Adi Shankara #Bhagavatpada's #Sivananda lahari and #Saundarya lahari are companion pieces. They supplement each other dealing as they do with Shiva and Shakti.The qualities that are wanting in the one are found in the other.The former breathes the emotion of bhakti in almost
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every stanza whereas the latter lays down a very arduous discipline for the devotees. The former is therefore very popular and is meant for the generality of mankind, while the latter is meant for those who are adepts in yogic discipline The popularity of Sivananda lahari
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is further enhanced by the interweaving of stories relating to the great achievements and exploits of Siva, whereas Saundarya-lahari is deliberately silent about the battles which Devi fought to put down Canda Munda, Mahisasura Bhandasura, and so forth. The first part of the
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poem is necessarily meant for the initiated, and the second part for the highly self-restrained. The two poems are related as complementary pieces. Both are of course, imbued with the spirit of the highest poetry. The great truths of religion are rendered in both poems in the
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manner of true poetry. If the imagination is of the required intensity, there is nothing that it cannot mould into its own likeness. This process will mean no violence to the matter that is dealt with. It will keep its distinctive features and yet will appear in a tender
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and mellow light. Only poets of the very highest order can give a truly #poetic rendering of the hard truths of #religion.
(From Prabuddha #Bharata September 1959 edition)
#sanatandharma #Shankaracharya #Shiva #Shakti #Parvati #Devi #Sharada #bhakti #bhaktiyoga #vedanta
(From Prabuddha #Bharata September 1959 edition)
#sanatandharma #Shankaracharya #Shiva #Shakti #Parvati #Devi #Sharada #bhakti #bhaktiyoga #vedanta
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