Samudravasane Devi
Samudravasane Devi
Parvata stana mandale
Vishnupatni namastubhyam
Paada sparsha kshmasva me 🙏🏼
This is the second verse to be recited upon waking up.
As I said in the last post , our lives are influenced by the sun and planets of the solar system. And which planet is closer to us than Mother Earth?
Our wise ancestors prioritized self efforts, self reliance and self realization as the best form of worship. Therefore we were prescribed the prayer karaagre vasate Lakshmi as the first one to start the day.
If you have to get going and start work you must step out of bed. You are gearing up for action here. The awareness of each action and its consequences were impressed upon the minds with each prayer. This second verse is no exception.
We are not birds or fish that we arise in the morning and fly out on our wings or swim into water. We must step on the ground. Put our weight onto it. We easily take that ground for granted! The entire day we are stepping on it carelessly. Mother Earth is bearing our weights like any mother would carry her young kids.
This verse is an ode to this Mother. Mother Earth. It is also infused with a prayer seeking forgiveness from her.
Samudra vasane Devi!
Devi=Goddess (Earth)! There is reverence in the address. She is not merely an inanimate surface made up of soil and rocks. She is elevated to the status of a goddess.
And there is a description of her form. She is covered in the drape of the ocean( samudra)! How elegant and apt is the imagery, isn’t it ?
Parvat stana mandale!
The mountains( parvat) are likened to her bosoms( stana). They rise on her chest enhancing her feminine charm.
These first two lines are beautiful poetic interpretations of the actual geographical landscape of our planet. They create one of the most graceful images of femininity and bring her to life in the most subtle yet endearing way.
Vishnupatni namastubhyam !
The third line addresses Mother Earth as the wife of Vishnu, who is the sustainer of all creation. This reference is, in the opinion of some, linked to the Varaha avatar of Vishnu where Bhoomi Devi ( Mother Earth) is his consort. It is not surprising to find the analogy of Earth being the consort to the God that sustains all creation. It is a fact that Earth sustains life. As of this day science has not been able to conclusively prove the existence of life on any other planet in our solar system or beyond.
Thus given the highest position of a Goddess that sustains all living beings, how appropriate does it seem to step on her? But how is one to go about the day and whatever it calls upon you to carry out without putting your feet on the Earth?
Hence realizing the inevitability of such inadvertent disrespectful act, the prayer beckons the person to pay his/her respects by bowing down humbly to Mother Earth. Namastubhyam! Rise each day without ego. Rise with humility in the heart. Rise with awareness of what you are about to do.
Paada sparsham kshamasva me !
With utmost humility and regret the person seeks forgiveness from the Earth BEFORE committing the act( stepping on her) that is outwardly disrespectful and hurtful but essential.
Paada=feet
Sparsha= touch
Kshamaa= forgiveness
There are many ramifications to this basic prayer.
As mentioned above, its purpose is to respect the Earth.
With the Earth, it implies respect for Life. Respect for all creation that is part of our surroundings. Respect for the environment.
Stepping on the Earth is a generic pointer to every action you will perform in the course of the day. The prayer compels one to pause for a moment and gain a perspective about what you are about to do. Who is going to have the impact of your action? What is your relationship with that person/object ? What is your standing in comparison with the other person? What is your attitude towards that person/ object? How is your action going to affect this person or object? If it is going to be hurtful, can you avoid it? If it is unavoidable and essential, can you do anything to minimize their pain and suffering?
These days the world is divided over the discussion of caring for the environment. There is debate over the truth or untruth of global warming. Any effort by scientists and people who foresee the disastrous consequences of thoughtless dumping of pollutants, to raise awareness amongst those who are ignorant about it, meets with resistance. There are those whose thinking extends only as far as themselves. They love their kids but ignorance prevents them from seeing what they would leave behind for their kids. Forests are cut down each day without compensating by planting more trees. Wilderness is subjected to littering. Plastic is dumped into the ocean harming aquatic life. Humans and animals are abused, killed senselessly . Where is the respect for the Earth or for the oceans that cover her or for the mountains that rise on her? When will the regret and apology come?
Sometimes I wonder if civilizations truly go hand in hand with human improvement? Learning about the philosophy implemented by the tribal community I met in India as well as that of the native Americans in the USA it is obvious that they have a more soulful connection and understanding of the Earth and Nature than urban people. To give one example, the native tribes in the USA knew how to conduct controlled burning of leaves from autumn and prevent uncontrolled wild fires or landslides after rains. Today these natural calamities have become a more frequent occurrence and the people assigned to taking care of it focus on treating the aftermath rather than learn about how to prevent these disasters. Wish they would have grabbed the wisdom of the natives instead of their land. Anyways.
Pollution is not always of plastic or solid wastes. Pollution is also from use of harmful chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides, in food fed to cattle, those used in textile dyes, preservatives in processed foods, and many such things in our use.
Pollution can be in the form of light pollution and sound pollution. Glaring lights all night long, incessant honking, loud music, loud talking, shouting all are harmful.
Worse of all is pollution arising in the minds from wrong thinking, wrong choices.
It is never too late to learn. Never too late to adopt humility as an attitude and respect for the surroundings as code of conduct. It is never a sign of defeat to seek forgiveness. And never stupid to adopt good practices from enemies. They will cease to be enemies if they see even a small sign of respect from us.
Truth be told, in the present day, we have become enemies to our own planet. And thus to our only home. And therefore to ourselves. A little step towards correcting wherever and whatever we can could take us to a better tomorrow. We could start with this prayer each day. And let it steep our minds like our morning tea.
Samudravasane Devi
Parvata stana mandale
Vishnupatni namastubhyam
Paada sparsha kshmasva me 🙏🏼
Saree is one of the most intricate of all ikats. It is woven by Smt Jasodhara Patra from Nuapatna. It has auspicious motifs traditionally used to decorate walls and courtyards in Odisha homes( Jhoti and Alpana motifs). The border has rudraksh motifs. Weaver has used the prized Muga silk in its borders and mulberry silk for rest of the body.
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