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bhaja-govindamshankaracharyamurarisamsara

පුනරපි ජනනං පුනරපි මරණම්

Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam in Sinhala · සිංහල

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 During quiet contemplation, evening prayer, or satsang·📜 Bhaja Govindam (Moha Mudgara), verse on rebirth and surrender
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Origin & Story

Bhaja Govindam (Moha Mudgara), verse on rebirth and surrender · Adi Shankaracharya · 8th century CE (circa 788-820)

This verse belongs to Adi Shankaracharya's Bhaja Govindam, the great hymn composed in Varanasi to awaken the soul from worldly delusion. After describing the fleeting nature of life, the body, and relationships, the hymn turns to the inescapable cycle of rebirth. Here Shankaracharya, in the voice of the longing soul, cries out to Murari for rescue, teaching that liberation comes not by one's own striving but by the Lord's boundless grace.

As told in scripture

Tradition holds that sincere recitation of this prayer of surrender, with tears of devotion, draws the immediate compassion of the Lord. Devotees through the ages have found that 'pahi murare' — 'save me, O Murari' — uttered with true longing, dissolves the fear of death and the burden of countless past lives.

The Mantra

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පුනරපි ජනනං පුනරපි මරණං පුනරපි ජනනීජඨරේ ශයනම් . ඉහ සංසාරේ බහුදුස්තාරේ කෘපයා(අ)පාරේ පාහි මුරාරේ ..

Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi jananijathare shayanam Iha samsare bahudustare kripayapare pahi murare

Meaning:Birth again, death again, again to lie in a mother's womb — this cycle of worldly existence (samsara) is so very hard to cross. O Murari, save me by your boundless grace!

Word-by-Word Meaning

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පුනරපි🔊PunarapiAgain and again, once more
ජනනං🔊JananamBirth
මරණං🔊MaranamDeath
ජනනීජඨරේ🔊Janani-jathareIn a mother's womb
ශයනම්🔊ShayanamLying, resting, sleeping
ඉහ🔊IhaHere, in this
සංසාරේ🔊SamsareIn the cycle of worldly existence (birth and death)
බහුදුස්තාරේ🔊Bahu-dustareVery hard to cross over
කෘපයා🔊KripayaBy (your) grace, mercy
අපාරේ🔊ApareBoundless, limitless
පාහි🔊PahiProtect (me), save (me)
මුරාරේ🔊MurareO Murari! (Krishna, the slayer of the demon Mura)

Benefits of Chanting Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam

Awakens deep vairagya (detachment) toward the cycle of birth and death

Teaches total surrender (sharanagati) to the Lord as the only refuge

A heartfelt prayer for liberation (moksha) from samsara

Soothes the fear of death by placing trust in Murari's boundless grace

Among the most beloved and easily memorized verses of Bhaja Govindam

Deepens devotion and the longing for the Lord's protection

How to Chant Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam

Repetitions11times
Best TimeDuring quiet contemplation, evening prayer, or satsang

Recite this verse slowly, feeling the weight of repeated births and deaths in the words 'punarapi... punarapi.' Let the final plea 'pahi murare' (save me, O Murari) rise from the heart as a genuine prayer of surrender. It may be repeated as a standalone prayer for refuge, or chanted within the full Bhaja Govindam.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam written in the Sinhala script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.
Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.
It means 'Birth again, death again' — describing the soul's endless wandering through samsara, being born, dying, and re-entering a mother's womb repeatedly. The verse ends with a plea to Murari (Krishna) to save the devotee by his boundless grace.
Murari is a name of Lord Krishna/Vishnu meaning 'the enemy (ari) of the demon Mura.' Here the devotee calls upon Murari as the compassionate Lord who alone can rescue one from the difficult ocean of birth and death.
It expresses, in just two lines, the entire predicament of the soul in samsara and the only solution — surrender to God's grace. Its rhythm and emotional power have made it one of the best-loved verses of Bhaja Govindam, often quoted on its own.
It is from Bhaja Govindam (also called Moha Mudgara), composed by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century CE. It appears among the later verses of the hymn as a culminating prayer of surrender.

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