The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
She who has no self interest in anything.
She who is without egoism; She who is without the concept of “me” and “mine.”
When the world no longer appears differentiated, the notions of “I” and “mine” disappear. Since names and forms dissolve in ātmā, there is nothing remaining to claim as “mine.” When there is nothing left to be attached to, there is no scope for a “me,” the separate self to arise. When ātmā reigns supreme everywhere, there is no scope for thieves like “I” and “mine” to enter.
Before the rise of Self-Knowledge, the jīva thinks it is a finite self, limited to the body-mind. It perceives an external world and calls it “mine.” Now, after attaining the knowledge of the Self, the body-mind and the external world transform into ātmā. There is no separate entity “I” left to be attached to and to claim anything as “mine.” Only when there is a cause, there is an effect. When there is no cause, there is no effect. Similarly, when there are no body and world to get attached to, there is no sense of “I” and “mine.”
A question arises at this point. Even after everything transforms into the Self (ātmā), won’t the seeker consider the Self as “me” and the world as “my śakti?” In that case, is it possible for the notions of “I” and “mine” to be completely annihilated? This is a valid question. When everything is experienced as ātmā, even if the notions of me and mine continue, there is no problem because they are both experienced as Pure Consciousness. The Self is experienced as Pure Consciousness and not as a body-mind organism. Similarly, since the world is also experienced as Consciousness (śakti) even though it appears as “mine,” there will be no attachment. śakti is not different from śiva (Self). Hence, when everything is being experienced as Pure Consciousness, if śiva and śakti manifest as “I” and “mine,” it is only joy. This is the essence of these two nāma-s. The prefix “nir” can be interpreted either as total absence or complete presence.
32. mṛtyumathanī 33.nirbhavā
She who destroys death.
She who is without origin.
When the limited sense of me and mine are destroyed in the Oneness of the Self, there is no more death to the jīvā. Ego (me) and attachment (mine) are the reason for death. Change is death. Only the finite is subject to change, not the Infinite and Immutable. Once we have transcended the finite body and attained the Supreme Self, whatever we perceived earlier as a separate world will now appear as a manifestation of śakti.
When the notion of “I” and “mine” merge into the formless Consciousness, there is nothing left that can change. When there is no change, there is no death. That is why Devī is called mṛtyumathanī, the one who destroys death. As the formless, attribute-less Pure Consciousness, Devī transcends death. As the immortal One, She bestows immortality.
Immortality is the very nature of the Self. When we say there is no death, we also mean there is no life after death. Because we forget our immortal nature, we erroneously assume we will die. If we mediate on Devī who is mṛtyumathanī (the destroyer of death) as our very own Self, we will realize that death is non-existent. When there is no death, life flows smoothly with no obstruction. Not life as the physical body, but life as Consciousness. Consciousness is ever present, never absent. When we realize there is no death, we also realize there is no birth. The nāma nirbhavā signifies this truth. The word bhava means birth. Birth is at one end of life and death at the other end. When there is no end called death, there can be no beginning called birth. mṛtyumathanī means no death, and nirbhavā means no origin or birth. If we contemplate on these nāma-s of Devī, we will transcend birth and death and attain the immortal Self. This is the essence of these two mantras.
34. śāntā 35. brāhmī 36. parāniṣṭhā
She who is tranquil.
She who presides over speech.
She who is the Supreme End, the supreme abidance.
When the fear of birth and death is transcended, there is total peace. Birth and death are the reason for unrest and turmoil in human lives. The moment birth and death are transcended, peace is present effortlessly. Unrest begins with birth, continues till death, and resumes with rebirth. When the cycle of birth and death is broken, there is no cause for unrest. Peace alone prevails. The three factors that cause human suffering – physical ailments, natural calamities, and karmic forces – will lose their power on us. We remain at peace because we are no longer pressured by them. The peace mantra (śānti śānti śānti) is chanted thrice to address each of the three factors that cause suffering. Peace being Her very nature, Devī can bestow peace on us.
She is not only peaceful (śāntā), She is also brāhmī, expansive and all-pervasive. She bestows the state of brāhmī, a state of total peace, to those who worship Her. In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna also refers to the brāhmī sthiti in Chapter 2.72, a state that one hopes to attain at the time of death. However, one need not wait for death to experience brāhmī sthiti. It can be experienced even while alive. Because this state of Being is related to brahman, it is called brāhmī. Since brahman is ever present, brāhmī sthiti is also ever present. It is a state that neither rises nor sets.
Devī is not only śāntā and brāhmī, She is also amma9sai parāniṣṭhā, the Absolute, the Supreme End beyond which there is nothing. niṣṭhā means the absolute end or completion. Kaṭhopaniṣad (1-3-11) states: “Beyond the great ātmān is the Un-manifested; beyond the Un-manifested is the Puruṣa (the Cosmic Soul); beyond the Puruṣa, there is nothing. That is the end that is the final goal.” Since there is nothing beyond Devī, She is parāniṣṭhā, the Absolute, the ultimate state of Consciousness. Our goal is to attain that Supreme state of Devī.
37. hēyōpādēya varjitā
She who has nothing to reject or accept.
The one who attains that Supreme state (parāniṣṭhā) while still embodied is a jīvanmukta. In order to live, the body, mind, and sense organs are necessary. As long as these adjuncts (upādhi-s) are present, transactions with the empirical world are unavoidable. What is the meaning of liberation then?
Even though a jīvanmukta appears to have a body and appears to transact with the world, he maintains equanimity. He neither desires nor rejects anything. He sees no duality since he transcends duality. In reality, there is neither good nor bad in the world. Everything in essence is sat-cīt, Existence-Consciousness. To the one who sees everything as Self, Pure Consciousness, there is nothing to reject or desire. How can one reject one’s own nature? There is nothing to desire either because there is no other to desire. The most desirable entity, Self, is already in our possession. If It has to be newly acquired, It cannot be the real Self.
There can only be one formless and all-pervasive entity. Space is such an entity. It neither desires nor rejects anything. It is not subject to likes and dislikes. When physical space itself is undifferentiated, we can imagine the undifferentiated nature of Devī, who is cītākaṣa, Conscious-space. She is everywhere, in everything, and everything is in Her. There is nothing in the universe that is not Her. She is beyond all dualities - good and bad, desirable and undesirable. But She is mahāmāyā and mahāśakti, the Great Illusion and the Great Power of Illusion that can manifest duality. Her manifestation is Her expansion (vibhūti). Her manifestation abounds in transactions. She engenders dualities, likes and dislikes, and plays with them. In this state, She is not varjita (not devoid of likes and dislikes). These nāma-s can be interpreted in two ways – that Devī is full of polarities (likes and dislikes) or that She is devoid of all polarities. This is also the state of the jīvanmukta who realizes and abides in Devi as Pure Consciousness.
38. abhyāsātiśaya jñātā
She who is known through the exceedingly strenuous practice called spiritual discipline.
A question is likely to arise at this point. Is it possible to experience jīvanmukti in this very lifetime? Since we are not highly qualified (uttamādhikri) like the Sages Vyāsa, Vasiṣṭha, and Suka, is it possible for us also to attain such perfection?
This nāma is a response to that question. Complete abidance in the Self (niṣṭa) is both easy (sulabha) and difficult (durlabha). We must remember that the thousand names of the Divine Mother include the two names, sulabha and durlabha. As we advance and mature in our practice, we will attain niṣṭa. Practice (abhyāsa) is constant reflection. Bhagavan Krishna and Sage Patañjali unanimously declare renunciation (vairāgya) and relentless practice (abhyāsa) as prerequisites for attaining niṣṭa. There is nothing that cannot be attained with relentless practice in our worldly and spiritual lives.
Practice is not to be measured in terms of the number of times it is practiced or the length of time it is practiced. Practice must continue until the desired results are attained. That is why Sage Patañjali advised practicing aṣṭāṅga yoga continuously with devotion and discipline. Only with such commitment, a seeker can attain maturity. Unwavering focus and relentless effort will produce the desired results. This is in our experience. The more effort a musician puts into practicing music, the sooner she will master the music. The more experienced a cook is, the sooner she will become a master in cooking. Similarly, when the seeker matures in the practice of viewing the world (not-Self) as an appearance of the Self, the practice will eventually culminate in complete abidance in the Self (ātmā). anātmā (not-self/world) will lose its specificity and dissolve in the Supreme Self. This is brahmaniṣṭa, the unwavering abidance of the Self as the Self in All.
39. maitryādi vāsanālabhyā
She who is to be attained by love and other good dispositions.
To attain such a lofty goal as total abidance in the Self, a seeker must persevere and stay committed to the practice. Mind is conditioned by many inauspicious impressions (aśubhavāsanā) accumulated over many lifetimes. These impressions obstruct our spiritual progress. As long as our minds are controlled by our tendencies, there is no hope for us. Self-abidance will continue to remain out of reach. Therefore, the first step is to get rid of these negative tendencies. The only way to do so is by cultivating positive tendencies or śubhavāsanā-s. The yoga śāstra advocates cultivating four dispositions or qualities: maitrī (friendship), karuṇā (compassion), mudita (joy), and upekṣā (indifference). This nāma refers to these same qualities.
People are of four types: those who are easy going and happy, those who struggle and are unhappy, those who try to perform meritorious deeds, and those who perform cruel deeds. We interact with these four types of people all our lives. When we interact with them closely, we are likely to acquire their tendencies. To make sure their tendencies don’t create new tendencies in us, we must counter the negative tendencies with positive tendencies, such as becoming friends with those who are happy, being compassionate to those who are unhappy, rejoicing with those who perform meritorious deeds, and remaining detached from those who perform cruel deeds. Such positive tendencies will remove negative tendencies like envy, stubbornness, intolerance, and hatred. The negative tendencies (aśubhavāsanā-s) will gradually get replaced by positive tendencies (subhavāsanā-s).
As we cultivate strong śubhavāsanā-s, we must let go of good vāsanā-s as well. Even good vāsanā-s are worldly in nature, since they also comprise the three guṇa-s (rajas, tamas, and ṣatva). vāsanā-s, good or bad, prevent us from attaining and stabilizing our vision in the formless, attribute-less brahman. Therefore, we must transcend both positive and negative tendencies by cultivating a strong vāsanā for brahman, Pure Consciousness. This may not be possible right away. The mind must first be purified with śubha vāsanā-s, and eventually, through deep contemplation and clear understanding of the nature of the Supreme Self, it must transcend all vāsanā-s. As stated in Chāndogya Upanishad 7-26.2, “…from purity of mind comes constant remembrance of God, and from constant remembrance of God, one becomes free of all bondage - one becomes liberated." Therefore, we need not entertain any doubt. A mature seeker is not plagued by doubts. He can easily go to the next step in his practice, quickly reach the peak, and remain there. Therefore, even though a seeker is required to initially cultivate good tendencies and develop strong brahmavāsanā, he must eventually transcend even that vāsanā. As long as strong tendencies persist, they obstruct progress. Positive tendencies purify the mind, but do not help in realizing the Self. When total abidance in the Self is attained, Devī manifests in the seeker as vāsanā-alabhyā, the One who transcends all vāsanā-s.
40. ajñānadhvānta dīpikā
She who is the bright lamp that dispels the darkness of ignorance.
The seeker who continues such relentless practice is sure to attain Devī. As Knowledge arises, ignorance, the opposite of Knowledge, disappears. Ignorance, lack of Self-Knowledge, is like a thick veil of darkness. Although it is nothing, darkness appears as though it is something. It is the same with ignorance. Ignorance appears as this expansive world of names and forms. The vṛtti or Knowledge of brahman is like a bright lamp in the darkness called ignorance. Devī is chidēka rasarūpiṇī. Like the juice that pervades the entire sugar cane, Consciousness pervades this entire universe. Consciousness (Devī) is like a lamp in the darkness. She shines brightly. Her effulgence spreads widely in all directions. When the light of Consciousness pervades everything completely, there is no scope for the darkness called ignorance to remain. It disappears completely. Like darkness merging into light, the phenomenal world merges into Consciousness. Since Consciousness is the only Reality, It is the only means for getting rid of the ignorance.
41: jñānajñēya svarūpiṇī 42: sāmarasya parāyaṇā
She who is both knowledge and the known.
She who is immersed in a state of steady wisdom.
In this manner, when the light of Knowledge in the form of a vṛtti of brahman dispels the darkness that appears as the phenomenal world, the great Goddess appears in Her true nature as both subject and object. Aren’t subject (knower) and object (known) mutually exclusive entities? How can Devī appear as both? Knower or Knowledge is defined as illumination. When objects are perceived in the light of Consciousness, they lose their particular-ness (get blurred) and dissolve in Consciousness. Consciousness, when It transacts with the object world, appears as the object world. Hence, when we perceive the phenomenal world as a manifestation of Consciousness and not as a separate entity, our vision becomes homogenous and sees only Consciousness everywhere. The world will appear as Consciousness and Consciousness will appear as the world. This homogenous vision is impartial. It does not distinguish between the knower (subject) and the known (object). Both knower and known will be experienced as the Self in all.
Such a homogenous vision and intuitive knowledge of the Self in All is called sāmarasya. The one who sees the Self in all beings, and all beings in the Self is a samadarśi. This is the truth that all the Upanishads proclaim. The subject and the object are ātmā and anātmā respectively. When the two are seen as One, it is sāmarasya. The two become One only when they dissolve completely in the Supreme Self, which is Pure Consciousness. It is the substratum on which everything appears. Expansion of the Self is the world we perceive. Perception of the world as the Self is Knowledge. Knower (ātmā) and known (anātmā) are relative concepts that are dependent on each other. Since they are relative, they can merge into the Absolute. When the knower and the known merge into Pure Consciousness, ātmā alone IS, without a second. That Knowledge is Devī (sāmarasya pārāyaṇa).