*Invocation by Swami Swarupananada

[Anne Terri]

Srimad-Bhagavad Gita
by Swami Swarupananada
Advaita Ashrama
Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas
1909

p. xii
INVOCATION

O blessed Mother
Who showerest (upon us) the nectar of Advaita
In the form of (these) eighteen chapters!
Thou Destroyer of rebirth!
Thou loving Mother!
Thou Bhagavad-Gita!
Upon Thee I meditate.

Thee, O Vyasa, of lotus-eyes,
And mighty intellect,
Who hast lighted the lamp of wisdom
Filled with the oil of the Mahabharata,
Thee we salute.

O Thou who art the Refuge
Of the (ocean-born) Lakshmi,
Thou in whose right hand is the shepherd's crook,
Who art the milker of the divine nectar of the Gita,
To Thee, O Krishna, to Thee our salutation!

The Upanishads are even as the herd of cows,
The Son of the cowherd as the milker,
Partha as the sucking-calf,
And men of purified intellect the drinkers,
Of this, the supreme nectar, the milk of the Gita.

p. xiii

Thou son of Vasudeva,
Destroyer of Kamsa and Chanura,
Thou supreme bliss of Devaki,
Guru of the Worlds,
Thee, O Krishna, as God, we salute!

Of that great river of battle which the Pandavas crossed over,
Bhishma and Drona were as the high banks;
And Jayadratha as the water of the river;
The King of Gandhara the water-lily;
Shalya as the sharks, Kripa as the current;
Karna the mighty waves;
Ashvatthama and Vikarna dread water-monsters,
And Duryodhana was the very whirlpool;
But Thou, O Krishna, wast the Ferry-man!

This spotless product of the words of Vyasa,
This lotus of the Mahabharata,”
With the Bhagavad-Gita as its strong sweet fragrance,
And tales of heroes as its full-blown petals,
Held ever open by the talk of Hari, of Him
Who is destroyer of the taint of Kali-Yuga;
This lotus to which come joyously
Day after day the honey-seeking souls,”
May this produce in us the highest good!

Him Whose compassion maketh the dumb man eloquent,
And the cripple to cross mountains,
Him the All-blissful Madhava,
Do I salute!

p. xiv

To that Supreme One Who is bodied forth in Brahma,
In Varuna, in Indra, in Rudra and Maruts;
That One Whom all divine beings praise with hymns;
Him Whom the singers of Sama-Veda tell;
Him of Whose glory, sing in full choir, The Upanishads and Vedas;
Him Whom the Yogis see, with mind absorbed in perfect meditation;
Him of Whom all the hosts of Devas and Asuras
Know not the limitations,
To Him, the Supreme Good, be salutation,”
Him we salute. Him we salute. Him we salute.

---

p. xii
INVOCATION - VERSION II

O blessed Mother
Who showerest (upon us) the nectar of Advaita
In the form of (these) eighteen chapters!
Thou Destroyer of rebirth!
Thou loving Mother!
Thou Bhagavad-Gita!
Upon Thee I meditate.

Thee, O Vyasa, of lotus-eyes,
And mighty intellect,
Who hast lighted the lamp of wisdom
Filled with the oil of the Mahabharata,
Thee we salute.

O Thou who art the Refuge
Of the (ocean-born) Lakshmi,
Thou in whose right hand is the shepherd's crook,
Who art the milker of the divine nectar of the Gita,
To Thee, O Krishna, to Thee our salutation!

The Upanishads are even as the herd of cows,
The Son of the cowherd as the milker,
Partha as the sucking-calf,
And men of purified intellect the drinkers,
Of this, the supreme nectar, the milk of the Gita.

p. xiii

Thou son of Vasudeva,
Destroyer of Kamsa and Chanura,
Thou supreme bliss of Devaki,
Guru of the Worlds,
Thee, O Krishna, as God, we salute!

Of that great river of battle which the Pandavas crossed over,
Bhishma and Drona were as the high banks;
And Jayadratha as the water of the river;
The King of Gandhara the water-lily;
Shalya as the sharks, Kripa as the current;
Karna the mighty waves;
Ashvatthama and Vikarna dread water-monsters,
And Duryodhana was the very whirlpool;
But Thou, O Krishna, wast the Ferry-man!

This spotless product of the words of Vyasa,
This lotus of the Mahabharata,”
With the Bhagavad-Gita as its strong sweet fragrance,
And tales of heroes as its full-blown petals,
Held ever open by the talk of Hari, of Him
Who is destroyer of the taint of Kali-Yuga;
This lotus to which come joyously
Day after day the honey-seeking souls,”
May this produce in us the highest good!

Him Whose compassion maketh the dumb man eloquent,
And the cripple to cross mountains,
Him the All-blissful Madhava,
Do I salute!

p. xiv

To that Supreme One Who is bodied forth in Brahma,
In Varuna, in Indra, in Rudra and Maruts;
That One Whom all divine beings praise with hymns;
Him Whom the singers of Sâma-Veda tell;
Him of Whose glory, sing in full choir, The Upanishads and Vedas;
Him Whom the Yogis see, with mind absorbed in perfect meditation;
Him of Whom all the hosts of Devas and Asuras
Know not the limitations,
To Him, the Supreme Good, be salutation,a”
Him we salute. Him we salute. Him we salute.

The Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, the English translation with commentary by Swami Swarupananda, is in the public domain in the United States, due to its publication before 1923. Link To Author and Translator: Swami Swarupananda and Sister Nivedita

Srimad-Bhagavad Gita
by Swami Swarupananada
Advaita Ashrama
Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas
1909

In this version, the Sanskrit is not included, and is for English study, as well as linking to future Study Guides within

The Hinduism section of God's Living Bible - The Third Testament - Research Library

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