अर्गला स्तोत्र
Argala Stotram
The bolt that unfastens the door — twenty-seven verses recited before the Durga Saptashati, each closing with the same fourfold request.
समर्पितमाँ दुर्गाOm asya shreeargalaastotramantrasya vishnurrishih, anushtup chhandh, shreemahaalakshmeerdevataa, shreejagadambaapreetaye saptashateepaathaanggatvena jape viniyogh.
shreechandikaadhyaanamOm bandhookakusumaabhaasaan panychamundaadhivaasineem.sphurachchandrakalaaratnamukutaan mundamaalineem.trinetraan raktavasanaan peenonnataghatastaneem.pustakn chaakshamaalaan cha varn chaabhayakn kramaat.dadhateen snsmarennityamuttaraamnaayamaanitaam.
athavaayaa chandee madhukaitabhaadidaityadalanee yaa maahishonmoolineeyaa dhoomrekshanachandamundamathanee yaa raktabeejaashanee.shaktih shumbhanishumbhadaityadalanee yaa siddhidaatree paraasaa devee navakotimoortisahitaa maan paatu vishveshvaree.
atha argalaastotramOm namashchandikaayaimaarkandeya uvaacha.
Om jaya tvn devi chaamunde jaya bhootaapahaarini.jaya sarvagate devi kaalaraatri namo'stu te (1)
jayantee manggalaa kaalee bhadrakaalee kapaalinee.durgaa shivaa kshamaa dhaatree svaahaa svadhaa namo'stu te (2)
madhukaitabhavidhvnsi vidhaatrivarade namh.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (3)
mahishaasuranirnaashi bhaktaanaan sukhade namh.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (4)
dhoomranetravadhe devi dharmakaamaarthadaayini.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (5)
raktabeejavadhe devi chandamundavinaashini.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (6)
nishumbhashumbhanirnaashi trilokyashubhade namh.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (7)
vanditaangghriyuge devi sarvasaubhaagyadaayini.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (8)
achintyaroopacharite sarvashatruvinaashini.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (9)
natebhyh sarvadaa bhaktyaa chaaparne duritaapahe.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (10)
stuvadbhyo bhaktipoorvn tvaan chandike vyaadhinaashini.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (11)
chandike satatn yuddhe jayanti paapanaashini.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (12)
dehi saubhaagyamaarogyn dehi devi parn sukham.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (13)
vidhehi devi kalyaann vidhehi vipulaan shriyam.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (14)
vidhehi dvishataan naashn vidhehi balamuchchakaih.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (15)
suraasurashiroratnanighrishtacharane'mbike.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (16)
vidyaavantn yashasvantn lakshmeevantanycha maan kuru.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (17)
devi prachandadordandadaityadarpanishoodini.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (18)
prachandadaityadarpaghne chandike pranataaya me.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (19)
chaturbhuje chaturvaktrasnsute parameshvari.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (20)
krishnena snstute devi shashvadbhaktyaa sadaambike.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (21)
himaachalasutaanaathasnstute parameshvari.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (22)
indraaneepatisadbhaavapoojite parameshvari.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (23)
devi bhaktajanoddaamadattaanandodaye'mbike.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (24)
bhaaryaan manoramaan dehi manovrittaanusaarineem.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (25)
taarini durgasnsaarasaagarasyaachalodbhave.roopn dehi jayn dehi yasho dehi dvisho jahi (26)
idn stotrn pathitvaa tu mahaastotrn pathennarh.saptashateen samaaraadhya varamaapnoti durlabham (27)
. iti shreemaarkandeyapuraane argalaastotrn samaaptam.
Sanskrit Wikisource — अर्गलास्तोत्रम् (revision 305095)
Underlying Durga Saptashati liturgical text is public domain; cited Wikisource transcription is CC BY-SA
Complete twenty-seven-verse recension with viniyoga, both traditional meditations and the colophon. The source transcription uses ASCII full stops as danda substitutes; these were restored to । and ॥. No verse was added, removed or reordered. Ritual recensions vary slightly in verse count and order.
अर्गला स्तोत्र का अर्थ
Argala means a bolt or crossbar — the hymn is recited to draw back the bolt before the Durga Saptashati is read. Its shape is unusual and worth noticing: after the viniyoga and two alternative meditations, twenty-four of its verses end in exactly the same line, so that only the opening address changes from verse to verse. Read in sequence, those addresses become a compact index of the Saptashati's whole narrative — Madhu and Kaitabha, Mahishasura, Dhumralochana, Chanda and Munda, Raktabija, Shumbha and Nishumbha. The recurring request asks for beauty, victory, good name and the turning away of hostility, in the plain idiom of its period.