Canonical Ref: SL 89
Sanskrit (Devanāgarī)
नखैर्नाकस्त्रीणां करकमलसंकोचशशिभि-
स्तरूणां दिव्यानां हसत इव ते चण्डि चरणौ ।
फलानि स्वःस्थेभ्यः किसलयकराग्रेण ददतां
दरिद्रेभ्यो भद्रां श्रियमनिशमह्नाय ददतौ ॥ ८९॥
स्तरूणां दिव्यानां हसत इव ते चण्डि चरणौ ।
फलानि स्वःस्थेभ्यः किसलयकराग्रेण ददतां
दरिद्रेभ्यो भद्रां श्रियमनिशमह्नाय ददतौ ॥ ८९॥
English Scholarly Translation
O Caṇḍī! Your two feet — whose nails are like moons that make the lotus-hands
of celestial women contract — seem to laugh at the divine wish-fulfilling trees. For those trees give
fruits to those already dwelling in heaven (the fortunate) with the tip of their tender-shoot hands;
while your feet give auspicious prosperity to the poor ceaselessly and immediately.
of celestial women contract — seem to laugh at the divine wish-fulfilling trees. For those trees give
fruits to those already dwelling in heaven (the fortunate) with the tip of their tender-shoot hands;
while your feet give auspicious prosperity to the poor ceaselessly and immediately.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
Classical Exegesis
【Title: The Feet — Giving to the Poor What the Gods Give to the Blessed】
The divine wish-fulfilling trees (kalpa-vṛkṣa, mandāra, etc.) of
Indra's paradise are the standard symbol of abundance in Sanskrit — they grant whatever is asked. The
verse surpasses them on two counts: (1) the trees give only to those in heaven (svaḥ-stha),
whereas the Goddess's feet give to the poor (daridra); (2) the trees give when asked
(kisalaya-karāgreṇa adadatām = giving through their blossom-hands), whereas the feet give
ahnāya — immediately, without delay, without even a request. The word ahnāya
(instantly, at once) is the crucial intensifier: grace from the Goddess is not just more generous than
divine trees but faster and more unconditional.
Padaccheda: नखैः · नाकस्त्रीणाम् · कर-कमल-संकोच-शशिभिः · तरूणाम् · दिव्यानाम् · हसतः इव · ते · चण्डि
· चरणौ · फलानि · स्वःस्थेभ्यः · किसलय-कर-अग्रेण · ददताम् · दरिद्रेभ्यः · भद्राम् · श्रियम् · अनिशम् ·
अह्नाय · ददतौ
Canonical CTS URN Reference
Saundaryalaharī, SL 89. Poorvam Open Research Engine (PORE) Corpus.