"Annapurne sadapoorne" by Vidya Jayaram

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With respects,

Ravi

 

 

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"Annapurne sadapoorne"

 

by

 

Vidya Jayaram

 

Annapurna ,the form of ambaa at Kashi has a special significance in

the life of Shri.Dikshitar,for it is on her banks were the years that

shaped this great soul spent.It is said that his guru Chidambaanatha

yogi adviced him to hold this devi in his heart as she not only gives

the food that sustains the body but also the ambrosia of jnana that

nourishes the soul.It is this bhiksha that Shankara asks as "GYAana

vairAgya siddhyarthaM bhikshAM dehI ca pArvatI ".The story goes that

Dikshitar got a darshan of svarna Annapoorni on Narakacaturdashi [ it

is on this da that she can be seen at Kashi) before he shed his mortal

vesture.

 

Dikshitar has composed 2 kritis on Annapurna - one on the deity at

Kuzhikkarai ( Annapoorne - Sama) and another on the deity at kAshi

..Ehi annapoorne (Punnagavarali).

 

In the kriti Annapoorne, Dikshitar hails her as "annapoorne

vishalakshi akhila bhuvana sakshi katakshi". Indeed is she not the

parabrahman,the proverbial other bird of the upanishadic precept "dvA

suparNA" and the witness to this universe? In the anpallavi he says

that she dwells in the hallowed garthatheera "unnatha garthatheera

vihAriNi".Garthatheera or Kuzhikkarai near Tiruvarur is also known as

madhyakashi. She is also "AumkAriNi"- In the upanishad of the

sAmaveda(kena) the divine mother UMA is said to be the form of the

mystic pranava embodying the component sylables A,U & M.Thus she is

the primordial power 'purANi'.

 

As parabrahmahishi she delights vishweshwara( 'parameshvara

vishveshvara bhAsvari').She is 'duritADi nivAriNi' - the remover of

difficulties.It is said,"Apadi kiM karaNiyaM ? ramaNIyaM

caraNayugalamambAyAM".What should be done in difficulty -The feet of

our divine mother sould be rememebered.

 

In the caraNam we come to the sagunopAsana.This remind us of the

dhyAna shloka of the Annapurna ,the upAnga devata of LalitAmbikA.It

says "I worship the Devi who has a golden ladle in her right hand,who

holds in her left hand a vessel of precious stones containing rice

cooked in milk ,who doles out food to her devotees and whose body is

resplendent gold and who is decked with golden jewels and garlands.

 

This Dikshitar gives in a nutshell as, "paayasaanna poorita maanIkya

paatra hemadarvI vidruta kare"and "kaancana maya

bhooshanaambharadhare" and follows up with a list of divinity-devotees

including manmata( kAyajAdi rakshana nipuNatare) ,Brahma (toyajAsanAdi

sevitha pare), and tumburu and nArada( tumburu nAradAdi nuta vare).

 

She is "trayaatita moksha prada cature".In a general sense it can be

interpreted as the one who bestows 'moksha' the fourth purushartha

beyond dharma,artha and kAma.It remind us also of verse 97 of

AnandaLahari which says "turiyakapi tvaam" meaning "thou art really

the transcendant fourth" .This turIya is nothing but the caturthaM

glorified in the MANdukya upanishad - the eternal sAkshi to the three

states.

 

She is also the one dear to guruguha,who shines forth as the three

words ('tripada shobhitha guruguha sAdare") "tat tvam asi" - the

mahAvAkya thou art that of the supreme self-realisation.