Cidvilasastava by Amrtananda
by Brian Campbell and Ben Williams | 2023 | 36,420 words
This page relates ‘Verse 31: Guruprasada’ of the English translation of the Cidvilasastava by Amrtananda (fl. 1325-1375 C.E.). This work combines the ritualistic worship of Shrividya with the philosophy of non-dualism, influenced by Pratyabhijna Shaivism. More specifically, the Cidvilasa-Stava outlines and provides the non-dual Bhavanas (i.e., creative contemplations that fuse the mind with reality) for several important steps in the ritual worship of Tripurasundari.
Verse 31: Guruprasāda
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of verse 31:
स्वप्रकाशवपुषा गुरुः शिवो यः प्रसीदति पदार्थमस्तके ।
तत्प्रसादम् इह तत्त्वशोधनं प्राप्य मोदम् उपयाति भावुकः ॥ ३१ ॥svaprakāśavapuṣā guruḥ śivo yaḥ prasīdati padārthamastake |
tatprasādam iha tattvaśodhanaṃ prāpya modam upayāti bhāvukaḥ || 31 ||The Guru is Śiva who offers blessings in the form of the innate light of Consciousness upon the head of all beings. The initiate who receives that blessing of such a [Guru], which purifies all levels of reality, is filled with delight.
Notes:
Śiva is the supreme guru who blesses the entirety of manifestation and all living beings with the grace of consciousness and its awesome power (vimarśaśakti) to be aware of itself. The guru who initiates the disciple is the vehicle for the grace of Śiva and the disciple who receives the blessing to recognize their own innate light of consciousness is said to be truly blessed. Amṛtānanda teaches that such a realization purifies all the tattvas and fills the aspirant with delight.