Ya Kundendu: Lyrics and Meaning
या कुन्देन्दु (सरस्वती वंदना)
Traditional Sanskrit verse; author unknown
"Yā kundendu" is a Sanskrit verse in praise of Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, speech and the arts. It is often called the Saraswati Vandana ("salutation to Sarasvati"). Students say it before study and before examinations, and families say it at Sarasvati puja on Vasant Panchami and during Navaratri.
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Verse
या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृताया वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना ।या ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दितासा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा ॥
Ya kundendutusharaharadhavala ya shubhravastravritaYa vinavaradandamanditakara ya shvetapadmasanaYa brahmachyutashankaraprabhritibhirdevaih sada vanditaSa mam patu sarasvati bhagavati nihsheshajadyapaha
IAST
yā kundendutuṣārahāradhavalā yā śubhravastrāvṛtāyā vīṇāvaradaṇḍamaṇḍitakarā yā śvetapadmāsanā |yā brahmācyutaśaṅkaraprabhṛtibhirdevaiḥ sadā vanditāsā māṃ pātu sarasvatī bhagavatī niḥśeṣajāḍyāpahā ||
In simple wordsThe goddess Sarasvati is as white as jasmine flowers, the moon, snow and a string of pearls, and she wears white clothes. Her hands hold a fine vina, a stringed instrument, and she sits on a white lotus. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and all the other gods always bow to her. May the goddess Sarasvati, who takes away all sleepiness and slowness of mind, look after us.
For grown-ups: our full explanation Word by word: yā, "she who"; kunda-indu-tuṣāra-hāra-dhavalā, white like the jasmine (kunda), the moon (indu), frost (tuṣāra) and a necklace of pearls (hāra); śubhra-vastra-āvṛtā, dressed in white clothes; vīṇā-vara-daṇḍa-maṇḍita-karā, whose hands are graced by the fine staff of the vina (the long neck of the instrument); śveta-padma-āsanā, seated on a white lotus; brahma-acyuta-śaṅkara- prabhṛtibhiḥ devaiḥ, by Brahma, Achyuta (Vishnu), Shankara (Shiva) and the other gods; sadā vanditā, always honoured; sā, she; mām, "me"; pātu, "may (she) protect"; sarasvatī bhagavatī, the goddess Sarasvati; niḥśeṣa-jāḍya-apahā, who takes away dullness (jāḍya) completely. The verse describes the goddess as all white and pure, holding the vina and honoured by all the gods, and then asks: "may that goddess Sarasvati, who removes all dullness of mind, protect me".
हिंदी अर्थ शब्दार्थ: या, "जो"; कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला, कुंद के फूल, चंद्रमा (इन्दु), हिम (तुषार) और मोतियों के हार की तरह श्वेत; शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता, श्वेत वस्त्र पहने हुए; वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा, जिनके हाथ वीणा के सुंदर दंड से सुशोभित हैं; श्वेतपद्मासना, श्वेत कमल पर बैठी हुई; ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः, ब्रह्मा, अच्युत (विष्णु), शंकर (शिव) आदि देवताओं द्वारा; सदा वन्दिता, सदा वंदना की जाती हुई; सा, वे; मां, "मेरी"; पातु, "रक्षा करें"; सरस्वती भगवती, देवी सरस्वती; निःशेषजाड्यापहा, जड़ता (बुद्धि की सुस्ती) को पूरी तरह दूर करने वाली। श्लोक देवी का श्वेत और निर्मल रूप बताता है, जिनके हाथ में वीणा है और जिनकी सब देवता वंदना करते हैं, और फिर प्रार्थना करता है: "वे देवी सरस्वती, जो बुद्धि की सारी जड़ता दूर करती हैं, मेरी रक्षा करें"।
Word by word
Every word, with its dictionary page
Word by word
- या yā · she who (relative pronoun (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला kundendutuṣārahāradhavalā · white as jasmine, moon, frost and pearls (compound, nominative singular (feminine)) Dictionary: kunda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 291, col. 2 “a kind of jasmine”; indu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 166, col. 1 “the moon”; tuṣāra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 452, col. 1 “frost, cold, snow”; 1. hāra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1289, col. 2 “a garland of pearls”; dhavala, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 513, col. 2 “white”
- या yā · she who (relative pronoun (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता śubhravastrāvṛtā · dressed in white clothes (compound, nominative singular (feminine)) Dictionary: śubhra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1084, col. 1 “radiant, shining, beautiful, splendid”; vastra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 932, col. 1 “cloth, clothes, garment, raiment, dress, cover”; ā-vṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 156, col. 1 “covered, concealed, hid; screened”
- या yā · she who (relative pronoun (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा vīṇāvaradaṇḍamaṇḍitakarā · whose hands are graced by the vina (compound, nominative singular (feminine)) Dictionary: vīṇā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1005, col. 1; 2. vara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 922, col. 1 “best, most excellent”; vīṇā-daṇḍa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1005, col. 1 “the neck or long rounded board of a lute”; maṇḍita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 775, col. 3 “adorned, decorated”; 1. kara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 253, col. 1 “the hand”
- या yā · she who (relative pronoun (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- श्वेतपद्मासना śvetapadmāsanā · seated on a white lotus (compound, nominative singular (feminine)) Dictionary: śveta-padma, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1107, col. 1 “a wh° lotus”; 1. āsana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 159, col. 3 “seat, place, stool”
- या yā · she who (relative pronoun (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिः brahmācyutaśaṅkaraprabhṛtibhiḥ · by Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the others (compound, instrumental plural) Dictionary: brahman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 738, col. 1 “Brahmā or the one impersonal universal Spirit manifested as a personal Creator”; a-cyuta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 9, col. 2 “not fallen; firm, solid; imperishable”; śaṃkara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1054, col. 3 “causing prosperity, auspicious, beneficent”; pra-bhṛti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 685, col. 1 “beginning, commencement”
- देवैः devaiḥ · by the gods (noun (masculine), instrumental plural) Dictionary: deva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 492, col. 2 “a deity, god”
- सदा sadā · always (indeclinable) Dictionary: sadā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1139, col. 2 “always, ever, every time, continually”
- वन्दिता vanditā · honoured, praised (past participle (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: vandita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 919, col. 2 “praised, extolled, celebrated”
- सा sā · she (pronoun (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: tad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 1 “m. he, f. she, n. it, that, this”
- माम् mām · "me" (pronoun, accusative singular) Dictionary: 1. mad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 777, col. 2 “base of the first pers. pron. in the sg. number”
- पातु pātu · may (she) protect (imperative, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 3. pā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 613, col. 2 “to watch, keep, preserve; to protect from, defend against”
- सरस्वती sarasvatī · Sarasvati (noun (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: sarasvatī, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1182, col. 3 “N. of the goddess of eloquence and learning”
- भगवती bhagavatī · the divine (goddess) (adjective (feminine), nominative singular) Dictionary: 2. bhagavat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 743, col. 3 “glorious, illustrious, divine, adorable, venerable”
- निःशेषजाड्यापहा niḥśeṣajāḍyāpahā · who removes all dullness of mind (compound, nominative singular (feminine)) Dictionary: niḥ-śeṣa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 538, col. 3 “complete, whole, entire, all”; jāḍya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 417, col. 2 “dulness, stupidity”; apa-ha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 53, col. 2 “ifc. keeping back, repelling, removing, destroying”
5 printings differ
Edition differences. Another printing or text reads this place differently.
- The printed edition reads: या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता
या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना ।
या बह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दिता
सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा ॥ ३ ॥ Printing flaw corrected: the page prints 'बह्माच्युत' without the r-stroke of 'ब्र' (zoomed; in the same line the r-stroke of 'प्र' is clear). 'Brahmā' is required by the sense and the metre, and the 1913 Madras printing (p. 6334, leaf n439) has 'ब्रह्माच्युत'. The printed verse number '३' between the closing double dandas is left out ('॥ ३ ॥' is shown as '॥'). - Word The 1913 Madras printing reads: या शुद्धवस्त्रावृता p. 6334, leaf n439: 'शुद्ध' (pure) for 'शुभ्र' (white).
- Word The 1913 Madras printing reads: या ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवैस्सदा पूजिता p. 6334, leaf n439: 'पूजिता' (worshipped) for 'वन्दिता' (honoured); also 'देवैस्सदा' for 'देवैः सदा' (visarga written as स्, a spelling convention).
- Spelling The 1913 Madras printing reads: निश्शेषजाड्यापहा p. 6334, leaf n439: visarga written as श् before श ('निश्शेष' for 'निःशेष'); same word.
- Word Today's text from sanskritdocuments.org reads: या ब्रह्माच्युत-शंकर-प्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा पूजिता 'पूजिता' ('worshipped') for 'वन्दिता' ('honoured'), as the 1913 Madras catalogue has. Today's Gita Press book of daily rites (p. 272, leaf n281) and sanskritdocuments.org's Marathi page print 'वन्दिता', as the 1930 printing does, so it stays.
Sanskrit text: Abhinavā Pāṭhāvaliḥ, part 3 (अभिनवा पाठावलिः, तृतीया), a Sanskrit school reader by Vinayak Pandurang Bokil and Lakshmikant Rangacharya Raddi, 1930. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. Source and changes
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Ya Kundendu
या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता
या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना ।
या ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दिता
सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा ॥
Ya kundendutusharaharadhavala ya shubhravastravrita
Ya vinavaradandamanditakara ya shvetapadmasana
Ya brahmachyutashankaraprabhritibhirdevaih sada vandita
Sa mam patu sarasvati bhagavati nihsheshajadyapaha
Word by word: yā, "she who"; kunda-indu-tuṣāra-hāra-dhavalā, white like the jasmine (kunda), the moon (indu), frost (tuṣāra) and a necklace of pearls (hāra); śubhra-vastra-āvṛtā, dressed in white clothes; vīṇā-vara-daṇḍa-maṇḍita-karā, whose hands are graced by the fine staff of the vina (the long neck of the instrument); śveta-padma-āsanā, seated on a white lotus; brahma-acyuta-śaṅkara- prabhṛtibhiḥ devaiḥ, by Brahma, Achyuta (Vishnu), Shankara (Shiva) and the other gods; sadā vanditā, always honoured; sā, she; mām, "me"; pātu, "may (she) protect"; sarasvatī bhagavatī, the goddess Sarasvati; niḥśeṣa-jāḍya-apahā, who takes away dullness (jāḍya) completely. The verse describes the goddess as all white and pure, holding the vina and honoured by all the gods, and then asks: "may that goddess Sarasvati, who removes all dullness of mind, protect me".
(Meaning written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition.)
Text: Macmillan and Company, Limited, Bombay, 1930 (public domain).
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About the Ya Kundendu
The verse first pictures the goddess. She is white like the jasmine flower, the moon, frost and a string of pearls; she wears white clothes; her hands hold the vina; she sits on a white lotus; and Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the other gods always honour her. It then asks her to protect the speaker and to take away all dullness of mind (jāḍya). The verse is in the śārdūlavikrīḍita metre, four lines of 19 syllables.
The author is not known. The text is read from a Sanskrit school reader printed in Bombay in 1930. A 1913 Madras catalogue of manuscripts prints the same verse at the end of a manual for Sarasvati worship at Navaratri, with two different words ("shuddha", pure, for "shubhra", white; "pūjitā", worshipped, for "vanditā", honoured); both are listed under the verse. No public-domain English translation was found, so the page shows our own meaning only.
How to say it
The long compounds are said as one breath group each: "kundendu-tuṣāra-hāra-dhavalā", "vīṇā-vara-daṇḍa-maṇḍita-karā", "brahmācyuta-śaṅkara-prabhṛtibhir devaiḥ". "Kundendu" is kunda + indu. "Mām" is written with the anusvara (मां) and spoken "mām". The metre gives each line a fixed pattern of long and short syllables; the printed text keeps it.
Festivals whose guides name this prayer
More daily prayers: on waking, before study, before meals and at lamp-lighting
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Who wrote the Ya Kundendu?
Traditional Sanskrit verse; author unknown.
Which text does this page follow?
Sanskrit text: Abhinavā Pāṭhāvaliḥ, part 3 (अभिनवा पाठावलिः, तृतीया), a Sanskrit school reader by Vinayak Pandurang Bokil and Lakshmikant Rangacharya Raddi, 1930. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. See the source
Source and licence
- Text
- Abhinavā Pāṭhāvaliḥ, part 3 (अभिनवा पाठावलिः, तृतीया), a Sanskrit school reader by Vinayak Pandurang Bokil and Lakshmikant Rangacharya Raddi (Vinayak Pandurang Bokil, Lakshmikant Rangacharya Raddi, Macmillan and Company, Limited, Bombay, 1930). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
- Our explanation
- Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the cited edition, October 15, 2026.
- Updated
- October 27, 2026