Sunday, January 18, 2026

How it should be.

 Inner Meaning of Tirumanjanam

Outwardly: bathing the Lord

Inwardly: cleansing ego, anger, desire, fear

Spiritually: reminding us that God allows Himself to be served so that the devotee may melt in love

Śrī Raṅganātha does not need the bath – we need the grace that flows through it.

Amṛta-prabhavam prabhā-prabhākara

Prahatā-dhvānta-lasad-vilāsa-jātam

Kamala-sthiti-kānta-kānti-kāyaṁ

Śrīraṅgeśam anucintayāmi nityam

Amṛta-prabhavam – Source of immortality, nectar itself

Prabhā-prabhākara – The sun that generates all radiance

Prahatā-dhvānta – One who destroys darkness (ignorance)

Lasad-vilāsa-jātam – Whose divine form shines with playful splendor

Kamala-sthiti – Abiding in Lakṣmī (the lotus-born Goddess)

Kānta-kānti-kāyam – Possessing a supremely beautiful, radiant body

Śrīraṅgeśam – The Lord of Śrīraṅgam

Anucintayāmi nityam – I meditate upon constantly

Flowing Meaning

I constantly meditate upon Śrī Raṅganātha,

the source of immortal nectar,

the radiant sun that destroys all darkness,

whose divine form shines with playful brilliance,

whose body glows with incomparable beauty,

and who eternally abides with Goddess Lakṣmī.

This verse beautifully suits Tirumanjanam, because it reminds us that:

Water cleanses the body

His grace cleanses ignorance

His radiance is not physical light, but jnāna-prakāśa

How to Chant During Tirumanjanam

Elongate vowels (ā, ī, ū)

Pause gently after every two words

Let the voice flow like the abhiṣekam water

Slight rise on the Lord’s name: Śrī–raṅ–ge–śam

Example pouring points:

Amṛta-prabhavam → water

Prabhā-prabhākara → milk

Prahatā-dhvānta → curd

Kamala-sthiti → sandal

Śrīraṅgeśam → final water / flower offering

Temple Bhāva Tip

Kaṭṭiyam is not singing, not śloka chanting either.

It is loving announcement to the Lord, as if saying:

“O Lord, now we pour… now we adore… now we surrender.”

Your voice should carry reverence, slowness, intimacy.


1.Śrīmatē Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ

2.Śrīmatē Rāmānujāya namaḥ

3.Amṛta–prabhavam…

4.Prabhā–prabhā–kara…

5.Prahatā–dhvānta…

6.Lasad–vi–lā–sa… jā–tam…

7.Kamala–sti–thi… kān–ta…

8.Kānti–kā–yam… su–śō–bha–nam…

9.Śrī–raṅ–ga–nā–tham…

10.Śrī–raṅ–ga–nā–tham…

11.Kā–vē–rī… tī–ra… vi–hā–ra…

12.Karu–ṇā… ra–sa… pūr–ṇa…

13.Pāl… a–bhi–ṣē–kam…

14.Tā–yi–r… a–bhi–ṣē–kam…

15.Nei… a–bhi–ṣē–kam…

16.San–da–na… a–bhi–ṣē–kam…

17.Pan–nīr… kun–gu–mam…

18.Di–vya… a–bhi–ṣē–kam…

19.Pā–pa–ṅgaḷ… pō–ga…

20.Tā–pa–ṅgaḷ… tī–ra…

21.A–di–yēn… u–ḷḷam…

22.Tū–ya–mai… ā–ga…

23.Śa–ra–ṇa–ga–tam…

24.Śa–ra–ṇa–ga–tam…

25.Śrī–raṅ–ge–śa…

26.Ēṟ–ṟa–ru–ḷāy… swā–mi…

27.A–nu–cin–ta–yā–mi… ni–tyam…

1–2 : Guru & sampradāya invocation

3–8 : Lord’s svarūpa (radiance, beauty, Lakṣmī sambandha)

9–12 : Śrīraṅgam & Kāverī sambandham

13–18 : Actual abhiṣekam substances (slow pouring)

19–22 : Removal of sins and inner cleansing

23–24 : Śaraṇāgati (total surrender)

25–27 : Acceptance prayer & silent contemplation.

Kaṭṭiyam is:

Neither śloka chanting nor singing

It is loving, declarative service

Each line may be stretched or shortened depending on the abhiṣekam flow

Śrīraṅganātha Tirumañjana Kattiyaṃ

śrīmate rāmānujāya namaḥ

śrīparāśarabhaṭṭāryaḥ śrīraṅgeśa-purohitaḥ ।

śrīvatsāṅka-sutaḥ śrīmān śreyase me’stu bhūyase ॥

amṛta-prabhavaṃ prabhā-prabhave

prahatādhvānta-lasad-vilāsajatam ।

sakalaṃ sakalānumoditaṃ sasinaṃ

tvāṃ kalayāmi raṅgarāja ॥ (1)

aniśaṃ kumudaṃ vikāsayantaṃ

śatataṃ pūrṇamaharnisam ca dṛśyam ।

anupaplavamaḍhya-raṅgarājam

candramasaṃ jano numanyam ॥ (2)

kuṅkuma-ruṇam udancitāṃ śriyām

komala-ruṇa-saroja-saṃsthitām ।

raṅga-mandira-tamonivāraṇam

saṅkate lopanadīdhitim janaḥ ॥ (3)

bhavantam śrīmantam hasita-kalikālaṅkṛtam

aśokaṃ kuvalaya-bhramara-hitām adyutsavākāram ।

sukha-sparśa-sisṛkṣayā pravanayā mahānanda-bhāritam

vasantaṃ raṅgeśaṃ prakaṭa-sumanaskaṃ manumahe ॥ (4)

satpakṣa-pātāt bhuvanāśrayatvāt

sānnidhya-vāsāt nibandhanatvāt ।

padmāśrayatvāc ca dhāraṇīnāṃ

haṃso yathā rājati raṅgarāja ॥ (5)

andhaścid asminn asamāna-dhāmani

chāyāṃ vitanvan vilasann ahanyām ।

apāṅga-līlā-smaraṇāt prahṛṣṭaḥ

sakheva raṅgaṃ prati mādhyam eti ॥ (6)

śrutismṛtībhyaṃ vyapadiśyamānaṃ

svayaṃ manojñam anuvartayāmi ।

samunnatāgādha-taraṃ samīḍhaṃ

tava avatāraṃ pathatāṃ param ॥ (7)

tadīya-raṅgeśa samarthyate janaḥ

ajal-jayanty uditeyam ātmā ।

amṛtāmayānāṃ nayanaiḥ prapātaiḥ

niyantṛ-saukhyam niśitaṃ tvadīyam ॥ (8)

kiṃ vā bahu niruktaiḥ kīrtana-bhiṣajaiḥ

nigamāṃś ca mañjuṃ raṅgarājāya manye ॥ (9)

śyāmaṃ maṇi-prabha-paṭaṃ kaṭakāñci-bhinnam

sattvāśrayaṃ raṅgarāja-mahīdharaṃ tam ।

sarvonnataṃ sakala-sattva-nivāsa-bhūtaṃ

sarvāntaraṃ ya iha bhāvayate sa dhanyaḥ ॥ (10)

saṃdṛṣṭa-saṅga-samādhisthitau pareśe

śāśvat-manās sphurati raṅga-manīṣā tvam ।

asakta-pūraṃ vidadhātam aneka-svarbhāvaiḥ

prasīdatāṃ kaluṇaṃ prakaṭātara-pītāmbaraṃ tvām ॥ (11)

bhavantaṃ manye’ham sura-sthairyam aṅgaiḥ

marakata-maṇi-raṃyaṃ ramyam anīka-yuktam ।

phala-niścita-gatam praspṛśad-gandhavāhaṃ

śiśiravirahajaṃ tuṃ prollasan-nīlakam ॥ (12)

sugama-jala-nidhiṃ tvāṃ manmahe raṅgarāja ॥ (13)

mañju-vara-vicitra-mṛdu-yarupaṃ aladharo

lalita-dhara-vilāsaṅko laṅghayann eva velām ।

vidhṛta-bhuvana-bhāro vīkṣya-se raṅganātha

aparā iva vapur-māna-pālanāyām ॥ (14)

nananavṛtti-viṣayaṃ netarāyāḥ prasannam

nanandayati samādhi-sthitam ajñaraṃyam ॥ (15)

tasmāt śravaṇa-vidhau jano hi manyate tvāṃ

sarvatra-sthitam ekam ॥ (16)

anekāśakhasitam asute bhṛtya-dattādhikāṃsam

tri-daśa-sukha-bhogaṃ supūrṇa-raṃyam ।

sumanasam etam suradṛśaṃ tvāṃ sudhīyo vadanti ॥ (17)

śrīmat-svarṇa-gadāṅkuśa-viśāla-sakthaṃ

śrī-kaustubha-sphurita-vakṣasi dāna-dakṣam ।

haṃsādi-sādṛśya-vilāsa-padavīṃ

tvāṃ manmahe surataruṃ dīpta-nātham ॥ (18)

adyāpi hṛdaye hallaka-pāda-lagnaṃ

vakṣaḥ-sthale nihita-raṅgarājaṃ ।

svacchanda-vāri-kamala-gandha-sāndram

maṇi-kāñcana-mayūkha-paraṃ paśyāmi ॥ (19)

brahmātma-niṣṭhā-vareṇa yogaḥ

kalayann pūjyāṅghri-bhāg utpannaḥ ।

mahāntaṃ stutvaṃ kathayann aham tvām

tvaṃ kalyabhedaṃ ca setu-tvam eva ॥ (20)

mṛgyaṃ dhyātātmakaṃ tvāṃ

uttīrya pṛthu-viṣaye raṅgarāja ।

bhūto bhūyāṃs tvam eva

saṃsāra-satruṃ kṣapayan ॥ (21)

jānāmi sarvada bhuvi nirmalaṃ tvāṃ

paśyāmi sura-sura-gaṇaṃ sumanovihāram ।

sat-siddha-caraṇa-samūha-niṣevyamāṇaṃ

tvāṃ raṅgarāja kalayāmi hi mandare’pi ॥ (22)

brahmātma-niṣṭhā-varasya yogaḥ

kalayann pūjyāṅghri-bhāg utpannaḥ ।

tvām eva vedamūla-pramāṇāt

etac ca siddhaṃ dhanur-ukta-tattvam ॥ (23)

ko’krośaḥ kasya gṛhaduḥkha-mātraṃ

bhojyaḥ śaktiḥ sudhīṣu yat ।

hanta tvat-pakṣa-pātī sa iti

nikhilam ॥ (24)

padmādhikṛta-laṅkita-śobha-bhūmiṃ

gambhīra-nādāgama-sāra-pūrṇam ।

saṃdhyādi-pālita-cāru-puṇyaṃ

bhakteśa-dhāmaṃ śaraṇaṃ vrajāmi ॥ (25)

māyā-mohaṃ meghanam agha-pūrṇaṃ

bhedaṃ raṅgādhipa manmahe ।

tvam mehaṃ me kutas tattvato’pi

kuta idaṃ veda-mūla-pramāṇāt ॥ (26)

saṃdṛśya sura-sundarāṇāṃ sumanovitāraṃ

sat-siddha-caraṇa-samūha-niṣevyamāṇam ।

saṃdṛṣṭa-cintita-sarārtha-saṃvidānaṃ

tvāṃ raṅgarāja kalayāmi hi mandare’pi ॥ (27)

iti śrīraṅganātha tirumañjana kattiyaṃ sampūrṇam


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