Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!!
Sankalpa
For eleven years, I have walked the spiritual path under the guidance of my Guru. It has been a decade of slow, steady transformation. However, exactly one year ago, I crossed a significant threshold, a sacred milestone that deepened my connection to the lineage and the Lord in a profound way.
As I reflected on this one-year anniversary, a wave of gratitude washed over me. I wanted to offer something back, a Guru Dakshina. But what can one offer to a teacher who has given the gift of wisdom? Material objects felt insufficient. I realized that the most honest offering would be to try to use the very knowledge I was being taught.
I must confess, despite my years of listening, I am still a novice, a kindergarten student in the vast, ancient school of Sanskrit grammar. The rules of Laghu (light) and Guru (heavy) syllables usually intimidate me. But a child’s drawing, no matter how imperfect, is often the most precious gift to a parent.
So, I made a resolve (Sankalpa): I would attempt to construct a new verse, a fresh “flower of words” (Vak-Pushpa), guided by the grace of my Guru and the rhythm of the Lord Himself.
With the resolve to write, I faced the daunting question: How? How does a beginner construct a verse worthy of the Lord?
I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds reverberating in my memory. I heard the mesmerizing cadence of the great Adi Shankara’s Shiva Bhujangam. (https://youtu.be/zHJ-taQDrkA?si=3RYlCrRWroo8ruXA) That rolling, hypnotic beat, La-Ghu-Ghu, La-Ghu-Ghu (Short-Long-Long), which mimics the swaying movement of the serpent adorning the Lord’s neck.
I realized that I didn’t need to invent a new structure; I just needed to step into the one the had already built. This meter, the Bhujangaprayata, would be the base of my attempt. It’s “snake rhythm” would carry my small flower of words directly to the One who wears the snake as an ornament.
Guided by this ancient rhythm and the grace of my Guru, the syllables slowly found their places.
Here is the fruit of that labor, my Vak-Pushpa (flower of words) for the Lord.
Sanskrit:
नतोऽहं महेशं विषादं हरन्तं
सुरम्यं सुकान्तं स्वरूपं सुसत्यम् ।
भुजङ्गाङ्गभूषं जगद्विश्वनाथं
दयासागरं तं भजेऽहं भजेऽहम् ॥
Telugu:
నతొఽహం మహేశం విషాదం హరంతం
సురమ్యం సుకాంతం స్వరూపం సుసత్యమ్ ।
భుజంగాంగభూషం జగద్విశ్వనాథం
దయాసాగరం తం భజేఽహం భజేఽహమ్ ॥
Transliteration:
Nato’haṁ Mahēśam viṣādam harantam
Suramyam sukāntam svarūpam susatyam |
Bhujangāṅgabhūṣam Jagadviśvanātham
Dayāsāgaram tam bhajē’ham bhajē’ham ||
Meaning:
I bow to the Great Lord (Mahesha) who removes deep sorrow, who is very pleasing, very radiant, whose very nature is the Ultimate Truth.
Who wears serpents as ornaments on His limbs, the Lord of the World and Universe,
That Ocean of Compassion, I worship Him! I worship Him!
Honestly, when I finally closed my eyes to chant, the grammar rules didn’t matter anymore. In addition to Shiva Bhujangam, the inspiration for this had hit me while I was just driving to work, listening to the Durga Kavacham. I remember hearing how it praised every part of the Mother’s form and thinking, “It just stuck with me, I need to do this for Lord Shiva.”
Chanting these new lines brought me back to that simple desire.
Na-to-ham… Ma-he-sham…
It wasn’t about being a scholar or getting the perfect “snake rhythm.” It was just about that feeling in the car, finally letting it out, sound by sound, offering the praise I had been holding in my heart.
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!!!