Wednesday 31 December 2014

mArkaNDeya stuti - padma purANa

ब्राह्मण उवाच -

नमस्तुभ्यं द्विजश्रेष्ठ दीर्घजीव नमो नम:
नारायण स्वरूपाय नमस्तुभ्यं महात्मने ||

नमो मृकण्डपुत्राय सर्वलोक हितैषिने
ज्ञानार्णवायवैतुभ्यं निर्विकारायवै नम: ||

स्तुतस्तेनेति विप्रेण मार्कण्डेयो महातपा:
उवाच परमप्रीत: सर्व शास्त्रार्थ पराग: ||

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Lakshmi-Nrsimha dvAdasha nAma stotram

श्री लक्ष्मीनृसिंहद्वादशनामस्तोत्रम्

अस्य श्री लक्ष्मीनृसिंहद्वादशनामस्तोत्र महामन्त्रस्य
वेदव्यासो भगवान् ऋषिः
अनुष्टुप् छन्दः
श्री लक्ष्मीनृसिंहो देवता
श्री लक्ष्मीनृसिंहप्रीत्यर्थे जपे विनियोगः

प्रथमं तु महाज्वालो द्वितीयं तूग्रकेसरी।
तृतीयं वज्रदंष्ट्रश्च चतुर्थं तु विशारदः ॥१॥

पञ्चमं नारसिंहशच षष्ठः कश्यपमर्दनः।
सप्तमो यातुहंता च अष्टमो देववल्लभः॥२॥

ततः प्रह्लादवरदो दशमोऽनंतहंतकः।
एकादशो महारुद्रः द्वादशो दारुणस्तथा॥३॥

द्वादशैतानि नृसिंहस्य महात्मनः।
मन्त्रराज इति प्रोक्तं सर्वपापविनाशनम् ॥४॥

क्षयापस्मारकुष्ठादि तापज्वर निवारणम्।
राजद्वारे महाघोरे संग्रामे च जलांतरे ॥५॥

गिरिगह्वरकारण्ये व्याघ्रचोरामयादिषु।
रणे च मरणे चैव शमदं परमं शुभम्॥६॥

शतमावर्तयेद्यस्तु मुच्यते व्याधिबन्धनात्।
आवर्तयन् सहस्रं तु लभते वाञ्छितं फलम् ॥७॥

Thursday 25 September 2014

Story of the brave king Vikramatunga

Story of the brave King Vikramatunga
Chapter 35, Book 7, Kathaa-Sarit-Saagara

There is a city called Pataliputra, the ornament of the earth, filled with various beautiful jewels, the colours of which are so disposed as to form a perfect scale of colour. In that city there dwelt long ago a brave king, named Vikramatunga, who in giving* never turned his back on a suppliant, nor in fighting on an enemy. That king one day entered the forest to hunt, and saw there a Brahman offering a sacrifice with vilwa fruits. When he saw him, he was desirous to question him, but avoided going near him, and went off to a great distance with his army in his ardour for the chase. For a long time he sported with deer and lions, that rose up and fell slain by his hand, as if with foes, and then he returned and beheld the Brahman still intent on his sacrifice as before, and going up to him he bowed before him, and asked him his name and the advantage he hoped to derive from offering the vilva fruits. 

Then the Brahman blessed the king and said to him, "I am a Brahman named Nagasarman, and hear the fruit I hope from my sacrifice. When the god of Fire is pleased with this vilva sacrifice, then vilva fruits of gold will come out of the fire-cavity. Then the god of Fire will appear in bodily form and grant me a boon ; and so I have spent much time in offering vilva fruits. But so little is my merit that even now the god of Fire is not propitiated." When he said this, that king of resolute valour answered him "Then give me one vilva fruit that I may offer it, and I will to-day, Brahman, render the god of Fire propitious to you." Then the Brahman said to the king, "How will you, unchastened and impure, propitiate that god of Fire, who is not satisfied with me, who remain thus faithful to my vow, and am chastened ?" When the Brahman said this to him, the king said to him again, "Never mind, give me a vilva fruit, and in a moment you shall behold a wonder." Then the Brahman, full of curiosity, gave a vilva fruit to the king, and he then and there meditated with soul of firm valour "If thou art not satisfied with this vilva fruit, god of Fire, then I will offer thee my own head," and thereupon offered the fruit. And the seven-rayed god appeared from the sacrificial cavity, bringing the king a golden vilva fruit as the fruit of his tree of valour. And the Fire-god, present in visible form, said to that king "I am pleased with thy courage, so receive a boon, king." When the magnanimous king heard that, he bowed before him and said " Grant this Brahman his wish. What other boon do I require?" On hearing this speech of the king's, the Fire-god was much pleased and said to him "O king, this Brahman shall become a great lord of wealth, and thou also by my favour shalt have the prosperity of thy treasury ever undiminished." When the Fire-god had, in these words, bestowed the boon, the Brahman asked him this question; "Thou hast appeared swiftly to a king that acts according to his own will, but not to me that am under vows : why is this, O revered one ?" Then the Fire-god, the giver of boons, answered "If I had not granted him an interview, this king of fierce courage would have offered his head in sacrifice to me. In this world successes quickly befall those of fierce spirit, but they come slowly, Brahman, to those of dull spirit like thee." Thus spake the god of Fire, and vanished, and the Brahman Nagasarman took leave of the king and in course of time became very rich. But the king Vikramatunga, whose courage had been thus seen by his dependents, returned amid their plaudits to his town of Pataliputra.

When the king was dwelling there, the warder S'atrunjaya entered suddenly one day, and said secretly to him; " There is standing at the door, O king, a Brahman lad, who says his name is Dattasarman, he wishes to make a representation to you in private." The king gave the order to introduce him, and the lad was introduced, and after blessing the king, he bowed before him, and sat down. And he made this representation "King, by a certain device of powder I know how to make always excellent gold out of copper. For that device was shewn me by my spiritual teacher, and I saw with my own eyes that he made gold by that device. "When the lad said this, the king ordered copper to be brought, and when it was melted, the lad threw the powder upon it. But while the powder was being thrown, an invisible Yaksha carried it off, and the king alone saw him, having propitiated the god of Fire. And that copper did not turn into gold, as the powder did not reach it ; thrice did the lad make the attempt and thrice his labour was in vain. Then the king, first of brave men, took the powder from the desponding lad, and himself threw it on the melted copper ; when he threw the powder, the Yaksha did not intercept it, but went away smiling. Accordingly the copper became gold by contact with that powder. Then the boy, astonished, asked the king for an explanation, and the king told him the incident of the Yaksha, just as he had seen it. And having learned in this way the device of the powder from that lad, the king made him marry a wife, and gave him all he wished, and having his treasury prosperously filled by means of the gold produced by that device, he himself enjoyed great happiness together with his wives, and made Brahmans rich.

"Thus you see that the Lord grants their desires to men of fierce courage, seeming to be either terrified or pleased by them.....

Names of Skanda from Mahabharata

Names of Skanda 
Ch-230, Vana Parva, Mahabharata, Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text by Kisari Mohan Ganguli.

Yudhishthira said, "O good and adorable Brahmana, I wish to know the different names of that high-souled being, by which he is celebrated throughout the three worlds."

Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed by the Pandava in that assembly of Rishis, the worshipful Markandeya of high ascetic merit replied, ‘

  1. Agneya (Son of Agni),
  2. Skanda (Cast-off),
  3. Diptakirti (Of blazing fame),
  4. Anamaya (Always hale),
  5. Mayuraketu (Peacock-bannered),
  6. Dharmatman (The virtuous-souled),
  7. Bhutesa (The lord of all creatures),
  8. Mahishardana (The slayer of Mahisha),
  9. Kamajit (The subjugator of desires),
  10. Kamada (The fulfiller of desires),
  11. Kanta (The handsome),
  12. Satyavak (The truthful in speech),
  13. Bhuvaneswara (The lord of the universe),
  14. Sisu (The child),
  15. Sighra (The quick),
  16. Suchi (The pure),
  17. Chanda (The fiery),
  18. Diptavarna (The bright-complexioned),
  19. Subhanana (Of beautiful face),
  20. Amogha (Incapable of being baffled),
  21. Anagha (The sinless),
  22. Rudra (The terrible),
  23. Priya (The favourite),
  24. Chandranana (Of face like the moon),
  25. Dipta-sasti (The wielder of the blazing lance),
  26. Prasantatman (Of tranquil soul),
  27. Bhadrakrit (The doer of good),
  28. Kutamahana (The chamber of even the wicked),
  29. Shashthipriya (True favourite of Shashthi),
  30. Pavitra (The holy),
  31. Matrivatsala (The reverencer of his mother),
  32. Kanya-bhartri (The protector of virgins),
  33. Vibhakta (Diffused over the universe),
  34. Swaheya (The son of Swaha),
  35. Revatisuta (The child of Revati),
  36. Prabhu (The Lord),
  37. Neta (The leader),
  38. Visakha (Reared up by Visakha),
  39. Naigameya (Sprang from the Veda),
  40. Suduschara (Difficult of propitiation),
  41. Suvrata (Of excellent vows),
  42. Lalita (The beautiful),
  43. Valakridanaka-priya (Fond of toys),
  44. Khacharin (The ranger of skies),
  45. Brahmacharin (The chaste),
  46. Sura (The brave),
  47. Saravanodbhava (Born in a forest of heath),
  48. Viswamitra priya (The favourite of Viswamitra),
  49. Devasena-priya (The lover of Devasena),
  50. Vasudeva-priya (The beloved of Vasudeva),
  51. and Priya-krit (The doer of agreeable things).

--these are the divine names of Kartikeya. Whoever repeateth them, undoubtedly secureth fame, wealth, and salvation."


Overcome all difficulties in life - Bheeshma, Mahabharata


How to Overcome Difficulties in Life?
Ch-110, Shanti Parva, Mahabharata, Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text by Kisari Mohan Ganguli.

"Yudhishthira said, 'Creatures are seen to be afflicted by diverse means and almost continually. Tell me, O grandsire, in what way can one overcome all those difficulties.' 

"Bhishma said, 'Those members of the regenerate class (dvija) that duly practise, with restrained souls, the duties that have been laid down in the scriptures for the several modes of life, succeed in overcoming all these difficulties.

They that never practise deceit, they whose behaviour is restrained by salutary restrictions, and they that control all worldly desires, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that do not speak when, addressed in evil language, they that do not injure others when themselves injured, they that give but do not take, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that always give hospitable shelter to guests, they that do not indulge in malice, they that are constantly engaged in the study of the Vedas, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

Those persons who, being conversant with duties, adopt that behaviour towards parents which they should, they that abstain from sleeping during the day, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that do not commit any kind of sin in thought, word, and deed, they that never injure any creature, succeed in overcoming all difficulties. Those kings that do not, under the influence of passion and covetousness, levy oppressive taxes, and those that protect their own dominions, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that go to their own wedded wives in season without seeking the companionship of other women, they that are honest and attentive to their Agni-hotras, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that are possessed of courage and that, casting away all fear of death, engage in battle, desirous of victory by fair means, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that always speak truth in this world even when life is at stake, and that are exemplars for all creatures to imitate succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They whose acts never deceive, whose words are always agreeable, and whose wealth is always well spent, succeed in, overcoming all difficulties.

Those Brahmanas that never study the Vedas at hours not intended for study, and that practise penances with devotion, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

Those Brahmanas that betake themselves to a life of celibacy and Brahmacharya, that perform penances, and that are cleansed by learning, Vedic knowledge, and proper vows, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that have checked all the qualities that appertain to Passion (Rajas) and Darkness (Tamas), that are possessed of high souls, and that practise the qualities that are called Good, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They of whom no creature stands in fear and those that do not fear any creature themselves, they that look upon all creatures as their own selves, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

Those bulls among men that are good, that are never inspired with grief at the sight of other people's prosperity, and that abstain from all kinds of ignoble behaviour, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that bow to all the gods, that listen to the doctrines of all creeds, that have faith, and that are endued with tranquil souls, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that do not desire honour for themselves, that give honours unto others, that bow down unto those that deserve their worship, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that perform Sraddhas on the proper lunar days (tithi-s), with pure minds, from desire of offspring, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that restrain their own wrath and pacify the wrath of others, and that never get angry with any creature, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that abstain, from their birth, from honey and meat and intoxicating drinks, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that eat for only supporting life, that seek the companionship of women for the sake only of offspring and that open their lips for only speaking what is true, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

They that worship with devotion the god Narayana, that Supreme Lord of all creatures, that origin and destruction of the universe, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

This Krishna here, of eyes red as the lotus, clad in yellow robes, endued with mighty arms,--this Krishna who is our well-wisher, brother, friend, and relative,--is Narayana of unfading glory. He covers all the worlds like a leathern case, at his own pleasure. He is the puissant Lord, of inconceivable soul. He is Govinda, the foremost of all beings. This Krishna who is ever engaged in doing what is agreeable and beneficial to Jishnu (Arjuna), as also to thee, O king, is that foremost of all beings, that irresistible one, that abode of eternal felicity. They that with devotion seek the refuge of this Narayana, called also Hari, succeed in overcoming all difficulties. They that read these verses about the overcoming of difficulties, that recite them to others, and that speak of them unto Brahmanas, succeed in overcoming all difficulties.

I have now, O sinless one, told thee all those acts by which men may overcome all difficulties both here and hereafter.'"