The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
the tabernacle of the Spirit (Ātmā), which as the Lord is “in all beings, and who from within all beings controls them”.¹ The body of the Lord (Īshvara) is pure Sattvaguna (Shuddhasattvagunapradhāna).² This is the aggregate Prakriti or Māyā of Him or Her as the Creator- Creatrix of all things. Jīva, as the Kulārnava Tantra³ says, is bound by the bonds (Pāsha); Sadāshiva is free of them.⁴ The former is Pashu, and the latter Pashupati, or Lord of Pashus (Jīvas). That is, Ishvarī⁵ is not affected by Her own Māyā. She is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful. Īshvara thus rules Māyā. Jīva is ruled by it. From this standpoint the Mother and Her child the Jīva are not, thus, the same. For the latter is a limited consciousness subject to error, and governed by that Māyā-shakti of Hers which makes the world seem to be different from what it in its essence is. The body of Jīva is therefore known as the individual Prakriti or Avidyā, in which there is impure Sattva, and Rajas and Tamas (Malinasattvagunapradhāna). But in the Mother are all creatures. And so in the Trishatī⁶ the Devī is called “in the form of one and many letters” (Ēkānekāksharākritih). As Ekā She is the Ajnāna which is pure Sattva and attribute
1 Yah sarveshu bhūteshu tishthan; yah sarvāni bhūtāny antaro yamayati (Brīh. Up., iii. 7, 15). The Jiva is thus Chaitanyarūpa with the Upādhi ajnāna and its effects, mind and body, and which is Abhimānin, or attributor to itself, of the waking, etc., states.
2 Shangkara’s Bhāshya, II. 3-45. The Jīva is Chaitanya distinguished by Upādhi. The latter term means distinguishing property, attribute, body, etc., and here body (Deha), senses (Indriya), mind (Manas, Buddhi), etc. (ib. I. 2-6).
3 1 Khanda 5, Tantrik Texts.
4 Pāshabaddho bhavej jīvah pāshamuktah sadāshivah (Kulārnava Tantra, IX. 48), upon which the author of the Prānatoshinī, who cites this passage, says: “Thus the identity of Shiva and Jīva is shown” (iti shivajīvayor aikyam uktam).
5 Feminine of Īshvara. Some worship Shiva, some Devī. Both are one.
6 Comm. by Shangkara on v. 23.
(Upādhi) of Īshvara; as Anekā She is Upādhi or vehicle of Jīva. Whilst Īshvara is one, Jīvas are many,¹ according to the diversity in the nature of the individual Prakriti caused by the appearance of Rajas and Tamas in it in differing proportions. The Ātmā appears as Jīva in the various forms of the vegetable, animal, and human worlds.
The first or Causal Body of any particular Jīva, therefore, is that Prakriti (Avidyā Shakti) which is the cause of the subtle and gross bodies of this Jīva which are evolved from it. This body lasts until liberation, when the Jīvātmā ceases to be such and is the Paramātmā or bodiless Spirit (Videha Mukti). The Jīva exists in this body during dreamless sleep (Sushupti).
The second and third bodies are the differentiations through evolution of the causal body, from which first proceeds the subtle body, and from the latter is produced the gross body.
The Subtle Body, which is also called Linga Sharīra or Puryashtaka, is constituted of the first evolutes (Vikriti) from the causal Prakritic body—namely, the Mind (Antahkarana), the internal instrument, together with the external instruments (Bāhyakarana), or the Senses (Indriya), and their supersensible objects (Tanmātra). The third or gross body is the body of “matter” which is the gross particular object of the senses² derived from the supersensibles.
Shortly, this subtle body may be described as the Mental Body, as that which succeeds is called the gross body, of Matter. Mind is considered by itself, that is as dissociated from Consciousness which is never the case, an unconscious force which breaks up into particulars the
1 According to another Vedāntic view there is only one jīva.
2 The definition of a Bhūta (sensible matter) is that which can be seen by the outer organ, such as the eye, ear, etc.
Experience-Whole which is Chit. It is called the “working within” or “internal instrument” (Antahkarana), and is one only, but is given different names to denote the diversity of its functions.¹ The Sāngkhya thus speaks of Buddhi, Ahangkāra, Manas, to which the Vedānta adds Chitta, being different aspects or attributes (Dharma) of Mind as displayed in the psychical processes by which the Jīva knows, feels, and wills.
These may be considered from the point of view of evolution—that is, according to the sequence in which the limited experience of the Jīva is evolved—or from that in which they are regarded after creation, when the experience of concrete sense objects has been had. According to the former aspect, Buddhi or Mahat Tattva is the state of mere presentation; consciousness of being only, without thought of “I” (Ahangkāra), and unaffected by sensations of particular objects (Manas and Indriyas). It is thus the impersonal Jīva Consciousness. Ahangkāra, of which Buddhi is the basis, is the personal consciousness which realises itself as a particular “I,” the experiencer. The Jīva, in the order of creation, first experiences in a vague general way without consciousness of the self, like the experience which is had immediately on waking after sleep. It then refers this experience to the limited self, and has the consciousness “I am So-and-so”.
the tabernacle of the Spirit (Ātmā), which as the Lord is “in all beings, and who from within all beings controls them”.¹ The body of the Lord (Īshvara) is pure Sattvaguna (Shuddhasattvagunapradhāna).² This is the aggregate Prakriti or Māyā of Him or Her as the Creator- Creatrix of all things. Jīva, as the Kulārnava Tantra³ says, is bound by the bonds (Pāsha); Sadāshiva is free of them.⁴ The former is Pashu, and the latter Pashupati, or Lord of Pashus (Jīvas). That is, Ishvarī⁵ is not affected by Her own Māyā. She is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful. Īshvara thus rules Māyā. Jīva is ruled by it. From this standpoint the Mother and Her child the Jīva are not, thus, the same. For the latter is a limited consciousness subject to error, and governed by that Māyā-shakti of Hers which makes the world seem to be different from what it in its essence is. The body of Jīva is therefore known as the individual Prakriti or Avidyā, in which there is impure Sattva, and Rajas and Tamas (Malinasattvagunapradhāna). But in the Mother are all creatures. And so in the Trishatī⁶ the Devī is called “in the form of one and many letters” (Ēkānekāksharākritih). As Ekā She is the Ajnāna which is pure Sattva and attribute
1 Yah sarveshu bhūteshu tishthan; yah sarvāni bhūtāny antaro yamayati (Brīh. Up., iii. 7, 15). The Jiva is thus Chaitanyarūpa with the Upādhi ajnāna and its effects, mind and body, and which is Abhimānin, or attributor to itself, of the waking, etc., states.
2 Shangkara’s Bhāshya, II. 3-45. The Jīva is Chaitanya distinguished by Upādhi. The latter term means distinguishing property, attribute, body, etc., and here body (Deha), senses (Indriya), mind (Manas, Buddhi), etc. (ib. I. 2-6).
3 1 Khanda 5, Tantrik Texts.
4 Pāshabaddho bhavej jīvah pāshamuktah sadāshivah (Kulārnava Tantra, IX. 48), upon which the author of the Prānatoshinī, who cites this passage, says: “Thus the identity of Shiva and Jīva is shown” (iti shivajīvayor aikyam uktam).
5 Feminine of Īshvara. Some worship Shiva, some Devī. Both are one.
6 Comm. by Shangkara on v. 23.
(Upādhi) of Īshvara; as Anekā She is Upādhi or vehicle of Jīva. Whilst Īshvara is one, Jīvas are many,¹ according to the diversity in the nature of the individual Prakriti caused by the appearance of Rajas and Tamas in it in differing proportions. The Ātmā appears as Jīva in the various forms of the vegetable, animal, and human worlds.
The first or Causal Body of any particular Jīva, therefore, is that Prakriti (Avidyā Shakti) which is the cause of the subtle and gross bodies of this Jīva which are evolved from it. This body lasts until liberation, when the Jīvātmā ceases to be such and is the Paramātmā or bodiless Spirit (Videha Mukti). The Jīva exists in this body during dreamless sleep (Sushupti).
The second and third bodies are the differentiations through evolution of the causal body, from which first proceeds the subtle body, and from the latter is produced the gross body.
The Subtle Body, which is also called Linga Sharīra or Puryashtaka, is constituted of the first evolutes (Vikriti) from the causal Prakritic body—namely, the Mind (Antahkarana), the internal instrument, together with the external instruments (Bāhyakarana), or the Senses (Indriya), and their supersensible objects (Tanmātra). The third or gross body is the body of “matter” which is the gross particular object of the senses² derived from the supersensibles.
Shortly, this subtle body may be described as the Mental Body, as that which succeeds is called the gross body, of Matter. Mind is considered by itself, that is as dissociated from Consciousness which is never the case, an unconscious force which breaks up into particulars the
1 According to another Vedāntic view there is only one jīva.
2 The definition of a Bhūta (sensible matter) is that which can be seen by the outer organ, such as the eye, ear, etc.
Experience-Whole which is Chit. It is called the “working within” or “internal instrument” (Antahkarana), and is one only, but is given different names to denote the diversity of its functions.¹ The Sāngkhya thus speaks of Buddhi, Ahangkāra, Manas, to which the Vedānta adds Chitta, being different aspects or attributes (Dharma) of Mind as displayed in the psychical processes by which the Jīva knows, feels, and wills.
These may be considered from the point of view of evolution—that is, according to the sequence in which the limited experience of the Jīva is evolved—or from that in which they are regarded after creation, when the experience of concrete sense objects has been had. According to the former aspect, Buddhi or Mahat Tattva is the state of mere presentation; consciousness of being only, without thought of “I” (Ahangkāra), and unaffected by sensations of particular objects (Manas and Indriyas). It is thus the impersonal Jīva Consciousness. Ahangkāra, of which Buddhi is the basis, is the personal consciousness which realises itself as a particular “I,” the experiencer. The Jīva, in the order of creation, first experiences in a vague general way without consciousness of the self, like the experience which is had immediately on waking after sleep. It then refers this experience to the limited self, and has the consciousness “I am So-and-so”.
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