Sri Kalahastheeswara Stotram

Five verses for the Lord of Srikalahasti

The stotram has five verses, and each closes with the same line, Sada bhajami Kalahasti-sambamurtim ishvaram: I always worship the Lord of Kalahasti, who is with Amba. Srikalahasti, on the Swarnamukhi river, is the Vayu linga among the five Panchabhuta shrines, and its name is traditionally traced to three devotees, a spider, a snake and an elephant. The stotram does not retell that legend. It describes Shiva himself.

Verse by verse

The first verse calls him Maheshvaram mahonnatam, lord of the ganas, the one with no lord above him, who rides the bull. The second turns to the fire flashing from the eye on his forehead and to his feet, which dwell in the hearts of sages such as Agastya, the pot-born. The third names him the receiver of sacrificial offerings, whose bowstring twang frightens his enemies. The fourth is the most musical: the Ganga's waves in his matted hair are heard as ghumam ghumam, a hide is tied at his waist and the directions are his clothing. The fifth recalls the burning of Tripura, where Vishnu served as his arrow.

Metre and use

The verses are in Panchachamara, the same metre as the Shiva Tandava Stotram, which is why the two sound alike. No author is named in the text. Devotees recite it on Mondays, on Maha Shivaratri, through Kartika month, and on the day they visit Srikalahasti.