In exploring the poetic beauty of Shankara’s works,
the Saundarya Lahari is regarded as the
crest of devotional poetry.
The metre in which it is composed is called the
‘’Sikharini’’ and has 17 syllables per foot. In Sikharini, the division is into
6 and 11 syllables.
Visual
Imagery in Sanskrit Literature
In the Sanskrit scholastic tradition, knowledge
isn't pigeon hoarded into subjects as we see it now in schools and universities. Like for instance, descriptions of
plants may not just be confined to the texts of botany or medicine. But, we
will also find, a vedic hymn, which
has ritual and spiritual significance also having beautiful poetry and imagery.
A text of poetry will include descriptions of war but will also have
descriptions of beautiful landscapes
and it'll have the subject matter of biology or ecology as well.
What is interesting to note is, how does a poet takes dry fact and converts it into evocative poetry.
This timeless attribute, transcends geography and culture.
All of us are able to appreciate that, when the poet
through his special eye, through his special vision, is able to transform something that is not everyday into
something that is charming.
Shankara Bhagavatpada in poetic eloquence begins the
‘Soundarya Lahari’ with the verse , extolling the greatness of Devi.
शिवः शक्थ्यायुक्तो यदि भवत: शक्तः प्रभवितुं
न चे देवं देवो न खलु कुशलः स्पन्दितुमपि।
अत: त्वां आराध्याम् हरि हर विरिञ्चदिभिरपी
प्रणन्तुं स्तोतुं वा कथं अकृत-पुण्यः प्रभवति।।
Translation:
“Shiva becomes capable of creating the Universe,
only when united with Shakthi (Thee), but otherwise (when not so joined with
Thee), He is incapable of even a stir, How then could one, who has not acquired
merit (punya)- in this and previous births worship Thee or atleast praise Thee,
who is adored even by Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma and others?”
In exploring this verse, Sita Devi in the ‘Sundara-kanda’
(Chapter 21-15 verse) tells Ravana, “अनन्या राघवेणाहं
भास्करेण
प्रभा
यथा ।”.
“I am inseparable from Raghava like
light from the Sun.”
Are
the waves of the sea ever separate from the sea? Is the light ever separate
from its source? “Without Devi, can Parameshwara ever stir?”
Shankara Bhagavatpada expounds the greatness of Devi by stating that the first
vibration by which the Parabrahman becomes aware of itself is caused by ‘Devi’.
The
Sentiment of Love – Kalidasa’s Vs Shakara’s employment of Shringara rasa
“As
the sun lights up the moon, love has the power to illuminate our hearts”.
Depiction
of the season of Spring
The intimate relation between nature and humanity,
established in early lyrical imagery finds expression in various ways in
Kalidassa’s poetical symbolism.
The Ṛtusaṃhāra which, on account of its simple
diction and less mature imagery, may be considered as the earliest composition
of Kalidsa, is nevertheless proof of his intense appreciation of nature, which
has determined the entire trend of his poetry and drama. Ritusamhara –literally it translates as the “Medley of seasons”. The
changing seasons are depicted against the thematic backdrop of how lovers react
to the landscape. This imbues the poem with a strong strand of erotic love
(shringara) rasa.
Kalidasa, describes the beauty of Srping season
starting with this verse.
प्रफुल्लचूताङ्कुरतीक्ष्णसायो
द्विरेफमालाविलसद्धनुर्गुणः।
मनांसि
वेद्धुम्
सुरतप्रसङ्गिनां
वसन्तयोद्धा
समुपागतः
प्रिये॥६-१
praphullacūtāṅkuratīkṣṇasāyo
dvirephamālāvilasaddhanurguṇaḥ |
manāṁsi veddhum surataprasaṅgināṁ
vasantayoddhā samupāgataḥ priye ||6-1||
The translation is as follows:
"Oh, dear, with just unfolded tender leaflets
of Mango trees as his incisive arrows, shining strings of honeybees as his
bowstring, the assailant named vasanta came very nigh, to afflict the hearts of
those that are fully engaged in affairs of lovemaking.. [6-1]
द्रुमाः सपुष्पाः
सलिलम्
सपद्मं
स्तिर्यः
सकामाः
पवनः
सुगन्धिः।
सुखाः
प्रदोषा
दिवसाश्
च
रम्याः
सर्वम्
प्रिये
चारुतरम्
वसन्ते॥६-२
drumāḥ sapuṣpāḥ salilam
sapadmaṁ
stiryaḥ sakāmāḥ pavanaḥ sugandhiḥ |
sukhāḥ pradoṣā divasāś ca ramyāḥ
sarvam priye cārutaram vasante ||6-2||
"Oh, dear, vernal
trees are full with flowers, waters filled with lotuses, breezes loaded with
their fragrances blowing agreeably, thereby both the eventides and daytimes are
pleasant with thosefragrant breezes, whereby the women are with concupiscence,
and thus everything is highly pleasingnow. [6-2]
Kalidasa connects the onset or the arrival of the
Vasanta – season of spring with the arrival of the god of love. Looking a little into Hindu Mythology, we
have the Deva Kamadeva - The God of love – represented as a young, handsome
winged man with green skin who wields a bow and arrows. His bow is made of
sugarcane with a string of honeybees, and his arrows are decorated with five
kinds of fragrant flowers. The five flowers are Ashoka tree flowers, white and
blue lotus flowers, Mallika plant (Jasmine) and Mango tree flowers.
In stanza 6 of Saundarya Lahari, Shankara brings a
similar visualization.
धनुः पौष्पं
मौर्वी
मधुकरमयी
पञ्च
विशिखाः
वसन्तः
सामन्तो
मलयमरु-दायोधन-रथः
।
तथाप्येकः
सर्वं
हिमगिरिसुते
कामपि
कृपां
अपाङ्गात्ते
लब्ध्वा
जगदिद-मनङ्गो
विजयते
॥
6 ॥
Translation: Oh
daughter of the snow-clad Himalaya mountain! Kaamadeva, the God of love, has
only a bow made of arrows, with its string comprised of a cluster of honeybees,
and arrows barely five. The spring season (periodical and undependable) is his
assistant and the southern breeze, his war-chariot. Yet, with such frail
equipment, bodiless and alone though he be, Manmatha conquers the entire
Universe, having obtained some favor through Thy’s benign side-glance.
In Pujyasri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swami
speech, he highlights, the essence of the stanza as follows:
“With
weapons by no means strong, Manmatha – the God of love triumphs all over the
world. What is it that gives him such power? It is Devi’s sidelong glance.”
The idea of “vasantah sāmantah” brings out how
Manmatha’s companion, the Spring season stirs the passion of all.
The chariot on which Manmatha rides, is referred as
the “Malayamarudāyodhana-rathah”, translating as the cool winds redolent of the
scent of sandalwood from the mountain called Malaya.
Compassion
as an antidote to even Dispassion (Karunya bhava vs Vairagya)
“I
slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I
acted and behold, service was joy.” - Rabindranath
Tagore
A question that arises in the mind of readers of the
Saundarya Lahari is, how can Shankara-bhagavatpada, write poetry rich in
Shringara –rasa?
The 68th Acharya of Kanchi, had given a
wonderful exposition on the same in his speech’s.
“Compassion
is the manifestation of love in its mature form.
It is the highest form of all love, flowing from the fountain that is the
Paramatman. That is why it is said later in the Saundaryalahari (Stanza 93):
“The entity called Sambhu, that is the colorless Parabrahman, assumes the form
of aruna(red) for the purpose of protecting the world; indeed becomes his aruna
out of his karuna or compassion; and goes about triumphantly (“Jagat tratum
Sambor jayati karuna kachidaruna”). In the previous stanza Sankara says: “The
light of your darkness falling on Paramesvara who is as bright as a crystal,
makes him an embodiment of love (srngara).”
In the same vein, in discussing the emotion of
‘compassion’, Kalidasa’s in ‘Rtusamhara’, depicts
the forgotten mutual animosity between a frog and a snake in the heat of
summer’s oblivion. The verse is as below:
विवस्वता तीक्ष्णतरांशुमालिना
सपङ्कतोयात्
सरसोऽभितापिताः।
उत्प्लुत्य
भेकस्तृषितस्य
भोगिनाः
फणातपत्रस्य
तले
निषीदति
॥
१-१८
vivasvatā tīkṣṇatarāṁśumālinā
sapaṅkatoyāt saraso'bhitāpitāḥ |
utplutya bhekastṛṣitasya bhogināḥ
phaṇātapatrasya tale niṣīdati || 1-18||
Translation:
"Seared highly with scorching sunrays a frog
jumped out of a slimy pond with clammy water, and sat under the hood of a snake
as if by a parasol - a summerly oblivion of their mutual animosity.”
Episode
of the ‘Frog and Snake’ at Shringeri
It is pertinent to note here, the Episode of the
‘Frog and Snake’ at Shringeri. When Shankara came to Sringeri, he saw an
unusual sight on the banks of the Tunga. A cobra was seen spreading out its
hood over a frog in labour pains, to give it shadow from the scorching mid-day
sun. Struck with the sanctity of the place, which could infuse love between natural adversaries, the Acharya chose this very
location to establish the Sringeri Math.
Shankara’s
Kāvyālankāra
The Sanskrit term ‘alankara’, whose literal meaning
is, ‘that which adorns’ or ‘ornament’, has acquired a wide range of
connotations as scholasticism progressed and eventually been used to denote
loosely, the entire discipline of poetics ‘alankar-sastra’.
In Anandavardhana’s theory of dhvani, in his work
‘Dhvanyaloka, he says that it behoves not only the poet but also the aesthete
to understand dhvani for the best ideas
are presented through suggestion and not through expressed words, for endless
are the meanings of such poetry and the soul of poetry is suggestion. Anandavardhana
further asserts that “it(dhvani) is not understood by a mere learning in
grammar and in dictionary. It is understood only by those who have an insight
into the true significance of poetry.” And he goes onto say that the “(suggested) meaning remains beyond the
understanding of persons with a grounding merely in the science of meaning and
words but averse to aesthetic contemplation of the intrinsic significance of
poetry.”
Kanchi Acharya, Pujyasri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati
Swami remarks, “to people reading the Saundaryalahari any number of hidden or
inner meanings will reveal themselves according to their perception, maturity,
leaning, nature and standing in life…..”
“If, out of compassion of Ambā, one or more from amongst you present new meanings
to me it will be a great ratnābhiseka or muktābiseka for me.”
References:
Dehejia, H. V. (1996). Advaita of Art.
Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
Saraswati, S. C. (2018).
Saundaryalahari. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Website references:
Ritu Samharam translations and text- https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/giirvaani/giirvaani/rs/rs_1.htm
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