ॐ नमो नारायणाय |
The following three shlokas are considered to be the very essence of the teachings of Lord Narayana in three of His innumerable avatarams and are at the very core of the doctrine of surrender (prapatti, sharanagati).
Varaha Charama shlokam -Satya yuga
Rama Charama shlokam – Treta yuga
Krishna Charama shlokam – Dwapara yuga
Sri Varaha Charama shlokam
स्थिते मनसि सुस्वस्ते शरीरे सति यो नर:।
धातुसाम्ये स्थिते स्मर्ता विश्वरूपं च मां अजं ।।
ततस्थं म्रियमाणं तु काष्ठ पाषाण सन्निभम् ।
अहं स्मरामि मद्भक्तं नयामि परमां गतिम् ।।
Sri Rama Charama shlokam
सकृद् एव प्रपन्नाय तव अस्मि इति च याचते ||
अभयम् सर्व भूतेभ्यो ददामि एतद् व्रतम् मम |
Sri Krishna Charama shlokam
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥
Varaha Charama Shlokam
This shloka is from Varaha Puranam, the conversation between Bhooma Devi and Sri BhuVarAhaSwami.
Shree Varahaswami said:
स्थिते मनसि सुस्वस्ते शरीरे सति यो नर:।
धातुसाम्ये स्थिते स्मर्ता विश्वरूपं च मां अजं ।।
ततस्थं म्रियमाणं तु काष्ठ पाषाण सन्निभम् ।
अहं स्मरामि मद्भक्तं नयामि परमां गतिम् ।।
Meaning: If anyone thinks of Me, when the mind is sound (sthite manasi),with the body in good health (suswasthe shareere), and with all mental and physical faculties working perfectly and intact (dhaatusaamye sthite) – thinks that I am indeed the very cause of this universe (or the form of this universe, vishwaroopam), that I am without birth (ajam) – then I assure (You, Devi) that I will remember this devotee of Mine when he/she is on his/her deathbed, lying (helplessly) like a stone or a log of wood, and personally take him/her to the Supreme Abode.
Expansion: Oh Bhumi Devi! The entire universe is my body (sarIram). I do not have births or deaths. When my bhakthas with maha visvasam surrender to me, while they are still in a state of tranquil mind and healthy body and reflect about Me as SarvAdhAran (root cause of all), niyanthA (one who commands from within) sarva sEshi (the ultimate), aasrayaNeeyan (one who is fit to be worshipped), Sarva VyApthan (all-pervasive) and Nithya sannihithan (One who is always near), then I think of them at their last moments, when they are totally unconscious like a LOG or a STONE and lead them by ArchirAdhi maargam to My Parama Padham and bless them.
Mukkur Swamigal’s wonderful explanation:
வராஹ்பெருமாள் பூமாதேவிக்கு என்ன சொல்லறார்னா,
என்னை பிறப்பு அற்றவனாக நன்கு உணர்ந்து,
மனசு நல்ல முறையில் இருக்கறச்சே,
உடம்பில் நாடி நரம்புகள் எல்லாம் நல்ல முறையில் இருக்கறச்சே, இளமையிலே
1) எவன் என்னுடைய திரு நாமத்தை உரக்க சொல்லுகிறானோ,
2) எவன் என்னுடைய திருவடியிலே புஷ்பங்களை இட்டு அர்ச்சனை பண்ணுகிறானோ
3) எவன் என்னுடைய திருவடியிலே ஆத்ம சமர்ப்பணம் பண்ணுகிறானோ (சரணாகதி).
அந்திம காலத்தில் அவன் கட்டை மாதிரி ஆகும் காலம் வரும் போது (kaashta-paashaana sannibham), எல்லாரும் கை விட்ட நிலையில் ..
பகவான் சொல்லறார், “நான் விட மாட்டேன் (aham smaraami madh bhaktam) அவன் என்னுடைய பக்தன், என் பெயரை சொன்னவன், என்னுடைய திருவடியில் சரணாகதி பண்ணினவன், அவன நான் ஒரு நாளும் கை விட மாட்டேன்.. நானே வருவேன், என்னுடன் அழைச்சிண்டு போவேன் (nayaami paramaam gatim) நற் கதியை தருவேன் .. நானே வருவேன், நானே அழைச்சிண்டு போறேன்”கரான் பரமாத்மா.
According to this shlokam, we need not wait till we get old and are on our death bed to call out and surrender to God to attain moksham. We neither know if we will be able to do that in our final moments as life/death are highly unpredictable. So in His vast compassion, the Lord says that even when we are young, healthy and full of life, if we sincerely surrender to Him and try to live like a Sharanagathaa, He will definitely come to take us at the end of our lives.
Rama Charama Shlokam
At Vibhishanan Sharanagadhi,
Shree Rama said:
सकृद् एव प्रपन्नाय तव अस्मि इति च याचते ||
अभयम् सर्व भूतेभ्यो ददामि एतद् व्रतम् मम |
yaachate = he who seeks; prapannaaya = refuge; sakRudeva = just once; iti = saying that; asmi = I am; tava = yours; dadaami = I shall give; abhayam = assurance of safety; sarva bhuutebhyaH = against all types of beings; etat = this; mama = is my; vratam = pledge.
“He who seeks refuge in me just once, telling me that I am yours’, I shall give him assurance of safety against all types of beings. This is my solemn pledge”
To all those beings who fully seek My shelter and plead for My mercy and say I am yours, I shall certainly offer My protection to ALL of them. This is My vow.
Sri Rama promises that He will always provide protection to all beings (make them fearless) who have surrendered to Him (abhayam sarva bhootebhyo dadaami).
He says it is His vow (vratam ma-ma). He will offer (dadami) protection to all beings (sarva bhootebhyo). All beings are equal. A crow, a pigeon, a human,
even a rakshasa. Especially when they have totally, completely, (sakrudeva,in the best possible way) surrendered (prapannaaya) to Him. Especially when they beg Him and plead with Him (yaacate) and say we belong to You (tavaasmi = tava asmi). Surrender is complete when the Jeevatma realizes that it belongs to Paramatma. There is no existence for the Jeevatma without the Paramatma -tava asmi. I am nothing. I am nobody. I am yours. I belong to you. That is prapannaaya. That is yaacate. That is prapatti.
Other Charama shlokas
‘துப்புடையாரை அடைவதெல்லாம் சோர்விடத்துத் துணையாவ ரென்றே ஒப்பிலேனாகிலும் நின்னடைந்தேன் ஆனைக்குநீ அருள்செய் தமையால் எய்ப்புஎன்னை வந்துநலியும்போது அங்குஏதும் நானுன்னை நினைக்க மாட்டேன் அப்போதைக்கு இப்போதே சொல்லிவைத்தேன் அரங்கத் தரவணைப் பள்ளியானே!’
கந்தர் அநுபூதி
கார் மா மிசை காலன் வரில், கலபத்
தேர்மா மிசை வந்து, எதிரப் படுவாய்
தார் மார்ப, வலாரி தலாரி எனும்
சூர்மா மடியத் தொடுவே லவனே.
மாலை திகழும் திரு மார்பை உடையவனே, வலன் என்கிற அசுரனை
ஜெயித்து, இந்திரனின் வாசஸ்தலமாகிய அமராவதிக்கு பகைவனாகிய
சூரபத்மா என்கிற மா மரம் அழிந்துபோக வேலைப் பிரயோகித்தவனே,
கரிய நிறத்தை உடைய எருமை வாகனத்தில் ஏறிவரும் எமன் எனது
உயிரைக் கொள்ளை கொள்ள வந்தால் அக்கணமே தோகையை
உடைய அழகிய குதிரையாகிய மயில் வாகனத்தில் வந்து தோன்றி
அருள வேண்டும்.
Krishna Karnamrutham
व्यत्यस्तपादम् अवतंसित बर्हिबर्हम्
साचीकृतानन निवेशित वेणुरन्ध्रम्।
तेजः परम् परम कारुणिकम् पुरस्तात्
प्राण प्रयाण समये मम सन्निधत्ताम्॥ २-२२
vyatyasta pAdam= crossed Paadhams; avataMsita barhi barhaM= decorated with peacock’s feather; sAcI kR^ita= slightly tilted; Anana niveshita= on the face; veNu randhram= flute’s holes; parama kAruNikaM= highly, benevolent; paraM tejaH= that super, radiance; prANa prayANa samaye= at lives, departing, time; mama purastAt sannidhattAm= in my, presence, let it be there.
Let that highly benevolent super-radiance appear in front of me at the time of departure of my life. He will appear with his legs crossed playing the flute, decorated with peacock’s feather on His head and the flute placed transversely on his lips.
It is wonderful to recite the charama shlokas, to always assure us that He is waiting for us and all He requires is that we sincerely let go of our ego, pride and perform sharangathi to Him.
नारायण अखिल गुरो भगवन् नमस्ते ।
kNOw-me 