Abhayambikashtak

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.. A-yaiMbkaòkm! .Abhay˜mbik˜ÿ÷akam

Xyanm!.inxeinTySmere inrvixgu[e nIitinpu[einra"q}ane

inympricÄEkinlye,inyTyainmuke iniolingmaNtStutpdeinrat»e inTy< ingmy mmip

Stuitmam!.Dhy˜nam:nidhenityasmere niravadhiguõe nŸtinipuõenir˜gha÷ajñ˜ne

niyamaparacittaikanilaye |niyaty˜nimuke nikhilanigam˜ntastutapadenir˜taðke

nityaÕ nigamaya mamapi stutim˜m || (Itrans)

O! thou that art the support of all that lives !, O! lady of the ever smiling

countenance and the limitless virtues !, O! Fountain of justice !, O! Knowledge

indefeasible that dwells by choice in the hearts of the devout ruled by the

veda, but thyself acknowledges no law!, O! Thou that upaniShad-s exalt as the

eternal sanctuary from which all fear flee, Seal thy approval to this panegyric

of mine.

Evoking and visualizing the deity who is addressed in the upcoming hymn or japa

is a traditional practice. This process termed as ‘dhyAnam’ is defined as

uninterrupted concentration on the divine form like an unbroken stream of oil

flowing from one vessel to another 'taila-dhAravat avicchinna smrti-santatiH'.

To help a devotee accomplish this meditation, dhyAna hymns are constructed that

describe the beautiful form of the divine mother. When a devotee understands

them and visualizes the divine form described in them, his wavering nature

slowly subsides and mental peace is achieved. As concentration is the key for

japa, this becomes an important step.

dhyAna hymns are not to be misunderstood for a description of a beautiful lady,

for you cannot visualize a human with four hands and so on. They are full of

symbolism and help the disciple to grasp the ultimate reality and concentrate

on her. Before chanting lalitA sahasranAma we include one or more dhyana

shloka-s, the most popular being,

sindUrAruNa vigrahAM trinayanAM mANikya mauli sphurat.htArA nAyaka shekharAM

smita mukhIm ApIna vakShoruhAm.h .pANibhyAm alipUrNa ratna chashhakaM

raktotpalaM vibhratIMsaumyAM ratna ghaTastha rakta charaNAM dhyAyet.h

parAmambikAm.h .

Likewise in abhayAmbikAShTakam Sri dIkshitar meditates on devi with the todi

kritI 'dAkshAyaNI abhayAmbike'. This kritI is a simple and beautiful one

explaining the various aspects of the divine mother. The sAhitya vAkyams are,

p‘ivda]ay[i A-yaiMbke,vrda-y hSte nmSte.pallavid˜kÿ˜yaõŸ abhay˜mbike

|varad˜bhaya haste namaste || (Itrans)

Anup‘ivdI]a sNtuò manse,dInajnavn hSt sarse.ka'œi]tawR àdaiyin kamtÙ

ivxaiyin,sai] êp àkaizin smSt jgiÖlaisin.anupallavidŸkÿ˜ santuÿ÷a m˜nase

|dŸn˜jan˜vana hasta s˜rase ||k˜ðkÿit˜rtha prad˜yini k˜matantra vidh˜yini |s˜kÿi

r¨pa prak˜þini samasta jagadvil˜sini ||(Itrans)

cr[m!sklin:k¦ Svêptejse skllaek z&iòkar[ æajse,skl-­ s<r][ yzse sklyaeig mnaeêp

tTvtpse.àblguéguhaedye pÂann ùdalye,-rt mt¼aid nute -artIz

pUijte.caraõamsakalaniÿka¹a svar¨patejase sakalaloka þ®ÿ÷ik˜raõa bhr˜jase

|sakalabhakta saÕrakÿaõa yaþase sakalayogi manor¨pa tatvatapase

||prabalaguruguhodaye pañc˜nana h®d˜laye |bharata mataðg˜di nute bh˜ratŸþa

p¨jite ||(Itrans)

In this tOdi dhyAna kritI dIxitar slowly proceeds from bedha to abheda upAsanam.

This demands a little explanation. upAsanam is of two types, bheda upAsanam and

abheda upAsanam. With out a prefix upAsanam is normally bheda upAsanam as the

deity that is addressed is always visualized as different from the self. For a

spiritual beginner, only this is possible. He starts visualizing the ultimatum

in a beautiful and pleasing form and slowly stills his concentration (rUpa

dhyAnam). He meditates upon the nature and quality of the form to help him in

an uninterrupted effort (guNa - Ishvarya - kIrti dhyAnam). As these proceed, he

recognizes that his guru is not different from the deity he is meditating upon

(guru svarUpa dhyAnam). He recognizes the divinity in this guru. He also

understands that the knowledge that has been endowed upon him – the scriptures

that he has studied – is identical with the deity (veda svarUpa dhyAnam). He

feels that the almighty is always looking after him (Ishvara dhyAnam). As the

scriptures teach that the almighty is all pervading, he starts feeling the

divine presence in all that exists, (virAT svarUpa dhyAnam). If the almighty is

seen in all that exists, then the small I that exists before the one ocean of

bliss just dissolves in it.

The sAdakA visualizes the divine in himself too.

aruNAM karuNA taraN^gitakShIM dhR^ita pAshAN^kusha pushhpa bANa chApAm.h

|aNimAdi bhirAvR^itAM mayukhaiHahamityeva vibhAvaye bhavAnIm.h ||

(aham itI eva vibhAvaye bhavAnIm - She is the Self within me)

At this point bheda upAsanam becomes abheda upasanam. In this stage the oneness

is just an imagination, but through divine grace if it is discovered as truth,

upAsanam becomes nididhyAsam.

>From rUpa dhyAnam a sAdakA is elevated to svarUpa dhyAnam. The ultimate essence

of all knowledge 'svasvarUpAnusantAnam' is achieved. Thus upAsana leads to

nididhyAsanam. This step-by-step process is the key content of this kritI.

nAmAvaLI-s under specific steps are as follows,

êp Xyanm!da]ayi[ A-yaiMbke nmStevrda-y hSte nmStedInavn hSt sarse nmSter¨pa

dhy˜namd˜kÿ˜yaõi abhay˜mbike namastevarad˜bhaya haste namastedŸn˜vana hasta

s˜rase namaste (Itrans)

kIitR Xyanm!pÂann ùdalye nmSte-artIz pUijte nmSteskl yaeig mnaeêp tTv tpse

nmStekaiÁ]tawR àdaiyin nmStekŸrti dhy˜nampañc˜nana h®d˜laye namastebh˜ratŸþa

p¨jite namastesakala yogi manor¨pa tatva tapas (Itrans)

guéSvêp Xyanm!dI]a sNtuò manse nmSteàbl guéguhaedye nmStegurusvar¨pa

dhy˜namdŸkÿ˜ santuÿ÷a m˜nase namasteprabala guruguhodaye namaste (Itrans)

vedSvêp Xyanm!kamtÙ ivdaiyin nmSte-rt mtÁgaid nute nmStevedasvar¨pa

dhy˜namk˜matantra vid˜yini namastebharata matañg˜di nute namaste (Itrans)

$ñrI Xyanm!skl laek z&iòkar[ rajse nmStesai] êp àkaizin nmSteŸþvarŸ

dhy˜namsakala loka þ®ÿ÷ik˜raõa r˜jase namastes˜kÿi r¨pa prak˜þini namaste

(Itrans)

ivraqœSvêp Xyanm!(-Ut -avn>)smSt jgiÖlaisin nmStevir˜÷svar¨pa dhy˜nam(bh¨ta

bh˜vana×)samasta jagadvil˜sini namaste (Itrans)

Svêp Xyanm!(SvSvêpanusNtanm!)skl in:k¦ Svêp tejse nmSteAaTm Svêp àitibMba

r]tusvar¨pa dhy˜nam(svasvar¨p˜nusant˜nam)sakala niÿka¹a svar¨pa tejase

namaste˜tma svar¨pa pratibimb˜ rakÿatu (Itrans)

rUpa dhyAnam:

gva< svaR¼j]Ir< ôvet! Stnmuoat! ywa,twasvRgtae devI> àitmaid;u rajte.Aai-êPya½

ibMbSy pUjaya<c ivze;t>,saxkSy c ivñsadœ devta s<inix-Rvet!.gav˜Õ

sarv˜ðgajakÿŸraÕ stravet stanamukh˜t yath˜ |tath˜sarvagato devŸ× pratim˜diÿu

r˜jate ||˜bhir¨py˜cca bimbasya p¨j˜y˜ñca viþeÿata× |s˜dhakasya ca viþvas˜d

devat˜ sannidhirbhavet || (Itrans)

As milk produced by the entire body of the cow flows through the udder, likewise

the all-pervasive devi is seen in an archA rUpA (pratimA). When a devotee

worships her in such a form, she reveals herself and feeds him the milk of

bliss. Having intoxicated they flow with beautiful panegyrics. One such is

dikshItar's todi dhyAnam. The rUpa dhyAna nAmAvaLI-s in this krithi are,

da]ayi[ A-yaiMbke nmStevrda-y hSte nmStedInavn hSt sarse nmSted˜kÿ˜yaõi

abhay˜mbike namastevarad˜bhaya haste namastedŸn˜vana hasta s˜rase namaste

rUpam refers to a form or the nature of an object. Meditating upon the physical

form of devi is ‘rUpa dhyAnam’. Before engaging in further explanations, let’s

take up a simple question,

Why does the all-pervading almighty (his true form) that is pure bliss or Ananda

(his true nature) deflates her supreme position and assumes a form that follows

some rule of anatomy? What reason can be attributed for this step down ?

Is it for ‘duShTa nigraham & siShTa paripAlanam’?, not really. Ishvara assuming

a guNa can accomplish his determination through his will alone. He created this

universe this way, ‘so kAmayata’ 'he just thought, let it be like this, and

things came in to existence'. So physical visibility can not be justified for

destruction of the evil as he can do it just with his saN^kalpa.

Then why does she assume a form and fight with mahiShAsurA for days together?

when she could have destroyed him by just her will that he should be destroyed.

(In fact after several days of that furious war she smashed him just with a ‘hum

kAra’).

When she is inseparably embedded in the left half of shiva, what is the need for

her to be born as the daughter of the mountains or that of dakSha, penance for

days together and unite with shivA again as though she is separate?

The only convincing answer we can think of is, she thought of giving her

devotees the fortune to conceive that their limited (indriyA-s) organs can

conceive. To provide the fortune of taking care of her needs as though she had

some needs to mataN^ga, bR^igu, kAtyAyana & himavAn. It is for this reason to

provide her devotee with the affluence of service that she manifests in a form.

But the shR^iti statement na sa.ndR^ishe tishhThati rUpamasya na chakshuShA

pashyatikashchanainam.h . hR^idA manIshA manasAbhiklR^ipto ya ena.n

viduramR^itAstebhavanti .. , should always be remembered.

This willingness to come down is what enchants saints and devotees. ‘yanna tavam

seidanai yaShOdA yangum nirai parabrahman ammA enru azaika’ ‘O! yaShoda, What

penance you took!, for the all pervading para brahman to come and call you

'ammA'’

Dikshitar recalls one such incarnation of devi, as the daughter of daksha and

begins his laud with the verse ‘dAkshAyaNI abhayAmbike namaste’. ‘Salutations

to thee the daughter of daksha, salutations O! abhayAmbhA’

devi incarnated as the daughter of dakSha and hence she is dAkshAyaNI. daksha

yagJNa is an important episode seen in both Shiva and viShNu purANA-s. The

version in Sri madbhAgavatam a predominantly viShNu purANA has the best version

of this episode.

dakSha prajApAti, the mAnasIka putra of brahma married prasUti the daughter of

manu. daksha lacked IshvarArpaNam in his actions, as a result gained arrogance

and pride. Parents of this universe planed a play to revert him to

righteousness. Devi incarnated as the daughter of dakshA along with fifteen

others. dakSha gave his fifteen daughters in marriage to chandra (to dharma in

some versions). satI (dAkshAyaNI) was always in Ishvara dhyAnam. Finally with

the advice of brahma and others daksha agreed to give satI in marriage to

parameshvara.

Once daksha arranged for a huge sacrifice. Every one was seated in the main hall

witnessing the amazing proceedings. Conches blew and daksha entered the main

hall. The entire assembly rose in respect. His head went up and his chest

expanded in pride seeing the honor that was shown. His eyes caught sight of two

persons who had not stood up, brahma, his father and parameshvara, his

son-in-law. daksha prostrated before Brahma and sought his blessings. He then

looked at shiva who continued to sit quietly. daksha could not bear this. He

trembled in anger and abused parameshvara in front of all. Then he poured a

little water into his palm and sipped it up saying, " Henceforth shiva will not

get the share of any sacrifice" The entire assembly was horrified as he

pronounced this curse.

All through this parameshvara remained calm and composed, never uttering a

single word in anger or protest. But nandikeshvara was unable to bear this

insult, he too sipped a little water and in turn cursed daksha. bR^igu, the

leader of the assembly, uttered a counter curse on nandi and the followers of

Shiva. There was utter chaos all round. People had never heard such terrible

curses before. Quietly, shiva got up and left the hall.

Sometime later, Brahma made daksha the head of the PrajapatI-s. Daksha's pride

knew no bounds. He decided to perform ‘bR^ihaspati yagna’. All the inhabitants

of the three worlds were invited except shiva.

When devi heard of the elaborate preparations that were going on in her father's

house, she also wanted to witness it. shiva pointed out that they had not been

invited. She convinced him by saying, "Surely a daughter needs no invitation to

visit her father's house. In the intense preparation of the yagna he must have

forgotten to invite us." So at last shiva allowed her to go.

dAkshAyaNi arrived at the sacrifice hall. No one came forward to receive her

except her mother and sisters. Her father even refused to look at her. devi

felt uneasy at his strange behavior and noticed that no yagna offering had been

kept for shiva. Unable to bear the insult she said ‘I am indeed ashamed of this

body which has come from you O daksha”. She sat in a yogic posture facing north

and united with parameshvara leaving her sharIra.

shiva rose in terrible fury and created vIrabhadra from his jata. He ordered him

to destroy the sacrifice. vIrabhadra cut off daksha’s head in one impulse. Later

brahma pleaded on behalf of deva-s to shiva. shiva pardoned daksha and gave him

the head of a goat. The yagna was completed.Devi manifested as the daughter of

himavAn later and married parameshvara again.

dIkshitar remembers this incident and hails devi as ‘dAkshAyaNI’. Though a

number of tatvArtam-s are stated for the above incident, Shri lalitA

sahasranAma gives a simple and convincing explanation. ‘dAkshAyaNI daitya

hantrI dakShayaJNA vinAshinI’ The purpose of destroying the yagna was to

indicate that with out ‘Ishvara dhyAnam’ all karmA-s are of little use. satvIka

karmA accompanied with Ishvara dhyAnam provides chitta shudhi and prepares one

for Atma vichAra. The daitya portion of dakSha was demoted by devi in her lIlA

kelanam and hence the nAmA ‘daitya hantri’ is embedded between ‘dakShyANI’ and

‘dakshayagJNa vinAShiNI’.

The 51 vital shaktI shrines are said to have emerged from dAkshAyaNI devi.

dIkshitar meditates on this Adi shakti svarUpam of devi as abhyAmbikA

(dAkshAyaNI abhayAmbike – namaste).

...varadAbhaya haste namaste..

In mAUram devi is seen with four arms, two with the traditional abhaya and

varada hasta and the other two holding japa mAlA and kamaNDalu. The next

salutation ‘varadAbhaya haste namaste’ refers to this hand gesture of devi.

‘varam dadhAti iti varadA’ She is capable of bestowing what ever one seeks. If

we seek prosperity, she will bestow prosperity. If we seek wealth, she will

bestow wealth. If we seek health, she will give that, by mistake if we ask for

liberation, she is capable of preparing us for that too.

The theory that devi can liberate an individual soul can be advocated through a

simple logic. A person who creates an object and has that in his control is

also capable of dissolving it. Ishvara as the jagat kAraNa (creator) is

supported by innumerable shruti statements.

AsÖa #dm¢ AasIt!, ttae vE sdjayt, tdaTman< Svymk…ét, tSmaÄTsuk«tmuCyt #it,

asadv˜ idamagra ˜sŸt | tato vai sadaj˜yata | tad˜tm˜naÕ svayamakuruta | tasm˜ttatsuk®tamucyata iti |

asadvaa idamagra aasiit.h . tato vai sadajaayata . tadaatmaanaM svayamakuruta .

tasmaattatsukR^itamuchyata iti

'In the beginning this was non-existent (not yet defined by form and name). From

it was born what exists. That made itself its Self, therefore it is called the

Self-made.'

The fact that she has all proceedings in this jagat in her control is also

supported by a number of shruti statements.

-I;a=SmaÖat> pvte, -I;aedeit sUyR>,-I;a=Smadi¶íeNÔí, m&TyuxaRvit pÂm

#it,bhŸÿ˜'sm˜dv˜ta× pavate | bhŸÿodeti s¨rya× |bhŸÿ˜'sm˜dagniþcendraþca |

m®tyurdh˜vati pañcama iti |

bhiishhaa.asmaadvaataH pavate . bhiishhodeti suuryaH

..bhiishhaa.asmaadagnishchendrashcha . mR^ityurdhaavati paJNchama iti .

'From terror of it (Brahman) the wind blows, from terror the sun rises; from

terror of it Agni and Indra, yea Death runs as the fifth.'

Logically one who created this jagat using his mAyA or shakti and who alsohas it

in his control should also be capable of destroying it. Hence she candefinitely

bestow liberation. (By this it is not to be misunderstood thatliberation is

made as a thing to be bought. Though ‘self’ exist in bliss, itis not visible

due to avidyA. She is capable of removing that ignorance andhence it as equal

as giving kaivalya.)

... dInajanAvana hasta sArase namaste ..

‘I bow to thee, whose lotus palm protects the timid’

Abhaya hastam of devi ensures fearlessness and her varada hasta denotes

fulfillment gained by the seeker.

What is to be sought is explained by kamaNdala and japamAla in the upper arms of

devi. kamaNDala denotes ‘chitta shudhi’ and japamAla ‘chitta naishchalyam’, the

two main requirements for brahma vichAra. Once an individual gains these two,

devi removes the anAdyavidyA through abhaya hasta and points to her feet that

is pure bliss which is the true state of an individual. NArAyaNa bhattadri

beautifully remarks ‘yogIndrANAm tvadanJN^geshu adhika sumadhuram’ is ‘nAta te

pAda mUlam’. Though every limb of ‘madhurAmbikA’ is ‘madhuram’ her pAdamUlam is

‘adhika sumadhuram’.

When abhyAmbA with her ‘sArasa hasta’ (lotus palm) points to her siJNjAna

maNimaJNjira maNDita shrI padAmbujAm (gem studded auspicious lotus feet), it

looks as though one lotus flower points to another lotus flower born from the

same stem mR^iNAla mR^idu dorlatA (Her limbs are as soft and cool as the lotus

stem).

kIrti dhyAnam

pÂann ùdalye nmSte-artIz pUijte nmSteskl yaeig mnaeêp tTv tpse nmStekaiÁ]tawR

àdaiyin nmSteskl-­ sè][ yzse nmStepañc˜nana h®d˜laye namastebh˜ratŸþa p¨jite

namastesakala yogi manor¨pa tatva tapase namastek˜ñkÿit˜rtha prad˜yini

namastesakalabhakta samrakÿaõa yaþase namaste (Itrans)

...pa~ncAnana hR^idAlaye namaste..

‘I bow to thee who dwells in the heart of parameshvara’

Next dIkshitar shifts to the greatness of abhayAmbA. She is ever united with

parameshvara. sadyojAtam, vAmadevam, tatpuruSham, aghoram and IshAnam are the

five faces of parameshvara, devi dwells in the heart of this virAt swarUpam of

parameshvara. Creation (sR^iShTi) sustenance (stiti) destruction (samhAram)

delusion (tirobhAnam) and liberation (anugraham) are the five activities of

parameshvara. Devi is the shakti behind all these activities and hence she is

saluted as 'pa~nchAnana hR^idAlaye'.

... bhAratIsha pUjite namaste .

'I bow to thee worshipped by bhAratIsha (brahma)'

brahma is the creator of this universe. As devi supports the creator in the form

of bhAratI, he is referred as bhAratIsha. It always becomes the responsibility

of brahma to plead to the universal mother when cosmic balance is lost. In

purANA-s we see that when devA-s have some trouble they approaching brahma and

brahma leads them to devi. More over brahma is her first child, ' Abrahma kITa

jananI ', what is followed by the elder most is to be followed by the rest too,

hence worship of the universal mother is emphasized through the salutation

'bhAratIsha pUjite'.

... sakala yogi manorUpa tatva tapase namaste..

'I salute thee, the truth in the heart of contemplative pious'

yoga means unity. The chief aim of yoga philosophy is to teach the means by

which the human soul may be completely united with the supreme sprit and thus

secure absolution. Deep abstract meditation is laid down as the chief means of

securing this end.

This meditation is referred as 'tapas' in the above salutation. Yogi is one who

practices this 'tapas'. Devi emerges as absolute truth 'tatva' in the heart of

such yogis and hence she is 'sakala yogi mano rUpa tatva tapas svarUpiNI'. The

prefix 'sakala' indicates that what ever be the form that is meditated upon,

she is the one who is seen as the absolute truth by all.

... kA~nkShitArtha pradAyini namaste ..

'I salute thee, who bestows all desired'

sarvArtha dAtrI, kAmadhuk.h, vAJNchhitArtha pradAyinI are some of her names that

highlight her boon bestowing characteristic. What is to be desired is explained

in bR^ihatAraNyaka upaniShad,

Awakamymanae yae=kamae in:kam -vitAaÝkamAaTmkamae n tSy àa[a

%T³amiNtath˜k˜mayam˜no yo'k˜mo niÿk˜ma bhavati˜ptak˜ma˜tmak˜mo na tasya pr˜õ˜

utkr˜manti 6-4-6

athAkAmayamAno yo.akAmo nishhkAma bhavatiaaptakAmaAtmakAmo na tasya prANA utkrAmanti 6-4-6

His desire is Atman. But he already has it, or he is nothing but that alone. In

the state of samsAra this is masked. His blissful nature is not seen by him,

hence he appears to be in a state of not having it. He desires, 'let me have

it', 'let me attain liberation', as this bliss is already existing, she dispels

the limitations and hence she bestows liberation.

... sakalabhakta samrakshaNa yashase namaste ..

'I bow to thy glory that shelters all devotees'

'sakal bhakta' indicates all baktA-s. As indicated in gItA

yae yae ya< ya< tnu< -®ya ïÏyaicRtuimCDœit,tSy tSyacla< ïÏa< tamev ivdxaMyhm!.yo

yo y˜Õ y˜Õ tanuÕ bhakty˜ þraddhay˜rcitumicchti |tasya tasy˜cal˜Õ þraddh˜Õ t˜meva

vidadh˜myaham ||

yo yo yA.m yA.m tanu.m bhaktyA shraddhayArchitumichchhti .tasya tasyAchalA.m

shraddhA.m tAmeva vidadhAmyaham ..

What ever rUpa the almighty is meditated upon, in that form he is for his

bhaktA-s. The key is 'bhakti' and not the mUrti. But with out aikAntya there is

no bhakti. What form pleases one is to be selected as ones beloved with the

knowledge that the same almighty is seen in other forms too. As devi sports in

different forms and blesses her devotees, dIxitar salutes this glory (kIrti) of

the mother as 'sakala bhakta samrakshaNa yashase namaste'.

gurusvarUpa dhyAnam

àbl guéguhaedye nmStedI]a sNtuò manse nmSteprabala guruguhodaye namastedŸkÿ˜

santuÿ÷a m˜nase namaste (Itrans)

After visualizing the deity in the form she preferred to have in mAUram,dIxitar

visualizes her identity with his guru... prabala guruguhOdaye namaste ..

'Salutations to thee, in the form of my guru, guha'The adjective 'prabala'

denotes the valorous and mighty quality of the teacher. He has crossed the

samsAra and he is also capable of lifting others. Devi has manifested in the

form of such a guru to uncover the concealed truth to the seeker. guha svAmi

manifested in tirutaNi in front of dIxitar and uncovered his dilution, hence

guha is his guru. dIxitar claims that abhayAmbA and guruguha are one and the

same and salutes this guru svarUpam as 'pabala guruguhOdaye

namaste'.Technically a guru is one who performs the purification ceremony and

instructs the seeker to the knowledge of highest order. So the next salutation

deals with the consecration or dIxA... dIkshA santuShTa mAnase namaste .

'Salutations to thee, satiated by consecration'The feeling of saturation that an

elevated soul gets in uplifting another is indicated by the word 'santuShTa

mAnase'.The absolute level and highest order of knowledge that has been endowed

upon is also seen as identical with the deity.vedasvarUpa dhyAnam

kamtÙ ivdaiyin nmSte-rt mt<gaid nute nmStek˜matantra vid˜yini namastebharata

mataðg˜di nute namaste (Itrans)

... kAmatantra vidAyini namaste .

'Salutations to thee, who revealed the ultimate identity'

For knowledge to work experience is needed. Tantra refers to the principle

doctrine through which the identity of the individual and universal is

recognized. KamakalA tantra is a samayAchAra doctrine that emphasizes the unity

of consciousness and its power (shiva and shakti). As seen in the sUtra of

kAmakalA vilAsa,

@kae éÔ> svR -Ute;u gUFa> maya éÔae sklae in:klí,s @v deiv n c tiTvi-Úa iýit

}aTva ih Am&tTvm! ìjiNt. eko rudra× sarva bh¨teÿu g¨ýh˜× m˜y˜ rudro sakalo

niÿkalaþca|sa eva devi na ca tatvibhinn˜ hyiti jñ˜tv˜ hi am®itatvam vrajanti||

'eko rudraH sarva bhUteShu gUDhAH, mAyA rudro sakalo niShkalashcha.sa eva devi

na cha tatvibhinnA, hyiti GYAtvA hi amR^itatvam vrajanti'..

'One rudra is latent in every created thing. mAyA (shakti) and rudra are his

manifested and unmanifested aspects. He is she. They are not separate. Knowing

this (they) attain immortality'.

As devi herself has revealed this ultimate truth, she is saluted as 'kAma tantra vidAyinI namaste'.

... bharata mata.ngAdi nute namaste .

'Salutations to thee, exalted by bharata and mataN^ga'

Out of the four vedAs bhagavan says, I am in the form of sAma veda. Held in such

high esteems this veda has a upaveda 'gAndarva veda' popularly known as

'sangItam' or music.

The perspective of art for an easterner and a westerner are totally different.

In west art is for art sake, but in east it is constructed as a spiritual

technology. Music is a phenomenon that elevates an individual from the state of

what is to be known, to the state of what he wants to be. Popularly known as

nAdopasana this shift of consciousness through melody arises from sAma veda.

Though sAma veda is so preliminary in the variation aspect of melody, the

meditative mood of sAma gAna is of high quality due to its over tones.

Bharata and mataN^ga are the two main riShI-s who are considered as the fathers

of music. First ever known book on music was by bharata named 'nATya shastra'.

He is said to have had 100 sons to propagate this nATya shastra. This treatise

runs to around 6000 couplets. Devi manifested as the daughter of bharata,

'bhAratI' and thought him the nuances of melody.

Another legendary figure was mataN^ga, seen in ramayaNa as the guru of shabhari.

Though the work 'bR^ihasdeshi' has the author name as mataN^ga, historians have

a view that this work could be by some one later and not by the mataN^ga muni.

Devi manifested as the daughter of mataN^ga, 'mAtaN^gI' and revealed the subtle

essence of music to mataN^ga. dIxitar remembers these two mahAtmA-s before

presenting his musical treatise.

ya devI svR-Ute;u cetneTyi-xIyte,nmStSyE nmStSyE nmStSyE nmae nm>.y˜ devŸ

sarvabh¨teÿu cetanetyabhidhŸyate |namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo

nama× ||

yA devI sarvabhUteShu chetanetyabhidhIyate . namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namaH .

‘Salutations to her, salutations to her, salutations again and again to devi,

who abides as the consciousness in all beings’

virATsvarUpa dhyAnam.h (bhuuta bhaavanaH)

smSt jgiÖlaisin nmSte, samasta jagadvil˜sini namaste|

samasta jagadvilAsini namaste.

‘Salutations to thee, who sports as this universe’

One more method to harness the wandering mind is adopted here, virAT darShanam or bhUta bhAvanA.

A large portion of an aspirant’s mental energy is afloat wandering in various

objects that catch his perception. This is diverted by the mental assertion

that all that is seen is she and she alone. This also enables one to admire the

cosmos and its vast phenomena.

The skies that proclaim the endless concept of space there by ascertaining her

endless nature, the embracing air that bridges the heaven and earth reminding

her quality of lifting both the poor and prudent alike, the green leaves that

resemble her complexion, the reddish fruits that copy her lips, the shining

effulgence reminiscent in the rising sun and all that is seen is she and she

alone. It’s indeed a beautiful perception that expands our petite mind to a

thrilling freedom and exuberance.

A ‘sIkShAvallI’ couplet that resembles such an idea is as follows,

Awaixlaekm!, p&iwvI pUvRêpm!, xaEéÄrêpm!, Aakaz> siNx>, vayu> sNxanm!,

#Tyixlaekm!.ath˜dhilokam | p®thivŸ p¨rvar¨pam| dhauruttarar¨pam | ˜k˜þa×

sandhi× | v˜yu× sandh˜nam | ityadhilokam ||

athAdhilokam . pR^ithivI pUrvarUpam. dhauruttararUpam . AkAshaH sandhiH . vAyuH

sandhAnam . ityadhilokam .

The term ‘sakala’ is used in the salutation to indicate, all that is created and

sustained is she, or in other words all the fourteen lokA-s and their

inhabitance is seen as her manifestation. She enjoys to be in that universal

form and hence the phrase ‘vilAsini’. One more thought that is conveyed is

that, it is incorrect to view the world as a chain upon the soul. Upanishad

terms this universe as ‘sukR^itam’ or divinely planned and perfectly executed.

dIxitar uses the term ‘vilAsini’ in accordance to ‘sukR^itam’ and emphasizes

that she enjoys ‘lokakelanam’ or to sport as this cosmos. Hence birth is not

looked as a sin but an occasion to recognize her, both in transcendental and

pluralistic presence. This also gives a convincing support for the assertion

that samsAra or avidhyA is anAdi.

Once an aspirant gets in to this mental assertion that the entire cosmos of

multiplicity that was the root cause of his fidgety nature is all but the

celestial, from that moment the universe wears a divine robe and leads him to

the gates of perfection.

A beautiful incident from the life of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa could

replace all these explanations:

One day Saint Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was riding on a palanquin. The

palanquin bearers in a hurry tried to take the palanquin through a harlot's

courtyard. Looking at the adorable palanquin, a prostitute mistook him as a

paramour and called for him using an indecent gesture.

"Oh! Mother Kali you are here. I was thinking that you are in the temple", Were

the words of the saint looking at her like a kid.

yÇEv yÇEv mnaemdIy< tÇEv tÇEv tv Svêpm!,yÇEv yÇEv izrae mdIy< tÇEv tÇEv pdÖy<

te. yatraiva yatraiva manomadŸyaÕ tatraiva tatraiva tava svar¨pam |yatraiva

yatraiva þiro madŸyaÕ tatraiva tatraiva padadvayaÕ te ||

yatraiva yatraiva manomadiiya.m tatraiva tatraiva tava svaruupam yatraiva

yatraiva shiro madiiya.m tatraiva tatraiva padadvaya.m te .

(tripurasundari vedapaadastavam)