śrī cidambarāṣṭakam

Eight short verses to the Shiva of Chidambaram, and each one takes a single letter and runs the whole verse on it, so the alphabet rather than the argument carries the sequence. The first is on cha: ender of the mind-born one, whose form is consciousness, bearer of the moon and the deer, terrible in his hide, of clever speech, made of consciousness, the teacher — worship Chidambara, who stands in contemplation. The second moves to da: crusher of Daksha, ruler of the gods, delighting in the good of the twice-born, breaker of faults, destroyer of sorrow, chastiser of wrongdoing. Every verse closes on the same line, and the closing one promises to whoever reads this repeatable Chidambara Ashtakam daily that it carries off sin and gives happiness.