compositions of devotees like Jayadeva, Mooka Kavi, Bhattathiri and Lila
Suka.
SANKARA’S HYMNS TO THE DIVINE MOTHER
Adi Sankara, the greatest of advaidin, has written his commentaries on the
Upanishads, the Gita and the Brahmasutras, considered the three pillars of
Hindu philosophical thought. At moments, however, Sankara has come down
from the highest pedestal of *Advaita* to the level of* Saguna Upasana *to
give us a rich heritage of stotras or hymns composed on different aspects of
the Divine. His contribution to stotra literature in Sanskrit is unique.
These hymns have captivated the hearts of Hindus by their devotional
fervour, poetic beauty and philosophical content. Even
today millions of Hindus throughout the length and breadth of the country
daily recite some of these beautiful hymns. Sankara’s personality as a
poet, as a philosopher and above all as a great devotee clearly comes
through in these compositions.
In the spiritual evolution of the individual, *Saguna Upasana *has an
important place. Worshiping the Divine by singing hymns in His praise is an
essential part of this *upasana. * In the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata
Bhishma says in reply to a question by Yudhishthira that worshiping the
Lord by singing hymns in His praise is the highest *dharma* or virtue:
एष मे सर्वधर्माणां धर्मोऽधिकतमो मतः।
यद्भक्त्या पुण्डरीकाक्षं स्तवैरर्चेन्नरस्सदा ॥
*Esha me sarvadharmaaNaam dharmodhikatamo mata:*
* Yadbhaktyaa puNdarIkaaksham stavairarchennarassadaa *
Bhishma says “In my opinion worshiping Lord Vishnu, who has eyes as
beautiful as the lotus petal, by singing hymns in His praise, is the
highest *dharma” *The saints say that in this Kali Yuga this is
an easy means of salvation to human beings. “Of all yagnas, I am Japa
Yagna”
“यज्ञानां जपयज्ञोऽस्मि” – so says the Lord in the Gita. *Japa* and stotra-
these do not call for any material possessions on the part of the devotee.
Anyone, even those without material means, can easily do *Japa *and
stotra. Sankara has, therefore, out of kindness towards humanity, composed
a large number of stotras on different aspects of the Divine. Each one
according to his tendencies, can worship that aspect of the Divine which is
dear to his heart by singing these hymns.
How is it that Sankara, the greatest advaitin, comes down to the
level of* saguna
upasana *in these hymns composed by him? The greatest teacher himself
replies to this point in his hymn ‘Shatpadi’:-
सत्यपि भेदापगमे नाथ तवाहं न
मामकीनस्त्वम्।
सामुद्रो हि तरङ्गः क्वचन समुद्रो न तारङ्गः ॥
*Satyapi bhedaapagame naatha tavaaham na
maamakeenastwam *
* Saamudro hi taranga: kwachana samudro na taaranga:*
“Though there is no fundamental difference between (You and me), O Lord, I
am Yours ; You are not mine. The wave is of the ocean, the ocean is not
of the wave (though there is no fundamental
difference between the two.” This is how Sankara justifies *Saguna
Upasana. *Sankara’s hymns to the Divine Mother are full of devotional
fervour. In these outpourings, the great teacher becomes a child revelling
in the love and affection of the Mother, utterly surrendering himself to
Her Will. Even the very words of the hymn flow from Her through him as he
says at the end of ‘Saundarya Lahari’. “ त्वदीयाभिर्वाग्भिस्तव जननि
वाचां स्तुतिरियम्”
* ‘Twadeeyaabhirvaagbhistava janani vaachaam
stutiriyam’ *
Sankara’s “*Ananda Lahari* “ opens with the verse
भवानि स्तोतुं त्वां प्रभवति चतुर्भिर्न
वदनैः
प्रजानामीशानः त्रिपुरमथनः पञ्चभिरपि।
न षड्भिस्सेनानी दशशतमुखैरप्यहिपतिः
प्रणन्तुं स्तोतुं वा कथमकृतपुण्यः प्रभवति ॥
*Bhavaani stotum twaam prabhavati chatrubhir na vadanai:*
*prajaanaameeshaanah tripuramathana: panchabhirapi*
*na Shadbhissenaanee dashashatamukhairapyahipatih*
*PraNantum stotum vaa kathammakritapuNyah prabhavati*
“O Bhavani! Even Brahma with his four faces, Siva with his five, Shanmukha
with his six and Adishesha with his thousand faces are unable to sing your
praise adequately. How then can anyone else , with no* punya *to his
credit, sing your praises?” However, the devotee does not give up his
attempt to sing the praises of the Divine mother. He says at the end of *Devi
Bhujanga Stotram*:
इति प्रेमभारेण किञ्चिन्मयोक्तं
न बुद्ध्वैव तत्वं मदीयं त्वदीयम्।
विनोदाय बालस्य मौर्ख्यं हि मातः
तदेतत् प्रलापस्तुतिं मे गृहाण ॥
*Iti premabhaareNa kinchinmayoktaM*
* Na budhwaiva tattwam madeeyam twadeeyam*
* Vinodaaya baalasya maurkhyam hi maatah*
* Tadetat pralaapastutim me gRuhaaNa *
*“ O *Mother! I have uttered a few words of praise out of my deep love for
you without understanding my or Your True (Real) Nature. Surely, even the
foolish utterances of the child provide fun for its mother. Please
therefore, O Mother! Accept this prattle of a hymn of mine.”
*Tripurasundari Vedapada Stotram* is a beautiful composition consisting of
110 verses where Sankara, the skilful poet he is, ends every verse with a
quotation from Vedas/Upanishads. Here you find such lines from the
Upanishads as:
आदित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात्।
(*aadityavarNam tamasah parastaat)* “*beyonddarkness, resplendent like
the sun*”
समस्तसाक्षिं तमसः परस्तात्। (*samastasaakshim tamasah parastaat)*
विद्यया विन्दतेऽम्रुतम् (*vidyayaa vindate amritam*) “*byspiritual
knowledge (experience) one begets immortality”* श्रद्धा भक्ति
ध्यानयोगादवैहि (*shraddha bhakti dhyaanayogaadavaihi*) * “know Him by
faith, devotion and meditation and introspection” * नातः परं वेदितव्यं
हि किञ्चित् (*naatah param veditavyam hi kinchit*) “ *Nothing beyond
this is to be known”* जिह्वा मे
मधुमत्तमा (*jihwaa me madhumattamaa*) “*may the tongue(speech) of mine
besweet as honey*” नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन (*neha naanaastikinchana)
* ‘There
is no multiplity here’ न चक्षुषा गृह्यते नैव वाचा *(na
chakshushaagrihyate naiva vaacaa*) ‘
*It is comprehended neither by he senses nor by words*’ न तत्र
सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकम् (*natatra suryo bhaati na handrataarakam*)
“*There
neither the sun shines nor themoon and the stars*” At the end Sankara
says-
यत्रैव यत्रैव मनो मदीयं तत्रैवतत्रैव तव स्वरूपम्।
यत्रैव यत्रैव शिरो मदीयं तत्रैवतत्रैव पदद्वयं ते ॥
*(yatraiva yatraiva manomadeeyam tatraiva tatraiva tawa swaroopam *
*yatraiva yatraiva shiro madeeyam tatraiva tatraiva padadwayam te) *
“O Mother! Wherever my mind wanders, there is your form. Wherever I place
my head, there are your lotus feet “In stotra literature, there is a
category of stotras called ‘Manasa Puja stotras.” In
this category are the following:
त्रिपुरसुन्दरी मानसपूजा स्तोत्रम् (*Tripurasundarimanasapooja
stotram)*
देवी चतुःषष्ट्युपचारस्तोत्रम् *(Devichatuh shashtyupachara stotram*)
श्री मन्त्रमातृका पुष्पमाला स्तवः (*srimantramaatrukaa pushpamaala
stavah*)
These are beautiful compositions where the devotee mentally offers to the
Divine Mother
al the *upacharas* which, in the normal type of puja, it is materially
impossible for the devotee to offer. The Divine Mother is offered all the
sixty-four *upacharas* in देवी चतुःषष्ट्युपचारस्तोत्रम्. These ‘maanasa
pooja stotras’ are recited daily with devotion and faith by many devotees,
instead of offering worship in the traditional manner with flowers,
incense, *naivedyam, *waving of lights etc.
.
In Devi BhujangaStotram, Sankara expresses his yearnings in the following
verse:
कदा वा हृषीकाणि साम्यं भजेयुः कदा वा न शत्रुर्न मित्रं
भवानि।
कदा वा दुराशा विषूची विलोपः कदा वा मनो मे समूलं
विनश्येत्॥
* kadaa vaa hrisheekaaNi saamyambhajeyuh kadaa vaa na
shatrurna mitraM bhavaani! kadaa vaa duraashaa vishoochee
vilopah kadaa vaa mano me samoolam vinashyet||*
“O Bhavani! When will my senses receive pleasure and pain with equanimity?
When shall I be without friends and foes? (Regard friend or foe
alike). When will the greed of mine vanish? When will this mind of mine be
destroyed from its very roots? “Here Sankara has given expression to the
yearnings of a true devotee who wants to transcend this world of pairs of
opposites and become one with the Divine Mother. Here Sankara has given
expression to the yearnings of a true devotee who wants to transcend this
world of pairs of opposites and become one with the Divine Mother.
KR IRS from a research blogger 051222
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