BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE BACK TO PREVIOUS PAGE
TEXT OF THE 54 PRAYERS: 21 to 30
21. From Tirumangai Azhvar's Peria Tirumozhi : #1069: (On Parthasarathi Swami of Triplicane, Chennai)
வேதத்தை வேதத்தின் சுவைப்பயனை விழுமிய முனிவர் விழுங்கும்
கோது இல் இன்கனியை நந்தனார் களிற்றைக் குவலயத்தார் தொழுதேத்தும்
ஆதியை அமுதை என்னையாளுடை அப்பனை ஒப்பவர் இல்லா
மாதர்கள் வாழும் மாடமாமயிலைத் திருவல்லிக்கேணிக் கண்டேனே
I saw Him in Tiruvallikkeni, which is bordered by Mylapore where matchless women live in palatial buildings – Him, who resides in the Vedas; who gives the appropriate tasty results that the Vedas are full of; who, for the sages, is like a fruit without any disturbing flaw; who is the favourite of Nandagopa; who is the ultimate Cause worshipped as such by the people of the world; who is the very Nectar; and who by His own Will, has adopted me as His ward
Note on Tirumangai Alwar: TIrumangai Alwar is dated around the 8th century A.D. He is the last of the twelve Alwars. His hymns have contributed the largest number (1361) of stanzas to the Nalayira Prabandham, which gets its name because the total number of all the stanzas is almost 4000. He has the unique distinction of having worked as a military commander, then a chieftain, then a robber and then the most learned saint among the Alwars.
22. From Appar TevAraM: 6-55-7: (On Kapalishvarar of Mylapore, Chennai)
பண்ணின் இசையாகி நின்றாய் போற்றி
பாவிப்பார் பாவம் அறுப்பார் போற்றி
எண்ணும் எழுத்தும் சொல் ஆனாய் போற்றி
என் சிந்தை நீங்கா இறைவா போற்றி
விண்ணும் நிலனுந்தீயானாய் போற்றி
மேலவர்க்கும் மேலாகி நின்றாய் போற்றி
கண்ணின் மணியாகி நின்றாய் போற்றி
கயிலை மலையானே போற்றி போற்றி .
paNNin isaiyAgi ninRAy poRRi
baavippaar pAvaM aRuppAr poRRi
eNNum ezhuththum sol AnAy poRRi
en sinthai nIngA iRaivA poRRi
viNNum nilanum thI AnAy poRRi
mElavarkkum mElAgi ninRAy poRRi
kaNNin maNiyAgi ninRAY poRRi
kayilai malaiyAnE poRRi poRRi.
Meaning:
Hail to Thee who are the music for the musical note;
Hail to Thee who wipes off the sins of devotees;
Hail to Thee who became letters and words that are thought of;
Hail to Thee who never vanishes from my Mind;
Hail to Thee who became the Space, the Earth and the Fire
Hail to Thee who stands greater than the greatest;
Hail to Thee who manifests as the pupil of the eye;
Hail to Thee, Oh! Lord of the Kailash Hill, Hail to Thee !!
23. TO GURUVAYURAPPAN (FROM NARAYANEEYAM:100-10)
योगीन्द्राणां त्वदङ्गेष्वधिक-सुमधुरं मुक्ति-भाजां निवासो
भक्तानां काम-वर्ष-द्युतरु-किसलयं नाथ ते पाद-मूलं।
नित्यं चित्त-स्थितं मे पवन-पुर-पते कृष्ण-कारुण्य-सिन्धो
हृत्वा निःशेष-तापान् प्रदिशतु परमानन्द-सन्दोह-लक्ष्मीं॥
yogIndrANAM tvad-angeSh-vadhika-su-madhuraM mukti-bhAjAM nivAs
bhaktAnAm kAma-varsha-dyu-taru-kisalayaM nAtha te pAdamUlaM
nityaM citta-sthitaM me pavana-pura-pate kRshNa-kAruNya-sindho
hRtvA nisSsha-tApAn pradiSatu paramAnanda-sandoha-lakshmIM //
Oh Lord! To the great yogins, Thy feet are the most beloved of all Thy limbs. They form the abode for the emancipated ones. For the devotees they are like the celestial tree which yields them all their wants. Oh Lord of Guruvayoor! Oh Krishna! Oh Ocean of Mercy! May those feet of Thine ever rest in my heart, destroy all my sufferings and bestow on me the treasure of Supreme Bliss!
This one from Narayaneeyam offers prostrations to the lotus feet of the Lord. Quite fittingly we are asking for the Lord’s Grace to descend on us by figuratively asking for the Lord’s feet to rest in our heart. Here the heart is the spiritual heart. The spark of the Absolute is already there, whether we recognise it or not, whether we want to admit it or not. By requesting God to have his feet rest in our heart we are only praying that His omnipresence there may be ‘felt’ by us.
24. TO LORD VISHVANATHA OF KASHI
विश्वेशं माधवम् दुण्डिं दण्डपाणिं च भैरवं।
वन्दे काशीं गुहां गङ्गां भवानीं मणिकर्णिकां॥
vishveshaM mAdhavam duNDiM daNDapANiM ca bhairavaM .
vande kAshIM guhAM ga~NgAM bhavAnIM maNikarNikAM ..
25. TO SHRI RAGHAVENDRA (MANTRALAYA)
पूज्याय राघवेन्द्राय सत्य-धर्म-रताय च। भजतां कल्पवृक्षाय नमतां कामधेनवे॥
pUjyAya rAghavendrAya satya-dharma-ratAya ca .
bhajatAM kalpavRRikshhAya namatAM kAmadhenave .
(PLEASE TURN OVER TO PAGE 21.5 ON THIS SITE FOR A FULL ACCOUNT OF SHRI RAGHAENDRA AND THE MEANING OF THIS SHLOKA)
26. FROM RAMA-KARNAMRRITAM (THE GREATNESS OF THE NAME 'RAMA)':
यन्नामैव सहस्रनाम-सदृशं यन्नाम वेदैस्समं
यन्नामाङ्कित-वाक्यमासुरबल-स्त्रीगर्भ-विच्छेदकं।
यन्नाम-श्व-पचार्य-भेद-रहितं मुक्तेः सदा दायकं
तन्नाम रघुराम नाम रमणं श्री-राम नामामृताम्॥
yannAmaiva sahasranAma-sdRRishaM yannAma vedaissamaM
yannAmA~Nkita-vAkyamAsurabala-strIgarbha-vicchhedakaM .
yannAma-shva-pacArya-bheda-rahitaM mukteH sadA dAyakaM
tannAma raghurAma nAma ramaNaM shrI-rAma nAmAmRRitaam ..
That single name which alone is equivalent to the thousand names of Giod, that Name which is equivalent to all the Vedas, that Name which in a sentence spells such terror unto the Rakshasa women as to cause them miscarriage (total desruction of all seeds of evil) that Name which is the ever-ready donor of moksha equally to the lowly and the highest -born -- that Name is the delightful Name of Rama of the Raghu clan, that Name is the nectarian, Rama Name! [The name Rama, in addition, has a special significance in that, while there are rules and regulations specifying the time and place for chanting several other names and mantras, no such injunctions apply to the uttering of this single divine Name!}
27. MOST POPULAR SHLOKA ON ‘RAMA’:
श्री राम राम रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे। सहस्रनाम-तत्तुल्यं राम-नाम वरानने॥
shrI rAma rAma rAmeti rame rAme manorame .
sahasranAma-tattulyaM rAma-nAma varAnane ..
The kaTapayA - sankhyA of Sanskrit literature gives us the numeral 52 as indicated by the word 'rAma'; becaus 'ra' stands for the number 2 and 'ma' stands for the number 5 and we know that words when read as per kaTapayA sankhyA, begin with the unit place in the numeration. There are 7 places in the shloka where 'ra' is followed by 'ma' (Recall, when working as kaTapayA-sankhyA, vowels are totally ignored). So we have 7 times 52, which is 364. Now if you repeat the above shloka three times, you have repeated the 'ra' and 'ma' combination (in that order) 3 x 364 = 1092 times. That is how the three-repetition-tradition of the shloka establishes the equivalence with the sahasra-nAma.
28. A STANDARD PRAYER TO LORD SHRI RAMACHANDRA
माता रामो मत्पिता रामचन्द्रो भ्राता रामो मत्सखा रामचन्द्रः।
सर्वस्वं मे रामचन्द्रो दयाळुः नान्यं दैवम् नैव जाने न जाने॥
mAtA rAmo matpitA rAmachandro bhrAtA rAmo matsakhA rAmachandraH .
sarvasvaM me rAmachandro dayALuH nAnyaM daivam naiva jAne na jAne ..
29. This is a famous request to Lord Anjaneya, to get the good things done for us:
असाध्यसाधक स्वामिन् असाध्यं तव किम् वद। रामदूत कृपासिन्धो सत्कार्यं साधय प्रभो॥
asAdhyasAdhaka svAmin asAdhyaM tava kim vada .
rAmadUta kRRipAsindho satkAryaM sAdhaya prabho ..
meaning, Hey Messenger of Sri Ram, Hey achiever of Impossibilities, what can be impossible for you; Hey Ocean of Compassion, please get my good objective achieved.
30. From Madhusudana Saraswati's Unique Favouritism for Krishna:
ध्यानावस्थित तद्गतेन मनसा तं निर्गुणं निष्क्रियं
ज्योतिः किंचन योगिनो यदि पुनः पश्यन्ति पश्यन्तु ते।
अस्माकं तु तदेव-लोचन-चमत्काराय भूयात् चिरं
काळिन्दी पुलिनेषु यत् किमपि तं नीलं तमो धावति॥
dhyAnAvasthita tadgatena manasA taM nirguNaM nishhkriyaM
jyotiH kiMcana yogino yadi punaH pashyanti pashyantu te .
asmAkaM tu tadeva-locana-camatkArAya bhUyAt ciraM
kALindI pulineshhu yat kimapi tannIlam tamo dhAvati
Seated in meditation, their minds totally absorbed in that Supreme Unmanifested Reality, which is changeless, attributeless and actionless, let the Yogis see that mystic Glory of Light which they seem to visualise, but, for us, mortals, we should only yearn that there may miraculously appear before our physical eyes that bluish someone who keeps romping on the shores of the Yamuna!
The significance here is not only in the shloka but more so in the author of the shloka; because Madhusudana Saraswati is a renowned exponent of advaita and of the nirguNa character of the Absolute Brahman. Still he waxes eloquent on his personal favourite Krishna. Madhusudana Saraswati is a monumental example of how advaita and saguNa-bhakti can coexist.
GO TEXT OF PRAYERS 31 to 40