Chapter 3 - The proper behaviour of a Disciple

In this chapter the Goddess asks Śiva to describe the proper behaviour of a disciple. It is said that only a pupil who has already purified his karma through many previous lifetimes can obtain supreme perfection (siddhiruttamā), by the sole means of dīkṣā—indeed, the disciple will never find the Guru's grace until he has gone through such a purification; once he has attained it, his conduct should remain without blemish, otherwise he will not attain perfection, even if he is initiated.

In the early morning he should make a Śrīmaṇḍala and offer salutations to the Guru with his whole body; then, in a solitary place, having worshipped the book, he should learn about the Śrīkulāgama and should try to follow its instructions.

In the presence of the Guru, one shouldn't feel embarrassed and should take care to avoid excessive laughter, childish play, stretching one's legs, weeping, agitation, cleaning one's teeth, washing one's feet, wearing ornaments, and music. One should take care to not allow one's feet to touch the Guru's seat, His garment (kanthā), wand, sandals, rosary, bathing water, drinking-vessel (pātra) or cloth. He should take only what has been offered by the Guru and only after His permission. Even if the Guru acts harshly, the disciple should continue to be steady in his devotion. Such a pupil is worthy to receive the Guru's grace by means of the four abhiṣekas (Vārāhī Tantra 1-15).

The characteristics of a kulayogi are then given.

When the Master so orders it, the disciple -due to the Guru's Command and out of his own will -should walk the earth to seek perfection, eating food obtained as alms out of a skull-cup, and wearing only a patched garment (kanthā) to protect his body.

Dwelling under a tree, in a cremation ground, atop a mountain, in a cave or in a secluded temple, the yogi should consider with equanimity both friends and enemies, pleasure and suffering, what is desired and is undesired, what is auspicious and inauspicious, honor and disrespect, praise and blame, a skull and gold, brass and iron. With devotion should he always worship the Guru, the Goddess (Bhagavatī), the āmnāya, the Kulāgama, the mantra, the purified wine (mandirā) and the elders. A practitioner who desires liberation should refrain from aversion, agitation, laziness, disobedience, acceptance of gifts, adultery and harsh speech. He should conceal mantra, mudrā, rosary, union with yoginīs, yogic power, the banyan tree, his holy place (pīṭha) and the perfect substances (siddhadravyāṇi). He should not cast aspersions towards the Samayācāra, the groups of Kumāris and Yoginīs, the siddhadravyas or his own chosen deity (vv.16-38).

The last part of this chapter deals with Nirvāṇa. Through the path of equal conduct (samācāramargeṇa), when all the qualities arise and the strong impact (tīvrājñā) takes place, the Supreme Reality (tattva) arises as would thunder, or as the roaring of the sea, or the jingle of a bell; this sound continually ascends unbroken from the navel up to the heart, the throat, the mouth, to the tip of the nose, the middle of the eyes and from one ear to the other. It can arise at any time -while walking or standing, while awake or asleep, with eyes open or closed (unmeṣe ca nimeṣe), in purity or in impurity; when it arises, one should immediately give it honour (vv.39-45).

In this state, where the body is in perpetual bliss, there is neither sleep nor thirst, neither hunger nor illusion, neither aversion nor desire or anxiety, neither grief nor pleasure, neither cold nor hot.

Singing, laughing, dancing, playing instruments, running, jumping, speaking when so desired and other vikāras (changes) are enjoyed by the yogin on the earth; his state of supreme bliss appears as would intoxication to the common people, who may deride him (vv.46-52).

He who always desires to unite the soul (ātmā) to the Supreme Truth (paramatattva)—knowing that the soul is the highest state (paramapada) which, held captive by itself in the body, comes and goes as a messenger—will indeed obtain the Eternal Perfection. At this point there is neither bathing nor japa or homa or meditation or āsana, neither suṣumnā nor piṅgalā, neither retaining the breath nor exhalation or inhalation, neither lunar day nor constellation, neither fast nor vow; all this becomes mundane bondage, and is no longer a means to destroy karma. Therefore the yogi should abandon externality (prapañca) and must instead practice internally (niṣprapañca), not confounding the state of freedom with the mundane one. When desire is free from confusion, it naturally takes the shape of freedom. There is neither intelligence nor mind nor the five senses, neither earth nor land nor fire nor wind nor water, neither tamas nor rajas nor sattva,^[1] neither servant nor ruler, neither far nor near, neither cause nor effect, neither loss nor gain, neither the distinction of caste nor castelessness. Free from all this is the indestructible Highest State (akṣayaṃ paramaṃ padam). The omnipresent Supreme Truth (sarvagatatattva) resides in all beings, as does oil in the sesame seed, fire in wood, the gold in stone and butter in milk. Fools know not the Supreme who is subtle and pure, and so they follow sometimes logic and the six philosophical systems, sometimes the sacred scriptures, sometimes the Vedas and sometimes the Āgamas, sometimes the worldly life and sometimes the spiritual path; therefore one should abandon this confusion and instead act without any doubt (vv.53-66').

The Supreme Truth, free from the thirty-six tattvas, without the ten senses and the ṣoḍaśānta, beyond the lunar faces and lying on the dvādaśānta, is the soul of all (sarvātmā), omnipresent, the all-knower, facing towards every direction, unbroken, uninterrupted, unlimited, immeasurable, undivided, unbeaten, pure, calm, lawless, eternal, indestructible, subtle, beyond form, both absolute and relative (parāpara).

The yogi who becomes as Śiva enjoys the eight perfections -such as hearing and seeing from afar, and the rest. He is himself Guru and disciple, Śakti and Śiva, the subtle and the gross; he is both absolute and relative.

The chapter concludes saying that, in absence of the dravyas, one should offer one's own body (vv.66"-74).

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Tamas, rajas and sattva are the three qualities which permeate the whole of reality: tamas is the quality which causes heaviness, ignorance, illusion, lust, anger, pride, sorrow, dullness and stolidity; rajas is the quality causing passion, emotion, impatience, fierceness and activeness; sattva is the quality of purity and goodness.