शुक्लाम्बरधरम् विष्णुम् शशिवर्णम् चतुर्भुजम्।
प्रसन्नवदनम् ध्यायेत् सर्व विघ्नोपशान्तये॥
श्रीगुरुभ्योनमः
सुधासिन्धोर्मध्ये सुरविटपि वाटी परिवृते
मणिद्वीपे नीपोपवनवति चिन्तामणिगृहे
शिवाकारे मञ्चे परमशिवपर्यन्क निलयाम्
भजन्ति त्वाम् कतिचन चिदानन्द लहरीम्।।
(सौन्दर्यलहरि-8)
Vagdevatas
described the gross form of Amma, who manifested from the chidagnikunda,
bedecked with all ornaments, from the namas cidagnikunda-sambhuta upto Maha-Lavanya-Sevadhih. According to the Brahmanda Purana, She
appeared from the cidagnikunda, when Brahma and other deities prayed to
the srushti-sthithi-laya-kaarini (Sri-Mata, Sri-Maharajni, Srimat-Simhasaneswari)
ParamBrahma-rupini Amma sitting on the left lap of
Kameswara, residing on the peak of the Sumeru mountain.
The namas starting from Sarvaruna
to Pancha-Brahmasana-sthitha describe Amma sitting on the Pancha-Brahma-aasana,
inside the chintamani-house, situated in the middle of the kadamba
forest of the Manidweepa on the Sumeru peak, an island in the Sudha-samudra.
We will now try to understand three namas
starting from Srimannagara-nayika.
श्रीमन्नगरनायिका
Srimath+nagara – splendorous/auspicious city
Pranams to Amma,
the prime ruler of the Srimannagara.
In the earlier nama, we have learnt
that the abode of Amma lies in the middle peak of the Sumeru
mountain. This nama describes Her
abode.
क्रीडार्थम् नगाः वृक्षाः पर्वतावा अत्र संततीति नगरी
नगाः नगसदृशाः प्रासादयोऽत्र संतीति नगरी
(अमरकोश्)
Nagara is a place filled
with mountains and valleys, mountains like castles having beautiful palaces and
parks with huge trees for sporting around.
Sage Vyasa gave a detailed description of the Manidweepa, island on the Sumeru mountain that contains Amma’s abode in Srimat-Devibhagavatham
12th Canto 10-12 chapters.
According SriVidya tradition, Sri chakra
is the Srimannagaram.
कगजदशारद्वय मन्वस्राष्टदल स्वरपत्रत्रिवृत्तभूबिंब संज्ञा कथितम् श्रीसदनम्।।
(श्रीविद्यारत्नसूत्रभाष्यम्-10)
(श्री-सदनम्/house)
Srichakra is one with (क-1st letter)
bindu, (ग-3rd
letter) trikona, (ज-8th letter)
ashta-kona, दशारद्वय (antar-dasaara, bahir-dasaara), (मनु-14
manus) chaturdasaara, ashtadala padma, (स्वर
– 16 vowels) shodasa dala padma, (त्रिवृत्त)
three circles, भूपुर bhoopura.
यदा सा परमाशक्तिः स्वेच्छया विश्वरूपिणी।
स्फुरत्तामात्मनः पश्येत् तदा चक्रस्य संभवः।।
(योगिनीहृदयम्1.9)
The Sri Chakra is formed, even as the
universe is manifested as a result of Paramatma’s primordial desire.
Gaudapadaacharya while explaining the
above SriVidya Ratna sutra, quotes Aruna Prasna (27th anuvaka)
from the Taitreyaaranyaka first part and conjectures that the self-manifested
universe comprising of uncountably many cosmic eggs is indeed the Srimannagaram.
चक्रम् पुरम् च सदनमागारम् च गुहा स्त्रियाम्।
इति विश्वाख्ये चक्रस्य पर्यायनामानि।।
Puram, sadanam, aagaaram,
guha are synonyms for chakra.
तत्र चतुः शतयोजन-।परिणाहम् देव शिल्पिना रचितम्।
नानासालमनोज्ञम्। नमाम्यहम् नगरमादिविद्यायाः।
(आर्या द्विशति-5)
Sage Durvasa paid his obeisance to the
400yard-wide enchanting SriVidya city, namely AdiVidya (SriChakra/Srimannagara)
built by the celestial architect, in Arya Dwisathi.
नवाक्षरो महामेरुरयम् ब्रह्माण्डगोलकः।
(ज्ञानार्णव तन्त्र्
-11.1)
According the Jnanarnava tantra, the
cosmic egg, the celestial sphere is the MahaMeru represented by the non-repetitive letters of the Panchadasi mantra.
Since it has been said यत्पिण्डे तत् ब्रह्माण्डे in
scriptures and Brahmanda/macrocosm is the Srimannagara, pindanda/microcosm
is also indicative of Srimannagara.
Thus, the gross creation consisting of
uncountable cosmic eggs, each one of the cosmic eggs and the microcosm, are all
symbolic of Srimannagara. The
geometric representation of the Srimannagara is the SriChakra.
चिन्तामणिगृहान्तस्था
Pranams to Amma
residing in the Chintamani gruha.
मकरन्दझरी मज्जन्मिलिन्द कुलसम्कुलाम्।
महापद्माटवीम् वन्दे यशसा सं परीवृताम्।।
तत्रैव चिंतामणि तोरणार्चिभिर्विनिर्मितम् रोपितरत्नशृङ्गम्।
भजे भवानी भवनावतंस मादित्यवर्णम् तमसः परस्तात्।।
(त्रिपुरसुन्दरी वेदपादस्तवम् -11,12)
My pranams to the Mahapadmaatavi
in the ocean of nectar filled with buzzing bees drenched in the honey of the
celestial flowers (11). I pray to the Chintamani house with golden
lustre of Sun that is beyond the tamas, darkness. This house is the abode of Bhava’s wife,
Bhavani.
चिन्तामणिगणरचितम्। चिन्ताम् दूरीकरोतु मे सदनम्।
(आर्यद्विशति-105)
Chintamani are
the wish granting self luminous gems. Amma!! May your Chinthamani house ward off my worries.
मण्यते स्तूयत इति मणिः
(अमरकोशम्)
one
that is used to eulogize is Mani. According to this definition, mantras
are Manis. मननात् त्रायते इति मन्त्रः That
which protects the reciting person is a mantra. Amma, the Akshara Brahma rupini, is
the source of all the mantras. Amma’s house is the storehouse of all
the mantras.
पञ्चब्रह्मासनस्थिता
पञ्चब्रह्ममयो मञ्चस्तत्रयो बिंदुमध्यगः।
तव कामेशी!
वासोऽय-मायुष्मंतं करोतु माम् ।।
(त्रिपुरसुन्दरीवेदपादस्तवम्-14)
Pranams to Amma
seated on the Pancha-Brahma-aasana, a seat made by five Brahmas.
Brahmanda Purana describes Amma’s seat to have been made by Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Iswara and
Sadasiva. It is mentioned in Chapter 37
of the Uttara bhaga, that the South-East leg of the aasana is
shining like a japakusuma flower and is indicative of Brahma. Whereas the South-West leg of the aasana with
blue lilly hue is symbolic of Vishnu, the North-West leg of the seat is
incandescent like a crystal and is indicative of Rudra. Finally, the North-East
one with the lotus pericarp’s brilliance symbolizes Iswara. Amma’s recline is made up of
Sadasiva-Iswara-Rudra-Vishnu-Brahma.
पराशक्तिस्ततो नादो नादाद्बिन्दुसमुद्भवः।
बिंदोः सदाशिवस्तस्मादीश्वरः समजायत।।
तस्माद्रुद्रस्ततो विष्णुर्विष्णोर्ब्रह्मण उद्भवः।
(रौरवागमम्-क्रियापदम्-63प-4,5)
Nada arose from
ParaSakthi and from Nada, arose Bindu. From Bindu manifested SadaSiva, from
SadaSiva manifested Iswara, from Iswara manifested Rudra, from Rudra manifested
Vishnu and from Vishnu manifested Brahma.
AdiSankara Bhagavatpada in Soundarya
Lahari 24th sloka जगत्सूतेधाताहरिरवतिरुद्रः क्षपयते,
says Amma makes Pancha-Brahmas perform the pancha
kruthyas (सृष्टि creation,
स्थिति susutenance, संहार
dissolution, तिरोधान
obscuration
and अनुग्रह
revelation) by moving Her eyebrows and in the 47th sloka भ्रुवौभुग्नेकिञ्चित्भुवनभयबंगव्यसनिनि describes
Amma’s eyebrows to be like that of the bow of Manmatha. He seems to be indicating that the God of desire
(Manmatha), the source of creation is actuated only by Amma’s
will.
In Saivagamas, these PanchaBrahmas are known as Sadasiva, Isana, Sadyojatha, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and in Vaishnavagamas as Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Anirudha, Narayana.
मूर्तयः पञ्चविख्याताः पञ्चब्रह्माह्वयाः पराः।
सर्वलोकशरण्यस्य शिवस्य परमात्मनः।।
(लिङ्गपुराणम्-उत्तरभागम्-14अ-5)
एकएवशिवःसाक्षात्सत्यज्ञानादिलक्षणः।
विकाररहितःशुद्धः स्वशक्तयापञ्चधा स्थितः।।
(सूतसंहित-4.14.2)
सत्य Ever
unchanging, ज्ञान knowledge filled, अनन्त never
ending,
विकाररहित unvarying, सुप्रकाश
luminous, शुद्ध pure, अद्वैत unquie
Paramasiva, appears in five forms with the help
of His Sakthi.
सर्जनशक्त्युपाधिकम् परशिवरूपम् चिन्मात्रमेव सद्योजातः। पालनशक्त्युपाधिकम् वामदेवः।संहरणशक्त्युपाधिकम् अघोरः।तिरोभावशक्त्युपाधिकम् तत्पुरुषः। अनुग्रहशक्त्युपाधिकम् चिन्मात्रमीशानः। (ibid)
PanchaBrahmas are nothing but the Sakthi
personification of the one and only ParamaSiva.
LingaPurana-Uttara bhagam (14th
ch.) and Suta Samhitha-Yajna Vaibhava Khanda (14th ch.) praise these
PanchaBrahmas as Pancha tanmatras, Pancha Tanmatradhi devatas
(Brahma-Vishnu-Rudra-Iswara-Sadasiva), Pancha Mahabhutas, Pancha
jnanendraiyas, Pancha karmendriyas, and amtahkarana and jiva
put together.
***
In the Pradhanikam Rahasyam (26-29) of the
Devi Mahatmya Parayana, it is mentioned that the Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara
pairs manifested with form (sakala) to carry out the creation, sustenance and destruction
activities.
The selfsamilar nature of nishkala/formless
ParamaSiva and SadaSiva is brought out in the Ajithagama, Kriyapadam, 2nd
Patala as पञ्चब्रह्मतनुः साक्षात् स शिवोऽभूत्सदाशिवः,
following
which we can conclude that the Pancha Brahmas are the formless aspect of the
Trinity. Among the Panchakrutyas, the last three are combined and
considered as one act, destruction.
***
Amma’s Pancha
Brahma aasana is described in several Sakteya scriptures while portraying
Her gross form. However, Umapathi
Sivacharya describes it with regard to Srichakra in the following sloka of
Kunchithanghri stava.
त्रैचत्वारिंशदस्रे वसुनृपकमले वृत्तभूचक्रमध्ये
बिंदौ संतानकल्पद्रुम निकरयुते रत्नसौधे मनोज्ञे
ब्रह्माद्याकारपादे शिवमयफ़लके स्वर्णमञ्चे निषण्णो
देव्या यः पूज्यते तम् हरिमुखविभुदैः कुञ्चितांघ्रिं भजेहम् ।
(कुञ्चितांघ्रि स्तवम्-110)
In Shat-chakra-nirupana, the five
chakras from Muladhara to Visudha are described as abodes of the Pancha Brahmas,
Brahma and others.
आदिक्षान्त समस्त सुमणिप्रोते वितानप्रभे।
ब्रह्मादिप्रतिमाभिकीलित षडाधारादि कक्षोन्नते।
ब्रह्माण्डाब्ज महासने जननि! ते मूर्तिम् भजे चिन्मयीम्।
सौषुम्नायत पीत पङ्कज महामध्यत्रिकोणस्थिताम्।।
(त्रिपुरामहिम्न
स्तोत्रम् – 1.2)
I pray to Chinmayi, sitting on the
Brahmarandhra which is the topmost point of the Sushumna nadi containing the
six chakras with Brahma and other statues.
ज्ञात्वा सुषुम्ना सद्भेदम् कृत्वा वायूंच मध्यगम्।
स्थित्वा सदैव सुस्थाने ब्रह्मरन्ध्रे निरोधयेत्।।
(हठयोघप्रदीपिक-4.16)
The activated Kundalini Sakthi’s final
destination along the Sushumna, containing the six chakras is the
Brahmarandhra.
The symbolism of Amma
sitting on the PanchaBrahma aasana is that the entire creation made up
of pancha tattvas gets energized only because of Her presence.
May I attain the lotus feet of Amma sitting
on the Pancha Brahma aasana gracing the Chintamani gruha, in the
midst of the Manidweepa of the Sudha sagara on the Sumeru peak at
the earliest,
श्रीमात्रेनमः
