Hymn to Kali, by Arthur Avalon (Sir John George Woodroffe), [1922], at sacred-texts.com
THE devotee 1 who, having placed before himself, 2 and meditated and again meditated 3 upon, the abode, 4 strewn with flowers, 5 of the Deva with the bow of flowers, 6 recites 7 Thy Mantra, Ah! 8 he becomes on earth the Lord of Gandharvas, 9 and the ocean of the nectar of the flow of poesy, 10 and is after death in Thy supreme abode. 11
COMMENTARY
'Devotee' (Bhaktah)
The Sādhaka who is a Yogi on the Divya path.
'The Abode' (Kusuṁadhanusho mandiram)
The triangular Yoni Mandala in the Mūlādhāra. Nirvāṇa-Tantra says, 'In the triangle, the abode of Kāma, the Liṅga is Maheśvara.'
'With its own flowers'
Adorned with the Svayaṁbhu-liṅga which is compared to a flower. Gorakṣa-Samhitā says, 'He is truly wise who knows the supreme Tejas in the Yoni called Svayaṁbhu-liṅga. Others are but beasts of burden.'
'Lord of Gandharvas' (Gandharva-śreṇīpatih)
A great singer. It is said 'there is nothing better than a song,'
'Poesy' (Kavitvāmṛta-nadi-nadinah)
He becomes like the great poet Kālidāsa.
'Is great' (Prabhavati)
He attains Nirvāṇa on being united with Thee who are Saccidānandarūpā. Kūrma-Purāṇa says, Brahmavādīs have learnt in all Vedas and Vedāntas the one, omnipresent, subtle (Kūtastha), immovable, absolute, endless, undecaying Brahman, the sole supreme Niṣkala-Tattva higher than the highest, eternal, auspicious, wondrous.' Devīgītā says 'Oh Mountain, he in whom Parabhakti is thus generated becomes merged in Pure Consciousness.'
83:1 Bhaktah: here the Vira Sādhaka (V).
83:2 Purah: that is with the Mandala of Kāma before him (V).
83:3 That is, with intensity. Dhyāyan dhyāyan, repeatedly meditating (V).
83:4 Kusuma-dhanuṣo mandiraṁ. The Deva with the bow of flowers is Kama whose abode is the Madanāgāra. Tantrakalpadruma says, 'He who recites the Mantra ten thousand times meditating on the flower-covered Yoni (Svapuṣpairākīrṇam) of Śakti, of a certainty charms all with his poesy.' Svapuṣpa is called Svayaṁbhukusuma in Tantra-śāstra, Mātṛkābheda-Tantra says, 'Oh Lady of Maheśa Svapuṣpa, which charms all is the Ṛtu which first appears in a married girl (V).
83:5 Svapuṣpairākīrṇam. The word svapuṣpa = svayambhupuṣpa—mentioned in the Tantras. The word puṣpa has here, and in ordinary parlance, a figurative sense, as in English. For puspaśabdena atra ṛtur ucyate, mātṛkābheda-tantra-pramāṇānusāreṇa anūḍhāyāh kanyāyāh prathama eva ṛtur atra ucyate. Tantrāntare tu vivāhitāyā eva bālāyā ṛtur atra vivakṣitah. The Śyāmārahasya reads 'supuṣpa,' which literally means pleasing fragrant flower, but which is possibly a misprint for svapushpa. The meaning of the passage is as follows: Sādhakah svasya purobhāge śaktiṁ saṁsthāpya tasyā ṛturudhirasiktāṁ yoniṁ avalokayan san devmantraṁ japati.
83:6 That is, Kāma, the Deva of Desire, whose bow and arrows are made of flowers.
83:7 Japati. Recites ten thousand times (V).
83:8 Aho. 'Ah' an exclamation of wonder (V).
83:9 Celestial spirits (devayoni), who play and sing at the banquets of the Devas. According to the Viṣṇu-Purāṇa, sons of Brahmā 'born imbibing melody.' The Sādhaka thus becomes a master of dance, music and song, p. 85 Gandarva-śreṇīpatih. He becomes a great singer and a master of melody. The Sāhasānka says, 'Hāhā is called a Gandharva and singing also makes a Gandharva' (V).
83:10 He becomes a Pandita in all literature. The Kālī-Tantra, quoted in the Kālīkalpalatā, says that in strength he becomes like the wind, in wealth of gifts like Indra, and in the musical art like Tumburu (K.B.)—a Ṛṣi, master of music and inventor of the tāmbur.
83:11 Paramapadalinah prabhavati, that is, he attains nirvāṇa (K.B.).
Prabhavati: becomes capable of creating and so forth on being merged with Thy Supreme Feet (V). The word literally means 'Excels.'