Sri Stuti / Venkateswara Prapatti Verse 1

This verse is the first verse of the Venkateswara Prapatti (a prayer of surrender to Lord Venkateswara) and is also associated with the Śrī Stuti of Sri Vedanta Desika as a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi (Śrī). It is a beautiful prayer of surrender to Goddess Lakshmi, the divine consort of Lord Vishnu (Venkateswara), seeking Her mercy and mediation.

Sanskrit Verse

ईशानां जगतोऽस्य वेङ्कटपतेर्विष्णोः परां प्रेयसीं तद्वक्षःस्थलनित्यवासरसिकां तत्क्षान्तिसंवर्धिनीम् । पद्मालङ्कृतपाणिपल्लवयुगां पद्मासनस्थां श्रियं वात्सल्यादिगुणोज्ज्वलां भगवतीं वन्दे जगन्मातरम् ॥

Transliteration (IAST)

īśānāṃ jagato’sya veṅkaṭapaterviṣṇoḥ parāṃ preyasīṃ tadvakṣaḥsthalanityavāsarasikāṃ tatkṣāntisaṃvardhinīm | padmālaṅkṛtapāṇipallavayugāṃ padmāsanasthāṃ śriyaṃ vātsalyādiguṇojjvalāṃ bhagavatīṃ vande jaganmātaram || 1 ||

Word-by-Word Meaning

Īśānāṃ (ईशानां) – the Supreme Sovereign / the Ruler, Jagataḥ (जगतो) – of the universe, Asya (ऽस्य) – of this, Combined (Jagato’sya) – Of this universe, Veṅkaṭapateḥ (वेङ्कटपतेर्) – of the Lord of Venkata (Tirumala), Viṣṇoḥ (विष्णोः) – of Lord Vishnu, Parāṃ (परां) – the supreme / the ultimate, Preyasīṃ (प्रेयसीं) – the dearest beloved, Tat (तद्) – His, Vakṣaḥ-sthala (वक्षःस्थल) – chest area, Nitya-vāsa (नित्यवास) – eternal residence, Rasikāṃ (रसिकां) – one who delights in / one who enjoys, Combined (Tadvakṣaḥsthalanityavāsarasikāṃ) – She who takes immense delight in residing eternally on His chest, Tat (तत्) – His, Kṣānti (क्षान्ति) – patience, forbearance, or forgiveness, Saṃvardhinīm (संवर्धिनीम्) – one who increases or multiplies, Combined (Tatkṣāntisaṃvardhinīm) – She who amplifies His patience and forgiveness (specifically towards the faults of the devotees seeking refuge), Padma (पद्म) – lotuses, Alaṅkṛta (अलङ्कृत) – adorned with, Pāṇi-pallava (पाणिपल्लव) – tender, sprout-like (pallava) hands (pāṇi), Yugāṃ (युगां) – the pair, Combined (Padmālaṅkṛtapāṇipallavayugāṃ) – She whose pair of tender, leaf-like hands are adorned with lotuses, Padmāsana-sthāṃ (पद्मासनस्थां) – She who is seated (sthāṃ) on a lotus seat (padmāsana), Śriyaṃ (श्रियं) – to Goddess Sri (Lakshmi), Vātsalya (वात्सल्य) – motherly affection / tender love, Ādi (आदि) – and other, Guṇa (गुण) – auspicious qualities or virtues, Ujjvalāṃ (उज्ज्वलां) – radiant / shining brightly, Combined (Vātsalyādiguṇojjvalāṃ) – She who is radiant with divine virtues, beginning with unconditional motherly affection, Bhagavatīṃ (भगवतीं) – to the divine Goddess, Vande (वन्दे) – I bow down / I offer my respectful salutations, Jagan-mātaram (जगन्मातरम्) – to the Mother of the Universe

Overall Meaning

“I offer my salutations to Goddess Śrī, the Mother of the Universe and the Supreme Ruler of this world. She is the dearest beloved of Lord Vishnu, the Lord of Venkata. She takes great delight in residing eternally on His chest, and she continuously amplifies His forbearance [toward the mistakes of His devotees]. Her pair of tender, sprout-like hands are beautifully adorned with lotuses, and She Herself is seated upon a lotus. I bow to that divine Goddess, who is radiant with auspicious qualities like boundless motherly affection.”