| ID | 135716 |
| Title Proper | Saivism in the efflorescence of the golden isles of Indonesia |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Chandra, Lokesh |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The seventy-five glorious years of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan have been the heaven and jasmine of its founder and his clarion call of Jaya Somanatha, to bloom the cultural dreams of a renascent India, to unveil the shining peaks of our minds over the millenia. The noble vision of Kulapati Munshi became embedded in the Bhavan to keep alive the light on the horizons of history, and angelic in the wrappings of life: can flowers forget the spring? It is in tune with the founding spirit of the Bhavan to celebrate its platinum jubilee with a symposium on Abhinavagupta the great master of the Trika philosophy of Kashmir, who also formulated a new theory of aesthetics. A few weeks before Kulapati Munshi ascended the Heavenly Fields of eternal Vrindavana beyond the plane of duality, I was in Mumbai and went to see him. He lay on his couch, with his charming consort Leelavati sitting beside him. I began with an interpretation of his historic noval Jaya Somanatha. Somnatha was a temple dedicated to Lord Śiva as the Lord of the Moon, as the guardian of trans-oceanic merchants. The waxing and waning of the Moon has fatal effects on the waves of the oceans which toss the ships in deadly turbulence. The Jātakamālā of Āryaśūra recounts the voyage of the seasoned steersman Supāraga when the sea took a terrible aspect all of a sudden: like the earth quivering with her mountains at the time of world destruction. The sea rose up in rage, saddening the hearts of the occupants Supāraga refers to Sopara seaport in Gujarat. Just as Śiva lessened the impact of the torrents of the Gangā descending to earth, so does' He mitigate the tumult and turbulence, the Sturm und Drang, caused by the Moon (Soma). As Lord of the Moon, as Soma-nātha, he blesses marine travel with safety and assurance. Somnath was a Temple of Mariners, and even Arab merchants made offerings for safety and success in their trade. The renown of the extravagant riches of Somnath spread all over the lands of trans-national trade, whether Alexandria, Iraq, Iran or Central Asian kingdoms. Its immense oppulence attracted greed and fundamentalism in 1024AC when it was sacked after a fiercely contested battle in which fifty thousand defenders were killed and the invaders returned with a huge booty. |
| `In' analytical Note | Dialogue Vol.16, No.2; Oct-Dec.2014: p.61-80 |
| Journal Source | Dialogue 2014-12 16, 2 |
| Standard Number | Hinduism |