.

Discourse on a select few verses

that are frequently used
(Verses selected by Snehalatha)
.

K. Ramasubramanian

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India

mullaikramas@gmail.com

Singapore
July 09, 2017

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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
 Introduction
. Inquiry into the Truth -- an indispensable part of life!

Every individual strives to acquire---food, shelter, clothing, etc. ey

also crave for recreation. Some struggle even for sleep! (अ भयु ं …)
ese things satisfy only the physical thirst. e intellectual thirst
voices from within and poses several questions:
Why do some people suffer, whereas others enjoy? 1
Why did events happen this way and not the other way?2
Who am I? Where did I come from?
Where would I go from here? Is there life beyond death?
How do I pay back to the soceity (not be mere consumer)?
Lord Kelvin, a highly respected Scoish physicist,3 once observed:
If you think strongly enough, you will be forced by science
to believe in God.
1
पु ो वै पु न
े कमणा भव त पापः पापेन।
2
पिर म स कं मुधा चन च व ा त , यं भव त य था भव त …
3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
He proposed the second Law of ermodynamics. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. Verse 1/3 in praise of Lord Gaṇeśa

e verse below doesn't directly address any deity, but only

describes certain characteristics.
However, it is a common place to use it to invoke the blessings
of Lord Gaṇeśa before commencing any undertaking.
ा रधरं व ुं श शवण चतुभुज ।
स वदनं ाये सव व ोपशा ये ॥

e adjectives employed here:

ा रधरं → at person who is white-clad
व ुं → e one who is all-pervasive
श शवण → e one whose hue is similar to that of moon
चतुभुज → e one who has four hands
स वदनं → e one who has pleasant face
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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. Verse 2/3 in praise of Lord Gaṇeśa
e verse below is beautiful piece of literature in itself, with
poetic flourishes and wonderful metaphors.
However, for those who are not reasonably acquainted with
Sanskrit, this may sound like a puzzle.
अगजाननप ाक गजाननमह नश ।
अनेकद ं भ ान एकद मुपा हे ॥

e apparently contradictory words employed here:

अगजानन → e face of Parvati
गजानन → e one who has elephant face
अनेकद ं → e one who blesses in plenty
एकद → e one who has only one tusk
e first quarter of the verse is a single compound
(samastapada) that means -- ``e one who is like the Sun to
make the lotus face of Parvati [blossom]." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. Verse 3/3 in praise of Lord Gaṇeśa

Unlike verse 1, the addressing words employed here un-

ambiguously indicate that this verse is addressed to Lord Gaṇeśa.
व तु महाकाय सूयको टसम भ ।
न व ं कु मे देव सवकायषु सवदा॥

e adjectives employed here:

व तु → O, the one having coiled tusk
महाकाय → e one who is heavy built4
सूयको टसम भ → one whose brilliance is close to 107 suns
सवकायषु → In all the undertakings [that I take]
न व ं कु मे5 → Make [my path] free of obstacles

4
It may be worth recalling the phrase employed in Vināyaka-pañcaratnam:
दरे तरोदरं वरं वरे भव म र ।
5
मे मम [प ाः] न व ं [यथा भव त तथा] कु ।
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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
 Remembering three diff. forms of wealth thro' their deities
. and offering venerations to the divine mother Earth
In this verse, the deities corresponding to the three important aspects
of life---namely wealth, knowledge and power---are stated to be
residing in our hands.

करा े वसते ल ीः करम े सर ती ।

करमूले तु गौर च भाते करदशन ॥

e import of the verse can be viewed in two diff. ways: (i) to invoke
the blessings of the deity; and (ii) psychologically recount the fact
that it is by sheer hard work that one gains anything worthwhile.
is following verse, by personifying the earth as divine being helps
us to develop a certain aitude that fosters love for nature that would
save us from treating that a brute and stupid!

समु वसने दे व पवत नम ले ।

व प ु नम ु ं पाद श म मे ॥
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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. Mantra that reminds of the notion of infinity

e following is the śāntimantra of the Īśāvāsyopaniṣad.

e laer half of the mantra echoes the notion of infinity.
ॐ पूणमदः पूण मदं पूण पूणमुद ते।
पूण पूणमादाय पूणमेवाव श ते॥
ॐ शा ः शा ः शा ः॥

e adjectives employed here:

पूणमदः → at (Brahman) is pūrṇa;
पूण मदं → is (the universe) is pūrṇa
पूण पूणमुद ते → [this] pūrṇa emanates from [that] pūrṇa
पूण पूणमादाय → even when pūrṇa is drawn out of pūrṇa
पूणमेवाव श ते → what remains is also pūrṇa.

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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. e omnipresence of Iśvara & invoking him in lamp
e verse below from the Bhagavadgītā is meant to advocate
the highest philosophy that all that is here is permeated by
Iśvara, and they are nothing but the manifestation of that one
Supreme being referred to in the scriptures as Brahman.
ापणं ह वः ा ौ णा त ।
व
ै तेन ग ं कमसमा धना ॥

Lamp in the Indian tradition represents knowledge that quells

the ignorance in the form of darkness.
is verse below personifies lamp as Brahman, and helps us
invoke the supreme being in that form.
दीप ो तः पर दीपं सवतमोपह ।
दीपेन सा ते सव स ा ो तनमोऽ त
6 ु े॥

6
Kautilya in his Arthasastra observes: दीपः सव व ान उपायः सवकमणा |
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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. Benevolent aitude & means to overcome bad dreams

Four things are prayed for / sought aer in the following verse:

जा ः पिरपालय
ा न
े मागण मह मह शाः ।
गो ा णे ः भम ु न ं
लोकाः सम ाः सु खनो भव ु ॥

Among the four, the fulfilment of the first depends on the second, and
the second on the third. e last is ensured if all the three happen.
Reminding ourselves of the personalities who have done valorous
deeds, and having a feeling that they are with us, is indeed a great
source of strength.

रामं ं हनूम ं वैनतेयं वृकोदर ।

शयने यः रे ं ः ं त न त ||

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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. e best form of universal prayer

e verse below clearly mirrors the universal fraternity that

was ingrained in thinking of the ancients.
सव भव ु सु खनः सव स ु नरामयाः ।
सव भ ा ण प ु मा क ःखभा भवे ॥

e prayer incorporates four things:

सु खनः → the experiencers of happiness;
नरामयाः → be devoid of diseases
भ ाणप ु → may they dwell in prosperity
मा ःखभा भवे → may none be the locus of sorrow
Among the four items listed, the successive ones seem to be
more important than the previous one.

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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. e current education system & perception imposed!
Appreciation of various cultural practices is simply not possible
without having a reasonable grounding in that culture.
during a discussion in Urumqi, I was describing about the
gurukula system of education. People could not believe …

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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
 Concluding remarks
. inking of super natural power -- is Universal!

e text Caraka-saṃhitā, Sūtrasthāna (9.24), a pre-2nd cent CE, states:

शा ं ो तः काशाथ दशनं बु रा नः ।
ता भष सुयु ा चक ापरा त॥
e Śāstra (science) is a light which serves to illuminate. It
is ones own intellect that helps in perceiving [the
appropriate course of action].

Śrī Udayanācārya, towards the end of his Nyāyakusumāñjali prays:

इ वे ं ु तनी तसं वजलै भूयो भरा ा लते

येष ना दामादधा स दये ते शैलसाराशयाः।
क ु त
ु् व तीप वधयोऽ ु भ ै व काः
काले का णक, यैव कृपया ते भावनीया नराः॥

at is the hallmark of your spiritual aainment. You think and pray
for the welfare of your own opponent‼ (सव भव ु सु खनः …) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s
. anks!

T Y !

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K. Ramasubramanian Discourse on a select few verses that are frequently used (Verses s