Line by Line summarized meaning of the sanskrit verses in Shivananda Lahari discourse
Day 30 – August 31 – verse 67 – 70
Verse 67
This bhakti leads to good dhyana. The results of such dhyana are now explained.
Bahuvidha –parithosha-bāshpa-poora-
Sphuta pulakāmkita-chāru-mōga bhūmim,
Chirapada phalakāmkśi sevyamānām,
Parama sadāshiva bhāvanām prapadye.
Parama sadāshiva bhāvanam prapadye – I think/ contemplate about the Supreme Shiva (Parama sada shiva).
Shiva always grants auspiciousness. Even in seemingly troubling situations, we should understand that there is a hidden good. We do not even have the ability to earn his wrath. If Ravana earned the Lord’s grace, it was because he had performed intense Sadhana. Thereafter his behavior led to Shiva’s wrath. In this field, we are still beginners. We are like new born infants in the field of spirituality. At our stage, God cannot be angry with us.
The results of such contemplation are explained below. That contemplation which –
Bahuvidha parithosha – gives varied forms of delight, joy/ limitless happiness (paritosha)
To a person who enjoys dhyana, it gives immense delight. Dhyana itself is very delightful. This happiness is lokateeta (non-worldly).
Bāshpa poora – fills me with tears of joy.
Thinking of the Lord and being immersed in His contemplation brings tears of joy.
Sphuta phulākamkitha charu bhōga bhumim – Which causes this body (bhoga bhumi, land of luxury) to experience divine ecstasy (sphuta phulakākura / getting goose bumps).
Just by hearing the Lord’s name, some devotees are filled with fervent devotion and they get goosebumps; they are in a state of divine ecstasy. This body is the carrier which enables us to get this divine ecstasy. Such thrill/ bliss is got through dhyana of the Lord.
Enjoying limitless happiness, getting tears of joy, goosebumps are the luxuries that dhyana rewards this body with. These are the luxuries (charu bhoga).
Chirapada phalakāmkshi sevyamanām – Who is served by those seeking the fruit (phala) called ultimate liberation (chirapada),
I contemplate upon (prapadye) such a Parama Sadashiva (Parama sadāshiva bhāvanam prapadye).
O Lord, I seek such dhyana which will even grant me liberation. Please grant this to me. The mind which enjoys these luxuries of dhyana, gets accustomed to it and refuses to come out of it. To it this world does not matter anymore. After all, mind is the cause for our birth. How then can such a mind get re-birth?
Verse 68
In this verse Bhagavad padacharya prays – O Pasupathe! You are eternally filled with compassion. Please protect my cow called bhakti and feed it. I will describe the qualities of my cow.
Amita mudamrutam muhurduhanteem,
Vimala bhavatpada goshtha māvasanteem,
Sadaya pasupate supunya pākaam,
Mama paripalay bhakti dhenu mekām
Mama paripalay bhakti dhenu mekaam – Please kindly control of and rear this cow (dhenu) of mine called bhakti
which
Amita muda amrutam muhurdu hanteem – always gives limitless happiness (amita mudha) as its milk (nectar, amrita) at every moment (muhur)
Vimala bhavatpada goshtha māvasantim – is very pure (vimala) and it resides in the cowshed (goshala) called your lotus feet
Sadaya pasupate – O Lord of animals, you possess limitless compassion (sadaya)
supunya pākām – Only after my punya reached the levels of ripening (I could get this cow)
Therefore O Lord please take care of it. I am unable to rear this cow. It is shrinking in my custody. It is very important to protect and nurture this bhakti, because only after immense punya we are rewarded with this bhakti.
Bhakti is a very supreme state, over and above desires. Living in a state of total bhakti amounts to living in one’s natural/ inherent state. Out of ignorance, people think that bhakti should essentially give some materialistic rewards or that puja should grant materialistic boons. It requires immense luck to be blessed with such pure bhakti that is devoid of such expectations. We should pray to be blessed with such bhakti. Bhakti leads to dhyana and dhyana in turn leads to mukti.
Verse 69
In this verse Bhagavad pādacharya wants to know why the Lord chose to retain the moon on His forehead, when the moon has impurities in Him. If one with impurities is eligible to be retained thus, then even I, who am full of impurities, am eligible, am I not? He asks.
Jadata pasuta kalaṇkita,
Kutila-charatwam ca nāsthi mayi deva,
Asthi yadir rājamoule,
Bavadābharaṇasya nāsmi kim pātram.
The moon is
Jadata – jada (immobile, ignorant, devoid of consciousness)
The moon seen in the sky appears jada. Adi shankara bhagavadpadacharya wondered what was so special about the moon that the Lord chose to retain it on His forehead. Here Moon refers not to the moon, which we see in the sky, but to the deity/ Lord who controls it.
Pasuta – it is like an animal
At one point of time, Moon (Chandra) developed desire for his Guru Brihaspati’s wife. Therefore he is classified as an animal
Kalaṇkita – there is a trace of impurity (kalaṃkam) in him.
He married all the stars, but showed more affinity towards only one star – Rohini. This led to him getting cursed.
Kutila charatwam ca – he is of crooked (kutila) behavior.
The moon changes shapes on a day to day basis and hence here he is said to be of a deceptive/ crooked nature.
Na asthi mayi deva – none of these above defects exist in me, O Lord
Asthi yadir rajamoule – O Lord who has a moon on His forehead (Chandra moule)! If at all I too have defects,
Bavatha abharanasya naasmi kim pathram – then why am I not eligible to be a ornament on Your head?
O Lord, the moon has so many defects, yet you retain him as your ornament. I am faultless; yet if You believe that I too have faults, then O Lord, I automatically become eligible to be an ornament on Your
forehead, because after all, you love to adorn on your forehead those who have defects in them. When the Lord retains them on His forehead, then automatically their defects disappear. Swamiji too likewise keeps many such people close to Him. By this, their defects will get washed away and they will become useful to society.
The other way of interpreting this verse is –
Jadata – You have retained the Ganga (jala) on Your head
Jadata can also be pronounced/ understood as jala ta.
Pasuta – In your hand, you carry the deer head (pasu)
Deer head represents the kama and krodha in us.
Kalankitha – You have the blemished moon on Your forehead
Kutila charathwam – the snake, which is of a crooked wandering nature, is Your ornament
ca naasthi mayi deva – none of these traits I have, O Lord
Asthi yadir raja moule – If You believe I have these defects, O chandra moule
Bavathābharanasya naasmi kim pathram – then why am I not eligible to be Your ornament?
Verse 70
Raja refers to moon. Shekara means ‘to keep on the forehead’. Rajashekara and Chandrashekhara are synonyms. Lord Shiva takes on these names. Such a Lord, who is over and above this world, remains in my heart. In what way does He remain in the heart?
Aarahasi rahasi swatantra budhya,
Varivasitum sulabha prasannamurthim,
Aganita phaladhāyakah prabhur me,
Jagat adhiko hridhi raja sekharosti
Aarahasi rahasi – One has the freedom to worship Him internally (rahasya, antarmukha) or externally (arahasi, bahirmukha)
‘antar bhair ca tat sarvam vyapya Narayana ta sthitha’– He exists both within and outside. There is no greater secret than the mind.
swatantra budhya Varivasitum sulabha – He can be easily pleased through reciting/ worship of the Vedas.
Swatantra buddhi means Veda buddhi.
prasannamurthim – He is pleasant and calm
Aganita phaladhayaka prabhur me – Countless are the fruits (rewards, phala) that He showers upon us
Jagat adhiko hridhi raja sekharosthi – Such a Lord Chandrashekara, who is the controller of all these worlds/ who is over and above all these worlds, is seated in my heart.