Sri Lalita Sahasra Nama Stotra starts with ‘Kesaadi padanta’ description of Sri Mata. She is “ “Simhasaneswari” emerging out of “Chidagni kunda”- the sacrificial fire for the avowed purpose of fulfilling the desire of the Devas! She has the terrible radiance of a thousand rising suns and endowed with four arms! She has the 'pasas’ or ropes representing ‘ragas’ or attachments! She wields the bright ‘ankusa’ a sign of her anger! Her sugarcane bow represents ‘manas’ and the arrows are the five “Tanmatras” like manas, buddhi, ahankara or ego and chitta! She has literally drenched the entire universe with her soft red hue of the nascent sun! Her locks are decked with extremely fragrant flowers like Champaka, Asoka, and Punnaga! Heightening her inordinate beauty are the rows of “ Kuruvinda mani beads! The stotra runs riot in describing every part of Her face, eyes, Mangalya', nosegay, ears, and the ear rings which are the sun and the moon themselves!
In line with the description of Sri Mata in the Stotra, in the forty third sloka of Soundarya Lahari, Sankara’s flight of imagination is really astounding. It is only a person of Sankara’s stature and repute who can think of such description! Says Sankara, “ O Mother!, Let Your dense, nice, shining, and delicate locks of hair destroy our ‘ajnana’ or Ignorance and ‘avidya! How can I describe the astonishing beauty of your locks of hair? The flowers of the Kalpa vruksha in the Nandanavana of Swarga or Heaven have migrated to your locks of hair to obtain their natural Divine fragrance which they miss in the wish fulfilling Tree in Paradise!
Sri Snkara is never satisfied with the description of the beauty of the Mother! Like a child stupefied at the celestial beauty of Lalita Maha Tripurasundari, he tries to glorify Her in different angles! Once again this is purely a metaphorical assertion! The locks of hair of the Divine Mother are so natural, fragrant, nice and delicate that even the flowers of the heavenly Kalpatharu desire to adorn Sri Mata’s locks of hair! It is believed that the locks of Divine ladies have a natural, indescribable fragrance that is denied to locks of hair of ordinary women!
Sankara compares the locks of hair of Sri Mata to the dense or thick black Lilies.! These lilies have the same qualities that are attributed to Sri Mata’s locks! The distinguishing nature of Swarga is the renowned “Nandanavana” of Indra, king of Gods! No mortal can ever dream of entering its premises! The Kalpatharu in the farm is the wish fulfilling tree which is the sole property of Indra!
Two more precious properties of Indra are the Parijata tree and Kamadhenu, the cow! The former is found only in Swarga! Lord Krishna had to visit Heaven to get Parijata flower to appease the anger of his wife Satyabhama and please her as per the Puranas! Kamadhenu is also called Surabhi. It has been the envy of many a king as well as the treasure of a few sages! When the king wanted to seize the Kamadhenu with Sage Vasishta, it generated an army of soldiers from it's body and defeated the king's army!
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