Echoes of the Eternal

Most of these chants were recorded in the temple of the Ramakrishna Monastery at Trabuco Canyon, California. The domed shrine adds a sweet, sonorous, resonant sound. English translations are selected from the writings of Swamis Yatiswarananda, Nikhilananda, Prabhavananda, and other sources.

Symphony of 5,000 Years – Silence is Brahman. Sound is also Brahman. Sound originates from the Infinite Silence, then manifests as finite name and form, and again merges into the Infinite Silence. The One becomes many – this is the play of maya. Swami Chetanananda, the Minister of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis, played with the sounds of Peace, Bliss, and Harmony in this series, Echoes of the Eternal. Through the ancient chanting tradition of Vedanta, he has evoked the moods of Devotion, Knowledge, Action and Meditation.

Echoes of the Eternal: Peace

1. Madhu vata ritayate: May the winds blow sweetly
2. Tejo asi tejo mayi dhehi: O Lord, fill me with energy and strength
3. Namah paryaya chavaryaya cha: O Lord, you are beyond the sea of relative existence
4. Trayambakam yajamahe sugandhim: O Sweet Lord, we worship thee
5. Ma no mahantam: O Rudra, protect us from evil
6. Srinvantu vishve amritasya putrah: Hear, ye children of immortality
7. Tvam eva mata cha pita tvameva: Thou art my mother and father
8. Atma me shudhantam: May my body become pure
9. Brahma metu mam: May Brahman be realized by us
10. Vratena diksham apnoti: Truth is obtained by self-dedication
11. Shraddhayam prane nivishto: I offer myself to the Lord with love
12. Apyayantu mamangani: May the limbs of my body be fit to realize Brahman
13. Vagarthau iva sampriktau: The sound of the word merges into silence
14. Ma dehi aisvaryam: I do not want that wealth which takes the mind away from God
15. Premadam cha me: O Lord, give me love
16. Na dhanam na janam: Mine is no prayer for wealth or retinue
17. Sarvata panipadam: May we behold that all-pervading Brahman
18. Mudha jahihi dhanagama trishnam: O foolish mind, give up the craving for the world
19. Yat jagrato duram: May my mind be of good intent
20. Apanipado javano grahita: Without feet, Brahman moves fast
21. Saha nav avatu: May Brahman protect us
22. Vang me manasi pratishthita: May my speech be one with my mind
23. Dhyayati iva prithivi: The whole cosmos is meditating
24. Ayah sparshe lagnam sapadi: May my dirty mind become pure
25. Gabhire kasare vishati: Offer the lotus of the heart to God
26. Na janami danam: Thou art my only refuge
27. Prayena devamunah svavimuktikama: Lord, make me unselfish
28. Yanme manasa vacha: O Lord, cleanse me of all my impurities
28. Vani gunanukathane: Let my speech glorify God
30. Iyam prithivi sarvesham bhutanam madhu: This earth is the honey of all beings
31. Tvam vaishnavi shaktih: Thou art the great primal energy
32. Tat purushaya vidmahe: We meditate upon the Lord Supreme
33. Ya eko avarno vahudha: May he endow us with good thoughts
34. Tapasa deva devata: Gods attained godhood through austerity
35. Hridaya kamala madhye: Meditate on Brahman in the heart
36 .Dharme matir bhavatu: May we never deviate from righteousness
37. Krisha parinati chetah: May my weak mind be full of devotion
38. Parthaya pratibodhitam bhagavata: Enlightenment comes through the grace of God
39. Na va are patyuh kamaya: The husband is dear for the sake of the Self
40. Sam no mitras: May the Lord be propitious unto us
41. Purnam adah purnam idam: Everything is filled with Brahman

Echoes of the Eternal: Bliss

1. Anando Brahmeti vyajanat: Bliss is Brahman
2. Raso vai sah: Bliss is the source of existence
3. Bhadram karnebhih shrinuyama: May we hear with our ears what is auspicious
4. Tava kathamritam tapta jivanam: O Lord, your words are like sweet nectar
5. Sarva dharma pranitaram: O Ramakrishna, you are the embodiment of all religions
6. Tvamadidevah purushah puranah: Thou art the primal God and source of creation
7. Shivena me samtishthasva: O Lord, deign to remain with us
8. Hrim hrim hrim japatushte: O Divine Mother, be propitious unto me
9. Sva karmaphala nirdishtam: May my devotion to thee remain firm
10. Gavam sarvam gajakshiram: The all-pervading God manifests in images
11. Prataruthaya sayahnam: Whatever I do, Mother, is your worship
12. Namo Brahmane namo astu agnaye: My salutation to Brahman
13. Ratnakaro asti sadanam: I offer my mind to you
14. Ko nu nah syat upayah: I want to carry the suffering of others
15. Kurmastaraka charvanam: Give up attachment and drink the nectar of immortality
16. Snehena badhnasi mano: You have bound our hearts by love
17. Tvam svaha tvam svadha: Thou art the destroyer of misery
18. Pavitram charitam yasya: O Mother, make us pure
19. Tam agnivarnam tapasa: O Mother, save us from maya
20. Tvam shrih tvam ishvari: Thou art the goddess of fortune
21. Na tatro suryo bhati: He shines, everything shines after him
22. Na sadrishe tishthati rupam: No one beholds Brahman with the eyes
23. Ya pritih avivekanam: May my love never cease
24. Ramam chintaya chitta varvara: O foolish mind, always think of the Lord
25. Param mrityo anuparehi: O death, go back to your own path
26. Apyatu mrityur amritam: May death depart from us
27. Bhishman drona tata: Krishna, the ferryman of the ocean of maya
28. Sarva upanishado gavo: Drink the nectar of the Gita
29. Damah tejo vardhayati: Self-control increases power
30. Yada yada hi dharmasya: When religion declines, God incarnates
31. Dinamapi rajani sayam: Time is running out, worship God
32. Sarvah taratu durgani: May all be freed from dangers
33. Yaschhandasam rishabho: O Lord, please guard my learning
34. Ayur yajnena kalpatam: May we sacrifice ourselves for others
35. Ajita jitah samamatibhi: God becomes bound by love
36. Aratte goghna uta: Grant bliss and liberation to us
37. Vandau santa asantana (Hindi): I salute the wicked and the holy
38. Nimajya unmajyatam ghore: Holy company is like a ferry boat
39. Advaita samrajya patha: Krishna has stolen my mind
40. Satyena vayu ravati: Truth is the means of liberation
41. Yam brahma varunendra rudra: None can limit God
42. Nindasi yajna vidheh: O God, you were born as Buddha
43. Buddham sharanam gacchami: I take refuge in Buddha
44. Asita girisamam syat: O Lord, your glory is infinite
45. Brahmanandam parama sukhadam: Brahman bestows bliss to all

Echoes of the Eternal: Harmony

1. Asato ma sad gamaya: Lead us from the unreal to the real
2. Dhairyam yasya pita: Absorb the divine qualities as relatives
3. He Ramakrishna madhuram: O Ramakrishna, you are sweet
4. Ya raka sashi shobhana: That is right intelligence which leads to God
5. Yogarato va bhogarato va: He enjoys life whose mind dwells in God
6. Adharam madhuram: O Lord, sweet is your everything
7. Brahma metu mam: Remove the veil of maya
8. Ka tvam shubhe shivakare: O Mother, restore the world’s broken harmony
9. Asare samsare nijabhajana dure: Thou are my savior
10. Janami dharmam na cha me: O Lord, guide me
11. Namo nedishthaya: My salutation to the conqueror of passion
12. Nanya spriha raghupate: Grant me intense devotion
13. Atma tvam girija matih: May all my actions be as worship
14. Shariram surupam sada: You might have beauty, wealth, learning, but if you have no love for God, what does it avail?
15. Tat chakshur deva hitam: May all peace come unto us
16. Mano buddhya ahamkara: I am neither the body nor the senses, I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss absolute
17. Yam shaiva samupasate shiva: All worship the same God
18. Trayi samkhyam yoga: All paths lead to Thee
19. Rupam rupa vivarjitasya: It is impossible to limit the Infinite
20. Hiranmayena patrena: I am that I am
21. Kadachit kalinditata: O Jagannath, Lord of the universe, please reveal yourself to me
22. Sthapakaya cha dharmasya: O Lord, you descend to establish religion
23. Harih Om Tat Sat: O Lord, you are the only reality