[Advaita-l] naram varShIyAmsam

[Krishnarao Lanka]

From:-  sriparasukhanandanatha

Date:-     March 24, 2006

Subject:-soundaryalahari 13 SlOka

SrigurussarvakAraNaBhUta Saktih |

SrimahAgaNAdhipatayEnamah \\.



"naram varshIyamsam nayana virasam narmasu jadam

 tavApangAlOkE patitamanudhAvanti SataSah |

gaLadvENIbandhah kuca kalaSa visrasta sichayA

haTat tR~ityat vigalita dukUlA yuvatayah ||"



Priya mahASayAh,



          This is a SlOka in soundarya lahari which says as ---,

What if the man attained very old age; wretchedly ugly and also a dunderhead
in speaking ; if a ray of glance from a corner end of your eyelid touches
him ; hundreds of youthful women start running for him with their dropping
braids of hairdo, fallen covers on breasts and also getting rid of the
clothes on their waists.



          I have referred a number of commentaries on this poem, perturbed
to read every one saying that it is a mAdana prayoga.  Who asked the
BhagavatpAda to teach this prayoga?  Will any asKalita brahmcari ever
recommend such a nasty prayoga to any of his disciple who is in quest for
liberation?  I wonder why writing this kind of interpretations without any
sense of context.  In my view, the meaning should be interpreted as follows.
I recollect a mantra from dEvI sUktam saying,



"ahamEva swayamidam vadAmi, juShTam dEvEBhir uta mAnuShEBhih |

  yam yam kAmayE tam tam ugram kR~iNOmi, tam brahmANam tam R~iShim tam
sumEdhAm ||"



"I the one who is esteemed by gods as well as the human beings, reform and
endue the very high status, on whom I admire.  For some, I make them equal
to the vidhAta blessing them with longevity of brahma and brahmalOka
settlement:  For some others, I make them R~iShis with plenty of knowledge
to visualize a mantra (mantra draSta) and an ability to create a mantra by
himself.(mantra sraShta).  For some more, I qualify them to be 'sumEdha's
with unfaltering knowledge of 'self'.  None else other than me can proclaim
like this, that is why, I myself is declaring".  This is the promise of our
mother eternal.



            If we keenly observe, we will find that Sri Acarya is showing
three qualities of the person as an old man, ugly and a dunderhead.  The
holy mother also is showing brahma, R~iShi and sumEdha.  Let us go a little
deep in to its intention.



           Generally, the human beings, according to their nature of sattwa,
rajas and tamO guNAs can be divided into three categories as enlightened
(suprabuddha), edified ( prabuddha) , and dullards (aprabuddha).

The aprabuddhas, because of their inherent extreme tamo guNa, they always
dwell upon their own selfish ends and uninclined to hear anything other than
their own livelihood.  They always will be vacillating only between two
things i.e., false hopes and fearfulness.  For such people we can only say
that "If you pray god you will be benefited economically or that your
misfortunes will be mitigated", and sometimes create a fear in him saying
that the god if angered will subject him to many troubles, hence
celebrations of pUja is essential.



          The second category 'prabuddh's being dominant of 'rajOguna' are
to some extent lenient to hear the elders and also an inclination to know
about the god and 'self'.  Only for this type of people all the Agamas,
SastrAs and purAnAs were created.  Within this category, there are three
types of devotees 1.uttamAdhikAri(highly deserving),

2.madDhyamAdhikAri (moderately deserving) and 3.mandAdhiKAri (poorly
deserving).  Different varieties of devotional methods were prescribed in
the scriptures basing upon their understanding capacities and their living
habits.  There will be nothing to teach any thing for the 'aprabuddha's.  The
'suprabuddha's are the persons who have acquired the pure 'sattwa guna' by
regular practices since so many births in the past and was already
enlightened by the yOgini deities like "brAhmi" etc.  He need not be
explained any thing, but when the 'anugraha Sakti' in the form of a guru
should initiate only once; and an instant awakening is revealed to him.  He
will have nothing to know anything from any one at all.



         As already mentioned, all the SastrAs were created only for the
prabuddhas, in three categories. The 'uttamAdhikAris, even though they are
inherently dominant of 'rajO guna', a quantity of 'sattwa guna' will also be
there in it.  They prefer to follow the advise if the elders, and lead a
sanctified life.  They spend their life in the manner of the water upon a
lotus leaf.  They deserve to obtain "SamBhava diixa".

The 'madhyamAdhikAri' also prefer to lead an auspicious life, but because of
the domination of 'rajO guna' in them they will be often subjected to
temptations etc., and turn to his old natures.  For these people a constant
guidance by a guru for a long time is essential.  These persons deserve
different types of yoga methods.

In case of the "mandAdhikAri"s, even though they have the mixed qualities of
'rajO guna and 'sattwa guna', they possess a large quantity of 'tamo guna'
also with them.  As they are more inclined to the worldly pleasures and
"tApa trayas'.  they deserve only for the "karma pradhAna" way of
initiations. By constant practices, after a long time they may also be
enlightened by themselves after realization.



        In my opinion, the jagadguru should have these three types of people
in his mind, while using the words

"naram varShIyamsam", "nayana virasam" and "narmasu jadam".  Let me explain
my view point in short here.

In the progression of achieving the 'siddhi', the first stage of success
will be the "sumEdha avastha".  The meaning of this phrase "narmasu jadam"
is he is just neutral for (udAsInah) all the worldly pleasures and also in
distress; always immersed in the dedication of paramEswara; inquisitive of
'R~itamBhara praj~na'; service of guru; attentive in hearing all the advises
of sriguru.  This is a state of blooming (vikAsa) in the mUlAdhAra and
swadhiShThAna padmas, and also the stage of crossing over from the brahma
grandhi, the first knot.  "prasanna chEtasO2hyaSu buddhih paryava tiShThtE"
constent practices of 'sama', 'dama' etc., along with truthfulness, purity,
kindness and controlled senses will ensure the development of wisdom.  This
type of people are called "sumEdha"s.



"mOxaika saktyA viShayEShu rAgam nirmUlya sannyasya cha  sarva karma

  satChraddhaya yah SravaNAdi niSThO rajah swaBhAvam sa dhunOti buddhEh||"



          The one who, having utmost craving to achieve the mOxa,
foresweared all the sensual pleasures, renounced from all the bonds of
'karma and kept the whole time attention towards hearing the elders` advises
and repeating them all always, will have his intellect cleaned and rectified
of all the 'rajo guna'. Only for such persons we can attribute the quality
of "nayana virasam". It means that he had renounced all taste for the
external objects.  He will be able to distinguish between 'sat' and 'asat'.
He speaks only the truth and what ever he speaks, it will come true. He only
can define the word "truth".  Truth itself is "brahma".  "R~iShayO mantra
draShtArah sraShtarascha."

He who can elicit the underlying secret meaning in a mantra and feeling
happy within himself is called "mantra drashta".  By the power of his tapas,
one who can understand the yoga of the combinations and compositions of the
'bIjAxara's and create a mantra by himself and also explain its effects,
will be called a "mantra sraShta". He is one who has crossed over all the
concluding limits of wisdom (j~nana). "j~nAnasya pAragamanAd R~iShih".  This
indicates that he has passed over both the "brahma grandhi" and the "viShNu
grandhi" also.



          Then coming to the third stage, the phrase "naram varSIyAmsam"
means the grand-fatherhood (pitAmaha), This is the sR~iSti, sThiti, laya
kartR~itwa samaShti Sakti; the one who has passed over all the three knots
(grandhis).  The "uttamAdhikAri" himself is this person.

"sarva Bhutastha mAtmAnam sarva BhUtani cha Atmani

  sampaSyan brahma paramam yAti nAnyEti hEtunA||"

They deserve for the dIxA methods called 'SamBhava' and 'anupAya'.  He will
have nothing to be initiated in the anupAya dIxa.  It is mentioned that the
guru will enter through his vIxaNa Sakti, in to the body of such a SiShya,
attracts and pulls out the life force (prANa Sakti) from him and establishes
it in his own soul, then puts the lifeless body on a pyre and burns it to
ashes.  There will be no two bodies for those two.  The SiShya will have no
'karma Sesha' or 'karma anuSanga'any more remained. That itself is the total
liberation. The guru`s hr~idaya itself is "brahmalOka". He lives there for a
'brahmaayu' i.e., beyond the limits and measures of the time evaluation.



           In this SlOka, the word "apAnga" means –with no limbs.  i.e., the
subtle body (sUxma SarIra)

"apAngAlokE" means, when seeing the subtle body by viewing it
introspectively, all the shackles of bondage are shattered to pieces and
destroyed.  In the same way, the dropped braided brahmarUpa who have smashed
the 'rudra grandhi'; falling breast covers 'viShNu grandhi BhEdana rUpa
R~iShirUpAs and 'brahma grandhi BhEdana rUpa "SumEdhA"s who were said to
have got rid of the waist clothes.  These three types of the devotees will
be the most beloved ones of the divine mother.



"mUlAdhAraika nilaya brahma grandhi viBhEdinI

  maNipUrAntarudita viSNugrandhi viBhEdinI

 Aj~nA chakrAntarALastha rudragrandhi viBhEdinI ||"

Though the order is so said, another order was also mentioned —

"SrImadvAgBhava kUtaika swarUpa muKha pankajA

 kanThAdhah kaTi paryanta madhyakUta swarUpiNI

SaktikUtaikatApanna kaTyadhOBhAgadhAriNI"



While doing japa—"mahA sarswati, mahA laxmi, mahA kAli" and at the time of
anugraha it will be in reverse as "mahAkAli, mahAlaxmi and mahA saraswati".
Those who have passed off the three grandhis; who have passed off two
grandhis and who have passed one grandhi.



When said "yuvatayah patita manu dhAvanti SataSah", yuvatayah should be
taken to mean as "siddhi"s



"swadehOdBhUtaBirgrriNibi raNimAdyABhiraBhitO

 niShEvyE nitye twamahamiti sada BhAvayati yah "



Innumerable aNimAdi siddhis are reaching him without being requested.



Anybody can guide me for a better understanding please.



krishnarao




--
Krishnarao Lanka