Jai Adhya Shakti

Verse 1 — the first lunar day

જય આદ્યા શક્તિ, મા જય આદ્યા શક્તિ। અખંડ બ્રહ્માંડ દીપાવ્યાં, પડવે પ્રગટ્યાં મા। ઓમ જયો જયો મા જગદંબે॥ jaya ādyā śakti, mā jaya ādyā śakti akhaṇḍa brahmāṇḍa dīpāvyā̃, paḍave pragaṭyā̃ mā oṃ jayo jayo mā jagadambe Victory to you, primordial power; mother, victory to the primordial power. You lit up the unbroken cosmos; on the first day you appeared, mother. Om, victory, victory to you, mother of the world.

Verse 2 — the second day, two forms

દ્વિતીયા બેય સ્વરૂપ, શિવશક્તિ જાણું। બ્રહ્મા ગણપતિ ગાયે, હર ગાયે હર મા। dvitīyā beya svarūpa, śivaśakti jāṇuṃ brahmā gaṇapati gāye, hara gāye hara mā On the second day, two forms — I know them as Shiva and Shakti. Brahma sings, Ganapati sings, Hara sings of you, mother.

Verse 3 — the third day, three worlds

તૃતીયા ત્રણ સ્વરૂપ, ત્રિભુવનમાં બેઠાં। ત્રયા થકી તરવેણી, તું તરવેણી મા। tṛtīyā traṇa svarūpa, tribhuvanamā̃ beṭhā̃ trayā thakī taraveṇī, tuṃ taraveṇī mā On the third day, three forms — you are seated in the three worlds. From the three comes the triple confluence; you are that confluence, mother.

Verse 4 — the fourth day, four arms

ચોથે ચતુરા મહાલક્ષ્મી, મા સચરાચર વ્યાપ્યાં। ચાર ભુજા ચૌ દિશા, પ્રગટ્યાં દક્ષિણમાં મા। cothe caturā mahālakṣmī, mā sacarācara vyāpyā̃ cāra bhujā cau diśā, pragaṭyā̃ dakṣiṇamā̃ mā On the fourth, skilful Mahalakshmi — mother, you pervade all that moves and does not move. Four arms, four directions; in the south you appeared, mother.

Verse 5 — the fifth day, five elements

પંચમી પંચ ઋષિ, પંચમી ગુણ પદ્મા। પંચ સહસ્ર ત્યાં સોહિયે, પંચે તત્ત્વો મા। pañcamī pañca ṛṣi, pañcamī guṇa padmā pañca sahasra tyā̃ sohiye, pañce tattvo mā On the fifth, the five rishis; on the fifth, the qualities of the lotus-seated one. Five thousand shine there — the five elements, mother.

Verse 6 — the sixth day, the buffalo demon

ષષ્ઠી તું નારાયણી, મહિષાસુર માર્યો। નર નારીના રૂપે, વ્યાપ્યાં સઘળે મા। ṣaṣṭhī tuṃ nārāyaṇī, mahiṣāsura māryo nara nārīnā rūpe, vyāpyā̃ saghaḷe mā On the sixth, you are Narayani; you killed Mahishasura. In the forms of man and woman you pervade everything, mother.

Verse 7 — the seventh day, the seven depths

સપ્તમી સપ્ત પાતાળ, સંધ્યા સાવિત્રી। ગૌ ગંગા ગાયત્રી, ગૌરી ગીતા મા। saptamī sapta pātāḷa, sandhyā sāvitrī gau gaṅgā gāyatrī, gaurī gītā mā On the seventh, the seven netherworlds; you are Sandhya and Savitri. The cow, the Ganga, the Gayatri, Gauri and the Gita, mother.

Verse 8 — the eighth day, eight arms

અષ્ટમી અષ્ટ ભુજા, આઈ આનંદા। સુનિવર મુનિવર જન્મ્યા, દેવ દૈત્યો મા। aṣṭamī aṣṭa bhujā, āī ānandā sunivara munivara janmyā, deva daityo mā On the eighth, eight arms; mother of bliss. The best of sages and the best of ascetics were born, and gods and demons, mother.

Verse 9 — the ninth day, the nine Durgas

નવમી નવ કુળ નાગ, સેવે નવદુર્ગા। નવરાત્રીના પૂજન, શિવરાત્રીના અર્ચન, કીધાં હર બ્રહ્મા। navamī nava kuḷa nāga, seve navadurgā navarātrīnā pūjana, śivarātrīnā arcana, kīdhā̃ hara brahmā On the ninth, the serpents of the nine clans attend on the nine Durgas. The worship of Navratri and the honouring of Shivratri were performed by Hara and Brahma.

Verse 10 — the tenth day, Vijayadashami

દશમી દશ અવતાર, જય વિજયાદશમી। રામે રામ રમાડ્યા, રાવણ રોળ્યો મા। daśamī daśa avatāra, jaya vijayādaśamī rāme rāma ramāḍyā, rāvaṇa roḷyo mā On the tenth, the ten avatars; victory to Vijayadashami. Rama played out his play, and Ravana was laid low, mother.

Verses 11 to 15 — on to the full moon

એકાદશી … બારસે … તેરસે … ચૌદશે … પૂનમે … ekādaśī … bārase … terase … caudaśe … pūname … The eleventh names Katyayani and Kalika; the twelfth, the girl-form and Bahuchara Amba with Batuk and Kala Bhairava; the thirteenth, the form of Tulja, praised by Brahma, Vishnu and Sadashiva; the fourteenth, fourteen forms, Chandi and Chamunda, and a request for devotion and discernment from the lion-riding mother; and the fifteenth, punam, the full moon, at which the pot is filled and the sages Vasishtha and Markandeya are said to have sung her praise. The fortnight is complete, and the aarti stops.

Closing — and the attribution

The closing verses ask the mother to accept the singing, and name Shivanand Swami as the one who speaks them. That is the same name signed at the close of Om Jai Jagdish Hare, Jai Ambe Gauri and Om Jai Shiv Omkara — three Hindi aartis from a different regional tradition entirely. Whether one figure stands behind all four, whether the name was attached later, or whether it functions as a devotional formula rather than an authorial claim, is not established. The wording of these closing verses also varies more between editions than the numbered verses do.

What does Jai Adhya Shakti mean?

Victory to the primordial power. Adya means first or original and shakti means power, so the opening line names a principle rather than a personal goddess; the names come afterwards. The refrain that ends every verse is om jayo jayo ma Jagdambe — victory, victory to the mother of the world.

Why does the aarti have fifteen verses if Navratri is nine nights?

Because it is not built on Navratri. Each verse is named for a day of the lunar fortnight — first day, second, third, on to punam, the full moon. It is a calendar poem covering fifteen days, and a nine-night festival adopted it. Counting the verses is enough to see this, and it is rarely pointed out.

What language is Jai Adhya Shakti in?

Gujarati. It is given on this page in Gujarati script rather than transliterated into Devanagari, which is how North Indian collections often print it. Being in Gujarati is not incidental: it belongs to a regional tradition distinct in language, metre, refrain and structure from the North Indian and Marathi aarti traditions.

Who wrote Jai Adhya Shakti?

It is traditionally attributed to Shivanand Swami, and that attribution is not independently verified. The same name signs the closing couplets of Om Jai Jagdish Hare, Jai Ambe Gauri and Om Jai Shiv Omkara — three Hindi aartis from a different region. Whether one figure lies behind all four is unresolved, and the coincidence is rarely even remarked on.

How is each verse structured?

The number of the lunar day generates the content. Two forms on the second day, Shiva and Shakti. Three worlds and the three-river confluence on the third. Four arms and four directions on the fourth. Five rishis and five elements on the fifth. Eight arms on the eighth. Ten avatars and Vijayadashami on the tenth. It is a mnemonic scheme of real ingenuity.

How is the Gujarati aarti different from the North Indian one?

In almost every respect. Different language, different refrain — om jayo jayo ma Jagdambe rather than an Om Jai opening — a different metre, a verse-per-lunar-day structure the North Indian aartis do not use, and a ritual setting that follows a night of garba rather than a seated puja. They are separate traditions rather than variants.

What is garba, and how does the aarti relate to it?

Garba is the circular dance performed around a garbo, a perforated earthen pot with a lamp inside, through the nights of Navratri. The aarti closes the night after the dancing. This is why Gujarati Navratri feels so different from Navratri elsewhere, even to someone who does not follow the words.

Which goddesses are named in the aarti?

Many, across its verses: Mahalakshmi, Narayani, Sandhya, Savitri, Gayatri, Gauri, Katyayani, Kalika, Shyama, Bahuchara, Tulja, Chandi and Chamunda among others. Bahuchara and Tulja are specific regional goddesses with major shrines of their own. The aarti accumulates them as forms of one Adya Shakti rather than distinguishing between them.

What is the garbo pot?

A perforated earthenware pot with a lamp burning inside it, set at the centre of the dance floor. Light comes out through the holes as the dancers circle it. The word garba derives from garbha, womb, and the pot with a light inside is conventionally understood in those terms.

Is Jai Adhya Shakti sung to the Om Jai Jagdish Hare tune?

No. It has its own melody and its own metre, and its refrain is completely different. The four aartis that share the Om Jai Jagdish Hare tune are Om Jai Shiv Omkara, Jai Lakshmi Mata, Om Jai Gange Mata and Om Jai Saraswati Mata, all of them Hindi and all from the North Indian tradition.

Why do the words differ between versions I have seen?

Spellings vary between editions, and the closing verses vary more than the numbered ones. Printed North Indian collections often transliterate the text into Devanagari, which introduces further variation. There is no single authoritative edition, and any page presenting one version as definitive is claiming more than is known.

Can non-Gujaratis sing this aarti?

Yes, and large numbers do at public Navratri events, where the crowds are frequently mixed. Like every aarti it requires no initiation, no priest and no ritual training, and it is learned by ear standing next to people who already know it.