Shankar Aarti — Lavathavati Vikrala

Lavathavati Vikrala is the traditional aarti of Shankar — composed by Samarth Ramdas Swami, sung every evening in Shiv worship and especially on Mahashivratri and Shravani Somvar.

Deity: Shankar

Shankar

Mantra & aarti

Composer: Samarth Ramdas Swami (1608–1682 CE) — a contemporary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and author of the Manache Shlok and Dasbodh.

When to sing it: The daily evening Shiv aarti, Mahashivratri, Shravani Somvar (the Mondays of Shravan), and during jyotirlinga darshan.

Lavathavati vikrala brahmandi mala |Vishe kanth kala trinetri jwala |Lavanyasundar mastaki bala |Tethuniya jal nirmal vahe zulzula || 1 ||Jai dev jai dev jai Shrishankara |Aarti ovalu tuj karpurgaura || dhru ||Karpurgaura bhola nayani vishala |Ardhangi Parvati sumananchya mala |Vibhutiche udhalan shitikanth nila |Aisa Shankar shobhe Umavelhala || 2 ||Devi daityi sagarmanthan pai kele |Tyamaji je avachit halahal uthile |Te twa asurpane prashan kele |Nilkanth nam prasiddha zale || 3 ||Vyaghrambar phanivardhar sundar madanari |Panchanan manmohan munijansukhkari |Shatkotiche bij vache uchchari |Raghukultilak Ramdasa antari || 4 ||

Meaning (brief): O Shankar, you are fierce in form yet gentle at heart; the crescent moon rests on your head, and your throat is dark from poison, while a flame blazes in your three eyes. Parvati sits by your side. You drank the halahal poison that arose from the Samudra Manthan (the churning of the ocean) — and so you came to be known by the name Nilkanth, the blue-throated one. Clad in a tiger skin and five-faced, you dwell within Samarth Ramdas's heart as Raghukultilak — Lord Ram, the jewel of the Raghu clan.

The words and tune can vary slightly by household or sect. This text follows a traditional household Aarti Sangrah booklet.