Hymns of Sankara
SANKARA STOTRA RATNAKARAM — A treasure trove of Sankara's hymns: Translated by Rema Gopinathan Nair; Published by Swati, "Swati" Palakkad-13. Kerala. Rs. 350.
SANKARA'S PHILOSOPHY of Advaita considers Brahman as the highest Reality. Devotion is accorded a prominent place among the spiritual disciplines in this system.
Names and forms are given to the Supreme and they appeal to the minds of devotees according to their taste and temperament. Advaita permits all this as a concession to the different capacities of human beings. Idol worship is allowed as it paves the way for meditation.
Sankara, therefore, does not make any distinction between the various deities. He has composed hymns in praise of Siva, Vishnu, Sakti, Surya, Ganapati and Kumara. In his Saundaryalahari, Devi is referred to as Sarasvati or Lakshmi or Parvati but she is not to be identified with any of these. She is the Mahamaya.
Sankara was a multifaceted genius — a philosopher and a poet, a savant and a saint, a mystic and a religious reformer. His hymns known for their poetic beauty and depth of emotion have a philosophical basis. Emotion is sublimated and presented in its universal aspect. His hymns provide excellent scope for devotees. Recitation of the Stotras will enable gradual progress towards the Godhead.
The present volume under review is a collection of around 48 devotional hymns of Sankara which he composed out of compassion for mankind for their spiritual benefit. The Sanskrit text is printed in bold Devanagari characters followed by translation and transliteration in English.
The translation is both simple and lucid. It also contains a brief introduction for some select hymns. The scheme of transliteration and pronunciation and a glossary of important Sanskrit words provided at the end would greatly help those who do not know Sanskrit. We hope that the author would bring out translations of Sankara's Saundaryalahari and Sivanandalahari in future.
S. REVATHY
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