මහිෂාසුර මර්දිනී ස්තෝත්රම්

Meaning:O daughter of the mountain, delight of the earth, enchantress of the universe, praised by Nandi; dweller on the Vindhya's great peak, in whom Vishnu delights, praised by the victorious Indra; O Goddess, consort of the blue-throated Shiva, of vast family, doer of boundless good — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O shower of boons upon the gods, subduer of the unbearable, crusher of the foul-faced demons, ever joyful; nourisher of the three worlds, pleaser of Shankara, remover of sin, slayer of the terrible — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O Mother of the world, my mother, who loves to dwell in the kadamba grove, ever smiling, seated amid the lofty snow-peaks of the Himalaya, the crest-jewel of mountains — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O Goddess who shattered into a hundred pieces the lordly elephant-demons with severed trunks, the lioness of fierce valour who tore open the temples of the enemy elephants — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O wielder of the irresistible, ever-fresh power that arose to slay the war-maddened foes, lady of the Pramatha hosts whose envoy was the wise and resolute great Shiva — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you whose hands grant fearless refuge to the wives of slain enemies and to brave warriors who surrender, bearing the spotless trident that pierces the heads of the foes of the three worlds — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you who by your mere war-cry reduced the hundred Dhumralochanas (smoky-eyed demons) to smoke, who in battle dried up the blood-seed of Raktabija — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O Goddess in whom, at the moment of bending the bow in battle, the limbs dance and the bracelets quiver, whose golden quiver rings with arrows as the warriors roar — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you who delight in the dance, performing the intricate steps 'tatheyi-tatheyi' with the celestial damsels, full of laughter and play, of boundless love for the distressed who bow to you — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:Victory, victory! Praised by the whole universe intent on chanting 'jaya'; whose anklets, ringing 'jhana-jhana-jhinjhimi', enchant even the lord of beings (Shiva) with their sound — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you of beautiful mind and ravishing radiance, lovely as a cluster of flowers, your face encircled by tresses dark as successive nights, with beautiful eyes — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you who delight in the great battle, wrestling and defeating the mighty champion-demons, who arrange the play of creepers and blossoms in your forest groves — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O daughter of the ocean of nectar (and consort of the moon-formed Shiva), the ornament of the three worlds, from whose cheeks the rut of the lordly maddened elephant ceaselessly flows, O you adored by fair-toothed maidens — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you whose spotless brow shines with the beauty of a lotus-petal, the abode of all the playful arts, around whom the graceful swans move in sport, attended by humming bees — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you whose murmuring flute-music shames the sweet cooing of the koel, who dwell in the mountain groves made lovely by the humming of gathered bees — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you whose girdle of bright yellow silk, with its wondrous rays, outshines the moon; the moon-like glow of whose toenails shines from the bowed crest-jewels of gods and demons — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O you praised as the one power that conquered the thousand-rayed (sun) and the thousand-armed; mother of the sons born of the battles with the Taraka demons; equal in meditation to the kings Suratha and Samadhi — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O abode of compassion, O lotus-dwelling Kamala (Lakshmi)! He who daily worships your lotus feet — O auspicious one — how could he not himself become an abode of fortune (Lakshmi)? — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:He who sprinkles the arena of your worship with water from golden pitchers of the milk-ocean — does he not attain the embrace of the breasts of Shachi (the joys of heaven)? — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:Your spotless moon-face surpasses the full moon and brightens all; how could it be compared even to the lovely faces of the women of Indra's city (Amaravati)? — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:O Uma! Be gracious to me out of your compassion for the lowly; O Mother of the world, you are by your very nature merciful — accept what is fitting here, and remove my great suffering — victory, victory to you, O slayer of the demon Mahisha (Mahishasura-Mardini), of lovely matted locks, O daughter of the mountain!

Meaning:Whoever, calm and composed in deep meditation, recites this hymn daily with discipline, is served by the supreme Lakshmi; even his enemies become as his own kinsfolk.

Meaning:Because Ramakrishna (the poet) draws the minds of men toward the Goddess with these lovely verses, he has composed this hymn — a delight attainable by the virtuous through its beautiful poetry.

Meaning:Pleasing again and again like the moon, again and again like the sacred dot (bindu), this faultless hymn, composed by the son of Shripati, is remembered (as supremely auspicious).