sanAtana dharma for kids

Small shlokas, Great Results: karacharaNa kRutam vAk...
Pray for Shiva's mercy

We often do wrong things using our five senses, our speech, and mind. These wrong doings add to our bad karma and increase our burden of pApam--sin. Many a time we realize our mistakes and repent. At such times, we should pray sincerely to Lord Shiva. He will show mercy on us, and reduce our bad karma.

This shloka is usually chanted in a puja, but is also typically chanted when going to bed at night.

Media help


View attachment karacharaNa2.mp3

shloka text

करचरण कृतं वाक्कायजं कर्मजं वा ।
श्रवणनयनजं वा मानसं वाऽपराधं ।
विहितमविहितं वा सर्वंएतत्क्षमस्व ।
जय जय करुणाब्धे श्रीमहादेव शम्भो ॥

karacharaNa kRutaM vAkkAyajaM karmajaM vA |
shravaNanayanajaM vA mAnasaM vA&parAdhaM |
vihitamavihitaM vA sarvaMetatkShamasva |
jaya jaya karuNAbdhe shrImahAdeva shambho ||

Translation

kara charaNa kRutaM - done through (kRutam) hands, feet
vAk kAyajaM karmajaM vA - speech (vAk), body (kAyaM) or (vA) action (karma)
shravaNa nayanajaM vA mAnasaM vA - ears (hearing--shravaNa), eyes (seeing--nayanaM) and mind (mAnasaM)
aparAdhaM - faults or wrong deeds
vihitam avihitaM vA - deternmined (vihita) (by earlier actions) or not determined
sarvaM etat kShamasva - forgive (kShamasva) all (sarvam) this (etat)
jaya jaya karuNAbdhe - victorious, ocean of mercy
shrI mahAdeva shambho - O God MahAdeva, who is always happy (shambho)

Meaning

O God MahAdeva, who is always victorious, happy, and is an ocean of mercy! Forgive all my faults and wrong deeds--done through my hands, feet, speech, body, action, ears, eyes and mind.

Analysis

This is a shlokam--verse from Adi ShankarAchArya bhagavad pAda's stotram--hymn shiva mAnasa pUjA. This stotram can be downloaded here:
http://sanskrit.gde.to/all_pdf/smaanasa.pdf
and its audio version here
http://www.vedamantram.com/audio/Sivamanasapuja.mp3

Shiva is known as MahAdeva because he is the greatest of all Devas. He is victorious in all his actions. He is always happy and peaceful. Asuras often prayed to Shiva, got powerful boons, and used them to harass the Devas. At such times of trouble, Devas surrender to Shiva who would mercifully tell them when and how he would destroy the Asuras.

Devas are more powerful than us humans, but they make mistakes occasionally and repent for them. Asuras on the other hand, only rarely do good deeds. This is why the Devas are always saved and the Asuras destroyed.

We humans have lots of faults. It is easy for us to do a wrong thing than a right one. So we are often tempted to make mistakes and do things that are morally wrong. For example, we harrass weaker boys and girls; we harass the animals and birds; we use harsh words; we are disobedient to elders; or we do not pray and remember God as often as our elders have told us to.

Thus, our faults and wrong deeds add to our bad karma. Think of karma as a palette of colors to paint our soul with. Good deeds and noble feelings such as love, mercy and bhakti add bright colors to our soul. Bad deeds and evil feelings such as greed, anger and enmity dull those colors. Would you like to look dull or bright?

Therefore, we pray to the victorious, all merciful Lord Shiva, asking forgiveness for our faults and wrong deeds, which we have done out of our hands, feet, body, action, speech, eyes, ears and mind. If we are sincere, Shiva would remove the bad karma of these action and make our souls shine bright, but next time we should avoid such faults.

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Small shlokas, Great Results: shAntAKAraM bhujaga shayanaM...
Salutations to MahAViShNu, the Preserver

MahaViShNu is the sustainer of life, dispensing wealth and comforts through his consort Goddess LakShmI and protecting the souls in this life. ViShNu is at the same time, a yogic expert, who is in meditation even during his sleep. Pray to ViShNu for prosperity, peace and health.

Media help


View attachment shAntAkAram.mp3
Courtesy: Kosmic music

shloka text

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशम्
विश्वाधारं गगन सदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् ।
लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यम्
वन्दे विष्णुम् भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥

shAntAkAraM bhujagashayanaM padmanAbhaM suresham
vishvAdhAraM gagana sadRushaM meghavarNaM shubhA~ggam |
lakShmIkAntaM kamalanayanaM yogibhirdhyAnagamyam
vande viShNum bhavabhayaharaM sarvalokaikanAtham ||

Translation

shAntAkAraM - having a peaceful and serene form
bhujaga shayanaM - sleeping (shayanam) on a snake (bhujaga) as the bed
padma nAbhaM - having a lotus (padmam) at the navel (nAbhi)
suresham - the master (Isha) of the gods (sura)
vishva AdhAraM - the basis (AdhAraM) for the Universe (vishva)
gagana sadRushaM - is like (sadRusha) the sky (gagana)
megha varNaM - the color (varaNam) of the cloud (megha)
shubhA~ggam - with the auspicious (shubha) body and limbs (angga)
lakShmI kAntaM - consort (kAnta) of LakShmI
kamalanayanaM - has lotus eyes
yogibhir dhyAna gamyam - reached (gamya) by Yogis in meditation (dhyAnam)
vande viShNum - I worship ViShNu
bhavabhaya haraM - who removes (hara) the fear of births and deaths
sarva lokaika nAtham - the Lord (nAtha) of all the worlds

Meaning

He has a peaceful and serene form and visage (facial features and expression).
He sleeps on the bed of SeshanAgA or Adi Seshan.
He has a lotus sprouting from his navel on which BrahmA resides.
He is the master of gods.
He is the basis of the entire Universe.
He is omnipresent as the sky and has the color of the cloud.
He has an auspicious body.
He is the consort of Goddess LakShmI, and has lotus eyes.
He is reached by the Yogis in meditation.
I worship ViShNu, who removes the fear of births and deaths and remains the Lord of all the world.

Analysis

Did you notice in the pictures of MahAViShNu that he has a peaceful face and a body with perfect proportions and expressions? So worshipping ViShNu gives you peace and perfection in your activities.

He sleeps on the bed of Adi Sesha, the thousand-headed snake-god. And he has a lotus sprouting from his navel. The bed of snake indicates that MahAViShNu is a MahAyogi who has the kuNDalinI shakti at his control. From him was created God BrahmA, who in turn created the universe. The padmanAbham indicates that BrahmA was born out of ViShNu's nAbhi on a lotus. Since the lotus is a symbol of meditation and bliss, this means that ViShNu transferred his yogic powers to BrahmA for creation of the universe. He is therefore, the master of BrahmA and other gods.

MahAViShNu is the preserver in the Hindu TrimUrti (Trinity). He is the basis of the Universe, which was before creation, all space, called the waters of the space. In his name NArAyaNa, the prefix nAra stands for water.

He is omnipresent, like the sky, the AkAsh, the space or ether. This feature gives him the color of the clouds, and an auspicious body. Hence the saying sarvaM ViShNu mayaM jagat.

He is the consort of Goddess LakShmI and through her gives the eight types of wealth needed for the life of the Universe. His eyes are like the lotus flowers, broad and smiling.

Yogis meditate on him and try to reach him. To those who reach him by meditation, he reveals his resplendent form and they enjoy the bliss born out of this darshan.

Therefore, I adore and worship ViShNu, who would remove the fear of deaths and births as long as I have to swim the ocean of reincarnations caused by my actions (saMskAra).

MahAViShNu is the Lord of all the world, who takes avatars to destroy evil and establish dharma.

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