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1
I sing in my heart the glory of Sri Rama,
The lord of Anjaneya’s heart,
Preserver of his father’s word
Delightful in the charm of his qualities,
The form of Spiritual Master Hayagriva,
The sport of his smile charming in its lightning-like play,
The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
2
I sing the praise of Sri Rama,
He whose two feet are washed by the pure water of the Godavari,
Whose heart and mind joy to thrill
in the emotion-stirring narration of Sri Ramadasa’s[i] compositions,
Who savored the sweet taste of the half-bitten fruits offered by Sabari,
The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
3
I meditate on Sri Rama,
The full moon in the open expanse of Ramabrahmam’s[ii] son’s heart,
The master of the great poet Potana’s[iii] Bhagvata daughter – verse,
The presiding deity of Bhadrachala[iv], he who dispelled Sri Ramadasa’s suffering, The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
4
I pray to Sri Rama,
The divine personality whose praise is sung by Sri Tyagaraja,
He whose arms extend to his knees, whose blissful form is of beauty divine,
Whose god-like chest is embraced by the daughter of Janaka
who joyful makes others rejoice,
The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
5
I contemplate Sri Rama.
Tremulous is he at the recitation of songs composed by Sri Tyagaraja,
He whose name is always chanted by Sri Tyagarajeswara,
Who is adept in the kingly Tyaga Yoga,
The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
6
I always remember Sri Rama,
The presiding deity of Tiruvengad[v]
Which sports on the shore of the western ocean,
The peerless ocean of compassion,
The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
7
I bow to Sri Rama,
The lotus in the watery expanses of devotees’ hearts,
Illuminated in the moonlight of the bliss captured by emotion,
Best of the line of Ikshvaku, the moon of the solar dynasty.
The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
8
I meditate on Sri Rama,
The path to and the goal of bhakti, karma and jnana yoga[vi],
He who destroys the pain of grieving hearts,
the issue and final culmination of all Vedanta,
The full moon to the lily of Sita’s heart, Sri Ramachandra.
Let this be an offering to Sita’s beloved husband, Sri Rama!
- [i] Sri Ramadasa is a devotee of Sri Rama who composed much poetry on Sri Rama. He built the Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam.
- [ii] Ramabrahmam is the father of the saint-musician-composer-poet Tyagaraja.
- [iii] Potana is a medieval poet who translated Sri Bhagavatham into Telugu and offered it to Sri Rama.
- [iv] Bhadrachalam is on the banks of River Godavari in Andhrapradesh.
- [v] Tiruvengad is on the west coast near Tellicherry (Kerala) , where a thousand year old temple of Sri Rama still stands.
- [vi] The established practices (yoga) of worship, action and knowledge respectively as a means to reach God.
(The Sanskrit Original “Sri Ramachandra Astakam” can be viewed at Sanskrit Literature at the website; www.venetiaansell.wordpress.com by clicking on “contributed pieces” or “original compositions”)
Sanskrit Original and Translation: Varanasi Ramabrahmam
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