Saundarya Lahari - Waves of Beauty

Saundarya Lahari, or “Waves of Beauty,” is a sublime literary creation by the revered Indian sage and poet, Adi Guru Shankaracharya. Comprising one hundred slokas, or verses, this profound work explores the very essence of beauty, spirituality, and the divine feminine.

Through its eloquent verses and rich metaphors, Saundarya Lahari stands as a timeless masterpiece, celebrated not only in India but also across the world.

The brilliance of Saundarya Lahari lies in its intricate structure and thematic depth. Each verse is woven with exquisite imagery, capturing the ethereal beauty of the Goddess and offering a luminous guide on how to live life with true grace and beauty.

The work is elegantly divided into two parts: the first forty-one slokas are known as Ananda Lahari, “Waves of Bliss,” while the following fifty-nine slokas are called Saundarya Lahari, “Waves of Beauty,” which extol the divine beauty and glory of the Goddess.

Ananda Lahari, the heart of this masterpiece, evokes the profound inner experience of unity and bliss. From this sacred place, when you open your eyes, you find love and this is the essence of Saundarya Lahari, “Waves of Beauty.” Seeing with eyes of love, listening from that place; moving through life with the grace that only love can inspire; moving the way that love makes you move.

At the core of Saundarya Lahari is the poet's intense devotion to the goddess Shakti. The verses overflow with bhakti, a deep and fervent love for the Divine, revealing a profound personal connection with the Goddess. Shankaracharya illuminates the phenomenal beauty of the absolute, inviting us to share in this divine experience through him and with him. The saundarya (beauty) of the goddess is in full expression.

The experience of the Goddess within the field of our consciousness naturally gives rise to beauty and bliss, which ripple into this manifest reality, creating a world imbued with divine grace.

Shankaracharya was not just a scholar or poet; he was a sadhaka, a dedicated practitioner, and a seer whose work is an outpouring of divine brilliance channelled through a worthy vessel.

This creation is not the product of mere thought. It arises from a state of consciousness that perceives the Divine directly, from the level of God/Goddess Consciousness. He was seeing it and it was overflowing out of him. That ecstasy bubbling up; a surge of bliss.

Within each of us lies an innate ability to recognize beauty and to revel in it and our shared journey in life involves bringing more and more of the transcendent into the relative, unfolding bliss and beauty as we go.

“We are designed to locate beauty and rejoice in it.” – Anand Ji

Saundarya Lahari supports us in moving through this life with eyes filled with wonder, helping us to live a life of prosperity and deep joy. It offers us the means to access bliss both within and without, harmonizing bhukti (material enjoyment) and mukti (liberation). It teaches us to remain anchored in the transcendent while engaging fully in this world. It’s only because of the experience of bliss that this play continues.

There are layers and layers to this manifest reality. If all was revealed or concealed, no experience would be possible. This world itself is a Tantra, a sacred vehicle for evolution. Here differentiated knowledge is available and that becomes a driver of evolution. No one can realise Shiva without realising Shakti. Shiva and Shakti, wisdom and energy, are ultimately inseparable.

And the lotus of Lakshmi can remain eternally open, but one must locate it. We don't want temporal accumulation. We want eternal abundance; from victory to victory. In the night, the soft glow. In the day, the radiance of Surya (the sun). We want both values.

Experience the presence of Devi within your own being as you join Anand Ji in his exquisite offering, Saundarya Lahari, “Waves of Beauty”. Access the most sublime teachings on Divine Mother and allow the Goddess to carry you into the depth of your being, giving you the gift of the deepest realisation so that you can move through this life with eyes filled with wonder, living a life of prosperity and deep joy, being anchored in the transcendent while playing fully in the relative.

When you become more and more established in Goddess Consciousness your life becomes a living example of the flow of grace. Let the soma flow!

“When a being can locate the full Sri Yantra in the microcosm that is the body, and the macrocosm that is the manifest reality, then the Goddess becomes a living reality.” – Anand Ji

Saundarya Lahari: Waves of Beauty Course - coming soon to Sattva Connect! Stay tuned!