Kamakshi Mata, Kanchipuram
Divine Songs on Kanchi Kamakshi Amman by Adi Shankaracharya… Sri Sankara and Kancheepuram. In the Kamakshi Amman temple, there is a separate shrine for Adi Sankara who had once installed the image of Devi Kamakshi with great sanctity, devotion, perseverance and bhakti. He had attained Mahasamadhi in Kanchipuram itself. This fact can be known from various manuscripts.
Some of Sri Adishankara’s Meaningful Songs in Praise of our near and dear Kanchi Kamakshi Amman are as follows:
She is the one, who is the main cause of creation, who sits in the Kama Peeta in Kanchi, Makes her divine presence like the Saffron which is a tender pretty climber.
I seek and depend on the Holy Mother, who is the root of the eternal source of Joy,
Who makes Kanchi her place, and holds bow, arrow, noose and goad, And whose form body is slightly bent due to her heavy breasts, and this happens, since she has to feed lots and lots of her children with her divine milk.
My mind is made cool by the rain of divine joy by her, Who is the Chinthamani who fulfills all the desires, Who lives in Kanchi and who can be easily attained by good conduct.
She is the one, who is like the great mountain Kailash, and lives in Kanchi, who has pretty hair, golden breasts, pearl like teeth and her body colour is yellow.
The maiden who lives in Kanchi makes Lord Shiva, Who was victorious against the God of love passionate, With her mere glance teaches the essence love, To the great teacher of the science of five flower* arrows.
*Lotus, Ashoka, Mango, Jasmine and Blue hued water lilli The great lady who stays in Kanchi who has mountain like breasts, And who has lotus like eyes , has enslaved our minds.
She who is in the middle of Kanchi, which is one with Brahmam, Existing along with Shiva with the moon is the wealth and iis the purport of Vedas.
Sitting on the banks of the torrential Kampa river, the form with red colour, Has the fame of shattering the mental resolve of Lord Shiva, And again giving life to God of love whom Shiva burnt, So that this world would continue to live.
I bow to the non dual joy who is like the red Kandhali flower, Who resides in the venerable town of Kanchipuram, Who is filled with the ascending pride of youth, And who is the bud of Vedas called Upanishads.
I surrender to the ever pretty lady of Kanchi, Who entertains with her elevated completely delicious divine milk filled breasts, The God who carries Ganges, Who is the divine special knowledge of, The non dual sentiment of erotic knowledge.
I meditate on the divine Kala, who is the crown jewel of Kanchi, Who sits on the left side of Lord Paramashiva, And who revives Manmatha, the God of love by her glance.
May mind become the divine play Ground of the divine play of her, Who roams about in the banks of Kampa, And who lets down mercy fall from her eyes.
I meditate using the Sri Vidhya tradition of worship on her, Who sits below three of mango,
Who is the nectar to the eye of Shiva who is primeval, By the festival her budding youthfulness.
That wonderful Balaa Devi of ancient Kanchi who is forever youthful, Embraced the body of Shankara made out of sand and left on him, Marks of her bangles and her breasts. (When Goddess was worshipping God in the form of a sand Linga, God made the river Kampa overflow. The goddess to protect the Linga embraced it tightly leaving marks on the Linga) A red light has risen over the mountains, which is redder than the hibiscus, And has a bow made of sugarcane and arrow of flowers and has divine form.
Enjoying the sweet smile and walking, slowly due to the fleshy heavy breasts, In the middle of Kanchi she has put the seed of pride in the mind of God of love.
I see on the banks of my mother Amba, Who manifests herself as Earth, Sun, Air, Sky, fire, The one who does fire sacrifice, Water and the moon.
The goddess who lives hidden in the caves of the hearts of the sages, Is doing penance on the shores of Kampa river along with heavy breasts, Filled with the milk of wisdom and is the ultimate meaning of the God with Fish flag.*
*God of love Manmatha is supposed to have a fish flag. When will I ever have the divine vision of her, Who is the tender climber tightly embraced, With extreme emotions by Lord Shiva, the enemy of cities, Who makes Kanchi as sacred, And who is amenable to the flower arrows of God of love.
The blessed pretty Goddess adorned with lotus flowers, Blessed with the wealth of flower arrows of Manmatha, Is roaming on the sand banks of the river Kampa, Makes the God shiva drunk with passion.
I have seen the matchless goddess with a thin waist in the banks of river Kampa, Who is full of youth and is of the reddish colour of the rising Sun.
In the land surrounded by river Kampa, with the flower arrow, the God of love, Promotes the growth and fortune of the Lord with the crown of rising young moon.
In the divine kingdom of knowledge called Kanchi, I become one with her, Who adorns herself with moon which unfortunately wilts the Lotus.
I do not move away from the Chief goddess with the red tint, Whose bow is the essence of sweetness and whose arrows are Honey bees, And who engages herself in playing in Kanchi.
“OM SRI KANCHI KAMAKSHIYE NAMO NAMAHA”
DEVELOPED BY
R. HARISHANKAR