The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
43: svasthā 44: ēkākinī
She who abides in Herself; She who is free from all afflictions.
She who is the lone one.
Complete abidance in the Self (svasthā) is the nature of Devī. As pure Consciousness, She stands alone by Herself. Since She alone IS, She can be found only in Herself. For countless births, we have been asleep in ignorance, unaware of Her presence. Gaudapada in Mandukya kārikā (1-16) writes: “When the jīvā or the individual soul sleeping (i.e., not knowing the Reality) under the influence of beginningless māyā is awakened, it, then, realizes (in itself) non-duality, beginningless and dreamless.”
When a question arises as to where is māyā located, the Upanishad answers that māyā is located in Her expansion, the phenomenal world.
Although Devī abides in the phenomenal world, we fail to see Her. We see Her manifestation, the microcosm (body/mind, etc.) and macrocosm (earth/space, etc.), but fail to see Her un-manifested presence. Because we see the transient world only, we think Devi is also transient. We fail to recognize Her as the unchanging reality. Since the mind is always outward-facing, it only sees multiplicity. If the mind turns in-wards and sees the unchanging reality, duality (ignorance) will vanish, just like the darkness in the presence of light. Devī will appear as svasthā, Pure Consciousness, free of all afflictions. Since Pure Consciousness is our own nature, we too will be free of all afflictions (svasthā).
When we attain svasthā, we realize that the Self as Pure Consciousness is ever present and that the Self alone IS. Devī is ēkākinī, the lone one. Since She alone IS, there is no scope for anything else to be. Even though She is ēkākinī, due to Her power of illusion (māyā), She can appear as many. Her appearance as many is the world we perceive. nāma-s such as bahurūpa and vividhākārā also indicate the same. Since it is the undifferentiated śakti only that appears as the world, the world is unreal.
Instead of grasping Devī as the One Consciousness that pervades everything, we see Her fragmented into family and possessions. Obsessed with names and forms, we spend our entire life transacting with names and forms. Although our true nature is undifferentiated Consciousness, we see ourselves differentiated into body and mind. Hence, Devī always appears distant and out of reach.
45. duḥkhahantrī 46. puruṣārthapradā
45. duḥkhahantrī 46. puruṣārthapradāShe who is the destroyer of sorrow. She who grants the four-fold objects of human life.
The instant the seeker attains the vision Oneness, all knots of ignorance will fall apart. Sorrow (duḥkha) is one such knot. The scripture refers to the body-mind organism as a dwelling of sorrow. No body is exempted from sorrow, neither the rich nor the poor.
We spend all our life trying to get rid of sorrow. But our efforts are in vain. If we manage to get rid of one misery, another pops up. The only way to completely eradicate sorrow is to cultivate a homogenous vision of the Self in all. Since Devī bestows such a vision and frees the seeker from all misery, She is called duḥkhahantrī. Since She is svasthā, free from all afflictions, She is the destroyer of all afflictions. Sorrow is an affliction. When one realizes that Self alone IS, one is freed from sorrow and other afflictions.
When one is free of sorrow, one can effortlessly attain puruṣārtha, the four goals of human life. As individuals, we are afflicted with likes and dislikes. We are happy when we get what we desire, and unhappy when we get what we do not desire. We crave happiness and shun misery. Hence, happiness is our ultimate goal. The four things we strive for in life (puruṣārtha) are dharma (virtuousness), artha (wealth), kāma (desires), and mokṣa (liberation). The first three goals are worldly (anātmā) in nature. Hence, they can only bring misery and momentary happiness.
The fourth goal, mokṣa brings lasting happiness. There is not even a trace of worldliness in it. Therefore, mokṣa is the ultimate goal of human life. When mokṣa is attained, the other three goals are also attained. There is no need to strive for them separately. Therefore, Devī is called puruṣārthapradā, the One who helps us attain both worldly and spiritual goals.
47. svargāpavargadā 48. nirvāṇa sukhadāyinī
She who bestows heaven and liberation. She who confers the bliss of liberation.
Not all scholars agree that mokṣa is the only goal to focus on. According to them, scripture is the source of Knowledge on human goals that transcend the world. Since the scripture expounds on both dharma and mokṣa, they are both important. One cannot ignore dharma (attainment of svarga or heaven) and focus only on mokṣa (liberation or apavarga). Unlike ardha (wealth) and kāma (desire) which are worldly goals, dharma and mokṣa are not worldly goals, so they are both equally important.
This is not a proper argument. It is true that the scripture instructs on dharma and dharma is different from ardha (wealth) and kāma (desire). It is also true that dharma, like mokṣa, is not of this world, and Devī bestows both. However, there is a big difference between the two. Even though the results of dharma are other-worldly, they do not produce ever-lasting happiness. The happiness they produce is also temporary. Even if a seeker attains a heavenly abode as a result of the merit she acquired from living a virtuous life on earth, the happiness she experiences in heaven is temporary. Once the accrued merit is exhausted, she will have to once again enter a womb, take birth on earth, and continue to experience the pleasures and pains of saṃsāra. The only medicine for this disease called saṃsāra is the complete extinction of all afflictions. nirvāṇa is the complete extinction of all afflictions, whether of this world or of the other world. That is why mokṣa (liberation) is also called nirvāṇa, the Great Extinction. The happiness derived from mokṣa is the bliss of nirvāṇa. Since Devī bestows such a bliss, She is called nirvāṇa sukha dāyini. A true seeker must, therefore, reject even the pleasures of heaven, and strive to attain mokṣa, the one and only worthy goal of human life.
49. sadyaḥ prasādinī; 50. yajamāna svarūpiṇī
She who bestows Her grace immediately.
She who is in the form of yajamāna, the one who directs sacrificial fires.
Liberation is not a goal that can be realized only after death. It is possible to attain it right here and now. The moment Knowledge of the Self arises, liberation is attained. Devī is sadyaḥ prasādinī. She bestows results right away. Unlike dharma puruṣārtha, the results of mokṣa sādhana are immediate. A seeker will have to wait until after death to enjoy the results of the dharmic actions he performs in this current life. A question arises at this point. Karma (ritual) is action, and actions produces immediate results. On what basis can we say that the results of the dharmic actions we perform in this current life will come to fruit after death? What is the proof? According to philosophers of mīmāṃsā, Vedic rituals and dharmic actions produce extremely subtle results that are not visible in this life time. According to them, as soon as prārabdha (past karma) is exhausted and the body drops, the jīvā transmigrates to another realm and body, taking with it, in subtle form, the results of its virtuous actions. Hence, the results of dharma puruṣārtha are not immediate.
One the other hand, there is no delay in enjoying the result of mokṣa puruṣārtha. It is immediate. The moment Knowledge rises, mokṣa is experienced because mokṣa is Self-evident, ever-present Consciousness. There is no need to perform any rituals or actions to attain it. jñāna (Knowledge) alone is necessary. Knowledge or Consciousness is the very nature of mokṣa. Hence, there is no need to go to heaven or some other place to attain it. The triad - individual, heaven, and the act of going there - are all Knowledge. Knowledge is Experience itself. Therefore, there is no means other than Knowledge to attain liberation. If any effort is required, it is only in removing the ignorance that conceals the Knowledge. The way to do so is by realizing that ignorance (anātmā) is also not different from Knowledge. When the Knowledge of the Self rises, anātmā disappears. When anātmā disappears, the seeker, the object sought, and the effort of seeking disappear. Nothing remains. When nothing remains, the seeker who is engaged in jñāna yajna (sacrifice in the form of Knowledge) experiences everything as the Self. That is the reason why Devī is called yajamāna svarūpiṇī. Experiencing Devī and Her entire manifestation as one’s own Self is Devī presenting Herself as yajamāna svarūpiṇī. External rituals and the materials necessary to perform the rituals are not yajamāna svarūpiṇī, since they are based on duality. They involve the individual, the act of performing the ritual, materials to perform the ritual, and a heaven or some other world to enjoy the results in. Since the results of external rituals come to fruit only after the death of the current body, there is no way a seeker can verify if this is true. He will have to believe in the scripture. But mokṣa is not like that. Since everything is perceived as one’s own Self, one can experience the Self right here and now. There is no need to wait for another life to enjoy the results of our effort to see the One. There is no need to doubt if this is true. The scripture and the direct experience of great sages provide ample evidence. Since mokṣa puruṣārtha produces lasting peace and happiness, it is the supreme goal of human life. Hence, every sincere seeker must strive for Self-Knowledge and make himself or herself worthy of the ultimate experience of the Self.
51: sarvāntaryāminī 52: pūrṇā
She who dwells inside all.
She who is always whole, without growth or decay.
Because Devī is yajamāna svarūpiṇī, it does not mean that only the yajamāni, the one who performs the jñāna yajña, is entitled to mokṣa. Devī, who is Pure Consciousness, is not limited to any form. She resides in everything, sentient and insentient alike. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad declares, “That which resides in everything, pervades everything, contains everything in itself, controls everything – that is ātmā, the indweller (antaryāmi).”Devī is the great power, mahāśakti, that pervades everything. Without Her, nothing can exist or appear to exist. In fact, It is śakti that sustains everything. She keeps the moving and unmoving parts of the micro and macro cosmic worlds in motion and performing their respective functions. Sri Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (18-61): “The Supreme Lord dwells in the hearts of all living beings, O Arjuna, revolving through māyā all the creatures (as though) mounted on a machine.”
Devī’s mahāśakti is not like the insentient powers we perceive in the world. It is cītsakti, Conscious power. Hence, Devī can transform and manifest as anything at Her will. That is why Vedantins refer to Her as pūrṇa (totality), that which permeates everything, moving and unmoving, inside, outside, and in the middle. Every atom is permeated with Consciousness. When Consciousness pervades everything - inside, outside, and in the middle – there is no place for anything else, moving or unmoving, to exist on its own. Since everything is pervaded by and permeated with Consciousness, Consciousness alone IS, with no other.
Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita (10-20) echoes this truth when He says, “O Arjun, I am seated in the heart of all living entities. I am the beginning, middle, and end of all beings.”
The peace invocation mantra in Ishavasya Upanishad also echoes this truth: “ That is full. This is full. This fullness has been projected from that fullness. When this fullness merges in that fullness, all that remains is fullness.”
Therefore, when we don’t see any difference between this and that, and when we see everything as the One Consciousness, our vision is pūrṇa (complete). There is nothing to challenge Its completeness. Therefore, Devī is sarvāntaryāmini. She is pūrṇa because She permeates everything as Pure Consciousness and manifests in everything as Pure Existence. She is mahāśakti, the all-pervasive Self in all.
53: śāśvatī; 54: śrī śivā
She who is eternal.
She who is the auspicious and divine śiva.
This state of perfection, pūrṇa, is not really a state because it is not transient. It is present at all times - past, present, and future. That which is Self-evident is ever present. Hence, Devī is called śāśvatī, the One that is ever present. Results produced by dharmic deeds, such as the attainment of heaven (svarga), are not permanent. mokṣa is permanent. mokṣa is not absent now. If we say we attained mokṣa now, it implies that we have newly produced or created mokṣa. If we say, we will attain mokṣa in the future, it implies that it is absent now. If it is absent now and must be acquired in the future, there is no comfort because it may be lost in the future. That which can never be negated and is ever present is śāśvatī.
That is the reason why the mṛtyuñjaya mantra does not end with the words mṛtyor mukṣīya. It ends with the another instance of the word mā 'mṛtā́t. This is not meant to be a repetition. A deeper meaning is attached to it. The words mṛtyor mukṣīya expresses the desire to escape death. The word mā 'mṛtā́t expresses the desire to break the cycle of rebirth and attain immortality through liberation. The mantra śāśvatī would have no meaning if one returns to the world after mokṣa. Therefore, mokṣa is not a state like the other states (awake, dream, and deep sleep) that come and go. It is śāśvatī, eternal.
Because Devī is śāśvatī, She is also worshiped as śrī śivā - that which is eternal. That which is born and destroyed is śava (corpse). It is saṃsāra. When we transcend saṃsāra, we attain not just śiva, but śrī śivā. The word śrī denotes śakti/energy and śivā denotes Consciousness. Together they are One. śivaśaktyaikya rūpiṇī is yet another nāma of the divine mother that illustrates the unity or oneness of śiva-śakti, Consciousness-Existence.
If śiva and śakti were not united as One, śiva would be a sava (corpse) without śakti, and śakti would have no existence without śiva. śiva is jñāna śakti (omniscience), and Devī is kriyāśakti (omnipotence). śrī is the power of execution (kriyāśakti). śiva is the Knowledge/Intelligence (jñāna śakti). There is no difference between power (śakti) and the one who wields the power (śiva). This is the basic principle. Therefore, śiva and śakti are One. This Oneness of śiva and śakti has been graphically depicted as ardha nārīśvara in the Siva Purāṇa and other mythologies. We must remember that Consciousness and Its creative power (manifestation) are not two separate entities. Together, they are One. It is this realization that frees us from samsara.
Synopsis
We have now completed a study of the divine names of the Goddess that describe Her ascent. Starting with the nāma, avyāja karuṇāmūrti and ending with the nāma śiva, the 54 nāma-s described the ascent of Devī. As we discussed earlier, in reality, Devī neither descends or ascends. It is the jīvā that descends into saṃsāra and ascends to śiva. As long as we are ignorant of our real nature and are controlled by our tendencies, we will find ourselves caught up in the cycle of life and death (saṃsāra). This is our descent. When we attain the knowledge of the Self through continuous contemplation on the Self, we will transcend saṃsāra and attain śiva. This is our ascent. The descent and ascent are only metaphorically ascribed to Devī. Devī is described as vidyā'vidyā svarūpiṇī (of the nature of knowledge and ignorance). It is due to Her avidyā nature that we descend into saṃsāra, and it is due to Her vidyā nature that we ascend to liberation. Since bondage (avidyā) and liberation (vidyā) are two aspects of the one Supreme Power, regardless of where we are, in bondage or in liberation, we are always abiding in Her, since nothing is outside of Her. When we realize this truth, there is no more descent or ascent. We will experience Self as Devī, Pure Consciousness, which is the very nature of our Self (ātmā).