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Stotra or Stotram स्तोत्र (stotra) is a Sanskrit word, for a hymn addressed to Divinity. It can be a prayer, a description, or a conversation. [1] These hymns praise aspects of the divine, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. Relating to word "stuti", coming from the same verb, stu (to praise), and basically both mean "praise". Notable stotra are Shiva Tandava Stotram in praise of Shiva and Ram Raksha Stotra a prayer for protection to Lord Rama.

Stotras are a type of popular devotional literature and are not bound by the strict rules as some other ancient Indian scriptures, such as the Vedas.

One type of stotra is based on chanting a litany of names for a deity. A category of stotra of that type is the Sahasranama, which is a litany of a thousand names for a particular deity. Sahasranama means "1000 names"; Sahasra means 1000 and nama means names. For example, Vishnu Sahasranama means 1000 names of Vishnu.[2] According to Hinduism, the names of God are valuable tools for devotion.

Notable stotras


See also


  1. For definition of स्तोत्र (stotra) as "A hymn of praise, panegyric", see: Apte 1965, p. 1005.
  2. Vishnu Sahasranamam on Hindupedia, the Online Hindu Encyclopedia


  • Apte, Vaman Shivram (1965), The Practical Sanskrit Dictionary (Fourth revised and enlarged ed.), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, ISBN 81-208-0567-4<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>

External links