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Two short prayers to Saraswati as Sharada — “Salutations, Goddess Sharada, who dwells in Kashmir; I pray to you always, give me the gift of learning” — with a playful verse that repeats each word twice.
Traditional Saraswati shlokas
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Sharada Stuti
Son of Kali · Power of Saraswati
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.
नमस्ते शारदे देवि काश्मीरपुरवासिनि ।
Namaste Sharade Devi Kashmira Pura Vasini
namaste śārade devi kāśmīrapuravāsini
Salutations to you, O Goddess Sharada, who dwells in Kashmir;
त्वामहं प्रार्थये नित्यं विद्यादानं च देहि मे ॥
Tvamaham Prarthaye Nityam Vidyadanam Cha Dehi Me
tvāmahaṃ prārthaye nityaṃ vidyādānaṃ ca dehi me
I pray to you always — grant me the gift of knowledge.
शारदा शारदाम्भोजवदना वदनाम्बुजे ।
Sharada Sharadambhoja Vadana Vadanambuje
śāradā śāradāmbhojavadanā vadanāmbuje
May Sharada, whose face is like an autumn lotus, in the lotus of our mouths —
सर्वदा सर्वदास्माकं सन्निधिं सन्निधिं क्रियात् ॥
Sarvada Sarvadasmakam Sannidhim Sannidhim Kriyat
sarvadā sarvadāsmākaṃ sannidhiṃ sannidhiṃ kriyāt
the giver of all, always — make her presence felt, she who is our true treasure.
Śāradā is a name of Saraswati, especially as she was worshipped in Kashmir, once one of the great centres of Sanskrit learning. The ancient Sharada Peeth temple gave its name to the Sharada script, and Kashmir itself was called Sharada Desha, “the land of Sharada.”
The first verse, “Namaste Sharade Devi,” is one of the simplest prayers for learning: “I pray to you always — give me knowledge.” It is chanted by students all over India.
The second is a delightful piece of Sanskrit word-play: śāradā śāradāmbhoja…, sarvadā sarvadāsmākaṃ, sannidhiṃ sannidhiṃ — each word appears twice with two different meanings. It asks Sharada, whose face is like an autumn lotus, to be present in our speech always.
Scholars once travelled to Sharada Peeth to have their works approved. Tradition tells that Adi Shankaracharya ascended its “throne of all knowledge” only after answering questions from scholars at each of its four gates.
The temple now lies in ruins, but the prayer “Namaste Sharade Devi” keeps its spirit alive.
When to chant
How many times
3 or 11 times.
Sit with your books or instrument before you.
Join your palms and chant slowly.
Picture clear white light filling your mind.
Begin your work.
The sounds that trip people up most in this hymn, and how to say them.
śārade
shaa-ra-day.
kāśmīrapuravāsini
kaash-mee-ra-pu-ra-vaa-si-ni.
sannidhiṃ
sun-ni-dhim — “presence.”
What does Namaste Sharade Devi mean?
“Salutations, O Goddess Sharada, who dwells in Kashmir. I always pray to you — please give me the gift of learning.”
Who is Sharada?
Sharada is Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, especially as worshipped in Kashmir and at Sringeri in Karnataka.
Why does the second verse repeat words?
It is a classic Sanskrit word-play: each repeated word has two meanings — for example, sarvadā means both “always” and “giver of everything.”