Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti)

January 27, 2006

> , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

> >

> > Dear Semira,

> >

> > Definitely and without question the Divine Message will triumph

> > over the organization itself. In future more and more people

> > will embrace its central message of evolving into the eternal

> > spirit that all religions, holy scriptures and prophets have

> > since time immemorial upheld. The Divine Message is a spiritual

> > sanctuary, a beacon of hope, joy, peace of eternal life to all

> > humans. The Shakti/Holy Spirit/Ruh/Aykaa Mayee is the Divine

> > Feminine that gives Self-realization/Birth of Spirit/Baptism of

> > Allah/Opens Dasam Dwar for humanity to enter the Sahasrara/

> > Kingdom of God/Niche of lights/Inner Sanctuary within where

> > Brahman/God Almighty/Allah/ Waheguru resides as THE LIGHT.

> > Semira, not only the current Sahaja Yoga organisation but all

> > religious organizations as well have merely been intended as

> > temporary vehicles and starting points for the Divine Message.

> >

> > jagbir

> >

> > , " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

> By the way things are moving the Adi Shakti will eventually

> triumph. All we need to do as Her bhaktas is to stand our ground

> and not yield an inch because Truth always triumphs. Years of

> silence from religious regimes is the sure sign that the Devi and

> Her Divine Message to all humanity cannot be challenged, and will

> eventually be victorious in Her battle against the evil forces.

> All we need to do is to fearlessly announce the Truth. Shanti,

> Shanti, Shanti.

>

Shakti as Mantra (Mantramayi Shakti)

This is in every way both a most important, as well as a most

difficult, subject in the Tantra Shastra; so difficult that it is

not understood, and on this account has been ridiculed. Mantra, in

the words of a distinguished Indian, has been called " meaningless

jabber " . When we find Indians thus talking of their Shastra, it is

not surprising that Europeans should take it to be of no account.

They naturally, though erroneously, suppose that the Indian always

understands his own beliefs, and if he says they are absurd it is

taken that they are so. Even, however, amongst Indians, who have

lost themselves through an English Education, the Science of Mantra

is largely unknown. There are not many students of the Mimamsa now-a-

days. The English-educated have in this, as in other matters,

generally taken the cue from their Western Gurus, and passed upon

Mantravidya a borrowed condemnation. There are those among them

(particularly in this part of India), those who have in the past

thought little of their old culture, and have been only too willing

to sell their old lamps for new ones. Because they are new they will

not always be found to give better light. Let us hope this will

change, as indeed it will. Before the Indian condemns his cultural

inheritance let him at least first study and understand it. It is

true that Mantra is meaningless -- to those who do not know its

meaning; but to those who do, it is not " Jabber " ; though of course

like everything else it may become, and indeed has become, the

subject of ignorance and superstitious use. A telegram written in

code in a merchant's office will seem the merest gibberish to those

who do not know that code. Those who do may spell thereout a

transaction bringing lakhs of " real " Rupees for those who have sent

it. Mantravidya, whether it be true or not, is a profoundly

conceived science, and, as interpreted by the Shakta Agama, is a

practical application of Vedantic doctrine.

The textual source of Mantras is to be found in the Vedas (see in

particular the Mantra portion of the Atharvaveda so associated with

the Tantra Shastra), the Puranas and Tantras. The latter Scripture

is essentially the Mantra-Shastra. In fact it is so called generally

by Sadhakas and not Tantra Shastra. And so it is said of all the

Shastras, symbolized as a body, that Tantra Shastra which consists

of Mantra is the Paramatma, the Vedas are the Jivatma, Darshanas or

systems of philosophy are the senses, Puranas are the body and the

Smritis are the limbs. Tantra Shastra is thus the Shakti of

Consciousness consisting of Mantra. For, as the Vishvasara Tantra

(Ch. 2) says, the Parabrahman in Its form as the Sound Brahman

(Shabda-Brahman or Saguna-Brahman), whose substance is all Mantra,

exists in the body of the Jivatma.. Kundalini Shakti is a form of

the Shabda-Brahman in individual bodies (Sharada-Tilaka, Ch. 1). It

is from this Shabda-Brahman that the whole universe proceeds in the

form of sound (Shabda) and the objects (Artha) which sounds or words

denote. And this is the meaning of the statement that the Devi and

the Universe are composed of letters, that is, the signs for the

sounds which denote all that is.

At any point in the flow of phenomena, we can enter the stream, and

realize therein the changeless Real. The latter is everywhere and is

in all things, and hidden in, and manifested by, sound as by all

else. Any form (and all which is not the Formless is that) can be

pierced by the mind, and union may be had therein with the Devata

who is at its core. It matters not what that form may be. And why?

What I have said concerning Shakti gives the answer. All is Shakti.

All is Consciousness. We desire to think and speak. This is Iccha

Shakti. We make an effort towards realization. This is Kriya Shakti.

We think and know. This is Jñana Shakti. Through Pranavayu, another

form of Shakti, we speak; and the word we utter is Shakti

Mantramayi. For what is a letter (Varna) which is made into syllable

(Pada) and sentences (Vakya) '? It may be heard in speech, thus

affecting the sense of hearing. It may be seen as a form in writing.

It may be tactually sensed by the blind through the perforated dots

of Braille type. The same thing thus affecting the various senses.

But what is the thing which does so? The senses are Shakti, and so

is the objective form which evokes the sensation. Both are in

themselves Shakti as Cit Shakti and Maya Shakti, and the Svarupa of

these is Cit or Feeling-Consciousness. When, therefore, a Mantra is

realized, when there is what is called in the Shastra Mantra-

Caitanya, what happens is the union of the consciousness of the

Sadhaka with that Consciousness which manifests in the form of the

Mantra. It is this union which makes the Mantra " work " .

The subject is of such importance in the Tantras that their other

name is Mantra Shastra. But what is a Mantra? Commonly Orientalists

and others describe Mantra as " Prayer, " " Formulae of

worship, " " Mystic syllables " and so forth. These are but the

superficialities of those who do not know their subject. Wherever we

find the word " Mystic, " we may be on our guard; for it is a word

which covers much ignorance. Thus Mantra is said to be a " mystic "

word, Yantra a " mystic " diagram, and Mudra a " mystic " gesture. But

have these definitions taught us anything? No, nothing. Those who

framed these definitions knew nothing of their subject. And yet,

whilst I am aware of no work in any European language which shows a

knowledge of what Mantra is or of its science (Mantra-vidya), there

is nevertheless perhaps no subject which has been so ridiculed: a

not unusual attitude of ignorance. There is a widely diffused lower

mind which says, " what I do not understand is absurd " . But this

science, whether well-founded or not, is not that. Those who so

think might expect Mantras which are prayers and the meaning of

which they understand; for with prayer the whole world is familiar.

But such appreciation itself displays a lack of understanding. For

there is nothing necessarily holy or prayerful alone in Mantras as

some think. Some combinations of letters constitute prayers and are

called Mantras, as for instance the most celebrated Gayatri Mantra.

A Mantra is not the same thing as prayer or self-dedication (Atma-

nivedana). Prayer is conveyed in the words the Sadhaka chooses. Any

set of words or letters is not a Mantra. Only that Mantra in which

the Devata has revealed His or Her particular aspects can reveal

that aspect, and is therefore the Mantra of that one of His or Her

particular aspects. The relations of the letters (Varna), whether

vowel or consonant, Nada and Bindu, in a Mantra indicate the

appearance of Devata in different forms. Certain Vibhuti or aspects

of the Devata are inherent in certain Varna, but perfect Shakti does

not appear in any but a whole Mantra. All letters are forms of the

Shabda-Brahman, but only particular combinations of letters are a

particular form, just as the name of a particular being is made up

of certain letters and not of any indiscriminately. The whole

universe is Shakti and is pervaded by Shakti. Nada, Bindu, Varna are

all forms of Shakti and combinations of these, and these

combinations only are the Shabda corresponding to the Artha or forms

of any particular Devata. The gross lettered sound is, as explained

later, the manifestation of sound in a more subtle form, and this

again is the production of causal " sound " in its supreme (Para)

form. Mantras are manifestations of Kulakundalini (see Chapter on

the same) which is a name for the Shabda-Brahman or Saguna-Brahman

in individual bodies. Produced Shabda is an aspect of the Jiva's

vital Shakti. Kundalini is the Shakti who gives life to the Jiva.

She it is who in the Muladhara Cakra (or basal bodily center) is the

cause of the sweet, indistinct and murmuring Dhvani which is

compared to the humming of a black bee. Thence Shabda originates

and, being first Para, gradually manifests upwards as Pashyanti,

Madhyama, Vaikhari (see post). Just as in outer space, waves of

sound are produced by movements of air (Vayu), so in the space

within the Jiva's body, waves of sound are said to be produced

according to the movements of the vital air (Pranavayu) and the

process of in and out breathing. As the Svarupa of Kundali, in whom

are all sounds, is Paramatma, so the substance of all Mantra, Her

manifestation, is Consciousness (Cit) manifesting as letters and

words. In fact, the letters of the Alphabet which are called Akshara

are nothing but the Yantra of the Akshara or Imperishable Brahman.

This is however only realized by the Sadhaka, when his Shakti

generated by Sadhana is united with Mantra-Shakti. kundalini, who is

extremely subtle, manifests in gross (Sthula) form in differing

aspects as different Devatas. It is this gross form which is the

Presiding Deity (Adishthatri Devata) of a Mantra, though it is the

subtle (Sukshma) form at which all Sadhakas aim. Mantra and Devata

are thus one and particular forms of Brahman as Shiva-Shakti.

Therefore the Shastra says that they go to Hell who think that the

Image (or " Idol " as it is commonly called) is but a stone and the

Mantra merely letters of the alphabet. It is therefore also

ignorance of Shastric principle which supposes that Mantra is merely

the name for the words in which one expresses what one has to say to

the Divinity. If it were, the Sadhaka might choose his own language

without recourse to the eternal and determined sounds of Shastra.

(See generally as to the above the Chapter on Mantra-tattva in

Principles of Tantra, Ed. A. Avalon.) The particular Mantra of a

Devata is that Devata. A Mantra, on the contrary, consists of

certain letters arranged in definite sequence of sounds of which the

letters are the representative signs. To produce the designed

effect, the Mantra must be intoned in the proper way, according to

both sound (Varna) and rhythm (Svara). For these reasons, a Mantra

when translated ceases to be such, and becomes a mere word or

sentence.

By Mantra, the sought-for (Sadhya) Devata appears, and by Siddhi

therein is had vision of the three worlds. As the Mantra is in fact

Devata, by practice thereof this is known. Not merely do the

rhythmical vibrations of its sounds regulate the unsteady vibrations

of the sheaths of the worshipper, but therefrom the image of the

Devata appears. As the Brihad-Gandharva Tantra says (Ch. V):

Shrinu devi pravakshyami bijanam deva-rupatam

Mantrochcharanamatrena deva-rupam prajayate.

Mantrasiddhi is the ability to make a Mantra efficacious and to

gather its fruit in which case the Sadhaka is Mantra-siddha. As the

Pranatoshini (619) says, " Whatever the Sadhaka desires that he

surely obtains. " Whilst therefore prayer may end in merely physical

sound, Mantra is ever, when rightly said, a potent compelling force,

a word of power effective both to produce material gain and

accomplish worldly desires, as also to promote the fourth aim of

sentient being (Caturvarga), Advaitic knowledge, and liberation. And

thus it is said that Siddhi (success) is the certain result of Japa

or recitation of Mantra.

Some Mantras constitute also what the European would call " prayers, "

as for instance the celebrated Gayatri. But neither this nor any

other Mantra is simply a prayer. The Gayatri runs Om (The thought is

directed to the three-fold Energy of the One as represented by the

three letters of which Om is composed, namely, A or Brahma, the

Shakti which creates; U or Vishnu, the Shakti which maintains; and M

or Rudra, the Shakti which " destroys, " that is, withdraws the

world): Nada and Bindu, Earth, Middle region, Heaven (of which as

the transmigrating worlds of Samsara, God, as Om, as also in the

form of the Sun, is the Creator). Let us contemplate upon the

Adorable Spirit of the Divine Creator who is in the form of the Sun

(Aditya-Devata). Map He direct our minds, towards attainment of the

four-fold aims (Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha) of all sentient beings.

Om. This great Mantra bears a meaning on its face, though the

Commentaries explain and amplify it. The Self of all which exists in

the three regions appears in the form of the Sun-god with His body

of fire. The Brahman is the cause of all, and as the visible Devata

is the Eye of the World and the Maker of the day who vivifies,

ripens and reveals all beings and things. The Sun-god is to the sun

what the Spirit (Atma) is to the body. He is the Supreme in the form

of the great Luminary. His body is the Light of the world, and He

Himself is the Light of the lives of all beings. He is everywhere.

He is in the outer ether as the sun, and in the inner ethereal

region of the heart. He is the Wondrous Light which is the smokeless

Fire. He it is who is in constant play with creation (Srishti),

maintenance (Sthiti) and " destruction " (Pralaya); and by His

radiance pleases both eye and mind. Let us adore Him that we may

escape the misery of birth and death. May He ever direct our minds

(Buddhivritti) upon the path of the world (Trivarga) and liberation

(Moksha). Only the twice-born castes and men may utter this Gayatri.

To the Shudra, whether man or woman, and to women of all castes, it

is forbidden. But the Tantra Shastra has not the exclusiveness of

the Vaidik system. Thus the Mahanirvana provides (IV. 109-111) a

Brahma-gayatri for all: " May we know the Supreme Lord. Let us

contemplate the Supreme Essence. And may the Brahman direct us. " All

will readily understand such Mantras as the Gayatri, though some

comment, which is thought amusing, has been made on

the " meaningless " Om. I have already stated what it means, namely,

(shortly speaking) the Energy (Nada) in Sadakhya Tattva which,

springing from Shiva-Shakti Tattva, " solidifies " itself (Ghani-

bhuta) as the creative Power of the Lord (Bindu or Ishvara Tattva)

manifesting in the Trinity or Creative Energies. For further details

see my Garland of Letters. " Om " then stands for the most general

aspect of That as the Source of all. As it is recited, the idea

arises in the mind corresponding with the sound which has been said

to be the expression on the gross plane of that subtle " sound " which

accompanied the first creative vibration. When rightly uttered this

great syllable has an awe-inspiring effect. As I heard this Mantra

chanted by some hundred Buddhist monks (one after the other) in a

northern monastery it seemed to be the distant murmuring roll of

some vast cosmic ocean. " Om " is the most prominent example of

a " meaningless " Mantra, that is, one which does not bear its meaning

on its face, and of what is called a seed or Bija Mantra, because

they are the very quintessence of Mantra, and the seed (Bija) of the

fruit which is Siddhi (spiritual achievement). These are properly

monosyllabic. Om is a Vaidik Bija, but it is the source of all the

other Tantrik Bijas which represent particular Devata aspects of

that which is presented as a whole in 0m. As a Mantra-Shastra, the

Tantras have greatly elaborated the Bijas, and thus incurred the

charge of " gibberish, " for such the Bijas sound to those who do not

know what they mean. Though a Mantra such as a Bija-mantra may not

convey its meaning on its face, the initiate knows that its meaning

is the own form (Svarupa) of the particular Devata whose Mantra it

is, and that the essence of the Bija is that which makes letters

sound, and exists in all which we say or hear. Every Mantra is thus

a particular sound form (Rupa) of the Brahman. There are a very

large number of these short unetymological vocables or Bijas such as

Hrim, Shrim, Krim, Hum, Hum, Phat called by various names. Thus the

first is called the Maya Bija, the second Lakshmi Bija, the third

Kali Bija, the fourth Kurca Bija, the fifth Varma Bija, the sixth

Astra Bija. Ram is Agni Bija, Em is Yoni Bija, Klim is Kama Bija,

Shrim is Badhu Bija, Aim Sarasvati Bija and so forth. Each Devata

has His or Her Bija. Thus Hrim is the Maya Bija, Krim the Kali Bija.

The Bija is used in the worship of the Devata whose Mantra it is.

All these Bijas mentioned are in common use. There are a large

number of others, some of which are formed with the first letters of

the name of the Devata for whom they stand, such as Gam for Ganesha,

Dum for Durga.

Let us then shortly see by examples what the meaning of such a Bija

is. (For a fuller account see my Garland of Letters.) In the first

place, the reader will observe the common ending " m " which

represents the Sanskrit breathings known as Nada and Bindu or

Candrabindu. These have the same meaning in all. They are the

Shaktis of that name appearing in the table of the 36 Tattvas given

ante. They are states of Divine Power immediately preceding the

manifestation of the objective universe. The other letters denote

subsequent developments of Shakti, and various aspects of the

manifested Devata mentioned below. There are sometimes variant

interpretations given. Take the great Bhuvaneshvari or Maya Bija,

Hrim. I have given one interpretation in my Studies above cited.

From the Tantrik compendium, the Pranatoshini, quoting the Barada

Tantra we get the following: Hrim = H + R + I + M. H = Shiva. R =

Shakti Prakriti. I = Mahamaya. " M " is as above explained, but is

here stated in the form that Nada is the Progenitrix of the

Universe, and Bindu which is Brahman as Ishvara and Ishvari

(Ishvaratattva) is described for the Sadhaka as the " Dispeller of

Sorrow " . The meaning therefore of this Bija Mantra which is used in

the worship of Mahamaya or Bhuvaneshvari is, that that Devi in Her

Turiya or transcendent state is Nada and Bindu, and is the causal

body manifesting as Shiva-Shakti in the form of the manifested

universe. The same idea is expressed in varying form but with the

same substance by the Devigita (Ch. IV) which says that H = gross

body, R = subtle body, I = causal body and M = the Turiya or

transcendent fourth state. In other words, the Sadhaka worshipping

the Devi with Hrim, by that Bija calls to mind the transcendent

Shakti who is the causal body of the subtle and gross bodies of all

existing things. Shrim, (see Barada Tantra) is used in the worship

of Lakshmi Devi. Sh = Alahalaksmi, R = Wealth (Dhanartham) which as

well as I = (satisfaction or Tushtyartham) She gives. Krim is used

in the worship of Kali. K = Kali (Shakti worshipped for relief from

the world and its sorrows). R = Brahma (Shiva with whom She is ever

associated). I = Mahamaya (Her aspect in which She overcomes for the

Sadhaka the Maya in which as Creatrix She has involved him). " Aim "

is used in the worship of Sarasvati and is Vagbhava Bija. Dum is

used in the worship of Durga. D = Durga. U = protection. Nada = Her

aspect as Mother of the Universe, and Bindu is its Lord. The Sadhaka

asks Durga as Mother-Lord to protect him, and looks on Her in her

protecting aspect as upholder of the universe (Jagaddhatri).

In " Strim. " S = saving from difficulty. T = deliverer. R = (here)

liberation (Muktyartho repha ukto'tra). I = Mahamaya. Bindu =

Dispeller of grief. Nada = Mother of the Universe. She as the Lord

is the dispeller of Maya and the sorrows it produces, the Savior and

deliverer from all difficulties by grant of liberation. I have dealt

elsewhere (Serpent Power) with Hum and Hum the former of which is

called Varma (armor) Bija and the latter Kurca, H denoting Shiva

and " u " , His Bhairava or formidable aspect (see generally Vol. I,

Tantrik Texts. Tantrabhidhana). He is an armor to the Sadhaka by His

destruction of evil. Phat is the weapon or guarding Mantra used with

Hum, just as Svaha (the Shakti of Fire), is used with Vashat, in

making offerings. The primary Mantra of a Devata is called Mula-

Mantra. Mantras are solar (Saura) and masculine, and lunar (Saumya)

and feminine, as also neuter. If it be asked why things of mind are

given sex, the answer is for the sake of the requirements of the

worshipper. The masculine and neuter forms are called specifically

Mantra and the feminine Vidya, though the first term may be used for

both. Neuter Mantras end with Namah. Hum, Phat are masculine

terminations, and " Tham " or Svaha, feminine (see Sharadatilaka II.

Narada-pañcaratra VII, Prayogasara, Pranatoshini 70).

The Nitya Tantra gives various names to Mantra according to the

number of the syllables such as Pinda, Kartari, Bija, Mantra, Mala.

Commonly however the term Bija is applied to monosyllabic Mantras.

The word " Mantra " comes from the root " man " to think. " Man " is the

first syllable of manana or thinking. It is also the root of the

word " Man " who alone of all creation is properly a Thinker. " Tra "

comes from the root " tra, " for the effect of a Mantra when used with

that end, is to save him who utters and realizes it. Tra is the

first syllable of Trana or liberation from the Samsara. By

combination of man and tra, that is called Mantra which, from the

religious stand-point, calls forth (Amantrana) the four aims

(Caturvarga) of sentient being as happiness in the world and eternal

bliss in Liberation. Mantra is thus Thought-movement vehicled by,

and expressed in, speech. Its Svarupa is, like all else,

consciousness (Cit) which is the Shabda-Brahman. A Mantra is not

merely sound or letters. This is a form in which Shakti manifests

Herself. The mere utterance of a Mantra without knowing its meaning,

without realization of the consciousness which Mantra manifests is a

mere movement of the lips and nothing else. We are then in the outer

husk of consciousness; just as we are when we identify ourselves

with any other form of gross matter which is, as it were,

the " crust " (as a friend of mine has aptly called it) of those

subtler forces which emerge from the Yoni or Cause of all, who is,

in Herself Consciousness (Cidrupini). When the Sadhaka knows the

meaning of the Mantra he makes an advance. But this is not enough.

He must, through his consciousness, realize that Consciousness which

appears in the form of the Mantra, and thus attain Mantra-Caitanya.

At this point, thought is vitalized by contact with the center of

all thinking. At this point again thought becomes truly vital and

creative. Then an effect is created by the realization thus induced.

The creative power of thought is now receiving increasing acceptance

in the West, which is in some cases taking over, and in others,

discovering anew, for itself, what was thought by the ancients in

India. Because they have discovered it anew, they call it " New

Thought " ; but its fundamental principle is as old as the Upanishads

which said, " what you think that you become " . All recognize this

principle in the limited form that a man who thinks good becomes

good, and he who is ever harboring bad thought becomes bad. But the

Indian and " New Thought " doctrine is more profound than this. In

Vedantic India, thought has been ever held creative. The world is a

creation of the thought (Cit Shakti associated with Maya Shakti) of

the Lord (Ishvara and Ishvari). Her and His thought is the

aggregate, with almighty powers of all thought. But each man is

Shiva and can attain His powers to the degree of his ability to

consciously realize himself as such. Thought now works in man's

small magic just as it first worked in the grand magical display of

the World-Creator. Each man is in various degrees a creator. Thought

is as real as any form of gross matter. Indeed it is more real in

the sense that the world is itself a projection of the World-

thought, which again is nothing but the aggregate in the form of the

Samskaras or impressions of past experience, which give rise to the

world. The universe exists for each Jiva because he consciously or

unconsciously wills it. It exists for the totality of beings because

of the totality of Samskaras which are held in the Great Womb of the

manifesting Cit Itself. There is theoretically nothing that man

cannot accomplish, for he is at base the Accomplisher of all. But,

in practice, he can only accomplish to the degree that he identifies

himself with the Supreme Consciousness and Its forces, which

underlie, are at work in, and manifest as, the universe. This is the

basal doctrine of all magic, of all powers (Siddhi) including the

greatest Siddhi which is Liberation itself. He who knows Brahman,

becomes Brahman to the extent of his " knowing " . Thought-reading,

thought-transference, hypnotic suggestion, magical projections

(Mokshana) and shields (Grahana) are becoming known and practiced in

the West, not always with good results. For this reason some

doctrines and practices are kept concealed. Projection (Mokshana)

the occultist will understand. But Grahana, I may here explain, is

not so much a " fence " in the Western sense, to which use a Kavaca is

put, but the knowledge of how to " catch " a Mantra thus projected. A

stone thrown at one may be warded off or caught and, if the person

so wishes, thrown back at him who threw it. So may a Mantra. It is

not necessary, however, to do so. Those who are sheltered by their

own pure strength, automatically throw back all evil influences,

which, coming back to the ill-wisher, harm or destroy him. Those

familiar with the Western presentment of similar matters will more

readily understand than others who, like the Orientalist and

Missionary, as a rule know nothing of occultism and regard it as

superstition. For this reason their presentment of Indian teaching

is so often ignorant and absurd. The occultist, however, will

understand the Indian doctrine which regards thought like mind, of

which it is the operation, as a Power or Shakti; something

therefore, very real and creative by which man can accomplish things

for himself and others. Kind thoughts, without a word, will do good

to all who surround us, and may travel round the world to distant

friends. So we may suffer from the ill-wishes of those who surround

us, even if such wishes do not materialize into deeds. Telepathy is

the transference of thought from a distance without the use of the

ordinary sense organs. So, in initiation, the thought of a true Guru

may pass to his disciple all his powers. Mantra is thus a Shakti

(Mantra Shakti) which lends itself impartially to any use. Man can

identify himself with any of nature's forces and for any end. Thus,

to deal with the physical effects of Mantra, it may be used to

injure, kill or do good; by Mantra again a kind of union with the

physical Shakti is, by some, said to be effected. So the Vishnu-

Purana speaks of generation by will power, as some Westerners

believe will be the case when man passes beyond the domination of

his gross sheath and its physical instruments. Children will then

again be " mind-born " . By Mantra, the Homa fire may, it is said, be

lit. By Mantra, again, in the Tantrik initiation called Vedha-diksha

there is, it is said, such a transference of power from the Guru to

his disciple that the latter swoons under the impulse of the thought-

power which pierces him. But Mantra is also that by which man

identifies himself with That which is the Ground of all. In short,

Mantra is a power (Shakti) in the form of idea clothed with sound.

What, however, is not yet understood in the West is the particular

Thought-science which is Mantravidya, or its basis. Much of the " New

Thought " lacks this philosophical basis which is supplied by

Mantravidya, resting itself on the Vedantik doctrine. Mantravidya is

thus that form of Sadhana by which union is had with the Mother

Shakti in the Mantra form (Mantramayi), in Her Sthula and Sukshma

aspects respectively. The Sadhaka passes from the first to the

second. This Sadhana works through the letters, as other forms of

Sadhana work through form in the shape of the Yantra, Ghata or

Pratima. All such Sadhana belongs to Shaktopaya Yoga as

distinguished from the introspective meditative processes of

Shambhavopaya which seeks more directly the realization of Shakti,

which is the end common to both. The Tantrik doctrine as regards

Shabda is that of the Mimamsa with this exception that it is

modified to meet its main doctrine of Shakti,

In order to understand what a Mantra is, we must know its cosmic

history. The mouth speaks a word. What is it and whence has it

come'. As regards the evolution of consciousness as the world, I

refer my reader to the Chapters on " Cit-Shakti and Maya-Shakti "

dealing with the 36 Tattvas. Ultimately, there is Consciousness

which in its aspect as the great " I " sees the object as part of

itself, and then as other than itself, and thus has experience of

the universe. This is achieved through Shakti who, in the words of

the Kamakalavilasa, is the pure mirror in which Shiva experiences

Himself (Shivarupa-vimarshanirmala-darshah). Neither Shiva nor

Shakti alone suffices for creation. Shivarupa here = Svarupa. Aham

ityevamakaram, that is, the form (or experience) which consists in

the notion of " I " . Shakti is the pure mirror for the manifestation

of Shiva's experience as " I " (Aham). Aham ityevam rupam jñanam tasya

praka-shane nirmaladarshah; as the commentator Natanananda (V-2)

says. The notion is, of course, similar to that of the reflection of

Purusha on Prakriti as Sattvamayi Buddhi and of Brahman on Maya.

From the Mantra aspect starting from Shakti (Shakti-Tattva)

associated with Shiva (Shiva-Tattva), there was produced Nada, and

from Nada, came Bindu which, to distinguish it from other Bindus, is

known as the causal, supreme or Great Bindu (Karana, Para,

Mahabindu). This is very clearly set forth in the Sharada Tilaka, a

Tantrik work by an author of the Kashmirian School which was

formerly of great authority among the Bengal Shaktas. I have dealt

with this subject in detail in my Garland of Letters. Here I only

summarize conclusions.

Shabda literally means and is usually translated " sound, " the word

coming from the root Shabd " to sound " . It must not, however, be

wholly identified with sound in the sense of that which is heard by

the ear, or sound as effect of cosmic stress. Sound in this sense is

the effect produced through excitation of the ear and brain, by

vibrations of the atmosphere between certain limits. Sound so

understood exists only with the sense organs of hearing. And even

then it may be perceived by some and not by others, due to keenness

or otherwise of natural hearing. Further the best ears will miss

what the microphone gives. Considering Shabda from its primary or

causal aspect, independent of the effect which it may or may not

produce on the sense organs, it is vibration (Spandana) of any kind

or motion, which is not merely physical motion, which may become

sound for human ears, given the existence of ear and brain and the

fulfillment of other physical conditions. Thus, Shabda is the

possibility of sound, and may not be actual sound for this

individual or that. There is thus Shabda wherever there is motion or

vibration of any kind. It is now said, that the electrons revolve in

a sphere of positive electrification at an enormous rate of motion.

If the arrangement be stable, we have an atom of matter. If some of

the electrons are pitched off from the atomic system, what is called

radio-activity is observed. Both these rotating and shooting

electrons are forms of vibration as Shabda, though it is no sound

for mortal ears. To a Divine Ear all such movements would constitute

the " music of the spheres " . Were the human ear subtle enough, a

living tree would present itself to it in the form of a particular

sound which is the natural word for that tree. It is said of ether

(Akasha) that its Guna or quality is sound (Shabda); that is, ether

is the possibility of Spandana or vibration of any kind. It is that

state of the primordial " material " substance (Prakriti) which makes

motion or vibration of any kind possible (Shabdaguna akashah). The

Brahman Svarupa or Cit is motionless. It is also known as Cidakasha.

But this Akasha is not created. Cidakasha is the Brahman in which

stress of any kind manifests itself, a condition from which the

whole creation proceeds. This Cidakasha is known as the Shabda-

Brahman through its Maya-shakti, which is the cause of all

vibrations manifesting themselves as sound to the ear, as touch to

the tactile sense, as color and form to the eye, as taste to the

tongue and as odor to the nose. All mental functioning again is a

form of vibration (Spandana). Thought is a vibration of mental

substance just as the expression of thought in the form of the

spoken word is a vibration affecting the ear. All Spandana

presupposes heterogeneity (Vaishamya). Movement of any kind implies

inequality of tensions. Electric current flows between two points

because there is a difference of potential between them. Fluid flows

from one point to another because there is difference of pressure.

Heat travels because there is difference of temperature. In creation

(Srishti) this condition of heterogeneity appears and renders motion

possible. Akasha is the possibility of Spandana of any kind. Hence

its precedence in the order of creation. Akasha means Brahman with

Maya, which Mayashakti or (to use the words of Professor P. N.

Mukhyopadhyaya) Stress is rendered actual, from a previous state of

possibility of stress which is the Sakti's natural condition of

equilibrium (Prakriti = Samyavastha). In dissolution, the Maya-

Shakti of Brahman (according to the periodic law which is a

fundamental postulate of Indian cosmogony) returns to homogeneity

when in consequence Akasha disappears. This disappearance means that

Shakti is equilibrated, and that therefore there is no further

possibility of motion of any kind. As the Tantras say, the Divine

Mother becomes one with Paramashiva.

The Sharada says -- From the Sakala Parameshvara who is

Sacchidananda issued Shakti; from Shakti came Nada; and from Nada

issued Bindu.

Sacchidanandavibhavat sakalat parameshvarat

Asicchhaktistato nado nadad bindusamudbhavah.

Here the Sakala Parameshvara is Shiva Tattva. Shakti is Shakti

Tattva wherein are Samani, Vyapini, and Anjani Shaktis. Nada is the

first produced source of Mantra, and the subtlest form of Shabda of

which Mantra is a manifestation. Nada is threefold, as Mahanada or

Nadanta and Nirodhini representing the first moving forth of the

Shabda-Brahman as Nada, the filling up of the whole universe with

Nadanta and the specific tendency towards the next state of

unmanifested Shabda respectively. Nada in its three forms is in the

Sadakhya Tattva. Nada becoming slightly operative towards

the " speakable " (Vacya), (the former operation being in regard to

the thinkable (Mantavya) ) is called Arddhacandra which develops

into Bindu. Both of these are in Ishvara Tattva. This Mahabindu is

threefold as the Kamakala. The undifferentiated Shabda-Brahman or

Brahman as the immediate cause of the manifested Shabda and Artha is

a unity of consciousness (Caitanya) which then expresses itself in

three-fold function as the three Shaktis, Iccha, Jñana, Kriya; the

three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas, Tamas; the three Bindus (Karyya) which

are Sun, Moon and Fire; the three Devatas, Rudra, Vishnu, Brahma and

so forth. These are the product of the union of Prakasha and

Vimarsha Shakti. This Triangle of Divine Desire is the Kamakala, or

Creative Will and its first subtle manifestation, the Cause of the

Universe which is personified as the Great Devi Tripurasundari, the

Kameshvara and Kameshvari, the object of worship in the Agamas.

Kamakalavilasa, as explained in the work of that name, is the

manifestation of the union of Shiva and Shakti, the great " I " (Aham)

which develops through the inherent power of its thought-activity

(Vimarsha-Shakti) into the universe, unknowing as Jiva its true

nature and the secret of its growth through Avidya Shakti. Here then

there appears the duality of subject and object; of mind and matter,

of the word (Shabda) and its meaning (Artha). The one is not the

cause of the other, but each is inseparable from, and concomitant

with, the other as a bifurcation of the undifferentiated unity of

Shabda-Brahman whence they proceed. The one cosmic movement produces

at the same time the mind and the object which it cognizes; names

(Nama) and language (Shabda) on the one hand; and forms (Rupa) or

object (Artha) on the other. These are all parts of one co-ordinated

contemporaneous movement, and, therefore, each aspect of the process

is related the one to the other. The genesis of Shabda is only one

aspect of the creative process, namely, that in which the Brahman is

regarded as the Author of Shabda and Artha into which the

undifferentiated Shabda-Brahman divides Itself. Shakti is Shabda-

Brahman ready to create both Shabda and Artha on the differentiation

of the Parabindu into the Kamakala, which is the root (Mula) of all

Mantras. Shabda-Brahman is Supreme " Speech " (Para-Vak) or Supreme

Shabda (Para-Shabda). From this fourth state of Shabda, there are

three others -- Pashyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari, which are the

Shabda aspect of the stages whereby the seed of formless

consciousness explicates into the multitudinous concrete ideas

(expressed in language of the mental world) the counterpart of the

objective universe. But for the last three states of sound the body

is required and, therefore, they only exist in the Jiva. In the

latter, the Shabda-Brahman is in the form of Kundalini Shakti in the

Muladhara Cakra. In Kundalini is Parashabda. This develops into

the " Matrikas " or " Little Mothers " which are the subtle forms of the

gross manifested letters (Varna). The letters make up syllables

(Pada) and syllables make sentences (Vakya), of which elements the

Mantra is composed. Para Shabda in the body develops in Pashyanti

Shabda or Shakti of general movements (Samanya Spanda) located in

the tract from the Muladhara to the Manipura associated with Manas.

It then in the tract upwards to the Anahata becomes Madhyama or

Hiranyagarbha sound with particularized movement (Vishesha Spanda)

associated with Buddhi-Tattva. Vayu proceeding upwards to the throat

expresses itself in spoken speech which is Vaikhari or Virat Shabda.

Now it is that the Mantra issues from the mouth and is heard by the

ear. Because the one cosmic movement produces the ideating mind and

its accompanying Shabda and the objects cognized or Artha, the

creative force of the universe is identified with the Matrikas and

Varnas, and Devi is said to be in the forms of the letters from A to

Ha, which are the gross expressions of the forces called Matrika;

which again are not different from, but are the same forces that

evolve into the universe of mind and matter. These Varnas are, for

the same reason, associated with certain vital and physiological

centers which are produced by the same power that gives birth to the

letters. It is by virtue of these centers and their controlled area

in the body that all the phenomena of human psychosis run on, and

keep man in bondage. The creative force is the union of Shiva and

Shakti, and each of the letters (Varna) produced therefrom and

thereby are part and parcel of that Force, and are, therefore, Shiva

and Shakti in those particular forms. For this reason, the Tantra

Shastra says that Devata and Mantra composed of letters, are one. In

short, Mantras are made of letters (Varna). Letters are Matrika.

Matrika is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva. Through Shakti (one with

Shiva) Nada-Shakti, Bindu-Shakti, the Shabda-Brahman or Para Shabda,

arise the Matrika, Varna, Pada, Vakya of the lettered Mantra or

manifested Shabda.

But what is Shabda or " Sound " ? Here the Shakta Tantra Shastra

follows the Mimamsa doctrine of Shabda, with such modifications as

are necessary to adapt it to its doctrine of Shakti. Sound (Shabda)

which is quality (Guna) of ether (Akasha) and is sensed by hearing

is twofold, namely, lettered (Varnatmaka Shabda) and unlettered or

Dhvani (Dhvanyatmaka Shabda). The latter is caused by the striking

of two things together, and is apparently meaningless. Shabda, on

the contrary, which is Anahata (a term applied to the Heart-Lotus)

is that Brahman sound which is not caused by the striking of two

things together. Lettered sound is composed of sentences (Vakya),

words (Pada) and letters (Varna). Such sound has a meaning. Shabda

manifesting as speech is said to be eternal. This the Naiyayikas

deny saying that it is transitory. A word is uttered and it is gone.

This opinion the Mlmamsa denies saying that the perception of

lettered sound must be distinguished from lettered sound itself.

Perception is due to Dhvani caused by the striking of the air in

contact with the vocal organs, namely, the throat, palate and tongue

and so forth. Before there is Dhvani there must be the striking of

one thing against another. It is not the mere striking which is the

lettered Shabda. This manifests it. The lettered sound is produced

by the formation of the vocal organs in contact with air; which

formation is in response to the mental movement or idea which by the

will thus seeks outward expression in audible sound. It is this

perception which is transitory, for the Dhvani which manifests ideas

in language is such. But lettered sound as it is in itself, that is,

as the Consciousness manifesting Idea expressed in speech is

eternal. It was not produced at the moment it was perceived. It was

only manifested by the Dhvani. It existed before, as it exists

after, such manifestation, just as a jar in a dark room which is

revealed by a flash of lightning is not then produced, nor does it

cease to exist on its ceasing to be perceived through the

disappearance of its manifester, the lightning. The air in contact

with the voice organs reveals sound in the form of the letters of

the alphabet, and their combinations in words and sentences. The

letters are produced for hearing by the person desiring to speak,

and become audible to the ear of others through the operation of

unlettered sound or Dhvani. The latter being a maifester only,

lettered Shabda is something other than its manifester.

Before describing the nature of Shabda in its different form of

development, it is necessary to understand the Indian psychology of

perception. At each moment, the Jiva is subject to innumerable

influences which from all quarters of the Universe pour upon him.

Only those reach his Consciousness which attract his attention and

are thus selected by his Manas. The latter attends to one or other

of these sense-impressions and conveys it to the Buddhi. When an

object (Artha) is presented to the mind, and perceived, the latter

is formed into the shape of the object perceived. This is called a

mental Vritti (modification) which it is the object of Yoga to

suppress. The mind as a Vritti is thus a representation of the outer

subject. But, in so far as it is such representation, the mind is as

much an object as the outer one. The latter, that is, the physical

object, is called the gross object (Sthula artha), and the former or

mental impression is called the subtle object (Sukshma artha). But,

besides the object, there is the mind which perceives it. It follows

that the mind has two aspects, in one of which it is the perceiver,

and in the other the perceived in the form of the mental formation

(Vritti), which in creation precedes its outer projection, and after

the creation follows as the impression produced in the mind by the

sensing of a gross physical object. The mental impression and the

physical object exactly correspond, for the physical object is in

fact but a projection of the cosmic imagination, though it has the

same reality as the mind has; no more and no less. The mind is thus

both cognizer (Grahaka) and cognized Grahya), revealer (Prakashaka)

and revealed (Prakashya), denoter (Vacaka) and denoted (Vacya). When

the mind perceives an object, it is transformed into the shape of

that object. So the mind which thinks of the Divinity which it

worships (Ishtadevata) is, at length, through continued devotion,

transformed into the likeness of that Devata. By allowing the Devata

thus to occupy the mind for long, it becomes as pure as the Devata.

This is a fundamental principle of Tantrik Sadhana or religious

practice. The object perceived is called Artha, a term which comes

from the root " Ri, " which means to get, to know, to enjoy. Artha is

that which is known and which, therefore, is an object of enjoyment.

The mind as Artha, that is in the form of the mental impression, is

an exact reflection of the outer object or gross Artha. As the outer

object is Artha, so is the interior subtle mental form which

corresponds to it. That aspect of the mind which cognizes is called

Shabda or Nama (name), and that aspect in which it is its own object

or cognized is called Artha or Rupa (form). The outer physical

object, of which the latter is in the individual an impression, is

also Artha or Rupa, and spoken speech is the outer Shabda. The mind

is thus, from the Mantra aspect, Shabda and Artha, terms

corresponding to the Vedantic Nama and Rupa or concepts and concepts

objectified. The Mayavada Vedanta says that the whole creation is

Nama and Rupa. Mind as Shabda is the Power (Shakti) the function of

which is to distinguish and identify (Bhedasamsargavritti-Shakti).

Just as the body is causal, subtle and gross, so is Shabda, of which

there are four states (Bhava) called Para, Pashyanti, Madhyama and

Vaikhari. Para sound is that which exists on the differentiation of

the Mahabindu before actual manifestation. This is motionless,

causal Shabda in Kundalini, in the Muladhara center of the body.

That aspect of it in which it commences to move with a general, that

is, non-particularized, motion (Samanya Spanda) is Pashyanti whose

place is from the Muladhara to the Manipura Cakra, the next center.

It is here associated with Manas. These represent the motionless and

first moving Ishvara aspect of Shabda. Madhyama Shabda is associated

with Buddhi. It is Hiranyagarbha sound (Hiranyagarbharupa) extending

from Pashyanti to the heart. Both Madhyama sound which is the

inner " naming " by the cognitive aspect of mental movement, as also

its Artha or subtle (Sukshma) object (Artha) belong to the mental or

subtle body (Sukshma or Linga Sharira). Perception is dependent on

distinguishing and identification. In the perception of an object

that part of the mind which identifies and distinguishes and

thus " names " or the cognizing part is, from the Shabda aspect,

subtle Shabda: and that part of it which takes the shape of, and

thus constitutes, the object (a shape which corresponds with the

outer thing) is subtle Artha. The perception of an object is thus

consequent on the simultaneous functioning of the mind in its two-

fold aspect as Shabda and Artha, which are in indissoluble relation

with one another as cognizer (Grahaka) and cognized Grahya). Both

belong to the subtle body. In creation Madhyama sound first

appeared. At that movement there was no outer Artha. Then the Cosmic

Mind projected this inner Madhyama Artha into the world of sensual

experience and named it in spoken speech (Vaikhari Shabda). The last

or Vaikhari Shabda is uttered speech, developed in the throat,

issuing from the mouth. This is Virat Shabda. Vaikhari Shabda is

therefore language or gross lettered sound. Its corresponding Artha

is the physical or gross object which language denotes. This belongs

to the gross body (Sthula Sharira). Madhyama Shabda is mental

movement or ideation in its cognitive aspect and Madhyama Artha is

the mental impression of the gross object. The inner thought-

movement in its aspect as (Vacaka) and denoted (Vacya). When the

mind perceives an object, it is transformed into the shape of that

object. So the mind which thinks of the Divinity which it worships

(Ishtadevata) is, at length, through continued devotion, transformed

into the likeness of that Devata. By allowing the Devata thus to

occupy the mind for long, it becomes as pure as the Devata. This is

a fundamental principle of Tantrik Sadhana or religious practice.

The object perceived is called Artha, a term which comes from the

root " Ri, " which means to get, to know, to enjoy. Artha is that

which is known and which, therefore, is an object of enjoyment. The

mind as Artha, that is in the form of the mental impression, is an

exact reflection of the outer object or gross Artha. As the outer