Kalidasa describes the beauty of her face thus.
divyahālāmadodvela-helālasaccakṣur-
āndol̤anaśrī-samākṣipta-karṇaika-nīlotpale
Victory to the Divine Mother, the beauty of whose eyes, undulating because of the inebriation caused by imbibing somarasa, surpasses the beauty of the blue lily worn on her ears, who is of dark blue complexion.
Shyamala Dandakam
Devi’s ears are described as resembling Neelolpala flowers, and her long, captivating eyes extend gracefully up to her ears. These eyes glow with a sense of intoxication—not from earthly substances, but from the divine nectar of bliss that constantly overflows within her. In the Lalitha Sahasranama, Devi is praised as “mādhvī pānālasā,” meaning she who appears languid, as if intoxicated from drinking mādhvī. However, this is no ordinary intoxication. Devi does not consume alcohol; instead, she is immersed in the ambrosial nectar of spiritual bliss, which makes her “sudhā sārābhi varṣiṇi,” forever radiant, drinking deeply from the nectar of eternal joy.
Her eyes, filled with this bliss, glow as she drinks the ambrosial nectar. Resembling long-petalled Neelolpala flowers, her eyes nearly touch her ears, and their beauty and glow are unparalleled. Devotees, standing at the heights of devotion, describe Devi’s exquisite beauty in this manner, celebrating her divine intoxication and grace. This is the deeper meaning of the mantra “calan mīnābha locanā,” which signifies that her eyes possess the luster of fish moving within the stream of beauty flowing from her radiant face. These descriptions of Devi’s beauty come from a place of pure devotion, where words strive to capture her transcendental essence.
The 30th mantra of Lalitha Sahsaranama is
“kāmeśa baddha māṅgalya sūtra śobhita kandharā” –
[whose neck is adorned with the marriage thread tied by Kamesha.]
Lord Parameshwara also assumed the name Kameshwara. He opened his third eye and reduced Manmatha, the god of love, to ashes. Rathi Devi, in her sorrow, prayed to Devi, who blessed her by reviving Manmatha. This story is captured in the mantra “hara netrāgni sandagdha kāma sañjīvanauṣadhi,” meaning “She who became the life-giving medicine for Kamadeva, who was burnt to ashes by Shiva’s third eye.” As a result, Rathi and Manmatha were reunited, but Manmatha remained invisible to all except Rathi. Together, they worshipped Lord Shiva, becoming his ideal devotees. Manmatha later developed traditions of worship, including “Kadi Vidya,” which became very famous. Thus, Kama (desire) became known as the ideal devotee of Shiva, and the master of Kama is Kameshwara.
Lord Paramashiva, having taken the form of Kameshwara, married Devi and adorned her with a symbolic ornament upon her marriage. This marriage thread is said to consist of three strands, representing her eternal bond. In her home of Chintamani, celebrations are ongoing, and her marriage thread is always visible around her neck. According to the science of Samudrika Lakshna (the knowledge of physical features), noble women should have three lines on their forehead, neck, and stomach. In Devi’s case, the three lines can always be seen on her neck.
galē rēkhāstisrō gati-gamaka-gītaika-nipuṇē
vivāhavyānaddha-praguṇaguṇasaṅkhyā-pratibhuvaḥ ।
Saundarya Lahari 69
Your neck (containing vocal cord), which has the expertise of singing melodious tunes, has three lines. They remind us about the auspicious thread (māṅgalyasūtra) tied in your neck by Śiva, which is made of three intertwined (yellow) threads. The three lines also appear like boundaries delimiting musical notes.
Devi’s marriage thread, consisting of three strands, is visible on her neck. In Saundarya Lahari, Sri Shankaracharya Swami praises these three lines, which can be seen alongside the other ornaments that adorn her neck.
In the science of Carnatic music, there are three essential elements: gathi, gamakam, and geetham. Gathi refers to the tempo or speed of a song, gamakam is the graceful turn, curve, or ornamentation that emphasizes the individuality of the song, and geetham is its melody. Indian Classical music is structured on these three foundational components. Similarly, there are numerous raagas, which all derive from three primary positions—Shadjam, Madhyamam, and Gandharam. Music itself is born from these three.
The description is continued in the comments section…
#Lalita #LalithaSahasranamam
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