Dasavatharas

Everything about the great singer M S Subbalakshmi garu fascinates me.
Her flawless gaatram,her sweet voice,her diamond nose ring,her kumkum,her silk sarees and even the way she moves her head and hands when she renders a keertana...

Here I am posting a song she has sung in 1984 in a concert...

Dolayam chala Dolayam......

M.S.Subbalakshmi Dolayam


pallavi


DolAyAM chala DolAyAm

hare DolAyAm


charaNam

mIna kUrma varAha m.rgapati avatArA

dAnavAre guNashaure dharaNIdhara marujanaka 1



vAmana rAma rAma varak.rShNa avatArA

shyAmaLAN^gA raN^ga raN^gA sAmajavarada muraharaNa 2



dAruNa buddha kaliki dashavidha avatArA

shIrapANi gosamANe shrIveN^kaTagiri kUTanilaya 3

This song is in praise of Lord Vishnu and his dasavatharas.

First comes the Meena avataaram or Matsya avataaram


“nirmagna sruthi jaala maargaNa dasaa dathakshaNair veekshaNai:

antha: thanvadhiva aravinda gahanaan oudanvatheenaam apaam /

nishprathyooha tharanga ringaNa mitha: prathyooDa paatha: chaDaa

Dola AarOha sadOhaLam bhagavatha: maatsyam vapu: paathu na: //” 2

MEANING: “The Lord dived into the ocean in the form of a fish searched with His lotus eyes, rapidly viewing on all directions creating an illusion of lotus flowers blossoming everywhere - all in search of the Vedas that had been stolen by an Asura. The ebb and flow of the waves of the Ocean seemed to be a swinging cradle that soothed and almost lulled Him into a comfortable reverie. May this Lord of “Matsya Avataara” protect us”

Then comes Koorma avataaram

namah kurmah kurmam namadamarakotiranikara

prasarpanmanikyachavimilitamanjisthavapusam

jarijimbhaddimbadyumaniramaniyamsulahari-

parirambhasphurjadbalabhidupaladripratibhatam

Meaning: "We do homage unto the tortoise whose body is reddened by the light of rubies streaming forth from the crowns of multitudes of bowing gods. He would rival a mountain of sparkling sapphires by the flooding embrace of charming sunbeams from the sun of his body protruding from its shell."

Next comes Varaha avataaram

gOpaayEth anisam jaganthi kuhanaa pOthree pavithree kritha

brahmANDa: praLayOrmi gOsha gurubhir gONaaravai: gurguraih: /

yath dhamshtra ankura kOTi ghaaTa ghaTanaa nishkampa nitya sthithi:

brahma sthambham asoudasou bhagavathee mushEva visvambharaa // 4

MEANING: “At the time of the great deluge, mother earth was wholly drowned under the waters. The Lord took the form of a huge wild boar and diving deep under the waters salvaged Her. At that time, He exhaled so heavily making a roaring sound that purified the three worlds. The boar bore Mother earth who bears the entire universe firmly on His horn as if She was a tuber root stuck in it”.

Now comes Nrisimha avataaram

Slokam :

prathyaadishTa puraathana praharaNa graama: kshaNam paaNijai:

avyaath threeNi jaganthi akunTa mahimaa vaikunTa kaNTeerava:/

yath praadur bhavanaath avandhya jaTaraa yaadrichikaath vEdasaam

yaa kaachith sahasaa mahaasura griha sthooNaa pithamahi abhooth//

Meaning: "The King of VaikunTam Himself came down in the form of Lion-king. Discarding the antiquated conventional weapons, He converted His own nails as the weapon. He appeared in some pillar in the palace of the great Asura and rid it of its sterlity by delivering Him, thus transforming it as the Paternal Grandmother of Brahmas! May that Lord Nrisimha protect all the three worlds"

Vamana avataaram

SLOKAM:

vreeDaa vidha vadhaanya dhaanava yasO naasera dhaaTee paTah:

trai aksham makuTam punan avathu na: TraivikramO vikramah: /

yath prasthaava samuchritha dvaja paTee vrithaantha siddhaanthibhih:

srOthObhih: sura sindhu ashTasu disaa soudhEshu dOdhooyatE //

MEANING: “ When the Lord went to Mahaabali to beg for three footsteps of land, the bounteous Emperor Mahaabali felt ashamed of himself in offering the gift. When the Lord grew to show His Viswaroopam and measured the three worlds, the foot that went up seemed to be the flagstaff proceeding to proclaim the glorious bounty of Mahaabali. Brahma offered “Paadhyam” to this foot, while the sacred waters flowing from this fell on and sanctified the matted crest of hair of Siva and the eight directions. May that Vikrama’s foot protect us”

Sree Raama avataaram

paaraavaara payO visOshaNa paareeNa kalaanala ­
jwaalaajaala vihaara haari visika vyaapaara gOra kramah /
sarvaavastha sakruth prapanna janathaa samrakshaNaika vrathee
dharmO vigrahavaan adharma virtheem dhanvee sa thanveetha na: //

MEANING:
“ He can, with His bow and arrows wreak havoc on everything and dry up the vast bodiess of waters of great oceans like the fierce fire-force of deluge. His valor is incomparable and unsurpassed. Yet, His compassion is so great that if one were to surrender at His feet for once, He has vowed to afford protection as a matter of principle and policy, whatever the circumstances, even at the risk of His own life! Let that Lord Rama, the wielder of the mighty bow, the Greatest of heroes and who is Dharma personified, save us”

Shri Krishna avataaram


Naathayaiva namaH padam bhavathu nas chitrai: charitra kramai:

BhooyObhi: bhuvanani amooni kuhanaa gOpaaya gOpaayatE /

KaaLindhee rasikaaya kaaLiya paNi spaara spaTaa vaatikaa

Ranga utsanga visanka chankrama dhuraa paryaaya charyaa: yathE //

MEANING: “ Let our obeisance be only for the Supreme Lord KrishNa - who protects the world with His most wonderful acts - who enjoys and relishes His association with the river Yamuna - who performed a dance fearlessly making the broad hoods of the KaaLinga serpent as His stage and - who accomplished numerous such impossible but - who nevertheless disguised Himself the garb of a simple cow-herd”

Parasu Rama avataaram

KrOdha agnim jamadagni peeTana bhavam sam tharpayishyan kramaath

a-kshathraam iha santhathas cha ya imaam tri:sapta kritva kshithim /

Dathvaa karmaNi dakshiNaam kvachana thaam aaskandhya sindhum vasan

Abrahmanyam apaa karOthu bhagavaan aabrahma keeTam munih //

MEANING: “ When the fire of the fury of the Lord as a Sage was roused by a king who killed his father Jamadagni, He wiped out with a vengeance 21 generations of the Royal clan from the face of the earth. Later He gave away the earth in a Yagjna and retired to a land, which He reclaimed, from the Sea. Let this Lord rid the miseries of the world right from the four faced Brahma to the lowest of creatures”

Buddhavataaram

Kalki avataaram



Bhavinyaa dasayaa bhavan iha bhava dvamsaaya na: kalpathaam
Kalkee vishNuyasa: sutha: kali kathaa kaalushya koolankasha: /
Nis sesha kashtaha kanTakE kshithi thalE dharaa jaloughair dhruvam
Dharmam kaartha yugam prarOhayathi yath nistrimsa dhaaraadhara: //

MEANING:
“The Lord who presents Himself to us now in Archaa form is sure to reappear later on in the form of Kalki, being born as the son of a Brahmin called VishNuyasas. To put an end to the present calamitous Yuga, with a blazing sword on hand and riding a horse, He will exterminate all evil, re-establish Dharma and make the golden age spring forth again as if watered by His compassion. May He get rid of our pangs of Samsaara”