Om

( The English translation of the message in Sanskrit delivered on AIR in 1962 by Pūjya Śri
Mahāsvāmin Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati Śankarāchārya in light of the external
aggression of our Motherland. The revered Ācharya was a veritable treasure house of
wisdom, severe austerities, and he single-handedly revived a few of the ancient branches of
hitherto before unknown branches of the Vedas, & sustained Sanatana Dharma in our holy
land. Anointed as Pīthadhipati at the very young age of 14 years, he brought name & fame for
over eight decades to the ancient Sarvajña Pītham at Kanchipuram, Tamilnadu, whose first
Acharya was none other than the noblest Püjya Śri Ādi Śankara Bhagavadpāda).

The Acharya begins his address with an extract of a verse from the famed 'Āryā Śatakam',
which is alliterative.

समरविजयकोटी साधकानन्दघाटी
परमशिववधूटी पातु मां कामकोटी ॥

Paraphrasing the verse, the Ācharya continues:

To the lotus-like feet of Kāmakoti, the Primeval Power and the Divine Mother of the Universe,
who fructifies as the very embodiment of victory in all our battles, and who is ever-vigilant and
the protector of all her creations, we shall extend our heartfelt prayers as well as our
traditional welcome (with a Purna-Kumbha, denoting prosperity) to that Goddess of Victory!

May eight auspicious & very superior things such as 1) the unalloyed nectar of our devotion,
2) Being ego-less, 3) Endeavour towards unity of purpose, 4) Willingness to sacrifice what we
have (for the nation) 5) Non-enmity even towards our worst enemies, 5)Truthfulness, 6) Unity
of command, 7)Concern for welfare of everyone & 8) Practice of brotherhood of all women
other than one's own – be only our guiding factors in accomplishing that Goddess of Victory.

(With these eight in our armour), we shall soon be able to welcome the Goddess of Victory by
gearing our efforts towards pleasing & attaining the Dhana-Lakshmi (the Goddess of wealth
& prosperity), Dhanya-Lakshmi (Goddess of bountiful crops) and all wish-fulfilling Vara-
Lakshmi (the Goddess granting all our just wishes)

(The Ācharya then allegorically refers to an anecdote from Kena-Upanaishat):

In a Upanishat attached to the Sāma-Veda, the Supreme Goddess -Daughter of the

Himalayas, adorned with precious gold yornaments checked the vain pride of minor-Gods in
their war with the demonic forces. (the reference was clearly to the war fought in the
Himalayan frontiers- rich in mineral, medicinal & water resources - with an aggressor).
Similarly, we pray to that Himavat-putrī, to check ego of our soldiers, and to grant us victory
over ’adhārmic’ forces!

Bhagavan Śri Krishna also stresses the need for absence of ego in Bhagavad Gita (XVIII.17):
 यस्य नाहङ् कृतो भावो बद्धि
ु र्यस्य न लिप्यते |
हत्वाऽपि स इमाँल्लोकान्न नाऽयं हन्ति न हन्यते ||

 (Those who are free from the ego of being the doer, and whose intellect is unattached,
though they may slay living beings, they neither kill nor are they bound by their action.

-that was by way of a morale-boosting message to our soldiers fighting with the enemy on the
war front!

What we should be doing in times of such an emergency is to remember the holy feet of the
Divine Mother – Ambā- is evidenced in our Scriptures.

That the auspicious Primeval Power is variously worshipped throughout our Nation: Known as
'Tulajā Bhavāni‘in Maharashtra, Ksheera-Bhavāni in Kāshmira, Jvālāmukhī in Panchāla
(Punjab) Ambā-ji in Gurjara, Vindhya-Vasini in UttaraPradesa, Kālī in Bengal, Kāmākhya in
Kamarupa (Assam), Chāmundi in Karnataka, Kāmākshi (Kāmakoti) in Kanchipuram (TN),
Kanyā-Kumārii at the southern tip of our land – likewise worshipped in hundreds of different
names in different parts of the country, protecting all of us alike without any discrimination, as
Her children.

It behooves us, therefore, to show our gratitude as an inescapable duty to our Motherland, by
way of even a sesame-seed -sized gold, which we can surrender at the local temple of Ambā-
ji, (to be collected & forwarded to assist our Government), and ensure that the Goddess of
Victory will be so pleased with our precious donation, to soon favour us with a victory over the
enemies.

It is said in our Scriptures that in the Divine sight of Kāmākshi, fostering friendship even with
one's enemies, as well as treating other women as our sisters are important markers. By
extending our hand of friendship & brotherhood to our enemies, let us accomplish the fruit of
Her blessings.

(The Ācharya quotes another verse from ĀryaSatakam):

शिव शिव पश्यन्ति समं श्रीकामाक्षीकटाक्षिताः परु

ु षाः ।
विपिनं भवनममित्रं मित्रं लोष्टं च युवतिबिम्बोष्ठम ् ॥
(meaning: What a wonder! Persons who are blessed by the Goddess Kāmākshi look at
everyone with equipoise! For them, a dense forest appears as a well-decorated house,
enemies too as friends and a piece of shard as the lips of a young woman!)
It is therefore necessary that our soldiers fight in the war without any ego. However, wayward
enemies must receive due punishment. As a just ruler remains righteous in his reign, in his
capacity as dispenser of justice, would punish any offender, regardless of the offender being a
friend or enemy, own or other's son, so also one should avoid any hatred or repugnance in
dealing with our enemies too, without giving up the feeling of friendship. Our prayer should
be that we should never forgo our amity.
Once again, the above-said words of Bhagavān Krishna come to my mind.

Let us all pray to keep that righteous bend of mind. So also wish our enemies to play their war
games with us, even-handed.

Finally, may all our people respect & follow whatever laws our eminent jurists have prescribed
for the welfare of our society; May the Ministers in charge of administering these for the
people be enthused in their heart to propose rules of law and implement them mildly, but in a
just and equitable manner, mildly. In these times of emergency due to the foreign aggression,
such a discipline is important. However, this should be perceived or published as our
weakness to be a talking point against us as in international

forums. Until we achieve victory in the war, the Ministers & other administors should maintain
implement a code of discipline with a sense of sacrifice and amity. May all Bharatiyas engage
in productive activities conducive to Nation-building with utmost sense of unity, and in our
heart with full devotion to the Almighty. May the weapons of our soldiers be effective enough
as to ensure victory in the war. May victory be ours, may we be prosperous, may we have all
wealth, and may we all adopt just laws.

A verse from the Bhagavad Gīā: XVIII,78) explains all this:

यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनर्ध

ु र: |
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भति
ू र्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ||

(Wherever there is Śrī Krishna, the Supreme Being in whom all living beings merge, and
wherever there is Arjuna, representing a skilled warrior, there will certainly be unending
opulence, victory, prosperity, and a just order - Of this, the Lord says He is very certain.

In that garden of righteousness, let us not violate the divine code of conduct prescribed for the
mankind by our Lord, the flute-playing Krishna!