The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
22. charāchara jagannātha
She who is the ruler of the animate and inanimate worlds.
Although śakti permeates everything, from parā to vaikharī, from śiva to the gross world, it is our great misfortune that we fail to perceive Her. Even though She is the creator and sustainer of the world and we realize we have no control over anything, instead of being detached and peaceful, we are restless and anxious. We transact with the world thinking we are the doers and enjoyers of the results. In reality, we are neither the doers nor the enjoyers. śakti is the doer of all actions and enjoyer of all results. She is the ruler of all animate and inanimate things (jagannātha). The word nātha means “sole refuge.” The Supreme Power, parāśakti, is the source and only refuge for all sentient and insentient beings. We must see Her underlying presence (sat-cīt) in everything, and attribute every action and its results to Her. It is impossible for finite beings like us to interfere in Her process with our limited intellects, since our intellects too conform to Her divine will.
23. sarvānullaṅghya śāsanā
She whose commands are not disobeyed by anyone.
Since She is the commander of all sentient and insentient beings, it is impossible for us to intervene in Her process. No one can transgress Her commands. She reigns over the microcosm and macrocosm with unobstructed power. Everything is in Her control. Every living being abides by Her commands. She is the kṣetreṣi kṣetrajñapālinī, the field and the owner of the field as well. Hence, it is not possible for anyone to transcend Her.
Since Devī pervades the insentient world, She has control over everything in the four directions. Everything exists everywhere as She wills. It is impossible for a thing to exist in any other way. Such absolute control is possible because of Her omniscience and omnipresence. It is impossible not only for humans to transcend the boundaries She has drawn for them, but also for all the gods and goddess they worship. According to the Upanishad, it is out of fear of the mahāśakti that the wind blows and the sun shines. When the deities governing the five elements have no control, what control can we ordinary mortals claim? Therefore, we must let go off all doer-ship and surrender ourselves to śakti, the great power that is the source from which the world emanates.
24. pañchakṛtya parāyaṇā
She who is devoted to the five functions.
This nāma describes how the Goddess controls the universe by performing five functions – creation, preservation, destruction, annihilation (tirodhānam), and restoration (anugraham). She performs these functions as She manifests from parā to vaikharī, from Pure Consciousness to the gross world.
Creation, preservation, and dissolution reveal Devī ’s all-pervasive nature (jagadātmika). This entire phenomenal world emanates from Her, hence it is not different from Her. Her powers of tirodhānam and anugraham, annihilation and restoration, reveal Devī’s controlling nature (jaganiyātmika). By contracting Her Infinite Power, She manifest as countless finite beings. By concealing Her real nature, She makes them forget their real nature and live in ignorance. This concealment and resulting ignorance is tirodhānam. By revealing Her true nature, Devī removes ignorance and helps us realize our full potential as siva. This revelation is Her blessing (anugraham). Devī does not perform tirodhānam and anugraham in a random or unchecked manner. She does so in accordance with the merits and demerits accrued by individuals based on their past actions. Pure and Perfect, She is not subject to likes and dislikes.
Although five functions are attributed to Devī, in reality, they can be reduced to two: tirodhāna and anugraha. Creation, sustenance, and dissolution are part of annihilation, and not apart from it. Because our real nature as Pure Consciousness is concealed from us, we assume that the world is real, that it is created, sustained, and dissolved by some external power. If there was no concealment (tirodhāna), there would be no need for revelation (anugraha). If there was no annihilation, nothing new can be created (śruṣṭi), sustained (sthiti), or dissolved (laya). Consciousness (śakti) would remain Complete and Perfect without any transformation.
25. sṛṣṭikartrī, brahmarūpā 26.gōptrī, gōvindarūpiṇī 27.saṃhāriṇī, rudrarūpā 28.tirōdhānakarī, īśvarī 29.sadāśivā, ānugrahadā
She who is the Creator - She who is in the form of brahman.
She who protects - She who assumed the form of Govinda (Viṣṇu) for the preservation of the universe.
She who is the destroyer of the universe – She who assumed the form of Rudra for the dissolution of the world.
She who causes the disappearance of all things – She who protects and rules everything.
She who is sadāśivā, one who bestows auspiciousness – She who confers blessings.
These nāma-s describe in detail the manner in which śakti carries out the five functions. First, as brahman (Supreme Consciousness), She manifests this entire universe of sentient and insentient objects. The word brahman stems from the root word bṛhad, which means vast. Devī is brahmarūpini, the Supreme Consciousness. There is no difference between śakti and brahman. During the process of manifestation, śakti, the conscious power of brahman, appears as though split into many to appear as this world. Like the gold that molds itself into different ornaments, parā śakti (the great cosmic power) in the form of brahman molded Itself to appear as the world. Although we say “split,” in reality, there is no split. The great cosmic power, parāśakti, cannot be fragmented. It only appears as though It is fragmented when It appears as the myriad objects of the world. The mantra brahmarūpā indicates that Devī is the material cause of the universe. The mantra sṛṣṭikartrī indicates that She is the efficient cause (Intelligence) of the universe. Hence, śakti is both the creator as well as the creation!
Devī is also the sustainer and sustenance of the universe. The names gōptrī, gōvindarūpiṇī describes Her role in the universe. As govinda, She rules the world. The syllable “go” also means vṛtti, thought-modifications triggered by the mind and sense organs. As the controller of the mind and the senses, Devī is the ruler and sustainer of the world.
Similarly, as rudra, She withdraws the universe that She has spontaneously created from Herself into Herself. Everything dissolves in Her. Hence, at the time of pralaya (complete dissolution of the world), it is said that the world is not completely destroyed. It becomes un-manifest and merges back into its source (śakti). This is the meaning of saṃhāriṇī, rudrarūpā. When śakti manifests externally, we call it creation; when she un-manifests, we call it dissolution. What is real (Consciousness) does not disappear suddenly, and what is unreal (names and forms), does not appear suddenly. This is the fundamental principle of Advaita. The Sanskrit word rudra in this context means primordial sound, the anāhata nāda, the inner vibration. This vibration is the movement of prāṇa, the life-force. At the time of dissolution, this life-force leaves the micro and macrocosm, and merges back into the source, i.e cītśakti (Consciousness). That is why prāṇa is referred to as rudra. Hence, it is cītśakti Itself that manifests as the life-force at the time of creation, and un-manifests and merges back into its source at the time of dissolution.
In this manner, while performing these three functions (creation/sustenance/dissolution), parāśakti conceals Her Infinite nature as cītśakti and contracts Herself to appear as the finite world. In this state, She is called īśvarī, the one who commands, controls, and rules everything. Because of Her controlling and contracting power, we forget our real nature which is Pure Consciousness. Devī also has the power to withdraw and dissolve the world in Herself and reveal Her Infinite nature. She can bestow the Knowledge of the Self and remove the ignorance of an earnest seeker. She can contract Herself to appear as the finite individual or expand freely without any constraint to appear as the Universal Consciousness. In Her ability to contract or expand at will, She is known as sadāśivā, the Auspicious One. She pervades the entire universe as Consciousness, so there is really nothing in the Universe that is inauspicious. What appears as saṃsāra is only an appearance of Consciousness. Since Consciousness is ever present, It is sadāśivā.
This sadāśivā is the fifth stage in the transformation of śakti. This is Her natural state. The four stages we mentioned earlier are only pratiti siddham, only an appearance. They have no reality. Therefore, whatever we perceive as the world is unreal. Consciousness alone is Real. Unable to experience our Self in its full potential as Pure Consciousness, we reduce It to our body, mind, and senses. Identified with the body, we see the world as prakṛti (nature) that is subject to decay and death. We forget our true changeless nature and remain ensnared in the illusion of saṃsāra.
30. viśvarūpā, jāgariṇī 31. svapantī, taijasātmikā 32. suptā, prājñātmikā 33. turyā, sarvāvasthā vivarjitā
She who has the whole universe as her form – She who assumes the form of jīvā in the
waking state.
She who assumes the form of the jīvā in the dream state – She who is the inner essence of the jīvā in the dream state.
She who assumes the form of the jīvā in deep sleep state – She who is not separate from prajña.
She who is in the state of turīya – She who transcends all states.
For as long as we forget our true nature and consider ourselves and the world to be finite and separate, in accordance with our outlook, the Goddess projects Herself as the finite world and individual, the macrocosm and the microcosm respectively. This leads to saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death. The fragment of Consciousness that is attached to the body is the jīvā, the notion of an individual, a separate self. Attached to the individual are three states - the waking, dream, and deep sleep. Identified with these states, the jīvā forgets that he is the witness to these states. In the waking state, he is called viṣva (the self that is identified with the gross body). In the dream state, he is called taijasa (the self that functions as light), and in deep sleep state, he is called prajña (the self that is a witness to the nescience in deep sleep).
It is only a misconception, this notion that the individual experiences three states. In reality, he does not experience any of these states himself. It is Devī, the witnessing Self that is enshrined in him as his innermost Self, that experiences them. She is the one who assumes the form and role of viṣva in the waking state, taijasa in the dream state, and prajña in deep sleep. Since Devī is his innermost Self, jīvā is none other than Her.
If the jīvā is the Devī Herself, then the question arises – is it Devī that is trapped in saṃsāra? Devī is sarvāvasthā vivarjitā, the one who transcends all states. Although She is present in all these states, She is not attached to any of them. She is untouched and separate from them as the Consciousness that pervades them. She is not limited by time, space, or events, since time, space, and events are contained in Her. She is turīya, the fourth state that is immanent in all three states as well as transcends them.In reality, It cannot be called turīya, the fourth state, either. Only when three are really present, there is scope for a fourth. The waking, dream, and deep sleep states don’t really exist on their own. They have no existence separate from Consciousness. They appear as though they are separate and real, but they are mithyā, only illusory appearances. If the three states are mere illusions, then why is turīya called the fourth state? The four states are provisionally stated because it is a common misconception that the three states are real, that they are wrought with suffering, and one must free oneself from suffering by attaining the fourth, turīya. We do not realize that the so called four states are in reality only one, turīya, a state that is not a state, since It is the underlying reality that does not undergo any change. As long as we do not realize the truth that Consciousness (turīya) alone is real, and instead identify as the jīvā and consider the waking, dream, and deep-sleep states as real, Devī will continue to bind us with the noose called tirodhāna and keep us in bondage.