Lord Vishnu

śrī ramāpatyaṣṭakam

(Sri Ramapati Ashtakam in English (IAST))

Also known as shri ramapati ashtakam · shree ramapati ashtakam · ramapati ashtakam

Eight verses to the husband of Rama, each closing on the same salutation, and each half-line pairing a word with its own denial so that the two chime as well as contradict. He is bodied and bodiless; he holds the mace and is free of disease, the same syllables doing both; attached to Kamala's face and detached; unattainable by the wicked and easy of reach for the good; made of all the parts and without parts; sung by the whole of scripture for his qualities and having none. The device is kept up through every verse without slackening, and it is the hymn rather than its ornament: what is said about him here can only be said in contradictory pairs. The last verse promises the supreme station of Vishnu to whoever reads it without wavering.

|| śrī ramāpatyaṣṭakam ||
jagadādimanādimajaṃ puruṣaṃ śaradambaratulyatanuṃ vitanum |
dhṛtakañjarathāṅgagadaṃ vigadaṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 1 ||
kamalānanakañjarataṃ virataṃ hṛdi yogijanaiḥ kalitaṃ lalitam |
kujanaiḥ sujanairalabhaṃ sulabhaṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 2 ||
munibṛndahṛdisthapadaṃ supadaṃ nikhilādhvarabhāgabhujaṃ subhujam |
hṛtavāsavamukhyamadaṃ vimadaṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 3 ||
hṛtadānavadṛptabalaṃ subalaṃ svajanāstasamastamalaṃ vimalam |
samapāsta gajendradaraṃ sudaraṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 4 ||
parikalpitasarvakalaṃ vikalaṃ sakalāgamagītaguṇaṃ viguṇam |
bhavapāśanirākaraṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 5 ||
mṛtijanmajarāśamanaṃ kamanaṃ śaraṇāgatabhītiharaṃ daharam |
paripuṣṭamahāhṛdayaṃ sudayaṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 6 ||
sakalāvanibimbadharaṃ svadharaṃ paripūritasarvadiśaṃ sudṛśam |
gataśokamaśokakaraṃ sukaraṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 7 ||
mathitārṇavarājarasaṃ sarasaṃ grathitākhilalokahṛdaṃ suhṛdam |
prathitādbhutaśaktiguṇaṃ suguṇaṃ praṇamāmi ramādhipatiṃ tamaham || 8 ||
|| phalaśruti ||
sukharāśikaraṃ bhavabandhaharaṃ paramāṣṭakametadananyamatiḥ |
paṭhatīha tu yo'niśameva naro labhate khalu viṣṇupadaṃ sa param || 9 ||
|| iti śrī ramāpatyaṣṭakam sampūrṇam ||

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