The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
9 Vishvanātha quotes Dakshināmūrti as stating that during day and night man breathes in and out 21,600 times, taking both expiration and inspiration as the unit. See Introduction.
COMMENTARY
In these two verses the author speaks of the presence of Kundalinī Shakti in the Svayambhu Lingga. It is the Devī Kundalinī who maintains the existence of individual beings (Jīva, Jīvātmā) by the functions of inspiration and expiration. She places them in individual bodies; She produces the humming sound resembling that of a swarm of bees, and is the source of Speech and She, as described below, dwells in the triangular hollow in the pericarp of the Mūlādhāra Lotus resting upon the Svayambhu Lingga.
“Shines fine as the fibres of the lotus-stalk” (Bisa-tantusodara-lasat-sūkshmā)—i.e., She is fine like the fibre of the lotus-stalk.
“World-bewilderer” (Jagan-mohinī)—i.e., She is Māyā in this world.
“Gently.”¹—Madhuram.
“The mouth of Brahma-dvāra” (Brahma-dvāra-mukha)—the hollow on the head of Svayambhu Lingga.
“A strong flash of young lightning” (Navīna-chapalā-mālā- vilāsāspadā).—Lit., “possessed of the wealth of a strong flash of young lightning.” In youth every thing and person shows the characteristic qualities in a state of vigorous perfection. Hence a “young flash of lightning” means a strong flash.
“She produces melodious poetry etc.,” (Komalakāvya-banddarachanā-bhedātibheda-krama).—This shows the mode in which words are produced. The soft music produced by a combination of soft and melodious words descriptive of beauty, virtue, etc., in all its modulations, resulting from perfection of composition and regularity and irregularity in the disposition of words. By Bandha is here meant pictorial poetical composition in prose or verse arranged to look like a lotus (Padmabandha) a horse (Ashvabandha) and so on; and by Atibheda the author alludes to all the words in Sangskrita and Prākrita. By using the word “order, sequence,” the author emphasises the fact that these compositions and words come out in the order laid down in the Shāstras. Kundalinī produces,
1 Madhuram: this is used as an adjective, according to Shangkara, and means sweet. He says She is drinking nectar by the Brahmadvāra; as the nectar is coming through it, the Brahmadvāra is sweet.
both at random, and in set forms. Kundalinī produces words, Sangskrita and Prākrita, distinct and indistinct. She is the source from which all sound emanates.
Cf. Shāradā¹: “Upon the bursting (unfolding) of the supreme Bindu arose unmanifested Sound² (Avyakta-rava). It assumed, the form of Kundalī in living bodies, and manifested itself in prose and verse by the aid of the letters of the Alphabet (lit., the essence of the letters).”
By “Prose and Verse” all forms of speech are meant.
It has distinctly been said in Kādimata³: “By the action of the Ichchhā-Shakti of the Ātmā acting on Prāna-vāyu there is produced in the Mūlādhāra the excellent Nāda (Sound) called Parā.⁴ In its ascending movement it is thrown upward and opening out in the Svādhishthāna,⁵ it receives the name of Pashyantī; and again gently led up as before-mentioned, it becomes united in the Anāhata with Buddhi-tattva, and is named Madhyamā. Going upward again, it reaches the Vishuddha in the throat, where it is called Vaikharī; and from there it goes on towards the head, (upper part of, the throat, the palate, the lips, the teeth. It also spreads over the tongue from root to tip, and the tip of the nose; and remaining in the throat, the palate, and the lips, produces by
1 Ch. I, second line of v. 11 and v. 14, the intermediate verses are omitted. These run as follows: “That sound is called, by those versed in the Āgamas, Shabdabrahman. Some teachers define Shabdabrahman to mean Shabdārtha, others (grammarians) define it to mean Shabda; but neither of them is correct, because both Shabda and Shabdārtha are Jada (unconscious things). In my opinion, Shabdabrahman is the Chaitanya of all beings.” The Āgama in the text is Shruti; Rāghava quotes Shangkarāchāryya in Prapanchasāra, which speaks of men versed in Shruti. Chaitanya is the Brahman considered as the essence of all beings—that is, Chit and Shakti, or Chit in manifestation.
2 That is, the Principle or Cause of Sound. See Introduction.
3 Tantrarāja (Vols. VIII and XII. Tantrik Texts), Ch. XXVI, vv. 5—9.
4 At pp. 120—122, Vol. II, Tantrik Texts, Vishvanātha speaks of Parā, Pashyantī, and the others Shaktis. The form of Nāda, says the Manoramā, should be known from the Guru. This Ichchhā-Shakti is Kālamayī.
5 Pashyantī is sometimes associated with Manipūra. See Introduction.
9 Vishvanātha quotes Dakshināmūrti as stating that during day and night man breathes in and out 21,600 times, taking both expiration and inspiration as the unit. See Introduction.
COMMENTARY
In these two verses the author speaks of the presence of Kundalinī Shakti in the Svayambhu Lingga. It is the Devī Kundalinī who maintains the existence of individual beings (Jīva, Jīvātmā) by the functions of inspiration and expiration. She places them in individual bodies; She produces the humming sound resembling that of a swarm of bees, and is the source of Speech and She, as described below, dwells in the triangular hollow in the pericarp of the Mūlādhāra Lotus resting upon the Svayambhu Lingga.
“Shines fine as the fibres of the lotus-stalk” (Bisa-tantusodara-lasat-sūkshmā)—i.e., She is fine like the fibre of the lotus-stalk.
“World-bewilderer” (Jagan-mohinī)—i.e., She is Māyā in this world.
“Gently.”¹—Madhuram.
“The mouth of Brahma-dvāra” (Brahma-dvāra-mukha)—the hollow on the head of Svayambhu Lingga.
“A strong flash of young lightning” (Navīna-chapalā-mālā- vilāsāspadā).—Lit., “possessed of the wealth of a strong flash of young lightning.” In youth every thing and person shows the characteristic qualities in a state of vigorous perfection. Hence a “young flash of lightning” means a strong flash.
“She produces melodious poetry etc.,” (Komalakāvya-banddarachanā-bhedātibheda-krama).—This shows the mode in which words are produced. The soft music produced by a combination of soft and melodious words descriptive of beauty, virtue, etc., in all its modulations, resulting from perfection of composition and regularity and irregularity in the disposition of words. By Bandha is here meant pictorial poetical composition in prose or verse arranged to look like a lotus (Padmabandha) a horse (Ashvabandha) and so on; and by Atibheda the author alludes to all the words in Sangskrita and Prākrita. By using the word “order, sequence,” the author emphasises the fact that these compositions and words come out in the order laid down in the Shāstras. Kundalinī produces,
1 Madhuram: this is used as an adjective, according to Shangkara, and means sweet. He says She is drinking nectar by the Brahmadvāra; as the nectar is coming through it, the Brahmadvāra is sweet.
both at random, and in set forms. Kundalinī produces words, Sangskrita and Prākrita, distinct and indistinct. She is the source from which all sound emanates.
Cf. Shāradā¹: “Upon the bursting (unfolding) of the supreme Bindu arose unmanifested Sound² (Avyakta-rava). It assumed, the form of Kundalī in living bodies, and manifested itself in prose and verse by the aid of the letters of the Alphabet (lit., the essence of the letters).”
By “Prose and Verse” all forms of speech are meant.
It has distinctly been said in Kādimata³: “By the action of the Ichchhā-Shakti of the Ātmā acting on Prāna-vāyu there is produced in the Mūlādhāra the excellent Nāda (Sound) called Parā.⁴ In its ascending movement it is thrown upward and opening out in the Svādhishthāna,⁵ it receives the name of Pashyantī; and again gently led up as before-mentioned, it becomes united in the Anāhata with Buddhi-tattva, and is named Madhyamā. Going upward again, it reaches the Vishuddha in the throat, where it is called Vaikharī; and from there it goes on towards the head, (upper part of, the throat, the palate, the lips, the teeth. It also spreads over the tongue from root to tip, and the tip of the nose; and remaining in the throat, the palate, and the lips, produces by
1 Ch. I, second line of v. 11 and v. 14, the intermediate verses are omitted. These run as follows: “That sound is called, by those versed in the Āgamas, Shabdabrahman. Some teachers define Shabdabrahman to mean Shabdārtha, others (grammarians) define it to mean Shabda; but neither of them is correct, because both Shabda and Shabdārtha are Jada (unconscious things). In my opinion, Shabdabrahman is the Chaitanya of all beings.” The Āgama in the text is Shruti; Rāghava quotes Shangkarāchāryya in Prapanchasāra, which speaks of men versed in Shruti. Chaitanya is the Brahman considered as the essence of all beings—that is, Chit and Shakti, or Chit in manifestation.
2 That is, the Principle or Cause of Sound. See Introduction.
3 Tantrarāja (Vols. VIII and XII. Tantrik Texts), Ch. XXVI, vv. 5—9.
4 At pp. 120—122, Vol. II, Tantrik Texts, Vishvanātha speaks of Parā, Pashyantī, and the others Shaktis. The form of Nāda, says the Manoramā, should be known from the Guru. This Ichchhā-Shakti is Kālamayī.
5 Pashyantī is sometimes associated with Manipūra. See Introduction.
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