A Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari (DPDS - 06)

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

Recall: About the organization of the ‘Digest’: THE ENTIRE

EXPOSITION IS BY THE PARAMACHARYA. SO THE FIRST PERSON PRONOUN,

WHEREVER IT OCCURS, IS HIS. The ‘I’ of advaita-vedanta is always

within quotes. ALL THE THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE

THOSE OF THE PARAMACHARYA, EXCEPT WHEN ACKNOWLEDGED OTHERWISE.

Additional explanations given by Ra. Ganapathi are so

acknowledged. Parenthetical remarks by him, like ‘with a smile’,

‘after a small pause’ etc. that all refer to the speaker, the

Paramacharya, are repeated, if at all, as they are in the

original, within parentheses. My own remarks, if any, shall be

properly demarcated. And note that the Paramacharya most often

refers to Adi Sankaracharya as ‘Our Acharya’.

V. Krishnamurthy

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A Digest of Paramacharya’s Discourses on Soundaryalahari - 6

 

(This part, which ‘digests’ pp.675 to 686 of the original, is

entitled: “The title: ‘Ananda-lahari’ – advaitam and ShAktam”.

The matter was rather terse to me. But the Paramacharya himself

concludes by saying: “What is finally to be understood as the

essence is the following: ….” I use this summary of his own and

mostly translate it as closely as I can. VK)

 

The shAkta philosophy (ShAktam) talks of ‘Shivam’ in place of

the actionless substratum ‘Brahman’. Even if it is actionless,

it is Cit, knowledge, says advaita. In place of this Cit,

ShAktam talks of Cit-Shakti or simply, Shakti. The Brahman of

advaita peacefully rests in itself. In ShAktam, on the other

hand, the peaceful Shivam has the Shakti, power or energy, that

manifests as knowledge potential (Cit-Shakti) and this

manifestation is its play as the multiplicity of the universe.

In advaita there is no second. What appears as the universe is

only an appearance created by mAyA. MAyA has no relationship

with Brahman. What it is, and how it came – all this is

inexplainable. That research is not necessary. What is needed is

how to get out of it and obtain the personal realisation of the

basic Brahman behind. And hence the path of jnAna. In ShAktam,

it is claimed that the play of duality starts by the Will of

Shivam coupled with Shakti. Even here there is a role of

mAyA-Shakti. But we shall dwell on it later.

 

It is Brahman that appears as jIva, through the effect of mAyA.

If one follows the path of jnAna and transcends mAyA, then jIva

realises itself as Brahman, says advaita. In ShAktam also it

says that the jIva and Shivam are basically the same and

actually become the same in the state of moksha; particularly in

the Shri-vidyA scriptures it is specifically accepted so.

Dvaitam, VishishhTAdvaitam, SiddhAnta-shaivam

(Shaiva-siddhantam), ShrIkaNTa-shaivam (ShivAdvaitam), Kashmiri

Saivism – in this order, the philosophies start from a concept

totally distinct from advaita, gradually nearing and ultimately

becoming very near to advaita.

 

And in ShrIvidyA the identity of jiva with Brahman is clearly

stipulated. The two philosophies differ only in the concept of

creation. In advaita, duality is said to be only an imagination

and so is to be totally negated. In shAkta philosophies, duality

is said to be created by parA-Shakti, the energy of Brahman. It

is also the parA-Shakti that grants the moksha, which is the

identity of Brahman and jIva in eternal peaceful bliss. This

bliss is called shivAnandam and/or shAntAnandam in the shaivite

schools, and cidAnandam in the shAkta schools.

 

There is no difference in the concept of moksha as the

realisation of the one-ness of jIva and Brahman, between advaita

schools and the Shri-vidyA tantra of the shAkta schools. The

philosophy of advaita takes creation as a ‘vivarta’ (a false

appearance, manifestation, of reality) whereas the Shri-vidyA

school takes it as ‘AbhAsa’ (an effulgence of a ‘reflection’).

That the sun appears as a reflection in water is ‘AbhAsa’. In

the same way the universal Cit-Shakti reflects itself with a

limitation and becomes the jIva as well as the universe -- this

is the shAkta concept of creation. But without the original

object called the Sun there could be no reflection. So in basics

it comes back to the advaita concept. But the shAkta holds that

to the extent there is an object with its reflection, there is a

phenomenal reality for jIva and the universe. It does not hold

that it is ‘mithyA’ which is the advaitin’s contention.

 

It is the latter part of Soundaryalahari that dwells on the

beauty (saundaryam) of ambaal’s form.The former part dwells on

Her Shakti. It is called Ananda-lahari. The identity between

Shakti and Cit is referred to in the word ‘cidAnandalaharI’ in

verse no.8 of Anandalahari. “bhajanti tvAm dhanyAH katicana

cidAnanda-laharIm”, meaning, ‘Only the most fortunate few

(recognize you and) worship you as the flood of knowledge-bliss

(cidAnanda)’. Note here that while for every reader of the

Soundaryalahari portion the whole beauty of Mother Goddess is

fully experiential, in the Anandalahari portion the people who

can experience the bliss of the Shakti-lahari, that is, the

cidAnanda-lahari, are only the few fortunate (katicana dhanyAH)

!

 

The close correlation between advaita and the various shAkta

schools, particularly the Shri-vidyA tantra school, has been

used by our Acharya who is aware that many cannot follow the

abstract path of jnAna. And that is why perhaps he chalks out a

path whereby one starts from the ‘leela’ of creation of duality

and goes forward along the path of Shri-vidyA and finally ends

up in advaita itself. In accordance with this, even when he

composed many stotras on Shiva and VishNu, he never goes deep

into the shivAgama or vaishNava-Agama nuances but dwells mainly

on the bhakti and consequent emotions only. On the other hand

when he worked on Soundarya-lahari, the first part,

Anandalahari, – even though it is said that he only ‘brought’ it

(from Kailas) and not composed it – is totally a shAkta

scripture. The sum and substance of the twin work of

Ananda-lahari and Soundarya-lahari seems to be: “advaita is The

path; if not, the next (alternative) is Shri-vidyA” !

 

In fact, Shri-vidyA is the connecting cord between advaita and

all that is dvaita. It unifies the shAntam-Shivam-advaitam with

Shakti, the creator of duality, and therefore, of the universe.

In LalitA-sahasranAma also, the last name is lalitAmbikA and the

last but one is shiva-shakty-aikya-rUpiNI. And this takes us to

the very beginning sloka of Soundarya-lahari !

(To be continued).

praNAms to all advaitins and devotees of Mother Goddess

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

A few thoughts please.

 

As rightly pointed out, all sakta upAsanAs inexorably converge on

Advaita.

 

This presupposes a prerequisite in the aspirant. He should have a

logical, advaitic vision beforehand. Then upAsana becomes a tool

through which the aspirant realizes his advaitic vision. Doesn't

VidyA in the name Sri Vidya presuppose this prerequisite?

 

Without the prerequisite, what probbably happens is that the aspirant

gets emotionally stuck with the tool. Although he then enjoys

happiness and the Grace of the Devi, his vision is still ridden with

duality or mAya sakti and, therefore, sees the Devi and the world as

separate from himself.

 

The advaitic vision that an aspirant should acquire through logical

thinking is well brought out by Ananda Wood in his essay on "Nature

of Consciousness" at Dennisji's site. Those interested may please

peruse the relevant link referenced by Both Dennisji and Ramji in

their posts yesterday. I read it only yesterday. It is a

commendable effort and I believe Wood's logical deductions are well-

suited to modern-day aspirants.

 

When the Devi is known as Consciousness pervading everything (chit-

sakti chEtanArUpA), then everything - living or non-living - becomes

verily Her putting an end to duality. That is the only way mAya

sakti can be transcended. Seeing everything as the Devi is Advaita

when there is only One, the Devi or Consciousness without scope for

any distinction between devotee, deity and other dual miscellanea.

One becomes verily the ocean of Consciousness - the end of LalitA

SahasranAmAvali (siva-saktaikya swarUpiNi) and the beginning of

Soundarya Lahari (sivasaktia yuktO). The aspirant then is the Devi -

first and last - Consciousness - unblemished and unlimited. Being

One without a second can't be deifferent from being everything.

 

Having said this much, the big question remains: Does the Devi

confer advaitic realization on Her devout devotees who get down to

doing earnest upAsanA. We have the Acharya's assurance in the

preamble that She does and we have to take it for granted. Then,

where is the need for a prior advaitic vision as a prerequisite?

Well, such a vision cannot be external to Her Grace and, if that

comes about beforehand in an aspirant, then the only conclusion is

that he already is meritoriously blessed by Her. Reading Ananda Wood

is then Her Grace!

 

PraNAms.

 

Madathil Nair