Day 142

 India's forgotten  past and glories

Soundarya Lahiri Stotram is an out of the world work of Adi Shankaracharya and currently a great Upasana-Jnana Yagna- is happening in Kerala.

·    The Stotram is taught to nearly one Lac householders and others, in Malayalam, in a structured manner over a period of 100 days to be culminated on 19^thNovember-  the auspicious Trikarthika  day at 5 PM.

I was hearing yesterday the explanation on Sloka 49 by Pujya Krishnatmananda Saraswati Swamigal, Aarshateertham, Palakkad, who is providing  spiritual guidance  under the above programme.

सौन्दर्यलहरी श्लोकः ४९ 

*विशाला कल्याणी स्फुटरुचिरयोध्या कुवलयैः*

*कृपाधाराधारा किमपि मधुराभोगवतिका* ।

*अवन्ती दृष्टिस्ते बहुनगरविस्तारविजया*

*ध्रुवं तत्तन्नामव्यवहरणयोग्या विजयते* ॥४९॥

 Is all pervasive,

Does good to everyone,

Sparkles everywhere,

Is a beauty that can never be challenged,

Even by blue lily flowers,

Is the source of rain of mercy, is sweetness personified?

Is long and pretty,

Is capable of saving devotees,

Is in the several cities as its victory.

And can be called by several names, according to which aspect one sees.( Internet)

·       Here the incomparable beautiful eyes of Devi are described and the simile used their- in prompted this blog.

Adi Shankara, who lived during the 8^thCentury,  cited some 8 cities in the above sloka, which were then prominent and popular and some of them we  will be able to recall even today without much effort. The qualities associated with those immortal cities were linked to the incomparable beauty of Devi’s eyes. What a POETIC IMAGINATION!

·       Mind you this poem was written some 8 centuries before Shakespeare was born even!

·       When other mighty countries of date were not even born like the US, India had a rich culture, tradition and glory unmatched.

 Are we aware, are we proud of, are we happy about our past…?

·   When Harvard or Cambridge were not even conceived, we had Nalanda and Taxashila… which  foreign travellers’/historians’ of repute had recorded..

·        Megasthenes from Greece (302-298 B.C.)-Megasthenes was a Greek historian who came to India in the fourth century B.C. as an ambassador of Seleucus Nicator. He lived in the court of Chandragupta Maurya for about five years (302-298 B.C.). His experience of India is written in his book entitled "INDIKA”. Through his accounts, we come to know everything that he had seen in India- its geography, government, religion, and society.( wiki). 

•     If one cares to scout, one will  come to know that India was not born in 1947… but  to see that one  requires true character and national Pride.

Which are the 8 cities cited in sloka 49 ?

1.    Vishala

2.    Kalyani

3.    Ayodhya

4.    Dhara

5.    Mathura

6.    Bhogavatika

7.    Avanti

8.    Vijaya

From the above any one can see about India’s proud past…. that  our current generation may not  be even aware of----

But for the above discourse, even I would not have known 4 hitherto unknown/unheard ancient cities listed above… where is the opportunity to know today…. WHERE INDEED?

I was seeing a Malayalam movie of sixties on KUMARASAMBHAVAM…. WHICH HAS EXCEEDINGLY BEAUTIFUL SONGS, DANCES AND SCENARIES …. WORTH WATCHING…

·    In one of the songs… Ellam Shiva mayam... Shiva Shakti mayam  the glories of SIVA and Parvathy were highlighted and the full Vedantic teachings too…

·       Does our present generation will be able to recall the story of Kumara Sambhavam…. Even who wrote the magnum opus…

·       We lost the link with the past and many of the Hindus are paying a  heavy PRICE for that folly.

The efforts of the Kerala Soundarya Lahiri Upasana Mandali deserve all credit, praise, appreciation and wishes for their admirable work to resuscitate the past and propagate to regain the lost glories among the PRESENT GENERATION- a herculean task indeed.

 May their efforts succeed to the fullest extent?

 May Tripura Sundari bless them all!

Be happy. Be safe.

ॐ 

 8 AM