My first post offered obeisance to Ganesha. I now invoke my Ishta, my favorite divine: Sri Devi, a personification of Divine Energy. To honor Sri Devi, I’ll share the meaning of my favorite song, Sri Chakra-Raja, which is said to have been composed by Sage Agastya.
The Legend
The story of Sri Devi’s Sadhana is documented in the Lalitōpākhyānam, which is believed to be a part of the Brahmanda Purana.
This legend shows Lord Vishnu appeared in his Hayagriva form before Sage Agastya. After blessing the sage, the Lord sent him to an acclaimed sage, who was also nicknamed Hayagriva. (Hayagriva: This term means someone with a long neck like a horse.)
From Sage Hayagriva, Agastya received Sri Devi’s Sadhana. The austerities he received included the esteemed Sri Lalitā Sahasranāmam and Sri Lalitā Triśatī. After an extended period of penance, Sage Agastya became one of the greatest Sri Vidya Upasaka of all time.
(Note: Mantras addressed to female deities are called Vidya. The Mantras of Sri Devi are known as Sri Vidya. The followers of this tradition are called Sri Vidya Upasaka or practitioners.)
The Song’s Intro
Sri Chakra-Raja was composed by Sage Agastya as an offering to Sri Devi. This popular Carnatic classical song beautifully showcases the sage’s humility, devotion, and talents.
This song is a Ragamaalika. That is, it combines multiple raga-s effortlessly. Such a composition typically requires an in-depth knowledge of the Indian classical music system, which the sage had.
I honor Sage Agastya through this blog by presenting the lyrics and translation of the Sri Chakra-Raja song. At this time, I express gratitude to his equally eminent wife, Devi Lopamudra, an acclaimed Sri Vidya practitioner.
The lyrics below are from the most popular and widely accepted Carnatic music textbook, Ganamruta Kirtanamala II, by AS Pancapakesha Iyer. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
The Song
Lyrics: Sage Agastya
Language: Sanskrit and Tamil
Mode/rāga: rāgamālikā
Rhythm/tāla: ādi (8-beats)
Opening Para (Pallavi)
śrī cakra rāja siṃhāsaneśvarī
śrī lalitā ambhikai bhuvaneśvarī
Seated in the Sri Chakra-Raja chariot
And on a lion (or a lion-like throne),
The Divine Mother Sri Lalita,
You are the queen of this existence.
āghama vedha kalāmaya rūpiṇī
akila carācara janani nārāyaṇi
You are the personification of
Agamas (scriptures), Vedas, and arts.
You are Narayani, the mother of
All movables and immovable.
nāga kaṅkaṇa naṭarāja manohari
jñāna vidhyeśvarī rāja rājeśvarī
You are the charmer of Nataraja, the King of Dance,
Who is ornamented by a serpent.
You are the queen of Divine wisdom
And the sovereign of monarchs.
Stanzas (Charanam) #1
palavidamāy unnai pāḍhavum āḍhavum
pāḍhik koṇḍhāḍhum anbar pada malar sūḍavum
To sing and dance to you in various ways,
To wear as a flower (on my head),
The feet of those who sing and dance (to you),
ulagham muḻudhum unnai takumurai kāṇavum
orunilai taruvāy kāncikāmeśvarī (śrī cakra)
(Note: ḻ — The letter ழ is unique to Tamil and has no IAST equivalent. Hence, its ISO 15919 representation ḻ is used. You can look up the IPA symbol (ɻ) to learn the pronunciation of this voiced retroflex approximant.)
To see you, who’s all over this world,
In a proper (clear) way,
Kameshvari, the queen of love,
situated at Kanchipuram,
Please give me the one-pointed state (ekāgratā).
Stanzas (Charanam) #2
uḻanḍru tirindha ennai uttamanākivaittāy
uyariya periyorruḍhan onḍriḍhak kūṭṭivaitāy
I was loitering,
You turned me into a good person.
You placed me in the company of
Highly eminent (noble) people.
ni ḻalena toḍarndha mun ū ḻ koḍumaiyai nīṅgha seydāy
nitya kalyāṇi bhavāni padmeśvarī (śrī cakra)
You removed my torturous erstwhile fate
That followed me like a shadow.
You are Nithya Kalyani, the eternally auspicious,
Bhavani, the origin, and
Padmeshvari, the queen of/on a lotus.
Stanzas (Charanam) #3
tunba puḍattilliṭṭu tūyavanākki vaittāy
toḍharndha mun māyam nīkki
piranda payanait tandāy
You purified me by putting me
Through melting furnace-like sorrows.
You removed the persistent illusion
And gave me the purpose of my birth.
anbai perukki undhan āḍhalai kāṇa seydāy
aḍhaikkalam nīye ammā akhilāṇḍheśvarī (śrī cakra)
You increased the feeling of love within me
And made me see your dance ( Leela).
Akhilandesvari, ruler of this universe,
You are my refuge, Mother.
Through this post, I invoke Sri Devi, a personification of Divine Energy, revered as Divine Mother. I also seek the blessings of Sage Agastya, Devi Lopamudra, and all Sri Vidya Upasaka or practitioners.
Sri Matre Namaha!
Love,
Sri Devi Om
