The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
“Eternal” (Nityam).—Indestructible (Vināsharahitam).
“Birthless” (Aja).
“Primeval” (Purāna).—He is the one known as the Purāna
Purusha.¹
“Deva” means he whose play is Creation, Existence, and
Destruction.
“Who was before the three worlds” (Tri-jagatām ādyam).²— By this the implication is that He is the Cause of all as He preceded all.
“Known by the Vedānta” (Vedānta-vidita).³—Vedāntas
are sacred texts dealing with the inquiry concerning the Brahman.
He is known by a Knowledge (Jnāna) of these.
The way the Prāna is placed (Prānāropana-prakāra) in the place of Vishnu is described below: Knowing that the time for the Prāna to depart is approaching, and glad that he is about to be absorbed into the Brahman, the Yogī sits in Yogā- sana and restrains his breath by Kumbhaka. He then leads the Jīvātmā in the heart to the Mūlādhāra, and by contracting the anus⁴ and following other prescribed processes rouses the Kundalinī. He next meditates upon the lightning-like, blissful Nāda, which is thread-like and whose substance is Kundalī (Kundalinī-maya). He then merges the Hangsa which is the Paramātmā in the form of Prāna⁵ in the Nāda, and leads it along with the Jīva through the different Chakras according to the rules of Chakra-bheda to Ājnā Chakra. He there dissolves all the diverse elements from the gross to the subtle, beginning with Prithivī, in Kundalinī. Last of all he unifies Her and the Jīvātmā with the Bindu whose substance is Shiva and Shakti (Shiva-shakti-maya); which having done, he pierces the Brahmarandhra and leaves the body, and becomes merged in the Brahman.
1 According to Shangkara, it is an adjective, and means “He who is the cause of Creation,” and the like.
2 That is, the three spheres Bhūh, Bhuvah, Svah the Vyāhriti of the Gāyatrī.
3 Shangkara reads Vedānta-vihita, and explains the expression to mean “this is the teaching of the Vedānta”.
4 Gudam ākunchya—that is, by Ashvinī Mudrā.
5 Prānarūpashvāsaparamātmakam. See Jnānārnava Tantra, Ch.
XXI, vv. 13-18.
p. 38
The Ājnā Chakra has two petals and is white. The letters Ha and Ksha, which are white,¹ are on the two petals. The presiding Shakti of the Chakra, Hākinī, is in the pericarp. She is white, has six faces each with three eyes, and six arms, and is seated on a white lotus. With Her hands She displays Varamudrā and Abhaya-mudrā,² and holds a Rudrāksha rosary, a human skull, a small drum, and a book. Above Her, within a Trikona, is Itara-Lingga, which is lightning-like, and above this, again, within another Trikona, is the inner Ātmā (Antarātmā), lustrous like a flame. On its four sides, floating in air, are sparks surrounding a light which by its own lustre makes visible all between Mūla and the Brahma-randhra. Above this, again, is Manas, and above Manas, in the region of the Moon, is Hangsah, within whom is Parama Shiva with His Shakti.
(Here ends the sixth section)
[Vishvanātha,³ in the Commentary to the Shatchakra, gives under this verse a description, taken from the Svachchhandasaṁgraha, of the region beyond the Ājnā—that is, beyond the Samashti or collective or cosmic Ājnā: “Within the Bindu is a space a hundred million Yojanas⁴ in expanse, and bright with the brightness of ten million suns. Here is the Lord of the State beyond Shānti (Shāntyatīteshvara), with five heads and ten arms and lustrous as a mass of lightning flashes. On His left is Shāntyatītā Manonmanī. Surrounding them are Nivritti, Pratishthā, Vidyā, and Shānti.⁵ Each of these is adorned with a moon and has five heads and ten arms. This is Bindu Tattva. Above Bindu is Arddhachandra, with the Kalās of the latter—namely, Jyotsnā, Jyotsnāvatī, Kānti, Suprabhā, Vimalā. Above Arddhachandra is Nibodhikā, with the Kalās of the latter—Bandhatī,
1 Karbura=white, and also means variegated.
2 V. pp. 19, 20, ante.
3 The portion in brackets is my note.—A. A.
4 A Yojana is over eight miles.
5 See, as to the Kalās, Introduction to Vol. III, Tantrik Texts, ed. by A. Avalon. See also Introduction to this volume; and “Studies in the Mantrashāstrā,” by A. Avalon.
Bodhinī, Bodhā, Jnānabodhā, Tamopahā. Above Nibodhikā is Nāda and its five Kalās—Indhikā, Rechikā, Ūrddhvagā, Trāsā, and Paramā. On the lotus above this last is Īshvara, in extent a hundred million Yojanas, and lustrous as ten thousand moons. He is five-headed, and each head has three eyes. His hair is matted, and he holds the trident (Shūla). He is the one who goeth upwards (Ūrddhvagāmī), and in His embrace (Utsaṁga) is the Kalā Ūrddhvagāminī.”]
Plate IX. MAHĀBEDHA ACCORDING TO HATHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ
“Eternal” (Nityam).—Indestructible (Vināsharahitam).
“Birthless” (Aja).
“Primeval” (Purāna).—He is the one known as the Purāna
Purusha.¹
“Deva” means he whose play is Creation, Existence, and
Destruction.
“Who was before the three worlds” (Tri-jagatām ādyam).²— By this the implication is that He is the Cause of all as He preceded all.
“Known by the Vedānta” (Vedānta-vidita).³—Vedāntas
are sacred texts dealing with the inquiry concerning the Brahman.
He is known by a Knowledge (Jnāna) of these.
The way the Prāna is placed (Prānāropana-prakāra) in the place of Vishnu is described below: Knowing that the time for the Prāna to depart is approaching, and glad that he is about to be absorbed into the Brahman, the Yogī sits in Yogā- sana and restrains his breath by Kumbhaka. He then leads the Jīvātmā in the heart to the Mūlādhāra, and by contracting the anus⁴ and following other prescribed processes rouses the Kundalinī. He next meditates upon the lightning-like, blissful Nāda, which is thread-like and whose substance is Kundalī (Kundalinī-maya). He then merges the Hangsa which is the Paramātmā in the form of Prāna⁵ in the Nāda, and leads it along with the Jīva through the different Chakras according to the rules of Chakra-bheda to Ājnā Chakra. He there dissolves all the diverse elements from the gross to the subtle, beginning with Prithivī, in Kundalinī. Last of all he unifies Her and the Jīvātmā with the Bindu whose substance is Shiva and Shakti (Shiva-shakti-maya); which having done, he pierces the Brahmarandhra and leaves the body, and becomes merged in the Brahman.
1 According to Shangkara, it is an adjective, and means “He who is the cause of Creation,” and the like.
2 That is, the three spheres Bhūh, Bhuvah, Svah the Vyāhriti of the Gāyatrī.
3 Shangkara reads Vedānta-vihita, and explains the expression to mean “this is the teaching of the Vedānta”.
4 Gudam ākunchya—that is, by Ashvinī Mudrā.
5 Prānarūpashvāsaparamātmakam. See Jnānārnava Tantra, Ch.
XXI, vv. 13-18.
p. 38
The Ājnā Chakra has two petals and is white. The letters Ha and Ksha, which are white,¹ are on the two petals. The presiding Shakti of the Chakra, Hākinī, is in the pericarp. She is white, has six faces each with three eyes, and six arms, and is seated on a white lotus. With Her hands She displays Varamudrā and Abhaya-mudrā,² and holds a Rudrāksha rosary, a human skull, a small drum, and a book. Above Her, within a Trikona, is Itara-Lingga, which is lightning-like, and above this, again, within another Trikona, is the inner Ātmā (Antarātmā), lustrous like a flame. On its four sides, floating in air, are sparks surrounding a light which by its own lustre makes visible all between Mūla and the Brahma-randhra. Above this, again, is Manas, and above Manas, in the region of the Moon, is Hangsah, within whom is Parama Shiva with His Shakti.
(Here ends the sixth section)
[Vishvanātha,³ in the Commentary to the Shatchakra, gives under this verse a description, taken from the Svachchhandasaṁgraha, of the region beyond the Ājnā—that is, beyond the Samashti or collective or cosmic Ājnā: “Within the Bindu is a space a hundred million Yojanas⁴ in expanse, and bright with the brightness of ten million suns. Here is the Lord of the State beyond Shānti (Shāntyatīteshvara), with five heads and ten arms and lustrous as a mass of lightning flashes. On His left is Shāntyatītā Manonmanī. Surrounding them are Nivritti, Pratishthā, Vidyā, and Shānti.⁵ Each of these is adorned with a moon and has five heads and ten arms. This is Bindu Tattva. Above Bindu is Arddhachandra, with the Kalās of the latter—namely, Jyotsnā, Jyotsnāvatī, Kānti, Suprabhā, Vimalā. Above Arddhachandra is Nibodhikā, with the Kalās of the latter—Bandhatī,
1 Karbura=white, and also means variegated.
2 V. pp. 19, 20, ante.
3 The portion in brackets is my note.—A. A.
4 A Yojana is over eight miles.
5 See, as to the Kalās, Introduction to Vol. III, Tantrik Texts, ed. by A. Avalon. See also Introduction to this volume; and “Studies in the Mantrashāstrā,” by A. Avalon.
Bodhinī, Bodhā, Jnānabodhā, Tamopahā. Above Nibodhikā is Nāda and its five Kalās—Indhikā, Rechikā, Ūrddhvagā, Trāsā, and Paramā. On the lotus above this last is Īshvara, in extent a hundred million Yojanas, and lustrous as ten thousand moons. He is five-headed, and each head has three eyes. His hair is matted, and he holds the trident (Shūla). He is the one who goeth upwards (Ūrddhvagāmī), and in His embrace (Utsaṁga) is the Kalā Ūrddhvagāminī.”]
Plate IX. MAHĀBEDHA ACCORDING TO HATHAYOGAPRADĪPIKĀ
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