Complete · ~5 min chant

Manikarnikashtakam

मणिकर्णिकाष्टकम्

Maṇikarṇikāṣṭakam

Eight verses to Manikarnika ghat in Kashi, where bathing grants liberation beyond heaven.

8 verses · About 5 min · Sacred Places

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Manikarnikashtakam is a hymn attributed to Sri Adi Shankaracharya in praise of Manikarnika, the foremost cremation ghat of Kashi. The verses celebrate the sacred tirtha where Hari and Hara are one and where death itself becomes auspicious.

More about this stotra

Those who bathe in Manikarnika's waters are said to become one with Narayana. The hymn teaches that Kashi on earth outweighs heaven itself, and that liberation is the servant of this ghat.

At a glance

Deity: Sacred Places
Verses: 8 verses
Chant time: About 5 minutes
Attribution: Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya
Sanskrit source: sanskritdocuments.org · All sources

Verse overview

1
At Manikarnika's bank Vishnu and Shiva contend over the departing soul, yet both grant the same liberation. The debate of Hari and Hara dissolves in the one…
2
Gods and creatures cycle through birth and fall, but the sinless bath at Manikarnika lifts the soul beyond repetition. The place of death becomes the gate…
3
Kashi adorned by Ganga outweighs heaven itself, and Manikarnika is where Liberation serves. The sacred place images the inner city of awakening that surpasses…
4
Of all holy places Manikarnika is where the Lord grants mukti, reached through accumulated merit. Outer pilgrimage mirrors the inner journey earned by turning…
5
Brahma created Kashi as refuge for beings drowning in sorrow's ocean. Heaven's pleasures end in fall, but the city of liberation grants dharma, wealth, and the…
6
Krishna and Shiva are one, yet those who bathe here become many Rudras or Hari. The question of multiplicity dissolves when the many are recognized as waves of…
7
Death on Manikarnika's bank is auspicious; even gods hasten to witness the blessed soul's departure. The question whether Nandi or Garuda bears him points to…
8
The merit of noon bath here exceeds Brahma's power of speech; Shiva by yoga transforms the sleeper into Narayana or Shiva. Death at the sacred bank is…

All verses

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Common questions

When do people recite Manikarnikashtakam?: Sacred-place hymns suit pilgrimage preparation and contemplation of tirtha as both geography and inner meaning. This edition presents 8 verses and takes about 5 minutes to chant.
What is the opening focus of Manikarnikashtakam?: At Manikarnika's bank Vishnu and Shiva contend over the departing soul, yet both grant the same liberation. The debate of Hari and Hara dissolves in the one reality that wears both forms. Read verse 1 in Study mode for the full editorial note beside the Sanskrit.
Which hymns pair well with Manikarnikashtakam?: On this site, related reading includes Kashi Panchakam, and Kalabhairavashtakam. Open those hubs for their own Sanskrit, English meaning, and study notes.