Astro River InstituteThe aarti sung to the Goddess in homes and temples every evening of Navratri — "Jai Ambe Gauri" — with its words, its meaning line by line, and how the aarti is offered. This year's dates are in the box below.
At the end of every evening's worship in Navratri, the lamp is lifted. Someone rings a bell, someone claps, the room fills with the smell of camphor, and everyone sings the same few lines they have known since childhood: Jai Ambe Gauri, maiya jai Shyama Gauri…
That song is the aarti of Ambe, the Mother — the most widely sung aarti of the Goddess in North and West India, and the one most families mean when they say "the Navratri aarti". This page gives its words as they are printed in the standard edition of the Durga Saptashati, a meaning for each verse, and the way the aarti is offered at home.
Quick overview
- What aarti is: the waving of a lit lamp before the deity at the close of worship, with a song of praise.
- The Navratri aarti: Jai Ambe Gauri, thirteen short verses, each ending in the refrain Jai Ambe…
- Who wrote it: its last verse names Shivanand Swami. Tradition places him in Gujarat around 1600; that date is tradition, not established fact.
- When it is sung: at the end of the morning and evening worship on each of the nine days, and at the havan on Navami.
- What you need: a lamp with ghee or a camphor flame, a bell, flowers, and the family around you.
This year
Chaitra Navratri 2027: Wednesday 7 April to Thursday 15 April
9 days in New Delhi
- Ghatasthapana
- Wednesday 7 April: 06:05–10:17, the first part of the morning
- Abhijit (fallback)
- 11:58–12:49
- Good choghadiyas
- Labh 06:05–07:40 · Amrit 07:40–09:14 · Shubh 10:49–12:24
- Note
- Vaidhriti yoga from 07:26 through the abhijit muhurat. Disfavoured, not forbidden: where there is a choice, choose a time outside them.
Times are New Delhi clock time. Computed for each city from the positions of the Sun and Moon (Lahiri). Where your family or temple follows its own panchang, follow that.
How the aarti is offered at home
- Finish the worship first. The aarti closes the puja of the day: the kalash, the form of the night, the offering of bhog.
- Light the lamp — a ghee lamp with one or five wicks, or camphor on a plate. Stand facing the Goddess.
- Ring the bell with your left hand, if you have one, and hold the plate in your right.
- Wave the lamp in slow clockwise circles before the image or the kalash while the family sings.
- At the end, set the plate down, pass your palms over the flame and touch them to your eyes and head — taking the light. Offer it to everyone in the room.
On Ashtami and Navami, the aarti is also sung at the close of the sandhi puja and the havan.
Navratri: the nine nights, all on one page
Jai Ambe Gauri: the words and their meaning
The text below follows the standard edition printed with the Durga Saptashati. Families sing small variations — a word here, a spelling there — and every one of them is right. After each verse the refrain is repeated: Jai Ambe Gauri…
जय अम्बे गौरी मैया जय श्यामागौरी।
तुमको निशिदिन ध्यावत हरि ब्रह्मा शिव री॥
Jai Ambe Gauri, maiya jai Shyama Gauri, tumko nishidin dhyavat Hari Brahma Shiv ri.
Victory to you, Mother Ambe Gauri — victory to you, dark one and fair one. Night and day, Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva meditate on you.
माँग सिंदूर विराजत टीको मृगमदको।
उज्ज्वलसे दोउ नैना, चंद्रवदन नीको॥
Maang sindoor virajat, tiko mrigmad ko, ujjwal se dou naina, chandravadan neeko.
Vermilion shines in the parting of your hair, and a mark of musk on your brow. Your two eyes are bright; your face is lovely as the moon.
कनक समान कलेवर रक्ताम्बर राजै।
रक्त-पुष्प गल माला, कण्ठनपर साजै॥
Kanak samaan kalevar, raktambar raajai, rakt-pushp gal maala, kanthan par saajai.
Your body is like gold, and you shine in red. A garland of red flowers adorns your neck.
केहरि वाहन राजत, खड्ग खपर धारी।
सुर-नर-मुनि-जन सेवत, तिनके दुखहारी॥
Kehari vaahan raajat, khadag khappar dhaari, sur-nar-muni-jan sevat, tinke dukhhaari.
You ride in splendour on the lion, holding the sword and the skull-bowl. Gods, people and sages serve you, and you take away their sorrow.
कानन कुण्डल शोभित, नासाग्रे मोती।
कोटिक चंद्र दिवाकर सम राजत ज्योती॥
Kaanan kundal shobhit, naasaagre moti, kotik chandra divaakar sam raajat jyoti.
Earrings adorn your ears, a pearl the tip of your nose. Your light shines like millions of moons and suns.
शुम्भ निशुम्भ विदारे, महिषासुर-घाती।
धूम्रविलोचन नैना निशिदिन मदमाती॥
Shumbh Nishumbh bidaare, Mahishasur-ghaati, Dhoomravilochan naina nishidin madmaati.
You tore apart Shumbha and Nishumbha; you are the slayer of Mahishasura. Against Dhumralochana your eyes blazed; night and day they are bright with fervour. (The second line is sung and read in more than one way.)
चण्ड मुण्ड संहारे, शोणितबीज हरे।
मधु कैटभ दोउ मारे, सुर भयहीन करे॥
Chand Mund sanhaare, Shonitbeej hare, Madhu Kaitabh dou maare, sur bhayheen kare.
You destroyed Chanda and Munda and did away with Raktabija; you slew both Madhu and Kaitabha, and freed the gods from fear. These are the demons of the Devi Mahatmya, the scripture of Navratri.
ब्रह्माणी, रुद्राणी तुम कमलारानी।
आगम-निगम-बखानी, तुम शिव पटरानी॥
Brahmani, Rudrani, tum Kamla rani, aagam-nigam bakhaani, tum Shiv patrani.
You are Brahmani, Rudrani, and Kamala the queen. The scriptures and the Vedas sing of you; you are Shiva's chief queen.
चौंसठ योगिनि गावत, नृत्य करत भैरूँ।
बाजत ताल मृदंगा औ बाजत डमरू॥
Chaunsath yogini gaavat, nritya karat Bhairon, baajat taal mridanga au baajat damru.
The sixty-four yoginis sing and Bhairav dances; cymbals and drums sound, and the damaru.
तुम ही जगकी माता, तुम ही हो भरता।
भक्तनकी दुख हरता सुख सम्पति करता॥
Tum hi jag ki maata, tum hi ho bharta, bhaktan ki dukh harta, sukh sampati karta.
You alone are the mother of the world, and you its sustainer. You take away your devotees' sorrow and give them happiness and plenty.
भुजा चार अति शोभित, वर-मुद्रा धारी।
मनवाञ्छित फल पावत, सेवत नर-नारी॥
Bhuja chaar ati shobhit, var-mudra dhaari, manvaanchhit phal paavat, sevat nar-naari.
Your four arms are beautiful, one held in the gesture of giving boons. The men and women who serve you receive what their hearts desire.
कंचन थाल विराजत अगर कपुर बाती।
(श्री) मालकेतुमें राजत कोटिरतन ज्योती॥
Kanchan thaal viraajat, agar kapoor baati, (Shri) Maalketu mein raajat koti ratan jyoti.
On the golden plate are agarwood, camphor and the wick; the flame shines with the light of a million jewels. (The word Maalketu is read in more than one way.)
(श्री) अम्बेजीकी आरति जो कोइ नर गावै।
कहत शिवानँद स्वामी, सुख सम्पति पावै॥
(Shri) Ambeji ki aarti jo koi nar gaavai, kahat Shivanand Swami, sukh sampati paavai.
Whoever sings this aarti of the Mother, says Shivanand Swami, gains happiness and plenty.
Who wrote Jai Ambe Gauri
The aarti signs itself. Its last verse says kahat Shivanand Swami — "so says Shivanand Swami" — in the way devotional poets of North and West India put their names into the closing line of a song. A poet of aartis called Shivanand Swami is remembered in Gujarati literature. Popular accounts make him a poet of Surat and date the aarti to around 1600; that is a tradition, and we have not been able to confirm it from scholarship. He is not Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, the twentieth-century teacher.
The other aartis people search for
"Ambe Tu Hai Jagdambe Kali" is much loved, and many families sing it in Navratri. It is not a traditional aarti but a film song: it was written by the lyricist Bharat Vyas for the Hindi film Navratri (1955). Its words are still under copyright, so we do not reproduce them here.
The aarti of each of the nine forms — the separate songs for Shailaputri, Brahmacharini and the rest that many households sing day by day — are also modern. They come from the Shri Durga Stuti of Chaman Lal Bhardwaj "Chaman" of Amritsar, a twentieth-century devotional book whose author registered its copyright; each song ends with his pen name. We do not reproduce them either. On each night's page you will find instead that form's meditation verse, from the Sanskrit tradition, and her mantra.
Night 1 — Shailaputri · Night 6 — Katyayani · Night 9 — Siddhidatri
Questions we are asked
Which aarti is sung in Navratri? Most widely, Jai Ambe Gauri, the aarti of the Mother, sung at the end of the morning and evening worship on each of the nine days.
Who wrote Jai Ambe Gauri? Its last verse names Shivanand Swami. Tradition makes him a Gujarati poet of around 1600; that date is not confirmed by scholarship.
Is "Ambe Tu Hai Jagdambe Kali" a traditional aarti? No. It is a film song, written by Bharat Vyas for the film Navratri (1955), and is sung widely as a devotional song.
When should the Navratri aarti be done? At the end of the worship — morning and evening on each of the nine days, and at the close of the sandhi puja and the Navami havan.
How many times is the lamp waved? Families differ. The simplest way is slow clockwise circles before the Goddess for as long as the aarti is sung.
Where are the aartis of the nine forms? The popular day-by-day aartis are a modern author's copyrighted work, so we do not print them. Each night's page gives that form's Sanskrit meditation verse and mantra instead.
This page teaches. The dates are computed for each city from the positions of the Sun and Moon. Where a family or temple follows its own panchang, follow that.
Durga Ashtami and the sandhi puja · Maha Navami and the havan · The bhog for all nine days
