About the Lakshmi Shobhane
Sri Vadiraja Tirtha woke up one morning at Brahmi Muhurta and composed this song. Five hundred years later, you still cannot have a Madhva wedding without it. It is in Kannada, not Sanskrit. It tells the story of how Mahalakshmi rose out of the churning ocean of milk, and how Vishnu took her hand. The sumangalis gather around the bride and groom and lift the refrain: 'Shōbhāne, shōbhāne, shubha-shōbhāne.' For as long as the song lasts, the couple are not themselves. They are Lakshmi and Narayana, and the song is the blessing. The form is the shōbhane, a Kannada folk genre of auspicious wedding-song with a returning chorus. Unmarried girls sing it for a good husband. Newlyweds sing it for a long marriage. Mothers sing it for daughters who are about to leave the house. It is a raksha. A protection.
Chant the full Lakshmi Shobhane in ChantWise
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Chant all 58 verses → The opening verses are below.
Pallavi
1
shobhaanavènnirè suraròl̤u shubhaganigè
shobhaanavènni sugunanigè
shobhaanavènnirè trivikramaraayagè
shobhaanavènni surapriyagè shobhaanè
Lakshmi Shobhane
2
lakshmeenaaraayanara caranakkè sharanèmbè
pakshivaahannagèraguvè
pakshivaahannagèraguvè anudina
rakshisali namma vadhoovarara
3
paalasaagaravannu leelèyali kadèyalu
baalè mahaalakshumi udisidal̤u
baalè mahaalakshumi udisidal̤aa devi
paalisali namma vadhoovarara
4
bòmmana pral̤ayadali tannarasiyòdagoodi
summanèyaagi malagippa
namma naaraayanagu ee rammègadigadigu
janmavèmbudu avataara
5
kambukamthada sutta kattida mamgal̤asootra
ambujavèradu karayugadi
ambujavèradu karayugadi dharisi
peetaambaravanuttu mèrèdal̤è
Pallavi
58
shobhaanavènnirè suraròl̤u shubhaganigè
shobhaanavènni sugunanigè
shobhaanavènnirè trivikramaraayagè
shobhaanavènni surapriyagè shobhaanè
That's the opening and the closing. The full Lakshmi Shobhane continues for 52 more verses in between.
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Chant all 58 verses → Frequently asked about Lakshmi Shobhane
- Who composed Lakshmi Shobhane?
- Lakshmi Shobhane is traditionally attributed to Sri Vadiraja Tirtha (Vadirajaru), 16th-century Madhva saint of Sode Mutt (Sri Vadiraja Tirtha's Lakshmi Shobhana Pada).
- How many verses are in Lakshmi Shobhane?
- Lakshmi Shobhane has 58 verses, set in the Shobhane - Kannada Folk/lullaby metre.
- Which deity is Lakshmi Shobhane addressed to?
- Lakshmi Shobhane is a prayer to Mahalakshmi.
- In which languages can I read Lakshmi Shobhane?
- ChantWise offers Lakshmi Shobhane in English, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati — including English (Simplified) (Simplified Phonetic script) on this page.
A simple place to start
The Lakshmi Shobhane is a song of blessing from Karnataka, written in plain English letters with no accent marks, for first-time readers. It was composed long ago by a Kannada saint named Vadiraja, and for hundreds of years people have sung it at weddings and happy occasions to bless the home. A shobhane is a wedding song, and this one welcomes Lakshmi, the Goddess of good fortune, and her Lord Narayana, and asks for prosperity, a happy marriage, and the wellbeing of the family. It comes from a beautiful tradition of Kannada devotional song. You do not need to know Kannada or Sanskrit to begin; the words are here in plain letters. So start with a little of it and sing along at your own pace.