John Woodroffe

Hymn to Kali - Triamazikamno Editions John Woodroffe

This celebrated Kaula Stotra, which is now translated from the Sanskrit for the first time, is attributed to Mah?k?la Himself. The Text used is that of the edition published at Calcutta in 1899 by the Sanskrit Press Depository, with a commentary in Sanskrit by the late Mah?mahop?dhy?ya K??h?an?tha Ny?ya-pañc?nana, who was both very learned in Tantra-??stra and faithful to his Dharma. He thus refused the offer of a good Government Post made to him personally by a former Lieutenant-Governor on the ground that he would not accept money for imparting knowledge. Some variants in reading are supplied by this commentator. I am indebted to him for the Notes, or substance of the notes, marked K. B. To these I have added others, both in English and Sanskrit explaining matters and allusions familiar doubtless to those for whom the original was designed, but not so to the English or even ordinary Indian reader. I have also referred to the edition of the Stotra published by Ga?e?a-Candra-Gho?a at Calcutta in 1891, with a translation in Bengali by Gurun?tha Vidy?nidhi, and commentary by Durg?r?ma-Siddh?ntav?g??a Bhatt?c?rya. I publish for the first time Vimal?nanda-Sv?m?'s Commentary to which I again refer later. When in this Introduction or in the Commentary I have not mentioned these two works my authorities are the Tantras or T?ntrik works which I cite, or. the information I have gathered from those whom I have consulted. One of the chief features of this Stotra is that it gives the mantroddh?ra of the Dakshina-K?lik?. It not only gives us the Dhy?na, Yantra, S?dhana and Svar?pa-varnan? of the Mah?dev?, but it also contains the chief Mantras of Dak?i?ak?lik?. The adjective "Tava manu-samuddhara?ajanu" qualifying "idam stotram" in ?loka 21 expressly states this fact. Among the various Mantras of Dak?i?? K?lik? the greatest is the "Vidy?-r?jñ?" consisting of 22 syllables (Dv?vi?s?k?ar?). This mantra gives the fullest and the truest symbol of the Svar?pa of Her. This mantra is contained in the first five ?lokas. So the first five ?lokas give us altogether 22 ak?aras i.e. the full Vidy?r?jñ?. In Vimal?nanda-Sv?m?'s T?k? of the 5th ?loka in the revised Sanskrit text he has proved by quotations from the 9th patala of ??kt?nanda-tarangi?? that this 22-syllabled mantra is the full and true representation of the Svar?pa of the Mah?dev?.