kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrī gaṇapati muni viracitam umāsahasram
Uma Sahasram
daśamaḥ stabakaḥ - lalitāvṛttam
The tenth Stabaka, entitled **Keśādi-pādānta-varṇanam — “Description from the Hair down to the Feet”**, is a classical **śarīra-varṇana** of Umā, in which Śrī Gaṇapati Muni contemplates the Divine Mother progressively from Her hair, face, smile, eyes, nose and lips down through Her arms, hands, breasts, navel, waist, thighs and legs, finally reaching Her sacred feet. The title is therefore literal and exact: the verses form an ordered visual meditation on the Goddess from **keśa to pāda**, while at every stage Her physical beauty is elevated into an expression of divine power, compassion, wisdom and cosmic sovereignty.
Muni does not merely praise bodily beauty through conventional comparisons. He repeatedly declares ordinary analogies inadequate: the moon appears inferior before Her face, lotuses before Her eyes, and natural objects cannot truly measure Her splendour. At the same time, each limb reveals a deeper theological meaning. Her compassionate glance becomes a source of blessing; Her delicate arms bind even Śiva; Her apparently soft hands possess the strength to destroy Śumbha and other demons; Her slender waist is suggestively related to the vastness of space; and Her feet are connected with the sacred source of divine prosperity. Thus **saundarya and śakti are inseparable** throughout the Stabaka—supreme delicacy continually conceals immeasurable cosmic power.
This section particularly displays Muni’s mastery of **Śṛṅgāra-kāvya, alaṅkāra, rūpaka, utprekṣā and ingenious poetic comparison**. He draws imagery from clouds, rivers, lightning, lotuses, moonlight, elephants, flowers and celestial worlds, yet frequently overturns the comparison to establish the Goddess’s superiority. The graceful **Lalitā metre** is especially appropriate to such a theme, its movement complementing the delicacy and elegance of the description. The concluding verse consciously unites metre, subject and offering: these *Lalitā* compositions, singing the Goddess from hair to lotus-feet, are offered by the poet devoted to serving Gaurī’s feet.
daśamaḥ stabakaḥ - lalitāvṛttam
keśādipādāntavarṇanam
saṅkṣālanāya haritāṃ vibhūtaye lokatrayasya madanāya dhūrjaṭeḥ ।
kātyāyanīvadanataḥ śanaiḥ śanairniryanti śubhrahasitāni pāntu naḥ ॥ 226 ॥
svalpo'pi dikṣu kiraṇān prasārayan mando'pi bodhamamalaṃ dadhat satām ।
śubhro'pi rāgakṛdanaṅgavairiṇo hāsaḥ purāṇasudṛśaḥ punātu naḥ ॥ 227 ॥
cetoharo'pyatijugupsito bhavet sarvo'pi jīvakalayā yayā vinā ।
sā varṇyatāṃ kathamapāracārutā pīyūṣasindhurakhilendrasundarī ॥ 228 ॥
atyalpadevavanitāṃ ca pārthivairbhāvairvayaṃ tulayituṃ na śaknumaḥ ।
tāṃ kiṃ punaḥ sakaladevasundarī lokākṣipāraṇatanuprabhāmumām ॥ 229 ॥
varṣāpayodapaṭalasya sāndratā sūryātmajormicayanimnatuṅgatā ।
kālāhibhūmipatidīrghatā ca te keśeṣu bhargabhavaneśvari trayam ॥ 230 ॥
īśānasundari tavāsyamaṇḍalānnīcairnitāntamamṛtāṃśumaṇḍalam ।
ko vā na kīrtayati loṣṭapiṇḍakaṃ loke nikṛṣṭamiha mānavīmukhāt ॥ 231 ॥
bibhratyamartyabhuvanasthadīrghikā paṅkeruhāṇi vadanāya te balim ।
no cet kathaṃ bhavati saurabhaṃ mahadbhinne sumebhya urukeśi te mukhe ॥ 232 ॥
gīrvāṇalokataṭinījaleruhāṃ gandhe śubhe bhavatu te manoratiḥ ।
lokādhirājñi tava vaktrasaurabhe lokādhirājamanasastu sammadaḥ ॥ 233 ॥
ko bhāṣatāṃ tava savitri cārutāṃ yasyāḥ smitasya dhavaladyutirlavaḥ ।
yasyāḥ śarīrarucisindhuvīcayaḥ śampālatāḥ pṛthuladīptibhūmayaḥ ॥ 234 ॥
lokāmbike na vilasanti ke puro mandasmitasya tava rociṣāṃ nidheḥ ।
ye tu vyadhāyiṣata tena pṛṣṭhato hantaiṣu kā'pi timiracchaṭā bhavet ॥ 235 ॥
kiṃ vā radāvalirucirmukhasya kiṃ samphullatā varadhiyaḥ kimūrmikā ।
santoṣapādapasumaṃ nu śaṅkarapremasvarūpamuta devi te smitam ॥ 236 ॥
dikṣu prakāśapaṭalaṃ vitanvatā koṭiprabhākaravibhaktatejasā ।
netreṇa te viṣamanetravallabhe paṅkeruhaṃ ka upamāti paṇḍitaḥ ॥ 237 ॥
śrīkarṇa eṣa tava locanāñcale bhāntyā dayādayitayā prabodhitaḥ ।
etaṃ savitri mama kañcana stavaṃ śrutvā tanotu bharatāvaneḥ śriyam ॥ 238 ॥
svā nāsikā bhavati yuñjatāṃ satāṃ saṃstambhinī calatamasya cakṣuṣaḥ ।
tvannāsikā puraharasya cakṣuṣaḥ saṃstambhinī bhavati citramambike ॥ 239 ॥
bimbapravālanavapallavāditaḥ pīyūṣasārabharaṇād guṇādhikaḥ ।
gotrasya putri śivacittarañjakaḥ śreṣṭho nitāntamadharādharo'pi te ॥ 240 ॥
dorvallike janani te taṭitprabhāmandāramālyamṛdutāpahārike ।
niśśeṣabandhadamanasya dhūrjaṭerbandhāya bhadracarite babhūvatuḥ ॥ 241 ॥
hastābjayostava mṛdutvamadbhutaṃ gṛhṇāti ye sadayameva dhūrjaṭiḥ ।
atyadbhutaṃ janani dārḍhyametayoḥ śumbhādidarpavilayo yayorabhūt ॥ 242 ॥
rājantu te kucasudhāprapāyino lokasya mātar anaghāḥ sahasraśaḥ ।
eteṣu kaścana gajānanaḥ kṛtī gāyanti yaṃ sakaladāyisatkaram ॥ 243 ॥
tvannābhikūpapatitāṃ dṛśaṃ prabhor netuṃ vinirmalaguṇe punastaṭam ।
saumyatvadīyahṛdayaprasāritaḥ pāśaḥ savitri tava romarājikā ॥ 244 ॥
tvanmadhyamo gaganaloka eva cet tvaddivyavaibhavavido na vismayaḥ ।
prājñairhi sundari puratrayadviṣastvaṃ dehinī tribhuvanena gīyase ॥ 245 ॥
nābhihradādvigalitaḥ kaṭīśilābhaṅgāt punaḥ patati kiṃ dvidhākṛtaḥ ।
kāntoruyugmamiṣataḥ savitri te bhāvāripūra ibhaśuṇḍayoḥ samaḥ ॥ 246 ॥
jaṅghāyugaṃ tava maheśanāyike lāvaṇyanirjhari jagadvidhāyike ।
antaḥparisphuradaguptasuprabhābāṇāḍhyatūṇayugalaṃ ratīśituḥ ॥ 247 ॥
puṣpāstraśāsananiśāntarājñi te lokatrayasthakhalakampanaṃ balam ।
śroṇībhareṇa gamane kila śramaṃ prāpnoṣi kena tava tattvamucyatām ॥ 248 ॥
yatraiva nityavihṛterabhūdramā rājīvamandiracarīti nāmataḥ ।
tanme sadā bhaṇatu maṅgalaṃ śivā pādāmbusambhavamameyavaibhavam ॥ 249 ॥
keśādipādakamalāntagāyinīḥ kantu praśāsananiśāntanāyikā ।
aṅgīkarotu lalitā imāḥ kṛtīrgaurī kaveścaraṇakañjasevinaḥ ॥ 250 ॥