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READINGS FROM MOOKA PANCHASATI - STUTI SATAKAM

Readings from Mooka Panchashati Stuti satakam Mooka Panchashati is a devotional composition dedicated to Kamakshi by Muka Kavi who was born dumb but regained not only his voice by the grace of Goddess Kamakshi but also became a poet of considerable merit. Mooka Panchashati consists of five satakams, each Satakam containing 100 verses. The Satakams are Arya Satakam, Padaravinda Satakam, Stuti Satakam, Kataksha Satakam and Mandasmita Satakam. Goddess Kamakshi is the presiding deity of Kancheepuram. Her consort is Ekamreshwara, an aspect of Lord Shiva. Kanchi is the Central Peetham established by Aadi Shankaracharya who installed and consecrated the idol of Kamakshi and established the system of worship there. The other Peethams are at Badrinath in the North, Dwarka in theWest, Puri in the East and Sringeri (Sringa giri) in the South. Twenty slokas selected from Stuti Satakam (slokas 1, 6, 11 ....91, 96, 10 ) are presented here with English translation with the rider that some of the expressions in Sanskrit are incapable of elegant translation into English.

O Kamakshi !, Consort of Shiva with dark blue eyes like a blue lotus in full blossom!, the greatest of the goddesses, proficiency in the use of words does not help in praising your glories where even the erudite words of Brahma lose their pride (as they are inadequate to praise you enough). In spite of this, my intense desire to serve you and worship at your feet prompts me to be articulate and sing hymns in your praise.

. What is dark moonlight in this world, dark clouds which rain poetry of incomparable beauty from the mouths of men who have earned enough punya ( by their good deeds), dark effulgence which captivates the heart of Shiva, the enemy of Cupid, may that Kamakshis waves of glances from the eye-corners charged with compassion, make me fulfilled. . . The One, whose face is as bright as the full moon, who is praised by Indra, who grants even to those who are dumb powers of oratory matching the flow of the heavenly Ganga, who loves to engage in playful activities in the city of Kanchi, who wipes the tears of sorrow of the good, shines as Kamakshi, the very embodiment of the fruits of the chain of punya (merit) earned by Lord Shiva, her consort. . I meditate on that dark blue effulgence which makes the natural words its play house, which is the field from which grow the
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beautiful plants of poetry emanating from poets of great merit, which is adept in wiping out the sins (of devotees), which is the adornment of Kanchi and the valour of Cupid.

. The waves of fluent speech the sweetness of which puts down the sweetness of honey, fame which fills the whole world, body which even the Cupid will envy and enjoyment of worldly things dear to ones heart how can these things be acquired by men, O Adornment of Kanchi, without the waves of glances from the corners of your eyes.

. When shall I see, before my eyes, Kamakshi who devours the dense darkness (of ignorance), who is the adornment of Kanchi, who sports the crescent moon on her head, who is dark as the newly formed cloud and who is the wonderful fruit of the tapas of Shambhu (Shiva)
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. We worship the crest-jewel of the progeny of Himavan who is of dark complexion, who is like the waves of nectar for the eyes of Shiva, who has crossed the ocean called samsara and who is the ripe fruit of the good deeds of the people of Kanchi. . O Kamakshi! You have experienced sitting on the left thigh of Lord Shiva. You have also lived in Kanchi where lived many poets. You also lived in the natural surroundings of the valleys of Himavan. Why cant you, O the greatest of the goddesses! find a match for one of the above places in my heart where you can reside?

. My prostrations are dedicated to Kamakshi who is ever so lightly bent by the weight of her ample bosom, who sports the crescent moon overflowing with nectar and very cool on her head, who always abides in the vicinity of the river Kampa, whose actions spread her fame and who is the wonderful fruit of the good deeds done by the Lord of all beings (Pasupati).

. May the Oldest One, the greatest treasure of the enemy of Cupid (Shiva) protect us, who is the source of all beautiful poetry, the result of the good deeds done by Himavan, the creator and sustainer of everything, the victory banner of Cupid, friend of the river Kampa and mocking the twin lotuses by her feet. . By your grace there has been a surge in the literary outpourings of poets in the city of Kanchi, mocking the sweetness of honey, which raises, as its victory flag, the heavenly Ganga which revels in the matted hairs of Lord Shiva, enemy of Cupid. . . May Kamakshi, who has liquid eyes beautiful as lotus, who is the highest knowledge, in whose heart resides the knowledge of the art of love, who is of dark blue complexion, who has subjugated the heart of Shiva by her playful activities, who is away from darkness
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and at whose feet bow down the beauties of the city of Indra who have eyes like those of the deer. . I worship Kamakshi who adorns herself with the crescent moon on her head, who has a beautiful face, who has playful ambulatory glances from the corners of her eyes, whose smile is as bright as the jasmine, who is slightly bent with the weight of her bosom, whose tresses compete with the colour of honey-bees , who inflames the fire of love in the enemy of Cupid (Shiva) and who is like the wishyielding creeper for the words of the poets.

. Your glances reveal antagonism towards the lotuses ( they are more beautiful than the lotus) and they worry the presiding deity (Lakshmi) of the empire of Cupid. O (Kamakshi)! you revel in playful activities in Kanchi . May your glances from the corners of your eyes, which are bent on breaking the bonds of the yogis who mediate upon you, grant us our desires. .

. May Kamakshi, who puts an end to all our desires (Kamakoti), remove all the impurities from us by the glances from the corner of her eyes which are liquid, from which flow a continuous stream of compassion, which are wonderfully playful, which are full of concern (for all beings), which are ambulatory by nature, which are like the petals of the lotus, which are beautiful and the play house of Lakshmi and which are the essence of pure brightness. . O Kamakshi ! Give me proficiency in the effective use of words and quickly remove my despicable lethargy arising out of the impurities (in my mind). Let pure, sweet, captivating words exceeding the sweetness of nectar ensue from my mouth in a continuous stream like the flow of the waters of the heavenly Ganga.

. May Kamakshi who does good to every one, who dances in the hearts of saints, who abides in the kutiraka (shelter) on the beautiful banks of the Kampa river, who lives in the heart-cave of all beings, who kills crooked knowledge, who rules over all beings and whose compassion is overflowing, bestow on me abundant affluence ( or yogic powers).

. O Kamakshi! whosoever falls in the path of the glances from the corners of your eyes, though he be very poor, to him the devas become servants, he surpasses the Kama in the handsomeness of his body, the bosom of the most beautiful woman of the three worlds is his sporting hill, his words are sweet-smelling and his age is eternal youth

. O Kamakshi ! you are the Chandika. You are the Chamundika. You are the Divine Mother. You are also Yogini. You are the consort of Shambhu. You are Kamakoti, the end of all desires. You are Jaya and Vijaya. The three worlds abide in you. What else can I say? . I meditate on that Eternal Existence - Consciousness which manifests as the the movable and the immovable creation, which abides in the heart of all beings as pure Consciousness, which manifests as the three modes of Prakruti, as the three worlds and
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the three dhams, which is the higher and the lower, which is the ten directions and which is the night and day.

. May Paramashivas consort Kamakshi, who has won countless battles, who is the source of bliss of those treading the spiritual path, who is the repository of soft and beautiful qualities, who abides in the garden of kadmba trees, whose actions and exploits are praised by the saints and who deludes and keeps under her spell countless universes, protect me.