Matrubhuteswara Ashtakam
Jagadiśa Śastri
māta tvam ca pithāsi sarvajagathām mātā pitā vā nathe tasmātvam bhuvi viśrutosi bhagavamstvam mātrubhutesvaraḥ tena tvam mahilārdha vigraḥ iti kyātaśca nāmnaivate tatvārtha kalanāya kevalamasou jāgarthi yogesvari || 1 ||
1. Oh Bhagavan Matrubhuteswara, you, the Mother and Father of the entire world not having any other mother or father for yourself, are known in this heavenly world by the name Matrubhuteswara. The very meaning of this name earns you the reputation of Ardhanarīswarar.[1] To awaken this truth in everyone, Mother Yogeswari shines alongside you.
siddhakśetramitham jagatsuvithitham devo arunādrisvaraḥ siddha śri ramanīya hastavibhavāc śri mātṟbhutesvaraḥ siddhosou bhuvi siddhidas sahaḥ mahā yogesvari jāyayā paryāptham dvidhamedhadhīya mahima prakyāphane bhujhuśām || 2 ||
2. It is known throughout the world that Arunachala is the kshetram of enlightenment. The deity presiding there is Lord Ardhanārīśvara. Matrubhuteswara and His consort Yogambal are enlightening the whole world because they have attained [the goal] by the enlightened hands of Sri Ramana who is here as bestower of prosperity. This alone is sufficient proof by which the world knows His greatness.
bhīmair bhōgivarair vibhuśita thanur yatyapya-bhīti prathaḥ pūtah prētha nikētakōbhi phalatō bikśaka ēva svayam sākam sri ramanēsvarēna bhajathām dhyanās-patham yōginām sōyam citracaritrakō vijayathē sri matrubhutēsvaraḥ || 3 ||
3. Though adorned with poisonous snakes, He, the giver of protection; though dweller in burial grounds, He who is perfect purity; though being a monk, He is the bestower of the fruit of karma on devotees who are yogis – that upasana Murthy Sri Matrubhutesvarar along with Sri Bhagavan Ramana shines with wonder.
bhītō bhīmabhujaṅamair ṇa ca thathāprīthō himamśōha karāth pūthō jahṇu suthājalāṇ ṇa ca ṇacā pūthōsti sambhuśaṇāth | ṇō dukhī cidhibasmaṇa pitruvaṇa vāsāca yōgam̆bika saṅāṇābhi sukhī samō viśama drik srī mātrubhutōvathu || 4 ||
4. He who is not afraid of dangerous snakes (adorning his body), who is not delighted because of the crescent moon (on his head), who needs no purification with the waters of the Ganga, who is neither defiled by his garland of heads, who is neither sorrowed by his burial-ground home nor by smearing ashes gathered there, who is neither enticed by the embrace of His consort, Yogamba, but who is of equal vision, the one with the third eye – let that Matrubhuteswara save us!
dik rupam vasanam vihāya ruchiram shoumam vasānas subham hithva vāsaruchim smashānagahane punyāshramai kāshrayaḥ | chityam basma vihāya chandana rasair mālyaihi kritālangriyaḥ yogamba gruhamedhiko vijayate sri matrubhuteswaraḥ || 5 ||
Setting aside the clothing of the eight directions to be adorned in auspicious white silk, leaving aside the pleasures of dwelling in a burial ground to take up residence in this pious Ashram, leaving aside ashes in order to be besmeared and bedecked with fragrant sandalwood paste and flower garlands, Sri Matrubhuteswar shines in the family way of life with His consort Yogambika.
yas sakhthyā ramanasrama stalamitham bhu vāsinām nandanam jhātam swasya vichitra shilpi rachanā vaichitrayasaithyam mahath | sonadhri swarasānugassa jagathāmeesho nirishaswayam sarvaiswarya nithir dhunothu duritham sri matrubhuteswaraḥ || 6 ||
By the Lord’s supreme power, this Ramanasramam is made a divine grove for the whole world; by His divinely powerful presence, a great temple of rarity to Himself, fashioned by great sculptors who sprung up at the foot of Arunachala Hill, may Sri Matrubhuteswara, Lord of the World, solitary and orphaned, treasure of the eight-fold wealth, do away with our sins!
ganga chandrakalādharosi sirasi srimatrubhutesha thae vāmārthe karunā rasārdhra hridayā yogeswari rājathae srithāngāscha bhujangamāha karapadhoho kinchābhisheko nisham sahyam shaityamitham katham yadhi vasheschithe na thapthe mama || 7 ||
You adorned River Ganga and have the crescent moon adorning your head. One half of your body is Mother Yogeswari whose heart is moist by flowing compassion. In your hands and around your legs curl cool-bodied snakes. Oblations you perform three times per day. How can you bear all this coolness if you are not residing in my mind burning because of the three kinds of worries?
māthābhuth ramanasya yā bhagavathas soundarya nāmni sathi paschāth saiva samasthalokha janani dhvenāphi sampūjitha athyatvethu vihāya sā parinathā sthritvam pumakāratho lingāthi kramarūpathascha lasathi sri matrubhuteswaraḥ
The one who first manifested as the mother of Bhagavan Sri Ramana, named Alagammal, was later worshipped as Mother of the World. However, leaving behind identification with the body of a woman and beyond the three types of bodies, this same one shines as Matrubhuteswara.
This ashtakam is being serialized in the following issues of the
Saranāgatī eNewsletter.
# 1, 2: Jul 2022;
# 3, 4: Aug 2022
[1] see Skanda Purana, part 3 on archive,.org or better still the wikipedia article.