SEEKING MERCY FROM GODDESS
Oh! I don't know the Mantra, the Yantra, or the Eulogies. I don't even know how to invoke You, how to meditate on You, and even the speech behind Your eulogies. I don't know the postures [in which to say eulogies], and I don't know how to wail. [But] O Mother! I know that following You absolves the biggest distresses. 1 The offerings - which were due to the lack of knowledge of methodology, by the lack of resources, by indolence, or due to the lack of strength for submission - fallen [by me] on Your dual-feet, forgive all those mistakes, O Mother! O Shiva, Who absolves everyone! Because a son can become bad or ignorant about his duties as an offspring, but the Mother always remains a Mother. 2 O Mother! There are many sons of Yours on this earth and they are gentle. Amidst them, I am Your son, who is extremely libidinous. I have the feelings of possession, and I have no compassion within me. But I am Yours, O Shiva! A son can become bad or ignorant about his duties as an offspring, but the Mother always remains a Mother. 3 O Mother! O Mother of the world! Your feet has not been engaged upon [by me] and, even more so, Your feet has not been submitted with offerings by me. Even then, You shower immaculate benevolence on me. Because a son can become bad or ignorant about his duties as an offspring, but the Mother always remains a Mother. 4 At an age of more than eighty-five years^1, by me, who lacks the prowess to perform various rituals, the Devas have been left along. O Mother of Lambodar (Parvati)! Now, in this situation, if Your benevolence does not happens on me, then, I, the unsupported one, will take whose refuge? 5 O Aparna! A dog-eater (Chandala) becomes a talkative person with honey-like sweet words coming out from the tongue; and a poor man roams fearlessly for long time in golden riches, when the chants of Your name fall [seat] inside the ear of anyone. O Mother! Then, in that case, who can know the achievements due to continuous chants of Your name based on the appropriate rules? 6 Kapali, Who has ashes from the burnt corpses on body, Who has the directions as clothes (cloth-less), Who has thick tress-locks, Who has a garland of king of snake in neck, Who is known as Pashupati, and Who is the ruler of ghosts, attains the position of poison-destroyer and Lord of the world. O Bhavani! This is just a result of addition of You as His consort. 7 I don't have the desire to attain Moksha, neither I have the desire to attain luxuries and resplendence in the world. I don't have expectations of sciences, and O the Moon-faced Goddess! I don't even desire for luxuries and comfort. O Mother! Thus, I beg You, that whenever I am born, give me the chanting of these names to me - Mridani, Rudrani, Shiv, Bhavani. 8 O Shyama! You are not revered by me, using methods or various prescriptions. I didn't do anything beyond the rough-thinking and speech. But even then, if You keep me, the destitute and orphan, in benevolence, then it suits You; since You indeed are beyond everything, O Mother!. 9 O Durga, Who is the abode of ocean of mercy! When I remember You in troublesome situations, don't think it is stupidity. It is because when a child is hungry, the child only remembers the Mother. 10 O Mother of the world! You are full of benevolence for me; [but] what is the surprise in this? [Because] Even when a son is full of faults, the Mother does not ignores or disowns the child. 11 O Mahadevi! There is no fallen one like me, and there is indeed no absolver of sins like You. Knowing this, You do what You think as appropriate. 12 NOTES:^1 Because of the age of the poet, we believe that this poem is not by ADI Shankaracharya.
POET: Shankaracharya
