Bhavani Ashtakam (Adi Shankara)

The Bhavani Ashtakam is a renowned hymn to Goddess Bhavani, traditionally attributed to Sri Adi Shankaracharya, the great philosopher-saint of Advaita Vedanta. The Mother Goddess Bhavani (भवानी) is known for her protective, compassionate nature, and these eight verses are among the most moving expressions of total surrender in Hindu devotional literature. Through every line the devotee declares: "I have no one and nothing but You; O Mother Bhavani, You alone are my refuge."

The hymn is closely associated with Tuljapur in Maharashtra, whose famous temple enshrines the Goddess as Tulja Bhavani — one of the most revered Shakti shrines in India, especially dear to the Bhonsle dynasty and their great king Shivaji.

The Eight Verses of Bhavani Ashtakam

Each verse carries the recurring refrain Gatis tvam, gatis tvam, tvam ekā Bhavāni — "You are my refuge, You are my refuge, O Bhavani." Below each verse is given in Devanagari, with transliteration and meaning.

Verse 1

न तातो न माता न बन्धुर्न दातान पुत्रो न पुत्री न भृत्यो न भर्ता।न जाया न विद्या न वृत्तिर्ममैवगतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥१॥

Na Tato Na Mata Na Bandhur-Na DataNa Putro Na Putri Na Bhryto Na Bharta |Na Jaya Na Vidya Na Vrittir MamaivaGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||1||

Meaning: I have no father, mother, relative or giver; no son, daughter, servant or husband; no wife, knowledge or livelihood. You alone, O Bhavani, are my only refuge.

Verse 2

भवाब्धावपारे महादुःखभीरुपपात प्रकामी प्रलोभी प्रमत्तः।कुसंसारपाशप्रबद्धः सदाहंगतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥२॥

Bhava-Abdhau-Apare Maha-Duhkha-BhiruPapata Prakami Pralobhi Pramattah |Kusamsara-Pasha-Prabaddhah Sada-AhamGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||2||

Meaning: In the boundless ocean of worldly existence, I fear great suffering; I have fallen, full of desire, greed and heedlessness, ever bound by the ropes of this futile samsara. You alone, O Bhavani, are my only refuge.

Verse 3

न जानामि दानं न च ध्यानयोगंन जानामि तन्त्रं न च स्तोत्रमन्त्रम्।न जानामि पूजां न च न्यासयोगंगतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥३॥

Na Janami Danam Na Ca Dhyana-YogamNa Janami Tantram Na Ca Stotra-Mantram |Na Janami Pujam Na Ca Nyasa-YogamGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||3||

Meaning: I do not know charity, nor the yoga of meditation; I know neither tantra nor stotra and mantra; I know not worship, nor the yoga of nyasa. You alone, O Bhavani, are my only refuge.

Verse 4

न जानामि पुण्यं न जानामि तीर्थन जानामि मुक्तिं लयं वा कदाचित्।न जानामि भक्तिं व्रतं वापि मात-र्गतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥४॥

Na Janami Punyam Na Janami TirthaNa Janami Muktim Layam Va Kadacit |Na Janami Bhaktim Vratam Vapi MatarGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||4||

Meaning: I know nothing of merit, nor of holy pilgrimages; I know neither liberation nor absorption in the Divine; I do not know devotion, nor even vows — O Mother, You alone are my only refuge.

Verse 5

कुकर्मी कुसङ्गी कुबुद्धिः कुदासःकुलाचारहीनः कदाचारलीनः।कुदृष्टिः कुवाक्यप्रबन्धः सदाहंगतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥५॥

Kukarmi Kusangi Kubuddhih KudasahKulacara-Hinah Kadacara-Linah |Kudrishtih Kuvakya-Prabandhah Sada-AhamGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||5||

Meaning: I am a doer of evil deeds, a companion of the wicked, of evil intellect, an evil servant; bereft of good family conduct, absorbed in wrong behaviour, of crooked vision, and ever composing wicked words. You alone, O Bhavani, are my only refuge.

Verse 6

प्रजेशं रमेशं महेशं सुरेशंदिनेशं निशीथेश्वरं वा कदाचित्।न जानामि चान्यत् सदाहं शरण्येगतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥६॥

Prajesam Ramesam Mahesam SuresamDinesam Nishithesvaram Va Kadacit |Na Janami Canyat Sada-Aham SaranayeGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||6||

Meaning: I do not know Prajapati (Brahma), nor Ramesha (Vishnu), nor Mahesha (Shiva), nor the lord of the devas (Indra); neither the Sun-god nor the lord of the night. I know nothing else, O refuge of all — You alone are my only refuge.

Verse 7

विवादे विषादे प्रमादे प्रवासेजले चानले पर्वते शत्रुमध्ये।अरण्ये शरण्ये सदा मां प्रपाहिगतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥७॥

Vivade Vishade Pramade PravaseJale Canale Parvate Satru-Madhye |Aranye Saranye Sada Mam PrapahiGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||7||

Meaning: In quarrels, in sorrow, in moments of heedlessness, in foreign travel; in water, in fire, upon the mountain, amid enemies; in the deep forest — O refuge, ever protect me. You alone, O Bhavani, are my only refuge.

Verse 8

अनाथो दरिद्रो जरारोगयुक्तोमहाक्षीणदीनः सदा जाड्यवक्त्रः।विपत्तौ प्रविष्टः प्रनष्टः सदाहंगतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि ॥८॥

Anatho Daridro Jara-Roga-YuktoMaha-Kshina-Dinah Sada Jadyavaktrah |Vipattau Pravishtah Pranashtah Sada-AhamGatis Tvam Gatis Tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani ||8||

Meaning: Orphaned and poor, afflicted by the diseases of old age, greatly exhausted and dejected, ever dull of speech; fallen into calamity and ruin — always I bow to You. You alone, O Bhavani, are my only refuge.

Key Attributes of Goddess Bhavani

• Deity: Goddess Bhavani (Tulja Bhavani), a form of the Divine Mother
• Composer: Sri Adi Shankaracharya
• Nature: Protective and compassionate
• Famous shrine: Tuljapur Temple, Maharashtra
• Refrain / Mantra: "Gatis tvam, gatis tvam, tvam eka Bhavani" (You alone are my refuge)

Practical / Modern Context

The Bhavani Ashtakam is a prayer for every season of life, especially moments of helplessness. Its genius lies in what it does not demand: the devotee admits ignorance of scripture, ritual and even devotion — and is accepted nonetheless. It is the perfect companion for the modern seeker:

• Recite it in times of anxiety, illness, financial difficulty or uncertainty about the future.
• The hymn names the full range of human trials — quarrels, travel, fire, water, mountains, enemies, forests — reminding us no circumstance is beyond the Mother's protection.
• Each verse is short and deeply repetitive, so the ashtakam is easy to memorise — chant it during morning prayers, travel or before important decisions.
• Tulja Bhavani's association with Chhatrapati Shivaji also makes the hymn popular among those who seek courage, leadership and divine protection in public life.

Common Misconceptions

1. "Bhavani is only a local Maharashtrian goddess." Bhavani is the Universal Mother, a form of Durga/Adi Parashakti; Tuljapur is merely the most celebrated of her many shrines.
2. "The hymn is pessimistic — it dwells only on suffering." The confession of weakness is deliberate surrender (sharanagati), not despair; the refrain converts every hardship into an act of trust in the Mother.
3. "Adi Shankara, an advaitin, could not have written a devotional hymn." Shankara composed many devotional stotrams alongside his philosophy; in Vedanta, devotion and non-dualism are complementary paths, bhakti a ladder to the highest realisation.

Conclusion

The Bhavani Ashtakam of Adi Shankaracharya is a hymn of total surrender — an eight-verse confession that in our weakness, ignorance and poverty, the compassionate Mother Bhavani alone is our refuge. Timeless in appeal, it links the great temple of Tulja Bhavani, the devotion of Shivaji, and the Advaitin's search for the One Reality. For anyone facing the storms of life, these verses are a shelter that can be carried in the heart and spoken at any time.

Related Prabhukedwar Guides

• Complete Guide to Chanting Gayatri Mantra
• Kashi Vishwanath Temple & Sacred Banaras
• Meaning of Om Namah Shivaya Mantra

For more authentic Hindu temple guides, pilgrimage routes, mantras, and Vedic insights, visit Prabhukedwar.