Śrī Rājarājēśvaryaṣṭakaṁ — Hymn to the Queen of Queens
Śrī Rājarājēśvaryaṣṭakaṁ — Hymn to the Queen of Queens
Śrī Rājarājēśvaryaṣṭakaṁ is a hymn in eight cantos composed by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya (788–820 CE) in praise of Mahātripurasundarī Lalitāmbikā — the supreme goddess as Queen of all creation. The hymn belongs to the Śrī Vidyā tradition and draws on the philosophical register of the Navāvaraṇa Pūjā mantras. A sublime extract from that tradition: prakāśa vimarśa sāmarasyātmaka parabrahmasvarūpiṇī — “the source of splendour and the splendour herself, the light and the reflection, self-sustaining soul of all existence, original form of Brahman.”
Singer: Lalitha Sagari.
Śrī Rājarājēśvaryaṣṭakaṁ — Text (IAST)
ambā śāmbhavi candramaulirabalā:parṇā umā pārvatī kālī haimavatī śivā trinayanī kātyāyanī bhairavī sāvitrī navayauvanā śubhakarī sāmrājyalakṣmīpradā cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 1 ||
ambā mōhini dēvatā tribhuvanī ānandasandāyinī vāṇī pallavapāṇi vēṇumuralīgānapriyā lōlinī kalyāṇī uḍurājabimbavadanā dhūmrākṣasaṁhāriṇī cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 2 ||
ambā nūpuraratnakaṅkaṇadharī kēyūrahārāvalī jātīcampakavaijayantilaharī graivēyakairājitā vīṇāvēṇuvinōdamaṇḍitakarā vīrāsanēsaṁsthitā cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 3 ||
ambā raudriṇi bhadrakālī bagalā jvālāmukhī vaiṣṇavī brahmāṇī tripurāntakī suranutā dēdīpyamānōjjvalā cāmuṇḍā śritarakṣapōṣajananī dākṣāyaṇī pallavī cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 4 ||
ambā śūla dhanuḥ kuśāṅkuśadharī ardhēndubimbādharī vārāhī madhukaiṭabhapraśamanī vāṇīramāsēvitā malladyāsuramūkadaityamathanī māhēśvarī ambikā cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 5 ||
ambā sr̥ṣṭavināśapālanakarī āryā visaṁśōbhitā gāyatrī praṇavākṣarāmr̥tarasaḥ pūrṇānusandhīkr̥tā ōṅkārī vinutāsutārcitapadā uddaṇḍadaityāpahā cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 6 ||
ambā śāśvata āgamādivinutā āryā mahādēvatā yā brahmādipipīlikāntajananī yā vai jaganmōhinī yā pañcapraṇavādirēphajananī yā citkalāmālinī cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 7 ||
ambāpālita bhaktarājadaniśaṁ ambāṣṭakaṁ yaḥ paṭhēt ambālōkakaṭākṣavīkṣa lalitaṁ caiśvaryamavyāhatam ambā pāvanamantrarājapaṭhanādantē ca mōkṣapradā cidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī || 8 ||
Translation
|| 1 || O Śāmbhavī! Mother Ambā, You are adorned with a crescent moon on the forehead, You do not eat even leaves in fasting, You are Pārvatī, Kālī, Haimavatī and Śivā, You have three eyes, You are Kātyāyanī, Bhairavī and Sāvitrī, You are forever young, You bestow auspicion, You bestow kingdom and wealth, You are eternal bliss, You are above all, You are the Goddess — You rule the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
|| 2 || O Mohinī! Mother Ambā, You reside in the three worlds and grant eternal bliss. You are speech (Vāṇī), You love the music of the flute, You are auspicious, Your face is like the reflection of the Moon, You slew Dhūmrākṣa — You are eternal bliss, You are above all, You are the Goddess — You rule the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
|| 3 || Mother Ambā, You wear gems, stones and bracelets, You have a garland of Keyūra, Your neck is adorned with waves of jasmine, campaka and pearls, Your hands are adorned by vīṇā and flute, You are seated in Vīrāsana — You are eternal bliss, You are above all, You are the Goddess — You rule the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
|| 4 || O Bhadrakālī! Mother Ambā, You are the terrifying Raudriṇī, You are Bagalā, Jvālāmukhī, Vaiṣṇavī and Brāhmaṇī, You vanquish the three worlds, You are worshipped by the devas, You are resplendent, You are Cāmuṇḍā, the mother who protects and nurtures — You are eternal bliss, You are above all, You are the Goddess — You rule the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
|| 5 || Mother Ambā, wielding trident, bow, goad and noose, You have a crescent moon on the forehead, You are Vārāhī, You destroyed Madhu and Kaiṭabha, You are honoured by Sarasvatī and Lakṣmī — You are eternal bliss, You are above all, You are the Goddess — You rule the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
|| 6 || Mother Ambā, You create, preserve and dissolve the world, You are Āryā and Gāyatrī, You are full of the nectar of praṇavākṣara — Oṁ — You are Oṁkārī, You destroy the demonic — You are eternal bliss, You are above all, You are the Goddess — You rule the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
|| 7 || Mother Ambā, You are praised by the āgamas, You are Āryā and Mahādevī, You give birth to all from Brahmā to the smallest ant, You enchant the world, You generate the five forms of Praṇava — You are eternal bliss, You are above all, You are the Goddess — You rule the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
|| 8 || Those who read these eight cantos on Ambā — receiving the bestowing glance of the Mother — receive sovereignty unobstructed and, through the reading of this best among chants, receive mokṣa from the Mother, Who is eternal bliss, Who is above all, Who is the Goddess — Who rules the Lords as Rājarājēśvarī!
Sanskrit — श्रीराजराजेश्वर्यष्टकम्
अम्बा शाम्भवि चन्द्रमौलिरबलाऽपर्णा उमा पार्वती काली हैमवती शिवा त्रिनयनी कात्यायनी भैरवी सावित्री नवयौवना शुभकरी साम्राज्यलक्ष्मीप्रदा चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. १..
अम्बा मोहिनि देवता त्रिभुवनी आनन्दसंदायिनी वाणी पल्लवपाणिवेणुमुरलीगानप्रिया लोलिनी कल्याणी उडुराजबिम्ब वदना धूम्राक्षसंहारिणी चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. २..
अम्बा नूपुररत्नकङ्कणधरी केयूरहारावली जातीचम्पकवैजयंतिलहरी ग्रैवेयकैराजिता वीणावेणु विनोदमण्डितकरा वीरासने संस्थिता चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. ३..
अम्बा रौद्रिणि भद्रकालि बगला ज्वालामुखी वैष्णवी ब्रह्माणी त्रिपुरान्तकी सुरनुता देदीप्यमानोज्वला चामुण्डा श्रितरक्षपोषजननी दाक्षायणी वल्लवी चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. ४..
अम्बा शूलधनुः कशाङ्कुशधरी अर्धेन्दुबिम्बाधरी वाराहीमधुकैटभप्रशमनी वाणी रमासेविता मल्लद्यासुरमूकदैत्यमथनी माहेश्वरी चाम्बिका चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. ५..
अम्बा सृष्टविनाशपालनकरी आर्या विसंशोभिता गायत्री प्रणवाक्षरामृतरसः पूर्णानुसंधी कृता ओङ्कारी विनतासुतार्चितपदा उद्दण्ड दैत्यापहा चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. ६..
अम्बा शाश्वत आगमादिविनुता आर्या महादेवता या ब्रह्मादिपिपीलिकान्तजननी या वै जगन्मोहिनी या पञ्चप्रणवादिरेफजननी या चित्कला मालिनी चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. ७..
अम्बापालितभक्तराजदनिशं अम्बाष्टकं यः पठेत् अम्बालोलकटाक्षवीक्ष ललितं चैश्वर्यमव्याहतम् अम्बा पावनमन्त्रराजपठनादन्ते च मोक्षप्रदा चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी .. ८.. इति श्रीराजराजेश्वर्यष्टकं सम्पूर्णम्
