Muka Panchashati ॥श्रीमूकपञ्चशती॥

Sri Muka Panchashati was composed by Sri Muka Sankarendra Saraswati, the 20th Acharya to adorn Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. The acharya was the son of one Vidyavati, an astrologer and astronomer. He was a congenital deaf-mute. But through the grace of Goddess Kamakshi he gained the power of speech. On knowing this attainment of speech by Mooka because of the grace of Devi, the then Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Vidyaghana, sent for the boy's parents and told them of his intention of giving sanyasa to the boy and, with their consent, gave sanyasa to the boy and ordained him as his successor in the Kamakoti Math. Vikramaditya Sakari of Ujjain, Matrugupta, some time king of Kashmir, and Pravarasena, who succeeded Matrugupta on the throne, all considered it a rare privilege to serve at the feet of this great Acharya. Muka Sankara is the author of Muka Panchasati, a lyrical outburst of poetry on Kamakshi, The mellifluence of the work is said to be rivaled only by Lila Suka's Krishna Karnamrta. He attained mukti at a village near Godavari on full moon day in the month of Sravana of the cyclic year Dhatu (437 AD). (Source: Acharya Parampara of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam)

Panchashati means 500. The 500 shlokas of the Muka Panchashati are arranged into five groups of 100 shlokas each. Shatakam means 100. The Five Shatakams are named as follows. Click on the names to access the full text of the Shatakams in Sanskrit.