नमोवाकं ब्रूमो नयनरमणीयाय पदयोः
तवास्मै द्वन्द्वाया स्फुटरूचिरसालक्तकवते।
असूयत्यत्यन्तं यदभिहननाय स्पृहयते
पशूनामीशानः प्रमदवनकङ्केलितरवे॥

namovākaṁ brūmo nayanaramaṇīyāya padayoḥ
tavāsmai dvandvāyā sphuṭarūcirasālaktakavate |
asūyatyatyantaṁ yadabhihananāya spṛhayate
paśūnāmīśānaḥ pramadavanakaṅkelitarave ||

namovākaṁ brūmo – expressing the words of obeisance; nayana ramaṇīyāya – delightful to eyes; padayoḥ tavāsmai dvandvāyā – These two feet of Yours; sphuṭa rūci rasālakta kavate – due to the brilliance of henna applied on them (feet); asūyati atyantaṁ - highly jealous; yat abhihananāya – kicked with Thy feet; spṛhayate – desirous of (longing for); paśūnām īśānaḥ - Lord of all beings, Your Consort Śiva; pramadavana – delightful garden; kaṅkeli – ashoka tree; tarave – O! The Incomparable One!

“I pray aloud (with verses, hymns and nāma-s, as they are generally recited aloud) to Your beautiful pair of feet, which shine with henna applied around Your feet. The ashoka tree in Your joyous garden is being kicked by You. On seeing this, Your Consort Śiva becomes jealous of this ashoka tree.”

There are two separate aspects in this verse. First aspect is worshipping Her sacred feet by Śaṁkarācārya (or by us). It is important to note in this verse that Her feet are praised with vocal prayers. This goes to prove that mantras should be recited mentally and hymns, verses and nāma-s are to be recited aloud. This also confirms that Her feet alone is capable of granting all our spiritual desires. Falling at Her feet towards total surrender is known as caraṇagata. Caraṇagata means falling at one’s feet, which is different from śaraṇāgati or total surrender. Caraṇagata is surrender through body and śaraṇāgati is surrender through mind. What Śaṁkarācārya refers here is Caraṇagata, falling at Her splendorous pinkish feet. Thus, in the first part of this verse, Ācārya speaks about prostration at Her feet. This also means that Ācārya sees Her in Her bodily form. As his contemplation and visualization were so powerful, he could see Her with his biological eyes. Ramakrishna Paramahaṁsa also had this experience.

It is believed that ashoka trees blossom when kicked by auspicious women. Auspicious women can be explained as those, who perpetually remain immersed in Her thoughts (this also applies to men). Parāśakti, being the most auspicious woman (because of Her Śrī Mātā stature) kicks the ashoka trees that are grown in Her garden (where She plays with Her friends). Śiva is jealous of this ashoka tree as He thinks that Her gentle kicks belong only to Him. But this cannot be the intended meaning of this verse.

Let us take ashoka tree as part of the material world as reference to paśu is made in this verse. Paśu contextually means individual souls, devoid of spiritual aspirations. The sustenance aspect of the universe is taken care by Śakti, who is the kinetic energy of Śiva. Pleasure referred in this verse as joyous garden is the material world that is full of activities. By first worshipping Her feet and later talking about kicking ashoka tree and Śiva’s jealous clearly indicates that Śiva is happy with the manner in which She handles creation and sustenance, which are subtly conveyed through ashoka tree and their blossoming. Śiva is always the static energy and Śakti is the kinetic energy. This is what is conveyed through this verse in a subtle manner. Śiva’s jealousy is due to the fact that He is not able to create and sustain the paśu-s all by Himself. He knows that He can’t do that. If He stops meditating even for a fraction of second, annihilations will be initiated. Śakti represents the Power of Śiva.