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Mantra · Markandeya's 14 verses on the lock Shiva set on the Saptashati, and its release

Kilak Stotram

ॐ विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय त्रिवेदीदिव्यचक्षुषे । श्रेयःप्राप्तिनिमित्ताय नमः सोमार्द्धधारिणे ॥

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Kilak Stotram is

The Kilaka Stotram, or Kilakam, is the third and last of the short texts read before the Durga Saptashati, after the Devi Kavacham and the Argala Stotram; kilaka means a pin or peg, the kind that fastens a door. The Markandeya Purana's thirteen chapters do not contain it, and no author is named. After a salutation to Chandika, the sage Markandeya speaks all fourteen verses. The viniyoga set above it in the standard printed edition gives Shiva as its rishi, the anushtup as its metre and Mahasaraswati as its deity. Verse 1 salutes Shiva, whose body is pure knowledge and whose three eyes are the three Vedas. Verses 2 to 4 set worship of the Goddess through this hymn beside the repetition of other mantras, verses 5 to 8 tell how Shiva hid and fastened it, and verses 9 to 14 say what follows for one who releases the pin and recites it. The translation in the standard printed edition takes 'this hymn' throughout to mean the Saptashati itself. Some printings add two closing verses; the standard printed text ends at 14.

Why Shiva fastened the hymn with a pin

The Kilaka tells no battle and names no demon. Its story is a ruling. Verses 2 to 4 grant that one who keeps steadily to the repetition of other mantras also reaches well-being, and that rites such as uccatana, meant to drive an adversary from their place, succeed for them. Yet for those who praise the Goddess with this hymn, verse 3 says, she is won by the hymn alone, and verse 4 adds that no mantra, herb or other means is then needed. That left people with a doubt: if both roads lead to success, which is better? Verse 5 says Shiva, as Hara, took up this doubt and declared the whole hymn auspicious. In verse 6 he then kept the hymn of Chandika hidden, and its merit, the verse says, has no end. Verses 7 and 8 give the condition. On the fourteenth or the eighth day of the dark fortnight, with a collected mind, the reciter gives everything to her and receives it back from her; she is pleased in no other way. 'With a pin of this kind,' verse 8 ends, 'Mahadeva has fastened it.' A footnote in the standard printed edition reads this giving and receiving as a particular way of releasing the pin: the devotee offers their honestly earned wealth to the Goddess, then takes it back as her gift and spends it rightly. Verse 11 closes the account: knowing this, one should begin, and the wise begin only once the hymn is made whole.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiॐ विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय त्रिवेदीदिव्यचक्षुषे । श्रेयःप्राप्तिनिमित्ताय नमः सोमार्द्धधारिणे ॥

Tamilௐ விஶுத்தஜ்ஞாநதேஹாய த்ரிவேதீதிவ்யசக்ஷுஷே । ஶ்ரேயஃப்ராப்திநிமித்தாய நமஃ ஸோமார்த்ததாரிணே ॥

Teluguఓం విశుద్ధజ్ఞానదేహాయ త్రివేదీదివ్యచక్షుషే । శ్రేయఃప్రాప్తినిమిత్తాయ నమః సోమార్ద్ధధారిణే ॥

Kannadaಓಂ ವಿಶುದ್ಧಜ್ಞಾನದೇಹಾಯ ತ್ರಿವೇದೀದಿವ್ಯಚಕ್ಷುಷೇ । ಶ್ರೇಯಃಪ್ರಾಪ್ತಿನಿಮಿತ್ತಾಯ ನಮಃ ಸೋಮಾರ್ದ್ಧಧಾರಿಣೇ ॥

Malayalamഓം വിശുദ്ധജ്ഞാനദേഹായ ത്രിവേദീദിവ്യചക്ഷുഷേ । ശ്രേയഃപ്രാപ്തിനിമിത്തായ നമഃ സോമാര്ദ്ധധാരിണേ ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationoṃ viśuddhajñānadehāya trivedīdivyacakṣuṣe | śreyaḥprāptinimittāya namaḥ somārddhadhāriṇe ||

“Markandeya said: Salutation to Shiva, whose body is pure knowledge, whose three divine eyes are the three Vedas, who is the means of attaining the highest good, and who wears the half-moon.”

ॐ: oṃ — Om
विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय: viśuddhajñānadehāya — to him whose body is pure knowledge
त्रिवेदीदिव्यचक्षुषे: trivedīdivyacakṣuṣe — whose divine eyes are the three Vedas
श्रेयःप्राप्तिनिमित्ताय: śreyaḥprāptinimittāya — the means of reaching the highest good
नमः: namaḥ — salutation
सोमार्द्धधारिणे: somārddhadhāriṇe — to the wearer of the half-moon

Kilak Stotram lyrics in full

The opening salutation and all 14 verses of the Kilaka in the standard numbering; the speaker is named above the first verse.

All 14 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Kilak Stotram PDFAll 14 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Opening

ॐ नमश्चण्डिकायै ॥

Om, salutation to Chandika.

Verse 1

मार्कण्डेय उवाच
ॐ विशुद्धज्ञानदेहाय त्रिवेदीदिव्यचक्षुषे । श्रेयःप्राप्तिनिमित्ताय नमः सोमार्द्धधारिणे ॥

Markandeya said: Salutation to Shiva, whose body is pure knowledge, whose three divine eyes are the three Vedas, who is the means of attaining the highest good, and who wears the half-moon.

Verse 2

सर्वमेतद्विजानीयान्मन्त्राणामभिकीलकम् ।
सोऽपि क्षेममवाप्नोति सततं जाप्यतत्परः ॥

One should know this whole hymn, which releases the lock that binds the mantras. Yet one who is always devoted to the repetition of other mantras also attains well-being.

Verse 3

सिद्ध्यन्त्युच्चाटनादीनि वस्तूनि सकलान्यपि ।
एतेन स्तुवतां देवी स्तोत्रमात्रेण सिद्ध्यति ॥

For such a person rites such as uccatana and all desired things succeed. But for those who praise her with this hymn, the Goddess is won by the hymn alone.

Verse 4

न मन्त्रो नौषधं तत्र न किञ्चिदपि विद्यते ।
विना जाप्येन सिद्ध्येत सर्वमुच्चाटनादिकम् ॥

For them no mantra, no herb and nothing else is needed. The verse says that every rite, uccatana and the rest, succeeds even without other repetition.

Verse 5

समग्राण्यपि सिद्ध्यन्ति लोकशङ्कामिमां हरः ।
कृत्वा निमन्त्रयामास सर्वमेवमिदं शुभम् ॥

All their aims are fulfilled. Taking up this doubt of the people, Shiva called those who came to him and declared that this whole hymn is auspicious in this way.

Verse 6

स्तोत्रं वै चण्डिकायास्तु तच्च गुप्तं चकार सः ।
समाप्तिर्न च पुण्यस्य तां यथावन्नियन्त्रणाम् ॥

He then kept this hymn of Chandika hidden. The merit it brings has no end, and his ruling on it should be understood as it truly is.

Verse 7

सोऽपि क्षेममवाप्नोति सर्वमेवं न संशयः ।
कृष्णायां वा चतुर्दश्यामष्टम्यां वा समाहितः ॥

He too attains complete well-being, without doubt. On the fourteenth or the eighth day of the dark fortnight, with a collected mind,

Verse 8

ददाति प्रतिगृह्णाति नान्यथैषा प्रसीदति ।
इत्थंरूपेण कीलेन महादेवेन कीलितम् ॥

he offers everything to her and receives it back from her; she is not pleased in any other way. With a lock of this kind Mahadeva has locked the hymn.

Verse 9

यो निष्कीलां विधायैनां नित्यं जपति संस्फुटम् ।
स सिद्धः स गणः सोऽपि गन्धर्वो जायते नरः ॥

The verse says that the man who unlocks the hymn and recites it every day, clearly pronounced, becomes a siddha, an attendant of the Goddess, and a gandharva.

Verse 10

न चैवाप्यटतस्तस्य भयं क्वापीह जायते ।
नापमृत्युवशं याति मृतो मोक्षमवाप्नुयात् ॥

Wherever he wanders in this world, no fear arises for him. He does not fall to untimely death, and after death, the verse says, he attains liberation.

Verse 11

ज्ञात्वा प्रारभ्य कुर्वीत न कुर्वाणो विनश्यति ।
ततो ज्ञात्वैव सम्पन्नमिदं प्रारभ्यते बुधैः ॥

Knowing this, one should begin the recitation and carry it out; one who does not do so comes to ruin. So the wise begin this hymn only after knowing it and making it complete.

Verse 12

सौभाग्यादि च यत्किञ्चिद् दृश्यते ललनाजने ।
तत्सर्वं तत्प्रसादेन तेन जाप्यमिदं शुभम् ॥

Whatever good fortune and the like is seen among women, all of it comes by her grace. Therefore this auspicious hymn should be recited.

Verse 13

शनैस्तु जप्यमानेऽस्मिन् स्तोत्रे सम्पत्तिरुच्चकैः ।
भवत्येव समग्रापि ततः प्रारभ्यमेव तत् ॥

When this hymn is recited softly the reward is small, but when it is recited aloud the reward comes in full. So it should be begun aloud.

Verse 14

ऐश्वर्यं यत्प्रसादेन सौभाग्यारोग्यसम्पदः ।
शत्रुहानिः परो मोक्षः स्तूयते सा न किं जनैः ॥

By her grace come power, good fortune, health, wealth, the defeat of enemies and the highest liberation. Why then do people not praise her?

The syllable people get wrong

In verse 9, niṣkīlāṃ (निष्कीलां), 'freed of the pin', has a retroflex ṣ, said with the tip of the tongue turned up to the roof of the mouth, followed straight by k, and two long vowels: say nish-KEE-laam, not 'nis-ki-lam'. The same long ī belongs in kīlaka itself, which is why the name is often written Keelaka.

When the Kilak Stotram is chanted

Weekday. Friday

Festival. Navaratri, read before each day's Saptashati

Questions

A kila or kilaka is a pin, peg or wedge. In the viniyoga said before many mantras, the kilaka is named after the seed (bija) and the power (shakti) as the element that holds the mantra fast. The hymn uses the word twice. Verse 2 calls the text abhikilaka, which the translation in the standard printed edition explains as the remover of the pin that blocks success in mantras. Verse 8 turns the image round: Mahadeva has fastened this hymn with a pin of his own. Verse 9 speaks of one who makes it nishkila, free of the pin, and verses 7 and 8 say how: by giving everything to the Goddess on the dark-fortnight eighth or fourteenth and receiving it back from her. The Kilaka, then, is the account of the pin and of its release, read before the 700 verses it concerns.

Not in those words. The fourteen verses never use shapa, the Sanskrit for a curse; they speak only of a pin that Shiva set (verse 8) and of the hymn being kept hidden (verse 6). The language of a curse comes from the ritual handbooks and lineages that add mantras for lifting it (shapoddhara and utkilana), which the standard printed edition gives while noting that some scholars hold them unnecessary. The same edition records a view that the giving and receiving of verses 7 and 8 is itself the lifting of the curse. The scholar Thomas Coburn, in Encountering the Goddess, reports a different reading: that the restraint on the Saptashati is there to contain its overwhelming power rather than to punish anyone.

The order follows the parts of a mantra. In the verse the standard printed edition quotes from the Yogaratnavali, the Kavacham is called the seed, the Argala the power and the Kilaka the pin of the great mantra that is the Saptashati, so they are read in that sequence, just as bija, shakti and kilaka are uttered in that order before any mantra. The pin comes last because it is what fastens. The standard printed edition also gives a verse from the Chidambara Samhita that reads the Argala and Kilaka first and the Kavacham after them, and leaves the reader to follow the order of their own lineage. The main Durga Saptashati page sets out the full reading sequence, from these three limbs to the closing prayer.

The text makes its claims verse by verse, and they are reported here as it states them. Verse 9 says that one who frees the hymn of the pin and recites it daily, clearly pronounced, becomes a siddha, an attendant (gana) of the Goddess and a gandharva. Verse 10 says no fear arises for them wherever they go, that they do not fall to untimely death and that after death they reach liberation. Verse 12 says that whatever good fortune is seen among women comes by her grace. Verse 13 says the reward is small when the hymn is said softly and full when it is said aloud. Verse 14 closes with a question: since power, good fortune, health, wealth, the defeat of enemies and the highest liberation all come by her grace, why do people not praise her?

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Kilak Stotram

What the Kilak Stotram is

Why Shiva fastened the hymn with a pin

The mantra, in six scripts

Kilak Stotram lyrics in full

The syllable people get wrong

When the Kilak Stotram is chanted

Questions

Have your chart read before you decide

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