nirvANa sundarI

शान्तं शारदचन्द्रकान्तिधवलं चन्द्राभिरामाननं
चन्द्रार्कोपलकान्तिकुण्डलधरं शृङ्गारवेषोज्ज्वलम् |
वीणापुस्तकमक्षसूत्रवलयव्याख्यानमुद्राः करैः
बिभ्राणं कलये सदा हृदि महाशास्तारमानन्ददम् ||

तेजोमण्डलमध्यगं त्रिनयनं दिव्याम्बरालङ्कृतं
देवं पुष्पशरेक्षुकार्मुकलसन्माणिक्यपात्राभयान् |
बिभ्राणं करपङ्कजैर्मदगजस्कन्धाधिरूढं महा-
शास्तारं सततं भजामि वरदं त्रैलोक्यसम्मोहनम् ||

śāntaṃ śāradacandrakāntidhavalaṃ candrābhirāmānanaṃ
candrārkopalakāntikuṇḍaladharaṃ śṛṅgāraveṣojjvalam |
vīṇāpustakamakṣasūtravalayavyākhyānamudrāḥ karaiḥ
bibhrāṇaṃ kalaye sadā hṛdi mahāśāstāramānandadam ||

tejomaṇḍalamadhyagaṃ trinayanaṃ divyāmbarālaṅkṛtaṃ
devaṃ puṣpaśarekṣukārmukalasanmāṇikyapātrābhayān |
bibhrāṇaṃ karapaṅkajairmadagajaskandhādhirūḍhaṃ mahā-
śāstāraṃ satataṃ bhajāmi varadaṃ trailokyasammohanam ||

One of the foremost scholars of Advaita today, considerably familiar with Tantra shAstra, who is also a close acquaintance of ours, visited a temple at Courtallam which goes by the name Siddheshwari Peetham. It apparently has a pIThAdhipati who belongs to the Dashanami sampradAya and subscribes to smArta thought. The lineage of this maTha is traced back to one Sri Mouna Swami. Our respected friend, who is a frequent visitor to the orthodox maThas and very strict with AchAra himself, was taken back when he spotted the idol of Sai Baba of Shirdi within the maTha, which, I am told, also houses other archA mUrtis such as lalitA, subrahmaNya, mahAmeru, pratyangirA etc. We discussed whether a smArta sannyAsin is allowed to worship figures such as Sai Baba, who do not fit into the varNa scheme in anyway. If one argued that he is an avadhUta, we thought it still did not explain why a Moslem Fakir needed to be worshiped within a supposedly orthodox smArta maTha where several traditional divinities are consecrated. If one argued that he was an avatAra of dattAtreya or pANDuranga, then we could counter argue that one could worship datta, pANDuranga or svayam shrImannArAyaNa directly than resort to actions that transgress the boundaries of AchAra.

While it is debatable as to how apt it is for a supposed Hindu to worship such figures, we did feel that it was certainly inappropriate to enshrine Babas and the likes within a devAlaya, especially one within a smArta maTha headed by a sannyAsin. We visited several pramANas which greatly damage the credibility of sannyAsa if such practices are undertaken which undermine the very fabric of our dharma. We may respect and appreciate various luminaries - we greatly respect Shakyamuni Buddha and also the current Dalai Lama - but nothing would justify enshrining them along with our sacred archA mUrtis and offering them ritualistic worship along with our devI-panchAyatana. Our respected friend pointed out that it was not his desire to show any disrespect towards the pontiff of this maTha or its disciples, but he was only expressing his grief over the state of affairs even in orthodox shrines such as maThas and pIThas. We discussed various pramANas also from the Agamas which render the pratiShThA of devatA in such a place futile and bring upon all its visitors the wrath of the devatA as such a desecration of sacred shrine incurs devatA-shApa.

It is easy to not take a stand and advocate diplomacy in such matters, but nothing beneficial ever comes out of such an attitude. Why do people rush to worship Raghavendra Swamis and Sai Babas and not Shiva or Ambika or Narayana? Most possibly the answer is ignorance of shAstras and greed - after all these devatAs are promoted as quick solutions to every problem ranging from poverty to getting one's daughter married! Is Jesus Christ going to be worshiped next in our maThas in a sAlagrAma with tulasI accompanied by the recitation of puruSha sUkta? Only mahAdeva can help rescue the society from such stupidity! Our respected friend is currently performing prAyashchitta for having visited such a shrine. Our alpa-mati has always told us to be weary of such blasphemous practices, and one of the foremost authorities on dharma shAstra today agrees with us. That aside, a friend pointed out that a prominent Advaita website lists Amritanandamayi and Sathya Sai Baba as AchAryas of Advaita along with H H Chandrashekhara Bharati, Paramacharya of Kanchi and Bhagavan Ramana!

भजस्व श्रीत्रिपुरसुन्दरि |
पाहि षोडशदल सर्वाशापरिपूरकचक्रेश्वरि मामपि ||

निजसुधालहरीप्रवाहिनि नित्यकामेश्वरि ||
गजमुखजनजि शशधरवदनि |
शिशिरितभुवनि शिवमनोरमणि ||

अतिसुन्दरसव्यकरतलपाशाङ्कुशधरणे शशिकिरणे |
विधिहरिहरनुतचरणे वेदवेदान्तवितरणे ||
श्रुतिनिगमागमरमणे हारकेयूरकिरीटकनकाभरणे |
अत्यद्भुतकमनीयफलैव कुचमण्डलमण्डितहारे ||

bhajasva śrītripurasundari |
pāhi ṣoḍaśadala sarvāśāparipūrakacakreśvari māmapi ||

nijasudhālaharīpravāhini nityakāmeśvari ||
gajamukhajanaji śaśadharavadani |
śiśiritabhuvani śivamanoramaṇi ||

atisundarasavyakaratalapāśāṅkuśadharaṇe śaśikiraṇe |
vidhihariharanutacaraṇe vedavedāntavitaraṇe ||
śrutinigamāgamaramaṇe hārakeyūrakirīṭakanakābharaṇe |
atyadbhutakamanīyaphalaiva kucamaṇḍalamaṇḍitahāre ||

योगयोगेश्वरि त्रिपुरवासिनि |
योजय मामपि तवपादपद्ममूले मुनिजनानुकूले श्रीविद्या (योगयोगेश्वरि )||

त्यागेशहृदयेश्वरि प्रसिद्धचतुर्दशकोणेश्वरि |
भोगमोक्षवरदायकि सर्वसौभाग्यदायकचक्रेश्वरि ||
आगमादिसकलशास्त्रार्थरूपे अखिलभुवनपालितवरप्रतापे |
नागरत्नतालपत्रकनकाभे नतजनमनपरकरुणायुतशोभे ||

सम्प्रदाययोगिनीपरिवारे सदाशिवहृदयविहारे |
हंसतूलिकातल्पसारे महामायामन्त्रार्थसारे ||
एकाम्रतरुमूले श्रीकाञ्चीपुरक्षेत्रे पवित्रे |
ताम्रवर्णाङ्गमतङ्गमुनिपुत्रे सुचरित्रे ||

ईङ्कारकामकलामन्त्रविहारे ईश्वरतत्त्वविचारे |
आनन्द्याद्यधिकरणभाव भुवनात्मकानन्दरूप चतुर्दशप्राकारे ||

yogayogeśvari tripuravāsini |
yojaya māmapi tavapādapadmamūle munijanānukūle śrīvidyā (yogayogeśvari)||

tyāgeśahṛdayeśvari prasiddhacaturdaśakoṇeśvari |
bhogamokṣavaradāyaki sarvasaubhāgyadāyakacakreśvari ||
āgamādisakalaśāstrārtharūpe akhilabhuvanapālitavarapratāpe |
nāgaratnatālapatrakanakābhe natajanamanaparakaruṇāyutaśobhe ||

sampradāyayoginīparivāre sadāśivahṛdayavihāre |
haṃsatūlikātalpasāre mahāmāyāmantrārthasāre ||
ekāmratarumūle śrīkāncīpurakṣetre pavitre |
tāmravarṇāṅgamataṅgamuniputre sucaritre ||

īṅkārakāmakalāmantravihāre īśvaratattvavicāre |
ānandyādyadhikaraṇabhāva bhuvanātmakānandarūpa caturdaśaprākāre ||

सकललोकनायिके त्वामेव शरणं प्रपद्ये |
सर्वरोगहरचक्रमयि सर्वानन्दमयि मङ्गलमयि ||

अकचटतपयरलवशादि क्षान्त अक्षरमयि वाङ्मयि चिन्मयि |
शुकनारदकुम्भजमुनिवर स्तुतिगायकजनसन्नुते ||
नागनायकशतदशारफण लोकविहितधरकरवलये |
लोकलोकसम्मोहितहितकर सिद्धिबुद्धिनतकरवलये ||

भवरोगहरवैभवे परमकल्याणगुणनिकरे |
नवरसालङ्कारकाव्यनाटकवर्णिते शुभकरे ||
कुवलयदलनवनीलशरीरि गोविन्दसहोदरि श्रीकरि |
शिवहृदयकमलनिलये त्रिपुरासिद्धीश्वरि नतश्रीनगरे ||

अवनतरहस्ययोगिनीकुले शतदिनसमकरमुखद्युतिजाले |
भुवनप्रसिद्ध ह्रीङ्कारकामेश्वरबीजमन्त्रलोले ||

sakalalokanāyike tvāmeva śaraṇaṃ prapadye |
sarvarogaharacakramayi sarvānandamayi maṅgalamayi ||

akacaṭatapayaralavaśādi kṣānta akṣaramayi vāṅmayi cinmayi |
śukanāradakumbhajamunivara stutigāyakajanasannute ||
nāganāyakaśatadaśāraphaṇa lokavihitadharakaravalaye |
lokalokasammohitahitakara siddhibuddhinatakaravalaye ||

bhavarogaharavaibhave paramakalyāṇaguṇanikare |
navarasālaṅkārakāvyanāṭakavarṇite śubhakare ||
kuvalayadalanavanīlaśarīri govindasahodari śrīkari |
śivahṛdayakamalanilaye tripurāsiddhīśvari nataśrīnagare ||

avanatarahasyayoginīkule śatadinasamakaramukhadyutijāle |
bhuvanaprasiddha hrīṅkārakāmeśvarabījamantralole ||

शङ्करि श्रीराजराजेश्वरि |
जय शिवशङ्करि श्रीराजराजेश्वरि ||
सर्वसिद्धिप्रदायकचक्रेश्वरि कामेश्वरि वज्रेश्वरि भगमालिनि |
सन्ततं तव रूपं अन्तः चिन्तयाम्यहम् ||

मङ्गलकरकुङ्कुमधर मन्दस्मितमुखविलासिनि |
अङ्कुशधनुः पाशदण्डभासकरचक्रनिवासिनि ||
भृङ्गिसनकमुनिजनवरपूजित परमोल्लासिनि |
बुधजनहितकारिणि परपोषणवह्निवासिनि ||
वेङ्कटकविहृदिसरसिज विहरणपटुतरभासिनि |
विधिहरिहरसुरसन्नुत नित्यान्तरप्रकाशिनि ||

परिकीर्तितनादान्तरनित्यान्तर अङ्गरक्षाकरत्रयप्राकरे अतिरहस्ययोगिनीपरिवारे |
गिरिराजवरतनये सृष्टिस्थित्यादि पञ्चकारणकृत्येन्द्रगणसम्मानिते यतीन्द्रगणसम्मोदिते ||
शरणागतनिजजनवरदे सङ्कल्पकल्पतरुनिकरे |
सहजस्थितिसविकल्पनिर्विकल्प समाधिसुखवरदे ||

परतत्त्वनिधिध्यासनवितरण सर्वबीजमुद्राधिपते |
भण्डासुरमदखण्डनवैभव चिन्तामणिनगराधिपते ||
तरुणारुणमुखकमले सकले सारसहितविद्याधिपते |
सदा चिदम्बरनर्तनपदयुग समकरनटनाधिपते जय शिवशङ्करि ||

śaṅkari śrīrājarājeśvari |
jaya śivaśaṅkari śrīrājarājeśvari ||
sarvasiddhipradāyakacakreśvari kāmeśvari vajreśvari bhagamālini |
santataṃ tava rūpaṃ antaḥ cintayāmyaham ||

maṅgalakarakuṅkumadhara mandasmitamukhavilāsini |
aṅkuśadhanuḥ pāśadaṇḍabhāsakaracakranivāsini ||
bhṛṅgisanakamunijanavarapūjita paramollāsini |
budhajanahitakāriṇi parapoṣaṇavahnivāsini ||
veṅkaṭakavihṛdisarasija viharaṇapaṭutarabhāsini |
vidhihariharasurasannuta nityāntaraprakāśini ||

parikīrtitanādāntaranityāntara aṅgarakṣākaratrayaprākare atirahasyayoginīparivāre |
girirājavaratanaye sṛṣṭisthityādi pancakāraṇakṛtyendragaṇasammānite yatīndragaṇasammodite ||
śaraṇāgatanijajanavarade saṅkalpakalpatarunikare |
sahajasthitisavikalpanirvikalpa samādhisukhavarade ||

paratattvanidhidhyāsanavitaraṇa sarvabījamudrādhipate |
bhaṇḍāsuramadakhaṇḍanavaibhava cintāmaṇinagarādhipate ||
taruṇāruṇamukhakamale sakale sārasahitavidyādhipate |
sadā cidambaranartanapadayuga samakaranaṭanādhipate jaya śivaśaṅkari ||

Note: In the Madhyamavati krti, some use the pATha kAmeshvari vAmeshvari. This is incorrect. A better pAThantara is kAmeshvara-vAmeshvari. Traditionally, the usage is kAmeshvari vajreshvari bhagamAlini, completing the triad in the eighth AvaraNa.

झण्टुं झण्टुम् | खट्वाङ्गधरम् ||
दंष्ट्राकरालम् | तडित्सदृशजिह्वम् ||
हौ हौ हौ हौ | हौ हौ हौ हौ ||
बहुरूपवदनम् | घनघोरनादम् ||
हौ हौ हौ हौ | हौ हौ हौ हौ ||
ऊं ऊं ह्रां रौं | हौं हौं हौं हौं ||
नृमुण्डमण्डितम् | हूं हूं कह कह हूं हूं ||
कृतविकटमुखम् | नमामि देवं भैरवम् ||

jhaṇṭuṃ jhaṇṭum | khaṭvāṅgadharam ||
daṃṣṭrākarālam | taḍitsadṛśajihvam ||
hau hau hau hau | hau hau hau hau ||
bahurūpavadanam | ghanaghoranādam ||
hau hau hau hau | hau hau hau hau ||
ūṃ ūṃ hrāṃ rauṃ | hauṃ hauṃ hauṃ hauṃ ||
nṛmuṇḍamaṇḍitam | hūṃ hūṃ kaha kaha hūṃ hūṃ ||
kṛtavikaṭamukham | namāmi devaṃ bhairavam ||

[Sangitaratnakara - Eighth Prakarana]

While we are all used to the popular rendition of this Krti by M S Amma, Sangitakalanidhi Sri Palghat K V Narayanaswamy presents before us a new dimension of this previous gem. After GNB, KVN perhaps is our most admired musician. There seems to be no other rendition of Saint Thyagaraja's Saramati krti mokShamu galadA that is more mellifluous and filled with bhAva than KVN's rendition. Did someone say MDR's version is better? Don't you already know that we are not very appreciative of his music, his dance on stage and even more of his enunciation of sAhitya

The question of whether AchArya Shankara BhagavatpAda was associated with shAkta tantra, or even tantra, is oft discussed. There are arguments both for and against such an assumption.

The three works associated with tantra that are ascribed to AchArya are: saundaryalaharI, lalitA trishatI bhAShya and prapanchasAra. Several modern scholars argue that shankara, who subscribed to aupaniShadavAda of the purest form, cannot be the author of works on Tantra shAstra. It is also pointed out that there are no favorable references to Tantra in his prasthAnatraya bhAShya. Some of his opinions about Agamas are simply considered as pUrvapakSha. In his brahmasUtra bhAShya (utpattyadhikaraNa as well as patyurasAmanjasyAdhikaraNa) and gItA-bhAShya (1X-25), the word bhUtejya is interpreted as ArAdhakas of tAmasic devatAs who are here listed as vinAyaka, mAtrgaNa and chaturbhaginI. Had Shankara been favorable towards Tantra shAstra, would such a statement occur in his bhAShya is a question several scholars pose.

If we consider saundaryalaharI, there is no agreement regarding its authorship even among its popular commentators. DiNDima names shiva as the author, whereas pravarasena ascribes its authorship to mahAtripurasundarI herself in his commentary, sudhAvidyotinI. In the work itself, there are some references to draviDashishu and mUka-kavi. PrapanchasAra, on the other hand, is a compendium of various works on Tantra. It is also pointed out by some that the style of writing of this work is dry, repetitive and very unlike Shankara. A commentary on PrapanchasAra ascribed to PadmapAdAchArya is also refuted on similar lines. Govindachandra Pande rejects Acharya’s authorship of Prapanchasara but accepts saundaryalaharI as his genuine work. However, if one does accept vishNu sahasranAma bhAShya and bhAShyas on nrsimhapUrvatApanI and shvetAshvatara as shankara’s genuine works, his interest in Agama and tantra do not seem completely improbable.

Those who seek to establish shankara’s interest in tantra present before us a long and glorious tradition (sampradAya). shrIvidyArNava points out that shankara had many householder disciples and names padmapAda, gIrvANa, bodha, AnandatIrtha, shankara, sundara, viShNu sharmA, lakShmaNa, mallikArjuna, trivikrama, shrIdhara, kapardI, keshava, dAmodara and others. pragalbhAchArya is noted as the direct disciple of viShNu sharma. Several popular manuals of shrIvidyA subscribe to the idea:

संप्रदायो हि नान्योऽस्ति लोके श्रीशङ्कराद्बहिः |

Even the lineage of bhAskararAya makhin traces itself to AchArya shankara through his disciple sundara. On the contrary, gadyavallarI argues that Shankara had no disciples who were householders. There are also others such as Paul Hacker (Philology and Confrontation, Suny Press) who accept other aspects to Shankara such as a yogin and a master of Tantra. We shall explore this subject further in a series of posts.

shrImAtre namaH

We rarely check personal emails received through our website for various reasons. Sheer number is the primary reason, and mediocrity of the received emails is a close second. Then there is the third category of some famous online players who go from forum to forum and use various fake email IDs to send equally fake queries. We do however make sure to respond to some sincere queries whenever possible.

We had one such recent query from a long time acquaintance who is also a shrIvidyA upAsaka. His query was rather basic and concerning chAndrAyaNa vrata. And the reason he wanted to undertake this fast was to overcome financial difficulties. We have personally not seen any smrti or purANa prescribe this difficult vrata for financial gains. Even krcChra and prAjApatya occasionally are discussed in the shAstras in terms of aishvarya and samrddhi, but not chAndrAyaNa specifically. However, because chAndrAyaNa is credited with the merit of absolving one of every conceivable sin, in a way it can possibly benefit one financially.

On a side note, the issue of dAridrya should be a concern for a shrIvidyA upAsaka, especially if he is a grhastha. The vidyA, the tantras claim, is bhogamokSha pradAyinI. The rudrayAmala states the greatness of shrIvidyA thus: ‘A flower, by the merit of its very presence, spreads fragrance and beauty everywhere, in addition to serving the need of the upAsaka as a devout offering to iShTa. Similarly, when one’s upAsana is carried out with the attitude of niShkAma, siddhis manifest spontaneously and naturally. These siddhis are of two kinds: laukika or sAdhAraNa (worldly) like wealth, abundance, peace, health etc. and asAdhAraNa such as omniscience etc.’ These siddhis are sure sign posts of a positively progressing upAsanA. True, one should not get attached to these, but ignoring them as useful signposts could point towards a lifetime spent in unskilled and thus ineffective spiritual cultivation.

We come from a vibrant Vedic culture where dharma, artha and kAma puruShArtha-s are awarded great importance. The amazing hymn of shrIsukta seeks not only spiritual benefit, but also a comfortable material life filled with abundance. With the emergence of Neo-Vedanta theorists such as Ramakrishna and Vivekananda came a certain repulsive attitude towards material abundance (e.g the famous and most probably fictitious story of Ramakrishna complaining of discomfort when money was hidden under his bed). This already had its seed in the thoughts of the shramaNas and the bauddhas of the Pali Sutrayana. Also responsible is a certain vacuum in the spiritual space, of role models who are not sannyAsins, like the great bhAskararAya makhIndra. Today, an ideal spiritual practitioner is oft expected to shun material pleasure, restrain any effort towards bettering one’s physical life and live in a world of unnecessary idealism divorced from the reality of day to day life. Unwholesome and unfulfilled lives are touted as symbols of sacrifice and desirelesness. The attitude fit for a sannyAsin is superimposed over the profile of a normal householder. The call for simplicity and greed-free life by the smritis is frequently used to spiritually justify one’s incapability to provide a good living for oneself and one’s family. Such an attitude can be extremely dangerous to oneself and to the society. Such lame arguments reek of stagnation and the resultant lack of progress, innovation and evolution.

Equally ridiculous is the attitude of those, who stretch the advice of the shAstras regarding non-attachment to siddhis, to ludicrous levels. The great bauddha tAntrika Drodul Lingpa, in his manual on the upAsanA of VajrakIlaya, recounts a conversation between the famed Yeshe Tsogyal (considered as an emanation of VajravArAhI) and her consort Padmasambhava - regarding the generation stage practice of Tantra (utpatti-krama).
Yeshe Thogayl: Do we really need a yidam (iShTa-devatA)?
Padmasambhava: If there is no yidam, what is the source of Siddhis? Without siddhi, how could there be enlightenment?

While nirvANa or mokSha is the culmination of one’s spiritual path, one cannot directly ascend to a state of spontaneous liberation. There are paths taken to reach the goal and siddhi (which does not simply mean supernatural power but an affirmative accomplishment in the broader sense) is quite essential at every milestone. To ensure that one’s spiritual practice is not mere self-delusion or dry, useless idealism, one needs to battle complacent habitual stagnation. How? By constantly and skillfully evaluating one’s progress in upAsanA. In Western Occultism represented by Bardonian Hermetica, the spiritual aspirant cannot attain oneness with the Divine till physical, astral and mental mastery are attained. And mastery of these three spheres is evaluated through siddhis. The siddha-siddhAnta of the dakShiNa-desha espouses an almost similar view. One should also clearly understand that siddhis do not in any way represent realization or enlightenment but most often are a natural aftereffect of a deep and insightful realization - this statement is certainly true from the perspective of Tantra, if not from that of Neo-vedanta.

There is another way to view Siddhis. The inherent nature of a being is of Para Bhattarika of Mahabhairava in who is complete unfoldment of jnAna and kriyA (as opposed to only jnAna as conceived by some schools of Advaita). For a weak and sick person, even a normal act of a healthy wrestler can seem as a supernatural accomplishment or a siddhi (at a relative level). True realization of shivatva amounts to complete unfoldment of the above-said aspects of jnAna and kriyA (to the levels permissible by the kanchuka namely the body). Most so-called Siddhis are thus natural tendencies of the jIva (who is non-different from TripurasundarI) and the state of unattunement to them is similar to sickness, there is nothing normal there. The health regimen of upAsanA is thus required to reach the state of normalcy where these natural qualities of the pUrNAtman are uncovered when the veil of ignorance is lifted through right view and right skill. And in today’s popular version of spirituality bereft of both view and skill, how is one’s health determined? Not positively but through the absence of a diagnosed disease. This approach certainly needs correction and refinement. Also, if Siddhi is conceptualized as ‘power’, most gullible but sincere practitioners today seem scared of it because they have only witnessed it’s abuse and not rightful use. The possibility of abuse of power is, however, not the right justification to remain powerless.

The intention here is not to turn people into greedy materialists (chAravAka darshana is an accepted darshana, whatever be its merits or demerits). The advice here is not to obsessively pursue Siddhis and turn into a street magician performing parlor tricks. The need today is for developing a balanced approach - as both craving and aversion lead to disharmony; a middle path of balance is of utmost importance.

Our Guru, Ashthana Vidwan Brahmasri K P Shankara Shastrigal was a prime example of such a balance. He consciously did not yearn for name, fame or money. But as a result of his balanced and complete upAsanA, paradevatA indeed blessed him with bhoga and mokSha. His family did not have to lead an impoverished life and the essential needs were met effortlessly. He had a long, healthy and immensely fulfilling life, spiritually and otherwise. Though associated with very traditional Mathas, he hardly prescribed sannyAsa for most (like some seem to be doing today) and asserted the true spirit of an upAsanA paddhati such as shrIvidyA. We see today that many upAsakas are purohitas and for them, shrIvidyA is a special certification to attract more customers. When one has no other means to livelihood other than one’s spiritual path, it is easy for confusion and corruption to set it. At a certain point, our Guru hence decided to completely stop initiating those in the business of paurohitya into shrIvidyA. While there may be exceptions, dAridrya, roga, duHkha, apamrtyu, alpAyuShya etc are not signs of an accomplished teacher. One should be open enough to accept this simple truth without resorting to fancy spiritual explanation, for one’s own sake!

Ok, back to the topic of chAndrAyaNa, here are some basic guidelines. During the krShNa-pakSha, the one undertaking this vrata or penitential rite will decrease food consumed, by one mouthful each day; similarly, with growing kalA of the chandra in shukla-pakSha, one increases the quantity of food consumed. On the day of amAvAsyA, one keeps a complete fast. Alternately, some smrtis talk of consuming 240 kabalas during the entire month.

Also, one is required to take a bath at every sandhyA (prAtaH, madhyAhna and sAyam). This is the general description of the chAndrAyaNa vrata. There are variations such as shishu chAndrAyaNa, yati chAndrAyaNa etc for specific circumstances and adhikAra bheda. The amount of food consumed is measured in terms of kabala or balls of cooked rice, the size of which is required to be of the size of a hen’s egg. The food consumed should be sanctified through gAyatrI mahAmantra. Alternately, VaiShNava commentators on dharma shAstras explain that the vrata starts with consumption of fourteen kabalas, decreasing each day by one till ekAdashI, on which day one keeps a full fast. On dvAdashI, fast is broken by consuming a single kabala, gradually increasing the same by one every day during shukla pakSha. While not always followed, traditionally it is said that one needs to offer unhusked rice to a cow with suitable qualities and from the undigested grains collected from the cow dung, cooked rice is prepared for consumption during the vrata. Vrddha parAshara declares the vrata as futile if such rice is not consumed during the vrata. ParAshara also instructs one to begin the vrata from shukla pakSha and conclude the same with brAhmaNa-santarpaNa. Based on whether the vrata begins with increasing or decreasing chandrakalA, there are classifications such as yavamadhya and pipilika chandrayana (Yajnavalkya).

Mahadurga Ashtottara Shatanama Stotra has been uploaded to our Stotra collection.

namaH shrIpurabhairavyai

एकेन चक्रमपरेण करेण शङ्खं
अन्येन सिन्धुतन्यामवलम्ब्य तिष्ठन् |
वामे करेण वरदाभयहस्थमुद्रां
लक्ष्मीनृसिंह मम देहि करावलम्बम् ||

ekena cakramapareṇa kareṇa śaṅkhaṃ
anyena sindhutanyāmavalambya tiṣṭhan |
vāme kareṇa varadābhayahasthamudrāṃ
lakṣmīnṛsiṃha mama dehi karāvalambam ||

गजाम्बा नायको रक्षतु |
गुणिजनादिपूजितः सततम् ||

अजेन्द्राद्यमरादिसन्नुत अखिलभुवनादिसेनो |
सुजन्झूटी-रागपानो सुन्दरगुरुगुहशिवसूनो ||

gajāmbā nāyako rakṣatu |
guṇijanādipūjitaḥ satatam ||

ajendrādyamarādisannuta akhilabhuvanādiseno |
sujanjhūṭī-rāgapāno sundaraguruguhaśivasūno ||

Many confuse this krti as referring to Lord gaNapati, by interpreting gajAmbA to mean vallabhAmbA. This is incorrect. By the usage of the word, akhilabhuvanAdiseno, Sri Dikshitar indicates that the krti is in praise of Lord Subrahmanya, the senAnI. The word gajAmbA is derived by a literal translation of the Tamizh word deva-yAnai (yAnai means elephant in Tamizh) which is also translated as devakunjarI elsewhere.