Verse 42

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 42:

सुगुप्तं तद्यत्नादतिशयपरम्-संतानराशेः
  परं कन्दं सूक्ष्मां सकलाशशिकलसुद्धरूपप्रकाशं ।
इह स्थाने देवः परमशिवसमाख्यानसिद्धः प्रसिद्धः
  स्वरूपी सर्वात्मा रसविरसनुतोऽज्ञानमोहान्धहंसः ॥ ४२ ॥

suguptaṃ tadyatnādatiśayaparam-saṃtānarāśeḥ
  paraṃ kandaṃ sūkṣmāṃ sakalāśaśikalasuddharūpaprakāśaṃ |
iha sthāne devaḥ paramaśivasamākhyānasiddhaḥ prasiddhaḥ
  svarūpī sarvātmā rasavirasanuto'jñānamohāndhahaṃsaḥ || 42 ||

Well-concealed, and attainable only by great effort, is that subtle Bindu (Śūnya) which is the chief root of Liberation and which manifests the pure Nirvāṇa-Kalā with Amā-Kalā.^[1] Here is the Deva who is known to all as Parama-Śiva. He is the Brahman and the Ātmā of all beings. In Him are united both Rasa and Virasa,^[2] and He is the Sun which destroys the darkness of nescience^[3] and delusion.^[4]

Commentary by Śrī-Kālīcaraṇa:

The sense is that the void (Śūnya) is very secret and subtle, being, as described later, like the ten millionth part of the end of a hair. It is attainable only by great effort consisting of long and incessant performance of Dhyāna and like practices. It makes manifest the purity of the sixteenth Kalā of the moon along with Nirvāṇa-Kalā—i.e., the void (Antaḥ-śūnya) along with the Amā Kalā and Nirvāṇa-Kalā within the triangle is realized (Prakāśam bhavati) by meditation (Dhyāna). It is the source of all the mass of great Bliss, which is Liberation. Some, however, read Sakala- śaśi-kalā-śuddha-rūpa-prakāśaṃ as qualifying the great Void within the triangle, and read ‘sakala’ to mean with all the sixteen kalās and say that the Para Bindu manifests the moon with such kalās. This requires consideration. When it was said that the Trikoṇa (triangle) is within the full moon, the repetition of it is useless. Furthermore, in the previous verse we have got “served by the Suras”. The term “service” as applied to a void is inappropriate. The object of service is the Bindu within the triangle. If it be said that the void should be worshipped by reason of the presence of the Para-Bindu, then the Para-Bindu being there present there is no void.

“Well concealed” (Sugupta [suguptaṃ]).—By reason of its being like the ten millionth part of a Hair.

“By great effort” (Yatnāt)—i.e., by long-continued practice of meditation (Dhyāna) and so forth.

“Chief root” (Paraṃ kandaṃ).^[5]—Para usually means supreme, excellent; here chief, principal. Kanda=Mūla.

“Liberation” etc., (Atiśaya-paramāmoda-saṃtāna-rāśi).—The compound word means, literally, continuity of all the mass of great and supreme bliss, and this is Liberation (Mokṣa).

“Manifests, etc., Amā-kalā” (Sakala-śaśi-kalā-śuddha-rūpa-prakāśaṃ).—This compound word is to be broken up as follows:

Sakala—with the Kalā: Kalā here meaning Nirvāṇa-Kalā. In the word Śaśi-kalā the Kalā means Amā-kalā, the sixteenth Kalā, or digit, of the moon. Śuddhā—the lustre is not obscured by anything.

The sense is that the Para-bindu, though subtle and otherwise imperceptible, is seen by meditation (Dhyāna) with the Amā-Kalā and Nirvāṇa-Kalā in the Trikoṇa. If Sugopya [sugopyaṃ] be read in place of Sugupta [suguptaṃ], then it would be qualified by Yatnāt.

Some read Sakala-śaśi-kalā-śuddha-rūpa-prakāśaṃ to qualify Śūnya in the previous verse, and say Śūnya means “vacant space” but that is absurd.”^[6]

Next he speaks of the presence of Parama-Śiva in the pericarp of the Sahasrāra.

“Paramaśiva”^[7] (Paramaśiva-samākhyāna-siddha).—He who is known by the name Parama Śiva.

“The Brahman” (Kharūpī).^[8]—Kha=Ātmā, the spirit.

“The Ātmā of all beings” (Sarvātmā).—Sarva=all (beings). He is the Jīvātmā, but in fact there is no distinction between Jīvātmā and Paramātmā. The Atmā is the Jīva. The Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa says: “The Jīvātmā is merely another name (Paryāya) for the Paramātmā. When by the instruction of the Ācārya and the Śāstras their oneness is known, then the disciple possesses Mūlavidyā concerning Jīvātmā and Parammātā.”

The Śruti also, when it says “That thou art”—Tat tvam asi,^[9]—identifies the Tvam (Thou) with the Tat (That).

“Rasa and Virasa” (Rasa-virasamita).—Rasa is Paramānandarasa —i.e., the experience of Supreme Bliss.^[10] Virasa is the bliss which is the product of the union of Śiva and Śakti. He is both. Or Rasa may mean the natural attachment to worldly enjoyment, and Virasa detachment from it. The meaning would then be: in Him is the Supreme Bliss arising from his detachment from worldly enjoyment.^[11]

“The Sun”=Haṃsa. As the sun dispels darkness, so does He dispel nescience (Ājñāna) and delusion (Moha).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

There are seventeen Kalās (digits) of the Moon, but the nectar- dropping Amā and the Nirvāṇa-kalā are only at this stage revealed. The other Kalās are mentioned in Skānda-Purāṇa Prabhāsa-Khaṇḍa.

[2]:

The Bliss of liberation and that arising from the union of Śiva and Śakti: vide post.

[3]:

Ājñāna.

[4]:

Moha. This verse occurs in Tripurā-sāra-samuccaya, ch. V. 40.

[5]:

Kanda means bulb or root. The Yogīnī-hṛdaya says that this Kanda is the subtle Parānanda-kanda-bindu-rūpa, or the root of supreme Bliss in Bindu form (Viśvanātha).

[6]:

According to the Commentator, it qualifies Kanda. Bindu is the circle O, the void is the Brahmapada or space within.

[7]:

Viśvanātha says that this Śiva is the Saguṇa-Śiva.

[8]:

Cf. Śruti “Khaṃ Brahma” Chā. 4—10—5; Bṛ. 5—1—1.

[9]:

“That thou art.” See Introduction.

[10]:

i.e., Mokṣa.

[11]:

That is, the Rasa in Him has become Virasa.