Rama-caritabdhi-ratna of Nityananda Shastri
by Satya Vrat Shastri | 2005 | 75,230 words
This is the English translation of the Rama-caritabdhi-ratna by Pandit Nityananda Shastri. It is a distinguished Sanskrit Mahakavya (epic poem) that chronicles Lord Rama’s life in fourteen cantos, symbolic of the jewels yielded from the Milk Ocean when churned. His work showcases an extraordinary command of grammar, vocabulary, and rare poetic tech...
Appendix 6 - Eulogy of Surya by Rama
atha parisistamsah atha sriramamukhasampaditah suryastavah | omrupamastatapanam tapanam stavima ayuhpradanakusalam kusalam dadanam | krtsnam yatha vibhu vanam bhuvanam pradipto- snenatapena dadhatam dadhatam kare'bjam || 1 || naksatraviravisaram visarantamojo- ramyam nayannuparamam paramandalagrah | jantuprabodhanaparo'naparo'syatastvam saksad rakhe subhihito'bhihito hi surah || 2 || vardhamahe yamuditam muditam niriksya tanmastatha vayamaho yamahomapathan | manaikaheturajani rajaniharah sa no mangalam dinakaro na karoti loke || 3 || nityavagadhapathika pathikavaliha vesmasraya niyamino yamino'pi namrah | sayyasamadhipatavo'patavo'pi siddhyai yannamnamatyudayitam dayitam sa deyat || 4 || 428
Eulogy of Surya by Rama: 1. Let us sing the praise of the sun who is of the form of Om, who removes distress (the diseases and ailments, etc.), who is skilled in extending (lit. bestowing) the life span, who provides well-being, who sustains the whole world and the expansive forest and who holds lotus in his hand. 2. O sun, being good to the good people you are said to be Sura [the author has a pun here, Sura being one of the names of the sun; it also means brave-all the adjectives going with the sun being applicable to a brave person], brave, you subdue the multitude of stars, which are brave beings and are charming on account of their lustre/majesty, the fore part of your orb is excellent as the brave person has a sword which is of superior quality, you are given to awakening beings and you have none like you. 3. Seeing whom rise we grow in happiness and perform the Yamas (the daily necessary rites like praying etc,), the homa, the sacrifice and patha, the recitation (from the Vedas), who is the only means for measuring time, who is unborn, who is the dispeller of the night, does that sun not do good to the world? 4. May the sun whom when arisen the stream of wayfarers constantly on the move on the roads, the householders, the ascetics given to performing the daily necessary rites like the morning and evening prayers, those who
naktam-dutam kamalinimalininca pati mrtyorivadhikabale kavale gatam yah | tam duhkhasindhupatito'patitosinam ko atha parisistamsah martyo na yati saranam saranam sukhanam || 5 || tyaktva trayitanumaho nu mahonidhim ya- ncaksurbhuvam prabhavita bhavi - tarane kah | hitva suradrumavanimavanisthavrksa- ranyam rucim nidisate disate kimartham ? || 6 || yassarvavistaparatah paratah paro yo yenavabhatyajagata jagatantrayiyam | namribhavan svayaminam yaminam hi ramah samyag jayarthamanuvad manuvad namo'smai || 7 || visnoh pade suramate ramate bhavan yat tapadyapacchavipadam vipadam ca hanti | ratya''yate rasamaye samaye ca mitrot- theyadato'vibhavinam bhavinam hitaya || 8 ||
are expert in perfect absorption in the bed only (the amorous persons-the vilasins) and the sick bow again and again for fulfilment of their wish provide whatever is dear (to us). 5. Who protects the lotus plant and the bee [on it] which become a prey to the more powerful one [like an elephant and the like] resembling death [itself], with him the refuge of all kind of happiness and the satisfier of the miserable, which mortal fallen in the ocean of sorrow not take refuge? 6. He who is of the body of the three Vedas or who has three Vedas as his body, who is the eye of the worlds, who other than him, the sun is capable of rescuing the beings in the world? Except for the grove of the desireyielding trees, does the multitude (lit. forest) of trees on the earth give what is wished for? 7. Obeisance be to the sun who permeates the entire universe, who is higher than the high, with whom are illumined these three worlds ingrained in Visnu, whom Rama in all humility eulogized like Manu in proper manner for achieving victory. 8. O you Mitra, the sun [the word has the other sense of friend, so the adjectives of the sun equally go with him] because you course through the sky liked by the deities and remove the distress, the source of the unwelcome (lit. bad) appearance (lit. hue) of torment [in the form of diseases etc) and appear with delight at the pleasant hour, so you please rise up for the good of the poor creatures of the world. O my mind, bring peace to nostril(s), the eyes, the ear and stop the tongue to savour things. Do not speak that may cause immense hurt. You unite with the sun like a jewel with gold.
nasam tvacam drsamaye ! samayesca karnam dehyaratim ca rasane rasanendriyasya | vocasca ma'nrtamanantamanandi, hemni atha parisistamsah yaya mano'ryamani me manimelavat tvam || 9 || tithyadi - kalakalakam kalakanthakanthi bhuktyai yamartyanutapa''nuta pandupatni | vande bhavabdhitarinam taranim gunena namna ca tigmamahasam mahasangadam tam || 10 || nityajya supratisaro'tisarogato yam padmavabhasanaparo na paro'sti hamsah | syannandhamambaramani ramaniyamesa omrupamistasavita savita pradarthyat || 11 || phalasrutih " stavam padadyuktamantra-varnakam varnakam raveh | pathed ramankitam vyatta-yamakam yamakampakam || " 432
9. Whom, the source of the [divisions of] time like dates etc. the wife of Pandu (=Kunti) with her voice (lit. throat, kantha; it signifies her kanthasvara-voice] like that of a cuckoo, being tormented by the pangs [of love] eulogized for purposes of sexual gratification, him, the sun, the boat for crossing the ocean of worldly existence, of the name of Tarani which has its appropriateness with its [above-mentioned] quality, I bow associated as he is with festivities. [The word hamsa in the verse has the double meaning of the sun and the swan. All the statements about the one apply to the other with different interpretation]. 10. Apart from him there is no other sun who is a great ornament, is free from desire, is given to making the lotus bloom [like] hamsa, swan who is a piece of decoration, moves too much in the lake and adds charm to lotuses. May the sun, the jewel of the sky dispelling darkness and providing us whatever we desire show us the charming form of Om (=the Supreme Being) [=open up us to the Supreme Being]. Phalasruti: 11. Let everybody recite this eulogy of the sun composed by Rama which is marked by the figure of speech Yamaka, which has initial syllable of each of its verses comprising the syllables of its first verse and which terrifies (lit. makes shiver) even Yama. 433