·HYMNS
TO THE GODDESS
TRANSLATED FROM THE SANSKRIT
ARTHUR AND ELLEN AVALON
LONDON
LUZAC & CO.
46, GREAT RUSSELL STREET, W.C,
(Opposite the British Museum)
1913

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·(as the Western worshippers address Him) in Its Mother PREFACE THE Goddess or Devī (as the Hindus call Her) is God aspect. The latter not uncommonly deem such attribution of feminine quality to be “heathenish”; but this condemnation (for the criticism has, of course, this intendment) is itself singularly foolish in that it is thereby implied that of two sets of terms (neither of which is in its strict sense applicable to the Deity as the Author of forms), one is, in fact, a more correct description than the other. In the Navaratneshivara it is said: "That Devī, who is existence, consciousness, and bliss, should be thought of as a female or as a male, or as pure Brahman. In reality, however, She is neither male nor female nor neuter (that is to say, that She is not bound to any particular form)." No one contends that the Brahmatattva in the supreme abode beyond appearances is masculine as opposed to feminine, or the latter as contrasted with the former. Like all else in this matter, words are but the babbling endeavour of our plane to express that which is above it. It is not easy, then, to explain the condemnation except upon the assumption that those who pronounce it think their mother's sex to be inferior to their own, and that thus Deity is unworthily described by any other terms than those of masculine excellence. But Hindus, who ever place the name of mother before that of father, and to whom garbha dhārana-poshābhyām pitur mātā gariyasi, have no partiality for such mistaken notions. On the other hand, it is possible that they might not understand the Christian expression “Mother of God," nor approve it ·PREFACE even after they had learnt the limited and special sense which theology gives to this epithet. The Tāntrika would least of all admit the insufficiency of the conception of God as Mother. For the Devi manifests in his own mother, in his prakriti (as he calls his wife), and in all women. As the Kubjikā Tantra says: “Whosoever has seen the feet of woman let him worship them as those of his guru” (Strināng pādatalang drishtvā gurirvadbhāvayet sadā). Whilst male and female are both Her aspects, yet Shakti is, in a sense, said to be more revealed in the female than in the male form. And so the Mundamāla Tantra says: “Wherever there is a shakti (female), there I am." On account of this greater manifestation, women are called shakti. From this, however. it must not be supposed that shakti is less present in such forms as Shiva and Krishna and others. If, as the author of the Tantra Tattva says, a sādhaka who is a worshipper of the Krishnamūrti desires to see Him as Kāli, Bhagavan, who fulfils the desires of devotees, will assume that form. All forms come into existence upon the manifestation of consciousness in the play of Her whose substance is consciousness. Though the Shāktānandataranginī says: Devi is worshipped on account of Her soft heart (komalāntah karanam), yet the use of the term " Mother" has other grounds than those which are founded upon an appeal to the natural feelings which the sweetness of the word “Mother ” evokes. The meaning of the term " Devi is prakashātmikā, or that which is by its nature Light and Manifestation. And the word is used in the feminine gender because the One, as Shakti and Prakriti, bears and nourishes all things as their Mother. The Devī is therefore the Brahman revealed in Its Mother aspect (Shrimātā) as Creatrix and Nourisher of the worlds. Worshippers of Devī or Shakti are called Shāktas. But those who have a true knowledge of Shakti-tattva without which, according to Shāstra, Nirvānamoksha is unattain- ·PREFACE vii able, will in thought surpass the sectarianism which the terms" Shākta," “ Vaishnava," and "Shaiva" ordinarily connote. Whatever forms the Devi assumes in Her aspect with attributes are but Her forms. As the author last cited says, the sādhaka will know Her, whether the appearance be that of Krishna, Durgā, or Mahādeva. The Vaishnava may consider Her as Vishnu in the form of Shakti, or the Shākta may look upon Her as Shakti in the form of Vishnu. To those who, immersed in the ocean of Her substance, which is chitshakti, are forgetful of all differences which appertain to the world of form, Krishnashakti, Shivashakti, or Kalishakti, and all other manifestations of shakti, are one and the same. And so Ramaprasāda, the Bengali poet and Tantrik, sung: Thou assumeth five principal forms according to the differences of worship. But, O Mother! how can you escape the hands of him who has dissolved the five and made them into one?!! The hymns to the Devi in this volume (introduced by a stotra to Her Spouse the Kālabhairava) are taken from the Tantra, Purāna, Mahābhārata, and Shangkarāchāryya, who was the incarnation of devotion” (bhaktāvatāra) as well as a great philosopher; a fact which is sometimes ignored by those who do not wish to be reminded that he, whose speculative genius they extol, was also the protagonist of the so-called " idolatrous Hinduism." As his great example amongst many others of differing race and creed tell us, it is not, from the view of religion, the mark of discernment (even though it be the mode) to neglect or disparage the ritual practice which all orthodoxies have prescribed for their adherents. Stava and pūjā are doubtless, the sādhana appropriate to the first of the several stages of an ascent which gradually leads away from them; but they are in general as necessary as the higher ones, which more immediately precede the attainment of brahmabhāva and siddhi. Apart, however, from this aspect of the matter, and to *** ·viii PREFACE look at it from the point of view of that modern product, the mere “student of religions," who is not infrequently a believer in none, a knowledge of ritual (to use that term in its widest sense) will help to a greater and more real understanding of the mahāvākya of the Aryyas than can be gained from those merely theoretical expositions of them which are now more popular. Those, again, whose interests are in what Verlaine called mere literature” will at least appreciate the mingled tenderness and splendour of these Hymns, even in a translation which cannot reproduce the majesty of the sanskrit shlokas of the Tantra and Purāna, or the rhyme and sweet lilting rhythms of Shangkara. Of the Hymns now published (to which, in a second volume, I hope to add others) those from the liahābhārata and Chandi have already been translated ; the first, in the English edition of the Mahābhārata, by Protap Chandra Roy and by Professor Muir in his Original Sanskrit Texts," and the second by Mr. Pargiter, whose rendering of the Mārkandeya Purāna (of which it is the most celebrated portion) has been printed by the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Adyā kālīsvarūpāstotra has also been previously published as part of a rendering by myself of the Mahānirvāna Tantra. The first two sets of Hymns have been translated afresh. In the translation of such works a Sanskrit dictionary (however excellent) is not either a sufficient or reliable guide. It is necessary to study the Hindu commentators and to seek the oral aid of those who possess the traditional interpretation of the Shastra. Without this and an understanding of what Hindu worship is and means, absurd mistakes are likely to be made. I have thus, in addition to such oral aid, availed myself of the Commentaries of Nilakantha on the Mahābhārata, of Gopāla Chakravarti and Nāgogi Bhatta on Chandī, and of Nīlakantha on the Devibhāgavata. As regards the Tantra, the great Sadhana Shăstră. nothing which is of both an understanding and accurate

·PREFACE
ix
character can be achieved without a study of the original
texts undertaken with the assistance of the Tantrik gurus
and pandits, who are the authorized custodians of its
traditions.
The other stotra are now rendered in English for the
first time; at least, I have come across no translation of
them.
The text of the Tantrasāra which has been used is
that edited by Shrījut Rasik Mohun Chatterjee. It is
not free from faults. which have necessitated reference
to other Manuscripts. A more correct text of the
Tārāshtakam. from the Nila Tantra, is given in the
Brihatstotraratnākara, to which reference has also been
made for the hymns of Vālmiki and Indra.
Both Ellen Avalon and myself have collaborated in
the translation of the hymns by Shangkara. For the
rest, as also for the Introduction and Commentary, I
am alone responsible. Some of the notes deal with
matter familiar enough to the Hindu reader (when. as
often nowadays, owing to the predominance of English
education, they have not
not been forgotten) but have been
inserted for the use of his English friends. Other portions
of the commentary will, I believe, be found to be of use
to both.
ARTHUR AVALON.
March 1, 1913.

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·CONTENTS PAGES INTRODUCTION Hymn to Kālabhairava I-9 13-16 72 88-93 HYMNS TO THE DEVI. Bhairavi 19-24 Tripurasundari 25-29 Mother of the whole Universe (Sarvvavishvajanani) - 30-31 Bhubaneshvari 32-40 Ganga. 41-44 Ainbika 45-53 Adyakali 54-61 Waves of Bliss (Anandalalari) 62-68 Durga 69-71 Lakshmi Tāra 73-77 Yamuna 78-81 Arya 82-87 Mahishamardini May the Devi grant me pardon" (Devyaparādhakshamāpanastotra) 94-98 Chandika 99-105 Annapurna 106-108 Manikarnikā 109-113 Durga 114-117 Sarasvati 118-123 Gangā I 24-127 Mahadevi 128-134 Durga 135-142 Narmmadā 143-146 Jagadambika 147-158 Annapurna 159-164 Gangă 165-168 Mabalakshmi 169-171 Triputa 172-179 ·xii CONTENTS CLASSIFICATION OF HYMNS ACCORDING TO TEXTS. TANTRA. PAGE 19 54 Bhairavi Bhubaneshvari Adyakali Lakshini Tāra Mahishamardini Annapurnā Sarasvati Durga Triputa 73 88 106 IIS 135 PURANA. Sarvvavishvajananī Ambika Chandika Mahādevi Jagadambika 128 MAHABHARATA. 69 Durga Arya Durga 62 SHANGKARACHARYYA. Kālabhairava Tripurasundari Ganga Anandalahari Yamunā Devyaparādhakshamāpana Manikarnika Ganga Narmmada Annapurnā 143 159 VALMIKI. 165 Gangã INDRA. 169 Mahalakshmi ·HYMNS TO THE GODDESS INTRODUCTION या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः । SANĀTANA BRAHMAN is called sakala when with Prakriti, as It is nishkala when thought of as without Prakriti (prakiteranya), for kalā is Prakriti. To say, however, that Shakti exists in, or with the Brahman is an accommodation to human thought and speech, for the Brahman and Shakti are in fact one. Shakti is eternal (anādirūpā), and Brahmarupā, and both nirgunā and sagunā. She, the Goddess (Devī), is the chaitanyarūpini devi who manifest all bhita; the ānandarūpini devi by whom the Brahman, whom She is manifests Itself, and who, to use the words of the Sāradātilaka, pervades the universe as does oil the sesamum seed. “Sa ai kshata," of which Shruti speaks, was itself a manifestation of Shakti, the paramāpūrovanirvānashakti, o or Brahman, as Shakti. From the parashaktimaya issued nāda, and from nāda, vindu4. The state of subtle body known as kämakālā is the inula of mantra, and is meant when the Devi is spoken of as mūlamanträtmikā.5 The Parangvindu is represented as a circle the centre of which is 1 Säradā Tilakam (chap. i.). See Introduction of A. Avalon's edition of the Mahānirväna Tantra-sub. voc. "Shiva and Shakti,” of which the above is in part (with added matter) an abbreviation. 2 Pranamya prakriting nityang paramātmasvarūpinim (chap. i.). Shāktānandatarangini, both Tāntrik works of high authority. 3 Kubjikā Tantra (First Patala). 4 Sārada (loc. cit.). 5 See Bhaskararāya's Commentary on the Lalita Sahasranāma (verse 36), and A. Avalon's edition of the Padukäpanchaka.

·INTRODUCTION the Brahmapada, wherein are Prakriti - purusha, the circumference of which is encircling māya. It is in the crescent of nirvanakalā the seventeenth, which is again in that of amākala the sixteenth, digit of the moon-circle (chandramandala), situate above the sun-circle (sūryyamandala), the Guru and the Hangsah in the pericarp of the 1,000-petalled lotus (sahasrarapadma). The vindi is symbolically described as being like a grain of gram (chanaka), which under its encircling sheath contains a divided seed-Prakriti-Purusha or Shakti-Shiva. It is known as the Shabda Brahman.A polarization then takes place in parashaktiznava. The Devi becomes Unmukhī. Her face is turned to Shiva. There is an unfolding which bursts the encircling shell. The devataparashaktimaya exists in the threefold aspect of vindu, vija, and nāda, the last being in relation to the two former. An indistinct sound then arises* (avyaktātmāravobhavat). Nāda, as Rāghava Bhatta” says, exists in three states, for in it are the three guna. The Shabda Brahman manifests Itself in the threefold energies, Ināna, Ichhā, and Kriya Shakti. For, as the Vāmakeshvara Tantra says, the Devi Tripurā is threefold, as Brahmā Vishnu, and Isha. Parashiva exists as a septenary under the forms of Shambhu. Sadashiva. Ishāna, Rudra, Vishnu, and Brahmā. The last five are the Mahāpreta, four of whom form the support, and the fifth the seat, of the bed on which the Devi is united with Paramashiva in the room of chintāmani stone on the jewelled island clad with clumps of kadamba, and heavenly trees set in the ocean of ambrosia.? Shakti is both māyā and mula prakriti, whose substance 1 See the Shatchakranirūpana of Purnānanda Svāmi. 2 Sāradā (loc. cit.). 4 Ibid. 5 See Commentary on verse 49 of the Shatchakranirūpana and generally as to the subject-matter of this Introduction, my Introduction to the Mahānirvāna Tantra. 6 See Goraksha Sanghitā, Bhūtashuddhi Tantra, and Yogini Tantra, Part I., p. 10. 7 See Anandalahari of Sankarāchāryya, verse 8. The dhyana is well known to the Tantrik sādhaka. 3 Ibid.

·th INTRODUCTION 3 is the three guna, representing nature as the revelation of spirit (sattva) ; nature as the passage of descent from spirit to matter, or of ascent from matter to spirit (rajas), and nature as the dense veil of spirit (tamas). The Devi is thus the treasure-house of gunas (gunaniddhih). Mülaprakriti is the womb into which the Brahman casts the seed from which all things are born. The womb thrills to the movement of the essentially active rajoguna, and the now unstable gunas in varied combinations under the illumination of Shiva (chit) evolve the universe which is ruled by Maheshvara and Maheshvarī. The dual principles of Shiva-Shakti, which are the product of the polarity manifested in Parashaktimāya, pervade the whole universe, and are present in man in the svayambhulinga of the mulādhāra and the Devi Kundalini, who in serpent form encircles it. The Shabdabrahman assumes the form of the Devi Kundalini, and as such is in the form of all breathing creatures (prāni), and in the form of letters appears in prose and verse. She is the luminous vital energy (jivashakti), which manifests as prāna Through the various prakrita and vaikrita creations, issued the Deva, men, animals, and the whole universe, which is the work and manifested form of the Devi. For, as the Kubjikā Tantra says, Not Brahmā, Vishnu, and Rudra create, maintain, and destroy, but Brāhmi, Vaishnavi, Rudrānī. Their husbands are but as dead bodies. Lord of māyā, She is Mahāmāyā.3 Devi is avidya (nescience), because She binds; and vidyā (knowledge), because She liberates and destroys the sangsāra. She is Prakriti 5 and, as existing before creation, She is the 1 Lalitā, verse 121. 2 Bhagavadgitā (chap. xiv., verses 3, 4). 3 Mahāmāyā without māyā is nirgunā, and with māyā, saganā. Shākātnandataranginī (chap. i.). 4 Shaktānandatarangini (chap. i.). 5 Brahmavaivarta Purana (chap. i.). Prakritikhanda. Br. Nara. liya Pr.

·4 INTRODUCTION adyā (primordial) shakti. She is the vāchaka-shakti, the manifestation of chit in Prakriti; and the vāchya shakti or chit itself. The ātmā should be contemplated as Devī. Shakti or Devīis thus the Brahman revealed in its Mother aspect (shrimātā) as creatrix and nourisher of the worlds. Kāli says of Herself in Yogini Tantra :3 " Sachchidanandarūpāham Brahmaivāham sphuratprabham." So the Devī is described with attributes both of the qualified Brahman, and (since that Brahman is but the manifestation of the Absolute), She is also addressed with epithets which denote the unconditioned Brahman. She is the great Mother (ambikā) sprung from the sacrificial hearth of the fire of the Grand Consciousness (chit); decked with the Sun and Moon ; Lalitā—"She who plays ”—whose play is world-play; whose eyes, playing like fish in the beauteous waters of Her Divine face, open and shut with the appearance and disappearance of countless worlds, now illuminated by Her light, now wrapped in her terrible darkness. For Devi, who issues from the great Abyss, is terrible also in Her Kāli, Tārā, Chhinnamastā, and other forms. Shāktas holds that a sweet and complete resignation of the self to such forms of the Divine Power denotes a higher stage of spiritual development.? Such dualistic 1 See chap. ii. of Devi Bhāgavata. 2 Devi is worshipped on account of her soft heart. Shaktänandatarangini (chap. iii.). 3 Part I., Chapter X. + Such as Mukunda, an aspect of Vishnu. Lalitāsahasranama, verse 838. 5 Ibid., verse 153, and Commentator's note to Chapter II., where Devi is addressed as Supreme Light (parangiyotih), Supreme Abode (paragigdhāma), Supreme of Supreme (parātparā). 8 See the Lalitā. 7 See the saying of Rāmaprasāda, the poet-devotee of Kālímā, quoted at p. 714 in Babu Dinesh Chưnder Sen's “ History of Bengali Literature, "Though the Mother beat him, the child cries 'Mother! O Mother!" and clings still tighter to her garment. True, I cannot see Thee, yet am I not a lost child. I still cry Mother!" $ ·INTRODUCTION 5 worship also speedily bears the fruit of knowledge of the Universal Unity, the realization of which dispels all fear. For the Mother is only terrible to those who, living in the illusion of separateness (which is the cause of all fear), have not yet realized their unity with Her, and known that all Her forms are those of beauty. The Devī as Parabrahman is beyond all form and guna. The forms of the Mother of the Universe are threefold. There is first the Supreme (para) form, of which, as the Vishnu Yāmala? says, none know.' There is next Her subtle (sūkshma) form, which consists of mantra. But, as the mind cannot easily settle itself upon that which is formless, 2 She appears as the subject of contemplation in Her third or gross (sthūla) or physical form, with hands and feet and the like, as celebrated in the Devīstotra of the Purānas and Tantras. Devī, who as Prakriti is the source of Brahmā, Vishnu, and Maheshvara, has both male and female forms. 4 But it is in Her female forms that She is chiefly contemplated. For, though existing in all things. in a peculiar sense female beings are parts of Her. The Great Mother, who exists in the form of all Tantras and all Yantras is, as the Lalitā says, the "unsullied treasure- 1 Mātastvatparamamrüpam tanna jānāti kashchana (see chap. iii. of Shāktānandataranginī). ? Amurtauchitsthironasyūt tatomurting vichintayet (ibid., chap. i., as was also explained to Himavat by Devi in the Kūrma Purāna). 3 Ibid., and as such is called Tripurā (see Bhāskararāya's Commentary on Lalitā, verse 125). 4 Ibid., chap. iii., which also says that there is no eunuch form of God. 5 So in Chandi (Mārkandeya Purāna) it is said : Vidyāh samastā stava devibhedāh, Stryah samastā sakalā jagatsu." The Tantrika, more than all men, recognizes the divinity of woman, as was observed centuries past by the author of the Dabistan. The Linga Purāna also, after describing Arundhati, Anasüyā and Shachi to be each the manifestation of Deví, concludes : “ All things indicated by words in the feminine gender are manifestations of Devi." Similarly the Brahmavaivarta Purana.. 6 Sarvvatantrarūpā Saruvayantrātmikā (see Lalitā, verse 53).

·6 INTRODUCTION house of beauty,” the sapphire Devil whose slender waist,2 bending beneath the burden of the ripe fruit of her breasts, swells into jeweiled hips heavy with the promise of infinite maternities,5 Her litanies depict Her physical form from head to foot, celebrating Her hair adorned with flowers and crowned with gems ; Her brow bright as the eighth-day moon; Her ruby cheeks and coral lips; teeth like to "the buds of the sixteen-syllabled mantra, and eyebrows curved as are the arches at the gate of the palace of Kāmarāja; Her nose ; Her teeth; Her chin ; Her arms; and “Her twin breasts offered in return for that priceless gem which is the love of Kāmeshvara"; Her waist girdled with jewelled bells ; Her smooth and faultless limbs rounded beneath the "jewelled disc of the knee like the sapphire-studded quiver of the God of Love descending in lines of grace to Her bright lotus feet.. 14 1 Padma Purana says: “ Vishnu ever worships the sapphire Devi.” 2 Apivarastanatatingtasuvrittamadhyām (Bhubaneshvaristotra) tantemadhya (Lalitā, verse 79), krishodari (Adyakālīsvarūpāstotra Mahānirvāna Tantra, 7th Ulläsa). 3 Stotra and dhyāna com mmonly represent Her as having large, full, and erect breasts - pīnastarādye in Karpūrā distotra), Dinonnatapayodharām (in Durgā-dhyāna of Devi Purāna), bakshojakumbhārtari (in Annapürnastava), āpivarastanatatim in Bhubaneshvaristotra) which weight her limbs-kuchabharanamitāngīm (in Sarasvatīdhyāna), annapradananiratāngstanabhāvanamrām (in Annapürnastava). And the Lalitā, verse 15, says: " Her golden girdle supports Her waist, which bends under the burden of Her breasts, thrice folding the skin below Her bosom" (trivalivalayopetām). 4 So it is said in the tenth shloka of the Karpūrākhyastava samantā dāģinastanajaghanadhrikyauvanavati. Shankaracharyya, in his Tripurāsundaristotra, speaks of Her nitamba (buttocks) as excelling the mountain in greatness (aitambajitabhudarām). The Javanese also call Her Loro Jongram. The pure exalted virgin with beautiful hips." 5 The physical characteristics of the Devi in Her swelling breasts and hips are emblematic of Her great Motherhood, for She is Shrimātā. 6 See the Lalitāsahasranāma, verse 4 et seq. ** Her brow (ashtamichandravibhrājadalika sthala shobhitā), Her eyebrow (vadanasmara māngalyagrihatoranachillikā). Her twin breasts (kāmeshvara premaratnamani pratiphalastanı), Her waist (ratnakinkinikārabhyarashanādāma bhūshitā), “Her thighs, known only to Kamesha" (Kāmeshajnātasar- ·INTRODUCTION 7 which dispel the darkness of Her worshippers. For moonlight is She, yet sunbeam, soothing all those who are burnt by the triple fires of misery (tāpatraya). Her face, Her body from throat to waist, and thence downwards, represent the vägbhava and other kūta. The colour of the Devī varies according to the form under which She is contemplated. Thus, in conferring liberation, She is white; as controller of women, men, and kings, She is red; and as controller of wealth, saffron. As creatrix of enmity, She becomes tawny; and in the thrill of love, passion (shringāra), She is of the colour of the rose. In the action of slaying She becomes black. Thus, Devi, the Supreme Light, is to be meditated upon as differently coloured according to Her different activities.2 After the description of the form of the Devi in brahmānda follows that of Her subtle form, called Kundalini in the body (pindānda). As the Mahādevī,She exists in all forms as Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Gayatri, Durgā, Tripurāsundari, Annapurnā, and all the Devi, who are avatāra of the Brahman.4 Devī, as Satī, Umā, Parvvātī, and Gauri, is spouse of Shiva. It was as Sati, prior to Daksha's sacrifice (dakshavajna) that the Devi manifested Herself to Shiva5 in the ten celebrated forms known as the dashamahāvidyā— Kālī, Bagala, Chhinnamastā, Bhuvaneshvarī, Mātanginī, Shorosi, Dhūmāvatī, Tripurāsundarī, Tārā, and Bhairavi. When at the dakshayagna She yielded up Her life in shame bhāgya mardavorudvayānvitā), Her lower limbs (indragopa parikshipta smaratunā bhajandhikā); Her instep arched like the back of a tortoise, the bright rays from her nails and the soles of Her feet in beauty shaming the lotus.” 1 From the beautiful litany to the Devi in the Lalitäsahasranama. 2 Bhāskararāya's Commentary on Lalitā, verse 170. 3 She whose body is, as the Devi Purana says, immeasurable. 4 Shāktānandatarangini (chap. iii.). 5. In order to display Her power to Her husband who had not granted, at Her request, His permission that She might attend at Daksha's sacrifice (see Arthur Avalon's edition of the Tantra Tattva ; and for an account of the dashamahāvidyā, their yantra and mantra, the Dashamahāvidyā upāsanārahasya of Prasanno Kumar Shastri).

·00 INTRODUCTION and sorrow at the treatment accorded by Her father to Her husband, Shiva took away the body, and ever bearing it with him, remained wholly distraught and spent with grief. To save the world from the forces of evil which arose and grew with the withdrawal of His divine control, Vishnu, with his discus (chakra), cut the dead body of Sati, which Shiva bore, into fifty-one fragments, which fell to earth at the places thereafter known as the fifty-one? mahāpīthasthāna, where Devi, with her Bhairava, is worshipped under various names. Thus the right and left breasts fell at Jalandhara and Ramgiri, where the Devī is worshipped as Tripurāmalini ; the yoni at the celebrated shrine at Kamrup in Assam, where the Devi is worshipped as Kāmākshā or Kāmākhyā (see ibid.) ;2 the throat, shoulders, nose, hands, arms, eyes, fingers, tongue, buttocks, lips, belly, chin, navel, cheeks, thighs, teeth, feet, ears, thumbs, heels, toes (soine at Kālīghat), waist, hair, forehead, with skeleton (several of these parts being themselves divided), fell at other pitha, at each of which the Devi is worshipped under different names in company with a Bhairava or Shiva, also variously named. Thus, the Devi at Kālīghat is Kālikā, and the Shiva Nakuleshvara, and the Devi at Kamrup is Kāmāksha, and Her Bhairava is Ramānanda. These are but some only of Her endless forms. She is seen as one and as many: as it were, but one moon reflected in countless waters.3 She exists, too, in all animals and inorganic things, since the universe, with all its beauties, is, as the Devi Purāna says, but a part of Her. All this diversity of form is but the infinite manifestations of the "owering beauty of the One Supreme Life-a doctrine which is nowhere else taught with greater wealth of 1 The number is variously given as 50, 51, and 52. 2 Here at Her shrine the inenstruation of the earth which, according to Hindu belief, takes place in the month of Assar, is said to manifest itself. For three days during ambuvāchi no cooked food is eaten by the women, nor does any cooking take place in the house. 3 Brahmavindu Up, p. 12, ·INTRODUCTION 9 illustration than in the Shakta Shāstras and Tantras. The great Bharga in the bright sun, and all Devatā, and, indeed, all life and being are worshipful, and are worshipped, but only as Her manifestations. And he who worships them otherwise is, in the words of the great Devibhāgavata, 2" like unto a man who, with the light of a clear lamp in his hands, yet falls into some waterless and terrible well.” It is customary nowadays to decry external worship, but those who do so presume too much. The ladder of ascent can only be scaled by those who have trod all, including its lowest, rungs. The Shaktirahasya summarises the stages of progress in a short verse, thus : "A mortal who worships by ceremonies, by images, by mind, by identification, by knowing the self, attains kaivalya." Before brahma-bhāva can be attained the sādhaka must have passed from pūjābhāva through hymns and prayer to dhyāna-bhāva. The highest worships for which the sādhaka is qualified (adhikārī) only after external worship, and that internal form known as sädhära4 is described as niradhāra. Therein Pure Intelligence is the Supreme Shakti who is worshipped as the Very Self, the Witness freed of the glamour of the manifold universe. By one's own direct experience of Maheshvarī as the Self, She is with reverence, made the object of that worship which leads to liberation. A A. , and he who thin 1 See chap. iii. of the Shāktānandataranginī, where it is said : “ The Parabrahman, Devi, Shiva, and all other Deva and Devi are but one, and he who thinks them different from one another goes to Hell." 2 Hymn to Jagadainbikä in Chapter XIX. 3 Sūtasanghita, I, 5, 3, which divides such worship into Vedic and Tantrik (see Bhāskararāya Commentary on Lalitä, verse 43). 4 In which Devi is worshipped in the forin of mantra according to the instructions of the Guru.

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·HYMN TO KĀLABHAIRAVA

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·KALABHAIRAVA (KALABHAIRAVĀSHTAKA) BY SHANKARACHARYYA 1 3 I WORSHIP Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kāshī,2 Whose sacred lotus feet are worshipped by the King of Devas, The compassionate One, Whose sacrificial thread is made of serpents, On whose foreheads shines the moon. 4 The naked one, Whom Nārada and multitudes of other Yogis adore. Käshikāpurădhinātha kālabhairavam bhaje.? 5 2 I worship Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kāshi, Blazing like a million suns, Our great Saviour in our voyage across the ocean of the world, S 1 Shiva as such. 2 Benares. The Käshīpanchakastotra of Shankara says that the pure Ganges is the flow of knowledge and Kashī is Shiva's mind (Jnānapravahāvimalādigangā sakāshikāhang nijabodharupah). 3 Devarāja or Indra. 4 Hence Shiva is called Chandrashekhara. 5 Digambaram, as are the Yogis of whom He is Master. For He is clothed with space itself. 6 The Rishi of that name. 7. The refrain is : "I worship Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kashi.” & A constant simile. The world is a storm-tossed ocean not free of danger, even in moments of calm, for therein many dangers, perils, and terrors lie. I3 en s:

·14 KALABHAIRAVA The blue-throated, three-eyed grantor of all desires, The lotus-eyed, who is the death of death, 3 The imperishable One, Holding the rosary of human bone4 and the trident.5 Kashi kāpurādhinātha Kālabhairavam bhaje. wi 3 I worship Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kāshi, The primeval cause, Holding in His hands trident, axe, noose, and staff Him of the black body, The first of all Deva, imperishable, incorruptible, Lord formidable and powerful, Who loves to dance wonderfully.10 Kāshi kāpurādhinātha kālabhairavam bhaje. 8 I worship Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kashi, Of great and beautiful body, 1 For Shiva swallowed the poison which issued at the churning of the ocean to save the earth from its dangerous presence. 2 For with the ordinary eyes He bears in the forehead the eye of wisdom. 3 Shiva is the conqueror of death ("*mritunjaya"), for he gives that knowledge which frees man's of its terrors. 4 Even often-of the low-caste Chandālas and others, for Shiva is the adored and protector of all. 5 His peculiar weapon. For all causes potentially lie in His destructive energies, the manifestation of which is the prelude of re-creation. 7 Shula, tangka, pasha, danda, His implements. 8 As Kalabhairava. Usually he is white and smeared with ashes shining like a mountain of silver." 9 Hence He is called Mahadeva. 10 Vichitratāndavapriyam. Shiva is often pictured dancing as Nataraja. The place of the dance is the body of the individual and the world spoken of as vanam (the forest), on account of the multitude of its components. He as the inner ātman causes all things to dance into and out of life, and again into it. All life and activity comes through Him, " the unseen Lord of the stage.”

·15 Kāshi kāpurădhinātha kālabhairavam bhaje. KALABHAIRAVA The giver of both enjoyment and liberation, Who loves and smiles upon all His devotees, Whose body is the whole world, Whose waist is adorned with little tinkling bells ;? Beautiful are they, and made of gold. Kāshikāpurādhinātha kālabhairavam bhaje. 5 I worship Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kāshi, The protector of the bridge of dharmma,3 Destroyer of the path of adharmma, Liberator from the bonds of karma, 5 The all-pervading giver of welfare to all, Whose golden body is adorned with serpent coils. 6 I worship Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kāshi, Whose feet are beautiful with the lustre of the gems thereon- The stainless, eternal Ishtadevatā,6 One without a second, Destroyer of the pride, and liberator from the gaping jaw, of the God of Death.8 Kāshi kāpurădhinātha kālabhairavam bhaje. 1 Bhuktinuktidāvakam-that is, He gives both worldly and heavenly enjoyment, and that release from both which is the unending bliss of liberation. 2 Hung on a girdle. 3 Righteousness. For dharınma, religion, law, and duty, are the bridge whereby the dangerous waters of the world are passed. 4 Unrighteousness. 5 The cause and fruit of action whereby man is bound to the phenomenal world until by knowledge karma is exhausted and destroyed, and liberation (through Shiva, with whose essential being His worshipper becomes one) is attained. 6 The desired (or patron) Deity of the devotee. 7 For He is the Supreme Unity. 8 See ante, p. 14, noté 3.

·16 KĀLABHAIRAVA 7 I worship Kālabhairava. Lord of the city of Kashi, Whose loud laughter broke the shell of many an egg of the lotus born;2 Strong ruler, at whose glance the net of sin is broken; Giver of the eight powers, Whose shoulders serpents garland. Kāshi kāpurâdhinātha kālabhairavam bhaje. 3 I worship Kālabhairava, Lord of the city of Kāshi, The saviour of all, giver of great fame, The all-pervading One, Who purifies of both sin and virtue the people of Kāshi;4 The ancient Lord of the world, Wise in the wisdom of all moralities.5 Kāshi kāpuvādhinātha kālabhairavam bhaje. 1 Each world (for there are many) is called an egg of Brahmā the creator (brahmanda). Shiva the great Destroyer by His loud laughter shatters them. 2 Brahmā. 3 Siddhi-namely, animā, mahima, garimā, laghima, prāpti, prākāmya, ishitva, and vashitva. The power to become very sinall, vast, light, heavy, power of vision and movement, the powers of creation and control over the worlds and their Lords. These siddhi are powers of the all-pervading ātmā, and to greater or less degree may be acquired by Shivayogins according as they realize their unity therewith. 4 Kashivasiloka punyapapashodhakām : for to the liberated there is neither sin nor virtue which are qualities of the phenomenal jīvātma cnly. The liberated are above both. 5 Nītimargakovidam.

·HYMNS TO THE DEVI

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·BHAIRAVĪ1 (BHAIRAVISTOTRA) FROM THE TANTRASĀRA2 1 Thus shall I pray to Thee, O Tripurā,3 To attain the fruit of my desires, In this hymn by which men attain that Lakshmi,4 Who is worshipped by the Devas. 2 Origin of the world thou art, Yet hast Thou Thyself no origin, Though with hundreds of hymns. Even Brahmā, Vishnu, and Maheshvara5 cannot know Thee. 6 Therefore we worship Thy breasts, Mother of all Shāstra,? Shining with fresh saffron. 3 O Tripurā,' we adore Thee, Whose body shines with the splendour of a thousand risen suns, Holding with two of thy hands a book and rosary of rudraksha beads, 10 1 Fem. of Bhairava, a name of Shiva. 2 P. 596, Ed. Rasik Mohun Chatterjee. 3 See p. 25. 4 Devi of prosperity. 5 Shiva. 6 In the Vishnu Yāmala, Vishnu says of the Devī: Thy supreme form none know" (mātastvatparamarpam tanrajānāti kashchana), (see chap. iii. Shāktānandataranginī). 7 Vângmaya. 8 See p. 25. 10 Seed of a plant sacred to the worship of Shiva. I9 9 Vidya ·BHAIRAVI And with three others making the gestures Which grant boons and dispel fear. With three lotus eyes is Thy lotus face adorned. Beauteous is Thy neck with its necklace of large pearls.2 3 O Mother, how can the ignorant, whose minds are restless with doubt and dispute, Know Thy form ravishing with its vermilion, Stooping with the weight of Thy breasts, 4 Accessible only by merit, Acquired in previous births ? O Bhavānī," the munis describe thee in physical form ;7 The Shruti speaks of Thee in subtle form ; Others call Thee presiding Deity of speech ; Others, again, as the root of the worlds. But we think of Thee. As the untraversable ocean of mercy, and nothing else. 6 Worshippers contemplate Thee in their heart As three-eyed, adorned with the crescent moon, White as the autumnal moon, 1 That is, She makes the mudrā vara and abhaya. In the first the hand is held forth in front of the body with the palm upward and horizontal, the fingers together, and the thumb crossing the palm to the fourth finger. In the second the hand is held up with the fingers and thumb in the same positions with the palm towards the spectator. 9. Tārā, the ordinary pearl, is called muktā. 3 Sindira, the Bhairavi's body, is painted with vermilion, and Her garments also are red. $ Kuchabharanamräm (see Introduction). 5 See p. 97, 1. I. 7. There are three forms of the Devi-the gross or physical, with hands, feet, etc. ; the subtle (sukshma), consisting of mantra and the supreme (parā), which is the real or own (svarupā). The form of the Devi has both prakāsa and vimarsha aspects-thatis, realand secondary, or manifested.Thus the Vāmakeshvara Tantra says: ** The Devi Tri- Purā is Her real form. She who is of a red colour is the manifested one."? & Sages.

·5 sound in the Mulādhāra , Pashyantz BHAIRAVI 21 Whose substance is the fifty letters, Holding in Thy hands a book, a rosary, a jar of nectar, and making the vyakhya mudrā.? 7 O Tripurā, Thou art Shambhuº united with Pārvat7.4 Thou art now Vishnu embraced by Kamala, And now Brahmā born of the lotus. Thou art again the presiding Devi of speech, And yet again art the energy of all these. 8 I, having taken refuge with the four- Bhāvas, Parā, and others8 born of the vägbhava (vāja), ves 1 Of the alphabet or mātrikā (panchāshadakshayamayīm]. These letters stand for the vritti (functions and qualities of being). The Devi is thus mātrikāmayı, or composed of mätrikā. 2 Vyakhya. according to the Shabda Kalpadruma=vivaranam (description), or grantha (book), and also commentary, but here denotes a mudrā of that name (see p. 94, n. 4). 3 Shiva, one of the forms of the four mahāpreta, whose vija is "Hsau.” 4 The androgyne form, called ardhanārishvara, half being Shiva and the other half Shakti. According to Hindu belief, the wife is the pure and sacred (punyā) half of her husband's body, and besides shares the purity and merits of her husband according to the common saying Sharīvārdham smritā jāyā punya punyāphale shamā. 5 Lakshmi. 6 That is, the power of destruction, maintenance, and creation. 7 The four bhāva are states or conditions of Kundalini appearing as sound and its subtle elements, and are Parā, whose abode (sthāna) is the mulādhāra; Pashyanti in the svādhisthāna, Madhyamā in the unāhata ; and Vaikharī in the vishuddha, issuing through the throat (see next note). There appears, however, to be some difference as to the location of the second. 8. Parā, as the first condition of Kundalini in the form of tamasik is the bhāva when Kundalinī, associated with manas, reaches the position variously stated as the svādishthāna or manipūra , Madhyamā, when it reaches the anāhatachakra, associated with buddhi; and Vaikhari is when Kundalini issues through the throat in the form of the fifty letters. It is said that though there are thus four kinds of speech, the gross-minded do not understand the first three, and think speech to be Vaikhari alone. 9 That is, Aing the vīja of Sarasvati. The Devī is “ three syllabled' (Tryakshari)—that is, the vija of the three divisions of the Panchadasi.

·22 BHAIRAVI Shall never in my heart forget Thee, the supreme Devata, Whose substance is existence and intelligence,? And who expresseth by Thy throat and other organs The bhāva appearing in the form of letters.2 9 The blessed, having conquered the six enemies, And drawing in their breath,4 With steady mind fix their gaze on the tip of their nostrils, And contemplate in their head Thy moon-crested form, Resplendent as the newly risen sun. The Vedas proclaim that Thou createth the world, Having assumed the other half of the body of the enemy of Kāma. Verily is it true, O Daughter of the mountain and the only World-Mother, That had this not been so, The multitude of worlds would never have been. In company with the wives of the Kinnaras, The Siddha women, whose eyes are reddened by wine, º Vāgbhava Kamaraja, and Shakti. According to the Vāmakeshvara, Tantra, Vägishvari is the inūnā shakti, which is in the vāgbhava division, and confers salvation, the kamarāja and shakti divisions being the kriyā and ichchhā shākti (see the Lalitā, verse 126). 1 Sangchinmayi, the Brahman being sat and chii. 2 That is, they ultimately so appear, though previously existing as subtler elements of sound. ang 3 The six sins : Lust (kāma), anger (krodha), greed (lobha), delusion, (moha), pride (mada), envy mātsaryyā). Akunchya vayam by puraka of prānāyāma. 6 As Shakti of Shiva. 6 Shiva (see p. 27, n. 8. p. 39, n. 3). The Androgyne form ardhanarīshvāra. 7 A lower order of Devas (devayoni). 8 Wives of the Siddhas, also celestial spirits (devayoni) inhabiting the atmospheric plane (bhuvah). 9 Asvāditāsavarasäruna netrapadna.

·BHAIRAVI 23 Having worshipped Thee with the flowers of celestial trees? In Thy pitha2 in the caverns of the golden mountain,S Sing Thy praises. 12 I worship in my heart the Devi whose body is moist with nectar, Beauteous as the splendour of lightning, Who, going from Her abode to that of Shiva, Opens the lotuses on the beautiful way of the sushumnā.8 .. 13 O Tripurā, I take refuge at Thy lotus feet, Worshipped by Brahmā, Vishnu, and Maheshvara ; The abode of bliss, the source of the Vedas, The origin of all prosperity; Thou whose body is Intelligence itself.” 14 I shall never forget Her who is the giver of happiness ; She it is, O Mother, who, in the form of the Moon, Creates the world full of sounds and their meanings, And again, by Her power in the form of the Sun, 1 Padapa, so called because the tree drinks by its roots. As to the celestial trees (see p. 63, n. 6). 2 Seat or shrine. 3 Sumeru. 4 For She as Kundalini goes from the mulādhāra to the shivasthāna in the sahasrara, and returns moist with the nectar of Her union with Him. 5 Rajādhani. Literally capital city of Shiva. 6 That is, from the mulādhāra chakra to the shivasthāna. 7 The sushumnā is the central " nerve": (izādi), or, rather, channel of energy in the body in which the lotuses (shatchakra) are threaded with their heads normally downwards. As Kundalini becomes stirred by the Yoga process, She ascends from the mulādhāra and enters the higher chakra. As She does so, the lotuses upturn and expand again, closing on her departure. 8. The text which has sausuvartma kamalāni vikashayantim, is not, however, intelligible, and the metre is short. Possibly it is a misprint for saumyang. 9 That is, nothing but intelligence, chailan yamatra tanu.

·BHAIRAVI She it is who maintains the world. And She, again, it is who, in the form of Fire, destroys the whole universe at the end of the ages. 15 Men worship? Thee under various names- As Nārāyana; as She who saves from the ocean of Hell ;3 As Gauri ;4 as the allayer of grief ;5 as Sarasvati, And as the three-eyed giver of knowledge.? 16 O Mother of the world, such as worship Thee with twelve Verses of this hymn attain to Thee, and gain all powers of speech and the supreme abode. aka.com 1 Nāda, as Rāghava Bhatta says, exists in the three states of nibodhika or bodhinī, nāda, and in the form of vindu, according to the predominance of the guna. These three and the shaktis jnānā, kriyā, and ichhā, of which they are special manifestations, are said to be in the form of sun, moon, and fire respectively. The moon (vindu) is ichchha (will and desire), the eternal precursor of creation. Kriya is like the sun, which makes all things visible. Jarānā is fire, as it burns up all actions (see Shatchakranirūpanā, verse 49, and Sāradā Tilaka, chap. i.). 2 As Vishnu. 3 Narakāravatāristi. 4 Spouse of Shiva. The Devi Purana says: ** She who was burned by the fire of yoga was again born of Himālaya; as She has the colour of the conch, jasmine, and moon, she is called Gauri," Her colour is golden. Shiva said to Pārvati: "O Daughter of Himālaya, I am white as the moon and thou art dark. I am the sandal-tree, and thou art, as it were, a snake entwined round it.” Pārvati, taking umbrage at this remark upon Her dark complexion, went away to the forest, and there, by the performance of austerities, gained for herself a golden complexion beautiful as the sunlit sky. 5 Khedāshāmine. & Devi of speech and learning. 2 Shiva. Vākshiddhi or siddhi of words.

·TRIPURASUNDARI (TRIPURASUNDARISTOTRA) BY SHANGKARACHARYYA 1 I SEEK refuge with Tripurasundari, Who wanders in t the Kadamba forest;2 The Spouse of the Three-eyed One, Bank of cloud (in the sky of the heart) of numbers of sages, Whose hips defeat the mountain by their greatness. Who is served by celestial women, Whose eyes are like the newly blown lotus, And who is dark as the colour of a freshly formed raincloud. 1 The Devi is so called as the Spouse of Shiva, destroyer of the tripura, or cities of the three Asura - Kamalāksha, Tarakāksha, and Vidyunmāli. According to the Kālikā Purāna, Parashiva is Tripura, because he has three pura in Him, His body becoming triple upon the manifestation therein of Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva, The Devi is then the Shakti of Paramashiva. 2 The Kadamba (Nauclea cadamba) is a tree with orange fragrant blossoms whereunder Krishna played (see Adyākālīsvarūpastotra in Mahānirvana Tantra). Kadamba also denotes number (multitude), and in this sense the Kadambu forest is the universe which the Devī permeates. 3 Shiva with the central eye of wisdom. Shiva is also Trg'ambaka, because He is the father of the three Devas, Brahmā, Vishnu, and Rudra (Tarkālangkāra Commentary, Mahānirvāna Tantra). The Rigvidhāna uses it as equivalent of Mahādeva. 4 Muni. As the bank of cloud gives water, so She quenches the spiritual thirst of munis. 5 Nitambajitabhudaram. Nitamba literally means buttocks, which, however, here reads rather absurdly in English, the side or hips being pārsha, kaksha, or shroni (cf. tenth shloka of the Karpurākhyastava "Samastadapīnastana-jaghanadhrikyauvanatī”). 6 That is, of the dark blue colour seen when the blue of the sky appears through a freshly-formed black rain-cloud. 25 e kacam ·26 TRIPURASUNDARI 2 I seek refuge with Tripurasundari, The Spouse of the Three-eyed One, Who dwells in the Kadamba forest, And who is ever wandering ; The Large-eyed One who holds a golden vină, Wearing a necklace of priceless gems, Whose face is glowing with wine, And who of Her mercy grants prosperity to Her devotees. Ever are we protected by Her whose abode is the Kadamba forest, The weight of whose breasts are garlanded with glittering gems, Whose breasts are rising 8 And excel the mountain in greatness ; Whose cheeks are flushed with wine, 4 Ever singing sweet songs; the playful one.5 dark as a cloud, Ever compassionate to all. 4 I seek refuge with Tripurasundarī, The Spouse of the Three-eyed One, Who stays in the Kadamba forest, 1 A stringed musical instrument of that name. 2 Mukhasamullasattuārunin. Vāruni is wine made from rice. Here and in following verses the divine ambrosia (anirita) is referred to. Rising” (cf. Durgādhyāna in " Devi Purana") pinonnata payadharām. As to weight and greatness, the Annapurzādhyāna, the Bhubaneshvaristotra “ āpīvarastanatating tanuvrittamadhyām," and Introduction. 4 Madāruna kapolaya (see n. 2, ante). 5 Lilayā. Play (lilā) is the mark of a Deva, and the Devi's substance is play (lilāmayi). The Devi is Lalitā (“She who plays”). Padma Purāna says: " Having passed beyond the world She plays, hence She is called Lalitā." But the Creation is also Her play. ion is also Her play ·TRIPURASUNDARI 27 Who is seated in the golden circle and dwells in the six lotuses, Ever revealing like lightning the great power (of devotees), Whose beauty is like that of the Jaba flower,3 And whose brow is adorned with the full moon. I take refuge with Her, the sweet speaker, Daughter of the sage Matanga, 4 Whose breast is adorned with the vină,5 And whose head is beauteous with locks of curling hair ; Who dwells in the lotus ;6 The destroyer of the wicked, Whose eyes are reddened with wine;? The charmer of the enemy of the God of Love. 8 I take refuge with Tripurasundarī, The Spouse of the Three-eyed One Who should be meditated upon as in the first flush of Her nubile youth, 1 Shadambhu-that is, the six chakra or centres in the human body : the mulādhāra, svadishthāna, manipura, anāhata, vishuddha, and ainā padmas (see the translation of the Shatchakra Nirupana from the Sanskrit, edited by Arthur Avalon). The Devī exists as Kundalini in these chakra. 2 Satatasiddhisaudaminim. Siddhi (power so called), which lies latent, is instantly brought to light by Her. 3 Scarlet hibiscus, the Tantrik flower sacred to the Devī. 4 Rishi. 5. The musical instrument which She holds the tip of which rests on Her breast. 6 For She is also Kamalā or Lakshmnī. 7 Madārunāvilochanam (see last page, note 2). $ That is, charmer of Shiva who destroyed Kamadeva with the fire from His eyes when the latter sought to distract him by thought of passion from the yoga in which he was engaged. Smaretprathama pushpinim, literally as having the first flower'' which is used in the same symbolical sense as in English. The pushpotsava is the religious festival held on its first appearance at puberty. 9 ·28 TRIPURASUNDARI Her blue garment stained with drops of blood, Holding the wine-cup,2 Her eyes rolling with wine ;3 With heavy, high, and close-set breasts, Dark of colour, and with dishevelled hair.5 8 7 At time of recitation I remember the Mother, Lustrous as the scarlet hibiscus, Her body pasted with saffron and sandal, Her hair kissed by musk;7 The Mother with smiling eyes, With red garland, ornaments, and raiment, Who holds the arrow, bow, noose, and goad;0 The charmerio of countless men. 1 Rudhiravindunilambaram--that is, stained with the pushpa (“' flower”). As this first shows itself when woman is ready to bear, so in the blue sky, which is the Devi's garment, signs are seen which herald Her creation. 2 Grihitamadhupānikām. 3 Madhuvighurnanetranchalam (see p. 26, n. 2). 4 Ghanastana bharonnatām : heavy" (cf. Annapurradhyāgla. Annapradāsaniratang stanabhāvasamrām "); high (cf. Durgadhyana, ante Introduction); “ close," so that, as it is said in the Kumārasambhavam (chap. i.) of Kalidāsa : "Even the filament of a lotus could not be passed between them" ("prinālasutrūstaramapyalabhyam''). • Galitachikurang. The Devī in this and other forms, as Kali, Tarā and Chhinnamastā is so represented. The epithet is a common one in Tantra (cf. Karpuradistotra, verse 3). Jaba, v. ante. So also the Lalitā, (verse 147), “ whose body is like the China rose."? 7 See the Adyākālisvarüpa Stotra in the Mahānirvāna Tantra. 8. The Devi is, according to the Lalitā Sahasranāma (verse 59) chāruhāsa (with beautiful smile), indicating a certain state of consciousness (prabodha) of highest bliss. 9. These are Her weapons. The Tantrarāja (Vāsana chap.) says : Mind is the bow of sugar-cane, desire the noose, anger the goad, and the five subtle sources of the elements (tanmātra) the five arrows of fiowers." But the Yoginīhridaya says: “The noose is Ichchhashažti, the goad Inānāshakti, and the bow and arrows Kriyashakti.” 10 She deludes men with her māyā ; hence the Lalità (verse 137) calls Her all-bewildering" (sarvamohini). The Kurma Puränā says: “ This Māyā is dear to me by which the world is bewildered. I bewilder the whole universe with the Devas, Daityas, and men.” 8 see

·TRIPURASUNDARI
29
8
I worship the World-Mother
Who is served by celestial women,
The Spouse of Indra,
Skilful in plaiting hair ;
The devouted Spouse of Brahmā,
Anointed with sandal paste ;
The Spouse of Vishnu,
Adorned with pleasing ornaments.
¿ Chikurabandhasairindhrikām , for Her hair, which is in some of
Her aspects dishevelled, is in others beautifully arranged.

·MOTHER OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE (SARVVAVISHVAJANANI) FROM THE DEVĪBHAGAVATA I call to mind the Mother of the whole universe, Who has created this world, both real' and unreal,2 And who, by Her own power with its three gunas, Protects it, and having destroyed it, She then plays.* 3 6 Commonly is it said that Brahmā creates the universe, Yet the learned in Veda and Purānā Speak of His birth from the navel lotus of Murāri, Although it is said He creates, yet He is Himself dependent therein. 1 I Skandha, (chap. ii.). 2 Sadasatsvarūpam, on which Nīlakantha says: Vyavahāra drishtyā sat, paramārthadarshaneng asat ; that is, the world is real (sat) from the point of view of practical life and reason; to all those, in short, who have not experimentally realized the Advaita Tattva ; but to those who have, and from the transcendental standpoint, it is, in fact, unreal (asat). 3 Sativa, rajas, and tamas, the substance of Shakti, as Prakriti (see Introduction). 4 Ramate that is, "in her own self (sva sminevakrirate) (N). She shines. Hence She is also called Lalitā. She who plays" Padma having passed beyond the worlds, She plays; hence She is called Lalitā." Beyond Shakti and Shiva there exist various manifestations of Parashakti and Sadāshiva, each in its own sphere. But Mahäshakti, who is Paramashiva, crossing all worlds, resides in the supreme sphere of Mahākailāsa. She it is who is known as Lalitā and Kāmeshvari. 5 Vishnu as Enemy of the Daitya Mura. 8 Because He is born, He creates dependenton Bhagavati. In the next verse the argument is : "Let Brahmā be not the creator ; why not, then, Vishnu ?” To which the answer is given of His dependence on Ananta. 30 27 Pr. says, ·MOTHER OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE 31 3 Even Murāri in the blossom of whose navel lotus, Brahma was born Deeply sleeps upon his serpent bed at the time of dissolution. Therefore Ananta with his thousand hoods is His support. How can He who is Himself supported Be called a leader in the creation of the world? 4 Even the water of Ocean' which is a liquid substance Cannot exist without a container; therefore4 I take refuge with Her, the Mother of all beings, Who exists in all things in the form of power.” Brahma in the lotus, Seeing that the eyes of Vishnu were closed in deep slumber, Prayed to that Devi with whom I take shelter.? 1 Vishnu reposes on the 1,000-headed Serpent Ananta. 2 Netra. 3. Which is again the support of Ananta. 4 And that container requires a support. Therefore the ādhārashakti is the Mother of all. For this reason, in commencing any pujā, the Adhārashakti is worshipped on account of Her being the supporter of all, and that Shakti is none but the Mother of all. 5 Shaktirūpā. 6 Yoganidra, the sleep of pralaya. 7 That He might be roused from his sleep and take part in the cosmic process. Suta continues : Having meditated upon Her who is Māvā and Sagunā, and giver of liberation and Nirgunā, I will tell you, O munis, the whole Purāna, which is the best and the most sacred Shrimadbhāgavata of 18,000 Sanskrit Shlokas." 0 ·BHUBANESHVARĪ: FROM THE TANTRASARA 1 Now I pray for the attainment of all blessings to Bhu. baneshvarī, The cause and Mother of the world, She whose form is that of the Shabdabrahman, 4 And whose substance is bliss. 2 Thou art the primordial One, Mother of countless creatures, Creatrix of the bodies of the lotus-born,7 Vishnu ard Shiva. Who creates, preserves, and destroys the three worlds. O Mother! by hymning Thy praise I purify my speech. 3 O Daughter of the Mountain-King, 8 Thou art the cause of the world-destroying energy of Shiva.9 3 P. 567. 3 Or 5 Adya. 1. The Devi in her aspect as Lord and Ruler of the world. 3 Ambikā. 4 Sākshātshabdabrahmasvarupini: the sound manifested Aparabrahman, as opposed to the absolute, the Parabrahman. The Devi and the Shabdabrahman are, in fact, one, though men speak of Her as His Shakti (power). Vapuhpratipādayitri. The Devas have bodies, subtle though they be, as the Shabdabrahman Himself has. 7 Brahma. 8 Himavat, whose daughter, as Pārvvatī, the Devi was. 9 For they derive their power from the Devī, the All-Mother, whose children they are, and who also manifests as their Spouse. 32 6 ·BHUBANESHVARI 33 Who manifests in earth, water, fire, ether, the sacrificer, the sun and moon, And who destroyed the body of Manmatha.? 4 O Mother! men only worship the triple-streamed Gangā Because She shines in the matted hair of Shiva, 4 Which has been purified By the dust of Thy lotus feet. As the moon delights the white night lotus® and none other, As the sun delights the day lotus7 and none other. As one particular thing only delights one other, Thou, O Mother! delightest the whole universe by Thy glances. 6 Although Thou art the primordial cause of the world, Yet art Thou ever youthful ; Although Thou art the Daughter of the Mountain-King, 8 Yet art Thou full of tenderness. Although Thou art the Mother of the Vedas, 9 1 These constitute the eight-fold forms (ashtamurti) of Shiva, viz., Sarva, Bhava, Rudra, Ugraha, Bhīma, Pashupati, Ishāna, Mahadeva. 2 The Deva of Love (see p. 39, n. 3). 3 Trisrotah, for there are three Ganges: the heavenly (Mandākinī), earthly (Alakanandā], and that of the nether world (Bhogavatī). 4 As to the descent of Gangā into the jata of Shiva (see p. 125, n. 5). 5 Literally Lord of Kalā. Kalā is a digit of which there are sixteen in the moon. The amākala is that from which the nectar is distilled. 8 Kumundini, which blooms and opens at night. 7 Kamalini. 8. Mountain (Shaila), which is that which is made of masses of stone (Shila)-a rhetorical comparison between the hardness of stone and Her tenderness. 9 Trayi. The whole Veda is so called because it consists of song, prose, and verse ; or because the Rik, Yajus, and Sāma are alone referred to as Veda. 3 ·34 BHUBANESHVARI Yet they cannot describe Thee. Although men must meditate upon Thee, Yet cannot their mind comprehend Thee.? O Mother of the worlds! Those who have reached that birth amongst men Which is so difficult to attain, And in that birth their full faculties, Yet nathless do not worship Thee, Such, though having a ascended to the top of the stairs, Nevertheless fall down again.: O Bhavani ! Such as worship Thee with fragrant flowers and sandal paste, Ground with cool water4 and powdered camphor, Gain the sovereignty of the whole world. 9 O Mother ! like the sleeping King of serpents, Residing in the centre of the first lotus, Thou didst create the universe. 6 1 Cf. verse 2 of Mahimnastava of Pushpadanta. 2 Literally, “ Though thou art to be meditated upon, thou dost not stay in the path of mind” (cf. Mahimnastava, loc. cit, and Shruti, which says, " Yato vācho nivarttante aprāpya manasā sahe.") 3 That is, as the subsequent fall makes the ascent useless, so human incarnation is without avail for those who, without excuse in such incarnation, do not worship the Devī. 4 Kalidāsa in the Ritusanghara says that in the hot weather women should wear fine cloth, powder their hair with fragrant scent, and smear their breasts with sandal, ground with cool water. 5 She as Kundalini resembles a sleeping serpent with three and a half coils abiding in the mulādhāra. 6 The Mulādhāra chakra (see last note).

·BHUBANESHVARI 35 Thou dost ascend like a streak of lightning, And attainest the ethereal region.? 10 Thy body, having been moistened with the nectar flowing from That, Thou dost again reach Thy abode* by that way." O Mother and Spouse of Maheshvara ! They in whose heart Thou glitterest are never reborn. 11 O Gauri ! with all my heart I contemplate Thy form, Beauteous of face. With its weight of hanging hair, With full breasts and rounded slender waist, Holding in three hands a rosary,8 a pitcher, and book, And with Thy fourth hand making the jnānamudrā.10 7 12 0 Bhuvaneshvari ! Yogis who have restrained their senses And have conquered the six enemies, 11 In yoga with calm minds behold Thee I Vidyullatā balaya vibhramamudvahanti. This is the sense of the passage which may literally mean that the Devi carries the beauty (vibrahma) of wristlets, like a streak of lightning, or “the Devi is sporting like a streak of lightning." 2 Khamasnuvānā. Kham is here Shiva in the Sahsarāra, whither the Devi repairs when Her passion is aroused by the lightning of the Kāmāgni around Her fanned by the leftward revolution of the red Kandarpavayu. 3 That is, the Sahasrārapadma. 4 Mulādhāra. 5 Margenātena-that is, the nādi sushumnā. 6 Apīvarastanatating. 7 Tanuvrittamadhyāng. 8 Japamāla, with which japa or recitation of mantra is done. 9 Kalasa, 10 Literally, holding chintā, which is a name for the jnana mudra, or manual gesture so called. 11 The six sins (see p. 22, n. 3).

·36 BHUBANESHVARI 1 Holding noose and a goad, And making the vara and abhaya mudrās. 13 Thou art Lakshmi, Rivalling the lustre of molten gold, Holding two lotuses in two of Thy hands, And with the other two making the gestures which grant boons and dispel fear.3 Four elephants holding jars (in their trunks), Sprinkle Thy head with nectar. 4 14 O Bhavānī! Thou art Durgā, seated on a lion, Of the colour of durvā grass, 6 Holding in Thy eight hands various kinds of dreadful weapons, And destroying the enemies of the immortals.7 1 See p. 28. n. 9. 2 That is, the gestures (Mudrī) which grant boons and dispel fear. In the first the hand is held horizontally, the palm open, the fingers close to each other, and the thumb across the palm and touching the root of the third finger. The second is the same, but the hand is held upwards vertically, the palm being shown to the spectator. 3 That is, the vara and abhaya mudrās, ante. 4 In this form the Devi is represented as being surrounded by four elephants, which pour nectar over her from jars held in their trunks, 5 One of the names of Bhubaneswari (see p. 171 of Prosanna Kumar Shastri's “ Dashamahāvidyā"). 6 Of a dark green. It is not clear why this colour is here mentioned, as the colour of Durgā is a golden yellow. It is, however, the colour of other forms, which are those of the one and the same Devī. Thus the colour of Kāli is that of anjana (black, collyrium), Tārā is nila (dark blue), Mātangini is asitā (black) or shyāmāngi (dark green!. The hue of Shorashi (Shrī) is that of the rising sun (bālārkākanti), as it is that of Bhubaneshvari (uddaddinakaradyuti). The colour of Bhairavi is said to be that of a thousand rising suns; of Chhinnamastā that of a million suns; Dhumāva tī is of an ashen colour (vivarna); Bagalāmukhiis all yellow (pitavarnā), and Kamalā is said to be like lightning (saudā. minisannibhā)-see Prosanna Kumar Shastri's “ Dashamahāvidyā." 7 The Daityas enemies of the Devas, whose Protectress the Devi is.

·BHUBANESHVARI 37 15 I remember again and again the dark primeval Devia swayed with passion, Her beauteous face heated and moist with the sweat (of amorous play),4 Bearing a necklace of Ganjā berries, and clad with leaves. 6 16 O Spouse of Shrikantha, I place on my head Thy blue lotus feet, Which are followed by? the Vedas, As swans are lured by the tinkling sound of an anklet. 17 O Bhāvanī! I worship thy body from ankle to knee, Upon which the bull-bannered one gazes with great love, And who, as if not satiated by looking thereon with two eyes, Has yet made for himself a third.10 2 1 Asitakānti. It is difficult to arrive at English translations for same Sanskrit words of colour. Mātanginī here referred to is also spoken of as shyāmāngi or dark green; and dark green and dark blue seem also to be used interchangeably. Mātanginī, one of the Dashamahāvidyā. Anangatantrām-influenced or swayed by Ananga (“the bodiless one"), a name of the Hindu God of Love, Kāma. 4 Avirnidāsha jalashikharashobhivaktrām. The cause is shown in the preceding line---play and union with her Lord. 5 Red and black berries used as goldsmiths' weights. 8 Shiva, the “beautiful throated,” also called Shitikantha (“peacock-throated''), from the colouring caused by His drinking the venom which arose at the churning of the ocean. Anuganyamānau-that is, the Vedas worship and adore Her. Janghā cf. Lalitāsahasranāma, verse 18, where the Devi's calves are compared to “ the sapphire-studded quiver of the God of Love, with rounded ankles and instep arched like the back of a tortoise.” 9 Shiva, also called Brishaddhvaja. 10 Shiva is always represented with three eyes, the third being the eye of wisdom, which in man opens on the realization of divinity.

·38 BHUBANESHVARI 18 1 I call to mind thy two thighs, Which humble the pride of the trunk of an elephant, And surpass the plaintain-tree in thickness and tenderness. 2 O Mother ! youth® has fashioned those thighs That they may support as two pillars the weight of thy (great) hips. 4 19 Looking at thy waist,5 it would seem as if it had been absorbed And become the great bulk of thy breasts and hips. By the youth which clothes the body with hair, May it ever be resplendent in my heart ! 20 10 O Devi! may I never forget thy navel, As it were a secure inviolate pool, Given to Thee by Thy blooming youth, 2 1 Uru (cf. Lalitāsahasranama, verse 17. ** The symmetry and smoothness of Her thighs are known only to Kāmesha (Shiva). Her knees shine like jewelled discs." Cf. First Canto of Kālidāsa's Kumāra Sambhavain. 3 Madhyamenabayasā. 4 Shroni. 5 Murtirmadhyastava. 6 Shronyaustanauchayugapat prathayishvatochchairbālyāt parena bayasă parihvistasārah-that is, the waist is so slender and the breasts and hips so heavy that it would seem that the greater part of the body, which goes to the making of the waist, had been taken away and put into the breasts and hips, and formed their bulk. 7 Bālyātparenabayasā. Literally the age which follows childhood, which is the cause of these changes in woman's body. 8 Romāvalivilāsitena, which appears with puberty (cf. verse 15 of the Lalitā). 9 Nābhi, which also means any navel-like cavity. 10 Pallalamapradhrishyam - from all but Shiva: a similar idea to that of verse 17 of the Lalitā, where it is said that the beauty of the Devi's thighs are known only to Her Lord Kāmesha (Shiva).

·BHUBANESHVARI 39 Filled with the liquid beauty of the beloved of Smara, He who was fearful of the fire from the eyes of Hara.” 21 Thy two lotus-like breasts, smeared with sandal, Which bear ashes telling of Shiva's embrace, 4 Call to mind the vermilion-painted temples moist with ichor5 Of some (impassioned) elephant Rising from his bath in waters, Flicked with foam.6 22 O Mother! Thy two arms, beauteous with the water Dripping from Thy body bathed from neck to throat, Seem to have been formed by the crocodile-bannered One, As long nooses wherewith to hold the throat of his enemy (Shiva). May I never forget them! 1 Lāvanyavāribharitāng. ? That is, Rati, Spouse of Kāma or Smara, the God of Love, son of Krishna and Rukmini. The son of Kāina is Aniruddha, and his companion is Vasanta, the spring. He is armed with a bow-andarrows, the bow-string being a line of bees, and the arrows flowers of different plants. 3 When the Devas desired a commander for their forces in their war with Tāraka, they sought the aid of Kāma in drawing Shiva towards Pārvatī, whose issue alone could destroy the demon. Kāma undertook the mission, and shot his arrows of love at Shiva, when the latter was doing tapas. Shiva, however, who was offended at this disturbance of his devotions, burnt Kāma down with a flash from the fire of His third eye. Subsequently Kāma was reborn in the form of Pradyumna at the request of Rati. 4 For Shiva’s body is covered with ashes. 5. Samadasyakumbhau, the ichor which exudes from the temples of elephants in rut. 6 The ashes are thus compared to foam, and the sandal paste to the vermilion with which the temples and foreheads of fine elephants are painted. 7 That is, Kāma, the God of Love, 8 For Shiva burnt him (see ante n. 3). The Devi's arms embrace the neck of Shiva. the main ·40 BHUBANESHVARI 23 O Daughter of the Mountain-King, Again and again have I looked upon Thy shapely neck, Which has stolen the beauty of a well-formed shell, And is adorning with pleasing necklace and many another ornament; Yet am I never satiated. 24 O Mother! he has not been born in vain? Who oft calls to his mind Thy face, with its large round eyes and noble brow, Its radiant cheeks and smile, The high, straight nose, And lips red as the bimba fruit. 25 Whoever, O Devī! contemplates upon Thy wealth of hair, Lit by the crescent moon, Resembling a swarm of bees hovering over fragrant flowers, Is freed of the ancient fetters which bind him to the world 4 26 The mortal who in this world Devoutly from his heart reads this hymn, Sweet to the ears of the wise, Attains for ever all wealth in the form of that Lakshmi Who attends the crowned kings who are prostrate at Her feet. 1 Sa eva jātah. Literally, "He is indeed born.” His birth is fruitful. 2. The fruit of a tree called tyālākucho in Bengali, which, when ripe, is very red, and to which the lips of young women are often compared (cf. Meghaduta, verse 2, "Pakvabimbādharosthz "). 3 The Devi bears the crescent moon on her head as does Shiva. 4 Tasya svayam galati Devž purānapāsha-that is, he is freed of rebirth, the fruit of Karna. Here commences the phala portion of the stotra (see P 108, n. 2).

·GANGA (GANGĀSHTAKAM) BY SHANGKARĀCHÄRYYA pred O BHAGAVATI GANGA !! Thou art the playful garland on the head of Hara ;2 Such as but touch a drop of the spray of Thy waters Recline on the lap of the fan-holding women of the city of the immortals, 3 Freed of the fear arising from the sinful Kali age. 4 2 6 (O Devī Gangā !) may you purify us, Thou who separateth the earth from Heaven, Gladdening the creeper-like matted hair on the head of Hara, Descending from the region of heaven, Oozing from out the cave of the golden mountain, Falling upon the surface of the earth, Purifier (as the River Mandākinī) of the city of the Devas, Who art the powerful Destructress of the multitude of men's sins. 1 The River Ganges, in whom the Devi manifests. 2 Shiva. The Ganges in its descent from heaven at the call of Bhagiratha was caught in the matted hair of Shiva. 3 Amarāvatī. The city of Indra. 4 Kaliyuga. The fourth, and, according to orthodox views, the present age, marked by the prevalence of sin. 5 By the celestial Ganges called Mandakini. 6 See note 2 ante. 7 Sumeru. 41 ·42 GANGA 3 The trunks of elephants and their young make play with Thy waters, Fragrant with ichor-maddened swarms of bees, Trickling from the temples of elephants bathing therein. Thy stream is browned with the sandal paste Dropping from the breasts of Siddha women? who bathe therein, And nigh the river bank Thy water is strewn with Kusha? grass and flowers, There thrown by sagesat morn and even. May the water of the Ganges protect us! This divine sin-destroying Bhāgirathi' now on earth Was in the beginning water in the vessel of the Primeval Grandfather.? Then it was pure water from the feet of the Lord (Vishnu), Who sleeps on the serpent. Again it was the gem adorning the matted hair of Shiva, And, lastly, the daughter of the great sage Jahnu.10 1 Siddhas are celestial spirit (devayoni) of great purity. 2 A species of grass used in worship. 3 Munis. 4 The flower and grass is thrown by them when they worship the Ganges in the morning and evening. 5 Gangā is called Bhāgīrathi, because She was brought down from heaven by the prayer of Bhāgiratha, son of Dilipa of the solar race, in order to secure heavenly bliss for his kinsmen. 6. Kamandalut, a gourd-shaped vessel used by ascetics. 17 Pitamaha. Brahmä is so called. 8 The thousand-headed serpent Ananta Deva (see Vishnu Puränā). 9 Ante p. 41, n. 2. 10 Hence the river is called Jahnavi. The verse speaks of the stages of the descent of the heavenly stream. Rishi Jahnu swallowed the Ganges, and then, at the prayer of Bhāgiratha, he let it issue from his thigh. The Ganges is called his daughter as She issued from him (see Rāmāyana and post p. 125, n. 5).

·GANGA 43 May the entrancingGangā falling on the matted hair” of Hara, 3 Descending from the Lord of Mountains, Moving sinuously like a serpent to the ocean, Flowing by the city of Kashī,4 Dispeller of countless worldly fears, Saviour of those who bathe in Her waters, Be ever victorious. 6 How can he who has seen Thy wave be bound by illusion? To him who has drunk of Thy water thou givest a dwelling in the city of the yellow-clad Deva. O Gangā ! what time the bodies of those who assume body? fall on Thy lap, 8 For such, O Mother,' even Shatakrita's10 grandeur11 is but a small thing 7 O Bhagavati 112 on Thy bank I drink Thy water only. I worship Krishna, all thirst for worldly enjoyment having gone. Destroyer of all sin, Whose companionship is the stairway to Heaven, 13 * 3 1 Manohārini ( mind stealer”). 2 Shiva, like the ascetics, wears a coil of matted hair (Jata). 3 Shiva. 4 Benares, through which the Ganges flows. 5 Fearlessness is the special gift of the Devi. The Mārkandeya Purānā says : “When You are remembered in times of difficulty, You take away all fear of all beings." She is Bhayāpahā (remover of fear) ; for Shruti says (" Tai. Up.” ii. 9, 1): " By knowing the bliss of that Brahman none fear anything." 6 That isVishnu, who is clad in yellow, and whose city is His heaven (Vaikuntha). Men. 8 That is, when in death, they are thrown into the Ganges. 9 The Devī is the Holy Mother (Shrimātā), the first of Her names. 10 Indra, King of the celestials. 11 Pada or portion. 12 Feminine of Bhagavan, a term applied to God, and which means He who possesses Bhaga. 13 Svarga.

·44
GANGA
O Devi! Gangā of lightsome, tremulous wave,
Be gracious to me.
8
O Mother! O Spouse of Shambhu !!
Who art ever associated with Shambhu
At death, upon Thy banks, with my hands folded upon
my head,
Remembering Thy name and the feet of Nārāyana,?
May my devotion to Hara and Hariever endure
At the time of the festival of life's departure !
He who of pure mind made this sacred eight-versed hymn
to Gangā
Will be wholly released of all sin
And will go the region of Vishnu.5
1 Shiva.
2 Vishnu.
3 Vishnu and Shiva.
Death (prānaprayānotsava), for it is the entrance to heavenly
bliss.
á Vaikuntha (see p. 43, n. 6).

·AMBIKA? (ELEVENTH MAHATMYA OF CHANDI)? 1 3 Devi, Thou who removeth the pain of Thy suppliants, Be gracious. Be gracious, O Mother of the world! Be gracious, o Queen of the universe ! Protect the universe. Thou art, O Devī! the Ishvarī of all moving and unmoving things.4 2 Thou art the only support of the world, Because Thou wert in the form of earth. By Thee who existed in the form of water Is the whole universe pervaded. Thou art Her whose powers are unsurpassed. 3 Thou art the Vaishnavi Shakti5 of eternal power ; Thou art the seed of the universe, And the supreme Māyā. All this universe has been bewitched by Thee. Thou, when pleased, art the cause of salvation to men. 1 Mother. 9 When the great Lord of the Asuras was slain by the Devi, Indra. and other Devas (Agni at their head), with shining faces, offered praise to Kātyāyanī, because of the fulfilment of their desire. 3 Literally, " Those who come to take shelter with Her.” 4 That is, the organic and inorganic world, 5 The energy of Vishnu, the sustaining power of the Universe. 45 ·46 AMBIKA * All sciences are parts of Thee, As also all women without exception throughout the world.2 By Thee alone, O Mother! is the universe filled. How can we praise Thee? Art thou not beyond all praise of highest speech ? 5 When, O Devi !4 being in the form of the universe, And bestowing heaven and liberation, Thou art worshipped, What words, howsoever sublime, suffice for Thy praise? 6 O Thou who existeth in the form of buddhi? In the heart of all beings, Who art Giver of heaven and liberation O Devī Nārāyanī! & salutation to Thee. 7 In the form of moments, minutes, and other fractions of time, Thou art the cause of (worldly) change. 1 Sakalā. Nagoji Bhatta is not happy in his Commentary when he says that sakalā here means "endowed with the sixty-four arts” (kalā), such as dancing, music, painting, literature, acting, etc., and who are devoted to their husbands modest etc. The Devi is not, according to this noble line, in these only, but in all women, however ignorant of the "arts or low born they may be. Vidyāh samastāstavadevi bhedāh. Striyah samastāk sakalā jagatsu. The Devibhāshyam of Panchānana Tarkaratna translates the verse All sciences, all things (bhedāh), and all women are of Thee." 3 The verse here changes from upendra vajra to anustup metre. 4 That is, She who is, as Nagoji says, of a shining nature (dyotanashila). 6 Mukti. 7 That is, nischayatmakamjnanam. * For she is the support of all beings, fem. of Nārāyana, a name of Vishnu. 2 6 as, 5 Svarga.

·AMBIKA 47 At the time of the dissolution of the universe Thou art all-powerful. Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 8 O Auspicious One! auspicious with all auspiciousness, Accomplisher of all successful things, Giver of refuge, Three-eyed one;2 O Gauri !O Nārāyani! all reverence to Thee. 9 O Eternal One ! who art the energy Of creation, maintenance, and destruction; Who art the abode of the qualities, And are yet beyond them--6 O Nārāyanī! all reverence to Thee, 10 O Thou who ever savest those in poverty and pain, Who take shelter with Thee ! O Remover of the pains of all ! Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 11 4 Rider in an aerial car yoked with swans, Who assumed the form of Brāhmani, 1 For She is in the form of time. 2 As is Her Spouse Shiva with his third eye of wisdom. 3 Either as Nāgoji says "white Devī," or the Devi of that name, who issued from the body of Mahadevi. 4 The commentator says that She is the possessor of it "(shakti); but there is in reality no difference between shakti and the possessor of shakti, though human understanding and speech may make such difference. 5 The gunas--the three sattva, rajas, and tamas, and their derivatives, the Tattwas. 6 Nāgoji says that gunāshraye gunamayergunāshraye agunamaye. Though the gunas inhere in Her, She is not as is the jīva, affected by them. 7 See next note. 8 Shakti, or energy of Brahmā, whose vehicle (vāhana) is a swan (hangsa), or flamingo, as it is variously rendered.

·48 ΑΜΒΙΚΑ Who sprinklest water in which kusha grass? is steeped Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 12 Who holdeth trident, moon, and serpent.” Riding on a great bull 4 In the form of Maheshwari Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 13 Who art attended by fowl and peacock. O faultless One ! Who holdeth a great shakti-weapon, And existeth in the form of Kaumāris — Nārāyani, all reverence to Thee. 14 Who holdeth Thy great implements, Which are the conch, discus, mace, and bow; Who art in the form of Vaishnavī,9 Be gracious. Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 15 Who holdeth the formidable discus, And hast uplifted the earth with Thy tushes 20- 1 Grass used in pitri kriyā and agni kriya. 2 As Brahmā does with the holy water (shartijalan) from his pot called kamandalu. 3 Associated with Shiva. 4 The vāhana of Shiva. 6 Shakti, or energy of Maheshvara or Shiva. 6 Both the cock and peacock are said in the Mahabharata to be the vāhana of Kārtikeya. Gopal Chakravarti renders it, however, as " the best of peacocks." 7 A kind of missile, dart spear, lance, or pike. 8 The Shakti of Kumāra, or Kärttikeya, son of Shiva and Pārvvati and Commander of the celestial hosts. 9 The Shakti of Vishnu, who holds the conch, discus (chakra), etc. 10 See note I on page 49.

·AMBIKA 49 O auspicious One! in the form of a boar? Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 16 0 Thou who in the fierce man-lion form ? Didst put forth effort to slay the Daityas, And who hast delivered the three worlds- Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 17 Who weareth a diadem and beareth a great thunderbolt, Who dazzles with Thy thousand eyes, Destructress of the life of Vritra, 4 Who art Aindri Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 18 Who art in the form of Shivadūtī.6 Destructress of the great host of the Daityas, Of terrible form and loud and terrible voice- Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 19 Whose visage is formidable with its teeth Adorned with a garland of severed heads- 1 Vishnu, in His boar-incarnation, uplifted on His tushes the world, which had been submerged in the waters. 2 As Shakti of Vishnu in the rrisingha incarnation, in which He slew the Daitya Hiranyakashipu. 3 The Devī is here invoked as Aindrī the shakti, of Indra, who is crowned, and whose weapon, like that of Jupiter, is the thunderbolt. and who has a thousand eyes. 4 An Asura slain by Indra. 5 See note 3, ante. 6. The Devī is known as Shivadūti, because Shiva was engaged by. Her as messenger to Shumbha and Nishumbha yatoniyukto dautyena tayā devyā shivah svayam shivadūtīti lokesmingstatah sã khyatim agata. Chandi, eighth Māhātmya. 4 ·50 AMBIKA O Chāmundā 11 destructress of Munda? Nārāyanī, all reverence to Thee. 20 Lakshmi, modesty, great knowledge, 8 Faith (in shāstras), nourishment, svadhā; Truth, permanent and unchangeable; Great night of dissolution, great nescience5__ Nārāyani, all reverence to Thee. 21 Understanding ® Sarasvati, the Best of all. All powers,? Spouse of Babhru, Dark One, 9 Primeval Shaktil Be gracious, O Lady! Nārāyānī, all reverence to Thee. 22 Who art in the form of all things, Controller of all; who hast all power ; 1 Devi is so called because She slew the Asuras Chanda and Munda (see verse 25, chap. vii. of Chandi). 2 Mundamathane; not as one translation of the Chandi has it, “who grindest shaven heads." 3. That is, as Nagoji says, the knowledge pertaining to the Atmai (adhyatmavidyā) contained in the Upanishads; not " wide knowledge," as last-mentioned translator renders it. 4 Mantra of Pitris, 5 For Devi is both vidyā (knowledge) and avidyā (nescience), or Prakriti. & Medha, which Nagoji says=dhāranavati buddhi, or firm, steady, concentrated buddhi. 7 Bhūti, which ordinarily means wealth=here, according to Gopal Chakravarti, aishvaryyarūpin--that is, the eight siddhi; or, according to Nagoji, it is sattvapradhāna (“greatly excelling in sattva guna"). 8 A name of Shiva, Vishnu, or Fire. According to Nagoji the rajoguna shakti is here indicated. 9 Tamasi-that is, tamogurlauktā. Niyate, which ordinarily means fate (adrishta); but here denotes, according to Nagoji, the Mülashakti, the root or primeval Shakti. It does not mean, as stated in the last-mentioned translation, "O self-controlled Queen !!! In the case of the Devi there is no self to be controlled. She controls others, not Herself. 10 ·AMBIKĀ 51 From the cause of all fear protect us, o Devi ! O Devī Durgā! reverence to Thee. 23 Beautiful is Thy face adorned with three eyes. Guard us from all (formidable) beings. O Katyāyani ! Reverence to Thee. 24 May Thy trident most formidable with flame, Slayer of countless Asuras, Protect us from fear. O Bhadrakālī !2 Reverence to Thee. May Thy bell which destroys the power of Daityas, Filling the world with its sound, Guard us from sin, As a mother protects her children ! 26 May Thy sword glittering in Thy hands, Besmeared with the blood and fat of Asuras as with mire, Be for our welfare ! O Chandikā! to Thee we bow. 27 Thou, when gratified, dost destroy all forms of disease ; But if displeased, Thou dost destroy all longed-for desires. 1 According to Gopal, the Devi is so called because She was born in the hermitage of the Muni Kātyayana, but the Vedantists say that Katya is he who is devoted to the Brahman (brahmanishta), and She who is attained by them is Kātyāyani. 2 Auspicious Kālī. 3 Anah.

·52 AMBIKA Such as take shelter with Thee need fear no danger, Since they become verily a refuge to themselves. 28 O Mother, who hast shown Thyself in many forms, Who else than Thee is able to achieve That destruction of the great Asuras, Enemies of righteousness, Which Thou hast wrought to-day. 2 29 In the sciences, in all scriptures, and in the great sayings, 5 Which are the lamp of knowledge, Who else is there but Thee Who makes this universe again and again? revolve In the pits of delusionº steeped in darkness. 30 Where there are Rākshasasło and greatly poisonous serpents? Where there are (armed) enemies ; Where there are highway robbers ; 1 As Gopal says, even Rajahs, not to mention others, become the slaves of such an one. 2 Dharmma. 3 There are fourteen kinds of vidya---viz., four Veda, six Anga, Mimānsa, Nyāya, Dharmmashāstra Purānā. Gopal says vidya and upavidyā, such as Indrajāla, Garudakadyāh, Dhanurvidyā, eto. 4 Shāstrathat is, tarka (logic), izīti, etc. Literally, the “first sayings ”-that is, Veda or the Karmakānda, 6 Viveka=juāna (Gopal). Ativa. 8. The reference is to the sangsāra. It is a "pit,” for men fall into it; and it is a dark," for it obstructs knowledge. • Mamatvarn, which Gopal defines as asvakive svakiyatvābhimārzah -the sense of ownness in respect of a thing not one's own-e..., to take the body to be the self; to think I am white, I am tall, etc. 10 Demonic beings.

·AMBIKA 53 Where there is the forest and ocean' fire, There abiding, 2 Thou dost guard the universe. 31 Queen of the universe art Thou and its guardian ; In the form of the universe Thou art its maintainer. By the Lords of the universe art Thou worshipped. They, its supporters, have great devotion to Thee.4 32 O Devī! be gracious ; Ever protect us from the fear of enemies As Thou hast just now saved us by the slaughter of the Asuras. Make cease at once the sins of the whole world And the great dangers which come of all portents. 33 O Devī! who takest away the afflictions of the universe. Be gracious to us who make obeisance to Thee. 0 Thou who art worthy of all praise, Grant boons to the dwellers in the three worlds. 1 That is, the submarine fire. 2. Because She pervades all things. 3. Indra, Brahmā, etc. * Gopāla Chakravarti renders it: Those who are devoted to Thee are themselves worshipped - even by Indra, Brahmnā, etc., the Lords of the Universe therefore Thou art the supporter of the universe." 5 Unusual phenomena, such as earthquakes, comets, hurricanes, etc. 6 Bhuh, bhuvah, svah (see p. 70, note 5). 7 Then' Devī said : “ Now I bestow a boon, O Devas" (Chandī). > > ·Kalakarshini. ADYAKALI (ADYAKALISVARŪPASTOTRAM) FROM THE MAHĀNIRVĀNA TANTRA 1. HRING, 2 O destroyer of time ! 2. SHRING, 4 O terrific one !5 3. KRING,6 Thou who art beneficent. 4. Possessor of all the arts, 5. Thou art Kamalā,9 6. Destroyer of the pride of the Kali Age: 10 1 From the Mahānirvâna Tantra, Seventh Ullāsa, verses 12 et seq. This hymn to the primordial Kālī contains a hundred of her names all beginning with “K.” Thus Kālī, Karālī, Kalyānī, Kalāvati, Kamala, Kalidarpaghni, Kaparddīshakripanvitā, etc. Kadi is that which has “ Ka" in the beginning. In the Tantrarāja Devī says to Shiva : The syllable Ka' is in Thy form, and that Shakti confers all siddhis (see Lalitā. Sahasranāma, where a number of the following names occur). 2 The Māyāvāja (see Fifth Ullāsa, verse 1o). 3 Kali (see Fourth Ullasa, verses 30 et seq.). She is thus called 8 7 4 Vīja of Laksmī, Deví of prosperity or beauty. 5 Karali. 6 The Vijābhidāna says Ka= Kali Ra=Brahma I=Mahāmayā. The half-circle of chandravindue is the universal Mother, and the point is the destroyer of misery. Kalyānī, or She who bestows peace and happiness (see the Lalitā, verse 73). According to the Padmapurāna, Devi is worshipped as Kalyāni in the Malaya mountains. 8 Kalāvati (see the Lalita, verse 74). The Kală, or arts, are sixty-four in number: The Shakti should always be Kalāvati. Devi is also called Kalāmālā or garland of the arts. Kalāvatī may also mean possessed of all parts complete. 9 A name of Lakshmi-Devi is Kamala, for She is all Shaktis. In verse 73 of the Lalitā, Devī is called Kāinakalārūpā, on which Bhāskararāya says that there are three vindus and the hārdakala. The first vindu is called Kāma, and the last Kalā; but according to the rule pratyāhāra, Kāmalā includes all four. Kālikā Puräna, says Devī, is alone indicated by Kāma. 10 Kalidarpaghni. 54 a ·ADYAKĀLI དད 5 9 7. Who art kind to him of the matted hair, 8. Devourer of Him who devours. 2 9. Mother of Time 3 10. Thou art brilliant as the fires of the final dissolution.4 11. Spouse of Him of the matted hair. 12. 0 Thou of formidable countenance, 13. Ocean of the nectar of compassion, 14. Merciful,8 15. Vessel of mercy, 16. Whose mercy is without limit 10 17. Who art attainable alone by Thy mercy,11 18. Who art fire, 12 19. Tawny, 13 20. Black of hue, 14 21. Thou who increaseth the joy of the Lord of creation,15 22. Night of darkness, 16 23. In the form of desire,17 1 Kappardishakripanvitā Kapardisha is a title of Shiva derived from his matted hair. 2 Kālikā, because she devours Shiva as Mahākāla (see Mahānirvana Tantra, Fourth Ullāsa, verse 31). 3 Kalamātā. 4 Kālānalasamadyuti. 5 Kapardini. spouse of Shiva, called Kapardi from his matted hair (see Lalitā, verse 151). The Vishva says that Kaparda ? means the matted hair of Shiva and the cowdung cakes. When Shiva incarnated, as Mailāra, his spouse was decked with a garland of cowdung cakes. 6 Karālāsyā. 7 Karunāmritasāgarā (see Lalitā, verse 73). 8 Kripāmayi. 9 Kripādhārā. 10 Kripäpārā. 11 Kripāgamā. 12 Krishānu. Krishanuvetas is an epithet of Shiva whose male seed is fire. 13 Kapilā. 14 Krishnā. 15 Krishnānandavivardhini. Krishna is here the supreme Lord. 16 Kālarātri. The Lalitā, verse loi, speaks of the Devi as attended by hosts of Shaktis, Kālarātrī, and others--that is, the twelve Shaktis from Kālarātrī to Tankārī, one in each petal of the anahata padma. The Varāha Purāna says that Raudrī, who was born from darkness and went to the Blue Mountain to perform penance (the Shakti causing destruction) is called Kälarātrī. 17 Kâmarupā (ibid., verse 73), Kalika Purāna), says that Devi is called Kāma because She came to the secret place in the Blue peak of the great mountain (Kāilāsa) along with Shiva, for the sake of ·56 ĀDYAKĀLI 1 24. Yet liberator from the bonds of desire, 25. Thou who art dark as a bank of cloud,2 26. And bearest the crescent moon, 27. Destructress of sin in the Kali Age, 4 28. Thou who art pleased by the worship of virgins, 29. Thou who art the refuge of the worshippers of virgins, 30. Who art pleased by the feasting of virgins,7 31. And who art in the form of the virgin, 32. Thou who wanderest in the Kadamba forest; 33. Who art pleased with the flowers of the Kadamba forest, 10 34. Who hast Thy abode in the Kadamba forest,11 Or desire, an because she fulfils desires and destroys and restores the body of Kāma. 1 Kämapāshavimochini. 2 Kādambini. In the heat of India the rain-cloud is welconie, and in some of Her forins She is dark. 3 Kaladhārā. 4 Kalikalmashanāshini (see Lalita, verse 113), Kurma Purāna says that the repetition of the names of Devī destroys the multitude of sins in the Kali Age. 5 Kumārīpājanapritā. The Kumāri pujā, or worship of virgins, is a pūjā common in Bengal. The worship is by men, whereas the sadhavapuja, or worship of married women, is done by women. Kumārī may directly refer to the Devi Herself. She is known as the unmarried Kumārī. A sutra of the Shiva Sutras runs Ichchashaktik Umā kilmāri. The energy of of desire is Umā, the unmarried. Bhaskararāya (Commentary, Lalitā, verses 25, 40) says: As play She creates the universe, hence She is Kumārī, or She destroys (mārazate) the ground (ku) of the great illusion. Hence She is Kumāri; Kumāri is the enjoyer and not to be enjoyed, as She is one with the Yogi, the enjoyer. 6 Kumārī pūjakālayā, or who art the refuge of such worshippers." 7 Kumārībhojanānanda. The Kumāris are feasted at the Kumāri рија. Kumärirūpadhārini. So a very young marriageable girl is called Gauri. 9 Kadambavanasanchārā (see p. 25, note 2). 10 Kadambapushpasantoshā (see Lalitä, verse 73). 11 Kadambavanavāsini (see the Lalitā, verse 23). The palace of Chintamani is surrounded by a gallery of gems (animandapa). Around this is the grove of Kadamba trees, which in the Purānās are said to be seven yoganas in height in the space between the walls of gold and silver. The Bhairavayāmala says the abode of Vindu is the ocean of es come € ·ADYAKĀLI 57 1 3 35. Who wearest a garland of Kadamba flowers, 36. Thou who art youthful,2 37. Who hath a soft low voice, 38. Whose voice is sweet as the cry of a Chakravaka bird.4 39. Who drinkest Kadambari wine,5 40. And art pleased with the Kadambari wine, 41. And whose cup is a skull," 42. Who wearest a garland of bones, 43. Who art pleased with the lotus, 44. And who art seated on the lotus, 10 45. Who abidest in the centre of the lotus, 11 46. Whom the fragrance of the lotus pleases, 12 47. Who movest with the swaying gait of a hangsa,13 8 nectar. The five yonis-that is, the five shakti angles in the shrichakra ---are the divine trees. There is the grove of Nipa trees. Within that is the gallery of gems. Within that is the palace of Chintānzani, 1 Kadambapushpamālinī. The Lalitā, verse 3, speaks of Devi as decked above her ears with clusters of Kadamba flowers. 2 Kishori. 3 Kalakanthā. Devi is also called Kalakanthi, or wife of Kalakantha, a name of Shiva whose throat was coloured by the poison he swallowed at the churning of the ocean. According to Devī Purāna, Kalakantha was worshipped at Kālanjara. * Kalanādaninādini. Water-birds which sing to one another at nightthe male to the female and the latter to the male sitting on opposite banks of the river. Their passionate devotion is often alluded to by the poets. 5 Kādambarīpānarata. & Kādambaripriyā. Kādambari is mead. Bhaskararāya (Commentary, Lalitā), dealing with the Tripura Upanishad, which prescribes that mead, fish, flesh, and cooked cereals should be offered to the Devatā, says that it enjoins those who are allowed to take wine, flesh, etc., that they should do so after first dedicating them to the Brahman, and minimize the habit by gradation (see the same idea expressed in Manu v., 55, Bhag Pr. XI., 5-11). 7 Kapālapātraniratā. * Kangkālamälyadhārini. 9. Kamaläsanasantushta. 10 Kamalāsanavāsini. 11 Kamalālayamadhyasthā. 12 Kamalāmodamodini. 13 Kalahangsagati. Hangsa is variously translated goose, swan, flamingo. A swaying waddle like that of a duck is admired. As the swans live in the celestial la ke called Mānasa, so She lives in the ininds (mūnasa) of Her devotees.

·58 one of the celestial trees in the ADYAKĀLI 48. Destroyer of fear, 49. Who assumeth all forms at will, 50. Whose abode is at Kāmarūpa, 51. Whoever dallies at the Kāmapītha, 52. O Beautiful One, 5 53. O creeper which givest every desire 6 54. Whose beauty is Thy ornament,? 55. Adorable as the image of all tenderness, 56. Thou with a tender body, 57. And who art slender of waist, 10 58. Who art pleased with the nectar of purified wine, 59. Giver of success to them whom purified wine rejoices,12 60. The own Deity of those who worship Thee whenjoyed with wine, 13 61. Who art gladdened by the worship of Thyself with purified wine, 14 62. Who art immersed in the ocean of purified wine, 1 Klaibyanāshini. 2 Kāmarūpinī (see also post.). 3 Kāmarūpakritavāsā (see next note). 4 Kāmapīthavilāsini. Kamarūpa, the great Tantrika centre in Assam, one of the Mahāpīthas, where the genital organ of the Devi fell on the severance of Her dead body by Vishnu after the Daksha Yajna. Kamarupa is also one of the A dibhuta, which are in the Mulādhūya and other tattvik centres (see the Lalitā, verse 82). 5 Kamanīyā. 6 Kalpalatā. The Kalpa tree is heaven of India, which yielded whatever one desired. Woman is likened to a creeper (latā) embracing and depending on her husband (see also the Lalitā, where the Devi is called Bhaktimatkalpalatika, the kalpa creeper of the devotee). Kamaniyavibhūshanã, or “who art the possessor of beautiful ornaments." 8 Kamanīyagunārādhyā; or it may mean that the Devi is to be worshipped by the worshipper with all best and tender feeling. 9 Komalāngi. 10 Krishodari. Literally, small of belly (see Bhubaneshvari stotra, apivarastanatating tanuvrittamadhjām, and the Lalitā, verse tarumadhyā). 11 Kāranämritasantoshā. Rārana is one of the technical terms given to the purified wine consumed as an element of the Tāntrika Panchatattva. 12 Kāranānandasiddhidā. 13 Kāranändajapeshtā. 14 Käranārchchnaharshitā. 15 Kāranārnavasangmagnā. 15 7 ·ADYAKĀLI 59 63. Who art the protectress of those who accomplish vrata with wine, 64. Whom the fragrance of musk gladdens, 2 65. And who art luminous with a tilaka mark of musk.3 66. Who art attached to those who worship Thee with musk.4 67. Who lovest those who worship Thee with musk,5 68. Who art a mother to those who burn musk as incense, 69. Who art fond of the musk-deer, 70. And who art pleased to eat its musk, 71. Whom the scent of camphor gladdens, 9 72. Who art adorned with garlands of camphor, 10 73. And whose body is besmeared with camphor and sandal paste, 74. Who art pleased with purified wine flavoured with 6 8 11 camphor,12 15 » 16 11 75. Who drinkest purified wine flavoured with camphor,13 76. Who art bathed in the ocean of camphor, 77. Whose abode is in the ocean of camphor, 78. Who art pleased when worshipped with the vīja Hung, 79. Who threatenest with the vīja" Hung;' 1 Kāranavratapālinſ. Vratas are ritual acts and devotional exercises which do not belong to the obligatory (nitya) karma. 2 Kastürīsaurabhāmodā. Musk is used in worship to scent chandan, etc. 3 Kastūrītilakojjvala. The tilak is the mark worn by sectarian Hindus on the forehead. 4 Kastūripūjanaratā. 5 Kastūrīpājaka priyā. 6 Kastūrīdāhajanani. 7 Kastūrimrigatoshini. Kastūribhojanapritā. 9 Karpūrāmodamodită. Camphor is burnt in worship during ārati, and is used to scent the padya, betel leaf, etc., offered to the Devi. 10 Karpūramālābharanā. Balls of camphor are strung together in a garland. 11 Karpürachandanākshitā. 12 Karpūrakāranāhladā. 13 Karpūrāmritapāyinī. 14 Karpūrasāgarasna tā. 15 Karpūrasāgarälayā. 16 Kūrchchavījajapa pritā. Hing is the Karchhavija. 17 Kūrchchajapaparāyayanāthat is, She who mutters "Hùng when conquering the demons. The Devi then constantly uttered the nungkāra with its threatening, roaring sound. 8 ·1 10 11 S the music of celestial women living in the golden bowers of creepers 60 ADYAKALI 80. Embodiment of Kuláchāra, 81. Adored by Kaulikas? 82. Benefactress of the Kaulikas, 83. Observant of Kulāchara 4 84. Joyous one, 85. Revealer of the path of the Kaulikas, 86. Queen of Käshi, 88. Giver of blessings to the Lord of Kāshi, 89. Giver of pleasure to the Lord of Kāshi, 90. Beloved of the Lord of Kāshi, 91. Thou whose toe-ring bells make sweet melody as Thou moveth,12 92. Whose girdle bells sweetly tinkle,13 93. Who abidest in the mountain of gold, 14 1 Kulīna. Kula, according to the Tantra, means Shakti. Akulu= Shiva. The union of Kua with Arula is called Kaula, the essence common to both Shiva and Shakti. Hence Devī is Kaulinī (see Lalitā, verse 37). Both Kula and Akula are in the Sahasrara, Kulâchär is the way of the Kaula division of Tantrik worshippers. 2 Kaulikārādhyā. The Kaulikas are followers of Kuācāāra (see last note). So also in the Lalitā, verse '17, the Devī is addressed as " adored by Dakshinas and Adakshinas." 3 Kaulikapriyakārīnī. 4 Kulāchārā, v. ante. 5 Kantukini. & Kulamārgapradarshini. ? Kashishvari. Käshi is Benares, the sacred city of Shiva. 3 Kartahartri; and thus the Lalită speaks of the Devi as the moonlight which soothes those burned by the triple fires of misery. 9 Kashishavaradayini ("Lord is Shiva). 10 Kashīshvarakritāmoda. 11 Kashishvaramanoramā. 12 Kalamanjiracharana. 13. Kvanatkānchīvibhushanā. 14 Kānchanādrikritāgarā (the mountain Kanchana or Sumeru). Durvāsa says in his Lalitāstavaratna (verses 2-4): "Let the gold mountain be victorious whose body is the universe resounding with 2 of the mountain peak. We salute the three peaks which are the seats of Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva, extending to the four quarters of the earth. In their midst is another peak 400 yojanas (a yojana is eight or nine miles) in height, making the place beauteous with the golden rays of its flowers, and I worship it." The Lalita Sahasranāma (verse 22) also addresses Devi as dwelling on the middle peak of Mount Sumeru.

·Kling,"2 death? ADYAKĀLI 61 94. Who art like a moonbeam on the mountain of gold, 95. Who art gladdened by the recitation of the mantra 96. Who art the Kāma Vīja, 97. Destructress of all evil inclinations. 4 98. And of the afflictions of the Kaulikas: 99. Lady of the Kaulas, 100. O Thou who by the three vījas, " KRING," "HRING." SHRING," art the Destructress of the fear of (To Thee I make obeisance.) 66 64 kling." 1 Kanchanāchalakaumudi. ? Kāmavijajapānanda. The Kāma vīja is When the "Ka" and " La " are are eliminated, the remaining "ing called kārnakalā, which is in the turiya state. In the Lalitā, verse 225, Devi is called creatrix of the mantra klīng (“klīngkarī”). Klingkāra is Shiva. kāma, and She is His wife. 3 Kāmavījasvarūpini—that is, She is "kling” itself. 4 Kumatighni. Devī is also (Lalitā, verse 78) Sadāchāva pravarttakā, because She makes men move to right action. 5. Kulīnārtināshinī. 0 Kulakāmini. 7 Kring, Hring, Shring mantravarnena kālakantakaghātinā.

·WAVES OF BLISS (ĀNANDALAHARI) BY SHANKARACHARYYA 1 O BHAVANI, the four-headed Lord of creatures, is not able to worship Thee, Nor even the five-headed destroyer of the Tripura,3 Nor the six-headed commander of the celestial hosts, 4 Nor even the thousand-headed Lord of serpents. If, then, they cannot, tell me who else is able so to do? 6 2 O Devi! how can we speak of Thy qualities, Which are not to be described by any Nigama. As the sweetness of ghee? milk, the grape, and honey Cannot be distinguished and described by words, But may be perceived by the tongue only ; In like manner Thy beauty can be seen only by the eyes of Parameshvara.8 3 We ever pray to Thee, O Gauri ! Youthful daughter of the Lord of mountains. Beautiful is the betello in Thy mouth And the collyrium on Thy eyes ; Beautiful, too, are the saffron on Thy forehead, 1 See p. 97, note I. 2 Brahma. 3. Shiva (see p. 25, note 1). * Kartikeya, son of Shiva. 5 Ananta on whom Vishnu reposes. 6 Generally Shāstra and in special technical sense Tantra in which the Devi is the Guru. 7. Clarified butter. $ The supreme Lord. 9 See p. 24, note 4. and p. 128, note 10. 10 Tāmbula, or pan, which is chewed.

·WAVES OF BLISS 63 The necklet of pearls on Thy throat, Thy silken garment and the glittering gold waist-ornament on Thy large hips. 1 May Bhagavati, Sati, whose lotus eyes sparkle, Spouse of Shambhu, on the slope of whose breasts Rests a beautiful garland of the flowers of the Mandāra tree, 6 Whose earring is the pleasing sound from the vina,? Who stoops (from the weight of her breasts), Whose beautiful swaying gait is that of the female elephant May that Bhagavati be ever victorious ! 8 11 5 O beauteous Aparnā. 110 Bestow the fulness of happiness on me, Thou whose limbs art covered With ornaments of gold and gems glittering like the newly risen sun, Whose eyes are beautiful as those of a doe, Of whom Shiva is a part, Who is of the golden colour of lightning, Beauteous in yellow garments and tinkling anklets. 1 Prithukatitate. 2 Feminine of Bhagavan. 3 Devī as daughter of Daksha (see Introduction). * Ambhoruhachatulachakshu. Literally, the lotus eye is moving, now glancing here, now there. Motionless eyes in women are not considered beautiful. 5 Shiva. 6. One of the five heavenly trees in the garden and city (Amarūvati) of Indra-viz., Mandāra, Parijāta, Santāna, Kalpavriksha, Harichandana. 7 The stringed instrument of that name borne by the Devi as Sarasvati. $ Nätangī. So also the Annapurnā dhyāna represents the Devi as giver of food stooping from the weight of Her great breasts." (annapradāna niratängstanabhāranamvām, and see verse 6 post). 9. Mätangiruchiragati bhangi bhagavati. 10 See p. 96, note 3. 11 That is, it is by Her favour that Shiva forms part of Her. is ever ·64 VAVES OF BLISS 6 Shines forth does the Devi born in the snowy mountains. Her beautiful hands are like a red leaf.? She is adorned with beautiful flowers and pearls. Her head, by its weight of hair, seems covered by a swarm of bees.3 It is She with whom Shiva seeks shelter, Who stoops from the weight of Her breasts, 4 Whose words are sweet, The Destructress of ills.5 Ever and in all places pervading, Tender creeper? of Intelligence and Bliss. S 7 Others worship with reverence the plant with leaves and particular qualities, But I know that Aparnā alone in this world should be worshipped. Then the old Shiva garmented with space Surely grants to Thy worshipper the fruit of full liberation 10 1 Himādrehsambhutā=that is, the Himalaya, hence She is also called Givijā (mountain-born). 2 Either from their natural colour or because dyed with lac. 3 The bee goes to the lotus ; the bees (her hair) settle upon her (lotus) face, 4 Kuchabharanată (see note to verse 5, ante). 5 Disease (rujānghantri). 6 Literally, one who goes (gantrī). 7 Latikā. Dim. of latā creeper to which woman is compared, for she clings to her husband as the creeper to the tree. Hence worship with woman in the Tāntrik Panchatattva is called latāsādhana. & Chidānanda which, with sat (being), constitute the nature of the Supreme Being (Parabrahman). 9 See p. 96, note 3. That is, some worship a particular Devata to gain a particular result-c.g., Sarasvati for learning, Lakshmi for wealth, etc.; but Shankarächāryya worships the supreme Aparnā, whom the Devas worship, who is without qualities, and does so only" to give Her honour. 10 Full kaivalya moksha liberation above the various pāda, sälokva, etc. (see p. 75, note 5, and p. 109, note 2), for mukti is of various kinds.

·WAVES OF BLISS 55 8 Thou art the Mother of all Vedas, The regulator of all dharması And the root of all wealth- Thou whose lotus feet are worshipped even by the wealthgiver. O Mother! Thou art the primal cause of all desires. Victrix of Kandarpa, Thou art the seed of liberation for the good.4 Thou art the Spouse of the Parabrahman. Although my mind be fickle and wanting in great devotion to Thee. Yet by Thy mercy Thou should look auspiciously upon me. The cloud gives sweet water to the mouth of the Chatakao bird. I know not by what (good) fate my mind is directed.? 10 3 А O virtuous One, from the corner of Thine eyes Cast now a glance of kindness upon me ; Neglect so to do is not proper on Thy part, Seeing that I have reached the refuge of Thy initiation. 1 Law of religion, duty, etc. 2 That is, Kuvera, Deva of wealth. name of Kāma, God of Love (see p. 39, note 3). 4 Satām. She gives liberation to them. 5 The Supreme Being, for from it preceded Shakti, as Shruti says, ** Sa aikshata," etc. As the Sāradā Tilaka (chap. i.) says: Sachidūnanda vibhavāt sakalāt parameshwarāt, āsīchchhaktistitonādonādvindusadnudbhavah. 6 A bird (cuculus melanoleucus) which is said to live on raindrops. 7 That is, just as the chataka is given something, though it does not and cannot pray for it, so what the writer of the hymn receives must, since his devotion (bhakti) is so small and lacking in the force of prayer, be due to some undisclosed merit acquired as the result of past karma. (G 5 ·66 WAVES OF BLISS Alas! if the creeper of desire, whose very name shows that it gives desire, Yet cannot give that which is desired, What difference is there between it and any other common creeper? 11 I, though I have sought refuge with other Devatās, Have yet placed full trust in Thy lotus feet. If, nevertheless, your heart is not timely set on me, Then with whom shall I in my helplessness seek shelter, O Mother of the big-bellied one 12 12 As iron touched by the touchstone becomes at once gold, As the water of the roadway mixed with that of the Ganges becomes pure, In like manner will not my heart, Greatly soiled though it be by my great sins, 3 Become pure if attached with devotion to Thee ? 13 o Ishāni,4 as the old Lotus-Born and others have said, The rule is that if others than Thyself art worshipped, Only the particular fruit desired is gained ; But Thou giveth more even than is asked for. Make me, then ever attached to Thee by day and night. 14 O Spouse of the great Lord of the three worlds 16 Most pleasant is Thy abode, The walls whereof glitter with various gems and crystals, Whereon Thy image is reflected, 1 Kalpalatikā--that is, a creeper which, like the kalpa tree, grants all desires that may be asked of it. 2 Ganesha. Tattatpāpaih Literally, those particular sins".--the sins of the hymnist who knows what they are. Feminine of Isha (Lord). 5. Brahmā. 6 See p. 70, note 5. 3 64 ·WAVES OF BLISS 67 On the summit of Thy abode the quivering light waves of the moon (are shed). Therein dwell Mukunda,1 Brahmā, and other Devas. It is ever victorious. 15 Thy dwelling is in Mount Kailāsa.2 Thy worshippers are Brahmā, Indra, and other Devas. All are subservient to Thee in the three regions.3 The number of siddhist join their palms (in adoration before Thee). Shiva is Thy lover ; Therefore, O Daughter of the Lord of mountains 5 Nothing is equal to Thy fortune. 16 The old bull is (Shiva's) carrier. Poison is his food ;6 space is his dwelling: The cremation ground is his playground ;? Serpents are his ornaments. All things in the world are known to the enemy of Smara ;8 But the wealth of all this is due to the greatness of Thy fortune, O Mother! 1 Giver of liberation that is, Vishnu, 2 See Introduction, Mahānirvāna Tantra. 3 See p. 70, note 5. 4 Great powers, such as animā, laghimā, etc., the power of becoming extremely light or heavy, of entering into things, etc., which, in their fulness, constitute the aishwaryya of the Lord (Ishvara), and in a lesser degree of those who approach His nature. 6 Himālaya, for Devi was the daughter of the Mountain - King Hiinavat. 6 See p. 14, note 1. 7 Daksha, in the Bhāgavata Purāna, reproaching Shiva, says : He roams about in dreadful cemeteries, attended by hosts of ghosts and spirits, like a madman naked with dishevelled hair, wearing a garland of dead men's skulls and ornaments of human bone, pretending to be Shiva (auspicious), but in reality Ashiva (inauspicious), insane, beloved by the insane, the Lord of Bhutas (ghosts and spirits), beings whose nature is essentially darkness (Muir, O.S.T., iv. 738). The cremation ground is His abode, for there the passions are burnt away. * God of Love, whom Shiva consumed. 67 > ·68 WAVES OF BLISS The Lord of Pashus,1 besmeared with ashes, sits in the cremation ground. From his nature arises the force which destroys the world, Out of compassion for the whole world, He held the poison in his throat.? O Kalyāni !in all this I see the fruit of his companionship with Thee. 18 O Daughter of the mountain, When Gangā had seen Thy great beauty, She was afraid, and turned to water; Then Shiva, seeing her sad, lotus-like face, In his mercy made a dwelling for Her on his own head. 19 O Bhagavati,7 the Creator having with his own hands taken Thy bathing water Mingled with liquid sandal, musk, saffron, and flowers, And the dust of Thy moving feet, Created therewith the lotus-eyed women of the city of the Devas. 8 20 If one but contemplates Thee, in play with Thy maidens, In pleasing springtide with its flowers and creepers Upon the lake, beautiful with many a blossoming lotus and flocks of geese, The waters of which are rippled by the breeze from the Malaya mountain,9 From such an one all fevered illsio pass away. 1 Pashupati : a name of Shiva: as to Pashu (see Introduction Mahānirvāna Tantra). Here the equivalent of Lord of men. 2 See p. 14, note 1. 3 Beneficent one. According to the Padma Purānā, Devi is worshipped as Kalyāni in the Malaya mountain, to which referenceis made in verse 20. 4 See p. 67, note 5. 5 Bhītaivāsīt, or may be abashed. 6 See p. 125, note 5. ? See p. 43, note 12. 8 Amarāvatī, the city of Indra. 9 See note to verse 17. 10 Literally, fever-produced disease (jvarajanitapidāpasavati), ·DURGĀ (MAHABHARATA VIRĀTA PARVAN) SALUTATION to Thee, O giver of blessings, Dark- Virgin, observant of the vow of chastity, Whose form is beauteous as that of the rising sun, And Thy face as that of the full moon ; Four-armed and faced art Thou, Wide-hipped, full-breasted,5 Wearing emerald and sapphire bangles and armlets ; Thou art resplendent as Padma & Spouse of Nārāyana,? And rangest the ethereal regions. Thy form and chastitys are of the purest. Dark art Thou like the blue-black cloud. Whose face is beauteous as that of Sankarshana.. Long are Thy two arms, as it were bannered poles in honour of Indra, Thou bearest in Thy six other arms A vessel, lotus, bell, noose, bow, a great discus, 11 and other weapons. Purest woman art Thou on earth.12 Thy well-formed ears are decked with beautiful earrings. Thy face challenges the moon in beauty. 10 1 Chap. VI., sung by Yudhisthira, when on the way to the City of Viräta. 2 Krishnā. 3 Kumāri (see p. 56, note 5.) 4 For She observed brahmacharyya. 5 Pinashyonipayodhare. 6 Lakshmi. 7 Vishnu. $ Brahmacharyya. 9 Shiva. 10 In ancient times a long bamboo surmounted with a flag was set up on the ist of Assar, in honour of Indra to secure rain. 11 Chakra. 12 Strivishuddhāchayābhuvi. 69 ·70 DURGA Wonderful is Thy crown, and beautiful is the braid (of Thy hair). Thy body is like that of a serpent.? Thou glitterest with brilliant girdle round Thy hips, And shinest like Mount Mandāra encircled by the snake.2 With standing peacock feathers on Thy head, Thou art resplendent. By Thy vow of virginity Thou hast maintained heaven.3 It is for this, O slayer of the Asura Mahisha, That Thou art praised and worshipped by the Devas for the protection of the three worlds.5 Foremost of Devas, be gracious to me; Show me Thy mercy, and be auspicious. Both Jayā and Vijayā? art Thou. Thou givest victory in battle; Give me, too, victory, O Devī! Give me now a boon. Thy constant abode is on the Vindhya, the foremost of mountains. O Kāli! O Kālī! O Mahākäli : 8 Thou delightest in wine, meat, and animal sacrifice, Bestowing boons, going whithersoever Thou wilt. Thou art ever followed by Brahmālº and other Devas, By those who call upon Thee to lighten their burdens, As by those who salute Thee at dawn of day, 1 Bhujangā bhogavasena, which Nilkantha says is Sarpasharira-kārena, 2 Thus used for the churning of the ocean. 3 Tridivang or svarga ; for there “the Three " shine. 4 The son of Jambasura, whom the Devi fought for many years before he was slain by Her (see Mārkandeya Purāna). During the great Durgā festival in autumn the Devi is represented as slaying this formidable Asura, so called as having assumed the form of a buffalo. 5 Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svan, the earthly, atmospheric, and celestial spheres. 6 Shivābhava. Shiva is so called because he is auspicious. 7 See p. 82, note II; P. 115, note 3 and 4; p. 147, note 8. Spouse of Mahākāla, an aspect of Shiva. 9 Sidhumāngsapashupriye. Siddhu a spirit distilled from molasses. 10 Bhutaih, which Nilakantha says here denotes the oldest beings, Brahmā, and other Devas. is ·DURGA 71 Nothing is unattainable either by way of wealth or children. Thou art called Durgā by all because Thou savest men from difficulty. Whether in dangerous lands or sinking in the great ocean, Thou art the sole refuge of men. When assailed by robbers, when crossing streams and seas, As also in wildernesses and great forests, Those who remember Thee, O Mahādevi! are never losi. Thou art fame, prosperity, constancy, success, and modesty, Intelligence, knowledge, and man's offspring. Thou art the two twilights, Night, the light of sun and moon, Sleep, beauty, forgiveness, and mercy. Thou, when worshipped by Thy devotees, destroyest Ignorance, man's fetters, loss of children, wealth, disease, fear, and death. I who have lost my kingdom seek Thy protection. I bow to Thee, Sureshvarī, with bended head: Grant me protection, Thou whose eyes are like the leaf of the lotus. 0 Thou who art truth itself, be true to us. O Durgā! give me shelter, Who art merciful to Thy devotees, protect me.* 1 Durgā. 2 Literally, one who rescues from difficulty. 3 Sandhya, early dawn when the stars are vanishing, and evening as they are about to appear. 4 Thus praised by the son of Pându, the Goddess showed Herself to him.

·LAKSHMI (LAKSHMISTOTRAM) FROM THE TANTRASARA 2 O DEVĪ KAMALĀ,3 beloved of Vishnu, Adored by the three worlds, As Thou art constant to Vishnu, be Thou constant to me. Whoever worshipping Lakshmi, reads these twelve names of Her- Ishvarī,* Kamalā, Lakshmi, Chalā,5 Bhūti,6 Haripriya,? Padmā,8 Padmālayā,9 Sampat,10 Uchaih, 11 Shri,12 Padma dhārini, 13 With such an one, his wife and children, Lakshmi ever abides. 2 P. 577 1 Lakshmi, commonly called Shri, Devi of prosperity and beauty: the Shakti, or Spouse of Vishnu, who rose resplendent from the sea at the churning of the ocean by the Devas and Asuras, and then reclining on the breast of Hari, gazed upon the enraptured Devas. As her Lord assumes various forms, so does She. 3 Because She appeared from the lotus. 4 Feminine of Ishvara, or Lord, or Ruler. 5 Or Chanchalā, the fickle one, for nothing is so fickle as wealth and prosperity “here to-day and gone to-morrow." 8 Prosperity. 7 Beloved of Hari (Vishnu). 8 Lotus. 9 Who dwells in the lotus. 10 Wealth. 11 The exalted One, for prosperity exalts. 12 Beauty and prosperity. 13 Holding the lotus in Her hands. 17 72 ·TARA (TĀRĀSHTAKAM)? FROM THE NILA TANTRA. 1 O MOTHER, Devī Nīlasarasvatī? Tārā, Refuge with Thee I crave. Giver of prosperity and wealth art Thou To those who worship Thee. Standing on Shiva, Thy right foot upon His breast and left upon His thigh, Ever art Thou, with smiling, lotus-like face. Thy three eyes are, as it were, full-blown lotuses. In Thy hands Thou holdest a knife, 4 a skull, a lotus, and a sword. 1 The Matsyasukta, Tārārnava, and Nīla Tantras deal with particulars of Tārā or Tārini, one of the Mahāvidyā, whose vāja is Hring, T110g, H 150g (Kichcha), Phat (see verse 4. She is called Nilasaraovati, because She playfully gives the power of speech. She is called Tārā on account of her being deliverer or saviour (tārakatvāt). She gives both pleasure (sukha) and liberation (moksha). She is called also Ugratārā, because she saves from formidable and horrible calamities. Rishi Vashishtha is said to have cursed this vidyā, and then raised the curse so that siddhi might be gained from Her by japa of the vija Hring, String, Hung, Phat, after which She again became glorious. Her Mantra is also given as Shring, Hring, String, Hùng, Phat (giver of wealth and beauty); another is Hring, Hring, String, Hung, Phat (giver of all desires); another is Aing, Hring, String, Hung, Phat (giver of speech); and Hrīng, String, Hūng, Phat (giver of liberation); Her Yantra is an eight-petalled lotus surrounded by a circle, with inverted triangle in the centre with Hùng. On the petals are Hring, String; Shring, Hung. There is also a Yantra (Tārāshutkona) of two superimposed triangles, making a star. 2 From the Nīla Tantra (see also Tantrasāra, p. 610, R. M. Chatterjee's edition, and the Vrihatstotraratnākara, p. 283, where a more correct text is given). 3 The blue Sarasvati, Devī of speech (see note i ante). Nīla Tantra. says She is in the form of all language (sarvvabhāsnāmayi). The Nilasarasvati Yantra is figured at p. 93 of the Dashamahāvidyā. 4 Karttri (for dhyāna see p. 94 Dashamahāvidyā). 73 ·whicho TĀRA 2 Thou art the presiding Devī of speech. Thou art the giver of all siddhi,2 And the power to write both verse and prose. Three are Thine eyes, as it were blue lotuses. Ocean of kindness and compassion art Thou. I pray Thee of Thy mercy shower upon me the nectar of prosperity. 3 O Sharbhā,” I pray Thee remove my fears. Proud Lady, brilliant are Thy garments, Bright with coiling serpents. Thou art clad in tiger skin. Thy waist is adorned with tiny tinkling bells. Thou holdest the heads of two demons Dripping with blood, just severed by the sword. Thy waist is girdled with heads of demons, As it were with a garland. Thus art Thou beautiful. O formidable One 4 O Devī Tārā, attained with difficulty, I take refuge with Thee. Thou art beautiful with form both amorous and charmful.5 1 As did the celestial Kalpa tree in Indra's heaven. 2 Material success, psychical powers, spiritual attainment. 3 Spouse of Shiva (Sharbha). 4 Her dhyāna is given as follows: The Devi is in the midst of four blazing funeral pyres ; Her feet as described in verse 1; formidable, with garland of severed heads; short of stature; big-bellied; tiger skin round the waist ; youthful; four- armed; protruding tongue : giving vara ; holding the articles mentioned in verse i (the skull and lotus in left hands) ; a rishi Akshobya in the form of a serpent on her head ; her body lustrous as that of the moonbeams; formidable teeth ; smiling face ; three eyes blazing like the morning sun. 5 Mayānanga vikārariipalalane.

·But these others must be passed before the TARA 75 Thou art Vindu and the half-moon, Whose substance is Hring and Phat.2 Thou art mantral and the shelter of all. Thy forms are threefold- Gross, subtle, and Supreme. Thou art beyond the reach of Veda. 5 By the service of Thy lotus feet, Men of good deed attain sāyujya5 liberation. O Parameshvarī, Thou art the Spouse of Himo Who is Brahmā, Vishnu, and the three-eyed One. O Mother! he who neglects to serve Thy lotus feet, But serves instead the Devas, Indra, and others, Who are themselves plunged in the ocean of sangsāra,? Is indeed and most truly ignorant. 1 Ardhachandrātmike--that is, the crescent sign below the vindu in chandravindu. She is both Vindu and Nāda (see Introduction). It is also said that there are eight vara above the vindu of Hring, commencing with ardhachandra, a and ending with unmani, of which the third is Nāda. Here, as the Mahāsvachchanda Tantra states, the Devī should be contemplated. 2 Two tantrik vija mantras: as to Hung (see p. 73, note I, ante). Phat is the astra or weapon mantra (see note I, p. 73, ante). 3 Mantrātmike (see p. 1, ante). * Vedanāngnahigocharā, as to her three forms (vide ante). 5 Literally, “becoming one with the Deity.” Identification of the self and the Deity with attributes ; one of the four forms of qualified liberation-Sālokya, SārupyaSāmībya, Sāyujya. Those who know the Brahman and such worship to be imperfect reject them, and attain the unconditioned bliss (kaivalya) which transcends all other states. end is reached, which the Shaktirahasya summarizes by a short verse : A mortal who worships by ceremonies, by images, by mind, by identification, by knowing the self attains kaivalya.' 6 That is, Parameshvara, in whom the threefold energies which manifest in the trimurtti are contained tasyastri parameshvari trinayanabrahmādi sainrzyātmanah. ? The Deva, in this like man, is a sangsărin or inhabitant of the sangsāra, which comprises earth, the antariksha, and heaven (svarga), the abode of the Deva. The latter has wife and children, is engaged in conflict with demons, and so forth. When the merit which gains the Deva heaven is exhausted, he descends to earth again. * ·76 TĀRA 6 O Mother! those Devas who receive on their crowns The pollen which comes from Thy lotus-like feet, Are able to keep their promise of conquest, And to gain victory over their enemies in battle-- Such, without a doubt, are sheltered in Thy lap. But their enemies who send forth the defiant challenge, “I am a Deva, and none is equal to me in the whole world, Perish and meet such death as befits them. 7 Bhuta, Preta, Pishācha, Rākshasa, Daitya, foremost of Dānava, Yaksha, Lords of Naga,2 Wrathful Dākini,3 great birds, 4 tigers, and other dreadful creatures Forthwith take flight at but the remembrance of Thy name, And are powerless to do aught of evil. 8 6 Who serves Thy lotus feet, to him siddhis is given. He surpasses the Lord of speech, And obtains the beauty of Kāma.? He can charm and paralyzes multitudes of elephants upon the field of battle, And has power to stay the flow of water.9 The Siddhalo and prosperity are under his control. 1 That is, the Deva bow their heads at the feet of the Devi, receiving on their heads the dust of Her feet. 2 Various spirits and inferior divinities of more or less evil and malignant character. 3 A form of Shakti attendant on the Devi in Her terrible forms, 4 Khachara (vultures, eagles, etc.). 5. Vide ante, p. 74, note 2. 6 Vrihaspati. 7 Deva of Love. $ He has the powers of mohanam and stambharani, the latter being one of the Tantrika Shatkarmma. 9 A particular form of stambhanam called jalastambha. 10 Devayoni of that name inhabiting the antariksha.

·TĀRĀ
77
PHALASHLOKA.
2
Whoever, being pure and self-controlled,
Reads this eight-versed hymn to Tārā,
At morn, at noon, at evening,
To him is given
The power to write beautifully in prose or verse,
Knowledge in all Shastra,
Imperishable fortune,
The enjoyment of whatsoever he may desire,
Fame, beauty, and wealth,
The love of all men,
And at the end liberation.
! See post, p. 108, note 2.
2 Labhate devyāng Ravitvāng.

·YAMUNA (YAMUNASHTAKAM) BY SHANGKARACHARYYA. 1 MAY the daughter of Kalinda? ever cleanse my mind of its impurity, She whose waters, beauteous as the black body of the enemy of Mura, Cleanse the overgrowth of plants and shrubs which line its pleasant banks. Indras' heaven compared with Thy waters is but a thing of straw. Destructress of the sorrow of the three worlds- Dhunotu me manomalam Kalindanandinī sadā. 2 May the daughter of Kalinda ever cleanse my mind of its impurity, She whose stream is highly adorned with overflowing water Destructress of sin, dark as night, like unto nectar, Greatly powerful for the destruction of all great sins, Beneficent One who is black of colour, Through company with the body of the good son of Nanda ? Drunotu me manomalam Kalindanandini sadā. 1 The river sacred in particular for its memories of Shri Krishna, who on its banks sported with the cowherd women (Gopis). Yamunā. 3 Shri Krishna. A Daitya slain by Shri Krishna, 5 Kunjapunja. 6 The refrain is translated in the first line. 7 The cowherd who brought up Shrikrishna, when his life was threatened by Kangsa. 78 ·YAMUNA 79 3 May the daughter of Kalinda ever cleanse my mind of its impurity, The touch of whose shining waves washes away the sins of multitudes of beings. Devoted to Thee is the Chataka bird, - receptacle that Thou art of freshness and sweetness 2 Giver of desire, On the borders of whose banks swans ever dwell, Dhunotu me manomalam Kalindanandini sada. May the daughter of Kalinda ever cleanse my mind of its impurity. The gentle breeze on Her banks dispels the lassitude Of those who have rambled and played thereon. The beauty of Her waters is beyond the power of words ; It is, indeed, the consortment with Her current, Which purifies all rivers, male and female, on the earth. Dhunotu me manomalam Kalindanandini sadā. May the daughter of Kalinda ever cleanse my mind of its impurity, Destroyed by (the whiteness of) Her sandy banks laved by Her waters; She who is ever white,5 Adorned with blossoms beauteous as the rays of the autumn moon.. 1 As to which see p. 65, note 6. ? Literally, “who are slaves to Her by reason of their inhabitancy of Her banks." 3. After the rāsalīlā Shrikrishna and the Gopis are tired by their dance and play, and are refreshed by repose upon Her banks where gentle breezes blow. 4 Rivers are either male (nada) or female (nadi). Of the former class are the Sone, Sindu, etc., and of the latter Gangā, Narmmadā, Gandaki, etc. $ Her sandy banks are so. 6 Of a soft and silvery white.

·80 YAMUNA May She then purify me by Her waters, Most excellent that they are for the worship of Bhava, (By her white splendour),2 Destructress of the darkness of nights Dhunotu me manomalam Kalindanandini sada. 6 May the daughter of Kalinda ever cleanse my mind of its impurity. The paste and unguents of the beauteous Rādhikā4 Colours Her waters in which Rādhikā plays. Possessor is She of the body of the husband of Rādhikā, Which by none other may be possessed. Skilled is She in making Her way through the seven sleeping oceans, And in filling them with Her waters Dhunotu mne manomalan Kalindanandini sadā. 7 May the daughter of Kalinda ever cleanse my mind of its impurity! Her stream is beauteous with the women of the cowherds 7 1 For use in the ritual worship of Shiva. As to Bhava (see p.97, note 1), 2 Malam (manomolam). Impurity is a thing which is dark. The river by the white splendour of its white banks and blossoms is therewith contrasted. 3 For luminously white is She like the moon. 4 The beloved of Shrikrishna. 5 Shrikrishna ; for He too bathes in her stream, which possesses also His dark colour. 6 Alluding to the destruction of the Asuras, called Kālakeya. These excluded the Devas from svarga. On their chiefs being slain by Indra, they betook themselves to the depths of the ocean, whence they issued at night to destroy the Rishis. The latter asked the aid of Vishnu, who told them to go to Agastya. He at one sip swallowed all the oceans, which thus disappeared (therefore "sleeping oceans of text) until the River Ganges was brought down by Bhagīratha (vide p. 125, note 5), when they were again filled with Her waters. This incident is attributed to the Yamūnā, both rivers being manifestations of the same Devi. 7 Literally, Ali, which, according to the Amarakosha=Sākhi; female friend, referring to the Gopi's who loved Krishna. 3 ·YAMUNA 81 Made passionate? by the scent of the paste and unguent, Dropped therein from off the body of Achyuta.? Garlanded is She with clusters of Champak flowers, Set in the fiowing hair of Rādhikā. Of all such as come to bathe in Her waters Neither is one the servant nor the other master.4 Dhunotu me manomalam Kalindanandini sadā. May the daughter of Kalinda ever cleanse my mind of its impurity! Pleasant always is She with Her groves, Where Nandanandi ever played. Bright is She with the ripened blossom Of the kādambai and mallikas flowers upon Her banks. It is She who safely carries across the ocean of the worldº All such men as bathe in Her stream. Dhunotu me manomalam Kalindonandini sadā. 1 Lampata ; whose senses were roused by the scent of the pastes which had fallen from the scented body of Krishna. 2 Krishna (“ the imperishable one"). 3 Vilola. Her hair is dishevelled and moving in the movements of breeze and play. 4 Literally, “In the case of those who come down to bathe in Her waters, She ever destroys all righteousness of master and servant”- that is, all are equal in Her waters which purify all without distinction. 5 The text has Nandinandana, but this has no meaning. Nanda. Nandin is He who pleases Nanda or Krishna, whose foster-father Nanda the cowherd was. 6 With the Gopi women. ? A beautiful fowering tree with yellow blooms under, and on which (as when he stole the garments of the bathing Gopis) Krishna played (see p. 25, note 2). 8 A kind of Jasmine. 9 See p. 13, note 8. 6 ·ARYA1 FROM THE HARIVANGSHA Thou art liberation, prosperity, life, Fame, modesty, and learning, reverence and intelligence, Twilight, 4 night, lustrous day, Sleep and the night of death,5 Aryā, Kātyāyanī, Kaushikī,6 Observant of brahmacharyya,? Mother of the leader of the celestial hosts, Formidable one, She who undergoes great austerities, 10 Jayā and Vijayā,11 Contentment, nourishment, forgiveness, mercy, eldest sister of Yama, 12 clad in blue silken raiment, 9 1 The sacred hymn as sung in ancient times by Rishis, related in chap. xlviii. of the Harivangsha, a sequel of the Mahābhārata. As to Aryā, see p. 114, note 4 ; p. 136, note 3. 2 Siddhi (success), which here means the supreme siddhi or mukti (liberation). 3 That is according to the commentator jīvanam. 4 Sandhyā, or junction-time, morning and evening. 5 Kālarātri, which is pralayarātri, or the night of the dissolution of all things. 6 See p. 115, note 9. 7 The virgin state, or the first of the āshramas. 8 Skanda, or Kārtikeya, son of Shiva and the Devī. 9 Ugrachari, which should be ugyachārinī, but this is Arsha (composed by Rishis), to whom the rules of grammar do not apply. 10 See p. 140, note 13. 11 Companion Devatās of Durgā. 12 Mritvu, the God of Death. 82 ·ARYA 83 3 Of various form, without form, having many forms.? With red, half-opened eyes. Large-eyed protectress of Thy votaries, O Goddess ! Thou résideth on the peaks of fearful mountains, by rivers, and in caves, forests, and groves. Greatly worshipped by the Shavara, Varvara, and Pulinda tribesmen. 4 Thou traverseth in all directions the world With peacock-feathered flags. Thou livest on the Vindhya mountain, Surrounded by fowls, goats, sheep, lions, and tigers, Amidst the constant ringing of bells." Thou holdest the trident and spear. Sun and moon are Thy banners. Thou art the ninth day of the dark half of the month, And the eleventh day of the light half thereof.7 Baladeva's sister art Thou, glorious one, Fond of warringło (with demons), Abode of all creatures. Thou art death, and the supreme end 12 of men, Daughter of the cowherd Nanda,13 1 Baharupā (see the Lalitā, verse 155). The Devi Bhāg. Pr. says, She is formless because She supreme, She has many forms because of Her activity” (see also Devi and Vāmana Purānas) : " She is also the Shakti of the countless Rudras.” The term is much commented upon in the Purānas, Upapurānas, and Tantras. 2 Anekavidharūpini. 3. Virūpākshi. Shiva is also called Virūpāksha. His eyes are either owing to his state of samadhi, or consumption of bhāng, pictured as in a vague, dreamy, half-open state. 4 Shavarair varvvasaischaiva pulindaischa supăjitā-a line worthy of remark, for these were savage and non-aryan tribes. 5. During worship of the image the worshipper rings a bell. There was a constant ringing of bells. 6 Pattisha, a kind of spear with a sharp edge. 7 Auspicious days. On the ninth (Navamī) there is Chandīpātha (reading of Chandī), and on the eleventh (Ekādashi) fasting. 8 Krishna's eldest brother. 9 Rajanīya in text is said to be a wrong reading for mahaniya, 10 Kalahapriyā. Literally, quarrelsome. 11 Nishtha, which, according to the commentator, here means maranam, 12 That is, mukti (Liberation). 13 Foster-father of Krishna.

·84 ARYA 4 13 Unconquered, Wearing bark and good cloth; Raudrī,1 twilight, With dishevelled hair,3 And who art death, Fond art Thou of offerings of wine and flesh. Thou art Lakshmi,5 And assumest the form of Alakshmio for the destruction of Dānavas, Thou art Săvitris of the Vedas, Mother of Mantras.9 Thou art the Dakshinalo of the ritvik 1l and art in the altars of sacrificial rites, And the religious sensel2 of Rishis. Thou art Aditi of Devas, Plough of cultivators, earth of all creatures, The success of merchants who fare in big ships, 14 The coast of ocean, And foremost Yakshi of the Yakshas 15 Surasā of Nāgas, 16 Virginity 17 of maidens and good fortune of women, Knower of the knowledge of Brahman,18 1 The dark (tāmasika) energy, called Raudrī, is said to be Chāmundā. There are said to be nine crores of different Chāmundās. (see Bhāskasarāya Comm., Lalitā, verse 155). 2 Sandhyā. 3 Kāli and Tāra are always so represented (see Karpūrädistotra). 4 Surāmāngsabalipriyā. 5. Devi of wealth and prosperity. 6 Devi of misfortune and poverty. 7 Sons of Danu, enemies of the Devas. 8 The Gāyatri mantra. 9 Mantraganasya, or, according to another reading, bhūtaganasya. 10 The present offered to the officiating Brāhmana. 11 Priest. 12 Dharmabuddhi, a term difficult to translate. A man is said to have dharmabuddhi who has great respect for religion and duty. 13 The Devas were children of Aditi, as the Daityas were of Diti. 14 Sāngyātrikānām=potavanijām. 15 That is, She is the Mother of Kuvera, the King of the Yakshas, a class of Devayoni. 16 Mother of the serpent divinities (Nāgas). 17 Brahmacharyya. 18 Brahinavādini.

·85 6. Mānası See p. 84, note 12). ARYA Initiation and supreme beauty, Lustre of light, Rohiniof planets. Lakshrni, most successful art Thou in courts and fortresses, In the confluence of rivers and in the full moon. Thou art called Kritivasa 2 Thou art Sarasvati in the works of Vālmīki, Memory in those of Dvaipāyana, Religious sense of Rishiss and perfect) mind of Devas. Thou art the Goddess of wine.? Adored art Thou by Thy creatures for Thy deeds. Thou art the charming look of Indra, And art the thousand-eyed Devi of ascetics, Araniº of Agnihotra Brähmanas, 10 Hunger of all creatures, Who satisfieth those in heaven. Thou art Svāhā,11 Contentment, patience, Receptacle of the Vasus,12 hope of men, Contentment which comes of work fully done ; All the quarters and their opposites, 13 Flame of fire, lustrous Shakunī, 1 The name of an asterism. 2 The name of Shiva as clad in tiger-skin. 3 Author of the Rāmāyana. Tradition says that he obtained a boon from the Goddess of learning and composed that work. 4 Krishna Dvaipāyana, one of the Vyasas arranger of the Purānas, etc., who is said to have had all such shāstra by heart. 5 Vide ante which the Commentator says Satyasangkalpātmila chetovritti? ---that is, whose will and thought fully realizes itself. ? Surādevī. 8 Indra. 9 Ārani are the two sticks sanid wood used to kindle sacrificial fire. 10 Brāhmanas, who cherish fire in the house and perform homa thrice daily. 11 Wife of Agni, the mantra used when making hona. 12 Of whom there are eight: Apa, Dhruva, Soma, Dhara, Anila. Anala, Pratyusha, Prabhāsa (see Vishnupurāna, Book I., chap. xv.). 13 E.g., north and south, east and west, etc. 14 A terrible spirit of that name. 14 3) ·86 ARYA Putanā, the terrible Revati, 2 Overpowering sleep of all beings, Warrior Of learning Thou art, Brahmavidyā, Ong, and Vashat.5 The Rishis know Thee as Pārvatí amongst women. As Prajāpatiº has said, Thou art Arundhati amongst women, with but one husband.3 The difference of disputants." Famous also art Thou as Indrānī.10 This universe, mobile and immobile, is permeated by Thee. Without a doubt Thou art saviour in all battles. Amidst fires and on the banks of rivers, Amidst robbers, in forests and caverns, When in prison or when assailed by enemies, And in all times and places where life is in peril. My heart, my reason, and mind are devoted to Thee. Deliver me from all sins. Be gracious to me. Whoever rising at dawn reads11 for the space of three months This sacred hymn to Devi compiled by Vyāsa, Being himself pure and of controlled mind, Obtains the desired fruit. Whoever reads it for six months, to him also The desired fruit is given. Such as read it for nine ? A female demon who attempted to destroy, but who was destroyed by the infant Krishna. 2 Name of the twenty-seventh constellation, containing thirty-two stars. 3 Kshatriyā. 4 The science of Brahman. 5 The Mahāmantra "om." Vashat is a mantra. As Svāhā is used with homa, so shrausat, vaushat, vashat, and svadha are used in pitria kriyā. 6 Brahma. 7 Wife of the sage Vashishtha, famous for her constancy and devotion. 8 Ekabhartrinām. 9 Bhedovivādashilānām. 10 Spouse of Indra. 11 Here follows the phala portion up to fourth line of next page (see p. 108, note 2).

·ĀRYA
87
months obtain celestial vision, and he who reads it
for one year gains all such success? as man may
desire.
O Devī! as was said by Dvaipāyana, Thou art the supreme
divine Brahman.
Thou destroyest the bonds and the fearful destruction of
men,
The loss of children, wealthand fear of death from
disease.
Thou art in the form of desire, and dost grant the objects
thereof.
Having deluded Kangsa, Thou enjoyest the whole world,
And I also shall live as a cowherd among kine;
To accomplish my work I shall become a cowherd of
Kangsa.
2
1 Siddhi.
2 The tyrant who sought to slay Krishna. The Chapter concludes :
Having thus addressed the Devī, the Lord disappeared, and She,
too, saluting Him, expressed Her consent by saying, “So be it.'”

·MAHISHAMARDINI 1 (MAHISHAMARDINĪSTOTRA) FROM THE TANTRASARA 2 1 O CHANDI !8 wanderer in my heart, By whom the act of the formidable Asura* was shattered, Destroy the calamities which deeply pierce me, Arising from the mass of malice and fears (which assail me), So that, free from danger, And protected by the lotus cluster of Thy feet, My swan-like mind may swim and rejoice in the ocean of bliss. 2 What fear of his enemies has he who worships Thee ? The Devas who worship Thy feet stamping on beast and noose, Having abandoned the form of Nrisingha,? 1 A title of Durgā, Shakti of Shiva as the powerful victrix of demons. She is Mahishamardinī, as the slayer of Mahisha. The Daitya Sumbha attacked Her in the form of a buffalo (Mahisha; see Chandi). 2 P. 574. 3 A form of the Devi assumed for the destruction of the Daitya Chanda, and who assisted in the destruction of the demon Raktavija (see Mārkandeya Purana). 4 Mahisha. 5 Manohangsa, the hangsa, is variously described as a swan, goose, and flamingo. 6 The Devi is standing on Her lion (v. post) with the noose (pāsha) beneath Her feet. 7 The Man lion incarnation (Avatāra) of Vishnu, in which He destroyed the Daitya Hiranyakasipu, father of His devotee Prahlada. 88 ·1 O Devī! be to-day gracious to 20 MAHISHAMARDINI 89 Waose towering mane reached the summit of Mount Sumeru, And whose fingers are outstretched to tear (the breast of) Hiranyakasipu, Now worship the lion, the enemy of the elephant. 3 O Chandi! when the syllables, the letters of which speak of Thee, Reach the ear, then Brahmã and other Devas Sing the truth, touching Purusha and Prakriti. 4 Devoted as I am to the kissing of Thy beautiful lotus feet, The one and only glittering abode of the essence of the nectar of all Devatās. If, because of my following your way of Kula,5 I suffer reproach better is it that I shall thus be without fame. 1 See last note. The avatāra is generally represented with the King of the Daityas across his knees, tearing asunder with his hands and claws the latter's belly. 2 Which accompanies the Devi as Durgā. After the destruction of Hiranyakasipu, Vishnu's wrath was not appeased. The world trembled fearing what he might do. The Devas asked the help of Shiva, who assumed the Sharabha form--that of a lion with wings and eight feet-who caught up Vishnu into the air and held him there until he had become powerless. The lion then went to the feet of Durgā, whom he accompanies. 3 Gaja, the elephant form subsequently assumed by the Asura, Mahisha. 4 Shiva and Shakti, the Male » “Female elements, from whose union springs the universe (see Arthur Avalon's Introduction to the Mahānirvāna Tantra, and his edition of the Tantra Tattva). 5 That is, Kulāchāra, one, and the highest, of the divisions of Tantrik worshippers often misunderstood, and therefore subject of reproach ; and which is contrasted in the next line but one with the more popular and conventional worshipper of Keshava and Kaushika. and ·90 MAHISHAMARDINI Let me not have that which comes of the worship of Keshaval and Kaushika ;? Rather, O Mother! let my heart rest in meditation on Thy lotus feet, Worshipped by Brahmā, Hari, the enemy of Smara' and the enemy of the Daityas. 4 5 O Mother ! if I be engaged in the rightful 5 contemplation of Thy lotus feet, What matters it if I know note other sacred places ?? May Thy lotus feet be ever present to my mind- Thy feet which are the wealth of our wounds !8 O propitious Mother! do Thou forgive me. 6 6 Verily and without doubt, even the Lord of Bhutas would have perished, 10 Maddened as He was with the joy of the embrace of (Thee who art) His own self, 1 Vishnu. 2 An epithet both of Shiva and Indra, probably here the former. 3 Smara, the God of Love ; Shiva, whom he slew, is his “enemy." * Daityāri , usually an epithet of Shri Krishna, but as Hari has already been mentioned, possibly the reference may be to Indra. ó 1.e., orderly, according to the direction and sequence of the dhyāna or stotra, Literally, “ If I be deprived of.” 7 Siddhāspada, where the perfect (siddha) are, or where Siddhi (power and perfection) may be gained. 8. That is, they are the healers of our pain. 9 Shiva Bhuteshvara or Bhutanātha. Bhuta, which in a general sense means " beings,” specifically refers to the spirits and ghosts by whom Shiva is surrounded, and of whom He is Master. 10 It is by the Devi's aid that Shiva is Parameshvara, for without Shakti He is nothing, and without Her life-giving energy and support cannot exist. As the Kubjikā Tantra says: “ Without their Shaktis the husbands are but preta " (inert corpses). So also the Jnānārnava : 'O beloved, pure Sadāshiva, without Shakti is without motion like a corpse, for without Shakti He can do nothing." 11 Svātmānam parirabhya. Literally, having embraced Himself. The Devi is, however, in a dualistic sense, His sacred half, and in reality one with Him and His own self (see Mahānirvāna Tantra, chap. i.).

·MAHISHAMARDINI 91 Had He not enjoyed the lotus fragrance of Thy feet, Full of honey from which drop liquid sandal, And the nectar, there haply fallen from the moon. 1 7 O Mother! let the stream of heavy showers of holy devotion towards Thee Be ever shed upon me, Struggling and drowning, alas ! as I am in the endless ocean of illusion,2 Without taste of the springing water of the Bliss of Brahman,3 Which dispels the weight of mental afflictions from numbers of Devas. May (Thy) glory, 4 dark as collyrium cloud, Be ever in my heart. From its glittering lustre were born the three Devatās, Who create, maintain, and destroy the world, Whose substance is pure intelligence and bliss, 5 Dispelling the darkness which overspreads the heart By the (glory of the unnumbered) millions of their rays ! 9 May Devī Mahishamardini, who hath power to destroy The proud enemies of the Devas, 1 Daivādvichyuta chandra chandanavasaprāgalbhya garbashravat- Haply” in the poetical sense, as the nectar should be in the moon; but it happens to be dropping from the sacred feet of the Devi. More. over, the Parangvindu, which is Shivashakti, is in the crescent of Nirvā nakalā, which is by Amākalā the sixteenth digit of the mooncircle (Chandramandala), whence flows the nectar, which, as Ichchhā, is the eternal precursor of creation (see Commentary, verse 49, of the Shatchakranirūpana). 2 Viddhā, not as the original has it, Siddha. 3 Brahmanandasarābhisheka in the original should be Brahmanandārāsābhisheka. 4 Mahas, not mahang, as in the text. 5 Nirmalachidānāndatrayangđaivatam. 6 Verses 9 to 12 are a free rendering of a text which in parts is so corrupt as to be untranslateable with accuracy.

·92 MAHISHAMARDINI And is the slayer of many another demon, Ever conquer ! She it was who, having severed the head of the Asura Mahisha, Seized upon him who assumed the form of a buffalo by his magic art Upon the field of battle, Now bellowing, now running, now lowering his head downward. Falling upon the battlefield, and then vanishing from it for a while. 10 She kills the Asuras upon the battlefield. Terrible it was, with the dancing of the weapons and streamers? of the enemy, With a cloud of thrown discus and other missiles. There the copper-coloured weapondashed and flashed from the enemy's arrows- Enemies so stout, strong, and tall, proud of wealth and power, The field of battle thus seemed to have been swept by a tempest, Most hideous it was, thickly spread with limbs and dead bodies of Asuras, In whose blood and flesh birds slaked their thirst and appeased their hunger. 11 Let the Sādhaka meditate upon Devi Mahishamardini Rushing now here, now there on the field of battle for the slaughter of the enemies, Attended by eight companion Mātrikas, Ear-ringed with eight-petalled lotuses, Within each petal of which are writ the eight syllables, Mahishamarddinvai namah.4 3 1 Chowrie. 2. That is, fire. 3 The Devis so called. 4 Salutation to the Devī slayer of Mahisha.

·MAHISHAMARDINI 93 Formidable was that field with the tossing of the huge curved horns of Mahisha. Deeply black, maddened, wandering to and fro, horribly roaring, Whose instant death was desired of the Devas. 12 Let the Sādhaka meditate Upon the auspicious black Bhagavati? Mahishamarddini, Holding in Her hands discus, lance, axe, shield, arrow, bow, and trident, Making the gesture? which dispels fear; Her long, matted hair is like a bank of cloud, Covering Her face most formidable, Loudly screaming, now with peals of terrible laughter, And then with Her threats greatly frightening the Daitya heroes. 13 O Devī! such as in this manner Meditate upon Thy faultless form, Worshipped by Indra and other Devas, To them it is given to attack the cities of their enemies, And, conquering their enemies, to gain a kingdom; They, too, acquire nectar of the knowledge of poesy, And power to arrest, banish, and slay: O Mother ! salutation to Thee ! May Thou conquer ! Whosoever, meditating upon Thy lotus feet, Utters this Thy hymn, In the palms of the hands of all such Are forthwith wealth, fulfilment of desire, and liberation. 1 See p. IOI, note 10. 2 The abhaya mudrā (see p. 36, note 2). 3 Stambhanam, uchchatanam, and maranam three of the Tantrik Shatkarmma.

·6 MAY THE DEVI GRANT ME PARDON” (DEVYAPARĀDHAKSHAMĀPANASTOTRA) BY SHANGKARĀCHÄRYYA 1 3 ALAS! I know not either Thy mantraor yantra,? Nor how to welcome Thee, Or how to meditate upon, nor words of prayer to Thee, Nor do I know Thy mudrā, Or how to lay before Thee my griefs ; But this I know, O Mother! That to follow Thee is to remove all my pain. 2 By my ignorance of Thy commands, By my poverty and sloth, 1 Shabda is Brahman, and martra the manifestation thereof. From Wanana arises realization of the monistic truth. Man of mantra comes from the first syllable of manana, and tra from träna, or liberation from the bondage of the sangsāra. That is called mantra which calls forth (anantrana) the chaturvarga, and which is the svarūpa of Devatā. (See Introduction. Mahānirvāna Tantra, and the Chapter on Mantra Tattva in the edition of Tantra Tattva edited by Arthur Avalon. 2 Ibid., the Tantrik diagram which is worshipped in lieu of the image (pratimā). The Gāyatri Yantra is figured on the cover of this work. Mantra is Devatā, and yantra is mantra, in that it is the body of the Devatā, who is mantra. Yantram mantramayam proktam mantrātmā devataivahi Tehātmanoryathā bhedo yantradevatayostathā (Kaulavaliya Tantra). The substance of yantra is mantra. Devatā is mantra. As there is a distinction between body and atmā, so there is between yantra and Devatā." 3 By the āvāhana mantra, always said in in worship of the pratimā. 4 Ritual gesture, it being said : Devānāng modadā mudrā tasnättäng yatnatashcharet (see Introduction, Mahānirvāna Tantra)---"Mudrā is giver of pleasure to Devas, therefore it should be done with care.” 5 Want of means to perform the proper worship. 94 4 ·“MAY THE DEVI GRANT ME PARDON" 95 I had not the power to do that which I should have done, Hence my omission to worship Thy feet. But, O Mother ! auspicious Deliverer of all, All this should be forgiven me, For a bad son may sometimes be born, but a bad mother never.) 3 O Mother ! Thou hast many worthy sons on earth, But I, your son, am of no worth ; Yet it is not meet that Thou should'st abandon me, For a bad son may sometimes be born, but a bad mother never. 4 O Mother of the world, O Mother ! I have not worshipped Thy feet, Nor have I given abundant wealth to Thee ; Yet the affection which Thou bestoweth on me is without compare, For a bad son may sometimes be born, but a bad mother never. 5 I have abandoned the worship of other Devas Because of the variety and confusion of the injunctions relating to their worship. I am no more than eighty-five years of age, If Thou will not bestow Thy kindness on me, What shelter have I without Thy support, O Mother of the big-bellied Deva 18 1 A celebrated line : Kuputtro jāyetā kvachidapikumātā nabhavati. 2 How is this stated if the hymn be the work of Shangkarāchiryya, to whom it is attributed, for he is said to have died at the early age. of thirty-two? 3 Lambodarajananī. The Deva is the elephant-headed Ganesha.

·96 "MAY THE DEVI GRANT ME PARDON.” Prayer, sweet as the sweet melon, Makes even a dog-eater perfect; Even a beggar walks without fear With crores of gold pieces. O Aparna ! % this is the fruit of Thy mantra entering their ears. Who can say, O Mother! The fruit which is born of the recitation of Thy mantra ? 5 6 He who is besmeared with the ashes of the funeral pyre, He who swallowed poison, Who is clothed with space, With matter hair, garlanded with the Lord of Serpents, The Lord of men, The Lord of Ghosts holding a skull in His hands, 8 1 That is, a low caste such as the Chandāla, who eats any filth. 2 A crore is 100 lakhs ; a lakh is 100,000. 3 Name of the Devī. According to the Kālikā, and Brahmā Purānas the Devī, as the daughter of Himavat, renounced even leaves as food (a-parnā = without leaf); hence she is called by Devas Aparnā. According to another derivation, the name comes from apa (removing), rina (debt). So Bhāskararāya, who gives it, says in his Devīstava : “ When you have not discharged your debt to me, though I respect your name, o Shivā, why are you not ashamed to bear the name of Aparnā ?” (discharger of debt) ? According to the Nirukta parna = falling A parna=free from falling. 4 That is, japa, which is only recitation in the English in its lowest form, the highest form being mental (manasā) only. Japa, which is defined as vidhanena mantrochchāranam, is either vāchaka, upangshue. or manasū (see Tantrasāra, 75 et seq.). 6 Shiva, to whom the rest of the attributes in this verse refer. 6 See. p. 14, note 1. 7 Shiva is represented naked, as the Yogins, of whom He is the Master ever are. 8 Pashupati. Pashu literally means animal, but men are also pashu. 9 Bhutesha. Shiva is surrounded by hosts of spirits.

·" MAY THE DEVI GRANT ME PARDON” 97 Owes his great state as Lord of the World To his acceptance of Thee as His Spouse, O Bhavāni !! 8 No desire have I for liberation, Nor have I desire for wealth, Nor wish for knowledge, O Moon-faced One ! neither have I wish for happiness ; But this only I beg of Thee, That my life may pass in the recitation of these words: Mridāni,? Rudrānī,3 Shivā, Shivā, Bhavānī. I have not according to the injunctions laid down therefor Worshipped Thee with the various articles of worship. What is there which I have not wrongly done or omitted in my meditations on the Brahman ? O Dark One ! it will be but fitting on Thy part If Thou bestoweth not kindness on me, helpless though I am. 3 Devi is t 1 Bhava is Shiva, and is His name in the watery form of the ashtamūrti (eight forms). The Vāyu Purāna says that He is called Bhava because all things come from Him and subsist in water. The Devi is Bhavānī, as the Spouse and giver of life to Bhava. 2 Mrida is a title of the sättvika Shiva. She is His Spouse. the Spouse of the countless Shivas called Rudras, in whom the tamoguna prevails. The dark (tamas) energy, called Raudri, is said to be Chāmundā. 4 Upachāra. There are sixteen such, called the shorasha pūjā upachāra-viz., (1) āsanam (seat); (2) svāgatan (welcome); (3) padyam (water for feet) ; (4) Argham (offering of water, durva grass, rice, etc.) ; (5) and (6)āchamaniyam (water for sipping; twice); (7) madhuparka (honey, ghee, milk) ; (3) snānam (bathing) ; (9) vasanam (cloth); (10) ābharanam (jewels) ; (11) gandha (scent, sandal paste, etc.) ; (12) pushpa (filowers) ; (13) dupa (incense) (14) dipa (lights) ; (15) nai: vedyam (food) ; (16) vandanam or namaskāra (prayer). 5 Shyāmā.

·98 "MAY THE DEVI GRANT ME PARDON”
10
O Durgā, our Lady ! O ocean of mercy !
When overwhelmed by danger? I remember Thee.
Think not, however, this to be deceit on my part,
For children afflicted by hunger and thirst ever remember
their mother.
11
O Mother of the world 3
It is nothing wonderful if Thou art full of compassion
for me ;
A mother does not abandon her son
Even if he have an hundred faults.
12
There is no such great sinner like me,
There is no such destroyer of sin as Thou.
Now, Mahadevī, you have heard what I have to say,
It remains for Thee to do what may seem fitting to Thee.
1. A great name of the Devī. The Devī Purāna says that She is
so called because the Devas were delivered from fear in difficulty and
battle; hence She is deliverer (Durgā). The Mārkandeya Purāna
and the Lakshmi Tantra in the Pancharatrā says: “In this place
I shall kill a great Daitya (Titan) named Durgama. Hence my name
shall be Durgā."
2 The Mārkandeya Purana says: When Thou art remembered
in times of difficulty, Thou takest away all fear of all things."
Jagadambi.
66
3

·CHANDIKA1 FROM THE FOURTH OR SHAKRĀDI MAHATMYA OF CHANDI. (MĀRKANDEYA PURANA) 1 May that Devi by whose power this world was spread, The perfect form of the powers of countless Devas, 2 The Mother worshipped by all Devas and Maharshis, 4 Do good to us. 2 May that Chandikā whose peerless majesty and power Neither Bhagavān Ananta, Brahmā, nor Hara® can declare, Turn Herself towards us for the destruction of the fear of evil, And the protection of the whole world. 3 We bow to Her who is good fortune itself in the dwellings of the virtuous, 111-fortune in those of the sinful, Reason? in the hearts of the intelligent, faith in those of the good, Modesty in that of the high born. Protect, O Devī ! this universe. 1. When the enemies of the Devas were vanquished by the Goddess Shakra and the other Devas, bowing down before Her, their hair erect with exultation," thus sung Her praises. 2 Her form was that of their combined powers. 3 Ambikā, 4 Great Rishis or Seers, 5 Vishnu. 6 Shiva, for they, too, adore Her. 7 Buddhi. 99 ·CHANDIKA 100 4 How can we describe Thy thought transcending form, Or Thy greatly abounding strength which destroyed the Asuras, Or, O Devī! those great deeds of Thine Done in battle midst hosts of Devas, Asuras, and others ? Thou art the cause of all the worlds, Though Thy substance is the three gunas, 2 Yet is no fault known in Thee.3 Incomprehensible art Thou even to Hari, Hara, and other Devas, Thou art the refuge of all. The whole word is but a part of Thee, Unmanifested,? primeval, supreme Prakriti.8 6 O Devī! Thou art Svāhū, By the utterance whereof all Devas in all sacrifices are satisfied. 1 Enemies of the Devas. Sattva Tamas, Rajas. Nature as spirit, as the veil of spirit, and of descent and ascent from spirit to matter and matter to spirit (see Introduction, Mahānirvāna Tantra). 3 Ordinarily, the world which consists of the guras is imperfect, but she who is it and yet transcends it, is perfect. 4 Vislilu and Shiva. 5 As the Vishnu Yāmala cited in the Shāktānandataranginī, says (Mātastvatparamam rūpam tanna jānāti kashchana, chap. iii.) : “Her supreme form is that which none know.” 6 Not as it has been rendered, " Thou art the entire world which is composed of parts "—the world is but a part of Her. Hindu belief is not pantheistic in the ordinary European sense of the word. 7 Avyäkrita, of which Nagoji Bhatta says it=Shadvidha vikārarahitatvāt, on account of its being void of the six forms of change. 8 Of whom the Shāktānandataranginī says: “ Pranamya prakriting nityāng paramātmā, svarūpinim (chap. i.). • The Mantra of that name (see p. 86, note' 5).

·CHANDIKA IOI Thou art also declared by men to be Svadhā, Which satisfies the Pitris.? hering Thou, O Devī! whose great vrata surpasses all thought, Art the supreme knowledge full of power Which is the cause of liberation Ever sought to be gained by those Munisa desirous thereof, Who have strictly controlled their senses and are free of all faults 5 8 Thou art in the form of sound, The repository of spotless Rik? and Yajus hymns, And of the Saman? hymns wherein are the verses of the charmful Udgītha.8 Devi, Thou art the threefold Veda and Bhagavati ;10 For the maintenance of the world Thou art the science of Vartta , 11 Thou art the supreme destroyer of its pains. 12 9 O Devī! Thou art the power of understanding 13 By which the essence of all Shāstras is known ; 1 The Mantra of that name (see p. 86. note 5). 2 The lunar ancestors of the human race and the earthly ancestors of the seventh degree, to whom offering is made in pitrikriyā. 3 Vow or voluntary rite (see Introduction, Mahänirvāna Tantra). 4 Sages. 5 This passage has been rendered : “ Thou studiest with Thy organs, which are the essence of strength well restrained." But the Devī does not study, nor has She organs restrained or otherwise. 6 Because they were breathed out by Ishvara. 7 Of the Vedas so named. 8. Part of the Sāmaveda, the office of the Udgātri. 9 See p. 33, note 9. 10 For She has all powers. 11 I.e., agriculture, cattle-rearing, and trading. 12 As the Lalitā. Sahasranāma says: “She soothes like moonlight all those who are burnt by the triple fires of misery” (tāpatvaya) of phenomenal existence. 13 Medhā, which Gopal Chakravarti says=Dhāranāvatībuddhi.

·CHANDIKA 102 Thou art Durgā, the vessel wherein we cross the dangerous ocean of the world. Devoid of attachment art Thou.? Shri also, who hast made Thy abode in the heart of the enemy of Kaitabha,5 Thou art indeed Gaurī, who hast fixed Thy dwelling in the moon-crested Deva.? 10 Smiling spotless like unto the full moon, Resplendent as the finest gold, And lovely was Thy face. Yet wonderful it was that swayed by wrath, The Asura Mahisha suddenly smote Thy face when he saw it. 11 Greatly marvellous indeed it was that when he had seen Thy face, Wrathful, terribly frowning, beauteous as the rising moon, Mahisha did not forthwith yield up his life, For who can live after beholding the wrathful King of Death 28 12 O Devī, our supreme Lady! Be gracious for the sake of the world, For when wrathful Thou dost suddenly destroy the generations of the enemies. 9 It is but now made known to us That the mighty army of the Asura Mahisha has met its end. 1 Nagojí says: Duhkhaprāpyatvena durgāsi iti uchyate" (to be attained to with great difficulty). 2 Asangā-nirlepā (G. C.) chidānandamayitvat (on account of Her being chit and ānanda). 3 Lakshmī. 4 Vishnu. 5 The Daitya brother of Madhu. 6 See p. 128, note 10. 7 Shiva, who bears on His head the crescent moon. 8 Yama, That is, the Daityas.

·CHANDIKA 103 13 Those to whom Thou, O bestower of prosperity! art gracious, Are esteemed in all lands, Their wealth and fame increases, And then dharma, artha, kāma, mokshaknow no lessening. Praiseworthy are they maintaining sons, servants, and wives. By thy grace, O Devi ! the virtuous man, ever honoured, Does ever daily all religious acts, And thereafter gains heaven by Thy grace;? Therefore art Thou of a surety the giver of fruit in the three worlds. O Durgā ! the remembrance of Thee destroyest the fear of all creatures, When called to recollection by those in health Thou dost bestow a truly good mind. O remover of poverty, pain, and fear, Who but Thee art ever compassionate for the good of all. 16 By the slaying of these foes the world gains happiness. O Devī ! Thou hast slain them with the desire That they should not always sin so as to merit hell, But that by death in battle they may go to Heaven. 3 1 See p. 160, note 5. 2 Nagoji Bhatta says tatah here means that after that (svarga). and in order of time they gain moksha (liberation). 3 Not * Let these practise sin so as to descend to Hell for long,' as it has been rendered. The Devi's desire is to save even Her foes. The translation of the alternative reading given by the translation referred to is nearer the sense of the text. 3X ·104 CHANDIKA Seeing them, why dost Thou not (by Thy look) turn them to ashes? Thou throwest Thy weapon among the enemies, the Asuras, In order that, being purified by it, Even these enemies may go to heaven. Such is Thy merciful intention even towards them. 18 If by the glittering, formidable flashes of Thy sword, And by the lustre of Thy spear-point, The eyes of the Asuras were not destroyed, It was because they gazed on Thy countenance, Like unto the radiant moon. 19 O Devī! Thy nature it is to subdue the evil works of the wicked, Thy form, destructive of the strength of those who destroy the Devas, Surpasses all thought, and is comparable with none. By this Thou hast manifested Thy kindness even to enemies. 20 O Devi ! with whom may this Thy valour be compared, Or Thy most charming form striking fear among foes ? In Thee only, bestower of boons, even upon the three worlds, Are seen both kindness of heart and relentlessness in battle. 21 By the destruction of their foes the three worlds have been saved by Thee, Thou hast led even these to heaven, ·CHANDIKA 105 Having slain them in the front of battle, And hast dispelled the fear besetting us from the maddened enemies of the Devas. Salutation to Thee, O Devī! 22 With Thy spear protect us, o Devi !! O Mother ! protect us with Thy sword. By the sound of Thy bell guard us, And by the twanging of Thy bow-string Protect us in the East and in the West, Guard us, O Chandikā ! in the South, And in the North by the brandishing of Thy spear. 23 Whatever gentle forms of Thine, And whatever of Thy terrible forms Wander in the three worlds, By these forms protect us and the earth. 24 O Mother ! by Thy sword, spear, and club, And other weapons, in Thy soft and supple hands, Guard us on every side. 1 Here follows the prārthanā (prayer). 2 Literally, leaflike (pallava), soft, and supple. 3 The Rishi in Chandi continued: Thus was the upholder of the world hymned by the Devas who did worship Her with celestial flowers, perfumes, unguents, and incense upon which the Devi, highly honoured with this hymn, said to the Devas, “ Choose what ye desire of mne. On which the latter prayed that whenever they called upon Her She might come to their assistance, and that whatever mortal should praise Her with this hymn should prosper. Bhadrakāli said, " Be it so," and vanished from their sight.

·ANNAPURNAI (ANNAPURNĀSTOTRA) FROM THE TANTRASĀRA? ਇਹ ਰਸਤੇ 2 SALUTATION to Thee, O Devi! Dispenser of blessings, beloved of Shangkara, Dear to devotees. Annapurna. 2 Thou hast assumed form by mālā 4 Beloved of Shangkara. Salutation to Maheshvari, O Annapūrnā ! obeisance to Thee.6 3 O Mahāmāyā !? beloved Spouses of Hara,9 Giver of the fruit of desire, Queen of Suras. 10 O Annapūrnā ! obeisance to Thee. ? P. 570. 1 A name of the Devi as She who bestows food, whose sincere devotee will never want rice. In one hand She holds a rice-bowl, and in another a spoon for stirring the boiled rice. 3 Shiva. 4 All forms of the Devi, as also the forms of all Devatā, whether in the strict sense avatāra or not, are mayik ; but to the worshipper none the less real. 5 Feminine of Maheshvara, a title of Shiva as great Lord and Ruler of the worlds. 6 Annapurne namostutethe refrain. 7 The Devī as She who yields and is yet Herself unaffected by māyā. 8 Dharmaputi—that is, a wife married with religious rites. There are other forms of marriage. 9 Shiva. Іоб 10 Devas.

·ANNAPURNA ΤΟ O Mahādevil with the lustre of a thousand rising suns, Three eyed, Crested with the crescent moon.1 O Annapürnā ! obeisance to Thee. 5 O Devī! clad in fine garment: Ever giving rice,? Sinless One, Who delights in the dance of Shiva. O Annapurnāl obeisance to Thee. O Devī! fulfiller of the desires of devotees 3 Destructress of worldly pain, Bending under the weight of Thy breasts.* O Annapurna ! obeisance to Thee. 7 Thou residest in the centre of the six-petalled lotus, And art in the form of the six-fold shakti, Thou art Brahmānī and all others,? O Annapūrnā ! obeisance to Thee. 8 O Devī! adorned with the crescent moon, All empiress are Thy gift, 1 As is Shiva. 2 Annadā narata, or food generally. 3 Sadhakas, those who practise sādhanam (see Introduction to Mahānirvāna Tantra). 4 Kuchabhārānate (see Introduction). 6 That is, the svādishthāna padna. 8 Sharangayuvatīmaye, which equals sharangashaktisvarupe. The sixfold shaktis are: Hridayānga shakti, shirongga shakti, shikhānga shakti, netrānga shakti, Ravachānga shakti, and astrānga shakti which refer to the Tântrika nyāsa, done on the heart - head, crownlock, eyes, the body, and the concluding gesture with the palms of the hands, accompanied by the astra vija or “ phat.” 7 That is, Indrāni, Kaumāri, and other Mātrikas. 8 Sanrājya.

·108 ANNAPURNA Giver of delight to Sarvva, O Annapūrnā ! obeisance to Thee. 9 Thy lotus feet are worshipped by Indra and other Devas; Thou assumest the form of Rudra and other Devas, Giver of wealth. O Annapūrnā ! obeisance to Thee. 10 Whoever at time of worship Devoutly reads this hymn, In his house Lakshmi? ever abides ; True is this and without doubt. 11 Whoever having recited* the mantra daily, Reads this hymn at dawn of day, Obtains wealth of rice And prosperity. 12 Not to all and any should this hymn be revealed, For be it made known to one who is unworthy, Then ills fall upon him, Therefore should it be carefully concealed. * Sarrvānandakare. Sarrva is one of the eight forms (ashtamārti) of Shiva ; or it may literally mean giver of delight to all." 2 This is, the phala (fruit or result) portion of the stotra. All devotional works contain a phala chapter or verse, which states the result or reward (Phala) to be obtained by their perusal, recitation, or hearing, If any worshipper invokes Devi by any particular name, such as Annadā, he obtains the corresponding fruit. So the Suta Sanghitā (iv. 33, 29, 30) says: All names are attributed by His own māyā to Brahman, yet some apply specially by the wish of Shiva Himself. O sages ! by the repetition of such names one becomes the Supreme Lord Himself and before His lotus face Sadāshiva dances with His Spouse” (see Bhāskararāya Commentary, Introduction to second Chapter of the Lalitāsahasranāma). 3 Devī of prosperity and wealth. 4 Literally, “made japa of” (see p. 96, note 4).

·MANIKARNIKA (MANIKARNIKĀSTOTRAM) BY SHANGKARĀCHARYYA 1 It was on Thy bank, O Manikarnikā 11 That Hari and Hara, givers of sāyujva mukti, Disputed together at the departure festivals of a certain one. Hari4 said, "Let Him be like unto me, Whereon forthwith from within the body Came forth Shiva mounted on Garuda,5 In yellow garment, with the mark of Bhrigu's foot on His breast.7 1 Is the name of a celebrated ghat at Benares, where the bodies of the dead are burnt, and at which the gem of the ear ornament of the Devī fell. The Kāshipanchakastotra of Shankara says that where there is niyritti of manas, there is the great peace. That peace is the foremost of tirthas (here rivers) and Manikarnikā (Manonivritti paramopashāntih sa tirthavaryyā manikarnikācha). 2 One of the forms of qualified mukti (liberation), the others being Salokya (remaining in the same region with the Deva), Sāmipya (remaining near the Deva), Sārupya (receiving the same form as the Deva), Sayujya (becoming one with the Deva). 3 Prayānotsave-that is, death. 4 Vishnu. 5 The Bird King, who is the vehicle (vāhara) of Vishnu, son of Kasyapa, by his wife Vinetā, elder brother of Aruna. 6 The colour of Vishnu's robes. The verse is intended to show the unity of both Vishnu and Shiva. 7 The Rishis once disputed amongst themselves as to the relative merits of Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva, and the Rishi Bhrigu was sent to test them. The first and last on being purposely slighted by Bhrigu showed the weakness of resentment. Finding Vishnu lying down with Lakshmi in the daytime he upbraided him for this and planted with force his foot on his chest. Vishnu not only took all this in good part, but rubbing the foot of Bhrigu expressed the hope that the latter had 109 ·DIO MANIKARNIKA 2 3 2 Indra and the Thirty, at the close of their period of enjoyment, Descend to earth again, And are reborn as men, or even as beast, bird, or worm; But those, O Mother Manikarnikā ! who plunge into Thy waters, Are freed from sins, and indeed in Sāyujya* man becomes Nārāyana himself, with crown and Kaustubha gem.. 3 Kāshi? is of all cities the most praiseworthy, For it is the city of vimukti,8 adorned with Gangā. There Manikarnikā is the giver of happiness, And Mukti itself is Her servant.9 When Brahmā weighed Heaven with its Devas against Käshi, Kāshi, as the heavier, remained on earth, But Heaven, the lighter, rose to the skies. 4 Nought is better than any part of the banks of Gangā, But there, where Kāshi is, is the best, not hurt it by his action. On this exhibition of divine quality the palm was adjudged to Vishnu, who thereafter bore the mark of Bhrigu's foot on his breast. 1 Tridashah, a collective name for the other Devas. The thirty-three (three being understood) ganas of Devas, of which the Devi is Tridaseshvarī. 2 In heaven (Svarga). 3 For the enjoyment in Svarga, which is part of the worlds of birth and rebirth, is not eternal, but on fruition the jivātmā again descends to earth to work out its unexhausted karna. 4 Sāyujyepi. As to sāyujya, see ante, p. 109, note 2. 5 Vishnu. great and brilliant gem worn by Vishnu. 7 Benares. 8 Nirvānamoksha, the highest form of Mukti (liberation). As the saying goes : Ajodhyā, Mathurā, Gāyā, Kāshi, Kānchi, Avantikā, Purī, these seven tirthas (places of pilgrimage) give mukti, but Kashi (Benares) gives nirvāna mukti.” 9 As the servant awaits the orders of his mistress, so mukti (liberation) awaits the command of Manikarnikā. mes Vighou. 6 6 ·MANIKARNIKA And Manikarnikā, where Ishvara gives mukti, is the best of all. This place, inaccessible even to Devas, Destroys a mass of sins. Through many virtues acquired in previous births Alone may it be attained, and by the pure only. The multitude of being is immersed in the ocean of pain. How may they gain release ? It was with this knowledge that Brahma constructed the city of Bārānashī," which gives all bliss. Men seek the happiness of Heaven, But in so doing they but show small desire, Since from Heaven they must fall again to earth At the close of their appointed time of happiness.? But Kāshit is the city of liberation, Ever beneficent, giving dharnıma, artha, kama, and moksha. 6 He who holds the bamboo flutes, upholder of the mountain.. Who bears on his breast the Shrivatsa? mark, And Shiva, with venom in His throat, Who bears Gangā upon his head, And the husband of Lakshmi,lo Are one and the same.11 1 Benares. 2 See p. 110, note 3 Mukti (see p. 110, note 8). 4 Piety, wealth, fulfilment of desires, and liberation. 5 Krishna, who is often so figured. 6 Mount Goverdhana, which Krishna, by his might, upheld. 7 Curls of hair on the breast of Vishnu. 8 At the churning of the ocean, poison issued which, to save the world, Shiva swallowed. It coloured His throat blue; hence he is called Nila kantha. 9 The River Ganges (see p. 125, note 5). 10 Vishnu. 11 They with Brahmā; for as the Rudrayāmala says: Though three they are (Ekan murtistrayo deva). All Devas and Devīs are but manifestations, with the apparent limitations incident thereto, of the Supreme Unity—the Brahman. 3 One ·MANIKARNIKA 112 Many of such, O Mother Manikarnikā ! As bathe in Thy waters become Rudras and Haris." How, then, can there be any difference between then ?? 7 Death upon Thy Banks, which is the giver of happiness, Is praised even by the Devas. On him who thus dies Shakra' ever looks with His thousand eyes. Savitri4 of a thousand rays welcomes Him as He ascends (to the heavens). Such a pure one, mounted on a bull or on Garuda,5 May go to whatsoever abode he will. 8 Even the four-headed Deva 6 The Guru who initiates into the meaning of the Veda, Is unable even in an hundred of his? years To describe the purity which arises upon bathing at midday in Manikarnikā. But the Deva who bears the moon upon his forehead, 8 By the power of his yoga knows Thy purity. Shiva makes that man who dies on Thy Bank Either Himself or Nārāyana. 1 Shiva and Vishnu. 2 That is, they cease to differ from one another, having become Hari and Hara, who are themselves one. 3 Indra, king of the celestials. 4 The sun (Suryya). 5 The first is the vehicle (Vāhana) of Shiva. The second, the Bird King is the carrier of Vishnu. 6 Brahmā. 7. Not human years. 8. Shiva.

·MANIKARNIKA I13 9 All such sin-destroying fruit as is earned by millions of troublesome horse-sacrificesi Exists in the purity which comes from bathing in Manikarnikā. He, who having bathed therein, Reads this hymn, goes to the abode of the light of Brahman, Having crossed the great ocean of this world As if it were but some little pool. 1 The Vaidika Ashvamedha. 8 ·DURGĀ- FROM THE MAHABHARATA 2 1 3 I SALUTE Thee, leader of Yogis, one with the Brahman, Dweller in the Mandāra forest. Virgin Kālī,6 Spouse of Kāpāla," of tawny hue. S Salutation to Thee, Bhadrakāli.9 Reverence to Thee, Mahākäli,10 Chandi,11 Fearless one.12 Salutation to Thee, Saviouri imbued with all good fortune.14 1 See p. 102, note I; p. 129, note 5, p. 135, note 1, p. 136, note 5. 2 Bhishma Parvvan, s. 23 (see Muir, O.S.T. iv. 432). 3 Siddhasenanī. The siddhas are here yogis and sages. Nilakantha (cited post as N.), in his Commentary, says the term means : She who, as leader (literally, commander of an army), gives success in yoga and attainment of the supreme abode. 4 Aryye. Literally, noble, but here means, as Nīlakantha says, prapyabrahmasvarūpa-the own form of the accessible Brahman, as distinguished from the nirguna Brahman beyond thought and speech. 5 Kumārī. It also means (N.) that She is every young. 6 See p. 70. 7 Kāpālī, one cf Her forms. Kāpāla is Rudra, as leader of Kapālas (Kāpālikas); 8 Kapilakrishnapingalā. 9 Auspicious Kāli, who gives prosperity to Her devotees. 10 See p. 70, note 8. The great Kāli Destructress in the form of death. 11 Spouse of Chanda, or Kālāntaka, or Yama. 12 Chanda-bold, daring, brave, courageous. 13 Tārini, for She delivers from calamity. 14 Varavarninī (N.), not beautiful coloured," as it has been translated, II4 06 ·DURGA 115 Of the race of Kata' greatly worshipful, Dreadful one,2 Giver of victory, Victrix, Who holdeth a peacock's tail for Thy banner, And art adorned with various jewels, Bearing formidable spear, sword, and shield (made of skin), Younger Sister of the chief of cowherds, Eldest one, born in the family of the cowherd Nanda, Delighting in the blood of Mahisha, Kaushikī,wearing yellow garments. 3 With auspicious smile, Whose mouth devoured all demons, 10 Salutation to Thee, delighter in battle. Umā,'1 giver of shāka,12 In the form of Maheshvara,13 and in that of Vāsudeva, 14 1 Kātyāyani. 2 Karāli =krure or cruel (to demons and other ill-doers). Karālavadanā (wide-opened mouth) is an epithet of Kāli. “Gaping-mouthed, terrible, four-arned, with dishevelled hair”-Karäla-vadanang ghorāng mukta-keshăng chaturbhujām, as the Kālī dhyāna runs. 3 Vijaya-that is, particular (vishista) victory (N.). 4 Jayā. Jayā and Vijaya are also the names of two female attendants (Shakhi) of Durgā. 5 Gopendra or Krishna. In the Harivangsha and Chandī it is said that with the view of defeating the designs of Kangsa in regard to the destruction of Devaki's offspring, Devi will be born as the ninth child of Yashoda in the same night as Krishna was born as the eighth child of Devaki, when Krishna would be carried to Yashodā and She to Devaki. 6. Jyestha=shreshthā—superior to or best of all, 7 In whose house Krishna was reared. 8 The Asura of that name (see Chandi). • A name of the Devi, as born in the race of the sage Kushika. 10 Kokamukhe-when in battle with Raktavija. 11 See p. 160, note to. 12 Shākambarī. Shāka is a vegetable food given by Devi at the time of famine (Chandi). 13 Sveta (N.), not white, as it has been translated. 14. Krishna (N.), not black, as it has been translated.

·DURGA 116 Destructress of Kaitabha,1 Golden-eyed, with half-opened eyes,” grey-eyed,” Veda and Shruti, 4 and most sacred. Propitious to Brāhmanas engaged in the sacrificial rites, Thou art Jātaveda,5 And art ever present in the sacred shrines in the chief cities of Jambudvīpa.? 4 Of Sciences Thou art the knowledge of Brahman, Thou art the liberation of embodied beings, Mother of Skanda.9 O Bhagavatilo Durgā !11 Thou liveth in inaccessible regions- Svahā 12 Svadhā 13 Kalā, and Kashthā, 14 Sarasvati,15 Savitri.16 Mother of Vedas and Vedāntall art Thou called. 1 A Daitya brother of Madhu (Chandī). 2 Virūpākshi (see p. 83, note 3). 3 Dhūmrākshi (N.) says grey and green, like those of a cat. 4 Here Upanishads. 5. Jātavedasī. Jataveda is a name of Agni (Fire). 6 Chaityeshu. Ordinarily this term is applied to the Buddhist shrine, of which it is commonly said: "One should not enter a Jaina's temple or Buddhist chaitya, even if pursued by an elephant” (Hastinā tadyamānopi na gachchet jaina-mandiram also chaitya mandiram. Here the term means devatālaya. 7 A Puranic island by that name, not as it has been translated: "Who dwellest continually near to mountain precipices and sepulchres.” 8 " The great sleep of embodied beings,'' according to the last translator. But Mahanidrā (great sleep) is here mukti (liberation), which is the result of the Brahmavidyā, spoken of in the preceding line. Kārtikeya. By this it is meant that She is saruvadevatārupā, in the form of all Devas, of whom Skanda is selected as a type (N.). 30 See p. 101, note 10 ; p. 177, note 6. 11 Kāntāravāsini (N.). 12 Mantra used with homa, but here it means that all ritual acts are her embodiment (Sarvakarmarūpā). 13 Mantra used in pitrikriyā (see last note). 14 Kalā is a division of time-one minute forty-eight seconds, or eight seconds, and kāshtha is one-thirtieth of that. 15 Devi of speech and learning. 16 She is sarvavāng-maya-rupa (N.). 11 End of the Vedas or Upanishad. 9 ·DURGĀ I17 I praise Thee from the pure depth of my heart. By Thy favour let us be victorious in battle. Ever dost Thou abide in inaccessible regions, In places full of fear and difficulty: In the houses of Thy devotees, and in Pätäla. In battle Thou conquereth the Dānavas.? Thou art drowsiness and slumber.4 1 5 Thou hast power to show wonderfully the world, Modesty,' and beauty.? Cause of creation and destruction, Creatrix, Mother, 10 contentment, nourishment, constancy, Light, Supportress of the sun and moon, Powerll of Him who possesses power, In ecstasy13 Thou art perceived by Siddhas and Chāranas 37 1 The nether world. 2 See p. 150, note 2, 3 Jambhane=tandrā (N.), not" destroyer as it has been translated. 4 Mohini=Nidrā (N.). 5. Māyā=adbhutapradarshanām (N.). 6 Hri=lajjā representative of, and including all other actions of mind (N.). 7 Shrī, or prosperity, and other attributes of Lakshmi. 8 Sandhyā, the intervening period when night is going and morn coming, and vice versa, applied here to similar junction times in the creation and dissolution of the world (N.). 9 Savitri. She who, by the lustre of Suryya, reveals (N.). 10 Because, as a mother, She supports the world and all beings therein. 11 Aishvaryya. The supreme faculties of omnipresence, omnipo. tence, etc. 12 Maheshvara. She is the greatest wealth of Brahman, 13 Sankhya or Samādhi, where light appears and the ātman is known (N.). 14 Siddhas here mean those who are liberated whilst yet living (jivanmukta), and Chāranas those who are siddhas from their birth.

·SARASVATÍ (SARASVATĪSTOTRA) FROM THE TANTRASĀRA? 1 14 HRING, HRING' is Thy most pleasing vija; 0 Thou whose moon-like beauty is heightened By the lotuses (which surround Thee). O auspicious and favourable Devī! Forest fire? of the forest of evil thought, Whose lotus feet are worshipped by the universe. O lotus seated upon a lotus, Joy dost thou cause to those who salute Thee, 1 Devi of speech, eloquence, knowledge, and learning, and Shakti of Brahmā; but formerly, according to the Purãnic account, the Spouse of Vishnu, represented as a fair woman with either four or two arms, and often as seated on a lotus holding a vinā. The Bhäradvaja Smr says: Sarasvati is She who ever resides in the tongue of all beings and who causes speech. According to the Vasishtha Rāmā, cited in the Lalitā, verse 137. She is called Sarasvati as the possessor (vati) of the varas (flow of nectar from the brahmarandra. The Brahma Purāna says the Devi created Sarasvati from Her tongue, and from Her shoulders the science of love. 579. 3 The vžja, or seed mantra of the Devī, whose other vīja is the vägbhava vīja or aing." See last note. 5 The colour of Sarasvati is white. Thus She is elsewhere repre-. sented as " white, holding the vinā (Svetā vīnādharā), "adorned with white flowers ” (svetābharanabhusitā), " holding a white rosary (svetākshasutrahastācha), “ besmeared with white sandal paste (svetachandanachavchitā), " clad in white raiment (svetāmbaradharā), and the like. Here Her whiteness is compared to the moon. 6 She is seated on and represented as surrounded by lotuses. 7 Dāvāgni. She destroys such thoughts. 118 2 P. 39 6 13 ·SARASVATI TICO Destroyer of Ignorance, Spouse of Hari, Substance of the world. 5 AING, AING' is Thy favourite mantra, Thou who art both form and formlessness, Who art the wealth of the lotus face of the lotus-born, Embodiment of all gunas, yet devoid of attributes,? Changeless, and neither gross nor subtle. None know Thy nature, nor is Thy inner reality known." Thou art the whole universe; And Thou it is who existeth within it. Thou art saluted by the foremost of Devas. Without part Thou existeth in Thy fulness everywhere.10 Everli pure art Thou. 1 Vishnu (see p. 118, note 1, ante.). 2 Sangsārasare. The sangsāra is the illusory world of birth and rebirth, which is said to be asara (unreal, unsubstantial, fleeting). The reality behind this phenomenal illusion is the Devī, who plays, and whose play is world-play. 3 The vāgbhavavija vante (note 3, and see p. 118) 4 Rupārupaprākashe. 5 Brahmā, whose Spouse She is. • The“ qualities," or conditions, which are the substance of Prakriti or sattva, rajas, and tamas. 7 She is nirguni; for She and the Parabrahman are in Their essence one. 8 The forms of the Devi are threefold: para supreme), sukshma (subtle), which consists of mantra and sthāla (gross or physical), with hands and feet. But She is neither of these in the sense that the only true form (svarūpa) is above and beyond them both. 9 Nāpivijnātataitve ; another reading being nāpivijnanatattve. The reference is to Her supreme (para) form, of which the Vishnu Yāmala says none know" (Matastvatparamam rūpam tannajānati kashchana (see chap. iii. of the Shāktananda taranginī). 10 She as the Brahman is akhanda “everywhere" and yet in the limited sense nowhere," in the sense that She is at some particular pla.ce and not elsewhere, or partly here and partly there. 11 In past, present, and future. 60 ·I20 SARASVATI 3 Greatly art Thou pleased with the recitation? of the mantra HRĪNG.2 Thy crown is white as snow.3 Thy hands play with the vina. O Mother ! Mother ! salutation to Thee. Burn, burn my sloth and grant me great intelligence. Thou art knowledge itself. The Vedānta ever sings of Thee. Shrutze speaks of Thee. O giver of liberation 10 way to liberation ! Whose power is beyond all understanding. O giver of happiness, adorned with a white necklace, 8 Grant to me Thy favours. Thou art intelligence, intelligence, intelligence, Thy names are memory, resolution, mind, and hymn of praise. 10 11 New and old :19 Eternal and fleeting, Great cause, saluted by Munis,12 New and old ;13 sacred current of virtue, 1 Japa, which includes that which would not be understood as recitation in the English sense-viz., manasa or mental, and the inaudible japa. 2 Vide ante, p. 118. 3 Her colour is white (vide ante, p. 118, note s, and last line but one of this verse). 4. A stringed musical instrument. 5 Dehibuddhingprashastām ; the great prayer to Her. 6 Revelation ; generally applied to the Vedas in which Sarasvati is spoken of (see Muir, O.S.T., verse 339). She is also called Mother of Vedas. 7 Sāradā. 8 See note 5, p. 118, ante. 9 Dhi. 10 Dhāvanā, dhriti (or constancy), mati. She is the "hymn of praise," for it is composed of words, and She is the Devi thereof, and word and speech itself. 11 She eternally exists as the reality behind all appearance, and is in the cause of the fleeting appearance itself. 12 Sages. 13 See note II, ante. She ever appears in new forms, and yet Herself in Her aspect as Atmā, persists as the one and same. 14 Pulilya.

·SARASVATI 121 Saluted by Hari and Hara. Ever pure, beauteous of colour, The subtlest element of things- Yea, even the very half thereof. Thou art the giver of intelligence, intelligence, intelligence. Who art the giver of joy to Madhava.4 In the form of HRING, KSHÌNG, DING, HRING Thou holdest a book, Thou art joyful, of smiling face, and of good fortune. Innocence, current of charm, With all powers of arrest.? Burn, burn my sin, And dispel the darkness of my evil thoughts. O praiseworthy of all ! Thou art Gih, Gauh, Vāk, and Bharati. It is Thou who grantest success to the tongue of the greatest of poets, As also in the attainment of all (forms of) knowledge. 66 1 Vishnu and Shiva. 2. Matra—the atomic part of things. 3 Mätvārdhatattve. She is so very subtle: or alternatively the Mātrārdha below the Sahasrāra. 4 The husband of Ma or Lakshmi that is, Vishnu, whose Spouse She was (vide ante, p. 118, note 1). She as Prakriti gives joy to the paramātmā, who is the enjoyer (bhoktā). 5 The mantra, as currently recited, is Ong Ong K’shing, Kshing svarupe. Kshing," for She is the destructress of sin. 6. Mohemugdhapravāhe. Mugdhā is generally used in connection with nāyikā-that is, a simple, artless, innocent maiden, as yet unacquainted with love. The general and correct reading is mugdhemohapravähe. 7 Stambhanam ; one of the six "magical” powers known as the shatkarmma, whereby a person may be paralyzed in action or speech. So a disputant might seek the power of stambhanam to close the mouth of, or confuse his adversary. 8 Various words which all mean " word speech.” 9 Literally, the giver of siddhi (success) in all knowledge of which She is the presiding Devi. > > CG Or ·122 SARASVATI 6 I pray to Thee, I pray to Thee, I bow to Thee, Come to my tongue and never leave me. May my intelligence? never go astray, May my sins be taken away, May I be free from sorrow. In time of peril may I never be bewildered. May my mind work freely without impediment? In Shastra disputation and verse. 8 He who chastely lives, observing silence and religious devotions, 5 Abstaining from flesh and fish on the thirteenth day of the month? And bowed with devotion, early each morning Praises Thee with the most excellent verse, Will, skilful in speech, surpass even Vāchaspati. The uncleanliness of his sins will be swept away. Such an one gains the fruit of his desires, The Devi protects him as though he were Her own child. Poetry flows from his mouth, Prosperity attends his house, And every obstacle to success will disappear. 8 Whoever reads without interruption the whole of this hymn Twenty-one times on the thirteenth day of the month, 1 Both buddhi and manas. 2 Prasaratu (" flow freely"). 3. He who is brahmacharin. Here commences the phala portion of the stotra (see p. 108, note 2). 4 Maunin. 5 Vratin. The vrata are voluntary religious practices and devotions as distinguished from the obligatory daily ritual. 8 Nirāmishah. 7 The trayodashi ; the Sarasvati vrata day. 8 Or Vrihaspati, the Lord of Speech. 9 Trayodashi (vide ante).

·SARASVATI
123
Both on the dark and the light side of the month,
And meditates on Sarasvati garmented in white,
Adorned with white ornaments,
Such an one attains in this world the fruit of his desires.
This auspicious hymn has been made by Brahmā himself;
Whoever daily reads it with care acquires immortality.?
1 The month is divided into two halves (paksha), according as the
moon is rising or waning.
2 Amritatvam--that is, liberation (m11Řti).

·GANGA (GANGASTOTRA) BY SHANGKARĀCHĀRYYA pound O Devi Sureshvari !? O Bhagavati Gangā! Saviour of the three worlds of restless waves, Clear is Thy water circling upon the head of Shiva, May my mind ever repose at Thy lotus feet. 3 O Mother Bhāgīrathi !* giver of happiness, Renowned in Nigama is the greatness of Thy water ; Thy greatness is more than I can know, Protect me, O merciful one, ignorant that I am. 3 O Gangā! sprung from the feet of Vishnu, Whose waves are white as snow as moon and pearl, Remove from me my weight of sin; Help me to cross the ocean of the world. 1 This hymn to the Devi Ganges, which is in the sweet pajjhatika metre, is also rhymed thus: Devi Sureshvari Bhagavati Gange, Tribhuvanatārini taralatarange, Shangkaramauli vihārini vimale, Mamanatirāstā ng tavapada kamale. 2 Ishvarī (feminine of Ishvara or Lord) of the Suras or Devas. 3 See p. 125, note 5. # So called because called down from Heaven by Bhagiratha of the solar race. 5 Tantra. 6 Gangā was born at the feet of Vishnu. So it is said in the mantra used when bathing in the Ganges : Vishnupādābja sambhute Gange bhuvaratārini dhavinna draviti (the Ganges is dharma in liquid forin) “vikhyāte pāpang me hara Jāhnavi.”' I24 22 ·GANGA 125 They say that him, O Gangā ! who is devoted to Thee, Yamat can never behold. He who has drunk of Thy clear water Attains of a surety the supreme Abode. 3 O Jāhnavi ! O Gangā ! deliverer of the fallen, Whose waves are beautiful, Claving the foremost of mountains, Mother of Bhishma, 4 daughter of the foremost of munis: Protectress of the fallen ; praised in the three worlds. 6 4 O Gangā ! who goeth to the ocean, Ever free of sadness is he who salutes Thee. Giver of fruit like unto the kalpa tree, By thy favour the woman who looked coldly Now casts her loving glances. 7 He who bathes in Thy current, O Mother! Is never again reborn in woman's womb. O Protectress from hell ! O Jāhnavi ! O Gangā ! O Destructress of sins ! lofty art Thou by Thy greatness. 1 Deva of Death. 2 Into sin. 3 The Himālaya. 4 Son of Sāntanu by Gangā. 5 Jāhnavi, whence Gangā is called Jāhnavi. When Gangā fell from Heaven, Shiva first held Her in the locks of his hair, until Her anger at being called down by Bhagiratha had abated. She then fell into the Vindu lake, whence issue the seven sacred streams. One branch followed Bhagiratha wherever he went, and on the way flooded the sacrificial flame of the muni Jahnu. In his anger he drank up its waters. Bhagiratha's work seemed to be fruitless. But after intercession, the muni allow the waters to flow from him, and as so, issuing from him, the Ganges is called his daughter Jahnavi. 6 See p. 70, note 5. ? The tree in the paradise of Indra which granted all desires. 8 Vimukhavanitā kritataralāpānge.

·126 GANGA 8 O Thou who art eternal ! O wave of purity ! May Thou, bestower of bliss, refuge of Thy worshippers, From whose eyes come glances of compassion, Whose feet the lustre of gems on Indra's crown adorn, Be ever victorious ! 9 0 Bhāgirathi !' dispel my illness, melancholy, and pain, As also my sins and all my many follies ; Essence of the three regions, necklace on the breast) of Earth, Of a surety Thou art my refuge in the world. O Alakanandā !O supreme Bliss !4 O worshipful by those who despair ! Be Thou merciful. He whose abode is by Thy Banks Of a verity dwells in Vaikuntha 5 11 Better were it to be a fish or tortoise in Thy waters, Or a feeble lizard upon Thy banks, or a poor dogeaters Within two kos? of Thy stream, Than to be a noble king and yet far away from Thee. 1 So called after Bhagiratha, who called her down to earth (see P. 125, note 5). 2 Vasudhāhārā~that is, as a necklace adorns a woman, so the Devi by the flowing lines of Her stream, adorns the Earth. 3 A river flowing from the Himālaya into the Ganges. 4 Paramānandā, as is the Supreme, whose manifestation She is. 5 The heaven of Vishnu. 6 That is, a chandāla, one of the lowest and most unclean castes. 7. A kos is two mniles.

·GANGA 127 12 O Bhuvaneshvarī ! pure one, praised of all, Devī in liquid form, daughter of the foremost of Munis,8 He who daily reads this hymn to Gangā Is of a surety ever victorious. 13 They who with devotion in their heart to Gangā (Recite) this hymn Composed in the sweet, pleasant, charming pajjhatikametre, Which gives the highest happiness, Gain the eternal bliss of liberation. 14 A worldly4 man shall read this hymn to Gangā, Which is the essence of the world, the giver of desired fruit, The essence of all pure things enjoined.? Composed by Shankara,the worshipper of Shankara. This hymn is ended. 9 1 Ishvari, of the world. 2 For the Ganges is the manifestation of the Supreme in the form of the sacred river. 3 Jahnu (see p. 125, note 5). Vishaya, which also in a bad sense means a sensualist or materialist. 5 Pathati. Literally, reads, but used for the vidhiling tense pathet. Thus in Chandi it is said : " Pathet stotram samāhitah,” and in the Vatukastotra, Pathetvāpathayetvāpi (“should read or have read to him”). 6 That is, the hymn. 7 1.e., forms of worship (püjā), sacrifice (yajna), etc. * That is, Shankarācharyya. 9 Shiva.

·7 the MAHADEVĪ1 (FROM THE FIFTH MĀTĀTMYA OF CHANDI) 2 REVERENCE to the Devi,? to the Devī of the Great, To Her who is auspicious, for ever reverence. Reverence to Prakriti, who maintains.? Setting our minds wholly upon Her, we make obeisance to Her. 2 Reverence to Her who is eternal,8 Raudrā,9 To Gaurī,20 and Dhātrī,1l reverence and again reverence To Her who is moonlight and in the form of the moon, To Her who is supreme bliss, reverence for ever. 1 Here not the “Great Goddess," but as the Commentator Nagoji Bhatta (cited post as N.B.) says, " The Goddess" (Devī)" of the greatviz., Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva, for it is by Her power that they enjoy their abode, and it is She whom even they worship—the Mother of all. 2 The Asuras Shumbha and Nishumbha bereft the Devas of their dominion, whereupon the latter prayed to the Goddess for help as follows. 3 Nagoji says that Devī=prakashātmika, that which is by its nature light and manifestation. 4 Mahādevī (see note 1, ante). 5 Because She is the cause of all auspicious things. 6 Shrishtishakti, or shakti (power) of creation (N. B.). 7 Bhadrāyai. Literally, good=rakshanashakti, the Vaishnavashakti which maintains (N. B.). 8 Nityāyai ; or She is the Shakti Nitya (N. B.). 9 That is, She is sanghārashakti or shakti of dissolution, the tāmasika shakti (according to the Commentator Gopal Chakravarti), as contrasted with Dhātrī, vājasika shakti, and indorūpā (moon form), the sättvika shakti (vide post). 10 Daughter of Guru, the Lord of the Mountains (see p. 67, note 5). 11 Creator and upholder (see note 9). 12 See note 9, ante. The Moon here stands for all luminous things : or it may mean indorupā in the technical sense of yoga shāstrā. 13 Sukhā=paramanandarūpā. 128 12 .

·3 Pumanaineya). MAHADEVI 129 Bending low, we make obeisance to the auspicious One Who is prosperity in the form of wealth, To Siddhi, Nairriti, and to the good fortune of Kings, To Sarvvānīt reverence, and again reverence. To Durgā.5 to Her who enables men to cross the ocean of the world, Who is the life and strength and cause of all, Knower of the distinction between Purusha and Prakritis And who is both black and grey,lº reverence for ever. 1 That is, animāàirupā (G. C.), the eight siddhis-anima, laghima, etc. (see p. 16, note 3). 2 Gopal Chakravarti says this means Rākshasashakti (demonic power); also alakshmi (misfortune). At the time of worship of Lakshmi (Devi of Prosperity), on the fifth day after vijayādashami, the Devī Alakshmi is worshipped in the house in the form of a misshapen figure, and then thrown away. 3 Bhrbritām, which, according to G. C., means mountains, for wealth in the form of gems, etc., are found therein. 4 Maheshvari or Shivashakti. 5. Which means, according to Nagoji: She who is known with difficulty 6 As N. B. says : Durgätsansārātpārängkaroti, etc. G. C. says it means She whose abode is not known in either time or space. 7 For She is not only antaryūmini, but remains even at the time of dissolution. She is feminine because She supports all things as their mother. & Khyātinprakritipurushayov bhedajnānām (N. B.). Viveka khyātil is a term in Sankhya denoting the ca cause of liberation, the recognition of the self (Purusha) by the self ; not as one published rendering runs, to fame, 0 As tāmasika shakti. 10 Dhūmra , that which is with sinoke; the sacrificial rite; here the knowledge of the rites. am N. BUT 0 9 ·Reverence to Her wh&ain reverence; I30 MAHADEVI We prostrate ourselves before Thee, who art at once most gentley and formidable, To the Devi, who is in the form of action, reverence, and again reverence. 6 To the Devi who in all things is called Vishnumāyā,5 Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 7 To the Devi who is known as intelligence in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 8 To the Devī who dwells in the form of buddhis in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 1 Atisaubhāgyā. As such She is (N. B.) vidyārupini, as putting an end to the sangsūra. For this reason She, as G. C. says, greatly delights all. Atiraudrāyā, because, as N. B. says, She, as avidyā, is the cause of the sangsāra with all its terrors. 3 Jagatpratishtāyai=(as N. B. says) jagadupādānakāranam ; or, as G. C. has it, She is sarvvāntayāmini, who dwells in the inmost being of all things. 4 Which=(G. C.) dyotanashīlā, whose nature it is to lighten, or (N.) devashakti. 5 Or mulāvidyā (Nagoji). 6 Namastasyai, namastasyai, namastasyai nanah. The refrain throughout the succeeding verses. 7 Chetana=(Nagoji says) chitshakti, or mind. She Herself is nirvikalpa shitshakti, but manifests as savikalpachitshakti in all worldly beings. 8 The mind, as the aspect so named of the antahkarana. 72010 ·MAHADEVI ІЗІ 9 To the Devi who in the form of sleep abides? in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 10 To the Devi who exists in all beings in the form of hunger, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 11 To the Devi who exists in all beings in the form of chẩy,” Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 12 To the Devi who exists as energy in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 13 To the Devi who exists in the form of thirst* in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 7 Nidrārūpena. According to Nagoji, nidrā=sushupii, the state of dreamless sleep where all sense functions are at an end. According to G. C., svapna or dreaming sleep also, Nagoji says this word=sangsāratūpābhāvah, or lack of worldly pain. The sangsāra is like a burning flame. In its shadow there is coolness and peace. According to Gopal Chakravarti, however, it = ātăpābhāvah. Atapāk=prakāsharūpatvātvidyā, or knowledge on account of its giving light, and therefore as the lack of it She is avidyā. 3 Shakti : : power, action. 4 Which, as Nagoji says, is the desire for that which is not one's own (anātmiyā); thirst for enjoyment, possession, individual life, etc. 2 ·132 MAHADEVI To the Devī who in the form of forgiveness? exists in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 15 To the Devi who exists in the form of race and species in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 16 To the Devi in the form of modesty in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 17 To the Devi existing in the form of peace in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 18 To the Devī who exists in all being in the form of faith, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 19 To the Devi existing in the form of beauty in all beings, Reverence to 'Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 1 Which is the desire not to return evil to those who have done us wrong, notwithstanding our power to do so (N. B.). Jātirūpena : that which classifies and differentiates one body of beings from another. 3 Which Nagoji says means the control of the senses and renunciation of all worldly things. 4 That is, Nagoji says, āstikatuarı (belief in God's existence); or, according to Gopal Chakravarti, also a firm and strong faith in Veda. 2 ·MAHADEVI 133 20 1 To the Devi who exists in all beings in the form of prosperity, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 2 21 To the Devi who in all beings exists in the form of their respective callings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 22 To the Devi who in the form of memory exists in all beings; Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 3 23 To the Devi who in all beings exists in the form of mercy, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 24 To the Devi who in the form of contentment" exists in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 25 To the Devi who exists in all beings as (their) Mother, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 1 Wealth, etc. 2 That is, jivikā, the callings of husbandmen, merchant, cattlerearing, etc. 3 Which Nagoji says is the desire of removing the pain of others. 4 Which Nagoji defines as satisfaction with that which one possesses as distinguished from longing for what one has not got. 5 She is jananī, and, as Nagoji says, pālayitri (protectress).

·134 MAHADEVI 26 To the Devī who in the form of errort exists in all beings, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 27 Reverence to the Devi Who is the Presiding Deity over the senses of all beings, Who is ever in all beings, And who pervades all things. 28 To the Devi who in the form of consciousness, Having pervaded all the world, exists therein, Reverence to Her, reverence to Her, Reverence to Her, reverence, reverence. 29 Praised aforetime by the Devas, By reason of their obtaining that which they desired ; Worshipped by Surendra on days of victory. May the Ishvarī,* who is the cause of all good, Do good and auspicious things for us, And may She ward off all calamities. 30 And may She who is now saluted by us as our Queen, As also by the Suras, tormented by arrogant Asuras.? Whom we call to mind As we bow our bodies in devotion to Her, Destroy at this very moment all our calamities. 1 Bhrānti. A thoroughly Indian conception, though some modern Hindus have lost the sense of it. Gopal Chakravarti gives as an example the classical instance of the jīva taking mother-of-pearl to be silver, etc. Chit=chitshakti (N. B.), and according to Gopal Chakravarti, who says the jiva is here meant, chaitanya, 3 Indra. 4 Queen and Ruler of the worlds. 6 The Good Devas. 7 Their evil enemies. at this v es unstance of the she 5 Ishā.

·DURGA (DURGĀSHATANAMASTROTRA) FROM THE VISHVASARA TANTRA 1 SAITH Ishvara :3 I shall tell thee the hundred names of Durgā. By the grace of this hymn the chaste" Durgā is satisfied. Listen, then, thereto. 2-13 Ong Chaste one. 5 Virtuous one. 1 Manifestation of the Shakti of Shiva in warrior form as the Destructress of demonic beings, enemies to Devas and men. According to one account, She is so called as having slain the Asura Durga, son of Ruru (Skanda Purāna). Another account of the origin of Durga is given in Chandi (Mārkandeyapurāna), where the combined tejas, like a mountain of fire of all the Devas, manifested as the Devi Durgā for the destruction of the Asura Mahisha. 2 P. 573, Tantrasāra from the Vishvasāra Tantra. 3 The Lord Shiva. 4 Sati. 5 Satī, or faithful. The name of the daughter of Daksha Brahmā Pr. says: " The faithful Spouse Satī became Umā, who ever dwells with Shiva." 6 Sadhvi, or chaste. She is of unequalled virtue as being attached to none but Her Lord (see Lalitā, verse 43, where Bhāskararāya cites the Achārya (Saundaryalahari), which says: " How many poets share the wife of Brahmā ? Cannot everyone by means of wealth become the Lord of Shrī (Vishnu)? But, О virtuous one, first among faithful women, your breasts are untouched save by Mahādeva, not even by the paste of Kuravaka ” (a kind of paste made of the leaves of the red amaranth used to redden the cheeks, breasts, palms, and soles of Hindu women). Devi Bhāg Pr. also says : “ Thou art praised as Sādhvi on account of Thy unequalled fidelity to Thy Lord.” 135 ·136 DURGA 8 Beloved of Bhava. Spouse of Bhava.? The Manifested Brahman.3 Liberatrix from the world of births and deaths.4 Destructress of distress.5 Victorious one. Primordial one.? Three-eyed. Holder of the spear. Spouse of Him who holds the pināka Bow.10 Wonderful one.11 Whose bell sounds fearfully.12 Of great austerities, Manas.14 Buddhi.15 Ahangkāra.16 In the form of chitta 17 Funeral pyre.18 13 1 Bhavapritā. Bhava is Shiva. 2 Bhavāni. 3. Aryyā, which literally means noble, but which here means, as the commentator Nīlakantha says in reference to the hymn to Durgā in the Mahābhārata (see p. 114, note 4) prapyabrahinasvarūpa, the own form of the accessible Brahman as distinguished from the Nirguna Brahman beyond thought and speech. The very nature of the Devi is manifestation, and She is near to us in the world. 4 Bhavanochină--that is, from the sangsāra or phenomenal world. 5 Durgā--that is, Sa ya durgating harati. Jayā (see p. 115, notes 3 and 4). 7 44 dyā. 8 Trinetra. 9 Shuladhārini. The shrila is a weapon of the Devi. 10 Pinākadhārini-that is, Spouse of Shiva, who wields the Pināka. bow broken by Rāma ; hence he is called Pinākin. 11 Chitrā. 12 Chandaghantā, the first of the nine Durgās in the Durgā Kavacha. 13 Mahātapān. For the Devi as Umā Aparnā did great austerities to gain Shiva as Her husband. 14 See p. 139, note II, post. 16 Ibid. 17 Chittarupā. Chitta is mental substance. 18 Chitä, which in Tantra has a twofold meaning (smashānam dvividham Devī chitā yonimai heshvari) for, whereas on the first the body is burnt, so in the second is the fire which consumes passion (Niruttara Tantra, chap. i.). ma bence he is a 16 Ibid.

·DURGA 137 Knowledge. Whose substance is all mantras. Reality. Whose nature is the true bliss.4 Endless one 5 In whom are the three dispositions.” Accessible by devotion.7 Auspicious. Pervading all things. Spouse of Shambhu. Mother of Devas. 11 Contemplation. Fond of gems. All knowledge.14 Daughter of Daksha.15 Destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice.16 12 13 1 Chitih=ināna. 2 Sarvamantramaji. Satya, that which persists through the threefold time-past, present, and future of which the opposite is asatya. That which is real and not fictitious (yathāythasvarūpa). The epithet Satya, which occurs thrice in this stotra, has also, besides real,” three other ineanings: (1) Eternal, (2) the best (uttamā), and (3) sthitishila, whose nature it is to exist. * Satyānandasvarupini. 5 Ananta. 6 Bhävini. In the ordinary sense bhāvini, as sentimental, ernotional, is a term which, according to the Amarakosha, is commonly applied to women, as are the terms pramadā (pleasing), kantā and lalanā (beautiful), and nitambini (possessing beautiful nitamba or buttocks). But here the word refers to the bhāvas, pashu, vira, and divya, which are each manifestations of Her. ? Bhāvagamyā. & Bhāvyā. 9 Sadāgatih. 10 Shambhavi, Spouse of Shiva (Shambhu). 11 Devamātā. 12 Chintā. 13 Ratnapriyā. 14 Sarvvavidyā; and so also the Lalitā, verse 137, speaks of Her as being all the Shāstras (shāstranayī). The Brahma Pr. says that fron Her breath came the Vedas; from the tip of Her throat Mimānsā, etc.; from the bottoni of Her throat the sixty-four sciences; from the rest of Her limbs all other Tantras; and from Her shoulders the science of love. 15 Dakshakanya. Daksha was one of the Prajāpatis and father-inlaw of Shiva, who was married to his daughter Satī, manifestation of the Devi. 16 Dakshayajnavināshini. Because on Her account Shiva, Her husband, destroyed the dakshayajna.

·138 DURGA Who eat not even a leaf during Thy austerities.? Of various colour.2 Red.3 Having a red colour.4 Clad in silken garment. Pleased with sweet-sounding anklets. Of unbounded power. Terrifying 8 Beautiful. House lady. Forest Durgā.11 Daughter of Matanga.12 Worshipped by the sage Matanga. Spouse of Brahmā.14 Great Ruler.15 Aindrī.16 Kaumārī.17 10 13 1 Aparnā (see p. 96, note 3). 2 Anekavarna. 3 Pätalā : a reddish-pink, the colour of the Bhairavimurti. 4 Pātalāvati. 5 Patianbara paridhānā. 6 Kalamanjīraranjini. 7 Amiyavikramā. 8 Krurā. Literally, cruel”-that is, to the demonic beings which She destroyed, though even not truly so, for as Chandī says, She destroyed them not only for the happiness of the world, but for their own happiness, so that being slain by Her hand they might go to heaven. 9 Sundari. 10 Purasındari. 11 Vanadurgā: the Devi of the forests. The foresters, before entering the forests, offer pujā to Vanadurgā as protectress against their dangers and terrors. 12 Mātangi ; that is, of the Rishi Matanga. 13 Matangamunipujitā. 14 Brāhm. 15 Maheshvari (feminine of Maheshvara), an appellation of Shiva. Spouse ise of Indra, one of the eight Mātrikās. 17 Spouse of Kārtikeya or Skanda, the leader of the celestial hosts. The Devī is also Mother both of Kumāra and Gananātha (Ganesha), and is so called in the Lalitā, verse 94 (Kumāragananāthâmbă), where it is said that the Devatā of egoism (ahangkāra) is Kumāra. The Varāha Pr. says: “ Vishnu is the Purusha, or Shiva is Is so called, Avyaktä is Umā or Lakshmi, the lotus-eyed. From the interaction of these two arises ahangkāra. This ahangkára is the guha (skanda), the leader of the army.' 16 ·139 Giver of owe 2 DURGA Vaishnavi. Chāmundā. Vārāhī.3 Lakshmi. In the form of the Purusha. Pure one 6 Essence of all.7 Knowledge. Action. The Supreme One 10 Who art all.12 Whose love is unbounded.1: Mounted on a bull.14 Destructress of Shumbha and Nishumbha. 15 Slayer of the Asura Mahisha.is Slayer of Madhu and Kaitava.17 1 The vaishnavi shakti. ? See p. 97, note 3. 3 Shakti of Vāräha, the boar incarnation, one of the eight Matrikas. 4 Devī of wealth, prosperity, and beauty. 5 Purushākritih Purusha is man, male, or person; the primeval man; the spirit of the universe, manifesting as Brahmā, Vishnu, Shiva, etc. ; the passive spectator of the acts of Prakriti. But in their ground both are one. Therefore Devi is in such sense Purusha also. So Krishna, to screen his action from Rādhikā, manifested as Kālī. 6 Vimalā. 7 Utrāvshini. Jnānā, for the Devi is jnānā, kriya, and ichchhä shakti. 10 Satya (see ante, p. 137, note 3). 11 Buddhidā. Buddhi (intellect), the function of which is determination (nishchayakärinī), is part of the fourfold antahkarana: constituted by Buddhi and Manas (aspects of mind), Ahangkāra (egoity) and chintā (contemplation). 12 Bahula-bhumā. 13 Bahulapremā. 14 Sarvavāhanavāhanā. Literally, whose vehicle (vāhana) is the vāhana of Sarvva (Shiva), or a bull. 15 Nishumbhashumbhahananī. These were two Daityas, or enemies of the Devas, slain by the Devi (see Chandī). The Daityas were sons of Diti and the Devas children of Aditi, hence they are called Āditeya. 16 Mahishasuramavdini (vide ibid.). 17 Madhukaitavahaniri. Two Daityas (ibid.). 9 Krivā.

·DURGĀ 6 8 9 15 Destructress of Chanda and Munda. And of all Asuras. And of all Dänavas.3 Whose substance is all Shāstra.4 Existence.5 Holder of all weapons. In whose hands are various weapons.? Holder of many weapons. Virgin. Maiden 10 Kaishori.11 Youthful.12 Ascetic one.13 Apraudhā.14 Praudha. Old mother.16 Giver of strength.?? Chandamundavināshini : two generals of Shumbha and Nishumbha (ibid.). 2 Sarvāsuravinarsha. 3 Sarvadānavaghatini. The Dänavas were enemies of the Deva's children of Danu, a daughter of Daksha and Käshyapa. 4 Sarrvashāstramayi (see p. 137, note 14). Satyā (see ante, p. 137, note 3). © Sarvvāstradhārini. Astra is a weapon which is thrown- -a. PIO jectile; and shastra, in the next verse, is a weapon which is held. 7 Anekashāstrahastā (see last note). 8 Anekāstrasyadhārini. 9 Kunāri. 11 A girl up to fifteen years of age is so called (Kaishoram āpanchadashāt). It is said that up to sixteen years one is known as balā. At thirty one is Tarunī, at fifty-five praudhā, and above that vriddhā. As the verse runs : Ashörashād bhaved balā, Trishatā taruni mata, Pancha panchāshatā praudhā, Bhaved vriddhā tatal param. 12. Yuvati. 13 Yati: one who controls the passions is an ascetic. The Devī practised great austerities to gain Shiva as Her husband. 14. That is, below fifty-five years old (see note it, ante) an adult woman who is no longer bashful or timid in the presence of her lord. 15 Over fifty-five years old (see note II, ante). 18 Vriddhāmatā (see note II, ante). 17 Balapradā. The litany in the Tantrasāra here ends at the 87th name short of the prescribed number of names. 10 Kanya: ana taa ·DURGA 141 For him who daily reads? these 108" names of Durgā There is nothing impossible in the three worlds. He obtains wealth, crops, sons, wife, horses, and elephants ; He accomplishes the chaturvarga, And gains lasting liberation. 6 Having worshipped the Devī Kumārī,4 And meditated upon Sureshvarī, The devotee should worship, And then read with devotion the 108 names of Durga. O Devi! such an one gains the fruition which Devas have; Kings become his servants, And he obtains a kingdom and all prosperity. 16 He who, versed in the shāstric injunctions In accordance therewith, writes this mantra With saffron mixed with cows' pigment, red lac, camphor, and the three sweets, 10 And then wears it, becomes himself Purāri. 11 1 Here commences the phala portion (see p. 108, note 2). 2 Sic; vide ante. Wherever 100 or 1,000 is mentioned (the former in the title of the present hymn) 108 or 1,008 is to be understood, for zero is an inauspicious number. 3 Dharma, artha, kāma, and moksha-piety, wealth, desire, and liberation(see Introduction to Mahānirvāna Tantra). 4 Vide ante (p. 160, note 1o). -5 Mistress of Suras (Devas). 6 I.e., make püja. 7 Siddhi (p. 74, note 2, and the Introduction to Mahānirväna Tantra). 8 Gorochanā. 9 Alakta. 10 Madhutraya--that is, ghee, honey, and sugar. 11 Shiva.

·142
DURGA
17
Whoever writes and then reads this hymn
On a Tuesday in A māvasya,
At night, when the moon is in Shatabhisă,2
Attains all wealth and prosperity.
1 The fifteenth day of the dark half of the lunar month; a very
dark day on which Shavāsana and similar rites are also accomplished.
2. There are twenty-seven lunar mansions, of which Shatabhishā is
the twenty-fourth, containing a hundred stars.

·NARMMADA (NARMMADASHTAKASTOTRAM) BY SHANGKARĀCHARYYA 1 2 O DEVĪ NARMMADĀ !" I salute thy lotus-like feet, Beauteous with the breakers of the heaving waves of ocean, With which the drops of Thy waters mingle. O giver of prosperity ! I salute Thy feet bathed in water, Which destroys rebirth, the cause of which is sin, As also all fear at the coming of the messenger of death.' Tvadīya pada pankajang namāmi devi narmmade.5 3 O Devi Narmmadā ! I salute Thy lotus feet. Giver of celestial (blessing) to the lowly fish in Thy waters, Foremost of all sacred rivers. Destructress of the heavy weight of sin of the Kaliyuga,? 1 One of the sacred rivers of India, and a form of the Devi. 2 The ocean is the husband of all rivers. 3 Rebirth is caused by karma. 4. When a man is about to die, a messenger is sent by Yama to take his life. 5. The refrain is translated in the first line. 6 This is stuti (praise). In all sanskrit works the particular Devata who is the subject of hymn meditation or prayer is spoken of as the greatest of all. Tirtha is not only a place of pilgrimage such as a shrine and the like, but also, according to the Amarakosha, a sacred river. 7 The present or fourth age, marked by the predominance of sin, each of the preceding eras (Dvāpara, Tretā, Satya) being more virtuous than the other. In the Kaliyuga era time works evilly. 143 ·144 NARMMADA Giver of welfare to multitude of fine fish, tortoise, alligators, and ruddy geese. Tvadīya pada pankajang namāmni devi narmnade. 3 O Devī Narmmadā ! I salute Thy lotus-like feet. The overflow from Thy depths washes away the sins of the world. Thou destroyest all great sins and the mountain? of calamities. O giver of happiness to the son of Mrikandu, At the fearful moment of the world's dissolution, Tvadiya pada pankajang namāmi devi narmmade. 3 4 O Devi Narmmadā ! I salute Thy lotus-like feet, And Thy waters worshipped by the son of Mrikandu, Shaunaka, and other enemies of the Asuras, Destructress of rebirth in the ocean of the world, 4 Protectress from all worldly pains, Tvadīya pāda pankajang namāmi devi narmmade. 5 5 O Devi Narmmadā ! I salute thy lotus-like feet, Worshipped by countless lakhs of immortals,7 Asuras, Kinnaras, and others, 2 1 The chakravāka bird (by some said to be the Brahmini duck) celebrated in sanskrit poetry for its devotion to its mate. During the night-time the male and female birds call to each other from opposite banks of the stream, as I have heard them do on the reaches, of the lonely Malia River in Northern Orissa. 2 Daritāpadachalam. 3 The Mahārnuni Mārkandeya. 4 The edition used has punarbhavābdhi janmajang, but this seems ineaningless, and it is read as janmaghnang. 5 Bhavābdhi dukhha barmmade. Literally, armour given to the pain of the world.” 6 A lakh is 100,000. 7 Amard__1.8., Devas. 8 Demonic spirits, opponents of the Devas or Suras. 9 A class of spirits (Devayoni).

·NARMMADA 145 Whose banks resound with the fearless song of many lakhs of birds. I Giver of happiness to Vashista, Pipala, Karddama, and other sages, 3 Tvadīya pada pankajang namāmi devi narnmade. 6 O Devi Narmmadā ! I salute Thy lotus-like feet, Held in the minds of the bees, 4 Sanatkumāra, Nāchiketa, Kashyapa, And by the bees, Atri, Nārada and other sages. Thou who blesseth the work of sun, moon, Rantideva, and Devarāja,? Tvadīya pāla pankajang namāmi devi narmmade. 7 O Devi Narmmadā ! I salute Thy lotus-like feet, Weapon against lakhs of sins known and unknown, The Giver of enjoyment and liberation to all beings and animals, And of happiness to the abode of Virinchi,Vishnu, and Shiva, Tvadīya pāda pankajang namāmi devī narmmade. 1 Dhira--that is, because they are undisturbed by men who have become enemies to their brother creation. 2 Rishis and munis of that name. 3 Shista, which means a gentle and learned man who governs hinself by his own wisdom, and is not governed by external restraints. 4 The bee hovers on the lotus seeking honey. The sages gather round the feet of the Devi seeking the wisdom of which She is the embodiment. 5. Munis and vishis. 6 Vishnu, also the name of a Pauranic Raja of the lunar race (Chardravangshiyarāja) ; here the former. 7. Indra. 8 Both enjoyment and liberation is given to men ; to animals enjoy. ment (bhukti), though they, too, by mnerit acquired in present birth may attain future birth in human form. 9 Brahmā. IO ·146 NARMMADA 8 O Devi Nammadā ! I salute Thy lotus feet. How sweet is the sound heard on the banks of Her who has sprung from the hair of Shiva'. Destroyer of pain and sin of hunter, and singerº of the learned and the fool, And of the heat of the submarine fire, Giver of happiness to all being, Tvadīya pada pankajang namāmi devi narmmade. Who ever reads but thrice daily this hymn to Narmmadā Will never fall into misfortune, He will never see Raurava, 4 He will never be reborn, But will reach the glorious abode of Shiva, So difficult to attain, by this body so easily gained.5 1 Maheshakeshajūtate. As to Gangā, see p. 25, note 5. It is the same and only Devi who manifests both as Gangā and Narmmadā, and all other rivers and things. 2 Hunting is sinful. The singers are a mixed caste. 3 Kirātasītavādaveshui pandite shathe. When the Dakshayajna was destroyed by Shiva, it changed into a mare (Vadavā). Shiva followed, and it plunged into ocean. Fire is produced by it. The Shloka says that Her water is so great and pure that it is unaffected by this fire. As regards the rest of this somewhat obscure verse, it means that the Devi is the remover of the sin of all, whoever they may be. 4 One of the great hells. 5 Sulabhya dehadurlabham. Not that it is easy to attain human birth. On the contrary, it is said: “Naratvam durlabham loke and vidyātatra sudurlabhā,” etc. (“'The state of a man is difficult to attain, and still more so that of a wise one," cited in Sahitya Darpanam, chap. i.. by Vishvanātha Kavirāja). What is apparently meant is that, compared with the difficulty of attaining to Shiva, the state of humanity is easily attainable. may be ·JAGADAM BIKĀ FROM THE DEVIBHAGAVATA PURĀNA2 jameda It is by Thy power only That Brahmā creates, Vishnu maintains, And at the end of things Shiva destroys the universe, Powerless are they for this but by Thy help. Therefore it is that Thou alone art the Creatrix, Maintainer, and Destructress of the world. 2 Thou art fame, mind, remembrance, And our refuge the mountain-born, 4 Companion, kindness, faith, and patience, Earth, Kamalā, health, the arts, and victory? Contentment, ever victorious,8 Umā,9 Rāmā, 10 True knowledge, and the highest buddhi.21 1 Mother of the world. 2 Chap. xix., Skandha V. p. 27, of the Bombay Edition (Venkateshvara Press), edited by Khemarāja; 1823, Shaka (1902), with Commentary by Nilakantha, hereafter referred to by the letter N. 3 The Devī, who is the mahā kāranasvarupā, is also the kāryyasvarupā. As cause She is in the effect and is the shaktirupa by which all things are done (N.). 4 See p. 67, note 5. Here is meant the Shakti of Rudra (N.). 5 Lakshmī, Devi of Prosperity and Beauty. 6 Pushti : nourishment. Jayā (see also p. 115, note 4). 8 Vijayā (see p. 115, notes 3 and 4) and Lalitā, verse 77). The Devi After conquering this very powerful King of the Daityas, named Padma, She is known in the three worlds as Vijayä and unconquerable (aparājita)." 9 See p. 160, note 10. Here the Ishvara Shakti (N.). 10 A name of Lakshmi. 11 See P. 139, note 11. 147 Pr. says: * ·148 JAGADAMBIKĀ 3 Science, forgiveness, beauty, retentiveness art Thou, Who art known in the three worlds as all in all. Who is there that unaided by Thee can do ought ? Thou art the abode wherein all men dwell.2 Thou art the upholder. Were Thou not so, how could the tortoise and serpent uphold the Earth ?3 Thou art the Earth itself. Were this not so, how could this weighty world rest on Ether ?4 5 Those who through Thy māyā pray to Devas, Such as the four-headed One, Vishnu, Rudra,? Fire, The White-rayed one, Yama, Vāyu,10 and Ganeshall Are indeed ignorant, For can these do anything without Thy power ?13 12 6 O Mother ! those who do homa14 with ghee on fire, With great ceremony in the name of the Devas, 1 Medhā, which means, in particular, the retentive faculty or memory, and, in general, intelligence. 2 For in Her all men have their being. She is as Adhārashakti, their support (N.). 3 As the Purānas represent them as doing. The verse deals with the attributes of the adhārashakti. Gaganam. 5 Literally, “ headed by, or instances of principal Devas. 6 Brahmā. 7 Shiva. Subrāngshu, or the moon. 9 Lord of Death. 10 Lord of the Air. 11 The elephant-headed Deva, son of the Devi as Pārvvati and Shiva. 12. Vinūdha (see also Umāsanghitā of Shiva Purāna). Ye a stunti 172a00aa aaavān u1214dhã, Mājā gunaistava chaturmukha vishnurudrāni, Subrängshuvahniyamavā yuganeshamukhyä, King tvāmrite janani te prabhavanti kāryye. 14 The sacrifice done with ghee poured into fire. 8 13 ·JADAGAMBIKA 149 Are of but sinall intelligence, If Thou art not svāhā, then how can they make sacrifice ? Do they not worship Thee ? If not they are ignorant. 3 7 In this world Thou art the giver of enjoyment To things which move and are still. Thou givest life to all things being as they are parts of Thee. O Mother! as Thou nourisheth all Thy Suras, So also dost Thou nourish others. 8 O Mother ! as men who are of good heart; Never for the mere pleasure thereof Cut down leafless and bitter (fruited) trees Which have sprung up in the forest, Therefore Thou dost even greatly protect the Daityas.“ 9 Though Thou slayest in the battlefield with Thy arrows the enemies. Knowing their desire for amorous play with celestial women, 1 Alpadhiyah. 2 The inantra used in homa. Svāhā nachet tamasi te kathamāpuraddhā, Tvām eva king nahi yajjanti tato hi müdhah. 4 Here apparently trees and the like, as contrasted with the animal world. She allots the karma (N.). 5 The Devas, Her children. 6 That is, the Devi does not slay even the Daityas for the mere savage pleasure of killing, and even those whom She slays are slain by Her for the good of the world and their own good, that being slain by Her hand they may go to heaven (see next verse). The Kumāra. sambhavam says that a man cannot cut down even a poisonous tree if planted by his own hand. 7 Devānganäsuvatākelimating viditva.

·150 JAGADAMBIKĀ Yet such is Thy nature that even then Thou showest kindness to them. For Thou so slayest them That in another body they may obtain fulfilment of their desires. 10 Most wonderful it is that Thou hast assumed body For the destruction of the Dänavas,2 famed for their power, When Thou mightest have slain them by Thy mere will. The cause of this is Thy play and nothing else. 11 has come, Alas ! of a verity unhappy are they Who when the Kali age, the worst of ages, Do not worship Thee. Men cunning and skilled in the Purānas Have made the people devoted to the worship of Hari and Shankara,5 Who are but Thy creatures. 12 Those who worship with devotion Devas, Though they know that they are distressed, harassed by Asuras, and subject to Thy control, Are of a surety like unto a man 1 That is, a celestial body. For, as Daityas do not perform sacrificial rites, etc., so they cannot gain heaven. But when killed by the hand of the Devi, thither they go to their enjoyment, and the Devas are protected. 2 Sons of Danu. Enemies of the Devas. 3 Kridarasa--that is, Zilā. Kridūrasastava nachānyatarotrahetuh (cf. the Vedantic sutra okavattulīlākaivalyam). 6 Vishnu and Shiva. Dhurttaih purānu chaturairhari shankarānām, Sevāparāshcha vihitāstava nirmmitānām. Men, the verse says, thus worship the creature instead of the Creatrix.

·JAGADAMBIKA 151 Who, with the light of a clear lamp in his hands, Yet falls into some waterless and terrible well.? 13 O Mother ! Thou art the remover of the pains which arise from birth, And art known by those desirous of liberation As the giver of happiness when Thou art vidyā, And of unhappiness when Thou art avidyā.” Surely it is only the ignorant who do not worship Thee, Such as are attached to enjoyment and without wisdom. 14 Even Brahmā, Hara, and Hari, as all other Suras, 4 Ever worship Thy lotus feet, which are our refuge. But those who are of small intelligence and beset with error Do not worship Thee. And so ever repeatedly fall into the ocean of the world.5 O Chandi is it is most surely by the favour of the dust on Thy lotus feet That Brahmā in the beginning of things creates, I nätvā surāngstava vashān asuvārddhitāngshcha, Yevai bhajanti bhuvi bhāvayutā vimagnāu, Dhritvā kave suvimalang khalu dīpakangte, Kupe patanti manujā vijaletighore. (See also Umāsanghita.) 9 Knowledge and nescience, the source of nivritti and pravritti, with the latter's attendant miseries. 3 Kilamandadhibirnārāditā janani bhogaparaistathājnaih. 4 Devas. Tadvai nayelpa matayo manasa bhajanti, Bhrāntāh pathanti satatang bhavasāgarete. 6 Nilakantha derives the word from chadi (“the wrathful one fearful to the whole world”). Shruti says of the Brahman: Mahadbhayang vajramudhyatam (great fear and a ready thunder-bolt ”).

·152 JAGADAMBIKĀ Shauril protects, and Hara” destroys the whole world. He is indeed unfortunate Who in this world does not worship Thee. 16 O Devi! Thou art the Devatā of speech of both Suras and Asuras. Without power of speech are even the foremost of Devas When Thou abidest not in them. If men do speak, it is because they are not deprived of Thee 3 17 Hari, 4 when cursed by the greatly angered Bhrigu, Became Fish, Tortoise, Boar, and Man-lion, and Dwarf.? How can those who worship Him Escape the fire of death? apa de im er 18 As is well known, the linga of Shambhus in the forest Fell on earth in like manner by the curse of Bhrigu. How can those, O Mother! who on earth worship Himº who holds a skull Attain to happiness either in this world or the next ? 1 Vishnu. 2 Shiva. 3 Sarasvati is She who causes speech. Sound springing from the Mīlādhāra wherein is Devi Kundulini proceeds from the stage of mere sound (parā), the potentiality of growth in the seed to that of Pashyantī, when the latter begins to sprout; then to Madhyamā, when the first two small leaves appear but inseparate; and lastly, as Vaikhari, when they separate, remaining united only at their base. 4 Vishnu. 5 The Rishi of that name. $ The Matsya, Kurmma, Varāha, and Nrisingha avatāra of Vishnu. ? Chhalakrit, which Nīla kantha says=Vāmana Avatāra of Vishnu. Chalakrit, because Balirāja was deceived by him. 8. Shiva, who retired into the forest after the death of Sati, and who was powerless to protect even his own linga. 9 Shiva.

·JAGADAMBIKĀ 153 19 1 They who worship the elephant-faced Lord of Ganas, Who was born of Mahesha, With Him in vain take shelter. They know Thee not, O Devī! Mother of the Universe, Who art easy of worship and the giver of the fruit of all desires. 20 Wonderful it is that through Thy compassion Even the multitude of enemies slain by Thy sharpened arrows Have thus been made to reach Heaven. For had they not been so slain Calamities and the most painful of painful states would they have suffered In that hell which is the result of their (evil) karnma. 21 Even Brahmā, Hara, and Hari From pride know not Thy power. How, then, are others able to know it, Bewildered as they are by Thy (three) gunas of income, .. parable power 74 1 Ganesha, son of Shiva, so powerless. 2 Devī is (as the Lalitā, verse 133, also says), “ easily worshipped (sukhārādhyā), without bodily pain by fasting, etc., without restrictions on the mode of meditation. In the Kūrma Prthe Lord describes to Himavat an easy mode of worship if he be unable to meditate on the Supreme Form. The Devī is also easily pleased " (Lalitā, verse 162, kshipraprasādinī)--that is, even by a little worship as the Saura and Shiva Purānas say of the Lord of Umā, with whom the Devi is one. 3. Garbabhāvāt. 4 Devī is “all-bewildering (Sarvamohini). In Kürma Pr., Shiva says : “ This Māvā is dear to me by which the world is bewildered. I bewilder the whole universe with the Devas, Daityas, and men.'' The operation of the ta masika guna veils from them the truth.

·154 JAGADAMBIKA 22 Even Munis suffer, who, being ignorant (of Thee), Do not adore Thy thought-transcending lotus feet, And are set upon the worship of sun and fire.? By them, even though they read hundreds of Shruti, The Supreme object of desire' is not known, which is the essence of all Vedas. 3 23 Methinks it is Thy (three) gunas, The power of which is so famed on earth, Which makes men turn away from devotion (to Thee), And attaches them to Vishnu, Isha," Bhaskara, Ganesha, By (the teaching of) various Agamas? of their own devising. S 24 O Ambikā ! (so great is Thy mercy) That Thou art not angry with, But showest kindness to, and maketh greatly prosperous Even those who, skilful in the mantra of delusion, 1 The Mārkandeya Purana says: “ That Divine Devi Mahāmāyā. forcibly draws away the minds of even the sages (Munis), and leads them into confusion." 2 Because they are pratyakshadevatā—that is, visible, and She, the supreme ground of then, is beyond vision, mind, and speech. 3 The reading of much shruti (revelation) teaches them nothing, for their ignorance conceals from them its true meaning. 4 Paramārthatattva. Sankhya says that there are two different kinds of artha or object. One is bhoga (enjoyment), the second, which is the supreme object (paramartha) is moksha (liberation). The one exists in the current issuing from Devi (Avidyā), the other returns on the other current, which draws to the Devi (Vidyā). 5 Shiva. 6 The Sun (Suryya). 7 Here used generally for Shāstra, though also used in a special sense as denoting Veda and Tantra, to the latter of which, Nīlakantha perhaps refers. Nānātantraihmohakaih (“many deluding Tantras "'). The reference is here to the dualistic scriptures. 8 Svabuddhirachitairvividhāgamaishcha (“composed by themselves ''). 9 Mohamantranipunāng.

·JAGADAMBIKA I55 Make the best of men' turn away from Thy feet By Agamas made by themselves, 2 Teaching of devotion to Hari and Hara.3 25 In the Satya age4 the sattva guna was very powerful, Therefore there were no Asadāgamas. But in the Kāli age learned folk conceal Thee (from the people), And adore those Devas imagined by them (to be objects of worship)? 1 According to Nilakantha, Brāhmanas. 2 Literally, "said by themselves" (svoktägamaih)—that is, as Nīlakantha says, purushapranītāgamaih (or Āgamas composed by men and not revealed by Shiva). 2 Vishnu and Shiva who are themselves only the children of the, Mother, and as much creatures, though of the highest kind, as others are. ** 7 4 The first and best of the four ages : Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali, the commonly supposed present age. In the second virtue (dharmma) decreased by a quarter in the second by a half, and in the present or Kālī age only a quarter of dharmma remains. 5. The gund, which manifests on the moral plane as goodness. 8 Literally, “bad Agama,” a name applied by some to the Tantra of the downward current (arddharetas), but here has a general significance to all Shāstra, whether Tantra or otherwise, of a dualistic character (asachchhāstrāni). Tūryye yuge bhavati chātibalang gunasya, Turyyasyatena mathitānyasadāgamäni tuang, Gopayanti nipunāk kavayah kalauvai Tatkalpitān suraganā napi sangstuvanti. Imagined by them” (tatkalpitan). This does not mean that the Devas do not exist. Hari, Hara, Isha, Ganesha, Bhaskara, and others have been mentioned in previous verses. The verse is stutivāda, in which that which is its direct object, is dealt with to the exclusion of all others. What is meant is that She alone is to be worshipped and not any other. Kalpanā is to mistake one thing for another. Thus the world is taken (kalpita) to be real when the Brahman alone is so. And so, too, mother-of-pearl is mistaken for silver (shuktirajatakalpanā), or a rope for a snake (rajjusarpakalpanā) ; so people take the Devas to be the ultimate object of worship when it is only the Devi whose manifestations they are, who is such.

·156 JAGADAMBIKA 26 Munis, in whom the sattva guna' is very pure, Meditate upon Thee, Who art the giver on earth of the fruit of liberation, Who art perfect in yoga and the supreme knowledge. Such never again suffer pain in the womb of a mother. 4 They are only praiseworthy who are absorbed in Thee. 27 Chitshakti is in Paramātmā, Therefore also it is manifested in the world, Wherein it is known as the cause of its creation, main. tenance, and destruction.? Who else in this world without Thee and of his own power Is able to create, move, and destroy 28 28 O Mother of the world! Can the Tattvas, º deprived of Chit,10 create the world ? They are lifeless things. 11 1 Sages. 2 See Introduction. 3 Yogasiddhām. The manifested Devi as Umā was a great yogini. 4 Are never reborn. According to Hindu ideas the child suffers great pain and misery in the womb of its mother, the remembrance of which is lost on its birth to the world. 5 That is, chaitanya (Nīlakantha). See the Sangkshepashārīraka. 6 In name and form (nāmarupātmaka). 7 Bhavakrityakartā. Literally, performer of worldly action” that is, those stated. For, according to Vedānta and Nyāya, it works therein by its Shakti, though in Sankhya the Purusha is merely an enjoyer, spectator, and witness (bhoktā, drashtā, sākshi). 8 Cf. Dakshinamurtisanghitā. 9 The twenty-four beginning with Mahat. 10 Vide ante. Jarāni : mere matter but for the informing life of the Goddess.

·JAGADAMBIKA 157 O Devil can the indriyas," with their objects and functions, Bear fruit without Thee ? 29 O Mother! had you not as Svāhā3 been the cause thereof. Even the Devas could not have obtained their enjoined own portion, Offered in sacrificial rites by Munis. 4 Therefore Thou maintainest the whole world.5 30 By Thee all this universe was in the beginning of things created ; Thou protecteth the Regents of the Quarters among whom Hari and Hara are foremost. At the dissolution of things Thou devourest the whole universe. That which has been done by Thee from the creation Even Devaso know not. What, then, shall we say of unfortunate men ? senses 1 The so-called of knowledge (Inānendriya), viz. : Chaksu (eye), Shrota (ear), ghrāna (smell), rasanā (tongue), tvak (skin) and of action (karmendriya); viz., Vak (speech), pani (hand), pada (feet), pāyu (anus), upastha (genitals). 2 Indriyānigunakarmayutāni. Thus, form (rupa) is the guna or object (vishaya) of the eye, and darshana (or seeing), its function (karna). 3. The Mantra used in Agnikriyā and wife of Agni. 4 If the Mantra Svāhā, which is the Devī, be not said, then the Devas get nothing from the homa. Their Shastric portion they obtain by virtue only of the Devī as Svāhā, the cause thereof. 5 The Devi protects the Devas, and if the Devas are maintained, then the whole world is maintained, as the Devas are Her agents in the maintenance thereof. 6 Manuſā, which here, according to Nīla kantha, includes Devas.

·158
JAGADAMBIKA
31
1
O Mother ! Thou hast by slaying the greatly formidable
Asura,
Who assumed the form of a buffalo,
Protected the Devas.
Even the Vedas know Thee not as Thou really art.2
Small of intellect as we are how can we praise Thee ?
32
O Mother ! Thou hast accomplished a great work
In destroying this wicked foe of ours,
A thorn painful beyond all thought
(In the side of) the whole world.
Thy fame will spread throughout the whole universe.
Do Thou, whose power is known to be incomparable,
By Thy mercy protect us.
3
1 The Demon Mahisha.
2 Gatingtava yathārthatapā na jagmah.
3 The hymn concluding, Devibhāgavata continues, Vyāsa said :
Devi, thus praised, said in soft, sweet voice, Oh, best of Devas,
tell Me what other thing most difficult and hard to accomplish you
would have Me do ?'
66

·ANNAPURNĀ (ANNAPURNASTOTRA) By SHANGKARACHÄRYYA porno O MOTHER ANNAPURNĀ !! Ishvari, who ever bestoweth happiness, Granting gifts and dispelling fear. O mine of gems of beauty, Who washeth away all sin, Who giveth purity to Thy devotees, Who purifieth the mountain range, Which is undestroyed even at the time of dissolution," Presiding Deity of Kāshĩ,5 Maheshvari in every truth, O vessel of mercy ! grant me aid. 3 2 O Thou who hast clothed Thyself in cloth of gold, Decked with ornaments made of many and varied gems, Whose breasts rounded like a water-jar,? Are resplendent with their necklace of pearls, Whose beauty is enhanced by the fragrance of the Kashmir aloe. 1 The name of the Devi, the "bountiful Lady" who gives food and presides over Kāshi, the Holy City of Benares. 2 Feminine of Ishvara or Lord. 3 The Himālaya purified by the presence of the Devī, who there incarnated as Pārvvatī, daughter of Himavat, the Mountain-King. Pralaya, the destruction of the world. 5 Benares (see note 1). 8 Great Ishvari (see note 2). 7 Baxshojakumbhāntarī. 159 Cashmir alice ·160 ANNAPURNA O Devi! who presidest over the city of Kāshi, O Mother Annapurna Ishvarī, O vessel of mercy, grant me aid ! 3 O giver of the bliss of Yoga, Destructress of enemies, 4 Inspirer of devotion to dharmma and artha,5 Who art lustrous as the light waves of sun, moon, and fire, Protectress of the three worlds 6 Giver of all dominion and all desires, Presiding Devī over the city of Kāshi, O vessel of mercy, grant me aid ! 8 Thou who maketh Thy dwelling in the cave of Mount Kailāsa, Who art Gauri, Umā,lo and Shankari, 11 Kaumārī, 12 tuan 1 Benares (see note I, p. 159). 2 Feminine of Ishvara or Lord. 3 Union of the human (jivātmā) with the supreme (paramātmā) soul effected through the practice of Yoga. 4. That is, sin. 5 Two of the fourfold aims (Chaturvarga) of sentient being-viz., dharmma (religion duty, etc.), artha (wealth, wherewith life is sustained and religious sacrifices are effected), Kāma (desire which prompts great achievements and fulfilment), and moksha or liberation. & That is, Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah, the terrestrial atmospheric and the heavenly spheres. 7 Aishvaryya (lordship). 8 The sacred mount and paradise of Shiva esoterically the Sahasrara whereto as Kundalini She repairs. 9 The daughter of Guru, the King of mountains (see p. 67, note 5). Gauri also means fair. 10 A name of the Devī. When of the age of sixteen she practised great austerities that She might be the Spouse of Shiva, upon which Her mother, endeavouring to persuade Her, said, U (“Oh”), mā ("not "). As it is said by Kālidāsa in the first Canto of the Kumārasambhavam : “Umetimātrātapasonishiddhāpaschādumākhyāng sumukhījagāma.” (“ By the words U, Mā, She was thus forbidden by Her mother to practice austerity, thereafter the pure Umā obtained Her name."'). Umā is Kumārī, who has renounced all attachment, and is devoted to Her Lord. A sutya runs, Ichchhāshaktih Umā kumāri” (The energy > 6.6 ·ANNAPURNĀ TOT Who giveth us power to understand the meaning of Nigama, Thou art the letters of the vīja? Ong, Opener of the panels of the door of liberation, Presiding Devi over the City of Kāshi, O vessel of mercy, grant me aid ! Thou supporteth all beings visible and invisible, Whose belly is the vessel which contains the universe. 1 This term, applied to the Veda generally, means particularly the Tantra in the form in which the Devi is guru and Shiva, sishya As it is said: Nirgato girijā vakträt, Gatascha girisha shrutin, Matascha vasudevasya, Nigama parikathyate. In the Lalitā the Devi is addressed as niſajnarūpā nigama (the nigana ure the expressions of Thy commands). 2 The Tantrik (“seed") mantras, such as Hring, Hùng, Kling, etc. Mantras are classified according to the syllables they contain. 3 The Mahāmantra Om, composed of A+u+m, coalesced by sandhi into Om. The three varnas signify the three menībers of the Trimurti, Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva, who, as the Rudrayāmala says, are born of the Pranava (Om), and though in appearance three are yet one (ekamurtistrayo devāh). From the Pranava: all Devas, Vedas, sun, inoon, and all being comes by the power of Devī, the supreme Shakti. 4 Moksha, or unity with the supreme, and therefore libera tion from rebirth in the phenomenal world. 5 Brahmandabhāndodari. The Brahmānda (universe) is the dane egg" of Brahmā. 24 mun- Notes continued from previous page of will is Umā the unmarried). The Commentary on this sutra, cited by Bhāskararāya, says: ** The eternal state is his whose mind has ascended the degrees of yoga called vismaya, and who realizes, the supreme Bhairavata (an aspect of Shiva). That Yogi obtains at length the Ichchhäshakti called the Supreme Queen (Parābhattāvika) known also as Kumāri.' 11 Name of the Devī as Spouse of Shankara, the benefactor, 12 Name of the Devi as one of the ashtanāyikā and Spouse of Deva. Kārtikeya.

·162 ANNAPURNA Thou discloseth the subject of the drama of Thy own play, And art the fount of the light of wisdom, Pleasing the mind of the Lord of the universe, Presiding Devi over the City of Kāshi, O vessel of mercy, grant me aid ! 6 Ishvarī of all men on earth, The waves of Thy blue-black hair look (beautiful) like plaits. Ishvarī who ever giveth food, Bestower of happiness to all, who advanceth all people, Presiding Devi over the City of Kāshi, Ovessel of mercy, grant me aid ! 7 Thou givest all instruction onwards from the time of initiation, And art the cause of the threefold manifestation of Shambhu.2 Scented with the Kāshmir aloe, Thou art the Ishvari of the three regions.” Thou art triple waved, 4 And the night of dissolution. Thou art the cause of all lasting things, And fulfiller of the desires of those who desire. It is Thou who maketh the greatness of peoples. Presiding Devi over the City of Kāshī, O vessel of mercy, grant me aid ! 1 Dikshā, through which each Hindu passes by reception of his martya. It is said sometinies that initiation is the third birth, the first being that from the mother, the second is upanayana (investiture with sacred thread), and the third is initiation. The Tantras speak of thirty-two Dikshās, from Sudhavidyā to Anuttara. 2 That is, as creator, maintainer, and destroyer. 3 Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah (see p. 70, note 5). 4 For She flows in the form of the three sacred rivers : Gangā, Yamunā, and Sarasvati.

·ANNAPURNA 163 8 Thou, Devi, art adorned with all various kinds of gems, Daughter of Daksha, Beautiful, pleasing the world, With the sweet milk of Thy left breast.? Thou art Maheshvarī, for Thou givest prosperity to all, For Thou givest welfare, And fulfillest the desires of your devotees. Presiding Devi over the City of Benares, O vessel of mercy, grant me aid ! 9 Thou art She who shinest with the brilliance of millions of suns, moons, and fires, Whose earrings are brilliant as the sun, moon, and fire, Who art the cause of the colour of both sun and moon, Who holdeth a rosary, a book, 4 a noose, and a goad.” Presiding Devi over the City of Benares, O vessel of mercy, grant me aid ! 6 8 10 Protectress of Kshatriyas, Great dispeller of all fear, Mother, who art an ocean of mercy, In very truth the ever auspicious giver of salvation, The cause of the beauty of Vishveshvara,? It was Thou who made Daksha to weep. 1 The father of Satī, a manifestation of Devī, who, dying at the Dakshayajna, reappeared as Pārvatī. 2 Because Ganesha and Kārtikeya, Her children, suck Her right breast. 3 Malā. 4 Pustaka, which is also known as the Vidyāmudrā. 5 See p. 28, note 9. 6 The warrior caste. 7 Lord of the universe. 8 When his fajna was destroyed by Her husband Shiva. There are two Dakshas-Prajāpati, and a human king, an incarnation of the former. Though Shiva destroyed the sacrifice, Devi was the instrument. The Lalitā, verse 120, addresses the Deví both as Dākshāyani (daughter of Daksha) and Dakshayajnavināsini (destrover of the sacrifice of Daksha).

·164
Who art dear to
ANNAPURNA
Remover of all ills,
Presiding Devi over the City of Benares,
O vessel of mercy, grant me aid !
11
O Annapurnā ! who art ever full (of bounty),
O Pārvvatī, give me aid !
1
12
My mother is Devī Pārvvati,
My father is Deva Maheshvara, 2
My friends and relatives are those who are devoted to
Shiva,
And the three regions are my fatherland.
1 Shiva.
2 Ibid.
3 See p. 70, note 5.

·GANGA (GANGASTOTRAM) BY VÄLMIKI1 fansel 3 O MOTHER GANGA! Co-wife with the daughter of Himālaya, Thou art the necklace on the dress of the Earth, And the banner staff whereby one ascends to Heaven. O Bhāgirathi ! I pray to Thee. May my body perish after it has lived on Thy banks, After it has drunk Thy pure water And swung on Thy waves. And has remembered Thy name and cast looks on Thee. 2 O Mother Gangā ! O deliverer from Hell ! Even a bird living in the hollow of a tree growing on Thy bank, Even a fish or a tortoise living in Thy waters Are greater than a King worshipped by his enemies' wives, Made afraid by the sound of the bells on the necks of his maddened elephants. 1 From the Vrihatstotraratnākara, edited by Jagannātha Mehta (Benares). 2 Sapatnī. Pārvvati, the daughter of Himalaya, is one wife and Gangā the other. 3 The stream is compared to a necklace of pearls on the dress of a man or woman. 4 So named as having been called down by Bhagiratha. Vide ante, p. 125, note 5. 5 When the bells are rubbed against the necks of the elephants. The picture is one of victory, pomp, and beauty. 165 ·O wanderer in the three regions !5 166 GANGA 3 Not even a bull or a bird or a horse, Nor a serpent nor an elephant, Suffer the pains of rebirth and redeath If they live at Kāshi on Thy holy banks. Better off are they than even a Rājā living else where, Fanned though he be with the chourisof courtezans, Whose ever moving golden wristlets sweetly tinkle. 4 O our Supreme Lady Bhāgirathĩ !* When shall it be that I shall be fanned By the hands of heavenly women with their beautiful chouris ? ? When, too, shall I be happy enough to see my body Pecked by crows, devoured by dogs, drawn along the eaith by jackals, Carried by Thy currents, tossed upon Thy banks, And borne by Thy waters to and fro ? May the daughter of Jahnu? be ever victorious and protect us, She who is like the fresh fibrous stem of the lotus-like feet of Vishnu, Like a garland of jasmine flowers on the head of Shiva, 1 Benares. 2 Whisks made of yak tails. 3 Vārastri. 4 See p. 165, note 4. 5 See p. 70, note 5. 6 Divyastrī. 7 See p. 125, note 5. 8 Gangā was born from the feet of Vishnu. 9 Mälati. Gangā, on Her fall froin Heaven, touched the head of Shiva. There Her white encircling stream is compared to a wreath.

·GANGA 167 Like the banner of victory of Lakshmi presiding over liberation, She? who cleanses us of the stain of sin arising from the Kaliyuga.? 6 May Thy sacred water be pure for my daily bathing, Thy water covered with leaves of palm and tamāla, Of Sala' and pine, with all their creepers On which play no rays of the Sun.4 White and brilliant, like the conch, the Moon, and the water-lily, Stirred by the rising breasts of the wives of the Gandharvas, Devas, Siddhas, and Kinnaras,5 What time they bathe therein. 7 May the water of Gangā, who ever charms, sanctify us ; She who has fallen from the feet of the enemy of Mura, A Who wanders upon the head of the enemy of Tripura,? The Destructress of sins. 8 May the auspicious water of Gangā ever purify us ; The Destructress of sins, the great enemy of sins, Adorned with waves, wandering in the mountains, Piercing through the caverns of the Lord of mountains With roaring sounds. Stealer of the dust from the feet of Lord Hari.9 1 That is, Gangā. 2 The fourth and worst of the ages. 3 Names of trees. The reference to pine and palm show the descent of the stream from the Himālaya to the plains of Bengal. 4 In the caverns of the Himālaya. 5 Classes of minor divinities or Devayoni. 6 That is, Shrikrishna (Vishnu), who slew the Daitya Mura. ? That is, Shiva, who conquered the three cities made of gold, silver, and iron of the three Asuras Kamalāksha, Tārakāksha, and Vidyunmāli respectively. 8 Himālaya. 9 Vishnu, from whose feet She was born.

·168
GANGA
Whosoever at early dawn,
Having cleansed his body
And purified his mind
Of all uncleanliness arising from the sinful Kaliyuga,
Reads this hymn to Gangā composed of eight verses,
Shall never fall into the ocean of the world again,
But shall attain liberation.
1 Vide ante, p. 155, note 4.

·MAHALAKSHMI (MAHALAKSHMĪSTOTRA) BY INDRA1 INDRA said: 1 O Mahālakshmi ! I salute Thee, Thou art Mahāmayāề and Shrīpitha. Worshipped art Thou by Devas, Holder of conch, disc, and mace.4 O Mahālakshmi! I salute Thee. 2 O Mahālakshmi ! I salute Thee. Mounted art Thou on the back of Garuda. Thou art a terror most formidable to Asura Kola. Thou removeth all sins. O Devi Mahālakshmīl obeisance to Thee. 3 0 Mahālakshmi ! Thou knowest all. Giver of boons art Thou to all ; Formidable terror to the wicked; Remover of all pain and sorrow. O Devī! salutation to Thee. 1 From the Vrihatstotraratnākara, edited by Jagannātha Mehta (Benares). 2 She who is both the Authoress and Victrix of Māyā (delusion), the supreme Shakti. 3 Abode of wealth and beauty. 4 The implements held by Vishnu Her Spouse. 5 The bird king carrier (vāhana) of Vishnu. 169 ·Thou art the giver of intelligence and success, 170 MAHALAKSHMI 4 O Devi Mahālakshmi! And of both worldly enjoyment and liberation. Thou art the self of Mantra.1 O Mahālakshmi! obeisance to Thee. Thou art without beginning or end, O Supreme Devī Mahālakshmi! Thou art the primeval power, And art born of yoga. O Mahālakshmi! salutation to Thee. 6 Thou art both gross and subtle, 2 Thou art terrible and a great power, Great-bellied art Thou.3 Thou removeth all great sins. O Mahālakshmi ! obeisance to Thee. 7 O Devī Mahālakshmī! Thou art the supreme Brahman, The ever-pervading Atman. Thou art the great Lord And Mother of the world. O Mahalakshmi ! salutation to Thee. O Devi clad in white raiment, Adorned with varied gems. Mother and upholder of the world art Thou. O Mahālakshmil obeisance to Thee. 1 Manträtmikā (see Introduction), 2 See Introduction. 3 Mahodari, for all things are in Her. 4 Maheshvarī. 5 Lakshmi is generally clad in red and Sarasvati in white, but the Supreme Shakti has all the attributes and qualities of the rest.

·MAHALAKSHMI
I7Y
9
The Sadhaka- who ever reads this hymn to Mahālakshmi,
Composed of eight verses,
Attains a kingdom and all success.
10
Whosoever reads this hymn once a day
Is freed from sin.
He who reads it twice a day
Has ever abundance of paddy and wealth.
11
Whosoever reads this hymn thrice a day,
All his great enemies perish;
Mahālakshmi ever bestows Her grace on him,
Grants him all boons,
And does him all good.
1 Worshipper. See Introduction, Mahānirvāna Tantra, sub voc.
2 Here follows the phala portion of the stotra.
3 When pūjā is done to Lakshmi, the Miarti (Lakshmivkānta) is
placed on paddy, which is kept in the Thakurghur for a whole year,
and then thrown into the Ganges.

·TRIPUTA? (TRIPUTASTOTRAM) FROM THE TANTRASĀRA 2 1 I CONTEMPLATE the good Guru who is Light Itself,3 Sitting with his Shakti4 In the lotus of the head, Two-armed, gracious, very gracious, Whose moon-like face is full of grace, Making with his hands the gestures which grant boons and dispel fear. 2 Such as recite7 thy primordial golden vīja SHRING, 8 Attain all prosperity and fortune. Triputā and Tripurā are separate Devis, but the former is antargata of Tripurā--that is, forms part, is included in, and a particular manifestation of Tripurā. In the same way the Devis Ekajatā, Nilasaras. vati, Ugratārā, Mahogrā, are each antargatā of Tārā. 2 Tantrasära, P. 571. 3 Prakāshasvarūpa. Prakasha is light and manifestation. Spouse. 5. That is, the Sahasrārapadma. 6 That is he is making the two mudrās called vara and abhaya respectively. 7 Literally, "make japa” (see p. 96, note 4). 8 As is frequently the case in Tāntrik works, the mantra is not given in the text, but must be spelt out. Thus the Sanskrit is vakanzvahnisangsthang trimurtya prajushtang shashānkenayuktanam-that is, “vakam with vahni attended by trimurti, combined with shashāngka.”; Vakam="sh” (tālavya). Vahni is the fire." “r;" trimurti long vowel ī, and shashāngka, the moon in “whose lap is the hare," or man in the moon"="ng" (anusvāra). Sh+r+ing= shring, the Lakshmīvīja (see the Adyākalistotra of Mahānirvāna Tantra, P. 54, ante). 172 the ·TRIPUTA 173 3 O Mother! He who contemplates Thy second vīja, Adored by numbers of Devas, HRING, Gains all prosperity. 4 The chiefs of men who meditate upon Thy vīja, Lustrous as the sun, “ KLING,"2 Charm the three worlds, And by recitation thereof become like unto Ishvara. O beloved of the enemy of Smara !3 Those who contemplate Thy body thrice and recite these three vijase 1 Literally, Nabhovahni (not vāyu, as the text has it, for the vāyu vīja is yang); mishram (not mitram as Prasanna Kumāra Shāstrī's edition has it) ; tatovämanetran sudha dhāmavimbam niyojyaikāvakiram-that is, nabhas combined with vahni, and then rāmanetra and the receptacle of nectar (the moon) applicable in the case of Ekavaktra. Nabhas="ha" or bha" (here the former), vahni="ya," vāmanetra =long i, and the moon is anusvāra ("ng"). H+r+1+ng= Hring, known as the māyā vīja. Then the shloka more clearly points to the vīja meant by saying it is that applicable to Ekavaktra. The latter is the Bhairava of Bagalāmukhi, whose vīja is also Hring. 2 Literally, Vīrinching kshitisthang tatovänanetrain vidhung nādayuktam-that is, virinchi, kshiti and vamanetra, together with the moon combined with nāda. Virinchi="ka," kshiti =" La,'. vāmanetra=long in the moon= ng" (anusvāra). K+1+1+ng Kling. The three elements of the mantra are given-viz., Shring, Hring, Kling—but the actual vīja of Triputā is Shring, Hring, Kling, Hring, Shring, Kling, Kling, Shring, Hring. 3 The Deva of love (Kāma), of whom Shiva is described as the enemy, for he burnt him with the fire of his eye (see p. 39, note 3). Anga. Literally, make japa. Thrice," as follows Shring, Hring, Klang, Hring, Shring, Kling, Kling, Shring, Hring." 6 See last note. 47 4 ·174 TRIPUTA Render their enemies speechless, Lakshmi shines in their house, And they become the God of Love to women, 6 The presiding Devatā of Speech Blesses their mouth with poetry and prose. Harmful animals cause them no harm, Even the Suras? salute them. Their feet are the head ornaments of kings, The siddhist are in their hands, Malignant stars relinquish them. 3 7 Let the Sadhaka meditate upon an eight-petalled lotus Set upon a throne studded with various gems, Placed upon an altar Standing on the floor of a jewelled house Amidst a forest of Pārijāta trees. 8 Let him then meditate upon two angles in the lotus, And the Devī Herself in the lotus as follows: Her lustre is that of molten gold, With earrings on her ears, Three-eyed, of beauteous throat, Her face like the moon, And bending from the weight of Her breasts. 1. The beautiful youth Kāma. Cf. Verse s of Karparādistotra. 2 The Devas. 3 That is, he sets his feet on the heads of kings. The great powers, animā, laghimā, etc. (see p. 16, note 3). 5. The heart lotus (not anāhata) in which the Ishta dovata is worshipped. 6. One of the celestial trees (see p. 63, note 6.) 7 Yoni. There are five yonis or shakti angles in the Shrīchakra. 8 Kundala. 9 Subakshojanamıām.

·TRIPUTĀ 175 9 She holds in many arms, decked with diamonds and other gems, Two lotuses, a noose, bow, golden goad,? and flowery arrows Her body is adorned with great jewels, Slender is She of waist- and beautifully girdled.5 10 Her lotus feet glitter with beautiful anklets, 6 Crowned, adorned, and gracious, Holding two white fly-whisks," a mirror, jewel-case, 8 and a box filled with camphor. 11 Creatrix of the three worlds, Destructress of the pain of the world, Destructress and ruler of the world, Ever full of Bliss, Half of the letter Ha;10 of the nature of the threefold Vindu, 11 1 Pashakani. 2 Angkusha. 3 Pushpavānām (see Comm Lalitā, verse 2). According to the Yoginīhridaya, the noose is Ichchā; the goad, jnāna; and the bow and arrows the kriyā shaktis respectively. 4 Sumadhyān. 5 She wears a chandrahāra, so called because it has a moonlike ornament in its centre. 6 Tulakota. 7 Chāmara or chowrie, the bushy tail of the Chamara (the yak; bos grunniens), used as a fly-whisk or fan, an insignia of royalty, and also used as a streamer on the heads of horses. 8 Karanda-alangkāra pātra. Samudgam, translated in the Bengali as a pār-box with camphor, which is put into pān (betel). 10 Hakārāvddhavarnāng that is, She is Kāmakalā-svarūpā (see Adyākālīstotram, p. 54, and the Kānakalā vilāsa, cited in the Lalitā sahasranāma, verse 73). Another name for Kāmakalāsvarīpā is Kāmapurasvarūpā. The half Ha resembles a vindu, of which there are three-viz., the vindu at the base of the triangle from which the Akatha trikona emanated and the visargah above. See Kalicharana's commentary on the Pădukāpanchakam, edited by A. Avalon. 11 Trivindusvarūpā—there are three such in Kamakalā. 9 ·176 TRIPUTĀ The threefold Shakti, It is Her I worship. The Sadhaka who, having thus for a long time contem plated Her On a yantra- set before him, And welcomed her with great devotion, Worshipping Her with Svayambhu flower4 Attains, even though he be of the lowest siddhi in the chaturvarga.? 13 2 3 Whoever after having done worships Of Shrī, Shrīpati,10 Pārvati, Ishvara,12 Rati, 13 and Kamadeva, 14 Together with the Shadanga Devatās of the Devi, Recites16 the mantra on Thy yantra,17 Becomes a King among men. Ināna, ichchha, and kriyū shaktis of the Devī. Diagram used in Tantrik worship (see p. 94, note 2). With the avāhana mantra-viz., iha agacha iha āgacha, iha tishtha, iha tishtha atra adishthānan kuru mama pujang, grihāna. (“" Come here, come here! Stay here, stay here! Make thy dwelling here ; accept my worship'). 4 See Mātrikābheda Tantra. The word pushpa (flower) has here a technical sense. Pushpashabdena atra rituruchyate. Mātrikābhedatantra pramānānusärena anurāyān kanyāyāh prathama eva rituratra uchyate. Tantrāntaretu vivāhitāyāh eva bālāyāh rituratra vivaks hitah. 5 Pāmara, one who is low or vile, a very contumelious term. 6 Success, perfection, fruition. 7 That is, Dharnia (religion, piety), artha (wealth), Kāma (desire and its fulfilment), and Moksha (liberation). (See Introduction, Mahanirvāna Tantra.) Pūjā. 9 Lakshnī. 10 Vishnu. 11 Devī as daughter of Himavat. 12 Shiva. 13 Spouse of Kāma, the God of Love. 14 The God of Love. 15 That is, the six āvarana or attendant Devatā on the Devi. 16 Makes japa of. 17 See p. 94, note 2.

·(N., N.W., W., S.W TRIPUTĀ 177 Having worshipped the two nidhis, Shankha and Padma, On the two sides of the lotus, And the Mahishis, regents of the quarters, and their weapons, Attains, even though he be of the most vile, the eight siddhis5 of Shiva. Thou art the earth, Vidhātrī,6 creatrix of the world;c Thou art water, and in the form of Vishnu preserveth the world ; Thou art fire, and in the form of Rudra destroyeth the world; Thou existeth in the form of Aishvaryya,? Thou art the air of the world. 1 There are eight gems or treasures (nidha) of Kuvera-viz., padma, mnahapadma, makara, kachchchapa, mukunda, zila, nanda, shankha. The Märkanderya Purāna gives the meaning of nidhi in the following shloka ("* Lakshmi is the presiding Devatā of the vidyā, called Padnini, The nidhis are Her supporters. Listen while I speak of them"): Padminīnānia ya vidyā, Lakshmīstadadhi devata, Tadūdhārāshcha nidhaya, Stan me nivadatah shrinu. 2. That is, the Shaktis Brāhmi, etc. 3 The lokapālas or guardians of the points of the compass N.E., E., S.E., and S. Indra, Yama, Varuna, Kuvera, Vivasvat, Soma, Agni, and Väyu). 4 Pāmara (vide ante, p. 176, note 5). 6 Animā, Laghima, etc. (see p. 16, note 3). 6 Vidhātri=Creatrix; but both the terms Vidhatri and Creatrix of the world are used in the text. 7 The six aishvaryya are Shri (beauty and auspiciousness), Viryya (power), jnāna (wisdom), Vairāgya (dispassion), Kirti (glory), and Māhātmya (greatness). Bhagavan is He who is possessed of these six aishvaryya. All these are in the Devi who is hence called Bhagavati (see Devi Bhāg PI., Shaktirahasya; Bhāskararāya (op.cit., verse 65), and as here, Aishvaryya rūpā.

·178 TRIPUTA 2 Thou art the primeval- and auspicious one, Spouse of Shambhu, refuge (of Thy worshippers). Who ever moves in the Brahmarandhrat of the world The supporter of all, yet Thyself without support. The only pure One in the form of ether.5 O Bhavāni! be gracious to me. Thou hast humbled the pride even of the Rishis By plunging them into the ocean of the world. Thou art intelligence and bliss and light itself. How, then, can I know thee? O Bhavani ! be gracious to me. 18 O Bhavānī! even an ignorant man? Who, meditating on Thy form, recites8 Thy mantra a lak) of times Acquires all poetic power, And those things in the three worlds which are most difficult of attainment. O Bhavāni ! be gracious to me. 19 Thou art that which supports and that which is supported.10 Thou pervadeth the worid, 1 Ādyā. 2 Shive, voc. of Shiva, feminine of Shiva. 3 Shiva. 4 The opening in the top of the head, whence in the case of yogis the soul on death issues. 5 Akashakalpā. 6 Prakāshasvarūpā. 8 Makes japa. 7 Mandacheta. 9 Ādhārashakti. 10 Tvāmādheyarūpā.

·TRIPUTA 179 And art in the form of the world which is pervaded by Thee. Thou art both negation and existence.3 O Bhavāni ! be gracious to me. 20 Thou art the atom* and ever-pervading: 5 Thou art the whole universe. No praise of Thee is sufficient. Yet Thy qualities prompt me to sing Thy praise. O Bhavānī ! be gracious to me. 21 To him who reads and recitese at morn, noon, and evening This most secret hymn, There is nothing impossible in the three worlds. Such an one attains Thy nature.? O Bhavāni ! be gracious to me. 1 J agatvyāpyarūpā. 2 Abhāva, the last of the seven categories of Kanāda's system (Vaisheshika Sūtra). Thus darkness is the abhāva of light. 3 Bhāva. Anu. 5 Vibhu. 6 Makes japa. 7 Svarupan labhante--that is, he attains that form of liberation which is known as svārūpya mukti (receiving the same form as that of the Devatā worshipped). END. BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD.