DEIVATHIN KURAL # 139 (Vol # 6) Dated 10 Mar 2013

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 139 (Vol # 6) Dated 10 Mar 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 last paragraph on page No 950 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 constantly)

576.  In Lalitha Sahasranãma, before head to foot description, in the  descending order wherever there has to be description of the hands, (instead of such description of the hands and the weapons in them at that place,) even before describing her hair; there is mention of the weapons in her hands!  First Pãsam, then Ankusam, Bow and Arrows are mentioned.  Instead of just name of weapons, they have been mentioned with the (तत्व तात्पर्यं) purpose of their being.  The Pãsam is said to be of the form of Rãga, which also means 'Red' and 'Desire' – "राग स्वरूप पाशाढ्या".  Here instead of attachment to the ephemeral worldly things, it is the lasso by which we are tied to AmbãL.  So it is the good variety of attachment.  At that stage since hatred has to be totally erased, you have to hate the hatred and get angry with anger.  Thus by repeatedly punching and stabbing, the mind has to subjugated and brought under control.  That is why there is this Ankusam, the goad used to control the elephant.   The mind with the five Indriyas that is, bodily sensory devices are to be surrendered to her completely.  To bring them under control, she is keeping the bow and arrows, as I had explained already.             

577.  Then only we will get the 'Keshãdi Pãda darsan'.  Even before that, that is, before getting her darsan in a specified recognizable dimension, in all directions wherever you vision goes, you will see only her AruNa VarNam.  That is why just before description of her hair, in the Sahasranãma, is the description, "nijãruNa prabhã poora majjat brhmãnda mandala – निजारुण प्रभा पूर मज्जत ब्रह्माण्ड मण्डला". This in other words is described in the 18th Sloka of Soundarya Lahari as, 'divam sarvãm oorveem aruNima nimagnãm – '"...दिवं सर्वां ऊर्वीं अरुणिम निमग्नां..."  Then in the redness of her Grace we merge and in turn we are over flowing in our devotion for her and instantly we see her Swaroopa Darsan of head to foot!

578.  In Lalitha Sahasranãma, the first name is 'Sri Mata – श्री माता' is indicative of the fact that she is our genesis and our Mother.  The second name 'Sri Mahãrãgni – श्री महाराज्ञी' is indicative of her reign and suzerainty.  The third name is 'Srimat Simhãsanèswari – श्रीमत् सिम्हासनेस्वरि'.  That means the Ruler seated on the Lion's Seat, a name given for the throne.  The word Simha (meaning the Lion) is an anagram of Himsa, indicative of Samhãra.  Thus the first three names are indicative of the three jobs of 'सृष्टि, स्थिति and संहार', which are the Leela of the radiance of Chid power isn't it?  Hence the next name is saying that she is from the blazing fire of the Chid, 'chid agni kunda sambhoothã – चिद् अग्नि कुण्ड संभूता'.  Having said so as to how she came about in the form of Lalitha AmbãL indirectly, in the next Nãma, her coming into being is more directly explained that it was for saving the Devas from the dominance and tyranny of Bhandasura, 'deva kãrya smudhyata – देव कार्य समुध्यता', that has been given as the next Nãma.  Unable to bear the Asura's severity of dominance when they sacrificed themselves in the fire of 'Agni Kunda', all their gross bodies were gone and only the life of their Chit remained, the original Chit-Shakti metamorphosed as Lalitha, enlivened and revived the Devas.  Then she fought and killed the Bhandãsurã and his caboodle!  All this information is contained in that Nãma, 'चिद् अग्नि कुण्ड संभूता' and 'देव कार्य समुध्यता'.

579.  Having spoken about the three main jobs of Srushti, Sthiti Samhãra; about the primordial power 'Moola Shakti'; and the context in which she metamorphosed as Lalitha, in the first few names of Lalitha Sahasranãma; the very next name is describing her radiant colour of redness of the early morning Sun as, 'udhyat bhãnu sahasrãbã – उध्यत भानु सहस्राभा'. Not just one sun, she is as though the brilliance of a thousand early morning Suns have combined, so powerfully red! Immediately after talking about her red colour, there is description of the four arms and the weapons held by them – which we had seen in paragraph 576 above and then again – it talks about the red colour again saying that, all the far corners of this BrhmãNdam are being submerged in the reddish hue – "nijãruNa prabhã poora majjat brhmãnda mandala – निजारुण प्रभा पूर मज्जत ब्रह्माण्ड मण्डला".

580.  Instead of starting the description from the hair and go on to face and so on, the reason for going to the hands straightaway is the fact that AmbãL is the Kriya Shakti Swaroopa.   After all, it is the 'Nishkriya' Para Brhmam that has become AmbãL for the sake of dynamic activities.  All 'Kãryam' is what is done by the 'Kara' that is, the hands, isn't it?  For all such Kriya, it is the Ichcha Shakti that supports dynamism from either side.  That Ichcha Shakti is the red hue or complexion that is mentioned both before and after (description of the four hands and the weapons) as; 'udhyat bhãnu sahasrãbã – उध्यत भानु सहस्राभा' – and "nijãruNa prabhã poora majjat brhmãnda mandala – निजारुण प्रभा पूर मज्जत ब्रह्माण्ड मण्डला".  The same thing has been mentioned in Soundarya Lahari as 'divam sarvãm oorveem aruNima nimagnãm'– "...दिवं सर्वां ऊर्वीं अरुणिम निमग्नां...", that all the directions of the firmament are submerging in the red hue of the AruNima, of the early morning Sun!

சஹஸ்ரநாமமும் ஸௌந்தர்யலஹரியும்

Sahasranãma & Soundarya Lahari

581.  As we noticed that the descriptions in Lalitha Sahasranãma seem to have been copied in Soundarya Lahari.  There are many such similarities that, this could be the subject of a separate study.  In the latter half of Soundarya Lahari our ÃchãryãL has closely followed Lalitha Sahasranãma in describing the body parts of AmbãL.  When he says in Sloka 46, that AmbãL's forehead is like an inverted half-moon of the eighth night, he seems to have polished the statement in the Sahasranãma, 'ashtamee chandra vibraja dalika sthala shobhita – अष्टमी चन्द्र विभ्राज दलिकस्थल शिभिता'.  In the Sloka 55, he says that 'If you open your eyes it is Srushti and when you close them there is Pralaya', which reminds us of the sentence, 'unmesha nimishotpanna vipanna bhuvanavali – उन्मेष निमिषोत्पन्न विपन्न भुवन आवली' in Sahasranãma.  When he says in Sloka 62 that, even the redness of Vidruma creeper whose fruits are like the corals cannot match the deep red colour of the lips of AmbãL, words seem to have been taken out of Lalitha Sahasranãma where it says, 'nava vidruma bimba sri nyakkari radanchchadã – नव विद्रुम बिम्बश्री न्यक्कारि रदनच्छदा'. 

582.  AmbãL's speech has the skill and dexterity to put to shame Saraswathi's playing on the VeeNa as it occurs in the Lalitha Sahasranãma – 'nija-sallãpa-mãdhurya-vinirbhatsita-kachchapi – निज-सल्लाप-माधुर्य-विनिर्भत्सित-कच्छपी'.  (Kachchapi is the name of the VeeNa played by Saraswathi.)  This idea that the voice of AmbãL is sweeter than Saraswathi's VeeNa has been further developed in to a full sloka (the 66th) in Soundarya Lahari that starts with the words, 'vipanchyã gãyanthee – विपञ्च्या गायन्ती'!  Saraswathi is eulogising about Siva's exploits on the Kachchapi and AmbãL is appreciating by nodding her head and saying "Nice and Very Nice" or words to that effect.   The sweetness of her voice is such that Saraswathi shyly puts her VeeNa under wraps! It is a moot question as to whether Saraswathi felt shy to keep playing the instrument or the strings of the VeeNa felt ashamed!

583.  In describing AmbãL's beauty, for each body part our ÃchãryãL takes some example for comparison and in some cases feels that the comparison is not to his satisfaction.  Then in (Sloka No 67) when it comes to the chin, he is totally at a loss for words, wondering as to what can ever be said about the beauty of AmbãL's chin which is beyond compare, he says, 'kathamkaaram brooma: tava chubukam oupamya rahitam – कथंकारं ब्रूम: तव चुबुकं औपम्य रहितं?'  This same idea is there in Lalitha Sahasranãma also, where it says that 'she is shining by the incomparable beauty of her chin' – 'अनाकलित सादृश्य चिबुकश्री विराजिता'!

584.  AmbãL's lower legs between the knee and ankle have been compared with the Quiver (in which the arrows are stored in Archery) in Sloka No 83.  Manmata is keeping his arrows in those quivers so as to win over Parameswara.  The arrows are ten in numbers as her toes seen from down below the edge of the quiver, seem to be very sharp as they keep rubbing against the crowns worn by Devas who are continually doing namaskãr to AmbãL. The original idea seems to be in Lalitha Sahasranãma where it says, 'indra gopa parikshipta smara thooNãpa jangika – इन्द्र गोप परिक्षिप्त स्मर तूणाप जन्ङघिका'.  Then our ÃchãryãL is saying in Sloka No 84 that AmbãL's feet are adorning the head of Veda Mãtã and in Lalitha Sahasranãma it says that the fragrant ochre coloured powder of Kumkum in the line formed by parting of hair in Veda Mãtã's head is the same as dust particles in AmbãL's feet – 'sruti seemanta sinduri kruta pãdãbja dhulika – श्रुति सीमन्त सिन्धूरि कृत पादाब्ज धूलिका'.

585.  There is a mention in the Sahasranãma that the two feet of AmbãL by their shimmer and shine easily defeat the lotuses – 'pada dwaya prabhã jhãla parãkruta saroruhã – पद द्वय प्रभा झाल पराकृत सरोरुहा'.  This very idea is further developed in the 87th sloka starting with 'himãnee hantavyam – हिमानी हन्तव्यं' and shows as to how many ways her feet defeat the lotuses. Lotuses will shrivel in extremely cold areas, but for AmbãL the Himalayas is her birth place, while her Husband's place is Kailãsa and hence her feet are not so affected by cold but find it rather preferable.  Lotuses are closed in the night while her feet are ever blooming.  Lotus keeps Sri Lakshmi as she lives there.  But the feet endow the devotees with wealth in abundance, instead of keeping Lakshmi under lock and key as though.  Thus her feet defeat the lotuses in more than one way!

586.  There is a statement in the Lalitha Sahasranãma that the sole of the feet of AmbãL defeat the shell like back of the tortoise – 'koorma prushta jayishNuprapadãnvita – कूर्म पृष्ठ जयिष्णु प्रपदानविता'.  (The tortoise is known as Koorma, Kachchapa and Kamatee in Sanskrit.)   This above idea is also mentioned in Soundarya Lahari in Sloka 88 as, 'prapadam… katina kamtee karpara tulãm – प्रपदं... कटिन कमटीकर्पर तुलाम्'.  In the 91st Sloka the poet describes the salubrious chiming sounds of the jewelled anklets that AmbãL is wearing, with the words, 'subhaga maNi manjira raNita … charaNa kamalam – सुभग मणि मन्जीर रणित ... चरण कमलं', which seems to be an echo of what is said in Lalitha Sahasranãma as, 'singnana maNi manjira maNdita sri padãmbuja – सिज्ञान मणि मन्जीर मण्डित श्रीपदाम्बुजा'!   On a deeper analysis, we may come across many more such parallels!

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva