Kamakshi Stotram — Benefits & How to Chant
कामाक्षी स्तोत्रम्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Kamakshi Stotram
Invokes the grace of Devi Kamakshi of Kanchi, regarded as a direct seat of Tripura Sundari and the awakened Shakti
Each verse is a complete meditation on the Mother's form, beauty and cosmic powers
Said to grant dharma, wealth, knowledge and ultimately liberation (kaivalya) to sincere devotees
Believed to wash away the sins and impurities (kali-mala) of the present age
Bestows eloquence and mastery of speech, as Kamakshi is hailed as the Mother of all language
Cultivates devotion, courage and steadiness of mind through Her remembrance
Especially powerful when recited during Navaratri and on Fridays before the Mother
How to Chant Kamakshi Stotram
Instructions
After bathing, sit facing east before an image of Devi Kamakshi with a lamp, kumkum and red flowers. Recite the seven verses slowly and with devotion, bowing inwardly at each refrain of 'vande mahesha-priyam'. It may be chanted daily, but is especially auspicious on Fridays and through the nine nights of Navaratri. Conclude with a prayer for grace, wisdom and protection.
Spiritual Significance
It is traditionally said that the great teacher Adi Shankaracharya established the Sri Chakra before Kamakshi at Kanchi to calm the intensity of Her power into a benevolent grace, and that devotees who sing Her praises with a pure heart find their afflictions of the Kali age dissolved and their prayers for wisdom and refuge fulfilled.
Origin & History
Source: Traditional Shakta hymn of the Sri Vidya / Kanchi tradition
Author: Traditional (attributed within the Kanchi Kamakoti tradition)
Kamakshi is the presiding Goddess of Kanchipuram, one of the foremost Shakti Peethas of India and a great centre of Sri Vidya worship. Legend holds that Devi performed penance here upon a sand-linga to win Lord Shiva (Ekamranatha) as Her lord, and that the fierce energy of the Goddess was gathered and pacified into the gentle, meditative Kamakshi who blesses devotees with grace. This stotram, in the lineage of hymns sung to Her, adores Her as the supreme Tripura Sundari seated in Kanchi, the Mother of speech and the bestower of all that is good.