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1.If the praise of Thee by one
who is ignorant of the extent of Thy greatness
be unbecoming, then the praises of even Brahma
and others are inadequate for Thee. And if all
remain unblamable by praising Thee according to
their intellectual powers, then even this attempt
on my part to compose a hymn is free from any
blemish.
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2.Thy greatness is beyond the
reach of mind and speech. Who will praise That
which even the Vedas describe with trepidation
by the method of 'not this,not this' ? - how many
qualities does That possess ? and can be perceived
by whom ? Yet to the form taken later, whosemind
and speech do not turn ?
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3.O Brahman! Does the praise of
even Brihaspati cause any wonderment to Thee who
art the author of the nectar like sweet Vedas
? O Destroyer of Tripura, the thought that by
praising Thy glories I shall purify my speech
has prompted me to undertake this work.
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4.O Giver of boons, in refutation
of Thy Divinity which is described by the three
Vedas, which creates, preserves and destroys the
world, and which is divided into three bodies
according to the different qualities , some thick
headed persons offer arguments, which are pleasing
to the ignorant but in reality hateful.
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5.To fufil what desire, having
what body with what instruments, support,and materials
does that creator indeed create the three worlds
? - this kind of vain argumentsation with regard
to Thee whose Divine nature is beyond vociferious
to the delusion of mankind.
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6.O Lord of gods, can the worlds
be without origin though they have parts ? Is
creation of the worlds possible without a creator
? Who else but God can begin the creation of the
worlds ? Because they are fools, they raise doubts
as regards Thy existence.
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7.There are different paths of
realization as enjoined by the three Vedas, Samkhya,
Yoga and Pasupata doctrine and Vaishnava Sastras.
Persons following different paths - straight or
crooked according as they consider that this path
is best or that one is proper due to the difference
in temperaments, reach Thee alone just as rivers
enter the ocean.
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8.O Giver of boons, a great bull,
a wooden club, an axe, a tiger skin, ashes, a
human skull and the like - these are Thy sole
possessions, though by the mere casting of eyes
Thou gave the gods great treasures which they
enjoy. Indeed, the mirage of sense - objects cannot
delude one whose delight is in the Self.
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9.O Destroyer of Pura some say
that the whole universe is eternal, while others
say that all is transitory. Yet others maintain
that all these are eternal and non-eternal - having
different characteristics. Bewildered, as it were
by them I do not feel ashamed to praise Thee.
Indeed this garrulity indicates my audacity.
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10.O Girisha, Brahma trying above
and, Vishnu trying below failed to measure Thee
who took the form of a pillar of fire. Afterwards
when they praised Thee with great devotion and
faith, Thou revealed Thyself to them of thy own
accord, indicating whether Thy worship can go
without bearing result.
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11.O Destroyer of Tripura, that
the ten-headed Ravana, after riding the three
worlds of any trace of enemies, remained with
arms eager for fresh war is due to the fact of
his having great devotion to Thee devotion which
prompted him to offer his heads as lotuses to
Thy feet.
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12.When Ravana extended the valour
of his arms whose strength was obtained by worshipping
Thee - to Kailasa, Thy abode, Thou moved the tip
of Thy toe , and he did not get a resting place
even in the nether world. Verily, when affluent
the wicked becomes deluded.
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13.O Giver of boons, that Bana,
who had the three wolrds at his command, put to
shade the wealth of Indra is not to be wondered
at - he being the worshipper of Thy feet. what
prosperity does not result from bowing down the
head to Thee ?
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14.O Three eyed one, it is not
that the dark stain on the throat of Theewho drank
poison as an act of favor to gods and demons at
their being panicky at the threatened destruction
of the universe all on a sudden, has not beautified
Thee. Even deformity is admirable in one who is
given to freeing the worlds of fear.
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15.O Lord, the god of love whose
arrows do not fail anywhere in the world of gods,
demoms and men but are always successful became
simply an object of memory by looking upon Theeas
an ordinary god. For an insult to the self controlled
does not conduce to good.
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16.In order to save the world
when Thou danced, the earth wondered at the striking
of Thy feet, whether it would not come to sudden
end; so felt the spatial region along with the
planets, oppressed by the movement of Thy iron-cube
like arms; and the heaven became then miserable
- its side being struck by Thy waving matted hair.
Ah, Thy very mightiness is the cause of trouble.
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17.The river which pervades the
sky and whose foams look all the more beautiful
because of stars and planets, seems no more than
a drop of water when on Thy head. That again has
turned the world into islands surrounded by waters.
And by this should be inferred how vast is Thy
divine body.
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18.When Thou wanted to burn the
three cities which were but a piece of straw,
the earth was Thy chariot, Brahma Thy charioteer,
the great mountain Meru Thy bow, the sun and the
moon the wheels of Thy chariot, Vishnu Thy arrow
why this paraphernalia ? The Lord is not dependent
on others - He was playing with things at his
command.
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19.O Destroyer of Tripura, Hari
rooted out his lotus eye to make deficiency when
one flower was missing in his offering of a thousand
lotuses to Thy feet; this great devotion transformed
into a discus is alert in protecting the three
worlds.
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20.The sacrifice being destroyed
Thou ever remainest the connecting link between
the sacrificers and the fruit of the sacrifice.
when does the destroyed sacrifice bear fruit,
if not accompanied by the worship of the Lord
? Therefore knowing Thee to be the giver of fruuits
adn putting faith in the Vedas,people become resolute
about the performance of sacrifical rites.
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21.Thou Giver of refuge, even
the sacrifice where Daksha, the Lord of creation
expert in sacrifices was the sacrificer, Rishis
were priests, gods were supervisors, was destroyed
by Thee though Thou art bent upon giving fruits
of the sacrifices. Surely the sacrifices cause
injury to the sacrificers in the absence of devotion.
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22.O Lord, the fury of Thee who
became a hunter with a bow in hand has not as
yet left Brahma though, keenly pierced by Thy
arrow and terror stricken , he has fled to the
sky.
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23.O Destroyer of Tripura, O Giver
of boons even on seeing in front the god of love,
bow in hand burnt like a sraw in a trice by Thee,
if Parvati proud of her beauty thinks that Thou
art under her fascination, because she was allowed
to occupy half of Thy body on account of austerities,
ah, surely the young women are under delusion.
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