kAmAkshI - I

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kAmAkshI

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shriyam vidyaam dadyaajjananii namataam kiirtimamitaam

suputra pradatt tava jaTiti kaamaakshii karuNa |

trilokyammaadhikyam trupuraparipanthi praNayinii

praNamastvaatpade shamitadurite kim na kurute || (muukapanchashati)

 

( O! Kaamaakshii ! You bestow prosperity, knowledge, fame and good progeny

expeditiously in abundance to those who prostrate before you. O devi, its

all due to kaaruNya. O! Beloved of puraari, what else exist, which can not

be obtained by prostrating at your feet that is capable of destroying all

sins. )

 

Devi has enshrined in several places with her special aiksha as mEnakshI,

vishAlakshI, nElAyadAkshI and so on. But her eyes as kAmAkshI seem to be

something special.

 

She has 'ka' and 'ma' as her eyes. The letter 'kaa' referes to sarasvathi

and 'maa' to lakshmi, infers kAmAkshI means one who has lakshmi and

sarasvathi as her eyes.

 

Sri mutthuswami diikshitar beautifully described this in his hindOLa krithi

as,

 

'shaaradaa ramaa nayane saarasachandraanane

vaarijapaade varade taarayamaam tatvapade' (anupallavi)

 

'O! devi you have shaarada and ramaa as your eyes - 'shaaradaa ramaa

nayane', Your moon like face blossoms like a lotus 'saarasa chandraanane'

when you look at your child who has fallen at your lotus feet 'vaarijapaade'

, you shower him with all prosperity ' varade', O! Mother of such

capabilities, please up lift me 'taarayamaam'.

 

Sri MahAlakshmi is normally associated with prosperity, or boogaa. Sri

Saraswati is generally worshipped for knowledge. Real knowledge is to know

one's true self, which leads to mookshA. KAmAkshI devi with both lakshmi and

saraswati as her eyes showers boogaa and mooksha to her devotees. She is

booga mooksha daayinI.

 

Diikshitar selected two special ragas 'kamalAmanoharI' & 'sarasvatImanoharI'

to salute kAmAkshI having in mind her distinct connection with lakshmi and

sarasvati apart from the hindoLa kriti. The utsava idol of Sri kAmAkshI is

seen with sarasvathi and lakshmi on both sides. SahasranaamA remarks this as

'sachAmara ramA vANI savya dakShiNa sevitA'.

 

vaarijapaade.- The inner portion of devi's lotus feet is explicitly visible

when she is in padmaasanaa as kaamakshi. Diikshitar compares her feet to a

lotus, due to its tender reddish nature.

 

chandraanane - Her face is a full moon that gladdens the lily eyes of

kAmesha. mahA kAmesha nayana kumudAhlAda kaumudI (LS 403)

 

tatvapade - sahasranaama address her as om tath nama: & om tvaM nama: She

is ment by 'tath' and 'tvam' padaas meaning she is the supreme truth or

brahmam. Tatvapade can also be interpreted as tatvAsanA (LS 424) or one who

abides in tatvas.

 

shaaradaa ramaa nayane saarasachandraanane

vaarijapaade varade taarayamaam tatvapade.

 

O ! devi you are the supreme truth. I have done charaNagatI at your lotus

feet. You are capable of bestowing booga and mooksha having shaarada and

ramaa as your eyes. You are 'varadA', who generously grants boons . O ! devi

of such capabilities, taarayamaam - rescue me (from the ocean of samsaaraa).

 

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