A SlOka from soundaryalahari

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>From :- sriparasukhanandanatha

Date :- March 4, 2006

Subject :- A SlOka from soundarya lahari

 

Sriguruh sarva kAranabhUtA Saktih |

Sri mahA ganAdhipataye namah ||

 

 

“Sarat jyotsnA SuddhAm SaSiyuta jatAjUtamakutAm

vara trasa traNa sPatika GatikA pustaka karAm |

sakR^innatwA na twA kathamiva sa tAm sannidadhte

madhu Ksiira drAxA madhurima dhuriinAh phaNitayah ||”

 

This is the fifteenth SlOka from “soundary lahari” written by

Sri Adi Sankara BhagavatpAda AchArya, According to the description -- the

dEvi should be pure white coloured like moon-shine, having the moon crescent in

her braided hair; varada, aBhaya, crystal beads and a book in each of her four

hands.

Looking at this form of her, any one will come to a decision that she must be

the form and figure of “saraswati”, the spouse of brahma, but not the form of

the “lalita dEvi”, the wife of Siva. Then the question arises

1.“Is there any context for bringing this Saraswati and praising her that she is

benevolent of giving the poetical skills of writing very sweet poetry like the

honey, milk and grapes?

Then what about our lalita dEvi? Does`nt she feel insulted by this?”

2.”Why should he mention only these three examples of honey, milk and grapes;

and not sugar, mango and pineapple?”

3.”Is this the advice given by the great achArya to a seeker of self realization

and salvation? Who asked him for the skills of writing poetry and then wander

in search of listeners?”

If these are not the intensions of the AchArya, then let us start searching for

the real intentions of the AchArya with some other interior meaning of this

SlOka.

 

In the beginning it was said that the paramAtma had a wish to

have a wife and also some children. For having a wish there must be some

deficit for him. But he is a suddha Buddha nirvikAra paripUrna paramAtma. It

is impossible to remain any deficit in him. So this “apUrnam manyata” should

have arised in his mind only. The wish generating phenomena, (the mind) has

taken the form of a male, and the wish of him as the construction of expression

has reflected as his spouse, and the vital force or prAna Sakti has taken the

form of his children. These three aspects are a form of experience in the

paramAtma. These three are quite indivisible and inseparable, just as the world

is consisted with nAma, rUpa and karma.

For all the nAma phenomina, The vAk is becoming the sole

cause.

“trayam vA idam nAma rUpam karma tESham nAmnAm

vAgityEva tEshAmukTha matohi sarvANi nAmAnyuttiShTanti |

EtadEshA vAg^ samai taddhi sarvANi nAmaBhih sama mEtadeshA

Brahmaitaddhi sarvANi nAmAni biBharti || (brihadAranyaka upaniShad)

 

Vak is the only resort to make others to understand about the thing which is not

in our sight or that has become a past event.

 

“artha SabdAtmike parabrahmaNO dwE rUpE”

 

The “vimarSa Sakti” which emerged out from the paramAtma is the root cause for

the creation of ‘vak’ and ‘artha’. “akAra viSiShta hakAra rUpa prakR^iti

swarUpah”. The bindu dwayAtmaka visarga which emerged out from the kAmAKya

kAraNa bindu itself has taken the shape of ‘hArda kalAtmaka trikOna which could

be able to deliver the pramEyAtmaka prakR^iti., has ultimately converted into

the form of ‘turIya rUpa kAmakalA’ (bindu,visarga and trikona)

 

“trikONA yOnirUpEyam tava kAmakalA SivE

muKEndu bindu samyuktA kucha bindu dwayAtmikA |

hR^idantarE naBhO rUpam SUnyE sOmAgni BhAskarE

itTham bindu trayam dhyAtwa jagat KshOBhakarO janah ||”

 

The so called “sarvAn atItya lalatIti lalita”. This lalitA maha

tripura sundari itself is this kAmakalArUpa parA dEvata.

“swAtmaiva dEvata prOkta lalita viSwa vigrahA”. The perfect embodiment paragon

of this deity itself is called the “SrIchakra yantra rAja”. For a constantly

exercising (in reverting the chitta from its extrovert nature for introversion)

samayAchAra yOgi this Srichakra is becoming part and parcel of his own body.

For such a yOgi there is no need of such material yantras. But he will have the

duty to protect the yantra bestowed/awarded by his Sriguru and continue the

required services (nityAnuShTAnam) for the whole of his lifetime.

 

Such type of SrIchakra will be mainly in three shapes. 1.

BhUprasTham 2.kUrmaprasTham and 3. mEruprasTham. (Ofcourse there are 95,300

types of SrIchakras were mentioned in the tantra Sastras)

For qualifying to perform the archana of these three types of SrIchakras some

norms and conditions were prescribed. The same is being mentioned in the above

Sloka of AchArya.

 

By saying “Sarat jyOtsnS SuddhAm” it indicates that the purity of

mind and intellect would be the chiefmost requirement to perform the pUjA.

 

“SaSiyuta jatA jUta makutAm” means the chandramandala vikAsam. The central

point of the bindu is the guruswarUpa sOma mandalam. The sankalpa which is

followed according to the instructions of the SrIguru itself is the jatAjUtam,

and the strict adherence to the rules is the ‘makutam’

 

“vara trAsa trANa sPatika Ghatika pustaka karAm”

“vara” means the mantra pramAta which was acquired through the parampara

“trAsa TrANa” means devoid of all fears and tensions. ie., mR^ityunjaya swarUpam

; in other words “aham sPuraNAtmaka Sivoham BhAvanam.

 

“sPatika Ghatika” means the bowl made of crystal. It means the SivaSakti

sAmarasya ananda amR^ita sEvanam obtained by doing Japa.

 

“pustaka karAm” = sticking to the principles of dharma preached in the vEdas.

 

Securing all these qualifications ---

“sakR^innatwA” = one should have prostrated before you

“na twA” = unless otherwise

 

“madhu Ksiira drAxA madhurima dhuriiNAh PhaNitayah”

1.“madhu” honey – secured by the bees from so many flowers of different places

and preserved for a long time.

i.e., the uttamaadhikAri devotees who have perfected all the mantra, yantra,

tantra siddhis as mentioned in the Agamas and obtained the pUrNadiixa by his

guru and start performing SrIchakra archana on the mEru prastAra.

Included with the parA pUjA as said “Sirasthita guror daharasthA nAdavidyAyA

parAvasAyi chitkaLArUpa devyAtmanaschAdwaita BhAna samakAlam sakalEndriyair

viShayan BhunjAnastajjanyAnanda dhArAmAtra viShayaka nirvikalpaka ~jnAnaika

sAratayEtara niKhila viShaya pramOShENa kanchit kAla mavasthanam”;

also on the existing SrIchakra, in each of the AvaranAs, reciting so and so

mantras, submitting the flowers etc.It is possible only for those who have/keep

pUrnAhamBhAva BhAvana in them.

 

2. “Ksiira” milk – milked from the domestic cow.and drunk. This is performed by

the maddhyamAdhikAri devotees the navAvarana pUja on the kUrmaprastha SrIchakra

by reciting the mantras taught by SrIguru, in conjunction with the antaryajanam

as said in “parAparasya bAhyasya chidvyomni vilaya smaranam” in the Shat chakras

in the nitya and naimittika vidhAnam.

 

3. “drAxa” grapes – simply plucked from the plant and directly sucked and

swallowed. This is performed by the adhamAdhikAris, upon the BhUprastAra with

kavacha, stOtra, nAma etc., doing ShodaSOpachAras

 

“PhaNitayah” – It means – by the different varieties of pUjA performances

 

“madhurima dhuriiNah” – the ability to produce the ambrosia by performing the

SrIchakraarchana.

 

“kathamiva sa tAm sannidadhate” – how can it be possible for them to do all

these things.

 

This is the meaning I could understand in this Sloka..

Please excuse me if I have exceeded any limits

 

Sriparasukhanandanatha.

 

 

 

 

krishnarao.lanka

(sriparasukhanandanadha)