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Famous Yoga Invocations 2
The second time I went to a Vipassana course, which is a 10-day meditation retreat, I became very anxious. This retreat is a silent retreat. One cannot talk or communicate with anybody. I was in Spain for the first time and wondered, "Who am I?", "What am I doing here?" I felt compelled to remember something I had learned by heart and to say it out loud - for I didn't know who I was anymore. At that time, I only knew the Yoga Sutras in French and some Sanskrit invocations. The Yoga Sutras being too long (195 sentences), I decided to repeat the invocations I had learned. I immediately felt my heart warming up. At the end of the recitation, I was completely fine.
Since then, whenever I feel low-spirited, I either meditate or repeat some of these beautiful invocations. I hardly ever practise or teach yoga without first chanting of these invocations. Here are 10 of them that I'd like to share with you.
The first two are in Sanskrit and English. They were the two favourites of Swami Shivananda. The next eight are only in Sanskrit. Of the 10, the first four are especially suitable for kirtan, or spiritual singing. The fifth is suitable before meditating. The last five are suitable for yoga classes, especially at the beginning after Om.
1. Bansuri
Bansuri is the instrument of Krishna. It is a kind of flute. श्यामाक, shyamaka, means 'dark blue', which is the colour of Krishna, hence Krishna himself. After invoking lord Krishna's bansuri, all the other gods are invoked one by one. All the gods appear as different but in truth they are different forms and names for Brahman, the underlying reality of this whole universe. For example, water has different names in different languages - 'jala' in Sanskrit, 'wasser' in German, 'eau' in French, 'pani' in Hindi, 'agua' in Spanish, 'shui' in Chinese, 'nam' in Thai - and can take different forms according to the climate and other factors like a river, snow, rain, clouds, etc., Brahman has different names and different forms according to the language and from where he is perceived. All the necessary names are invoked, i.e. many more than those I have chosen here can be chanted. The 'He', pronounce 'hey', can be rendered by 'o' or 'oh' in English. At the end, we ask the divinity to 'give darshan' - to show himself or herself, or some kind of sign.
Bansuri bansuri bansuri bansuri
Bansuri bansuri bansuri shyamaki.
Bansuri bansuri bansuri bansuri
Bansuri bansuri bansuri shyamaki.
He Rama, he Rama,
He Rama, he Rama,
He Rama, he Rama,
He Rama, he Rama.
He Krishna, he Krishna,
He Krishna, he Krishna,
He Krishna, he Krishna,
He Krishna, he Krishna.
He Shiva, he Shiva,
He Shiva, he Shiva,
He Shiva, he Shiva,
He Shiva, he Shiva.
He Buddha, he Buddha,
He Buddha, he Buddha,
He Buddha, he Buddha,
He Buddha, he Buddha.
Oh my Lord, be with me,
Oh my Lord, set me free!
Oh my Lord, be with me,
Oh my Lord, set me free!
I am thine, all thine.
I am thine, all thine.
I am thine, all thine.
I am thine, all thine.
Oh my Lord, give Darshan!
Oh my Lord, give Darshan!
Oh my Lord, give Darshan!
Oh my Lord, give Darshan!
2. Soham Shivoham
सोहम्, So'ham, means 'I am that'. शिवोहम्, Shivo'ham, means 'I am Shiva', Shiva aham. In Sanskrit, there is a grammatical rule called 'sandhi' that is applied to combine the different sounds of the language. For example, when there are two 'a', sometimes they will become 'o', like here. Another famous example is the Om that is made up of 'a', 'u' and 'm'. When 'a' and 'u' meet, they also produce an 'o'. In the first part of the sentence, we also have a Sandhi rule: 'Sa aham', 'I am that', becomes 'so'ham'.
After repeating the mantra several times, we deny being the body, and then being the senses, and then being the mind, to finally acknowledge that we are सच्चिदानन्द, 'Satchitananda' - which is another name for Brahman, the underlying reality of this universe. 'Sat' means 'existence', 'chit' means 'consciousness', and 'ananda' means 'bliss'. These are the three generally recognised attributes of Brahman, which is why Satchitananda is another name for Brahman.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham.
I am not this body,
This body is not mine.
I am not this body,
This body is not mine.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham.
I am not these senses,
These senses are not mine.
I am not these senses,
These senses are not mine.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham.
I am not this mind,
This mind is not mind.
I am not this mind,
This mind is not mind.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivoham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivoham.
I am Satchitananda,
Satchitananda,
Satchitananda,
Satchitananda.
3. Shiva Shambo
Shiva is the god of yoga - the one who taught hatha-yoga to mankind for the first time. Another of his many names is Mahadeva, महादेव, the great god. Shambo means something like 'bestower of peace'. Here we only repeat three of his names again and again.
शिव शिव शिव शिव शम्बो
शिव शिव शिव शिव शम्बो
महादेव शम्बो
महादेव शम्बो
Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo
Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo
Mahadeva Shambo
Mahadeva Shambo.
4. Raghupati Ragava
This is Mahatma Gandhi's favourite 'bhajan', भजन, or spiritual song. He used to sing it almost every day. When he and his followers went to Dandi on the famous Salt March (241 miles), they sang this song. Like 'Bansuri', it states that God has many names - Allah, Sita and Rama - but that He is one, and it also states that it is wisdom to understand that truth.
रघुपति राघव राजाराम
पतित पावन सीताराम
सीताराम सीताराम
भज प्यारे तू सीताराम
ईश्वर अल्लाह तेरो नाम
सब को सन्मति दे भगवान
Raghupati raghava rajarama,
Patita pavana sitarama
Sitarama, Sitarama,
Bhaja pyare tu sitarama
Ishvar Allah tero nama,
Saba ko sanmati de bhagavan.
Chief of the house of Raghu, Lord Rama,
Uplifter of those who have fallen,
Sita and Rama, Sita and Rama, Sita and Rama,
O beloved, praise Sita and Rama,
God and Allah are your names,
Bless everyone with this wisdom, Lord.
5. Triple Refuge
The Triple Refuge is often repeated before meditation, when one is bowing in front of a Buddha statue or at any time to remind oneself of one's spiritual identity. 'Sharanam' means 'refuge'. 'Gacchami' means 'I take'. 'Buddha' means 'enlightened soul' - it is a state of being, not the name of a particular person, as is often mistakenly understood. The 'Dharma' is the teaching of an enlightened soul. The second step is to take refuge in that teaching. 'Sangha' means 'group of people', and here it means the followers of an enlightened soul. The third step consists of taking refuge in these people as well, as living examples of their master. The invocation is repeated three times.
बुद्धं शरणं गच्छामि
धर्मं शरणं गच्छामि
संघं शरणं गच्छामि
Buddham sharanam gacchami.
Dharmam sharanam gacchami.
Sangha sharanam gacchami.
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
6. Devi Stuti
Gauri is another name for Parvati, the wife or 'shakti' of Shiva. Another of her many names is 'Narayani'. 'Narayana' means god with a human form, the feminine version of which is 'Narayani'. She is the mother of the universe. Buddhism has three main branches - Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Christianity has three main branches - Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism. In the same way, Hinduism has three main branches - those who recognise Vishnu or one of his avatars as the soul of the world, those who think it is Shiva, and those who think it is Gauri.
सर्व मङ्गल मङ्गलये
शिवे सर्वथा साधिके
शरण्ये त्रयम्बके गौरी
नारायनी नमस्तुते
Sarva mangala mangalye
Shive sarvatha sadhike
Sharanye Traiyambake Gauri
Narayani Namostute.
Adorations to Gauri,
who is the auspiciousness of all that is auspicious,
who is the consort of Lord Shiva,
who is the bestower of every desire of one's heart.
I prostrate myself at Your feet.
7. Ganesha Invocation
Ganesha or 'Ganesh' is one of the most popular gods in India. He is also known as 'Ganapati' and 'Vighneshvara'. The 'ganas' are beings that protect the world. 'Pati' means 'lord', thus he is the lord of these beings. 'Vighna' is an obstacle, 'ishvara' is another word for 'lord', thus he is the 'remover of obstacles'. He is invoked at the beginning of a (yoga) practice (or of any undertaking) to remove the obstacles that may arise. Among the numerous invocations for the elephant god are the Vakratunda and the Gajanam.
वक्रतुंड महाकाय
सूर्यकोटी समप्रभ
निर्विघ्नं कुरूमे देव
सर्व कार्येशु सर्वदा
Vakratunda mahakaya
Suryakoti samaprabha.
Nirvighnam kurumedeva
Sarvakaryeshu sarvada.
Salutations to the supreme Lord Ganesha, whose curved trunk (vakra-tunda) and massive body (maha-kaayaa) shine like a million suns (surya-koti) and shower his blessings on everyone (sama-prabhaa).
Oh my lord of lords (kurume-deva), kindly remove all obstacles (nir-vighnam),
always and forever (sarvada) from all my activities and endeavours (sarvakaryeshu).
8. Ganesha Stuti
This invocation (stuti) is sung in the Shivananda school before any yoga class. The person who chants the mantra describes the remover of obstacles, Vighneshavara, and then says that he prostrates at His feet (pada).
गजनानाम् भूत गणति सेवितम्
कपित्थ जम्बु फल सार भाक्षितम्
ऊम सुतम् शोक विनाश कारणम्
नाममि विघ्नेश्वर पाद पङ्कजम्
Gajananam Bhuta Ganati Sevitam.
Kapittha Jambu Phala Sara Bhakshitam.
Uma Sutam Shoka Vinasha Karanam.
Namami Vighneshvara Pada Pankajam.
Lord Ganesha (the remover of obstacles),
rides on a mouse and holds a sweet ball in his hand.
His ears resemble a fan and he wears a long sacred thread.
He is small and is the son of lord Shiva.
I prostrate at His feet.
9. Rama Nama Invocation
This invocation is very special. There was a yogi named Shaiva who believed that Shiva was the god of all. But he noticed that many people around him worshipped other gods, especially the incarnations (avatara) of Vishnu, such as Rama or Krishna. He even saw some of these worshippers fighting against each other, pretending that only their god was real and supreme. He didn't know what to think about all that and decided to ask Shiva about the truth on the matter. He went to the mountains and started to meditate about his Lord.
After three years, his heart became so pure that he could grasp one full sentence from Shiva. The sentence was:
श्री राम रामेति रामेति
रमे रामे मनोरमे ।
सहस्त्रनामतत्तुल्यं
रामनाम वरानने ||
Sri Rama Rama Rameti
Rame Rame Manorame
Sahasranama Tattulyam
Ramanama Varanane.
In the holy mantra 'Rama', my mind finds joy.
To repeat only 'Rama' is comparable (tattulyam) to repeating all the names of God (1000 names).
It is a truly beautiful mantra'.
In other words, this invocation is nothing but a sentence of Shiva, the god of yoga, and in it the great god recognises that Vishnu's mantra 'Rama' is a delightful sound he himself repeats to reach the blessed state of meditation.
10. The Universal Prayer
This universal prayer is similar to 'Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu' - 'May all beings be happy!' It is a little bit more complicated because of its length.
सर्वेषां स्वस्ति भवतु
सर्वेषां शान्तिर्भवतु
सर्वेषां पूर्नं भवतु
सर्वेषां मड्गलं भवतु ॥
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु
मा कश्चित् दुःख भाग्भवेत्॥
Sarvesham svastir bhavatu
Sarvesham shantir bhavatu
Sarvesham purnam bhavatu
Sarvesham mangalam bhavatu
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah
Sarve santu niramayah
Sarve bhadrani pashyantu
Makaschit duhkha bhag bhavet.
Om shanti shanti shantih!
May all be (bhavatu) auspicious!
May all be at peace!
May all be perfect!
May all be prosperous!
May all be happy!
May all be healthy and pure!
May all look for the good of others!
May all be free from sufferings!
Peace, peace, peace!
All these invocations are very famous. To learn them, you are welcome to attend my classes or the classes of a teacher who chants before the yoga practice. You can also participate in a kirtan, which is a session of spiritual singing. Most ashrams worldwide offer daily kirtans. Kirtans are also offered at Pure Yoga occasionally, especially during teacher trainings and workshops.
Steeve
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