Sri Sudarshana Jayanthi (26-Jun-2015) - Rare Sudarshana Stotram From Skanda Purana

Courtesy:Sri.K.Muralidharan Iyengar

Dear All,

Greetings and Namaste. As Sri Sudarshana Jayanthi falls on 26-Jun-2015 (Friday) (and on 26-July-2015 according to some other traditions), I am happy to share a short and sweet hymn on Lord Sudarshana by a Gandharva called Durdama, taken from Skanda Purana, Brahma Khanda, Setu Mahatmya, Chapter 4.

As the last 4 stanzas of the hymn has reference to Chakra Tirtha, the hymn was presumably sung in Thirupullani, an important pilgrimage place near Rameswaram - a place where King Dasharatha was bestowed with divine nectar (Payasam/kheer) to get progeny and where Lord Rama prayed to Samudra Raja atop kusha grass to reach Sri Lanka. The Adi Jagannatha Perumal Temple in this place is one of the 108 Divya Desams and a very important site related to Ramayana.

Lord Sudarshana worship is not for the ordinary and one has to maintain certain minimum spiritual hygiene to qualify for this. Lord Sudarshana's grace destroys all misfortunes and there are innumerable anecdotes in this regard. Though every Vishnu Temple is likely to have a Sannadhi for Lord Sudarshana, a few temples are especially famous for Lord Sudarshana - e.g. Sharngapani Temple in Kumbhakonam, Thirumohoor in Madurai, Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Kancheepuram, Srirangam Temple, etc.

As we have seen many times before, Sudarshana Chakra was actually given to Lord Vishnu by Lord Shiva at his request. The reference to this can be seen in many purans - be it Shaivite or Vaishnavite in texture.  Linga Purana as well as Shiva Purana contains the Shiva Sahasranama created by Lord Vishnu for this purpose. But Saura Purana gives a different hymn. There is also an opinion that Sudarshana Chakra is another form of Lord Bhairava - Chakra Bhairava. The Shaivite/Vaishnavite rivalry we see in greater Tamil Nadu of the medieval times is never to be seen in any purans and therefore must be a later day corruption - a politically motivated irrational exuberance (aka nonsense! ) .

May We seek the Blessings of Lord Sudarshana on Sudarshana Jayanthi!

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Shatpadi stotram by Adi Shankara

courtesy: Sringeri videos

When we think of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya's stotram on Bhagavan Maha Vishnu, the first one that usually comes to our mind is Bhaja Govindam (Moha Mudgara). But Shankara has also composed a six stanza metrical prayer in praise of Maha Vishnu called Shatpadi Stotram, beautifully describing the various sportive deeds of the Lord, whilst praying for His Divine grace.

Even if one does not know Samskritam (Sanskrit), one can easily follow the beautiful poetic structure in the Stotram.

After composing the Stotram, the great Bhagavadpada Shankara concludes by saying:

नारायण करुणामय
शरणं करवाणि तावकौ चरणौ ।
इति षट्पदी मदीये
वदनसरोजे सदा वसतु ॥७॥

nārāyaṇa karuṇāmaya
śaraṇaṃ karavāṇi tāvakau caraṇau ;
iti ṣaṭpadī madīye
vadanasaroje sadā vasatu .7.

O Lord, I surrender myself at Your Feet
Let me always remember this in my memory.

॥ षट्पदीस्तोत्रम् ॥

अविनयमपनय विष्णो
दमय मनः शमय विषयमृगतृष्णाम् ।
भूतदयां विस्तारय
तारय संसारसागरतः ॥१॥

दिव्यधुनीमकरन्दे
परिमलपरिभोगसच्चिदानन्दे ।
श्रीपतिपदारविन्दे
भवभयखेदच्छिदे वन्दे ॥२॥

सत्यपि भेदापगमे
नाथ तवाहं न मामकीनस्त्वम् ।
सामुद्रो हि तरङ्गः
क्वचन समुद्रो न तारङ्गः ॥३॥

उद्धृतनगनगभिदनुज
दनुजकुलाऽमित्र मित्रशशिदृष्टे ।
दृष्टे भवति प्रभवति
न भवति किं भवतिरस्कारः ॥४॥

मत्स्यादिभिरवतारैः
अवतारवतावता सदा वसुधाम् ।
परमेश्वर परिपाल्यो
भवता भवतापभीतोऽहम् ॥५॥

दामोदर गुणमन्दिर
सुन्दरवदनारविन्द गोविन्द ।
भवजलधिमथनमन्दर
परमं दरमपनय त्वं मे ॥६॥

नारायण करुणामय
शरणं करवाणि तावकौ चरणौ ।
इति षट्पदी मदीये
वदनसरोजे सदा वसतु ॥७॥

॥ इति षट्पदीस्तोत्रम् ॥

|| ṣaṭpadīstotram ||

avinayamapanaya viṣṇo
damaya manaḥ śamaya viṣayamṛgatṛṣṇām ;
bhūtadayāṃ vistāraya
tāraya saṃsārasāgarataḥ .1.

divyadhunīmakarande
parimalaparibhogasaccidānande ;
śrīpatipadāravinde
bhavabhayakhedacchide vande .2.

satyapi bhedāpagame
nātha tavāhaṃ na māmakīnastvam ;
sāmudro hi taraṅgaḥ
kvacana samudro na tāraṅgaḥ .3.

uddhṛtanaganagabhidanuja
danujakulāʼmitra mitraśaśidṛṣṭe ;
dṛṣṭe bhavati prabhavati
na bhavati kiṃ bhavatiraskāraḥ .4.

matsyādibhiravatāraiḥ
avatāravatāvatā sadā vasudhām ;
parameśvara paripālyo
bhavatā bhavatāpabhītoʼham .5.

dāmodara guṇamandira
sundaravadanāravinda govinda ;
bhavajaladhimathanamandara
paramaṃ daramapanaya tvaṃ me .6.

nārāyaṇa karuṇāmaya
śaraṇaṃ karavāṇi tāvakau caraṇau ;
iti ṣaṭpadī madīye
vadanasaroje sadā vasatu .7.

|| iti ṣaṭpadīstotram ||

Translation (from Video 2):

O Vishnu! Leading away from arrogance, tranquilise my mind, and destroy the enduring greed for desires. Scatter away the mercy for living-beings, and take me across the cycle of rebirth.||1||

I sing praises of the lotus-feet of Lord of Lakshmi, Which has juice like the river Ganga, Which is fragrant and full of pleasures eternally, and Which breaks the shackles of the cycle of rebirth.||2||

O Lord! Even though there is no difference between us (I am a part of You), I belong to You and not vice-versa. Just like the ocean is made of waves but the waves are not made up of ocean.||3||

O Krishna, Who lifted the Govardhan¹! O Upendra, Who is the younger brother of Indra², Who is the enemy of demons, Who has sun and moon as two eyes! After seeing you, isn't it true that we get dispassionate about the whole mortal world? (Or it says that indeed Your appearance to someone destroys his (her) passion for the mortal world).||4||

O Supreme Lord, Who protects this earth by various incarnations like Matsya (fish)! I am feared by the cycle of life and death and therefore I am worthy of being saved by You.||5||

O Damodar! O Govind, Who is the temple of qualities, Who has a lotus-like body, Who is like the Mandarachal mountain for Ksheersagar like ocean of rebirth! You drive away the immense fear from my life.||6||

O Narayan, Who is full of compassion! I am taking the refuge of Your lotus-feet. May this above-said sextet (six pada) which is like a bumble-bee resides in my lotus-like mouth.||7||

Lyrics: http://stotra.sringeri.net/stotras/shatpadistotram/

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGdVeUA6ubc
Video 2: http://youtu.be/ZqIzrdVdRgA

Article-SRI AYYAPPA SWAMI

Courtesy:Sri.PR.Kannan

SRI AYYAPPA SWAMI

• P.R.Kannan

Lord Ayyappa's fame has spread far and wide in the last few decades. The shrine of Ayyappa at Sabarimala in Kerala attracts devotees from all corners of the land at all times of the year. In Tamil Nadu, earlier it was common to erect a statue of Ayyanar in most villages near the boundary at the entrance. Ayyanar was there to protect everyone in the village at any time from any type of calamity. It was even believed that Ayyanar rode on his horse round the village every night to keep a watch and that a sincere devotee could even hear the sound of the horse's hoofs. This Ayyanar is the same deity as Ayyappa of Sabarimala, whose shrines can now be seen in many towns and cities across India, specially in places where Malayalis and Tamilians reside.

Legends

Ayyappa (literally meaning lord and father) is Hariharaputra, son of Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Siva); he is also known as Sastha, the ruler. As per Puranic stories, during the churning of Ocean of Milk, Vishnu assumed the enchanting form of Mohini in order to seduce the Asuras, who had laid their hands on the pot of Amrita, the nectar of immortality. Attracted by Mohini's beauty, Asuras handed the pot of nectar to her. She then stealthily served the nectar to Devas. Siva saw Mohini later; the manifestation of light born of the union of the jyotis of Siva and Mohini is Hariharaputra. He thus stands for the Ultimate Reality, the fusion of the Gnana of Siva and the compassion of Vishnu. He blesses his sincere devotees with the bliss of Supreme Gnana that liberates them from the cycle of samsara (births and deaths); he also bestows on them fulfilment of all immediate desires like relief from difficulties, getting progeny, wealth etc.

There are innumerable legends associated with Ayyappa. The most popular one is his appearance as the son of King Rajasekhara Pandian of Pandalam in Kerala. The childless king saw a baby in the forest and adopted him as his son. He named him Manikantan, as he noticed a gemstone (bell?) in the neck of the baby. The child's superhuman powers were soon evident. His divinity came to the fore when, in his Gurukulam sojourn, he restored the vision and speech of his Guru's blind and dumb son by way of Guru-dakshina. He is also credited to have protected the king and the kingdom from enemies. The queen delivered a male child after some time. A wily minister of the king colluded with the queen to attempt elimination of Manikantan from the scene to enable the queen's child to claim succession to the throne. They hatched a plot. The queen feigned to suffer from an incurable headache. A doctor, nominated by the minister, strangely recommended tigress' milk as cure. Manikantan managed to sway the king to permit him to go to the forest alone to fetch tigress' milk. Legend has it that he came back riding a tiger, who was none other than Indra, accompanied by male tigers, who were Devas in disguise and tigresses, who were really females of Devas. Manikantan was 12 years old at that time. The king saw through the conspiracy of his queen and the minister. He remembered the prophecy of a mendicant in Manikantan's early years that his son's extraordinary powers would come to light when he would turn twelve. He realised the divinity of his son and developed dispassion; he was granted Supreme Gnana by Manikantan (Sastha). Recognising that the time had come for him to part with his son, the king wished to build a temple for Ayyappa. Manikantan guided him to choose Sabarimala and agreed that from there, he would bless the devotees, who would observe 41 days' regulations (vratam) strictly and come to Sabarimala for darshan. The deity at the Sabarimala shrine is said to have been prepared and installed by Lord Parasurama himself.

As Hariharaputra, his many exploits for protecting the weak are also recounted in Puranas. According to Skanda Purana, during the Asura king Surapadma's rule, once Devendra had to live in hiding with his wife Indrani in Sirkali in Tamil Nadu. When the time came for Indra to leave for Meru Mountain to meet Siva and seek relief from the terror of Surapadma, he sought the help of Sastha to protect Indrani at Sirkali in his absence. Ajamukhi, the sister of Surapadma, came soon thereafter to Sirkali. Noticing the enchanting beauty of Indrani, she sought to take her by force to Surapadma. It was Sastha's aide Mahakala who came on the scene, fought, disfigured and drove away Ajamukhi and thus protected Indrani.

In another Puranic story, Mahishasura was killed by Durga. In a spirit of revenge, his sister Mahishi sought and obtained a strange boon that she could be vanquished only by the offspring of Siva and Vishnu. When Devas, who suffered in her tyrannical rule, pleaded with Siva for protection, Siva enabled Sastha's manifestation. Sastha fought and killed Mahishi and restored rule of dharma in all worlds.

Shrine at Sabarimala

Sabarimala in Kerala is the most famous Ayyappa shrine visited by over 40 million devotees every year, making it one of the most popular pilgrim centres in the world. Pilgrims from around the country brave the dense forests, steep hills and inclement weather to seek the blessings of Ayyappa, seated about 3000 feet above sea level, specially in the middle of January on Makara Sankranti or Pongal day, when the Lord himself is said to descend in the form of light. Two days before the auspicious Sankranthi day, the special jewellery of the Lord ('Tiruvabaranam') is taken on foot from the Royal Palace at Pandalam by a special emissary of the kingdom, after Pooja with all pomp, devotion and reverence. The rituals connected with the pilgrimage to Sabarimala, situated on the banks of Pampa river, have grown and been systematised over the years. They are generally the re-enactment of what Manikantan, the lad of twelve, had done during his visit to the forest for procuring tigress' milk. The pilgrims are under the care of a senior experienced worshipper called 'Guruswamy'. At the start of the 'vratam' period of 41 days they wear a garland of Rudraksha or Tulasi having a 'mudra' (pendant) of Ayyappa. During this 'vratam' period, they generally wear coloured (black/ blue/ saffron) dress, eat satvik vegetarian food, observe strict celibacy and austerity and perform Poojas and bhajans. The discipline is believed to be essential in being able to undertake the arduous journey to the shrine and obtain the blessings of the Lord. The pilgrims travel barefoot in groups and trek over difficult mountainous terrain carrying 'Irumudi' – a bag in two sections, one with a coconut containing ghee and other offerings to the Lord, and the other, personal foodstuff. The three-eyed coconut reminds one of Siva; the ghee comes from milk, the nutritious food that protects the body, which is associated with Vishnu. The coconut thus reminds one of both Siva and Vishnu. Further the white inside of the coconut is indicative of purity of the mind, whereas the ghee signifies bhakti, which should fill the mind. Ghee is filled in the coconut at the start of the pilgrimage to the chanting of Sastha's Moolamantra. Manikantan is said to have taken such a coconut with him during his trip to the forest. There are many places en route, associated with the legend of Manikantan's journey. The devotees take holy bath in many streams and the famed river Pampa. They keep chanting the mantra 'Swamiye... Saranam Ayyappa' (Lord Ayyappa, I seek refuge in you) loudly throughout the journey. 'Saranam' is the fundamental feature of all Ayyappa songs. The pilgrims also greet each other with 'Swami Saranam'. The idea is that every pilgrim is so much immersed in to the Lord that he sees all devotees and indeed all creation as manifestation of Ayyappa. The first major halt in the journey is at Erumeli, where the devotee observes a special ritual of 'Pettaitullal', in which he wears coloured powder on his body and dances his way to the flagstaff of the Sastha temple here. He then proceeds to Vavar hill, which reminds one of Manikantan's friendship with a Muslim named Vavar! He then worships at 'Kalaikatti', which is the place where Siva tied his vehicle bull, when he came to witness the dance of Sastha over Mahishi's body. After some more rituals at intermediate points, he finally reaches the main shrine at Sabarimala. Darshan of the deity here is attained after climbing 18 steps. Ayyappa is seated on Srichakra with the feet folded at an angle and tied in a 'yoga pattam' pose. The right hand shows 'Chinmudra' and the left signifies to us to surrender at his lotus feet. The eyes are welcoming and compassionate. The atmosphere inspires devotion.

Ayyappa the Jyoti

'Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya' – 'Lead me from darkness to Light' - runs a common Vedic prayer. Lord Ayyappa is the Jyoti visible to the naked human eyes on the pinnacle of the famed Sabari hills on the Makara Sankranthi day every year. Thus Ayyappa is associated in the minds of one and all with Light. This Jyoti from above descends and takes the form of a Vigraha on earth for us to offer our daily worship. When light appears, darkness takes to heels without our having to make any extra effort. The darkness in mind, accumulated over ages through crores of samskaras in many different births, is in fact a dark screen enveloping a perpetually burning light source, viz. Atma. Hence when Ayyappa's kataksha (sidelong glance) of Light falls on us, the cover of darkness melts in a jiffy, burning away in the process all our past karmas and blessing us with the right intellect so that our efforts, aimed at happiness here and Liberation hereafter, bear fruit. The inner Light, already present, stands unveiled.

There are 18 steps between him and us. These are the five karmendriyas (hands, feet, tongue and organs of generation and excretion), five gnanendriyas (eyes, ears, tongue, nose and the body), five Pranas (Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana) and three internal instruments (mind including chitta, intellect and Ahamkara). Unless all these 18 tools are employed favourably with the right intent, the desired fruit cannot be attained. Worship should therefore be offered at the feet of Ayyappa for His continuous Grace for the 18 instruments to be directed in the right manner and the Light to descend in our heart, dispelling the dark cover. There are many names in the Ayyappa Sahasranamam, pointing to Light – Mahatejas, Aharpati, Suryatejas, Sajyotis, Bhanuman, Tejas, Tejorasi, Tejasam Pati, Mahabhasa, Bhanutejas, Sasibhasa, Vibhavasa, Ushastejas, Uduprabha, Rajatadribhasa, Timiraghna, Mihirabha, Rajani-dhvamsi-sannibha, Aryamabhasa, Grishmasurya-samaprabha, Jataveda-prabhakara, Rakendu-dyuti-sampanna etc. As we chant the names with sincere prayer, Light will enter into our being.

Poorna and Pushkala

Like Ganapathi and Hanuman, Ayyappa is generally worshipped as a bachelor deity. As we have seen above, Manikantan appeared as the son of Rajasekara Pandian and departed from earth at the age of twelve, when he was a bachelor. Hence the deity of Ayyappa installed in Sabarimala is that of a bachelor god. However, just as Ganapathi is worshipped occasionally along with his consorts Siddhi and Buddhi, Hariharaputra is also adored with his two consorts named Poorna and Pushkala in many temples. There are legends alluding to the Lord in his avatara on earth marrying the daughters of two kings, who were beholden to him. It must however be remembered that as in the case of all goddesses, it is the Shakti of Lord Ayyappa, who is worshipped as his consort or goddess. Shakti and Shaktiman are inseparable like Sun and shine, Fire and heat, flower and fragrance. It is the ever-present power of God, which is worshipped in the female form. This truth is emphasised repeatedly in many places in our religious literature. This is in fact the truth we cherish when we celebrate the marriages of gods like Radha with Krishna, Sita with Rama, Meenakshi with Sundareswara, Ganapathi with Siddhi and Buddhi, Vali and Devasena with Subrahmanya and also Ayyappa with Poorna and Pushkala. The significance of Poorna and Pushkala runs very deep. Poorna is that power of the Lord which refers to his being alone, complete, total, all-pervasive with nothing extraneous to the Lord and hence with no want unfulfilled. Pushkala signifies plenty, fullness and prosperity. Poorna is the Supreme state of knowledge of Atman with nothing to be known. Feeling of Pushkala, i.e. magnificence or prosperity is not adequate in comparison with Poorna. Hence Pushkala can be considered as an auspicious step in the path of attainment of Poorna. In other words, Pushkala can be equated with mundane prosperity connected with one's sojourn on this earth, tempered with spirituality and Poorna is the ultimate state beyond to be attained here or hereafter.

Sastha Preethi, widely conducted in November-January period in many places, is an occasion for us to offer our sincere prayer to the Lord. This Pooja generally includes Ganapathi Homam, Rudrabhishekam, Laksharchana (offering of flowers in a lamp while chanting the thousand names of Ayyappa by a hundred persons in one or more batches), Bhajan, Annadanam etc. The repertoire of Bhajan songs in different languages and the expert groups of singers have grown over the years. The bhajans and Namavalis help the devotees to nurture their devotion prior to undertaking the journey and, while trekking to and from Sabarimala, to draw the necessary inspiration to enjoy the difficult journey and focus on Ayyappa and his exploits.

Stotras

Ayyappa Gayatri mantra is as follows:

भूतनाथाय विद्महे भवपुत्राय धीमहि

तन्नः शास्ता प्रचोदयात् ॥

"We are aware of Bhutanatha, the Lord of all creation; we meditate on the son of Bhava (Siva); may that Sasta inspire us (to attain the Supreme Reality)".

The 'Namaskara' slokas start with

लोकवीरं महापूज्यं सर्वरक्षाकरं विभुम् ।

पार्वतीहृदयानन्दं शास्तारं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥

"I prostrate to Sastha, who is the most valorous in all worlds; worshipped by all; who protects all; who is all-pervasive and who delights the heart of Parvathi."

'Harivarasanam' is a celebrated devotional song chanted just before closing the temple doors at Sabarimala every night. It is written in eight stanzas, called 'Ashtakam'. It was written by Kambakudi Kulathur Srinivasa Iyer, a guruswami, in 1947.

The first stanza runs as follows:

हरिवरासनं (स्वामि) विश्वमोहनं

हरिदधीश्वरं (स्वामि) आराध्यपादुकम् ।

अरिविमर्दनं (स्वामि) नित्यनर्तनं

हरिहरात्मजं (स्वामि) देवमाश्रये ॥

शरणमय्यप्पा स्वामि शरणमय्यप्पा

"Repository of Hari's boons; Enchanter of the universe, Essence of Hari's grace; He whose holy feet are worshipped, He who kills enemies; He who always performs the cosmic dance, Son of Hari and Hara; I take refuge in you, Oh Lord. My refuge is in you Ayyappa, Oh Lord, My refuge is in you Ayyappa"

Sankata Nasana Ganesha Stotram.

Courtesy:Sri.S.Ramaswamy

Sankata Nasana Ganesha Stotram.

 

 Narada Uvacha : Pranamya sirasa devam, Gauri putram, Vinayakam, Bhakthya vyasa smaren nithya, Mayu kama artha sidhaye. Prathamam Vakra thundam cha, Ekadantham dveethiyakam, Trithiyam Krishna pingalaksham, Gajavakthram Chathurthakam. Lambhodaram panchamam cha, Sashtam Vikatameva cha, Sapthamam Vignarajam cha, Dhoomra varnam thadashtamam. Navamam phala chandram cha, Dasamam thu Vinayakam, Ekadasam Ganapathim, Dwadasam the gajananam. Dwathasaithani namani, Trisandhyam ya paden nara, Na cha vigna bhayam thasya, Sarva sidhi karam dhruvam. Vidyarthi labhadhe vidhyam, Danarthi labhathe danam, Puthrarthi labhathe puthran, Moksharthi labhathe gatheem. Japeth Ganapathi sthothram, Shadbhir masai phalam labeth, Samvatsarena sidhim cha, Labhathe nathra samsaya. Ashtanam Brahmanam cha, Likihithwa ya samarpoayeth, Thasya Vidhya bhaveth Sarvaa Ganesasya prasadatha. Ithi Sri Narada Purane Samkashta nasanam Ganapathi Stotram Sampoornam. Sankata Nasana Ganapati Stotram संकष्टनाशनं गणेशस्तोत्रम् संकष्टनाशनं गणेशस्तोत्रम्  Sankata Nasana Ganapati Stotram श्रीगणेशाय नम: । नारद उवाच ।  प्रणम्य शिरसा देवं गौरीपुत्रं विनायकम्। भक्तावासं स्मरेनित्यं आयु: कामार्थसिद्धये ॥१॥  The learned one, who wishes,  For more life, wealth and love,  Should salute with his head,  Lord Ganapathi who is the son of Parvathy.  प्रथमं वक्रतुण्डं च एकदंत द्वितीयकम् । तृतीयं कृष्णपिड्गाक्षं गजवक्त्रं चतुर्थकम् ॥२॥  Think him first as god with broken tusk,  Second as the God with one tusk,  Third as the one with reddish black eyes,  Fourth as the one who has the face of an elephant.  लम्बोदरं पञ्चमं च षष्ठं विकटमेव च । सप्तमं विघ्नराजेंद्रं धूर्मवर्णं तथाष्टकम् ॥३॥  Fifth as the one who has a very broad paunch,  Sixth as the one who is cruel to his enemies,  Seventh as the one who is remover of obstacles,  Eighth as the one who is of the colour of smoke.  नवमं भालचन्द्रं च दशमं तु विनायकम् । एकादशं गणपतिं द्वादशं तु गजाननम् ॥४॥  Ninth as the one who crescent in his forehead,  Tenth as the one, who is the leader of remover of obstacles,  Eleventh as the leader of the army of Lord Shiva,  And twelfth as the one who has the face of an elephant.  द्वादशैतानि नामानि त्रिसंध्यं य: पठेन्नर: । न च विघ्नभयं तस्य सर्वसिद्धिकरं परम् ॥५॥  Any one reading these twelve names,  At dawn, noon and dusk,  Will never have fear of defeat,  And would always achieve whatever he wants.  विद्यार्थी लभते विद्यां धनार्थी लभते धनम् । पुत्रार्थी लभते पुत्रान् मोक्षार्थी लभते गतिम्॥६॥  One who pursues education will get knowledge,  One who wants to earn money will get money,  One who wishes for a son, will get a son,  And one who wants salvation will get salvation.  जपेद्गगणपतिस्तोत्रं षड्भिर्मासै: फलं लभेत् । सर्वत्सरेण सिद्धि च लभते नात्र संशय: ॥७॥ Results of chanting this prayer,  Of Ganapathi will be got within six months,  And within a year, he would get all wishes fulfilled,  And there is no doubt about this.  अष्टभ्यो ब्राह्मणेभ्यश्च लिखित्वा य: समर्तयेत् । तस्य विद्या भवेत्सर्वा गणेशास्य प्रसादत: ॥८॥ One who gets this prayer,  Written by Eight Brahmanas,  And offers it to Lord Ganesa,  Will become knowledgeable,  And would be blessed with all stellar qualities,  By the grace of Lord Ganesa. ॥ इति श्रीनारदपुराणे संकष्टनाशनं गणेशस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम्॥ Thus ends the prayer to Ganesa from Narada Purana which would destroy all sorrows.

shiva tandava stotram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvUF4LkmwKo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McrjgeI-PtI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwsTTTs7EtU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwMyiDbQrjY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KjfiJlkO58&list=PL2016502CB9298420

Sri Rama Navami (28-Mar-2015) - Rare Sitarama Stotram From Padma Puranam

Courtesy:Sri.K.Muralidharan Iyengar

Dear All,

Greetings. As Sri Rama Navami falls on 28-Mar-2015, I am glad to share a very rare and short prayer on Lord Rama/Goddess Sita by Lord Shiva taken from Padma Puranam, Uttara Khandam, and Chapter 243 (titled Vishwa Darshanam). It is not difficult to understand the sanctity of this prayer as Lord Rama vouchsafes that the reciter gets the benefits accrued by bathing in all holy waters and performing all Yajnas - but multiplied by one crore times. A very potent hymn indeed.

The quintessence of this prayer is that Goddess Sita and Lord Rama are the divine parents of this universe and they themselves manifest themselves in various forms such as Lakshmi/Vishnu, Gauri/Shiva, Savitri/Brahma, etc. Over the last few years, we have seen that this is the immutable theme in all the sacred texts and there is no exception. We have also seen that sacred texts never fail to condemn views of purported differences among Trinity not only as utter nonsense and knuckle-headedness - but a gory sin as well. Let us see yet another citation of this from Brahma Vaivarta Puranam, Prakriti Khanda, Chapter 54, and Verses 110-114:

shambhur nArAyaNash caiva prakRRiteshca narAdhipa | nityAnAM lInate nitye tan mAyA na tu vAstavI || 111 ||

svayaM pumAn nirguNashca kAlena saguNaH svayam | svayaM nArAyaNaH shambhur mAyayA prakRRitiH svayam || 112 ||

(O King! Shiva, Narayana and Prakriti are Eternal. The Purusha is devoid of Gunas but by taking Kala (time) in its stride that Purusha embodies as Saguna., Narayana indeed is Shiva and due to Maya they appear so).

In the same purana, Ganapati Khanda, Chatper 3, Lord Shiva mentions that he is indeed the first among Vaishnavites:

nadInAM ca yathA ga~NgA devAnAM ca harir yathA | vaiShNavAnAM yathA .ahaM devInAM tvaM yathA priye || 5 ||

(Like Ganga is the first among the rivers and Lord Hari is the foremost Deva, I am the foremost among Vaishnavites ...)

In the same purana again, Lord Krishna reciprocates the same to Lord Shiva (Brahma Khanda, Chapter 6):

mahAdeva mahAdeva mahAdeveti vAdinaH | pashcAd yAmi mahAstotra nAma shravaNa lobhataH || 48 ||

pApaghne vartate shishca vashca muktiprade tathA | pApaghno moxado nRRiNAM shivastena prakIrtitaH || 52 ||

shiveti ca shivaM nAma yasya vAci pravartate | koTi-janmArjitaM pApaM tasya nashyati nishcitam || 53 ||

(Due to insatiable greed to listen to the great Maha mantra "Mahadeva", I go after all who chant Mahadeva, Mahadeva, Mahadeva. "Shi" is capable of annihilation of  all sins and "va" is capable of bestowing Mukti and that is why He is called Shiva. For those who keep chanting "Shiva" mantra, they get absolved of all sins even if they were accrued over crores of births.)

It is a belief among Hindus that those who cast their mortal coil at Varanasi gets emancipated but Lord Shiva personally chants Rama nama in their ears for getting emancipation. This stands embodiment to the sacredness of Rama Nama (not difference between Shiva/Rama - I have shared Lord Rama's quote from Padma Purana, they two are same, a few weeks back).

May We pray to Lord Rama and Seek His refuge using this great hymn!

Sanskrit

Tamil

Telugu

Kannada

Malayalam

SudhA sindhOr madhyE - Soundaryalahari sloka 8

Courtesy:http://soundaryalaharisloka.blogspot.in/2006/03/soundarya-lahari-sloka-8.html

Soundarya Lahari Sloka -8

Soundarya Lahari Sloka -8
[Devi's cintaamanigriha , janana-marana-nivritti]

Sudhaasindhormadhye suravitapivaateeparivrite
Manidweepe neepopavanavati cintaamanigrihe
Sivaakaare mance paramasivaparyanka nilayaam
Bhajanti twaam dhanyaa katicana cidaananta laharim

Sudhaasindhormadhye – in the middle of the ocean of nectar
Suravitapivaateeparivrite - surrounded by gardens containing karpaka forest
Manidweepe - in the Ratna island [of precious jewels]
neepopavanavati - containing upavana with kadamba trees
cintaamanigrihe - in the house built with cintaamani jewels
Sivaakaare mance - in the divine throne[or seat],
paramasivaparyanka nilayaam posited in the seat of paramasiva
Bhajanti - pray 
twaam - you
dhanyaa - blessed
katicana - some
cidaananta laharim - cid-aananda lahari

Oh! Goddess! you are the cid-aananda lahari. You are in the abode - in the middle of the ocean of nectar, surrounded by gardens, containing karpaka forest, in the Ratna island [of precious jewels], containing upavana with kadamba trees, in the house built with cintaamani jewels, in the divine throne[or seat], posited in the seat [Lap] of paramasiva. Some blessed devotees, pray you and get liberated.

In the previous sloka, the form of the Goddess was described; in this sloka, the place, the house, the seat of the Goddess is described;

The same principle covered in this sloka is shown in the Lalitasahasranama –

57. chintAmaNigR^ihAntasthAyai
58. pa~nchabrahmAsanasthitAyai
59. mahApadmATavIsa.nsthAyai
60. kadambavanavAsinyai
61. sudhAsAgaramadhyasthAyai
62. kAmAkShyai
63. kAmadAyinyai

The same idea is given in another stotra called Mantra Maatruka Pushpa Maalaa –

Kallolollasita amrita abdhi laharee madhye viraajan mani
dweepe Kalpaka vaatikaa parivrite kaadamba vaatyujjwale
ratna stambha sahasra nirmita sabhaa madhye vimaanottame
cintaaratna vinirmitam janani te simhaasanam bhaavaye

before further analysis of this sloka, one very important point we can note is that in the 4th line, there is the repetition of the sloka -1 in some other form –

sloka 1 – says Pranantu stotam vaa kathamakrutapunyaha prabhavati

Here this sloka line 4 says - Bhajanti tvaam dhanyaaha katichana chidanandalaharim

The above two represent the same idea. If one wants to worship devi, poorvapunya is required; in this world, we find many many crores of people are born; out of them, only a very few are able to worship devi in the said pattern .

sgivaakaare manje - the abode of Goddess; in lalitaa sahasra naama, this is referred by the words, the parts of the seat are given here; also their functions.

57. chintAmaNigR^ihAntasthAyai 
58. pa~nchabrahmAsanasthitAyai 
264. sR^iShThikartryai 
265. brahmarUpAyai 
266. goptryai 
267. govindarUpiNyai 
268. sa.nhAriNyai 
269. rudrarUpAyai 
270. tirodhAnakaryai 
271. Ishvaryai 
272. sadAshivAyai 
273. anugrahadAyai 
274. pa.nchakR^ityaparAyaNAyai 

the seat of the Goddess is a divine cot, which has four legs just like other cots have; but, you see from the above cited lalitasahasranama slokas that the legs are the first four given below and the seat is the fifth one.
The four legs are :-
Brahma – brahmarupa - srishtikartri - creation
Vishnu – govindarupini - goptri - maintenance
Rudra – rudrarupa - samharini - destruction
Iswara – iswara - tirodhanakari- disappear 
The seat of the cot is :-
Sadasiva - anugrahada - anugrahada - bless devotee

pa.nchakR^ityaparAyaNAyai this refers – five - fold function. The five functions are referred above.

We find that this lalitasahasranama is very popular and many are reciting this in temples in groups, which is highly appreciable; but most of the people are reciting without knowing or understanding the meaning of the stotra. Here lies the problem with people, who recite this for years, and then crave for money, material, power, and other things from god and propitiate different gods thinking that they are different and limited. But this is like the following - 
A boy in 5th standard wants to remain in that standard, for so many years, which is detrimental to him and others; Similarly, it is detrimental to a person, if he recites any sahasranaama for years together, without knowing the meaning, but he asks the god to bestow him material,money, power, and everything else except moksha. Instead, he should ask goddess, at least that – Oh! Goddess! you please, help me to help others or otherwise help me to know my real self. Once, we know the fundamental principle behind these, there is nothing to cry or ask or worry about anything in the world; We will be able to live happily and help others as the proverb goes –
"Live and let live"

Let us try to peep into the meaning of the word panca-kritya-paraayana which is essential for us.

Five types of karmas or activities are going on in this world, any where and everywhere. They are given in the chart on the top of this page, from which, you find that - creation, maintenance, destruction, disappearance and anugraha.

The Gods involved for these are respectively – Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Iswara, and Sadasiva.
Brahma deals with creation – micro for individuals and macro – for the whole world.
Vishnu deals with maintenance - micro for individuals and macro – for the whole world.
Rudra deals with destruction [scrapping] - micro for individuals and macro – for the whole world.
But we are not able to find these Gods in form, normally. We can only imagine.
All the three of these, put together form Iswara, the fourth god and is all pervading, but you are not even able to imagine. But what we enjoy as bliss in deep sleep is nothing but this all pervading iswara's aananda only.
Unfortunately, we are not aware at that time. Now we are not ready to get the correct idea also. If we are ready to turn our view or direction of sight to that of god, we will escape from the sorrows of life for ever.

Refer Ramana bhagavaan's saying to the questioner when bhagavaan answers like this – everything depends on your vision –

Either lokadrishtya or jnaanadrishtya;

Lokadrishtya means you don't want to get self realization, and will only remain in sorrow. Jnaana drishtya means you are already happy, the worry will never come to you.

[Lokadrishtya means you look at the world, get affected by that and try to correct and fail in the end and approach a guru; why not be it now itself ?

jnaanadrishtya means you try to understand at least theoretically that the world consists of only two things – only jada and bodha. Bodha is sentient and all pervading – which only appears as world; jada is insentient, and is really not there, but seems to be there. Without the sentient consciousness or god, jada is not at all there. ]

When a devotee, prays to god or goddess, asking him/her to show his/her form and bless him, on the request of Goddess, God comes in form to bless him; that is referred by the 5th god Sadasiva who is for blessing or bestowing anugraha; a person may get any god he wants to see, by propitiating this way his god [ishta devata], only thing is – he has to try to see the same god in everything in the world including in all other gods also.

(What is required is that, we have to ask god or our own soul or guru that our final aim is permanent happiness only – of course now for temporary purpose, we may ask for a job, promotion, marriage, children, house, property, vehicles etc.)

Karadayan Nonbu/Savitr Vrat 2015 - Very Rare Ashtalakshmi Stotram

Courtesy:Sri.K.Muralidharan Iyengar

Dear All,

Greetings and Namaste. Savitri Vrat (aka Karadayan Nonbu in Tamil) is an occasion to worship Goddess Shakti for begetting/welfare of spouse and family. Different parts of India observe Vrats in this respect in different forms (e.g. Mangal Gauri Vrat) and on different dates but in the South, especially Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated on day of transition of sun from Kumbha to Meena.

In this connection, I am happy to share a very rare Ashta Lakshmi Stotram which is made up of Ashtalakshmi Mantra Bijaksharas and is said to be created by Lord Shiva. The brief Phalashruti holds proof of the sanctity of this hymn - simply put, reciting this will wipe out sins accrued over several births and remove all trials and tribulations in life.

May We Pray To Goddess Lakshmi with this rare hymn!

Tamil

Sanskrit

Telugu

Kannada

Malayalam

English

Sridara Ayyavaal

courtesy: Sri.N.Jambunathan

Sridhara Venkatesa lived about 300 years ago in Tiruvisanallur, a village in Tanjavur district in Tamilnadu. He was called Tiruvisanallur Ayyaval (deeply respected person) out of great respect people held for him. Even today he is known by that name only. He was the son of Lingayaryar who was a minister to the Maharaja of Mysore.

 

Even as a young boy Ayyaval was deeply religious and in particular had great devotion to Shiva but he made no distinction between Shiva and Vishnu. He studied Vedas, shastras and puranas and had a great desire to travel and spread the message of the puranas and in particular the glory of Lord's name among the people. After his father's death the Maharaja wanted him to take his father's job but he politely declined and left Mysore state with his wife and mother.

 

He came to Tiruchirapalli in Tamilnadu and stayed for some time giving talks.

 

He was supposed to have brought back to life a woman who had died by praying to the Lord. This attracted people who wanted him to solve their problems. Ayyaval did not like this and left the place. He proceeded to Tanjavur. It seems that King Shahaji (1684-1710.AD) who was ruling at that time in Tanjavur wanted him to stay in Tanjavur but Ayyaval wanted to lead a quiet life. King Shahaji was inviting scholarly brahmins to stay in his kingdom.

 

He renamed the village Tiruvisanallur as Shahajirajapuram. One street was allotted for their stay. Ayyaval also stayed in a house there. Ayyaval was a proponent of the view that in this dark age Kali chanting the lord's name will ward off its evil effects. He was the senior contemporary of Bodhendra Swami who was the 59th pontiff of the Shankara Math at Kanchipuram and who was an ardent advocate of the glory of the lord's name.

 

Ayyaval wrote a book "bhagavannāmabhūṣaṇam" (Bagavannamabhushanam) on the subject which is sadly not available now. Bodhendra Swami had also written a book "nāmāmṛtarasāyanam" (Namamritarasayanam)on the subject wherein he had made references to the work of Ayyaval. Once Ayyaval had to perform a sraddha ceremony in his house. Therein food is prepared and offered to the departed forefathers who are invoked in three brahmins invited for the occasion. When every thing was getting ready Ayyaval saw an outcaste with his family in a famished condition begging for food. His heart melted with compassion at their condition.

 

Without any hesitation he offered them the food that was being prepared for the ceremony.He then had the house washed and prepared to conduct the ceremony again. But the brahmins in the village considered this act reprehensible and refused to conduct the ceremony again. Ayyaval pleaded with them quoting texts from the scriptures to support his action but the Brahmins were not convinced. He asked them what he should do to remedy the situation. They said that the only atonement was having a bath in the Ganges. But there was no time to go to Varanasi and return. So he prayed to Lord Shiva (in Gangashtakam) to release the waters of Ganga from His matted hair as he did on an earlier occasion for Bhagiratha. Water started flowing out of the well in his house and flooded the streets of the village.

 

The villagers got scared and prayed to Ayyaval to forgive them and stop the flood that was threatening the village. He accordingly prayed again to stop the flooding and requested her to appear in the well every year on that day. Even now people flock to that place every year on that day and take bath in the waters of the well in the belief that Ganga is present in the well on that day. Ayyaval had composed a number of works some of which are not yet been printed and some not available. Some of his works are listed below.

 

(1) Bhagavannama Bhushanam.

(2) Akhyashashti.

(3) Daya satakam.

(4) Matrubhtasatakam.

(5) Stuti paddati.

(6) Shivabhakthikalpalatha.

(7) Shivabhaktha lakshanam.

(8) Taravali stotram.

(9) Artihara stotram.

(10) Kuliresvarashtakam.

(11) Jambhunathashtakam.

(12) Doshapariharashtakam.

(13) Krishnadwadasamanjari.

(14) Achyuthashtakam.

(15) Dola navarathnamala.

(16) Padamanimanjari - a sanskrit dictionary.

(17) Shahajiraja charitam.

Ramayana

courtesy; Sri.PR.Ramachander

Mama Ramayanayana

                                                                 Mama  Ramayanayana

                                                   ( My story   of  Ramayana- A three year saga. )

                                           A humble request   to  my  friends , fans  and admirers.

 

     I would like to jot a few  lines  regarding me   and the story of Rama. It was from my father that  I learnt  the Ekasloki Ramayana

 

Aadho Rama thapo vananu gamanam, Hathwa mrugam kanchanam,

Vaidehi haranam, jatayu maranam, Sugreeva sambhashanam,

Bali nigrahanam, samudhra tharanam, Lanka pureem dahanam,

Paschad Ravana Kumbha karna madanam, Ethat ithi Ramayanam

 

Once Rama went to forest,

He chased the deer,

Sitha was kidnapped,

Jatayu was killed,

There were talks with Sugreeva,

Bali was killed,

The sea was crossed,

Lanka was burnt,

And later Ravana and Kumbha karna,

Were also killed.

This in short is the story of Ramayanam.

 

    It was again from him as a baby that  I heard  the story of Ramayana .It was possibly in the fifth standard that  I learnt the Sri Ramodantham  , the story of Ramayana   which strangely started   from  the birth of   Ravana to Visravas and from then on I have been   reading   several Ramayana books  in several versions. I found  that the greatness  of Rama as a human being attracted me a lot  . In 2000  when I started   translating stotra rathnas  , I stumbled   on  several stotras(prayers) based  on this great story . Some of them  are:-

 

1.Samkshepa Ramayana -http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ra1.htm

2,Ragothamashtakam - http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ra2.htm

3.Nama  Ramayanam - http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ra4.htm

4.Rama Narayana Sthuthi (Malayalam ) -http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ra19.htm

5.Sri Rama  Keerthanam -http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ra26.htm

6.Pasurappadi Ramayanam (Tamil)-http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/pm5.htm

7.Gayatri  Ramayanam -http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/pm32.htm

8.Sri Ramodantham - http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/pm3.htm

9.Saptha rishi Ramayanam - http://stotrarathna.blogspot.in/2012/04/saptha-rishi-ramayanam.html

10.SAmkshepa  Sundara  Kandam -http://stotrarathna.blogspot.in/2009/07/samkshepa-sundara-kandam_20.html

11.Raghu Veera  Gadhyam-http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ra31.htm

12,Sri Rama Mangalasasanam -http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/ra14.htm

 

                                                  I had also earlier translated  an Upanishad called  Rama Rahsya Upanishad (http://www.celextel.org/upanishads/atharva_veda/ramarahasya.html )   which  is the part of the Vedas and which extols the greatness  of Rama , indicating that  the holy name "Rama"   was much ancient than  Ramayana itself. Recently  God Rama   wanted me    to translate   three versions of Ramayana.   They were:-

 

1.Translation of Adhyathma Ramayana   from Malayalam.

       It was  in April   2012   that one of my friends   requested  me to translate  Adhyathma  Ramayana  of Thunjathu Ezhuthachan from Malayalam , which was itself a translation from Sanskrit, so that  it can be read during the Karkidaga Masa.It had 6 Kandams , 119 chapters  and 4200   verses.  I took it up for translation and completed  it in  4  months. http://rajathathas.blogspot.in/. Later I found that  I was the  only   who has translated   this great book   in to English and put in the web .My search also indicates   that  though there is an English book translating   Adhyathma Ramayanam    from Sanskrit    to English, there was no translation of this  extremely popular  Malayalam book.This Ramayana is a transcreation of Valimiki Ramayana  supposed to be  authored by the great Veda Vyasa. Rama  by that time was considered as   full  Avathara of Vishnu    and there are more than ten prayers addressed  to Rama  by various characters of Rama including  Kousalya,  Khara, Khabanda, Sabari and so on  .  And the first great Malayalam poet translated   in to Malayalam  poem , as if  it was related by a parrot .Even today a copy of this   book is  preserved like a treasure   by every Hindu Malayali  in his home  . It is read every year   with great reverence in the Karkidaga montha fondly called by Malayalis as   the "Ramayana  month".

 

2.Translation of Valmiki Ramayanam from Sanskrit.

   It was in the month of April 2013  that   my friend Sri Lakshmanan   of Celextel   who requested me to take up  the translation  of Valmiki Ramayanam in to English  . I was reluctant . I told him    that I may not live to see its completion but I started  translating  it and  completed it by August 2014. This great book had   24000 verses  in six Kandas with  534  chapters  ,  the great epic  already there were 6-7 translations   available in the web. Here are a few of them:-

https://archive.org/details/The.Ramayana.of.Valmiki.by.Hari.Prasad.Shastri

THree volumes

http://www.valmikiramayan.net/

Translation  verse by verse

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rama/

Translation  by  Ralph T.H.Griffith

http://hinduebooks.blogspot.in/2010/05/valmiki-ramayana-english-prose.html

Another  great translation

http://holybooks.lichtenbergpress.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Ramayana.pdf?369cde

Another great  translation

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24869

Another translation in English verse

http://englishvalmikiramayanam.blogspot.in/

 

      It is very important to note That    sage Valmiki was a contemporary of Rama ,In fact Rama met him while going to Dandakaranya.  When he was searching for a   suitable hero  for writing an epic , sage Narada    suggested Rama  as the suitable hero. The meter of what he wrote was  based on the  wailing of a female Krouncha bird when its mate    was killed by  a hunter .There is not a single instance of prayer   addressed to Rama in the entire book .People do respect him  but  they do not pray him.  The only prayer in that book is Adithya Hrudayam addressed to the Sun God  . No temples are indicated any where .There is a mention of Sandhya Vandana   being performed by Sita .  When Rama wants to do obsequies to his late father   , he offers fruits and meat available in the forest as the sacrificial offering   . A pooja of housewarming   was conducted by killing a deer  .I am telling all these things to indicate   that Rama was considered   as a  human being and the worship in temples had not  become popular at that time .This book also has a very detailed description of the geography of India   and very detailed listing of its flora.

My translation can be found in

http://englishvalmikiramayanam.blogspot.in/

http://www.celextel.org/epics_and_puranas/

 

3.Translation of Kamba Ramayana   from Tamil

   Kamban considered as the   emperor among poets in Tamil   is supposed to have lived in 8th centaury AD.  He was essentially a   poet rather than a story teller. His trancreation of Valmiki Ramayana  , which he preferred to call it as Ramavatharam (The incarnation of Rama)  was perhaps the first epic that   was translated  in to Tamil.  It has 10368 verses   in 95 chapters of six Kandas.Though he acknowledges the source of the story to Valmiki , he had almost rewritten the story. As a Tamil poet , he followed the  great traditions of Tamil Grammar  in writing an epic. A great philanthropist   called  THiruvennai  Nallur Chadayappa Vallal   financed his venture .The grateful Kamba mentions about him   in various places in the epic.In fact he is picturized as the one   who  handed over the crown to sage Vasishta  during carnation of Rama  .The great poet could never   leave out any chance for  pretty long descriptions in various places .He mentions that  Kausalya went to the temple of Ranganatha (the family deity of Dasaratha)   as soon as she heard   about Coronation of Rama  . He made   various changes in the story of Valmiki  . People believe that there    were various protests   when he wanted to dedicate it  Lord Ranganatha of  Sri Rangam   temple . There is a belief  that he was compelled    to get certificates from various learned people for doing that  , There is also a story that   the king   did not want Kamban to   use words which people do not commonly use. Kamban changed the names of  all the characters  of Ramayana to suit the limited alphabetical list in Tamil as well as to  suit the Tamil Grammar. Ofcourse he had  borrowed certain  meters of poem writing from Sanskrit in certain places  . My translation of Kamban's   great epic  was started in the month of  January 2014  and had been completed   on !5th  January  2015 and this can be found in

http://englishkambaramayanam.blogspot.in/

    There are no on line references of English translation of Kamba Ramayanam available in the web   and  though many people have started doing it. Most of the prose translation available are  abridged versions of the original  . I found a reference saying that so far  only the first 4000   verses have been translated in to English.

     This journey of mine   in the great ocean of Ramayana    spanning for three long years had  almost changed my personality. Due to age whenever , I did not feel confidant  , I used to ask  my friends in the face  book and  in google plus to pray for me  .Not only they did but wrote to me  encouraging me  .My grateful thanks to all of them.

    I do not  guarantee   total freedom from mistakes  in these translations because I did all alone   and I again was the only one who proof read it . I request   that my future generation of youngsters to whom I wrote this , read it , correct  it  and further improve it .Here is the greatest wealth of India  which I am passing to you all with the hope and request that   you  would preserve  and improve the treasure further  and  pass it on to your next generation. I would like to thank God Rama and his  great devotee Hanuman  for choosing  an ordinary person like me to do this job.May God bless you all .

1.Translations of 1000 stotras: http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/
2. Translations of 1000 Carnatic music krithis : http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/gi.htm
3. Rules and rituals of Brahmins: http://brahminrituals.blogspot.com/
4. Raja Thatha's Blogs : http://rajathathablog.blogspot.com/
5. 100 Kerala temples: http://rajathathaskeralatemples.blogspot.com/
6. 100 Village gods of Tamil Nadu : http://villagegods.blogspot.com/
7. Stories and rhymes for children: http://rajathathacorner.awardspace.com
8. Stories illustrating Malayalam Proverbs : http://keralam.kairaly.net
9. Translation of Narayaneeyam: http://narayaneeyamtrans.blogspot.com/
10. Thunjathu Ezhuthachan's Adhyathma Ramayana : http://rajathathas.blogspot.in/
11. Valmiki Ramayanam in English http://englishvalmikiramayanam.blogspot.in/
12,Kamba Ramayanam in English http://englishkambaramayanam.blogspot.in/
13. Nurani Sastha Preethi songs with translation http://nuranisasthapreethi.blogsp