Bhujanga Prayaata Metre

March 29, 2010

Namaste Chandan Singh ji,

Gayatri is not a vritta chhandas. It is a highly flexible metre. There is no

requirement on each syllable to be short/long. But Bhujanga prayaata is a

vritta, i.e. the exact sequence of short and long syllables is fixed. So it has

a fixed rhythm.

The rule for Bhujanga Prayaata metre is:

" bhujaMga prayaataM chaturbhir yakaaraiH "

It means " Bhujanga Prayaata is with 4 ya's " . Ya group is formed with one laghu,

one guru and one guru (i.e. short-long-long), in that order. For example,

" nirIsham " has 3 syllables ( " ni-rI-shaM " ) and fits the pattern of

short-long-long. You put 4 such ya-groups together and you get one line of

Bhujanga Prayaata. There are 4 such lines.

Bhujanga Prayaata literally means " going of a snake " . The pattern

" lalAlA-lalAlA-lalAlA-lalAlA " has a movement kind of similar to the curvy

movement of a snake. That may be why it is named thus.

However, at a subtler level, please note that different sound patterns create

different awareness in the consciousness when it focuses on the sound pattern

and loses track of everything else (other than that sound). When mind is filled

with 100s and 1000s of thoughts, one does not experience a mantra or its deity.

To let the mantra and its deity occupy the mind, one needs to create a vacuum

for them in the mind. When other thoughts cease in the mind and mind

reverberates with a mantra alone, that is when mantra and its deity " fill " the

mind and one " experiences " them. What the sound pattern of a Bhujanga Prayaata

metre does to the consciousness when it succeeds in a perfect focus can be

guessed from the name - movement of which symbolic snake?

* * *

Today is Pournima and the day of my monthly Satya Narayana vratam. Satya

Narayana is Truth personified, starting from low level truths till the highest

Truth that all is God. Today is an auspicious day for worshipping the god of

Truth. Let me compose a small verse in this beautiful chhandas on my Lord. I am

typing it in iTrans notation.

mahAntaM hariM satyaloke vasantaM |

sadA cidvirUpaM madApannivAraM |

asachChedakaM bhedakhedaapahaaraM |

guruM pratyayaM satyadevaM bhaje.ahaM ||

Translation: To Him, who is supreme, Hari, who resides in Satya Loka, who is

always the underlying reality as well as the variegated forms, who impedes my

troubles, who cuts asunder untruth, who takes away the distress of duality, who

is magnificent, who is rooted in firm and deep faith, I offer worship to that

Lord Satya Deva (Truth personified).

* * *

I am sorry about Yousuf's death and hope his soul finds peace in its onward

journey.

Instead of politicizing somebody's death ( " A dying man tried his level best to

say something in the last few days, yet none understood him " ), let us just wish

him peace and leave it at that.

Best regards,

Narasimha

-

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Spirituality:

Jyotish writings: JyotishWritings

-

vedic astrology , " chandan s sabarwal " <wavelogix

wrote:

>

> dear sanjay ji,

> namaste,

>

> kindly elaborate on the bhujang prayat chhanda. our 10th guru , guru gobind

singh ji too has written many verses in bhujang prayat chhanda , i think so in

jaap sahib , but i dont remember correctly , i read jaap sahib several years

ago.

>

> so maybe if u can show the formation of this chhand it will be useful to then

read the path's and stotras written in it.

>

> like gayatri is 8 x 3 = 24 syllables , how is bhujang chhanda structured.

>

> many thanks and humble regards,

> chandan singh.

>

> vedic astrology , " Sanjay Rath " <sjrath@> wrote:

> >

> > om gurave namah

> >

> > Dear Lakshmi

> >

> > A dying man tried his level best to say something in the last few days, yet

none understood him. He was being politically wrong but he knew that life is too

short to live without compassion. Please ask Asif Ali for his chart details

including punya chart, as I don't have them with me now.

> >

> > The following stotra by Adi shankara is considered the most auspicious to

read after a departed soul.

> >

> > ===============Please read this once for YOUSUF====================

> >

> > Vishnu Bhujanga Prayata Stotram

> > [Prayer to Lord Vishnu]

> > By Adi Shankara Bhagawat Pada

> > Translated by P. R. Ramachander

> >

> > [bhujanga prayata is a meter for writing poems in Sanskrit. It means moving

of a snake. Adi Shankara has written several prayers using this meter. There is

a very interesting story about this stotra. Adi Shankara reached his mother's

death bed before she died. He wanted to help her get salvation. So he composed a

great stotra called Shiva Bhujanga Prayata Stotra in praise of Lord Shiva. As

soon as it was completed, The servants of Lord Shiva came to take Shankara's

mother to heaven. But she was terrified to see them, because they wore the

dresses of the forest and dressed in tiger skin with belts of snakes.

Understanding her problem, Shankara humbly requested the servants of Lord Shiva

to go back and composed this prayer to Lord Vishnu in the Bhujanga prayata

meter. Once he recited it, the servants of Lord Vishnu, who had polished God

like looks came to accompany Shankara's mother to heaven. She was extremely

pleased to go with them.]

> >

> > Chidamsam vibhum nirmalam nirvikalpam,

> > Nireeham nirakaramongara gamyam,

> > Gunatheetha mavyakthamekam thureeyam,

> > Param brahma yam Veda thasmai namosthu. 1

> >

> > Salutations to that God who is called that which is beyond Brahmam by Vedas,

> > Who is the Lord of the animated principle of life, who is clarity, who never

dies,

> > Who does not have desire, who does not have form, who is known in Om,

> > Who is beyond three qualities, who is not clear, who is one and who is

thureeya*.

> >

> > Vishuddham shivam santham adhyandha heenam,

> > Jagajjevanam jyothir ananda roopam,

> > Adhigdesakala vyavachadaneeyam,

> > Thrayeevakthi yam veda thasmai namosthu. 2

> >

> > My salutations to him who is told as trinity by Vedas,

> > Who is pure, who is peaceful, who is patient,

> > Who does not have beginning or end,

> > And whose limits cannot be fixed by stature or time.

> >

> > Samanodhithaneka suryendu koti,

> > Prabha poora thulya dyuthim durnireeksham,

> > Na seetham na cha ushnam suvarnavadatham,

> > Prasannam sadananda samvith swaroopam. 3

> >

> > He has the form having the dazzling light,

> > Of billions of moon and sun all rising together,

> > Which is difficult to be seen by the eye,

> > Having no heat nor cold and as pretty as gold,

> > And is always happy and pleased .

> >

> > Sunasaputam sundarabrulalatam,

> > Kireetochithakunchitha snigdha kesam,

> > Spurathpundareekabhi ramayathaksham,

> > Samuthphulla raktha prasoonavathamsam. 4

> >

> > He has very pretty nose and eyelids,

> > He has very wide and pretty forehead,

> > He has curled hair over which there is a crown,

> > He has eyes as pretty as the petals of lotus,

> > And wears the red hibiscus flower as ornament.

> >

> > Sphurathath kundala mrushta ganda sthalantham,

> > Japarogachoradharam charu hasam,

> > Aali vyakula modha mandhara malam,

> > Mahora sphurath kousthubhodhara haram. 5

> >

> > His shining ear drops dash against his pretty neck,

> > His red hibiscus coloured lips open for a pretty smile,

> > He attracts the bees because of the flower garland he wears,

> > And his chest shines because of garland and kousthuba gem.

> >

> > Surathnanga dwairanvitham bahu dandai,

> > Chathurbhischalath kanakanalankruthagrai,

> > Udharodharankrutham peetha vasthram,

> > Pada dwandwa nirdhootha padmabhiramam. 6

> >

> > He wears armlets made of pretty gems on his arms,

> > He decorates his four arms by wearing golden bangles,

> > He ties yellow silk cloth over his sto

March 31, 2010

dear narasimha ji,

namaste..

first of all please no do address me as ji. im very much younger to you by all

means

thanks for the explanation and i understood how the short long long structure is

what gives the bhujang prayat its beauty.

however , im still not sure on how the syllables cometogether. based on what you

explained , ive understood it should be 3x4 = 12 syllables.

but sanjay ji in the other mail said that standard bhujang prayat is 6/6 metre.

have i missed out something ? please clarify ...

and the stanza you composed is exactly like the way its written in jaap sahib by

guru gobind singh ji. i think reading his verses in the perfect metre should

definately give higher levels of consciousness...

waiting for your guidance.

many thanks and humble regards,

chandan singh.

vedic astrology , Narasimha PVR Rao <pvr wrote:

>

> Namaste Chandan Singh ji,

>

> Gayatri is not a vritta chhandas. It is a highly flexible metre. There is no

requirement on each syllable to be short/long. But Bhujanga prayaata is a

vritta, i.e. the exact sequence of short and long syllables is fixed. So it has

a fixed rhythm.

>

> The rule for Bhujanga Prayaata metre is:

>

> " bhujaMga prayaataM chaturbhir yakaaraiH "

>

> It means " Bhujanga Prayaata is with 4 ya's " . Ya group is formed with one

laghu, one guru and one guru (i.e. short-long-long), in that order. For example,

" nirIsham " has 3 syllables ( " ni-rI-shaM " ) and fits the pattern of

short-long-long. You put 4 such ya-groups together and you get one line of

Bhujanga Prayaata. There are 4 such lines.

>

> Bhujanga Prayaata literally means " going of a snake " . The pattern

" lalAlA-lalAlA-lalAlA-lalAlA " has a movement kind of similar to the curvy

movement of a snake. That may be why it is named thus.

>

> However, at a subtler level, please note that different sound patterns create