Selections from the shAkta upaniShads - 4 (bahvR^ichA)

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Contributed by Anand Hudli to Advaita-L

 

http://www.escribe.com/religion/advaita/m4774.html

 

--

|| bhavAnyai namaH || || lalitAyai namaH ||

 

Continuing the discussion of the bahvR^ichopaniShad of the Rg Veda,

we come across this important passage that, in no uncertain terms,

affirms the highest truth, the Parabrahman, as the nondual,

indivisible entity called "lalitA."

 

saivAtmA tato .anyadasatyamanAtmA | ata eshhA brahmasaMvittir-

bhAvAbhAvakalAvinirmuktA chidvidyA .advitIyAbrahmasaMvittiH

sachchidAnandalaharI mahAtripurasundarI bahirantaranupravishya

svayamekaiva vibhAti | yadasti sanmAtram.h | yadbhAti chinmAtram.h|

yatpriyamAnandam.h | tadetat.h sarvAkArA mahAtripurasundarI |

tvaM chAhaM cha sarvaM vishvaM sarvadevatA | itarat.h sarvaM

mahAtripurasundarI | satyamekaM lalitAkhyaM vastu tadadvitIyam-

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

akhaNDArthaM paraM brahma || 5 ||

 

 

She alone is the Self (Atman). What is other than Her is untruth,

non-Self. Therefore, She is Brahman-Consciousness, free from all

aspects of Being and Non-being. She is chidvidyA, the knowledge

of Consciousness, Non-dual, Brahman-Consciousness, wave of

Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, the great tripurasundarI. Having

entered (everything) both without and within, She Herself shines

alone. What exists is pure Existence. What shines/appears is

pure Consciousness. What is dear is Bliss. So this is the

MahAtripurasundarI who assumes all forms. You, I, the whole

universe, all Gods, and everything else are the MahAtripurasundarI.

The one Truth is the thing called "lalitA" that is the non-dual,

undivided, Supreme Brahman.

 

Notes based on upaniShad brahma yogin's commentary:

 

1) Shankara's lalitAtrishatIbhAShya describes "lalitA" using the

expression, "lalitaM trishhu sundaram.h" and "atyantasaundarya-

vatI". It is, therefore, clear that lalitA means "extremely

beautiful."

 

2) The Padma Purana defines "lalitA" differently. "lokAnatItya

lAlate lalitA tena sochyate", lalitA is one who transcends the

worlds and sports (in Herself).

 

3) "bhaavakalA" is the aspect of empirical existence, whereas

"abhAvakalA" is the aspect of empirical nonexistence.

 

shrI upanishhad brahma yogin describes these as follows:

 

chaakshhushhaghaTAdikaM bhAvakalochyate

 

Visible or perceptible things such as a pot are called the aspect

of (empirical) existence.

 

achAkshhushhatayA kevalamAnasagrAhyamabhAvakaletyuchyate

 

What is cognized by the mind alone (but) not visible (perceptible)

is called the aspect of (empirical) nonexistence.

 

That is, an empirical nonexistent thing is something that is

cognized as not being present but only cognized as existing in

mind/memory alone. Suppose you see a pot on the ground now. You say

the pot exists (empirically at least) now. Sometime later you see

that the pot is not there on the ground. You say the pot is absent.

How did you conclude the pot is absent? By remembering the pot

(existing in memory alone) and by not seeing it on the ground. So we

see that (empirical) nonexistence _depends_ on mind/memory as well

as perception. But the devI, as Brahman Consciousness, is neither

in the realm of perception nor can She be grasped in the mind.

Therefore, She is neither empirical existence nor empirical

nonexistence.

 

chito nishhpratiyogikaGYaptimAtratayA bhAvAbhAvakalA .ayogAt.h

bhAvAbhAvakalAvinirmuktA chit.h ityarthaH |

 

Since Consciousness is the knowledge unqualified (by anything) and

by non-association with empirical existence or nonexistence, She is

called such Consciousness. This means She is the Consciousness free

from all aspects of Being and Nonbeing.

 

4) The term sachchidAnandalaharI is explained using the analogy of

the ocean and its waves. The devI is sachchidAnandalaharI; She is

Existence, Consciousness, Bliss. But the world is unreal (anR^ita),

insentient (jaDa), and sorrow (duHkha).

 

anR^itajaDaduHkhajAtagrAsasachchidAnandalaharI nistaraN^ga-

sachchidAnandasamudrarUpeyaM mahAtripurasundarI

 

She is the wave of sachchidAnanda hidden by unreality, insentience,

and sorrow (due to ignorance) and She, MahAtripurasundarI, is also

the waveless ocean of sachchidAnanda.

 

What Shri Upanishad Brahma Yogin means here is probably that the

devi, lalitA or MahAtripurasundarI, is the saguNa Brahman that is

like the wave of an ocean of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss,

and She is also the nirguNa Brahman that is like the waveless

depths of the ocean of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss.

 

5) An alternative meaning for the word "lalitA" is also offered.

 

anekabhedasattvAdekatvaM kuta ityatra anekalaxabhedajAtamapi

yatra vilIyate tallayaadhikaraNaM lalitA .akhyaM yat.h vastu

tadadvitIyaM akhaNDArthaM hi paraM brahma niShpratiyogika -

advitIyamityarthaH |

 

How can there be only One-ness when there are manifold differences

(among the objects of the world)? (To answer this objection) here

(it is stated that) where even the innumerable differences dissolve,

the substratum or basis of the destruction (laya) (of those

differences, bheda) is called "lalitA" which is a nondual and

indivisible thing, and which is verily the unqualified, nondual

Supreme Brahman. This is the meaning.

 

 

Anand