Varadarajastava of Appayyadikshita-16

वरदराजस्तवः-१६

स्पर्शं ययोः समधिगम्य झटित्यहल्या

देवी च भूरभवदुज्झितसर्वपङ्का ।

ताभ्यां घटेत समता भवतः पदाभ्यां

आजन्मपङ्कवसतेः कथमम्बुजस्य ॥ ४४ ॥

अ: ययोः स्पर्शं समधिगम्य अहल्या उज्झित-सर्व-पङ्का अभवत् देवी भूः च (अभवत्), ताभ्यां भवतः पदाभ्यां आ-जन्म-पङ्क-वसतेः अम्बुजस्य समता कथं घटेत?

How is it possible that the lotus which is right from its birth living in slush (sin) is comparable to your feet by the touch of which Ahalya and the Earth were cleansed of their sins?

Note: The poet cleverly uses the word पङ्क which can mean slush and sin.

मातङ्गशैलमणिशेखर ते पदाभ्यां

मोहेन साम्यमनुचिन्त्य कृतापराधम् ।

शङ्के सरोजमनयोरुभयोरुपेत्य

रेखाच्छलेन सततं विदधाति सेवाम् ॥ ४५ ॥

अ: मातङ्ग-शैल-मणि-शेखर ! मोहेन ते पदाभ्यां साम्यम् अनुचिन्त्य कृत-अपराधं सरोजम् रेखा-छलेन उपेत्य अनयोः उभयोः सेवां सततं विदधाति (इति) शङ्के ।

O crest jewel of the elephant hill ! I suspect that the lotus realising that it committed a crime against you by assuming equivalence with your feet out of delusion is serving your feet in repentance in the garb of its outline under your feet.

Note: The poet says that the figure of a lotus under the foot of the Lord is indeed lotus itself serving the Lord as a mark of repentance for having assumed equivalence with the feet of the Lord.

लेखाधिनाथवनपल्लवधैर्यचोरे

रेखामयं पदतले कमलं यदेतत् ।

तत्रैव विश्रमजुषोऽच्युत रागलक्ष्म्याः

क्रीडानिशान्तकमलं तदिति प्रतीमः ॥ ४६ ॥

 अ: अच्युत ! लेखाधिनाथ-वन-पल्लव-धैर्य-चोरे पदतले रेखामयं यत् एतत् कमलं तत् तत्र एव विश्रमजुषः राग-लक्ष्म्याः क्रीडा-निशान्त-कमलम् इति प्रतीमः ।

O Achyuta ! We believe that this mark of lotus on your feet which has stolen the courage of the sprouts from the garden of Indra is the lotus forming a pleasure house of the Lakshmi of redness resting there as it were.

Notes : 1. लेख means divine beings (Aditi’s sons) ; लेखाधिनाथ is their chief, Indra. 2. The sprouts of Nandana garden of Indra are red in colour which they display courageously and the feet of the Lord which are red in colour have stolen their courage. 3. The poet exaggerates to say that Lakshmi of redness resides in the feet in the form of the outline of a red lotus . 

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