THE SOUNDARYA LAHARI
STANZAS 1 TO 10
½£
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g¥FaTI
mha¢vB¥Ïya
,
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mmI p#¢tpa¢dn£×ya|
nmaE
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g¤â
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.
½£SÄðracayI
¢vr¢cta
saWÓdyIlhr£
p#TmaE
Bag:
- AanÓdlhr£
¢Sv:
S³Ya
y¤³aE
y¢d
Bv¢t
S³:
p#B¢vt¤|
n cEdEv|
dEvaE
n
Kl¤
kSl:
Þp¢Ódt¤m¢p
,
AtÞÏvamaraÒya|
h¢rhr
¢v¢r·a¢d¢Br¢p
p#NÓt¤|
ÞtaEt¤|
va kTmk]t
p¤Îy:
p#Bv¢t
. 1 .
y¤³:
y¢d Bv¢t
|
when enjoined |
S³:
p#B¢vt¤| |
empowered to create |
n
cEt¯ ev|
dEv: |
if the lord is not thus |
Þp¢Ódt¤|
A¢p |
to even move |
Ïva|
AaraÒya| |
you, who is worshipped |
h¢r
hr ¢v¢r·a¢d¢B:
A¢p |
even by Hari (Vishnu), Hara (Siva), Virinchi(Brhma)
and others |
Ak]t
p¤Îy: |
one who has not performed meritorious deeds |
When Siva
is enjoined with Sakti, he
is empowered to create. If
the lord is not thus, he
is indeed unable to even
move. Hence how can one who
has not performed meritorious deeds
be capable of saluting or
praising you, who is worshipped
even by Hari, Hara, Virinchi
and others ?
(Benedictory invocation
to Siva and Sakti,
beginning with the
word Siva. Cf Sivanandalahari
(SVL) Verse 1 : Benedictory invocation
to Siva and Sakti, beginning with the
letter k , cryptically symbolising
the word Siva.)
tn£ya|s|
pa|s¤|
tv
crN
pÄðEâhBv|
¢v¢r|¢c:
s¢ÓcÓvn¯
¢vrcy¢t
laEkan¢vklm¯ ,
vhÏyEn|
SaW¢r:
kTm¢p
sh*EN
¢Srsa|
hr: s|X¤ïWn|
Bj¢t
B¢staEÑGln
¢v¢Dm¯
. 2
.
tn£ya|s|
pa|s¤ |
minute dust |
¢v¢r|¢c:
|
Virinchi (Brahma) |
laEkan¯
A¢vklm¯ |
all the worlds |
vh¢t
en| |
carries this (Preservation) |
sh*EN
¢Srsa| |
by a thousand heads (as the serpent Adisesha,
the tamasic form of Vishnu, who supports the world with his thousand heads |
s|X¤ï
en| |
having powdered this (Destruction) |
B¢st
uÑGln |
sprinkling sacred ash |
Virinchi gathering
the minute dust present
in your lotus feet makes
all the worlds. Shouri somehow
carries this by a thousand
heads. Hara having powdered this
observes the injunction for sprinkling
sacred ash.
(The dust
of Sakti's feet is the
Universe. Cf SVL Verse 2
: Sivanandalahari washes away
the dust of sin.)
A¢vïanamÓt¢Þt¢mr
¢m¢hr
¹£pngr£
jfana|
cWtÓy
Þtbk
mkrÓd *¤¢tJr£
,
d¢rd#aNa|
¢cÓtam¢N
g¤N¢nka
jÓmjlDaW
¢nmg"ana|
d|¾®a
m¤r¢rp¤
vrahÞy
Bv¢t . 3 .
A¢vïana|
|
for the spiritually ignorant |
AÓt
¢t¢mr |
: inner darkness |
¢m¢hr
¹£p
ng¢r |
the island city of the sun (a division of terrestrial
world from where the sun is said to rise |
jfana| |
for the dull witted |
Þtbk
mkrÓd |
honey of the (Kalpaka flower) cluster (of the
wish yeilding Kalpaka tree |
d¢rd#aNa| |
for the impoverished |
¢cÓtam¢N
g¤N¢nka
|
necklace of the Cintamani (the wish yeilding
gem) |
jÓm
jlDaW |
in the ocean of births |
m¤r
¢rp¤ |
the enemy of (the demon) Mura |
vrahÞy |
of the boar (an incarnation of Vishnu) |
Bv¢t |
it (the dust in your lotus feet) |
For the inner
darkness of the spiritually
ignorant, it (the dust in
your lotus feet) is the
island city of the sun.
For the dull witted
it is the flowing stream
of honey of the (Kalpaka
flower) cluster of pure
intelligence. For the impoverished it
is the necklace of
the Cintamani. For those immersed
in the ocean of births,
it is
the tusks of the boar
(Vishnu), the enemy of
Mura.
(Sakti is
cWtÓy| . Cf
SVL Verse 3 : Siva
is the resort of (
¢ct¯ )
ÏvdÓy:
pa¢N×yamByvrdaE
dWvtgN:
ÏvmEka
nWva¢s
p#k¢zt vraB£Ïy¢Bnya
,
Byat¯
æOat¤|
dat¤|
Plm¢p
c
vaÉCasm¢Dk|
SrÎyE
laEkana| tv
¢h
crNavEv
¢np¤NaW
. 4 .
pa¢N×ya|
|
by the hands (by empty gesture) |
ABy
vrd: |
bestowers of protection from fear |
dWvt
gN: |
the assemblage of gods |
vr
AB£¢t |
bestowing of boon |
Byat¯
æOat¤| |
protecting from fear |
dat¤|
Pl| A¢p
c |
and giving reward |
vaÉCa
sm¢Dk| |
in excess of that desired |
SrÎyE
laEkana| |
Oh refuge of the worlds! (Sakti) |
Other than
you, the assemblage of gods
are the bestowers of protection
from fear and boon by
the hands (by empty
gesture). You alone do not
thus display bestowing of boon
and protection from fear by
gesture. Oh refuge of the
worlds! indeed even your feet
are expert in protecting
from fear and giving reward
in excess of that desired.
(Assemblage of
gods make empty promises. Cf
SVL Verse 4 : Assemblage
of gods bestow trivial
boons).
h¢rÞÏvamaraÒy
p#Nt
jn
saWBaÂy
jnn£m¯
p¤ra
nar£
B¥Ïva
p¤r¢rp¤m¢p
XaEBmnyt¯ ,
ÞmraE{¢p
Ïva|
nÏva
r¢t
nyn
lE/En
vp¤xa
m¤n£namÔyÓt:
p#Bv¢t
¢h
maEhay mhtam¯
.5 .
Ïva|
AaraÒy |
having worshipped you |
p#Nt
jn |
people who bow (to you) |
saWBaÂy
jnn£| |
the creator of auspiciousness |
nar£
B¥Ïva |
having become a woman ( or assimilation with Sakti
are of four states of Mukti or liberation) |
p¤r¢rp¤|
A¢p |
even Puraripu (the enemy of the three cities of
the demons or three bodies of men) (Siva) |
XaEB|
Anyt¯ |
led to agitation |
Þmr:
A¢p |
Smara (Cupid) too |
Ïva|
nÏva |
having bowed to you |
lE/En
vp¤xa |
with a body like a lambative |
maEhay |
(of generating) delusion |
Hari having
worshipped you, the creator
of auspiciousness to people
who bow to you, having
become a woman formerly,
led even Puraripu to agitation.
Having bowed to you,
Smara too with a body
which is (like) a lambative
to the eyes of Rati,
is indeed capable (of
generating) delusion within great
sages.
(Celestials sought
the grace of Sakti Cf
SVL Verse 5 : Devotee
seeks the grace of
Siva)
Dn¤:
paWÝp|
maWv£
mD¤krmy£
p·
¢v¢SKa:
vsÓt:
samÓtaE
mlymrdayaEDn
rT: ,
tTaÔyEk:
svI|
¢hm¢g¢rs¤tE
kam¢pk]pa|
Apa|gaäOE
lb¯Òva
jg¢ddmnfgaE
¢vjytE . 6
.
Dn¤:
paWÝp| |
the bow is flowery |
maWv£
mD¤krmy£ |
the bow string is made of bees |
p·
¢v¢SKa: |
the five (flowers) are the arrows |
vsÓt: |
Vasanta (Spring personified) |
samÓt: |
neighbouring king (the traditional ally of Cupid) |
mly
mât¯ |
breeze from the Malaya mountain (laden with
the fragrance of sandal wood found there) |
AayaEDn
rT: |
the war chariot |
tTa
A¢p ek:
|
even thus and alone |
¢hm
¢g¢r
s¤tE |
Oh daughter of the snowy mountain ( Himalayas personification
of Himavan) (Sakti) |
ka|
A¢p k]pa|
|
some sort (inexpresseble) of compassion |
Apafgat¯
tE |
from the corner of your eye |
Anfg: |
Ananga (the bodiless one), (Cupid) |
The bow is
flowery. The bow string
is made of bees.
The five (flowers) are the arrows.
Vasanta is the neighbouring
king (ally). The breeze
from the Malaya mountain
is the war chariot. Even
thus and (all) alone,
Oh daughter of the snowy mountain!
having obtained some sort
compassion from the corner of
your eye, Ananga triumphs
over all this world.
(The eyes
of Sakti bestows triumph
to Cupid. Cf SVL Verse 5 :
The feet of Siva bestows
bliss to the devotee)
ÀvNÏka·£
dama
k¢rklB
k|BÞtn
nta
p¢rX£Na
mÒyE
p¢rNt SrÅcÓd#
vdna
,
Dn¤baINan¯
paS|
s¦¢Nm¢p
dDna
krtlW:
p¤rÞtadaÞta|
n:
p¤rm¢Tt¤rahaE
p¤â¢xka
. 7 .
ÀvNt¯
ka·£
dama |
one who has a tinkling fillet girdle |
k|B
Þtn nta
|
one curved by a bossom like the frontal
globes of an elephant |
p¢rX£Na
mÒyE |
one who is lean in the waist |
SrÅcÓd#
vdna |
one with a face like the autumnal moon |
paS|
s¦¢N|
A¢p |
noose and goad |
dDana
kr tlW: |
one who bears in the palm of her
hands |
p¤r|
m¢Tt¤: |
of the destroyer of the three cities of the
demons or three bodies of man, Siva |
AahaE
p¤â¢xka |
"I" conciousness |
Let her
dwell in front of us,
who has a tinkling
fillet girdle, who is curved
by a bossom like the
frontal globes of a
young elephant, who is lean
in the waist, who has
a face like the fully
developed autumnal moon, who
bears in the palm of
her hands bow, arrows, noose
and goad, and who is
the ``I" conciousness of Siva.
(Worshipping the
body of Sakti. Cf SVL
Verse 7 : Worshipping
Siva by one's body).
s¤Da
¢sÓDaEmIÒyE
s¤r¢vz¢p
vaz£
p¢rv¦tE
m¢N¹£pE
n£paEpvnvt£
¢cÓtam¢Ng¦hE
,
¢SvakarE
m·E
prm¢Sv
pyIÄð
¢nlya|
Bj¢Ót
Ïva|
DÓya: k¢tcn
¢cdanÓdlhr£m¯
. 8 .
¢sÓDaE:
mÒyE |
in the midst of the ocean |
s¤r
¢vz¢p vaz£
|
park of divine trees |
m¢N
¹£pE |
in a gem like island |
n£p
upvnvt£ |
pocessed of a garden of Kadamba trees |
¢cÓtam¢N
g¦hE |
in a house made of the Cintamani (wish
yeilding gem) |
¢Sva
AakarE |
shaped like Sivaa (the Sakti
triangle of the Srichakra |
prm
¢Sv |
Parama Siva (the supremely auspicious
one) |
pyIÄð
¢nlya| |
dwelling in the couch |
DÓya:
k¢tcn |
a few blessed ones |
¢ct¯
AanÓd lhr£m¯
|
the wave of intellect bliss |
A few
blessed ones worship you,
the wave of intellect
- bliss, dwelling in the
couch of Parama Siva
(himself), in a bed
stead shaped like the Sakti
triangle, in a house made
of the Cintamani, pocessed of
a garden of Kadamba
trees, surrounded by a
park of divine trees, in
the midst of the ocean
of nectar.
(The blessed
ones worship Sakti. Cf SVL
Verse 8 : The ignorant
do not worship Siva).
mh£|
m¥laDarE
km¢p
m¢Np¥rE
h^tvh|
¢ÞTt|
Þva¢D¿anE
¶¢dmãtmakaSmp¢r
,
mnaE{¢p
B#¥mÒyE
sklm¢p
¢BÏva
klpT|
sh*arE
pîE sh
rh¢s
pÏya
¢vhrsE .
9 .
mh£|
m¥laDarE |
the earth element in the Muladhara, (the 4
petalled lotus yogic cakra, or the level of conciousness corresponding
to Bhuloka) |
km¢p
m¢Np¥rE |
and the water element in the Manipura, (the
10 petalled lotus yogic cakra or the level of conciousness
corresponding to Suvarloka). |
¢ÞTt|
Þva¢D¿anE |
present in the Svadhishthana, (the 6 petalled
lotus yogic cakra or the level of conciousness corresponding to Bhuvarloka). |
¶¢d
mât |
the air element in the heart, (the 12 petalled
lotus yogic Anahata cakra or the level of conciousness corresponding
to Maharloka). |
AakaS|
up¢r |
above the space element (the 16 petalled lotus
yogic Vishuddhi cakra or the level of conciousness corresponding
to Taparloka). |
mn:
A¢p |
and the mind element, (the 2 petalled lotus
yogic Aagnya cakra or the level of conciousness corresponding to Janarloka) |
B#¥
mÒyE |
between the brows |
skl|
A¢p ¢BÏva
|
having passed through all |
kl
pT| |
via the Kulapatha or Sushumna nadi (as the
subtle Kundalini Sakti) |
sh*arE
pîE sh |
in the thousand petalled lotus, (the level of conciousness
corresponding to Satyaloka) with |
pÏya |
with (your) husband (Sadasiva) |
Having passed
through all via the
Kulapatha : the earth element
in the Muladhara, the
water element in the Manipura,
the fire element present
in the Svadhishthana, the air
element in the heart,
(going) above the space element,
and the mind element between
the brows, you sport in
secret with your husband
in the
thousand petalled lotus.
(The devotee leads Sakti
to her lord Sadasiva
in the thousand petalled lotus,
via the six lotus cakras.
Cf SVL Verse 9 : The devotee
submits the lotus of
the heart to the lord
of Uma).
s¤DaDarasarWàrN
y¤glaÓt¢vIg¢ltW:
p#p·|
¢s·Ót£
p¤nr¢p
rsaØnay
mhs: ,
AvaÔy
Þva|
B¥¢m|
B¤jg¢nBmÒy¤¾vly|
ÞvmaÏman|
k]Ïva
Þv¢p¢x
klkÎfE
kh¢r¢N . 10
.
Dara
AasarW: |
with a torrential stream |
crN
y¤glaÓt |
from within (your) pair of feet |
p#p·| |
the body (made of the five elements) |
rs
AaØnay
mhs: |
from the luminous collection of nectar(the internal
moon or Sahasrara or the thousand petalled lotus in the brain) |
Þva|
B¥¢m| |
your territory |
B¤jg
¢nB| |
similar to a serpent |
AÒy¤¾
vly| |
three and a half coils |
Þv|
AaÏman| k]Ïva
|
having made yourself |
Þv¢p¢x
|
you (as the subtle Kundalini Sakti) sleep |
klkÎfE |
in the Kulakunda or Muladhara cakra |
kh¢r¢N |
pocessed of a hole |
You infusing
the body with a
torrential stream of nectar,
trickling from within (your) pair
of feet, once again
having reached your territory,
from the Moon of the
Sahasrara, (and) having made yourself
into three and a half
coils similar to a serpent,
you sleep in the Kulakunda
(which is) possessed of a hole.
(The body of the devotee is drenched
by the nectar of Sakti's feet.
Cf SVL Verse
10 :The devotee is
engrossed in the bliss
of
remembering Siva's
feet.
PROCEED TO STANZAS 11 TO 20
RETURN TO THE WORKS OF SANKARA