MOTHERS KARUNYA

[Guest guest]

DIVINE MOTHER’S KATAKSHA

“Drsaa draagheeyasyaa dara-dalita-neelotpala-ruchaa daveeyaamsam deenam

snapaya krpayaa maamapisive; Anena-ayam dhanyo bhavanti na cha te haanir-iyataa

Vane vaa harmye vaa samakara nipato himakarah”.

This verse is from Soundarya Lahari, composed by Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada.

Addressing the Divine Mother, Sive, Sri Acharya requests Her to bathe even him,

who is helpless and standing at a great distance, with the far-reaching glance

of Her soothing blue eyes, beautiful as a half-blossomed blue lily. By this

act, the Acharya says, the Mother stands to lose nothing while he, a deena,

will be blessed and enabled to achieve the goal of life. The soothing cool

moonlight falls equally on a forest and a beautiful mansion. By this verse, Sri

Adi Sankara seeks to convey the idea that the range of the benevolent look or

kataaksha of the Divine Mother is long enough to embrace everything and every

one in this wide world.

The Divine Mother is part of Isvara. Sri Adi Sankara, an incarnation of Isvara,

is the embodiment of the Divine Mother also. Yet for the purpose of instilling

bhakti in the minds of the people, he humbles himslef by describing himself as

deena, or helpless, and considers himself as standing in the last place in the

queue of people waiting to receive the grace of the Mother. By invoking Her to

bless “even him” (maamapi), he suggests, by inference, the

existence of persons more deserving than himself to receive Her grace. On the

other hand, he describes the glance of the Mother as reaching the far ends of

the Universe and embracing everything. It is in such a spirit of humility and

intense devotion that Sri Adi Sankara has given to us a rich devotional

treasure in the form of Soundarya Lahari and it is up to us to benefit from it.

 

November 6, 1957

DIVINE MOTHER - THE BESTOWER OF PROSPERITY

There is a reference in Mooka Panchasati that Goddess Kamakshi caused a shower

of gold in Tundeeram (Tondaimandalam) to relieve the sufferings of the people.

This allusion is substantiated by the existence of a place which goes by the

name of Pon Vilainda Kalathur in the Chingleput District. There is also a

tradition that Sri Vedanta Desika, the renowed Sarvatantra Swatantracharya, who

established the Vaishnava Sampradaya, prayed to the Goddess of Wealth, Sri

Mahalakshmi, by composing and reciting Sri Stuti and obtained gold for giving

it to a Brahmachari. This Brahmachari is said to have been sent by some people

envious of Sri Vedanta Desika and this youth begged for gold so that he could

get himself married. This incident also seems to have taken place somewhere in

the region known as Tondaimandalam.

Sri Kanakadharastavam of Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada is a widely known composition.

The circumstances which led to thecomposition and recitation of this prayer is

interesting. After his Upanayana, performed at a very early age, Sri Sankara

rigorously followed the injunctions of the brahmacharya life and lived on the

food obtained by begging or biksha. In the course of his daily biksha rounds,

he stood at the threshold of a poor Brahmin, one day, and asked for alms, by

uttering the prescribed formula, Bhavati bikshaam dehi. The master of the

house, who himself lived on the charity of his neighbours, was away and the

lady of the house, who possessed a magnanimous heart, wanted to give something

to this child with a divine countenance. Her search resulted in unearthing only

a small amalaka fruit. This she deposited in the begging bowl devoutly, her

heart melting at the thought that she had nothing better to offer. Sri Sankara

divined the situation and realised that the small gift came from a heart as

expansive as the sky itself. He composed and sang the 18 verses, which go by

the name of Sri Kanakadharastavam. Sri Mahalakshmi responded to the prayer and

showered golden fruits inside the house of the poor Brahmin couple and banished

their poverty. Incidentally this was also the first composition of Sri Sankara.

There is internal evidence in the stotra itself to substantiate this story. The

verse providing this evidence is :

“Dadyaat dayaanupavano dravina-ambudhaaraam Asmin-akinchana vihanga sisau

vishanne Dushkarma gharmam-apaneeya chiraaya dooram Naaraayana-pranayinee

nayanaambuvaahah”.

In this verse, Sri Sankara prays that impelled by the wind of kindness

(dayaanupavano) of Sri Mahalakshmi who is the beloved of Sri Narayana

(Naaraayana pranayini) the cloud of her glance (nayana-ambuvaahah) should

shower (daadyaar) the rain of wealth (dravina-ambudhaaram) driving away to a

distance (apaneeya chiraaya dooram), the scorching heat (gharmam) of the past

sins (dushkarma) of this suffering (vishanne) fledgling (vihangasisu). The bird

referred to here is the mythical chaataka, which can quench its thirst only when

rain falls. The utter helplessness of the poor householder is indicated by a

comparison to the fledgling of chaataka. To meet the possible objection that

the householder’s present plight is the consequence of his past wrong

deeds (dushkarma), Sri Sankara says that this prayer, on his behalf, should be

sufficient to absolve him of all his past sins.

While the other verses in this stotra are all in praise of the Divine Mother,

this particuolar verse alone contains the request for wealth. In the same way

as showers relieve the parched condition of the scorching summer heat, he prays

that the cooling grace of the Mother should relieve the sufferings of the poor

householder.

“Ishtaavisishtamatayopi yayaa dayaardra- Drshtyaa trivishtapapadam

sulabham labhante; Vrshtih prahrshta kamalodaradeeptirishtaam Pushtim

krsheeshta mama pushkaravishtaraayaah Geerdevateti garudadhwaja-sundareeti

Sakambhareeti sasisekhara-vallabheti; Srshti-sthiti-pralaya kelishu

samsthitaayai Tasyai namasstribhuvanaikagurostarunyai”.

In the first of the above two verses, also occurring in Sri Kanakadhaaraastavam,

Sri Sankara prays for the bestowal of desired prosperity (Ishtaam pushtim),

wealth, crop, family, etc. Here Sri Sankara indicates that even those who

perform the prescribed rites to qualify them for a place in heaven, can attain

that status only when the benevolent glance of the Divine Mother, seated on the

lotus, falls on them. The second verse indicates the true nature of the Mother.

It also teaches that the Divine Mother, known by different names as Saraswati,

Lakshmi, Saakambhari & Parvati, are but manifestations of the same Supreme

Divinity, who is none else than that Creative Energy, who forms part of the

static Paramatma (Tribhuvanaika Guru), both together constituting the Father

and Mother of the universe, and to whom creation, preservation, and destruction

are mere sport (keli).

If we too recite this Sri Kanakadhaaraastavam with devotion, we shall be

relieved of poverty, sufferings and afflictions and sins (daaridrya, taapa and

paapa).