The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Lalitātriśatībhāṣyam

p. 296

p. 296

ललिलात्रिशतीभाष्यम् ।दिवसे दिवसे विप्रा भोज्या विंशतिसंख्यया ।दशभिः पञ्चभिर्वापि त्रिभिरेकेन वा दिनै ॥त्रिंशत्यष्टि शतविप्रा सभोज्यास्त्रिंशतः क्रमात् एवं यः कुरुते भक्त्या जन्ममध्ये सकृन्नरः ॥तस्यैव सफलं जन्म मुक्तिस्तस्य करे स्थिरा ।रहस्यनामसाहस्रभोजनेऽप्येवमेव हि ॥ ४१ ॥आदौ नित्यबलिं कुर्यात्पश्चाद्ब्राह्मणभोजनम् ।रहस्यनामसाहस्रमहिमा यो मयोदितः ॥ ४२ ॥सशीकराणुरत्रैकनाम्नो महिमवारिधेः ।वाग्देवीरचिते नामसाहस्रे यद्यदीरितम् ॥ ४३ ॥सत्फल कोटिगुणित नाम्नोऽप्येकस्य कीर्तनात् ।एतदन्यैर्जपै स्तोत्रैरर्चनैर्यत्फलं भवेत् ॥ ४४ ॥तत्फलं कोटिगुणितं भवेन्नामशतत्रयात् ।वाग्देवीरचिस्तोत्रे तादृशो महिमा यदि ॥

In plain words

Feed the brahmins daily in groups of twenty, ten, five, three, or one, or thirty, or eight, feeding hundreds in orderly groups of thirty. Whoever does this with devotion even once in a lifetime finds their birth fulfilled and liberation firmly within their grasp. The same rule applies to the ritual feeding for the Secret Sahasranama. First perform your daily offering, then feed the brahmins. The glory of the Secret Thousand Names that I described is merely a single drop of spray from the vast ocean of majesty belonging to just one name of this Trishati. Whatever fruit is declared for the Sahasranama composed by the Vagdevis—where even chanting a single name multiplies good results ten million times—and whatever fruit comes from other japas, stotras, and worships, that exact fruit is multiplied ten million times over simply by chanting the three hundred names. If such is the majesty of the Vagdevi-composed hymn...

Close to the Sanskrit

Day by day, brahmins are to be fed in counts of twenty, ten, five, or three, or one, or thirty, eight, one hundred brahmins to be fed together in groups of thirty in proper sequence. Thus whoever performs this with devotion even once in a lifetime, for that person alone life is fruitful and liberation remains firmly in his hand. The same indeed holds true for the feeding associated with the Secret Thousand Names. First one should perform the daily offering, afterwards the feeding of brahmins. The glory of the Secret Thousand Names which was spoken by me is a mere tiny drop of spray from this ocean of glory of a single name. Whatever is declared in the Thousand Names composed by the goddesses of speech yields ten millionfold good fruit from the chanting of even a single name. Whatever fruit may accrue from other japas, stotras, and ritual worships, that same fruit multiplied ten million times arises from the three hundred names. If such is the majesty found in the hymn composed by the Vagdevis...