The Bhamati and Kalapataru endorsed by the Harivamsha purana

[V Subrahmanian]

This is one of the invocatory verses of the Bhamati:

 

षड्भिरङ्गैरुपेताय विविधैरव्ययैरपि ।
शाश्वताय नमस्कुर्मो वेदाय च भवाय च ॥ ३ ॥

Obeisance to the Eternal Veda and Bhava (Shiva) who is (are) endowed with six limbs and several indeclinables (imperishables). 

Sri Amalananda, in the Kalpataru, commenting on the above verse of the Bhamati, cites a Puranic verse that enumerates the six limbs:

शिवपुराणम्/संहिता १ (विश्वेश्वरसंहिता)/अध्यायः १८

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सर्वज्ञता तृप्तिरनादिबोधः स्वतंत्रता नित्यमलुप्तशक्तिः ।

अनंतशक्तिश्च महेश्वरस्य यन्मानसैश्वर्यमवैति वेदः १२ ।

This verse is cited by Nilakantha commenting on the Harivamsha. 

 

What is noteworthy is that the six limbs mentioned by the Bhamati and enumerated by the Shiva Purana and explained by Amalananda in the Kalpataru are available in the Harivamsha, an extension of the Mahabharata. There is a praise of Shiva by Kashyap where we term shut Guna appears thrice:

हरिवंशपुराणम्/पर्व २ (विष्णुपर्व)/अध्यायः ०७२

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ब्रह्मासृजद् यो भुवनोत्तमोत्तमं तृप्तो विद्वान्ब्राह्मणः षड्गुणस्य ।
सृष्ट्वा रसं व्याहृतिस्थं समग्रं स मां पायादिह बहुरूपोऽरिहाङ्गैः।। ४३ ।।

brahmAsR^ijadyo bhuvanottamottamaM
        tR^ipto vidvAnbrAhmaNaH ShaDguNasya |
    sR^iShTvA rasaM vyAhR^itisthaM samagraM
        sa mAM pAyAdiha bahurUpo.arihA~NgaiH ||2-72-43

Let the Lord protect me with many varieties of forms and his limbs, who, being brahma created best of the best divine worlds in the entire world, who with his knowledge of brahma, is complete with six qualities (prosperity, knowledge, fame, wealth, non-attachment and dharma), who pervades the world entirely by creating it.

The commentary of Nilakantha (who has commented on the whole of Mahabharata, including the Bh.Gita):

• 2-72-43 brahmA chaturmukhaH bhuvanottamottamaM satyalokaM asR^ijat | yataH brAhmaNaH brahmavit ata eva ShaDguNasya ShaDbhirguNaiH aishvaryaj~nAnayashaHsrIvairAgyadharmaiHstR^iptaH pUrNaH pUrNatvAdeva vyAhR^itisthaM rasaM praNavaM tadarthabhUtaM kR^itsnaM prapa~nchaM sR^iShTvA iha prapa~nche AyAtpraviShTaH | arihA kAmAdidoShaghnaH a~NgaiH :-
  sarvaj~natA tR^iptiranAdibodhaH
  svatantratA nityamaluptashaktiH |
  anantashaktishcha vibhorvibhuj~nAH
  ShaDAhura~NgAni maheshvarasyaH
  iti purANokterbahurUpaH ||
• The above verse indicating the six attributes are cited by Amalananda in the Kalpataru while explaining the Bhamati's invocation verse on Shiva. 

आसन्नः संनतरः साधनानां श्रद्धावतां श्राद्धवृत्तिप्रणेता ।
पतिर्गणानां महतां सत्कृतीनां पायान्मेषः पूरणः षड्गुणानाम्।। ५२ ।।

AsannaH sannataraH sAdhanAnAM
        shraddhAvatAM shrAddhavR^ittipraNetA |
    patirgaNAnAM mahatAM satkR^itInAM
        pAyAnnmeShaH pUraNaH ShaDguNAnAm ||2-72-52

Let the Lord protect me who is near every one (because he rules everyone's mind), who is the best of the revealed truth for those who practice sAdhana, who is knowledge and devotion to those who have attention, who is the great lord of the assemblies of pati and who fulfills all the six qualities.

• Nilakantha's commentary: 2-72-52 AsannaH antaryAmitvena nikaTagaH | sAdanAnAM tadvadatAM tu sannataraH anAvR^itaH shrAddhavR^ittiH shraddhAgR^ihItamahAvAkyajA vR^ittirahaM brahmAsmIti j~nAnaM tasya pradAtA | mA mAm IShaH iShyamANasyArthasya pUraNaH ShaDguNAnAM cha sarvaj~natvAdinAM pUraNaH |

अन्यो धन्यः संस्कृतश्चोत्तमश्च जगत्सृष्ट्वा योऽत्ति सर्वातिगुह्यः ।
स मां मुखप्रमुखे पातु नित्यं विचिन्वानः प्रथमः षड्गुणानाम्।। ५६।

 anyo dhanyaH samskR^itashchottamashcha
        jagatsR^iShTva yo.atti sarvAtiguhyaH |
    sa mAM mukhapramukhe pAtu nityaM
        vichinvAnaH prathamaH ShaDguNAnAm ||2-72-56

Let me and my progeny be protected by the lord, who creates the world as brahma, who destroys it as rudra, who is the most secretive of gods, who is different from the stationary world, who is blessed due to the qualities such as self control, who is the best, who assembles the fortune of the master of sacrifices where indra and the fire god are prominent and who is the refuge of the six qualities.

Nilakantha:

• 2-72-56 yo jagat sR^iShTvA.ati atiguhyo gopyo brahmarUpI Ishvarastato.anyo viShNuH pAlanakartA sa cha dhanyaH mahAbhAgaH yataH saMskR^itaH shamAdisamskAyukto.ata eva uttamo yaH samaudAryaH sa mAM mukhaprabhavatvAt - mukhAdindrashchAgnishcha iti shrutau indrAgnI tau pramukhe Adau yasya tasmin yaj~ne nityaM chinvAn IshvaraM svAbhedena sarvatra pashyan nArAyaNaH sa mAM pAtuH matsantatimindraM rakShatu | yataH ShaDguNAnAmaishvaryAdInaM prathamo mukhya Ashraya ityarthaH | makhapramukhe iti pAThe.agniviShNU |

Thus we have in the Harivamsha an endorsement of what the Bhamati has said and the Kalpataru has confirmed. 

Here is an English translation of the entire chapter of the Harivamsha which contains the stuti of Shiva by Kashyapa::http://mahabharata-resources.org/harivamsa/vishnuparva/hv_2_072.html

The above page, in the latter half, contains the commentary of Nilakantha.  

 

Om Tat Sat