तनोतु क्षेमं नस्तव वदनसौन्दर्यलहरी- परीवाहस्रोतःसरणिरिव सीमन्तसरणिः। वहन्ती सिन्दूरं प्रबलकबरीभारतिमिर- द्विषां वृन्दैर्बन्दीकृतमिव नवीनार्ककिरणम्॥
tanōtu kṣēmaṁ nas tava vadana-saundarya-laharī- parīvāha-srōtaḥ-saraṇir iva sīmanta-saraṇiḥ। vahantī sindūraṁ prabala-kabarī-bhāra-timira- dviṣāṁ vṛndair bandīkṛtam iva navīnārka-kiraṇam॥
Translation
May your hair-parting, like a stream of your face’s beauty-wave, bearing vermilion, grant us welfare. It seems to imprison the new sun’s ray with groups of enemies’ darkness, O heavy-haired one.
Word by word
- tanōtu
- may grant
- kṣēmaṁ
- welfare
- naḥ
- to us
- tava
- your
- vadana
- face
- saundarya
- beauty
- laharī
- wave
- parīvāha
- flowing
- srōtaḥ
- stream
- saraṇiḥ
- path
- iva
- like
- sīmanta-saraṇiḥ
- parting of hair
- vahantī
- bearing
- sindūraṁ
- vermilion
- prabala
- strong
- kabarī-bhāra
- hair-mass
- timira
- darkness
- dviṣāṁ
- of enemies
- vṛndaiḥ
- with groups
- bandīkṛtam
- imprisoned
- navīna
- new
- arka
- sun
- kiraṇam
- ray
Meaning
The Goddess’s hair-parting (sīmanta-saraṇiḥ), adorned with vermilion (sindūraṁ), is likened to a stream of her facial beauty (vadana-saundarya-laharī), granting prosperity (kṣēmaṁ). It appears to trap the sun’s rays (navīnārka-kiraṇam), dispelling enemies’ darkness (timira-dviṣāṁ). In Śrīvidyā, the vermilion symbolizes auspiciousness and śakti. The verse reflects Shakta devotion, portraying her hair-parting as a conduit of divine grace and beauty