Sivanandalahari of Sankracarya

About Sivanandalahari of Sankracarya

The Śivānandalahari of Adi Śankarāchārya, like its twin Saundaryalahari, is a poem of intense devotion, as noted for poetic excellence as for its spiritual fervour. Since God cannot be conceived of, meditated upon or loved with devotion in the abstract, Indian sages have conceived of God as the Father-Mother, Śiva-Śakti inseparable as word and meaning, in the immortal analogy of Kalidasa. In Śivānandalahari, Śri Śankarāchārya pays homage to the Father, while in Saundaryalahari, he prays to the Mother. In Śivānandalahari, Śankarāchārya has been successful in making God so lovable that the reader is enabled to experience a blissful beatitude, where the Omnipresent One is realised as the Immanent Self within, the purified mind elevated to heights of spiritual bliss. The English translation of this famous work has been done by V.K. Subramanian, the famous scholar, whose book on Saundaryalahari is a popular work, running into several editions. English transliteration side by side the original Sanskrit will facilitate easy comprehension by all. This book will be of great interest to all students of religion and philosophy as also lovers of pure poetry. It will be a valuable reference volume for students of Indology.