Hymn to Tripurasundarī (Hindu deity).

Saundaryalahari is a rare Tantric work whose authorship is attributed to Samkaracarya. It is a long poem of one hundred verses; a hymn of praise to the Divine Mother; an invocation and a prayer that awakens man from stupor to a state of effulgent energy and creativity. In this monograph the original Sanskrit text of each verse is presented in Devanagari script accompanied with its Roman transliteration. English rendering of the verses and explanatory notes are provided with an eye to modern readership. Inclusion of yantras in their pictorical symbols focus attention on underlying potencies of each verse. The possibility of attainment of power and success by single-minded recitation of the verses is stressed on. The monograph will be of special interest to mother worshippers of all denominations. Students of religion and philosophy will find it appealing. the general reader with a love for poetry and literature will also like it.

Saundarya Lahari the great hymn of Sri Sankara dealing with the cult of Mother worship is the most popular Sanskrit hymn of its kind. In this text the Divine Mother is adored in Her creative aspect under the name Tripura which means the Mother who embodies the three Bindus or creative stresses. The first fortyone verses which are the source of various mantras deal chiefly with the Sri-chakra which is called the Abode of Siva-Sakti and which forms the special symbol of worship for devotees of the Devi.Swami Tapasyananda has rendered a signal service to the cause of Sakti worship by bringing out this excellent edition of the famous text The Saundarya Lahari with the original in Sanskrit its transliteration English translation and elaborate notes for the benefit of the English-knowing people.

Study of the Saundaryalaharī, hymns to Tripuraundarī, Hindu deity by Śaṅkarācārya.

The translation of the Saundarya-lahari

Saundarya Lahari, although traditionally viewed as a text on Srividya Upasana, was always plagued with contradictions amongst commentators as to the true meaning of the verses and consequently a few of them question the very authorship of the work by ?ankara. With an inspirational insight to view the verses in the right order (from 100 to 1), the author managed to unearth the treasure of true essence of the work, rather than just a hymn in praise of the Mother. Finally, one can see a refreshing commentary based on pure Advaita Vedanta and supported by quotes from Upanishads on a text authored by Sri Adi ?ankara. A rational explanation for the unconventional layout of the text as well as the intent of the work as blueprint for meditation is detailed in this book.

The esoteric Hindu traditions of Tantrism have profoundly influenced the development of Indian thought and civilization. Emerging from elements of yoga and wisdom traditions, shamanism, alchemy, eroticism, and folklore, Tantrism began to affect brahmanical Hinduism in the ninth century. Nevertheless, Tantrism and its key historical figures have been ignored by scholars. This accessible work introduces the concepts and practices of Hindu Sakta Tantrism to all those interested in Hinduism and the comparative study of religion.

Critical interpretation with text of Hindu Tantric text.