It is surprising to note that Sri Sankara has gone further in describing the beauty of Sri Mata! He has exceeded them in portraying Her ethereal beauty and looking at Her form in different exclusive angles! She has drenched and stolen the heart of Kamesa with Her sweet seductive smile! “Mandasmitha prabhapura majjath Kamesa Manasa.” She is decked with golden Keyuras on Her shoulders! “Kanakangada keyura kamaniya bhujanvitha.” She has a very slim waist! “Lakshyaroma latadhara samunneya madhyama.” She has two soft, delicate thighs known only to Her spouse Kamesa.”Kamesa jnata saubhagya mardavoru dwaynvita.” She has defeated the lotus by the radiance of Her feet! “Padadwaya prabhajla parakruta saroruha.” In no way is She inferior to the dignified gait of the female Swan! ”Marali manda gmana maha lavanya sevadhi”
Her entire form is of red color and adorned with several ornaments. She seats Herself on the left thigh of Kamesa and has total control of Her husband! “Sivakameswarankastha Siva swadhina Vallabha.”
Sri Mata's voice is sweet and extremely mellifluous! It is like the cascade of Amrita from heaven- the Divine nectar! Sankara envisions Goddess Saraswathi enjoying Devi's song and nodding her head vigorously! The ‘kundalas’ on her ears create a tinkling sound as if she is admiring and appreciating Devi's song! Sankara compares Her nose to a flute and hopes that would bring happiness and cheer to him and others! The pearl at the tip of Her left nostril ( Chandra Nadi) is similar to the one in the nose!
While the Vasinyadi Vagdevatas describe Devi's form and ‘angas’ in general, Sankara delves deep in to their specialities! To his devotional and spiritual eyes everything about his Mother is imbued with special significance! His angle of vision is not that of an ordinary mortal but of a wondering upasaka of Devi! He describes the extraordinary nature and beauty of Devi's lips! Says Sankara, “O Mother! Let me tell the natural quality of and comparison for your lips! The coral creeper in its ripened state can equal Your lips! The coral alone is not enough. It has to ripen. That deep redness too is not sufficient! The other fruits of creepers are others suitable! The reflection of Your lips make the fruit of “Donda”- a creeper red in color! That is why it is called “Bimba”. Hence it is not similar even to the sixteenth part of Your lips!”
Woman's beauty is generally judged by her face, eyes and gait! The face is compared to the full moon in general. The eyes are compared to the lotus petals that are broad and even extending to the ears! “Rajiva patrekshana” “Akarnanta nayana ” The more she walks slowly with dignity the more beautiful she is considered! She is compared to the gait of the female swan-°Marali manda gamana”-Sankara employs all these images in the description of Devi’s beauty! Another aspect of beauty is the lips of the woman. Sankara, therefore, describes the special nature of her Divine lips in this sloka. They are expected to be red in color and soft! They are generally compared to the red “Bimba” fruit!
Often in te stotras praising the deities, we come across the standard description of the beauty of the the God or Goddess! The smile and teeth of the woman adds charm, and attraction to her personality! Sankara, in one of his great and popular stotras on Devi, “Meenakshi pancharatna” describes the beauty of Devi in the first sloka. “ Udyadbhanu sahasrakoti sadrusam keyura harojvalam bimboshtim smitadanta pankthi ruchiram pitambaralankrutam…”She is similar to thousand crore rising suns, decked and radiant with Keyuras and garlands, endowed with lips like the ‘Bimba’ fruit, with smiling rows of teeth and adorned with the yellow dress pitambara” Thus the beauty of Devi is the ideal and standard that any woman can anticipate!
No comments:
Post a Comment