Chatuh Shloki

Chatuh Shloki
Painting of Lakshmi (centre right) and her consort Vishnu (centre left), venerated in this work. Ravi Varma Press
Information
Religion	Hinduism
Author	Yamunacharya
Language	Sanskrit
Verses	4

The Chatuh Shloki (Sanskrit: चतुःश्लोकी, romanized: Catuḥślokī) is a Sanskrit hymn by the Hindu philosopher Yamunacharya of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. Consisting of four verses, the Chatuh Shloki extols the various attributes of Lakshmi, the consort of the deity Vishnu.

Etymology

The word chatuh shloki is a Sanskrit compound formed from chatuh (चतुः, 'four') and shloka (श्लोक, 'verse'), yielding the compound chatuh shloka (चतुःश्लोक, 'four verses'). The possessive suffix '-in' (इन्) is then added to form the adjectival stem chatuh shlokin (चतुःश्लोकिन्), meaning possessing four verses or consisting of four verses. This stem is declined in the masculine gender to agree with an implied masculine noun such as grantha (ग्रन्थ, 'text'), resulting in the nominative singular form chatuh shloki (चतुःश्लोकी) - which literally means "that (Grantha) which consists of four verses". With the help of a grammatical rule called "वा शरि"(vā śari) , this can also be called chatushshloki (चतुश्श्लोकी).

Thus, both Chatuhshloki (with visarga - ः) and Chatushshloki (with sandhi transformation - श्श) are grammatically valid forms of the same word.

Description

The four stanzas of the work describe the various attributes of the goddess Lakshmi, her greatness and mercy, the grace she offers to her devotees, and her inseparability in form from her consort Vishnu (Lakshmi Narayana) respectively. Lakshmi is represented as an intermediary between a devotee and Vishnu; she is described to present a devotee's piety to her consort, offering her consort's grace to the devotee in turn. The work is regarded to be a pioneer in offering descriptions of the personality of the goddess and her relationship with a devotee and her consort in Vaishnava philosophy.

Hymn

Each stanza of the Chatuhshloki progressively unveils the attributes of Lakshmi and her supreme position among all beings.

Verse	Sanskrit Text (Devanagari)	Transliteration	English Translation
1	कान्तस्ते पुरुषोत्तमः फणिपतिः शय्यासनं वाहनं वेदात्मा विहगेश्वरो यवनिका माया जगन्मोहिनी । ब्रह्मेशादि सुरव्रजः सदयितस्त्वद्दासदासीगणः श्रीरित्येव च नाम ते भगवति ब्रूमः कथं त्वां वयम् ॥ १ ॥	kāntaste puruṣottamaḥ phaṇipatiḥ śayyāsanaṃ vāhanaṃ vedātmā vihageśvaro yavanikā māyā jaganmohinī । brahmeśādi suravrajaḥ sadayitastvaddāsadāsīgaṇaḥ śrīrityeva ca nāma te bhagavati brūmaḥ kathaṃ tvāṃ vayam ॥ 1 ॥	O Goddess Sri, perfect in all six divine qualities! Your beloved Lord is the celebrated Supreme Being, Purushottama. The great serpent king, Adisesha, serves as Your divine couch, while Garuda, whose very form embodies the Vedas, is Your seat and vehicle. The enchanting primal energy of the universe, Maya, acts as Your protecting veil, and Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, all the celestial beings, and their consorts form the assembly of Your devoted attendants. Your sacred name itself is Sri. When You are defined by such infinite glory, how can we, people of limited understanding, ever presume to adequately praise You?
2	यस्यास्ते महिमानमात्मन इव त्वद्वल्लभोऽपि प्रभुः नालं मातुमियत्यापि निरवधिं नित्यानुकूलं स्वतः । तां त्वां दास इति प्रपन्न इति च स्तोष्याम्यहं निर्भयः लोकैकेश्वरि ! लोकनाथदयिते ! दान्ते ! दयां ते विदन् ॥ २ ॥	yasyāste mahimānam ātmana iva tvad-vallabho'pi prabhuḥ nālaṃ mātum iyatyāpi niravadhiṃ nityānukūlaṃ svataḥ । tāṃ tvāṃ dāsa iti prapanna iti ca stoṣyāmyahaṃ nirbhayaḥ lokaikeśvari! lokanāthadayite! dānte! dayāṃ te vidan ॥ 2 ॥	O undisputed Empress of the Universe! O dearest consort of the Lord, who is the Supreme Ruler of all! O most merciful one, the very embodiment of compassion! Your glory is limitless, natural, and always supportive in every aspect of Your Lord's activities. Even Your Lord is unable to fully comprehend Your auspicious qualities, just as He Himself cannot fully grasp the extent of His own infinite greatness. Knowing this, I approach You without fear, as Your devoted servant, to offer my praise.
3	ईषत्त्वत्करुणानिरीक्षणसुधासन्धुक्षणाद्रक्ष्यते नष्टं प्राक्तदलाभतस्त्रिभुवनं सम्प्रत्यनन्तोदयम् । श्रेयो न ह्यरविन्दलोचनमनःकान्ताप्रसादादृते संसृत्यक्षरवैष्णवाध्वसु नृणां सम्भाव्यते कर्हिचित् ॥ ३॥	īṣat-tvat-karuṇā-nirīkṣaṇa-sudhā-sandhukṣaṇād rakṣyate naṣṭaṃ prāg-alābhatas tribhuvanaṃ sampraty anantodayam । śreyo na hy aravinda-locana-manaḥ-kāntā-prasādād ṛte saṃsṛty-akṣara-vaiṣṇavādhvasu nṛṇāṃ sambhāvyate karhicit ॥ 3 ॥	When all the three worlds and their beings are deprived of the compassionate glance of the Lord's divine consort, they decay and suffer every kind of misfortune. But when Her nectarine glances fall upon them, even for a moment, they are protected by that rain of compassion and attain limitless prosperity. What was once withering away is instantly restored to fullness and abundance. Without the grace of the beloved consort of the Lord, no being can attain true wealth, liberation, or the supreme abode.
4	शान्तानन्तमहाविभूतिपरमं यद् ब्रह्मरूपं हरेः मूर्तं ब्रह्म ततोऽपि तत्प्रियतरं रूपं यदत्यद्भुतम् । यान्यन्यानि यथासुखं विहरतो रूपाणि सर्वाणि तानि आहुः स्वैरनुरूपरूपविभवैर्गाढोपगूढानि ते ॥ ४॥	śāntānanta mahāvibhūte paramaṃ yad brahma-rūpaṃ hareḥ mūrtaṃ brahma tato'pi tat-priyataraṃ rūpaṃ yad aty-adbhutam । yāny anyāni yathā-sukhaṃ viharato rūpāṇi sarvāṇi tāni āhuḥ svair anurūpa-rūpa-vibhavair gāḍhopagūḍhāni te ॥ 4 ॥	Free from the six limitations, the nature of Hari is bliss, incomparable glory, supreme and known as Brahman. Yet even more beloved is His marvelous visible form, also called Brahman, which brings Him great delight. This form lovingly embraces every form Hari assumes in creation, protection and dissolution, matching each with perfect beauty. O Sri Devi, the form that corresponds to Hari in all His manifestations is indeed Your own auspicious form.

See also

• Stotra Ratna
• Eka shloki
• Sri Stuti
• Ashtalakshmi Stotra