Sivaanandalahari - 1

[Guest guest]

*Sivaanandalahari - 1 (1)*

 

Aum Sri Gurubyo Namaha

 

In Kanchi Forum one Sri S.Lakshminarayanan started posting the verses from

Sivaanandalahari with its meaning in English. It occured to me to write

commentaries on these verses. I am posting some of them here.

 

औमॠशà¥à¤°à¥€ गणेशाय नम :

शिवाभà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤¨à¤®:

 

Sivananda Lahari is one of the foremost among the Siva Stotras. This is a

virtual Bhkti Sastra. It explains the varius types or kinds of Bhakti. I

intend giving the stotras in Sanskrit, the transliteration in English and

the meaning. Members are requested to pardon my poor translation as well as

the small variations in the Sanskrit script which occur while using the

software

 

कलाभà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤®à¥

चूडालंकृत-शशिकलाभà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤‚ निजतप:-

फलाभà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤‚ भकà¥à¤¤à¥‡à¤·à¥

पà¥à¤°à¤•à¤Ÿà¤¿à¤¤-फलाभà¥à¥Ÿà¤¾à¤‚ भवतॠमे ।

शिवाभà¥à¤¯à¤¾-मसà¥à¤¤à¥‹à¤•-तà¥à¤°à¤¿à¤­à¥à¤µà¤¨-शिवà¤\

¾à¤­à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤‚ हृदि पà¥à¤¨-

रà¥à¤­à¥à¤µà¤¾à¤­à¥à¤¯à¤¾-माननà¥à¤¦-सà¥à¤«à¥à¤°-दनà¥à¤­à¤\

µà¤¾à¤­à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤‚ नतिरियमॠ॥ १ ॥

 

aum SrI gaNeSAya nama :

SivAbhyAnnama:

 

kalAbhyAm chUDAlaMkRuta-SaSikalAbhyAM nijatapa:-

phalAbhyAM bhakteShu prakaTita-phalAbhYAM bhavatu me |

SivAbhyA-mastoka-tribhuvana-SivAbhyAM hRudi puna-

rbhvAbhyA-mAnanda-sphura-danubhavAbhyAM natiriyam || 1 ||

 

My Namsakarams to auspicious Shiva and Parashakthi who have artistic form,

wear crescent moon on the head, beneficiaries of mutual penance, whose grace

is displayed on their Bhaktas , who lavishly bestow all Mnangalams to the

three worlds, who appear in the heart afresh every time they are thought of

and who experience the bliss of Atma Anubhava.

 

*My commentary:

 

*Aum Sri Kaamaakshyai Namaha! Aum Namasivaya!

 

The beauty of this very first sloka of Sivaanandhalahari is that it pays

homage to Sri AmbaaL in the very first word 'Kalaabhyaam' indicating his

wish for parama mangaLam in the completion of his great poetry on Lord

Shiva. The saastra says " Pavithraanaam Pavithram yo MangaLaanaam cha

mangaLam " and accordingly Adi Shankara starts with the mangaLa sabhdam of

'Kalaa " . This is also in accordance with the Nyaaya " Sreyaamsi bahuvignaani "

and his wish for the benefits of starting with the praise of Sri AmbaaL who

remains the kalpavriksham for the devotee and the Vedic prayer " Maathru Devo

Bhava " , that Sri Adi Shankara starts with the word " Kalaabhyaam " . There is

also a preference for the word " Kalaa " for it starts with the letter " Ka "

which is the first letter of the Shodasi manthra. This shows that the idea

of starting this with " Ka " kaara sabhdam is to start it off to ward off any

vignam that may ensue. Above all it indicates the unparelleled devotion of

Sri Bhagavat PaadhaaL to the mother who started off his Sanyaasa Aashrama

with the blessings of his mother that we learn from Sri Shankara Vijayam

that he remembered his mother whenever he took a dip in every holy river of

the country. Asmaari maathaapi cha puposha dadhaara yaa dhukkamasoda boori -

here from the word maathaapi we clearly discern his greatest maathru

bhakthi. " Yaa Devi sarvabootheshu maathruroopena samsthithaa " . If he has so

much love for the mother of his mortal body how are we to fathom or describe

his love for the mother of all - from Brahma to the smallest amoeba! So this

is the way he starts off Shivaanandalahari with parama prema of the this

Jaganmaatha this great Paraashakthi. AmbaaL encompasses sakhala kalaas from

laukika vidya to Brahma Vidya and remains the swaroopam of Paarvathi and

Parameswaraal as is given in the Veda " Easaanas sarva Vidyaanaam " . In Devi

Mahaathmyam it says: " Ashtaadhasanimeshaathsu kaashtaa thrisaththuthaaha

kalaaha " . That is by spinning the kaalachakra it is the Rudhrarupam that

brings an end to the 'kaalam' and by the word 'kalaabhyaam' Bhagavat

PaadhaaL points out the Shivashakthi that is behind the Rudrarupam.

 

(continued)