Daily Kirtans

Jaya Gaṇeśa

Jaya Gaṇeśa jaya Gaṇeśa jaya Gaṇeśa pāhimām

Śrī Gaṇeśa śrī Gaṇeśa śrī Gaṇeśa rakṣamām

Victory (jaya) to Lord Gaṇeśa, save me (pāhi mam)

Oh holy (śrī) Gaṇeśa, protect me (rakṣa mam)

‘Jaya’, victory to Lord Gaṇeśa (the elephant headed deity). Dear Ganesha, Lord of Auspiciousness (śrī), please save and protect us from all obstacles. ‘Pāhi mām’ means save me, and ‘rakṣa mām’ means protect me. Visualise an elephant moving through the jungle; he easily removes any obstacles which may block his path. Thus, on any venture, we ask the Lord to remove all obstacles on our path.

Śaravaṇabhava Śaravaṇabhava Śaravaṇabhava pāhimām

Subrahmaṇya Subrahmaṇya Subrahmaṇya rakṣamām

Oh Lord Śaravaṇabhava, save me (pāhi mām)

Oh Lord Subrahmaṇya, protect me (rakṣa mām)

Śaravaṇabhava (also known by the names Subrahmaṇya, Kārtikeya, Ṣaṇmukha and Murugan) is the leader of the army of the gods whose job it is to destroy all demons. Lord Śaravaṇabhava drives away all evil influences such as lust, anger, greed etc. He ensures victory in both inner and outer battles.

Jaya Sarasvatī jaya Sarasvatī jaya Sarasvatī pāhimām

Śrī Sarasvatī śrī Sarasvatī śrī Sarasvatī rakṣamām

Victory to Goddess Sarasvatī, save me

Oh Venerable Sarasvatī, protect me

Sarasvatī is the patroness of the arts and wisdom. Invoking her name bestows creativity, intelligence, a pure intellect, self-control and success in studies and scholarly projects. She is Brahmā’s (the Lord of creation) consort and partakes in the creation of new ideas and things.

Jaya guru Śiva guru Hari guru Rām

Jagad guru paraṃ guru sadguru Śyām

Om ādi guru advaita guru ānanda guru om

Cid guru cidghana guru cinmaya guru om

Next, the Guru is saluted. We see him as the personification and transmitter of the teachings of God in the form of Śiva (the auspicious), Hari (Viṣṇu the preserver), and Rāma. He is the world (jagad) teacher, the highest (param) Guru, true (sad) Guru and who is Kṛṣṇa (Śyāma). He is beginningless (ādi), the Guru of Oneness (advaita = non-dual), the bestower of Bliss (ānanda), Knowledge Absolute (cid, cidghana), and the one who is an embodiment of Pure Consciousness (cinmaya). Knowledge, in this case spiritual knowledge, is inherited, or passed on from the spiritual preceptor to the student, or from the Guru to the disciple. The Guru is an embodiment of God and all His divine qualities.

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Oh Hari (Lord Viṣṇu), Oh Joy (Rāma), Oh Kṛṣṇa

This is known as ‘Mahā Mantra’ meaning ‘Great Mantra’. Hari (Viṣṇu) in the forms of Rāma and Kṛṣṇa is repeatedly addressed. It is said to be the most powerful one in this Iron Age (Kali Yuga). It is for this reason that the mantra should always be sung in its entirety and not broken in any way. This mantra can be chanted to help bring about peace in the world. It also brings purity to the mind and the heart of the chanter.

Sadguru nātha śrī guru nātha Jaya guru nātha Śivānanda

Śivānanda Śivānanda Śivānanda sadguru deva

Salutations to the Guru, who realised the truth (Sadguru), Holy (śrī) Master (Nātha) Victory (Jaya) to the Guru, Master Sivananda, the Divine (deva) Sadguru

Viṣṇudevānanda Viṣṇudevānanda

Viṣṇudevānanda śrī guru nātha

Salutations to Swami Vishnudevananda, Oh holy (śrī) Master

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Om namaḥ Śivāya Om namaḥ Śivāya

Om namaḥ Śivāya Om namaḥ Śivāya

Prostrations to Lord Śiva

Śiva is the Lord of ascetics and recluses. Śiva, the cosmic dancer, presides over the destructive energies which break up the universe at the end of each age. This is the process of the old making way for the new. In a more personal sense, it is Śiva’s energy which destroys one’s lower nature, making way for positive growth. He is part of the Hindu Trinity. Brahmā and Viṣṇu, the other two parts, are associated with creation and preservation respectively.

Om namo Nārāyaṇāya Om namo Nārāyaṇāya

Om namo Nārāyaṇāya Om namo Nārāyaṇāya

Prostrations to Lord Nārāyaṇa

Nārāyaṇa is a name of the preserver of the world. After the creation, it is the energy of Viṣṇu which maintains order in the universe. It is Viṣṇu who regularly takes on a human form and incarnates on earth to benefit mankind. It is through His grace that righteousness is able to prevail. Repetition of this mantra confers love, prosperity, power, glory and harmony. We often chant this mantra to bring more harmony and peace to the world.

Om namo bhagavate Vāsudevāya

Om namo bhagavate Vāsudevāya

Prostrations to Lord Vāsudeva

Bhagavān means Lord, referring to Viṣṇu. Vāsudeva, meaning the son of Vāsudeva, is a name of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is one of the most loved of all deities because he draws the hearts of all people towards him. He is considered a world teacher, since he is the source of the Bhagavad Gītā, one of the classic yogic texts. People are drawn to Kṛṣṇa because of his simplicity, playfulness and joyful nature.

Om namo bhagavate Śivānandāya

Om namo bhagavate sadguru nāthāya

Salutations to Master Sivananda Salutations to our Divine Master, an embodiment of Truth

Om namo bhagavate Viṣṇudevānandaya

Om namo bhagavate śrī guru nāthāya

Salutations to Swami Vishnudevananda

Śrī Rām jaya Rām jaya jaya Rām om

Śrī Rām jaya Rām jaya jaya Rām om

Salutations to Rāma

Salutations to Rāma, the seventh incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu, the incarnation of righteousness and divine conduct.

Āñjaneya Āñjaneya Āñjaneya pāhi mām

Hanūmanta Hanūmanta Hanūmanta rakṣa mām

Oh Son of Añjanā devī, save me. Oh Hanūmān, protect me

Hanūmān is also called Āñjaneya and he is the epitome of devotion and virtue. He is the perfect Karma Yogi. He symbolises energy, strength and courage and is known for his devotion to righteousness, performance of duties and service to his master, Lord Rāma.

Dattātreya Dattātreya Dattātreya pāhi mām

Dattaguru Dattaguru Dattaguru rakṣa mām

Oh Dattātreya, save me (pāhi mām). Oh Dattātreya, protect me (rakṣa mām).

Dattātreya is an incarnation of the Divine Trinity, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, and is depicted with three heads, symbolising the three gods; past, present and future; and the three states of consciousness – waking, dreaming and deep sleep. He is recognised as one of the original Gurus of Advaita Vedānta, which states that man’s essential nature is divine.

Śaṅkarācārya Śaṅkarācārya Śaṅkarācārya pāhi mām

Advaita guru advaita guru advaita guru rakṣa mām

Oh, Great Master (ācārya) Śaṅkara, save me. Oh, Master of nondualistic (Advaita) Vedānta, protect me.

Śaṅkara, the great Master (ācārya), was the great propagator of Kevala (unconditioned) Advaita (nondualistic) Vedānta.

Kṛṣṇaṃ vande jagad gurum

Śrī Kṛṣṇaṃ vande jagad gurum

Salutations (Vande) to Kṛṣṇa, the world teacher (Jagad Guru)

Kṛṣṇa is addressed as the world teacher. We salute him and say, “It is to Thee that we owe all the knowledge.”

Ānando’ham ānando’ham ānandaṃ brahm ānandaṃ

I am bliss, I am bliss, bliss absolute, bliss I am

Om namaḥ Śivāya Om namaḥ Śivāya

Om namaḥ Śivāya Om namaḥ Śivāya

Prostrations to Lord Śiva (the auspicious)

Note: The lyrics, transliterations, and explanations featured here are sourced from the Kirtan - Sivananda Book of Chants, published by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center.