For your eyes only!

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Dear Kamalalochana priyas,

 

(Meenakshi Amba of Madurai)

 

Among many beauties hinted at, in Saundarya Lahiri, Minakshi, is one and she is connected with the eyes. It not Minakshi the same as the minanetri or Meenalochani?

(Madurai Meenakshi temple in Tamilnadu,India)

 

 

The Minaambika of madurai popularly known as Meenakshi is worldfamous and she grants boons to her devotees. She who has existed from the very beginning of Time up till now is named after her eyes.However her name does not occur in the dvotional works that are like two eyes among the hymns to the Godess,the Sahasranama and and the Suandarya Lahiri.

 

We think of this as a drawback because of it.

 

 

(My Amba!)

But, upon careful examination of the two hymns,we will realise that there is no cause for disappointment. In both,although the name Meenakshi as such does not occur,it is hinted at or suggested ,that is there is a 'sucana'(indication) of it.

 

That her name is not explicitly mentioned shows that she has a special distinction. Is not the subtle superior to the gross?

 

As the Lalitha-Sahasranama goes on describing Rajarajeshwari Devi,there occurs the name of "Vaktra-Lakshmi-parivaaha-chalan-Meenaabhalochana''

 

 

Vaktra lakshmi means the glow of Amba Rajarajeshwari's face. It exists as a great flow-'parivaha'. If the radiance of the face becomes a stream there must be fish in it. Where do you find the fish in this ocean of tranquility?

 

 

 

The elongated eyes of my Amba Rajarajeshwari devi are indeed the fish! 'lochana' means eye.("lokanam" means in pure sanskrit seeing. The word "loka" thus forms from this etymological root to mean that which is visible...visible land/space...That is why I stress the need to be conversant with etymology to understand any language.)

 

The eye that is like a fish is called "Meenabhalochana" Though the name Meenakshi as such is not mentioned in the sahasranama,it is suggested by the word Meenabhalochana.

Here we have found the answer to one shortcoming.

 

(Bharathanatyam dance pose for eye..Tamil Dance form)

What now about the saundarya lahiri? In the stanza in which Amba Rajarajeshwaree's eyes are brought in relation to a number of cities,Mathura(Corruption of Madhura) is mentioned and we may take it to mean the southern city of Madurai.So,although the name Meenkashi is not mentioned,her city is. Though this sounds like stretching things a bit ,it does make a subtle sense.

 

(Meenakshi Thirukalyanam---The holy Marriage of Meenkashi and Shiva in the form of Sundareswahara,vishnu doing the kanyadana)(Incidentally, I had a vision of Meenakshi devi once when I was sick and praying for her grace from my bed....in otherwords..I got a sidelong glance from my mother.....on this "blind" young man!)

 

Apart from that,one staza describing my sweet mother's eyes says :

 

Tavaparne Karne Japanayana Paisunya Chakithaa

Neeliyanthe toye niyatamanimesaha saphirikaha.

 

Though I avoid quoting texts. I have to quote here a bit of the text for it is truly beautiful.

 

 

 

 

(Inside view of Madurai Meenakshi temple,Tamilnadu)

 

This verse means:

 

(Sundareeswarar in the Madurai temple)

 

Oh! Amba Rajarajeshwaree with the name Aparna! Amba was born the daughter of the mountain (parvatarajakumari) and wanting to marry Parameswara,performed severe austerities. During this time the rishis sustained themselves on the leaves falling (naturally) from the trees. But she ,the daughter of the mountain,would not do even that and hers was a total fast. For this reason she earned the name "Aparna",says Kalidasa. "Parnam" means leaf:She who did not even eat leaves is 'Aparna'

Tava=your

Karne=in the ear,to the ear

Japa nayane= eyes that seem to speak,to mutter

Paisunya chakitha=afraid that tales were being told about them

Sapharikaaha=female fish

animesaha=without closing their eyes

toye=in the water

neeliyante=become immersed

niyatam=certainly

 

(Ambal's idol in Madurai)

 

Sri Meenakshi Devi is the incarnation of Parashakti Sree Rajarajeshwaree devi. The sthala purana has it that the King Malaya Dhwaja, a great devotee of Lord Shiva was childless and hence conducted Puthra Kameshti yagna. Goddess Parvathi was born and named as Meenakshi (Her eyes+ being in the shape of fish). Meenakshi was a great devotee of Lord Sundareswara (Shiva) and the Lord comes in disguise followed by many thrilling episodes known as (sixty four tiruvilayadals), before manying the goddess Meenakshi. Many poets adorned the court of Pandya Kings and Madurai was the seat of Tamil literature. It was also popularly known as the birthplace of Tamil Sangam.

Shri MEENAKSHI (Madurai --Tamil Nadu) : Madurai is about 492 Kms. from Madras. This town is famous for Goddess Meenakshi temple and was capital of Pandya Kingdom.

 

(Madurai Meenakshi Temple)

 

The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara temple and Madurai city originated together. According to tradition, Indra once committed sin when he killed a demon, who was then performing penance. He could find no relief from remorse in his own kingdom. He came down to earth. While passing through a forest of Kadamba trees in Pandya land, he felt relieved of his burden. His servitors told him that there was a Shivalinga under a Kadamba tree and beside a lake. Once Dhananjaya, a merchant of Manavur, where the Pandyas had arrived after the second deluge in Kumari Kandam, having been overtaken by nightfall in Kadamba forest, spent the night in the Indra Vimana. When next morning he woke up, he was surprised to see signs of worship. Thinking that it must be the work of the Devas, he told the Pandya, Kulasekhara, in Manavur, of this. Meanwhile Lord Shiva had instructed Pandya in a dream to build a temple and a city at the spot Dhananjaya

would indicate. Kulasekhara did so. Thus originated the temple and city. In the 14th century an invasion by Malik Kafur damaged the temple. In the same century Madurai was under Muslim rule for nearly fifty years. The temple authorities closed the sanctum, covered up the Linga, and set up another in the Ardhamandapa. When the city was liberated, the sanctum was opened, and, tradition says the flower garlands and the sandalwood paste placed on the Linga were as fresh as on the first day, and two oil lamps were still burning.

 

 

(Kuchipudi dance pose...Andhra dance form)

Why is that fish always keep swimming under the water and not on its surface? Shankara thinks of the reason for this here. The fish see Amba's eyes strecthing up to her ears. The world Mother turns her look to every nook and corner of the world and to every blade of grass and to every worm and insect. Every time she looks out of the corner of her eyes ,it (the eye)seems to touch the ear and whisper a secret in it-so it seems to the fish. And what is the secret? In the shape the eyes resemble the fish. They are tremulous as they take in the entire world so as to bless it. The fish seem to "copy" the movement of amba's eyes by keeping always under water swimming.But they are afraid of the possibility that eyes maybe complaining to Amba about them,whispering in her ears"The fish are competing with us" After listening to their "petition" if parashakthi decides to take action against these lowly creatures? It is because of this fear that the

fish keep swimming under the water instead of its surface.

 

 

Just as Duryodhana,after he had suffered defeat at the hands of Bhima,hid in a cavern in a pond,so the fish,afraid of the beauty of Amba Rajarajeshwaree's eyes go deep under the water.

 

 

 

'Sapharika' means female fish. 'Paisunya' is telling tales about somebody(ratting).Chakitha means trembling with fear. Afraid that if they go to battle with Amba Rajarjeshwaree's eyes they would suffer defeat both in the matter of beauty and in their ability to swim about ,they live incognito under the water!

 

 

(The miraculous lake of Madurai Meenakshi temple where there are no fish!)

 

 

There are no fish in the pond of the golden lotuses of the temple of Meenakshi in Madurai. This is one unique feature of the temple. The reason is that shamed by the beauty of the eyes of the godess,the fish do not ''raise their heads"(they are not seen)

 

By the likening the eyes of Amba Rajarajeshwaree to the fish and by stating that the fish go into hiding shamed by the beauty of those eyes Shankara brings in Meenkashi by suggestion in the stanza,that is by "sucana''

 

In this way what we thought to be a drawback to the hym is also removed.

 

 

 

"Animesha" :without closing the eyes,says the hymn about the fish.("Nimisha" is the time taken for the twinkling of an eye) That Amba does not close her eyes was mentioned in an earlier stanza and the very word "animesha" was used there. The world is created as she opens her eyes and it is destroyed as she closes them. She does not close her eyes for the reason that the world should not perish.In the celestial world noone closes his or her eyes. In the case of Amba Rajarajeshwaree devi she does not close to keep the desire of the world alive. Another reason also occurs to me. During a fraction of a secdond taken for a twinkling of her eye,the children of the world will be denied of the ambrosia of her sidelong glance.

 

 

 

Why does shankara say the same thing about fish?(That they do not close their eyes). There is a belief that fish do not sleep. The fish (referred to in the stanza) go deep into the water and remain alert,the reason being they are afraid that AMba will come to fight with them because of her eyes telling tales in her ears.

 

 

 

Poor fish!

 

Yours yogically,

 

Shreeram Balijepalli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...

 

 

 

 

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