The Dawn Remembrance Verses

[dwai]

The Sun never fails to amaze, inspire and awe us — the giver of life, light and warmth. And like the outer Sun, the inner sun — Atman, the Self is amazing — without it, there would be no Sun, Earth or in-fact the Entire Universe.

http://www.kamakoti.org/shlokas/#gsc.tab=0

Quote

 

PRATAH- SAMARANA - STOTRAM (A Morning Prayer)
This is a prayer composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya consisting of three stanzas in which the mind (manas) speech (vak), and body (kaya) of the individual are sought to be dedicated to the supreme Spirit.

The first thoughts, words and actions of everyday exert a great influence on the life of the individual. If they are consecrated and made divine, they will pave the way for spiritual illumination. The prayer at dawn is profoundly significant in that the dawn is the outer symbol of the inner awakening.

In these stanzas, Shañkara sets forth also the quintessence of Advaita-Vedánta. The ultimate Reality is Saccidánanda (existence-consciousness-bliss). It is turèya, that which is the reality of the three states of experience and is beyond them. These expressions, however, ought not to be taken literally as descriptive or definitive of Reality. Hence it is that Brahman is indicated by the negative way, as `not this', `not this'. Brahman eludes categorisation; it is not within the limits of ideas and words. The so-called individual soul is non-different from it. The soul is not to be confused with the body mind complex. The elements that constitute the world are but illusory appearances on the basic Reality, even as a shake, a garland, etc., are projections on a rope. As the sun of wisdom rises, these illusions disappear, and the goal of life is reached.

प्रातः स्मरामि हृदि संस्फुरदात्मतत्त्वं
सच्चित्सुखं परमहंसगतिं तुरीयम् ।
यत्स्वप्नजागरसुषुप्तिमवैति नित्यं
तद्ब्रह्म निष्कलमहं न च भूतसङ्घः ॥१॥

Prátah smarámi hrudi samsphuradátmatattvam
saccitsukham paramahamsagatim turèyam
yatsvapna jágarasussuptamavaiti nityam
tadbrahma niskalamaham na cha bhutasañgha.

At dawn I remember the Reality which is the Self, shining brilliantly in the heart, existence-consciousness-happiness, the goal of Paramahamsasannyasins (sages), the Fourth; That which knows always the states of dream, waking and deep-sleep, that Brahman which is partless I am, not the cluster of elements.

प्रातर्भजामि मनसा वचसामगम्यं
वाचो विभान्ति निखिला यदनुग्रहेण ।
यन्नेतिनेतिवचनैर्निगमा अवोचं_
स्तं देवदेवमजमच्युतमाहुरग्र्यम् ॥२॥

Pratarbhajámi manasá vacasámagamyam
vacho vibhánti nikhilá yadanugrahena
yanneti neti vacanair nigamá avocam-
stam devadevamajam achyutam áhur agryam.

At dawn I sing the praise of That which is unattainable by mind and speech, but by the grace of which all words shine. That which the scriptures declares through the words `not this', `not this'- That God of gods, they say, is unborn and un-changing.

प्रातर्नमामि तमसः परमर्कवर्णं
पूर्णं सनातनपदं पुरुषोत्तमाख्यम् ।
यस्मिन्निदं जगदशेषमशेषमूर्तौ
रज्ज्वां भुजङ्गम इव प्रतिभासितं वै ॥३॥

Prátarnamami tamasah paramarkavarnam
pürnam sanátanapadam purushottamaakhyam
yasminnidam jagadaseshamaseshamurtau
rajjvaam bhujamgama iva pratibhasitam vai.

At dawn I bow to that which is called the Highest Self which is beyond darkness, of the hue of the Sun the ancient goal which is the plenum - That, the residuless form (i.e. the whole) in which the entire universe is made manifest like a serpent in a rope.

श्लोकत्रयमिदं पुण्यं लोकत्रयविभूषणम् ।
प्रातःकाले पठेद्यस्तु स गच्छेत्परमं पदम् ॥४॥

Slokatrayamidam punyam lokatrayavibhusanam
pratahkale pathedyastu sa gacchetparamam padam.

This meritorious triad of verses, the ornament of the three words - he who reads at the time of dawn goes to the supreme goals.

This is the pahala-sruti (description of the fruit) of this Vedantic prayer. It is an eulogy of the prayer whose purpose is to consecrate the thoughts, words, and deeds of the individual so that the final goal may eventually be gained.

 

 

[CloudHands]

You seem to be a man of the morning dear dwai. There is something I wish I can do in my life, experience dawn at the canopy of a tropical old-growth forest. This something I should not do before 50 and I hope this is not going to be a business before that time.

Sorry I'm a bit off.

I wish you a very good year, taiji pal !

[dwai]

3 minutes ago, CloudHands said:

You seem to be a man of the morning dear dwai. There is something I wish I can do in my life, experience dawn at the canopy of a tropical old-growth forest. This something I should not do before 50 and I hope this is not going to be a business before that time.

Sorry I'm a bit off.

I wasn't much of a morning person but I seem to wake up by 3:30 AM quite frequently  

3 minutes ago, CloudHands said:

I wish you a very good year, taiji pal !

And you too my friend  

Spoiler

 

[JustARandomPanda]

On 2/18/2020 at 10:57 AM, dwai said:

I wasn't much of a morning person but I seem to wake up by 3:30 AM quite frequently  

And you too my friend

 

Sadhguru has a video on exactly this. Within a certain geographic latitude if one wakes around 3 am to 4 am naturally (without an alarm clock or other artificial means) one gains maximum benefit from any sadhana done at that time. If you don't naturally wake at this time it means you're a "Book Yogi" (Sadhguru's words, not mine) and sadhana at 3am forward won't gain you any benefit beyond what one naturally gains at other intervals such as sunrise, noon, sunset, etc.

 

The fact you are naturally waking around this time suggests your guru lineage has planted a spiritual 'seed' of some kind in you and it's starting to sprout.

[Nungali]

 

On 19/02/2020 at 3:52 AM, CloudHands said:

You seem to be a man of the morning dear dwai. There is something I wish I can do in my life, experience dawn at the canopy of a tropical old-growth forest. This something I should not do before 50 and I hope this is not going to be a business before that time.

...

 

 

I've got just the place for you !

 

Near my place , the Great Eastern Divide , mountain range , comes  close to the coast ,  it drops off in an escarpment , you can look east, across the canopy of ancient Gondwanaland rainforest , over the ocean and watch the Sun rise .

 

 

 

Or even easy access for the disabled  (or just lazy )  on the 'skywalk'  up  in the canopy

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondwana_Rainforests

[Nungali]

On 19/02/2020 at 3:33 AM, dwai said:

The Sun never fails to amaze, inspire and awe us — the giver of life, light and warmth. And like the outer Sun, the inner sun — Atman, the Self is amazing — without it, there would be no Sun, Earth or in-fact the Entire Universe.

http://www.kamakoti.org/shlokas/#gsc.tab=0

 

 

I find this interesting , thanks. Especially the 'attributes'  given to sunrise .

 

My practice was to do dawn but also at noon, sunset and midnight ; each 'station of the sun'  , with each its own  'attributes' to incorporate into the self .

[CloudHands]

On 26/02/2020 at 2:19 AM, Nungali said:

 

 

 

I've got just the place for you !

 

Near my place , the Great Eastern Divide , mountain range , comes  close to the coast ,  it drops off in an escarpment , you can look east, across the canopy of ancient Gondwanaland rainforest , over the ocean and watch the Sun rise .

 

 

 

Or even easy access for the disabled  (or just lazy )  on the 'skywalk'  up  in the canopy

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondwana_Rainforests

 

I love you

Seriously it could be there

 

I guess this means you have done it right ?
 

[Nungali]

53 minutes ago, CloudHands said:

 

I love you

Seriously it could be there

 

I guess this means you have done it right ?
 

 

 

Yeah .  And done my 'dawn remembrance' meditation there . 

 

One time, for a partial solar eclipse early morning , that was weird .

 

After the dawn viewing you can   descend down a pathway  ( again, disabled access - that is cool, if you stuck in a wheel chair, you can still go through the rainforest   )   that goes down through the canopy  at the first part of the  escarpment drop 

 

         

 

 

down to the rainforest floor .  The path continues amongst rainforest giants , has some wonderful spots for contemplation

 

             

 

 

   

 

 

and eventually goes down to 'Crystal Shower falls'

 

 

                   

 

 

to Rosewood Creek

 

 

( and , if so desired, one can  go to the coast and  make it for an afternoon surf - on the same day   . )

 

 

[dwai]

4 hours ago, Nungali said:

 

 

Yeah .  And done my 'dawn remembrance' meditation there . 

 

One time, for a partial solar eclipse early morning , that was weird .

 

After the dawn viewing you can   descend down a pathway  ( again, disabled access - that is cool, if you stuck in a wheel chair, you can still go through the rainforest   )   that goes down through the canopy  at the first part of the  escarpment drop 

 

         

 

 

down to the rainforest floor .  The path continues amongst rainforest giants , has some wonderful spots for contemplation

 

             

 

 

   

 

 

and eventually goes down to 'Crystal Shower falls'

 

 

                   

 

 

to Rosewood Creek

 

 

( and , if so desired, one can  go to the coast and  make it for an afternoon surf - on the same day   . )

 

 

I wish we had an emoticon for "wow" or "mind blown"  

You my friend are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful and powerful place!

[Nungali]

 

Indeed !     That is 'just' the well known tourist areas ... you have not  seen my house and land  yet   

 

 

 

 

As well as  'dawn meditations I do many offerings to express thanks and gratitude .   

 

But ..... it not all  'fortune'   ....     I am a Magician, remember   .  

 

I  wanted to ask you what effects   the practice in the OP  has had for you , but then I realised , probably another question should proceed it  ;    

 

Have you done it as a practice   ie . do you recite / chant   those 'dawn' remembrance '  verses,   at dawn  ? 

Edited February 28, 2020 by Nungali

[Nungali]

On 21/02/2020 at 3:04 AM, JustARandomPanda said:

 

Sadhguru has a video on exactly this. Within a certain geographic latitude if one wakes around 3 am to 4 am naturally (without an alarm clock or other artificial means) one gains maximum benefit from any sadhana done at that time. If you don't naturally wake at this time it means you're a "Book Yogi" (Sadhguru's words, not mine) and sadhana at 3am forward won't gain you any benefit beyond what one naturally gains at other intervals such as sunrise, noon, sunset, etc.

 

The fact you are naturally waking around this time suggests your guru lineage has planted a spiritual 'seed' of some kind in you and it's starting to sprout.

 

Interesting about time and latitude !   

 

One thing I noticed  , I am more libel to ( annoyingly)  wake closer to 4 in winter .  This time of year, its around 'first light'  -   around 6 am .   In winter at 4 ....     soooo dark  (and cold)  .  - I thought it had something to do with TCM 'body clock' ?   I am assuming there is an Ayurvedic one ? ... let's see ...

 

 

Urk !    I would be reversed in the top half  :  my greatest productivity would be between  8 am and 2 pm .  Then lunch .  

 

Another thing I noticed, when immersed in my practice constantly , every day .  I would 'automatically know '  when time for  meditation, summer or winter , if asleep, I would just  wake up before dawn ,  or midnight 'automatically' .  

[dwai]

18 minutes ago, Nungali said:

Indeed !  As well as  'dawn meditations I do many offerings to express thanks and gratitude .

 

But ..... it not all  'fortune'   ....     I am a Magician, remember   .  

 

I  wanted to ask you what effects   the practice in the OP  has had for you , but then I realised , probably another question should proceed it  ;    

 

Have you done it as a practice   ie . do you recite / chant   those 'dawn' remembrance '  verses,   at dawn  ? 

Not the verses themselves but the remembrance every morning before dawn breaks. Entering into stillness, and silence after the Om.
 

 

The effect is a deep stillness continuing through my experiences through out the day even when the mind seems to go through extreme perturbations from time to time. 

[Nungali]

So, what are you remembering ?    The context  of the verses ?      

 

[ With  ' remembering '    at the '4 quarters' of the Sun  , I found the sunset one to be most enlightening and life changing . One of the Sun's attributed, in this system, at sunset  is  'joy'  .  That was a mystery to me for a while , as it also symbolises 'death' .  Also its a good 'stop' or end point to the day .  I eventually realised, each day of life IS a joy  and when its over,  we can   give thanks , for this day, and for this life.  Even in times  of intense hardship, it also helps to get one  through it 'one day at a time' .   The we go into night and 'other things'  - which the Ayurvedic  clock seems to symbolise with a Moon symbol .  The midnight meditation is also very powerful and 'mystical'  - the power of the Sun at midnight  . ]

[dwai]

15 hours ago, Nungali said:

So, what are you remembering ?    The context  of the verses ?      

What the verses are pointing to

15 hours ago, Nungali said:

[ With  ' remembering '    at the '4 quarters' of the Sun  , I found the sunset one to be most enlightening and life changing . One of the Sun's attributed, in this system, at sunset  is  'joy'  .  That was a mystery to me for a while , as it also symbolises 'death' .  Also its a good 'stop' or end point to the day .  I eventually realised, each day of life IS a joy  and when its over,  we can   give thanks , for this day, and for this life.  Even in times  of intense hardship, it also helps to get one  through it 'one day at a time' .   The we go into night and 'other things'  - which the Ayurvedic  clock seems to symbolise with a Moon symbol .  The midnight meditation is also very powerful and 'mystical'  - the power of the Sun at midnight  . ]

Very nice. Thanks for sharing  

[JustARandomPanda]

I found the Sadhguru video that discusses the latitude/longitude and time of night for optimal "spiritual seed"-sters for Sadhana.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cJVqRUrxok&list=RDCMUCcYzLCs3zrQIBVHYA1sK2sw&index=4