Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -9

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Prayers to the
Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -9
Narayaneeyam, considered to
be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur Narayanabhattathiri,  is a masterly summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034 sanskrit slokas of
great poetic merit.  The whole work is
divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end
of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was
completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala
. In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions
and restore his health.  .        
Given below is the collection of last slokas from Daskasmn  81 to 90 of this great devotional work with a
prosaic translation in English.  A brief
note on the contents of each dasaka is also given, where possible, to
put the slokas in context.   
दशकम्-८१ श्लोकसंख्या-१० 
Krishna, along with Satyabhama, attended the marriage of Draupadi.
He stayed with the Pandavas at Hastinapura for sometime for their happiness. He then established the city of Indraprastha and came
back to Dwaraka.  Arjuna, in the guise of
a sanyasi,  abducted and
married  Krishna’s sister Subhadra whose
hand had been promised to Duryodhana by Balaram.  Arjuna had the tacit consent of Krishna who
somehow pacified an enraged Balaram. Krishna then went to Indrapastha along
with Arjuna, Subhadra and Balaram to show his affection for Arjuna and the other
Pandavas. While at Indraprastha Krishna met Kalindi on the banks of Yamuna and
married her. He helped Arjuna to burn the Khandava Forest to propitiate
Agni.  Krishna also married Mitravinda
who was deeply in love with him but was afraid of her brothers.  Satya, daughter of Nagnajit,  was won by Krishna after tethering seven
powerful bulls simultaneously, taking seven different bodies. Krishna also
married Bhadra whose hand was offered by her brothers. Riding on Garuda with
Satyabhama seated on his lap and breaking the forts Krishna massacred Mura’s
army making Pragjyotishapuram a city with blood flowing. Five-headed Mura rose
up from the waters of the sea threatening Krishna who cut off his head by his ckakra.  Narakasura who came with sixty five
four-tusked elephants also met the same fate as Mura.  Praised by Bhumi, Krishna crowned Bhagadatta,
son of Narakasura, as the king.  Narakasura
had kept in captivity sixteen thousand young women who loved Krishna and had
taken refuge in him.  They  were released from captivity  by Krishna and sent to Dwaraka. The
four-tusked elephants were also sent to Dwarka except the one gifted to
Bhagadatta.  Krishna  then went to swargaloka  with Satyabhama to give Aditi her ear globes
snatched by Naraksura. They were welcomed and honoured by Indra. Satyabhama was
the envy of celestial damsels whom the former excelled in beauty.. Krishna forcibly
took with him the Kalpavriksha from heaven after subduing an angered
Indra. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:
कल्पद्रुं सत्यभामाभवनभुवि सृजन् द्व्यष्टसाहस्रयोषाः
स्वीकृत्य प्रत्यगारं विहितबहुवपुर्लालयन् केलिभेदैः  ।
आश्चर्यान्नारदालोकितविविधगतिस्तत्र तत्रापि गेहे
भूयः सर्वासु कुर्वन् दश दश तनयान् पाहि वातालयेश ॥८१.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayur! You planted the kalpataru in the backyard of
Satyabhama’s residence. You married the sixteen thousand young women rescued
from the captivity of Narakasura, put them in separate houses, kept them in
good humour by your playful activities and, taking as many forms,  you surprised Narada by being with each of one
of those wives in their respective houses, engaged in various mundane
activities. You also fathered in each of them ten sons each. O Lord! save me
(from my ailments)
दशकम्-८२ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Pradyumna, son of Krishna born of Rukmini ,
was abducted by Shambara. Pradyumna killed  Shambara and, along with Rati, returned to
Dwaraka  and abducted the daughter of
Rukmi.  Aniruddha, Pradyumna’s son of
excellent qualities, married the grand daughter of Rukmi. Krishna attended this
wedding where Balarama killed Rukmi because of a quarrel in the game of dice.
Bana, son of Mahabali and a devotee of Lord Siva had one thousand hands.  His daughter Usha had, in a dream, intimate
relations with Aniruddha whom she had never seen before.  She fell madly in love with him and pined for
him.  Her maid Chitralekha  drew pictures of eligible young men for her.
Usha recognised Arniruddha in one of the pictures.   Chitralekha brought Aniruddha to Usha by her
yogic powers and the couple spent time together in secret. Bana got wind of
this and imprisoned Aniruddha.  This news
was brought to Krishna by Narada. 
Krishna attacked Shonitapuram, capital city of Bana, with the Yadava
army. Shiva, guarding the fort,  fought
back with his bhuthaganas.  Bana
engaged Satyaki in battle. Kumara, Siva’s son, fought Pradyumna and Krishna
himself took on Siva. Krishna countered all of Siva’s astras until Siva
fell into a swoon by the mohanastra sent by Krishna.  Shiva’s bhuthaganas fled in fear.  Bana fought valiantly with five hundred bows
but all the bows were broken and his hands were being cut one after another. Shiva
jwara was overcome by Vishnu jwara. All of a sudden Siva regained
consciousness,   sang praises of Krishna and requested Krishna
to leave Bana, whose sins had been purged, with two hands on each side. Krishna
relented and,  honoured by Bana, returned
to Dwaraka with Aniruddha and Usha who were joined in wedlock. Bhattathiri
Concludes this dasaka with the following
sloka:  
द्विजरुषा कृकलासवपुर्धरं
नृगनृपं त्रिदिवालयमापयन् ।
निजजने द्विजभक्तिमनुत्तमा-
मुपदिशन् पवनेश्वर! पाहि माम् ॥८२.१०॥
King Nriga, cursed by a brahmana, had taken the body of a huge
lizard and was trapped in a well.  O Lord
of Guruvayoor! You took him out of the well and despatched  him to heaven advising  your own people about the importance of
showing reverence to brahmanas.  Please
save me (from my ailments)
दशकम्-८३ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Paundraka Vasudeva king of Kurusha thought (or imagined) that he
was an incarnation of Narayana himself. He carried, on his body,  the distinguishing marks of Mahavishnu like srivatsa
(created by a red hot iron or some other metal), a huge discus made of
iron, kaustubha represented by a precious stone, ear globes (kundalas)
and yellow silk garments.  He sent a messenger
to Krishna with the message that he (Paundraka) was the real incarnation of
Mahavishnu and Krishna should give up all those distinguishing marks of Vishnu
and surrender himself to Paundraka. After the messenger left Krishna came to
Paudraka with the Yadava army when Paundraka flung his discus at Krishna who
cut off Paundraka’s head with his Sudarsana chakra and destroyed his
army. Paundraka, though he challenged Krishna, had mentally identified himself
with Mahavishnu. Killed by Krishna he merged in Krishna attaining Sayuja
Mukti.   Sudakshina, son of the King
of Kasi, created  Kritya, a fiery
malevolent entity by abhichara (black magic), to kill Krishna who
flung his Sudarshana chakra at it.  The
chakra chased the terrible Kritya which, crying hoarse and enraged,  went back and burnt Sudakshina himself. The
city of Kashi was also destroyed by Krishna’s chakra. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following
sloka:
   .       
सांबं कौरव्यपुत्रीहरणनियमितं सान्त्वनार्थी कुरूणां
यातस्तद्वाक्यरोषाlद्धृतकरिनगरो मोचयामास रामः ।
ते घात्याः पाण्डवेयैरिति यदुपृतनां नामुचस्त्वं तदानीम्
तं त्वां दुर्बोधलीलं पवनपुरपते तापशान्त्यै निषेवे ॥८३.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayur!  Samba,
son of Krishna by Jambavati,  abbducted
Lakshana, daughter of Duryodhana but was caught and incarcerated by the
Kauravas. Balarama  went to the Kauravas
to mollify them but enraged by their words threatened destruction of
Hastinapura.  However, Samba was released
and Balarama left the matter at that thinking that it was for the Pandavas  to kill the Kaurawas. O Lord of
Guruvayur!  who can understand your
leelas? I take refuge in you for the removal from my afflictions.  
दशकम्-८४ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
During a solar eclipse Krishna, leaving Kritavarma and Aniruddha
for the defence of Dwaraka, left for Samanthapanchaka, a place well known for a
holy dip during the solar eclipse, along with yadavas and their
womenfolk..  Krishna, for the welfare of
all, himself took a holy dip, gave cash as dakshina to brahmins and mingled
with Pandavas, Kauravas and other friends. Hearing from the wives of Krishna
the manner in which Krishna had married them, 
Draupadi was very pleased as also the other women in the group. Then
Krishna, seeing the gopas went to them and eagerly met with the gopis whose
bodies had become wafer thin as they were pining in separation from Krishna.
The sight of Krishna was a virtual carnival for the gopis whose heart had been
stolen by Krishna who found again the joy of nestling in their familiar
bosoms.  Embracing Radha, Krishna
consoled  her saying that so much delay
was caused because of the fights with enemies. 
Radha, deeply in love, lost herself in Krishna who imparted to the
gopis, who had by this time overcome the pangs of separation, the knowledge
that He was the Sachidanandaswarupa Atman  in all beings. 
Gopis realised the truth of this in their lives and experienced the
bliss of Krishna Consciousness. The Rishis made Vasudeva perform a Yaga, for
the removal of all difficulties and for the benefit of all. The yaga lasted for
three months during which period the gopis enjoyed the company of Krishna. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following
sloka:  
   
     
व्यपगमसमये समेत्य राधां
दृढमुपगुह्य निरीक्ष्य
वीतखेदाम्।
प्रमुदितहृदयः पुरं
प्रयातः
पवनपुरेश्वर! पाहि मां गदेभ्यः ॥८४.११॥
When it was time for taking leave, You went to
Radha and firmly embraced her.  Seeing
her free from sorrow, your heart was filled with joy and  you then left for Dwaraka. O Lord of
Guruvayoor! save me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-८५ श्लोकसंख्या-११
Jarasandha, 
king of Magadha, had kept in captivity twenty thousand and eight hundred
kings and was toturing them.  Without
anyone to turn to for help, they sent a messenger to Krishna begging him to put
an end to Jaransandha.  When Krishna was
preparing to attack Jarasandha with his army, Narada came and informed him of
YudhiShthira’s  preparations for a Rajasuya  Yaga.  Making
up his mind that both these events could be accomplished simultaneously,
Krishna proceeded to Indraprastha, the capital city of Yudhishthira.  The reason was that before starting the
Rajasuya Yaga Jarasandha had to be defeated any way.   YudhiShthira
was happy when Krisha came with his wives. 
Yudhishthira had scored victory over all the other kings except
Jarasandha.  He therefore entrusted  this job to Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna.  The three of them went to Jarasandha in the
guise of  brahmins  and asked for a duel from him with any one of
the three.  Jarasandha, who respected
brahmins, readily agreed and chose Bhima as the opponent.  It was a terrible duel and Bhima was finding
it difficult to cope. Then Krishna by signs told Bhima that he should
vertically cleave into two parts Jarasandha’s body in order to kill him.  Bhima did accordingly and sent Jarasandha to
the abode of  Yama. Krishna released all
those kings kept in captivity by Jarasandha and asked them to go back to their
respective kingdoms and look after their subjects.
Krishna took active part in the Rajasuya Yaga
by washing the feet of brahmins etc. Fortunate indeed was Yudhishthira. The
question arose who should be honoured by agrapuja in Rajasuya.  Sahadeva suggested Krishna’s name and this
was accepted by all except Sisupala who opposed it denigrating Krishna.
Pandavas took up cudgels against him but Krishna checked them and himself cut
off Sisupala’s head with his chakra. 
Sisupala merged with Krishna as he was continuously thinking of Krishna
only for three births albeit as an enemy.
Rajasuya was successfully completed and cries of joy arose from the people
‘victory to Yudhishthira’ and ‘victory to Krishna’.  However, Duryodhana was green wth envy seeing
the prosperity and success of the Pandavas. 
He was confounded in the hall constructed by Maya for Yudhishthira.  Areas with water appeared to him as dry land
whereas dry areas appeared as full of water. The result was funny. He appeared
to wade through water, careful not to wet his clothes, while walking  on dry area. 
On the other hand he walked freely on areas with water as if  it were dry land.  It was real funny.
Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following slokq.
.तदा हसितमुत्थितं द्रुपदनन्दिनीभीमयो-
रपाङ्गकलया विभो! किमपि तावदुज्जृंभयन् ।
धराभरनिराकृतौ सपदि नाम बीजं वपन्
जनार्दन! मरुत्पुरीनिलय! पाहि मामामयात् ॥८५.११॥
The funny scene created by Duryodhana
generated uncontrollable laughter in Draupadi and Bhima which Krishna
encouraged on the sly by his sidelong glances. This way Krishna sowed the seed
for the great war of Mahabharata,  happy
that the purpose of his incarnation, that of reducing the burden of the wicked
on Mother Earth, was soon to be accomplished. O Janardana! Lord of Guruvayoor!
save me from my illness.
दशकम्-८६ श्लोकसंख्या-११
Salva who was defeated by the cadaver forces
during the marriage of Rimini obtained a viand (air plane) from Lord Shiva and attacked
Wanaka when Krishna was in the country of Korus. Pradyumna fought him with the
Yadu army and killed his valiant minister Dyumna.  The battle lasted for 27 days. By this time Krishna
reached Dwaraka along with Balarama and attacked Salva whose army had been
decimated. Salva broke the bow sharnga of Krishna and killed before his
very eyes the illusory body of Vasudeva created by his magical powers.  Some say Krishna for a second thought it was
real but Vyasa does not agree with this view. Saubha was pulverised by the mace
of Krishna and cast into the sea and Salva also fell with his neck cut off by
the chakra of Krishna. Dantavaktra attacked Krishna with his mace;  Krishna killed with his mace Kaumodaki.  Like Sisupala he also merged with Krishna
whose incarnation was for the liberation of those who always had the Lord in
their hearts.  YudhiShthira lost Draupadi
in a game of dice between him and Duryodhana’s uncle Sakuni, master of
deception in the game.  Draupadi was
dragged into the sabha (assembly) and Dussasana pulled at her robes.  She frantically clutched her robes but it was
of no avail. Helpless,  she cried out her
heart in anguish to Krishna to save her honour.  Krishna heard her call and while Dussasana
kept pulling at the robes of Draupadi, unending lengths of clothing unwound
from Draupadi’s body.  Exhausted
Dussasana gave up the effort. Thus did Krishna save Draupadi’s honour.
On another occasion during the stay of
Pandavas in the forest, Durvasa arrived as a guest after Draupadi had partaken
of the food from the Akshayapatra, after which the Akshayapatra
automatically becomes empty. Draupadi was afraid of the anger of Durvasa.
Krishna came to her rescue and ate the remnants from the Akshayapatra.
Durvasa and his disciples had the feeling of
eaten a sumptuous meal.  Thus was
Draupadi saved from her predicament.  
When preparations were on for a war, Arjuna
opted for Krishna alone on his side while Duryodhana chose to have whole of the
army of Krishna.  Arjuna sent Krishna as
emissary of the Pandavas to Hastinapura where Krishna spoke, on behalf of the
Pandavas.  While Bhishma, Drona and others
accepted the proposals of Krishna, Duryodhana was adamant and refused to yield
even as much land as could accommodate the tip of a needle.  Krishna then revealed his cosmic form which
terrified the city of Hastinapura. 
When Arjuna, seeing Bhima, Drona and others
ready to fight in the opposite camp, was overcome by the feeling of pity at
that thought that he was out to kill them. Krishna told him that there was no
death for the atman  which is
eternal, only the body dies. None can kill and none can be killed. Forget the
fear of killing and and, with your mind fixed in me, engage in this righteous
war for dharma which is the duty of a kshatriya.  Krishna reveals to Arjuna his cosmic form and
restored him to his normal state, ready to do Krishna’s bid.
Bhishma, a staunch devotee of Krishna, was
killing tens of thousands of kings daily and even Arjuna was tired of fighting.  Then, Krishna, hreaking his promise of not
taking up weapons in this war, jumped from the chariot and ran towards Bhishma
with his sudarshana chakra, as if in a rage,  but Bhishma 
(who had vowed that he would make Krishna take up arms in the war)
simply saluted Krishna, with palms of his hands held together at his heart and
his bent in reverence.
In the fight with Drona, Krishna accepted on
his breast the Vishnavastra aimed at Arjuna by Bhagadutta. Arjuna had vowed to
kill Jayadratha by sunset and the latter went into hiding awaiting sunset.  Krishna, by the brilliance of his chakra, hid
the rays of the sun. Thinking the sun had set Jayadratha appeared on the scene
and Arjuna killed him fulfilling his vow.
When Karna aimed his Nagastra at Arjuna,
Krishna made the earth sink a few inches allowing the nagastra only to knocked off the crown on the
head of Arjuna.
Ashwathama killed the sons of Draupadi when they  were asleep. 
Arjuna, on the advise of Krishna, defused the Brahmastra of Ashwathama
but still it still entered the womb of Uttara, wife of Abhimanyu. Krishna,
taking a miniscule form, entered the womb and with his chakra and
protected the child in the womb.
Bhattathiri concludes this chapter with the
following sloka:  
धर्मौघं धर्मसूनोरभिदधदखिलं छन्दमृत्युः स भीष्म-
स्त्वां पश्यन् भक्तिभूम्नैवहि सपदि ययौ निष्कलब्रह्मभूयम् ।
संयाज्याश्वमेधैस्त्रिभिरतिमहितैर्धर्मजं पूर्णकामं
संप्राप्तो द्वारकां त्वं पवनपुरपते पाहि मां सर्वरोगात् ॥८६. ११॥
Bhishma, who could will when he would die, lay on a bed of arrows
awaiting Uttarayana, when the Sun turns North. Requested by
Yudhishthira, he told the former all that was to be known about dharma.
When the Sun turned North he gave up his mortal body and merged in Brahman, all
the time seeing before his very eyes the Your captivating form.  You made Yudhishthira perform three more
ashwamedha yagas which made the latter happy and fulfilled.  O Lord of Grurvayoor! free me from my
ailments.
दशकम्-८७ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Kuchela was a brahmin who was a classmate of
Krishna at the gurukula of Sandeepani. He was greatly devoted to Krishna
and had no desire for material things. 
He led the life of a householder,  at peace with himself and the world.  His wife, though equally good at heart, had
not as much self control.  She once asked
her husband why he should not approach Krishna, consort of Lakshmi and a boyhood
friend of his for wherewithal of a reasonable living.  Thus requested by his wife who was famished
with hunger,  though detesting wealth
which makes one conceited and vain, Kuchela set out on his journey to Dwaraka
prompted by a strong desire to see Krishna. 
He carried with him a fistful of flattened rice given by his wife tied
in a piece of cloth as a humble offering to his friend.  He reached the wondrous city of Dwaraka and
entered the house of Rukmini, consort of 
Krishna, and felt as if he had come to VaikunTha, the abode of
Mahavishnu.  He was overwhelmed by the
loving care, affection and honour with which he was received by Krishna.  Taking Kuchela’s hands in his,  Krishna recalled their stay at Sandeepani’s gurukula
 and how once they were caught in the
rain and storm while gathering firewood in the forest and  how they spent the whole night there in the
forest exposed to biting cold winds and how Sandeepani had himself come in the
morning searching for them. Kuchela felt shy of giving such an insignificant
thing as a fistful of flattened rice to Krishna but Krishna himself snatched it
from him and put a handful of flattened rice into his mouth and greatly enjoyed
it. Krishna was about to have another helping of the flattened rice but Rukmini
held his hand saying that one handful was enough to make Kuchela more than a
millionaire. Next morning Kuchela took leave of Krishna without asking for
anything.  On the way Kuchela was telling
himself that Krishna would have surely given him money if he had asked for it.
Now what was he going to tell his wife? He was immersed in thoughts of Krishna,
what he had talked, his smile, his sweet words, the hospitality extended by him
and so on.  Then he came upon a beautiful
house with spacious halls with walls studded with precious stones. He thought
he had lost his way. When he entered the house he saw his wife decked in fine
clothes, wearing ornaments of gold and precious stones,  surrounded by well-dressed maids. Kuchela
realized that this was a bounty from Krishna for a fistful of flattened rice
offered with love and devotion.
Battathiri concludes this dasaka with the
following sloka:
स रत्नशालासु वसन्नपि स्वयं
समुन्नमत्भक्तिभरोऽमृतं ययौ ।
त्वमेवमापूरितभक्तवाञ्छितो
मरुत्पुराधीश हरस्व मे गदान् ॥८७.१०॥
Though living in a house of large halls
studded with precious stones, Kuchela was supremely detached and full of loving
devotion to You and he attained immortality merging in you.  O Lord of Guruvayoor who fulfils the wishes
of your devotees! free me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-८८ श्लोकसंख्या-१२
Devaki, who had already heard about Krishna
bringing back Sandeepani’s son who was dead, expressed a desire to see her six
sons who were killed by Kamsa. Krishna went to Sutala where Mahabali entrusted
them to Krishna. They were originally sons of Mareechi who, by the curse of
Brahma, were born sons of Hiranya Kashipu and in their next birth they were
born as sons of Vasudeva by Devaki and were killed by Kamsa.  Devaki was happy to see them who were then
returned to Mahabali.
Krishna, assuming two bodies, visited, at the
same time,  Sruthadeva, a devoted brahmin,  and Bahulashwa, a king also devoted to
Krishna.  Shrutadeva offered him cooked
food and fruits obtained by him by bhiksha and  Bahulashwa treated him with rich royal
food.  Both were accepted with equal
satisfaction by Krishna who blessed both of them.
In Dwaraka, a brahmin complained bitterly of
the death of his sons, eight of them one after the other.  Krishna, for some reason, brushed it aside
saying it was all fate. There was some talk about this among the people. When
Arjuna was in Dwaraka the ninth son also died and hearing the anguished cries
of the brahmin, Arjuna vowed that he would immolate himself in fire if he did
not get the next son of the brahmin alive. Arjuna, without taking Krishna into
confidence, fortified the house of the brahmin with his arrows so that none can
enter the house. Still the ninth son also was lost.  Arjuna, by his yogic powers,  went to the world of Yama, swarga and other
worlds    
but was not successful in getting the
child.  Arjuna proceeded to immolate
himself in fire but Krishna prevented him. 
He took Arjuna in his chariot to Vaikuntha, where they saw Mahavishnu,
clothed in yellow silks, dark as the newly formed cloud, reclining on Adishesha
with Lakshmi attending on him. Mahavishnu told them that he had taken away the
children in order to see them who were his own manifestations in different
bodies. The sons of the brahmin were restored to him by Krishna who had enacted
this drama only to make Arjuna realise that he (Krishna) was pure sattwic
manifestation of the sachidananda Brahman, one without a second
Thus did Krishna delight every one by his
exploits and leelas,  took the
Vrishni clan to greater heights
conducted many yagnas, delighted doe-eyed
women with his playful activities. His incarnation, on the pretext of
unburdening the Earth of the wicked, was really for the liberation of all those
who were devoted to him. 
The non-dual infinite Brahman itself
manifested in all its resplendence, with its plenary powers, in the captivating
of Krishna. Narada, who revelled in the joy of Krishna’s remembrance, stayed in
Dwaraka those days.  He imparted to
Vasudeva the knowledge of the unity of the Atman and the Paramatman,
Brahman.  Uddhava, the foremost among
Krishna’s devotees got this knowledge from Krishna himself.
Bhattatiri concludes this dasaka with the
following sloka:   
सोऽयं कृष्णावतारो जयति तव विभो! यत्र सौहार्दभीति-
स्नेहद्वेषानुरागप्रभृतिभिरतुलैरश्रमैर्योगभेदैः
आर्तिं तीर्त्वासमस्ताममृतपदमगुः सर्वतः सर्वलोकाः
स त्वं विश्वार्तिशान्त्यै पवनपुरपते भक्तिपूर्त्यै च भूयाः ॥८८.१२॥
O Lord of Guruvayoor! This incarnation of
yours as Krishna scores over other incarnations.  Only in this incarnation people got rid of
their afflictions and were liberated by such effortless means as deep
friendship, fear, affection, enmity, love, devotion and such other emotions directed
towards you. O Lord of such greatness!  May
you allay the miseries of the whole world and ripen the devotion in the hearts
of people. 
दशकम्-८९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Lord Krishna does not confer affluence on a
devotee without first ensuring that he has gained control over his mind and
senses. Otherwise, the acquisition of wealth will result in his becoming vain,
conceited and arrogant.  Once the devotee
has achieved control of the mind and senses, the Lord is quick to fulfil his
wishes and there is no question of the devotee slipping from this state.  
Brahma, Siva and other devas are
quickly propitiated and quickly angered. They are propitiated by some according
to their innate nature.  Such people are
short-sighted because of which they slip or deviate from their position,  Vritrasura is an example of such people.  Once he asked Narada who could be easily
propitiated, pleased.  Narada suggested
that he (Vritrasura) propitiate Siva not Vishnu who does not have a friendly
disposition to the bad.  Vritra did
terrible penance and, after seven days, angered that Siva did not appear before
him, he prepared himself to cut off his head. 
Siva appeared before him and Vritra asked of him a silly boon that any
one on whose head he (Vritra) placed his hand should drop dead instantly.  Vritrasura wanted to test the boon by placing
his hand on Siva’s head.  Siva ran in
panic, frequently looking behind,  with
Vritra in hot pursuit. Vishnu saw shiva being pursued by the asura and, taking
the form of a Vatu, accosted Vritra saying “Why are you, O Vritra, deluded by
the words of this ghost, Siva.  If you
have doubt in my words, try placing your hand on your own head”.  Cajoled by vishnu thus, Vritra placed his
hand on his own head and instantly dropped dead. 
Bhrigu was sent by the rishis on the banks of
Saraswati to find out who is the sattwic one among the Trimurtis (the Trinity
of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva).  Brahma
could not tolerate the indifference and want of respect from Bhrigu, his son.
He became angry and was cooled by Narada. 
Siva also could not countenance absence of reverence from Bhrigu and he
was prevented, by his consort Uma, from hurting Bhrigu.  Bhrigu then went to Mahavishnu who was having
a nap with his head on the lap of Lakshmi. 
He kicked Mahavishnu on his chest. 
Vishnu woke up and profusely apologised to Bhrigu and said that he
(Mahvishnu) would ever carry the mark of Bhrigu’s foot on his chest as an
ornament. Thus, coming to the conclusion that Mahavishnu is the most sattwic of
the Trimurtis, Saraswatha rishis attained liberation by loving devotion to his
lotus feet. 
Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the
following sloka:     
 
जगत्सृष्ट्यादौ त्वां निगमनिवहैर्वन्दिभिरिव
स्तुतं विष्णो! सच्चित्परमरसनिर्द्वैतवपुषम्।
परात्मानं भूमन्! पशुपवनिताभाग्यनिवहं
परीतापश्रान्त्यै पवनपुरवासिन् परिभजे ॥८९.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayoor! at the beginning of
creation the Vedas sang your praises as the sachidananda swarupa,  embodiment of Truth, Consciousness and Bliss
and One without a second.  I worship you,
 who is the Paramatma,  who is of immeasurable greatness and the
fortune and joy of the gopis. I pray to you, O Lord,  for the alleviation of my miseries.
दशकम्-९० श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Srimadbhagavata has established the greatness
of Mahavishnu,  over and above Brahma,
Rudra and other devas, in the episodes, among others, of Vritrasura,
bhrigu, Mohini, and Ambarisha. The consciousness which shines through
equally in all beings, whether with form or without form, and which is
indefinable is Mahavishnu, the manifestation of Sachidananda Brahman in
pure sattwic form.   In the five-fold
aspects of Brahman ( according to Saivas)  as the Trimurtis, Ishwara and Sadasiva,
Ishwara  corresponds to that
aspect of Vishnu which abides in vaikuntha and Sadasiva corresponds
to Mahavishnu. Of the Trimurtis Brahma is more rajasic and
less sattwic;
Rudra is predominantly sattwic with a
trace of tamas; only Mahavishnu is purely sattwic. Adi Sankara, who is
impartial, also considered Mahavishnu as above the other aspects of Brahman.
.He wrote a bhashyam  only for
Vishnu sahasranama, not for the sahasranamas of other
deities.  Sankara gave up his mortal body
praising Krishna, the plenary incarnation of Vishnu.  In the beginning of Mantrasastra,  Mahavishnu, dark as the kalaya blossom
and above the Trimurtis, is mentioned as the Lord of all.  It advised meditation on Pranava for  the aspect of Brahman beyond name and form and
meditation on Mahavishnu for the aspect of Brahman with name and form.  In Puranasangraha which is the essence
of all puranas, Mahavishnu is eulogised above all. In the Satyaloka, the
abode of Trimurtis, the position of Vishnu is mentioned as above those
of Brahma and Rudra.
The form revealed to Brahma by Mahavishnu during
the Braahma Kalpa, as mentioned in the second canto of Srimadbhagavatam, is the
one which is called by several names like Hari, Shiva and son.  This is stated by sri Madhave, a staunch
devotee of Siva.  It is evident that he
considered Mahavaishnu above all the other manifestation of Brahman. Eulogising
Siva and putting him above Vishnu in Skanda and other puranas is
for the purpose of not shaking the faith of those who,  according to their innate nature,  worship Shiva and firmly believe that Siva is
the dispenser of the fruits of their actions. This is called Arthavaada
Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka  with the following sloka:             
यत् किञ्चिदप्यविदुषापि विभो मयोक्तं
तन्मन्त्रशास्त्रवचनाद्यभिदृष्टमेव ।
व्यासोक्तिसारमयभागवतोपगीत!
क्लेशान् विधूय कुरु भक्तिभरं परात्मन् ॥९०.११॥
O Lord! Whatever little I,  who am
utterly ignorant,  have said  is as per the words of Mantra sastra
only.  O Lord of Guruvayoor who is
eulogised in Bhagavata which is essence of whatever Vaysa has written
!  fill me with devotion and remove my
sufferings.

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -7

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Prayers to the Lord of
Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -7
Narayaneeyam, considered to be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur
Narayanabhattathiri,  is a masterly
summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034
sanskrit slokas of great poetic merit. 
The whole work is divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end
of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was
completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala
. In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions
and restore his health.  .        
Given
below is the collection of last slokas from Daskasmn  61 to 70 of this great devotional work with a
prosaic translation in English.  A brief
note on the contents of each dasaka is also given, where possible, to
put the slokas in context.   
दशकम्-६१ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
One day Krishna took the cowboys
far away from  Vrindvan with idea of
blessing the wives of the brahmins.  BY
the time they reached the place it was midday and every one was hungry and
thirsty.  Krishna told the cowboys to go
and ask food from the brahmins who were conducting a yagna. The Brahmins
pretended  that they did not hear
anything and kept mum.   The gopas went
back and reported to Krishna.  Krishna
told the gopas to go and tell the wives of the brahmins that Krishna  had come and was asking food for him and his
friends.  As soon as they  heard Krishna’s name, the wives were excited
and immediately went with the gopas with a variety of food preparations and
liquids to drink.  They saw Krishna with
the peacock feather on his hair, Kundalas shining on his cheeks, compassion in
his  eyes with one hand on the shoulder
of a gopa. Krishna  accepted the food
brought with pleasure and persuaded them to go back to their husbands and
complete the yagna though they were reluctant to leave the company of
Krishna.   One brahmani  was prevented by her husband from going and
she gave up her life then and there with her heart filled with the thought of
Krishna.
निरूप्य दोषं निजमंगनाजने
विलोक्य भक्तिं च पुनर्विचारिभिः
प्रबुद्धतत्त्वैस्त्वमभिष्टुतो
द्विजै-
र्मरुत्पुराधीश्! निरुन्धि मे
गदान् ॥६१.१०॥
The
Brahmins realised their mistake and appreciated the devotion of their wives.
Realising that you are the incarnation of Mahavishnu,  the pure sattwic aspect of Brahman, they sang
your praises. O Lord of Guruvayur! save me from my maladies.
दशकम्-६२ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Once
Krishna saw the gopas collecting material for a yagna to propitiate Indra.  Though he knew this very well he pretended
ignorance and enquired for what purpose these arrangements were being made.
Nanda explained that Indra blesses them with rains every year. Without rains their
cows will not have grass to eat and there won’t be any water for agriculture.
That is why every year they perform this yagna to please Indra. Krishna argued:
“Rains are created by the punya (good deeds) of beings, not by the
whim of Indra. Do the trees in the dense forests offer worship to Indra?  Our cows need grazing grounds with grass for
which we should offer worship to the Govardhana mountain.  Brahmins are at a higher pedestal than the
devas. Let us also worship them.” Gopas accepted Krishna’s arguments and
arranged to worship the Govardhana Mountain. 
Krishna himself accepted the offerings made to the mountain and told the
people that the mountain is accepting the offerings and it can protect all of them
if at all Indra got angry.  This daska
concludes with the following sloka:
सुरेन्द्रः
क्रुद्धश्चेत् द्विजकरुणया शैलकृपया-
प्यनातङ्कोऽस्माकं नियत इति विश्वास्य
पशुपान् ।
अहो किं नायातोगिरिभिदिति सञ्चित्य
निवसन्
मरुद्गेहाधीश! प्रणुद मुरवैरिन्!
मम गदान् ॥६२.१०॥
O
Lord! You convinced the gopas that If Indra becomes angry they will have no
problems by the grace of the brahmins and the mountain.  You then wondered why Indra had not come so
long (after his yagna was thwarted). O Lord of Guruvayur! slayer of Mura!  Please free me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-६३ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Dark
clouds matching the complexion of Krishna, accompanied  by thunder reverberating in all directions,
gathered over the sky of Vraja. The gopas, threatened by the continuous
downpour accompanied by hailstones, cried out to Krishna for protection from an
angry Indra.  Krishna told them not to be
afraid, the Govardhana mountain was capable of warding off the attack of Indra,
they should not doubt this. Saying thus Krishna, a smile playing on his face, lifted
up the Govardhana mountain from its roots and held it aloft with one hand
asking every one to come and occupy the expanse of fine sand under it, away
from the downpour.   He playfully carried
on a banter with the girls and those of his age and scratched the bodies of
cows that nestled up to him with one hand. Indra maintained the downpour
continuously for seven days thinking that Krishna would put down the mountain
when his hand started aching.  But
nothing of that sort happened.  Krishna
was unmoved even after the lapse of seven days. 
But the clouds had exhausted themselves and the rain stopped
automatically.  Krishna asked every one
to move out and put the mountain back on its base. This dasaka concludes with
the following sloka:
’धरणिमेव पुरा धृतवानसि
क्षितिधरोद्धरणे तव कः श्रमः’
।
इति नुतस्त्रिदशैः कमलापते!
गुरुपुरालय पालय मां गदात्॥६३.१०॥
“O consort of Lakshmi! You
had held aloft the whole of this earth before (in your Varaha
incarnation);  what to talk of lifting
this mountain, it is child’s play for you”, thus praised by the celestials,  O Lord of Guruvayur! save me from my ailments
दशकम्-६४ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The
gopas, seeing the superhuman exploits of Krishna,  like lifting up the mountain with one hand,
asked Nanda about the predictions in his horoscope.  Nanda narrated to them what Garga Muni had
told him about the greatness of Krishna. After hearing that their love and
respect for Krishna increased many times. Indra, mortified in his attempt to
put down Krishna and his conceit deflated, came down from heaven with  Kamadhenu, the celestial cow, and bowed at
the feet of Krishna begging his pardon.  Kamadhenu,  moved by love for Krishna, drenched him with
milk from her udders, calling him “Govinda’. 
Indra also bathed Krishna by the waters of the celestial Ganga brought
by his elephant airavata and, taking
leave of Krishna,  went back to his world. 
Once,
when Nanda was bathing in Yamuna, the aides of Varuna took him away.  Krishna went to the abode of Varuna who,
excited on Krishna’s arrival, received him with honour and sent back with him
Nanda who narrated the incident to the gopas. They were convinced by now that
Krishna was none other than the Lord of the worlds.  They were raring to see his abode and Krishna
revealed to them his sachidananda swarupa,
(ocean of  Consciousness and Bliss)
in which they were submerged for long until Krishna brought them back to their
mundane existence.
,  
करबदरवदेवं देव! कुत्रावतारे
परपदमनवाप्यं दर्शितं भक्तिभाजाम्
।
तदिह पशुपरूपी त्वं हि साक्षात्
परात्मा
पवनपुरनिवासिन् पाहि मामामयेभ्यः
॥६४.१०॥
O
Lord! In which other incarnation have you shown your devotees your real nature
as clearly as a ‘badara fruit on the plam’? 
O the Lord of Guruvayur! seen here in the form of a cowboy, you are  certainly the sachidanada brahman,  save me
from my maladies.
 दशकम्-६५
श्लोकसंख्या-९
Krishna,
to redeem his promise to the gopis, chose a moonlit night to repair to the
forests on the banks of the Yamuna and played his flute.  The melodies from the flute created a
commotion in the hearts of the gopis and they left whatever they were doing ‘
as is where is’ and hastened to meet their sweetheart Krishna. Some came
half-adorned, some wore the ornaments in the wrong places,  some forgot to cover their breasts, some left
their children half-fed  Some, unable to
come out of the house, identifying themselves with Krishna in their heart of
hearts  left their mortal bodies and
became one with the sachidananda brahman.  These were the real fortunate ones.
अभ्यागताभिरभितो व्रजसुन्दरीभि-
र्मुग्धस्मितार्द्रवदनः करुणावलोकी
।
निस्सीमकान्तिजलधिस्त्वमवेक्ष्यमाणो
विश्वैकहृद्य हर मे परमेश रोगान्
॥६५.९॥
The
beauties of Vraja who had come there saw you as a sea of limitless brilliance, with
face lit up by a captivating smile and glances tinged with compassion. O
Beloved to the heart of all !, please take away my ailments.
दशकम्-६६ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Though
Krishna wanted to satisfy the gopis who were stricken by the arrows of Cupid,
he told them virtues of observing their dharma
as wives to their husbands, as mothers to their children as daughers-in-law
to the parents of the husband, daughters to their parents and so on and asked
them to go back to their homes.   The
gopis, however, were not in a state of mind to heed this advice of Krishna.
They beseeched Krishna not to be so unkind and abandon them.  Moved by their tears, Krishna started to play
with  them on the moonlit banks of the
Yamuna with sweet talks, hand-holdings, kisses, embraces and so on.   Bhattathiri
concludes this dasaka with the following verse::     
राधातुंगपयोधर
साधुपरीरंभलोलुपात्मानम्।
आराधये भवन्तं
पवनपुराधीश! शमय सकलगदान् ॥६६.१०॥
O Lord of
Guruvayur! fond of embracing the raised breasts of Radha! I worship you. Please
cure me of my diseases. 
दशकम्-६७ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The
gopis, thus pleased by Krishna, became conceited  and each one thought that Krishna loved her
more than the others.  Sensing this
conceit of the gopis, Krishna vanished from the scene of their activities,
taking with him only Radha.  Now it was
the turn of gopis to lament the disappearance of Krishna.  They started searching for Krishna in groups
and unable to stand the pangs of separation they asked every tree, creeper or
plant whether they had seen Krishna who had stolen their hearts. Gopis
completely identified themselves with Krishna and enacted Krishna’s leelas.   Again
they started searching and found Radha also abandoned. Then all of them
searched in the forest until darkness set in. 
Seeing the gopis steeped in sorrow Krishna, his heart full of compassion
for them, appeared before  them again, his
form enthralling all the three worlds.  
This
dasaka concludes with the following verse:
सन्दिग्धसन्दर्शनमात्मकान्तं
त्वां वीक्ष्य तन्व्यः सहसा तदानीम्
।
किं किं न चक्रुः प्रमदातिभारात्?
स त्वं गदात् पालय मारुतेश! ॥६७.१०॥
Gopis
who were doubtful about your darshan  ever again, were pleasantly surprised when you
appeared before them and were mad with joy. 
What did they not do because of their abundance of love for you? O Lord
of Guruvayur ! save me from my afflictions.  
दशकम्-६८ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The
joy of the gopis knew no bounds when they got the company of Krishna
again.  They stood still before Krishna
as if they had been bathed in a stream of nectar.  One of gopis took Krishna’s hand and put it
to her breasts and stood still with her hairs bristling.  Another gopi took Krishna’s  soft hands and put it around her neck as if
trying to prevent the exit of oxygen from her throat.  Another one received in her mouth chewed areca
nuts from Krishna’s mouth.  Another one,
with eyes brimming with tears, looked at Krishna and she would not touch
Krishna who had left her alone mercilessly in the forest.  Krishna consoled them all saying that they
should not think that he was heard-hearted, he was deep in love with them  and what he had one was only to further
strengthen their love for him. In the last verse of the dasakam given below
Bhattathiri entreats the Lord to relieve him of his maladies:
इति गिराधिकं मोदमेदुरै-
र्व्रजवधूजनैः साकमारमन् ।
कलितकौतुको रासखेलने
गुरुपुरीपते! पाहि मां गदात् ॥६८.१०॥
Thus by
soft and sweet words you revelled in the company of the gopis and became
interested in the rasa dance with them.
.O Lord of Gruruvayur ! save me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-६९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Krishna
had peacock feathers stuck into his locks. His ear globes were oscillating, he was wearing gold-diamond necklaces and the vanamala. The sandal  paste applied on his body gave out a soothing
fragrance.  He was donning a bright
yellow silk garment on his waist and anklets of gold and diamond. Decked out in
all this Krishna stole the hearts of the gopis. 
The gopis were also decked out in fine garments and gold-diamond jewellery.  Krishna,  by his yogic powers, took many forms so that between
each pair of gopis there was Krishna and in the centre of the circle so formed
was also Krishna.  When the rasa dance
started the celestials came crowding and from above they were watching the leela of Krishna.  The damsels of heaven envied the gopis who
were fortunate enough to get Krishna for company.  Krishna played on the flute and all of them
danced to the music of the flute with the tinkling of bangles and anklets.  The gopis merged themselves in Krishna
consciousness and forgot the external world.
In
the last verse of this dasaka given below Bhattathiri entreats the Lord to save
him from his ailments:   
कामिनीरिति हि यामिनीषु खलु कामनीयकनिधे
भवान्
पूर्णसम्मदरसार्णवं कमपि योगिगम्यमनुभावयन्
।
ब्रह्मशंकरमुखानपीह पशुपांगनासु
बहुमानयन्  
भक्तलोकगमनीयरूप! कमनीय! कृष्ण!
परिपाहि माम् ॥६९.११॥
O
Lord of Guruvayur! Thus did you give to the gopis of Vraja the experience of
being immersed in the ocean of pure bliss, available only to the yogis, so that
they earned the respect of even Brhama and Sankara.  Only your devotees can understand your form,
O embodiment of beauty! save me from my ailments. . 
दशकम्-७० श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Krishna
went with the gopis to Ambikavana to offer worship at the Siva temple there and
spent the night there.  During the night
a python devoured Nanda and in spite of the best efforts of the gopas it would
not leave him.  Then Krishna came and
touched him with is foot. Immediately the python was transformed into a vidyadhara. 
He bowed to Krishna and told him that he had become the python
because of the curse of a Muni.  Once
when Krishna and Balarama were playing with the gopis shankhachuda, a
follower of Kubera, abducted the gopis. 
Krishna chased him and recovered the gopis and confiscated the precious
stone on his head.  The gopis pined in
separation when Krishna was away and spent their time recalling his exploits and
the rasa dance with him.  Arishtaka,  sent
by Kamsa,    came in the form of a bull to Kill Krishna.
Krishna caught hold of him with lightning quickness and despatched him to the
abode of Yama.
Bhattathiri
concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:
औक्षकाणि परिधावत दूरं
वीक्ष्यतामयमिहोक्षविभेदी ।
इत्थमात्तहसितैः सह गोपै-
र्गेहगस्त्वमव वातपुरेश! ॥७०.१०॥
“O
bulls ! run from here.  Here is Krishna
the killer of bulls” saying this the gopas laughed.  You returned home along with them.    O Lord
of Guruvayur! save me from my diseases.”

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -6

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Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -6

Narayaneeyam, considered to be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur Narayanabhattathiri,  is a masterly summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034 sanskrit slokas of great poetic merit.  The whole work is divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala . In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions and restore his health.  .        
Given below is the collection of last slokas from Daskas 51 to 60 of this great devotional work with a prosaic translation in English.  A brief note on the contents of each dasaka is also given, where possible, to put the slokas in context.   
दशकम्-५१ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
In this dasakam is narrated the story of Aghasura whom Krishna killed and the picnicking of Krishna with the cowboys. One day Krishna decided on picnicking in the forest along with the cowboys. They packed their eatables and set out early morning to the forest.   Grazing the calves, the cowboys came across a huge cave-like structure right in the middle of their path.  It looked like a huge python with its mouth wide open.  Actually it was aghasura  who had taken this form to kill Krishna, who was a little distance away.  The cowboys entered what they thought was a cave and the asura waited for the entry of Krishna without closing his mouth.  The heat within the body of the python was unbearable. Krishna instantly knew that this was a trap laid by the asura in which the cowboys had been caught.  To save them Krishna entered the mouth of the python.  At its neck his body started growing until all the passages for inhaling air had been closed. The asura died unable to breathe and Krishna ripped open his neck and came out extricating the cowboys. The moment Krishna came out a lustrous form emerged from the body of the asura and merged in Krishna.  It was now midday and Krishna and the cowboys assembled in a comfortable place for picnicking.  Krishna,  seated in the middle of a circle formed by the cowboys,  with his horn and flute stuck at his waist and the eatables arranged on the palms of his hands, was making the cowboys laugh with his jokes. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:
’सुखाशनं त्विह तव गोपमण्डले
मखाशनात्प्रियमिव गोपमण्डले ।’
इति स्तुतस्त्रिदशवरैर्जगत्पते!
मरुत्पुरीनिलय! गदात् प्रपाहि मां ॥५१.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayur ! the celestials wondered that you seemed to enjoy the picnic with the cowboys than the offerings made in sacrifices and praised you. O Lord of the worlds! Lord of Guruvayoor! save me from my afflictions. 
दशकम्-५२ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The story of this dasaka is described below:
Brahma was amazed by Krishna’s divine powers not evident in other incarnations and also by the merging of the soul of aghasura in him. To test Krishna he made the calves disappear by his maya.  When Krishna went in search of the calves Brahma hid the cowboys also. Krishna understood that this was the handiwork of Brahma. Then he himself became all the cowboys, the calves, the horns, the bugles, the canes, the pouches and everything else, and sporting, as before, in the forest he came back and went into the respective houses as calves, cowboys etc.  Now that Krishna, who is the very soul of everyone, had come as their sons, unknowingly, the gopis felt more love for them. Similarly the cows loved their calves more. This play continued for a year by the reckoning of the time on the earth.  For Brahma this was like a second.  Seeing two sets of calves and cowboys, one set hidden by him and the other set created by Krishna,  Brahma was confounded. As he was contemplating what had happened, all the calves and cowboys appeared to him as so many Mahavishnus reclining on Adisesha, decked out in resplendent jewellery and tended by Lakshmi. He saw himself at the service of so many forms of Narayana. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following sloka: 
नश्यन्मदे तदनु विश्वपतिं मुहुस्त्वां
नत्वा च नूतवति धातरि धाम याते ।
पोतैः समं प्रमुदितैः प्रविशन् निकेतं
वाताल्याधिप! विभॊ ! परिपाहि रोगात् ॥५२.१०॥
His conceit shattered, Brahma showered encomiums on you, the Lord of all the worlds, again and again, and went back to his abode.  Lord of Guruvayur! you also returned home along with the happy cowboys. Please save me from my ailments. 
दशकम्-५३ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Krishna by now had left behind his childhood and was in the age group of five to ten years.  Now,  instead of tending calves he switched to tending cows. One day when Krishna, along with Balaram, was enjoying the beauty of the forest, they visited the Dhenuka forest full of high Palmyra trees at the suggestion of a friend Sridama.  Balarama shook the trees with his strong hands and the ground was spread with fruits which fell from the trees.  Hearing the sound of falling fruits, the demon Dhenuka came running in the form of a donkey. At the instance of Krishna Balarama killed him.  His followers in the form of foxes were killed by Krishna and Balarama together by throwing them against the tall palm trees. Then they enjoyed the soft and sweet jellylike substance at the core of the fruits along with the cowboys.
’हतो हतो धेनुक’ इत्युपेत्य
फलान्यदद्भिर्मधुराणि लोकैः ।
जयेति जीवेति नुतो विभो! त्वं
मरुत्पुराधीश्वर पाहि रोगात् ॥५३.१०॥
Saying ‘Dhenuka was killed’ every one ate those fruits and showered praises on you saying ‘Victory to Krishna’ and ‘Long Live Krishna’. O Lord of Guruvayur! save me from my diseases.
दशकम्-५४ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Maharshi Saubhari did tapas for twelve years submerged in the waters of Kalindi (Yamuna).  Garuda who was eating the fish in the Kalindi was cursed by Saubhari saying that he would die if he fed on the fish in Kalindi. Around that time, Kaliya the serpent, on he strength of his powerful venom,  dared to appropriate for himself Garuda’s share of food. Garuda struck Kaliya with his powerful wings.  For fear of Garuda, Kaliya took refuge in the Kalindi river where Garuda was forbidden by Saubhari’s curse.  The waters of Yamuna were poisoned and the trees on the bank were scorched by the intensity of the poison.  Birds flying over Kalindi fell dead. Krishna was moved by compassion.  Then one day, when Balarama did not accompany Krishna, the cowboys, driven by intense thirst because of the hot summer,  drank the poisoned Yamuna water.  Seeing them falling to the ground dead, one after another, Krishna revived them by the glances from the corners of his eyes showering nectar (amrit).  The cowboys, who got up as if from sleep, were experiencing a wonderful sense of rejuvenation.  Seeing Krishna before them they embraced him knowing that this miracle was wrought by him.
This dasaka concludes with the following sloka:
एवं भक्तान् मुक्तजीवानपि त्वं
मुग्धापाङ्गैरस्तरोगांस्तनोषि ।
तादृग्भूतस्फीतकरुण्यभूमा
रोगात् पाया वायुगेहधिवास ॥ ५४.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayur! You revive, by the glances from the corners of your  eyes, even those devotees of yours who have given up their lives. You are the repository of such compassion. Kindly save me from my diseases. 
दशकम्-५५ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Krishna, determined to drive away Kaliya from Kalindi, climbed on to the branch of a Kadamba tree on the bank and plunged into the deep waters of the Kalindi river, turbulent with billowing waves. Kaliya, disturbed by the turbulence, rose to the surface with blood-shot eyes and his thousand hoods radiating poison. He coiled around Krishna and injected his poison into many places in his body.  Seeing Krishna’s condition, the cowboys and cows fell in deep sorrow. There were omens in Vraja portending evil because of which every one assembled on the banks of Kalindi.  When all had lost hope to the extent of being prepared to giveup their own lives, Krishna extricated himself from the coilss of the snake and,  jumping on to the top of Kaliya’s hoods,  started a beautiful dance.  Bhattathiri concludes to narrative of this dasaka with the following sloka:
      
जहृषुः पशुपास्तुतुषुर्मुनयो
ववृषुः कुसुमानि सुरेन्द्रगणाः
त्वयि नृत्यति मारुतगेहपते!
परिपाहि स मां त्वमदान्तगदात् ॥५५.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayur ! when you were dancing, gopas  were overjoyed, the sages sang your praises and the celestials showered flowers on You. Save me, O Lord!,  from this intractable disease.
दशकम्-५६ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Krishna danced on the hoods of Kaliya, with his sparkling Kundalas oscillating,  for quite sometime, to the beating of drums by the celestials  and the dancing of  the damsels of heaven.  Leaving those hoods which had bowed down, Krishna danced on  Kalia’s  hoods  which were raised, beating time with the clapping of his hands.  With all his hoods pounded to pulp by Krishna, Kaliya was in real bad shape, vomiting blood which turned the water  purple.  Kalia’s wives, seeing the pitiable condition of their husband requested Krishna to pardon him and sang his praises eulogising his exploits.  Seeing the devotional fervour of the wives of Kalia, Krishna was moved by compassion and granted life to Kalia who, surrendering  himself, bowed to Krishna.  At the instance of Krishna, Kalia left Kalindi and moved to a place called Ramanakam in the midst of the sea where Garuda would not harm him. Since it was already late evening every one spent the night  sleeping on the banks of the river. All of a sudden they were surrounded by a forest fire and, finding themselves trapped in the middle, they cried to Krishna for help.   Krishna swallowed the fire;  this is no wonder as Agni is  the Lord’s mouth, in his cosmic form. This dasaka concludes with the following sloka:
’शिखिनि वर्णत एव हि पीतता
परिलसत्यधुना क्रिययाप्यसौ” ।
इति नुतः पशुपैर्मुदितैर्विभो!
हर हरे! दुरितैः सह मे गदान् ॥५६.१०॥
The happy gopas praised Krishna saying  “Agni (Fire)  is yellow (peetataa) by colour ; now it has attained  peetata ( the state of having been drunk) by action also” ,O the Lord of Guruvayur!  Please take away my sins as well as my diseases
दशकम्-५७ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
One day Krishna and Balaram,  along with the other cowboys, went to a banyan tree, known as bhandeeraka, in Vrindavan.  There Krishna found that an asura had sneaked into their group in the guise of a cowboy.  He, however, did not give an inkling of this to the asura, with a plan in his mind.  He picked cowboys who could do hand-to-hand fighting and divided them into two groups.  Two members, one from each group,  would  engage in fighting. The vanquished would  carry the victor  on his shoulders.   The asura in the guise of a gopa,  who was afraid of Krishna’s strength,  was accommodated  in Krishna’s group so that he would not be called upon to fight Krishna.  Sridama defeated Krishna in the fight and Krishna carried him on his shoulders. The asura fought with Balaram and was defeated.  He carried Balaram on his shoulders for a long distance away from Krishna  assuming his original form seeing which Balaram was taken aback. Balaram looked back on Krishna’s face and his confidence and courage returned. He killed the asura striking with his iron-strong fists. Krishna embraced Balaram when he returned to Bhandiraka after killing pralamba which was the name of the asura.
The concluding sloka of this dasaka is this:
आलंबो भुवनानां
प्रालंबं निधनमेवमारचयन् ।
कालं विहाय सद्यो
लोलंबरुचे हरे! हरेः क्लेशान् ॥५७.११॥
O Lord of Guruvayur!  You,  the aalamba (support) of all the worlds, thus managed to kill pralamba, the asura.  O  Lolambaruche ( dark as the honey-bee)!  O Lord Hari! take away my afflictions.
दशकम्-५८ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
While Krishna was engaged in playing with the children and killing the pralambasura,  the cows strayed far away grazing and reached a forest called Aisheeka. They had strayed far away from Vrindavan where they did not experience the summer heat. But here the heat was unbearable and on top of it they were thirsty and separated from Krishna.  Krishna, with a few other gopas,  went in search of the cows and found that they had lost their way and were wandering, directionless, in a munja forest. When Krishna approached the herd of cows, a forest fire started raging from all sides.  Caught in the forest fire and almost half-burnt they cried out in pain for help and took refuge in Krishna, the only one who could save them.   Krishna asked them not to be afraid and to close their eyes.    They obeyed him  and Lo! there was no forest fire and no munja forest when they opened their eyes.  All of them were in the vicinity of bhandeera.   Krishna and others spent the summer time on the banks of the Yamuna.  During the rainy season they spent time in the caves of mountains.  The Govardhan Mountain sang the praises of Krishna by the coo of peacocks and worshipped him with a variety of flowers.
The concluding sloka of this dasaka is this:
अथ शरदमुपेतां तां भवद्भक्तचेतो-
विमलसलिलपूरां मानयन् काननेषु ।
तृणममलवनांते चारु सञ्चारयन् गाः
पवनपुरपते! त्वं देहि मे देहसौख्यम् ॥५८.१०॥
In the season after the rains (sharat),  when water was pure as the hearts of your devotees, you took the cows for grazing into the forest.  O Lord of Guruvayur! Give me bodily comfort and health.
दशकम्-५९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Seeing the  captivating form of Krishna daily the gopis became more and more in love with him.  Struck as they were by the arrows of Cupid,  they could not bear his separation evening during the day time when he went into the forest with his cows. .When Krishna  set out to the forest in the mornings they cast their glances on him,  their hearts thinking only of him.  They heard the melodies emanating from Krishna’s flute from a distance and spent their time talking about Krishna’s exploits.  Hearing the melodies from Krishna’s flute, the damsels of heaven were stricken by the arrows of Cupid, birds and animals stood still as if in intense concentration and even the rocks of the mountain melted.   The Gopis thought that the celestial damsels, the birds, the animals,  the cows and the forest who could look at Krishna without inhibitions had indeed achieved the purpose of their lives.  Every day the gopis, struck by love for Krishna, and helpless in that love, did not know what to do.
Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the following verse:
रागस्तावज्जायते हि स्वभावा-
न्मोक्षोपायो यत्नतः स्यान्न वा स्यात् ।
तासां त्वेकं तत् द्वयं लब्धमासीत्
भाग्यं भाग्यं ! पाहि मां मारुतेश ॥५९.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayoor! Love arises naturally in the heart, the path to mukti (liberation) my open or not open with human effort.  For the Gopis both the above things were at hand. Love for Krishna is also a path to liberation.  They were indeed most fortunate.  Please save me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-६० श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Gopis of Vrindavan in their teens, deeply in love with Krishna, observed during the first month of winter, a month-long vrata wherein they bathed in the Yamuna early morning and offered worship to the sand idol of Girija, consort of siva,  praying to her that they get the son of Nanda as their husband.  When the vrata was about to conclude Krishna, moved by their love, went to Yamuna where they were bathing leaving their clothes on the banks of the river.  Gathering their clothes in his hands, Krishna climbed up a tree on the bank and told the gopis to come to him one by one to receive their clothes. Moved by the conflicting emotions of love and shyness, they requested Krishna not to embarrass them but Krishna’s reply was only a sweet smile. Finally the gopis came up to the tree and,  joining their palms in salutation, received their clothes and got an assurance from Krishna that he was aware of what was in their mind and he would give a fitting reply to them.   Hearing these sweet words from Krishna the gopis,  glancing at his face again and again with passionate love, went back to their homes. Bhattathiri ends this dasaka with the following verse:
इति नन्वनुगृह्य वल्लवी-
र्यमुनान्तेषु पुरेव सञ्चरन् ।
करुणाशिशिरो हरे! हर
त्वरया मे सकलामयावलिम् ॥।६०.१०॥
O Lord of Guruvayur!  after blessing the gopis with your assurance you continued your daily routine of grazing the cows in the vicinity of Yamuna in the forests.  O Lord, full of compassion! please free me of my afflictions quickly.

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -5

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Prayers to the Lord of
Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -5
Narayaneeyam, considered to be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur
Narayanabhattathiri,  is a masterly
summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034
sanskrit slokas of great poetic merit. 
The whole work is divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end
of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was
completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala
. In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions
and restore his health.  .        
Given
below is the collection of last slokas from Daskas 41 to 50 of this
great devotional work with a prosaic translation in English.  A brief note on the contents of each dasaka
is also given, where possible, to put the slokas in context.   
दशकम्-४१ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
During
the Putana incident Nanda had been away at Mathura  to pay taxes as a subordinate chieftain.
There he met with Vasudeva who cautioned him about something untoward happening
in GoKul. Nanda hastened to Gokul and found the terrifying body of Putana.  He heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that
Krishna was fine. The gopas cut Putana’s 
body into pieces and burnt them when fragrance of sandalwood emanated
from the burning body.   Putana had
suckled Krishna though with the intention of killing him; that was the reason
for the fragrance. The whole of Nandagokul doted on Krishna and was captivated
by his childish activities and pranks. It was celebration time for all the gopas
whose happiness knew no bounds.
Bhattathiri
concludes this daska with the following sloka:         
निपाययन्ती स्तनमङ्गगं त्वां
विलोकयन्ती
वदनं
हसन्ती
।
दशाम्
यशोदा
कतमां
न
भेजे
स
तादृशः
पाहि
हरे! गदान्माम्
॥४१.१०॥
What
supreme bliss Yasoda must have experienced while suckling You, looking at your
face and smiling. O Lord who had such childhood! Save me from my
afflictions.  
दशकम्-४२ श्लोकसंख्या-११
This
dasaka describes the shattering of Sakatasura by child Krishna. It was
one of those birthdays of Krishna. 
Yasoda had invited all relatives, friends and brahmins for the
celebration.  Krishna was lying near a
cart loaded with many things. Yasoda was busy in the kitchen.  Suddenly there was great sound of breaking wood.
Everyone ran to the place from where the sound was coming and they were
surprised to see the cart shattered to pieces. All were surprised that Krishna
was not at all hurt.  Some of the boys
guarding Krishna reported that the cart was broken to pieces when the child
Krishna kicked with his legs.  No one
could believe this though it was a fact. 
Nanda picked up Krishna who, he thought,  had been miraculously saved by the Lord and
covered him with kisses, his hairs bristling with emotion. The dasaka concludes
with the following sloka:
प्रपूजितैस्तत्र ततो द्विजातिभि-
र्विशेषतो
लंभितमंगलाशिषः।
व्रजं
निजैर्बाल्यरसैर्विमोहयन्
मरुत्पुराधीश!
रुजां
जहीहि
मे
॥४२.११॥
It was on
this occasion that brahmins specially worshipped for your welfare, showered
their blessings on you and  you
captivated the hearts of Vraja by your endearing traits and actions of
childhood. O Lord of Guruvayur of such childhood! Knidly free me from my
afflictions.
दशकम्-४३ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the Trinavarta episode.  One of those days Yasoda found it difficult to
carry child Krishna. Wondering how the child could gain so much weight in so
short a time,  she put him to bed and
went about doing her household chores. 
Suddenly there arose the sound of a hurricane raising a dust-storm which
enveloped the whole atmosphere making it impossible for anyone to see what was
happening. This was the handiwork of an asura called trinavarta who
gathered up Krishna and carried him away in the storm.  Yasoda, not finding Krishna, started crying
out her heart.  By this time the speed of
the asura was curtailed because he could not carry the weight of
Krishna.  He wanted to drop Krishna but
the latter had a vice-like grip on him. 
The asura fell down on rocky terrain with such force that his body was
shattered and he met his death.  Krishna
was playing happily on his dead body. Nanda and Yasoda thanked the Lord for
saving their child again. They prayed to Krishna (God incarnate) for the
protection of child Krishna who, they thought by the Lord’s Maya, was just an
ordinary child.  Bhattathiri concludes
this dasaka with the following sloka:
वातात्मकं
दनुजमेवमयि
प्रधून्वन्
वातोद्भवान्
मम
गदान्
किमु
नो
धुनोषि
।
किं
वा
करोमि
पुनरप्यनिलालयेश
निश्शेषरोगशमनं मुहुरर्थये त्वाम् ॥४३.१०॥
O
Lord of Guruvayur! You killed trinavarata
whose power lay in air (vata). Why
don’t you put an end to my afflictions arising out of imbalance of vata in my
body?  What shall I do my Lord! I once
again entreat you to cure me of my afflictions. 
दशकम्-४४ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the naming ceremony of Nanda’s children.  Sage Garga, master of the science of
astronomy and astrology, visited Nanda’s abode at the instance of Vasudeva in
order to perform, in secret, the naming ceremony of the child of Yasoda and of
Rohini.  The first was named Krishna to
indicate that he was the embodiment of sat
chit and ananda ( i.e. Absolute Existence, Consciousness and Bliss). The
name also meant that he destroyed the sins of people (who took refuge in him).
The second child (born to Rohini) was named Rama meaning he gave joy to people
and also Bala because of his superior strength. 
Garga told Nanda that whoever loved his son will never be deluded by the
sorrows of samsara and whoever hurts him will perish.  He will vanquish many asuras, lead his people
to a state of pure happiness and help them cross all difficulties.  Garga told everything about Krishna short of
telling Nanda that his son was the very incarnation of Hari.
Bhattathiri
concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:
गर्गेऽथ
निर्गतेऽस्मिन्
नन्दितनन्दादिनन्द्यमानस्त्वम् ।
मत्गदमुद्गतकरुणो
निर्गमय
श्रीमरुत्पुराधीश!
॥४४.१०॥
O
Lord of Guruvayur!, after the departure of Sage Garga, with Nanda  pleased and doting on you, may you have overflowing
compassion on me and may you put an end to my afflictions.
दशकम्-४५ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the childhoods of Krishna and Balarama. They had started
moving around the house on all fours, with their knees and hands. They shook
their tiny legs to hear the fascinating sound of their anklets. With their hair
falling on their faces, they sported sweet smiles and displayed their milk
teeth,  stealing the heart of all who saw
them. In due course, they started walking with unsteady feet, falling, getting
up and walking again. Their mothers watched over them and picked them up,
embraced and kissed them when they fell and got smeared with mud all over their
bodies. The mothers, Yasoda and Rohini, suckled their children looking with
fascination at their smiling faces and display of their budding teeth. They thought
that the purpose of their life had been fulfilled by giving birth to these
children. In  course of time the children
started walking normally and playing with the other children of their age in
the nearby houses.  They chased domestic
animals and birds like cats, calves and parrots.  The Gopis were enthralled by their childish
pranks and, leaving their household chores, they watched them playing.
Gradually, Krishna along with his friends, started stealing butter.  The poet says here that the Lord probably
thought to himself ‘ I begged (three feet of land) from Mahabali but I won’t
beg before these milkmaids, rather I would steal’.  
Bhattathiri
concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:
तव दधिघृतमोषे घोषयोषिज्जनाना-
मभजत हृदि रोषो नावकाशं
न
शोकः।
हृदयमपि मुषित्वा हर्षसिन्धौ न्यधास्त्वं
स मम शमय रोगान्
वातगेहाधिनाथ!॥४५.१०॥
O
Lord of Guruvayur! when you stole curd and ghee the milkmaids felt neither
anger nor sorrow in their hearts,  You
had already stolen their hearts and submerged them in an ocean of bliss. O Lord
of such kindness! Put an end to my diseases.
दशकम्-४६ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes how Yasoda saw the whole of this cosmos in the open mouth of
her child Krishna. One day children complained to Yasoda that Krishna had eaten
mud while playing with them. Yasoda asked Krishna whether that was true but
Krishna .repeatedly denied it. Yasoda, with a tinge of annoyance in her voice,
asked Krishna to open his mouth. Krishna opened his mouth as if a lotus
blooming.  Yasoda expected to see a lump
of mud in his mouth but what she actually saw was something unbelievable.  She saw not only the whole of this earth but
also the other worlds with forests, oceans, clouds, the nether worlds, humans,
demons, celestial beings, Mahavishnu reclining on Adishesha and Krishna himself
standing with open mouth before Yasoda. Bhattathiri ends this dasaka with the
following sloka: 
धृततत्त्वधियं तदा क्षणं
जननीं
तां
प्रणयेन
मोहयन्
।
’स्तनमंब दिशे’ त्युपासृजन्
भगवन्नद्भुत
बाल!  पाहि माम् ॥४६.१०॥
For
a moment your mother realised the Truth (that you were not her child but the
Supreme Lord Himself in whom all these created worlds subsist). Next moment you
clung to her saying ‘Mother! suckle me at your breast’, deluding her into
believing that you really were her child. O Lord of Guruvayur!, the wonder
child ! save me from my ailments.
दशकम्-४७ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the episode in which Yashoda ties child Krishna to a mortar. One
day while Yashoda was churning curd,  Krishna nestled up to her and wanted to be
breast-fed. Half way through breast-feeding, Yasoda disengaged herself to
attend to milk which was boiling over in the kitchen.  Krishna, annoyed at the abrupt termination of
his feeding, broke the pot  containing
curd with the churning rod.  The curd in
the pot spilt and spread all over the place. 
When Yasoda came back she saw the muddle created by Krishna who was no
where nearby.  Finally she saw him
somewhere in a corner feeding a cat fresh better. Annoyed, she wanted to tie
him to a mortar and brought a piece of rope. 
But it was two inches short. She joined another piece to the first one
but that also fell short by two inches. This process went on for some time
until Yasoda, tired and perspiring, wondered what was happening. Finally
Krishna, moved by compassion, allowed himself to be tied to the mortar.
Bhattathiri
concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:
’यद्यपाशसुगमो विभो! भवान्
संयतः
किमु
सपाशयानया
।
एवमादि
दिविजैरभिष्टुतो
वातनाथ
परिपाहि
मां
गदात्
॥४७.१०॥
(The
celestials were seeing this play of the Lord and they said) ‘O Lord you are approachable
by those who have cut all their bondages (apashah);
 how were you controlled by this
Yasoda with a rope (sapasha)?  O Lord of Guruvayur! thus praised by the
devas! save me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-४८ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes how child Krishna released the sons of Kubera from the curse
of Narada.  Krishna, dragging the mortar
to which he was tied by his mother, came near a pair of tall arjuna
trees. The mortar stuck across their trunks. While Krishna pulled at the mortar,
the trees broke with a thundering sound and fell to the ground. Krishna was
unhurt.  From the tree trunk arose the
forms of two yakshas, Nalakubara and Manigreeva, sons of Kubera who had been
turned into the trees by the curse of Narada. 
They were drunk and sporting in the Ganga with young women, all without
clothes on their bodies. When Narada passed that way the women covered
themselves with clothes but the sons of Kubera carried on with their nudity.
For disciplining them for their own welfare Narada cursed them to be trees
until they had the darshan of Hari in
his incarnation as Krishna. Now released from the curse,  the sons of Kubera prostrated before Krishna,
sang his praises and went back to their world. Hearing the sound of trees
breaking, Nanda and other gopas  came running and saw the huge trees which had
fallen with Krishna tied to the mortar standing near them unhurt.  Nanda untied the rope which bound Krishna to
the mortar and thanked the Lord for saving the child.  Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the
following sloka:
’महीरुहोर्मध्यगतो बतार्भको
हरेः
प्रभावादपरिक्षतोऽधुना’ ।
इति
ब्रुवाणैर्गमितो गृहं भवान्
मरुत्पुराधीश्वर! पाहि मां गदात्
॥४८.१०॥
“
The child caught in the middle of two falling trees was saved unhurt by the
power of the Lord “ so saying,   you were taken home by Nanda and the other
gopas. O Lord of Guruvayur!  Save me from
my vataroga.  
दशकम्-४९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the episode of Nanda and others shifting their abode from
Gokula to Vrindavan.  Nanda and other gopas, seeing unexplained and
unforeseen  calamities,  like falling of trees, happening in Gokula
thought of moving out to another place. Upananda, one of the gopas, suggested
moving to Vrindeavan, a beautiful forest area to the west of Gokula. The
suggestion was accepted by everyone and the inhabitants of Gokula packed their
belongings, put them in bullock carts and set out on the journey to Vrindavan
along with their cows and calves, led by a well-furnished cart occupied by
Krishna and Yasoda.  They did not
experience the distance traversed lulled by the sound from the carts and the
hooves of the cattle and the jokes and comments by Krishna. Reaching Vrindavan,
they built new shelters for accommodating all the families and for the
cattle.  Krishna, with his friends,  enjoyed the natural setting of the place with
the Yamuna flowing nearby with her clearer waters, coo of swans and blossoming
lotuses, velvety green pastures for the cows, flowering creepers like jasmine,
trees laden with their fruits, flocks of peacocks and peahens and the
Govardhana mountain kissing the skies. Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with
the following sloka:
तथाविधेऽस्मिन् विपिने पशव्ये
समुत्सुको
वत्सगणप्रचारे ।
चरन्
सरामोऽथ
कुमारकैस्त्वं
समीरगेहाधिप!
पाहि
रोगात्
॥४९.१०॥
O Lord of
Guruvayur!  you, along with Rama and
other cowboys, were raring to graze the calves in the green pastures of  Vrindavan. May you Lord of Guruvayoor,  of such enthusiasm,  protect me from my afflictions. 
दशकम्-४९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the killing, by Krishna, of two demons. Krishna, equipped with
a cane, a horn and a flute, with his dark blue complexion, grazing the calves
with Rama and other children was a feast to the eyes of every one. Grazing the
cattle in the pastures within the forest, on the banks of the Yamuna and the
plateaus of Govardhana, Krishna one day espied an asura who had taken the form
of a calf.  Krishna recognised him by his
vigorous shaking of the tail, frequent turning of his neck with eyes seeming to
wait for a chance to strike. Immediately he caught hold of his hind legs and
whirling him vigorously a few times, threw him up against a tall tree when he
was dead.  Another day, when the cowboys
were quenching their thirst with the water from Yamuna, an asura in the form of
a huge crane caught Krishna in his beak. Immediately the crane dropped him like
a hot potato unable to withstand the heat emanating from Krishna’s body as if
he were Agni (the god of Fire) himself. 
Krishna caught hold of his upper and lower beaks and split him into two,
killing him instantly.  Bhattatiri concludes
this dasaka with the following sloka:
ललितमुरलीनादं दूरान्निशम्य वधूजनै-
स्त्वरितमुपगम्यारादारूढमोदमुदीक्षितः।
जनितजननीनन्दानन्दः समीरणमन्दिर-
प्रथितवसते!
शौरे! दूरीकुरुष्व
ममामयान्
॥५०.१०॥
Hearing
the sweet melody from your flute from a distance, the milkmaids hastened to
come close and see you with joyous eyes. You were the source of joy to your
mother and Nanda. O Lord of Guruvayur! drive away my maladies.

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -4

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Prayers to the Lord of
Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -4
Narayaneeyam, considered to be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur
Narayanabhattathiri,  is a masterly
summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034
sanskrit slokas of great poetic merit. 
The whole work is divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end
of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was
completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala
. In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions
and restore his health.  .        
Given
below is the collection of last slokas from Daskas  31 to 40 of this great devotional work with a
prosaic translation in English.  A brief
note on the contents of each dasaka is also given, where possible, to
put the slokas in context.   
दशकम्-३१
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
In
this Dasaka Mahabali tells Vamana to ask for anything he wants and it would be
granted. Vamana wants three feet of land measured by his foot.  Mahabali laughs and says ‘I am the Lord of
the three worlds. Asking me to give you three feet of land is preposterous. Ask
for the whole of the Earth and I shall give it to  you”.  Vamana replies that one who is not satisfied
by three feet will not be satisfied even with the three worlds and insists on
getting three feet of land.  Mahabali agrees
with reluctance  but Sukracharya warns
him that it is Mahavaishnu who has come and He is going to cheat Mahabali of
the three worlds by his three feet. But Mahabali  replies that if the Lord himself has come to
him begging there is nothing else which he can wish for. Vindhyavali,
Mahabali’s wife,  was ready with the Kamandalu for solemnising the gift by
pouring water.  But Sukracharya taking on
a miniature form stuck himself in the neck of the Kamandalu.  Vamana poked with a bundle of darbha grass to allow the water to
flow.  Sukracharya lost an eye because of
the poking.  The Lord measured everything
in two feet taking the form of trivikrama
spanning the three worlds.  There was
no place for the third foot of land. 
Mahabali’s pride was broken and he said in all humility “ O Lord! kindly
put your foot on my head to complete three feet.”  Indra got back his world and Mahabali was
despatched to Patala, nether world. Bhattatiri concludes this dasaka with the
following sloka:
दर्पोच्छित्यै विहितमखिलं दैत्य
सिद्धोऽसि पुण्यै-
र्लोकस्तेऽस्तु त्रिदिवविजयी वासवत्वं
च पश्चात् ।
मत्सायुज्यं भज च पुनरित्यन्वगृह्णा
बलिं तं
विप्रैः सन्तानितमखवरः पाहि वातालयेश्
॥३१.१०॥
“
All this was done to remove your conceit (pride).  (You have done meritorious deeds) and earned punya  because of which you have acquired all the siddhis (psychic powers).  You will have a world which excels Heaven and
later you yourself will become Indra. Finally you will merge in me attaining
sayujya.”   Thus blessing Mahabali,  you had Mahabali’s yagna (sacrifice)
completed. Such is your leela O Lord
of Guruvayur!  save me from my
afflictions.
दशकम्-३२
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
In this dasaka is described the incarnation of the
Lord as fish (matsyavatara). The asura Hayagreeva stole the Vedas
from the mouth of Brahma who was sleeping. The Lord incarnated as a fish to
reclaim the Vedas. While the King Satyavrata was offering tarpan in the waters of a river, the
Lord appeared as a tiny fish in his cupped hands filled with water.  The king put the fish in his Kamandalu and
took him home where he put it in a well.  The fish 
started growing bigger and bigger. 
So it was put in a lake then in a river and finally in the great
ocean.  The Rishis and the king were
happy to see the huge form of the Lord . They were desirous of seeing the deluge  and, as instructed by the Lord, tied Earth to the huge horn of the fish.
Dragging the Earth-boat, the Lord (in the form of the fish) coursed through the
flood waters, showing the occupants the different parts of the world.  Finally the Lord killed the asura and
restored the Vedas to Brahma
स्वतुंगशृङ्गक्षतवक्षसं तं
निपात्य दैत्यं निगमान् गृहीत्वा
।
विरिञ्चये प्रीतहृदे ददानः
प्रभञ्जनागारपते! प्रपायाः॥३२.१०॥
You did strike the demon on his chest with your horn and kill
him.  You then recovered the Vedas and
restored them to Brahma who was extremely happy to get them back. (There is no end
to your leelavataras) O Lord of Guruvayur!, kindly save me (from the torments
of my afflictions)
दशकम्-३३
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The
story of Ambarisha is told in this Dasaka.  King Ambarisha was the great grand son of
Vaivaswata Manu. Though he ruled over the whole Earth his mind was always
absorbed in the Lord and he revelled in the company of His devotees. He was
observing Dwadashi Vrata for a year.
On the day on which the fast was to be broken ceremonially, Durvasa came with
his disciples. The King invited them for lunch. Durvasa accepted the invitation
and went with his disciples to Yamuna for 
midday ablutions, japa  etc.  By
the time the fast was to be broken, the maharshi had not returned.  Ambarisha broke the fast by taking water
only.  When Durvasa came back he found
out that Ambarisha had broken the fast without waiting for him. He got angry
and, plucking a few matted hairs and muttering a few mantras,  created a monster which menacingly advanced
towards Ambarisha.  Ambarisha, however,
was calmness personified;  he didn’t move
an inch from where he was standing. The chakra of the Lord guarding Ambarisha burnt
the monster to ashes and started chasing Durvasa who ran for his life.  First he went to Brahma and then to Siva,
both of them expressed their inability to do anything.  Finally, Durvasa approached Mahavishnu who said
that he was bounden to his devotees and could not do anything in this matter.
Durvasa  should go back and take refuge
in Ambarisha himself.  Maharshi came back
and caught hold of the feet of Abarisha who withdrew his feet in embarrassment
and requested the Lord’s chakra to be at peace. 
The Maharshi profusely thanked Ambarisha and blessed him. Bhattathiri
concludes this Dasaka with the following sloka:
राजा प्रतीक्ष्य मुनिमेकसमामनाश्वान्
संभोज्य साधु तमृषिं विसृजन् प्रसन्नं
।
भुक्त्वा स्वयं त्वयि ततोऽपि दृढं
रतोऽभूत्
सायुज्यमाप च स मां पवनेश! पायाः
॥३३.१०॥
The King had spent one whole year without eating anything
waiting for the Maharshi to return.  Now
he fed the maharshi who went back to his Ashram 
very pleased.  The King himself
partook of the food and, with his devotion to the Lord becoming much more
intense, finally merged his identity with the Lord.  Such is your commitment to your devotees O
Lord of Guruvayur, please save me (from my afflictions) 
दशकम्-३४
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka contains the story of Rama until he meets with Hanuman on the
banks of the Pampa river.  Mahavishnu was
born as Rama, son of Dasaratha,  along
with brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and Satrughna, 
at the request of the Devas,  in
order to kill Ravana. Rama and Lakshmana were sent with Viswamitra to protect from
the Rakshasas the yagna being performed by the Rishi.  On the way, at the instance of Viswamitra,  Rama killed Tataka, the demoness. After saving
the yagna they set out, with Viswamitra, to Mithila where Rama broke the bow of
Siva.  As per the condition laid down by
Janaka, his daughter Sita, was given in marriage to Rama.  The brothers also got married to the other
daughters of Janaka and his brother.
Ram’s
coronation as the King was stopped by Kaikeyi, the youngest wife of Dasaratha,
who wanted from Dasaratha the two boons he had promised in their early
life.  By the first boon she wanted her
son Bharata to be made King and by the second boon Rama was to be sent to live
in the forest for 14 years. Dasaratha was heartbroken at the prospect of being
separated from his dearest son Rama. 
Rama, however, with supreme composure accepted the condition imposed by
Kaikeyi to keep his father’s promise to Kaikeyi.
Lakshmana
and Sita accompanied Rama to the forest. 
They crossed the Ganga and happily lived for some time in the
Chitrakoota mountains where from Bharata they got the news of their father’s
death.  Rama performed the after-death
rites for his father and gave his Padukas
 to Bharata at his request. Bharata
kept Rama’s Padukas on the throne and looked after the affairs of the state on
behalf of Rama represented by his Padukas.
Rama,
along with Sita and Lakshmana, moved to Panchavati on the banks of the Godavari
and started living there.  One of those
days, the sister of Ravana named Surpanakha, approached Rama and, captivated by
his handsomeness, wanted him to marry her. 
Rama sent her to Lakshmana who cut off her nose. In retaliation, her
brother Khara came with his army and Rama, singled-handed, finished off the
whole army with lightning-quick launch of arrows from his bow. Surpanakha then
went to Ravana and described the beauty of Sita to him.  Ravana decided to abduct Sita and sent
Maricha to lure away Rama from Sita. 
Maricha took the form of a golden deer seeing which Sita wanted Rama to
get it for her.  Rama pursued the deer
which led him away far from the Ashram. 
Finally Rama hit him by an arrow and Maricha, before dying,  cried in Rama’s voice “O Lakshmana, save
me”.  Hearing this Sita panicked and
compelled Lakshmana to go to the help of Rama. During this interval Ravana came
in the guise of a monk (sanyasi) and,  on
the pretext of asking for alms, lured Sita outside the parnashala and
abducted her. 
When
Rama and Lakshmana came back to the hut it was empty. Sita was not seen
anywhere in the vicinity.  With a heavy
heart they set out on a search for Sita. Bhattathiri concludes this dasakam
with the following sloka:
भूयस्तन्वीं विचिन्वन्नहृत दशमुखस्त्वद्वधूं
मद्वधेने-
त्युक्त्वा याते जटायौ दिवमथ सुहृदः
प्रातनोः प्रेतकार्यं|
गृह्णानं तं कबन्धं जघनिथ शबरीं
प्रेक्ष्य पंपातटे त्वं
संप्राप्तो वातसूनुं भृशमुदितमनाः
पाहि वातालयेश ॥३४.१०॥
While
searching for Sita You met Jatayu who told you that Ravana had abducted Sita
after slaying him (Jatayu). Jatayu breathed his last and You performed his
after-death rites. You killed Kabandha who was trying to grab you and visited
Sabari (who had been waiting for Rama all these years). On the banks of Pampa,
having met with Hanuman, You felt extremely happy. O Lord of Guruayoor! save me
(from my afflictions)
.
दशकम्-३५
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
Dasaka continues with the story of Rama from the previous Dasaka.  The meeting with Hanuman leads to friendship
with Sugreeva who promises to help Rama in finding Sita.  Rama, in return, kills by deceit Vali who had
abducted the wife of Sugreeva who sent his monkeys in search of Sita. Rama left
his ring and a message with Hanuman, to be given to Sita when the latter found
her. The monkeys were sent in all directions. 
Hanuman,  along with a few other
monkeys,  went to the South  where they met Sampati, the brother of Jatayu,
who told them that Sita was in Lanka. 
Hanuman, taking on a huge from, landed in Lanka crossing the ocean with
one jump from the top of the Mahendra Mountain, overcoming all the obstacles on
the way. He finds Sita in the Asokavana of Lanka, gives the ring of Rama and
delivers the message.  Sita, who had been
despondent about being rescued, was assured by Hanuman that Rama would liberate
her from captivity after killing Ravana and those who supported him. Sita gave
Hanuman her Chudamani and a message
to be delivered to Rama.  Hanuman met
with Ravana and warned him of the consequences if he did not return Sita with
honour to Rama. Ravana ordered Hanuman’s tail to be set on fire after being
wrapped in clothes dipped in oil. Hanuman, however. did not at all feel the
heat because of Sita’s prayer to Agni and also because Agni is friend of Vayu,
father or Hanuman.  Hanuman leaps back to
the other shore and delivers the message and chudamani to Rama who, overjoyed,
embraced Hanuman.  Rama and Lakshmana,
along with the army of monkeys, built a barrage in the sea to cross over to
Lanka.  At this point Vibhishana, younger
brother of Ravana, took refuge in Rama leaving Ravana. Then Rama,   Lakshamana, Sugreeva, Hanuman and
Vibheeshana, along with the army of monkeys crossed over to Lanka.   There ensued a terrible war between the two
armies in which, finally, Ravana,  along
with his kith and kin and ministers, was killed.  Rama along with Sita and others returned to
Ayodhya by the Pushpaka vimana of Ravana. Rama was crowned as the King.
Rama sent away Sita into the forest as one of his subjects in his kingdom cast
doubts on her fidelity to Rama, though, in his heart of hearts, Rama knew that
she was without blemish.  There in the
forest Sita, who was under the care of Valmiki, was delivered of twin boys.
They grew up in the ashram of Valmiki who taught them to sing Ramayana authored
by him.  The boys sang the Ramayana in
the Yagnasala of Rama.  Sita
vanished into mother Earth from where she was born. Rama left his mortal body in
the Sarayu river and returned to his abode of Vaikuntha. This dasaka
concludes with the following sloka:
   . .  .   
सोऽयं मर्त्यावतारस्तव खलु नियतं
मर्त्यशिक्षार्थमेवं
विश्लेषार्तिर्निरागस्त्यजनमपि
भवेत् कामधर्मातिसक्त्या ।
नो चेत् स्वात्मानुभूतेः क्वनु
तव मनसो विक्रिया चक्रपाणे
स त्वं सत्त्वैकमूर्ते! पवनपुरपते!
व्याधुनु व्याधितापान् ॥३५.१०॥
O
Lord! Your incarnation in the human form is for educating human beings by
setting an example.  It also shows that
too much of attachment to kama  and Dharma
 will lead to sorrow of separation
and abandonment of someone who is innocent. 
Otherwise, for you, rooted in the experience of the Self, how can there
be negative reactions in the mind?  O
Lord of Guruvayur! the embodiment of pure sattwa!  please remove the suffering from my
afflictions.  
दशकम्-३६
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka contains the story of Parasurama,  born of Jamadagni Maharshi and his wife Renuka
Devi.  By the age of fourteen he learned
all the Vedas. Once when Renuka was collecting water from a pond she saw
reflected in the water the handsome form of a gandharva, and for a moment, she
lost her heart to him. Jamadagni divined this and got angry. He asked his
eldest son to chop off her head but he refused. The other sons also refused.
Finally Parasurama cut off the heads of his mother and brothers as ordered by the
father. The father’s rage was cooled and at the request of Parasurama he
brought back to life his wife and the other sons by the power of his tapas.  By his tapas
Parasurama propitiated Siva and got from him divine weapons. He fought with
Kartaveeryaarjuna who had got the calf of Kamadhenu
abducted by force as he could not
do anything to Kamadhenu who could
defend herself. Kartaveeryaarjuna was killed in the battle along with his
followers.  Parasurama ruthlessly axed
the aggressive kshatriyas who had turned against the brahmins
Bhattathiri
concludes this dasaka with the following sloka:  
न्यस्यास्त्राणिमहेन्द्रभूभृति
तपस्तन्वन् पुनर्मज्जितां
गोकर्णावधि सागरेण धरणीं दृष्ट्वार्थितस्तापसैः।
ध्यातेष्वासधृतानलास्त्रचकितं
सिन्धुं स्रुवक्षेपणा-
दुत्सार्योद्धृतकेरलो भृगुपते!
वातेश संरक्ष माम् ॥३६.१०॥
O
Lord! You deposited your weapons in the Mahendra Mountain and did intense tapas  to expiate your killings. Requested by sages who
wanted to reclaim the land up to gokarna ( on the west coast) submerged in the
sea, You got your bow and the agneyastra
 by the power of your meditation. The
Lord of the sea was terrified and receded to the point where the sruva you had
thrown had fallen, bringing into existence the land mass known as Kerala. O
Lord of Guruvayur of such power! Please save me (from my paralysis)   .    
दशकम्-३७
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
From
this Dasaka to Dasaka 88 is the story of Krishnavatara. The Asuras,  killed by the Lord during the battles between
the devas and asuras but still had Karmas
to work out,  were born on the Earth and
became ruthless kings. Mother Earth, unable to bear the weight of these wicked
kings,  approached Brahma and cried her
heart out. The devas, who knew the plight of Earth, were already there.  Brahma went to Mahavishnu along with Bhumi
and the devas.  He heard  Mahavsihnu’s words in his heart and verbally transmitted
them to Bhumi and the devas “ I know the condition of Bhumi. To remedy the situation
I shall incarnate with my plenary powers in the dynasty of Yadus.  Devas and devis  should take birth, with their partial powers,
on  Earth, to serve me.“  Hearing these words every one felt happy and
reassured.
About
this time the marriage of Vasudeva and Devaki was solemnised at Mathura and, at
the conclusion of the marriage, Devaki’s brother (cousin) Kamsa drove the
couple’s chariot towards Vasudeva’s palace. On the way an invisible voice from
the sky predicted that the eighth child of Devaki would kill him.  Immediately Kamsa, sword in hand, caught hold
of Devaki’s locks to kill her but Vasudeva entreated him to spare her and
promised that he would deliver to him the children born to Devaki soon after
their birth.  Kamsa relented and when the
first child was brought to him he did not kill the child as still there was a
streak of love in his heart. But Narada told Kamsa that he and others of his
ilk were asuras and Yadus were devas.  Hari
was a Mayavi and, if counted backward,  the first child may well be the eighth.  Kamsa was confused and he killed the first
six children as they were born. This dasaka concludes with the following sloka:
प्राप्ते सप्तमगर्भतामहिपतौ त्वत्प्रेरणान्मायया
नीते माधव! रोहिणीं त्वमपि भॊः
सच्चित्सुखैकात्मकः।
देवक्या जठरं विवेशिथ विभो ! संस्तूयमानः
सुरैः
स त्वं विधूय रोगपट्लीं भक्तिं
परां देहि मे ॥३७.१०॥
The
eighth pregnancy of Devaki was the incarnation of Adishesha. Prompted by you,  your yogamaya transferred the foetus to the
womb of Rohini and you O Lord!, the very essence of Existence, Consciousness
and Bliss! entered the womb of Devaki, your praises sung by the devas.  O Lord of such Maya destroy all my ailments
and bless me with the highest form of devotion
दशकम्-३८
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The
birth of Krishna is described in this dasaka. The atmosphere was cool with
clouds raining water.  The minds of good
people were calm and content. The Lord was born at midnight when the moon was
rising. Though in the form of a child, 
he revealed himself in all his splendour with his crown and other
ornaments, with the discus, conch, mace and lotus in his four hands and with a
beautiful dark complexion. On his chest was Lakshmi glancing around and
dispelling the negative vibrations in the cell in which Devaki and Vasudeva
were incarcerated. They were beside themselves with joy and sang His praises.
The Lord reminded them of their previous births.  Then, requested by Devaki, He became the
normal child and asked Vasudeva to take him to Nandagokula and exchange
him for the girl child born there to Yasoda. This dasaka concludes with the
following sloka:   
शेषेण भूरिफणवारितवारिणाथ
स्वैरं प्रदर्शितपथो मणिदीपितेन
।
त्वां धारयन् स खलु धन्यतमः प्रतस्थे
सोऽयं त्वमीश ! मम नाशय रोगवेगान्
॥३८.१०॥
(When
Vasudeva set out with child Krishna) it was raining heavily.  Adishesha with his hoods gave protection from
the rain.  The manikya ( a
precious stone) in his hood provided light in the dark night. Carrying you Vasudeva,
the most fortunate, set out on his journey. O Lord of Guruvayoor! kindly put an
end to the tempo of my ailments. 
दशकम्-३९
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
While
Vasudeva was carrying the child Krishna to Gpkul, Yamuna was in turbulence with
its waters rising as if trying to touch the sky. But as Vasudeva reached the
river the depth of the water was not more than ankle-deep. At Gokulam every one
was spellbound in sleep.  Vasudeva
quietly laid Krishna by the side of Yasoda and carried the girl (who was
yogamaya herself) born to Yasoda to his place. All the gates opened and closed
automatically. When Kamsa heard of the birth of the child he hastened to the
cell of Devaki and found a girl child in her hands.  He thought this must be some trick of that
juggler Vishnu.  Ignoring the pleadings
of Devaki he caught hold of the girl by her two tiny legs and was about to dash
her against a rock when, with lightning speed,  she escaped from his clutches and, hovering
above the earth, revealed her resplendent form with eight hands carrying
different weapons.  She sternly warned
Kamsa that the one who is destined to kill him is already born somewhere, it
was no use killing her. Kamsa  sent his
asuras to kill all newly born babies in the neighbourhood. In the meanwhile
there was great celebration in Nandagokula on the birth of Yasoda‘s child
which,  with its dark complexion and
beautiful form, captivated the heart of everyone.  Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the
following sloka:
  
भवत्कुशलकाम्यया खलु नन्दगोपस्तदा
प्रमोदभरसङ्कुलो द्विजकुलाय किं
नाददात् ।
तथैव पशुपालकाः किमु न मङ्गलं
तेनिरे
जगत्त्रितयमंगल! त्वमिह पाहि मामामयात्
॥३९.१०॥
For
the sake of your welfare Nandagopa, beside himself with joy, generously
distributed gifts to brahmins.  The other
gopas performed many auspicious rites for the well-being of the boy. O Lord of
Guruvayur who does good to all the three worlds! save me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-४०
 श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Putana moksha is described in this dasaka.  Putana, the demoness, was one of those assigned
by Kamsa the task of killing new born babies. 
She transformed herself into a beautiful woman captivating the heart of
every one.  She entered Nanad’a house
and, while other gopis were simply watching struck by her beauty, took the
child Krishna and put him to her breast to suckle.   She
had poisoned her breasts with the idea of killing Krishna.  But the child sucked her life along with the
milk and the demoness fell dead regaining her huge, frightening form. Bhattathiri
 concludes this dasaka with the following
sloka:   
भुवनमंगल! नामभिरेव ते
युवतिभिर्बहुधा कृतरक्षणः ।
त्वमयि वातनिकेतनाथ! मा-
मगदयन् कुरु तावकसेवकम् ॥४०.१०॥
Gopis
prayed for your protection by warding off evils by your own auspicious names
which bring good to the whole world.  O
Lord of Guruvayur! free me from my bodily ailments and make me your humble
servant and devotee.

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -3

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Prayers to the Lord of
Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -3
Narayaneeyam, considered to be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur
Narayanabhattathiri,  is a masterly
summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034
sanskrit slokas of great poetic merit. 
The whole work is divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end
of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was
completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala
. In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions
and restore his health.  .        
Given
below is the collection of last slokas from Daskas 21 to 30 of this
great devotional work with a prosaic translation in English.  A brief note on the contents of each dasaka
is also given, where possible, to put the slokas in context.   
दशकम्-२१
श्लोकसंख्या-१२
This
dasaka describes the nine varashas (Ilavruta, Bhadrashwa, Harivarsha,
Ketumala, Ramyaka, Hiranmaya, Kuru, Kimpurusha and Bharata) and the form of the
Lord in each Varsha and the devotees who worship those forms of the Lord.  Bhattathiri prays thus in the last sloka of
this dasaka:
पातालमूलभुवि
शेषतनुं
भवन्तं
लोलैककुण्डलविराजिसहस्रशीर्षं ।
नीलांबरं
धृतहलं
भुजगाङ्गनाभिः
जुष्टं
भजे
हर
गदान्
गुरुगेहनाथ!
॥२१.१२॥
I
meditate on your form as the thousand-headed Adisesha with a single Kundala
which is always oscillating, wearing deep blue robes, using the plough as the
weapon and attended by women of the serpent family and with your abode in
Patala. O Lord of Guruvayur remove my afflictions.
दशकम्-२२
श्लोकसंख्या-११
The
story of Ajamila is narrated in this Dasaka. Ajamila was a brahmana but he was
seduced by a prostitute and lived with her and begot children.  He abandoned all his karmas as a brahmana and earned a living by improper means. He
doted on his last child by name Narayana. 
When he was on his death bed the Yama’s servants, with their terrible
forms, came to take Ajamila’s life. 
Overcome by fear he called his son ‘Narayana’.  Immediately the attendants of Vishnu appeared
before him and told the attendants of Yama that Ajamila had been redeemed from
his sins because at the hour of death he had uttered the name ‘Narayana’. Not
only that, his old vasanas had also been destroyed. Yama’s servants went back
and reported to their master.  In the
last sloka of this daska Bhattathiri prays thus: 
स्वकिङ्करावेदनशंकितोयम-
स्त्वदंघ्रिभक्तेषु न गम्यतामिति ।
स्वकीयभृत्यानशिशिक्षदुच्चकैः
स
देव! वातालयनाथ!
पाहि
माम्
॥२२.११॥
After
hearing  the report of his servants Yama
issued instructions to all his servants that they should not approach your
devotees. O Lord of Guruvayur! such is the greatness of your name; save me from
my ailments.
दशकम्-२३
श्लोकसंख्या-११
This Daska has the story
of King Chitraketu who begot a son by the blessings of Angiras maharshi.  The son
was killed by the other wives of the King because of which the king was drowned
in sorrow. Maharshi Angiras came to him with Narada and,  by their yogic powers, called the Jiva of the
dead son and asked it to dwell in the same body to  make its parents happy. The jiva asked them
“Who are my parents? I have had many parents in many births’.  Hearing this Chitraketu got rid of his
delusion. Narada gave him a stotra and a mantra chanting and meditating on
which he had the vision of the Lord in the form of Adisesha who instructed him
in the knowledge of the Self.  Once
Chitraketu was cursed by Uma who was angered when the former criticised Siva
for sitting Uma on his thigh.. He was born as Vritrasura and fought with Indra
whom he surprised by giving him the knowledge of the Atman. The poet ends this
dasaka with the following prayer to the Lord:
 
त्वत्सेवनेन
दितिरिन्द्रवधोद्यतापि
तान्
प्रत्युतेन्द्रसुहृदो मरुतोऽभिलेभे ।
दुष्टाशयेऽपि
शुभदैव
भवन्निषेवा
तत्तादृशस्त्वमव मां पवनालयेश्! ॥२३.११॥
Diti  (mother of
asuras) wanted a son to kill Indra and for this she worshipped you.  But she actually gave birth to the maruts  who turned out to be friends of Indra.  Even if the intention is evil, one who
worships you gets only auspicious results. 
O Lord of Guruvayur! such is your greatness;  save me from my illness.
दशकम्-२४
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasakam contains the first part of Prahlada’s story where Hiranya
kashipu tries to mend the ways of Prahlada who is always immersed in the loving
devotion and remembrance of the Lord. 
But Prahlada does not waver from the path he he has chosen for
Himself.  Hiranya Kashipu tries to kill
him by various means but he is not able to hurt even a hair on his son’s body.
His anger knows no bounds.  He asks
Prahlada who his power is. Prahlada replies that Hari is his own power and also
the power of the whole world including Hiranyakashipu.  Bhattathiri concludes this dasaka with the
following prayer of his.  
अरे
क्वासौ
क्वासौ
सकलजगदात्मा
हरिरिति
प्रभिन्ते
स्म
स्तंभं
चलितकरवालो
दितिसुतः
।
अतः
पश्चाद्विष्णो न हि वदितुमीशोऽस्मि सहसा
कृपात्मन्!
विश्वात्मन्!
पवनपुरवासिन्!
मृडय
माम्॥२४.१०॥
“Where
is this Hari who is the atma of all beings in the world?”-  thus saying 
Hiranyakasipu struck the pillar with his sword.  What happened just after that is not in my
power to narrate instantly. O Lord of Guruvayur! you are full of compassion and
you are the atman of the whole world. 
Please save me and protect me“
दशकम्-२५
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
contains the second part of Prahlada’s story. The Lord emerges from the pillar
(struck by Hiranyakashipu) with the terrible form of half-lion, half-man and a
terrible roar reverberates throughout the three worlds.  The Lord, with his nails, rips open the
stomach of Hiranyakashipu and drinks his blood. No one has the courage to
approach any where near him.  Finally
Brahma sends Prahlada to Narasimha. The Lord’s anger cooled as soon as Prahlada
fell at His feet. He picked up the boy and sitting him on his lap put his hand
on his head and blessed him. Bhattathiri ends this dasaka with the following
prayer:  
एवं
नाटितरौद्रचेष्टित!
विभो! श्रीतापनीयाभिध-
श्रुत्यन्तस्फुटगीतसर्वमहिमन्न्त्यन्तशुद्धाकृते! ।
तत्तादृङ्निखिलोत्तरं पुनरहो! कस्त्वां परो लङ्घयेत्
प्रह्लादप्रिय!
हे
मरुत्पुरपते! सर्वामयात्
पाहि
मां
॥२५.१०||
O
Lord! You did only act out this terrible drama (how can you be moved by such
emotions as anger?) Your greatness is extolled in the Sritaapaneeya Upanishad.
Your form is of pure sattwaguna. You
are above all. Who can transgress you? O Lord of Guruvayur! Prahlada is dear to
You and You are dear to him. Please save me from all my diseases.
दशकम्-२६
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The
story of Gajendra moksha is narrated in this Dasaka.  King Indradyumna of Pandya Khanda was a
devotee of the Lord. Once when he was engaged in worship, sage Agastya visited
him. Since the king’s attention was in the worship, he did not notice Agastya’s
presence. The sage therefore cursed him as a result of which he became an
elephant.  However, he was the king among
elephants and ruled the forest. Once while bathing,  an alligator caught him in the leg and the
elephant,  trying with all his strength,
could not extricate himself even with the help of his family members.  The tug of war continued for years. Finally
the elephant was on the point of giving up when he remembered a stotra he used to
recite in his previous birth. Reciting this stotra, surrendering himself
mentally to the Lord, the elephant picked up a lotus in his trunk and offered
it to the Lord.  Mahavishnu heard the
call and hastened on his Garuda to rescue him. With his discus he killed the alligator
and released the elephant.  The alligator
also was released from the curse he was under and became a gandharva as
before.
एतद्वृत्तं
त्वां
च
मां
च
प्रगे
यो
गायेत्सोऽयं
श्रेयसे
भूयसे
स्यात्
।
इत्युक्त्वैनं तेन सार्धं गतस्त्वं
धिष्ण्यं
विष्णो!
पाहि
वातालयेश
॥२६.१०॥
 “Whosoever sings about this event, about you
and about me early morning, will be blessed with health, wealth and happiness”,
saying thus You went along with Gajendra to Your abode (Vaikuntha). O Vishnu!
Lord of Guruvayoor! please save me (from my afflictions). 
दशकम्-२७
श्लोकसंख्या-११
The
churning of the milky ocean by the devas and
asuras is described in this Dasaka.  Sage Durvasa gifted a divine garland to Indra
which his elephant crushed under its feet because of the Indra’s
negligence.   Cursed by Durvasa, Indra
and other devas, lost their youth and
their wealth and were vanquished by the asuras.
Mahavishnu advised the devas to conclude a peace treaty with the asuras and do
the churning of the milky ocean jointly with them to obtain amrit.  Mandara mountain was to be the churning rod
and Vasuki was to be the rope. The Lord himself put these things in place.  When the churning started Mandara started
sinking into the ocean.  Then Mahavishnu
took the form of a giant tortoise, and lifted up the Mandara and supported it
on his expansive back.
Bhattathiri
concludes this dasaka with the following prayer:
उद्भ्राम्यद्बहुतिमिनक्रचक्रवाले
तत्राब्धौ
चिरमथितेऽपि
निर्विकारे
।
एकस्त्वं
करयुगकृष्टसर्पराजः
संराजन्
पवनपुरेश
पाहि
रोगात्
॥२७.११॥
Frightened
by the intense churning, whales, crocodiles and other creatures of the ocean
were swimming like mad in panic but there was no change in the  ocean, no sign of its yielding amrit. Then O Lord! You yourself, alone,
started churning the ocean holding Vasuki, the serpent, by both your hands. It
was a sight to see O Lord of Guruvayur! 
Save me from my afflictions.
दशकम्-२८
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the emergence of Lakshmi from the milky ocean and her
garlanding of Mahavishnu as a mark of her acceptance of Him as her
consort.  The appearance  of Dhanwantari with amrita is described in the last verse of this Dasaka is given
below:
तरुणांबुदसुन्दरस्तदा त्वं
ननु
धन्वन्तरिरुत्थितोंऽबुराशेः ।
अमृतं
कलशे
वहन्
कराभ्या-
मखिलार्तिं
हर
मारुतालयेश
॥२८.१०॥
Beautiful
as the water-charged dark cloud, You yourself emerged as Dhanwantari from the
milky ocean holding the pot of amrita in Your hands. O Lord of Guruvayur!
kindly cure me of all my ailments.
दशकम्-२९
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
Dasaka describes how amrita was distributed by Mahavishnu,  in the form of Mohini, to the devas, 
seducing and hoodwinking the asuras. Lord Siva wanted to see the
captivating form of Mohini and Vishnu obliged and appeared in a most
enthralling form of a teenage girl whom Siva embraced passionately.   
  
भूयोऽपि
विद्रुतवतीमुपधाव्य देवो
वीर्यप्रमोक्षणविकसत्परमार्थबोधः ।
त्वन्मानितस्तव महत्त्वमुवाच देव्यै
तत्तादृशस्त्वमव वातनिकेतनाथ ॥२९.१०॥
(Mohini
extricated herself from Siva’s embrace) and started running, with Siva
following her in hot pursuit.. Ejaculation brought Siva back to terra firma. Honoured
by You, Lord Shiva narrated Your greatness to his consort Uma. O Lord of
Guruvayur of such greatness,  save me
(from my illness).  . 
दशकम्-३०
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the incarnation of Mahavishnu as Vamana. Mahabali, who was
killed after the churning of the milky ocean, was brought to life by Sukracharya
and he performed many sacrifices and by his might brought the three worlds
under his control. The Devas lived incognito for fear of Mahabali.  Aditi, mother of the Devas, was worried about
the abject condition of the devas and took refuge in her husband Kashyapa. As
advised by her husband she worshipped Mahavishnu with great devotion observing payovrata, as instructed by her
husband, for twelve days, At the end of the twelve days Mahavishnu revealed
himself to her and told her that He would take birth as her son, she should not
reveal seeing Him to any one.  The Lord
entered Aditi’s womb and took birth as Vamana, of short stature, and
immediately took the form of a young brahmachari.
Equipped with all the paraphernalia of a brahmachari, he reached the yagnashala  of Mahabali on the banks of the Narmada.  Mahabali, impressed by his appearance,
welcomed him with great respect and humility and washed his feet. Bhattatiri
concludes this Dasaka with the following sloka.   
प्रहादवंशतया
क्रतुभिर्द्विजेषु
विश्वासतो
नु
तदिदं
दितिजोऽपि
लेभे
।
यत्
ते
पदांबु
गिरिशस्य
शिरोभिलाल्यं
स
त्वं
विभो! गुरुपुरालय!
पालयेथाः
॥३०.१०॥
Mahabali
was fortunate enough  to wash the Lord’s
feet the water from which even Lord Shiva reverentially puts on his head. This
was because Mahabali was born in the lineage of Prahlada, the great devotee of
the Lord and he had great faith in brahmins and in Yagnas. O Lord of Guruvayoor!  kindly save me ( from all my physical
discomforts) 

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -2

Posted , updated on
Prayers to the Lord of
Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -2
Narayaneeyam, considered to be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur
Narayanabhattathiri,  is a masterly
summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034
sanskrit slokas of great poetic merit. 
The whole work is divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end
of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was
completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala
. In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions
and restore his health.  .        
Given
below is the collection of last slokas from Daskas 11 to 20 of this
great devotional work with a prosaic translation in English.  A brief note on the contents of each dasaka
is also given, where possible, to put the slokas in context.   
दशकम् -११
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
Jaya
and Vijaya, dwarapalas at Vaikunta,
the abode of Mahavishnu, were born as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu in the
asura clan by the curse of sages Sanaka, 
Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanatkumara who were denied access to the Lord
by them.  Hiranyaksha was raring to fight
and was not able to find an enemy who could match his strength.  Then he submerged the Earth in water and
wandered roaring carrying a mace. The poet ends this dasaka with the following
prayer to the Lord:
ततो जलेशात् सदृशं भवन्तं
निशम्य बभ्राम गवेषयंस्त्वां ।
भक्तैकदृश्यः स कृपानिधे! त्वं
निरुन्धि रोगान् मरुदालयेश! ॥११.१०॥
Then
hearing from Varuna about You as one of equal strength, Hiranyaksha went around
in search of You seen only by your devotees. O Lord of Guruvayur!  Repository of Compassion!  Please put an end to my ailments.
दशकम् -१२
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
Dasaka describes the incarnation of the Lord as varaha (Boar)  which emerged
from the nostrils of Brahma with a tiny body. In seconds it assumed a gigantic
form, plunged into the waters and, warding 
off the attacks of the asuras, found the Earth hidden in Rasatala  ( one of the nether worlds)
अभ्युद्धरन्नथ धरां दशनाग्रलग्न-
मुस्ताङ्कुरांकित इवाधिकपीवरात्मा
।
उद्धूतघोरसलिलाज्जलधेरुदञ्चन्
क्रीडावराहवपुरीश्वर! पाहि रोगात्
॥१२.१०॥
Lifting
up the Earth which was comparatively of the size of a sprouting musta (the tiny root of a type of a
grass) stuck to the huge tusk of your gargantuan body, you came out of the
turbulent waters of the ocean. O Lord with the playfully assumed body of a
Boar! Save me from my ailments.
दशकम् -१३
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The Lord
in his incarnation as Varaha (Boar) kills Hiranyaksha in a tough fight
and the Rishis sing his praise with vedic hymns.  In the last sloka of this dasaka Bhattathiri
entreats the Lord to free him of all his afflictions.
मुनीन्द्रैरित्यादिस्तवनमुखरैर्मोदितमना
महीयस्या मूर्त्या विमलतरकीर्त्या
च विलसन् ।
स्वधिष्ण्यं संप्राप्तः सुखरसविहारी
मधुरिपो
निरुन्ध्या रोगं मे सकलमपि वातालयपते॥१३.१०
॥
Pleased
by the hymns of the Munis you shone in that glorious varaha  form with unblemished reputation
and went back to your own abode of Vaikunta revelling in your Bliss. O Slayer
of Madhu! Lord of Guruvayoor! kindly put an end to all my afflictions.
दशकम् -१४
श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
dasaka describes the incarnation of the Lord as Kapila.  Kardama, one of the prajapatis born out of the shadow of Brahma married Devahuti, daughter of Manu and Shatarupa.  To them was born Kapila, the proponent of the Samkhya
philosophy. When Kardama retires to the forests, Kapila imparts to his mother
Devahuti the essence of the Samkhya philosophy. 
Bhattathiri ends this dasaka with the following prayer to the Lord:
वनमेयुषि
कर्द्दमे प्रसन्ने
मतसर्वस्वमुपादिशन् जनन्यै ।
कपिलात्मक! वायुमन्दिरेश!
त्वरितं त्वं परिपाहि मां गदौघात्
॥१४.१०॥
When
Kardama went to the forests (for tapas)
 You, as Bhagavan Kapila,  imparted  to your mother (Devahuti)   the
knowledge of the whole of samkhya philosophy. 
O Lord of Guruvayur incarnated as Kapila! save me from all my ailments
without delay.  
दशकम् -१५ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This dasaka
contains a summary of the instructions by Kapila to his mother Devahuti
emphasising devotion to the Lord.
परम! किमु बहूक्त्या त्वत्पदांभोजभक्तिं
सकलभयविनेत्रीं सर्वकामोपनेत्रीं
।
वदसि खलु दृढं त्वं तद्विधूयामयान्
मे
गुरुपवनपुरेश! त्वय्युपाधत्स्व
भक्तिम् ॥१५.१०॥
O
Lord! What is the use of a volley of words. You have emphatically declared that
devotion to your lotus-feet will free one from all fears and bring all that is
desirable. Therefore O Lord of Guruvayur! destroy my afflictions and engender
in me unwavering devotion to you.
दशकम् -१६ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
daska describes the tapas of
Narayana and Nara at Badarikashram. Indra, afraid that he may lose his position
by the power of their tapas, sent
Kama along with his retinue to disturb them in their tapas.  But they could not be
seduced by the apsara beauties sent
by Indra aided by Kama. On the other hand Narayana created Urvashi who was more
than a match to the apsaras in her beauty. 
This
dasaka also describes the yagna performed by Daksha to which Lord Siva
was not invited.  Sati, Daksha’s daughter
and the consort of Siva went to the Yagna where she burnt herself in the fire
of yoga, unable to bear the insult to her husband. Bhattathiri’s prayer to the
Lord in this dasaka is contained in this last sloka:
क्रुद्धेशमर्द्दितमखः स तु कृत्तशीर्षो
देवप्रसादितहरादथ लब्धजीवः ।
त्वत्पूरितक्रतुवरः पुनराप शान्तिं
स त्वं प्रशान्तिकर! पाहि मरुत्पुरेश!
॥१६.१०॥
The
yagna was devastated by (the bhutaganas
of)  an angry Siva and Daksha was
beheaded.  Propitiated by the Devas, 
Lord Siva revived him. Then you got the yagna completed (as per vedic
injunctions) and Daksha met with peace again. 
O Lord of Guruvaur!  Harbinger of
Peace! please save me (from my ailments).
दशकम् -१७ श्लोकसंख्या-११
The
story of Dhruva is narrated in this dasaka. Dhruva, a  boy of five, 
was prevented from sitting on the lap of his father by Sruruchi, his
father’s second wife. Dhruwa, in tears, goes to his mother Suniti, the first
wife of the king,  who advises Dhruva to
propitiate Mahavishnu by tapas to get
back his rights. Determined to achieve his goal Dhruva, guided by Narada,
undertakes intense tapas.   Propitiated by the boy’s tapas  Mahavishnu reveals himself and grants his
wish.  Dhruva’s father had a change of
heart in the meanwhile and he installed Dhruwa as the king, retiring to the
forests himself. Bhattathiri’s  prayer to
the Lord is contained in this last sloka:
    
अन्ते भवत्पुरुषनीतविमानयातो
मात्रा समं ध्रुवपदे मुदितोऽयमास्ते
।
एवं स्वभृत्यजनपालनलोलधीस्त्वं
वातालयाधिप! निरुन्धि ममामयौघान्
॥१७.११॥
In the
end Dhruva, along with his mother Suniti, 
was led by your attendants in a vimana
(air plane), to the abode called dhruvapada  where he lives happily with his mother. O
Lord of Guruvayur! please cure all my ailments.
दशकम् -१८ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
The
story of Pruthu, an incarnation of Vishnu, is given in this daska. Pruthu
emerged from the body of his father Vena, a wicked king who died cursed by
rishis who could not tolerate his atrocities. 
Pruthu made mother Earth yield her fruits which she had withheld during
the reign of Vena.  In the following
sloka at the end of this dasaka Bhattathiri prays to the Lord to wipe
out all his diseases:
विज्ञानं सनकमुखोदितं दधानः
स्वात्मानं स्वयमगमो वनान्तसेवी
।
तत्तादृक्पृथुवपुरीश! सत्वरं मे
रोगौघं प्रशमय वातगेहवासिन् ॥१८.१०॥
·     
Pruthu obtained spiritual knowledge instructed by the rishis
led by Sanaka and realised the Self by self living in the forest.  O Lord of Guruvayur in the body of Pruthu!
please destroy my afflictions.
दशकम् -१९ श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
Daska narrates the story of prachetasah, the
ten sons of Pracheenabarhi, the great
grand son Pruthu.  All of them performed
tapas on the banks of the ocean in the West. 
Lord Siva gave them a Stotra praising Vishnu. Chanting this stotra,  they spent a hundred years under water.  Lord Vishnu revealed Himself to them and gave
them boons though they did not want any. 
Prompted by Brahma they married the daughter of trees.  Given below is the last verse of this dasaka
in which the poet prays to the Lord thus:
अवाप्य दक्षं च सुतं कृताध्वराः
प्रचेतसो नारदलब्धया धिया    ।
अवापुरानन्दपदं तथाविध-
स्त्वमीश्! वातालयनाथ पाहि माम्॥
१९.१०॥
Prachetasah  begot a son by name Daksha.  They performed many sacrifices.  Obtaining spiritual knowledge from Narada,
they attained supreme bliss. O Lord of Guruvayoor! Please save me (from my
afflictions).
दशकम् -२० श्लोकसंख्या-१०
This
Dasaka narrates the story of Rishabha Yogeeshwara. Rishabha was a realised soul
and was an incarnation of Vishnu. In the last sloka of this dasaka  given below Bhattathiri entreats the Lord to
remove all his sufferings.
शयुव्रतं गोमृगकाकचर्यां
चिरं चरन्नाप्य परं स्वरूपं ।
दवाहृताङ्ग्: कुटकाचले त्वं
तापान् ममापाकुरु वातनाथ!॥ २०.१०॥
Living
like the python, the cow, the deer and the crow for a long time and having
attained the highest Self your body was burnt in a forest fire in Kutakachala.
O Lord of Guruvayoor! Please drive away my sufferings.

Prayers to the Lord of Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -1

Posted , updated on
Prayers to the Lord of
Guruvayoor from Narayaneeyam -1
Narayaneeyam, considered to be a Magnum Opus of Meppathur Narayanabhattathiri,
 is a masterly summary of  Srimad Bhagavatam in 1034 sanskrit slokas of
great poetic merit.  The whole work is
divided into 100 dasakas of mostly ten slokas  each. It was completed in 100 days at the end
of which Bhattathiri, who was suffering from chronic rheumatic disease, was
completely cured and also had a beatific vision of the Lord of Guruvayoor as Venugopala
. In the last sloka of each dasaka Bhattathiri cries out his heart,  praying to the Lord to end his afflictions and
restore his health.  .        
Given
below is the collection of last slokas from Daskas 1 to 10 of this great
devotional work with a prosaic translation in English.  A brief note on the contents of each dasaka
is also given, where possible, to put the slokas in context.   
दशकम् -१, श्लोकसंख्या- १०
ऐश्वर्यं शंकरादीश्वरविनियमनं
विश्वतेजोहराणां
तेजस्संहारिवीर्यं विमलमपि यशो
निस्पृहैश्चोपगीतम् ।
अंगासंगा सदा श्रीरखिलविदसि न
क्वाऽपि ते संगवार्ता
तद्वातागारवासिन् मुरहर भगवच्छ्ब्दमुख्याश्रयोऽसि  ॥१.१०॥
“O
Lord of Guruvayoor ! slayer of Mura! Your authority (aiswarya) extends to empowering Siva and other gods, your valour (veerya) is capable of conquering the mightiest
of the mighty, your glory (yashah) is
unblemished and sung by even those who are devoid of any desire, the Goddess of
wealth (Shree) always abides in you, you are all-knowing (gnaana) and there is no question of your being attached to anything(vairaagya). Therefore you are the chief
refuge for the word bhagavan  (as bhaga
denotes aishwarya, veerya, yashah,
shree, gnana and vairagya  and bhagavan  is the one possessing all these qualities).”
दशकम् -२, श्लोकसंख्या- १०
त्वद्भक्तिस्तु कथारसामृतझरीनिर्मज्जनेन
स्वयं
सिध्यन्ती विमलप्रबोधपदवीमक्लेशतस्तन्वती
।
सद्यः सिद्धिकरी जयत्ययि विभो!
सैवास्तु मे त्वत्पद-
प्रेमप्रौढिरसार्द्रता द्रुततरं
वातालयाधीश्वर ! ॥२.१०॥
“Devotion
to you will arise, of itself, in one’s heart by immersing oneself in the stream
of nectar flowing from the stories of your exploits. Such devotion will open
up, without difficulty, the path of pure Knowledge of the Brahman.  Therefore O Lord of
Guruvayoor ! May you bless me with such devotion as will touch my heart and
melt it (in loving remembrance of you)”.
दशकम् -३, श्लोकसंख्या- १०
किमुक्तैर्भूयोभिस्तव हि करुणा
यावदुदिया-
दहं तावद्देव! प्रहितविविधार्थप्रलपितः    ।
पुरः कॢप्ते पादे वरद तव नेष्यामि
दिवसान्
यथाशक्ति व्यक्तं नतिनुतिनिषेवा
विरचयन् ॥३.१०॥
“O
Lord, dispenser of boons! What is the use of my talking a lot ? I shall henceforth
stop complaining about everything and spend my days at your feet, bowing to
you, singing your praise and worshipping you to the best of my capacity until
your compassion or grace descends on me”  
दशकम् -४
श्लोकसंख्या -१५
This
dasaka briefly describes the practice of Ashtanga
Yoga consisting of the disciplines of yama
(truth, non-violence, celibacy etc)  niyama(cleanliness etc), asana (postures for meditation),  pranayama
(breadth control), pratyahara
(turning the senses inward), dhyana (meditation), dharana  (stay unwaveringly in meditation) samadhi (stay firmly in one’s true
nature i.e. atmaswarupa). It also
describes the path taken by the Yogi’s soul after his mortal body drops off. Poet
Bhattathiri ends this dasaka with the following sloka:
अर्चिरातिगतिमीदृशीं व्रजन्
  विच्युतिं
न भजते जगत्पते ।
सच्चिदात्मक! भवद्गुणोदया-
  नुच्चरन्तमनिलेश! पाहि माम् ॥४.१५॥
“O
the Lord of the worlds! The yogi who attains 
the higher worlds (archiraadi gati) will never again return to this
world of mortals.  O Embodiment of Truth
and Consciousness!  take care of me
(protect me) who is always engaged in singing about your sterling qualities.”
दशकम् -५
श्लोकसंख्या -१०
This
dasaka describes the emergence of the cosmic form of the Lord (viratpurusha) after the mahapralaya (the great dissolution)  when everything i.e. kala (Time), karma (good
and bad actions),gunas  ( the three modes of prakruti, sattwa, rajas and tams),  all beings, 
all the worlds created by Maya
and Maya herself dissolved into Lord
in subtle seed form.  Only the Lord
remained as Pure Bliss and Light. After the lapse of two parardhas  (one parardha
is an eighteen digit number in terms of years) the Lord cast his glance at His
Maya who, disturbed from her equilibrium stage, was agitated and started the
work of bringing the world again into manifest form.  She created the mind, the intellect, the ego,
the chitta (repository of
impressions), the senses of  knowledge
and action, the subtle and gross elements. 
These, however,  could not work
together and create the brahmanda (Cosmic
Egg).  Then O Lord!, you entered these
elements, and activating them, created the hairanyam
andam (Golden Egg) from which emerged the cosmic form of the Lord. The
concluding sloka gives a picturesque description of the emergence of the cosmic
form of the Lord.
अण्डं तत्पूर्वसृष्टसलिलेऽतिष्ठत्
सहस्रं समाः
निर्भिन्दन्नकृथाश्चतुर्द्दशजगद्रूपं
विराडाह्वयम्
साहस्रैः करपादमूर्धनिवहैर्निश्शेषजीवात्मको
निर्भातोऽसि मरुत्पुराधिप! स मां
त्रायस्व सर्वामयात् ॥५.१०॥
“The
Golden Egg lay in the primal waters created earlier for a thousand years. Then
O Lord!, rupturing the Egg, You emerged in your 
resplendent cosmic form with thousands of hands, feet and heads spanning
fourteen worlds and containing all life forms. O Lord of Guruvayoor!  save me from all my ailments”.
दशकम् -६
श्लोकसंख्या -१०
ईदृग्जगन्मयवपुस्तव कर्मभाजां
   कर्मावसानसमये स्मरणीयमाहुः  ।
तस्यान्तरात्मवपुषे विमलात्मने
ते
   वातालयाधिप नमोऽस्तु निरुन्धि रोगान् ॥६.१०॥
“This
cosmic form of Yours encompassing the whole of the cosmos is to be remembered,  at the end of each karma, by those who tread the path of karma (action).  O the Lord of Guruvayur!, the very soul
(अन्तरात्मा),  of the cosmic form, pure
and without blemish! I bow to you; please remove my ailments”.
दशकम् -७
श्लोकसंख्या -१०
This
Dasaka describes the manifestation of Brahma from the cosmic body of the Lord,
his desire to create the world born out of his rajoguna, his  tapas prompted  by the invisible voice ( aakaashavaani ) and his vision of the
splendour and majesty of Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu who was pleased with
the tapas of Brahma. The Dasaka concludes with the following verse:
आताम्रे चरणे विनम्रमथ तं हस्तेन
हस्ते स्पृशन्
बोधस्ते भविता न सर्गविधिभिः बन्धोऽपि
संजायते।
इत्याभाष्य गिरं प्रतोष्य नितरां
तच्चित्तगूढः स्वयम्ं
सृष्टौ तं समुदैरयः स भगवन्नुल्लासयोल्लाघताम्
॥७.१०॥
“O
Lord! Brahma bowed, with humility, at Your feet of beautiful red hue and You,
holding his hand in yours, told him that he would attain True knowledge (of the
Self) and his actions in creating the world wound not bind him. You pleased him
very much by your words and, hiding in his heart, prompted him in creation. O
Bhagavan ! Please bless me that my health blossoms (free from ailments)”  
दशकम् -८
श्लोकसंख्या -१३
The
8th dasaka describes the maha pralaya
(the great dissolution) which happens at intervals of two parardhas.   In this dasaka the naimittika pralaya is described which happens at the end of each
day of Brahma the duration of which is one thousand chaturyugas (4320000000 earth years). This is night
of Brahma during which he merges in Lord 
Vishnu and goes to sleep which also extends to one thousand chaturyugas. All beings and all the
worlds enter the belly of Lord Vishnu in subtle unmanifest state and there is
water everywhere. At the end of the naimittika
pralaya Brahma
emerges
seated on the divine lotus from the navel of Vishnu.  In the concluding verse the poet, as usual,  requests the Lord to free him from his
ailments   
अस्मिन् परात्मन् ननु पाद्मकल्पे
त्वमित्थमुत्थापितपद्मयोनिः ।
अनन्तभूमा मम रोगराशिं
निरुन्धि वातालयवास विष्णो ॥ ८.१३॥
“ O Lord
of Guruvayoor of immeasurable greatness!,  who thus brought Brahma into being during the
Padma Kalpa, please put an end to all my afflictions” 
दशकम् -९
श्लोकसंख्या -१०
 The ninth Dasaka describes how  Brahma, finding himself on the Lotus
surrounded by flood waters everywhere, went down, by his yogic powers, through
the hole in the stalk of the lotus but could not find its origin.  He came back to the Lotus and did intense
tapas for a hundred years.  He then had
the vision of the beautiful form of the Lord fully adorned and reclining on the
thousand-hooded serpent Adisesha. Brahma
was given the power to create the worlds and asked to do tapas.  He was also blessed with intense devotion to
the Lord. The last verse of this dasaka is:
तवैव कृपया
पुनः सरसिजेन तेनैव स
प्रकल्प्य भुवनत्रयीं प्रववृते
प्रजानिर्मितौ ।
तथाविध कृपाभरो गुरुमरुत्पुराधीश्वर!
त्वमाशु परिपाहि मां गुरुदयोक्षितैरीक्षितैः॥९.१०॥
Brahma,
by your blessings, created the three worlds from the same lotus from which he
had emerged and started populating the worlds. 
O Lord of Guruvayur!  You are full
of compassion. Save me (from my afflictions) by your glances charged with
compassion.
दशकम् -१०
श्लोकसंख्या -१०
This
dasaka describes the different types of creations (life forms) by Brahma such
as animals, birds, aquatic beings, human beings, devas etc.  Given
below is the last verse of this dasaka.
जानन्नुपायमथ देहमथो विभज्य
स्त्रीपुंसभावमभजन्मनुतद्वधूभ्याम्
।
ताभ्यां च मानुषकुलानि विवर्द्धयंस्त्वं
गोविन्द! मारुतपुरेश! निरुन्द्धि
रोगान् ॥१०.१०॥
To
perpetuate the human species Brahma found a solution and created from his own
body Manu and Satarupa, the first man and the first woman.  O Govinda! O Lord of Guruvayoor! through them
you perpetuated and multiplied the human species. Please put an end to my
afflictions.

KUCHELA VRUTTAM (FROM NARAYANEEYAM)

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KUCHELA VRUTTAM (FROM NARAYANEEYAM)
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (1559-1632) was the celebrated author of Narayaneeyam, a devotional composition in Sanskrit verse which is a masterly summary of the main episodes in Srimad Bhagavatam. He was a scholar in the Sanskrit Language and its grammar on which he wrote his masterpiece Prakriya-sarvaswam which sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system of Panini the grammarian.  
Narayana Bhattathiri was born in a Namboodiri family of Kerala. He was a disciple of Achyuta Pisharati from whom he studied Sanskrit grammar.  As a student he also studied the Rig Veda and Tarka Sastra (the science of logical reasoning and argument).
Bhattathiri was struck with paralysis when he was still young.  The disease was painful and Ezhuthachan the author of Adhyatma Ramayana advised Bhattathiri  “meen thottu koottuka” which in Malayalam meant ‘take fish as food’ or ‘start counting from fish’.  It was obvious that the erudite Ezhuthachan would not have advised Bhattathiri, a Nambooiri brahmin, to eat fish since Namboodiri brahmins are staunch vegetarians.  Bhattathiri figured out that the meaning of ‘start counting from fish’ was that he (Bhattathiri)  should start recounting the incarnations of the Lord starting from the matsyavatara(incarnation as fish to redeem the Vedas from the asura named Hayagreeva) and go on upto the incarnation of Lord Krishna.
Bhattathiri took the advise and wrote his Magnum Opus based on Srimad Bhagavatam which chronicles the many incarnations of Mahavishnu and expounds the highest philosophy of the Hindus embodied in the Upanishads. He dedicated his work to Lord Krishna, fondly called by devotees as Guruvayoorappan, at the temple at Guruvayoor in Kerala.  The work consists of 100 dasakas each containing 10 verses. However, a few dasakas contain more than ten verses so that the total number of slokas is not 1000 but 1034. 
Legend has it that Bhattathiri composed one dasaka a day in the presence of the Lord and recited it before Him for His approval and the Lord did nod his head in agreement. The composition is directly addressed to the Lord telling him His own exploits and leelas.   The refrain in the last sloka of every dasaka is a prayer to the Lord of Guruvayoor to remove his (Bhattathiri’s) ailments and sufferings. The Lord did cure Bhattathiri of his affliction by the time he completed Narayaneeyam and also revealed to him His captivating form which Bhattathiri has captured ecstatically in the 100th dasakam
Given below is a reproduction of Dasaka 33 from Narayaneeyam which is a summarised version of the story of Kuchela described in detail in chapters 80 and 81 of the 10th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. A simple transalation in English is given for the benefit of those who cannot follow the original. 
         नारायणीयम्
        दशकम् ८७
कुचेलनामा भवतः सतीर्थ्यतां
गतः स सान्दीपनिमन्दिरे द्विजः।
त्वदेकरागेण स धनादिनिस्पृहो
दिनानि निन्ये प्रशमी गृहाश्रमी  ॥१॥
A brahmin named Kuchela happened to be a classmate of Yours at the house of Sandeepani.  He spent his days as a householder with single-minded devotion to you, without any desire for wealth and with contentment and peace at heart. 
समानशीलापि तदीयवल्लभा
तथैवनो चित्तजयं समेयुषी ।
कदाचिदूचे बत वृत्तिलब्धये
रमापतिः किं न सखा निषेव्यते ॥२॥
Though his wife was also of the same temperament, she had no such control of mind to the same degree.  One day she said to her husband why he should not approach Krishna, a friend of his, for a living. 
इतीरितोऽयं प्रियया क्षुधार्तया
जुगुप्समानोऽपि धने मदावहे ।
तदा त्वदालोकनकौतुकाद्ययौ
वहन् पटान्ते पृथुकानुपायनम् ॥३॥
Thus told by his wife who was tormented by hunger Kuchela set out, though detesting riches which would make men arrogant, eager to have a meeting with You carrying with him, tied at the end of his  cloth, flattened rice as an offering. 
गतोऽयमाश्चर्यमयीं भवत्पुरीं
गृहेषु शैब्याभवनं समेयिवान् ।
प्रविश्य वैकुण्ठमिवाप निर्वृतिं
तवातिसंभावनया तु किं पुनः ॥४॥
Reaching your  city full of wonders, Kuchela entered the house of Shaibya, one of your consorts,  and felt such peace as if he had come to Vaikuntha, more so because of Your receiving him with love and respect.
प्रपूजितं तं प्रियया च वीजितं
करे गृहीत्वाऽकथयत् पुरा कृतम्।
यदिन्धनार्थं गुरुदारचोदितै-
रपर्तुवर्षं तदमर्षि कानने ॥५॥
Kuchela was honoured by you and fanned by your consort. You  held his hands in yours and narrated what had happened when both of you had been caught in an unseasonal heavy rain while,  at the instance of the guru’s wife, you had been collecting firewood in the forest.
त्रपाजुषोऽस्मात् पृथुकं बलादथ
प्रगृह्य मुष्टौ सकृदाशिते त्वया
कृतं कृतं नन्वियतेति संभ्रमा-
द्रमा किलोपेत्य करं रुरोध ते ॥६॥
You forcibly snatched the bundle of flattened rice from Kuchela who was ashamed and embarrassed to give it to you. You ate a fistful of the flattened rice by which time Rukmini came in  rushing with anxiety and held your hand saying ‘this much will do’.
भक्तेषु भक्तेन स मानितस्त्वया
पुरीं वसन्नेकनिशां महासुखम् ।
बतापरेद्युर्द्रविणं विना ययौ
विचित्ररूपस्तव खल्वनुग्रहः ॥७॥
Honoured by you who is a devotee of your devotees, Kuchela spent one night in the city and left the next day, alas! without money.  Your blessing indeed takes various (curious) forms.
यदि ह्ययाचिष्यमदास्यदच्युतो
वदामि भार्यां किमिति व्रजन्नसौ।
त्वदुक्तिलीलास्मितमग्नधीः पुनः
क्रमादपश्यन्मणिदीप्रमालयम् ॥८॥
Walking back home Kuchela sololoquized “If I had asked Krishna for money he would have given. Now what shall I tell my wife”.  Then, with his mind immersed in the thoughts of your words, playfulness and your smile, he gradually reached a house shining brightly with precious stones.
किं मार्गविभ्रंश इति भ्रमन् क्षणं
गृहं प्रविष्टः स ददर्श वल्लभाम् ।
सखीपरीतां मणिहेमभूषितां
बुबोध च त्वत्करुणां महाद्भुताम् ॥९॥
Apprehending for a minute that he had lost his way he entered the house and saw his wife surrounded by maids and adorned with gold and diamond ornaments. Then he understood Your compassion and kindness par excellence. 
स रत्नशालासु वसन्नपि स्वयं
समुन्नमत्भक्तिभरोऽमृतं ययौ ।
त्वमेवमापूरित भक्तवाञ्छितो
मरुत्पुराधीश हरस्व मे गदान् ॥१०॥
Himself living in halls studded with diamonds, he gained immortality with increasingly deep devotion to you.  O Lord of Guruvayur who thus fulfils the wishes of your devotees ! take away my afflictions. 

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AMBARISHA CHARITAM (FROM NARAYANEEYAM)

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            AMBARISHA CHARITAM (FROM NARAYANEEYAM)
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (1559-1632) was the celebrated author of Narayaneeyam, a devotional composition in Sanskrit verse which is a masterly summary of the main episodes in Srimad Bhagavatam. He was a scholar in the Sanskrit Language and its grammar on which he wrote his masterpiece Prakriya-sarvaswam which sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system of Panini the grammarian.  
Narayana Bhattathiri was born in a Namboodiri family of Kerala. He was a disciple of Achyuta Pisharati from whom he studied Sanskrit grammar.  As a student he also studied the Rig Veda and Tarka Sastra (the science of logical reasoning and argument).
Bhattathiri was struck with paralysis when he was still young.  The disease was painful and Ezhuthachan the author of Adhyatma Ramayana advised Bhattathiri  “meen thottu koottuka” which in Malayalam meant ‘take fish as food’ or ‘start counting from fish’.  It was obvious that the erudite Ezhuthachan would not have advised Bhattathiri, a Nambooiri brahmin, to eat fish since Namboodiri brahmins are staunch vegetarians.  Bhattathiri figured out that the meaning of ‘start counting from fish’ was that he (Bhattathiri)  should start recounting the incarnations of the Lord starting from the matsyavatara(incarnation as fish to redeem the Vedas from the asura named Hayagreeva) and go on upto the incarnation of Lord Krishna.
Bhattathiri took the advise and wrote his Magnum Opus based on Srimad Bhagavatam which chronicles the many incarnations of Mahavishnu and expounds the highest philosophy of the Hindus embodied in the Upanishads. He dedicated his work to Lord Krishna, fondly called by devotees as Guruvayoorappan, at the temple at Guruvayoor in Kerala.  The work consists of 100 dasakas each containing 10 verses. However, a few dasakas contain more than ten verses so that the total number of slokas is not 1000 but 1034. 
Legend has it that Bhattathiri composed one dasaka a day in the presence of the Lord and recited it before Him for His approval and the Lord did nod his head in agreement. The composition is directly addressed to the Lord telling him His own exploits and leelas.   The refrain in the last sloka of every dasaka is a prayer to the Lord of Guruvayoor to remove his (Bhattathiri’s) ailments and sufferings. The Lord did cure Bhattathiri of his affliction by the time he completed Narayaneeyam and also revealed to him His captivating form which Bhattathiri has captured ecstatically in the 100th dasakam
Given below is a reproduction of Dasaka 33 from Narayaneeyam which is a summarised version of the story of Ambarisha described in detail from sloka 15 of chapter 4 and the whole of Chapter 5 of the 9th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. A simple transalation in English is given for the benefit of those who cannot follow the original. 
                
                                       नारायणीयम्    
                                         दशकम् ३३
                 अम्बरीषचरितम्
वैवस्वताख्यमनुपुत्रनभागजात-
नाभागनामकनरेन्द्रसुतोऽम्बरीषः ।
सप्तार्णवावृतमहीदयितोऽपि रेमे
त्वत्संगिषु त्वयि च मग्नमनाः सदैव ॥१॥
Ambarisha,  son of king Nabhaga  who himself was the grandson of Vaivaswata Manu, though the Lord of the Earth surrounded by the seven seas, reveled in the company of your devotees  with his mind always immersed in you.  
त्वत्प्रीतये सकलमेव वितन्वतोऽस्य
भक्त्यैव देव! नचिरादभृथाः प्रसादम्।
येनास्य याचनमृतेऽप्यभिरक्षणार्थं
चक्रं भवान् प्रविततार सहस्रधारम् ॥२॥
He did everything only to please you and you were O Lord ! pleased by his devotion before long so that, without his asking for it, you gave him a disc with a thousand cutting edges for his protection
स द्वादशी व्रतमथो भवदर्चनार्थं
वर्षं दधौ मधुवने यमुनोपकण्ठे ।
पत्न्या समं सुमनसा महतीं वितन्वन्
पूजां, द्विजेषु विसृजन् पशुषष्टिकोटिम् ॥३॥
In order to worship you, he took a vow to observe Dwadashi Vrata for one full year at Madhuvana near the Yamuna river. Accompanied by his wife, of good heart, he preformed worship on a large scale gifting to brahmins sixty crore cows. 
तत्राथ पारणदिने भवदर्चनान्ते
दुर्वाससास्य मुनिना भवनं प्रपेदे ।
भोक्तुं वृतश्च स नृपेण परार्तिशीलो
मन्दं जगाम यमुनां नियमान् व्यधास्यन् ॥४॥
On the day of breaking the fast after the completion of the worship, Durvasa came  there.  He was invited to dine with the king Ambarisha.  Durvasa, who had the habit of putting others in trouble, took his own time to go to the Yamuna to do his midday rites. 
राज्ञाथ पारणमुहूर्तसमाप्तिखेदा-
द्वारैव पारणमकारि भवत्परेण।
प्राप्तो मुनिस्तदथ दिव्यदृशा विजानन्
क्षिप्यन् क्रुधोद्धृतजटो विततान कृत्याम् ॥५॥
At the appointed time for breaking the fast the King broke his fast by simply taking water.  When Durwasa came back he knew, by his divine vision, what the king had done.  Angered,  he plucked a stand of matted hair from his head and throwing it created a demoness.    
कृत्यां च तामसिधरां भुवनं दहन्ती-
मग्रेऽभिवीक्ष्यन्रुपतिर्न पदाच्चकम्पे ।
त्वद्भक्तबाधमभिवीक्ष्य सुदर्शनं  ते
कृत्यानलं शलभयन्मुनिमन्वधावीत् ॥६॥
Seeing before him the demoness carrying a sword and scorching the Earth, the King did not move from his position.  Your Sudarshana chakra, seeing that your devotee was threatened, burnt the demoness like insects in a lamp and chased Durwasa. 
धावन्नशेषभुवनेषु भिया स पश्यन्
विश्वत्र चक्रमपि ते गतवान् विरिञ्चम्।
कः कलचक्रमतिलंघयतीत्यपास्तः
शर्वं ययौ स च भवन्तमवन्दतैव ॥७॥
Durwasa ran in fear through all the worlds and, seeing the chakra following him everywhere, went to Brahma ( for protection) .  Brahma dismissed him saying  “Who can ward off the Kala chakra?”.  When Siva was approached he simply offered his salutations to you.
भूयो भवन्निलयमेत्य मुनिं नमन्तं
प्रोचे भवानहमृषे ननु भक्तदासः ।
ज्ञानं तपश्च विनयान्वितमेव मान्यं
याह्यम्बरीषपदमेव भजेति भूमन् ॥८॥
Again the Muni came to your abode. You told him “ O Rishi! I am the servant of my devotees.  Spiritual knowledge and austerities are respected only if they are accompanied by humility.  Go back to the place where Ambarisha is.”
तावत्समेत्य मुनिना स गृहीतपादो
राजापसृत्य भवदस्त्रमसावनौषीत् ।
चक्रे गते मुनिरदादखिलाशिषोऽस्मै
त्वद्भक्तिमागसि कृतेऽपि कृपां च शंसन् ॥९॥
The king, approached by Durvasa who caught hold of his feet, freed himself from the Muni and praised the chakra.  After the chakra was gone Durvasa gave Ambarisha all blessings and praised him for his kindness even to one who had hurt him (Ambarisha).
राजा प्रतीक्ष्य मुनिमेकसमामनाश्वान्
संभोज्य साधु तमृषिं विसृजन् प्रसन्नम्।
भुक्त्वा स्वयं त्वयि ततोऽपि दृढं रतोऽभूत्
सायुज्यमाप च स मां पवनेश पायाः ॥१०॥
The king had been waiting for the return of Durvasa for one full year without taking food.  He now fed the Rishi and sent him very pleased. He them took food himself and became even more devoted to you and attained sayujya mukti.  O Lord of Guruvayur ! save me (from my afflictions)

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