From 'sankaracarya. Narmada
*
"Hymns to the Goddess", by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), [1913],
p. 212
Narmad
(narmadsakastotram)
1
O Dev Narmad! 1 I salute thy lotus-like feet,
Beauteous with the breakers of the heaving waves of ocean,
With which the drops of Thy waters mingle. 2
O giver of prosperity! I salute Thy feet bathed in water,
Which destroys rebirth, the cause of which is sin, 3
As also all fear at the coming of the messenger of death. 4
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad". 5
2
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus feet
Giver of celestial (blessing) to the lowly fish in Thy waters,
Foremost of all sacred rivers. 6
p. 213
Destructress of the heavy weight of sin of the Kaliyuga, 1
Giver of welfare to multitude of fine fish, tortoise, alligators, and ruddy geese. 2
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
3
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus-like feet.
The overflow from Thy depths washes away the sins of the world.
Thou destroyest all great sins and the mountain 3 of calamities.
O giver of happiness to the son of Mkau, 4
At the fearful moment of the world's dissolution.
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
4
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus-like feet,
And Thy waters worshipped by the son of Mkau, aunaka, and other enemies of the Asuras.
p. 214
Destructress of rebirth in the ocean of the world, 1
Protectress from all worldly pains, 2
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
5
O Dev Narmad! I salute thy lotus-like feet,
Worshipped by countless lakhs 3 of immortals, 4
Asuras, 5 Kinnaras, 6 and others,
Whose banks resound with the fearless song of many lakhs of birds. 7
Giver of happiness to Vaiha, Pipala, Karddama, 8 and other sages, 9
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
6
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus-like feet,
Held in the minds of the bees, 10 Sanatkumra, Nacketa, 11 Kayapa,
p. 215
And by the bees, Atri, Nrada and other sages.
Thou who blesseth the work of sun, moon, Rantideva, and Devarja, 1
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
7
O Dev Narmad; I salute Thy lotus-like feet,
Weapon against lakhs of sins known and unknown,
The Giver of enjoyment and liberation to all beings and animals, 2
And of happiness to the abode of Virinci, 3 Viu, and iva,
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
8
O Dev, Narmad,! I salute Thy lotus feet.
How sweet is the sound heard on the banks of Her who has sprung from the hair of iva 4.
Destroyer of pain and sin of hunter, and singer 5 of the learned and the fool,
And of the heat of the submarine fire, 6
p. 216
Giver of happiness to all being.
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
9
Who ever reads but thrice daily this hymn to Narmad
Will never fall into misfortune, He will never see Raurava, 1
He will never be reborn,
But will reach the glorious abode of iva,
So difficult to attain, by this body so easily gained. 2
Footnotes
212:1 One of the sacred rivers of India, and a form of the Dev.
212:2 The ocean is the husband of all rivers.
212:3 Rebirth is caused by karma.
212:4 When a man is about to die, a messenger is sent by Yama to take his life.
212:5 The refrain is translated in the first line.
212:6 The is "stuti" (praise). In all sanskrit works the particular Devat who is the subject of hymn, meditation or prayer is spoken p. 213 of as the greatest of all. "Trtha" is not only a place of pilgrimage such as a shrine and the like, but also, according to the Amarakoa, a sacred river.
213:1 The present or fourth age, marked by the predominance of sin, each of the preceding eras (Dvpara, Tret, Satya) being more virtuous than the other. In the Kaliyuga era time works evilly.
213:2 The "cakravka" bird (by some said to be the Brahmini duck) celebrated in sanskrit poetry for its devotion to its mate. During the night-time the male and female birds call to each other from opposite banks of the stream, as I have heard them do on the reaches of the lonely Malia River in Northern Orissa.
213:3 \"Dritpadacalam".
213:4 The "Mahmuni" Mrkaeya.
214:1 The edition used has "punarbhavbdhi janmajam", but this seems meaningless, and it is read as "janmaghnam".
214:2 \"Bhavbdhi dukhha barmad". Literally, "armour given to the pain of the world."
214:3 A lakh is 100,000.
214:4 \"Amara"--"i.e.", Devas.
214:5 Demonic spirits, opponents of the Devas or Suras.
214:6 A class of spirits ("Devayoni").
214:7 \"Dhra"--that is because they are undisturbed by men who have become enemies to their brother creation.
214:8 is and munis of that name.
214:9 \"ia", which means a gentle and learned man who governs himself by his own wisdom, and is not governed by external restraints.
214:10 The bee hovers on the lotus seeking honey. The sages gather round the feet of the Dev seeking the wisdom of which She is the embodiment.
214:11 \"Munis" and "is".
215:1 Indra.
215:2 Both enjoyment and liberation is given to men: to animals enjoyment ("bhukti"), though they, too, by merit acquired in present birth may attain future birth in human form.
215:3 Brahm.
215:4 \"Maheakeajtate". As to Gang, see p. 188, note 7. It is the same and only Dev who manifests both as Gang and Narmad, and all other rivers and things.
215:5 Hunting is sinful. The singers are a mixed caste.
215:6 \"Kirtastavdaveu pandita athe". When the "Dakayajna" was destroyed by iva, it changed into a mare ("Vadav"). iva followed, and it plunged into ocean. Fire is produced by it. The "loka" says that Her water is so great and pure that it is unaffected by this fire. As regards the rest of this somewhat obscure verse, it means that the Dev is the remover of the sin of all whoever they may be.
216:1 One of the great hells.
216:2 \"Sulabhya dehadurlabham". Not that it is easy to attain human birth. On the contrary, it is said: "Naratvam durlabham loke" and "vidytatra sudurlabh"," etc. ("The state of a man is difficult to attain, and still more so that of a wise one," cited in Sahitya "Darpaam", chap. i, by Vivantha Kavirja). What is apparently meant is that, compared with the difficulty of attaining to iva, the state of humanity is easily attainable.
"Hymns to the Goddess", by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), [1913],
p. 212
Narmad
(narmadsakastotram)
1
O Dev Narmad! 1 I salute thy lotus-like feet,
Beauteous with the breakers of the heaving waves of ocean,
With which the drops of Thy waters mingle. 2
O giver of prosperity! I salute Thy feet bathed in water,
Which destroys rebirth, the cause of which is sin, 3
As also all fear at the coming of the messenger of death. 4
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad". 5
2
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus feet
Giver of celestial (blessing) to the lowly fish in Thy waters,
Foremost of all sacred rivers. 6
p. 213
Destructress of the heavy weight of sin of the Kaliyuga, 1
Giver of welfare to multitude of fine fish, tortoise, alligators, and ruddy geese. 2
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
3
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus-like feet.
The overflow from Thy depths washes away the sins of the world.
Thou destroyest all great sins and the mountain 3 of calamities.
O giver of happiness to the son of Mkau, 4
At the fearful moment of the world's dissolution.
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
4
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus-like feet,
And Thy waters worshipped by the son of Mkau, aunaka, and other enemies of the Asuras.
p. 214
Destructress of rebirth in the ocean of the world, 1
Protectress from all worldly pains, 2
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
5
O Dev Narmad! I salute thy lotus-like feet,
Worshipped by countless lakhs 3 of immortals, 4
Asuras, 5 Kinnaras, 6 and others,
Whose banks resound with the fearless song of many lakhs of birds. 7
Giver of happiness to Vaiha, Pipala, Karddama, 8 and other sages, 9
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
6
O Dev Narmad! I salute Thy lotus-like feet,
Held in the minds of the bees, 10 Sanatkumra, Nacketa, 11 Kayapa,
p. 215
And by the bees, Atri, Nrada and other sages.
Thou who blesseth the work of sun, moon, Rantideva, and Devarja, 1
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
7
O Dev Narmad; I salute Thy lotus-like feet,
Weapon against lakhs of sins known and unknown,
The Giver of enjoyment and liberation to all beings and animals, 2
And of happiness to the abode of Virinci, 3 Viu, and iva,
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
8
O Dev, Narmad,! I salute Thy lotus feet.
How sweet is the sound heard on the banks of Her who has sprung from the hair of iva 4.
Destroyer of pain and sin of hunter, and singer 5 of the learned and the fool,
And of the heat of the submarine fire, 6
p. 216
Giver of happiness to all being.
"Tvadya pda pankajam nammi devi narmad".
9
Who ever reads but thrice daily this hymn to Narmad
Will never fall into misfortune, He will never see Raurava, 1
He will never be reborn,
But will reach the glorious abode of iva,
So difficult to attain, by this body so easily gained. 2
Footnotes
212:1 One of the sacred rivers of India, and a form of the Dev.
212:2 The ocean is the husband of all rivers.
212:3 Rebirth is caused by karma.
212:4 When a man is about to die, a messenger is sent by Yama to take his life.
212:5 The refrain is translated in the first line.
212:6 The is "stuti" (praise). In all sanskrit works the particular Devat who is the subject of hymn, meditation or prayer is spoken p. 213 of as the greatest of all. "Trtha" is not only a place of pilgrimage such as a shrine and the like, but also, according to the Amarakoa, a sacred river.
213:1 The present or fourth age, marked by the predominance of sin, each of the preceding eras (Dvpara, Tret, Satya) being more virtuous than the other. In the Kaliyuga era time works evilly.
213:2 The "cakravka" bird (by some said to be the Brahmini duck) celebrated in sanskrit poetry for its devotion to its mate. During the night-time the male and female birds call to each other from opposite banks of the stream, as I have heard them do on the reaches of the lonely Malia River in Northern Orissa.
213:3 \"Dritpadacalam".
213:4 The "Mahmuni" Mrkaeya.
214:1 The edition used has "punarbhavbdhi janmajam", but this seems meaningless, and it is read as "janmaghnam".
214:2 \"Bhavbdhi dukhha barmad". Literally, "armour given to the pain of the world."
214:3 A lakh is 100,000.
214:4 \"Amara"--"i.e.", Devas.
214:5 Demonic spirits, opponents of the Devas or Suras.
214:6 A class of spirits ("Devayoni").
214:7 \"Dhra"--that is because they are undisturbed by men who have become enemies to their brother creation.
214:8 is and munis of that name.
214:9 \"ia", which means a gentle and learned man who governs himself by his own wisdom, and is not governed by external restraints.
214:10 The bee hovers on the lotus seeking honey. The sages gather round the feet of the Dev seeking the wisdom of which She is the embodiment.
214:11 \"Munis" and "is".
215:1 Indra.
215:2 Both enjoyment and liberation is given to men: to animals enjoyment ("bhukti"), though they, too, by merit acquired in present birth may attain future birth in human form.
215:3 Brahm.
215:4 \"Maheakeajtate". As to Gang, see p. 188, note 7. It is the same and only Dev who manifests both as Gang and Narmad, and all other rivers and things.
215:5 Hunting is sinful. The singers are a mixed caste.
215:6 \"Kirtastavdaveu pandita athe". When the "Dakayajna" was destroyed by iva, it changed into a mare ("Vadav"). iva followed, and it plunged into ocean. Fire is produced by it. The "loka" says that Her water is so great and pure that it is unaffected by this fire. As regards the rest of this somewhat obscure verse, it means that the Dev is the remover of the sin of all whoever they may be.
216:1 One of the great hells.
216:2 \"Sulabhya dehadurlabham". Not that it is easy to attain human birth. On the contrary, it is said: "Naratvam durlabham loke" and "vidytatra sudurlabh"," etc. ("The state of a man is difficult to attain, and still more so that of a wise one," cited in Sahitya "Darpaam", chap. i, by Vivantha Kavirja). What is apparently meant is that, compared with the difficulty of attaining to iva, the state of humanity is easily attainable.
