After describing the beautiful shoulders of Lalita Maha Tripurasundari decked with golden 'angadas’ and 'keyuras’ and pedant made of pearls, Vasinyadi Vagdevatas give a graphic account of Devi's breasts! They represent the love of Kameswara for Her! They are the fruits hanging from the creeper like hair originating from Her navel! Her waist is very slim as if it is based on her hair near the navel As if to support Her heavy breasts She has three paddings in between them! Clad in red clothing She astonishes all with her diamond ‘kinkinis’ and garlands on her person! Her feet are adorned with diamond ‘manjiras’! With a royal and dignified gait of the female Swan, She indicates the very limit of beauty and grandeur! Defeating the lotus with the effulgence of Her lotus feet, She is the Queen of Srinagara in the center of the peak of Meru mountain! She lives in the forest of lotus flowers and resides in the “Kadamba Vana!” Even as all Devas eulogize Her glory, She readies Herself with the armies for the great task of killing the terrible asura Bhandasura!
Sankara has not yet completed his description of Devi's Navel! He has a few more visions of Her Navel which he wants to describe! He has already pointed out how Manmatha, scorched by the fire of the third eye of Kamesa, searched for a hiding place and entered into the deep lake like navel of Devi! The minute hair in the vicinity of the breasts has dwarfed itself because of the mutual friction of the breasts and entered Her cave like navel!
In this seventy eight sloka Sankara's imagination and metaphorical explanation reaches its acme! Says Sankara, “ O the Daughter of Himavan! Your Navel is the stable whirlpool on the river Ganga! It is the basis for the creeper like cluster of hair (romali) which is also the basis for the budlike breasts! It is the “Kunda” of sacrificial fire of Manmatha's brighteness! It is the place for the walk of Rati Devi, the spouse of the Love God! It is the cave for the fulfilment of the eyes of Iswara! In fact, it is indescribable!”
There is exaggeration and metaphor in every description of the Navel in this sloka. The whirlpool will not be stable at one place in the river. Water will be swirling and it is fatal for anyone caught in it! The breasts are termed as buds based on creepers of romali! It is the ‘Kunda’ for the raging fire of Manmatha! In other words, it is the center for all erotic feelings in the individual! It is also the place where Rati, Manmatha's wife comes for a walk! Sankara concludes the sloka by commenting that it is the threshold of the cave for the fulfilment of the eyes of Iswara!
Replete with Sringara rasa, these descriptions of Sankara stun and fill us with amazement! Sankara is fixing his attention on the very sensitive and erotic angas of of the female form! The very sight of breasts and the navel of a woman is capable of blowing off the male! God has created the woman in such a fashion endowing them with the distinctive parts not only for beauty but for feeding children! It is surprising to see Sankara denouncing the erotic passion of the male in his classic composition “Bhajagovindam.” Nari sthanabhara nabhi desam drustwa maga mohavesam etan mamsa vasadi vikaram manasi vichintaya varam varam” Don't be carried away by erotic passion at the sight of the region of breasts and the navel! They are filled with flesh and ‘vasa’ of repulsing nature! Contemplate on this fact again and again. We wonder at this counsel of Sankara the philosopher as we compare his description of the Navel of Devi! Here he is drinking deep the beauty of his Divine Mother as Her dear child with all purity, devotion and love!
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