प्रातःस्मरणम्
The Pratasmaranam consists of some verses that are to be recited in
the morning soon after waking up from the bed. प्रातः = at dawn, and
स्मरणम् = remembering. They may be recited sitting in the bed itself
before getting out of it. They are an aid to remembering many venerable
people and auspecious things in the creation, and through them the Lord.
There are many versions of this poem containing less number of verses
or more. One well known version is that of Sri Sankaracharya and this
consists of just four verses. These verses are highly significant as
they contain thoughts about the godhead residing within us. These four
can be easily memorised and are a pleasure to recite if one knows the
meaning. The text of the verses is given below to help those who are
interested in reciting them. Then each verse is given with its meaning.
They are also followed by some comments.
॥ प्रातःस्मरणम् ॥
कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मीः करमध्ये सरस्वती ।
करमूले तु गौरी च प्रभाते करदर्शनम् ॥ १॥
समुद्रवसने देवी पर्वतस्तनमण्डले ।
विष्णुपत्नि नमस्तुभ्यं पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्व मे ॥ २॥
नमोऽस्तु प्रियदत्तायै तुभ्यं देवि वसुन्धरे ।
त्वं माता सर्वलोकानां पादन्यासं क्षमस्व मे ॥ ३॥
ब्रह्मा मुरारिस्त्रिपुरान्तकारी भानुः शशी भूमिसुतो बुधश्च ।
गुरुश्च शुक्रः शनि-राहु-केतवः कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ४॥
सनत्कुमारः सनकः सनन्दनः सनातनो-ऽप्यासुरि-पिङ्गलौ च ।
सप्तस्वराः सप्त रसातलानि कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ५॥
सप्तार्णवाः सप्त-कुलाचलाश्च सप्तर्षयो द्वीप-वनानि सप्त ।
भूरादिकृत्वा भुवनानि सप्त कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ६॥
पृथ्वी सगन्धा सरसास्तथापः स्पर्शी च वायुर्ज्वलनं च तेजः ।
नभः सशब्दं महता सहैव कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ७॥
महेन्द्रो मलयः सह्यो देवतात्मा हिमालयः ।
ध्येयो रैवतको विन्ध्यो गिरिश्चारावलि-स्तथा ॥ ८॥
गङ्गा सिन्धुश्च कावेरी यमुना च सरस्वती ।
रेवा महानदी गोदा ब्रह्मपुत्रा पुनातु मम् ॥ ९॥
अयोध्या मथुरा माया काशी काञ्ची अवन्तिका ।
पुरी द्वारावती चैव सप्तैता मोक्षदायिकाः ॥ १०॥
प्रयागा पाटलीपुत्रं विजयानगरं पुरीम् ।
इन्द्रप्रस्थं गयां चैव प्रत्यूषे प्रत्यहं स्मरेत् ॥ ११॥
अरुन्धत्यनुसूया च सावित्री जानकी सती ।
तेजस्विनीइ च पाञ्चाली वन्दनीया निरन्तरम् ॥ १२॥
वैन्यं पृथुं हैहयमर्जुनं च
शाकुन्तलेयं भरतं नलं च ।
रामं च यो वै स्मरति प्रभाते
तस्यार्थलभो विजयश्च हस्ते ॥ १३॥
दध्यङ् मनुर्भृगुरसौ हरिपूर्वचन्द्रो
भीष्मार्जुन-ध्रुव-वशिष्ट-शुकादयश्च ।
प्रह्लाद-नारद-भगीरथ-विश्वकर्म-
वाल्मीकयोत्र चिरचिन्त्यशुभाभिधानाः ॥ १४॥
अश्वत्थामा बलिर्व्यासो हनूमांश्च विभीषणः ।
कृपः परशुरामश्च सप्तैते चिरजीविनः ॥ १५॥
सप्तैतान् संस्मरेन्नित्यं मार्कण्डेयमथाष्टमम् ।
जीवेत् वर्षशतं साग्रमपमृत्युविवर्जितः ॥ १६॥
पुण्यश्लोको नलो राजा पुण्यश्लोको युधिष्ठिरः ।
पुण्यश्लोको विदेहश्च पुण्यश्लोको जनार्दनः ॥ १७॥
॥ फलश्रुतिः ॥
इत्थं प्रभाते परमं पवित्रं
पठेत् स्मरेद्वा शृणुयाच्च तद्वत् ।
दुःस्वप्ननाशस्त्विह सुप्रभातं
भवेच्च नित्यं भगवत्प्रसादात् ॥ १८॥
INTRODUCTION:- The following abbreviations are used in the notes.
1- VS - Sri Vishnu Sahasranama with Sri Sankaracharya's commentary.
2 - SS - Sri Siva Sahasranama (from Padma Purana) known as Vedasara
Sahasram with the commentary of HH Sri Paramasivendra Saraswathi.
3 - LS - Sri Lalita Sahasranamam with the commentary of Sri Bhaskararaya.
4 - BG - Srimad Bhagavadgita with Sri Sankaracharya's commentary.
5 - BH - Srimad Bhagavatam.
6 - MU - Mundakopanishad
The Pratasmaranam is a stotram स्तोत्रम् or hymn. A stotram is
defined as गुण सङ्कीर्तनम् । (VS) or stating the attributes. The
Pratasmaranam may be taken as extolling the glory विभूतिः of the
Lord. The glory that is extolled is His omnipresence: that He is every
where and as every thing. The Upanishad says this clearly: that whatever
is seen or heard of in this universe is permeated by the Lord, in and out.
%begin shloka
यच्च किंचित्जगत्यस्मिन् दृश्यते श्रूयतेऽपि वा ।
अन्तर्बहिश्च तत् सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः ॥ (Taittariyaranyaka, 10-II-4-6)
%end shloka
More on this subject is discussed later on in this article. THE MORNING
TIME:- The morning time, just before the sun rise and the evening
time just before the sunset are recommended for prayer because the
mind is calm and fresh at these times. So, they are ideal for prayer
and meditation. The practice of meditating and praying at these times
have been in vogue since time immemorial. The vedas say that one should
meditate on the Sun as the Supreme Being at both these times . Doing so,
one will be blessed with all good things in life and attain liberation.. %begin shloka
उद्यन्तमस्तं यन्तमादित्यमभिध्यायन्, कुर्वन्,
ब्राह्मणो विद्वान्सकलं भद्रमश्नुते
असावादित्यो ब्रह्मेति, ब्रह्मैव सन्-ब्रह्माप्येति, य एवं वेद ।
%end shloka
Our scriptures also say that one should use this time only for meditating
on the Lord and add that one who does not, but sleeps at this time,
that sleep eats into his stock of punyam (result of doing good deeds).
ब्राह्मे मुहूर्ते या निद्रा सा पुण्यक्षयकारिणी । In addition to losing
punyam the person incurs sin. This is said by Bharata in Ramayana. He
states that he who had any part in making Rama abdicate the kingdom and
go to the forests should incur the sin of a person who sleeps at either
of the junctions (of the day and night). Valmiki Ramayana (2-75-44). %begin shloka
उभे सन्ध्ये शयानस्य यत् पापं परिकल्पते । तच्च
पापं भवेत् तस्य यस्यार्योऽनुमतो गतः ॥
%end shloka
Later on, when Bharata met Rama at Chitrakoot, Rama enquired about the welfare
of his father and others. He then gave instructions in judicature. One of the
questions he put to Bharata was ᳚I hope you do not fall a prey to excess
of sleep and wake up early in the morning.᳚ कच्चिन्निद्रावशं नैषि
कच्चित् कालेऽवबुध्यसे । (2-100-17).
The junction of the day and night, (i.e) the time of sun rise and the sun
set (the twilight hour) is known as सन्ध्या (sandhya). There are two
sandhyas ; the morning one and the evening one. They are known as the
the प्रातः सन्ध्या and the सायं सन्ध्या. We have to dedicate
the sandhya time for prayers only and not for any other activity like
eating and, much less for sleeping.
ब्राह्मे मुहूर्ते उत्थाय चिन्तयेदात्मनो हितम् ।
गुरुं विष्णुं नमस्कृत्य मातरं पितरं तथा ।
One should wake up before sunrise and think of his own welfare. He
should salute his guru, Lord Vishnu, mother and father. We may recall
that Rama and LakShmana accompanied the sage Viswamitra to the forests
and rested for the night on the bank of the Sarayu river. Just when the
day was about to break, the sage woke them up saying that the twilight
सन्ध्या has set in and it is time for prayer. %begin shloka
कौसल्या सुप्रजा राम पूर्वा संध्या प्रवर्तते ।
उत्तिष्ठ नरशार्दूल कर्तव्यं दैवमान्हिकम् ॥
%end shloka
This verse is from Ramayana (1-23-2) and is very popular. It is recited
as part of the Suprabhatam. We learn that Sri Krishna too used to get
up very early in the morning and meditate on the Supreme Being. Then,
He had bath and performed sandhya vandanam. He silently chanted the
Gayatri mantra. BH(10-70-4,6). %begin shloka
ब्राह्मे मुहूर्त उत्थाय वार्युपस्पृश्य माधवः ।
दध्यौ प्रसन्न करण आत्मानं तमसः परम् ॥
अथाप्लुतोऽम्भस्यमले यथाविधि क्रियाकलापं परिधाय वाससी ।
चकार संध्योपगमादि सत्तमो हुतानलो ब्रह्म जजाप वाग्यतः ॥
%एन्द् श्लोक
These facts establish the importance of praying at the
sandhya times. Why should we recite such verses as the first thing
in the morning instead of going about our routine morning ablution?
If we study our life we will find that it was not all smooth, but it
had some stretches of happiness and also of sorrow. What is happiness
and gives us joy and what is sorrow and causes pain and grief depends
on time, place and circumstances. Thus there is no uniform definition
of joy and sorrow. But our aim is to avoid sorrow in any form as
much as possible and have happiness and happiness only. The question
is whether such a condition is possible? It seems to be a dream like
situation. Though the condition appears to be fanciful and impractical
to achieve, our scriptures assert that such a life which is full of pure,
unalloyed joy is achievable. The way to achieve to attain such a life is
through devotion or bhakti. Sorrow is the result of the doing (prohibited)
sinful actions and failing to do prescribed duties we have committed in
this and earlier human births. Sage Yagnavalkya says this: %begin shloka
विहितस्याननुष्ठानात् निन्दितस्य च सेवनात् ।
अनिग्रहाच्चेन्द्रियाणां नरः पतनमृच्छति ॥
%end shloka
The big bundle of sins we
have accumulated in so many births is to be expended by experiences in
the form of sorrow and pain by us. Sorrow afflicts the mind and pain
affects the body. Since the stock of sins is huge, this one birth may
not suffice to work it out. So one has to go through painful experiences
in this birth and in addition, one may have to be born again and again
many times to clear off the debt. The way out of this dreadful situation
is to resort to bhakti. In the introduction to Shri Vishnusahasranamam
the king Yudhishtira asks Bhishma the easiest way for one to get rid
of sorrows and attain happiness. Bhishma replies that the way is to
chant the glories of the Lord. %begin shloka
अनादिनिधनं विष्णुं सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
लोकाध्यक्षं स्तुवन्नित्यं सर्वदुःखादिगो भवेत् ।
%end shloka
So, the Lord has the names पुण्यः - स्मृतिमात्रेण
कल्मषाणि क्षपयतीति पुण्यः । VS(687). He removes the sins of those
who just think of Him. and हरिः - स्मृतिमात्रेण पुंसां पापं
संसारं वा हरतीति हरिः । VS(359) and SS(542). पापनाशकरः -
लौकिकवैदिकनामभिः कीर्तितः, तथा लौकिकवैदिकैः स्तोत्रैः स्तुतः,
तथा पञ्चाक्षरादिभिर्जप्तः पूजितश्च उमासहायत्वादिरूपेण स्मृतो
ध्यानेन वा पापनाशकरः । SS(355). He destroys the sins of those
who repeat His holy names or chant hymns or chant mantras such as the
panchakShara.
As children, we were taught to worship God in pictures and idols in the
home and in temples. This is necessary to get the mind fixed on the
Lord. This form of worship is relevant to the beginners and also all
through the life and is very important. One cannot view this as mere
idol worship. In addition, we also listened to stories from puranas. We
were told that God created the world. He first created Brahma who
then created the world. He resides in places like Vaikunta and Kailas;
but will come to rescue His devotees as He did in the case of Prahlada
and Gajendra. Listening to such stories made us know more about God
and His qualities. In this way listening draws our minds to Him and
sows the seeds of bhakti or devotion. It is said that bhakti wells up
in the heart of one who listens to the exposition of sacrd texts like
Bhagavatam. Such devotion dispels grief and fear.BH(1-7-7) %begin shloka
यस्यां वै श्रूयमाणायां कृष्णे परमपूरुषे ।
भक्तिरुत्पद्यते पुंसां शोकमोहभयापहा ॥
%end shloka
Please note the usage of
the word भक्तिरुत्पद्यते meaning that devotion springs up in the
hearts of people. This implies that devotion sprouts up in the hearts
even where the seeds are absent earlier. Such is the glory of listening
to the holy texts. Because of this fact chanting and listening to the
glories of the Lord is highly recommended. The many hymns available to
us are of great help to us in this matter. They elaborately describe the
glorious attributes of the Lord. Since one has his own duties to perform
throughout the day our tradition has introduced the practice of prayers
at different times of the day, like the Pratasmaranam right from the
time one wakes up in the morning till one retires to bed. This helps us
to keep remembering the Lord. Our minds will not stray away from Him and
so will remain pure and calm. Just as we take food at regular intervals
to remain healthy and ward of pangs of hunger, similarly by indulging
in small doses of bhakti at regular intervals in between our activities
we can mitigate the adverse effects of past karma. This will cushion
our journey through life. GOD'S NATURE:- If we want to think more of
God we would like to know more of His form and nature. The question,
then, is what is His form and nature? Is His nature the ones stated
above, namely those available in the idols and pictures and available
in Vaikunta and Kailasa? The answer to this is discussed in detail in
chapters 7 to 11 of Bhagavat Gita. God has two aspects. In His higher
nature He is without form or any other attributes. He is therefore known
as निर्गुणः । VS(840).
ISHVARA:- In His other aspect He is known as Ishvara and is accompanied
by His power of maya. As Ishwara He is the cause of the universe. This is
the topic of discussion in this article.The universe which is the effect
or product is born or made of Him - the cause. It is like saying the
ornaments are made of gold - the cause. One may say that that to make the
ornaments out of gold we require two causes - a goldsmith to fashion the
ornaments. Thus we have the gold - the material cause and the goldsmith -
the intelligent cause (the one who provides the expertise necesassary to
make the ornament using the gold). But in the case of the universe God
is both the material and the efficient cause. He is known as कारणम् -
उपादानं निमित्तं च कारणम् । VS(379). He does not need the help of
any external agency in this process. We have the example of the humble
spider which is able to spin the thread from its mouth and withdraw it
back into itself without any external help. यथोर्णनाभिः सृजते
गृण्हते च । . MU (1-1-7) We may ask one question here. When we
say that an ornament, say bangle, is made of gold - the cause, what is
᳚bangle᳚? Is it something different from the gold? The answer is ᳚No᳚. We
can say that gold is bangle. This is because of the fact that what we
call ᳚bangle᳚ is only the name given to a particular form of gold. If
we take the gold away from the ᳚bangle᳚ by melting it, we will be left
with gold and no ᳚bangle᳚. Such a thing that seems to exist, but does
not indeed exist separately is called मिथ्या or unreal. We have the
familiar example of the mirage. In these ᳚mithya᳚ cases we should note
that gold only is seen as bangle and sand as water. Vedanta texts give
the example of one seeing a ᳚snake᳚ in a rope and getting frightened at
the ᳚snake᳚. Thus the mithya objects can produce effects: but they do
not exist. Things like the rope or gold that support the appearance of
mithya objects like the snake and ornaments are known as अधिष्ठानम्
। or substratum. For this reason, God, who is the substratum of the
mithya universe has the name अधिष्ठानम् - अधितिष्ठन्ति भूतानि
उपाधानकारणत्वेन ब्रह्मेति अधिष्ठानम्,
᳚मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि᳚ (गीता ९-४) इति भगवत्वचनात् ।
VS(324). This is said more explicitly by the name
मिथ्याजगदधिष्ठाना - मिथ्यारूपस्य जगतोऽधिष्ठानं
भानाधिकरणं रजतस्येव शुक्तिः । LS(734).
She (Lalitha) is the support of the unreal world, like the shell of
silver. A shell shines like silver in the sun light and one may indeed
mistake it for silver. Thus the real shell supports the appearance of
the unreal silver. We said that God is the cause of the universe. This
means that God is only seen as the universe, just as gold is seen as
bangle. Thus the Lord has the name:- विश्वम् -
कार्यरूप जगतः कारणत्वेन विश्वं इत्युच्यते ब्रह्म ।
He being the cause is seen as the product universe. VS(1).
The ornaments are many and different, but the gold is one and the same.
Gold permeates the ornaments and gives them substance. So also, the whole
world made up of numerous objects is permeated by the Lord. He gives them
substance Every object is in Him but He is not in them. This is because the
objects are only mithya and have no existance apart from the cause - the
Lord Krishna says this clearly. BG(9-4). %begin shloka
मया ततमिदं सर्वं जग-दव्यक्त-मूर्तिना ।
मत्स्थानि सर्वभूतानि न चाहं तेष्ववस्थितः ॥
%end shloka
The fact that the universe is the form of God implies that all objects
or products with names and forms, from Brahma the creator to an
insignificant insect, are all His forms only. This is expressed in His
name विश्वरूपी - विश्वानि सर्वाणि चेतनाचेतनात्मकानि रूपाणि अस्य
सन्तीति विश्वरूपी He has the forms of all the animate and inanimate
objects in the universe. SS(75). Arjuna, with the grace of Krishna,
sees this form. The description of this form and Arjuna's reaction to
this is described in BG-Ch11. But as is the case with the rope snake,
the objects in the world make us believe they are real. We see the cause
and the product as separate things. We are beguiled by the forms of the
ornaments to such an extent that we overlook the content - gold. In like
fashion, we are so thoroughly lost in the world of names and forms that
we miss the Lord who is really the substance behind them. This makes us
see multiplicity. We see individuals as separate entities and as different
from us. From this arises a veriety of emotions such as, likes, dislikes,
jealousy, hatred etc. These feelings affect us. We express love for some,
dislike for some and so on. We love some items - like wealth, very much
because we feel they have some special qualities in them and work very
hard to get them. We love our family more than other's family. These
actions lead to conflict and strife. The result is sorrow.
BENEFITS OF THE NEW UNDERSTANDING: But when we are understand that what
all we see is His forms only our outlook changes totally. We do not
notice differences among them, but see only the substance God. We cannot
hate any thing because every thing is divine. We can have only love for
all beings. Further, love takes a special meaning and is replaced by
devotion. This idea is impressed in our minds even as we are young by
teaching us to respect our mother, father, acharya and the elders who
may visit our house as God. The Taittariyopanishad (1-11) instucts us
in this matter. मातृ देवो भव । पितृ देवो भव । आचार्य देवो
भव । अतिथि देवो भव । We wer asked to worship our text books
as Sarasvathi, the Goddess of learning. Every thing in the creation,
be it animate or inanimate becomes an object of worship, since it is
His form only. Thus we have the custom of worshipping trees, rivers,
cows, etc., since we see divinity in them.
The great devotee Prahlada had this vision. He said that because the Lord is
every where and in the form of every thing it becomes very easy to
worship Him. BH(7-6-27). %begin shloka
न ह्यच्युतं प्रीणयतो बह्वायासोऽसुरात्मजाः ।
आत्मत्वात् सर्वभूतानां सिद्धत्वा-दिह सर्वतः ॥
%end shloka
The seers of ancient India had this wonderful vision. The famous vedic hymn
Sri Rudram salutes the Supreme Being as Lord Rudra not by names as in a
Sahasranama but as being resident in various objects and beings. It salutes
Rudra as being dogs, the lowly outcastes, the cheat, the robber, the trees,
the sand dunes and so on. Thus there can
be nothing bad in the creation but the Lord only and so they all deserve
our respect. Saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had such a vision. When some
prostitutes were introduced into the room to test his character, he rose
and prostrated to them as he saw them as the images of Devi only.
Since everything is divine, we cannot destroy or pollute the environment
because it will amount to showing disrespect to the Lord. Naturally, this is
a very high stage in spiritual progress. Rarely one will find people
who have got such a vision. However we have to understand this fact clearly,
take it seriously and try to develop such a vision. But if we fail to do so
and confine our worship of God to images and pictures in our houses and
temples, we will stagnate. Lord, in His incarnation as Kapila,
says this. BH(3-30-21 to 27).
Some select verses are given below. %begin shloka
अहं सर्वेषु भूतेषु भूतात्मावस्थितः सदा ।
तमवज्ञाय मां मर्त्यः कुरुतेऽर्चाविडम्बनम् ॥ २१॥
यो मां सर्वेषु भूतेषु सन्तमात्मानमीश्वरम् ।
हित्वार्चां भजते मौढ्याद्भस्मन्येव जुहोति सः ॥ २२।
%end shloka
The Lord says that He resides in all beings as their inner
soul. Disregarding this fact, people make a show of worshipping Me
through images.If one disregards My prescence in all, but ignorantly
offers worship only to images, such worship is wasteful as the sacrificial
offferings poured into ashes. The worship of God in pictures and images
is important. It should continue as this is the stepping stone to higher
forms of worship. But we should not forget the fact that God is present
not only in images but also as all things.
When we understanding the fact that God is in every thing and every where, we
find that we can never be alone at any time, but are always surrounded by Him.
Krishna makes this very clear. BG(6-30). %begin shloka
यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति ।
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति ॥
%end shloka
A bird flying in the air is surrounded by air in all directions. Similarly
we are surrounded by the Lord who is all pervading. He is before,
behind, to the right, to the left, below and above - manifests Himself
in all forms. %begin shloka
ब्रह्मैवेदममृतं पुरस्ताद्ब्रह्म पश्चाद्ब्रह्म दक्षिणतश्चोत्तरेण ।
अधश्चोर्ध्वं च प्रसृतं ब्रह्मैवेदं विश्वमिदं वरिष्ठम् ॥
MU (2-2-11).
%end shloka
Because of this reason, we have His company at all times and so we should
feel immensely secure .
Though we hear that every thing in the creation is divine, but because
our minds are not pure, but are coloured with likes and dislikes we feel
some things are pure and holy and some are ᳚dirty᳚ or ᳚lowly᳚. So we
are not able to see see Him in such objects. We want a way out of this
awkward situation. Arjuna too, who had love towards some and hatred for
some, had the same problem and puts the question to Krishna. He asked
Him in which forms He can be meditated upon or worshipped. BG(10-17). %begin shloka
कथं विद्यामहं योगिंस्त्वां सदा परिचिन्तयन् ।
केषु केषु च भावेषु चिन्त्योऽसि भगवन्मया ॥
%end shloka
Krishna understands Arjuna's predicament and gives a list of items in
which He may be worshipped or meditaed upon. But He makes a significant
observation. He says that the list is not exhaustive but whatever there is
that has some special glory or strength etc., is part of His manifestation
only. BG(11-41). %begin shloka
यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा ।
तत्तदेवावगच्च त्वं मम तेजोऽंशसंभवम् ॥
%end shloka
Uddhava, the friend of Krishna, puts the same question to Krishna
and Krishna gives a list of items (BH 11- Chapter 16) in which He
may be meditated upon. He concludes with a similar statement saying
᳚Wherever there is power, beauty, fame, prosperity, modesty, sacrifice,
agreeableness, luck, strength, fortitude or knowledge, there am I
manifested. BH(11-16-40). %begin shloka
तेजः श्रीः कीर्त्रैश्वर्यं ह्रीस्त्यगः सौभगं भगः ।
वीर्यं तितिक्षा विज्ञानं यत्र यत्र स मेंशकः ॥
%end shloka
From this we understand that any special quality or glory, like beauty,
strength, talent etc., we observe any where or in any one, really
belongs to God only. Because of this reason, whenever we think of an
item or person with some special quality or greatness we should realise
that we are thinking of a repository of His glory only. The hymn
Pratasmaranam mentions a list of such items that have some special
glory. These includes a wide assortment including rivers, mountains,
kings, sages etc..The greatness we observe in them really belongs to
Him only and so we marvel at His glory and feel humble. Therefore by
the remembrance of these items we learn to remember the Lord as being
inherent in every thing. We can no more ask as to how to see God,
because we are seeing Him all the time. It is said that once some one
told Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi that he wants to see God and requested
Bhagavan to help him. Bhagavan said that he cannot help the visitor in
this task since what he is seeing is God only.
Accepting these facts takes us one step higher than worshipping Him in
idols and images. With this kind of thinking permeating our mind, we
can go out and face our day with confidence.It can only be auspecious.
A popular verse says this and asks how can one who has made his heart
as the abode of the Lord face failure? %begin shloka
लाभस्तेषां जयस्तेषां कुतस्तेषां पराभवः ।
येषां हृदिस्थो भगवान् मङ्गलायतनं हरिः ॥
%end shloka
Let us now proceed to the stotram proper. The translations given are
not exact, but will help to understand the meaning of the verses. Some
comments are also provided. The comments are confined to some items
only since many of the names and items mentioned in the stotra will be
familiar to all. %begin shloka
कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मीः करमध्ये सरस्वती ।
करमूले तु गौरी च प्रभाते करदर्शनम् ॥ १॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Laksmi ( the goddess of wealth) resides in the upper part
of hands, Sarasvati (the goddess of learning) resides in the middle,
and Gauri (the goddess of valour) in the lower part. Therefore, every
morning one should respectfully have a look at one's hands.
Notes:- We have five ᳚organs of action᳚ - पञ्च कर्मेन्द्रियाणि ।
These are speech, the hands, the legs, the anus and the
genitals. वाक्-पाणि-पाद-पायूपस्थानीति पञ्च कर्मेन्द्रियाणि ।
(Tattva Bodah). The ᳚organs᳚ are not the physical ones but the power
behind them. Thus one may have his leg in tact, but may be unable to
move it about because of some disease and the power is gone. This power
resident in the organ is derived from the Lord only. This is said in
the scriptures. %begin shloka
श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यद्वाचो ह वाचं स उ प्रणस्य प्राणः ।
चक्षुषश्चक्षु-रतिमुच्य धीराः प्रेत्यास्माल्लोका-दमृता भवन्ति ॥ Kenopanishat (1-2).
%end shloka
The devotee Dhruva said this in praise of the Lord. BH(4-9-6). %begin shloka
योऽन्तः प्रविश्य मम वाचमिमां प्रसुप्तां
सञ्जीवयत्यखिलशक्तिधरः स्वधाम्ना ।
अन्यांश्च हस्त-चरण-श्रवण-त्वगादीन्
प्रणान् नमो भगवते पुरुषाय तुभ्यम् ॥
%end shloka
He salutes the Lord saying that He had entered into him through His
intelligent power and roused his dormant power of speech. Being the
Lord of all powers, He had also kindled to activity also all his other
organs. Though He is the Lord of all powers, He weilds it through
various deities. This is like saying that the President is the head of
the country, but he exercises the power through many officers. It is so
with the powers resident in the organs of the body. The power in an organ
is called the presiding deity or अधिष्ठाता देवता । Each of the
organs have its own presiding deity. Even though all these organs are
all equally important for leading an active and happy life, the hands
are considered ᳚more equal᳚ than the other organs. They are needed for
performing the obligatory duties known as the five great yagnas पञ्च
महा यज्ञानि ।. They include worship of God, the manes, the rishis,
the guests and the animals and plants. Because of this reason, the deity
presiding over the hands is Indra. Indra in this case means the Supreme
Being. तस्मादिदन्द्रो नामेदन्द्रो ह वै नाम तमिदन्द्रं सन्तमिन्द्र
इत्याचक्षते परोक्षेण । (Aitareyopanishad 1-14). He is the One who
sees all. He helps us to use the hands and do the enjoined duties. He
is on the other side accepting them and blesses us with the fruits of
these actions. Thus, by discharging our duties we can achieve all the
goals of life known as पुरुषार्थाः । So, the vedic hymn Sri Rudram
says the hands are greatly blessed, in fact more blessed than the other
organs. The reason is simple. It has the fortune to come into contact
with the auspecious body of the Lord (in the form of idols) during His
worship. He is called the universal physician. By worshipping Him one
may get rid of his sorrows and achieve all the goals of life including
the most prized one - salvation (mokSha) itself. %begin shloka
अयं मे हस्तो भगवान्, अयं मे भगवत्तरः ।
अयं मे विश्वभेषजोऽयं शिवाभिमर्शनः ॥
%end shloka
The benefits one may get from the worship of the Lord include knowledge,
wealth, stamina etc. These are very essential for living happily and
to do our duties, both secular and religious. These are got by the
blessings of the Goddesses LakShmi, Sarasvathi and Gauri - who are all
the Lord's manifestations only. So all the Devis also said to reside
in the hands. Thus, by looking at the hands we get to remember the Lord;
and this in turn is equivalent to looking at the three Devis. Here too, we
should remember that the ᳚Devis᳚ are one only. Thus we find the the names
LakShmi, Sarasvathi and Gauri in the 1008 names of LakShmi. %begin shloka
समुद्रवसने देवी पर्वतस्तनमण्डले ।
विष्णुपत्नि नमस्तुभ्यं पादस्पर्शं क्षमस्व मे ॥ २॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- O Devi! You are wearing the ocean as a clothing on your body.
The mountains are your breasts! O Consort of Visnu! I salute you and beg
your pardon for having to set foot on your body for my routine activities.
Notes: - This verse is addressed to the goddess of earth, called Bhu
Devi. She sustains all life on this earth and is verily the mother of
all living beings, including the plants and animals. Like the saree worn
by a lady, the oceans cover most of the Goddess Earth. Like the milk
flowing from the breasts of a mother provides nourishment to her child,
the waters flowing down the mountains provide nourihment to the land and
the people. Her glory is sung by the vedic hymn भू सूक्तम् and by many
poets. Acharya Vedanta Desika's poem Bhustuti is very popular In one of
the verses he says that the Bhu Devi is very close to the Lord. This is
evident from the fact that when we start reciting the Gayatri mantra the
word भूः which represnts Bhu Devi immediately follows ॐ which
represents the Lord. त्वं व्याहृतिः प्रथमतः प्रणवः प्रियस्ते
संवेदयत्यखिल मन्त्र गणास्तमेव । In fact the Lord Himself
is in the form of the earth . भूः . VS(437, 942) and मेदिनीरूपी
- मेदिनी पृथिवी रूपं - स्वरूपं अस्य अस्तीति मेदिनीरूपी । ᳚यो
वै रुद्रस्स भगवान् या च भूस्तस्मै नमो नमः᳚ इति श्रुतिः ॥
SS(360). So, it is natural that we should hesitate to put our feet on
Her. But we cannot avoid doing so also. So we request Her to pardon
our act. She being the embodiment of forbearance will, we may be sure,
tolerate and allow it. The following verse is also in praise of Bhu Devi. %begin shloka
नमोऽस्तु प्रियदत्तायै तुभ्यं देवि वसुन्धरे ।
त्वं माता सर्वलोकानां पादन्यासं क्षमस्व मे ॥ ३॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- O Devi! I salute you and beg your pardon for having to set
foot on your body for my routine activities. You are the giver of all
that is dear to us. You are the mother and repository of all wealth.
Notes:- Earth is called the mother as She bears all like a fond mother
bearing her child in her lap. In addition She sustains all living beings
by giving food items in many forms like grains, fruits etc., besides water
in abundance. These are most needed by all and so dear to us. वसुः
= wealth, riches. The mother who gave birth to us may not be with us till
our end and look after us, but may leave us any day before it. But the
mother Earth bears and sustains us all through our life. Further, we may,
without being aware of Her greatness, treat Her lightly. She bears all
the abuses patiently and so is the very embodiment of patience. Narada
describes Rama as the counterpart of Mother Earth in forbearance. क्षमया
पृथिवीसमः । Ramayana (1-1-18). The question is, how the earth
which itself is suspended in space is able to bear all beings and also
make plants grow? The Lord says that it is He who is behind the earth
and provides the necessary support. BG((15-13). %begin shloka
गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा ।
पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ॥
%end shloka %begin shloka
ब्रह्मा मुरारि-स्त्रिपुरान्तकारी भानुः शशी भूमिसुतो बुधश्च ।
गुरुश्च शुक्रः शनि-राहु-केतवः कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ४॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Brahma (the Creator), Murari (Visnu), Tripurantakari (Siva,
the slayer of Tripuras), the nine planets, Sun, the Moon, Mars the son
of Bhumi, Budha (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Sukra (Venus), Sani
(Saturn), Rahu and Ketu; may all these make the morning auspicious for me.
Notes:- It was pointed out earlier that every thing in the universe that
has a name or form is His manifestation only. Because of this reason,
He is known as बहुरूपः - ब्रह्मादि स्थावरान्तकारेण बहुरूपः ।
SS(393). Every object right from Brahma - the creator to a plant is His
form only. The Kaivalyopanishad says that He is Brahma, Shiva, Indra,
the immovable, the supreme, the Self luminous. He is Vishnu, Prana,
the Time, the Fire and the Moon. %begin shloka
स ब्रह्मा स शिवः सेन्द्रः सोऽक्षरः परमः स्वराट् ।
स एव विष्णुः स प्राणः स कालोऽग्निः स चन्द्रमाः ॥ ८॥
%end shloka
The famous hymn Siva Mahimna Stotram (26) says that those people who
consider themselves to be wise hold the opinion that the Lord is the
Sun, the Moon, the Fire, the Air, the Water, the Space, the Earth and
the Self. But all these opinions are only limiting the Lord. The poet
exclaims that one does not know His real nature as He is all pervading. %begin shloka
त्वमर्कस्त्वं सोमस्त्वमसि पवनस्त्वं हुतवह-
स्त्वमापस्त्वं व्योम त्वमु धरणिरात्मा त्वमिति च ।
परिच्छिन्नमेवं त्वयि परिणता बिभ्रति गिरं
न विद्मस्तत्तत्त्वं वयमिह तु यत् त्वं न भवसि ॥
%end shloka
The names mentioned here may be found in the list of names of the
Lord. For example, one of His names is ब्रह्मा - ब्रह्मात्मना सर्वं
सृजतीति ब्रह्मा VS(663). He creates everything as Brahma. He is
पुरन्दरः - सुरशत्रूणां पुराणां दारणात् पुरन्दरः ।VS(335)
SS(45). पुरत्रयविधाती - पुरत्रयं विहन्तीति पुरत्रयविधाती
SS(104). He destroyed the three cities of the asuras. and so on. %begin shloka
सनत्कुमारः सनकः सनन्दनः सनातनो-ऽप्यासुरि-पिङ्गलौ च ।
सप्तस्वराः सप्त रसातलानि कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ५॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Sanatkumara, Sanaka, Sanadana and Sanatana ( whom Brahma,
the creator, begot by wish); Rsi Asuri ( a disciple of Rsi Kapila, the
founder of the Samkhya system of philosophy), Rsi Pingala ( the author of
Hindu Prosody); the Seven Svaras (tones) (i.e. Shadja, Rsabha, Gandhara,
Madhyam, Panchama, Dhaivata and Nisada); and the seven nether-worlds
(Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Rasatala, Mahatala and Patala) ---may
all these make the morning auspicious for me !
Notes:- The four sages Sanatkumara etc., are said to be born of the mind
of Brahma in the very beginnig of creation. They were not interested
in taking to the life of a householder.So, they took to a life of
renunciation. They were great devotees and jnanis. They, being the
first born, are senior to all, but they remain ever youthful. They
move around the worlds unhindered teaching people about devotion
and wisdom. Being great devotees they keep uttering the name of
the Lord. हरिः शरणमेवं हि नित्यं तेषां मुखे वचः ।
(Sri Bhagavata mahatmyam.(2-48). We know that sage Narada was the
guru of great devotees like Prahlada, Dhruva and sages like Vyasa and
Valmiki. But, it seems, that the great Narada himself felt unhappy
and missing a feeling of fulfilment. He approached Sanatkumara who
taught him the famous Bhuma Vidya. It is said Sanatkumara is the
incarnation of Lord Skanda. तँ स्कन्द इत्याचक्षते तँ स्कन्द
इत्याचक्षते । Chandogyopanishat. (7-26-2). The story appears in the
Chandogyopanishat. Such is the greatness of the four sages. Krishna says
that these four sages are His manifestations only. BG(10-6) %begin shloka
सप्तार्णवाः सप्त-कुलाचलाश्च सप्तर्षयो द्वीप-वनानि सप्त ।
भूरादिकृत्वा भुवनानि सप्त कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ५॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- The seven oceans ( Lavanabdhi, Iksu, Suravarpa, Ajay, Dadhi,
Ksira and Svadu-jala); the seven mountains (Mahendra, Malaya, Sahydri,
Suktiman, Rkasavan, Vindhya and Pariyatra): the seven Rsis (Kasyapa,
Atri, Bharadvaja, Visvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Vasishta): the seven
dvipas ( Continents) (i.e. Jambu, Plaksa, Salmala, Kusa, Kroncha, Saka
and Puskara): the seven vanas (forests) ( i.e. Dandakaranya, Khandaranya,
Champakaranya, Vedaranya, Naimisaranya, Brahmaranys and Dharmaranya);
and the seven bhuvanas (heavens) (i.e.) Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah, Mahah, Janah,
Traph and Satyam) ---may all these make the morning auspicious for me !
Notes:- Rishi is one who has these seven qualifications. (1) long life
(2) should have divined mantrs (3) power of lordship (4) divine vision
(5) senior by personal qualities, wisdom and age (6) who conduct himself
strictly according to dharmic ways and thus sets an example to others and
(7) who founded a gotra. Vayupurana (61-93,94). %begin shloka
सप्तैते सप्तभिश्चैव गुणैः सप्तर्षयः स्मृताः ।
दीर्घायुषो मन्त्रकृत ईश्वरा दिव्यचक्षुषः ।
वृद्धाश्च प्रत्यक्षधर्माणो गोत्रप्रवर्तकाश्च ये ॥
%end shloka
The rishis whose names are said here are known to us. Atri was the son
of Brahma, the creator and is as great as Brahma Himself. जातस्यासीत्
सुतो धातुरत्रिः पितृसमो गुणैः । BH(9-14-2). Soma, the Moon
(mentioned in an earlier verse) was born to him. He was the embodiment
of nectar. Brahma appointed him as the chief of brahmins, herbs,
plants and of the stars. विप्रौषध्युडुगणानां ब्रह्मणा कल्पितः
पतिः ।BH(9-14-3). This verse mentions the higher worlds (above our
world). The world we reside in is the Bhu loka (भूः). The previous
verse mentioned the seven nether worlds (below ouworld). One reaches
these worlds as a result of his deeds. By doing more of good than evil
acts one earns more merit or punyam and goes to the higher worlds.
Similarly by indulging in prohibited acts , one earns papam and goes to
the nether regions.BG(15-18). %begin shloka
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
जघन्य-गुण-वृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
%end shloka %begin shloka
पृथ्वी सगन्धा सरसास्तथापः स्पर्शी च वायुर्ज्वलनं च तेजः ।
नभः सशब्दं महता सहैव कुर्वन्तु सर्वे मम सुप्रभातम् ॥ ६॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- The Earth with its quality of smell , Water with its quality
of taste, Air with its quality of touch, Fire with its quality of teja
(glow), Akasa (space) with its quality of sabda (sound)---- may all
these elements along with the element of Buddhi (intellect) make my
morning auspicious for me !
Notes:-The five elements are the constituents of the universe and the
beings that inhabit them. They are the manifes- tations of the Lord
only. He has the name पञ्चभूतात्मा - पञ्चसङ्ख्याकानि भूतानि
आकाशादीनि आत्मस्वरूपं यस्य स पञ्चभूतात्मा । ᳚तत्सृष्ट्वा
तदेवानुप्राविशत् । तदनु प्रविश्य । सच्चत्यच्चा भवत्᳚ इति
श्रुतेः । SS(352). %begin shloka
महेन्द्रो मलयः सह्यो देवतात्मा हिमालयः ।
ध्येयो रैवतको विन्ध्यो गिरिश्चारावलि-स्तथा ॥ ७॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Mahendra (in Orissa), Malaya ( in Mysore) Sahydri ( Western
Ghats), Himalaya ( the soul of numerous gods---in Northern India),
the adorable Raivataka ( Giranara - in Kathiawad), Vindhyachala (from
Gujarat to Bihar) and Aravali ( in Rajasthan)--al these mountains are to
be remembered with veneration. Notes:- The mountais are great as they
are the birth place of many rivers. They also have many holy places
located in them. Great rivers like the Ganga, Sindhu are born in the
Himalaya mountain. Holy places like Amarnath, Badrinath, Kedarnath,
Rishikesh and mount Kailas - the abode of Lord Siva, are located in
the Himalaya mountain. So it very holy and is देवतात्मा. Kalidasa
uses the term in the opening verse in his classic Kumarasambhava to
describe the Himalaya. अस्त्युत्तरस्यां दिशि देवतात्मा हिमालयो नाम
नगाधिराजः । He describes the glory of the Himalaya in several verses
that follow the opening verse. Similarly the Vindhyachala is reputed to
be the abode of Devi Lalitha. She has the name विन्ध्याचलनिवासिनी -
विन्ध्याख्ये अचले पर्वते निवसतीति तथा । LS(336). The mountains
are also the abode of many sages who perform penance there. %begin shloka
गङ्गा सिन्धुश्च कावेरी यमुना च सरस्वती ।
रेवा महानदी गोदा ब्रह्मपुत्रा पुनातु मम् ॥ ८॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Ganga, Sindhu, Kaveri, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Reva (Narmada)
Mahanadi, Godavari, and Brahmaputra-- may all these rivers consecrate me.
Note:- The sacredness of these rivers are well known. So we think of
them before taking our daily bath. It is said that thinking of them is
enough to wash our sins. We invite their prescence during pujas also. We
recite the following verse and pray to them to be present in the water
to be used in the puja. गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरी सरस्वती ।
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरी जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिं कुरु ॥ आयान्तु देवपूजार्थं
दुरितक्षयकारकाः ॥ %begin shloka
अयोध्या मथुरा माया काशी काञ्ची अवन्तिका ।
पुरी द्वारावती चैव सप्तैता मोक्षदायिकाः ॥ ९॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kasi, Kanchi, Avantika
(Ujjain), and Dwarika Puri all these seven puries (cities) bestow moksa
(emancipation) on human beings. Note:- These cities are holy since
they are associated with the Lord. Rama was born in Ayodhya and later
He ruled over it. Mathura is linked with Krishna. It is said that the
Lord is ever present there. मथुरा भगवान् यत्र नित्यं सन्निहितो
हरिः ॥ BH(10-1-28). %begin shloka
प्रयागा पाटलीपुत्रं विजयानगरं पुरीम् ।
इन्द्रप्रस्थं गयां चैव प्रत्यूषे प्रत्यहं स्मरेत् ॥ १०॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Prayaga, Pataliputra (Patna), Vijayanagara (Hampi-south)
Jagannathapuri, Indraprastha (Delhi) and Gaya --- all these holy places
are to be remembered everyday in the morning %begin shloka
अरुन्धत्यनुसूया च सावित्री जानकी सती ।
तेजस्विनीइ च पाञ्चाली वन्दनीया निरन्तरम् ॥ ११॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Arundhati ( wife of Vasistha), Anusuya (wife of Rsi Atri),
Savitri ( wife of Satyvan), Janaki (Sita ji), Sati ( daughter of Daksa,
wife of Siva), and the noble - spirited Panchali ( Draupadi) --- all
these great women deserve our reverence for ever. %begin shloka
वैन्यं पृथुं हैहयमर्जुनं च शाकुन्तलेयं भरतं नलं च ।
रामं च यो वै स्मरति प्रभाते तस्यार्थलभो विजयश्च हस्ते ॥ १२॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- He who remembers Prthu (Son of King Vena), Arjuna of Haihaya
dynasty (known as Kartavirya), Bharata (son of Sakuntala), Raja Nala,
and the ideal king Sri Rama the morning acquires affluence and always
comes out successful in his endeavours. Note:- King Prutu was the son
of king Vena - a descendant of the the great devotee Druva (mentioned
in the next verse). Prutu was an part incarnation of Lord Hari. येष
विष्णोः भगवतः कला । BH(4-15-3) He got the name because soon after
his birth sages foretold that he will be the foremost among rulers and
will be very famous. BH(4-15-5). The earth got the name Prithvi from him.
%begin shloka
अयं तु प्रतमो राज्ञां पुमान् प्रथयिथा यशः ।
पृथु-र्नाम महाराजो भविष्यति पृतुश्रवाः ॥
%end shloka
Arjuna, also known as Kartavirya was the king of Hehaya. He worshipped
Lord Dattatreya and became very powerful and invincible. He acquired
immense wealth and supernatural powers etc. He could defeat Ravana and
became very proud. He was killed by Parasurama. His story is mentioned
in BH(9-15-17 and 18). %begin shloka
हैहयानामधिपति-रर्जुनः क्षत्रियर्षभः ।
दत्तं नारायणस्यांसमाराध्य परिकर्मभिः ॥
बाहून् दशशतं लेभे दुर्धर्षत्वमरातिषु ।
अव्याहतेन्द्रियौजःश्री-तेजो-वीर्य-यशो-बलम् ॥
%end shloka
दध्यङ् मनुर्भृगुरसौ हरिपूर्वचन्द्रो
भीष्मार्जुन-ध्रुव-वशिष्ट-शुकादयश्च ।
प्रह्लाद-नारद-भगीरथ-विश्वकर्म-
वाल्मीकयोत्र चिरचिन्त्यशुभाभिधानाः ॥ १३॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Rsi Dadhichi , Manu, Bhrgu, the truthful King Harischandra,
the iron - willed Bhisma, Arjuna (the wielder of the famous bow Gandiva),
Bhakta Dhruva, Rsi Vasistha, Sukadeva (son of Vyasa), Bhakta Prahlada,
Muni Narada, Bhagiratha (one who brought the Ganga from the Heaven to the
Earth), Visvakarma (the first architect), Valmiki (the first poet)---all
these sacred names are worth remembering for ever. %begin shloka
अश्वत्थामा बलिर्व्यासो हनूमांश्च विभीषणः ।
कृपः परशुरामश्च सप्तैते चिरजीविनः ॥ १४॥
सप्तैतान् संस्मरेन्नित्यं मार्कण्डेयमथाष्टमम् ।
जीवेत् वर्षशतं साग्रमपमृत्युविवर्जितः ॥ १५॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Asvatthama (son of Drona), Raja Bali , Vyasa (the first
spiritual preceptor), Hanuman (a devotee of Rama), Vibhisana (a
favourite of Rama) Krpacharya and Parasurama --all these seven are
immortal beings. He who remembers them everyday along-with Markandeya
(a devotee of Siva) will live for a hundred years. He will never meet
with an untimely death. %begin shloka
पुण्यश्लोको नलो राजा पुण्यश्लोको युधिष्ठिरः ।
पुण्यश्लोको विदेहश्च पुण्यश्लोको जनार्दनः ॥ १६॥
कार्कोटकस्य नागस्य दमयन्त्या नळस्य च ।
ऋतुपर्णस्य राजर्षेः कीर्तनं कलिनाशनम् ॥ १७॥
%end shloka
Meaning:-Raja Nala, the truthful Yudhisthira, Janaka the king of Videha,
and Janardana (i. e.) Lord Krishna -the very utterance of these names
sanctifies the tongue.
Notes:- In this and the preceeding verses the names of several great seers
and kings are mentined. Some of them, like king Nala, Harischandra and
Rama had gone through severe ordeals. But they did not get despondent
and swerve from the path of righteousness. For example, when Rama was
told that he would not be made the king but will have to go to the forest
his countenance did not show any change, nor was he upset. %begin shloka
न वनं गान्तुकामस्य त्यजतश्च वसुंधराम् ।
सर्वलोकातिगत्येव लक्ष्यते चित्तविक्रिया ॥
%end shloka
Ramayana. (2-19-23). These men were great, because they did not act
according to their own likes and dislikes. But they did what they thought
was proper. Such an act may produce results that are not pleasant but
they were willing to accept it as God's gift. What is proper and not
is given in the shastras.What the shastras say is dharma. The shastras
are given out by the Lord. The Lord's words are supreme and are to be
followed implicitly without consideration of the results. The Lord had
said the above clearly. BG(2-47). %begin shloka
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भू-र्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
These great men were confident that dharma will protect them and were
convinced that one should not stray from the path of dharma under any
circumstance. They surrendered to the God's will as expressed in the
shastras. It is said in Mahabharata that dharma is eternal and so one
should never give that up . On the other hand, joy and sorrow are not
lasting. So, one should not give up dharma under any circumstance:
from desire, fear, greed or even for the sake of one's life. %begin shloka
न जातु कामान्न भयान्न् लोभाद् धर्मः त्यजेज्जीवितसापि हेतोः ।
नित्यो धर्मः सुखदुःखे त्वनित्ये जीवो नित्यो हेतुरस्य त्वनित्यः ॥
%end shloka
Such people, Krishna says are wise (jnanis) and are qualified to attain
immortality (mokSha) BG(2-15). %begin shloka
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ ।
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥
The kings are known as rajarshis or royal sages. Thus, Valmiki calls king
Dasaratha as महर्षिकल्पो राजर्षिः । (1-6-20) rajarshi, as great as
a maharshi. So, showing respect to such persons is equivalent to showing
respect to God. Even uttering their names is as good as uttering the
names of God and so is purifying as was seen earlier. Because of this
reason, we will see that our puranas give in some places a long list of
names of kings who were royal sages in the solar or lunar dynasty. The
Brihadaranyopanishat gives a list of names of gurus who were jnanis and
transmitted their knowledge to their desciples.
Further, our scriptures say that those who praise, serve and worship
the wise person (jnani) get the results of the meritorious actions
(punyam) done by the wise man. Those who criticise, hate or cause pain
to the jnani get the results of sinful actions (papam) done by the wise
man. (Tattva Bodha). %begin shloka
किञ्च ये ज्ञानिनं स्तुवन्ति, भजन्ति, अर्चयन्ति तान्प्रति
ज्ञानिकृतं आगामि पुण्यं गच्छति ।
ये ज्ञानिनं निन्दन्ति, द्विषन्ति, दुःखप्रादानं कुर्वन्ति,
तान्प्रति ज्ञानिकृतं सर्वमागामि
क्रियमाणं यदवाच्यं कर्म पापात्मकं तद्गच्छति ।
सुहृदः पुण्यकृत्यं, दुर्हृदः पापकृत्यं गृण्हन्ति ।
%end shloka
In view of this, we, by mentioning the names of the great people listed
in the above verses with reverence, stand to gain much because we will
get a share of the punyam from their account.
As an aside we may take a scene in Ramayana - the one wherein the
queen Kausalya, mother of Rama blesses Rama before he departs to
the forest. This is narrated in canto 25 of the Ayodhya Kanda. In
her blessings she prays that the seven rishis, Indra and the gods
subordinate to him, the seasons, the moon god, Brihaspati, the seven
principal mountains, the oceans etc., should protect Rama. Some verses
forming the prayer are given below. चकार माता रामस्य मङ्गलानि
मनस्विनी ॥ १॥ The high minded mother Kausalya performed the rites
conducive to the welfare of Rama (and said as follows). %begin shloka
स्वस्ति साध्याश्च विश्वे च मरुतश्च महर्षिभिः ।
स्वस्ति धाता विधाता च स्वस्ति पूषा भगोऽर्यमा ॥ ८॥
लोकपालाश्च ते सर्वे वासवप्रमुखास्तथा ।
ऋतवः षड् च ते सर्वे मासाः संवत्सराः क्षपाः ॥ ९॥
दिनानि च मुहूर्ताश्च स्वस्ति कुर्वन्तु ते सदा ।
श्रुतिः स्मृतिश्च धर्मश्च पातु त्वां पुत्र सर्वता ॥ १०॥
स्कन्दश्च भगवान् देवः सोमश्च सबृहस्पतिः ।
सप्तर्षयो नारदश्च ते त्वां रक्षन्तु सर्वतः ॥ ११॥
ते चापि सर्वतः सिद्धा दिशश्च सदिगीश्वराः ।
स्तुता मया वने तस्मिन् पान्तु त्वं पुत्र नित्यशः ॥ १२॥
शैलाः सर्वे समुद्रश्च राजा वरुण एव च ।
द्यौरन्तरिक्षं पृतिवी वायुश्च सचराचराः ॥ १३॥
नक्षत्राणि च सर्वाणि ग्रहाश्च सह देवतैः ।
अहोरात्रे तथा संध्ये पान्तु त्वां वनमाश्रितम् ॥ १४॥
ऋतवश्चापि षट् चान्ये मासा संवत्सरास्तथा ।
कलाश्च काष्ठाश्च तथा तव शर्म दिशन्तु ते ॥ १५॥
ऋषयः सागरा द्वीपा वेदा लोका दिशश्च ताः ।
मङ्गलानि महाबाहो दिशन्तु शुभमङ्गलम् ॥ ३६॥
%end shloka
Kausalya prays to many divine beings and many other things (animate
and inanimate) to protect Rama when he is in the forest. Those whom
she prays to in the above verses include the following: the Sadhyas and
the Viswedevas (two different classes of gods), the wind-gods, eminent
rishis, the Cosmic Person, the creator, gods Pusha, Bhaga, Aryama,
the guardians of the spheres headed by Indra, the deities presiding
over the six seasons, the months, years, nights, days, and hours,
the Vedas, the smriti texts, dharma, Lord Skanda, the moon god, sage
Brihaspati, the seven rishis, sage Narada, siddhas, the four quarters
along with their guardians, the seven principal mountains, the oceans,
Varuna the king of the oceans, heaven, earth, the intervening region,
the atmosphere, the animate and inanimate creation, the stars, the sun,
planets along with their gods, deities presiding over the day and night,
morning and evening twilights, deities presiding over the six seasons,
the intercalary months and the years containing such months, divisions of
time such as minutes and seconds, the rishis, the seven oceans, Dwipas
(principal divisions of the globe), the four Vedas, the three spheres
and the four quarters also. What can be Kausalya's idea in praying to
so many beings as listed above? If we read the above carefully we may
notice that this prayer, sounds similar to the prayer contained in the
Pratasmaranam. Evidently Kausalya was aware of the fact that God is
present everywhere and in every thing. The sage Valmiki carefully uses
the adjective मनस्विनी meaning ᳚wise᳚ or jnani to describe her
in the first verse above. She knew the fact not only in theory but also
from experience. This implies that she knew that Rama, while in forest,
will always be surrounded by the Lord in one form or the other and so she
prayed to such an omnipresent Lord to offer him protection. The prayer
may be diferent but when we look at it from the right perspective appears
sensible as emanating from a pious person. %begin shloka
। फलश्रुतिः ।
इत्थं प्रभाते परमं पवित्रं
पठेत् स्मरेद्वा शृणुयाच्च तद्वत् ।
दुःस्वप्ननाशस्त्विह सुप्रभातं
भवेच्च नित्यं भगवत्प्रसादात् ॥ १८॥
%end shloka
Meaning:- Any one who reads, remembers or hears this superior and
purifying Pratasmaranam early in the morning every day, in that
manner, will, by God's grace, have an auspecious day and be free from
disturbing dreams. Notes: This verse states the fruits of reciting
or hearing the Pratasmaranam. फलम् means fruit. The stotram is
said to be superior and purifying because it talks about the glory of
the Lord. It gives the benefits stated when it is read or heard with
proper understanding of the meaning. So, it is said तद्वत् (i.e)
in the proper manner. Bad dreams are the results of latent tendencies,
known as vasanas. Thinking of the Lord destroys these latent tendencies
and the bad dreams that come up from them. So, the Lord has the name
दुःस्वप्ननाशनः - भाविनोऽनर्थस्य सूचकान् दुःस्वप्नान् नाशयति
ध्यातः, स्मृतः, कीर्तितः, पूजितश्चेति दुःस्वप्ननाशनः ।
VS(926). The verses in the Pratasmaranam help to keep alive the thought
of the Lord all through the day and as a result there is no place for
vasanas to hide in the mind and disturb our peace.
Encoded and proofread by N.Balasubramanian bbalu@sify.com