Sarala Mahabharata

Sarala Das retold the Mahabharata—the great Indian epic—in Odia in fifteenth century with remarkable ingenuity. He wove new stories and characters into his Mahabharata, interpreted significant events and actions in his own way, while retaining the broad framework of the epic narrative. Here some excerpts from Sarala Mahabharata in English translation by Supriya Prasanta…

Prayer to Lord Ganesh

Hail to you, O lord,
The embodiment of auspiciousness
You're the destroyer of obstructions
With your blessings
One gets accomplishment in all endeavours.

The dispeller of all troubles
Hail to you O elephant-faced lord
Hail to you, the lord of yogis,
supreme blissful son of Parvati.
Like a lotus beautiful is your face
You give boons to devotees
O Lord! You're a living presence.

You're the supreme brahman,
The Lord of yogis
Your elephant face rubbed with sindoor
smash the pride of Yama,
And remove all sins and sorrows.

Hail to you, O carrier of moon over your head
Hail to you O accomplished bellied-lord.
Hail to you lord, the protector of all
Hail to you O lord, who gives salvation.

***
(from Adi Parva, Sarala Mahabharata )
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