Stotra

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Stotra (Sanskrit:सततत)(sometimes stotram,सतततमम) is a Sanskrit word that means "ode,
eulogy or a hymn of praise".[1][2] It is a literary genre of Indian religious texts
designed to be melodically sung, in contrast to a shastra which is composed to be
recited.[1]

A stotra can be a prayer, a description, or a conversation, but always with a

poetic structure. It may be a simple poem expressing praise and personal devotion
to a deity for example, or poems with embedded spiritual and philosophical
doctrines.[3]

Many stotra hymns praise aspects of the divine, such as Devi, Shiva, or Vishnu.
Relating to word "stuti", coming from the same Sanskrit root *stu- ("to praise"),
and basically both mean "praise". Notable stotras are Shiva Tandava Stotram in
praise of Shiva and Rama Raksha Stotra, a prayer for protection to Rama.

Stotras are a type of popular devotional literature. Among the early texts with
Stotras are by Kuresha,[clarification needed] which combine Ramanuja's Vedantic
ideas on qualified monism about Atman and Brahman (ultimate, unchanging reality),
with temple practices.[3]

Contents
1 Etymology
2 Example
3 Nama-stotra
4 Notable stotras
5 See also
6 References
6.1 Bibliography
7 External links
Etymology
Stotra comes from the Sanskrit root stu- which means "to praise, eulogize or laud".
[3] Literally, the term refers to "poems of praise".[4] The earliest trace of
Stotras are Vedic, particularly in the Samaveda.[4]

Example

A seated Ardhanarishvara with both the vahanas

The following is a Peterson translation of a Stotra by the Tamil poet Appar for
Ardhanarishvara, the Hindu concept of a god who incorporates both the masculine and
the feminine as inseparable halves.[5]
An earring of bright new gold one ear,
a coiled conch shell sways on the other,
On one side he chants the Vedic melodies,
on the other, he gently smiles,
Matted hair adorned with sweet konrai blossoms on one half of his head,
and a woman's curls on the other, he comes.
The one the nature of his form, the other of hers,
And both are the very essence of his beauty.

— Appar, Ardhanarishvara Stotra, [5]

Nama-stotra
The nama-stotra is based on chanting a litany of names for a deity. The
Sahasranama, a type of nama-stotra, is a litany of a thousand names for a
particular deity. Sahasranama means "1000 names"; Sahasra means 1000 and nama means
names. For example, Vishnu Sahasranama means 1000 names of Vishnu.[6] Other nama-
stotras may include 100 or 108 epithets of the deity. According to Hinduism, the
names of God are valuable tools for devotion.

Notable stotras
Shiva Tandava Stotram
Dakshinamurti Stotram
Shiv Mahimna Stotra
Panchakshara Stotra
Ram Raksha Stotra
Mahishasuramardini Stotra
Maruti Stotra
Agasti Lakshmi Stotra
Dvadasha Stotra
Jainism
Bhaktamara Stotra
See also
Khadgamala
List of suktas and stutis
References
Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University
Press, Article on Stotra
Apte 1965, p. 1005.
Nancy Ann Nayar (1992). Poetry as Theology: The Śrīvaiṣṇava Stotra in the Age of
Rāmānuja. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. ix–xi. ISBN 978-3447032551.
Nancy Ann Nayar (1992). Poetry as Theology: The Śrīvaiṣṇava Stotra in the Age of
Rāmānuja. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-3447032551.
Ellen Goldberg (2012). Lord Who Is Half Woman, The: Ardhanarisvara in Indian and
Feminist Perspective. State University of New York Press. pp. 91–96. ISBN 978-
0791488850.
Vishnu Sahasranamam on Hindupedia, the Online Hindu Encyclopedia
Bibliography