Saraswati Chalisa
doha
जनक जननि पद कमल रज निज मस्तक पर धारि । बन्दौं मातु सरस्वती बुद्धि बल दे दातारि ॥
janaka janani pada kamala raja nija mastaka para dhāri | bandauṃ mātu sarasvatī buddhi bala de dātāri ||
पूर्ण जगत में व्याप्त तव महिमा अमित अनंतु । रामसागर के पाप को मातु तुही अब हन्तु ॥
pūrṇa jagata meṃ vyāpta tava mahimā amita anaṃtu | rāmasāgara ke pāpa ko mātu tuhī aba hantu ||
Meaning
Placing the dust of my parents' lotus feet upon my own head, I bow to Mother Saraswati, the Giver who grants intellect and strength.
Your glory pervades the entire world, immeasurable and endless; Mother, only You can now destroy Ramsagar's sin.
chaupai
जय श्रीसकल बुद्धि बलरासी । जय सर्वज्ञ अमर अविनासी ॥
jaya śrīsakala buddhi balarāsī | jaya sarvajña amara avināsī ||
जय जय जय वीणाकर धारी । करती सदा सुहंस सवारी ॥
jaya jaya jaya vīṇākara dhārī | karatī sadā suhaṃsa savārī ||
रूप चतुर्भुजधारी माता । सकल विश्व अन्दर विख्याता ॥
rūpa caturbhujadhārī mātā | sakala viśva andara vikhyātā ||
जग में पाप बुद्धि जब होती । जबहि धर्म की फीकी ज्योती ॥
jaga meṃ pāpa buddhi jaba hotī | jabahi dharma kī phīkī jyotī ||
तबहि मातु ले निज अवतारा । पाप हीन करती महि तारा ॥
tabahi mātu le nija avatārā | pāpa hīna karatī mahi tārā ||
बाल्मीकि जी थे हत्यारा । तव प्रसाद जानै संसारा ॥
bālmīki jī the hatyārā | tava prasāda jānai saṃsārā ||
रामायण जो रचे बनाई । आदि कवी की पदवी पाई ॥
rāmāyaṇa jo race banāī | ādi kavī kī padavī pāī ||
कालिदास जो भये विख्याता । तेरी कृपा दृष्टि से माता ॥
kālidāsa jo bhaye vikhyātā | terī kṛpā dṛṣṭi se mātā ||
तुलसी सूर आदि विद्धाना । भये और जो ज्ञानी नाना ॥
tulasī sūra ādi viddhānā | bhaye aura jo jñānī nānā ||
तिन्हहिं न और रहेउ अवलम्बा । केवल कृपा आपकी अम्बा ॥
tinhahiṃ na aura raheu avalambā | kevala kṛpā āpakī ambā ||
करहु कृपा सोइ मातु भवानी । दुखित दीन निज दासहि जानी ॥
karahu kṛpā soi mātu bhavānī | dukhita dīna nija dāsahi jānī ||
पुत्र करै अपराध बहूता । तेहि न धरइ चित सुन्दर माता ॥
putra karai aparādha bahūtā | tehi na dharai cita sundara mātā ||
राखु लाज जननी अब मेरी । विनय करूं बहु भाँति घनेरी ॥
rākhu lāja jananī aba merī | vinaya karūṃ bahu bhā~ti ghanerī ||
मैं अनाथ तेरी अवलंबा । कृपा करउ जय जय जगदंबा ॥
maiṃ anātha terī avalaṃbā | kṛpā karau jaya jaya jagadaṃbā ||
मधु कैटभ जो अति बलवाना । बाहुयुद्ध विष्णू ते ठाना ॥
madhu kaiṭabha jo ati balavānā | bāhuyuddha viṣṇū te ṭhānā ||
समर हजार पांच में घोरा । फिर भी मुख उनसे नहिं मोरा ॥
samara hajāra pāṃca meṃ ghorā | phira bhī mukha unase nahiṃ morā ||
मातु सहाय भई तेहि काला । बुद्धि विपरीत करी खलहाला ॥
mātu sahāya bhaī tehi kālā | buddhi viparīta karī khalahālā ||
तेहि ते मृत्यु भई खल केरी । पुरवहु मातु मनोरथ मेरी ॥
tehi te mṛtyu bhaī khala kerī | puravahu mātu manoratha merī ||
चंड मुण्ड जो थे विख्याता । छण महुं संहारेउ तेहि माता ॥
caṃḍa muṇḍa jo the vikhyātā | chaṇa mahuṃ saṃhāreu tehi mātā ||
रक्तबीज से समरथ पापी । सुर-मुनि हृदय धरा सब कांपी ॥
raktabīja se samaratha pāpī | sura-muni hṛdaya dharā saba kāṃpī ||
काटेउ सिर जिम कदली खम्बा । बार बार बिनवउं जगदंबा ॥
kāṭeu sira jima kadalī khambā | bāra bāra binavauṃ jagadaṃbā ||
जग प्रसिद्ध जो शुंभ निशुंभा । छिन में बधे ताहि तू अम्बा ॥
jaga prasiddha jo śuṃbha niśuṃbhā | china meṃ badhe tāhi tū ambā ||
भरत-मातु बुधि फेरेउ जाई । रामचन्द्र बनवास कराई ॥
bharata-mātu budhi phereu jāī | rāmacandra banavāsa karāī ||
एहि विधि रावन वध तुम कीन्हा । सुर नर मुनि सब कहुं सुख दीन्हा ॥
ehi vidhi rāvana vadha tuma kīnhā | sura nara muni saba kahuṃ sukha dīnhā ||
को समरथ तव यश गुन गाना । निगम अनादि अनंत बखाना ॥
ko samaratha tava yaśa guna gānā | nigama anādi anaṃta bakhānā ||
विष्णु रूद्र अज सकहिं न मारी । जिनकी हो तुम रक्षाकारी ॥
viṣṇu rūdra aja sakahiṃ na mārī | jinakī ho tuma rakṣākārī ||
रक्त दन्तिका और शताक्षी । नाम अपार है दानव भक्षी ॥
rakta dantikā aura śatākṣī | nāma apāra hai dānava bhakṣī ||
दुर्गम काज धरा पर कीन्हा । दुर्गा नाम सकल जग लीन्हा ॥
durgama kāja dharā para kīnhā | durgā nāma sakala jaga līnhā ||
दुर्ग आदि हरनी तू माता । कृपा करहु जब जब सुखदाता ॥
durga ādi haranī tū mātā | kṛpā karahu jaba jaba sukhadātā ||
नृप कोपित जो मारन चाहै । कानन में घेरे मृग नाहै ॥
nṛpa kopita jo mārana cāhai | kānana meṃ ghere mṛga nāhai ||
सागर मध्य पोत के भंगे । अति तूफान नहिं कोऊ संगे ॥
sāgara madhya pota ke bhaṃge | ati tūphāna nahiṃ koū saṃge ||
भूत प्रेत बाधा या दुःख में । हो दरिद्र अथवा संकट में ॥
bhūta preta bādhā yā duḥkha meṃ | ho daridra athavā saṃkaṭa meṃ ||
नाम जपे मंगल सब होई । संशय इसमें करइ न कोई ॥
nāma jape maṃgala saba hoī | saṃśaya isameṃ karai na koī ||
पुत्रहीन जो आतुर भाई । सबै छांड़ि पूजें एहि माई ॥
putrahīna jo ātura bhāī | sabai chāṃḍa़i pūjeṃ ehi māī ||
करै पाठ नित यह चालीसा । होय पुत्र सुन्दर गुण ईसा ॥
karai pāṭha nita yaha cālīsā | hoya putra sundara guṇa īsā ||
धूपादिक नैवेद्य चढावै । संकट रहित अवश्य हो जावै ॥
dhūpādika naivedya caḍhāvai | saṃkaṭa rahita avaśya ho jāvai ||
भक्ति मातु की करै हमेशा । निकट न आवै ताहि कलेशा ॥
bhakti mātu kī karai hameśā | nikaṭa na āvai tāhi kaleśā ||
बंदी पाठ करें शत बारा । बंदी पाश दूर हो सारा ॥
baṃdī pāṭha kareṃ śata bārā | baṃdī pāśa dūra ho sārā ||
करहु कृपा भवमुक्ति भवानी । मो कहं दास सदा निज जानी ॥
karahu kṛpā bhavamukti bhavānī | mo kahaṃ dāsa sadā nija jānī ||
Meaning
Victory to You, the treasury of all wisdom and strength; victory to the all-knowing, immortal, imperishable One.
Victory, victory, victory to You who hold the veena in Your hand; You always ride upon the beautiful swan.
Mother, You bear a four-armed form, and are renowned throughout the whole world.
Whenever sinful thinking arises in the world, whenever the light of dharma grows faint.
Then Mother takes Her own incarnation, freeing the earth of sin and delivering it.
Valmiki was once a bandit and killer; the world knows this was transformed by Your grace.
He who composed the Ramayana attained the title of the first poet.
Kalidas became renowned, Mother, through Your gracious glance.
Tulsi, Sur, and other learned scholars, and many other wise men who came to be.
They had no other support; Mother, it was solely Your grace.
Show that same grace, Mother Bhavani, knowing this humble servant to be sorrowful and lowly.
A child commits many faults, yet the gracious Mother does not hold them against him in Her heart.
Preserve my honor now, Mother; I make many kinds of humble entreaty.
I am helpless, relying on You alone; show grace, victory to You, Mother of the world.
Madhu and Kaitabha, extremely powerful, took up hand-to-hand combat against Vishnu.
In the terrible battle that raged five thousand years, still He did not turn His face from them.
At that time Mother came to their aid, turning the wicked ones' own intellect against them.
Because of this, the wicked ones met their death; Mother, fulfil my heart's wish.
Chanda and Munda, the well-known demons, Mother destroyed them in an instant.
The powerful sinner Raktabija made the hearts of gods and sages, and the whole earth, tremble.
She severed his heads as one cuts down a banana-tree trunk; again and again I entreat You, Mother of the world.
Shumbha and Nishumbha, famed throughout the world, You, Mother, slew them in a moment.
You went and turned Bharat's mother's mind, bringing about Ramchandra's exile to the forest.
In this way You brought about Ravan's death, giving joy to gods, men and sages alike.
Who has the power to sing Your fame and virtue, which the beginningless, endless scriptures themselves describe?
Not even Vishnu, Rudra, or Brahma the unborn can strike down those whom You protect.
As Raktadantika and Shatakshi, Your names are boundless, devourer of demons.
You accomplished the most difficult task on earth; the whole world took up the name Durga for You.
Mother, You remove hardship and every such trial; O giver of joy, show grace time and again.
Whether an angry king wishes to kill, or one is surrounded by wild beasts in the forest.
Or one's ship is wrecked mid-ocean amid a fierce storm, with no one beside them.
In torment from ghosts and spirits, or in sorrow, poverty, or crisis.
By chanting Your name, all becomes auspicious; let none doubt this at all.
One who is childless and anxious should give up all else and worship this Mother alone.
One who recites this Chalisa daily shall be blessed with a virtuous, godly son.
One who offers incense and food offerings shall surely become free of troubles.
One who always keeps devotion to the Mother, affliction never comes near them.
If a prisoner recites this a hundred times, every bond of captivity is removed.
Show grace, Bhavani, and grant liberation from worldly bondage; consider me always Your own servant.
doha
माता सूरज कान्ति तव अंधकार मम रूप । डूबन ते रक्षा करहु परूं न मैं भव-कूप ॥
mātā sūraja kānti tava aṃdhakāra mama rūpa | ḍūbana te rakṣā karahu parūṃ na maiṃ bhava-kūpa ||
बल बुद्धि विद्या देहुं मोहि सुनहु सरस्वति मातु । अधम रामसागरहिं तुम आश्रय देउ पुनातु ॥
bala buddhi vidyā dehuṃ mohi sunahu sarasvati mātu | adhama rāmasāgarahiṃ tuma āśraya deu punātu ||
Meaning
Mother, Your radiance is like the sun, while my nature is darkness; protect me from drowning, let me not fall into the well of worldly existence.
Grant me strength, intellect, and learning; hear me, Mother Saraswati — give shelter to this lowly Ramsagar and purify him.
Sourced and cross-checked against two independent sources; our meanings are written in our own words, never copied. Personal, devotional use — including printing and sharing short excerpts with attribution — is free and encouraged.
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