Anandalaharii 2

[Anand Hudli]

ghR^itaxiiradraakshhaamadhumadhurimaa kairapi padair-
  vishishhyaanaakhyeyo bhavati rasanaamaatravishhayaH |
 tathaa te saundaryaM paramashivadR^iN^maatravishhayaH
 kathaN^kaaraM bruumaH sakalanigamaagocharaguNe     || 2 ||

ghR^ita- ghee
xiira- milk
draakshhaa- grapes
madhu- honey
madhurimaa - sweetness
kairapi- by any
padaiH- words
vishishhyaanaakhyeyo-  not characteristically named
bhavati- becomes
rasanaamaatravishhayaH - the object of  only the tongue
tathaa- in that way
te- Your
saundaryaM- beauty
paramashiva - Lord Shiva, the supremely auspicious One
dR^iN^maatravishhayaH-  the object of only the eyes
kathaN^kaaraM - how
 bruumaH - do we tell
sakalanigama- all the Vedas
agochara - beyond the reach
guNe - (who have) qualities

 O Goddess Bhavaani! Which words can characteristically represent the
 sweetness of (sweet things such as) ghee, milk, grapes, and honey!
 (Such sweetness) is (correctly and completely) grasped by the tongue
 alone. In a similar way, Your (unsurpassed) beauty can only be
 grasped by the eyes of the supremely auspicious Lord Shiva alone.
 (Such being the case,) how can we describe (Your beauty)? Your
 qualities are beyond description by (even) all the Vedas!


 A related verse occurs in the durgA-saptashatii (1.81) :

 (Lord Brahmaa said:)

  saumyaa saumyataraa-sheshhasaumyebhyas-tvatisundarii |
  paraaparaaNaaM paramaa tvameva parameshvari          ||

  You are pleasing, even more pleasing than all things that are
  pleasing. You are exceedingly beautiful. O Supreme Ishvari,
  You alone are beyond and above the superior and inferior.


 In the Prabodha-sudhaakara, Shankara describes the experience of
 the Bliss (Ananda) that is Brahman in terms of tasting a sweet
 thing such as jaggery. By studying the books (scriptures), one
 comes to the  conclusion, "jaggery is sweet."
 The Guru will point out the place where jaggery is to be found.
 But only by self experience, ie. by actually tasting jaggery
 himself/herself,  does the seeker feel "Yes! I am tasting jaggery
 and it is sweet!" and know the taste.

 In the above verse dedicated to the Goddess, we may interpret the
 beauty of Bhavaani to be the bliss of Brahman itself. It is not
 possible to describe the bliss in mere words, nay, even in the
 words of the vedas! Only the liberated person (represented by
 Shiva) can actually see (experience) that beauty (bliss).

 Anand




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