Durga Saptashati Tantrokta Ratri Suktam: Lyrics & Meaning

Tantrokta Ratri Suktam is the hymn with which Brahma praised Yoganidra – the Goddess as the divine sleep of Vishnu – in the first chapter of the Devi Mahatmya. In fifteen verses it praises Bhagavati as the power behind creation, preservation and dissolution, as the sacred sound, as Mahamaya and Mahavidya, as the three nights – Kalaratri, Maharatri and Moharatri – and as the qualities that live in all beings. It ends with Brahma's prayer: bewilder the demons Madhu and Kaitabha and awaken Vishnu so that he may slay them.

In the Shri Durga Saptashati sequence it is recited after the Vedokta Ratri Suktam. On this page you can read it in Sanskrit with English transliteration and the meaning of each verse.

What Is Tantrokta Ratri Suktam?

"Tantrokta" means "as stated in the Tantra". Where the Vedokta Ratri Suktam comes from the Rigveda, this hymn comes from the Devi Mahatmya, which the tradition treats as a Tantric text. Both are addressed to the Goddess as Night.

The hymn has a story behind it. At the end of a cosmic age, Vishnu lay in Yoganidra, his divine sleep, on the serpent Shesha. Two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, sprang from the dirt of his ears and rushed to kill Brahma, who sat on the lotus rising from Vishnu's navel. Unable to wake Vishnu, Brahma praised the Goddess who held him in sleep, asking her to leave Vishnu's body and bewilder the demons. These fifteen verses are that hymn.

It is called a Ratri Suktam because Brahma praises the Goddess as Nidra – sleep, the night of Vishnu – and as Kalaratri, Maharatri and Moharatri, the three great nights (Verse 7).

Place of Tantrokta Ratri Suktam in Durga Saptashati

In the sequence set out in the Sankalpa of the Path Vidhi, the Tantrokta Ratri Suktam is the last of the preliminary hymns before the Devi Atharvashirsha:

Devi Kavacham → Argala Stotram → Keelakam Stotram → Vedokta Ratri Suktam → Tantrokta Ratri Suktam → Devi Atharvashirsha

Nyasa and Navarna Japa follow, and then the main Saptashati begins – where these same verses are met again in the first chapter, in their place in the story. The order and the accompanying prayers can vary by tradition or edition, so devotees should follow the method prescribed by their Guru or family tradition. The complete procedure is given in the Shri Durga Saptashati Path Vidhi.

Tantrokta Ratri Suktam Sanskrit Lyrics with English Meaning

॥ अथ तन्त्रोक्तं रात्रिसूक्तम् ॥

Verse 1

ॐ विश्वेश्वरीं जगद्धात्रीं स्थितिसंहारकारिणीम्।
निद्रां भगवतीं विष्णोरतुलां तेजसः प्रभुः॥१॥

Om Vishveshvarim Jagaddhatrim Sthiti-Samhara-Karinim |
Nidram Bhagavatim Vishnor Atulam Tejasah Prabhuh || 1 ||

Meaning: Brahma, the lord of splendour, praised Bhagavati Nidra – the incomparable Yoganidra of Vishnu – who is Vishveshvari, the sovereign of the universe, Jagaddhatri, the support of the world, and the cause of its preservation and dissolution.

ब्रह्मोवाच (Brahmovacha – Brahma said)

Verse 2

त्वं स्वाहा त्वं स्वधा त्वं हि वषट्कारः स्वरात्मिका।
सुधा त्वमक्षरे नित्ये त्रिधा मात्रात्मिका स्थिता॥२॥

Tvam Svaha Tvam Svadha Tvam Hi Vashatkarah Svaratmika |
Sudha Tvam Akshare Nitye Tridha Matratmika Sthita || 2 ||

Meaning: You are Svaha, the offering to the gods; you are Svadha, the offering to the ancestors; you are the Vashatkara, and you are the very self of sacred sound. You are nectar, O eternal and imperishable one, and you abide as the three matras of Om – A, U and M.

Verse 3

अर्धमात्रास्थिता नित्या यानुच्चार्या विशेषतः।
त्वमेव सन्ध्या सावित्री त्वं देवि जननी परा॥३॥

Ardhamatra-Sthita Nitya Yanuchcharya Visheshatah |
Tvameva Sandhya Savitri Tvam Devi Janani Para || 3 ||

Meaning: You are the eternal one who abides in the half-matra beyond them, which cannot be pronounced distinctly. You alone are Sandhya, you are Savitri, and you, O Goddess, are the supreme Mother.

Verse 4

त्वयैतद्धार्यते विश्वं त्वयैतत्सृज्यते जगत्।
त्वयैतत्पाल्यते देवि त्वमत्स्यन्ते च सर्वदा॥४॥

Tvayaitad Dharyate Vishvam Tvayaitat Srijyate Jagat |
Tvayaitat Palyate Devi Tvam Atsyante Cha Sarvada || 4 ||

Meaning: By you this universe is upheld; by you this world is created; by you it is protected, O Goddess; and by you it is always consumed at the end.

Verse 5

विसृष्टौ सृष्टिरूपा त्वं स्थितिरूपा च पालने।
तथा संहृतिरूपान्ते जगतोऽस्य जगन्मये॥५॥

Visrishtau Srishti-Rupa Tvam Sthiti-Rupa Cha Palane |
Tatha Samhriti-Rupante Jagato'sya Jaganmaye || 5 ||

Meaning: At its creation you are the form of creation; in its preservation you are the form of sustenance; and at the end of this world you are the form of dissolution, O you who pervade the world.

Verse 6

महाविद्या महामाया महामेधा महास्मृतिः।
महामोहा च भवती महादेवी महासुरी॥६॥

Mahavidya Mahamaya Mahamedha Mahasmritih

Mahamoha Cha Bhavati Mahadevi Mahasuri || 6 ||

Meaning: You are Mahavida, the great knowledge; Mahamaya, the great illusion; Mahamedha, the great intellect; Mahasmriti, the great memory; and Mahamoha, the great delusion. You are Mahadevi, the great Goddess, and also Mahasuri, the great power that works even in the Asuras.

Verse 7

प्रकृतिस्त्वं च सर्वस्य गुणत्रयविभाविनी।
कालरात्रिर्महारात्रिर्मोहरात्रिश्च दारुणा॥७॥

Prakritis Tvam Cha Sarvasya Gunatraya-Vibhavini |
Kalaratrir Maharatrir Moharatrish Cha Daruna || 7 ||

Meaning: You are Prakriti, the primordial nature of all, which brings forth the three gunas. You are Kalaratri, the night of time; Maharatri, the great night; and the dreadful Moharatri, the night of delusion.

Verse 8

त्वं श्रीस्त्वमीश्वरी त्वं ह्रीस्त्वं बुद्धिर्बोधलक्षणा।
लज्जा पुष्टिस्तथा तुष्टिस्त्वं शान्तिः क्षान्तिरेव च॥८॥

Tvam Shris Tvam Ishvari Tvam Hris Tvam Buddhir Bodha-Lakshana |
Lajja Pushtis Tatha Tushtis Tvam Shantih Kshantir Eva Cha || 8 ||

Meaning: You are Shri, prosperity; you are Ishvari, the sovereign; you are Hri, modesty; and you are Buddhi, intelligence, whose mark is understanding. You are Lajja, bashfulness; Pushti, nourishment; Tushti, contentment; Shanti, peace; and Kshanti, forgiveness.

Verse 9

खड्गिनी शूलिनी घोरा गदिनी चक्रिणी तथा।
शङ्खिनी चापिनी बाणभुशुण्डीपरिघायुधा॥९॥

Khadgini Shulini Ghora Gadini Chakrini Tatha |
Shankhini Chapini Bana-Bhushundi-Parighayudha || 9 ||

Meaning: You wield the sword and the trident; you are terrible to behold; you bear the mace, the discus, the conch and the bow; and arrows, the Bhushundi and the Parigha, the iron club, are your weapons.

Verse 10

सौम्या सौम्यतराशेषसौम्येभ्यस्त्वतिसुन्दरी।
परापराणां परमा त्वमेव परमेश्वरी॥१०॥

Saumya Saumyatarashesha-Saumyebhyas Tvatisundari |
Paraparanam Parama Tvameva Parameshvari || 10 ||

Meaning: You are gentle, gentler than all that is gentle, and more beautiful than all that is beautiful. You are the highest of both the high and the low; you alone are Parameshvari, the Supreme Goddess.

Verse 11

यच्च किञ्चित् क्वचिद्वस्तु सदसद्वाखिलात्मिके।
तस्य सर्वस्य या शक्तिः सा त्वं किं स्तूयसे तदा॥११॥

Yachcha Kinchit Kvachid Vastu Sadasad Vakhilatmike |
Tasya Sarvasya Ya Shaktih Sa Tvam Kim Stuyase Tada || 11 ||

Meaning: O you who are the self of all! Whatever thing exists anywhere, manifest or unmanifest, the power of all of it is you. How, then, can you be praised?

Verse 12

यया त्वया जगत्स्रष्टा जगत्पात्यत्ति यो जगत्।
सोऽपि निद्रावशं नीतः कस्त्वां स्तोतुमिहेश्वरः॥१२॥

Yaya Tvaya Jagat-Srashta Jagat Patyatti Yo Jagat |
So'pi Nidravasham Nitah Kas Tvam Stotum Iheshvarah || 12 ||

Meaning: Even he who creates, protects and consumes the world – Vishnu himself – has been put to sleep by you. Who here, then, is able to praise you?

Verse 13

विष्णुः शरीरग्रहणमहमीशान एव च।
कारितास्ते यतोऽतस्त्वां कः स्तोतुं शक्तिमान् भवेत्॥१३॥

Vishnuh Sharira-Grahanam Aham Ishana Eva Cha |
Karitas Te Yato'tas Tvam Kah Stotum Shaktiman Bhavet || 13 ||

Meaning: It is you who have caused Vishnu, myself and Shiva to take embodied form. Who, then, could have the power to praise you?

From here Brahma turns from praise to his prayer.

Verse 14

सा त्वमित्थं प्रभावैः स्वैरुदारैर्देवि संस्तुता।
मोहयैतौ दुराधर्षावसुरौ मधुकैटभौ॥१४॥

Sa Tvam Ittham Prabhavaih Svair Udarair Devi Samstuta |
Mohayaitau Duradharshav Asurau Madhu-Kaitabhau || 14 ||

Meaning: Praised thus, O Goddess, for your own noble powers, bewilder these two unassailable demons, Madhu and Kaitabha.

Verse 15

प्रबोधं च जगत्स्वामी नीयतामच्युतो लघु।
बोधश्च क्रियतामस्य हन्तुमेतौ महासुरौ॥१५॥

Prabodham Cha Jagat-Svami Niyatam Achyuto Laghu |
Bodhash Cha Kriyatam Asya Hantum Etau Mahasurau || 15 ||

Meaning: Quickly bring Achyuta, the Lord of the world, to wakefulness, and rouse his understanding, so that he may slay these two great demons.

॥ इति तन्त्रोक्तं रात्रिसूक्तं समाप्तम् ॥

|| Iti Tantroktam Ratri Suktam Samaptam ||

Meaning: Thus ends the Tantrokta Ratri Suktam.

Significance of Tantrokta Ratri Suktam

The hymn builds its praise in stages, each widening the last, until Brahma admits that no praise can reach the Goddess – and only then makes his request.

Verses	What the hymn says
1	Who is praised: Yoganidra, the sovereign and support of the universe
2–3	The Goddess as sacred sound: Svaha, Svadha, Vashatkara, the three matras of Om and the half-matra beyond them; Sandhya, Savitri, the supreme Mother
4–5	The Goddess as the power of creation, preservation and dissolution
6–7	Her great powers – Mahavidya, Mahamaya, Mahamedha, Mahasmriti, Mahamoha – and her three nights: Kalaratri, Maharatri, Moharatri
8–10	The qualities she is in all beings – Shri, Buddhi, Lajja, Pushti, Tushti, Shanti, Kshanti – the weapons she bears, and her beauty beyond all beauty
11–13	Beyond praise: she is the power in everything, and even Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva act and take form through her
14–15	Brahma’s prayer: bewilder Madhu and Kaitabha and awaken Vishnu

Its lasting significance lies in where it stands: at the very opening of the Devi Mahatmya it establishes that the Goddess is the Shakti behind the Trimurti themselves – the theme the whole Saptashati goes on to tell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are Madhu and Kaitabha?

Madhu and Kaitabha are the two demons born from the dirt of Vishnu's ears while he lay in Yoganidra at the end of a cosmic age. They attacked Brahma, who praised the Goddess with this hymn so that she would release Vishnu from sleep. Vishnu awoke and fought the pair for five thousand years; when the Goddess deluded them into offering him a boon, he asked for their death and slew them on his thigh.

What is Yoganidra?

Yoganidra is the divine sleep in which Vishnu rests between cosmic ages. The Devi Mahatmya presents it not as mere sleep but as the Goddess herself – Mahamaya – holding the Lord of the universe. That is why Brahma can wake Vishnu only by praising her.

How is the Tantrokta Ratri Suktam different from the Vedokta Ratri Suktam?

The Vedokta Ratri Suktam is a Rigvedic hymn of eight verses to Ratri, the Goddess of Night, asking for protection through the night. The Tantrokta is Brahma's hymn from the Devi Mahatmya – fifteen verses praising the Goddess as the supreme Shakti who holds Vishnu in sleep. In the Saptashati sequence the Vedic hymn is recited first, then this one.

Why does the hymn say the Goddess cannot be praised (Verses 11–13)?

Because every power, including the power of the one who praises her, is hers. Vishnu creates, sustains and withdraws the world by her and is himself put to sleep by her; Brahma and Shiva take their forms by her. Brahma's point is that praise itself comes from a power she has given, so no praise can measure her.

Conclusion

Tantrokta Ratri Suktam is Brahma's recognition, at the very beginning of the Devi Mahatmya, that the Goddess is the power behind the gods themselves: she creates, sustains and dissolves the world, she is the sacred sound and the three nights, and even Vishnu sleeps by her will. Recited after the Vedokta Ratri Suktam in the Durga Saptashati sequence, it sets the theme the whole Saptashati goes on to tell.