Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari (DPDS - 09)

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

Recall the Note about the organization of the ‘Digest’, from

DPDS – 6 or the earlier ones.

V. Krishnamurthy

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A Digest of Paramacharya’s Discourses on Soundaryalahari - 9

 

There are two statements. One says: Even Shiva, only when

united with you, Oh Shakti, is able to monitor the whole world.

And the other statement says: The Triad formed of Hari, Hara and

BrahmA worship Shakti. Both these statements are contained in

the 1st sloka. Are Shiva and Hara different? Are they not the

two names of the same deity? Why two names, and two actions? Is

one the Prime Mover (corresponding to the word ‘spanditum’) and

the other the one who worships (corresponding to the word

‘ArAdhyAm’)? Are they not both the same?

 

Of course, advaita says all are the same One. But the very

origin of this stotra is not to stay at the level of advaita.

Everything may be the same One ultimately, but on the surface,

they are seen to be different. So Hara is one, Shiva is another.

The Shiva who is said to be ‘moved’ is the Shivam enunciated as

the first principle in the scriptures of the ShAkta and Shaiva

schools. Hara is the ‘Rudra’ who is in charge of the function of

dissolution among the five functions of the Almighty. ‘Hara’

comes from the root verb ‘har’ to destroy, to eradicate, to

nullify.

 

(At this point, the Paramacharya begins to explain at length the

technicalities about the ‘five cosmic functions’. What follows

is a much-condensed digest. – VK)

It is the same paramAtmA who became the three members of the

Triad for the discharge of the three functions of Creation,

Sustenance and Dissolution. For all the three functions the

power source is ambaaL, the parA- Shakti. It is the explicitly

expressed power of brahman. So we may call it para-brahma-Sakti.

It is not only the power for the Triad but it is the power

source for the entire universe of the animate and the inanimate.

By calling it para-brahma-Shakti, let us not think it is

different from para-brahman itself. For, when the shakti of an

entity is separated from it, whatever it be, the very fact of

its being that entity is lost. To give a mundane example, a

ten-horsepower motor loses the very fact of motorship if the

horsepower is taken away from it. Therefore the

para-brahma-shakti is para-brahman itself. But the para-brahman

can also remain in itself without ‘exhibiting’ or ‘exploiting’

or ‘manifesting’ its power. When the parabrahman so rests in

itself by itself as itself, it is known in ShAkta parlance as

‘Shivam’.

 

It is from that calm nirvikAra (changeless) state of the First

Principle that we have all come to this jIva state with a mind

and all its runaway associates called the senses. Only when

we merge in that ShAnti (Peace) back again it may be said that

we have reached our true state and transcended the mAyA effect,

the bondage of samsAra. That blissful state of moksha is so

calm and peaceful because it is now the same as being brahman,

which naturally, is calm and actionless without exhibiting its

latent shakti. In our daily life we may observe that if somebody

is totally inactive, unresponsive and unaffected by anything,

we refer to him jocularly (at least in the Tamil world) as

‘para-brahmam’ !

 

Thus we are constrained to view Shiva as ‘para-brahman’ and

ambaaL as ‘para-brahma-shakti’. Though neither of them exists

without the other, we may allow ourselves the privilege of

speaking of them AS IF they are different. Without

para-brahma-shakti, the world would not be there. Now we have

to consider two more cosmic functions in addition to the three

well-known to all of us. We were nothing but the calm

Shiva-svarUpa once; from that state somehow the real nature has

been forgotten and we have arrived at this ignorant state of a

jIva and we find ourselves in a revolving cycle of samsAra

without the knowledge of our true state. The power which has

done this to us must also be the same para-brahma-shakti. And by

the example of several sages and saints who, though thrown into

the vortex of samsAra like ourselves, have obtained the

Enlightenment which took them back to that moksha state, beyond

the mAyA enchantment, it is clear that this function of gracing

the spiritually merited ones with moksha is also done by the

para-brahma-shakti.

 

These two functions are called ‘tirodhAna’ and ‘anugraha’

respectively. The meaning of the root verb ‘tiras’ is to be

secretive or to hide. It is from the verb ‘tiras’ that the Tamil

word ‘tirai’ (meaning, ‘curtain’) has come. It is mAyA that

blinds the real thing from us by a ‘tirai’ (curtain). Just as

the three functions of creation, sustenance and dissolution have

been assigned (by the para-brahma-shakti) to BrahmA, Vishnu and

Rudra (Hara), so also Her assignee for the tirodhAna function is

called ‘Ishvara’ (also ‘maheshvara’) and that for the anugraha

function is called ‘SadAshiva’. The first three functions are

subject to mAyA. This mayic activity is in the control of

Ishvara. Release from mAyA is granted by SadAshiva.

These are the five cosmic functions. Together they are called

the five-fold activity (pancha-kRtyam) of the Lord. This concept

of pancha-kRtyam is also mentioned by the Shaiva schools. The

very word panca-kRtyam means and involves activity. And as we

know, no activity is possible without the kArya-brahman

(para-brahma-shakti) coming in. So we can take it that the

original source is parAshakti. She does it through the five

agents of Hers, namely the five forms of divinity mentioned

above. The shAnta (calm) Shivam in its nascent state cannot

act. When action takes place it takes place through parAshakti

in the form of the five-fold functions. Shivam by itself does

not produce the action. But it is in Shivam, the parabrahman,

that the first vibration for action sprouts, by its own Shakti.

But even before the action there must have been a will. This

will is called the icchA-Shakti. On the basis of this icchA --

the first wish, as it may be called, and the Upanishad also

says: ‘akAmayata’ –the kriyAshakti (the power of Action) begins

the pancha-kRtya-leelA. Thus, what was the parabrahman by itself

in itself, willed to ‘become’. It is for this divine will that

the Upanishad uses the word ‘kAma’, meaning desire. This

‘desire’ is not to be taken in any derogatory sense. It is pure

Divine Will from Being to Becoming. Thus the first evolute from

brahman is this divine kAma. So the shakti that is the origin

of this is called Kameshvari and the Shivam in which this kAma

sprouted is therefore called Kameshwara.

(To be continued)

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PraNAms to all advaitins and Devotees of Mother Goddess.

profvk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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 Sri Krishnamurthiji and Sri Murthyji,

thanks for your responses to my post. I could'nt reply earlier since

I was busy for the past two days with a virus that had crept into my

machine .

 

Murthyji wrote :

Thus, the importance of sAdhana cannot be minimized. But, we have to

understand in this context what the proper sAdhana is.

__________________

 

I quite agree with you. however, my contention is, any sadhana is

only to remove the ignorance and bring mental strength in the

individual to face the truth. Because even Ishwara is said to be

unreal because it exists only temporarily. And Mind - Body not being

the real, the results of any Sadhana goes to who ? To nobody. So why

do sadhana ? for removal of our ignorance only, and to prepare

ourselves through 'baya Nivritti ', 'shoka Nivritti' etc.

 

Brahman being Nirguna cannot be interested in either the Sadhana nor

the Sadhaka, can he ?

It is only that at the highest level, the Sadhaka realises that

there is always only Brahman and he it IT. The rest is

nothingness. The state of non-creation which is always ever is the

same. At least, this is what it seems like to me. Maybe the Jnanis

know it and just smile away at all the efforts done by people! like

Sri Ramana Maharishi.

 

Krishnamurthiji wrote :

I want to draw your attention to DPDS #s 2, 3, 9, 12 and 13 for the

answers to

the questions you ask. The Paramacharya has anticipated most of

your questions. Nos.9 and 13 specifically contains the answers to

your important questionsabout Sadhana and Maya. In fact I would

presume you are perusing through the whole series. A full reading of

the entire series would be worthwhile.

 

 

I went through some topics in your postings and would like to say

with all due respects that

 

Soundaryalahari seems to me to be more like a book on Siva / Shakti

than Advaitam of Sri Shankaracharya. Please correct me if I am

wrong.

I will go through the topics you have mentioned and will come back

with my questions. If I may add, its a tremendous effort and I'm

sure its being thanked by a lot of people.

I was planning to ask if you had any plans to write on Vishnu

Sahasranama at any time.

 

Best Regards

Guruprasad