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TavAdhAre MUle
TavAdhAre MUle
The uddhAra of the navakUTa vidyA of UrdhwAmnaya is also the intent of this verse,
which should be learnt directly from Sadguru.
Notes:
lAsya and tANDava:
lAsya and tANDava are two aspects of dance which are described as below:
shR^i~ngArarasabhUyiShTaiH bhUribhavatara~NgitaiH
a~Ngairana~NgasarvaswaiH shobhAtishalashAlibhiH |
anvito nR^ittabhedo yaH tallAsyamiti kathyate ||
The form of dance enacted by women, predominantly expressing shri~NgAra rasa
(romance or love) which has rati as its sthyAyI bhAva, filled with ample quantities of
other sentiments, is called lAsya. The word lAsya originates from the root `las
lasati, meaning `to shine. The movements here are characterized by grace and
softness. lAsya is of two forms namely jarita and yauvaka. The form of dance
enacted by men is called tANdava. The movements here are characterized by
briskness and vigor. The form of dance detailed by sage Bharata lists charI, karaNa,
angahara and maNDala as its main components. Movement of a single leg is called
charI, movement of both legs is called karana and 4 to 9 karaNas constitute of a
angahara. A total of 108 karaNas and 32 angahara-s are defined in the nATya
shAstra (the scripture of dance). Lords tANDava is complete with all these elements
108 karaNas and 32 angahara-s. There are sixteen types of tANDava-s performed
by the Lord and these are discussed in various shaivagamas and purANa-s. They
include Ananda tANDava, rudra tANDava, gaurI tANDava, tripura tANDava, samhAra
tANDava, shakti tANdava, ardhanArI tANDava etc. Of these, the important one is
Ananda tANDava which signifies Anugraha, slowly transitioning into srShTi, which is
what is described by Srimadacharya in the current verse.
It should be noted that both creation and dissolution are described in our scriptures
as being performed by the divine couple in the form of a dance. Dance involves
movement or vibration or spanda. Where there is no such vibration, there is perfect
equilibrium, like a still lake before and after a series of ripples. This is the original
state attained before the commencement and after the culmination of the
seemingly eternal play of the divine couple.
The reason for their coming together is to create and this desire is born out of their
infinite compassion for the souls. To help all souls undergo redemption and achieve
their goal which is Shiva, the divine couple parents the world, providing an
opportunity to all souls to attain their final goal. However, it should be noted that
this act is their lIlA, a sport undertaken out of their own free will and not due to any
binding rule or compulsion. The same is said by Bhagavan bAdarAyaNa, lokavattu
lIlA kaivalyam. One may however think a little `extra and attribute this lIlA to the
extreme compassion of the divine couple, which is how we would like to approach
our upAsya mUrtis for our own benefit and this is exactly what Acharya does in the
current verse.
Also, the significance of their dance is rooted deeply both in cause and effect. It is
their desire to procreate that resulted in them coming together for the cosmic dance
of creation, the activity of `dance itself signifying activity of creation in this case.
The result or effect of this dance/creation is the appearance of a world, which has
them as its parents. The dance continues further after the creation as now it is the
joyful dance of two parents who are celebrating the birth of a progeny.
Navarasa-s:
Navarasa-s are the nine sentiments classically dealt in the various kAvyas in
Sanskrit literature. Rasyate AswAdyata iti rasaH that which is experienced,
relished or enjoyed is called rasa. Bharatas nATya shAstra lists only eight rasas. But
Uddhata, the celebrated commentator on the nATya shAstra, lists nine rasas or
navarasa-s. The navarasa-s are:
Sringara (love, romance or eroticism)
hAsya (humor)
karuNA (pathos)
raudra (terror)
vIra (heroism)
bhayAnaka (terror)
bhIbhatsa (disgust)
adbhuta (wonder)
shAnta (the state of equilibrium or peace)
Here is a beautiful Shloka from Sri Rama Karnamritam, which lists all the nine rasas, associating them with the different actions of Lord Sri Ramachandra:
sringAraM kShitinandinIviharaNe exhibiting Sringara rasa while with Smt sItA devi
vIraM dhanurbhanjane exhibiting vIra rasa while breaking Shiva dhanus and
narayaNa dhanUs
kAruNyaM balibhojane exhibiting karuNA rasa to kakAsura
adbhutarasaM sindhau giristhApane expressing adbhuta rasa looking at the bride
across the ocean
6. nAda vyUha consists of rAga (desire), icChA (strong desire), krti (the mental
conception of the action which can fructify the desire) and prayatna (the actual
effort to accomplish the desire). These four respectively correspond to the four
stages of nAda: parA, pashyantI, madhyamA and vykhari.
7. bindu vyUha consists of the group of six kula chakras, from mUlAdhAra to ajnA
8. kalA vyUha the group of 50 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet
9. jIva vyUha the group of all jIvas, who are bhoktrus or enjoyers, not aware of
their identity with Brahman
As the Lord manifests in the form of these nine groups, he is called navAtman. As
Amba and Bhagavan exhibit sameness in various aspects (the concept of sAmya is
explained a little later), and are non-different in essence, all upAdhi-s of Shiva apply
equally to Amba and hence she is also of the form of these nine vyUha-s
(navAtmeshwarI). The concept of Srishthi according to the Kaulas is chiefly centered
around these nine vyUhas:
navAtmA bhairavo devaH bhuktimuktipradayakaH |
paranandaparA shaktiH chidrUpAnandabhairavI |
tayoryadA sAmarasyaM jagadutpadyate tadA ||
When Sri Bhairava and Sri Bhairavi unite in harmony with the desire to procreate,
the world comes into existence. Here, one needs to understand the concept of
sheShi (essential or the primary) and sheSha (accessory or secondary). Due to
equality of Shiva and Shakti (acceptable only to pUrva kaulas), the roles of sheSha
and sheShi keep rotating between the two. During creation Amba assumes
predominance over Shiva and vice versa during dissolution. The first aspect of this
is indicated by the first verse of Saundaryalahari (shivaH shaktyA yukto yadi bhavati
shaktaH prabhavitum). The second aspect where Amba attains subservience or
sheShatva is expressed in the name mahApralayasakShiNI and by Srimadacharya in
kalyANa vrShTi stava (kalpopasamhrtiShu kalpita tANdavasya .. sa sAkShiNI
vijayate tava mUrtirekA). This is one interpretation of the name navAtman.
Also, Mahadeva is said to manifest in eight forms: prthvI (earth), ap (water), tejo
(fire), vAyu (wind), AkAsha (sky), sUrya (sun), Chandra (moon) and yajamAna (jIva).
The original, resplendent form of the Lord, which is the basis for these eight forms
(mUlAdhiShThAna swarUpa) forms the ninth form. As Amba is ever united with the
Lord, these nine forms as equally applicable to her. Hence, both hold the titles
navAtmeshwara and navAtmeshwarI.
There is also a third interpretation. The six kula chakras along with the three
granthi-s or knots (brahma, viShNu and rudra granthis). As the Lord is the Atman
attained by transcending these nine, he is referred to as navAtman. Needless to
say, our lady comes to be called navAtmikA as well.
samayA:
By using the verse samayA, Srimadacharya establishes clearly that the current
verse is equally applicable to both established schools of shAkta philosophy
samaya and kaula. The word samayA in this verse is indicative of the interpretation
according to the school of samayAchAra and the word navAtman is indicative of the
interpretation of the same based on the tenets of kaulAchAra. We shall restrict our
discussion to the Samaya School here. Both Amba and Lord have the name samayA
and samayaH as the word `sama signifies equality or sameness. As Amba and
Bhagavan are similar/same/equal in five different ways, they are referred to as
Samayeshwari and Samayeshwara. In fact, the very school of samayAchAra is based
on this concept of samayatva. Some other Tantras define various AchAras like
vedAchAra, vaishnavAchAra, shaivachAra, dakShiNAchAra, vamAchAra,
siddhAntachAra and kaulAchAra. Some interpret samayAchAra as identical with
dakShiNAchAra, which is a misinterpretation. samayAchAra is blatantly different
from dakShiNAChAra in various ways, the prime similarity between the two AchAras
being sruti prAmANya (acceptable to Sruti and smrti). There are five schools of
samayAchAra elaborated by Shuka, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara and Vasistha
in their respective samhitA-s, together referred to shubhAgama panchaka. Also, the
dakShiNAchAra elaborated in the above list from mahAnirvANa is a further division
within the leftist path, not related to actual dakShiNAchAra, elaborated in Agama,
Smrti, purANa, samhitA-s of hayagrIva and daksHiNAmUrti etc. The above list of
AchAras from mahAnirvANa should be treated as arthavAda and as applicable only
to those qualified/suited for taking the leftist path. Coming back to samayachAra,
the worship of kAmeshwara and kameshwari who exhibit the following sAmyas,
forms the basic tenet of this shAkta school:
1. adhiShThAna sAmya the identity of abode
Both Amba and Kameshwara reside in the six chakras, in mahA kailAsa, in the
chintAmaNi Grha on mahA meru and in the hearts of the pious. This establishes
adhiShThAna sAmya.
2. avasthAna sAmya the identity of state, condition or position
Both Amba and Kameshwara, in the case of the current verse, occupy the position
of dancers. Also, both hold the position as the Supreme emperors of the universe.
This establishes avasthAna sAmya.
3. anuShThana sAmya the identity of function or occupation
In the current verse, both Amba and Kameshwara come together with the same
purpose or function creation of the world. Also, at various stages, they indulge in
other functions like sthiti, samhAra, tirodhAna and anugraha. This establishes
anuShThAna sAmya.