goṣpadīkṛta-vārāṡiṃ maṣakīkṛta-rākṣasam | Rāmāyaṇa-mahā-mālā-ratnaṃ vande Anilâ-ātmajam ||

He turned the ocean into a puddle in a cow's hoofprint; He squashed demons like mere mosquitos: To him do I bow down: that son of the Wind, Hanumān, the gem shining in the middle of the great necklace that is the Rāmāyaṇa.

|| Śrī-Sītādevī-Bharata-Lakṣmaṇa-Śatrughna-Hanumat-sameta-Śrī-Raghunandana-parabrahmaṇe namaḥ ||

sānuprāsa-prakaṭita-dayaiḥ sāndra-vātsalya-digdhair

Amba! snigdhair amṛta-laharī-labdha-sa-brahmacaryaiḥ |

gharme tāpa-traya-viracite gāḍha-taptaṃ kṣaṇaṃ mām

ākiñcanya-glapitam anaghair ārdrayethāḥ kaṭākṣaiḥ || ŚStu 21 ||

sampadyante bhava-bhaya-tamī-bhānavas tvat-prasādād

bhāvāḥ sarve Bhagavati! Harau bhaktim udvelayantaḥ |

yāce kiṃ tvām aham iha yataḥ śītalodāra-śīlā

bhūyo bhūyo diśasi mahatāṃ maṅgalānāṃ prabandhān || ŚStu 22 ||

mātā Devi! tvam asi, Bhagavān Vāsudevaḥ pitā me

jātaḥ so ahaṃ Janani! yuvayor eka-lakṣyaṃ dayāyāḥ |

datto yuṣmat-parijanatayā deśikair apy atas tvaṃ

«kiṃ te bhūyaḥ priyam?» iti kila smera-vaktrā vibhāsi || ŚStu 23 ||

kalyāṇānām avikala-nidhiḥ kā ’pi kāruṇya-sīmā

nityâ-āmodā nigama-vacasāṃ mauli-mandāra-mālā |

sampad divyā Madhu-vijayinaḥ sannidhattāṃ sadā me

saîṣā Devī sakala-bhuvana-prārthanā-Kāmadhenuḥ || ŚStu 24 ||

upacita-guru-bhakter utthitaṃ Veṅkaṭeśāt

Kali-kaluṣa-nivṛttyai kalpamānaṃ prajānām |

Sarasija-nilayāyāḥ stotram etat paṭhantaḥ

sakala-kuśala-sīmāḥ sārvabhaumā bhavanti || ŚStu 25 ||

kavi-tārkika-siṃhāya kalyāṇa-guṇa-śāline |

śrīmate Veṅkaṭeśāya Vedānta-gurave namaḥ ||

yogâ-ārambha-tvarita-manaso yuṣmad-aikāntya-yuktaṃ

dharmaṃ prāptuṃ prathamam iha ye dhārayante dhanāyām |

teṣāṃ bhūmer, Dhanapati-gṛhād, ambarād, ambudher vā

dhārā niryānty adhikam adhikaṃ vāñchitānāṃ vasūnām || ŚStu 16 ||

śreyas-kāmāḥ Kamala-nilaye! citram āmnāya-vācāṃ

cūḍā-āpīḍaṃ tava pada-yugaṃ cetasā dhārayantaḥ |

chatra-cchāyā-subhaga-śirasaś cāmara-smera-pārśvāḥ

ślāghā-śabda-śravaṇa-muditāḥ sragviṇaḥ sañcaranti || ŚStu 17 ||

ūrīkartuṃ kuśalam akhilaṃ jetum ādīn arātīn

dūrīkartuṃ durita-nivahaṃ tyaktum ādyām avidyām |

Amba! stambâ-avadhika-janana-grāma-sīmâ-anta-rekhām

ālambante vimala-manaso Viṣṇu-kānte! dayāṃ te || ŚStu 18 ||

jātâ-ākāṅkṣā Janani! yuvayor eka-sevā-ādhikāre

māyā-līḍhaṃ vibhavam akhilaṃ manyamānās tṛṇāya |

prītyai Viṣṇos tava ca kṛtinaḥ prītimanto bhajante

velā-bhaṅga-praśamana-phalaṃ vaidikaṃ dharma-setum || ŚStu 19 ||

seve Devi! tri-daśa-mahilā-mauli-mālārcitaṃ te

siddhi-kṣetraṃ śamita-vipadāṃ sampadāṃ pāda-padmam |

yasminn īṣan-namita-śiraso yāpayitvā śarīraṃ

vartiṣyante vitamasi pade Vāsudevasya dhanyāḥ || ŚStu 20 ||

dhatte śobhāṃ Hari-marakate tāvakī mūrtir ādyā

tanvī tuṅga-stana-bhara-natā tapta-jāmbū-nadâ-ābhā |

yasyāṃ gacchanty udaya-vilayair nityam ānanda-sindhāv

icchā-vegôllasita-laharī-vibhramaṃ vyaktayas te || ŚStu 11 ||

ā-saṃsāraṃ vitatam akhilaṃ vāṅ-mayaṃ yad-vibhūtir

yad-bhrū-bhaṅgāt Kusuma-dhanuṣaḥ kiṅkaro Meru-dhanvā |

yasyāṃ nityaṃ nayana-śatakair eka-lakṣyo Mahendraḥ

Padme! tāsāṃ pariṇatir asau bhāva-leśais tvadīyaiḥ || ŚStu 12 ||

agre bhartuḥ sarasija-maye bhadra-pīṭhe niṣaṇṇām

ambho-rāśer adhigata-sudhā-samplavād utthitāṃ tvām |

puṣpâ-āsāra-sthagita-bhuvanaiḥ puṣkalâ-āvartakâ-ādyaiḥ

kḷptâ-ārambhāḥ kanaka-kalaśair abhyaṣiñcan gajendrāḥ || ŚStu 13 ||

ālokya tvām Amṛta-sahaje! Viṣṇu-vakṣaḥ-sthala-sthāṃ

śāpâ-ākrāntāḥ śaraṇam agaman sâ-avarodhāḥ surêndrāḥ |

labdhvā bhūyas tri-bhuvanam idaṃ lakṣitaṃ tvat-kaṭākṣaiḥ

sarvâ-ākāra-sthira-samudayāṃ sampadaṃ nirviśanti || ŚStu 14 ||

ārta-trāṇa-vratibhir amṛtâ-āsāra-nīlâ-ambu-vāhair

ambhojānām uṣasi miṣatām antar-aṅgair apāṅgaiḥ |

yasyāṃ yasyāṃ diśi viharate Devi! dṛṣṭis tvadīyā

tasyāṃ tasyām aham-ahamikāṃ tanvate sampad-oghāḥ || ŚStu 15 ||

uddeśyatvaṃ Janani! bhajator ujjhitôpādhi-gandhaṃ

pratyag-rūpe haviṣi yuvayor eka-śeṣitva-yogāt |

Padme! Patyus tava ca nigamair nityam anviṣyamāṇo

nâ avacchedaṃ bhajati mahimā nartayan mānasaṃ naḥ || ŚStu 6 ||

paśyantīṣu śrutiṣu paritaḥ sūri-bṛndena sārdhaṃ

madhye-kṛtya tri-guṇa-phalakaṃ nirmita-sthāna-bhedam |

Viśvâ-adhīśa-praṇayini! sadā vibhrama-dyūta-vṛttau

BrahmÊśâ-ādyā dadhati yuvayor akṣa-śāra-pracāram || ŚStu 7 ||

asyê Īśānā Tvam asi jagataḥ saṃśrayantī Mukundaṃ

«Lakṣmīḥ», «Padmā», «Jaladhi-tanayā», «Viṣṇu-patnī», «Indirê» iti |

yan-nāmāni śruti-paripaṇāny evam āvartayanto

nâ āvartante durita-pavana-prerite janma-cakre || ŚStu 8 ||

tvām evâ āhuḥ katicid apare tvat-priyaṃ Loka-nāthaṃ

kiṃ tair antaḥ-kalaha-malinaiḥ kiṃ cid uttīrya magnaiḥ |

tvat-samprītyai viharati Harau saṃmukhīnāṃ śrutīnāṃ

bhāvâ-ārūḍhau Bhagavati! yuvāṃ dampatī daivataṃ naḥ || ŚStu 9 ||

āpannâ-ārti-praśamana-vidhau baddha-dīkṣasya Viṣṇor

ācakhyus tvāṃ priya-saha-carīm aikam atyôpapannām |

prādur-bhāvair api sama-tanuḥ prādhvam anvīyase tvaṃ

dūrôtkṣiptair iva madhuratā dugdha-rāśes taraṅgaiḥ || ŚStu 10 ||

mānâ-atīta-prathita-vibhavāṃ maṅgalaṃ maṅgalānāṃ

vakṣaḥ-pīṭhīṃ Madhu-vijayino bhūṣayantīṃ sva-kāntyā |

pratyakṣâ-ānuśravika-mahima-prārthinīnāṃ prajānāṃ

śreyo-mūrtiṃ Śriyam aśaraṇas tvāṃ śaraṇyāṃ prapadye || ŚStu 1 ||

āvir-bhāvaḥ kalaśa-jaladhāv adhvare vā api yasyāḥ

sthānaṃ yasyāḥ sarasija-vanaṃ Viṣṇu-vakṣaḥ-sthalaṃ vā |

bhūmā yasyā bhuvanam akhilaṃ Devi! divyaṃ padaṃ vā

stoka-prajñair anavadhi-guṇā stūyase sā kathaṃ Tvam || ŚStu 2 ||

stotavyatvaṃ diśati bhavatī dehibhiḥ stūyamānā

tām eva Tvām anitara-gatiḥ stotum āśaṃsamānaḥ |

siddhâ-ārambhaḥ sakala-bhuvana-ślāghanīyo bhaveyaṃ

sevā-apekṣā tava caraṇayoḥ śreyase kasya na syāt || ŚStu 3 ||

yat-saṅkalpād bhavati Kamale yatra dehiny amīṣāṃ

janma-sthema-pralaya-racanā jaṅgamâ-ajaṅgamānām |

tat-kalyāṇaṃ kim api yaminām eka-lakṣyaṃ samādhau

pūrṇaṃ tejaḥ sphurati bhavatī-pāda-lākṣā-rasâ-aṅkam || ŚStu 4 ||

niṣpratyūha-praṇaya-ghaṭitaṃ Devi! nityâ-anapāyaṃ

Viṣṇus Tvaṃ cêty anavadhi-guṇaṃ dvandvam anyonya-lakṣyam |

Śeṣaś, cittaṃ vimala-manasāṃ, maulayaś ca śrutīnāṃ

sampadyante viharaṇa-vidhau yasya śayyā-viśeṣāḥ || ŚStu 5 ||

śāntâ-’’nanda-mahā-vibhūti-paramaṃ yad brahma-rūpaṃ Harer

mūrtaṃ brahma tato ’pi tat-priyataraṃ rūpaṃ yad atyadbhutam |

yāny anyāni yathā-sukhaṃ viharato rūpāṇi sarvāṇi tāny

āhuḥ svair anurūpa-rūpa-vibhavair gāḍhôpagūḍhāni te || CŚ 4 ||

|| samasta-parivāra-sametāya Śrīman-Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ ||

I have posted a full recitation of the Catuḥ-Ślokī on YouTube here.

Catuḥ-Ślokī verse 3: The Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī’s essential role in our liberation

īṣat-tvat-karuṇā-nirīkṣaṇa-sudhā- -sandhukṣaṇād rakṣyate naṣṭaṃ prāk tad-alābhatas tri-bhuvanaṃ sampraty anantôdayam | śreyo na hy Aravinda-locana-manaḥ- -kāntā-prasādād ṛte saṃsṛty-akṣara-Vaiṣṇavâdhvasu nṛṇāṃ sambhāvyate karhi cit || CŚ 3 || ईषत्-त्वत्-करुणा-निरीक्षण-सुधा-सन्धुक्षणाद् रक्ष्यते नष्टं प्राक् तद्-अलाभतस् त्रि-भुवनं सम्प्रत्यनन्तोदयम् । श्रेयो न ह्यरविन्द-लोचन-मनः-कान्ता-प्रसादाद् ऋते संसृत्य्-अक्षर-वैष्णवा-ऽध्वसु नृणां सम्भाव्यते कर्हि चित् ॥

By the slightest drops of nectar that are Your glances filled with compassion the Triple Worlds (ruined earlier when deprived of them) prosper instantly endlessly securely! For without the blessings of the Beloved of the heart of the lotus-eyed Lord there can be no felicity in any way for men on any way: the path of prosperity the path of aloneness, or even the path of devotion to Viṣṇu.

|| samasta-parivāra-sametāya Śrīman-Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ ||

I have posted a full recitation of the Catuḥ-Ślokī on YouTube here.

Catuḥ-Ślokī verse 2: The unlimited powers of the Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī

yasyās Te mahimānam ātmana iva Tvad-vallabho ’pi prabhur nâ ’laṃ mātum iyattayā niravadhiṃ nityâ-’nukūlaṃ svataḥ | tām Tvāṃ «dāsa» iti «prapanna» iti ca stoṣyāmy ahaṃ nirbhayo Lokaikêśvari! Loka-nātha-dayite! Dānte! dayāṃ Te vidan || CŚ 2 || यस्यास् ते महिमानम् आत्मन इव त्वद्वल्लभो ऽपि प्रभुर् ना ऽलं मातुम् इयत्तया निरवधिं नित्यानुकूलं स्वतः । ताम् त्वां «दास» इति «प्रपन्न» इति च स्तोष्याम्यहं निर्भयो लोकैकेश्वरि! लोक-नाथ-दयिते! दान्ते! दयां ते विदन् ॥

Even Your beloved Lord is unable to measure the full extent of Your majesty limitless just like His own intrinsically, eternally in conformity with His own. O sole and supreme Queen of the Cosmos! O beloved of the Lord of the Cosmos! O gentle Lady! Knowing Your compassion, I who am now utterly unafraid will praise You as Your servant as Your refugee.

|| samasta-parivāra-sametāya Śrīman-Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ ||

I have posted a full recitation of the Catuḥ-Ślokī on YouTube here.

On the Catuḥ-Ślokī of Swāmī Āḷavandār

The Catuḥ-Ślokī is the earliest Sanskrit stotra in the Śrīvaiṣṇava sampradāya (tradition) that is dedicated primarily to the goddess Mahālakṣmī as the Supreme Co-Divinity alongside Her eternal spouse, Lord Nārāyaṇa. Although just four verses long, it is a distillation of the tradition’s full perspective on the Goddess, and indeed all the subsequent stotras about Her in the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition can be seen as elaborations of ideas already expressed or implicit in the Catuḥ-Ślokī itself.

The four verses of the Catuḥ-Ślokī and the four adhyāyas of the Brahma-sūtras

The ācāryas of the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition have lavished a tremendous amount of interpretive attention to the verses of the Catuḥ-Ślokī. While we will limit ourselves in this series to just the translations of the four verses, in today’s introduction I do want to touch upon one important structural property of the Catuḥ-Ślokī: its four verses replicate the four-adhyāya structure of the Brahma-sūtras of Bhagavān Bādarāyaṇa. Swāmī Āḷavandār has thus brought to light the concealed, but core, role of Mahālakṣmī in the foundational text of Vedānta itself.

This is especially significant because Swāmī Āḷavandār tragically never managed to write his own commentary on the Brahma-sūtras. This responsibility he posthumously delegated to Swāmī Rāmānuja, who wrote the exquisite Śrī-Bhāṣya commentary on the text to establish the Viśiṣṭâdvaita school of Vedānta.

The topics of the four adhyāyas

What are the topics of these four adhyāyas? According to a verse in the Nyāya-kalāpa-saṅgraha of Senêśvarācārya, these are as follows:

pramāṇatā (I), tat-pratiyogi-bhaṅgaḥ (II), saṃrādhanaṃ (III) , tasya phalôpabhogaḥ (IV) | etāni saṃyak paricintitāni śāstre tv ihâ ’dhyāya-catuṣṭayena ||

(I) Validity and authoritativeness, (II) Refutation of opposing views, (III) Means of propitiation, and (IV) Enjoyment of the fruits thereof: All of these are properly and thoroughly analyzed in the Śāstra, through its four adhyāyas.

The traditional names for the four adhyāyas are as follows (and can be seen to be in conformity with the verse above):

* Samanvaya (“harmonious reconciliation”): the multiplicity of the Upaniṣadic texts can be harmonized to yield an integrative picture of the Divine. The Vedic corpus is therefore authoritative (i.e., it has pramāṇatā) when it comes to providing us an insight into the Divine.

* Avirodha (“non-contradiction”): the Vedāntic view is logical and well-founded and its opponents’ views are mistaken.

* Sādhanā (“praxis”): there are specific ways (vidyās) laid out in the Upaniṣads that will result in liberation/self-realization.

* Phala (“fruit”): the nature of this fruit, i.e., of liberation/self-realization, is also outlined in the Veda.

While there are of course many sharply different schools of thought when it comes to interpreting Vedānta (such as the Viśiṣṭâdvaita school of the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition or the Kevalâdvaita of Śaṅkara or the Dvaita of Madhvācārya and many more in fact), all of them follow this same understanding of the four adhyāyas of the Brahma-sūtras when writing their commentaries on the text.

In praise of Swāmī Āḷavandār

Before commencing the recitation of the Catuḥ-Ślokī, it is customary to recite verses in praise of Swāmī Āḷavandār, its composer and one of the founding ācāryas of the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition.

svādayann iha sarveṣāṃ Trayy-antârthaṃ sudurgraham | stotrayāmāsa yogîndras taṃ vande Yāmunâ-’’hvayam || yat-pādâ-’mbhoruha-dhyāna-vidhvastâ-’śeṣa-kalmaṣaḥ | vastutām upayāto ’haṃ Yāmuneyaṃ namāmi tam || namo namo Yāmunāya, Yāmunāya namo namaḥ | namo namo Yāmunāya, Yāmunāya namo namaḥ || स्वादयन्निह सर्वेषाां त्रय्यन्ता-ऽर्थं सुदुर्ग्रहम् । स्तोत्रयामास योगीन्द्रस्तं वन्दे यामुना-ऽऽह्वयम् ॥ यत्पादा-ऽम्भोरुह-ध्यान-विध्वस्ता-ऽशेष-कल्मषः । वस्तुताम् उपयातो ऽहं यामुनेयं नमामि तम् ॥ नमो नमो यामुनाय, यामुनाय नमो नमः । नमो नमो यामुनाय, यामुनाय नमो नमः ॥

Relishing the meanings (so impossibly difficult to grasp!) of the Vedānta, heart of the Triple Veda, the Lord of yogins wove them into songs of praise— To him, Yāmuna by name, do I bow down! By meditating on his lotus feet, which has utterly destroyed all of my sins I have attained the true nature of reality— To him, Yāmuna by name, do I bow down! Salutations, salutations galore to Yāmuna! To Yāmuna, salutations, salutations galore! Salutations, salutations galore to Yāmuna! To Yāmuna, salutations, salutations galore!

Catuḥ-Ślokī verse 1: The identity of the Supreme Goddess

kāntas te Puruṣottamaḥ, Phaṇi-patiḥ śayyâ ’’sanaṃ vāhanaṃ Vedâtmā Vihagêśvaro, yavanikā Māyā jagan-mohinī | BrahmÊśâ-’’di-sura-vrajaḥ sa-dayitas Tvad-dāsa-dāsī-gaṇaḥ «Śrīr» ity eva ca nāma te Bhagavati! brūmaḥ kathaṃ tvāṃ vayam? || CŚ 1 || कान्तस्ते पुरुषोत्तमः, फणि-पतिः शय्या, ऽऽसनं वाहनं वेदाऽऽत्मा विहगेश्वरो, यवनिका माया जगन्मोहिनी । ब्रह्मेशा-ऽऽदि-सुर-व्रजः स-दयितस्त्वद्दास-दासी-गणः «श्रीर्» इत्येव च नाम ते भगवति! ब्रूमः कथं त्वां वयम् ? ॥

Your beloved is the Supreme Lord The lord of snakes, Śeṣa, is Your bed and throne The lord of birds, Garuḍa, who is the soul of the Veda whose soul is the Veda is Your throne and vehicle Your curtain is the cosmos-occluding Māyā Brahmā, Śiva, and all the other gods plus their spouses are Your attendants And Your sacred, true name is Śrī: O Blessed Lady, How can we even begin to speak of You?

When Garuḍan himself, the Cosmic Bird who is the soul of the Vedas, is Her vehicle, and when all the gods and goddesses themselves joyfully act to bring Her visions to life, we can come to understand the Supreme Goddess Mahālakṣmī’s central role in the entire cosmos!

|| samasta-parivāra-sametāya Śrīman-Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ ||

(Duryodhana continues:)

“Therefore our force, guarded by Bhīṣma, is unlimited-yet-inadequate, whereas this force of theirs, guarded by Bhīma, is limited-yet-adequate. Positioning yourselves along all vectors of attack, make sure all of you guard Bhīṣma for sure.”

(Duryodhana continues:)“Here are champions, master archers, rivals to Bhīma and Arjuna in battle: Yuyudhāna Sātyaki, Virāṭa, Drupada the master chariot-warrior, Dhṛṣṭaketu, Cekitāna, the heroic lord of Kāśi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, Śaibya bull among men, Yudhāmanyu the valiant, Uttamaujas filled with heroism, Abhimanyu son of Subhadrā, and the sons of Draupadī—each and every one of them a master chariot-warrior.”“And as for our side, o best of Brahmins, recognize the most distinguished ones. I will list for you by name the generals of my forces: You, Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpa victorious in battle, Aśvatthāman, Vikarṇa, and similarly Bhūriśravas son of Somadatta. And there are many more champions who have renounced their lives for my sake, all experts in battle with various mêlée and ranged weapons.”

Sañjaya said:But upon seeing the Pāṇḍava army arrayed in battle-formation, King Duryodhana approached Droṇa his teacher and spoke the following words:“Look at this grand army, o teacher[,] of the sons of Pāṇḍu, arrayed in battle-formation by Drupada’s son, your own brilliant student.”

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said:O Sañjaya, what were the belligerents—my folks as well as the Pāṇḍavas—doing, gathered at Kurukṣetra, the place of dharma?