासुखे नैव वित्तेषु चित्तम् ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ ७ ॥
अरण्ये न वा स्वस्य गेहे न कार्ये
न देहे मनो वर्तते मे त्वनर्घ्ये ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ ८ ॥
अनर्घ्याणि रत्नादि मुक्तानि सम्यक्
समालिङ्गिता कामिनी यामिनीषु ।
मनश्चेन्न लग्नं गुरोरङ्घ्रिपद्मे
ततः किं ततः किं ततः किं ततः किम् ॥ ९ ॥
गुरोरष्टकं यः पठेत्पुण्यदेही
यतिर्भूपतिर्ब्रह्मचारी च गेही ।
लभेद्वाञ्छितार्थं पदं ब्रह्मसंज्ञं
गुरोरुक्तवाक्ये मनो यस्य लग्नम् ॥
॥ इति श्रीशङ्कराचार्यकृतं गुर्वष्टकं सम्पूर्णम् ॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
śarīraṁ surūpaṁ tathā vā kalatraṁ
yaśaścāru citraṁ dhanaṁ merutulyam |
manaścenna lagnaṁ guroraṅghripadme
tataḥ kiṁ tataḥ kiṁ tataḥ kiṁ tataḥ kim || 1 ||
(Every verse closes with the refrain "manaścenna lagnaṁ guroraṅghripadme, tataḥ kiṁ tataḥ kiṁ tataḥ kiṁ tataḥ kim".)
Meaning
The refrain of each verse asks: "If the mind is not fixed at the lotus-feet of the Guru, then what use is it? What use? What use? What use?" Shankaracharya lists, one by one, every worldly attainment - a beautiful body and spouse, fame and wealth equal to Mount Meru; family, sons, grandsons, home and kinsmen; mastery of the Vedas, scriptures and poetry; honour abroad and renown at home; the homage of kings; world-spanning fame from charity; detachment from pleasures, yoga, horses, royalty, women and riches; indifference to forest, home, work and body; even priceless gems and the embrace of a beloved by night - and after each, he declares it all worthless if the heart is not devoted to the Guru. The closing verse promises that whoever recites this Guru Ashtakam, and whose mind is fixed on the Guru's word, attains the supreme state called Brahman, be they an ascetic, king, celibate or householder.
About this Stotra
The Guru Ashtakam (Gurvashtakam) is a celebrated composition of Adi Shankaracharya, the eighth-century founder of Advaita Vedanta. With relentless rhetorical force it establishes the absolute primacy of devotion to the Guru over every other human achievement. The Guru, in this tradition, is the one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and reveals the Self; without surrender to the Guru, even the highest worldly and intellectual attainments cannot grant liberation. The hymn is a staple of Guru Purnima and of daily prayer in many lineages.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
Reciting the Guru Ashtakam cultivates humility, detachment and single-pointed devotion to the Guru and, through the Guru, to the Self. It corrects the natural tendency to take pride in wealth, learning or status by repeatedly asking "what is the use?" of anything not anchored in the divine. Devotees find it kindles surrender, dissolves ego, and re-orients the whole of life toward the spiritual goal. The closing verse explicitly promises the attainment of Brahman to one whose mind rests on the Guru's teaching.
Astrological Relevance
The Guru in Vedic astrology is Jupiter (Brihaspati) - the planet of wisdom, teachers, dharma, devotion and the ninth house of the spiritual preceptor and higher fortune. This ashtakam is a powerful devotional remedy to strengthen a weak or afflicted Jupiter, to gain the grace of one's teacher, and to bless education, guidance and spiritual progress. Those in a Jupiter dasha, students, and seekers on a guided path benefit especially. Ketu, the moksha-karaka, is also honoured, since the hymn's whole thrust is detachment from worldly fruits in favour of liberation.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Sit in a clean place, ideally before an image of one's Guru or the lineage's deity, after bathing. Light a lamp and offer flowers. Recite all the verses with attention to the refrain, letting each "tatah kim" deepen detachment and surrender. It may be chanted daily, and is especially recited on Guru Purnima and Thursdays. Conclude by bowing to the Guru and dedicating the merit at his feet.
Best Day & Time
Thursday (Jupiter's day) and Guru Purnima are most auspicious. The early morning, after bathing, is ideal for this contemplative hymn; it can be recited daily as part of one's prayers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the Guru Ashtakam?
It was composed by Adi Shankaracharya, the great teacher of Advaita Vedanta.
What does the refrain 'tatah kim' mean?
'Tatah kim' means 'then what (is the use)?' - repeated after each worldly attainment to stress that nothing has value if the mind is not devoted to the Guru's lotus-feet.
What benefit does the hymn promise?
Its final verse promises that anyone - ascetic, king, celibate or householder - whose mind rests on the Guru's word attains the supreme state of Brahman.
What remains when everything else is stripped away
The Guru Ashtakam attributed to Adi Shankaracharya is unusual among devotional compositions because it does not primarily celebrate what the Guru gives; it persistently asks what remains meaningful without the Guru. Each verse catalogues something the world considers genuinely valuable: wealth, physical beauty, fame, scholarship, even good deeds and domestic happiness. And each verse ends with the same quiet devastation: tatah kim, then what? The cumulative effect of this refrain is not cynicism but a kind of stripping away, a surgical precision that clears the ground for one realisation - that the mind anchored in the Guru's lotus feet has found the only stability worth seeking. This makes the ashtakam unusual as devotional poetry: it persuades through subtraction rather than praise.
The composition is recited widely in monastic and gurukula settings, particularly during Guru Purnima, the full-moon day of the Ashadha month dedicated to honouring the teacher. In the Jyotish tradition, Jupiter governs the Guru principle, wisdom, and the capacity for genuine learning; a strong, well-aspected Jupiter in the natal chart is said to bless a person with access to a true teacher at the right moment in life. Devotees believe that sincere engagement with this text - not merely reciting it but sitting with the question tatah kim - is itself a form of self-enquiry, a Vedantic practice disguised as a hymn, pointing the practitioner steadily toward the only worthwhile destination.