shrI vishvanAtham bhajEham - Part 2

Anupallavi:

shrI vishAlAkSI gaurIsham sakaLa niSkaLa rUpa saccidAnandamaya gaurIsham:
श्री विशालाक्षी गौरीशम् सकळ निष्कळरूप सच्चिदानन्दमय गौरीशम्

gaurIsham in the first usage refers to the Lord of Gauri.
vishAlAkSI gauri ("the fair one with large eyes") refers to Lord Shiva's consort Parvathi.

saccidAnanda : refers to the three-fold nature of brahman in Vedanta philosophy,namely, sat (existence), cit (consciousness), and Ananda (bliss or fullness).Each of these is treated separately in the carana section of this kriti: sat appears in the lalitA raga (sanmAtram), cit in the sArangA raga (citsabhEshvaram), and Ananda in sArangA (Anandanartanam)of the viloma section.

sakala niShkaLa rUpa: The Lord is worshipped both as “saguNA ‘ (with attributes,form etc)and “nirguNA”(Attributeless, formless)

This refers to the 'dual aspect' of brahman, the ultimate source from which all gods and creatures emerge.

The second occurence of gaurIsham refers to Shiva's body which is covered with white ashes representing purity and detachment.

gaurIsham also has the name of the rAga.


citra vishva nATaka prakAsham jagat prakAsaka bhAskara shashAnka kOTi kOTi prakAsham:
चित्र विश्वनाटक प्रकाशं जगत्प्रकाशक भास्कर शशाङ्क कोटि कोटि प्रकाशं

citra vishva nATaka prakAsham: He who illuminates this varied and wonderful world which is a drama

jagat prakAsaka bhAskara shashAnka kOTi kOTi prakAsham: Whose radiance is like an infinite number of Suns and Moons which illuminate this eternally changing world

The above expressions are based on the Vedantic concept of AtmA as Witness Consciousness (sAkshi caitanyam)witnessing the drama but unaffected.

"citra vishva nATaka" has the raga mudra.

gOvindAdi vinuta gauLAngam kshIra kundEndu karpUrAdi vijaya bhasitOdhULita gauLAngam:
गोविन्दादि विनुत गौळाङ्गं क्षीर कुन्देन्दु कर्पूरादि विजय भसित उद्दधूळित गौळाङ्गं

gOvindA : Finder of cows or KrishNa

The Lord who has a fair complexion (due to the sprinkling of vibhUti or sacred ashes) is worshipped by gOvindA. This vibhUti(sacred ashes)smeared on Lord Shiva is more radiant than other white objects like milk,the jasmine flower,moon and camphor.


The word gauLAngam carries the mudra. The correct term for white is gaura, but in Sanskrit ra can be expressed as La.

guruguha sammOhana kara lingam pancIkrita pancamahAbhUta prapanhAdi mOhana kara lingam:
गुरुगुह सम्मोहनकर लिङ्गम् पञ्चीकृत पञ्चमहाभूत प्रपंचादि मोहनकर लिङ़गम्

guruguha sammOhana kara lingam : The linga gives happiness to the composer Muttusvami Dikshitar,whose pen name is guruguha.

pancIkrita pancamahAbhUta prapanhAdi mOhana kara lingam: This linga delights the Universe that is made up of the pancabhUtAs,(the five primordial elements: prthvi (earth), ap (water), ojas (heat/light), vAyu (air) and AkAsha (ether,the subtle and ethereal substance pervading the whole universe)).

Another interpretation could be “The linga in the form of the Universe made up of the five elements,gives delight to the devotee".

pancIkrita pancamahAbhUta - PancIkaraNam is a process described elaborately in Vedic Cosmology (in many Upanishads),for evolving the physical gross universe by grossification of the subtle five elements progressively.

The rAga mudra occurs in sammOhana.

virinci viSNu rudra mUrti mayam:
विरिञ्चि विष्णु रुद्रमूर्तिमयम्

The Lord is a combination of the forms of brahmA, viSNu and rudrA.
The five functions of the Lord are attributed to five aspects of the Lord (described in another line) in which these three forms are included.

viSaya pancaka rahitam abhayam:
विषय पञ्चकरहितम् अभयम्

The Lord is free from afflictions caused by the five sensory experiences,i.e,sound,touch,sight,taste and smell. Brahman is neither a doer nor an experiencer (akartA,abhOktA)and is not accessible to transactions.

He allays fear from his devotees.Fear – represents all sufferings which can be collectively called “samsAra” and the Lord removes this fear from his devotee.

niratishayA sukhada nipuNataram:
निरतिशय सुखद निपुणतरम्

The Lord is the only one capable of bestowing the highest form of Bliss,unsurpassed joy.

dIkshitar,by using the adjective "niratishaya" refers to ultimate,permanent happiness which is nothing but liberation.

nigama sAram Ishvaram amaram:
निगमसारम् ईश्वरम् अमरम्

He is the underlying essence of all the Vedanta doctrines, He is the Lord, He is immortal.

smara haram paramashivam atulam:
स्मरहरम् परमशिवमतुलम्

He is the most auspicious one: He has no peer.


He destroyed Manmatha, the God of love. The other name for kAma or manmathA is smarA.

sarasa sadaya hrdaya nilayam anisham:
सरस सदय ह्रदय निलयम् अनिशम्

The Lord's abode is in the lotus-hearts of devotees who are compassionate and loving -(some of the qualifications of a true seeker are hinted).

(To be continued..)