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The complete Saraswati Chalisa – two opening dohas, forty chaupais, and a closing doha. A short English meaning sits below every verse. Toggle the script to read in Devanagari, romanized, or both side-by-side.
जनक जननि पद्मरज, निज मस्तक पर धरि। बन्दौं मातु सरस्वती, बुद्धि बल दे दातारि॥
Janak janani padma-raj, nij mastak par dhari. Bandau mat Saraswati, buddhi bal de datari.
Placing the dust of my parents' lotus feet on my head, I bow to Mother Saraswati. O giver of all that is good, grant me intellect and strength.
जय श्री सकल बुद्धि बलरासी। जय सर्वज्ञ अमर अविनाशी॥
Jai Shri sakal buddhi balrasi. Jai sarvajna amar avinashi.
Hail to the treasury of all wisdom and strength. Hail to the all-knowing, immortal, indestructible one.
जय जय जय वीणाकर धारी। करती सदा सुहंस सवारी॥
Jai jai jai veena-kar dhari. Karti sada suhans savari.
Hail, hail, hail – holder of the veena. You always ride upon the beautiful swan, the hans.
रूप चतुर्भुज धारी माता। सकल विश्व अन्दर विख्याता॥
Roop chaturbhuj dhari mata. Sakal vishva andar vikhyata.
O Mother, you bear the four-armed form. You are renowned across the entire world.
जग में पाप बुद्धि जब होती। तबही धर्म की फीकी ज्योति॥
Jag mein paap buddhi jab hoti. Tabhi dharma ki phiki jyoti.
Whenever sinful thinking spreads through the world, the light of dharma begins to dim.
तबहि मातु का निज अवतारा। पाप हीन करती महितारा॥
Tabhi mat ka nij avtara. Paap hin karti mahitara.
At such times, O Mother, you take your own avatar. You purify the earth of sin – the great mother of all.
बाल्मीकि जी थे हत्यारा। तव प्रसाद जानै संसारा॥
Valmiki ji the hatyara. Tav prasad janai sansara.
Valmiki was once a robber. The whole world knows it was by your grace alone that he became the great sage.
रामचरित जो रचे बनाई। आदि कवि पदवी को पाई॥
Ramcharit jo rache banai. Adi kavi padvi ko pai.
He composed the Ramayana – the story of Ram. By that he earned the title of adi-kavi, the first poet.
कालीदास जो भये विख्याता। तेरी कृपा दृष्टि से माता॥
Kalidas jo bhaye vikhyata. Teri kripa drishti se mata.
Kalidasa, who became world-famous as a poet, became so only because of your gracious glance, O Mother.
तुलसी सूर आदि विद्वाना। भये और जो ज्ञानी नाना॥
Tulsi Sur adi vidvana. Bhaye aur jo gyani nana.
Tulsidas, Surdas, and so many other learned men. And countless other wise ones who came after them...
तिन्ह न और रहेउ अवलम्बा। केवल कृपा आपकी अम्बा॥
Tinh na aur raheu avalamba. Keval kripa apki Amba.
...had no other support. Their only refuge was your grace alone, O Amba.
करहु कृपा सोई मातु भवानी। दुखित दीन निज दासहि जानी॥
Karahu kripa soi matu Bhavani. Dukhit deen nij dasahi jani.
Show that same grace upon me, O Mother Bhavani. Knowing me as your sorrowful, helpless servant.
पुत्र करई अपराध बहूता। तेहि न धरई चित्त सुन्दर माता॥
Putra karai aparadh bahuta. Tehi na dharai chitt sundar mata.
A son makes many mistakes. The kind mother does not hold them in her heart.
राखु लाज जननि अब मेरी। विनय करउ भाँति बहुतेरी॥
Rakhu laaj janani ab meri. Vinay karau bhanti bahuteri.
O mother, protect my honour now. I plead with you in many, many ways.
मैं अनाथ तेरी अवलम्बा। कृपा करहु जय जय जगदम्बा॥
Main anath teri avalamba. Kripa karahu jai jai Jagadamba.
I am orphan-like, with you alone as my support. Show me grace – hail, hail, Jagadamba, mother of the worlds.
मधुकैटभ जो अति बलवाना। बाहुयुद्ध विष्णु से ठाना॥
Madhu-Kaitabh jo ati balvana. Bahu-yuddha Vishnu se thana.
The demons Madhu and Kaitabha were extremely powerful. They engaged Vishnu himself in single combat.
समर हजार पांच में घोरा। फिर भी मुख उनसे नहीं मोरा॥
Samar hazar panch mein ghora. Phir bhi mukh unse nahin mora.
For five thousand fierce battles. Yet they did not turn their faces from him.
मातु सहाय कीन्ह तेहि काला। बुद्धि विपरीत भई खलहाला॥
Matu sahay kinha tehi kala. Buddhi vipreet bhai khalhala.
At that moment, O Mother, you came to Vishnu's aid. The intellect of those wicked ones turned upside down.
तेहि ते मृत्यु भई खल केरी। पुरवहु मातु मनोरथ मेरी॥
Tehi te mrityu bhai khal keri. Puravahu matu manorath meri.
And so the death of those wicked ones came about. O Mother, fulfill the wishes of my heart in the same way.
चंड मुण्ड जो थे विख्याता। छण मह संहारेउ माता॥
Chand Mund jo the vikhyata. Chhan mah sanharyeu mata.
Chanda and Munda were renowned demons. In a single moment you destroyed them, O Mother. (The Devi Mahatmya episode where Chamunda is named after this slaying.)
रक्त बीज से समरथ पापी। सुरमुनि हृदय धरा सब काँपी॥
Rakt-beej se samarath papi. Sur-muni hriday dhara sab kanpi.
The wicked one as powerful as Raktabeej – every drop of his blood became another demon. The hearts of devas, sages, and the earth itself trembled.
काटेउ सिर जिम कदली खम्बा। बार बार बिनऊं जगदम्बा॥
Kateu sir jim kadali khamba. Bar bar binau Jagadamba.
You cut his head off as easily as a banana stem is cut. Again and again I bow to you, Jagadamba.
जग प्रसिद्धि जो शुम्भ निशुम्भा। क्षण में वधे ताहि तू अम्बा॥
Jag prasiddhi jo Shumbh Nishumbha. Kshan mein vadhe tahi tu Amba.
Shumbha and Nishumbha were famous across the world for their power. In a single instant, O Amba, you slew them both.
भरत-मातु बुद्धि फेरेऊ जाई। रामचन्द्र वनवास कराई॥
Bharat-matu buddhi pheryeu jai. Ramchandra vanvas karai.
It was you who turned Kaikeyi's mind. And so Ramchandra had to go into exile – the Ramayana's pivotal moment, the verse acknowledges, was set in motion by Devi's will.
एहिविधि रावन वध तू कीन्हा। सुर नर मुनि सबको सुख दीन्हा॥
Ehi-vidhi Ravan vadh tu kinha. Sur nar muni sabko sukh dinha.
In this way, you brought about Ravana's death. You gave happiness to gods, men, and sages alike.
को समरथ तव यश गुन गाना। निगम अनादि अनन्त बखाना॥
Ko samarath tav yash gun gana. Nigam anadi anant bakhana.
Who is capable of singing your fame and qualities? Even the Vedas, beginningless and infinite, only describe a fraction of you.
विष्णु रुद्र अज सकहिं न हमारी। जिनकी हो तुम रक्षाकारी॥
Vishnu Rudra Aj sakahin na hamari. Jinki ho tum rakshakari.
Even Vishnu, Rudra (Shiva), and Aj (Brahma) cannot fully describe you. You are the protector of even those great ones.
रक्त दन्तिका और शताक्षी। नाम अपार है दानव भक्षी॥
Rakt-dantika aur Shatakshi. Nam apar hai danav-bhakshi.
Rakta-dantika and Shatakshi (the hundred-eyed) – your names are countless, all of them devourers of demons.
दुर्गम काज धरा पर कीन्हा। दुर्गा नाम सकल जग लीन्हा॥
Durgam kaaj dhara par kinha. Durga nam sakal jag linha.
You accomplished the impossible work on this earth. From which the whole world took to calling you Durga – "the unassailable."
दुर्ग आदि हरनी तू माता। कृपा करहू जब जब सुखदाता॥
Durg adi harani tu mata. Kripa karahu jab jab sukh-data.
O Mother, you are the remover of every difficulty. Show your grace – be the giver of happiness whenever it is needed.
नृप कोपित को मारन चाहै। कानन में घेरे मृग नाहै॥
Nrip kopit ko maran chahai. Kanan mein ghere mrig nahai.
When an angry king seeks to kill, when one is surrounded by predators in a forest...
सागर मध्य पोत के भंजे। अति तुफान नहिं कोऊ संगे॥
Sagar madhya pot ke bhanje. Ati tufaan nahin kou sange.
...when one's ship breaks in the middle of the ocean in a great storm, with no one alongside...
भूत-प्रेत बाधा या दुःख में। हो दरिद्र अथवा संकट में॥
Bhoot-pret badha ya dukh mein. Ho daridra athva sankat mein.
...whether tormented by ghosts and harmful spirits, lost in sorrow, struck by poverty, or any kind of calamity...
नाम जपे मंगल सब होई। संशय इसमें करइ न कोई॥
Nam jape mangal sab hoi. Sanshay isme karai na koi.
...whoever chants your name finds that everything turns auspicious. Let no one have any doubt in this.
पुत्रहीन जो आतुर भाई। सबै छाँड़ पूजें एहि माई॥
Putrahin jo atur bhai. Sabai chhand pujein ehi mai.
Whoever is childless and longs for a son. Setting all else aside, let them worship this Mother.
करै पाठ नित यह चालीसा। होय पुत्र सुन्दर गुण ईशा॥
Karai paath nit yah Chalisa. Hoy putra sundar gun isha.
Whoever recites this Chalisa every day, a beautiful and virtuous son is born to them. (This is a verse of devotional faith, not a guarantee – framed in the older idiom of household prayer.)
धूपादि नैवेद्य चढ़ावै। संकट रहित अवश्य हो जावै॥
Dhoopadi naivedya chadhavai. Sankat rahit avashya ho jaavai.
Offer incense and food with devotion. Without doubt, all troubles will be lifted.
भक्ति मातु की करैं हमेशा। निकट न आवै ताहि कलेशा॥
Bhakti matu ki karain hamesha. Nikat na avai tahi klesha.
Whoever serves the Mother with steady devotion – grief will not come near them.
बंदी पाठ करें सत बारा। बंदी पाश दूर हो सारा॥
Bandi paath karein sat bara. Bandi paash door ho sara.
If a prisoner recites this Chalisa one hundred times, every chain of his bondage will fall away. (The traditional 100-paath anushthan prescription.)
रामसागर बाधि हेतु भवानी। कीजै कृपा दास निज जानी॥
Ramsagar badhi hetu Bhavani. Kijai kripa das nij jani.
Ramsagar, in his bonds, prays to you, Bhavani. Show grace, knowing him as your own servant. This is the composer's signature line – the one verse that names the author.
Why this chalisa
What the Saraswati Chalisa is recited for, and what people turn to it for.
Wisdom and clarity in study
The Chalisa names every great poet of the tradition – Valmiki (verse 6-7), Kalidasa (8), Tulsidas, Surdas (9) – as a recipient of Saraswati's grace. Many students recite the Chalisa daily during exam preparation, and many homes begin a child's schooling with a Saraswati paath. For deeper practice, devotees pair it with the Ganesh Chalisa – Ganesha removes obstacles, Saraswati grants the clarity to see through them.
Strength in speech and the arts
Verse 2 names Saraswati as veena-kar dhari – holder of the veena. Musicians, singers, dancers, and writers across India recite the Chalisa before performances and creative work. Vasant Panchami is the day on which classical musicians traditionally first dedicate a new instrument or composition to her.
A daily anchor for creative discipline
At seven minutes a day, the Chalisa is short enough to keep up over years. Reciting it on waking gives the mind a sacred start before any work that depends on language, thought, or art – which is most of modern professional life. The fixed form gives the day a structure that does not drift with mood or schedule.
Help during exams and high-stakes moments
Verse 30-33 names many situations of trouble – an angry king, predators in a forest, a ship in storm, harmful spirits, sorrow, poverty, calamity – and says that taking shelter in the Mother's name is the steady response. Many devotees recite the Chalisa daily through difficult phases or during a stretch of Shani sade sati, holding to this teaching.
Path to deeper Devi-bhakti
Verses 15-22 narrate Saraswati's identification with the warrior Devi – her hand in the slaying of Madhu-Kaitabha, Chanda-Munda, Raktabeej, and Shumbha-Nishumbha. The Chalisa makes the deeper teaching clear: Saraswati and Durga are not separate goddesses but two faces of the same Mother. Mahasaraswati is one of the three forms invoked through the nine nights of Navratri.
Companion for Ganesh, Lakshmi, Gayatri
Saraswati sits naturally with three others. Ganesh is the obstacle-remover paired with her for students. Lakshmi is the wealth-goddess paired with her in the Tridevi (knowledge + abundance + power). Gayatri is the Vedic mother of mantras and the older lineage that flows into Saraswati. Many homes recite all four during major life events.
Origin
The Saraswati Chalisa is signed in its closing chaupai by Ramsagar – a saint-poet whose name appears in verse 39: "Ramsagar badhi hetu Bhavani, kijai kripa das nij jani." The word badhi in the line means "in bonds" or "captive," which some traditions read literally (the poet composed it in prison) and others read as a metaphor for the bondage of the soul in worldly life. Beyond this signature, very little is known about Ramsagar with certainty. Many published copies attribute the Chalisa simply to "tradition" – an honesty worth preserving.
The text does not record a date of composition. By language and style the Saraswati Chalisa is generally placed in the 18th-19th century CE, written in a simple Hindi with Awadhi influence – the everyday idiom of north India in that period, not Sanskrit kept aside for scholars. The Chalisa is shorter than the Hanuman Chalisa (forty-three verses by Tulsidas) and the Ganesh Chalisa (forty-one), but follows the same form: a forty-verse hymn of praise framed by an opening salutation.
Saraswati herself is the goddess of knowledge, learning, music, and the arts. The Vedic tradition holds her as the river-goddess Saraswati of the Rig Veda, later identified with the goddess of speech (Vac) and learning. Iconographically she carries the veena (a stringed musical instrument), a book of the Vedas, a mala (rosary), and is seated on a white swan – which the Chalisa names in its opening verses. Verses 6-9 list the great poets and scholars she has graced: Valmiki who wrote the Ramayana, Kalidasa, Tulsidas, Surdas. Verses 15-22 tie her to the warrior Devi, identifying Mahasaraswati with the slayer of Madhu-Kaitabha, Chanda-Munda, Raktabeej, and Shumbha-Nishumbha – making her one face of the Tridevi alongside Lakshmi and Durga.
The Chalisa's wider companions are the Gayatri Chalisa (the Vedic mother of mantras, the older lineage that flows into Saraswati worship), the Ganesh Chalisa (paired in the household pre-study sequence – first Ganesha for the obstacle removed, then Saraswati for the wisdom granted), the Lakshmi Chalisa (the sister-goddess of the Tridevi, recited together at major life events), and the Brahma Chalisa (consort, but in practice rarely paired – Brahma worship is less common in the household sphere).
How to recite
A simple, sustainable approach. Nothing here is a hard rule – devotion shapes the form, not the other way around.
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Preparation
Bathe and wear clean clothes if you can – traditionally white or pale yellow, the colours of Saraswati. Sit in a clean space facing east or north-east, or before your home Saraswati murti or picture if you have one. The traditional offerings are a white flower (lotus, jasmine, or any white bloom), a small diya with ghee, a tulsi or rose bead mala for japa, and a stick of sandalwood or kewra incense. None of this is strictly required. The Chalisa was written for everyday recitation, with or without samagri – many people recite it at the desk before opening a book.
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Posture and start
Sit cross-legged on a mat, or in a chair, with your spine comfortably straight. Bow once. Take a moment of silence to settle the mind. If you are reciting before study or creative work, offer a brief sankalp – name the date, the place, and the work at hand. Begin with the opening doha (Janak janani padma-raj...) slowly. Saying it aloud has its own merit because the sound itself is an offering, but silent reciting works just as well in offices, libraries, and during travel.
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Recitation
Move through the thirty-nine chaupais without rushing. The verses have a steady rhythm – let the rhythm carry you rather than reading word by word. Verses 6-10 list the great poets and are often read with a small pause for each name. Verses 15-22 narrate the Devi battles and may be recited with more vigour. End with the closing chaupai (the Ramsagar signature). The full recitation takes about seven minutes spoken aloud at a comfortable pace. Devotion matters more than perfect pronunciation.
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After
Sit quietly with eyes closed for a moment. Many people end with the bija mantra Om Aim Saraswatyai Namah recited 11 or 21 times – aim is the seed-syllable of Saraswati. If you have a wish or a difficulty in mind, mentally offer the punya of the recitation toward it before getting up. Some traditions add a closing line of namaskar to one's own guru and family deity (kuldevta).
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Daily practice and special days
One paath a day – morning or before any creative or studious work – is enough for steady daily practice. Wednesdays are especially auspicious. Vasant Panchami in Magh (late January or early February) is the major festival – schools, music academies, and households install a clay murti and recite 11 or 21 paaths through the day. Sharad Navratri brings the autumn Saraswati Puja, often on Lalita Panchami (the fifth night) or the seventh through ninth nights. For specific wishes – an exam, an audition, a court hearing, a performance – traditions suggest 11, 21, 41, or 108 paaths over a fixed period leading up to the day.