aShtAra cakra

[krishnarao]

From:- krishnarao (lanka.kr...@gmail.com)
Subject :- aShtAra cakra
Sriguruh sarvakAraNaBhUtA Saktih |
SrImahAgaNAdhipatayEnamah ||

“savitrIBhirvAcAm SaSimaNi SilABhanga ruciBhih
vaSinyABhistwam saha janani sancintayati yah |
sa kartA kAvyAnAm Bhavati mahatAm Bhangi ruciBhih
vacOBhirvAgdEvI vadana kamalAmOda madhuraih ||”

This is the 17th Sloka in the soundaryalahari of Sri
AdiSankarAcArya. Generally understood literal meaning of this is
narrated by elders as ---

O mother, he who meditates upon the vAgdEvatAs along with you as
having the luster of precious moonstone pieces, will become the author
of great poetry similar to the sweet fragrance of the mother vagdEvi`s/
saraswati`s lotus mouth.

For this, some doubts are arising in my mind. But after some
analysis and observation, I think I could find an answer for all my
doubts which I feel like sharing it with other members of our group
too.

The ‘aShtAra cakra’ is also regarded as “navayOni cakra. It
will not be correct to say that in the formation of ‘SrIcakra’,
firstly ‘bindu’, then ‘trikONa’ and afterwards the ‘aShtAra cakra’
manifests.
In the same way, it is not correct to arbitrate that all the other
remaining cakrAs too were created one after another. In fact all the
cakrAs have revealed themselves at the same time, instantaneously
according to our ‘sphOta vAda’.
While drawing the ‘aShtAra cakra’ itself, the ‘trikONa’ and the
‘bindu’ both simultaneously manifested inside of this “navayOni
cakra”.

“saptavimSatAvayavEShu triBhistriBhir avayavai rEkaikA
yOni stAsAm kONatrayEShu punah punar bIja trayam nyasEt ||”
So says tantrarAja commentary.

“baindavam cakram Etasya tri rUpatwam punar BhavEt |
dharmadharmau tadha~~tmAnO mAtR^I mEyau tadhA pramA ||
navayOnyAtmakamidam cidAnanda Ganam mahat |
cakram navAtmakam idam navadhA Bhinna mantrakam ||
baindavAsana samrUDha samvartAnala citkalam |
ambikArUpamevEdm aShtAram swarAvR^itam ||”

The ‘bindu’ itself by extending angularly, have transformed as
‘trikONa’. Again after further extension, it created two more
triangles, to indicate one upwards as creation and another one
downwards as dissolution. So we have to say that ‘bindu’ and
‘trikOna’ are interlinked and not at all different from the ‘aShtAra
cakra’.

puNyam, pApam, Atma, antarAtma, paramAtma, j`nAnAtma, mAtA and mEym,
all these eight items in the eight
angle points and in the middle ‘pramA’ which means the knowledge
obtained from the experience, all of these put together itself is the
“navayOnicakra”. All the other cakras will have the interconnected
unification with this ‘navayOni cakra’ and this cakra will have the
authority over all the other cakrAs.

“niruddha vAyu sanGatta sPurita grandhimUlatah |
hR^idayAntara samvitti SUnya puryaShTakAtmanA ||
bIjarUpa swara kalA spR^iShta vargAnusAratah |
rahasya yOginIrdEvi samsAra daLanOjjwalE |
sarva rOgaharE cakram samsthita vIravanditE ||
vaSinyA raktavarNA varadABhaya mudritAh |
pustakam japamAlAm ca Bhukti siddhim mahESwari |
ISwarIm tripurAsiddhim pUjayEd bindu tarpaNaih ||
So says ‘nityA ShODaSikArNva’. Nonexistant like so subtle form of
the ‘samvit kalA’ which exists in the interior of ‘hR*tpadma’ in the
name of “rahasya yOgini” itself is called as “puryaShtakam’. So
subtle it is. that it is not accessible to any of the external senses,
except for the intellect. In fact, our own subtle body itself is this
‘puryaShtakam’.
This ‘navayOni cakra’ having the predominance of “SuddhavidyA
tattwam” which was described as “ahantEdantayOr aikya buddhih”

The pair of bindu itself divided into nine cakrAs in the name of
“AdhAra navakam”, in the nine forms as nine cakrESwaris.

“icchA sakti tritayam paSOh satwAdi sanj~ikam |
mahA tryasram cintayAmi guru vaktrAdanuttarAt ||
aShtAra vyapadESO~yam cinnirvANaiShaNAdikam |
sUkSmam puryaShtakam dEvyA matir EShAhi gouravI ||
antar daSAra vasudhA j~nAna karmEndriyANi ca |
mahA Tripura sundaryA iti sancintayAmyaham ||
bAhyO daSAra BhAgO~yam buddhi karmAkSha gOcarah |
caturdaSAra vasudhA karaNAAni caturdaSa ||
vasucchadana padmAnka dESO yascakragO viBhuh |
avyaktAdyA prakR^itayO BhUtAntA niScinomyaham ||
ShODaSacCada padmAnka dESO BhUtAkSha mAnasam |
vikArAtmakamApannam dEvyAh samBhAvayAmyaham ||
In the ‘suBhagOdaya vAsana’ it is described that this bindu is in the
form of the ‘indriyAs’ which all subsist in all the nine cakrAs.

This is an in-between state of subtle and causal body conditions.
It means that, it is a state of shifting to and from ‘aBhEda swapna’
and ‘aBEda suShupti’. From this site only, we always portray the
obvious illustration of the gross form of the ‘paradEvata’, saying
“hrIm, SrIm, sauh”. This is the centre for all imaginations. If
meditated upon this centre and imagine the ‘swarUpa’ of SrImaha
Tripura sundari, what is the wonder, if any one becoming an author of
sweet and elegant literature? A murderer and dacoit ‘bOya’ can become
the author of ‘rAmAyaNa mahA kAvyam and a foolish denizen also can
become like a kALidas. In yOginI hR^idayam, it says,

“Madhya prapUjanAd dEvi vAkpatir jAyatE narah
tadhaivApara kandarpO bAhyamadhyAnta pUjanAt ||”

“madhyaprapUjanam” means, pUja in the seventh, eighth and ninth
AvaraNAs. The meditation in the seventh AvaraNa means, meditation in
one`s own innermost mind (swAntarangam) which is in the form of
‘puryaShtakam’. It is a kind of ‘dream state’ pertaining to the
‘jAgradAvastha’. “swapnAntE uccAvaca mIyamAnO rUpANi dEvah kurutE
bahUni”. He is attaining the ability to imagine many number of
forms. “apara kandarpah” means retaining the brahmAham BhAvana while
performing the ‘aparA pUja’ (external services of worship).

“japAcchrAnrah punar dhyAyEt dhyAnAcchrAntah punarjapEt”.
Meditate for some time upon the form and for some time immerse in
your own self.

The tantra says that The eight ‘vagdEvatas (presiding deities of
speech), ‘vaSini’, ‘kamESwari’, ‘mOdini’, ‘vimalA’, ‘aruNA’, ‘jayinI’,
‘sarvESwarI’ and ‘kauLini’, who officiate in this aShtAra cakra, are
all blood colored (“vaSinyA rakta varNA”). But in the above SlokA
the acArya is asking us to meditate upon them as white moonstone
pieces. How could it be possible? -- For this,
bR^ihadAraNyakopanishad has given the hint as follows.

There are some nADIs in the name of “hitA”, which are very tiny that
they are almost one thousandth part of a human hairsbreadth, spread
all over the body. The food substances entered into these nADIs
acquire several varieties of colors, because of the relative gradation
of the ‘vAta’, ‘pitta’ and ‘SlEShma’ dOShAs in accordance with the
differences of diet; and by the inclusion of ‘rasa upAdhis like
‘Sukla’ etc. The ‘linga SarIra’ which consists of
the five elements, five j~nanEndriyAs, five karmEndriyAs, prANa and
antahkaraNa as its seventeen limbs , is absolutely pure and
crystal like in nature. But when it takes refuse with the ‘hitA
nADIs’ in the dream state, instigated by one`s own right and wrong
deeds, it shines in many forms like women, elephants, chariots, horses
etc., and experiences like enjoying with ladies and looking some
dreadful scenes. When one`s mind is pure, calm and serene, Its
experiences would be pleasant and secure. That is why, when we look
at the blood colored ‘vaSini’ and other deities of the seventh
AvaraNa, in comprehension with the bindu-trikONa rUpa paramAtma, the
faculty of our ‘antaraga’ gets purified and those deities all will
appear as having the luster of precious moonstone pieces.

In this way, having purified ‘antaranga’, by meditating upon the
“paraSiva midhunam” which is accompanied by the ‘vaSini’ and other
deities in the form of moonstone crystals.

mahatAm Bhangi = pertaining to the uprising of the mahat tattwa
suBhagaih = with all the riches
vAgdEvI = relating to the vAgdEvatAs
vadana kamala = aShtAra padmam
AmOda madhuraih = with the nectarous flow which will satiate the
aShtAra cakra,
sah = such sAdhaka
kAvyAnAm kartA = The creation of brahma itself is “kAvyam”. The idea
behind is, that he will be able to become such
“ “sR^iStikarta” (He will become
“sAkShAt parabrahma swarUpa” himself.)

Yours always in the service of the mother,
krishnarao (SrIparasuKAnandanAtha)