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Invocation-Opening Stotra

Shanti Mantra

ॐ स॒ह ना॑ववतु । स॒ह नौ॑ भुनक्तु ।
स॒ह वी॒र्यं॑ करवावहै ।
ते॒ज॒स्विना॒वधी॑तमस्तु॒ मा वि॑द्विषा॒वहै᳚ ।
ॐ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॒ शान्तिः॑ ॥

om sa̲ha nā̍vavatu | sa̲ha nau̍ bhunaktu |
sa̲ha vī̱ryaṁ̍ karavāvahai |
te̲ja̲svinā̱vadhī̍tamastu̲ mā vi̍dviṣā̲vahai̎ |
om śānti̱ḥ śānti̱ḥ śānti̍ḥ  ||

May the Absolute Lord protect us both (the teacher and the taught). May we enjoy (the teaching) together. May we gain strength together. May the study be illuminating. May we not misunderstand each other. Om Peace! Peace! Peace!

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥

vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭi samaprabha
nirvighnaṃ kuru me deva sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā

O divine Lord Ganesha, of huge bosom with crooked trunk, who shines like crores of suns! Ever remove all obstacles in all my noble deeds.

सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यं वरदे कामरूपिणि ।
विद्यारम्भं करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा ॥

sarasvati namastubhyaṃ varade kāmarūpiṇi |
vidyārambhaṃ kariṣyāmi siddhirbhavatu me sadā ||

O Goddess Saraswati of enchanting form, I humbly bow to thee. Always let there be good accomplishment in my pursuit of learning.

ब्रह्मानन्दं परमसुखदं केवलं ज्ञानमूर्तिं
द्वन्द्वातीतं गगनसदृशं तत्त्वमस्यादिलक्ष्यम् ।
एकं नित्यं विमलमचलं सर्वधीसाक्षिभूतं
भावातीतं त्रिगुणरहितं सद्गुरुं तं नमामि ॥

brahmānandaṃ paramasukhadaṃ kevalaṃ jñānamūrtiṃ
dvandvātītaṃ gaganasadṛśaṃ tattvamasyādilakṣyam
ekaṃ nityaṃ vimalamacalaṃ sarvadhīsākṣibhūtaṃ
bhāvātītaṃ triguṇarahitaṃ sadguruṃ taṃ namāmi

I adore the sadguru, the bestower of supreme happiness, the bliss of Brahman, who is Knowledge Absolute, the one without a second, who is beyond the pairs of opposites, expansive and pervasive like the sky, the goal indicated by the Mahavakya Tat tvam asi, the one eternal, pure, unchanging, the witness of all functions of the intellect, who is above all bhava-s (mental conditions) and the three gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas).

मूकं करोति वाचालं पङ्गुं लङ्घयते गिरिं ।
यत्कृपा तमहं वन्दे परमानन्द माधवम् ॥

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ
paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande
paramānanda-mādhavam
 
I worship Lord Narayana, the divine, blissful Lord of Mother Lakshmi, by whose grace a lame turns capable of climbing a mountain and a dumb becomes an eloquent speaker.

मङ्गलं भगवान् विष्णुः
मङ्गलं गरुदध्वजः।
मङ्गलं पुण्डरीकाक्षो
मङ्गलायतनो हरिः॥

maṅgalaṁ bhagavān viṣṇuḥ
maṅgalaṁ garuḍa-dhvajaḥ |
maṅgalaṁ puṇḍarī̍kākṣo
maṅgalāyatano hariḥ ||

Auspiciousness be to Lord Vishnu. Auspiciousness be to the master of the mighty bird Garuda. Auspiciousness be to that Lord Hari with the lotus eyes and auspicious bosom.

सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके ।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥

sarvamaṅgalamāṅgalye śive sarvārthasādhike .
śaraṇye tryambake gauri nārāyaṇi namo’stu te

I prostrate to the Goddess Narayani, who is the best among divine, accomplisher of all; divine resort and three-eyed Goddess Gauri

शिवं शिवकरं शान्तं शिवात्मानं शिवोत्तमं
शिवमार्ग प्रणेतारं प्रणतोस्मि सदाशिवं॥

śivaṁ śivakaraṁ śāntaṁ śivātmānaṁ śivottamaṁ
śivamārga praṇetāraṁ praṇatosmi sadāśivaṁ

I always satute Lord Shiva, the auspicious one who causes auspiciousness, Peaceful, the auspicious Self, Supremely Pure and who leads the way to Shiva.

कायेन वाचा मनसेंद्रियैर्वा
बुध्यात्मना वा प्रकृतेः स्वभावात् ।
करोमि यद्यत् सकलं परस्मै
नारायणायेति समर्पयामि ॥

kāyena vācā manaseṃdriyairvā
budhyātmanā vā prakṛteḥ svabhāvāt .
karomi yadyat sakalaṃ parasmai
nārāyaṇāyeti samarpayāmi 

Sins committed in action – with the hand and feet, or by speech, or by the body, or by the ears and eyes, or those done in thought – forgive all these sins whether of commission or omission. Glory be to You, the Ocean of Mercy! Glory be to You, O Mahadeva, O Shambhu!

करचरण कृतं वाक्कायजं कर्मजं वा ।
श्रवणनयनजं वा मानसं वापराधं ।
विहितमविहितं वा सर्वमेतत्क्षमस्व ।
शिवं शिवं करुणाब्धे श्रीमहादेव शम्भो ॥

karacaraṇa kṛtaṃ vākkāyajaṃ karmajaṃ vā .
śravaṇanayanajaṃ vā mānasaṃ vāparādhaṃ .
vihitamavihitaṃ vā sarvametatkṣamasva .
śiva śiva karuṇābdhe śrīmahādeva śambho

Sins committed in action – with the hand and feet, or by speech, or by the body, or by the ears and eyes, or those done in thought – forgive all these sins whether of commission or omission. Glory be to You, the Ocean of Mercy! Glory be to You, O Mahadeva, O Shambhu!

Work without faith and prayer is like an artificial flower without fragrance
– Swami Chinmayananda