about SrIcakrAs

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From :- Lanka Krishnarao (lanka.krishnarao}

Subject :- About SrI yantrAs

SrIguruh sarvakAraNBhUtA

Saktih |

SrI mahA gaNAdhipatayE

namah ||

priya mahASayAh,

The following verse is the 15th one in the " sowndarya

lahari " composed by SrI Adi SankarAcArya.

" Sarat jyOtsnASuddAm SaSiyuta jatAjUta makuTam

Vara trAsa trANa sPatika GatikA pustaka karAm |

SakR^innatwA kathamiva satAm

sannidadhatE

madhu kSIra drAkShA madhurima dhurINAh PhNitayah || "

Unless one has ever prostrated before you, who is

lustrously glowing like the autumnal moonlight, having lunar crescent

upon the crown over the dressed hair, and wearing a crystal rosary,

varada mudra, aBhaya mudra and the book in all the four hands, how

anyone could dole out poetry elegant like honey, milk and the sap of

grapes? !

This is the commonly understood meaning of the above

verse. But for a person with an intense desire to achieve the

eternal emancipation, can this be an advice given by the jagadguru?

Has he to go to the court of a king or any others to please them and

earn money and fame? In my opinion, there should be some esoteric

meaning also behind this superficially understood meaning. Let us

search for it.

The above Sloka appears to be indicative of " Saraswati " ,

who is the goddess of speech {vak devata). But the book " sowndarya

lahari " was intended in praise of " LalitA mahA tripurasundari " . Is

Sarasawati and Lalita are one and same? Yes, it must be so.

" rUpairanEkair bahuhudhAtma mUrtim, kritwAmbikE tat prakarOti

kAnyA "

Just as all the thee crores of devatAs are only the

extensions of LalitAdevi who is " sarvAnatItya lalati " , this saraswati

also is just an extension from her.

In the Lalita sahasranAma, the devi was praised with

the names as " brAhmI " , " vAgadhIswarI " , " vAgvAdinI " , " mAtR^ikA

varNarUpiNI " , " SAntyatItakalAtmikA " and also as " saraswatI " .

So it is evident that both are one and the same.

This paradEvata, lalitA mahAtripurasundari, has got

thee varieties of configuration, " sthUla " , " sUkShma " and " kAraNa "

forms. The `SthUla dEha' is described as " caturBhujE

candrakalAvatamsE kucOnnatE kunkuma rAga SONE----- " etc., The second

one `sUkShma dEha' is " pancadaSi mantra akSharAs " and the third

one `kAraNadEha' is " tEjOrUpam " or `jnAna rUpam' (sOham or sAham

jnAnam)

" stree rUpam vA smarEd dEvIm, pum rUpam vA smarEd

athavA niShkalam dhyAyEt "

In fact, the god, whatever name he/she has, will not have any

body or form. But every god has got innumerable forms. Every one is

having its own effigy. Lord Siva is symbolized in a Linga form.

viShnu in sAligramam, In the same way this lalitA mahA Tripura

sundari or rAjarAjESwarI parA BhattArikA also is having an effigy in

the name of a " SrIcakra " .

For any yOgi who is capable of subsiding all the external

earthly visualizations and introspectively ponder over the ten

chakras in his own body may not be in need of any SrIcakra, but it

would be a proclaimed obligation for him to protect the sacred

SrIcahkra entrusted to him by his gurunAtha, just like a housewife

keeps the `mangal sUtra' fastened by her husband at the time of

marriage.

Just as any image (of any god) could be seen in three forms

as a painting upon a paper, a half protruded front side image with

flat back side and a full-fledged statue, fully carved both front and

back sides. The first one is called `BhUprastAra, the second one

is " kUrma prastAra " and the third one is " mEru prastAra "

Just as any other god is having innumerable forms and also

innumerable effigies in the form of different yantras, our lalitA

mahA Tripura sundari also is having innumerable forms of effigies in

the names of different SrIyantras.

A yantra is a kind of language to understand the details of any

particular thing. Language of recognizing other`s expression will be

in four ways. One is alphabetical (writing in letters), another is

numerical (writing a digit instead of writing many letters), another

one is gestural (showing signs with hands like come, go etc.,)and the

other one is symbolic (marking lines, curved and strait, to show the

direction of a route, or any instruction as, that there is a railway

line ahead or there is a school or a playground nearby). These

yantras also will come under the fourth category i e., symbolic of

directing the way to reach that particular deity or god. It all

describes how one has come out from his own abode dragged in to

the `jiiva' state by the influence of `mAya'.

The SrIcakras are innumerable in number, but mostly

considered are, in ten types. They are categorized so, according to

their lines and cones. They are

1.Bhadra cakram 2. vR^iddhi cakram 3. mahA cakram 4. SrIkaram cakram

5. SuBha cakram

6. kAmikam cakram 7. mOhakam cakram 8. Vyjayantam cakram 9. Jayantam

cakram and. 10.nandanam cakram.

Among these ten cakras, Bhadra cakram is the safest one and

can be worshiped by every one. This cakra is otherwise

called " BhUprastAra " , which consists of only lines drawn upon a flat

surface.

`kUrma prastAra' means the cakra having a tortoise like

appearance with a flat base upto the three avaraNAs and the rest upon

a dome like elevation upon the base. If that surface is drawn by

curved lines it is called " vR^iddhi cakra " and the same thing, if the

surface is carved with cones instead of the lines, it is called " mahA

cakra " . Both of these cakras are two types of `kUrmaprastha

cakrAs'. This `kUrmaprasth cakra' is also called as " kailAsaprastha

cakra " This cakra should be kept in the houses of " gR^ihasthIs,

worshipped regularly only according to the scriptures.

The chakra, carved in cones with all the AvaraNAs one step

upon another, from `BhUpura' to `bindu cakra', is called " mEru

prastAra " . It is highly essential that it should be worshipped only

by the `pUrNa dIkShita' sAdhakAs only, in accordance with the mantrAs

mentioned by the Agama SAstra. That pUrNadiikShita upAsaka only is

eligible to worship this `mEruprastAra cakra'with all the regular

services of obeisance according to samayAcAra only.

It is mentioned in the SrIvidyArNava tantra that mEruprastAra

is nityA tAdAtmaka and the kailAsa/kUrma prastAra is mAtR^ikA

tAdAtmya, and the BhUprastAra is vaSinyAtmaka. Also, it says

" mEru cakrEtu samhAra krama pUjA na vidyatE,

sR^iShtikramENa dEvESi pUjanIyam prayatnatah || "

For this, SrI lolla lakShmIdhara clarifies that samhArakrama pUja

means vAmAcAra method and the sR^iShtikrama is samayAcAra tradition.

It was also said,

" samhAra pUjA kailAsa prastArE2tra vidhIyatE

BhUprastArE mahESAni sthiti pUjA sadOttamA ||

sthitikramO gR^ihastasya samhAro vaninO yatEh

brahmacAriNa utpattih striyah sUdrasya cEShtatah|| "

Almost all the SAstrAs are loudly saying that if any one

performs vAmAcAra pUjA with mEru cakra, it destroys all

gratifications both in this and in other worlds too.

The descriptions of all the other SricakrAs are available in so many

tantra texts.

To arrive at this criterion of attaining untainted mind and

heart is most important for worshipping SrIcakra, this verse of

soundarya lahari ordains as " Sarat jyOtsnA suddhAm " .

In saying " SaSiyuta jaTAjUTa makuTAm " it indicates the `candra

manDala vikAsam'

The central point (nucleus) in the `bindu cakra' is the `guru swarUpa

sOma manDalam'. Determination to implement the instructions of ones

own gurunAtha itself is the " jatAkalpam "

` in saying " vara trAsa trANa sphatika ghatikA pustaka karAm " it

indicates as,

" varam " means the boon in the form of mantra pramAta, acquired by the

parampara.

" trAsa trANa " means – devoid of all the fears, I e., `mR^itunjayam'.

Or " aham sphuraNAtmaka SivO2ham BhAvam "

" sphatika GatikA " indicates an unsoiled bowl, I.e., " Siva Sakthi

sAmarasyAnandAmR^ita sEvanam " achieved after relentless `japa sAdhana'

" pustaka karAm " indicates persuasion in accordance with the teachings

of `vEda mArga'.

Having all these four affluences, (one should have)

" sakR^innatwA " prostrated flat before her even once. Or else,

" madhu kSiira drAkShA madhurima dhurINAh phaNitayah " In saying this,

it indicates that,

`madhu' means honey, the thing obtained from some

creatures (bees), after gathering it from so many places and

preserved at a safe place. This indicates the SrIcakra arcana

performed by the `uttamAdhikAri pUrNa dikShita upAsakAs, who have

attained the mantra, tantra and yantra siddhi as endowed by the

pAramparika AgamAs

" Sirah sthita gurOr daharasthA nAda vidyAyA parAvasAyi citkalArUpa

dEvyAtmanaScAdwaita BhAna sama kAlam sakalEndriyair viShayAn

BhunjAnas tajjanyAnanda dhArAmAtra viShayaka nirvikalpaka j~nAnaika

sAratayEtara niKila viShaya pramOShENa kancitkAlamavsthAnam "

Including this type of introvert `parA pUjA', along with the

extrovert `aparA pUjA' simultaneously performing in the exterior

SrIcakra implanting flowers etc., on its top, together with certain

and certain mantras in each of the " AvaraNA dEvatAs " .

It is possible for none other than the " pUIrNAhamBhAva BhAvitAs "

only.

The `kShiira " is the milk extracted from the cow, potable to

drink. This is also obtained with some effort. This is to be

performed upon a `kUrma cakra' by `madhyamAdhikAri upAsakAs in

accordance with the guidelines of Sriguru, doing `antaryajana'

and `bAhya yajana' simultaneously, doing `Shat cakra anusandhAna rUpa

navAvaraNa ShODaSOpacAra pUja' with a difference of `nitya and

naimittika anuShTAna', as said " parAparasya bAhyasya cidvyOmni

vilayah smR^itah "

" drAkSha " is simply taken from the plant and easily

eatable. ShODaSOpacAra pUja performed upon the BhUprastAra SrIcakra

by any one with `kavaca, stOtra, nAma' etc.,

" PaNitayah " means, Unless one is performing

Sricakraarcana in this way, in different ways

" kathamiva satAm sannidadhatE " how anything is not possible for

those

" madhurima dhuriiNAh " who attain the efficiency of making `amR^ita

utpAdanam'

krishnarao

[Guest guest]

Hari OM~

Shri Krishna Rao Mahodaya.

 

Thanks for the beautiful elucidation on the Occultism of Sri Chakra.

I enjoyed your critical appraisal of the philosophy of Tantra. Just

one reminder I humbly would like to make is about the authorship of

Saundarya Lahari, which is controversial. Unlike Prapanca Sara

Tantra which Amalananda (10th CE Advaitin) quotes in his Kalpataru

(a comm on Sankara's Sariraka Bhasya), none of the post-Sankara

Advaitins endorse Saundarya Lahari as 'Adi' Sankara's composition.

 

Here are some points on the Vaisnava Tantra I would like to share.

Vaisnava Tantra is Sad-agama Tantra as initiated by Ahirbundya who

is none other than Rudra himself. Ahirbundya is the most sattvic

aspect among the eleven Rudra svarupas. Ahirbundya teaches the

PancarAtra Tantra which is the Vaisnava Agama - the basic canon of

the Visnu Tantra cults. The content of which is purely Advaitic. The

basic tenets and teaching are endorsed by Sankaracarya himself in

his Prapanca Sara Tantra - a prakarana Grantha to Visnu Tantric

vernacular.

 

Teachings of Ahirbundya are consolidated as a seperate samhitha

known as 'Ahirbundya samhita'. This samhitha mainly elaborates on

various Visnu yatras, chakras, sakthis and their mahinas. Visnu is

the central theme of this samhita. Ahirbundya the author eulogizes

Visnu mahimna and enumerates the geometry of various Chakras and

their functional occult powers. Some of the interesting chakras are

enlisted below.

 

1) Purusa Chakra

2) Kala chakra

3) Adhara chakra

4) Maha chakra

5) Prthvi chakra

6) Guna chakra

7) Samhrti Chakra

8) Chalana chakra

 

These eight chakras are known as asta maha chakras in Visnu Tantra.

These chakras are broadly categorized into Srsti Chakras, Sthiti

chakras and Laya Chakras. These chakras remain as the substratum of

Asuddha jagat. Samhitha discusses this in the 'asuddha jagat adhara

nirupana prakarana' Jagat which is divided into two - Mahat and

amahat manifested and unmanifested rests on these chakras alone.

Jagat is termed 'asuddha' due to its plurality - nAnatva. These

pluralities are only with reference to Maya's epi phenomena like

satva rajas and tamas. The supreme reality who transcends these

dualities is Narayana who os eternally pure, attributeless and

dissociated. Ahirbundya says :

 

'NityairmuktairnirAbodair-nirmalAnanda laksaNaiH |

Saksat pasyatbhirIsAnam Narayanam anAmayam ||

 

With Narayana Smrthi,

Devanathan.J