Forty Verses in Praise of Sri Ramana

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Forty Verses in Praise of Sri Ramana

By Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni

Translated by Dr. Anil K. Sharma

 

verses transcribed into Itrans. By J. Kalianandaswami

 

taken from multi editions of "The Maharshi"

 

The great devotion of the seer-poet Ganapati Muni to his guru Sri

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi is well known. Bhagavan reciprocated the

Muni's veneration by continuously shedding his grace on him and

leading him to Self-abidance. The story of the genesis of

Ganapati's "Forty Verses in Praise of Sri Ramana" (Sri Ramana

Chatvarimsat) has been wonderfully described by Sri K. Natesan in

the Mountain Path (Jayanti Issue, 2000).

 

"Forty Verses," which is daily recited before the Maharshi's tomb,

is a heartfelt outpouring of devotion from a disciple of the highest

order, to his guru, Sri Ramana. It is hoped that this word-by-word

translation will enable devotees to gain a deeper insight into the

Divine manifestation of the Maharshi as proclaimed by a unique seer

of the 20th Century.

 

vande shri ramaNarSher aacaaryasya padaabjam |

yo me'darshayadiisham bhaantaM dvaantamatiitya ||

 

 

 

vande - I bow,

 

sri ramanarser - of Rishi Sri Ramana ,

 

acharyasya - of the spiritual teacher,

 

padabjam - lotus feet,

 

yah- who,

 

me - me,

 

adarsayad - showed,

 

isam - Lord,

 

bhantam - shining,

 

dhvantam - darkness,

 

atitya - transcending

 

 

 

I bow to the lotus feet of the spiritual teacher, Rishi Sri Ramana,

who showed me the Lord, shining, transcending darkness.

 

kathayaa nijayaa kaluShaM harataa

karuNaa nidhinaa runashaila juShaa |

khaga vaahana bhaaShita tattvavidaa

vRRiSha vaahana mauna rahasya bhRRitaa ||1||

 

 

 

kathaya - story,

 

nijaya - own,

 

kalusham - impurity,

 

harata - removes,

 

karuna - compassion,

 

nidhina - ocean,

 

runa - red,

 

shaila - mountain,

 

jusha - takes delight in, resorts to,

 

khaga - bird,

 

vahana - mount,

 

bhashita - spoken,

 

tatva - truth,

 

vidha - knowing,

 

vrsha - bull,

 

vahana - mount,

 

mauna - silence,

 

rahasya - mystery,

 

bhrta - bearing, carrying

 

 

 

The story of his own life removes impurities. He is an ocean of

compassion, taking delight in the red mountain (Arunachala).

 

He knows the truth spoken by the bird-borne Vishnu, and bears the

mystery of the silence of the bull-borne Siva.

 

gaNaraanmukha suurisabhaaguruNaa

guNasa~nchaya ratnamahodadhinaa |

ghanaguuDhasahasra kareNa yathaa

tanuka~ncuka guptamahaamahasaa ||2||

 

 

 

ganaran - Ganapati,

 

mukha - beginning with,

 

suri - learned men,

 

sabha - assembly,

 

guruna - guru,

 

guna - virtues,

 

sanchaya - heap,

 

ratna - wealth,

 

mahodadhina - great repository,

 

ghana - cloud,

 

gudha - concealed,

 

sahasra - one thousand,

 

karena - ray (of light),

 

yatha - as,

 

tanu - body,

 

kanchuka - garb,

 

gupta - hidden,

 

mahamahasa - true greatness

 

 

 

 

 

He is the guru of an assembly of learned men, beginning with

Ganapati. He is a great repository of a wealth of virtues.

 

Just as the thousand-rayed one (the sun) is hidden by a cloud, his

true greatness is hidden by the garb of the body.

 

 

 

catureNa calendriyanigrahaNe

paTunaa parakiiyaguNagrahaNe |

chalavarjita maunasamaadhijuShaa

balatarjita bhiikarakaamaruShaa ||3||

 

 

 

 

 

chaturena - ingenious,

 

chalendriya - roving senses,

 

nigrahane - in defeating,

 

patuna - skillful,

 

para - others,

 

kiya - belonging to,

 

guna - virtues,

 

grahane - in mentioning with praise,

 

chala - deceit,

 

varjita - without,

 

mauna - silence,

 

samadhi - peace,

 

jusha - delighting in,

 

bala - strong,

 

tarjita - reviled,

 

bhikara - fear-causing,

 

kama - desires,

 

rusha - slayer

 

 

 

Ingenious at defeating the roving senses, he is skillful in praising

the merits of others.

 

He delights in the peace of silence which is without deceit, and is

the the slayer of the strong, reviled, frightening passions.

 

 

 

 

 

jaTharam samaye paripuurayataa

kaThinaM vrata madritaTe carataa |

jhaShaketana shastra duraapahRRidaa

kRRiShimaatma vibodha vidhau dadhataa ||4||

 

 

 

jatharam - stomach,

 

samaye - at a (proper) time,

 

paripurayata - filling,

 

kathinam - hard, inflexible,

 

vratam - vow,

 

adri - mountain,

 

tate - slope, side,

 

charata - living,

 

jhashaketana - Lord of Love (Cupid),

 

sastra - weapon,

 

durapa - hard to obtain,

 

hrda - heart,

 

krshim - leading,

 

atma - self,

 

vibodha - knowledge,

 

vidhau - in the method,

 

dadhata - giving

 

 

 

 

He fills his stomach only at the proper time. Undertaking inflexible

vows, he lives on the slope of the mountain (Arunachala). His heart

is unable to be obtained by the arrows of the God of Love. He is

leading, giving the method for Self-knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bhavabhiikara vaarinidhiM tarataa

kara taamara sena supaatra vataa |

svadRRishaa'dhika shiitala kaanti bhRRitaa

bhayamaNghri saroja juShaaM harataa ||5||

 

 

 

bhava - wordly existence,

 

bhikara - fear producing, varinidhim - ocean,

 

tarata - crossing, kara - hand,

 

tamarasena - with lotus,

 

supatra - bowl,

 

vata - having,

 

svadrs - own gaze,

 

adika - unsurpassed,

 

sitala - calming,

 

kanti - bright,

 

bhrta - to have, keep,

 

bhaya - fear,

 

manghri - foot,

 

saroja - lotus,

 

jusham - resort to,

 

harata - removing

 

 

 

 

 

He has crossed the fear-producing ocean of wordly life. He has hands

as delicate as a lotus, which serve him as a bowl. His own gaze is

unsurpassed in calmness and brightness, and he removes the fear of

those who resort to his lotus feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

namataamatibhktimataaM nidhinaa

ghana taapa vidhuunanasannidhinaa |

yati dharma tatiM paripaalayataa

paritashca tamo vinivaarayataa ||6||

 

 

 

namatam - of adoring,

 

atibhaktimatam - of true devotees,

 

nidhina - treasure,

 

ghana - dense,

 

tapa - misery,

 

vidhunana - destroying,

 

sannidhina - presence,

 

yati - ascetic,

 

dharma - duty,

 

tatim - mass, group,

 

paripalayata - maintaining,

 

paritas - everywhere,

 

cha - and,

 

tamo - darkness,

 

vinivarayta - preventing

 

 

 

 

 

The Treasure of adoring true devotees, his presence destroys dense

misery. He maintains the duties of the ascetic, and he is preventing

darkness all around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

phaNinaayaka varNya guNaughabhRRitaa

bhaNitiiH priya satyahitaa bhaNataa |

bahumaanavashaadayataa sukhitaam

avamaana tatera viduuna vataa ||7||

 

 

 

 

 

phaninayaka - leader of the serpents (sesah),

 

varnya - able to be described,

 

gunaugha - flood of virtues,

 

bhrta - having,

 

bhanitih - speech, words,

 

priya - pleasing,

 

satya - true,

 

hita - beneficial, wholesome,

 

bhanata - speaking,

 

bahumana - much respect,

 

honour, vasad - (by) influence,

 

ayata - not governed,

 

sukhitam - happiness

 

avamana - dishonour, disrespect,

 

tater - from the crowd,

 

aviduna - without distress,

 

vata - having

 

 

 

Having a flood of virtues able to be described only by Sesha, the

leader of the serpents, he speaks words that are pleasing,

beneficial and true. He is not governed by that happiness influenced

by respect and honor (from others), nor does he have distress due to

dishonour (from others).

 

 

 

 

 

yatinaamadhipena kushaagralasan

matinaa dhRRitinaasita citta bhuvaa |

lahariiM pramadasya sadaavahataa

nihataantara shaatrava saMhatinaa ||8||

 

 

 

yatinam - of ascetics,

 

adhipena - lord,

 

kusagra - sharp (as kusha grass),

 

lasan - shining,

 

matina - intelligent,

 

dhrti - firmness,

 

nasita - destroyed,

 

chitta - ego,

 

bhuva - being,

 

laharim - wave,

 

pramadasya - of joy,

 

sada - always,

 

vahata - bearing,

 

nihata - killed,

 

antara - inner,

 

satrava - enemies,

 

samhatina - collection, array.

 

 

 

 

 

He is the Lord of Ascetics. With his sharp and brilliant intellect,

he has with firmness destroyed the ego. He is always bearing a wave

of joy, and he has killed the array of inner enemies (the six

passions).

 

 

 

 

 

bhagavat pada manya janaasulabham

svaguNairadhigatya paraM jayataa |

mamataa rahitena hitena sataaM

nihitena gaNa prabhuNaa hRRidaye ||9||

 

 

 

 

 

bhagavatpadam - the feet of the Lord,

 

anyajana - other people,

 

asulabham - not easily obtained,

 

svagunair - by his own merits,

 

adhigatya - transcending,

 

param - supreme,

 

jayata - winning,

 

mamata - the feeling of "mine",

 

rahitena - free from,

 

hitena - friend,

 

satam - of the virtuous,

 

nihitena - treasured,

 

ganaprabhuna - by the Lord of the gunas (Ganapati),

 

hrdaye - at heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having transcended all by his own merits, he wins the supreme feet

of the Lord, (which are) not easily accessable by others. He is free

from the feeling of "mine" and is the friend of the virtuous. He is

treasured at heart by the Lord of the gunas, Ganapati.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dharaNiidhara jaaNkamapi tyajataa

dharaNiitalavaasita modhutaye |

naraveSha bhRRitaa nagarandhra kRRitaa

ramaNena sanaathamidaM bhuvanam ||10||

 

 

 

 

 

dharanidhara - mountain,

 

ja - born from,

 

ankam - lap,

 

api - even,

 

tyajata - giving up,

 

dharani - earth,

 

tala - surface,

 

vasi - dwells,

 

tamo - darkness,

 

dhutaye - for removing

 

nara - man,

 

vesha - appearance,

 

bhrta - having,

 

nagarandhrakrta - mountain-splitter= Lord Skanda,

 

ramanena - Ramana,

 

sanatham - with Lord,

 

idam - this,

 

bhuvanam - world.

 

 

 

 

 

Abandoning the lap of his Mother Parvati, he dwells on earth for the

removal of darkness. He is Skanda, having the appearance of a man.

This world has found a Lord in Ramana!

 

 

 

 

(this body has been under the weather forgive the delay in posting

this - other verses will follow)