On Adisankara's Mathrupanchakam Poem by Indira Renganathan

Nor can Thee be exempted o'saint
Renounced mind of heart renounce can not
Begotten flesh and blood thine lament
Despite knowing Thee thou mother transcient

Cathartic thine feelings as thou mother's
Yelling out in labour-pain for the gods
Loaded soul thine evacuant of truths
Ineffectual plies of gratefulness
Diligently reciprocated in prostrations

Denudes thee thou saintly fame
Attired of thou mother's cajoling frame
Out bursting thou mother's raising pain
A sacred fetus cradled towards saintly fame
And thou renounced robes do acclaim
An appraisal elegiacally of thou mother aflame

Hey Guru,
Even Goddess supreme even out can not be
Such be motherhood godly
Intolerable her demise literally
Thou sovereign reverence added teaching morally

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Mathrupanchakam by Adi Sankara Bhagavat Pada
Translated by P. R. Ramachander -

1.aasthaam tavaddeyam prasoothi samaye durvara soola vyadha,
nairuchyam thanu soshanam malamayee sayya cha samvatsaree,
ekasyapi na garbha bara bharana klesasya yasya kshmo dhathum,
nishkruthimunnathopi thanaya tasya janyai nama.

Oh mother mine,
With clenched teeth bore thou the excruciating pain,
When I was born to you,
Shared thou the bed made dirty by me for an year,
And thine body became thin and painful,
During those nine months that you bore me,
For all these in return,
Oh mother dearest,
I can never compensate,
Even by my becoming great.

2.gurukulamupasruthya swapnakaale thu drushtwa,
yathi samuchitha vesham praarudho maam twamuchai
gurukulamadhasarva prarudathe samaksham
sapadhi charanayosthe mathurasthu pranaama.

Clad in a dress of a sanyasin,
You saw me in my teacher's school,
In your dream and wept,
And rushed thither,
Smothered, embraced and fondled me, Oh mother mine,
And all the teachers and students wept with you dear,
What could I do,
Except falling at your feet,
And offering my salutations.

3.na dattam mathasthe marana samaye thoyamapi vaa,
swadhaa vaa no dheyaa maranadivase sraadha vidhina
na japtho mathasthe marana samaye tharaka manu,
akale samprapthe mayi kuru dhayaam matharathulaam.

Neither did I give you water at thine time of death,
Neither did I offer oblations to thee to help thine journey of death,
And neither did I chant the name of Rama in thine ear,
Oh Mother supreme, pardon me for these lapses with compassion,
For I have arrived here late to attend to those.

4.mukthaa manisthvam, nayanam mamethi,
rajethi jeevethi chiram sthutha thwam,
ithyuktha vathya vaachi mathaa,
dadamyaham thandulamesh shulkam.

Long live,
Oh, pearl mine,
Oh jewel mine,
Oh my dearest eyes,
Oh mine prince dearest,
And oh my soul of soul,
Sang thou to me,
But in return of that all,
Oh my mother dearest.
I give you but dry rice in your mouth.

5.ambethi thathethi shivethi tasmin,
prasoothikale yadavocha uchai,
krishnethi govinda hare mukunde tyaho,
janye rachito ayamanjali.

Oh mother mine,
Crying thou shouted in pain,
During thine hard labour,
"Oh mother, Oh father,
Oh God Shiva,
Oh Lord Krishna,
Oh Lord of all, Govinda,
Oh Hari and Oh God Mukunda, "
But in return,
Oh my mother dearest.
I can give you but humble prostrations.