सुरासुर सेवित... (surAsura sevita...)

                                      

I would like to wrap up the series of saraswati slokas with this one.

सुरासुर सेवित पाद पङ्कजा
करे विराजित कमनीय पुस्तका ।
विरिञ्चि पत्नी कमलासनस्तिथा
सरस्वती नृत्यतु वाचि मे सदा ॥

surAsura sevita pAda pankajA

kare virAjita kamanIya pustakA |

virinchi patnI kamalA sanastithA

sarasvatI nrutyatu vAci me sadA ||

The essence of the sloka is the following. surAsura (सुरासुर) is broken down as sura + asura. The first word sura  means a learned or spiritual man while asura refers to an evil spirit. Thus, surAsura refers to all the devas and asuras in Hindu mythology. sevita (सेवित) means worship and pAda pankajA (पाद पङ्कजा) means the Lotus feet. Thus, the sentence itself means, One whose Lotus feet are worshipped by devAs and asurAs alike. One whose hands (करे) are adorned (विराजित) with a beautiful (कमनीय) book (पुस्तका). One who is the consort (पत्नी) of Lord brahmA (विरिञ्चि) and is seated on a Lotus (कमलासनस्तिथा). O goddess saraswati, dance (नृत्यतु) in my speech (वाचि मे) at all times (सदा), i.e., make me a learned man.

Like the previous 2 slokas, this one is also relatively straightforward, but  the one word that caught my attention was virinchi (विरिञ्चि) and why it was used to reference Lord brahmA. I did some research and here is what I found. Like all devAs and other personal gods like shiva, vishNu etc., brahmA is a post. Like us, he too has to strive to attain the eternal and ultimate goal, that of merging with the impersonal god, the brahman. While doing so, he has to execute his job of creation. The current brahmA is called virinci brahmA and, hence, the reference to goddess saraswati as virinci patnI!

For those interested in some math about the lifetime of brahmA, here it is:

1 mahAyugA = Sum of 4 yugAs (krita, tretA, dwApara and kali) = 4,320,000 years. 

1000 mahAyugAs = 1 day-time of Brahma also known as a kalpa. There is an equivalent night-time of 4,320,000,000 years. The day-night of Brahma together constitutes one brahmA day (8.64 billion years). 

360 brahmA days = 1 brahmA year

100 brahmA years = life of cosmos = 311 trillion years = lifetime of brahmA

At the end of every daytime of brahmA, the world becomes uninhabitable due to a tremendous drought followed by incessant rains for stretching over the entire nighttime of brahmA. The world is then reincarnated during the next daytime. At the end of brahmA's lifetime, all the worlds and evolution as we know it are dissolved and has to begin anew with the new brahmA.

Carl Sagan, a noted scientist says in relation to this, "The Hindu religion is the only one of the world's great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond, to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma, 8.64 billion years long. Longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun and about half the time since the Big Bang. And there are much longer time scales still." 

Every kalpa is ruled by 14 manus (Indras) in succession. The reigning period of one manu is one manvantarA. Thus, 1 manvantarA =71.42 mahAyugAs. We are presently in the sveta-varAha kalpa in the reigning period of vaivaswatha - the 7th manu. In this manvantarA  we are in the 28th mahAyugA. As per our Cosmology, brahmA is supposed to have completed 50 brahmA years and is in his 51st year. That is why he is called "parardha-dvaya-jivin" (ie) he  lives for two parardhas. A parardha is half. Two halves make one. He is called so as he has completed one half of his tenure. If some of these terms ring a bell, it is because we regularly utter them during all our samkalpAs. If you read below, you will understand that the samkalpa is actually a wonderful form of time-keeping! 

The actual samkalpa mantra and its meaning runs like this

".... dviteeya parardhe - in the 2nd half of brhamA's life

svetavarAha kalpe - in the kalpa of Sveta-Varaha

vaivaswatha manvantare - in the reining period of the current manu vaivaswatha

ashtA vimsati tame - in the 28th mahAyugA of the current manvantarA

kaliyuge - in this kali yuga

prathame pAdhe - in the first quarter of this yuga

jambUdveepe - this denotes the place where the ritual is performed. India was known as Jambudveepa

bhArata varshe, bharata kande - in the land of Bharat

sakhabde mero, dakshine pArsve - to the South of the Meru mountain

asmin varthamAne vyavahArike - in the current period now reigning

prabhavAdi shasti samvatsarAnAm madya - among the cycle of 60 years starting from Prabhava

nAma samvatsare - the name of the year in the 60 year Hindu calendar

....Ayane - Dakshinayane (Aadi to Marghazi) or Uttarayane (Thai to Aani)

....ritou - denotes the 6 seasons or Ritus - Vasantha, Greeshma, Varsha, Sharadh, Hemantha and Shishira

....mAse - one of the 12 tamil months

....pakshe - either Shukla Paksham (day after Amavasya till and including Pournami) or Krishna Paksham (day after Pournami till and including Amavasya)

....subha tithou - one of the 15 days between Pournami and Amavasya (Prathama, Dvithiya, Trithiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shasti, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami,Dasami, Ekadasi, Dwadashi, Trayodasi, Chaturdasi, Pournami or Amavasya)

....vAsara yuktAyAm - one of the days of the week (Bhanu, Soma, Bhowma, Soumya, Guru, Brugu and Sthira)

....nakshatra yuktAyAm - the day's star or Nakshatram.

या कुन्देन्दु ... (yA kundendu ...)

 

I figured I better post another saraswati sloka and move on before it is navaratri again, so here goes:

या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रान्विता
या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना ।
या ब्रह्माच्युतशन्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवै: सदा पूजिता
सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती नि:शेषजाड्यापहा ॥

yA kundendutuSArahAradhavalA yA shubhravastrAnvitA

yA vINAvaradaNDamaNDitakarA yA shvetapadmAsanA |

yA brahmAcyutashankaraprabrutibirdevai sadA pUjitA

sa mAm pAtu sarasvatI bhagavatI ni:sheSajADyApahA ||

The gist of the sloka is the following. One who (या ) is as white as a Jasmine (कुन्द​) flower, the moon (इन्दु) and as dazzling (धवला) as a snow garland (तुषारहार), One who is dressed (अन्वित​) in pure white (शुभ्र) clothes (वस्त्र​). One whose two hands play the Veena (वीणा) and other two hands (करा) are poised to grant boons and punishments (वरदण्डमण्डित) as needed, One who is seated (आसन​) on a white (श्वेत) lotus (पद्म​). One who is always worshipped (सदा पूजिता) by Brahma (ब्रह्मा), Vishnu (अच्युत​), Shiva (शन्कर​) and all the Devas (र्देवै:). Protect me (सा मां पातु) Goddess Saraswati (सरस्वती भगवती) by removing all remaining (नि:शेष) obstacles and sluggishness (जाड्या).


I found these lovely explanations for the pose of the Goddess and why she is surrounded by the birds she is depicted with. I paraphrase:

Goddess Saraswati is often depicted as a beautiful, white -skinned goddess, dressed in pure white often seated on a  swan (carrier)  or on a white  lotus. She is mainly associated with the color white, which signifies the purity of true knowledge.She is not adorned heavily with jewels and gold, and is dressed modestly, representing her preference of knowledge over worldly material things. 

Saraswati depicted wearing white cloths. because the colour white is a symbol of the purity of true knowledge which she bestows on the seeker. Similarly, her association with the swan and the peacock too stress the wisdom aspect. The swan is said to have the ability to separate milk from water and drink milk only, which is a metaphor of the way a seeker has to continually discriminate between what is real and permanent and what is transient. The peacock's vanity at its own beautiful plumage is a reminder of how a true seeker of knowledge has to learn to detach himself from the body by understanding the transitory nature of physical appearance. 

She is generally  shown to have four arms, which represent the four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. Alternatively, these four arms also represent the 4 vedas, the sacred books of Hindus. She is shown to hold the following in her four hands:

 1 In First hand a  pustaka (sacred Vedas) , representing the universal, divine, eternal, and true knowledge as well as her perfection of the sciences and the scriptures.
 2. In Second hand a akshamala (garland of crystals to meditate), representing the power of meditation and spirituality.
 3. In Third hand a kamandalu (pot of sacred water), representing creative and purificatory powers, or the smooth flow of knowledge, like water, stored in a pot.
 4. In Fourth hand , a musical instrument (Veena) that represents her perfection of all arts and sciences.

saraswati namastubhyam (सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम्)...

I wanted to continue posting more dakShiNamUrti slokas and follow that up with slokas on  hayagrIva and dattatreya. There is no particular link connecting this list, but its just that these avatars of God have always seemed intriguing to me and I was hoping to learn more by posting some slokas on them. However, with the navaratrI season upon us, I will post devI and saraswatI slokas over the next few posts. I am starting off with a basic saraswati sloka that every kid is asked to recite for succeeding in his/her studies. :

 सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यम् वरदे कामरूपिणि।
विद्यारम्भम् करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा॥

saraswati namastubhyam varade kAmarUpiNi |
vidyArambham kariShyAmi siddhir bhavatume sadA ||

saraswati, the consort of brahma, is the goddess of learning and is considered to be the mother of the vedas. saraswati literally means 'she who flows' and it is no wonder it is also the name of a river. Knowledge is not meant to stagnate and has to keep flowing and evolving, and hence, the connection. According to various sources on the internet, saraswati is mentioned in the Rigveda both as a river and as a separate entity as a goddess. The essence of the sloka is the following:

O Goddess saraswati, my salutations to you  (नमस्तुभ्यम्), O giver of boons (वरदे) to fulfill or give form (रूप​) to ones desires (काम), I am beginning my studies today (विद्यारम्भम् करिष्यामि), wish me success (सिद्धिर्भवतु मे)  always (सदा).

Even though goddess saraswati does not directly fulfill our desires for wealth or fame, it is understood here that she does so by blessing us with the knowledge basis required to go attain the same.