Prātah Smaranam- प्रातःस्मरणम्

 SUBHASHITHANI:522

प्रात: कर-दर्शनम्-
कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मी:, करमध्ये सरस्वती ।
कर मूले तु गोविन्द:, प्रभाते करदर्शनम ॥१॥

The fingertips of the palm is the dwelling of (Goddess) Shri Lakshmi Devi, the central portion of the palm is of (Goddess) Shri Saraswathi Devi and the base of the palm of Deity Shri Govindah; hence, one should look at the palms immediately after waking up in the morning.

श्रीविष्णोः प्रातःस्मरणम्

प्रातः स्मरामि भवभीतिमहार्त्तिशान्त्यै
     नारायणं गरुडवाहनमब्जनाभम् ।
ग्राहाभिभूतवरवारणमुक्तिहेतुं
     चक्रायुधं तरुणवारिजपत्रनेत्रम् ॥ १॥

I remember at the break of dawn, Lord Narayana, who rides on top of Garuda, who has a  lotus emerging from his navel, who is the cause of liberation to the mighty elephant who was caught in the clutches of a crocodile, who wields the sudharsana chakra, and who has a lotus petals like eyes inorder to pacify the fears and great sorrows of existance.

प्रातर्नमामि मनसा वचसा च मूर्ध्ना
     पादारविन्दयुगलं परमस्य पुंसः ।
नारायणस्य नरकार्णवतारणस्य
     पारायणप्रवणविप्रपरायणस्य ॥ २॥

I bow down at the break of dawn, with my mind, speech, and head to the lotus like pair of feet of Narayana, who is the lord of the beyond, who takes us across the ocean of sufferings, who is the ultimate refuge of those pious men who are immersed in the chanting of his names.

प्रातर्भजामि भजतामभयङ्करं तं
     प्राक्सर्वजन्मकृतपापभयापहत्यै ।
यो ग्राहवक्त्रपतिताङ्घ्रिगजेन्द्रघोर-
     शोकप्रणाशनकरो धृतशङ्खचक्रः ॥ ३॥

I worship at the break of dawn, that lord who grants fearlessness to his devotees, and who destroyed the terrible grief of the lord of elephants who caught in a crocodile's grip, in order to remove the fears caused due to the sins committed in my previous lives.

PRATAH- SAMARANA STOTRAM- 

This is a prayer composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya consisting of three stanzas in which the mind (manas)speech (vak), and body (kaya)of the individual are sought to be dedicated to the supreme Spirit. The prayer at dawn is profoundly significant in that the dawn is the outer symbol of the inner awakening.

प्रातः स्मरामि हृदि संस्फुरदात्मतत्त्वं
सच्चित्सुखं परमहंस-गतिं तुरीयम्।
यत्स्वप्न-जागर-सुषुप्तमवैति नित्यं
तद् ब्रह्म निष्कलमहं न च भूतसङ्घः ॥१॥
prātaḥ smarāmi hṛdi saṃsphuradātmatattvaṃ
saccitsukhaṃ paramahaṃsa-gatiṃ turīyam.
yatsvapna-jāgara-suṣuptamavaiti nityaṃ
tad brahma niṣkalamahaṃ na ca bhūtasaṅghaḥ ..1..
At dawn I remember the Reality which is the Self, shining brilliantly in the heart, existence-consciousness-happiness, the goal of Paramahamsasannyasins (sages), the Fourth; That which knows always the states of dream, waking and deep-sleep, that Brahman which is partless I am, not the cluster of elements.

प्रातर्भजामि मनसा वचसामगम्यं
वाचो विभान्ति निखिला यदनुग्रहेण।
यं नेति नेति वचनैर्निगमा अवोचुः
तं देव-देवमजमच्युतमाहुरग्रयम्॥२॥
prātarbhajāmi manasā vacasāmagamyaṃ
vāco vibhānti nikhilā yadanugraheṇa.
yaṃ neti neti vacanairnigamā avocuḥ
taṃ deva-devamajamacyutamāhuragrayam..2..
At dawn I sing the praise of That which is unattainable by mind and speech, but by the grace of which all words shine. That which the scriptures declares through the words `not this’, `not this’- That God of gods, they say, is unborn and un-changing.

प्रातर्नमामि तमसः परमर्कवर्ण शार
पूर्ण सनातनपदं पुरुषोत्तमाख्यम्।
यस्मिन्निदं जगदशेषमशेषमूर्ती
रज्ज्वां भुजङ्गम इव प्रतिभासितं वै ॥३॥
prātarnamāmi tamasaḥ paramarkavarṇa śāra
pūrṇa sanātanapadaṃ puruṣottamākhyam.
yasminnidaṃ jagadaśeṣamaśeṣamūrtī
rajjvāṃ bhujaṅgama iva pratibhāsitaṃ vai ..3
At dawn I bow to that which is called the Highest Self which is beyond darkness, of the hue of the Sun the ancient goal which is the plenum – That, the residue less form (i.e. the whole) in which the entire universe is made manifest like a serpent in a rope.

श्लोकत्रयमिदं पुण्यं लोकत्रय-विभूषणम्।
प्रातःकाले पठेद्यस्तु स गच्छेत्परमं पदम् ॥
ślokatrayamidaṃ puṇyaṃ lokatraya-vibhūṣaṇam.
prātaḥkāle paṭhedyastu sa gacchetparamaṃ padam ..
This meritorious triad of verses, the ornament of the three words – he who reads at the time of dawn goes to the supreme goals. This is the pahala-sruti (description of the fruit) of this Vedantic prayer. It is an eulogy of the prayer whose purpose is to consecrate the thoughts, words, and deeds of the individual so that the final goal may eventually be gained.

SRI KRISHNAYA THUBHYAM NAMAH