% Text title : shAradA prArthanA with Engilsh meaning % File name : sharada.itx % Category : devii, sarasvatI, shankarAchArya, devI % Location : doc\_devii % Author : Shankaracharya % Latest update : October 3, 2022 % Send corrections to : sanskrit at cheerful dot c om % % This text is prepared by volunteers and is to be used for personal study % and research. The file is not to be copied or reposted for promotion of % any website or individuals or for commercial purpose without permission. % Please help to maintain respect for volunteer spirit. % \documentstyle[11pt,multicol,itrans]{article} #include=ijag.inc #endwordvowel=.h \portraitwide \parindent=100pt \let\usedvng=\Largedvng % for 1 column \pagenumbering{itrans} \def\engtitle#1{\hrule\medskip\centerline{\LARGE #1}} \def\itxtitle#1{\medskip\centerline{\LARGEdvng #1}\medskip\hrule} \def\endtitles{\medskip\obeyspaceslines} %% \begin{document} \engtitle{.. Prayer to Goddess ShAradA ..}## \itxtitle{.. shrIshAradAprArthanA athavA sarasvatIstutiH ..}##\endtitles ## namaste shArade devi kAshmIrapuravAsini | tvAmahaM prArthaye nityaM vidyAdAnaM cha dehi me || 1|| yA shraddhA dhAraNA medhA vAgdevI vidhivallabhA | bhaktajihvAgrasadanA shamAdiguNadAyinI || 2|| namAmi yAminInAthalekhAla~NkR^itakuntalAm | bhavAnIM bhavasantApanirvApaNasudhAnadIm || 3|| bhadrakAlyai namo nityaM sarasvatyai namo namaH | vedavedA~NgavedAntavidyAsthAnebhya eva cha || 4|| brahmasvarUpA paramA jyotirUpA sanAtanI | sarvavidyAdhidevI yA tasyai vANyai namo namaH || 5|| yayA vinA jagatsarvaM shashvajjIvanmR^itaM bhavet | j~nAnAdhidevI yA tasyai sarasvatyai namo namaH || 6|| yayA vinA jagatsarvaM mUkamunmattavatsadA | yA devI vAgadhiShThAtrI tasyai vANyai namo namaH || 7|| || iti shrIshAradAprArthanA samAptA || ## Some of these verses are from Yajnyavalkya's shrIsarasvatIstotram or vANIstavanam from Brahmavaivarta Purana. So this appears to be a compiled stotra. Prayer to Goddess ShAradA ## namaste shArade devi kAshmIrapuravAsini | tvAmahaM prArthaye nityaM vidyAdAnaM cha dehi me || 1|| he shArade | he devi | namaH te | kAshmIrapuravAsini | he kAshmIra puryAM vAsinI ## one who lives ##; tvAM bhavatIM ahaM prArthaye pra ## very much ##; artha ## 10 A to request ## arthaye uttama puruSha eka vachane; nityaM pratidinam | vidyAdAnaM vidyAyAH dAnaM me mahyaM dehi dadAtu |##. Namaste Saraswati! O effulgent Sarada, worshipped in the city of Kashmir (substitute your city's name here - worshipped in the city of North Brunswick). I pray to you everyday. Please give the pure knowledge. 1 ## yA shraddhA dhAraNA medhA vAgdevI vidhivallabhA | bhaktajihvAgrasadanA shamAdiguNadAyinI || 2|| yA shraddhA ## faith ##; dhAraNA ## one who holds, memory ##; medhA ## intelligence ## vAgdevI vAchaH devI vidhivallabhA vidheH brahmaNaH vallabhA patnI | bhaktAjihvAgrasadanA bhaktAnAM; jihvAyAH ## of tounge ## agre ; sadanA ## one who is, lives ##; bhaktajihvAgrasadanA ## one who graces devotees' speech ##; shamAdi shama dama titikSha ityAdi guNAn.h dAyini dAtrI |##. You are faith, memory, intelligence, the divinity of speech, the spouse of Creator BrahmA. You grace the devotees' speech, you are the bestower of inner peace, and all other excellences. 2. ## namAmi yAminIM nAthalekhAla~NkR^itakuntalAm | bhavAnIM bhavasantApanirvApaNasudhAnadIm || 3|| yAminI yAmA asyAM santIti yAminI iti amaram | yAmaH ## restraint, forbearance ##; yAmini ## she is restraint, forbearance ##; nAtha ## protector ## lekhA ## streaks ##; nAthalekhA ## streaks of lightening standing for sparkling knowledge ##; ala~NkR^ita ## decorated ##; kuntalA ## one with ear-ornaments ##; ## Her ear ornaments are decorated with streaks of sparkling knowledge ##; bhavAnI bhavasya patnI bhavAnI iti amaram | bhava lokasya santApa dukhAnAM nirvApaNa ## killing, extinguishing ##; sudhA amR^itaM nadI ## river ;. I prostrate Yamini, one who is forbearance herself, who has her ears decorated with streaks of sparkling knowledge; who is BhavAni, who is a river of nectar that extinguishes the torments of worldly life. 3. ## bhadrakAlyai namo nityaM sarasvatyai namo namaH | vedavedA~NgavedAntavidyAsthAnebhya eva cha || 4|| bhandate bhadram | ## auspicious ##; bhadrakalyANI ## One who bestows auspiciousness ##; nityaM prati dinaM saraH prasaraNaM sarvatra astIti sarasvatI | ## She exists everywhere as a flow (of knowlege) and hence she is Saraswati. ## ## From where? Answer: ## veda vedA~Nga vedAnta vidyA sthAnebhyaH |## | Constant salutations to you, O Mother Beneficient! You are the one who exists everywhere as a flow of knowledge originating from the Veda, the auxiliary branches of Veda, Upanishads, and all other forms of Learning. Salutations to you again. 4. ## brahmasvarUpA paramA jyotirUpA sanAtanI | sarvavidyAdhidevI yA tasyai vANyai namo namaH || 5|| yA brahmasvarUpA brahmaNaH svarUpA yA jyotirUpA ## Divine light ##; yA sanAtanI AdyantarahitA yA sarva vidyAnAM adhi devI tasyai vANyai sarasvatyai namaH namaH | vaNyate shabdyata iti vANI | ## That which was said, speech ;. Prostrations to that Vani who is the supreme spirit, who is the divine light, who is The Eternal Being, and who is the presiding deity of all learning. 5. ## yayA vinA jagatsarvaM shashvajjIvanmR^itaM bhavet | j~nAnAdhidevI yA tasyai sarasvatyai namo namaH || 6|| yayA vinA ## without who ## jagatsarvaM ## the whole world ## shasvat avyaya ## perpetual, eternal, for ever ## jIvat ## living ## mR^itaM ## dead ## yA j~nAnasya adhi devI tasyai sarasvatyai namaH namaH |##. Prostrations to Sarasvati, Without who, the whole world would appear dead (even though living). And who is the presiding deity of knowledge. A person is as good as dead without the learning, Sarasvati. That is the import. 6. ## yayA vinA jagatsarvaM mUkamunmattavatsadA | yA devI vAgadhiShThAtrI tasyai vANyai namo namaH || 7|| mUka ## dumb ## unmattavat ## possessed of madness ## adhiShTAtrI ## She is the instrument through which presiding over is done. Or simply presiding. Prostrations to VAni Without whom the whole world would appear dumb and demented; who is the presiding deity of speech. 7. ##|| iti shrIshAradAprArthanA samAptA ||## Appendix philosophical interest BhavAni Why is Saraswati described as BhavAni? I will briefly quote Sankara on the topic in Rudra bhAshyaM. BhavAni, Uma are adjectives of the Rudra. Rudra means - One who melts the miseries of worldly life. Since the destruction of ignorance or misery of worldly is only possible with knowledge, it is appropriately said that Rudra-Uma sahita is capable of melting that misery. See RudrabhAsyam for detailed explanation: namaH somAya cha. Rudra is sheer power. BhavAni is all knowledge, self-restraint, control. And, you see, Power is all about Control. SArada SArada means effulgence as was translated in the first sloka of shankara rachita shAradA prArthanA. Namaste Saraswati! O effulgent Sarada, Right now, that is, the two months (Oct. 2nd, 1997 - Nov. 29, 1997) where in SarasvatI pUjA (or DasarA festival) falls (AsvIyuja, kArtIka) are called sharad Ritu. During the Sarad Ritu, what do you notice when you drive to work? It is a good day -- neither cold nor hot, but the turnpike is jammed; but no accident! And after turning to the radio, you find out that traffic is crawling due to the radiant splendour (glare) of bhagavAn.h (or one who has a welath -- of radiance) Aditya. That effulgence is called SAradA. What does it repesent? Have you ever been in the presence of a learned man - be the subject matter is programming languages, neural networks, analog computers or financial mergers or Veda/GeetAs? In his presence, that subject suddenly seems to be very simple, questions seem to be answered with ease and the whole subject matter appears like simple common sense and you feel an unexplainable power and joy. What is it and Where do you think that brilliance flows? That brilliance is ShAradA, That flow is SarasvatI, Those sounds are VAnI. \medskip\hrule\obeylines Please send corrections to sanskrit at cheerful dot c om Last updated \today https://sanskritdocuments.org \end{document}