Opening Invocation
श्री पतञ्जलि ध्यानं श्लोकम्
śrī Patañjali dhyānaṃ ślokam
The Contemplative Verses on Śrī Patañjali
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ॐ श्रीमत् पतञ्जलि महामुनये नमः ॥
om śrīmat patañjali mahāmunaye namah ॥
Om. Salutations to the most venerable great sage, Patañjali.
An initial invocation, using the primordial sound 'Om' to offer reverent homage to Patañjali, establishing a sacred connection.
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यस्त्यक्त्वा रूपमाद्यं प्रभवति जगतोऽनेकधानुग्रहाय ।
प्रक्षीणक्लेशराशिर्विषमविषधरोऽनेकवक्त्रः सुभोगी ।
सर्वज्ञानप्रसूतिर्भुजगपरिकरः प्रीतये यस्य नित्यं ।
देवोऽहीशः स वोऽव्यात्सितविमलतनुर्योगदो योगयुक्तः ॥
yastyaktvā rūpamādyaṃ prabhavati jagato'nekadhānugrahāya ।
prakṣīṇakleśarāśirviṣamaviṣadharo'nekavaktraḥ subhogī ।
sarvajñānaprasūtirbhujagaparikaraḥ prītaye yasya nityaṃ ।
devo'hīśaḥ sa vo'vyātsitavimalatanuryogado yogayuktaḥ ॥
He who, abandoning his primal form, manifests in manifold ways for the grace of the world; whose mass of afflictions is destroyed, who bears the uneven venom (of worldly existence), is multi-faced and of sublime enjoyments; from whom all knowledge proceeds, who is surrounded by serpent hosts and for whose pleasure they ever exist; that divine Lord of Serpents, of impeccably pure and white form, the giver of Yoga and the one united in Yoga—to Him I bow.
This verse glorifies Patañjali's divine origin as an incarnation of Ādiśeṣa, the cosmic serpent. It describes him as having assumed a form to bless the world, free from all suffering, omnipotent, the source of all wisdom, and the perfect master who both bestows and embodies the state of Yoga.
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योगेन चित्तस्य पदेन वाचां ।
मलं शरीरस्य च वैद्यकेन ॥
योऽपाकरोत्तमं प्रवरं मुनीनां ।
पतञ्जलिं प्राञ्जलिरानतोऽस्मि ॥
yogena cittasya padena vācāṁ ।
malaṁ śarīrasya ca vaidyakena ॥
yo'pākarottamaṁ pravaraṁ munīnāṁ ।
patañjaliṁ prāñjalirānato'smi ॥
To Patañjali, the supreme and most excellent of sages, who removed the impurities of the mind through Yoga, of speech through Grammar, and of the body through Medicine—to him I bow with folded hands.
This invocation honours Patañjali as the master of three sacred sciences (Śāstras): Yoga for mental purification, Grammar (Vyākaraṇa) for linguistic clarity, and Medicine (Āyurveda) for physical health. He is revered as the foremost among sages for bestowing these gifts.
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आबाहुपुरुषाकारं शङ्खचक्रासिधारिणम् ।
सहस्रशिरसं श्वेतं प्रणमामि पतञ्जलिम् ॥
ābāhupuruṣākāraṃ śaṅkhacakrāsidhāriṇam ।
sahasraśirasaṃ śvetaṃ praṇamāmi patañjalim ॥
I bow to Patañjali, who has a human form down to the shoulders, who holds a conch, a discus, and a sword, who has a thousand white-hooded heads.
A visual description for meditation. Patañjali is depicted with a divine, half-human, half-serpent form. The conch (śaṅkha) symbolises the sacred sound Om, the discus (cakra) cosmic law and time, and the sword (asi) the discriminating power of wisdom to cut through ignorance.
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श्रीमते अनन्ताय नागराजाय नमो नमः ॥
śrīmate anantāya nāgarājāya namo namaḥ ॥
Salutations again and again to the glorious Ananta, the King of Serpents.
The final salutation returns to the worship of Patañjali's ultimate source—Ananta (the Infinite), the cosmic serpent upon whom Viṣṇu rests. It concludes the hymn by acknowledging the eternal, limitless ground of all manifestation.