Hari Nama Keerthanam
(Song of the name of Hari)
By
Thunchathu Ezhuthachan
A Feeble attempt
in translation
By
P.R.Ramachander
(Thunchathu
Ezhuthachan was one of the greatest writers in Malayalam .His translation of
Adhyathma Ramayanam Kili Pattu and Maha baratham are revered treasures in
almost all houses in Kerala even today. He was supposed to have lived in the 14th
century. His name, his caste and even the number of other books he wrote are
subject of lot of controversy. But universally it is agreed upon that he wrote
the book called “Hari Nama Keerthanam.”(Song of the name of Hari).Either
Narayanaya Mama (salutations to Lord Narayana) or Hari Narayanaya Nama
(Salutations to Narayana who is Hari) has been added to the 66 verses of this
book. These are added to philosophical thoughts of Ezhuthachan. The stanzas of
the book start with the alphabets in the great initial invocation “Hari Sri
Ganapathaye Nama.” And then the 51
alphabets of the Malayalam of those days. It was a time when the alphabet
reform was going on in Malayalam. Previous to this work, the common people used
30 alphabets of Vattezhthu, which was phonetically inadequate, and the people
who wanted to write Sanskrit used Grandhaksharam which was a mixture of Tamil
and Sanskrit alphabets. Thunchathu Ezhuthachan was possibly an active member of
the alphabet reform process and this great book is his signal contribution to
this movement.
From the book, it is clear that Thunchathu Ezhuthachan was a Vaishnavite
who was fondly in love with the Advaitha philosophy. He mentions that his Guru
was one Neelakanta Somayaji in one of the verses. Researchers think that he
learned these aspects of religion from Tamil Nadu.
AS in my other translations, I have tried my best to reflect the meaning
intended by Ezhuthachan. This was difficult because, in this case he was not
addressing the common man but the student of philosophy and religion. I crave
your pardon, if I have erred.)
Omkaramaya porul moonayi pirinju udane,
Angaramayathinnu thaan thane
sakshiyithu,
Bodham varuthu vathinnu aalayi
ninna,
Paramacharya roopa ,Hari Narayanaya
Nama.
My salutations to that Narayana,
Who is also the lord Hari,
For being the great teacher,
Who stood as a person , to make me know,
That truth which is revealed by the sound of Om,
Though split in to three forms of trinity,
As soon as it was born,
Is only an illusion created by my ego. 1
(This verse is the invocation by the author not to any God figure but to
the Paramathma, whose clear vision to us is prevented by the veil of “Maya”)
Onnayi ninneyiha randennu kandalavi,
Yunadyi orindal batha mindavathalla
mama,
Pande kanakku varuvan nin krupa
valikal,
Undakayengaliha narayanaya nama.
My salutations to that Narayana,
With a request from humble self,
To make me see him as one reality,
For I was made sad extreme,
To see that the indivisible one,
Has been split in to two. 2
( Ezhuthachan continues to tell us that though the god is one , we
are made to believe that we as
persons(antharatma) we are different from the all pervading
reality(Paramathma))
Ananda chinmaya hare, Gopikaramana,
Jnan yenna bhavam athu thonnayga
vena miha,
Thonunnanathgil akilam jnan ithenna vazhi,
Thonnename varada , narayanaya nama.
My salutations to you Narayana,
Hey giver of my boons,
Hey Hari who is personification of joy,
Hey God who is darling of Gopis,
Let not mind be caught by the ego,
And let my thought make me know,
That this entire universe is really me. 3
(Ezhuthachan warns us all that, we should not be caught in the web of
ego and start thinking that we are something different from the ultimate truth)
Arkanaladhi velivokke grahikkumoru,
Kanninnu kannu manamagunna
kannathinnu,
Kannayirunna porul , thaan ennu
murakkum mala,
Vanandamenthu , hari narayanaya
nama.
My salutations to that Narayana,
Who is also the Lord Hari,
Happiness of the soul can never be described,
When one knows that self is the truth,
And that there is an eye beyond the eye.
Which is the eye of the mind,
And which can only understand the truth,
Behind the sun and the fire. 4
(Ezhuthachan tells us that self
realization not only makes all truths evident but also gives immense happiness)
Harinama keerthanam ithu ura
cheivathinnu guru,
Varulale devakalumarul cheika bhoosurarum,
Naranayi janichu bhuvi maranam
bhavippalavu.
Muracheivadinnarulga narayanaya
nama.
My salutations to you Narayana,
Please bless me so that,
This writing of the song of Hari’s name,
Is with the blessings and grace of my teacher,
Also supported by Gods and the gods among men,
And let me be able to sing this,
Not only from birth to time of death,
But also while dying. 5
(Ezhuthachan prays for the grace of his
teacher as well as the approval of god and the learned Brahmins for this great
work. He requests God to make this work immortal)
Sree moolamaya prakrathhengal
thudangi,
Naandyatholam para maha maya thande gathi,
Janmangalum pala kazhinjalum illa
gathi,
Karmathinnum parama narayanaya nama.
My salutations to Narayana,
From the ultimate root of illusion,
Through several evolutions,
Stretches this vision called life.
Though several births are past,
There is no end to this ,
Attachment through several actions. 6
(This attachment to mortal life will go only with the realization of truth which can be achieved by unalloyed devotion)
Garbhasthanayi bhuvi janichum
marichummuda,
Kappola pole jananandyena nithya
gathi,
Thwad bakthi vardhana mudikkenam men
manassi
Nithyam thozhayi variga, narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Narayana,
Like a bubble in water,
This being travels from ,
The life in the womb.
To death, again and again.
Only the end of births,
Is the ultimate end to this pain.
And only devotion to thee,
Leads to this end of births. 7
(Impermanence of life is highlighted and it is pointed out that our aim
should be to get out of this cycle of births and deaths .The author feels that
devotion to Him is the only way)
Naa tharil manini manalan purana
puru,
Shan bhaktha vatsalan ananthan
nandadhi heenanithi,
Chithathil achyutha Kali pandal ittu
Yadeetuken manasi Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Narayana,
Who is the lord of the lady of lotus,
Who is the primeval man,
Who loves his devotees,
Who does not have either end or start,
.Be pleased Oh God,
Construct a play ground in my mind,
And play there. 8
(Ezhuthachan requests God to make the mind pray and think of only Him)
Pacha kili pavizha pal
Michipavarkku shadadaram kadannu
pari,
Viswa sthithi pralaya srushtikku
sathwa raja,
Sthamo bhedha , Nadha,
Harinarayanaya nama.
Salutations to Narayana,
Who is the lord Hari,
Who is of the colour of green, coral and whitish milk,
Who lives in the lotus with thousand petals,
Which is above the six different states,
Who is above the deluge of this universe.
And who is above the good, royal and base characters. 9
(The yogi tries to raise the
Sushmna nadi from the base of Mooladhara, through Swadishatana, Manipooraka,
Anahatha , Vishudhi chakra And Agna chakra and reaches out to The sahasrara
(thousand petal lotus) which is in the base of the brain. Once the sahsrara
opens, it is believed all knowledge would be self evident. The realization of God then comes automatically)
Thatwathinullil udayam cheythidunna
poru,
Ledutheedivaan Guru padanthe
bajippavannu,
Mukthikku thakkoru upadesam tharum,
janana,
Matheedum mannavanu , narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Narayana,
Realisation of the truth,
That is ingrained in the philosophy,
Is possible only to him,
Who devotes himself to the worship,
Of the feet of his teacher,
Who will give him,
Suitable advice leading to salvation,
Which would lead to the end of births. 10
(The need to get guidance from a
teacher for attaining salvation is emphasized here.)
En papam okke arivaan Chithra
gupthanude,
Sampoorna lekhana giram kettu
Dharmapathi,
En pakkaliluula duritham parthu
kanumala,
Vambhoruhaksha,Hari Narayanayaama.
Salutations to that Narayana,
Who is the Lord Hari,
Oh Lord with lotus eyes,
Please be kind enough to save me,
When the Lord of death judges me,
Based on the list of my sins,
Prepared by Lord Chithra Guptha,
And punishes me with suitable pains. 11
(The list of sins and good deeds
committed by an individual is supposed to be maintained by ChitraGupta, the
accountant of Lord Yama. This list is supposed to help him to determine the
quantum of punishment to be given.)
Nakshatra pankthikalmindu
prakasavumo,
Likkum , divakaranudhichu
uyarneedava,
Pakshee ganam garudane kandu kai
thozhuthu,
Rakshikka, ninnadima narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to that Narayana,
Please save me , your slave,
Who elects to worship thee in your formless form,
(as against worshipping you as an idol)
For with the rise of Sun,
The glitter of stars and moon fade,
And with the coming of eagle,
Other birds fly low in salutation. 12
(Here Ezhuthachan brings out the
need to worship and realize the formless god. Though other forms of worship of
Gods like Vishnu, Shiva etc are practiced, they according to him are an
inferior mode.)
Math prananum paranum onnennu
urappavannu,
Thath prana dehavum anithyam
kalathra danam,
Swapnaadhiyil, chilathu kanadangu
unarnaavanno,
Doppam grahikka , Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to that Narayana,
Who is the Lord Hari,
To the one who decides,
That his soul and the God are one,
His body that houses the soul,
Becomes impermanent,
And the wife and wealth,
Are like things that he sees,
In his dreams and he knows,
That all these earth is but an illusion. 13
(Ezhuthachan emphasizes the fact
that a realized soul would not take interest in the worldly wealth. To him they
are like things he sees in his dreams. Up to the last stanza the first letters
were those of the invocation, “Hari sree Narayanaya nama.”)
Anbenamen manasi Sree neelakanda
guru-
Vamboruhakshamithi vazhathunnu
gnanum eha,
Anbathoraksharavum moronnuthen
mozhiyi,
Lanpote cherka, Hari Narayano nama.
Salutations to that Narayana,
Who is that Lord Hari,
I praise with all my mind,
My spiritual teacher Neelakanda,
Like the Lord with lotus eyes,
And let his memory,
Be always in my mind,
And let each of the fifty one letters,
Of my language,
Be used properly in this work. 14
(Here he remembers about his
teacher Sri.Neelakanda Somayaji. He also mentions that he is using the 51
reformed Malayalam alphabets instead of the 30 alphabets of Kolezhuthu or the
Grandaksharam. From this stanza he starts using as first letter the vowels and
consonants of the new alphabet system)
Aadhyakasharthilulayonithokkeyumi,
Thadyakaralithadangunnathum karuthi,
Adyaksharalivayiloronnu eduthu pari,
Keerthippathinnarulga,Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana,
Since the Ultimate truth “Aum” started with,
The first letter of the alphabet,
And all the world started from this truth,
Please grant me a boon,
Capacity to write this work,
To start successively from this first letter. 15
(He realizes how difficult this job
of making the new alphabets as first letters is going to be and prays God to
help him. Hindus believe that the world was created by the sound “AUM” which
echoed and reechoed in the entire universe. This holy sound also starts with
the first alphabet Aa.)
Ikkanda viswamathu mindradhi
devakalu,
Markenduvahnikolodoppam
trimoorthikalum,
Agre virat purusha, ninmoolam akashravum,
Morkayi varenamiha narayanaya nama.
Salutations to that Narayana,
Hey God who is the eternal truth,
This universe with the Indra and devas,
Sun, moon and fire and the holy trinity,
Is due to you, who is the all pervasive one,
And so please give me the capacity,
To meditate upon thee always. 16
(Ezhuthachan here emphasizes the
unity in diversity in the concept of God as propounded by Hindus)
Eevanna moham agale povathinnu puna,
Reevannamullorupadesangal ulakil,
Jeevannu, Krisha, Hari, Govinda,
Rama thiru,
Namangal onnozhige, Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to the Lord Narayana,
To get devoid of this illusion great,
There is no better way shown to me,
In the teachings of the world,
Except chanting your holy names,
Like
(Though the search for method of
salvation is through the belief in the formless God, Ezhuthachan advocates
meditation on the holy names as a method
to get this belief.)
Ullil kanatha madha
mathsaryamennithuka,
Lulloru kalamude nennagilum manasi
Chollithoru thirunamangal annavannu.
Nalla gathikku vazhi narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana,
Even in the period when mind is full of heavy
Feelings of ego and competition,
Chanting of holy names in the mind ,
Is the only way for salvation. 18
(Chanting of holy names keeps the
mind away from bad qualities like anger, jealosy,etc.)
Oorinnu
Neerinnu
Narayana Achyutha , Hare
yennathinnoruvar,
Navonni vendu, Hari Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana who is Hari,
There is no need of pilgrimage to holy places,
There is no need of lot many things to buy,
There is no need to bathe in holy waters,
And there is no need of a virtuous wife for that,
But there is only the need of tongue,
To chant Narayana, Hari and Achyutha. 19
(Ezhuthachan here advocates pure
Bhakthi and chanting of holy names, He says that there is no need for any other
thing to be done.)
Rithuvaya penninnu mirappavannum
dahakannum,
Pathithannum Agni yagnam cheyda bhoo
surannum,
Har nama keerthanam ithoru nalu
markku muda,
Naruthathalla, hari narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana who is Hari,
The singing of the names of Hari,
Is never banned any time ,
For the lady who is in her periods,
For the one who begs,
For the one who observes an unclean time,
For the debased human being,
And for the Brahmin doing fire sacrifice. 20
(Here is Ezhuthachan talking like a
modern day revolutionary against orthodox beliefs.. Some researchers feel that
he was not allowed to read the holy books
in Kerala and had to go to other
states to learn religious books.)
Rhoubhoshanennu chilar
bashikkalum chilaru,
Mapapiiyennu paryunnakilum manasi,
Aavo namukku thiriyayennu vachu
thiru
Namangal cholka Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations that lord Narayana who is Hari,
Chant the holy names of Hari,
Acting as if we are ignorant of what they say,
When some one tells that we are pure idiots
And when some one calls us a great sinner. 21
(Ezhuthachan wants every one not to
bother about the orthodox opinion and pray god as one wishes.)
Lruthadmadhi yothoru poruham
ninakkilumi,
Thajithande nama gunamathiningu
Oru kodi kodi thava
thirunamamullavayi,
Larauthathilla Hari Narayanaya nama.
Salutations that lord Narayana who is Hari,
There is no need to see which name matches,
For there is no name which is not suitable,
In the crores of crores of holy names of the god,
And certainly all the names are very good. 22
( He dispels another popular belief
that chanting certain names of god are superior than others.)
Lrukaradhi mudalayittu jnanumiha,
Kai koopi veenudan irakkunnu
Nadaonudu,
Ekantha bakthi akame vannu
udippathinnu,
Vaikunnathendu, Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations that lord Narayana who is Hari,
Why this delay in the attainment of pure unalloyed devotion,
To the formless lord,
I am asking you with folded hands,
Oh God, whom I imagine as Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. 23
(Though he has been saying about
chanting of holy names as a method to approach to salvation,(stanzas 17-22) here he feels that
it is not adequate and he needs to know the truth about the formless God.)
Ekanda yogikalil aakamksha kondu
para,
Mekanda vazhi pokuuni then manavum,
Kakan parannu punar annangal poya
vazhi,
Pokunna pole hari narayanaya nama.
Salutations that lord Narayana who is Hari,
My mind is traveling in this path of solitude,
Aimed at getting the devotion of unalloyed saints.
Like the flock of crow following the path of swans. 24
(Ezhuthachan tells that his being a
devotee and his desire to the path of the formless God is like a crow traveling
in the path of swans.)
Ayyanjum anjum mdan ayyarum mettum
muda
Navvannamettum mudanen moonum mezhum
madha,
Chaovvodoranjumapirandonnu
thatwamathil,
Mevunna nadha hari Naryanaya nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana who is Hari,
Oh Lord who you are all pervasive in,
Five into five plus five, five into six,
Eight plus eight , eight into three, seven
And five and two plus one principles. 25
(Five Bhoothas, Five sense organs,
Five aspects, Five action organs, Five airs, Five subsidiary souls, Five actions,
Six bases, Eight egoistic aspects, Eight actions inside the body and mind,
Three nadis, Three mandals, Three doshas, three bad characers, three good
characters, Three aspects of life, Seven minerals, Five interior organs, and the three holy gods are the 96 aspects
referred in the above stanza.)
Othunna geethangalorovannamula poru,
Lethennu kanmathinu pora mano
balavum ,
Ethengilum kimapi karunyaminnu
thava,
Sadikka vendu hari narayanaya nama,
Salutations to Lord Narayana who is Hari,
I do not have the mental capability,
Of understanding the several Gitas that I read,
And so what I need is your grace,
And to get that grace,
The only way I know is devotion to you. 26
(Ezhuthachan rues over the several
philosophical works whose meaning is not clear to the common man. He feels that
the only option left to him is Bhakthi or devotion to him.)
Oudhubarathil masakathinnu thonnumithil,
Meethe kadhabhi sukham illennu thal
parichu,
Chethovimohini mayakkayka maya
thava,
Dehohaminnavayil Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana
Unlike the insect inside,
A sweet fig fruit,
Which feels that there is no pleasure,
Greater than that,
Make me not think due to illusion,
By hiding your form,
That there is no pleasure
Greater than this body in this world. 27
(Maya or illusion hides the fact
that God is only one and makes us feel that this entire universe is real.
Ezhuthachan wants help from the God to see the real truth.)
Ambhoja sambhavanum anbodu neendhi
bhatha,
Vanmoha varidhiyilennedamorthu mama,
Vanpedi paramathu
nammodadaayvathinnu,
Mumbe thozham adigal narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana
Thinking that even Lord Brahma,
Who originated from a lotus,
Was made to swim in the sea of illusion,
I am very much afraid,
That I wont able to reach you,
And so I salute your feet. 28
(Ezhuthachan prays God to keep him
away from the hold of illusion.)
Appasvum vadiyumayi kondajamilane,
Mulpodu chennu kayareeoru kimkarare,
Pilpodu chennadha thaduthoru
naalvareyu,
Mappole naumi , hari narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana who is Hari,
I would like to bow before thee,
Like Ajamila who bowed before those four messangers,
Of Lord Vishnu and who prevented,
The servants of Yama ,the Lord of death,
Who were trying to drag him with ropes and sticks. 29
(Ajamila who was a Brahmin lead a
sinful life. In his death bed he called out the name of his lat son, “Narayana,
Narayana,.”Then the assistants of lord Vishnu appeared before him and prevented
the assistants of Lord Yama from taking him to hell.)
Kashtam , Bavane yoru pandyan
bajichalava,
Gasthyena nee batha ,
sapichedendinniha ,
Nakrena kaalkadsha
kadipichathendinnithu,
Morkkavathalla Hari Naryanaya nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana who is Hari,
I am only able to remember,
That you made a crocodile bite the feet ,
Of the elephant who was a prince of Pandyas,
Cursed by sage Agasthya,
To give them both salvation. 30
(Indradhymna a Pandya prince was
cursed by Sage Agasthya and became an elephant called Gajendra. Similarly a
Gandharwa called Huhu was cursed by Devala to become a crocodile. You made the
crocodile bite the elephant to give them both salvation Strange are your ways.)
Gadwangan enna dharaneesannu
kaankoru mu
Hurthena nee gathi koduppanumendu
vidhi,
Ottalla nin kali kali pole thangalil
vi
Rudhangala aayathugal , narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Narayana,
There is no end to the variety
Of your judgment,
For to the prince Dileepa,
You gave salvation, within an hour ,
And your actions leads to lot of such contradictions. 31
(While to get salvation Gajendra
the elephant had to do thapas for 1000 years, to Dileepa (who was known as
Gadwanga)the king within an hour.Why this contradiction in your actions)
Garvichu vannoru jarasandhanodu
yudhi,
Chovvode , nilpathinnu pora ninakku
balam,
Avvaridhou dahana banam thoduthathu
thi,
Lapippathinnumathi, Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Narayana,
Though you had the strength to make,
The ocean of water boil,
Using the fire arrow,
You did not have the strength,
To stand and fight,
The proud Jarasandha. 32
(When the god of Ocean did not come
before Lord Rama, he sent an arrow and made the entire ocean boil. But in case
of Jarasandha, Lord Krishna was defeated and had to take the help of Bhima to
kill him.)
Garmma thapam kulir nilavennu
thambiyodu,
Chemme paranju nija pathnim
piranjalavu,
Thanne thiranju marukicha
mrugakshikale,
Vrundavanathil adha , Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Narayana,
Though you told your brother,
That the moon light divine,
Was as hot as the summer sun,
When you were away from Sita,
You made those deer eyed maidens,
Feel sorrow by going away,
And leaving their company in Brindavan. 33
(When Sita was abducted by ravana,
once Lord Rama told Lakshmana that because Sita was not there, he even felt the
full moon as hot as the sun. In Vrindavan he left thousands of Gopis who were
lovelorn and vanished.)
Ngaanam thudangi yudan
anjaksharangulude,
Yoonam varuthiyoru naktham charikku
batha,
Koonoru dasiye manognagiyakkiyathu,
Monnalliyalu , hari narayanaya nama.
Salutations to Narayana who is Haari,
You were the one who cut of ,
The organ meant to read,
The five nasal sounding alphabets,
And you were the one who made,
A hunch backed servant maid,
In to an attractive lady. 34
(He cut off the nose of Surpanaka
as Rama and made a Hunch backed lady in to a pretty one as Krishna.Here he
refers to the nasal sounding alphabets of Malayalam )
Chammati poondu kadingaanum
murukkiyuda,
Ni indrathmajannu ther pooti ninnu
batha,
Chemme maranjoru saram kondu
konnathumo,
Rindrathmajanne , hari narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Narayana who is Haari,
You were the one who wore ,
The dress of a charioteer and held a whip,
And drove a chariot for Indra’s son,
And you were also the one.
Who hid himself and killed by an arrow,
Another son of Indra. 35
(He as Lord Rama killed
Channathwamarnnu kanal pole
niranjulagil,
Minnunna nin mahimayarkkum
thirikkaruthu,
Annannu kandathine vazhthunna
Mamuniga
Lennathra thonni, Hari narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Narayana who is Haari,
Though your power shines like a fireball,
And fills the world like lightning,,
The veil of illusion hides you from us,
And I feel that even the sages great,
Only praise you on whatever they see day to day. 36
(Maya , the illusion hides your
shining resplendent forms even from sages)
Janthukkalullil vilassedunna
ninnudaya,
Bandham vidathe pari poornaathmana
sathatham,
Thanthum mani prakara bedhangal pole
para,
Menthenthu jathamiha , narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to Lord Narayana,
Your relationship exists,
Fully , permanently and forever,
In all the beings of earth,
In the form of their complete soul,
And the difference between them,
Appears to me similar to the different colured beads,
Of a necklace of gems. 37
(The difference in appearance in
different beings is only an illusion and they are like beads of a necklace.)
Jjangara nada miva
yogeendrarullilumo,
Rothunna geethagalilum paal
payodhiyulum,
Aakasaveedhiyilum onnayi
niranjarulu,
Mananda roopa , Harinarayanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
You are spread fully,
Like the royal splendour of music,
In the minds of great sages,
In the great works of Geetha,
In the ocean of milk,
And in the avenues of the sky,
As the soul of happiness. 38
(Here Ezhuthachan imagines God as
the all pervading sound.)
Gnan ennum easwaran ithennum
valarnnalavu,
Jnana dwayangal palathumundavathinnu
batha,
Moham nimithamathu pogum prakaram
iha,
Chethassilaaga , Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Let my mind get devoid of the illusions,
Due to attachment to self,
Of the two types of knowledge,
Which makes me think,
That I and the God are separate. 39
(Ezhuthachan states the premise of
the philosophy of advaitha in very simple words.)
Tangum kurangavum eduthittu
pathiyudal,
Sangum radhangavum eduthittu
pathiyudal,
Ekaksharam thava hi roopam
ninappavannu,
Pokunnu moha vazhi , narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
The path way of illusion,
Makes your form which is one,
And which is forever,
Appear as if half of your form holds,
A deer and axe in the hand,
And the other half holds the conch,
And the holy wheel in your hand. 40
(Ezhuthachan states here that
saivism and Vaishnavism is caused by illusion. Lord Vishnu is supposed to hold
the conch and Wheel and Lord Shiva, the deer and an axe.)
Taayangal geetham iva naada
prayogamuda,
Negasroothingaloruminnal kanakke
yumi,
Thekaksharathilorumikunna poleyumi
Thakasa sookshma thanu , narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
Like the several notes and beats,
And like the several lovely words,
Join together as a part,
Of a single lovely song,,
Your lightning power,
Forms a part of your universal self,
Because you are as formless as the sky. 41
(More emphasis is given in the
formless aspect of the Hindu notion of God.)
Damba thi doshamudan ettum kalanju
hrudhi,
Mumbe nijasanamurachu eka nadiyoode,
Kambam kalanju nilayaarum
kadapathinnu,
Thumbangal theerkka, Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
You Helped me to get rid of those ,
Eight bad qualities including ego,
And made me sit in the lotus position,
And helped me to reach that ,
Lotus with thousand petals,
After crossing the six stages of yoga,
And made reach a stage, where there is no pain. 42
(After emphasizing a lot on the
paths of Bhakthi and Gnana, in this verse, emphasis is given on the yogic
approach to salvation.)
Dakka mrudanga thuti thalangal pole
yuda,
Norkkamathi innilayilennedamorthu
mama,
Nilkunnathalla mana malana
badhakari,
Thhen kandapole, Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
When I think of that ecstatic pleasure,
Of the beats of drum, Mrudanga, tin drum and metal clasps,
That I heard when my mind crossed the six stages ,
My mind is not keeping calm and at peace,
Like the Elephant which is tied and starving sees the tasty feed. 43
(It is believed that when one
reaches the Lotus with thousand petals, one hears a remarkable musical sound which is a
heavenly experience.)
Nathwaparam parichu
karmavyapayamiha,
Madhye bavikkilum mathillengilum
kimapi,
Thathwadhiyil paramudhichoru
bodhamanu,
Chithe varenda thiha , narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana ,
Even if my meditation on you,
Is disturbed and stopped in the middle,
By the various duties in life,
Let those sentences born out ,
Of the great knowledge of Vedas,
Come to my mind and lead me to you. 44
(Ezhuthachan prays to God and asks
him to bless him with the all pervasive knowledge of God, even if he is not
able to complete his yogic search.)
Thatwarthamitham akhilathinnumundu batha,
Sabdathinnulil
vilasidunnathiinidayil,
Mukthikku karanam ithe sabdamennu
thava,
Vakyangal thane , Hari narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Though you shine in the middle,
Of the meaning of the words that abound in this world,
The path for salvation is in those words,
And the sentences which you have given us. 46
(He is in the middle of words as
per stanza 38 but here it is emphasized that the search for him should be
through the Vedic sayings.)
Thallinnu meethe paramillennu morthumuda,
Nellarodum kuthari vaapesiyum
sapadhi,
Thalli purapedum aham buddhi kondu batha,
Kollunnu nee chilare, Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
To those who think that,
There is nothing beyond the world that they see,
And argue and shout about this,
Which is their faith,
And also have faith in their own self only,
And try to suppress the opinion of all others,
You give them pangs of death. 46
(Ezhuthachan berates those ignorant
people who are materialistic.)
Dhambhaya van marama athinnullil
ninnu chila,
Kombum thalirthavadhiyillatha kay
kanigal,
Anberiya tharuvil vazhayivathinnu
gathi,
Nin pada bakthi , Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Some branches of the big tree of egotism,
Bears raw and ripe fruits of bad acts and sad effects,
And a great devotion to your holy feet,
Is the only one that avoids attachment to this tree. 47
(To those with ego, the only result
will be sorrow and pain.The only solution is devotion to God.)
Dhanyohamennu mathi manyohammennu
mathi,
Punyangal cheytha purushan
gnanithennu mathi,
Onnalla kaankoru kodungadu dandhi
maya,
Monnichu koodiyathu, Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
The thought that you are rich,
The thought that you are respected,
And the thought that you have done blessed deeds,
Are like the crowd of dark elephants,
In the dangerous forest of life.. 48
(Egoism is as dangerous as wild
elephants in a dark forest.)
Nannayi gathikkoru sahasrara
dharayila,
Thann eethil nin karuna van mari cheythu puna,
Munnam mula bhakthikku vazhthuvathu,
Minne krupanilaya, Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
The rain of your grace gives rise,
To the germination and growth,
Of divine blessings great,
That the lotus with thousand petals in me ,
Which becomes the source of my devotion to you,
Oh great store house of mercy. 49
(It is the grace of God that leads
to the success of Yoga in realizing Him.)
Palathum paranju pakal kalayunna navu thava,
Thiru nama keerthanamithathinayi
varenam iha,
Kaliyaya kalamithilathu kondu moksha
gathi,
Yeluthennu kelpu, Hari Naryanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
I wish my tongue engages in singing your names,
Instead of wasting the day by telling this and that,
For I hear that that is the only way to salvation,
In this age of Kali. 50
(Again emphasis shifts to devotion
to realize him. )
Phalamillayathe mama vasamakkolla
jagathi,
Malapathramayathati pala
naloruthiyude,
Alavillayathe velivakameyudippathinnu,
Kalayathe kaalamiha Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
Without any reason and results,
Do not make mine in this world,
Her body which is a vessel of stool,
For several days of my life,
And do not waste this time of my life,
Without the sun rise of heavenly knowledge,
Which would be of immeasurable benefit. 51
(Ezhuthachan believes that the
worldly family life is a waste of time and should better be devoted in search
of God.)
Bandhukkalartha gruha puthradhi janamathil ,
Varthichu ninnu bhuvi nin
thathwamorkukilum,
Andhannu kattiyoru kanadi pole puna,
Rennakkidolla Hari narayanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Do not make me like ,
A blind man seeing a mirror,
By not showing the principle of yours,
And drowning me in this world,
Of relations, wealth, house and sons. 52
(Here Ezhuthachan expresses his
opinion that family life is not conducive to spiritual life.)
Bakshippathinnu guha pole pilarnnu
mukha,
Mayyo, kruthanthan iha pimbe nadappu
mama,
Othunna dardhuramurathode pimbe
yoru,
Sarpam kanakke , Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Alas, the god of death walks behind me ,
With a fully opened mouth,
Which is similar to a cave,
To swallow me,
Like the serpent with an opened mouth behind a frog. 53
(The impermanence of life and the
need to get salvation urgently is highlighted.)
Manningal annu pirannu annu thottu
puna,
Renthonnu vang manassu dehangal
cheytha athu,
Endinnu melil athu mellam enikku
hrudhi.
Santhoshamayi variga, Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
Let all those actions I did,
From the time I was born,
And also that I am likely to do,
With my words , mind and body,\
Result in happiness to my mind,
For always and always. 54
(Happy and contended frame of mind
is necessary for a clear mind, which would lead to salvation.)
Yathonnu kandathathu Narayana
prathima,
Yathonnu ketthathathu Narayana
sruthigal,
Yathonnu cheythathu
Narayanarchanagal,
Yathonnathokke Hari Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana Who is Hari,
Let all those I see be idols of Narayana,
Let all that I hear be news of Lord Narayana,
Let all that I do be worship to Narayana,
And let it always be like that for my mind. 55
(The need to do every action
dedicated to God without any ego is emphasized.)
Phani rajanum eppozhum irippan ,
Kidappathinnum,
Aniyunnathu okke vana malathi
kousthubhavu,
Makame bhavippathinu, Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
If you are going to take a shape in my mind,
Please hold the holy wheel with a luster of billions of Suns,
Please sit always on the king of serpents,
Please wear always the forest garland,
And the chain with the famous Kousthubha gem. 56
(Ezhuthachan , if he decides to
worship a God with the form, makes it clear that he would like to worship
Vishnu)
Laksha prakaramodu srushtippathinnu
mathu,
Rakshippathinnu mathu
sikshippathinnum iha,
Vikshepam avarana mee raandu
shakthikalum,
Ningennudichathugal, Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
From you were born,
The two effects great,
One of which is an illusion which hides,
And the other is that aspect,
Which creates, looks after and punishes,
In millions of ways. 57
(Both illusion and the power to
create, look after and punish is ascribed to Lord Vishnu. This possibly is a
justification for preferring to worship Lord Vishnu.)
Vadanam namukku shiki vasanangal
sandhyagalu,
Mudaram namukku dadhi ulakezhu randu
miha,
Bhuvnam namakku shiva, Nayanagal
rathri paka,
Lakame bhavippathinnu, Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana,
Let my mind be filled with your form,
To whom the face is the fire,
To whom the dawn, noon and dusk are cloths,
To whom ocean is his abdomen,
To whom his house is the fourteen worlds,
And his eyes are the day and night. 58
(Further Ezhuthachan describes his Vision of Vishnu in His mega
form, which is the universe itself.)
Shakthikku thakka vazhiyitham
bajichu bhuvi,
Thyakthathma deha druda viswasamodu
batha,
Bhakthya kadannu thava trukkal
pidippathina,
Yaykkunnathennu, Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Help me Decide on the path ,
Depending on my strength,
And leave out the strong faith,
That the body is the real soul,
Make me pray within my means,
And with devotion catch your holy feet.,
And thus attain salvation. 59
(Ezhuthachan clearly brings out the fact that the worship
of the formless God is not for every one. For people who cannot understand this
concept he advocates the path of Bhakthi.)
Shadvairigalkku vilayattathinn agaruthu,
Chittambujam thava hi sadhayana rangamathil,
Thathrapi nithyavum orikkal irunnarulga,
Sathya swaroopa, Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Hey God who is the form of truth,
Please do not allow my lotus like mind,
As a stage for my six enemies to play,
And please make it a point,
To sit there once in a day. 60
(Passion, anger, miserliness, longing,
exuberance and competitive spirit are the six enemies. He requests God to make
him remember daily.)
Sathya vadami mama bruthyadhi
vargamithu,
Martham kalathra gruha puthradhi jalamathum,
Okke thawdarpanama adhakkittu ,
gnanum iha,
Trikkalkal veenu, Hari Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
I am telling the truth,
I would give away my wife, son,
Home , riches , servants,
And everything I have to you,
And I would salute you ,
By falling at your feet. 61
(He says that he would give all his
worldly possessions to Him, so that he can attain Him.)
Haranum virinjanum mitha amaradhi
nayagannu,
Mariyunnathalla thava marimaya than
mahima,
Arivayi mudhal karalil oru pole
ninnarulum,
Salutations to lord Narayana ,
Even the Lord Brama and Lord Shiva,
As well, as Indra the king of devas,
Do not understand your greatness in full,
And so God please be kind enough,
To be in my mind always,
As the basic truth which shines,
In the minds of all beings. 62
(Ezhuthachan talks here about Lord Vishnu )
La*thwam
kalarnnithu lakarathine parichu,
Tathwam ninakkiloru divyathvam undu
thava,
Kathunna pon mani vilakkenna pole
hrudi,
Nilkkunna nadha, Hari Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana who is Hari,
Like the weak “la” is a part of the strong “la”,
Your form which I imagine in my mind,
Is a part of your philosophical formless form,
Oh God, who always lives in my mind,
Like the lit golden lamp. 63
(He tells us that the formless
form, as far as he was concerned is only a concept which is the end result of
his concept of Lord Vishnu)
Kshariyaya orakshara mathinngennu
udhichathithu,
Lipi ezhum aksharam mithennangu
urappu janam,
Ariyavathalla thava paramaksharasya
porul,
Ariyayumay variga, Narayanaya nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana ,
Experts tell the first alphabet “Aa”,
Is the basis and given rise to,
All the vowels,
And the seven groups of conosonants,
And these too are ignorant of the meaning of “
But please make my mind understand its meaning. 64
(Ezhuthachan talks about the
greateness of “Aum”, which he says is very difficult to understand even by
great scholars.)
Karuna payodhi mama guru nadhan ee
sthuthiye,
Viravodu parthu pizha vazhi pole
theeratharulga,
Durithabdhi than naduvil
mariyunnavarkku para,
Moru pothamayi variga,narayanaya
Nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana ,
Let my teacher who is the ocean of mercy,
Edit this prayer and correct all errors,
And let this prayer become a boat,
To cross the
For those who are struggling in this sea. 65
(Ezhuthachan shows his reverence to
his teacher and also tells us that this great work, is going to help people
cross the sea of births and deaths.)
Mada mathsaradhigal manassil
thodathe matha,
Mithu kondu vazhthuga namukkum
gathikku vazhi ,
Ithu kelkka thanithoru mozhi than
padippavanum,
Pathiya bavambudhiyil , Narayanaya
nama.
Salutations to lord Narayana ,
Those who read this,
Prayer which sings of the religion,
Without pride and jealousy,
Would surely attain salvation,
And also will lead the poet to salvation.
All those who hears this prayer being sung,
And even those who read one word of this poem,
Would not fall in the ocean of birth and deaths. 66
(The great work is concluded with a
“Phala Sruthi” )
