[Advaita-l] Shankara Digvijaya Sara - part 21

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

śrīmadācāryasarasvatīsaṁvāda nāma navamaḥ sargaḥ ||9||
Canto 9: The conversation between Śrīmadācārya and Sarasvatī.

(The author of the Sāra has not quoted any ślokas from this sarga.  Briefly 
what happens is that Śaṅkarāchārya having detained Devi Sarasvatī from 
returning to Her heavenly home challenges Her to a debate during which she 
gains an advantage over him by asking questions about Kāmaśāstra which of 
course as a life-long brahmachāri he knows nothing about.  He asks for a short 
hiatus so he can make a rejoinder.)

rājadehapraveśādikathana nāma daśamaḥ sargaḥ ||10||
Canto 10: The stories of the Entry in to the Kings Corpse etc.

(Meanwhile in Kashmir a young, handsome, and wealthy king named Amaru or 
Amaruka has just died.  Using his yogic powers, Śaṅkarāchārya enters the body
of Amaruka and revives him.  He then spends some time with the kings wives and
all the pleasures of the palace and becomes an expert in Kāmaśāstra.  He then
returns to his own body and answers the questions causing Sarasvatī to concede
defeat.

There is a collection of 100 verses about erotica called Amaruśaṭaka after its
author about whom little is known.  Mādhavācharyā is saying that the poet is
this king whose corpse was posessed by Śaṅkarāchārya.)

131| jānāmi tvāṁ devi devasya dhātuḥ bhāryāmiṣṭāmaṣṭamūrteḥ sagarbhyām |
vācāmādyāṁ devatāṁ viśvaguptye cinmātrāmapyāttalakṣmyādirūpām ||70||

131. [Śaṅkara said] “I know you as the Goddess who is the root of all Gods and 
the sister of the Eight-formed [i.e. Śiva] who has become embodied, the 
Goddess of speech and related arts who, although formless, for the protection 
of the world assumes many forms such as Lakṣmī.”(70)

132| tasmādasmatkalpiteṣvarcyamānā sthāneṣu tvaṁ śāradākhyādiśantī |
iṣṭānarthānṛṣyaśṛṅgādikeṣu kṣetreṣvāssva prāptasatsaṁnidhānā ||71||

132. “Thus it is my prayer that in the places I have chosen such as the land 
of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga you should dwell with the name Śāradā in order to grant the 
desires of the devotees.”(71)

(One of the missions of Śaṅkarāchārya was to establish pīthas in the four 
directions at important places. Śṛṅgeri was chosen because even before it had 
been visited by him, it was a famous tīrtha having been the āṣrama of Ṛṣi 
Ṛṣyaśṛṅga.)

133| tatheti saṁśrutya sarasvatī sā prāyātpriyaṁ dhāma pitāmahasya |
adarśanaṁ tatra samīkṣya sarve ākasmikaṁ vismayamīyuruccaiḥ ||72||

133. On hearing this, Sarasvatī agreed to this loving request and returned to 
the abode of the Grandfather [i.e. Brahma]. Observing her sudden 
disappearance, everyone was astonished and raised shouts of dismay.(72)

(The general public still do not know Her true identity and think it was
Ubhaya Bhāratī who has disappeared.)

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>