અરુણાચલ અષ્ટકમ્

• દર્શનાત્ (darśanāt)by the sight of it
• અભ્ર-સદસિ (abhra-sadasi)in the Hall of the Sky, Cidambaram
• જનનાત્ (jananāt)by being born
• કમલ-આલયે (kamala-ālaye)in Kamalālaya, Tiruvārūr
• કાશ્યામ્ (kāśyām)in Kāśī
• તુ (tu)but
• મરણાત્ (maraṇāt)by dying
• મુક્તિઃ (muktiḥ)liberation comes
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)and by the mere remembering
• અરુણાચલે (aruṇācale)of Aruṇācala

anvaya અભ્રસદસિ દર્શનાત્ કમલાલયે જનનાત્ કાશ્યામ્ મરણાત્ તુ અરુણાચલે સ્મરણાત્ મુક્તિઃ

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

અભ્રસદસિ in the Hall of the Sky, Chidambaram — Abhra is cloud or sky and sadas a hall. The shrine at Chidambaram is called the Hall of Space, where Shiva is worshipped as the dancer.

કમલાલયે at Kamalalaya, Tiruvarur — The town is named for its lotus tank. Being born there is what the verse counts.

અરુણાચલે at Arunachala — The red hill at Tiruvannamalai, worshipped as Shiva himself in the form of fire. Aruṇa is the red of daybreak.

note A saying known all over the south, set here as the opening verse. Each of the four places asks something different of a person: you must go and see Chidambaram, be born at Tiruvarur, die at Kashi. For Arunachala it is enough to remember it.

• કરુણા-પૂરિત-અપાઙ્ગમ્ (karuṇā-pūrita-apāṅgam)whose sidelong glance brims with compassion
• શરણ-આગત-વત્સલમ્ (śaraṇa-āgata-vatsalam)tender toward all who come for refuge
• તરુણ-ઇન્દુ-જટા-મૌલિમ્ (taruṇa-indu-jaṭā-maulim)whose crown of matted hair bears the young moon
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya કરુણાપૂરિતાપાઙ્ગમ્ શરણાગતવત્સલમ્ તરુણેન્દુજટામૌલિમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ [મુક્તિઃ]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

અપાઙ્ગમ્ the outer corner of the eye — The sidelong look, which is how kindness shows in a face before anything is said.

શરણાગતવત્સલમ્ tender towards whoever comes for shelter — Vatsala is the feeling a cow has for its calf, used for the care a god has for those who turn up with nothing.

note From here to the end, every verse keeps the fourth pāda of the first verse as a refrain and hangs its describing words on it. The verb is the one carried over from that verse: liberation comes by remembering.

• સમસ્ત-જગત્-આધારમ્ (samasta-jagat-ādhāram)the support of the whole world
• સત્-ચિત્-આનન્દ-વિગ્રહમ્ (sat-cit-ānanda-vigraham)whose form is being, consciousness and bliss
• સહસ્ર-રથસ-ઉપેતમ્ (sahasra-rathasa-upetam)attended by a thousand chariots of the sun
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya સમસ્તજગદાધારમ્ સચ્ચિદાનન્દવિગ્રહમ્ સહસ્રરથસોપેતમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ [મુક્તિઃ]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

સચ્ચિદાનન્દવિગ્રહમ્ whose form is being, awareness and joy — Sat, cit and ānanda are the three words Vedanta uses for what is finally real. Vigraha is a form or a shape, so the three are spoken of here as having taken shape.

સહસ્રરથસોપેતમ્ attended by a thousand — The word as printed gives no settled reading. Ratha is a chariot, so it can be read as a thousand chariots in attendance; a nearby reading is sahasra-raśmi, the thousand-rayed sun. The gloss keeps only what is certain.

note The third pāda is doubtful as printed. It has been left as it stands and glossed only as far as the words allow.

• કાઞ્ચન-પ્રતિમા-આભાસમ્ (kāñcana-pratimā-ābhāsam)shining like an image of gold
• વાઞ્છિત-અર્થ-ફલ-પ્રદમ્ (vāñchita-artha-phala-pradam)giver of the fruit of every wished-for end
• મામ્ ચ રક્ષ (mām ca rakṣa)and protect me
• સુર-અધ્યક્ષમ્ (sura-adhyakṣam)overseer of the gods
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya કાઞ્ચનપ્રતિમાભાસમ્ વાઞ્છિતાર્થફલપ્રદમ્ સુરાધ્યક્ષમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ મામ્ ચ રક્ષ

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

સુરાધ્યક્ષમ્ the one set over the gods — Adhyakṣa is the one who oversees, the head of an assembly.

વાઞ્છિતાર્થફલપ્રદમ્ who gives the fruit of what is wished for — Vāñchita is the thing wanted, artha what it is wanted for, phala what comes of it.

note The third pāda steps out of the describing and asks straight out for protection. It is the only line in the hymn that does so.

• બદ્ધ-ચન્દ્ર-જટા-જૂટમ્ (baddha-candra-jaṭā-jūṭam)with the moon bound into his coil of matted hair
• અર્ધ-નારી-કલેબરમ્ (ardha-nārī-kalebaram)whose body is half woman
• વર્ધમાન-દયા-અમ્ભોધિમ્ (vardhamāna-dayā-ambhodhim)an ever-swelling ocean of mercy
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya બદ્ધચન્દ્રજટાજૂટમ્ અર્ધનારીકલેબરમ્ વર્ધમાનદયામ્ભોધિમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ [મુક્તિઃ]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

જટાજૂટમ્ the coil of matted hair — Jaṭā is matted hair and jūṭa the knot it is gathered into, with the crescent moon tied into it.

અર્ધનારીકલેબરમ્ whose body is half woman — The form in which Shiva and the Goddess share one body, the right side his and the left hers. Printed कलेबर, a common spelling of कलेवर, the body.

note The kindness is called a sea that keeps rising, vardhamāna, so it is never at its highest mark.

• કાઞ્ચન-પ્રતિમા-આભાસમ્ (kāñcana-pratimā-ābhāsam)shining like an image of gold
• સૂર્ય-કોટિ-સમ-પ્રભમ્ (sūrya-koṭi-sama-prabham)of a brilliance equal to ten million suns
• બદ્ધ-વ્યાઘ્ર-પુરી-ધ્યાનમ્ (baddha-vyāghra-purī-dhyānam)held fast in meditation upon the Tiger City, Cidambaram
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya કાઞ્ચનપ્રતિમાભાસમ્ સૂર્યકોટિસમપ્રભમ્ બદ્ધવ્યાઘ્રપુરીધ્યાનમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ [મુક્તિઃ]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

વ્યાઘ્રપુરી the Tiger City, Chidambaram — Named after the sage Vyaghrapada, who was given tiger's feet so he could climb for flowers before the bees reached them.

કોટિ ten million — A round figure for a number past counting.

note The first pāda repeats the opening of verse 4 word for word, as the printed text has it. The hill is described as held fast in meditation on Chidambaram, so the two shrines of the first verse are tied together.

• શિક્ષયા (śikṣayā)by chastisement
• અખિલ-દેવ-અરિ (akhila-deva-ari)of every foe of the gods
• ભક્ષિત-ક્ષ્વેલ-કન્ધરમ્ (bhakṣita-kṣvela-kandharam)in whose throat the swallowed poison rests
• રક્ષયા (rakṣayā)by his protection
• અખિલ-ભક્તાનામ્ (akhila-bhaktānām)of all his devotees
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya અખિલદેવારિ શિક્ષયા અખિલભક્તાનામ્ રક્ષયા ભક્ષિતક્ષ્વેલકન્ધરમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ [મુક્તિઃ]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

ક્ષ્વેલ poison — A spelling of kṣveḍa. When the sea was churned the poison came up first, and Shiva drank it and held it in his throat so that it went no further.

કન્ધરમ્ the throat — Holding the poison there is what gives him the name Nilakantha, the blue throat.

note Two things are set side by side in one verse: the lesson given to the enemies of the gods, and the guard kept over his own people. Printed દેવારિ; read as devārīn, the foes of the gods.

• અષ્ટ-ભૂતિ-સમાયુક્તમ્ (aṣṭa-bhūti-samāyuktam)possessed of the eight forms of manifest being
• ઇષ્ટ-કામ-ફલ-પ્રદમ્ (iṣṭa-kāma-phala-pradam)giver of the fruit of every cherished wish
• શિષ્ટ-ભક્તિ-સમાયુક્તાન્ (śiṣṭa-bhakti-samāyuktān)those joined with the devotion of the good
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya શિષ્ટભક્તિસમાયુક્તાન્ [પ્રતિ] અષ્ટભૂતિસમાયુક્તમ્ ઇષ્ટકામફલપ્રદમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

અષ્ટભૂતિ the eight — Usually read as the aṣṭamūrti, Shiva's eight forms: earth, water, fire, air, space, sun, moon and the one who offers the sacrifice. Bhūti also means well-being, so some read the eight kinds of prosperity instead.

શિષ્ટ the good, the well-taught — Those who keep to what has been handed down. The word also carries being trained, so it is devotion that has been schooled.

note The three pādas rhyme on -ṣṭa: aṣṭa, iṣṭa, śiṣṭa. The word play is the point of the verse as much as the meaning.

• વિનાયક-સુર-અધ્યક્ષમ્ (vināyaka-sura-adhyakṣam)overlord of Vināyaka and of the gods
• વિષ્ણુ-બ્રહ્મ-ઇન્દ્ર-સેવિતમ્ (viṣṇu-brahma-indra-sevitam)served by Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Indra
• વિમલ-અરુણ-પાદ-અબ્જમ્ (vimala-aruṇa-pāda-abjam)whose lotus feet are spotless and red as the dawn
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya વિનાયકસુરાધ્યક્ષમ્ વિષ્ણુબ્રહ્મેન્દ્રસેવિતમ્ વિમલારુણપાદાબ્જમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ [મુક્તિઃ]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

વિનાયકસુરાધ્યક્ષમ્ lord of Vinayaka and of the gods — Ganapati is named first among those he is lord of, then the gods as a body.

વિમલારુણપાદાબ્જમ્ whose lotus feet are clear and red — Aruṇa, the red of daybreak, is the colour of the hill itself, so the feet and the hill are the same colour.

note All three pādas begin with vi, and the verse is built on that repetition.

• મન્દાર-મલ્લિકા-જાતિ-કુન્દ-ચમ્પક-પઙ્કજૈઃ (mandāra-mallikā-jāti-kunda-campaka-paṅkajaiḥ)with mandāra, mallikā, jāti, kunda, campaka and lotus blossoms
• ઇન્દ્ર-આદિ-પૂજિતામ્ (indra-ādi-pūjitām)worshipped by Indra and the rest
• દેવીમ્ (devīm)the Goddess, his consort
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya મન્દારમલ્લિકાજાતિકુન્દચમ્પકપઙ્કજૈઃ ઇન્દ્રાદિપૂજિતામ્ દેવીમ્ [ચ] અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

મન્દારમલ્લિકાજાતિકુન્દચમ્પકપઙ્કજૈઃ with mandara, jasmine, jati, kunda, champak and lotus — Six flowers of temple worship, filling a whole pāda. Mallika, jati and kunda are all jasmines of different kinds.

દેવીમ્ the Goddess — The Goddess of the same temple at Tiruvannamalai, worshipped there as Unnamulai.

note The one verse in the hymn that turns to the Goddess rather than to the hill.

• સમ્પત્-કરમ્ (sampat-karam)the maker of prosperity
• પાર્વતી-ઈશમ્ (pārvatī-īśam)the lord of Pārvatī
• સૂર્ય-ચન્દ્ર-અગ્નિ-લોચનમ્ (sūrya-candra-agni-locanam)whose eyes are sun, moon and fire
• મન્દ-સ્મિત-મુખ-અમ્ભોજમ્ (manda-smita-mukha-ambhojam)whose lotus face bears a gentle smile
• સ્મરણાત્ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• અરુણાચલમ્ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya સમ્પત્કરમ્ પાર્વતીશમ્ સૂર્યચન્દ્રાગ્નિલોચનમ્ મન્દસ્મિતમુખામ્ભોજમ્ અરુણાચલમ્ સ્મરણાત્ [મુક્તિઃ]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

સૂર્યચન્દ્રાગ્નિલોચનમ્ whose eyes are sun, moon and fire — The right eye is the sun, the left the moon, and the third, in the forehead, is fire.

મન્દસ્મિતમુખામ્ભોજમ્ whose lotus face carries a slight smile — Manda is soft or slow. The smile is a faint one rather than a broad one.

note The last verse closes on the face, after the earlier verses have gone over hair, throat, eyes and feet. The title calls the hymn an ashtakam, a set of eight, but eleven verses are printed here.