[Advaita-l] Fwd: Greetings to all Astikas on the blessed occasion of Sharadamba’s pratishtha at Teetwal.

[V Subrahmanian]

Sri Natraj Maneshinde's post:

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शारदे करुणानिधे सकलानवांब सदा जनान् |
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Greetings to all Astikas on the blessed occasion of Sharadamba’s pratishtha
at Teetwal.

Shivavatara Bhagavatpada Adi Shankaracharya was quite fond of Sharadamba’s
swaroopa. This is evidenced by the manner in which Bhagavatpada commences
his work on Agama-shastra called Prapanchasara tantra. Acharya begins
Prapanchasara with the following Mangalacharana shloka invoking Sharadamba

अकचटतपयाद्यैः सप्तभिर्वर्णवर्गै-
र्विरचितमुखबाहापादमध्याख्यहृत्का ।
सकलजगदधीशा शाश्वता विश्वयोनि-
र्वितरतु परिशुद्धिं चेतसः शारदा वः ॥

[May Bhagavati Sharada, whose face, arms, feet, waist, heart are composed
of the Swaras and Vyanjanas, who is the substratum of the whole world, who
is eternal, who is the creatrix of the world, grace our mind with the
utmost purity]

Commenting on the above shloka, Bhagavan Padmapadacharya ji, a direct
disciple of Bhagavatpada, in his Prapanchasara vivarana, states that this
Sharadamba is verily the Vedanta-pratipadya-Brahman as understood in
Advaita Sampradaya.

Interestingly, there is  a work called Prayoga-krama-deepika, a tika on
Padmapadacharya’s Vivarana, which supplies some revealing info that is very
relevant to the present occasion. Commenting on the reason behind
Bhagavatpada chosing to commence the work with Sharadamba’s Mangalacharana,
the tika says :

शारदा व इति। काश्मीरमण्डले प्रसिद्देयं देवता। तत्र निवसता आचार्येणाऽयं
ग्रंथः कृत इति तदनुस्मरणोपपत्तिः सकलागमानामधिदेवतेयमिति।

[ Sharadamba  is the goddess who is popular in Kashmir mandala. Acharya was
residing in Kashmir while composing Prapanchasara. Also, Bhagavati Sharada
is the adhishtatri of all Agamas. Hence, her invocation is apt]

From this comment, we get to know that Bhagavatpada was in Kashmir while
composing Prapanchasara and he chose to do Sharadamba’s Mangalacharana out
of his love towards this Swaroopa of Amba.

It is our traditional belief that Acharya established this very Devi in his
matha at Shringeri, where she has been ardently worshipped by all the
succeeding Acharyas. Interestingly, the form of Sharadamba we worship in
Shringeri, has also been described by Bhagavatpada in Prapanchasara

पञ्चाशद्वर्णभेदैर्विहितवदनदोःपादयुक्कुक्षिवक्षो-
देशां भास्वत्कपर्दाकलितशशिकलामिन्दुकुन्दावदाताम् ।
अक्षस्रक्कुम्भचिन्तालिखितवरकरां त्रीक्षणां पद्मसंस्था-
मच्छाकल्पामतुच्छस्तनजघनभरां भारतीं तां नमामि ॥7.6॥

[Bhagavati Bharati is seated on a lotus, she is three-eyed and is of a
transparent brilliancy. She is white as the moon and the jasmine flowers.
The fifty different letters make her hands,feet,belly etc. On her head are
coils of hair and the crescent moon. In her four arms, she holds a
rudraksha-mala, a sudha-kalasha, a book and Chinmudra]

On this blessed day, it is very heartening to behold Amba’s punah pratishta
in her Kashmir Mandala by the lotus hands of Shri Shringeri Sannidhanam.

Maya Sharadamba bless us with Dharma-buddhi 🙏🏻

॥ पराचिति स्वरूपिणी जय जय जगज्जननि ॥

Newly consecrated Devi image in Teetwal:
See here:
https://groups.google.com/g/advaitin/c/bo3kBY12qjk