gUDha-gulphA

SuklAmbara-dharam-viShNum-SaSi-varNam-caturbhujam|

prasanna-vadanam-dhyAyEt-sarva-vighnOpaSAntayE||

SrIgurbhyOnamaH

sarva caitanya rUpAm tAm

adyAm vidyAm ca dhImahI

buddhiM yA naH pracOdayAt|

gUDhagulphA

guDha – secretive/hidden

(guhyatEsma gUDham – one that is kept secretively, hidden)

gulpha – ankles

gUDhagulphAyai namaH

One whose ankles are hidden.  Amma’s ankles are hidden under her saffron colour saree.

This is the superficial meaning.

Among the namas that describe Amma, three namas corresponding to trimarma places (kadamba-manjarI-klupta-karNapUra-manOharA, aruNAruNakauSumbha-vastra-bhAsvat-kaTItaTI, gUDhagulphA) are described to be hidden or covered. Earlobes covered by kadamba flowers, hip and ankles covered by saffron colour saree: Let us see the secret behind these places being covered.

marmANi-nAma  mAMsa-sirA-snAryAsthi saMdhi sannipAtEShu svabhAvata Eva prANastiShThaMti

(Susruta samhita – Sarira sthanam – Ch 6 – 20Sl)

The junction point of flesh, veins, ligament and bones where prana is concentrated in human bodies is known as a marma. Since prana is here, marma points are important prana/consciousness points or vital points in human beings.

saptOttaram marmaSatam asmin SarIrE skandhaSakhAsamASritamagnivESa|

tEShAmanyatama-pIDAyAm samadhikA pIDA bhavati, cEtanAni-bandha vaiSEShyAt||

(Charaka samhita – Siddhi sthanam – Ch 9 – 3Sl)

Human body made up of five fundamental elements, has 63 marma points in the skandha part (from the bottom of the neck to the hip) and 44 marma points in the sakha part (hands and legs). If a marma point is injured, one will suffer more pain compared to any other part of the body.

Injury to some of the marma points could even be fatal. These are critical marma points.

tatra SakhASritEbhyO marmabhyaH skaMdhASritAni garIyaMsi, SAkhAnAm tadASritatvAt skandhASritEbhyOpi 

hrut-vasti-SirAMsi; tanmUlatvAccharIrasya (ibid 4Sl)

Since sakhas are issued out from skandha, skandha marmas are considered to be of higher importance. Of further importance are the thri-marmas, the three marma points hrudaya, vasti and siras (heart, hip and brain).

The reflex points of brain are said to be the ears and that of heart, ankles. According to Varma-Kala theory, it is possible to revive consciousness of an unconscious person by stimulating these three marma points. (Philosophy of Thanuology, S. Chidambaramthanu Pillai – Ref – Lethal spots, Vital secrets by Roman Seiler).

In order to indicate the importance of the caitanya/consciousness concentrated vital trimarma points, Vagdevatas seem to have described the corresponding parts (earlobes, hip and ankles) to have been covered.

Praying to Amma’s gulphas that I may have the darshan of akhanda chaitanya rupini amma, soon.

SrImAtrEnamaH

indragOpa-parikshipta-smaratUNAbha-jaMghikA

SuklAmbara-dharam-viShNum-SaSi-varNam-caturbhujam|

prasanna-vadanam-dhyAyEt-sarva-vighnOpaSAntayE||

SrI gurbhyOnamaH

AdhArE taruNArkabiMbaruciram hEmaprabham vAgbhavam

bIjam manmathamindragOpasadruSam hrutpaMkajE samsthitam|

viSHNu brahma padasthaSakti kalitam sOmaprabhAbhAsuram

yE dhyAaMti padatrayam tavaSivEyaMti saukhyam padam||

indragOpa-parikshipta-smara-tUNAbha-jamghikA

indragOpa-parikshipta – Surrounded by Indragopa fire-flies

smara – Manmatha

tUNAbha – quiver like

jamghika – calf muscles

Indragopa fire flies are red in colour. Amma’s calf muscles are red in colour and look like Manmatha’s quiver.

jaMghOrU varuNasyaऽtha tEjasA saMbabhUvatuH

(SrImaddEvIbhagavatam – Canto 5- 72 Sl)

anangavaratUNIradarpOnmathanajaMghikA

(Brahmanda Puranam – Uttara bhagam – Ch 37-70Sl)

While Hayagriva swami in Brahmanda Purana states that Amma’s calf muscles formed with Varuna’s tejus are competing with Ananga’s quiver in their lustre, Durvasa muni praises the same in Arya Dvisati as janghAjitakAmajaitratUNIrAm - calf muscles are winning Kamadeva’s quiver.

lAvanyakadalI-tulya-jaMghA-yugala-maMDitAm

 (Vamakeswara tantra – 125)

No arrows and no quivers!! The beauty of finest lavanya personified Amma’s calf muscles in Vamakeswara tantra is compared to very tender banana stems.

Sankara Bhagavatpada in Soundarya lahari 83rd sloka parAjEtum rudram dviguNa Saragarbhau girisutE, described Amma’s calf muscles to be better than Manmatha’s quiver!! Manmatha wanted to distract Sambhu from the deep tapas, so that Sambhu gets enchanted by Amma’s beauty and agrees for the wedlock.  But he felt his five flowery arrows are not sufficient for this task. So, he chose arrows that are better than his and also double in number.  Adi Sankara  says, the arrows that Manmatha chose are none other than Amma’s ten toes that are stored in the quiver called her calf muscles. These arrows are having sharp edges, nails that are sharpened due to brushing against the crowns of suras.

 

While there are several names to Manmatha, smara is used only twice in the enire sahasranama stotra by Vagdevatas. Smara means memory/remember. This is done through mind and whatever is thought about in the mind,  issues out in action through indriyas. Smara is used in two namas describing these two, mind (nama indicating place of mind/eyebrows) and the other, the heart (that makes all the indriyas get into action) are described with Smara.

So the first nama where smara is used is vadana-smara-mangalya-gruha-tOrana-cillikA.

kAmastadagrE samavartatAdhi manasO rEtaH prathamam yadAsIt

(rug vEda – 10.129.04)

The very first creation from the ParamBrahma’s mind, is the kama, the desire to create. So, the smara in this nama is indicative of Kameswara.

The second nama refers to the heart. This is the so called secondary or peripheral heart which is nothing but the calf muscles.

The blood from heart reaches entire body through arteries and from various parts it goes back to the heart through veins. Calf muscles help blood to get pumped back from feet to the heart, against gravity. Due to this functionality, calf muscles are known as secondary heart.

kEtumAlEpi bhagavAn kAmadEvarUpENa lakshmyAH

 ( SrImadbhAgavatam – 5.18.15)

In Bhagavatam, Kamadeva is idenfied with Vishnu.

 

The calf muscles help spread (vyApnOtIti vishNuH) energy through entire body to activate the indriyas to do any kind of action. So here, the smara refers to Vishnu.

SarIravAngmanObhiryatkarma prArabhatE naraH 

(Bhagavad-Gita 18.15)

Esha hi draShTA spraSHTA SrOtA ghrAtA rasayitA mantA boddhA  kartA vijnAnatmA  puruShaH

 (Prasnopanishat 4.9)

Vijnana personified Atma Purusha does three types of actions (kayaka, vacika, manasika) through indriyas.

Praying that Amma’s calf muslces bestow complete control over my mind and indriyas.

SrImatrEnamaH

mANikya-makuTAkAra-jAnu-dvaya-virAjitA

शुक्लाम्बरधरम् विष्णुम् शशिवर्णम् चतुर्भुजम्|

प्रसन्नवदनम् ध्यायेत् सर्व विघ्नोपशान्तये||

श्रीगुरुभ्योनमः

सुकुमाकारॆ सुखाकारॆ सुनॆत्रॆ सूक्ष्म मध्यमॆ

सुप्रसन्ना भव शिवॆ सुम्रुडीका सरस्वती ॥ (त्रिपुरसुंदरीवॆदपादस्तवम्-75)

 

माणिक्यमकुटाकारजानुद्वयविराजिता

माणिक्य-मकुटाकार – In the shape of a makuta (किरीट) adorned

                                with rubies (maanikya)

जानु-द्वय                 – knee pair

विराजिता               – one who is shining

Amma is shining with a pair of knees that are similar to ruby crowns.

 

makuTam TOpikA namakam (KalyanaSriKala). Makutam is a crown in the shape of a hat. But a hat is worn on head. Vagdevatas refer to Amma’s knees to be having the shape of a hat!! We will now see the significance of using makutam which is worn on the head to describe the shape of Her knees.

 

Amma’s body is not made up of spatha dhathus like ours. Her body is made of mantra, the Panchadasi mantra. This mantra is divided in to three kutas namely Vagbhava, Kamaraja and Sakthi. Vagbhava kuta is face, Kamaraja kuta is the mid portion and the Sakthi kuta is below the hip. Vagdevathas used the word dvaya in one nama in the Vagbhavakuta portion, in one nama in the Kamaraja kuta and in three namas in the Sakti kuta. In fact, apart from the head to toe description namas there is one and only one nama in which they used dvaya. Dvaya is indicative of union of siva and sakthi.

 

The Vak is expressed from the mouth which is part of the Vagbhagava kuta. The dvaya in the nama, शुद्धविद्याङ्कुराकारद्विजपङ्क्तिद्वयॊज्ज्वला refers to the word and its meaning. The word and its meaning are the universal parents Siva and Parvati.

 

Next, the dvaya in the nama नाभ्यालवालरॊमाळीलताफलकुचद्वयी of the Kamaraja-kuta, refers to the Sun and Moon symbolic bosom pair of Amma. The wordly affairs are carried with this kuta, through likes  (sanklapa) and dislikes (vikalpa).  Intellect (buddhi) and mind (manas) are the two key factors functioning in this kuta. The Sun and Moon of bosom pair are representative of intellect and mind respectively. Sun and Moon in turn are indicative of Siva and Sakthi. So the dvaya here is indicative the union of Siva and Sakthi in the form of intellect and mind.

 

The portion below hip represents Sakthi kuta. Sakthi is of three kinds namely iccha, kriya and jnana.  Vagdevathas used dvaya in three namas in corresponding body parts in this kuta.

Iccha sakthi:

कामॆशज्ञातसौभाग्यमार्दवॊरुद्वयान्विता

Kamesa is indicative of desire. The dvaya in this nama is indicative of Vani-Hiranyagarbha,  who are nothing but Siva and Sakthi in union.

Jnana sakthi:

माणिक्यमकुटाकारजानुद्वयविराजिता

Makuta is a head gear. Head is the seat of intellect/knowledge. So the dvaya in this nama is indicative of jnana sakthi pair, Lakshmi-Narayana. Modern medical studies are trying to see the link between brain and knee, whereas our rushis of vedic time had a vision of this and the same is mentioned here. You can even search internet with the key words brain and knee.

 

Now, you see the kavacha stortras of goddess and look for the names of Sakthi, who protects our knees. You will see the names of goddess of intellect Sarada, Mrudani, Vindhyavasini etc., 

 

Kriya sakthi:

पदद्वयप्रभाजालपराकृतसरॊरुहा

We will see these details when we study this nama.

 

The mantra rahasyas hidden in the Sakthi kuta portion of the goddess are known to upaasakaas.

 

To know Sankara Bhagavatpada‘s impression of Amma’s knees, we need to resort to Soundaryalahari. In the 82^nd sloka, करीन्द्रान्शुंडाम् कनक कदली कान्ड पटली, Adi Sankara says, Oh! Daughter of Himavan!! With utmost devotion to your husband, you do pancha-anga namskara in several occasions as a result of which, your delicate knees are hardened. Lalitamma, is laavanya personified and Her knees alone are hardened because of this.

 

May the mother’s ruby crown shaped knees bestow knowledge to this ajnani!!

श्रीमात्रेनमः