Verse 26

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 26:

ध्ययेद्यो हृदि पङ्कजं सुरतरुं शर्वस्य पीठालयं
  देवस्यानिल-हीन-दीप-कलिका-हंसेन सं-शोभितं ।
भानोर्मण्डल-मण्डितान्तर-लसत् किञ्जल्क-शोभाधरं
  वाचामीश्वर ईश्वरो'पि जगतां रक्षविनाशे क्षमः ॥ २६ ॥

dhyayedyo hṛdi paṅkajaṃ surataruṃ śarvasya pīṭhālayaṃ
  devasyānila-hīna-dīpa-kalikā-haṃsena saṃ-śobhitaṃ |
bhānormaṇḍala-maṇḍitāntara-lasat kiñjalka-śobhādharaṃ
  vācāmīśvara īśvaro'pi jagatāṃ rakṣavināśe kṣamaḥ || 26 ||

He who meditates on this Heart Lotus becomes (like) the Lord of Speech, and (like) Īśvara he is able to protect and destroy the worlds. This Lotus, is like the celestial wishing-tree,^[1] the abode and seat of Śarva.^[2] It is beautified by the Haṃsa,^[3] which is like unto the steady tapering flame of a lamp in a windless place.^[4] The filaments which surround and adorn its pericarp, illumined by the solar region, charm.

Commentary by Śrī-Kālīcaraṇa:

In this and the following verse he speaks of the good to be gained by meditating on the Heart Lotus.

“He who meditates on this Lotus in the Heart becomes like the Lord of Speech”—i.e., Bṛhaspati, the Guru of the Devas—and able like Īśvara the Creator to protect and destroy the worlds. Briefly, he becomes the Creator, Protector and Destroyer of the Worlds.

He speaks of the presence of the Jīvātmā which is Haṃsa,^[5] in the pericarp of this Lotus. The Jīvātmā is like the steady flame of a lamp in a windless place, and enhances the beauty of this Lotus (Anila-hṃa-dīpa- kalikā-haṃsena sam-śobhitam). Haṃsa is the Jīvātmā. He also speaks of the presence of the Sūrya-maṇḍala in the pericarp of this Lotus.

“The filaments which surround and adorn its pericarp, illumined by the solar region, charm” (Bhānormaṇḍala-maṇḍitāntara-lasat kiñjalka-śobādharaṃ).—It is beautified by reason of the filaments which surround the pericarp being tinged by the rays of the Sun. The rays of the Sun beautify the filaments and not the space within the pericarp. The filaments of the other Lotuses are not so tinged, and it is the distinctive feature of this Lotus. By the expression “the Maṇḍala of Sūrya (Bhānu)” the reader is to understand that all the filaments in the pericarp are beauteous with the rays of the Sun, and not a portion of them.

All over the pericarp is spread the region of Vāyu. Above it is the region of Sūrya; and above these the Vāyu-Bīja and Trikoṇa, etc., should be meditated upon. This is quite consistent. In mental worship the mantra is “Maṃ—salutation to the region of Fire with his ten Kalās,”^[6] etc. From texts and Mantras like this we therefore see that the regions of Vahni (Fire), Arka (Sun), and Candra (Moon) are placed one above the other.

“Īśvara”—i.e., Creator.

“Able to protect and destroy the world” (Rakṣā-vināśe-kṣamaḥ)—i.e., it is he who protects and destroys. The idea meant to be conveyed by these three attributes is that he becomes possessed of the power of creating, maintaining and destroying the Universe.^[7]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sura-taru=Kalpa-taru.

[2]:

Mahā-deva, Śiva.

[3]:

Here the Jīvātmā.

[4]:

See Introduction.

[5]:

Viśvanātha quotes a verse in which this Haṃsa is spoken of as Puruṣa.

[6]:

Kalā=Digits or portions of Śakti.

[7]:

By reason of his unification with the Brahma-substance.