Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari (DPDS-45)

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Namaste.

Recall the Note about the organization of the ‘Digest’,

from DPDS – 26 or the earlier ones.

V. Krishnamurthy

A Digest of Paramacharya’s Discourses on Soundaryalahari -

45

(Digest of pp.996-1000, 1015 of Deivathin Kural, 6th

volume, 4th imprn.)

 

The story that Shiva survives even the kAla-kUTa poison,

that stays in his throat is the glory of the ear-ornament

of ambaa – this is the content of Shloka 28. In other words

Shivaa (meaning, ambaa) is the medicine for Shiva. This

thought goes back to the Vedas. In the Rudram chapter of

Krishna Yajur veda, the 2nd mantram of the 10th anuvAkam

says: Oh Rudra!, You have a form which includes the most

auspicious form of parAshakti, which is a cure for the

entire universe and which is in total unison with your

form, let that bless us to live a full life. In other

words, it says there are two bodies for the Lord; when it

shows up as Rudra it is frightening (“ghora”). When it

shows up as Shiva it is “auspicious”, because He has also

this other body which is the one in unison with Shivaa

(ambaa).

 

[Note by VK: The Paramacharya does not usually

quote vedic passages in public during his speeches,

though he may give the purport of such passages.

This is the mantram that he is referring to:

yA te rudra shivaa tanuuH shivaa vishvAha bheshhajI /

shivaa rudrasya bheshhajI tayaa no mRDa jIvase //]

 

In the world of duality, there is good as well as bad. Both

come from the same Absolute Reality that is God. It is not

as if one comes from God and the other comes from Satan.

This is not acceptable to our scriptures. The same Almighty

is the Rudra of destruction and is also the most

compassionate, most peaceful Shiva.

 

When we talk of the ‘ghora’ form, the word ‘ghora’ includes

all that is bad like ‘anger’, ‘sorrow’ etc., though the

direct meaning of ‘ghora’ is ‘frightful’. The opposite form

called ‘aghora-mUrti’ includes all that is good. When we

look at worldly life, we have the feeling it is ‘bad’ that

is predominant. That is why our elders call this ‘samsAra’

a ‘ghora-samsAra’. But it is not totally ‘ghoram’ nor does

it end as ‘ghoram’. Now and then some peace, some happiness

is mixed up with it. This is like a medicine which is

graced to us by the Lord. Probably it is divine will that

this worldly life has to be a mixed life of good and bad.

Maybe ‘bad’ is intended to be more in abundance, so that we

would all want to get away from this and reach our Real

Nature of Atman. I said ‘Maybe’ because how can anybody

know what was the ‘divine intention’?

 

Just as there are medicines for diseases, for this ‘ghora’

events of life, there is a medicine of ‘shivam’! But even

that does not cure the illness totally. We get hungry and

we eat to satisfy the hunger. But hunger is not for ever

satisfied! Again we get hungry and again we have to eat! So

also the ‘ghora’ part of life comes again and again and

the shivam part gives us the medicine every time. That

medicine is called ‘SHIVAA’ -- say the vedas. They say:

“Oh Lord! Do you know what converts your Rudra-body into

the ‘shiva-body’? It is the ‘extended shiva’, namely

‘SHIVAA’. Therefore ‘SHIVAA’ is also the universal cure for

everything!” This is the declaration of the mantram from

Rudram referred to above.

 

The matter does not end there. She is not just

“vishva-bheshhajI” . The Shruti continues: “She is also

‘Rudrasya bheshhajI’, the medicine that will bring down the

‘roudra’ (=frightening) nature of Rudra and transform it

into a ‘karuNa’ (= compassionate) nature”.

 

Indeed we think that Shivaa is just the consort of Shiva

and that is why She has been called Shivaa. But the above

words of the vedas go to the extent of saying that only

when the medicine of ‘Shivaa’ is applied to Rudra, Rudra

becomes ‘Shiva’ ! It is further confirmed by the fact that

the auspicious form of Rudra is not referred to by the

masculine term ‘Shiva tanuu’ (the Shiva body) but it is

declared to be the feminine word ‘Shivaa tanuu’. Thus the

body is the one coming from the Mother concept. So the

attitude is that of the mother, and the physical form is

the father’s. It is the Shivaa bheshhajI that converts

Rudra into Shiva.

 

The incident of Shiva drinking the poison that came out

from the Ocean of Milk, and retaining it in his throat,

for the purpose of saving those of the world outside,

namely all the divines and those in his Cosmic stomach,

namely the entire universe, is graphically pictured in a

Sivanandalahari shloka (#32), wherein the poet-author (The

Acharya) wonders “Was it a ‘siddha-gulika’ that you put

into your mouth?”. Siddha-gulika refers to a medicine from

the Siddha-vaidya-shAstra. It is interesting to note that

this links well with the ‘bheshhajI’’-word (bheshhaja –

medicine; bheshhajI – Doctor) that is being used here in

the veda-mantra.

 

This idea that the Lord has within Himself another body

which is wholly that of Shivaa and the usual idea that the

Lord has an ardha-nArishvara (half-male, half-female) form

are together combined in another shloka (#23) where ambaal

is branded as one who has appropriated for Herself the

entire body of Her husband! :

 

tvayA hRtvA vAmaM vapur-aparitRptena manasA

sharIrArdhaM shambhor-aparaM api shangke hRtam abhUt /

yad-etat-tvad-rUpaM sakalam aruNAbhaM trinayanaM

kuchAbhyAm AnamraM kuTila-shashi-chUDAla-makuTaM //23//

 

yad-etad : The fact that

tvad-rUpaM : this form of Yours

sakalam aruNAbhaM : is fully red

trinayanam : (and) having three eyes

kuchAbhyAm Anamram : (and) is bent because of the breasts

kuTila-shashi-chUDAla-makuTaM : incomplete-moon-hair

dress-crown , meaning, (and) having a crown of hairdo with

the half moon in it,

shangke : makes me doubt (that)

vAmaM vapuH hRtvA : having taken the left side of the body

aparitRptena manasA : but not being satisfied (with it),

aparaM sharIrArdhaM : another half of the body

shambhoH : of Shiva

api : also

hRtaM abhUt : has been appropriated

tvayA : by You.

 

(To be Continued)

Thus spake the Paramacharya

 

praNAms to all advaitins and Devotees of Mother Goddess

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=====

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.

Also see the webpages on Paramacharya's Soundaryalahari :

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/DPDS.html