Bettadataye Chamundi
Prelude: This song is written and composed by Swamiji in a folk tune to the di
vine Mother, with profound pious thoughts of spiritualism.
Pallavi (refrain): Oh! Chamundi You are my mother. Your abode is on the hill.
Kindly remove my difficulties. (Mysore Ashrama is just behind the Chamundi Hill
the Mother’s temple is on the hilltop. Chamundi Devi is an aspect of the Divine
Mother, who killed the demons Chandasura, Mundasura and Mahisasura. The
city is named as Mysore, the modern form of Mahisapura, the abode of the de
mon Mahisa. Chamundi Devi is the chosen deity not only of the royal family of
Mysore, but also of all the natives of India.)
Caranam:
1. Mother! Your vehicle is a lion. Kindly protect me. I came running to hold your
pious feet for my protection.
2. Kindly show mercy on me. Kindly enlighten me with the Divine Knowledge.
I pray to you to guide my intellect for my spiritual progress.
3. I have been shackled in the vicious circle of birth and death. Kindly save me
from this entanglement so that I may not be born again (Kindly grant me libera
tion).
Mother! I contemplate on you always. Kindly bless me with the realization of Sat
CitAnanda (TruthKnowledgeBliss).
Amma ninna nenedare amtaranga jagadali
Pallavi: Oh! Mother! If I think of you in my heart, you are sure to bless me with im
mense pleasure in my worldly and spiritual aspects and in this world and after
life.
Caranam:
1. Mother! You are the primordial energy. You are the genesis of all power. You
are the intensive and extensive powers of Ichcha, Jnana and Kriya, i.e. Intention,
Knowledge and Action respectively. Mother! Being the Ultimate Reality, the
Almighty, you motivate and direct Brahma, Vishnu and Siva (the creator, the Pro
tector and the Annihilator) in their activities.
Being the Siva’s Sakti (benevolent power), you gift us with everything auspicious.
2. In the creatures, you are the Kundalini Sakti (the subtle serpentlike spiritual
power). In the several worlds, you are the infinite, allpervasive energy. Both in
the creatures and the worlds, you are the life energy. You are the strong will
power energizing my spinal column, the basis of my nervous strength.
3. Only by your association, Siva is motivated to action (Siva’s left side is Parvati,
and aspect of the Divine Mother). Siva becomes powerful only by your closeness
to Him. By deep analysis, I realize the hidden principle of Siva and Sakti as Sat
CitAnanda (TruthKnowledgeBliss).
Sagarjaladali motta modalu na
Pallavi: Oh! Divine Mother! I was born for millions of times in the waters of the
ocean (Here the ocean represents the Samsara, the worldly bondage, which
causes rebirths to any one. Salvation only removes rebirth or transmigration of
the soul.)
Caranam:
1. Without following any moral code, without believing in Pasupati (Siva), I was
born earlier as an animal on the earth.
(In the literary sense, pasu is an animal tied to a pole with a rope. In the spiritual
sense, anyone who is not blessed with liberation is a pasu, tied to worldliness
with a rope of illusion and ignorance. It is only Pasupati, (Siva), the Lord of all
creatures who bestows the devotee with salvation.)
2. Earlier as a bird, I flew many times in the high sky quiet often, sometimes mi
grating from one country to another far off land.
3. Being a dullwitted and ignorant man, I am caught in the whirlpool of infatu
ation and attachment.
4. I have forgotten the Supreme Soul. Oh! Divine Mother! You are the personific
ation of Mahamaya (Great Illusion) Kindly pardon me.
5. Kindly bless me to improve kindness and righteousness within me. Thus my
life on earth would become purposeful.
6. Kindly show me the unchanging stable state of spiritualism. Kindly gift me the
realization of SatCitAnanda (TruthKnowledgeBliss).
Ninnane smarisuve o amma!
Pallavi:
Oh! Mother! I always contemplate on you only. Kindly protect me.
Caranam:
1. Your fine red lotuslike feet shine brilliantly in my heart. The light of the toe
nails of your pious feet pervades in my heart benevolently.
2. Your fresh, fragrant, jasminelike soft sweet smile spreads pleasant scent in
the garden of my hear. The brilliance of your graceful looks brighten the cave of
my heart.
3. I am joyously drenched in your graceful brilliance. Always contemplating on
you, I realized SatCitAnanda (TruthKnowledgeBliss).
Daniya erisi kuguve ninnanu
Pallavi:
Oh! Mother! I am crying aloud for your mercy. Kindly pardon me for my mistakes.
Caranam:
1. I committed many sins by my evil thinking. Kindly pardon me.
2. Mother! I did not even dream of you. Even mentally, I did not prostrate to you.
Kindly pardon me.
3. I forgot you in my childhood due to ignorance.
In my youth, ever engaged in worldly work and pleasures, I forgot you.
Oh! Mother! Kindly pardon me.
4. Oh! Mother! Ignoring your perennial protection, I am depressed by my misery
and grief. I am now a destitute in a helpless, confused state. My Mother! Kindly
rescue me>
5. I do not want anything else. Kindly bless me with the realization of SatCit
Ananda (TruthKnowledgeBliss).
Huva celladuvenu mateya mele
Prelude:
This song composed by Sri Swamiji in he Kannada language can easily be adap
ted to a folk dance. This is a sincere praise of the Mother by an apparently ignor
ant, illiterate, poor villager. Thus we find there is no distinction or differentiation
of the devotion, as per social, financial, educational or professional level in the
worldly outlook, when he sings the glory of the Divine Mother with wholehearted,
sincere and innocent way. The outpouring of one’s filial affecting to the lotus feet
of the Divine Mother symbolizes the deep spiritual urge of the sincere seeker of
Divine Knowledge. Thus we find the cherish able blending of devotion and Know
ledge of the purehearted devotee.
Pallavi:
Oh! Mother! I shower flowers on your lotus feet and I worship you, with the fully
blossomedlotuses (The various flowers indicate the different merital attitudes of
the devotees. The lotus, which is fresh and blossomed, indicates the sincere
heart of the devotee. Thus we find that the worship should be heartfelt).
Anu Pallavi: (Sub refrain) Oh! Mother! Just at the moment of my birth I offered
the lotuslike head of mine. I.e. I have been your devotee since my birth (here the
lotuslike head indicates the Sahasrara Chakra i.e. thousandpetalled lotus which
exists in the subtle form at the tip of the human head. To reach this zenith of spir
itual is the sole aim of the seeker).
Caranam 1:
1. Oh Mother! You are Kalyani. You fulfill all the desires of the devotees. Being
Durga, you protect me from difficulties, evil ways, defeats, losses, misery,
dangers, poverty and fear. Being Mookamba, you protect tall the three worlds.
Moreover, you protect my three types of bodies viz. Shthoola sareera (gross
body), Sookshma sareera (subtle body) and karana sareera (causal body). Oh
Bhramaramba! Kindly remove my shackles of delusion.
2. You are the Mother of the Universe. Kindly show mercy on me to achieve vic
tory in all me activities both physical and spiritual, in this world. Parvati! May I e
blessed with the eternal bliss in the other worlds after I leave my body on the
earth Madhavi! Kindly grant me peace within Pavani! Kindly remove my sins.
3.Oh! Mother! As your eyes are in the shape of fish, you are famous as
Meenakshi. I sing your glory as Kamakshi as your eyes are as wide as a fresh
blossomed lotus. You fondle Ganapati, your elder son, placing him on your lap.
Your mercy is oceanlike. You are Jayalakshmi, the dear Mother of SatCit
Ananda (TruthKnowledgeBliss). (Jaya means victory. Lakshmi is the Goddess
of Prosperity. The Divine Mother bestows victory to the spiritual seeker by Her
gift of the realization TruthKnowledgeBliss.
Ambeya pujise durlabhavenu
Pallavi: What is unattainable if one worships the Divine Mother? What is unattain
able if one worships Durga Devi?
Caranam:
1: Due to his devotion to the Divine Mother, Dharmadhvaja was blessed with the
fortune of good children. By doing yaga (firesacrifice) in the name of the divine
Mother, Indra the Lord of Heaven was gifted with infinite wealth.
2. By his deep devotion to the Mother, Durvasa had the boon of the flow of excel
lent poetry. By the grace of the Mother, Brihaspati, the preceptor of the Celestials
became highly famous.
3.Responding to the plea of the great saint Adi Sankaracharya, Oh Mother! You
caused the rain of golden coins! Being the bestower of everything auspicious al
ways, Oh Mother! You enlighten the hearts of saints with the realization of Sat
CitAnanda (TruthKnowledgeBliss) by your benevolent spiritual vibrations.
Varanasya Vakratunda
Pallavi:
Oh! Ganapati! Your abode is Varanasi (Kasi in Uttar Pradesh, India). The trunk of
your elephant head is curved (symbolizing the letter OM). Your ears act as huge
winnows (gleaning and listening to devotees’ prayers). Kindly protect me.
Heramba! (Ganapati) your smile is sweet. You wear a snake as yajnopvita (sac
red thread). The snake indicates poison, vengeance and ego, which the Lord re
moves.
Caranam:
1. Ganapati! You are the commander of Shiva’s army. Every ritual starts with the
foremost worship to You only. You are the guru of Skanda (younger brother of
Ganapati). Your intelligence is the best. You wear red clothes. Your stomach is
big. You have only one tusk.
2.You gift boons at once to the devotee. You are also brilliant as the Sun (Arka is
the Sun). You reside in a subtle form in the Arka tree (arka also means sacred
tree). You have another name as Prasna Ganapati, as you answer the questions
of the sincere seeker. You are the remover of obstacles. You are the greatest
leader of all the worlds.
3. Your vehicle is a mouse. Devotees worship you with several sacred leaves.
Good achievements and fine intellect are your gifts to the devotees. Ganapati!
Thought you appear to be a bit strange, your face is pious. You are SatCit
Ananda (TruthKnowledgeBliss).
Devi Saktiya smarisuvenu
Pallavi:
I contemplated on the power of the Divine Mother. I worship SatCitAnanda
(TruthKnowledgeBliss).
Caranam:
1. I contemplate on Brahmi (Saraswati, the consort of Brahma). She flies in her
aero plane like Swan. She holds the infinite rosary and water pot. She is the re
pository of mantras (secret chants of Veda).
2. I contemplate on Raudri (Parvati, the consort of Rudra (Siva). She holds a tri
dent in Her hand. She wears a snake as a garland. She is the consort of Siva
who rides on Nandi (Siva’s vehicle a bull).
3. I contemplate on Kaumari, the power of Kumara (the second son of Parvati).
She holds a javelin by name Shakti. She is the consort of Kumara who rides on
a peacock.
4. I contemplate on Lakshmi (the consort o Vishnu, who rides on Garuda (an
eagle).
She holds a conch, cakra (discus), a horn, a sword and a mace.
5. I contemplate on Varahi, the consort of Yajna Varaha, an incarnation of Vishnu
as a boar. Her roar is fierce. Her protruding canines are hard and strong.
6. I contemplate on the power of Narasimhi (the consort of Narasimha, an in
carnation of Vishnu in the forma of a human body with a lion’s head). The mane
of the lion’s head moves fiercely. The nails of the lion are sharp and strong.
7. I contemplate on the power of Ayndri (the consort of Indra, the lord of
Heaven). He has a thousand eyes. He holds the weapon made3 of Vajra (dia
mond). He rides on the celestial white elephant by name Airavata.
8. I contemplate on the primordial power, the Divine Mother. The spiritual powers
of all the celestials merge in Her. She shines brilliantly as the genesis of all en
ergy.