Prapatti Ashtakam
Eight Verses on Surrender
ABOUT 1945, Sri Jagadisa Śāstṛi, a great Sanskrit scholar and compiler of “Ramana Sahasranamam,” was seriously ill and bed-ridden. All had lost hope of his survival. Bhagavan’s special intervention to save him was sought.
A. Devaraja Mudaliar writes about it in My Recollections of Bhagavan Sri Ramana: “”
To show how much importance Bhagavan gave to this special prayer, we shall quote from Devaraja Mudaliar’s book again: “.
“.
The Oct 1985" issue can be downloaded from the Sri Ramanasramam's Mountain Path) pages.
Needless to say, Bhagavan responded to the devotion of Jagadisa Śāstṛi, expressed in this composition, and he soon recovered to live a long life in the service of the Master.
Below is the Sanskrit, transliteration and translation of “Prapatti Ashtakam.”
आवर्तपुर्यां जनितं प्रपद्ये पाण्ड्येशदेशे विहृतं प्रपद्ये ।
शोणाचलप्रस्थचरं प्रपद्ये भिक्षुं तपःक्लेशसहं प्रपद्ये ॥ 1 ॥
āvartapuryāṁ janitaṁ prapadye pāṇḍyeśadeśe vihṛtaṁ prapadye |
śoṇācalaprasthacaraṁ prapadye bhikṣuṁ tapaḥkleśasahaṁ prapadye || 1 ||
आब्रह्मकीटान्तसमं प्रपद्ये जितारिषड्वर्गमहं प्रपद्ये ।
सर्वज्ञतासारभृतं प्रपद्ये निस्सीमकारुण्यनिधिं प्रपद्ये ॥ 2 ॥
ābrahmakīṭāntasamaṁ prapadye jitāriṣaḍvargamahaṁ prapadye |
sarvajñatāsārabhṛtaṁ prapadye nissīmakāruṇyanidhiṁ prapadye || 2 ||
अस्मात्प्रपञ्चादधिकं प्रपद्ये विश्वाधिकोक्तेर्विषयं प्रपद्ये ।
कालग्रहग्राहभयापनुत्यै कृतान्तशिक्षाकृतिनं प्रपद्ये ॥ 3 ॥
asmātprapañcādadhikaṁ prapadye viśvādhikokterviṣayaṁ prapadye |
kālagrahagrāhabhayāpanutyai kṛtāntaśikṣākṛtinaṁ prapadye || 3 ||
विनेतुमार्तिं विषयाध्वजन्यां विज्ञानमूर्तिं दधतं प्रपद्ये ।
कन्दर्पदर्पज्वरवारणाय कामारिलीलावतरं प्रपद्ये ॥ 4 ॥
vinetumārtiṁ viṣayādhvajanyāṁ vijñānamūrtiṁ dadhataṁ prapadye |
kandarpadarpajvaravāraṇāya kāmārilīlāvataraṁ prapadye || 4 ||
आजन्मवर्णिव्रतिनं प्रपद्ये कुण्डीभृतं दण्डधरं प्रपद्ये ।
ब्रह्मासनध्यानरतं प्रपद्ये ब्रह्मात्मभूयं यतिनं प्रपद्ये ॥ 5 ॥
ājanmavarṇivratinaṁ prapadye kuṇḍībhṛtaṁ daṇḍadharaṁ prapadye |
brahmāsanadhyānarataṁ prapadye brahmātmabhūyaṁ yatinaṁ prapadye || 5 ||
हरं प्रपद्ये विजरं प्रपद्ये स्वतन्त्रतायास् सदनं प्रपद्ये ।
अमेयसामर्थ्यवहं प्रपद्ये विशुद्धविज्ञानिवरं प्रपद्ये ॥ 6 ॥
haraṁ prapadye vijaraṁ prapadye svatantratāyās sadanaṁ prapadye |
ameyasāmarthyavahaṁ prapadye viśuddhavijñānivaraṁ prapadye || 6 ||
दौर्भाग्य तापत्रय कर्म मोह सन्तापहन्तारमहं प्रपद्ये ।
यथार्थसङ्कल्पमपेतपापमवाप्त कामं विशुचं प्रपद्ये ॥ 7 ॥
daurbhāgya tāpatraya karma moha santāpahantāramahaṁ prapadye |
yathārthasaṅkalpamapetapāpamavāpta kāmaṁ viśucaṁ prapadye || 7 ||
मनः प्रसादं भजतां ददानं मुग्धस्मितोल्लासिमुखं प्रपद्ये ।
व्यथामशेषां व्यपनीय मोदप्रदेन नाम्ना रमणं प्रपद्ये ॥ 8 ॥
manaḥ prasādaṁ bhajatāṁ dadānaṁ mugdhasmitollāsimukhaṁ prapadye |
vyathāmaśeṣāṁ vyapanīya modapradena nāmnā ramaṇaṁ prapadye || 8 ||
शिवं प्रपद्ये शिवदं प्रपद्ये गुरुं प्रपद्ये गुणिनं प्रपद्ये ।
मदीयहृत्पद्मजुषं प्रपद्ये शरण्यमीशं शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥ 9 ॥
śivaṁ prapadye śivadaṁ prapadye guruṁ prapadye guṇinaṁ prapadye |
madīyahṛtpadmajuṣaṁ prapadye śaraṇyamīśaṁ śaraṇaṁ prapadye || 9 ||
प्रपत्तिं रमणस्यैतां तन्वतां तत्त्वदर्शिनः
तत्क्रतुन्यायरसिकाः तत्तादृशफलाप्तये ॥ 10 ॥
prapattiṁ ramaṇasyaitāṁ tanvatāṁ tattvadarśinaḥ |
tatkratunyāyarasikāḥ tattādṛśaphalāptaye || 10 ||
Note: This ashtakam does not conform exactly to the regular structure of an ashtakam (8 verses). This interesting discrepancy is seen in other noted ashtakams and compositions. For example, Sri Bhagavan’s divine composition “Arunachala Padikam” (padikam, meaning 10 verses) actually contains 11 verses.