nirvANa sundarI

The Transcendent or anuttara (‘a’), by means of visarga (upto ‘h’ or prANa), reveals itself as shakti (‘ha’) and then returns to itself and abides in the indivisible prakAsha, which is its own eternal Self, called shiva-bindu (‘m’)-a-h-am. This is how in the universal consciousness, which is no better than bare awareness, there arises a sense of “I”. its relation to the not-self, e.g. body, etc. is an event in time which is psychologically explicable. The Ego-sense in pure consciousness reveals it as one’s own Self (svAtman). The unity of shiva and shakti follows logically from the integrality or oneness of this sense which covers both. This is the secret of the fullness of Ego or pUrNAhamtA to which reference has already been made.

The unity of prakAsha and vimarsha is the bindu called kAma or ravi (Sun). The emergence of two bindus out of this primordial one is the state of visarga. The two bindus are agni (fire) and soma (moon), conceived as chit-kalA. It is not a state of dualism, but one of union between two inseparable elements of a single whole. The two aspects combined, namely, bindu and visarga, are represented as a significant symbol of divine unity, though it is true that in the ultimate state even these elements lose their own lustre. The interaction of the bindus causes nectar or creative fluid to flow out. This is the so-called hArdha kalA, the essence of Ananda. The interaction is like the heat of fire acting on butter and causing it to melt and flow. The one is sat, the two is sat as aware of Itself, i.e. chit (chit-kalA) and the hArdha-kalA flowing from between the two is the result of self-awareness felt as Ananda. The entire science of kAmakalA is thus the science of sacchidAnanda and brahma-vidyA as indicating an eternal creative act. The substance of delight which flows constitutes the essence of all creative principles.

Though prakAsha and vimarsha are identical, it is to be remembered that prakAsha is always partless and continuous, while vimarsha is partless and as well as divisible into parts. Whenever therefore prakAsha is referred to as discrete it is to be understood only in a secondary sense. The three bindus working together towards a common end form as it were a single triangle.

prakAsha within vimarsha is of the form of a white bindu; and vimarsha within prakAsha is of the form of a red bindu called nAda. The two bindus in union constitute the original bindu called kAma of which these are kalAs. The unity of the three is the substance called kAma-kalA from which the entire creation consisting of words and the thing singnified by them originates.

bhAskara rAya in his varivasyA-rahasya while speaking of kAmakalA refers to the three bindus as well as the hArdha kalA the nature of which is held to be very secret. The white and red bindus represent in his opinion, male and female energies.

amR^itAnanda says that hArdha-kalA flows from between the two bindus and is the wave (laharI) of vimarsha and sphurattA. prakAsha is like fire and vimarsha is like butter which melts under it. The flow is the so-called hArdha-kalA noted above. The baindava chakra, made of three mAtR^ikAs, is the out-flow of kAmakalA along with hArdha-kalA, and it is out of this that the thirty-six creative principles emanate.

contd...