August 26, 2017: Mukundamala

śrī  mukundamāla

mukunda mūrdhnā praṇipatya yāce

bhavantamekantamiyantamartham        |

avismṛtistvaccaraṇāravinde

bhave bhave me'stu bhavatprasādāt     ||

nāhaṃ vande tava caraṇayordvandvamadvandvahetoḥ

kumbhīpākaṃ gurumapi hare nārakaṃ nāpanetum  |

ramyārāmāmṛdutanulatā nandane nāpi rantuṃ

bhāve bhāve hṛdayabhavane bhāvayeyaṃ bhavantam       ||

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

śrī  mukundamāla

mukunda - Oh Mukunda!

bhavantam ekantam    -Of You, in private audience,

 yāce praṇipatya mūrdhnā - I beg You, bowing down my head, (connotes absolute supplication)

iyantam artham - this much (of substance/value!)

bhave bhave bhavatprasādāt - birth after birth, by Your grace,  

avismṛtiḥ - (that) there shall not be any forgetfulness , ie let there be constant remembrance 

tvaccaraṇāravinde - of Your lotus feet

me astu  - (let it be so) for me.

 hare - Oh Hari! ahaṃ na vande - I do not pray

tava caraṇayoḥ dvandvam advandvahetoḥ - at your (pair of) feet that can instantly confer release from the duality of pleasure and pain that is a reality of all existence, (that)

na apanetum api- Not to eliminate either

nārakaṃ gurum kumbhīpākaṃ - (the prospect of suffering) Hell's terrible boiling oil baths,

 na api rantuṃ ramyā-rāmā-mṛdutanulatā-nandane - nor for the prospect of enjoying in heaven the company of lovely, charming, women, of slender limbs,

BUT I DO PRAY ONLY THAT

bhāve bhāve - I, birth after birth,

bhāvayeyaṃ - shall definitely cherish, by constant remembrance,

bhavantam -You, Oh Lord,  hṛdayabhavane  - in my heart's shrine.

These shlokas typify the devotee's constant prayer to God, to give constant remembrance. The joy and blessedness of that experience is paramount. Not salvation, liberation, heavenly pleasures, or escape from hell. 

Someone in Basavanagudi used to recite Mukundamala every morning as he cycled some 20 km to HAL factory. He would start early, and he would pass our home, around 6:00 am or so, in the chilly misty Bangalore morning, as he would be chanting these shlokas audibly. How blessed I was to listen to this, every morning, to add to the joy of praying at the Narayana temple opposite our home any time I wanted!