THE COMPLETE HYMN
A hundred verses.
A place to return.
Devanagari, IAST, two Telugu editions, and a study map for every śloka.
100 verses
Choose a verse. Stay as long as you like.
Power in union
śivaḥ śaktyā yukto yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavituṃ
Śiva can act when united with Śakti; without Her he cannot even stir. The poet asks how one without accumulated merit could praise Her, whom the gods themselves worship.
The dust of Her feet
tanīyāṃsaṃ pāṃsuṃ tava caraṇapaṅkeruhabhavaṃ
Brahmā creates worlds from a particle of dust at Her feet; Viṣṇu bears it with a thousand heads, and Śiva makes it into the ash that adorns him.
Light, nectar, and rescue
avidyānāmantastimiramihiradvīpanagarī
For those in ignorance, She is illuminating light; for the dull, nectar of consciousness; for the poor, a wish-fulfilling jewel; for those drowning in becoming, the rescuing tusk of Varāha.
Refuge at Her feet
tvadanyaḥ pāṇibhyāmabhayavarado daivatagaṇa-
Other deities gesture with their hands to grant boons and dispel fear. Her feet alone are praised as able to protect and give more than the devotee asks.
The power of attraction
haristvāmārādhya praṇatajanasaubhāgyajananīṃ
After worshipping Her, Viṣṇu assumed a woman's form that stirred Śiva. Kāma, too, gained a beauty that could disturb even great sages.
A glance of grace
dhanuḥ pauṣpaṃ maurvī madhukaramayī pañca viśikhā
Kāma has a flower bow, a bowstring of bees, five arrows, spring as his ally, and a breeze for a chariot. Yet Her gracious glance lets him conquer the world.
A form to contemplate
kvaṇatkāñcīdāmā karikalabhakumbhastananatā
The poet asks Her to appear: with a tinkling girdle, full breasts, slender waist, an autumn-moon face, and hands holding bow, arrows, noose, and goad.
The island of jewels
sudhāsindhormadhye suraviṭapivāṭīparivṛte
Blessed contemplatives worship Her as a wave of consciousness and bliss, seated with Paramaśiva in a jewel-filled dwelling on an island within an ocean of nectar.
The inner ascent
mahīṃ mūlādhāre kamapi maṇipūre hutavahaṃ
Passing through the elements and mind along the inner path, She reaches the thousand-petalled lotus and dwells there in intimate union with Her lord.
The returning current
sudhādhārāsāraiścaraṇayugalāntarvigalitaiḥ
Nectar flows from Her feet, bathing the world. She returns to Her own ground and rests in the root cavity, coiled like a serpent in three and a half turns.
The geometry of a dwelling
caturbhiḥ śrīkaṇṭhaiḥ śivayuvatibhiḥ pañcabhirapi
The verse describes Her dwelling through intersecting Śiva and Śakti forms, together with lotus petals, circles, and enclosing lines.
Beauty beyond comparison
tvadīyaṃ saundaryaṃ tuhinagirikanye tulayituṃ
Even great poets struggle to compare Her beauty. Heavenly women long to behold it and imagine the difficult-to-attain state of union with Śiva.
A transforming glance
naraṃ varṣīyāṃsaṃ nayanavirasaṃ narmasu jaḍaṃ
In extravagant poetic language, an elderly, unattractive, awkward man touched by Her glance becomes the object of young women's eager pursuit.
Beyond the rays
kṣitau ṣaṭpañcāśaddvisamadhikapañcāśadudake
The verse counts rays in earth, water, fire, air, space, and mind, then places Her lotus feet above them all.
The sweetness of speech
śarajjyotsnāśuddhāṃ śaśiyutajaṭājūṭamakuṭāṃ
She is bright as autumn moonlight, bearing book, crystal rosary, and gestures of blessing and protection. Bowing to Her is praised as the source of speech sweeter than honey, milk, and grapes.
Dawn in the poet's heart
kavīndrāṇāṃ cetaḥkamalavanabālātaparuciṃ
Those who contemplate Her rosy radiance, like morning sunlight opening lotuses in poets' hearts, delight others with deep and beautiful speech.
The company of speech
savitrībhirvācāṃ śaśimaṇiśilābhaṅgarucibhi-
Contemplating Her with Vaśinī and the other powers of speech is praised as giving rise to great poetry, graceful and fragrant with the presence of the goddess of language.
A world suffused with red
tanucchāyābhiste taruṇataraṇiśrīsaraṇibhi-
One who contemplates heaven and earth immersed in Her dawn-red radiance is said to captivate celestial women, including Urvaśī.
The body as a sacred figure
mukhaṃ binduṃ kṛtvā kucayugamadhastasya tadadho
Her face, breasts, and a further geometric form are contemplated as a figure of Kāma's power, whose stirring influence is said to extend through the three worlds.
A cooling radiance
kirantīmaṅgebhyaḥ kiraṇanikurumbāmṛtarasaṃ
She is imagined as moonstone, streaming nectar-like rays. The one who holds this form in the heart is praised as calming serpents and soothing those scorched by fever.
A flash beyond the lotuses
taṭillekhātanvīṃ tapanaśaśivaiśvānaramayīṃ
Great contemplatives behold Her lightning-like subtle form, made of sun, moon, and fire, above the six lotuses, and experience a wave of supreme delight.
A prayer answered mid-sentence
bhavāni tvaṃ dāse mayi vitara dṛṣṭiṃ sakaruṇā-
A devotee begins, “Bhavāni, You…” while asking for a compassionate glance. Before the prayer is finished, She grants union with Herself.
More than half of Śiva
tvayā hṛtvā vāmaṃ vapuraparitṛptena manasā
The poet playfully wonders whether She has taken not only Śiva's left half but the other half too: Her red form has three eyes and the crescent moon.
The movement of Her brows
jagatsūte dhātā hariravati rudraḥ kṣapayate
Creation, preservation, destruction, concealment, and grace are performed by the divine powers in obedience to the momentary movement of Her brows.
One act of worship
trayāṇāṃ devānāṃ triguṇajanitānāṃ tava śive
Worship at Her feet is also worship of the three gods born of the three guṇas, who stand nearby with folded hands above their crowns.
Through the great dissolution
viriñciḥ pañcatvaṃ vrajati harirāpnoti viratiṃ
At the great dissolution, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Yama, Kubera, and Indra's company pass away or fall still, while Her husband continues his play.
Everyday life as offering
japo jalpaḥ śilpaṃ sakalamapi mudrāviracanā
The poet asks that speech become recitation, work become sacred gesture, walking become circumambulation, eating become offering, and resting become prostration through self-offering to Her.
The glory of Her earrings
sudhāmapyāsvādya pratibhayajarāmṛtyuhariṇīṃ
The gods who drank nectar still meet their end; Śiva, who swallowed deadly poison, is untouched by time. The poet credits the glory of Her earrings.
Rising to welcome Śiva
kirīṭaṃ vairiñcaṃ parihara puraḥ kaiṭabhabhidaḥ
As She rises eagerly to welcome Śiva, Her attendants warn Her to avoid the crowns of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Indra, who are bowing before Her.
Even dissolution becomes worship
svadehodbhūtābhirghṛṇibhiraṇimādyābhirabhito
For one who continually contemplates identity with Her, attended by powers such as aṇimā, even the fire of cosmic dissolution becomes a waving lamp of worship.
A teaching of Her own
catuḥṣaṭyā tantraiḥ sakalamatisandhāya bhuvanaṃ
After the sixty-four tantras associated with particular accomplishments, Śiva brings forth Her independent tantra at Her insistence, described as embracing all human aims.
The syllables of Her name
śivaḥ śaktiḥ kāmaḥ kṣitiratha raviḥ śītakiraṇaḥ
A sequence of divine names and symbolic terms, joined with three hṛllekhā elements, is described as forming the constituent sounds of Her name.
An inwardly rich worship
smaraṃ yoniṃ lakṣmīṃ tritayamidamādau tava mano-
Certain worshippers add a triad of mantra elements, use rosaries of wish-fulfilling gems, and offer streams of clarified butter into Śiva's fire.
Shared fullness
śarīraṃ tvaṃ śambhoḥ śaśimihiravakṣoruhayugaṃ
She is Śiva's body, with sun and moon as Her breasts; the poet understands Śiva as Her self. Their mutual relation rests in equal savor and supreme bliss.
The world as Her form
manastvaṃ vyoma tvaṃ marudasi marutsārathirasi
She is mind, space, air, fire, water, and earth; nothing lies outside Her transformation. She assumes the form of consciousness and bliss to unfold as the universe.
Light at the brow center
tavājñācakrasthaṃ tapanaśaśikoṭidyutidharaṃ
At the ājñā center, the poet reveres supreme Śambhu united with higher consciousness, radiant as countless suns and moons. Devotion leads beyond the reach of sun, moon, and fire.
Clarity at the throat
viśuddhau te śuddhasphaṭikaviśadaṃ vyomajanakaṃ
At viśuddhi, Śiva is clear as crystal and the source of space, with Devī sharing His purpose. Their moonlike radiance dispels darkness and delights the world.
The pair of swans
samunmīlatsaṃvitkamalamakarandaikarasikaṃ
A wondrous pair of swans dwells in the minds of the great, savoring the nectar of unfolding awareness. Their exchange unfolds learning; they separate virtue from fault as milk from water.
Fire met by compassion
tava svādhiṣṭhāne hutavahamadhiṣṭhāya nirataṃ
At svādhiṣṭhāna, the poet praises the fire-form Saṃvarta and the great Samayā. When His angry gaze burns the worlds, Her compassionate glance provides cooling care.
The rain-bearing cloud
taṭittvantaṃ śaktyā timiraparipanthisphuraṇayā
At maṇipūra, a dark cloud shines with Śakti as lightning and jeweled ornaments as a rainbow, raining upon the three worlds scorched by Śiva's sun.
The dance of the parents
tavādhāre mūle saha samayayā lāsyaparayā
At the root, Samayā's graceful dance meets the great tāṇḍava of Navātman, rich in the nine aesthetic sentiments. Through Their compassionate creative purpose, the world has both mother and father.
A crown of sunlight
gatairmāṇikyatvaṃ gaganamaṇibhiḥ sāndraghaṭitaṃ
Her golden crown is set with heavenly suns like jewels. Their colored radiance makes the crescent moon seem like Indra's rainbow.
The fragrance of Her hair
dhunotu dhvāntaṃ nastulitadalitendīvaravanaṃ
Her dense, smooth, dark hair resembles a forest of blue lotuses and is asked to dispel darkness. Heavenly flowers seem to dwell there to acquire its natural fragrance.
A stream of vermilion
tanotu kṣemaṃ nastava vadanasaundaryalaharī-
The parting of Her hair is like a channel carrying the overflowing beauty of Her face. Its vermilion resembles a young sunbeam held among dark masses of hair.
A face beyond the lotus
arālaiḥ svābhāvyādalikalabhasaśrībhiralakaiḥ
Her face, framed by naturally curling hair, surpasses a lotus. The brilliance of Her smiling teeth becomes its filaments, and Śiva's eyes are bees intoxicated by it.
Two halves of a moon
lalāṭaṃ lāvaṇyadyutivimalamābhāti tava yat
The poet imagines Her radiant forehead as a second crescent. Joined with the crescent in Her crown, the two would make a full moon bound together by nectar.
The bow of Her brows
bhruvau bhugne kiñcidbhuvanabhayabhaṅgavyasanini
Her slightly curved brows, intent on removing the world's fear, are imagined as Kāma's bow, with Her dark eyes supplying the bowstring's appearance.
Eyes that make time
ahaḥ sūte savyaṃ tava nayanamarkātmakatayā
Her right eye, as the sun, produces day; Her left, as the moon, produces night. The third, like a gently opening golden lotus, creates the twilight between them.
A glance with many names
viśālā kalyāṇī sphuṭarucirayodhyā kuvalayaiḥ
Her gaze is wide, auspicious, unconquerable, a stream of compassion, sweet, protective, and victorious. Its descriptions also evoke a succession of city names.
The third eye's jealousy
kavīnāṃ samdarbhastabakamakarandaikarasikaṃ
Her two side glances, like bees, linger near Her ears to savor the nectar of poetry. The forehead eye seems slightly red with jealousy at being left out.
The many moods of a glance
śive śṛṅgārārdrā taditarajane kutsanaparā
Her gaze expresses love toward Śiva, displeasure toward others, anger at Gaṅgā, wonder at Śiva's deeds, fear of His snakes, delight among friends, and compassion toward the poet.
Eyes like drawn arrows
gate karṇābhyarṇaṃ garuta iva pakṣmāṇi dadhatī
Her eyes stretch toward Her ears, with eyelashes like feathers. They resemble Kāma's arrows drawn back to the ear, capable of disturbing Śiva's tranquil heart.
Three colors, three qualities
vibhaktatraivarṇyaṃ vyatikaritalīlāñjanatayā
The red, white, and dark hues of Her three eyes are compared with rajas, sattva, and tamas, poised to bring forth Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra again.
A meeting of sacred rivers
pavitrīkartuṃ naḥ paśupatiparādhīnahṛdaye
Her compassionate eyes, red, white, and dark, bring together the rivers Śoṇa, Gaṅgā, and Yamunā as though creating a sacred confluence to purify the devotee.
The unblinking guardian
nimeṣonmeṣābhyāṃ pralayamudayaṃ yāti jagatī
The world's arising and dissolution are linked to the opening and closing of Her eyes. The poet imagines that She keeps them open to protect what has arisen.
Fish, lotuses, and Her eyes
tavāparṇe karṇejapanayanapaiśunyacakitā
Unblinking fish hide in water, afraid that Her eyes will report their borrowed beauty to Her ears. The blue lotus seems to receive that beauty at night and release it at dawn.
Moonlight without distinction
dṛśā drāghīyasyā daradalitanīlotpalarucā
The poet asks Her long, blue-lotus-like glance to bathe even a distant, poor devotee in compassion. This costs Her nothing, just as moonlight falls equally on forest and palace.
A glance ready to fly
arālaṃ te pālīyugalamagarājanyatanaye
Her curved ear region evokes Kāma's bow, while the sidelong glance crossing the ear's path suggests an arrow being set upon it.
The chariot of Kāma
sphuradgaṇḍābhogapratiphalitatāṭaṅkayugalaṃ
Her face, with earrings reflected on Her cheeks, becomes Kāma's four-wheeled chariot as he confronts Śiva, whose chariot is the earth with sun and moon for wheels.
Earrings that answer
sarasvatyāḥ sūktīramṛtalaharīkauśalaharīḥ
She drinks in Sarasvatī's nectar-like speech through Her ears. As She nods in appreciation, the ringing earrings seem to answer with praise.
A pearl at the nose
asau nāsāvaṃśastuhinagirivaṃśadhvajapaṭi
Her nose is imagined as a slender bamboo bearing pearls within, with one pearl appearing outside through the cool breath. The poet asks that it grant an appropriate blessing.
A redness beyond comparison
prakṛtyā raktāyāstava sudati dantacchadaruceḥ
The poet searches for a likeness for Her naturally red lips: perhaps a coral vine could bear such fruit. The bimba fruit seems too dependent on their reflected color to compete.
A smile sweeter than moonlight
smitajyotsnājālaṃ tava vadanacandrasya pibatāṃ
Cakora birds drink the moonlight of Her smile until its sweetness numbs their beaks. Ordinary moonlight then tastes to them like a pleasantly sour drink.
Speech colored by praise
aviśrāntaṃ patyurguṇagaṇakathāmreḍanajapā
Her red tongue continually recounts Śiva's qualities. Sarasvatī, imagined as crystal-clear and seated at its tip, takes on a ruby hue from its color.
A mother's intimate gift
raṇe jitvā daityānapahṛtaśirastraiḥ kavacibhi-
Returning victorious from battle, Skanda, Indra, and Viṣṇu receive the camphor-bright betel from Her mouth, turning away from Śiva's offerings assigned to Caṇḍa.
A voice beyond the vīṇā
vipañcyā gāyantī vividhamapadānaṃ paśupate-
Sarasvatī sings Śiva's deeds while playing the vīṇā. When Devī voices Her appreciation, its sweetness surpasses the instrument, and Sarasvatī quietly covers it.
The incomparable chin
karāgreṇa spṛṣṭaṃ tuhinagiriṇā vatsalatayā
Her father touches Her chin with affection; Śiva lifts it in longing for a kiss. The poet calls it the handle of Her mirror-like face, yet finds no adequate comparison.
The lotus stem of Her neck
bhujāśleṣānnityaṃ puradamayituḥ kaṇṭakavatī
Her neck, thrilled by Śiva's embrace, is like the stalk supporting Her lotus-face. Dark aloe paste and the necklace below extend the lotus-stem imagery.
Three lines and musical order
gale rekhāstisro gatigamakagītaikanipuṇe
The three lines of Her neck recall the strands of the marriage cord and the boundaries of three musical grāmas, sources of varied melodies.
Four hands of reassurance
mṛṇālīmṛdvīnāṃ tava bhujalatānāṃ catasṛṇāṃ
Brahmā praises Her four soft, lotus-stalk-like arms with his four faces, hoping they will protect his remaining heads from Śiva's nails.
Hands brighter than lotuses
nakhānāmudyotairnavanalinarāgaṃ vihasatāṃ
Her hands and shining nails surpass the fresh lotus. The poet wonders whether a lotus colored by the red dye of Lakṣmī's feet could offer even a partial likeness.
The Mother's nourishment
samaṃ devi skandadvipavadanapītaṃ stanayugaṃ
The poet asks Her ever-flowing breasts, shared by Skanda and Gaṇeśa, to remove sorrow. Seeing their likeness to his own forehead globes, Gaṇeśa touches himself in comic uncertainty.
Nectar and enduring childhood
amū te vakṣojāvamṛtarasamāṇikyakutupau
Her breasts are imagined as jeweled vessels of nectar. The poem links this nourishment with the continuing childhood of Gaṇeśa and Skanda, untouched here by marital desire.
Pearls and reflected radiance
vahatyambastamberamadanujakumbhaprakṛtibhiḥ
A pearl necklace, associated with the elephant-demon defeated by Śiva, lies across Her breasts. The red of Her lips reflected upon it evokes His fame mixed with valor.
The milk of poetry
tava stanyaṃ manye dharaṇidharakanye hṛdayataḥ
Her milk is compared to an ocean of Sarasvatī's eloquence flowing from Her heart. A “Drāviḍa child” who tastes Her compassionate gift becomes an admired poet.
A slender trail of smoke
harakrodhajvālāvalibhiravalīḍhena vapuṣā
Burned by Śiva's anger, Kāma plunges into the deep lake of Her navel. What people call the fine line of hair is imagined as smoke rising from him.
A current of subtle space
yadetatkālindītanutarataraṅgākṛti śive
The fine line at Her slender waist resembles a delicate Yamunā wave. The poet imagines it as space compressed between Her breasts and entering the hollow of Her navel.
The navel's many images
sthiro gaṅgāvartaḥ stanamukularomāvalilatā-
Her navel is praised as a still Gaṅgā whirlpool, a basin for a flowering vine, Kāma's fire-pit, a dwelling of Rati, and a gateway for Śiva's gaze.
A prayer for the slender waist
nisargakṣīṇasya stanataṭabhareṇa klamajuṣo
Her naturally slender waist bends beneath the weight of Her breasts, like a tree on an eroding riverbank. The poet tenderly wishes for its lasting well-being.
Three folds like supporting vines
kucau sadyaḥ svidyattaṭaghaṭitakūrpāsabhidurau
The three folds at Her waist are imagined as slender vines tied by Kāma to keep it from breaking beneath the weight of Her golden-vessel-like breasts.
The mountain's gift
gurutvaṃ vistāraṃ kṣitidharapatiḥ pārvati nijā-
The mountain king seems to have given his own breadth and weight to Pārvatī's hips as a marriage gift; their fullness makes the earth appear small and light.
Strength and reverence
karīndrāṇāṃ śuṇḍānkanakakadalīkāṇḍapaṭalī-
Her thighs surpass elephant trunks and golden banana stems; Her rounded knees, made firm by bowing to Her husband, rival the forehead globes of the celestial elephant.
The ten arrows
parājetuṃ rudraṃ dviguṇaśaragarbhau girisute
Kāma makes Her calves into two quivers to overcome Rudra. The ten toenails become arrowheads sharpened against the crowns of gods who bow at Her feet.
Place those feet on my head
śrutīnāṃ mūrdhāno dadhati tava yau śekharatayā
The poet asks the Mother to place Her feet upon his head: feet crowned by the highest scriptures, washed by the Gaṅgā in Śiva's hair, and reddened by Viṣṇu's crown-jewel.
The red-lacquered feet
namovākaṃ brūmo nayanaramaṇīyāya padayo-
The poet bows to Her bright, red-dyed feet. Śiva longs for their touch and envies the aśoka tree in the pleasure garden that receives their kick.
The anklet's laughter
mṛṣā kṛtvā gotraskhalanamatha vailakṣyanamitaṃ
When Śiva bows in embarrassment after a slip in naming, She playfully strikes his forehead with Her foot. The anklet's sound becomes Kāma's laughter at his old adversary.
Feet that surpass the lotus
himānīhantavyaṃ himagirinivāsaikacaturau
A lotus suffers in frost and closes at night; Her feet thrive in the snowy mountains and are radiant at night's end. They bestow abundance rather than merely sheltering Lakṣmī.
Tenderness beyond hard comparison
padaṃ te kīrtīnāṃ prapadamapadaṃ deva vipadāṃ
The poet questions comparing the upper surface of Her feet to a hard tortoise shell, and wonders how tender-hearted Śiva placed such feet on stone during the wedding rite.
Generosity beyond the wish-tree
nakhairnākastrīṇāṃ karakamalasaṅkocaśaśibhi-
Her moon-bright toenails make heavenly women's lotus-hands close. Her feet outdo celestial wish-trees, giving prosperity to the needy rather than only to those already in heaven.
The bee at Her feet
dadāne dīnebhyaḥ śriyamaniśamāśānusadṛśī-
The poet longs for his life, equipped with its faculties, to become a six-legged bee immersed in Her flower-like foot, abundant with beauty's nectar and gifts for the needy.
Swans learning to walk
padanyāsakrīḍāparicayamivārabdhumanasaḥ
The swans of Her dwelling follow Her playful steps as if learning to walk. Her jeweled anklets seem to instruct them through their music.
A couch of divine powers
gatāste mañcatvaṃ druhiṇaharirudreśvarabhṛtaḥ
Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, and Īśvara become the supports of Her couch. Śiva, clear like its covering, reflects Her red radiance as though embodied love itself.
Compassion taking form
arālā keśeṣu prakṛtisaralā mandahasite
The verse contrasts curling hair with a simple smile, a flower-soft heart with firm breasts, and a slender waist with fullness above: Śiva's red compassion appears to protect the world.
The moon as a jewel box
kalaṅkaḥ kastūrī rajanikarabimbaṃ jalamayaṃ
The moon becomes an emerald box containing water, camphor-like phases, and a musk-like dark mark. Brahmā repeatedly replenishes it as She uses its contents.
At the threshold
purārāterantaḥpuramasi tatastvaccaraṇayoḥ
Worship within Śiva's innermost household is difficult for those with restless senses. Even Indra and the other gods receive extraordinary attainments from powers standing at Her doorway.
An incomparable fidelity
kalatraṃ vaidhātraṃ katikati bhajante na kavayaḥ
Poets may be called companions of Sarasvatī, and the wealthy lords of Lakṣmī; but Her embrace belongs to Mahādeva alone, not even to the kuravaka tree.
Beyond the familiar names
girāmāhurdevīṃ druhiṇagṛhiṇīmāgamavido
Those versed in sacred teachings call Her Sarasvatī, Lakṣmī, and the mountain daughter. Yet She is also an immeasurable “fourth,” Mahāmāyā, consort of the supreme Brahman.
A student's prayer
kadā kāle mātaḥ kathaya kalitālaktakarasaṃ
The poet asks when, as a student, he may drink the red-tinted water that has washed Her feet, praised as awakening poetry even in the mute.
The praise of devotion's fruit
sarasvatyā lakṣmyā vidhiharisapatno viharate
Her devotee is praised as rich in learning, prosperity, beauty, and long life; freed from the bonds of limited existence, the devotee tastes supreme bliss.
Offering Her own words back
pradīpajvālābhirdivasakaranīrājanavidhiḥ
Praising Her with words that belong to Her is like offering a lamp to the sun, moonstone water to the moon, or the ocean its own water.
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