LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM
@ S. Subramaniam
पद द्वय प्रभा जाल पराकृत सरोरुहा (45)
Pada Dvaya Prabha Jala Parakruta Saroruha (45)
Meaning:
The lustre produced by the two feet of Devi defeats the beauty of the lotus flower.
Interpretation:
In this Namah Pada dvaya means (the lovely) pair of Devi's feet, Prabhajala means brightness / radiance / lustre, Parakruta means defeats and Saroruha means that which is born in a pond - sarovar (here it is to be inferred as Lotus) .
It may be noted that nowhere in the above lines the word Lotus appears - but still Devi's feet are being compared to the lotus flower. That's the beauty of poetic brilliance - to compare something without (directly) mentioning what it is being compared to.
Adi Shankara endorses the same view about Devi's feet, that they outshine the lotus, but unlike the Lalitha Sahasranamam, here he clearly mentions the name of lotus (Sarojam - one of the words in Sanskrit to describe lotus, the others being kamalam, padmam, pankajam etc. ) in his comparison.
सरोजं त्वत्पादौ जननि जयत-श्चित्रमिह किम् Sarojam Thvad Padau Janani Jayatas Chitram Iha Kim?
Shankara, also provides three reasons why lotus flower is inferior to Devi's feet in his comparison.
(1) Lotus wither away in snow but the efflorescence of Devi's feet is eternal. Devi is used to mountain and snow as both her father Himavan and husband Lord Shiva are mountain dwellers.
(2) Lotus blossoms when Sun shines and closes when it is dark. Devi's feet glow brilliantly all the time, eternally.
(3) Lotus is the seat of Lakshmi (Padma Aasanam) and she is also very fond of the flower (Padma Priye). In a way lotus feels little elated and there is that feel of pride in it. Devi showers the whole Lakshmi (read : wealth) upon her devotees who pray at her feet. Therefore Devi's feet is supreme and far superior to lutus - the Jagatguru concludes.
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