Soundarya Lahari - Part 26

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In accordance with this, even when he composed many stotras on Shiva and VishNu, he never goes deep into the shivAgama or vaishNava-Agama nuances but dwells mainly on the bhakti and consequent emotions only. On the other hand when he worked on Soundaryalahari, the first part, Ananda-lahari, –even though it is said that he only ‘brought’ it (from Kailas) and not composed it – is totally a shAkta scripture.
The sum and substance of the twin work of Ananda-lahari and Soundaryalahari seems to be: “advaita is The path; if not, the next (alternative) is ShrI-vidyA” ! In fact, ShrI-vidyA is the connecting cord between advaita and all that is dvaita.
It unifies the ShAntaM-ShivaM-advaitam with Shakti, the creator of duality, and therefore, of the universe. In LalitA-sahasranAma
also, the last name is lalitAmbikA and the last but one is shiva-shaktyaikya- rUpiNI. And this takes us to the very beginning shloka of Soundaryalahari !

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Soundarya Lahari - Part 25

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The identity between Shakti and Cit is referred to in the word ‘cidAnandalaharI’ in verse #8 of Anandalahari.

bhajanti tvAm dhanyAH katicana cidAnanda-laharIm”, meaning, ‘Only the most fortunate few (recognize you and) worship you as the flood of knowledgebliss (cidAnanda)’.

Note here that while for every reader of the Soundaryalahari portion the whole beauty of Mother Goddess is fully experiential, in the Anandalahari portion the people who can experience the bliss of the Shakti-lahari, that is, the cidAnanda-lahari, are only the few fortunate (katicana dhanyAH) !

The close correlation between advaita and the various shAkta schools, particularly the ShrI-vidyA tantra school, has been used by our Acharya who is aware that many cannot follow the abstract path of jnAna.

And that is why perhaps he chalks out a path whereby one starts from the ‘leelA’ of creation of duality and goes forward along the path of ShrI-vidyA and finally ends up in advaita itself.

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Soundarya Lahari - Part 24

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The philosophy of advaita takes creation as a ‘vivarta’ (a false appearance, manifestation, of reality) whereas the ShrI-vidyA school takes it as ‘AbhAsa’ (an effulgence of a ‘reflection’). That the sun appears as a reflection in water is ‘AbhAsa’.

In the same way the universal Cit-Shakti reflects itself with a limitation and becomes the jIva as well as the universe -- this is the shAkta concept of creation. But without the original object called the Sun there could be no reflection.

So in basics it comes back to the advaita concept. But the shAkta holds that to the extent there is an object with its reflection, there is a phenomenal reality for jIva and the universe. It does not hold that it is ‘mithyA’ which is the advaitin’s contention.

It is the latter part of Soundaryalahari that dwells on the beauty (saundaryam) of ambaal's form. The former part dwells on Her Shakti. It is called Ananda-lahari.

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Soundarya Lahari - Part 23

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And in ShrI-vidyA the identity of jiva with Brahman is clearly stipulated. The two philosophies differ only in the concept of creation.

In advaita, duality is said to be only an imagination and so is to be totally negated. In shAkta philosophies, duality is said to be created by parAShakti, the energy of Brahman.

It is also the parA-Shakti that grants the mokshha, which is the identity of Brahman and jIva in eternal peaceful bliss.

This bliss is called shivAnandam and/or shAntAnandam in the shaivite schools, and cidAnandam in the shAkta schools.

There is no difference in the concept of mokshha as the realisation of the one-ness of jIva and Brahman, between advaita schools and the ShrI-vidyA tantra of the shAkta schools.

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Soundarya Lahari - Part 22

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In ShAktaM, it is claimed that the play of duality starts by the Will of ShivaM coupled with Shakti.

Even here there is a role of MAyA-Shakti. But we shall dwell on it later.

It is Brahman that appears as jIva, through the effect of MAyA. If one follows the path of jnAna and transcends MAyA, then jIva realises itself as Brahman, says advaita.

In ShAktaM also it says that the jIva and ShivaM are basically the same and actually become the same in the state of mokshha; particularly in the ShrI-vidyA scriptures it is specifically accepted so.

Dvaitam, VishishhTAdvaitam, SiddhAnta-shaivam (Shaivasiddhantam), ShrIkaNTa-shaivam (ShivAdvaitam), Kashmiri Saivism  - in this order, the philosophies start from a concept totally distinct from advaita, gradually nearing and ultimately becoming very near to advaita.
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Soundarya Lahari - Part 21

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The shAkta philosophy (ShAktaM) talks of ‘ShivaM’ in place of the actionless substratum ‘Brahman’. Even if it is actionless, it is Cit, knowledge, says advaita. In place of this Cit, ShAktaM talks of Cit-Shakti or simply, Shakti.

The Brahman of advaita peacefully rests in itself. In ShAktaM, on the other hand, the peaceful ShivaM has the Shakti, power or energy, that manifests as knowledge potential (Cit-Shakti) and this manifestation is its play as the multiplicity of the universe.

In advaita there is no second. What appears as the universe is only an appearance created by MAyA. MAyA has no relationship with  Brahman.

What it is, and how it came all this is inexplainable. That research is not necessary.

What is needed is how to get out of it and obtain the personal realisation of the basic Brahman behind. And hence the path of jnAna.
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Soundarya Lahari - Part 20

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While he begins with ‘shivaH-shaktyA’, the most potent name of ambaal, namely Shakti, gets mentioned. Shakti means power.

It is the absolute Brahman's power or energy that ambaal personifies.

So this name tells everything about the Goddess. And it comes in the very beginning, but never after.

(In shloka #32, the word Shakti appears but there it is a code-word for a syllable in ambaal's mantra).

Finally, one more point regarding occurrence of names.

The role of a woman has three stages: as daughter, as wife, as mother. The last two roles certainly do get mentioned very often in stotras pertaining to a feminine deity.

But the Soundaryalahari uses the daughter-reference such as himagiri-sute, tuhina-giri-kanye, more often.

And again, when the first part of 41 shlokas ends, he ends by referring to janaka-jananI, the mother-father role of both Ishvara and IshvarI of the whole universe.
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