Wednesday, July 20, 2011

IV.Thodaya Mangalam

IV.Thodaya Mangalam
(Preliminary songs composed by saints praising Gods.)

Translated By

P.R.Ramachander

Thodaya Mangalam is the set of songs welcoming the God with auspiciousness , generally composed by devotees like Annamacharya and Vijaya Gopala Swamigal. The sampradaya Bhajana begins with this.

Prayer to Ganesa
Raga Nata Thala Jambha

Mooshika vahana modhaka hastha,
Chamarakarna , vilambitha suthra,
Vamana roopa , Maheswara puthra,
Vigna vinayaka Pada namasthe.

I salute the of Vinayaka who removes obstructions,
Who rides on a house, who holds Modhakas in his hand,
Who has sacred thread hanging , who is short and son of Lord Shiva.

Thodaya Mangalam


1.Jaya janaki Ramana , Jaya Vibheeshana sarana,
Jaya saroruha charana , Jaya dheena karuna jaya, jaya

Victory to sweet heart of Sita,
Victory to him who gave refuge to Vibheeshana
Victory to the one with lotus like feet,
Victory to one merciful towards one in distress victory, victory

2.Jaya loka saranya , Jaya Bhaktha karunya,
Jaya divya lavanya , Jaya jagat punya jaya, jaya

Victory to the shelter of all people,
Victory to one merciful to his devotees,
Victory to one with ethereal beauty,
Victory to result of good deeds of the world victory, victory

3.SAkala loka vasa, Saketha pure vasa,
Akalanka nija dasa , abhja mukha hasa jaya, jaya

The one who lives everywhere in the world,
The one who lived in city of Ayodhya,
The one who is real servant of the innocent,
The one who has a laughing moon like face victory, victory

4.Shukha muni Sthuthi pithra , Subhatha nija charithra,
Makara Kundala karna, Meka sama varna jaya, jaya

The one who was fit to be worshipped by sage Suka,
The one who shows the way to true character,
The one who wears fish like studs in the ear,
The one who is of the colour of the cloud victory, victory

5.Kamaneeya koteera , Kousthubalankara,
Kamalaksha Raghu veera kamalaa vihara jaya , jaya

The one who has a very pretty hair ,
The one who decorates himself with Kousthubha
The one who has lotus like eyes,
The who is the hero of Raghu clan,
The one in whom Lakshmi lives Victory, victory

6.Samara ripu jaya dheera , Sakala guna gambheera,
Amala hruth sanchara , akhilarthihara jaya , jaya

The courageous one who wins over enemies in a war,
The one who is serious with all good qualities,
The one whose heart travels in pure path,
The one who destroys all pain victory, victory

7.Roopa nindithamaara, ruchira sad guna soora,
Bhoopa dasaratha kumara. Bhoo bara hara jaya, jaya

He whose form makes fun of the form of cupid,
The brilliant one with valour and good qualities,
He who is the son of king Dasaratha,
He who reduces the burden of the earth Victory, victory

8.Papa sanga vidhara, pankthimukha samhara ,
Sripathe sukumara , Sita vihara jaya, jaya

The receptacle of all sins,
He who killed the crocodile ,
The pretty one who is consort of Lakshmi,
The who is with Goddess Sita victory, victory

9. Mandhara mole madanabhi ramam,
Binbhadara pooritha venu nadham,
Go gopa, Gopi jana Madhya samstham,
Gopam bhaje Gokula poorna chandram

I sing about the Gopa , who is the full moon of Gokula,
Who is the heart bewitching one at the gate of heaven,
Who plays flute with his lips as red as Bimba fruits,
And who is in the middle of cows, Gopa boys and Gopis.



Ragha aarabhi Thala Chapu


Saranu saranu surendra sannutha ,
Saranu sri sathi vallabha,
Saranu Rakshasa Garva Samhara,
Saranu Venkata Nayaka Saranu Saranu

I surrender, surrender to you Oh God praised by Indra,
I surrender to the husband of Sathi,
I surrender to him who destroyed pride of asuras,
I surrender to the Lord of Venkata mountain.

Animishendrulu munulu digpathulu amara kinnara sidhulu,
Gana thatho Rambathi kanthuly gasina reccerikayaa

The devas, the sages, the protectors of directions,
The Devas, Kinnaras , Sidhas and the
The apasaras like Ramba using their music,
Serve him with great dedication.

Kamala Dharudunu , Kamala Mithrudu,
Kamala sathrudu puthrudu,
Kramamutho nee koluviki ppudu,
Gasina recherikkaya.

Lord Vishnu who is having a lotus ,
Is praised by Lord Brahma who loves lotus,
By Prahlada , the son of enemy of lotus,
Have come in your presence now,
And serve you with great dedication.


Parama pada Govinda Madhava ,
Padmanabha Janardhana ,
Darani dara vara Garuda Vahana,
Daithya bali madha banjana

He who is salvation, Govinda, Madhava ,
He who is Padmanabha, Janardhana,
He who carries earth, he who rides on Garuda,
He who destroyed the pride of Bali the asura

Yennagala prahladha bhakthulu,
Yelamithi mimu koluvakkippudu ,
Vinnappamu Vinavayya devara,
Venkatachala Nayaka


You have countless devotees like Prahlada,
Who stand at your feet and sing your name
Here my petition, oh God
Oh Lord of Venkatachala

2. Raga Madhyamavathi Thala Aadhi

Sloka

Murahara naga dara Mukunda Madhava,
Garuda gamana Pankaja nabha,
Parama Purusha bhava banjana Kesava,
Naramruga sareera namo nama

Oh Mukunda, Oh Madhava , who killed Mura,
Who lifted a mountain, who travels on Garuda,
Who has a lotus on his belly , Who is divine God,
Who is Kesava who cuts off ties of birth and death,
Oh God with body of man and lion , My salutations to you.

Pallavi
1.Narayana they namo nama , bhava,
Naradha sannutha Namo nama

Salutations and salutations to The Narayana,
Salutations and salutations to one praised by divine Narada.

2,Jaladhi sayana , ravi chandra vilochana,
Jalaruha bhavanutha charana yuga,
Bali bandhana , Gopi jana vallabha,
Nalinodhara , they namo nama

Salutations and salutations to him who sleeps on sea,
Who has Sun and moon as his eyes,
Who tied Mahabali , Who is the sweetheart of Gopis,
And who has a very tender stomach.

3. Sri Vathsa lanchana , peethambara dhara,
Devaki nandana Narayana,
Go vathsa palana , Govardhana dara ,
Gopa Priya they namo nama.

Salutations and salutations to friend of Gopas,
Who has the mole called Sri Vathsa , who wears yellow silks,
Who is Narayana , the son of Devaki,
Who takes care of cowherd boys and who lifted Govardhana mountain.

4.Kousalyathmaja , Kamidha phaladha,
Karuna sagara , kanthimaya,
Dasaratha Nandana , Danuja kulanthaka,
Kusa lava janaka , they namo nama

Salutations and salutations to father of Kusa and Lava,
Who is the son of Kousalya, Who gives desired boons,
Who is the ocean of mercy , Who is full of light,
Who is son of Dasaratha and Who is exterminator of the clan of asuras.

5.Thara pathi hara , thapana kulothbhava,
Thapasa muni gana vandhyatha,
Mareechanthaka , maruthi sevitha,
Varidhi bandhana namo nama

Salutations and salutations to he who build a bridge across sea,
Who killed Bali , the husband of Thara, Who is from the clan of Sun God,
Who killed Mareecha and was served by Hanuman.

6.Adhi deva, Sakalagama poojitha,
Yadhava kula Mohana roopa,
Vedhothara Sri Venkata Nayaka,
Nada priyas they namo nama

Salutations and salutations to the lover of music,
Who is the primeval God , who is worshipped by all Vedas,
Who is very pretty and belonged to Yadava clan,
And who is the Lord Venkatesa , above the Vedas.

3.Raga :Saveri Thala Roopaka

1.Devesa , ganaradhitha , divyaambuja pada,
Sri Venkata giri Nayaka Srisa Hecharika

Caution to you oh God of devas, one worshipped by Ganas,
One who has divine lotus like feet,
And is the Lord of the Venkata Mountain.

2.Kalimanusha kalushapaha , kamaneeya sukeerthe,
Alamelu manga mohana moorthe Hecharika

Caution to the one who removes the problems of man in Kai age,
The one who has a spotless fame ,
And the one with pretty form attracts Alamelu manga.

3.Jalajasana paripalana jagad yeka nidhana,
Kalasambudhi thata shobhitha charana Hecharika

Caution to one who looks after Brahma sitting on a lotus,
To the one who carefully looks after the earth,


4.Vakulasana Harichandana vana Madhya vihara,
Sakalagama paripalana chathuraa Hecharika

Caution to one who roams the forest of sandal and Bakula trees,
Who is very clever and takes care of all our Vedas.

5.Narayana nara poshana narakadhi samharana,
Hey Ravana madha banjana dheera Hecharika

Caution to Narayana who takes care of humans, who killed Narakasura and others,
And the very courageous one who destroyed the pride of Ravana.

6.Sri Kesava Narayana Govinda murare,
Hey Madhava , Madhu soodhana Damodara soure Hecharika

Caution to Kesava , Narayana, Govinda , killer of Mura,
To Madhava , killer of Madhu , the expert in bow, the one who was tied by a rope on his belly.

7.Seshachala nilaya , vara bhooshana mani valaya,
Roshadhi Vijayi mouni vidheya Hecharika.

Caution to one who lives on Sesha mountain,
Who wears boons as ornaments and is surrounded by gems,
Who wins over angry and is easily accessible to silent.

8.Rajani chara vara nayaka kala vana mala,
Vruja palana vara Vijayagopala Hecharika.

Caution to one who travels at night , who is the blessed leader.
Who wears forest garlands , Who takes care of people of Vruja,
And Who is the blessed victorious cowherd .

3.Raga Mangala kousika THala Adhi

Pallavi
Madhava bhavathu they mangalam,
Madhu mura hara they mangalam.

Refrain
Let all good come to you Madhava,
Let all good come to killer of Madhu and Mura

1.Aravinda lochana , agha brunda mochana,
Sura brunda vandhitha mangalam

Let all good come Oh lotus eyed one.
Who released all people including Agha*,
And who is saluted by all the groups of devas.
*An asura general of Kamsa

2.Nara vara nandana , naghari kethana,
Marakatha mani neela Mangalam

Let all good come Oh son of blessed humans ,
Who can summon the enemy of the serpents ,
And who is of the blue colour of emerald.

3.Nanda vara kumara , nava neetha dhadhi chora,
Mandhara giri dhara , mangalam

Let all good come oh blessed son of Nanda,
Who steals butter as well as curd .
And who lifted the Mandara mountain.

4.Kundha radhanamara koojitha noopura,
Sundara vadana they mangalam

Let all good come oh God with jasmine bud like teeth,
Whose anklets sing and who has a very pretty face.

5.Dadhi navaneetha chora , tharunee Gopikaa jara,
Madhu kaidabha samhara , mangalam

Let all good come Oh stealer of curd and butter,
Who is the secret lover of the Gopika lasses,
And who killed Madhu and Kaidabha.

6.Gaja raja paripala , Ghana thulasee mala,
Nija dasa paripala mangalam

Let all good come Oh saviour of king of elephants,
Who wears thick Thulasi garland ,
And who is saviour of his real devotees.

7.Vruja Sundari vilola , Vibhu thendra paripala,
Vijaya Gopala bala Mangalam.

Let all good come , oh lover of pretty Vruja maidens,
Who saves the king of devas,
And is the victorious cowherd boy.

Namavali.

Rama Govinda Rama Rama Kalyana Rama
Rama Pattabhi Rama Raghava,
Govinda Madhava Gopala Kesava ,
Narasimhachyutha narayana,

Oh Rama. Oh Govinda, Oh Rama Oh Rama , Oh auspicious Rama,
Oh Rama , Oh king Rama, Oh Raghava,
Oh Govinda , Oh Madhava , Oh cowherd , Oh Kesava ,
Oh Narasimha, Oh Achyutha , Oh Narayana

Dasaradha nandana Sita manohara,
Dhanava samhara Dhayanidhe,
Rama Raghava Rajeeva lochana,
Kamidha phaladha kari varadha,

Oh son of dasaradha , Oh stealer of heart of Sita,
Oh killer of asuras . Oh treasure of mercy,
Oh Rama, Oh Raghava , Oh lotus eyed one ,
Oh fulfiller of desires , Oh God who blesses the elephant.

Krishna Kesava Ambhuja lochana,
Vanchitha phaladha Yadhu varada,
Hare Rama Gopalam Bhaja
Goviundam mama jeevanam

Sing about Krishna, Kesava , the lotus eyed one,
Thefulfiller of desires , The saviour of Yadhu clan,
The Hari , The Rama, The Gopala ,
For Govinda is my life.

Pundareekam Prathi vachanam

Govinda nama sankeerthanam Govinda, Govinda

Sing names of Govinda Govinda, govinda

III.Avatharika Slokas

III.Avatharika Slokas
(Preliminary verses)

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

(These are introductory prayers addressed to several gods of the Hindu pantheon)

1.Shuklambaradaram Vishnum,
Sasi varnam chathur bujam,
Prasannavadanam dhyayeth,
Sarva Vigna upasanthaye.

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.Sri Kantho mathulo yasya,
Janani sarva mangala,
Janaka sankaro deva,
Tham vande Kunjarananam.

I salute the elephant faced one,
Whose uncle is Lord Vishnu.
Mother is Goddess Parvathi,
And father is the God Shiva.

3.Yasya dwiratha vakthradhya,
Parishadhya para satham,
Vignam nignanthi sathatham,
Vishwaksenam thamasraye.

I surrender to the God Vishwaksena,
Whose face has two tusks,
Who has several hundreds of followers,
And who always removes obstacles.

4.Ramapathi padambhoja ,
Pari shuratha manasam,
Senapathim aham vande ,
Vishwaksenam nirantharam.

I salute always the Commander in chief,
Visvaksena whose mind is opened up,
By the lotus like feet of the consort of Lakshmi.

5.Bhagawan nama samrajya ,
Lakshmi sarvasva vigraham,
Srimath Bodhendra yogeendra ,
Desikendram upasmahe.

In the land of the names of God,
The one who pervades everywhere,
Is the king of Yogis, Bhodendra ,
Who is the king of teachers ,
And I bow to him.

6.Eese thasya cha naamaani pra vimalam jnanam dayor orjitham,
Prema prema cha thath pareshu virathischanyanthara sarvathra cha,
Eesekshaa karunaa cha yasya niyathaa, vruthi ssrithasyapi yam,
Tham vande nara roopa manthakaripum , Sri Venkatesam Gurum.

I salute the great teacher Venkatesa who has a human form and is the enemy of death,
By taking up whose name which is greatly holy we would be lead to wisdom and mercy,
And whose love for God would completely spread everywhere,
And by whose mercy from God and his routine the wealth will increase.

7.Bhagavan nama bodhendra ,
Sridaryathma vigraham,
Srimath Venkataramakhya ,
Desikendramupasmahe

I salute the king of teachers ,
Who is the king for teaching the names of Gods,
Who has the perfect form of Sridhara,
And that of Sri Venkatrama.

8.Nama samrajya roopaanaam,
Bodhendra Sridharathmanaam,
Pranaamam ye prakurvanthi,
Thesham aapi namo nama.

My salutations and salutations to him,
Who is the form of the names of God
Which is taught as right by the,
Souls of Bodhendra and Sridhara.

9.Prahladha , Narada , Parasara , Pundareeka,
Vyasa, Ambareesha , Sukha, Sounaka, Bheeshma, Dhalbyaan,
Rukmangadha ,Arjuna, Vasishta, Vibheeshanaadheen,
Punyanimaan Parama Bhagwathan smarami.

I meditate on the greatly holy ones who have done auspicious acts,
Like Prahladha, Narada, Parasara, Pundareeka,
Vyasa, Ambareesha , Sukha , Sounaka, Dhalabhya,
Rukmangadha , Arjuna , Vasishta and Vibheeshana.

10.Yethan nirvidhyamanam,
Icha thama kuthobhayam,
Yoginaam nrupa nirneetham,
Harer namanu keerthanam.

Even for those who are not educated,
He gives protection to those who desire,
And is considered as the king among Yogis,
Because of singing the names of Hari.

11.Harer namaiva, namaiva ,
Namaiva mama jeevanam,
Kalou nasthyeva nasthyeva ,
Nasthyeva gather anyadha,

My life is the names, names ,
And names of Hari only,
In the Kali age there is no,
There is no other support to us.

12.Visrujya lajjam yo adheethe,
Mannaa maani nirantharam,
Kula koti samayuktho,
Labathe mamakam patham.

He who leaves out his shyness studies
With eagerness always accepts me ,
Would get my place along with,
Crores of his clan members.

13.Vishnor ganam cha Nrutham cha ,
Natanam cha viseshatha ,
Brahman Brahmana jatheenaam,
Karthavyam nithya karma vath.

The Brahmin who sings and acts about Vishnu,
Specially dances would be daily,
Doing the duty of a Brahmin properly.

14.Kalakshebho na karthavya ,
Ksheenam aayu kshane kshane ,
Yamasya karuna nasthi,
Karthvyam Hari Keerthanam.

Due to duties and routine acts ,
The span of life regularly goes down,
As Lord Yama does not show any mercy,
So make the singing of Hari as your duty.

15.Naaham vasami vaikunte ,
Na Yogi hrudaye ravou,
Mad bhaktha yathra gayanthi,
Thathra thishtami Narada.

Oh Narada , I do not live in Vaikunta,
Nor do I live in the heart of great yogis,
For I stay and live in the place ,
Where my devotees sing about me.

16.Kale dosha nidhe , rajan,
Asthi hyekho mahan guna,
Keerthanad yeva krishnayai,
Muktha bandha param vrajeth.

Those Kali age is treasure of the bad things,
It has a very great property,
By singing about Lord Krishna,
You can get rid of ties and attain salvation.

17.Kalou kalmasha chithaanaam,
Papa dravyopa jeevinaam,
Vidhi kriyaa viheenaanam,
Gathir Govinda keerthanam.

In the age of Kali for people with bad thoughts,
For people who eke their livelihood by sins,
And for those who do not follow recommended rituals,
The only way out is Singing about Govinda.

18.Dhyayan krutha yajna yagnai,
Threthayaam dwapare archayan,
Yadapnothi , thadapnothi,
Kalou samgeerthya kesavam.

The effect of meditating in Krutha age,
Doing fire sacrifices in Thretha age,
And doing worship in Dwapara age,
Can be easily attained by oneself,
By singing names of Kesava in Kali age.

19.Namno asthi yavathee Shakthi,
Papa nirharane Hare,
Thavath karthum na saknothi,
Pathakam pathaki jana.

There is no power like your name,
Oh Hari to remove the effect of sins,
For those who do it will not be able,
To do sinful deeds , in spite of being sinners.

20.Harir harathi paapani,
Dushta chithair api smrutha,
Anichayapi samsprushta,
Dhathyeva hi pavaka.

The Hari will destroy all sins,
Even though a bad one remembers him,
In spite of doing it without any will,
And he would make him pure.

21.Smruthe sakala kalyana,
Bajanam yathra jayathe,
Purushastha majam nithyam,
Vrujami saranam harim.

Just by remembering him ,
Would result in all that is good,
And those who remember him without fail ,
Hari would give him protection .

22.Aalodya sarva sasthrani,
Vicharya cha puna puna,
Itham yekam sunishpannam,
Dhyaye yo narayana ssada.

Even by studying all Sasthras deeply,
And again and again doing research in them,
You come to one good conclusion,
“Always meditate on Narayana.”

23.Namsthvanthaya sahasra moorthaye,
Sahasra padakshi siroru behave,
Sahasra namne purushaya saswathe,
Sahasra kodi yuga dharine nama.

Salutations to thee oh lord,
Who runs the immeasurable time,
Of thousand crore yugas,
Who has no end,
Who has thousand names,
Who has thousand forms,
Who has thousand feet,
Who has thousand eyes,
Who has thousand heads,
Who has thousand arms,
And Who is always there.

24.Prahlada bhaga dheyam ,
Nigama mahadror guhantharadheyam,
Narahari padabhidheyam,
Vibhudha vidheyam mamanu sandheyam.

He who is the fate of Prahlada,
Who is dealt inside the cave of the great Vedas
Who took the form of man –lion,
Who is amenable to the wise,
Is the subject of my deep study.

25.Yo danda karanya nisacharendran ,
Kodanda leelaa vishayee chakara,
Vedanda sundayatha bahu danda,
Kodanda pani kuladaivatham na.

The deity of my clan is the one who holds the Kodanda,
Who playing with that bow Kodanda , killed ,
Several asuras who moved at night in Dandakaraya,
And with his hands as weapons killed,
The mighty elephant which had its trunk as weapon.

26.Krishna kartothu kalyanam,
Kamsa kunjara kesari,
Kalindhi jala kallola ,
Kolahala kuthoohali.

The Krishna who is the lion to the elephant called Kamsa,
Who made the hostile water of Kalindi ,
Into a joy filled loud noise and brought auspiciousness.

27.Sri sesha saila suniketana divyamoorthe ,
Narayanachyutha hare nalinayathaksha,
Leela kadaksha pari rakshitha sarva loka,
Sri Venkatesa mama dehi karavalambam.

Please give me the protection of your hands, Lord Venkatesa,
Whose divine form has its abode in the Sesha Mountain,
Who is Narayana, Achyutha and Hari and has lotus like eyes,
And who protects all the worlds with a playful sidelong glance.

28.SAma charana sarojam , sandhra neelambhudabham,
Jagana nihitha panim mandanam mandanaanaam,
Tharuna Thulasi malakandharam kanja nethram,
Sadhaya davala hasam vittalam chinthayami.


I meditate on that Vittala with a feet , similar to the lotus flower,
Who is of the colour of the dense blue cloud,
Who Keeps his arms on his hips and has very joyful decorative face,
Who is a lad wearing the garland of ocimum , with smoke coloured eyes,
And Who sports a merciful pure smile .

29.Krishna krishnethi bashantham,
Suswaram srumanoharam,
Yathi vesha daram soumyam,
Sri Chaithanyam namamyaham.

I salute the Sri Chaithanya ,
Who keeps on chanting “Krishna, Krishna”,
Who has a sweet bewitching voice ,
And who is likable and wears the dress of a saint.

30.Sarva kalyani dadadaaram,
Sarva aapad Ghana vaarakam,
Apara karuna moorthim,
Anjaneyam namamyaham.

I salute hanuman , the son of Anjaneya,
Who grants all types of auspiciousness,
Who saves us from all sort of dangers ,
And is the personification of great mercy.

31.Budhir balam yaso dairyam,
Nirbhsyathwam aroghadhaa,
Ajadyam vak paduthwam cha ,
Hanumath smaranath bhaveth.

By meditating o9n Lord Hanuman , you get,
Intelligence, strength , fame , bravery,
Fearlessness , freedom from disease,
Active nature and versatility in talk.

32.Dhoorikrutha seetharthi,
Pragadikrutha Rama vaibhava spoorthi,
Daritha dasamukha keerthi,
Puratho mama pathu hanumatho moorthi.

Let me protected in front by Lord Hanuman,
Who wants to drive away problems of Sita,
Who is interested in telling about greatness of Rama,
And who is interested in removing fame of Ravana.

Sri Sita Lakshmana, Bharatha , Shathrugna ,
Hanmath samedha Sri Ramachandraya parama guruve nama

Salutations to the great teacher Ramachandra surrounded by
Sita, Lakshmana, Bharatha, Shatrugna and Hanuman

Sri Radha Rukmani SAthyabhama Samedha
Sri Gopala Krishna Parabrahmane nama

Salutations to the divine God Gopalakrishna,
Surrounded by Radha, Rukhmani and Sathyabhama.

Swasthyasthu

Let there be peace

SAmastha mangalani santhu

Let all auspiciousness occur

Loka Samastha sukhino bhavanthu

Let all the people of this world have a pleasurable life.

II.Namavali

II.Namavali
(Row of names)

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

(The essence of Bhajanai is singing the names of the Lord. So after the atmosphere is created by Pundareekam , the audience join the main singers in chanting the names of God.)

Hari Narayana , Hari Narayana,
Hari Narayana , duritha nivarana
Paramananda , Sada siva Sankara,
Bhaktha jana Priya , Pankaja lochana
Hari Narayana Thava Dasoham

Narayana who is Hari, Narayana who is Hari,
Narayana who is Hari , Who is the cure for sufferings,
He who is the divine bliss, The perennial Shiva , Sankara,
He who likes his devotees , He who has eyes like lotus,
Narayana who is Hari, I am your slave.

Gopika Jeevana smaranam Govinda, Govinda
(Remember the soul of Gopis) (Govinda, Govinda)

I.Pundareekam and Prathivachanam

Starting of the Bhajan
Translated by
P.R.Ramachander

Religious functions including Bhajans start with the mass chanting of the names of God. It is normal for a leader to request the people to chant name of a particular God and the assembled people together chant the name of that God.

Sri Rama Jayam
(Victory to Rama)
Sri Guru Charanaravindabhyam Nama
(Salutations to the lotus like feet of the Guru)



I . Pundareekam and Prathivachanam
(Exhortation and reply)

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

This is a usual method of infusing an atmosphere of Bhakthi among the audience. For example the leader exhorts the audience to remember Lord Rama and they all respond, “Victory to Rama”.

Pundareekam Prathivachanam
(Exhortation) (Reply)

Janaki jeevana smaranam Jaya jaya Rama Rama
(Remember the soul of Sita) (Victory, victory to Rama, Rama)

Nama Parvathi pathaye Hara hara Maha deva
(Salute the consort of Parvathi) (Hara, Hara, the greatest God)

Govinda Nama sankeerthanam Govinda, Govinda
(Sing the names of Govinda) (Govinda, Govinda)

Pundaleeka varada Hare vittala
(The one who blessed Pundaleeka) (Lord Vishnu who is Vittala0

Anjaneya moorthiki Jaya
(For Lord Hanuman) (Victory)

Sath Guru Swamiki Jaya
(For the Guru who is our God) (Victory)

Chant the name “Rama” for some time

Sitakantha smaranam Jaya , jaya Rama, Rama
(Remember the consort of Sita) Victory, victory to Rama, Rama

Introduction to Dakshina Bharata Sampradaya Bhajanai

By

P.R.Ramachander

Bhajans started most probably as chanting of names of God as a community in chorus. The members of the audience used to repeat the songs rendered by the lead singer after him. In spite of the great Bhakthi wave in Tamil Nadu, not many references are there about this system of Bhajan. Possibly an idea of what it is introduced by the Maratha kings when they ruled over Thanjavur. They also possibly introduced the Greatness of Purandara Vittala of Pandharpur. It was at this time the Geetha Govinda was written by the poet of Orissa called Jayadev. His poems eulogized Lord Krishna along with Radha. Even this concept was not very popular in the south where Lord Vishnu is found with Goddess Lakshmi /Bhoo Devi/Nila devi/Aandal and Lord Krishna is associated with Bhama and Rugmani.
It was at this time (nearly three hundred years back) a great saint Called Bhodendra Saraswathi who later adorned the Kama Kati Pieta of Kanchi was born. He was asked by his Guru to collect the great book on Bhajans by Saint Lakshmi Dhara of Puri. Bhodendra Saraswathi visited Puri and found that this form of community worship of God was very attractive. He decided that the system of Bhajans(Bhajana Sampradayam) should be introduced in the south and worked for the same. Another great sage called Sridhara Ayyaval who was a contemporary of Bhodendral also liked this form of giving fillip to the Bhakthi movement and contributed a lot to this new vehicle of Bhakthi. This great tradition was further carried forward by Marudanallur sadguru Swamigal. Though these three great Gurus laid out the foundation of the new system of Bhajans , the systematic method of how a Bhjanai should be conducted was laid by another great person called Gopalakrishna Bhagwathar. Another music composer Sri Gopalakrishna Bharathi contributed a lot of simple Tamil lyrics for Bhajanai. SrI sanjeevi Bhagwathar who is the son of Sri Gopalakrishna Bhagawathar has brought out a book called Srimath Bhajanamrutham (The great nectar of Bhajans) in Tamil , which was published by Sri Gopalakrishna Nama Prachara SAbha of Madras. This write up is an attempt to translate (as much as possible) of that book in to English. The various parts of the ideal Dakshina Bharath Sampradaya Bhajanai are
1. Pundareekam and Prathivachanam.(Her either a God is asked to be remembered or his victory is sung. The audience responds by remembering his name or sing victory to that God.)
2. Dhyana Slokam (These stanzas give a description of the Gods who are going to be addressed by the Bhajan)
.
3. Thodaya Mangalam ( These are set of songs composed by saints like Bhadrachala Ramdas , Annamacharya and Vijayagopala Swamigal which were compiled by Marudanallur Sadguru Swamigal)
4. Guru Dhyanam (songs praising the God Dakshinasmurthy followed by great Gurus Adhi Shankara ,Bhodendral, Sridhara Ayyaval , Marudanallur Sadguru Swamigal etc. followed by meditation of these Gurus.)
5. Guru Abhangs (Abhangs are Marathi devotional songs)
6. Sadhu Keertanas (hymns on Sadhus and sants. It can be abhangs also)
7. Jayadeva Ashtapadi (Geeta Govindam)
8. Narayana Teertha Krishna leela Tharangini
Panchapati (Five songs in Telugu (Bhadrachala Ramadas), Kannada (Sri Purandara dasa), Sanskrit (Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral), Tamil (Sri Gopalakrishna Bharathi) and compositions of Sri Tyagaraja
1. Badrachala Bhakta Ramdas
2. Purandara Dasa
3. Sadasiva Brahmendra
4. Thyagaraja
5. Goplakrishna Bharathi
And if time permits, one can sing the North Indian Bhajan Compositions of
1. Kabir Das
2. Meera Bai
3. Tulsidas or Surdas
4. Marathi Abhangs on Lord Panduranga
The comes the turn of Dyana keertanais (hymns on Gods, stuti, Abhangs or Guru Keertanai). In the Dyana Keertana, it starts from Lord Ganesha Saraswati Muruga (Karthikeyan) Shiv Durga Narasimhan Ram Krishna Venkateshwar Vittal Ranganathan Dashavatara stuti Vittal (Marathi Abhangs on Lord Panduranga) Lakshmi Sita / Radha Hanuman Garuda Aiyappan Chandeeshwaran Nandikeshwaran Chaitanya deva (Gauranga) Guru Keertana
Then comes Pooja Sampradaya Kritis
1. Baro murare (welcome)
2. Sharanagata vatsala (request)
3. Kastoori gana.. (pooja)
4. Chita juni... (aarati)
5. Shobane
6. Jay Jay aarati...
7. kanjadalakshiki..
8. Prartana Abhang
9. Rajadi rajaya.. (pushpanjali)
10. Kattiya vachanam (verses from variety of books)
11. Chatur veda parayan
12. Kshetra mahatmiyam (verses on importance of tirta kshetras)
13. Upacharamu.. (upachara sankeertan)
14. Vinnappa gadyam (praying to God - shlokas)
15. Sri Krishna Govinda hare murare.. (naamaavali)
Pooja ends here and Divya namam starts. (deepa pradakshinam - With lighted lamp in the middle considering the lamp as God, bhagavatas will do sankeertan by doing pradakshinas). This equals going around the earth.
Then comes dolotsavam (making God sleep).
1. Anjaneya Keertanai
2. Mangalam