रामं कामारिसेव्यं भवभयहरणं कालमत्तेभसिंहं
योगीन्द्रं ज्ञानगम्यं गुणनिधिमजितं निर्गुणं निर्विकारम्।
मायातीतं सुरेशं खलवधनिरतं ब्रह्मवृन्दैकदेवं
वन्दे कन्दावदातं सरसिजनयनं देवमुर्वीशरूपम्।।1।।
शंखेन्द्वाभमतीवसुन्दरतनुं शार्दूलचर्माम्बरं
कालव्यालकरालभूषणधरं गंगाशशांकप्रियम्।
काशीशं कलिकल्मषौघशमनं कल्याणकल्पद्रुमं
नौमीड्यं गिरिजापतिं गुणनिधिं कन्दर्पहं शङ्करम्।।2।।
यो ददाति सतां शम्भुः कैवल्यमपि दुर्लभम्।
खलानां दण्डकृद्योऽसौ शङ्करः शं तनोतु मे।।3।।
Raaman kaamaarisevyan bhavabhayaharanan kaalamattebhasinhan
Yogeendran jnyaanagamyan gunanidhimajitan nirgunan nirvikaaram
Maayaateetan sureshan khalavadhaniratan brahmavrindaikadevan
Vande kandaavadaatan sarasijanayanan devamurveesharoopam (1)
Shankhendvaabhamateevasundaratanun shaardoolacharmaambaran
Kaalavyaalakaraalabhooshanadharan gangaashashaankapriyam
Kaasheeshan kalikalmashaughashamanan kalyaanakalpadruman
Naumeedyan girijaapatin gunanidhin kandarpahan shangkaram (2)
Yo dadaati sataan shambhuh kaivalyamapi durlabham
Khalaanaan dandakridyo'sau shangkarah shan tanotu me (3)
I bow to Ram whom Shiva serves, | who slays the fear of birth;
a lion to Time's maddened beast, | the yogi-king of earth.
Beyond all change, beyond all modes, | with lotus eyes so bright;
he came as king to slay the wicked, | the Brahmins' sole delight.
I bow to Lord Rama, the one whom Shiva, slayer of Kama, worships, who removes the fear of worldly existence, who is like a lion to the maddened elephant of Time.
He is the king of yogis, known through wisdom alone, a treasury of virtues, unconquered, beyond gunas, unchanging. Beyond maya, lord of the gods, devoted to slaying the wicked, the one deity of all the wise.
Dark and beautiful as a rain-filled cloud, lotus-eyed, he has taken the form of an earthly king.
I salute Shankara, whose body shines like conch and moon, who wears a tiger skin, adorned with serpents terrible and grand, who loves the Ganga and the crescent moon.
He is the Lord of Kashi, the tree of auspiciousness, destroyer of all the sins of Kali Yuga. I bow to him, the husband of Girija, treasury of virtues, slayer of Kama, the blessed Shankara.
May that Shankara, who grants even the rare gift of liberation to the virtuous, and who punishes the wicked, bestow grace upon me.
Commentary & Notes ↓Hide ↑
Poddarji's Commentary
कामदेवके शत्रु शिवजीके सेव्य, भव (जन्म-मृत्यु) के भयको हरनेवाले, कालरूपी मतवाले हाथीके लिये सिंहके समान, योगियोंके स्वामी (योगीश्वर), ज्ञानके द्वारा जानने योग्य, गुणोंकी निधि, अजेय, निर्गुण, निर्विकार, मायासे परे, देवताओंके स्वामी, दुष्टोंके वधमें तत्पर, ब्राह्मणवृन्दके एकमात्र देवता (रक्षक), जलवाले मेघके समान सुन्दर श्याम, कमलके-से नेत्रवाले, पृथ्वीपति (राजा) के रूपमें परमदेव श्रीरामजीकी मैं वन्दना करता हूँ॥
Notes
This opening shloka establishes Rama's supreme divinity at the very threshold of the battle book. Tulsidas invokes both Rama and Shiva in one breath, reminding us that devotion to one demands reverence for the other. Poddarji explains that even Shiva worships Rama, the same Lord who has taken human form to destroy Ravana and protect the righteous. The triple invocation (Rama, Shiva, and the prayer for grace) sets the devotional foundation for everything that follows.