Saturday, October 24, 2009

GURWASTAKAM - Part 1 of 8

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 ||


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.

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 ||


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!!!


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




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