English Translation of Telugu/Hindi/Sanskrit Devotional Songs

[StudentofVihe]

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Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma - by Sri Purandara Dasa

- Source of Translation: Sri Gopalakrishna​

Sri Purandara Dasa invites Goddess Lakshmi Devi who is the bestower of fortune and wealth to come home, shower blessings and bring goodness to her devotees.

O Goddess of Fortune! Mother Lakshmi!

Do come slowly with your anklets making the jingling sound
Come to us like butter emerging out of buttermilk when it is churned ||

Come and shower on us rain of gold and fulfill our aspirations
Come with the brightness of countless number of rays of the sun||

O Mother, who incarnated as daughter of Janaka - Sita
O lotus eyed one, who is the pride of Sri Mahavishnu! Bless us||

Come and appear before us wearing the shining golden bracelets on your wrists and the auspicious vermilion mark on your forehead
O Beloved spouse of Lord Venkateshwara||

Welcome to You who shine auspiciously in the hearts of great sages!
O Consort of Purandara Vittala!
Come to our worship on Friday, when streams of ghee and sugar
will overflow in your devotees houses!
O Queen of Alagiri Ranga||
​

- Sri Purandara Dasa(15th Century)

YouTube - Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma by MS Subbulakshmi - Kannada Devotional Song​

I used to weep and pray to the Divine Mother saying: “O Mother, any man says it is this, while another says it is that. Do Thou tell me, O Mother, what is the Truth."

- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa​

God with and without form​

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:"Well, do you believe in God with form or without form?“

Master Mahashaya., rather surprised, said to himself: "How can one believe in God without form when one believes in God with form? And if one believes in God without form, how can one believe that God has a form? Can these two contradictory ideas be true at the same time? Can a white liquid like milk be black?“

Master Mahashaya: "Sir, I like to think of God as formless.“

Sri Ramakrishna: "Very good. It is enough to have faith in either aspect. You believe in God without form; that is quite all right. But never for a moment think that this alone is true and all else false. Remember that God with form is just as true as God without form. But hold fast to your own conviction."

The assertion that both are equally true amazed M.; he had never learnt this from his books. Thus his ego received a third blow; but since it was not yet completely crushed, he came forward to argue with the Master a little more.

God and the clay image

Master Mahashaya(M): "Sir, suppose one believes in God with form. Certainly He is not the clay image!“

MASTER(interrupting): "But why clay? It is an image of Spirit."

Master Mahashaya. could not quite understand the significance of this "image of Spirit".

"But, sir," he said to the Master, "One should explain to those who worship the clay image that it is not God, and that, while worshipping it, they should have God in view and not the clay image. One should not worship clay."

God the only real teacher

MASTER(sharply): "That's the one hobby of you Calcutta people - giving lectures and bringing others to the light! Nobody ever stops to consider how to get the light himself. Who are you to teach others? ”

"He who is the Lord of the Universe will teach everyone. He alone teaches us, who has created this universe; who has made the sun and moon, men and beasts, and all other beings; who has provided means for their sustenance; who has given children to parents and endowed them with love to bring them up. The Lord has done so many things - will He not show people the way to worship Him? If they need teaching, then He will be the Teacher. He is our Inner Guide.”

"Suppose there is an error in worshipping the clay image; doesn't God know that through it He alone is being invoked? He will be pleased with that very worship. Why should you get a headache over it? You had better try for knowledge and devotion yourself."

This time M. felt that his ego was completely crushed. He now said to himself: "Yes, he has spoken the truth. What need is there for me to teach others? Have I known God? Do I really love Him? 'I haven't room enough for myself in my bed, and I am inviting my friend to share it with me!' I know nothing about God, yet I am trying to teach others. What a shame! How foolish I am! This is not mathematics or history or literature, that one can teach it to others. No, this is the deep mystery of God. What he says appeals to me.“

This was M.'s first argument with the Master, and happily his last.

MASTER: "You were talking of worshipping the clay image. Even if the image is made of clay, there is need for that sort of worship. God Himself has provided different forms of worship. He who is the Lord of the Universe has arranged all these forms to suit different men in different stages of knowledge.”

"The mother cooks different dishes to suit the stomachs of her different children. Suppose she has five children. If there is a fish to cook, she prepares various dishes from it - pilau, pickled fish, fried fish, and so on - to suit their different tastes and powers of digestion.”

"Do you understand me?“​

- An Extract from ‘Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna’ written by Master Mahashaya(M) – Sri Mahendranath Gupta​

 

[StudentofVihe]

Sri Govinda Damodara Stotram

- Source of Translation: Isvara.org​

Karara vindena padaravindam,
Padaravinde mukharavindam,
Mukharavinde vinivesayantham,
Vatasya pathrasya pute sayanam,
Balam mukundam manasa smarami.

With all my mind, I meditate on the baby Krishna,
Who lies down on a banyan leaf,
Holding his lotus like feet, By his lotus like hands,
And touching his lotus like face,
By His lotus like feet, And who attracts all by his lotus like face.

sri krishna govinda hare murare
he natha narayana vasudevajihve
pibasvamrtam etad eva
govinda damodara madhaveti

O tongue, drink the divine nectar
by praying to the Lord as
“Sri Krishna! Govinda! Hari! Murari!
O Lord, Narayana, Vasudeva!”
"Govinda,Damodara, Madhava!”

vikretukama kila gopa-kanya
murari-padarpita-citta-vrttih
dadhyadikam mohavasad avocad
govinda damodara madhaveti

Though desirous of selling milk, curd, butter, etc.,
the mind of a young gopi was so absorbed in the lotus feet of Krishna that
instead of calling out “Milk for sale,”
she bewilderedly said,
”Govinda,Damodara, Madhava!”

grhe grhe gopa-vadhu-kadambah
sarve militva samavaya-yoge
punyani namani pathanti nityam
govinda damodara madhaveti

In house after house,
groups of gopis gather on various occasions,
and together they always chant
the transcendental names of
Lord Krishna:”Govinda,Damodara, Madhava!”

sukham sayana nilaye nijepi
namani visnoh pravadanti martyah
te niscitam tanmayatam vrajanti
govinda damodara madhaveti

Even the ordinary mortals sitting comfortably at home,
who chant the names of Vishnu,
”Govinda,Damodara, Madhava!”
certainly attain the liberation

jihve sadaiva bhaja sundarani
namani krsnasya manoharani
samasta-bhaktarti-vinasanani
govinda damodara madhaveti

O my tongue, always chant these beautiful,
enchanting names of Lord Krishna,
”Govinda,Damodara, Madhava!”
which destroy all the obstacles of the devotees.

sukhavasane tv idam eva saram
duhkhavasane tv idam eva geyam
dehavasane tv idam eva japyam
govinda damodara madhaveti

Indeed, this is the essence of all happiness.
And this too is to be sung at the time of all sufferings.
This alone is to be chanted at the time of leaving material body (death),
"Govinda, Damodara, Madhava!”

sri krsna radhavara gokulesa
gopala govardhana-natha visno
jihve pibasvamrtam etad eva
govinda damodara madhaveti

O tongue, drink the divine nectar,
by calling upon the Lord as:
“O Sri Krishna, dearmost of Sri Radha, Lord of Gokula,
O Gopala, Lord of Govardhana, O Vishnu,
Govinda, Damodara, Madhava!”

tvam eva yace mama dehi jihve
samagate dandadhare krtante
vaktavyam evam madhuram su-bhaktya
govinda damodara madhaveti

O mind, always remember, to repeat Lord's name
at the last moment of life(death),
when Lord Yama casts his danda (rope);
as “Govinda, Damodara, Madhava!”
with utmost devotion

jihve rasajne madhura-priya tvam
satyam hitam tvam paramam vadami
avarnayetha madhuraksarani
govinda damodara madhaveti

O my tongue, you are fond of sweet things and are of discriminating taste;
I tell you the highest truth, which is also the most beneficial.
Just recite these sweet syllables:
“Govinda, Damodara, Madhava!”

YouTube - Lord Krishna - Govinda Damodar Madheveti - Pandit Jasraj​

"He, who at the time of death remembers Me alone and passes out, leaving the body, attains My being - there is no doubt about this."

- Bhagawad Gita​

"Man becomes pure by repeating the name of God. Therefore one should practise the chanting of God's name. I said to Jadu Mallick's mother: 'In the hour of death you will think only of worldly things - of family, children, executing the will, and so forth. The thought of God will not come to your mind. The way to remember God in the hour of death is to practise, now, the repetition of His name and the chanting of His glories. If one keeps up this practice, then in the hour of death one will repeat the name of God. When the cat pounces upon the bird, the bird only squawks and does not say, 'Rama, Rama, Hare-Krishna'."

"It is good to prepare for death. One should constantly think of God and chant His name in solitude during the last years of one's life. If the elephant is put into the stable after its bath it is not soiled again by dirt and dust."​

- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa​

“One who is all - the cause of creation, protection and destruction of all things. The Remover of all sins. One who confers auspiciousness to those who have a vision of Him, and to those who meditate upon Him. One who is eagerly sought after by all beings. The source or cause of all beings. The very source of the pancha bhutas (Five elements: Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth). The inexhaustible treasure. One who manifests Himself at will to those who sincerely seek Him at any place and at any time and in any form. One who regenerates all by dispelling all their evils. The Supporter. One whose birth is of a sublime nature. The One who is the very womb of all the Five Elements. One who is all powerful. One who has the Supreme power of control over all beings. One who has the ability to do anything without the help of any other beings or things. One who cannot be defined, explained, measured, etc. through logical means (who can only be experienced). One who, in the form of the Sun and the Moon, makes this world happy through His rays. One from whose navel the lotus (the cause of the Universe) emanates. The Lord of the immortal gods. One who is the agent of all actions with regard to the Universe. The Creator of the Universe. The Great Thinker. One who created all the different forms and names in this Universe. One who is exceedingly huge in size. One who has always existed, Older than the oldest. One who is unaffected by Time, Unchanging, Permanent. - - - - - - - - “.​

​

- Vishnu Sahasranaama​

"First of all invoke the Deity, and then give lectures to your heart's content. First of all dive deep. Plunge to the bottom and gather up the gems. Then you may do other things. But nobody wants to plunge. People are without spiritual discipline and prayer, without renunciation and dispassion. They learn a few words and immediately start to deliver lectures. It is difficult to teach others. Only if a man gets a command from God, after realizing Him, he is entitled to teach."​

- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa​

"Fix your mind on Me alone, let your intellect rest in Me, you will live in Me alone hereafter; there is no doubt about it." - Bhagawad Gita

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