Shanti/Ashtangi
Ray of Light (CD). #8 Shanti/Ashtangi.
Written by Madonna and William Orbit.
Produced by Madonna and William Orbit.
Adapted from text by Shankaracharya taken from Yoga Taravali.
Additional text: Traditional.
Translation by Vyaas Houston and Eddie Steve, American Sanskrit Institute.
English translation:
I worship the gurus' [!] lotus feet
awakening the happiness of the self revealed
beyond comparison
working like the jungle physician
To pacify loss of consciousness from the poison of existence.
In the form of a man upto the shoulders
having a conch, discuss, and sword
thousand headed white
I bow respectfully
Peace.
Copyright 1998 Music Corp. Wabo - Girl Publishing, Inc.
Administered by W B Music Corp. ASCAP in the US , Canada.
World famous rock star, Madonna sings Shanti/Ashtangi at the 1998 MTV Music Awards. When you listen to this song pay special attention to how at the end OM merges into eternity. How it is rendered in the original.
Ashtangi meaning:
8 fold
8 pants
8 limbs
Another translation: by Dr. Nagar
I bow down to the lotus feet of my guru, which have guided me to learn how to derive eternal pleasure through my own self, in order to attain salvation--release from the bondage of the cycle of birth and death--the summum bonum. They have acted like a physician, who is adept in the art of curing deadly snake poison of samsara--the delusion caused by the destructive phenomena of this illusive world.
