Word

Saundarya Lahari

Sanskrit

सौन्दर्यलहरी

IAST

saundarya lahari

In General

Saundarya Lahari is one of the foundational texts on Śākteya philosophy and Tantra. This work begins with the basic lesson that Lord Siva works in the creative process only with the help of Shakthi. The first 41 ślokas, which are highly technical, describe Tantra Vidyā from an Advaitic perspective. The remaining verses, completing a total of one hundred, are primarily devotional in nature.

According to legend, the first portion of 41 verses was composed by Lord Śiva himself, and when the remaining verses were lost, Ādi Śaṅkara completed them, thus creating a poetic work of one hundred verses.