Sri Soundarya Lahari Anandam

 

With Sri Lalitha Tripurasundari's blessings, after having successfully accomplished the task of providing a simple meaning to Lalitha Sahasranamam (srilalithasahasranamasoundaryam.blogspot.com), Soundaram@Vijayalakshmi and I began work on Sri Soundarya Lahari as a tribute to Sri Adi Sankaracharya. 

You can follow this blog for the Sanskrit verses, their corresponding English verses, an audio for pronunciations, their meanings, their corresponding yantras and benefits of chanting each sloka.  Each sloka can be accessed through the labels on the right hand side of this page.

We hope that we have done justice to this work too and we have catered to an audience which wants to learn this great work earnestly.  

Srividya

Soundarya Lahari an introduction

It is believed that Sri Adi Sankaracharya once undertook a journey to Mount Kailasa. Upon entering the abode of Lord Shiva,  he found the Lord having composed Soundarya Lahari which He handed it over to him.  Adi Sankaracharya, pleased with what he had got walked out. Unfortunately,  Nandhi Deva who was the guardian of the abode mistook the Saint to have stolen something from the sacred mountain.  He stopped him and snatched the verses out of his hand. 

The 41 slokas which Adi Sankaracharya could save are known as Ananda Lahari. 

Dejected at the loss of the other slokas,  he approached the Lord once more. And that's when he was asked by Lord Shiva himself to compose the remaining slokas.  The 59 slokas which Adi Sankaracharya composed are known as Soundarya Lahari.  He is said to have described the beauty of Sri Lalitha Tripurasundari in depth in these slokas. 

Ananda Lahari, (waves of joy) are slightly different in structure and depth compared to Soundarya Lahari, (waves of beauty). While the former concentrates on the internal worship of the Mother, the latter focuses on the physical beauty of the Goddess. 

The two combined together form the ancient text of Soundarya Lahari of 100 slokas. 

This is not just a work of worship but also has mantra, yantra and tantra Shakthi and if chanted correctly can bring about positive changes in life.  

Each sloka (4 verses) is chanted to give benefits of health, wealth, prosperity, power, goodwill etc.