harivarāsanam

• harivarāsanamwhose seat is Hari's own
• viśvamohanamwho draws the whole world to him
• haridadhīśvaramlord of the quarters of the sky
• ārādhyapādukamwhose sandals are worth worshipping
• arivimardanamwho grinds down those who stand against him
• nityanartanamwhose dance never stops
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya harivarāsanam viśvamohanam haridadhīśvaram ārādhyapādukam arivimardanam nityanartanam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

hariharātmajam born of Hari and Hara — Hari is Vishnu and Hara is Shiva. Ayyappa is worshipped as the son of both, which is why one name of his is Hariharasuta.

harivarāsanam whose seat is Hari's own — Read as hari-vara-āsana, the excellent seat of Hari. Hari also means a lion, so the line is read by some as the one whose seat is the lion throne.

haridadhīśvaram lord of the quarters of the sky — Harit is a direction, one of the quarters. The compound makes him lord over all of them.

note Sung at Sabarimala every night as the sanctum is closed, so the hymn works as a lullaby: eight verses, each ending on the same line, hariharātmajaṃ devamāśraye. The title is taken from its first word.

• śaraṇakīrtanamwho is sung to with the cry of refuge
• bhaktamānasamwho lives in the minds of those who love him
• bharaṇalolupameager to keep and care for them
• nartanālasamwhose dance is unhurried
• aruṇabhāsuramshining red as daybreak
• bhūtanāyakamleader of the hosts
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya śaraṇakīrtanam bhaktamānasam bharaṇalolupam nartanālasam aruṇabhāsuram bhūtanāyakam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

śaraṇakīrtanam sung to with the cry of refuge — The cry is Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa, which pilgrims call out the whole way up the hill. The verse makes that cry his praise song.

bharaṇalolupam eager to keep and care for them — Lolupa is greedy or hungry for something. The word is strong on purpose: he wants the keeping of his people.

nartanālasam whose dance is unhurried — Alasa is slow or languid. At this hour of the night the dance is a slow one, which suits a hymn sung at closing.

note Each of the three lines before the refrain begins on the same sound, śa, bha, a, and the verse is built to be easy on the ear at night.

• praṇayasatyakamtrue to those who love him
• prāṇanāyakamlord of the breath of life
• praṇatakalpakamwho shapes what those who bow ask for
• suprabhāñcitamabout whom a fine light plays
• praṇavamandiramthe house the sound Om lives in
• kīrtanapriyamwho loves being sung to
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya praṇayasatyakam prāṇanāyakam praṇatakalpakam suprabhāñcitam praṇavamandiram kīrtanapriyam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

praṇavamandiram the house the sound Om lives in — Praṇava is Om. Mandira is a house or a temple, so he is spoken of as the place that sound is kept.

praṇatakalpakam who shapes what those who bow ask for — Kalpaka is the one who arranges or makes ready, the same word as in kalpavṛkṣa, the tree that gives whatever is asked.

note Five of the words in this verse open with pra, which is how the verse holds together as a sound before it holds together as a sentence.

• turagavāhanamcarried by a horse
• sundarānanamwhose face is a fair one
• varagadāyudhamwhose weapon is the good mace
• vedavarṇitamspoken of in the Veda
• gurukṛpākaramwhose kindness comes as a teacher's does
• kīrtanapriyamwho loves being sung to
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya turagavāhanam sundarānanam varagadāyudham vedavarṇitam gurukṛpākaram kīrtanapriyam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

turagavāhanam carried by a horse — Ayyappa is shown riding a horse in the story of his ride to hunt down Mahishi, and on other days riding a tiger or an elephant.

gurukṛpākaram whose kindness comes as a teacher's does — Guru here can be read as great, giving great kindness, or as the teacher whose grace it is like. Both readings are current.

note The weapon named is the mace, which belongs to Vishnu. The hymn keeps handing him things from both his fathers.

• tribhuvanārcitamworshipped in all three worlds
• devatātmakamin whom the gods have their being
• trinayanaprabhumlord of the three-eyed one
• divyadeśikama guide of the clearest kind
• tridaśapūjitamworshipped by the thirty gods
• cintitapradamwho gives what has only been thought of
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya tribhuvanārcitam devatātmakam trinayanaprabhum divyadeśikam tridaśapūjitam cintitapradam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

tridaśa the thirty — An old way of counting the gods: thirty three, shortened to thirty. Three words in this verse begin with tri, and the count is part of the play.

trinayanaprabhum lord of the three-eyed one — The three-eyed one is Shiva, his father. A son called the lord of his own father is the kind of turn these hymns like.

cintitapradam who gives what has only been thought of — Cintita is what has been turned over in the mind. The asking need not be said aloud.

note The verse counts upward, three worlds, three eyes, thirty gods, and the sound tri carries it.

• bhavabhayāpahamwho takes away the fear of being born again
• bhāvukāvakamwho guards those whose hearts are set on him
• bhuvanamohanamtowards whom the world turns
• bhūtibhūṣaṇamwhose ornament is ash
• dhavalavāhanamcarried by the white one
• divyavāraṇamthe elephant of the gods
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya bhavabhayāpaham bhāvukāvakam bhuvanamohanam bhūtibhūṣaṇam dhavalavāhanam divyavāraṇam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

bhūtibhūṣaṇam whose ornament is ash — Bhūti is the ash worn by Shiva and by those who follow him. The same word also means well-being, and some read it that way here.

divyavāraṇam the elephant of the gods — Vāraṇa is an elephant. From the root vṛ, to ward off, it can also be read as the divine warding away of harm, which fits the first line.

dhavalavāhanam carried by the white one — Dhavala is white. The white mount is taken as the white elephant, and in some readings as a white horse.

note Four words in a row begin with bha, and the verse is the most songlike in the hymn.

• kalamṛdusmitamwhose smile is soft and sweet
• sundarānanamwhose face is a fair one
• kalabhakomalamas tender as a young elephant
• gātramohanamthe sight of whose body holds the eye
• kalabhakesarīvājivāhanamcarried by elephant, lion and horse
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya kalamṛdusmitam sundarānanam kalabhakomalam gātramohanam kalabhakesarīvājivāhanam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

kalabha a young elephant — The word appears twice in the verse, once for how tender he is and once for what carries him.

kala sweet, soft in sound — Kala is used of a low sweet sound, a birdcall or a murmur. Here it colours the smile.

note The third line names three mounts together, elephant, lion and horse, which is the fullest list in the hymn.

• śritajanapriyamdear to those who have come to him
• cintitapradamwho gives what has only been thought of
• śrutivibhūṣaṇamthe ornament of the Veda
• sādhujīvanamthe life of the good
• śrutimanoharamsweet to the ear
• gītalālasamwho longs for song
• hariharātmajamborn of Hari and Hara
• devamthe god
• āśrayeI take refuge in

anvaya śritajanapriyam cintitapradam śrutivibhūṣaṇam sādhujīvanam śrutimanoharam gītalālasam hariharātmajam devam āśraye

chandas Unnamed metre: 11 syllables in each of 4 pādas, every pāda in the pattern LLLGLGGLGLG

śruti the Veda, and hearing — Śruti is what is heard, so it means both the Veda and the ear. The verse uses it twice, once in each sense.

gītalālasam who longs for song — Lālasa is longing. The last verse of a hymn sung at closing time says that the god wants the singing, and then it stops.

note The eighth and last of the verses proper. The chant after it is not part of the composition.

• śaraṇamrefuge
• ayyappāAyyappa
• svāmilord

anvaya śaraṇam ayyappā svāmi śaraṇam ayyappā śaraṇam ayyappā svāmi śaraṇam ayyappā

ayyappā Ayyappa — The name used in Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the god of Sabarimala. Ayya and appa are both words of respect for a father.

note The pilgrims' cry, repeated after the hymn rather than composed as part of it. There is no word order to rearrange in a chant, so the anvaya simply repeats it as it is called out. At Sabarimala this is what the crowd says while the doors are closed for the night.