Narayaneeyam

Dasakam - 83: Killing of Poundra and Others

[An imposter called Poundraka Vasudeva claimed that he was the real Vishnu and dressed himself like that. Lord Krishna killed him as well as the king of Kasi who helped him. He then killed a Kruthya sent by the king of Kasi. He also killed a monkey called Vividha, who was a servant of Narakasura.]

Later when Balarama went to Gokula and wanted to play water sports,
With the Gopa maidens, the river Kalindi did not come near him when he called her,
And he using his plough drew the river near him and was happily spending his time,
A king called Poundraka Vasudeva who lost his wisdom
Due to the advice of his servants, sent an emissary to you. 83.1

That messenger when he was being jeered and laughed at,
By everyone in your court conveyed his king's message,
"I am the real incarnation of Vishnu and I understand,
That you also carry the emblems of Vishnu like me,
And so it is better if you discard them and submit to me." 83.2

After the return of the emissary when you marched with the Yadava army,
To his place and saw him branded with the Srivathsa like symbol on his chest,
And with Kausthubha like costly gem tied around his neck,
And with fish like ear ornaments and also dressed in yellow silk. 83.3

When Paudraka threw at you a Wheel made of iron,
You severed his neck with the real Sudarshana wheel,
Which was emitting fire sparks of ultimate destruction,
And also destroyed all his army and hurled,
The head of his friend, the king of Kasi, in to town of Kasi. 83.4

That foolish Poundraka due to his foolishness,
As well as hearing childish advices from others,
Believed strongly for a long time that he was the real Vaasudeva,
And also believed that he and you are really one,
But he due to this belief attained salvation,
And so we do not know what actions lead to what results? 83.5

Then Sudakshina, who was one of the sons of king of Kasi,
Served Kasi Viswanatha and by black magic sent,
An evil spirit called Kruthya who had the form of fire,
Against you along with some Shivabhoothas,
Who were terribly scared of you in the war with Bana,
And with difficulty became the companions of this evil spirit. 83.6

When with legs as stout as a big Palmyra palm,
Kruthya was burning every thing on its way,
When the very scared citizens rushed to you,
Oh God, you did not move a bit from the game of dice,
That you were playing and sent your wheel of death. 83.7

When your Sudarshana wheel rushed towards it with great power,
The very mighty Kruthya retreated shouting alas, alas,
And burnt the Sudakshina who did the evil deeds,
And your Sudarshana wheel destroyed the city of Kasi. 83.8

Vividha who was a famous monkey who had helped you,
At the time of Rama in the tretha yuga, wanting to be killed,
By your partial incarnation during the Dwapara yuga became a bad one,
And became the minister of Narakasura and when he started troubling people,
And had a clash with Balarama near to the town of Dwaraka,
And fell down dead by a slap by the hand of Balarama. 83.9

When Samba was imprisoned when he tried to abduct,
Lakshana who was the daughter of Duryodhana,
Balarama went to free him by conciliatory talks,
And when he was abused, he prepared to destroy Hasthinapura,
Fearing which Samba was set free and you did not send the yadava army,
At that time with the intention of killing of the Kaauravas by Pandavas,
And Oh God, I request you who is difficult to understand to save me. 83.10

Dasakam - 84: Journey to Samanthakapanchaka

[Lord Krishna along with others went to the sacred waters of Samanthaka Panchaka and met all the Gopis including Radha there. He spent a few months in their company and returned back after consoling them through advice.]

Once during a solar eclipse, you entrusted,
Dwaraka's upkeep to Kruthavarma and Anirudha,
And went to a sacred spot called Samathapanchaka,
Along with Yadhavas and their womenfolk. 84.1

You did ablutions there for the good of innumerable people,
Sanctified the sacred waters there, gave lot of gifts to Brahmins,
And mixed with your friends like Pandavas, Kauravas and others. 84.2

Panchali, the daughter of Drupada, who was your great devotee,
Met and mixed with all your wives and heard each of them describe,
How you took them as wife and was greatly delighted along with other women. 84.3

Oh God, then you approached the Gopas with joy and respected them,
And with joy went near the Gopis who had become as thin as line,
Due to the great sorrow of staying away for long from you. 84.4

Then due to the joy of being able to meet with you again.
All their sorrow due to separation from you disappeared
From those Gopa beauties and their bosoms burst out of their blouses,
Due to the immense love towards you and due to familiarity with them,
You became close to them and one with them. 84.5

When you told Radha that, "it was only due to the,
Conflicts with enemies which happened again and again,
That I am late in meeting you" and embraced her,
She was overwhelmed and completely merged with you. 84.6

During that time in privacy when you removed the sorrow of separation
From all of them and told them, "let the belief rise in your mind,
That I am the form of the glittering supreme divine joy,
And am also the real soul of all the beings that you see,"
And consoled them with this philosophical thought. 84.7

Due to the teaching of Udhava the pangs of separation,
With you was tinged with joy in their minds,
And due to your thoughts told to them,
Made them go into the state of permanent bliss. 84.8

Then your father asked the great assembled sages there,
About the rites that he has to perform to ward of evil,
And they told him that there was no need,
Because you God, was born as his son,
And though you did laugh loudly,
You made Vasudeva perform Yagas at that time. 84.9

Along with the very happy friends of yours,
When the great fire sacrifice was in progress,
The Gopas along with their friends,
Were respected by the Yadavas and enjoyed like old times,
The life with you for another three months. 84.10

At the time of separation you approached Radha,
And embraced her very tightly and seeing her,
To be free of all her sorrow you became happy,
And returned back to the city of Dwaraka,
And oh God of Guruvayur who did all that save me from my diseases. 84.11

Dasakam - 85: Killing of Jarasandha and Sishupala

[When Lord Krishna visited Indra Prastha to attend the Raja Sooya conducted by Yudhishtra, at the request of Yudhishtra, he visited Jarasandha and got him killed by Bheema. He also killed Shishupala who objected to his being worshipped after the Yaga.]

Then Oh Lord, twenty thousand eight hundred kings,
Who were caught and kept and tortured by Jarasandha,
Send an emissary to you, who is the only support,
For people without any support and they,
Requested you to completely eliminate Jarasandha. 85.1

Having decided to wage a war against Jarasandha,
Hearing from Narada that Dharmaputhra is planning to have a Rajassoya,
You becoming one who was not able to decide on the priority between these two,
And when Udhava told that since Rajasooya involved in making,
All other kings under you, these two aims can be carried out together,
Along with all related people you went to the kingdom of Yudhishtra. 85.2

Dharmaputhra who had collected lots of wealth and happiness.
Due to your grace through the victorious conquests by his brothers,
When you arrived at his capital along with your wives,
Oh God, who behaves as a slave to all your devotees,
Deputed you along with Arjuna and Bheema to Jarasandha. 85.3

As per his words, you three feigning to be Brahmins.
Entered Girivraja, the capital city of Maghadha,
And requested the king of Maghada for a festival of wrestling,
And since Jarasandha did not have sufficient merit to be killed by you,
You made Bheema to fight with Jarasandha,
And preferred to watch the fight of kings along with Arjuna. 85.4

Jarasandha chose to fight ferociously along with lot of arrogance,
And was killed by Bhima by tearing him in to two pieces,
Following the hint you gave him by splitting a peace of wood,
And immediately you released all the kings held captive by Jarasandha,
With happiness and your gracious blessings and gave them great devotion to you,
And though they were all free from desires, deputed them,
To do their own dharma of ruling the earth very properly. 85.5

After that when Yudhishtra performed Rajasuya sacrifice in a grand manner,
With the help of all kings who were pleased to help and others who were made slaves,
Oh Lord of the universe, you also contributed by washing the feet of Brahmins,
And how can the luck of Dharmaputhra br ever described. 85.6

And at Rajhasuya when Dharmaputhra wanted to perform the first honoured worship,
On the advice of his brother Sahadeva, did the special primary worship to you,
Who is the soul of soul of all beings living on the universe, with love and devotion,
And this made all the universe including men and devas very happy. 85.7

Wonder of wonders, at this time Shishupala told, "When so many sages and great kings,
Are present here, it is shameful that the prime worship is being offered,
To a useless boy who is a cowherd" and also abused you in very many ways,
And lifting his weapons he jumped from his seat and ran towards you,
And due to this the enraged Pandavas rushed at him. 85.8

You then prevented people from both sides of any action,
And you yourself beheaded the enemy with your holy wheel,
Which is normally used to kill your Rakshasa enemies,
And that Shishupala, due to his permanent thought of you,
In his three births got the state of being one with you,
Which is extremely difficult even for great sages to attain. 85.9

Later you helped them complete the Raja suya sacrifice in a fitting manner,
And people shouted "Victory to Yudhishtra, Victory to Lord Krishna",
And you returned home but the bad Duryodhana, becoming jealous,
Of the great wealth oh his enemies stumbled in the assembly hall,
Constructed by Maya, becoming confused between,
Places filled with flowing water and places of firm ground. 85.10

When Bheema and Panchali laughed with derision at his confusion,
Oh Lord, you encouraged them in so doing by your mischievous glances,
And this immediately became the seed that would diminish the burden of earth,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur who is like that, please cure me from all my diseases. 85.11

Dasakam - 86: Killing of Sala and others and Maha Bharatha War

[Lord Krishna later killed King Sala who had obtained magical powers by penance. In the war between Pandavas and Kauravas, he gave his army to Kauravas and he himself became the charioter of Arjuna. He helped Pandavas win the war in various ways and at the end saved the child in the womb of Abhimanyu's wife, when Aswathama tried to kill it.]

The king sala who was defeated by the Yadavas during Rukhmani's marriage,
Pleased Lord Shiva by his penance and earned an air plane called Soubha from him,
And when you were staying in the Kuru country, along with his magical powers,
He attacked Dwaraka and Pradhyumna along with all Yadavas,
Fought with him and repelled his attack and killed his minister Dyuman,
Who was very powerful and the battle continued for twenty seven days. 86.1

Almost immediately you returned back with Balarama and joined the battle,
And fought with the Lord of Soubha who had almost completely lost his army,
And he also using his mace broke your bow which was named Saranga,
And not only that he killed before you Vasudeva created by his magical powers,
And it seems it made even you confused and jaded for some time,
Though Veda Vyasa says nothing like that happened to you. 86.2

With your mace you pulverized the plane called Soubha and mixed it in sea,
And speedily killed Salya by cutting his neck by your divine wheel Sudarshana,
And then Danda Vakra suddenly jumped from somewhere and beat you with his mace,
And even this one who was blessed was killed by you using your mace Koumodhaki,
And like Shishupala he also merged with your majesty, indicating the fact,
The incarnation of Krishna was taken so that all these people should get salvation. 86.3

After your coming from there, due to the doctored gambling,
In the court of the Kouravas, when Panchali was dragged,
And when she shouted for help when her cloths were removed,
From her body, due to your mercy her cloths became never ending,
And later when they were in the forest and when the food was exhausted,
In the Akshaya vessel after Panchali's taking her food, and when called by her,
Out of fear to the sage Durvasa's curse, you appeared before her,
And by taking a leaf of amaranthus, which was remaining in the vessel,
You satisfied the entire hunger of sage Durvasa and his disciples. 86.4

After further passage of time when the preliminary negotiations,
Were being conducted before the Bhratha war, while Arjuna wanted only you,
You gave all your army to Duryodhana and also went as an emissary,
Of Pandavas to Hasthinapura and there you were honoured,
By elderly statesmen like Bheshma and Drona but was insulted,
By Duryodhana and you revealed your super cosmic form,
In the presence of sages, shook the whole city and returned back. 86.5

You then acted as the charioteer of Arjuna, and seeing him upset,
Over the necessity of killing friends and relations in the impending war,
You told him, "What is this my friend, you know well that this soul,
Is solitary and does not have death and so in the present war,
Think about who is the killer and who is the killed and so on,
Do not think, that you are killing some one and fight in the war,
And do your duty to uphold the Dharma of a kshatriya,"
And then you consoled him by showing your super cosmic form. 86.6

Then Bheeshma who was one of your foremost devotees,
Helped you with interest in your job of lessening the burden of earth,
By daily killing many thousands of kings and at a time,
When Arjuna was weak, you broke your oath of not taking your weapon,
During this war and armed yourself with the divine wheel of yours,
And ran towards Bheeshma feigning anger and he received you,
With folded hands and with a bowed head and this,
Made you show your joy at him and returned back. ,
Possibly to fulfill the vow of Bheeshma that,
He will force you take up arms during the battle. 86.7

You saved Arjuna in the battle with Drona by receiving,
The Narayana arrow sent by Bhagadatha riding on an elephant,
You punished Jayadradha by hiding the Sun by your sudarshana wheel,
Saved Arjuna from Nagasthra sent by Karna, by pushing,
The chariot down and made the arrow take only his crown,
And like this you were definitely not the charioteer for the Pandavas. 86.8

Balarama who was armed with a plough, went on a pilgrimage,
At the start of the war and when he reached Naimisaranya,
He killed Sutha who did not honour him when he approached the place,
And appointed his son to continue reading the epics instead of him,
And he also killed Balala who used to hinder yagas during every full moon,
And visited several sacred waters and reached Kurukshetra, at the end of the war,
And understanding that he would not able to stop the wrestling,
Between Bhima and Duryodhana returned back to your city Dwaraka. 86.9

Attacking the evil minded Aswathama who killed the sleeping sons of Pandavas,
Arjuna stopped the Brahmasthra sent by him according to your advice,
And scooped out the gem stone from his head and when again Aswathama,
Sent a powerful arrow to exterminate the clan of Pandavas,
Oh Lord you assumed a form of the size of a thumb along with holy wheel,
And entered the womb of Uthara and protected her foetus. 86.10

After Bheesma who could choose the time of his death taught,
Yudhishtra all the Dharmas, he being a very great devotee of yours,
Attained instant identity with supreme God due to his great devotion,
And later you made Yudhishtra happy by performance of Aswamedha sacrifice,
And returned back to Dwaraka and
Oh Lord of Guruvayur, protect me from all my diseases 86.11

Dasakam - 87: Story of Kuchela

[Kuchela, who was a poor Brahmin and classmate of Lord Krishna, came to see him with a small quantity of beaten rice tied to his torn cloth. After receiving him well, Lord Krishna ate one hand full of that beaten rice and was prevented from eating further by Rukhmani. Without asking anything when Kuchela went back home, he saw that Lord Krishna gave him immense wealth and prosperity.]

Kuchela a Brahmin householder who was studying along with you,
In the hermitage of Sandheepini, due to his very great devotion to you,
Led a life of extreme peace free from all worldly desires. 87.1

His wife though she was as peaceful as Kuchela,
Had not won the war with the mind like him,
And asked him one day, "Why are you not,
Paying a visit to your friend and consort of Lakshmi,
And request him for some means to make our ends meet. 87.2

When his wife who was suffering from hunger told like this,
Kuchela though he had hatred towards money that created pride,
Due to the desire to see you started his journey to see you, carrying,
A small quantity of beaten rice tied at the end off his cloth as offering to you. 87.3

Reaching your town of Dwaraka full of wonderful sights,
That Kuchela entered the house of Mithravinda,
Among the houses of your sixteen thousand eight consorts,
And felt as if he has entered Vaikunta and was charmed,
By the great hospitality shown by you towards him. 87.4

After doing all necessary treatments of hospitality,
Including his being fanned by your consort Mithravinda,
You held the hands of Kuchela and reminded him,
Of the great wetting that both of you had from a torrential rain,
When you both went to collect firewood as per wishes of your teacher's wife. 87.5

Due to shyness when Kuchela hesitated to give the offering,
brought by him, you forcibly snatched it from his hand,
And by the time you took one hand full of that offering,
The very nervous Rukhmani who was goddess Lakshmi, rushed to that place,
And stopped your hand saying, "Is this not enough?". 87.6

Seeing your devotion to his devotees, the well looked after,
Kuchela pleasantly spent one night in the city of Dwaraka,
And next day returned back home without taking any money,
For is not your blessing of very many kinds? 87.7

Thinking of telling his wife, "If I had asked, he sure would have given,"
And also getting worried as to what he will tell his wife,
And slowly getting his mind drowned in your bewitching smile and acts,
He saw before him a mansion made of jewels. 87.8

Wondering for some time as to whether he missed his way,
He entered home and that Kuchela saw his wife amidst her friends,
And wearing several types of ornaments and jewels.
And understood that your mercy is greatly wonderful. 87.9

Though that Kuchela started living in that gem studded house,
His devotion daily increased more and more and he attained salvation,
Oh Lord of Guruvayur who fulfills wishes of devotees thus,
Please be kind enough to cure all my diseases. 87.10

Dasakam - 88: Santhana Gopalam

[As per request of his mother Devaki, Lord Krishna brought back from the Suthala world all her dead siblings and later gave them salvation. He also helped Arjuna to keep up his promise of saving from death an expected child of a Brahmin, by taking him to Vaikunta. With this Chapter, the story of incarnation of Lord Krishna comes to an end.]

Hearing the news that you had brought back alive the dead sons of your teacher,
Devaki, your mother, who earlier itself wanted to see her six dead children,
And on her request you brought those six sons who were earlier sons of Mareechi,
And later due to the curse of Brahma were reborn as sons of Hiranyakasipu,
From the land of Suthala by approaching Mahabali, who gave them to you,
And after showing them to your mother sent them back to your own place. 88.1

Once desirous of giving blessing to your great devotees,
Sruthadeva who was a very famous learned Brahmin,
And king Nahulaswa another of your greatest devotees,
You went along with great many sages to the town of Mithila. 88.2

You took two different forms and reached,
Both their houses simultaneously,
And while one worshipped you in a very grand manner,
The other offered and worshipped you the food and vegetables,
Which he managed to get as alms on that day, but you,
We re pleased with both of them and gave salvation to both. 88.3

Later when a Brahmin lamented at the death of his sons, one after another,
And when he cried, though you were the sustainer of the entire universe,
You consoled him saying that "Who can stop the results of Karma?"
And I think that you did like this in order to humble the pride of Arjuna,
And his misconception that you are but only an ordinary human being,
And to show him your abode Vaikunta and make him realize the great truth. 88.4

When the people started talking, "Alas, This Brahmin has borne eight sons,
And it is due to the indifference of Krishna that they were not saved",
And at that time Arjuna happened to visit your town of Dwaraka,
And was living there due to the close friendship with you,
And a ninth son was born to the Brahmin who also died,
And hearing the sorrowful wail of the Brahmin Arjuna took an oath that,
"If I do not succeed in saving this Brahmin's next child, I would enter the fire." 88.5

Then that very proud Arjuna went to the house of the Brahmin,
Without your knowledge and completely enveloped the labour room,
By a fortress made out of his divine arrows and in spite of that,
When the new born baby suddenly died like the previous times,
Arjuna using his yogic powers reached the cities of Yama, Indra and other places,
And searched for the baby there and when all his efforts failed,
And was trying to immolate himself in fire, you stopped him. 88.6

Then you proceeded to the west along with Arjuna, in a super fast chariot,
Crossed the horizon, drove away the deep darkness there using your Sudarshana wheel,
And to Arjuna who was blinded by the strong rays of the Sudarshana,
You pointed out a place after the seven seas and told, "Look, look",
And showed him your abode which is not touched by base qualities. 88.7

Hey Supreme God you along with your friend then saw yourself,
Lying on the bed of a serpent wearing divine ornaments,
Armed with divine weapons, wearing a robe of yellow silk,
With the black colour of the newly formed cloud,
Whose body shining with the deep luster of Goddess Lakshmi,
Who is the chief of the trinity of Gods, who is the greatest in all worlds,
Who is the only meaning of all Vedas and personification of salvation. 88.8

He told you both, "Wanting to see both, one a full incarnation of myself,
And another, a partial incarnation of myself but who does not know this fact,
I brought these sons of Brahmin over here and so take them back quickly',
And handed over those boys whom you both accepted and they were handed,
Back to the Brahmin by you, who was praised greatly by the son of Pandu. 88.9

You are the Supreme Brahman born to give salvation,
To all those who surrendered at your lotus like feet,
But have taken this incarnation with,
A so called cause of lightening the burden of earth,
And with sports such as these you were,
Entertaining the entire world as well as,
Performing several Aswamedha sacrifices,
Entertaining thousands of doe eyed damsels,
By your incomparable sports of love,
And exhibited a human form belonging to the Yadhu clan. 88.10

Oh God, at that time due to immense devotion towards you,
Sage Narada with mind immersed with bliss was mostly staying in Dwaraka,
And once Vasudeva you father who had done only good,
Learnt the essence of philosophical knowledge from him,
And the great devotee and wise Udhava learnt this from you yourself,
And it is believed that for the sake of the good of the world,
To this day he is staying in the Badrikashrama. 88.11

Oh God, this Krishna incarnations of yours surpasses your other incarnations,
For all the people everywhere using the yoga of friendship, fear, love, hatred,
And attachment, which are incomparable and devoid of any pain of this incarnation,
Have crossed all types of sorrows and easily attained salvation,
Oh Lord of Guruvayur, please eradicate all the afflictions of this world,
And instill in every one the feeling of the acme of supreme devotion. 88.12

Dasakam - 89: Story of Vrukasura and Testing of Bhrugu

[Vrukasura also called Basmasura did penance to Lord Shiva and got a boon which enabled him to kill any body by placing his hand on their head. He wanted to test the efficacy of the boon on Lord Shiva himself. Lord Vishnu saved him by making the asura keep his hand on his head himself. This proves that though Lord Vishnu is difficult to please, his devotees are good people. Some sages doing penance in the banks of river Saraswathi sent sage Bhrugu to test as to who is superior among Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu. When he went and abused Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma both of them got angry. Lord Vishnu not only did not get angry but treated the sage with hospitality.]

I understand, Oh consort of Lakshmi that prosperity does not,
Increase suddenly to your devotees because it also increases their pride,
And because of this you bless them with prosperity and wealth,
Only after they have attained the state of perfect mental tranquility,
But in case one has it already, there is no delay in granting him wealth. 89.1

Oh Lord, some devotees depending on their natural inclinations,
Worship Shiva, Brahma etc who are easy to please and easily get angry,
Alas, such people due to their lack of foresight come to grief,
And the perfect example for this is the story of Vrikasura. 89.2

Once Vrikasura, the son of Shakuni approached sage Narada,
And asked him about the God who would be easily and speedily pleased,
And he counseled him to meditate on Lord Shiva and did not suggest you,
Because you are not favourably inclined towards bad people. 89.3

By doing very great penance that Vrikasura became very impatient,
And on the seventh day, he started to cut off his own head,
To offer in fire and Lord Shiva, the destroyer of three cities came before him,
And the asura requested for a base and very horrible boon, of his becoming,
Able to make any one in die just by placing his hand on the head of the person,
Indicating the fact that people who are not your devotees will not have good sense. 89.4

As soon as the boon was granted, he jumped and went near Lord shiva himself,
Similar to a freed lion jumping at the person who helped to free him,
And Lord Shiva became very scared of the asura and started running,
To various different places and since no body was able to help him,
Came to your place and you seeing Lord Shiva from a distance,
Took the form of A Brahmachari and approached the Asura,
Even before he could approach the very gates of Vaikunta. 89.5

When you told him, "Oh Son of Shakuni, victory to you,
Why are you running hither and thither hearing the words of a ghost?
Suppose you do not have any belief in me, can you not place your hand on your head,"
And that foolish Asura who believed all that you told him,
Kept his own hand on his own head and fell dead like a log,
And like this destruction is definite to those who pray to other Gods,
And not only that even for Shiva you are the only support. 89.6

Some saints who were doing penance in the banks of river Saraswathi,
Wanting to know who has maximum sathva qualities among the trinity,
Deputed, sage Brugu to find it out and when he approached Brahma,
And showed disrespect to him, he got extremely angry but controlled his temper,
But in case of Lord Shiva, he was so irked that he rushed to kill the saint,
But was prevented by Goddess Parvathi from doing it and then he came to you. 89.7

That Brahmin kicked you, who was lotus eyed and was lying with your head,
On the lap of Goddess Lakshmi but without showing any displeasure,
You suddenly got up, and told him, "Oh sage, please pardon me,
Let your foot print become a permanent decoration on my body." 89.8

Those sages on the bank of river Saraswathi having understood,
That you possessed Sathvic qualities to the highest degree possible,
Kept the greatest devotion on you and over time attained salvation,
Oh Achyutha who is the personification of sole Sathva guna aspect,
Without any further delay, we will worship you only. 89.9

Oh Lord of Guruvayur who was praised like the minstrels,
By the Vedas at the time of formation of this universe,
Who is the form of pure divine and endless joy,
Who is the form of the divine Brahman,
Who is the sum total of the luck of Gopis,
Oh Lord Vishnu, Oh God who is in everything,
I pray you so that all my sorrows come to an end. 89.10

Dasakam - 90: Establishment of Greatness of Vishnu

[The author puts up several points of arguments to prove that Lord Vishnu, who is pre dominantly Sathvic is the greatest among the trinity of gods. From this chapter, the story telling is over. Theories and philosophy are explained till the last chapter where a description of the Lord is given.]

Oh Lord, Oh Supreme, being From the stories of Vrukasura, Sage Brugu,
And Ambreeksha, it has been established in the great epic Bhagawatha,
That your power wins over the powers of all devas including Shiva and Brahma,
And it has also been told that you are the one who shines as the power,
Which cannot be defined and is different from the attribute less,
And fully described aspects of Supreme Brahman. 90.1

In the five fold aspect* of God namely Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ishwara and Sadashiva,
The fifth aspect Sadashiva is you yourself, who is the form of the divine spirit,
And also the form Ishwara also denotes you as the one who resides in Vaikunta,
And you are also the one who manifests yourself as the holy trinity in Sathya Loka 90.2
*Five fold aspect is the theory of Shaivites

Among the trinity you as the pure Sathvik form of Vishnu,
For Brahma has less of Sathva Guna and more of Rajo Guna,
And in your form as Shiva there is an abundance of Sathwa Guna,
And acts which are having a higher aspect of Thamo Guna. 90.3

You are that state of pure consciousness' which is the Ishwara,
Who is above the holy trinity and you being the cause of all beings,
Are worshipped as the Shiva aspect by the very wise persons,
And there are also many proofs that that Shiva is only one aspect of you. 90.4

Even the very godly Adhi shankara worshipped you primarily,
Among those God forms which were known by attributes,
And he is free of any bias for he wrote commentaries,
On Vishnu Sahasranama and when he attained salvation,
He went that way singing your praises. 90.5

This great saint has mentioned in his book of philosophy of chants,
You who is the god of all with the luster of the blue lotus flower,
And one who is above the holy trinity as the Lord of the universe,
And after advising attribute less worship of the Pranava Mantra,
He has pointed you as the one best for meditation with attributes. 90.6

In Purana Sangraha an abstract of all known epics, without any doubt,
Your greatness only has been described and it has been told,
That your Vaikunta is above the places of the holy trinity,
In the Sathya loka and a similar status is not given to Lord Shiva. 90.7

Sri Vidyaranya who was a devotee of Lord Shiva in his book Puranasara,
Has mentioned the names of Hari and Shiva to that form, which was shown,
To Lord Brahma in the Brhama kalpa and which has been,
Mentioned in the second chapter of the MahaBhagawatha. 90.8

Those who worship Shiva due to their in born tendencies get results of such worship,
By their extreme devotion to God Shiva, and it is keeping in view
The needs of such persons, that Veda Vyasa in Puranas like Skanda,
Has depreciated you for the sake of pointing primacy of Lord Shiva. 90.9

Arthavada is of three types namely praise whatever is the real truth,
Argue and point out that whatever does not exist, really exists,
And tell that, that which exists, does not really exist,
And is meant to make you interested in whatever one is describing,
And the mention in Skandapurana and other Puranas,
That Lord Vishnu has thamo Guna and that he was defeated, he was given advice,
Are Arthavadas meant to prove that Other Gods are superior. 90.10

Oh God, though I am an ignorant one, I happened to tell some things,
And all of them are mentioned in the science of chants,
And of Lord of Guruvayur whose glory has been extolled in Bhagawatha,
Which is the absolute essence of what all that sage Vyasa wrote,
Please remove all my ailments and grant me firm devotion. 90.11

Dasakam - 91: Greatness of Devotion to God

[The superiority of devotion as a method of attaining God is argued out in this chapter.]

Oh Lord Krishna, who is within all beings and the God who blesses even Devas,
I think the best remedy for removing fear of the dying man who becomes sad imagining That things which are not there exists, is the extolling of the virtues of your feet,
For only by such devotion all sort of fears one is subjected to can be removed,
And that is the reason why the devotee who practices the method of worships,
As taught by you does not dash on any thing, even if he runs due to illusion,
With closed eyes in a strange path that he is not accustomed to. 91.1

Oh divine God, due to the directions given by your power which is inside me,
All the acts that I do again and again either by my body or by my mind or by my words,
Are offered by me now to you and even though your devotee belongs to a lowly caste,
When he surrenders his mind, acts, words, sense organs, sensations due to them,
And his soul to you, he makes this world great and very much blessed,
But a Brahmin who is indifferent to your feet does not become blessed. 91.2

Fear is caused by a second something which is different from us and.
Is the result of imagination of the mind and so think,
Continuously that all things are only one and,
Control as much as possible the activity of the brain and if,
In spite of it, the illusion affects the mind, control of the illusion,
Can only be done by praying to you who is immensely strong,
And oh God, I would get rid of all my fears like this. 91.3

Similar to the company of wealthy may lead one to be wealthy,
The birth and growth of devotion can only be attained,
By the company of blessed people worshipping your feet,
And so God, please provide me company of such devotees without break,
And hearing your greatness which emerges from their mouth,
Would remove all my sins and I would develop strong devotion towards you. 91.4

For reaching the greatest goal of salvation, among the various methods,
Is the one through devotion and in this I will hear the stories of your incarnations,
Sing your name again and again clapping my hands
Which will melt my mind quickly and some times laugh loudly,
Sometimes cry and some times shout your names wildly,
And some other times sing and sometimes jump like a mad man,
And travel away from the routine of the very ordinary people,
Oh God, shower mercy on me to help me do that. 91.5

I salute the five elements like earth, which are you yourself,
The birds, fishes, animals and others, men, relations,
Enemies and the entire universe made of these five elements,
And Oh Lord of the universe, by serving you I would get,
Firm devotion, detachment and understanding that,
The knowledge that everything that we see is yourself,
Without any effort due to your great mercy. 91.6

Due to my mind melting and merging with you, not getting tired,
By the life on earth involving feelings like hunger and thirst,
Always meditating on you and not leaving your feet even for a second,
And understanding that likes and dislikes are created illusions,
I would travel with a pleasant mind without any sorrow or joy,
Due the moon light showered on me by the crescent moons of your toe nails. 91.7

Suppose I have not attained suitability to understand the fact,
That all living things in this world are nothing but you, let me have,
Devotion to you, be friendly with your devotees,
Have mercy on the dim witted, and no enmity towards enemies,
Or at least let my enthusiasm to do worship on the idol of God,
With commitment and great attention, increase for a devotee,
Like that I would soon get the superior position of your devotee. 91.8

Let me not be troubled by the illusion which hides your real form,
By the mirages like earth, water and air appear before me,
Which pushes beings to sorrow depending on their Karmic load,
Oh God of the universe, Sage Prabudha has told that the only way,
To conquer this illusion is the real and firm devotion to your feet. 91.9

By getting sufficient wisdom, by seeing the sufferings of living beings,
And understanding from a Guru the secret of your great form,
And by increasing devotion by hearing, telling and remembering your stories
And winning over illusion, I would enjoy the happiness of your divine feet,
As this is my first step and Oh Lord of Guruvayur, please cure my diseases. 91.10

Dasakam - 92: Devotion mixed with Action

[This chapter deals with the act of devotion mixed with rituals. Devotion is a superior and easier method in the Kali age.]

Understanding that Vedas tell us that all actions are to be done,
Without attachment to fruits, Oh God, I completely dedicate,
All the actions to you and escape from the attachment to them,
And I understand that I should not do anything prohibited by Vedas,
And suppose by chance I am forced to undertake any such prohibited actions,
I would also dedicate them to your very great divine brilliance. 92.1

Oh God, in the mode of worship that is different from that prescribed by Vedas,
I would visualize you in the pretty and purely cent percent Sathva aspect,
Which is agreeable to my mind using stone, mud or in my mind or elsewhere,
And along with the little amount of devotion that I have earned, offer you,
Clean flowers like Thulasi, scented substances like sandal paste and food offerings,
Regularly and through pure worship attain your blessings and grace. 92.2

I sympathize with women and low born who do not get an opportunity,
Of hearing or singing your stories and holy names but I am sad and pained,
About those twice born castes who, in spite of their having reached near your feet,
Are more interested in pleasures of life or sacrifice this great opportunity,
For the sake of earning their livelihood and in spite of being taught by you several times,
Do not care to understand your teachings and I am wondering within myself,
About all that these people can do due to pride coming out of wisdom and high birth. 92.3

This great sinner to hide his evil acts shouts loudly "Rama, Krishna",
So that is heard in all directions and due to his shameless shouting,
I am not able to say several things that I really want to say.
This my brother who has defeatist mentality acts as if he always prays Lord Vishnu,
And these non devotees make fun of your devotees,
Who have surrendered their mind to you and please do not make me one of them. 92.4

In the Kritha yuga men please you, who is sage with white splendour, by penance,
In the Tretha yuga, they please you, who is red and holding various accessories,
Of fire sacrifice in your hand by performing fire sacrifices,
In the Dwapara yuga they please you who is black in colour and,
Who holds conch, wheel and flower by performing thanthric worship,
But in Kali yuga they please you who is blue in colour,
By singing your names, and listening to your great tales. 92.5

Oh killer of Mura, Oh God who grants us everything,
Let there by glory to this Kali age for during this age, men get your blessings,
And your grace without much delay and very easily by singing your names,
Making people who were born in the other three ages long to be born in this age,
And fortunately we are born in this Kali age and Oh Lord,
Please do not make us get interested in the poison of worldly pleasures. 92.6

In the Kali age devotees are found everywhere more so in the Dravida region,
And even there more on the banks of Cauvery, Thamraparni, Kruthamala,
And on the banks of the very holy Neela River* and Oh Lord of Guruvayur,
Please do not tie me, who was born in this region and also possessing some devotion,
Tightly by the rope of worldly pleasures and help me,
Fulfill my desire of serving you always with devotion. 92.7
* Bharatha puzha of Kerala

Once a great king called Pareekshit took his sword,
To kill the hard hearted and cruel Kali but he being wise did not do it,
For in this age regular service to you and being with your devotees,
Give results immediately but in case of evil acts the results are after long delay,
For this Kali is scared of your devotees and he afflicts them with diseases and poverty,
Even before they start singing about you so that they never do it,
And so Oh God this Kali is really very cruel and so please punish him. 92.8

Oh greatest among Gods, great sages have pointed out that Ganges, Bhgawad Gita,
Gayathri mantra, Tulasi leaf, Gopi Chandana, Saligrama, Ekadasi fasting,
And chanting of your holy names are the eight methods, which are easy to practice,
Lead to increase of your grace and ultimately lead one to salvation in this Kali age,
And so please grant me interest and desire to practice them with devotion 92.9

He who sacrifices all activities and surrenders to you, Oh God who is all beings,
Is not born as a debtor to devas, sages and manes, nor is he their slave,
And all the Karmic load that he inherits are wiped out by you living in his heart,
And so Oh Lord of Guruvayur, destroy my sorrows caused by sins committed by me,
And make my devotion to you perfect and ever living. 92.10

Dasakam - 93: Twenty Four Gurus

[The very interesting fact that anything or person will have some thing to teach you is brought out.]

Oh Lord, due to your mercy I shall renounce the attachments to relatives,
And after surrendering my soul in you, leaving out everything, I will travel,
And I would do both these acts after clearly understanding that world is an illusion,
And it is well known that due to the varied structure of illusion called Maya,
I am differentiating between good and bad and also do acts of assertion and negation,
And to the one who surrenders his intellect in you and have left the concept of problems,
These acts will never happen as it transcends such notions. 93.1

The animals whose only life requirement is to satisfy bodily wants,
Are too many and greatly numerous and man who is special among them,
Has a special intellect and to get to be born as man is indeed very difficult,
And even among these men, some of them become their own enemy or friend,
And friend is one who keeps his devotion in you and find a way out of all pain,
And enemy is the one who is not like that and suffers. 93.2

Oh universal God, who in this world cannot become
A Guru if your grace is there on him?
Does the earth shake though it is attacked by many people,
And from that I would learn the quality of patience,
I would understand from wind that, though I do have contact,
With many things I should not have any attachment with anything,
From the teacher called sky I would learn that even though,
Soul is in every being it should not get tainted by all that. 93.3

Like water I would be without dirt and wash away dirt from everything
And would be sweet for every one,
Like the fire in spite of eating different types of food,
I would not get affected by the food that I eat,
Like the fire that burns from different types of wood,
Being the same, I would understand my soul is no different,
From the millions of the soul in this world,
From the growth and diminishing phase of the moon,
I would understand all changes are for the body,
And does not affect the soul inside and not only that,
By your grace I will understand that soul is same,
Though it appears different occupying different bodies. 93.4

Let me not destroy myself due to excessive attachment,
Like the dove which perished at the hands of the hunter,
Due to its excessive love to its children,
Like a python I will learn to eat whenever I get food,
And starve and bear it when no food is available,
Like an ocean I would be serene and deep,
Like the firefly let me not fall in the fire,
Of love and wealth and perish,
Let me be like a bee and extract the essence out of things,
And let me not accumulate wealth like a bee and perish because of it. 93.5

Let me not be attracted by fair sex like a male elephant,
Which is imprisoned by getting attracted by a she elephant,
I should not go on accumulating very great wealth,
For like the hunter taking away the honey,
Some one would definitely snatch it away from me,
Let me not get bewitched like the deer getting attracted by flute music,
Let me not show great attachment for food and get trapped like a fish,
Let me be like the courtesan Pingala leave away desires and sleep soundly,
And let Oh God let not some one kill me for the attachment to wealth,
Like the Karara bird being killed for the meat, it never leaves. 93.6

Like a small child, not spoiled by pride I would live without problems,
Oh God, Like a solitary bangle without any company, leaving out,
The sound of conversation, I would start living,
Like a mechanic making arrows not hearing the sound of procession of the king,
I would concentrate my mind on you and lead a life without knowing any other thing,
Like a snake staying in the rat hole, I would live in houses made by others. 93.7

I understood from the spider that you merge yourself with the world created by you,
I would understand from the hunter that I would become like you, if I think of you,
This body dirty from birth to death and
Which turns to ashes after death is a good teacher,
If we examine properly that body makes us understand the wisdom,
Of the difference between soul and non soul and also teaches renunciation,
And to me, my body affected by many diseases teaches wisdom and detachment. 93.8

Alas, alas, Oh Lord of Guruvayur, please drive away my attachment to my body,
For being in love with this body and thinking of home, wealth, wife and children,
All people completely forget your lotus like feet, knowing well that this body,
After death would definitely become that of fire or that of dog, and even now,
When they are alive the these five sense organs drag them here and there,
But never lead them to your lotus like feet. 93.9

But now I find it very difficult to leave this attachment to my body,
Oh God with lotus like eyes, please cure all the afflictions of my body,
And make strong in me, the devotion to your lotus like feet,
And most certainly, do not push this my Brahmin's body,
Which was got after very many manifold births,
And which would help one get salvation,
In to the very base attraction of trivial worldly pleasures,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur, please protect me. 93.10

Dasakam - 94: Generation of Wisdom of Philosophy

[How a wise man gets philosophical approach in him is described.]

Those who are made pure by actions without attachment to their fruits,
And those who have become pure by observing acts of Dharma,
From the teachings of the great Guru, gain knowledge about your form,
Which is very distinct from the body as well as the sense organs,
And which is every where and which is called the supreme Brahman,
And the fact that properties like stoutness, thinness, diversity and so on,
Which are attributed to you, who is the divine supreme Brahman,
Arise out of the association of yourself with some distinct body,
And is similar to fire being called small, big, bright or dim. 94.1

The greatly shining fire of wisdom produced by churning of the base stick,
Called teacher by the upper fire stick called disciple,
Burns the misconception that this physical world is real,
And also the delusions caused by past deeds and the body that it creates,
And when there is nothing else is left to be burnt, that fire of wisdom is put out,
And in that state definitely one becomes identical with the divine supreme God. 94.2

Except for the realization of the God, when you become one with it,
There exists no other method whatsoever to remove all sorrows and distress,
For methods such as cure of diseases by chants, the six tactics adopted,
By kings to deal with their enemies and eight fold concepts of Yoga,
Are not quite effective like this method, and even if some results are realized,
Those who perform them forget you completely due to pride of their achievement,
And when they reach this baser state, they would suffer countless sorrows. 94.3

Oh Padmanabha, there are no other worlds which are fear free like Vaikunta,
At the time of deluge even the Brahma gets scared in Sathya loka,
Due to his being completely engulfed in your divine form, and when this is so,
What would the fate of the householders who do actions devoid of Dharma,
And have earned in their life endless sufferings and so Oh God,
Who blesses, who is the friend of the oppressed and a sea of mercy,
I request you alone to cut off all my attachments completely. 94.4

Oh Lord, actually I being a part of the divine you, there is nothing,
Called attachment or salvation to me and the feelings to me that exist,
Are but the mirages created by the illusion of your subtle powers,
And are similar to the state of dream and wakefulness,
And it is a fact that the difference between one who is attached,
And one who is detached is only like the difference between these states,
And while the attached one enjoys pleasures sitting on the tree called body,
The detached one who enjoys the ever lasting joy,
Does not enjoy the fruits called worldly life and so is not attached. 94.5

What is the point of describing that state of the freedom of the soul,
For such a state is far, far away to any one with an unclean mind,
And it is for sure that this state of the mind cannot be attained,
By anything other than devotion to you, and so Oh Lord Vishnu,
Please bless me with staunch devotion to you where,
I surrender everything to you, using which, I would speedily,
Get salvation with minimum teaching from a Guru. 94.6

There are some others who completely believe only in Vedic sayings,
And alas Oh God, they are not understanding, that they are working unnecessarily,
For those who carry those sayings which do not give rise to devotion,
Are like those who are breeding a cow which is barren,
And Oh God, let me not read any of those words that does not mention,
The stories of your pretty incarnations which are divine and capable of destroying sins,
And also describe your form of supreme divine joy. 94.7

Oh God who is everywhere, I do not know any thing of your form, your importance,
And your activities and this is certain, Oh God who gave salvation to even Shishupala,
Even at this stage let my mind not waver and let me with great attention,
Pray Only you and be able to see and touch your idols as well as your devotees,
And let my mind be engaged in your worship, salutation, prayer,
And singing of your great qualities always. 94.8

Oh God, I am your servant and let me offer you all that I get in my hand,
Let me be able to again and again be able to do lowly services in your temple,
And I worship you in the shining four formed form which shines,
In the Sun, Fire, Brahmin and the Soul and let my mind melt in the love of God,
Always without stop and turn in to a continuous flow. 94.9

Merging to become one with you cannot be easily be obtained by charity,
Fire sacrifice, penance and rituals and the very blessed Gopis, obtained
That great state of bliss by their simple whole hearted devotion to you,
And even though there are many other devotees, you seem,
To give much more importance and recognition to these Gopa maidens,
Hey Krishna, hey Lord of Guruvayur, so please make me your staunch devotee,
And also be kind enough to remove and cure al my diseases. 94.10

Dasakam - 95: Method of Dhyana [Meditation]

[The merits of the technique of meditation is stressed.]

Oh God who gave birth to this universe, at the time of the formation of this world,
You were in the body of Hiranya Garbha who is the universal form of all beings,
And later attained the state of living beings with three characteristics,
Due to illusion and kept on increasing till you attained the state of devotion,
And later destroyed the other two qualities by the Sathva aspect and later destroyed,
Even the Sathva aspect and later became the God,
Without any support whatsoever and without any properties. 95.1

Oh God who is everywhere, even when sathva aspect increases, in spite,
Of the knowledge that attraction to mundane pursuits is not good,
When the Thamas aspect mingled with Rajas aspect increases greatly,
The mind turns to the mundane aspects uncontrollably,
Added to it is the fact that the mind and these aspects are very much related,
And so to prevent them the only way is to have staunch devotion,
To you who is the fourth aspect, and this has been told you in the form of a swan. 95.2

For the people wedded to rituals several means of fulfillment are there,
But Oh Lord Krishna, they lead to trivial joy or that which is temporary,
And you have taught your friend Udhava that the best possible method,
Of attaining you is only through the path of devotion and to the worldly ones,
The joy that they attain when they sing about you is indeed matchless. 95.3

To the one who attains a joyous mind through devotion to you,
There would not by any other desires and he would see only joy everywhere,
Like a world appearing full of water to the one who lies inside the pond,
And that type of devotee does not desire for heaven of Indra,
Sathyaloka of Brahma nor occult powers which makes the mind happy,
And not only that he does not even desire the salvation which comes automatically. 95.4

Due to not being able to control the sense organs, even when momentary pleasures
Attack your devotee due to the repeated attacks of devotion,
Those pleasures get weakened and would not be able to win over the devotee,
For, similar to the raging fire completely burning away heaps of firewood,
When the collection of your devotion completely burns away sins,
How long can the false pride of sense organs last? 95.5

How can the mind get pure without melting of the mind,
Thrill of the body, and tears of joy?
What benefit can one without devotion get by doing penance or acquiring knowledge?
If the divine collyrium of enjoyment got out of knowing your divine stories,
Keeps on cleaning the mind this soul can clearly see the inner truth,
And this inner truth cannot be attained by any amount of reading Shastras. 95.6

I would practice the art of meditating on you by sitting straight on a seat,
Kept on a plane surface and then concentrating my sight on the tips of my nose,
Followed by winning the breath by practicing Pranayama technique,
Imagining that the inverted lotus of the heart as turned up,
And visualizing Sun, moon and fire above its tip and in the middle of that,
Meditating on your form which is black like a water rich cloud. 95.7

I would meditate on you with a short glistening hair,
With pretty ear globes in the form of a fish,
With the face with a gentle smile tinged with mercy,
With the garland of forest flowers illuminated by the Kausthubha gem,
With the mark called Sri Vathsa, pretty hands, the soft shining belly,
With the gold like robe, the lovely fleshy thighs and charming tender feet. 95.8

Oh God, with my mind running all over your limbs again and again,
I would fix my mind on your lotus like smiling face in between those limbs,
And when my mind melts and merges with the non dual divine Brahman in you,
Without thinking on any other thing, I would merge in Samadhi with you. 95.9

Oh killer of Mura, If I am able to master this eight fold technique,
The famous occult powers like Anima and powers like distant hearing,
Would fight with each other to come under my absolute control,
But I would not bother about any of them because they would cause delay,
In my reaching you and I would only wish you full of divine bliss,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur, Please save me from all my pains. 95.10

Dasakam - 96: Power Centers of God, Bhakti, Jnana and Karma Yoga

[God is everywhere but he is more so in certain things and places. Such centers are identified.]

Oh Lord of infinite glory, oh Lord who is the universe itself.
You are the divine Brahman, you are letter "Aa" among the alphabets,
You are "Om" among the mantras, You are Swayabhuva Manu among kings,
You are sage Bhrugu as well as sage Narada among the saints,
You are Kamadhenu among cows, You are Prahlada among asuras,
You are Garuda among birds, You are Adhi Sesha among the serpents,
And not only that You are river Ganges among the rivers. 96.1

Among the devotees of Brahmins you are king Mahabali,
Among the sacrifices you are the sacrifice of chant,
Among the heroes you are Arjuna himself, among devotees you are Udhava,
You are the strength of the strong, luster of those lustrous beings,
There is no end to your glorious power, all that excel are you yourself,
You are the Purusha (soul) as well as Nature and in this world,
There is no thing at all which is not you. 96.2

Those who with devotion carry out the Dharma prescribed to different Varnas,
As well as that Of a Brahmachari after completely dedicating their actions to you,
When detachment increases in their mind, leave out such actions,
And realize that they are themselves the divine Brahman which has the form,
Of existence, consciousness and bliss, which is same in all materials and beings,
And which is the cause as well as not the cause for the entire universe,
And also get the real knowledge of you who is pure and great. 96.3

The three paths of Jnana Yoga, Bhakthi Yoga and Karma yoga are the methods,
Of this world to reach you who is the divine Brahman, and among the three,
Jnana Yoga is meant for those people who get detachment and dispassion,
But for those who are attached to this world, the method prescribed is Karma Yoga,
But for those who do not have great attachment and also do not have great detachment,
And get devoted to you by the narration of stories of your greatness,
It is well known that the path prescribed for them is Bhakthi Yoga. 96.4

Human beings are easily blessed with knowledge of philosophy,
Or devotion to you depending on the good deeds that they do,
And so Oh God, people who live in heaven or in hell.
Are very desirous of being born as human beings,
For in the human body which is like a ship to cross the life,
The souls enter due to their luck, and make their Guru as the captain of the ship,
And you God become the favourable wind and help them cross the sea of life. 96.5

Those who wish to adopt the path of Jnana adopt the study of Upanishads,
And also the meemamsa scriptures search for Brahman that is invisible,
Which is very difficult and get salvation after passing through several births,
And Karma Yoga stands far, far away from the goal of salvation,
But this Bhakthi yoga is sweet to the mind from very beginning,
And path that leads to you very speedily and oh God,
And let this Bhakthi Yoga flourish within me. 96.6

Sage Vyasa says that an attempt at Jnana yoga without devotion is waste,
But the one who learns about supreme soul from the teacher,
And attains stead fast devotion to you, gets salvation in his palm,
But due to instability of mind, the accusation that it is difficult to follow,
The path of devotion applies equally to the path of Jnana also,
And it is relatively easy to master the technique of meditation,
Due to your mercy as well as constant practice by the devotee. 96.7

Oh Lord of the universe, To me who does not have interest,
In the very difficult process of Yaga but has interest in,
Hearing the stories of your praise and being not capable of,
Sacrificing home, children and also friends due to attachment,
I would concentrate my mind on you with the firm belief,
Again and again, but serving the passions aware that it is bad,
And follow the path of devotion, for if you live in my heart,
All the attraction towards craving of pleasures would die. 96.8

Once there was a Brahmin who when he lost all his hard earned wealth,
Became one with a mind full of the dirt of anger and hatred,
And consequently was shunned by the society at large,
And told like this, "The reason for my sorrow is not,
Outsiders, time, action or effect of planets like Sun,
But I am sure my mind is the reason for it and that mind does all actions,
Insinuating the capacity of action as well as consumption on the soul,"
And then he became extremely serene and attained you easily,
Oh Lord please also bless me with that type of serenity. 96.9

Once upon a time there was king called Pururuvas who was infatuated,
With a celestial lady called Urvasi and after serving her for a long time,
Attained detachment and concluded that the carnal pleasures are insignificant,
And again and again sang about this conclusion of his and later
Became full, by earning devotion to you and also divinely happy and attained salvation,
And oh Lord of Guruvayur. , please make me detached of minor pleasures,
And also make me your great devotee and alas the problem standing in my way,
In attainment of this are my diseases and so destroy all my illnesses. 96.10

Dasakam - 97: Prayer for model devotion and story of Markandeya

[Devotion is explained with a model devotion of sage Markandeya.]

Knowledge, faith, doer, home, action and different types of food,
Fall in to the mixture of three Gunas, Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas,
And so the world consists of different types classified as good, medium and bad,
But in this world, your temple and your prayers and all those concerning you,
Stand based on the property less Brahman and so depending on that,
Within no time, I shall attain perfection and reach divinity. 97.1

Hey God, Keeping my mind fixed on you and spending this life,
Offering thought words and action as an offering to you,
Going to pilgrimage to those holy places which are worshipped,
By your present day devotees and those who have lived earlier,
Treating a thief, a Brahmin and animals in a equal manner,
Leaving out insults competition, and jealousy from life,
I would worship always you in all beings where ever you exist. 97.2

Till my mind firmly and truly recognizes that a Brahmin and a thief,
Are different forms of yourselves, I would continue worshipping you,
Always as indicated earlier till I get to know that the soul is one entity,
And spend all my life with you only, Oh God, once this Dharma,
Of a devotee is started it will never, ever die out and so,
Oh Lord of the universe, whatever happens please,
Grant me this very interesting path of devotion and bless me. 97.3

To bring to practice this path of devotion that I have been telling,
Oh God, I need health as well as a long life, luckily,
For that all I need to do is to surrender to your lotus like feet,
And wonder of wonders, this is like drinking milk to cure diseases,
For instance when Marakandeya came to know that according to planets,
His life span would last only for a period of twelve years,
He spent one full year singing your praises with concentration,
And managed to drive away death by the help of your soldiers. 97.4

Markandeya thus gained very long life, and being attracted by incomparable bliss,
He spent six periods of different Manus by concentrating his mind deeply in you,
In the banks of the river Pushpa Bhadra and the seventh king of the devas,
Tried to entice that sage by sending celestial maids, gentle breeze and the God of love,
But since they all wilted in the heat of the great penance of Markandeya,
He failed miserably and Oh God who ever has so far conquered your devotees? 97.5

When things were like that you who along with your friend Nara,
Very much wanted to see Markandeya and paid a visit to him,
And that Markandeya praised you continuously by several prayers,
But refused any boons from you, though you were prepared to give any boon,
And when you compelled him, he requested you to show him Maya (illusion),
For he being a sage without any desire and mind filled with devotion,
Was not aware of the sorrow caused by Maya and wanted to see it,
Out of his simple curiosity and sense of wonder. 97.6

As soon as you left that place, from the thick clouds shaken and flown fast,
By huge cyclones and storms, rain poured and filled the seven seas,
And the entire earth was covered by floods and Markandeya floated in it,
For billions of years and was troubled by it and saw at a distance you,
As a small baby black in colour, keeping its thumb in his mouth
And lying on a banyan leaf and floating in that water making him greatly surprised. 97.7

That king of sages was thrilled from head to feet on seeing you,
And with a desire to touch you, speedily went near you,
And he was sucked inside you through your inhalation,
And there inside he saw the entire universe,
And later he came out through the process of exhalation,
And fell down and you showered your glance on him,
And that sage who was extremely elated wanted to hug you,
And then you disappeared from there and everything became as before. 97.8

Later Lord Shiva wanted to see your favourite devotee and he came,
Along with Goddess Parvathi and appeared in front of Sage Markandeya,
And he blessed that sage with agelessness and immortality and other powers,
Without the sage asking him and Lord Shiva went back to his place. ,
And this proves that even that enemy of God of love can only be pleased,
By serving you and this clearly proves that you are the sacred trinity,
And the one God who controls every body. 97.9

In the Sathya Loka divided in to three parts, worlds belonging to Brahma,
Vishnu and Shiva are one over another and on the top of that,
Is Vaikunta which is completely free of illusion called Maya,
You shine there, in the primeval waters as well in Gokula,
As the form filled up with only sathva trait, having a form,
Which is different from that of Brahman a mixture of Sath and Chith,
And oh Lord of Guruvayur, please cure all my diseases. 97.10