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Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi
Shakti)
From: "jagbir singh" <adishakti_org@...>
Date: Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:10 pm
Subject: Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti)
> —- In adishakti_sahaja_yoga@yahoogroups.com, "jagbir
singh"
<adishakti_org@y...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Dear Semira,
> >
> > Definitely and without question the Divine Message will
triumph
> > over the organization itself. In future more and more
people
> > will embrace its central message of evolving into the
eternal
> > spirit that all religions, holy scriptures and prophets
have
> > since time immemorial upheld. The Divine Message is a
spiritual
> > sanctuary, a beacon of hope, joy, peace of eternal life
to all
> > humans. The Shakti/Holy Spirit/Ruh/Aykaa Mayee is the
Divine
> > Feminine that gives Self-realization/Birth of
Spirit/Baptism of
> > Allah/Opens Dasam Dwar for humanity to enter the
Sahasrara/
> > Kingdom of God/Niche of lights/Inner Sanctuary within
where
> > Brahman/God Almighty/Allah/ Waheguru resides as THE
LIGHT.
> > Semira, not only the current Sahaja Yoga organisation
but all
> > religious organizations as well have merely been
intended as
> > temporary vehicles and starting points for the Divine
Message.
> >
> > jagbir
> >
> >
> > —- In adishakti_sahaja_yoga@yahoogroups.com, "jagbir
singh"
<adishakti_org@y...> wrote:
>
> By the way things are moving the Adi Shakti will
eventually
> triumph. All we need to do as Her bhaktas is to stand our
ground
> and not yield an inch because Truth always triumphs. Years
of
> silence from religious regimes is the sure sign that the
Devi and
> Her Divine Message to all humanity cannot be challenged,
and will
> eventually be victorious in Her battle against the evil
forces.
> All we need to do is to fearlessly announce the Truth.
Shanti,
> Shanti, Shanti.
>
Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti)
This is in every way both a most important, as well as a
most
difficult, subject in the Tantra Shastra; so difficult that
it is
not understood, and on this account has been ridiculed.
Mantra, in
the words of a distinguished Indian, has been called
"meaningless
jabber". When we find Indians thus talking of their Shastra,
it is
not surprising that Europeans should take it to be of no
account.
They naturally, though erroneously, suppose that the Indian
always
understands his own beliefs, and if he says they are absurd
it is
taken that they are so. Even, however, amongst Indians, who
have
lost themselves through an English Education, the Science of
Mantra
is largely unknown. There are not many students of the
Mimamsa now-a-
days. The English-educated have in this, as in other
matters,
generally taken the cue from their Western Gurus, and passed
upon
Mantravidya a borrowed condemnation. There are those among
them
(particularly in this part of India), those who have in the
past
thought little of their old culture, and have been only too
willing
to sell their old lamps for new ones. Because they are new
they will
not always be found to give better light. Let us hope this
will
change, as indeed it will. Before the Indian condemns his
cultural
inheritance let him at least first study and understand it.
It is
true that Mantra is meaningless—to those who do not know
its
meaning; but to those who do, it is not "Jabber"; though of
course
like everything else it may become, and indeed has become,
the
subject of ignorance and superstitious use. A telegram
written in
code in a merchant's office will seem the merest gibberish
to those
who do not know that code. Those who do may spell thereout a
transaction bringing lakhs of "real" Rupees for those who
have sent
it. Mantravidya, whether it be true or not, is a profoundly
conceived science, and, as interpreted by the Shakta Agama,
is a
practical application of Vedantic doctrine.
The textual source of Mantras is to be found in the Vedas
(see in
particular the Mantra portion of the Atharvaveda so
associated with
the Tantra Shastra), the Puranas and Tantras. The latter
Scripture
is essentially the Mantra-Shastra. In fact it is so called
generally
by Sadhakas and not Tantra Shastra. And so it is said of all
the
Shastras, symbolized as a body, that Tantra Shastra which
consists
of Mantra is the Paramatma, the Vedas are the Jivatma,
Darshanas or
systems of philosophy are the senses, Puranas are the body
and the
Smritis are the limbs. Tantra Shastra is thus the Shakti of
Consciousness consisting of Mantra. For, as the Vishvasara
Tantra
(Ch. 2) says, the Parabrahman in Its form as the Sound
Brahman
(Shabda-Brahman or Saguna-Brahman), whose substance is all
Mantra,
exists in the body of the Jivatma.. Kundalini Shakti is a
form of
the Shabda-Brahman in individual bodies (Sharada-Tilaka, Ch.
1). It
is from this Shabda-Brahman that the whole universe proceeds
in the
form of sound (Shabda) and the objects (Artha) which sounds
or words
denote. And this is the meaning of the statement that the
Devi and
the Universe are composed of letters, that is, the signs for
the
sounds which denote all that is.
At any point in the flow of phenomena, we can enter the
stream, and
realize therein the changeless Real. The latter is
everywhere and is
in all things, and hidden in, and manifested by, sound as by
all
else. Any form (and all which is not the Formless is that)
can be
pierced by the mind, and union may be had therein with the
Devata
who is at its core. It matters not what that form may be.
And why?
What I have said concerning Shakti gives the answer. All is
Shakti.
All is Consciousness. We desire to think and speak. This is
Iccha
Shakti. We make an effort towards realization. This is Kriya
Shakti.
We think and know. This is J—ana Shakti. Through Pranavayu,
another
form of Shakti, we speak; and the word we utter is Shakti
Mantramayi. For what is a letter (Varna) which is made into
syllable
(Pada) and sentences (Vakya) '? It may be heard in speech,
thus
affecting the sense of hearing. It may be seen as a form in
writing.
It may be tactually sensed by the blind through the
perforated dots
of Braille type. The same thing thus affecting the various
senses.
But what is the thing which does so? The senses are Shakti,
and so
is the objective form which evokes the sensation. Both are
in
themselves Shakti as Cit Shakti and Maya Shakti, and the
Svarupa of
these is Cit or Feeling-Consciousness. When, therefore, a
Mantra is
realized, when there is what is called in the Shastra
Mantra-
Caitanya, what happens is the union of the consciousness of
the
Sadhaka with that Consciousness which manifests in the form
of the
Mantra. It is this union which makes the Mantra "work".
The subject is of such importance in the Tantras that their
other
name is Mantra Shastra. But what is a Mantra? Commonly
Orientalists
and others describe Mantra as "Prayer," "Formulae of
worship," "Mystic syllables" and so forth. These are but the
superficialities of those who do not know their subject.
Wherever we
find the word "Mystic," we may be on our guard; for it is a
word
which covers much ignorance. Thus Mantra is said to be a
"mystic"
word, Yantra a "mystic" diagram, and Mudra a "mystic"
gesture. But
have these definitions taught us anything? No, nothing.
Those who
framed these definitions knew nothing of their subject. And
yet,
whilst I am aware of no work in any European language which
shows a
knowledge of what Mantra is or of its science (Mantra-vidya),
there
is nevertheless perhaps no subject which has been so
ridiculed: a
not unusual attitude of ignorance. There is a widely
diffused lower
mind which says, "what I do not understand is absurd". But
this
science, whether well-founded or not, is not that. Those who
so
think might expect Mantras which are prayers and the meaning
of
which they understand; for with prayer the whole world is
familiar.
But such appreciation itself displays a lack of
understanding. For
there is nothing necessarily holy or prayerful alone in
Mantras as
some think. Some combinations of letters constitute prayers
and are
called Mantras, as for instance the most celebrated Gayatri
Mantra.
A Mantra is not the same thing as prayer or self-dedication
(Atma-
nivedana). Prayer is conveyed in the words the Sadhaka
chooses. Any
set of words or letters is not a Mantra. Only that Mantra in
which
the Devata has revealed His or Her particular aspects can
reveal
that aspect, and is therefore the Mantra of that one of His
or Her
particular aspects. The relations of the letters (Varna),
whether
vowel or consonant, Nada and Bindu, in a Mantra indicate the
appearance of Devata in different forms. Certain Vibhuti or
aspects
of the Devata are inherent in certain Varna, but perfect
Shakti does
not appear in any but a whole Mantra. All letters are forms
of the
Shabda-Brahman, but only particular combinations of letters
are a
particular form, just as the name of a particular being is
made up
of certain letters and not of any indiscriminately. The
whole
universe is Shakti and is pervaded by Shakti. Nada, Bindu,
Varna are
all forms of Shakti and combinations of these, and these
combinations only are the Shabda corresponding to the Artha
or forms
of any particular Devata. The gross lettered sound is, as
explained
later, the manifestation of sound in a more subtle form, and
this
again is the production of causal "sound" in its supreme
(Para)
form. Mantras are manifestations of Kulakundalini (see
Chapter on
the same) which is a name for the Shabda-Brahman or Saguna-Brahman
in individual bodies. Produced Shabda is an aspect of the
Jiva's
vital Shakti. Kundalini is the Shakti who gives life to the
Jiva.
She it is who in the Muladhara Cakra (or basal bodily
center) is the
cause of the sweet, indistinct and murmuring Dhvani which is
compared to the humming of a black bee. Thence Shabda
originates
and, being first Para, gradually manifests upwards as
Pashyanti,
Madhyama, Vaikhari (see post). Just as in outer space, waves
of
sound are produced by movements of air (Vayu), so in the
space
within the Jiva's body, waves of sound are said to be
produced
according to the movements of the vital air (Pranavayu) and
the
process of in and out breathing. As the Svarupa of Kundali,
in whom
are all sounds, is Paramatma, so the substance of all
Mantra, Her
manifestation, is Consciousness (Cit) manifesting as letters
and
words. In fact, the letters of the Alphabet which are called
Akshara
are nothing but the Yantra of the Akshara or Imperishable
Brahman.
This is however only realized by the Sadhaka, when his
Shakti
generated by Sadhana is united with Mantra-Shakti. kundalini,
who is
extremely subtle, manifests in gross (Sthula) form in
differing
aspects as different Devatas. It is this gross form which is
the
Presiding Deity (Adishthatri Devata) of a Mantra, though it
is the
subtle (Sukshma) form at which all Sadhakas aim. Mantra and
Devata
are thus one and particular forms of Brahman as
Shiva-Shakti.
Therefore the Shastra says that they go to Hell who think
that the
Image (or "Idol" as it is commonly called) is but a stone
and the
Mantra merely letters of the alphabet. It is therefore also
ignorance of Shastric principle which supposes that Mantra
is merely
the name for the words in which one expresses what one has
to say to
the Divinity. If it were, the Sadhaka might choose his own
language
without recourse to the eternal and determined sounds of
Shastra.
(See generally as to the above the Chapter on Mantra-tattva
in
Principles of Tantra, Ed. A. Avalon.) The particular Mantra
of a
Devata is that Devata. A Mantra, on the contrary, consists
of
certain letters arranged in definite sequence of sounds of
which the
letters are the representative signs. To produce the
designed
effect, the Mantra must be intoned in the proper way,
according to
both sound (Varna) and rhythm (Svara). For these reasons, a
Mantra
when translated ceases to be such, and becomes a mere word
or
sentence.
By Mantra, the sought-for (Sadhya) Devata appears, and by
Siddhi
therein is had vision of the three worlds. As the Mantra is
in fact
Devata, by practice thereof this is known. Not merely do the
rhythmical vibrations of its sounds regulate the unsteady
vibrations
of the sheaths of the worshiper, but therefrom the image of
the
Devata appears. As the Brihad-Gandharva Tantra says (Ch. V):
Shrinu devi pravakshyami bijanam deva-rupatam
Mantrochcharanamatrena deva-rupam prajayate.
Mantrasiddhi is the ability to make a Mantra efficacious and
to
gather its fruit in which case the Sadhaka is Mantra-siddha.
As the
Pranatoshini (619) says, "Whatever the Sadhaka desires that
he
surely obtains." Whilst therefore prayer may end in merely
physical
sound, Mantra is ever, when rightly said, a potent
compelling force,
a word of power effective both to produce material gain and
accomplish worldly desires, as also to promote the fourth
aim of
sentient being (Caturvarga), Advaitic knowledge, and
liberation. And
thus it is said that Siddhi (success) is the certain result
of Japa
or recitation of Mantra.
Some Mantras constitute also what the European would call
"prayers,"
as for instance the celebrated Gayatri. But neither this nor
any
other Mantra is simply a prayer. The Gayatri runs Om (The
thought is
directed to the three-fold Energy of the One as represented
by the
three letters of which Om is composed, namely, A or Brahma,
the
Shakti which creates; U or Vishnu, the Shakti which
maintains; and M
or Rudra, the Shakti which "destroys," that is, withdraws
the
world): Nada and Bindu, Earth, Middle region, Heaven (of
which as
the transmigrating worlds of Samsara, God, as Om, as also in
the
form of the Sun, is the Creator). Let us contemplate upon
the
Adorable Spirit of the Divine Creator who is in the form of
the Sun
(Aditya-Devata). Map He direct our minds, towards attainment
of the
four-fold aims (Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha) of all sentient
beings.
Om. This great Mantra bears a meaning on its face, though
the
Commentaries explain and amplify it. The Self of all which
exists in
the three regions appears in the form of the Sun-god with
His body
of fire. The Brahman is the cause of all, and as the visible
Devata
is the Eye of the World and the Maker of the day who
vivifies,
ripens and reveals all beings and things. The Sun-god is to
the sun
what the Spirit (Atma) is to the body. He is the Supreme in
the form
of the great Luminary. His body is the Light of the world,
and He
Himself is the Light of the lives of all beings. He is
everywhere.
He is in the outer ether as the sun, and in the inner
ethereal
region of the heart. He is the Wondrous Light which is the
smokeless
Fire. He it is who is in constant play with creation (Srishti),
maintenance (Sthiti) and "destruction" (Pralaya); and by His
radiance pleases both eye and mind. Let us adore Him that we
may
escape the misery of birth and death. May He ever direct our
minds
(Buddhivritti) upon the path of the world (Trivarga) and
liberation
(Moksha). Only the twice-born castes and men may utter this
Gayatri.
To the Shudra, whether man or woman, and to women of all
castes, it
is forbidden. But the Tantra Shastra has not the
exclusiveness of
the Vaidik system. Thus the Mahanirvana provides (IV.
109-111) a
Brahma-gayatri for all: "May we know the Supreme Lord. Let
us
contemplate the Supreme Essence. And may the Brahman direct
us." All
will readily understand such Mantras as the Gayatri, though
some
comment, which is thought amusing, has been made on
the "meaningless" Om. I have already stated what it means,
namely,
(shortly speaking) the Energy (Nada) in Sadakhya Tattva
which,
springing from Shiva-Shakti Tattva, "solidifies" itself (Ghani-
bhuta) as the creative Power of the Lord (Bindu or Ishvara
Tattva)
manifesting in the Trinity or Creative Energies. For further
details
see my Garland of Letters. "Om" then stands for the most
general
aspect of That as the Source of all. As it is recited, the
idea
arises in the mind corresponding with the sound which has
been said
to be the expression on the gross plane of that subtle
"sound" which
accompanied the first creative vibration. When rightly
uttered this
great syllable has an awe-inspiring effect. As I heard this
Mantra
chanted by some hundred Buddhist monks (one after the other)
in a
northern monastery it seemed to be the distant murmuring
roll of
some vast cosmic ocean. "Om" is the most prominent example
of
a "meaningless" Mantra, that is, one which does not bear its
meaning
on its face, and of what is called a seed or Bija Mantra,
because
they are the very quintessence of Mantra, and the seed (Bija)
of the
fruit which is Siddhi (spiritual achievement). These are
properly
monosyllabic. Om is a Vaidik Bija, but it is the source of
all the
other Tantrik Bijas which represent particular Devata
aspects of
that which is presented as a whole in 0m. As a Mantra-Shastra,
the
Tantras have greatly elaborated the Bijas, and thus incurred
the
charge of "gibberish," for such the Bijas sound to those who
do not
know what they mean. Though a Mantra such as a Bija-mantra
may not
convey its meaning on its face, the initiate knows that its
meaning
is the own form (Svarupa) of the particular Devata whose
Mantra it
is, and that the essence of the Bija is that which makes
letters
sound, and exists in all which we say or hear. Every Mantra
is thus
a particular sound form (Rupa) of the Brahman. There are a
very
large number of these short unetymological vocables or Bijas
such as
Hrim, Shrim, Krim, Hum, Hum, Phat called by various names.
Thus the
first is called the Maya Bija, the second Lakshmi Bija, the
third
Kali Bija, the fourth Kurca Bija, the fifth Varma Bija, the
sixth
Astra Bija. Ram is Agni Bija, Em is Yoni Bija, Klim is Kama
Bija,
Shrim is Badhu Bija, Aim Sarasvati Bija and so forth. Each
Devata
has His or Her Bija. Thus Hrim is the Maya Bija, Krim the
Kali Bija.
The Bija is used in the worship of the Devata whose Mantra
it is.
All these Bijas mentioned are in common use. There are a
large
number of others, some of which are formed with the first
letters of
the name of the Devata for whom they stand, such as Gam for
Ganesha,
Dum for Durga.
Let us then shortly see by examples what the meaning of such
a Bija
is. (For a fuller account see my Garland of Letters.) In the
first
place, the reader will observe the common ending "m" which
represents the Sanskrit breathings known as Nada and Bindu
or
Candrabindu. These have the same meaning in all. They are
the
Shaktis of that name appearing in the table of the 36
Tattvas given
ante. They are states of Divine Power immediately preceding
the
manifestation of the objective universe. The other letters
denote
subsequent developments of Shakti, and various aspects of
the
manifested Devata mentioned below. There are sometimes
variant
interpretations given. Take the great Bhuvaneshvari or Maya
Bija,
Hrim. I have given one interpretation in my Studies above
cited.
From the Tantrik compendium, the Pranatoshini, quoting the
Barada
Tantra we get the following: Hrim = H + R + I + M. H =
Shiva. R =
Shakti Prakriti. I = Mahamaya. "M" is as above explained,
but is
here stated in the form that Nada is the Progenitrix of the
Universe, and Bindu which is Brahman as Ishvara and Ishvari
(Ishvaratattva) is described for the Sadhaka as the
"Dispeller of
Sorrow". The meaning therefore of this Bija Mantra which is
used in
the worship of Mahamaya or Bhuvaneshvari is, that that Devi
in Her
Turiya or transcendent state is Nada and Bindu, and is the
causal
body manifesting as Shiva-Shakti in the form of the
manifested
universe. The same idea is expressed in varying form but
with the
same substance by the Devigita (Ch. IV) which says that H =
gross
body, R = subtle body, I = causal body and M = the Turiya or
transcendent fourth state. In other words, the Sadhaka
worshipping
the Devi with Hrim, by that Bija calls to mind the
transcendent
Shakti who is the causal body of the subtle and gross bodies
of all
existing things. Shrim, (see Barada Tantra) is used in the
worship
of Lakshmi Devi. Sh = Alahalaksmi, R = Wealth (Dhanartham)
which as
well as I = (satisfaction or Tushtyartham) She gives. Krim
is used
in the worship of Kali. K = Kali (Shakti worshipped for
relief from
the world and its sorrows). R = Brahma (Shiva with whom She
is ever
associated). I = Mahamaya (Her aspect in which She overcomes
for the
Sadhaka the Maya in which as Creatrix She has involved him).
"Aim"
is used in the worship of Sarasvati and is Vagbhava Bija.
Dum is
used in the worship of Durga. D = Durga. U = protection.
Nada = Her
aspect as Mother of the Universe, and Bindu is its Lord. The
Sadhaka
asks Durga as Mother-Lord to protect him, and looks on Her
in her
protecting aspect as upholder of the universe (Jagaddhatri).
In "Strim." S = saving from difficulty. T = deliverer. R =
(here)
liberation (Muktyartho repha ukto'tra). I = Mahamaya. Bindu
=
Dispeller of grief. Nada = Mother of the Universe. She as
the Lord
is the dispeller of Maya and the sorrows it produces, the
Savior and
deliverer from all difficulties by grant of liberation. I
have dealt
elsewhere (Serpent Power) with Hum and Hum the former of
which is
called Varma (armor) Bija and the latter Kurca, H denoting
Shiva
and "u", His Bhairava or formidable aspect (see generally
Vol. I,
Tantrik Texts. Tantrabhidhana). He is an armor to the
Sadhaka by His
destruction of evil. Phat is the weapon or guarding Mantra
used with
Hum, just as Svaha (the Shakti of Fire), is used with Vashat,
in
making offerings. The primary Mantra of a Devata is called
Mula-
Mantra. Mantras are solar (Saura) and masculine, and lunar (Saumya)
and feminine, as also neuter. If it be asked why things of
mind are
given sex, the answer is for the sake of the requirements of
the
worshiper. The masculine and neuter forms are called
specifically
Mantra and the feminine Vidya, though the first term may be
used for
both. Neuter Mantras end with Namah. Hum, Phat are masculine
terminations, and "Tham" or Svaha, feminine (see
Sharadatilaka II.
Narada-pa—caratra VII, Prayogasara, Pranatoshini 70).
The Nitya Tantra gives various names to Mantra according to
the
number of the syllables such as Pinda, Kartari, Bija,
Mantra, Mala.
Commonly however the term Bija is applied to monosyllabic
Mantras.
The word "Mantra" comes from the root "man" to think. "Man"
is the
first syllable of manana or thinking. It is also the root of
the
word "Man" who alone of all creation is properly a Thinker.
"Tra"
comes from the root "tra," for the effect of a Mantra when
used with
that end, is to save him who utters and realizes it. Tra is
the
first syllable of Trana or liberation from the Samsara. By
combination of man and tra, that is called Mantra which,
from the
religious stand-point, calls forth (Amantrana) the four aims
(Caturvarga) of sentient being as happiness in the world and
eternal
bliss in Liberation. Mantra is thus Thought-movement
vehicled by,
and expressed in, speech. Its Svarupa is, like all else,
consciousness (Cit) which is the Shabda-Brahman. A Mantra is
not
merely sound or letters. This is a form in which Shakti
manifests
Herself. The mere utterance of a Mantra without knowing its
meaning,
without realization of the consciousness which Mantra
manifests is a
mere movement of the lips and nothing else. We are then in
the outer
husk of consciousness; just as we are when we identify
ourselves
with any other form of gross matter which is, as it were,
the "crust" (as a friend of mine has aptly called it) of
those
subtler forces which emerge from the Yoni or Cause of all,
who is,
in Herself Consciousness (Cidrupini). When the Sadhaka knows
the
meaning of the Mantra he makes an advance. But this is not
enough.
He must, through his consciousness, realize that
Consciousness which
appears in the form of the Mantra, and thus attain Mantra-Caitanya.
At this point, thought is vitalized by contact with the
center of
all thinking. At this point again thought becomes truly
vital and
creative. Then an effect is created by the realization thus
induced.
The creative power of thought is now receiving increasing
acceptance
in the West, which is in some cases taking over, and in
others,
discovering anew, for itself, what was thought by the
ancients in
India. Because they have discovered it anew, they call it
"New
Thought"; but its fundamental principle is as old as the
Upanishads
which said, "what you think that you become". All recognize
this
principle in the limited form that a man who thinks good
becomes
good, and he who is ever harboring bad thought becomes bad.
But the
Indian and "New Thought" doctrine is more profound than
this. In
Vedantic India, thought has been ever held creative. The
world is a
creation of the thought (Cit Shakti associated with Maya
Shakti) of
the Lord (Ishvara and Ishvari). Her and His thought is the
aggregate, with almighty powers of all thought. But each man
is
Shiva and can attain His powers to the degree of his ability
to
consciously realize himself as such. Thought now works in
man's
small magic just as it first worked in the grand magical
display of
the World-Creator. Each man is in various degrees a creator.
Thought
is as real as any form of gross matter. Indeed it is more
real in
the sense that the world is itself a projection of the
World-
thought, which again is nothing but the aggregate in the
form of the
Samskaras or impressions of past experience, which give rise
to the
world. The universe exists for each Jiva because he
consciously or
unconsciously wills it. It exists for the totality of beings
because
of the totality of Samskaras which are held in the Great
Womb of the
manifesting Cit Itself. There is theoretically nothing that
man
cannot accomplish, for he is at base the Accomplisher of
all. But,
in practice, he can only accomplish to the degree that he
identifies
himself with the Supreme Consciousness and Its forces, which
underlie, are at work in, and manifest as, the universe.
This is the
basal doctrine of all magic, of all powers (Siddhi)
including the
greatest Siddhi which is Liberation itself. He who knows
Brahman,
becomes Brahman to the extent of his "knowing".
Thought-reading,
thought-transference, hypnotic suggestion, magical
projections
(Mokshana) and shields (Grahana) are becoming known and
practiced in
the West, not always with good results. For this reason some
doctrines and practices are kept concealed. Projection (Mokshana)
the occultist will understand. But Grahana, I may here
explain, is
not so much a "fence" in the Western sense, to which use a
Kavaca is
put, but the knowledge of how to "catch" a Mantra thus
projected. A
stone thrown at one may be warded off or caught and, if the
person
so wishes, thrown back at him who threw it. So may a Mantra.
It is
not necessary, however, to do so. Those who are sheltered by
their
own pure strength, automatically throw back all evil
influences,
which, coming back to the ill-wisher, harm or destroy him.
Those
familiar with the Western presentment of similar matters
will more
readily understand than others who, like the Orientalist and
Missionary, as a rule know nothing of occultism and regard
it as
superstition. For this reason their presentment of Indian
teaching
is so often ignorant and absurd. The occultist, however,
will
understand the Indian doctrine which regards thought like
mind, of
which it is the operation, as a Power or Shakti; something
therefore, very real and creative by which man can
accomplish things
for himself and others. Kind thoughts, without a word, will
do good
to all who surround us, and may travel round the world to
distant
friends. So we may suffer from the ill-wishes of those who
surround
us, even if such wishes do not materialize into deeds.
Telepathy is
the transference of thought from a distance without the use
of the
ordinary sense organs. So, in initiation, the thought of a
true Guru
may pass to his disciple all his powers. Mantra is thus a
Shakti
(Mantra Shakti) which lends itself impartially to any use.
Man can
identify himself with any of nature's forces and for any
end. Thus,
to deal with the physical effects of Mantra, it may be used
to
injure, kill or do good; by Mantra again a kind of union
with the
physical Shakti is, by some, said to be effected. So the
Vishnu-
Purana speaks of generation by will power, as some
Westerners
believe will be the case when man passes beyond the
domination of
his gross sheath and its physical instruments. Children will
then
again be "mind-born". By Mantra, the Homa fire may, it is
said, be
lit. By Mantra, again, in the Tantrik initiation called
Vedha-diksha
there is, it is said, such a transference of power from the
Guru to
his disciple that the latter swoons under the impulse of the
thought-
power which pierces him. But Mantra is also that by which
man
identifies himself with That which is the Ground of all. In
short,
Mantra is a power (Shakti) in the form of idea clothed with
sound.
What, however, is not yet understood in the West is the
particular
Thought-science which is Mantravidya, or its basis. Much of
the "New
Thought" lacks this philosophical basis which is supplied by
Mantravidya, resting itself on the Vedantik doctrine.
Mantravidya is
thus that form of Sadhana by which union is had with the
Mother
Shakti in the Mantra form (Mantramayi), in Her Sthula and
Sukshma
aspects respectively. The Sadhaka passes from the first to
the
second. This Sadhana works through the letters, as other
forms of
Sadhana work through form in the shape of the Yantra, Ghata
or
Pratima. All such Sadhana belongs to Shaktopaya Yoga as
distinguished from the introspective meditative processes of
Shambhavopaya which seeks more directly the realization of
Shakti,
which is the end common to both. The Tantrik doctrine as
regards
Shabda is that of the Mimamsa with this exception that it is
modified to meet its main doctrine of Shakti,
In order to understand what a Mantra is, we must know its
cosmic
history. The mouth speaks a word. What is it and whence has
it
come'. As regards the evolution of consciousness as the
world, I
refer my reader to the Chapters on "Cit-Shakti and
Maya-Shakti"
dealing with the 36 Tattvas. Ultimately, there is
Consciousness
which in its aspect as the great "I" sees the object as part
of
itself, and then as other than itself, and thus has
experience of
the universe. This is achieved through Shakti who, in the
words of
the Kamakalavilasa, is the pure mirror in which Shiva
experiences
Himself (Shivarupa-vimarshanirmala-darshah). Neither Shiva
nor
Shakti alone suffices for creation. Shivarupa here = Svarupa.
Aham
ityevamakaram, that is, the form (or experience) which
consists in
the notion of "I". Shakti is the pure mirror for the
manifestation
of Shiva's experience as "I" (Aham). Aham ityevam rupam
j—anam tasya
praka-shane nirmaladarshah; as the commentator Natanananda
(V-2)
says. The notion is, of course, similar to that of the
reflection of
Purusha on Prakriti as Sattvamayi Buddhi and of Brahman on
Maya.
From the Mantra aspect starting from Shakti (Shakti-Tattva)
associated with Shiva (Shiva-Tattva), there was produced
Nada, and
from Nada, came Bindu which, to distinguish it from other
Bindus, is
known as the causal, supreme or Great Bindu (Karana, Para,
Mahabindu). This is very clearly set forth in the Sharada
Tilaka, a
Tantrik work by an author of the Kashmirian School which was
formerly of great authority among the Bengal Shaktas. I have
dealt
with this subject in detail in my Garland of Letters. Here I
only
summarize conclusions.
Shabda literally means and is usually translated "sound,"
the word
coming from the root Shabd "to sound". It must not, however,
be
wholly identified with sound in the sense of that which is
heard by
the ear, or sound as effect of cosmic stress. Sound in this
sense is
the effect produced through excitation of the ear and brain,
by
vibrations of the atmosphere between certain limits. Sound
so
understood exists only with the sense organs of hearing. And
even
then it may be perceived by some and not by others, due to
keenness
or otherwise of natural hearing. Further the best ears will
miss
what the microphone gives. Considering Shabda from its
primary or
causal aspect, independent of the effect which it may or may
not
produce on the sense organs, it is vibration (Spandana) of
any kind
or motion, which is not merely physical motion, which may
become
sound for human ears, given the existence of ear and brain
and the
fulfillment of other physical conditions. Thus, Shabda is
the
possibility of sound, and may not be actual sound for this
individual or that. There is thus Shabda wherever there is
motion or
vibration of any kind. It is now said, that the electrons
revolve in
a sphere of positive electrification at an enormous rate of
motion.
If the arrangement be stable, we have an atom of matter. If
some of
the electrons are pitched off from the atomic system, what
is called
radio-activity is observed. Both these rotating and shooting
electrons are forms of vibration as Shabda, though it is no
sound
for mortal ears. To a Divine Ear all such movements would
constitute
the "music of the spheres". Were the human ear subtle
enough, a
living tree would present itself to it in the form of a
particular
sound which is the natural word for that tree. It is said of
ether
(Akasha) that its Guna or quality is sound (Shabda); that
is, ether
is the possibility of Spandana or vibration of any kind. It
is that
state of the primordial "material" substance (Prakriti)
which makes
motion or vibration of any kind possible (Shabdaguna akashah).
The
Brahman Svarupa or Cit is motionless. It is also known as
Cidakasha.
But this Akasha is not created. Cidakasha is the Brahman in
which
stress of any kind manifests itself, a condition from which
the
whole creation proceeds. This Cidakasha is known as the
Shabda-
Brahman through its Maya-shakti, which is the cause of all
vibrations manifesting themselves as sound to the ear, as
touch to
the tactile sense, as color and form to the eye, as taste to
the
tongue and as odor to the nose. All mental functioning again
is a
form of vibration (Spandana). Thought is a vibration of
mental
substance just as the expression of thought in the form of
the
spoken word is a vibration affecting the ear. All Spandana
presupposes heterogeneity (Vaishamya). Movement of any kind
implies
inequality of tensions. Electric current flows between two
points
because there is a difference of potential between them.
Fluid flows
from one point to another because there is difference of
pressure.
Heat travels because there is difference of temperature. In
creation
(Srishti) this condition of heterogeneity appears and
renders motion
possible. Akasha is the possibility of Spandana of any kind.
Hence
its precedence in the order of creation. Akasha means
Brahman with
Maya, which Mayashakti or (to use the words of Professor P.
N.
Mukhyopadhyaya) Stress is rendered actual, from a previous
state of
possibility of stress which is the Sakti's natural condition
of
equilibrium (Prakriti = Samyavastha). In dissolution, the
Maya-
Shakti of Brahman (according to the periodic law which is a
fundamental postulate of Indian cosmogony) returns to
homogeneity
when in consequence Akasha disappears. This disappearance
means that
Shakti is equilibrated, and that therefore there is no
further
possibility of motion of any kind. As the Tantras say, the
Divine
Mother becomes one with Paramashiva.
The Sharada says—From the Sakala Parameshvara who is
Sacchidananda issued Shakti; from Shakti came Nada; and from
Nada
issued Bindu.
Sacchidanandavibhavat sakalat parameshvarat
Asicchhaktistato nado nadad bindusamudbhavah.
Here the Sakala Parameshvara is Shiva Tattva. Shakti is
Shakti
Tattva wherein are Samani, Vyapini, and Anjani Shaktis. Nada
is the
first produced source of Mantra, and the subtlest form of
Shabda of
which Mantra is a manifestation. Nada is threefold, as
Mahanada or
Nadanta and Nirodhini representing the first moving forth of
the
Shabda-Brahman as Nada, the filling up of the whole universe
with
Nadanta and the specific tendency towards the next state of
unmanifested Shabda respectively. Nada in its three forms is
in the
Sadakhya Tattva. Nada becoming slightly operative towards
the "speakable" (Vacya), (the former operation being in
regard to
the thinkable (Mantavya) ) is called Arddhacandra which
develops
into Bindu. Both of these are in Ishvara Tattva. This
Mahabindu is
threefold as the Kamakala. The undifferentiated Shabda-Brahman
or
Brahman as the immediate cause of the manifested Shabda and
Artha is
a unity of consciousness (Caitanya) which then expresses
itself in
three-fold function as the three Shaktis, Iccha, J—ana,
Kriya; the
three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas, Tamas; the three Bindus (Karyya)
which
are Sun, Moon and Fire; the three Devatas, Rudra, Vishnu,
Brahma and
so forth. These are the product of the union of Prakasha and
Vimarsha Shakti. This Triangle of Divine Desire is the
Kamakala, or
Creative Will and its first subtle manifestation, the Cause
of the
Universe which is personified as the Great Devi
Tripurasundari, the
Kameshvara and Kameshvari, the object of worship in the
Agamas.
Kamakalavilasa, as explained in the work of that name, is
the
manifestation of the union of Shiva and Shakti, the great
"I" (Aham)
which develops through the inherent power of its
thought-activity
(Vimarsha-Shakti) into the universe, unknowing as Jiva its
true
nature and the secret of its growth through Avidya Shakti.
Here then
there appears the duality of subject and object; of mind and
matter,
of the word (Shabda) and its meaning (Artha). The one is not
the
cause of the other, but each is inseparable from, and
concomitant
with, the other as a bifurcation of the undifferentiated
unity of
Shabda-Brahman whence they proceed. The one cosmic movement
produces
at the same time the mind and the object which it cognizes;
names
(Nama) and language (Shabda) on the one hand; and forms (Rupa)
or
object (Artha) on the other. These are all parts of one co-ordinated
contemporaneous movement, and, therefore, each aspect of the
process
is related the one to the other. The genesis of Shabda is
only one
aspect of the creative process, namely, that in which the
Brahman is
regarded as the Author of Shabda and Artha into which the
undifferentiated Shabda-Brahman divides Itself. Shakti is
Shabda-
Brahman ready to create both Shabda and Artha on the
differentiation
of the Parabindu into the Kamakala, which is the root (Mula)
of all
Mantras. Shabda-Brahman is Supreme "Speech" (Para-Vak) or
Supreme
Shabda (Para-Shabda). From this fourth state of Shabda,
there are
three others—Pashyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari, which are
the
Shabda aspect of the stages whereby the seed of formless
consciousness explicates into the multitudinous concrete
ideas
(expressed in language of the mental world) the counterpart
of the
objective universe. But for the last three states of sound
the body
is required and, therefore, they only exist in the Jiva. In
the
latter, the Shabda-Brahman is in the form of Kundalini
Shakti in the
Muladhara Cakra. In Kundalini is Parashabda. This develops
into
the "Matrikas" or "Little Mothers" which are the subtle
forms of the
gross manifested letters (Varna). The letters make up
syllables
(Pada) and syllables make sentences (Vakya), of which
elements the
Mantra is composed. Para Shabda in the body develops in
Pashyanti
Shabda or Shakti of general movements (Samanya Spanda)
located in
the tract from the Muladhara to the Manipura associated with
Manas.
It then in the tract upwards to the Anahata becomes Madhyama
or
Hiranyagarbha sound with particularized movement (Vishesha
Spanda)
associated with Buddhi-Tattva. Vayu proceeding upwards to
the throat
expresses itself in spoken speech which is Vaikhari or Virat
Shabda.
Now it is that the Mantra issues from the mouth and is heard
by the
ear. Because the one cosmic movement produces the ideating
mind and
its accompanying Shabda and the objects cognized or Artha,
the
creative force of the universe is identified with the
Matrikas and
Varnas, and Devi is said to be in the forms of the letters
from A to
Ha, which are the gross expressions of the forces called
Matrika;
which again are not different from, but are the same forces
that
evolve into the universe of mind and matter. These Varnas
are, for
the same reason, associated with certain vital and
physiological
centers which are produced by the same power that gives
birth to the
letters. It is by virtue of these centers and their
controlled area
in the body that all the phenomena of human psychosis run
on, and
keep man in bondage. The creative force is the union of
Shiva and
Shakti, and each of the letters (Varna) produced therefrom
and
thereby are part and parcel of that Force, and are,
therefore, Shiva
and Shakti in those particular forms. For this reason, the
Tantra
Shastra says that Devata and Mantra composed of letters, are
one. In
short, Mantras are made of letters (Varna). Letters are
Matrika.
Matrika is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva. Through Shakti (one
with
Shiva) Nada-Shakti, Bindu-Shakti, the Shabda-Brahman or Para
Shabda,
arise the Matrika, Varna, Pada, Vakya of the lettered Mantra
or
manifested Shabda.
But what is Shabda or "Sound"? Here the Shakta Tantra
Shastra
follows the Mimamsa doctrine of Shabda, with such
modifications as
are necessary to adapt it to its doctrine of Shakti. Sound (Shabda)
which is quality (Guna) of ether (Akasha) and is sensed by
hearing
is twofold, namely, lettered (Varnatmaka Shabda) and
unlettered or
Dhvani (Dhvanyatmaka Shabda). The latter is caused by the
striking
of two things together, and is apparently meaningless.
Shabda, on
the contrary, which is Anahata (a term applied to the
Heart-Lotus)
is that Brahman sound which is not caused by the striking of
two
things together. Lettered sound is composed of sentences (Vakya),
words (Pada) and letters (Varna). Such sound has a meaning.
Shabda
manifesting as speech is said to be eternal. This the
Naiyayikas
deny saying that it is transitory. A word is uttered and it
is gone.
This opinion the Mlmamsa denies saying that the perception
of
lettered sound must be distinguished from lettered sound
itself.
Perception is due to Dhvani caused by the striking of the
air in
contact with the vocal organs, namely, the throat, palate
and tongue
and so forth. Before there is Dhvani there must be the
striking of
one thing against another. It is not the mere striking which
is the
lettered Shabda. This manifests it. The lettered sound is
produced
by the formation of the vocal organs in contact with air;
which
formation is in response to the mental movement or idea
which by the
will thus seeks outward expression in audible sound. It is
this
perception which is transitory, for the Dhvani which
manifests ideas
in language is such. But lettered sound as it is in itself,
that is,
as the Consciousness manifesting Idea expressed in speech is
eternal. It was not produced at the moment it was perceived.
It was
only manifested by the Dhvani. It existed before, as it
exists
after, such manifestation, just as a jar in a dark room
which is
revealed by a flash of lightning is not then produced, nor
does it
cease to exist on its ceasing to be perceived through the
disappearance of its manifester, the lightning. The air in
contact
with the voice organs reveals sound in the form of the
letters of
the alphabet, and their combinations in words and sentences.
The
letters are produced for hearing by the person desiring to
speak,
and become audible to the ear of others through the
operation of
unlettered sound or Dhvani. The latter being a maifester
only,
lettered Shabda is something other than its manifester.
Before describing the nature of Shabda in its different form
of
development, it is necessary to understand the Indian
psychology of
perception. At each moment, the Jiva is subject to
innumerable
influences which from all quarters of the Universe pour upon
him.
Only those reach his Consciousness which attract his
attention and
are thus selected by his Manas. The latter attends to one or
other
of these sense-impressions and conveys it to the Buddhi.
When an
object (Artha) is presented to the mind, and perceived, the
latter
is formed into the shape of the object perceived. This is
called a
mental Vritti (modification) which it is the object of Yoga
to
suppress. The mind as a Vritti is thus a representation of
the outer
subject. But, in so far as it is such representation, the
mind is as
much an object as the outer one. The latter, that is, the
physical
object, is called the gross object (Sthula artha), and the
former or
mental impression is called the subtle object (Sukshma artha).
But,
besides the object, there is the mind which perceives it. It
follows
that the mind has two aspects, in one of which it is the
perceiver,
and in the other the perceived in the form of the mental
formation
(Vritti), which in creation precedes its outer projection,
and after
the creation follows as the impression produced in the mind
by the
sensing of a gross physical object. The mental impression
and the
physical object exactly correspond, for the physical object
is in
fact but a projection of the cosmic imagination, though it
has the
same reality as the mind has; no more and no less. The mind
is thus
both cognizer (Grahaka) and cognized Grahya), revealer (Prakashaka)
and revealed (Prakashya), denoter (Vacaka) and denoted (Vacya).
When
the mind perceives an object, it is transformed into the
shape of
that object. So the mind which thinks of the Divinity which
it
worships (Ishtadevata) is, at length, through continued
devotion,
transformed into the likeness of that Devata. By allowing
the Devata
thus to occupy the mind for long, it becomes as pure as the
Devata.
This is a fundamental principle of Tantrik Sadhana or
religious
practice. The object perceived is called Artha, a term which
comes
from the root "Ri," which means to get, to know, to enjoy.
Artha is
that which is known and which, therefore, is an object of
enjoyment.
The mind as Artha, that is in the form of the mental
impression, is
an exact reflection of the outer object or gross Artha. As
the outer
object is Artha, so is the interior subtle mental form which
corresponds to it. That aspect of the mind which cognizes is
called
Shabda or Nama (name), and that aspect in which it is its
own object
or cognized is called Artha or Rupa (form). The outer
physical
object, of which the latter is in the individual an
impression, is
also Artha or Rupa, and spoken speech is the outer Shabda.
The mind
is thus, from the Mantra aspect, Shabda and Artha, terms
corresponding to the Vedantic Nama and Rupa or concepts and
concepts
objectified. The Mayavada Vedanta says that the whole
creation is
Nama and Rupa. Mind as Shabda is the Power (Shakti) the
function of
which is to distinguish and identify (Bhedasamsargavritti-Shakti).
Just as the body is causal, subtle and gross, so is Shabda,
of which
there are four states (Bhava) called Para, Pashyanti,
Madhyama and
Vaikhari. Para sound is that which exists on the
differentiation of
the Mahabindu before actual manifestation. This is
motionless,
causal Shabda in Kundalini, in the Muladhara center of the
body.
That aspect of it in which it commences to move with a
general, that
is, non-particularized, motion (Samanya Spanda) is Pashyanti
whose
place is from the Muladhara to the Manipura Cakra, the next
center.
It is here associated with Manas. These represent the
motionless and
first moving Ishvara aspect of Shabda. Madhyama Shabda is
associated
with Buddhi. It is Hiranyagarbha sound (Hiranyagarbharupa)
extending
from Pashyanti to the heart. Both Madhyama sound which is
the
inner "naming" by the cognitive aspect of mental movement,
as also
its Artha or subtle (Sukshma) object (Artha) belong to the
mental or
subtle body (Sukshma or Linga Sharira). Perception is
dependent on
distinguishing and identification. In the perception of an
object
that part of the mind which identifies and distinguishes and
thus "names" or the cognizing part is, from the Shabda
aspect,
subtle Shabda: and that part of it which takes the shape of,
and
thus constitutes, the object (a shape which corresponds with
the
outer thing) is subtle Artha. The perception of an object is
thus
consequent on the simultaneous functioning of the mind in
its two-
fold aspect as Shabda and Artha, which are in indissoluble
relation
with one another as cognizer (Grahaka) and cognized Grahya).
Both
belong to the subtle body. In creation Madhyama sound first
appeared. At that movement there was no outer Artha. Then
the Cosmic
Mind projected this inner Madhyama Artha into the world of
sensual
experience and named it in spoken speech (Vaikhari Shabda).
The last
or Vaikhari Shabda is uttered speech, developed in the
throat,
issuing from the mouth. This is Virat Shabda. Vaikhari
Shabda is
therefore language or gross lettered sound. Its
corresponding Artha
is the physical or gross object which language denotes. This
belongs
to the gross body (Sthula Sharira). Madhyama Shabda is
mental
movement or ideation in its cognitive aspect and Madhyama
Artha is
the mental impression of the gross object. The inner
thought-
movement in its aspect as (Vacaka) and denoted (Vacya). When
the
mind perceives an object, it is transformed into the shape
of that
object. So the mind which thinks of the Divinity which it
worships
(Ishtadevata) is, at length, through continued devotion,
transformed
into the likeness of that Devata. By allowing the Devata
thus to
occupy the mind for long, it becomes as pure as the Devata.
This is
a fundamental principle of Tantrik Sadhana or religious
practice.
The object perceived is called Artha, a term which comes
from the
root "Ri," which means to get, to know, to enjoy. Artha is
that
which is known and which, therefore, is an object of
enjoyment. The
mind as Artha, that is in the form of the mental impression,
is an
exact reflection of the outer object or gross Artha. As the
outer
object is Artha, so is the interior subtle mental form which
corresponds to it. That aspect of the mind which cognizes is
called
Shabda or Nama (name), and that aspect in which it is its
own object
or cognized is called Artha or Rupa (form). The outer
physical
object, of which the latter is in the individual an
impression, is
also Artha or Rupa, and spoken speech is the outer Shabda.
The mind
is thus, from the Mantra aspect, Shabda and Artha, terms
corresponding to the Vedantic Nama and Rupa or concepts and
concepts
objectified. The Mayavada Vedanta says that the whole
creation is
Nama and Rupa. Mind as Shabda is the Power (Shakti) the
function of
which is to distinguish and identify (Bhedasamsargavritti-Shakti).
Just as the body is causal, subtle and gross, so is Shabda,
of which
there are four states (Bhava) called Para, Pashyanti,
Madhyama and
Vaikhari. Para sound is that which exists on the
differentiation of
the Mahabindu before actual manifestation. This is
motionless,
causal Shabda in Kundalini, in the Muladhara center of the
body.
That aspect of it in which it commences to move with a
general, that
is, non-particularized, motion (Samanya Spanda) is Pashyanti
whose
place is from the Muladhara to the Manipura Cakra, the next
center.
It is here associated with Manas. These represent the
motionless and
first moving Ishvara aspect of Shabda. Madhyama Shabda is
associated
with Buddhi. It is Hiranyagarbha sound (Hiranyagarbharupa)
extending
from Pashyanti to the heart. Both Madhyama sound which is
the
inner "naming" by the cognitive aspect of mental movement,
as also
its Artha or subtle (Sukshma) object (Artha) belong to the
mental or
subtle body (Sukshma or Linga Sharira). Perception is
dependent on
distinguishing and identification. In the perception of an
object
that part of the mind which identifies and distinguishes and
thus "names" or the cognizing part is, from the Shabda
aspect,
subtle Shabda: and that part of it which takes the shape of,
and
thus constitutes, the object (a shape which corresponds with
the
outer thing) is subtle Artha. The perception of an object is
thus
consequent on the simultaneous functioning of the mind in
its two-
fold aspect as Shabda and Artha, which are in indissoluble
relation
with one another as cognizer (Grahaka) and cognized Grahya).
Both
belong to the subtle body. In creation Madhyama sound first
appeared. At that movement there was no outer Artha. Then
the Cosmic
Mind projected this inner Madhyama Artha into the world of
sensual
experience and named it in spoken speech (Vaikhari Shabda).
The last
or Vaikhari Shabda is uttered speech, developed in the
throat,
issuing from the mouth. This is Virat Shabda. Vaikhari
Shabda is
therefore language or gross lettered sound. Its
corresponding Artha
is the physical or gross object which language denotes. This
belongs
to the gross body (Sthula Sharira). Madhyama Shabda is
mental
movement or ideation in its cognitive aspect and Madhyama
Artha is
the mental impression of the gross object. The inner
thought-
movement in its aspect as Shabdartha, and considered both in
its
knowing aspect (Shabda) and as the subtle known object (Artha)
belongs to the subtle body (Sukshma Sharira). The cause of
these two
is the first general movement towards particular ideation
(Pashyanti) from the motionless cause Para Shabda or Supreme
Speech.
Two forms of inner or hidden speech, causal, subtle,
accompanying
mind movement thus precede and lead up to spoken language.
The inner
forms of ideating movement constitute the subtle, and the
uttered
sound the gross aspect of Mantra which is the manifested
Shabda-
Brahman.
The gross Shabda called Vaikhari or uttered speech, and the
gross
Artha or the physical object denoted by that speech are the
projection of the subtle Shabda and Artha, through the
initial
activity of the Shabda-Brahman into the world of gross
sensual
perception. Therefore, in the gross physical world, Shabda
means
language, that is, sentences, words and letters which are
the
expression of ideas and are Mantra. In the subtle or mental
world,
Madhyama sound is the Shabda aspect of the mind which
"names" in its
aspect as cognizer, and Artha, is the same mind in its
aspect as the
mental object of its cognition. It is defined to be the
outer in the
form of the mind. It is thus similar to the state of dreams
(Svapna), as Parashabda is the causal dreamless (Sushupti),
and
Vaikhari the waking (Jagrat) state. Mental Artha is a
Samsara, an
impression left on the subtle body by previous experience,
which is
recalled when the Jiva reawakes to world experience, and
recollects
the experience temporarily lost in the cosmic dreamless
state
(Sushupti) which is destruction (Pralaya). What is it which
arouses
this Samskara? As an effect (Kriya) it must have a cause (Karana).
This Karana is the Shabda or Name (Nama) subtle or gross
corresponding to that particular Artha. When the word "Ghata"
is
uttered, this evokes in the mind the image of an object,
namely, a
jar; just as the presentation of that object does. In the
Hiranyagarbha state, Shabda as Samskara worked to evoke
mental
images. The whole world is thus Shabda and Artha, that is
Name and
Form (Nama, Rupa). These two are inseparably associated.
There is no
Shabda without Artha or Artha without Shabda. The Greek word
"Logos"
also means thought and word combined. There is thus a double
line of
creation, Shabda and Artha; ideas and language together with
objects. Speech as that which is heard, or the outer
manifestion of
Shabda, stands for the Shabda creation. The Artha creation
are the
inner and outer objects seen by the mental or physical
vision. From
the cosmic creative standpoint, the mind comes first, and
from it,
is evolved the physical world according to the ripened
Samskaras
which led to the existence of the particular existing
universe.
Therefore, the mental Artha precedes the physical Artha
which is an
evolution in gross matter of the former. This mental state
corresponds to that of dreams (Svapna), when man lives in
the mental
world only. After creation which is the waking ( Jagrat)
state,
there is for the individual an already existing parallelism
of names
and objects.
Uttered speech is a manifestation of the inner naming or
thought.
This thought-movement is similar in men of all races. When
an
Englishman or an Indian thinks of an object, the image is to
both
the same, whether evoked by the object itself or by the
utterance of
its name. For this reason possibly if thought-reading be
accepted, a
thought-reader whose cerebral center is en rapport with that
of
another, may read the hidden "speech," that is thought, of
one whose
spoken speech he cannot understand. Thus, whilst the
thought-
movement is similar in all men, the expression of it as
Vaikhari
Shabda differs. According to tradition there was once a
universal
language. According to the Biblical account, this was so,
before the
confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel. Similarly there
is, (a
friend tells me though he has forgotten to send me the
reference),
in the Rigveda, a mysterious passage which speaks of the
"Three
Fathers and three Mothers," by whose action like that of the
Elohim "all-comprehending speech" was made into that which
was not
so. Nor is this unlikely, when we consider that difference
in gross
speech is due to difference of races evolved in the course
of time.
If the instruments by which, and conditions under which
thought is
revealed in speech, were the same for all men then there
would be
but one language. But now this is not so. Racial
characteristics and
physical conditions, such as the nature of the vocal organs,
climate, inherited impressions and so forth differ. So also
does
language. But for each particular man speaking any
particular
language, the uttered name of any object is the gross
expression of
his inner thought-movement. It evokes the idea and the idea
is
consciousness as mental operation. That operation can be so
intensified as to be itself creative. This is Mantra-Caitanya.
It is said in the Tantra Shastras that the fifty letters of
the
alphabet are in the six bodily Cakras called Muladhara,
Svadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha and Aj—a. These
50
letters multiplied by 20 are in the thousand-pealed Lotus or
Sahasrara.
From the above account, it will be understood that, when it
is said
that the "Letters" are in the six bodily Cakras, it is not
to be
supposed that it is intended to absurdly affirm that the
letters as
written shapes, or as the uttered sounds which are heard by
the ear
are there. The letters in this sense, that is, as gross
things, are
manifested only in speech and writing. This much is clear.
But the
precise significance of this statement is a matter of some
difficulty. There is in fact no subject which presents more
difficulties than Mantravidya, whether considered generally
or in
relation to the particular matters in hand. I do not pretend
to have
elucidated all its difficulties.
What proceeds from the body is in it in subtle or causal
form. Why,
however, it may be asked are particular letters assigned to
particular Cakras. I have heard several explanations given
which do
not, in my opinion, bear the test of examination.
If the arrangement be not artificial for the purpose of
Sadhana, the
simplest explanation is that which follows: From the Brahman
are
produced the five Bhutas, Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth, in
the
order stated; and from them issued the six Cakras from Aj—a
to
Muladhara. The letters are (with the exception next stated)
placed
in the Cakras in their alphabetical order; that is, vowels
as being
the first letters or Shaktis of the consonants (which cannot
be
pronounced without them) are placed in Vishuddha Cakra: the
first
consonants Ka to Tha in Anahata and so forth until the
Muladhara
wherein are set the last four letters from Va to Sa. Thus in
Aj—a
there are Ha and Ksha as being Brahmabijas. In the next or
Vishuddha
Cakra are the 16 vowels which originated first. Therefore,
they are
placed in Vishuddha the ethereal Cakra; ether also having
originated
first. The same principle applies to the other letters in
the
Cakras. namely, Ka, to Tha (12 letters and petals) in
Anahata; Da to
Pha (10) in Manipura; Ba to La (6) in Svadhisthana; and Va
to Sa (4)
in Muladhara. The connection between particular letters and
the
Cakras in which they are placed is further said to be due to
the
fact that in uttering any particular letter, the Cakra in
which it
is placed and its surroundings are brought into play. The
sounds of
the Sanskrit alphabet are classified according to the organs
used in
their articulation, and are guttural (Kantha), palatals (Talu),
cerebrals (Murddha), dentals (Danta) and labials (Oshtha).
When so
articulated, each letter, it is said, "touches" the Cakra in
which
it is, and in which on this account it has been placed. In
uttering
them certain Cakras are affected; that is, brought into
play. This,
it is alleged, will be found to be so, if the letter is
carefully
pronounced and attention is paid to the accompanying bodily
movement. Thus, in uttering Ha, the head (Aj—a) is touched,
and in
uttering the deep-seated Va, the basal Cakra or Muladhara.
In making
the first sound the forehead is felt to be affected, and in
making
the last the lower part of the body around the root-lotus.
This is
the theory put forth as accounting for the position of the
letters
in the Cakras.
A Mantra is, like everything else, Shakti. But the mere
utterance of
a Mantra without more is a mere movement of the lips. The
Mantra
must be awakened (Prabuddha) just like any other Shakti if
effect is
to be had therefrom. This is the union of sound and idea
through a
knowledge of the Mantra and its meaning. The recitation of a
Mantra
without knowing its meaning is practically fruitless. I
say "practically" because devotion, even though it be
ignorant, is
never wholly void of fruit. But a knowledge of the meaning
is not
enough; for it is possible by reading a book or receiving
oral
instructions to get to know the meaning of a Mantra, without
anything further following. Each Mantra is the embodiment of
a
particular form of Consciousness or Shakti. This is the
Mantra-
Shakti. Consciousness or Shakti also exists in the form of
the
Sadhaka. The object then is to unite these two, when thought
is not
only in the outer husk, but is vitalized by will, knowledge,
and
action through its conscious center in union with that of
the
Mantra. The latter is Devata or a particular manifestation
of
Shakti: and the Sadhaka who identifies himself therewith,
identifies
himself with that Shakti. According to Yoga when the mind is
concentrated on any object it is unified with it. When man
is so
identified with a Varna or Tattva, then the power of objects
to bind
ceases, and he becomes the controller. Thus, in Kundalini-Yoga,
the
static bodily Shakti pierces the Cakras, to meet
Shiva-Shakti in the
Sahasrara. As the Sadhaka is, through the power of the
rising
Shakti, identified with each of the Centers, Tattvas and
Matrika
Shaktis they cease to bind, until passing through all he
attains
Samadhi. As the Varnas are Shiva-Shakti, concentration on
them draws
the mind towards, and then unifies it with, the Devata which
is one
with the Mantra. The Devata of the Mantra is only the
creative
Shakti assuming that particular form. As already stated,
Devata may
be realized in any object, not merely in Mantras, Yantras,
Ghatas,
Pratimas or other ritual objects of worship. The same power
which
manifests to the ear in the Mantra is represented in the
lines and
curves of the Yantra which, the Kaulavali Tantra says, is
the body
of the Devata:
Yantram mantramayam proktam mantratma devataiva hi
Dehatmanor yatha bhedo yantra-devata yoshtatha.
The Yantra is thus the graphic symbol of the Shakti,
indicated by
the Mantra with which identification takes place. The
Pratima or
image is a grosser visual form of the Devata. But the
Mantras are
particular forms of Divine Shakti, the realization of which
is
efficacious to produce particular results. As in Kundalini-
Yoga, so
also here the identification of the Sadhaka with different
Mantras
gives rise to various Vibhutis or powers: for each grouping
of the
letters represents a new combination of the Matrika Shaktis.
It is
the eternal Shakti who is the life of the Mantra. Therefore,
Siddhi
in Mantra Sadhana is the union of the Sadhaka's
Shakti with the Mantra Shakti; the identification of the
Sadhaka
with the Mantra is the identification of the knower (Vedaka),
knowing (Vidya) and known (Vedya) or the Sadhaka, Mantra and
Devata.
Then the Mantra works. The mind must feed, and is always
feeding,
something. It seizes the Mantra and works its way to its
heart. When
there, it is the Citta or mind of the Sadhaka unified with
the
Shakti of the Mantra which works. Then subject and object,
in its
Mantra form, meet as one. By meditation the Sadhaka gains
unity with
the Devata behind, as it were, the Mantra and Whose form the
Mantra
is. The union of the Sadhaka of the Mantra and the Devata of
the
Mantra is the result of the effort to realize permanently
the
incipient desire for such union. The will towards Divinity
is a
dynamic force which pierces everything and finds there
Divinity
itself. It is because Westerners and some Westernized Hindus
do not
understand the principles of Mantra; principles which lie at
the
center of Indian religious theory and practice, that they
see
nothing in it where they do not regard it as gross
superstition. It
must be admitted that Mantra Sadhana is often done
ignorantly. Faith
is placed in externals and the inner meaning is often lost.
But even
such ignorant worship is better than none at all. "It is
better to
bow to Narayana with one's shoes on than never to bow at
all." Much
also is said of "vain repetitions". What Christ condemned
was not
repetition but "vain" repetition. That man is a poor
psychologist
who does not know the effect of repetition, when done with
faith and
devotion. It is a fact that the inner kingdom yields to
violence and
can be taken by assault. Indeed, it yields to nothing but
the strong
will of the Sadhaka, for it is that will in its purest and
fullest
strength. By practice with the Mantra, the Devata is
invoked. This
means that the mind itself is Devata when unified with
Devata. This
is attained through repetition of the Mantra (Japa).
Japa is compared to the action of a man shaking a sleeper to
wake
him up. The Sadhaka's own consciousness is awakened. The two
lips
are Shiva and Shakti. The movement in utterance is the
"coition"
(Maithuna) of the two. Shabda which issues therefrom is in
the
nature of Bindu. The Devata then appearing is, as it were,
the son
of the Sadhaka. It is not the supreme Devata who appears
(for It is
actionless), but in all cases an emanation produced by the
Sadhaka's
worship for his benefit only. In the case of worshipers of
the
Shiva-Mantra, a Boy-Shiva (Bala-Shiva) appears who is then
made
strong by the nurture which the Sadhaka gives him. The
occultist
will understand all such symbolism to mean that the Devata
is a form
of the Consciousness which becomes the Boy-Shiva, and which,
when
strengthened is the full-grown Divine Power Itself. All
Mantras are
forms of consciousness (Vij—anarupa), and when the Mantra is
fully
practiced it enlivens the Samskara, and the Artha appears to
the
mind. Mantras used in worship are thus a form of the
Samskaras of
Jivas; the Artha of which manifests to the consciousness
which is
pure. The essence of all this is—concentrate and vitalize
thought
and will power, that is Shakti.
The Mantra method is Shaktopaya Yoga working with concepts
and form,
whilst Shambhavopaya Yoga has been well said to be a more
direct
attempt at intuition of Shakti, apart from all passing
concepts,
which, as they cannot show the Reality, only serve to hide
it the
more from one's view and thus maintain bondage. These Yoga
methods
are but examples of the universal principle of Sadhana, that
the
Sadhaka should first work with and through form, and then,
so far as
may be, by a meditation which dispenses with it.
It has been pointed out to me by Professor Surendra Nath Das
Gupta
that this Varna-Sadhana, so important a content of the
Tantra
Shastra, is not altogether its creation, but, as I have
often in
other matters observed, a development of ancient Vaidik
teaching.
For it was, he says, first attempted in the Aranyaka Epoch
upon the
Pradkopasana on which the Tantrik Sadhana is, he suggests,
based;
though, of course, that Shastra has elaborated the notion
into a
highly complicated system which is so peculiar a feature of
its
religious discipline. There is thus a synthesis of this
Pratikopasana with Yoga method, resting as all else upon a
Vedantic
basis.
Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas24.htm
SHAKTI AND SHAKTA
by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), [1918]
Chapter 1: Indian Religion As Bharata Dharma
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas01.htm
Chapter 2: Shakti: The World as Power
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas02.htm
Chapter 3: What Are the Tantras and Their Significance?
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas03.htm
Chapter 4: Tantra Shastra and Veda
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas04.htm
Chapter 5: The Tantras and Religion of the Shaktas
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas05.htm
Chapter 6: Shakti and Shakta
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas06.htm
Chapter 7: Is Shakti Force?
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas07.htm
Chapter 8: Cinacara (Vashishtha and Buddha)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas08.htm
Chapter 9: The Tantra Shastras in China
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas09.htm
Chapter 10: A Tibetan Tantra
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas10.htm
Chapter 11: Shakti in Taoism
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas11.htm
Chapter 12: Alleged Conflict of Shastras
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas12.htm
Chapter 13: Sarvanandanatha
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas13.htm
Chapter 14: Cit-Shakti (The Consciousness Aspect of the
Universe)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas14.htm
Chapter 15: Maya-Shakti (The Psycho-Physical Aspect of the
Universe)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas15.htm
Chapter 16: Matter and Consciousness
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas16.htm
Chapter 17: Shakti and Maya
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas17.htm
Chapter 18: Shakta Advaitavada
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas18.htm
Chapter 19: Creation as Explained in the Non-dualist Tantras
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas19.htm
Chapter 20: The Indian Magna Mater
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas20.htm
Chapter 21: Hindu Ritual
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas21.htm
Chapter 22: Vedanta and Tantra Shastra
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas22.htm
Chapter 23: The Psychology of Hindu Religious Ritual
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas23.htm
Chapter 24: Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas24.htm
Chapter 25: Varnamala (The Garland of Letters)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas25.htm
Chapter 26: Shakta Sadhana (The Ordinary Ritual)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas26.htm
Chapter 27: The Pa—catattva (The Secret Ritual)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas27.htm
Chapter 28: Matam Rutra (The Right and Wrong Interpretation)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas28.htm
Chapter 29: Kundalini Shakta (Yoga)
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas29.htm
Chapter 30: Conclusions
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas30.htm
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