ଶ୍ରୀ ବାଲା ମକରନ୍ଦ ସ୍ତଵଃ

The nectar-hymn, given by Rudra to the Devi and named by him at the outset as the crest-jewel among Bala's hymns, more secret than the secret, a great wonder. The second verse gives its lineage rather than its content: Narada is the sage of the Makaranda Stava, which is how such a text authorises itself. What follows is a long praise of Bala in the register the name implies — sweetness rather than terror, the honey at the centre of the flower. Its closing verse is unusual for asking the hearer to carry the text rather than merely recite it: hold this king of hymns, mistress of the kula; it is meritorious, gives fame and long life, and is hard for even the gods to get, and by the mere reading of it every misfortune is destroyed.