पञ्चलक्षजपेनैव सिद्धं तु कवचं भवेत् । यदि स्यात्सिद्धकवचो बृहस्पतिसमो भवेत्
By reciting it five hundred thousand times, the armor becomes perfected; if one has perfected the armor, one becomes equal to Bṛhaspati.
महावाग्मी कवीन्द्रश्च त्रैलोक्यविजयी भवेत् । शक्नोति सर्वं जेतुं च कवचस्य प्रसादतः
One becomes a great orator, a foremost poet, and a conqueror of the three worlds; by the grace of the armor, one is able to conquer all.
इदं च कण्वशाखोक्तं कवचं कथितं मुने । स्तोत्रं पूजाविधानं च ध्यानं च वन्दनं शृणु
This armor, as spoken in the Kanva branch, has been described to you, O sage. Now listen to the hymn, the method of worship, the meditation, and the salutation.
याज्ञवल्क्यकृतं सरस्वतीस्तोत्रवर्णनम् श्रीनारायण उवाच वाग्देवतायाः स्तवनं श्रूयतां सर्वकामदम् । महामुनिर्याज्ञवल्क्यो येन तुष्टाव तां पुरा
The praise of Sarasvati composed by Yajnavalkya. Shri Narayana said: Hear the hymn to the goddess of speech, which grants all desires, by which the great sage Yajnavalkya once worshipped her.
गुरुशापाज्ज स मुनिर्हतविद्यो बभूव ह । तदा जगाम दुःखार्तो रविस्थानं सुपुण्यदम्
Because of his teacher's curse, the sage lost his knowledge; afflicted by sorrow, he went to the highly sacred place of the sun.
सम्प्राप्य तपसा सूर्यं लोलार्के दृष्टिगोचरे । तुष्टाव सूर्यं शोकेन रुरोद च मुहुर्मुहुः
Having reached the sun through austerity, and seeing the shining orb within his sight, he praised the sun in his grief and wept again and again.
सूर्यस्तं पाठयामास वेदं वेदाङ्गमीश्वरः । उवाच स्तौहि वाग्देवीं भक्त्या च स्मृतिहेतवे
The sun, lord of the Vedas and their limbs, taught him the Veda and said: 'Praise the goddess of speech with devotion for the sake of memory.'
तमित्युक्त्वा दीननाथोऽप्यन्तर्धानं चकार सः । मुनिः स्नात्वा च तुष्टाव भक्तिनम्रात्मकन्धरः
Having said this, the compassionate lord disappeared. The sage, after bathing, worshipped her with devotion and a bowed head.
याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच कृपां कुरु जगन्मातर्मामेवं हततेजसम् । गुरुशापात्स्मृतिभ्रष्टं विद्याहीनं च दुःखितम्
Yajnavalkya said: Show mercy, O Mother of the Universe, to me whose brilliance is destroyed; cursed by my teacher, deprived of memory and knowledge, and suffering.
ज्ञानं देहि स्मृतिं विद्यां शक्तिं शिष्यप्रबोधिनीम् । ग्रन्थकर्तृत्वशक्तिं च सुशिष्यं सुप्रतिष्ठितम्
Grant me knowledge, memory, learning, and the power to awaken my disciples; also the ability to compose texts, and a well-established, excellent disciple.
प्रतिभां सत्सभायां च विचारक्षमतां शुभाम् । लुप्तं सर्वं दैवयोगान्नवीभूतं पुनः कुरु
Bestow inspiration in noble assemblies, and auspicious capacity for discernment; restore everything lost by fate, making it new again.
यथाङ्कुरं भस्मनि च करोति देवता पुनः । ब्रह्मस्वरूपा परमा ज्योतीरूपा सनातनी
Just as the deity causes a sprout to emerge even from ashes, so too, O eternal, supreme, radiant, and Brahman-formed One.
सर्वविद्याधिदेवी या तस्यै वाण्यै नमो नमः । विसर्गबिन्दुमात्रासु यदधिष्ठानमेव च
To her, the goddess presiding over all knowledge, to Vani, I bow again and again; to her who is the foundation of visarga and bindu alone.
तदधिष्ठात्री या देवी तस्यै नित्यै नमो नमः । व्याख्यास्वरूपा सा देवी व्याख्याधिष्ठातृरूपिणी
To that goddess who is the presiding force over them, to her who is eternal, I bow again and again; that goddess who is the form of explanation, and the presiding force of exposition.
यया विना प्रसंख्यावान् संख्यां कर्तुं न शक्यते । कालसंख्यास्वरूपा या तस्यै देव्यै नमो नमः
Without her, it is not possible to enumerate or count; to that goddess who is the form of time and number, I bow again and again.
भ्रमसिद्धान्तरूपा या तस्यै देव्यै नमो नमः । स्मृतिशक्तिज्ञानशक्तिबुद्धिशक्तिस्वरूपिणी
To that goddess who is the form of the principle of error, I bow again and again; she who is the embodiment of the power of memory, knowledge, and intellect.
प्रतिभाकल्पनाशक्तिर्या च तस्यै नमो नमः । सनत्कुमारो ब्रह्माणं ज्ञानं पप्रच्छ यत्र वै
She who is the power of inspiration and imagination, to her I bow again and again; where Sanatkumara once asked Brahma for knowledge.
बभूव मूकवत्सोऽपि सिद्धान्तं कर्तुमक्षमः । तदाऽऽजगाम भगवानात्मा श्रीकृष्ण ईश्वरः
Even he became like one mute, unable to establish the doctrine; then the blessed Lord, Shri Krishna, the Supreme, arrived.
उवाच स तां स्तौहि वाणीमिष्टां प्रजापते । स च तुष्टाव तां ब्रह्मा चाज्ञया परमात्मनः
He said to him: 'Praise the desired Vani, O creator.' And Brahma, by the command of the Supreme Self, worshipped her.
चकार तत्प्रसादेन तदा सिद्धान्तमुत्तमम् । यदाप्यनन्तं पप्रच्छ ज्ञानमेकं वसुन्धरा
By her grace, he then established the highest doctrine; and when the earth asked Ananta for singular knowledge.
बभूव मूकवत्सोऽपि सिद्धान्तं कर्तुमक्षमः । तदा तां स च तुष्टाव संत्रस्तः कश्यपाज्ञया
He became like one mute, unable to establish the conclusion; then, terrified, he praised her by the command of Kashyapa.
ततश्चकार सिद्धान्तं निर्मलं भ्रमभञ्जनम् । व्यासः पुराणसूत्रं च पप्रच्छ वाल्मिकिं यदा
Then he made a pure, error-dispelling conclusion; Vyasa questioned Valmiki regarding the Purana-sutra.
मौनीभूतश्च सस्मार तामेव जगदम्बिकाम् । तदा चकार सिद्धान्तं तद्वरेण मुनीश्वरः
Becoming silent, he remembered that very Jagadambika; then, by her boon, the lord of sages established the conclusion.
सम्प्राप्य निर्मलं ज्ञानं भ्रमान्धध्वंसदीपकम् । पुराणसूत्रं श्रुत्वा च व्यासः कृष्णकलोद्भवः
Having attained pure knowledge, a lamp that destroys the darkness of delusion, Vyasa, born in the age of Krishna, heard the Purana-sutra.
तां शिवां वेद दध्यौ च शतवर्षं च पुष्करे । तदा त्वत्तो वरं प्राप्य सत्कवीन्द्रो बभूव ह
He meditated upon that auspicious one, the Veda, for a hundred years at Pushkara; then, having received a boon from you, he became the foremost of poets.
तदा वेदविभागं च पुराणं च चकार सः । यदा महेन्द्रः पप्रच्छ तत्त्वज्ञानं सदाशिवम्
Then he made the division of the Veda and the Purana; when Mahendra questioned Sadashiva about the knowledge of truth,
क्षणं तामेव सञ्चिन्त्य तस्मै ज्ञानं ददौ विभुः । पप्रच्छ शब्दशास्त्रं च महेन्द्रश्च बृहस्पतिम्
Thinking of her for a moment, the Lord gave him knowledge; Mahendra questioned Brihaspati about the science of words.
दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं च स त्वां दध्यौ च पुष्करे । तदा त्वत्तो वरं प्राप्य दिव्यवर्षसहस्रकम्
He meditated upon you at Pushkara for a thousand divine years; then, having received a boon from you, he gained a thousand divine years.
उवाच शब्दशास्त्रं च तदर्थं च सुरेश्वरम् । अध्यापिताश्च ये शिष्या यैरधीतं मुनीश्वरैः
He spoke the science of words and its meaning to the lord of gods; and those disciples who were taught by the sages,
ते च तां परिसञ्चिन्त्य प्रवर्तन्ते सुरेश्वरीम् । त्वं संस्तुता पूजिता च मुनीन्द्रैर्मनुमानवैः
They, contemplating her, proceed to worship the goddess of the gods; you are praised and honored by the great sages and men.