Padukasahasra 12

During Śauri's movements, the shower of flowers falling from heaven
comes to rest upon none other than that foot-protector, to which I surrender.

My deity is the sporting sandal of the divine couple, worshiped by the three worlds,
which enjoys daily honoring through the placing of their lotus-hands and lotus-feet.

O gem sandal of Raṅga's King, the Mountain-Lord, having performed his worship of you
with the waters of the celestial river, then worships you with the crescent moon on his crest,
as though it were a fresh petal of the screwpine flower.

When flowers are offered upon you by the devotees, O foot-protector of Raṅgeśa,
we understand why the sage Śaṭhakopa, who bears your sole name,
possesses this perpetual, enchanting fragrance.

In the supreme abode, in the realm of the Creator, with holy blossoms on the bank of the Sarayū,
and in the midst of the river from Mount Sahya, O foot-protector,
your worship was like an installation in four places.

Desiring to obtain your very own unhindered good fortune, O footwear of Raṅgeśvara,
the celestial nymphs repeatedly worship you
with the well-grown blossoms of the wish-granting trees of heaven.

I consider, O gem footwear, that the worship offered at the lotus foot of Raṅgapati
was seen on the head of the Mountain-Lord by the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow,
having fallen there precisely from being placed upon you.

O gem footwear of Raṅga's King, offering to you even two or three leaves,
those who desire sovereign glory obtain the rank of Indra in turn
and paint decorative leaf-patterns on the breasts of their Śacīs.

Those who arrange for you pleasure gardens filled with flowers on this earth—
those fortunate men, O footwear of the lotus-eyed Lord,
sport in time within the Nandana garden of heaven.

Those who worship you, O gem footwear of the slayer of Mura,
even solely with the blossoms of their internal devotion—
the gods constantly perfume their feet
with diadems charming with garlands of Mandāra flowers.

Untouched by the taint of faults, unassailable by others,
the entire aggregate of human aims is plucked by hand;
O foot-protector of Janārdana, how wonderful that the flowers offered unto you
suddenly bear fruit for their devotees!

The garland offered upon you by the reverent hosts of gods,
O footwear of Madhusūdana, shines like the river Bhāgīrathī,
which, having formed an alliance through resorting to the striding foot of Viṣṇu,
desires to embrace you.

Those who worship you with lotuses, O gem sandal of Raṅga's King,
desiring to attain authority—
vigilant destiny gradually raises them
onto the lotus-seat registers of Brahmās of other cosmic ages.

The shoots of Dūrvā grass or easily gathered Tulasī leaves offered upon you by mortals,
O gem footwear, at once become supremely potent herbs
to tame the serpent of saṃsāra, through the power of the King of Raṅgam.

Surely, having worshiped you with thousand-petaled lotuses for other-worldly glory,
O sandal of the smiter of asuras,
mortals are transformed in turn into the thousand-eyed Indra,
O goddess, through the changing eras of Manus.

The golden flowers offered upon you, O footwear of the protector of the thirty gods,
by the blessed, become indistinguishable from the cassia flowers
that slip down from the head of the Mountain-Lord as he bows down.

Placed upon you by the celestial gods who consider you the pacifier of all afflictions,
O gem footwear, the splendor of the wealth of flower-offerings
is rendered redundant by the rays of the toenails of the lotus-feet of the consort of Padmā.

When the Lord undertakes to place his foot in you to quell the adversaries of heaven's dwellers,
the bees, abandoning the Tulasī clinging to you,
sound first the trumpet-blasts of departure.

Having reached you, O goddess, whose fragrance is born of enjoying Raṅgeśa's foot,
along with celestial blossoms,
the bees of the Nandana garden indeed show no regard
even for the lotus of his navel, whose sweet essence is ever displayed.

O golden foot-protector, even before the shower of flowers
is set in motion by the lords of gods whose fear of demons has been pacified,
you receive a fitting lustrous consecration of flowers
when you obtain the descent of the lotus-feet of the lotus-eyed Lord.

Surely even today the sages' wives in every quarter throughout the Daṇḍaka forest
do not, out of deep reverence, abandon the base
of the hermitage trees from which blossoms were gathered
for the sake of your adornment, O footwear of the Lord of the Raghus.

When the dark cloud moves forth, O sandal, with the inner petals of screwpine flowers offered by the wise,
you make whole the crest-moons of the gods—dark on the left side
due to the form of their excellent consorts—which adhere to you at the moment of their prostration.

Offered near you by the son of the wind and others appointed to your service,
O sandal of the Lord of Raṅgam,
the bees with great difficulty distinguish the row of golden lotuses
from the bowed faces of Brahmā and the gods, which look no different.

Falling upon you together with the divine flowers touched by Brahmā, Śiva, and Indra,
the bees of their respective gardens, O footwear of the foe of Madhu,
surely instruct those who do not know the highest reality
with their own sweet buzzing sounds.

Consuming the Vedic perfume of the divine flowers that constantly arrive
and rise from you, O sandal, the breeze produced by the flywhisks
waved in the vicinity of the Lord of Raṅgam
allays the burning fever of the people.

Intending to present the drama of the protection of the entire world / on the central stage of Raṅgam, adorned with flowers from the trees of the gods, / Raṅganātha, having first performed the graceful dance Himself, / instructs you, O sandal, in the fitting dramatic gesture.

O queen, when you have reached that abode of Viṣṇu, honored by the three worlds, / with your own red hue unfaded—just as twilight attains the sky— / the blossoms of the pārijāta fallen around you, cast by the gods, / clearly display an association with the stars.

O sandal, properly bearing the foot of the king of Raṅga, / pleasing our ears, revealing His faultless majesty, / with sounds holding the Vedas within them, / the bees of Indra's pleasure garden, bathed by divine flowers, are attendants after the sacred bath for you, O queen.

What need of flowers? Even tulasī leaves are done with; dūrvā grass too remains far off / in your rites of worship, O sandal of Mukunda; out of grace you are the wish-granting cow of the virtuous! / Let that cow eager for a mouthful of fresh young kuśa grass / stand beside the entrance to Vasiṣṭha's house!

Having first performed a scented-powder bath for you / with the dust of the cassia flower on His crest, / Śambhu bathes you, O sandal of Raṅgeśa, / with the Gaṅgā of His head.

Thus concludes the twelfth section, on flowers, in the Sahasra on the sandals of the blessed Raṅganātha, composed by the Lion among poets and logicians, master of all systems, the venerable Veṅkaṭanātha, the revered Vedānta teacher.

13. The Section on Dust (30)