Verse 21 [Moon the motif of creation and destruction]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English commentary of verse 21:

सप्रकाशकृतमज्जनं जगत् कुर्वती भवसि पूर्णिमा शिवे ।
पूर्णमेव तव रूपमन्यथा कुर्वती किल कुहूः प्रतीयसे ॥ २१ ॥

saprakāśakṛtamajjanaṃ jagat kurvatī bhavasi pūrṇimā śive |
pūrṇameva tava rūpamanyathā kurvatī kila kuhūḥ pratīyase || 21 ||

Comparative analysis of commentaries and excerpts in English:

[Moon the motif of creation and destruction]

The Siddhā addresses Śakti as Sivā as bathing in the light born of her self or bathing the world in her light. She is the full moon, ‘pūrṇimā’. While shrinking or with-drawing the light, she becomes the new moon, ‘amāvāsyā’ or ‘kuhu’. Light and darkness exist together at a time for the visual eye. Likewise, she exists simultaneously as light (creative force) and as darkness (the destructive force) at a time. In other words, creation starts where destruction ends and vice versa. Thus both light and darkness constitute her nature in her full and Perfect state.^[1]

Creation -New Moon; Destruction -Full Moon are effects of Ambā

In line with Śiva’s intention to indulge in creation and destruction, Kālī herself shines as Fullmoon (Pūrṇimā) by absorbing the entire luminance of Śiva alongwith the proposed universe for creation. When she brings out of her that universe emitting her light fully thus becoming dark, she becomes New moon (Amāvāsya-Kuhu). Thus as brightness and darkness^[2] form part of the two aspects of the same power. Creation is associated with Her dark phase and destruction with Her bright phase which co-exist in manifestation. Hence, Kālī is the light in destruction simultaneously having her darkness in creation as she emits her light fully to become the Mahāśūnya and viceversa. Both reveal Her aspect of absolute Perfection. Here she acts like the preceptors of Sāṅkhya and Yoga philosophies who follow different paths but agree in principle about the State of Samādhi and Upliftment.

Notes and Sanskrit references:

[1] Cf. [Divyacakorikā] p 46-[Cidgaganacandrikā] 21.

sāṅkhyayogapathāparaparyāyavaidikavāgarthasthānīyayoḥ jñānakarmaṇorābhāsamāna virodha parihāreṇaphalaikyaṃ pradarśya tayoreva pūrṇimā'mārūpeṇa vaidikīṃ pratilomānuloma sṛṣṭisaṃhārahetutāṃ ca varṇayan prabandhaprameyatāṃ cāpi sūtrayati.

[2] Cf. [Kramaprakāśikā] p 13-[Cidgaganacandrikā]-21.—

sāṃkhyayogapathayoḥ parasparaṃ bhinnayorapi deśikadvayaṃ samādhau jātasaṃmatiṃka svasamādhau saprakāśaṃ jagat svātmani majjayat pūrṇaṃ bhavati, vyutthāne bahiḥ kurvacca riṃkta bhavatīti samādhau vyutthāne ca vidvadanubhavasiddhasṛṣṭisaṃhāradṛṣṭāntopanyāsena prākṛtau sargasaṃhārau prasādhayan tatkartṛtvane māhātmyamudbhāvya caṇḍikāśaktiṃ stauti |