Soundarya Lahiri--Verse 14 [of Sri Samkara-Bhagavatpada] PART ONE

[Guest guest]

, venkat bhasksr

<sitam_subba wrote:

>

> kshitou shatpancasad dwisamadadhika pancasadudakey

> hutashe dwaashashtiscaduradhika pancaasadaniley

> divi dwishatriinsan manasi ca catuhshashtiriti ye

> mayukhaasteshaamapupari tava paadambhuja yougam

>

 

Thy pair of lotus-like feet is far above those rays, namely the

fifty-six [rays] of [the MUlAdhAra, of the character of] Earth, the

fifty-two of [the ManipUra, of the character of] Water, the sixty-

two of [the SvAdhisthAna of the character of]fire, the fifty-four of

[the AnAhata, of the character of] Air, the seventy-two of [the

visuddhi, of the character of]Ether, and the sixty-four of [the

AjNA, of the character of] the Mind.

 

 

In this stanza the exhalted nature of Devi's pair of feet, resting

on the SahasrAra, is described in detail, with reference to the six

Cakra-s below the SahasrAra, The MayUkha-s referred to in this

stanza may be understood from four different points of view.

 

[1]They are ray effulging from Agni, SUrya and Soma, having as their

position the Rudra-, Visnu- and Brahma-granth-s, over contiguous

pairs of the six Cakra-s in the ascending order, their number being

three hundred and sixty in all

 

[2] They indicate the lunar year of 360 Thithi-s, each Tithi

representing a digit of the Moon, with the six seasons, Vasanta,

GrIsma, VarsA, Sarad, Hemanta and Sisira, corresponding to the six

Cakras, and the Devi's feet standing above them all as NAda and

Bindu, being KAlAgocare [transcending all time]

 

[3] The MayUkha-s may be taken to indicate the several Tattva-s

representing by the elements corresponding to the Cakra-s, in two

sets, so that one set may be ascribed to the Sakti and the other to

Siva, the Devi's feet being TattvAtIta and therefore transcending

them all.

 

[4] The MayUkha-s may also be construed as the MAtrkA-s or letters

of the alphabet grouped as follows :

 

[a] The Fifty letters of the alphabet, 'ksa' being left out of

account, and the Bija-s 'aiM', 'hrIM", 'srIM' 'aIM', 'kLiM'

and 'sauH' indicative of Earth.

 

The fifty letters as above and the Bija-s 'sauM' and 'srIM', of

water.

[c] The fifty letters, the fourteenth letter repeated four times,

the Bija-s 'haM' and 'saH' repeated four times, of Fire.

[d] The fifty letters and 'yaM','raM', 'laM' and 'vaM' of Air.

[e] The first fourteen vowels repeated five times and the Bija-

s 'aiM' and 'hrIM', of Ether

[f] The sixteen vowels repeated four times, of the Manas.

It is said that with the three hundred and sixty syllables thus

arrived at, together with 'haM' and 'saH', the requisite NyAsa

should be performed in the six Cakra-s. [Vide Introduction to

Serpent-Power by Arthur Avalon]

According to the first of these views each ray is given a distinct

AvaraNa-devatA of its own. In this classification are involved two

kinds of Tantr-s, the PUrva and the Uttara, the first pertaining to

the Sakti and hence known as SAkta, and the second-pertaining to

Siva and styled SAmbhava. From the conjunction of th enon-

differentiated All-Witness, Siva with the Sakti for the creation of

the world, there effulges a radiance, known as ParA, pervading from

the Brahmarandhra to the AjNA in the middle of the eyebrows.

To continues........

The Ocean of Beauty

Saundarya-LaharI of SrI Samkara-Bhagavatpada

Pandit S. Subrahmanya Sastri and T.R. Srinivasa Ayyangar