Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalambam श्रीमत्पयोनिधिनिकेतन चक्रपाणेभोगीन्द्रभोगमणिरञ्जितपुण्यमूर्ते ।योगीश शाश्वत शरण्य भवाब्धिपोतलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥१॥ śrīmatpayonidhiniketana cakrapāṇebhogīndrabhogamaṇirañjitapuṇyamūrte .yogīśa śāśvata śaraṇya bhavābdhipotalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..1.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) who resides on the ocean of milk, which is filled with Sri (beauty and auspiciousness), holding a chakra (discus) on his hand, …with his divine face shining with the divine light emanating from the gems on the hoods of serpent Adi Sesha,who is the lord of yoga, and eternal, and giver of refuge to the devotees like a boat over the ocean of samsara (worldly existence),O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. ब्रह्मेन्द्ररुद्रमरुदर्ककिरीटकोटि_सङ्घट्टिताङ्घ्रिकमलामलकान्तिकान्त ।लक्ष्मीलसत्कुचसरोरुहराजहंसलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥२॥ brahmendrarudramarudarkakirīṭakoṭi_saṅghaṭṭitāṅghrikamalāmalakāntikānta .lakṣmīlasatkucasaroruharājahaṃsalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..2.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) millions of diadems (i.e. decorated heads) of Brahma, Rudra, Maruts (wind-gods) and Arka (Sun-god) …assembles at whose stainless, pure feet, desiring to obtain its splendour,who is a royal swan floating on the lake within the heart of devi Lakshmi, …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारघोरगहने चरतो मुरारेमारोग्रभीकरमृगप्रवरार्दितस्य ।आर्तस्य मत्सरनिदाघनिपीडितस्यलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥३॥ saṃsāraghoragahane carato murāremārograbhīkaramṛgapravarārditasya .ārtasya matsaranidāghanipīḍitasyalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..3.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) in this dense forest of samsara (worldly existence), i wander, O murari (the enemy of demon Mura),many formidable and ferocious animals (in this forest of samsara), torments me with various desires and rouses deep fear in me,I am deeply afflicted and hurt in this selfishness and heat (of the samsara),O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारकूपमतिघोरमगाधमूलंसम्प्राप्य दुःखशतसर्पसमाकुलस्य ।दीनस्य देव कृपणापदमागतस्यलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥४॥ saṃsārakūpamatighoramagādhamūlaṃsamprāpya duḥkhaśatasarpasamākulasya .dīnasya deva kṛpaṇāpadamāgatasyalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..4.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) in this well of samsara (worldly existence), which is exceedingly terrible; to its unfathomable depth ….I have reached; where it is filled with hundreds of snakes of sorrows,to this miserable soul, O deva, who is wretched and afflicted with various calamities, …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारसागरविशालकरालकाल_नक्रग्रहग्रसननिग्रहविग्रहस्य ।व्यग्रस्य रागरसनोर्मिनिपीडितस्यलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥५॥ saṃsārasāgaraviśālakarālakāla_nakragrahagrasananigrahavigrahasya .vyagrasya rāgarasanorminipīḍitasyalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..5.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) in this huge ocean of samsara (worldly existence), where kala (time) cleaves asunder everything …like a crocodile; my life is restrained and being eaten away like rahu restrains and devours the planet (i.e. moon), …and my senses being engrossed in the waves of the rasa (juice) of raga (passion) is squeezing away my life, …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारवृक्षमघबीजमनन्तकर्म_शाखाशतं करणपत्रमनङ्गपुष्पम् ।आरुह्य दुःखफलितं पततो दयालोलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥६॥ saṃsāravṛkṣamaghabījamanantakarma_śākhāśataṃ karaṇapatramanaṅgapuṣpam .āruhya duḥkhaphalitaṃ patato dayālolakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..6.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) in this tree of samsara (worldly existence) – evil is whose seed, endless activities …are whose hundreds of branches, sense organ is whose leaf, Ananga (Kamadeva) is whose flower;I have mounted that tree (of samsara) and having reaped its fruits of sorrows, is now falling down; O compassionate one, …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारसर्पघनवक्त्रभयोग्रतीव्र_दंष्ट्राकरालविषदग्धविनष्टमूर्तेः ।नागारिवाहन सुधाब्धिनिवास शौरेलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥७॥ saṃsārasarpaghanavaktrabhayogratīvra_daṃṣṭrākarālaviṣadagdhavinaṣṭamūrteḥ .nāgārivāhana sudhābdhinivāsa śaurelakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..7.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) this all-destroying serpent of samsara (worldly existence) with its dreadful face …and sharp fangs, has burnt and destroyed me with its terrible poison,O the one riding the enemy of serpents (garuda) (who can kill the serpents of samsara), O the one who dwell in the ocean of nectar (which can heal out burnt beings), O Shauri (Vishnu), …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारदावदहनातुरभीकरोरु_ज्वालावलीभिरतिदग्धतनूरुहस्य ।त्वत्पादपद्मसरसीशरणागतस्यलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥८॥ saṃsāradāvadahanāturabhīkaroru_jvālāvalībhiratidagdhatanūruhasya .tvatpādapadmasarasīśaraṇāgatasyalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..8.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) the burning heat of this samsara (worldly existence) which creates fear in us and makes us suffer, …it’s blazing flame is burning every part of my body,your lotus feet is a (cooling) lake giving refuge (to the burnt souls),O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारजालपतितस्य जगन्निवाससर्वेन्द्रियार्तवडिशार्थझषोपमस्य ।प्रोत्खण्डितप्रचुरतालुकमस्तकस्यलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥९॥ saṃsārajālapatitasya jagannivāsasarvendriyārtavaḍiśārthajhaṣopamasya .protkhaṇḍitapracuratālukamastakasyalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..9.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) (like the one who) living in this world has fallen in the samsara jala (net of worldly attachment), …and whose all indriyas (sense organs) have become afflicted like a hooked fish, …(the fish) whose palate and head has been profusely torn (by the many fish hooks on the sense organs) (Such is my condition, so), …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. संसारभीकरकरीन्द्रकराभिघात_निष्पिष्टमर्मवपुषः सकलार्तिनाश ।प्राणप्रयाणभवभीतिसमाकुलस्यलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥१०॥ saṃsārabhīkarakarīndrakarābhighāta_niṣpiṣṭamarmavapuṣaḥ sakalārtināśa .prāṇaprayāṇabhavabhītisamākulasyalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..10.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) this samsara (worldly existence), like a huge dreadful elephant, has struck me with its trunk, …and (with its feet) has crushed my vitals; O Lord, you who are the most beautiful and destroyer of all pains, …to me who is filled with the fear of death in this world, …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. अन्धस्य मे हृतविवेकमहाधनस्यचोरैः प्रभो बलिभिरिन्द्रियनामधेयैः ।मोहान्धकूपकुहरे विनिपातितस्यलक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ॥११॥ andhasya me hṛtavivekamahādhanasyacoraiḥ prabho balibhirindriyanāmadheyaiḥ .mohāndhakūpakuhare vinipātitasyalakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ..11.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) my blindness due to seizing away my viveka (power of discrimination between good and bad), the great wealth, …by theft, O Lord, by the indriyas (sense organs) which prompted for constant oblations, …has made my life fall inside the dark well of delusion, …O Lakshmi Narasimha, please give me your refuge by holding me with your divine hands. लक्ष्मीपते कमलनाभ सुरेश विष्णोवैकुण्ठ कृष्ण मधुसूदन पुष्कराक्ष ।ब्रह्मण्य केशव जनार्दन वासुदेवदेवेश देहि कृपणस्य करावलम्बम् ॥१२॥ lakṣmīpate kamalanābha sureśa viṣṇovaikuṇṭha kṛṣṇa madhusūdana puṣkarākṣa .brahmaṇya keśava janārdana vāsudevadeveśa dehi kṛpaṇasya karāvalambam ..12.. (Salutations to Sri Lakshmi Narasimha) O Lakshmipati (consort of devi Lakshmi), O Kamalanabha (with lotus on the navel), O Suresha (lord of the Suras), O Vishnu, …O

Kayena Vaca कायेन वाचा मनसेंद्रियैर्वाबुध्यात्मना वा प्रकृतेः स्वभावात् ।करोमि यद्यत् सकलं परस्मैनारायणायेति समर्पयामि ॥ kāyena vācā manaseṃdriyairvābudhyātmanā vā prakṛteḥ svabhāvāt .karomi yadyat sakalaṃ parasmainārāyaṇāyeti samarpayāmi .. Whatever I do either by body, speech, mind or sensory organs, either with my personal knowledge or natural trait, I surrender and submit all to that to supreme divine Narayana. Description Word by Word meaningkāyena — with the body; vācā — speech; manasā — mind; indriyaiḥ — senses; vā — or; buddhyā — with the intelligence; ātmanā — the purified consciousness; vā — or; anusṛta — followed; svabhāvāt — according to one’s conditioned nature; karoti — one does; yatyat — whatever; sakalam — all; parasmai — to the Supreme; nārāyanāyaiti — thinking, “This is for Nārāyaṇa”;samarpayet — he should offer; tat — that. Significance of Kayena Vacha ShlokamThis Shlokam prays for and builds the attitude of total surrender to the Lord as we go through each day in our life. Most of us go through life’s various activities. In our own ignorance we arrogate to ourselves, the ownership of the activities and when the results are not in-sync with our expectations, we become sad and dejected.One of the most powerful ways on the route to spirituality is to do any action as an agent. If there is an attitude, that I have to do an activity because it is my obligation, I will not worry about the results. Just as a soldier kills on the battlefield as an agent of the country and he will not be punished for any act, similarly if we do any act as an agent of the supreme, there is no impact. Every action incidentally which is done with a feeling of ownership has a karmic impact with strong potential for a rebirth due to that action. However any action done with a true feeling that it is my obligation to serve humanity or this activity is for a larger cause beyond my selfishness, will not have any karmic impact. This Shlokam is a great way to reduce our karmic footprint while surrendering to the Lord. There are two sources for this Shlokam:From Mukundamala: कायेन वाचा मनसेन्द्रियैर्वा । बुद्ध्यात्मना वा प्रकृतिस्वभावात् । करोमि यद्यत्सकलं परस्मै । नारायणयेति समर्पयामि ॥ Kaayena Vaacaa Manase[a-I]ndriyairvaa Buddhy[i]-Aatmanaa Vaa Prakrteh Svabhaavaat | Karomi Yad-Yat-Sakalam Parasmai Naaraayannayeti Samarpayaami ||Meaning: 1: Whatever I do with the Body, Speech, Mind or the Sense Organs, 2: Either by discrimination of the Intellect, or by the deeper feelings of the Heart, or by the existing Tendencies of the Mind, 3: I Do them All (i.e. Whatever work is to be done) without Ownership, 4: And I Surrender them at the feet of Sri Narayana. From Srimad Bhagavatam (11.2.36): कायेन वाचा मनसेन्द्रियैर्वा बुद्ध्यात्मना वानुसृतस्वभावात् । करोति यद्यत्सकलं परस्मै नारायणयेति समर्पयेत्तत् ॥ Kaayena Vaacaa Manase[a-I]ndriyairvaa Buddhy[i]-Aatmanaa Va-Anusrta-Svabhaavaat | Karoti Yad-Yat-Sakalam Parasmai Naaraayannayeti Samarpayet-Tat ||Meaning: 1: Whatever is done with the Body, Speech, Mind or the Sense Organs, 2: Either by discrimination of the Intellect, or by the deeper feelings of the Heart, or by the existing Tendencies of the Mind, 3: The devotee does them All (i.e. Whatever work is done) without Ownership, 4: And Surrenders them at the feet of Sri Narayana.

Dhanvantari Mantra ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धन्वन्तरये अमृतकलश हस्तायसर्वामय विनाशनाय त्रैलोक्यनाथाय श्री महाविष्णवे नमः oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya dhanvantaraye amṛtakalaśa hastāyasarvāmaya vināśanāya trailokyanāthāya śrī mahāviṣṇave namaḥ Salutations to Lord Dhanvantari, the divine healer with the pot of nectar, who removes all afflictions and diseases. I bow to Lord Vishnu, the sustainer of the three worlds. Description The Dhanvantari Mantra calls upon the divine healer, Lord Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda, for health and protection from ailments. Known to carry a pot of amṛta, the nectar of immortality, Dhanvantari’s blessings are believed to eradicate suffering and bring vitality to body and mind. By addressing Dhanvantari as Nārāyaṇa (a form of Vishnu), the mantra emphasizes His divine source and role as both a healer and protector. This verse reflects the seeker’s deep devotion and trust in divine aid, invoking strength, wellness, and an inner alignment with divine grace.

Bhaja Govindam MS भज गोविन्दं भज गोविन्दंगोविन्दं भज मूढमते |सम्प्राप्ते सन्निहिते कालेनहि नहि रक्षति डुक्रिङ्करणे ‖ 1 ‖ bhaja govindaṃ bhaja govindaṃgovindaṃ bhaja mūḍhamate |samprāpte sannihite kālenahi nahi rakṣati ḍukriṅkaraṇe ‖ 1 ‖ Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, O fool! The rules of grammar will not save you at the time of your death. मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णांकुरु सद्बुद्धिम् मनसि वितृष्णाम् |यल्लभसे निज कर्मोपात्तंवित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ‖ 2 ‖ mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgamatṛṣṇāṃkuru sadbuddhim manasi vitṛṣṇām |yallabhase nija karmopāttaṃvittaṃ tena vinodaya cittam ‖ 2 ‖ O fool! Give up your thirst to amass wealth, devote your mind to dispassion and thoughts of the Real. Be content with what comes to you through actions performed by your own work. यावद्-वित्तोपार्जन सक्तःतावन्-निजपरिवारो रक्तः |पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जर देहेवार्तां कोऽपि न पृच्छति गेहे ‖ 5 ‖ yāvad-vittopārjana saktaḥtāvan-nijaparivāro raktaḥ |paścājjīvati jarjara dehevārtāṃ ko’pi na pṛcchati gehe ‖ 5 ‖ So long as a man is fit and able to support his family by earning wealth, all those family members around him show affection. But no one at home cares for him, even have a word with him, when his body becomes invalid and totters due to old age. यावत्-पवनो निवसति देहेतावत्-पृच्छति कुशलं गेहे |गतवति वायौ देहापायेभार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन् काये ‖ 6 ‖ yāvat-pavano nivasati dehetāvat-pṛcchati kuśalaṃ gehe |gatavati vāyau dehāpāyebhāryā bibhyati tasmin kāye ‖ 6 ‖ When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the life-air stops and the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse मा कुरु धनजन यौवन गर्वंहरति निमेषात्-कालः सर्वम् |मायामयमिदम्-अखिलं हित्वाब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा ‖ 11 ‖ mā kuru dhanajana yauvana garvaṃharati nimeṣāt-kālaḥ sarvam |māyāmayamidam-akhilaṃ hitvābrahmapadaṃ tvaṃ praviśa viditvā ‖ 11 ‖ Do not take pride in wealth, friends and youth. Each one of these is destroyed within an instant by Time. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of māyā and attain the realm of brahman, timeless truth. सुरमन्दिर तरु मूल निवासःशय्या भूतलम्-अजिनं वासः |सर्व परिग्रह भोगत्यागःकस्य सुखं न करोति विरागः ‖ 19 ‖ suramandira taru mūla nivāsaḥśayyā bhūtalam-ajinaṃ vāsaḥ |sarva parigraha bhogatyāgaḥkasya sukhaṃ na karoti virāgaḥ ‖ 19 ‖ One who lives in temples or dwells at the foot of trees, whose bed is the surface of the earth, whose garment is a deer-skin, who has thus renounced all enjoyment of worldly possessions – to whom will such dispassion (vairāgya) not bring happiness? (Stanza attributed to Nityānanda.) भगवद्गीता किञ्चिदधीतागङ्गा जललव कणिका पीता |सकृदपि येन मुरारी समर्चाक्रियते तस्य यमेन न चर्चा ‖ 21 ‖ bhagavadgītā kiñcidadhītāgaṅgā jalalava kaṇikā pītā |sakṛdapi yena murārī samarcākriyate tasya yamena na carcā ‖ 21 ‖ Let a man read but a little from Bhagavad-gītā, drink just a drop of Gaṅgā-water, worship but once murāri, the enemy of ‘Murā’ (Lord Kṛṣṇa); he then will have no confrontation with Yama, the Lord of death. (Stanza attributed to Dṛḍhabhakta.) पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणंपुनरपि जननी जठरे शयनम् |इह संसारे बहु दुस्तारेकृपयाऽपारे पाहि मुरारे ‖ 22 ‖ punarapi jananaṃ punarapi maraṇaṃpunarapi jananī jaṭhare śayanam |iha saṃsāre bahu dustārekṛpayā’pāre pāhi murāre ‖ 22 ‖ Birth again, death again, again resting in the mother’s womb! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of saṁsāra (cycle of repeated birth and death). O Murāri! by your causeless mercy please protect me (from this transmigratory process). (Stanza attributed to Nityanātha.) गेयं गीता नाम सहस्रंध्येयं श्रीपति रूपम्-अजस्रम् |नेयं सज्जन सङ्गे चित्तंदेयं दीनजनाय च वित्तम् ‖ 28 ‖ geyaṃ gītā nāma sahasraṃdhyeyaṃ śrīpati rūpam-ajasram |neyaṃ sajjana saṅge cittaṃdeyaṃ dīnajanāya ca vittam ‖ 28 ‖ Regularly recite from the Gītā, meditate on Viṣṇu (śrīpati) in your heart, and chant his thousand glories names (viṣṇu-sahasranāma). Take delight to be with the noble and the holy. Distribute your wealth in charity to the poor and the needy. (Stanza attributed to Sumatir.) अर्थमनर्थं भावय नित्यंनास्ति ततः सुख लेशः सत्यम् |पुत्रादपि धनभाजां भीतिःसर्वत्रैषा विहिता रीतिः ‖ 30 ‖ arthamanarthaṃ bhāvaya nityaṃnāsti tataḥ sukha leśaḥ satyam |putrādapi dhanabhājāṃ bhītiḥsarvatraiṣā vihitā rītiḥ ‖ 30 ‖ Remember always that wealth is the source of misfortune. The truth is that one cannot extract even a bit of happiness from it. For the rich, there is fear even from one’s own son. This is the established way with wealth everywhere. गुरु चरणाम्भुज निर्भरभक्तःसंसाराद्-अचिराद्-भव मुक्तः |सेन्दिय मानस नियमादेवंद्रक्ष्यसि निज हृदयस्थं देवम् ‖ 32 ‖ guru caraṇāmbhuja nirbharabhaktaḥsaṃsārād-acirād-bhava muktaḥ |sendiya mānasa niyamādevaṃdrakṣyasi nija hṛdayasthaṃ devam ‖ 32 ‖ Oh devotee sincerely dedicated to the lotus feet of the Guru! May thou be soon free from Saṁsārā, the circle of birth and death. Through disciplined senses and controlled mind, thou shalt come to see (experience) the in-dwelling Lord of your heart. Description Bhaja Govindam (Praise Govinda/Repeat the name of Govinda), is one of the most popular hymns penned by Adi Shankaracharya, that is still sung and recited by millions of Hindus every day. It consists of seventeen stanzas in rhyme. The hymn is steeped in the emotion of bhakti, urging the need for devotion to the Lord as against mechanical acquisition of conventional knowledge. The legend is that Shankara spontaneously composed this hymn in Varanasi on being irritated by the sound of a student loudly trying to learn the rules of grammar by rote. Its basic refrain is that surrender yourself to Govinda, the Lord, for the rules of grammar will not profit you once the hour of death draws near. This composition, like many others, written by Shankara, wherein he underlines the importance of devotion and surrender, and pours his heart out in obeisance to a deity in the Hindu pantheon, may surprise those who associate him only with the jnana marga or the path of knowledge to salvation. The jnana marga was, indeed, the path that Shankara believed to be the most efficacious in the search for knowledge of Brahman, and consequently of moksha. However—and this is the important point – he never forbid prayer and worship animated by the spirit of self-surrender and bhakti. The conventional modes of religious practice, if sufficiently suffused by the yearning for spiritual grace, had his sanction. Under the rubric of apara vidya, or

Bhaja Govindam All Verses भज गोविन्दं भज गोविन्दंगोविन्दं भज मूढमते |सम्प्राप्ते सन्निहिते कालेनहि नहि रक्षति डुक्रिङ्करणे ‖ 1 ‖ bhaja govindaṃ bhaja govindaṃgovindaṃ bhaja mūḍhamate |samprāpte sannihite kālenahi nahi rakṣati ḍukriṅkaraṇe ‖ 1 ‖ Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, O fool! The rules of grammar will not save you at the time of your death. मूढ जहीहि धनागमतृष्णांकुरु सद्बुद्धिम् मनसि वितृष्णाम् |यल्लभसे निज कर्मोपात्तंवित्तं तेन विनोदय चित्तम् ‖ 2 ‖ mūḍha jahīhi dhanāgamatṛṣṇāṃkuru sadbuddhim manasi vitṛṣṇām |yallabhase nija karmopāttaṃvittaṃ tena vinodaya cittam ‖ 2 ‖ O fool! Give up your thirst to amass wealth, devote your mind to dispassion and thoughts of the Real. Be content with what comes to you through actions performed by your own work. नारी स्तनभर नाभीदेशंदृष्ट्वा मा गा मोहावेशम् |एतन्मांस वसादि विकारंमनसि विचिन्तया वारं वारम् ‖ 3 ‖ nārī stanabhara nābhīdeśaṃdṛṣṭvā mā gā mohāveśam |etanmāṃsa vasādi vikāraṃmanasi vicintayā vāraṃ vāram ‖ 3 ‖ Do not get drowned in delusion, infatuated with passion and lusty desires, by seeing a woman’s raised breasts and navel. These are nothing but a modification of flesh and fat, and the like. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind. नलिनी दलगत जलमति तरलंतद्वज्जीवित मतिशय चपलम् |विद्धि व्याध्यभिमान ग्रस्तंलोकं शोकहतं च समस्तम् ‖ 4 ‖ nalinī dalagata jalamati taralaṃtadvajjīvita matiśaya capalam |viddhi vyādhyabhimāna grastaṃlokaṃ śokahataṃ ca samastam ‖ 4 ‖ As water drops on a lotus leaf are unsteady and trembling, in the same way life in this world is exceedingly unsteady and restless. Know that the whole world is full of miseries, afflicted by unhappiness and grief. यावद्-वित्तोपार्जन सक्तःतावन्-निजपरिवारो रक्तः |पश्चाज्जीवति जर्जर देहेवार्तां कोऽपि न पृच्छति गेहे ‖ 5 ‖ yāvad-vittopārjana saktaḥtāvan-nijaparivāro raktaḥ |paścājjīvati jarjara dehevārtāṃ ko’pi na pṛcchati gehe ‖ 5 ‖ So long as a man is fit and able to support his family by earning wealth, all those family members around him show affection. But no one at home cares for him, even have a word with him, when his body becomes invalid and totters due to old age. यावत्-पवनो निवसति देहेतावत्-पृच्छति कुशलं गेहे |गतवति वायौ देहापायेभार्या बिभ्यति तस्मिन् काये ‖ 6 ‖ yāvat-pavano nivasati dehetāvat-pṛcchati kuśalaṃ gehe |gatavati vāyau dehāpāyebhāryā bibhyati tasmin kāye ‖ 6 ‖ When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the life-air stops and the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse बाल स्तावत् क्रीडासक्तःतरुण स्तावत् तरुणीसक्तः |वृद्ध स्तावत्-चिन्तामग्नःपरमे ब्रह्मणि कोऽपि न लग्नः ‖ 7 ‖ bāla stāvat krīḍāsaktaḥtaruṇa stāvat taruṇīsaktaḥ |vṛddha stāvat-cintāmagnaḥparame brahmaṇi ko’pi na lagnaḥ ‖ 7 ‖ Childhood is lost in attachment to games. The youth is lost in attachment to woman. Old age passes with worry and anxiety, thinking over many things. But there is hardly anyone who wants to be lost (attached) in para-braman, the Supreme Spirit. का ते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रःसंसारोऽयमतीव विचित्रः |कस्य त्वं वा कुत आयातःतत्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः ‖ 8 ‖ kā te kāntā kaste putraḥsaṃsāro’yamatīva vicitraḥ |kasya tvaṃ vā kuta āyātaḥtatvaṃ cintaya tadiha bhrātaḥ ‖ 8 ‖ Who is your wife? Who is your son? Supremely wonderful is saṁsāra, the circle of birth and death. Of whom are you? From where have you come? Brother, ponder over these concepts. सत्सङ्गत्वे निस्सङ्गत्वंनिस्सङ्गत्वे निर्मोहत्वम् |निर्मोहत्वे निश्चलतत्त्वंनिश्चलतत्त्वे जीवन्मुक्तिः ‖ 9 ‖ satsaṅgatve nissaṅgatvaṃnissaṅgatve nirmohatvam |nirmohatve niścalatattvaṃniścalatattve jīvanmuktiḥ ‖ 9 ‖ Being in the company of good people (saints) gives rise to non-attachment; from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to awareness of reality; understanding of reality gives rise to emancipation leading to the liberation of the soul (jīvan-mukti), while still alive. वयसि गते कः कामविकारःशुष्के नीरे कः कासारः |क्षीणे वित्ते कः परिवारःज्ञाते तत्त्वे कः संसारः ‖ 10 ‖ vayasi gate kaḥ kāmavikāraḥśuṣke nīre kaḥ kāsāraḥ |kṣīṇe vitte kaḥ parivāraḥjñāte tattve kaḥ saṃsāraḥ ‖ 10 ‖ What good is lust when youth has fled? What use is a lake which has no water? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone? What is saṁsāra (transmigratory process), when Truth is known. मा कुरु धनजन यौवन गर्वंहरति निमेषात्-कालः सर्वम् |मायामयमिदम्-अखिलं हित्वाब्रह्मपदं त्वं प्रविश विदित्वा ‖ 11 ‖ mā kuru dhanajana yauvana garvaṃharati nimeṣāt-kālaḥ sarvam |māyāmayamidam-akhilaṃ hitvābrahmapadaṃ tvaṃ praviśa viditvā ‖ 11 ‖ Do not take pride in wealth, friends and youth. Each one of these is destroyed within an instant by Time. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of māyā and attain the realm of brahman, timeless truth. दिन यामिन्यौ सायं प्रातःशिशिर वसन्तौ पुनरायातः |कालः क्रीडति गच्छत्यायुःतदपि न मुञ्चत्याशावायुः ‖ 12 ‖ dina yāminyau sāyaṃ prātaḥśiśira vasantau punarāyātaḥ |kālaḥ krīḍati gacchatyāyuḥtadapi na muñcatyāśāvāyuḥ ‖ 12 ‖ Day and night, evening and morning, winter and summer come and go again and again. Eternal time plays and life ebbs away, yet one does not let go of the storm of desire. द्वादश मञ्जरिकाभिर शेषःकथितो वैया करणस्यैषः |उपदेशो भूद्-विद्या निपुणैःश्रीमच्छङ्कर भगवच्छरणैः ‖ 13 ‖ dvādaśa mañjarikābhira śeṣaḥkathito vaiyā karaṇasyaiṣaḥ |upadeśo bhūd-vidyā nipuṇaiḥśrīmacchaṅkara bhagavaccharaṇaiḥ ‖ 13 ‖ The bouquet of twelve verses was imparted to a grammarian by the all-knowing Śaṅkara, adored as Bhagavat-pāda. का ते कान्ता धन गत चिन्तावातुल किं तव नास्ति नियन्ता |त्रिजगति सज्जन सङ्गतिरेकाभवति भवार्णव तरणे नौका ‖ 14 ‖ kā te kāntā dhana gata cintāvātula kiṃ tava nāsti niyantā |trijagati sajjana saṅgatirekābhavati bhavārṇava taraṇe naukā ‖ 14 ‖ O, mad man! Why this engrossment in thoughts of wealth and beloved? Is there no one to guide you? In these thee worlds, only the association with saintly people (satsaṅga) can serve as the boat that can steer cross the ocean of repeated birth and death. (Stanza attributed to Padmapāda.) जटिलो मुण्डी लुञ्जित केशःकाषायान्बर बहुकृत वेषः |पश्यन्नपि च न पश्यति मूढःउदर निमित्तं बहुकृत वेषः ‖ 15 ‖ jaṭilo muṇḍī luñjita keśaḥkāṣāyānbara bahukṛta veṣaḥ |paśyannapi ca na paśyati mūḍhaḥudara nimittaṃ bahukṛta veṣaḥ ‖ 15 ‖ There are many (ascetics) with matted hair, many with clean shaven heads, many whose hair have been plucked out; some are clothed in orange, yet others parading in various colors -Indeed, these different disguises or apparels are only for their belly’s sake. Seeing the truth revealed before them, still the foolish ones can not