Chatuh Shloki

The Chatuh Shloki (Sanskrit: चतुःश्लोकी, romanized: Catuḥślokī) is a Sanskrit hymn by the Hindu philosopher Yamunacharya of the Sri Vaishnava tradition.

[1] Comprising four verses,[2] the Chatuh Shloki extols Lakshmi, the consort of the deity Vishnu.

[4] The four stanzas of the work describe the various attributes of the goddess Lakshmi, her greatness and mercy, the grace she offers to her devotees, and her inseparability in form from her consort Vishnu (Lakshmi Narayana) respectively.

The work is regarded to be a pioneer in offering descriptions of the personality of the goddess and her relationship with a devotee and her consort in Vaishnava philosophy.

[6] The first stanza of the hymn describes the attributes of Lakshmi and her standing among other beings:[7][8] kāntaste puruṣottamaḥ phaṇipatiḥ-śayanāsanam vāhanaṁvedātmā vihageśvaro yavanikā māyā jaganmohinī brahmeśādi-suravrajaḥ sadayitas tvaddāsa-dāsīgaṇaḥśrīrityeva ca nāma te bhagavati brūmaḥ kathaṁ tvām vayamPurushottama (an epithet of Vishnu) (is) your consort; the lord of the serpents (Shesha) (is) your throne; the king of the birds, (Garuda) whose body the Vedas are, (is) your mount; Maya (illusion), the world-enchantress (is) your veil; all the hosts of the devas with their consorts (are) your retinue of attendants and maids.