kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrī gaṇapati muni viracitam umāsahasram
Uma Sahasram
pañcaviṃśaḥ stabakaḥ- indravajrāvṛttam
The twenty-fifth Stabaka, entitled **Kṣetramālā — “A Garland of Sacred Kṣetras”**, is a pilgrimage in verse through some of the great sacred seats of the Divine Mother. Śrī Gaṇapati Muni invokes the Goddess in places such as Kanyākumārī, Madurai, Chidambaram, Arunācala, Kanchipuram, Śrīkālahasti, Śrīśailam, Gokarṇa, Karavīra, Tulajāpur, Vārāṇasī, Vindhyācala and other holy centres, presenting each kṣetra as a distinct manifestation of one supreme Śakti. The title is therefore perfectly justified: the verses are strung together like a **mālā of tīrthas**, each sacred place becoming a flower through which the same Mother is worshipped.
The deeper idea of the Stabaka is that pilgrimage is not merely geographical. Each kṣetra is associated with a particular spiritual fruit—removal of fear, purification, fulfilment of worthy desires, detachment, knowledge, liberation or freedom from saṃsāra. Yet Muni repeatedly points beyond the outer shrine to the **one inner Goddess who is not different from Her own supreme nature**. The sacred geography of Bhārata thus becomes a map of Śakti’s manifestations, where outward darśana can lead the pilgrim toward inward transformation.
Muni’s writing reveals his wide knowledge of **Śākta sacred geography, local temple traditions, Purāṇic associations and yogic symbolism**, while retaining a deeply personal devotional tone. The **Indravajrā metre** gives the Stabaka a firm, processional movement well suited to a poetic pilgrimage. Particularly intimate is the recollection of a mountain abode of the Mother where Muni speaks of having played in the forests with his brother, bringing autobiographical memory into the sacred landscape. The concluding verse gathers the entire vision beautifully: Gaurī, who reigns in the heavens and on the snowy mountain, is asked to be equally present in the sacred kṣetras and in these very **Indravajrā verses**, making poetry itself another holy place of Her manifestation.
saptamaṃ śatakam
pañcaviṃśaḥ stabakaḥ- indravajrāvṛttam
kṣetramālā
kanyākumārī sutarāṃ vadānyā mānyā samastaiḥ prakṛterananyā ।
ākṣepakaṃ sāgarabudbudānāṃ hāsaṃ vidhattāṃ jagataḥ sukhāya ॥ 601 ॥
rakṣa svaceto madamatsarāderbhikṣasva kāle tanurakṣaṇāya ।
vīkṣasva rāmeśavadhūpadābjaṃ mokṣasvalābhe yadi te'bhilāṣaḥ ॥ 602 ॥
lokasva dūrīkṛtabhaktaśokaṃ hālāsyanāthekṣaṇapuṇyapākam ।
bhītiḥ sakhe cedbhavataḥ pavitraṃ jyotirviśeṣaṃ jalacārinetrām ॥ 603 ॥
yo lokate tāmakhilāṇḍarājñīmajñānavidhvaṃsavidhānavijñām ।
ambāṃ parāṃ jīvanaliṅgaśaktiṃ bhūyaḥ sa kāyaṃ na bhave labheta ॥ 604 ॥
bibhratsahasraṃ ca mukhāni śakto vaktuṃ guṇān kaḥ kamalālayasya ।
janmāpi yatra prabhavejjanānāṃ muktyai munīnāmapi durlabhāyai ॥ 605 ॥
vyāghrāṅghrivātāśanapūjitasya nāṭyasthalīnāyikayā śivasya ।
netrādhvabhājā śivakāmayā vo mitrāṇi kāmāḥ phalino bhavantu ॥ 606 ॥
ālokate'pītakucāmayi tvāmālolacittāmaruṇācale yaḥ ।
nirvedavān parvasudhāṃśuvaktre sarve vaśe tasya bhavanti kāmāḥ ॥ 607 ॥
yaḥ kuṇḍalīpaṭṭaṇarājadhānīmālokate kāmapi kṛttamastām ।
nissāramānandakathāvihīnaṃ saṃsārametaṃ sa jahāti buddhyā ॥ 608 ॥
dṛṣṭvā vadhūmādipurīśvarasya yo locanārocakamādhunoti ।
tasyāntaraṅgaṃ dhutasarvasaṅgaṃ bhūyo bhavārocakamāvṛṇoti ॥ 609 ॥
kāñcī ramaṇyāḥ kurutāṃ gṛhasthe kvāṇairmudaṃ kāmapi kiṅkiṇīnām ।
kāñcī bhuvaḥ puṇyapurī yatīndra tvāmambikānāmaravairdhinotu ॥ 610 ॥
śrīkālahastisthaladarśanasya kailāsavīkṣāṃ punaruktimāhuḥ ।
jñānaṃ pradātuṃ caraṇāśritebhyo jñānāmbikā yatra nibaddhadīkṣā ॥ 611 ॥
śrīśailaśṛṅgasya vilokanena saṅgena hīno bhavitā manuṣyaḥ ।
dhāmāsti yatra bhramarālakāyāḥ śāntabhramaṃ tadbhramarāmbikāyāḥ ॥ 612 ॥
tīre vipaścidvara paścimābdhergokarṇagāṃ lokaya bhadrakarṇīm ।
buddhiṃ śivāṃ sarvamanorathānāṃ siddhiṃ ca yadyasti mano'dhigantum ॥ 613 ॥
dhāmni prasiddhe karavīranāmni puṇyābhidhānāṃ kṛtasannidhānām ।
devīṃ parāṃ paśyati yo virakto mukteḥ sa pāṇigrahaṇāya śaktaḥ ॥ 614 ॥
jñāne dṛḍhā te yadi krāpi kāṅkṣā nānehasaṃ mitra mudhā kṣipemam ।
sevasva devīṃ tulajāpurasthāṃ naiva svarūpāditarā kileyam ॥ 615 ॥
gopālinīveṣabhṛtaṃ bhajasva līlāsakhīṃ tāṃ bhuvaneśvarasya ।
iṣṭaṃ hṛdisthaṃ tava hastagaṃ syāt kaṣṭaṃ ca saṃsārabhavaṃ na bhūyaḥ ॥ 616 ॥
ārādhyate vaitaraṇītaṭasthā yeneyamambā virajo'bhidhānā ।
ārādhitaṃ tena samastamanyat sāro dharāyāmayamāryagītaḥ ॥ 617 ॥
saṅgīyamānaṃ sthalamāryabṛndairbṛndārakāṇāṃ saritastaṭe'sti ।
yaḥ kālikāṃ paśyati kālakeśīṃ tatrāsya kālādapi naiva bhītiḥ ॥ 618 ॥
nīlācalaṃ siddhasamūhasevyaṃ līlāniketaṃ pravadanti yasyāḥ ।
bhadrā parā kācana guhyamudrā kāmeśvarī sā bhuvanasya mūlam ॥ 619 ॥
māṅgalyagaurīpadadarśanasya kartā tu bhūtvā sukṛtasya bhartā ।
ācārapūtairadhigamyamagryaṃ sthānaṃ prapadyeta yato na pātaḥ ॥ 620 ॥
vārāṇasī śubhragireranūnaṃ kṣetraṃ pavitraṃ bhuvanatraye'pi ।
arthe prajānāṃ vidhṛtānnapātrā gaurī svayaṃ yatra viśālanetrā ॥ 621 ॥
bṛndārakārādhitapādapadmāṃ nandāmimāmindusamānavaktrām ।
ālokya vindhyācalavāsinīṃ nā nālocayetsaṃsṛtito bhayāni ॥ 622 ॥
ānandadehāmiha muktisaṃjñāṃ nārīṃ parīrabdhumanā manuṣyaḥ ।
dūrtī vṛṇotu pramatheśvarasya kāntāmavantīpuranāyikāṃ tām ॥ 623 ॥
yatrācalacchidrākṛtā sahāhaṃ bhrātrā muhuḥ khelitavān vaneṣu ।
taṃ siddhadevarṣinutaṃ smarāmi kailāsamāvāsagiriṃ jananyāḥ ॥ 624 ॥
pūrṇā'mbare śītakare'dhikāraṃ bibhratyagendre dhavale salīlā ।
kṣetreṣu kāśyādiṣu guptaśaktirgaurīndravajrāsu ca sannidhattām ॥ 625 ॥