MANTRA VARNA MALA 2

 

LR

The sound lr is the acoustic root of the sound hummm and

of its inner import. The sound hummm is itself the acoustic

root of struggle, of sa'dhana', and according to Tantra, of

the kun 'd'alinii. As hummm is the acoustic root of struggle,

people call it the battle cry. You may have noticed that when

sa 'dhakas progress along the spiritual path and attain bliss

they sometimes release the sound hummm spontaneously

during the practice of sa 'dhana '. It has been mentioned that

the utterance of hummm during sa'dhana' is a sign of

progress in Tantra.

According to Tantra the kulakun'd'alinii is the sleeping

divinity. By virtue of sa 'dhana ' and with the help of man-

tra'gha'ta [striking at the kulakun'd'alinii with powerful

incantative vibrations] and mantra caetanya [conceptual un-

derstanding of and psychic association with a mantra], and

by smashing all obstacles, the kun'd'alimi can be raised to

the sahasra'ra cakra. The practice adopted to raise the

kan'd'alinii is  called purashcaran'a in Tantra. The

kun'd'alimi is the sleeping divinity. To arouse it from

slumber and raise it upwards is quite a struggle and hence

hummm must also be the acoustic root of the kan'd'alinii.

The controlling point of the kun'd'alinii, the mu'la'dha'ra,

is called man 'ipadma or maha 'man 'ipadma in Maha'ya'na

Buddhist philosophy. The Tibetan Maha'ya'niis recite Onm '

man'ipadme hummm while turning their dharma cakras

[prayer wheels]. I have seen Onm' man'ipadme hummm

inscribed on the walls of Tibetan caves.

LRR

Lrr is the acoustic root of the sound phot ' (which is the

acoustic root of putting a theory into practice) and is thus the

atibiija, or maha' bUja [super-acoustic root], of the phat'

biija. It is just like the sprouting of a seed, like a sudden

awakening from slumber. When something which is sleeping

or dormant suddenly bursts into the realm of light, we say

colloquially [in Bengali] that it is making a phat' sound. Lrr

is also the acoustic root of the removal of lethargy. Hence.

considering its enormous importance, it should not be de-

leted from the Bengali alphabet.

Each of the fifty letters is called ma 'trka ' varn 'a ("causal

matrix") because each is an acoustic root of some important

factor, sound, vibration, divine or demoniacal propensity,

human quality, or microcosmic expression. Thus no letter

should be deleted from the alphabet. But the final decision

in this regard rests in the hands of the scholars.

The rhythmic expression of mundane knowledge; the

sprouting of mundane knowledge; mundane welfare; and the

thought of mundane welfare; are symbolized by vaos'at'. The

sound e is the atibiija, or maha'bUja, of the vibrations of

vaos'at'. In ancient times kings hungry for more land would

pray to Indra, the king of the gods, to bless their Ra'jasu'ya

Yajina* mAshvamedha Yajina [Horse Sacrifice] to help them

attain a vast empire. On those occasions they would say,Em'

Indra'ya vaos'at'.

AE

The thought of welfare and the materialization of welfare

in the subtler sphere are symbolized by vas'af. Those who

pray to Lord Shiva for all-round human welfare say, Aem'

Shiva'ya vas'at', those who pray to their gum for the attain-

ment of subtle knowledge say, Aem' gurave vas'at'-, and

those who pray to the rain-god for relief from floods say,

Varan'aya vaos'at' (in this case the thought of welfare is

confined to the physical sphere). But those who pray for

victory in war against the forces of wickedness, say,

Vamn'a'ya vas'at. Within the acoustic root vas'at' lies the

thought of welfare in the subtle sphere; it is the atibiija, or

maha'biija, of the sense of blessing in the subtle sphere.

While uttering any incantation it is the common practice to

add m' to the end of the acoustic root. Thus ae is pronounced

is aem'.

Aern' is the acoustic root of vocalization. Linguistic expres-

sion is divided into six stages: para ', pashyanti, madhyama ',

dyotama 'na ', vaekharii, and shrutigocara '.

Whatever you have said, or are saying, or will say in future,

lies within you as dormant vitality. A great potentiality lies

dormant in each human being, just as a huge banyan tree lies

latent within a tiny seed. The banyan seed sprouts when light,

air, water and fertile soil exist in requisite amounts. It sub-

sequently grows foliage and branches, and in the course of

time develops into a gigantic tree. Similarly, the immense

potentialities of human beings lie latent and hypnotized in the

kulakun'd'aliniiatinu'la'dha'ra cakra asdormant humanity.

When the kan'd'alinii is raised upwards through man-

tra'gha'ta and mantra caetanya in the process of meditation

(this process is called purashcaran 'a in Tantra and amrta-

mudra' or a'nandamudra' in yoga), the doors of human

potentiality start opening one after another. Human beings

grow in beauty and vitality, their flowers divine, their foliage

lush. Such individuals develop into great people in the eyes

of the public and finally become one with the Supreme Entity.

This process is called para'bhyudaya in the scriptures.

The first stage of linguistic expression, that is, language in

its potential  form or seed form, lies dormant in the

mil 'la 'dha 'ra cakra, and it leads through successively clearer

stages of manifestation to full-fledged linguistic expression.

This primordial phase of linguistic expression is called

para 'shakti, the primordial phase of vocalization.

Incidentally, I would like to say a few words about the

fundamentalpara 'shakti. The shakti [energy] with which unit

beings discharge their physico-psycho-spiritual actions is

called apara'shakti. Apara''shakti is by no means insignifi-

cant - it helps microcosms to maintain their existence and

achieve greater evolution and elevation. But the energy with

which microcosms direct their physico-psycho-spiritual ef-

forts towards the divine and reach the highest rung of the

evolutionary ladder by piercing every tender layer of micro-

cosmic existence, is called para'shakti (this para'shakti,

which is the primordial phase of vocalization, is not the same

as the para'shakti or Supreme Operative Principle in the

unbalanced triangle of forces). Here we are concerned with

the ways of expression of language. All the potentialities of

vocal expression lie dormant in the form otpara 'shakti at the

mu'la'dha'ra cakra. Para'shakti is raised step by step and

finally leads to the vocal expression of language.

If vocalization remains dormant in seed form at the

mu'la'dha'ra, it is neither audible nor perceivable in the

practical world. The latent para'shakti has got to be awak-

ened. Human beings visualize whatever they want to commu-

nicate, sometimes only for a fraction of a second, consciously

or unconsciously. If they are already aware of the name and

form of the visualized object, they can progress further in the

process of expression, otherwise that name or form will

continue to remain in the abstract world. This stage, in which

one can mentally visualize what one is going to communicate,

is the second stage in the process of vocalization. Its control-

ling point is the sva'dhis't'ha'na cakra. The energy which

causes the visualization is called pashyantL Pashyanti is

derived from the root verb drsh plus shatr, and means "that

which is seeing".

This seeing is of two things: that which is original in the

abstract world (its image is mostly indistinct) and that which

is of a recurring nature in the abstract world, in other words,

that which is reproduced from memory. Anubhu'ta-

vis'aya'sampromas'ah smrtL "After perceiving an object in

the external world with the help of the eyes or any other

external indriya, one often thinks about it." The energy which

helps one to visualize that thought is pashyanti shakti. This

is the second stage of vocalization. Of course just to visualize

the perceived object (with the help ofpashyanti shakti) is not

enough; other people cannot see your mental images or

mental words, because those things belong to the psychic

world. Linguistic expression pertains to the mundane world.

Words are transmitted in the outer world through the medium

of air or electro-magnetic waves, or some such medium.

Mental images can be projected in the external world with the

help of vital energy, but this sort of psychic projection is

beyond the capacity of pashyanti shakti.

Ideas in the psychic world gain momentum with the addi-

tion of vital energy. This process of coordination must be

consolidated-step by step before ideas can be expressed

through words in the external world. The human body's

energy, or indrashakti, or luminous factor, is located in the

man'ipura cakra* The man'ipura cakra maintains the

body's physical balance. Whenpashyanti shakti comes to the

man'ipura cakra and there receives the assistance of vital

energy, it becomes madhyama' shakti. The controlling point

otmadhyama' shakti is the man'ipura cakra or navel area.

To externalize an idea one has to apply physical energy

(philosophically, this energy is called indra). We can call this

stage the first expression of the sound tanma'tra. Although

this sound tanma 'tra is not audible to the external ear because

it has not yet been vocalized, it does have internal sound.

The transformation otmadhyama' shakti into the form of

speech takes place at a point between the man'ipura and

vishuddha cakras. This is a state ofcalama 'nata ' [mobility].*

The force which functions between the man'ipura and

vishuddha cakras, trying to give vocal expression to mental

ideas, is called dyotama 'na '.

Dyotama'na' shakti is expressed as a relentless effort to

transform idea into language. If, however, in this process of

transformation, the mind is affected by fear or by any other

instinct, there will be only a partial or incoherent vocal

expression.

In the dyotama 'na ' stage, if the idea is not metamorphosed

into a corresponding picture, or if there is any defect in the

area between the man 'ipura and vishuddha cakras, or if there

is no proper command over language, then vocal expression

is bound to be affected. In such cases people are unable to

give linguistic expression to things that they know. They say,

"The idea's in my mind but I just can't find the words to

express it."

The dyotama'na' stage exists in collective life, also. Ever

since the dawn of human civilization, human beings have

been searching for ways to fulfil their various desires: the

desire to fly, the desire to move fast over land, the desire to

reach the distant planets, the desire to cross the oceans.

Sometimes they have succeeded, sometimes they have failed.

But even after failure, they have not given up the struggle, but

have persisted with renewed vigour. We are still waiting for

that glorious day to arrive when we will be able to give a full

and rich expression to the vast world of human thought.

Today, however, we can only express asmall fraction of the

vast world of ideas.

The vocal cord lies in the area of the vishuddha cakra. It is

the organ responsible fortransforming abstract idea into vocal

expression. The energy which helps in this task is vaekharii

shaktL Vaekharii shakti is the energy which causes ideas to

take the form of language. It is the fifth stage in the process

of vocal expression. When someone talks too much, this is

the uncontrolled expression of vaekharii shakti. Some

pandits, in order to prove their intellectual might through

intellectual extravaganza, indulge in such unnecessary vo-

calization. It has been said,

Va'kvaekharii shabdayharii

Sha 'stravya 'khya 'na kaoshalam ';

Vaedus'yam' vidus'a'm' tadvat

Bhuktaye na tu muktaye.

 

 

 

 

[Garrulousness, grandiloquence and conflicting interpreta-

tions of the scriptures are nothing but intellectual extrava-

ganza. They do not lead to salvation, but merely satisfy the

intellect.]

Neither individual life nor collective life is benefited from

such useless talk. Pandits may receive temporary applause but

they ultimately gain nothing but a big zero.

Even after an idea gets metamorphosed into language, if

there is the slightest defect in the uvula, vocal expression will

be disturbed. (The Sanskrit equivalents of "uvula" are lam-

bika', galashun'd'ika', anda'ljihva'.) Even if one articulates

properly, one will not be able to speak correctly if there is any

defect in the uvula.

The energy through which the exact language is conveyed

to the human ears is called shrutigocara '. This is the last stage

in the process of vocalization. The sound ae is the acoustic

root of the six stages of vocalization: para', pashyanti, mad-

hyama', dyotama'na', vaekharii, and shrutigocara'.

Ae is also called va'gbhava bUja, and is the acoustic root

of the guru. People acquire knowledge through gurus, hence

the guru is also invoked through this acoustic root: Aem'

gurave namah. Those who believe in idol worship use this

particular acoustic root in invoking the goddess of knowl-

edge: Ae/n' sarasvatyae namah. And it is also used to invoke

Shiva, the propounder ofTantra:Aem' Shiva'ya namah.

 

 

MATERIAL FOR BA PART 3 PAPER 5