Soundarya Lahari

They call it a hymn. It is really a pilgrimage.

Adi Shankaracharya's Soundarya Lahari "the wave of beauty" is a hundred verses of praise offered to the Divine Mother, and one of the most loved poems of the Hindu world. The first forty-one verses, the Ananda Lahari, describe the rising of consciousness within the body. The remaining fifty-nine walk slowly down the Goddess's form, from the crown of her head to her lotus feet, refusing to hurry.

This illustrated edition pairs every verse with a painting made for it.

• The Sanskrit, correctly set - the verse in Devanagari, with its danda marks and verse number.
• A transliteration you can chant - full IAST roman alongside, line for line, so you can say the verse aloud whether or not you read the script.
• A retelling in warm English - not a word-by-word gloss, but a short, clear paragraph that keeps the image of the verse intact.
• A full-page painting - its own illustration, printed complete, facing the words.

One hundred and six original illustrations in the devotional style of South Indian temple art, with gold leaf, crimson and indigo, lamp flames and folded hands. 222 pages, full colour throughout.

• The daily reader - one spread a morning. A hundred mornings, and you have walked the whole hymn.
• The chanter - Devanagari and IAST side by side.
• The newcomer - no Sanskrit required. The English retelling carries the verse on its own.
• The gift-giver - a full-colour illustrated volume for Navaratri, a housewarming, a wedding, or a teacher.

Open it anywhere. Read one wave at a time.