White as camphor, compassion come down in form, the essence of this world, garlanded with the king of serpents; always dwelling in the lotus of the heart — to Bhava, together with Bhavānī, I bow.
Perhaps the best-known Śiva verse of all, sung at the close of the āratī in homes and temples.
It is often said to come from the Yajurveda or the Śiva Purāṇa, but we have not found it in either, so we list it honestly as a verse of the worship tradition.
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Original text
कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं
संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ।
सदा वसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे
भवं भवानीसहितं नमामि ॥
karpūra-gauraṃ karuṇāvatāraṃ
saṃsāra-sāraṃ bhujagendra-hāram |
sadā vasantaṃ hṛdayāravinde
bhavaṃ bhavānī-sahitaṃ namāmi ||
Translation
White as camphor, compassion come down in form, the essence of this world, garlanded with the king of serpents; always dwelling in the lotus of the heart — to Bhava, together with Bhavānī, I bow.
Translation by: Om Namah Shivay
This passage is in our collection; editorial review is still pending.
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