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Re: SANKARA'S POETRY

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V.Srimahavishnu • March 19, 1999 


                  
On Fri, 19 Mar 1999, Mani Varadarajan wrote:

> Sri Srimahavishnu wrote:
> > There is one blasphemous SlOka in "soundaryalaharI" which makes the so
> > called soundaryalaharI a "durgandhakUpam" and one of the ugliest
> > works in sanskrit.that SlOka does not deserve to
> > be mentioned in this great list ...
> 
> Please DO cite this sloka.  An assertion needs to
> be backed up by evidence. I am not denying what
> you are saying is true; I just do not know. Now
> that you have made this assertion, I am sure many
> of us are curious as to what this sloka is.
> 
> I also find it unnecessary to call a work "ugly"
> because *we* doctrinally disagree with it.  
> Further, disagreeing with a poem on a religious
> basis should not make us incapable of appreciating
> it on a purely poetic or rhythmic level.
   I would still like to  call it ugly , since it hurts the sentiments of
Vaishnavas(not SVs alone).
  I do not want to hurt the sentiments of fellow Sri VaishNavas.At the
same time,facts can't be suppressed.After all, soundaryalaharI is not a
grantham that can't be found in the market.
  The stOtra I found objectionable to  VaishNavas starts like this:
  "sarasvatyA lakshmyA vidhi hari sapatnO viharatE, ratEh pAtivratyam...."
 i am avoiding translation for two reasons:
 1.I am not an expert in accurate word-to-word sanskrit to English
translation.
 2.I don't want all BhAgavatas to understand the meaning of it.
   My sanskrit is not that bad that i can misundertstand the
above line.Also i have gone through the Telugu translation by Dr T V A S
Sarma, published in "Andhra Prabha" daily a few years ago.
      vandE lOkAbhirAmam raghukula tilakam rAghavam rAvaNArim              
                   dAsan
              V.Srimahavishnu