Sanskrit Pearl of the day:
स्वयं पञ्चमुखः पुत्रौ गजाननषडाननौ ।
दिगम्बरः कथं जीवेत् अन्नपूर्णा न चेद्गृहे ॥
Transliteration:
svayaṃ pañcamukhaḥ putrau gajānanaṣaḍānanau ।
digambaraḥ kathaṃ jīvet annapūrṇā na cedgṛhe ॥
Meaning of the subhAShita:
He himself has 5 faces, his children are 'elephant faced' (Gajānana - Gaṇeśa) and '6 faced' (Ṣaḍānana - Ṣaṇmukha). How would Lord Shiva survive if mother Annapūrṇā was not at home?
Commentary:
This is a not only a beautiful and humorous verse, but it also upholds and epitomizes the role of a mother in the family!
Lord Shiva has 5 faces himself. Among the 2 sons he has, one is elephant faced and the other has 6 faces! Just imagine a dad feeding all those mouths! The poet says, this is not possible for a dad, even if he is God! :) Such is the role of a mother. She is the 'one and only' and is hence irreplaceable!! She toils tirelessly day in and day out, putting her likes and dislikes aside, placing her family as her highest priority. Whether she gets any credit or not, she does her duties constantly. The only remuneration she expects is for her family to fare well! Her dedication and sincerity towards her family are unmatched. No words are enough to say about her semblance and presence in making a house a home.
Mothers hold the hands of their children for a short time, but their hearts forever!
The sweetest sounds given to mortals are heard in 'mother', 'home', and 'heaven!'
Gratitude to mothers now and always!
P.S.: One tradition perceives Shiva as īśāna (pañca-vaktra atrinetra), that is, Shiva combines in him: tatpuruṣa, vāmadeva, aghora, sadyojāta and īśāna, representing: wind, water, fire, creative function and space respectively. Thus Shiva's five heads manifest the five cosmic elements and functions.
pada vigrahaH:
स्वयं पञ्चमुखः पुत्रौ गजानन-षडाननौ ।
svayaṃ pañcamukhaḥ putrau gajānana-ṣaḍānanau ।
दिगम्बरः कथं जीवेत् अन्नपूर्णा न चेत् गृहे ॥
digambaraḥ kathaṃ jīvet annapūrṇā na cet gṛhe ॥
Lord Shiva has 5 faces himself. Among the 2 sons he has, one is elephant faced and the other has 6 faces! Just imagine a dad feeding all those mouths! The poet says, this is not possible for a dad, even if he is God! :) Such is the role of a mother. She is the 'one and only' and is hence irreplaceable!! She toils tirelessly day in and day out, putting her likes and dislikes aside, placing her family as her highest priority. Whether she gets any credit or not, she does her duties constantly. The only remuneration she expects is for her family to fare well! Her dedication and sincerity towards her family are unmatched. No words are enough to say about her semblance and presence in making a house a home.
Mothers hold the hands of their children for a short time, but their hearts forever!
The sweetest sounds given to mortals are heard in 'mother', 'home', and 'heaven!'
Gratitude to mothers now and always!
P.S.: One tradition perceives Shiva as īśāna (pañca-vaktra atrinetra), that is, Shiva combines in him: tatpuruṣa, vāmadeva, aghora, sadyojāta and īśāna, representing: wind, water, fire, creative function and space respectively. Thus Shiva's five heads manifest the five cosmic elements and functions.
pada vigrahaH:
स्वयं पञ्चमुखः पुत्रौ गजानन-षडाननौ ।
svayaṃ pañcamukhaḥ putrau gajānana-ṣaḍānanau ।
दिगम्बरः कथं जीवेत् अन्नपूर्णा न चेत् गृहे ॥
digambaraḥ kathaṃ jīvet annapūrṇā na cet gṛhe ॥
svayaM pa~nchamukhaH putrau gajaananaShaDaananau ।
digambaraH kathaM jIvet annapUrNaa na chedgRuhe ॥
svayaM pa~nchamukhaH putrau gajaanana-ShaDaananau ।
digambaraH kathaM jIvet annapUrNaa na chet gRuhe ॥
namaste
ReplyDeleteGood posting for Mother's day.
Also shouldn't it be पुत्रौ गजाननषडाननौ ?
dhanyavAdaH
Hari
Thanks Hari. That is a good catch. It is fixed now.
ReplyDelete