Our most humble salutations at the feet of our revered Guru
A person is always in search of bliss throughout his life. In this pursuit he comes across the Vedas and shastras. They unequivocally reveal that he is the everlasting state of bliss and only that this blissful state is forgotten by him. He studies all the Vedas and shatras and practices them to attain this blissful state, but the real experience deludes him. Thus the aspirant now goes in search of a means to attain the experience, finds a Guru and surrenders to him. His Guru guides him to the experience through a Sadhana. This is the meaning of “Atha”, which is at the start of the kalpasutras. . “A” is the word for Shiva, the auspicious one. Hence a start with the auspicious one. “Atha” means afterwards. ‘Afterwards’ of what? after searching all the Vedas, shastras, puranas, texts. ’Deekshaam vyakhyasyamah’- one reaches a guru and gets deekska-the initiation and guidance in getting the experience. The Sadhana given by the Guru has three limbs
1. The Tantra = procedure or manual of the rites
2. The Mantra = the word form of the chosen deity
3. The Yantra = an object for concentration; these three are interdependent
Lord Dattatreya has given a form of Sadhana called “SriVidya” to Sri Parasurama, who has codified them in his Kalpasutras. In the section on Japa, the sutras declare that six obstacle removing mantras are to be chanted before the daily repletion of the Sri Vidya Mantra. They are as follows:
a. Iri mili kiri kili pari mirom
b. Om hrIm namo bhagavathy mahatripura bhairavi mama traipura rakshAm kuru kuru
c. Samhara samhara vignaraksho vibhIshakAn kalaya hum phat svaahaa
d. BlUm rakthAbhyo yoginIbhyo namah
e. SAmsAra sAya bhahvasanAya namah
f. Dumulushumulushu hrIm camundAyai namah
This is a study on the presiding deities and the real meaning of the above mantras. On deep meditation seeking guidance, we were directed to refer the Lalithopakhyana of Bhramhanda purana. In the thirteenth chapter we come across the following description on the march of the Sri Lalitha Devi’s armies in the war with Bhandasura
Slokas 88-91:
Lalitha cakra raajaakhya ratha naathasya kiirtitaah
Shat saaratayah uddanda paasagrahana kovidaah
Iraavati ptathamasca tatha tripura bhairavi
Samhaarabhairavascanyo rakthayogini vallabhah
Saarasah pancamascaiva caamondaa ca tathaaparaa
Etaasthu devataastatra rathasaarathayah smrutaah
Geya cakra rathendrasya saarathistu hasantikaa
Kiri cahra rathendrasya stambhini saarathiih smrutaah
A translation would run thus:’of the laitha cakra, six charioteers who are well versed and skill full are there. Iravathi, tripurabhairavi, samharabhairava, rakthayogini vallaba, sarasa and camunda. These deities are the charioteers of this great cakra. The charioteer of Geya ckara (of Devi Rajashyamala) is hasanti and that of kiri cakra (of Devi Varahi) is stambini.
In the Lalitha trisati third chapter (phala sruti) it is said “Sri Cakram sivayoh vapuh”- i.e., the sree cakra is the body of the Siva couple (Lalitha kamesvara). We also see in the Lalitha sahasranama “Moola matratmika”, “sreemat vagbhava………katyadhobhaga dhaarinii” –i.e., the three parts of the pancadasi the mulamatra is verily the word form of the Devi Lalitha and Kamesvara.
Thus the unity of Lalitha-Kamevara, Sri Vidya Mantra and the Sri cakra is established. It follows that the charioteers of the gross sree cakra raja ratha, who help in the smooth movement, are the obstacle removing mantras in the daily movement (repetition) of the subtle sree cakra (Sri Vidya mantra).
The deities: A close look into the names to identify the deities of these mantras was attempted to. The first mantra is unintelligible/confusing so does the name. The rest five seem to be familiar.
Iravati: On a wide search “Ira” had two meanings – 1. Earth; 2. Devi saraswati Since the mantra consisted on only the short ‘i” – which denotes Devi saraswati, it led to the assumption that this was a mantra of her. When we tried to reconcile both the meanings, it dawned that the element of muladhara cakra is the Earth, also being the source of the most subtle form of speech -the parA vAk. Hence it was concluded this mantra refers to the presiding deity of muladhara cakra-The sakini. Removing the ‘i’ from all the syllables in the mantra we find ‘ra ma la ka ra ka la pa ra ma ra’ . The first 'ra' represents the kundalini in the muladhara cakra which is enclosed by mala impurities such as anava mayika and karmika, removing them by ‘kara’ which is the sadhana with saparya Pooja and ‘kala’ which is sound the constant japa with awareness attaining the ‘parama’ the highest state ‘ra’ and ‘om’ which represent the Paramasiva in the sahasrara. ‘i’ is the iccha sakti (will power) of Lord Siva which manifests the world and is thus said first , next all consonants have ‘i’ which is to say that thru this ichha sakthi all these are taking place. The rest now fell into line with the successive mantras referring to the next cakras from svadhistana cakra to Agnja.
Tripura bhairavI: The mantra of svadhistana (at the root of genital organ) is a prayer to the tripura bhairavi – the presiding deity of sarvandamaya cakra (the central bindu), as seen in saubhaghyaratnaakara - to protect the aspirant’s three bodies- the gross, subtle and the causal. This is relected as the ecstasy (sarvandamaya cakresvari) during the male and female union resulting in progeny (AtmA vai putrnAmAsi- The self is verily the son). Progeny implies continuous existence which is the protection of the gross, subtleand casual body. HrIm at the beginning of the mantra is the creative seed sound.
Samhara bhairava: The mantra at manipuraka (navel center) requests protection from obstacles and annihilation of evil frightening powers by the samhara bhairava. The
stomach has the fire element that digests the food and sends it to various parts of the body for power. Removal of obstacles in getting the required food and of dullness and sloth from eating unconsecrated food is the annihilation of the evil powers is the prayer here.
Raktayogini vallabha: The mantra in anahata (heart center) is a salutation to the lord of ‘blood maidens’ to subjugate them. ‘Blood’ denotes the red colour and is associated with fear. Maidens are personification of the higher powers, which cannot be annihilated, present amidst our vicinity. Fear of them is over come by subjugating them with the attraction seed sound (vasya beeja) ‘blUm”.
SArasa: We can admire the mantra in vishudhi cakra –the throat- of Saarasa. The mantra says ‘Bhahu asanAya’ – eating a lot of food; ‘SArasa”- the essence. Hence we can see that this mantra helps us in removing an obstacle – the craving for food by controlling it while absorbing the essence of the partaken food.
CAmundA: It is clear that the deity of Agnja – CAmundA- is the one who instills humbleness; love and surrender, on making us realize that neither body strength (munda) nor intellectual strength (canda) can bring about the experience. A complete surrender is necessary. In the mantra consonants are da, ma, la and sha; vowel -seed sound- is ‘u’. Vishnu, whose doctrine extols unequivocal surrender, is represented as ‘u’. ‘da’ is daharAkAsa, the heart center and hence the vishunu granti – the knot at the heart which limits the universal self to an individual. ‘sha’ is the poison(visha) and is indicative of Maya. ‘Mala’ refers to the three impurities – Anava, kArmika and mAyIya.. Together the above proposes the cutting of the heart knot and removal of the three impurities by upadesa (‘u‘is the alphabet placed in the right ear indicates initiation) and total surrender, thus reaching eternal bliss. Repetition of ‘mala’ denotes emphasis on the path for removal of the impurities.
Let us salute both the compassionate Lord Dattatreya and his pupil Sri Parasurama in directing us to chant these six mantras, the deities on their invocation remove the different form of obstacles in the six cakras for the kundalini in muladhara to reach the sahasrara and unite with her Lord Paramesavara, thus paving a way for the aspirant to meditate on this union while doing the daily repetition of the Sri Vidya Maha mantra Pancadasi or Sodasi.
Hail! , the Lovable Guru who resides both inside and outside of us for having guided us in this research and helping us to reach this conclusion.
A person is always in search of bliss throughout his life. In this pursuit he comes across the Vedas and shastras. They unequivocally reveal that he is the everlasting state of bliss and only that this blissful state is forgotten by him. He studies all the Vedas and shatras and practices them to attain this blissful state, but the real experience deludes him. Thus the aspirant now goes in search of a means to attain the experience, finds a Guru and surrenders to him. His Guru guides him to the experience through a Sadhana. This is the meaning of “Atha”, which is at the start of the kalpasutras. . “A” is the word for Shiva, the auspicious one. Hence a start with the auspicious one. “Atha” means afterwards. ‘Afterwards’ of what? after searching all the Vedas, shastras, puranas, texts. ’Deekshaam vyakhyasyamah’- one reaches a guru and gets deekska-the initiation and guidance in getting the experience. The Sadhana given by the Guru has three limbs
1. The Tantra = procedure or manual of the rites
2. The Mantra = the word form of the chosen deity
3. The Yantra = an object for concentration; these three are interdependent
Lord Dattatreya has given a form of Sadhana called “SriVidya” to Sri Parasurama, who has codified them in his Kalpasutras. In the section on Japa, the sutras declare that six obstacle removing mantras are to be chanted before the daily repletion of the Sri Vidya Mantra. They are as follows:
a. Iri mili kiri kili pari mirom
b. Om hrIm namo bhagavathy mahatripura bhairavi mama traipura rakshAm kuru kuru
c. Samhara samhara vignaraksho vibhIshakAn kalaya hum phat svaahaa
d. BlUm rakthAbhyo yoginIbhyo namah
e. SAmsAra sAya bhahvasanAya namah
f. Dumulushumulushu hrIm camundAyai namah
This is a study on the presiding deities and the real meaning of the above mantras. On deep meditation seeking guidance, we were directed to refer the Lalithopakhyana of Bhramhanda purana. In the thirteenth chapter we come across the following description on the march of the Sri Lalitha Devi’s armies in the war with Bhandasura
Slokas 88-91:
Lalitha cakra raajaakhya ratha naathasya kiirtitaah
Shat saaratayah uddanda paasagrahana kovidaah
Iraavati ptathamasca tatha tripura bhairavi
Samhaarabhairavascanyo rakthayogini vallabhah
Saarasah pancamascaiva caamondaa ca tathaaparaa
Etaasthu devataastatra rathasaarathayah smrutaah
Geya cakra rathendrasya saarathistu hasantikaa
Kiri cahra rathendrasya stambhini saarathiih smrutaah
A translation would run thus:’of the laitha cakra, six charioteers who are well versed and skill full are there. Iravathi, tripurabhairavi, samharabhairava, rakthayogini vallaba, sarasa and camunda. These deities are the charioteers of this great cakra. The charioteer of Geya ckara (of Devi Rajashyamala) is hasanti and that of kiri cakra (of Devi Varahi) is stambini.
In the Lalitha trisati third chapter (phala sruti) it is said “Sri Cakram sivayoh vapuh”- i.e., the sree cakra is the body of the Siva couple (Lalitha kamesvara). We also see in the Lalitha sahasranama “Moola matratmika”, “sreemat vagbhava………katyadhobhaga dhaarinii” –i.e., the three parts of the pancadasi the mulamatra is verily the word form of the Devi Lalitha and Kamesvara.
Thus the unity of Lalitha-Kamevara, Sri Vidya Mantra and the Sri cakra is established. It follows that the charioteers of the gross sree cakra raja ratha, who help in the smooth movement, are the obstacle removing mantras in the daily movement (repetition) of the subtle sree cakra (Sri Vidya mantra).
The deities: A close look into the names to identify the deities of these mantras was attempted to. The first mantra is unintelligible/confusing so does the name. The rest five seem to be familiar.
Iravati: On a wide search “Ira” had two meanings – 1. Earth; 2. Devi saraswati Since the mantra consisted on only the short ‘i” – which denotes Devi saraswati, it led to the assumption that this was a mantra of her. When we tried to reconcile both the meanings, it dawned that the element of muladhara cakra is the Earth, also being the source of the most subtle form of speech -the parA vAk. Hence it was concluded this mantra refers to the presiding deity of muladhara cakra-The sakini. Removing the ‘i’ from all the syllables in the mantra we find ‘ra ma la ka ra ka la pa ra ma ra’ . The first 'ra' represents the kundalini in the muladhara cakra which is enclosed by mala impurities such as anava mayika and karmika, removing them by ‘kara’ which is the sadhana with saparya Pooja and ‘kala’ which is sound the constant japa with awareness attaining the ‘parama’ the highest state ‘ra’ and ‘om’ which represent the Paramasiva in the sahasrara. ‘i’ is the iccha sakti (will power) of Lord Siva which manifests the world and is thus said first , next all consonants have ‘i’ which is to say that thru this ichha sakthi all these are taking place. The rest now fell into line with the successive mantras referring to the next cakras from svadhistana cakra to Agnja.
Tripura bhairavI: The mantra of svadhistana (at the root of genital organ) is a prayer to the tripura bhairavi – the presiding deity of sarvandamaya cakra (the central bindu), as seen in saubhaghyaratnaakara - to protect the aspirant’s three bodies- the gross, subtle and the causal. This is relected as the ecstasy (sarvandamaya cakresvari) during the male and female union resulting in progeny (AtmA vai putrnAmAsi- The self is verily the son). Progeny implies continuous existence which is the protection of the gross, subtleand casual body. HrIm at the beginning of the mantra is the creative seed sound.
Samhara bhairava: The mantra at manipuraka (navel center) requests protection from obstacles and annihilation of evil frightening powers by the samhara bhairava. The
stomach has the fire element that digests the food and sends it to various parts of the body for power. Removal of obstacles in getting the required food and of dullness and sloth from eating unconsecrated food is the annihilation of the evil powers is the prayer here.
Raktayogini vallabha: The mantra in anahata (heart center) is a salutation to the lord of ‘blood maidens’ to subjugate them. ‘Blood’ denotes the red colour and is associated with fear. Maidens are personification of the higher powers, which cannot be annihilated, present amidst our vicinity. Fear of them is over come by subjugating them with the attraction seed sound (vasya beeja) ‘blUm”.
SArasa: We can admire the mantra in vishudhi cakra –the throat- of Saarasa. The mantra says ‘Bhahu asanAya’ – eating a lot of food; ‘SArasa”- the essence. Hence we can see that this mantra helps us in removing an obstacle – the craving for food by controlling it while absorbing the essence of the partaken food.
CAmundA: It is clear that the deity of Agnja – CAmundA- is the one who instills humbleness; love and surrender, on making us realize that neither body strength (munda) nor intellectual strength (canda) can bring about the experience. A complete surrender is necessary. In the mantra consonants are da, ma, la and sha; vowel -seed sound- is ‘u’. Vishnu, whose doctrine extols unequivocal surrender, is represented as ‘u’. ‘da’ is daharAkAsa, the heart center and hence the vishunu granti – the knot at the heart which limits the universal self to an individual. ‘sha’ is the poison(visha) and is indicative of Maya. ‘Mala’ refers to the three impurities – Anava, kArmika and mAyIya.. Together the above proposes the cutting of the heart knot and removal of the three impurities by upadesa (‘u‘is the alphabet placed in the right ear indicates initiation) and total surrender, thus reaching eternal bliss. Repetition of ‘mala’ denotes emphasis on the path for removal of the impurities.
Let us salute both the compassionate Lord Dattatreya and his pupil Sri Parasurama in directing us to chant these six mantras, the deities on their invocation remove the different form of obstacles in the six cakras for the kundalini in muladhara to reach the sahasrara and unite with her Lord Paramesavara, thus paving a way for the aspirant to meditate on this union while doing the daily repetition of the Sri Vidya Maha mantra Pancadasi or Sodasi.
Hail! , the Lovable Guru who resides both inside and outside of us for having guided us in this research and helping us to reach this conclusion.
Kameswara Kameswari nothing to do with Man and Women in motal world.
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