Chidvilasa stavah - an introduction

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Chidvilasa Stavah

 

As the title implies *Chid Vilasa*, this entire Creation is just the divine

sport of Tripurasundari. Having united with Para Siva, creating this beautiful

world has entered / penetrated into it. As per the Sakta Advaita, this entire

creation consists of 36 principles starting from Siva, Shakti down to Prithivi.

Siva has become Jiva with the help of Pancha (5) Kanchukas (Sheaths).

The Jiva by breaking these barriers of 5 sheaths has to *recognize* himself to

be none other than Siva. The Jiva is Siva himself

but owing to these pancha kanchukas, Jiva forgot himself to be Siva.

 

Now, among the several paths to *recognize* this Sivahood by Jiva, Srividya

Tantra is one such path. Srividya, per se, having its origins in Shruti / Veda,

takes in its stride certain *sanketa* (symbolic pointers) paddhati which are the

mapping methods between Individual Consciousness and Cosmic Consciousness.

This Cosmic Consciousness is what is called *Chit*. Shaktas address this *Chit*

as Shakti which is the Female Principle. In Srividya Tantra, this Shakti or the

Female Principle is called *Vimarsa* and the Male Principle in the form of Shiva

is called *Prakasa*.

 

This wonderful hymn which we are going to discuss called *Chidvilasa Stavah*

comprises of 41 slokas and details out the intricacies of various components of

Srividya Tantra and Sriyantra worship and how to contemplate them internally.

Certain esoteric meanings of some of the Jargons used as a part of Srividya

Upasana are dealt in a very scholarly manner so that any layman can understand

the principles of Srividya Upasana and the *Antaryaga Paddhati*.

 

AUTHOR OF CHIDVILASA STAVAH

 

The author of this wonderful hymn of Srividya is Shri Amritananda Mahayogi, who

is the Srividya Guru of the most famous srividya upasaka Shri Punyanandanatha,

the author of the celebrated *Kamakalavilasa*. As mentioned earlier, they were

the

propagators of Hadi Vidya.

 

In Kaliyuga, Mitreshanatha handed down this vidya to Lopamudra. Lopamudra

teaches this vidya to Agastya. Given below the guruparampara from Lopamudra and

Agastya till the recent guru.

 

Lopamudra

Agastya

Kankalatapasa

Dharmacharya

Muktakesini (One of the greatest Yoginis of Kaliyuga)

Dipakanathacharya (Srividya upasaka at the court of the king Bhoja and

commentator on Nityasodasikarnava)

Jishnudevacharya

Matruguptadeva

Tejodeva

Manojadeva

Kalyananatha

Paramanandanatha

Swatmanandanatha (also called Vasudeva)

Trilochananatha

Maarijanatha

Deveshanatha

Devanandanatha

Trilochananatha

Kesavanandanatha

AMRITANANDA YOGI (Author of Chidvilasa and Saubhagya Sudhodaya)

Punyanandanatha Yati (author of Kamakalavilasa)

Natananandanatha

Vasudevanandanatha

Sivanandanatha (son of Pratishtanandanatha the author of Sambhunirnaya Dipika)

Mahaprakasanandanatha

Maheshananda Yogi (Author of Mahartha Manjari)

 

The author of Chidvilasa, holds the 7th position from bottom-up. From

Maheshananda till the recent, the record is maintained by my gurunatha in

manuscripts.

 

Having introduced the author of Chidvilasa Stavah, my subsequent posts would be

the rough meanings of all the 41 slokas. Each post would be the continuity of

the earlier one like an episode.

 

I pray to Mother Tripurasundari and Medha Dakshinamurthy to grant me the

required inspiration to enable me to dive into the ocean of

*Chidvilasa Stavah* and search for oyster pearls.

 

namo brahmadibhyo brahmavidya sampradaya kartribhyo namo vamsha rishibhyo namo

gurubhyah

 

with regs,

sriram