Vasinyadi Vagdevatas begin Sri Lalita Sahasra Nama Stotra with the description of the physical form of Sri Mata from head to foot! Every organ of Devi is beautifully described. Her princely qualities, the radiance that has illuminated the whole world, the bow and arrow of Manmatha that She holds, Champaka and Asoka flowers that deck Her locks of hair, the Mriganabhi mark on her moonlike face, the eyes moving like fish in a lake, and the ears that have the sun and the moon as thatankas or studs, Her mellifluous voice that mocked at the sweet notes of Kachchapi, and Her seductive smile that stole the heart of Her spouse Kamesa are figuratively explained with elegance! Her chubuka has no parallel at all! It is in the twelfth sloka that the Vasinyadi Vagdevatas refer to the neck of Devi and point out its distinction. Her neck is lustrous with the mangalasutra tied by Kamesa! “Kamesa baddha mangalya sutra sobhita kndhara.”
While brevity is the hallmark of the slokas in the Sahasra Nama Stotra, Sankara takes cue of the description and elaborates on many more details that he conjures up in his mental vision! Describing the tongue of Devi, Sankara says that it has the effect of changing the white color of Goddess Saraswathi into red! Her tongue is intensely red and chants the praise of Kamesa! She rewards Vishnu, Indra and subrahmanya with the remnants of Her betel chew! Her voice is so sweet that it compelled Goddess Saraswathi to bundle up her Kachchapi Veena in utter humiliation! Sankara then dilates on the beauty of Her Chubuka or chin! He visualizes how Devi's chin is fondled by Her father and patted again and again. Kamesa himself would have missed a kiss from Her and repeatedly lifted her chin to reach up to her lower lip!!
Having described the distinct features of Devi's face, Sankara extends his inner vision to Devi’ neck! The line “ Kamesa baddha mangalya sutra sobhita kandhara” fires his imagination! He delves deep into the private romance of Devi and Kamesa! Says Sankara, “O Mother! Your neck, involved in the deep and close embrace of Kamesa is similar to the stalk of Your lotus face! It is because Your white necklace below is totally smeared by flush of “krishnagaru” which heightens the beauty of the lotus stalk!
Sankara excels in metaphorical descriptions! Devi’s slender and delicate neck is compared to the beautiful and tender stalk of the lotus! What is the nature of Her neck? it has been involved in the hair raising deep and close embrace of Kameswara! The beautiful face of Devi is compared to the lotus flower whose stalk is Her neck! The white necklace below is smeared by the dense, fragrant “krishnagaru” paste which is compared to the thick mud or slush from which the lotus emerges! What an amazing and interesting interpretation of Devi's neck!
It is customary for poets and writers to compare the face of a beautiful woman to the full moon or lotus in it's bloom! Her eyes are generally compared to lotus petals that are broad and extend to the ears! “Rajiva pathrekshana”! Lotus stalk is long and slender. Hence the comparison of Devi's neck to the stalk of lotus! Sankara's insatiable desire to describe the ethereal Divine beauty of Sri Mata is exemplified throughout the slokas of Soundarya Lahari! The very name of the work means “Waves of Beauty!” There can never be “Waves of Beauty” better than Sankara's in poetry!!
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