Daily Invocations

by Swami Krishnananda

namaḥ senābhyaḥ senanibhyaśca vo namo
nama ḥkṣattṛbhyaḥ saṁgrahītṛbhyaśca vo namo
namastakṣabhyo rathakārebhyaśca vo namo
nama ḥkulālebhyaḥ kamārebhyaśca vo namo
nama ḥpuñjiṣṭebhyo niṣādebhyaśca vo namaḥ.

Prostration to Thee who art (in the form of) armies and army chiefs; prostration to Thee who art the trained charioteers and apprentices in chariot driving; prostration to Thee who art the carpenters and the chariot makers; prostration to Thee who art the potters and blacksmiths; prostration to Thee who art the fowlers and the fishermen.

nama iṣukṛdbhyo dhanvakṛdbhyaśca vo namo
namo mrugayubhya ḥśvanibhyaśca vo namo
nama ḥśvabhyaḥ śvapatibhyaśca vo namaḥ.

Prostration to Thee who art (in the form of) the artisans who make arrows and bows; prostration to Thee who art the hunters and the huntsmen; prostration to Thee who art the hounds and the keepers of hounds.

namo bhavāya ca rudrāya ca namaḥ śarvāya ca
pa śupataye ca namo nīlagrīvāya ca śitikaṇṭhāya ca
nama ḥkapardine ca vyuptakeśāya ca namaḥ
sahasr ākṣāya ca śatadhanvane ca.

Prostration to the Creator and Destroyer of the Universe; prostration to the Remover of sins and the Protector of all beings; prostration to the blue-necked One and the fair-necked One; prostration to the matted-locked One and the clean-shaven One; prostration to the thousand-eyed One and Him who wields multiple bows.

Note:—“In the form of an austere mendicant, Siva is matted-locked; as a sannyasin, He is clean-shaven; as Indra, He is thousand-eyed; in His multiformed manifestation, He holds numberless bows,” says Sayana.

namo giriśāya ca śipiviṣṭāya ca namo mīḍhuṣṭamāya
ce ṣumate ca namo hrasvāya ca vāmanāya ca namo
b ṛhate ca varṣīyase ca namo vṛddhāya ca saṁvṛddhvane ca.

Prostration to the Resident of the mountains (as Siva) and the Immanent One in all beings (as Vishnu); prostration to the One who wields arrows and rains heavily through the clouds; prostration to the One who is dwarfed in size and small in limbs; prostration to the One who is huge in size and multi-formed in limbs; prostration to the Ancient One who is glorified through eternity.

namo agriyāya ca prathamāya ca nama āśave cājirāya
ca nama ḥśīghriyāya ca śībhyāya ca nama ūrmyāya
c āvasvanyāya ca namaḥ srotasyāya ca dvīpyāya ca.

Prostration to the Primeval One and the Chief of beings; prostration to the Omnipresent One and the agile among things; prostration to the One in the quick and the flowing; prostration to the One in the roaring waves and the still water; prostration to the One in the swift rivers and the islands.

namo jyeṣṭhāya ca kaniṣṭhāya ca namaḥ pūrvajāya
c āparajāya ca namo madhyamāya cāpagalbhāya ca
namo jaghany āya ca budhniyāya ca namaḥ
sobhy āya ca pratisaryāya ca.

Prostration to Him who is the eldest as well as the youngest; prostration to Him who is the Ancient Being as well as all that emanates from It; prostration to Him who is the middling creation (such as the celestials, etc.) as well as the infant; prostration to Him who is the last in creation (e.g. the animals, birds, etc.) as well as the trees and plants with their branches and foliage; prostration to Him who is mixed in character (e.g. virtue and vice, representing the human beings), as well as all that is moving.

namo yāmyāya ca kṣemyāya ca nama urvaryāya ca
khaly āya ca namaḥ ślokyāya cāvasānyāya ca namo
vany āya ca kakśyāya ca namaḥ śravāya ca
prati śravāya ca.

Prostration to Him who dispenses justice as Yama (Lord of Death) and bestows the beatitude of salvation to beings; prostration to Him who reigns over the green earth rich with harvest and is in the farm yards; prostration to Him who is in the (mantras of the) Vedas and the (meditations of the) Upanishads; prostration to Him who is in the form of trees in forests and in creepers and plants; prostration to Him who is in sound and its echo.

nama āśuṣeṇāya cāśurathāya ca namaḥ śūrāya
cāvabhindate ca namo varmiṇe ca varūthine ca
namo bilmine ca kavacine ca nama ḥśrutāya ca
śrutasenāya ca.

Prostration to Him who is in armies moving fast and in chariots rattling forth; prostration to Him who is valiant and destroys enemies; prostration to Him who wields a shield and leads the hosts (to success); prostration to Him who is helmeted and armoured; prostration to Him who is renowned (Ancient One) and whose forces are reputed (in all creation.)

namo dundubhyāya cāhananyāya ca namo dhṛṣṇave
ca pramṛśāya ca namo dūtāya ca prahitāya ca namo
niṣaṅgiṇe ceṣudhimate ca.

Prostration to Him who is immanent in the sound of the drum and in the sound of the tabour; prostration to Him who is in those that never retreat in war and in the ablest reconnoitres; prostration to Him who is in the spies and in military messengers; prostration to Him who is in the wielders of swords and in the operators of the quiver.

namastīkṣṇeṣave cāyudhine ca namaḥ svāyudhāya ca sudhanvane ca
namaḥ srutyāya ca pathyāya ca namaḥ kāṭyāya ca nīpyāya ca.

Prostration to Him who uses sharp arrows and countless weapons; prostration to Him who wields the auspicious missile (trident) and the blessed bow (called Pinaka); prostration to Him who is in narrow lanes and in broad highways; prostration to Him who is in dribbling streams and in mountain torrents of water.

namaḥ sūdyāya ca sarasyāya ca namo nādyāya ca
vaiśantāya ca namaḥ kūpyāya cāvaṭyāya ca
namo varṣyāya cāvarṣyāya ca namo meghyāya  ca
vidyutyāya ca.

Prostration to Him who is in marshes and lakes; prostration to Him who is in rivers and reservoirs; prostration to Him who is in wells and pits; prostration to Him who is in rain and in oceans; prostration to Him who is in the clouds and in lightning.

nama īdhriyāya cātapyāya ca namo vātyāya ca
reṣmiyāya ca namo vāstavyāya ca vāstupāya ca.

Prostration to Him who is in the autumnal clouds and in the heating sun; prostration to Him who is in the winds and in the stormy downpour of the deluge; prostration to Him who is in the wealth of cattle and of land.

namaḥ somāya ca rudrāya ca namastāmrāya
cāruṇāya ca namaḥ śaṅgāya ca paśupataye ca nama
ugrāya ca bhīmāya ca.

Prostration to Him who has Uma as His consort and who causes to flee all sorrows (of samsara); prostration to Him who is crimson-coloured (as the rising sun) and is reddish (as the sun risen above the horizon); prostration to Him who brings about the peace (and happiness) of beings and protects all creatures; prostration to Him who is terrible (to foes) and fearful (to those who oppose Him).