This short but sweet hymn appears in Skanda Purana – Kasi Kanda. It is said that a brahmin, by name Vishvanara prayed to the Lord with this stotra and got the Lord Himself as his son Vaishvanara. This shows that this prayer is capable of fulfilling one’s desires if recited with fervor and sincerity. Since it is capable of yielding
the desires of the devotee, it has got its name Abhilashashtakam. Abhilasha means desire. The stotra is replete with vedantic truths that are revealed by the upanishads. Hence a student of vedanta will be able to enjoy reciting it. The upanishads declare that God is without a name and form. But He may also be worshipped as one with form. Here the Supreme Being known by the name of Brahman is also addressed as Rudra in the first verse and later in the last verse identified as the Lord of Gowri.
abhilāṣāṣṭakaṃ 2 Lyrics in English:
ekaṃ brahmaiva”dvitīyaṃ samastaṃ
satyaṃ satyaṃ neha nānāsti kiṃcit ।
eko rudro na dvitīyāya tasthe
tasmādekaṃ tvāṃ prapadye sadāham ॥ 1 ॥ var prapadye maheśam
ekaḥ kartā tvaṃ hi sarvasya śaṃbho
nānā rūpeṣu ekarūposi arūpaḥ ।
yadvat pratyapsu arkaḥ ekopi anekaḥ
tasmāt nānyaṃ tvāṃ vineśaṃ prapadye ॥ 2 ॥
rajjau sarpaḥ śuktikāyāṃ ca rūpyaṃ
naraḥ pūraḥ tanmṛgākhye marīcau ।
yadvat tadvat viṣvak eṣaḥ prapañcaḥ
yasmin jñāte taṃ prapadye maheśaṃ ॥ 3 ॥
toye śaityaṃ dāhakatvaṃ ca vanhau
tāpo bhānau śīta bhānau prasādaḥ ।
puṣpe gaṇdhaḥ dugdha madhye’pi sarpiḥ
yattat śaṃbho tvaṃ tataḥ tvāṃ prapadye ॥ 4 ॥
śabdaṃ gṛṇhāsi aśravāḥ tvaṃ hi jighreḥ
agrāṇaḥ tvaṃ vyaṃghriḥ āyāsi dūrāt ।
vyakṣaḥ paśyeḥ tvaṃ rasajño’pi ajihvaḥ
kaḥ tvāṃ samyak vetti ataḥ tvāṃ prapadye ॥ 5 ॥
no veda tvāṃ īśa sākṣāt viveda
no vā viṣṇuḥ no vidhātā’khilasya ।
no yogīndrāḥ nendra mukhyāśca devāḥ
bhakto vedatvāṃ atastvāṃ prapadye ॥ 6 ॥
no te gotraṃ neśa janmāpi nākhyā
novā rūpaṃ naiva śīlaṃ na tejaḥ ।
itthaṃ bhūtopi īśvaraḥ tvaṃ trilokhyāḥ
sarvān kāmān pūrayeḥ tat bhajeham ॥ 7 ॥
tvattaḥ sarvaṃ tvahi sarvaṃ smarāre
tvaṃ gaurīśaḥ tvaṃ ca nagnaḥ atiśāntaḥ ।
tvaṃ vai vṛddhaḥ tvaṃ yuvā tvaṃ ca bālaḥ
tatvaṃ yatkiṃ nāsi ataḥ tvāṃ natosmi ॥ 8 ॥
Abhilashashtakam 2 Meaning:
1) It is the one brahman which is without a second and is in the form of everything. There are no different things. This is really the truth. And that brahman is Rudra. In view of this, I always surrender to You who is the One without a second.
2) Oh Sambho! You alone are the creator of every thing. You are without a form. Yet You appear in many forms in one form. Just as the same sun is seen as many suns in many collections of water, You also appear as many. So, I will not surrender to any one else.
3) On coming to know You, what appeared as the world earlier is seen as the Lord only, just as what appeared to be a snake earlier is understood to be a rope only, what appeared as silver is understood to be a pearl oyster only and what appeared as a stream is understood to be a mirage only. I surrender to You the Lord.
4) The coldness in the water, the intense heat in the fire, the heat in the sun, the joy in the moon, the fragrance in the flower and the ghee in the curd are all aspects of You. Therefore I surrender to You.
5) You hear but are without ears, You smell but are without nose, You come from a distance but are without feet, You see but are without eyes and taste but are without a tongue. Who can know You properly? Such a One, I surrender to You.
6) O Lord! the veda itself has not known You properly. Nor have Vishnu, Brahma the creator of all the worlds, the best among the yogis or the gods like Indra have understood You properly. Only Your devotee knows You. Therefore I surrender to You.
7) O Lord! You have no lineage. You have no birth, no name, no form also. You have no manner of conducting Yourself or splendor. Even though You are like this You are the lord of the three worlds. You fulfill everyone’s desires. Therefore I worship You.
8) O the enemy of the god of love! everything originated from You. You are everything. You are the lord of Gouri. You are naked. You are very peaceful. You are old, young, infantile. What are You not? Therefore I prostrate before You.