क्वणत्काञ्चीदामा करिकलभकु म्भस्तननता
परिक्षीणा मध्ये परिणतशिच्चन्द्रवदना ।
धनुर्ााणान् पाशं सृणणमणप दधाना कितल ैः
पुिस्तादास्तां नैः पुिमणितुिाहोपुरुणिका ॥७॥
"Kvanathakancheedhaamaa Karikalabha-kumbha-sthananathaa
Pariksheenaa Madhye Parinatha-sh-charaschandra-vadanaa!
Dhanur-baanaan Paasham Srunimapi Dadhaanaa Karathalaihi
Purasthaadaasthaam Nah Puram-adhi-thura-aho-purushikaa!"
Translation:
Kvanat-kancidama – jingling sound of the waist girdle; Kari kalabha –bulging forehead of a young elephant; Kumba – globe like; Stananata – bulging bossoms; Pariksina – slim; Madhye – waist (middle); Parinata – resembling; Saratchandra – Moon of the spring season (Sharad ritu); Vadana – of the hue; Dhanur-banan-pasam-srnim-api - holding aloft bow with arrow, noose and goad; Dadhana – bearing; Karatalaih - within the grasp of hands; Purasatad-astam - let her appear; Naha - for our sake; Puram-athitur - of the one who burnt cities (Tripura); Ahopurushika - oh wonder, the proud counterpart of Shiva (It is not the exact word-to-word translation though).
Literal Meaning:
May the divine Mother with Her slender waist girdled with jingling mini-bells, body slightly bent at the waist by the weight of Her bossoms resembling the frontal globes of the forehead of a young elephant, Her face blooming like the autumnal moon (Sharad Chandra) and Her four hands holding the bow, arrow, noose and the goad; She who is the pride of Shiva, manifest Her presence before us.
Deeper philosophy:
In this verse Adi Shankara, an Acharya of the highest learning and a guru who is compassionate and caring for his disciples and one who is also considered as an avatar of Shiva, describes Shakti in Her gross form. This is the first verse in this rendition where Shakti is described in Her gross form and there are many more such verses that speak of Her gross form as well as Her subtle form throughout the Saundarya Lahari. In this verse, Adi Shankara describes Her gross form and prays for Her appearance or manifestation. The description of Her gross form is an expression of prayer in the dualistic mode or the Dvaita principle where the one who prays is shown as an identity distinct from the one who is prayed (deity). When the prayer is intense enough where the one who prays becomes one with the one who is prayed, it is in the non-dualistic form or the Advaita principle.
While Shiva is masculine inert energy, Shakti is His ‘Svaatantriya Shakti’ that is feminine dynamic energy. It is the Shakti, as divine Mother, who manifests the entire universe (Brahmanda), nurtures it, and finally stands witness to the annihilation or involution by Shiva as Rudra. She recreates the universe again with Her union with Shiva as Kameshwara and Kameshwari. This process involves the working dynamics of the three energies – viz., Iccha, Jnana and Kriya. The Icchha Shakti is the desire that stirs the inert Brahman (Shiva) and the Jnana Shakti is the knowledge of the inherent power to create which enables it and the Kriya Shakti is the action that enables the manifestation of the entire universe and the sentient and insentient beings in it.
It is in this context that Adi Shankara eulogises Devi Shakti, the Divine Mother, in this verse and seeks to see her manifested gross form. The five basic works of divine Mother is creation, sustenance, annihilation, veiling the Brahman through Maya and, finally, liberation by enabling the sadhak to pierce the veil of Maya and become ready for realisation of the Brahman or the Shiva tatva. Thus She is ‘Sivagnanapradayini’ (one of Her names in Sri Lalita Sahasranama).
At a subtle level of higher philosophy, Adi Shankara speaks of the different chakras of energy that are involved in the process of creation and sustenance. The Manipura chakra is the source of fire energy which enables creation. The Manipura chakra is based at the navel and is the waist. By stating that Shakti has a slender waist he points to process of creation of the universe and its sentient and insentient beings with the fire energy. Thus, Manipura chakra is an important point of Kundalini sadhana for invocation of fire energy. Even Sri Lalita Sahasranama describes her waist as slender and girdled with jingling trinkets as has been described in this verse (Sri Lalita Shasranama – nama 38: Ratna-kiṅkiṇikā-ramya-raśanā-dāma-bhūṣitā ककणककणणका-िम्य-िशना-दाम-भूणिता).
By symbolising divine Mother bend over due to the weight of Her heavy bossoms, he points to the fact that after Her indulgence in the process of creation, it is now her indulgence in the process of sustaining the created, just as a mother would nurture her child. It is the love and flow of nectar from Her bossoms that sustains the existence of whatever is created. The love flows from the heart and this were the Anahata chakra is located. Thus, Anahata chakra points to the manifestation of love – the ‘Matritva Bhava’ which is summed up in the very first verse of Sri Lalita Sahasranama where She is called “Sri Mata”. It is Her divine grace of love and caring that makes Her bend forward in a manner as to see those who seek Her and care for them. These type of figures / idols can be seen ubiquitously in all the sculptures of divine figures in the temples of South India.
Adi Shankara then goes on to explain the weaponry that Shakti carries. She carries in Her four arms a bow, arrow, Ankusha and Pasa. Her gross form is beautifully explained in Sri Lalita Sahasranama rendered by the eight Vak Devis who remain eternally in Her service. She is described in the Sahasranama as “Chaturbahu Samanvita” (Sri Lalita Sahasranama – nama 7), that is, She has four arms and She carries four weapons. She carries a Pasa or a noose with which pulls out all the desires which is described in the Sahasranama – nama 8 as Rāgasvarūpapāśāḍhyā िागस्वरूप-पाशाढ्या. She is described in the Sahasranama – nama 9 as Krodhākāraṅkuśojvalā क्रोधाकािककुशोज्वला which says she carries an Ankusha or the elephant goad used by the mahut to control it. With the Ankusha she not only destroys anger / hatred but confers knowledge to the seeker. This knowledge enables the seeker to transcend being drawn into worldly desires of Maya and progress towards liberation.
Knowledge is a subtle object just the mind is. In the Sahasranama – nama 10 She is described to be carrying a bow - Manorūpekṣu-kodaṇḍā मनोरूपेक्षु-कोदण्डा which is, She carries a sugarcane as a bow. Only when sugarcane is crushed do we get its sweet juice. Similarly, only when the mind is crushed (controlled) off its desires does it allow the seeker to pierce the veil of Maya and progress towards Her for liberation. The mind is a subtle body and can be realised by the five sensory organs – the Pancha Tanmatra (sound, smell, touch, sight and taste – as described in the Sahasranama – nama 11 - Pañcatanmātra-sāyakā पञ्चतन्द्मात्र-सायका) and it has two qualities, viz., Samkalpa (the resolve and the thought process) and Vikalpa (the ability to differentiate perception).
The Arrows that She holds are five and they depict the five subtle elements or the tanmatras which are the cause of the delusion of the mind as it is the pleasures through these that the mind remains deluded in the maya of worldly desires and suffers the results of action and goes through the cycle of birth and rebirth over and over again. These weaponries symbolically indicate the necessity of their control to transcend the desire for worldly pleasures and tread the path to liberation / realisation of Shiva tatva or the Sat-Chit-Ananda consciousness. With this verse, Adi Shankara reveals the gross form of Shakti for prayers and he builds up the Dvaita – Advaita form of worship in the later verses. This enables the seeker in transition from duality (Dvaita) to non-duality (Advaita) of worship where he / she is one with the Divine.
Mode of worship:
Like all other verses, anyone seeking to derive the blessings of Devi must recite this verse at least for 11 times each day for the benefit of self and family. Yantra to be made on gold plate or holy ashes (bhasma) levelled on a copper plate. Sit facing North-East.Chant this sloka 1000 times daily for 45 (12) days.
Beeja Akshara: Kleem
Archana: Chant Durga Shasranama offering kumkum.
Offerings: Cooked rice, curd, fruit juice and kheer.
Beneficial Results: Fascinating even royal personages and over-coming enemies.
Literal Results: It is believed that reciting this sloka links the devotee to the Supreme Goddess in Her manifestation as Kamakshi (the deity of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu). She is revered as the dominant One as "Purushika" and She is known to literally take over the devotee and gives her/ him a delicious taste of Her "saannidhyam" and one lives constantly in a state of bliss in Her thoughts. Chanting this verse benefits people with the graha/planet Rahu related problems to overcome difficulties in life.
''Hari Om''
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