saundaryalaharI - 9 (part 5)

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In this shloka, the shrIdevI of the macrocosm, in the form of Her

exact prototype, the kunDalinI of the microcosm, is represented as

having broken through the entire kuLa patha containing the six cakra-s

of psychic energy, indicative of the twenty-one tattvas, to reach

Her Lord in the sahasrAra, the habitat of the remaining for sentient

tattva-s, there to sport Herself in secrecy with Her Lord. The

kuLa-patha is along the suShumna from the mUlAdhAra to the sahasrAra.

 

mahIm mUlAdhAre: the pR^ithvI element in the mUlAdhAra. mUlAdhAra is

the base cakra in the astral body (mUle gudasthAne). Rudrarahasya says

 

sarvAdhArA mahI yasmAt mUlAdhAratayA sthitA

tadabhAve tu dehasya pAtassyadutkramo'pi vA

 

Without the mUlAdhAra that contains the pR^ithvI element, the body

would either fall down or fly upwards.

 

kamapi maNipUre hutavahaM sthitaM svAdhiShThAne: Water element in the

maNipUra and the fire element in the svAdhiShThAna. In the sequence of

the cakra-s in the astral body, from the mUlAdhAra to the sahasrAra,

maNipUra follows svAdhiShThAna and not the other way. However, shrI

bhagavatpAda describes maNipUra ahead of svAdhiShThAna in this verse.

Various commentators have commented on the possible reason.

>From the nature and subtlity of the five elements [pR^ithvI, ApaH

tejo vAyurAkAshaH], it is appropriate to describe maNipUra and then

svAdhiShThAna. ShrI ShankarAcArya of ShR^ingeri shrI BharatI tIrtha

mahAswamy says "Whatever bhagavatpAda says in saundaryalaharI is the

proper way" {1}. ShrI ShankarAcArya of KAnci shrI shankara vijayendra

saraswatI mahAswamy commented on this in the following way: "In

lalitAsahasranAma and also in tantric texts, the sequence of

description is mUlAdhAra, svAdhiShThAna, maNipUra, anAhata, vishuddha

and AjnA. Lolla LakshmIdhara Deshika's commentary states that the

utpattikrama (sequence of evolution) of tattva-s justifies description

of maNipUra after mUlAdhAra. (The sequence of evolution is: from AtmA

the AkAsha, from AkAsha the vAyu, from vAyu the agni, from agni the

ApaH, from ApaH the pR^ithvI)." {2}.

 

The commentary 'AruNamodinI' agrees with LakshmIdhara. It says:

 

atratudvapi "mUlAdhAraM tathA svAdhiShThAnaM ca maNipUrakaM. anAhataM

vishuddhAkhyamAjnAcakraM vidur budhaH". ityAgamAntara paryalocanayA

mUlAdhAra nanantaraM svAdhiShThAnameva vaktavyaM, tathApi Atma AkAsha

saMbhUtaH, AkAshAdvAyuH, vAyoragniH, agnerapaH, adbhayaH pR^ithvI

ityAdi shr^itisUtrakramamanlaMbya maNipUraka muktavAnive dhyeyam.h

 

Also, in Anandagiri's commentary, although saying svAdhiShThAna is

consistent with the chandas, maNipUra was mentioned after mUlAdhAra.

 

mano'pi bhrUmadhye: manas-tattva in between the eyebrows in AjnAcakra;

It is called AjnAcakra because we get a momentary (lightning) glimpse

of shrIdevI. [aj.h = IShadardhaH; jnA = jnAnam. IShadjnAnam.h yatra

jAyate sAdhakAnAM bhagavatI viShayam.h]. It is called AjnAcakra because

it is at this stage that a speck of knowledge about shrIdevI dawns on

the sAdhakA.

 

bhitvA: having pierced through; i.e. after overcoming and absorbing

in Her own form

 

O bhagavatI, in the form of tripurasundari of the shrIcakra and

kunDalinI of the jeeva

 

patyA: Your Lord, the shiva of the shrIcakra and (with reference to

kunDalinI) of jIva [jIva, here again, is devoid of mAyA]

 

sahasrAre padme viharase : having broken through the entire kuLa

patha reach your Lord in the sahasrAra

 

 

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

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