Ramayana Parayana-Smartha Sampradhaya

Ramayana Parayana-Smartha Sampradhaya

( The reading of Valmiki Ramyana   should start with  prayers at the  commencement and prayer    after  the Parayana  is over. Smarthas   are  Brahmins who   are the  followers of Advaitha  propounded by Adhi Sankara   and   worship five deities  viz Shiva, Vishnu  , SAkkthi  , Subramanya   and Surya. )

Translations  by

P.R.Ramachander

1.Slokas   to be At commencement of Parayana

a.Shuklam Baradaram Vishnum, Sasi Varnam Chatur Bhujam,
Prasanna Vadanan Dyayet, Sarva Vignoba Sandaye 1

Dressed in white you are,
Oh, all pervading one,
And glowing with the colour of moon.
With four arms, you are, the all knowing one
I meditate on your ever-smiling face,
And pray, “ Remove all obstacles on my way”.

b.Vageesaadhya sumanasa sarvarthaanaam upakrame  ,

Yam nathwaa   krutha kruthyaa    syutham  Namami  Gajanam .

Oh Lord who is the God of speech , who has a  clear mind ,

After praying   whom at the   very beginning ,

With gratefulness , I  would salute him who has  an elephant face  .

2.After    this we  meditate  on Adhi Sankara  and Gurus  in his   system.

3.And hen  we have to  continue  our prayers to  Saraswathi, Valmiki, Hanuman , Ramayana  and then Rama

a.Sri Saraswathi  Prarthana

Dhorbhir yuktha Chathurbhi sphatika mani mayeem , akshamaalaam dhadhaanaa,
Hasthenaikena [admam sithamapi cha sukam pusthakam chaparena,
Bhasaa kundhendhu sankha sphatika mani nibhaa bhasamaanaa samaanaa,
Saa may vaghdevatheyam nivasathu vadane sarvadhaa suprasanna.

Let that goddess of words, Who has four hands,

Who holds the garland of crystal beads in one hand,

Who holds parrot, white lotus and book in other hands,

And who is as lustrous as kunda flowers, moon, conch and crystal beads,

 Live always in my face and bless me.

b.Valmiki  Sthuthi

1.Koojantham Rama Ramethi maduram madsuraksharam,
Aaroohya kavitha shakhaam vande Valmiki kokilam. 3

Salutations to The nightingale Valmiki,
Who sits on the poem like branch,
And who goes on singing sweetly,
“Rama”, “Rama” and “Rama”.

2.Valmiki muni simhasya kavitha vana charina,
Srunvan Rama kadha naadam ko na yathi paraam gathim. 4

Who in this world will not attain salvation,
Who happen to hear the story of Rama,
Composed by the lion among poets Valmiki,
Who always lived in the forest.

3,Ya pibhan Rama charithamrutha sagaram,
Aruthastham munim vande, prachethasa makalmasham. 5

I salute that resplendent sage ,
Who never got satisfied,
But forever drank the story of Rama,
Which is like the sea of nectar.

C.Hanuman

1.Goshpadi krutha vaareesham masaki krutha rakshasam,
Ramayana maha mala rathnam Vande anilathmajam,

I pray to him who is born to the God of wind.
Who made the king of lakes look like the hoof of a cow,
Who made the great Rakshasas look like simple mosquitoes,
And who is born to the God of wind.
And is the greatest jewel in the garland of the story of Rama,

2.Anjananandanam veeram  , Janaki  Soka nasanam,

Kapeesamaksha hanthaaram , Vandhe Lanka   Bhayanagaram

I salute   the terror to Lanka  , who is valorous son of Anjana  ,

Who destroyed the sorrow of Sita, who is the God of monkeys who killed Akshaya  Kumara.

3. Ullangasya sindho salilam salilam cha sokha vahnim janakathmajaya,
AAdhaya thenaiva dhadhaha Lankam namami tham pranjalir Anjaneyam

I salute that son of Anjana with folded hands,
Who crosses the great ocean playfully,
Who took away the fire like sorrow of Sita,
And with that burnt the city of Lanka.

4, Anjaneya madhi patalananam,
Kanchanadri kamaneeya vigraham,
Parijatha tharu moola vasinam,
Bhavayami bhava mana nandanam.

I bow before the darling son of the god of wind,
Who is the son of Anjana,
Who is great among killers of Rakshasas,
Who is like a golden mountain,
Who is handsome to look at,
And who lives near the roots of Parijatha tree.


5.Yatra yatra Raghu nada keerthanam,
Thathra thathra krudha masthakanjalim,
Bhashpa vari pari poorna lochanam,
Maruthim namatha Rakshasanthakam.

I pray and salute the son of wind god,
Who brought to end the rakshasas,
Who is always present with eye full of tears,
With head bowed in veneration,
Wherever the praise of Lord Rama is sung


6.Mano javam , maruda thulya vegam,
Jithendriyam buddhi matham varishtam,
Vatha atmajam vanara yudha mukhyam,
Sree rama dootham sirasa namami.

I bow my head and salute the emissary of Rama,
Who has won over his mind,
Who has similar speed as wind,
Who has mastery over his organs,
Who is the greatest among the knowledgeable,
Who is the son of God of wind,
And who is the chief in the army of monkeys

d.Ramayanam

1.Ya Karnanjali  samputai   raha raha  samyag   pibathyadharath,

Valmikir   vadanaravinda  galitham   Ramayanakhyam  Madhu,

Janma vyadhi  jara vipathi   maranair athyantha sopadravam,

SAmsaram sa vihaya  gachathi pumanvishno padham saswatham.

Keeping   with folded hands in salute   they drink with respect  ,

The honey  of Ramayana   which   came out of the  lotus  like face of Valmiki,

By doing which   the illness  of birth , the danger of old age and very  trouble causing death ,

And troubles due to samsara    would vanish  and we would reach permenantly  reach the world  of Vishnu.

3,Valmiki giri sambhootha Rama Sagara gamini,
Puinathu bhuvanam punyaa Ramayana maha nadhi.

Let the whole world become holy,
By this river called “The story of Rama”,
Which starts from the mountain of Valmiki,
And joins the ocean of Rama.

2.Thadhupagatha  Samasa  sandhi yogam   sama madhuropanathardha vakhya badham,

Raghu vara charitham   muni praneetham   dasa sirasascha  vadham  nisamayadhwam

2. The words  , their alliteration  ,their conjunction  ,

With equally   sweet and appropriate  meanings ,

And very  inimitable    story of killing of Ravana ,

Occur in the   history of Rama   composed by the sage  ,

  

3.Valmiki giri sambhootha Rama Sagara gamini,
Puinathu bhuvanam punyaa Ramayana maha nadhi.

Let the whole world become holy,
By this river called “The story of Rama”,
Which starts from the mountain of Valmiki,
And joins the ocean of Rama.

4.Sloka sara jalakeernam  sarga kallola   samkulam,

Kaanda graaha  mahaa meenam   vandhe  Ramayanarnavam.

 The sea filled with the    water of slokas   and chapters like the collection of waves,

The books   are like   the great fishes  and I salute  the sea of Ramayana

5.Veda vedhye pare pumsi jathe dasaradhathmaje,
Veda prachethasa daseeth sakshath Ramayanathmana.

When the God who is known by Vedas,
Was born as the son of Dasaratha,
Veda was born again from Sage Valmiki as Ramayana.

e.Lord Rama

1.Vaidehi sahitham surudrumathale haime maha mandape,
Madhye pushpaka masane mani maye veerasane susthitham,
Aagre vaachayathi prabhanjana suthe thathwam muneebhya param,
Vyakhyaantham Barathathibhi parivrutham Raamam bhaje syamalam.

I salute that black coloured Rama,
Who sits along with daughter of Videha,
And in the company of Baratha and others,
Inside the golden shed beneath the holy tree of Karpaga,
On the seat of flowers bedecked with jewels,
Built in its centre,
Explaining the essence of knowledge,
To the assembled sages,
And to the son of Anjana.

2,Vame Bhoomi suthaa  , purascha hanuman  paschad  Sumithra sutha,

Sathrugno  Bharathascha  parswa dalayor   vayvaadhi koneshu cha,

Sugreevascha   Vibheeshanascha yuva rat thara sutho, jambhavan,

Madhye   Neela saroja komala ruchim   Ramam Bhaje shyamalam.

I salute the  bluish black colour Rama  who sits in the middle with softness  of lotus flower,

with   Sita  on his left side  ,Hanuman on his front  , Lakshmana   behind him  , Shatugna and Bharatha,

On his sides and surrounded on all four sides   by Vayu and other dik Palakas,

And  Sugreeva  , Vibheeshana  , the prince Angadha   and Jambhavan  ,

 3.Namosthu Ramaya  Salakshanaya  , devyai cha thasyai   Janakathmajayai  ,

Namosthu  Rudrendramanilebhyo  , namosthu chandraka   maruth ganebhya.

.Salutations to Rama  with perfect qualities whose   consort  is the daughter  of Janaka.

Salutations to him who is respected  by Lord Shiva and Indra and who is saluted by  moon,  sun and the wind.

Parayana  Samapana  Krama

(Method  of ending   the  reading Ramayana)

1.Swasthi prajabhya paripalayantham,
Nyayena margena maheem maheesa,
Gobrahmanebhyo shubhamasthu nithyam,
Loka samastha Sukhino bhavantu.

Let good things occur to the king of the country,
Who looks after his people well, in the path of justice,
Let Cows* and Brahmins** have a pleasant life daily,
Let all people of the world have a very pleasant life.
*wealth was measured by cows in those times
** People in search of God

2.Kale varshathu parjanya,
Prauthwee sasya shalini,
Deso yam kshobha rahitha,
SAjjana santhu nirbhaya.

Let the monsoon be timely and plentiful,
Let earth be covered with vegetation,
Let the country live without problems,
And let good people never have fear.

3.Aputhra puthrina santhu,
Puthrina santhu pouthrina,
Adhana sadhana,
Santhu jeevanthu sarada satham.

Let sonless people have son,
Let people with son have grand sons,
And let people who are poor or rich,
Live and see one hundred autumns.

4.Charitham Raghu Nadhasya   satha koti pravishtharam,

Ekaikamaksharam   proktham  Maha pathaka  nasanam

4.The story of Raghu clan is spread over  hundred crores.

And canting of one of its letters  would destroy the bad effects of   greatly evil acts.

5.Srunvan Ramayanam Bhakthyaa   ya padam   padameva   vaa,

Sa yaathi brahmana sthanam  Brahmana  poojyathe   sadaa.

By hearing   Ramayana   with devotion or its one verse or one line  ,

Would take you to the place of Brahma and Brahma would worship you always.

6.Ramaya Ramabhadraya Ramachandraya Vedhase,

Raghunadhaya Nadhaya Sithaya pathaye nama.

 My salutations to Lord Rama,

To Ramabadhra, to Ramachandra,

To the lord of Vedas,

To the chief of Raghu clan,

To the lord of the world,

And to  the Lord of Sita.

7.Yan mangalam sahasraksho   sarva deva  namaskruthe  ,

Vruthra naso sambhavath   thathe  Bhavathu  mangalam.

That  auspiciousness which was  saluted by  Lord Indra   and all devas,

And which lead to destruction of Vruthra ,Let that   bring  us auspiciousness.

8.Yan mangalam suparnasya  vinathaa kalpayath puraa,

Amrutham prarthamanasya , thathe  Bhavathu  Mangalam.

That   auspiciousness   was prayed to by  Lord Garuda,

To bring  nectar  too his motherVinatha  , let that  bring  auspiciousness./

9.Amruthothpadane daithyaan  gnatho vajra dharasya yath,

Adhithir mangalam   praadathathe bhavathu  Mangalam.

9.That  which was removed by Indra   when Asuras were churning  for nectar ,

To bring auspiciousness   to Adhithi  , Let that   bring us auspiciousness.

10Threenvikramaan   prakramatho VIshno  ramitha  thejasa,

Yadaa aaseen mangalam Rama THathe  bhavathu  mangalam.

10 When Lord Vishnu with great power  as Trivikrama   wend around  ,

Then auspiciousness  happened   and let that bring  auspiciousness.

11.Rithava sagara Dweepaa  Veda LOkaa disascha  they,

Mangalaani maha baho  disanthu thava  sarvadhaa.

Let that great one  who brings auspiciousness  to seasons  , ocean,

Islands, Veda, the worlds by showing the way, bring  auspiciousness to you always.

12.Kayena vacha  Manasendyair va  ,

Budhyathmana   va prakruthe swabhavath ,

Karomi    yadhyath   parasmai,

Narayanayethi samarpayami.

I offer all that I do,
To Lord Narayana,
Whatever I do with my body,
Whatever I do with my mind,
Whatever I do with my brain,
Whatever I do with my soul,
And whatever I do with nature’s help