Towards A Mathematical Theory of Spirituality Based on Advaitic Principles: A Paradigm for O-E-T, the World of Matter and Mind (MTS-3)

[Guest guest]

Nameste all Advaitins

 

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Brahman, by power of Maya projects itself as Prakriti (the world of things,

beings and vasanas) and, as Ishwara or the mayaadhipati, exercises control over

Prakriti.

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This has been beautifully explained in ProfVK's translation of Kanchi

Mahaswamigal's Discourses on

Soundaryalahari at: http://www.advaitin.com/Soundaryalahari1.pdf. The following

excerpt is from

Page 15- 17 of the pdf:

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(Digest of more parts of pp.699-737)

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 shloka.

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? 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 Maha-Swamigal begins to explain at length

the technicalities about the ?five cosmic functions?.

 

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 mokshha 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 ShivasvarUpa

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 mokshha

state, beyond the MAyA enchantment, it is clear that this function of

gracing the spiritually merited ones with mokshha 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 panchakRtyaM

is also mentioned by the Shaiva schools. The very word panchakRtyaM

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 parA-shakti. 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 parA-shakti 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 kriyA-shakti (the power of Action) begins the panchakRtya-

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.

 

Regards

 

Hersh

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Raju,

 

I posted this over on the blog at http://advaitamath.blogspot.com/ .

 

There I can highlight some phrases in bold, which may have

a pedagogical value.

 

Some remarks:

>Ishwara chooses while "working within the limits set by

>Prakriti and Her natural laws..."

 

One might argue that it is Ishwara's free choice what

those natural laws might be, in which case there is

no real constraint! (There might be a mathematical

constraint of consistency, so that he can't, e.g., make

a circle with four corners like a square.)

 

Also, these vasanas would seem to be essentially the

same as the 'natural laws'.

 

One might launch into a whole discussion of why there

is ignorance and suffering, if Ishwara is choosing

everything. This might get back to your positing

natural laws as "constraints". Does Ishwara have

any constraints whatsoever? However, this topic is

vast and perhaps insoluble, and it would probably

detract from your paper to spend much time on it.

 

Ben