Vishwanathashtakam
विश्वनाथाष्टकम्
Viśvanāthāṣṭakam
All 8 verses
Verse 1
गङ्गातरंगरमणीयजटाकलापं गौरीनिरन्तरविभूषितवामभागम् नारायणप्रियमनंगमदापहारं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥१॥
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- गङ्गातरंगरमणीयजटाकलापं
- Whose cluster of matted locks is adorned by the charming waves of Ganga,
- गौरीनिरन्तरविभूषितवामभागम्
- whose left side is ever adorned by Gauri,
- नारायणप्रियमनंगमदापहारं
- beloved of Narayana, stealer of Kama's pride,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
Ganga on his locks and Gauri on his left image the Lord as the meeting of purifying stream and creative power; worship of Kashi's king turns pilgrimage outward into recognition of the Self that wears the whole cosmos as ornament.
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Verse 2
वाचामगोचरमनेकगुणस्वरूपं वागीशविष्णुसुरसेवितपादपीठम् वामेनविग्रहवरेणकलत्रवन्तं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥२॥
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- वाचामगोचरमनेकगुणस्वरूपं
- Beyond the reach of speech, of manifold guṇa-formed nature,
- वागीशविष्णुसुरसेवितपादपीठम्
- whose foot-stool is served by Brahma, Vishnu, and the gods,
- वामेनविग्रहवरेणकलत्रवन्तं
- who has as consort the fair-formed one on his left,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
Beyond words yet served by the gods of speech and preservation, he is known only when speech falls silent; the Lord with Uma on his left teaches that the supreme is not solitary austerity but the fullness in which Shiva and Shakti are one.
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Verse 3
भूताधिपं भुजगभूषणभूषितांगं व्याघ्राजिनांबरधरं जटिलं त्रिनेत्रम् पाशांकुशाभयवरप्रदशूलपाणिं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥३॥
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- भूताधिपं भुजगभूषणभूषितांगं
- Lord of beings, whose limbs are adorned with serpent ornaments,
- व्याघ्राजिनांबरधरं जटिलं त्रिनेत्रम्
- wearing tiger skin as garment, matted-haired, three-eyed,
- पाशांकुशाभयवरप्रदशूलपाणिं
- in whose hand are noose, goad, and trident granting fearlessness and boons,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
Lord of bhutas with serpent and tiger, trident and noose in hand, shows the powers that bind and release as one Lord's gifts; worship acknowledges that fearlessness and boon flow from the same awareness that rules every level of life.
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Verse 4
शीतांशुशोभितकिरीटविराजमानं भालेक्षणानलविशोषितपंचबाणम् नागाधिपारचितभासुरकर्णपूरं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥४॥
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- शीतांशुशोभितकिरीटविराजमानं
- Radiant with a crown adorned by the cool moon-ray,
- भालेक्षणानलविशोषितपंचबाणम्
- whose brow-fire dried up Kama's five arrows,
- नागाधिपारचितभासुरकर्णपूरं
- whose ear-ornaments shine with serpent-king gold,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
Moon-crest and brow-fire that burned desire's arrows unite coolness and fierce light in one face; the Lord who dries Kama teaches that passion is overcome not by denial alone but by the blaze of awakened awareness on the forehead of the Self.
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Verse 5
पंचाननं दुरितमत्तमतङ्गजानां नागान्तकं दनुजपुंगवपन्नगानाम् दावानलं मरणशोकजराटवीनां वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥५॥
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- पंचाननं दुरितमत्तमतङ्गजानां
- Five-faced, like a forest fire to elephants maddened by sin,
- नागान्तकं दनुजपुंगवपन्नगानाम्
- destroyer of serpent-lords, chief of danuja demons and serpents,
- दावानलं मरणशोकजराटवीनां
- forest fire to the woods of death, grief, and old age,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
Fire to sin-maddened elephants and to the forest of death, grief, and age, he consumes what binds the embodied soul; the five faces see every quarter of suffering and answer with the blaze that clears the path to the deathless.
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Verse 6
तेजोमयं सगुणनिर्गुणमद्वितीयं आनन्दकन्दमपराजितमप्रमेयम् नागात्मकं सकलनिष्कलमात्मरूपं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥६॥
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Editorial Advaita reflection
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Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- तेजोमयं सगुणनिर्गुणमद्वितीयं
- Luminous, with qualities and without qualities, without a second,
- आनन्दकन्दमपराजितमप्रमेयम्
- root of bliss, unconquered, immeasurable,
- नागात्मकं सकलनिष्कलमात्मरूपं
- whose nature is serpent, with parts and without parts, the form of the Self,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
Saguna and nirguna, with and without parts, he is the immeasurable bliss-root and Self-form; this verse names the Lord explicitly as Atman, inviting worship to ripen from image into the knowledge that the worshipper and worshipped are not two.
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Verse 7
रागादिदोषरहितं स्वजनानुरागं वैराग्यशान्तिनिलयं गिरिजासहायम् माधुर्यधैर्यसुभगं गरलाभिरामं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥७॥
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- रागादिदोषरहितं स्वजनानुरागं
- Free from faults like passion, full of love for his own people,
- वैराग्यशान्तिनिलयं गिरिजासहायम्
- abode of dispassion and peace, helper of Girija,
- माधुर्यधैर्यसुभगं गरलाभिरामं
- sweet, steady, auspicious, beautiful even with poison,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
Free from passion yet full of love for devotees, abode of vairagya and shanti, beautiful with poison, he holds opposites without conflict; the Lord's sweetness and halahala together image awareness that embraces world and renunciation as one taste.
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Verse 8
आशां विहाय परिहृत्य परस्य निन्दां पापे रतिं च सुनिवार्य मनः समाधौ आदाय हृत्कमलमध्यगतं परेशं वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम् ॥८॥
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Study note
Editorial Advaita reflection
Word breakdown
- आशां विहाय परिहृत्य परस्य निन्दां
- Abandoning hope, leaving aside blame of others,
- पापे रतिं च सुनिवार्य मनः समाधौ
- well restraining the mind's attachment to sin, in samadhi,
- आदाय हृत्कमलमध्यगतं परेशं
- taking the Supreme who dwells in the heart-lotus,
- वाराणसीपुरपतिं भज विश्वनाथम्
- worship Vishvanatha, lord of the city of Varanasi.
The closing verse turns from description to discipline: drop hope, blame, and sinful clinging, place the heart-lotus on the Supreme, and worship; Vishvanatha is found when the mind rests in samadhi on the Lord already seated in the heart's center.
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