saundaryalaharI - 9 (part 1)

[Guest guest]

shrI lalitAyai namaH

 

Prostrating before shrI lalitA, and being blessed by Her

side-glances, I resume the saundaryalaharI series.

 

 

shloka - 9

 

mahIM mUlAdhAre kamapi maNipUre hutavahaM

sthitaM svAdhiShThAne hR^idi marutamAkAshamupari

mano'pi bhrUmadhye sakalamapi bhitvA kuLapathaM

sahasrAre padme saha rahasi patyA viharase || 9

 

 

O, jagadAmbA,

 

mUlAdhAre: (in) the mUlAdhAra

mahIM: pR^ithvI, the earth

maNipUre: (in) the maNipUraka cakra

kam api: the water element

sthitaM: present (in)

svAdhiShThAne: (in) the svAdhiShThAna cakra

hutavahaM: the element of fire

hR^idi: (in) the anAhata cakra residing in the heart

marutaM: the air element

upari: above that, in the vishuddha cakra

AkAshaM: the element of ether

bhrUmadhye: between the eyebrows

manaH api: the element of manas, the mind

sakalaM: (having passed through) all

kuLapatham api: also the kuLa-patha or suShumna nADi

bhitvA: piercing through

sahasrAre padme: in the thousand-petalled lotus

rahasi: in secret

patyA saha: along with (Your) husband (sadAshiva)

viharase: stroll through

 

 

O jagadAmbA, having pierced through the pR^ithvI (earth) element in

the mUlAdhAra, the jala (water) element in the maNipUra, the agni

(fire) element in the svAdhiShThAna, the vAyu (air) element in the

anAhata, the AkAsha (ether or sky) element in the vishuddha, and

the manas (the mind) in the AjnA cakra between the eyebrows, and

ascending through the suShumna, You reach the thousand-petalled

lotus, the sahasrAra and sport there with Your consort sadAshiva

in solitude.

 

 

Commentary

 

This pivotal verse of saundaryalaharI contains in a nutshell the

sublimest truth of the vedAnta and the yoga systems and in harmonious

blending. The worship of shrIdevI is described here as kunDalinI-shakti

of the microcosm and as tripurasundari of the macrocosm. For a proper

appreciation of this, and for understanding the rest of AnanadalaharI

portion of saundaryalaharI, I present below (i) a short account of

how the ancient sages understood and described the microcosm and

the macrocosm, (ii) kunDalinI shaktI which makes the jIva function,

and (iii) the identity of the same vital force in the microcosm

and the macrocosm.

 

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

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