Digest of Paramacharya's Discourses on Soundaryalahari (DPDS-27)

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Namaste.

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

from DPDS – 26 or the earlier ones.

V. Krishnamurthy

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A Digest of Paramacharya’s Discourses on Soundaryalahari -

27

(Digest of pages 892-898, Deivathin Kural (in Tamil),

Vol.6, 4th imprn)

 

A yantra means that every bit of it whether a line or a

circle or an angle, has to be of the right size and

proportioin as prescribed. It cannot err even a little this

way or that way. Just as a mantra, with a wrong

incantation, produces contrary effects, so also a small

mistake in the design of the yantra can cause havoc. In the

Shri yantra again, if the apex of the central triangle

faces west instead of east, as it should, results can just

be the opposite. So when you sit opposite to it for the

worship, the apex should be on the side nearer to you and

not on the farther side.

One has to be really more careful with the pUja of a

yantram than that of an idol (vigraha), in terms of the

ritualistic do’s and don’ts.

In modern times many have turned over to Shri Cakra pUjA in

their homes, a few merely for the pride of it, another few

because it is the fashion, and yet another few out of

ignorance. But the injunctions are not being followed

properly. Consequently, loss of peace is on the increase.

 

It is not enough to just wish for great observances. We

should be able to observe the shastraic injunctions

correctly. We should be able to perform exactly as was

demonstrated to us and passed on to us by our elders. Only

then we will reap the right benefits. Certainly Shri Chakra

has been eulogised in the Shastras to the sky. But the

very same ShAstras have also prescribed a certain regimen

for such pUjA. By taking the attitude ‘I will do my

personalized pUjA in my own way’ not only will you miss the

promised or expected results, but actually it will turn out

to be counter-productive.

 

A yantra is not just the residing seat of a devatA; it is

the devatA itself. It is not just a representation, or a

copy. It is not a substitute for the devatA. It is the

devatA itself. It is the presentation of the devatA and not

a re-presentation. More so in the case of ambaal. For, Her

Divine Presence is very special in Her yantra. It is

because of this that ambaal-pUjA is mostly done to Her

yantra than to Her most beautiful physical form.

 

[At this point, Ra Ganapathi, (the Boswell of

Paramacharya), adds the following note:

Usually we talk greatly of the ‘name’ and ‘form’ of

devatAs.

But generally, in the case of feminine deities,

the ‘name’ takes a lesser role. And in the case of ShrI

Vidya mantras,

the name is not there at all. Only the seed syllables are

dominant.

Again, though the devatA of Shri Vidya, namely

Tripurasundari,

is as shown by her name itself of very beautiful form,

instead of the worship of her form

there is more worship of the yantram only. Why is this so?

This question was asked of the Paramacharya .

He expressed concurrence with the above statement

and joined in expressing his own astonishment that this is

so.

But he did not choose to give any explanation.]

 

In addition to the two natural locations for Her, namely,

the Ocean of Nectar and the Meru peak, one should add Her

yantram as another place of Her permanent residence.

No, no, I just committed two errors. The ShrI chakra is not

just Her residence. The ShrI Chakra is Herself ! This was

the first error. The second one is that the Shri Chakra is

not like the Ocean of Nectar or the Meru peak where She is

said to reside. Even in those two places, She resides only

in the ShriChakra, though now magnified million times.

 

When She is in the Meru peak, the AvaraNas are piled up

peak upon peak in a three-dimensional manner. It will be in

the form of an upright cone. Such a three dimensional

configuration of ShrI Chakra is called ‘Meru-prastAram’.

People call it just ‘Meru’ colloquially. When the Chakra is

two dimensional it is said to be ‘bhU-prastAram’. A mixture

of the two, where the beginning AvaraNas rise higher and

higher, but later the latter AvaraNas are all in the same

plane, is called ‘ardha-Meru’ (ardha means ‘semi’). A

pUrNa-Meru is that which has all the AvaraNas in the

Meru-prastara style. In our Mutt at Kanchipuram and in

Tiruvidaimarudur MukAmbal sannadhi, what you find is

pUrNa-Meru. In Mangadu it is ardha-meru. In the Kamakoshtam

at Kanchipuram it is bhU-prastAram.

 

The ShrI Chakra, ShrI VidyA, ShrI MatA, ShrI puram all

pertain to the devI, the Mother Goddess,

LalitA-tripurasundari. The prefix ShrI is the prefix

usually given for respect and has no extra connotation of

Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity and Wealth. The Chakras

and the mantras associated with other devatAs are

distinguished by by their name itself carrying the name of

the devatA – as in, Shiva-chakram, Sudarshana-yantram,

ShhaDakshhara-chakram, etc. Only in the case of

LalitA-tripurasundari, the chakram, the yantram are known

as The Chakram, The Yantram, The Mantram.

 

The ShrI Chakram depicts the advaitic identity of Shiva and

Shakti. That is why the two kinds of chakras of Shiva and

Shakti are intertwined. The (four) triangles with the apex

upward are known as Shiva cakras and the (five) triangles

with apex downward are known as Shakti chakras. The angles

at which these interesect, the lotus petals on the outer

corridors, the circular lines, the square design at the

outermost, all have specific prescriptions; these are

given in Shloka 11.

All this is not to be read or studied like reading fiction

or for acadmeic interest. They have to be seriously learnt

straight from a Guru. They have to be preserved as such. I

did not want to omit them completely and therefore I just

touched upon these. But don’t take them lightly !

To be Continued.

Thus spake the Paramacharya.

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.