[Advaita-l] Shankara Digvijaya Sara - part 20

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

127| tato yatikṣamābhṛdavekṣya dākṣyaṁ kṣodakṣamaṁ tasya vicakṣaṇasya |
cikṣepa taṁ kṣobhitasarvapakṣaṁ vidvatsamakṣā'pratibhātakakṣyam ||74||

127. Then the Summit of Monks [i.e. Śaṅkara] observed with astonishment his 
[i.e. Maṇḍana’s] intellectual prowess which countered every argument made. 
But eventually he [i.e. Śaṅkara] refuted all the opposing doctrines and 
reduced his [i.e. Maṇḍana’s] lustre in the assembly of scholars.  Still he 
urged him on.(74)

128| ityādyā dṛḍhayuktirasya śuśubhe dattānumodā girāṁ devyā tādṛśaviśvarūparabhasāvaṣṭambhamuṣṭindhayā |
bhartṛnyāsavilakṣyasūktijananīsākṣitvakukṣimbhariḥ saślāghādbhutapuṣpavṛṣṭilaharī saugandhyapāṇindhayā ||131||

128. The fast-flowing stream of [Śaṅkara’s] eloquent speech that gave pleasure 
to the Goddess of Speech, seemed to steal away Viśvarūpa’s resolve.  Observing 
the imminent defeat of her husband, a slight frown appeared on the face of the 
wife [i.e. Ubhaya Bhāratī] hinting at the decision she was about to make 
accompanied by a wave of fragrance from a wonderous rain of flowers.(131)

129| itthaṁ yatikṣatipateranumodya yuktiṁ mālāṁ ca maṇḍanagale malināmavekṣya |
bhikṣārthamuccalatamadya yuvāmitīmau ācaṣṭa taṁ punaruvāca yatīndramambā ||132||

129. As she approved the words of the King of Monks, she observed the garland 
on Māṇḍana’s neck withering away. “Now both of you can come and take bhikṣā” 
the mother said again to the Lord of Monks.”(132)

(Every day Ubhaya Bhāratī has invited Śaṅkarāchārya to take bhikṣā.  Today she 
uses the dual number instead of singular.  This indicates that Maṇḍana had 
lost and from now on her relationship to him was no longer wife to husband but 
donor to mendicant. In other words he had already begun to take on the trappings
of a saṁnyāsi as per the conditions of the debate.)

130| kopātirekavaśataḥ śapatā purā māṁ durvāsasā tadavadhirvihito jayaste |
sā'haṁ yathāgatamupaimi śamipravīretyuktvā sasambhramamamuṁ nijadhāma yāntīm ||133||

130. [Ubhaya Bhāratī now revealed as Sarasvatī says] “I was cursed out of 
anger by Durvāsa who said that curse would be lifted at the time of your 
victory.  Best Amongst the Patient! now I wish to return to my own abode.” and 
she attempted to leave.

(In the 3rd sarga of the MDV it was explained that Devi Sarasvatī had been 
cursed by Ṛṣi Durvasa to be born on Earth.  Later he relented and said the 
curse would be lifted when she would meet the avatāra of Śiva Bhagavān.

Before She can return to Satyaloka, Śaṅkarāchārya stops Her by means of 
the Vanadurgā mantra and challenges Her to a debate.)


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