The Anusara® Invocation
The Anusara Invocation is sung at the beginning of an Anusara yoga class so as to set the intention of opening our practice with devotion and the recognition of the Divine and its unwavering presence within us as Grace.
Om Namah Shivaya Gurave
Saccidananda Murtaye
Nisprapancaya Shantaya
Niralambaya Tejase
Om
General English translation: The below translation is from Anusara yoga teacher, Denise Benitez. Her words are chosen to reflect a general sentiment of the actual Sanskrit words that rhyme and work together for singing.
I open my heart to the power of Grace
That lives in us as goodness
That is never absent and radiates peace
And lights the way to transformation
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Below you will find two more literal translations; the first comes directly from the Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Manual by John Friend:
Om
Namah Shivaya Gurave
I offer myself to the Light, the Auspicious Lord, who is the True Teacher within and without,
Saccidananda Murtaye
Who assumes the forms of Reality, Consciousness, and Bliss,
Nisprapancaya Shantaya
Who is never absent and is full of peace,
Niralambaya Tejase
Independent in His existence, He is the vital essence of illumination.
Om
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I bow to the presence of God within
Our true and highest teacher
That lives in and around us as being,
Truth, consciousness and bliss.
It is ever-present and radiates peace
Lighting the way to transformation.
Om
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Below is a more complete review of the words and meaning of the invocation. The source for this translation also comes from the teacher training material presented by Denise Benitez.
OM
A sacred syllable symbolizing the Absolute, the Universal Energy that lives in all of us. AOm represents the “soundless sound,” the eternal vibrational Essence of life. As science has discovered that there is a constranf suble hum to the universe, yogis know tha we are all connected by these harmonics of being. Om is the vibration that the universe is making at its most subtle and sublime level. Through this awareness, the yogin sees the Self in all things.
Namah Shivaya
Namah means to honor or to bow with respect. Shiva translates literally as “auspicious,” “good,” or “benevolent.” Namah Shivaya is know as a maha mantra or great mantra and has been chanted for hundreds of years. The chant says, “I recognize that the ground of being is goodness, and I honor this goodness in myself and in all beings.”
Guruve
Gu means “darkness,” and ru means “remover,” or “destroyer.” Guruve means to bow to the teacher, especially the teacher within. In the outer world, the guru is the energy that you can listen to as a teacher. The guru can be your partnere, your children, your dog, or even a place in nature that speaks to you.
Sat-chit-ananda
Literally, Being Consciousness Bliss. this phrase refers to the experience of unconditional or non-referential awareness experiencing itself in form as bliss, joy or ease of being. The phrase describes a moment of awareness resting in its true nature, like a drop of ocean water being absorbed into the peace of the ocean.
Murtaye
Literally, “image,” or “form.” The word refers to images that invoke the qualities of expansion, peace, and balance. Muraye can apply to literal images of Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, etc. or to inner visualizations such as the many visualization practices in Tibetan Buddhism. the work also refers to the inner image one creates of oneself.
Nisprapancaya
A power of Grace that is never absent. This word refers to a current or river of life energy, prana, or life force, that always runs through our lives. By aligning more and more with this current we can create transformation and balance in the current of energy through our own bodies and spirits.
Shantaya
The Sanskrit word Shanti means “peace” and refers to a balance of mind. When the mind is poised delicately and intentionally between the past and the future, awareness can rest in its true nature, which is an expansive state of non-referential peacefulness.
Niralambaya Tejase
A quality of light or illumination that exists eternally and is independent in its existence. In spiritual traditions worldwide there is reference to light as a symbol of the expanded Self. Luminosity is an attribute of the life force (prana) and is an agent of transformation.
