The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
38. tvaksthā 39. rudhira saṃsthitā’ 40. māṃsaniṣṭhā 41.mēdōniṣṭhā 42.asti saṃsthita 43.majjāsaṃsthā 44. śukra saṃsthitā
She who lives in the sensibility of the skin.
She who presides over the blood in living beings.
She who presides over the flesh in living beings.
She who resides in the fat of living beings.
She who resides in the bones of living beings.
She who is the presiding deity of the marrow in the bones.
She who resides in the semen.
In addition to holding us captive in the body, Devī surrounds us in the form of the seven dhātu-s, the seven basic building blocks that keep the body functioning – blood, flesh, fat, bones, marrow, and semen. These dhātu-s are the pillars that support the body and prevent it from collapsing. They not only support the external body but also penetrate deep into the core of the body and never forsake it.
We are quite aware of the five dhātu-s - skin, blood, flesh, fat, and bone. We are less aware of the two dhātu-s, majjā (marrow) and śukla (semen). majjā is the oil-like substance inside the bones, while śukla is the seed that appears white in a man’s body. These two dhātu-s nourish and sustain the human body.
The seven dhātu-s are not different from parāśakti. Although they appear as parts of the body, they are a manifestation of śakti. śakti pervades the entire body, from the skin to the semen. Its form and function are beyond the comprehension of the human mind. Just because the nāma-s says śakti resides or presides over the dhātu-s, we must not make the mistake of thinking that śakti is different from the dhātu-s, or that the dhātu-s exist separately and śakti “entered” them. The dhātu itself is śakti and śakti itself is dhātu. śakti transforms Herself into the dhātu and pervades (enters) it. She is both their support and content. Visualizing Her as both the support and the content of the body will help strengthen our knowledge and understanding of Devī as the non-dual, all-pervading substance. Therefore, this assemblage of skin, flesh, blood, bone, etc. that we call body is nothing but śakti Herself manifesting in these forms.