Shiva Vandana in Shravan by Bhaktimati Usha Bahenji

Lord Shiva Grants us Krishna's madhurya or sweet Love

 Easy to please, Lord  Shankar manifested for Usha Bahenji, a great saint of Vrindavan and revealed that He was her spiritual preceptor who would lead her to the pivotal concept of Krishna's madhurya .

Usha Bahenji fondly Known as Bobo

Bhaktimati Usha Bahenji insisted that we chant this particular Shiv Vandana during the month of Shravan, the special month for worshipping Shiva.  

Vandana 

(for the Shravan Month & Mahashivratri)

 (Early Morning Puja )

 Krishna as Vallabha, the Supreme Lover of the Gopis

 om sri gopijanvallabha charanam sharanam prapadye  |

      om sri gopijanvallabha bhyam namah  ||

            om sri radhakrishna bhyam namah  |

                  

*Aum ! I bow at the feet of Krishna, the Vallabha or beloved of the gopis and seek refuge in Him.

Aum! I bow to Vallabha (Krishna) who is most dear to the gopis.

Aum! I bow to Sri Radha-Krishna.

 Lord Shiva, Gauri's Consort

om sri gauripataye namah |

 om namah shivaye  |

Aum! I bow to the consort of Gauri (Shiva.)

Aum! Adoration (namas) to Shiva!

bhavåni sankarau vande sraddhåvisvåsarupinau  |

yåbhyåm vinå na pasyanti siddhåh svåntahsthamisvaram  ||2|| (Sloka2,Baalkaand, Ramcharitmanas)

 Goddess Parvati and Bhagavan Sankara

bhavåni sankarau vande sraddhåvisvåsarupinau  |
yåbhyåm vinå na pasyanti siddhåh svåntahsthamisvaram  ||2|| 
(Sloka 2,Baalkaand, Ramcharitmanas)

I pray to Goddess Pårvati and Her consort, Bhagavån Sankara, the svarupas or  embodiments of  reverence and faith, without which even siddhas or spiritual adepts cannot see God residing in their own hearts.(2)

The Eternal Guru, Lord Shiva

vande bodhamayam nityam gurum sankararupinam  |

yamåsrito hi vakro'pi candrah sarvatra vandyate  ||3||

I make obeisance to the all-knowing, eternal spiritual preceptor Lord Shiva.Taking refuge in Him (by resting on His brow) even the *crescent-shaped moon is adored the world over.(3)

The Dust of Shiva's Feet Destroys Worldly Diseases

Chaupai:

bamdau guru pada paduma parågå, suruci subåsa sarasa anurågå  |

amia murimaya curana cåru,

samana sakala bhava ruja parivåru  ||1||

sukrti sambhu tana bimala bibhuti, mamjula mamgala moda prasuti  |

I pray to the the pollen like dust of the lotus feet of my guru, which is gleaming, flavoured and full of the rasa of love. It is the lovely powder of the life-giving herb (sanjeevani) which destroys the family of all diseases abounding in this mundane world.

That dust is the pure vibhuti (white ash) which adorns the meritorious (virtuous) body of Shiva and gives birth to beautiful blessings and joys.

 The Guru is Lord Vishnu in Human Form 

bamdau° guru pada kamja krpå simdhu nararupa hari  |

mahåmoha tama pumja jåsu bacana rabi kara nikara  ||5||

 (sortha 5, Baalkand, Ramcharitmanas)

I pray to the lotus feet of that great guru who is an ocean of mercy and is none other than Lord Vishnu Himself in human form. Whose words are like a cluster of sunbeams dispersing the deep darkness of great delusion (especially regarding the supposed reality of the world.)

 Sri Radha-Krishna & Sri Uma-Mahadev

Radha-Krishna Chandra Ki Jai, Uma-Mahadev Ki Jai

Glory be to Sri Radha-Krishna Chandra, Glory be to Sri Uma-Mahadev

Glory be to Goddess Paravati, Mother of the Universe

Chaupai:

    jaya jaya giribararaja kisori, jaya mahesa mukha camda cakori ||

    jaya gajabadana sadånana måtå, jagata janani dåmini duti gåtå II

 Glory, all glory be to You, O Parvati, Daughter of Himachal, the supreme mountain-king . Glory to You, who gazes at the moonlike face of the great Lord Shiva just as a *Cakora' bird looks at the moon. Glory be to You, O Mother of the elephant-headed Ganesha and the six-faced svami Kårtikeya. O Mother of the universe! Having a body endowed with limbs lustrous as lightning.

 Goddess Paravati

mora manorathu jånahu nike°, basahu sadå ura pura sabahi ke°  |

You very know of my heart's longing because you forever dwell in the town of everone's heart.

 Goddess Paravati Prays to Lord Shiva

Doha:

patidevatå sutiya mahu° måtu prathama tava rekha  |
mahimå amita na sakahi kahi sahasa såradå sesa  ||235||

Mother!  You rank foremost among the best of women who adore their respective husbands as Ishtdev (god.) Your immeasurable grandeur can not be told by more than a thousand Såradås and Sesas.(235)

Shri Radha-Krishna & Shri Uma Mahadev

Shri Radha-Krishna Chandra Ki Jai, Uma-Mahadev Ki Jai 

Glory be to Sri Radha-Krishna Chandra, Glory be to Sri Uma-Mahadev

*Om:: a mystical sound of Sanskrit origin sacred in Hnduism.It is placed at the beginning of most Hindu  texts as a sacred incantation  and is to be intoned at the beginning of a prayer or mantra.

*Crescent: the figure of the moon in its first or last quarter, resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.

*Cakori:: a type of partrige traditionally supposed to live on moonbeams