Canonical Ref: SL 93
Sanskrit (Devanāgarī)
अरालाकेशेषु प्रकृतिसरला मन्दहसिते
शिरीषाभा चित्ते दृषदुपलशोभा कुचतटे ।
भृशं तन्वी मध्ये पृथुरुरसिजारोहविषये
जगत्त्रातुं शम्भोर्जयति करुणा काचिदरुणा ॥ ९३॥
शिरीषाभा चित्ते दृषदुपलशोभा कुचतटे ।
भृशं तन्वी मध्ये पृथुरुरसिजारोहविषये
जगत्त्रातुं शम्भोर्जयति करुणा काचिदरुणा ॥ ९३॥
English Scholarly Translation
Curly in the hair, naturally simple in the gentle smile, like the śirīṣa
flower in tenderness of heart, with the beauty of smooth gems at the breast-ridge, extremely slender at
the waist, broad in the region of the breast-rise — to protect the world, a certain reddish compassion
of Śambhu is victorious.
flower in tenderness of heart, with the beauty of smooth gems at the breast-ridge, extremely slender at
the waist, broad in the region of the breast-rise — to protect the world, a certain reddish compassion
of Śambhu is victorious.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
Classical Exegesis
【Title: A Portrait of the Whole Goddess — Śambhu's Compassion】
This verse compresses the entire body-description of the Saundaryalaharī into six
locative phrases, each with a single qualitative word, before the revelation in the final line: all
these qualities together are Śambhu's compassion given a form. The six descriptions — curly
hair, simple smile, śirīṣa-soft heart, gem-smooth breasts, slender waist, broad chest — are the
attributes of the Goddess's form; but the verse reveals that this form is not the Goddess described as
an object but the Goddess understood as Śiva's karuṇā (compassion) made visible. The form is
the feeling; the beauty is the saving.
Padaccheda: अराला · केशेषु · प्रकृति-सरला · मन्द-हसिते · शिरीष-आभा · चित्ते · दृषद्-उपल-शोभा ·
कुच-तटे · भृशम् · तन्वी · मध्ये · पृथुः · उरसिज-आरोह-विषये · जगत् · त्रातुम् · शम्भोः · जयति · करुणा ·
काचित् · अरुणा
Canonical CTS URN Reference
Saundaryalaharī, SL 93. Poorvam Open Research Engine (PORE) Corpus.