DEIVATHIN KURAL # 127 (Vol # 6) Dated 12 Feb 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 127 (Vol # 6) Dated 12 Feb 2013

(These e-mails are translations of talks given by PeriyavaaL of Kanchi Kaamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of the last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each as Deivathin Kural. Today we are going ahead from the second paragraph on page No 869 of Volume 6 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein ‘man/he’ includes ‘woman/she’ too mostly. These e-mails are all available at   http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated consonantly)

447.  All that we have to do is to catch hold of AmbãL's lotus feet and she will grant whatever our need, whether it is fearlessness or boon or absolute control over our minds and senses.  Still as part of the show, she is sporting these tools, equipments and weapons and hasta mudras or even, not display them sometimes or give meaning to them differently to what others are having them for!  If Parama Siva sits around deeply merged in the self, the world will not be created and the function and the drama of Leela will not occur.  So, even where Kãma Manmata failed, she herself became the Kãmeswari and picked up those Sugar Cane Bow and Flower Arrows and attracted Siva to become enamoured of her, to get him interested in the Drama of Leela causing him also to pick up those very tools as Kãmeswara as the Ultimate in decorative beautification and adornments.  Then she revived Manmata back to life and authorised him to take care of this important natural urge in all the living beings at large.  After all that she retained the Sugar Cane Bow and Flower Arrows symbolically as the power of all creation!

448.  But now in her hands those very tools and equipments had a slightly different connotation.  Those very weapons which drew the minds and senses of living beings into 'Vishaya Anubhoga' (that is, in the enjoyments of the material world), She made them capable of drawing people's mind and senses attracted towards herself.  Those weapons which in the hands of Manmata were used for getting people involved in sex related activities so that repeated births could happen enabling the life forms to work out their Karma accounts; in her hands are useful tools to cause the living beings to turn away from involvement towards Bhakti and Gnãna Marga.  So, though she is keeping the weapons of Manmata in her hands, she creates Kãmam only in Parama Siva, the enemy of Kãma and in all others she relieves them from Kãma as Kãma-Vimochani.  For Siva alone, she is Sivakãma Sundari and for all others, especially her devotees, she is GnãnãmbãL.  But when you look at the story of Manmata, you notice that he is pushing all the living beings into the ocean of Kãma; while only with Easwara, Manmata is unable to make any impression on him, and gets burnt into ashes!

449.  Having described AmbãL's form and figure – her four hands and the weapons / tools held in them, the Kanchi Mekala worn on her hips and the very subtle slimness of her hips, and having described the rounded beauty of the face that is like the full autumn moon, he tells us the quintessential meaning of her being the very pride, self-admiration, satisfaction and sufficiency of Siva who had burnt off the Tripura, in these words – "पुरमथितु: आहो पुरुषिका"! Here Siva is depicted as claiming with appropriate joy and pride, as though someone is saying, "Look there, that girl is my wife!"  That is the apparent meaning.  On a deeper analysis, we will note she is the very form of his feeling 'I, this me'!  Though she is sporting Manmata's 'Dhanur – Bhanas', she is verily the Chit Shakti of the Para Brhmam, the GnãmbãL.  (I have told you this fact earlier while talking about how the minute movement in Siva – his Spandan – is due to her.  Please refer to Paragraphs 243 to 245, in Deivathin Kural # 107 and 108 of (Vol # 6) Dated 01 and 03 Jan 2013.)

450.  In the last line of that sloka he says "पुरस्तात्" = in front –   "आस्तां" = let it be present – 'न:' = in our front (and not just in my front).  To be able to visualise her presence in our mind's eye, he has so beautifully described her form and figure.  She has some more identification marks such as, the crescent moon on her head, the third eye between the eye brows, pancha-brhmãsan and most importantly and noticeably deep red hue of her complexion.  These are described in the later slokas.  Even without those identification marks this sloka itself clearly establishes as to who these slokas are pointing to.  In the next sloka the author describes her abode.

451.  Abhirãmi Andãdi is also about the same LalithãmbãL only.  (Andãdi is a particular style of writing poetry in which the last word of the previous song becomes the first word of the next song!  In Sanskrit, 'anta' means the end and 'ãdi' means the beginning.  So, 'anta' + 'ãdi' becomes 'Andãdi'.  While embellishing the beauty of the poems, they are also aids to memory.)  Abhirãmi Andãdi was sung by one Bhattar about the Presiding Deity in a place known as Thrukkadavur.  Normally all over Sozha Nadu temples, AmbãL will be seen to be sporting Vara and Abhaya Hastam-s with PuNdareekam and Aksha Malai, as per local traditions.  But Abhirami Bhattar had seen her in his visions as described repeatedly in his Abhirãmi Andãdi of 100 poems, with the Sugar Cane Bow, Arrows of Flowers, Pãsam and Ankusam, thus describing the identification marks of LalithãmbãL only.

அம்பிகையின் இருப்பிடம்

AmbãL's Abode

452.  "सुधासिन्धोर्मध्ये सुरविटपि-वाटी-परिवृते

          Sudha sindhor madhye suravitapi-vãtee-parivrute

     मणिद्वीपे नीपोपवनवति चिन्तमणि-ग्रुहे |

          maNidveepe neepopavanavati chintãmaNi-gruhe |

     शिवाकारे मञ्चे परमशिव-पर्यङ्कनिलयाम

          Shivaakãre manche parama shiva-paryanka nilayãm

     भजन्ति त्वां धन्या: कतिचन चिदानन्द-लहरीम् ||"

     Bhajanti tvãm dhanyã: katichana chidãnanda-lahareem ||

453.  Now the meaning of the sloka, word by word/ phrase:  सुधा सिन्धो: मध्ये = in the centre of the ocean of Amrita, मणिद्वीपे = in an island of precious stones, सुरविटपि -वाटी-परिवृते = surrounded by a forest of Kalpaka trees, नीपोपवनवति = and Kadamba trees, चिन्तमणि-ग्रुहे = in the house made of gems of ChintamaNi (which is capable of granting any wish that you can think of), शिवाकारे मञ्चे = in the seat of the form of Siva, परमशिव-पर्यङ्कनिलयाम = on the bedding of the form of Parama Siva, चिदानन्द-लहरीम् =  the flood of bliss that, त्वां = you, कतिचन = some, धन्या: = lucky people, भजन्ति = are worshipping.

454.  Like the Kailasam for Siva and Vaikundam for VishNu, there is a world of her own for AmbãL also.  They have one only but she has two.  One of them is the Meru Top around which all the planets, Stars and Galaxies go orbiting.  That Meru has three peaks on which are located the Siva Lokam and Vishnu Lokam on either side and in the centre is the main dominant peak which is her place, as given in Lalitha Sahasranãma – 'सुमेरु मध्य स्रृन्गस्ता' – 'sumeru madhya srungasta'.  That is one and the other place is entirely separate as not part of Brhmãndam, in the ocean of Amrita in a coral island I suppose, "सुधा सागर मध्यस्ता कामाक्षी कामदायिनी" – 'sudhaa sãgara madhyastã Kãmãkshi Kãmadãyini'.  The moment this place is described immediately the name of Kãmãkshi is mentioned.  This is the place described in Soundarya Lahari also.  The hill top abode was built by the divine carpenter Viswakarma by her powers of course.  When she successfully fought against the enemy of Devas, Bhandãsurã and killed him, all the Devatas declared her as the Queen Empress and crowned her as the "श्रीमन नगर नायिका" – 'Sriman Nagara Nãyika', Sri Rãjarãjeswari!  At that time the place on top of Meru was created.  But this latter place in the centre of the ocean of nectar was entirely her creation known as 'Sri Puram' that is being described here in Soundarya Lahari. 

455.  Whether the top of Meru or Sudha Sãgara, there is no difference in the details of construction in Sri Puram / Sri Nagaram.  Starting from the outer forts to the central palace, there are similar forests, broad roads, aisles, ponds and gardens.  It has 25 concentric forts made of a variety of metals such as iron to gold.  Inside each fort there are wide avenues known as 'Prãkãrãs'.  Then there are forts made of each of the nine gems.  Then the inner ones become subtle with the forts made of mind, buddhi and ahankaara.  Further inside are forts of the brilliance of the Sun, Moon and Manmata.  Inside these forts are copse with trees of Mandara, Parijata, Santana, Kalpaka and Hari Chandana.  In the 25th inner area there is the Maha Padma Vana of a lake full of lotus flowers in the centre of which is the palace constructed of all ChintamaNi stones instead of bricks. 

456.  Inside that palace the Queen Empress Rãjarãjeswari will be seated on the Pancha Brhmãsan with Sadasiva as the top plank, seated in the lap of Kãmeswara.  When we look at the Brhma Tattva as an embodiment of Sringãra rasa, instead of viewing her as the Queen Empress in an open royal court; it will be an inner courtyard of Antahpura.  To get that darsan of a private audience, the visitor has to have had the highest Indriya Nigraha of self-control and maturity to understand and comprehend such a darsan!  What was the Pancha Brhmãsan in the royal assembly would be the royal bed 'Manjam' here, when she is with Kãmeswara.  In Sri Puram in the centre of Meru if she is the Rãjarãjeswari lording over all the celestial beings, here in the middle of the Ocean of Amrita she will be the Mother with Father for all of us as her children to go to her and lose all our separateness and merge in Parama Sãyujyam, never ever to leave her again!

457.  It is this abode of AmbãL in the ocean of Amrita that is described in short in this 8th sloka, mentioning that she is seated in the lap of Kãmeswara.  (As PeriyavãL talks, he is inwardly repeating the sloka while simultaneously translating it into Tamil.)  In the centre of the Amrita Sãgara, surrounded by many forts of many materials, in the centre of the island, which instead of having sand and stones is fully covered by gems, there is the garden of Neepa aka Kadamba trees.  On the earth also Madurai in Tamil Nadu, one of her favourite places, was full of the Kadamba trees once upon a time!  In the Tamil language it is called the 'Kadappam' – 'கடப்பம்'.  This flower is said to be very popular with Muruga aka SubrahmaNya that in Tamil one of his names is Kadamban – 'கடம்பன்'.  In the Manidvipam there is a forest of all Kadamba trees.  Our ÃchãryãL has sung a Stotra known as Tripura Sundari Ashtakam' in which the first four stanzas start with 'कदम्ब वन वासिनीं', 'कदम्ब वन चारिणीं', 'कदम्ब वन शालया' and 'कदम्ब वन मध्यगां', that is 'Kadamba vana vaasineem / chaarineem, / shaalaya and madhyagaam'.  Children can also be taught these slokas that they will lovingly chant.  AmbãL will be happily roaming about in such a forest of Kadamba trees.  There is Kadamba Vanam in Madurai and Kadamba Upavan in the MaNidwipa like we make Parks in our cities.  Earlier in the outer environs there are Kadamba forests and in the centre there is this Upavan or park of Kadamba trees. 

458.  Having gone in for towns and townships everywhere, we have been cutting trees without any let.  Then coming to realise that lack of trees is detrimental for human life in many ways, we started celebrating 'Vana Mahotsava' for one day in the year!  Even that is done more on paper nowadays it seems!  But in olden times, the areas between cities and towns were full of forests.  They saved our living areas without getting the nature upset and resupplied oxygen in the night times and were also a hindrance for marauding enemy forces!  (In the seventy odd years since PeriyavãL made this statement, I am afraid due to the population explosion and expanding cities on the one hand and due to the rapacity of the politicians on the other, the situation has gone further worse from bad!)

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva