Dashaka 96

त्वं हि ब्रह्मैव साक्षात् परमुरुमहिमन्नक्षराणामकार-
स्तारो मन्त्रेषु राज्ञां मनुरसि मुनिषु त्वं भृगुर्नारदोऽपि ।
प्रह्लादो दानवानां पशुषु च सुरभि: पक्षिणां वैनतेयो
नागानामस्यनन्तस्सुरसरिदपि च स्रोतसां विश्वमूर्ते ॥१॥

O Thou of infinite Glory! Of whom the world is a personification! Thou alone are Brahmaa perceptible. Among letters Thou are 'A'. Among Mantraas Thou are Om. Among kings Thou are Manu and among sages are Bhrigu and also Naarada. Among Asuras Thou are Prahlaad. Thou are the Surabhi celestial cow among the animals and Garuda among the birds. Among serpents Thou are Ananta. Among the rivers Thou are the heavenly Gangaa.

ब्रह्मण्यानां बलिस्त्वं क्रतुषु च जपयज्ञोऽसि वीरेषु पार्थो
भक्तानामुद्धवस्त्वं बलमसि बलिनां धाम तेजस्विनां त्वम् ।
नास्त्यन्तस्त्वद्विभूतेर्विकसदतिशयं वस्तु सर्वं त्वमेव
त्वं जीवस्त्वं प्रधानं यदिह भवदृते तन्न किञ्चित् प्रपञ्चे ॥२॥

Among persons devoted to the holy men, Thou are Bali, among sacrifices Japayoga, among heroes Arjuna, among devotees Thou are Uddhava. Thou are the strength of the strong and grandeur of the majestic. There is no end to Thy manifested glories. All things brilliant and outstanding are Thee alone. Thou are jiva and Prakriti. There is nothing in this cosmos which is bereft of Thee.

धर्मं वर्णाश्रमाणां श्रुतिपथविहितं त्वत्परत्वेन भक्त्या
कुर्वन्तोऽन्तर्विरागे विकसति शनकै: सन्त्यजन्तो लभन्ते ।
सत्तास्फूर्तिप्रियत्वात्मकमखिलपदार्थेषु भिन्नेष्वभिन्नं
निर्मूलं विश्वमूलं परममहमिति त्वद्विबोधं विशुद्धम् ॥३॥

People in the four casts and the four aashramas, who perform their duties, as laid down in the Vedas, according to their station in life, with devotion and dedication to Thee, to them non-attachment sprouts and matures gradually. When they are fully non-attached, they give up these duties and attain the true knowledge of Thee. Which is the experience that they are That Supreme Being of the nature of Existence Consciousness and Bliss, the one indivisible in the divided entities and the cause of all but not caused by anything.

ज्ञानं कर्मापि भक्तिस्त्रितयमिह भवत्प्रापकं तत्र ताव-
न्निर्विण्णानामशेषे विषय इह भवेत् ज्ञानयोगेऽधिकार: ।
सक्तानां कर्मयोगस्त्वयि हि विनिहितो ये तु नात्यन्तसक्ता:
नाप्यत्यन्तं विरक्तास्त्वयि च धृतरसा भक्तियोगो ह्यमीषाम् ॥४॥

The three paths which lead to Thy attainment, in this world are, knowledge (Gyaana), action (Karma) and devotion (Bhakti). Those who are fully dispassionate towards everything in life, are competent for Gyaana marg. People who are subject to worldly attachments may take the path of Karma and dedicate all their doings to Thee. To those who are neither intensely attached nor intensely dispassionate and also experience joy in thinking of Thee, the path of Bhaakti is prescribed.

ज्ञानं त्वद्भक्ततां वा लघु सुकृतवशान्मर्त्यलोके लभन्ते
तस्मात्तत्रैव जन्म स्पृहयति भगवन् नाकगो नारको वा ।
आविष्टं मां तु दैवाद्भवजलनिधिपोतायिते मर्त्यदेहे
त्वं कृत्वा कर्णधारं गुरुमनुगुणवातायितस्तारयेथा: ॥५॥

In this mortal world, as a result of good deeds, one easily gets knowledge or devotion to Thee. O God! Therefore, those in heaven, or those in hell, desire to be born here only. By good fortune, I have this human body which is like a boat for crossing the ocean of Sansaara, (the world). Making my Guru the pilot of this boat, and Thyself becoming the favourable wind, deign to take me across.

अव्यक्तं मार्गयन्त: श्रुतिभिरपि नयै: केवलज्ञानलुब्धा:
क्लिश्यन्तेऽतीव सिद्धिं बहुतरजनुषामन्त एवाप्नुवन्ति ।
दूरस्थ: कर्मयोगोऽपि च परमफले नन्वयं भक्तियोग-
स्त्वामूलादेव हृद्यस्त्वरितमयि भवत्प्रापको वर्धतां मे ॥६॥

People who are attracted to the path of knowledge (Gyaana Yoga) seeking the non-manifest Brahman, by studying the Vedic revelations and Nyaaya Shaastra's logic, labour hard, and attain the ultimate goal at the end of many life times. Karma Yoga is far fetched from the ultimate goal. Certainly the path of devotion is sweet from the very beginning and quickly leads a devotee to Thee. May this Bhakti grow more and more in me.

ज्ञानायैवातियत्नं मुनिरपवदते ब्रह्मतत्त्वं तु शृण्वन्
गाढं त्वत्पादभक्तिं शरणमयति यस्तस्य मुक्ति: कराग्रे ।
त्वद्ध्यानेऽपीह तुल्या पुनरसुकरता चित्तचाञ्चल्यहेतो-
रभ्यासादाशु शक्यं तदपि वशयितुं त्वत्कृपाचारुताभ्याम् ॥७॥

Sage Vyaasa decries excessive effort for seeking knowledge alone. Whoever, after learning from the scriptures or from a Guru the truth of Brahma, one who takes refuge with firmness in devotion at Thy feet, to him liberation is at hand. Meditation on Thee is no less difficult , because of the wavering nature of the mind, but can be mastered soon with practice, with Thy grace and with the attractiveness of Thy enchanting form.

निर्विण्ण: कर्ममार्गे खलु विषमतमे त्वत्कथादौ च गाढं
जातश्रद्धोऽपि कामानयि भुवनपते नैव शक्नोमि हातुम् ।
तद्भूयो निश्चयेन त्वयि निहितमना दोषबुद्ध्या भजंस्तान्
पुष्णीयां भक्तिमेव त्वयि हृदयगते मङ्क्षु नङ्क्ष्यन्ति सङ्गा: ॥८॥

O Lord of the Universe! Becoming disinterested in the difficult path of Vedic rituals, I will firmly place my faith in the narrations of Thy stories etc. Even then, if I am not able to give up desires,I will indulge in them with the awareness of their harmfulness and again with determination fixing my mind in Thee, will strengthen my devotion. When Thou do abide in the heart, attachments are soon destroyed.

कश्चित् क्लेशार्जितार्थक्षयविमलमतिर्नुद्यमानो जनौघै:
प्रागेवं प्राह विप्रो न खलु मम जन: कालकर्मग्रहा वा।
चेतो मे दु:खहेतुस्तदिह गुणगणं भावयत्सर्वकारी-
त्युक्त्वा शान्तो गतस्त्वां मम च कुरु विभो तादृशी चित्तशान्तिम् ॥९॥

A Brahmin, who had earned wealth with hard toil once, happened to lose it all. He had acquired discrimination and purity of mind, but was persecuted by the populace. He said that the people, or time, or Karmaa or planets were not the cause of his sorrow. His own mind was the cause, it being a product of the gunas. It super imposes the gunas on the ever free aatman and attributes to it the doer ship. With this knowledge he peacefully attained to Thee. O Lord! may I have that kind of peace of mind.

ऐल: प्रागुर्वशीं प्रत्यतिविवशमना: सेवमानश्चिरं तां
गाढं निर्विद्य भूयो युवतिसुखमिदं क्षुद्रमेवेति गायन् ।
त्वद्भक्तिं प्राप्य पूर्ण: सुखतरमचरत्तद्वदुद्धूतसङ्गं
भक्तोत्तंसं क्रिया मां पवनपुरपते हन्त मे रुन्धि रोगान् ॥१०॥

King Pururavas (son of Ilaa), long ago was deeply infatuated by Urvashi and enjoyed her company for long. Then he developed total renunciation and asserted that sex enjoyment is trivial and wretched. He became fully devoted to Thee and was free of all attachments and feeling fulfilled he moved about freely as one liberated. O Lord of Guruvaayur! uprooting all my desires, make me the best of Thy devotees and free me of all my diseases.