Introduction: Gujarati translation and transliteration of prayers.

    

Death in our community is not a time for loneliness and mourning alone, this is a time that the immediate family is embraced and supported. For 13 days, family, friends, and community members come together. At the home of the deceased, a photo with a garland is displayed and a ghee diwo (light) is lit. Every evening, visitors who are paying their respects come and gather and specific prayers are sung usually one hour long. These prayers are sung in unison and from a prayer book. Over the years, an English transliteration of the Gujarati prayers was made for those wishing to participate but not having a strong grasp of Gujarati. These books have been so helpful but sometimes filled with mistakes and missing words in the transliteration.

    For the last 10 years, I have been working on bringing the transliterations up to par and also finding the translations of what we are singing/chanting. Most of the content has been found on the internet with countless hours of searching. The transliterations are done from comparing multiple sources and then using my basic knowledge of Sanskrti and Gujarati. I am presenting what I have been able to do and hope to continue the effort through the help of individuals who have a mastery of the language. 

    Each prayer is individually posted to make the blog easier to navigate. In some time, I will gather it all up and create a printable PDF so its more accessible also. 

    Finally, As a first time blogger, I’m still learning the ropes and managing all this, so please be kind and compassionate. Om Sai Ram.