ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF TRADITIONAL DAILY HINDU VEDIC PRAYERS

BAL-VIKAS PRAYERS
TRANSLATIONS
BY
SHYAMALA VINEKAR

The following are the traditional contemplations adapted for the Bal Vikas Children's Sunday Schools and Youth Groups
in Hindu temples. Most adults (parents) are familiar with the Sanskrit versions. Only the English Translation
is rendered for those who want to contemplate on these in English.

YOUR FACE REPRESENTING THE IMAGE OF "OMKARA" HAS THE CURVACEOUS TRUNK,
YOUR EXISTENCE IS CONCEPTUALIZED AS INFINITELY EXPANSIVE, REPRESENTED BY YOUR LARGE BODY
YOUR SPLENDOR IS IMMENSELY RADIANT LIKE THAT OF TEN MILLION SUNS SHINING IN THIS UNIVERSE
YOU ARE THE REMOVER OF OBSTACLES AT THE BEGINNING OF ALL ENDEVOURS
WE PRAY TO YOU MY DEVA TO REMOVE OBSTACLES IN ALL MY VENTURES AT ALL TIMES

OM PERVADES IN ALL THREE LOKAS, ON THIS EARTH, IN ALL THE UNIVERSES THAT EVER EXISTED, AND IN THE CELESTIAL SPHERE
THAT ILLUMINATING BRAHMAN WE ELECT (TO WORSHIP) BECAUSE IT ENLIGHTENS THE GREAT INTELLECT OF THE DEVAS
AND PRAY THAT IT GUIDE OUR INTELLECTS TOO.

THE GUIDANCE COMES FROM GURU WHO IS IN TUNE WITH THE BRAHMAN
SO GURU ALSO REPRESENTS ALL DEVAS LIKE VISHNU, & MAHESHWARA,
GURU THEREFORE IS ACTUALLY PERSONIFIED PARABRAHMAN
TO SUCH GURU WE BOW WITH HIGHEST REVERENCE

YOU ARE MOTHER, YOUR ARE FATHER, YOU ARE BROTHER, YOU ARE THE FRIEND
YOU ARE THE GIVER OF KNOWLEDGE, YOU ARE WEALTH
YOU ARE EVERYTHING MY DEVA

THIS IS COMPLETE (ABSOLUTE), THAT IS ALSO COMPLETE (ABSOLUTE)
FROM THE COMPLETE (INFINITE BRAHMAN) EVOLVES COMPLETE
WHEN COMPLETE (INFINITE) IS REMOVED FROM COMPLETE THE REMAINDER IS ALSO COMPLETE
(THIS IS THE WAY THE INFINITE BRAHMAN, ITS EVOLUTION AND DISSOLUTION IS CONCEPTUALIZED)

USING THE METAPHOR OF YAGNYA, WHAT IS OFFERED TO BRAHMAN AS OBLATION IS ALSO BRAHMAN,
THE TRANSFORMATION OF SUCH OBLATION OR OFFERING TO BRAHMAN IS BY BRAHMAN. WAHT IS TRANSFORMED IS ALSO BRAHMAN. THE TRANSFORMING AGENCY (AGNI) IS BRAHMAN. THAT ACTION WHICH IS PERFORMED IN THE STATE OF ATUNEMENT WITH BRAHMAN BECOMES VERILY THE ACTION OF THE BRAHMAN LEADING TO BRAHMAN ITSELF. ONE WHO SEES THIS UNIVERSE IN THIS LIGHT ATTAINS BRAHMAN. THAT IS THE STATE OF SAMADHI AND ALL ACTIONS PERFORMED IN THIS STATE BECOME THE ACTIONS OF BRAHMAN.

I EXIST AS VAISHWA-NARA, THE PRANIC TEMPLATE FOR UNIVERSAL HUMAN (LIFE CYCLE), IN ALL LIVING BEINGS
IT IS I, AS THIS VAISHWA-NARA, MANIFESTING AS THE COMPONENTS OF
PRANA (PRANA, APANA, ETC.), WHO DIGESTS FOUR KINDS OF FOOD


PS For comprehending the concept of Deva, Agni, Prana, Loka, etc. see multiple articles on this blog
especially "Instant Ramayana," "Instant Mahabharata," "Demystifying Shri Hanumana (3 Parts),"
"Dhee: Essence of Hinduness" or "Dhee: Freedom of Thinking" (2 Parts)

Parents may simplify these translations for children to suit their age, developmental level, and their
ability to comprehend abstract concepts.