(Continued...)
Prostration is by the body (kAyaM). Praising
through a hymn is by speech (vAk). By implication the mind (manas) is also
mentioned. Thus in the very first shloka the dedication to Her by manas, vAk
and kAyaM
has been done.
And naturally, the completeion of this dedication in the form of ‘Atma-samarpaNaMí‘-dedication of one’s self in fullness - comes in the very last shloka (#100).
And naturally, the completeion of this dedication in the form of ‘Atma-samarpaNaMí‘-dedication of one’s self in fullness - comes in the very last shloka (#100).
There is a parallel observation in the very
first shloka of Viveka-chUDAmaNi.
“muktir-no-shata-koTi-janma-sukRtaiH puNyair-vinA labhyate”, meaning, “Unless
one has earned spiritual merit in 100 crores
of births, one cannot go the jnAna
mArga and obtain mokshha”.
But note: our Acharya does not say explicitly, in this major work of bhakti, that only by spiritual merit you can go along the path of Bhakti or jnAna or for that matter any noble path. Whereas, in the Viveka-chUDAmaNi, which is a work on the path of jnAna, -- mistakenly appropriated by people who think that that is the way to avoid the traditional worship of deities !-- right in the 3rd shloka, he says that “Seeking a proper guru and starting on the path of jnAna occurs only by the Grace of God” - “deivAnugraha-hetukam”!
But note: our Acharya does not say explicitly, in this major work of bhakti, that only by spiritual merit you can go along the path of Bhakti or jnAna or for that matter any noble path. Whereas, in the Viveka-chUDAmaNi, which is a work on the path of jnAna, -- mistakenly appropriated by people who think that that is the way to avoid the traditional worship of deities !-- right in the 3rd shloka, he says that “Seeking a proper guru and starting on the path of jnAna occurs only by the Grace of God” - “deivAnugraha-hetukam”!
(Continued... )
