[Fwd: sarasvati navaratnamaalikaa - 1.2]

[Guest guest]

-------

sarasvati navaratnamaalikaa - 1.2

Thu, 29 Mar 2001 22:01:51 -0600

"Aravind Krishna" <seeksha

msr

 

Dear Ravi,

There seems to be some problem in my mail. My posts are getting delayed

in

staging. I am sending two posts (1.1 and 1.2 of sarasvati

navaratnamaalikaa)

to your id. Please post them to the list when you find time.

Thanks

Aravind

 

virinchi prANanAyikayA vINAvAdanotsukayA .

sarasa saN^gIta sAhitya stanadvayayA parAdvayayA ..

 

virinchi prANanAyikayA sa.mrakshitoham – I have been sheltered by the

beloved of the creator.

 

sahasranaama salutes devI as ‘sR^ishhTikartrii brahmaruupaa’, She is the

power of creation. Sarasvati is saluted as Brahma Shakti or the consort

of

Brahma for the same reason.

The Rig Vedic mantra referred here is,

pAvIravI kanyA citrAyuH sarasvatI vIrapatnI dhiyaM dhAt .

gnAbhirachidraM sharaNaM sajoSA durAdharSaM gR^iNate sharma yaMsat ..

6.49.7

 

‘May the purifying graceful Goddess Sarasvati, the bride of prajApati

favor

our pious deeds and be well pleased along with other celestials and

provide

the devote with a flawless existence’.

 

Sarasvati is referred as ‘vIrapatnI’ in the above Mantra. AchAryas have

interpreted ‘vIra’ as prajApati or brahmA. Dikshitar’s salutation is

also of

a similar import, ‘prANanAyikayA’, she is as dear as his own breath to

Brahma. She is ‘veda svarUpiNi’, brahma creates with the help of Vedas

and

Vedas are his very breath. She is ever united with the creator and the

creation.

 

 

VINAvAdanotsukayA – She delights playing the vINA

 

The icon of Sarasvati playing vINA is a representation of the supreme

absolute reveling in its unqualified non-dual state of bliss (brahmam in

its

svAtmAnubhavam). Dikshitar portrays Sarasvati as delightfully playing

the

vINA indicating that devI is in svAtmAnubhavam. lokAnubhavam comes in to

play when she assumes rest of the forms, being parabrahma svarUpiNi,

Sarasvati is ever in svatmAnubhavam.

 

devI bearing the vINA also symbolizes the path of liberation

‘moxa-mArga

darshanm’.

 

vINAvAdana tatvaGYaH shrutijAtI vishAradaH.

tALaGYashchAprayAsena mokshamArga.m niyachchhati.. (yAgGYavalkya

smR^iti)

 

‘One who is well versed in playing the vINA, adept in the nuances of

sound

and rhythm; attains salvation with little effort’.

 

The upaniShad vidhyA indicated here is nAda vidhyA or praNava vidhyA.

 

 

sarasa saN^gIta sAhitya stanadvayayA – melodious music and lyrics are

her

breasts.

 

This is a beautiful poetic description; melody and prosody are compared

to

the breasts of Sarasvati. She showers the milk of saN^gIta and sAhitya

to

her beloved children.

 

 

saN^gItamapi sAhitya.m sarasvatyAstanadvayam .

yekamApAtamadhura.m anyathAlochanAmR^itam..

 

‘Music and poetry are the two breasts of Sarasvati, music pleases the

moment

it is heard and poetry is delightful when analyzed upon.’

 

Music is ‘ApAta madhura.m’ and Poetry is ‘chintanAmR^Ita.m’.

 

The base for this description comes from the Rig Veda.

pIpivAMsaM sarasvata stanaM yo vishvadarshataH bhakSImahi prajAmiSam .

7.96.6

‘May we recline on Mother SarasvtI's breast, that beautifully swells

with

streams, May we gain food and progeny. (pipivaMsaM sarasvtas stanaM

bhakshImahi)’

Having fed upon the divine milk of Sarasvati, Dikshitar claims ‘sarasa

saN^gIta sAhitya stanadvayayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham’.

ParAdvayayA shrI sarasvatyA sa.mrakshitoham – I have been sheltered by

the

supreme Goddess Sarasvati.

 

The base characteristic of one who provides shelter is that, he should

be

capable of protecting the seeker. Once indra offered protection to

takshaka

against the sarpa-yaGYa of janamegaya. When janamegaya was informed that

takshaka has not been sacrificed yet, he ordered both indra and takshaka

to

be pulled down to be sacrificed in the sarpa-yaGYa. Such is not the case

with the Supreme Mother. She is ‘parAdvayA’ – One who has none to equal.

‘samaanadhika varjitaa’ in sahasranAma language.

 

 

 

_______________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

> sarasvati navaratnamaalikaa - 1.2

> Thu, 29 Mar 2001 22:01:51 -0600

> "Aravind Krishna" <seeksha@h...>

> msr@c...

>

 

My praNAms to Aravind Krishna for explaining the significance

of various aspects of sarasvatI so beautifully. The R^ig Veda

has several very sublime sUktas dedicated to sarasvatI. Some

of the commonly employed ones are 6.61 (maNDala 6 sUkta 61, this

is the one which has the famous mantra praNo devI sarasvatI),

7.95, 7.96, 1.3.10-12 (maNDala 1 sUkta 3 R^iks 10-12), 2.41.16-18,

5.43.11, 6.49.7, 10.17.7-9, and 2.32.4-8. The rAtrIsUkta celebrates

the devI as "bahvR^ichapriyA", one who loves the R^ig Veda. That is

why even during chaNDI homa done by yajur vedic priests, they

recite the rAtrI sUkta and the devI sUkta of the R^ig Veda.

 

Anand