11. To Valmiki the earliest of Poets
कूजन्तं राम रामेति मधुरं मधुराक्षरम्।आरुह्य कविताशाखां वन्दे वाल्मिकि-कोकिलम्॥
kUjantaM rAma rAmeti madhuraM madhurAkshharam.
Aruhya kavitAshAkhAM vande vAlmiki-kokilam ..
I bow and prostrate to the cuckoo-like Valmiki who was always cooing the sweet and sweet-lettered sounds ‘Rama, Rama’ and thus ascended the pinnacle of poetics.
12. To Vyasa , the marathon author and compiler of Scriptures
नमोऽस्तु ते व्यास-विशाल-बुद्धे फुल्लारविन्दायतपत्रनेत्र।
येन त्वया भारततैलपूर्णः प्रज्वालितो ज्ञान-मयः प्रदीपः॥
namo.astu te vyAsa-vishAla-buddhe phullAravindAyatapatranetra .
yena tvayA bhAratatailapUrNaH prajvAlito GYAna-mayaH pradIpaH .
.
Pranams to Vyasa, of mighty intellect, with eyes as large as a petal of a fully blossomed Lotus , and it was by You, the lamp of wisdom was lit filled with the oil that is Mahabharata”
Vyasa was a colossus among our rishis. He is the greatest of writers of all times. He rearranged and edited the Chaturvedas, wrote the Mahabharata, The eighteen puranas and the Bhagavatam.
13: To Sage Shuka (Bhagavatam : I – 2- 2):
यं प्रव्रजन्तमनुपेतमपेतकृत्यं द्वैपायनो विरहकातर आजुहाव।
पुत्रेति तन्मयतया तरवोऽभिनेदुः तं सर्वभूतहृदयं मुनिमानतोऽस्मि ॥
yaM pravrajantamanupetamapetakRRityaM
dvaipAyano virahakAtara AjuhAva .
putreti tanmayatayA taravo.abhineduH
taM sarvabhUtahRRidayaM munimAnato.asmi
He [S'ukadeva] who went away to live with the renounced order without the prescribed ceremony of reform of the sacred thread, made Vyâsadeva, being afraid of the separation exclaim: 'Oh my son!', and all the trees and all living beings responded sympathizing in the heart of the sage.. It was actually the resonance of the forest trees of which and of everything else he was the soul on account of his realization of the truth of advaita.
14. For the understanding of Spiritual Matter (Bhagavatam: II -4-24)
नमस्तस्मै भगवते वासुदेवाय वेधसे।
पपुर्ज्ञानमयं सौम्या यन्मुखाम्बुरुहासवम्॥
Salutation to Bhagavan Vyasa of unlimited spiritual puissance, whose nectarine words constitute the immortal drink of divine knowledge for all devotees to imbibe.
15. TO LORD NATARAJA OF CHIDAMBARAM
कॄपा-समुद्रं सुमुखं त्रिनेत्रं जटाधरं पार्वती-वाम-भागम्।
सदाशिवं रुद्रम् अनन्तरूपं चिदम्बरेशं हृदि भावयामि॥
kRRipA-samudraM sumukhaM trinetraM jaTAdharaM pArvatI-vAma-bhAgam .
sadAshivaM rudram anantarUpaM chidambareshaM hRRidi bhAvayAmi ..
16. TO GODDESS MEENAKSHI OF MADURAI
शब्द-ब्रह्ममयी चराचरमयी ज्योतिर्मयी वाङ्ग्मयी
नित्यानन्दमयी निरञ्जनमयी तत्त्वम्-मयी चिन्मयी।
तत्त्वातीतमयी परात्परमयी मायामयी श्रीमयी
सर्वैश्वर्यमयी सदाशिवमयी मां पाहि मीनाम्बिके॥
shabda-brahmamayI carAcaramayI jyotirmayI vA~NgmayI
nityAnandamayI niranjanamayI tattvam-mayI cinmayI
tattvAtItamayI parAtparamayi mAyAmayI shrImayI
sarvaishvaryamayI sadAshivamayI mAM pAhi mInAmbike .
17. TO GODDESS KAMAKSHI OF KANCHI : (FROM MUKA PANCHASHATi)
राकाचन्द्र-समान-कान्ति-वदना नाकाधि-राज-स्तुता
मूकानामपि कुर्वती सुरधुनी नीकाश-वाग्-वैभवम्।
श्री काञ्ची-नगरी-विकार-रसिका शोकापहन्त्री सतां
एका-पुण्य-परम्परा पशुपते-राकारिणी राजते॥
rAkAcandra-samAna-kAnti-vadanA nAkAdhi-rAja-stutA
mUkAnAmapi kurvatI suradhunI nIkAsha-vAg-vaibhavam .
shrI kA~nchI-nagarI-vikAra-rasikA shokApahantri satAM
ekA-puNya-paramparA pashupate-rAkAriNI rAjate ..
18. TO GODDESS ABHIRAMI OF TIRUKKADAIYUR. FROM ABHIRAMI ANTADI #69.
தனம் தரும், கல்வி தரும், ஒருநாளும் தளர்வறியா
மனம் தரும், தெய்வ வடிவம் தரும், நெஞ்சில் வஞ்சம் இல்லா
இனம் தரும், நல்லன எல்லாம் தரும், அன்பர் என்பவர்க்கே
கனம் தரும், பூங்குழலாள் அபிராமி கடைக் கண்களே
A side-glance of Mother Goddess Abhirami, bedecked with hairs shining with divine flowers, will bestow all wealth, knowledge, education, divine form, guileless hearts, all good things and divine associations even to those, who simply claim to be her devotees.
Please note the order, in which the verse begins., First, wealth and then education is mentioned. .
..
19. . From Appar Tevaram (Tamil) 6.1.1
அரியானை அந்தணர்தம் சிந்தை யானை
அருமறையின் அகத்தானை அணுவை யார்க்கும்
தெரியாத தத்துவனைத் தேனைப் பாலைத்
திகழ்ஒளியைத் தேவர்கள் தங் கோனை மற்றைக்
கரியானை நான்முகனைக் கனலைக் காற்றைக்
கனைகடலைக் குலவரையைக் கலந்துநின்ற
பெரியானைப் பெரும்பற்றப் புவியூரானைப்
பேசாத நாள்எல்லாம் பிறவா நாளே..
That day on which one does not speak or think of Him Who is the One that is rare to get, who is in the minds of noble souls, who is the heart of the Vedas, who is atomic, the Unknown Core of beings, the nectar and milk of salvation, the enlightening spirit, the Ruler of the Gods, the Lord Vishnu, the Four-faced BrahmA, the Fire, the Wind, the Water, the Earth, -- of the One who is the source of all these, the One who represents the Subtle Space Element – of that Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram, Unlived indeed are the days unspent in His praise.
Note on Appar: Appar is the foremost among the 63 devotees of Shiva known as Tirunavukkarasu-nayanar. His miracles have been chronicled everywhere in Shaiva literature and history. His soul-stirring songs are clear and emphatic and show him as an exemplary devotee of the Lord. He considered himself as a lowly servant of God in all his activities and compositions.
20. TO LORD MALLIKARJUNA (SHRi-SHAILAM ) (From Shivananda-laharI no.50)
सन्ध्यारम्भ-विजृम्भितं श्रुति-शिरः स्थानान्तराधिष्टितं
सप्रेमभ्रमराभिराममसकृत् सद्वासना-शोभितम्।
भोगिन्द्राभरणं समस्त-सुमनः पूज्यं गुणाविष्कृतं
सेवे श्री गिरि मल्लिकार्जुन-महालिङ्गं शिवालिङ्गितं॥
sandhyArambha-vijRRimbhitaM shruti-shiraH sthAnAntarAdhishhTitaM
sapremabhramarAbhirAmamasakRRit sadvAsanA-shobhitam .
bhogindrAbharaNaM samasta-sumanaH pUjyaM guNAvishhkRRitaM
seve shrI giri mallikArjuna-mahAli~NgaM shivAli~NgitaM ..
Srisaila in the Andhra region is a renowned place of Saiva pilgrimage. The Sivalinga of this holy place bears the name ‘Mallikarjuna’. The Goddess is known by ‘Bhramarambika’. The term ‘Arjuna’ is also the name of a tree. And Bhramarambika may also mean the female-bee. Hence there is a systematised pun on the words of this entire verse of Sankara.
The first meaning: I adore Mallikarjuna, the great Linga of Srisaila, who is embraced by Parvati, who dances wonderfully at dusk, who is established through the Upanishads, the height of all Vedas , who is pleasing with the loving Bhramarambika by His side, who shines in the repeated contemplations of pious people, who wears king-serpents as ornaments, who is worshipped by all the gods and the noble ones and who trumpets the quality of Virtue.
The second meaning: I adore the Arjuna tree entwined by jasmine creepers on the beautiful mountain, which is auspicious, which blooms profusely in the evening, whose flowers are placed on one’s ears and head, which is grand with eager honey-bees humming around, which always wafts good scent, which embellishes those who seek enjoyment, which is the best of flower-trees and which is well-known for its high quality.
The Arjuna tree, the jasmine creeper entwining it, and the just-bloomed smell of jasmine along with the deity Mallikarjuna and the Devi Bhramarambika must both have simultaneously activated the poetic talent and the innate devotional fervour of the Acharya so much that we have this beautiful shloka from him, that turns out to be a synthesis between Nature and the Divine.
Another subtle point. The twelve jyotirlingas of Shiva are most venerable. Of the twelve, this Mallikarjuna lingam of SriSailam is revered by the Acharya himself as ‘MahA-lingam’, the greatest of them all. This certainly adds to the significance of this shloka.
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