aananda saagara stavaH - Verse 8

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In this verse shrii dikshitaa wonders at the amount of

effort one has to put to master the veda-s and especially

upaniShad-s.

 

ekaikavedaviSayaaH kati naama shaakhaa-

staasaaM shiraaMsi kati nama pR^ithagvidhaani.

arthaavabodhavidhuro.axaralaabha eva

keSaaM nR^iNaaM katibhirastu shariirabandhaiH ..8..

 

 

For each of the vedas (ekaika veda vishayaaH) how many (kati

naama) branches (shaakaaH) are there? By this question it is implied

that there a large number of branches. For each of these shAkas

(taasaaM pR^thigvidhaani) how many (kati naama) upaniShad-s are there?

Without understanding the meaning (arthaavabodhavidhuraH), just to

learn the texts and chanting (akShara laabha eva), to how many

(keshaam nR^iNaaM) and in how many births (katibhiH shariirabandhaiH)

it will happen (astu)?

 

Each veda has many branches and each has many upanishhads, this

makes it exceedingly difficult for one to master it all. Even forget

understanding these, just to memorize and chant them, one may require

many many births (assuming there is the right atmosphere in each of these

conducive to learning these branches), if this is so, how can one learn all

these?

 

As it was pointed out in the last verse, shrii diikshitaa

is set on sharaNaagatI and is going to pick out problems with the

karma-bhakti-jnana marga-s on the way till he comes to the verse

"na jnAyate ma hitaM nitarAm upAyo" were he is going to surrender to

miinaakshii devii. It is interesting to note that learning one shAka

of one veda does not seem sufficient to shrii diikshitaa (which very

few manage to learn these days, probably one can count them with

numerals less than 1000!) and he emphasizes on learning all

upanishhads for pursuing the jnAna marga! It should be noted that shrii

diikshitaa is a shivaadvaitin (true to his grandfather appayya

diikshitaa).