A Microcosm's Prayer(Slokha) -18 Poem by Indira Renganathan

Sloka, is the most common Sanskrit meter and is a descendant of the older Vedic gayatri
The sloka, meaning 'song', although metric, is not considered poetic.
It functions more as the equivalent to Western prose with lines and meter and
is often used in narratives or epics.

The defining features of the sloka are:
stanzaic, written in any number of couplets made up of 2 hemistiches.
The hemistiches can be broken into 4 lines or padas creating quatrains,4 lines or padas
syllabic, either 2 lines of 16 syllables each or 4 hemistiches of 8 syllables each.
metric, alternate hemistiches of trochaic and iambic patterns.

The following verses are my own work, a prayer, based on the great slokha 'Lalitha Sahasranamam'
where the meaningful thousand names of Adi Para Sakthi(primordial cosmic Energy)
are narrated.These verses are not literal or exact translation of the slokha.But I referred to
the translation of the great slokha by Mr.P. R. Ramachander

(Please read the previous parts of this series before reading this)


52 Thou art Matter of any form
Thou art Matter of all beings
Thee who dwells in all art all Shapes
So art thee Kshetra swaroopa

Thee the ruler of thy domain
Thee the ruler of thy body
Thee who's so known as Kshetresi
Who protects all beings and souls

So art well known by the great name
Kshethra kshethragna palini
Who neither grows nor wanes, so's called
Kshaya vridhi vinirmuktha

Whom the body's owner worships
So art thee known by the great name
Kshetra pala samarchitha
The triumph and the triumphant

Thee who is so called Vijaya
Thy impeccable purity
Thou art called Vimala also
Prayed by all thou art so Vandya

As thou art the Mother of all
As thee love all thy devotees
So by that great name thou art called
Vandharu jana vatsala

Namaste Mother namaste
Divine Mother, unto thy feet
This tiny droplet surrenders
Rise my size within me, I watch


53 Thee who is the supreme Wisdom
Who's the Adept at arguement
Who grants wise words to Her bhaktas
So art thee called Vaag vadini

Thee who has pretty locks of hair
So art known as Vama kesi
Thee who's the fire of Energy
Who dwells amidst that Energy

Who is so known by the great name
Vahni mandala vaasini
Thee the divine Kalpa taru
The wish yielding Pagoda tree

Who is so known by the great name
Bhakthi mat kalpa lathika
Thee who frees us from ignorance
Who frees us from karmic bondage

Who is so known by the great name
Pasu pasa vimochani
To atheists and heretics
By ways of strongly punishing

Thee who teaches a good lesson
Thee who destroys them even more
So art thee known by the great name
Samhrutha sesha pashanda

Namaste Mother namaste
Divine Mother, unto thy feet
This tiny droplet surrenders
Rise my size within me, I watch


54 The Virtuous, the Impeccant
Thee who induces good conduct
Who is so known by the great name
Sadachara pravartika

Like the soothing moon to the pained
Who calms the suffering lives.So's
Thapatryagni santhaptha
samahladahna chandrika

Thee, for ever young Taruni
Adored by ascetics thou art
Tapasaradhya and for thy
Slender waist called Thanu Madhya

Oh thee, divine our sweet Mother
Thou art beautiful the bestest
Thou art our brave queen the bestest
Thou art our Wisdom the bestest

Thou art our Strength sole the bestest
The Support for mind the bestest
The Support for life the bestest
Thou art all Force the mightiest

So to thee Mother, namaste
The Power of all, namaste
The causer of all, namaste
Creatrix of all, namaste

Namaste Mother namaste
Divine Mother, unto thy feet
This tiny droplet surrenders
Rise my size within me, I watch
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Note: Translation by Mr.P.R Ramachander
Naamaas341-360

* 341 * Kshetra swaroopa - She who is personification of the Kshetra or body
* 342 * Kshetresi - She who is goddess of bodies
* 343 * Kshethra kshethragna palini - She who looks after bodies and their lord
* 344 * Kshaya vridhi nirmuktha - She who neither decreases or increases
* 345 * Kshetra pala samarchitha - She who is worshipped by those who look after bodies
* 346 * Vijaya - She who is always victorious
* 347 * Vimala - She who is clean of ignorance and illusion
* 348 * Vandhya - She who is being worshipped by every body
* 349 * Vandharu jana vatsala - She who has affection towards all those who worship her
* 350 * Vaag vadini - She who uses words with great effect in arguments
* 351 * Vama kesi - She who has beautiful hair
* 352 * Vahni mandala vaasini - She who lives in the universe of fire which is Mooladhara
* 353 * Bhakthi mat kalpa lathika - She who is the wish giving creeper Kalpaga
* 354 * Pasu pasa vimochani - She who removes shackles from the living
* 355 * Samhrutha sesha pashanda - She who destroys those people who have left their faith
* 356 * Sadachara pravarthika - She who makes things happen through good conduct
* 357 * Thapatryagni santhaptha samahladahna chandrika - She who is like the pleasure giving moon
to those who suffer from the three types of pain
* 358 * Tharuni - She who is ever young
* 359 * Thapasa aradhya - She who is being worshipped by sages
* 360 * Thanu Madhya - She who has a narrow middle (hip)