Now that we have completed the Catuḥ-Ślokī of Swāmī Āḷavandār, let us turn to another hymn to the Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī, this time the Śrī Stuti of Swāmī Vedānta Deśika. This is a longer work, at 25 verses, and so I will post it in five posts of five verses each day on the five remaining days of this season’s Navarātrī.1
I have posted a full recitation of the Sri Stuti on YouTube here.
Introduction to the Śrī Stuti
It is said that Swāmī Deśikan composed the 25 verses of the Śrī Stuti when a poor but deeply pious young man approached him, seeking financial assistance in order to get married and start a family. Swāmī Deśikan himself was of course famous for his staunch renunciatory spirit and his strict observance of uñcha-vṛtti practices, and had no wealth of his own. But he could not bear to see the difficulties of this young man, and as a result composed the Śrī Stuti in praise of the Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī, and specifically of Pĕrundevī Tāyār, the eternal consort of Lord Varadarāja of Kāñcīpuram. It is said that the moment he finished reciting this stotra, a heavenly shower of gold coins poured down upon the young man.
But even more importantly, the Śrī Stuti has continued to shower blessings upon devotees for centuries after its composition: such is the greatness of the text, of its composer, and of the Goddess in whose praise it is sung! In fact, every single verse of the Śrī Stuti is said to bestow a different kind of boon when taken up for repeated chanting over a period of time.
In praise of Swāmī Deśikan
It is customary to begin any recitation of the Śrī Stuti with a benedictory verse dedicated to Swāmī Deśikan. (His proper name is in fact Veṅkaṭanātha, which shows up in this verse.)
Śrīmān Veṅkaṭa-nāthâ-āryaḥ kavi-tārkika-kesarī | Vedāntâ-ācārya-varyo me sannidhattāṃ sadā hṛdi ||
May the noble Veṅkaṭanātha, blessed with śrī, saffron-maned lion among poets and philosophers, teacher of the Vedānta— be enshrined in my heart forever!
Śrī Stuti verse 1: Taking refuge in Her
mānâ-atīta-prathita-vibhavāṃ maṅgalaṃ maṅgalānāṃ vakṣaḥ-pīṭhīṃ Madhu-vijayino bhūṣayantīṃ sva-kāntyā | pratyakṣâ-ānuśravika-mahima- -prārthinīnāṃ prajānāṃ śreyo-mūrtiṃ Śriyam aśaraṇas tvāṃ śaraṇyāṃ prapadye || ŚStu 1 ||
Magnificent beyond all measure, Auspicious even to all things auspicious, Resting on the chest of Madhu’s conqueror ornamenting it with Her own lustre, Felicity personified for all people who seek prosperity, both material and spiritual: in you, o Śrī who are the ultimate refuge, do I, who have no other refuge, take refuge!
By emphasizing the eternal unity of the Supreme Couple, this verse makes explicit the fact that the Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī is not just a means (upāya) for us to get wealth or liberation or whatever, but also simultaneously the end-goal (upeya) in companionship with the Supreme Lord.
Śrī Stuti verse 2: Her dwelling-places
āvir-bhāvaḥ kalaśa-jaladhāv adhvare vā api yasyāḥ sthānaṃ yasyāḥ sarasija-vanaṃ Viṣṇu-vakṣaḥ-sthalaṃ vā | bhūmā yasyā bhuvanam akhilaṃ Devi! divyaṃ padaṃ vā stoka-prajñair anavadhi-guṇā stūyase sā kathaṃ Tvam || ŚStu 2 ||
O Goddess! You manifest Yourself in the Ocean and in the sacrifice; You rest amidst clusters of lotuses and upon Lord Viṣṇu’s chest; Your domain extends over the entire physical Cosmos and over the Supreme Ābode Vaikuṇṭha; How then can we folk, feeble-minded as we are, praise You of boundless virtues?
Śrī Stuti verse 3: Begin all things by praising Her
stotavyatvaṃ diśati bhavatī
dehibhiḥ stūyamānā
tām eva Tvām anitara-gatiḥ
stotum āśaṃsamānaḥ |
siddhâ-ārambhaḥ sakala-bhuvana-
-ślāghanīyo bhaveyaṃ
sevā-apekṣā tava caraṇayoḥ
śreyase kasya na syāt || ŚStu 3 ||Praised by all embodied beings, You grant praiseworthiness to all; and it is You that I otherwise shelterless seek to praise. May my undertakings be successful! May I be celebrated by the whole world! For who does not seek to praise Your feet and thus to attain glory?
Śrī Stuti verse 4: His radiance really comes from Her
yat-saṅkalpād bhavati Kamale! yatra dehiny amīṣāṃ janma-sthema-pralaya-racanā jaṅgamâ-ajaṅgamānām | tat-kalyāṇaṃ kim api yaminām eka-lakṣyaṃ samādhau pūrṇaṃ tejaḥ sphurati bhavatī- -pāda-lākṣā-rasâ-aṅkam || ŚStu 4 ||
Lotus-lady: By a simple act of His conception, all creatures, both moving and stationary, whose very soul He is participate in the cycle of birth, sustenance, and destruction. It’s His indescribable glory towards which yogīs direct their single-pointed attention— and all of that indescribable glory comes from Your full effulgence shining from His chest marked red by the dye on Your soles!
Śrī Stuti verse 5: Their favorite resting-places
niṣpratyūha-praṇaya-ghaṭitaṃ Devi! nityâ-anapāyaṃ Viṣṇus Tvaṃ cêty anavadhi-guṇaṃ dvandvam anyonya-lakṣyam | Śeṣaś, cittaṃ vimala-manasāṃ, maulayaś ca śrutīnāṃ sampadyante viharaṇa-vidhau yasya śayyā-viśeṣāḥ || ŚStu 5 ||
Goddess! You and Lord Viṣṇu form a pair, inseparable even for a single breath, eternally bound to each other, constantly pointing to each other, Your virtues limitless. Śeṣa the Cosmic Serpent; the hearts of the stainless; the crowns of the Vedas: these are Your favorite couches for rest and relaxation!
|| samasta-parivāra-sametāya Śrīman-Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ ||
The importance of grouping things in fives is extremely old. In the Taittirīyôpaniṣad we see the enumeration of three sets of five members followed by another three sets of five members, culminating in the assertion:
pāṅktaṃ vā idaṃ sarvam | pāṅktenaîva pāṅktaṃ spṛṇotîti ||
All of This truly is fivefold. Through the fivefold does the (sage) vivify the fivefold.
Thus this numerical principle is seen as interconnecting the whole universe.
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