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Saundaryalaharī • Chapter 01

Saundaryalaharī (Ananda & Saundarya Laharī)

सौन्दर्यलहरी (आनन्दलहरी च)

The hymn of divine beauty, Śākta metaphysics, and mantra-tantra attributed to Ādi Śaṅkarācārya.

Total: 100 Verses • Citations: SL 1.1–100 • 3 Lexicon Terms • Page 2 of 4 (Verses 30 shown)
चतुष्षष्ट्या तन्त्रैः सकलमतिसंधाय भुवनं

स्थितस्तत्तत्सिद्धिप्रसवपरतन्त्रैः पशुपतिः ।

पुनस्त्वन्निर्बन्धादखिलपुरुषार्थैकघटना-

स्वतन्त्रं ते तन्त्रं क्षितितलमवातीतरदिदम् ॥ 31 ॥
Cautuh-shashtya tantraih sakalam atisamdhaya bhuvanam Sthitas tat-tat-siddhi-prasava-para-tantraih pasupatih; Punas tvan-nirbandhad akhila-purusarth'aika ghatana- Svatantram te tantram khsiti-talam avatitaradidam., 31
English Translation
The Lord of all souls, Pasupathi, Did create the sixty four thanthras, Each leading to only one desired power, And started he his relaxation. But you goaded him mother, To create in this mortal world. Your thanthra called Sri vidya. Which grants the devotee, All powers that give powers, Over all the states in life.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The 64 Tantras and the Supreme Tantra】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 31 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
शिवः शक्तिः कामः क्षितिरथ रविः शीतकिरणः

स्मरो हंसः शक्रस्तदनु च परामारहरयः ।

अमी हृल्लेखाभिस्तिसृभिरवसानेषु घटिता

भजन्ते वर्णास्ते तव जननि नामावयवताम् ॥ 32 ॥
Sivah saktih kamah kshitir atha ravih sithakiranah Smaro hamsah sakrastadanu cha para-mara-harayah; Amee hrllekhabhis tisrbhir avasanesu ghatitha Bhajante varnaste tava janani nam'avayavatham.
English Translation
She who is mother of us all, The seed letter "ka" of my lord Shiva, The seed letter "a" of goddess Shakthi, The seed letter "ee" of the god of love, The seed letter "la" of earth, The seed letter "ha" of the sun god, The seed letter "sa" of the moon with cool rays, The seed letter "ka" of again the god of love, The seed letter "ha" of the sky, The seed letter "la" of Indra , the king of devas, The seed letter "sa" of Para, The seed letter "ka" of the God of love, The seed letter "la" of the Lord Vishnu, Along with your seed letters "Hrim", Which joins at the end of each of the three holy wheels, Become the holy word to worship you. 32 This stanza gives indirectly the most holy Pancha dasakshari manthra which consists of three parts viz., ka-aa-ee-la-hrim at the end of Vagbhava koota, ha-sa-ka-ha-la-hrin at the end of kama raja koota and sa-ka-la-hrim at the end of Shakthi koota.These parts are respectively called Vahni kundalini, Surya Kundalini and Soma kundalini.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Secret Śrīvidyā Mantra (Kādi Mantra)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 32 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
स्मरं योनिं लक्ष्मीं त्रितयमिदमादौ तव मनो-

र्निधायैके नित्ये निरवधिमहाभोगरसिकाः ।

भजन्ति त्वां चिन्तामणिगुननिबद्धाक्षवलयाः

शिवाग्नौ जुह्वन्तः सुरभिघृतधाराहुतिशतैः ॥ 33 ॥
Smaram yonim lakshmim trithayam idam adau tava manor Nidhay'aike nitye niravadhi-maha-bhoga-rasikah; Bhajanti tvam chintamani-guna-nibaddh'aksha-valayah Sivagnau juhvantah surabhi-ghrta-dhara'huti-sataih.
English Translation
Oh, mother who is ever present, Those who realize the essence , Of the limitless pleasure of the soul you give, And who add the seed letter "Iim" of the god of love, The seed letter "Hrim" of the goddess Bhuavaneswaree, And the seed letter "Srim" of the goddess Lakhmi, Which are the three letter triad, Wear the garland of the gem of thoughts, And offer oblations to the fire in triangle of Shiva, With the pure scented ghee of the holy cow, Kamadhenu, Several times and worship you. 33
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Saubhāgya Vidyā (Smara and Surabhi)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 33 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
शरीरं त्वं शम्भोः शशिमिहिरवक्षोरुहयुगं

तवात्मानं मन्ये भगवति नवात्मानमनघम् ।

अतश्शेषश्शेषीत्ययमुभयसाधारणतया

स्थितः संबन्धो वां समरसपरानन्दपरयोः ॥ 34 ॥
Sariram twam sambhoh sasi-mihira-vakshoruha-yugam Tav'atmanam manye bhagavati nav' atmanam anagham; Atah seshah seshityayam ubhaya-saadharana taya Sthitah sambandho vaam samarasa-parananda-parayoh.
English Translation
Oh goddess supreme, I always see in my minds eye, That your body with sun and moon, As busts is the body of Shiva, And his peerless body with nine surrounding motes, Is your body, my goddess. And so the relation of," that which has", And" he who has", Becomes the one perfect relation of happiness, And becomes equal in each of you. 34
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Non-Duality of Śiva and Śakti】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 34 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
मनस्त्वं व्योम त्वं मरुदसि मरुत्सारथिरसि

त्वमापस्त्वं भूमिस्त्वयि परिणतायां न हि परम् ।

त्वमेव स्वात्मानं परिणमयितुं विश्ववपुषा

चिदानन्दाकारं शिवयुवति भावेन बिभृषे ॥ 35 ॥
Manas tvam vyoma tvam marud asi marut saarathir asi Tvam aastvam bhoomis tvayi parinathayam na hi param; Tvam eva svatmanam parinamayithum visva-vapusha Chidanand'aakaram Shiva-yuvati-bhaavena bibhrushe. Mind you are, Ether you are, Air you are, Fire you are, Water you are, Earth you are,
English Translation
And you are the universe, mother, There is nothing except you in the world, But to make believe your form as the universe, You take the role of wife of Shiva, And appear before us in the form of ethereal happiness.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Mother as the Five Elements and the Mind】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 35 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
तवाज्ञाचक्रस्थं तपनशशिकोटिद्युतिधरं

परं शम्भुं वन्दे परिमिलितपार्श्वं परचिता ।

यमाराध्यन् भक्त्या रविशशिशुचीनामविषये

निरालोकेऽलोके निवसति हि भालोकभुवने ॥ 36 ॥
Tavaagna chakrastham thapana shakthi koti dhyudhidharam, Param shambhum vande parimilitha -paarswa parachitha Yamaradhyan bhakthya ravi sasi suchinama vishaye Niraalokeloke nivasathi hi bhalokha bhuvane
English Translation
The one who worships Parameshwara, Who has the luster of billions of moon and sun And who lives in thine Agna chakra- the holy wheel of order, And is surrounded by thine two forms, On both sides, Would forever live, In that world where rays of sun and moon do not enter, But which has its own luster, And which is beyond the sight of the eye, But is different from the world we see. 36
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: Meditation in the Ājñā Cakra (Parā-Śambhu)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 36 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
विशुद्धौ ते शुद्धस्फटिकविशदं व्योमजनकं

शिवं सेवे देवीमपि शिवसमानव्यवसिताम् ।

ययोः कान्त्या यान्त्याः शशिकिरणसारूप्यसरणे-

विधूतान्तर्ध्वान्ता विलसति चकोरीव जगती ॥ 37 ॥
Vishuddhou the shuddha sphatika visadham vyoma janakam Shivam seve devimapi siva samana vyavasitham Yayo kaanthya sasi kirana saaroopya sarane Vidhoo thantha dwarvantha vilamathi chakoriva jagathi
English Translation
I bow before the Shiva , Who is of the pure crystal form, In thine supremely pure wheel And who creates the principle of ether, And to you my mother, Who has same stream of thought as Him. I bow before you both, Whose moon like light, Forever removes the darkness of ignorance, Forever from the mind, And which shines like the Chakora* bird , Playing in the full moon light. 37
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: Meditation in the Viśuddhi Cakra (Akāśa Tattva)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 37 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
समुन्मीलत् संवित् कमलमकरन्दैकरसिकं

भजे हंसद्वन्द्वं किमपि महतां मानसचरम् ।

यदालापादष्टादशगुणितविद्यापरिणति-

र्यदादत्ते दोषाद् गुणमखिलमद्भ्यः पय इव ॥ 38 ॥
Samunmeelath samvithkamala makarandhaika rasikam Bhaje hamsadwandham kimapi mahatham maanasacharam Yadhalapaa dhashtadasa gunitha vidhyaparinathi Yadadhathe doshad gunamakhila madhbhaya paya eva
English Translation
I pray before the swan couple, Who only enjoy the honey , From the fully open, Lotus flowers of knowledge, And who swim in the lake , Which is the mind of great ones, And also who can never be described. From them come the eighteen arts, And they differentiate the good from the bad, Like the milk from water. 38
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: Meditation in the Anāhata Cakra (Haṁsa-Dvandva)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 38 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
तव स्वाधिष्ठाने हुतवहमधिष्ठाय निरतं

तमीडे संवर्तं जननि महतीं तां च समयाम् ।

यदालोके लोकान् दहति महति क्रोधकलिते

दयार्द्रा या दृष्टिः शिशिरमुपचारं रचयति ॥ 39 ॥
Thava swadhishtane huthavahamadhishtaya niratham Thameede sarvatha janani mahathim tham cha samayam Yadhaloke lokan dhahathi mahasi krodha kalithe Dhayardhra ya drushti sishiramupacharam rachayathi
English Translation
Mother ,think and worship I ,of the fire, In your holy wheel of Swadishtana, And the Rudra who shines in that fire, Like the destroying fire of deluge, And you who shine there as Samaya. When that angry fire of look of Rudhra, Burns the world , Then your look drenches it in mercy, Which treats and cools it down. 39
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: Meditation in the Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra (Agni Tattva)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 39 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
तटित्त्वन्तं शक्त्या तिमिरपरिपन्थिस्फुरणया

स्फुरन्नानारत्नाभरणपरिणद्धेन्द्रधनुषम् ।

तव श्यामं मेघं कमपि मणिपूरैकशरणं

निषेवे वर्षन्तं हरमिहिरतप्तं त्रिभुवनम् ॥ 40 ॥
Thatithwantham shakthya thimira paree pandhi sphuranaya Sphuranna na rathnabharana pareenedwendra dhanusham Thava syamam megham kamapi manipooraika sharanam Nisheve varshantham haramihira thaptham thribhuvanam.
English Translation
I bow before that principle, Which is in your wheel of Manipooraka, Which as Parashakthi shines like the enemy of darkness, Which is with the streak of lightning, Which is with the shining jewels of precious stones of lightning, Which is also black as night, Which is burnt by Rudhra like the sun of the deluge, And which cools down the three worlds like a strange cloud. 40
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: Meditation in the Maṇipūra Cakra (Jala Tattva)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 40 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
तवाधारे मूले सह समयया लास्यपरया

नवात्मानं मन्ये नवरसमहाताण्डवनटम् ।

उभाभ्यामेताभ्यामुदयविधिमुद्दिश्य दयया

सनाथाभ्यां जज्ञे जनकजननीमज्जगदिदम् ॥ 41 ॥
Thavadhare mole saha samayaya lasyaparaya Navathmanam manye navarasa maha thandava natam Ubhabhya Methabhyamudaya vidhi muddhisya dhayaya Sanadhabyam jagne janaka jananimatha jagathidam.
English Translation
I pray in your holy wheel of Mooladhara, You who likes to dance, And calls yourself as Samaya, And that Lord who performs the great vigorous dance, Which has all the shades of nine emotions. This world has you both as parents, Because you in your mercy, wed one another, To recreate the world, As the world was destroyed in the grand deluge. 41
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: Meditation in the Mūlādhāra Cakra (Pṛthvī Tattva / Lāsya & Tāṇḍava)】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 41 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
गतैर्माणिक्यत्वं गगनमणिभिः सान्द्रघटितं

किरीटं ते हैमं हिमगिरिसुते कीर्तयति यः ।

स नीडेयच्छायाच्छुरणशबलं चन्द्रशकलं

धनुः शौनासीरं किमिति न निबध्नाति धिषणाम् ॥ ४२॥
English Translation
O Daughter of the Snow-Mountain! He who hymns your golden crown — dense-set with sky-gems (rubies) — how
does his mind not also fasten upon that crescent moon nesting in it, dappled by the flickering of the
crown's own radiance, [looking like] Indra's rainbow-bow?
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Golden Crown set with Rubies】 Gagana-maṇi ("sky-gem") is a poetic kenning for ruby (māṇikya), owing to its fiery red lustre that evokes the sun. The verse plays on a second identification: the rubies, having "attained the state of ruby-ness" (māṇikyatvam gataiḥ), are themselves transformed by their proximity to the Goddess. Śaunāsīra derives from śuna (plough) + asira (share), the epithet of Indra, whose weapon/bow is the rainbow. The poet maps the arc of the crescent moon half-seen among red gems to this rainbow, a brilliant upamā within a utprekṣā. Padaccheda: गतैः · माणिक्यत्वम् · गगन-मणिभिः · सान्द्र-घटितम् · किरीटम् · ते · हैमम् · हिमगिरि-सुते · कीर्तयति · यः · सः · नीडे · यत् · छायाच्छुरण-शबलम् · चन्द्र-शकलम् · धनुः · शौनासीरम् · किम् इति · न · निबध्नाति · धिषणाम्
धुनोतु ध्वान्तं नस्तुलितदलितेन्दीवरवनं

घनस्निग्धश्लक्ष्णं चिकुरनिकुरुम्बं तव शिवे ।

यदीयं सौरभ्यं सहजमुपलब्धुं सुमनसो

वसन्त्यस्मिन् मन्ये वलमथनवाटीविटपिनाम् ॥ ४३॥
English Translation
O Auspicious One! May your mass of hair — thick, lustrous, smooth, surpassing in beauty entire forests
of blue lotuses — dispel our darkness. For I believe it is in order to experience its natural fragrance
that the flowers of the trees of Indra's grove dwell within it.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Fragrant Dark Tresses】 The word sumanasaḥ carries a beautiful double meaning: (1) "flowers" (su-manas = good-smelling ones), and (2) "the pious-minded" or "those of good mind." The verse thus simultaneously narrates the mythology of divine flowers (mandāra, etc.) nesting in the Goddess's hair for fragrance, and makes the devotional point that those who are pure-minded (sumanasaḥ) dwell in her hair mentally — i.e., they concentrate upon her form in meditation. Tulita-dalita (literally "weighed and crushed") is a forceful compound expressing aesthetic surpassing: the hair does not merely equal the blue lotus but overwhelms it. Padaccheda: धुनोतु · ध्वान्तम् · नः · तुलित-दलित-इन्दीवर-वनम् · घन-स्निग्ध-श्लक्ष्णम् · चिकुर-निकुरुम्बम् · तव · शिवे · यदीयम् · सौरभ्यम् · सहजम् · उपलब्धुम् · सुमनसः · वसन्ति · अस्मिन् · मन्ये · वलमथन-वाटी-विटपिनाम्
तनोतु क्षेमं नस्तव वदनसौन्दर्यलहरी-

परीवाहस्रोतःसरणिरिव सीमन्तसरणिः ।

वहन्ती सिन्दूरं प्रबलकबरीभारतिमिर-

द्विषां वृन्दैर्बन्दीकृतमिव नवीनार्ककिरणम् ॥ ४४॥
English Translation
May your parting-line — like a channel bearing the overflow-stream of the wave of your facial beauty —
extend well-being to us; it bears vermilion that is like the rays of the young sun, made captive by the
massed darkness of your heavy, braided hair.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Vermilion Parting of the Hair】 This verse demonstrates the Saundaryalaharī's mastery of the dīrgha-samāsa (extended compound). The central image rests on two interlinked long compounds: vadana-saundarya-laharī-parīvāha-srotaḥ-saraṇiḥ (a six-member ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa) and prabala-kabarī-bhāra-timira-dviṣām (a four-member compound). The metre is śikharinī (six lines of 17 syllables each, scanning — — ∪ — — ∪ ∪ ∪ ∪ ∪ — — ∪ — — | ∪ —), and the long compounds fill the slow, majestic rhythm perfectly. Padaccheda: तनोतु · क्षेमम् · नः · तव · वदन-सौन्दर्य-लहरी-परीवाह-स्रोतः-सरणिः इव · सीमन्त-सरणिः · वहन्ती · सिन्दूरम् · प्रबल-कबरी-भार-तिमिर-द्विषाम् · वृन्दैः · बन्दीकृतम् इव · नवीन-अर्क-किरणम्
अरालैः स्वाभाव्यादलिकलभसश्रीभिरलकैः

परीतं ते वक्त्रं परिहसति पङ्केरुहरुचिम् ।

दरस्मेरे यस्मिन् दशनरुचिकिञ्जल्करुचिरे

सुगन्धौ माद्यन्ति स्मरदहनचक्षुर्मधुलिहः ॥ ४५॥
English Translation
Your face, surrounded by naturally curling locks resplendent with the beauty of young bees, laughs at
the beauty of the lotus. In that face, which is slightly smiling, made splendid by teeth-lustre as
stamens, and fragrant — the bees that drink honey from the eye of Śiva-who-burned-Love become
intoxicated.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Curling Locks and the Fragrant Face】 The face-as-lotus (vadana-kamala) is a stock image in Sanskrit poetry, but this verse renovates it through sustained rūpaka (metaphor). The teeth become the golden stamens (kiñjalka) of the lotus; the face itself is the lotus-flower; the curling dark locks around it are the bees (ali-kalabha) attracted to it. The pun on madhulīha (honey-drinker = bee) and its qualification as "born from Śiva's third eye" collapses two registers: the ordinary bee that circles a lotus, and the ecstatic devotee who drinks the nectar of consciousness from the Goddess's face. Padaccheda: अरालैः · स्वाभाव्यात् · अलि-कलभ-सश्रीभिः · अलकैः · परीतम् · ते · वक्त्रम् · परिहसति · पङ्केरुह-रुचिम् · दर-स्मेरे · यस्मिन् · दशन-रुचि-किञ्जल्क-रुचिरे · सुगन्धौ · माद्यन्ति · स्मरदहन-चक्षुः-मधुलिहः
ललाटं लावण्यद्युतिविमलमाभाति तव यद्

द्वितीयं तन्मन्ये मकुटघटितं चन्द्रशकलम् ।

विपर्यासन्यासादुभयमपि संभूय च मिथः

सुधालेपस्यूतिः परिणमति राकाहिमकरः ॥ ४६॥
English Translation
Your forehead, which shines pure with the radiance of beauty — I consider it to be a second crescent
moon set in your crown. By reason of their inverted placement [relative to each other], both, coming
together mutually, transform into the full moon, stitched/joined with a plaster of nectar.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Lustrous Forehead and the Crescent】 Viparyāsa-nyāsa ("inverted placement") is the key technical term. The crescent in the crown is concave downward; the forehead — imagined as a second crescent — is concave upward. Placed against each other, they form a perfect circle, i.e., the full moon (rākā-himakara). The word syūtiḥ (stitching, joining) adds a craft-metaphor: the two crescents are "sewn" together with nectar-plaster (sudhā-lepa), as a craftsman would join two pieces of ivory. This is simultaneously a geometric observation, a mythological conceit (moon + moon = full moon), and a yogic image (two kalās uniting into the complete form). Padaccheda: ललाटम् · लावण्य-द्युति-विमलम् · आभाति · तव · यत् · द्वितीयम् · तत् · मन्ये · मकुट-घटितम् · चन्द्र-शकलम् · विपर्यास-न्यासात् · उभयम् अपि · संभूय · च · मिथः · सुधालेप-स्यूतिः · परिणमति · राका-हिमकरः
भ्रुवौ भुग्ने किंचिद्भुवनभयभङ्गव्यसनिनि

त्वदीयेनेत्राभ्यां मधुकररुचिभ्यां धृतगुणम् ।

धनुर्मन्ये सव्येतरकरगृहीतं रतिपतेः

प्रकोष्ठे मुष्टौ च स्थगयति निगूढान्तरमुमे ॥ ४७॥
English Translation
O Umā, who delights in shattering the fears of the worlds! I consider your two slightly-arched eyebrows,
whose bowstring is held by your two bee-lustrous eyes, to be Kāma's bow held in his right hand — which
conceals its hidden middle-gap in his wrist and fist.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Arched Brows as Kāma's Bow】 Savyetara means "the other than the left" = the right hand. The bow of Kāma held in his right hand conceals (sthagayati) the middle portion between wrist and fist — exactly as the two eyebrows, widely arched, appear to be two separate curves whose mid-point is less visible. The genius of the verse is this spatial analogy: from a distance, a held bow appears as two separated curves (like arched brows) with the grip hidden. The upamā (comparison) thus illuminates both the visual structure of arched brows AND the Kāma-bow motif, in a double-edged dīpaka alaṃkāra (illuminating figure). Padaccheda: भ्रुवौ · भुग्ने · किंचित् · भुवन-भय-भङ्ग-व्यसनिनि · त्वदीयेन · नेत्राभ्याम् · मधुकर-रुचिभ्याम् · धृत-गुणम् · धनुः · मन्ये · सव्येतर-कर-गृहीतम् · रतिपतेः · प्रकोष्ठे · मुष्टौ · च · स्थगयति · निगूढ-अन्तरम् · उमे
अहःसूते सव्यं तव नयनमर्कात्मकतया

त्रियामां वामं ते सृजति रजनीनायकतया ।

तृतीया ते दृष्टिर्दरदलितहेमाम्बुजरुचिः

समाधत्ते संध्यां दिवसनिशयोरन्तरचरीम् ॥ ४८॥
English Translation
Your right eye, by virtue of its solar nature, produces the day. Your left eye, as lord of the night,
creates the night of three watches. Your third eye — with the lustre of a slightly-opened golden lotus —
establishes the twilight that moves between day and night.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Three Eyes as Sun, Moon, and Twilight】 The three verbs are carefully differentiated: sūte (gives birth to, like a mother) for the solar right eye creating day; sṛjati (emits, projects outward) for the lunar left eye creating night; and samādhatte (holds in place, establishes with care) for the third eye establishing twilight. The choice of sūte — a specifically maternal creation-verb — for the right eye is not accidental: the sun is the right eye of the universal person (Puruṣa), but here the creating act is maternal (the Goddess as cosmic mother). The three verbs enact different modalities of her creative power. Padaccheda: अहः · सूते · सव्यम् · तव · नयनम् · अर्क-आत्मकतया · त्रियामाम् · वामम् · ते · सृजति · रजनी-नायकतया · तृतीया · ते · दृष्टिः · दर-दलित-हेम-अम्बुज-रुचिः · समाधत्ते · संध्याम् · दिवस-निशयोः · अन्तरचरीम्
विशाला कल्याणी स्फुटरुचिरयोध्याकुवलयैः

कृपाधाराधारा किमपि मधुराभोगवतिका ।

अवन्ती दृष्टिस्ते बहुनगरविस्तारविजया

ध्रुवं तत्तन्नामव्यवहरणयोग्या विजयते ॥ ४९॥
English Translation
Your gaze — wide (Viśālā), auspicious (Kalyāṇī), manifestly beautiful with the blue lotuses of Ayodhyā,
a stream of compassion (Kṛpādhārā), a support (Ādhārā), indescribably sweet (Mathurā / madhurā), a place
of pleasure (Bhogavatī), and a protector (Avantī) — victorious over the expanse of many cities, most
certainly prevails, worthy of being addressed by each of those very names.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Eyes as Seven Celebrated Cities】 This is a masterwork of śleṣa alaṃkāra (punning/double-meaning figure). Each word simultaneously describes the quality of the Goddess's gaze AND is the name of a famous sacred city: viśālā (wide / Vaiśālī), kalyāṇī (auspicious / Kalyāṇī), ayodhyā (Ayodhyā), madhurā (sweet / Mathurā), bhogavatikā (place of enjoyment / Bhogavatī), avantī (protecting / Ujjain). In classical poetry, śleṣa is considered the highest form of verbal skill; Śaṅkara uses it here to identify the Goddess's gaze with the network of sacred cities (tīrtha-kṣetra) of Bhārata. Padaccheda: विशाला · कल्याणी · स्फुट-रुचिरा · अयोध्या-कुवलयैः · कृपाधारा · आधारा · किमपि · मधुरा · भोगवतिका · अवन्ती · दृष्टिः · ते · बहु-नगर-विस्तार-विजया · ध्रुवम् · तत्तत्-नाम-व्यवहरण-योग्या · विजयते
कवीनां सन्दर्भस्तबकमकरन्दैकरसिकं

कटाक्षव्याक्षेपभ्रमरकलभौ कर्णयुगलम् ।

अमुञ्चन्तौ दृष्ट्वा तव नवरसास्वादतरलाव्

असूयासंसर्गादलिकनयनं किंचिदरुणम् ॥ ५०॥
English Translation
Your pair of ears — relishing only the nectar of the clusters of poets' compositions — are [like] two
young bees in the form of your darting sideward glances. Seeing those [bees/ears], eager from tasting
the nine rasas, not letting go, your eye at the forehead (the bee's eye) becomes somewhat reddened from
the association of jealousy.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Ears as Bees Intoxicated by Poetry】 This is one of the most complex verses in terms of interlocking imagery. The ears are bees because (a) they curl like bees at rest, and (b) they drink the nectar (makaranda) of poetic compositions (sandarbha). The sideward glances (kaṭākṣa) are also bees — young ones (bhramara-kalabha). Now a bee's "eye" (alika-nayana) — the forehead compound eye of an insect — becomes the Goddess's frontal forehead-eye (the third eye), which reddens with jealousy when it sees the two ear-bees clinging to poetry without releasing. The rūpaka is sustained across the entire verse, with six distinct bee-features mapped to six features of the face. This level of alaṃkāra sophistication is unparalleled in Sanskrit poetry. Padaccheda: कवीनाम् · सन्दर्भ-स्तबक-मकरन्द-एकरसिकम् · कटाक्ष-व्याक्षेप-भ्रमर-कलभौ · कर्ण-युगलम् · अमुञ्चन्तौ · दृष्ट्वा · तव · नव-रस-आस्वाद-तरलौ · असूया-संसर्गात् · अलिकनयनम् · किंचित् · अरुणम्
शिवे शृङ्गारार्द्रा तदितरजने कुत्सनपरा

सरोषा गङ्गायां गिरिशचरिते विस्मयवती ।

हराहिभ्यो भीता सरसिरुहसौभाग्यजननी

सखीषु स्मेरा ते मयि जननि दृष्टिः सकरुणा ॥ ५१॥
English Translation
O Mother! Your gaze — tender with love toward Śiva, contemptuous toward other ordinary people, irritated
toward Gaṅgā, full of wonder at Śiva's deeds, frightened by Śiva's serpents, yet the mother of the
lotus's good fortune (giving it its beauty), smiling toward friends — may that gaze of yours rest upon
me with compassion.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Varying Moods of Her Gaze】 This verse is a display of the nine rasas (aesthetic moods) expressed through the different modes of the Goddess's gaze: śṛṅgāra (erotic love) toward Śiva; raudra (anger/contempt) toward ordinary folk; raudra again (irritation) toward Gaṅgā; adbhuta (wonder) at Śiva's deeds; bhayānaka (fear) of Śiva's snakes; hāsya (comedy/delight) and vātsalya (parental love) toward the lotus; śānta (peaceful) toward friends; and the final prayer that the devotee (the poet himself) receives karuṇā (compassion). This structural display of rasas through the gaze is a virtuosic bhāva-rūpaka. Padaccheda: शिवे · शृङ्गार-आर्द्रा · तद्-इतर-जने · कुत्सन-परा · सरोषा · गङ्गायाम् · गिरिश-चरिते · विस्मयवती · हर-अहिभ्यः · भीता · सरसिरुह-सौभाग्य-जननी · सखीषु · स्मेरा · ते · मयि · जननि · दृष्टिः · सकरुणा
गते कर्णाभ्यर्णं गरुत इव पक्ष्माणि दधती

पुरां भेत्तुश्चित्तप्रशमरसविद्रावणफले ।

इमे नेत्रे गोत्राधरपतिकुलोत्तंसकलिके

तवाकर्णाकृष्टस्मरशरविलासं कलयतः ॥ ५२॥
English Translation
O bud who is the crown-ornament of the Himālaya king's lineage! These two eyes of yours — extending to
the vicinity of your ears, bearing eyelashes like wings, whose fruit is the melting away of the
tranquillity of the mind of Śiva the Triple-city-destroyer — display the sport of Kāma's arrows drawn to
the ear [i.e., a fully-drawn bow-and-arrow].
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Eyelashes as Wings of Arrows】 The image is precise: the elongated eye (āyata-nayana), a celebrated feature of Sanskrit poetics, extends toward the ear at the outer corner — like an arrow drawn back to the archer's ear before release. The eyelashes become the feather-vanes (pakṣa = wing) that stabilise the arrow's flight. The phrase ākarṇa-ākṛṣṭa (drawn to the ear) is a standard compound for a "fully drawn bow" — here it describes the eye at the moment of its maximum lateral extension, which is also Kāma's arrow at maximum tension before striking. The verse thus captures the instant of maximum erotic power (smara-śara-vilāsa) in the Goddess's sideward glance. Padaccheda: गते · कर्ण-अभ्यर्णम् · गरुतः इव · पक्ष्माणि · दधती · पुराम्-भेत्तुः · चित्त-प्रशम-रस-विद्रावण-फले · इमे · नेत्रे · गोत्राधर-पति-कुल-उत्तंस-कलिके · तव · आकर्ण-आकृष्ट-स्मर-शर-विलासम् · कलयतः
विभक्तत्रैवर्ण्यं व्यतिकरितलीलाञ्जनतया

विभाति त्वन्नेत्रत्रितयमिदमीशानदयिते ।

पुनः स्रष्टुं देवान् द्रुहिणहरिरुद्रानुपरतान्

रजः सत्त्वं बिभ्रत्तम इति गुणानां त्रयमिव ॥ ५३॥
English Translation
O beloved of Īśāna! This triple of your eyes — with three distinct colours produced by playfully applied
collyrium — shines like the triad of guṇas (rajas, sattva, tamas), bearing them so as to create anew the
gods Brahma, Viṣṇu, and Rudra who had dissolved at the end of the cosmic cycle.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Three Eyes as the Three Guṇas】 Traivarṇya refers to three distinct colours present in the three eyes: the right (solar) eye is reddish-golden; the left (lunar) eye is white/silver-blue; the third eye is a golden-brown-fiery tone. The añjana (collyrium/kohl) applied playfully (līlā) as eye-make-up creates a mixed effect (vyatikarita), making the colour boundaries deliberate yet artistic. The word vyatikarita (intermixed) is from the root kara (mixing) with the prefix vi-ati (thoroughly pervading), suggesting that the kohl has been applied as an aesthetic act of mixing the three colour-registers. Padaccheda: विभक्त-त्रैवर्ण्यम् · व्यतिकरित-लीला-अञ्जन-तया · विभाति · त्वत्-नेत्र-त्रितयम् · इदम् · ईशान-दयिते · पुनः · स्रष्टुम् · देवान् · द्रुहिण-हरि-रुद्रान् · उपरतान् · रजः · सत्त्वम् · बिभ्रत् · तमः · इति · गुणानाम् · त्रयम् इव
पवित्रीकर्तुं नः पशुपतिपराधीनहृदये

दयामित्रैर्नेत्रैररुणधवलश्यामरुचिभिः ।

नदः शोणो गङ्गा तपनतनयेति ध्रुवममुं

त्रयाणां तीर्थानामुपनयसि संभेदमनघम् ॥ ५४॥
English Translation
O you whose heart is entirely given to Paśupati! In order to purify us, with your compassionately gentle
eyes of red, white, and dark lustres, you certainly bring near to us the holy confluence of the three
sacred fords — the Śoṇa river, the Gaṅgā, and the daughter of the Sun (Yamunā).
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Three Eyes as the Three Sacred Rivers】 The three colours of the eyes map precisely to the three rivers: the red (aruṇa) right eye = the Śoṇa (literally "the red river," a tributary of the Gaṅgā); the white (dhavala) left eye = the Gaṅgā (white, snow-fed); the dark (śyāma) third eye = the Yamunā (dark, called kālindī = daughter of Mount Kalinda = the Sun's daughter = tapana-tanayā). The tri-colour identification of eyes to rivers is elegant and precise. The Prayāgā confluence (triveni) of the three rivers is the most sacred bathing spot in all of India, and the verse says the Goddess brings this confluence to the devotee through her gaze. Padaccheda: पवित्रीकर्तुम् · नः · पशुपति-पराधीन-हृदये · दया-मित्रैः · नेत्रैः · अरुण-धवल-श्याम-रुचिभिः · नदः · शोणः · गङ्गा · तपन-तनया · इति · ध्रुवम् · अमुम् · त्रयाणाम् · तीर्थानाम् · उपनयसि · संभेदम् · अनघम्
निमेषोन्मेषाभ्यां प्रलयमुदयं याति जगती

तवेत्याहुः सन्तो धरणिधरराजन्यतनये ।

त्वदुन्मेषाज्जातं जगदिदमशेषं प्रलयतः

परित्रातुं शङ्के परिहृतनिमेषास्तव दृशः ॥ ५५॥
English Translation
O daughter of the mountain-king! "By your closing and opening of eyes, the universe attains dissolution
and creation" — thus do the wise declare. I suspect that your eyes, having refrained from blinking, are
[so doing] in order to protect this entire world — born from your eye-opening — from dissolution.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: Her Blinking — Creation and Dissolution】 Śaṅke ("I suspect / I conjecture") is a deliberate rhetorical device called ūha (conjecture / surmise). The verse first states as authoritative doctrine (quoting "the wise ones") that the universe cycles through the Goddess's blinking. Then the poet offers his own sweet speculation: I suspect the reason her eyes don't blink now is that she is staring wide-open to keep the world alive. This is not theology but the logic of love — a mother who fears to blink lest the child suffer. The shift from āhuḥ santaḥ (authoritative wisdom) to śaṅke (personal conjecture) enacts the move from impersonal scripture to intimate devotion. Padaccheda: निमेष-उन्मेषाभ्याम् · प्रलयम् · उदयम् · याति · जगती · तव · इति · आहुः · सन्तः · धरणिधर-राजन्य-तनये · त्वत्-उन्मेषात् · जातम् · जगत् · इदम् · अशेषम् · प्रलयतः · परित्रातुम् · शङ्के · परिहृत-निमेषाः · तव · दृशः
तवापर्णे कर्णेजपनयनपैशुन्यचकिता

निलीयन्ते तोये नियतमनिमेषाः शफरिकाः ।

इयं च श्रीर्बद्धच्छदपुटकवाटं कुवलयम्

जहाति प्रत्यूषे निशि च विघटय्य प्रविशति ॥ ५६॥
English Translation
O Aparṇā! The unblinking little fish, alarmed by the tale-bearing of your eyes which whisper into your
ears, invariably hide themselves in the water. And this beauty [of yours], having abandoned the blue
lotus (whose petal-doors are shut) at dawn, enters it again at night by prying it open.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Lotus-Eyes That Fish Fear】 Karṇejapa is "whispering in the ear" — the eyes of the Goddess are said to "whisper into the ear" because the eye, in a beautiful face, extends so far toward the ear (āyata nayana) that it seems to be speaking to it. The fish (whose eyes are fixed, unblinking, like the Goddess's eyes) are "startled by the tale-bearing" — the paiśunya (gossip, informing) of the eyes. This is a playful inversion: the fish's own unblinking eyes, always watching, are now scared by the Goddess's eye-ear collusion. The second image — beauty abandoning the closed lotus at dawn and re-entering it at night — captures precisely the daily rhythm of the blue lotus (which opens in the day but this verse suggests the reverse, implying the analogy of the eye and the lotus opening and closing inversely). Padaccheda: तव · अपर्णे · कर्णेजप-नयन-पैशुन्य-चकिताः · निलीयन्ते · तोये · नियतम् · अनिमेषाः · शफरिकाः · इयम् · च · श्रीः · बद्ध-च्छद-पुट-कवाटम् · कुवलयम् · जहाति · प्रत्यूषे · निशि · च · विघटय्य · प्रविशति
दृशा द्राघीयस्या दरदलितनीलोत्पलरुचा

दवीयांसं दीनं स्नपय कृपया मामपि शिवे ।

अनेनायं धन्यो भवति न च ते हानिरियता

वने वा हर्म्ये वा समकरनिपातो हिमकरः ॥ ५७॥
English Translation
O Śivā! With your very elongated gaze, lustrous as a slightly-opened blue lotus, bathe with compassion
even me — wretched and far away. By this much, this one becomes blessed. Nor is there any loss to you
thereby — the moon falls with equal rays whether in a forest or in a palace.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: A Prayer for the Goddess's Glance】 The verse opens with three phonetically related words emphasising depth and distance: drāghīyasyā (comparative form of dīrgha — very elongated), davīyāṃsam (comparative of dūra — very far away), and dīnam (wretched). The alliterative "d" sound creates a cascade of intensified distance and unworthiness. The poet's self-characterisation as both davīyāṃsa (very far from the Goddess) and dīna (wretched) is the classical posture of vinayanamra (humble supplication). The lunar simile at the end — the moon falls equally on forest and palace — is logically elegant: grace is by nature non-discriminating, so the poet's unworthiness is irrelevant. Padaccheda: दृशा · द्राघीयस्या · दर-दलित-नील-उत्पल-रुचा · दवीयांसम् · दीनम् · स्नपय · कृपया · माम् · अपि · शिवे · अनेन · अयम् · धन्यः · भवति · न · च · ते · हानिः · इयता · वने · वा · हर्म्ये · वा · सम-कर-निपातः · हिमकरः
अरालं ते पालीयुगलमगराजन्यतनये

न केषामाधत्ते कुसुमशरकोदण्डकुतुकम् ।

तिरश्चीनो यत्र श्रवणपथमुल्लङ्घ्य विलसन्

अपाङ्गव्यासङ्गो दिशति शरसंधानधिषणाम् ॥ ५८॥
English Translation
O daughter of the mountain-king! Your curved pair of eyelid-edges — for whom does it not create
eagerness about Kāma's flower-arrow and bow? Wherein the oblique glance, gleaming sideways and crossing
the path toward the ear, bestows the intelligence of arrow-nocking [the awareness of being aimed
at].
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Eyelids as Kāma's Bowstring】 Pālī refers to the line of the eyelid's edge, particularly where the eyelashes grow in a row. The curved shape (arāla) of this line mimics a bow. Apāṅga is the outer corner of the eye — the point where the eyelid angle creates a sharp or oblique line. This is the classic erotic feature (kaṭākṣa = apāṅga-dṛṣṭi) in Sanskrit poetry: the sideward glance from the outer eye-corner is Kāma's arrow already nocked (śara-saṃdhāna). The phrase śravaṇa-patham ullaṅghya (crossing the path to the ear) recapitulates verse 52's image of the elongated eye reaching the ear — but here it describes the sidelong glance's motion across the face. Padaccheda: अरालम् · ते · पाली-युगलम् · अगराजन्य-तनये · न · केषाम् · आधत्ते · कुसुमशर-कोदण्ड-कुतुकम् · तिरश्चीनः · यत्र · श्रवण-पथम् · उल्लङ्घ्य · विलसन् · अपाङ्ग-व्यासङ्गः · दिशति · शर-संधान-धिषणाम्
स्फुरद्गण्डाभोगप्रतिफलितताटङ्कयुगलं

चतुश्चक्रं मन्ये तवमुखमिदं मन्मथरथम् ।

यमारुह्यद्रुह्यत्यवनिरथमर्केन्दुचरणं

महावीरो मारः प्रमथपतये सज्जितवते ॥ ५९॥
English Translation
This face of yours — with the pair of earrings reflected in the glowing expanse of the cheeks — I
consider to be Manmatha's four-wheeled chariot; mounting which, the great hero Māra (Kāma) attacks Śiva,
the lord of the Pramathas — who uses the earth as his chariot and has the sun and moon as his feet — now
armed and ready.
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Cheeks as Mirrors and the Face as Kāma's Chariot】 The four wheels of Kāma's chariot (catuś-cakra) are identified as the reflections of two earrings on the two cheeks: the two actual earrings + their two reflections = four "wheel" images arranged symmetrically on the face. The word pratiphalita (reflected) is the key — the glowing cheeks function as mirrors. This is a beautiful geometric conceit: a face seen frontally, with two luminous earrings reflected in the cheeks, presents four equally-spaced bright discs, like the four wheels of an ancient chariot. The poet "sees" Kāma's chariot in a face-arrangement that any observer might notice but not interpret. Padaccheda: स्फुरत्-गण्ड-आभोग-प्रतिफलित-ताटङ्क-युगलम् · चतुश्-चक्रम् · मन्ये · तव · मुखम् · इदम् · मन्मथ-रथम् · यम् · आरुह्य · द्रुह्यति · अवनि-रथम् · अर्केन्दु-चरणम् · महावीरः · मारः · प्रमथ-पतये · सज्जितवते
सरस्वत्याः सूक्तीरमृतलहरीकौशलहरीः

पिबन्त्याः शर्वाणि श्रवणचुलुकाभ्यामविरलम् ।

चमत्कारश्लाघाचलितशिरसः कुण्डलगणो

झणत्कारैस्तारैः प्रतिवचनमाचष्ट इव ते ॥ 60 ॥
Sarasvatyah sukthir amrutha-lahari-kaushala-harih Pibanthyah Sarvani Sravana-chuluk abhyam aviralam; Chamathkara-slagha-chalita-sirasah kundala-gano Jhanatkarais taraih prati-vachanam achashta iva te.
English Translation
Oh Goddess , who is the consort of Lord Shiva, Your sweet voice which resembles, The continuous waves of nectar, Fills the ear vessels of Saraswathi, Without break, And she shakes her head hither and thither, And the sound made by her ear studs, Appear as if they applaud your words. 60
व्याख्या / Traditional Commentary & Notes
【Title: The Sweetness of Sarasvatī's Words and the Divine Mother's Voice】 Canonical Anandalahari/Saundaryalahari verse 60 traditionally attributed to Adi Sankaracharya.
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