Happy Birthday

The Shloka

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जन्मदिनमिदम् अयि प्रिय सखे ।

शं तनोतु ते सर्वदा मुदम् ॥

प्रार्थयामहे भव शतायुषी ।

ईश्वरस्सदा त्वां च रक्षतु ॥

पुण्य कर्मणा कीर्तिमर्जय ।

जीवनं तव भवतु सार्थकम् ॥

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Janmadinamidam ayi priya sakhe ।

Śaṃ tanotu te sarvadā mudam ॥

Prārthayāmahe bhava śatāyuṣī ।

Īśvarassadā tvāṃ ca rakṣatu ॥

Puṇya karmaṇā kīrtimarjaya ।

Jīvanaṃ tava bhavatu sārthakam ॥

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Meaning / Summary

This shloka is a beautiful and comprehensive blessing for a friend on their birthday. It emphasizes not only longevity and divine protection but also the importance of living a life of purpose, virtue, and service to others. It signifies the wish for holistic well-being – physical, emotional, and moral – encouraging the individual to make their existence impactful and memorable through good actions.

O dear friend, may this birthday always bring you well-being and joy. We pray that you may live a hundred years, and may God always protect you. Earn fame through virtuous deeds, and may your life be meaningful.

This shloka offers heartfelt birthday wishes to a dear friend, praying for their lasting joy, health, and a long life of a hundred years. It invokes divine protection and encourages the friend to achieve fame through righteous actions, thereby making their life meaningful and purposeful.

This Sanskrit shloka is a profound and traditional way to convey birthday greetings and blessings. It begins with a direct address to a ‘dear friend,’ acknowledging ‘this birthday’ as the occasion for the wishes. The first line of blessing is for the birthday to ‘always spread well-being and joy,’ indicating a wish not just for transient happiness on the day itself, but for a continuous flow of prosperity, health, and cheer throughout the coming year and beyond. The shloka then moves to a prayer for ‘longevity,’ specifically wishing for a life of ‘a hundred years’ (śatāyuṣī), a common and auspicious blessing in Indian culture signifying a full and complete lifespan. Following this, it invokes ‘divine protection,’ asking ‘God to always protect you,’ highlighting a reliance on a higher power for safety and guidance. The final part of the blessing shifts focus from what is wished upon the individual to what the individual should strive for: ‘Earn fame through virtuous deeds.’ This is an exhortation to live a life of integrity, righteousness, and positive contributions, suggesting that true recognition comes from good actions. It concludes with the ultimate wish: ‘May your life be meaningful,’ encapsulating the idea that beyond joy, long life, and protection, the greatest blessing is a life lived with purpose and significance, leaving a positive impact.

Sentence - 1

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जन्मदिनमिदम् अयि प्रिय सखे ।

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Meaning

O dear friend, this birthday (of yours).

Meaning of Words

जन्मदिनम्	janmadinam
Birthday The day of one’s birth; a celebration of the anniversary of a person’s birth.
इदम्	idam	This Referring to the current, present occasion.
अयि	ayi
O (an interjection of address) A vocative particle used to address someone, similar to ‘O’ or ‘Hey’.
प्रिय	priya	Dear Beloved, cherished, or held in high regard.
सखे	sakhe
Friend A companion, an intimate acquaintance, one with whom one shares affection and trust. This is the vocative form of ‘sakhi’.

Sentence - 2

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शं तनोतु ते सर्वदा मुदम् ॥

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Meaning

May it always spread well-being and joy to you.

Meaning of Words

शम्	śam
Well-being, auspiciousness, happiness A state of comfort, health, and happiness; good fortune; a blessing.
तनोतु	tanotu
May it spread, may it extend, may it bring A verb in the imperative mood, conveying a wish or a command for something to expand, grow, or be bestowed.
ते	te
To you The dative or genitive case of ‘you’, indicating possession or recipient of an action.
सर्वदा	sarvadā
Always At all times, perpetually, without cessation.
मुदम्	mudam
Joy, happiness A feeling of great pleasure and happiness, delight, cheerfulness.

Sentence - 3

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प्रार्थयामहे भव शतायुषी ।

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Meaning

We pray that you may live a hundred years (be long-lived).

Meaning of Words

प्रार्थयामहे	prārthayāmahe
We pray, we wish A first-person plural verb indicating a collective act of asking earnestly or making a sincere request.
भव	bhava
May you be, become An imperative verb, expressing a wish for someone to exist or to become a certain way.
शतायुषी	śatāyuṣī
One who lives a hundred years, long-lived Composed of ‘śata’ (hundred) and ‘āyuṣ’ (life), meaning possessing a life of a hundred years; a blessing for longevity.

Sentence - 4

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ईश्वरस्सदा त्वां च रक्षतु ॥

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Meaning

And may God always protect you.

Meaning of Words

ईश्वरः	īśvaraḥ
God, Lord The Supreme Being, the ruler, the master, referring to a divine entity.
सदा	sadā	Always
त्वाम्	tvām
You The accusative case of ‘you’, indicating the direct object of an action.
च	ca	And
रक्षतु	rakṣatu
May He protect A verb in the imperative mood, conveying a wish or a command for someone to guard, defend, or keep safe.

Sentence - 5

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पुण्य कर्मणा कीर्तिमर्जय ।

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Meaning

Earn fame through virtuous deeds.

Meaning of Words

पुण्य	puṇya
Virtuous, meritorious Good, righteous, holy, or leading to spiritual merit.
कर्मणा	karmaṇā
By deeds, by actions The instrumental singular form of ‘karma’, meaning ‘by means of actions’ or ‘through one’s efforts’.
कीर्तिम्	kīrtim
Fame, glory Reputation, renown, honor, or public acclaim achieved through notable actions.
अर्जय	arjaya
Earn, acquire An imperative verb meaning to gain, obtain, or accumulate something, typically through effort.

Sentence - 6

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जीवनं तव भवतु सार्थकम् ॥

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Meaning

May your life be meaningful.

Meaning of Words

जीवनम्	jīvanam
Life The state of being alive, existence, or the duration of one’s existence.
तव	tava
Your The genitive case of ‘you’, indicating possession.
भवतु	bhavatu
May it be An imperative verb, expressing a wish for something to happen or exist.
सार्थकम्	sārthakam
Meaningful, fruitful, purposeful Having purpose or significance, achieving its intended goal, productive, or worthwhile.

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