సరస్వతీ సహస్రనామ స్తోత్రమ్

అర్థం:The hymn opens with the dhyana: may the auspicious Goddess of Speech, mother of the three worlds, dwell in the lotus of my mouth — her radiant body anointed with sandal, clothed in white, her curls caressed by jasmine garlands, shining with strings of pearls, holding the book that is the treasury of all knowledge and marked with the rudraksha rosary. Narada then asks Sanatkumara how Sarasvati became directly gracious to Brahma and how he obtained that rarest of attainments. Sanatkumara replies that this is the secret of secrets, long guarded, now to be revealed: of old, Brahma, having created the three worlds, beheld the universe standing inert, unmanifest and unconscious for want of speech. Feeling his own creation incomplete, the world-teacher performed the most arduous tapas for ten thousand divine years, until at last Vani appeared, resplendent with all meaning, and declared: 'I am the Great Vidya, sovereign of all speech, and I shall teach you my unsurpassed thousand names.'

అర్థం:The Goddess continues her promise: 'Praised constantly by this hymn, I shall become your consort, and the whole world you have created shall be filled with speech. This supreme secret, my thousand names, quells floods of every sin and bestows the great gift of eloquence — it grants great poethood and lordship over speech. Whoever pleases me with this praise — you or any other — I shall verily become his handmaiden, of this there is no doubt.' So saying, Vani vanished. Brahma praised her with the divine hymn and won her as his consort, and from that time the whole world became joined with speech. 'That very hymn I shall now declare to you,' says Sanatkumara. 'Listen with effort, O Narada — attentive in mind and purified for this moment, O best of sages.'

అర్థం:With the seed-mantra 'Aim vada vada Vagvadini svaha' the thousand names begin, flowing first through the letter va: she is Vak and Vani, speech itself; the giver of boons, the adorable, the bestower; Vagishvari the queen of speech and the beloved of its lord; Vishveshvari the sovereign of the universe, adored by all, mother, supporter and shakti of the world, its essence and its light. She knows Vedanta and is to be known; she is the self of the three Vedas, their knower and their mother; her faces are on every side, she pervades and interpenetrates all; she destroys serpents and poison yet wears serpents as ornaments; she is stainless, the leader of the Vedas, the very form and substance of the Veda. Then with the guru seed-mantra the ga-names begin: Gauri, full of virtues, the hidden one, dear to the gandharva city, mother of the gunas and dwelling within them, the form of the guru and dear to the guru, the guru's own vidya, delighted by song and kind to singers — Gayatri, worshipped by the Lord of the mountain and doing what delights him.

అర్థం:The ga-names continue: knower of speech, the vidya of knowledge, the mountain's form and its queen, mother of words, praised by the ganas; of hidden form, the cave-dweller, the secret one; she removes the faults and afflictions of the household, is the mistress of the home and adored in it; she is Ganga, the mountain's daughter, riding the elephant, praised by Guha, served by the one on the Garuda seat — Gomati, rich in virtues. Then with the Sharada seed-mantra the sha-names begin: Sharada, the eternal, Shaivi and Shankari, the self of Shankara; Shri, Sharvani, her face like the autumn moon; slayer of death's power, of a hundred thousand forms; Shiva the auspicious, beloved of Shambhu; Shraddha (faith), the form of the shruti and its lover; pure and purifying, giver and form of purity; auspicious and maker of auspiciousness, worshipped by the pure of heart; peace and the maker of peace, delighting in tranquil conduct; attained through virtue, mother of Shri, of auspicious speech and pure vidya, destroying the sins of all who hear of her.

అర్థం:She shines like the shirisha blossom, is grounded in tranquillity and reached by tranquillity, worshipped by the white-throated Shiva; purity itself and its maker, the highest, of famed endlessness, bringer of good. Then, with her own seed-mantra, comes the great name Sarasvati — the all-knowing giver of every siddhi: she is Savitri and Sandhya, granter of all that is wished; destroyer of every distress, made of all things, bestower of all vidyas; sovereign of all, all merit, the cause of creation, preservation and dissolution; adored by all, mother of all, served by all the gods, giver of all lordship — Satya the true, Sati, resting in sattva. She is thousand-eyed, thousand-faced, thousand-footed, thousand-handed, thousand-headed — the cosmic Person in feminine form; svadha and svaha, filled with nectar; the piercer of the six knots (granthis) of the subtle body; praised and made of praise, the cutter of doubts, known through Sankhya, number itself; giver of siddhis worshipped by siddhas, all-knowing, all-powerful, giver of all wealth; destroyer of all inauspiciousness, giver of joy, whose very form is the awareness of bliss, who converses with all and enchants all the worlds.

అర్థం:The sarva-names cascade on: doing what is dear to all, giving every good, all-auspicious, made of all mantras, granting the merit of all holy waters; all-meritorious, destroying every disease, granting every desire, removing every obstacle; saluted by all, the Lakshmi of all, possessed of every virtue, made of all bliss, giver of all knowledge, the true leader; giver of every kingdom and of complete liberation, radiant, the all, bringing all worlds under benign sway. She is Subhaga the fortunate, Sundari the beautiful, the accomplished one — mother of siddhas, siddha-vidya, queen and form of the perfected; lovely, made of happiness, kind to those who serve her; the mistress ever to be served, the supreme Mother both gross and subtle; the form of essence, the form of the lake (saras), truly existent, the common refuge; white and dark, lotus-eyed, beloved of the lotus-seated Brahma, lustrous as the lotus, perfect in every limb, worshipped by Indra and the gods. Then with the Mahasarasvati seed-mantra the ma-names begin: Mahadevi, Maheshani, bestower of the great gift of eloquence; Mahasarasvati, herself free and giver of freedom, destroyer of delusion; Maheshvari, great bliss, made of the great mantras, the Earth; Mahalakshmi and Mahavidya, the Mother dwelling on Mandara; reached through mantra, mother of mantras, giver of the fruit of the great mantras.

అర్థం:She is the great liberation and the great eternity, bestower of the great siddhis, the great accomplished one, the great Mother joined to the vastness of the Great (mahat); the Earth, Maheshvari, form itself, giver of moksha, jewel-adorned; Menaka, the honoured and proud one, destroyer of death, of Meru's form. Her eyes are intoxicating, joy is her dwelling; she is the form and queen of the sacrifice; the great bewilderment and the great Maya, standing at the head of the Mothers; of great merit, abode of gladness, giver of great riches; dwelling in the Manipura lotus, honey-sweet, mighty in rapture; the most subtle, the greatly peaceful, giver of great peace; praised by the munis, slayer of delusion, Madhavi dear to Madhava. She is Ma (Lakshmi), praised by Mahadeva, worshipped by queens; giver of delicious food, Mahendri who bestows Indra's throne; intellect and its giver, wisdom (medha), dwelling among mortals; the foremost, of great abode, refuge of the greatly fortunate; woman and greatness, remover of death, bestower of intelligence, pure, swift beyond measure, giver of the great fruit of liberation; of great radiance, the vast one, delighting Mahadeva; the great nourisher, great prosperity, adorned with pearl necklaces and ruby ornaments — mantra itself, crowned with the crescent moon; the form of mind, the purity of mind and the giver of that purity.

అర్థం:She is filled with great compassion, saluted by the bowing of minds, destroyer of the webs of great sins, giver of liberation and the ornament of the liberated; Manonmani (the mind beyond mind), the great gross form, giver of the fruit of the great sacrifices, attained through great merit, destroyer of Maya's three cities; the great abundance, great intelligence and great gladness, Maheshvari; garland-wearing, the great means, giver of the fruit of the great pilgrimages; complete in great auspiciousness, destroyer of great poverty; the great sacrifice, the great cloud, Mahakali, the greatly beloved; of great adornments and great body, the great Queen, the abode of delight. Then with the Bhagavati seed-mantra the bha-names begin: giver of plenty and of fortune, herself the enjoyable and the giver of every enjoyment; Bhavani, giver of well-being, prosperity itself, the Earth and its noble lady; nourisher of beings, remover of fear, bestower of eloquence upon her devotees; enjoyment and its giver, the enjoyer, devotion and the giver of devotion; granting her devotees union with God, heaven and dominion; Bhagirathi (Ganga), worshipped by Bhava, adored by the fortunate and the good, praised by Shiva, luminous, the ferry across the ocean of worldly existence; prosperity and ornament, queen of beings, worshipped by the one with the eye in his forehead; the past, the present and the future, the knowledge of becoming and its very self; remover of afflictions, kin to all, worshipped by the worlds, destroyer of rebirth, attainable through devotion, intent on protecting her devotees.

అర్థం:She stills the anguish of her devotees, is fortune itself, ever diligent in granting enjoyment; serpent-adorned, Bhima the formidable, fierce-eyed, of terrifying form — yet Bhavini the radiant, sisterly kin, Bharati, the mansion's mistress; language itself and rich in language; Bhishma the awesome, Bhairavi, beloved of Bhairava; her whole body luminous, giver of prosperity, its queen; Bhasvati the shining, garlanded with light, diligent in the giving of alms; the mendicant's form, maker of devotion, bestower of Lakshmi upon her devotees; destroyer of delusion though wearing its form; worthy of alms, mother of monks, visible only to the eyes of the fortunate; full of enjoyment, its very form, giver of the fruits of both enjoyment and liberation; resting beyond pleasure, possessed of fortune, destroyer of the heaped sins of her devotees. Then with the Brahmi seed-mantra the b-names begin: Brahmi, of the very form of Brahman, Brihati the vast, beloved of Brahma; giver of Brahman-knowledge, mother of Brahma, Brahmani; queen of Brahman, praised by Brahma, known through Brahman, dear to the wise; Bala the maiden crowned with the young moon, pleased by offerings; giver of strength, the form of the bindu, radiant as the rising sun; the form and substance of Brahman, moving in the centre of the solar orb; Brahmani, giver of intellect, intellect itself, its form, the queen of the wise; destroyer of bonds and afflictions, kind as a kinswoman; dwelling in the bindu, adorned by the bindu, united with bindu and nada.

అర్థం:She is the seed-form and the mother of seeds, devoted to Brahman and the maker of Brahman; many-formed and mighty, the knower of Brahman, the celibate seeker; praised by Brahma, Brahmavidya itself, the beloved of the universe's lord; the form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, abiding in all three; the form of intelligence, queen of the wise, both binder and releaser from bondage. Then comes the great matrika seed-mantra, in which every letter of the Sanskrit alphabet from 'am' to 'ksham' is recited — invoking her as Aksharamalika, 'she who is garlanded with the letters themselves'. The a-names follow: the rosary of syllables, the shape of the letters, the Imperishable (akshara) and the giver of its fruit; Ananta the endless, giver of endless bliss, her face like countless moons, of infinite greatness, deep beyond all measure; the unseen and the giver of unseen destiny's fruit; Arundhati; possessed of countless virtues and countless ornaments, invisible, served by countless scriptures; endless giver of endless joy, both formidable and gentle; the form of all the deities, the form of nectar and its sovereign; faultless, many-handed, adorned with many gems; destroyer of many obstacles, decked with many ornaments, the slayer of ignorance and the cutter of avidya's nets; beautiful and flawless of limb, granting the state beyond all reasoning; of unstained form, wholly devoted to grace; dwelling in the sky and made of sky, sky-garlanded, lotus-eyed; Ambika the Mother, lotus in hand, seated on the lotus, radiant with a hundred rays.

అర్థం:Lotus-born, most excellent, indivisible, greatly dear to the lotus-throned; unaging, served by the immortals, her feet attended by the ageless; giver of incomparable wealth, the unity of all meaning, boundlessly generous, joined with fearlessness; tender to the orphaned, dear to Ananta, granting endless desires; lotus-eyed and water-formed, greatly dear to the lotus-born; whole and unbroken, praised by the immortals, worshipped by their chief; unconquerable, like the Unborn, destroyer of ignorance, granter of wishes; lady of weapons, destroyer of misfortune (alakshmi); of endless essence and endless splendour, worshipped with endless rites; adored by the immortals, free from rising and setting; dwelling in the hearts of the faithful, the form of the astra and its wielder; the unfailing one, of unfailing form, giver of unfailing knowledge and unfailing siddhi; bliss itself, lotus-born, queen of the immortals; immeasurable, destroyer of all sins, bestower of imperishable eloquence. Then with the Jaya seed-mantra — 'victory, victory, O Mother of the world' — the ja-names begin: Jaya and Jayanti, giver of victory, free from birth and karma; dear to the world, mother of the world, beloved of the world's Lord; lineage and conquest, with enemies conquered; fit for japa and inspiring japa; the giver of life, the abode of life, called life itself, the supporter of the living; Jahnavi (Ganga), the bowstring, rich in japa, the form of all births, giver of victory; doing what delights Janardana, worthy of devotion, established in the world.

అర్థం:She is the eldest of the world and the world's Maya, the rescuer of life; the creeper of healing, the life of the living, the destroyer of rebirth; the smasher of dullness (jadya), the womb of the world, the soul of victory; mother of the world's joy, the rose-apple tree, lotus-eyed; Jayanti, destroyer of hostile hordes, embodiment of awakened knowledge; wearing matted locks, fit for japa, delighting those who perform japa; destroying the sins of reciters and granting the fruit of their japa; bright as the japa (hibiscus) flower and wearing hibiscus blossoms; the mother who is herself unborn, the bestower of the ways of light; the half-moon in the matted crest, the maker of the world's creation and its protector, the destroyer of inertia, the queen of victory; the seed of the world, the abode of triumph, the birthplace of all and the ender of birth; free from birth and death, the conqueror, the world's womb, the soul of japa; complete with every mark of victory, ever diligent in granting it; praised by Indra and the first gods, granting the fruit that Indra seeks; benefactress of the three worlds, the eldest, subduer of the three worlds, mother of the three worlds, the universe itself; flame and flame-eyed, Jvalini blazing like fire, burning, the very self of fire; praised by the gods who conquered their foes, having conquered anger and mastered the senses; free from old age and death, the mother of all, the destroyer of birth.

అర్థం:Radiant as the lotus, made of the waters, beloved of the lotus-seated one, standing upon the lotus, worshipped through japa, bringer of blessing to all people. Then with the Kalyani seed-mantra the ka-names begin: Kamini the loving, of desirable form, the desirable one who grants all desires; giver of what is wished, the doer, bestower of the fruit of rite and action; slayer of the ungrateful, the form of action and of cause and effect together; lotus-eyed, the very shape of compassion, served by the immortals alone; worker of welfare, the beloved, giver and form of beauty; Kamala, the dwelling of Kamala, garlanded with lotus and water-lily; Kumudvati, Kalyani the beneficent, radiance itself, beloved of Kamesha; Kameshvari, Kamalini, giver of desires and also their binder; Kamadhenu the wish-granting cow, golden-eyed, golden-glowing, the treasury of arts (kalanidhi); action and the maker of fame, fame itself, the best of sacrifices, queen of all that is done; praised in every sacrificial rite, delighting the performers of sacrifice; destroyer of afflictions, the doer, giver of karma and binder of karma — and the remover of karma's bonds; the tilled furrow, destroyer of weariness, lotus-eyed; the mother of Kandarpa (love), beloved, compassion itself and full of compassion; maker of the syllable klim, the shape of grace, the ocean of mercy, rich in kindness; melting with compassion, maker of fame, destroyer of stain, the performer of action; the power of action (kriya-shakti), of desirable form, fragrant with lotus and lily; kala the digit, mistress of the digits, the tortoise-goddess, the immovable ground (kutastha), seated upon the lotus.

అర్థం:She is Kalika, the destroyer of sin, with beautiful matted locks; lotus-handed, granting with her own hands all that is asked, giver of the sacrifice's fruit; Kaushiki, the giver of treasure, the poetic one, the doer, queen of treasuries, the slender; riding the tortoise, the wish-fulfilling creeper, the destroyer of the kalakuta poison; owner of the kalpa gardens, dwelling in the kalpa groves, the maker of the aeons; radiant as kadamba blossoms and loving them, throned amid the kadamba garden; giver of fame and adorned by fame; mother of the kula, its dwelling, delighting in the kula's ways; mistress of the kula, the kama-kala, queen of the arts and their lady; bright as kunda and mandara flowers, the moonbeam resting in Shiva's matted crest; giver of poetic genius, mother of all that is desirable, mother of poets, bestower of the arts. Then with its seed-mantra the ta-names begin: Taruni the ever-young, protectress of the young, her face like the moon; contentment and its giver, reachable by right reasoning; the burning and the scorching, the offerer of libations, the form of the holy fords; the three-strided, queen of the thirty gods and of heaven, mother of the three, Tryambakeshvari; Tripura and the sovereign of Tripura, the three-eyed, mother of the three cities; the splendour of Tripura, the form of the triple Veda, known through it and ruling it, the knower of Vedanta; copper-bright, the remover of the three-fold afflictions; dark as the tamala tree, the saviouress, glowing like the morning sun; pervading the three worlds, contented and granting contentment, the very form of tattva.

అర్థం:She is Turya, the fourth state beyond waking, dream and sleep, praised by the three worlds; the three gunas and their sovereign; destroyer of Tripura, the triple mother, three-eyed, endowed with the three qualities; the cutter of craving, the satisfied, the sharp one of piercing form; the balance and yet beyond all measure, the very form of each and every Brahman; the rescuer, destroyer of the three sins, the thirty gods and joined with them; the truth, the three shaktis, the three-strided; Turya again, the beauty of the three worlds; the maker of light, the first of the trinity, the form of splendour, of the three abodes; maker of the three chakras, threefold in fortune, giver of the fruit beyond even the fourth state; the brilliant, the remover of burning, the destroyer of affliction and calamity; light-wombed, the essence of tapas, delighting the Enemy of Tripura; slender, pleased by ascetics, dispelling the fear of Yama; three-eyed, the three paths, the third, praised by the thirty; thrice-beautiful, flowing in three streams, the giver of the turiya state. Then with the Shuddha seed-mantra the shubha-names sound: the auspicious and blessed, the peaceful, giver of peace and of good; Shitala the cooling, the trident-bearer, the cool, the glorious, joined with all that is good. And with the Yam seed-mantra the ya-names begin: giver of the attainments of yoga, the worthy, fulfilled through yajna; the sacrifice itself and made of sacrifice, Yakshi, beloved of the yakshas; dear to the yajna, worshipped and delighted in it, praised by Yama; the radiance of night, the southern one, worthy of worship, the maker of renown; performer and form of the sacrifice, Yashoda the giver of fame, hymned in the yajna.

అర్థం:Queen of the sacrifice and giver of its fruit, the womb of yoga, praised by the Yajur Veda; served by the self-restrained, worshipped by Yama, adored by the disciplined, the sovereign of restraint; Yogini, the form of yoga, delighting those who practise it; joined in yoga, made of yoga, the Mother of yoga and of the lords of yoga; made of yoga-knowledge, the womb, the eightfold yoga beginning with yama; destroying the flood of sins it restrains, warding off the world of Yama; praised by the lords of whole and part, endowed with the eight limbs of yoga; Yogeshvari, the mother of yoga, perfected in yoga and its giver; mounted upon yoga, made of yoga, the form of yoga, the ever-youthful; the form of the yantra, dwelling within the yantra, worshipped in the yantra, the mistress of the yantra; the maker of the yugas and their substance, yet untouched by the dharmas of the ages; Yamuna and the night, the southern quarter, standing in the midst of Yamuna's waters; the calmer of the comings and goings of rebirth, the cutter of all torments; the abode of yoga, saluted by yogis, the very form of the words 'yat' and 'tat'; made of welfare and security (yoga-kshema), the yantra itself, the matrix of all letters that exist; made of all words, the form of all sound, sovereign over all that is; whatever is 'that' or 'this' is hers; saluted by yakshas, she is whatever vidya there is, praised by the ascetics; made of all knowledge whatsoever, saluted by the assemblies of all the vidyas; dwelling in the lotus of the yogis' hearts, delighting the best of yogis; saluted by yogis, the Mother of yogis, giver of the fruit to the lords of yoga.

అర్థం:The final names complete the garland: saluted by the yakshas, worshipped by them and honoured by their king; the form of the yajna, delighted by the yajna, the very embodiment of the constant sacrificer; worshipped through the yantra, dwelling at the yantra's centre, delighting those who fashion the yantra; mounted upon the yantra, worshipped in the yantra, absorbed in the meditation of the yogis; worthy of all worship, praised by Yama, joined in yoga, the maker of fame; bound in yoga, praised by the renunciants, the knower of yoga and its leader; the giver of knowledge to yogis, Yakshi, the destroyer of Yama's torments; the bestower of all that yogis desire — and the giver, at the last, of the yogis' liberation.

అర్థం:The phalashruti declares the fruit: 'Thus have the thousand names of Sarasvati been uttered — mantra-embodied, greatly secret, bestowing the great gift of eloquence. The seeker who reads or hears them with devotion at the three junctions of the day verily becomes the very treasury of all knowledge. He obtains all riches, together with sons and grandsons; even one born mute becomes, in every branch of learning, like a second four-faced Brahma, and at the end attains the presence of the Creator himself, O best of sages. Made of all mantras, granting the full measure of every vidya, giver of great poethood and of the great siddhis — this hymn must not be given to just anyone, even were one's life-breath caught in the throat. This great secret, the thousand names of Vani, fully potent for us and for our line, has now been declared to you.' Thus ends the Sri Sarasvati Sahasranama Stotram, from the Sanatkumara Samhita of the Skanda Purana, in the dialogue of Narada and Sanatkumara.