kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrī gaṇapati muni viracitam umāsahasram
Uma Sahasram
aṣṭādaśaḥ stabakaḥ - praharṣiṇīvṛttam
The eighteenth Stabaka, entitled **Rūpa-viśeṣāḥ Kuṇḍalinī-samullāsaśca — “The Special Forms of the Goddess and the Exuberant Manifestation of Kuṇḍalinī”**, has two clearly interwoven themes. In the first part, Śrī Gaṇapati Muni describes how the one Goddess assumes different forms according to the disposition and meditation of the devotee—dark and terrible, radiant like the rising sun, moon-white and book-bearing, or of indescribable beauty capable of enchanting even Śiva. He then playfully questions the nature of Her ornaments, garments and celestial adornments, suggesting that all such forms ultimately arise from **Her own saṅkalpa**. Thus the first half of the title is justified through a rich exploration of the many possible manifestations of the Divine Mother.
The second half turns inward to the **samullāsa, the full blossoming and joyous activity, of Kuṇḍalinī**. Muni develops an extraordinary yogic metaphor: Kuṇḍalinī becomes the celestial wish-fulfilling Cow, the Sahasrāra its full udder, the Mūlādhāra fire its calf, and the inner Self seated in the heart the milker. The descending nectar is described variously as Soma, amṛta from the milk-ocean, vapour from the Kaula-kunda, or the milk flowing from the divine Cow. He then locates Her in distinct forms throughout the subtle body—as fire at the root, intoxicating heat along the spinal path, lightning at the brow, and ever-flowing nectar in the thousand-petalled lotus. The Stabaka therefore becomes a vivid account of **Kuṇḍalinī awakening, ascent, descent and the blissful nourishment of the inner being**.
Muni’s skill here lies in combining **Tantric iconography, yogic anatomy, symbolic exegesis, theological speculation and highly imaginative poetry**. He is equally at ease discussing terrifying and benign forms of the Goddess, questioning the metaphysics of divine ornamentation, and then transforming the imagery of the *kāmadhenu* into a precise description of yogic nectar. The energetic **Praharṣiṇī metre** is especially fitting to a Stabaka centred on *samullāsa*—joyous expansion and spiritual exhilaration. The final verse appropriately praises this garland of *Praharṣiṇī* verses as surpassing grapes in sweetness, nectar in greatness and the celestial Gaṅgā in depth, while celebrating the deeds of Śarvāṇī.
aṣṭādaśaḥ stabakaḥ - praharṣiṇīvṛttam
rūpaviśeṣāḥ kuṇḍalinīsamullāsaśca
dhunvantyastimiratatiṃ harittaṭīnāṃ dhinwantyaḥ puramathanasya locanāni ।
skandāmbāhasitaruco harantu mohaṃ sāndraṃ me hṛdayagataṃ prasahya sadyaḥ ॥ 426 ॥
tanvānā vinatahitaṃ virodhivargaṃ dhunvānā buddhajanamodamādadhānā ।
samrājñī tridivadharārasātalānāṃ rudrāṇī bhaṇatu śivāni matkulasyā ॥ 427 ॥
yo'mba tvāṃ hṛdi vidadhattaṭitprakāśāṃ pīyūṣadyutimadahṛnmukhāravindām ।
anyattu smṛtipathato dhunoti sarvaṃ kāmāreḥ sudati na tasya bhuvyasādhyam ॥ 428 ॥
kālābhradyutimasamānavīryasārāṃ śaktyūrmibhramakarśuklaghoradaṃṣṭrām ।
yo dhīro manasi dadhāti bhargapatni tvāmasya prabhavati saṅgareṣu śastram ॥ 429 ॥
yaḥ prājñastaruṇadivākarojjvalāṅgīṃ tanvaṅgi tripurajito vicintayettvām ।
tasyājñāṃ dadhati śirassu phullajājīmālāṃ vā dharaṇijuṣo vaśe bhavantaḥ ॥ 430 ॥
yo rākāśaśadharakāntisāraśubhrāṃ bibhrāṇāṃ karakamalena pustakaṃ tvām ।
bhūteśaṃ prabhumasakṛtprabodhayantīṃ dhyāyedvāgbhavati vaśe'sya nākadūtī ॥ 431 ॥
jānīmo bhagavati bhaktacittavṛttestulyaṃ tvaṃ sapadi dadhāsi rūpamagryam ।
praśno'yaṃ bhavati nagādhināthakanye rūpaṃ te madayati kīdṛśaṃ smarārim ॥ 432 ॥
cāru syādalamiti vaktumamba śakyaṃ rūpaṃ te na vadati ko'pi kīdṛśaṃ vā ।
sammohaṃ paramupayānti kāntibhāṇḍe kāmārerapi nayanāni yatra dṛṣṭe ॥ 433 ॥
saṅkalpaiḥ kimu tava bhūṣaṇānyabhūvañśilpīndrāḥ kimu vidadhuryathā'tra loke ।
tatsvarṇaṃ bhagavati kīdṛśaṃ maṇīnāṃ kiṃ rūpaṃ bhavati ca tatra yojitānām ॥ 434 ॥
yānyaṅgānyakhilamanojñasārabhūtānyeteṣāmapi kimu bhūṣaṇairume te ।
āhosvillalitatamāni bhānti bhūyo bhūṣābhirvikṛtatamābhirapyamūni ॥ 435 ॥
muktābhirbhavati tavāmba kinnu hāraḥ pīyūṣadyutikarasāranirmalābhiḥ ।
muṇḍairvā ghalaghalaśabdamādadhadbhiḥ saṅgharṣāt tribhuvanasārvabhaumab hāme ॥ 436 ॥
vastraṃ syādyadi tava sarvaśāstragamye kārpāsaṃ divi ca tadudbhavo'numeyaḥ ।
kṣaumaṃ cedbhagavati tasya hetubhūtāḥ kīṭāḥ syurgaganajagatyapīti vācyam ॥ 437 ॥
rudrasya priyadayite'thavā suradrubhūṣāṇāṃ maṇikanakaprakalpitānām ।
vastrāṇāmapi manase paraṃ hitānāṃ kāmaṃ te bhavati samarpakaḥ samarthaḥ ॥ 438 ॥
suskandho bahuviṭapaḥ pravālaśobhī samphullaprasavasugandhavāsitāśaḥ ।
vṛkṣaḥ kiṃ bhagavati kalpanāmako'yaṃ saṅkalpaḥ kimu tava ko'pi devi satyaḥ ॥ 439 ॥
saṅkalpānna bhavati kalpapādapo'nyaḥ svardogdhrī punaritarā na kuṇḍalinyāḥ ।
yaḥ kuryād dvayamidamudgatātmavīryaṃ kāruṇyāttava bhuvi cāsya nākabhāgyam ॥ 440 ॥
āpīnaṃ bhavati sahasrapatrakañjaṃ vatso'syāḥ paṭutaramūlakuṇḍavahniḥ ।
dogdhā'tmā daharasaroruhopaviṣṭo maunaṃ syātsurasurabhestanūṣu dohaḥ ॥ 441 ॥
dogdhryāste bhagavati dohanena labdhaṃ vatsāgniprathamanipānasadravāyāḥ ।
dugdhaṃ svādvamṛtamayaṃ pibanmamātmā santṛpto na bhavati durbharo'sya kukṣiḥ ॥ 442 ॥
vatso'gniḥ pibati dṛḍhāṅghriramba paścādaśrāntaṃ pibati duhan puro'ntarātmā ।
vṛddhiṃ ca vrajati payaḥ pratipradohaṃ dogdhryāste drava iha kuṇḍalinyapāraḥ ॥ 443 ॥
somasya dravamimamāhuramba kecid dugdhābdheramṛtarasaṃ gadanti ke'pi ।
bāṣpaṃ ke'pyabhidadhate tu kaulakuṇḍaṃ pīnodhassrava bhaṇanti dhenoḥ ॥ 444 ॥
mūle tvaṃ jvaladanalaprakāśarūpā vīṇāyāṃ prabalamahāmadoṣmarūpā ।
śīrṣābje satatagaladrasasvarūpā bhrūmadhye bhavasi lasattaṭitsvarūpā ॥ 445 ॥
hārde cedavatarasīha puṇḍarīke chāyāvatsakalamapi prapaśyasi tvam ।
ārūḍhā daśaśatapatramadriputri syāścettvaṃ bhaṇasi jagatsudhāsamudram ॥ 446 ॥
netrābhyāṃ sarasiruhacchadāyatābhyāṃ vaktreṇa pravimalahāsabhāsureṇa ।
pratyakṣā mama manasaḥ puraḥ purandhrī kāmāreḥ pariṇatamasmadīyabhāgyam ॥ 447 ॥
puṇyānāṃ pari ṇatireva bhūtabhartuḥ siddhānāṃ balanidhireva ko'pi gūḍhaḥ ।
bhaktānāṃ dṛḍhatarireva śokasindhau magnānāṃ mama jananī mahīdharaputrī ॥ 448 ॥
uddhartuṃ vinatajanaṃ viṣādagartāt saṃskartuṃ bhuvanahitāya yogayuktam ।
saṃhartuṃ khalakulamuddhataṃ ca darpād bhargasya priyataraṇī sadā sadīkṣā ॥ 449 ॥
mṛdvīkāṃ madhuratayā sudhāṃ mahimnā gāmbhīryātsurataṭinīṃ ca nirjayantī ।
śarvāṇīcaritaparā praharṣiṇīnāṃ śreṇīyaṃ jayatu gaṇeśvareṇa baddhā ॥ 450 ॥