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Q1. How many types of stotram are there?
* Shiva Tandava Stotram (to Shiva's power and beauty), Shiv Mahimna Stotra (a devotion to Shiva), Ram Raksha Stotra (a plea to Rama for protection)
* Agasti Lakshmi Stotra (praise for Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and abundance), Dvadasha Stotra (a series of 12 stotras in praise of Vishnu)
* Vishnu Sahasranamam, Sree Vishnu Shodasa Nama Stotram, Vishnu Mamashtakam
* Dakshinamurti Stotram, Panchakshara Stotra, Mahishasurmardini Stotra
* Maruti Stotra, Radha Sahasranama Stotram, Achyutashtakam
* Adinarayana Stuti, Venkatesa Dwadasa Nama Stotram, Vishwanathashtakam
* Amrita Sanjeevana Dhanvanthari sthuthi, Ashtakshara Sthuthi, Bhagavad Gita Mahatmyam
* Dhanyashtakam, Gopi Jana Vallabhashtakam, Guruvayurappa Sthavam
* Vandhe Bhagwatham, Vishwanathashtakam, Guruvayupuresaya Mangalam
* Varadaraja Panchakam, Dwadasakshari stotram, Dasavathara Stotram
* Bhaktamara Stotra (jain stotra), Lalitha Sahasranama, Shri Rudram Chamakam
* Narayana Kavacha, Sri Hari Stotram, Hari Nama Mala Stotram
Q2. What is the meaning of stotram?
Stotras (or stotram) originate in the Vedas, the earliest of Hindu scriptures, particularly the "Rig Veda," and in the Puranas. Stotra is a Sanskrit word that means “praise,” “hymn of praise,” “ode” and “eulogy.” It typically refers to a genre of Hindu texts that are sung or recited and that praise various aspects and incarnations of the Divine, such as Shiva, Rama, Hanuman, Vishnu, Durga, and Lakshmi.
In addition to general praise for God, stotras describe mystical or deep spiritual experiences or may petition God to forgive sins, remove difficulties, grant higher knowledge, or bestow physical or emotional comforts. A stotra can be a prayer, a description, or a conversation, but always with a poetic structure.
Q3. Who wrote Stotras?
Sri Adi Shankaracharya has composed several Stotras. Bhaktamara Stotra is a famous Jain Sanskrit prayer. It was composed by Acharya Manatunga (7th century CE). The name Bhaktamara comes from a combination of two Sanskrit names, "Bhakta" (Devotee) and "Amar" (Immortal).
‘Yamuna’, popularly known as Alavandar, was the first to introduce the stotra form of devotional literature in Vaishnavism, although the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavata do indeed contain several devotional hymns/prayers by the celestials and sages. Following Alavandar, several savants like Kuresa, Parasa Bhattar, and Vedanta Desika authored a plethora of devotional stotras.
Q4. What is the difference between mantra and stotram?
A mantra is a sacred utterance, a syllable or group of words having psychological and spiritual powers. Mantra is a word that saves us from Avidya or ignorance. It is either Vedic, Puranic, Tantrika, or simply a name of God.
Examples – Gayatri Mantra, Om, etc
They are hymns written to praise god. Suktam & Stotra both have the same purpose to pray to god. A Shloka is a sentence mostly spiritual. A Stotra is a collection of Slokas for the stuti (praise) of the god Example – the Panchakshara Stotra, Ram Raksha Stotra, etc.
Whereas mantras are to invoke, the mantra needs to be repeated several times, whereas stotras once /thrice or at the most 11 times.
Q5. What is the difference between Ashtakam and stotram?
Ashtakams are Stotrams only but have exactly 8 verses (stanzas) that contain praises of a deity or attributes of a deity, e.g. Linga Ashtakam, Maha Laksmi Ashtakam, etc. If one does not have a Guru and is doing things on his own then reading Lakshmi Stotras and Ashtakams is the safest bet. Thus, in an ashtakam generally, thirty-two lines are maintained. All these stanzas follow a strict rhyme scheme. This rhyme sequence sets the usual structure of the ashtakam.
Stotrams are a set of 108 names or 1008 names enticed in the form of Sanskrit hymns, each of which contains couplets. For e.g. the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram contains the 1008 names of Lord Vishnu which are poetically enticed in 108 couplets.
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