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Eight short verses by Vyasa that see Rama not only as the beautiful prince of Ayodhya but as the one, non-dual reality — each ending “bhajeha rāmam advayam,” “I worship Rama, the One without a second.”
Attributed to the sage Vyasa
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Rama Ashtakam
Son of Kali · Power of Ram
Each line shows an easy way to say it, with its English meaning. Turn on the Sanskrit, the exact pronunciation or the word-by-word meaning whenever you want to go deeper.
भजे विशेषसुन्दरं समस्तपापखण्डनम् ।
Bhaje Vishesha Sundaram Samasta Papa Khandanam
bhaje viśeṣasundaraṃ samastapāpakhaṇḍanam
I worship the supremely beautiful one, who shatters every sin,
स्वभक्तचित्तरञ्जनं सदैव राममद्वयम् ॥ १ ॥
Svabhakta Chitta Ranjanam Sadaiva Ramam Advayam
svabhaktacittarañjanaṃ sadaiva rāmamadvayam
who delights the hearts of his devotees — always I worship Rama, the One without a second.
जटाकलापशोभितं समस्तपापनाशकम् ।
Jatakalapa Shobhitam Samasta Papa Nashakam
jaṭākalāpaśobhitaṃ samastapāpanāśakam
Beautiful with his matted hair, destroyer of all sin,
स्वभक्तभीतिभञ्जनं भजेह राममद्वयम् ॥ २ ॥
Svabhakta Bhiti Bhanjanam Bhajeha Ramam Advayam
svabhaktabhītibhañjanaṃ bhajeha rāmamadvayam
who breaks the fears of his devotees — here I worship Rama, the One without a second.
निजस्वरूपबोधकं कृपाकरं भवापहम् ।
Nija Svarupa Bodhakam Kripakaram Bhavapaham
nijasvarūpabodhakaṃ kṛpākaraṃ bhavāpaham
Who awakens us to our own true nature, the mine of mercy, remover of worldly bondage,
समं शिवं निरञ्जनं भजेह राममद्वयम् ॥ ३ ॥
Samam Shivam Niranjanam Bhajeha Ramam Advayam
samaṃ śivaṃ nirañjanaṃ bhajeha rāmamadvayam
even-minded, auspicious, spotless — here I worship Rama, the One without a second.
सहप्रपञ्चकल्पितं ह्यनामरूपवास्तवम् ।
Saha Prapancha Kalpitam Hyanama Rupa Vastavam
sahaprapañcakalpitaṃ hyanāmarūpavāstavam
Imagined together with the world, yet in truth without name and form,
निराकृतिं निरामयं भजेह राममद्वयम् ॥ ४ ॥
Nirakritim Niramayam Bhajeha Ramam Advayam
nirākṛtiṃ nirāmayaṃ bhajeha rāmamadvayam
formless and free of all affliction — here I worship Rama, the One without a second.
निष्प्रपञ्चनिर्विकल्पनिर्मलं निरामयम् ।
Nishprapancha Nirvikalpa Nirmalam Niramayam
niṣprapañcanirvikalpanirmalaṃ nirāmayam
Beyond the world, beyond all thought-forms, spotless and untouched by suffering,
चिदेकरूपसन्ततं भजेह राममद्वयम् ॥ ५ ॥
Chidekarupa Santatam Bhajeha Ramam Advayam
cidekarūpasantataṃ bhajeha rāmamadvayam
whose one unbroken form is pure consciousness — here I worship Rama, the One without a second.
भवाब्धिपोतरूपकं ह्यशेषदेहकल्पितम् ।
Bhavabdhi Pota Rupakam Hyashesha Deha Kalpitam
bhavābdhipotarūpakaṃ hyaśeṣadehakalpitam
The boat that carries us across the ocean of worldly life, appearing in every body,
गुणाकरं कृपाकरं भजेह राममद्वयम् ॥ ६ ॥
Gunakaram Kripakaram Bhajeha Ramam Advayam
guṇākaraṃ kṛpākaraṃ bhajeha rāmamadvayam
the mine of virtues, the mine of mercy — here I worship Rama, the One without a second.
महावाक्यबोधकैर्विराजमानवाक्पदैः ।
Mahavakya Bodhakair Virajamana Vakpadaih
mahāvākyabodhakairvirājamānavākpadaiḥ
Shining in the words that teach the great sayings of the Upanishads,
परं च ब्रह्म व्यापकं भजेह राममद्वयम् ॥ ७ ॥
Param Cha Brahma Vyapakam Bhajeha Ramam Advayam
paraṃ ca brahma vyāpakaṃ bhajeha rāmamadvayam
the supreme, all-pervading Brahman — here I worship Rama, the One without a second.
शिवप्रदं सुखप्रदं भवच्छिदं भ्रमापहम् ।
Shivapradam Sukhapradam Bhavacchidam Bhramapaham
śivapradaṃ sukhapradaṃ bhavacchidaṃ bhramāpaham
Giver of blessings and happiness, who cuts the bonds of worldly life and removes delusion,
विराजमानदैशिकं भजेह राममद्वयम् ॥ ८ ॥
Virajamana Daishikam Bhajeha Ramam Advayam
virājamānadaiśikaṃ bhajeha rāmamadvayam
the radiant teacher — here I worship Rama, the One without a second.
रामाष्टकं पठति यः सुकरं सुपुण्यं व्यासेन भाषितमिदं शृणुते मनुष्यः ।
Ramashtakam Pathati Yah Sukaram Supunyam Vyasena Bhashitam Idam Shrinute Manushyah
rāmāṣṭakaṃ paṭhati yaḥ sukaraṃ supuṇyaṃ vyāsena bhāṣitamidaṃ śṛṇute manuṣyaḥ
Whoever reads or hears this easy and most holy Rama Ashtakam, spoken by Vyasa,
विद्यां श्रियं विपुलसौख्यमनन्तकीर्तिं सम्प्राप्य देहविलये लभते च मोक्षम् ॥ ९ ॥
Vidyam Shriyam Vipula Saukhyam Ananta Kirtim Samprapya Deha Vilaye Labhate Cha Moksham
vidyāṃ śriyaṃ vipulasaukhyamanantakīrtiṃ samprāpya dehavilaye labhate ca mokṣam
gains learning, prosperity, abundant happiness and endless fame, and when the body falls away, attains liberation.
This Rama Ashtakam, attributed to Vyasa, is short, rhythmic and quietly profound. It opens with Rama’s beauty and his power to destroy sin, and then moves into the language of Vedanta.
Rama here is advaya — “without a second.” He is the one who reveals our own true nature, peaceful and spotless, beyond name and form, formless and free from illness, pure consciousness. He is the boat across the ocean of worldly life and the meaning of the great Upanishadic sayings.
The closing verse promises learning, prosperity, happiness and fame in life, and liberation at its end, to whoever reads or hears it.
The Adhyatma Ramayana, a text close to this hymn in spirit, retells the whole Ramayana as a teaching on the Self: Rama is pure consciousness, Sita is his power, and the story is the play of the Divine.
This ashtakam carries the same vision in eight brief verses.
When to chant
How many times
Once or three times.
Sit quietly before an image of Rama.
Chant each verse slowly, letting the refrain “bhajeha ramam advayam” sink in.
In the later verses, rest in the idea of Rama as your own deepest Self.
End in silence.
The sounds that trip people up most in this hymn, and how to say them.
advayam
ud-va-yum — “without a second.”
khaṇḍanam
khun-da-num.
niṣprapañca
nish-pra-pun-cha.
Who wrote the Rama Ashtakam?
The closing verse attributes it to Vyasa.
What does Bhajeha Ramam Advayam mean?
“Here I worship Rama, the One without a second.”
What are the benefits of the Rama Ashtakam?
The closing verse promises learning, prosperity, great happiness and lasting fame, and liberation at the end of life.