[Excerpts from a 4-part talk by Sri Harshaji at Berkeley. I have captured the details to the best of my ability, I seek pardon of Guru and Vidvajjana for omissions and mistakes – Aileen]
Today, a dear friend and a profound scholar of Kevalādvaita had a tough time trying to place Parāśakti as we understand her from the point of Shākta Tantra within the framework of Advaita. I have myself attempted such intellectual acrobatics in the past. But neither the concept of Saguṇa-Brahma nor Māyā hold a mirror to the true glory of Parāśakti. As Brahmasri Chidānandanātha explained to his primary disciple Prakāśāmbā: ‘We try to fit the glory of the Supreme Goddess within the precincts of our favored philosophy by calling her Brahma, Māyā, śakti-viśeṣa Brahma, as the path to Shiva, etc. But look at what Nāmasāhasrī says: śrīśivā, śivaśaktyaikyanilayā and Lalitāmbikā. There is śrī and śivā, signifying śiva and śakti, or if you like to see it so, even Saguṇa śaktiviśiṣṭa Brahma and Nirguṇa Brahma. Then we have the name, śivaśaktyaikyarūpiṇī, which is talking of her higher aspect as Mahāprakāśavimarśarūpiṇī, where she is filled with the bliss of not only Jñāna but also Kriyā and characterized by Pūrṇasvātantrya. She is visualized as beyond even the conventional Nirguṇa Brahma where there is only Jñāna. At this point, we begin to gloat that we have understood her, at least theoretically. And then Vaśinyādi Vāgdevatas add, Lalitāmbikā, and by this sequencing they say – she is beyond Brahma, Māyā, Saguṇa, Nirguṇa and even the state of complete harmony of Prakāśa and Vimarśa or the Mahāśāmbhavāvasthā’.
Hence Bhagavatī Bimbāmbikā describes the goddess in her Parā Shoḍaśī stotra as beyond both Mahāśūnya and Mahāpūrṇa. While Parāśakti is Mahāprakāśarūpinī, this Prakāśa or pure luminescence is not inanimate (jaḍa) like the light from a lamp or even from the sun. It is the luminescence that is conscious and alive, it is dynamic and static at the same time. It is constantly manifesting as ahaṃ-sphuraṇa.
Hence we say, Parāmbā is both Viśvamayī and Viśvottīrṇā and simultaneously and eternally so. In Viśvottīrṇa sthiti, she is of the form of pure luminescence and there is nothing else but that. The plumage of a peacock is already contained in its egg-plasma (this is called Mayūrāṇḍarasa Nyāya), and similar is the case where the entire universe is already present within this luminescence, but there is no ābhāsa of the universe at this stage. This is the state of pure ahaṃ, where there is not even room for sat, chit, and ānanda. But in the state of Viśvamayatva, Parāmbā is Saccidānandarūpiṇī. When there is positing or Vimarśa of Prakāśa, there arises a subtle wave of ullāsarūpī spanda, resulting in a spark of ātmaprakāśa which is a śakti named chit. Chit is the first state of externalization in this scheme of things. This is what may be called Vimarśa, Parāvāk, Shakti, etc. The same Spanda which causes chit to appear from sat, also causes ānanda to arise from chit, which, in a way, is a resultant of the union of sat and chit. Thus, chit is the aṃtaraṅgā śakti of the Supreme, while ānanda is the bahiraṅgā śakti. Thus, due to ātmavimarśa, when the Supreme is externalized as sat, chit and ānanda, Parāmbā comes to be called Viśvamayī. In this state, both Prakāśa and Vimarśa go hand in hand. But if one were to truly think, all this theory apart, Vimarśa is the very nature of Prakāśa, the very prakāśatā of Prakāśa. The contrary is also true, as in, the vimarśatā of Vimarśa is Prakāśa. If Prakāśa was devoid of Vimarśa, it would become jaḍa like say a crystal whose luminescence is caitanyahīna. This state is of the form of śuddhasaṃvit and is also devoid of any of form saṅkoca such as deśa, kāla, etc.
Thus Parāmbā is both transcendent and immanent. The universe and the Supreme are not different or unique from each other, Parāmbā is the universe from the point of view of appearance, whereas the universe is verily the Parāśakti from the point of view of Reality. This Viśvamayatva is also echoed in the śruti:
kṣaraṃ pradhānamamṛtākṣaraṃ haraḥ
kṣarātmānāvīśate deva ekaḥ |
tasyābhidhyānādyojanāttatva-
bhāvāt bhūyaścānte viśvamāyānivṛttiḥ ||
Observe the well-known Puruṣa Sūkta:
sa bhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvā atyatiṣṭhaddaśāṅgulam ||
Here, Puruṣa is described as both transcendent and immanent, where the Puruṣa pervades the universe but also extends beyond it. Thus, there is simultaneous, harmonious co-existence in the Puruṣa of abstraction as well as concreteness, of both metaphysical and physical realities with no mutual contradiction whatsoever.
Even in the terminology of Tantra, Parā Bhaṭṭārikā is frequently described as Somasūryāgnilocanā. Soma Tattva represents her Viśvottīrṇa sthiti and Sūrya, her Viśvamayatva. Agni is a whole another topic for another day.
Now, to put these two pieces together and summing up what I spoke for the last ninety minutes, unlike Kevalādvaita, where Saguṇa Brahma is occupying a less-significant or even a subordinate position to Nirguṇa Brahma, there is no such difference in Tantra, especially in śrīvidyā. One is verily the other, one cannot be known without the other.
Let’s look at this verse where ādiśeṣa salutes Nārāyaṇa thus:
paraṃ parasthaṃ gahanādanādiṃ
ekaṃ niviṣṭaṃ bahudhā guhāsu |
sarvālayaṃ sarvacarācarasthaṃ
tvāmeva viṣṇuṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye ||
Here, Viṣṇu, the very epithet signifying the Saguṇa Brahma, is at the same time the transcendental reality that manifests as the absolute substrate of all phenomena, movable and immovable.
At the root of these two forms of Parāmbā is her Pūrṇa Svātantrya, due to which she is both Viśvamayī and Viśvottīrṇā simultaneously without any inherent contradiction. Similarly, Prakāśa which may be called jñāna and Vimarśa which is kriyā are not different from each other or mutually exclusive. Hence, the apt definition of Svātantrya of Parāmbā is saprakāśa-vimarśa or savimarśa-prakāśa.
We generally talk of Kevalādvaita or Brahmādvaita proposed by Acārya Gauḍapāda in his kārikā and by Acārya Shankara in his śārīraka Bhāṣya as the only form of Advaita, but this is not true. Buddhism propounded Advaita too, in fact, Amarakoṣa calls Buddha advayavādī. The lakṣaṇa of śūnyavāda is described thus: śūnyatādvayalakṣaṇā. Mahāmahopādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraj describes śūnyavāda as ‘kaṭhora advayavāda’. It is established beyond doubt that Shankara and Gauḍapāda’s Advaita was influenced by Vijñānavāda and śūnyavāda to an extent; the Saṃvṛti of Buddhism finds expression as Māyā in Shankara’s Advaita.
There is Māyā in the Advaita of Tantra as well, but if a different nature. Due to the inherent svātantrya of Parameśvara, he can conceal himself out of his own free will, or reveal himself. But even when concealed, his true nature is neither lost, not corrupted. This is the core essence of Svabhavavāda, not quite acceptable to Brahmavāda.
The natural state of Parāmbā, where there is ahaṃparāmarśa of the cosmic harmony of Prakāśa and Vimarśa is called Pūrṇāhantā which is devoid of all vikaplas. However, there can be a fallacious appearance (ābhāsa) of duality or division of Prakāśa and Vimarśa not due to any other reason but only because of the pūrṇa svātantrya of Parāmbā. It can appear as three śaktis: Parā or citśakti, Parāparā or icchāśakti and Aparā or jñānaśakti. These three are respectively represented by the letters a, i, and u. These three form the mūlatrikoṇa. A churning of these produces three more śaktis: ānanda, īśāna, and ūrmi, resulting in six. These six vowels are also of great significance in mantraśāstra and are called the ṣaḍraśmi of the sun. Due to combination of these six śaktis, a total of twelve śaktis result (representing twelve vowels, excluding the kliba svaras, ṛ, ṝ, lṛ, lṝ). This is the primary śakti chakra from which all other śaktis originate. This is also called Dvādaśa Kālikā chakra in Kālī krama. It is crucial to understand this concept and we will see later how they relate to Parāmbā in her magnificent form as Viśvātmikā.
Lord Tathāgata and luminaries such as Nāgārjuna stress the importance of the right view. For example, some of the practices in the higher stages of rDzog chen (Atiyoga) are the same as those taught in the lower yānas. The mantras and basic rituals for some deities such as Yamāntaka etc. are the same as those practiced by aspirants of earlier stages but it is the difference in the view that separates the result achieved at various stages. Take for the sake of illustration the three-fold śaktis: Māyā which is the Karma Shakti, Mahāmāyā who is jñānaśakti and Mahāmahāmāyā who is Bhāvaśakti or the power of emotion. These three are represented in the three kūṭas of Pañcadaśī. Without Karma, it is difficult to achieve the required cittaśuddhi for jñāna and hence these are generally successive in nature. We should not confuse Karma here with Kriyā that we discussed earlier. However, the Tantra goes further than other paths such as Yoga or Vedānta in facilitating the peculiar Bhāva ṣakti which takes one to the final goal. It is only after the full cultivation of Bhāva Shakti does one realize Mahāmahāmāyā and glimpse beyond her, to envision Mahāsaptadaśī. I will not go into the details, but those familiar with the stages of Buddhist Mahāmudrā can appreciate this rather intimately. Even in śrīkula Krama, this principle is followed. After Pūrṇadīkṣā of the normal śrī or Kālī kramas, one performs the advanced upāsanā of Kālī. This is followed by upāsanā of Tārā after Kramābhiṣeka and then of Tripurasundarī after Sāmrājyābhiṣeka. Parāmbā, as Mahātripurasundarī, is the utmost way to achieve success in sādhanā of Bhāva śakti, allowing the sādhaka to pierce towards the higher stages of Sāmrājyamedhā and Mahāsāmrājyamedhā.
Now, without the right world-view derived from the right set of śāstras, right Guru’s instruction and right contemplation, it is rather impossible to achieve these results by over-simplification such as ‘mantras are for citta-śuddhi only and simply to gain jñāna’ etc. Such foreign world-views will prevent a śrīvidyā upāsaka from manifesting the full fruit of his sādhanā.
By the way, someone here mentioned that all lineages start from Shiva. That’s not true. Bhagavatī Bimbāmbikā clearly states that our śrīkrama Saṃpradāya starts with Mahābhaṭṭārikā with Svacchanda Bhairava as the next in the lineage. The next two Gurus are Dakṣiṇāmūrti and Paramānanda Bhairava (or Mahākāla Bhairava). Thus, at the level of Pañcadaśī, we invoke Charyānandanātha in the Mahāpādukā, Paramaśiva Bhaṭṭāraka at the level of Mahāṣoḍaśī and simply Mahābhaṭṭārikā or Nirvāṇasundarī beyond the stage of Mahāṣoḍaśī.