Monday, January 4, 2010

Adi Shankara

Adi Shankara is one of the greatest Sanskrit Scholars and Hindu Philosophers. He has written many scholarly texts and hymns. In the next blog post I plan to translate his Bhavani Ashtakam on Durga. As a prelude to that, this blog post is about two of his slokas from his famous Bhaja Govindam. Here is M. S. Subbulakshmi's rendition of ten of the verses of Bhaja Govindam.

Bhaja Govindam has twenty seven verses - but Adi Shanakra is supposed to have composed only the first twelve slokas. Of the twelve, this blog is about his 8th and 9th slokas.

8th Slokam
in Itrans

kaate kaantaa kaste putraH
saMsaaro.ayamatiiva vichitraH .
kasya tvaM kaH kuta aayaataH
tattvaM chintaya tadiha bhraataH

in Devanagiri
का ते कांता कसते पुत्रः
संसारो अयमतीव विचीत्रः |
कस्य त्वं कः कुत आयातः
तत्त्वं चिन्तया तदिह भ्रातः ||

Meaning in English

Who is your wife? who is your child?
Strange indeed is the mortal world
Who are you? and who is your own?
Where did you come from?
Brother, ponder on these things.

Detailed Meaning (Translated by Dr. Kattamuri Ekanadham)

का (who is) ते (your) कांता (woman ie. wife) कः + (who) ते (your) पुत्रः (son)
संसारः+ (world) अयं + (this) अतीव (supremely) विचित्रः (strange)
तत्त्वं (about THE truth) चिन्तया (think) तत् + (that) इह (here alone) भ्रातः (O brother)

कस्य (of whom) त्वं (are you) कः (who-- are you) कुत + (from where) अयातः(have come)

Tamil Translation (Thanks to Dr. Rajan for his help)

யார் உனது மணைவி? யார் உனது குழந்தை?
இந்த நிலையில்லாத உலகமே விசித்திரமாக இருக்கிறது.
நீ யார்? உனக்கு உள்ளது எது?
நீ எங்கிரிந்து வந்தாய் ?
சகோதரனே எல்லாவற்றையும் சிந்தித்துப்பார் ?

9th Slokam

In Itrans

satsaNgatve nissNgatvaM
nissaNgatve nirmohatvam.h .
nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM
nishcalatattve jiivanmuktiH

In Devanagiri


सत्संगत्वे निस्स्न्गात्वाम
निस्संगात्वे निर्मोहात्वामः |
निर्मोहत्वे निश्चालातात्त्वाम
निश्कॅलातात्त्वे जीवन्मुक्तिः ||

Translation in English:

Good association breeds detachment;
Detachment leads to freedom from delusion.
Undeluded one contacts changeless reality
Contact with reality bestows Liberation - while alive

Translation in Tamil

நல்லவர்களுடன் பழகும்போது மனது விடுதலையாகிறது
மனது விடுதலையாகும்போழுது மனக்கொந்தளிப்பு குறைகிறது
மனக்கொந்தளிப்பு குறையும்பொழுது மாறாத உண்மை தெரிகிறது
மாறாத உண்மை தெரியும்பொழுது, வாழும் பொழுதே. உலக பந்தங்களிரிந்து விடுதலை கிடைக்கிறது.

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