When it is sung
Sung during the nine nights of Navratri, at Durga Puja, and at any Devi temple or home shrine when the lamp is offered. In most households it is the aarti of the evening puja, followed by Om Jai Jagdish Hare to close.
- Ghatasthapana (Navratri begins)
Sung each of the nine nights
- Durga Ashtami
- Vijayadashami
Dussehra
Full text, with meaning
Each line of the verse, with its romanisation beneath and what the verse says after it.
Tek (the refrain)
जय अम्बे गौरी, मैया जय श्यामा गौरी।
Jai Ambe Gauri, Maiya Jai Shyama Gauri
तुमको निशिदिन ध्यावत, हरि ब्रह्मा शिवरी॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Tumko nishidin dhyavat, Hari Brahma Shivri
Meaning
Victory to Ambe the fair one, mother, victory to Shyama the dark one. Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva hold you in mind night and day. The two names in one line are the point: she is both the pale goddess and the dark one, Gauri and Shyama at once.
Verse 1
माँग सिंदूर विराजत, टीको मृगमदको।
Maang sindoor virajat, teeko mrigmad ko
उज्ज्वलसे दोउ नैना, चंद्रवदन नीको॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Ujjwal se dou naina, chandravadan neeko
Meaning
Vermilion sits in the parting of her hair and a mark of musk on her forehead; both her eyes are lit, and her face is fair as the moon.
Verse 2
कनक समान कलेवर, रक्ताम्बर राजै।
Kanak saman kalevar, raktambar raje
रक्त-पुष्प गल माला, कण्ठनपर साजै॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Rakta-pushp gal mala, kanthan par saje
Meaning
Her body is the colour of gold and she is dressed in red; a garland of red flowers is arranged at her throat.
Verse 3
केहरि वाहन राजत, खड़ग खपर धारी।
Kehari vahan rajat, khadag khappar dhari
सुर-नर-मुनि-जन सेवत, तिनके दुखहारी॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Sur-nar-muni-jan sevat, tinke dukh-hari
Meaning
She rides the lion, holding sword and skull-bowl. Gods, humans and sages serve her, and she carries their sorrow away.
Verse 4
कानन कुण्डल शोभित, नासाग्रे मोती।
Kanan kundal shobhit, nasagre moti
कोटिक चंद्र दिवाकर, सम राजत ज्योती॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Kotik chandra divakar, sam rajat jyoti
Meaning
Rings shine at her ears and a pearl at the tip of her nose; her light is like ten million moons and suns together.
Verse 5
शुम्भ निशुम्भ विदारे, महिषासुर-घाती।
Shumbh Nishumbh vidare, Mahishasur-ghati
धूम्रविलोचन नैना, निशिदिन मदमाती॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Dhumravilochan naina, nishidin madmati
Meaning
She tore apart Shumbha and Nishumbha and killed Mahishasura; she slew Dhumralochana, and her eyes are night and day intoxicated with that power.
Verse 6
चण्ड मुण्ड संहारे, शोणितबीज हरे।
Chand Mund samhare, Shonitbeej hare
मधु कैटभ दोउ मारे, सुर भयहीन करे॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Madhu Kaitabh dou mare, sur bhayheen kare
Meaning
She destroyed Chanda and Munda and took away Raktabija; she killed both Madhu and Kaitabha, and left the gods without fear.
Verse 7
ब्रह्माणी, रुद्राणी, तुम कमलारानी।
Brahmani, Rudrani, tum Kamalarani
आगम-निगम-बखानी, तुम शिव पटरानी॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Aagam-nigam-bakhani, tum Shiv patrani
Meaning
You are Brahmani, you are Rudrani, you are the lotus queen; the scriptures describe you, and you are Shiva’s chief consort.
Verse 8
चौंसठ योगिनि गावत, नृत्य करत भैरूँ।
Chaunsath yogini gavat, nritya karat Bhairon
बाजत ताल मृदंगा, औ बाजत डमरू॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Bajat taal mridanga, au bajat damru
Meaning
Sixty-four yoginis sing and Bhairava dances; cymbals and the mridang sound, and the damru sounds with them.
Verse 9
तुम ही जगकी माता, तुम ही हो भरता।
Tum hi jag ki mata, tum hi ho bharta
भक्तनकी दुख हरता, सुख सम्पति करता॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Bhaktan ki dukh harta, sukh sampati karta
Meaning
You alone are the mother of the world and you alone sustain it; you take away the grief of those who trust you and make ease and plenty for them.
Verse 10
भुजा चार अति शोभित, वर-मुद्रा धारी।
Bhuja chaar ati shobhit, var-mudra dhari
मनवांछित फल पावत, सेवत नर-नारी॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Manvanchhit phal pavat, sevat nar-nari
Meaning
Her four arms are beautiful, one held in the gesture of granting; the men and women who serve her receive what their hearts asked for.
Verse 11
कंचन थाल विराजत, अगर कपूर बाती।
Kanchan thaal virajat, agar kapoor baati
श्रीमाल केतु में राजत, कोटि रतन ज्योती॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Shrimaal ketu mein rajat, koti ratan jyoti
Meaning
A golden platter is set with aloe and camphor wicks; on the banner her light shines like ten million jewels. This is the verse sung while the lamp itself is being circled.
Verse 12 (closing)
श्रीअम्बेजीकी आरति, जो कोइ नर गावै।
Shri Ambeji ki aarti, jo koi nar gave
कहत शिवानन्द स्वामी, सुख सम्पति पावै॥ जय अम्बे०॥
Kahat Shivanand Swami, sukh sampati pave
Meaning
Whoever sings this aarti of Ambe, says Shivanand Swami, receives ease and plenty. The composer names himself in the last line, which is the conventional signature of the form.
About this aarti
The aarti is a portrait followed by a battle record. The first four verses look at the goddess — the vermilion in her hair, the red cloth, the lion, the pearl at her nose — and the next two list, in the order the Devi Mahatmya tells them, the demons she has defeated: Shumbha and Nishumbha, Mahishasura, Dhumralochana, Chanda and Munda, Raktabija, Madhu and Kaitabha.
That is why it belongs to Navratri specifically. The nine nights retell those victories, and a household singing this aarti each evening is walking through the same sequence in miniature.
The closing verse signs itself “kahat Shivanand Swami”. Naming the composer in the final line is standard in the aarti form — the same signature closes Om Jai Shiv Omkara, and the two aartis share a family of tunes.
The refrain calls the goddess both Gauri and Shyama in a single breath, fair and dark. Devi worship holds the two together rather than choosing: the mother who grants and the one who destroys are not different gods.
A note on the text
The text follows the Gita Press Aarti Sangrah, the standard printed collection, from the scanned copy cited below; scanning errors in that copy have been corrected against the standard printed readings — the source scan renders वर-मुद्रा as “वर-पमुद्रा”, मनवांछित as “मनवाउिछत” and कपूर as “कपुर”. Sung variants are common and are not errors: many households sing “भैरव” for “भैरूँ”, “शिव री” as two words, and some editions place the Brahmani verse later in the sequence.
Sources
These texts are in the public domain. The verse is reproduced from the cited source; the English meaning and the background notes on this page are original writing.