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MOOKAPANCHASHATI

( )

(slokas 1 to 25 )
Mooka Panchashati is a devotional composition by Muka Kavi dedicated to
Kamakshi. The real name of the poet is not known. Legend has it that he was
born dumb but regained not only his voice by the grace of Goddess Kamakshi
but also became a poet of considerable merit. Mooka Panchashati consists of
five satakams, each Satakam containing 100 verses. The Satakams are Arya
Satakam, Padaravinda Satakam, Stuti Satakam, Kataksha Satakam and
Mandasmita Satakam.
Goddess Kamakshi is the presiding deity of Kancheepuram. Her consort is
Ekamreshwara, an aspect of Lord Shiva. Kanchi is the Central Peetham
established by Aadi Shankaracharya who installed and consecrated the idol of
Kamakshi and established the system of worship there. The other Peethams are
at Badrinath in the North, Dwarka in theWest, Puri in the East and Sringeri
(Sringa giri) in the South.
The translation into English of a hymn of this nature is a delicate task and
readers may kindly pardon the shortcomings, though every attempt has been
made to make the translation as close as possible to the intended or perceived
meaning.



The effulgence of the nature of Absolute Consciousness, the First Cause of the
Universe, has taken the form (of Kamakshi), soft and tender as a cluster of
Kashmira flowers, embodiment of grace and compassion and occupies the
Kamakoti Peetha in the city of Kanchi for her playful activities.

I put my faith in One who adorns Kanchi (like the tilak on the forehead of a
woman), who carries in her hands bow, arrows, goad and the rope, who is
slightly bent by the weight of her breasts and who is the very essence of
Supreme Bliss.
-

May Goddess Kamakshi whose abode is Kanchi, who fulfils the desires (of
devotees) like the wish-yielding Chintamani, who can be easily reached by one
who has an unbroken record of good conduct for a long time, make my heart
cool by the stream of nectarine Consciousness (which is her real nature).


Goddess Kamakshi who is the darling of Himavan the king of mountains, who
has curly hair, firm breasts, smile bright as jasmine flowers and complexion of
saffron has made Kanchi her playground
-


Within the city of Kanchi, a teenage girl(kumari) with her glances which, like a
great teacher, teaches the science of erotic love, captivates the heart of Shiva
the conqueror ofKama (Cupid)
.


The highest Sakti (Goddess Kamakshi), abiding in Kanchipura, with her ample
bosom and eyes beautiful and wide as lotus petals, has enslaved us and
captivated our hearts.
.
-

Goddess Kamakshi who is the treasure of Lord Shiva, who is of identical nature
with Him, who sports the crescent moon on her head, who is the meaning and
purport of the Vedas, shines in the middle of Kanchi.


I meditate on Kamakshi who abides in the proximity of Kampa river, who has the
reputation of loosening the courage and determination of Shiva (in the matter of
passionate love), whose complexion is red and who shields all the worlds from
destruction.

I salute Kamakshi who abides in the famed city of Kanchi, who is the very first
one, who celebrates her freshly ascending youth, who shines on the head of the
Upanishads and who is of the essence of non-dual bliss.
-

I take refuge in Goddess Kamakshi who is adorned by pretty raised breasts, who
abides in Kanchi, who has put herself in the hands of Gangadhara (Shiva) and
who is the embodiment of the science of non-dual erotic love.



I meditate on the supreme effulgence(Kala) that occupies the left side of the body
of the most auspicious one (Shiva), that adorns Kanchi like a diamond and
whose sidelong glances arouse passionate love (in Lord Shiva)


May my mind be the play ground for the divine play of Goddess Kamakshi who
strolls on the banks of river Kampa and from whose glances drip mercy
(kindness)
-

-
I meditate, in my heart, on (Goddess Kamakshi) who is nectar for the eyes of
Lord Shiva, the very First purushawho dwells under the mango tree. Her
flowering youth is cause for celebration as a festival and She is the secret which
the Vedas seek to unveil.
-
-
My mind is bound to (Goddess Kamakshi) who reveals herself on the
ancient peetha (throne, Kamokoti Peetha) of Kanchi to great yogis and who
appears as an effulgence of red.

-
-

I saw in Kanchi that wonderful ever-young baalaa (teenage girl) who left marks of
her budding breasts and of her bangles on the body of Sankara (while embracing
Him).
-
.
I delight in that effulgence of pure Consciousness, that holds in its hand a sweet
bow (of sugarcane), that is born of the mountain (Himavan), that has sweetsmelling arrows (of flowers), that plays in the city of Kanchi and steals the
beauty of the hibiscus flower by its bright red brilliance.


My mind is delighted by the sweet smile of Goddess Kamakshi abiding in Kanchi,
by her slow gait on account of the weight of her heavy breasts and by her putting
the seed of pride in the empire of Kama (Cupid)

I see before my eyes, on the banks of the Kampa River, the very First Mother
who has manifested herself as the Earth, the Sun, the Air, the Sky, the Fire and
the Hota(the one who offers ghee into the sacrificial fire).

I sing praises of Goddess Kamakshi who dwells in the hearts of sages in a state
of complete merger, who is completely still in a state of meditation, who is doing
penance on the banks of Kampa, who is bent by the weight of her ample bosom
and who is the very essence of the science of erotic love (Kamatantra).

The eternal Mother has a bright white smile, has a slim middle, is beyond the
reach of mind and speech, cools the one on whom her glances fall and is broad
in the region of her breasts.


When shall I have the vision of Her (Kamakshi) who has a tender and slender
body like a creeper, whose hairs stand on end when she is embraced
by Puravairi (Shiva), who purifies the city of Kanchi and who is a good target for
the Cupid to test the strength of his flower-arrows.


A holy young female with a body endowed with all the riches of Cupid, wandering
on the banks of the river Kampa makes the destroyer of the three cities (Lord
Siva) covered with hair which stand on end (overcome by passionate love)

-
I saw on the banks of the river Kampa Goddess Kamakshi, the very essence of
youth, with a slender middle and with a bright red complexion like the colour of
the rising sun

-
I saw in the vicinity of river Kampa the result of the good work of Kama (Cupid)
and the fortune of Shive who wears the half-moon on his head, in the form
of Kamkshiin her freshness of youth.


I merge myself in Goddess Kamakshi whose nature is Absolute Pure
Consciousness, who is the divine kingdom of knowledge, who abides in Kanchi
and who wears on her head the crescent moon which is not good for the lotus

-

I see before my minds eye that primordial effulgence of bright red that holds a
bow which is the essence of sweetness, whose arrows are honey-bees and
whose favourite play field is Kanchi
-

-
We worship Goddess Kamakshi who abides in Kanchi, who is the nectar at the
core of Upanishad-lotus ( i.e. who is the essence of the Upanishads), who has
raised pot-shaped breasts and who is the source of the waves of joy for
Shambhu.
-
-

I am totally dependant on Goddess Kamakshi who has long eyes like those of
the doe, who always destroys the sins of those who prostrate before her, who is
the very life of Lord Ekamranatha and who is far removed from all verbal
descriptions ( i.e.beyond the reach of words)
-

-
Seeing the smiling face of Goddess Kamakshi who has engulfed Kanchi by her
divinity and who is full of mercy we are submerged in the nectarine ocean of
bliss.


My mind dwells on Goddess Kamakshi who is fond of Kanchi, who sports the
crescent moon on her forehead and who is the jewel-lamp of the dynasty of
Himavan, the chief among mountains.

||

We see Goddess Kamakshi in the city of Kanchi with her large pot-shaped
breasts making her stoop slightly and her body with wonderfully sculpted limbs
and surpassing bright red corals by her complexion.



I bow to Goddess Kamakshi whose body is bright as kuruvinda gems, who strolls
on the banks of Kampa river, whose pot-like breasts rub against each other and
who is the very essence of the valour of Kamadeva(Cupid)




Goddess Kamakshi who has budding breasts, who is friendly with Kanchi and
whose complexion is that of saffron is the auspicious fruit of the meritorious
deeds (punya) of Lord Shiva.
-
-

Goddess Kamakshi who is the consort of Shiva who wears the crescent moon on
her head, is considered as adornment of the city of Kanchi
-
-
I always remember in my heart Goddess kamakshi who is coddled by Lord Shiva
(whose forehead is hot because of his the third eye of fire), whose play field is
the bank of Kampa and who is the treasure of the dynasty of Himavan.
-
-
I see the very embodiment of Beauty, with budding bosom, adorning the (left
side of) the body of Ekamreshwara (Lord Shiva), which is the essence of the
Ultimate Reality talked about in the Vedas.
-

The Goddess in Kanchi(Kamakshi) is full of kindness with the tiny bells in her
waist belt making a tinkling sound, with a smile like a blossom of flowers and with
a tender body which is the treasure of Lord Pinaki (Shiva)


I have a tender heart for Goddess Kamakshi who is lapped up by Shambhu with
both of his eyes, who is coddled by Paramashiva and whose beauty is like a
garland of waves of nectar.
-
-

May I be blessed with sarupya (of identical form) with Goddess Kamakshi whose
hairs are dark as honey-bees, whose sidelong glances cause passionate love (in
Shiva), who adorns the banks of the river Kampa and who is the root of
everything auspicious.


O Goddess Kamakshi! You are the one who abides in the three gods; in the lotus
mouth of Brahma as Saraswati, on the chest of Vishnu as Lakshmi and on the
left side of Shiva as Shakti
-

.
We meditate on Kamakshi, who abides in Kanchi, who is the embodiment of the
nectarine wave of Knowledge (Consciousness), who obstructs the ocean
of samsara (cycle of births and deaths) and who shines in the chakras (plexuses)
in the body thought of as lotuses. [Note: The six chakras aremooladhara,
swadhishthana, manipuraka, anahata, vishuddhi and aagna. In Kundalini Yoga,
the Kundalini shakti lying coiled at mooladhara is raised successively through the
six chakras to unite with Shiva located at sahasrara, the thousand petal lotus at
the crown of the head]
-

I remember in my heart Mother Kamakshi who is the paragon of beauty, who


wears bracelets, who sports the crescent moon on her head, who is surrounded

by the aura of Absolute Consciousness, who is without dissolution and who


abides in the Vedas.
-

-
My heart is surrendered to Goddess Kamakshi who is propitiated by such
great sadhakas as Lord Shiva, who abides in Kamakoti peetha, who takes all
forms and who makes red colour proud (because her complexion is red).

When shall I become one with Uma ( Goddess Kamakshi) who is of the
complexion of the setting sun, who is always meditated on by those with a
balanced, equal mind and who is fond of Kanchi.
-

If a human being worships your lotus feet and is immersed in the waves of joy
arising out of such worship and he is again bound in shackles of samsaara then
stones will float in the waters of the sea (meaning he will not be bound in
samsara again).

I prostrate before you O Kamakshi! who wears ear-studs who is a kumari (prepubescent girl), who is slightly bent, who isChandi, who is the cause of
moveable and immovable creation, who killed Chanda and Munda, who is rich in
good qualities, who abides in the heart-caves of beings, who is secret and not
visible and who takes the form of the spiritual guru (to help devotees cross the
ocean of samsara)
-

O Eternal Mother Kamakshi! you are deluding and confounding the worlds with
your undifferentiated as well differentiated forms, Conscious as well as inert
forms and egoistic and realised forms.


Those who are blessed with the sidelong glances of Kamakshi see with an equal
vision whether it be a forest, a house, a foe, a friend, a lump of clay or the full red
lips of a young woman.

O Kamakshi! consort of Shiva the enemy of Cupid!, Goddess of Love!, One


seated in the centre of Kamakoti Peetha, One who ends all desires (Kamakoti) !
O Goddess Lakshmi ! please be the wish-yielding cow for us.

-
I bow to Kamakshi who is meditated in centre of the heart brilliant as the Sun, at
the centre of the forehead (the space between the brows) with the brightness of
the rainbow and in the centre of the head shining as the moon
-

My mind is made very cool by Goddess Kamakshi who is fond of playing in
Kanchi, who is the essence of all Vedas, yantras, trantras and mantras and who
is the very life of Shiva, the enemy of Cupid.


Goddess Kamakshi who has made Kanchi her permanent abode, who has the
Sun and the Moon as her breasts and who has transformed herself into the atom,
the space and the primal sound delights in my heart.


For the effective cure of the fever of samsara (cycle of births and deaths) I apply
on my mind the Siddha medicine which grows on the banks of river Kampa and

which has the same colour as a streak of lightning (meaning that I always
meditate on Goddess Kamakshi for curing of the samasara fever)
-

-
I worship Goddess Kamakshi who delights her consort Shiva, the enemy of
Kama, by the hardness of her breasts pressing against his chest and who
imparts to Him the knowledge of Kamasastra(eroticism)


Goddess Kamakshi, whose story is wonderful, who is the final conclusion of all
the Vedas and who is the consort of Shiva who holds the trident, is seen in
Kanchi with the rope and the goad in her hands.
-
-
I take refuge in Kamakshi who is based in Kanchi, who is incomparable and has
created this beautiful world by the imaginative sculpting of everything from the
highest Brahma to the lowest blade of grass and who is the embodiment of the
surge of primeval knowledge.

-

If someone who is dumb or who is suffering or is immersed in sorrow remembers


you for a second , that persons fame, O Kamakshi!, surpasses the fame of all
the others in the world.

-

I surrender to Kamakshi who has a fifteen-letter form, whose play field is Kanchi
and who is at the root of the skill of Kamadeva(Cupid) in hoodwinking Shiva (into
eroticism)

-
I salute that Goddess Kamakshi who, travelling through thesushumna nadi of
the wise, transforms herself into four-fold form and whose body is imagined as
sculpted out of the fifty one letters of the alphabet.


My spiritual guru taught me the vidya (knowledge) which is encompassed within
the alphabets starting from and ending in , the essence of which is
Goddess Kamakshi with sugar cane in her hands, abiding in the Kamakoti
Peetha, and is very near (in the cave of my heart)
-
-
My heart fills with happiness when I think of Kamakshi who is the cause of joy of
Shiva, who has stationed herself in the city of Kanchi, who is firmly established
in the Self, who illuminates the whole world and who revived Kama, the enemy
of Shambara.


Kamakshi loves the Kampa river, stays firmly in the hearts of sages, pervades
the whole earth, is praised by the Sama Veda, wears the crescent moon on her
head and shines as the daughter of Himavan


By the grace of our great kuladevata (clan-deity) Kamakshi who is interested in
Kampa river and who is pierced inside by the flower arrows of Kama, may our
mind (intellect) blossom into a flower from the state of being a bud.


Goddess Kamakshi whose form is that of Absolute Pure Consciousness revels


in the role of a housewife, under the shade of the mango tree, as the consort of
Youthful Shiva who has fire in the centre of his forehead (third eye).
-

||
Goddess Kamakshi abiding in the cetre of Kanchi is the treasury of riches which
is the pride of Kama (Cupid) wherein I have somehow deposited the gem of my
mind so that it will remain there concealed and protected.


I see before my minds eye Goddess Kamkshi on the banks of the Kampa river,
who has burnt the forests of six different paths, whose complexion is red as the
kusumba flower, who is of fresh youthfulness and who is the very embodiment of
compassion and mercy.
-
-
I feast my eyes on Goddess Kamakshi who is growing in Kanchi with different
shades of joy every moment, who is beyond comparison and whose red
complexion ends the pride of tender leaves.
-

I meditate on Goddess kamakshi who abides in Kamakoti Peetha, who carries in


her hands arrows, goad, rope and bow, who sports the crescent moon on her
forehead and whose complexion assumes different shades of red.
-

-
Mother Kamakshi, whose face is lighted up by a smile kissing her lips which are
red as the bimba fruit, dispels the darkness of ignorance. When She awakes
(reveals Herself) in my heart, of what use to me are other things?

The bed of flowers which is Parashiva Himself is laid on the cot which is
Sadashiva Himself. Goddess Kamakshi who is my fortune rests at the centre of
the chakra (Circle) on this bed.
-

- .
May I be protected by Kamakshi, daughter of Himavan, who dances on the
Kama Peetha, who is the ocean of deep compassion, who is the garland of gems
worn in the tresses by the young damsels, the Vedas.


O Consort of Siva! (destroyer of tripura), who creates the illusion of the samsara,
who adorns herself with the crescent moon, who abides in Kanchi and who
removes the sufferings of those who bow to her, O Kamakshi! I merge (take
refuge) in your lotus feet which is red and soft as the young leaf bud.

O Kamakshi!, who is the embodiment of the seed of mukti(liberation), who wears


the crescent moon on her head, who gladdens the hearts of those living on the
banks of Kampa, please fill our minds again and again with joy and happiness.

I bow to Goddess Kamakshi who is the essence of the Vedas, who is all sounds,
who is at the centre of Sri Chakra, who is the rising moon of the paramapada (the
highest abode), who is the essence of all mantra and tantra, who is all nature and
also all distortion of nature.

May goddess Kamakshi, who is the fruit of the good deeds of Lord Siva,
destroyer of the three cities, who is the inspiration for the compositions of poets

full of beautiful rasas (sentiments, emotions) and who is full of kindness, revel in
my heart.


-
Goddess Kamakshi, who is immeasurable, was seen by me on the banks of the
Kampa river with her curly hair, fleeting glances, ample hips and soft, tender
feet.


Turning my glance inward I see the incomparable ripe joy of Paramasiva when
Kamkshis face lights up indicating that she is pleased.


O Kamakshi ! who is the knowledge of creation in Brahma, who is the daughter
of sage Katyayana, who is Kali the dark one, who is the end(Koti) of all desires,
who is all fine art forms, who is Goddess of learning, who is the terrible Bhairavi,
who is the most auspicious, who is shakini, who is consort of Shambhu and who
is shivaa, I sing praises of You.


May our prostrations be dedicated to You O Kamakshi! who wears a garland,


who seeks out Siva, who plays in Kanchi, Who is the death of enemies, who
carries the trident, who wears a chain of corals, who protects the devas and who
is the consort of Kapali (Shiva)

O
Kamakshi!
In
Lord
Shivas deeksha (vow)
to
perform
the yagnainvoking Kamadeva, the God of Love, there is no doubt that You, with
your flowering youth, can be a competent teacher (aachaarya).
-

Our prostrations to Kamakshi who is nectar for the eyes of Shiva( i.e Shiva is
filled with joy on seeing her), whose complexion is of the colour of saffron and
whose ample bosom challenges the bulging forehead of the elephant and exerts
pressure on her waist.
-
-

I saw on the banks of the river Kampa in Kanchi Goddess kamakshi who wears a
gem-studded beautiful waist-band (girdle), who is kind to those who bow to her
and who is favourably disposed towards me.


.
By the grace of the supreme guru I see (before my minds eye) Kamakshi who is
familiar with the banks of Kampa, who is the
fruit of the meritorious deeds (sukritam) of Himavan and who is the
auspicious ornament on the lap of Paramashiva.


O Mother! The superb beauty of your youth could not tolerate the famed
obstinacy of the celibacy of Shiva who had burnt Kamadeva (Cupid) in the fire of
his third eye.

Goddess Kamakshi revels in the form of the hunter woman given to her by her
consort Lord Shiva, applies tilak on her forehead using juice from the leaves of

plants, wears a dress made of leaves, carries in her hand a tool for digging the
earth and wears a garland of gunjaberries as ornament.

-
You have a parrot on your lap, you are interested in music, you are surrounded
by musicians and also by bhairavas and you wearKundalas (globe-shaped earstuds) made of conch shell in your ears. Victory to you always O Mother
Kamakshi !

O Goddess Kamakshi! You grant mukti to those who prostrate before you,
create(fight) battles (to kill asuras), keep company with lions (on whom you ride),
delight the heart of Lord Shiva, kill the horde of enemies and You alone
are Durga


O Kamakshi! You alone are Chamunda with your ear-globes oscillating, terrible
in war, cutting off and tossing the heads of asuras, wearing the intestines of the
asuras as garland and holding their chopped-off heads in your hands.


O Kamakshi! Daugher of Himavan! You are the one who as Annapoorna
removes the great suffering of the poorest of the poor with ladle-fulls of cooked
food.
-

O Kamakshi ! You are the one with the frightening face of a boar asVarahi who
plays in this world, removes the fear of torture by the enemies by striking at them
and who is skilled in using the plough and the mace as weapons

O Mother Kamakshi! You are desirous of marrying Shiva, the destroyer of Kama.
You are the hall of gem-studded walls for the Cupid to play and show his magic,
you steal the brightness of gold by your lustre, you are a young girl with a garland
in your hands (ready to put it around Lord Shivas neck)


O Kamakshi! You are the who shines as Goddess Sarawati, consort of Bhrama,
who is attired in bright white clothes, who abides in the lotus, who carries the
book and rudrakaha in her hands, who has dense eye-lashes and who holds a
Veena, Vipanchi in her hands
-
||||
Victory to your form which has the complexion of saffron, which wears a garland
of severed heads dripping blood, which holds a rosary and book and which
displays abhaya ( protection from fear) andvarada (dispensing boons) mudras
(signs) by hands

O Kamkshi! I meditate on you who are adorned with gem-studded golden


ornaments, whose complexion is dark as iron and who carries the trident and the
skull in her beautiful lotus hands.

O Kamakshi! very few can have the vision of you, who have captivated the whole
world, in the centre of effulgence of red and see your face, your breasts and your
waist.

-

.
O the greatest of goddesses ! from the Mooladhara lotus at the base, You rise as
Kundalini, the serpentine power, and passing through swahishthana, manipura,
anahata, Vishuddhi and Aagna lotuses, reach and merge in the thousand petal
lotus uniting with Shiva.

-

O Kamakshi! those who revere and worship the lotus feet of the guru, climb the
mansion of Mukti (liberation), by your grace, using the steps
of sabeeja and nirbeeja yoga.


Kamakshi! You are inside and outside of every thing. You are the death to him
who brings death to all beings. And to those who always think about you,
meditate on you and worship you, you reveal Yourself, the Ultimate Reality.
-


O Kamakshi! Cupid has placed a bimba fruit covering your teeth in his anxiety to
get hold of the parrot which, he thinks, is producing those sweet beautiful
sounds from your throat.


Victory, victory to the consort of Shiva, mother of the Universe; victory,victory to
Kamakshi; victory, victory to daughter of Himavan; victory, victory to darling of
Mahesha; Victory, victory to the one who is the flood of moonlight in the
consciousness-space.

- .

Whosoever chants this Arya Satakam with devotion to Kamakshi, from his
mouth-lotus will flow, by the grace of Kamakshi, words as sweet as divine
nectar.

Padaravinda shatakam


O Consort of Kamas Enemy (Shiva) who revels in sporting in Kanchi! who can
measure the magnitude of your greatness even after straining himself to the limit
of his abilities? In spite of it, a quirk of my mind has engaged me in singing your
praises though it is only the prattle of a fool like me.


The redness of the rays emanating from the lotus feet of Kamakshi and
spreading in all directions excels the red colour of the tender leaves
in Nandanavana, in the city of Indra. It is the ancient of teacher of all important
entities with effulgence of bright red colour and it fights the redness of the
blossom of the hibiscus flowers.


I yearn for the lotus feet of Kamakshi which taught the female swans their
beautiful gait, which are like the wish-yielding tree of heaven for the poor and
which are skilled in dispelling the densest of darkness.
-

Victory to the radiance of Kamakshis lotus feet which spreads the red colour,
bright as the rays of the rising sun, in the seemanta(the line which is formed on
the head by parting the hair at the centre) of celestial women who bow down at
the feet and which shines as the red cloth covering the breasts of the three
Vedas ( which have assumed a feminine form)


-

May the heart of mine revel, shaking off all laziness, at the feet of Kamakshi the
brightness of which is carried by the evening moon which is lodged in the head-

sky of the Enemy of Kama (Shiva) who bows down at Kamakshis feet fearing
her displeasure because of love-quarrel.

-

Let my heart meditate daily on the lotus-feet of Kamakshi which has the rows of
crowns of celestials (who bow down at the feet) as peetha ( foot-stool on which
the feet are paced), the words of praise which spontaneously arise from their
hearts as the palace and Brahma and other celestials as servants.

Victory to the sunset of red brightness of the feet of Kamakshi which makes the
lotus flowers everywhere close, which creates redness combined with the bright
white rays from the nails resembling half moons which cause the heart-lilies of
poets to blossom.

-
Victory to the lotus feet of Kamakshi which tell something sweet by the tinkling of
the anklets when Lord Shiva, with a smile on his face, bows down before them
and, like a mature friend, loosen the chances of a love-quarrel arising.

O Kamakshi! your lotus feet is familiar with the soft and silky dark hair of celestial
damsels which resemble a swarm of bees. They shine with the red colour of
liquid lac like the red luminosity of the rising sun. They are full of radiance just
like flower-honey dripping lotuses. Thus your lotus feet have taken to the path of
friendship (with the bees, the sun and the lotus)


Though the lotus feet of Kamakshi are associated with red( ) they are firmly
established only in the heart of people who do not possess rajoguna ( )

Though they are red ( ) they provide refuge only to those who are unattached
( ). Though they are slow ( ) they are attainable only by the wise ( ).
(Because of these contradictions) O Kamakshi! your lotus feet produce waves of
wonderment.
[Note: The poet has made use of words with two meanings to
create virodhaabhasa (seeming contradiction) which is a figure of speech used
by poets for embellishing poetry].
-

O Kamakshi! The rays of red colour emitted by the gems in your anklets
resemble matted hair of a tapaswi and the bright white rays from the toe nails
resemble the waters of the Ganga in the middle of which the feet are seated.
Thus my Mother ! your feet are engaged in doing tapas in order to protect the
worlds.

-
:

May Goddess Kamakshi, Consort of Shiva, purify my head, which is bent down
before her, by placing her feet on it for the fraction of a second. The tinkling of
the anklets on the feet seem to speak words which allay fears. Those lotus feet
have radiant crimson brightness, are delicate and dispel the darkness of my
ignorance.
-



-
O Bhavani! May your lotus feet destroy my ignorance and delusions which are
fortified by my strong attachment to this samsara. Drops of liquid lac dye on your
feet attach themselves to the matted hair of Shiva (when He bends down at your
feet) and from this the crescent moon, which has made the matted locks of shiva
his home, gets a red mark on his face.

O Kamakshi ! May the shining red particles from the sole of your feet, capable of
freeing us from sins, purify us. Indra and other celestials compete among

themselves saying I first, I first to get those particles and place them on their
heads.

O Kamakshi! the locks of celestial damsels bowing down at your feet resemble
dark clouds and the radiance from your toe nails resemble a flock of balaka birds
(which drink only the rain water from the clouds before it falls on the earth). The
radiance from your lotus feet which excels the red colour of the hibiscus in full
bloom becomes the streaks of lightning in the clouds.

O Kamakshi ! Your feet are red in colour ( This also means Your feet have
attachment). They compete with the lotus daily with their softness, tenderness
and red colour (It also means they hate the lotus). They naturally attract towards
themselves the heads of the celestials who bow down at your feet. (It also
means it attacks the heads of the celestials). Tell me O Mother! how your lotus
feet can show to the good who bow to you the path to Kaivalya (Mukti,
Liberation)? (since they have such negative qualities such as attachment, hate
etc. which are inconsistent with Kaivalya)
-

O Mother Kamakshi! may the rising sun of your lotus feet which is of the beautiful
red colour of japa flowers, which wants the lotus of Ultimate Knowledge to
bloom, which destroys the dumbness of the world and which is enemy of the
dense darkness of ignorance, light up the East-mountain of my mind.
-

-
The dark blue effulgence of the gems in the anklets of Kamkshi create the
impression of the dark blue sea. The red colour of Kamakshis feet appear to be
the conflagration of deluge (badavagni) on the surface of this sea. The radiance
from the nails create the impression of foam causing whiteness of the sea. May
our salutations be always to that redness of Kamakshis feet.
.

O Devi! May your (lotus) feet which spread their radiance all around be the rope
in the deep well of darkness (ignorance), the sun in the lotus forest of my heart
and the rainy season in the river of
poetry full of sentiments.

O Kamakshi! I salute your (lotus) feet which grant refuge to those who prostrate
before it. Just as the eyes meet the end of the ears ( ) with good news
your lotus feet are placed in theend of the Vedas ( ) or Upanishads. Just
as the lips are served by a pretty row of white teeth ( ) your feet are
served by noble brahmins( ). Just as your breasts accommodate
pearls ( ) your lotus feet accommodates realised souls (( )

[The poet has made use of the words , and all of


which have two meanings each to draw a smilirity of the lotus feet of Kamakshi
with her eyes, lips and breasts]


When the consort of Indra (Indrani) bows down at your feet, the naturally
oscillating ear-globes of red coral worn by her produce a reflection in the toe
nails, the whiteness of which resembles the waters of the milky ocean, and
enhances the beauty of your lotus feet.


O Kamakshi ! Darling of the enemy of Cupid(Shiva)! When shall I get a taste of


the nectar of serving at your lotus feet, which is very efficient in destroying the
sufferings of all the three worlds, so that I can be freed from the sorrow born out
of the strong poison of my sufferings.

The brightness of sunset always wants the reddish tinge of Kamakshis feet. The
brightness of the moon burns with jealousy seeing the radiance of the toe nails of
Kamakshi. The tender leaves of trees want to emulate the bloom of Kamakshis
feet. We meditate in our mind on the softness of Kamakshis lotus feet.

||

O Daughter of Himavan! Sages with sharp and skillful minds embark on a quest
to find the ultimate Truth walking the path of scriptures and discard every thing of
this world saying this is not the ultimate Truth and still continue their search.
The meaning of their words points to the weight of the greatness of your lotus
feet.

The gem of your lotus foot is bathed well in the nectar-lake of scriptures. It is
pure and enriched with the nectar of bliss. It is the adornment of the Earth and it
abides in the heart of the great ocean of consciousness. Those lotus feet of
yours are sought after by the minds of the sages as a priceless gem.
-

O Mother Kamakshi! My mind-house is full of darkness arising out of my


delusions and desires. Your lotus-feet are like a manidipa (lamp of brilliant
gemstone) brighter than a thousand suns and capable of dispelling the dense
darkness in my heart. Kindly therefore let your lotus feet be present in my heart,
just for a moment, so that the darkness inside is dispelled.

-

O Kamakshi! the pair of your lotus feet are in contact with the brightness of the
nails ( ) even as the mind of the poets is in contact with the taste of the
nails( ) [poets, in their creative effort, often bite their nails while in deep

thought or imagination]. They are full of sound of the tinkling of the anklets
( ) just as the heavenly Ganga is full of sound of the swans ( ).
They are also beautiful with a bright crimson tinge as the morning sunrise. May
Those lotus feet of Kamakshi shine in my heart.
-

O Kamkshi! Your lotus feet always come in contact with the naturally hard
crowns of the celestials (when they bow down at your feet). They also come in
contact with the valleys of Himavan (as your the daughter of Himavan covered
with snow) and the minds of yogis which are very subtle, very minute. Is it
because of this that they destroy delusion (because of their contact with hard
objects) and cools the hearts of devotees (because of their contact with snowcovered valleys) and reveals things which are not visible to the naked eye
(because of their contact with the minds of yogis)?


O Mother, Consort of Shiva! tender leaves and lotuses are threatened and
frightened by your purifying and naturally soft lotus feet. They therefore always
start vanavasavrata(vow to stay in the forest) initiated by different kinds of
birds. (It also could mean they observed vanavasaguided by brahmins
because means birds as well as brahmins)


The lotus feet of Kamakshi is seen by paramahamsas or yogis ( ) after a long
time but the lotus is easily obtained by swans ( ). The former drives away
dullness ( ) but the latters refuge is in the centre of water ( ).
The former does not attach to anything bad but the latter is in contact with muddy
water. Thus the lotus-feet of Kamakshi mocks at the lotus.

-

O Kamakshi ! the actions of your feet reveal they are akin to the moon. Like the
moon they enhance the joy of the celestials as they bow to them. Like the

moon, the rays from their toes dispel the darkness (of ignorance). Again like the
moon, they make the lotus unhappy because they compete with it in beauty,
softness and colour.
-

-
O Kamakshi! when celestial damsels bow down at your feet, their locks get, as it
were, a garland made of whitemandara and red hibiscus flowers from the bright
whiteness emanating from your toe nails and the bright redness from your lotus
feet.

-
O Daughter of Himavan! the bright white rays from your toe nails create the
impression of white blossoms and the red rays from your feet resemble the
tender leaves. I think that your lotus feet is the wish-yielding tree of heaven
which fulfils all wishes and which is sought after by the good.


Victory to the lotus feet of Kamakshi which shine from the bright white rays of the
toe nails resembling the waters of the milky ocean, which have fine lines
depicting the lotus, the disc and the conch, which have taken the form of fish
and which have matchless beauty.

O Daughter of Himavan Kamakshi! Your lotus feet is the performer of sacrifice


( ). The mind of the wise is the platform where the sacrifice is performed.
The tinkling sound of your anklets is the Vashatkriya. The waves ofkarma is
the havis which flares up and burns up all ignorance.
-

O Kamakshi ! your feet exhibit the characteristics of amantrika. The tinkling of


your diamond-studded anklets is like chanting of mantras. The rays of pure white
emanating from your toe nails is like the blowing of ashes by themantrika. Like
the mantrika, your lotus feet, naturally efficient, drives away the ghost from the
mind. The ghost in this case is egotism (the sense of I and Mine) or
attachment to worldly objects

-
O Mother Kamakshi! When the moon of Knowledge rises and the darkness of
ignorance is dispelled, the damsel of your lotus feet, manifesting love, covers
herself with the white cloth of the bright rays of the nails and secretly seeks out
and enters the heart.

O Kamakshi! Daughter of Himavan! the greatness of remembering your lotus feet


is that it makes the devotee a great poet like the cuckoo in the spring season
when the beginning of the day ( sunrise, earlier life) is marked by the fresh
blossoming of forests of lotuses ( the bright crimson of your lotus feet) and the
evening (sunset, later life) is marked by the appearance of the moon of Ultimate
Knowledge (the bright white rays from your toe nails).


O Kamakshi! your lotus feet take on the position of the Sun by providing shade
(to devotees), by being friendly to the lotus, by being the repository of all things
bright, by imparting knowledge to all the worlds, by showing the path to those
who want to attain liberation.

O Kamakshi! consort of the destroyer of the triple cities!


Those who have slowly crossed this ocean of delusion which is samsara and are
desirous of ascending the mansion of kaivalya (the highest state) get your feet as
the ladder by devotional service at your lotus feet.

O Mother Kamakshi ! your lotus feet are like the clouds from which ensues
torrential rains causing a flood of knowledge annihilating the greed and anger of
those who prostrate before you. I, on my part, would like to have
theprasada (grace, blessing) of your lotus feet, the lamp which would dispel the
darkness of samsara


The lotus feet of Kamakshi mocks at the coral because the former is always
moving as the wind but the latter is without movement; the former is always
bright red but the latter loses it shine as it ages and the former has the good
good quality of generating the sweet tinkling of its anklets while the latter is good
at creating only harsh sound.



-
The pair of your lotus feet are capable of protecting all the worlds. They are
skilled in teaching good conduct. The celestials bow down before it and they are
beautiful. They are always approachable by the wise (sages). The Vedas and
Upanishads are their play fields and they are the boundary for the crowns Indra
and others wear on their heads.
-
-

O kamakshi! I see before my minds eye your lotus feet which are far removed
from words, which destroy dullness and darkness of ignorance, which protect the
worlds, which are good at playing in the hearts of sages, which appear smiling
from the brightness of the toe nails, which are the essence of the Upanishads
and which stop the madness of the samsara-alligator

O Kamakshi! though your lotus feet is being dirtied (smeared) with the liquid lac
dye they remove all the dirt from the mind of those who prostrate before them.

Though they wear two anklets ( ) they are without comparison (). O
Daughter of Himavan! your lotus feet transcend the path of words.

.
Let the red tinge in the lotus feet of Kamakshi make the leaf buds in the forest
tremble, let them playfully make the morning sunlight still more red or make the
brightness of evening twilight useless. May the waves of redness in the feet of
Kamakshi increase my auspiciousness.

O Mother Kamakshi! Consort of Shiva who wears the crescent moon on his
head! your lotus feet radiates moonlight by the white brightness of your toe nails
and please the hearts of saints. They are of the red colour of freshly blooming
lotuses. Thus the brightness of your pretty feet creates the season of sharat (the
season after the rainy season)


O Kamakshi! the brightness radiating from your toe nails which is like a bright
smile resemble the sparkling waters of Ganga in which mind takes a pleasant
bath and having drunk to the hearts fill the nectar of Knowledge, may that mind
of mine play at Kamakshis lotus feet which are pretty and are lighted by the
sparkling gems in the anklets


The lotus feet of Kamakshi are the boat for crossing the ocean of this samsara.
They are like fire in the forest of dullness. They are the head ornament of Indra
and other celestials who bow down at them. They are like the moonlight for the
heat (misery) of the worlds. They are like the female parrot in the cage which is
not closed.

O Kamakshi! Your pretty feet take up the role of mirror made of gemstone which
is capable of reflecting the effulgence of the Higher Self. The naturally soft hair
in the locks of the damsels of heaven, as it were, IS trying to wipe this mirror
clean, as they bow down at Your feet.

O Kamakshi ! Let your lotus feet, like the king of lions, standing guard without
rest and without armour, at the entrance of my heart-cave and proudly displaying
its main which are the bright light rays emanating from your toe nails, quickly put
an end to the elephant of darkness (ignorance) in my heart.


||

O Kamakshi! the damsels of heaven enact before you a dance drama full of fine
sentiments. After witnessing the dance your lotus feet seem to smile with the
bright white radiance from your toe nails and the tinkling sound of the anklets
seem to speak words of appreciation for the dance performance.


O Kamakshi! your feet are more beautiful than the lotus. They are cooled by the
bright white radiance from the toe-nails which resemble karpur (camphor). They
are also
sprinkled with the ice water from the crescent moon on the head of Shiva (who
bows down at your feet). They make friends with blossoms of bright red tender
leaves (leaf buds) as a fellow-traveller ( Your lotus feet resemble a blossom of
tender leaves with their red colour)

O Kamakshi! May the tinkling of the anklets of your lotus feet protect us. Those
sounds from the anklets are the chants (japa) for always attracting wealth for
those who prostrate before your lotus feet. They are chants (japa) for stopping

the onslaught of samasara which spreads and gains weight. They are also
chants (japa) for captivating the heart of Shiva (who burnt Kama, Cupid)

O Kamakshi! darling of Pasupati! kindly place your lotus feet on my head. The
impressions of those lotus feet visible around the banks of Kampa are absorbed
by the eyes of Brahma, Vishnu and others and give them supreme bliss.

-
The bright red radiance from the lotus feet of Kamakshi, as it were, is fire. The
swarm of bees flitting around themandara flowers on the crowns of celestials
bowing down before her feet give the impression of smoke (because of their dark
colour). May that fire of the lotus feet of Kamakshi burn up the forest of
my samsara.
-

O Kamakshi! the radiance of your forehead which resembles the crescent moon
wants to snatch from your toe nails the capacity to make the lotuses close
(because of the moonlight-like radiance of the toe nails). May your lotus feet
which have the power to calm the anger of Lord Shiva grant me eloquence and
effectiveness in speech.


May the Chintamani (wish-yielding gemstone) of your lotus feet destroy my
sorrows; the Chintamani which dispels the darkness, radiates its brilliance in all
directions, kills my ego and removes my dullness.
-

O Mother Kamakshi! consort of Shiva! Victory to your lotus feet which is brilliant
(as the Sun), which is the seat of nectar (as the Moon), which is of red colour (as
Mars), which is soft and friendly to those who bow before it (also Budha), which

is Guru ( also Jupiter) and kavi (poet) ( also Venus), which moves slowly (as
Saturn), which is the destoryer of ignorance (also Rahu and Ketu).
[The poet has used words with two meanings to bring outsleshalankara a figure
of speech]
-

O Kamaksh! Your lotus feet make Brahma and others Your servants. For those
who are in misery they shower riches like the wish-yielding tree. They create,
sustain and destroy worlds. Who can adequately describe your power and pride
in all these activities ?
-

O Mother Kamakshi! I am being tormented by the scorching rays of the Sun of


this samsara but I am not getting an iota of the coolness of the milk of spiritual
(higher) Knowledge. I am a traveller on this path of darkness and O consort of
Paramashiva!, I urgently seek the cool shade of your lotus feet.

O Kamakshi! the damsel of True Knowledge is easily accessed by the wise in the
gem-house of your lotus feet which has the canopy of the radiance from the toenails which resembles Chinese silk which is made more smooth by brushing
against the crowns of the celestials (who bow down at your feet) and which has
the bedspread of the red radiance of your lotus feet.


O Kamakshi! daughter of Himavan! we meditate on your lotus feet which is the
source of the radiance of the rising sun, which fulfils the wishes of Indra, which
dispels all darkness and inundates all quarters by the radiance of red effulgence.

The greatness of Kamakshis lotus feet makes those who prostrate before them
a great scholar who can write the Mahabhashya or who, like Lord Shiva, can
burn Kama or who occupies the abode of the devas.

O kamakshi! daughter of Himavan! your lotus feet sow the seeds of True
Knowledge in the heart-field of sages which have been cooled by bathing in the
fountain of discrimination and which have been levelled by the plough of
contemplating the sastras.

O Kamakshi! the brightness of your toe nails resembles a cluster of jasmine


flowers. The toes of your lotus feet with their bright reddish tinge resemble buds
of champaflower. The soles of your feet spread the joy of ashokaflowers. O
Consort of Shiva ! it looks as if your feet are the spring season.

O Kamakshi! Daughter of Himavan! Victory to the red radiance of your feet which
is like the river Shona. The brilliant white radiance from your nails are like swans
floating on the river and the dark green of your anklets is like moss.
-

O Kamakshi! your lotus feet wash away sins, not easy of access for enemies,
attached to blossoming, always make (devotees) free, of white hue because of
the moonlight from the toe nail-moons. I think that your lotus feet are very
unusual, uncommon type of lotus flowers.

O Kamakshi! your lotus feet hurts (defeats) the elephant by lazy playful gait and
they display jealousy for the lotus (because they are also soft and bright red).

(With such negative traits in their character) how is it the hearts of the peaceful
sages are so desirous of your lotus feet?


O Daughter of Himavan! the bright red radiance from your lotus feet excels the
bright red colour of the evening twilight ( ). Since it is unable to retaliate it
(twilight, ) makes the lotus, which is as red and as soft as your lotus feet,
close during the evening twilight .

It appears that your lotus feet, as the guru, advised the swan about walking
smoothly with delicate steps. Therefore the swan got interested in the lotus which
made friends with it, because the soft and delicate lotus was perfect for the swan
to walk with soft and delicate steps.

O Kamakshi! Consort of the Enemy of Cupid! The enmity of your feet to the lotus
flowers is only proper because they are always in contact with honey-bees which
are naturally dirty, they close their petals when the moon rises and they are full
of rajas (dust, pollen)


I bow before the Kamakshis lotus feet which bestow the skill to compose
beautiful poems, which are good at protecting those who are in distress, which
are beautiful and soft as the lotus, which radiate red colour, which abide in the
hearts of sages, which have a slow graceful gait, which captivate the heart and
which destroy all sins and miseries.

My heart dissolves in the feet of Kamakshi which deflate the pride of lotuses in
full bloom, which are higher than all those which are capable of
giving mukti (liberation from the cycle of births and deaths), the radiance of
whose nails excel the beauty of moonlight, the soles of which are of pink colour,
which are praised by the Vedas and to which the celestials offer prostrations.

O Kamakshi! there is this natural similarity between tender leaf buds and your
lotus feet; both are soft and of pink colour. But to the wise there appears to be a
difference. The formers desire is in the forest () the latters desire is in
protecting () the worlds always. [In Sanskrit is prefixed to a word to
derive its opposite. Thus is the opposite of ]

How is it O Kamakshi! that your lotus feet , though always talkative with the
tinkling of your anklets always makes the hearts of yogis who have controlled
their speech inundated with supreme joy ? And how do those feet of yours which
are naturally bright red make the mind of men sparkling white, free from
impurities ?

O Kamakshi! Consort of Paramashiva! driven by the waves of greed and anxiety


and wandering aimlessly I have become tired and dependent on others. When
shall I get the gemstone bridge of your feet to cross this ocean of too many
activities.

O Kamakshi! daughter of Himavan !May my mind-peacock, tired by the hot


summer of miseries, be cooled in the stream of spiritual knowledge. What is it
that the cool rainy days created by the clouds of your feet cannot do ?

O Kamakshi! your feet-lamps provide light at the door of the heart-residence of


those who bow down at your feet and dispel all darkness. The surging waves of
heavy miseries vanish just like the insects plunging into the flame of the lamp.

O Kamakshi! victory to your feet which shine like the shell of the pearls which are
the bright rays from the toe-nails, which are like the boat for crossing the sea of
misery for people who bow down at it, which are the great fire in the forest
of samsara and which is the arani from which arise the fire of spiritual knowledge
of the sages.

O Mother ! Victory to your lotus feet which are like Indra as they are always
worshipped by the celestials. Their praises are sung by the Gandharva damsels
by the sweet strains of music from theVeena. They shatter the mountains
of samsara like Indra and fight the dense darkness (ignorance) that is balasura
whom Indra killed. .
-


Though your lotus feet are always like the spring in the heart of devotees they
are also like the rainy season full of dark clouds. Though they are clean (
means also summer) they drive away the heat of miseries. They are cool
( also means the season after winter and before spring) because of the
moonlight-like radiance from the toe-nails but they also make the lotus bloom.
We prostrate before Kamakshi whose feet cause wonderment in us.
-

-
Victory to the feet of Kamakshi which like the creator Brahma, seated on the
lotus and worshipped by Sanaka, Bhrigu and other sages manifest their skill in

the art of creating by means of the picturesque words of poets the multiplicity of
forms, qualities, characters and activities of this prapancha, worlds.

-
O Kamakshi, the particles of pollen from the lotus of your feet in full blossom
remove all the dirt in the hearts of those who prostrate before you. In the mirror
of their hearts thus wiped clean, clear and sparkling is reflected, O daughter of
Himavan, the whole of this universe.
-

Fearing from your feet the tender leaf buds went to another forest. The lotus, on
the other hand, took refuge in your lotus feet (defeated by the latter by their
softness and beauty). Both the leaf bud and the lotus did only the proper thing.
Those defeated either go to a distant place or take refuge in the enemy himself.
-

Understanding the true meaning of the Upanishadic texts and by the glances of
compassion, bright as the Sun, of the Guru (Spiritual Teacher), having destroyed
the sense of I and mine, good people, as a result of punya earned by them,
endeavour every day to firmly establish your lotus feet in their heart-cave.
-

O Mother Kamakshi! even if a dull-witted person remembers and meditates on


you, the words issuing forth from him compete with the ghumughumu sound
from the milky ocean when it was being churned by the mandara mountain,
forcibly making his lips vibrate. Those words shine being naturally well-formed,
clear and spontaneous.

O Kamakshi! your lotus feet carry, without rest, the sweet sound of the anklets
( ). Then why are they trying to compete with the swan ( ) in playful
walking? They are the source of joy for Lord Shiva () but how is it that they
destroy the samsara () of the devotees. [The poet has created the figure of
speech virodhabhasa(apparently contradictory) making use of the two meanings
of (anklet, swan) and (Shiva, samsara)]


O Kamakshi!, Consort of Shiva! your lotus feet are naturally soft and delicate and
they become tired even by lazy slow walking. How is it that they bear the forceful
contact with the hard crowns of the hordes of celestials bowing down at your
feet? How is it that they reside in the sharp-as-needle hearts of sages?


O Kamakshi who gladdens the hearts of the wise! May the expert dancer of your
lotus feet, with anklets twinkling, accompanied by sweet music and captivating
steps, soft and full of rasa (sentiments), enact a dance drama on the stage of
my heart(mind)

O Kamakshi ! your lotus feet, which have stolen the eminence of the lotus,
adorn the matted hair of Shiva, the heart of yogis who, turning their senses
inward, meditate on you and the crest of the Upanishads which speak of
Brahman, the Ultimate Reality. May they liberate me from my slavery to
attachment and the sense of I and Mine.
-


O Kamakshi! daughter of Himavan! Your lotus feet get the title of surabhi in
three ways namely by their contact with the flowers on the locks of celestial
damsels, by their fulfilling the wishes of those who bow down at them and by
making the kankeli tree flower by their touch. [In the first case means

sweet smell, in the second case it means wish-yielding cow kamadhenu and in
the third case it means capable of producing offspring]

O Kamakshi! your lotus feet always protect the heart-gem of those who have
deposited it with them from the thieves of great delusions and desires. Why
should these feet of yours which because of the excess of (redness,
attachment) are always beautiful, steal the beauty of leaf buds?
[This is also virodhabhasa. On one side Kamakshis feet protect the heart of
devotees from thieves such as mohaetc. On the other hand they themselves
steal the redness of leaf buds (meaning excels them in redness)]


O Kamakshi! my heart-parrot, having always tasted particles of grains of sense


objects, has become tired. O consort of Shiva! please forcibly capture this parrot
in the net of your mercy and imprison it in the cage of your lotus feet.

-
Only a few people, who have earned a lot of punya by their meritorious deeds,
are able to get the siddhamedicine of your lotus feet which they have been
seeking for a long time. O Kamakshi! this medicine, which is kept in secrecy in
the cave within the arbour of the Vedas, is capable of removing the fever of
dullness, simply by remembering and recalling it to mind.

O Daughter of Himavan ! prostrations before your feet, soft and tender as the
lotus petals, with anklets tinkling, with graceful steps, abiding in the hearts of
good people, dispelling the darkness of ignorance by the brilliance of the nails
and fit to be placed ever on his head by your consort.

O Mother Kamakshi! daughter of Himavan! Consort of Shiva ! may the mind-bee


of mine revel, to its content, at your lotus feet which have a red tinge, which are
bright as the full moon, which are attained after a long time by loving devotion by
those whose wealth is a mind which is pure and full of peace.


O Daughter of Himavan and the darling of Shiva!( who sports the crescent moon
on his head) your slow gait puts down the gait of the celestial elephant. Sages
endeavour to tie their heart-elephants which are intoxicated firmly to the pegs of
your lotus feet by means of knowledge(Consciousness) ropes.


O Mother Kamakshi! the process of prostrating before your lotus feet and
surrendering oneself to them yield fame, create sweet poetry, give wealth, give
peace and maturity to the mind and loosen the bonds of attachment. What is it
that it cannot do?

The rays of the rising sun of Kamakshis lotus feet lead one to think that it is the
direction of East (where the sun rises) and the words of the poets who are in
contact with those lotus feet and experience the taste thereof will mature into
picturesque speech spreading fragrance all around.

O Daughter of Himavan ! Once upon a time the enemy of Kama, Lord Shiva,
gained victory over the triple cities after pleasing you by hundreds of hymns.
Therefore O Mother Kamakshi! may your lotus feet reveal themselves in my
heart as soon as my end nears

O Kamakshi! I bow daily to your blemishless lotus feet which have slow gait,
which reside in the hearts of the good, which are beyond the reach of words and
which fill those who prostrate before it with pure joy.

Whosoever chants with devotion this stotra of hundred verses on the lotus feet of
Kamakshi, which will fill the heart of all with joy, will be respected by all, will
become the best of poets and, after enjoying lifes blessings for long, merge in
the Ultimate Reality which is of the nature of Absolute Consciousness.

Stuti Shatakam


O Kamakshi !, Consort of Shiva with dark blue eyes like a blue lotus in full
blossom!, the greatest of the goddesses, proficiency in the use of words does
not help in praising your glories where even the erudite words of Brahma lose
their pride (as they are inadequate to praise you enough). In spite of this, my
intense desire to serve you and worship at your feet prompts me to be articulate
and sing hymns in your praise.




My prostrations be always to that Supreme Effulgence (Kamakshi) the
complexion of which is bright as the tapinjha blossom, which drives away the
poverty of people, which dispels the darkness named samasra, which shares the
left half of Lord Shivas body, which strolls on the banks of Kampa river, which
abides in the tongue-hut of poets and which protects and nourishes all the
worlds.




May the particles from the lotus feet of Kamkshi, the object of love
of Parameshwara, protect us. Those red particles make the crescent moon in the
matted locks of Shiva red as the sandhya(evening twilight) as He bows down at
Kamakshis feet. They fill with red sinduram the seemantha ( the line formed
when the hair on the head is parted in the middle) of the celestial damsels while
they bow down and they make the punya of the devotees who worship in Kanchi
mature and yield fruits.


The Goddess praised by all the good people as Kamakshi, who does good to all
people, whose heart is full of kindness, who raises waves in the ocean of love of
the enemy of Cupid (Shiva) by the shining of the moon on her forehead and the
radiance of her beautiful smile, shines on the banks of the river Kampa.



The very embodiment of mercy, known as Kamakshi shines on the banks of the
river Kampa in Kanchi. Her eyes manifest the undiminished valour of the God of
Love, she is of dark complexion but the milky white brightness of her smile
radiates in all directions, she is the crest-jewel of all women and the highest
goddess of speech or words of poets.




That which is dark moonlight in this world, dark clouds which rain poetry of
incomparable beauty from the mouths of men who have earned enough punya (
by their good deeds), dark effulgence which captivates the heart of Shiva, the
enemy of Cupid, may that Kamakshis waves of sidelong glances charged with
compassion, fulfil my wishes.

Victory to Kamakshi, the great festival for the eyes of Shiva, who shines in
Kanchi. She is like the moonlight in dense darkness. Though she is associated
with moonlight as she wears the crescent moon on her forehead, she
likes chakravaka-chakravaki pair of birds which want only the sun. She appears
beautiful as the wonderful dark waves of the Kalinidi river during the rains.

Let my mind take refuge in the consort of Sankara (Shiva) whose complexion is
as dark as the blue tamala flowers, who is the play of house of fresh youth, who
adorns her tresses with the crescent moon, whose eyes are like the petals of the
red lotus, who curbs the pride of Cupid, who strolls on the banks of the Kampa
river and whose breasts are heavy.




Remaining Herself still she protects and nurtures the winds (which are always on
the move). Though skilled in gathering all light she steals the rays of the Sun (i.e.
she is far brighter than the Sun). Though she abides in Kanchi she inundates the
whole cosmos with her effulgence. It is nothing less than a wonder that
Kamakshi, like a lamp, dispels the darkness of ignorance merely by her
remembrance.


The banks of the Kampa river are transformed into a forest in which the beautiful
dark tresses of Kamakshi are honey-bees, her smile flowers, her dark
complexion leaf buds, the radiance of her lotus feet and the eyes are leaves. It
becomes the birth place of all good things. Victory to the gem abiding in the
centre of Kanchi which is the repository of all kindness.

-

The One, whose face is as bright as the full moon, who is praised by Indra, who
grants even to those who are dumb powers of oratory matching the flow of the
heavenly Ganga, who loves to engage in playful activities in the city of Kanchi,
who wipes the tears of sorrow of the good, shines as Kamakshi, the very
embodiment of the fruits of the chain of punya (merit) earned by Lord Shiva, her
consort.

In the vicinity of the banks of Kampa River runs another river which is full of the
water of kindness and mercy which is born of Himavan, which is visible only to
those who have lot of punya to their credit, which removes the distress of people
just by remembrance for a second, which does many wonderful things playfully
though its nature is stability

-

It is the effulgence which plays on the banks of the Kampa river which grants us
refuge; the effulgence which unites with the body of Shiva to
become dampati (man and wife), which sports the crescent moon on her tresses
and which gives Himavan, again and again, a very high place.

There shines in Kanchi something which is the sprouting seed for the progeny of
poetry which daily puts down the lotus by the beauty of its eyes, breasts and the
ornaments for the ears and shoulders and which, by the sweetness of words
and pretty gait, puts swans to shame.

O Mother! When shall I gain the fortune gathered by my guruwhich sports the
crescent moon on its head, which plays in Kanchi, which steels the lustre of black
iron, which has eyes long enough to reach up to the ears, full breasts of youth
and tresses touching the back of her shins.

I meditate on that dark blue effulgence which makes the natural words its play
house, which is the field from which grow the beautiful plants of poetry emanating
from poets of great merit, which is adept in wiping out the sins (of devotees),
which is the adornment of Kanchi, which has the radiance of the blue gem and
which is the valour of Cupid.



Victory to the damsel who abides in Kanchi and who enchants the whole world
who carries in her eyes and in her lotus face the sweetness of nectar, who has
the crescent moon as adornment, who has a bewitching smile, heavy breasts
and a slender middle.
-


O Mother Kamakshi! he, on whom falls your sidelong glance-night bathed in the
moonlight of your smile, is spontaneously approached by the damsel of poetic
words putting to shame grapes and honey by her sweetness (he becomes a poet
whose poems gladden the hearts of the wise)




O Kamkshi! The radiance of your sidelong glances which are the fertile soil of
everything auspicious resembles the dark waters of Yamnua in the milky white
waters of the celestial Ganga represented by the brightness of your smile. It also
resembles the dense darkness in the evening twilight (sandhya, sun set)

represented by the red tinge of your lips. It is also like the smoke from the fire
represented by the brightness of your manikyaear-globes.


Goddess Meenakshi shines on the banks of Kampa river. Her anklets make
sweet tinkling sound. She is the garland adorning Kanchi. On her tresses
shines the crescent moon. She is the consort of Shiva who sports the crescent
moon on his matted hair. Hairs of her body stand on end hearing the sweet
verses of poets and she nods her head in appreciation.


The waves of fluent speech the sweetness of which puts down the sweetness of
honey, fame which fills the whole world, body which even the Cupid will envy
and enjoyment of worldly things dear to ones heart how can these things be
acquired by men, O Adornment of Kanchi, without the waves of your sidelong
glances.
-

-
Goddess Kamakshi who is the crest-jewel of women, who has captivated the
heart of Lord Shiva, who is the fruit of unwavering austerities of Shiva, who
dispels the fear of those who bow at her feet shines on the banks of Kampa
making its banks appear as if inhabited by honey bees by the dark blue radiance
like that of the blue lotus.
-

May Goddess Kamakshi whose words are sweet, who has a beautiful smile,
whose gait is like that of the intoxicated elephant, whose youth is fresh, who is as
bright as the tapinjha flower, who is slightly bent by the weight of her breasts,
whose eyes are like those of the doe, who is full of kindness and whose abode is
Kanchi, be auspicious for us (may we be blessed by her)



Goddess kamakshi, the hearts desire of Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the triple
cities, shines on the banks of the Kampa river. Her eyes are beautiful as the
lotus petals, she has beautiful tresses adorned by the crescent moon and she
radiates the brightness oftapinjha flowers
-

May Goddess Kamakshi, who likes playful activities in Kanchi, who is the
affluence of the spring for the waves of beautiful lyrics of poets, who has
beautiful eyes like the doe and who is the joy for the eyes of the enemy of Cupid
(Shiva), shower her blessings on me


When shall I see, before my eyes, Kamakshi who devours the dense darkness
(of ignorance), who is the adornment of Kanchi, who sports the crescent moon
on her head, who is dark as the newly formed cloud and who is the wonderful
fruit of the tapas of Shambhu (Shiva)


Goddess Kamakshi, the consort of three-eyed Shiva, is the adornment of the
banks of Kampa river, whose face is beautiful as the lotus in full blossom, whose
pretty gait puts to shame the swan which Brahma rides and whose speech is so
sweet that it makes nectar, the food of devas, unhappy.



O Mother! how long shall I aimlessly wander in this world, filling my stomach with
the tainted money from the hands of people of bad character and conduct.
Please direct a slight wave of your glance on me who is prostrating before you
who are the repository of kindness, devoid of laziness and the lamp of gems of
Kanchi.




May Goddess Kamakshi who makes the eyes of Lord Shiva happy, who is the
diamond in the mind-casket of sages, who is the theatre of art for kindnessactress, who is the adornment of Kanchi and who is the foremost medicine for
the illness of great delusion for people of this world, reveal Herself before me.

-
Prostrations to Kamakshi who abides in the hearts of sages, who is the source
of speech(words) which flows pure and sweet as Ganga, who is the very
foundation of the valleys of Himavan, who is eternal and the Supreme Self, who
likes to play in Kanchi and who is the beautiful play field for the eyes of
Maheshwara.

-

We worship the crest-jewel of the progeny of Himavan who is of dark
complexion, who is like the waves of nectar for the eyes of Shiva, who is beyond
the ocean calledsamsara and who is the ripe fruit of the good deeds of the
people of Kanchi.

O Kamakshi ! companion of Kampa river and daughter of Himavan! When the


day starts with prostrations before you for those poets of good character, the Sun
of good poetry blossoms (as the lotus when the sun rises). It puts to sleep the
the poesy-lily of those egotist poets in the opposite camp.


May the darling daughter of Himavan, who removes dullness in her devotees,
who strolls on the banks of Kampa river, who destroys all sins, who sports the
crescent moon on her tresses, who fulfils the desires of devas and who is the

Highest Divinity carrying five weapons, reveal herself before my eyes making
them fulfilled.

O dullness! How can you attack my intellect? It has taken refuge, shaking off
laziness, in the consort of Lord Shiva, who sports the crescent moon on her
tresses, who has banished dullness from the world and who abides on the banks
of Kampa river.


She, the valour of Cupid abiding in Kanchi, creates fine fragance in clouds
(represented by her tresses). She splits the golden mountain into two parts
(represented by her breasts). She creates red rediance in the moon (represented
by her toe nails) and the beauty of the conch (represented by her neck) where
there is no water.

O Kamakshi! You have experienced sitting on the left thigh of Lord Shiva. You
have also lived in Kanchi where lived many poets. You also lived in the natural
surroundings of the valleys of Himavan. Why cant you, O the greatest of the
goddesses! find a match for one of the above places in my heart where you can
reside?

When will Goddess Kamakshi, who is the foremost crest-jewel of Kanchi, whose
gait is like that of the elephant, whose body radiates the brilliance of the green
gemstone, who is bent by the weight of her breasts, who is the fruit of
the punya earned by Maheshwara, make my eyes fulfilled by revealing Herself
before them?

When shall my eyes see before them Goddess Kamakshi, consort of the enemy
of the triple cities, partner in the fame of Cupid, the source for the nectarine
fountain of words from poets, the sweet and delicate adornment of the banks of
Kampa river and the enthraller of the hearts of the wise.



I meditate on and worship Kamakshi who is the end of all desires, who playfully
dispels the darkness of ignorance, who has eyes like the blue lotus, who has a
fiery third-eye on the forehead, who carries the trident in her hand, who has
stolen the heart of the enemy of Cupid, who is above all, who playfully showers
mercy on Cupid, who has beautiful locks and has a third eye on her forehead
-



When will Kamkshi, who is consort of Shiva , who is the playhouse for the the
fine arts, who is the moonlight ofsharat season for the forest of lilies which are
the words of poets, who sports the crescent moon on her head, who is friendly
with the banks of Kampa river, reveal Herself before my eyes.


My prostrations are dedicated to Kamakshi who is ever so lightly bent by the
weight of her ample bosom, who sports the crescent moon overflowing with
nectar and very cool on her head, who always abides in the vicinity of the river
Kampa, whose actions spread her fame and who is the wonderful fruit of the
good deeds done by the Lord of all beings (Pasupati).
-

May Goddess Kamakshi, who is the lamp lighting up the gem-studded house
which is the lap of Lord Shiva, who radiates the dark green of the marakata gem,
the moonlight from whose toe nails kisses the heads of the hordes of celestials
bowing down at her feet and who abides in Kanchi, drive away the darkness of
my ignorance.


On the banks of Kampa shines like lightning Goddess Kamakshi who has no
beginning or end, who delights the hearts of the good, who excels the clouds by
her dark radiance, who softens the heart of Shiva while she Herself remains firm.


May Goddess Kamakshi, whose smile is as sweet as nectar, who mocks the blue
lily by her dark blue radiance, who is bent by the weight of her breasts and who
is the fruit of the punya done by the eyes of Shiva,
fulfil my desires.



Victory to Kamakshi who is kind towards the weak-hearted, who removes the
sufferings of those who prostrate before her, who is the crest-jewel of the
Upanishads, who is above all, who sports in Kanchi, who is the daughter of
Himavan, who is the presiding deity for speech and who has put herself in the
control of Shiva.
-


May the Oldest One, the greatest treasure of the enemy of Cupid (Shiva) protect
us, who is the source of all beautiful poetry, the result of the good deeds done by
Himavan, the creator and sustainer of everything, the victory banner of Cupid,
friend of the river Kampa and mocking the twin lotuses by her feet.


Goddess Kamakshi, daughter of Himavan, has the radiance of the tapinjha
blossom, is weighed down by heavy breasts, sports the crescent moon on her
tresses, is subservient to Shiva and her feet kiss the crowns of different groups
of celestials. The poet yearns to take on an identical form and play with her on
the banks of Kampa amongst the poor not-so-fortunate ones.

O Kamakshi! Let my mind and my speech be firmly established in you. Let


waves of magnificent speech dance within my mouth. O Mother of Knowledge!
Let our dullness pass on to our enemies. O Mother Kamakshi! let your mercy be
showered on me freely.

O Kamakshi! let your sidelong glance, dark as the honey-bee, be directed for a
moment towards me so that I am freed from all suffering. Let waves of eloquent
words matching the waves in the celestial Ganga dance in my mouth always.

-
O Kamakshi who likes to play on the banks of the Kampa river! May the radiance
from your glance spread before me reducing my illness and its pain. Please
accept this request of mine and remove the darkness of my ignorance and lead
me to the world of the wise.

-

By your grace there has been a surge in the literary outpourings of poets in the
city of Kanchi, mocking the sweetness of honey, which raises, as its victory flag,
the heavenly Ganga which revels in the matted hairs of Lord Shiva, enemy of
Cupid. .

O Consort of Shiva! you give wealth and learning and great fame to those who
bow down before you. Your mercy gives your devotees good sons and
predominance in the three worlds. O One who destroys all sins! What is that
the act of prostrating before you cannot accomplish?

-
Victory to the daughter of Himavan and the most fit object for the eyes of
Pasupati, who removes the sorrows of those who prostrate before her, whose
tresses resemble a swarm of honey-bees, who is beyond the reach of words,
who sports a smile and adorns herself with the crescent moon.

-
O Mother Kamakshi! Consort of Shiva, the enemy of Cupid (Kamadeva) and the
daughter of Himavan! your glances are dark as the cloud, sweet and cool as
nectar and incomparable. Kindly cast those glances on me who is afraid of the
cataclysm of thissamsara and whose mind is full of sorrow and who is dumb.

O Kamakshi! for those who, being dull-witted and with their mind anxious
because they are held by the neck by the samsara,prostrate before you, You are
the wish-yielding creeper and you dispel their dense darkness. We remember
you daily, O Kamakshi!, who strolls on the banks of Kampa, who is the Mother of
the three worlds and who is the consort of Shiva, the enemy of Cupid.

-
She who has liquid eyes beautiful as the lotus, who is the highest knowledge, in
whose heart resides the knowledge of the art of love, who is of dark blue
complexion as the emerald stone, who has subjugated the heart of Shiva by her
playful activities, who is away from darkness and at whose feet bow down the
beauties of the city of Indra . who has eyes like those of the deer, may that
Kamakshi lead (guide) me (on the right path)

O Consort of Shiva! Alas! the doe of my ego is devouring the newly sprouted
young plant of spiritual knowledge in me. O Kamakshi! have mercy on me and
drive away this doe of Ego by the power of your glances.

When your glances, which have manifested the capacity to remove dullness, fall
on the wise or the dull, from that moment how can Indra, the enemy of Namuchi,
and other celestials not bow down at their (i.e. those who are graced by your
glances) feet with palms pressed together above their head.
-


-
We visualise Kamakshi, the supreme effulgence, minute as the sprout of a grain
, which makes the six chakras (mystical centres) in the body blossom, which
traverses the path of thesushumna and becomes drenched in the nectarine flow
from the mystic centre of the thousand-petalled lotus at the top of the crown.


Kamakshi, the good fortune of the assembly of poets, shines on the banks of the
Kampa river making the crowns of Indra and other celestials (who bow down) her
foot-stool, making the compositions of poets as her play garden and producing
flashes of lightning by the lustre of the gems in her ornaments.


I worship Kamakshi who adorns herself with the crescent moon on her head,
who has a beautiful face, who has playful ambulatory sidelong glances, whose
smile is as bright as the jasmine, who is slightly bent with the weight of her
bosom, whose tresses compete with the colour of honey-bees , who inflames the
fire of love in the enemy of Cupid (Shiva) and who is like the wish-yielding
creeper for the words of poets.

Kamakshi, embodiment of abundant mercy, adorns Kanchi. She excels the


effulgence of dark clouds by the radiance of her body. She is the source from
which everything auspicious comes. She is the wish-yielding creeper for poets

and is the dear companion of Shiva, the enemy of Cupid. She is also the
destroyer of all evils.


The embodiment of supreme knowledge plays on the banks of Kampa river,
excelling the darkness of clouds by its radiance, adopting the features of
mountains on its breasts, proclaiming enmity towards lotuses by its eyes and
sporting the crescent moon on its head.


She who sports in Kanchi, who has the beautiful dark blue complexion of
the tapinjha flower, who is the fire burning up the forest of dullness, who is the
birth place of mercy, who is the source of the sweet sounds of the cuckoo and
embodiment of the love-lore of Cupid, may that Kamakshi reveal herself before
my eyes.

O Mother Kamakshi! You are the emerald bridge across the ocean
of samsara for your devotees, the garland of blue lilies, playful and delicate, of
Cupid, adornment of Kanchi and black anjana to the eyes of Pasupati. May the
chain of your beautiful glances slacken my sorrow.

Your glances reveal antagonism towards the lotuses ( they are more beautiful
than the lotus) and they threaten the empire of Cupid (they are more powerful
than Cupid). O (Kamakshi)! you revel in playful activities in Kanchi . May your
sidelong glances which are bent on breaking the bonds of the yogis who
mediate upon you, grant us our desires.

There shines, on the shores of Kampa, embodiment of the wealth of Mercy. It


shows the dark clouds ( the dark eyes) ketakiflowers of bright white
colour( teeth). It shows in the centre of lightning (face) the garland of the honeybees( dark eyes). It inspires the swans resting on lotuses in full bloom to make
sweet sounds.

The wish-yielding Chintamani stone which is the adornment of Kanchi which


threatens the leaf buds by its softness, which grants the wishes of people who
have done punya (meritorious deeds), which is born of the mountain (which is
stable) not from the ocean but is always on the move (Goddess Lakshmi born of
the ocean)

There are red lotuses (eyes) near the clouds(locks of hair). Near that there are
the red hibiscus flowers (lips). Within those hibiscus flowers are jasmine buds
(teeth). There is the sweet music of veena. All this magic is unveiled by
Kamakshi , the result of the waves of good deeds of of Shiva, abiding in
Kanchi.
-


Kamakshi, the wish-yielding tree of poets and expert in love-lore of Kamadeva
(Cupid) sports on the banks of Kampa with her sweet smile. For the chataka
birds she has created nests high above in the sky and provided food for them in
the region of the celestials.
-

.

May Kamakshi, who puts an end to all our desires (Kamakoti), remove all the
impurities from us by her sidelong glances which are liquid, from which flow a
continuous stream of compassion, which are wonderfully playful, which are full
of concern (for all beings), which are ambulatory by nature, which are like the
petals of the lotus, which are beautiful and the play house of Lakshmi and which
are the essence of pure brightness.

-
Our hearts long for the First Mother who is worshipped by all the Vedas, who
gladdens the heart of those who bow down at hear feet, who abides in Kanchi
and whose liquid eyes flit around the garland of flowers on her body.

For relief from all calamities and cataclysms I bow down to the consort of
Sankara who is beyond the reach of words, who ferries celestials across the
ocean of sorrow, who is the sharp axe for the forest of poisonous trees of
delusion and attachment, who is fond of the banks of Kampa river and whose
glorious story is eulogized by poets.
-

Chandi Devi destroys all ills which are naturally crooked and grants tor those who
bow to her poetic brilliance and genius without delay. She rains gold in Kanchi
and loves Shiva who adorns his matted locks with the crescent moon.



Because of whom is Shiva famous as a householder, whose sidelong glances
display knowledge in the love-lore of Kamadeva, because of whose favour Shiva
who begs for alms (with a begging bowl of human skull) is empowered as the
Lord of all the three worlds, victory to that effulgent benevolent power which
abides on the banks of the Kampa river.

-


O Kamakshi ! Give me proficiency in the effective use of words and quickly
remove my despicable lethargy arising out of the impurities (in my mind). Let
pure, sweet, captivating waves of words exceeding the sweetness of nectar
ensue from my mouth in a continuous stream like the flow of the waters of the
heavenly Ganga.


May the consort of Lord Shiva, whose play garden is the heart of those who
follow the path of kausumi yoga, whose foot-stool is always cool by the drops of
flower-honey (from the flowers in the tresses of celestial damsels who bow down
at her feet), who is the crest-jewel of the upanishads and who has Kanchi as her
abode, fulfil my wishes.
-

An young teenage girl, with radiant fresh youth, in a meditative pose


concentrating on the lotus feet ofEkamreshwara, the radiance from her gemstudded ear-ornaments
giving a
red tinge around her ears, is
performing tapas to be the sole mother of the three worlds.

-

Within Kanchi shines the ancient mother of all the worlds who excels the
elephant by her slow graceful gait, whose bright smile crushes the pride
of mandara flowers, whose budding breasts resemble sprouts from the tree
ofKamadeva.

The best among the celestials adore the forms you have taken playfully as the
consort of the three-eyed Shiva. as

Tripurasundari, as Goddess Lakshmi, as the daughter of


the chief of Pulindas, as Tripurabhairavi, as Goddess Saraswati, as Matangi, as
Mahishamardini, the slayer of Mahishasura and as the Divine Mother.


May Kamakshi who does good to every one, who dances in the hearts of saints,
who abides in the kutiraka (shelter) on the beautiful banks of the Kampa river,
who lives in the heart-cave of all beings, who kills crooked knowledge, who rules
over all beings and whose compassion is overflowing, bestow on me abundant
affluence ( or yogic powers).

-
Those men who are dull, naturally devoid of wealth, who are so ugly that they are
eye-sore for people, after receiving your glance for the fraction of a second,
exhibit sweetness of honey in their words, show indifference to the wealth of
Indra and, by their body excite erotic sentiments in the opposite sex.
-

When will Kamakshi reveal Herself before my eyes in Kanchi? She is the
Highest tattwa of the nature of pure absolute consciousness and full in Herself.
She makes the heart of Shiva, the destroyer of the triple cities, waver by her full
breasts pressing against her bodice.


She who lords over the hearts of poets, who resides in Kanchipuri, who is the
fountain of kindness, who protects all the worlds, who is beyond the path of the
mind, who is the darling of Shiva, the enemy of Cupid and who is the repository
of all good qualities, may that Goddess Kamakshi reveal Herself before my eyes.

I do not revel in wealth, do not serve the bad, do not give in to wavering and do
not suffer from the fear of samsarabut steadfastly focus my mind on the worship
of the feet, tender as leaf buds, of Kamakshi who is the consort of Shiva, the
enemy of Cupid, and who revels in Kanchi.

Kamakshi! whosoever falls in the path of your sidelongglances, though he be


very poor, to him the devas become servants, he surpasses Kamadeva in the
handsomeness of his body, the bosom of the most beautiful woman of the three
worlds is his sporting hill, his words are sweet-smelling and his age is eternal
youth

O Kamakshi! kindly purify me, who is the crest-jewel of all illiterate people, by
your glances which are like the nectar of divine knowledge for the three worlds,
which make Shiva, the enemy of the triple cities, ecstatic so that hairs of his body
stand on end, which are skilled in removing the fear of samsara and which
banish all sorrows.


She who is kind and sports in Kanchi, who shines as the buds of kalaya flower,
who is the source of all good things, who is weighed down by heavy breasts,
who is benevolent to poets and is full of mercy, may that (Kamakshi) reveal
Herself before my eyes.
-


There is some priceless diamond which shines in Kanchi, which will not fade,
which is born of mountain (Himavan), which gladdens the heart of people and
which adorns the left side of Lord Shiva. When will my heart become the casket
for this diamond (When shall I always remember (visualise) Kamakshi in my
heart?)


May Kamakshi, who is Maaheshwari, whose nature is of absolute pure
consciousness, who is drenched in the stream of nectar, who is the spirit inside
all this world, who is also outside and whom the saints always see before their
very eyes in Kanchi, always banish the ego from my heart.

O Kamakshi ! you are Chandika. You are Chamundika. You are the Divine
Mother. You are also Yogini. You are the consort of Shambhu. You are
Kamakoti, the end of all desires. You are Jaya and Vijaya. The three worlds
abide in you. What else can I say?
-

O Kamakshi! You are above everything, you are Mother Parvati, you protect
those who bow before you, you make the intellect and imagination sharp and
powerful, you are the supreme Ishwari and refuge for the three worlds. You have
three eyes, you are the embodiment of three shaktis(creation, sustenance and
destruction). Have mercy and rest your glances on me.


There shines on the banks of Kampa a blossom of pure consciousness which
takes care of the moving and non-moving creation, who gladdens the hearts of
the wise, whom the vedas glorify, who is cooled by nectarine compassion and
who strolls on the banks of Kampa.

My mind revels in Goddess Kamakshi who playfully sports the crescent moon on
her head, who is in love with Maheshwara who has bewitched the worlds and is
resplendent like the sun, who shines in her resplendent beauty, who is quick
against enemies and whose stream of compassion is heavy for the good.

O Mother of the worlds! The whole of this cosmos is created by you. It is by your
kindness that these are protected. They are destroyed by you in the fire from
your eyes. Only you stay eternally in this world.


I meditate on that Eternal Existence - Consciousness which manifests as the the
movable and the immovable creation, which abides in the heart of all beings as
pure Consciousness, which manifests as the three modes ofPrakruti and as the
Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, which is the higher and the lower, which is
the ten directions and which is the night and day.


O the Mother of the worlds! Consort of Shiva who has won the lotus
in sharat season by the beauty of her eyes, whose tresses resemble dark clouds,
O one whose form is beyond comprehension! kindly always give a helping hand
to me who is ignorant and dull.


Prostrations to you Mother of the worlds and having the crescent moon as
adornment. Prostrations to you who removes all ills and who resides on the
banks of Kampa. Prostrations to you who is sought after by all the vedas and
who is eternal. Prostrations to you who cuts asunder all bonds and who
is parashivamayee ( the very embodiment of sadashiva)


May Kamakshi, who is consort of Shiva the enemy ofTripura, who likes to sport
in Kanchipura, bind my heart, which is like a wicked elephant which runs in the
dense forest of ignorance, by the chain of her sidelong glances to the tree of
supreme knowledge


May Kamakshi sport in my heart; Kamakshi whose anklets make a sweet tinkling
sound, who nods her head in appreciation of the sweet notes of the diamond
Veena of kanchi, who abides on the banks of Kampa, who is the ocean of mercy,
who is dark as the cloud, whose breasts are firm, whose eyes are like the does
and who is the witness to the dance of Shiva as Nataraja.


May Paramashivas consort Kamakshi, who has won countless battles, who is
the source of bliss of those treading the spiritual path, who is the repository of
soft and beautiful qualities, who abides in the garden ofkadmba trees, whose
actions and exploits are praised by the saints and who deludes and keeps under
her spell countless universes, protect me.

KATAKSHA SHATAKAM

-
I pray to the compassionate glances of the consort of Ekamranatha that they
dispel the darkness of my delusion and attachment. Those glances are
generous enough to make even those who are dumb great poets and are alive to
the need for keeping Kanchi a cool place (i.e. happy and contented),

O Mother! victory to those glances of yours which release from the clutches of
attachment and possessiveness, which are dark blue as the blue gemstone,
which have taken on the job of protecting the three worlds and which are
generous in giving boons.
-

O Kamakshi! your glances exhibit skill in the art of love expounded


inKamashastra. They are the source of ananda ( joy,happiness), they are long
reaching up to the ears and they are extremely flitting and playful.

O Kamakshi! Cool me (give me peace and happiness) by your glances which


are wave-like, full of compassion, dark, accompanied by a beautiful soft smile,
pretty and slightly crooked.

O Kamakshi! The Lakshmi of your glances reach out to help the bright smile and
gladden the heart of Shiva. (Your glances reach out to help Arjuna and gladden
the heart of Bhima). Like the army of Pandavas it moves towards Karna ( it
reaches up to the ears)

[Arjuna, besides being the name of one of the sons of Pandu, also means
white which qualifies the smile.
Similarly Bhima refers to one of the Pandavas and also means Lord Shiva.Karna
refers to Karna of Mahabharata and also means ear. shleshalamkara]

O Kamakshi! Let the beautiful side- glances which are like the arrival of night
spreading dense darkness in all quarters cause the scorching sun of my misery
to set and let the moon of joy rise spreading its light.

O kamakshi! your side-glance is like an intoxicated elephant. The radiance of


pearls in your ear-ornaments appears as the tusk of this elephant. The expert
mahout who is riding this elephant is your mercy (compassion, kindness). May
this elephant uproot the tree of all my ill-luck and miseries.

O Kamakshi your glance is the wish-yielding tree, kalpataru. By its shade it


drives away the sorrows of the world. Its tender leaves are the radiance from the
diamonds in your ear ornaments. Its flower honey is mercy, compassion. Thus
shines the kalpataru of your glances.
-

O Kamakshi! your sidelong glance is like the Yamuna river. (both are dark in
complexion). Both are fond of those who depend on the Sun.(Yamuna is the
daughter of the Sun god. Your glances are wide as the lotus which depends on
the sun for blossoming) The radiance from your ear-globes resembles a forest of
red lotuses. Lotus flowers of red hue grow in Yamuna also. Your glances flow
towards the sea of effulgence of the face of enemy of Cupid, Shiva. ( Yamuna
also flows into Ganga which Lord Shiva carries in his matted locks).
[The poet is comparing Kamakshis glances with the river Yamuna]

As soon as the artist damsel of your side-glance embraces a sukriti (person


who has earned enough merit by his good deeds), the mukti damsel also
embraces him simultaneously. These two damsels, your side-glance
and mukti are always of the same mind.

O Kamakshi ! the string of your sidelong glances is like a cloud formation which
always follows the marut ( wind, sons of Diti friendly to Indra). The rainbow of
your eyebrows is colourful and displays different feelings and emotions. Seeing
these (cloud and rainbow) there is a wave of interest in Nilakantha, that is Shiva
(also peacock which dances with joy when it sees the clouds)

O Kamkshi! The radiance of your sidelong glance is like the Yamuna mingling
with the waters of Ganga (because your glance is dark as the Yamuna and your
smile is bright as the waters of Ganga). Your glances form, as it were, a garland
of dark blue lilies on the chest of Lord Shiva ( as they linger on it intermittently).
They are also like moss on the surface of the lake which is the effulgence of your
face.
-


O Kamakshi! May the cloud of your sidelong glances help nourish the young
plants of auspicious, picturesque and poetic output fit for the enjoyment of the
wise which grows in properly cultivated fields of those who love and enjoy poetry
and have been trained in its nuances.

O Kamakshi! Your glances are, by nature, ambulatory and wavering. It is


stained by anjana. It is bent on encroaching the path of the ears (srutipatha also
means the path of the Vedas). It is therefore surprising that your glances
charged with mercy grant kaivalya or liberation to those who bow at your feet.

[Being stained and trespassing the path of the Vedas are not quite in
consonance kaivalya, therefore the surprise)

O Kamakshi! the art of your sidelong glances is the best medicine in bringing
back to life Kamadeva burnt down by Shiva, in captivating the heart of Shiva who
sports the crescent moon and in blocking the activities of the planet which
is mamata (attachment, possessiveness)
-
-

O Kamakshi ! the glances from the corners of your eyes, though dark,
generate raga (red, love and affection ) in Murari (Vishnu), though flimsy, they
make the devotion of men strong and, though crooked, they make those who
bow to them straight. Let those glances of yours fall on me and dance ( with
joy).


O Kamakshi! your ambulatory glances are always alert on keeping control over
the heart of Shiva, the enemy of Kama. But Mother! wonder of wonders the
contact with those very glances releases one from all bondages.
-

May the glances of Kamakshi charged with mercy remove all my difficulties and
problems. Those glances have the bow of the arched eye-brows and they
manifest love for Shiva. They always help protect the three worlds. In this
respect your glances are like Rama who also carries a bow, who loved Sita
(videhabhavaa) and who helped Vibhishana (a rakshasa) gain the kingdom of
Lanka)

O Srikamakoti! The field, watered by love, in which grew the seed


of sringaraagain after Kama was burnt down by fire from the third eye of Shiva
was only the touch of your glances.

O Kamakshi! Your glance is like the sage Agastya. It is a treasure house of


greatness which playfully blocks the Vindhya mountain of Samsara just as sage
Agastya put Vindhya down. It also reduces the ocean of courage (determination)
of Shiva to a palmful of water just as sage Agastya drank the ocean by the power
of his penance.
-

O Bhagavati Kamakshi !the garland of your sidelong glances from your dark
eyes, when it falls on your consort Ashtamurti (Shiva) becomes like moonlight. It
is cool like the moonlight by the raining of nectar (from the moon which adorns
Shivas head). It has natural sweet friendship with utpala (lily) like the moon
because those glances are dark blue like the blue lily. It also has the company
of taraka (which means Shiva in the case of the glances of Kamakshi and stars in
the case of the moon).
-

O Mother Kamakshi! The body of Lord Shiva covered with hairs standing on end,
handsome as a forest of lotus flowers with thorns, is always kissed by the waves
your pretty glances forming a garland, as honey-bees flit over lotus blossoms.

O Consort of Shiva ! the dancer called Mercy dances on the stage of radiance of
your glances. The stage has a canopy of dark blue created by your tresses and it
is lighted up by the brilliance of the diamonds in your ear-globes.

O Kamakoti! May the flood of glances sprouting from your eyes which are very
cool, the playfield for Cupid and lighted up by a smile, invigorate me for a
moment without delay.
-

O Kamakshi! Your sidelong glances, wavering with the sentiments of shyness


and love is like a slowly moving swing on to which Lord Shivas eyes often climb
with excitement and become delighted in the process.
-

Your glance is the King the abode of which is Lord Shiva, the flow of
compassion from it is the lake for its sporting, Indra and others are servants (they
obey the glances ) and this whole world is sustained and protected by it.
-

O Kamakshi! those on whom fall your glances, for them the goddess of learning
is companion, goddess of wealth is under the control of their eye-brows, all the
worlds are their abodes and their form is nectar for the eyes of the three worlds.


Cupid who is the fisherman uses your sidelong glances as the fishing net and
captures the mind of Shiva which is the fish fully immersed in the ocean of
courage (determination)
-

The elephant of ignorance, having destroyed the lotus forest of knowledge, is


wandering in the forest of my mind. O Kamakshi! kindly bind him quickly with the
goad of your sidelong glance which has a sharp hook at the end.

O Kamakshi! Let the King Lion of your grace get up exuberant, blooming and
playful, from the arbour of your sidelong glances, and drive away the herd of
does which are my delusions and attachments.

O Kamakshi ! Cupid, conceited about his powers, wanted to win over Shiva who
had conquered him. For this he relies on your glances which are full of affection,
which compete with the utpala in beauty and brightness and which is sharp like a
sword.


O Kamakshi! your glances always take the path of the shruti(ears, Vedas) and
the path of smriti (remembrance, code of conduct) of the sages. How is it that
those very glances are crooked, not stable and steals the beauty of lotuses?

The nilotpala flowers(blue lily), are familiar with your ears (also means Vedas)
because they adorn the ears. They are eager to be near the eyes and are trying
for it. Your glance, as it were, takes on the role of a teacher and lovingly
teaches the nilotpalayour system of kalima ( being dark).

The eyes of Shiva, the enemy of Tripura, after wandering in the dense foam of
the smile and the waters of the radiance of the face finally enjoy themselves
coming to rest on your sidelong glances which are like a bridge or dam.
:

O Tripurasundari! Your eyes are dark, they sparkle as the star and your smile
provides the moonlight. This being the case how is it that your eyes quarrel with
the blue lily which blossoms when the moon rises and the chakora bird which
absorbs moonlight as food.

The anjan (with which women beautify their eyes) and the glances from the
corners of your eyes sail in the same boat as both are dark. But the first is easily
available to the eyes of all in this world, but your glances O daughter of
Himavan!, is easily available only to your consort Shiva.

O Kamakshi! the dark blue radiance of your eyes is like the sprout of smoke
from the fire of the god of love (Cupid). It is a wonder how it gladdens the heart
of Shiva who sports the crescent moon on his locks (and who is the enemy of
Cupid)


O Kamakshi! When at the moment your glances fall even on a dumb fellow and
at that moment he bents down bowing, he becomes all-knowing before all the
world and Fame (personified as the young bride) awaits him with the garland
of swayamvara (the system of marriage where the girl has freedom to choose her
husband)

O Kamakshi! your sidelong glance, like the dark cloud, removes the heat of
sufferings. It puts down the lake by its depth. The friendship of the cloud is only
for a few minutes but the lake manifests permanent friendship.

-

O Kamakshi! One treading the path to liberation, which is subtle and difficult to
traverse, with the help of a guru will not fall into the mire of this samsara by
taking the support of the staff of your kataksha

O Kamakshi ! my mind-elephant is tied (baddhah) firmly with the chains of


devotion to the pillar (sthambham) of dark blue diamond which is made of the
strings of your glances. But wonder of wonders, in this process, the mind gives
up both thesthambham (conceit) and the bandham ( attachment)

O Kamakshi! your kataksha is dark and always has anjana applied to it and is, by
nature, wavering and ambulatory. How then is it possible for it grant to the heart
of the devotee purity, unattachment (ananjanata)
and stability.
-

O Kamakshi! You eyes are full of mercy and are beautiful as the does. Your
bright smiles are blossoms, the radiances from the ear-globes shining as corals
are leaf buds. Your sidelong glances cools all the quarters. All this make for a
garden for yourkataksha.

-
O Kamakshi! Kamadeva has taken his seat in the throne of blue stone which is
your kataksha. The bright radiance from your ear-globes form the garland of
lamps for the neeraajana festival of this coronation

O Mother! for a few seconds bathe me by your glances which are soft, realised
before their very eyes by the saints, the brilliant sun dispelling the darkness of

bad karma and contributing to the welfare of the good and which steals the
radiance of honey-bees.

O Kamakshi ! your glance is bathed in the river of love. The bright white rays
from your smile is the smearing of ashes (bhasma) and the rays of red from your
ear-globes are matted hair. With these it looks like one doing tapas and offering
worship only to Nilakantha (Lord Shiva).


O Mother Kamakshi! prostrations to your glances which grant kaivalya
(liberation), which is full of the sentiment of mercy, which has deepened the
wonderment of Sankara, which does good to the devotees and which has
brought Sankara under its control.

O Kameshwari! In the coronation celebrations of Kamadeva, your beautiful


tresses form the decorative garlands (torana maalaa) and your ambulatory
glances form the garland of blue lilies.

O Kamakshi! Your lovelorn glances travel by the path, which is enveloped


By the darkness of your tresses, slowly moving towards the meeting place as
an abhisarikaa wanting to join her lover in secret.

O Kamakshi The Lakshmi of Your sidelong glance enters the lake of effulgence
of Lord Shiva for the sport of taking a dip accompanied by the damsel of
shyness. The the mark left on the neck of Shiva by the poison appears as moss
in this lake.

O Kamakshi! Your kataksha is like a sanyasi, the rays from the ear-globes
of manikya being clothes of yellow-red which negatemamata (the sense of
mine). It shines revelling in the proximity of the ears ( also Vedas) [Sruti means
both ear and the Vedas]

The blue gemstone is only a stone. The lily fades during the day time. The dark
colour of the cloud is not inherent but for external reasons. Therefore O
Kamakshi! there is nothing with which your sidelong glances can be compared.

-

O Kamakshi! your glance is shiny dark, it manifests sringara


and is shy and it smiles by the radiance of the pearls worn at the tip of the nose.
It is but proper that it kisses the face of Lord Shiva who is digambara, having the
quarters as the clothing.

O Kamakshi! How can your Kataksha be compared with the dark blue lily or the
honey-bee? Kataksha puts down the moon (which makes the blue lily blossom)
as it is cooler than the moon. Therefore the blue lily is no comparison. Kataksha
scores over the lotus in beauty. But the honey bee drinks the honey from lotus on
which it is dependent. Therefore honey-bee is also no comparison.
.

O Kamakshi! your kataksha bears the stamp of the coral-like radiance of your
lips, it is pretty with the waves of eye-brows in the effulgence of the face which is
like the ocean. It (kataksha)looks like the path of dark clouds surcharged with
water and looming large in the sky.

O Kamakshi ! your dark blue glances, get mixed with bright white colour from
your smiles and red colour from the rays of your ear-globes. The result is that
the string of your glances shines like a garland made of jasmine flowers, tender
leaf buds and blue lilies.

O Kamakshi! the chain of your sidelong glances, in contact with the waters of
the cool stream of kindness become greenish and resembles a bundle of durva
grass which is dear to Lord shiva, the destroyer of the triple cities.
-

O Kamakshi! may the sunrise of your glances make my heart-lotus bloom and
steal the joy of the lily of darkness (ignorance) and destroy the dullness
accompanying evil.


O Kamakshi! the rising darkness of your kataksha captivates the eyes of Shiva,
who adorns his locks with the crescent moon. It is a wonder that the steady eyes
of saints turned inward are led to enlightenment by the same kataksha

-
O Kamakshi! the blue lily is won over by the radiance of your glances with all its
pride wiped out. It seems it has made a return in the guise of adornment of your
ears as if requesting refuge.

O Kamakshi ! Your beautiful ambulatory glances, which cause the rise of love,
demolishes the courage of Shivas heart and creates in him bondage of love. But

quite the opposite happens in the case of munis (sanyasis, those who have
renounced the world). The very same glances cut their attachments; it is
wonder of wonders.

O Kamakshi! Just one glance for the fraction of second on those who prostrate
before you just once make them praised by the whole world. It makes them
radiant and sharp-witted in assembly. Their speech becomes sweet as honey
and they are blessed with abundance of wealth.

Does not the cloud associate with water? Do not honey-bees embrace the lotus?
Does not the Yamuna bear the waves? But the beauty of your eyes does not
seem to have a definite abode.


O Kamakshi! It is a wonder that Your kataksha, very cool and continuous,
disturbs the mind of Lord Shiva though He treats the fire of the terrible poison
with contempt and sports the crescent moon on his locks.
-

O Queen of Kanchi! the poisonous tree of my samasara has grown and become
tall by my greed and delusion (or attachment). O Daughter of Himavan! May the
axe of your kataksha cut down this tree with its sharp blade.

O Kamakshi ! One may approach a guru for the treatment of the terrible disease
of samsara and by the grace of the guru, who is the physician, his disease may
be cured. But only very few will ever receive the greatest medicine,
your kataksha, by the magnitude of punya (merit) earned by their good deeds


O Kamakshi! Saints, relying on the grace of the guru and after cutting asunder
all bonds by observing different austerities obtain the grace of your kataksha and
live happily in the world with a mind which takes all dualities with equanimity.

O Kamakshi! Your glances are accompanied by smile, shyness, love and other
sentiments. It is successful in establishing the empire of Cupid so far as His
enemy Shiva is concerned.

-
O Kamakshi! The valiant soldier of your kataksha, by arching the bow of eyebrows, has gained control over Lord Shiva, who sports the crescent moon on his
matted locks, and has annexed half the kingdom of one half of His body.


O Kamakshi ! your kataksha is the source from which all erotic love proceeds
and it fulfils the wishes of devotees. Though it encompasses attachment how is it
that it manifests only detachment in the saints


O Kamakshi ! the dark clouds, proud of their dark colour, always quarrel with
your dark glances. It is a wonder that seeing those very same glances
Nilakantha (Shiva) excitedly dances in joy. (Nilakantha, the peacock, also starts
dancing with joy seeing the black clouds).

O Kamakshi! May the peacock of your shiny black kataksha,dancing on the


arrival of clouds of infatuation of Lord Shiva brought about by Kama (Cupid),
swallow the snakes of my bad deeds.


O Kamakshi! the fall of your glances which are beautiful as the lotus on the
enemy of Kama produces love in the eyes of Shiva making them blossom or
because of shyness make them close.

O Kamakshi! the very moment your playful kataksha falls on a dumb person, he
becomes Brahma (consort of Goddess of speech). When it falls on an ugly
person, he becomes Kama (consort of Rati). When it falls on a extremly poor
person he becomes Indra, the King of devas
-

O Kamakshi! your dark blue tresses resemble honey bees. Your beautiful nose
with the radiance of the pearl on it looks like the tender stem of the lotus. The
compassion in your kataksha is the flower-honey. Surely, O mother! your eyes
verily are lotus flowers.

-

O Kamakshi ! your Kataksha is the wish-yielding cow which will grant whatever is
requested of it. How is it that the very association with this cow releases one
from all bondage (to desires) and human beings give up their pashuta (animal
behaviour)


O Kamakshi! For people who are scorched by the heat of this samsara, your
glances are very cool. They are like the moonlight, sandal paste, string of pearls
and bathing in ice water.



O Kamakshi! your sidelong glances are ever bathed in the waters of love. It is
therefore a wonder that the same glances do the work of fuel by fanning the fires
of passionate love in the enemy of Cupid (Shiva, your consort).


O Kamakshi who likes to sport in Kanchi! bathe me in the compassion of your
sidelong glances which are prettier than the black anjana, which are well-versed
in the art of love and which wipe out all evil.
-

O Adornment of Kanchi! cast on me, from the corners of your eyes just for a
moment, a glance which is dear to your consortEkamreshwara, who abides
under the shade of a mango tree, whose mind, invaded by the god of
Love Manmatha has succumbed to his arrows (i.e. He is passionately in love).

A few noble souls blessed with your sidelong glances become like Lord Shiva,
with their necks darkened ( by poison), top of their heads accommodating and
sustaining families of chakora birds (which depend on the moon for food) and
eyes which cause days and nights.

O Kamakshi! Your glances are radiant like the blue lily, they are full of
compassion and they are like Agastya (who drank the waters of the ocean) for
the ocean of karmas. May we be liberated from the three bonds of
son, wealth and wife.

Is the dark blue lustre of your eyes extremely fleeting naturalanjan? Is it a string
of honey-bees without their buzzing sound? Is it a source of dark smoke without
the company of fire ? Tell me O Kamakshi!

O Kamakshi! May this anjali (palms of the hand pressed together and held
above the head or at the level of the heart as a sign of devotion, surrender,
bhakti etc) be dedicated to your glances which are the seed
for mukti (liberation), which are roving with intoxication, which bestow the power
of reviving the pride of Kama (Cupid) and which do good always.

O Kamakshi May I be protected by the fall on me of your sidelong glance which


is the pride for the activities of Cupid, which decries the beauty of the blue lily
and which is the light banishing the darkness of this samsara.

- .

O Kamakshi ! prostrations to your dazing glances which are like mountains


producing precious gems of kaivalya ( (the state of being one with the Ultimate
Reality), which have immersed themselves in the waters of the stream of
compassion and which have subjugated the heart of Shiva.

O Kamakshi! the beauty of the blue lily or that of the eyes of fish, or that of the
lotus or the doe or anjana is nothing compared to the beauty and radiance of
your glances.
-

O Kamakshi! Your Kataksha, which playfully beats the beauty of


the nilotpala adorning your ears, playing on your consort Shivas chest, flanked
by His neck bearing the mark of poison, looks like curly hair (on Lord Shivas
chest).

O Kamakshi! the play of your glances is like the Spring season where forest of
mango trees is the picturesque and fresh verses composed by the learned men,
cuckoos are the wise men who enjoy those compositions which are full of the
sweetness of honey and fragrance and which flow without restraint.

O Kamakshi! the cloud of your Kataksha rains kindness, compassion. It makes


the river of poetic output of blessed souls overflow its banks making the waves in
the Yamane look insignificant.

O Kamakshi ! the beautiful parrot of your compassion is awake in the centre of


the cage which is formed by the cluster of deep blue rays emitted by the glances
from your eye-corners and in which is reflected the colour of the diamonds in
your tatanka, red as the seeds of the dadima fruit.


O Kamakshi! because of their friendship with the kuvalayaflower(blue lily) which
is also dark blue, your glances encroach upon the ears which are adorned
by kuvalaya. Do not your glances manifest crookedness because of its
association with the eye-brows which are arched?

O Kamakoti! Daughter of Himavan! the beauty and radiance of your eyes raises
the doubt whether it is not the rain of arrows of Cupid which breaks the courage
of Lord Shivas heart into a hundred pieces.


O Kamakot! Please dry up the ocean of my sorrows by the red of the corners of
your beautiful eyes which are an ocean of kindness and which save the hearts of
devotees from the arrows of Cupid.

O Kamakshi! Your glances raise the doubt whether they are not fish because of
the crookedness and anger and hurry with which they are directed towards
Ganga to whom the enemy of Kama, Shiva, has accommodated on His head.

O Kamakshi ! the rays from the pearls on your ear-globes look like the chamaralike ears of the aggressive Kama-elephant which shines tied to the pillar formed
of your continuous glances.


O Mother Kamakshi! When the night of your glances falls then, for those who
prostrate before you, the moon of Knowledge(consciousness) rises on the peak
of the eastern mountain.

-
O kamakshi! your sidelong glances are desirous of bestowing all the riches on
those prostrating before you. It is therefore a wonder that you snatch away the
wealth of radiance of the honey-bee and the blue lotus.

O Kamakshi Your glances do not want to fall on those who do not know the taste
of bhakti, who lack discrimination, whose vanity is great, who have not studied
the shastras, who have not embraced truth and who are nowhere near mukti.
-

O Kamakshi! like the divine nectar your glances are very cool, always counteract
the poison of the effect of bad karma, easy of attainment by the good
(by devas). The only difference is that those glances have a dark blue tinge
unlike the divine nectar.

- .
O Daughter of Himavan ! Kamakoti (end of all desires)! let your glance which is
the boat for those frightened by the ocean of sins, which reflects the rays from
your golden ear-globes, fall on me bringing me refreshing coolness ( peace of
mind).

MANDASMITA SHATAKAM

We daily do anjali (by keeping together our palms near our heart) to the
radiance of Kamakshis smile, a great teacher of the subject of love, repository
of all things auspicious, sandal paste for the eyes of the enemy of Kama
(Shiva) and stealer of the pride of mandara flowers by their bright whiteness.
-

The smile of Kamakshi is whiter than a blossom of jasmine flowers. It teaches


the pearl in the nose ring, is natural enemy of the lotus stem, fights the celestial
Ganga, shares the throne with snow, all of which are white. Prostrations to the
smile of Kamakshi which is non-dual with whiteness itself.

The bright white radiance of the smile of Kamakshi excels the whiteness of
camphor, the brightness of lamps and the beautiful whiteness of jasmine flowers
in full bloom. May that wave of soft smiles of Kamakshi fulfil all my wishes.

The beauty of the smile of Kamakshi becomes the camphor paste on her high
breasts. It becomes the moonlight on the dark nights of the dark blue eyes. It
becomes the swan on the river of the beauty of her face. May that beautiful smile
of Kamakshi cool my heart.



The whiteness of moonlight wants to take the path of Kamakshis smile. The
moon of Sarat season wants to be on equal status with it and the conch wants to
be its disciple. May the sprouts of brightness of Kamakshs smile destroy my
sense of mine.



O Kamakshi ! the waves of brightness of your smile shine always, spreading
moonlight to the end of all quarters, knocking off the pride of all luminous
objects, viewed by Lord Shiva with interest and fascination and removing
impurities and difficulties ( of devotees)

Kamadeva who has won the three worlds has ascended the throne of his empire,
your high breasts. Your smile takes on the role ofchamara because of its bright
white radiance. May that blossom of a smile of yours fulfil our wishes.
-



When Kamakshi is embraced by Shambhu her smile brightens the blue mark on
her consorts neck (caused by the poison during the churning of the milky ocean
for nectar). It is like pure white waters of the celestial Ganga softening the
darkness of the waters of Yamuna. May that smile of Kamakshi shower on us all
that is auspicious.



The blossom of smile of Kamakshi always wants to reach out to the breasts to
score a victory over the necklace of pearls there. It bathes in the river of
compassion as if to double its purity (brightness). It makes Shiva red (lovelorn)
to create wonderment. May that beautiful smile of Kamakshi banish my fear
of samsara.


O Kamakshi! your bright smile makes the brightness of the moon look dirty.
Though it is cool it stokes the fires of love in Pasupati. Though naturally
dependent on adhara (lips, low level) it bestows on those who prostrate before
you the highest state. May that brightness of your smile shine inside us, in our
hearts

The smile of Kamakshi is like a beautiful white lotus flower which never sleeps (
closes) in the night (unlike the normal lotus which closes during the night). It
shines in the waters of the beautiful face which is like a lake with waves of
moving eye-brows. The blackness produced by glances from the eye-corners
resemble a string of honey-bees orbiting the lotus. May this smartness of the
smile of Kamakshi destroy the grief in my mind.


The brightness of Kamakshis smile affects the lips which are red like tender
leaves. It ( the smile) also depends on the lips because the lips cover the white
teeth. It (the smile) is always spotless and purifies those who bow down before
it. May that bright smile of Kamakshi make my heart pure and happy.


The moonlight of Kamakshis smile hurts the darkness and helps the blue lily
bloom. It swings in the courtyard of the mansion which is the body of Shiva, her
consort. It makes the waves of the ocean of knowledge (conscience) of the
sages (celetials) surging into the shores. May the moonlight of Kamakshis
destory the rising heat of this samsara.

The brightness of Kamakshis soft smile shines as the river Ganga. It is made
slightly dark by the paste of kashimaradrava dhatu. It makes friends with the
swans which are pearls in the necklace. It strolls on the breasts which are like
the hills of Himavan.

O Kamakshi! the rays from your smile shine like the conch, like the blossoms of
the creeper of your compassion, like the spread of prasada, like the nectarine
drops of speech and like the synonym of Ganga.


O Kamakshi! the brightness of your smile competes with the adornments with
sandal paste on your breasts. It imitates the action of the garland of pearls on
your neck emitting bright white rays. It shines like a flower oscillating from the
tender leaf buds of your beautiful lips. Let such brightness of your smile blossom
in my heart.

-


The pearl at the tip of Kamakshis nose appears like a drop from the sprouts of
Her smile. The necklace, as a supplicant, reaches out to the smile for support by
way of the neck. The redness of the lips, as a relative, lends colour to the smile.
May the sprouts of smile of Kamakshi bless me with good fortune.
-


O Kamakshi! the blossom of your smile dries up the ocean of dullness of those
who bow to you. It (the smile) always manifests enmity towards the white lily. It
tries to create a festival for the three-eyed Shiva. It also cheats the orb of the
moon by its pride. How is it then that it is compared with moonlight?

O Mother! When your consort, the enemy of Tripura, begins to embrace you,
your smile gives the impression of the celestial Ganga. Seeing this the lips of
Ganga on Lord Shivas head quiver; she arches her brows and bends her head
down. O darling of Ekamranatha! I salute that brightness of your smile.

O Kamakshi! your face is like the moon and your smile is the moonlight. If this is
how good people see your face and your smile then it is only proper that this will
generate interest in the mind of chakora birds. But it is a wonder that your smile
becomes brighter day by day and evinces more interest in the redness of the lips
which resembles the brightness of the rising sun.

Your smile bears resemblance to the milky ocean. It also carries the brightness
of your lips like red corals. But I can tell you the difference in these similarities.
The poison produced by the milky ocean was drunk by Lord Shiva. What is
produced between your lips sweetens the very essence of sweetness.
-

O Kamkashi! the radiance of your smile flits playfully on the leaf designs created
by kasturi on the hills of your raised pot-like breasts. They are also lighted up by
the bright red of the lips as if coloured by the radiance of the setting sun. This
gives your smile the semblance of a moving pure white cloud of sarat (afterrains) season.


O Mother Kamakshi! How can milk be compared with your beautiful smile only
because of its pure white colour. Also, there is this difference. One comes into
being only after it is milked whereas your smile automatically produces, for
those who prostrate before you, whatever is requested by them.

O Kamakshi! Mother of all the world and Queen of Kanchi! the beauty of your
smile is compared with camphor, nectar, moonlight, necklace of pearls and lotus
stems which are all very cool. Such being the case how is it that you are so slow
in bringing down the heat of my sufferings.

O Mother Kamakshi! the brightness of your smile by waves of enchanting words


dripping honey. The excitement of resembles a blossom of mandara flowers the
heart of which is cooled the glances of your consort, the enemy of Kama, does
the work of spring season in the further brightening of your smile.


O Daughter of Himavan! the bright whiteness of your smile, tinged by the bright
red colour of your lips, showers auspiciousness on me. It frequently hangs in the
middle of the chest of Shiva, enemy of Kama, as a delicate garland made of
white jasmine and red hibiscus flowers.


O Kamakshi! though the blossom of your smile shines like the cloud in
the sarat (after-rains) season, it is a wonder that it produces continuous rain of
kindness and cools the entire world. Seeing this, the heart of Shiva (also
peacock) dances with joy .



O Kamakshi! your smile is like a bright blossom in the caves of the arbour of
your glances. It is like the spread of foam in the ocean of effulgence of the face. It
acts as silken cloth to cover your rising breasts. May that smile of yours wipe out
my impurities.

O Kamakshi! Comparing your smile with nectar is not at all correct. If it is


correct how is it that Your smile does not suffer the mandara flower, it churns the
celestial Ganga, reviles the moon and is jealous of the milky ocean ( only
because all of them radiate bright white rays). These are all characteristics not in
consonance with those of nectar.


Let the moon delight the eyes of all, shine brightly, become famous and
honoured by Shiva by a place on his matted locks. Alas! what has happened to
him. After seeing the radiance of your smile he bears a dark mark on his face
though he is without blemish.



O Kamakshi! your buds of smile are like the seeds for the fame of Kama. They
are the very life of the blissfulness of Shiva. They are like the beginning of
moonlight on the path of the eyes of those who bow to you. They are like a rain
of snow on the samsara of lotus flowers (that is, they destroy the samsara, cycle
of births and deaths)

O Kamakshi! I meditate on the radiance of your smile which dispels the darkness
of the huge pile of karmas

and the sprouts of which do good to all the three worlds. Those sprouts of smile
enhance the beauty of the face ofshishira (winter) as if to negate the skill of
moonlight in announcing its enmity to lotus.

O Kamakshi! Daughter of Himavan! May your smiles which compete with the
jasmine flowers do us holistic good (well-being). Those smiles delight Lord Shiva
whose eyes are witness to everything like the spread of extraordinary fumes of
camphor delights men
-

O Kamkashi! bathe me regularly in your smiles which steals the ills of karma,
which teach the love-lore of Kama, which bestow undiminishing wealth on the
wise,
which destroy all ills and which sport in the nectarine waves of kindness.


O Kamakshi! We doubt that there are many new fake replicas of your smile such
as cool moonlight, the milky ocean, the waves of celestial Ganga and jasmine
blossoms.

O Mother! Adornment of Kanchi! Beloved of Shankara !My mind is scorched by


the naturally high temperature of the sun of bad deeds and muddied (by impure
thoughts). It now wants to take a dip in the nectar of your sweet smile and,
shaking off all its sorrows, wants to climb to the top of the mansion of
blissfulness

O Kamakshi ! Daughter of Himavan! Your smile, cool as nectar, hastens to


mitigate the miseries of the celestials who bow down before you by the
continuous flow of your compassion. It also announces the blessings on the way
and manifests the seeds of happiness.

O Kamakshi! May your beautiful smile, which is the wealth of excitement for
Shiva and which is the source of pride for Cupid steal my sins. O Uma!
Shambhu, in order to see your smile, holds your hands and makes you smile with
eyes half-closed in shyness by Tandu who revels in the sport of tandava dance.

The path to liberation is generally not easy for the majority of people who are
controlled by the knots of karmas. It is cracked only by a few somewhere who
possess a courageous heart. I am a fool and it is impossible for me to see this
by my mind. May the radiance of your smile show me, as a lamp, the path to
liberation

The orb of the moon is pure only by the radiance of the moonlight. In the spring
season the lotus in bloom shines only by swans. The sky shines only by the
signing of cuckoos and by the cluster of stars. O Kamakshi! your face shines
only by those holy smiles of yours.

O Kamakshi ! When you are cross with your consort in love-quarrel, Rahu
suddenly starts tasting the nectar in the full moon of the celebration of love (that
is, when there is a sudden cooling off), Shiva, who wears the crescent moon on
his head, seeing the moonlight of the frequent flashes of smiles on your face,
mentally practises what the chakora bird does ( that is, he drinks the nectar in
the rays of the moon, as the chakora bird, the moon being Kamakshis smile ).




O Kamakshi! Ganesha, desirous of drinking the milk from your breasts, is lying
on your lap without any doubts. When he looks up he sees your bright smile the
rays from which look like lotus stems. Your son Ganesha, starts pulling at them
with his trunk
-

O Kamakoti! When you were in the embrace of your consort the pressure of it
resulted in your necklace of pearls slip from your breasts and fell on the chest of
your consort. The radiance of your smile, like a good friend, takes the place of
the pearl necklace. O Kamakoti! May that smile of yours play in my heart.


O kamakshi! the radiance of your smile manifests competition with the mandara
flower. It manifests love towards the enemy of Cupid. It exhibits sprouting of
enmity towards moonlight. O Daughter of Himavan! tell me how those who are
pure can have such impure thoughts.

Nectar is being drunk by the celestials. The milky ocean is churned. The
celestial Ganga is kept captive and shackled in the matted locks of Shiva. The
moon is defeated by darkness. But O Kamkshi! The blossom of your smile is
beyond the capacity of words to describe.
-

-

O Consort of Ekamreshwara! I doubt whether the company of the incomparable
moonlight of your smile does not make the lotus of your breasts look like buds
(i.e. closed like the lotus in moonlight) and the lotus of your face, on the other
hand, slowly blossoms into fullness.


O Kamkshi! the radiance of your smile falls frequently on the radiance spread out
by the leaf buds of lips. It manifests passionate love for Shiva, the enemy of
Kama. It decries sandal paste, pearl necklaces and bangles, moonlight and lotus
stems. Thus Your smile adopts the characteristics of a virahini, one who is
separated from her husband.


O Kamakshi! the radiance of your smile depicts the moonlight. It blossoms when
you glance at your consort. it steals the darkness (ignorance) of those who bow
down before you. It removes the ills of those who remember you. It emerges
from the lotus face of those whose dullness has be destroyed.


O Shreekamakshi! May the most auspicious sprouts of your smile remove the
ignorance which agitates my mind.
Those continuous sprouts of your smile, as it were, become a necklace of pearls
on your breasts which compete with the bulges on the forehead of Ganesha.

O Kamakshi! the cluster of rays from your smile floating like the clouds
in sharat and prompted by the winds of love dive slowly into the sea of radiance
of the neck of the enemy of Kama. In this process they become dark and
competing with dark blue clouds they make those clouds sleepless.


O Kamakshi ! the brightness of your smile is like the Goddess Saraswati who is
worried about the activities Brahma ( is worried about protecting the creation of
Brahma), who holds the rudrakshain her hands (holds the eyes of Rudra in its
spell), who is flooded by the waves of words (flooded by waves of speech) who
sits on the white lotus in full blossom (surpasses in beauty the white lotus in full
blossom)
[ The words have the meanings given in brackets when applied to the smile of
Kamakshi]


O Queen of Kanchipura! The effulgence of Your smile stealing the radiance of


camphor makes your face look dark. Like your consort, your smile embraces
your ample bosom, kisses your lips and manifests deep love and shatters the
courage of the mind.

O kamakshi! Moonlight wants to acquire equality with your smile by its


brightness, by its capacity to allay the heat of the world, by its ripe knowledge (
by its white colour) and the capacity to delight the eyes of the people. But
because it makes the ocean swell it has ended up in a sorry state.


O Kamkshi! Your smiles are like the stalks of the lotus of beauty. They are like
the chamara-like ears of the elephant of Cupid and germinating seeds of the
kingdom of youth. They are like the spray of the waves of the ocean of nectar of
bliss. They are like the swans on the lotus face. May those smiles of yours
remove the dirt in my mind.

O Kamakshi ! The beautiful brightness of your smile embellishes the beauty of


the bright red splendour of the manikya garland adorning your full breasts and
competes with the pure white waters of the heavenly Ganga falling from the
forest of the matted hairs of Lord Shiva.


O Kamakshi! your smile indicates that for those who always take your holy
names it is easy to get the fruits of the tall tree of your blessings. It is dignified

like the spring with the cuckoo singing. May that smile of yours take care of my
welfare.

O Kamakshi! Cupid who wants to establish his empire of youth leads from the
front with bow in hand and wants to conquer Shiva who is ready to burn the
former with arched eye brows and the arrow of fire from his third eye. Your
beautiful smile excitedly takes on the role of the commander-in-chief in this battle
of Cupid

O Kamakshi! The heart of your consort never wavered for a moment when He
swallowed the terrible poison nor was he perturbed in the least when his third
eye was spitting fire while it reduced Kama to ashes. If then His heart is licked
by the flames of passionate love, it is because of the power of a few sparks from
the radiance of your smile.


O Kamakshi! When the radiance of your smile is juxtaposed with the dark colour
of your tresses darker than black anjana it looks as if the celestial Ganga is split
by the waves of Yamuna and the brilliance of the moon is mixed with dark blue
clouds


O Kamakshi! darling of the Lord of all the worlds! We know that the radiance of
your smile is like a lotus with a difference because it blossoms when seeing the
face-moon of Pasupati and in its absence it withers

O Kamakshi! the heavenly Ganga (whose water is white in colour) turning


reddish by the mud of minerals and the clouds after the rainy season( which are
white) being tinged red by the rising sun want to claim equal status with the white
brightness of your smile tinged reddish by the kiss of your lips of bright red
colour.

O Kamakshi! this smile of yours is adornment to your face which is pretty like the
moon. It is pleasing to the eye compared with which it is as if the moon has
become hot. Your smile is cool compared with which ice water is hot. It is bright
white compared with which the necklace of pearls is dirty.


O Kamakshi! Saints say that the blossom of your smile is like the brightness of
the moon and its nature is purity. But we are sorry because the moon does not
mitigate our misery and does not dispel the darkness (ignorance ) in he heart.
We do not know why.
-

O Kamakshi! Your consort, who sports the crescent moon on his head, bows
down at your lotus feet to break the deadlock caused by love-quarrel. His love
spurns the lips which are bright as the hibiscus flowers and makes friends with
the moonlight of your smile.

Your smile releases pearls and earns their love. From a distance it takes care
them. After the pearl comes out from the water your smile always goes that
distance. O kamakshi! how can the blossom of your smile be compared with the
conch? (because it does not release pearls. It cannot move from its place or act
across distances )

O Kamakshi ! even after seeing the magic of your bright smile surpassing
everything else in brightness, why do the mandaraflower and the moon spread
their brightness and make themselves the laughing stock of people when the
better thing for them would be to shy away from displaying their brightness.


O Kamakshi! Daughter of Himavan! We can speak about some difference


between the milky ocean and your smile. The first gave Lakshmi to
one purusha, Mahavishnu. Your smile gives every one Lakshmi (wealth) and
Vageeshwari (learning)

O Kamakshi! we think that the chakora birds which have established their
families on the banks of the river Kampa are the most fulfilled ones in the world
because they enjoy daily the taste of the effulgence of your smile


O Kamakshi! though your smile is cool it removes the dullness of those who bow
down before you. Though it manifests raga (love, red) it is bright white. Though it
is accompanied by playful sounds, it pleases those who have controlled their
speech. How can anyone describe the radiance of your smile?


The tinkling of the tiny bells in the waist belt, playful slow gait, the arching of the
eye brows, sidelong glances, and shy glances all these captivate the heart of
the enemy of Kama through the skill of your smile. May our prostrations be
always to your smile.

O Kamakshi ! When the beautiful brightness of your smile becomes the


emperor of the vast empire of whiteness, the moon takes the place of the young
prince, moonlight takes the place of the maid and the heavenly Ganga becomes
the companion


What result does the moonlight give except mitigating the heat? But the radiance
of your smile is liked by people, it removes the heat of miseries and suffering,
speech becomes picturesque, beauty becomes complete and fame spreads


The beauty of the lily is enhanced only by the light of the moon. The brightness
of moonlight is brought about only after evening twilight. The whiteness of raw
pearl is visible only after it is refurbished. But the brightness of Kamakshis
smile is entirely natural


O Kamakshi! Darling of parameshwara !May the brightness of your beautiful
smile destroy my perennial sense of mine. It is the fear of your smile which
makes the moon hide behind a cloud, drive the pearls into the womb of the
oyster and the lotus stem into the middle of the lake.
-


O Kamakshi! the blossom of your smile manifests parental love for Ganesha and
Guha. It displays the sprouting of love for Shiva, the enemy of Kama. It shows
complete compassion for those who bow down before you. How can I describe
the blossom of your smile, O Kamakshi

O Kamakshi ! the dripping nectar from your smile angersdwijaraja (moon) but
you keep company of dwija (teeth). You are away from the path of speech
(tongue) but you cooperate with the tongue in speaking. Your smile is not within
the reach of those who are like pasu (animals) but you love Pasupati(Shiva, the
Lord of all beings). Let that smile of yours vibrate in me.

O kamakshi! Your smile manifests the sprouting of matchless love for


Maheshwara with its natural beauty considerably enhanced. This being the case

how is it that your smile decries both the Ganga and the crescent moon which
are respected by Shiva by giving them place on his head? (the smile is said to
decry Ganga and the moon as they are also bright white like the smile)


O Kamakshi! Your smile is sweet, cool and bright (without blemish). These
natural qualities of your smile may respectively be reflected in my speech, in my
heart
and
in
my
fame
(reputation)

The bright rays of the smile of Kamakshi are shy and cool when she directs her
sidelong glances at her consort. May those rays endow my speech with the
sweetness of honey, gud and grapes and cleanse my mind so that it can
perceive the subtle path leading to liberation.

O Darling of Ekamranatha! May the effulgence of your smile, cool and sweet and
like the waters of the Ganga cleanse the dirt of my sins and my intellect by right
Knowledge.

-
Lord Pasupati is enslaved by your budding smiles so much so that I doubt, by
association with the colour of your smiles he keeps on his head the moon and
the Ganga, wears a garland of white flowers and smears himself with ashes (all
of which are white)

O Goddess of Kanchi! Your smile is the basis for your soft words. It is the fresh
flower of your deep love. While glancing at the face of your consort your smile is
slow, while in soft conversation it closes like a bud and it blossoms while
embraced by your consort and the hairs of the body stand on end.



O Kamakshi, darling of Ekamranatha ! it appears that your smile has become the
fourth stream of Ganga which is already having three streams. Or is it another
incarnation of nectar which destroys all sins? Or has cows milk come to you for
practising the art of sweetness?

O Kamakshi! radiance of your blossom of smiles is adornment to your lotus face,


it is the natural and eternal sister of speech, it isparanaa (food after fasting) for
the eyes of Pasupati, it is life-giving nectar for Cupid, it drives away the
brightness of moon and it is beyond the grasp of words.

O Kamakshi! the brightness of your smile is the mother of the essence of


whiteness, it is the abode of the essence of erotic sentiment, it is the perfection of
picturesque speech, it is the wave of the ocean of compassion. It is the pleasure
garden of your kingdom of sweetness. May that smile of Yours bless me with all
that is good and auspicious.
-

O Kamakshi ! the frequent flashes of your smile which, coupled with the rays
of red from your lips, conjures up a canopy of pearls adorned with corals above
your raised breasts, the play stage of blossoming beauty.

O Kamakshi! You remove the pangs of birth and death. You are always eager
to shower blessings on your devotees. May the sprouts of your smile dispel the
dense darkness in my mind by the sudden flood of effulgence.

O Kamakshi! your face itself is naturally beautiful and pleasing. If it is lighted up


by a beautiful smile it goes without saying that it will please Shambhu still more.
Lotus is always pleasing to the eyes of all the worlds but it shines still more with
the advent of the sarat season

-


Men of pure mind develop pure bhakti in order to dissolve the effect
of karmas, to purify their minds and earn fame. The pure gift of the gab that your
devotees acquire is surely from a fraction of your smile which is the treasure
house of purity (brightness)
-

O Kamakshi! the mantrika of your smile attracts the eyes of the celestials,
freezes the moon by coolness, captivates Pasupati, removes the suffering of the

worlds, fights the charade ofsamsara. May that mantrika work on my sufferings
and the darkness of my ignorance.

-
O Kamakshi ! let the passing of the effulgence of your smile over us wipe out our
impurities and fears and the scorching heat of the summer of trials and
tribulations turn into the cool river of nectar from the rain of fresh joy.

O Kamakshi when the moonlight of your smile swells, the hearts of the devotees
swell like the ocean. How then it cannot take the place of the moonlight in
dispelling the darkness of the miseries and sufferings of devotees.

The quality of brightness, having seen that it is only intermittent in such things as
mandara flowers, lost interest in them and has made your smile its permanent
abode.
-

O Kamakshi! I have fallen in the flame of the fire of samsarafanned by the strong
winds of karma and am tormented by sorrows and worries. O Mother bathe me
in the cool waters of your smile as if by rains of pure nectar.

O Kamakshi! victory to the brightness of your smile which is like a nectarine cool
river with waves of dense bliss or joy to which comes for bathing
the sringara sentiment which is the friend of the speech which plays at the tip of
the tongue.

O Kamakshi ! Your smile is like the waves of the heavenly river Ganga into which
let my mind take a dive so that all my suffering is attenuated. By the continuous
presence of your smile in the mind the moon of love is reflected in those who are
starved of it and Lord Shiva gets interested in them.

O kamakshi! nectar of your smile arising out of your love for your consort is drunk
in by the latters eyes again and again and in the process the three eyes of Shiva
have become full of the waves of supreme bliss or joy.

When the enemy of Kama develops interest in your glances then


the winds of interest give rise to waves in the milky of ocean of your joy(bliss).
From that there arises a new wave of consciousness which the poets call your
smile.

O Kamakshi! there arises in my mind the doubt whether picturesque speech


learns from your smile the method of sweetness or your smile learns from
picturesque speech and it is not able to put its foot on the reality.

.
Prostrations before the sparks of splendour of your beautiful smile, courtyard of
the mansion of your playful and compassionate lotus face, birth place of the
stream of nectar which are the works of countless poets and the throne of the
emperor of the sprouting of Nirvana ( mukti, liberation)

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