SOUNDARYA LAHARI EXPLAINED 8TH DAY VERSES 71 TO 80
Soundarya Lahari - Verse 71 नखानामुद्योतैर्ननवनलिनरागं विहसतां कराणां ते कान्तिं कथय कथयामः कथमुमे। कयाचिद्वा साम्यं भजतु कलया हन्त कमलं यदि क्रीडल्लक्ष्मीचरणतललाक्षारसचणम्॥ nakhānāmudyotairnanavanalinarāgaṁ vihasatāṁ karāṇāṁ te kāntiṁ kathaya kathayāmaḥ kathamume | kayācidvā sāmyaṁ bhajatu kalayā hanta kamalaṁ yadi krīḍallakṣmīcaraṇatalalākṣārasacaṇam || nakhānām udyotaiḥ - splendour of Your nails; nava nalina rāgaṁ - just blossomed lotus flower; vihasatāṁ - mocking laughter; karāṇāṁ te – Your hands; kāntiṁ - Your splendour; kathaya kathayāmaḥ - how can it be explained; katham – narrate; ume – Umā; kayā cid vā – somehow; sāmyaṁ - equality; bhajatu kalayā hanta – possibly can attain; kamalaṁ - lotus; yadi krīḍat lakṣmī caraṇa tala lākṣārasa caṇam - henna shining in the feet of Lakṣmī residing in the lotus flowers. “O! Umā! The nails in Your hands (finger nails) make lotus flowers to blossom. Splendour of Your nails, make mockery of the radiance of just blossomed lotus flowers. Please tell me, how can I describe such beautiful hands of Yours? These lotus flowers got their radiance from the feet of Lakṣmī, who resides within lotus flowers and who sports henna in her feet. Even then, there cannot be any equality to Your splendour.” This verse talks about Parāśakti’s hands. Śaṁkarācārya could not find appropriate words to describe Her splendorous hands. It seems to be a tough job for him as if he is explaining Brahman, who cannot be described through words; but there is no other go except to draw comparisons to explain Him. For example, Brahman is more radiant than millions of suns put together, etc. Similarly, Śaṁkarācārya finds it difficult to describe Her hands. If this is the case with hands, how can Her full form be described? This is beyond human comprehension. That is why, Śaṁkarācārya made an attempt to describe Her through 100 verses of Saundaryalaharī. Śaṁkarācārya thought about closest possible similarity to describe Her hands. He says that goddess Lakṣmī, Consort of Viṣṇu resides in lotus flowers. She has applied henna paste in her feet, which turned her feet deep red in colour and the lotus flowers derive their luster only from the feet of Lakṣmī and even then this comparison is not even the closest possible comparison to describe Parāśakti’s hands. This verse can be contemplated like this. Parāśakti’s nails are deep red in colour. The bright red radiance of Her nails get reflected in Her shining hands. If this can be compared to the just blossomed red lotus flower, people will laugh out loud for making this irrelevant comparison. But, there is no other way to describe Her radiant hands. So, Her hands cannot be compared to anything that is known to us. This is like making futile attempts to describe Brahman. Umā is the name given to Her by Her mother. When She was too young, She used to practice austerities in order to attain Śiva as Her Consort. Her mother at that time used to tell Her not to practice austerities at such a tender age. Umā is explained like this. U stands for O! Child! and mā stands for ‘do not practice austerities’. “O! Child! Do not practice austerities” is later known as Umā. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx समं देवि स्कन्दद्विपवदनपीतं स्तनयुगं तवेदं नः खेदं हरतु सततं प्रस्नुतमुखम् । यदालोक्याशङ्काकुलितहृदयो हासजनकः स्वकुम्भौ हेरम्बः परिमृशति हस्तेन झडिति ॥ ७२॥ अमू ते वक्षोजावमृतरसमाणिक्यकुतुपौ न संदेहस्पन्दो नगपतिपताके मनसि नः । पिबन्तौ तौ यस्मादविदितवधूसङ्गरसिकौ कुमारावद्यापि द्विरदवदनक्रौञ्चदलनौ ॥ ७३॥ वहत्यम्ब स्तम्बेरमदनुजकुम्भप्रकृतिभिः समारब्धां मुक्तामणिभिरमलां हारलतिकाम् । कुचाभोगो बिम्बाधररुचिभिरन्तः शबलितां प्रतापव्यामिश्रां पुरदमयितुः कीर्तिमिव ते ॥ ७४॥ तव स्तन्यं मन्ये धरणिधरकन्ये हृदयतः पयःपारावारः परिवहति सारस्वतमिव । दयावत्या दत्तं द्रविडशिशुरास्वाद्य तव यत् कवीनां प्रौढानामजनि कमनीयः कवयिता ॥ ७५॥ हरक्रोधज्वालावलिभिरवलीढेन वपुषा गभीरे ते नाभीसरसि कृतसङ्गो मनसिजः । समुत्तस्थौ तस्मादचलतनये धूमलतिका जनस्तां जानीते तव जननि रोमावलिरिति ॥ ७६॥ यदेतत् कालिन्दीतनुतरतरङ्गाकृति शिवे कृशे मध्ये किंचिज्जननि तव यद्भाति सुधियाम् । विमर्दादन्योऽन्यं कुचकलशयोरन्तरगतं तनूभूतं व्योम प्रविशदिव नाभिं कुहरिणीम् ॥ ७७॥ स्थिरो गङ्गावर्तः स्तनमुकुलरोमावलिलता- कलावालं कुण्डं कुसुमशरतेजोहुतभुजः । रतेर्लीलागारं किमपि तव नाभिर्गिरिसुते बिलद्वारं सिद्धेर्गिरिशनयनानां विजयते ॥ ७८॥ निसर्गक्षीणस्य स्तनतटभरेण क्लमजुषो नमन्मूर्तेर्नारीतिलक शनकैस्त्रुट्यत इव । चिरं ते मध्यस्य त्रुटिततटिनीतीरतरुणा समावस्थास्थेम्नो भवतु कुशलं शैलतनये ॥ ७९॥ कुचौ सद्यःस्विद्यत्तटघटितकूर्पासभिदुरौ कषन्तौ दोर्मूले कनककलशाभौ कलयता । तव त्रातुं भङ्गादलमिति वलग्नं तनुभुवा त्रिधा नद्धं देवि त्रिवलि लवलीवल्लिभिरिव ॥ ८०॥ Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx samaṃ devi skandadvipavadanapītaṃ stanayugaṃ tavedaṃ naḥ khedaṃ haratu satataṃ prasnutamukham . yadālokyāśaṅkākulitahṛdayo hāsajanakaḥ svakumbhau herambaḥ parimṛśati hastena jhaḍiti .. 72.. O Mother! May we be relieved of all our sorrows by Thy breasts, from which milk is flowing always and which are being simultaneously sucked by both Skanda and Gaṇeśa, Thy sons. All of a sudden Gaṇesa (Heramba), looking at Thy breasts, feels with his hands whether the pair of frontal globes on his elephant face are there in their proper places (or whether they have disappeared to become Thy breasts present before his eyes), thus giving occasion for great fun (to his parents and onlookers). 72. amū te vakṣojāvamṛtarasamāṇikyakutupau na saṃdehaspando nagapatipatāke manasi naḥ . pibantau tau yasmādaviditavadhūsaṅgarasikau kumārāvadyāpi dviradavadanakrauñcadalanau .. 73.. O the Mountain-King’s flag of victory! We have not even the shadow of a doubt about Thy two breasts being jars made of Māṇikya (ruby) and filled with Amṛta, the immortal drink. For, it is by drinking their contents that Thy two sons, the mountain-piercing Kumāra and the elephant-headed Vināyaka, have remained young boys (celibates) without knowing woman, to this day. 73. vahatyamba stamberamadanujakumbhaprakṛtibhiḥ samārabdhāṃ muktāmaṇibhiramalāṃ hāralatikām . kucābhogo bimbādhararucibhirantaḥ śabalitāṃ pratāpavyāmiśrāṃ puradamayituḥ kīrtimiva te .. 74.. O Mother! In the region of Thy breasts is a flawless necklace made of pearls got from the frontal globe of Gajāsura (the elephant-demon). It rests there with its white brilliance variegated from within by the reflection of the ruddy tinge of Thy Bimba-like lips, as if it were the confluence of the (white) fame and the (red) valour of Thy Consort, the Destroyer of the Cities. 74. tava stanyaṃ manye dharaṇidharakanye hṛdayataḥ payaḥpārāvāraḥ parivahati sārasvatamiva . dayāvatyā dattaṃ draviḍaśiśurāsvādya tava yat kavīnāṃ prauḍhānāmajani kamanīyaḥ kavayitā .. 75.. O Daughter of the Mountain-King! I fancy that Thy breast milk is the milk-ocean emerging as poetic inspiration from Thy heart. For, it was by drinking it, so graciously given by Thee, that the child of the Dramila country became a noted poet among great composers. 75. harakrodhajvālāvalibhiravalīḍhena vapuṣā gabhīre te nābhīsarasi kṛtasaṅgo manasijaḥ . samuttasthau tasmādacalatanaye dhūmalatikā janastāṃ jānīte tava janani romāvaliriti .. 76.. O Mother born of the Mountain! When the flames of Siva’s anger began to envelop Kāma-deva (Cupid), he took refuge in the deep lake of Thy navel. The fire that thus got extinguished sent forth a thin creeper-like column of smoke, which men describe as Thy Romāvali or the line of hair that goes up from Thy navel. 76. yadetat kālindītanutarataraṅgākṛti śive kṛśe madhye kiṃcijjanani tava yadbhāti sudhiyām . vimardādanyo’nyaṃ kucakalaśayorantaragataṃ tanūbhūtaṃ vyoma praviśadiva nābhiṃ kuhariṇīm .. 77.. O Consort of Siva! What in Thy slender middle region shines before me and what is seen by devotees as Thy navel-hair (Romāvali) like the subtle ripples on the surface of Kālindī (Yamuna), is the Vyoma (sky) or interspace between Thy bulging breasts, thinned by their pressure and forced into the cavity of the navel. 77. sthiro gaṅgāvartaḥ stanamukularomāvalilatā- kalāvālaṃ kuṇḍaṃ kusumaśaratejohutabhujaḥ . raterlīlāgāraṃ kimapi tava nābhirgirisute biladvāraṃ siddhergiriśanayanānāṃ vijayate .. 78.. O Daughter of the Mountain! Indescribably unique is the glory of Thy navel, which is verily a still whirl-pool on the surface of the river Gaṅga; which forms the bed for the creeper of Thy Romāvali bearing two fruits in the shape of Thy breasts; which is the sacrificial pit wherein burns the fire of the prowess of Kama Deva, the flower-arrowed god of love; which is the pleasure house of his wife Rati; and which forms the opening of the cavern wherein the eyes of Hara found the consummation of the great austerities he had performed. 78. nisargakṣīṇasya stanataṭabhareṇa klamajuṣo namanmūrternārītilaka śanakaistruṭyata iva . ciraṃ te madhyasya truṭitataṭinītīrataruṇā samāvasthāsthemno bhavatu kuśalaṃ śailatanaye .. 79.. O Daughter of the Mountain! O Ornament of womankind! May safety be assured for Thy waist, which, being slender, is labouring under the weight of Thy breasts and therefore stooping, threatening to break under that weight, and whose precarious firmness is like that of a tree on a cracking river bank. 79. kucau sadyaḥsvidyattaṭaghaṭitakūrpāsabhidurau kaṣantau dormūle kanakakalaśābhau kalayatā . tava trātuṃ bhaṅgādalamiti valagnaṃ tanubhuvā tridhā naddhaṃ devi trivali lavalīvallibhiriva .. 80.. O Mother Divine! The three folds in Thy middle region look like three strands of Lavali creeper wound by Kama Deva, the god of love, as a support to prevent Thy middle region from breaking under the weight of his creation, Thy quickly perspiring breasts, which (under the excitement of love for Śambhu) have swollen to the size of two golden pots, touching Thy arm pits and bursting the garment covering them. 80. 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