Narayaneeyam

Rama Narayana
Translation of Narayaneeyam
Translated by P. R. Ramachander

An Introduction

Bhagawatha Purana is one of the 18 Puranas and deals with all the nine major incarnations of Vishnu as well as a few minor incarnations. This book has 18,000 stanzas in 12 chapters. Chapters one to nine of this book deal with several incarnations of Vishnu. But the tenth chapter deals exclusively with the life and greatness of Lord Krishna. Though originally written in Sanskrit, this great epic has been translated in almost all major Indian languages.

Narayaneeyam is a 1036 stanza summary of Bhagawath Purana by a great poet of Kerala called Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri who lived in between 1559-1632. The name Narayaneeyam would either mean "a book written by Narayana (the author's name)" or "a book written about Narayana, the God".

Bhattathiri was born as second son in a Namboodiri family of Kerala. He mastered the Vedas as well as the art of literary composition. As per the custom of those days, he married the daughter of Sri Achyutha Pisharodi and later became his devotee as well as student. When his Teacher, who was also his father in law, was suffering due to rheumatism, Narayana Bhattathiri prayed to God and got the disease transferred to him. This disease was very severe in his case and he suffered a lot. When he consulted Thunchathu Ezhuthachan who was a great writer and translator of Ramayanam, he advised him to write touching (starting) from the fish. Bhattathiri understood that this meant that he has to write starting from the fish incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He then went to Guruvayur and started writing a summary of Bhagawatha. He wrote one chapter consisting of ten verses (his younger brother took it down) daily and had planned to write one hundred chapters.

Though he did not mention anything about his sickness and suffering in the first two chapters, the third chapter is essentially a plea by him to Lord of Guruvayur to cure him, in one verse, he says that he may not be able to continue what he was doing. From then on, in the last verse of every chapter, he made a plea to God to cure him.

The first 36 chapters deal with various incarnations of Lord Vishnu and Chapters 37-88 deals exclusively with the story of Lord Krishna. Chapters 89-99 deal with the extolling of Vishnu as a primeval God as well as several philosophical concepts. The last chapter is a mellifluous description of the lord from head to foot. It was completed on 27-11-1587 as denoted by the last words of the great work, which also means, long life, health and happiness. People believe that when reciting the last Chapter Melpathur was able to see Lord Guruvayurappa before him and once he completed this chapter he got completely cured of his disease.

Millions of devotees in the past few centuries have benefited by the recital of Narayaneeyam and many of them have got cured of their diseases especially those caused by Vatham (Rheumatism).

There are many commentaries available for Narayaneeyam in Malayalam, Tamil and English. There are also few web sites devoted only to Narayaneeyam. narayaneeyam-firststep.org has got the entire text with word by word meaning.

Due to its availability, as well as my belief that such great prayer books can be read in any language, I have not given the text of Narayaneeyam in this translation.

Another great translation attempt is at bhagavadgitausa.com.

Yet another translation is at spiritualspacewarriersonline.blogspot.com.

I have consulted all these translations but mainly depended on the Vanamala interpretation of Narayaneeyam in Malayalam published by Guruvayur Devaswam Board.

I am sure some of you may ask as to why one more attempt. I believe that the personality of the translator is deeply reflected in any translation. And so mine which is in simple free verse and not a word for word translation would be another addition that would help the reader understand the great work in a better way.

When I started the translation I wanted to translate twenty stanzas per day and complete the entire translation within 50 days. Things were going on all right but when I was translating the chapter 67, where Lord Krishna disappeared to put an end to the pride of the Gopis, my translation from Chapter 60-67 also disappeared for which I could not find any reason. Then I thought that it was to put an end to my puffed up pride that God did it. I started the translation again and completed my first draft on the 60th day.

With the permission of my Guruvayurappan, I would like to call this translation as"Rama Narayana". I am giving this name because I am Rama and am translating a work on Narayana.

May the readers pardon me if I have committed any mistake.

Dasakam - 1: Form and Greatness of God

[This is the summary of the first chapter of Bhagawatham and describes the form of the god who is formless.]

Indeed it is a great luck that in Guruvayur,
The great and well known divine principle of God,
Is present as the continuous stream of joy and wisdom,
Which does not have an equal, which is beyond time and place,
Which is always free from ties, which in spite of being made clear,
By several prayers as well as words of praise is still unclear,
And which makes you want to see it again and again, once you see it. 1.1

When this principle of God which is difficult to get,
Is easily available to us, it is unfortunate that people depend,
On some other thing by their body, mind and words,
And this is clearly not correct and also bad,
But we with great stability of mind are depending on,
The lord of Guruvayur for getting rid of all problems of the world. 1.2

It is heard that sage Vyasa has several times told that your form,
Is extremely pure and personification of Sathwa aspect,
And is entirely separated from the regal and base aspects,
And is made of the beings and their properties.
And due to this purity, your form which is unhidden great pleasure,
Shines and has a great form inside and is pleasant to hear and meditate,
Making it possible for your devotees to get attracted and enjoy. 1.3

It is said by the learned that the very pure sathva character,
Is equal to the beating of the waves of the ocean called Brahman,
Which is without movement, always full, personification,
Of the limitless nectar of joy and great due to merging of several liberated souls,
Oh God who is everywhere, this thine form is the only complete one,
Compared to the several incarnations that you have taken. 1.4

Oh God, who does not have any birth, though you seem to be without action,
You take up the job of being "this moment" without any reason,
And that is why you as the nature, rise up at the beginning of the ions,
From within yourself though there seems to be nothing there in you at that time,
And that nature is pure, does not hide anything and the form of pure thought,
And you yourself have assumed your form from a part of that nature. 1.5

I meditate always on your form oh Lord of Guruvayur,
Which is as pretty as the water rich new clouds,
Which makes one happy with its play like kalaya flowers,
Which is the ultimate single essence of prettiness,
Which is the incarnation which is born as the good deeds,
Of those people who have done laudable actions,
Which is the place for Goddess Lakshmi to play without hesitation,
And which is the rain of nectar in the mind of those who meditate on you. 1.6

Oh God who can never be defeated, I once thought that,
Your act of creation was cruel as it gives all the beings,
Large amount of sorrow and pain in day to day life,
But I am not thinking like that now, for without that action,
How can they drink the beauty of your form which is full of joy and knowledge,
And enjoy themselves in the sea of nectar of that divine joy. 1.7

Oh God, you always appear before all those who salute you,
And grant them not only their wishes but also those that they have not asked,
You grant them the joyful path of salvation at all times,
And so, Oh Lord Vishnu, you are the wish giving tree,
Which is available for all with unending fruits,
But those devotees seem unnecessarily to want,
That weeds like wish giving tree in the Garden of Indra. 1.8

Other Gods due to mercy fulfill some other desires,
But you give them due to great mercy give your soul itself,
Other Gods due to riches, become their Lord,
But you are god and Lord even of your own soul,
Some very lucky ones make you as interesting subject,
And become incomparably very happy,
But you are the one within whom there is nothing but joy,
And So oh valorous God, salutations to you for these exceptional qualities. 1.9

Your greatness is indicated by your making Shiva and other Gods obey you,
Your valour lies in your abilities in your control of the power of those who give power,
Your spotless fame is being praised by sages, who do not want anything,
Goddess Lakshmi is always with your various parts of your body,
And so you are the one who knows all and no one can imagine that you have any desires,
And so Oh Lord of Guruvayur, killer of Mura, you are fit to be termed as God. 1.10

Dasakam - 2: Sweetness of His Form and Greatness of Devotion

[Here the form of God - God with a form is described. The chapter then eulogizes the Bhakthi (devotion) approach to God.]

I always meditate on your Vaikunta form,
With the crown brighter than the Sun God,
The shining forehead with the long thilaka,
The eyes from which mercy flows and ebbs,
The shine of the smile which is comforting,
The pretty nose, the cheeks which are reflecting your ear studs,
The Kousthubha gem which adds to the shine of the neck,
And forest and golden bead garlands and the Sri Vathsa. 2.1

I surrender to your form which is beyond description by words,
Which has four arms wearing gem studded armlets, bangles, bracelets and rings,
Holding the mace, the conch, the wheel and the lotus flower,
Which is bedecked with yellow silk, tied over by a gem studded waist belt,
Which has holy feet which shines like a pure lotus flower,
And which destroys all sorts of sorrows. 2.2

Oh Vishnu, Oh Lord, who in this world would not be enchanted by your form,
Which is holier than the holiest in all the three worlds,
Which is more attractive than the most attractive,
Which shines more than the best shining object,
Which is sweeter than the sweetest, which is prettier than the prettiest,
And which is more wonderful than the most wonderful. 2.3

After getting and reaching your wonderful and greatly joyous form,
That goddess who controls wealth, has become more attached to you,
And because of this even after reaching the homes of her great devotees,
She does not prefer to stay there, Oh Lord, Oh changeless one,
Due to the deep, strong and stable love towards your very pretty form,
She has got a very bad name as the unstable one, is it not uncharitable? 2.4

Oh Consort of Goddess Lakshmi, I will tell another reason to say,
That Goddess Lakshmi does not stay long with others,
That is because of her attractiveness to your pretty form,
For in the case of devotees of yours who are busy in meditating,
And singing about you, she is interested in hearing about,
The news of her darling and never leaves but stays with them. 2.5

This great form of yours, which is the starting, place of,
The nectar called all round wealth and luck,
Which is the extract of the divine concept of Brahman,
And which is pretty and sweet to hear,
Would attract the mind instantly, make it exuberant,
And make the hairs all over our body stand erect,
And make us drench in the tears of joy welling from our eyes. 2.6

Due to this only the great god like sages have chosen the path of devotion,*
Over the two paths called path of action** and path of realization based on enquiry.***
And have sung and praised it as the most suitable path,
And so oh God who is very dear to the Goddess Lakshmi,
This path based on the devotion based concept of your prettiness,
Is very easily available for use to all persons of this world. 2.7
* Bhakti Yoga ** Karma Yoga *** Jnana Yoga

While Karma yoga consisting of all actions without desire for results,
Would yield results only after a very long time and while Jnana Yoga,
Which is available in the concepts enunciated in the Upanishads,
Is extremely difficult to follow, due to its being not in the grip of various sensory organs,
Oh Lord, the devotion to you based on love to you is very sweet and satisfying. 2.8

What is the use of some people struggling after doing several karmas,
Which are exhausting and hard,
Getting their mind cleaned and becoming suitable to follow Jnana or Bhakti Yoga,
And others struggling and getting troubled with intellectual exercises,
Without their mind getting softened but meditating on the concept of Brahman,
And getting salvation after passing through several cycles of birth? 2.9

Oh Lord who is the God of Guruvayur, since devotion consists of getting drowned,
In the nectarine happiness of telling and hearing the stories about you,
And leads to easy and comfortable steps for opening the doors of divine knowledge,
It leads to victorious salvation instantly, please bless me,
To speedily make my mind melt with wonderful love towards you. 2.10

Dasakam - 3: Prayer for Devotion

[The poet who is very much troubled by his sickness first describes the marks of a great devotee and he cries to God to cure him. He requests from him only devotion and freedom from sickness.]

Oh God who showers blessings, I only consider those who chant your names,
Who meditate on your form and tell and hear the stories about your greatness,
And travel in life by drowning themselves in the sea of divine joy,
And always fill up their mind with thought about you only,
As the only lucky people who have all their wishes fulfilled. 3.1

Oh Lord Vishnu, alas, A mind plagued by suffering due to diseases,
Becomes disinterested in offering prayers at your feet,
And get drowned in the divine joy and so show mercy on me,
And this would mean my spending my time in a desolate place,
Meditating on your lotus like feet and enjoying that thought. 3.2

What is there which is impossible to get for any one,
If you show mercy on them, for you it is very easy to remove all my troubles,
And oh Lord of Guruvayur, I am able to see several of your devotees,
Having only devotion on you, leading a life of no sorrow and attain salvation. 3.3

Oh God, in this world there were great devotees like Sage Narada,
Whose souls traveled towards you, they being very healthy,
Were thinking about your feet only,
And they got drowned in the limitless ever shining ocean of joy,
And were traveling as per their wishes, what else do they need? 3.4

I strongly believe that if the devotion in my mind towards you,
Keeps on increasing, then you would certainly remove all my sorrows,
For if this is not so, the word of Vyasa, your words and the Vedic sayings,
Would all become equivalent to the words of wandering gypsies. 3.5

In the very start itself, only the devotion to you is full of sweetness,
In the middle all the sorrows vanish completely and in the end,
One gets the divine joy with clear concepts of wisdom.
Apart from this, what is else need to be asked from Him? 3.6

Please cure all my diseases so that my legs can come to your temple,
My hands can worship you, my eyes are able to see your pretty form,
My nose can smell and enjoy the scent of Ocimum leaves at your feet,
And my ears are able to hear and enjoy your soulful stories. 3.7

Please fill my mind which is troubled and confused with mental stress,
As well as physical diseases, with your pretty divine form of bliss,
And as a result let my eyes shed the tears of joy with hairs of body standing erect,
Help me to completely forget all the insufferable maladies of my body. 3.8

Oh Lord of Guruvayur, how is it that while those who never bother about you are happy,
I, who am your devotee, am suffering with extreme and great sorrow.
Oh God who killed Kamsa and who fulfils the wishes of all your devotees,
You would get negative fame and so cure all my diseases speedily,
And make me one among your greatest devotees. 3.9

Oh God who blesses, Oh God who fulfills wishes of devotees,
What is the point in keeping on talking, it is certain,
That till you exhibit your mercy towards me,
I would stop all complaints and salute and pray,
At your feet that is in front of me and spend my days. 3.10

Dasakam - 4: Eight Fold Yoga and their Results

[An introduction to Ashtanga Yoga is given in this chapter. This is possibly the biggest chapter in the entire Narayaneeyam.]

Oh God, who gives blessings, please give me as much health as,
Needed by me to worship you and let me be blessed by you,
So that soon I would gain expertise in the eight fold yoga,*
And so that I would be able to get your grace and make you happy. 4.1
* Yama, Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama Prathyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are the eight fold yoga.

We who are completely dependent on you,
Would practice three Yamas of celibacy, non-violence and truth,
And also practice the Niyama of bathing, cleaning of mind and meditation,
And assume the Asana of either Sukhasana or Padmasana and fix ourselves. 4.2

We would meditate within our mind without break on "Om",
Would control our breath, would become pure by getting rid of passion and anger,
And then turn away all sense organs from their attractions,
And become ready to concentrate our attention on you. 4.3

We would bind our mind on your very unclear form,
With great difficulty by trying and trying again,
And we who always think of your feet,
Would with great practice would attain joy of devotion and a soft mind. 4.4

After surrendering to you by practicing the art of meditation,
We would make our limbs in great shape,
And by lengthy and constant practice of meditation,
We would frame your very pretty shining form in our mind. 4.5

Oh God, all those who meditate on you with body and limbs,
Would be attracted by the sweet and pretty concept of you without body,
And the Brahman which can only be understood by the mind,
Would shine in their mind, drowning them in divine joy. 4.6

Oh Lord of the universe, we would attain then the state of Samadhi,
Which is the state, where Brahman is experienced,
And when we slip away from this perfect state,
We would again restart for attaining it from beginning. 4.7

Once we attain this perfect path following Yogic steps,
We would be filled with state of exultation due to divine joy,
And we would become greatest devotees of yours,
And would travel like the great sages Narada and Sukha. 4.8

Oh God, who cannot be defeated, the devotee who is interested in salvation,
As soon as he successfully attains the state of Samadhi,
Would raise up the life giving breath, which has been controlled by Pranayama,
Through the six nerve openings, and slowly make it reach, the Sushmna nerve. 4.9

That yogi who is not interested in the pleasures of Brahma and other worlds,
Would raise the breath of life to the middle point of the eye brows,
Leave out his micro self and merge with you who has a macro divine body,
But the one who is fond of enjoying the pleasures of Brahma and other worlds,
Would get out of his body in the micro form piercing his head. 4.10

That Yogi who was interested in you would be taken to the land of the Sun,
By those Gods who preside over fire, day time and waxing period of moon,
And who are fixed in the summer solstice
And those who are for enjoying divine pleasures,
Would be taken till the land of the Dhruva (pole star). 4.11

After reaching the land of Dhruva and a long stay in Mahar loka,
When they start suffering from the hot breath of Adhi Sesha,
They surrender completely to you and reach the land of Brahma,
Or they reach the land of Brahma before they start feeling the heat of Sesha's breath. 4.12

That Yogi who lives in the land of Brahma or in Vishnu Loka,
During the time of final deluge attains salvation, if not,
According to his own wish using his own yogic power,
He can break the Brahmanda and attain salvation. 4.13

Oh Lord, that Yogi enters the seven sheaths* of Brahmanda one by one,
With his own micro form, he enjoys divine joy and pleasures,
And becomes one with your sheath less form. 4.14
* Earth, Water, Light, Air, Sky, Great Principle and Illusion are the Seven Sheaths.

Oh Lord of the universe, the yogi who attains this aspect,
Of the migration of the different worlds, is never born again,
Oh essence of divine joy, oh Lord of Guruvayur,
Please protect me, who sings about you and your properties. 4.15

Dasakam - 5: Birth of Divine Mega Essence

[After the deluge when everything merges with nature, the God appears again. This chapter describes the process of the appearance of that supreme God.]

During the time of the great deluge, when Maya stopped
Due to absence of character differences like sathva, rajas and thamas,
Merged completely with you, the macro and micro worlds did not exist,
And at the time life and death as well as salvation also did not exist,
There was neither day nor night and during those times, you were remaining,
As the form of ultimate joy and dazzlingly brilliant light. 5.1

Oh Lord, during deluge, time, action, sathva, rajas and thamas characters,
Animal herds and the illusion filled world merged in you who was interested in play,
But we cannot say that they have lost their existence, for if it were so,
Would they which are similar to the sky flower reemerge after deluge? 5.2

Like this after the passage two paraardhams, you decide,
To take the form of a creator and the illusion becomes tumultuous,
To become the three worlds and the power called time arises from it,
And all that is not visible and all characters become clear,
And you after expanding these characters do the work of helping illusion in creation. 5.3

You are with Maya and have a form which is not in it and
The Vedas describe and praise you as the witness to the creation of Maya,
And you yourself enter in to Maya as reflections and become the Jeevathma,
And afterwards, after the tumultuous churning of nature,
And waked up by time, action and characteristics, suggested by you, that Maya,
Created the principle of intelligence and wisdom and this is called the great concept. 5.4

In these affairs of Maya, though this great concept is a mixture,
Of Sathva, Rajas and Thamas, Sathwa aspect dominates it,
And without any bias creates the sense of me and myself,
And Oh Lord Vishnu, due to your suggestion, this great concept,
When the base qualities dominate creates the sense of pride and egotism. 5.5

That egotism depending on Sathwa, Rajas and Thamas,
Converted itself in three types, emotional along with Sathvika,
Powerful and intense along with Rajasa and Thamasa,
And along with Sathvika, created directions, Wind, Sun,
Varuna, Aswini devas, fire, Indra, upendra, Mithra,
Prajapathi, Chandra, Brahma, Rudra and Kshethragna. 5.6

Oh Lord who is everywhere, due to you only,
Sathvika egotism created the mind, intelligence, pride and thought,
And from the Thaijasa ahankara the ten indriyas were created,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur from your power from the Thamasa Ahankara,
The sound which was the essence of sky was created. 5.7

From sound sky was created, from sky touch was created,
From touch wind was created, from wind form was created,
From form, fire was created, from fire, taste was created,
From taste, earth, water, smell and earth were created,
Oh Lord you carried out creation of earth this way,
Oh Madhava you form the relation between the older to the old,
You exhibited the living beings along with dharma from Thamasa Ahankara. 5.8

Theses collection of beings as well as the collection of sense organs and devas,
Were not individually capable of creating the universe, and then,
He who was praised by the devas employing various Sukthas,
Entered in to the principle of the beings and gave them the power to move,
And coordinated them and created this golden egg which is the universe. 5.9

This golden egg was submerged in the primeval creation of causal water,
And was divided by you in to fourteen parts and you called it Virat,
And you became all the beings yourself and existed as Virat Purusha,
Along with thousands of hands, legs as well as heads,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur, you who are the Virat Purusha,
May be kindly pleased to save me from all the diseases. 5.10

Dasakam - 6: Description of Virat Purusha

[This chapter describes in detail about Supreme God.]

Oh Lord who has taken the form of fourteen worlds,
While the sole of your feet is called Patala,
The upper part of your feet is Rasatala, Oh Lord,
And your ankles are Mahatala, Oh soul of all beings. 6.1

Oh God who holds the holy wheel, your shins are Talatala,
Your knees are Suthala, your two thighs are Vithala and Athala,
The front portion of your hip is the earth, your navel is the sky,
And your breast is the heaven in which Indra resides. 6.2

Your neck is the Mahar loka, face the Jana loka,
Your forehead is Thapoloka and oh God who is everywhere,
Your head is Sathya Loka and Oh God whose body is universe,
My salutations to you whose body parts are ascribed as different worlds. 6.3

Oh God, who is the cause and the controller of the universe,
Your paths to salvation in the skull are the great Vedas,
Oh Kesava, your peculiar and special hair are the clouds,
And your radiant joyful eye brows are the abode of Brahma,
Your eye lashes are night and day and your eyes are the Sun. 6.4

Oh God your playful glances are the acts of creation of the universe,
Your ears are the different directions, two nostrils are Aswini devas,
Lower and upper lips are avarice and greed,
Your teeth are group of stars and your molars are Yama, the God of death. 6.5

Oh Lord, your playful smile is Maya the illusion,
Your breath is the air; your toungue is water,
Your words are the birds, musical notes are sages,
Your hollow of the mouth is fire, hands the devas,
And your two breasts are the Dharma devas. 6.6

Oh God with lotus eyes, your behinds are evil,
Mind is the moon and your lotus like heart is the concept of non-clarity,
Your belly are the oceans, your cloth are dusk and dawn,
Your private parts are Brahma and scrotum is God Mithra. 6.7

The back part of your hips is the animal kingdom,
The nails of your feet are animals like horses, elephants and camels,
The walking by your feet is time, Oh ocean of mercy,
Your face, hands thighs and feet are the places,
Where the four castes originated. 6.8

Oh God who holds the wheel, your Action are the wheel of life,
Your valour is the great hoard of Asuras; your bones are the mountains,
Your nerves are the rivers; your hairs are the trees,
Oh Lord, let this form of the Virat Purusha,
Which is beyond the ambit of adequate description be victorious. 6.9

People who are wise are of the opinion that those who depend on action,
Or those who are then in the end stages of action should meditate on this form,
Oh Lord of Guruvayur, my salutations to you, who is the inner form,
Of this Virat Purusha and who is extremely pure,
I pray to you, please cure all my illnesses. 6.10

Dasakam - 7: Penance of Brahma and Seeing of Vaikunta

[That Supreme God assumes the form of Lord Brahma and sees Vaikunta and its Lord.]

Oh God, you who exhibited yourself in the form of fourteen worlds,
Later on your own accord, you presented yourself in the top of it, in the Sathya Loka,
As Lord Brahma, the creator and you were called the Hiranya Garbha,
Who is the soul of Virat Purusha formed by merging of the three worlds,
And that Hiranya Garbha, due to increase of Rajo guna wanted to start the creation. 7.1

That Brahma made attempts for creation, but since he did not know,
Anything about the universe became very pensive and very sad.
Oh Lord of the universe, then you egged him to do penance,
And whispered to him "Do Thapas, do Thapas" as the voice of the sky. 7.2

He in turned searched all over the world which was completely filled with water,
Asking "Who told me thus?", and when he could not find any one,
Thought about the meaning of the words that he was told,
And when he did penance and served you for one thousand divine years,*
You showed Brahma the very wonderful world of Vaikunta where you live. 7.3
* 360 human years is one divine year.

Oh Lord, in that world, which is on the outside of this world,
The feeling of high and low never arises, and that great world,
Is devoid of emotions like sorrow, anger, fear and timidity,
And in the greatly shining world there is constant flow of divine joy,
And may that Vaikunta which is your residence outshine everything else. 7.4

In that land of Vaikunta, divine souls with four arms,
With the divine glow of blue sapphire,
Adorned with various types of ornaments,
Live and play in greatly shining aerial planes,
Where they have reached as a result of their very great devotion
And let that immaculate abode of yours be victorious. 7.5

Served and surrounded by various celestial maidens, Goddess Lakshmi,
Who is like the streak of lightning tempting every one and who is very pretty,
Is seen making all directions shine and enamored with the pleasant scent,
Of your lotus like feet and let me be given chance to live in that wonderful world. 7.6

In that land shown by you, Lord Brahma saw you sitting on a gem studded throne,
Along with the crown and ornaments shining like the solar system,
And along with the Sri Vathsa symbol on your chest and Kousthubha gem on your neck,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur, let me able to clearly see that form of yours. 7.7

Oh Lord, let that form of yours which gave joy and happiness to Brahma,
Which shines like the dark blue cloud as well as the blue lotus flower,
And covers all directions, which has a pretty ever smiling face,
And which has four hands holding conch, mace, wheel and lotus flower,
Shine in my mind and completely cure me of all diseases. 7.8

Seeing your great presence, nervously Lord Brahma,
Became extremely happy and saluted at your lotus like feet,
And then with great happiness and thankfulness he asked,
"I worship you, Oh Lord and you well know my desire and so please bless me,
With complete knowledge of this universe as well as your divine form." 7.9

And then he fell at your reddish feet in salutation, and you lifted him up,
And told "I would give you that knowledge and I assure you that,
There would not be any more problems in the job of creation."
And then you hid yourself in the mind of Brahma,
And encouraged him to start the job of creation,
And Oh god bless me with good health. 7.10

Dasakam - 8: Deluge and Birth of Brahma from Lotus

[Then there is a deluge and from that raises a lotus and from that Lord Brahma is born.]

In the first Brahma Kalpa* after the great deluge,
Brahma who got his birth in this way,
After getting the Vedas from you,
Started doing the creation like the earlier Kalpa. 8.1
* The day of Brahma

That Brahma spent one thousand set of four yugas as day,
And a similar time as night several times,
And this Brahma is sleeping in you along with his created world now,
And so the learned, call the time of sleep of Brahma as causal* deluge. 8.2
* The cause is Brahma's sleep

Then afterwards that Brahma due to your blessing,
Wakes up in the morning and does daily rituals like us,
And starts the job of creation and those of the never dying,
People of the last Kalpa who slept along with him wake up at this time. 8.3

This Brahma has spent half his age of fifty of his years in sleep,
Oh God, let me tell now about your playful acts,
Done during the days of Brahma, and at the end of the day,
And then, your acts during the dawn of his next day. 8.4

The Brahma who was born from a lotus flower,
Wanted to sleep at the end of his day,
And became one with you and by that,
All three worlds merged with you leaving only water. 8.5

When this world became one filled fully with water,
You were filled with joy the eternal,
And slept on the king of snakes,
Who is another of your forms,
And entered in to your deep yogic sleep. 8.6

You who have merged and being one who is there with basic nature,
And being the source of support of all living beings,
You drown yourself in to sleep after ordering,
The power called time to wake you after the deluge. 8.7

Hey Lord of the universe you being alone,
And after being in yogic sleep for thousand four fold yugas,
The power called time wakes up first,
And wakes you up after that. 8.8

Oh Lord of the universe who slept in the center of water,
After you wake up, you realize that the entire universe has merged in to you,
And you threw a collective glance on all those things inside you in micro form. 8.9

Oh Lord, from your navel, all things have merged,
In a micro form assumed the form of a bud and from that,
A divine lotus flower which is wonderful,
And which cannot be described by words emerged. 8.10

That bud of lotus flower, which emerged from inside the water,
And from your body, came out of the water,
And by the use of its radiant brilliance,
Drove away the darkness, which was all around. 8.11

In that fully opened, wonderful divine lotus,
Which was made to stand up by your yogic power,
Lord Brahma who was born out of a lotus,
Sat along with all Vedas, committed to his memory. 8.12

Oh Lord of Guruvayur, who is the form of divine Brahman,
You who thus made Lord Brahma emerge from the lotus,
And you who has the undivided greatness,
Please cure all my diseases. 8.13

Dasakam - 9: Penance of Brahma and Creation of World

[Lord Brahma searches for his origin, finds lord Vishnu and does penance to get the power of Creation and initiates the process of creation.]

That Brahma born out of the lotus, sitting on the lotus from your belly,
Not able to see the origin of the lotus flower he is sitting on,
Being very curious, turned to look in all directions possible,
Developed eight eyes similar to the fully opened lotus flowers. 9.1

He was able to see only that flower, which was waving in the great sea,
But was not able to see your body, on which it was established,
And started thinking "Who am I who am sitting in this broad lotus flower?
And where from did this lotus flower originate?" 9.2

Being very intelligent and curious, he knew that,
The lotus flower had a source of origin,
And by the power of his intelligence and penance,
He got down through the hole in the stalk of the flower,
But he was not able to find out your very pretty body? 9.3

Then he traveled by all the holes in the flower and searched,
And in spite of spending very many years in this search,
He was not able to see anything and returned back to the flower,
And sitting and concentrating his mind, seeking only your blessings,
He entered in to a very firm Samadhi. 9.4

That God born out of the lotus flower, being in Samadhi,
For one hundred divine years, got clear wisdom,
And got rid of all dirt and bias of his mind,
And with mind full of divine joy,
Found out your divine body which leaned,
On one part of Adhi Sesha and which was reason for his wonder. 9.5

Let me meditate on that body, which was shown to the lotus born,
Which was shining with the crown and the head gear, bangles,
Bead chains, armlets, with the belt studded with several gems,
With the yellow silk worn by him in a pretty way,
With the shine of the blue lotus as well as the Kousthubha gem. 9.6

"Victory to lord Vishnu, who is the consort of Goddess Lakshmi,
And who has been clearly enunciated and described by the Vedas,
Oh Lord, by my luck, you have become visible to my eyes,
And please grant my mind the power to create the universe",
Said Lord Brahma and let that Lord protect me. 9.7

Then you blessed Lord Brahma by the following words,
"Oh Brahma, you would get the power for creation of the universe,
And please receive my blessings for that job to go without any problems,
You should continue with your penance and also have,
Devotion to me, which will help you anything that you want."
And these words made Lord Brahma happy and contended. 9.8

Then that Brahma did penance for hundred more divine years,
And got more power and strength and seeing,
That he lotus flower which was in the causal water was trembling due to the wind,
Became powerful and strong by your grace and blessings,
And drank all the water and inhaled all the wind. 9.9

Then he due to your mercy and grace only, created the three worlds,
With the lotus as the base and engaged himself in creating of living beings,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur, with your merciful and mercy drenched looks,
Be kind enough to protect me completely. 9.10

Dasakam - 10: Variety in Creation

[The various creations of Lord Brahma and his attempts to populate all the three worlds.]

Oh Lord of Vaikunta, Brahma becoming more powerful due to your grace,
Then created plants which grow in the soil, moving beings like animals and birds,
Irrational animals, different types of men and gods and all living beings. 10.1

Then Brahma created five negative emotions like misunderstanding,
Egoism, attachment, anger and fear and having created them,
Became repentant on creating these with thamo guna base,
And for atoning his action, meditated on your lotus feet. 10.2

He then using his mind created sages called,
Sanaka, Sananda, Sanathana and Sanathkumara,
And they due to their extreme devotion on you,
In spite of being encouraged for procreation by Brahma,
Refused to obey him and traveled in the path of devotion to you. 10.3

When he was enraged and became extremely angry at their refusal,
Mridha, who was your reflection came out of
The middle portion of the eye brows of Brahma,
And Mridha shouted, "Hey creator, give me a name as well as position"
And he was given the name of Rudra.* 10.4
* He who cries

According to your suggestion Brahma,
Gave eleven names and suitable forms,
And also gave each of them wives,
As well as suitable positions and told them,
"Please procreate and multiply". 10.5

The multitudes of terrifying Ganas created by the Rudras,
Filled up the three worlds and Brahma and,
Brahma came in to the grip of fear and as per your suggestion,
Told Rudras, "Do not multiply anymore and do penance." 10.6

Then from the limbs of Brahma who was interested in creation,
Sages Mareechi, Athri, Angeeras, Krathu muni, Pulaha, Pulasthya and Brugu,
Were born and also were born Vasishta and Daksha,
And Oh God, Narada who is your great devotee was also born. 10.7

He later created Dharmadeva and Kardhama,
And later when he created Saraswathi,
And he became intensely passionate,
And later according to your suggestion,
When his sons like Sanaka and Daksha reminded him,
He gave up this desire born out of ignorance. 10.8

Then Brahma from his four faces created the Vedas, Puranas,
And all knowledge and gave them to his sons like Mareechi,
And later when creation did not progress,
He surrendered at your lotus feet. 10.9

Later understanding the strategy to do further creation,
Brahma split his body into two halves and made,
Them as Manu the male and his wife Satha Roopa the female,
Oh Govinda who lives in the town of Guruvayur,
You who are multiplying the human race using them,
Please cure all my diseases and afflictions. 10.10

Dasakam - 11: Birth of Hiranya Kasipu and Hiranyaksha

[The attendants of Vishnu are cursed by the sages for being born as Asuras. They chose the option of coming back to Vaikunta after three births hating Lord Vishnu. First they are born as Hiranya Kasipu and Hiranyaksha.]

When the creation was progressing step by step,
One day the divine Sanaka sages reached Vaikunta,
To see you, Oh Lord of Guruvayur. 11.1

They reached near your incomparable residence,
Which had the garden called Naisreyas,
And also, several lakes and palaces. 11.2

Jaya and Vijaya who were guarding the entrance,
Stopped them, when they were trying to enter inside,
And anger took place in the mind of those sages,
And Oh God with unlimited fame,
And all this was due to your suggestion only. 11.3

When the sages cursed them with the following words,
"You both, who are doing acts which are not in tune,
With Vaikunta are bad people may be born as Asuras",
Jaya and Vijaya, who did service at your feet,
Saluted the Sanaka sages and requested them,
"May both of us always have memory of this God." 11.4

Oh God, with lotus like eyes, having come to know,
That the Sanaka sages were stopped at your gate,
You along with Lakshmi and keeping your hand on the shoulder of Garuda,
And with your pretty form came out and gave the Sanaka sages joy. 11.5

Then you made the Sanaka sages who were praying you very happy,
And mercifully told those servants who did not have any other master but you,
"You both would take three births when you would remember me with anger". 11.6

Then those servants of yours were born as to Asuras,
As the sons of sage Kashyapa and his wife Dithi,
And since they were conceived at dusk, they were both cruel,
And being twins they became like two gods of death. 11.7

One of them was Hiranya Kasipu and the other was Hiranyaksha,
Both of them due to their innate nature were blind with desire,
And started troubling all the world, for which you were the lord. 11.8

Of them Hiranyaksha ran round all over to fight and,
Since he did not get any one to fight,
Drowned goddess earth who was your dear wife,
In water and with pride traveled along with a mace. 11.9

Having heard from Varuna that you are a match for him to fight,
He ran here and there in search of you,
Oh Lord of Guruvayur, who is the treasure of mercy,
Oh God, who can be seen only by your devotees, please cure my diseases. 11.10

Dasakam - 12: Incarnation of Varaha Boar

[The incarnation of a boar which lifted the earth that had sunk in the sea.]

Then Swayambhuva Manu who was doing the creation of human beings,
Seeing that the earth was drowned in water at inappropriate time,
Went and approached Lord Brahma who lived in Sathya Loka with sages,
And who was having a joyful mind as he was serving your lotus feet. 12.1

Oh Lotus eyed God, when Swayambhuva Manu approached Brahma,
And told, "When I was creating people, alas, the earth went in to water,
So be kind enough to make a place for all of them to live,"
And Brahma prayed deeply your lotus like feet. 12.2

Lord Brahma said, "Alas, alas, Oh God, I drank away the causal water,
Even earlier and now the world is drowning in water, what shall I do?"
And said that he is surrendering at your two lotus like feet,
And from the nostrils of Lord Brahma, you came in the shape of a boar calf. 12.3

When you came out, you initially were of the size of a thumb,
And later grew to a size of an elephant and Brahma,
Seeing you in that big form along with Mareechi and others and was surprised. 12.4

When he was wondering "who is this mighty boar,
With unimaginable power, which has come out of my nostrils?
Could it be the Maya of Lord Vishnu?"
You grew up in to the size of a great hill and roared. 12.5

The sages in the Jana loka, Thapo Loka and Sathya loka,
Hearing the thunderous roar of the God, prayed to you,
You became very happy hearing those prayers,
Again roared, assumed a still bigger form,
And jumped in to that great ocean. 12.6

You stood up, with erect copper coloured hairs,
With tail held up erect, with snout pointing downwards,
And with rolling eyes and plunged in to the ocean,
Making the dark clouds on the way shatter in to pieces and,
Making the sages, who were praying you happy by your rotating eyes. 12.7

You then got down in to the ocean,
Which had moving groups of crocodiles,
With big whales going round and round,
With fast swirling waters and tumultuous waves,
And with your roar frightened the people of Rasatala,
And started your frantic search, for the Goddess earth. 12.8

Oh lord, you who were in the form of the terrible boar,
After a search located Goddess earth hid in the Patala,
By those bad asuras and without bothering about them,
Playfully lifted, the earth in your tusk. 12.9

Oh playful Lord in the form of a boar,
You who after taking the earth in your tusks,
Started lifting it up and it appeared,
As if it is a small piece of the root of grass,
And you appeared with a grossly large body,
And you who emerged from the ocean,
With the water being churned greatly,
Please save me from this disease. 12.10

Dasakam - 13: Killing of Hiranyaksha

[The fight of the boar incarnation with Hiranyaksha and his destruction.]

Then your devotee Narada, who was well versed in diplomacy,
Oh God who blesses, managed to reach Hiranyaksha,
Who was running searching for you and standing in knee deep deluge water,
And praised in a muted voice, his valour and belittled your prowess and strength. 13.1

He told the asura, "That enchanter Vishnu has stolen the earth that was yours,
Oh Lord, alas, alas, this should never happen like this",
Then that Asura asked roaring "Where is He? Where is He?"
And then following the path indicated by the sage,
Found you, who was getting out of the water, carrying the earth on your tusk. 13.2

Ignoring the asura who was telling "Alas, this is an animal",
And also berating you with very abusive words,
Oh Lord, you seeing that the world at the end of your tusk was trembling with fear,
Put the earth in a stable place outside the water,
And immediately without any hesitation, prepared for war with him. 13.3

When the Asura came for a war with a mace,
You also armed yourself with a huge mace,
And when in the war the sound "Ghata, Ghata",
Filled the sky all over and when the devas,
Curious to see the war came in droves,
And Lord Brahma reminded you that he should be killed before dusk. 13.4

In the fight with the mace, surprisingly when your mace,
Fell down in to the earth due to the hit by the mace of the asura,
To the surprise of every one, you smiled softly,
Meditated and summoned the Sudarsana Chakra,
Which was famous for exterminating asuras,
And held that in your arms and faced the asura. 13.5

The asura blinded with anger prepared to jump on you with a spear,
And you cut it off using the chakra that you held in your hand,
And then he became more angry and using his clenched fists,
Started hurting you by hitting at you, besides he used his magical powers,
Capable of surprising the world and thought that he can hurt you. 13.6

When all those magical tactics were destroyed by the embers from your Chakra,
He, who was ignorant, blinded by extreme rage started hitting at you,
You gave him a mighty blow, in the base of his ear with the thumb of your feet. 13.7

That Asura with very huge body, having received your kick,
Fell down with blood gushing out of his mouth,
And the sages appreciated your act of killing the bad people,
And also due to the uninterrupted great joy that they had,
They made you the personification of fire sacrifices,
And again praised you, with very many meaningful words. 13.8

Oh greatest God, Your skins are the meters like Gayathri,
Your hair are the Durba grass, your eyes are the ghee used in sacrifice,
Your four legs are four sages performing the fire sacrifice,
Your face is Sruk, the sacrificial vessel meant for storing ghee,
Your stomach is Ida the vessel used for storing Puroda offering,
Your tongue are the vessels for storing Soma Rasa,
Your ears are the vessels meant for drinking the soma juice,
And your semen is the holy Soma juice itself,
And in your neck are the sacrificial rites called Upasads. 13.9

You with a delighted mind, after having heard this praise of the sages,
With a very huge body and shining with the great fame,
Reached Vaikunta which was your own place,
Oh Lord of Guruvayur, you are the same joyful killer of Madhu,
And be pleased to completely stop all diseases affecting me. 13.10

Dasakam - 14: Incarnation of Kapila

[The story of Kardhama and the minor incarnation of Sage Kapila.]

Manu the son of Lord Brahma, meditating on your lotus like feet,
Singing the stories of your incarnations, completed,
His period of seventy one, four fold yugas without any problem. 14.1

During that time Kardhama who was created,
In the image of Lord Brahma himself,
According to the suggestion given by Brahma,
Got interested in the process of creation,
And did penance for ten thousand years,
Meditating on you who is very handsome. 14.2

Oh Lord, you with pretty colour of the cloud rode on Garuda
Holding playfully a lotus flower and was radiant with a pleasing smile,
And you appeared before the Kardhama by your divine grace. 14.3

You gave Kardhama, who was enraptured on seeing you,
And who was singing your praises the boon of marrying Manu's daughter,
And also blessed him to get nine daughters and a son called Kapila and vanished. 14.4

As per the advice of Sage Narada which was as per your prompting,
Swayambhuva Manu along with his queen Satha roopi,
Along with his daughter Devahuthi went to Kardhama who was awaiting them. 14.5

That Kardhama when he was given Devahuthi
Who was a jewel among women, by Manu,
Got happy and contended with devotion to you,
And lavished love on her due to her great affectionate service. 14.6

Kardhama with the power that he got by worshipping you,
In the plane constructed by himself as per the wishes of his dear wife,
Journeyed and enjoyed romantic pleasures with her,
Assuming nine forms and being surrounded by celestial maidens. 14.7

Later that Kardhama after spending one hundred years,
Begot nine very pretty daughters,
And intended to go to forest to do penance,
But stayed at home so that you would be born to him. 14.8

You were born to Devahuthi as Sage Kapila
To teach the philosophy of the supreme soul
And Devahuthi was drowned in your service,
According to the advice of her husband. 14.9

Oh Lord of Guruvayur, who was born as sage Kapila,
With your birth the very satisfied Kardhama left to the forest,
And you, who took up the task of teaching our religious principles,
To your mother, may please cure me of all diseases. 14.10

Dasakam - 15: Teachings of Kapila

[Sage Kapila teaches Philosophy to his mother Devahuthi. This occurs in the third chapter of Bhagawatham. Each verse is a summary of one chapter.]

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"If one is interested in worldly pleasures,
Then intelligence binds you to this world,
But if one is not interested in these aspects,
Intelligence will lead one to ultimate salvation.
The path of devotion prevents attachment to pleasures,
And this devotion can be earned by company of great people." 15.1

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"From the man who has clearly understood,
The division of innate principles of existence,
Namely basic nature, intelligence, egoism,
The five subtle bases,* the five bhootha elements,
The mind, the ten organs of sensation** and the supreme soul,
Maya, the illusion completely goes away." 15.2
* Subtle bases are Sound, touch, form, taste and smell.

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"The soul is not affected by nature,* that is the birth and death process,
But if nature shows attachment to the soul*, its qualities will influence the soul,
So think and understand the principle of devotion to me,
And this would make attachment to nature vanish." 15.3
* Nature - Prakruthi; Soul - Purusha.

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"After making your mind pure by practicing different yogaasanas,*
Practice meditating on me who am sitting on Garuda,
Armed with divine weapons and decorated with divine ornaments.
And coloured blue like a blue lotus flower" 15.4
* Yama, Niyama, Asana and Pranayama

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"Hearing my stories and great attributes, singing my names,
And meditating on my form would create the great devotion,
Which is a phenomenon of the mind, similar to the flow of Ganges,
And this type of devotion even wins over death." 15.5

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"Alas, alas, he who does not have devotion to me,
With money that he has earned by troubling other beings,
Spends time in looking after his home and family,
Obeying the wishes of women plays with children,
And gets attached to home and later suffers sorrow in hell." 15.6

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"Though at the time of suffering inside the womb of women,
One gets wisdom, as soon as one is born, this is lost,
And after spending a childhood hood full of miseries,
When one becomes a youth, he again gets in to the net of passion." 15.7

Oh God, you as Kapila told to Devahuthi thus,
"A householder who performs virtuous deeds,
and also satisfies devas and manes by proper worship,
Goes through the southern path, and when his merits,
Are exhausted he falls back on earth to live again,
But he who surrenders to me and does all deeds,
Without expecting anything in return,
Goes out by the northern path and salvation." 15.8

Once she understood what is needed, you blessed Devahuthi,
Who prayed to you and you started your journey with other yogis,
And Devahuthi whose mind became pure,
Attained salvation through the path of devotion,
And you for the good of the people are,
Staying even now in the north eastern part of our country. 15.9

Oh God who is great, what is the use of telling too much?,
You again and again tell that, the devotion to your lotus like feet
Removes all fears, and fulfills all desires, and so Oh Lord of Guruvayur,
Please cure all my diseases and bless me to have devotion to you. 15.10

Dasakam - 16: Incarnation of Narayana and Yaga of Daksha

[The minor incarnations of Nara and Narayana and also the Fire sacrifice conducted by Daksha Prajapathi.]

Daksha Prajapathi, the son of Brahma married Prasoothi,
Who was the daughter of Swayambhuva Manu and begot,
Sixteen daughters and out of them he gave thirteen of them,
In marriage to Dharma deva, daughter Swadha to the manes,
Daughter Swaha to fire God and daughter Sathi to Lord Shiva. 16.1

From Moorthi, the wife of Dharma deva, you were born,
As Nara and Narayana with great splendour,
And fit to be worshipped by the entire world,
And becoming happy by this, all the devas, sang your praises
Played musical instruments and rained flowers. 16.2

Nara and Narayana who were you yourself,
Took turns and destroyed the asura called Sahasra Kavacha,
Who wore one thousand armours,
As for cutting each of which one has,
To do thousand years penance and thousand years war,
By cutting one by one all his armours,
And killing him when only one armour was left. 16.3

After the killing of Sahasra Kavacha, you along with Nara,
Lived in Badrika hermitage practicing and teaching the path of salvation.
Then Indra getting jealous of your innate peace and great strength,
Send the God of love with several celestial maidens to disturb you. 16.4

The God of love along with his friends, spring season and southerly wind,
Beat you with the arrow like erotic glances and movements of the maidens,
And saw that you were unmoved and unperturbed and became afraid,
And to him you told with a pleasing smile thus. 16.5

Then you told, "Hey God of love, Hey spring, Hey celestial maidens,
Do not be afraid and receive a present from me here"
And then you showed them your lady servants, standing all around,
Who were praising you, to god of love and others. 16.6

The God of love and his companions, who had come there to allure you,
Were themselves captivated by the sweet smell being spread by your servants,
And then you presented them a lady, who could subdue the pride of all celestial ladies,
And who was named as Urvasi and they accepted her with deep shame. 16.7

Indra after seeing Urvasi and also after hearing about you,
And realizing your greatness became very much worried,
And oh Grantor of boons, this incarnation which is peaceful and pretty,
Can only be surpassed by another of your incarnations, that of Krishna. 16.8

Daksha who was greatly indulged by Brahma,
Became blinded by arrogance due to,
The predominance of Rajasic qualities,
Alas did not have respect even for you.
Due to this he started hating Shiva,
Who is only another form of yours,
And in the fire sacrifice belittling you,
Insulted his own daughter Sathi. 16.9

That Daksha's sacrifice was destroyed by Lord Shiva,
And his head was also cut off, and later due to prayer,
Of devas, Lord Shiva gave back Daksha his life,
And was able to complete the sacrifice he has started,
And he also got back his peace of mind,
And Oh Lord of Guruvayur, who gives peace to all,
Please be kind enough to protect me. 16.10

Dasakam - 17: Story of Dhruva

[The story of the penance of the boy named Dhruva, who was the son of King Uthanapada.]

To King Uthanapada, the son of Swayambhuva Manu,
His wife Suruchi became extremely dear to him,
And Sunithi, who was another’s wife, was not liked by him,
And since Sunithi did not have any other go,
She forever surrendered to you. 17.1

Once seeing Uthama, the darling son of Suruchi sitting on his father's lap,
When Dhruva, the son Of Sunithi started to climb in to his father's lap also,
Suruchi it seems scolded him a lot, and is it not true,
That people who do not have devotion to you are affected by lot of jealousy. 17.2

Dhruva who was deeply upset by the great words of scolding,
In front of the father who has become a slave due to infatuation to Suruchi,
Went and approached his mother who told him that,
To those affected by fate you are the only refuge. 17.3

He, who was only five year old at that time, due to his self-respect,
Hearing the words of his mother, decided to worship you,
And left the city and after meeting the great sage Narada on the way,
Learned from him your mantra and method of worship,
And went to the forest called Madhuvana and worshipped you. 17.4

Your father became repentant and sad and Sage Narada,
Who came to the town consoled him and he became peaceful,
And the boy completely concentrating his mind on you,
Step by step intensified the rigour of the penance for the next five months. 17.5

When the intensity of that great penance increased,
All beings were not able to breath by its intensity,
And Oh Lord, as per request of devas, with a heart overflowing with mercy,
You appeared before Dhruva, who was completely dissolved in your divine form. 17.6

With heart filled with the nectar of your divine form,
And with the joy which was creating waves in his mind,
He wanted to praise you suitably, and you knowing this,
Caressed his cheeks using your conch. 17.7

With the mind purified by the enlightenment due to the touch,
He sang your praises in great way and in great quantity,
And understanding the thoughts in his mind, you told him,
"Hey Dhruva, enjoy kingship for a long time and attain the highest abode." 17.8

After you vanished, after telling him like this,
That Dhruva who was a prince went back to his town,
Making all the people there extremely happy,
And later when his father entered Vanaprastha stage,
He took up the burden of kingship, and due to your blessing,
He fulfilled all your wishes and lived happily for a long time. 17.9

Hey God, when afterwards a Gandharva killed his brother Uthama,
That Dhruva engaged in war with that Yaksha,
And stopped the fight as per the advice of Swayambhuva Manu,
And for that Kubhera the king of Yakshas, who was pleased with his forbearing nature,
Offered him a boon and the great Dhruva, wanted only stable devotion towards you. 17.10

When he neared the end of his life, he rode in a plane brought by your people,
And went along with his mother and occupied the land of Dhruva and is there even now,
Oh Lord of Guruvayur, you who are interested in thus protecting your devotees,
May please be kind enough to completely remove all my diseases. 17.11

Dasakam - 18: Story of Pruthu

[The story of King Prathu, who was the son of Vena, was a bad king. He is also considered as a minor incarnation of Lord Vishnu.]

To the famous king of Anga, who was born in Dhruva's dynasty,
A wicked son called Vena was born and that king disgusted,
By his wickedness, went to the forest after dedicating his mind in you. 18.1

Since in spite of his wickedness, he was very strong,
The people of his country made him their king,
And this Vena praised by everyone about his strength,
Put an end to all the sacrificial rites which are dear to you. 18.2

When all the sages joined together and approached him,
To tell what is good for him, he told them that,
Except him there is no other lord in this world and,
Berated you with wile and hurting words,
And the great sages enraged by it,
Cursed and killed him, like a moth in the fire. 18.3

Being afraid of tyranny in the kingdom because of Strong Vena's death,
The sages churned the pillar like thigh of the body of Vena kept by his mother,
And removed all the dark sins committed by him,
And later when they churned his ramrod arms, you arose from that. 18.4

You were born as the very famous Pruthu,
And you were praised and sang about by soothsayers,
Who also told that in future you would become valorous,
And you as per the advice of the great sages,
Fought with the earth, who had swallowed all wealth during Vena's time,
And recovered all of it, by leveling the earth by the tip of your bow. 18.5

Then you arranged for the chief of different clans, to be made calves by devas,
And in the vessels that were suited to them, devas were allowed,
To milk the earth which was made in to a cow, whatever food that they needed. 18.6

Oh God who is everywhere in the three worlds,
When you were worshipping your own self by fire sacrifices,
And when you started to perform the hundredth Aswamedha,
The jealous Indra with hundred eyes, assumed the form of a lowly barbarian,
And stole your horse and he became defeated by your own sons. 18.7

The sages decided to sacrifice this Indra who stole horses frequently,
And decided to sacrifice him in the fire and Brahma prevented them,
And when later when the fire sacrifice was over, you yourself,
Saw in yourself the all-pervading form of Lord Vishnu. 18.8

Oh Lord, along with boon of steadfast devotion to him given by Vishnu,
When you were seated on the banks of Ganges,
And were engaged in giving counsel to the sages assembled for a sacrifice,
You saw in front of you the great sages called Sanaka and others. 18.9

Following the advice of Sanaka and other sages,
You as Pruthu understood the divine knowledge,
And went to do penance and you became yourself.
Oh God who is the Lord of Guruvayur, you,
Who assumed the form of Pruthu,
May please remove all my diseases immediately. 18.10

Dasakam - 19: Story of Prachethas

[The story of princess called Prachethas, who was born in the clan of Prathu.]

The son of the great grand-son of Pruthu, Pracheenabarhiss,
Who was very charitable and interested in Yagas,
Begot in his wife Sathadruthi, sons called Prachethas who were pure hearted,
And appeared as if they were young sprigs of your mercy. 19.1

According to the direction of their father engaged in the creation,
Prepared to do penance about you, those ten Prachethas,
Reached the shores of Western Ocean,
And there they say a very pretty lotus lake.* 19.2
* The lake in front of Mummiyur Temple, Guruvayur

Then for seeing Prachethas who were your devotees,
Lord Shiva, who is one of your great devotees,
Came to that sacred waters and
Appeared before Prachethas,
and taught them a prayer* addressed to you. 19.3
* Rudra Geetham

Then those Prachethas chanted that prayer,
Inside water for ten thousand years,
After serving you, and they,
Being interested in enjoying,
Your name in their mind,
Spent several years in penance
Unlike in the case of Dhruva. 19.4

Due to the increasing strength of their penance,
Though he was interested in hurting animals in Yagas,
Their father also was purified and after learning,
The principle of Athma from Sage Narada,
Who visited their house, he merged with you. 19.5

Due to the power of mercy, you appeared before Prachethas,
Riding on Garuda and along with eight arms,
Holding shiningly radiant weapons like the holy wheel,
And with extremely dazzling light. 19.6

Then without even their asking you showered boons on them,
Due to your great mercy and told them that,
"Let even your memory give all good things to all beings,
And let the Rudra Geetha that you sung fulfill all their desires." 19.7

He continued, joyfully "After marrying Marisha, the daughter of the trees,
You would enjoy life for one million years and,
You would beget a son called Daksha and,
Then afterwards you would attain me." 19.8

After that the Prachethas started burning the trees,
That have covered the entire earth and Brahma stopped them,
And then they got the daughter brought up by the trees as their wife
And lived for a long time, as Indicated by you. 19.9

Then the Prachethas after begetting a son called Daksha,
Carried out several Yagas and using the knowledge given by Narada,
And attained salvation and divine joy and Oh God, Oh lord of Guruvayur,
You who are mighty like this may protect me. 19.10

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