Stotra Rathna:vali — invocation preceding the Stotra Ratnam

Chathuhsloki:

चतुःश्लोकी

Ya:muna:cha:rya (A:lavandha:r)·10th–11th c. CE (Pre-Ra:ma:nuja A:zhva:r-A:cha:rya transition)·4 verses·Preceding every recitation of the Stotra Ratnam; daily during the morning a:ra:dhana of Sri:vaishnava households

Ya:muna:cha:rya's four verses establish that Sri: Lakshmi: is the eternal consort and inseparable companion of Sri:man Na:ra:yana — the doctrinal foundation that Bhagavad Ra:ma:nuja inherited and crystallized as the purushaka:ra doctrine.

The Chathuhsloki: — literally "the four slokas" — is the brief, dense, and luminous hymn that Ya:muna:cha:rya placed at the head of his Stotra Ratnam. In every Sri:vaishnava temple and household where Ya:muna's Stotra Ratnam is recited, the Chathuhsloki: is recited first. These four verses are the gateway. They establish, before a single sloka is offered to the Lord, that the Lord cannot be approached except in the company of Sri:.

Ya:muna:cha:rya — known in the Samprada:ya by his Tamil epithet A:lavandha:r ("He Who Came to Rule") — was the grandson of Na:thamuni and the spiritual grandfather of Bhagavad Ra:ma:nuja. He stands at the hinge of two traditions: behind him the A:zhva:rs, whose Dhra:vida Veda he inherited; before him Ra:ma:nuja, to whom he bequeathed the doctrinal system that would become Visishta:dvaitha. Ya:muna himself did not meet Ra:ma:nuja in the body — but the Samprada:ya holds that as Ya:muna lay on his deathbed at Srirangam, three fingers of his hand remained curled in unfulfilled wishes, and that Ra:ma:nuja, upon arriving and seeing them, vowed to complete all three: to compose the Sri: Bha:shya, to honor the A:zhva:rs (especially Namma:zhva:r and Para:sara), and to spread the Samprada:ya. The Chathuhsloki: is part of what Ya:muna left behind for Ra:ma:nuja to inherit.

Why four verses for Lakshmi: before approaching the Lord? Because Ya:muna saw with absolute clarity the doctrine that Ra:ma:nuja would later crystallize as Purushaka:ra: the eternal mediation of the Mother. The Lord and the Mother are never separable; one cannot prostrate to the Lord without first prostrating to Her. In the four slokas, Ya:muna names Her as ka:ntha: of the Purushoththama (the Beloved of the Supreme Person), declares the universe a play of Her glance, and seals every soul's salvation in Her grace. These are not preliminary verses — they are the foundation upon which the entire Stotra Ratnam stands.

Every Sri:vaishnava who has been initiated into the Samprada:ya has heard the Chathuhsloki: recited at the beginning of every formal stotra-pa:tha. To recite the Stotra Ratnam without it would be to approach the King without first greeting the Queen. Ya:muna:cha:rya gave the Samprada:ya this etiquette, and Ra:ma:nuja received it. Through these four verses the purushaka:ra doctrine entered Sri:vaishnava liturgy in its most concentrated form.

Curated Selection

Verses 2 and 3 are reproduced from the Sadagopan.org edition of the Stotra Rathna:vali; users consulting alternate editions may find minor pa:tha-bheda variants.

Sanskrit·Always shownIAST·Always shownతెలుగు · Telugu·Always shown

Verse 1

कान्तस्ते पुरुषोत्तमः फणिपतिः शय्यासनं वाहनं वेदात्मा विहगेश्वरो यवनिका माया जगन्मोहिनी। ब्रह्मेशादिसुरव्रजः सदयितस्त्वद्दासदासीगणः श्रीरित्येव च नाम ते भगवति ब्रूमः कथं त्वां वयम्॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

నీ ప్రియతముడు సాక్షాత్ పురుషోత్తముడే; ఫణిపతి (అనంతుడు) నీ శయ్యయు, ఆసనమును; వేదాత్ముడైన గరుత్మంతుడు నీ వాహనము; జగన్మోహినియైన మాయ నీ యవనిక (తెర) మాత్రమే; బ్రహ్మ, శివ, ఆది దేవతలు తమ పత్నులతో సహా నీ దాస-దాసీగణము; నీ నామమో కేవలము 'శ్రీ' — ఓ భగవతీ! నిన్ను మేము ఎట్లు వర్ణింపగలము?

English

Thy beloved is the Supreme Person Himself; the King of serpents (Ananta) is Thy couch and seat; the Lord of birds, the embodied Veda (Garuda), is Thy vehicle; the cosmos-bewildering Ma:ya: is but Thy curtain; Brahma:, Siva, and the hosts of gods together with their consorts are Thy maidservants and manservants; and Thy very name is 'Sri:' — O Bhagavathi:, how then shall we even speak of Thee?

Meaning

The opening verse — a cosmic confession of inadequacy. Ya:muna:cha:rya names Her supreme attendants one by one: the Lord Himself is Her beloved, the infinite serpent Her couch, the eagle Garuda Her vehicle, the world-bewildering Ma:ya: Her stage curtain, the trinity of gods Her household staff. The Samprada:ya reads this verse as the most concentrated statement of Lakshmi:'s paratva (supremacy): every entity in cosmology — including the Lord's own intimate retinue — is Hers.

Verse 2

यस्यास्ते महिमानमात्मन इव त्वद्वल्लभोऽपीश्वर- र्न क्रान्तुं प्रभवेद् भुवश्च गणनां सच्चित्तविस्तारिकाम्। सा त्वं वक्ष्यसि किं नु मां वद कथं स्वाभाविकं श्रीनिधे त्वत्संरक्षणसम्भृतेन यशसा देवस्य देवो हरिः॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

నీ మహిమను — అది ఈశ్వరుని స్వీయ మహిమవలెనే అపరిమితమైనది — నీ ప్రియతముడైన భగవంతుడే పూర్తిగా దాటలేడు. ఓ శ్రీనిధే! నేను నీ విషయమున ఏమి చెప్పగలను? హరి స్వయము దేవదేవుడై ఉన్నాడంటే అది నీ సంరక్షణ చేత పొందిన యశస్సుచేతనే.

English

Even Thy Beloved, the Lord Himself, cannot fully traverse the immensity of Thy glory — that glory which is His own, no different from it. O Treasure of Sri:, what could I, then, ever utter of Thee? Hari Himself is the God-of-gods only by the renown of being upheld in Thy protection.

Meaning

A staggering doctrinal statement: Hari is **devadeva** — God of gods — by the renown of being upheld in Her protection. The verse reverses the conventional hierarchy: the Lord is not glorified despite Her, but **through** Her. His protection of the worlds is itself rooted in Her protection of Him. In Sri:vaishnava theology this verse is the textual seed of the doctrine that Sri: is **abhinna** (non-different) from Bhagava:n while remaining eternally His consort. Note: Verse 2's wording follows the Sadagopan.org Stotra Rathna:vali edition; minor pa:tha-bheda may appear in other publications.

Verse 3

ईश्वरीं सर्वभूतानां त्वामनिन्द्यां जगन्मयीम्। भगवद्वासुदेवस्य महिषीं धीमहि श्रियम्॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

సర్వభూతముల ఈశ్వరివి, అనింద్యవు, జగన్మయివి, భగవాన్ వాసుదేవుని మహిషివి అయిన నిన్ను — ఓ శ్రీ! మేము ధ్యానించుచున్నాము.

English

Thee — the sovereign Mother of all beings, the blameless One, in whom the cosmos has its very substance, the Queen of Bhagava:n Va:sude:va — Thee, O Sri:, we meditate upon.

Meaning

Composed in the rhythm of a Ga:yathri:-like meditation formula (dhi:mahi — "we meditate upon"), this verse names Her as i:svari: sarva-bhu:tha:na:m — the very phrase used in the ninth verse of the Sri: Su:ktham, deliberately echoing the Veda. Ya:muna links his stotra to the Vedic source, and identifies Her as Va:sude:va's mahishi: (royal consort). The verse is short, dense, and is itself used as a stand-alone dhya:na-mantra during Lakshmi: a:ra:dhana.

Verse 4

श्रीरस्तु ते भगवती श्रियमादधाना त्वत्पादलब्धमहिमाः खलु यान्ति देवाः। त्वत्संश्रयाद् भवति यद्भगवान् हृषीकेशो जायते जगदिदं त्वदपाङ्गभूतम्॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

ఓ భగవతీ! శ్రీని ప్రసాదించు నీకు శ్రీ కలుగుగాక (నమస్కారము). దేవతలు నీ పాదాశ్రయము పొందినందువల్లనే మహిమను పొందుదురు. నిన్ను శరణు పొందుటచేతనే భగవాన్ హృషీకేశుడు తానైనవాడగును; ఈ సకల జగత్తు నీ ఏక కటాక్షము నుండి జన్మించును.

English

Auspiciousness be unto Thee, O Bhagavathi:, who bestowest auspiciousness upon all. The gods attain their glory only by reaching Thy feet. By taking refuge in Thee, Bhagava:n Hrushi:ke:sa Himself becomes what He is — and this entire universe is born of Thy single sidelong glance.

Meaning

The fourth and concluding verse seals the doctrine. Three astonishing claims are made in quick succession: the gods derive their glory from Her feet; Hrushi:ke:sa Himself **becomes what He is** by taking refuge in Her (tvat-samsraya:th); and the entire universe is born from a single sidelong glance of Her eyes (tvad-apa:nga-bhu:tham). The Samprada:ya teaches that this fourth verse is the cornerstone of the purushaka:ra doctrine: Lakshmi:'s apa:nga (sidelong glance of grace) is the cause of liberation. Without Her glance falling upon the soul, no surrender ascends to the Lord.

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