Discourse on Sivananda Lahari
Day 25, August 26
Jaya Guru Datta
Verse 48:
Nithyānanda-rasālayaṃ suramuni-swāntāmbu-jātāśrayam
Swacham sad dwija-sevitam kaluśahrith sadvāsana vishkrutam
Shambhu dhyāna sarōvaram vruja mano hamsāvatamsa sthiram
Kim kshudralaya-palvala-bramana-sanjāta śramam prāpsyasi
The mind is addressed as a royal swan/Raja Hamsa. You are the greatest amongst all swans. You will be happy to reach the lake called ‘Meditation upon Siva’. The bliss that it yields is Brahmananda/supreme bliss. Amrita fills that lake. All the fully blown lotuses there are the celestials and the great sages. You please make that lake your abode.
The minds of the sages and celestials are the lotuses that occupy that pristine lake. There are many great species of birds there. This lake has the capacity to cleanse the minds.
Some lakes with stagnant water will be smelling bad and will be dirty. But this lake is not like that. This lake is wonderful, filled with beautiful lotuses.
Stay there forever. Why do you seek ponds that are inferior? Give up such strenuous and futile wandering.
This is a wonderful stotram/devotional verse. O mind, I pray to you to remain permanently in the contemplation of Lord Siva.
Eternal bliss is the water. The sages and saints are the swans. Great scholars and birds are enjoying the lake called the contemplation of Lord Siva. All the contaminants from the mind are removed by the waters of this lake. The lotuses are very fragrant. O mind, as the Raja Hamsa, the royal swan, make this pond your permanent home, instead of going to undesirable and unpleasant places.
Verse 49:
Ānandāmruta-pooritām hara-padāmbhoja lavālodyata
Sthairyopagna mupetya bhakti latika śākhoupa śhākhanvita
Uchairmānasa kāyamāna patalī mākramya nishkalmaśā
Nithyabeeśta phalpradā bavatu me satkarma-samvardhita
This verse excels the previous verse in its sweetness. It is difficult to decide which verse is better than which other verse. Each is extremely beautiful.
Let devotion spring into existence within my heart like a vine, and let it grow big and strong and yield lovely sweet fruits. I have given it a pillar for support and have built a trellis for it to spread freely. I have dug a rim around the roots. I water it regularly.
By the merit earned by our parents, we have obtained a Sadguru. We have not found him. He has found us. He has held us and is guiding us in the right path, preventing us from treading the wrong path. All the ways that this creeper should be cared for are mentioned here.
This creeper is watered with the nectar called bliss. The happiness experienced by devotees is indefinable. It cannot be described. The happiness spreads to others.
Kha means sky. Sukha means good sky. Duhkha means bad sky. Each of these feelings spreads in the sky-like mind and fills it. Devotion fills the mind with happiness. We must fill our minds with happiness that comes with devotion. Devotional activities must be performed with joy.
A person was expected to take out the Saligramas to offer them worship. But he was putting them away in the box, instead. He explained that his mind was not favorable to doing the puja then. A Saligrama is a manifestation of God. One cannot avoid worship because of a bad mood. One must meditate for a moment and get into the mood for offering worship, and not avoid the performance of it.
There are two schools of thought. One says: Forcefully follow your discipline, without paying attention to the moods of the mind. The other says: Whatever you do, you must do willingly and joyfully.
Sri Rama declared that his pilgrimage had purified his mind. Once you forcefully engage in a good activity, the mind naturally gets purified and the mood improves.
Siva’s lotus feet are the soil in which the creeper called devotion was planted. It was watered with the water called happiness. Then it grew. I have kept the creeper steady by giving it a steady mind as a pillar of support. The creeper wound itself around it. Ropes were tied to the creeper to make it spread its different branches. It reached the trellis/pandiri in Telugu, built for it up above. It grew to a great height and spread all over the trellis called the mind. It is pure and pristine ever yielding wonderful fruits. It has grown with the fertilizer called performance of good deeds. Sometimes creepers are given fumigation to get rid of any pests that may affect the creeper’s health. This creeper grants the fruits that I always desire. This creeper helps me to achieve my goals.
Let devotion grow vigorously like a healthy creeper. May it spread everywhere. Let this creeper bless me with Jnana/spiritual knowledge.
Non-devotees find the behavior of devotees as insane. They cannot understand this ecstasy felt by devotees. The nectarine bliss is the water that waters this creeper called devotion. Siva’s lotus feet are the support that make this devotion grow strong. The pillar-like Lord Siva helps this devotion-creeper produce countless branches and grow in all different directions, reaching great heights and spreading even to the roof. Once devotion fills the heart, the person does more and more good deeds to help others. Simply sitting and doing puja is not sufficient. A devotee’s actions should help him and others also in the society. Let this devotion-creeper yield us good fruits.
Sri Bhagavatpada is giving us a beautiful lesson on how to develop devotion.
Verse 50:
Sandhyārambha-vijrumbhitam shruti shirasthānānta-rādiśthitam
Saprema-bramarābhiramam-asakruth sadvāsana-shobhitam
Bhogindrā bharanaṃ samasta-sumanah-poojyam gunāviśkrutam
Seve śrigiri-mallikarjuna-mahālingam shivālingitam
The science of devotion is taught to us by Sri Bhagavatpada.
This prayer was composed at Sri Sailam as per historical documentation, and follows the meter of Sikharee Vrittam/mountain-peak meter. It describes and praises Lord Mallikarjuna as the Maha Lingam of Siva.
Sri Bhagavatpada finished his bath in the Krishna River in the evening, and was walking back. He noticed an Arjuna tree with a powerful creeper growing upon it. The entire Sthala Purana/legend of the pilgrimage center of Sri Sailam is described in this one verse. If you chant this, you earn the merit of actually visiting Sri Sailam and performing abhishekam to the Lord. Believe me when I say this.
This Arjuna tree is in bloom in the evening and appears very beautiful.
‘Sri’ means glow or radiance, or prosperity. Sri has many meanings. It is a mantra of Surya, says the Yajurveda. Linga is a symbol, a mark, a sign for God. It is a sign to denote the presence of Siva. Matti mara in Kannada language is Arjuna tree. When we see a Siva Linga we remember Siva. When we see Datta’s murti, we remember Lord Dattatreya who resides in the Sahyadri mountains. When Sri Bhagavatpada saw this tree and the creeper, he remembered Lord Mallikarjuna. Here at Sri Sailam, Siva is described as Sthanu, an immobile trunk of a tree that appears lifeless.
Once upon a time, Siva took the form of an Arjuna tree on this mountain for the sake of Sri Subrahmanya. Let us not go into that story now. Some hunters, looking for fuel, cut this down. When the hunter axed this tree trunk, it began bleeding. That tree trunk still exists there in Sri Sailam as Vriddha Mallikarjuna Swami. The blood stains are still there. The scientists have declared that it is a petrified tree; the tree trunk has turned into stone. The hunters got frightened and ran away. Generally trees yield milk when cut, not blood. The white tree bled red blood.
Mother Goddess got worried that Siva has become immobile. She decided to give him life. She took the form of a creeper and would herself around the tree trunk. Then the tree sprouted again. He became alive. That is why this Lord is called Mallikarjuna Swami. Mallika is the creeper that brought back to life this Arjuna tree. This pilgrimage center gives us a great message about the preservation of nature. Vishnu centers are about water. Siva’s pilgrimage centers are about earth and fire.
Siva is Siva’s name. Sivaa is Mother Goddess’ name. She has embraced her Lord here who stood still as an immobile tree trunk.
Each tree species has certain features. In the evening, the Arjuna tree blooms. The flowers then fall to the ground. Every evening Siva dances his Ananda Tandava/dance of joy. To his dance rhythm we sing, dance, and play musical instruments. That is why evening time is most suited for singing Nama Sankeertana. We must sing with that feeling that we are accompanying the dance of Siva. At least for five or ten minutes daily we must sing or listen to devotional music. We must sing some chorus to Siva’s dance.
During Siva’s Pralaya Tandava/dance of destruction, no one can accompany Lord Siva. That dance transcends Time also. But for Ananda Tandava of Siva, we can accompany with our singing. We must visualize his dance in our hearts, and sing with ecstasy.
Even if you do not sing with devotion, you still gain the merit. Swamiji is encouraging the singing of God’s names all over the world. Because it is evening time at different times in different places, people sing in American, in Europe, in Australia, and so many other countries. If everyone stops singing in the evening time, then, Siva will dance the Pralaya Dance instead of the Ananda dance. We can even overcome death by praising Lord Siva, it says so in the Chandrasekhara Ashtakam – mama kim karishyati vai Yamaha? What can Yama do to me?
The creeper’s movement reminded Sri Bhagavatpada of Siva and His great Ananda Tandava. The entire Nature should be viewed as your favorite deity, if not Siva, view it as Ganapati, or Mother Goddess or Hanuman.
It is a huge Maddichettu in Telugu/Arjuna tree. The tree does not move, only the small branches and the leaves will move.
Once, when we visited Hawaii, we were sent by Swamiji to visit a huge garden. It is an unforgettable visit. I went with Raman and Sheri Lipton. She is a great devotee who takes good care of Swamiji when he visits Hawaii. I asked her how long it will take. It was a huge park and would take about 3 hours to see it, she said. I wished to come back by evening to do my rituals. It was getting late and there the sunset occurs very late.
It was a beautiful park. I wished to stay there longer. At the same time I was impatient to get back. There was a huge rudraksha tree. People are generally not allowed to go near it. Sheri took me near it and asked me to shake the tree. It rained rudrakshas, several thousands of them. A security guard came. I was worried that he might say something. He said: O you are from India, go ahead and collect the seeds. I have brought back hundreds of them. Sheri, noticing the conflict in my about its getting late, said: Even worship of nature is Anushthanam/ritual worship. Isn’t it? I had been eager to return home. But to hear her words, I felt thrilled. I agreed with her and we stayed there till 8:30 PM.
Shruti is Veda. By listening to the Veda we destroy our sins, and remove our difficulties. The Upanishads are the peak of the tree called Veda. They are described as the head of the Vedas. Shruti also means ears. Sri Bhagavatpada gives two meanings. He describes both Siva’s feet and the lake as one and the same.
There are two types of embrace, Ramalinganam/Rama’s embrace, and Bhimalinganam/Bhima’s embrace. Dhritarashtra, an extremely strong-bodied person wished to kill Bhima by hook or crook. Dhritarashtra pretended love, and invited Bhima for an embrace. Krishna detected his evil intention and placed in his embrace an iron statue the size of Bhima. It got crushed to dust. Taking the role of intellect, Krishna ever protected the Pandavas. Karna’s form was the mind and that is why he went astray and joined the Kauravas.
Rama embraced Hanuman. Hanuman thought that this was the ultimate blessing in his life that gave him enough bliss that he was ready to end his life. Rama at once blessed Hanuman to become immortal. Enjoy this bliss forever and at the end of the Kalpa become Chaturmukha/four-faced Brahma, Rama blessed Hanuman.
Here, Mother Goddess Bhramarambika lovingly embraced Lord Mallikarjuna. Especially when it rains, the Arjuna tree smells very fragrant. All pious souls take refuge at this tree. When Sri Bhagavatpada noticed the snakes on the tree, he did not run away. He visualizes them as the snakes all over the body of Siva. At once Sri Bhagavatpada described Siva with serpents crawling all over him. The small baby snakes were the rings on the fingers. All different species of snakes were adorning Siva. The huge python Vasuki became His necklace. If you remember and visualize Siva’s form before going to sleep, no nightmares will occur.
Play the Siva Kavacham and listen to it with attention. Merely playing the CD and watching TV is not effective. You must listen to the words attentively and follow the meaning. Do not feel satisfied that the recording is playing in the house. It is wrong to be talking politics or talking about snakes while playing the Kavacham. If you pray to Siva or Lord Subrahmanya you will be rid of the fear of snakes. Bad omens and bad dreams will be dispelled by listening to the Siva Kavacham sung by Sri Swamiji (in Kavacha Manjari CD).
In Hawaii the big flowers are worn in the ear. The flowers of the Arjuna tree are worn in the ear as a decoration.
Bhramara is a bee. Mother goddess had killed Arunasura who had the boon that he would only be killed by sound. So Mother Goddess brought an army of bees and with the buzzing sound killed the demon. Mother Goddess lovingly came to Mallikarjuna as Bhramarambika/goddess of bees. All pious souls worship Lord Siva. The Arjuna tree gives out great fragrance. Big serpents live on this tree, as decorations to Lord Siva. The deities ever worship Lord Siva.
We close the temple at night to give a chance to the deities to come and worship the Lord in their subtle form. In the morning we have to ring the bell as a sign to tell the deities that we are here to give worship. We seek the permission of the deities at the entrance way to enter the temple. We should not abruptly open the doors and enter a temple without first seeking permission. These are some strict rules to be followed by the priests at the temple.
Siva enhances all our virtues. In the evening if we chant this verse, Siva appears clearly before our eyes.
Sivaalingitam …the way Mother Goddess embraced Lord Siva, Sri Bhagavatpada would have run and embraced the tree in his devotional ecstasy. That is the picture I see in my mind’s eye.
Many people plan to have darshan of the Lord at Sri Sailam in the evening time, which is the most auspicious time of the day to have the darshan there.
Bhajan: Jyotirlingakara (Mallikarjuna)
Namassivaya
Verse 51:
Bhringīsccha- natanothkatah karimadagrāhi sphuran mādhava
Hladho nādayuto mahāsitavapuh pancheshuṇā chādruhah
Satpaksha-ssumano-vaneshu sa punah sākshān madeeye mano
Rajeeve bramarādhipo viharatām śrisailavāsi vibhuh
Bhringiscchāh natanothkatah
Sri Bhagavatpada embraced the Arjuna tree. Then he walked along chanting his prayers. He suddenly saw a huge black bee/Gandu tummeda in Telugu. He at once remembered Lord Siva, the lord of the bees. The bees are going after the honey in the lotus blooms. This bee, I wish would come and land in my mind which is like a lotus, Sri Bhagavatpada prays. He prays to the Lord of the bees to come. We must first transform our minds into lotuses before inviting the Lord of the bees to come and take his position there.
Bhringi is a female bee. Also it is Nandiswara’s name. To please Nandi, Siva dances. We keep thinking of different things in our minds, because the mind is ever wandering, even when we see Siva. Whatever he sees, Sri Bhagavatpada sees Siva in every single object. We should cultivate that trait. It will come with practice.
When Siva danced the Tandava, no stage was sufficiently big. Then Nandi said, can you dance on my horns? Let me see if I can support you on my horns. So, on his tippy toes/merely using His big toe for support, Siva danced on Bhringi’s horns. That dance Sri Bhagavatpada remembered now and addressed both Lord Siva and Bhringi.
When the intoxicated elephant oozes and drips the liquid from its head, the bees will keep landing on that sweet beverage to consume it, giving a lot of irritation to the elephant. Gajasura’s/demon in an elephant’s form arrogance Siva quelled and wore his skin as his garment, by the demon’s request.
A bee loves honey. Madhava is Sri Hari, the consort of Lakshmi. He is very naughty and mischievous. One can never anticipate His actions. He throws everyone into delusion. He is the lord of Maya/illusion which is difficult to transcend.
He took the form of Mohini/enchantress and distributed nectar amongst the celestials. He returned to Vaikuntha after completing His mission to give up his form of Mohini. People described to Siva the enchanting form of Mohini and told Him that He has missed viewing something most extraordinary. Upon hearing this, Siva requested Vishnu to assume that form again to show Him. Vishnu cautioned Siva: You have killed desire but seeing this Mohini form, you may lose that title of Kama samhara/killer of desire. The matter ended then.
After a long time elapsed, suddenly once in a forest, a deer took the form of Mohini in the presence of Siva. Siva was surprised and infatuated by its beauty. Sri Hari told Siva: Do not fool me by acting as if you are infatuated. I know that you transcend desire. Siva told Vishnu: You and I are one. If you are Mohini, then I am Mohini also. There is no difference between us. Vishnu enchanted as Mohini; Siva also can enchant as Mohini.
Springtime is liked by bees because honey is plentiful then. Siva begins his Tandava/celestial dance, and all the deities, including Ganapati, accompany Him playing different musical instruments. In the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple (in Madurai) you see this scene depicted.
All the deities assumed different forms of Nada. Siva is white-skinned. Bees are dark.
Manmatha has five arrows. He employed them on Siva and got burned. Just one arrow will distort our minds. Siva is the killer of desires. Remembering Siva will destroy our Kama/lustful passions.
How springtime comes, how Manmatha and the parrots come, are described in the Soundarya Lahari. Not here.
Sumana means deity. Siva supports the deities. Krishna sides with Dharma. Duryodhana demanded why Krishna supported Arjuna. Krishna declared: I support Dharma. If you follow Dharma, I will support you also. Siva supports Dharma. He is the lord of bees. The wings of the bee are so beautiful, translucent and invisible. Only by the buzzing, you know that the wings exist. The bees wander in gardens with beautiful flowers. In Sri Sailam these bees are seen everywhere. Please O bee, wander in my mind which is like a lotus, prays Sri Bhagavatpada. Bee, lotus, dance, music, Siva, Mother Goddess, so many beautiful visions Sri Bhagavatpada has blessed us with, in this one short verse.
Our mind is fickle and wanders from the image of God. But whether he sees a tree, a lake, a bee, a flower, a creeper, or a snake, Sri Bhagavatpada sees only Siva in all of them. Such absorption in the idea of God we should develop.
This verse gives two meanings, applies to a bee and to Siva. It is so beautiful. The bee is dancing. There is a huge entourage of female bees, to impress whom the bee is dancing. Siva danced to impress Bhringi.
The entire cosmos was used by Siva for his dance. Still the space was not sufficient. Swamiji has performed music concerts all over the world in all the grand concert halls. He has exhausted them all. Only one is now left in Sydney, Australia.
Siva had exhausted all the dance stages. Now, Bhringi challenged to See Siva dance on its horns. Siva told Bhringi: But you cannot see my dance. Bhringi said: I will manage somehow. I will keep a mirror. The others will describe your dance to me vividly. Please do not stop your dance. Siva’s weight the entire universe could not bear. Siva says the time has come to break the horns of this bull. He has become arrogant. On His big toe he balanced His weight, and light-footed, Siva danced. The prayer is to break the horns of arrogance. When they become arrogant, Bhaktulu/devotees become bhuktulu/consumers of excessive food.
At the end of the dance, Bhringi’s horn fell off. Bhringi cried. He wept. How can Siva dance on just one horn? Siva gave Bhringi a boon. Whoever uses the horn to do abhishekam, will gain great blessing. Siva likes and remembers that event. Siva must be preserved in the heart, not kept on the head.
Recently a devotee sent a horn from Bihar. Neel Gaay it is called. Swamiji uses a horn during Navaratri for abhishekam.
Kommu virigindi/horn is broken means ego is killed.
Sri Bhagavatpada remembers and describes Bhringi’s dance. O Siva, you have killed the arrogance of Gajasura. The dripping liquor of elephant is drunk by the bees. O Siva, you are filled with the Omkara, like the bees are filled the buzzing hum. All Nada serves you Siva. You are filled with Nada. You are fair. The bee is black. Manmatha aimed five arrows at you.
Pancha tanmatra sayaka – the five arrows are used by Mother Goddess.
He shot them at you. Manmatha used the bee as his accomplice to try to create in you, feelings of infatuation. The wings of the bee are not seen when the bee is flying.
Satpaksha=good wings and also one who supports the virtuous. You enjoy visiting celestial gardens. All dual meanings are given in Sri Bhagavatpada’s poetry. Please do not wander here and there. May this Lord of bees enjoy the garden of my mind which is like a lotus. Siva is not confined to Sri Sailam. Just as the bee goes everywhere, Siva travels everywhere. Siva is everywhere. Please may He move about in my heart-lotus.
Bhajan: Nadalola hridaya
Beautiful bhajan gifted to us by Swamiji. It is most appropriate in this context.
In the morning we will have the discourse on Yoga Vasishtha. Tomorrow we will be completing the Lalita Sahasranama Parayana and Koti Kunkumarchana. 2 crores chantings have been completed. We surrender the effort at Swamiji’s divine lotus feet. Tomorrow Swamiji will leave for Vijayawada for Mangala Gowri Vrata’s conclusion and the celebration of Vinayaka Chaviti.
Swamiji is giving us Ganapati Darshana right now. We are all blessed.
Sri Guru Datta