shyamalamatangiraja-shyamalaadi-shankaracharya

ශ්යාමලානවරත්නමාලිකා

Shyamala Navaratnamalika in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 9× repetitions·🕐 Fridays and during Navaratri; before study, music practice or performance; daily at dawn or dusk·📜 Devotional Sri Vidya / Shakta hymn, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Englishසිංහල𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

Origin & Story

Devotional Sri Vidya / Shakta hymn, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya · Adi Shankaracharya (traditional attribution) · c. 8th century CE (traditional attribution)

Raja-Shyamala (Matangi) is the Goddess of music, speech and the arts in the Sri Vidya tradition, serving as the mantrini — minister and intimate companion — of Lalita Tripurasundari, who directs the celestial music and counsel of the Mother's court. This 'garland of nine gems' distils her worship into nine jewel-like verses overflowing with the imagery of the veena and the seven notes. Together with the longer Shyamala Dandakam, it is a favourite of devotees and of artists who seek her grace before they sing, play or compose.

✦ As told in scripture

Devotees and musicians hold that the grace of Shyamala, invoked through such hymns, loosens the tongue of the dull, perfects the art of the singer and the dancer, and brings the favour of Saraswati herself — for she is the very 'Mother of music' (saṅgīta-mātṛkā) praised in the second verse.

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Complete Text with Meaning

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Verse 1

ඕඞ්කාරපඤ්ජරශුකීමුපනිෂදුද්යානකේලිකලකණ්ඨීම් . ආගමවිපිනමයූරීමාර්යාමන්තර්විභාවයේ ගෞරීම් ..1..

oṅkāra-pañjara-śukīm upaniṣad-udyāna-keli-kalakaṇṭhīm | āgama-vipina-mayūrīm āryām antar vibhāvaye gaurīm || 1||

Meaning:1. I meditate within my heart upon the noble fair Goddess Gauri — the parrot in the cage of Om, the sweet-voiced nightingale sporting in the garden of the Upanishads, the peahen roaming the forest of the Agamas.

Verse 2

දයමානදීර්ඝනයනාං දේශිකරූපේණ දර්ශිතාභ්යුදයාම් . වාමකුචනිහිතවීණාං වරදාං සඞ්ගීතමාතෘකාං වන්දේ ..2..

dayamāna-dīrgha-nayanāṃ deśika-rūpeṇa darśitābhyudayām | vāma-kuca-nihita-vīṇāṃ varadāṃ saṅgīta-mātṛkāṃ vande || 2||

Meaning:2. I bow to her, the Mother of all music, the bestower of boons — with long eyes streaming compassion, who reveals well-being to her devotees by taking the form of a guru, holding the veena against her left bosom.

Verse 3

ශ්යාමලිමසෞකුමාර්යාං සෞන්දර්යානන්දසම්පදුන්මේෂාම් . තරුණිමකරුණාපූරාං මදජලකල්ලෝලලෝචනාං වන්දේ ..3..

śyāmalima-saukumāryāṃ saundaryānanda-sampad-unmeṣām | taruṇima-karuṇā-pūrāṃ mada-jala-kallola-locanāṃ vande || 3||

Meaning:3. I adore her — dark-hued and delicate, the very blossoming of the wealth of the bliss of beauty, a flood of youthful compassion, her eyes rippling like waves of intoxicating joy.

Verse 4

නඛමුඛමුඛරිතවීණානාදරසාස්වාදනවනවෝල්ලාසම් . මුඛමම්බ මෝදයතු මාං මුක්තාතාටඞ්කමුග්ධහසිතං තේ ..4..

nakha-mukha-mukharita-vīṇā-nāda-rasāsvādana-navanavollāsam | mukham amba modayatu māṃ muktā-tāṭaṅka-mugdha-hasitaṃ te || 4||

Meaning:4. O Mother, may thy face delight me — ever freshly radiant with the savour of the music streaming from the veena played by thy fingertips, adorned with pearl earrings and a charming, innocent smile.

Verse 5

සරිගමපධනිරතාං තාං වීණාසඞ්ක්රාන්තකාන්තහස්තාන්තාම් . ශාන්තාං මෘදුලස්වාන්තාං කුචභරතාන්තාං නමාමි ශිවකාන්තාම් ..5..

sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni-ratāṃ tāṃ vīṇā-saṅkrānta-kānta-hastāntām | śāntāṃ mṛdula-svāntāṃ kuca-bhara-tāntāṃ namāmi śiva-kāntām || 5||

Meaning:5. I bow to the beloved of Shiva — ever absorbed in the seven musical notes, her lovely fingers moving over the veena, serene, tender of heart, languid with the weight of her bosom.

Verse 6

අවටුතටඝටිතචූලීතාඩිතතාළීපලාශතාටඞ්කාම් . වීණාවාදනලේශාකම්පිතශීර්ෂාං නමාමි මාතඞ්ගීම් ..6..

avaṭu-taṭa-ghaṭita-cūlī-tāḍita-tāḷī-palāśa-tāṭaṅkām | vīṇā-vādana-leśā-kampita-śīrṣāṃ namāmi mātaṅgīm || 6||

Meaning:6. I bow to Matangi — her earrings of palmyra-leaf shape striking against the curls clustered at her cheeks, her head swaying ever so slightly with the playing of the veena.

Verse 7

වීණාරවානුෂඞ්ගං විකලකචාමෝදමාධුරීභෘඞ්ගම් . කරුණාපූරතරඞ්ගං කලයේ මාතඞ්ගකන්යකාපාඞ්ගම් ..7..

vīṇā-ravānuṣaṅgaṃ vikala-kacāmoda-mādhurī-bhṛṅgam | karuṇā-pūra-taraṅgaṃ kalaye mātaṅga-kanyakāpāṅgam || 7||

Meaning:7. I contemplate the side-long glance of the daughter of Matanga — keeping company with the music of the veena, a bee drawn to the sweet fragrance of her loosened tresses, a wave in the flood of compassion.

Verse 8

මේචකමාසේචනකං මිථ්යාදෘෂ්ටාන්තමධ්යභාගං තේ . මාතස්තව ස්වරූපං මඞ්ගලසඞ්ගීතසෞරභං වන්දේ ..8..

mecakam āsecanakaṃ mithyā-dṛṣṭānta-madhya-bhāgaṃ te | mātas tava svarūpaṃ maṅgala-saṅgīta-saurabhaṃ vande || 8||

Meaning:8. O Mother, I adore thy form — dark and ever-delighting, never sating the eyes, its waist so slender that any comparison is but a false illusion, fragrant with auspicious music.

Verse 9

මණිභඞ්ගමේචකාඞ්ගීං මාතඞ්ගීං නෞමි සිද්ධමාතඞ්ගීම් . යෞවනවනසාරඞ්ගීං සඞ්ගීතාම්භෝරුහානුභවභෘඞ්ගීම් ..9..

maṇi-bhaṅga-mecakāṅgīṃ mātaṅgīṃ naumi siddha-mātaṅgīm | yauvana-vana-sāraṅgīṃ saṅgītāmbhoruhānubhava-bhṛṅgīm || 9||

Meaning:9. I praise Matangi, the Siddha-Matangi — her limbs dark as a sapphire freshly cut, the doe of the forest of youth, the bee that drinks the bliss of the lotus of music.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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ඕඞ්කාරපඤ්ජරශුකීම්🔊oṅkāra-pañjara-śukīmthe parrot (śukī) dwelling in the cage of the Om-syllable

උපනිෂදුද්යානකේලිකලකණ්ඨීම්🔊upaniṣad-udyāna-keli-kalakaṇṭhīmthe sweet-voiced nightingale (kalakaṇṭhī) sporting in the garden of the Upanishads

ආගමවිපිනමයූරීම්🔊āgama-vipina-mayūrīmthe peahen (mayūrī) roaming in the forest of the Agamas (scriptures)

අන්තර් විභාවයේ ගෞරීම්🔊antar vibhāvaye gaurīmI meditate within (my heart) upon the noble fair Goddess Gauri

දයමානදීර්ඝනයනාං🔊dayamāna-dīrgha-nayanāṃwith long eyes brimming with compassion

වාමකුචනිහිතවීණාං🔊vāma-kuca-nihita-vīṇāṃholding the veena rested against her left bosom

සඞ්ගීතමාතෘකාං වන්දේ🔊saṅgīta-mātṛkāṃ vandeI bow to her, the Mother (source) of all music

ශ්යාමලිමසෞකුමාර්යාං🔊śyāmalima-saukumāryāṃof dark (śyāma) hue and tender delicacy

මදජලකල්ලෝලලෝචනාං🔊mada-jala-kallola-locanāṃwith eyes rippling like waves of intoxicating bliss

මුඛම් අම්බ මෝදයතු මාම්🔊mukham amba modayatu māmO Mother, may thy face delight me

මුක්තාතාටඞ්කමුග්ධහසිතං🔊muktā-tāṭaṅka-mugdha-hasitaṃwith pearl earrings and a charming, innocent smile

සරිගමපධනිරතාං🔊sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni-ratāṃever delighting in the seven musical notes (sa ri ga ma pa dha ni)

වීණාසඞ්ක්රාන්තකාන්තහස්තාන්තාම්🔊vīṇā-saṅkrānta-kānta-hastāntāmwhose lovely fingertips move over the veena

නමාමි ශිවකාන්තාම්🔊namāmi śiva-kāntāmI bow to the beloved of Shiva

තාළීපලාශතාටඞ්කාම්🔊tāḷī-palāśa-tāṭaṅkāmwearing earrings of palmyra-leaf (tāḷī) shape

නමාමි මාතඞ්ගීම්🔊namāmi mātaṅgīmI bow to Matangi (the daughter of sage Matanga)

කරුණාපූරතරඞ්ගං🔊karuṇā-pūra-taraṅgaṃ(her side-glance) a wave in the flood of compassion

මාතඞ්ගකන්යකාපාඞ්ගම්🔊mātaṅga-kanyakāpāṅgamthe side-long glance (apāṅga) of the daughter of Matanga

මේචකම් ආසේචනකං🔊mecakam āsecanakaṃ(thy form) dark and ever-delightful, never sating the gaze

මඞ්ගලසඞ්ගීතසෞරභං වන්දේ🔊maṅgala-saṅgīta-saurabhaṃ vandeI adore (thy form) fragrant with auspicious music

මාතඞ්ගීං නෞමි සිද්ධමාතඞ්ගීම්🔊mātaṅgīṃ naumi siddha-mātaṅgīmI praise Matangi, the Siddha-Matangi (perfected Goddess of the Siddhas)

සඞ්ගීතාම්භෝරුහානුභවභෘඞ්ගීම්🔊saṅgītāmbhoruhānubhava-bhṛṅgīmthe bee that drinks the experience of the lotus of music

Benefits of Chanting Shyamala Navaratnamalika

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Invokes Raja-Shyamala (Matangi), the Sri Vidya Goddess of music, learning, speech and the fine arts

✦

Especially cherished by musicians, singers, dancers and students for mastery of the arts and eloquence

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Each verse is a compact, musical meditation on the Goddess and her veena

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Cultivates devotion, refinement of mind and a love of sacred music

✦

A worthy shorter companion to the Shyamala Dandakam for daily recitation

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Believed to bestow the grace of Saraswati-like wisdom and the fulfilment of creative pursuits

✦

Recited during Shyamala worship and Navaratri for the Mother's blessings

How to Chant Shyamala Navaratnamalika

Repetitions9times

Best TimeFridays and during Navaratri; before study, music practice or performance; daily at dawn or dusk

Sit before an image of Shyamala (Matangi) holding the veena, with a lamp and flowers. Recite the nine verses slowly, dwelling on the imagery of each — the parrot of Om, the veena, the seven notes, the compassionate glance. Musicians and students often chant it before practice or performance to invoke the Goddess of the arts. It may be recited once or three times daily, and is especially auspicious during Navaratri.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Shyamala Navaratnamalika written in the Sinhala script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

Shyamala — also called Raja-Shyamala, Matangi, and Shyamala Devi — is the Sri Vidya Goddess of music, speech, learning and the fine arts. Dark-hued and holding a veena, she is the mantrini (minister and dear companion) of Lalita Tripurasundari, and is counted among the ten Mahavidyas as Matangi.

It is a nine-verse hymn ('garland of nine gems') to Shyamala, traditionally attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. Each verse is a brief, lyrical meditation on her beauty, her veena, the seven musical notes and her gracious glance.

Both praise the same Goddess Shyamala/Matangi. The Shyamala Dandakam (beginning 'Manikya Veenam') is a longer rhythmic dandaka, while the Navaratnamalika is a concise nine-verse garland; the two are often recited together by devotees of the Goddess of music.

It is especially beloved by musicians, singers, dancers, writers and students who seek mastery of their art, eloquence and the grace of the Goddess of learning, but it may be chanted by any devotee for wisdom and devotion.