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Arthur Avalon
Hymns to the Goddess
Annapūrṇa1 (Annapūrṇāstotra)
From the Tantrasāra2
1
SALUTATION to thee, O Devī!
Dispenser of blessings, beloved of Śankara,3
Dear to devotees,
Annapūrṇè.
2
Thou hast assumed form by māyā4
Beloved of Śankara.
Salutation to Maheśvarī,5
O Annapūrṇé! obeisance to Thee.6
3
O Mahāmāyā!7 beloved Spouse8 of Hara,9
Giver of the fruit of desire,
Queen of Suras.10
O Annapūrṇé! obeisance to Thee.
4
O Mahādevī with the lustre of a thousand rising suns,
Three eyed,
Crested with the crescent moon.11
5
O Devī! clad in fine garment,
Ever giving rice,12 Sinless One,
Who delights in the dance of Śiva.
Crested with the crescent moon.13
O Annapūrṇé! obeisance to Thee.
6
O Devī! fulfiller of the desires of devotees,14
Destructress of worldly pain,
Bending under the weight of Thy breasts.15
O Annapūrṇé! obeisance to Thee.
7
Thou residest in the centre of the six-petalled lotus,16
And art in the form of the six-fold śakti,17
Thou art Brahmānī and all others,18
O Annapūrṇé! obeisance to Thee.
8
O Devī! adorned with crescent moon,
All empires19 are Thy gifts,
Giver of delight to Sarva20,
O Annapūrṇé! obeisance to Thee.
9
Thy lotus feet are worshipped by Indra and other Devās;
Thou assumest the form of Rudra and other Devas,
Giver of wealth.
O Annapūrṇé! obeisance to Thee.
10
Whoever21 at time of worship
Devoutly reads this hymn,
In his house Lakṣmī22 ever abides;
True is this and without doubt.
11
Whoever having recited23 the mantra daily,
Reads this hymn at dawn of day,
Obtains wealth of rice
And prosperity.
12
Not to all and any should this hymn be revealed,
For be it made known to one who is unworthy,
Then ills fall upon him,
Therefore should it be carefully concealed.
Footnotes
1. A name of the Devī as She who bestows food, whose sincere devotee will never want rice. In one hand She holds a rice-bowl, and in another a spoon for stirring the boiled rice.
2. P. 570.
3. Śivé.
4. All forms of the Devī, as also the forms of all Devatā, whether in the strict sense avatāra or not, are māyik, but to the worshipper none the less real.
5. Feminine of Maheśvara, a title of Śiva as great Lord and Ruler of the worlds.
6. Annapūrṇé namostute--the refrain.
7. The Devī as She who yields and is yet Herself unaffected by māyā.
8. Dharmaputī--that is, a wife married with religious rites. There are other forms of marriage.
9. Śiva.
10. Devas.
11. As is Śiva.
12. Annadānaratā, or food generally.
13. As is Śiva.
14. Sādhakas, those who practise sādhanam (see Introduction To Tantra Śāstra)
15. Kucabhārānate (see Introduction).
16. That is, the svādhishṭhāna padma.
17. Sharangayuvatīmaye, which equals sharangaśaktisvarūpe. The sixfold śaktis are: Hṛdayānga śakti, śirongga śakti, śikhānga śakti, netrānga śakti, avachānga śakti, and astrānga śakti which refer to the Tāntrika nyāsa, done on the heart, head, crownlock, eyes, the body, and the concluding gesture with the palms of the hands, accompanied by the astra bīja or "phat."
18. That is, Indrāṇi, Kaumāri, and other Mātrikas.
19. Sāmrājya.
20. Sarvānandakare. Sarva is one of the eight forms (aṣṭamūrti) of Śiva; or it may literally mean "giver of delight to all."
21. This is the phala (fruit or result) portion of the stotra. All devotional works contain a phala chapter or verse, which states the result or reward (phala) to be obtained by their perusal, recitation, or hearing. If any worshipper invokes Devī by any particular name, such as Armada, he obtains the corresponding fruit. So the Sūta Samhitā (iv, 33, 29, 30) says: "All names arc attributed by His own māyā to Brahman, yet some apply specially by the wish of Śiva Himself. O sages! by the repetition of such names one becomes the supreme Lord Himself and before His lotus face Śadāśiva dances with His Spouse" (see Bhāskararāya Commentary, Introduction to second Chapter of the Lalitāsahasranāma).
22. Devī of prosperity and wealth.
23. Literally, "made japa of"
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