A Microcosm's Prayer(Slokha)- 3 Poem by Indira Renganathan

Slokha, is the most common Sanskrit meter and is a descendant of the older Vedic gayatri
The slokha, meaning 'song', although metric, is not considered poetic.
It functions more as the equivalent to Western prose with lines and meter and
is often used in narratives or epics.

The defining features of the slokha are:
stanzaic, written in any number of couplets made up of 2 hemistiches.
The hemistiches can be broken into 4 lines or padas creating quatrains,4 lines or padas
syllabic, either 2 lines of 16 syllables each or 4 hemistiches of 8 syllables each.
metric, alternate hemistiches of trochaic and iambic patterns.

The following verses are my own work, a prayer, based on the great slokha 'Lalitha Sahasranamam'
where the meaningful thousand names of Adi Para Sakthi(primordial cosmic Energy)
are narrated.These verses are not literal or exact translation of the slokha.But I referred to
the translation of the great slokha by Mr.P. R. Ramachander

Please read the previous parts of this series before reading this


7 Thee, like cupid's dazzling quiver
Abuzz with indhragopa flies
Who has fulgurous pretty legs
Thee, who has pretty round ankles

Thee, like tortoise's stern curved back
Who has firm heels of a strong stand
Thee, who wards off our nescience
Just with thy light of sparkling nails

Thee, who has feet so soft, softer
Beating the softness of lotus
Thee, who adorns jingling anklets
Of varied gem stones filled therein

Thee who walks cute, artful like swan
Thee, the treasure of all beauty
Thee the roseate dawn in all
Thee, who's flawless in every limb

Thee, ornate in all adornments
Thee, who's on Kameshwara's lap
Thee, who Herself is that Shiva
Thee who attracts Shiva all time

Ho, ho dear sweet divine Mother
As is thine charm on top of top
So art thou on thy Shiva's lap
So born thence all and the whole lot

Namaste Mother namaste
Divine Mother, unto thy feet
This tiny droplet surrenders
Rise my size within me, I watch


8 Oh our adorable Mother
Thou art too vast, ineffable
In invincible secrecy
Thou art dwelling in high Meru

Not me this small tiny droplet
Devout those who strove and found thee
Felt thee, visioned thee so revealed
That on the mid crest thee dwelling

Thee the queen of Srinagara
Thy abode there Chinthamani
A gem of range that grants all boons
Pray thee, so me for thy mercy

On the mid crest of mount Meru
In the city Srinagara
Where, from thy house Chinthamani
Ruling thee thy whole creation

Seated thee on the five powers
Brahma, Vishnu, Sadhashiva
Rudra and Esana well shaped
Five Brahmas thus in thy control

Mother, thou art all-powerful
Mother, thou art untouchable
Yet, this tiny me, wants thee nigh
To my vision's maxi-dazzle

Namaste Mother namaste
Divine Mother, unto thy feet
This tiny droplet surrenders
Rise my size within me, I watch


9 Thee, dwelling in a placid house
Mid a sweet lotus forest who
Much a tranquil aura conjures
Imparts peace in our hearts also

Thee whose realm has kadamba trees
Thee who makes them fringe well around
Thee who whelmed by our piety
Also guards well all lives renowned

Thus to thee, our divine Mother
Thy children when fall and implore
Thee the Goddess ours protects them
So this tiny me too implores

Ho ho, divine our sweet Mother
Thou art beautiful the bestest
Thou art our brave queen the bestest
Thou art our Wisdom the bestest

Thou art our Strength sole the bestest
The Support for mind the bestest
The Support for life the bestest
Thou art all Force the mightiest

So to thee Mother, namaste
The Power of all, namaste
The causer of all, namaste
Creatrix of all, namaste

Namaste Mother namaste
Divine Mother, unto thy feet
This tiny droplet surrenders
Rise my size within me, I watch
- - - - - - - - - -

Note: -Translation by Mr.P.R Ramachander
Naamaas41-60

* 41 * Indra kopa parikshiptha smarathunabha jangika - She who has forelegs like
the cupids case of arrows followed by the bee called Indra kopa
* 42 * Kooda Gulpha - She who has round ankles
* 43 * Koorma prashta jayishnu prapadanvidha - She who has upper feet like the back of the tortoise
* 44 * Nakadhi dhithi samchanna namajjana thamoguna - She who removes the darkness
in the mind of her devotees by the sparkle of nails
* 45 * Pada dwaya Prabha jala parakrutha saroruha - She who has two feet which are much more beautiful
than lotus flowers


* 46 * Sinchana mani manjira manditha sri pamambuja - She who has feet wearing
musical anklets filled with gem stones
* 47 * Marali Mandha Gamana - She who has the slow gait like the swan
* 48 * Maha Lavanya Sewadhi - She who has the store house of supreme beauty
* 49 * Sarvaruna - She who has light reddish colour of the dawn in all her aspects
* 50 * Anavadhyangi - She who has most beautiful limbs which do not lack any aspect of beauty


* 51 * Srvabharana Bhooshita - She who wears all the ornaments
* 52 * Shivakameswarangastha - She who sits on the lap of Kameswara(shiva)
* 53 * Shiva - She who is the personification of Shiva
* 54 * Swadheena Vallabha - She whose husband obeys her
* 55 * Summeru Madhya sringastha - She who lives in the central peak of Mount Meru


* 56 * Sriman nagara nayika - She who is the chief of Srinagara(a town)
* 57 * Chinthamani grihanthastha - She who lives in the all wish full filling house
* 58 * Pancha brahmasana sthitha - 'She who sits on the five brahmas
viz., Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Esana and Sadashiva'
* 59 * Maha padma davi samstha - She who lives in the forest of lotus flowers
* 60 * Kadambha vana vasini - She who lives in the forest of Kadmbha (Madurai city is also called Kadambha vana)