saundaryalaharI - 1 (contd.)

[Guest guest]

shri lalite namah

 

Just like the first four brahma sUtrAs lay the foundation

for all brahma sUtrAs, this first verse lays the foundation

for the rest of saundaryalaharI.

 

shri shankara starts this stotra with the auspicious expression

shiva, thereby providing a benedictory address to the Supreme Being.

shiva refers here to the nirguNa brahman, described in the shruti

as neti, neti and as avyaktam etc. That is ungraspable by sense organs,

uninferrable and incomprehensible to the mind.

 

shakti is the primordial energy latent in the undifferentiated,

all-pervading consciousness. It is this energy that manifests itself

after each praLaya. There is a mutual association between shiva and

shakti (avinAbhAvasambandhah tasmAtbindu-trikoNayoh: ShrIlalitAtrishatI).

Both are inseparable and are abheda. i.e. shakti is not different from

shiva.

 

Word shiva is derived from vashakAntau.

 

[ hiMsidhAto ssimhashabdo vashakAntau shivasmr^tah

varNavyatyAt ssiddhau pashyakah kashyapo yathA

 

siMha is derived from hiMsi, and shiva is derived from vasha by inversion

of the alphabets. Similarly kashyapa is derived from pashyakah ]

 

vashati means one who brightens, that is who is self-effulgent, i.e. one

who brightens the whole jagat inside Him. Such shiva who has united with

the divine Mother has the ability to create the world. If He is not united,

He would not have the ability even to stir (vibrate).

 

The implied meaning is: parabrahman, without form, would not have even the

vibration or movement.

 

The direct meaning can be taken as follows: shiva and shakti are husband

and wife. Only if the husband is united with the wife, there will be

offspring in the form of jagat. Without this union with the wife, there

cannot be offspring.

 

shiva may also be stated as one without any of the three anxieties caused

by birth, death, hunger etc. Such shiva is sarvama~NgaLarUpa. When that

shiva is united with shakti, then He will be equipped with the ability

of kartum, akartum, anyathAkartum (to do, not to do, to do in another way).

 

The spandana referred in this verse is the desire to create and the

manifestation of the static energy (shakti) into its kinetic or dynamic

aspect.

 

Hari-hara-viri~ncyAdibhih: It is very appropriate to recognize that shri

mAtA is eligible to be worshiped by vishNu, Ishwara and brahma and other

lesser Gods. This will be emphasized many more times in the latter verses.

The word 'Adi' here is interpreted to mean the other devatAs of the lower

rung and probably also the well-known devI-upAsakAs. In mAnasollAsa, it is

stated

 

vishNuh shivah surajyeShTho manushcandro dhanAdhipah

lopAmudrA tathAgastyah skandah kusumasAyakah

surAdhIsho rouhiNeyo dattAtreyo mahAmunih

durvAsA iti vikhyAtA ete mukhyA upAsakAh

 

vishNu, shiva, surajyeShTha brahmA, manu, candra, kubera, lopAmudrA,

agastya, skanda, manmatha, indra, balarAma, dattAtreya mahAmunI, durvAsA:

all these are the well-known devI upAsakAs.

 

There are other gods who are worshiped by people. These gods can satisfy

the devotees' wishes and lead them to moksha only by these gods themselves

worshiping shri devI. Therefore, Shri devI may be considered the only one

who can bestow bhuktI and muktI.

 

'Adi' may also be interpreted as referring to the vedAs.

 

praNantum is a bodily worship; to bow. The letter pra refers to doing

worship by manasA, vAcA, kAyA.

 

stotum vA: For one who is incapable of these three modes of worship,

at least praising or stotra is suggested.

 

The verse also means that hari, hara and brahma, left to themselves

are not capable of their respective duties (sustenance, destruction

and creation) and shrI devI is the main cause for these duties

(layasthityudbhaveshwarI: ShrilalitAtrishatI)

 

Therefore to worship shri devI, or do stuti, the one eligible is that

person who has accumulated puNya through many many lives. The one who

is akr^tapuNya is not eligible.

 

shiva and shakti are inseparable and there is no distinction between

them. kUrma purANa says:

 

shakti shaktimatorbhedam vadantyaparamArthatah

abhedamanupashyanti yoginah tattvacintakAh

 

AparamArthikAs ascribe difference between shiva and shakti. But that

cannot be so. shiva is shaktiyukta. shiva is shakti and shakti is shiva.

(mr^dvAn ghaTah: the one that has clay is the pot; tantumAn paTah: the

one with cotton thread is the cloth). No distinction. Some devotees'

attempts to distinguish between shiva and shakti is because of their

past vAsanAs.

 

kAlidAsA's cidgaganacandrika has this verse:

 

amba tAvaka padadvayArcaka stvanmayo bhavati nAtra vismayah

yah tvayaiva vivasho vashIkr^tah shaktireva samabhUh shivasvayam

 

O ambA, the one who worships your feet becomes engrossed in them.

There is no surprise in that. shiva is vivasha and vashIkr^ta and

is the same as shakti.

 

The identity between shiva and shakti will be brought out further

in the latter verses.

 

[My presentation here follows the four commentaries for which I

gave reference in an earlier post. My knowledge of saundaryalaharI

is limited. I notice there are many scholars of saundaryalaharI on

this List. I leave it to these learned members to bring in additional

points on this great stotra. Also, you would notice that I am leaving

some sanskrit words untranslated into english. That is because I think

the sanskrit word gives the right emphasis in the thought and there is

no appropriate single english word to express that thought. namaste.]

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

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