mahākavi kālidāsa viracita śrīśyāmalādanḍakam
jaya janani sudhāsamudrāntarudyanmaṇidvīpa saṃrūḍhabilvāṭavīmadhya kalpadrumākalpakādambakāntāravāsapriye kṛttivāsapriye sarvalōkapriye
sādarārabdha saṅgītasambhāvanāsambhramālola nīpasragābaddhacūlīsanāthatrike sānumatputrike
Re-ordered word-by-word meaning
jaya janani - Glory to you, Mother!
sudhāsamudrāntaḥ- In the middle of the milky ocean,
udyanmaṇidvīpa- on an island of shining gems that emerged,
saṃrūḍhabilvāṭavīmadhya - in the forest of Bilva trees that has sprung up,
kalpadrumākalpa - resplendent owing to the divine trees present,
kādambakāntāra - in the wood of Kadamba trees,
vāsapriye - You love to reside!
kṛttivāsapriye - You are the consort of Shiva, wearing animal skins,
sarvalōkapriye - You are the beloved of the whole world!
sādarārabdha - Begun with due a welcoming reverence,
saṅgītasambhāvanāsambhrama- a very impactful and moving, celebratory music ālola - You are enjoying that music
nīpasragābaddhacūlī - a long pleat of your luscious hair adorned with neepa flowers,
sanāthatrike- that descends long to your seat (rear), sānumatputrike - (Glory to you, Oh )Daughter of the mountain!
The poet Kalidasa is perhaps the most eloquent and productive among the greats of Samskrita literature, living in post-Puranic times and telling us stories in highly imaginative poetry. The Shyamala-dandakam is a long recitation of prayer he is supposed to have burst into, on receiving the grace of Mother Kali or Durga, who conferred erudition and literary genius on him. The long poem is highly euphonic and alliterative, and challenges one to split the words correctly.
I will share more lines from the Dandakam as we go along.
