Soundarya Lahari Series (Article 29) : Verse 27 – “Realisation of Self and Ultimate Truth”

Word to Word Meaning

Japo jalpah – mutterings and incantations

Silpam sakalam api – ritual acts

Mudra viracana – hand gestures

Gatih – gait

Pradakshinya kramanam asana adyahuti vidhih – circumambulation, burnt ritualistic food offerings

Pranamaha samveshaha – inclinations, prostration

Sukham akhilam – all such preferences

Atma arpana drsha – treated as coming within the scope of self-surrender

Saparya paryayaha tava bhavatu – let them be synonymous with worship for You

Yanme vilasitam – what from me might shine forth.

More about Japa. Kanchi paramacharya tells us that if mantras are taught correctly by the guru, the fruits of the Japa are enormous. The mantras will only be fruitful when we hear from the guru. When a sanyasi is taking diksha, purnabhisheka is done by the guru. When purnabhisheka is done, it gives authority over all the mantras. Even in Srividya Upasana, when the guru gives purnabhisheka and Mahapadhuka, he has authorized all types of mantra to his shishya. The shishya is empowered, they are connected to the shishsya. The water is sanctified and navarna puja is done. There are no rituals done before purnabhisheka.

Paramacharya talks about offering body and mind to Ambal. All that a sadhaka has to do should be offered as n offering to her like Japa, harati, Sashtanga namaskara. There are several various ways to worship her. We spend a couple of hours or maybe a day or two for preparation on special festival days, puja, Japa home. Doing Japa 108 times might take maybe 10 -15 minutes but what matters is the faith and how involved we are in this act by surrendering to her. Instead of being devoted to Amba for a brief time, we must always be engaged in her all the time. It applies not only to upasakas but also to normal people. Is it possible and how can we engage in such worship. Everything is her Leela. We should make effort little by little and try to come to the level where we can be with the gyanis. Bathing eating, sleeping all these activities are all carried by her power, by her grace. When we remember while eating or doing anything that it is she who is empowering the human being. When we realize that it is her who is making us do everything, we will eventually leave everything to her. By doing so all the deeds will be turning towards gyana. Shankara bhagavadpada has blessed us and inspired us to reach a state where Japa and (Jalpa )speech will become serene and valuable. When we attain that the state of Jalpah, that state will also become Japa. Japa is to keep us away from wrongdoing and sinful acts. In this discourse, he mentions mantras like Panchadasi and Sodashi. Japa and similar devotions are needed to keep us away from worldly nonsense and gossip. We will come to a stage when we have the consciousness that everything we utter is Japa. Everything we speak will be in the form of Japa. All things I do with my hands (mudras) are offered to you, O Devi! I need to go to a temple to do my pradakshina, puja that I do at home is offered to you. Whatever I eat, it is ahuthi vidhi is my oblations. My sleep is Samadhi.

whatever thought that comes to my mind, any deed I do, what I prepare for food are all offered as oblations in the sacrificial is all for you, O Devi!!. Offering puja or naivaidhya is offered to you. I take it only after offering it to you. It is a wonderful activity that we perform every day. In shakti Advaita, it is said that whatever we eat is a padartha that we offer mentally to the atman in the form of linga is the Prasada. What we are offering is pure. Our actions also should be very pure. Krishna says that he is in the form of Vaishvanara in the form of jataragni, if we remain conscious of the fact, it is that which enjoys with our eyes, ears, nose then it will be our actions to involve the indriyas. Samvesha is acting of lying down, my lying down to sleep is nothing but prostrating to you and we are at the feet of Ambal. We can take this cue from the mother when a child sleeps on the mother’s lap. It should be like this with Ambal too when we sleep. If we have that mental state of having a feeling that we are lying down in the lap of Ambal, that feeling will be very peaceful and blissful. We need not make any special. We need not engage in any difficult sadhana, performing sacrifices, etc, if we keep doing what we do happily, all my doings are offered to Ambal. Saparya is a word not used commonly. The correct word for Saparya is puja, worship. The method of worship. Paryaya is one, it is a substitute for Saparya. Saparya paryaya is a yamaka, yamaka is repeatation of words in sounds. Whatever we do without straining ourselves,

If we remain conscious that Ambal is enjoying through us, will it be right to involve her in evil matters?

When we do with happiness involving Indriyas, Pranayama, or anything in our day-to-day life. it has to be done with Chithashudhi. Our mind is not bound to anything. Dedicating our actions to Ambal is the easiest way to attain her, realize her. It is the guru who can guide us through this process and teaches us to dedicate our minds to her. One should attain this by continuous practice. The difference between Gyani and Guru. Gyani is a person who has knowledge. Guru is the one who has put that knowledge into use. When facing troubles in life, we just need to surrender to her. By just surrendering to her, she will make it easy to guide us through conscious effort. Ambal for refugees for righteous conduct which is essential for eternal bliss. When we forsake all our attachments and take refugee in her, we develop righteous conduct for eternal bliss. It becomes an easy effort, it becomes like second nature and everything becomes easy for sadhaka. The energy centers are always energetic. When we observe it will happen. It is like wonderful music is playing behind but we have muted this my worldly desires and attachments. In Bhagavatam: It speaks about nine types of devotion. One of them and the highest one is Atmanidedhanam. In the same manner, in Gita, the concluding 18th chapter also talks about complete surrender.

In the below verse Kanchi Paramacharya uses:

“Sukhamakhilam atmasamarapanam Drisha” which means total surrender. Not only this sloka but it is the life and breath of all religious systems. When he uses religious systems, he furthers says that atamanivedana, atmasamarpa, sharanagathi all are life and breadth is life itself. In the attitude of offering the life itself wholly to her feet. Only if you have such an attitude in our speech becomes her mantra, work will become her mudras. My body is your temple, all my enjoyments are your puja. When I sleep it is the state of samadhi and what I speak is your sloka. Whatever I do is indeed nothing but your worship. If we follow the path of Gyana, it is nothing but annihilation of the mind. Gyna is the annihilation of the mind and if we take the path of devotion, it becomes sharanagathi. Both paths take us to the same goal which is the bliss of liberation. Jivanmukti. Without the sharanagathi unhillation is not possible. The bhakti which is understood as sharanagathi that leads us to unhillation of mind—- that is the bliss of liberation. He refers to Shiva Manasa Puja in Sanskrit lyrics is given below:

सार्थ श्रीशिवमानसपूजा 
रत्नैः कल्पितमासनं हिमजलैः स्नानं च दिव्याम्बरं
नानारत्नविभूषितं मृगमदामोदाङ्कितं चन्दनम् ।
जातीचम्पकबिल्वपत्ररचितं पुष्पं च धूपं तथा
दीपं देव दयानिधे पशुपते हृत्कल्पितं गृह्यताम् ॥ १॥

सौवर्णे नवरत्नखण्डरचिते पात्रे घृतं पायसं
भक्ष्यं पञ्चविधं पयोदधियुतं रम्भाफलं पानकम् ।
शाकानामयुतं जलं रुचिकरं कर्पूरखण्डोज्ज्वलं
ताम्बूलं मनसा मया विरचितं भक्त्या प्रभो स्वीकुरु ॥ २॥

छत्रं चामरयोर्युगं व्यजनकं चादर्शकं निर्मलं
वीणाभेरिमृदङ्गकाहलकला गीतं च नृत्यं तथा ।
साष्टाङ्गं प्रणतिः स्तुतिर्बहुविधा ह्येतत्समस्तं मया
सङ्कल्पेन समर्पितं तव विभो पूजां गृहाण प्रभो ॥ ३॥

आत्मा त्वं गिरिजा मतिः सहचराः प्राणाः शरीरं गृहं
पूजा ते विषयोपभोगरचना निद्रा समाधिस्थितिः ।
सञ्चारः पदयोः प्रदक्षिणविधिः स्तोत्राणि सर्वा गिरो
यद्यत्कर्म करोमि तत्तदखिलं शम्भो तवाराधनम् ॥ ४॥

करचरण कृतं वाक्कायजं कर्मजं वा ।
श्रवणनयनजं वा मानसं वापराधम् ।
विहितमविहितं वा सर्वमेतत्क्षमस्व ।
जय जय करुणाब्धे श्रीमहादेवशम्भो ॥ ५॥

॥ इति श्रीमच्छङ्कराचार्यविरचिता शिवमानसपूजा समाप्ता ॥

Chanting procedure and Nivedyam( offerings to the Lord) :
If one chants this verse 1000 times each day for 45 days, offering milk as prasadam, it is said that one would be able to attain self realization.

Note: The articles written are the extracts from daily online Jnana Yajna conducted by ‘Atmanandanatha’ on Soundarya Lahari Soundarya Lahari

Link to Article 1: Introduction to Soundarya Lahari

Link to Article 2: Synopsis of first 41 verse of Soundarya Lahari

Link to Article 3: Verse1 of Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 4: Verse 2 Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 5: Verse 3 Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 6: Verse 4 Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 7: Verse 5 Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 8: Verse 6 Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 9: Verse 7 Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 10: Verse 8 Soundarya Lahari explanation

Link to Article 11: Verse 9 Soundarya Lahari explanation