Guru (Brihaspati) Chalisa

Victory to Narayan, victory to the Lord of all that is. You are known across the world as the master of every sacred science.

You know the science of yantras and mantras, and you are a leader who loves the land of Bharat.

Whenever righteousness declined, the Siddhashram sent forth wise ones to set it right.

Dear to the ever-blissful Guru, you came forth from the Siddhashram.

Sages and seers of the highest order came of their own will to guard righteousness.

This time the duty falls to you; the earth itself cries out, 'Save us, save us!'

In the Marwar region, in the village of Khirantiya, your father bore the name Multan Chand.

Vishnu, who rests upon Shesha, came in a dream and granted a vision to your mother.

Your mother Rupadevi was deeply devout; you were born on the auspicious twenty-first day.

Your birth day and date are blessed for seekers, and devotees offer worship in your honour.

The account of your birth is wondrous and fresh; the name and mantra 'Narayan' were bestowed upon you.

The name 'Narayan' removes the fear of worldly existence; you are a perfected yogi who took on a human form.

Charged with the essence of the great sage Brahma, you are the very form of the soul, the honoured Guru.

Once, with companions at home, you bathed and then settled into deep reflection.

As you reflected, you entered samadhi and, absorbed in love, lost all outward awareness.

Fulfilling the ways of the world, you became a householder, much as Lord Shiva did.

The union with Maya is a marvel to behold; it is the playing out of destiny's shadow.

Age after age this is the pattern of worldly ties: wherever Narayan is, there too is the Divine Mother.

When your heart grew weary of worldly life, you resolved to set out for the Himalayas.

For eighteen years you roamed the Himalayas, and every spiritual power came to touch your feet.

With steady detachment you took your seat in Siddhashram and came to the field of action, O Narayan.

Earth, sky, and the whole cosmos rang with the cry, 'Victory to Gurudev,' the wealth of spiritual practice.

You lead the camp that works for the good of every faith, an unmatched warrior on the field of action.

Your heart is vast, a storehouse of scripture, the worldly light of Bharat.

You are the author of one hundred and fifty-six texts, a guide to seekers, and a conqueror of the world.

You are a beloved writer and a speaker of deep truths, the shaper of both past and future.

You are an ocean of Ayurveda and astrology, the supreme one complete with all sixteen arts.

You judge gems truly, remove obstacles, live as a renunciate, and are the most singular of saints.

You showed a wondrous miracle, fashioning a Shivling out of mercury.

The Vedas, Puranas, and scriptures all sing of you; you are called the rare and supreme Lord.

The person who worships you and meditates daily attains the Siddhashram.

You hold all four Vedas in your voice; you are worthy of worship and dear to every soul.

When one reflects and chants your mantra, even Vishwamitra and Vashishtha are invoked alongside you.

The mantra 'Namo Narayan' is true; through meditation on it even spirits and ghosts are turned to devotion.

Those who recite at dawn become radiant; the mind stays glad and the body grows ever lustrous.

Whoever meditates on you with a pure heart gains prosperity, spiritual powers, happiness, and wealth.

To one who recites this Chalisa daily, the Lord of yogis grants peace.

The person who recites it one hundred and eight times attains every spiritual accomplishment.

The flowing grace of the Guru's feet sustains the Siddhashram and the whole family of seekers.

Victory, victory, victory to the Lord of bliss! Again and again I bow to you, I bow to you.