Part 7 - Māyā and its Five Products

The sphere after the pure creation is known as Mahāmāyā, and Śakti’s operation here is in her pure form. In other words, the first manifestation of impure creation is Māyā. It breaks the unity of universal self in its creative aspect. Māyā is the primary cause of all insentient manifestation (one among the two impure creations).

Māyā has five sub-varieties called Kañcukas viz., Kalā, Kāla, Rāga, Niyati, and Ṣaṭtriṃśattattvasandoha. These five categories are explained as;

तत्सर्वकर्तृता सा संकुचिता कतिपयार्थमात्रपरा ।
किञ्चित्कर्तारममुं कलयन्ति कीर्त्यते कला नाम ॥

tatsarvakartṛtā sā saṃkucitā katipayārthamātraparā |
kiñcitkartāramamuṃ kalayanti kīrtyate kalā nāma ||^[1]

(When the omnipotence, getting contracted, becomes capable of achieving only a few things and thus it reduces him (the Supreme Lord) to the state of doing limited things, it is designated as Kalā.)

सर्वज्ञतास्य शक्तिः परिमिततनुरल्पवेद्यमात्रपरा ।
ज्ञानमुत्पादयन्ती विद्येति निगद्यते बुधैराद्यैः ॥

sarvajñatāsya śaktiḥ parimitatanuralpavedyamātraparā |
jñānamutpādayantī vidyeti nigadyate budhairādyaiḥ ||^[2]

(His power of omniscience, becoming limited, and assuming the capacity of knowing only a few things and producing knowledge (of a limited character) is called Vidyā by the wisemen of the olden times.)

नित्यपरिपूर्णतृप्तिः शक्तिस्तस्यैव परिमिता तु सती ।
भोगेषु रज्जयन्ती सततममुं रागतत्त्वतां याता ॥

nityaparipūrṇatṛptiḥ śaktistasyaiva parimitā tu satī |
bhogeṣu rajjayantī satatamamuṃ rāgatattvatāṃ yātā ||^[3]

(There is his another Śakti which consists in eternal complete satisfaction; the same becoming limited and attaching him to ever-enjoyment, this Śakti is reduced to the form of Rāgatattva.)

सा नियतास्य शक्तिर्निकृष्य निधनोदयप्रदानेन ।
नियतपरिच्छेदकरी क्लृप्ता स्यात्कालतत्त्वरूपेण ॥
यास्य स्वतन्त्रताख्या शक्तिः सन्कोचशालिनी सैव ।
कृत्यकृत्येष्ववशं नियतममुं नियमन्त्यभून्नियतिः ॥

sā niyatāsya śaktirnikṛṣya nidhanodayapradānena |
niyataparicchedakarī klṛptā syātkālatattvarūpeṇa ||
yāsya svatantratākhyā śaktiḥ sankocaśālinī saiva |
kṛtyakṛtyeṣvavaśaṃ niyatamamuṃ niyamantyabhūnniyatiḥ ||^[4]

Remaining 20 tattvas viz., jñānendriyas, karmendriyas, tanmatras, bhūtas and indriyas are powers of individual self-simply the different forms of kalā-the limited power of action. All the categories could be equated with the Icchā and Jñāna forms of Śakti:

Category	Śakti
Śiva Śakti Sadāśiva Īśvara Śuddhavidyā Māyā Kalā Vidyā Rāga Kāla Niyati Prakṛti Buddhi Ahaṅkāra Manas Jñānendriyas Karmendriyas Tanmātras Bhūtas	Cid Ānanda Icchā Jñāna Kriyā Jñāna Kriyā Jñāna Kriyā Jñāna Kriyā Jñāna Kriyā Jñāna Kriyā Jñāna Kriyā Jñāna Kriyā

Not only the categorization, but its interpretations are also viewed as the disclosure of Śakti. The various modifications of metaphysical theories based on the categorization are available in the Kashmir Śaivism. The following discussion is hence about how the disclosure of Śakti occurs through the theories related with cosmology, ontology, soteriology, aesthetics and linguistics.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

D. B. Sen Sharma (Tr.), Ṣaṭtriṃśattattvasandoha, B.N. Chakravarty University, Kurukshetra, 1977, p.21.

[2]:

Ibid. p.23.

[3]:

Ibid. p.24.

[4]:

Ibid., pp.26-28.