Narayaneeyam: Dasakam: 3

Dashakam: III

Shloka: I

He varada aham manye-------------------------------------O Lord!  Bestower of boons! I consider

Dhanyaan paramamoon bhaktaa ye----------------------as blessed ones only those devotees who

pathantah te naamaani----------------------------------------chanting your names

Smarantah  te roopam-----------------------------------------meditating on Your charming form

Kathayantah te guna kathaa-----------------------------------relating the accounts of Your meritorious stories

Nipatitaah pramada-bhara-sindhau----------------------------having descended/submerged in to the ocean full of infinite bliss

Charantah khalu ramante tvayi----------------------------------and are roaming about freely taking delight in You

Samadhigata-sarvaabhilashitaan---------------------------------with all their desires fulfilled

Pramada------santosham

Shloka: 2

Me chittam gada klishtam ------------------------------------“my mind, afflicted (pain or suffering) by woes,

Bhavati anaasaktam--------------------------------------does not get firmly fixed or does not feel interested

Api charana sevaa-rasabhare tava---------------------------even when engaged in service at your feet

Bata kashtam ----------------------------------------------------what a misfortune!

He vishno! dayaam kuru---------------------------------------O All-pervading Lord! Show mercy on me or have compassion

Tu aham vivatsyaami kuhachana vijane--------------------then in the event of Your bestowing grace I shall retreat to some lonely place or uninhabited place

Bhavata-paada-ambhoja-smarana-rasikah----------------------------taking delight in meditating on Your Lotus feet

Gaayam gaayam naamaani-vahaan------------------------------------and singing repeatedly Your countless names

It is said that, We can attain Lord by performing ‘Tapas’, meditating on the Lord with the mind focussed on him in the Kritha yuga, by performing the most superior yagas in the Treta yuga, by worshipping with various flowers in the Dwapara yuga, by  chanting his glorious names or Nama-sankeerthanam in the Kali yuga.

The best way to concentrate one’s mind on the Lord is to understand the meaning of every attribute (trait, feature) and then chant the names.

Shloka: 3

Ayi ! chet te krpaa jaataa ----------------------------“O Lord! If  Your grace is bestowed on them

Kim iva hi na labhyam tanubhrtaam ---------------- what is there that is not attainable by living beings

Tanubhrtaam—living beings

Kiyatee naama---------------------------------- How trifling/insignificant or petty a task it is for You

Madeeya kleshauga prashamanadashaa--------------to eradicate my numerous ailments

Ke ke bhavad bhaktaah asmin loke-------------------who all among the devotees in this world

Na vidadhata sukhagatim----------------------------do not attain the state of perpetual bliss/do not enjoy unrestricted freedom of movement

Shokaa-bhirahitaah anisham---------------------totally free from sorrows for ever/always, and

Muktaah  asaktaah? ---------------------------------- -liberated and free from all attachment

Asaktaah-detachment

Shloka: 4

He eesha-------------------------------------- “O Lord, One who fulfils the desires of devotees

Roodhaah manipraudhaah jagati-----------very well known and celebrated sages in the world

Narada mukhaah------------------------------among whom, Sage Narada is the foremost

Goodhaatmagatayah-----------------------------------who follow a hidden path for all their movement/ who maintain a secret chain of thought/who have spiritual attainments unknown to others                               goodhaa---secret

Bhavat-paadaambhoja-smarana-virajah------------their woes having been destroyed by contemplating (meditate,ponder,think) on Your lotus feet

Charanti svairam khalu -------------------------------- move about at own will/freely, indeed

Khalu –indeed, charanti—move, svairam---at own will

Satata-parinirbhaat-parachit-sadaananda-advaita-prasara-parimagnaah-------------------------------always immersed in the deluge (flooded, overflow, drowned) of the ever effulgent (radiant, shining, bright, resplendent) and non-dual supreme Bliss-Consciousness! (The happiness of becoming one with Brahman)

Satata—supreme Bliss, advaitam---non-dual or oneness

Kimaparam-------------------------------------------- what else is to be achieved? /what more is there to be desired?

Shloka: 5

Mama bhavad-bhaktih bhavatu spheeta-------------“May my devotion to You become complete/grow more and more

Saa eva prashamayet -------------------------------------that devotion/bhakti alone will eradicate

Ashesha kleshaugam khalu-------------------------the entire multitude (large number, mass) of my woes; about this, indeed

Na sandeha-kanikaa hrdi-----------------------------there is not even an iota (a very small amount, a bit) of doubt in my mind/ even a slightest doubt in my mind

Na chet uktihi vyaasayah-----------------------------if not so, the sayings of sage Veda Vyaasa

Tava-vachanam-naigamvachah-cha-------------------Your pronouncements/an authoritative statements and vedic statements

Akhilam bhavat mithyaa------------------------------everything will become untrue or false

Rathyaa purusha vachana praayam------------like the prattling (chattering foolishly, meaningless talks) of men in the streets (urchins)

Mithyaa---false/untrue, rathyaa--- road/street

Shloka: 6

Taavat bhavad bhaktihi---------------------------------------“As for devotion to You,

Pramukha-madhuraa -----------------------------------------It is sweet even in the beginning

Tvadguna rasaat--------------------------------------because of the delight in listening to and remembering Your attributes/excellences

Aaroodha chet kimapi-------------------------------------further, if it has progressed somewhat

Akhila-paritaapa-prashamanee ----------------------------it destroys all the woes completely

Punah cha ante dishati svaante-----------------------again, at the end, it confers (collect, gather, to bring together) to one’s mind

Vimala-paribodhodaya-milan-mahaanandaadvaitam-----------the state of oneness with Supreme Bliss combined with awakening of pure knowledge

Atah kim aparam praarthyam------------------------------then what else is to be prayed for?

This state of happiness is expressed by the poet as,“vimala-paribodhodaya-milan mahaananda advaitam” . Hence his contention is that, devotion is the easiest path to self-realisation and ultimately to salvation. He wonders whether there is need for anything to be prayed for,other than “devotion”

Bhakti is of two kinds, Prema-Lakshanam, indicative of intense love for the Lord (what is described here) and Upasana-roopam, the form of service to the Lord. (This is in the next shloka).

Shloka: 7

Vidhooya me kleshaan --------------------------- “After removing my afflictions,

Kuru me charana-yugmam----------------------- make my pair of feet

Dhruta-rasam bhavakshetra-praaptau-------------take delight in reaching Your temples

Karam api cha te poojana-vidhau---------------my hands (take delight) in worshipping You / performing Pooja and other activities

Atha nayanam bhavan-moortyaaloke------------------then the eyes (take delight) in viewing Your image

Ghraanam te paada-tulasee-parighraane------------- the faculty of smell (take delight) in enjoying the fragrance of the Tulasi leaves adorning (make more beautiful) at your feet

Ghraanam---smelling power, nayanam-- eyes, karam—hands, dhrutarasam—taking delight,   

Shravanam api ----------------------------- and the faculty of hearing too take delight

Chaaru charite te-------------------------in listening to the charming stories about You.

Shri Bhattatiri prays that the Lord may deign (descending, condescending) to eradicate all his ailments and make all his five organs to be always at Lord’s service by dedicating themselves solely to His worship. He asks for the recovery from his disease only to devote himself whole-heartedly to the worship of Lord. He makes it very clear.

Shloka: 8

Tadroopam tvadeeyam--------------------------------------may the vision of that divine form of Yours

Paramasukha chidroopam----------------------------------Supreme Bliss-Consciousness incarnate

Udiyaat  maamakahrdi---------------------------------------arise in such a manner in my mind which has been

Prabhootaadhi vyaadi-prasabha-chalite--------------------rocked by multitude of afflictions, mental and   physical

Yathaa udanchad-romaanchah-----------------------------that with my body thrilled, with hair standing on end/ horripilation all over

Galita bahu-harshaashrunivah------------------------------and tears of joy gushing in abundance

Vismaryasaam--------------------------------------------------- I shall be able to forget

Durupashama-peeda-paribhavaan--------------------------the discomfiture (frustration, embarrassment) caused by disease difficult to cure

Romaanchah----horripilation

Shloka: 9

He marudgehaa-deesha--------------------“O Lord of Guruvayoor”

Api paraanchah tvayi------------------------even those are averse to you /indifferent to you

Sukhinah khalu------------------------------are seen to be happy indeed!

Bhavatsnehee sah ahaam-------------------but the friend of Yours that I am

Paritapye subahu cha---------------------I am nevertheless (though, however) suffering very much too

Kim idam? He varada----------------------- why so? O, Bestower of boons

Maa bhoot akeertihi te-------------------let not infamy (a state of extreme dishonour) befall (happen, occur) You         

He kamsadamana--------------------------O slayer of Kamsa!

Prashamayan me gadabhaaram--------------removing the burden of my sickness

Kuru maam bhavad bhaktottamsam jhatiti-------------make me the foremost of Your devotees soon

Kuru—make, jhatiti—quickly, maam—me, Prashamayan—eradicating, Gadabharam—ailment

Shloka: 10

He deva! Kim bhooyobihi uktaih ---------------------------“O Lord !   What more to say with words?

He varada ! yaavat-----------------------------------------------O Bestower of boons! Till such tme

Tava karunaa udiyaat taavat-----------------Your grace will, indeed, dawn upon me (occur, descends)till then

Aham prahitavi vidhaarta pralapitah------------I, having given up all cries of distress

Neshyaami divasaan tava paade -----------------shall spend my days at Your lotus feet

Klupte purah --------------------------conceived (to form, develop) to be before me installed as an image

Virachayan nati nuti nishevaah----------------doing services like prostrations (namaskaram) and singing praises

Nati- namaskaram, nuti—praise, nishevaa--worship    

Vyaktam yathaa shakti----------------------------with clarity to the best of my ability