Translation-Shiva Manasa Puja

[Guest guest]

Dear Lady Joyce-ji,

 

It is a pleasure responding to you.

 

Here is another translation and correct transliteration:

 

QUOTE

 

Nirguna Manasa Puja –

Worship of the Attributeless Spirit

by Shankaracharya.

[transl. By Sw. Yogananda Sarasvati. Publ. In Tattvaloka – Apr.-May

1992]

 

http://www.geocities.com/advaitavedant/nirgunapuja.htm

 

I worship the symbol of the Self (atmalinga) shining like a jewel and

situated in the heart-lotus within the city of illusion, with the

ablutions (abhisheka) of the unsullied mind from the river of faith,

always, with the flowers of samadhi, for the sake of non-rebirth.

 

aaraadhayaami maNisaMnibhamaatmalinN^gam.h

maayaapurIhR^idayapaN^kajasaMnivishhTam.h .

shraddhaanadIvimalachittajalaabhishhekai\-

ni.rtyaM samaadhikusumairnapunarbhavaaya .. 9..

 

UNQUOTE

 

To you question now. This is my personal opinion and not in any way

scholarly.

 

The subject is worship of the one without attributes. How can that

be done when one says " it shines like a jewel " etc. So, I believe

the word " mAyApurI " etc. are to destress or nullify the tendency to

form. Besides, any worship is possible only in the realm of mAyA.

 

Hope I have understood your question well and this is a satisfactory

answer.

 

Best regards.

 

Madathil Nair

[Guest guest]

Dear Nairji:

 

Thank you for your thoughts and the additional

translation. I will add this to my files. Coincidentally,

I stumbled across an internet listing for a book interpreting the

Manasa Puja by Swami Tejomayandanda and they

have it at the Mission here :-) So, contrary to what I said

in a rather recent post here, I may find myself reading a bit.

 

It is always helpful to me to have access to multiple

translations such that it gives me a better flavor for

the meaning. Often, one may resonate more than

another with my understanding. Or, one may enhance

my appreciation of another thus enriching my absorption

of the overall meaning . In any event, the way I see it, the

better I understand my illusion, the more I will enjoy it!

 

The gist of my question was intended to be more

directed at whether there is any particular

symbolic meaning to the phrase...

 

"lotus of my heart" and lotus of my meditation

as in the line below...some of it may be "grammatical

syntax" and some of it may be poetic license in

Shri Ramachander's translation!!! But sometimes

a phrase can take on a certain symbolic meaning, eg,

Lord of my Heart::-) And this is what I wondered.

 

I worship that Linga,Which is in me as my soul,Residing in the illusory lotus of my heart,Getting bathed by the clear water,Of the river of my devotion,And worshipped daily by the Lotus,Of my meditation for avoiding another birth. (From Nirguna Manasa Puja by Sankaracharya)Translated by P. R. Ramachander

 

 

Whatever way you look at it, the verse has enough

pull that I am drawn to it. Shankaracharya wrote

with such deep bhakti as to speak to anyone of

us no matter what our level of "advaitic" understanding.

And I am so thankful for that.

 

Nairji, it is a joy to see your name on a post

and feel your energy across these miles. I must

also confess to feeling moments of sadness

as well as my mind wanders back to other

times and other events on the world stage

which have given rise to your poetic inspirations.

I am thankful for the comfort they bring us in giving

voice to our grief.

 

Namaskarams to you,

 

Joyce