The text
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- Stanza 1
ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा, स्वामी जय शिव ओंकारा।ब्रह्मा, विष्णु, सदाशिव, अर्धांगी धारा॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā, svāmī jaya śiva oṅkārā।brahmā, viṣṇu, sadāśiva, ardhāṅgī dhārā॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om — victory to you, Lord, Shiva, the cosmic Om. Brahma, Vishnu, and Sadashiva — you who bear your consort as half of your own form. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
- Stanza 2
एकानन चतुरानन पंचानन राजे।हंसासन गरुड़ासन वृषवाहन साजे॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
ekānana caturānana pañcānana rāje।haṃsāsana garuḍāsana vṛṣavāhana sāje॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
With one face, four faces, and five faces you reign in splendor; adorned with the swan, with Garuda, and with the bull as your mounts. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
- Stanza 3
दो भुज चार चतुर्भुज दसभुज अति सोहे।त्रिगुण रूप निरखते त्रिभुवन जन मोहे॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
do bhuja cāra caturbhuja dasabhuja ati sohe।triguṇa rūpa nirakhate tribhuvana jana mohe॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
With two arms, four arms, and ten arms you appear most resplendent; beholding your three-fold form, the people of the three worlds are enchanted. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
- Stanza 4
अक्षमाला वनमाला मुण्डमाला धारी।त्रिपुरारी कंसारी कर माला धारी॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
akṣamālā vanamālā muṇḍamālā dhārī।tripurārī kaṃsārī kara mālā dhārī॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
You wear a rosary of rudraksha, a garland of forest flowers, and a garland of skulls; destroyer of Tripura, foe of Kansa, you hold the rosary in your hand. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
- Stanza 5
श्वेताम्बर पीताम्बर बाघम्बर अंगे।सनकादिक गरुणादिक भूतादिक संगे॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
śvetāmbara pītāmbara bāghambara aṅge।sanakādika garuṇādika bhūtādika saṅge॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
White garments, yellow garments, and a tiger skin upon your body; in the company of Sanaka and the sages, of Garuda and his kind, and of the spirit-hosts. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
- Stanza 6
कर के मध्य कमण्डलु चक्र त्रिशूलधारी।जगकर्ता जगभर्ता जगपालनकारी॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
kara ke madhya kamaṇḍalu cakra triśūladhārī।jagakartā jagabhartā jagapālanakārī॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
In your hands you hold the water-pot, the discus, and the trident; you are the creator, sustainer, and preserver of the world. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
- Stanza 7
ब्रह्मा विष्णु सदाशिव जानत अविवेका।प्रणवाक्षर मध्ये ये तीनों एका॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
brahmā viṣṇu sadāśiva jānata avivekā।praṇavākṣara madhye ye tīnõ ekā॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
Know Brahma, Vishnu, and Sadashiva to be without difference; within the syllable Om, these three are one. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
- Stanza 8
त्रिगुणस्वामी जी की आरति जो कोई नर गावे।कहत शिवानन्द स्वामी मनवांछित फल पावे॥ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा॥
triguṇasvāmī jī kī ārati jo koī nara gāve।kahata śivānanda svāmī manavāñchita phala pāve॥oṃ jaya śiva oṅkārā॥
Whoever sings this aarti of the Lord of the three qualities — says Swami Shivananda — receives the fruit their heart desires. Om, victory to Shiva, the cosmic Om!
Overview
Om Jai Shiv Omkara is an eight-stanza Hindi aarti to Shiva, sung with a refrain — the opening line itself — repeated after every stanza. It is a widely sung Shiva aarti in North Indian devotional practice, familiar even to people who know little else of the tradition’s longer texts, and is heard in homes and temples on Mondays, during Mahashivratri, and throughout the monsoon month of Sawan, all of which are especially associated with Shiva worship.
Origin and source
Om Jai Shiv Omkara is commonly attributed, like the similarly structured Om Jai Jagdish Hare, to Pandit Shraddha Ram Phillauri, a 19th-century Hindi and Punjabi poet-composer. The aarti’s own closing stanza, however, carries the signature “kahata Shivananda Swami” (“says Swami Shivananda”), a common convention in bhajan and aarti composition where the poet names themselves within the final verse — so some printings and oral traditions instead credit the text to a Swami Shivananda. Both attributions circulate, and this page does not resolve the question either way. Some longer printings of the aarti insert additional stanzas here — describing Parvati beside Shiva on Kailasa, the Ganga flowing through his matted hair, and Shiva enshrined as Vishwanath in Kashi — before the closing stanza; this page presents the eight-stanza form that is most consistently attested across sources.
How it is recited
The aarti is sung standing, usually to the accompaniment of a bell and a lit lamp waved before an image or lingam of Shiva, in the same call-and-response manner as other Hindi aartis: each stanza is sung, followed by the refrain “Om Jai Shiv Omkara.” It is most closely associated with Monday, the day of the week traditionally linked to Shiva, and is sung with particular devotion during Mahashivratri and across the month of Sawan, when many devotees observe fasts and visit Shiva temples.
Frequently asked questions
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Sourcing
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