Saundaryalahari of Sankaracarya: The Upsurging Billow of Beauty

by Nataraja Guru (tr.)

The Saundaryalahari has fascinated and puzzled generations of scholars and laypersons; subject to continuing study and debate, till today, such details as the authorship of the 100 verses named the Saundaryalahari remain a matter of contention, particularly among scholars. While some attribute it to Sankara, others argue that the Saundaryalahari's verses in praise of the Devi cannot have been authored by this staunch Vedantin; Some argue that it's value is essentially in the realm of what is loosely called "Tantra," while others extend the significance of the Saundaryalahari to include the preoccupations of Vedanta. Nataraja Guru is unequivocal in his belief that none other than Sankara could have composed this masterpiece of mystical poetry and identifies internal evidence in the verses themselves to support this view. The detailed commentary views the Saundaryalahari as Advaita Vedanta itself. The absolute joy of Advaita is presented in a pictorial language, subjectively as ananda, and objectively as saundarya.