Sri Kamakoti Mandali

vidyAtIrtha

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:29:24 -0700

A vilakShaNa nAma of Lord dakShiNAmUrti is vidyAtIrtha. It is said:

yasya niHshvasitaM vedA vedebyo.akhilaM jagat |
nirmame tamahaM vande vidyAtIrthaM maheshvaram ||

Lord is described as vidyAtIrtha as he created the world through the Vedas which are of the form of his niHshvAsa. As all vidyAs originate from the primordial source named dakShiNAmUrti, he is referred to as vidyA tIrtha. While the Lord’s association with the Vedas and vedangas is clear, it is easy to understand his association with other branches of knowledge.

The great shAkta avatAra of mahAviShNu named parashurAma received the knowledge of dhanurvidyA from mahAdeva. The great weapon of pAshupata was granted to arjuna by shambhu. The invincible sudarshana chakra which shines in the lotus hand of nArAyaNa was created by mahAdeva from his nakha (nail). As stated in UrdhvamnAya tantra, the great sudarshana was created from the nail of mahAnR^isiMha. This clearly establishes abheda between mahAdeva and nR^ihari. Maya and vishvakarmA the great sculptors received the knowledge of shilpashAstra from mahAdeva. shukrAchArya received the secret of mR^itasa~njIvinI vidyA (we wrote earlier a quick summary of the various forms of sanjIvinI mantra that we are familiar with) from mahAmR^ityunjaya. The Lord is addressed frequently as bhiShaktama, indicating he is the greatest of doctors. Probably shiva can also be called the world’s first surgeon. Was he not the surgeon who placed the head of an elephant on gaNesha and re-attached the severed head of dakSha? Mercury, the basis for rasavidyA, called rasarAja, is the vIrya of mahAdeva, thus earning him the title, raseshvara.

The great science of yoga shAstra has also originated from yogeshvara mahAdeva. shrImadAchArya states in his yogatArAvaLI the existence of one lakh twenty-five thousand ways to achieve manolaya, each of which were taught by sadAshiva:

sadAshivoktAni sapAdalakSha-
layAvadhAnAni vasanti loke |
nAdAnusandhAnasamAdhimekam
manyAmahe mAnyatamaM layAnAm ||

Great yogAcharyas such as patanjali, matsyendranAtha and gorakShanAtha attained mastery in yoga through the grace of bhavAnIpati. The puruSha sUkta states: chandramA manaso jAtaH, comparing chandramA to the mind. By wearing the moon on his crown, chandrashekhara exhibits his state of complete manonigraha. The Damaru held in his hands, which led to the creation of shabdashAstra of pANini, represents incessant anusandhAna of nAda. The gajacharma worn by the Lord is indicative of ahaMkAra-nigraha. The deer held is his hands represents chitta-chAnchalya nigraha, vyAghra charma represents kAmanigraha and sarpa krodha nigraha. The waves of gangA cascading from his jaTA represents the phalasvarUpa of these nigrahas such as shAnti, shuddhi and mokSha. Thus, the very mUrti of sadAshiva is yogadyotaka. Moreover, yoga shAstra describes sadAshiva as the Adiguru of yoga:

yugAvartena shishneShu yogAchAryasvarUpiNA |
tatra tatrAvatIrNena shivenaiva pravartate ||
saMkShipyAsya pravaktAraH chatvaraH paramarShayaH |
gururdadhIcho.agastyashcha upamanyurmahAyashAH ||
te cha pAshupatA j~neyA saMhitAnAM pravartakAH |
tatsantatInAM guravaH shatasho.atha sahasrashaH ||

As stated before, dhanurveda originated from pinAkin. nItiprakAshikA describes shiva as the author of dhanurveda. The association of mahAdeva with pinAka is stated in the very first mantra of rudra prashna. The following verse from rAmAyaNa adds puShTi to the same:

yadi tuShTo mahAdeva dhanurvedo mamAnagha |
sA~NgopA~NgopaniShadaH sa rahasyaH pradIyatAm ||

vishvAmitra is described to have learnt dhanurvidyA from rudra. vAsisTha dhanurveda describes shiva as the dhanurvidyA guru of bhArgava rAma.

Shiva is explicitly described as the source of the twenty-eight shivAgamas:

aShTadashapurANAnAM kartA satyavatIsutaH |
kAmikAdiprabhedAnAM yathA devo maheshvaraH || [sUta saMhitA]

The scheme of revelation of the Agamas from the five faces of svacChanda bhairava is described below:

sadyojAtamukhAjjAtAH pa~nchAdyAH kAmikAdayaH |
vAmadevamukhAjjAtAH dIptAdyAH pa~nchasaMhitAH ||
aghoravaktrAdudbhUtAH panchA.atha vijayAdayaH |
IshAnavadanAjjAtAH prodgItAdyaShTasaMhitAH ||

Having transformed his jnAna into nAda through the rahoyAga named manonmanI yoga, Lord revealed these Agamas and taught them to sixty-four disciples. The mantras of the five, six, nine or twelve Amnayas originate from the vaktrapankaja of the Supreme Guru svacChanda bhairava.

Thus, it is easy to see why the shruti sings praise of umesha thus: IshAnaH sarvavidyAnAm. Hence also the statement referring to dakShiNAmUrti: vidyAkAmastu girisham. Glory to mahAdeva, who, by the merit of parAmbA present in him as j~nAnashakti, imparts knowledge to the world through silence. We should also take a moment here to salute our Guru shrIvidyAtIrtha, who, ever immersed in lambikA yoga samAdhi, is guiding disciples as pratyakSha parameshvara:

avidyAcChannabhAvAnAM nR^iNAM vidyopadeshataH |
prakAshayati yastattvaM taM vidyAtIrthamAshraye ||

shambhormUrtishcharati bhuvane shankarAchAryarUpA - 2

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:02:13 -0700

By kAnchI kAmakoTi pIThAdhipati shrI shrI chandrashekharendra sarasvatI mahAsvAmigal

From the second to the eighth part of this sUkta, there are mantras which describe rudra and which says that all the beings in the world both sentient and insentient are the forms of the rudra. Since this has been made as nAmAvaLi in the name of rudra trishatI and we perform archana with these names. In this it is described that carpenters, potters, blacksmiths, hunters, tribals, thieves are all paramashiva, the great rudra. It is also said that the chief of the thieves is also rudra, taskarANAM pati. Whether it is tree or grass or flood or waves, rain or wind, all these are of the form of shiva. Let it be cattle, or a dog or a chaNDAla who eats the dog, these are all of his form. Thus, rudra prashna proclaims that all things in the world are of the form of the one paramAtman.

In addition to being the several things of this world, there are also the names of the form of parameshvara which we know. These are called asAdharaNa nAmas. Usually, we understand sAdhAraNam as ordinary and asAdharaNam as something special or rare. The fact is sAdhAraNam means what is general and asAdhAraNam means what is specific. When paramashiva is referred to as the several things of the world, such reference will be in the plural form and the asAdhAraNa names which are exclusive to paramashiva are mentioned in singular. While mentioning names specific to shiva, it is said, bhava, rudra, sharva, pashupati, nIlakaNTha, shitikaNTha; note that the names are all in singular. After the name shitikaNTha, the two names kapardI and vyuptakesha are mentioned with namaskAram immediately followed by sahasrAkSha (one with countless eyes) and shatadhanvan (one with countless weapons). Then the names girIsha and girisha are mentioned which which are specific to shiva are also mentioned. Thus, due to the occurrence in the midst of the several asAdhAraNa nAmas appropriate only to parameshvara, the names kapardin and vyuptakesha are listed, it means that these two are also specific to Him.

What is meant by kapardin and vyuptakesha? Kapardin means the one who is having jaTA. Vyuptakesha means the one who is having a shaven head. In rudra, names given to Ishvara in succession are opposites in quality. He is jyeShTha and he is kaniShTha. In the same manner, he is the one with jaTA and the one with the shaven head. But there is something special about kapardi. Kaparda means jaTA. But it does not refer to the jaTA of everyone. Only the jaTA of parameshvara is called kaparda. When mahAviShNu, brahmA, indra, and all the other devas are wearing a kirITa on their heads, it is only shiva, the yogi, who is with jaTA. Only parameshvara who wears the gangA, the moon, the snake, the kapAla, the dhatUra flower etc. has been specifically given the name kapardI. It is therefore a confirmation that this name refers only to parameshvara.

Therefore, the name vyuptakesha which comes immediately after kapardi must also be specific to paramashiva. This name does not appear in between the names such as the carpenters, potters, fishermen, outcaste, thieves etc., but instead between those names which refer to Him as the only one Ishvara who is the Lord of the world. These two names are mentioned in singular referring to Ishvara only. We have seen that kapardi is the asAdhAraNa nAma specific to him; therefore the name vyuptakesha should also be such based on the pattern. This is an important point we should make note of.

Thus, the name vyuptakesha refers to the form of sannyAsin with shaved head, which is specific to paramashiva. There is no mUrti other than our AchArya which can be shown as with a shaven head. Whether it is dakShiNAmUrti, naTarAja or tripurAri, all these mUrtis are with jaTAs. When it is so and the veda clearly refers to a particular mUrti of paramashiva as vyuptakesha, it only refers to the shankara avatAra which is to take place in the future. This is how abhinava shankara who has commented on the rudram has explained this nAma.

Will it be enough if we say that when rudram specifically mentions a person with shaven head as shiva svarUpi, it is specifically our AchArya? It will be satisfying only if some other authority is also shown. This is where we examine the purANas. It is the way of our elders that the meaning of the veda should be understood only through purANAs and itihAsas.

itihAsapurANAbhyAM vedaM samupabr^iMhayet |

The puraNas and itihAshas are upabrAhmaNas of the veda and give detailed explanations. The one who has learnt itihAsa, purANa along with the veda is a great scholar or a bahushruta. One who tries to investigate the meaning of the veda without the knowledge of itihAsa and purANa is alpashruta. It is at the very sight of such a person that the veda shudders in fear. But why is the veda afraid? It is afraid because it thinks: He will pull me anywhere to his liking, and will ascribe meanings to mantras as he likes. Therefore, one should investigate the purANas to find out who is that vyuptakesha who is the shivamUrti. It is said in vAyu purANa:

chaturbhiH saha shiShyaistu shankaro.avatariShyati |

abhinava shankara also found out from the itihAsa named shiva rahasya and got confirmation and declared in his commentary that vyuptakesha refers to shankara avatAra. Let us now consider shiva rahasya. The divine stories which have greater authority than the purANas are called itihAsas. Both rAmAyaNa and mahAbhArata are itihAsas. Similarly the itihAsa which concerns shiva is shiva rahasya. It consists of more than fifty thousand shlokas and the weel-known dharma shAstra grantha nirNaya sindhu accepts it as an authority. subrahmaNya gave upadesha of it to sage jaigishavya and hence it is referred to as a compilation of jaigishavya. Subrahmanya also does not state that he himself has given upadesha to the sage. He only says that he gave as upadesha the itihAsa which parameshvara had told ambA long ago.

Just as rAmAyaNa consists of seven kANDas, shiva rahasya has been divided into twelve parts. In the ninth part, the life stories of great shiva bhaktas have been described. The stories of the sixty-three nAyanmArs are also found here. In the same manner, the story of our Acharya is also present. The stories have been narrated in such a manner that what is going to happen in the future has been seen through jnAna dR^iShTi.

contd …

mahAchatuHShaShTikoTiyoginIgaNasevitA

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:20:18 -0700

There are several lists of chatuHShaShTi yoginI-s used during worship.

1. The popular list includes divyayogA, mahAyogA, siddhayogA, maheshvarI etc. These are the yoginIs generally invoked during yoginI and bhairava balidAna. Specifically, these are described as yoginIs associated with durgA.
2. For worshippers of kAlikA traya (guhyakAlikA, kAmakalA kAlikA, kAdividyeshvarI lalitA) the list of yoginIs is different: devI, divyayoginI, dhUrjaTinI, dhUmrAkShI etc.
3. The sixty-four shrIkula yoginIs to be worshipped in the shrIchakra during the pancha mahAparvas are different and are indicated by the name mahAchatuHShaShTikoTiyoginIgaNasevitA, where brAhmI and the other seven mAtR^ikA shaktis each have eight yoginIs, and each of these anga yoginIs are served by a crore yoginis, thus resulting in 64 crore yoginIs. Also, the word mahA denotes a multiplication factor of nine: 9 X 64 = 576 -> 5 abja, 7 arbuda and 6 koTi yoginI shaktis. The specific list of yoginIs which represents this saMkhyA includes: brahmANI, chaNDikA, raudrI, gaurI, indrANI, kaumArI, vaiShNavI, durgA, nArasiMhI etc. While the first list we spoke lists the yoginIs serving durgA, durgA herself is a yoginI in this list and the nAyikA of a group of eight named durgAShTaka.
4. The other popular list of sixty-four yoginIs invoked during the worship of dakShiNA kAlI and other kAlI kula devatAs (especially in the turIya yAma pUjA on the day of pUrNAbhiSheka for the follower of panchadevatA vidhi) includes: vijayA, jayA, jayantI, aparAjitA etc. These are the yoginIs generally invoked during mahAyoginI homa or shakti homa.
5. In the parAshoDashI and guhyaShoDashI kramas, the list of sixty-four yoginIs invoked in the bhUpuratraya of the ShoDashAvaraNa chakra includes: shrIvidyA, shuddhavidyA, bagalA, indrAkShI, daNDinI, vArAhI, shuddhavArAhI, svapnavArAhI, vAgIshvarI, saMvit-tripurA etc. These are known as the tripurA or sundarI yoginIs adopted into the fold of nirvanasundarI krama from hAdi vidyA-vR^ikSha.

hariharAtmakam dvAdashali~Ngatobhadra maNDalam

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:58:03 -0800

In the current days, various maNDalas are being drawn for various purposes without a correct understanding of their significance, the method of drawing and the coloring scheme. These mandalas represent various deities, forces of nature and the ShaT chakras. svecChAchara is niShiddha during the construction of a maNDala. The fingers to be used, the way rekhas are to be drawn, the way koNas are to be constructed are all essential technicalities without which drawing maNDalas can only bring harm:

saMsakte kalahaM vidyAt vicChinne maraNaM dhruvam |
atisthAne bhavet vyAdhiH nityaM pIDA vimishrite || etc.

We shall re-visit some of the popular Buddhist mandalas and understand their significance shortly.

There are twelve categories of maNDalas popularly used:

1. vimala
2. vijayA
3. bhadra
4. vimAna
5. shubhada
6. shiva
7. vardhamAna
8. daiva
9. latAkSha
10. kAmadAyaka
11. ruchaka
12. svastika

These maNDalas are to be drawn based on the purpose. For example, for mala nivR^itti, vimala maNDala is prescribed, vijayA for jaya prApti, vimAna for mAnavaishiShTya siddhi and so on. While it is beyond the scope of the current post to point the differences between a yantra and a maNDala, for now, the following well-known verse should certify that the two are not the same:

li~NgasthAM pUjayeddevIM pustakasthAM tathaiva cha |
maNDalasthAM mahAmAyAM yantrasthAM pratimAsu cha ||

The rules for drawing a mandala are many. For example, only five varNas (pIta, shukla, rakta, dhUmra and shyAma) are used to fill a maNDala and these represent the five mahAbhUtas. And these colors are to be prepared using specific chUrNas (eg. kR^iShNaM dagdhayavaiH kAryam). There are also rules specific to deities or maNDalas. For example,

shaivavrataM vinA sarvavratodyApanakarmasu |
kAryaM sushAstradR^ishTyA cha sarvatobhadramaNDalam ||

Of course, this applies to traditional maNDalas such as sarvatobhadra, lingatobhadra, rAmalingatobhadra etc and not to new age mandalas, personal mandalas, manifestation mandalas and other such wasteful indulgences. A mlecCha friend purchased a dozen new age personal maNDalas from a certain German psychic in 2004 and lost his job the next day. He had a major fight with his wife, was slapped a fine and incurred huge losses at the stock market. It was figured out that these mandalas were severely interfering with his energies when malicious beings from another domain were seen hovering around him. It took much more than trashing those mandalas to free him of his affliction.

The following is the description of the well-known dvAdashali~Ngatobhdra maNDala frequently used in our mandali:

arkali~NgAtmakaM bhadraM shR^iNu shiShya yathochyate |
prAgudIchyAM kR^itA rekhAH ShaTtriMshadbhiH prakalpayet ||
padAni dvAdashashataM pa~nchaviMshatireva cha |
khaNDendustripadaH koNe shR^i~NkhalA shaTpadaiH smR^itA ||
trayodashapadA vallI bhadraM tu navabhiH padaiH |
trayodashapadA vApI li~NgamaShTAdashaiH smR^itam ||
li~Ngatrayasya pa~Ntau tu shobhAkoShThAshchaturdasha |
teShAmupari pa~Nktau tu koShThAH saptadashaiva tu ||
pUjAp~Nktistu vij~neyA paritaH parikIrtitA |
pUjApa~NktyantarA pa~Nktau koShThA hyashIti saMkhayA ||
paridhiH sa cha vij~neyA maNDalAbhyantarA dvayoH |
paridhyanatara koShTheShu sarvatobhadramAlikhet ||
visheShashchAtra vij~neyaH shR^i~NkhalA ShaTpadA bhavet |
trayodashapadA vallI bhadraM tu navabhiH padaiH ||
pa~nchaviMshatpadA vApI paridhiH ShoDashAtmakaH |
madhye navapadaM padmaM karNikA kesarAnvitam ||
sattvaM rajastamo varNAH parito maNalasya tu |
trayaH paridhayaH kAryA tatra dvarANi pUrayet ||
sitenduH shR^i~NkhalA kR^iShNA vallI nIlA prakIrtitA |
bhadraM chaivAruNaM j~neyaM vApI syAt shvetavarNikA ||
li~NgAni kR^iShNavarNAni pArshvato dvAdashaiva tu |
paridhiH pItavarNaH syAt kamalaM pa~nchavarNakam ||

shambhormUrtishcharati bhuvane shankarAchAryarUpA - 1

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:04:23 -0800

By kAnchI kAmakoTi pIThAdhipati shrI shrI chandrashekharendra sarasvatI mahAsvAmigal

If it is said that it is mentioned in various Shankara Vijaya texts that it was parameshvara, the shambhu who too avatAra as shankara, one may ask: “Those who wrote Shankara Vijayas must have been devotees of shankarAchArya. They would have also been the followers of his siddhAnta and taken him as their guru. It is natural to elevate the status of such a guru above a mahApuruSha and praise him as an avatAra. What is praised thus out of reverence need not be the reality. Therefore, if there is any evidence other than the shankara vijayas which show that the AchArya was Ishvara’s avatAra, show that to us. In other words, instead of relying on what is written by those who were followers of his religion, if there is any evidence in any other great literature, then we shall accept”.

There are such authorities but above all that, there is the authority in the Veda itself! Instead if stating explicitly that AchArya was an avatAra puruSha, it has been said in an indirect manner. When we understand clearly what is said in an indirect manner, it gets more interesting.

I had mentioned the two words shambhu and shankara and said that it was shambhu who came as shankara. In the veda, these two names have been mentioned in the same order and then the panchAkShara. It is in yajur veda. Before going there, I shall show one pramANa which is in rg veda. In order to speak about rg veda which is said to be the oldest grantha in the world, we have to start from 17th to 18th century AD. There lived a great person named bhAskararAya. The dIkShA name which he got from his guru was bhAsurAnandanAtha. bhAskara refers to the sun. bhAsura also refers to brightness. True to these names, he was shining as an intellectual so that he could be called vidvatsUrya. Many of these things we have been able to know today come from him. He was a great devotee of ambA. He was written important books on the procedures of shrIvidyA upAsanA. The commentary which he has written on lalitA sahasranAma shines as an authority and commands the special respect of shrIvidyA upAsakas. This great scholar has composed a shloka on AchArya. It is from this shloka that we can know that rig veda indicates the avatAra of shambhu as shankara:

shrIrAmaM prati puShkaprAbhidhamahAyakSheNa vedatraya
vyAkhyanavasare vishiShya kathitaM shrIviShNudharmottare |
etAM dhenuM upahvayAmi sudhugAM iti R^iggataM sha~nkarA-
chAryaM shiShyachatuShTayena sahitaM vande gurUNAM gurum ||

This verse composed by bhAskarAya describes our AchArya as the guru of all gurus. Since the shloka starts with shrIrAmam, we can understand that AchArya has been connected with rAma. But what though is the connection?

rAma’s story did not end with what has been narrated in rAmAyaNa. There are some other texts which narrate details which are not present in vAlmIki rAmAyaNa. One of them is yoga vAsisTha or jnAna vAsistha. The other one is viShNu dharmottara purANa. In the second line of this shloka, it is this book which has been referred to. rAma who conducted himself as a human being obtained upadesha of both pravR^itti and nivR^itti mArgas from two different teachers. From vasisTha he obtained the j~nAnopadesha of advaita which is the highest state of nivR^itti. That is j~nAna vAsisTha. All those who study vedAnta are familiar with this book. The upadesha which rAma obtained for karma or pravR^itti mArga has not become as popular. That one is viShNu dharmottara. It is generally spoken of as a supplement to viShNu purANa. A yakSha named puShkara gave it as upadesha to rAma. The verse calls the puShkara mahAyakSha and from this we can understand his greatness. When rAma who was himself an avatAra took upadesha from him, he must have been a great personality. Just as there are kinnaras, kimpuruShas, gandharvas and others among the celestials, there are also the yakShas. Their chief is kubera. It is puShkara who was a yakSha who gave upadesha of the karmakANDa of the three Vedas (rg, yajus and sAmaveda) to rAma. In this context, when explaining the meaning of a rg veda mantra, there is a reference to AchArya.

etAM dhenuM upahvayAmi sudhughAm: this refers to the mantra in rig veda, first maNDala, sUkta 164. This is a vedic mantra which talks about Ishvara protecting the world in the manner of a cow that gives milk to its calf. In viShNu dharmottara, when puShkara explains the meaning of this verse to rAma, he says that it is indirectly stated in the mantra that when advaita tattva is forgotten in the world, just as the cow gives milk to its calf, parameshvara will incarnate to impart jnAna to people. It does not stop at mentioning about AchArya’s avatAra alone. It also states that he will take avatAra along with four shiShyas. If a great person such as bhAskararAya says a thing on his own, that itself commands a lot of respect. What is stated in a purANa such as viShNu dharmottara also commands respect. There is no need to assert the importance of what is stated in the veda itself. When a great man such as bhAskararAya says that puShkara the mAhA yakSha has said that in the veda there is mention about our AchArya’s avatAra, it becomes still greater.

Although Vedas are said to be four, in actual practice only rg, yajus and sAma Vedas are important for all karmAnuShThAna. In the yajnas which are part of the forty smaskAras, only these three Vedas are used. It is for this reason that we say: vedatrayI. bhAskararAya also sates the same: vedatraya vyAkhyAna. Yajur veda occupies the second and hence the middle position among the three. Whatever is in the middle is accorded greater respect. The garbhagR^iha of the mUrti is at the center of the temple. If we consider yajurveda, what is its center? It is divided into seven kANDas. Therefore the middle of yajurveda is the fourth kANDa. shrI rudram is in the middle of the fourth kANDa. It is called shrI rudra prashna or shatarudrIyam. It is in the form of a prayer to paramashiva.

What is in the middle of the rudram will thus be in the centre of the entire vedatrayI. Those words form the center just like the mahAli~NgamUrti at the centre of a big temple. The center and the very life of the veda is the shiva panchAkShara mahAmantra which occurs in the middle of the eighth subsection of rudram. The two names shambhu and shankara occur before that mahAmantra, as if leading one to the mahAmantra.

First the name shambhu is mentioned, then the name shankara and then shivanAma is mentioned in the form of namaskAra, forming the panchAkShara mahAmantra. What is thus given in the order of shambhu, shankara and panchAkShara provides support to the matter we are discussing. panchAkShara is to be recited only after receiving upadesha of the same from an AchArya. When the term AchArya is mentioned, what first comes to our mind is our AchArya bhagavatpAda alone who was jagadAchArya. How was he before took this avatAra? We have seen that he was shambhu! First it was the form of shambhu which was silent as the great dakShiNAmUrti. Then it was the form of shankara who taught his disciple verbally and through his writings. And then is the form of panchAkShara which has to be received as upadesha from Guru. Now, this is what occurred to me. One of those who wrote commentaries on the rudram was abinava shankara who found that there is evidence in the same sUkta for Acharya being the avatAra of paramashiva. We shall now consider it.

contd ..

Shut up Barkha!

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:47:53 -0800

The Further Adventures of Hark! DaButt

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, on the sprawling planet of Massomedia, there lived a princess named Hark! DaButt. Hark! DaButt was the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Enditivy, as well as being an accomplished trumpet blower and a follower of the TRPsichorean muse. All the people of the kingdom loved their princess who they thought was beautiful and brave and so very clever.

Well, almost all. One small, indomitable group of galling citizens continued to hold out against Hark! DaButt's considerable charm. This rebel group, who called themselves 'globbers' and feared only the Skype falling on their heads, were always criticizing the princess, claiming she was hysterical, unprofessional and generally insensitive. These accusations hurt the princess deeply. Many a night did she spend shedding inky tears into her crocodile skin pillow. It wasn't that she thought the criticisms were valid (how could they be? She was a Princess, with Chelpark Blue blood in her veins - she could do nothing wrong), nor that she was an insecure, vengeful little minx who couldn't take criticism. It was just that she felt these criticisms were an affront to the dignity of Enditivy, and therefore had to be punished.

One day, when Her Shrillness was out playing in the garden, she spotted a globber lurking in the shrubbery. Quick as a newsflash, she had the globber captured by her guards, and brought him before the High Council. When the High Council told her that no, she couldn't have his head cut off (only her cousin, the Red Queen, could use that head line), she proceeded to whine and pout until the poor globber agreed to issue a public apology for the things he'd said about her and promised never to say anything bad about her again. This made Hark! DaButt very happy because:

a) bringing a months old comment out of total obscurity and making it a source of renewed outrage was obviously the best way to silence criticism

b) going to the trouble of hauling a globber before the High Council for some throwaway comment was a sure way of saying that the globbers were inconsequential people to whom she, Hark! DaButt, paid no attention

c) wording the apology in proper legal terms would make it obvious to every one that the globber's apology was sincerely meant; no one could possibly imagine that she had forced it out of him

d) by striking out against one globber she had effectively silenced their entire community, who would never again dare to criticize her, because the prospect of having to issue an official apology if they were caught would really, really scare them

e) using the resources of her vast kingdom to pick on one poor defenseless globber was a classy act that was sure to make people admire her all the more

(Did I mention that Hark! DaButt was a little delusional?)

In any case, the globber apologised, the princess went back to blowing her own trumpet, and the kingdom of Enditivy moved on, like a slow dinosaur with Hark! DaButt as its pea-sized brain.

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The above hilarious spoof is a sheer piece of art from Falstaff. He is referring to the recent atrocity of NDTV and Barkha Dutt on a hapless blogger. The original post which criticized Barkha and NDTV can still be seen here.

Shut up for once Barkha!

Tithi nirNaya for Mahashivaratri

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:56:47 -0800

brahmA:
vratasyAsya visheSheNa tithiM brUhi maheshvara |
yasmin kR^itvA vrataM samyak tvatsAyujyamavApnuyAt ||

IshvaraH:
yuvayoraikyashAntyarthaM shastrAgnishamanAya cha |
mAghakR^iShNachaturdashyAM mahAdevo mahAnishi ||
abhavalli~NgarUpeNa bhaktAnAmanukampayA |
tatkAlavyApinI grAhyA shivarAtrivrate tithiH ||
tatra kR^itvA mahApuNyaM bhaviShyati na saMshayaH |
udayAdiH kvachidgrAhyA kvachidastamayAnvitA ||
vratibhiH tithayo yatnAt varjayitvA vrataM tvidam |
ardharAtrAdadhashchordhvaM nAsti yatra chaturdashI ||
naiva tatra vrataM kuryAdAyuraishvaryahAnyatha |
vyApyArdharAtraM yasyAM hi labhyate yA chaturdashI ||
tasyAmeva vrataM karyaM matprasAdArthibhirnaraiH |
pUrvedyuraparedyurvA mahAnishi chaturdashI ||
vyAptA sA dR^ishyate yasyAM tasyAM kuryAdvrataM tvidam |
li~NgAvirbhavakAle tu vyAptA grAhyA chaturdashI ||
shivarAtrivrataM kAryaM bhUtAnvita mahAnishi |
asminnetadvrataM kR^itvA mama sAyujyamApnuyAt ||

gAyatrI cannot grant mokSha?

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:49:08 -0800

mudigoNDa nAgalinga shAstrI (1876-1948), one of the foremost scholars and the famous proponent of shrauta shaiva siddhAnta in Andhra desha is not very popular among many of the smArta vaidikas and vaiShNavas, due to his scathing attacks on the philosophy of shankara, madhva and rAmAnuja. While he deserves some credit for his compilations from various shaivAgamas, he also makes some interesting comments such as the one below:

Quote:

Some minds ponder over the need for the japa of shaiva pa~nchAkSharI mantra when there is the wish-fulfilling sAvitrI. Undoubtedly sAvitrI, who represents the essence of vedatrayI, should be chanted as she grants one dvijatva. However, for a mumukShu, the shruti prescribes shAmbhava vrata:

vratametatcChAmbhavaM tatsamAcharenmumukShurnapunarbhavAya |

As the mukhyA~Nga of shaiva vrata is pa~nchAkSharI japa, it can be concluded that mokSha is impossible without the japa of pa~nchAksharI. Though dvijatva siddhi occurs through sAvitrI, she does not confer mokSha siddhi. This statement finds puShTi in the shruti ordaining the vimukti phalaka shAmbhava vrata. One might express serious reservations against this statement as to how the great sAvitrI, who is sakalavedasArA, is incapable of granting mokSha. The shrauta shaiva siddhAntins are not alone in making such a statement. After embracing turIyAshrama, a smArta discards gAyatrI and recites praNava. This is a clear negation of the mokSha sAdhanatva of sAvitrI. The vaiShNavas, for a similar reason, attach greater importance to mantras such as aShTAkSharI over gAyatrI.

It is said in sUta saMhitA:

mukhyashabdajapato munIshvarA
ssadya ena paramaM sukham yuyuH |

Here, the mukhya shabda referred to is the sacred name shiva and thus, muktipradatva of tannAmaghaTita mahAmantra (shaiva pa~nchAkSharI) is clearly inferred. If one objects stating that this mantra is Agamokta and not vaidika, such an argument can be easily countered by pramANas such as that of jAbAla shruti where shaiva ShaDakShara mantra is discussed with great clarity.

:Unquote

There can be several objections from pratipakSha here:

1. If praNava grants mokSha, then it should be noted that gAyatrI is recited praNavayutA by varNatraya.
2. If the argument of smArtas using praNava and vaiShNavas using aShTAkSharI is accepted as stated by nAgalinga shAstrI, then he would need to accept one of these mantras for mokSha rather than switching to shaiva panchAkSharI.

It would have sounded less catholic if mokShadAtrtva of gAyatrI was not contested for the sake of promoting shaiva pa~nchAkSharI vidyA. One can recollect a great debate that went on between H H chandrashekhara bhAratI and a vamshaja of nAgalinga shAstrI for six days which has been recorded in the book: shrutisAramaNDana.

To examine whether mokSha is unattainable through gAyatrI, as stated by not only nAgalinga shAstrI but also shrIkaNTha (the shaiva bhAShyakAra on the vedAnta sUtra), one can examine the following pramANas. A discussion on how mere recitation of any mantra cannot grant mokSha except when paving way to tattvajnAna - is unneeded here as pUrvapakSha ignores this aspect.

manuH:
sahasrakratvastvabhyasya bahiretattrikaM dvijaH |
nahato.apyenaso mAsAt tvachevAhirvimuchyate ||
yo.adhIte.ahanyahanyetAM trINI varShANyatandritaH |
sa brahma paramapyeti vAyubhUtaH svamUrtimAn ||

kaNvaH:
ekAkSharaM paraM brahma prANAyAmaH paraM tapaH |
sAvitryAstu paraM nAsti maunAtsatyaM vishiShyate ||

prANAyAmashabdena vyAhr^itayo lakShyante | maunaM samAdhiH | satyaM japaH | praNavaH parabrahmasvarUpam | vyAhr^itayaH paramatapaHsAdhanabhUtAH | sAvitryA vishiShTaM na ki~nchidasti | tasmAtteShAM japaH samAdherapi vishiShyata ityarthaH ||

vishvAmitraH:
praNave nityayuktasya vyAhr^itIShu cha saptasu |
tripAdAyAM cha gAyatryAM na bhayaM vidyate kvachit ||

yAjnavalkyaH:
chaturNAmapi vedAnAM gAyatrI jananI bhavet |
tAmupAste tu nityaM sa vipraH mokShabhAjanaH ||

meru tantre:
atha vakShyAmi mantreshIM gAyatrIM vedamAtaram |
yayA tu saguNaM brahma gIyate pratipAdyate ||
nirguNaM yAM vinA muktirna kasyApi prajAyate |
mahAmAyAsvarUpAyAM mahAkAlaH svayaM yajet |
yatprabhAvAdahaM tvaM cha jAtakAla ivAparaH ||

tantrAntare:
praNavasya vyAhR^itInAM gAyatraikyamathochyate |
atrApi tatpadaM pUrvaM proktaM tadanuvarNyate ||
taddvitIyaikavachanamanenAkhilavastunaH |
sR^iShTyAdikAraNaM tejorUpamAdityamaNDale ||
abhidheyaM sadAnandaM paraM brahmAbhidhIyate || ityAdi

bhArate:
lakShaNairiti nirdiShTo vedasAreShu niShThitaH |
phalArthI phalamApnoti mokShArthI mokShamR^icChati ||

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avyaktaM te svarUpaM duradhigamatamaM tattu shuddhaikasattvaM
vyaktaM chApyetadeva sphuTamamR^itarasAmbodhikallolatulyam |
sarvotkR^iShTAmabhIShTAM tadiha guNarasenaiva chittaM harantIM
mUrtiM te saMshraye.ahaM pavanapurapate pAhimAM kR^iShNa rogAt ||

Personalities of prAchIna nyAya - 1

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:54:29 -0800

mahopadeshaka Dr. shrI rAjnAth Joshi, an avid reader of our blog and our guide on matters related to nyAya shAstra, expressed his displeasure on not having dealt with the exponents of prAchInA nyAya before moving over to the personalities of navya nyAya. We would like to clarify to shrI joshi kaka that it is our personal inclination towards personalities such as raghunAtha shiromaNi or jagadIsha tarkAlankAra and even more so, gadAdhara, that made us start with the personalities of navya nyAya. There was also an assumption made that the personalities of prAchIna nyAya were quite well-known. However, for the sake of completion, here is a quick list of prAchIna naiyAyikas.

Sage Gautama

maharShi gautama is the author of the nyAya sUtras. He is also known as akShapAda, akShacharaNa, Adi gautama etc. Some identify the author of nyAyasUtra with medhAtithi gautama. Bhimacharya Bhalkikar is of the opinion that these sUtras belong to a post-brahmasUtra period. While some scholars think that the sUtras of ShaD darshanas were all composed at the same time, chandrakAnta tarkAla~NkAra lists the sAMkhya sUtras as the first among the six, followed by sUtras of kaNAda, gautama, bAdarAyaNa and jaimini. Gautama has organized his sUtras into five adhyAyas. There seems to be no consensus of the number of sUtras though. Some count the number as 537 whereas some others list the samkhyA as 528. vAchaspati mishra in his nyAyasUchI nibandha lists the number of sUtras as 528, adhyAyas as 5, Ahnikas as 10 and prakaraNas as 84.

mahAmahopAdhyAya haraprasAda shAstrI traces these sUtras to the period of mahAyAna Buddhism, which would be around 2 century AD. mahAmahopAdhyAya satIshachandra vidyabhUShaNa concludes the time of gautama as 150 AD. He however thinks that the first chapter of the nyAyasUtra is not the work of gautama. A fascinating comparative study between the gautama sUtras, the la~NkAvatAra sUtra and the mAdhyamikakArikA sUtra of nAgArjuna has been conducted by a navya naiyAyika in the last decade. Some western scholars place the period of nyAyasUtra between that of shUnyavAda and vij~nAnavAda (140 BC.)

vAtsyAyana

vAtsyAyana is probably the earliest commentator on the nyAyasUtras. The author of the TIkA on kAmandakIya nItisAra (upAdhyAyanirapekShA) seems to think that the authors of kauTilIya arthashAstra and nyAya bhAShya are the same. But the periods of kauTilya and vAtsyAyana estimated by historians are wide apart in time, negating this possibility. It is however of interest to note that many others, including hemchandra and the author of nyAyachandrikA see kauTilya and vAtsyAyana as the same person. A similar assumption is seen even in the shrIdharI TIkA on viShNu bhAgatava upa purANa. Some scholars also identify the author of nyAya bhAShya with the author of kAmasUtra, which is again negated by historians.

udyotakarAchArya

udyotakarAchArya is the author of a vartika on nyAya bhAShya of vAtsyAyana. He is also known by the name bhAradvAja, probably indicative of his gotra.

yadakShapAdapratimo bhAShyaM vAtsyAyano jagau |
chakAri mahatastasya bhAradvAjena vArtikam ||

subandhu names udyotakara in his gadya kAvya vAsavadattA and bANa mentions vAsavadattA in his harShacharitasAra. This places udyotakara somewhere around 5th or 6th century AD. Dr. Satishchandra Vidyabhushan is of the opinion that he was probably a samakAlIna of dharmakIrti. Some scholars are of the opinion, to this day, that the nyAyasUtras were composed with the primary objective of khaNDana of nAjArjuna and vasubandhu. Udyotakara has expressed his disagreement on this view thus:

yadakShapAdaH pravaro munInAM shamAya shAstraM jagato jagAda |
kutArkikAj~nAnanivR^ittihetuH kariShyate tasya mayA nibandhaH ||

While he sees lokopakAra as the sole objective of akShapAda, he takes on himself the responsibility of khaNDana of kutArtikas which he accomplishes through his nibandha. By kutArkika-s, he clearly means nAgarjuna, di~NnAga etc. Thus, the nyAya vArtika is aimed at khaNDana of nAgArjuna etc. and not the nyAyasUtras themselves. Udyotakara is known to have been a resident of sthAneshvara.

vAchaspati mishra

vAchaspati mishra is well-known as the ShaD-darshana TIkAkAra. To counter the attack of dharmakIrti, he authored a TIkA on udyotakara’s vArtika named nyAyavArtika tAtparya:

icChAmi kimapi puNyaM dustarakunibandhapa~NkamagnAnAm |
udyotakaragavInAmatijaratInAM samuddharaNAt || [nyAvavArtika tAtparya 1-1-1]

He is also the author of two independent works named nyAyakaNikA and parishiShTa. It may not be irrelevant to mention here his commentary on the sAMkhyakArikA of IshvarakR^iShNa, named sAMkhya tattvakaumudI and bhAmatI on shA~Nkara bhAShya. While we are tempted to recollect his romance with his wife here, we shall restrain ourselves to avoid another stern mail from shrI joshi kaka.

Jayanta bhaTTa

Jayanta bhaTTA, popularly known as jarannaiyAyika, is the author of nyAyamanjarI. His father is named as Chandra paNDita and son is the well-known abhinanda paNDita, the author of kAdambarI kathAsAra. Mahendra kumara nyAyAcharya, in his introduction to prameyakamalamArtANDa, states that jayanta was probably a samakAlIna of vAchaspati mishra as a respectful mention of nyAyamanjarIkAra can be seen in nyAyakaNikA:

aj~nAnatimirashamanIM paradamanIM nyAyama~njarIM ruchirAm |
prasavitre prabhavitre vidyAtarave namo gurave ||

The view of the nyAyAchArya is also endorsed by mahAmahopAdhyAya shrI gopInatha kavirAja in his brilliant work, History and Bibliography of nyAya-vaisheShika Literature.

Belief

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:59:39 -0800

With the exception of the subjective I Am, all knowledge is just belief, and all beliefs are just costume jewelry that can be torn off and tossed in the gutter like the cheap egoic adornments they are. We don’t have beliefs, they have us.

Two plus two makes four is exactly as true as two plus two makes five. The truest truth we keep in our hearts is no truer than the truths we tell children and traffic cops. Two plus two makes whatever we say it makes.

The truth is that no belief is true, and to say that any belief is true is to open floodgates and say that all beliefs are true. No untruth is more or less true than any other untruth. When we are lucid within the dream state, we see that two plus two equals four, but when we are non-lucid within the dream state, no such restrictions apply and even two plus two equals four is just another belief. Anything plus anything equals anything. Two plus two equals whatever we say it equals. It can equal different things to different people at different times for different reasons. In the sleeping dream state, your two twos can be seven and mine can be one. May be the 2+2=5s and the 2+2=3s hate each other and have been warring for centuries. Maybe they’re barely aware of each other, or maybe they’re uneasily allied against 2+2=7s. The world belongs to the 2+2=4s at the moment, but that can change. That’s life in the non-lucid dream state, where truth is arbitrary and reality is a fancy.

- Jed Mckenna

pancha niShedhas

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:02:21 -0800

A rather strange prescription for the followers of kaulAchAra can be seen in several tantras including tArA tantra, kulamAlinI tantra, bheruNDA(a) tantra and also in tArA-rahasya of brahmAnanda giri:

upavAsaM bhR^igoH pAtaM sandhyA savratadhAraNam |
tIrthaparyaTanaM chaiva kaulaH pa~ncha vivarjayet ||

The anuyAyI of kaula mArga is advised to give up the following:

1. upavAsa or fasting
2. vIrya pAta or loss of regenerative fluid
3. observance of sandhyA
4. observance of vratas
5. tIrtha yAtrA or pilgrimage

Of these, the first related to upavAsa can be seen in various other scriptures unrelated to vAmAchAra or kaulAchAra. A married woman whose husband is alive is prohibited from observing fasts by various smR^it is and purANas. nityA tantra prohibits a pUrNAbhiShikta from fasting, except when ordered by Sadguru. bhAskara bhaTTa, a great mImAmsaka, in his work pUrva mImAmsA darshana in Kannada quotes a verse from dakShiNAmUrti saMhitA where an initiated upAsaka is advised not to fast. As the use of pancha mAkAra is not kAmya or naimittika for a kaula, but instead nitya (which is sufficiently discussed in the chapter dealing with kaula dharma in rudrayAmaLa, and in paramAnanda tantra and its commentary), fasting would cause bAdhA to nitya karma for a kaula. As the kaula doctrine follows the principle, bhogo mokShAya jayate, it is natural that the concept of fasting which is reflective of tyAga is considered alien to the kaula system.

Bindu patana is undesirable be it to a yogi following dakShiNAchAra or to an adherent of kaula tantra engaged in practices such as dUtI yajana or chakra pUjA. The view of both these schools seems to have been directly derived from the principles of haTha yoga. The next three prescriptions, at least in part, seem to reflect the attitude of rebellion of the kaulika against the mainstream vedic religion, from which his own school derived much of its source material. All the taboos of the mainstream religion become valuable tools of ascension to the extreme kaulika and the various modes of worship of the mainstream religion seem to be bindings that need to be severed. If this category of extreme kaulikas and their over enthusiasm to rebel against every social norm is ignored, the class of the more moderate and sophisticated kaulas remains, offering scope for further analysis. It is this class that is generally interested in associating some kind of metaphysics with their practices. It is in the literature of such kaulas that an attempt has been made to explain some such prescriptions and practices. The ban on observance of sandhyA, at least to a class of kaulas, is referring to vaidikI sandhyA and not tAntrikI sandhyA. tArA tantra for example, which asserts this prohibition, also discusses at length the details of nIlasarasvatI sandhyA vidhi. Some scholars interpret in this nindAtmaka vAkya, stuti of tAntrikI sandhyA thus terming this arthavAda. But this explanation, while not completely disagreeable, does seem farfetched. The observance of vrata, according to some, is specifically regarding sannyAsa vrata. However, as stated in kulamAlinI tantra, a kaulika is prohibited from embracing any other vrata such pAshupata, pAncharAtra etc. after embracing the mahAvrata. On similar lines, a kaulika is prohibited from undertaking tIrthayAtrA as the merit of all such practices is promised through the svIkAra of dvitIya. But a kaulika is advised to undertake pilgrimages to certain shAkta pIThas. For example, an upAsaka of tArA is advised to visit tArA pITha:

mahApIThaM vrajennityaM na chetpIThamanuttamam |
tArApuraM mahApIThaM gantavyaM yatnataH sadA ||
IshAne chakranAthasya vaidyanAthasya pUrvataH |
tArApuramidaM khyAtaM nagaraM bhuvi durlabham ||

Buddhist influence on many of the so-called tantras belonging to the extreme kaula school is another reason for such prescriptions.

A Few Questions to our Lady

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:26:28 -0800

yA devI sarvabhUteShu buddhirUpeNa saMsthitA |

So says sage mArkaNDeya. We fail to understand why people refuse to realize parAmbA in her most useful form called common-sense and pay respects to her by using this common-sense sufficiently. There is a widespread negative notion about Gurus, more so in the East than in West today, and for a reason. A few women from our group decided to visit a devi temple and it was indeed their mistake to do so without ample research about the temple or its background. They grabbed some mangala dravyas and vastra to offer pUjA to suvasinis and started one morning to reach the temple after a few hours of drive. Firstly, they were aghast to see no proper pUjA being carried out at the so-called shrine. One reported numerous cobwebs on several of the idols in the temple. Totally disappointed, they began to look around for some suvasinis to offer the mangala dravyas. As the shrine was literally deserted, probably due to the grace of parAmbA who kept her dear ones away from the place, all these good ladies could spot were a few women laborers. Who better than a bunch of poor women to offer gifts meant for ambikA? But those poor women were in a state of fear and refused to talk to these women. After some cajoling, they requested for some food and water. On being provided these, they agreed to accept the mangala dravyas on the condition that they would do nothing to compromise with their mAnam (honor). Our group of ladies was totally taken aback at this strange statement. One of the poor womenfolk broke down and began to sob. The story she narrated was heart-wrenching. What was going on in the temple in the name of devI pUjA and tantra was a cruel exploitation of these women. They were promised jobs (not sure what the promise was exactly though) and were forcibly made to take part in rituals which the women even refused to speak about out of fear and intense shame. All they stated was that they felt no longer eligible to face their husbands or family. They were constantly being scared with loss of employment or curse from Devi if they refused to take part in these rituals. From what one member of our group, who is a certified woman and child counselor could gather was that most of those who took part in these rituals were foreigners. As she and others narrated tearfully the plight of poor, illiterate women at this so-called temple, we immediately felt some sort of disillusionment with Srividya, Samaya, Kaula and all the associated bulk of terminology and asked her: Mother! Is this the reason why you taught bhairavI chakra, kaula and other such modalities so that selfish humans could use them to meet their twisted ends? Is this how poor and voiceless women are going to be empowered in your rule? Why did you not spend more time distributing a kind heart and a clean consciousness rather than spend kalpas revealing Agama and tantra? Why are you being silent when people are subjecting hapless women to intense physical and mental torment, and in the name of Srividya?

And we were speechless as the group of women asked us these same questions. We still wait, for an answer, from our lady seated in kAmakoShTha, and for her final coming when she shall sport an aribhaya~Nkara khaDga.

evaM janaM nipatitaM prabahvAhikUpe
kAmAbhikAmamanu yaH prapatan prasa~NgAt |
kR^itvA.a.atmasAt surarShiNA bhagavan gR^ihItaH
so.ahaM kathaM nu visR^ije tava bhR^ityasevAm ||

Personalities of navya nyAya - 5

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:37:46 -0800

gadAdhara bhaTTAchArya

shrI gadAdhara bhaTTAchArya was the son of jIvAchArya from Bengal. He studied nyAya shAstra from harirAma tarkavAgIsha of navadvIpa. He is the author of several well-known works such as nyAyakusumAnjali TIkA, Aloka TIkA, dIdhiti TIkA, durgA saptashatI TIkA, bAhya nirNaya, Atmatattva viveka dIDhiti prakAshikA gadAdharI etc. He is also the author of sixty-four vAda granthas many of which are unavailable today. The available ones include shaktivAda, vyutpattivAda, viShayatAvAda, kAraNatAvAda, muktivAda, sAdR^ishyavAda, avacChedakavAda, paryAptivAda, navyamatavAda, AkhyAtavAda, smR^itisaMskAravAda, kArakavAda etc.

There were several naiyAyikas of repute after the invincible gadAdhara:

1. Ramarudra tarkavAgIsha: dIdhiti TIkA, vyAptivAda vyAkhyA etc.
2. shrIkR^iShNa nyAyAla~Nkara: bhAvadIpikA
3. kR^iShNakAnta vidyAvAgIsha: nyAyaratnAvalI
4. mahAdeva puNatAmbekar: nyAyakaustubha, vyAptirahasya

Post gadAdhara, the scene of navya nyAya was characterized by a certain intermingling of nyAya and vaisheShika concepts. Scholars such as annaM bhaTTa composed works such as tarkasamgraha based on this mishra darshana. There are several commentaries on tarkasaMgraha available today.

gurupavanapurIshAya namaH

Srichakra Mahima

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:20:57 -0800

The greatness of shrIchakra is described in rudrayAmaLa thus:

samyak shatakratUn kr^itvA yatphalaM samavApnuyAt |
tatphalaM labhate bhaktyA kR^itvA shrIchakradarshanam ||

By seeing a shrIchakra with devotion, one attains the same merit as having performed hundreds of fire sacrifices.

mahAShoDashadAnAdi kR^itvA yallabhate phalam |
tatphalaM samavApnoti kR^itvA shrIchakradarshanam ||

By seeing a shrIchakra, one attains the same merit as performing sixteen kinds of charities including kanyA dAna, godAna, svarNa dAna etc.

sArdhatrikoTitIrtheShu snAtvA yatphalamashnute |
labhate tatphalaM bhaktyA kR^itvA shrIchakradarshanam ||

By seeing a shrIchakra with devotion, one attains the same merit as bathing in innumerable tIrthas.

koTili~NgapratiShThAyAM yatphalaM samudAhR^itam |
tatphalaM labhate nUnaM shrIchakrasya cha pUjanAt ||

By worshipping shrIchakra as prescribed by the shAstras, one attains the same merit as installing innumerable shiva lingas.

shrIchakraM kArayitvA tu yo dadyAt sAdhakAya vai |
bhUchakraM tena dattaM sashailavanasAgaram ||

By giving a shrIchakra to an upAsaka as dAna, one attains the same merit as giving the entire bhUmaNDala in dAna to a dvija.

ga~NgApuShkaranarmadAsayamunAgodAvarIgomatI-
ga~NgAdvAragayAprayAgabadarIvArANasIsindhuShu |
revAsetusarasvatIprabhR^itiShu brahmANDabhANDodare
tIrthasnAnasahasrakoTiguNitaM shrIchakrapAdodakam ||

Much greater merit than taking a dip at tIrthas such as gangA, puShkara, narmadA, yamunA, godAvarI, gomatI, haridvAra, prayAga, badarikAshrama, kAshI, sindhu, sarasvatI, sAgara is attained by sipping by sprinkling on oneself, shrIchakra pAdodaka.

namAmi lalitAchakraM bhaktAnAmiShTadAyakam ||

Aksharasamkhya Nirdesha

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:20:07 -0800

ambA is worshipped through various mantras. Of these, panchadashI, shuddha ShoDashI, saubhAgya brahmavidyA or saubhAgya panchadashI (ShoDashI) and mahAShoDashI are the most important mantras in most of the dAkShiNAtya shrIvidyA sampradAyas. The number of letters in these mantras is indicated by the names of parAmbA based on katapaya calculations.

Name 1: lalitAmbA

La-3; li-3; tAm-6; bA-3
Total: 3+3+6+3 = 15 -> shuddha panchadashI

Name 2: lalitAmbikA

La-3; li-3; tAm-6; bi-3; kA-1
Total: 3+3+6+3+1= 16 -> shuddha ShoDashI

Name 3: shrIlalitAmbikA

shrI-2; La-3; li-3; tAm-6; bi-3; kA-1
Total: 2+3+3+6+3+1= 18 -> saubhAgya brahmavidyA

Name 4: shrIrAjarAjeshvarI

shrI-2; rA-2; ja-8; rA-2; je-8; shva-4; rI-2
Total: 2+2+8+2+8+4+2 = 28 -> mahAShoDashI

The same can be seen with respect to chaNDI as well. chan-6 and DI-3, thus indicating 6+3=9. On reversing the digits, the mantra denotes the thirty-six tattvas starting from shiva till dharA.