Alankāras in the Soundarya Lahari

 Alankāras in the Soundarya Lahari  

The Playful Poetry of the Divine 

In these three exquisite verses (Soundarya Lahari 83–86) , Ādi Śaṅkarācārya demonstrates an almost unheard-of blend of comedy, romantic delicacy, and metaphysical beauty — an artistic fusion rare in devotional hymns. 
With the finesse of a poet and the tenderness of a lover, he uses Vibhāva, Upamā, Śleṣa, and Vyājastuti alankāras to portray Devi’s beauty, while weaving in humor, myth, and the eternal play of love between Śiva and Śakti. 

 

Verse 83 — The Quiver of Kāma (Śleṣa & Rupaka Alankāras)

परा जेतुं रुद्रं द्विगुणशरगर्भौ गिरिसुते 

निषङ्गौ जङ्घे ते विषमविशिखो बाढमकृत। 

यदग्रे दृश्यन्ते दशशरफलाः पादयुगली 

नखाग्रच्छद्मानः सुरमुकुटशाणैकनिशिताः॥ (83) 

“O Daughter of the Mountain! To conquer Rudra himself, Kāma — the god of love — seems to have designed your calves and thighs. 
So slender and smooth they appear, they must be his pair of quivers, each holding his five flowery arrows. 
For, at the ends of these quivers shine your glossy toenails — the very arrowheads, 
sharpened cunningly against the jeweled crowns of gods as they bow before your feet.” 

Elaboration: 
This verse brims with playful Śleṣa (double meaning) — a pun that intertwines sacred beauty with wit. 

• Janghe te niṣaṅgau — “your thighs are quivers” — an elegant Rupaka (metaphor). 

• Nakhāgra-chchadma — “nails disguised as arrowheads.” 

• The gods’ crowns become whetstones — suramukuṭa-śāṇa — for polishing those arrows, 
  creating a comic inversion where divinity becomes servant to beauty. 

Underlying charm: Kāma, whose arrows once failed to pierce Śiva, now secretly succeeds —  
for Devi’s very limbs have become his weapons. 
Here, Śaṅkara turns the myth of desire into a poetic act of divine irony. 

Verse 85 — Śiva’s Jealousy (Hāsya and Śṛṅgāra Alankāra) 

नमो वाकं ब्रूमो नयनरमणी याय पदयोः 
तवास्मै द्वन्द्वाय स्फुटरुचिरसालक्तकवते। 
असूयत्यत्यन्तं यदभिहननाय स्पृहयते 
पशूनामीशानः प्रमदवनकङ्केलितरवे॥ (85) 

“Salutations to Your feet, O Goddess —  
most delightful to behold, tinged red with liquid beauty. 
Even Śiva, Lord of beasts and instincts, grows jealous —  
envious of a mere Kaṅkeli tree in the forest of passion, 
for once, by Your gentle kick, that tree was graced by Your touch.” 

Elaboration: 
Here Śaṅkara masterfully merges Śṛṅgāra (romantic beauty) with Hāsya (gentle humor). 

• The sight of Devi’s pādayugala, dyed in crimson ālaktaka, is Śṛṅgāra rasa in its purest form. 

• But then comes the twist — even the mighty Śiva feels envy, not of gods, but of a tree! 
  The cosmic ascetic is reduced to a lovestruck husband — charmingly human, tenderly jealous. 

Alankāra: Vyājastuti — apparent mockery that is in truth high praise. 
Śaṅkara humorously glorifies Śiva’s longing as proof of Devi’s unsurpassed allure. 

Verse 86 — The Comic Quarrel (Aprastuta-Prashamsa & Vyāja-Stuti) 

मृषा कृत्वा गोत्रस्खलनमथ वैलक्ष्यनमितं 
ललाटे भर्तारं चरणकमले ताडयति ते। 
चिरादन्तःशल्यं दहनकृतमुन् मूलीकृतवता 
तुलाकोटीक्वाणैः किलकिलितमीशानरिपुणा॥ (86) 

“Once, pretending to forget Your name and uttering another woman’s, 
Śiva bowed apologetically, feigning embarrassment. 
In loving anger, You struck His forehead with Your lotus foot. 
The tiny anklet-bells jingled — but listen! 
Those bells were Kāma himself, laughing aloud —  
avenging the burn once inflicted upon him by Śiva’s fiery eye.” 

Elaboration: 
Śaṅkara here paints a domestic yet cosmic comedy — the eternal divine couple in a playful quarrel. 
Śiva, the aloof ascetic, stoops into flirtation; Devi, the compassionate consort, becomes momentarily fiery. 
When her anklet bells jingle, Śaṅkara imagines Kāma’s laughter resounding —  
a poetic device of Personification (Utprekṣā) and Hāsya entwined. 

The verse is a tour de force of Aprastuta-Prashamsa, praise through indirect allusion. 
By teasing Śiva, the poet celebrates the totality of Śakti’s charm —  
even austerity itself must surrender before beauty. 

 

Poetic Brilliance 

These three verses together showcase an astonishing array of Alaṅkāras: 

Alankāra	Expression	Function
Śleṣa (Pun)	“Thighs as quivers” – dual image of limbs & weapons	Double meaning, wit
Rūpaka (Metaphor)	Body parts as divine implements	Romantic vision
Vyājastuti (Indirect praise)	Śiva’s jealousy mocked	Turns humor into reverence
Utprekṣā (Imaginative projection)	Bells as Kāma’s laughter	Personifies abstract delight
Aprastuta-Prashamsā (Indirect glorification)	Envy of the tree, playful domestic quarrel	Hides reverence under jest
Śṛṅgāra & Hāsya Rasas	Erotic tenderness & gentle humor	Blend of devotion and play

Literary Note 

The metre used — Śikhariṇī — itself means “mountain-born,” another subtle allusion to Pārvatī, the Daughter of the Mountain. 
Its rhythmic grace mirrors the rise and fall of laughter and passion within these verses —  
a fitting poetic body for the Goddess herself. 

In these verses, Śaṅkara ceases to be only the philosopher-saint; 
he becomes the poet of rasa, the divine dramatist. 

Through humor, tenderness, and mythic imagination, 
he transforms metaphysics into melody and devotion into art. 

Soundarya Lahari thus reminds us that even mystical truth can smile —  
and that in the play of Śiva and Śakti, 
Love itself is the supreme intelligence.