Pages

Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religion. Show all posts

Thursday, 28 May 2026

Om Tat Sat Shree Narayan Tu .... - A Beautiful All-Faith Prayer Explained and Elaborated in English


Om Tat Sat Shree Narayan Tu ... is a beautiful all-faith prayer, which was a part of Mahatma Gandhi's prayer sessions. It is sung regularly in many schools/institutions all over India, spreading message and vibrations of harmony and peace. Here, the essence of its verses is elaborated in English.

Om Tat Sat Shree Narayan Tu .... - A Beautiful All-Faith Prayer


Om Tat Sat Shree Narayan Tu, Purushottam Guru Tu,

Siddha Buddha Tu, Skanda Vinayak Savita Paavak Tu,

Brahama Mazda Tu, Yahva Shakti Tu, Ishu Pitaa Prabhu Tu,

Rudra Vishnu Tu, Raama Krishna Tu, Rahim Tao Tu,

Vasudev Go Vishwa Roopa Tu, Chidananda Hari Tu,

Advitiya Tu, Akaala Nirbhay, Aatmalinga Shiva Tu !!

Om Tat Sat Shree Narayan Tu, Purushottam Guru Tu,

Om Tat Sat Shree Narayan Tu !!


Translation : The word Tu translates to Thou art.

The rest are different names of the Almighty - the Universe - the Omnipresent - the Absolute Truth, whatever we choose to call ....

Hence, the literal translation would be ....


Thou art THAT, Thou art TRUTH, Thou art Shree Narayan, Thou art Purushottam Guru,

Thou art Siddha Buddha, (Thou art) Skanda Vinayaka, Thou art Savita Paavak,

Thou art Brahma Mazda, Thou art Yahva Shakti, Thou art Ishu Pitaa Prabhu,

Thou art Rudra Vishnu, Thou art Raama Krishna, Thou art Rahim Tao,

Thou art Vasudev Go Vishwaroopa, Thou art Chidanada Hari,

Thou art Advitiya Akaal Nirbhay, Thou art Aatmalinga Shiva !!

Thou art THAT, Thou art TRUTH, Thou art Shree Narayan, Thou art Purushottam Guru,

Thou art THAT, Thou art TRUTH, Thou art Shree Narayan !!


Elaborations of the meanings are given below :


Elaborating the Essence of the Prayer ....

Hindi
English
Word Meanings / Explanations / References
Om Tat Sat Shree Narayan Tu
Thou art THAT, Thou art TRUTH, Thou art Shree Narayan
Shree : represents Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, prefixed as a symbol of honour before the names of respectable / revered men; Narayan : The Omnipresent God
Purushottam Guru Tu
Thou art Purushottam Guru
Purushottam : The best among men
Siddha Buddha Tu
Thou art Siddha Buddha
Siddha : An accomplished / enlightened seeker - in Hindu and Jain philosophies
Skanda Vinayak
(Thou art) Skanda Vinayaka
Skanda : literally means, the Leaper / the Attacker - Lord Kartikeya - the Warrior God, the first son of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati, the destroyer of evil; Vinayak : literally means one who bestows Vinaya, i.e. courtesy / discretion / wisdom, refers to Lord Ganesha - the second son of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati, the Hindu Deity of Wisdom, Pure Intelligence and Collectivity, the Remover of obstacles
Savita Paavak Tu
Thou art Savita Paavak
Savita : literally means, the best in the universe, refers to the energy of the Sun; Paavak : that which nurtures and nourishes
Brahma Mazda Tu
Thou art Brahma Mazda
Brahma : as per the Hindu philosophy, highest Universal Principle of Existence - the Ultimate Truth; Mazda : comes from Ahura Mazda - the name of the Zoroastrian God and stands for the God of Harmony, Intelligence and Wisdom
Yahva Shakti Tu
Thou art Yahva Shakti
Yahva : youngest, newest, always young or fresh; Shakti : Energy
Ishu Pitaa Prabhu Tu
Thou art Ishu Pitaa Prabhu
Isha : One who Protects - in the Hindu philosophy; Ishu - comes from Yeshu meaning Jesus Christ; Pitaa : Father; Prabhu : Lord / God
Rudra Vishnu Tu
Thou art Rudra Vishnu
Rudra : literally means "the roarer" or the "howler", a name of Lord Shiva in the Hindu philosophy, meaning the mighty God of storm, lightning and thunder, the Purifier; Vishnu : the Omnipresent - the all-pervasive, the Protector and the Preserver of Universe, the Hindu Deity of Sustainability of Universe
Raama Krishna Tu
Thou art Raama Krishna
Raama and Krishna are incarnations of Lord Vishnu - the Hindu Deity of Protection and Sustainability
Rahim Tao Tu
Thou art Rahim Tao
Rahim : one of the names of Allah in Islam, meaning "Merciful"; Tao : literally means "way", in Chinese philosophy, refers to the Absolute Principle underlying the Universe, combining within itself the principles of Yin (the Feminine power) and Yang (the Masculine power) and signifying the way, or code of behaviour, that is in harmony with the natural order.
Vasude Go Vishwaroopa Tu
Thou art Vasudev Go Vishwaroopa
Vasudev : Shree Krishna - the Universal Divinity; Go Vishwaroopa : the Almighty God - Lord Krishna - who has the universe as His body.
Chidananda Hari Tu
Thou art Chidanada Hari
Chidananda : one with a conscious mind immersed in total bliss; Hari : the Savior, a name of Lord Vishnu, the one who removes darkness and illusion.
Advitiya Tu Akaal Nirbhay
Thou art Advitiya Akaal Nirbhay
Advitiya : one without a second, unparalleled, only One; Akaal : beyond Time; Nirbhay : Fearless
Aatmalinga Shiva Tu
Thou art Aatmalinga Shiva
Aatmalinga : pure soul manifesting the formless as a form; Shiva : literally means "the Auspicious one", referring to Lord Shiva

Several recorded versions of this prayer are available online.

A couple of links are given below.

I had learnt this prayer during my childhood, regularly sung in the beginning of my dance class sessions. It has remained in my heart ever since. I can still see Ms. Hazarika, our beautiful, elegant dance teacher standing with her hands folded with us, singing this prayer, in the beginning of our sessions.

Was / is this or any other All-Faith Prayer regularly sung in your School / Institute / Organization ?

  • 85% Yes
  • 0% No
  • 15% I would love to have it
20 people have voted in this poll.

© 2020 Vanita Thakkar

Saturday, 14 March 2026

Cricketosophy : Poem

 

The last ball of the match by Chetan Sharma which was hit for a six by Javed Miandad ....
The last ball of the match by Chetan Sharma which was hit for a six by Javed Miandad

Memories of the Austral-Asia Cup Final Match on 18th April, 1986 between India And Pakistan .... The last ball by Chetan Sharma Was Hit For A Six By Javed Miandad And India Was Denied A Most Certain Victory ....

Cricket is very popular in India. This poem describes how cricket taught some important lessons on Sportsman Spirit & Patriotism ...

CRICKETOSOPHY

The last ball

Of the last over –

Decisive.

High excitement –

Held breathes,

Coldened palms

And soles ….

Statistics and History

Pointing to victory

Of the bowling side ….

Off goes the ball –

Full toss !!??

Ooops !!!

What a hit –

High and long –

A huge six !!!

Oooh !!!

India lose,

Pakistan win !

No, no !

Unbelivable !

Millions of eyes see

The silken folds

Of victory

Slipping helplessly past

Stretched winning hands,

Creating history.


The loss looms –

Hard and heavy –

Such a folly !

Or lapsed concentration !

Or uncertainty ascertained ?!

….


Thus, wondered, perhaps

The wordless,

Wandering minds,

Numb and thoughtless ….


“Stop sulking

(Unnecessarily)

And get back

To your study ….”

Quipped

My concerned mother,

Reading the unsaid

On my swollen face,

As I slowly

Strolled out ….

My eyes met

Those of

The gazing blue sky.

“Their joy is

Our sorrow;

Our joy,

Their sorrow.

How much

Importance

Do such

Joys and sorrows

Deserve …. ?”

The shackles

Of grief

Shattered

And

The humming calls

Of duty

Led the

Ninth standard student

In me

Back to my books,

My Study.


- Vanita Thakkar (30.08.2015)

Cricket - A very Popular Sport of India ....

My Brother - A Wonderful Sportsperson ....

Cricket is one of the most popular sports of India. My brother, Prashant had a great aptitude for sports. He was good at cricket, football, table tennis, badminton, chess .... Whichever sport he took up, he was found to learn it fast and fare amazingly well in it. When he was in primary school, he used to defeat our seniors, who were representing our region at national level, in table tennis ....

Like most people around us, Prashant was also very fond of cricket. He played very well for our school teams and our community teams.

He was also very good at cricket commentary. Among friends and relatives, he would be sought to give a little demonstration of his commentating skills ....

I was good at cultural activities and Prashant was outstanding in sports activities.

Pappa and Prashant used to follow cricket closely. Earlier, it was through radio commentary. I remember, when Sunil Gavaskar had made double century at Madras (now, Chennai) against the West Indies, in December, 1983, we were travelling by train and we were listening to the radio commentary ....

Some Important Lessons of Life through Cricket ....

Pappa and Prashant's love for cricket introduced me to the world of cricket. I still love watching cricket matches. There are phases when I am unable to follow cricket, due to more important and urgent priorities, but I love the sport and I have learnt some important lessons of life through it.

This poem tells about one such incident in a cricket match between India and Pakistan which taught me good lessons on sportsman spirit as well as patriotism ....

Not that I never get excited about victory and defeat in matches I watch, but I learnt to overcome the sense of loss easily and completely .... there is difference between a cricket match and a war ....


Sport And Patriotism ....

Cricket matches between India and Pakistan trigger a different kind of excitement. I have seen them ignite violence, as in India, most unfortunately, there are people who celebrate the victory of Pakistan and cannot tolerate Indian victory being celebrated. Such mindsets are a great challenge and a matter of serious concern for those who love India and the great heritage of knowledge, value systems and philosophy of life that has evolved and flourished here.

Also, about patriotism - I understand that one who loves ones own mother, respects every other mother. So it is with motherland. One who respects one's own motherland and Her dignity respects others' feelings towards his / her motherland .... I feel proud of India and being Indian in that sense. We have never invaded any country out of greed for land and wealth and rulership ....

Motherland is a very beautiful and meaningful word. Why do we respect our Land of birth as Mother ? The Land, the resources of which nurture the very Life in us is truly Mother to us, in a very subtle and extensive sense. The soil of the Motherland provides food and shelter to all Her children, Her inhabitants; the water nurtures Life; the air and atmosphere enveloping Her, breathe Life into us; the sunshine falling on Her, the fire lighting and warming Her Being help us survive and grow; the sky over Her connects us to the eternal infinity of our existence .... So, love for Motherland and Patriotism are very natural human emotions, that commend mutual appreciation as well as respect.

Ubuntu - Humanity Principle - I am what I am because of who we all are ....

This also reminds me of Ubuntu, about which I had read some time back.

There is a story related to this ....

An Anthropologist proposed a game for some African Tribal children. He placed a basket of sweets below a tree asked the children to run and grab it. The one who reaches first would be the winner and would get to eat all the sweets.

The children held each others' hands and ran together. They reached to tree together and happily shared all sweets equally among themselves.

The Anthropologist asked the children as to why they ran together like this. The kids replied - "Ubuntu !!"

When asked what it meant, the kids told, they felt, how one could be happy having all the sweets when the others are sad ?

It was found that Ubuntu is a South African ethical ideology related to human allegiances and relations. The word comes from Zulu and Xhosa languages and is one of the founding principles of the new Republic of South Africa.

A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.” — Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Paramhansa had conveyed thoughts relevant to this topic, as conveyed in the quote above ....
Thakur Shree Ramakrishna Paramhansa had conveyed thoughts relevant to this topic, as conveyed in the quote above ....

Sports as well as the arts help us grow and progress as better human beings.

- Vanita Thakkar (03-12-2021)



From HubPages .... Published on 30th July, 2020.

Dusk - Poem

  Dusk - at Dharmashala, Himachal Pradesh, India .... by Vanita Thakkar (May, 2017) Dusk The western horizon is turning crimson, The shadows...

Explore