[Advaita-l] Sivaanandalahari - 4

[Anbu sivam2]

Sivaanandalahari - 4सहस्रम् वर्तन्ते जगति विबुधा: क्षुद्रफलदा
न मन्ये स्वप्ने वा तदनुसरणं तत्कृतफलम् ।
हरि-ब्रह्मादीनामपि निकिटभाजा-मसुलभं
चिरं याचे शंभो शिव तव पादांभोज-भजनं ॥ ४ ॥

sahasram vartante jagati vibudhA: kShudraphaladA
na manye svapne vA tadanusaraNaM tatkRutaphalam |
hari-brahmAdInAmapi nikiTabhAjA-masulabhaM
chiraM yAche SaMbho Siva tava pAdAMbhoja-bhajanaM || 4 ||

In this world thousands of Gods exist which give small rewards. Even in
dreams I won’t consider praying to them or think of the benefits that accrue
from them. I shall always beg to worship your lotus feet though it is
difficult even for Brahma and Vishnu who are close to you.

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In explaining the last stanza we said that the essence of the Vedas is the
revelation of Shiva. In fact the Vedas also reveal the Sivashakthi Aikyam
because Sri Rudram says: “Nama Sivaaya cha Sivatharaaya cha”. The Vedas also
say “NamasivaayEthi keelakam, SivatharaayEthi Shakthihi”. In this stanza
AchaaryaaL emphasizes the Eka Bhakthi pointing out the futility of
worshipping the sahasra devathaas. Given below are two verses from Thevaaram
composed by Sri Sundaramoorthi Nayanar that combines both Sivashakthi Aikyam
and Eka Bhakthi.

பொன்னார் மேனியனே புலித்தோலையரைக்கசைத்து
மின்னார் செஞ்சடைமேன் மிளிர்கொன்றையணிந்தவனே
மன்னே மாமணியே மழபாடியுண்மாணிக்கமே
அன்னேயுன்னையல்லாலினியாரை நினைக்கேனே.
(சுந்தரமூர்த்தி நாயனார்)

சந்தாருங்குழையாய் சடைமேல்பிறைதாங்கினல்ல
வெந்தார் வெண்பொடியாய் விடையேரிய வித்தகனே
மைந்தார் சோலைகள்சூழ் மழபாடியுண் மாணிக்கமே
எந்தாய் நின்னையல்லால் யினியாரைநினைக்கேனே.
(சுந்தரமூர்த்தி நாயனார்)

In Soothasamhitha it is said “vrukshasya moolakesena shaaka: pushyanthivai
yatha| SivE rudrajabaath preethE preethaa Evasya dEvatha:|| That is, just as
when you water the root of a tree various branches of it are benefited, in
the same way by doing rudrajapam you satisfy all the devathas. Therefore
whosoever wants what different phalas, he does not have to worship many
different devatas but by doing Siva Japam he can gets all he wants.  Shiva
fulfils every desire of a person because he is ‘Ashuthosh’ - one who is
easily pleased and so he bestows the wishes. Moreover the contention is not
that Shiva supersedes other devathas but that every devatha is none but
Shiva only. He is the one who is sitting, he is the one who is lying down,
he is the one who is sleeping, he is the one who is awake, he is the one who
is standing, he is the one who is running, he is the one who is in the midst
of the sabha, he is the one who is the sabha naayaka, he is the one who is a
carpenter, he is the one who is a potter, he is the one who is a hunter and
he is the one who is a fisher and so on. This describes Shiva to be the one
who is in many roopas. In Sri Rudram He is variously described as having
Sarveswarathwam, Sarvasareerathwam and Sarvaandaryaamithwam.

In this stanza Adhi Shankara shows his dhruda bhakthi by saying that he will
not worship anyone but Shiva and that it would not deter him even knowing
that great beings such as Vishnu and Brahma would find it difficult to reach
Shiva. I would like to remind to the readers of the great story of
Arunaachala where Brahma and Vishnu were unsuccessful in finding the head or
the feet of Lord Shiva.

(to be continued)