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Mani Karnika Ashtakam

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  • verse 1
    त्वत्तीरे मणिकर्णिके हरिहरौ सायुज्यमुक्तिप्रदौवादन्तौ कुरुतः परस्परमुभौ जन्तोः प्रयाणोत्सवे ।मद्रूपो मनुजोऽयमस्तु हरिणा प्रोक्तः शिवस्तत्क्षणा-त्तन्मध्याद्भृगुलाञ्छनो गरुडगः पीताम्बरो निर्गतः ॥ 1 ॥
    tvattīrē maṇikarṇikē hariharau sāyujyamuktipradauvādantau kurutaḥ parasparamubhau jantōḥ prayāṇōtsavē ।madrūpō manujō'yamastu hariṇā prōktaḥ śivastatkṣaṇā-ttanmadhyādbhṛgulāñChanō garuḍagaḥ pītāmbarō nirgataḥ ॥ 1 ॥
    meaning

    On your banks, O Manikarnika, Hari and Hara together discuss the soul's journey at the moment of death, bestowing liberation (sayujya mukti). Shiva says to Hari, 'Let this being be like me!' — and immediately from within, the one bearing Bhrigu's mark (Vishnu), riding Garuda, in yellow robes, emerged.

  • verse 2
    इन्द्राद्यास्त्रिदशाः पतन्ति नियतं भोगक्षये ये पुन-र्जायन्ते मनुजास्ततोपि पशवः कीटाः पतङ्गादयः ।ये मातर्मणिकर्णिके तव जले मज्जन्ति निष्कल्मषाःसायुज्येऽपि किरीटकौस्तुभधरा नारायणाः स्युर्नराः ॥ 2 ॥
    indrādyāstridaśāḥ patanti niyataṃ bhōgakṣayē yē puna-rjāyantē manujāstatōpi paśavaḥ kīṭāḥ pataṅgādayaḥ ।yē mātarmaṇikarṇikē tava jalē majjanti niṣkalmaṣāḥsāyujyē'pi kirīṭakaustubhadharā nārāyaṇāḥ syurnarāḥ ॥ 2 ॥
    meaning

    Indra and the gods inevitably fall when their merit is exhausted and are reborn as humans, then as animals, insects, and other creatures. But those who, O Mother Manikarnika, bathe in your sacred waters, are freed of all impurity and attain the state of Narayana himself, wearing the crown and Kaustubha gem.

  • verse 3
    काशी धन्यतमा विमुक्तनगरी सालङ्कृता गङ्गयातत्रेयं मणिकर्णिका सुखकरी मुक्तिर्हि तत्किङ्करी ।स्वर्लोकस्तुलितः सहैव विबुधैः काश्या समं ब्रह्मणाकाशी क्षोणितले स्थिता गुरुतरा स्वर्गो लघुत्वं गतः ॥ 3 ॥
    kāśī dhanyatamā vimuktanagarī sālaṅkṛtā gaṅgayātatrēyaṃ maṇikarṇikā sukhakarī muktirhi tatkiṅkarī ।svarlōkastulitaḥ sahaiva vibudhaiḥ kāśyā samaṃ brahmaṇākāśī kṣōṇitalē sthitā gurutarā svargō laghutvaṃ gataḥ ॥ 3 ॥
    meaning

    Kashi is the most blessed city of liberation, adorned by the Ganga. Here Manikarnika is the giver of happiness; liberation is merely her servant. When Brahma weighed heaven against Kashi with all the gods as witnesses, Kashi on this earth proved heavier and heaven became light.

  • verse 4
    गङ्गातीरमनुत्तमं हि सकलं तत्रापि काश्युत्तमातस्यां सा मणिकर्णिकोत्तमतमा येत्रेश्वरो मुक्तिदः ।देवानामपि दुर्लभं स्थलमिदं पापौघनाशक्षमंपूर्वोपार्जितपुण्यपुञ्जगमकं पुण्यैर्जनैः प्राप्यते ॥ 4 ॥
    gaṅgātīramanuttamaṃ hi sakalaṃ tatrāpi kāśyuttamātasyāṃ sā maṇikarṇikōttamatamā yētrēśvarō muktidaḥ ।dēvānāmapi durlabhaṃ sthalamidaṃ pāpaughanāśakṣamaṃpūrvōpārjitapuṇyapuñjagamakaṃ puṇyairjanaiḥ prāpyatē ॥ 4 ॥
    meaning

    All the shores of the Ganga are supremely holy; among them Kashi is superior; within Kashi, Manikarnika is the most supreme, where Ishvara grants liberation. This place, which can destroy multitudes of sins, is difficult to attain even for the gods and is reached only by those of accumulated merit.

  • verse 5
    दुःखाम्भोधिगतो हि जन्तुनिवहस्तेषां कथं निष्कृतिःज्ञात्वा तद्धि विरिञ्चिना विरचिता वाराणसी शर्मदा ।लोकाःस्वर्गसुखास्ततोऽपि लघवो भोगान्तपातप्रदाःकाशी मुक्तिपुरी सदा शिवकरी धर्मार्थमोक्षप्रदा ॥ 5 ॥
    duḥkhāmbhōdhigatō hi jantunivahastēṣāṃ kathaṃ niṣkṛtiḥjñātvā taddhi viriñchinā virachitā vārāṇasī śarmadā ।lōkāḥsvargasukhāstatō'pi laghavō bhōgāntapātapradāḥkāśī muktipurī sadā śivakarī dharmārthamōkṣapradā ॥ 5 ॥
    meaning

    Knowing that all creatures are immersed in the ocean of suffering and asking how they can find deliverance, Brahma created the bliss-giving Varanasi. The joys of heaven are minor and lead to rebirth after merit is exhausted; Kashi is the city of liberation, ever auspicious, granting dharma, artha, and moksha.

  • verse 6
    एको वेणुधरो धराधरधरः श्रीवत्सभूषाधरःयोऽप्येकः किल शङ्करो विषधरो गङ्गाधरो माधवः ।ये मातर्मणिकर्णिके तव जले मज्जन्ति ते मानवाःरुद्रा वा हरयो भवन्ति बहवस्तेषां बहुत्वं कथम् ॥ 6 ॥
    ēkō vēṇudharō dharādharadharaḥ śrīvatsabhūṣādharaḥyō'pyēkaḥ kila śaṅkarō viṣadharō gaṅgādharō mādhavaḥ ।yē mātarmaṇikarṇikē tava jalē majjanti tē mānavāḥrudrā vā harayō bhavanti bahavastēṣāṃ bahutvaṃ katham ॥ 6 ॥
    meaning

    He who plays the flute, who supports the earth, who wears the Shrivatsa mark (Vishnu) is one; and he who holds the serpent, who bears the Ganga, who is Madhava (Shiva) is one. Yet O Mother Manikarnika, those humans who bathe in your waters become many Rudras or many Haris — how can there be so many?

  • verse 7
    त्वत्तीरे मरणं तु मङ्गलकरं देवैरपि श्लाघ्यतेशक्रस्तं मनुजं सहस्रनयनैर्द्रष्टुं सदा तत्परः ।आयान्तं सविता सहस्रकिरणैः प्रत्युद्गतोऽभूत्सदापुण्योऽसौ वृषगोऽथवा गरुडगः किं मन्दिरं यास्यति ॥ 7 ॥
    tvattīrē maraṇaṃ tu maṅgaḻakaraṃ dēvairapi ślāghyatēśakrastaṃ manujaṃ sahasranayanairdraṣṭuṃ sadā tatparaḥ ।āyāntaṃ savitā sahasrakiraṇaiḥ pratyudgatō'bhūtsadāpuṇyō'sau vṛṣagō'thavā garuḍagaḥ kiṃ mandiraṃ yāsyati ॥ 7 ॥
    meaning

    Death on your banks, O Manikarnika, is auspicious and praised even by the gods. Indra (thousand-eyed) always strains to watch such a blessed soul depart. The Sun with his thousand rays comes forward to receive the approaching soul. Will such a blessed one — riding Nandi or Garuda — need to go to just any heaven?

  • verse 8
    मध्याह्ने मणिकर्णिकास्नपनजं पुण्यं न वक्तुं क्षमःस्वीयैरब्धशतैश्चतुर्मुखधरो वेदार्थदीक्षागुरुः ।योगाभ्यासबलेन चन्द्रशिखरस्तत्पुण्यपारङ्गत-स्त्वत्तीरे प्रकरोति सुप्तपुरुषं नारायणं वा शिवम् ॥ 8 ॥
    madhyāhnē maṇikarṇikāsnapanajaṃ puṇyaṃ na vaktuṃ kṣamaḥsvīyairabdhaśataiśchaturmukhadharō vēdārthadīkṣāguruḥ ।yōgābhyāsabalēna chandraśikharastatpuṇyapāraṅgata-stvattīrē prakarōti suptapuruṣaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ vā śivam ॥ 8 ॥
    meaning

    Even four-faced Brahma, the teacher who instructs in the meaning of the Vedas through hundreds of his own eons, is not capable of describing the merit of bathing at noon in Manikarnika. The moon-crested Shiva himself, through the power of yoga, conveys that merit to whomever sleeps peacefully here as Narayana or Shiva.

  • verse 9
    कृच्छ्रै कोटिशतैः स्वपापनिधनं यच्चाश्वमेधैः फलंतत्सर्वे मणिकर्णिकास्नपनजे पुण्ये प्रविष्टं भवेत् ।स्नात्वा स्तोत्रमिदं नरः पठति चेत्संसारपाथोनिधिंतीर्त्वा पल्वलवत्प्रयाति सदनं तेजोमयं ब्रह्मणः ॥ 9 ॥
    kṛchChrai kōṭiśataiḥ svapāpanidhanaṃ yachchāśvamēdhaiḥ phalaṃtatsarvē maṇikarṇikāsnapanajē puṇyē praviṣṭaṃ bhavēt ।snātvā stōtramidaṃ naraḥ paṭhati chētsaṃsārapāthōnidhiṃtīrtvā palvalavatprayāti sadanaṃ tējōmayaṃ brahmaṇaḥ ॥ 9 ॥
    meaning

    Phala-shruti: All the merit from hundreds of crores of austerities for destroying one's own sins, and all the fruit of Ashvamedha sacrifices, enters into the merit born from bathing at Manikarnika. Whoever bathes and recites this hymn will cross the ocean of samsara as if it were a mere puddle and reach the luminous abode of Brahman.

Primary text from vignanam.org