kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrī gaṇapati muni viracitam umāsahasram
Uma Sahasram
aṣṭāviṃśaḥ stabakaḥ - vasantatilakāvṛttam
The twenty-eighth Stabaka, entitled Reṇukādi-varṇanam — “Description of Reṇukā and Other Forms of the Goddess”, begins with the fierce and sacred figure of Reṇukā, mother of Paraśurāma, and then widens into a celebration of the Divine Mother in many forms. Muni revisits the dramatic episode of Reṇukā’s beheading and interprets it with characteristic boldness, distinguishing the outer narrative from its deeper spiritual significance. From there the verses expand into prayers to Ambikā, Bhadrā, Pārvatī and other manifestations, culminating in a sweeping identification of the Goddess with forms such as Sundarī, Dhūmāvatī, Bhuvaneśvarī, Kālī, Tārā, Bhairavī, Bagalāmukhī and Kamalā. The title is therefore well justified: Reṇukā is the point of departure, but the Stabaka ultimately embraces the Mother’s manifold forms and powers.
A strong personal note runs through the later verses. Muni repeatedly seeks refuge at the Mother’s feet, praying for deliverance from darkness, misfortune, sin and helplessness, not only for himself but also for his family and country. Her feet become the central symbol of protection, while Her many forms reveal that one Śakti may appear fierce, tender, golden, moon-white, dark, red, maternal or terrible according to Her function. The Stabaka thus combines mythic narrative, Śākta theology, personal surrender and universal prayer, bringing the entire Umā Sahasram back to its essential devotional centre—the Mother as the sole refuge and power of upliftment.
Muni’s writing in this stabaka displays his wide command of Purāṇic tradition, Śākta Tantra, symbolic interpretation, mantra-deity traditions and intense devotional poetry. The stately Vasantatilakā metre gives both elegance and gravity, while the verses move effortlessly from narrative analysis to theology and direct prayer. By ending with a panorama of the Goddess’s many forms and a benediction that these verses remove the sufferings of the virtuous and disturb the complacency of those attached to wrongdoing, Muni closes the seventh Śatakam with a powerful affirmation of the Mother’s boundless, many-sided and compassionate sovereignty.
aṣṭāviṃśaḥ stabakaḥ - vasantatilakāvṛttam
reṇukādivarṇanam
antarvalakṣaparidhibhramamādadhāno vaktrasya pūrṇatuhinadyutimaṇḍalasya ।
hāsaḥ karotu bhavatāṃ paramaṃ pramodaṃ śuddhāntapaṅkajadṛśaḥ pramatheśvarasya ॥ 676 ॥
sammohanāni tuhināṃśukalādharasya sañjīvanāni sarasīruhasāyakasya ।
sandīpanāni vinateṣu janeṣu śakteḥ saṃharṣaṇāni mama santu śivāsmitāni ॥ 677 ॥
pāpāni me haratu kācana kṛttaśīrṣā mātā padāmbujabhujiṣyavitīrṇaharṣā ।
yā bhaktalokavaradānavidhau vinidrā vāsaṃ kamaṇḍaludhunīpuline karoti ॥ 678 ॥
ṣaṣṭhāvatārajananāvanirekavīrā bhīmā dhunotu duritāni gaṇādhipasya ।
yā bhaktarakṣaṇavidhāvatijāgarūkā puṇye kamaṇḍaludhunīpuline cakāsti ॥ 679 ॥
chedāya ced gatarajā munirādideśa ciccheda cedbahuguṇastanayaḥ savitrīm ।
dāhyaṃ śarīramakhilaprabhurīśaśaktiḥ yadyāviveśa ca kathā paramādbhuteyam ॥ 680 ॥
putraḥ priyastava śiraḥ sahasā cakarta kṛttā ca harṣabharitā bhavatī nanarta ।
no tasya pāpamapi no tava kā'pi hāniḥ nāśo'sya hā bhujabhuvāmabhavadvipākaḥ ॥ 681 ॥
ambaiva sā surabhirarjunabhūpatiryāṃ vīryājjahāra sa ca bhārgava ājahāra ।
tasyā hateḥ paragṛhasthitireva hetuḥ gandharvadarśanakathā ripukalpitaiva ॥ 682 ॥
chinnāni no kati śarīrabhṛtāṃ śirāṃsi tatpūjyate jagati raiṇukameva śīrṣam ।
kṛttāḥ kalevaravatāṃ kati nābhayo na ceto dhinoti surabhirmṛganābhirekaḥ ॥ 683 ॥
prāṇā vasanti śirasā rahite śarīre līlāsarojati śirastu kare'sya kṛttam ।
tannighnametadakhilaṃ ca dhiyaiva dhīrāḥ paśyantu nandanagare tadidaṃ vicitram ॥ 684 ॥
prāṇeśvarī vidhipure lasataḥ purāreraṅgīkarotu śaraṇāgatimambikā me ।
labdhaṃ nipīya yaduroruhakumbhadugdhaṃ sambandhamūrtirabhavatkavicakravartī ॥ 685 ॥
aprāpya lokaracanāvanapātaneṣu yasyāstrayo'pi puruṣāḥ karuṇākaṭākṣam ।
naiveśate kimapi sā jagadekamātā bhadrā parā prakṛtirastvaghanāśinī naḥ ॥ 686 ॥
rākā prabodhaśaśino hṛdayodayasya naukā vipajjalanidhau patatāṃ janānām ।
vedadhvajasya lalitā triruciḥ patākā kācinmamāstu śaraṇaṃ śivamūlaṭīkā ॥ 687 ॥
maulau mahendrasudṛśassumanonikāyasaṃśobhite sadasi mānya ivābhijātaḥ ।
reṇuśca yaccaraṇabhūrlabhate'grapīṭhaṃ trāṇāya sā bhavatu bhūtapatervadhūrnaḥ ॥ 688 ॥
ambāvṛṇoti parito'pyayamandhakāro nātmānameva mama kiṃ tu kulaṃ ca deśam ।
śīghraṃ madīyahṛdayodayaparvatāgre śrīmānudetu tava pādamayūkhamālī ॥ 689 ॥
kaṣṭaṃ dhunotu mama parvataputrikāyāḥ pratyagrapaṅkaruhabāndhavakāntikāntam ।
ambhoruhāsanamukhāmaramauliratnajyotirviśeṣitaguṇaṃ caraṇāravindam ॥ 690 ॥
jyāśiñjitāni samare giriśaṃ jigīṣoḥ kāmasya haṃsanivahasya nimantraṇāni ।
dhunvantu me vipadamadrikumārikāyāḥ pādāravindakaṭakakvaṇitāni tāni ॥ 691 ॥
yaḥ sarvalokamathanaṃ mahiṣaṃ jigāya yasyaiva karma damanaṃ ca tadantakasya ।
nārīnarākṛtibhṛto mahasastamaṅghriṃ mañjīranādamadhuraṃ śaraṇaṃ vrajāmi ॥ 692 ॥
āpanmahograviṣarāśinimagnametaṃ dīnaṃ tvadīyacaraṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapannam ।
uddhartumamba karuṇāparipūrṇacitte vitteśamitrakulanāri tavaiva bhāraḥ ॥ 693 ॥
lokādhirājñi patitaṃ vipadandhakūpe saṃruddhadṛṣṭimabhitastimiracchaṭābhiḥ ।
mātaḥ samuddhara kṛpākalite mṛḍāni putraṃ kareṇa jagatāmabhayaṅkareṇa ॥ 694 ॥
asya tvadīyapadapaṅkajakiṅkarasya daurbhāgyapākaviphalīkṛtapauruṣasya ।
prāṇeśvari pramathalokapaterupāyaṃ vīkṣasva tāraṇavidhau nipuṇe tvameva ॥ 695 ॥
mṛtyuñjayorumaṇipīṭhataṭe niṣaṇṇe tāṭaṅkakāntibahulīkṛtagaṇḍaśobhe ।
māṇikyakaṅkaṇalasatkaravārijāte jāte kulācalapaterjahi pātakaṃ naḥ ॥ 696 ॥
kiṃ te vapurjanani taptasuvarṇagauraṃ kāmārimohini kimindukalāvalakṣam ।
pākārinīlamaṇimecakakāntyutāho bandhūkapuṣpakalikāruci vā smarāmi ॥ 697 ॥
tvaṃ sundarī nṛpatijātijitastvamambā dhūmāvatī tvamajare bhuvaneśvarī tvam ।
kālī tvamīśvari śukārbhakadhāriṇī tvaṃ tārā tvamāśritavipaddalanāsidhārā ॥ 698 ॥
tvaṃ bhairavī bhagavatī bagalāmukhī tvaṃ rāmā ca sā kamalakānanacāriṇī tvam ।
kailāsavāsinayanāmṛtabhānurekhe ko veda te janani janmavatāṃ vibhūtīḥ ॥ 699 ॥
dhunvantu sarvavipadaḥ sukṛtapriyāṇāṃ dhunvantu cākhilasukhānyaghalālasānām ।
āvarjya bhūrikaruṇaṃ purajittaruṇyāścittaṃ vasantatilakāḥ kavibharturetāḥ ॥ 700 ॥
॥ samāptaṃ ca saptamaṃ śatakam ॥