The hymn is one of the famous mantras that is heard by every Hindu. The ancient Sanskrit shloka is devoted to Lord Shiva and is one of the most popular hymns of Shaivism.
The mantra was found in the Yajurveda. Lord Shiva is considered to be the most popular Hindu deity. He is also known as Rudra Bholenath, Nilkanth, Shankar, and Mahadeva. He is signified as the destroyer and transformer according to Hindu Puranas.
It is believed that Lord Shiva roots out sin and terror from a person and shower his blessings and happiness. He is known as Shankara, the doer to God. he is worshiped as the idol of renunciation.
The mantra:
कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं
संसारसारम् भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ।
सदावसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे
भवं भवानीसहितं नमामि ॥
Translation:
karpūragauraṁ karuṇāvatāraṁ
sansārsāram bhujagendrahāram |
sadāvasantaṁ hṛdayāravinde
bhavaṁ bhavānīsahitaṁ namāmi ||
From all the mantras that are written and are dedicated to Lord Shiva, this mantra is considered to be the purest among all. It is compared to white lotus which is the symbol of purity. The person strikes the spirituality when he or she chants this mantra as it considers Lord Shiva at the highest order.
Meaning of the mantra
- karpūragauraṁ – The one who is as pure/white as camphor (Karpur).
- karuṇāvatāraṁ – The personification of compassion.
- sansārsāram – The one who is the essence of the world.
- bhujagendrahāram – The one with the serpent king as his garland.
- sadāvasantaṁ hṛdayāravinde – Always residing in the lotus-like heart. Where, Hridaya aravinde means, ‘in the heart, that is (as pure as) lotus’. Lotus, though born in the muddy waters, is untouched by the mud around it. Similarly, Lord Shiva always (Sada) resides (Vasantham) in the hearts of beings who are not affected by worldly matters.
- bhavaṁ – To the Lord
- bhavānīsahitaṁ namāmi – Accompanied by the Goddess Bhavani (A form of Goddess Parvati, Shiva’s consort), I bow
Benefits of Chanting the Mantra
It is believed that by chanting the mantra on a daily basis removes all the troubles from our paths, and helps in overcoming the difficult situations. It vanishes out the sorrows and diseases from our lives. Lord Shiva is considered to be Lord of mercy who blesses his devotees and gives them moksha. You can achieve anything in life by the mere recitation of the hymn.
