Meaning:
Gaurī-nirantara-vibhūṣita-vāmabhāgam .
Nārāyaṇapriyam anaṅgamadāpahāraṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..1..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, whose matted locks are made beautiful by the waves of the Ganga, whose left side is beautified by goddess Parvati, who is dear to Lord Vishnu and who destroyed the pride of Kama.
Vācāmagocaram anekaguṇasvarūpaṁ
Vāgīśa-viṣṇu-surasevitapādapīṭham .
Vāmeṇa vigrahavareṇa kalatravantaṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..2..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, who cannot be described through words, who is the embodiment of many qualities, whose feet are are worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu and the gods, and who has his spouse as his left part.
Bhūtādipaṁ bhujagabhūṣaṇa-bhūṣitāṅgaṁ
Vyāghrājināmbaradharaṁ jaṭilaṁ trinetram .
Pāśāṅkuśābhaya-varaprada-śūlapāṇiṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..3..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, who is the leader of ghosts, who is decorated with snake ornaments, who wears tiger-skin clothes, who has matted hair and three eyes,and who holds the elephant .
Śītāṁśuśobhita-kireeṭa-virājamānaṁ
Phālekṣaṇānala-viśoṣita-pañcabāṇam .
Nāgādhipāracita-bhāsura-karṇapūraṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..4..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, who shines with the moon as his crown, who by the fire of his third eye burnt the god of love, and who wears the best among snakes as his earrings.
Pañcānanaṁ durita-mattamataṅgajānāṁ
Nāgāntakaṁ danujapuṅgava-pannāgānām .
Dāvānalaṁ maraṇaśoka-jarāṭavīnāṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..5..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, who is like the lion who kills the mad elephants of sin, who is the killer of the snakes of demons, and who is the forest fire unto the forest of death, sorrow and old age.
Tejomayaṁ saguṇanirguṇaṁ advitīyaṁ
Ānandakandaṁ aparājitaṁ aprameyam .
Nāgātmakaṁ sakalaniṣkalaṁ atmarūpaṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..6..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, who is brilliant, who has all qualities and no qualities, who has no parallel, who is the cloud of happiness, who cannot be defeated, who cannot be gauged, who can and cannot be divided, and who is the soul within.
Rāgādidoṣarahitaṁ svajanānurāgaṁ
Vairāgyaśāntinilayaṁ girijāsahāyaṁ .
Mādhuryadhairyasubhagaṁ garalābhirāmaṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..7..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, who does not have defects like desire, who loves his people, who is the house of peace and dispassion, who is accompanied by Parvati, who shines with sweetness and courage, and who(se neck) is the store of poison.
Āśaaṁ vihaaya parihṛtya parasya nindāṁ
Pāpe ratiṁ ca sunivārya manassamādhau .
Ādhāya hṛtkamalamadhyagataṁ pareśaṁ
Vārāṇasīpurapatiṁ bhaja viśvanātham ..8..
Worship Shiva, the lord of Varanasi, after removing desire, stopping criticism of others, giving up the enjoyment of sin, keeping the mind in meditation, and keeping the supreme lord in the lotus of your heart.
This hymn was composed by Vyasa.
Notes
This hymn has been composed in praise of Vishvanatha, the presiding deity of the city of Varanasi. The city is called Varanasi because it is situated at the confluence of the two rivers Varana and Asi. The city is some 3500 years old, claiming to be the oldest living city. The temple and the city are very sacred spots. A visit to the temple and a bath in the river Ganga is believed to give one assured liberation. People from all over the nation try to visit the city at least once in their lifetime.
The temple is considered one of the twelve jyotirlinga temples in India. The original temple was destroyed by Muhammad Ghori in 1194 and rebuilt in the 1200s. Aurangazeb destroyed the temple in 1669 and built a mosque over it. The current structure was built by the Maratha queen Ahalyabai Holkar from 1833 to 1840. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ruler of Punjab, donated gold for the reconstruction.