sarasvatii navaratna maalikaa

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... OM shrimAtre namaH..

 

Let us contemplate on sarasvati devi during this ’vasanta navaratri’. I

attempt to present a series on sarasvati kritis of Dikshitar and will resume

other postings after this series.

 

 

 

..praNo devI sarasvatI ..

 

yA kundendutushhAra-hAradhavalA yA shubhravastrAvR^itA

yA vINAvaradaNDamaNDitakarA yA shvetapadmAsanA .

yA brahmAchyutashaMkaraprabhR^itibhirdevaiH sadA pUjitA

sA mAM pAtu sarasvatI bhagavatI niHsheShajADyApahA ..

 

O! Supreme Goddess, who shine as resplendent as a Jasmine, Moon, and a

camphor garland, who is decorated in splendid white attire, who gently bears

the vINA in her hands, who is seated on a white lotus, Who is always

worshipped by brahma, viShNu, shankara and other celestials, that Supreme

Goddess ‘sarasvati’, who wipes off ignorance with out a trace, protect me.

 

Sarasvatii navaratna maalikaa

----------------------------

 

An elementary throb occurs due to the self-will of the unmanifested

absolute. It lingers as a series of vibrations creating ‘nAda’ resulting as

the universe with names and forms. This primordial vibration ‘Adya stamba’

described as the very source of creation ‘vAgeva vishvA bhuvanAni’ forms the

eternal Vedas. ‘vAk’ being the very element of the Vedic lore of knowledge

becomes ‘vagdevi’ with immense compassion, to facilitate meditation on her

divine form and to enable the meek to sing her glory. She blossoms from the

Vedic lake as sarasvati - veda saro jAtA. She is veda mAtA, veda svarUpiNi

as well as veda pratipAdyamAna brahma svarUpiNi (the source of Vedas, the

Vedas themselves, as well as its subject matter ‘brahman’). Needless to say

of the diversified manifestations of the divine mother, sarasvati would be

the closest to her absolute nature. Veda, Agama, itihAsa purAnA and other

literary lore exult her with utmost veneration. She is identified as the

shakti of the creator in purAnA and Agama shastra and revered as the Goddess

of learning and fine arts. Vedas salute her as the supreme plane of truth;

Goddess of revelation who confers the Divine Vision; Goddess of vastness;

carrier of inspirations and as a mighty river nourishing life. Agamas convey

yogic connections and salute her in further manifestations as nILA sarasvati

or tAra. Drawing inspirations from this traditional lore, Sri Dikshitar has

composed nine beautiful krithis on devi sarasvati and has offered a

resplendent navaratnamaalikaa.

 

1. SarasvatyA BhavavatyA - ChAyA Gowla - Mishra Chapu

2. Bharati MaddhiShaNA - Devamanohari - Rupaka

3. KalAvati - KalAvati - Adi

4. Namo Namaste - GiirvANi - Mishra Chapu

5. Sarasvati - ChAyAtarangiNi - Adi

6. ViiNA Pustaka - VegavAhini - Jampa

7. Sarasvati Vidhiyuvati - Hindola - Rupaka

8. Sharavati taTa - Sharavati - Rupaka

9. Sri Sarasvati - Arabhi - Rupaka

 

 

These nine krithis portray her beautiful form and salutes her divine glory.

The navaratnamAlA echoes with Rig vedic mantras extolling her varied

manifestations as sarasvati, bhArati, illa, mahi, vAk, medhA, shAradA,

brAhmi and nadi-rUpA.

 

 

Prathama ratnam

----------------

 

brahma svarUpA paramA jyotirUpA sanAtanI .

sarvavidyAdhidevI yA tasyai vANyai namo namaH ..

 

Dikshitar commences his first krithi saluting sarasvati as

parabrahma-svarUpiNi with Rig-Vedic verses and delights that the Supreme

Mother has provided eternal shelter to him.

 

sarasvatyA bhagavatyA sa.mrakshitoham .

chhAyAgauratarayA varayA shrI ..

 

virinchi prANanAyikayA vINAvAdanotsukayA .

sarasa saN^gIta sAhitya stanadvayayA parAdvayayA ..

 

catushshaShTi kalAtmikayA samasta varNAtmikayA .

shR^itajana pAlakayA sevaka bhUpAlakayA ..

 

shruti pratipAditayA shubhra vastrAvR^itayA.

natendrAdyakhila devatayA nandaguruguha susevitayA ..

 

ratiramA girijArchitayA ratnAbharaNAlaN^kR^itayA .

mati majjihvAgra sthitayA maN^gaLapradayA sadayayA..

 

Cont ...

 

Aravind

 

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