An immortal creation by Jagad Guru Sri Adi Sankaracharya
All time message urging us to dedicate ourselves to the values inculcated by the Guru</
About this Astakam
- Who is the Guru? – The Supreme Almighty – The Guru of the Gurus and of course, His incarnations in the form of Great Masters like Veda Vyasa, Adi Sankara, Annamacharya, Tyagaraja swamy, Pothanaamathya, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa & many, many…
- What is their unique message? – The whole mankind is one and the same Almighty reflecting variously. External differences in us are mere names, are futile and void.
- Astakam is a composition of 8 verses. Similarly - Chatushkam (4), Panchakam (5), Shatkam (7), Satakam (100)
- Gurwastakam – From the Lord – 8 immortal stanzas for us to understand and apply in our lives.
Pallavi or the Repetitive Message
గురోరంఘ్రి పద్మే మనశ్చేన్న లగ్నమ్
తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ ||
गुरोरंघ्रि पद्मे मनश्चेन्न लग्नम्
ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ॥
Guror anghri padmae manaschaen na lagnam
tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim ||
తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ ||
गुरोरंघ्रि पद्मे मनश्चेन्न लग्नम्
ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ॥
Guror anghri padmae manaschaen na lagnam
tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim ||
Meaning of the Pallavi
Guror = Belonging to the Guruji (Almighty)
Anghri = Under surface of the feet
Padmae = Lotus like (very prosperous/gentle)
Manah = of heart and soul
Yaen = Whosoever
Na = does not
Lagnam = Fix his attention
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!
Tatah= Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim =Are of what avail or significance!!
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!!!
Whosoever does not follow the path tread (the values inculcated) by the lotus feet of the Guru, meaning- if one does not follow the great message – that our fellow men and animals are no different from us in any way whatsoever – then everything else that we possess is null and void, a big naught and has no avail at all. What are “those useless things” let us see in the verses that follow.
Anghri = Under surface of the feet
Padmae = Lotus like (very prosperous/gentle)
Manah = of heart and soul
Yaen = Whosoever
Na = does not
Lagnam = Fix his attention
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!
Tatah= Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim =Are of what avail or significance!!
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!!!
Whosoever does not follow the path tread (the values inculcated) by the lotus feet of the Guru, meaning- if one does not follow the great message – that our fellow men and animals are no different from us in any way whatsoever – then everything else that we possess is null and void, a big naught and has no avail at all. What are “those useless things” let us see in the verses that follow.
Slokam 1
శరీరం సురూపం తథావా కళత్రం
యశశ్చారు చిత్రం ధనం మేరుతుల్యం |
గురోరంఘ్రి పద్మే మనశ్చేన్న లగ్నమ్
తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ ||
शरीरं सुरूपं तथावा कलत्रम्
यशश्चारु चित्रं धनं मेरु तुल्यम् ।
गुरोरंघ्रि पद्मे मनश्चेन्न लग्नम्
ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ॥
sareeram suroopam tathaavaa kalatram
yasaschaaru chitram dhanam maeru tulyam |
Guror anghri padmae manaschaen na lagnam
tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim ||
యశశ్చారు చిత్రం ధనం మేరుతుల్యం |
గురోరంఘ్రి పద్మే మనశ్చేన్న లగ్నమ్
తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ తతః కిమ్ ||
शरीरं सुरूपं तथावा कलत्रम्
यशश्चारु चित्रं धनं मेरु तुल्यम् ।
गुरोरंघ्रि पद्मे मनश्चेन्न लग्नम्
ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ततःकिं ॥
sareeram suroopam tathaavaa kalatram
yasaschaaru chitram dhanam maeru tulyam |
Guror anghri padmae manaschaen na lagnam
tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim ||
Word to word meaning
Sareeram = The physical body
Su roopam = is very handsome/beautiful
Thadha Vaa = Similar is also
Kalatram =spouse/ better-half
Yasa(h)s = fame and name are
Charu = indeed very much
Chitram = extraordinarily great Dhanam = Riches / possessions
Maeru = golden mountain ‘Meru parvatam’
Tulyam = are equivalent (in value)
Guror = Belonging to the Guruji (Almighty)
Anghri = Under surface of the feet
Padmae = Lotus like (very prosperous/gentle)
Manah = Of heart and soul
Yaen = Whosoever
Na = does not
Lagnam = Fix his attention
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means Those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!!
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means Those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!!!
Su roopam = is very handsome/beautiful
Thadha Vaa = Similar is also
Kalatram =spouse/ better-half
Yasa(h)s = fame and name are
Charu = indeed very much
Chitram = extraordinarily great Dhanam = Riches / possessions
Maeru = golden mountain ‘Meru parvatam’
Tulyam = are equivalent (in value)
Guror = Belonging to the Guruji (Almighty)
Anghri = Under surface of the feet
Padmae = Lotus like (very prosperous/gentle)
Manah = Of heart and soul
Yaen = Whosoever
Na = does not
Lagnam = Fix his attention
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means Those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means – those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!!
Tatah = Plural of Tat (that) means Those
Kim = Are of what avail or significance!!!
The purport or Bhaava
Of what avail even if we have
- The most handsome and charming appearance
- Equally beautiful and attractive better-half
- Very astonishing name and fame and
- Incomparable wealth and riches
Unless we treat our fellow man as equal to us in all respects and follow the values inculcated and path tread by the Guru, what is the use in the above attributes?
This concludes the first slokam of Gurwastakam. We shall see the second on in our next post.
Please view the short video clip of this first slokam below.
Till then best wishes to you all.
Dr Sarma