भवान्यष्टकम् — Benefits & How to Chant
भवान्यष्टकम्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting भवान्यष्टकम्
Composed by Adi Shankaracharya, the Bhavani Ashtakam is a supreme prayer of total surrender (sharanagati) to the Mother Goddess Bhavani.
In eight verses the devotee confesses that he has no other support and no spiritual merit of his own, and casts himself entirely upon the Mother
'you alone are my refuge'.
Recited for protection in every danger and difficulty (the seventh verse lists dispute, fire, water, enemies and the wilderness), and for inner peace through surrender.
Believed to remove fear, helplessness and the sense of being alone, and to draw the Mother's grace upon the utterly dependent devotee.
Chanted with the Durga Chalisa, Mahishasura Mardini Stotram and Durga Kavach in the worship of the Devi.
How to Chant भवान्यष्टकम्
Instructions
Sit before an image of the Mother (Bhavani / Durga), light a lamp, and recite the eight verses slowly with a feeling of complete surrender, letting the refrain 'Gatis-tvam Gatis-tvam Tvam Eka Bhavani' carry the heart to the Mother. It is especially recited in distress, when one feels there is no other refuge.
Spiritual Significance
It is said that this hymn was born of Shankaracharya's own surrender, and that whoever recites it in genuine helplessness — having no other refuge — finds the Mother's protection precisely there; the seventh verse, naming every danger from fire and flood to enemies and the wilderness, is recited as a shield in any peril.
Origin & History
Source: Composed by Adi Shankaracharya
Author: Adi Shankaracharya
The Bhavani Ashtakam is Adi Shankaracharya's hymn of utter surrender to the Mother Goddess Bhavani. In eight verses he sets down every prop a person might lean on — father, mother, wealth, knowledge, ritual, merit, even the other gods — and declares that he has none of them and knows none of them; the Mother alone is his refuge. It is among the most loved Devi stotras for those who come to the Mother with empty hands and a surrendered heart.