Hymns to the Goddess

What It's About

This is an anthology of English translations of Sanskrit hymns in praise of the feminine divine, gathered from a wide range of sources including the Tantras, the Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, and the works of Śaṅkarācārya and Vālmīki. The hymns collected here include the Ānandalaharī ("Waves of Bliss"), the Durgāśatanāma, the Sarvaviśvajananī ("Mother of the Whole Universe"), and the Devi Aparāda Kṣamāpana ("May the Devi Grant Me Pardon"), among others. Each is accompanied by footnotes and interpretive commentary explaining its context and meaning.

Key Concepts

The hymns centre on Devi, the Goddess, as the supreme power (Śakti) underlying and animating the universe — a central idea in Śākta and Tantric theology. The collection reflects the stotra tradition of Hindu devotional literature, in which praise, petition, and philosophical reflection are woven together in verse.

About the Author

Arthur Avalon was the pen name of Sir John George Woodroffe (1865–1936), a British judge who served on the Calcutta High Court during the colonial period. Alongside his legal career, he became one of the earliest Western scholars to take Hindu Tantra seriously as a subject of study, translating numerous Sanskrit texts and publishing widely on Tantric philosophy and practice.

About This Edition

This is a 1913 translation by Arthur Avalon.