saundaryalaharI - 1 (contd.)

[Guest guest]

shri lalitAyai namah

 

Just like the first four brahma sUtrAs lay the foundation

for all brahma sUtrAs, this first verse lays the foundation

for the rest of saundaryalaharI.

 

shri shankara starts this stotra with the auspicious expression

shiva, thereby providing a benedictory address to the Supreme Being.

shiva refers here to the nirguNa brahman, described in the shruti

as neti, neti and as avyaktam etc. That is ungraspable by sense organs,

uninferrable and incomprehensible to the mind.

 

shakti is the primordial energy latent in the undifferentiated,

all-pervading consciousness. It is this energy that manifests itself

after each praLaya. There is a mutual association between shiva and

shakti (avinAbhAvasambandhah tasmAtbindu-trikoNayoh: ShrIlalitAtrishatI).

Both are inseparable and are abheda. i.e. shakti is not different from

shiva.

 

Word shiva is derived from vashakAntau.

 

[ hiMsidhAto ssimhashabdo vashakAntau shivasmr^tah

varNavyatyAt ssiddhau pashyakah kashyapo yathA

 

siMha is derived from hiMsi, and shiva is derived from vasha by inversion

of the alphabets. Similarly kashyapa is derived from pashyakah ]

 

vashati means one who brightens, that is who is self-effulgent, i.e. one

who brightens the whole jagat inside Him. Such shiva who has united with

the divine Mother has the ability to create the world. If He is not united,

He would not have the ability even to stir (vibrate).

 

The implied meaning is: parabrahman, without form, would not have even the

vibration or movement.

 

The direct meaning can be taken as follows: shiva and shakti are husband

and wife. Only if the husband is united with the wife, there will be

offspring in the form of jagat. Without this union with the wife, there

cannot be offspring.

 

shiva may also be stated as one without any of the three anxieties caused

by birth, death, hunger etc. Such shiva is sarvama~NgaLarUpa. When that

shiva is united with shakti, then He will be equipped with the ability

of kartum, akartum, anyathAkartum (to do, not to do, to do in another way).

 

The spandana referred in this verse is the desire to create and the

manifestation of the static energy (shakti) into its kinetic or dynamic

aspect.

 

Hari-hara-viri~ncyAdibhih: It is very appropriate to recognize that shri

mAtA is eligible to be worshiped by vishNu, Ishwara and brahma and other

lesser Gods. This will be emphasized many more times in the latter verses.

The word 'Adi' here is interpreted to mean the other devatAs of the lower

rung and probably also the well-known devI-upAsakAs. In mAnasollAsa, it is

stated

 

vishNuh shivah surajyeShTho manushcandro dhanAdhipah

lopAmudrA tathAgastyah skandah kusumasAyakah

surAdhIsho rouhiNeyo dattAtreyo mahAmunih

durvAsA iti vikhyAtA ete mukhyA upAsakAh

 

vishNu, shiva, surajyeShTha brahmA, manu, candra, kubera, lopAmudrA,

agastya, skanda, manmatha, indra, balarAma, dattAtreya mahAmunI, durvAsA:

all these are the well-known devI upAsakAs.

 

There are other gods who are worshiped by people. These gods can satisfy

the devotees' wishes and lead them to moksha only by these gods themselves

worshiping shri devI. Therefore, Shri devI may be considered the only one

who can bestow bhuktI and muktI.

 

'Adi' may also be interpreted as referring to the vedAs.

 

praNantum is a bodily worship; to bow. The letter pra refers to doing

worship by manasA, vAcA, kAyA.

 

stotum vA: For one who is incapable of these three modes of worship,

at least praising or stotra is suggested.

 

The verse also means that hari, hara and brahma, left to themselves

are not capable of their respective duties (sustenance, destruction

and creation) and shrI devI is the main cause for these duties

(layasthityudbhaveshwarI: ShrilalitAtrishatI)

 

Therefore to worship shri devI, or do stuti, the one eligible is that

person who has accumulated puNya through many many lives. The one who

is akr^tapuNya is not eligible.

 

shiva and shakti are inseparable and there is no distinction between

them. kUrma purANa says:

 

shakti shaktimatorbhedam vadantyaparamArthatah

abhedamanupashyanti yoginah tattvacintakAh

 

AparamArthikAs ascribe difference between shiva and shakti. But that

cannot be so. shiva is shaktiyukta. shiva is shakti and shakti is shiva.

(mr^dvAn ghaTah: the one that has clay is the pot; tantumAn paTah: the

one with cotton thread is the cloth). No distinction. Some devotees'

attempts to distinguish between shiva and shakti is because of their

past vAsanAs.

 

kAlidAsA's cidgaganacandrika has this verse:

 

amba tAvaka padadvayArcaka stvanmayo bhavati nAtra vismayah

yah tvayaiva vivasho vashIkr^tah shaktireva samabhUh shivasvayam

 

O ambA, the one who worships your feet becomes engrossed in them.

There is no surprise in that. shiva is vivasha and vashIkr^ta and

is the same as shakti.

 

The identity between shiva and shakti will be brought out further

in the latter verses.

 

 

[My presentation here follows the four commentaries for which I

gave reference in an earlier post. My knowledge of saundaryalaharI

is limited. If the learned members know of any additional points on

this great stotra, I would request them to bring these points forward.

Also, you would notice that I am leaving some sanskrit words untranslated

into english. That is because I think the sanskrit word gives the right

emphasis in the thought and there is no appropriate single english word

to express that thought. namaste.]

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

------

[Guest guest]

>

> Gummuluru Murthy [sMTP:gmurthy]

> Friday, October 29, 1999 5:36 AM

> advaitin

> saundaryalaharI - 1 (contd.)

>

> Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

>

> shri lalitAyai namah

>

> Just like the first four brahma sUtrAs lay the foundation

> for all brahma sUtrAs, this first verse lays the foundation

> for the rest of saundaryalaharI.

>

> shri shankara starts this stotra with the auspicious expression

> shiva, thereby providing a benedictory address to the Supreme Being.

> shiva refers here to the nirguNa brahman, described in the shruti

> as neti, neti and as avyaktam etc. That is ungraspable by sense organs,

> uninferrable and incomprehensible to the mind.

>

> Word shiva is derived from vashakAntau.

>

> [ hiMsidhAto ssimhashabdo vashakAntau shivasmr^tah

> varNavyatyAt ssiddhau pashyakah kashyapo yathA

>

> siMha is derived from hiMsi, and shiva is derived from vasha by inversion

> of the alphabets. Similarly kashyapa is derived from pashyakah ]

>

> vashati means one who brightens, that is who is self-effulgent, i.e. one

> who brightens the whole jagat inside Him. Such shiva who has united with

> the divine Mother has the ability to create the world. If He is not

> united,

> He would not have the ability even to stir (vibrate).

>

>

[Madhava Replies:]

Hari Om!

 

My humble pranams to Murthygaru for taking up the divine task of

sharing his wisdom on Srividya. I feel blessed. How ever, since Sri

Murthygaru wanted all the members to participate in expressing their views,

I am trying to write something that I thought of...

 

shivah shaktyA yukto yadi bhavati shaktah prabhavitum

na ced evam devo na khalu kushalah spanditam api

atah tvAm ArAdhyAm hari-hara-viri~ncAdibhir api

praNantum stotum vA katham akr^ta-puNyah prabhavati 1

 

Sri AdiSankara started "soundarya lahari" with the most auspicious

expression "Shiva".

 

asminscEtE jagatsarvaM tanmayaM SabdagAmiyat |

tadvAnAcchiva ityuktaM kAraNaM brahma tatparaiH ||

 

(SivapaMcAksharee bhAshya, 13 - Sri Adisankara)

 

The entire world that is cognizable, sleeps in him (sarvaM jagat

asmin SEtE). The unmanifest, being goaded by the nature (tanmayaM tadvAnAt)

has become the speech (SabdagAmi). That is why the "Karana Brahma" is

called as "Siva" by those who know him!

 

The letter "Si" stands for the unmanifested nature (avyakta

prakRiti). "Va" stands for the power that has made this world visible.

 

"Soundarya Lahari" means a wave of beauty. How is the beauty

recognized? Only through senses. What is the power that is giving the

power to the sense? That is "Shiva". She is explaining him. It is like

explaining the inexplicable. He is the light and she is the glow. He is the

moon and she is the light. Both are dependent on each other. She is

manifested because he is there. If she is not there then there is no chance

of even thinking of him. That is why, we shall think of the word "Shiva",

again and again. Here, how am I thinking? The thinking process, that makes

us reach him, is nothing but She --- so beautiful, so wonderful, so

great... That is why we shall think of Shiva before thinking of Sakti.

Sakti makes Shiva visible, she makes you understand *him*. If you want to

reach him, pray her.

 

I am a bit afraid of my father, I am scared that, some times he

wouldn't grant me what I want... I go to my mother, I request her. She is

so loving and kind, she goes in to my father's office room and makes him

agree to what I want. That is the power of mother, so beautiful, so

wonderful, so great... "aghaTana ghaTanA paTeeyasee namO namaH"....

 

Once again, my humble pranams to you Murthygaru for making me think

of think of those divine parents.

 

Regards,

Madhava

[Guest guest]

namaste Shri Madhava garu,

 

Thanks for your kind remarks re saundaryalaharI and for your

input on verse 1. Your commentary is certainly very useful

in further understanding of this verse, which I think is the

foundation for the rest of saundaryalaharI.

 

I have a question re the sentence which you put towards the

end of your post ... "aghaTana ghaTanA pateeyasee namo namah".

My question on this is:

 

1. The context of your saying indicates that you are bowing

to shrI mAtA. Shri Shankara bhagavtpAda uses the same verse

line in His mAyA pa~ncakam verses (reference: my post of

October 22 on mAyA). He uses "tvaghTita ghaTanA paTIyasI mAyA".

Are you implying in your addressing mAtA by the same words

as Shri Shankara uses for mAyA, that mAtA has the power of mAyA?

Verse 1 of saundaryalaharI implies that mAtA is the controller

of mAyA. She is asheShajanamohinI (lalitAtrishatI dhyAnashloka).

If not for these implied meanings, I did not see anywhere that

Shri mAtA and mAyA addressed by the same line. I am interested

in your understanding of this.

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

---

[Guest guest]

>

> Gummuluru Murthy [sMTP:gmurthy]

> Tuesday, November 02, 1999 5:51 AM

> advaitin

> RE: saundaryalaharI - 1 (contd.)

>

> Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy

>

>

>

> namaste Shri Madhava garu,

>

> Thanks for your kind remarks re saundaryalaharI and for your

> input on verse 1. Your commentary is certainly very useful

> in further understanding of this verse, which I think is the

> foundation for the rest of saundaryalaharI.

>

> I have a question re the sentence which you put towards the

> end of your post ... "aghaTana ghaTanA pateeyasee namo namah".

> My question on this is:

>

> 1. The context of your saying indicates that you are bowing

> to shrI mAtA. Shri Shankara bhagavtpAda uses the same verse

> line in His mAyA pa~ncakam verses (reference: my post of

> October 22 on mAyA). He uses "tvaghTita ghaTanA paTIyasI mAyA".

> Are you implying in your addressing mAtA by the same words

> as Shri Shankara uses for mAyA, that mAtA has the power of mAyA?

> Verse 1 of saundaryalaharI implies that mAtA is the controller

> of mAyA. She is asheShajanamohinI (lalitAtrishatI dhyAnashloka).

> If not for these implied meanings, I did not see anywhere that

> Shri mAtA and mAyA addressed by the same line. I am interested

> in your understanding of this.

[Madhava Replies:]

 

My humble pranams to you all:

 

I am sorry for the delay in replying to this mail.

 

1) In lalitasahasranama Sri Mata & Sri Maharajni & Srimat

SiMhAsanESwari --- is addressed as "MahaamAya".

 

2) How ever, the context where I addressed "ahatana ghaTanA

paTeeyasi namO namaH" is different. I did not address Mata as Maya. Before

explaining further I need to explain the meaning of the word "namaH", which

I used twice, with different meanings.

 

"namaH" - "ma" means wealth (Lakshmi = indirA lOkamAtA mA -

amarakOSa). "na" means "I don't have" -- nama = I don't have the wealth.

 

In order to understand the Holy Mother's beauty, you need to have

that wealth, which is nothing but spiritual knowledge or direct

understanding of the divine (tatva jAnArtha darSanam - Bh.Gita). I am

unable to understanding her "soundrya" because I am bound, my vision is

hindered by Maya. That is why I bow to Maya and beg her that I don't have

the wealth of understanding the divine mother. Yet! The very utterance of

the word "namaH" should give me all the wealth, because listening to the

word "namaH", the Maya will remove the veil, that is covering the spiritual

wealth. Our taittireeyOpanishad advises "tannama ityupAseeta namyaMtEsamai

kAmAh" --- You can fulfill all desires by saying "namaH". You have to

accept the great power of "Maya" and bow to her saying "namaH", only then

she is pleased and make you understand the divine mother --- as she *is*...

 

The other "namaH", as per the sanskrit grammer, means -- "NaM" is

the dhatu, when "asun pratyaya" is applied, it conveys out the meaning as "I

am nothing in front of you" (namra bhAva).

 

Hence, I meant "O Maya, I am nothing in front of you, I clearly know

that I am lack of that spiritual wealth which can make me understand the

power of the divine mother, please allow me to understand her"....

 

Pranams,

Madhava

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Regards

> Gummuluru Murthy

> ---

>

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