The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
intermediate stages between the vegetable and animal worlds, and have a psychic life of their own. In the animal world consciousness becomes more centralised and complex, reaching its fullest development in man, who possesses all the psychic functions, such as cognition, perception, feeling, and will. Behind all these particular changing forms of sentiency or consciousness is the one formless, changeless Chit as it is in itself (Svarūpa), and as distinguished from the particular forms of its manifestation.
As Chit throughout all these stages of life remains the same it is not really developed. The appearance of development is due to the fact that It is now more and now less veiled by Mind and Matter. It is this veiling by the power of Consciousness (Shakti) which creates the world. What is it, then, which veils consciousness and thus produces world-experience?
The answer is Power or Shakti as Māyā. Māyā Shakti is that which seemingly makes the whole (Pūrna) into the not-whole (Apūrna), the infinite into the finite, the formless into forms and the like. It is a power which thus cuts down, veils and negates. Negates what? Perfect consciousness. Is Shakti the same as or different from Shiva or Chit? It must be the same, for otherwise all could not be one Brahman. But if it is the same it must be also Chit or Consciousness. Therefore it is Sachchidānandamayī¹ and Chidrūpinī.²
And yet there is, at least in appearance, some distinction. Shakti, which comes from the root Shak, “to have power,” “to be able,” means power. As She is one with
1 That is, its substance is Sat, Chit, Ānanda. The suffixes Mayī and Rūpinī indicate a subtle distinction—namely, that She is Chit, and yet by appearance something different from it.
2 In the form or nature of Chit. As the Kubjikā Tantra says, the
Paramā Kalā is both Chit (Chidrūpā) and Nāda (Nādarūpā).
p. 30
Shiva, She as such power is the power of Shiva or Consciousness. There is no difference between Shiva as the possessor of power (Shaktimān) and power itself. The power of Consciousness is Consciousness in its active aspect. Whilst, therefore, both Shiva and Shakti are Consciousness, the former is the changeless static aspect of Consciousness, and Shakti is the kinetic active aspect of the same Consciousness. The particular power whereby the dualistic world is brought into being is Māyā-Shakti, which is both a veiling (Āvarana) and projecting (Vikshepa) Shakti. Consciousness veils itself to itself, and projects from the store of its previous experiences (Sangskāra) the notion of a world in which it suffers and enjoys. The universe is thus the creative imagination (Srishtikalpanā, as it is called) of the Supreme World-thinker (Īshvara). Māyā is that power by which things are “measured”—that is, formed and made known (Mīyate anayā iti māyā). It is the sense of difference (Bhedabuddhi), or that which makes man see the world, and all things and persons therein, as different from himself, when in truth he and it and they are the one Self. It is that which establishes a dichotomy in what would otherwise be a unitary experience, and is the cause of the dualism inherent in all phenomenal experience. Shakti veils consciousness by negating in various degrees Herself as consciousness.
Before the manifestation of the universe, Being-Consciousness-Bliss alone was—that is, Shiva-Shakti as Chit and Chidrūpinī respectively. Consciousness not exercising its power, Consciousness alone changelessly was. In this the quiescent state of the Ātmā or Self, Shakti being latent, is one with it. Devī in the Kulachūdāmani Nigama¹ says: “I, though Prakriti, lie hidden in Consciousness-Bliss.”
Aham prakritirūpā chet chidānanda-parāyanā (Ch. I, vv. 16-24,
Vol. IV., “Tantrik Texts”).
p. 31
Rāghava Bhatta says:¹ “She who is eternal (Anādirūpā) existed in a subtle state, as it were Consciousness, during the great dissolution.”
intermediate stages between the vegetable and animal worlds, and have a psychic life of their own. In the animal world consciousness becomes more centralised and complex, reaching its fullest development in man, who possesses all the psychic functions, such as cognition, perception, feeling, and will. Behind all these particular changing forms of sentiency or consciousness is the one formless, changeless Chit as it is in itself (Svarūpa), and as distinguished from the particular forms of its manifestation.
As Chit throughout all these stages of life remains the same it is not really developed. The appearance of development is due to the fact that It is now more and now less veiled by Mind and Matter. It is this veiling by the power of Consciousness (Shakti) which creates the world. What is it, then, which veils consciousness and thus produces world-experience?
The answer is Power or Shakti as Māyā. Māyā Shakti is that which seemingly makes the whole (Pūrna) into the not-whole (Apūrna), the infinite into the finite, the formless into forms and the like. It is a power which thus cuts down, veils and negates. Negates what? Perfect consciousness. Is Shakti the same as or different from Shiva or Chit? It must be the same, for otherwise all could not be one Brahman. But if it is the same it must be also Chit or Consciousness. Therefore it is Sachchidānandamayī¹ and Chidrūpinī.²
And yet there is, at least in appearance, some distinction. Shakti, which comes from the root Shak, “to have power,” “to be able,” means power. As She is one with
1 That is, its substance is Sat, Chit, Ānanda. The suffixes Mayī and Rūpinī indicate a subtle distinction—namely, that She is Chit, and yet by appearance something different from it.
2 In the form or nature of Chit. As the Kubjikā Tantra says, the
Paramā Kalā is both Chit (Chidrūpā) and Nāda (Nādarūpā).
p. 30
Shiva, She as such power is the power of Shiva or Consciousness. There is no difference between Shiva as the possessor of power (Shaktimān) and power itself. The power of Consciousness is Consciousness in its active aspect. Whilst, therefore, both Shiva and Shakti are Consciousness, the former is the changeless static aspect of Consciousness, and Shakti is the kinetic active aspect of the same Consciousness. The particular power whereby the dualistic world is brought into being is Māyā-Shakti, which is both a veiling (Āvarana) and projecting (Vikshepa) Shakti. Consciousness veils itself to itself, and projects from the store of its previous experiences (Sangskāra) the notion of a world in which it suffers and enjoys. The universe is thus the creative imagination (Srishtikalpanā, as it is called) of the Supreme World-thinker (Īshvara). Māyā is that power by which things are “measured”—that is, formed and made known (Mīyate anayā iti māyā). It is the sense of difference (Bhedabuddhi), or that which makes man see the world, and all things and persons therein, as different from himself, when in truth he and it and they are the one Self. It is that which establishes a dichotomy in what would otherwise be a unitary experience, and is the cause of the dualism inherent in all phenomenal experience. Shakti veils consciousness by negating in various degrees Herself as consciousness.
Before the manifestation of the universe, Being-Consciousness-Bliss alone was—that is, Shiva-Shakti as Chit and Chidrūpinī respectively. Consciousness not exercising its power, Consciousness alone changelessly was. In this the quiescent state of the Ātmā or Self, Shakti being latent, is one with it. Devī in the Kulachūdāmani Nigama¹ says: “I, though Prakriti, lie hidden in Consciousness-Bliss.”
Aham prakritirūpā chet chidānanda-parāyanā (Ch. I, vv. 16-24,
Vol. IV., “Tantrik Texts”).
p. 31
Rāghava Bhatta says:¹ “She who is eternal (Anādirūpā) existed in a subtle state, as it were Consciousness, during the great dissolution.”
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