The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
“The Lotus of twelve petals (or Letters) is within the pericarp of the White Lotus of a thousand petals, which has its head turned downward, and the filaments of which are of the colour of the rising sun, and which is adorned by all the letters of the alphabet.” Here the statement ‘within the pericarp’ is explicit.
“Adorned by the channel of Kundalī” (Kundalī-vivara-kāndamanditam).—The Vivara (Channel) is that by which Kundalinī goes to Shiva in the Sahasrāra. The Chitrinī contains within it this passage or channel. Chitrinī is the tube (stalk), as it were, through which the passage runs, and Chitrinī adorns and is adorned by this Lotus. As a Lotus rests on its stalk, so does the twelve-petalled Lotus rest on Chitrinī, and is made beautiful by its stalk.
Verse 2
I ADORE the Abode of Shakti in the place where the two pericarps come together. It is formed by the lines¹ A, Ka, and Tha; and the letters Ha, La, and Ksha, which are visible in each of its corners, give it the character of a Mandala.²
COMMENTARY
The Guru should be meditated upon as in the triangle A-Ka-Tha within the pericarp of the Lotus before-mentioned. He now wishes to describe the triangle so that an adequate conception of it may be formed.
“The abode of Shakti” (Abalālayam).—By Abalā is meant Shakti. Here She is Kāmakalā triangular in form, and the three Shaktis, Vāmā, Jyeshthā, and Raudrī, are the lines of the triangle. These three lines or Shaktis emanate from the three Bindus.³ Kāmakalā is the abode of Shakti.
The Yāmala speaks of the identity of Kāmakalā with this abode. The passage begins, “I now speak of Kāma-kalā,” and proceeding says⁴: “She is the three Bindus. She is the three Shaktis. She is the threefold Manifestation. She is everlasting.” That is, Kāmakalā is composed of the three Shaktis spoken of (Trishaktirūpā). He next speaks of the attributes of Abalālaya (abode of Shakti).
1 A-Ka-Thādi—i.e., the lines formed by the letters A to Ah, Ka to Tas and Tha to Sa. These letters placed as three lines form the three sides of the triangle.
2 i.e., the diagram where the Divinity is summoned and worshipped.
3 Vindutrayāngkurabhūtā—that is, they have the three Bindus as their sprouting shoot. (See Kāmakalāvilāsa, Vol. X, Tantrik Texts.)
4 Trivinduh sā trishaktih sā trimūrtih sā sanātanī.
“The place where the two pericarps come together” (Kandalita- Karnikāpute).—Kandala ordinarily means a quarrel in which one attacks the other with words. Here its significance is merely that the pericarp of one (the twelve-petalled lotus) is included within that of the other (Sahasrāra).
Place (Puta), i.e., the place where the triangle is “formed by the lines A, Ka, and Tha” (Klipta-rekham akathādirekhayā).— The sixteen vowels beginning with A form the line Vāmā, the sixteen letters beginning with Ka form the line Jyeshthā, and the sixteen letters beginning with Tha form the line Raudrī. The Abode of Shakti is formed by these three lines.
The Brihat Shrīkrama, in dealing with Kāmakalā, says:
“From the Bindu as the sprouting root (Angkura) She has
assumed the form of letters.”¹
“The letters Ha, La, and Ksha, which are visible in its corners, give it the character of a Mandala” (Kona-lakshita-ha-la-kshamandalī-bhāva-lakshyam).—In its corners—i.e., in the inner corners of the aforesaid triangle. The three corners of the triangle are at the apex,² the right, and the left. The letters Ha, La, and Ksha, which are visible there, give the place the character of a Mandala.
One cannot form an adequate conception (Dhyāna) of this triangle without knowing it in all its particulars, and that is why other authorities are quoted. This triangle should be so drawn that if one were to walk round it would always be on one’s left.
The Shāktānanda-taraṁginī says: “Write the triangle
A-Ka-Tha so that walking outside it is always on one’s left.”
Kālī Ūrddhvāmnāya: “The Tri-bindu⁴ is the Supreme Tattva, and embodies within itself Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva (Brahmavishnushivātmakam). The triangle composed of the letters has emanated from the Bindu.” Also: “The letters
1 Varnāvayava-rūpinī. Bindu appears in the form of letters by germinating as a sprout. The letters are sprouts from Bindu; that is, the Universe is evolved from Bindu.
2 The triangle, it should be remembered, has its apex downward.
3 Vāmāvartena vilikhet. The drawing is made in the direction which is the reverse to that of the hands of a watch.
4 i.e., the three Bindus considered as one and also separately.
A to Visarga make the line Brahmā, which is the line of Prajāpati; the letters Ka to Ta make the most supreme (Parātparā) line of Vishnu. The letters Tha to Sa make the line of Shiva. The three lines emanate from the three Bindus.”
Tantra-jīvana: “The lines Rajas, Sattva, and Tamas,
“The Lotus of twelve petals (or Letters) is within the pericarp of the White Lotus of a thousand petals, which has its head turned downward, and the filaments of which are of the colour of the rising sun, and which is adorned by all the letters of the alphabet.” Here the statement ‘within the pericarp’ is explicit.
“Adorned by the channel of Kundalī” (Kundalī-vivara-kāndamanditam).—The Vivara (Channel) is that by which Kundalinī goes to Shiva in the Sahasrāra. The Chitrinī contains within it this passage or channel. Chitrinī is the tube (stalk), as it were, through which the passage runs, and Chitrinī adorns and is adorned by this Lotus. As a Lotus rests on its stalk, so does the twelve-petalled Lotus rest on Chitrinī, and is made beautiful by its stalk.
Verse 2
I ADORE the Abode of Shakti in the place where the two pericarps come together. It is formed by the lines¹ A, Ka, and Tha; and the letters Ha, La, and Ksha, which are visible in each of its corners, give it the character of a Mandala.²
COMMENTARY
The Guru should be meditated upon as in the triangle A-Ka-Tha within the pericarp of the Lotus before-mentioned. He now wishes to describe the triangle so that an adequate conception of it may be formed.
“The abode of Shakti” (Abalālayam).—By Abalā is meant Shakti. Here She is Kāmakalā triangular in form, and the three Shaktis, Vāmā, Jyeshthā, and Raudrī, are the lines of the triangle. These three lines or Shaktis emanate from the three Bindus.³ Kāmakalā is the abode of Shakti.
The Yāmala speaks of the identity of Kāmakalā with this abode. The passage begins, “I now speak of Kāma-kalā,” and proceeding says⁴: “She is the three Bindus. She is the three Shaktis. She is the threefold Manifestation. She is everlasting.” That is, Kāmakalā is composed of the three Shaktis spoken of (Trishaktirūpā). He next speaks of the attributes of Abalālaya (abode of Shakti).
1 A-Ka-Thādi—i.e., the lines formed by the letters A to Ah, Ka to Tas and Tha to Sa. These letters placed as three lines form the three sides of the triangle.
2 i.e., the diagram where the Divinity is summoned and worshipped.
3 Vindutrayāngkurabhūtā—that is, they have the three Bindus as their sprouting shoot. (See Kāmakalāvilāsa, Vol. X, Tantrik Texts.)
4 Trivinduh sā trishaktih sā trimūrtih sā sanātanī.
“The place where the two pericarps come together” (Kandalita- Karnikāpute).—Kandala ordinarily means a quarrel in which one attacks the other with words. Here its significance is merely that the pericarp of one (the twelve-petalled lotus) is included within that of the other (Sahasrāra).
Place (Puta), i.e., the place where the triangle is “formed by the lines A, Ka, and Tha” (Klipta-rekham akathādirekhayā).— The sixteen vowels beginning with A form the line Vāmā, the sixteen letters beginning with Ka form the line Jyeshthā, and the sixteen letters beginning with Tha form the line Raudrī. The Abode of Shakti is formed by these three lines.
The Brihat Shrīkrama, in dealing with Kāmakalā, says:
“From the Bindu as the sprouting root (Angkura) She has
assumed the form of letters.”¹
“The letters Ha, La, and Ksha, which are visible in its corners, give it the character of a Mandala” (Kona-lakshita-ha-la-kshamandalī-bhāva-lakshyam).—In its corners—i.e., in the inner corners of the aforesaid triangle. The three corners of the triangle are at the apex,² the right, and the left. The letters Ha, La, and Ksha, which are visible there, give the place the character of a Mandala.
One cannot form an adequate conception (Dhyāna) of this triangle without knowing it in all its particulars, and that is why other authorities are quoted. This triangle should be so drawn that if one were to walk round it would always be on one’s left.
The Shāktānanda-taraṁginī says: “Write the triangle
A-Ka-Tha so that walking outside it is always on one’s left.”
Kālī Ūrddhvāmnāya: “The Tri-bindu⁴ is the Supreme Tattva, and embodies within itself Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva (Brahmavishnushivātmakam). The triangle composed of the letters has emanated from the Bindu.” Also: “The letters
1 Varnāvayava-rūpinī. Bindu appears in the form of letters by germinating as a sprout. The letters are sprouts from Bindu; that is, the Universe is evolved from Bindu.
2 The triangle, it should be remembered, has its apex downward.
3 Vāmāvartena vilikhet. The drawing is made in the direction which is the reverse to that of the hands of a watch.
4 i.e., the three Bindus considered as one and also separately.
A to Visarga make the line Brahmā, which is the line of Prajāpati; the letters Ka to Ta make the most supreme (Parātparā) line of Vishnu. The letters Tha to Sa make the line of Shiva. The three lines emanate from the three Bindus.”
Tantra-jīvana: “The lines Rajas, Sattva, and Tamas,
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