Chatu Shloki Meaning — Line by Line
चतुःश्लोकी
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Meaning — Line by Line
Every verse of Chatu Shloki with its English meaning. Tap any word to hear it, or ▶ to recite the verse.
kāntaste puruṣottamaḥ phaṇipatiḥ śayyāsanaṃ vāhanaṃ
कान्तस्ते पुरुषोत्तमः फणिपतिः शय्यासनं वाहनं वेदात्मा विहगेश्वरो यवनिका माया जगन्मोहिनी । ब्रह्मेशादिसुरव्रजः सदयितस्त्वद्दासदासीगणः श्रीरित्येव च नाम ते भगवति ब्रूमः कथं त्वां वयम् ॥ १ ॥
kāntaste puruṣottamaḥ phaṇipatiḥ śayyāsanaṃ vāhanaṃ vedātmā vihageśvaro yavanikā māyā jaganmohinī | brahmeśādisuravrajaḥ sadayitastvaddāsadāsīgaṇaḥ śrīrityeva ca nāma te bhagavati brūmaḥ kathaṃ tvāṃ vayam || 1 ||
MeaningO Goddess! Your consort is Purushottama, the Supreme Person; the king of serpents Adishesha is Your couch and throne; Garuda, embodiment of the Vedas, is Your vehicle; Maya the world-enchantress is Your veil; the gods led by Brahma and Shiva, together with their consorts, form Your retinue of servants and maids; and Your very name is 'Sri.' How then can we ever describe You?
yasyāste mahimānamātmana iva tvadvallabho'pi prabhur
यस्यास्ते महिमानमात्मन इव त्वद्वल्लभोऽपि प्रभुर् नालं मातुमियत्तया निरवधिं नित्यानुकूलं स्वतः । तां त्वां दास इति प्रपन्न इति च स्तोष्याम्यहं निर्भयो लोकैकेश्वरि लोकनाथदयिते दान्ते दयां ते विदन् ॥ २ ॥
yasyāste mahimānamātmana iva tvadvallabho'pi prabhur nālaṃ mātumiyattayā niravadhiṃ nityānukūlaṃ svataḥ | tāṃ tvāṃ dāsa iti prapanna iti ca stoṣyāmyahaṃ nirbhayo lokaikeśvari lokanāthadayite dānte dayāṃ te vidan || 2 ||
MeaningEven Your beloved Lord, the all-powerful one, cannot fully measure Your greatness — limitless and eternally gracious — any more than He can measure His own. Knowing the mercy that You, the consort of the Lord of all worlds, bestow even upon those who restrain their senses, I shall fearlessly praise You as Your servant and as one surrendered to You, O sole Sovereign of the worlds!
īṣattvatkaruṇānirīkṣaṇasudhāsandhukṣaṇādrakṣyate
ईषत्त्वत्करुणानिरीक्षणसुधासन्धुक्षणाद्रक्ष्यते नष्टं प्राक्तदलाभतस्त्रिभुवनं सम्प्रत्यनन्तोदयम् । श्रेयो न ह्यरविन्दलोचनमनःकान्ताप्रसादादृते संसृत्यक्षरवैष्णवाध्वसु नृणां सम्भाव्यते कर्हिचित् ॥ ३ ॥
īṣattvatkaruṇānirīkṣaṇasudhāsandhukṣaṇādrakṣyate naṣṭaṃ prāktadalābhatastribhuvanaṃ sampratyanantodayam | śreyo na hyaravindalocanamanaḥkāntāprasādādṛte saṃsṛtyakṣaravaiṣṇavādhvasu nṛṇāṃ sambhāvyate karhicit || 3 ||
MeaningKindled by even a drop of the nectar of Your slightly compassionate glance, the three worlds — which had perished for want of it — are now protected and enjoy boundless prosperity. Indeed, without the grace of Her who is the beloved of the heart of the lotus-eyed Lord, no good can ever come to beings upon the paths of worldly life, of liberation (kaivalya), or of devoted Vaishnava service.
śāntānantamahāvibhūti paramaṃ yadbrahma rūpaṃ harer
शान्तानन्तमहाविभूति परमं यद्ब्रह्म रूपं हरेर् मूर्तं ब्रह्म ततोऽपि तत्प्रियतरं रूपं यदत्यद्भुतम् । यान्यन्यानि यथासुखं विहरतो रूपाणि सर्वाणि तान्य् आहुः स्वैरनुरूपरूपविभवैर्गाढोपगूढानि ते ॥ ४ ॥
śāntānantamahāvibhūti paramaṃ yadbrahma rūpaṃ harer mūrtaṃ brahma tato'pi tatpriyataraṃ rūpaṃ yadatyadbhutam | yānyanyāni yathāsukhaṃ viharato rūpāṇi sarvāṇi tāny āhuḥ svairanurūparūpavibhavairgāḍhopagūḍhāni te || 4 ||
MeaningThe supreme, serene, infinite, all-glorious Brahman-form of Hari; the embodied Brahman (His most wondrous divine form), dearer even than that; and all the other forms He freely assumes for His divine play — all of these, the sages declare, are intimately and inseparably embraced by You, with glories befitting each of His forms.
Word-by-Word Breakdown
Origin & History
Source: Chatuh Shloki (a stuti of four verses in praise of Lakshmi)
Author: Yamunacharya (Alavandar)
Period: c. 10th-11th century CE
Yamunacharya, revered as Alavandar, was a Sri Vaishnava acharya, philosopher and grandson of Nathamuni, and the spiritual grand-preceptor of Ramanuja. Tradition relates that overcome with devotion before the Lord at Srirangam, he composed this brief hymn of four verses solely in praise of Goddess Lakshmi (Sri), affirming her supreme glory and her role as the merciful intercessor (purushakara) between the soul and the Supreme Lord. It became one of the cornerstone hymns of the tradition, recited alongside his larger Stotra Ratna.
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