[Advaita-l] Murti rahasya -- the mystery of the form

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

|| atha mUrtirahasyam.h ||

R^iShirovAcha |

"The sage said,"

nandA bhagavatInAma yA bhaviShyati nandajA |
sA stutA pUjitA bhaktyA vashIkuryAjjagatrayam.h || 1 ||

"Bhagavati called nandA will be born as the daughter of Nanda[1].  When 
She is praised and worshipped with bhakti, She gives mastery over the 
three worlds.[2]"

[1] See Bhagavata Purana 10.2.6-12 and 10.4.2-13 for this story.

[2] earth, the air, and heaven.  i.e the whole universe.

kanakottamakAntiH sA sukAntikanakAmbarA |
devI kanavarNAbhA kanakottamabhUShaNA || 2 ||

Her appearence is like the purest gold, as is the appearence of her golden 
clothes.  The Goddess shines with the color gold, and her ornaments are of 
the purest gold"

kamalA~NkushapAshA~njairalaMkR^itachaturbhujA |
indirA kamalA lakShmIH sA shrIrukmAmbujAsanA || 3 ||

"A lotus, goad, noose, and conch adorn Her four hands.  She is Indira[3],
Kamala, Lakshmi, and Shri, seated on a golden lotus."

[3] honeybee

yA raktadantikAnAm devI proktA mayA.anagha |
tasyAH svarUpaM vakShyAmi shR^iNu sarvabhayApaham.h || 4 ||

"This Goddess I have called Raktadantika[4] Her own form I will describe 
to you. Listen! It destroys all fears."

[4] whose teeth are blood-red.

raktAmbarA raktavarNA raktasarvA~NgabhUShaNA |
raktAyudhA raktanetrA raktakeshAtibhIShaNA || 5 ||

"With blood-red clothes, blood-red skin, blood-red body ornaments, 
blood-red weapons, blood-red eyes, blood-red hair, utterly terrifying,..."

raktatIkShNanakhA raktadashanA raktadantikA |
patiM nArIvAnuraktA devI bhaktaM bhavejjanam.h || 6 ||

"...sharp blood-red nails, and blood-red teeth -- She is Raktadantika. 
As a wife is loyal to her husband, so the Goddess will be towards her 
bhakta."

vasudheva vishAlA sA sumeruyugalastanI |
dIrghau lambAvatisthUlau tAvatIva manoharau || 7 ||

"She is as beautiful as the Earth, Her two breasts are like Sumeru[5]
large, full, and firm, exceedingly pleasurable to the senses."

[5] The mountain which is the axis of the world in Puranic geography.

karkashAvatikAntau tau sarvAnandapayonidhI |
bhaktAn.h saMpAyayedevI sarvakAmadughau stanau || 8 ||

"Those beautiful firm breasts are the source of the milk of all joys. 
The Goddess makes Her Bhaktas feed from those breasts to satisfy their 
desires."

khadgaM pAtra cha mushalaM lA~NgalaM cha bibharti sA |
aakhyAtA raktachAmuNDA devI yogeshvarIti cha || 9 ||

"She carries a sword, drinking cup, pestle, and plow. She is known as
the Goddess Raktachamunda[6] and Yogeshvari[7]"

[6] blood-red Chamunda

[7] The queen of yoga

anayA vyAptamakhilaM jagat.h sthAvaraja~Ngamam.h |
imAM yaH pUjayedbhaktyA sa vyApnoti charAcharam.h || 10 ||

"She pervades the entire universe moving and still.  Whosoever worships 
Her with bhakti also pervades the moving and still.[8]"

[8] Because they become one with the Goddess.

adhIte ya imaM nityaM raktadantyAvapustavam.h |
taM sA paricharedevI patiM priyamivA~NganA || 11 ||

"Whosoever studies this hymn to the form of Raktadanti[9] daily, the 
Goddess looks after as a woman in love looks after her husband."

[9] a synonym of Raktadantika

shAkambharI nIlavarNA nIlotpalavilochanA |
gambhIranAbhistrivalIvibhUShitatanUdarI || 12 ||

"Shakambhari[10] is blue in color with eyes like blue lotuses, a deep navel, 
and a stomach adorned three folds of skin.[11]"

[10] made up of vegetables.  i.e. a personification of the harvest.

[11] in Hindu aesthetics, the ideal of feminine beauty.

sukarkashasamottu~NgavR^ittapInaghanastanI |
muShTiM shilImukhApUrNaM kamalaM kamalAlayA || 13 ||

"Her breasts are firm, even, erect, round and large. She clenches in Her 
hands a quiver of arrows, and a lotus, is seated on a blue lotus..."

puNyapallavamUlAdi phalADhyaM shAkasaMchayam.h |
kAmyAnantarasairyuktaM kShuttR^iNmR^ityujvarApaham.h || 14 ||

"...[and also carries] a collection of vegetables, flowers, fruits, and 
plants, she is the experience of an infinite number of desires, abolishing 
hunger, thirst, death, and decay."

kArmukaM cha sphuratkAnti vibhratI parameshvarI |
shAkambharI shatAkShI sA saiva durgA prakIrtitA || 15 ||

"and a bow of shining beauty is carried by the Supreme Ruler Shakambhari, 
She is also renowned as Shatakshi[12], and Durga.

[12] hundred-eyed.  Or the wife of Indra who has hundred eyes.

vishoktA duShTamanI shamanI duritApadAm.h |
umA gaurI satI chaNDI kAlikA sApi pArvatI || 16 ||

"without sorrow, punisher of the wicked, calmer of all troubles and 
dangers, Uma, Gauri, Sati, Chandi, Kalika[13], and also Parvati[14]

[13] synonym of Kali.

[14] daughter of the mountain because she was born as the daughter of 
Himalaya and Mena.

shAkambharIM stuvan.h dhyAyan.h japan.h saMpUjayannaman.h |
akShayyamashnute shIghramannapAnAmR^itaM phalam.h || 17 ||

"By praising Shakambhari, meditating on Her, repeating Her mantras, and 
worshipping Her, and saluting Her,  one quickly gets the reward of 
abundant food and drink and immortality.[15]"

[15] i.e. one gets material prosperity in this world followed by 
immortality in the next.

bhImApi nIlavarNA sA daMShTrAdashanabhAsurA |
vishAlalochanA nArI vR^ittapInapayodharA || 18 ||

"BhimA[16] is also of blue color with shining teeth and tusks, a woman 
with beautiful eyes and large round breasts."

[16] terrible or fearsome

chaMdrahAsaM cha DamaruM shiraHpAtraM cha vibhratI |
ekavIrA kAlarAtriH saivoktA kAmadA stutA || 19 ||

"chandrahasa[17], and a drum, and a severed head and a drinking cup are 
carried by Her.  She is known as ekavirA, Kalaratri, and praised as 
kamada[18]."

[17] the name of Her sword

[18] bestower of desires

tejomaNDaladurdharShA bhrAmarI chitrakAntibhR^it.h |
chitrAnulepanA devI chitrAbharaNabhUShitA || 20 ||

"A dazzling circle of light surrounds Bhramari[19] of many-colored 
appearance. The Goddess is wearing many perfumes, and adorned with many 
jewels.

[19] honeybee

chitrabhramarapANiH sA mahAmArIti gIyate |
ityetA mUrtayo devyA vyAkhyAtA vasudhAdhIpa || 21 ||

"Holding many bees in her hand, She is sung of as Mahamari[20].  Thus I 
have explained the forms of the Goddess to you oh king"

[20] great plague

jaganmAtushchaNDikAyAH kIrtitAH kAmadhenavaH |
idaM rahasyaM paramaM na vAchyaM kasyachitvayA || 22 ||

"Chandika, mother of the universe, is famous like the Kamadhenu[21]. 
These supreme mysteries should not be told by you to anyone.[22]

[21] The cow that grants wishes.

[22] who is not worthy of them.

vyAkhyAnaM divyamUrtInAmadhIShvA.avahitaH svayam.h |
tasmAt.h sarvaprayatnena devIM japa nirantaram.h || 23 ||

"You should study the lore of the divine forms yourself and thereby with 
every effort, repeat the prayers to the Goddess without stopping."

saptajanmArjitairghorairbrahmahatyAsamairapi |
pAThamAtreNa mantrANAM muchyate sarvakilbiShaiH || 24 ||

"All sins, even seven generations worth of sins as horrible as 
brahmahatya[23] are wiped out by the mere recitation of the mantras[24]"

[23] the murder of a Brahmana

[24] i.e. without understanding.  For one who knows the meanings the 
reward is even greater.

devyA dhyAnaM mayA khyAtaM guhyAdguhyataraM mahat.h |
tasmAt.h sarvaprayatnena sarvakAmaphalapradam.h || 25 ||

"Meditation on the Goddess, I say, is the most secret of secret mysteries. 
Make all efforts to [know] them and all desires will be fulfilled."

|| iti mUrtirahasyam.h ||

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>