Prapañcasara Tantra: The Tantra on the Nature of Creation

Copyright © 2017 Louise M. Finn.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-8005-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-8007-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-8006-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017907344

Balboa Press rev. date: 07/25/2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

GLOSSARY*

Chapter 1

1 Nature of Sharadā. Importance of alphabet. Jñāna, Icchā and Kriyā śhaktis. Types of initiation.

2 - 5 Nature of thertis Brahmā, Vishnu and Shiva. Mūrti-less mantra.

6-28 Description of Nārāyaṇa and his instructions. The letter ‘H’ and Shāradā.

29-40 Nature of Time

41-60 Evolution and character of the tattvas. The eight prakritis.

61-63 Evolution of sound and the śhabdabrahman.

64 - 104 Prakriti and the evolution of living beings including human generation. The nāḍis.

Chapter 2

1-8 Development of the foetus

9-39 The ten breaths of the body. Ten fires. The dhātus, kośhas, ūrmis and six flavors.

40-52 Child development

53-67 Śhakti’s numerical classifications

Chapter 3

1-12 Moon, sun and fire. Nature and characteristics of alphabet letters.

13-52 Alphabet mūrtis and śhaktis

53-57 Medicinal and other plants

58-69 Physical location producing letter modification

70—75 Uses and effects of the letters

Chapter 4

1-13 Importance of HRĪṂ and its nyāsa

14-19 Ajapa mantra. HAMSAḤ.

20-22 Paramātma mantra. SO’HAṂ.

23-76 Sun, the planets, the zodiac, the nakṣhatras, tithis and karaṇs.

Chapter 5

1-70 Construction and preparation of site. Mandalas for initiation.

Chapter 6

1-5 Morning ritual and intiation

6-16 The six limbs or jātis

17-26 External pūjā with offerings

27-30 Fragrances

31-40 Investiture of the deity

41-58 Articles and methods of worship for the deity

59-65 Worship of limb deities including Lords of the Quarters and their weapons.

66-70 Firepit ritual

71-96 Nyāsa of tongues of flame. Eight Agnis. Worship of Agni.

97-105 Sacrificial offerings to deity and the vyāhritis. Brahmārpana mantra.

106 Quantities of sacrificial offerings. Flame qualities of sacrificial fire.

107-111 Worship of zodiac signs and nakṣhatras

112-118 Concluding obeisances and ceremonies. Offerings to the guru.

119-125 Final consecration of disciple. Ritual conduct of guru and disciple.

Chapter 7

1-2 Nyāsa and japa of the letters

3-8 Meditation, nyàsa, sacrifice and worship in seat of Sarasvatī

9 Nine śhaktis of Sarasvatī

10-11 Worship of the Mothers

12-17 Benefits of Sarasvatī worship

18-22 Nyāsa of letter kalās,Vishnu, Keśhava and Śrīkantha

23-24 Meditation on Ardhanarīśhvara

25-27 Discussion of Prapañchayāga sacrifice. Garland mantra.

28-29 Nyāsa of the planets. Agni-Soma nyāsa. HAMSAḤ nyāsa.

30-45 The five mantras in connection with prāṇāgnihotra and prapañchayāga

46-50 Prapañchayāga ritual

51-52 Divine identification as result of ritual. Sakalīkaraṇa.

53-54 Benefits of Prapañchayāga

55 Sacrificial oblations and benefits. Making of idol. Gratuity to guru.

Chapter 8

1-24 Prāṇāgnihotra ritual. The 5 sacrificial fires

25-32 Nyāsa. Japa of Sarasvatī mantra and worship. 8 Sarasvatī attendants.

33-38 Fruits of Sarasvatī worship

39-46 Another Sarasvatī mantra with worship and benefits

47-60 Hymn to Goddess Sarasvatī

Chapter 9

1 Tripurā mantra variations

2-7 Tripurā nature, mantra and nyāsa

8-9 Meditation on Tripurā. Worship of the line of gurus.

10 Breath control. Varṇa, kalā and yoginī vedhas.

11-20 Śhrīchakra and its worship. Śhakti and Bhairava attendants.

21-28 Adornment of the divinity attracting disciple

29-35 Benefits of the various kinds of sacrifice

36-45 Meditations on Kuṇḍalinī, Vāgbhava, Kāmarāja and Śhakti bījas. Their results.

Chapter 10

1-4 Mantra of prakriti

5-6 Bhūtaśhuddhi or purification of the elements

7-9 Kuṇḍalinī. Identity with śhakti and nyāsas.

10-19 Meditation on Ambikā. Triguṇitam yantra. The self as interior pītha.

20 Śhaktis of Ambikā/Bhuvaneśhvarī

21-46 External pūjā with description of shrine and accoutrements. Sacrificial offerings.

47-48 Benefits of worship

49 Six-guṇa yantra

50-64 Captivating mandala

65-69 Order of worship of yantra gods and śhaktis

Chapter 11

1-9 Twelve guṇita yantra

10-26 Worship of limbs, 16 śhaktis, 32 śhaktis, Mothers, 64 yoginīs, guardians weapons

27-38 Ghaṭārgala yantra

39-46 Worship of kalaśha/jar with attendant deities, benefits and oblations

47 Substances for drawing of yantra

48-68 Hymn to Bhuvaneśhvarī

69-70 Benefits of worship

Chapter 12

1-4 Mantra of Śhrī/Lakṣhmī. Meditation on goddess.

5-12 Sacrifice, lotus seat and worship of Lakṣhmī. Meditation on goddess.

13-15 Japa and benefits of worship

16-18 Benefits of various kinds of oblations

19-26 Mantra of Ramā. Meditation on Śhrī. Benefits of riverside japa. Nakṣhatra worship.

27-28 Nyāsa of 6 limbs

29-35 Meditation on goddess with japa, sacrifice, attendants and benefits

36-42 Description of 16-verse RV hymn. Nyāsa.

43-55 Sacrifice with hymn in 4 rounds. Benefits of kinds of oblation.

56-60 Thirty supplementary divinities

61-65 Conduct of Indirā/Lakṣhmī devotee

Chapter 13

1-9 Tripuṭa mantra. Meditation, sacrifice and nyāsa.

10-19 Earth mantra. Sacrifices, pujās, oblations and benefits.

20-37 Tvaritā mantra. Nyāsa, meditation, sacrifice and worship of attendants including serpent deities.

38-44 Heavenly host’s infatuation with disciple

45-52 Kinds of oblations with benefits

53 Tvaritā (speedy) yantra

54-59 Nigraha (destruction) yantras. Implements and substances for drawing.

60-61 The auspicious Anugraha mantra

62-65 Yantra amulets

66 Protection yantra

67-75 Totalā yantra. 12-syllable mantra. Meditation, japa, sacrifice and śhaktis.

76-79 Pūjā and 6-limb nyāsa

80-83 Meditation on Pārvatī. Use of Madadrave mantra for her worship.

84-85 Power of attraction of Madadrave mantra

86-90 Another Madadrave yantra

Chapter 14

1-13 Durgā mantra. Description of goddess with limbs, śhaktis and wepons.

14-17 Benefits of worship

18-20 37-syllable mantra

21-22 Limb and body nyāsas

23-28 Meditation on Durgā

29-34 Japa and oblations to Durgā. Her 8 śhaktis and 8 weapons.

35-40 Offerings with specific results

41-44 Hundred arrow sacrifice

45-52 Rituals for dealing with an enemy

53-56 Rituals for elephants and horses

57-61 Large tree sacrifice

62 Sacrifice for control of kings, wifes and village castes

63 Mukunda Vishnu meditation

64 Making of clay effigy

65 Benefits of various oblations

66-69 Śhulinī mantra and limbs

70 Śhulinī meditation

71-73 Japa, sacrifices to limbs, attendants, 8 śhaktis and weapons

74-76 Benefits of Śhulinī rite

77-82 Rituals agains poisonous creatures and enemies

83 Anointment of weapons

84-85 Cow dung ritual

86 Mantra japa for travellers

87 Fire sacrifice to produce mental disorder

Chapter 15

1-3 Four syllable mantra for the sun. Meditation.

4-6 Pūjā, japa and sacrificial offerings

7-8 Solar śhaktis

9-16 Solar pīṭha mantra, offerings and attendants

17-20 Results of worship

21-24 HAṂSAḤ mantras

25-28 Japa, sacrifice, pūjā of limbs, gods, rivers, lokapālas and weapons

29-31 Esoteric nature of ajapa/HAṂSAḤ mantra

32-36 Benefits of mantra blessed water

37-39 Another sun mantra with body and limb nyāsa

40-48 Meditation on the sun. Japa of limbs, attendants and planets.

49 Mandala with lotus petals and 9 jars

50-53 Sacrificial substances. Benefits of worship.

54-55 Another sun mantra

56-59 Six-limbed nyāsa. Nyāsa of attendants on body. Sun meditation.

60-64 Japa, oblations, pūjā of Aditis, their śhaktis, Mothers and planets. Remuneration to guru and brahmins.

65 Benefit of sun worship

Chapter 16

1-7 Moon mantra. Meditation, japa and sacrificial offerings to the moon.

8-10 Śhaktis of the moon

11-18 Pīṭha. Benefits of moon japa.

19-23 Vidyā mantra

24-28 Agni mantra. Japa and meditation.

29 Śhaktis of Agni

30-35 Sacrifice and its benefits

36-43 Jāṭavedas Agni mantra. Sacrifice with offerings.

44-47 Remuneration of guru. Benefits of worship.

48-49 Kriśhanu Agni mantra

50 Meditation on Agni

51-65 Sacrifice, oblations and their benefits

Chapter 17

1-3 Gaṇeśha mantra

4 Nyāsa of the mantra

5-13 Meditations on Gaṇeśha, Ramā and Rameśha, Rati and Kāma and Mahī and Varāha

14-17 Gaṇeśha yantra with coupled deities

18-21 Japa and sacrificial offerings

22—27 Gaṇesha śhaktis. Worship of coupled deities.

28-31 Benefits of individual offerings

32-43 Method for trapping elephants

44-45 Benefits of mantra

46-48 Obstruction mantra

49-55 Meditation on Gaṇeśha. Japa and worship of attendants.

56-61 Benefits of various oblations

62-63 Butter yantra

64-70 Sādana mantra. Meditation and sacrifice. Gaṇeśha gayatrī.

71-75 Benefits of various oblations

76-78 Meditation on Gaṇeśha. Benefit of worship.

Chapter 18

1-5 Manmatha/Kāma bīja mantra. Meditation. Japa and sacrifice.

6-9 Śhaktis, arrows and attendants of Kāma

10-11 Yantra of Kāma. Gayatrī of Kāma.

12-15 Kāma mantra with its effects

16-26 Manobhava ritual including mantra. 16 śhaktis and attendants.

27-33 Ritual intercourse. Adept as personification of Shiva.

34-35 A supplementary yantra

36-39 Benefits of the various oblations

40-54 Kriṣhṇa mantra. Meditations, japa and worship.

Chapter 19

1-3 Discussion of praṇava mantra

4-7 Meditation on Vishnu. Japa and worship of pīṭha.

8-12 Four forms of Vishnu. Their appearances, śhaktis and mūrtis.

13-31 Discussion of the 8-limbed and other esoteric yogas

32-36 Meditation on praṇava/OṂ. Discussion of its nature. Various epithets.

37-46 Praṇava and the raising of Kuṇḍaliṇī

47-54 Five states of consciousness

55-58 Meditation on the breath

59-64 Benefits of yogas. 8 siddhis. Jīvanmukta.

Chapter 20

1-9 Eight-syllable Nārāyaṇa mantra. Meditation on Mukunda. Nyāsa and sacrifice.

10-11 Thirty-five syllable Vishnu mantra. Vāsudeva’s pīṭha mantra.

12-14 Nyāsa of 35-syllable mantra letters. Eight-syllable mantra.

15-17 Twelve-syllable mantra

18-20 Keśhava etc. mūrtis plus their nyāsas

21-24 Diadem mantra

25-26 Worship with 12-syllable and Diadem mantras

27-35 Initiation and worship of 8-syllable mantra. Mandala. Worship of śhaktis, weapons and attendants.

36-41 Sacrifice, oblations and japa of 8-syllable mantra

42-46 Benefits of 8-syllable mantra

47-61 Ritual of the 8 mūrtis belonging to the 8-syllable mantra including śhaktis, attendants, snakes and avatars.

Chapter 21

1-16 Yantras relating to zodiac with characteristics

17-19 Aries yantra

20-22 Taurus yantra

23-24 Gemini yantra

25-29 Cancer yantra

30 Leo yantra

31-32 Virgo yantra

33-34 Libra yantra

35-37 Scorpio yantra

38-39 Sagittarius yantra

40-42 Capricorn yantra

43-45 Aquarius yantra

46-47 Pisces yantra

48-52 Benefits of zodiac rituals

53-70 Hymn to Vishnu

Chapter 22

1-8 Twelve-syllable mantra and nyāsas

9-13 Meditation on Vishnu. Japa, sacrifice and oblations.

14-17 Sudarśhana mantra. Binding of the quarters.

18-19 Nyāsa. " Enclosure of Agni mantra".

20 Meditation on Vishnu (Hari)

21-22 Sudarśhana gayatrī mantra

23-24 Sudarśhana protection mantra

25-26 Sudarśhana chakra yantra

27-34 Worship of Vishnu, attendants, oblations and japa

35-37 Consecration of disciple. Demon slaying mantra.

38-40 Concluding mantra. Benefits.

41-47 Shrine to Vishnu. Benefits of the various oblations.

48-54 Meditations on the chakra and their effects

55-57 Seven-space yantra

58 Benefit of Sudarśhana mantra

Chapter 23

1-15 Trailokyamohana mantra. Mantras for control, attraction and killing.

16-23 Six-limb nyāsa of Trailokyamohana

24-25 Pervasivemantra

26-32 Chakra mantra. Conch shell mantra. Club mantra. Mace mantra. Bow mantra. Goad mantra. Noose.

33-34 Garuḍa mantra

35-36 Sword mantra of goddess

37-50 Meditation on Vishnu

51-53 Japa, sacrifice, oblations and benefits of ritual

54-59 Pūjā. Yantra. Attendant śhaktis etc. and weapons.

60-72 Benefits of japa. Sacrifice to Vishnu Puruṣhottama.

Chapter 24

1-3 Eight-syllable "Śrīkara" mantra and nyāsa

4-7 Meditation on Vishnu Mukunda. Mandala. Sacrifice and japas.

8-12 Gratification of guru. Benefits of worship.

13-15 Great boar mantra

16-17 Six-limb nyāsa of Boar mantra

18-19 Meditation on Varāha the boar

20-24 Mandala. Sacrifice with oblations

25-27 Benefits of japas and meditation

28-37 Benefits of Hog Stone ritual. Clay ritual. Earth and other oblations.

38-44 Description of yantra

45-48 Benefits of yantra

Chapter 25

1-5 Narasimha mantra and nyāsa

6-8 Meditation on Narasimha

9-16 Worship of Narasimha, mandala and japa.

17-18 Bīja mantra

19-20 Gratification of guru and brahmins

21-27 Benefits of various sacrifices. Japas of the mantra.

28-29 Fawn ritual

30-33 Destructive power of identification with Narasimha. Meditations on Narasimha

34-35 Protective amulet

36-39 Ritual for victory of a king

40-42 Benefits of various oblations

43-44 Six-syllable mantra. Description of Narasimha.

45-46 Narasimha yantra

47-49 Sacrifice and japa

50 Thirteen benefits of various oblations

Chapter 26

1-6 Viṣhṇupañjara mantra and ritual

7-9 Viṣhṇupañjara yantra

10-15a Mantras of the weapons

15b-19 Garuḍa mantra and mandala

20-21 Meditation on Vishnu

22-29 Worship of pīṭha. Śhaktis. Sacrifices to weapon mūrtis.

30-33 Sacrifices to Boar (Varāha), Garuḍa, Keśhava and Indra etc.

34-43 Additional sacrifices as prescribed at initiation. Sacrifices of mantras and to weapon mūrtis.

44-45 Meditations involving Viśhvarūpa Vishnu

46-48 Procedure for japa

49 A protective mantra

50-66 The 18-pit ritual with benefits. Offerings to guru and brahmins.

Chapter 27

1-3 Prāsāda mantra

4 Meditation

5-7 Five faces of Shiva and their nyāsa

8-11 Japa, mandala and sacrifice

12-14 Pīṭha mantra. Worship of self as pīṭha with attendants.

15-23 Descriptions of the 5 faces. Other attendants to be worshipped.

24 Benefits of ritual

25-34 Six-limb nyāsa. Nyāsa of 38 kalās associated with Shiva faces.

35-40 Five-syllable Shiva mantra and nyāsa

41-44 Meditation. Japa and worship of Shiva’s mūrtis.

45-48 Pināka mantra and nyāsa

49-50 Golika nyāsa

51-54 Worship of self as Shambu. Worship of limb deities, śhaktis, vasus and Vriṣha etc..

55-65 Hymn to Shiva

66-67 Japa and sacrifice

68-73 Worship and meditation. Spear mantra.

Chapter 28

1-7 Dakṣhiṇamūrti mantra and nyāsa

8 Meditation on Dakṣhiṇamūrti

9-11 Pūjā and japa of the mantra. Benefits.

12-14 Aghora mantra

15-17 Nyāsa of Aghora mantra

18-20 Meditation, japa and sacrificial oblations

21-23 Spear yantra

24 Pūjā of weapons and customary attendants

25-27 Benefits lof various sacrificial oblations

28-30 "Aghora" weapon mantra - not made explicit

31-36 Extraction, meditation, japa and worship of Mrityuñjaya mantra

37-38 Yoga meditation on Shiva in the suṣhumnā

39 Yantra

40-43 Worship with yantra and oblations

44-45 Another yoga of Mrityuñjaya mantra. Middle JUM bīja. Meditation.

46-55 Benefits of various sacrificial oblations

Chapter 29

1-2 Chintāmaṇi mantra

3-5 Meditations on Shiva and Ardhanarīśhvara

6-9 Worship and japa

10-12 Benefits of yantra-like visualizations. Significance of letter colors.

13-20 Effects and benefits of bīja applications

21 Effigy ritual

22 Plough mantra

23 Control mantra

24-30 Effects of thought-gem mantra. Sacrifices in the various yantra configurations.

31-35 Chaṇḍeśhvara mantra. Limbs, meditation, japa and sacrifice.

36-41 Chaṇḍa gayatrī. Worship of Chaṇḍa.

42-44 Sacrifice of Rice flour effigy. Benefits of this and other oblations.

45-46 Ground salt effigy and benefits

Chapter 30

1-5 Gayatrī mantra and its sinificance

6-12 Discussion of the vyāhritis

13-32 Connection of the vyāhritis with the gayatrī mantra

33-39 Morning gayatrī ritual

40-45 Nyāsa of mantra sages and devatās

46-49 Nyāsa of the vyāhritis. Japa. Prāṇayāma.

50-52 Meditation and order of worship

53-57 Nyāsa of gayatrī mantra syllables. The limbs and japa.

58-60 Worship of pīṭha. Śhakti gayatrī.

61-66 Worship of sun. Sun śhaktis, planets and other attendant deities.

67 Blessing and gratification of the guru

68-73 Benefits of sacrifice with various oblations

Chapter 31

1-8 Jātavedas triṣhṭup mantra and nyāsa

9 Meditation on Kātyāyinī

10-13 Procedure for worship after initiation. Configuration of yantra.

14-23 Worship and sacrifice of triṣhṭup attendants

24-29 Benefits of japa and sacrifice

30-34 Eight limbs of the mantra

35-38 Importance of guru’s instruction in use of mantra

39-40 Preparations for sacrifice

41-47 Origination and multiplication of attendant deities

48-80 Discussion of various magical (especially black) rites

81-86 Benefits of sacrifice

87-98 Yantra and Sand sacrifices with benefits

99-103 Benefits of Durgā sacrifice. Other oblations and worship.

Chapter 32

1-5 Lavaṇa mantra

6-9 Invocations of Dahana, Yāmavatī, Kātyāyanī and Bhadrakālī

10-11 Japa and sacrifice

12-56 Magical rites involving effigies. Sacrifices and invocation mantras.

57-60 "Yām kalpayanti" mantra. Removal of the black magic of others.

61-64 Yantra. Benefits of sacrifice.

Chapter 33

1-7 Anuṣhṭup mantra and nyāsas

8 Meditation on Shiva

9-11 Pujā of Shiva, limbs, planets, cardinal directions and guardians etc..

12-14 32 śhaktis

15-17 Blessing of disciple, japa and sacrifice

18-26 Benefits of various sacrifices

27-28 Hundred syllable mantra

29-35 Nyāsa of the mantra, japa and pūjā

36-42 Benefits of japa and the various kinds of oblations

43-50 Samvāda hymn. Nyāsa, meditation and limb sacrifice.

51-55 Sacrifice of letters with verses of Vedik hymns

56-58 Nyāsa of triṣhṭup mantra

59-61 Meditation on Varuṇa. Pūjā of the limbs, nāgas, lords of the quarters and japa

62 Benefits of the various oblations and japa

Chapter 34

1 Presentation of various special mantras and yantras

2-4 Triguṇita yantra

5 Tortoise in Moon yantra

6 - 7 Attraction yantra

8 Clay figure yantra and ritual

9-11 Six-angle yantra

12-15 Twelve-figure house protection yantra

16-26 Pot and Pin yantra

27 Sacrifice for the purpose of conquering gods and Urvaśhī

28-29 Two Betel leaf yantras

30 Rice dough yantra

31 The Lord’s yantra

32 Effigy made of potter’s clay

33 Female attraction rite

34-42 Sixty-one syllable mantra. Meditation on Pārvatī. Limbs, japa and benefit of oblation,

43-49 Brahmāśhrī mantra. Limb ritual and sacrifice.

50 Subjugation effigy rite

51-59 Food mantra with limbs, japas and sacrifice

60-62 Eight-syllable Brihaspati mantra

63-64 Śhukra mantra

65-67 Eight-syllable Vyāsa mantra. Meditation, japa and oblations.

68-70 Saṅkocha mantra

71 Enemy effigy ritual

72-76 Ten-syllable mantra to Pārvatī. Japa, meditation and benefit of ritual

77 Amaṭha nyāsa

Chapter 35

1-3 Prāṇapratiṣhṭha mantra

4-6 Nyāsa of the limb mantras

7 Meditation on the supreme Goddess

8-11 Repetition of mantra and sacrifices

12 Breath messengers (śhaktis)

13-22 Ritual methods for control of a sādhya’s life breaths. Breaths as bees.

Chapter 36

1-21 Ritual for promotion of offspring - especially a son

22-31 Characteristics of a worthy guru

32-60 Characteristics of a worthy disciple

61-63 Conclusion of the Tantra

Bibliography

APPENDIX

for my children and my children’s children

PREFACE

The Prapañcasāra Tantra is volume 19 in the Tantric Text Series published in Calcutta by Motilal Banarsidass in 1935 and introduced chapter by chapter by John Woodroffe under the pseudonym of Arthur Avalon. The previously untranslated text is published in Sanskrit. In the introduction Woodroffe discusses at some length the nature of the text with its major emphasis on ritual practices involving mantras, yantras, mudrās, devatās, yoga, meditations and sacrifices thereby giving it the character of a tantrik manual. But despite this over-all orientation of the text, there is much profound philosophical discourse (especially by the commentator) to support those many rituals described in the 36 chapters.

Indispensable to understanding the text is the Commentary to the verses provided by Padmapādācārya. Further, the sanskrit text includes a commentary to the Commentary. This anonymous sub-commentary is called Prayogakramadīpikā and covers the Padmapādācārya commentary only as far as chapter 10. Although the sub-commentary was regularly consulted, it has not been included in the translation as the translation of the Padmapādācārya commentary has already taken account of the information the sub-commentary provides and it would have added unnecessarily to the already lengthy translation.

As to the authorship of the text, Padmapādācārya claims that the great philosopher Shankara is the author. This is taken to be a fact by all the professorial experts whom I consulted in Varanasi. Woodroffe discusses the authorship of the text but does not come to any conclusion. Goudriaan and Gupta think that it is very improbable that the philosopher Shankara should be credited with the authorship of a work like the PS.¹ One very helpful way to give more credibility to Shankara as the author would be a detailed textual analysis comparing it with Shankara’s known works. Obviously this is way beyond the scope of a translation. However, if Shankara is indeed the author, then according to tradition, the text can be dated to sometime in the late 8th or early 9th centuries. There is brief internal evidence for these dates in the mention of Pallava in chapter 14:83. The context is the benefit of a certain mantra for use in battle with the Pallava which may refer to the Pallava dynasty of Kanchi in power from the 4th C to late 9th C. CE. As to the dating of the commentary by Padmapādācārya, neither Woodroffe nor Goudriaan and Gupta come to any conclusions, although it is possible that the commentary is not contemporaneous but followed generations later. It seems unnecessary to reproduce here the probabilities on the subject of authorship as Woodroffe, Farquhar, Goudriaan and Gupta are references for any reader interested in the historicity of the text. Whether or not composed by Shankara, Woodroffe considers that it is an ancient and important text deserving of a complete translation. Goudriaan and Gupta who also discuss its importance maintain that the oldest representants of this group of texts (mantric digests), the Prapañcasāra and the Śāradāktilaka, are authoritative and intellectualistic statements of the doctrine and are held in high esteem in Tantric circles. Without any doubt they can be reckoned among the most important written sources of Tantrism....²

What is needed in the field of Tantrism is more translations of such prime source material to help fill the needs of all researchers in this fascinating and comparatively late phase of Hinduism. A faithful and fluent translation is my purpose.

The subject matter of the text is the nature of universal creation whose title Prapañca - sāra - tantra means the tantra on the nature or essence of fivefold (creation). Fivefold refers to the elements of outer void, air, fire, water and earth deemed to constitute the material world. Its preliminary verse is an invocation to Shāradā declared to be the supreme Sovereign Lady in the universe consisting of the letters of the alphabet. In the subsequent chapters and verses the invocation is followed by a dialogue between Nārāyaṇa and Brahmā who interrogates this supreme manifestation of Vishnu on the subject of creation. Nārāyaṇa describes the metaphysical origins of the universe and the nature of the many deities through whose agency the evolution of creation is effected and maintained. It is worth noting that within a very adjustable hierarchy, all the divine personifications have their special functions and radiating influence. In many of the chapters, first one and then another deity is deemed to have incredible power and highest status so that when properly worshipped, the deity confers the fruits of liberation and freedom from undue suffering. In the light of Hindu non-dualist philosophy, the reader may conclude that this is because they are all manifestations of the one and only brahman and therefore they participate in the infinitely powerful ground of all being. Each deity seems to take center stage in turn. In the process of honoring a particular deity, the author prescribes ritual practices through which a devotee can worship and come to complete realization of both his own intrinsically divine nature and his ritually acquired identity with a specific divine personification.

This translation of the 36 chapters and 2436 numbered verses with commentary addresses the reader who is not necessarily a sanskritist but who does have basic notions about Hindu philosophical concepts and religious practices. Despite a general knowledge, however, it will be obvious that the verses or the commentary on the text often need clarification. As a result, there are occasional brief interpolations in order to complete the meaning of a verse. Most of the difficulties, however, arose due to the coded and secretive nature of the mantras and the over-all cryptic nature of the text. Consequently there are also many footnotes. Hinduism is such an extensive and complex religion that without explanatory footnotes many of the verses would remain obscure. Indeed, in just a few places, the meaning of a verse has remained uncertain even to those experts whom I consulted. Such a case is then notified in a footnote but is fortunately relatively infrequent. Since the text is very long, the footnotes have been kept as concise as possible and are not intended to provide a curriculum. Furthermore, there is absolutely no attempt to deconstruct the text or to provide an exegesis on any of the concepts or ritual practices. Interesting as they are, the text is long enough and I consider that such issues are for another researcher’s individual pursuit.

There are three distinct visual aspects to the translation. The verses that have been printed in the upper case typeface constitute the principal text itself. In order to distinguish those verses from the Padmapādācārya commentary, the commentary is in the lower case. The footnotes are in italics and are meant to elucidate the text only as much as necessary.

However, throughout the translation almost all sanskrit words are rendered in italics excluding certain proper names, place names and botanical names which are in regular typeface.

A serious attempt has been made to provide the common english names for the plants, flowers and trees that are mentioned in the text. Where not successful the botanical name has been provided in the footnote and the sanskrit name has been used in the translation in regular typeface.

Where transliterated sanskrit words in italics occur in the translation, they occur not only with the essential accents and diacritical marks but also with regard as to how they are pronounced. For example, the sanskrit word "śakti". is written śhakti. This is for the benefit of the non-specialist reader. However, in the footnotes, the sanskrit words are rendered in standard transliterated form.

Since the names of the principal deities of the Hindu pantheon are familiar to those even slightly acquainted with the religion, they are in ordinary typeface but in upper or lower case depending on whether they occur in the verse or the commentary. On the other hand, the lesser known proper names and epithets of the gods often belong to special groups containing 4, 6, 8, 12, 15 more or less popular divinities. After much consideration I decided to put those names (and some others) in italics in order to distinguish them from the well-known deities such as Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Indra, Vishnu, Shiva, Durgā, Lakshmī, Sarasvatī, Gaṇeśha and the various avatars etc. which are in regular typeface.

There are notable occurrences where the same word can sometimes appear italicized and sometimes not. The word śhakti is one example. When the word is used in such a way as to imply a female personality of divine nature such as Śhakti (Shiva’s corresponding female energy), then the word occurs in ordinary typeface. However, if the word is used in its more general sense of power or energy then it occurs in italics. This happens regularly in the discussion of a mantra. "ĪṂ is the śhakti" means, for example, that the phoneme ĪṂ is what gives energy and effective power to the mantra. It can also directly refer to the bīja mantra HRĪṂ. Similarly, the word "kāma can occur in ordinary typeface if it refers to Kāma the god of love and desire, or it can occur as kāma" if desire itself or the bīja mantra KLĪṂ is intended. Sometimes, the use of the word is ambivalent in which case the reader may exercise his judgement differently, but usually one aspect predominates.

Ordinary sanskrit words which are not italicized are deemed to be already so familiar to the non-specialist reader that they need no introduction. These are words such as mandala, mantra, yoga, avatar and karma etc.. Also in ordinary typeface, but in upper case, are phonemes, letters and meaningless parts of a mantra. This is to set them apart and avoid visual confusion in an often very dense paragraph.

The Tantra is notable for containing the instructions for a great number of yantras. A yantra is basically a diagram that- when duly consecrated by repetition of a mantra- has either the power to impersonate a deity or the power to effect change for the benefit of one’s self, or for the benefit or detriment of others. In other words it can have magical properties. To be found in the appendix are 50 yantras for which the text gives instructions. (A few others described in the text are so relatively simple to configure that they do not occur in the appendix.) It is hoped that the majority of yantras which do occur are substantially correct since these instructions are usually extremely terse and not easy to interpret in every particular. I have noted in a footnote where there is doubt in my own mind.

The worship, the mantras and the yantras are all part of the very complex and often secretive nature of the Tantras. The treatises usually emphasize that if this knowledge is to promote a transformation in the disciple then it must be transmitted by a guru. So, one wonders, what is the purpose of a text if the text itself is not enough? As the text seems to involve both guru and disciple, it may serve for the guru as a reservoir of detailed knowledge since he has to bear in mind a great many different rituals and the like. For the disciple versed in Sanskrit, one supposes that it offers a number of different initiations from which to choose, as well as reminding him of the extensive rituals and meditations which he should perform once initiated. One of the striking features of the rituals is just how long they can be. A hundred thousand repetitions of a mantra is daunting! However Professor Sharma has reassured me that a hundred thousand repetitions of a mantra would normally be spread out over time and the text itself does suggest that rituals can be adjusted to suit the practitioner.

In respect of everything to do with the text, I am extremely grateful to the three professors who so kindly helped me in my endeavour. First I consulted with Prof. Śri Vrajvallabha Dwivedi of the Tibetan Institute in Sarnath, UP in India. His health allowed for approximately an hour of consultation a day for a period of two months but it gave me the opportunity to ask specific questions. Subsequently, and in English, I consulted over many months with Prof. Śri Narayan Mishra and Prof. Hridaya Ranjan Sharma both of whom were retired professors of the Sanskrit faculty of Benares Hindu University. With each of them I read through the entire text and their help was invaluable. If I present this translation to a potential reader with reasonable confidence, it is because I was able to verify and correct the text with the benefit of their profound knowledge of Hinduism and the Sanskrit language. Although Prof. Mishra sadly died during the time of our association, I think of him and his family with affection and gratitude. I am equally grateful to Prof. Sharma with whom I continued my work. He was unfailingly patient and helpful and I could not have wished for pundits more kind and knowledgeable to consult with than Professors Dwivedi, Mishra and Sharma. Thanks to Professor Sharma, we together also consulted on certain difficult aspects of the Hindu calendar and astrology with the astrologers VedVinayak Agnihotri and Dr. Ravi Shankara Bhargava retired sub-editor of Pañchaṅga at S.S. University, inVaranasi.

It’s in the nature of almost every project that it takes longer that one ever imagined and such is the case here. Putting up with the many absences in India and probably not expecting that it would ever end, are my children Alex and Clare and indeed all my family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic. I thank them for all their encouragements with special thanks to family friend John MacBryde and to my friends in India - especially the Sen family. Indu and her son Rahul with his wife Ayesha welcomed me in Delhi on just about every one of the many extended visits that I made to India. They were there to welcome me, see me off and sort out every difficulty. It was home from home. Also I want very much to thank Tulsi Vatsal for her encouragement and help in book finding. I am grateful to Bettina Baumer of the Abhinavagupta Library in Varanasi and to Itesh Sachdev for putting me in touch with James Mallinson, and to James Mallinson for his advice on publication. Both gentlemen are faculty members of the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

Thank you all. Almost lastly, I want to thank my brilliant son-in-law Alain Charroux whose expertise resolved my computer problems when I was in despair. Merci! And many thanks to my dear son Alex who also frequently helped me out with the technology!

And then, there’s Richard, for whom I will be forever grateful and love in silence with my soul.

London, 6 May 2016

GLOSSARY*

ĀGAMA Religious text relating to the worship of Shiva, Shakti or other tantrik deity.

AGNI Fire and God of Fire

APSARĀ Nymph-like female divinities

ĀTMAN Individual soul

BĪJA MANTRA Seed mantra, or, meaningless phoneme which embodies a deity in sound.

BRAHMAN Universal soul

CHAKRA A wheel-like weapon or discus; a concentration of energy visualized as a lotus.

DEVATĀ A god or divinity

DHARMA Right conduct or duty

GUṆA Quality or attribute; the triple guṇas of sattva/goodness, rajas/passion and tamas/darkness are constituents of prakriti.

JAPA Pious repetition of a mantra

KALĀ Any constituent part of group or thing; a digit of the moon; a vowel.

KĀMA The god of love or desire; desire per se.

KARMA The weight of previous good and bad acts conditioning current existence.

LAKH One hundred thousand

LIṄGAM Male sexual organ

MANDALA Usually a round graphic configuration, but often used to describe a sacred enclosure.

MANTRIN One who is skilled in the use of mantra.

MŪRTI A deity in embodied form; an icon.

NAMAS Honour or respect

NĀGA Serpent deity

NYĀSA The assignment of mantras or parts of mantras to the parts of the body.

PERVASION The non-specific over-all infusion of a mantra on the body.

PRAKRITI The ultimate material substance of the universe.

PŪJĀ Ritual worship

PURĀṆAS Medieval Hindu religious texts

SĀDHAKA A disciple or practitioner of religious ritual.

SĀDHANA Ritual practice

ŚHAKTI Female personifidation of divine energy; energy or power per se.

ŚHĀSTRA Sacred text; religious or scientific treatise.

SIDDHI High spiritual attainment, or, one of the 8 magical attainments.

SUṢHUMNĀ Central conduit of energy in the spine.

VEDA Revealed sacred text of Hinduism.

VEDĀNTA Especially the non-dual Hindu philosophy espoused by Shankara and later philosophers.

YANTRA A sacred diagram

YOGIN A practitioner of yoga

YONI Female sexual organ, source, or origin.

*The meanings given are not exhaustive but are guides to their usage in the text.

PRAPAÑCASĀRA TANTRA

Homage to the blessed guru!

CHAPTER 1

MAY ŚHĀRADĀ³ WHO IS THE SOURCE OF ALL BEING AND THE ETERNAL SOVEREIGN LADY OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE GRANT YOU PURIFICATION OF THE MIND . HER FACE, (TWO) ARMS, (TWO) FEET, WAIST AND HEART ARE DEVISED BY THE SEVEN CLASSES OF LETTERS: A K C Ṭ T P AND Y.

Commentary on the Prapañcasāra Tantra.

"OṂ I bow to the lotus feet of my guru!

OṂ I bow to Śhrī Ganeśh! I take refuge and give honor and praise to the God who as the embodiment of the letter A is the knower of the collection of letters and (yet) is wholly without a letter body (in his absolute form)."

Here indeed the lord Śhaṅkarācārya out of his sole desire to benefit the world has assumed an incarnate body in which the reality of the supreme illuminating ātman is made directly manifest. He is one (of those) who has reached the highest peak of extraordinary attainments and who – embarrassed by his own unique achievement and having a mind overcome with compassion for suffering humanity – is desirous for its benefit to write a book in the form of a compendium (called) the Prapañca (āgama) sāra which is a collection of the essential wisdom of the āgamas. Firstly, and for the success of all his intended aims, he pronounces an invocation characterized by a recollection of the true nature of the supreme deity and which is (also) a benediction (on the reader). By mentioning A K C Ṭ T P and Y, he also in fact, alludes to the subject matter of the text.

The syntax should read: "May Śhāradā grant you purification of the mind". This invocation is for Śhāradā in her absolute being (as opposed to) Śhāradā in connection with the collection of mind etc.. (In answer to the question:) How can that be?, he says that She is the source of all being because one can infer that She is the cause of all effects. (But) if it be argued that "since the source of all being and of all action (karman) is admitted to be beginning-less evolution", then it cannot be inferred that Śhāradā has any effective (role). The reply is: Not so! Action cannot be proven to be the root cause of the universe because it is a finite consequential event. Hence any actual cause of the world is said to be eternal. And considering that " eternity indeed belongs to Śharada as the witness of all things, he says that She is eternal. If one (then) argues that because of the eternal nature let the origin of the universe belong to the chief principle of the Saṃkhya-yoga doctrine",⁴ then one replies that it is impossible (to derive) causation from an unconscious principle etc. where consciousness is not present.

So, acknowledging that Śhāradā is of the nature of consciousness and capable of bringing everything into effect, She is indeed the source of all being and so he says entire. Together with the letters (kalās) and (the mediating) śhaktis, She is the cause of everything. The universe is the consequence and it means that She is the Sovereign Lady of both it and everything (else). Suspecting an Īśhvara version of the Sāṃkhya doctrine⁵ with the statement: "So then let the material cause of the universe belong to the Śhāradā supervised principle of the highest reality (prakriti) and (let) only the instrumental cause pertain to Śhāradā. He replies that: Belonging to the chief principle whose essence is the sum of all letters and their objects is Shāradā due to the pre-eminence of consciousness in her Śhāradā nature without which there is no existence and by which means she is both material and efficient cause. He says that the letters by which she is embodied - A K C Ṭ T P Y etc. – are in a subordinate state (to her higher nature). (Although) one suspects a lack of difference with ourselves when in the physical body, (in her case) the taking on of a body is devised, it is said, by means of the special characteristic of autonomous free will. He says that the reason for this free will is because She is Sovereign Lady of the universe. Lest it be objected that because of her role as superintendant, She is therefore affected by the occurring evils of (perpetual) transformation and finite existence etc., he says: Not so! She is eternal. However, if still inclined to doubt that superintendance and causation belong to Śhāradā", (in fact even when it is not explicit), she can be deduced through the agency of māyā. Having demonstrated the lack of proof for the various causalities in other doctrines, he says that She is the origin of all being. "Since ‘existence’ belongs to Śhāradā who is the essence of nothing but consciousness uninvolved in the crowded mind’s thoughts etc.," it means that she is capable of granting complete purification of the mind by the performance of the invocation in this way.

The subject matter of this work is five-fold concerned with what is gross, subtle, causal, general and witnessing. There in the (first) half he speaks of the gross subject matter which is embodied as Virāj⁶ whose nature is the substance of vaikharī. With the word etcetera, as in A etc., K etc., C etc., the etcetera applies to each and every (letter of the 7 classes). In that connection, with the words face, arms etc. devised, he speaks about the configuration of the limbs of Virāj saying that (the limbs) are the result of the placing of the letters of the alphabet. The word waist indicates the place for the nyāsa of the P class of letters. The word "ākhyā" refers to the dhātus of the skin etc.. The sanskrit word "ākhyā" is used for dhātus because they can be specified.⁷ By the word heart - indicating the buddhi that resides in the heart - is signified Māyā śhakti who is the cause of that life breath (prāṇa) whose essence are (the śhaktis) Jñāna and Kriyā. By the phoneme ‘K’ – meaning bliss - the supreme soul is indicated. The places for nyāsa of ‘Y’ etc. are connected to the dhātus as in reality. With the completion of the entire mantra recitation and the rest, nyāsa is to be performed.

But what is the use of the nyāsa of the remaining letters when the nyāsa of ‘Y’ etc. (already) includes the essence of the deity - from the skin to the supreme ātman - and is present in the sanctuary of the sādhaka’s body? We reply that the purpose is the specific disposition of the deity’s limbs.

There is no rule which says that the general disposition (nyāsa) comes first followed by the specific disposition. If that were so, the nyāsa of the letters would begin with ‘KṢ’.⁸ The body of the devatā everywhere and at all times is possessed of a general and a specific form. The presence (of the deity) in the body of the sādhaka is produced by nyāsa. Hence there is no harm in first referring to the specific placement of a limb with the nyāsa of the letter ‘A’ etc.. Nor, according to the order of dissolution, is there anything out of order if the general dissolution comes first followed by the specific dissolution, since the two dissolving processes take place in one’s self.

Nor does the dissolution of the general (body) render a separate dissolution of the specific (body) pointless. That is because the orderly process of dissolution of the specific (limbs) allows for proper reflection.⁹

When the subject under discussion is the account of the gross (forms) whose nature is vaikharī, is it not inappropriate to discuss the subtle (forms) etc.? No it is not! Without (the subtle) the gross on its own is incapable of activity; and also because the universal spirit belongs to Virāj as well. In another way, the gross parts which are designated by words such as food and dhātus etc., they are reckoned to be instrumental in producing praṇa, intellect, life and continued existence. Therefore, they are related to the words prāṇaśhakti and ātman. The subtleties etc. found in the body of Virāj are represented, in this case, by means of the nāda and bindu etc. that are involved with the syllables.¹⁰

Having established the gross content with the letters A K C Ṭ T P Y formed into the face and arms etc., one asks what is the point of any further discussion? This is not a problem! It is due to the fact that there are different letter nyāsas for the performance of ablutions etc. depending on whether the ritual performance is on time or delayed. In the rite performed with adequate time, nyāsa is prescribed for everyone of the 51 letters thus: A K C Ṭ T P Y configured into face and arms etc.." When short of time, the nyāsa for configuring the face and arms etc. is by a pervasion¹¹ of the seven classes composed into face, arms (2), feet (2), navel and heart. In the bathing rite etc., there is nyāsa of the three A K C classes composed into face, torso and feet. At mealtime there is nyāsa of the letters for the entire (body) from the forehead down to the feet. It is intended that (the nyāsas) are all and everywhere to be employed with regard to time and location.

However, there is something additional to say on the subject of the extraction and analysis (pārāyaṇa) of all the mantras. For instance, with A K C Ṭ T P Y etc., there are the sixteen vowels beginning with ‘A’ interconnecting with the A K C Ṭ T P Y etc. classes. There is said to be a union of (these) sixteen vowels with everyone of the 50 letters "composed into face, arms, feet, waist, feet, dhātus and heart".

Visualizing sixteen petal lotuses on the places where one is to do nyāsa of the letters, one places in the pericarps the particular letter that is paramount and in the petals are the sixteen vowels to be joined with that individual letter. .¹² That is how the person devoted to nyāsa should do nyāsa. The one devoted to japa should do japa and the one devoted to meditation should meditate. That is the meaning.

(For example) Having placed OṂ AṂ OṂ NAMAḤ in the pericarp of the lotus that has the letter ‘A’, one places in the petals: OṂ AṂ AṂ NAMAḤ, OṂ AṂ ĀṂ NAMAḤ, OṂ AṂ IṂ NAMAḤ etc. etc.. (One continues) by placing in the pericarp of the ‘Ā’ lotus: OṂ ĀṂ OṂ NAMAḤ followed by OṂ ĀṂ AṂ

NAMAḤ, OṂ ĀṂ ĀṂ NAMAḤ, OṂ ĀṂ IṂ NAMAḤ etc. in the petals. One should also do likewise in the lotuses for the remaining (vowel) letters. That is the mantra procedure for working through the nyāsa of the vowels.

So now there is the procedure for going through the consonants. The arrangement is varied with the said A K C Ṭ T P Y etc. "composed into face, arms, feet, waist, dhātus and heart". One should say: OṂ AṂ AṂ NAMAḤ, OṂ AṂ KAṂ NAMAḤ, OṂ AṂ KHAṂ NAMAḤ ending with KṢ. Placed in the previously mentioned petals of the ‘A’ lotus is the nyāsa of the group of letters attending on the letter ‘A’. Followed by those attending on the letter ‘Ā’ (in the Ā lotus): ĀM AṂ NAMAḤ, ĀM KAṂ NAMAḤ, ĀṂ KHAṂ NAMAḤ (etc.). Followed by the group attending on the letter ‘I’: IṂ AṂ NAMAḤ, IṂ KAṂ NAMAḤ, IṂ KHAṂ NAMAḤ and so on in the same way ending with the visarga (lotus).¹³

Then again there is KAṂ AṂ NAMAḤ, KAṂ KAṂ NAMAḤ, KAṂ KHAṂ NAMAḤ, KAṂ GAṂ NAMAḤ etc. etc. doing the round with the syllable ‘KA’. Again, there is KĀṂ AṂ NAMAḤ, KĀṂ KAṂ NAMAḤ, KĀṂ KHAṂ NAMAḤ, KĀṂ GAṂ NAMAḤ and so on in similar fashion for the syllable ‘KĀ’. Again, KHAṂ AṂ NAMAḤ, KHAṂ KAṂ NAMAḤ, KHAṂ KHAṂ NAMAḤ, KHAṂ GAṂ NAMAḤ etc.. In the way that the letter ‘KH’ revolves in the petals of the KH lotus, so it is said to do for all (the consonants).

That is the BrahmāBrahmā way of reciting (the letters). AṂ ĀṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KĀṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KHĀM NAMAḤ is the BrahmāVishnu method of reciting them. AṂ IṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KIṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KHIṂ NAMAḤ etc. is the pattern for the BrahmāRudra method. AṂ ĪṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KĪṂ NAMAḤ is the VishnuBrahmā method. AṂ UṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KUṂ NAMAḤ etc. is the VishnuVishnu; AṂ ŪṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KŪṂ NAMAḤ etc. is the VishnuRudra. AṂ ṚṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KṚṂ NAMAḤ etc. is the Rudra Brahmā; AṂ ṜṂ NAMAḤ, AM KṜṂ NAMAḤ is the RudraVishnu and AṂ LṚṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KLṚṂ NAMAḤ is the RudraRudra. AṂ LṜM NAMAḤ, AM KLṜṂ NAMAḤ is Brahmā/All the Gods. AṂ EṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KEṂ NAMAḤ etc. is Vishnu/All the Gods. AṂ AIṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KAIṂ NAMAḤ etc. is Rudra/All the Gods. AṂ OṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KOṂ NAMAḤ etc. is All the Gods. AṂ AUṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KAUṂ NAMAḤ is the Caturmūrti. AṂ AṂ NAMAḤ, AṂ KAṂ NAMAḤ etc. is the Witness. AṂ AḤ NAMAḤ, AṂ KAḤ NAMAḤ etc. is the supreme brahman procedure. It is also implied that the composition (viracita of the limbs) is the result of the devised syllable formations belonging to the different mantras of the recitation sequences.¹⁴

So by saying A K C Ṭ T P Y etc. he refers to the different sequential procedures with their various different mantras. Equally with the said A K C Ṭ T P and Y etc. are (intended) the seven classes of letters which are the classes of mantra composing the face, arms etc.. In addition, the seven classes of letters involved are called Brahmā, Sarasvatī, Vishnu, Śhrī, Rudra, Umā and Sarveśhvara. At the end of the mantra sequences having uttered all the various mantras, nyāsa etc. is to be performed. But enough of this lengthy discussion on the subject and gross material form of the eternal vaikharī!

Then with the words sovereign lady of the universe (sakalajagadadhīsha), he speaks of that subtle sphere whose essence is the hiraṇyagarbha bindu of the substance of madhyamā. All living creatures that are born are combined with kalās and limbs which take the form of tattva – bhuvana - kalā and varṇa – pada – mantra, so they are "sa-kala-ja". They possess speech (prāṇa) and thought (dhī) by which She resides (shete: hence "śa").¹⁵

The word "gada" indicates the prāṇa which incites speech whose essence is nothing more than Kriyā śhakti. By the word thoughts (dhī is meant) nothing more than Jñāna shakti and involved with them is the autonomous nature of Icchā śhakti. So hiraṇyagarbha has the nature of Icchā, Kriyā and Jñāna śhaktis and through its nature as revealer and what is revealed, it is madhyamā whose essential involvement is said to be in the subtle sphere. On this subject, by the very word "sakala" is indicated the syllables for the void, touch, nāda, sound (dhvani), bindu and the śhakti and bīja which are inner aspects of madhyamā. These are to be placed in the mūlādhāra, at the root of the penis, in the navel, the heart, the throat, the palate and on the forehead between the eyebrows. The threefold Icchā etc. is on the head and on the right and left breasts. Śhāntī is in the mūlādhāra, and Vāmā, Jyeṣhṭhā, Raudrī and Ambikā are thus to be placed on these (chakras). The procedure for madhyamā nyāsa¹⁶ precedes the nyāsa for vaikharī.

Then with the word eternal he speaks about the one whose nature is to do with Pashyantī designated as a build-up of heat and who because of her causal nature is essentially creation oriented; who (referred to by the word cause) is of the nature of nāda and who - through her nature as revealed and revealer - has in essence a sphere of action to do with both speech and what speech refers to. That she is eternal is understood from the fact that she is present and continuous from the first creation to the final grand dissolution. NAMAS to the supreme being! NAMAS to her who is the highest knowledge! NAMAS to the highest bliss! NAMAS to the greatest of Sovereign Ladies! It is implied that nyāsa is to be performed on the head, the two breasts and the mūlādhāra.

The source of all beings designates the sphere involved with the essence of the Śhakti whose causal nature is the uniform undivided Self turned inwards and which has to do with parā.¹⁷ Her nyāsa is by a once over pervasion of the whole body.

Thus by describing the fourfold scope of the nature of speech (vāc) and its objective reality (artha), the rest of the subject matter (of the text) is understood to be indirectly revealed through (various) clues. (For example), he says that the word "Śhāradā" is an indication that pleasure (bhukti) and liberation (mukti) are the aims (of life). "Śhāram" (from śhīryate) is what is characterized as the gross (reality) etc. which Śhāradā gives (da) as the fruit of one’s actions.¹⁸ And being mounted astride the wisdom of the brahman, she cuts away (do), i.e. she destroys the (various root) causes (so as to grant liberation). Hence Śhāradā. The word Śhāradā connotes these dual aims (of granting and removing). Similarly by mentioning these aims, it is implied that (the disciple) who has proved that he is qualified with the desire (to achieve) these (aims) is one who is properly eligible. The words may…grant etc. indicate that a qualified person’s process of interior purification is abetted by the guru through the performance of one or other initiation rite together with a verbally expressed initiation that betokens blessings (and good wishes).¹⁹

On this subject: the anavi dīkṣā is performable in a variety of ways with the "anu" mantras, i.e. by one of the four methods of letter inscribing nyāsa. Having destroyed the impure disciple’s body, it creates the pure one. The method for anavi initiation is in the form of nyāsa. (The sacrifice that precedes it will be discussed below.) The śhākta initiation occurs as a result of entering the disciple’s body by means of the (guru’s) śhakti cord. Having destroyed the elements (tattvas of the body), (the disciple) becomes the form of that supreme devatā which is implied by the three words Sovereign Lady of the entire universe. And (this initiation) is various involving sight, touch, speech and mind etc. in accord with the different doors of perception. In addition, by merely abiding in one’s solitary Self, Śhāradā is said to assume a form that absorbs the entire body of the disciple in the śhāmbhava dikṣā. As a result of discussing these topics the connection between subject and object is alluded to.

2. SO, LONG AGO AND AT THE END OF THE PERIOD OF DISSOLUTION, THERE APPEARED FROM PRIMARY MATTER THOSE CALLED BRAHMĀ, HARI AND ĪŚHVARA SEPARATELY DOMINATED BY THE GUṆAS AND WHOSE ACTIVITIES ARE CLEARLY CONNECTED WITH THE CREATION, MAINTENANCE AND DESTRUCTION OF THIS UNIVERSE.

The occurrence of this and subsequent verses is deemed to be present in the introduction to this book because (an introduction should) contain the whole subject matter. Therein it is said that "Śhāradā is the origin of the universe" and this (2nd verse) is inconsistent with that! The answer is that the ambiguity is due to the common understanding that what caused the creation etc. of the world pertains to the triple deities (trimūrti) of the purānas. He opines that the acknowledged creativity of the mūrtis is in the purānas and has no relevance to the supreme causality which is to be conceived of as belonging to Śhāradā who is separate from them and is the actual supreme cause. With the word so he goes on to speak about the rise of the trimūrtis. He begins the text with a brief account of them designed to give praise etc. to the goddess.

The word so is referring to that outward looking succession of actions which are the causes of creation and they are collectively referred to as "Brahmā-Hari-Īśhvara. Because their origination is conditioned and does not relate to the highest truth, he says that long ago…there appeared - meaning that (they arose) with a body. By the word primary matter" (pradhāna is meant) what devours the whole universe, i.e. prakriti, puruṣha and Time which the letter ‘H’ signifies. In reply to the question, When do the fruits of karma become realized in creation? He replies that it’s at the end of the period of dissolution. Also, the difference in the way they originate is conditioned and so he says that they have guṇas. They have their roles in the production of the universe. As a result of this (universe’s) objective reality, concern with creation etc. is implicit. Since according to the scriptures, triple causation also belongs to each and everyone (of the three), how can one ascribe a single causation to any one? He replies: it means clearly that (each one acts with a relative) predominance (in its sphere).²⁰

The mantras that are herewith formulated refer to the four mūrtis that are assigned to creation etc.. I.e., it is implied that included in the mūrti mantras in the names of Brahmā, Vishnu and Īśhvara (Shiva) are those (known by) the names Brahmā, Vishnu, Sadāshiva and Sarveśhvara long ago. "NAMAS to the gross body of Virāj to the nature of Vaiśhvānara in all! NAMAS to the subtle body of hiraṇyagarbha whose nature has to do with the cord of radiant energy! NAMAS to the knowledge-less dormant body; to the nature of the (all-knowing) lord of wisdom! NAMAS to pure consciousness and to the with-and-without a body nature of the brahman within! are the mantra phrases implied. By the expression long ago" is understood those age-old proud (gods). Because of the eternal connection between (mantra and the gods, the presence of) śhakti²¹ is immediately implied. At the end of the period of dissolution - because of śhakti - the whole and the separate parts of the praṇava are immediately (present).²² By the words "distinguished by the guṇas" is meant that prior to the words gross etc., the rajas, sattva, tamas and equibalanced guṇas are addressed; i.e."to the quality of rajas; to the quality of sattva; to the quality of tamas and to the quality of guṇa equilibrium." After (naming) the mūrtis come the words: "To the supreme Self who is the consort of Sarasvatī, omniscient, of the nature of existence and unattached unbroken knowledge! NAMAS! To the supreme Self who is the consort of Lakṣhmī who is omniscient, whose nature is bliss and unattached non-dual knowledge! NAMAS! To the supreme Self who is the (Sadāshiva) consort of Umā who is omniscient, of the nature of consciousness and of manifest wisdom free from attachment! NAMAS!" It is implied that one should add: "To the omniscient one who is the consort of Māyā belonging to root prakriti, who is of the nature of being, consciousness and bliss; who is without attachments and of unbroken non-dual and manifest wisdom! NAMAS! In this connection, it is implied that before the words supreme Self should be joined the name of one’s chosen deity (iṣhṭadevatā). And joined in front of the names of this world’s mūrtis are the (respective) words: to the creator of all (Brahmā); to the sustainer (Vishnu); to the destroyer of all (Shiva) and to the one who performs the entire (work) of origination, maintenance and destruction (Sarveśhvara). The implication of a mantra that deals with attributes is that there exists a mantra that has no mūrti at all. The mantra that rejects (the idea of) mūrti is: OṂ HRIṂ OṂ OṂ OṂ NAMAS to the blameless one without attributes; to the indestructible bodiless one; to the unattached non-dual inner nature; to the self-illuminated one who illumines all; to unattached consciousness; to the one whose nature is unbroken non-dual manifest Consciousness, Being and Bliss; to the one whose own wisdom has dispensed with non-duality as unnecessary; to the one who is the unsupported support of the world sphere; to the one whose fortune is undiminished; to the supreme Self!" is the mūrti-less mantra. Those called (Brahmā, Vishnu and Shiva) who have arisen from primary matter are "distinguished by the guṇas". With these words (he is also saying that) those who are born in distinguished families and have undergone the particular sacraments (saṃskāras) associated with being in the womb, birth, name giving etc., and who are virtuous and in service to the world, are suitable candidates for the mantras being discussed. The praise of the goddess should be kept in mind.

3. AND HAVING RESOLVED ON THEIR GOING FORTH AND (ON THEIR SPHERES) OF ACTION, THEY MADE KNOWN THE LORD (NĀRĀYAṆA) WHO AS ALL-KNOWING INSTRUCTOR IS THE UNBORN, UNMANIFEST AND FORMLESS CONJURER (OF THE UNIVERSE).

In desiring to know What did they do?, he says that it is because of their ignorance as well as the fact that they are not in possession of supreme causality that he is telling their story with the words: their going forth. Because it is produced,