Śrī Stuti
Śrī Stuti, a 25-verse hymn by Swāmi Vedānta Deśika, glorifies Goddess Śrī (Mahālakṣmī), consort of Nārāyaṇa. It highlights Her boundless compassion, inseparability from Viṣṇu, and role as Puruṣakāra, mediating for devotees. Celebrated for granting both prosperity and liberation, it remains a poetic gem and cornerstone of Śrī Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Focused on translations by Dr. M. Narasiṁhācāry, Addition translation in Purport Phalaśruti (Specific Benefits) of Reciting Each Śloka: Mānātīta, Āvirbhāvaḥ, Stotavyatvam, Yat-saṅkalpāt, Niṣpratyūha, Uddeśyatvam, Paśyantīṣu, Asyeśānā, Tvāmevāhuḥ, Āpannārti, Dhatte Śobhām, Āsaṁsāram, Agre Bhartuḥ, Ālokya Tvām, Ārtatrāṇa, Yogārambha, Śreyaskāmāḥ, Urīkartum, Jātākāṅkṣā, Seve Devi, Sānuprāsa, Sampadyante, Mātā Devi, Kalyāṇānām, Upacita-Gurubhakteḥ
मानातीत प्रथित विभवां मङ्गलं मङ्गलानां
वक्षः पीठीं मधुविजयिनो भूषयन्तीं स्वकान्त्या ।
प्रत्यक्षानुश्रविकमहिमा प्रार्थिनीनां प्रजानां
श्रेयो मूर्तिं श्रियम् अशरणः त्वां शरण्यां प्रपद्ये ॥ १ ॥
mānātīta prathita vibhavāṃ maṅgalaṃ maṅgalānāṃ
vakṣaḥ pīṭhīṃ madhuvijayino bhūṣayantīṃ svakāntyā ।
pratyakṣānuśravika-mahimā prārthinīnāṃ prajānāṃ
śreyo mūrtiṃ śriyam aśaraṇaḥ tvāṃ śaraṇyāṃ prapadye ॥ 1 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Adiyen (Your servant) performs prapatti (complete surrender) to Mahā Lakṣmī (the refuge for all beings of the world / sarvaloka śaraṇyā) as one who has no other refuge. She is the Mistress of the widely spread and limitless aiśvarya (sovereignty, wealth). She is the maṅgala (auspiciousness) of all maṅgala vastu (auspicious objects) and tattva (principles, realities). She is the embodiment of all maṅgala (auspiciousness). She adorns the chest of Her Lord with Her divine and incomparable jyoti (radiance, effulgence). She is Vara Lakṣmī (boon-granting Lakṣmī) for all who are eager to gain Her anugraha (grace, blessing) both in this and the other world.
PURPORT
Essential Message of this ślokam: The key passage in this ślokam is “śreyo mūrtiṃ śaraṇyāṃ śriyam tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye". Even more condensed version of this prayer is "śaraṇyāṃ tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye”. This is the classical Puruṣakāra Prapatti, where we perform our Prapatti to the Divine Mother as practised by Ācārya Rāmānuja in His Śaraṇāgati Gadyam at the beginning. She is the embodiment of śreyas (“nanmaye vaḍivu koṇḍavaḷ”). She is "śaraṇyā”, One who protects unfailingly those, who seek Her protection.
The Six definitions of Sri Devi's names: The śreyas (maṅgalams) that She confers come under six broad categories as indicated by Her name: Śrī Devī (Śriyam: One who has the name of Śrī). These Six aspects of Śrī śabdam (śrīyate, śrayate, śṛṇoti, śrāvayati, śṛṇāti and śrīṇāti) stated in a different way are:
1. She is attained by those who wish to be redeemed and uplifted.
2. She approaches Her Lord Herself for that purpose. She pleads with Him.
3. She out of Her compassion listens to the appeal by cetanams to protect them.
4. She invites the attention of Her Lord about the plight of the jīvans and appeals to Him to overlook their multitudinous trespasses.
5. She chases away the prāpti virodhis that stand in the way of the fulfilment of śaraṇāgati.
6. She brings to perfection the ātmā guṇams of those, who seek Her rakṣaṇam.
Swāmy Deśikan has all of us, the helpless beings in mind, when he invokes the word of “aśaraṇaḥ” (puhal oṉṟum illātavan), one without any protector and recourse. In that state of ananyagatitvam, Swāmy Deśikan performs his Prapatti and shows us the way (tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye).
Seven Salutations associated with Swamy Desikan's Prapatti: Rest of the First ślokam celebrates some of Her many vaibhavams and can be split and enjoyed along this way:
1. Mānātīta-vibhavāṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Māna means limit or boundary. “Mānātīta” means then limitless or having no boundary or finiteness. It is infinite. This limitless kīrti (Fame) of Her auspicious guṇams is very well known (prathitam). It is not like a lamp, whose lustre is hidden by a lampshade. It is like a jyoti on top of a hill and is recognized and saluted from everywhere and by every one of Her bhaktas. She is of that caliber of "prathita vibhavā" (well known glories). She is “Nityā Puṣṭai” (She is the abode of all īśvaryams, maṅgala vastus and ātmā guṇams) She is “anugrahaparā” (one who has the inherent nature of showering Her anugrahams). She is “dharma nilayā" (abode of all righteousness, dharmams). She is loka śoka vināśinī (destroyer of the sorrows of the world) and most of all; She is Hari Vallabhā (very dear to Her Lord, Śrīman Nārāyaṇan).
2. Maṅgalānāṃ maṅgalaṃ tvāṃ prapadye: She is the root cause of the maṅgalam (auspiciousness) in all maṅgala vastus. They become auspicious and desirable because of Her conferral of auspiciousness on them. Their acquiring the status as maṅgala vastus is solely due to Her vaibhavam.
3. Madhuvijayinaḥ vakṣaḥ pīṭhīṃ svakāntyā bhūṣayantīṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Swāmy Deśikan now has the vision of His upāsana Mūrti, Śrī Lakṣmī Hayagrīva. He visualizes Śrī Devī on His auspicious chest (madhuvijayinaḥ vakṣasthala pīṭham) seated on Her lotus throne. Lord's sacred chest itself becomes the house of residence for Her. There She is radiant with Her svayam jyoti and adorns that seat of residence. Madhuvijayan is Lord Hayagrīva, who won over and destroyed the asura by the name Madhu. Śrī Hayagrīva becomes Lakṣmī Hayagrīva, when Śrī Devī chooses His broad chest as Her seat for eternal residence. She illumines that chest region and all around with Her svayam prakāśam and adorns it.
4. Pratyakṣa-ānuśravika-mahimā-prārthinīnāṃ prajānāṃ śreyomūrtiṃ tvāṃ prapadye: Some of Her prajais (Her children) pray for different kinds of wealth of this world (pratyakṣa mahimā): children, dhānyam, dhanam, cattle, house et al to enjoy here. There are a select few, who discard the worldly wealth and seek from You the superior phalans of the other world (svargam et al) topped by the parama puruṣārtham of mokṣa sukham. These categories of sādhakas seek from You "ānuśravika mahimāṃ prārthayante". You grant the kinds of “sukham” that cetanams seek in this world as well as in the other. As Vasudhāriṇī, the holder of all kinds of wealth, You grant them the boons they seek. You are Vara Lakṣmī. You grant from transient worldly wealth to imperishable (śāśvatam) mokṣam (apunarjanmam and nitya kaimkaryam in Your Śrī Vaikuṇṭham). Such is Your glory and that is why adiyēn performs this Prapatti to You.
5. Śreyo mūrtiṃ śaraṇyāṃ tvāṃ prapadye: adiyēn performs prapatti to You, who is the embodiment of all auspiciousness (śreyo mūrti) and who is śaraṇāgata rakṣakī (one who has vowed to join with Your Lord to offer protection to those, who perform śaraṇāgati unto You).
6. Śriyam tvāṃ prapadye: Here Swāmy Deśikan invokes the power of Dvaya Mantram. Śrī Praśna Saṃhitā reveals that Śrīḥ is the First letter (prathamākṣaram) and makāram (the letter M) is the dvitīyākṣaram; together they form "Śriyam”. Dvaya Mantram has 25 akṣaras and its deep meanings are commented on by Pādma Saṃhitā. Swāmy Deśikan structured Śrī Stuti with 25 ślokams in remembrance of those 25 akṣaras. This dvaya mantram is upāya-upeya rūpa artha dvayam with 25 akṣaras. In Śrīmad Rāmāyaṇam, Lakṣmaṇa known for His kaimkarya Śrī invokes the dvaya mantrārtham, when He says: “bhavāṃstu saha vaidehyā ----aha, sarvaṃ kariṣyāmi jāgrataḥ svapataśca te" (adiyēn will perform kaimkaryams to You united with Sītā Pirāṭṭi at all times). That is the mantra prabhāvam of dvayam with Śrī śabdam and Swāmy Deśikan hints at that Prapatti aimed at divya dampatis through his Prapatti. Swāmy Deśikan also reflects on ākāra traya sampannā, Śrī Devī and and addresses his Prapatti to Her as “Śriyam prapadye”. He thinks of the upadeśam of Aruḷāḷa Perumāḷ Emperumānār here: Ākāriṇastu vijñānam ākāra-jñāna pūrvakam tenākāraṃ śriyam jñātvā jñātavyo bhagavān hariḥ. Meaning: The vaibhavam / viśeṣaṇam / uniqueness has to be understood FIRST before knowing the object. For understanding Bhagavān, His pradhāna viśeṣaṇam (top most viśeṣaṇam / qualifying attribute), Śrī Devī, has to be understood first. Only after that, one has to get to know Bhagavān.
7. Tvām aśaraṇaḥ prapadye: adiyēn without any other gati seeks You as protection and perform my Prapatti. The pramāṇams to remember in the context of ananya śaraṇan, ananya gati are found in many stotrams. They are addressed to Śrīman Nārāyaṇan and could be readily extended to Śrī Devī as well because of their anyonya śeṣitvam: (1) Ahirbudhnya Saṃhitā (37.30)/Lord Śiva's declaration: ahaṃ aparādhānāmālayo'kiñcanaśca anogatiḥ. Meaning: I am the abode of all aparādhams / transgressions. I do not have the means to protect myself; I am in a state, where I am in need of any vastu other than You for my rakṣaṇam. (2) Swāmy Āḷavandār's famous śaraṇāgati in Stotra Ratnam: akiñcano'nanyagatiḥ śaraṇya! tvatpādamūlaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye. Meaning of the total ślokam: adiyēn has not practised Karma Yogam; neither jñāna or Bhakti Yogams. Oh śaraṇyā! adiyēn reaches Your sacred feet as the object of protection in adiyēn's state as one without any other means as akiñcanan without any other vastu to attain as prāpyam. (3) Jithantā Stotram: 2.15: akiñcano'nanyagatiḥ śaraṇya! gṛhāṇa māṃ kleśinam ambujākṣa! Oh Sarva loka śaraṇyā! adiyēn is a helpless akiñcanan. adiyēn has no other means except Your pādakamalam as refuge. Oh Lotus-eyed one! Please hold this worried one agitated by sāṃsāric fears! (4) Swāmy Nammāḻvār's śaraṇāgati (Tiruvāymoḻi: 6.10.10): ‘puhal oṉṟumillā adiyēn uṉṉaṭikkīḻ amarntu pukuntēṉē’. adiyēn with no rakṣakan (protector) and upāyam have taken the refuge of Your sacred feet. Ākiñcanyam is the inability to practise Bhakti Yogam with the two other yogams, which will assist them (Karma and jñāna yogams). ananyagatitvam is inability to seek other upāyams for protection or disinterest in seeking phalans other than mokṣam and not trusting anyone other than the yeka-śeṣitva divya dampatis for mokṣam.
आविर्भावः कलशजलधावध्वरे वाऽपि यस्याः
स्थानं यस्याः सरसिजवनं विष्णुवक्षःस्थलं वा ।
भूमा यस्या भुवनमखिलं देवि दिव्यं पदं वा
स्तोकप्रज्ञैरनवधिगुणा स्तूयसे सा कथं त्वाम् ॥ २ ॥
āvirbhāvaḥ kalaśa-jaladhāvadhvare vā'pi yasyāḥ
sthānaṃ yasyāḥ sarasijavanaṃ viṣṇuvakṣaḥ-sthalaṃ vā ।
bhūmā yasyā bhuvanamakhilaṃ devi divyaṃ padaṃ vā
stoka-prajñairanavadhi-guṇā stūyase sā kathaṃ tvām ॥ 2 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
O Mother Perum Devī! The places of Your avatāra are the Milky Ocean and the yāgaśālā (sacrificial hall) of Janaka Ṛṣi. Your places of residence are the lotus ponds and Your Lord's chest. All the worlds (both Nitya Vibhūti [eternal spiritual realm] and Līlā Vibhūti [material realm]) are Your bhūti (wealth, plenitude). It is therefore impossible to assess the greatness of Your vast aiśvarya; when this is so, how can men of stoka-prajña (limited intellect) attempt to praise Your anavadhi-guṇa (limitless qualities)? It is, of course, impossible.
PURPORT
(2) Swāmy Deśikan's line of logic is: “Oh Perum Devī! I engage in praising You. Is it proper for me to evaluate Your vaibhavams? How lofty is Your place of birth How lofty is Your chosen places of residence? How immense is the magnitude of Your wealth? How great are Your auspicious guṇams? How can adiyēn think of coming to terms with them all and venture to sing in praise of Your unlimited vaibhavam? (bhūmā) You took Your avatāram first in the Milky Ocean and then appeared (āvirbhāvam) in the yāgaśālā of King Janaka at Mithilā nagaram. In both these manifestations, You were self-manifest and did not have to endure garbhavāsam like Your husband in Rāma-Kṛṣṇa avatārams. One place of Your residence, the lotus pond, is known for its natural fragrance and purity. The other place of residence of Yours is the sacred chest of Your Lord. There is no one who can claim to have those lofty sthānams (places of residence). All the wealths of this world (Līlā Vibhūti) and the Supreme abode (Nitya Vibhūti / Śrī Vaikuṇṭham) are under Your rulership. Your ananta kalyāṇa guṇams are beyond anyone's grasp. Each of these many guṇams is difficult to comprehend and describe. Thus in every aspect, Your matchless glories defy eulogizing. How can adiyēn of limited intellect attempt to praise adequately Your vaibhavam rooted in Your anavadhi guṇams (limitless auspicious attributes)?
(3) Swāmy Deśikan identifies himself as a “stoka prajñān” or a person of limited intellect. Stoka means little or small. Prajñā means intuitive wisdom or gnosis. It is customary for poets to acknowledge their disqualifications when they engage in stutis about Bhagavān and His Devī, Mahā Lakṣmī. Śrī Kūreśa's hesitancy to praise Śrī Devī because of his self-perceived limitations are housed in his Śrī Stavam, a great devotional hymn of 11 verses. He acknowledges his deficiencies and prays to Śrī Devī to bless him with the intellect to engage in such a task. He approaches Śrī Devī gingerly and seeks the boon of composing a stuti befitting Her glory. In the first ślokam, Kūreśa prays for Her anugraham to engage in eulogizing Her: "svasti śrīḥ diśatāt" (may Śrī Devī confer auspiciousness on me). In the second ślokam, Kūreśa reveals that he has a great wish to eulogize Her, the Mother of all the worlds (he śrīrdevī! samasta loka jananī! tvāṃ stotumīhmahe). Therefore, please bless me with appropriate words to praise You (yuktāṃ bhāratīṃ bhāvaya). Oh Śrī Devī! Please expand my intellect and combine it with deep devotion for You to be successful in this effort of mine (prema pradhānaṃ dhiyaṃ praguṇaya). May Thou make this vācaka kaimkaryam an auspicious experience (bhaktiṃ bandhaya). Please accept me as one of Your own dāsans and make me, who has sought Your protection, happy (āśritam imaṃ janaṃ tāvakaṃ dāsaṃ nandhaya!). In the third ślokam of Śrī Stavam, Kūreśa acknowledges the difficulties of even the Lord of Learning, Śrī Hayagrīva, to expand on Her ananta kalyāṇa guṇams (vācaspatināpi śakyā racanā katham?). Kūreśa implies that even Hayagrīva will experience difficulties in such an effort because His Devī's kīrti and kalyāṇa guṇams are like a vast ocean (amyak satya guṇābhivarṇanaṃ bhruḥ katham?). Those guṇams are not graspable by speech and mind (vācāṃ manasā durgraham). After confessing that Her glories cannot be adequately described by anyone and yet Kūreśa admits that he has an uncontrollable urge to eulogize Her while being fully aware his insufficiencies. In the fifth ślokam of Śrī Stavam, Kūreśa describes his plight: Oh Devī! I am an ignoramus (aham ajñaḥ). Even if I am a lowly one (kṣodīyānapi), even if I have evil buddhi (duṣṭa buddhirapi), even if I have no friendship for You (niḥsnehaḥ api), I will not hesitate to enjoy singing about Your fame and glory and wont fear or be shy about such enjoyment (te kīrtiṃ lihan na ca bibhemi, na ca jihremi). That glory of Yours will not be diminished, spoiled or affected by me, who has no qualifications to speak about You (sā kīrtiḥ tu tāvatā na duṣyet). Kūreśa compares his status to that of a thirsty dog, which licks the waters of the sacred Gaṅgā river to quench its thirst without shyness or fear. Kūreśa observes that the sacredness of Gaṅgā is not diminished even by an iota by the act of the dog (bhāgīrathī śunā līḍhā'pi na duṣyate hi). It is fascinating to study the approaches of KurEsar and Swamy Desikan in expressing their naichciyam (diffidence) over the subject of their disqualifications to engage in the sthuthi of SrI Devi and how they take off after their introductions.
(4) Swāmy Deśikan chooses the word “bhūmā” in this ślokam: “bhūmā yasyā bhuvanam akhilam". Bhūmā is a word with very rich in meaning from a Vedāntic point of view (bhūmādhikaraṇam and bhūmā vidyā of Chāndogya Upaniṣad). Chāndogya Upaniṣad says: “yo vai bhūmā tat sukham"....7.23.1. Meaning of this passage: "He who has plenitude is infinite bliss. There is no happiness in the little. Bhūmā alone or that which has the quality of plenitude is happiness. Bhūmā alone is to be known and realized..." (Dr. NSA Swāmy's translation). Here, Upaniṣad Bhāṣyakārar says: “bhūmā means plentitude but not in numbers. It is the opposite of alpa or little”. It is not about measures or units (itthahayathu, ivvaḷavuḷḷatu) of wealth but it is about the immensity (limitless) auspicious (kalyāṇa) guṇams: "vaipulya guṇotkarṣa rūpaṃ na tu parimāṇa rūpam”. Vaipulyam means abundance. Guṇotkarṣam means celebrated auspicious qualities. It is about the abundant kalyāṇa guṇams of Mother Lakṣmī and Her bhūmā. Śrī Devī is the āśrayam (abode) for this abundance (vaipulyam). She is therefore “vaipulyāśraya dharmi". Such is the glory of Śrī Devī celebrated in the 2nd ślokam of Śrī Stuti. (guṇotkarṣa rūpam and not pariṇāma rūpam).
स्तोतव्यत्वं दिशति भवती देहिभिः स्तूयमाना
तामेव त्वामनितरगतिः स्तोतुमाशंसमानः ।
सिद्धारम्भः सकल भुवन श्लाघनीयो भवेयं
सेवापेक्षा तव चरणयोः श्रेयसे कस्य न स्यात् ॥ ३ ॥
stotavyatvaṃ diśati bhavatī dehibhiḥ stūyamānā
tāmeva tvāmanitaragatiḥ stotumāśaṃsamānaḥ ।
siddhārambhaḥ sakala bhuvana ślāghanīyo bhaveyaṃ
sevāpekṣā tava caraṇayoḥ śreyase kasya na syāt ॥ 3 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
O Śrī Devī! When sentient beings (dehinaḥ, 'embodied souls') praise You with bhakti, the whole world celebrates them for that auspicious act. It is truly You who grant them the glory of being recognized by others for their good intention and the act of praising You.
Āḍiyēṉ (I, your humble servant) has no refuge except You. Āḍiyēṉ is eager to eulogize You, who possess such extraordinary glories (vaibhava). Āḍiyēṉ has no doubt that my efforts will become fruitful. Āḍiyēṉ will attain the glory of being recognized by the people of this world for my stuti (hymn of praise). There is no surprise here. Who indeed would not gain all maṅgala (auspiciousness) when he or she holds on to Your sacred feet and eulogizes You? Therefore, Āḍiyēṉ too will be blessed by You. Even if Āḍiyēṉ does not have the jñāna and śakti to praise You in a befitting manner, the very desire to praise You will give me the strength to complete this effort and shower Āḍiyēṉ with all maṅgala.
PURPORT
1) Bhavatī dehibhiḥ stūyamānā stotavyatvaṃ diśati. Oh Śrī Devī! As the people praise You with steadfastness and bhakti, You bless them in turn to be recognized by others and also be praised by the latter. Oh Śrī Devī! You elevate those who eulogize You and make them become objects of praise by others. Those who eulogize You gain an exalted status as a result of Your anugraham.
2) Tāṃ tvām eva anitaragatiḥ stotum āśaṃsamānaḥ siddha ārambhaḥ sakala-bhuvana-ślāghanīyaḥ bhaveyam. (2.1) Tāṃ tvām: These are two words with immense evocative power in the context of Śrī Devī's vaibhavam! “Tāṃ tvām eva” in Tamil means "appeṟppaṭṭa uṉṉaiyē" (of You alone with such kalyāṇa guṇams). Continuing in Tamil, one can ask "avaḷ yeppeṟpaṭṭavaḷ?” (of what special auspicious attributes does She have to be singled out?). Those mahimais and vaibhavams are “mānātīta prathita vibhavam” (limitless and celebrated). The whole Lakṣmī Sahasranāmam, Śrī Sūktam and Lakṣmī Tantram are attempts at paying their tributes to those celebrated guṇams of the divine Consort of the Lord known as "Śrī". She is Bhagavathī, who is defined by the same six primary guṇas that Her Lord has: jñāna, bala, īśvarya, śakti, tejas and vīryam. She is therefore invoked in Lakṣmī Sahasranāmam with links to the six primary guṇas as follows.
Please add Praṇavam before each of the nāmas: ṣāḍguṇya pūrṇāyai namaḥ, (Having all the 6 guṇams of Bhagavān that define Him), tejaḥ prabhāvinyai namaḥ, ānanda-rūpāyai namaḥ, mahāśaktyai namaḥ, sarva pālinyai namaḥ, tulyāśīlāyai namaḥ, (Equal to Her Lord in all aspects: śīlam, vṛtti and mūrti), tulyā vṛttāyai namaḥ, tulyā mūrtyai namaḥ, dhana lakṣmyai namaḥ, rājya lakṣmyai namaḥ, jaya lakṣmyai namaḥ, jyotiṣe namaḥ, kāntimatyai namaḥ, dīptā mūrtyai namaḥ, prāṇaśaktyai namaḥ, saṃhāra śaktyai namaḥ, loka dhāriṇyai namaḥ, viśva śaktyai namaḥ, kali nāśinyai namaḥ, sahasra śaktyai namaḥ, mokṣa lakṣmyai namaḥ, śrīmatyai namaḥ, śabda śaktyai namaḥ (power of Vedic vāk), dāridrya bhañjinyai namaḥ, (Destroyer of Poverty of every kind), agha vināśinyai namaḥ, (Destroyer of Sins of all magnitudes), jñānadāyai namaḥ, (Grantor of true jñānam), prajñāyai namaḥ, saṃhitāyai namaḥ, sarvotkṛṣṭāyai namaḥ, (yellārayum viṭa mempaṭṭavaḷ), sarvato bhadrāyai namaḥ, amṛta-vahāyai namaḥ, bhūtāśrayāyai namaḥ, (one who has been sought as refuge by all Beings), jyotiṣmatyai namaḥ, bhava-bhaṅga apahāriṇyai namaḥ, adbhutāyai namaḥ (of wondrous, mysterious and unfathomable vaibhavam). She is "appeṟppaṭṭavaḷ" (of such matchless loftiness). She is sarvaloka priyaṅkarī (one who blesses the whole world with Her benevolence).
The Three coded Lakṣmī Sahasranāmams: Three Lakṣmī Sahasranāmams speak in codes about Her guṇams and give up their attempt to praise Her explicitly: "oṃ kasyai namaḥ, oṃ yasyai namaḥ and oṃ tasyai namaḥ." The choice words (queries) are kasyai (for whom is the namaskāram?: yevaḷ poruṭṭu?); tasyai namaḥ (avaḷ poruṭṭu= for Her of such infinite attributes). yasyai namaḥ (once again to whom are these namaskārams directed?). They are for the atyujvalāyai (for the supremely radiant one). They are for lakṣmyai (for Mahā Lakṣmī); for vāṇyai (the consort of Hayagrīva, the avatāram of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa), for medhāyai (Lakṣmī with the name of medhā = intellect), for śraddhāyai (for Lakṣmī with the name of śraddhā devī = mahā viśvāsam), for kṣamāyai (for the one with immense forbearance), for bhakta vātsalyāyai (one who is immensely fond of Her erring children), nityāyai (for one who is eternal, one who has no beginning, middle or end), viśva rūpāyai (for one with the Universal form), for vyoma lakṣmyai (for the divine consort of Śrī Vaikuṇṭha Nāṭan residing at vyoma purī= Śrī Vaikuṇṭham), for nārāyaṇyai (the divine consort of Nārāyaṇa), for dharma-kāmārtha-mokṣadhāyai (for the one who grants one or more of the puruṣārthams), for sarvato-bhadrāyai (one who is auspicious in every direction), sarvato-mukhyai (one who is cardinal in all tattvams), and for that ananta śriyai (one with infinite śreyas). Those two words used by Swāmy Deśikan (tāṃ tvām) open up thus a floodgate of remembrances about Her vaibhavam.
(2.2) Swāmy Deśikan continues: “(tāṃ tvām eva) anitaragatiḥ stotum āśaṃsamānaḥ”. Swāmy Deśikan adds “eva” after “tāṃ tvām" to emphasize that he wishes to eulogize Her and Her alone. Why so? Swāmy Deśikan explains that he is one with anitaragati (as one with no other refuge to seek for protection = vēṟu puhal aṟṟavanāhiya nāṉ). Adiyēn wishes hence to praise You alone (tvām eva stotum āśaṃsamānaḥ).
(2.3) “siddhārambhaḥ sakala bhuvana ślāghanīyaḥ bhaveyam”: Oh Bhagavathī! May adiyēn's fledgling efforts to praise You be fulfilled (siddha ārambhaḥ). May adiyēn as a result of such efforts to eulogize You become (bhaveyam) worthy of praise by the entire world (sakala bhuvana ślāghanīyam). Thou art: "prārthanīnāṃ prajānāṃ śreyomūrtiḥ". Therefore this maṅgalam of kīrti landing on me as Your eulogizer is bound to come adiyēn's way. Swāmy Deśikan gives another reason why such boon will come his way in the concluding section of this ślokam. He asks there a rhetoric question, which has the built-in answer.
3) Rhetoric Question "tava caraṇayoḥ sevāpekṣā kasya śreyase na syāt?”. Oh kalyāṇa dhāyini! Oh svasti dakṣiṇā! Oh sarva mantrātmike! For those, who wish to perform kaimkaryam to You (“tava caraṇayoḥ sevāpekṣā" cetanasya), why would not auspiciousness come their way (kasya na syāt). Answer: Ofcourse, all maṅgalams including the kīrti (fame) as the eulogizer of Śrī Devī will come their way.
यत्सङ्कल्पाद् भवति कमले यत्र देहिन्यमीषां
जन्मस्थेमप्रलयरचना जङ्गमाजङ्गमानाम् ।
तत् कल्याणं किमपि यमिनामेक लक्ष्यं समाधौ
पूर्णं तेजः स्फुरति भवती पादलाक्षारसाङ्कम् ॥ ४ ॥
yat-saṅkalpād bhavati kamale yatra dehinyamīṣāṃ
janma-sthema-pralaya-racanā jaṅgamājaṅgamānām ।
tat kalyāṇaṃ kimapi yamināmeka lakṣyaṃ samādhau
pūrṇaṃ tejaḥ sphurati bhavatī pāda-lākṣā-rasāṅkam ॥ 4 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Oh Kamale! Mahā Devī! Your Lord has many vaibhava (glories):
(1) He has the sentients and the insentients as His śarīra (body) and stays inside them as their antarātmā (inner self, indweller = antaryāmin brahma).
(2) His saṅkalpa śakti (power of will) is behind His acts of creation, protection and dissolution of the Universe, which are just līlā (divine play) for Him.
(3) He stays as the most auspicious one and confers maṅgala (auspiciousness) on all the auspicious vastu (entities). They become auspicious because of His maṅgala svarūpa (nature of auspiciousness).
(4) The yogis control their senses through His anugraha (grace) by practicing aṣṭāṅga yoga (eightfold yoga) and are blessed to visualize His divya maṅgala vigraha (divine auspicious form) inside their heart lotuses.
(5) He stays as paripūrṇa nambi (completely full, perfect) everywhere and in everything through His unique svarūpa (essential nature) and matchless kalyāṇa guṇa (auspicious qualities).
Oh Mother Mahā Lakṣmī! You stay on the chest of this tejomaya mūrti (form of effulgence) without ever leaving that place of residence of Yours. Not for a fraction of a second do you stay away from that cherished home of Yours. You confer on Him the name of Śrīnivāsa (abode of Śrī) through Your residence. He welcomes the contact of the red dye adorning Your sacred feet as His defining mark. That red dye enhances His natural beauty further. As a defining sign (lakṣaṇa, characteristic), that red dye associated with Your tiruvaḍi (sacred feet) becomes the reason for all of His unique vaibhava (glory). The Upaniṣads take their cue from that lakṣaṇa and eulogize Him as the Supreme Being. You are thus the root cause behind all the glories of Your Lord. Oh Śrī Devī! That is Your glory!
PURPORT
Kimapi tejaḥ: For describing the asādhāraṇa tejas of the Lord, Aḻagiya Siṅgar quotes from Viṣṇu Purāṇa ślokam (1.9.67): "apūrva-rūpa-santānaṃ tejasāṃ rāśim ūrjitam". Sage Parāśara is describing here the asādhāraṇa (extraordinary) saundaryam (beauty) of the Lord. That kind of rūpam (tirumeni) and its structure is not to be found anywhere else. That rūpam is a tejo rāśi (niravadhika tejomaya tirumeni). Before that limitless radiance, every other lustre shrinks into insignificance just as the lustre of a firefly before that of the sūryan. Our Lord's saundaryam is niravadhika (limitless) saundaryam (beauty and proportion of His limbs); His niravadhika saugandhyam (fragrance), saukumāryam/yauvanam (tenderness & youthfulness) and lāvaṇyam have been praised by Āḻvārs and their conclusion is that He is an insatiable nectar (ārā amutam). All of these aspects of youthful beauty of the Lord has been referred to by Aḻagiya Siṅgar as: "yauvana unmukhībhūta sukumāra tanuḥ". Our Lord's tirumeni saundaryam is insatiable, whether enjoyed for one day or one year or one yugam. This insatiable anubhavam of the Nitya Sūris is saluted by the Vedams as: “sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ”. The Nitya Sūris cannot even close their eyelids for a second since they do not want to lose that ānanda anubhavam even for that second. Our Lord's saṅkalpa balam: With the matchless power of His saṅkalpam (will and volition), our Lord has the sentients and insentients as His body and stays inside them as their antaryāmī brahman (indwelling Lord as controller, commander and witness). Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad elaborates on His antaryāmī tattvam. The jīvans and the insentients are viśeṣaṇāṃśa and the indwelling Lord is the viśeṣyāṃśa. They are different from each other and are real. Bhagavān through His saṅkalpa śakti rules all other real entities. He creates, protects and dissolves these various kinds of cetanams and acetanams. Swāmy Deśikan salutes this saṅkalpa balam as: “yatra dehini amīṣāṃ jaṅgama ajaṅgamānām janma-sthema-pralaya racanā yat saṅkalpāt bhavati" (the first two lines of this fourth ślokam). Let us look now at the other half of the ślokam (3rd and 4th lines).
Samādhi of the yogis and Bhagavān's manifestation: “tat kalyāṇaṃ yaminām yeka lakṣyam” That auspicious and beautiful tirumeni of Bhagavān, the target of the yogi's sādhanā, becomes visible in their meditation inside their heart lotus.
“Yat pūrṇam”: That saṅkalpam of Bhagavān results in His presence everywhere and in every vastu that he creates. The oṃkārātmaka vastu (Bhagavān) pervades in this changable world in the spirit of what Īśāvāsyopaniṣad reveals: “īśā vāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ yatkiñca jagatyāṃ jagat”, “pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate". That world is full (pūrṇamadhaḥ); this world is full (pūrṇamidam). Swāmy Deśikan succinctly sums this up as “yat pūrṇam”.
Śrī Devī's place of residence in this tejo rāśi known for its saṅkalpa balam: She resides on the chest of this Paramātmā engaged in many vyāpārams through His saṅkalpa balam. Her feet are decorated with a radiant red lacquer dye. That rubs on the chest of the Lord, when She moves and leaves a mark of Her presence. All the glories of the Lord arise from Her presence on His chest and Her presence in turn is revealed by the mark of the red dye from Her tiruvaḍi. The Vedāntas recognize Him from that lakṣaṇam and eulogize Him as the Supreme Being based on that revelation. She is the auspiciousness behind our Lord's auspiciousness. She is Śrī and He is Śrīnivāsan. That is how He is recognized and revered says the 4th ślokam.
निष्प्रत्यूहप्रणयघटितं देवि नित्यानपायं
विष्णुस्त्वं चेत्यनवधि गुणं द्वन्द्वमन्योन्यलक्ष्यम् ।
शेषश्चित्तं विमलमनसां मौलयश्च श्रुतीनां
सम्पद्यन्ते विहरणविधौ यस्य शय्याविशेषाः ॥ ५ ॥
niṣpratyūha-praṇaya-ghaṭitaṃ devi nityānapāyaṃ
viṣṇustvaṃ cetyanavadhi guṇaṃ dvandvamanyonyalakṣyam ।
śeṣaścittaṃ vimalamanasāṃ maulayaśca śrutīnāṃ
sampadyante viharaṇavidhau yasya śayyāviśeṣāḥ ॥ 5 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
O Periya Pirāṭṭi! You and Your Lord are always together as a matchless, inseparable pair. In this state of union, the love between you never diminishes even in the slightest. As a pair, you are eternal in existence; neither of you is ever separated from the other. There are no limits to each of your kalyāṇa guṇa (auspicious qualities). When introducing you both as a pair, each is described in relation to the other. For example, your Lord is called 'Śriyaḥ Pati' (the Lord of Śrī), and you are called 'Viṣṇu Patnī' (the consort of Viṣṇu). Each is always referred to with sambandha (connection, relationship) to the other.
There are three preferred places for both of you to play and to rest in nidrā yoga (yogic sleep): (1) on the bed of Ādi Śeṣa (the primordial serpent), (2) in the heart-lotuses of pure-minded yogis who are always meditating on you both, and (3) on the crest (mauli) of the Vedānta (Upaniṣads), which always praise both of your vaibhava (glory, majesty).
PURPORT
(2) The bond of uninterrupted (ever present) love between You as a pair holds You tightly together (niṣpratyūha praṇaya gaḍhitam).
(3) Both of You have special places for your mutual enjoyment and You prefer three places as Your special bed (śayyā viśeṣāḥ). These are: (a) bed of Śeṣaḥ (the thousand hooded Ādi Śeṣan), (b) the untainted minds of the yogis (vimala manasāṃ cittam) and (c) top of the crown of the Vedams (śrutīnāṃ maulayaḥ).
(4) The bond of love that binds You both in an inseparable state propels You to declare that You will never be without each other even for a second. Oh Periya Pirāṭṭi! You take the appropriate rūpam to accompany Your Lord in every avatāram of His: “bhagavannārāyaṇābhimatānurūpa-svarūpa-guṇa-vibhava-aiśvarya-śīlādi-anavadhikātiśaya-asaṅkhyeya-kalyāṇa-guṇa-gaṇām-padmāvanālayāṃ bhagavatīṃ śriyaṃ devīṃ nityānapāyinīṃ niravadyāṃ devadeva-divyamahiṣīm akhilajaganmātaram (asmanmātaram) aśaraṇya-śaraṇyām ananyaśaraṇaḥ śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye” -Ācārya Rāmānuja's Śaraṇāgati Gadyam; 1st cūrṇikai.
Meaning according to Śrī K.R. Kṛṣṇasvāmi: "Śrīman Nārāyaṇa's most-beloved, deserving and (the one) abounding in divine qualities like svarūpa, rūpa, guṇa, vibhava, īśvarya, śīla (and such endlessly exquisite/ rare / innumerable kalyāṇa guṇas); You are Bhagavathī, Śrī Devī; You dwell in the lotus garden; (You are) never separated from Your Lord; (You have) not an iota of defect or flaw; (You are) Nārāyaṇa's divine consort; You are the Mother of the Universe; Oh our Mother, Protector of the helpless, I who has no other refuge, surrender unto You".
(5) Śrī Devī matches in every way to Her Lord with respect to His rūpam, svarūpam, guṇam etc; If He is “heya sambandha rahita pūrṇa ṣāḍguṇya vigrahaṃ" (one who is free from any blemish or doṣam and has the six guṇams of jñānam, śakti, balam, īśvaryam and tejas), She matches Him in every measure.
(6) Two Viṣṇu Purāṇa ślokams shows Her perfect Match with Her Lord and Her inseparability with Her Lord:
nityaivaiṣā jaganmātā viṣṇoḥ śrīranapāyinī yatā sarvagato viṣṇustataiveyaṃ dvijottama ----Viṣṇu Purāṇam: 1.8.17. Meaning: Oh the best among Brahmins ! She is the Mother of the Universe, dearest to Her Lord and is the One, who never leaves His presence even for one second (ahalagillēn iṟaiyum alarmēl maṅgai). Just as Her Lord is sarva-vyāpī (pervades every where), She is also sarva vyāpinī.
artho viṣṇuriyaṃ vāṇī nītireṣā nayo hariḥ bhodho viṣṇuriyaṃ buddhiḥ dharmo'sau satkriyā dhviyam ----Viṣṇu Purāṇam: 1.8.18. Meaning: Viṣṇu is the meaning (poruḷ); Mahā Lakṣmī is the śabdam(sound) expressing that meaning. She stays as the nyāya śāstram and He (Hari) is present as the nyāyam. Our Lord is jñānam and She is the tool (upakaraṇam) for that jñānam with the name of buddhi. He is the dharmam, while She is the sat karmam, which executes that dharmam.
(7) She matches Her Lord in every way and compliments Him in other ways and is the Empress of the Universe, while being His divine consort (“asyeśānā jagato viṣṇupatnī” according to yajus-saṃhitā).
(8) According to Śrī Sūktam: “She is the Goddess of Beauty, Plenty and Prosperity, the Ruler and the Mother of the Universe. Audārya-magnanimity is an integral part of Her nature. Poverty and Ignorance shy away, when She makes Her appearance". This Fifth ślokam is recited for the growth in Vedānta vidyā since She sports on top of Vedāntam (maulayaśca śrutīnāṃ sayyā viśeṣāḥ sampadhyante).
उद्देश्यत्वं जननि भजतोरुज्जितोपाधि गन्धं
प्रत्यग्रूपे हविषि युवयोरेकशेषित्व योगात् ।
पद्मे पत्युस्तव च निगमैर्नित्यमन्विष्यमाणो
नावच्छेदं भजति महिमा नर्तयन्मानसं नः ॥ ६ ॥
uddeśyatvaṃ janani bhajatorujjitopādhi gandhaṃ
pratyagrūpe haviṣi yuvayorekaśeṣitva yogāt ।
padme patyustava ca nigamairnityamanviṣyamāṇo
nāvacchedaṃ bhajati mahimā nartayanmānasaṃ naḥ ॥ 6 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Oh Mother! Both of You are the recipients of the mental oblations. Your greatness is inconceivable and it makes our hearts dance in ecstasy.
PURPORT
Extended Meaning #2 according to Oppiliappan Sannidhi Śrī Śrīrāma Deśikācchār Swāmy: Oh Mother of the Universe! Oh Mahā Lakṣmī! In the ordinary yāgams of the world, oblations (ghee, puroḍāśam et al) from the performer of the yāgam are offered to the different devatās such as Agni, Indra, Sūrya and others in homa rūpam. The devatā for whom the havis is intended is known as the uddeśyan (one who is deemed fit to receive such havis); that devatā receives the havis and becomes delighted. That havis making the devatā happy is known as śeṣam and the devatā that received the havis is described as śeṣī for that havis.
Lord accepting the havis of ātmā during extraordinary yāgam of bharanyāsam: Prapatti performed by the cetanams is also a yāgam. In this extraordinary yāgam, ātmā is presented to the Lord (emperumān) as the havis. Emperumān for whom the havis is intended receives that havis of ātmā with delight as the śeṣī for that prapatti yajñam. Emperumān becomes uddeśyan and śeṣī in that prapatti yajñam just as the devas like Indra et al take on the role of uddeśyan and śeṣī for the other kinds of havis. These devas are subject to the influence of karmas; they acquire puṇyams thru sat-karmas and become devas qualified to receive the havis intended for them and play the role of śeṣīs. The devas are not by nature uddeśyas; they do not have the intrinsic qualifications to become uddeśyas and be śeṣīs. Their good karmas (upādhis) elevate them to their exalted status. This is true of all ordinary yajñams other than the extraordinary prapatti yajñam. In that yāgam of prapatti, the situation relating to havis, uddeśyan and the śeṣī is quite different. It is a somewhat unique situation. The havis of ātmā does not belong to the jīvan. That havis of jīvan in reality belongs to the Lord; it is His property. Due to one's ignorance, the sentients think that the jīvan is truly independent and attach themselves to the jīvan as their own property. The ignorant cetanam thinks that the jīvan is His, whereas it really is the property of the Lord, which leads to the act of theft of Lord's property (ātmā coram). When the cetanam gains true knowledge of the tattvams, he recognizes the importance of returning the Lord's property (ātmā) to Him instead of laying claims to it as his own. When the cetanam offers the ātmā, as havis to the Lord - the owner - then Lord becomes the natural uddeśyan. The jīvans become His natural servants and He becomes their intrinsic (svābhāvika) śeṣī or Master, who delights in the offered havis. The Lord's glory in contrast to the devas as uddeśyan and śeṣī is that these roles are natural to Him. For the devas, it is not natural but acquired through their upādhis (good karmas). Our Lord is totally beyond the influence of both kinds of karmas (pāpa-puṇyams), where as the devas are karma vaśyāls. This difference demonstrates the unique glories of the Lord as the Paramātmā or Supreme Being or Sarveśvaran or Sarva Śeṣī. Oh Mother Mahā Lakṣmī! Your Lord uninfluenced by the karmas has yet another glory, when it comes to His uddeśyatvam (attribute of being the target of the havis of ātmā) and śeṣitvam (enjoyment of that offered havis as the Master). He does not stand alone in possessing this uddeśyatvam and śeṣitvam. He becomes uddeśyan and śeṣī only in union with You. In that yāgam of prapatti, both of You together become uddeśyars and śeṣīs for the havis of ātmā. One should not intrepret here that there are two uddeśyars and two śeṣīs for the havis of ātmā. United, they become one uddeśyar and śeṣī. This is the way to understand their yeka śeṣitvam and yeka uddeśyatvam. This unique vaibhavam of both of You is unlimited. The Vedas strive to eulogize this unique glory of You as yeka śeṣitva dampatis and yet the Vedas do not fully succeed in their effort. They keep trying to find the words to describe this unique tattvam adequately. When we think about this extraordinary yeka śeṣitva yoga tattvam, our minds dance with joy.
Additional Comments on the passages of this ślokam : (1) Pratyak rūpe haviṣi: This refers to havis in the form of jīvātmā. (2) Ujjita upādhi gandhaṃ uddeśyatvam: Targetted to recieve that havis of ātmā without any specific reason such as earning phalans arising from sat karmas to attain the status of uddeśyars like Indra, Agni etc). Lord is outside the influence of karmas and hence uddeśyatvam and śeṣitvam has no connection to karmas for Him. It is natural, intrinsic. This way, our Lord as Para Devatā differs from sādhāraṇa devatās, who have finite spans of life as uddeśyars and śeṣīs for the havis offered to them. (3) Yeka śeṣitva yogam: having the same priveleges to recieve the viśeṣa havis in ātmā yāgam. (4) Patyuḥ tava ca mahimā nigamaiḥ nityaṃ anviṣyamāṇā: The mahimā of Yours and Your husband's is being searched always by the Vedams for proper stotram. They fail and keep searching to understand the dimensions of both of Your glories. (5) Nigamaiḥ nityaṃ anviṣyamāṇāḥ mahimā naḥ mānasaṃ nartayan avacchedaṃ na bhajaty: The glories of both of You that is being searched unsuccessfully by the Vedas puts us in a state of awe and reverence. The fact that both of Your mahimais are unlimited and therefore beyond analysis makes our minds dance with great joy.
पश्यन्तीषु श्रुतिषु परितः सूरिबृन्देन सार्धं
मध्ये कृत्य त्रिगुणफलकं निर्मितस्थानभेदम् ।
विश्वाधीश प्रणयिनि सदा विभ्रमद्यूतवृत्तौ
ब्रह्मेशाद्या दधति युवयोरक्षशारप्रचारम् ॥ ७ ॥
paśyantīṣu śrutiṣu paritaḥ sūribṛndena sārdhaṃ
madhye kṛtya triguṇaphalakaṃ nirmita-sthāna-bhedam ।
viśvādhīśa praṇayini sadā vibhramadyūtavṛttau
brahmeśādyā dadhati yuvayorakṣaśārapracāram ॥ 7 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Both of You play a game of chess with primordial Nature (mūla prakṛti) as the chess board marked by different colored squares. Brahmā, Īśvara (Lord Śiva) and other devatās are the pawns to be moved; the Vedas and ever-liberated souls watch this game.
PURPORT
Additional Observations on the passages of the 7th ślokam of Śrī Stuti :
1) Swāmy Deśikan addresses Śrī Devī here as “viśvādhīśa praṇayini". Oh Periya Pirāṭṭi, who has the right to Your Lord's love! Your Lord is Sarveśvaran (the Emperor of all) and You are the Sarveśvarī (Empress of All). Hence both of You are equally matched for loving the other and display vātsalyam and praṇayam between Yourselves.
2) Both of You are engaged in playing the game of Chess: “yuvayoḥ vibhrama dyūta vṛttiḥ”. “Vibhramaḥ" means playful. "dyūta vṛttiḥ" means the game of Chess. This is a royal game.
3) There is a chess board named mūla prakṛti known for its three colors that is positioned between Yourselves: “yuvayoḥ madhye triguṇa phalakam (asti)”. One needs a chess Board to move the pawns, Minister, Camel, Horse etc. Mūla prakṛti serves as the Board. Its sixty-four squares are alternatively painted with the colors of white or red or black (“nirmita sthāna bhedaṃ triguṇa phalakam").
4) The dices are rolled to determine the extent and direction of the movement of the pawns et al (the devas). The dices are the karmas of the devas. As a result of the roll of the dices, the positions of the devas go up or down or sideways and they attain new positions based on the sweep of their karmas. The divya dampatis play this game with great amusement (“(idaṃ) dyūta vṛttau, brahma-īśa ādyāḥ akṣaśāra pracāraṃ dadhati"). “Akṣaśāram” is the dice that is rolled. Pracāram is the movement from sthānam to sthānam (position to position on the Chess Board). "Pracāraṃ dadhati" means they experience these position changes on the chess Board of mūla prakṛti.
5) Who are the bemused and cheering spectators in this divine chess game? On the four sides of the chess Board are the assembly of nityas and muktas as well as the Vedas, who witness always this most fascinating game played strictly according to the rules ("śrutiṣu, sūri bṛndena paritaḥ sadā paśyantīṣu") by the divya dampahtis. Śrī Devī plays this extraordinary game of chess in a concordant manner with Her Lord and the movements in that game determines the assignments for the devas like Brahmā, Rudra, Indra and others.
अस्येशाना त्वमसि जगतः संश्रयन्ती मुकुन्दं
लक्ष्मीः पद्मा जलधितनया विष्णुपत्नीन्दिरेति ।
यन्नामानि श्रुतिपरिपणान्येवमावर्तयन्तो
नावर्तन्ते दुरितपवनप्रेरिते जन्मचक्रे ॥ ८ ॥
asyeśānā tvamasi jagataḥ saṃśrayantī mukundaṃ
lakṣmīḥ padmā jaladhitanayā viṣṇupatnīndireti ।
yannāmāni śrutiparipaṇānyevamāvartayanto
nāvartante duritapavanaprerite janmacakre ॥ 8 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
You are the Empress of the World. One who utters Your names such as Lakṣmī, Padmā, Jaladhitanayā (daughter of the Ocean), Viṣṇupatnī and Indirā, escape the cycle of births and deaths, caused by sins.
PURPORT
Expanded meaning according to Vaikuṇṭa-vāsī Śrī V.N. Śrīrāma Deśikācchār : Oh Mahā Devī! Varadarāja Priye! As the Lord's consort, you obey His commands. The Vedas declare that You are the Empress to the prapañcam constituted by the cetanams and acetanams just as Your Lord is the Emperor for this prapañcam. You have the celebrated names of “Lakṣmī, Padmā, Jaladhitanayā, Viṣṇupatnī and Indirā etc". Vedas use these sacred names as their base for comprehending Your glories. Therefore, these names are like capital (mūla) dhanam for them. When one recites them as japam, their sins are driven away and that leads to the birth of desire in mokṣam. Next, they perform prapatti and gain mokṣa siddhi. Until reciting Your sacred names, the cetanams were suffering in the whirlwind of saṃsāram and their sins drove them to be born in different yonis. They suffered untold miseries as a result of this sāṃsāric cycle. The repetition (āvṛtti) of Your sacred nāmams removes the mokṣa virodhis and permits them to practise prapatti to gain mokṣam (na punarāvṛttiḥ = not returning to the sāṃsāric world).
Additional Observations on the passages of the 8th ślokam of Śrī Stuti :
1) The key message of this ślokam is: “yat nāmāni (Lakṣmī, Padmā iti) yevam āvartayantaḥ janma cakre na āvartante". By repeating these powerful names that are sacred, the cetanams get freed from their sins and develop a ruci for mokṣam. This propels them to perform prapatti and become blessed with "apunarāvṛtti” (non return to this world), the parama puruṣārtham.
2) These names of Śrī Devī are the mūla dhanam / seed capital / core funds for the Vedams (yannāmāni śruti paripaṇāni).
3) Until they began to recite Your nāmās, the cetanams were being buffeted by the horrible winds of saṃsāram and were experiencing the repeated cycles of births and deaths (durita pavana prerite janma cakre āvartante). It was a hopeless situation. Once they began to repeat Her nāmās as tāraka, poṣaka mantram they never got caught up in the wheel of saṃsāram (janma cakre na āvartante).
4) Oh Śrī Devī! Out of Your matchless compassion for the suffering souls, You approach Your Lord (tvaṃ mukundhaṃ saṃśrayantī) and intercede for them, remove the doṣams that stand in the way of their mokṣam, secure the Lord's pledge to forgive the trespasses of them (the sinners), be there during the time of āśrayaṇam (prapatti) and as the saha dharmacāriṇī of Your Lord accept the havis of ātmā with Your Lord and bless the yajñam. The soul gains mokṣa sukham. You become the Īśvarī of the Jagath (asya jagataḥ īśānā asi) as a result of these compassionate deeds.
त्वामेवाहुः कतिचिदपरे त्वत्प्रियं लोकनाथं
किं तैरन्तःकलहमलिनैः किञ्चिदुत्तीर्य मग्नैः ।
त्वत्संप्रीत्यै विहरति हरौ संमुखीनां श्रुतीनां
भावारूढौ भगवति युवां दम्पती दैवतं नः ॥ ९ ॥
tvāmevāhuḥ katicidapare tvatpriyaṃ lokanāthaṃ
kiṃ tairantaḥkalahamalinaiḥ kiñciduttīrya magnaiḥ ।
tvatsaṃprītyai viharati harau saṃmukhīnāṃ śrutīnāṃ
bhāvārūḍhau bhagavati yuvāṃ dampatī daivataṃ naḥ ॥ 9 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Some speak of You alone as the Supreme Power, while some others speak of Your beloved exclusively as the Supreme. But our firm conviction is that You the couple, constitute the Godhead.
PURPORT
Expanded meaning according to Vaikuṇṭa-vāsī Śrī V.N. Śrīrāma Deśikācchār : Oh Mahā Devī! There are many matams and they have different views about Your tattvam. Some say that You are the Empress of this universe. Using this view as their central belief, they interpret this view in different ways. One group states that You and Nārāyaṇan are only one ātmā but have two separate bodies. Another group believes that Emperumān is called as Lakṣmī and there is no separate form for Lakṣmī. Yet another group advocates that Nārāyaṇan creates You for enjoying pleasure just as He took on Mohinī rūpam during the churning for amṛtam to bewitch the asuras. Few others say that Nārāyaṇan has taken the female form and has the name of Lakṣmī to unite with Her permanently. A select few believe that You are the Supreme most being over and above the three tattvams of cetanam, acetanam and Īśvaran. Thus all of these groups accept You, Bhagavathī, as Sarveśvarī and yet argue with each other along the above lines. Opposing this view that Lakṣmī is Sarveśvarī, a group denies Your sarveśvaratvam and insist that Nārāyaṇan is the Lord of the entire universe (Sarveśvaran) and that You (Lakṣmī) has no claim to be called Īśvarī. They claim that you are a viśeṣa jīvan. These two groups that insist and reject īśvaratvam for Lakṣmī argue vehemently for their points of view and become exhausted. These people declare that their views are backed by śāstras and are unable to establish their points of views (i-e) they come forward to accept that Lakṣmī is a separate tattvam and accept Her vaibhavam but they fall apart by not accepting the īśvaratvam (nature of Being Īśvarī) of Lakṣmī. Oh Devī with all auspicious attributes! Our siddhāntam is quite different. We believe that Your Lord engages in acts such as Creation of the beings of the world for Your pleasure (amusement). The Vedas appear to be talking about Him alone, when looked superficially. If one studies the Vedams deeply, it becomes clear that the inner meaning of the Vedas is about revering You both as equal. Vedas have also explicitly stated the above views. Therefore, We consider Both of You as Para Devatā. During the performance of prapatti, one has to accept both of You as upāyam (means) for the offering of the ātmā. In some yajñams, śāstras point out that one has to combine two devatās into one and offer the havis to that united devatā. Therefore, one has to have BOTH OF YOU as the target to offer the ātmā as the havis and THUS conclude the prapatti yajñam successfully. As a fruit of that offering, the mukta jīvan should perform nitya kaimkaryam to BOTH OF YOU at Your Supreme abode. Both of You together shine as upāyam and phalan.
Additional Observations on the passages of the 9th ślokam of Śrī Stuti :
1) "Bhagavati! katicit tvām yeva āhuḥ" (Some aver that You alone are the Īśvarī / Supreme Being and the Empress of the World).
2) "Apare tvat priyaṃ lokanātham āhuḥ" (Others insist that it is Your dear husband, who is the Sarveśvaran).
3) These opposing groups dispute each other and get up and fall down (antaḥ kalaha malinaiḥ kiñcit uttīrya magnaiḥ).
4) What is the use of these disputants? (kiṃ taiḥ?).
5) Your dear husband performs all the līlās (sṛṣṭi, rakṣaṇam and saṃhāram) to gladden Your heart (tvat saṃprītyaiḥ viharati hariḥ).
6) The Vedas focusing on Hari have the core conviction that You as the Couple (Husband and Wife) are our Para Devatā (harau sammukhīnām śrutīnām bhāva ārūḍhau, dampatī yuvām naḥ dhaivatham).
आपन्नार्तिप्रशमनविधौ बद्धदीक्षस्य विष्णोः
आचख्युस्त्वां प्रियसहचरीमैकमत्योऽपपन्नाम् ।
प्रादुर्भावैरपि समतनुः प्राध्वमन्वीयसे त्वं
दूरोत्क्षिप्तैरिव मधुरता दुग्धराशेस्तरङ्गैः ॥ १० ॥
āpannārtipraśamanavidhau baddhadīkṣasya viṣṇoḥ
ācakhyustvāṃ priyasahacarīmaikamatyo'papannām ।
prādurbhāvairapi samatanuḥ prādhvamanvīyase tvaṃ
dūrotkṣiptairiva madhuratā dugdharāśestaraṅgaiḥ ॥ 10 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
You are one with Lord Viṣṇu in thought and action. You follow Him in all His manifestations assuming identical forms. This is like sweetness that is inseparably present in the waves of the milky ocean.
PURPORT
Expanded meaning according to Vaikuṇṭa-vāsī Śrī V. N. Śrīrāma Deśikācchār : Oh Mahā Devī! Your Lord has taken a vow (vrata dīkṣā), (i-e)., to quench the sorrow of anyone, who experiences the sāṃsāric sorrows. For Him, this act is like a yāgam, where a dīkṣā is taken. It is required that one who performs any yajñam has to have his wife (sahadharmacāriṇī) next to him during the performance of that yajñam. As the dearest consort of Your Lord and as One, who has taken the saṅkalpam with Him to remove the sorrows of the cetanams, You contribute immensely to the successful completion of this yajñam. If You were not next to Him, Your Lord could not perform this yajñam. Vedas reveal this tattvam. Your Lord takes on the avatārams of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa et al. At all those times, You accompany Your Lord as Sītā, Rukmiṇī et al. You assist Your Lord to perform His duties of protection (dharma saṃrakṣaṇam). You never ever leave His side. The waves of the Milky Ocean travel a long distance to the shore, where devas stay and pray. Independent of the huge distance these waves travel, the sweetness associated with those waves does not leave them and is always present. Similarly, when Your Lord leaves the distant Śrī Vaikuṇṭham to descend to this karma bhūmi to carry out His missions of any particular avatāram, You take on an appropriate avatāram and assist Him with an identical mind set. The sweetness will not stand disassociated from the Milky Ocean under any circumstance.
Additional Observations on the passages of the 10th ślokam of Śrī Stuti :
1) "Viṣṇuḥ āpanna ārti praśamana vidhau baddha dīkṣaḥ:" Your Lord Viṣṇu has taken a vow to quench the heat of sorrows (praśamana vidhi) for those who experience danger (āpat) which in turn leads to suffering (ārti). His vow is "āpanna ārti praśamanam” (coming to the rescue of those bhaktas, who are in distress due to the dangers to which they are exposed like Gajendra).
2) Viṣṇoḥ tvām aikamatya upapannāṃ priya-sahacarīm ācakhyuḥ: The Vedas reveal that the Lord recognizes You as the dear dharma patnī (fellow observer of dharmam as His divine consort) and as one who has identical views on bhakta rakṣaṇam. “Aikamatya upapannām means” with unison of thought.
3) Tvaṃ dūra utkṣiptā dhugdharāśeḥ taraṅgaiḥ madhuratā iva (asi): Oh Śrī Devī! You are like the persisting sweetness of the waves of the milky Ocean, which started from a very long distance to reach the shore. During all that long passage to the shore, the waves of the milky ocean never got disassociated from their intrinsic sweetness.
4) "Tvaṃ prādurbhāvaiḥ api sama tanuḥ prādhvam anvīyase”: Oh Śrī Devī! You follow Your Lord in all His avatārams with an appropriate form (“bhagavannārāyaṇa abhimata rūpa guṇa vibhava aiśvarya śīlādi anavadhikātiśaya asaṅkhyeya kalyāṇa guṇa gaṇāṃ padmāvanālayāṃ bhagavatīm" in Ācārya Rāmānuja's words).
5) She is anugrahamayī in Her own rights. She is durgati nāśinyai. She is sarvārtti samudra pariśoṣiṇyai (one who dries up the ocean of dukkhams). She is śreyasāṃ nidhi (ocean of all maṅgalams). She is bhava bhaṅga apahāriṇī (destroyer of the bhīti of saṃsāram). She is dṛṣṭādṛṣṭa phala pradā (one who grants seen and unseen boons). She is āśrita mānadā. She and Her Lord share these attributes and hence are of unified thought (aikamatyam).
6) The 24th ślokam of Śrī Lakṣmī Sahasram reveals Śrī Devī's unique contribution for "āpannārti praśamanam” (quenching the sorrows of those in dangerous situations). The meaning of this ślokam as given by Śrī Navālpākkam Kaṇṇan Swāmy is: "Externally, the sound, light, taste, fragrance and similar viṣayams land us in danger. Internally, desire, anger and others expose us to additional dangers. Brahmā and other devatās cannot come to our rescue against these dangers. Perumāḷ can save us but He cannot be accessed by sinners like us through His ārādhanam requiring niyamam. For those of us exposed to many such dangers and suffer, Oh Lakṣmī, You alone are our refuge. Through Your kaṭākṣam (glances) alone, You quench the heat of sāṃsāric sufferings".
धत्ते शोभां हरिमरकते तावकी मूर्तिराद्या
तन्वी तुङ्गस्तनभरनता तप्तजाम्बूनदाभा ।
यस्यां गच्छन्त्युदयविलयैर्नित्यमानन्दसिन्धौ
इच्छावेगोल्लसितलहरीविभ्रमं व्यक्तयस्ते ॥ ११ ॥
dhatte śobhāṃ hari-marakate tāvakī mūrtirādyā
tanvī tuṅga-stanabhara-natā tapta-jāmbūnadābhā ।
yasyāṃ gacchantyudaya-vilayairnityamānanda-sindhau
icchā-vegollasita-laharī-vibhramaṃ vyaktayaste ॥ 11 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Your slender form bright like molten gold shines to advantage in association with Lord Hari, the Emerald. Your manifestations appear and disappear according to Your will, like waves of Your primordial form, which is like an ocean of Bliss.
PURPORT
Expanded meaning according to Vaikuṇṭha Vāsi Śrī V.N. Śrīrāma Deśikācār: Oh Mahādevī! The divine body that Your Lord has is known as para rūpam. That sacred body is known as the source of all of His avatāra tirumenis as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. That para rūpam is thus the primordial source for His other incarnations. In a similar vein, You have also a unique para rūpam. That rūpam has the radiance of the molten gold. Your waist in that rūpam is like a slender creeper. Your whole body is slightly bent in that para rūpam from the weight of your heavy breasts. Since Your avatāra tirumenis (sacred forms) arise from this para rūpam, latter is the primordial source for forms taken during Your different incarnations to accompany Your Lord at the time of His various avatārams. Because of Your presence with the golden hue on the chest of Your Lord having the hue of the dark green emerald gem, His sacred body (tirumeni) attains a special kind of beauty. Your tirumeni is of the form of Bliss. One can indeed visualize it as an ocean of Bliss. From the speed of Your saṅkalpam, from time to time, Your divine avatāra forms arise from that ocean of Bliss. Those avatāra tirumenis complete the tasks of the individual avatārams and disappear into the para rūpam again. When one reflects on this phenomenon, one is reminded of a powerful wind that causes the appearance and disappearance of many waves from the ocean. Your para rūpam is that ocean (of Bliss). Your saṅkalpam is that powerful wind. Your avatāra tirumenis are indeed the waves that form and disappear.
Additional Observations on the passages of the 11th ślokam of Śrī Stuti :
1) First Two Lines: “dhatte śobhāṃ hari marakate tāvakī mūrtiḥ ādyā”, tanvī tuṅga-stana-bhara-natā tapta jāmbūnadābhāḥ: Your (tāvakī) primordial (ādyā) mūrtiḥ (tirumeni /sacred body) has the lustre (śobhā) of molten gold (tapta jāmbūnatha). Your waist is slender like a creeper (tanvī); it is slightly bent (natā) due to the weight of Your breasts (tuṅga sthana bhara).
1.1: "Tāvakī mūrtiḥ hari-marakate nityāṃ śobhāṃ dhatte:” Your (tāvakī) tirumeni (mūrtiḥ) with its lustre of molten gold (tapta jāmbūnatha ābhā) adds /gives (dhatte) always (nityam) beauty (śobhām) to the emerald like tirumeni of Your Lord (hari-marakate nityaṃ śobhāṃ dhatte).
2. Third & Fourth Lines: "Yasyāṃ gacchantyudaya-vilayaiḥ nityam ānanda sindhau, icchā vega ullasita laharī vibhramaṃ vyaktayaste". Ānanda sindhau (in that ocean of bliss of Your para rūpam), yasyāṃ te vyaktayaḥ (Your avatāra tirumenis) make their appearances (udayaiḥ) and disappearances (vilayaiḥ). te vyaktayaḥ (those avatāra tirumenis of Yours) icchā vega (propelled by the speed of Your saṅkalpam) attain (gacchanti) the status of the rising waves (ullasita laharī vibhramaṃ gacchanti). Vibhramam means the līlā (sport). Ullasita means arising. The speed of saṅkalpam (icchā vegam) causes the sport (vibhramam) of rapidly rising waves (ullasita laharī vibhramaṃ gacchanti).
आसंसारं विततमखिलं वाङ्मयं यद्विभूतिः
यद्भ्रूभङ्गात् कुसुमधनुषः किङ्करो मेरुधन्वा ।
यस्यां नित्यं नयनशतकैर्येकलक्ष्यो महेन्द्रः
पद्मे तासां परिणतिरसौ भावलेशैस्त्वदीयैः ॥ १२ ॥
āsaṃsāraṃ vitatamakhilaṃ vāṅmayaṃ yadvibhūtiḥ
yadbhrū-bhaṅgāt kusumadhanuṣaḥ kiṅkaro merudhanvā ।
yasyāṃ nityaṃ nayana-śatakairyekalakṣyo mahendraḥ
padme tāsāṃ pariṇatirasau bhāva-leśaistvadīyaiḥ ॥ 12 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Sarasvatī, Pārvatī and Śacī are but modifications of minute particles of Your own graceful will.
PURPORT
Expanded meaning according to Vaikuṇṭha Vāsi Śrī V.N. Śrīrāma Deśikācār:
(1) Oh Mahā Lakṣmī! The forms of all divine speech (vāṅmayam) and the īśvaryam (vibhūtiḥ) resulting from them -- starting from Creation (āsaṃsāram) and extending all over the entire universe (vitatam akhilam) -- are under the control of Sarasvatī Devī (āsaṃsāraṃ vitatam akhilaṃ vāṅmayam yadvibhūtiḥ).
(2) Oh Lady residing on the Lotus! Maheśvara Rudran, who had the Meru mountain as His bow (meru dhanvā) became the target and servant of Manmathan -- the one with the flowers as His arrows (kusuma dhanuṣaḥ) -- as a result of the narrowing of the brows of Pārvatī, his wife (meru dhanvā, yad bhrūbaṅgāt kusuma dhanuṣaḥ kiṅkaraḥ babhūva).
(3) Indran, the king of devas (mahendraḥ) is under the total control of Indrāṇī, His sāmrājya Lakṣmī and is focusing his hundreds of eyes (nayana śatakaiḥ) on her always (nityam) as his single target (yeka lakṣyam). He is under her total influence.
(4) For all these three consorts of exalted devas (Sarasvatī, Pārvatī and Indrāṇī), the glories of their power over their husbands arises from the infinitesimal portion of Your anugraha śakti. You are the reason behind their maturation and powers: "Tāsām (for them) asau (this) pariṇatiḥ (maturation and power) tvadīyaiḥ (Your) bhāva leśaiḥ (from the littlest drops of Your saṅkalpam) bhavaty (becomes possible)”.
Additional Observations on the passages of the 12th ślokam of Śrī Stuti :
Oh Śrī Devī Thou art the reason behind the glories of the Devīs of the great devas like Brahmā, Manmathan and Indra. From the time of creation, there are innumerable akṣaras as a part of existing speech (vāk). These words and sentences (vākyams) are populating many source granthams. How did it happen? It is because of the Goddess of Learning revered as Sarasvatī Devī. Her consort, Brahmā Deva stays under Her influence. Further, the powerful Lord Rudran, who wielded Mount Meru as His bow to destroy Tripurāsuras becomes subservient to one, who has the feeble flowers as his arrows and is subject to kāmam. Why is that? It is because of Maheśvaran's fear about the angry narrowing of the eyebrows of Pārvatī. In addition, Indran is totally under the influence of the beauty of his Devī, Indrāṇī, whom he gazes with total focus all the time with his hundreds of eyes. How did all these three Devīs attain such control over their husbands through their extraordinary beauty (saundaryam)? Oh Śrī Devī, it is You who desired that they have these powers and the smallest of the drops of Your saṅkalpa śakti. You willed so and they became blessed (tāsām asau pariṇatiḥ tvadīyaiḥ bhāva leśaiḥ).
अग्रे भर्तुः सरसिजमये भद्रपीठे निषण्णाम्
अम्भोराशेरधिगतसुधासंप्लवादुत्थितां त्वाम् ।
पुष्पासारस्थगितभुवनैः पुष्कलावर्तकाद्यैः
कॢप्तारम्भाः कनककलशैरभ्यषिञ्चन् गजेन्द्राः ॥
agre bhartuḥ sarasijamaye bhadrapīṭhe niṣaṇṇām
ambhorāśeradhigata-sudhā-saṃplavādutthitāṃ tvām ।
puṣpāsāra-sthagita-bhuvanaiḥ puṣkalāvartakādyaiḥ
kḷptārambhāḥ kanaka-kalaśairabhyaṣiñcan gajendrāḥ ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Oh Mahā Lakṣmī! As You emerged from the Milky Ocean, the primordial clouds Puṣkalā and Āvartakā showered flowers on You and the quarter elephants performed ablutions to You with golden pitchers.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Vaikuṇṭha Vāsi Villivalam Nārāyaṇācār Swāmy: During that ancient time when Your Lord churned the Milky Ocean to bring out the nectar for the devas, You arose from the flood of nectar and sat opposite Your Lord on the auspicious throne of a Lotus flower. The great clouds showered on You their downpour of flowers that made the world almost disappear. The activities of the clouds were followed by the elephants of the eight quarters that performed the sacred bath ceremony for Her as the paṭṭa mahiṣī for Your Lord with the waters held in golden vessels. The crowning ceremony as sarva lokeśvarī was started by the Puṣkalā-vartakam clouds and concluded by the aṣṭa dig gajams to the accompaniment of the Veda mantrams by the maharṣis assembled to enjoy the mahotsavam.
Additional Observations on the passages of the 13th ślokam of Śrī Stuti : Śrīmad Bhāgavatam has wonderful ślokams describing the paṭṭābhiṣekam of Mahā Lakṣmī:
tathāśca āvirabhūt sākṣāt śrī ramā bhagavat-parā rañjayantī diśaḥ kāntyā vidyut-saudānanī yathā ----Bhāgavatam 8.8.8. Meaning: Mahā Lakṣmī, sākṣāt Śrī Devī with the matchless affection for Her Lord arose from the Milky ocean with Her radiance illuminating all directions.
Tasyāṃ cakruḥ spṛhāṃ sarve sasurāsuramānavāḥ rūpaudārya-vayo-varṇa-mahimākṣipta cetasaḥ ----Bhāgavatam: 8.8.9. Meaning: The beauty, generous nature, youth, golden color and glories of Mahā Lakṣmī, who appeared thus from the Milky Ocean attracted the minds of devas, asuras and the humans and all of them desired Her. Mahā Lakṣmī's mind was made up to marry Her Lord. She had given Her heart to Her Lord (“tvayi datta hṛde” says Śrī Nārāyaṇīyam). Once the devas and ṛṣis recognized that Mahā Lakṣmī's mind was set only on Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, they all started the kaimkaryams for Her paṭṭābhiṣekam (sarvaloka rājyābhiṣekam).
Devendran presented Her with a big golden throne embedded with many gems. The sacred rivers brought pure water for the tirumanjanam; others brought the medicinal plants to be added to those waters. The sages conducted the sacred bath with Veda mantrams (ṛṣayaḥ tāṃ śruti gīrbhiḥ abhyaṣiñjan). Gandharvas sang; the apsaras danced; the maṅgala vādyams played. The dig gajams helped in the abhiṣekam with pūrṇa kalasams to the accompaniment of the Veda ghoṣam like Śrī Sūktam.
After the tirumanjanam, Samudra Rājan presented his daughter with silken garments laced with gold. Varuṇan presented Her with vyjayantī garland. Viśvakarmā presented Her with many specially made ābharaṇams. Sarasvatī Devī presented Mahā Lakṣmī with a strand of pearls; Brahmā deva presented Her with the golden lotus; the kings of snakes presented Her with a set of ear rings (kuṇḍalams). Through such acts, they were desirous of gaining Lakṣmī kaṭākṣam (śrīrmādevī juṣathām; tvām śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye). Now, Mahā Lakṣmī took the vyjayantī mālā in Her hands and walked towards the Lord to choose Him as Her Lord in that svayamvaram on the banks of the Milky Ocean. Śrī Nārāyaṇīyam describes beautifully Mahā Lakṣmī placing the flower garland around the neck of Śrīman Nārāyaṇan to choose Him as Her Lord: giriśadruhiṇādi sarvadevān guṇabhājāpyavimukta doṣaleśān avamṛśya sadaiva sarvaramye nihitā tvayyanayāpi divyamālā -- Daśakam 28, 7th ślokam. Mahā Lakṣmī rejected all the devas since they had one blemish or the other and chose the Lord, the abode of all auspicious attributes as Her future husband and placed the garland around His divine neck. In the next ślokam, Śrī Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭadiri describes Mahā Lakṣmī being welcomed by the Lord and being placed on a bhadrāsanam on His chest so that She can join with Him to perform the duties as sarva lokeśvarī: urasā tarasā mamānītāināṃ bhuvanānāṃ jananīm ananyabhāvāṃ tvaduravilāsatta-dhīkṣaṇa śrīparivṛṣḍyā paripustamāsa viśvam. Meaning: Oh Lord of Guruvāyūr! did You not honor this Mother of the Universe, who is not interested in anyone except You by welcoming Her quickly to the special throne located on Your chest and placing Her on it? Guruvāyūrappan acknowledged Śrī Bhaṭṭadiri's question and affirmed such a happening with a nod of His head.
आलोक्य त्वाममृतसहजे विष्णुवक्षःस्थलस्थां
शापाक्रान्ताः शरणमगमन् सावरोधाः सुरेन्द्राः ।
लब्ध्वा भूयस्त्रिभुवनमिदं लक्षितं त्वत्कटाक्षैः
सर्वाकारस्थिरसमुदयां संपदं निर्विशन्ति ॥ १४ ॥
ālokya tvāmamṛta-sahaje viṣṇu-vakṣaḥ-sthalasthāṃ
śāpākrāntāḥ śaraṇamagaman sāvarodhāḥ surendrāḥ ।
labdhvā bhūyastribhuvanamidaṃ lakṣitaṃ tvatkaṭākṣaiḥ
sarvākāra-sthira-samudayāṃ saṃpadaṃ nirviśanti ॥ 14 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
You are the sister of Nectar. The accursed gods resorted to You and regained their prosperity, which became permanent in all aspects.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Vaikuṇṭha Vāsi Villivalam Nārāyaṇācār Swāmy: Oh amṛta sahodari! The best among the devas along with their wives performed śaraṇāgatis to You, who is seated in the temple of the Lord's sacred chest. They resorted to You to for the removal of the curse of Sage Durvāsā that led to the loss of their wealth and positions. The result of their śaraṇāgati to You was their regaining of their former positions and īśvaryam. Your benevolent glances have blessed them with the restoration of rulership over the three universes and enjoyment of eternal wealth.
Additional Observations on the passages of the 14th ślokam of Śrī Stuti :
1) Amṛta sahaje! = Oh Śrī Devī, who appeared along with the Nectar from the Milky Ocean!
2) Indran offended Sage Durvāsā at one time. The enraged sage cursed Indran and all his subjects to loose their īśvaryam. The asuras gained the wealth of Indran and the devas. Indran shrank in power and was soundly defeated by the asuras. Indran arrived with Brahmā, Śivan and all the devas to the Milky Ocean and sought the refuge of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. Emperumān commanded the devas to churn the Milky ocean with the asuras and offered to help in gaining nectar from that ocean to give immortality to the devas, freedom from fear from the asuras and regain their lost wealth. When the amṛta mathanam was over, Mahā Lakṣmī arose from the Ocean seated on a lotus flower in front of Her Lord and the devas. Śrī Devī was crowned the Empress of the world and She took Her seat on the chest of the Lord. With Her auspicious glances, She nullified the curse of Durvāsā and restored the īśvaryams that Indra had lost before. Devas are enjoying their wealth and bhogams even today thanks to the power of those auspicious glances of Śrī Devī.
3) Swāmy Deśikan describes the pitiable state of the accursed Indran, the devas and their wives this way: "śāpa ākrāntāḥ (overpowered with sadness from the curse of Sage Durvāsā) sāvarodhāḥ surendrāḥ:” (the celebrated devas along with their wives) arrived (āgaman) in front of You seated on the chest of Your Lord. All of them saw You and prostrated before You and sought You as refuge (viṣṇu vakṣasthalāṃ tvām ālokya śaraṇam agaman). You looked at the sad devas with Your auspicious glances and blessed them to gain back all the three worlds that they had lost as a result of the sage's curse (tvat kaṭākṣaiḥ lakṣitam idham tribhuvanam bhūyaḥ labdhvā). Due to the anugraha śakti of Śrī Devī, the devas enjoy imperishable īśvaryam of every kind (sarvākāra sthira samudayāṃ sampadaṃ nirviśanti) even today.
4) Mahā Lakṣmī is “ākāra traya sampannā". It is therefore natural that Her auspicious glances conferred on the devas every kind of lasting wealth (sarvākāra sthira samudayāṃ sampadam) to enjoy.
5) With Her ever-merciful heart, Śrī Devī removed the dainyam (helplessness) of Indran and restored his dhairyam and īśvaryam. Another poet described Śrī Devī's anugraham this way: “bhītiḥ prādurbhavati mahatī śaktimatyā bhavatyā kāruṇyārdre mṛduni hṛdaye cintite hanta dhairyam“ -- Passage from the 23rd ślokam of Lakṣmī Sahasram. Indran had lost every thing and was filled with great fear (mahatī bhīti). It encircled him (prādurbhavati). He stood before You full of power (śaktimatyā). Your soft heart full of compassion for the suffering children of Yours (bhavatyāḥ kāruṇyārdre mṛduni hṛdayam) blessed Indran to regain his lost wealth and endowed him with courage (dhairyam) to defeat his enemies.
आर्तत्राणव्रतिभिरमृतासारनीलाम्बुवाहैः
अम्भोजानामुषसि मिषतामन्तरङ्गैरपाङ्गैः ।
यस्यां यस्यां दिशि विहरते देवि दृष्टिस्त्वदीया
तस्यां तस्यामहमहमिकां तन्वते संपदोघाः ॥ १५ ॥
ārta-trāṇa-vratibhiramṛtāsāra-nīlāmbuvāhaiḥ
ambhojānāmuṣasi miṣatāmantaraṅgairapāṅgaiḥ ।
yasyāṃ yasyāṃ diśi viharate devi dṛṣṭistvadīyā
tasyāṃ tasyāmahama-hamikāṃ tanvate saṃpadoghāḥ ॥ 15 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Oh Mother! All prosperities come and rushing, competing with each other as it were, in whichever direction your beautiful, nectarine, lotus-like glances turn.
PURPORT
The key message of this ślokam is: wherever the beautiful glances of Mahā Lakṣmī roam/rest, the flood of wealth showers in all those directions. The different kinds of wealth compete with each other to be there first.
Meaning according to Villivalam Śrī Nārāyaṇācār Swāmy: Oh Devī! Your glances are like the blossoming red lotus at dawn. They have vowed to protect the afflicted. They are like the blue clouds raining nectar. Whichever directions these auspicious glances fall, in all those directions, the flood of wealth competes with each other to be there first.
Additional Observations on this ślokam :
(1) Oh Devī! You are saluted as “mahā vibhūtyai namaḥ" (the possessor of indescribable īśvaryams), “kalyāṇa dāyinyai namaḥ” (one who grants all kinds of auspiciousness). Your other name is “amṛta dhārā" (one who pours down Her nectrine anugrahams on Her devotees). You are saluted as “ārti nāśinyai namaḥ" (one who has vowed to destroy the sufferings of Your devotees). In consonance with the meaning of these sahasranāmas of Yours, Your most beautiful glances trigger an outpouring of wealth, wherever they fall.
(2) Oh Divine Consort of our Lord! You are an “ārta-trāṇa vratī” and as such You are committed to wipe away the tears of Your suffering children. When Your beautiful glances fall on any one of these suffering people, it is like being drenched in the showers of nectar from a rain bearing cloud (amṛta āsāra nīlāmbuvāhairiva).
(3) the glances from those dayā-laden eyes are beautiful like the lotus flower (ambhojānām) blossoming in the morning (uṣasi miṣatām) and those glances have a close friendship (antaraṅgaiḥ apāṅgaiḥ) to the lotus flower.
4) Those compassionate glances of this ārta trāṇa vratī roam in all directions to recognize the suffering children of Hers and in whichever directions those glances fall (yasyāṃ yasyāṃ diśi viharati devī dṛṣṭiḥ tvadīyā), a miracle happens. That miracle is the competitive rushing of the different floods of wealth (sampadoghāḥ), wherever Her glances have fallen (tasyāṃ tasyāṃ diśi sampadoghāḥ ahamahamikāṃ tanvate).
5) These different categories of wealth rush to be there first, where Mahā Lakṣmī's glances have fallen. "nāṉ munti nī munti" (ahamahamikām) is the pattern of the race among these wealths to fulfil the command of their Mistress. May such wealth shower on this important Ācārya Tirunakṣatra Kaimkaryam with the intercession of Śrī Devī!
योगारम्भ त्वरित मनसो युष्मदैकान्त्ययुक्तं
धर्मं प्राप्तुं प्रथममिह ये धारयन्ते धनायाम् ।
तेषां भूमेर् धनपति गृहाद् अम्बराद् अम्बुधेर्वा
धारा निर्यान्त्यधिकम् अधिकं वाञ्छितानां वसूनाम् ॥ १६ ॥
yogārambha tvarita manaso yuṣmadaikāntya-yuktaṃ
dharmaṃ prāptuṃ prathamamiha ye dhārayante dhanāyām ।
teṣāṃ bhūmer dhanapati gṛhād ambarād ambudhervā
dhārā niryāntyadhikam adhikaṃ vāñchitānāṃ vasūnām ॥ 16 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Some people need wealth to start Karma yoga, which ultimately generates bhakti towards You. For them, riches will stream out bounteously from the earth, from the house of Kubera, from the sky and from the Ocean.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Śrī Nārāyaṇācār Swāmy : For those who wish to engage in bhakti yoga and want to follow angams of paramaikānti dharmams with the help of some wealth, the needed wealth will flow like flood from the earth as a treasure or from Kubera's house or from the sky or from the ocean.
Oh Śrī Devī! Some paramaikāntis want to practise bhakti yogam rapidly for gaining mokṣam as a phalan. They have to complete first the angams of Karma and jñāna yogams in pursuit of bhakti yogam. Further, they have to observe varṇāśrama dharmams. They have to perform yāgams, which will need a lot of wealth to carry it out. Therefore, they wish to acquire some wealth. Being paramaikāntis, they will not ask for wealth from any other devatās. They will only approach You both (Mahā Lakṣmī and Her divine consort). For these paramaikāntis, Your anugrahams result in the accumulation of desired wealth in huge quantities. They come from anywhere and everywhere. One cannot anticipate where those floods of wealth will reach them. It can be from the earth as a hidden treasure; it can be from the house of Kubera; it can be from the sky or from the ocean.
श्रेयस्कामाः कमलनिलये चित्रमाम्नायवाचां
चूडापीडं तव पदयुगं चेतसा धारयन्तः ।
छत्रच्छाया सुभगशिरसश् चामरस्मेरपार्श्वाः
श्लाघाशब्द श्रवणमुदिताः स्रग्विणः सञ्चरन्ति ॥ १७ ॥
śreyas-kāmāḥ kamalanilaye citramāmnāyavācāṃ
cūḍāpīḍaṃ tava padayugaṃ cetasā dhārayantaḥ ।
chatracchāyā subhagaśirasaś cāmarasmerapārśvāḥ
ślāghāśabda śravaṇamuditāḥ sragviṇaḥ sañcaranti ॥ 17 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Those who carry Your lotus feet in their hearts will virtually become emperors on this earth, with all prosperity at their command.
PURPORT
Additional Observations on this ślokam : The Vedas place Your sacred feet as head jewellery for themselves to bring them auspiciousness. Those who wish to be rulers or emperors or grand lords in this universe place Your sacred feet noted for the fragrance of Vedās and meditate on them. You become pleased with their devotion and grant them the positions that they desire. They now sit on a throne under a single white umbrella befitting their rank as yeka cakrādhipati. Servants wave the cāmarams on their sides. They adorn beautiful flower garlands. They move around the world in a state of joy listening to the eulogies by their subjects and vassals. All of these glories are a direct result of Your anugraha śakti!
ऊरीकर्तुं कुशलमखिलं जेतुमादीनरातीन्
दूरीकर्तुं दुरितनिवहं त्यक्तुम् आद्यामविद्याम् ।
अम्ब स्तम्बावधिक जनन ग्राम सीमान्तरेखाम्
आलम्बन्ते विमलमनसो विष्णुकान्ते दयां ते ॥ १८ ॥
ūrīkartuṃ kuśalamakhilaṃ jetumādīnarātīn
dūrīkartuṃ duritanivahaṃ tyaktum ādyāmavidyām ।
amba stambāvadhika janana grāma sīmāntarekhām
ālambante vimalamanaso viṣṇukānte dayāṃ te ॥ 18 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Men of pure mind will resort to Your grace, which alone can make them conquer the inner enemies, remove sins, ignorance and rebirth.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Śrī Nārāyaṇācār Swāmy : Oh Lakṣmī dear to our Father! Oh Mother of the Universe! Those with pure minds derive their strengths during their deha yātrās by holding on to Your incomparable dayā to (1) gain all auspiciousness (2) win over their ancient enemies of kāmam and krodham (c) destroy their sins and (d) banishing their nescience. Your divine compassion is the boundary for all lines of cetanams from the blade of grass to the mighty devas.
Additional Observations on this ślokam :Oh Dayā Devī! If we consider the jīva rāśis from the tiny blade of grass to the mighty Brahmā Devan as the boundary lines, Your divine dayā shows the land beyond that line (demarcator). Those who have been beneficiaries of Your divine grace through the performance of an appropriate upāyam, cross the ocean of saṃsāram and land in mokṣa sāmrājyam.
जाताकाङ्क्षा जननि युवयोर् एकसेवाधिकारे
मायालीढं विभवमखिलं मन्यमानास्तृणाय ।
प्रीत्यै विष्णोस्तव च कृतिनः प्रीतिमन्तो भजन्ते
वेलाभङ्ग प्रशमनफलं वैदिकं धर्मसेतुम् ॥ १९ ॥
jātākāṅkṣā janani yuvayor ekasevādhikāre
māyālīḍhaṃ vibhavamakhilaṃ manyamānāstṛṇāya ।
prītyai viṣṇostava ca kṛtinaḥ prītimanto bhajante
velābhaṅga praśamanaphalaṃ vaidikaṃ dharmasetum ॥ 19 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Blessed are the persons, who serve You both, considering all material wealth equal to a blade of grass. They adopt the vedic duties with no deviation and thus make you both happy.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Śrī Nārāyaṇācār Swāmy : Oh Mother of the Universe! Those blessed ones, who wish to perform kaimkaryams to You in unison with Your divine consort discard the material wealth of this world and engage in practise of vaidika karmas for pleasing You both. They perform these kaimkaryams with the resolution that they should not swerve away from these ancient commands of Your Lord ordained in His Bhāgavata Śāstrams.
Additional Observations on this ślokam : For those virtuous ones, who have performed śaraṇāgati to both of You, desire arises in them to serve You both together. Propelled by that desire (kaimkarya ruci), they consider all the perishable wealth of this world as worthless. The phalan sought by their selfless kaimkaryams is the realization of Your pleasure over their kaimkarya prāpti. Such niṣkāma kaimkaryams (with sāttvika tyāgams) observed as vaidika dharmams stand like a strong dam to hold the boundaries of Bhāgavata Śāstrams.
सेवे देवि त्रिदशमहिलामौलिमालार्छितं ते
सिद्धिक्षेत्रं शमितविपदां सम्पदां पादपद्मम् ।
यस्मिन्नीषन्नमितशिरसो यापयित्वा शरीरं
वर्तिष्यन्ते वितमसि पदे वासुदेवस्य धन्याः ॥ २० ॥
seve devi tridaśamahilāmaulimālārchitaṃ te
siddhikṣetraṃ śamitavipadāṃ sampadāṃ pādapadmam ।
yasminnīṣannamitaśiraso yāpayitvā śarīraṃ
vartiṣyante vitamasi pade vāsudevasya dhanyāḥ ॥ 20 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Oh Divine Mother! I wait upon Your lotus feet. They are the source of all welfare. The lucky ones, who just bend a little before these feet will live in the abode of Lord Vāsudeva, which is free from the impact of material nature.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Śrī Nārāyaṇācār Swāmy : Oh the Devī of the Devadeva! adiyēn prostrates before Your sacred feet which are worshipped by the deva strīs with garlands adorned on their heads; Your sacred feet are the growing ground for all types of wealth. Even those, who bend before them with nāma ukti become blessed ones and they reach Your Lord's parama padam at the end of their lives on this earth.
Additional Observations on this ślokam : Oh Periya Pirāṭṭi (Mahā Devī of Kāñcīpuram)! When the deva strīs adorned with flower garlands on their beautiful hair prostrate before Your sacred feet, the flowers from those garlands serve as puṣpa varṣams for Your worship. That is like arcanā performed by them to Your sacred feet. Those sacred feet yields "bhava sāgara antaḥ avasādaṃ yeyuṣām abhayāya bhāti" according to a passage from Lakṣmī Sahasram. Your sacred feet, nāmas and Your maṅgala tirumeni shine to remove the fear of saṃsāram. They destroy the light of amaṅgalams ("aśubha dīptiṃ hṛt"). With their golden lustre, they steal the heart of the worshippers (suvarṇanibhayā prabhayā manoramaṃ bhāti). In Tamil, the power of those sacred feet and Her nāmas has been described as: "maṅgalaṅgaḷ maṅgāmal manna vaikkum”. You are the “śreyaḥ sādhana devatā" (the puṃpradhāneśvarī, who is the upāyam for śreyas). Your sacred feet are like the wish-granting kāmadhenu. They chase away all sāṃsāric sorrows (nirākṛta vyasane tava divya caraṇāravindham). The author of Lakṣmī Sahasram reminds us of the power of Her sacred nāmas. His comments apply to the power of Her sacred tiruvaḍi as well: “āmuṣmikaṃ śāśvataṃ aihikaṃ vā kiṃ nāma phalaṃ tvannāma na dhatte?” (What type of phalan -- here on earth, at the other world or any other phalan--can they not give?).
सानुप्रासप्रकटितदयैः सान्द्रवात्सल्यदिग्धैः
अम्ब स्निग्धैरमृतलहरीलब्धसब्रह्मचर्यैः ।
घर्मे तापत्रयविरचिते गाढतप्तं क्षणं माम्
आकिञ्चन्यग्लपितम् अनघैरार्द्रयेथाः कटाक्षैः ॥ २१ ॥
sānuprāsa-prakaṭita-dayaiḥ sāndra-vātsalya-digdhaiḥ
amba snigdhairamṛtalaharī-labdha-sabrahmacaryaiḥ ।
gharme tāpatraya-viracite gāḍhataptaṃ kṣaṇaṃ mām
ākiñcanya-glapitam anaghairārdrayethāḥ kaṭākṣaiḥ ॥ 21 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Mother! adiyēn is scorched by the summer (heat) of the three afflictions. Kindly cool me with Your gracious, benign, nectarine side glances.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Sri Narayanachar Swamy: Oh My Mother! adiyēn is suffering intensely from the fierce heat of the three afflictions (tāpams) and they are shrivelling me up. May Thou with Your side-glances -- that are like a flood of rejuvenating nectar-- cool me for a second. May those blemishless, cooling and dayā-laden glances of Yours restore me from my state of suffering from the ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika tāpams!
Those compassionate side-glances of Yours are not some phenomenon that happens once in a great while and then are turned off. On the contrary, those dayā-laden glances fall on the suffering devotees ever so frequently (sānuprāsa prakaṭita dayā). They are full of deep affection (sāndra vātsalya digdhaiḥ); those side-glances display friendship (snigdhaiḥ sahitam); they destroy the sins of those on whom they fall (anagaiḥ); they have close relationship to the flood of nectar (amṛta laharī labdha sabrahmacaryaiḥ). Such celebrated kaṭākṣams are the cure for banishing the heat of the three tāpams. For adiyēn suffering from exposure to these tāpatrayams, Your kaṭākṣams will have the power of a restoring balm. Oh Mother! adiyēn prays for Your rejuvenating glances to fall on me even for the duration of a second to save me from these unbearable sufferings.
Three tāpams:
1. Ādhyātmikam: These deal with the diseases pertaining to the body (headache, flu et al) and the mind (kāmam, krodham, bhayam et al).
2. Ādhibhautikam: These are dangers arising from animals, birds and humans.
3. Ādhidaivikam: Dangers from calamities caused by nature (thunder storm, hurricane, Earth Quake et al).
Swāmy Deśikan's Appeal: Ambā! adiyēn is suffering in this unbearable heat of the tāpatrayams (tāpatraya viracite gharme gāḍha taptaṃ mām). Adiyēn has no other recourse (ākiñcanyam) than You. Adiyēn has shrivelled up from these sufferings (glapitaṃ mām). Please cool adiyēn from this insufferable wave of flames even for a second by casting Your side glances on me (glapitaṃ māṃ kṣaṇam ārdrayethāḥ).
सम्पद्यन्ते भवभयतमीभानवस्त्वत्प्रसादाद्
भावाः सर्वे भगवति हरौ भक्तिमुद्वेलयन्तः ।
याचे किं त्वामहमिह यतः शीतलोदारशीला
भूयो भूयो दिशसि महतां मङ्गलानां प्रबन्धान् ॥ २२ ॥
sampadyante bhava-bhaya-tamī-bhānavastvatprasādād
bhāvāḥ sarve bhagavati harau bhaktimudvelayantaḥ ।
yāce kiṃ tvāmahamiha yataḥ śītalodāraśīlā
bhūyo bhūyo diśasi mahatāṃ maṅgalānāṃ prabandhān ॥ 22 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Adorable One! By Your grace, all my thoughts are only enhancing my loving devotion towards Lord Hari. You are always showering welfare on me. So, what more shall I ask for?
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Sri Narayanachar Swamy: Oh Bhagavathī! for us now, the welcome state of mind, wherein the fear about the saṃsāram has been destroyed through Your grace just as the dark night is chased away by the illumining rays of the rising Sun. Thanks to that grace of Yours, our thoughts have become auspicious and You have stimulated bhakti towards Your Lord. Over and above these two blessings, what is there for me to ask of You? There is none that I could think of as additional boons to request. Out of Your abundant compassion and generosity, You are showering waves and waves of maṅgalams on adiyēn.
Additional Observations on this ślokam : Oh Mother! You are sarvajñā (omniscient). You know even before we can identify what we need; You already shower those boons on us. You are saluted by Your sahasranāmams as “svasti kāryai namaḥ” (one who showers auspiciousness of every kind) and "rājya lakṣmyai namaḥ" and "dhana lakṣmyai namaḥ". You bless Your devotees with great kingdoms on this earth and immense wealth of other kinds. Your satya saṅkalpam (unfailing resolve) and paramāpta svarūpam (supreme friendship to Your devotees) makes You recognized as "sarva pālinī" (protector of all), sarva dāyinī (grantor of all boons), parāśakti (omnipotent force) and “kali kalmaṣa nāśinī” (one who destroys the kali doṣams). Your concern for us and looking into our yoga-kṣemam leads to Your sahasranāmam of “yoga-kṣema vahāyai namaḥ”. Sitting on Your auspicious seat (bhadra pīṭham), You shower on us Your “mahā vibhūti” (great īśvaryam) and appear before us (agrataḥ sthitāyai namaḥ) with Your beautiful rūpam (saumya rūpa vyavasthitāyai namaḥ).
Sarva maṅgala māṅgalye! Sarva loka priyaṅkarī! Bhava bhaṅga apahāriṇī! Bhoga priye! Bhogavatī! Sarva lakṣaṇa lakṣaṇye! Nārāyaṇī! Śraddhe! Medhe! Indirā! Vāṇī! Subhadrā! Kāma duhe! Suvimalā! Bhakta vatsale! Sucaritre! Stuti priye! Śive! Kāma varṣiṇī! Lālantike! Sama darśinī! Sarva mantrātmike! Sarva yantrātmike! Sarva tantrātmike! Sarvato bhadre! Loka dhāriṇī! Viṣṇu durge! Puṇya nilaye! Maṅgala devate! --- ityālapantaṃ mām aniśaṃ paripālaya! (Oh Mother! Please protect me, who is repeating these sahasranāmams of Yours, always! Remove adiyēn's saṃsāra bhīti! Grow bhakti for Your Lord!).
माता देवि त्वममसि भगवान् वासुदेवः पिता मे
जातः सोऽहं जननि युवयोरेकलक्ष्यं दयायाः ।
दत्तो युष्मत्परिजनतया देशिकैरप्यतस्त्वं
किं ते भूयः प्रियमिति किल स्मेरवक्त्रा विभासि ॥ २३ ॥
mātā devi tvamamasi bhagavān vāsudevaḥ pitā me
jātaḥ so'haṃ janani yuvayoreka-lakṣyaṃ dayāyāḥ ।
datto yuṣmat-parijanatayā deśikairapyatastvaṃ
kiṃ te bhūyaḥ priyamiti kila smeravaktrā vibhāsi ॥ 23 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
You are my Mother and Lord Vāsudeva is my Father. I am the sole object of the compassion of both of You. I was entrusted by my ācāryans to both of You as Your servant. Oh Śrī Devī! You seem to be asking me with a shining, smiling face: “What other favours do You want?”.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Sri Narayanachar Swamy: Divine Consort of the Lord! You are my Mother. Emperumān Vāsudevan is my Father. I am the one, who was born as Your son as a result of both of Your dayā. Further, my ācāryans have presented me as Your dāsan (parijanam / servant) to You. Therefore, You seem to have a smiling face with the query: “What else is there for Me to grant You as additional boons?"
Additional Observations on this ślokam : Oh Pirāṭṭi! Through Your compassionate nature of overlooking adiyēn's trespasses, You serve as my Mother. Your Lord, who has the intention of correcting me for all my trespasses, stands in the role of my Father. As a result, I have become the key object of both of Your dayā as You take on the role of my Father and Mother. Thanks to Your grace, adiyēn is blessed to have noble ācāryans. They in turn presented me as Your servant to perform kaimkaryams for You. Oh Mother! When adiyēn looks at Your smiling face, it appears to me that You are asking me the question: Are You contented? What else can I do for you?”. Adiyēn is indeed blessed to have all these saubhāgyams.
कल्याणानामविकलनिधिः काऽपि कारुण्यसीमा
नित्यामोदा निगमवचसां मौलि मन्दारमाला ।
सम्पद् दिव्या मधुविजयिनः सन्निधत्तां सदा मे
सैषा देवी सकल भुवन प्रार्थना कामधेनुः ॥ २४ ॥
kalyāṇānāmavikalanidhiḥ kā'pi kāruṇyasīmā
nityāmodā nigamavacasāṃ mauli mandāramālā ।
sampad divyā madhuvijayinaḥ sannidhattāṃ sadā me
saiṣā devī sakala bhuvana prārthanā kāmadhenuḥ ॥ 24 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
May Goddess Lakṣmī, the infinite source of all auspicious things, the ultimate abode of compassion, One who is glorified in the Vedas, the divine consort of Lord Viṣṇu, and the unique benefactor for all the worlds, always manifest before me!
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Sri Narayanachar Swamy: Śrī Devī is the undiminishing and eternal abode of all maṅgalams. She is treasure house of Compassion (kāruṇyam) and the boundary for the same. She is the mandāra mālā for the head of Vedās known for their eternal fragrance. She is the precious wealth of the Lord, who destroyed the asura with the name of Madhu. She is the wish-granting kāmadhenu responding to the prayers of the people of the world. May the Pirāṭṭi of such unique attributes be present inside me always!
Additional Observations on this ślokam : To enjoy further the vaibhavams of Śrī Devī, one has to study the 1018 ślokams of Lakṣmī Sahasram, which is organized as 25 sthapakam.
उपचितगुरुभक्तेरुत्थितं वेङ्कटेशात्
कलिकलुषनिवृत्त्यै कल्पमानं प्रजानाम् ।
सरसिजनिलयायाः स्तोत्रमेतत् पठन्तः
सकलकुशलसीमाः सार्वभौमा भवन्ति ॥ २५ ॥
upacita-gurubhakterutthitaṃ veṅkaṭeśāt
kali-kaluṣa-nivṛttyai kalpamānaṃ prajānām ।
sarasija-nilayāyāḥ stotrametat paṭhantaḥ
sakala-kuśala-sīmāḥ sārvabhaumā bhavanti ॥ 25 ॥
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Veṅkaṭeśa out of intense devotion composed this hymn on Mahā Lakṣmī, which can remove the evils of the Kali age. Those who recite this hymn will become emperors and enjoy unlimited all round welfare.
PURPORT
Meaning according to Villivalam Sri Narayanachar Swamy: Arising from Veṅkaṭeśa Kavi filled with lofty bhakti, this hymn with the power to dispel the ill effects of Kali yugam from people will confer the utmost among maṅgalams and make them rulers of the earth ultimately.
Additional Observations on this ślokam : "Guru bhakti” here refers not to ācārya bhakti but to a big (lofty) bhakti of the Veṅkaṭeśa Kavi for Śrī Devī. "Veṅkaṭeśa Kavi“ is the Kavi Siṃham, Swāmy Deśikan, the ghaṇṭāvatāram of Lord Veṅkaṭeśa of Tirumalai (Sapta Giri). In the yugam of Kali, when the cow of dharmam stands on one leg awkwardly and the ācāram/anuṣṭānams decrease rapidly, there are lot of sorrows (kali kaluṣam). Those agitations / perturbations of the mind can be removed however by the recitation of Śrī Stuti with bhakti (kali kaluṣa nivṛtyai paṭhantaḥ). The dear consort of the Lord seated on Her abode of red lotus (Mahā Lakṣmī) banishes the kali doṣam of Her devotees and blesses them with the most supreme maṅgalams, accepts their śaraṇāgati and ensures that these bhaktas enjoy paripūrṇa brahmānandam at Śrī Vaikuṇṭham through nitya, niravadhya kaiṅkaryams to Her and Her Lord.
Kavitārkika-siṃhāya kalyāṇa-guṇa-śāline । Śrīmate veṅkaṭeśāya vedānta-gurave namaḥ ॥
Śrīmath Aḻagiya Siṅgar Tiruvaḍigaḷē Śaraṇam,
Dāsan, Oppiliappan Koil Varadācāri Sadagopan