Om Jai Shiv Omkara Aarti

The best-loved Hindi aarti of Shiva, in whom Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are one

'Om Jai Shiv Omkara' is the most widely sung Hindi aarti of Lord Shiva. It hails Shiva as Omkara, the sacred syllable Om, and declares that Brahma, Vishnu and Sadashiva are one in it. Its eight core stanzas end with the signature of 'Swami Shivanand'; many families add four more about Kailash, the Ganga and Kashi Vishwanath. It is sung once at the close of Shiva puja.

The aarti: eight core stanzas

Sources differ more for this aarti than for most. The core text below follows Bhakti Bharat, which agrees almost word for word with Drik Panchang, and has been compared line by line with the aarti collection on sanskritdocuments.org. All three give the same eight stanzas in the same order, ending with the 'Shivanand Swami' signature. The main differences in wording are listed further down. In singing, the second half of each first line is usually repeated with 'Swami', and the refrain 'Om jay śiv oṃkārā' follows every stanza.

ॐ जय शिव ओंकारा, स्वामी जय शिव ओंकारा । ब्रह्मा विष्णु सदाशिव, अर्द्धांगी धारा ॥
oṃ jay śiv oṃkārā, svāmī jay śiv oṃkārā | brahmā viṣṇu sadāśiv, arddhāṃgī dhārā ||
Meaning: Om, victory to Shiva, embodiment of Omkara; victory, O Lord, Shiva who is Om! Brahma, Vishnu and Sadashiva, and he who bears his consort as half of his body.
एकानन चतुरानन पंचानन राजे । हंसासन गरूड़ासन वृषवाहन साजे ॥
ekānan caturānan paṃcānan rāje | haṃsāsan garūṛāsan vṛṣavāhan sāje ||
Meaning: You shine as the one-faced (Vishnu), the four-faced (Brahma) and the five-faced (Shiva); you are seen seated on the swan, on Garuda and on the bull.
दो भुज चार चतुर्भुज दसभुज अति सोहे । त्रिगुण रूप निरखते त्रिभुवन जन मोहे ॥
do bhuj cār caturbhuj dasabhuj ati sohe | triguṇ rūp nirakhate tribhuvan jan mohe ||
Meaning: With two arms, four arms and ten arms you look most splendid; beholding your form of the three gunas, the people of the three worlds are enchanted.
अक्षमाला वनमाला मुण्डमाला धारी । चंदन मृगमद सोहै भाले शशिधारी ॥
akṣamālā vanamālā muṇḍamālā dhārī | caṃdan mṛgamad sohai bhāle śaśidhārī ||
Meaning: You wear the rosary of rudraksha, the garland of forest flowers and the garland of skulls; sandal paste and musk adorn you, and you bear the moon on your brow.
श्वेताम्बर पीताम्बर बाघम्बर अंगे । सनकादिक गरुणादिक भूतादिक संगे ॥
śvetāmbar pītāmbar bāghambar aṃge | sanakādik garuṇādik bhūtādik saṃge ||
Meaning: White garments, yellow garments and the tiger skin are on your body; Sanaka and the sages, Garuda and others, and the hosts of spirits accompany you.
कर के मध्य कमंडल चक्र त्रिशूलधारी । सुखकारी दुखहारी जगपालन कारी ॥
kar ke madhy kamaṃḍal cakr triśūladhārī | sukhakārī dukhahārī jagapālan kārī ||
Meaning: In your hands you hold the water-pot, the discus and the trident; you give happiness, remove sorrow and sustain the world.
ब्रह्मा विष्णु सदाशिव जानत अविवेका । प्रणवाक्षर में शोभित ये तीनों एका ॥
brahmā viṣṇu sadāśiv jānat avivekā | praṇavākṣar meṃ śobhit ye tīnoṃ ekā ||
Meaning: The undiscerning think Brahma, Vishnu and Sadashiva are separate; in the sacred syllable Om these three shine as one.
त्रिगुणस्वामी जी की आरति जो कोइ नर गावे । कहत शिवानंद स्वामी सुख संपति पावे ॥
triguṇasvāmī jī kī ārati jo koi nar gāve | kahat śivānaṃd svāmī sukh saṃpati pāve ||
Meaning: Whoever sings this aarti of the Lord of the three gunas, says Swami Shivanand, receives happiness and prosperity.

Four stanzas commonly added

Bhakti Bharat prints the following four stanzas under the heading 'Addition', and Drik Panchang includes them before the final stanza. They are not in the sanskritdocuments.org text. They are widely sung, especially in North Indian homes and temples.

लक्ष्मी व सावित्री पार्वती संगा । पार्वती अर्द्धांगी, शिवलहरी गंगा ॥
lakṣmī va sāvitrī pārvatī saṃgā | pārvatī arddhāṃgī, śivalaharī gaṃgā ||
Meaning: Lakshmi, Savitri and Parvati are with you; Parvati is your other half, and the Ganga is Shiva's wave.
पर्वत सोहैं पार्वती, शंकर कैलासा । भांग धतूर का भोजन, भस्मी में वासा ॥
parvat sohaiṃ pārvatī, śaṃkar kailāsā | bhāṃg dhatūr kā bhojan, bhasmī meṃ vāsā ||
Meaning: Parvati graces the mountain, Shankara dwells on Kailash; bhang and datura are his food, and he lives amid sacred ash.
जटा में गंग बहत है, गल मुण्डन माला । शेष नाग लिपटावत, ओढ़त मृगछाला ॥
jaṭā meṃ gaṃg bahat hai, gal muṇḍan mālā | śeṣ nāg lipaṭāvat, oṛhat mṛgachālā ||
Meaning: The Ganga flows in his matted hair, a garland of skulls is at his throat; the serpent Shesha coils around him and he wears a deerskin.
काशी में विराजे विश्वनाथ, नंदी ब्रह्मचारी । नित उठ दर्शन पावत, महिमा अति भारी ॥
kāśī meṃ virāje viśvanāth, naṃdī brahmacārī | nit uṭh darśan pāvat, mahimā ati bhārī ||
Meaning: In Kashi reigns Vishwanath, with the celibate Nandi; those who rise daily for his darshan know how great is his glory.

Variant readings

Major differences among the three sources consulted:

Refrain: sanskritdocuments.org has 'oṃ jay śiv oṃkārā, svāmī har śiv oṃkārā' and 'ardhāṅgī dhārā'.
Stanza 4, second line: Bhakti Bharat and sanskritdocuments.org: 'candan mṛgamad sohai bhāle śaśidhārī'. Drik Panchang: 'tripurārī kaṃsārī kar mālā dhārī'.
Stanza 5, second line: sanskritdocuments.org reads 'sanakādik brahmādik bhūtādik saṃge' (Brahma and others) for 'garuṇādik'.
Stanza 6: sanskritdocuments.org: 'kar meṃ śreṣṭh kamaṇḍalu cakra triśūl dhartā, jagakartā jagahartā jag pālan kartā' (creator, destroyer and sustainer of the world).
Stanza 7, second line: Drik Panchang: 'praṇavākṣar madhye ye tīnoṃ ekā'.
Last stanza: Drik Panchang: '…kahat śivānand svāmī manavāñchit phal pāve'. sanskritdocuments.org: 'nirguṇ śiv kī āratī jo koī nar gāve … man vāñchit phal pāve'.

Origin and authorship

The aarti names its poet only in the signature line 'kahat Śivānand svāmī'. Nothing more certain is known about this Swami Shivanand, and the aarti's date is not recorded; it belongs to the same family of Hindi aartis as 'Om Jai Jagdish Hare', and shares its metre and tune. The phrase 'Swami Shivanand' should not be confused with the twentieth-century Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, for whom no such link has been shown.

The aarti is notably non-sectarian. Its second stanza describes Shiva as one-faced, four-faced and five-faced, riding the swan, Garuda and the bull: the forms and mounts of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. Its seventh stanza draws the lesson: only the undiscerning see these three as separate, for in the syllable Om they are one. This reflects the old idea of the Trimurti and of Om (A-U-M) as containing creation, preservation and dissolution.

Meaning and imagery

The aarti moves through a series of images. Shiva wears three garlands, the rudraksha rosary of the ascetic, the forest-flower garland associated with Vishnu, and the garland of skulls of the destroyer; three kinds of garment, white, yellow and tiger skin; and in his hands the kamandalu, discus and trident, again joining Brahma's, Vishnu's and Shiva's emblems. He is surrounded by sages like Sanaka, by Garuda and by his own ganas. In the added stanzas the picture becomes homelier: Parvati on the mountain, Shiva on Kailash living on bhang and datura amid ash, the Ganga in his hair, the serpent around him, and Vishwanath enthroned at Kashi with Nandi. The whole is a hymn to Shiva as the One who is everything, both terrible and kind, ascetic and householder.

How and when to sing it

The Shiva aarti is sung at the close of Shiva puja, morning and evening, and especially on Mondays, on Pradosh, throughout the month of Shravan and on Maha Shivaratri, when it may be sung after each prahar of night worship.

1. After abhisheka of the Shiva-linga with water or milk and the offering of bilva leaves, prepare a plate with a ghee lamp or camphor, flowers and incense. 2. Ring the bell and wave the lamp clockwise before the linga or image while singing. 3. Sing the eight core stanzas, and the four added ones if that is your family's custom, returning to the refrain after each. 4. Offer the flame to all present, then offer prasad and conclude with 'Om Namah Shivaya' or a prayer for forgiveness.

The aarti is sung once in full.

Benefits described in tradition

The closing stanza states its fruit: whoever sings the aarti of the Lord of the three gunas gains happiness and prosperity, or in other versions the fulfilment of the heart's wishes. Devotees also believe that singing it with devotion brings Shiva's protection, removes sorrow (he is 'sukhakārī dukhahārī', giver of joy and remover of sorrow) and turns the mind to the unity of the Divine. These are statements of faith and tradition.

For this puja and path

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Questions pilgrims ask

Who wrote 'Om Jai Shiv Omkara'?

The aarti's last stanza names 'Swami Shivanand' ('kahat Shivanand Swami'). Little else is known about him, and the date of composition is not recorded.

What does 'Om Jai Shiv Omkara' mean?

'Victory to Shiva, who is Omkara, the sacred syllable Om.' The aarti teaches that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are one within Om.

How many stanzas does the Shiv aarti have?

Eight core stanzas, ending with the Shivanand signature. Many families add four more (about Lakshmi, Savitri and Parvati; Kailash; the Ganga; and Kashi Vishwanath).

When should Shiv ji ki aarti be sung?

At the end of Shiva puja, daily, and especially on Mondays, Pradosh, during Shravan and on Maha Shivaratri.

Why does the Shiva aarti mention Brahma and Vishnu?

It presents Shiva as the one Lord whose forms include Brahma and Vishnu, with their mounts and emblems, and says only the undiscerning see them as separate, since all three are one in Om.

Sources

Last researched: 2026-10-29

Om Jai Shiv Omkara Aarti

✺The aarti: eight core stanzas

✺Four stanzas commonly added

✺Variant readings

✺Origin and authorship

✺Meaning and imagery

✺How and when to sing it

✺Benefits described in tradition