The second part seems to come from a longer prayer to Patanjali, widely recited and probably dating back to the 18th century. Patanjali, as the author of the Yoga Sutras, is seen as the chief among great teachers and in this sloka as an incarnation of Adisesa (Siva). He is described in a symbolic incarnation as white, with a thousand heads; gods are often represented with a many-headed cobra rising behind their heads as a protective canopy. He is holding the conch, used as a musical instrument to ward off demons and representing infinite space. The discus is a spinning wheel of light (a chakra), symbolic of the cycle of life and death and also of infinite time. The sword represents wisdom, knowledge and discrimination battling against ignorance. BKS lyengar quotes this same verse as an invocatory prayer both at the beginning of his seminal text Light on Yoga and in his more recent Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The closing manna is derived from the popular Indian epic The Ramayana. The translation given here is very literal. Cows and Brahmins are regarded as sacred and hence the prayer for their prosperity. Happiness, health and well-being are wished upon all of mankind and the natural world. People in positions of power are urged to follow the “right path” and do their duty by ruling wisely and well.
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