naram varShIyAmsam

[Guest guest]

- sriparasukhanandanatha

Date:- March 24, 2006

Subject:-soundaryalahari 13 SlOka

SrigurussarvakAraNaBhUta Saktih |

SrimahAgaNAdhipatayEnamah \\.

 

“naram varshIyamsam nayana virasam narmasu jadam

tavApangAlOkE patitamanudhAvanti SataSah |

gaLadvENIbandhah kuca kalaSa visrasta sichayA

haTat tR~ityat vigalita dukUlA yuvatayah ||”

 

Priya mahASayAh,

 

This is a SlOka in soundarya lahari which says as ---,

What if the man attained very old age; wretchedly ugly and also a dunderhead in

speaking ; if a ray of glance from a corner end of your eyelid touches him ;

hundreds of youthful women start running for him with their dropping braids of

hairdo, fallen covers on breasts and also getting rid of the clothes on their

waists.

 

I have referred a number of commentaries on this poem, perturbed to

read every one saying that it is a mAdana prayoga. Who asked the BhagavatpAda

to teach this prayoga? Will any asKalita brahmcari ever recommend such a nasty

prayoga to any of his disciple who is in quest for liberation? I wonder why

writing this kind of interpretations without any sense of context. In my view,

the meaning should be interpreted as follows. I recollect a mantra from dEvI

sUktam saying,

 

“ahamEva swayamidam vadAmi, juShTam dEvEBhir uta mAnuShEBhih |

yam yam kAmayE tam tam ugram kR~iNOmi, tam brahmANam tam R~iShim tam sumEdhAm

||”

 

“I the one who is esteemed by gods as well as the human beings, reform and endue

the very high status, on whom I admire. For some, I make them equal to the

vidhAta blessing them with longevity of brahma and brahmalOka settlement: For

some others, I make them R~iShis with plenty of knowledge to visualize a mantra

(mantra draSta) and an ability to create a mantra by himself.(mantra sraShta).

For some more, I qualify them to be ‘sumEdha’s with unfaltering knowledge of

‘self’. None else other than me can proclaim like this, that is why, I myself

is declaring”. This is the promise of our mother eternal.

 

If we keenly observe, we will find that Sri Acarya is showing three

qualities of the person as an old man, ugly and a dunderhead. The holy mother

also is showing brahma, R~iShi and sumEdha. Let us go a little deep in to its

intention.

 

Generally, the human beings, according to their nature of sattwa,

rajas and tamO guNAs can be divided into three categories as enlightened

(suprabuddha), edified ( prabuddha) , and dullards (aprabuddha).

The aprabuddhas, because of their inherent extreme tamo guNa, they always dwell

upon their own selfish ends and uninclined to hear anything other than their own

livelihood. They always will be vacillating only between two things i.e., false

hopes and fearfulness. For such people we can only say that “If you pray god

you will be benefited economically or that your misfortunes will be mitigated”,

and sometimes create a fear in him saying that the god if angered will subject

him to many troubles, hence celebrations of pUja is essential.

 

The second category ‘prabuddh’s being dominant of ‘rajOguna’ are to

some extent lenient to hear the elders and also an inclination to know about the

god and ‘self’. Only for this type of people all the Agamas, SastrAs and

purAnAs were created. Within this category, there are three types of devotees

1.uttamAdhikAri(highly deserving),

2.madDhyamAdhikAri (moderately deserving) and 3.mandAdhiKAri (poorly deserving).

Different varieties of devotional methods were prescribed in the scriptures

basing upon their understanding capacities and their living habits. There will

be nothing to teach any thing for the ‘aprabuddha’s. The ‘suprabuddha’s are the

persons who have acquired the pure ‘sattwa guna’ by regular practices since so

many births in the past and was already enlightened by the yOgini deities like

“brAhmi” etc. He need not be explained any thing, but when the ‘anugraha Sakti’

in the form of a guru should initiate only once; and an instant awakening is

revealed to him. He will have nothing to know anything from any one at all.

 

As already mentioned, all the SastrAs were created only for the

prabuddhas, in three categories. The ‘uttamAdhikAris, even though they are

inherently dominant of ‘rajO guna’, a quantity of ‘sattwa guna’ will also be

there in it. They prefer to follow the advise if the elders, and lead a

sanctified life. They spend their life in the manner of the water upon a lotus

leaf. They deserve to obtain “SamBhava diixa”.

The ‘madhyamAdhikAri’ also prefer to lead an auspicious life, but because of the

domination of ‘rajO guna’ in them they will be often subjected to temptations

etc., and turn to his old natures. For these people a constant guidance by a

guru for a long time is essential. These persons deserve different types of

yoga methods.

In case of the “mandAdhikAri”s, even though they have the mixed qualities of

‘rajO guna and ’sattwa guna’, they possess a large quantity of ‘tamo guna’ also

with them. As they are more inclined to the worldly pleasures and “tApa

trayas’. they deserve only for the “karma pradhAna” way of initiations. By

constant practices, after a long time they may also be enlightened by themselves

after realization.

 

In my opinion, the jagadguru should have these three types of people in

his mind, while using the words

“naram varShIyamsam”, “nayana virasam” and “narmasu jadam”. Let me explain my

view point in short here.

In the progression of achieving the ‘siddhi’, the first stage of success will be

the “sumEdha avastha”. The meaning of this phrase “narmasu jadam” is he is just

neutral for (udAsInah) all the worldly pleasures and also in distress; always

immersed in the dedication of paramEswara; inquisitive of ‘R~itamBhara praj~na’;

service of guru; attentive in hearing all the advises of sriguru. This is a

state of blooming (vikAsa) in the mUlAdhAra and swadhiShThAna padmas, and also

the stage of crossing over from the brahma grandhi, the first knot. “prasanna

chEtasO2hyaSu buddhih paryava tiShThtE” constent practices of ‘sama’, ‘dama’

etc., along with truthfulness, purity, kindness and controlled senses will

ensure the development of wisdom. This type of people are called “sumEdha”s.

 

“mOxaika saktyA viShayEShu rAgam nirmUlya sannyasya cha sarva karma

satChraddhaya yah SravaNAdi niSThO rajah swaBhAvam sa dhunOti buddhEh||”

 

The one who, having utmost craving to achieve the mOxa, foresweared

all the sensual pleasures, renounced from all the bonds of ‘karma and kept the

whole time attention towards hearing the elders` advises and repeating them all

always, will have his intellect cleaned and rectified of all the ‘rajo guna’.

Only for such persons we can attribute the quality of “nayana virasam”. It means

that he had renounced all taste for the external objects. He will be able to

distinguish between ‘sat’ and ‘asat’. He speaks only the truth and what ever he

speaks, it will come true. He only can define the word “truth”. Truth itself is

“brahma”. “R~iShayO mantra draShtArah sraShtarascha.”

He who can elicit the underlying secret meaning in a mantra and feeling happy

within himself is called “mantra drashta”. By the power of his tapas, one who

can understand the yoga of the combinations and compositions of the ‘bIjAxara’s

and create a mantra by himself and also explain its effects, will be called a

“mantra sraShta”. He is one who has crossed over all the concluding limits of

wisdom (j~nana). “j~nAnasya pAragamanAd R~iShih”. This indicates that he has

passed over both the “brahma grandhi” and the “viShNu grandhi” also.

 

Then coming to the third stage, the phrase “naram varSIyAmsam” means

the grand-fatherhood (pitAmaha), This is the sR~iSti, sThiti, laya kartR~itwa

samaShti Sakti; the one who has passed over all the three knots (grandhis). The

“uttamAdhikAri” himself is this person.

“sarva Bhutastha mAtmAnam sarva BhUtani cha Atmani

sampaSyan brahma paramam yAti nAnyEti hEtunA||”

They deserve for the dIxA methods called ‘SamBhava’ and ‘anupAya’. He will have

nothing to be initiated in the anupAya dIxa. It is mentioned that the guru will

enter through his vIxaNa Sakti, in to the body of such a SiShya, attracts and

pulls out the life force (prANa Sakti) from him and establishes it in his own

soul, then puts the lifeless body on a pyre and burns it to ashes. There will

be no two bodies for those two. The SiShya will have no ‘karma Sesha’ or ‘karma

anuSanga’any more remained. That itself is the total liberation. The guru`s

hr~idaya itself is “brahmalOka”. He lives there for a ‘brahmaayu’ i.e., beyond

the limits and measures of the time evaluation.

 

In this SlOka, the word “apAnga” means –with no limbs. i.e., the

subtle body (sUxma SarIra)

“apAngAlokE” means, when seeing the subtle body by viewing it introspectively,

all the shackles of bondage are shattered to pieces and destroyed. In the same

way, the dropped braided brahmarUpa who have smashed the ‘rudra grandhi’;

falling breast covers ‘viShNu grandhi BhEdana rUpa R~iShirUpAs and ‘brahma

grandhi BhEdana rUpa “SumEdhA”s who were said to have got rid of the waist

clothes. These three types of the devotees will be the most beloved ones of the

divine mother.

 

“mUlAdhAraika nilaya brahma grandhi viBhEdinI

maNipUrAntarudita viSNugrandhi viBhEdinI

Aj~nA chakrAntarALastha rudragrandhi viBhEdinI ||”

Though the order is so said, another order was also mentioned —

“SrImadvAgBhava kUtaika swarUpa muKha pankajA

kanThAdhah kaTi paryanta madhyakUta swarUpiNI

SaktikUtaikatApanna kaTyadhOBhAgadhAriNI”

 

While doing japa—“mahA sarswati, mahA laxmi, mahA kAli” and at the time of

anugraha it will be in reverse as “mahAkAli, mahAlaxmi and mahA saraswati”.

Those who have passed off the three grandhis; who have passed off two grandhis

and who have passed one grandhi.

 

When said “yuvatayah patita manu dhAvanti SataSah”, yuvatayah should be taken to

mean as “siddhi”s

 

“swadehOdBhUtaBirgrriNibi raNimAdyABhiraBhitO

niShEvyE nitye twamahamiti sada BhAvayati yah “

 

Innumerable aNimAdi siddhis are reaching him without being requested.

 

Anybody can guide me for a better understanding please.

 

krishnarao

 

 

 

 

krishnarao.lanka

(sriparasukhanandanadha)