कदा काले मातः कथय कलितालक्तकरसं पिबेयं विद्यार्थी तव चरणनिर्णेजनजलम्। प्रकृत्या मूकानामपि च कविताकारणतया कदा धत्ते वाणीमुखकमलताम्बूलरसताम्॥
kadā kālē mātaḥ kathaya kalitālaktaka-rasaṁ pibēyaṁ vidyārthī tava caraṇa-nirṇējana-jalam। prakṛtyā mūkānām api ca kavitā-kāraṇatayā kadā dhattē vāṇī-mukha-kamala-tāmbūla-rasatām॥
Translation
O Mother, when may I, a knowledge-seeker, drink your feet-washing water, adorned with lac-juice? When will it grant, even to the naturally mute, poetry’s cause, making Sarasvati’s face-lotus taste of betel-juice?
Word by word
- kadā
- when
- kālē
- in time
- mātaḥ
- O Mother
- kathaya
- tell
- kalita
- adorned
- alaktaka-rasaṁ
- lac-juice
- pibēyaṁ
- I may drink
- vidyārthī
- knowledge-seeker
- tava
- your
- caraṇa-nirṇējana
- feet-washing
- jalam
- water
- prakṛtyā
- by nature
- mūkānām
- of mute
- api
- even
- ca
- and
- kavitā-kāraṇatayā
- as poetry’s cause
- dhattē
- grants
- vāṇī
- Sarasvati
- mukha-kamala
- face-lotus
- tāmbūla-rasatām
- betel-juice flavor
Meaning
The devotee, a knowledge-seeker (vidyārthī), longs to drink the Goddess’s feet-washing water (caraṇa-nirṇējana-jalam), red with lac (alaktaka-rasaṁ), which inspires poetry (kavitā-kāraṇatayā) even in the mute (mūkānām). This transforms Sarasvati’s speech (vāṇī) into betel-flavored eloquence (tāmbūla-rasatām). Addressed as mātaḥ, she is the source of wisdom. In Śrīvidyā, her feet bestow jñāna. The verse reflects Shakta devotion, aspiring for poetic inspiration.