Narayaneeyam

Dasakam - 98: Meditating on Attributeless Brahman

[The difficulties in concentrating on God - the concept without form is brought out.]

Oh Lord Krishna, My salutations to you, how can any one know,
Your real form which is not even understood by devas and great sages,
Which is far, far away from not only words but also mind,
And which is the power by which the entire visible world shines,
And this world which shines in you, was born out of you and will merge with you,
And is the form of yourself while you stand separately from it. 98.1

Though you do not have birth, actions, name and also different attributes,
You assume all of them independently for the good of the world through Maya,
Taking in to your control, knowledge and ignorance though you are formless,
Due to your being innately miraculous, you shone in various forms,
And Oh God, I salute you who is full of divine joy and the form of salvation. 98.2

Your form is not animals, birds, human beings, devas, asuras male or female,
Your form is not wealth, actions, caste, characters, existing and not existing,
So say the people who know you and they say that you are the one who would,
Still remain at the end, when we keep on rejecting things as not yourself,
And you are the one recognized by several sayings of the Upanishads,
With great difficulty by your definitions as the divine supreme being,
And you shine in that form and my salutations to you. 98.3

As an image reflected in Maya you create the entire universe employing,
Intellect, ego differences, the senses of sound, touch form, taste and smell,
As well the five elements, the eleven sense organs, as projected in a state of dream,
And at the time of deluge like a tortoise drawing its legs within himself,
Using your soul which has the power of destruction you destroy everything,
By drawing all of them with in you and then you shine as the divine joy,
In the all enveloping terrible darkness but without any relation to the baser qualities,
And My salutations to you, who is having such properties. 98.4

Oh God, According to all people of different and diverse opinions,
You are the only primeval cause, imagined as the ultimate soul, also
You are the primeval sound, the result of all actions and the indivisible atom,
And the Vedanta philosophy describes you as the spirit, the supreme being, intelligence,
As well as the soul and you carry out the creation by a mere glance,
And Oh Lord Krishna, my salutations to you. 98.5

Existing or non existing or being problematic to decide whether existing or non existing,
Is this rope of ignorance which is assumed and identified as the snake by many,
And this world is similar to that as it appears as existing to all of us,
And this same illusion, under the presence of the tide of the divine mercy,
When we slowly start understanding the implication of Vedic philosophy,
Becomes the great axe of wisdom and helps us to clear the forest of life,
And Oh God who is everything, my salutations to you. 98.6

When we think about the principle of the world, like the Gold in the case of ornaments,
Like the clay in case of pot and other earthen vessels, the Brahman in you,
Which is without any second in this world shines lustrously,
And like a man realizing the truth after waking up after the dream,
And like the realization about the rope after the day break,
When ignorance is removed, the real truth in the principle,
Would become clear and shine, Oh Krishna my salutations to you. 98.7

The reason for the sun shining, fire burning and wind blowing,
And gods like Brahma doing the jobs like sacrifices allotted them efficiently,
Is the fear that they have in you and all of them were appointed,
In the places that they occupy by you and Oh Krishna,
Who is the great God controlling everything, our salutations to you. 98.8

Using the three yogas namely Jnana, Karma and Bhakthi, I sing about you,
Who creates this world inlaid with the three Gunas Sathva, Rajas and Thamas,
Who is the meaning of the sacred sound Aum formed by three letters,
Who is the unified form of three Gods namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva,
Who has the form that is praised by three Vedas Rik, Yajur and Sama,
Who knows the three states of human beings namely waking up, sleep and dream,
Who has taken incarnations in the three ions namely Thretha, Dwapara and Kali,
Who has taken measurement of the three worlds in his Vamana incarnation,
And who does not change in the three periods namely past, present and future. 98.9

Victory to the spot less and taintless form of yours which is truth and pure,
Which is ever wakeful, which is not related with anything,
Which is divine and does not have any wishes whatsoever,
Which is without any second and without any emotions,
Which shines due to the presence of all good qualities,
Which does not have a cause and does not have any emotions,
Which does not have any end, which shines with infinite glory,
Which is innately present in the minds of great sages practicing Samadhi,
And which has incomparable joy within it, which has a shining form. 98.10

May not, your very powerful wheel of time with twelve spokes,
Three hundred and sixty teeth and which rotates with immeasurable speed,
And which drags forcefully this world and which cannot be stopped by any one,
Cause any harm to me, who does not have any support except your feet,
Hey Lord Vishnu, Hey ocean of mercy, Hey Lord of Guruvayur,
Please save me from all diseases and give me protection. 98.11

Dasakam - 99: Prayer of Vedas

[Most of the stanzas contain quotations from the Vedas.]

Who will narrate the greatness of Lord Vishnu?
Who is there to count the atoms of the entire earth?
With which Vishnu's feet this earth was measured and was filled with wealth?
Which Maha Vishnu wears all the earth?
This me who is here, should reach the place of Mahavishnu
Which is very great and is very dear to me as your devotees,
Enjoy divine bliss there and there is flow of nectar in that place. 99.1

That devotee, who with devotion in his mind worships through
Yagas and worship by offering oblations in Homa,
That great Vishnu who existed much before the creation of the world,
Who created the world, who is new every moment of time,
And who rules over wealth or describes the great incarnation of Krishna,
Is the only one who would live with joy and fame and would reach,
At the end of life Vaikunta your place of residence speedily. 99.2

Oh great poets, who write the poems of praise, please praise,
Lord Vishnu who is the essence of Vedas, as you understand him here,
By narrating clearly his story and exploits and also tell his names,
After understanding them as the ones which causes comfort to everyone,
And Oh Lord Vishnu, let me attain the wisdom of philosophy. 99.3

Please meditate on those actions by which
That greatly effulgent Vishnu established the Dharma,
And also on his deeds for promoting welfare of Indra by becoming,
His dear friend as well as his servant and on the great abode of his,
Which is constantly meditated and seen always by great sages,
And is described in detail by great Brahmins with enthusiasm,
In the great poems of praise composed by them. 99.4

Oh God Vishnu, all those who are already born and also those,
Who are going to be born have not yet found the limit of your greatness,
And understanding their greatness, I again and again chant your names,
I also praise you with several prayers, you who live in Vaikunta,
Which is shining above all these three worlds. 99.5

Oh God, the water which was there at the start of creation,
Held first in its womb, you, the Narayana who sleeps on water,
And the individual souls joined together and merged with this form of yours,
Oh Lord, on the naval of yours who does not have any birth,
A lotus flower was born and that flower which had the directions as petals,
And Maha Meru mountain as its pericarp and it was called as world. 99.6

Oh World, you do not know that this world was created by Lord Vishnu,
And also that within your heart there is another image of Vishnu,
And in spite of that fact you spend your time,
With illusion covering your mind like a film of snow,
With thoroughly misunderstanding the names and forms,
With the mind and body satisfied with pleasure of senses,
And with interest in rituals like Yaga but with no interest in Vishnu. 99.7

Oh Lord you have thousands of heads, eyes and feet,
And though you are everywhere in the world and also outside it,
You shine well even in the mind with a very small opening,
And Oh Lord who is the divine Purusha,
You are all that is past and all that is going to happen,
And not only that, though you are pervading in body and senses,
You are much above them and enjoy the supreme bliss of liberation. 99.8

Due to that reason by which, though you assume the form of the three worlds,
You exist outside it as the endless and purest knowledge,
And your greatness is indeed wonderful for only a very small part of yourself,
Is seen occupying all the three worlds and the rest of it,
Which is nearly three fourth of the whole shines above the three worlds,
Oh Lord my salutations to you who is like that. 99.9

I find it difficult to understand that abstract form of yours which is not clear,
But find it very easy to comprehend that pure Sathva form of yours,
Which is equivalent to the waves of the great ocean of nectar,
And due to that greater than everything that I perceive here,
And very pleasant to my mind and I surrender to that form of yours,
Oh Lord of Guruvayur, Oh Krishna, please protect me quickly. 99.10

Dasakam - 100: Description of God from Head to Foot

[This is the last chapter of Narayaneeyam. This describes the poet's description of God as he saw him in front of his eyes while writing this chapter. The last line of Narayaneeyam is "Long Life, Health and Happiness."]

In front of me, I see a halo of light,
As pretty as a very dense bed of blue lilies,
Which made me feel that I have been,
Drenched by a shower of the sweet nectar,
And then I saw in between that light the form of a divine lad,
Who was pretty due to the budding of adolescence,
Who was experiencing the thrill of supreme bliss,
As seen by his hair standing erect on all his limbs
Who was surrounded by Narada and other sages,
As well as by a bevy of extremely pretty damsels. 100.1

I am seeing your big bundle of blue tresses,
Which is curly, dense, pure and pretty,
Which is tied together by a garland of Mandhara flowers,
Which is extremely pretty due to your crest jewels,
Which is encircled with a cluster of peacock feathers,
With their shining and glistening eyes,
And I also see your pretty forehead,
Comparable to the crescent moon on the fifth day,*
On which there is a white vertical sandal paste. 100.2
* After the new moon.

Oh Lord, let your eyes, which cools the entire world by its merciful looks?
Which are made more prettier by your eye bows which move,
Like the small tides of the completely filled ocean of mercy,
Which are further made prettier by the black gleaming eye lashes,
Which eyes are having the shape petals of red lotus,
And within those eyes are the extremely pretty pupils,
May be turned on me who does not have any one except you. 100.3

Let me able to see clearly your very sweet face,
With a well raised and shining nose,
With the pair of shining gem ear studs
In the shape of fish worn on your pretty ears,
Whose reflection on your blue sapphire cheeks
Shines as it moves hither and thither,
And with a gentle smile between
The slightly parted red cherry lips of yours,
Revealing the sparkling rows of your white teeth. 100.4

May you cool my ears with the nectarine divine music,
Consisting of very sweet and well played melodies,
Which cools the entire world, emanating from,
The holes of the flute held by your two red soft hands,
Which are decorated by the bangles inlaid with precious gems,
And which have acquired a multi coloured hue due to contact of your fingers,
And which is kept very near your lotus like face,
By the shifting touches of your radiating fingers. 100.5

I meditate on your very pretty neck made red by the,
Radiating Kausthubha gem worn by you,
And also on your chest made very pretty by the Sri Vathsa,
Where you have worn several moving gem studded necklaces,
And also garlands made of multi coloured forest flowers,
As well as blossoms over which many bees hover round and round. 100.6

I meditate on you who attracts ever one by the applied fragrances,
Coming out of the five scented pastes which spreads everywhere,
Who sports a small waist though all the universes are lying there,
Who wears an yellow silk dazzling in its gold colour,
Over which are overlaid the blue sapphire stones,
And who wears the shining gem studded waist belt,
Decorated with tinkling bells emitting brilliant rays of light. 100.7

I sing about your pretty well proportioned shining thighs,
Which are capable of stealing the mind of Lakshmi,
And are always covered by yellow silk, possibly,
Out of fear that the mind of world would get agitated,
And salute your two knees which appear as if,
They are two pretty caskets, where all the things,
Which can be wished or demanded by your devotees,
Who salute you are kept stored, and also salute,
Your fleshy well tapered and pretty forelegs. 100.8

I meditate on your anklets which by the sweet noise it produces,
Seems to tell your devotees that singing about your feet would do good,
And the upper part of your feet which are like a tortoise,
Which lifted the Mandara mountain lifts high,
The minds of the devotees who are getting drowned in illusion,
And also meditate on the auspicious rows of your toes,
Which have a raised middle and shine with light red colour,
And by the light of crescents on them removes,
The darkness of sorrow of your devotees and also does them good. 100.9

Oh God, Oh Lord of Guruvayur, Oh Krishna, Oh ocean of mercy,
Let the soles of your feet which is the sweetest part of your body,
To the great sages, which is the place of those who attained salvation,
Which is the tender sprout of the wish giving tree that showers,
The fulfillment of all the wishes and desires of your devotees,
Be firmly kept in my mind so that all my sorrows are destroyed,
And confer on me the flood of prosperity of the Supreme bliss. 100.10

Oh Lord of the universe, please pardon me for writing this stotra,
Without knowing your greatness properly and this prayer,
Having more than one thousand stanzas should be blessed,
by you with all your grace as this which is called Narayaneeyam,
Is both about Narayana as well that which is written by Narayana,
And as Vedas tell that God is one who is known by his incarnation,
This prayer has been well fortified by the stories on incarnation of God,
May kindly grant a healthy pleasant long life. 100.11

Narayaneeya Haarathi

[These are to be chanted by all ogether after completing the reading of Narayaneeyam. I have taken this from the book Sri Narayaneeyam, a Sanskrit-Tamil book published by Giri Traders, Mumbai.]

Refrain
Jaya Jagadeesha hare Krishnaa,
Jaya Jagadheesa hare,
Jaya Guru marutha mandhira natha,
Jaya Jagadhesa hare Krishna.

Victory to the Krishna the Vishnu, who is Lord of the universe,
Victory to Vishnu the Lord of the universe,
Victory to the lord of the temple of Guru and wind god,
Victory to the Krishna the Vishnu, who is Lord of the universe.

Kinkini pada kamala Krishna,
Kankana kara yugala,
Kunkuma pangila Vaksha sthala,
Kuvalaya thala neela Krishna. (Jaya Jagadheesha?)

Oh Krishna with anklets making jingling sound,
Who has armlets on both hands,
Who has chest with saffron marks,
Oh Krishna, who is like the blue lily. (Victory to Krishna?)

Sadhi nava neetha haraa Krishna,
Tharuni Chitha hara,
Dhayaya palaya Dhamodhara Hara,
Thulai dhama dhara Krishna. (Jaya Jagadheesa?)

Oh Krishna who used to steal curds and butter,
Who used to steal hearts of lasses,
Please take care of me, Oh God with a rope tied in the belly,
Oh Krishna who can be tied by the ocimum [bail] plant. (Victory to Krishna?)

Govardana dharana Krishna, Gopi Jana Ramana,
Komala pallava Sundara charana,
Kokila Madhu vachana Krishna. (Jaya Jagadheesa?)

Oh Krishna who carried Govardhana,
Who is the darling of Gopa women.
Who has feet as soft as a tender leaf,
Oh Krishna whose words are as sweet as honey. (Victory to Krishna?)

Nanda Kumara Hare Krishna,
Narada gita gunaa,
Narayana vara Bhatathiri krutha,
Sthuthivara Shubha phaladha Krishna. (Jaya Jagadheesa?)

Oh Krishna who is the son of Nanda Gopa,
Who enjoys songs sung by sage Narada,
Oh Krishna who blessed, the prayers,
Composed by the great Narayana Bhattathiri. (Victory to Krishna?)

Poonthana Bhakthi Priya Krishna,
Vrundavana rasika,
Premika bhavuka mandala poojitha,
Pada Saroja Yuga Krishna. (Jaya Jagadheesaa?)

Oh Krishna who liked the devotion of Poonthanam,
Who enjoyed the Vrundavan,
Who is worshipped by enraptured sweethearts,
Oh Krishna who has two feet like lotus. (Victory to Krishna?)

Sankalpa Manthras - For Doing Parayanam of Narayaneeyam:

1. Shuklam Baradaram Vishnum, Sasi Varnam Chatur Bhujam,
Prasanna Vadanan Dyayet, Sarva Vignoba Santhaye

Dressed in white you are,
Oh, all pervading one,
And glowing with the colour of moon.
With four arms, you are, the all knowing one
I meditate on your ever-smiling face,
And pray, "Remove all obstacles on my way".

2. Hold both Nostrils with Thumb and the little and third finger of the hands and recite the following Manthra:

Om Bhoo
Om Bhuva
Ogum Suva
Om Maha
Om Jana
Om Thapa
Ogum Sathyam
Om Tatsa vithur varenyam Bargo devasya dhi mahi dhiyo yona prachodayath
Om Apa
Jyothj rasa
Amrutham brahma
Bhoorbuvasuvarom
Touch the ears three times saying
Om, Om, Om

3. Mamo partha samastha durithakshaya dwara, Sri Parameshwara preethyartham, Sri Guruvayu puresa prasada sidhyartham, Dharamartha kama moksha chathurvidha phala purushartha sidhyartham, Ishta kamyartha sidhyartham, sakala san mangala vapthyartha Aroogya druda gathratha sidhyartham, Bhagawat charanaravinde Achanchala nishkapata Bhakthi sidhyartham, Sri man Narayaneeya Parayanam karishye.

For removing all problems and pains in life, for making Lord Parameshwara happy, For getting the blessings and grace of Lord of Guruvayur, for getting the four types of blessings*, for getting my wishes fulfilled, for getting all type of good blessings, For having a healthy body, for getting unshakable faith in the lotus feet of God, I read the book Narayaneeyam.
*Dharma, wealth, desires and salvation

4. Narayana, Narayana, Narayana

5. Dhyanam

Peethambaram kara virajitha Chakra sankha,
Koumodhakee sarasijam Karunaa samudhram,
Radha sahayam Athi Sundara mandha hasam,
Vathalayesam anisam hrudhi bhavayami.
I ceaselessly meditate on the Lord of Guruvayur,
Who wears yellow silk and holds in his hands,
Wheel, conch, the mace called Koumodhaki,
And lotus flower and is an ocean of mercy,
Helper of Radha and has a very pretty soft smile. 1

Mookam karothi vaachaalam, pangum langayathe girim,
Yath krupathamaham vandhe paramananda madhavam.

I salute that Madhava of infinite joy who is merciful,
And makes a dumb one speak and make a lame one cross a mountain. 2

Vande Nanda Vruja sthreenaam pada renum abheeshnasaa,
Yaasaam hari kadho geetham punathi bhuvana thrayam.

I salute the dust of the feet of ladies of Nanda's Vruja desa,
Where they sing the stories of Vishnu and purify the three worlds. 3

Komalam koojayan venum shyamaloyam kumaraka,
Veda vedhyam param brahma bhasathaam puratho mama.

The slightly blackish lad sings in the flute beautifully,
And that divine one who is worshipped by the Vedas,
Appears as the shining Supreme God to me. 4

Yam Brahma varunendra maruthsthuthvanthi divyai sthavai,
Vedai ssangapada kramopanishadai gayanthi yam samaga.

He is being worshipped by divine prayers,
By Brahma, Varuna, Indra and the maruths,
And the Vedas and Upanishads also sing about him. 5

Dhayanavasthitha thath gathenamanasa pasyanthi yam yogino,
Yassyastham tha vidhu suraasura gana devaya thasmai nama.

My salutations to him who is seen by great sages,
W hen they are completely absorbed in him,
And who is worshipped by all the by the,
Humans, devas, asuras and bhootha ganas. 6

Krushnaya Vasudevaya Devaki nandanaya cha,
Nanda gopa kumaraya Govindaya namo nama.

Salutations and salutations to Krishna son of Vasudeva,
And also the cowherd who is the son of Nanda Gopa. 7

After reciting this prayer the text of Narayaneeyam has to be read. After completing it, the following prayer has to be chanted:

Swasthi prajabhya paripalayantham,
Nyayena margena maheem maheesa,
Gobrahmanebhyo shubhamasthu nithyam,
Loka samastha Sukhino bhavantu.

Let good things occur to the king of the country,
Who looks after his people well, in the path of justice,
Let Cows* and Brahmins** have a pleasant life daily,
Let all people of the world have a very pleasant life. 1
* Wealth was measured by cows in those times.
** People in search of God.

Kale varshathu parjanya,
Prauthwee sasya shalini,
Deso yam kshobha rahitha,
Sajjana santhu nirbhaya.

Let the monsoon be timely and plentiful,
Let earth be covered with vegetation,
Let the country live without problems,
And let good people never have fear. 2

Aputhra puthrina santhu,
Puthrina santhu pouthrina,
Adhana sadhana,
Santhu jeevanthu sarada satham.

Let sonless people have son,
Let people with son have grand sons,
And let people who are poor or rich,
Live and see one hundred autumns. 3

Thwameva matha cha pitha thwameva,
Thwameva bandhuscha sakha thwameva,
Thwameva vidhya, dravinam thwameva,
Thwameva sarvam mama deva deva.

You are my mother, you are my father,
You are my relation, you are my friend,
You are my wisdom, You are my wealth,
Oh God of Gods, you are my everything. 4

Kayenavacha Manasendryrva budhyatmanava prakrithai swabhawat,
Karomi yadyat sakalam parasmai narayanayethi samarpayami.
 
I offer all that I do,
To Lord Narayana,
Whatever I do with my body,
Whatever I do with my mind,
Whatever I do with my brain,
Whatever I do with my soul,
And whatever I do with natures help. 5

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna Hare Hare. 6

Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, Narayana,
Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, Narayana,
Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, Narayana,
Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, Narayana. 7

First Page < 1 2 3 4 5 6 > Last Page