\|/ Today 1st Monday of SHRAVAN MAAS \|/

Today -12th August 2013 -is the FIRST Monday of the holy month of SHRAVAN. On this auspicious occasion, I present a song from the film YATRIK-1952.

" YATRIK" was a sort of a travelogue in Himalayas and the film contained scenes from the Himalayas,the famous Temples situated therein and wonderful Bhajans, Stotras and Aaratis. The film was a real treat for the religiously inclined audience. Looking at the responses earlier posting of Yatrik songs on this blog indicates that the senior readers were particularly very happy with it. As such for Mythological and Devotional films, there is a captive audience in India. People in our country are generally God fearing, religious minded and with cultural roots.

The percentage of Nastiks-Atheists-or people who do not believe in God may be a single digit figure in India. This is mainly because of the cultural values that are imbibed in us from the childhood. Additionally,there is a huge cultural, Historical and Mythological story base in every Indian Language that helps to shape the religious mentality of Indian people.

Additional information about YATRIK-52 can be found here

Today we will enjoy a beautiful gem from this film- "Astyutarasyam dishi devatatma", again rendered by Pankaj Mallick and chorus.

Mahakavi Kalidas was a 5th Century poet, who wrote his best and finest literary works making them a paradigmatic example of Kavya (Poetry).

The legend goes that originally Kalidas was a lazy, illeterate person who indulged in only the pleasures of the world. Once he was admonished by his wife that if he had shown so much attachment to education and The God, he would have become Immortal. Stung by this remark, Kalidas left home. For many years he studied and became a Pandit. When he came back home, his wife asked him, " are you enlightened ?" In reply he wrote 3 epics in a short time- Kumarsambhav, Meghdoot and Raghuvansh.

Today's song verses are taken from the beginning of the First chapter of the first Sarga of 'Kumarsambhav'. It describes the beauty of Himalayas, its enormity and its strengthts. Due to limitation of a film song, only 5 stanzas-from different shlokas- are included here.

Kumarsambhav is the story of the marriage of Lord Mahadeva and Devi Parvati-daughter of Himalaya, the conception of her son- Kumar Karthikeya (or Subramanyam as he is called in the south, I believe) and how Kumar destroyed the King of Asuras-Rakshasas- Tarkasur, thus saving all Gods from his menace.

I have given the original Sanskrit shlokas, their English version and its meaning in English. All this is taken from "Kumarsmbhav" by Kalidas.

Enjoy...

meaning- There is to the north,a mountain named Himalaya,whose soul is a Deity,with his spurs diving into the Eastern and Western oceans,he stands as the measuring rod of the Earth.

ya? sarvasaila? parikalpya vatsa? merau sthite dogdhari dohadak?e /
bhasvanti ratnani mahau?adhis ca p?thupadi??a? duduhur dharitrim // Ks_1.2 //

meaning- All the mountain looked upon him as their calf,while meru stood as the Milkman,intent on milking,they milked sparkling Gems and herbs of great potency,of the Earth,who had assumed the form of a cow,while prithu directed the operation.

amekhala? sa?carata? ghanana? cchayam adha?sanugata? ni?evya /
udvejita v???ibhir asrayante s??ga?i yasyatapavanti siddha? // Ks_1.5 //

meaning- persons on the way to Salvation,having enjoyed the shadows of the clouds fallen below the peaks,while these clouds scurry over the slopes being freightened by showers,resort to its peaks.

ya? purayan kicakarandhrabhagan darimukhotthena samira?ena /
udgasyatam icchati ki?nara?a? tanapradayitvam ivopagantum // Ks_1.8 //

Meaning- Who,filling the hollows of the bamboos,by wind rising from the mouth of the Valley,as if to add melody to the song of Kinnaras,are about to start singing.

sa manasi? merusakha? pit??a? kanya? kulasya sthitaye sthitija? /
mena? muninam api mananiyam atmanurupa? vidhinopayeme // Ks_1.18 //

Meaning- He , obidient to the law Divine, married Mena, according to proper rites,the mind-borne daughter of the manes, for the continuation of his line, she who was respected by the sages and who was worthy of him in eve

asty uttarasya? disi devatatma himalayo nama nagadhiraja? /
purvaparau toyanidhi vigahya sthita? p?thivya iva manada??a? // Ks_1.1 //

ya? sarvasaila? parikalpya vatsa? merau sthite dogdhari dohadak?e /
bhasvanti ratnani mahau?adhis ca p?thupadi??a? duduhur dharitrim // Ks_1.2 //

amekhala? sa?carata? ghanana? cchayam adha?sanugata? ni?evya /
udvejita v???ibhir asrayante s??ga?i yasyatapavanti siddha? // Ks_1.5 //

ya? purayan kicakarandhrabhagan darimukhotthena samira?ena /
udgasyatam icchati ki?nara?a? tanapradayitvam ivopagantum // Ks_1.8 //

sa manasi? merusakha? pit??a? kanya? kulasya sthitaye sthitija? /
mena? muninam api mananiyam atmanurupa? vidhinopayeme // Ks_1.18 //