[Advaita-l] Sivaanandalahari - 71

[Anbu sivam2]

Sivaanandalahari - 71आरूढ-भक्‍ति-गुण-कुंचित-भाव-चाप-
युक्तैश्शिवस्मरण-बाणगणै-रमोघै: ।
निर्जित्य किल्बिष-रिपून् विजयी सुधीन्द्र-
स्सानन्द-मावहति सुस्थिर-राजलक्ष्मीम् ॥ ७१ ॥


ArUDha-Bak^ti-guNa-kuMchita-BAva-chApa-
yuktaiSSivasmaraNa-bANagaNai-ramoghai: |
nirjitya kilbiSha-ripUn vijayI sudhIndra-
ssAnanda-mAvahati susthira-rAjalakShmIm || 71 ||



With the bow string of devotion of highest order, with the bow of
meditation, with the never failing series of strings of remembrance of
Shiva, the best of intelectuals completely destroy the enemies of sins and
earn the everlasting kingdom of wealth.

*Commentary

**sudheendra *= of superior intellect;
*aaroodabhakthiguNakunjitha bhaavachaapayukthai:* = thought is the bow that
is bent with the rope of superior bhakthi on which are mounted the arrows;
*amOgai:* = extensive;
*sivasmaraNabaaNaagaNai:* = the cluster of arrows of sivasmaraNa;
*kilbisharipoon* = the enemies called paapas;;
*nirjithya *= defeating;
*vijayee = with a grand victory;
saanandham* = with happy celeberation;
*susthraraajalakshmeem* = ParamEswara's saaroopya lakshmi of being the
prabhu of brahmaadhi devathaas;
*aavahathi* = he reaches.


compare:

Dhanur gruheethvaa aupanishadham mahaasthram
saram hi upaasaanisitham sandhadheetha |
aayamya thadhbhaavatghathEna chEthasaa
lakshyam thadhEva aksharam sOmya viddhi || 2.2.3

PraNavO dhanu: sarO hi aathmaa
brahma thath lakshyam uchyathE
apramaththEna vEddhavyam
saravath thanmayO bhavath || 2.2.4

(MundakOpanishad)


3. Take the great bow of the sacred scriptures,
Place on it the arrow of devotion;
Then draw the bowstring of meditation
And aim at the target, the Lord of Love.

4. The mantram is the bow, the aspirant
Is the arrow, and the Lord the target.
Now draw the bowstring of meditation,
And hitting the target be one with him.

Our AachaaryaaL's use of bow and arrow is much more eloquent!

Vidwaan's hold their thought as the bow and hold it in their hand.  What is
this thought?

sivaprasaadhEna vinaa na siddhi: |
sivaprasaadhEna vinaa na mukthi: ||

That is, only by sivaprasaadam can one get siddhi of sakala kaaryams.  Only
by sivaprasaadham can one get the dhivya gnyaanam called 'aham brahmaasmi'
and there is no other way.  This dhruda pragnyai is the bows that the
buddhimaans hold in their hands.  They have the akandaakaaravritthi gnyaanam
of sivOham that is their constant anusandhaanam.  They have the conviction
that their own aathmaa is non-different from Paramasiva.  This enables them
to have the ananya bhakthi that is then turned into a rope which is used to
tie the two ends of the bow of dhruda pragnai.  Then the extremely brilliant
arrows of adhi paraakrama called sivasmaraNam are mounted on the bow and
shot at the enemies called paapas.  There is no escape for the paapas and
they are marauded by the arrows of sivasmaraNam and the sivabhakthaas win
their greatest victory!  Then they march to the ever stable aanandha bhoomi
of sivasaaroopya lakshmi.  AachaaryaaL emphasises by the use of the word
'susthira:' to contrast with the bhOgabhoomis of haribramhaathi devaaL.
Mahaa kailaasaadhipathi ParamEswaraaL's saaroopya lakshmi is to be known as
'susthiraraajalakshmeem'.

Hara Hara nama: paarvathee pathayE - Hara Hara MahaadEvaa.
sivaprasaadhEna vinaa na siddhi: |
sivaprasaadhEna vinaa na mukthi: ||