The Mooka Panchashati is a 500-verse hymn dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi of Kanchipuram, composed by Mooka Kavi, a mute poet blessed by the Goddess to sing her glories describing her divine form, grace, and power. The Kamakshi Amman Temple is a popular and an ancient Hindu Temple dedicated to Ma Kamakshi, as aspect of Ma Shakti Devi, who is also called as Lalitha Tripurasundari Devi. It is situated in Kanchipuram, and it is a famous temple similar to the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai and the Akilandeswari temple in Thiruvanaikaval. This Temple was beautifully constructed by the Pallava kings.
Some of the contents present in this divine poem are as follows:
She (Ma Kamakshi Amman) who is the divine 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 that 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.
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 who is everything of the great mountain, and lives in Kanchi, And has curled hair, hard breasts, jasmine like teeth and saffron colour.
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 is the purport of Vedas.
I bow to the nondual 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 filled breasts, The God who carries Ganges, Who is the divine special knowledge of, The nondual sentiment of erotic knowledge.
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.
My mind is tied firmly by rituals observed as well as the redness of her, Who was seen by the great divine Yogis of the ancient Kanchi, Occupying the most ancient peeta* which was existing there. Kama Koti Peeta of Kanchi.
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.
With white colour, sparkling smile, with her beyond words and thought, With cooling eyes and very heavy breast, she is the permanent mother of all. 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.
“OM SRI KAMAKSHI ANNAIYE SARANAM”
COMPILED BY
R. HARISHANKAR