Mangalacharanam: Auspicious Invocation

ॐ पार्थाय प्रतिबोधितां भगवता नारायणेन स्वयं
व्यासेन ग्रथितां पुराणमुनिना मध्ये महाभारते ।
अद्वैतामृतवर्षिणीं भगवतीमष्टाशाध्यायिनी-
मम्ब त्वामनुसन्दधामि भगवद्गीते भवद्वेषिणीम् ॥१॥

oṁ pārthāya pratibodhitāṁ bhagavatā nārāyaṇena svayaṁ
vyāsena grathitāṁ purāṇa-muninā madhye mahā-bhārate
advaitāmṛta-varṣiṇīṁ bhagavatīm aṣṭādaśādhyāyiṇīm
amba tvām anusandadhāmi bhagavad-gīte bhavad-veṣiṇīm [1]

Meditation on Sri Gita —

O Bhagavad-gita, song of the Supreme Lord Himself, you are the bestower of Arjuna’s enlightenment. You have been woven into the scripture Mahabharata by the ancient sage Srila Vedavyas. In eighteen chapters, you are the rain of ever-flowing nectar, non-different from the Lord. O Mother, I meditate upon you; may you graciously enter my heart.

नमोऽस्तुते व्यासविशालबुद्धे फुल्लारविन्दायतपत्रनेत्र ।
येन त्वया भारततैलपूर्णः प्रज्वालितो ज्ञानमयः प्रदीपः ॥२॥

namo ’stu te vyāsa-viśāla-buddhe
phullāravindāyata-patra-netra
yena tvayā bhārata-taila-pūrṇaḥ
prajvālito jñāna-mayaḥ pradīpaḥ [2]

Obeisances unto Srila Vyasadev —

O Srila Vyasadev of formidable intelligence, whose eyes resemble the long petals of the blooming lotus flower, and who ignited the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata — I offer my obeisances unto you.

प्रपन्नपारिजाताय तोत्रवेत्रैकपाणये ।
ज्ञानमुद्राय कृष्णाय गीतामृतदुहे नमः ॥३॥

prapanna-pārijātāya totra-vetraika-pāṇaye
jñāna-mudrāya kṛṣṇāya gītāmṛta-duhe namaḥ [3]

Obeisances unto the Lord as the chariot-driver of Arjuna —

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, who fulfills the wishes of His surrendered devotees. He holds a driving-rod in one hand while the other is poised in the expression of instruction, and He is the milker of the nectar of the Gita.

सर्व्वोपनिषदो गावो दोग्धा गोपालनन्दनः ।
पार्थो वत्सः सुधीरभोक्ता दुग्धं गीतामृतं महत् ॥४॥

sarvopaniṣado gāvo dogdhā gopāla-nandanaḥ
pārtho vatsaḥ sudhīr bhoktā dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat [4]

The Glories of the Gita —

The crest-jewels of the Vedas, all the Upanisads, are as the cow, and the milker of the cow is Lord Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaj. Arjuna is the calf, the nectar of the Gita is the milk, and the fortunate devotees are the enjoyers of that milk.

वसुदेवसुतं देवं कंसचाणूरमर्द्दनम् ।
देवकीपरमानन्दं कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम् ॥५॥

vasudeva-sutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsa-chāṇūra-mardanam
devakī-paramānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagad-gurum [5]

Obeisances unto Lord Sri Krishna —

I bow unto the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, the son of Vasudev, the vanquisher of the demons Kamsa and Chanura, the joy of mother Devaki, and the universal teacher.

भीष्मद्रोणतटा जयद्रथजला गान्धारनीलोत्पला
शल्यग्राहवती कृपेण वहनी कर्णेन वेलाकुला ।
अश्वत्थामविकर्णघोरमकरा दुर्य्योधनावर्त्तिनी
सोत्तीर्ण खलु पाण्डवै रणनदी कैवर्त्तकः केशवः ॥६॥

bhīṣma-droṇa-taṭā jayadratha-jalā gāndhāra-nīlotpalā
śalya-grāhavatī kṛpeṇa vahanī karṇena velā-kulā
aśvatthāma-vikarṇa-ghora-makarā duryodhanāvartinī
sottīrṇā khalu pāṇḍavai raṇa-nadī kaivartakaḥ keśavaḥ [6]

The river of the battle of Kuruksetra —

One bank is Bhisma, the other Dronacharya; Jayadratha is the water; the sons of Gandhari, the blue lotus flower; Salya, the crocodile; Krpa, the waves; Karna, the shore; Asvatthama, Vikarna and company, the fearful sharks; Duryodhan, the whirlpool; and Kesava is the boatman of this river of the battle that was crossed by the Pandavas.

पाराशर्य्यवचः सरोजममलं गीतार्थगन्धोत्कटं
नानाख्यानककेसरं हरिकथासम्बोधनाबोधितम् ।
लोके सज्जनषट्पदैरहरहःपेपीयमानं मुदा
भूयाद्भारतपङ्कजं कलिमलप्रध्वंसि नः श्रेयसे ॥७॥

pārāśarya-vachaḥ sarojam-amalaṁ gītārtha-gandhotkaṭaṁ
nānākhyānaka-kesaraṁ hari-kathā-sambodhanābodhitam
loke sajjana-ṣaṭ-padair ahar-ahaḥ pepīyamānaṁ mudā
bhūyād bhārata-paṅkajaṁ kali-mala-pradhvaṁsi naḥ śreyase [7]

The Mahabharata as a lotus flower —

These words of Sri Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev, the son of Parasar Muni, are a perfect lotus flower. The meaning of the Gita is the beautiful fragrance of this lotus, the various episodes are its stamens, and the enlightening narrations about the Supreme Lord are its nectar. In this world, the pure devotees are the bees who day after day delight in drinking the nectar of the lotus flower. May this Mahabharata lotus, the vanquisher of all evils in this Age of Kali, graciously bestow auspiciousness upon us.

यं ब्रह्मा वरुणेन्द्ररुद्रमरुतस्तुन्वन्ति दिव्यैः स्तवैर्
वेदैः साङ्गपदक्रमोपनिषदैर्गायन्ति यं सामगाः ।
ध्यानावस्थिततद्गतेन मनसा पश्यन्ति यं योगिनो
यस्यान्तं न विदुः सुरासुरगणा देवाय तस्मै नमः ॥८॥

yaṁ brahmā varuṇendra-rudra-maruta-stunvanti divyaiḥ stavair
vedaiḥ sāṅga-pada-kramopaniṣadair gāyanti yaḥ sāmagāḥ
dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino
yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ surāsura-gaṇā devāya tasmai namaḥ [8]

Obeisances unto the Supreme Lord —

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord whose glories are sung with celestial prayers by the gods Brahma, Varun, Indra, Rudra, and the Maruts; whose glories are sung by the verses of the Vedas along with their six auxiliary books and the Upanisads; whose glories are sung by the brahmans that sing the Sama-veda; who the yogis see within their hearts absorbed in meditation; and whose infinite glories are inconceivable to all beings, whether gods or demons.

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरञ्चैव नरोत्तमम् ।
देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं ततो जयमुदीरयेत् ॥९॥

nārāyaṇaṁ namskṛtya narañ chaiva narottamam
devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet [9]

Before reciting the scriptures that can conquer material existence, we offer obeisances unto the Supreme Lord who is known as ‘Narayan’, ‘Nara’, and ‘Narottam’; the goddess of learning Saraswati; and the great sage empowered by the Lord to reveal the scriptures, Srila Vyasadev.

All glory to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga