Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari (DPDS-69)

[Guest guest]

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 -

69

(Digest of pp.1197 -1205 of Deivathin Kural, 6th volume,

4th imprn.)

(Shloka 57 continued)

 

“snapaya kRpaya mAm-api shive” – ‘Bathe even me by Your

grace, Oh Mother’ : Why this prayer, when the first line

of the shloka has already assured us that ambaal’s

compassionate glance is ‘drAghIyasyA’ , that is, it reaches

the farthest corners and extends to every one without any

distinction? That is because this ‘lowly one’ (dInaM) is

davIyAmsaM (far removed even from the ordinary range of

people – in that sense, the lowliest). And the Acharya’s

stamp of humility comes out not only in these two words,

but in the additional word ‘mAM api’ – meaning, ‘even me’.

He asks for ambaal’s grace ‘even on this poor me’.

 

The whole thing implies “My Mother! You have probably kept

me so far removed from you, because I do not deserve the

universal kaTAkshha (divine glance of grace) that you

bestow on all. I am probably of such poor spiritual merit.

But now I pray to you. Would you not deign to cast your

glance even on me?”! “Please do not just glance, but really

bathe me by a downpour of your grace” (snapaya kRpayA).

 

Why this poor self-estimation? Obviously, the Acharya is

praying for all of us. We usually do not deign to rise to

this pedestal of humility when we pray to God. Because our

ego prevents us from becoming so humble. But the Acharya is

teaching us how to pray. It is said that Jesus took all our

sins on himself and got himself crucified on the Cross.

Here the Acharya is speaking for us and taking on himself

all our faults as if they are his and pleads for Divine

Mother’s Grace to descend on him (for us) in the fullest

sense!

 

The Acharya usually prays for all of us; he uses the word

“naH” (cf. Shlokas 7 and 44). But in shloka #51, where he

was referring to the nine rasas oozing forth from Her eyes,

he used “mayi” (on me), which was a little puzzling to us.

But the explanation for that comes here. The Compassionate

Glance mentioned there happens to be the subject of this

shloka #57. By itself Her divine glance is ‘dRAghIyas’,

that is, reaches the farthest. Therefore nobody need pray

to Her for that Glance. But here the speaker (the Acharya)

considers himself the lowliest of all; so he has to pray

for that divine benefit of Her Glance. And that is why in

shlokas 51 and 57 he uses “mayi” !

[Note by VK: In shlokas 12 and 51 also,

the Acharya uses the word “mayi”.

But the Paramacharya’s explanation

fits there also !]

 

The followers of the tradition of Shri Krishna Chaitanya,

who follow the dvaita-bhAva bhakti, are well known for

their attitude of extreme humility in their prayers to God.

But in that kind of modesty our Acharya excels them here!

 

“Well ! You have yourself accepted that you have been

banished from My Grace and that too deservingly, by your

own admission. Then why do you still pray to Me?” – ambaaL

might ask. And the Acharya, as if anticipating this

possible rejoinder from ambaal, puts in the third and

fourth line of this shloka:

anena ayaM dhanyo bhavati na ca te hAnir-iyatA

vane vA harmye vA sama-kara-nipAto hima-karaH //

 

Though I am undeserving according to shastraic rules and

regulations, where comes a rule or restraint when pure love

is the principal matter? There are things which have an

equanimous relationship with everything else irrespective

of norms and regulations. In fact this kind of equanimous

view is what the Gita raises to the sky. There have been

people of that kind; and there are things of that kind.

Take for instance the moon. It is always ‘hima-karaH’ –

that which makes everything cool. The moon does not make

any distinction as to which place on earth should receive

its cool moonlight. Does he make any discrimination between

a high tower and a low pit? Whether it is a forest (“vane

vA”) or a mansion (“harmye vA”) he pours his moonlight

equally. Neither does he pour more of it in the quadrangle

of the king’s palace nor does he pour less of it in the

shrubs of the thorny forest. He is “samakara-nipAtaH” –

that is, one who falls equally everywhere. In the same

way, can you not Oh Mother, dispense your cool Grace on me,

even though I am covered by the rough and tough dirt of

worldly sins!

 

In other words, all this argument is to say that the Mother

Goddess should not take into account my quality; She

should have ‘sama-dRshhTi’!

 

But then it appears the ambaal raises another question.

“Suppose the weight of your sins boomerangs back on my

“kaTAkshha” (divine Graceful Glance) itself? And the

Acharya replies: “na ca te hAnir-iyatA”. ‘iyatA’: by this.

‘te’: for you. ‘hAniH na’: there is no loss. The

additional word ‘ca’ makes the ‘te’ as ‘te ca’, meaning,

for you too.

 

Your dRshhTi, glance, will not be affected by the object on

which it falls. Just like the moon. Its light falls on all

and sundry; but the moon itself is not affected by any such

object on which its light falls. When the moon itself is

not affected by the object that benefits by it, what to

speak of Your compassionate Glance. On whomsoever it may

fall, even though it be a faulty object such as me, how can

it affect Your dRshhTi? “na ca te hAnir-iyatA” – By this

you are not affected either.

 

When it is said that ‘for you too’ there is no loss, then

there should be something else mentioned which has

necessitated that word ‘too’. Just as “you too” there has

to be a ‘me’ on the other hand. The answer is in the

expression “anena ayaM dhanyo bhavati” – This person

(namely, I) also becomes blessed.

 

The moment Your compassionate Glance falls on someone, that

someone is blessed with infinite bliss. You also do not

lose anything. I get everything. That very undeservingness

which removed me farthest from you has now been more than

compensated by the beatific of Your dRshhTi.

 

The Acharya has composed this shloka only for us to get

that treasure of beatification of Her Grace. We all live in

this world seeking to decorate ourselves with fame, honour,

position, power and what not. But all this ‘alankAra’ is

nothing before what that ‘alankAra’ of Her benign Grace

that can bring in the ultimate jnAna to us in no time.

 

The shloka ends with ‘samakara-nipAto himakaraH’. By this

he pleads with ambaal for her equanimous view of all. It is

this very sama-darshana – that is the view which sees

everything as brahman along advaitic lines – that the poet

mUka praises in Shloka 48 of his ‘AryA-shatakaM’. Just as

this Soundaryalahari shloka talks of moonlight falling

equally on the forest as well as the mansion, mUka kavi

compares ‘vipinaM’ (forest) and ‘bhavanaM’ (House) and

says that one who has ambaal’s graceful glance will

consider both of these equanimously. Three things bother

man. Lust, Anger and Fear. Fear disappears by ambaal’s

Grace; even the forest becomes a home for him. Friend and

Foe become equal to him. In other words the anger in the

enemy disappears. And thirdly even an inert stone is not

any lower in esteem than the sweet lips of an young girl;

in other words, lust flies away from him. The bathing in

Her Grace drives away all these three and gives one the

treasure of advaita. The dhanya that this shloka talks

about is the one who has obtained the dhana (treasure) of

that advaita.

 

Oh What a beautiful shloka! Deserves to be meditated on

over and over again!

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

[Guest guest]

our professorji observes....

 

" Take for instance the moon. It is always `hima-karaH' –

> that which makes everything cool. The moon does not make

> any distinction as to which place on earth should receive

> its cool moonlight. Does he make any discrimination between

> a high tower and a low pit? Whether it is a forest ("vane

> vA") or a mansion ("harmye vA") he pours his moonlight

> equally. Neither does he pour more of it in the quadrangle

> of the king's palace nor does he pour less of it in the

> shrubs of the thorny forest. He is "samakara-nipAtaH" –

> that is, one who falls equally everywhere. In the same

> way, can you not Oh Mother, dispense your cool Grace on me,

> even though I am covered by the rough and tough dirt of

> worldly sins!"

 

Thank you , thank you , prof vk!

 

What is true of the MOON is true of the Sun also!

 

The rays of the Sun falls on a dirty pond as well on the sublime

waters of the flowing river Ganges...

 

How does one receive the Grace of the Goddess (DEVBI KATAKSHAM)?

 

a sloka comes to mind ...

 

Chandanam Sheethalam loke;

Chandhanath api Chandramah

ChandrChandanayo Mrudye Sheethala Sadhu Sangati.

 

"Sandalwood paste cools the people;

the moon's rays are even better

But a better coolant than them is the company of good people"

 

thank you prodfessorji ! Let us experience the 'moon-like' glance of

Devi through devotional verses like these !

 

let us swim in the Ocean of the divine bliss of devi's glance !

(snapaya krpaya)

 

Jai Ambe Durge Bhavaani Maa !