The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
Conclusion
We have selected a subset of 108 names from the 1000 divine names of the Goddess (Lalitā sahasranāma), divided them into two parts, and studied them in great detail. The 108 names we selected are different from the 108 names of the Goddess (Lalitā Aṣṭottara) that are traditionally chanted, which in turn are different from the traditional 1000 names of the Goddess. The 108 names we discussed in this book are organized in the spirit of the mantra rahoyāga (the secret ritual). Since our focus is on mokṣa, we selected nāma-s associated with jñāna (knowledge) and mokṣa (liberation) only and ignored the rest that are associated with yogic and tantric practices.
The 1000 names (Lalitā sahasranāma) of the Goddess are also referred to as the secret names of the Goddess (rahasya nāma-s). It is said that the Sage Hayagriva himself had narrated these nāma-s to Sage Agastya. Sage Hayagriva is the Guru and Sage Agastya is his disciple. The word “haya” means Knowledge. Sage Hayagriva is an accomplished teacher who taught the knowledge of the Self (brahma jñāna) to earnest disciples. Sage Agastya is a highly qualified disciple who had mind sharp as a razor and still as a mountain.
From the very formation of this garland of Divine names, the two essential qualities of a teacher and the disciple are obvious. One imparts Knowledge and the other receives that Knowledge. Devi is the Guru. That is why She is praised as gurumūrti and gurumaṇḍala rūpiṇī. It is stated in Brahmapurāṇa that Sage HayagrIva received the sahasranāma (1000 names) from Devī Herself. Sage HayagrIva, who was initiated into the sahasranāma, is no other than Lord Ganesha.
Who is Ganesha? How did his birth take place? One of the names of the Divine Mother answers this question: kāmēśvara mukhālōka kalpita śrī gaṇēśvarā - He who has manifested out of the union of śiva and śakti is gaṇēśvarā. According to the purāṇas, the karma of the jīva manifests as the desire to create in puruṣa and prakṛti (śiva and śakti). jīvā-s are created in this manner. Ganesh represents the jīvā. The collection of gross and subtle elements that the jīva is made up of is, gaṇa. The body-mind-vital force is one such collection. jīvā, the individual Consciousness, is the owner (pati) of this collection (gaṇa). Hence, Gaṇapati is the jīvā himself.
It is this ownership and identification with the gaṇa, body-mind-lifeforce, that is bondage. It forces the jīva to do karma and suffer the consequences of its actions. The feeling of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship are engendered by the mind and prāṇa. The jīvā inherited them from his parents. jñāna śakti is his father and kriyāśakti is his mother. These two śakti-s, in the form of the mind and lifeforce, entered their offspring, Ganesha. However, unlike the parents in whom these powers are fully manifested, the powers are limited in their offspring. Hence, as jīvā-s, we forget the abundance that is our infinite nature, and remain satisfied with our gaṇa, the finite body-mind.
This gaṇa is the saṃsāra for the jīvā. Accordingly, Ganesha gets a huge body with ears, trunk, eyes, and tooth, and a mouse for a vehicle. What does this all mean? Mouse symbolizes a wavering mind. The elephant head symbolizes ego, the sense of doer-ship. Whatever it perceives with its wavering mind, the jīvā consumes it thinking it is a pleasure. That is why his body and ears are huge. His eyes are small. What does that mean? It means that the jīvā hears the teaching about the Self, but lacks the ability to grasp it. Unable to find the joy that transcends all duality, he gets engrossed in the pleasures of the dualistic world. This is the significance of the single tooth/tusk of Gaṇapati. Who are the companions of Gaṇapati? Ghosts and goblins! These are his gross and subtle tendencies (vāsanā-s). Forever trapped and struggling with his tendencies, the jīvā forgets the abundant wealth that he has inherited from his parents. Whatever little wealth he claims, he distributes it between the gaṇa-s, and remains trapped in saṃsāra. This imprisonment in saṃsāra is the tirodhāna power of the Goddess.
If we can win Her grace (anugraha) and get out of the grasp of Her tirodhāna power, we will be able to transcend the state of gaṇeśvara and attain the state of mahāgaṇeśvara. The jīva who is free of bhūta gaṇa, tendencies or vāsanā-s, is mahāgaṇeśvara. As long as we are caught up in the obstructive wheel of saṃsāra, Devī’s anugraha will remain unattainable. Therefore, we must break this cycle of saṃsāra. How can we do so? We can do so if we can see Consciousness (prakāśa) in every manifestation (vimarṣa). Illumination is śiva, and the object that is illumined is vimarṣa. Only when there is vimarṣa, Consciousness shines. If there is no vimarṣa, Consciousness remain dulls and hidden. It will also appear as something else. That is saṃsāra. It is due to saṃsāra that the jīvā is reduced to gaṇeśvara. Once he is awakened, either due to the merit accumulated in past lives or due to the teaching received from a Guru, the jīvā will be able to recognize his true nature (Self) as Consciousness. When his abidance in the Self is unwavering, vimarṣa will break the cycle of saṃsāra and culminate in the state of mahāgaṇeśvara. By the grace of the Divine Mother, the seeker will attain śiva and experience Self as pure Consciousness. This is the meaning of the nāma - mahāgaṇēśa nirbhinna vighnayantra praharṣitā
These two nāma-s represent the two states of human consciousness. kāmēśvara mukhālōka indicates the state of bondage. mahāgaṇēśa nirbhinna indicates the state of liberation. As discussed earlier, the syllables ka and ra in the mantra kāmēśvara indicate his descent into saṃsāra, and the syllables tha and ra in the mantra praharṣitā indicate his ascent to freedom. Bondage is due to ignorance, and freedom is due to Knowledge. Freedom from bondage is the great accomplishment of mahāgaṇēśa. A discriminating intellect (buddhi) is essential for attaining mokṣa (siddhi). When the intellect is absorbed in the contemplation of śiva, it is mahābuddhi, and when it is totally identified with śiva, it is mahāsiddhi. The śiva purāṇa describes this poetically as ganesha having two wives, namely buddhi and siddhi.
How can we attain mahābuddhi and mahāsiddhi? It is through vimarṣa. Constant vimarṣa or discrimination is the only means of attaining mahābuddhi and mahāsiddhi. That which discriminates is thought (nama). That which is discriminated is form (rūpa). These are śabda (sound) and ardha (meaning), śakti and śiva respectively. śakti is the sound or word and śiva is the meaning associated with the sound. śakti in the form of sound (śabda) or word discriminates (vimarṣa), and śiva as the meaning (ardha) of the sound shines (prakasa). From the gross to the subtlest, śabda labels and differentiates everything (as name and form). As each śabda (sound) merges into ardha (meaning), it gives way to another śabda and ardha. For instance, the word prithvi means earth, the word earth implies water, water implies heat, heat implies air, and air implies space.
This process of vimarṣa does not end with space. Space is inert. It is not self-aware. Hence, the word space implies a sentient entity that is aware of its existence. That entity is Consciousness Itself. It is Self-evident. It does not depend on anything for its existence. It is the source of everything - earth, water, fire, air, space. Therefore, Consciousness is the highest truth. The śabda that points to the highest truth is the highest śabda. It is a buddhi vṛtti, a thought-modification that takes the form of the expansive, formless, unmoving space. Such an expansive śabda is referred to as parāvāk, the great sound. Since both sound and meaning are formless and expansive, in this state, prakāśa and vimarṣa become one. This means śiva and śakti, hidden in the sound and its meaning, are one.
If we continue to contemplate with a discriminating intellect in this manner, we will realize the nature of the Supreme Self. We will transform from the state of gaṇēśa to mahāgaṇēśa, and receive the blessing of our parents, śiva and śakti. As Sri Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, only one in a million have such a good fortune. Such an enlightened one will liberate himself as well as others. Seekers like us must take refuge in such enlightened beings (satguru-s), surrender to them, and follow their teaching.
What is the nature of that mahāgaṇēśa, who appears in the form of a satguru? The following verse describes the universal characteristics of such a teacher.
Shuklambhara-dharam Vishnum Shashi varnam chatur bhujam Prasanna vadanam dhyaayet sarva vighnopashaanthaye
śukla ambara does not simply mean white garment as it is usually translated. It means Pure Knowledge devoid of all impurities. mahāgaṇēśa is the satguru that abides in the Knowledge of the Self. viṣṇum means that which is expansive. Instead of being limited to a body, his Self expands and permeates everything, He is sasi varna. sasi means moon. Moon represents the mind. While abiding in that non-dual state of Supreme Consciousness that transcends the mind, a satguru occasionally descends to the mind-level to teach Self-Knowledge to aspirants. catur bhujam, the four shoulders, symbolize dharma (virtuousness), jñāna (knowledge), vairāgya (dispassion), and aishvarya (splendor). He who enjoys or experiences these four attributes is catur bhujam. Similarly prasanna vadanam, is the one who can share the bliss of the Self that he has experienced with others. The Guru who has all these attributes is mahāgaṇēśa. We must seek refuge at the feet of such a Guru and meditate on the teaching (sadā dyāyet) to be free of saṃsāra. saṃsāra can be mitigated only through brahmajñāna, the knowledge of the Absolute. Every sincere seeker must strive for such knowledge and serve the Guru with one-pointed focus. This is the purport of the verse.
Human life is a great yajña (fire sacrifice). The fire-pit is the ever shining ātmā (Self as Pure Consciousness). The offerings made into the fire are virtuous and un-virtuous actions (dharma and adharma) called saṃsāra. The source of saṃsāra is avidyā (nescience). avidyā must be scooped up into the ladle called no-mind (unmaṇi) with the two hands called prakāśa and vimarṣa and offered into the fire-pit called ātmā continuously. When we do so, everything that is perceived as anātmā, not-Self, will burn into ashes, and the Self alone will shine in all Its splendor. We will reap the rewards of meditating on the Divine Names of the Goddess.
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