kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrī gaṇapati muni viracitam umāsahasram
Uma Sahasram
trayodaśaḥ stabakaḥ - upajātivṛttam
The thirteenth Stabaka, entitled **Kaṭākṣaḥ — “The Gracious Side-glance of the Goddess”**, is devoted entirely to the transforming power of Umā’s glance. Muni describes it as compassionate, cooling, purifying, protective, empowering and even irresistible. A mere trace of Her *kaṭākṣa* can remove ignorance, calm suffering, inspire eloquence and poetry, bestow courage, prosperity and fame, and protect the devotee from adversity. The title is therefore fully justified, because the entire Stabaka explores the **many spiritual, psychological and worldly effects of the Divine Mother’s gracious glance**.
One of the most striking features of these verses is the way Muni portrays the Goddess’s glance through vivid and often playful paradoxes. It is cool, yet can kindle the fire of love in Śiva; gentle toward the distressed, yet fierce toward hostile forces; impartial enough to fall even upon the lowly, yet capable of raising them to greatness. At times it is compared to a serpent, a rain-cloud, a medicine, a river of compassion, and even a mysterious power that overturns ordinary rules. Through these images Muni reveals *kaṭākṣa* as **anugraha itself — divine grace operating according to the needs of each being**, nourishing the worthy, correcting the hostile, and awakening hidden capacities.
This Stabaka also shows Muni’s exceptional command of **upamā, rūpaka, paradox, śleṣa-like wordplay and devotional humour**. He moves easily from serious philosophical implications to ingenious literary play, while maintaining the emotional unity of the theme. The **Upajāti metre** gives the verses both dignity and flexibility, allowing praise, prayer and poetic wit to coexist naturally. The result is a powerful meditation on grace: for Muni, the Mother’s *kaṭākṣa* is not merely an expression of beauty, but a **living divine force that purifies, protects, empowers and fulfils**.
caturthaṃ śatakam
trayodaśaḥ stabakaḥ - upajātivṛttam
kaṭākṣaḥ
bhavāmbudhiṃ tārayatādbhavantaṃ hāso'dbhutaḥ kuñjaravaktramātuḥ ।
yo hanti bimbādharalaṅghane'pi vyaktālasatvo haritāṃ tamāṃsi ॥ 301 ॥
saktaḥ sadā candrakalākalāpe sarveṣu bhūteṣu dayāṃ dadhānaḥ ।
gaurīkaṭākṣo ramaṇo munirvā madīyamajñānamapākarotu ॥ 302 ॥
kṛpāvaloko nagakanyakāyāḥ karotu me nirmalamantaraṅgam ।
yenāṅkitaḥ śaṅkara ekatattvaṃ viśvaṃ luloke jagate jagau ca ॥ 303 ॥
kālīkaṭākṣo vacanāni mahyaṃ dadātu mocāmadamocanāni ।
yatpātapūtaṃ raghuvaṃśakāraṃ narākṛtiṃ prāhurajasya nārīm ॥ 304 ॥
yuṣmākamagryāṃ vitanotu vāṇīmeṇīdṛgeṣā giriśasya yoṣā ।
yasyāḥ kaṭākṣasya visāri vīryaṃ girāmayaṃ me vividho vilāsaḥ ॥ 305 ॥
nagātmajāyāḥ karuṇormiśālī dṛgantasntānadhunīpravāhaḥ ।
bhīṣmeṇa taptānbhavanāmakena grīṣmeṇa yuṣmāñchiśirīkarotu ॥ 306 ॥
ajasramārdrā dayayā'ntaraṅge yathā bhavo nimnagayottamāṅge ।
santāpaśāntiṃ bhavasundarī me karotu śītena vilokitena ॥ 307 ॥
puṇyā sadā'pīśvara eva saktā pativratāsāmyamitā tavekṣā ।
kulācalādhīśvarakanyake me saṃhāramaṃhovitatervidhattām ॥ 308 ॥
śarvasya rāme niyamena hīnā śyāmā tavekṣā gaṇikāṅganeva ।
nīce'pi martye nipatatyanarghā bibharti nā ṣoḍaśa yaḥ suvarṇān ॥ 309 ॥
padmāyatākṣi kṣitidhārikanye kaṭākṣanāmā tava kālasarpaḥ ।
yaṃ sandaśatyeṣa jagatsamastaṃ vismṛtya cāho na dadhāti moham ॥ 310 ॥
īśadviṣā śailamahendrakanye karoti maitrīṃ viṣamāyudhena ।
prabhāṣate pātakinaśca pakṣe kutaḥ kaṭākṣo na tavāmba mugdhaḥ ॥ 311 ॥
kṛpānvitaḥ karṇasamīpacārī śrīmānsadā puṇyajanānukūlaḥ ।
sāmyaṃ kurūṇāmadhipasya śambhoḥ prāṇapriye te bhajate kaṭākṣaḥ ॥ 312 ॥
karṇāntikastho'pi na dharmavairī kṛṣṇo'pi mātarnakulaṃ na pāti ।
śīto'pi sandīpayati smarāgniṃ harasya te śailasute kaṭākṣaḥ ॥ 313 ॥
ayaṃ kaṭākṣastava toyavāhaḥ kāruṇyakāle parijṛmbhamāṇaḥ ।
gṛheṣu līnān sukhino vihāya nirāśrayān siñcati viśvamātaḥ ॥ 314 ॥
kasyāpi vācā vapuṣā balena samasya sarvairapi yannideśāḥ ।
ambhodhivelāsvapi na skhalanti śambhoḥ priye'yaṃ tava dṛkprasādaḥ ॥ 315 ॥
dvāreṣu teṣāṃ vicaranti śūrāḥ saudheṣu sāraṅgadṛśastaruṇyaḥ ।
pragalbhavācaḥ kavayaḥ sabhāsu śarvāṇi te yeṣu kṛpākaṭākṣaḥ ॥ 316 ॥
yatrāmba te ko'pi kaṭākṣaleśaḥ sa durjayaḥ saṅgarasīmni śūraḥ ।
pūrvaṃ divaṃ pūrayati dviṣadbhistato yaśobhirbhuvamindugauraiḥ ॥ 317 ॥
yaṃ tārakākāntakalāpakānte na lokase ko'pi na lokate tam ।
yaṃ lokase tena vilokito'pi śriyaṃ samṛddhāṃ samupaiti lokaḥ ॥ 318 ॥
sudhāṃ hasantī madhu cākṣipantī yaśo harantī vanitādharasya ।
pariṣkarotyasya kavitvadhārā mukhaṃ harapreyasi lokase yam ॥ 319 ॥
sarvendriyānandakarī purandhrī vidyā'navadyā vipulā ca lakṣmīḥ ।
iyaṃ triratnī puruṣasya yasya durge tvayā dṛṣṭamimaṃ tu vidmaḥ ॥ 320 ॥
mudhā kṣipasyadrisute kaṭākṣān kailāsakāntāramahīruheṣu ।
itaḥ kireṣattava nāsti hāniḥ siddhyatyabhīṣṭaṃ ca samastamasya ॥ 321 ॥
śītācalādhīśakumāri śītaḥ saṃrakṣaṇe saṃśritamānavānām ।
durdharṣaduṣṭāsuramardaneṣu nitāntamuṣṇaśca tavāvalokaḥ ॥ 322 ॥
ruṣā sametaṃ vidadhāti nāśaṃ karoti poṣaṃ kṛpayā sanātham ।
ambauṣadhasyeva tavekṣitasya yogasya bhedena guṇasya bhedaḥ ॥ 323 ॥
nāśāya tulyoddhatakāmalobhakrodhatridoṣasya bhavāmayasya ।
śivapriye vīkṣitabheṣajaṃ te krīṇāni bhaktyā vada bhoḥ kiyatyā ॥ 324 ॥
abhiṣṭutāṃ cāraṇasiddhasaṅgaistriṣṭubviśeṣā api martyasūnoḥ ।
kṛpākaṭākṣairvinatānpunānāṃ kapardinaḥ sammadayantu kāntām ॥ 325 ॥