Prayer of the Day

Prayer from Isha Upanishad

ॐ

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति यॆऽसम्भूतिमुपासतॆ ।
ततॊ भूय इव तॆ तमॊ य उ सम्भूत्याó रताः ॥ ११ ॥

अन्यदॆवाहुः सम्भवादन्यदाहुरसम्भवात् ।
इति शुश्रुम धीराणां यॆ नस्तद्विचचक्षिरॆ ॥ १२ ॥

सम्भूतिं च विनाशं च यस्तद्वॆदॊभयó सह ।
विनाशॆन मृत्युं तीर्त्वा सम्भूताऽमृतमश्नुतॆ ॥ १३ ॥

ॐ

Hymn as Romanized text

 
Om

andhaM tamaH pravishanti yE&sambhUtimupAsatE |
tatO bhUya iva tE tamO ya u sambhUtyAm ratAH || 11 ||

anyadEvAhuH sambhavAdanyadAhurasambhavAt |
iti shushruma dhIrANAM yE nastadvichachakShirE || 12 ||

sambhUtiM cha vinAshaM cha yastadvEdObhayam saha |
vinAshEna mRutyuM tIrtvA sambhUtA&mRutamashnutE || 13 ||

 

(andhaM tamaH pravishanti yE asambhUtim upAsatE |
tatO bhUya iva tE tamO ya u sambhUtyAm ratAH || 11 ||

anyad Eva AhuH sambhavAd anyad Ahur asambhavAt |
iti shushruma dhIrANAM yE nastad vichachakShirE || 12 ||

sambhUtiM cha vinAshaM cha yas tad vEda ubhayam saha |
vinAshEna mRutyuM tIrtvA sambhUtA amRutam ashnutE || 13 ||)

Om

Meaning of the Prayer Hymn:

 They enter into the darkness who revere the cessation.
Even bigger darkness they get into, those who delight the manifestation.

 Different is told of manifestation and different is told of cessation.
Thus have we heard from the brave, as they explained.

 One who understands the two - manifestation and cessation,
crosses the death by cessation and enjoys the eternity by manifestation.

 Notes: 

1. pravish - to enter; asambhUti - cessation; sambhUti - birth;
bhUya - becoming; ratAH - delight.
   Ahur - call; shushru - carefully heard; 
vichachakShire - explained
   ubhayaM - both; azna - enjoy.
2.  sambhUti and asambhUti/vinAsha 
manifestation and cessation.

Should we celebrate life or should we look forward to 
get out of this birth and death in the world?

One who is only looking forward to get out of it,
would detest the life and thus into darkness.

One who is celebrating only life -i.e. creation,
enters the even greater darkness, because of not understanding the
purpose of it and getting lost in the vivid nature of the world.

Shaiva Siddhanta clearly explains that both creation as well as
liberation are due to the immense grace of Lord Shiva. (bandha mOksha kAraNa)
It is a very interesting contradiction. We, the souls, had been 
suffering overwhelmed by the filth called bondage or pAsha.
God, the One never bound by pAsha, out of boundless mercy
created the body, instruments, worlds and enjoyments for us.
Thus we came into life here. Shouldn't we revere and worship 
the Grace that gave us this worlds taking out of complete
subjugation to filth?

However the story does not end here. We have got this life
as a life-boat for one drowning in the sea. One has to 
use it to come to safe shore. We have to use this life 
to move towards liberation - the cessation of ego 
- which is the complete destruction of "I" consciousness
and non-dualistic unity with the ever Blissful Supreme Shiva.
That is also possible only through the grace of our Lord
and as we become fit for it, the Lord takes us there.
Shouldn't we zealously look forward to this state of Bliss?

So, creation and cessation are both great and serve 
different purposes. Celebrate and thank the God for the
life It gave us and at the same time stay tuned to 
worshipping the Lord zealously to attain the Bliss,
the cessation of the self.

3. c.f. பந்தமும் வீடும் படைப்போன் காண்க - திருவாசகம் 
வாய்த்தது நந்தமக்கு ஈதோர் பிறவி மதித்திடுமின் - அப்பர்
இன்று நன்று நாளை நன்று என்று நின்ற இச்சையால்
பொன்றுகின்ற வாழ்க்கையைப் போகவிட்டுப் போதுமின்
...........
கொன்றை துன்று சென்னியான் கோடிகாவு சேர்மினே

4. vinAsha
வான்கெட்டு மாருதம் மாய்ந்தழல்நீர் மண்கெடினும் 
தான்கெட்ட லின்றிச் சலிப்பறியாத் தன்மையனுக்கு 
ஊன்கெட் டுயிர்கெட்டுணவுகெட்டென் உள்ளமும்போய் 
நான்கெட்ட வாபாடித் தெள்ளேணங் கொட்டாமோ. - திருவாசகம்