Thursday, June 9, 2011

Vinay Patrika: Hymn 213

Raag Kedara


Lord Vishnu & Goddess Lakshmi


hari-sam aapdaa-haran |

nahi kou sahaj kripaalu dusah dukh-saagar-taran ||1||

gaj nij bal avloki kamal gahi gayo saran |

deen bachan suni chale garudh taji sunaabh-dharan ||2||

drupadsutaako lagyo dusaasan nagan karan |

'haa hari paahi' kahat poore pat bibidh baran ||3||

ihaai jaani sur-nar-muni-kobid sevat charan |

tulsidaas prabhu ko na abhay kiyo nrig-udharan ||4||


Shri Hari Alleviates Sorrow

There is none else like Shri Hari who can annihilate adversities, instinctively shower his grace and enable us to cross over the ocean of unbearable sorrow ||1||


Gajraj Offers a Lotus to Lord Vishnu

When Gajraj saw his power (was diminishing) and sought your refuge by offering a lotus flower, then listening to his humble request, you instantly came there (running on your feet) with the sudarshan chakra, after abandoning the *garuda . ||2||


Lord Krishna Saves Draupadi's Honour

When Dushasana began to strip *Draupadi off her clothes in (a crowded assembly), then just by her crying out, “Oh God! Protect me!” You made a heap of mult-hued sarees ||3||


King Nriga Attains Deliverance by Lord Krishna

(Very well knowing this loving tenderness of Yours towards the needy), gods, humans,sages and scholars serve your feet. Whom did the Supreme Lord who gave deliverance to *King Nriga, not make fearless? (whosoever sought His refuge, the Lord assured him of his safety) ||4||


Garuda: Vishnu's vehicle is Garuda, the eagle, and he is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders. Garuda is a lesser Hindu divinity and is depicted as having the golden body of a strong man with a white face, red wings, and an eagle's beak and with a crown on his head. This ancient deity was said to be massive, large enough to block out the sun.


Draupadi: Yudhishthira and his four brothers were the rulers of Indraprastha. Dhritarashtra’s son Duryodhana was always jealous of his cousins. To take revenge he conspired to call the Pandavas at Hastinapura and win their kingdoms in gambling. As the game proceeded, Yudhishthira lost all his wealth and kingdom and went on to put his brothers at stake one by one and lost them. Ultimately he put himself at stake, and lost again. But for the Shakuni, the humiliation of Pandavas was not complete and Yudhishthira has to put Draupadi at stake. Shakuni wins. Duryodhana orders Dushasana to forcefully bring her into the forum. Dushasana grabs her by the hair and brings her into the court dragging her by the hair.

To the horror of everybody present, Dushasana tries to strip Draupadi off her sari. Seeing her husbands unable to help her, Draupadi prays to Krishna. A miracle occurs, which is popularly attributed to Krishna. As Dushasana unwraps layers and layers of her sari, her sari keeps getting extended.Finally, a tired Dushasana backs off without being able to strip Draupadi.


King Nriga: gave a cow as charity to a brahman. Unfortunately this cow returned to the king's herd, and so he gave it as charity to another brahman. A quarrel started, which resulted in Nriga being cursed to take the form of a lizard and live in a well. But due to his piety Krishna personally delivered him from this condition and thus Nriga was elevated to the heavenly planet.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Vinay Patrika: Hymn 212

Raag Kedara


Shri Raghunath ji Alleviates Suffering


raghupati bipati-davan |

param kripaalu, pranat-pratipaalak, patit-pavan ||1||

koor, kutil, kulheen, deen, ati malin javan |

sumirat naam raam pathaye sab apne bhavan ||2||

gaja-pingalaa-ajaamil-se khal ganaai dhaaun kavan |

tulsidaas prabhu kehi na deenhi gati jaankee-ravan ||3||


Shri Ram Guards Those who Seek Refuge in Him

Shri Raghunath ji alleviates painful disasters. He is very compassionate, the guardian of refugees and purifies the sinful ||1||


Smarana of Ram Naam Leads Us to Vaikunth

You sent those who are merciless, wicked, of low castes, poor and even savage barbarians to Your supreme abode (heaven of Vishnu), the instant they did *smarana of Ram Naam ||2||


Renunciation Takes Pingala to Lord Krishna

Who can count the wretches of the likes of Gajendra, Pingala, Ajamil and others(enamoured by worldly enjoyments). O Tulsidas! (one has no inkling as to how sinners like them were given Vaikunth, the supreme abode where You dwell) As a matter of fact who all were not liberated by Lord Ramchandra ji, (whoever sought his refuge was given *mukti by Him, then why won't He give salvation to me? ||3||


smarana: a concentrated internal practice of remembering God


Pingala: In ancient times, in Videha-Nagari of King Janaka, there lived a lady named Pingala.

After experiencing miseries in her profession, she gave up worldly desires and began to think, "Lord Krishna is very dear to my heart, but I have not tried to please Him. Regarding these persons who will die one day – what happiness have they given to me? No happiness at all. They enjoyed my body, I became theirs, and I lost everything. Somehow, by the mercy of Krishna, I have now renounced them, and this renunciation will take me to Krishna."

Pingala then closed the door of her house, lied down to sleep and slept very well. And afterwards she became a great devotee.

Gajendra : was the king of elephants. One hot day, he went to the lake with his family to cool off in its fresh waters. But from within the lake a crocodile attacked and would not let go of him. When the family saw ‘death’ coming close to Gajendra, they abandoned him. Gajendra prayed to Lord Vishnu who came to the aid of Gajendra, who offered a lotus to the god. Vishnu attacked the crocodile and saved His Loved One.

Ajamil: was the son of a devout devotee of Vishnu. But unlike his holy father wasted his time in sinful activities.

Ajamil's sins increased with the passing years .Ajamil's wife bore him ten sons and the youngest, Narayana was the most loved of them all.


Gradually Ajamil became weak and took to his bed. He saw two of Yama's messengers by his bedside. Startled, he shouted his son Narayan's name. Lord Vishnu who is called Narayana heard the plea and responded instantly.

mukti: release of the soul from the body and from further rebirths

Vinay Patrika: Hymn 204

Raag Kanhra


Shri Ram, Ma Sita & Lakshman


jo man laagaai ramcharan as |

deh-geh-sut-bit-kalatra mahan magan hot binu jatan kiye jas ||1||

dwandwarahit, gatmaan, gyaanrat, bishay-birat khataai nana kasa |

sukhnidhaan sujaan kosalpati hvaai prasann, kahu, kyon na honhi bas ||2||

sarvbhoot-hit, nibaryaleek chit, bhagti-prem dridh nem, ekras |

tulsidaas yeh hoi tabhin jab dravaai ees, jehi hato seesdas ||3||


Shri Ramchandra ji

If this mind is steeped in the feet of Shri Ramchandra ji just as it is effortlessly and instinctively absorbed in the body, house, son, wealth and wife ||1||


Lord Ram, the King of Kosala

In that case the individual will be freed from the tumult (of joys & sorrows), his arrogance will be dispelled and he will be engrossed in knowlege. Soon after, he will get detached from worldly pleasures in exactly the same way as (one detests)assorted khatais which have turned sour on being stored in utensils made of brass or those made of copper & tin. Why wont the blissful Shri Ramchandra ji,who is Kosalnath (King of Kosala)


The Four-Armed Lord Vishnu

and the four-armed *Shiromani (Vishnu) be pleased with such an (authoritative bhakta)and become dependent on him? ||2||


Shri Ram, the Slayer of Ravana

(The living being who loves the Supreme Lord's lotus feet in this manner, that same great person) works for the well-being of mankind, has a mindset without any drawbacks, solely savours the rasa of bhakti and is steadfast in following religious observances; but O Tulsidas! This ecstatic state can only be attained when Svami (Shri Ram ji), the slayer of Ravana showers his grace, on being pleased ||3||


khatais: eggless, light and crisp biscuits


shiromani: a jewel worn on the head, a title of the Supreme Vishnu

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Vinay Patrika: Hymn 203

Raag Gauri


The Blissful Lord Vishnu

shrihari-guru-pada-kamal bhajhu man taji abhimaan |

jehi sevat paaiya hari sukh-nidhaan bhagvaan ||1||

parivaa pratham prem binu raam-milan ati doori |

jadyapi nikat hriday nij rahe sakal bharipoori ||2||

duij dvaait-mati chhadhi charhi mahi-mandal dheer |

bigat moh-maya-mad hriday basat raghubeer ||3||

teej trigan-par param purush shriraman mukund |

gun subhaav tyaage binu durlabh parmaanand ||4||

chautthi chaari pariharhu buddhi-man-chit-ahankaar |

bimal bichaar parampad nij sukh sahaj udaar ||5||

paanchi paanch paras, ras, sabd, gandh aru roop |

inha kar kahaa na keejiye, bahuri parab bhav-koop ||6||

chhath shatbarag kariye jay jankasutaa-pit laagi |

raghupati-kripaa-baari binu nahin butaai lobhaagi ||7||

sataain saptdhaatu-nirmit tanu kariya bichaar |

tehi tanu ker ek phal, keejaai par-upkaar ||8||

aathin aath prakriti-par nirbikaar shriraam |

kehi prakaar paaiya hari, hriday bashin bahu kaam ||9||

navami navdvaar-pur basi jehi na aapu bhal keenha |

te nar joni anek bhramat daarun dukh leenha ||10||

dasain dashu kar sanjam jo na kariya jiya jaani |

saadhan brithaa hoi sab milhin na saarangpaani ||11||

ekaadasee ek man bas kaai sevhu jaai |

soi brat kar phal paavaai aavaagman nasaai ||12||

dvaadasi daan dehu asa, abhay hoi traailok |

parhit-nirat so paaran bahuri na byaapat sok ||13||

terasi teen avasthaa tajhu, bhajhu bhagvant |

man-kram-bachan-agochar, byaapak, byaapay, anant ||14||

chaaudasi chaaudah bhuvan achar-char-roop gopaal |

bhed gaye binu raghupati ati na harhin jag-jaal ||15||

punon prem-bhagti-ras hari-ras jaanhin daas |

sam, seetal, gat-maan, gyaanrat, bishay-udaas ||16||

tribidh sool holiya jaraai, kheliya ab phagu |

jo jiya chahsi paramsukh, taau yahi maarag laagu ||17||

shruti-puraan-budh-sanmat chaanchari charit muraari |

kari bichaar bhav tariya, pariya na kabhun jamdhaari ||18||

sansay-saman, daman dukh, sukhnidhaan hari ek |

saadhu-kripaa binu milhin na, kariya upaaya anek ||19||

bhav saagar kahan naav sudh santanke charan |

tulsidaas prayaas binu milhin raam dukhharan ||20||


Revered Usha Bahenji, our Guru or Spiritual Preceptor

O heart of mine! Discarding arrogance you worship the lotus feet of Shri Guru (spiritual preceptor) who is a form of the Supreme Being. By doing their seva , one attains Lord Shri Hari who is instinctively blissful ||1||


We Can Attain Shri Ram with Loving Tenderness

Just as pratipada is the first day ( of a lunar fortnight or *paksha ) in exactly the same way love ranks first (out of all the means.) Getting Shri Ram without loving tenderness is a very remote possiblity.Although he is so very close and wholly dwells in everyone's heart. ||2||


Shri Raghunath & Ma Sita Dwell in Our Hearts

The second means just like the dvitiya or second day of a paksha is that resolutely discarding *dvaitya (a philosphy which stresses a strict distinction between God, the Supreme Soul or Paramatma and the individual soul or jivatma of living beings)one should (without any apprehensions) roam the entire surface of this earth ( with an impartial view.)Shri Raghunath forever dwells in those hearts which are free of moha or infatuation, maya or illusion and arrogance||3||


Lord Shri Mukund

Very much like tritiya the third recourse is that the Supreme Purusha, Lord Shri Mukund or Lakshmikant (Vishnu) is beyond the three gunas.Therefore one must renounce the three constituents of nature (sattva or goodness,rajas or passion and tamas or darkness).It is difficult to attain spiritual bliss without taking such a step. (As long as a man resides in his original form given by nature, he is a living being and experiences joys plus sorrows for that period of time.It is only when one gets out of this material world and merges in the robust svarupa of Parmatma or the Supreme Being, that one attains the religious rapture of *moksha or salvation||4||


The Divine, Shri Vishnu

The fourth course (of attaining God) like chaturthi is that one should renounce the multiple inner faculties of intelligence, mind, heart and pride (as long as we have the body their consciousness will remain. Sacrificing means that we must become their spectator. Offering these faculties to the Supreme Being, we must just do tasks which are related to God, through them). By doing so a pure realization will dawn that our own form is in essence of the same nature of the Lord and we will attain the supreme position of union with the generous Divine who is blissful ||5||


The Cycle of Birth & Death

According to panchami the fifth course is that one should not cross life by being dependent on the five indriyan or senses (sight, hearing, touch,smell and taste). Because if a living being is controlled by them he has to fall in the dark deep well of worldly existence( go through the cycle of birth and death) ||6||


The Cascading Grace of Lord Ram

The sixth solution like shashthi is that one should triumph over the six foes of lust, anger, greed, infatuation, intoxication and envy. Without the cascading water of Shri Ram ji's grace, the fire of greed can not be extinguished.(In any case God's blessings are always there on mankind therefore being conscious of that grace, one should kill the enemies of greed etc.,)||7||


Working for The Well-Being of Others

The seventh course like saptami is that one should contemplate about this human body (which is impure and ephemeral but rare) made of seven bodily humours like(nutritional essence, blood, muscle tissue, fat, bones, marrow and regenerative fluid). This body has only this fruition that it should work for the well-being of others||8||


Shri Ramchandra ji

Like ashtami the eighth step is that Shri Ramchandra ji who is a svarupa of the changeless Ultimate Being is beyond this (materialistic body) made up of eight elements( oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, pottasium and sulphur) and nature (earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, wisdom and pride.)Therefore as long as the heart abounds with different kinds of desires, how can He be found?||9||


Moksha or Salvation

The nighth way like navami is that whoever while living in this town having nine doors which means nineholed body does not work for the well-being of the soul, will wander about in several yonis (births) and bear various sorts of painful suffering (therefore we must strive towards the salvation of the soul)||10||

Attaining God

Very much like dashami , the tenth course is that the person who does not know how to restrain the ten indriyan or senses(five karmindriyan like eliminating, reproducing,moving, grasping and speaking, plus five jnanindriyan or cognitive senses like smelling, tasting, seeing, touching and hearing), all his means become futile. That slave of the senses, and an unrestrained person can not attain God||11||


The Ekadashi Vrata

The eleventh means like ekadashi is that controlling the mind, one should solely attend to the needs of God.With this act one gets the (supreme) fruition of the fast of(ekadashi, a form of the highest truth)which is riddance of the cycle of birth-death. Or in other words that person succeeds in getting God ||12||


Giving of Alms

Alms are given on the day of dwadashi. Thus the twelfth step is that one should do charity wih loving devotion to God and without a desire of self-gratification, so that he is not scared of all the three lokas (one attains God).The success of that twelfth means of dwadashi is that one should always be absorbed in doing charity. With this grant of donations to the needy and achievement, one is not surrounded by sorrow ||13||


Shri Hari Kirtan

So much like trayodashi the thirteenth step is that renouncing the three states of wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep,one should do the bhajan of God(the bhava is that daily and constantly, one must worship God round the clock).One does not get to know God by mind, karmas and speech, because he is omnipresent (just like water in ice)and instinctively pervades everything (like the scenes of a dream)plus he is absolute and eternal(only that person can get to know him, whom he wants to be known to, by His grace. One can experience his blessings by the bhajan which is done every single day. Thus one must sing His glories in all the three states)||14||,


Shri Krishna, the Cowherd

Like chaturdashi, God in his form as the cowherd is dallying in the fourteen cosmological regions (above, below and in cluding this world). But as long as mankind's sense of discrimination is not dispelled, Shri Raghunath does not cut the snare of this material world, and does not release a living being from the cycle of birth and death(if one has to be freed from the bondage of this mundane world, he must worship God without any sense of distinction)||15||


The Religious Rapture of Shri Hari

The fifteenth means (of attaining God) like puranmashi which is paramount and a perfect whole,is that being steeped in the rasa of loving devotion, the bhakta should know the joy of Shri Hari-the highly secretive essence of the Supreme Spirit. Only with this act he can become wholly impartial, calm, stripped of arrogance, knowledgeable and indifferent to worldly pleasures ||16||


Holika-Dahan

(Here Gosain ji has described the full moon day of the Phagun month(February to March).This is much more significant than the other full moons. On the day of this delightful Phalgun purnima of Holi one must burn the *holi of the threefold miseries of life, adhyatmika, adhidaivika and adhibhautika. (pertaining to the body and mind and those imposed by society plus natural calamities),


one should joyously play the phaag (the red powder thrown over one another by participants in the Holi spring festival, of love) with God in joyous abandon (in religious rapture.)In case you long for this spiritual ecstasy then walk on this very path||17||


The Merry Songs of Holi

The sole doctrine of the Vedas, Puranas and scholars is that singing the glories of God's lilas or divine play are the geet of Holi (one should sing devotional songs for Shri Hari.) Reflecting on all these means, one should cross over the ocean of this material world. Even by mistake thereafter, one must not flow with the surge of wordly enjoyments which take us to Yamloka (the abode of Yama, hell) ||18||


Lord Vishnu Dispels our Sorrows

Shri Hari is the only one who dispels all doubts,annihilates sorrows, and is the reserve of joy.(No matter how many means we adopt, he can not be found without the grace of saints (therefore the blessings of saints is paramount, amongst all the means)||19||


Shri Manohar Baba & Revered Bobo, Great Saints of Vrindavan

The pure feet of saints is certainly the boat for crossing over the ocean of this mundane world. O Tulsidas! (Getting on to this boat or by serving the feet of saints)one can effortlessly attain Shri Ramchandra ji who gets rid of our sorrows.


Paksha: a fortnight in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Each month is divided into two fortnights, the period between New Moon Day and Full Moon Day is called Shukla paksha and the second fortnight of the month is called Krishna-Paksha, or the period of the fading moon.)


Dvaita: According to Madhvacharya,its founder, the individual souls of beings are not 'created' by God but do, nonetheless, depend on Him for their existence. dualism (the sense of distinction or discrimination between God and a living being).


Moksha: In Indian religions, moksha means release or the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation.


Advait: According to Advaita Vedanta, the attainment of liberation coincides with the realization of the unreality of 'personal self in the psyche' or ego and a revelation of the 'Impersonal Self' as the ever-existent Truth Brahman.The material world is considered a manifestation of Brahman and as such is true and not illusory. Moksha is seen as a final release from illusion when one's worldly conception of self is erased and there is a loosening of experiential duality.


Holi: Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival, also known as Holika Dahan in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad had when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of god Vishnu, escaped due to his unshakable devotion.


Hari Kirtan: or the practice of chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments,In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna states that great souls worship and glorify him single mindedly. The practice of kirtan was popularized as a means to this end.