Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari (DPDS-47)

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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 -

47

(Digest of pp.1028 -1032 of Deivathin Kural, 6th volume,

4th imprn.)

 

japo jalpaH shilpaM sakalam-api mudrA-virachanA

gatiH prAdakshhiNya-kramaNam ashanAdy-Ahuti vidhiH /

praNAmaH samveshaH sukhaM akhilaM AtmArpaNa-dRshA

saparyA paryAyaH tava bhavatu yan-me vilasitaM // 27 //

 

(The word-by-word meaning comes out in the Paramacharya’s

explanation itself; so it is not given separately)

 

Whatever actions we do everything must be in dedication to

ambaa – this is the sum and substance of this shloka.

Worship, japam, showing mudrAs by the fingers of the hand,

circumambulation, prostration, offering in the fire with

the chanting of mantras in propitiation of ambaa – all

these are usually done in honour of ambaa by Her devotees.

Yes, all these have to be done. But the matter should not

end there. Doing all this for a portion of the time, and

then for the rest of the time getting fully immersed in

material matters of the world, is exactly what should be

avoided. It is not like ‘A few hours for ambaa; and the

rest of the time for me and my worldly activities’. All the

time everything should become a worship, everything should

be a japam, a homam and an offering. That is how we should

change our life style. Not only the devotees, but all

should be able to do this.

 

But how is this possible? Is this feasible? Don’t I have to

bathe? Don’t I have to eat, sleep, mix with people, do my

work in the world? I hear you are all raising these

questions immediately. You may say that even the great

so-called jnAnis (enlightened ones) are certainly doing all

these routine activities of worldly life. So what is wrong?

 

Let it be. She as the Divine Mother has to perform Her

leelA. That is alright. But how is it that the jnAnis,

who know it is all Her leelA, are still working in the

mundane world? You should also be like those jnAnis. Be in

the world, not of the world. Maybe it is not possible just

immediately. But gradually, you can train yourself to be

so. Effort and constant practice are needed. For the

present, start convincing yourself that your bathing,

eating, talking, sleeping, walking, and all these ordinary

activities are all happening because of Her Shakti –

without which by yourself you cannot do a single thing.

Constantly tell yourself that this is so. Slowly keep

widening this belief for evcery action of yours.

 

When you recognize that you are eating because of the power

She has given you to eat, you would not have the heart to

send rubbish stuff into your stomach. When the belief

settles in that it is ambaa that makes you walk, you will

hesitate twice before wasting it on going to the races or

the movies. When you know that it is by Her Grace you are

talking, you would not waste it on gossiping or scolding

another or discussing disgusting material. When we are

aware of the fact that hands and feet are working because

of Her, we would stop using them for doing wrong things.

 

Gradually, in due time, this conviction has to spread to

your mental activities also. In other words, the egoistic

thought of ‘I am planning this or that’ will give way to

the thought ‘Let Her get this done, if She wishes’. This

change in the thought processes is important because it is

through the mind all the mAyic changes and troubles of the

world emerge. And they prevent the nullifying of the mind

and the entry into jnAna mArga. Once we transfer the

responsibilities to the Divine Mother, the impact of the

mind will slowly disappear. Thereafter, whether She keeps

us talking, walking or eating or She keeps us without any

of these, in any case, we would be peaceful at the bottom

of our heart. It is to reach that state, to pray for that

state to be possible, that this shloka has been given to us

by the Acharya.

 

“japo jalpaH”: ‘jalpa’ means talk, whether it is

meaningful or not. So all this talk should be a japam. In

other words, it is the state of whatever we talk becoming

an offering of japam for Her.

There are several mantras like ‘BalA’, ‘ShhoDashI’, and

‘panchadashI’. All these mantras are done in a japa form.

We are not saying that they should not be done. But

ultimately, the japa as a separate activity has to

disappear and the conviction should occur that whatever we

talk is a japa offering to Her.

“sakalaM shilpam-api mudrA-virachanA”: Whatever I do by my

hand, let it be a mudrA that one does in Your pUjA. Here

‘shilpam’ must be taken to mean any kind of work.

Unfortunately the tamil word ‘shilpam’ means only

sculpture. Maybe because Man produces forms just as the

Creator creates human beings.

“gatiH prAdakshhiNya-kramaNaM” : Whatever movement I do

let it be a circumambulation of You. Wherever I go let me

have the feeling that I am doing a pradakshhiNA of You.

“ashanAdi” : food, etc. Since the ‘etc.’ is there it means

not only food that is eaten, but food that is consumed by

the other senses like eyes and ears. So all sensual

experiences are covered.

“Ahuti vidhiH” : Let them be the offerings given to the

sacred fire lit for You.

In fact all eating is done only after giving the first five

morsels to the five prANas. In the Gita also, the Lord says

that He it is who digests the food by being VaishvAnara as

‘JATharAgni’ in the stomach. Once we have the conviction

that it is He that is sitting inside and consuming what we

send through the mouth, then we would not be sending in

wine and meat for His consumption. The same logic applies

to the sensual consumption by eyes, ears, skin, and nose.

Everything is experienced by Him and so let us dare not

send in undesirable things.

 

“praNAmas-samveshaH” : Let my very sleeping be a namaskara

done to You. Once we realise that our lying down for rest

is nothing but a namaskaram at the feet of ambaa, that

would itself give us total peace and relaxation.

 

Why carry on this list in detail. It is not necessary to do

special japa, homa, namakara and such rituals. Whatever we

naturally do , let it be our pUja to You – this is the

meaning of “sukham akhilam AtmArpaNa-dRshA saparyA paryAyaH

tava bhavatu yan me vilasitaM”. Here “saparyA” means pUjA.

“paryAya” has many meanings, one of which is ‘substitute’.

So this gives the meaning: Let whatever I do be a

‘substitute’ for the pUjA to be done to 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