Soundaryalahari and Chidambaram

[Guest guest]

Dear saktha bandhus,

 

Soundaryalahari is a mantra shashtra and a wonderful composition by Sankara

which encompasses Srividya in a nutshell. Generally, it is a practice that

upasakas compose the poetry keeping in view of their ishta devata in mind that

is related to a particular region. It can be found out that this

Soundaryalahari was composed keeping in view of one such devata, and that is

Goddess Sivakamasundari of Chidambaram. There are several instances in

Saundaryalahari, when traced back the origin of certain words, would refer to

this great goddess. For example, the sloka no. 69:

 

gale rekhas-tisro gati-gamaka-gitaika-nipune

vivaha-vyanaddha-praguna-guna-sankhya-pratibhuvah /

virajante nanavidha-madhura-ragakara-bhuvam

trayanam gramanam sthiti-niyama-simana iva te //

 

The word “gramanam” occurs in the fourth line of the shloka – means the

three-fold classification of ragas Shadja, Madhyama and Gandhara. Background of

carnatic music is necessary here to understand these. These 3 ragas are

manifested as three lines on the neck of Tripurasundari.

 

A still deeper meaning is that Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada refers the three (3)

villages that are encoded in this sloka. These 3 villages are 1) Puliyoor 2)

Thillaivanam 3) Chidambaram.

 

Puliyoor was the place where Sage Vyaghrapada resided. Thillaivanam was the

forest where there were several mutts and ashrams of upasakas. Chidambaram is

the Chit Sabha where Nataraja sports with Sivakamasundari. The “laasya”, a

typical dance of Sivakamasundari is described in Soundaryalahari.

 

Similarly, there are several slokas that refer to this great place

Chidambaram. So, some of the scholars conclude that Saundaryalahari was

composed in the premises of Chidambaram keeping in view the Goddess

Sivakamasundari.

 

With regards,

Sriram

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Sriram Ji

recently I went to Srisylam and near a hilllock ,there is small waterfall and

Adishankara Temple and it is written there that this was the place where the

Sivananda lahari and soundarya lahari were composed and is there any authority

behind these findings.

regards

ganapathy

 

venkata sriram <sriram_sapthasathi wrote:

Dear saktha bandhus,

 

Soundaryalahari is a mantra shashtra and a wonderful composition by Sankara

which encompasses Srividya in a nutshell. Generally, it is a practice that

upasakas compose the poetry keeping in view of their ishta devata in mind that

is related to a particular region. It can be found out that this Soundaryalahari

was composed keeping in view of one such devata, and that is Goddess

Sivakamasundari of Chidambaram. There are several instances in Saundaryalahari,

when traced back the origin of certain words, would refer to this great goddess.

For example, the sloka no. 69:

 

gale rekhas-tisro gati-gamaka-gitaika-nipune

vivaha-vyanaddha-praguna-guna-sankhya-pratibhuvah /

virajante nanavidha-madhura-ragakara-bhuvam

trayanam gramanam sthiti-niyama-simana iva te //

 

The word “gramanam” occurs in the fourth line of the shloka – means the

three-fold classification of ragas Shadja, Madhyama and Gandhara. Background of

carnatic music is necessary here to understand these. These 3 ragas are

manifested as three lines on the neck of Tripurasundari.

 

A still deeper meaning is that Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada refers the three (3)

villages that are encoded in this sloka. These 3 villages are 1) Puliyoor 2)

Thillaivanam 3) Chidambaram.

 

Puliyoor was the place where Sage Vyaghrapada resided. Thillaivanam was the

forest where there were several mutts and ashrams of upasakas. Chidambaram is

the Chit Sabha where Nataraja sports with Sivakamasundari. The “laasya”, a

typical dance of Sivakamasundari is described in Soundaryalahari.

 

Similarly, there are several slokas that refer to this great place Chidambaram.

So, some of the scholars conclude that Saundaryalahari was composed in the

premises of Chidambaram keeping in view the Goddess Sivakamasundari.

 

With regards,

Sriram

 

 

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[Guest guest]

ar Ganapathy

I am not certainof Soundarya lahari . But Sivananda Lahiri was composed only

in Srisailam.Pl notice the ref to Brihadmbal in Sivananda Lahiri

PBKrishnamurthy

 

ganapathy = = vijaya <srividya101 wrote:

Dear Sriram Ji

recently I went to Srisylam and near a hilllock ,there is small waterfall and

Adishankara Temple and it is written there that this was the place where the

Sivananda lahari and soundarya lahari were composed and is there any authority

behind these findings.

regards

ganapathy

[Guest guest]

Dear ganapathy,

 

The place which you went was the Paladhara and Panchadhara near Hatakeshwaram.

It was the place where Adi Sankara went performed tapas and composed

Sivanandalahari but not Soundaryalahari.

 

Kanchi Paramacharya during his chaturmasya at Srisailam went into antarmukha

state and identified this place and identified the aagama pundits to dig that

place which was covered with thorny bushes and got cleaned. This is none other

than the place where Sarada Devi is installed now at Paladhara and Panchadhara.

It is also the belief that there is a place which is at the other side of the

bank of river Krishna where there is Kadali Vana and Akkamahadevi caves. This

was the place where Kapalika wanted to behead Adisankara during his Bhairava

worship. Several bhairava temples have been excavated from this place by

Archeological Department of India.

 

Soundaryalahari was composed in Chidambaram.

 

Brahmasutra Bhashya was written in the temple premises of Siddhinatha Temple

near Omkareshwar Jyothirlinga Kshetra at the banks of river Narmada.

 

with regards,

sriram

 

ganapathy = = vijaya <srividya101 wrote:

Dear Sriram Ji

recently I went to Srisylam and near a hilllock ,there is small waterfall and

Adishankara Temple and it is written there that this was the place where the

Sivananda lahari and soundarya lahari were composed and is there any authority

behind these findings.

regards

ganapathy

 

venkata sriram <sriram_sapthasathi wrote:

Dear saktha bandhus,

 

Soundaryalahari is a mantra shashtra and a wonderful composition by Sankara

which encompasses Srividya in a nutshell. Generally, it is a practice that

upasakas compose the poetry keeping in view of their ishta devata in mind that

is related to a particular region. It can be found out that this Soundaryalahari

was composed keeping in view of one such devata, and that is Goddess

Sivakamasundari of Chidambaram. There are several instances in Saundaryalahari,

when traced back the origin of certain words, would refer to this great goddess.

For example, the sloka no. 69:

 

gale rekhas-tisro gati-gamaka-gitaika-nipune

vivaha-vyanaddha-praguna-guna-sankhya-pratibhuvah /

virajante nanavidha-madhura-ragakara-bhuvam

trayanam gramanam sthiti-niyama-simana iva te //

 

The word “gramanam” occurs in the fourth line of the shloka – means the

three-fold classification of ragas Shadja, Madhyama and Gandhara. Background of

carnatic music is necessary here to understand these. These 3 ragas are

manifested as three lines on the neck of Tripurasundari.

 

A still deeper meaning is that Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada refers the three (3)

villages that are encoded in this sloka. These 3 villages are 1) Puliyoor 2)

Thillaivanam 3) Chidambaram.

 

Puliyoor was the place where Sage Vyaghrapada resided. Thillaivanam was the

forest where there were several mutts and ashrams of upasakas. Chidambaram is

the Chit Sabha where Nataraja sports with Sivakamasundari. The “laasya”, a

typical dance of Sivakamasundari is described in Soundaryalahari.

 

Similarly, there are several slokas that refer to this great place Chidambaram.

So, some of the scholars conclude that Saundaryalahari was composed in the

premises of Chidambaram keeping in view the Goddess Sivakamasundari.

 

With regards,

Sriram

 

 

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