Tantrokta Devi Suktam (Durga Saptashati): Namo Devyai and Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, Sanskrit Lyrics with Meaning

The Tantrokta Devi Suktam is the hymn most people mean when they say "Devi Suktam". It opens namo devyai mahadevyai shivayai satatam namah and carries the twenty-one verses that every Navratri gathering knows by heart: ya devi sarvabhuteshu, "the Goddess who abides in all beings" as Vishnumaya, consciousness, intellect, sleep, hunger, shadow, power, craving, forbearance, kind, modesty, peace, faith, lustre, Lakshmi, livelihood, memory, compassion, contentment, mother and delusion, each answered by namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah. It is called tantrokta, "as given in the Tantra", to distinguish it from the Rigvedokta Devi Suktam, the Vedic hymn read at the close of the paath.

In the Durga Saptashati this is the Aparajita Stuti, Chapter 5, verses 9 to 82: the gods, driven out of heaven by Shumbha and Nishumbha, go to the Himalaya and sing it, and the Goddess emerges from the body of Parvati as Kaushiki to answer. The 30 verses below are checked word by word against the standard text of the Saptashati, not copied from a lyrics site, and each is followed by its meaning. Read it on its own, or in its place within the complete Durga Saptashati path; the same hymn also anchors the Mahalaya Mahishasura Mardini recital that opens Durga Puja.

संक्षेप में: तन्त्रोक्त देवी सूक्त, 'नमो देव्यै महादेव्यै' से आरम्भ होने वाला 30 श्लोकों का वह स्तोत्र जिसमें 'या देवी सर्वभूतेषु' के इक्कीस श्लोक हैं, यहाँ सप्तशती के मानक पाठ से मिलाए गए शुद्ध संस्कृत में हर श्लोक के हिंदी अर्थ के साथ है। यह दुर्गा सप्तशती के पाँचवें अध्याय की अपराजिता स्तुति है, जो देवताओं ने हिमालय पर गाई। लेख में प्रचलित प्रतियों की गलतियाँ, नवरात्रि में पाठ की विधि, पारम्परिक फल और ज्योतिषीय संदर्भ भी हैं। पूरा लेख हिंदी में पढ़ें →

At a glance

• Text: Tantrokta Devi Suktam, 30 verses: five of salutation, twenty-one "ya devi sarvabhuteshu" invocations, two on the Goddess as the self of all, and a two-verse closing prayer
• Source: Durga Saptashati, Chapter 5, verses 9 to 82 (the Aparajita Stuti, sung by the gods on the Himalaya)
• Opening: Namo devyai mahadevyai shivayai satatam namah
• Refrain: Namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namah
• When: Every day of Navratri; after the Chapter 13 reading as the closing Devi Suktam in many traditions; at the start of a Chandi Homa; and as a daily prayer
• Traditional fruit: Freedom from fear, bad dreams and the affliction of the grahas; the Goddess promises in it to destroy the calamities of those who remember her

Tantrokta Devi Suktam: Sanskrit text with meaning

नमो देव्यै महादेव्यै शिवायै सततं नमः ।
नमः प्रकृत्यै भद्रायै नियताः प्रणताः स्म ताम् ॥ १॥

Meaning: Salutation to the Goddess, to the great Goddess; salutation always to her who is Shiva. Salutation to Prakriti, to the auspicious one; disciplined, we bow to her.

रौद्रायै नमो नित्यायै गौर्यै धात्र्यै नमो नमः ।
ज्योत्स्नायै चेन्दुरूपिण्यै सुखायै सततं नमः ॥ २॥

Meaning: Salutation to the fierce one, to the eternal one; to Gauri, to the sustainer, salutation again and again. To her who is moonlight and the form of the moon, to her who is happiness, salutation always.

कल्याण्यै प्रणतां वृद्ध्यै सिद्ध्यै कुर्मो नमो नमः ।
नैरृत्यै भूभृतां लक्ष्म्यै शर्वाण्यै ते नमो नमः ॥ ३॥

Meaning: To the auspicious one we bow; to prosperity and attainment we bow again and again. To Nairriti, to the Lakshmi of kings, to Sharvani, salutation again and again.

दुर्गायै दुर्गपारायै सारायै सर्वकारिण्यै ।
ख्यात्यै तथैव कृष्णायै धूम्रायै सततं नमः ॥ ४॥

Meaning: To Durga, to her who carries across difficulty, to the essence, to the maker of all; to fame, and likewise to the dark one and the smoke-hued one, salutation always.

अतिसौम्यातिरौद्रायै नतास्तस्यै नमो नमः ।
नमो जगत्प्रतिष्ठायै देव्यै कृत्यै नमो नमः ॥ ५॥

Meaning: To her who is most gentle and most terrible we bow, salutation again and again. Salutation to the support of the world; to the Goddess who is action, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु विष्णुमायेति शब्दिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ ६॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as the one called Vishnumaya: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु चेतनेत्यभिधीयते ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ ७॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as consciousness: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु बुद्धिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ ८॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as intellect: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु निद्रारूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ ९॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as sleep: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु क्षुधारूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १०॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as hunger: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु छायारूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ ११॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as shadow, the reflection: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १२॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as power: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु तृष्णारूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १३॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as thirst, the craving that drives life: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु क्षान्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १४॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as forbearance: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु जातिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १५॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as kind, the species to which each thing belongs: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु लज्जारूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १६॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as modesty: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शान्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १७॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as peace: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु श्रद्धारूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १८॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as faith: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु कान्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ १९॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as lustre: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु लक्ष्मीरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २०॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as Lakshmi, good fortune: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु वृत्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २१॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as activity, the livelihood of each: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु स्मृतिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २२॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as memory: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु दयारूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २३॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as compassion: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु तुष्टिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २४॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as contentment: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु मातृरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २५॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as mother: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु भ्रान्तिरूपेण संस्थिता ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २६॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who abides in all beings as delusion, the error that veils: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

इन्द्रियाणामधिष्ठात्री भूतानां चाखिलेषु या ।
भूतेषु सततं तस्यै व्याप्त्यै देव्यै नमो नमः ॥ २७॥

Meaning: To the Goddess who presides over the senses of all beings and is ever pervading all the elements: to her, the all-pervading, salutation again and again.

चितिरूपेण या कृत्स्नमेतद् व्याप्य स्थिता जगत् ।
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥ २८॥

Meaning: To her who, in the form of consciousness, pervades and abides in this whole world: salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again.

स्तुता सुरैः पूर्वमभीष्टसंश्रया-
त्तथा सुरेन्द्रेण दिनेषु सेविता ।
करोतु सा नः शुभहेतुरीश्वरी
शुभानि भद्राण्यभिहन्तु चापदः ॥ २९॥

Meaning: She who was praised by the gods of old for the fulfilment of their wishes, and served by the lord of the gods for days on end: may that sovereign Goddess, the cause of all that is good, bring us good and blessings, and destroy our calamities.

या साम्प्रतं चोद्धतदैत्यतापितै-
रस्माभिरीशा च सुरैर्नमस्यते ।
या च स्मृता तत्क्षणमेव हन्ति नः
सर्वापदो भक्तिविनम्रमूर्तिभिः ॥ ३०॥

Meaning: She who is now saluted by us gods, tormented by the arrogant daityas, the sovereign who, remembered with bodies bowed in devotion, at that very moment destroys all our calamities.

Significance and benefits

The twenty-one ya devi verses are the Saptashati's clearest statement of what the Goddess is: not a figure elsewhere but the consciousness, intellect, sleep, hunger, strength, patience, faith, memory, compassion and motherhood already present in every living being, and even the shadow, craving and delusion. Reading the list slowly is a meditation in itself, and the tradition reads the hymn for freedom from fear, from bad dreams and from the affliction of the grahas, the fruit assigned to Chapter 5. Verse 30 carries the Goddess's own promise, that remembered with devotion she destroys calamity "at that very moment".

In practice it is the most recited passage of the whole Saptashati: sung on each of the nine nights of Navratri, chanted at the start of a Chandi Homa, read daily by devotees who cannot do the full paath, and set to music in the Mahalaya broadcast that opens Durga Puja in Bengal. Families who book a Durga Saptashati Anushthan Puja for Navratri hear it as the opening of the recitation done in their name.

How to recite (vidhi)

Read it seated after lighting a lamp, in one unhurried breath per verse; in Navratri read it each evening after the aarti, and in a full paath in its place in Chapter 5, with the Devi Kavach, Argala and Keelak before the chapters and the Siddha Kunjika Stotram after. Sit facing east or north on a clean asana, light a lamp, and read from the printed text with clear pronunciation. The order of the full paath is on the complete Durga Saptashati path page.

Astrological relevance

Jyotish reads the Uttara Charitra, of which this hymn is the opening, for Mercury and Venus and for a Mahadasha that brings fear or disturbed sleep; it is the hymn most often prescribed alongside a graha-shanti puja, and the one to begin with when a chart shows Rahu afflicting the Moon. Nothing here replaces reading your own chart; it is the devotional side of the same picture. To see which dasha is running, start with a free kundli or talk to an astrologer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Devi Suktam and where is it from?
The Tantrokta Devi Suktam is the 30-verse hymn beginning "namo devyai mahadevyai" that the gods sing in Chapter 5 of the Durga Saptashati (verses 9 to 82), where it is called the Aparajita Stuti. It holds the twenty-one "ya devi sarvabhuteshu" verses. The Rigvedokta Devi Suktam, read at the end of the paath, is a different and older Vedic hymn.

What does "ya devi sarvabhuteshu … namastasyai namo namah" mean?
"To the Goddess who abides in all beings as (consciousness, intellect, sleep, hunger and so on): salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation to her, salutation again and again." Each of the twenty-one verses names one form in which the Goddess lives in every creature.

Are these lyrics correct? Many sites print them with mistakes.
The 30 verses on this page were checked word by word against the standard text of the Durga Saptashati. Common errors in circulating copies include "प्रणता स्मरताम" for "प्रणताः स्म ताम्", "ज्योत्यस्त्रायै" for "ज्योत्स्नायै", "नित्ययै गौर्य" for "नित्यायै गौर्यै", a missing "कृत्यै" in verse 5, "व्याप्तिदैव्यै" for "व्याप्त्यै देव्यै" and "चित्तिरूपेण" for "चितिरूपेण".

When should the Devi Suktam be recited?
On every day of Navratri after the evening aarti; at the start of a Chandi Homa; daily by those who cannot do the full Saptashati; and, in a full paath, in its place in Chapter 5. Tradition reads it for freedom from fear, bad dreams and the affliction of the grahas.

Can I have the Devi Suktam recited for me if I cannot do it myself?
Yes. A Durga Saptashati Anushthan Puja, performed by pandits with the sankalpa in your name, includes this hymn as the opening of the recitation; the puja is booked online and the recording, photos and prasad are sent to you. For the astrological reason behind the paath, a free kundli or a consultation with an astrologer shows which dasha is running.