Kavyakantha Sri Ganapati Muni's
Indrani Saptasati
caturtho mātrāsamaka stabakaḥ
This Stabaka is a profound yogic hymn to Śacī Devī, Indrāṇī, the beloved of Jishṇu-Indra and the hidden divine power shining within the human body. Śrī Gaṇapati Muni begins by invoking Her white, subtle, all-pervading smile to remove the darkness of delusion completely. He prays that the compassionate Queen of the worlds may protect Bhāratakṣoṇī, the land of Bhārata, whose voice is rising in constant suffering.
The central teaching of this Stabaka is the distinction between dormant Śakti and awakened Śakti. Even when the Mother sleeps within the body, Her faint radiance alone enables human beings to think, speak, see, hear, and live. But when She awakens, Her power becomes immeasurable. The Muni explains that She remains covered in the body by the bondage of nāḍīs and by ego-sense; therefore, the path of tapas becomes twofold — one path removes the nāḍī-bondage, and the other removes the bondage of false individuality.
The Stabaka then reveals many methods through which the Mother awakens: when the mind rests in its source, when speech returns to its origin, when sight withdraws from external objects into its subtle light, when hearing turns toward inner sound, and when the movement of prāṇa is observed with discipline. In each case, Śacī awakens in the sādhaka and performs Her divine play.
The verses also make a subtle distinction between action arising from the ordinary mind and action arising from the Self. When the ego is rooted in the mind, the mind becomes the doer and its action remains limited. But when the “I” is rooted in the Self, the Self becomes the doer; such action becomes worthy, powerful, and divine.
The yogic imagery is highly significant. The head is linked with the moon, the heart with the sun, the eyes with lightning, and the kuṇḍa with fire. The Mother may be meditated upon in the head, eyes, heart, or fire-centre, and the one who does so becomes blessed and worthy of reverence. The Stabaka also praises mantra-japa and says that the wise devotee who repeats Her mantra becomes a vessel of Her compassion and receives all noble fulfilment.
The hymn concludes with a heartfelt prayer: Bhārata is described as cut, broken, weakened, and distressed by want of food. The poet asks Indra’s beloved to make him strong enough to protect Her.
Highlights:
• Prayer for Śacī’s white radiance to remove delusion
• Protection of suffering Bhāratakṣoṇī
• Teaching on dormant and awakened Śakti
• Even sleeping Śakti enables thought, speech, sight, hearing, and life
• Twofold tapas: removing nāḍī-bondage and ego-bondage
• Awakening through mind, speech, sight, inner sound, and prāṇa
• Difference between mind-based action and Self-based action
• Yogic centres: moon in head, sun in heart, lightning in eyes, fire in kuṇḍa
• Mantra-japa as a means to receive the Mother’s compassion
• Prayer to empower the poet for the protection of Bhārata
॥ caturtho mātrāsamaka stabakaḥ ॥
śuklajyotiḥ prakarairvyāptaḥ
sūkṣmoऽpyantān haritāṃ hāsaḥ ।
jiṣṇoḥ patnyāstimirārātir
niḥśeṣamme haratānmoham ।। 376 ।।
śṛṇvatkarṇā sadayālokā
lokendrasya priyanārī sā ।
nityākrośairvirudadvāṇīṃ
pāyādetāṃ bharatakṣoṇīm ।। 377 ।।
deveṣu svaḥ paridīpyantī
bhūteṣvindau parikhelantī ।
śaktirjiṣṇordvipadāṃ saṅghe
hantaitasyāṃ bhuvi nidrāti ।। 378 ।।
nidrāṇāyā api te jyotir
gandhādete dharaṇīloke ।
martyāḥ kiñcatprabhavantīśe
tvaṃ buddhā cetkimu vaktavyam ।। 379 ।।
meghacchannoऽpyaruṇastejo
dadyādeva pramade jiṣṇoḥ ।
atrasthānāṃ bhavatīgranthi
cchannāpyevaṃ kurute prajñām ।। 380 ।।
dhyāyāmo yatkathayāmo
yatpaśyāmo yacchṛṇumo yacca ।
jīvāmo vā tadidaṃ sarvaṃ
nidrāṇāyā api te bhāsā ।। 381 ।।
nāḍībandhādabhimānācca
cchannā mātarbhavatī dehe ।
ekāpāyāditaro naśyet
tasmād dvedhā tapasaḥ panthāḥ ।। 382 ।।
cittaṃ yasya svajanisthāne
prajñā bāhyā na bhavedyasya ।
ādhatse tvaṃ bhuvanādhīśe
buddhā krīḍāṃ hṛdaye tasya ।। 383 ।।
vāṇī yasya svajanisthāne
dūre kṛtvā manasā saṅgam ।
mātastatra pratibuddhā tvaṃ
ślokairlokaṃ kuruṣe buddham ।। 384 ।।
hitvā dṛśyānyatisūkṣmāyāṃ
cakṣuryasya svamaho vṛttau ।
viśvāऽliptā jagatāṃ mātar
jāgratyasminnacalā bhāsi ।। 385 ।।
śṛṇvan karṇo dayite jiṣṇor
antaḥ śabdaṃ dhriyate yasya ।
buddhā bhūtvā viyatā sādhor
ekībhāvaṃ kuruṣe tasya ।। 386 ।।
yātāyātaṃ satataṃ paśyed
yaḥ prāṇasya prayato martyaḥ ।
viśvasyeṣṭāṃ tanuṣe krīḍāṃ
tasmin buddhā taruṇīndrasya ।। 387 ।।
svāntaṃ yasya prabhavetkārye
ṣvambaitasminnayi nidrāsi ।
ātmā yasya prabhavetkārye
ṣvambaitasminnayi jāgarṣi ।। 388 ।।
yasyāऽhantā bhavati svānte
tasya svāntaṃ prabhavetkartum ।
yasyāऽhantā bhavati svātman
yātmā tasya prabhavetkartum ।। 389 ।।
svāntaṃ yasya prabhavetkartuṃ
tatkarmālpaṃ bhavati vyaṣṭeḥ ।
ātmā yasya prabhavetkartuṃ
tacchlāghyam te balajitkānte ।। 390 ।।
etatsvāntaṃ hṛdayājjātaṃ
śīrṣe vāsaṃ pṛthagādhāya ।
hārdāhantāṃ svayamākramya
bhrāntānasmān kurute mātaḥ ।। 391 ।।
asmākaṃ bhoḥ kurute bādhā
masmajyotirjanani prāpya ।
svānte naitatkṛtamanyāyyaṃ
kānte jiṣṇoḥ śṛṇu rājñi tvam ।। 392 ।।
svānte tejo hṛdayādāyā
ccandre tejo dinabharturvā ।
āśrāntaṃ yo manute dhīra
stasya svāntaṃ hṛdi līnaṃ syāt ।। 393 ।।
mūlānveṣisphuradāvṛttaṃ
nīcairāyātkabalīkṛtya ।
jānantyekā hṛdayasthāne
yuñjānānāṃ jvalasīśāne ।। 394 ।।
śīrṣe candro hṛdaye bhānur
netre vidyutkulakuṇḍe’gniḥ ।
sampadyante mahasoṃśaiste
jiṣṇoḥ kānte sutarāṃ śaste ।। 395 ।।
manvānāṃ tvāṃ śirasi sthāne
paśyantīṃ vā nayanasthāne ।
cetantīṃ vā hṛdayasthāne
rājantīṃ vā jvalanasthāne ।। 396 ।।
yo nā dhyāyejjagatāṃ mātaḥ
kaścicchreyānavanau nāऽtaḥ ।
pūtaṃ vandyaṃ caraṇaṃ tasya
śreṣṭhaṃ varṇyam caritaṃ tasya ।। 397 ।।
dogdhrīṃ māyāṃ rasanāṃ vā yo
mantraṃ mātarjapati prājñaḥ ।
soऽyaṃ pātraṃ karuṇāyāste
sarvaṃ kāmyaṃ labhate haste ।। 398 ।।
chinnāṃ bhinnāṃ sutarāṃ sannā
mannābhāvādabhitaḥ khinnām ।
etāṃ pātuṃ bharatakṣoṇīṃ
jāye jiṣṇoḥ kuru māṃ śaktam ।। 399 । ।
kluptaiḥ samyagbṛhatīchanda
syetairmātrāsamakairvṛttaiḥ ।
karṇādhvānaṃ praviśadbhissā paulomyambāparitṛptāstu ।। 400 ।।
॥ iti śrībhagavanmaharṣiramaṇāntevāsino vāsiṣṭhasya narasiṃhasūnoḥ gaṇapateḥ kṛtā indrāṇī saptaśatī caturthaṃ bārhataṃ śatakaṃ samāptam ॥
॥ indro viśvasya rājati ॥