The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
The Shāradā-tilaka says: “From the Sakala Paramēshvara,² who is Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, Shakti emanated; from Shakti, again, emanated Nāda; and Bindu has its origin from Nāda. He who is Para-Shakti-maya manifests Himself in three different ways. Bindu and Nāda and Bija are but His different aspects. Bindu is Nādātmaka,³ Bija is Shakti, and Nāda, again, is the union or relation of the one to the other.⁴ This is spoken of by all who are versed in the Āgamas.”⁵
“Para-Shakti-maya”: Para=Shiva; hence Shiva-Shakti-maya =Bindu. The Bindu who is above the forehead is Nādātmaka— that is, Shivātmaka.⁶ Bīja is Shakti as Bodhinī (Bodhinī-rūpam). Nāda is the connection between the two whereby the one acts upon the other; hence it is Kriyā Shakti. Above these three is Mahā- nāda. This has already been shown.
“Above this is Kalā,” etc.: Kalā=Shakti. Ānji=a crooked, awry, bent line. This is in shape like a bent or crooked line over a letter. This Shakti appeared in the beginning of creation. Cf. Pancha-rātra: “Having thus seen, the Supreme Male in the beginning of creation makes manifest the eternal Prakriti who is the embodiment of Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, in whom¹ are all the Tattvas, and who is the presiding (Adhishthātrī) Devī of creation.”
1 The third of the seven primary subtle tones.
2 Shāradā, Ch. I, vv. 7—9. Sakala, as opposed to Nishkala or Nirguna, means united with Kalā, which according to Sāngkhya is Sāmyāvasthā of the Gunas which is Prakriti. According to the Vedantists (of the Māyā Vāda), Kalā is Avidyā. In the Shaiva Tantra Kalā is Shakti (Rāghava Bhatta).
3 Another text has Shivātmaka—that is, Vindu is the Shiva aspect.
4 Samavāya=kshobhya-kshobhaka-sambandha—lit., connection which is the connection of reciprocity.
5 See Introduction.
6 In the Benares edition as also in Rasika Mohana Chattopādhyāya’s edition of the Shāradātilaka the text reads Shivātmaka, as if qualifying Vīja, which seems erroneous.
Also elsewhere: “From the unmanifested (Avyakta) Paramēshvara, the united Shiva and Shakti, emanated the Ādyā (first) Devī Bhagavatī, who is Tripura-sundarī, the Shakti from whom came Nāda, and thence came Bindu.”
“Above it is Unmanī,” etc.: Cf. “By going where ‘Manasness’ (Manastva) of Manas ceases to be, is called Unmanī, the attainment of which is the secret teaching of all Tantras.”²
The state of Unmanī is the Tattva which means the dispelling of the attachment prompted by Manas towards worldly objects.
Unmanī, again, is of two kinds: (1) Nirvāna-kalā-rūpā, which also has its place in the Sahasrāra³; (2) Varnāvalī-rūpā, which also has its place in this region. Cf. Kangkāla-mālinī: “In the pericarp of the Sahasrāra, placed within the circle of the moon, is the seventeenth Kalā, devoid of attachment.⁴ The name of this is Unmanī, which cuts the bond of attachment to the world.”
Cf. also: “By mental recitation of the Mālā-varna (rosary
of letters) is Unmanī the granter of Liberation (attained).”
Mālā-varna=Varnāvalī-rūpa.
The Bhūta-shuddhi speaks of the Samanī below Unmanī.
“Next is the Vyāpikā Shakti (Diffusive Energy) which people
know as Ānjī. Samanī⁵ is over this, and Unmanī is above all.’
This (Samanī) also is an intermediate aspect (Avāntararūpa)
of Parashakti.
1 Rāghava reads “Samastatattvasaṁghātmasphurtyadhishthatrirūpinīm”—which means “who is the Devi presiding over or directing the evolution or manifestation of all the mass of Tattvas”.
2 Vishvanātha, quoting Svachchhandasaṁgraha, which speaks of Unmanī as above Samanā, says that in the Unmanī stage there is no cognition of and no distinction is made between Kāla and Kalā; there is no body, and no Devatās, and no cessation of continuity. It is the pure and sweet mouth of Rudra. Cf. Vrittihīnam manah in the Shiva- Saṁhitā, V, 219.
3 Sahasrārādhārā. See Introduction.
4 Sarva-sangkalpa-rahitā—i.e., who is free from all attachment, not prompted by anything in any action. The passages quoted are from ch. v, Kangkāla-mālinī.
5 Vishvanātha speaks of it as Samanā, and says that She is Chidā- nandasvarūpā (that is, Chit and Ānanda), and the cause of all causes (Sarvakāranakāranam.)
We now get the following:
Above Ājnā Chakra is the second Bindu—which is Shiva (Shiva-svarūpa). Above Bindu is the Shakti Bodhinī in shape like an Arddha-mātrā; next is Nāda which is the union of Shiva and Shakti, in shape like a half (crescent) moon; next (above this) is Mahānāda, shaped like a plough; above Mahānāda is the Vyāpikā Shakti, crooked (Ānjī) in shape; above this last is Samanī and highest of these all is Unmanī. This is the order in which the seven causal forms (Kārana-rūpa) are placed.
There is no need to go into further detail. Let us then follow the text.
Wishing to describe the Sahasrāra he speaks of it in ten more verses.
“Above all these” (Tadūrddhve).—Above every other that has been described or spoken before.
“Over the head of the Shaṁkhinī Nādī”—a sight of which has been given to the disciple.
“Vacant space” (Shūnya-desha)—that is, the place where there are no Nādīs; the implication is that it is above where Sushumnā ends.
The Shāradā-tilaka says: “From the Sakala Paramēshvara,² who is Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, Shakti emanated; from Shakti, again, emanated Nāda; and Bindu has its origin from Nāda. He who is Para-Shakti-maya manifests Himself in three different ways. Bindu and Nāda and Bija are but His different aspects. Bindu is Nādātmaka,³ Bija is Shakti, and Nāda, again, is the union or relation of the one to the other.⁴ This is spoken of by all who are versed in the Āgamas.”⁵
“Para-Shakti-maya”: Para=Shiva; hence Shiva-Shakti-maya =Bindu. The Bindu who is above the forehead is Nādātmaka— that is, Shivātmaka.⁶ Bīja is Shakti as Bodhinī (Bodhinī-rūpam). Nāda is the connection between the two whereby the one acts upon the other; hence it is Kriyā Shakti. Above these three is Mahā- nāda. This has already been shown.
“Above this is Kalā,” etc.: Kalā=Shakti. Ānji=a crooked, awry, bent line. This is in shape like a bent or crooked line over a letter. This Shakti appeared in the beginning of creation. Cf. Pancha-rātra: “Having thus seen, the Supreme Male in the beginning of creation makes manifest the eternal Prakriti who is the embodiment of Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, in whom¹ are all the Tattvas, and who is the presiding (Adhishthātrī) Devī of creation.”
1 The third of the seven primary subtle tones.
2 Shāradā, Ch. I, vv. 7—9. Sakala, as opposed to Nishkala or Nirguna, means united with Kalā, which according to Sāngkhya is Sāmyāvasthā of the Gunas which is Prakriti. According to the Vedantists (of the Māyā Vāda), Kalā is Avidyā. In the Shaiva Tantra Kalā is Shakti (Rāghava Bhatta).
3 Another text has Shivātmaka—that is, Vindu is the Shiva aspect.
4 Samavāya=kshobhya-kshobhaka-sambandha—lit., connection which is the connection of reciprocity.
5 See Introduction.
6 In the Benares edition as also in Rasika Mohana Chattopādhyāya’s edition of the Shāradātilaka the text reads Shivātmaka, as if qualifying Vīja, which seems erroneous.
Also elsewhere: “From the unmanifested (Avyakta) Paramēshvara, the united Shiva and Shakti, emanated the Ādyā (first) Devī Bhagavatī, who is Tripura-sundarī, the Shakti from whom came Nāda, and thence came Bindu.”
“Above it is Unmanī,” etc.: Cf. “By going where ‘Manasness’ (Manastva) of Manas ceases to be, is called Unmanī, the attainment of which is the secret teaching of all Tantras.”²
The state of Unmanī is the Tattva which means the dispelling of the attachment prompted by Manas towards worldly objects.
Unmanī, again, is of two kinds: (1) Nirvāna-kalā-rūpā, which also has its place in the Sahasrāra³; (2) Varnāvalī-rūpā, which also has its place in this region. Cf. Kangkāla-mālinī: “In the pericarp of the Sahasrāra, placed within the circle of the moon, is the seventeenth Kalā, devoid of attachment.⁴ The name of this is Unmanī, which cuts the bond of attachment to the world.”
Cf. also: “By mental recitation of the Mālā-varna (rosary
of letters) is Unmanī the granter of Liberation (attained).”
Mālā-varna=Varnāvalī-rūpa.
The Bhūta-shuddhi speaks of the Samanī below Unmanī.
“Next is the Vyāpikā Shakti (Diffusive Energy) which people
know as Ānjī. Samanī⁵ is over this, and Unmanī is above all.’
This (Samanī) also is an intermediate aspect (Avāntararūpa)
of Parashakti.
1 Rāghava reads “Samastatattvasaṁghātmasphurtyadhishthatrirūpinīm”—which means “who is the Devi presiding over or directing the evolution or manifestation of all the mass of Tattvas”.
2 Vishvanātha, quoting Svachchhandasaṁgraha, which speaks of Unmanī as above Samanā, says that in the Unmanī stage there is no cognition of and no distinction is made between Kāla and Kalā; there is no body, and no Devatās, and no cessation of continuity. It is the pure and sweet mouth of Rudra. Cf. Vrittihīnam manah in the Shiva- Saṁhitā, V, 219.
3 Sahasrārādhārā. See Introduction.
4 Sarva-sangkalpa-rahitā—i.e., who is free from all attachment, not prompted by anything in any action. The passages quoted are from ch. v, Kangkāla-mālinī.
5 Vishvanātha speaks of it as Samanā, and says that She is Chidā- nandasvarūpā (that is, Chit and Ānanda), and the cause of all causes (Sarvakāranakāranam.)
We now get the following:
Above Ājnā Chakra is the second Bindu—which is Shiva (Shiva-svarūpa). Above Bindu is the Shakti Bodhinī in shape like an Arddha-mātrā; next is Nāda which is the union of Shiva and Shakti, in shape like a half (crescent) moon; next (above this) is Mahānāda, shaped like a plough; above Mahānāda is the Vyāpikā Shakti, crooked (Ānjī) in shape; above this last is Samanī and highest of these all is Unmanī. This is the order in which the seven causal forms (Kārana-rūpa) are placed.
There is no need to go into further detail. Let us then follow the text.
Wishing to describe the Sahasrāra he speaks of it in ten more verses.
“Above all these” (Tadūrddhve).—Above every other that has been described or spoken before.
“Over the head of the Shaṁkhinī Nādī”—a sight of which has been given to the disciple.
“Vacant space” (Shūnya-desha)—that is, the place where there are no Nādīs; the implication is that it is above where Sushumnā ends.
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