అరుణాచల అష్టకమ్

• దర్శనాత్ (darśanāt)by the sight of it
• అభ్ర-సదసి (abhra-sadasi)in the Hall of the Sky, Cidambaram
• జననాత్ (jananāt)by being born
• కమల-ఆలయే (kamala-ālaye)in Kamalālaya, Tiruvārūr
• కాశ్యామ్ (kāśyām)in Kāśī
• తు (tu)but
• మరణాత్ (maraṇāt)by dying
• ముక్తిః (muktiḥ)liberation comes
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)and by the mere remembering
• అరుణాచలే (aruṇācale)of Aruṇācala

anvaya అభ్రసదసి దర్శనాత్ కమలాలయే జననాత్ కాశ్యామ్ మరణాత్ తు అరుణాచలే స్మరణాత్ ముక్తిః

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

అభ్రసదసి 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.

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

అరుణాచలే 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.

• కరుణా-పూరిత-అపాఙ్గమ్ (karuṇā-pūrita-apāṅgam)whose sidelong glance brims with compassion
• శరణ-ఆగత-వత్సలమ్ (śaraṇa-āgata-vatsalam)tender toward all who come for refuge
• తరుణ-ఇన్దు-జటా-మౌలిమ్ (taruṇa-indu-jaṭā-maulim)whose crown of matted hair bears the young moon
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya కరుణాపూరితాపాఙ్గమ్ శరణాగతవత్సలమ్ తరుణేన్దుజటామౌలిమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ [ముక్తిః]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

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

శరణాగతవత్సలమ్ 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.

• సమస్త-జగత్-ఆధారమ్ (samasta-jagat-ādhāram)the support of the whole world
• సత్-చిత్-ఆనన్ద-విగ్రహమ్ (sat-cit-ānanda-vigraham)whose form is being, consciousness and bliss
• సహస్ర-రథస-ఉపేతమ్ (sahasra-rathasa-upetam)attended by a thousand chariots of the sun
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya సమస్తజగదాధారమ్ సచ్చిదానన్దవిగ్రహమ్ సహస్రరథసోపేతమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ [ముక్తిః]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

సచ్చిదానన్దవిగ్రహమ్ 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.

సహస్రరథసోపేతమ్ 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.

• కాఞ్చన-ప్రతిమా-ఆభాసమ్ (kāñcana-pratimā-ābhāsam)shining like an image of gold
• వాఞ్ఛిత-అర్థ-ఫల-ప్రదమ్ (vāñchita-artha-phala-pradam)giver of the fruit of every wished-for end
• మామ్ చ రక్ష (mām ca rakṣa)and protect me
• సుర-అధ్యక్షమ్ (sura-adhyakṣam)overseer of the gods
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya కాఞ్చనప్రతిమాభాసమ్ వాఞ్ఛితార్థఫలప్రదమ్ సురాధ్యక్షమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ మామ్ చ రక్ష

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

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

వాఞ్ఛితార్థఫలప్రదమ్ 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.

• బద్ధ-చన్ద్ర-జటా-జూటమ్ (baddha-candra-jaṭā-jūṭam)with the moon bound into his coil of matted hair
• అర్ధ-నారీ-కలేబరమ్ (ardha-nārī-kalebaram)whose body is half woman
• వర్ధమాన-దయా-అమ్భోధిమ్ (vardhamāna-dayā-ambhodhim)an ever-swelling ocean of mercy
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya బద్ధచన్ద్రజటాజూటమ్ అర్ధనారీకలేబరమ్ వర్ధమానదయామ్భోధిమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ [ముక్తిః]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

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

అర్ధనారీకలేబరమ్ 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.

• కాఞ్చన-ప్రతిమా-ఆభాసమ్ (kāñcana-pratimā-ābhāsam)shining like an image of gold
• సూర్య-కోటి-సమ-ప్రభమ్ (sūrya-koṭi-sama-prabham)of a brilliance equal to ten million suns
• బద్ధ-వ్యాఘ్ర-పురీ-ధ్యానమ్ (baddha-vyāghra-purī-dhyānam)held fast in meditation upon the Tiger City, Cidambaram
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya కాఞ్చనప్రతిమాభాసమ్ సూర్యకోటిసమప్రభమ్ బద్ధవ్యాఘ్రపురీధ్యానమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ [ముక్తిః]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

వ్యాఘ్రపురీ 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.

కోటి 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.

• శిక్షయా (śikṣayā)by chastisement
• అఖిల-దేవ-అరి (akhila-deva-ari)of every foe of the gods
• భక్షిత-క్ష్వేల-కన్ధరమ్ (bhakṣita-kṣvela-kandharam)in whose throat the swallowed poison rests
• రక్షయా (rakṣayā)by his protection
• అఖిల-భక్తానామ్ (akhila-bhaktānām)of all his devotees
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya అఖిలదేవారి శిక్షయా అఖిలభక్తానామ్ రక్షయా భక్షితక్ష్వేలకన్ధరమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ [ముక్తిః]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

క్ష్వేల 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.

కన్ధరమ్ 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 దేవారి; read as devārīn, the foes of the gods.

• అష్ట-భూతి-సమాయుక్తమ్ (aṣṭa-bhūti-samāyuktam)possessed of the eight forms of manifest being
• ఇష్ట-కామ-ఫల-ప్రదమ్ (iṣṭa-kāma-phala-pradam)giver of the fruit of every cherished wish
• శిష్ట-భక్తి-సమాయుక్తాన్ (śiṣṭa-bhakti-samāyuktān)those joined with the devotion of the good
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya శిష్టభక్తిసమాయుక్తాన్ [ప్రతి] అష్టభూతిసమాయుక్తమ్ ఇష్టకామఫలప్రదమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

అష్టభూతి 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.

శిష్ట 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.

• వినాయక-సుర-అధ్యక్షమ్ (vināyaka-sura-adhyakṣam)overlord of Vināyaka and of the gods
• విష్ణు-బ్రహ్మ-ఇన్ద్ర-సేవితమ్ (viṣṇu-brahma-indra-sevitam)served by Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Indra
• విమల-అరుణ-పాద-అబ్జమ్ (vimala-aruṇa-pāda-abjam)whose lotus feet are spotless and red as the dawn
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya వినాయకసురాధ్యక్షమ్ విష్ణుబ్రహ్మేన్ద్రసేవితమ్ విమలారుణపాదాబ్జమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ [ముక్తిః]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

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

విమలారుణపాదాబ్జమ్ 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.

• మన్దార-మల్లికా-జాతి-కున్ద-చమ్పక-పఙ్కజైః (mandāra-mallikā-jāti-kunda-campaka-paṅkajaiḥ)with mandāra, mallikā, jāti, kunda, campaka and lotus blossoms
• ఇన్ద్ర-ఆది-పూజితామ్ (indra-ādi-pūjitām)worshipped by Indra and the rest
• దేవీమ్ (devīm)the Goddess, his consort
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya మన్దారమల్లికాజాతికున్దచమ్పకపఙ్కజైః ఇన్ద్రాదిపూజితామ్ దేవీమ్ [చ] అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

మన్దారమల్లికాజాతికున్దచమ్పకపఙ్కజైః 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.

దేవీమ్ 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.

• సమ్పత్-కరమ్ (sampat-karam)the maker of prosperity
• పార్వతీ-ఈశమ్ (pārvatī-īśam)the lord of Pārvatī
• సూర్య-చన్ద్ర-అగ్ని-లోచనమ్ (sūrya-candra-agni-locanam)whose eyes are sun, moon and fire
• మన్ద-స్మిత-ముఖ-అమ్భోజమ్ (manda-smita-mukha-ambhojam)whose lotus face bears a gentle smile
• స్మరణాత్ (smaraṇāt)by the mere remembering of
• అరుణాచలమ్ (aruṇācalam)Aruṇācala, the red mountain

anvaya సమ్పత్కరమ్ పార్వతీశమ్ సూర్యచన్ద్రాగ్నిలోచనమ్ మన్దస్మితముఖామ్భోజమ్ అరుణాచలమ్ స్మరణాత్ [ముక్తిః]

chandas Anuṣṭubh, 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas

సూర్యచన్ద్రాగ్నిలోచనమ్ 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.

మన్దస్మితముఖామ్భోజమ్ 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.