Shyamala Dandakam

A hymn composed by the great Sage Kalidasa in praise of Goddess Sri Rajashyamala

Shyamala Dandakam is a whole poetry in one line, comas excepted. There is a folk story about how Kalidas came about to write this stotra. He was a foolish wood cutter who was made to act wise by the courtiers of a proud princess and thus convinced the princess marry him. The princess advised the wood cutter to enter in to a temple of Kali, and when she went for a walk, he locked himself in. When Kali came back, the wood cutter refused to allow her in, unless she made him wise. After she did, the first prayer of this wood cutter to Kali was Shyamala Dandakam.

The wood cutter is none other than Kalidasa was one of the great Sanskrit poets. He wrote many great dramas like Shakunthalam and great epics like Kumara Sambhavam, Malavikagni mithram, the message poetry called Megha Sandesham etc. He is extremely famous for the use of appropriate similes and metaphors.

Shyamala Dandakam is perhaps the greatest stotra written by him eulogizing the Mother Goddess Shyamala. Kalidasa has employed a poetic style called Dandakam. This is poetry where some of the lines have more than 26 syllables, resembling more like prose. In this case there is only one sentence from start to the end.

It is believed that chanting Shyamala Dandakam daily with faith makes us Intellectual and wise.