PRANAM MANTRAS

PRANAM MANTRAS :MANTRAS OF SALUTATIONS

Akhanda  mandalākāram vyāptam  yena  charācharam
Tat padam  darshitam  yena tasmai  shri  gurave  namah.

I bow to that Guru, who pervades the indivisible form of the universe,

Who penetrates everything, be it mobile or immobile.

He shows the goal which is “That”.

Ajnāna  timirāndhasya jnānānjana  shalākakayā

Chaksurunmilitam  yena  tasmai  shri  gurave  namah

Wisdom dispels the blindfolding darkness of ignorance, as the 

stick of collyrium sharpens the eyesight.

I bow to that Guru who likewise opens my inner eyes.

Gururbrahmā gururvishnu gururdeva  Maheshwara

Guru sākshāt parambrahma tasmai shri  gurave  namah

I bow to that Guru, the enlightened spiritual teacher

who is Brahmā (the creator), Vishnu (the Protector)

Maheshwara (the destructor)

who is verily the Supreme Brahman.

Gururmadhye sthitā mātā mātrimadhye sthita guru

Gururmātā namastestu mātriguru namāmyaham

Within the Guru dwells the Mother,

within the Mother dwells the Guru,

salutation to this Guru-Mother

I salute this Mother-Guru.

Brahmānandam parama sukhadam kevalam jnāmurtim

Dwandātitam gagana sadrisham  tattwamasyādi lakshyam

Ekam  nityam vimalam  achalam sarvadhi sākshibhutam

Bhāvātitam trigunarahitam sadgurumtwam namāmi

I bow to the omnipresent Guru (Satguru) (who is) bliss of 

brahman, giver of absolute happiness,

 the ultimate form of wisdom, like the sky,

indicated by the scriptures as “Thou art that”

Unique, eternal, free from impurities, immovable

witness to all, beyond any mental disposition

free from the three attributes(sattva,rajas,tamas)

Dhyānamoolam gururmurti poojāmoolam gururpadam

Mantra moolam gururvākyam mokshamoolam gururkripā

The object of meditation is guru’s form, the object of worship is guru’s feet,

mantras are guru’s words, the basis of liberation is guru’s grace.

Sarva mangalamangyalye sive sarvārthā sādhike

Sharanye tryambake gouri Nārāyani namostute

I bow to Thee, Gouri Narayani,  who art the cause of the welfare of the world

who art good, who grants every wish,  in whom one takes refuge, who art three-eyed.

Srishti sthiti vināshānām shaktibhute Sanātani

Gunāshraye gunamaye nārāyani namostute

I bow to the eternal Narayani, the embodiment of Energy of creation, conservation, destruction,

substratum of the three attributes (guna) permeated

Sharanāgata dinārta paritrān parāyane

Sarvasyārti hare devi nārāyani namostute.

I bow to thee, Goddess Narayani, who is engaged in relieving sufferings of all, the poor, the grief-stricken and those who take refuge in thee.

Om bhavatāpa pranāshinyai ānandaghana murtaye

Jnānabhakti pradāinyai mātastubhyam namonamah.

Mother, I bow to Thee again and again, destroyer of worldly sufferings,  embodiment of bliss, dispenser of wisdom and  devotion.

Sarva vighna vinashāya sarvakalyāna hetave

Pārvati priya putrāya ganeshāya namonamah

I bow again and again to Ganesh, the dear son of Parvati,

who destroys all impediments and is the cause of welfare for all.

Sarvatra poojita shriman sadā vijayavardhanam

Shāntim Kuru gadāpāne nārāyana namostute

I bow to Narayana, Lord of all riches, who is worshipped everywhere,

who always grant victory and has mace in hand.  Please, bring peace “unto all”.

Nama shivāya shāntāya kāranatraya hetave

Nivedayāmi chātmānam twamgati parameshwara.

I bow to thee Shiva, the peaceful, who art the cause of the three causes   (creation, preservation, destruction).

I offer my soul to Thee. O Supreme Lord, Thou art my ultimate destination.

Sadya pātaka samhantri sadya duhkha vināshini

Sukhadā mokshadā gangā gangaiva paramāgatihi

Ganga is the immediate destroyer of sins, the immediate remover of sufferings, the giver of happiness and liberation. Ganga is verily the ultimate destination.

Rāmāya rāmchandrāya rāmbhadrāya vedhase

Raghunāthāya nāthāya sitāyā pataye namah

I bow to Rama, Ramachandra (Rama charming like the moon), Ramabhadra  (Rama the benefactor), creator, lord of the Raghu dynasty, ultimate goal, consort of Sita.

Apadam apahartāram datāram sarvasampadām

Lokābhirāmam shrirāmam bhuyo bhuyo namāmyaham

I bow again and again to Sri Ram, who takes away distress,

who gives all fortunes and delights the universe.

Namo brahmyanya devāya go brāhmana  hitāyacha

Jagadhwitāya krishnāya govindāya namonamah

I bow again and again to Krishna, Govinda (pleasing to the senses),  the ultimate God, benefactor to cattle, brahmins  and the world.

Krishanāya vāsudevāya haraye paramātmane

Pranata kleshanāshāya govindāya  namonamah.

I prostrate and bow again and again to Krishna, Vāsudev (son of Vasudev), Hari (who removes all sorrows), Supreme Spirit, Destroyer of afflictions and Govinda (pleasing the senses).

He Krishna karunā sindho dinabandho  jagatpate

Gopesh gopikā kānta rādhākānta  namostute.

O Krishna, ocean of mercy, friend of the poor, God of the universe, lord of the Gopas (cowherds tribe),charmer of the gopis (female cowherds), consort of Radha, I bow to thee.

Twameva mātā cha pitā twameva

Twameva bandhuscha sakhā  twameva

Twameva vidyā dravinam twameva

Twameva sarvam mama devadeva.

Verily, thou art my mother, Thou art my father,

Thou art my friend and companion,

Thou art my wealth and wisdom.

Thou art  my everything, O Lord of Lords.

Asato mā sadgamaya

Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya

Mrityor mā Amritamgamaya

Abirāvirma edhi

Lead me from the unreal to the real,

Lead me from darkness to light,

Lead me from death to immortality.

O self illuminating Brahman, be Thou revealed to me.

Yadaksharam pari bhrastam mātrā hinancha yadbhavet

Purnam bhavatu tat sarvam tat prasādān maheshwari

If there be any missing letter or meter, let this be completed,

O Supreme Goddess (Maheswari),by thy grace.

Om purnamadah purnamidam

Purnāt purnamudachyate

Purnasya purna mādāya purnamevāvashishyate.

Om, fullness is there, fullness is here,

From fullness, fullness arises!

If one removes fullness from fullness, what remains still is fullness.

Charlie Chaplin's 3 Heart touching Statements

 

1) Nothing is permanent in this world, not even our troubles. . . . !

2) The most wasted day in life, the day in which, we have not laughed.

3)I like walking in the rain, becoz nobody can see my tears.

Issues in Meditation

Some people have asked me that when they close their eyes it is blank and dark. And after trying meditation for just 1 month or few days they say nothing is happening.

So I thought of writing this post to answer their queries.

Say, for example, a person starts to meditate when he enters the age of 25 ...For 25 years he is used to looking outwards. So it is difficult for him to get adjusted to the new practice of looking inward. Patience, time and effort are required to first train himself to become comfortable with this practice. In order to experience the benefits of daily meditation, you need to first form the habit of daily meditation.

One has to understand that if it is blank when they close their eyes...  for whom is the blank? Find out. You cannot deny yourself at anytime. The Self is ever there and continues in all states.

Enumerated below are the points which have to be kept in mind

1. Transformation of mind is a very slow process. The nature of mind is such that once it is transformed from one state to another it never comes back to the original state. So the transformation is permanent here. One has to not worry about the time taken, instead he should train himself to make his mind still and silent through daily practice.

2. Thought process recommended: Think that you are keeping one step ahead in the journey each time you practice meditation. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one simple step. Never affirm or think that "nothing is happening" because this becomes a barrier or hindrance which again takes a long time to remove.

Some of the reasons for failure in meditation

1. Lack of Patience:

Just like a seed requires lot of time and proper conditioning (manure, sunlight,  water, etc) to grow into a big tree and bears fruits, similarly it takes lot of time and effort to experience the benefits of meditation. So patience is very important. Meditation is a deep cleansing process. Our real identity - Self - is covered under the dust of thoughts, dreams, illusions and emotions of thousands of years spanning uncountable past lives.  The removal of this dust and the revelation of our true self will take time. And also during this process a person develops patience.

2. Misunderstanding the real purpose of Meditation:

Mediation is the first step in the path of realization of self and realization of GOD. It is only through meditation a person can connect to his soul. All other benefits of meditation are the natural outcome of meditation.

3. Expectation:

People expect too much from meditation. They want things to happen very fast in a time bound manner. They ask, “Can we get powers or can we achieve other super human qualities?” This kind of attitude will never take them anywhere. They will never be able to come in touch with their soul. Meditation is a way to know your true self. So let it be just that.

4. Most people do not make a sincere effort from heart.
Majority of people who meditate are

-irregular in meditation

- does not make a committed and  determined self effort
.  

Even when people find time to meditate they don’t make use of this time since they are tired because of extremely busy and demanding life styles.For such people I advice one thing “Where there is a will there is a way". Life should not control us. We are leading our life so we should control life. We should create necessary conditions to uplift us. Unless we make things happen nothing will happen.

Authored by GANDHARV

Alexander the Great's Last Words: 3 Wishes

"A man's errors are his portals of discovery"

--James Joyce

There is always so much to learn from great people who have walked before us on this earth.

Alexander the Great's Last Words!  

Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence. He now longed to reach home to see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant homeland. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail."   With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king's last wishes.

"My first desire is that", said Alexander, "My physicians alone must carry my coffin." After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury". The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute's rest and continued. "My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin".

The people who had gathered there wondered at the king's strange wishes. But no one dared bring the question to their lips. Alexander's favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. "O king, we

assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?". At this Alexander took a deep breath and said: "I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. 

Lessons to learn from last 3 wishes of King Alexander...

1. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure

anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted. 

2. The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

3. And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world".

With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him.

This existence is a gift of life. Its very precious, its sheer waste to waste it.So make the best use of it and make this world a beautiful place to live. Each person should strive for knowledge. Only knowledge can destroy the veil of ignorance."Knowledge is the food of the soul"--plato

And Self Knowledge is the highest knowledge of all. So strive for it.