Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari(DPDS-15)

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Namaste

Recall that the entire contents of the Digest are from the

Paramacharya’s ideas and words, except for my English rendering.

Wherever he uses specific English words himself, I have drawn

the attention of the reader to that fact. FOR NEW READERS of

this series, it may be worthwhile to go back to the

Introduction about the objective of this Digest and the Note on

the Organization (both at advaitin Message No.18425;

message no.5273; advaita-L message No.14046; Sadhana_shakti

message no.334).Note also that when the Paramacharya uses the

word 'Our Acharya' or 'The Acharya' he refers to Adi

Sankaracharya.

V. Krishnamurthy

 

A Digest of Paramacharya’s Discourses on Soundaryalahari - 15

(Digest of pp.774-793 of Deivathin Kural Vol.6, 4th imprn)

 

 

The printing press came as a revolution. And it became the order

of the day for anybody to write on anything, publish it and put

it in the hands of anybody. One of the earliest effects was that

profound ideas got mundane interpretations in the hands of the

uninitiated. As independent human beings each one felt that

whatever strikes his mind is right and each one made his own

interpretations. Neither the authors of books had the strength

of practice behind them; nor the readers had any intention to

try and experience what they read. Several readers were just

curious and nothing more. Or they were interested in a

so-called ‘academic research’ mostly for purposes of

self-glorification and recognition in the material world. How

can any spiritual benefit arise from these?

 

Thus arose two major setbacks in the culture. The first one is

that those who were traditionally equipped to do the upAsanAs

and were also fit to do them, preferred the glamour of modern

days to break off from their traditions. And the second one is

that all and sundry took to these difficult upAsanAs without

proper guru or training. It is not clear, I must confess, which

is the major disaster.

 

I know that I may be criticised and commented that I have a

‘vested interest’ in saying all this. But having started to talk

on Soundaryalahari publicly, I cannot but give you this warning.

Let me conclude by saying that there is nothing wrong in

approaching shAstras like Soundaryalahari as an aid to get

Mother Goddess’s Grace and thereby to go upward in the spiritual

ladder. It is enough you know that it is great. Just with that

approach if you recite it, ambaal will give you the necessary

mental strength and maturity to reach higher levels of

spirituality. Automatically the ultimate object of realisation

would also be obtained by Her anugraha.

 

The mantras and their esoteric meanings have to be safeguarded

like nuclear secrets. If you really want to get them, approach

the proper guru and if he thinks you have the requisite

qualifications he will tell you. In this connection I will tell

you an important matter. I am touching it, so that you may not

‘touch’ it ! The name Kundalini and all the associated cakras

are being talked about by every one now, especially ever since

Sir John Woodroffe wrote about ‘The Serpent Power’. I am not

finding fault with him. I only thank him for bringing to light

the fact that our ancients had great things to tell the world in

spite of modern advances in science. My only warning to you is

that without a proper initiation no mantra or japam will help

anybody. It is like having costly electrical and electronic

equipment in your house without a power connection. The same

thing with these mantras and kundalinI yoga. Without the guru

power they will not work.

 

That is not the only thing. There is more in it. The power that

comes through these electrical words of the mantras, can also

give you a shock because you may not be properly insulated. Only

when it comes from the guru, it gets properly secreted within

bounds; if it exceeds the bounds, that is if the insulation is

not there, it will only burn you ! My own suggestion to

book-writers is that when they publish such things, let there be

a popular edition which avoids the profound matters of mantra

secret. And let there be a limited circulation book which does

get into those secrets, but such ‘classified’ books must be made

available only with the authorization of the proper guru. I

think, from my platform, it is my duty to say this.

 

Finally what is wanted is a rapport with the author. A devotee,

a poet and a vidhushaka (the Royal Fool or Clown in the King’s

Court) – these three have a great licence to do or write what

they want. Of these our Acharya was both a devotee and a poet.

So there is a bhakti-bhAva in everything he writes and there is

also a poetic licence exhibited in pieces like the

Soundaryalahari. In classical literature, there is always a

respectable status for this freedom which a poetic or devotional

piece enjoys. Of the many such licences we can refer here to

nindA stuti (where you actually criticise the deity you are

supposed to praise), praise one of the divine couple to the

extent of bringing down the other of the pair and so on. If we

look at these with a humility and an open mind for poetic

exaggeration, we may also enjoy them. Now come to the first

sloka.

 

Shiva is the husband and ambaal is the wife. It is only by Her

power that even He moves – this is the content of the first

sloka. One might ask: Just to boost up the glory of Mother

Goddess does one have to descend to such a level as to bring God

Himself to the level of saying that He is simply a nonentity?

The esoteric principle here is that the immutable Brahman

expresses itself only by the unfolding of the cit-shakti. The

poetic principle involved here is that the beloved, being the

fair sex, is always to be given the credit and so ‘He moves only

when She moves Him’ is also acceptable. Thus on both counts, the

presentation is enjoyable.

(To be continued).

PraNAms to all advaitins and devotees of Mother Goddess.

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.