Friday, March 11, 2011

Rudra Ashtaka


॥ रुद्राष्टकं॥
|| rudrāṣṭakaṁ ||
by Goswami Tulsidas
source of English translation

नमामीशमीशान निर्वाणरूपं विभुं व्यापकं ब्रह्मवेदस्वरूपम्‌।
निजं निर्गुणं निर्विकल्पं निरीहं चिदाकाशमाकाशवासं भजेऽहम्‌॥ १॥
namāmīśamīśāna nirvāṇarūpaṁ vibhuṁ vyāpakaṁ brahmavedasvarūpam |
nijaṁ nirguṇaṁ nirvikalpaṁ nirīhaṁ cidākāśamākāśavāsaṁ bhaje'ham || 1||

Salutations to You, O Ishana, whose very form is liberation,
To the all-pervasive, mighty Lord, Brahman of the Vedas.
I worship Him who shines in His own self-glory, free of physical qualities,
The changeless, desireless One who resides in the space of consciousness. (1)

निराकारमोंकारमूलं तुरीयं गिरा ज्ञान गोतीतमीशं गिरीशम्‌।
करालं महाकाल कालं कृपालं गुणागार संसारपारं नतोऽहम्‌॥ २॥
nirākāramoṁkāramūlaṁ turīyaṁ girā jñāna gotītamīśaṁ girīśam |
karālaṁ mahākāla kālaṁ kṛpālaṁ guṇāgāra saṁsārapāraṁ nato'ham || 2||

Salutations to You, O formless One, the very root of Omkara (Aum),
To Him who transcends all states, beyond speech and comprehension;
To the Lord of the Mountains, the Devourer of death itself,
The compassionate One, whose abode is beyond the universe. (2)

तुषाराद्रि संकाश गौरं गभीरं मनोभूत कोटिप्रभा श्री शरीरम्‌।
स्फुरन्मौलि कल्लोलिनी चारु गङ्गा लसद्भालबालेन्दु कण्ठे भुजङ्गा॥ ३॥
tuṣārādri saṁkāśa gauraṁ gabhīraṁ manobhūta koṭiprabhā śrī śarīram |
sphuranmauli kallolinī cāru gaṅgā lasadbhālabālendu kaṇṭhe bhujaṅgā || 3||

I worship Him, whose form is white as pure snow,
Who radiates with the luster of a million Kamadevas,
From whose head issues forth the river Ganga,
Whose forehead is adorned by the crescent moon,
And whose neck is garlanded by serpents. (3)

चलत्कुण्डलं भ्रू सुनेत्रं विशालं प्रसन्नाननं नीलकण्ठं दयालम्‌।
मृगाधीशचर्माम्बरं मुण्डमालं प्रियं शंकरं सर्वनाथं भजामि॥ ४॥
calatkuṇḍalaṁ bhrū sunetraṁ viśālaṁ prasannānanaṁ nīlakaṇṭhaṁ dayālam |
mṛgādhīśacarmāmbaraṁ muṇḍamālaṁ priyaṁ śaṁkaraṁ sarvanāthaṁ bhajāmi || 4||

I worship Him, who wears shimmering earrings,
The compassionate One who is large-eyed and happy-faced,
Whose throat is blue, and body draped in lion skins and skull garlands.
O beloved Shankara, O Lord of all, I worship You. (4)

प्रचण्डं प्रकृष्टं प्रगल्भं परेशं अखण्डं अजं भानुकोटिप्रकाशम्‌।
त्रयः शूल निर्मूलनं शूलपाणिं भजेऽहं भवानीपतिं भावगम्यम्‌॥ ५॥
pracaṇḍaṁ prakṛṣṭaṁ pragalbhaṁ pareśaṁ akhaṇḍaṁ ajaṁ bhānukoṭiprakāśam |
trayaḥ śūla nirmūlanaṁ śūlapāṇiṁ bhaje'haṁ bhavānīpatiṁ bhāvagamyam || 5||

I worship the Lord of Bhavani, the fierce, luminous, indivisible One
Who radiates with the luster of a million suns.
The Wielder of the Trident, the One who uproots the three-fold suffering,
Who is accessible only through divine Love. (5)

कलातीत कल्याण कल्पान्तकारी सदा सज्जनानन्ददाता पुरारी।
चिदानन्द संदोह मोहापहारी प्रसीद प्रसीद प्रभो मन्मथारी॥ ६॥
kalātīta kalyāṇa kalpāntakārī sadā sajjanānandadātā purārī |
cidānanda saṁdoha mohāpahārī prasīda prasīda prabho manmathārī || 6||

O indivisible, ever-auspicious One, the Dissolver of great cycles,
O Tripurari, You are the very source of delight to those pure at heart,
O Dispeller of delusion, the personification of consciousness and bliss,
Be propitious, be propitious, Lord, Destroyer of Kamadeva. (6)

न यावत्‌ उमानाथ पादारविन्दं भजन्तीह लोके परे वा नराणाम्‌।
न तावत्‌ सुखं शान्ति सन्तापनाशं प्रसीद प्रभो सर्वभूताधिवासम्‌॥ ७॥
na yāvat umānātha pādāravindaṁ bhajantīha loke pare vā narāṇām |
na tāvat sukhaṁ śānti santāpanāśaṁ prasīda prabho sarvabhūtādhivāsam || 7||

Those who worship not the lotus feet of the Lord of Uma,
Find no happiness, peace or freedom from suffering,
Be it in this world or the worlds here-after;
O Lord who dwells in the hearts of all beings, be propitious. (7)

न जानामि योगं जपं नैव पूजां नतोऽहं सदा सर्वदा शम्भु तुभ्यम्‌।
जरा जन्म दुःखौघ तातप्यमानं प्रभो पाहि आपन्नमामीश शम्भो॥ ८॥
na jānāmi yogaṁ japaṁ naiva pūjāṁ nato'haṁ sadā sarvadā śambhu tubhyam |
jarā janma duḥkhaugha tātapyamānaṁ prabho pāhi āpannamāmīśa śambho || 8||

I know not yoga, nor japa nor puja, O Lord,
But continuously and always I bow to You, O Shambhu!
Afflicted as I am by old-age, birth and other miseries,
Lord, protect me! O Shambhu, I bow to You. (8)

रुद्राष्टकमिदं प्रोक्तं विप्रेण हरतोषये।
ये पठन्ति नरा भक्त्या तेषां शम्भुः प्रसीदति॥
rudrāṣṭakamidaṁ proktaṁ vipreṇa haratoṣaye |
ye paṭhanti narā bhaktyā teṣāṁ śambhuḥ prasīdati ||

॥  इति श्रीगोस्वामितुलसीदासकृतं श्रीरुद्राष्टकं संपूर्णम्‌॥
||  iti śrīgosvāmitulasīdāsakṛtaṁ śrīrudrāṣṭakaṁ saṁpūrṇam ||