[Advaita-l] Shankara Digvijaya Sara - part 3

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

devāvatāra nāma tṛtīya sargaḥ|

Third Canto: The descent of the Devas

(Along with  Śiva Bhagavān, the other Devas also took birth on the Earth.)

14| kamalānilayaḥ kalānidhervimalākhyādajaniṣṭa bhūsurāt |
bhuvi padmapadaṁ vadanti yaṁ savipadyena vivādināṁ yaśaḥ |2|

14. The Abode of Lakṣmī [i.e. Viṣṇu Bhagavān] was born on this Earth to the
Brāhmaṇa Vimala, the master of all branches of knowledge. The world knows him
as Padmapada famous for refuting all rival schools of thought.(2)

(In these ślokas, the sannyāsi names of Śaṅkarācāryas' disciples are given.  I
will provide their previous names too.  For instance, Padmapada was named at
birth as Sanandana.)

15| pavano'pyajani prabhākarātsavanonmīlitakīrtimaṇḍalāt |
galahastitabhedavādyasau kila hastāmalakābhidhāmadhāt ||3|

15. Also, the wind [i.e. Vāyu] was born to Prabhākara whose fame spread
throughout the land as a sacrificer.  As he crushed the arguments of the
Dualists as easily as squeezing a mango in the hand, he was given the name
Hastāmalaka.(3)

(Prabhākara Miśra is the founder of an influential school of pūrva mimāṁsā
thought. savana literally means one who "presses" the Soma (and the ritual of 
pressing itself) in a Vedic yajña. Bhedavādi or "dualist" here refers to
schools such as sāṁkhya. Dvaita Vedānta didn't exist in this era.)


16| pavamānadaśāṁśato'jani plavamānā'ñcati yadyaśombudhau |
dharaṇī mathitā vivādivāktaraṇī yena sa toṭakāhvayaḥ ||4||

16. The Purifier [i.e. Agni] incarnated a tenth of his power.  The ocean of
that ones’ fame [in debate] was deep enough to drown an entire Earthful of
disputants. He is called Toṭaka.(4)

(Toṭakas' pūrvāśrama name was Udanka, the son of Śilada.)

17| vidhirāsa sureśvaro girāṁ nidhirānandagirirvyajāyata |
aruṇaḥ samabhūtsanandano varuṇo'jāyata citsukhāhvayaḥ |6|

17. Vidhi [i.e. Brahma] became Sureśvara and Nidhi [i.e. Gaṇeṣa] as Ānandagiri.
Aruṇa [i.e. Sūrya] was born as Sanandana and Varuṇa as Citsukha.(6)

(Sureśvaras' pūrvāśrama name was Maṇḍana Miśra or Viśvarūpa.  Although the
four previously described disciples are the most well known, Śaṅkarācārya had
many others.  Two of the most notable were Ānandagiri who has composed ṭikās
on many works of his guru, and Citsukha Tattvapradīpa or Citsukhi is a very
popular early work on Advaita Vedānta.  The mention of Sanandana is confusing
because he has already been mentioned as an incarnation of Viṣṇu Bhagavān.
Perhaps a different Sanandana is meant?)

18| athāvatīrṇasya vidheḥ purandhrī sā'bhūdyadākhyobhayabhāratīti |
sarasvatī sā khalu vastuvṛttyā loko'pi tāṁ vakti sarasvatīti ||9||

18. Incarnating in order to become the wife of Brahma [in the form of Maṇḍana
Miśra,] Sarasvatī took birth as Ubhaya Bhāratī because she was so learned in
all śāstras that the people called her Sarasvatī.(9)

(This is a bit confusing so I'll explain.  The girl was so intelligent and
learned, people marvelled and called her "another Sarasvatī" not knowing that
she actually was Sarasvatī.  Thus she is called Ubhaya or "double" Bhāratī.)


19| jagrāha pāṇikamalaṁ himamitrasunuḥ śrīviṣṇumitraduhituḥ karapallavena |
bherīmṛdaṅgapaṭahādhyayanābjaghoṣaiḥ diṅmaṇḍale suparimūrcchati divyakāle ||57||

19. Himamitras’ son took the lotus-like hand of Śrī Viṣṇumitras’ daughter by
the finger [i.e. in marriage.] In every direction people were stupefied by the
tremendous sound of drumbeats and the recitation of Vedas at that auspicious
time.(57)

(Maṇḍana Miśras' fathers name was Himamitra.  Ubhaya Bhāratīs' fathers name was
Viṣṇumitra.)

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>