Selections from the shAkta upanishads- 2

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Contributed to Advaita-L by shrI Anand Hudli.

 

 

 

Anand Hudli

Fri, 24 Apr 1998 04:24:10

 

 

 

Continuing with the bahvR^icha upaniShad, the second passage, called

"chichchhakter-brahmAdisthAvarAntakAraNatvaM", it is affrimed that

the Power of Consciousness is the cause of everything in the

universe, beginning from BrahmA down to the inanimate objects,

such as mountains and stones. This Power of the Goddess creates

the gods, BrahmA, ViShNu, Rudra, etc., other celestial beings,

different types of life, and the inanimate objects. Everything was

born from Her.

 

The third passage is as follows:

 

saiShA parA shaktiH | saiShA shAmbhavI vidyA kAdividyeti vA

hAdividyeti vA sAdividyeti vA rahasyamomoM vAchi pratiShThA || 3 ||

 

She is the Supreme Power. She is the knowledge (vidyA) of Ishvara,

shambhu, which is the vidyA beginning with "ka", or the vidyA

beginning with "ha", or the vidyA beginning with "sa." She is the

secret AUM (nirguNa Brahman) within the word AUM.

 

Notes based on upaniShad brahma yogin's commentary:

 

1) Since the Power of Consciousness or devI manifests or projects

the world, She is the Supreme Power. In the expression, saiShA

parA shaktiH, She is being identified with the Supreme Power

that is the Power of Consciousness (chichchhakti).

 

2) shaM asmAtbhavatIti shaMbhuH - Shambhu is one who is the source

of happiness, or good. Shambhu is Ishvara who is the repository of

all vidyA's. The Goddess is these vidyAs of Ishvara.

 

3) She is the vidyA beginning with "ka" in the ShrIvidyA. This is

called the prathama-khaNDa of the shrIvidyA. It consists of

the syllables, ka, e, I, la, and hrIM.

 

4) She is the vidyA beginning with "ha" in the ShrIvidyA. This is

called the dvitIya-khaNDa. It consists of the syllables ,

ha, sa, ka, ha, la, and hrIM.

 

5) She is the vidyA beginning with "sa" in the ShrIvidyA. This,

called the tR^itIya-khaNDa, consists of the syllables,

sa, ka, la, and hrIM.

 

6) yadanadhikAriNe gopanIyatayA rahasyaM nirvisheShaM brahma -

The quality-less Brahman (nirguNa brahman) is called secret

because It should not be revealed to one who is not an

adhikArI, ie. not eligible to know about It.

 

7) tadabhedena turIyoMkArarUpiNI bhUtvA AUM vAchi oMkAraprabhava-

shabda-jAle tadarthabrahmAtmanA tiShThatIti AUM vAchi

pratiShThitetyuchyate

 

Being non-different from the nirguNa Brahman and hence the

fourth aspect of AUM, She is present in all words as Brahman,

their meaning, the entire realm of words having originated from

AUM. Thus, She is called "AUM vAchi pratiShThA."

 

The devI is here being identified with the nirguNa Brahman. This

nirguNa Brahman is represented by the fourth aspect of AUM, as

per the mANDUkya upanishad, and also referred to in the first

passage of this upaniShad. All words originate from AUM. The

meaning or import of all words is Brahman alone. So the devI

is present in all words as their (true) meaning.

 

Therefore, the first AUM in the text " AUM AUM vAchi pratiShThA",

refers to the identification of the Goddess with nirguNa Brahman,

and the second expression, "AUM vAchi pratiShThA" refers to the

fact that She is present in all words as their import.

 

Anand