Chapter 11 - The Creation and the Re-Absorption of the Five Elements

Questioned by the Goddess, Śiva explains the creation and the re-absorption of the five elements, i.e. Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether.

In the beginning there is the void (śūnya), which is unmanifest (avyakta) and it is known as Ether (ākāśa); then appears Air as smoke, followed by Fire and Water; at the end manifests Earth. The Supreme Lord (Parameśvara) governs these five elements through his three qualities: thus Brahmā rules Earth; Viṣṇu, Water; and Maheśa, Fire, Air and Ether. At the time of the dissolution, in sequence, Earth dissolves into Water, Water into Fire, Fire into Air and Air into Ether. The entire universe (brahmāṇḍa) is permeated by them. As it has been said by the sages, each element has five qualities: the qualities of Earth are dirt (mala), bone, vein, nail and hair; those of Water are desire, anger, lust, quarrel and strife; of Fire are hunger, thirst, sleep, laziness and fatigue; of Air are the acts of going, holding, restraining, contracting and diffusing; of Ether are fear, illusion, embarrassment, passion and enmity (vv.1-12).

The entire universe, together with its fourteen spheres, seven mountains, seven continents, seven seas and nine planets, is seen as present in the body, where the nine holes (two eyes, two ears, nose, mouth, generative organ and anus) are to be considered as nine doors. In this way one should contemplate with pure feeling the macrocosm as being inherent in the microcosm. One should feel the moon residing at the root of the palate and the sun at the beginning of the navel, in proximity to which reside the mind and the wind respectively (vv.13-29). The vital air (prāṇa) originates from the Ether and from it the mind comes forth; then speech arises. It is indeed the mind which creates karma and which adheres to sin; but once it becomes absorbed (in the Supreme Consciousness), it is attached neither to merit nor to sin (vv.30-34).

Śakti resides in the mūlādhāra cakra, Śiva on the sahasrāra padma and between them, Time (Kāla) is all-pervading; the fluctuations are the mind, whence comes matter (vv.35-36).

Śiva, Śakti and the Wind are all present in each body: then the names of the ten Winds are given and explains that the ten doors are the nine doors already mentioned, together with the mind (vv.37-46).

Śakti resides in the body in the form of Kuṇḍalinī, together with the ten nāḍis beginning from Suṣumnā, which are the main ones among the seventy-two thousands nāḍis present in the body; it is said that the yogi who has knowledge of them becomes as Śiva himself (vv.47-51).

Then Śiva explains that the Supreme has three qualities, each one presided over by a god: Brahmā dwells in rajoguṇa, Viṣṇu in sattvaguṇa and Maheśa in tamoguṇa. These three gods are to be seen as one and not separate from each other, otherwise enlightenment shall be impeded (vv.53-54). Śiva continues: "I am the Sacred Revelation (Śruti) and Time; I am the omnipresent Śiva; I am Brahmā and Viṣṇu; I am emptiness without any stain (śūnyaṃ nirañjanaṃ, v.55).

Then the Supreme Knowledge (Brahmajñāna) is introduced: when the mind, karma and speech are absorbed into the Supreme Śakti, then the Supreme Knowledge arises, similar to sleep without dreams and to the state of a child; the union of Śiva and Śakti is like the union of one hundred suns: this single Supreme Knowledge is like a mind without preoccupations. By knowing that the entire universe is present in one's own body, one realizes the complete nonduality expressed by the awareness "I am all" (vv.56-69).

Śiva reveals the Āhlādinīmantra, which, composed by five bijās, is dear to Kālikā (vv.70-79').

Then given are the mātṛkanighaṇṭu, a particular dictionary of the fifty-one letters of the Sanskrit alphabet (vv.79"-174') and the bījābhidhāna, a lexicon of the main bījās^[1] (vv.174"-183).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A bīja is a mantra with but a single syllable.