Kavyakantha Sri Ganapati Muni's
Indrani Saptasati
caturtho madhumatī stabakaḥ
This eighth Stabaka, titled Madhumatīpādaḥ, completes the Dvitīyam Auṣṇihaṃ Śatakam of Indrāṇī Saptasatī. The name Madhumatī suggests sweetness, nectar, and the honeyed flow of divine speech. In this Stabaka, Śrī Gaṇapati Muni repeatedly takes refuge in Śacī Devī, Indrāṇī, through the refrain-like feeling of “mama śacī śaraṇam” — Śacī is my refuge.
The Stabaka begins with a prayer that the smile of Hari’s beloved may spread delight in all directions and remove sin, sorrow, and the tears of suffering from Bhāratabhūmi. Indrāṇī is praised as the greatly exalted consort of the Lord of the Devas, filled with compassion, shining as the beauty of the worlds, the light of all lights, the inner lamp in the hearts of the wise, and the power that illumines the sun, moon, stars, and sky.
Śacī is then worshipped as the subtle cosmic radiance pervading the vast sky. Even the tiniest spark of Her light becomes the lamp that destroys darkness, the lightning that flashes in the cloud, the thunderbolt that destroys hostile forces, and the gentle smile that enchants the heart. Thus, Her power appears both as sweetness and strength, beauty and protection, tenderness and fierce divine force.
The middle verses offer a beautiful meditation on Her divine form. She is ever youthful, deathless, untouched by decay, the mother of heroic sons, nectar-bearing in Her lips, and worshipped at the feet by the Lord of the Devas. Her white smile, dark hair, and red feet symbolically reveal the three guṇas. Though slender in form, She contains the three worlds in Her womb and stands as the Mother of all beings.
The final verses reveal Her paradoxical nature. She is firm in mind, steady in speech, moving in Her eyes, soft in hands and words, yet hard and invincible in strength. Her arms are tender like creepers, yet She possesses immeasurable and terrible power. Though appearing delicate, none in the universe equals Her strength. She is exceedingly compassionate to the devotee who worships Her feet, but stern toward the wicked.
The Stabaka concludes with a prayer that the beloved of the Lord of the immortal realm may strengthen Gaṇapati Muni for the protection of Bhāratabhūmi, and that the ever-youthful Queen of the Devas may hear these sweet, honeyed verses.
Highlights:
• Prayer for removal of sin, sorrow, and tears from Bhāratabhūmi
• Śacī repeatedly invoked as the supreme refuge
• Praise of Her as the light of sun, moon, stars, sky, and the heart
• Vision of Her subtle radiance as lamp, lightning, thunderbolt, and smile
• Meditation on Her eternal youth, nectar, beauty, and motherhood
• Symbolism of Her white smile, dark hair, and red feet as the three guṇas
• Her paradoxical nature: soft yet powerful, gentle yet fierce
• Prayer to empower Gaṇapati Muni for the protection of Bhārata
• Completion of the second Auṣṇiha Śatakam
॥ caturtho madhumatī stabakaḥ ॥
diśi diśi prasaraddrucitamodanam ।
haratu me duritaṃ harivadhūhasitam ।। 176 ।।
haratu duḥkhabharaprasṛtamaśrujalam ।
bharatabhūsudṛśo balajito ramaṇī ।। 177 ।।
atitarāṃ mahitā surapatervanitā ।
karuṇayā kalitā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 178 ।।
tribhuvanakṣitirāḍbhuvanabhūṣaṇabhā ।
akhilabhāsakabhā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 179 ।।
satatayuktasudhīhṛdayadīpakabhā ।
nikhilapācakabhā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 180 ।।
ravivirocakabhā śaśivirājakabhā ।
bhagaṇaśobhakabhā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 181 ।।
gaganakhelakabhā sakalacālakabhā ।
abhayadāऽtiśubhā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 182 ।।
rucilavaṅgatayā yadanaghāṃśunidheḥ ।
hṛtatamobhavanaṃ bhavati dīpikayā ।। 183 ।।
sphurati cāru yataḥ kiraṇamekamitā ।
jaladasaudhatale muhuriyaṃ capalā ।। 184 ।।
bhavati yadyutitaḥ kamapi bhāgamitaḥ ।
pavirarātiharaḥ praharaṇeśapadam ।। 185 ।।
bhavati yatsuruceraṇutamāṃśamitā ।
yuvamanomadanī suvadanāsmitabhā ।। 186 ।।
vitatasūkṣmatanurmahati sā gagane ।
paramapūruṣabhā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 187 ।।
amaranāthasakhī rucinidhānamukhī ।
amṛtavarṣakadṛṅ mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 188 ।।
avidhavā satataṃ yuvatireva sadā ।
anaghavīrasutā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 189 ।।
amṛtavatyadhare suradharāpataye ।
caraṇayorbhajate mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 190 ।।
smitalaveṣu sitā śirasijeṣvasitā ।
caraṇayoraruṇā bahirapi triguṇā ।। 191 ।।
kapaṭacandramukhī prakṛtirindrasakhī ।
mṛtijarārahitā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 192 ।।
kṛśatamepyudare tribhuvanaṃ dadhatī ।
janimatāṃ jananī mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 193 ।।
sthiratarā manasi sthiratamā vacasi ।
nayanayostaralā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 194 ।।
mṛdutarā karayormṛdutamā vacasi ।
bhujabale kaṭhinā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 195 ।।
mṛdulabāhulatāऽpyamitabhīmabalā ।
asuradarpaharī mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 196 ।।
abalayāऽpi yayā na sadṛśoऽsti bale ।
jagati kaścidasau mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 197 ।।
atitarāṃ sadayā padarate manuje ।
khalajane paruṣā mama śacī śaraṇam ।। 198 ।।
gaṇapatiṃ kurutādbharatabhūmyavane ।
amarabhūmipateḥ priyatamā sabalam ।। 199 ।।
madhuraśabdatatīrmadhumatīrajarā ।
gaṇapateśśṛṇuyātsurapatestaruṇī ।। 200 ।।
॥ iti śrī bhagavanmaharṣiramaṇāntevāsino vāsiṣṭhasya narasiṃhasūnoḥ gaṇapateḥ kṛtā indrāṇī saptaśatī dvitīyaṃ auṣṇihaṃ śatakaṃ sampūrṇam ॥
॥ indro viśvasya rājati ॥