Anusara is yoga with heart.

Translations of the Anusara Invocation

This English translation reflects a general sentiment of the actual Sanskrit words. The translation may work for singing.

 I open my heart to the power of Grace
That lives in us as goodness
That never is absent and radiates peace
And lights the way to transformation

This literal translation comes directly from the Anusara Teacher Training Manual used globally in our teacher training programs. This translation provides a bit more depth to each section of the Sanskrit stanzas.

Om

Namah Shivaya Gurave
I offer myself to the Light, the Auspicious One,
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
 Ultimately free and sparkles with a Divine luster .

Om

Here is another translation of the Anusara Invocation. This translation also comes from the Anusara Teacher Training manual. This translation deeply connects to Anusara yoga’s philosophy.

I bow to the presence of the Divine within
Our true and highest teacher
That lives in and around us as
Being, consciousness and bliss.
It is ever-present and radiates peace
Lighting the way to transformation.

Om

Word by Word Translation of Anusara Invocation

Enjoy a fuller review of the Sanskrit words used in the Anusara invocation and understand what each word means. The Anusara Invocation also connects to the Methodology of our global yoga school.

OM

A sacred syllable symbolizing the Absolute, the Universal Energy that lives in all of us. Om represents the “soundless sound,” the eternal vibration of life essence.  

As science has discovered, there is a constant subtle hum to the universe. Yogis know that 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 (practitioner of yoga)
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.”

Gurave

Gu means “darkness,” and ru means “remover,” or “destroyer.” 

Gurave 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 partner, your children, your dog, or even a place in nature that speaks to you.

Sat-chit-ananda

Literally, these three words from Sanskrit mean

• Being (sat)
• Consciousness (chit)
• Bliss (ananda). 

This phrase – satchitananda – 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

Murtaye literally means “image,” or “form.”  The word refers to images that invoke the qualities of expansion, peace, and balance. 

Murtaye can apply to literal images of Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, etc. or to inner visualizations such as the many visualization practices in Tibetan Buddhism.  The word 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 may 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. 

Spiritual traditions worldwide reference light as a symbol of the expanded Self and/or Divine.

Luminosity is an attribute of the life force (prana) and is an agent of transformation.

Enjoy learning about the Anusara Invocation from our extensive collection of free resources from our global yoga teaching community.

Enjoy these in-depth presentations from our Anusara Scholars and Subject Matter Specialists.

Enjoy this collection of videos of people chanting the Anusara Invocation from Anusara’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to enjoy additional free yoga continuing education and resources. As you play these videos, sing along to the Anusara invocation.

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