Line by Line summarized meaning of the sanskrit verses in Shivananda Lahari discourse
Day 20 – August 19 – verse 38 and 39
In the previous hymn, Bhagavad pada explained how the house known as body has been purified with Shiva’s grace and the results that he had obtained due to the churning of the ocean called Vedas. He specifies that the Lord himself is the amruta that is obtained due to this churning.
Now he states that he visualizes the Lord in the lotus called mind with full bhakti.
Verse 38
Prak punyāchala mārgadarshita sudhā murthih prasanna shivah,
Soma sadguna sevito mrugadharah poorna stamo mochakah,
Chethah pushkara lakshito bhavathi chedanānda pātho-nidhih,
Pragalbhyena vijrimbhate sumanasām vrithistadā jāyate
In this hymn the Lord is compared to Moon (full moon). Like the full moon this Lord drives away all darkness and fills the mind with bliss. This hymn has two interpretations- 1) to mean Shiva and 2) Moon.
Prak punyāchala mārgadarshita sudhā murthih –
Shiva: On the eastern (prāk) mountain (acala) called Punya, the personification of nectar (suddha murthy) is seen (darshita)
Sadguru directs us (marga darshita) on the path that leads towards to the punya achala. There we will get the darshan of the Lord in his form as sudha (nectar). Due to some punya done by me in my previous birth, I am able to have this darshan of Yours.
Moon: The moon is rising upon the mountain called punya. He looks like the personification of nectar upon this mountain called punya. Our meritorious deeds (punya) bless us with His darshan ultimately.
Nectar is the Lord’s form. This applies to both Shiva and Moon.
Prasanna – which is calm and pleasant
Shiva: Only Lord Shiva who is calm and pleasant can shower pleasantness upon us.
Moon: The full moon is pleasant and enchanting. The moon rays are very beneficial for health, especially on full moon. More importantly, it gives good mental health. To encourage this practice, sahasra chandra darshana (seeing 1000 full moons) has been incorporated. As the moon through his rays brings about the welfare of the world in general, He is Shiva. His rays are good for the growth of plants. In this way too, this name can be interpreted to mean Shiva and Moon.
Shivah – which (Shiva, moon) is the personification of auspiciousness.
He has taken on the task of showering auspiciousness upon every being in this creation; He is Shiva. He is auspiciousness and hence is Shiva.
Somah – Lord Shiva appears there together with Uma.
Moon is also known as Soma.
Sad gana sevitho – Shiva is served by shiva ganas.
The stars (nakshatras) appear as if they are serving the Moon.
Mrugadharah – Shiva holds the deer’s head in His hand.
Moon has in it a small blemish due to which it appears as if there is a picture of deer upon it. for this reason, Moon is known as shashanka (shashi + anka).
Poornah – You are replete with total jnana; You are complete.
In case of moon, He is round full moon who grants knowledge
Tamo mochakah – He drives away tamo guna, ignorance or darkness that has enveloped the mind.
The full moon dispels the darkness.
Chethah pushkara lakshitah – I am seeing You in the lotus (padma, pushkara) called mind (chetah).
You bloom in the mind. That is the place where we should have His darshan.
bhavathi chet ānānda pātho nidhi – You (Shiva, moon) are the ocean called bliss (anando patho nidhi)
When we see the Lord in the mind, we will be swimming in an ocean of bliss.
Pragalbhyena vijrimbhita – Due to the knowledge (Guru bodhana), the bliss in the mind will emerge forcefully (vijrumbha)
Sumanasam vrithih tadā jāyathe – I will then be blessed with the good nature/ sattva guna (vrittih) that is possessed by supreme souls (sumanasa).
Those who regularly watch the full moon will be blessed with the good nature as is possessed by Devatas.
Verse 39
In the Ayodhya kanda of Ramayana, the state of a country which does not have a ruler is explained. In the absence of a king (arāja) there is no one to guide as to what is right and what is wrong; to teach the do’s and don’ts of life; there is no one to govern. Each person lives per his whims and fancies. The world will become chaotic and unruly. It is similar to a state when parents leave the house and the kids who get new found freedom just run amok.
As the king so are the subjects. Our behavior is in tune with that of the ruler. In His presence, there is both fear and deep love, as we experience in Swamiji’s presence.
Therefore it is better for us to have a ruler. Who should be the king? Here in this verse, Bhagavad padacharya swami beseeches the Lord, ‘O God, You be the king and sit in my buddhi; let me believe that
you are the supreme king; out of fear I will be moderate in my actions; why should I commit sins and then suffer its consequences?’
Dharmo me chaturamgrikah succharitah pāpam vinasam gatam,
Kāma-krodha-madādayo vigalitāh kālāh sukhā viśkrithāh,
Gnānānanda mahouśadih suphalitā kaivalyanāthe sada,
Mānye mānasa pundareeka nagare rājāvatamse sthite.
Kaivalya nāthe – You are the only ruler (natha); You are the ruler of the entire creation (sārva bhouma); You are the one who gives liberation (kaivalya, mukti natha).
He gives us all the material required for attaining liberation. We should use the same for Sadhana and travel in this path to reach liberation.
Part of this material is our association with ashram, conducting nama sankeertana, homas etc. They are the fuel with which our Sadhana journey is moving forward.
Sadā – eternally;
Mānye – You are the most revered in the entire creation.
If at all there is someone to be truly revered and worshipped, it is only You. Any discussion is meaningful only when it revolves around You.
Mānasa pundareeka nagare – In the lotus city (Pundareeka nagara) called mind.
Pundareeka nagara is also Pandharpur.
Rāja avatamse sthithe – You enthrone yourself as the most supreme (avatmse) king (raja).
You are the Rajarajeshwara – the king of all yogis; the king of all kings is Kubera. His king is the Supreme Lord. In Karimnagar district there is an ancient temple of Lord Rajarajeshwara.
If at all you assume the rulership of mind, then O Lord, do You know what will be the state of my kingdom? What are the benefits? The first two lines of the verse explain the benefits.
Dharmo me chaturangrikha succharitah – in this city, dharma will stand on all its four legs.
Satya, soucha, daya and dana are the 4 legs of dharma. These 4 are also known as Chaturangrika. In kali yuga it is standing only on one leg. In other words, my mind will be in Krta yuga.
Satya means abiding by truth at all times. It means speaking about the exact true happenings as is, speak truth even under harsh circumstances etc. Satyam bruyāt priyam bruyāt; na bruyāt satyam apriyam – Truth, even though harsh, should always be spoken in a sweet manner. Never speak truth in a harsh manner that hurts other’s feelings. Priyam ca naanrutam bruyāt – Do not speak lies just to earn other’s goodwill. eśa dharma sanātana – this is our age old dharma which is of perpetual existence.
Soucha means cleanliness and purity in body, intellect and mind. Wearing clean clothes is soucha. Clean house reflects soucha.
Daya means compassion. Even if we are not able to help, we should have compassion. Dana is charity, sharing one’s possessions happily with others. Dana is the only leg which is left in Kali yuga. It is our luck that this happens to be the most important leg. This leg has the ability to support make the other legs stand.
Why does Shiva sit on a bull (vrushaba)? Vrushaba represents dharma. Sitting on it symbolizes that He sits on dharma and moves about. Dharma is His vehicle. Although it appears as if dharma is losing in the beginning, it ultimately emerges victorious.
If the Lord is the ruler of the mind, then undoubtedly the person will adhere to the chaturangrika. He adheres to dharma completely. What is the result of this adherence?
Pāpam vināśam gatham – All my sins will get completely destroyed.
Not only this,
Kāma krodha madādhayo vigalithah – The arishadvargas will run away from such a mind when You are seated
Kalaah sukhā vishkritha – Even most difficult situations will pass away peacefully and happily (sukha)
It is vishkrutha and not vishkrutāh.
Everyone should mandatorily pray for the welfare of others and for the world. Sarvacha sukhinas santu….
In addition for rains he should pray-
kāle varśatu parjanyah prithvī sashyaśalini; deśoyam kshobha rahito brāmanah santu nirbhyāh.
Let the brahmanas protect the Vedas; let them continue the veda recitation without any hindrances; let the country be free from all troubles and the earth be replete with crops; let there be timely rain.
In olden days the condition of the Brahmanas was very bad. They would wear torn clothes and at many times had no food to eat.
In previous eons, it would rain thrice a month apart from the monsoon season. Those were the days when dharma is standing on its 4 legs. It reflected that the king was good and dharmic. Crops grew abundantly. In this hymn the importance of dharma and the necessity for a king to abide by dharma is being explained by Bhagavadpada charya.
Gnānānanda mahoushadih suphalithah – Jnana, the supreme medicine, is growing abundantly in my mind.