kAmAkshi -III

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kAmAkshi - III

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kaamaparipandhikaamini kaamesh_varii kaamapiiThamadhyagate .

kaamadudhaa bhava kamale kaamakale kaamakoTi kaamaakShii ..

 

 

Kanchi is the only mokshapuri in the south (Ayodhya, Madhura, Maya

(Haridwar), Kashi , Avantika, Dwaraka are the rest). Sri kAmAkshi amman

temple is situated almost at the center (bindu staana) of the city. Devi’s

naabi is said to have fallen here after daksha yagJNa giving raise to

kAmakoTi pITam.

 

Sri Kaamaakshi amman temple has four outer gopurams and three prAkArams.

Raja gopuram stands elegantly facing east and a bit inclined towards the

south. The main vimAna of Sri Kamakshi and Shankara have recently been gold

plated. shri mahAgaNapati is seated exquisitely at the entrance of the

second prAkAra. gAyatrI maNDapam where the innermost sanctum of Devi is

situated stands in the center surrounded by a raised pAkAram where parivaara

devataas reside.

 

In the sanctum sanctorum kAmAkshi Devi is seen as lalitA bearing kArmuka,

pushhpa bANa, pAsha & a.nkusha, seated in padmaasana. Sri chakra made of

salagraama-shila is engraved before Devi in a gomukhI surrounded by ashta

lakshmIs. vArAhI and shyAmaLA are enshrined on either side of kAmAkshi.

VArAhI sannidhi is on the right of the garbagruha and shyaamaLA has a

separate shrine on the left side of the first prAkAra. aruupa lakshmi has a

shrine near vArAhI. (Normally vArAhI is misunderstood as Vishu(varAha) and

shyAmalA as Sarasvati).

 

AnnapUraNi is enshrined in a separate maNdapam at the back. Sri dharmashastA

is elegantly seated with poorNa and pushhkalaa near Adi shankara.

 

A raised prAkAra more of a maNdapa style is seen before the sanctum which

enables amass gathering to have darshan. Sri utsava kAmAkshi is enshrined

here. She is seen in a standing posture with lakshmi and sarasvati on either

side. Sri durvAsa mahar^shi is seen on the left wall.

 

Diikshitar is said to have visited the temple every day during his stay in

kanchi. Apart from neerajaakshi kaamakshi in hindoLa, he has composed two

more krithis in praise of kAmAkshi, one in kamalAmanohari (manohari) and the

other in sarasvatiimanohari. (There are other krithis on kAmAkshi addressing

her as ‘Ekambresha nAyakI’, those were composed on Devi in Ekambreshwarar

temple. There are mela raaga krithis too on kAmAkshi dedicated to bangaaru

kAmAkshi at Tanjore).

 

The kamalAmanohari composition ‘ka~ncha dayalAyadAkShi’ has a lucid

anupallavi,

 

ku~njaragamane maNimaNDita ma~njuLacharaNe

mAmava shivapa~njarashuki pa~Nkajamukhi

guruguha ra~njani durita bha~njani nira~njani

 

The anupallavi verses, with a medium tempo, beautifully portrays devi

approaching her devotee with her maNimaNDita ma~njuLa charaNa in a ku~njara

gati to bless him. Devi is compared to a parrot in the cage of shiva

'shivapa~njarashuki'. Similar thought is expressed by kalidasa in the

opening verse of navaratnamaalaa 'om kaara pa~njarashuki'.

 

 

rAkAshashivadane suradane

rakShitamadane ratnasadane

shrIkA~nchanavasane surasane

shR^i~NgArAshrayamandahasane

 

Devi is hara netrAgni sa.ndagdha kAma sa.njIvanaushhadhiH (Who became the

life-giving medicine for manmadA, who was burned to ashes by the fire from

shiva's eye). She gave life to manmataa after destroying banDhaasuraa,

'rakShitamadane'. She takes her abide in the gem-studded shrine 'ratna

sadane' with a golden dress 'shrI kA~nchana vasane' with a reddish mouth

filled with taambuula 'su rasane'.

 

'shR^i~NgArAshrayamandahasane' - shR^i~NgAra rasa takes abide at her elegant

smile. Devi is the embodiment of all rasAs, in particular shR^i~NgAra.

saundaryalahari explains in detail the nava rasaas expressed by devi in

appropriate situations.

 

shive shR^iN^gaaraardraa taditarajane kutsanaparaa

saroShaa gaN^gaayaaM girishacarite vismayavatii .

haraahibhyo bhiitaa sarasiruha saubhaagyajayinii

sakhiiShu smeraa te mayi janani dR^iShTiH sakaruNaa .. 51..

 

 

Expert musicians used to render the different phrases of this shloka in

different raagas to depict the appropriate rasaas involved.

 

shive shR^iN^gaaraardraa - Ananda bhairavi

taditarajane kutsanaparaa - aTANA

saroShaa gaN^gaayaaM - kedAra gowLa

girishacarite vismayavatii - kamAs

haraahibhyo bhiitaa - pantuvaraaLi

sarasiruhasaubhaagyajayinii - kApi

sakhiiShu smeraa - kAnadA

he mayi janani dR^ishhTiShhTa sakaruNaa - sahAnA

 

 

 

rAgaM: kamalAmanohari .. ka~njadaLAyatAkShi .. tALaM: Adi

 

 

pallavi

 

ka~njadaLAyatAkShi kAmAkShi

kamalAmanohari tripurasundari

 

anupallavi

 

ku~njaragamane maNimaNDitama~njuLacharaNe

mAmava shivapa~njashuki pa~Nkajamukhi

guruguhara~njani duritabha~njani nira~njani

 

charaNaM

 

rAkAshashivadane suradane

rakShitamadane ratnasadane

shrIkA~nchanavasane surasane

shR^i~NgArAshrayamandahasane

ekAnekAkShari bhuvaneshvari

ekAnandAmR^itajhari bhAsvari

ekAgramanolayakari shrIkari

ekAmreshagR^iheshvari shaMkari

 

 

We find the trishati nAmA ekAnekAkSharAkR^itiH abbreviated as ekAnekAkShari.

Devi is ekAkSharI as well as anekAkSharI, she is in the form of one and

many.

 

Devi is Shabdabrahma swarUpiNi. PraNava is the AdiShabdha and only Shabda,

and hence she is praNavaswarUpiNI or ekAkShari. She is nAdarUpiNi or the

base cause of creation. All objects are set to constantly vibrate or produce

naada to retain their state,

‘naadabrahmamayiiM paraatparataraaM naanaarthatatvaatmikaaM’

and hence ekAkShari (Only one free from destruction 'kShara').

 

She is 'Adi kshaanta varNanakari', in the form of all shabdas from ‘a’ till

‘ksha’ and hence she is anekAkShari or mAtR^ukA swarUpiNi.

The celebrated 1000 as well as the celestial 300 are all a combination of

akSharas, and hence she is anekAkShari.

 

eka denotes the nirguNa nirAkAra swarUpa and anekA, ananta kalyANa guNas of

devi. She is both saguNa and NirguNa swarUpiNI.

 

'ekAnandAmR^itajhari' sounds like the trishati nAmA ‘ekAnandachidAkR^itiH’.

She is the undifferentiated bliss or ekAnandaamrutA in a boundless flow.

 

 

Another trishati nAmA ‘ekAgrachittanirdhyAtA’ is reformatted as

‘ekAgramanolayakari’, she unites in the single focused mind of a devote. She

is seen only when one wants to see none other than her. ‘laya’ denotes

perfect union. This is the ultimate ‘sri’ or pursuit that one attains and

hence she is ‘srikari’. Devi of such attributes is ‘ekAmreshagR^iheshvari’,

the mistress of ekAmbreshA. She is the dayA, kR^upA or the anugraHa shakti

of ekAmbreshA.

 

The krithi ends with the nAmA ‘shaMkari’ denoting the ‘mangaLa swarUpa’ of

devi.

 

 

 

 

rAgaM: sarasvatimanohari tALaM: Adi

 

pallavi

 

sarasvatI manohari shaMkari

sadAnandalahari gauri

 

anupallavi

 

sarasIruhAkShi sadAshivasAkShi

karuNAkaTAkShi pAhi kAmAkShi

muraharasodari mukhyakaumAri

mUkavAkpradAnakari modakari

 

charaNaM

 

akArAdyakShara svarUpiNi antaHkaraNarUpekShucApiNi

prakAsha paramAdvaitarUpiNi paretripurasundari chidrUpiNi

prakalpitapra pa~ncha prakAshini prasiddhaguruguhajanani pAshini

vikalpa jATilavishvAsini vijayakA~ncInagaranivAsini

 

 

The sarasvatI manohari krithi deals more with the vakdaana shakthi of devi.

KAmAkshi bestowing speech to a dumb person to bless us with mUkapanchashati

is stated as 'mUkavAkpradAnakari'. The naama anekakshari is well explained

in the statement 'akArAdyakShara svarUpiNi'.

 

The cane bow in her hand represents the antaHkaraNa tatva. We read in

Sahasranaama 'mano rUpekShu kodaNDA'. Devi's manas is madhura, represented

by a cane bow. Trishati commences, meditating on her ati madhura manas.

Diikshitar uses the phrase 'antaHkaraNa rUpekShu cApiNi' to denote this

tatva. Devi of such attributes is the non-dualistic shining truth 'prakAsha

paramAdvaita rUpiNi'.

 

 

sarasvatI manohari - O! kAmAkshi devi ! You delight the heart of sarasvati

 

sadAnandalahari - You are the ever lasting wave of bliss

 

gauri - You dispel darkness,

 

prakalpitapra pa~ncha prakAshini - Its you, who reside as the power in all

creation and illuminate them. This phrase can be better understood by

Shankara's verse,

 

naanaachchhidra ghaTodara sthitamahaadiipa prabhaabhaasvaraM

GYaanaM yasyatu chakshuraadi karaNadvaaraa bahiH spandate .

jaanaamiiti tameva bhaantam anubhaat yetatsamastaM jagat.h

 

'He who gleams through the senses like the light emanating from a pot with

holes bearing an illuminous lamp in it, He whose knowledge alone brings the

state of knowing the true self, He whose brightness makes everything shine.'

 

vikalpa jATila vish vAsini - Its you who is the cause of this maaya

prapancha,

 

vijaya kA~ncI nagara nivAsini- you dwell in the celestial city of kA~nchi,

 

sarasI ruhAkShi karuNAkaTAkShi - Devi of lotus eyes, please look at me with

you glance filled with kAruNya.

 

O! paradevate ! tripurasundari ! chidrUpiNi ! kAmAkshi ! pAhi pAhi pAhi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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