[Advaita-l] mRtyunjaya mantra commentary

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

On Wed, 24 Apr 2024, Raghav Kumar Dwivedula wrote:

> Regarding the second meaning  of tryambaka as referring to ambA, ambikA and
> ambAlikA - is Shiva being praised as the consort of all the three feminine
> Shaktis ? Usually (unlike Mahavishnu), Shiva is regarded as associated only
> with a single consort Devi (who may have many manifestations): but Shiva
> himself is not usually depicted as having three consorts. 
>

I should clarify that this was speculation on my part.  The sUkta that 
contains mR^ityu~njaya mantra starts with a R^ik that mentions rudrabhagaH 
(i.e. bhagInI "sister") and further clarifies that she is his svasR^i 
(also sister) ambikA.  I put two and two together and connected it to The 
mantra mentioning ambA, ambikA, and ambAlikA.  However this occurs 
elsewhere.  During the ashvamedha it is recited over the kings wives (who 
may be more or less than three.)  In the Mahabharata, ambA, ambikA, and 
ambAlikA are three (human) sisters.

These are also names in popular usage for mahAdevI who is portrayed as the 
wife of Shiva Bhagavan.  So does "having three Ambas" refer to three 
sisters, three wives or even three mothers? (the etymological meaning of 
ambA)  Or yet another possibility is that ambA etc. are not proper names 
but honorifics as we would show respect to a woman today by calling her 
bA, ammA etc.


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