CONECTIVAS EN EL CÁLCULO PROPOSICIONAL

The next shloka (#24) needs more than a passing mention.

[Shloka 24 is not quoted by the Paramacharya but since he deals with it in detail, I am giving the shloka below without the word-by-word meaning.

These meanings automatically come forth in his explanations. V. K.]

jagat-sUte dhAtA harir-avati rudraH kshhapayate

tiraskurvan-netat svam-api vapur-Ishas-tirayati / sadA pUrvas-sarvaM tadidam-anugRHNAti ca shivaH tavAjnAm-Alabhya kshhaNa-calitayor-bhrUlatikayoH //24//

It begins in the style of shloka 2 where the Trinity is spoken of as doing their work only with Her grace. “jagat-sUte dhAtA” – Brahma originates the universe. “hariH avati” – Vishnu protects and maintains it. “rudraH kshhapayate” –Rudra destroys. Not stopping here, it goes on to talk also about the remaining two cosmic functions and the deities in charge of those functions. One of them is Ishvara who carries out the ‘tirodhAna’ aspect.

“Ishas-tirayati” is what the shloka says: The Lord Isha deludes by His mAyA. And all this happens by mandate (“tava AjnAm-Alabhya”) from ambaaL. “kshhaNa-calitayoH bhrU-latikayoH” – by the subtle movement, for a second, of Her eyebrows! The absorption by mAyA is not only of the universe and all creation but of the Trinity also: Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. Not only that; He himself disappears into the fifth functionary namely SadAshiva. “svam-api vapuH Ishas-tirayati” – Isha makes His own body disappear.

“sadAshivaH” is the name of the fifth cosmic functionary. The shloka names him “sadA-pUrvaH shivaH” meaning, ‘shiva with a prefix of sadA’.

At this point, one should note how a funny situation is implied here by the poet. The five cosmic functionaries are lower in hierarchy to ambaaL and her pati Lord Shiva. But one of those functionaries, namely the One who dispenses Grace has the name which means

‘Always Shiva’. And in order that the meaning should strike us in the face, the poet, instead of using the straight word ‘sadA-shiva’, uses the construction ‘Shiva with a prefix of sadA’ .

Shloka #24 therefore shows the Lord as Rudra, Ishvara and SadAshiva in the relationship of functionaries under the suzerainty of ambaaL.

In the next shloka (#25) the Trinity are considered to be at the feet of ambaaL, but by that very reason, they are also worshipped; because, those who propitiate ambaal offer their flowers in obeisance at the feet of the Mother and the flowers do fall on the crowns of the Trinity, which are in prostration at those divine feet. In #25, by using the expression

“trayANAM devAnAM triguNa-janitAnAM”, they can be considered as born of ambaaL and therefore She is their jananI.

In #26, when everybody meets their end, even in the time of the Grand Dissolution (mahA-samhAra) , the Lord is depicted as sporting with Her. The Grand Dissolution, seemingly a negative mode, is actually a great anugraha from the Almighty to the Universe; for, the millions of jIvas are brought back from their karmic whirl into the fold of the Supreme.

“mahA-samhAre asmin viharati sati tvat-patirasau” : Here the key word is ‘viharati’. It means ‘plays in joy’, generally; but it also means ‘destroys’.The sanskrit words ‘haraNaM’,

‘apaharaNaM’, ‘samharaNaM’, ‘viharaNaM’, ‘apahAraM’, ‘samhAraM’ , ‘vihAraM’ – all of them can be used interchangeably. So taking the words ‘tvat-patiH viharati’ , we have to interpret it as ‘Your husband is engaged in Destruction’.

This interpretation leaves ambaaL out of the business of Destruction. He does it and She watches it. The authority for this interpretation comes from Lalita-sahasranAmam where She gets the name: ‘maheshvara-mahAkalpa-mahAtANDava-sAkshhiNI’. I have already mentioned this in my explanation of shloka #41. The interesting point here is that She is the sAkshhI and He is the actor – in the action of mahA-samhAra. A similar sAkshhI status for

Her is given in the great pilgrimage centre of Chidambaram, where the Lord performs the tANDava dance of Creation, while the ambaaL there, is a silent witness!

But in shloka #9, as we have seen just a little while ago, the word ‘viharasi’ is used for ambaaL herself. In the context there, it is the union of Shiva and Shakti. This is the last stage of Involution. It is the union of jIvAtmA and paramAtmA. There is no negative of Destruction there. There is only the flooding of nectar in fullness in the Jiva. It is actually a delightful experience for the jIva when the kunDalini reaches the sahasrAra. So the word

‘viharaNaM’ for ambaal is quite apt with the meaning of joyful play.

Among the various relationships of Shiva and Shakti, there is also the guru-shishhya relationship.

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(Digest of pp.1086-1091 of Deivathin Kural, 6^th volume, 4^th imprn.)

Almost all the Agamas, Tantras and Samhitas are supposed to have been taught by the Lord to ambaaL.

[Note by Ra. Ganapati: Generally, rites of worship follow the Agamas, Tantras and Samhitas according to the deity that is being worshipped

– Shiva, Devi or Vishnu]

– This guru-shishya relationship – with the Lord as guru and ambaaL as shishyaa, comes in shloka #31.

[I am giving shloka 31 here along with its translation, though the Paramacharya does not do so,

but still discusses it in detail. V.K.]