Saundaryalahari is a grand poetic composition by the great Guru Sri Adi Shankaracharya who is considered as an avatar of Lord Shiva and is believed to belong to the lineage of divine guru Lord Dakshinamurthy. Shankaracharya is known for his great contribution to Advaita parampara but this is one composition where he excels in blending the importance of both forms of worship of Shakti – both dual (Dvaita) and non-dual (Advaita). The sheer brilliance in his choice of words in this poetic composition has been extolled by many a great philosopher commentator in the past and also in modern times.
Shankaracharya eulogises in Saudaryalahari the beauty of Shakti which is the feminine energy or the Vimarsha rupa of Shiva who is the masculine form of energy and the absolute Brahman. Shiva is Sat-Chit-Ananda and the absolute consciousness while Shakti is the inherent energy or the power of His consciousness. Consciousness and its inherent energy are inseparable. Thus, Shiva and Shakti too are inseparable. It is with the power of Shakti that Shiva is able to spur into action and create the universe and it is the power of Shakti that manifests the gross and subtle forms of existence in the universe and the sentient and insentient beings in it.
This inseparability of Shiva and Shakti is explained well in both Saundaryalahari as well as in Sri Lalita Sahasranama stotram. Saundaryalahari starts with the first verse eulogising the union of Shiva and Shakti by stating “Shiva-Shaktya-Yukto” and then goes on to explain in detail the beauty of Divine Mother, Shakti, in Her subtle and gross forms. In Sri Lalita Sahasranamam, her gross and subtle forms are elucidated and it ends with the inseparability of Shiva and Shakti in the last verse saying “Shri Shivaa-Shiva-Shaktyaikya-rupini Lalitambika”. She is called ‘Sivagnana-pradaayini’ – the one confers the knowledge of Shiva in nama 727 of the Sri Lalita Sahasranama Stotram. Both Saundaryalahari and Sri Lalita Sahasranama Stotram are elaborate renditions in the worship of Shakti and they form an integral part of worship in the Shakta parampara. While prayers to Shakti are in more subtle forms through the Panchadasi (15 syllables) and Sodasi (16 syllables) mantras in Sri Lalita Sahasranamam, Saundaryalahari enables prayers in both the subtle mantra form as well as in the gross tantra form. Thus, Saundaryalahari could be called the crown jewel of Shakta worship.
There are several versions to the origin of Saundaryalahari. It will be pertinent to mention a few such popular beliefs for an understanding. One of the beliefs is that, Shankaracharya was inspired in his dream by Shiva and Parvati and it was Parvati who gave him the palm leaves to compose this beautifully poetic stotram. Another such popular belief is that Shankaracharya once visited Kailasa and Lord Shiva and Parvati gave him a set of palm leaves consisting of this composition. But Nandikeswara got angry thinking treasures of Kailasa were being taken out and he pulled the palm leaves. In the process it tore away and the firs 41 verses remained with Shankaracharya while Nandikeswara ran away with the remaining verses. Shankaracharya was then inspired by Shiva to read the verses with him and compose the rest for use of humanity. Yet another popular belief has it that once during his visit to Kailasa, Shankaracharya found the 100 verses of Saundaryalahari inscribed there and started reading. Observing this, Lord Ganesha started erasing backwards from the last verse. When Shankaracharya found after reading the first 41 verses that the rest of the verses were missing / erased, he composed the later 59 verses himself. There is also another belief that it is the same eight Vak Devis who rendered the Sri Lalita Sahasranama stotram composed Saundaryalahari too.
Thus, the first 41 verses are known as Ananadalahari and together all the 100 verses are known as Saundaryalahari. Notwithstanding these popular beliefs with regard to its composition, Saundaryalahari is a true masterpiece of worship in the Shakta parampara as it not only elucidates the Dual and Non-Dual methods of worship, i.e., Dvaita and Advaita, it also includes both the subtle and gross forms of worship of Shakti, i.e., both mantra and tantra forms of worship. It is, thus, one of the finest holistic means of worship to Shiva and Shakti as the inseparable Divine Brahman. May the blessings of Shiva – Shakti transform the lives of all!
"Hari Om"
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