1st verse of Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa
This beautiful invocation is the first verse of the first canto
of the great poem, The Raghuvamsa, by the poet and
dramatist Kalidasa, who is believed to have lived in the fifth
century AD. This verse, which invokes the ability to accurately
comprehend words and their meanings, is a saluatation to Parvati
and Siva, the "parents of the universe," who are inseparable—like
words and their meanings. It is often chanted just before studying
literature or practicing music.
So that I might attain right knowledge and understanding of
words and their meanings, I worship the parents of the universe,
Parvati and Paramesvara (Siva), who are perfectly united just
like words and their meanings.