[Advaita-l] Sri Appayya Dikshitar cites copiously the Lakshmi Tantra (Pancharatra)

[V Subrahmanian]

On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 5:16 PM V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
wrote:

> In his Durga chandra kala stuti, a short work of 17 verses, with his own
> commentary, Sri Appayya Dikshitar has alluded to several episodes that
> describe the various forms the Para Shakti assumed in order to slay one or
> the other asura such as Madhu-Kaitabha, Sumbha-Nisumbha...
>
> It is also interesting to see Lakshmi saying 'I was born in the house of
> Nanda Gopa, through Yashodha, as Sunandaa.' It is well known in the
> Bhagavatam where Krishna instructs Yoga Maya to make the exchange of the
> newborn babies and blesses her that she will be worshiped all over in many
> names. We also know that there is a tradition of identifying Durga, the
> consort of Shiva, with the sister of Krishna.
>

It may be recalled that the Vishnu Puranam states that one Shakti is taking
the form of Yashoda as well as the consort of Krishna:

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/prakriti-vishnus-mother-as-also-his-consort/

Thus, Lakshmi (Prakriti) being born as Krishna's sister is not
un-scriptural.  That Yoganidra took birth in Yashoda's womb, in
Nandagopa's household, is also stated in the Vishnu Puranam:

तत्प्रसादविवद्धमानोरुमहिमा च *योगनिद्रा नन्दगोपपत्न्या यशोदाया
गर्भमधितिष्ठितवती * ॥ ४,१५.३१ ॥

तस्मिन्काले यशोदापि मोहिता योगनिद्रया  ।

तामेव कन्यां मैत्रेय प्रसूता मोहिते जने  ॥ ५,३.२० ॥


योगनिद्रा यशोदायास्तस्मिन्नेव तथा दिने  ।

संभूता जठरे तद्वद्यथोक्तं परमेष्ठिना  ॥ ५,२.३ ॥


योगनिद्रा महामाया वैष्णवी मोहितं यया  ।

अविद्यया जगत्सर्वं तामाह भगवान्हरिः  ॥ ५,१.७१ ॥


Krishna instructs Yoganidra (Yogamaya) to do his bidding in His own birth,
her birth, etc.


श्रीभगवानुवाच

निद्रे गच्छ ममादेशात्पातालातलसंश्रयान्  ।

एकैकत्वेन षड्गर्भान्देवकीजठरं नय  ॥ ५,१.७२ ॥



प्रावृट्काले च नभसि कृष्णाष्टम्यामहं निशि  ।

उत्पत्स्यामि नवम्यां तु प्रसूतिं त्वमवाप्स्यसि  ॥ ५,१.७८ ॥

यशोदाशयने मां तु देवक्यास्त्वामनिन्दिते  ।

मच्छक्तिप्रोरितमतिर्वसुदेवो नयिष्यति  ॥ ५,१.७९ ॥

कंसश्च त्वामुपादाय देवि शैलशिलातले  ।

प्रक्षेप्स्यत्यन्तारिक्षे च संस्थानं त्वमवाप्स्यसि  ॥ ५,१.८० ॥

ततस्त्वां शतदृक्छक्रः प्रणम्य मम गौरवात् ।

प्रणिपातानतशिरा भगिनीत्वे ग्रहीष्यति  ॥ ५,१.८१ ॥

त्वं च शुंभनिशुंभादीन्हत्वा दैत्यान्सहस्रशः  ।

स्थानैरनेकैः पृथिवीमशेषां मण्डयिष्यसि  ॥ ५,१.८२ ॥

त्वं भूतिः सन्नतिः क्षान्तिः कान्तिर्द्यौः पृथिवी धृतिः  ।

लज्जापुष्टी रुषा या तु काचिदन्या त्वमेव सा  ॥ ५,१.८३ ॥

ये त्वामार्येति दुर्गेति वेदगर्भांबिकेति च  ।

भद्रेति भद्रकालीति क्षेमदा भग्यदेति च  ॥ ५,१.८४ ॥

प्रातश्चैवापराह्ने च स्तोष्यन्त्यानम्रमूर्तयः  ।

तेषां हि प्रार्थितं सर्वं मत्प्रसादाद्भविष्यति  ॥ ५,१.८५ ॥

सुरामांसोपहरैश्च भक्ष्यभोज्यैश्च पूजिता  ।

नॄणामशेषसामांस्त्वं प्रसन्ना संप्रदास्यसि  ॥ ५,१.८६ ॥

ते सर्वे सर्वदा भद्रे मत्प्रसादादसंशयम्  ।

असंदिग्धा भविष्यन्ति गच्छ देवि यथोदितम्  ।

इति विष्णुमहापुराणे पञ्चमांशे प्रथमोऽध्यायः (१)


Here is a translation of the above from 'Sacred Texts':


 by the goddess Yoganidrá 24
<https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp118.htm#fn_1461>, the great illusory
energy of Vishńu, by whom, as utter ignorance, the whole world is
beguiled. To her Vishńu said, "Go, Nidrá, to the nether regions, and by my
command conduct successively six of their princes to be conceived of
Devakí. When these shall have been put to death by Kansa, the seventh
conception shall be formed of a portion of Śesha, who is a part of me; and
this you shall transfer, before the time of birth, to Rohińí, another wife
of Vasudeva, who resides at Gokula. The report shall run, that Devakí
miscarries, through the anxiety of imprisonment, and dread of the Rájá of
the Bhojas. From being extracted from his mother's womb, the child shall be
known by the name of Sankarshańa, and he shall be valiant and strong, and
like the peak of the white mountain in bulk and complexion. I will myself
become incarnate in the eighth conception of Devakí; and you shall
immediately take a similar character as the embryo offspring of Yaśodá. In
the night of the eighth lunation of the dark half of the month Nabhas, in
the season of the rains, I shall be born. You shall receive birth on the
ninth. Impelled and aided by my power, Vasudeva shall bear me to the bed of
Yaśodá, and you to that of Devakí. Kansa shall take you, and hold you up to
dash you against a stone; but you shall escape from his grasp into the sky,
where the hundred-eyed Indra shall meet and do homage to you, through
reverence for me, and shall bow before you, and acknowledge you as his
sister. Having slain Sumbha, Nisumbha, and numerous other demons you shall
sanctify the earth in many places. Thou art wealth, progeny, fame,
patience, heaven and earth, fortitude, modesty, nutrition, dawn, and every
other female (form or property). They who address thee morning and
afternoon with reverence and praise, and call thee Áryá, Durgá, Vedagarbhá,
Ambiká, Bhadrá, Bhadrakálí, Kshemí, or Kshemankarí, shall receive from my
bounty whatever they desire. Propitiated with offerings of wine and flesh
and various viands, thou shalt bestow upon mankind all their prayers.
Through my favour all men shall ever have faith in thee. Assured of this,
go, goddess, and execute my commands."

[This last remark of the naivedya that aught to be offered to this Shakti -
wine, flesh...is noteworthy. ]



> In this video, Sri Mani Dravid Sastrigal has expounded a few shlokas, as a
> sample, from this text in Tamil. I
>

https://youtu.be/SwJeLajFsCQ  Sri Sastrigal's exposition in Tamil, of the
Durga Chandra Kala stuti,  starts just after one hour in the video.


>
> regards
> subbu
>