[Advaita-l] Shankara Digvijaya Sara - part 32

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

(After undergoing a test at the hands of the crowd of debaters of different
philosophical schools and passing to their satisfaction...)

203| śāstreṣu sarveṣvapi dattavantaṁ pratyuttaraṁ samapūjayaṁste |
dvāraṁ samudghāṭya daduśca mārgaṁ tato viveśāntarabhūmibhāgam ||81||

203. They worshipped and then opened the door for him who was able to give an 
answer to any question posed on śāstras, making a path for him to enter the 
inner sanctum.(81)

204 | pāṇau sanandanamasāvavalambya vidyābhadrāsanaṁ tadavaroḍhumanāścāla |
atrāntare vidhivadhūrvibudhāgragaṇyamācāryaśaṅkaramavocadanaṅgavācā ||82||

204. Taking Sanandanas’ hand, he went to occupy the Throne of Wisdom. Just 
then, the wife of Vidhi [The wife of Brahma i.e. Sarasvatī] spoke to the 
foremost of the wise, the teacher Śhaṅkara, in a disembodied voice...(82(

(One can imagine the throne being on some high steps or dais so it might 
require some assistance to climb up.)

205| sarvajñataikaiva bhavenna hetuḥ pīṭhādhirohe pariśuddhatā ca |
sā te'sti vā neti vicāryametattiṣṭha kṣaṇaṁ tvaṁ kuru sāhasaṁ mā ||84||

205. “Omniescence alone is not enough to ascend this pīṭha, you must have 
complete purity too.  Consider for a moment, do you have it or not?  Do not be 
hasty.”(84)

206| nāsmiñśarīre kṛtakilbiṣo'haṁ janmaprabhṛtyamba na sandihe'ham |
vyadhāyi dehāntarasaṁśrayādyanna tena lipyeta hi karmaṇā'nyaḥ ||86||

206. [Śhaṅkara replied,] Mother, from birth this body has commited no sin. 
This body cannot be held liable for acts performed by another body.(86)

(Back in the 9th sarga, She, in the guise of Ubhaya Bhāratī, had tried to 
outfox Śaṅkarāchārya by asking him about kāmaśāstra.  He, in response to 
Her had entered the body of King Amaruka.  So it is ironic that She is 
bringing it up now.)

207| itthaṁ niruttarapadāṁ sa vidhāya devīṁ sarvajñapīṭhamadhiruhya nananda sabhyaḥ |
saṁmānito'bhavadasau vibudhaiśca vāṇyā gārgyā kaholamukharairiva yājñavalkyaḥ ||87||

207. Having duly answered the Goddess, he ascended the Sarvajñapīṭha to the 
acclamation of the assembly [of scholars] and the Gods as Kahola and Gargi had 
praised Yājñavalkya.(87)

(The Brāhmaṇa Kahola Kauṣītakeya and the princess Gārgī Vācaknavī are 
mentioned in Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad 3.5 (specifically 3.5.5-6) as two of 
several who posed questions to Yājñavalkya Ṛṣi.)

208| vādaprādurvinodapratikathanasudhīvādadurvāratarkanyakkārasvairadhāṭībharitaharidupanyastamāhānubhāvyaḥ |
sarvajño vasturmahastvamiti bahumataḥ sphārabhāratyamoghaślāghājoghuṣyamāṇo jayati yatipateḥ śāradāpīṭhavāsaḥ ||88||

208. “You, whose fame for your ability to defeat the best debaters with your 
unmatched grasp of the śāstras has spread in all directions, are fit to sit [on 
this throne]” firmly declared Bhāratī [i.e. Sarasvatī] and shouted with 
effusive praise “Victory to the Lord of Ascetics who occupies the 
Śāradāpīṭha!”(88)

209 | kacabharavahanaṁ pulomajāyāḥ katicidahānyapagarbhakaṁ yathā syāt |
guruśirasi tathā sudhāśanāḥ svaḥ tarukusumānyatha harṣato'bhyavarṣan ||92||

209.[The Devas] showered the fragrant flowers of the [Kalpa]taru on the gurus 
head with such abandon that for many days the daughter of Puloma [i.e. 
Indrāṇī, the wife of Indra] lacked flowers for Her hair.(92)

(This is hyperbole by the poet again.  The Kalpataru is a tree in svarga 
that can grant all wishes so She could simply have wished for more 
flowers.)

210| iti muniratituṣṭo'dhyuṣya sarvajñapīṭhaṁ nijamatagurutāyai no punarmānahetoḥ |
katicana viniveśyātharṣyaśṛṅgāśramādau muniratha badarīṁ sa prāpa kaiścitsvaśiṣyaiḥ ||96||

210. The sage [i.e. Śhaṅkara] with great satisfaction ascended the 
Sarvajñapīṭha not for his own pride but to establish the supremacy of his 
philosophy.  After placing some disciples at Śṛṅgāśram [i.e. Śṛṅgeri] and 
other places, he proceeded to Badarī along with some of his disciples.(96)


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