Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari - (DPDS-54)

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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 -

54

(Digest of pp.1072 - 1085 of Deivathin Kural, 6th volume,

4th imprn.)

 

(Note by VK: At this point the Paramacharya looks back on

the Anandalahari portion and describes in the form of an

overview how Shiva and Shakti have been dealt in different

relationships within this first part of Soundaryalahari).

 

The capability of ‘moving’ the immovable impregnable Father

of the Universe is Her greatest glory. Soundaryalahari

starts with that glorious idea in the very first shloka. He

is the executor of the Dissolution Function of the

Universe. But even that function could be done only by the

power of the dust of Her feet, says the 2nd shloka. His

relationship with Her is like our relationship to Him. In

other words She is in the place of a Goddess for Him, as is

confirmed by the word “ArAdhyAm’ in the first shloka. A

little later (in #7) She is His Self-awareness personified

– Aho-purushhikA . In the next shloka He is Her equal, She

as Kameshvari sitting on the lap of the Kameshvara form of

Shiva (“parama-shiva paryangka-nilayAM”). This is where

they are together the twin form of saguNa-brahman, as King

and Queen of the ‘five cosmic functions’. Shloka 9

(“sahasrAre padme saha rahasi patyA viharase” – You are

revelling with your husband in the sahasrAra-lotus) depicts

Her as the saguNa-brahman coalescing within Him, the

nirguNa-brahman. Another shloka (#11) depicts how they are

situated in unison in the ShrI-chakra. And in the next

shloka it talks of how as an ideal pati-vratA, She reveals

Her full form only to Him. But after twelve shlokas later,

(shloka #23) She has not only taken half His body but has

captured the remaining half also.

 

The next shloka (#24) needs more than a passing mention.

 

[shloka 24 is not quoted by the Paramacharya

but since he deals with it in detail,

I am giving the shloka below

without the word-by-word meaning.

These meanings automatically come forth

in his explanations. V. K.]

 

jagat-sUte dhAtA harir-avati rudraH kshhapayate

tiraskurvan-netat svam-api vapur-Ishas-tirayati /

sadA pUrvas-sarvaM tadidam-anugRHNAti ca shivaH

tavAjnAm-Alabhya kshhaNa-calitayor-bhrUlatikayoH //24//

 

 

It begins in the style of shloka 2 where the Trinity is

spoken of as doing their work only with Her grace.

“jagat-sUte dhAtA” – Brahma originates the universe. “hariH

avati” – Vishnu protects and maintains it. “rudraH

kshhapayate” –Rudra destroys. Not stopping here, it goes on

to talk also about the remaining two cosmic functions and

the deities in charge of those functions. One of them is

Ishvara who carries out the ‘tirodhAna’ aspect.

“Ishas-tirayati” is what the shloka says: The Lord Isha

deludes by His mAyA. And all this happens by mandate

(“tava AjnAm-Alabhya”) from ambaaL. “kshhaNa-calitayoH

bhrU-latikayoH” – by the subtle movement, for a second, of

Her eyebrows! The absorption by mAyA is not only of the

universe and all creation but of the Trinity also: Brahma,

Vishnu and Rudra. Not only that; He himself disappears

into the fifth functionary namely SadAshiva. “svam-api

vapuH Ishas-tirayati” – Isha makes His own body disappear.

 

“sadAshivaH” is the name of the fifth cosmic functionary.

The shloka names him “sadA-pUrvaH shivaH” meaning, ‘shiva

with a prefix of sadA’.

At this point, one should note how a funny situation is

implied here by the poet. The five cosmic functionaries are

lower in hierarchy to ambaaL and her pati Lord Shiva. But

one of those functionaries, namely the One who dispenses

Grace has the name which means ‘Always Shiva’. And in

order that the meaning should strike us in the face, the

poet, instead of using the straight word ‘sadA-shiva’, uses

the construction ‘Shiva with a prefix of sadA’ .

 

Shloka #24 therefore shows the Lord as Rudra, Ishvara and

SadAshiva in the relationship of functionaries under the

suzerainty of ambaaL.

 

In the next shloka (#25) the Trinity are considered to be

at the feet of ambaaL, but by that very reason, they are

also worshipped; because, those who propitiate ambaal offer

their flowers in obeisance at the feet of the Mother and

the flowers do fall on the crowns of the Trinity, which are

in prostration at those divine feet. In #25, by using the

expression “trayANAM devAnAM triguNa-janitAnAM”, they can

be considered as born of ambaaL and therefore She is their

jananI.

 

In #26, when everybody meets their end, even in the time

of the Grand Dissolution (mahA-samhAra) , the Lord is

depicted as sporting with Her. The Grand Dissolution,

seemingly a negative mode, is actually a great anugraha

from the Almighty to the Universe; for, the millions of

jIvas are brought back from their karmic whirl into the

fold of the Supreme. “mahA-samhAre asmin viharati sati

tvat-patirasau” : Here the key word is ‘viharati’. It means

‘plays in joy’, generally; but it also means ‘destroys’.The

sanskrit words ‘haraNaM’, ‘apaharaNaM’, ‘samharaNaM’,

‘viharaNaM’, ‘apahAraM’, ‘samhAraM’ , ‘vihAraM’ – all of

them can be used interchangeably. So taking the words

‘tvat-patiH viharati’ , we have to interpret it as ‘Your

husband is engaged in Destruction’.

 

This interpretation leaves ambaaL out of the business of

Destruction. He does it and She watches it. The authority

for this interpretation comes from Lalita-sahasranAmam

where She gets the name:

‘maheshvara-mahAkalpa-mahAtANDava-sAkshhiNI’. I have

already mentioned this in my explanation of shloka #41. The

interesting point here is that She is the sAkshhI and He is

the actor – in the action of mahA-samhAra. A similar

sAkshhI status for Her is given in the great kshhetra of

Chidambaram, where the Lord performs the tANDava dance of

Creation, while the ambaaL there, is a silent witness!

 

But in shloka #9, as we have seen just a little while ago,

the word ‘viharasi’ is used for ambaaL herself. In the

context there, it is the union of Shiva and Shakti. This is

the last stage of Involution. It is the union of jIvAtma

and paramAtma. There is no negative of Destruction there.

There is only the flooding of nectar in fullness in the

Jiva. It is actually a delightful experience for the jIva

when the kunDalini reaches the sahasrAra. So the word

‘viharaNaM’ for ambaal is quite apt with the meaning of

joyful play.

 

Among the various relationships of Shiva and Shakti, there

is also the guru-shishhya relationship.

 

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