The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
11. mithyā jagadadhiṣṭhānā
She who is the basis of the illusory universe.
How can we cultivate antarmukha, an inward vision? We can do so by contemplating deeply on the nature of Devī, who is the substratum on which the illusory world appears. She is the great power or śakti that is the basis of the entire universe. But we fail to notice Her because our attention is only on the transitory names and forms that are superimposed on it. Names and forms are countless, change endlessly, and produce mixed results. If the results are good, we are happy. If the results are bad, we are unhappy. We have no choice but to helplessly experience the results, good or bad.
This feeling of helplessness is because our attention is on the transient world. Our effort now is to see the world as a superimposition, as a mere appearance. It is only Consciousness that appears as names and forms. It is like the rays of the sun appearing as water (mirage) in the desert. The sun rays are real. Their appearance as water (mirage) is unreal.
Similarly, even if the phenomenal world appears to us, it is like a mirage. It is only a shadow of Pure Consciousness. It is real only as Consciousness, and unreal as names and forms. The more we contemplate on the infinite nature of Consciousness and our minds expand to grasp it, the more illusory the world will appear and disappear altogether eventually. When the entire world disappears, Pure Consciousness alone remains, just like the sun rays that remain when the mirage disappears.
12. vidyā'vidyā svarūpiṇī
She who is in the form of both knowledge and ignorance.
Based on the above discussion, it is clear that we are capable of two visions, one that sees the real substance and the one that sees the unreal appearance. These two viewpoints are valid in the empirical as well as the spiritual realms. Even in the empirical world, if our attention is only on the external appearance of an object and not on its internal nature, we would be seeing only the unreal. Only when our attention penetrates and understands the internal nature of the object, we really see the object in its entirety. These real and unreal viewpoints are vidyā and avidyā respectively. However, from the viewpoint of Supreme Consciousness, even vidyā is avidyā. Mundaka Upanishad declared all vidyā-s (knowledge about particulars), including Rigveda as avidyā. Real Knowledge or vidyā is one that which reveals the Absolute truth.
This nāma describes Devī as vidyā-avidyā swarūpini. How can Devī, who is Pure Consciousness, be avidyā? Isn’t She also vimarṣa-rūpini, the one who is the source of all vidyā-s? Nowhere has Devī been described as avidyā, but in this mantra! What does that mean?
vidyā-avidyā do not belong to Devī. They belong to the jīvā. If the jīvā’s vision is on the real, then Devī appears as vidyā. If it is on the unreal, Devī appears as avidyā. The knowledge of the finite jīvā is limited and unstable. It comes and goes. When vidyā rises, avidyā disappears. When avidyā rises, vidyā disappears. Therefore, the individual’s knowledge is not steady. It keeps changing. But the Supreme Knowledge that is Devī does not change.
Why does this nāma describe Her as vidyā-avidyā? How should we interpret it? vidyā and avidyā are relative terms. Because there is vidyā, there is avidyā. Because there is avidyā, there is vidyā. When the mind ceases to see duality, what remains is Devī in Her essential nature as Consciousness. Devī is described as both vidyā and avidyā because there is nothing outside Her nature. The seeker must dissolve these conflicting notions and feelings, and perceive Devī as the all-pervading Pure Consciousness that ever shines and never sets.
13 duṣṭadūrā; 14. śiṣṭēṣṭā
She who is unapproachable by the wicked.
She who is loved by the righteous; She who is the chosen deity; She who loves righteous people.
Those who cannot see Devī as the all-pervading Pure Consciousness are duṣṭa or wicked. Devī remains unreachable and ungraspable by such people. They are regarded as “sinners” because of the three doṣā-s they commit. The first doṣā is avidyā (ignorance), which leads to the second called kāma (desire), which in turn leads to the third called karma (action). Lack of proper knowledge of the Self (ātmā) is avidyā. Due to avidyā, Self appears as the anātmā (the not-self - world, objects, people, relationships, etc.) When anātmā appears, desire arises. This is kāma, desire for worldly pleasures. kāma produces action (karma) to satisfy the desires. Action (karma) produces results. Results, good or bad, must be experienced. Hence, the source of saṃsāra are these three doṣā-s: avidyā, kāma, and karma.
The extent to which we are subject to these doṣā-s to the extent we are duṣṭa-s. Hence, Devī appears as though out of our reach. In reality, She is right here, but hidden from us. Like three thick curtains, the three doṣā-s hide Her from our view. That is why we cannot grasp Her. Hence, She is called duṣṭadūrā, the one who is unattainable by duṣṭa-s.
How can we attain Her? How can we get rid of all our desires and dissolve our mind in Her completely? This second nāma, śiṣṭēṣṭā, answers this question. We must get rid of these doṣā-s. When these doṣā-s disappear, the duṣṭa transforms into a śiṣṭa, the noble one. Such noble ones are dear to Devī because their only desire is to know the truth. This is a common occurrence – to first desire a thing, then to make an effort to attain it, and finally to make it our own.
For instance, if we desire to eat a particular type of sweet, if our desire is strong enough, we will explore all the ways in which we can quickly acquire the sweet and satisfy our desire. We now have a desire to attain Devī. Although Devī is our very own Self, we have forgotten this truth over several life times. Now that we desire to know Her, we are inspired to seek Her. As our desire becomes stronger, our effort to attain Her also becomes stronger and will eventually culminate in experiencing Her as our own Self. Because She is desired and sought by śiṣṭa-s and She in turn favors them, She is śiṣṭēṣṭā.
Sri Krishna echoes this truth in Bhagavad Gita, Ch 7-17 as follows: “I consider them to be the highest, who worship Me with knowledge, and are steadfastly and exclusively devoted to Me. I am very dear to them and they are very dear to Me.”
The desire to attain Devī is not like a desire to attain material objects, such as sweets. In order to satisfy our desire for sweets, we must either make them from scratch or acquire them from a store. No such transactions are necessary in satisfying our desire for Devī. Consciousness pervades everything. It does not have to be newly created or acquired from some distant place. It is readily present as our own Self. All that we need to do is to remove the three doṣā-s that conceal It. We will then experience Devī as our very own Self. This recognition of the divine nature of our Self is pratyabhijñā. Such a recognition is the only effort required by śiṣṭa-s.
15. saṃhṛtāśēṣa pāṣaṇḍā; 16. sadāchāra pravartikā
She who destroys all heretics.
She who is immersed in right conduct and inspires others to follow.
Like the śiṣṭa-s, duṣṭa-s are also created by Devī . How can She be partial to one and not to the other of Her creation? Isn’t She karuṇa mūrti, the compassionate one? As the Divine Mother of all, shouldn’t She have equanimity towards all?
There is no doubt that Devī treats all Her creation equally. She destroys all heretical doctrines, such as those of the materialists (cārvāka-s) that get popularized in the world from time to time. These doctrines appeal to masses because they are easy to follow. Most humans are of mediocre intelligence. By associating themselves with such heretical doctrines, they become duṣṭa-s. They live in avidyā, obsessed by kāma and karma. They are satisfied with material pleasures, and have no aspiration for higher knowledge. They live in ignorance, die in ignorance, and are reborn in ignorance.
Devī transforms duṣṭa-s into śiṣṭa-s by destroying doctrines that distract and mislead them. That is the reason why great teachers (acārya-s) appear in certain locations of the world from time to time. It is only due to Devī’s grace and the power of Self-Knowledge that She bestows on them that these teachers are able to drive away heretical teachings, and reestablish right thinking and order in the world. Shankara and Ramanuja are such great sages that appeared in the past, and there are many in the present who are also working hard towards spreading the Knowledge that can free people from saṃsāra. The passion and commitment with which these sages accomplish their goals is a manifestation of the power of Devī.
The wise say that one must save oneself first and then save others. These sages have a wealth of Knowledge. They have rid themselves of the three doṣā-s and freed themselves from the clutches of saṃsāra. If we keep company of such wise sages and follow their instructions, we too will be free. People are infatuated by those who have attained name and fame, and follow them without any discrimination. If these famed people propagate wrong teachings, people who follow them will apply the wrong teaching to their lives and become entrenched deeper in the three doṣā-s. If they follow a teacher who propagates sadācāra, the right teaching, they become śiṣṭa-s. Devī gives birth to such wise teachers from time to time to guide seekers to the right path.
17. samayāchāra tatparā 18: sampradāyēśvarī
She who is attached to the samaya form of worship.
She who is the guardian of traditions.
This nāma describes the nature of sadācāra, the virtuous path that is also known as samayācāra. sadācāra unites the individual consciousness (jīvātma) with the Supreme Consciousness (paramātmā). Hence it is considered as a virtuous path.
Devī is the essence of sadācāra traditions and not of the opposite path called vāmācāra. There are different traditions and practices for seekers in the world. vāmācāra, kaulācāra, and dakṣinācāra are the three most popular ones. vāmācāra is the most intense of the three because it involves extreme practices. kaulācāra involves rituals and symbolic worship, while dakṣinācāra focuses on Truth. Hence, wise men prefer dakṣinācāra. If they follow this path, they are bound to attain liberation. Liberation is Pure Knowledge. The other practices, vāmācāra and kaulācāra, do not help seekers attain the ultimate goal, which is the direct experience of the Self. Only when seekers on these other paths slowly let go of practices that perpetuate differences (multiplicity) and turn instead towards dakṣinācāra, they will attain liberation. Therefore, all traditions eventually must culminate in dakṣinācāra, the path that reveals the Truth.
The sages of the Upanishads unanimously declare sadācāra as the only practice that leads to Pure Knowledge. They established sadācāra as the sampradāya to be followed by everyone in the world. sampradāya is the tradition by which an enlightened teacher passes on his or her experiential Knowledge to a disciple. It is this teacher-disciple tradition that is popular in the world. Those who have purified their mind by cultivating the six virtues (sama, dama, etc.) and have developed one-pointed concentration on the truth are qualified for sadācāra. They are sure to reap the rewards of their practice. Those who do not qualify for sadācāra are in capable of grasping the Knowledge, so there is no danger of such people contaminating the teaching.
Several questions may arise at this point. Is śāstra (scripture) the only means of attaining this Knowledge? Can’t we attain this Knowledge by observing the world? Our intellect is ever present, so we should be able to grasp anything with our intellect and experience it. Why then are we instructed to learn from a teacher? A teacher might be very knowledgeable and, based on his knowledge, he/she might show us a path. But why should we consider the path they show as the only path? Can’t we investigate and find another path using our own intellect? Won’t our intellect expand and sharpen if we exercise it in this manner?
Such questions arise due to lack of proper enquiry. Seekers around the world are not all equally competent. They may be grouped into different types based on their competency, such as the brilliant (uttamottama), good (uttama), mediocre (madhyma), and beginner (adhama) types. The brilliant ones are those who do not need the scripture or the teacher. Due to the merit they accrued from the sādhana (practice) they did in previous births, they are born highly intelligent in this life. Their own intelligence and wisdom become their Guru. They live in the knowledge of the Self, and constant contemplation that “I am brahman and the world I see is an appearance of brahman.” The second type of seekers are those who have acquired some knowledge and are committed to the teaching. They do not depend as much on a Guru. They consider the scripture itself a teacher. Based on their faith in the scripture, they study and contemplate on the teaching and attain Self-Knowledge. The third type of seekers do not have such a sharp intelligence. They are not capable of reading the scripture and grasping the truth on their own. They need the help of a teacher to read and understand the scripture. With the help of a teacher they quickly attain Self-Knowledge. The fourth type of seekers are dull and incapable of grasping anything on their own. They certainly need a teacher. By serving a teacher and listening to the teaching constantly, their minds get gradually purified, and in time, will turn towards Self-Knowledge.
In this manner, the first two types of seekers may not require a teacher, but the last two types certainly need one. Even though it might appear as though the first type of seekers, the highly qualified ones, do not require a teacher in this life time, they certainly must have had served an eminent teacher in their previous lives because their highly refined minds are capable of quickly grasping the highest knowledge in this current lifetime. There is no effect without a cause. Therefore, we should not carelessly dismiss the need for a teacher. If we try to learn on our own without the guidance of a teacher, we might end up on a wrong path in our confusion.
We need not be surprised that a Guru is necessary. A Guru is one who has attained complete Knowledge of the Self, the same complete knowledge that the scripture offers. This knowledge is none other than Advaita, the knowledge of the Non-Dual Self. Such knowledge can be acquired only through an accomplished Advaita teacher and teaching, and not through a dualistic teacher and teaching. We need not worry that our intelligence will be compromised if we seek the help of an accomplished teacher. Since the teaching is on the essence of Advaita, the seeker can be rest assured that he or she will only benefit from the teaching. Since the teacher has direct experience of the Self, he is śiva-svarūpa, Supreme Consciousness Itself.
19. mahāvidyā
She who is the seat of exalted knowledge, the knowledge of the Self.
What is that knowledge that an accomplished Guru provides? It is mahāvidyā. That which provides knowledge of something is vidyā. There are countless types of vidyā-s in the world. Whatever type of vidyā it may be, whether of the world, tantra, mantra, or yoga, they are all dualistic in nature. Every one of them focuses on a specific knowledge that is different from the subject who is seeking the knowledge. They all invariably involve the triad - the knower, the object to be known, and knowledge. Hence, these worldly knowledges only perpetuate differences, and not dissolve the differences in the Absolute truth.
There is only one type of Knowledge that can offer the Absolute truth. It is the knowledge of Advaita. It dismisses the triad as unreal and establishes the Self as real. Whatever is perceived, it is an appearance only. It is the Self, Pure Consciousness itself that appears as everything. Due to ignorance, we perceive names and forms as real. The wise see everything as śiva, Pure Consciousness. Hence ignorance and knowledge are all based on one’s viewpoint. If one were to ask, “where does this ignorance come from?,” that very question would be arising from ignorance. Therefore, there is no point in wasting our effort asking such questions. Instead, we must stand firm in our conviction that Self alone IS. This is the highest knowledge that Advaita teaches.
Since Advaita answers all questions, it is the most exalted Knowledge. Since this exalted knowledge is the very nature of the Goddess, She is called mahāvidyā. She is also known as brahmavidyā (Knowledge of the Supreme Consciousness), tatvavidyā (Knowledge of the essence of who we are), etc. Since this non-dual knowledge is taught by the teacher and received by the disciple, this teacher-disciple tradition is the primary means for attaining Self Knowledge.