Praise of Sarasvatī

The Lute of the Gandharvas

In Praise of Sarasvatī

by Do Dasel Wangmo

Arisen from the ocean of all the victors’ wisdom,
Daughter of Brahma with full-moon countenance—
When your form appears in the lake of my mind,
Please dispel each and every form of mental dark.

Glorious Sarasvatī, your form has a radiance
Akin to the snows of Kailash bathed in sunlight.
Gracefully as a flowing pendant of precious silk,
Manifest yourself, right here and now, before me.

In the heart of an aquamarine lake, upon a lotus stem,
You appear as fresh as a brightly coloured utpala.
As you pluck the strings of the tuneful lute upon your lap,
Show your beautiful face amidst the web of iridescent light.

Your perfect lips are exquisitely red like bimba fruit,[1]
Your tongue is as delicate and supple as a lotus petal;
And your white teeth gleam as brightly as conches—
Impart all the points of the ocean-like sūtras and tantras.

Let your wisdom mind that knows all objects of knowledge,
With its white light for dispelling the ignorance in beings' minds,
Flood into the jasmine garden of my heart, and in that moment
Cause the thousand petals of my own intelligence to bloom.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2025.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

mdo zla gsal dbang mo. "dbyangs can bstod pa dri za’i rgyud mangs" In rje btsun ma mdo zla gsal dbang mo'i gsung rtsom phyogs bsgrigs, Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2007. p. 147

mdo zla gsal dbang mo. "dbyangs can bstod pa dri za’i rgyud mangs" In mkha' 'gro'i chos mdzod chen mo. Lhasa: Bod ljongs bod yig dpe rnying dpe skrun khang, 2017. Vol. 41: 172

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