Soundarya Lahari Sloka -17

Soundarya Lahari Sloka -17
[Goddess surrounded by vaag devataas, Vaag vilaasa, Saastrajnaana]

Savitreebhirvaacaam sasimanisilaabhangarucibhih
Vasinyaadhyabhistwaam saha janani sancintayatiyah
Sa kartaa kaavyaanaam bhavati mahataam bhangirucibhi
Vacobhir vaagdevi vadana kamala moda madurai

Savitreebhirvaacaam - the actors of words
Savitreebhi:
In the sreecakra, in the ashtakona – eight angled divine abode, referred as sarva-roga-hara cakra, resides the vasini devatas.

Vasini vaag devata -
Kameswari vaag devata
Modini vaag devata
Vimala vaag devata
Aruna vaag devata
Jayini vaag devata
Srveswari vaag devata
Kaulini vaag devata

[method – 1 - bhooprasthara]

Sasimanisilaabhangarucibhih – having the brilliance equal to the broken candra kaanta stone

Vasinyaadhyabhi saha - alongwith vasini devatas
The above referred eight devatas of which vasini is the first and foremost ones. There are also eight vidya yogini devatas referred below:-

Vidya yogini
Recakaa yogini
Mocikaa yogini
Amrita yogini
Deepikaa yogini
Jnaana yogini
Aapyaayani yogini
Vyaapini yogini
Medhaa yogini
Vyomaroopaa yogini
Sidhdharoopaa yogini
Lakshmi yogini

Vidya yogini[12]and vaagdevataas[8] together are called as vimsati kala.
Tantrasaastra says like this:-

One who propitiates the suddhaspatika varna vaag -devatas and vidya-yoginis posited at the twenty corners of the two dasaara dwayaas of the sri-cakra become mahaakavi.

This is a method of pooja-krama in the sricakra-pooja bhoo-prasthara.
Eight vaag devataas represent the eight groups of the sabda-brahma.sabda-brahma is devi swarupa.
There are four branches of roopa-bheda for the sabda-brahma called as

Paraa - sookshma tama
Pasyanti - sookshma tara
Madhyama - sookshma
Vaikhari - sthoola

Of these, the sabdabrahmaroopa expressed as the letters/ words/ sentences is called as vaikhari.

In this vaikhariroopa, devi’s body is matruka-varnamaya.

Vaagdevataas represent the body of the matrukaatmikaa devi.



Akaaraadi swara form the first varga – letters a- aha
The chetana required for the expression of the other varga are available from this varga only.

The adidevata of this akaaraadi varga is called vasini, which is the first and foremost amongst vaag devataas.

Ka to nga form the second group of letters.
Ca to nja form the third group of letters.
Ta[tatkal] to na[money] form the fourth group of letters.
Ta[vikata] to na[gurunanak] form the fifth group of letters.
Pa to ma form the sixth group of letters.
Ya,ra,la,va form the seventh group of letters.
Sa[sasi],sha,sa[sanskrit],ha,ksha form the eight group of letters.

Yogasaastra [kailasa-prasthara method]gives the method of worshipping the goddess as the matrukavarna rupini called lalitambika as formed of –

1. vaag devatas [8]
2. vidya yoginis [12]
3. adhishtaana devata [4] of gandha,rasa, rupa and sparsa called by the respective names – gandhaakarshini, rasaakarshini, rupakarshini and sparakarshini. [method - 2]
4. The four adhishthaana devata are located in the four gates of the four dwaraas.

The sloka refers like this :-

Matrukaam vasineeyuktaam
yogineebhihi samanwitaam
Gandhaadi-aakarshinee-yuktaam
samsmaret tripuraambikaam.
Refer Sreesookta which is given below:-

Gandhadwaraam duraadharshaam nityapushtaam kareeshineem
Eeswareem sarvabhootaanaam taamihopahwahe sriyam

Yet another method is given below :-
In bindu and trikona – propitiate the four devatas –
Vasini, kameswari, modini and vimala;
In eight-angle, inner ten-angle, outer ten-angle, and fourteen-angle – propitiate the devatas –
Aruna,jayini,sarveswari,kaulini
This is to be done along with the bhuvaneswari jaganmata. [method - 3]

twaam - you
janani - Oh!goddess Supreme
sancintayati - thinks or imagines
yah - whoever
Sa - he
kartaa - creator
kaavyaanaam - divine poems
bhavati - become
mahataam - great people
bhangirucibhi - shines as the divine poems
Vacobhi: - by words
vaagdevi - saraswati the goddess of words
vadana kamala - lotus face of
moda madurai - sweet as the parimalam

Oh! Supreme Goddess!
One who propitiates you as surrounded and being propitiated by the vasini-vaag devatas [who are the creator of the words and having the brilliance of the broken candra-kaanta stone], he becomes the kaavya karta of the divine poems of sweet words [as if coming from the mouth of Goddess saraswati devi] {like the valmiki,vedavyaasa, kaalidaasa etc.}
The different cakras in the sree-cakra are given below:-
1. Sarvaanandamaya [innermost - bindu]
2. Sarva-siddhiprada
[triangle outside the innermost bindu]
3. sarva-roga-hara
[eight angle outside the triangle and bindu]
4. sarva-rakshaa-kara
[antardasaara cakra -outside the bindu, triangle and eight angle]
5. Sarvaartha-saadhaka
[bahirdasaara cakra – outside the bindu,triangle, eight and inner angle]
6. Sarva-sowbhagya-daayaka
[fourteen angle outside the bindu, triangle, eight angle, two dasaaraas]
7. Sarva-samkshobhana
[8 petalled lotus]
8. Sarva-aasaa-paripooraka
[16 petalled lotus]
9. trailokya-mohana
[between the gopura and bhoopura]

we will have a detailed study of the various 9 sub-cakras in the sree-cakra and the details of the devatas residing therein later, which is a must for the completion of the study of the Soundarya-Lahari.

We see that the great rishis or mahatmas act at different levels according to the requirement of the human mankind, like Mata Amritaanandamayi devi, Sai Baba, Guruji {sri Sri} {Jesus, Raama Krishna and so many others in earlier days} who act at different levels at different times. These mahatmas can work at different times according to the needs of the devotees and change their levels as and when required. It is beyond the reach of our normal intellect to find out the secret or truth about this.
For example, at the first and most sacred level is sarvaanandamaya, at which the rishi may give unbounded awareness to a devotee who is fully surrendered by mind and heart to the guru, on whom he has full faith.
At the second level, the guru may bestow the blessings on the devotee to get sarva siddhi, what all the pure satwik devotee wants.
At the third level, sarva roga hara, the rishi may remove simply by touch, the diseases like cancer etc which could not have been removed for a long period of time.
At the fourth level, sarvarakshaakara, the rishi will protect the devotee, irrespective of where the devotee is, bestowing him full kataksha.
At the fifth level, sarvaarthasaadhaka, the rishi will give boon to the saadhaka devotee to get whatever artha he wants.
At the sixth level, sarvasowbhagyadaayaka, the guru will shower his blessings on the devotee so that he gets all the sowbhagya beyond what he wants.
At the seventh level, the rishi will give boon to the devotee so that whatever vigna the devotee faces will be turned down to ashes thereby giving easy success to the devotee.
At the eight level, sarva aasaa paripooraka, the guru will bless the devotee so as to enable him to complete all his satwik desires.
At the last but least the ninth level, trailokya mohana, the guru will give the capacity to the devotee which will make the devotee to the level of attracting the three worlds.
For example, when you recall your memory about Jesus, Krishna etc, you get the idea of the sarva roga hara.
Perhaps you may recall your memory about some avadhootaas whose behaviour seem to be strange; but if you understand the various levels of the cakras at which they act- the doubt can be clarified; some avadhootaas act from the sarvasamkshobhana cakra – they destroy evil people coming near them with wrong intentions.
The great rishis or mahatmas can act at different levels bestowing the devotees the requisite benefits according to their needs. They can at any time switch over from any level to any other level. They even can make a devotee enter into any level by blessing them as referred in the yoga vaasishtha –
Vasishtha tells Raama like this :-
“Oh! Raama!
Sat Guru is one who by dharshan, sparshan, upadesa words instill the confidence and courage to do good [only] to the world and themselves by kaarunya, instill the godly power given above in the heart of the devotee and make it expressed according to the need of the situation for the good of the lower level devotees all around the world.”
The subject is vast and vicious and require deep study and keeping in mind, the fact that the upanishadik words –
Brahma satyam, jagan mithya is not to be forgotten.
This may help one to get out of the maaya cakra very easily with the blessings of the goddess or guru –
Iswaro gururaatmeti.
There is a proverb –
‘You get the good result of the sri-cakra pooja simply by the darshan of the sricakra which is equivalent to the performance of hundreds of mahaa yajnaas’.
Our body is containing the sri-cakra in micro [pinda] form.
The world is containing Sri-Cakra in macro [anda] form.
The aura which is very divine and possessing tremendous powers is produced where Sri-Cakra pooja is being performed for a continuously long period of time or where Lalita Sahasra Nama is being chanted with Omkar for thousand naamaas – this is being taken by photography today.
This will definitely do good for the welfare of the world.