Verse 1 [Invocation to Lord Gaṇeśa]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English commentary of verse 1:

क्षीरोदं पौर्णमासीशशधर इव यः प्रस्फुरन्निस्तरङ्गं चिद्व्योम स्फारनादं रुचिविसरलसद्बिन्दुवक्रोर्मिमालम् ।
आद्यस्पन्दस्वरूपः प्रथयति सकृदोङ्कारशुण्डः क्रियादृग् दन्त्यास्योऽयं हठाद्यः शमयतु दुरितं शक्तिजन्मा गणेशः ॥ १ ॥

kṣīrodaṃ paurṇamāsīśaśadhara iva yaḥ prasphurannistaraṅgaṃ
cidvyoma sphāranādaṃ rucivisaralasadbinduvakrormimālam |
ādyaspandasvarūpaḥ prathayati sakṛdoṅkāraśuṇḍaḥ kriyādṛg
dantyāsyo'yaṃ haṭhādyaḥ śamayatu duritaṃ śaktijanmā gaṇeśaḥ || 1 ||

Comparative analysis of commentaries and excerpts in English:

[Invocation to Lord Gaṇeśa]

Lord Gaṇeśa is invoked, as the dispeller of the Māyīyamala or illusion. He is like the full moon shining on the calm milky ocean. He creates all of a sudden, an upheaval of incessant roaring waves, foaming white with spray, at the calm and deep speech centre, Cidvyoma, cave of the heart. He is shining as the prime cause or the first impulse, “prathama spandarūpa’, a sound, that reaches far and wide, resulting in lustrous, sprayful, incessant speech waves. Gaṇeśa—Lord of Gaṇas, the fifteen channels through which sense group flows out(fifteen- Karmendriyas, Jñānendriyas, and Tanmātrās) has his trunk in the form of the sanskrit seed letter ‘ॐ’ (personal Ego). He is the result of the three fold power -Knowledge, youthful Desire and Action practical (Kriyā-Dṛk, Dantāsya:,and Śakti-Janmā).^[1]

Kālīdasa’s concept of kālī

Cult Kālīdasa named this work suitably as Cidgagana Candrika (the moonlight in the sky of consciousness) to suggest that the great Śakti who coexisted in the form of light (Prakāśa-Śiva), without showing off her brilliance at the time of deluge, is beaming out at the time of creation. He names the chapters aptly as Vimarśa–reflecting aspect of the Prakāśa principle called Śiva.

The Prime creation of Vibration

The full moon, emitting its coolest and pleasant rays on this whole world, is allegorically expressed as rising from the calm milky ocean, so as to add to the effect of fullness of its lustre. Generally, the full moon causes high tides full of lather in the ocean with many waves like numerous garlands. The bubbles in the tides, vying with each other to reflect the moon, form a beautiful diamond necklace. The ocean here is mentioned as Calm, and hence the rising of the moon in its fullness, forms the first cause of tidal activity in the ocean.

Kālī–the generator of other Śaktis

The idea that the Absolute Śiva’s (kāla) initial vibration Prathama Spanda, is in the form of a desire to start creation, i.e., Icchā Śakti, is indicated as Kālī (Vimarśa). She as the lustre of the fullmoon proceeds to create the empirical world by the first tide, in the form of her progeny Gaṇeśa, with a trunk and tusk. Gaṇeśa is the Controller of the organs of activity Karmendriyas as well as the organs of knowledge Jñānendriyas. He is empowered with Kriyā and Jñāna Śaktis for effecting the cycle of creation. The trunk of Gaṇeśa represents the prime seed letter k which paves the way for subsequent Śabdasṛṣṭi (creation of the prime sound). Thus, kālī the Icchā Śakti, in order to fulfill (Śiva) Kāla’s desire, proceeds in creation by enjoining the Jñāna and Kriya Śaktis for Sthūlasṛṣṭi (gross). She then as Parāvāk, forms the Prathama Bīja “ॐ”, a conjunct form of “a-u-m” from “a”–Śiva. This forms the expansion as Icchā, Kriyā and Jñāna Śaktis which in their wake create the Vāk in the form of the lustrous speech waves, from the calm Cidvyoma (the cave of the heart in empirical world).

An esoteric explanation of Śāktapraṇava

“ka” is the first Sparśa letter of the varṇamāla excluding svaras, “ṣa”, is the last consonant representing Śakti. The kūtākṣara–“kṣa” is the Sūkṣma sṛṣṭi denoting her independence and the benedictory verse starts as “kṣī” with tāppratyaya “ī” added to the Śāktapraṇava “kṣa”. The function in the way of energy–Śakti, by means of Śāktapratyāhāra produces the mantra of Śakti “kṣa” . The verse starts with “ma” gaṇa which denotes the auspicious note for a benedictory verse. The poet’s deity of worship is the Ādyā Śakti-Kālī, who is capable of creation as ‘Svātantryaśakti’. “ka” of Paśu aspect in jāgrat–wakeful state and “ṣa” of Sadāśiva (Pati) aspect in Turīyā state are by an act of churning in the space of heart cidvyoma by the power of kālī, Pāśa, result in creation of the lord of subsequent creative process Gaṇeśa.

Allusion to ward off Illusion

Kālīdāsa salutes Ganeśa the first of creation, ascribed with aspects of Stūla and Sūkṣmasṛṣṭi, to do away with the illusion caused as difference between the self and the Absolute Māyīyamala, which posts the very first barrier in the true nature of Absolute in the process of manifestation.

Notes and Sanskrit references:

[1] Cf. [Divyacakorikā] p 8, [Cidgaganacandrikā] 1.brahmagraṃthi—

vibhedakamahāpraṇavavāgarthaṣaḍadhvaikaśuṇḍaṃ,śaktiputraṃ, mahāgajādhirāja ānanaṃ ādhikārika maṅgalamūrtimanubaṃdhacatuṣṭayasūcaṃkasvānubhavadidarśayiṣayā sābhiprāya viśeṣaṇairādau graṃthato nibadhnāti.