Verse 48

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 48:

एतस्या मध्यदेशे विलसति परमापूर्वनिर्वाणशक्तिः
  कोट्यादित्यप्रकाशा त्रिभुवनजननी कोटिभागैकरूपा ।
केशाग्रस्यातिसूक्ष्मा निरवधि विगलत्प्रेमधाराधरा सा
  सर्वेषं जीवभूता मुनिमनसि मुदा तत्त्वबोधं वहन्ति ॥ ४८ ॥

etasyā madhyadeśe vilasati paramāpūrvanirvāṇaśaktiḥ
  koṭyādityaprakāśā tribhuvanajananī koṭibhāgaikarūpā |
keśāgrasyātisūkṣmā niravadhi vigalatpremadhārādharā sā
  sarveṣaṃ jīvabhūtā munimanasi mudā tattvabodhaṃ vahanti || 48 ||

Within its middle space (i.e., middle of the Nirvāṇa-kalā) shines the Supreme and Primordial Nirvāṇa-Śakti^[1]; She is lustrous like ten million suns, and is the Mother of the three worlds. She is extremely subtle, and like unto the ten-millionth part of the end of a hair. She contains within Her the constantly flowing stream of gladness,^[2] and is the life of all beings. She graciously carries the knowledge of the Truth (Tattva)^[3] to the mind of the sages.

Commentary by Śrī-Kālīcaraṇa:

He now speaks of the Para-Bindu.

“Its” (Etasyāḥ)—i.e,, of the Nirvāṇa-kalā.

“Middle” (Madhya-deśe).—Within the lap.^[4]

“The Supreme and Primordial Nirvāṇa-Śakti” (Paramā-pūrva-nirvāṇa- śakti=paramā apūrva-nirvāṇa-śakti).—Parama^[5]—i.e., the Supreme Brahman as śakti. Apūrva—i.e., She before whom there was nothing, She having appeared at the beginning of creation.

“Shines” (Vilasati paramā)^[6]—i.e., dwells resplendent.

“Mother of the three worlds” (Tribhuvana-jananī)—i.e., She is the origin of the Universe which comprises Svarga, Martya, and Pātāla and the like.^[7]

“She is extremely subtle, like unto the ten-millionth part of the end of a hair” (Keśāgrasya-koṭi-bhāgaika-rūpā-tiśukṣmā).—As She is like the tenmillionth part of the end of a hair, She is extremely subtle.

“She contains within her the constantly flowing stream of gladness” (Niravadhi-vigalat-prema-dhārā-dharā).—Prema is the tenderness of mind produced by feeling of gladness; that is, She holds within Her the stream of excellent nectar which has its origin in the blissful union of Śiva and Śakti, and which flows incessantly.

“Is the life of all beings” (Sarveṣāṃ jīva-bhūtā)—i.e., animated being is but a part of Her.

Cf. “O Devī, as sparks fly forth from a flame, so does the Parabindu (as Jīva) issue from Her (Nirvāṇa-Śakti), and becomes knowing^[8] when it touches the Earth.”^[9]

By “Her” is meant the Śakti who is in the Para-bindu, who is both Śiva and Śakti; and from Her emanates the Jīva.

Nirvāṇa-Śakti is situated below Nirvāṇa-kalā, and over Nibodhika,^[10] which is Nāda-rupā.^[11] Cf. “Placed within Nirvāṇa (Kalā) is the fiery (Vahni-rūpā) Nibodhikā, who is unmanifested Nāda^[12]; above it is the supreme Nirvāṇa-Śakti, who is the cause of all and is possessed of the lustre of ten million suns. It is in Her that there is the Brahman^[13] who is the changeless Śiva^[14]; it is here that Kuṇḍalī-Śakti enjoys with Paramātmā.”

Nibodhikā is a phase of Avyakta-nāda (Avyakta-nādātmikā), and is fire-like. Rāghava-bhaṭṭa says: “Nāda exists in three states. When Tamo-guṇa is dominant, it is merely sound unmanifest (Avyakta-nāda)^[15] in the nature of Dhvani; when Rajo-guṇa is more dominant, there is sound in which there is somewhat of a placing of the letters^[16]; when the Sattva- guṇa preponderates, Nāda assumes the form of Bindu.”^[17] Hence Nāda, Bindu, and Nibodhikā, are respectively the Sun, the Moon, and Fire,^[18] and their activities are Jñāna, Icchā, and Kriyā. Jñāna, again, is Fire, Icchā the Moon, and Kriyā the Sun. This has been said in the Śāradā. Therefore, insomuch as it has been said that Nirvāṇa Śakti is above the fiery (Vahni-rūpā) Nibodhikā, the wise should conclude that Nirvāṇa- Śakti is placed above the Maṇḍalas of the Sun, the Moon, and Fire.

This has been clearly stated in the Kulārṇava-Tantra, in the Para- Brahma-dhyāna, which begins, “The Bindu-rūpa Para-Brahma in the Sahasrāra,” and ends, “Beautified by the three Maṇḍalas within the triangle in the pericarp.” By three Maṇḍalas are meant the Maṇḍalas of Sun, Moon, and Fire. We shall show that the Nirvāṇa-Śakti is in the form of Para-bindu (Para-bindu-rūpā).

The Text will be made clearer if an arrangement be made in the following groups: (1) Nāda, Sun, Kriyā; (2) Bindu, Moon, Icchā; (3) Nibodhikā, Fire, Jñāna. But see Introduction.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This is, according to Viśvanātha, the Samanāpada or Samanī Śakti. This state is not free from the multitude of bonds (Pāśajāla).

[2]:

Prema. See notes, post,

[3]:

This word “Tattva” has by Viśvanātha been said to be Śivābheda- jñāna [jñānaṃ]—i.e., the non-distinction between Śiva and Śivé [Śivā?].

[4]:

That is, within the crescent. According to Viśvanātha the locative indicates proximity and means near the middle but slightly above it.

[5]:

This word has been defined by Śaṃkara to mean. “She who is as great as the Para or Supreme”. Viśvanātha says it means “She who measures futurity (Para=Uttara-kāla)”—that is, all future time is in Her control.

[6]:

Paramā—She who is co-existent or of equal degree with the Supreme (Para) or she who knows the Supreme. This is as applied to Māyā.

[7]:

Heaven, Earth, and Netherworld.

[8]:

Saṃjñāyukta [saṃjñāyuktaḥ], i.e., Jīva-consciousness. It may also mean ‘becomes endowed-with a name Name and form characterise the world as Sat, Cit and Ānanda do Brahman.

Cf.

asti bhāti priyaṃ rūpaṃ nāma cetyaṃśa-pañcakaṃ.
ādyaṃ trayaṃ brahma-rūpaṃ jagadrūpaṃ tato dvayaṃ.

[9]:

Yadā bhūmau patati tadā saṃ ñāyukto bhavati. The creation of Jīva is here spoken of. The Text quoted is from Nirvāṇa-tantra I.

[10]:

See Introduction, and note to v. 40, particularly the portion dealing; with Nāda, Bodhinī and Bindu.

[11]:

That is Śakti, as Nāda.

[12]:

Avyakta-nāda—unmanifested sound.

[13]:

Nirañjana. This word may either be equal to Nir+añjana (i.e., stainless) or Niḥ+añjana (unaffected by pleasure or pain, unmoved). It is one of the aspects of the Brahman.

[14]:

Nirvikāra. Some read Nirvikalpa, or of unconditioned, consciousness. Nirvikalpa is also the last stage of Samādhi, in which there are no (Nir) specific distinctions (Vikalpa); and no “this” and “that”.

[15]:

tamo-guṇādhikyena kevala-dhvanyātmako'vyakta-nādaḥ.

[16]:

raja ādhikyena kiṃcidvarṇa-baddha-nyāsātmakaḥ. The sense appears to be that the letters exist anyhow together in massive undifferentiated form.

[17]:

Sattvādhikyena bindu-rūpaḥ.

[18]:

Tatash [Tataś?] cha nāda-bindu-nibodhikā arkendu-vahni-rūpaḥ. Jñāna is Fire, because it burns up all actions. When the result of action is realized, action ceases (see note to v. 45). Icchā is the Moon, because Icchā is the precursor of creation and is eternal. The Moon contains the Amā-kalā, which knows neither increase nor decay. Kriyā is the Sun, because like the Sun it makes everything visible. Unless there is striving there cannot be realization and manifestation. Cf. “As one Sun makes manifest all the Lokas” (Gītā).