Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga Mantra
Meaning, pronunciation and long-form chant of the Mallikarjuna verse
The second verse salutes Mallikarjuna on the heights of Srisailam, where Shiva is worshipped alongside the Goddess. It ends with one of the stotra's loveliest images: this Lord is the bridge across the ocean of worldly existence.
Jyotirlinga mantra — the Mallikarjuna verse of the Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram · 2h 30m chant
Verse 2 of 12 — part of the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram — all 12 verses.
Listen
This is Spiritual Awakening's own long-form recording — the official way to listen. There is no separate audio hosted on this page.
Best suited for: Facing something that feels impossible to get across · Devotion to Shiva and the Goddess together · Slow, climbing repetition
Sacred text
Devanagari
श्रीशैलश्रृङ्गे विबुधातिसङ्गे तुलाद्रितुङ्गेऽपि मुदा वसन्तम्। तमर्जुनं मल्लिकपूर्वमेकं नमामि संसारसमुद्रसेतुम्॥
IAST transliteration
Śrīśailaśṛṅge Vibudhātisaṅge Tulādrituṅge'pi Mudā Vasantam | Tamarjunaṃ Mallikapūrvamekaṃ Namāmi Saṃsārasamudrasetum ||
Simple pronunciation
Shree-shai-la-shrin-ge Vi-bu-dhaa-ti-san-ge Tu-laa-dri-tun-ge-pi Mu-daa Va-san-tam; Ta-mar-ju-nam Mal-li-ka-poor-va-me-kam Na-maa-mi Sam-saa-ra-sa-mud-ra-se-tum
Meaning
I bow to that one Mallikarjuna who dwells in joy on the lofty peak of Shri Shaila amid the company of the gods — the bridge across the ocean of worldly existence.
- Literal meaning
- On the crest of Shri Shaila, in the great company of the wise ones, dwelling joyfully upon the high mountain — to that one Arjuna, preceded by 'Mallika', I bow: the bridge across the sea of saṃsāra.
- Devotional interpretation
- A bridge does not remove the ocean; it lets you cross it. The verse does not promise that difficulty disappears — only that there is a way over, and that the way is a presence one can hold onto.
Word-by-word meaning
| Word | IAST | Literal meaning | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| श्रीशैलश्रृङ्गे | śrīśaila-śṛṅge | on the peak of Shri Shaila | The hill of Srisailam in present-day Andhra Pradesh. |
| विबुधातिसङ्गे | vibudha-ati-saṅge | in the great company of the gods | Vibudha literally means 'the wise ones' — a standard epithet for the gods. The peak is pictured as crowded with divine presences. |
| तुलाद्रितुङ्गे | tulādri-tuṅge | on the height of the lofty mountain | Tulādri may be read descriptively or as a place-name; either way the phrase emphasises the height of the sacred hill. |
| मुदा वसन्तम् | mudā vasantam | dwelling with delight | Shiva is not enduring the place — he is glad to be there. |
| तम् अर्जुनं | tam arjunaṃ | that Arjuna | 'Arjuna' here is part of the shrine's name, not the Mahabharata hero. |
| मल्लिकपूर्वम् | mallika-pūrvam | preceded by 'Mallika' | Together: Mallikārjuna — the name of the deity at Srisailam. |
| एकं | ekaṃ | the one | One without a second — a note of non-duality inside the praise. |
| नमामि | namāmi | I bow | The devotee's salutation. |
| संसारसमुद्रसेतुम् | saṃsāra-samudra-setum | the bridge across the ocean of existence | Saṃsāra as an ocean; Shiva as the means of crossing it. |
श्रीशैलश्रृङ्गेśrīśaila-śṛṅge
- Literal meaning
- on the peak of Shri Shaila
- Explanation
- The hill of Srisailam in present-day Andhra Pradesh.
विबुधातिसङ्गेvibudha-ati-saṅge
- Literal meaning
- in the great company of the gods
- Explanation
- Vibudha literally means 'the wise ones' — a standard epithet for the gods. The peak is pictured as crowded with divine presences.
तुलाद्रितुङ्गेtulādri-tuṅge
- Literal meaning
- on the height of the lofty mountain
- Explanation
- Tulādri may be read descriptively or as a place-name; either way the phrase emphasises the height of the sacred hill.
मुदा वसन्तम्mudā vasantam
- Literal meaning
- dwelling with delight
- Explanation
- Shiva is not enduring the place — he is glad to be there.
तम् अर्जुनंtam arjunaṃ
- Literal meaning
- that Arjuna
- Explanation
- 'Arjuna' here is part of the shrine's name, not the Mahabharata hero.
मल्लिकपूर्वम्mallika-pūrvam
- Literal meaning
- preceded by 'Mallika'
- Explanation
- Together: Mallikārjuna — the name of the deity at Srisailam.
एकंekaṃ
- Literal meaning
- the one
- Explanation
- One without a second — a note of non-duality inside the praise.
नमामिnamāmi
- Literal meaning
- I bow
- Explanation
- The devotee's salutation.
संसारसमुद्रसेतुम्saṃsāra-samudra-setum
- Literal meaning
- the bridge across the ocean of existence
- Explanation
- Saṃsāra as an ocean; Shiva as the means of crossing it.
Translations are prepared with editorial review against the Sanskrit text, transliteration and English master meaning. Sanskrit words may carry layers of meaning that no single translation can fully express.
How to chant
Preparation
- Sit a little taller than feels necessary — this verse is set on a peak.
- Bring to mind one thing you are trying to cross before you begin.
Pronunciation notes
- Śrīśailaśṛṅge — the 'śṛ' is a soft 'shri' with a light rolled r; take it slowly the first few times.
- Saṃsārasamudrasetum is the verse's longest word and its whole point — give it room.
How many times
Because the closing image is a bridge, some chant it a fixed number of times while picturing the crossing — nine or eleven works well. There is no prescribed count.
To close
End by simply noticing that the ocean is still there and the bridge is too.
How to use the recording
Chanting along
Repeat along, letting the final word — setum, the bridge — land clearly each time.
Meditation
Rest attention on the peak: gods gathered, and one figure dwelling there in plain delight.
Prayer or pūjā
Suited to a moment when you want to ask for passage rather than for rescue.
Sleep listening
The rising-and-settling shape of the verse works well at low volume as the day closes.
Morning practice
A good verse for a morning that has something difficult in it.
Background atmosphere
Leave it playing while you work through something demanding; it holds the idea of crossing in the room.
Background & sourcesClassification, origin, historical context, symbolism, intentions & occasions
What kind of sacred text is this?
This is chanted as a mantra, and it helps to know exactly what it is: textually it is verse 2 of the Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram, a twelve-verse hymn in which each verse salutes one Jyotirlinga. Its protective, settling feeling comes from that devotion rather than from a limb-by-limb protective hymn. Chanted alone it stands complete as a salutation to Mallikarjuna; read in sequence with the other eleven it becomes a pilgrimage in sound. You can read the whole hymn on the Dwadasha Jyotirlinga Stotram — all 12 verses page.
Origin and textual source
- Tradition / work
- Dvādaśa Jyotirliṅga Stotram
- Section
- Verse 2 of 12 — the Mallikarjuna verse
- Attribution
- Traditionally attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
- Variants
- Spellings and word-splits vary slightly between printed editions of the stotra.
Historical and devotional context
Srisailam, on a hill above the Krishna river, is one of the most important Shaiva sites of southern India. It is unusual in being revered both as a Jyotirlinga and, with the Goddess Bhramaramba, as a Shakti Pitha — so Shiva and the Goddess are worshipped there together.
Pilgrims climb to Srisailam in large numbers, and the verse is chanted both on the way and from far away. Its closing image — the bridge — makes it a natural verse to turn to when something feels impossible to get across.
Symbolism and inner meaning
- The mountain peak: devotion as ascent, and the divine as something met above the ordinary din.
- 'Dwelling with delight' presents Shiva as joyfully present, not remote or severe.
- The bridge over saṃsāra: not the removal of difficulty, but a way through it.
Traditionally associated intentions
Traditional purpose
- Salutation to Shiva as worshipped at Mallikarjuna
- Devotional remembrance of the twelve Jyotirlingas
- Recitation as part of the complete stotra
Devotional intentions
- Devotion
- Surrender
- Reverence for the sacred shrines
- Inner steadiness
This recording is for
- Long-form devotional chanting
- Meditation
- Calm listening before sleep
- A quiet devotional atmosphere at home
A note on wellbeing: The verse offers a way through rather than a way out; many find that framing itself steadying. It is devotional practice, not treatment.
When is it traditionally chanted?
Monday (Somvār) and Pradosha
Days traditionally kept for Shiva worship. The verse may be chanted on any day with devotion — these are customs, not conditions.
Maha Shivaratri
Many devotees recite the complete twelve-verse stotra through the night of Shivaratri.
Maha Shivaratri at Srisailam
Srisailam is thronged at Shivaratri, and is unusual in being revered as both Jyotirlinga and Shakti Pitha — many chant to the Goddess there in the same visit.
Related mantras
2h 31mSomnath Jyotirlinga Mantra
सौराष्ट्रदेशे विशदेऽतिरम्ये ज्योतिर्मयं चन्द्रकलावतंसम्। भक्तिप्रदानाय कृपावतीर्णं तं सोमनाथं शरणं प्रपद्ये॥
2h 30mMangalam Bhagwan Shambhu — Shiva Mangala Sloka
मंगलम् भगवान शम्भु, मंगलम् वृषभध्वज। मंगलम् पार्वती नाथो, मंगलम् तनो हर।।
2h 8mShivoham Shivoham — 'I am Shiva'
शिवोहम् शिवोहम् शिवोहम् शिवोहम्