Navarātrī 2024, Day 9: Śrī Stuti, verses 21–25

On this, the final day of Navarātrī, let us conclude Swāmī Deśikan’s Śrī Stuti dedicated to the Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī.

I have posted a full recitation of the Sri Stuti on YouTube here.

Śrī Stuti verse 21: Her cooling glances of compassion

sānuprāsa-prakaṭita-dayaiḥ
        sāndra-vātsalya-digdhair
Amba! snigdhair amṛta-laharī-
        -labdha-sa-brahmacaryaiḥ |
gharme tāpa-traya-viracite
        gāḍha-taptaṃ kṣaṇaṃ mām
ākiñcanya-glapitam anaghair
        ārdrayethāḥ kaṭākṣaiḥ  || ŚStu 21 ||

Mother!

Cool me down,
        as I am scorched and withered
                without any escape
        in the terrifying heat
                of the Triple Fires,

instantaneously

with Your glances,

        stainless,

        sin-destroying,

        spreading a cooling gel
                of motherly love,

        continually manifesting
                Your compassion,

        akin to waves of nectar.

The tāpa-traya, or the “Triple Fires”, refer to the three different kinds of sufferings that humans experience:

• ādhibhautika: physical suffering brought about by physical causes, including other animals and humans.

• ādhidaivika: suffering brought about by “acts of God”, or of fate, or of chance.

• ādhyātmika: mental or emotional suffering brought about by our own inner thoughts, habits, mindsets, disposition, and the like.

Śrī Stuti verse 22: The apex of Her blessings

sampadyante bhava-bhaya-tamī-
        -bhānavas tvat-prasādād
bhāvāḥ sarve Bhagavati! Harau
        bhaktim udvelayantaḥ |
yāce kiṃ tvām aham iha yataḥ
        śītalodāra-śīlā
bhūyo bhūyo diśasi mahatāṃ
        maṅgalānāṃ prabandhān  || ŚStu 22 ||

By Your Grace,

        O Supreme Goddess!

the black night of existential angst vanishes, 

and

our states of being—
        each a veritable Sun—
overflow their boundaries
        overwhelmed by love
                for You and Lord Hari.

Out of Your cooling, compassionate nature,
You’ve granted me
        over
        and
        over again
unending streams
        of the greatest possible felicities.

What more can I ask of You?

Śrī Stuti verse 23: Cosmic Motherly Compassion

mātā Devi! tvam asi, Bhagavān
        Vāsudevaḥ pitā me
jātaḥ so ahaṃ Janani! yuvayor
        eka-lakṣyaṃ dayāyāḥ |
datto yuṣmat-parijanatayā
        deśikair apy atas tvaṃ
«kiṃ te bhūyaḥ priyam?» iti kila
        smera-vaktrā vibhāsi || ŚStu 23 ||

O Goddess!

You indeed are Mother,
and Lord Vāsudeva is Father,

to me
        beneficiary of Your combined compassion

        dedicated to Your service
                by our Ancient Teachers;

and still You shine,

        a smile illuminating Your face,

        asking me:
                “What else can I do for you?”

Śrī Stuti verse 24: The dhyāna-śloka

kalyāṇānām avikala-nidhiḥ
        kā ’pi kāruṇya-sīmā
nityâ-āmodā nigama-vacasāṃ
        mauli-mandāra-mālā | 
sampad divyā Madhu-vijayinaḥ
        sannidhattāṃ sadā me
saîṣā Devī sakala-bhuvana-
        -prārthanā-Kāmadhenuḥ || ŚStu 24 ||

Most perfect treasure
        of all fortunes,

Apex of compassion,

Eternally delightful,

Crest-ornament made of coral-tree flowers
        that adorns the Veda,

Divine wealth personified
        of Madhu’s conqueror:

        may She
                wish-fulfilling Kāmadhenu cow 
                        for all of existence
        reside forever in me!

This is a wonderful dhyāna-śloka, or verse designed for contemplation, as it covers virtually everything we should know and remember about the Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī:

• She is the ultimate store and source of all things that we regard as beautiful or wealth-generating, both material and spiritual.

• She is Compassion—essential when dealing with flawed creatures like ourselves!

• She is eternally a source of joy, not just to us (Her devotees) but also to the Supreme Lord.

• She is the Queen of the Vedas and ultimately celebrated in them, whether explicitly or implicitly.

• She is the eternal prosperity and wealth of the Lord Himself. (Notice that He is referred to in both this verse and in the opening verse as Madhu-vijayin: the conqueror of Madhu.)

• She is the force that ultimately makes our sincere wishes come true.

• She is omnipresent, but especially in our hearts.

Śrī Stuti verse 25: The fruit of devotion to Her (phala-śruti)

upacita-guru-bhakter
        utthitaṃ Veṅkaṭeśāt
Kali-kaluṣa-nivṛttyai
        kalpamānaṃ prajānām |
Sarasija-nilayāyāḥ
        stotram etat paṭhantaḥ
sakala-kuśala-sīmāḥ
        sārvabhaumā bhavanti || ŚStu 25 ||

Those who recite this song of praise
        dedicated to the Lady of the Lotus

        composed by Veṅkaṭeśa,
                whose devotion to Her
                has fully flowered,

in order to destroy the stains
        of our fallen era

attain the highest levels of accomplishment
        in all skills,

and become Lords of All.

Concluding benediction to Swāmī Deśikan

kavi-tārkika-siṃhāya kalyāṇa-guṇa-śāline |
śrīmate Veṅkaṭeśāya Vedānta-gurave namaḥ ||

Salutations to
        the Lion
                among poets and philosophers,

resplendent with
        illustrious
        auspicious
        virtues,

        the noble Veṅkaṭeśa
                endowed with śrī,
                teacher of the Vedānta!

|| samasta-parivāra-sametāya Śrīman-Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ ||