[Advaita-l] Fwd: Śaṅkarabhagavatpāda’s meditation on Bhagavān’s tiryak-puṇḍram

[V Subrahmanian]

Gokulakrishna Aiyar
2d
  ·
Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarabhagavatpāda’s meditation on Bhagavān’s tiryak-puṇḍram in
His Śiva-keśādi-pādānta-stuti:
While writing the introduction to this verse in his Sanskrit commentary on
this Stotra, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Sūri says that the Lord’s puṇḍram is capable of
giving mukti.
मोक्षप्रयोजकं गङ्गास्रोतस्त्रयमिव स्थितम् ।
त्रिपुण्ड्रं वर्ण्यते शंभोः सुधांशुद्युतिभास्वरम् ॥ (Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Sūri’s
Sanskrit commentary on Śiva-keśādi-pādānta-stuti/ Verse 2)
Translation of the Sanskrit commentary’s introduction to the shloka: The
Tripuṇḍram of Lord Śaṁbhu which is conductive to mokṣa, appears like the
three streams of Gaṅgā, and as brilliant as the rays of moon, is being
described.
Verse 2 of Śiva-keśādi-pādānta-stuti:
कुर्वन्निर्वाणमार्गप्रगमपरिलसद्रूप्यसोपनशङ्कां
शक्रारीणां पुराणां त्रयविजयकृतस्पष्टरेखायमाणम् ।
अव्यादव्याजमुच्चैरलिकहिमधराधित्यकान्तस्त्रिधोद्यज्-
-जाह्नव्याभं मृडानीकमितुरुडुपरुक्पाण्डरं वस्त्रिपुण्ड्रम् ॥ २ ॥
The following words are very important here: "मृडानीकमितुः त्रिपुण्ड्रं वः
उच्चैः अव्याजम् अव्यात्" इति । Translation: May that Tripuṇḍram of the Lord
of Mṛḍānī (Pārvatī) strongly protect us.
Of the 4 adjectives used by Ācārya here for 'tripuṇḍram', the first one,
and the third one are important here.
Adjective 1: निर्वाणमार्गप्रगमपरिलसद्रूप्यसोपनशङ्कां कुर्वत् । Here the
Ācārya says that the lines of the tripuṇḍram mimic resplendent silver steps
that lead to the path of nirvāṇa or mokṣa.
Adjective 3: अलिकहिमधराधित्यकान्तस्त्रिधोद्यज्जाह्नव्याभम् । Here He
compares them to the three streams of Gaṅgā that emanate from the Himanayan
Mountain. Here is a beautiful rūpakālaṁkāra (metaphor) which indicates that
tripuṇḍram is as potent as the waters of Tripathagā Gaṅgā in giving mukti.
A genuine follower of Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarabhagavatpāda will have utmost respect
for tripuṇḍram and those who wear it.
And yes, there are some Vaiṣṇavas in Tamilnadu and Karnataka who would come
to us and say that such verses were never composed by Bhagavatpāda and have
been written by some unscrupulous persons who try to corrupt His teachings
by injecting Shaivism in to his tradition. They have passed on their own
writings as the writings of the great Ācārya.
The tradition of wearing tripuṇḍram was not introduced in our Sampradaya by
Srimad Appayya Dikshitendra. This is there since time immemorial and there
is no mischief of Dikshitendra here.
Śiva-keśādi-pādānta-stuti was published in the Srirangam Sri Vani Vilas
Press edition of the Works of Shankaracharya by Sri TK Balasubrahmanya
Aiyar with the blessings of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sacchidananda
Sivabhinava Nrsimha Bharati Swamigal and Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri
Chandrashekhara Bharati Swamigal. The mula-grantha was published separately
in Volume 17 and a Sanskrit commentary on it was published in the year 1925
separately. The Sringeri Shankaracharyas will not let their disciples
publish any spurious work under the Acharya's name.