yasyonmeṣanimeṣābhyāṃ vyaktāvyaktam
idaṃ jagat||1||
lokopakāriṇīṃ divyāṃ vyākaromi
yathāmati||3||
Homage to Gaṇeśa!
1.
Homage to Śiva, the God, the
omniscient supreme Self by whose expansion and contraction (or opening and
closing the eyes) this universe becomes manifest and unmanifest.
2,3. Repeatedly offering obeisances
to the holy teacher who is proficient in śaivatattva (Śiva’s true
essence), to the holy Kumāras, and to the devotees of Śiva beginning with
Nandikeśa, I am writing to the best of my understanding about an auspicious, helpful
for the mankind, and wonderful explanation of the original aphorisms (sūtras)
composed by Nandikeśa.
nṛttāvasāne[7]
naṭarājarāja nanāda ḍhakkāṃ navapañcavāram|
uddharttukāmaḥ sanakādisiddhān etad vimarśe śivasūtrajālam||1||
1.
At the end of the dance, the
king Naṭarāja sounded dhakka (or damaru - Śiva’s two-sided
drum) nine and five times. While explaining[8]
this net of śiva-sūtras, I (Nandikeśvara) wish to elevate[9]
Sanaka and the other realised beings (siddhas)[10].
iha
sakalalokanāyakaḥ paramaśivaḥ sanaka-sanandana-sanatkumāra-[11]-patañjali-vyāghrapāda-vasiṣṭhādīn uddharttukāmo
ḍhakkāninādavyājena caturdaśasūtratattvam upadideśa| tadanu te munīndravaryāś
cirakālam āśritānām asmākaṃ caturdaśasūtrātmakaṃ tattvam upadidikṣuḥ iti| asya sūtrajālasya tattvārthaṃ nandikeśo
jānātīti taṃ praṇamya pṛṣṭavantas teṣāṃ caturdaśakārikārūpeṇa tattvaṃ sūtrāṇām
upadeṣṭum icchann idam ācakṣat|| nṛttāvasāne[12]
iti | aham iti śeṣaḥ | naṭarājarāja ity anena maṅgalādīni darśitāni | naṭarājarāja iti viśvavilāsavaicitrya[13]-camatkārapravīṇatvāt|
svātmatattvaṃ vāgādyagocaram iti jñāpanārthaṃ ḍhakkāninādavyājena sanakādīn
uddharttukāmaḥ navapañcavāraṃ
caturdaśavāraṃ svāntaragatam ātmatattvaṃ prakaṭayituṃ ḍhakkāninādaṃ tad-[14]
udbhūtavarṇṇātmakaṃ| jālam
atirahasyam etat śivasūtrajālaṃ vimarśe
sphuṭīkaromīty arthaḥ| tatrādyena sūtreṇa savarṇavaṇānāṃ samastabhuvanānāñ ca samudbhavaṃ svātmatattvam
upadiṣṭam||1|| akāro brahmeti| atra sarvatra sūtreṣu anyavarṇacaturdaśakaṃ
dhātvartham|[15] anyavarṇajālaṃ
śabda iti| tathoktam indreṇa|| antyavarṇasamudbhūtā dhātavaḥ parikīrttitā iti|
Here, Paramaśiva (the supreme Lord),
the ruler of the entire world taught the essence of the fourteen sūtras
for elevation of [sages] Sanaka Sanandana Sanatkumāra Patañjali Vyāghrapāda
Vasiṣṭha and others by artifice of striking the drum. After that, these chosen ones
among great sages [thought]: “Among us who have taken refuge [in Paramaśiva], Nandikeśa
wants to teach the truth contained in the fourteen sūtras for a long
time [and] he knows the true meaning of his (Śiva’s) net of sūtras,” [so]
offering obeisance they asked him [to teach]. Desiring to teach the essence of
those sūtras, he explained it in the form of the fourteen verses. nṛttāvasāne (at termination of dance), aham
(I) is to be supplied [to complete the sense], [and] naṭarājarāja (the king Naṭarāja) - these are words
which show pure auspiciousness and alike. naṭarājarāja is [called so]
because of [his] expertise in diverse [creative] pleasures of manifestation of
the world. Since the essence of his own nature is an adobe of speech etc., so,
in order to bring to light his own internal essential nature, [there came] a
sound of the drum consisting of letters produced from that [sound]. The
artifice of sounding the drum nine and five times, i.e. fourteen times, served
to inform [and] emancipate Sanaka and others. jalam (net) means the most
secret [thing], etat (this) indicates the net of śivasūtras, and vimarśe
means ‘I give an explanation’. There (in this text), the origin and the essence
of nature of homogeneous letters and all worlds are described by the first sūtra.
The letter ‘a’ is Brahma. Here in all sūtras, the arrangement
of other letters into fourteen [groups] has the purpose [to form] dhātu
(grammatical roots). Another net of letters is a word. In this respect, it is
said by Indra:[16] “dhātus
are proclaimed to be produced from other letters”.
akāro brahmarūpaḥ syān nirguṇaḥ sarvavastuṣu||
2.
The letter ‘a’ is a form
of Brahma devoid of qualities (nirguṇa) [present] in all things. Resorting
to citkalā (an aspect of cit, or consciousness) [denoted by] ‘iṃ’,
[he becomes] Īśvara, the Lord in the form of the universe, [denoted by] ‘uṇ’.
aḥ
parameśvaraḥ iṃ māyām[19]
āśritya uḥ[20]
vyāpakaḥ paraḥ āsīt| a-brahma ity
atra asad vā idam agra āsīt|[21]
sa brahma agra akṣarātmaka āsīt| tato vai sad ajāyata[22]
| akṣarāt sakalaguṇam āsīd ity arthaḥ| akṣarāṇām akāro asmīti ca|[23]
akāraḥ sarvavarṇāgryaḥ prakāśaḥ
paramaḥ śivaḥ[24]|
ādyam antyena saṃyogād aham ity eva
jāyate||[25]
ādir antyena
saheteti ādir akāraḥ| antyo hakāraḥ| akārādihakārāntā varṇāḥ samabhavat|
sarvaṃ parātmakaṃ sarvajñasvamātram
idaṃ jagat|
‘a’, or Parameśvara, resorting to ‘i’, or Māyā (power of
delusion), became then an omnipresent ‘u’. Here, (the expression) ‘a
- Brahma’ means that ‘in the beginning of this [creation], there was only asat (non-existence)’.
That Brahma, imperishable[29]
by nature was in the beginning. Afterwards, sat (existence) emerged. It
means that the immanent aspect[30]
emerged from the imperishable (or transcendent). So also: “Among letters, I am
the letter a”.
The letter ‘a’, the first among all other letters, is the light (prakāśa), the supreme Śiva. So, aham
(I) is born from the union of the initial [letter ‘a’] with the last [letter
‘ha’].
[If we apply the rule] ādir
antyena sahetā,[31]
then the first letter is ‘a’, the last letter is ‘ha’. The
letters beginning with ‘a’ and ending with ‘ha’ appeared together.
This world is nothing but the omniscient
self, the supreme self of all. By [the power] of cognition the unborn self free
from birth [becomes] an uttered middle [level of] speech (madhyamā vāk).
sarvavastuṣu parāpaśyantīmadhyamāvaikhary[32]-ādiṣu iṃ citkalām āśrityety atra gāyatrī
īḥ tāṃ padminīm iti| atra sūtre īkāras tu noktaḥ ikārasyaiva prakaṭitam[33]| atra varṇasaṃbhavakāle aiuṛḷ iti varṇapañcakam
eva sarveṣāṃ ekonapañcāśadakṣarāṇāṃ bhūtapañcakānāṃ pañcavargāṇāṃ krameṇa yoniḥ|
hrasvadīrghabhedāt dvividhokārasyaiva sarvasvatantratā| tathā ca uktaṃ|
akāraṃ
sannidhīkṛtya jagatāṃ kāraṇatvataḥ|
kāmabījam
iti prāhur munayo vedapāragāḥ||[36]
sarvavastuṣu (in all existing things) means ‘at parā, paśyantī, madhyamā,
and vaikharī levels of speech’. [The
expression] iṃ citkalām āśritya (resorting to ‘i’ which is an
aspect of consciousness) denotes here Gāyatrī [while] ‘īḥ’ [is identified
with] her lotus. However, the letter ‘ī’ is not mentioned here in the sūtra.
There is only an evidence of the letter ‘i’. Here, when ‘a’, ‘i’, ‘u’,
‘ṛ’, and ‘ḷ’ were brought together, these five letters one by one became
a source of five classes of consonants [each consisting] of five elements [in
which] the entire alphabet of fifty one letters [is arranged]. There are two
kinds of letter ‘u’ because [it is] subdivided into long and short
[forms]. This is truly freedom of all [vowels]. And so it was said:
The letter ‘i’ in its
proximity to the letter ‘a’ is understood as the cause of all letters
due to its power [and] potentiality to be the cause of the worlds.
When there was a desire to manifest
the world, then it happened so. The seers who mastered the Vedas called it ‘the
seed of desire’.
uktaṃ ca|
svaprakāśaparamātmavastuno dṛśyamānajagaṭaḥ
sisṛkṣayā|
kāmataḥ paraśivapraveśanaṃ[37]
kāmabījam idam eva niścitam||
mahākāmakalārūpam ātmānaṃ cintayet
striye[41]||iti|
It is also said:
The seed of desire is the entrance
to the supreme Śiva because the desire to create visible worlds comes from the
essence of the self-effulgent supreme Self. This indeed is quite certain.
Bindu
(dot) developed into a double bindu assumes an image of half yoni
(womb). Oh beloved, one should contemplate on the Self appearing as an aspect of
the great desire.
Here, ‘uḥ’ appeared by the
power of omnipresence. [They] say that the letter ‘u’ is Viṣṇu, [and it
is] Maheśvarī due to its omnipresence.
ṛḷk sarve ḷ[43]
māyākhyaṃ vistāritacarācaram|
3. ‘ṛḷk’ is everything. Engaged in the activity called Māyā, or
‘ḷ’, [the Lord who is] consciousness and power by nature produced (or
gave birth to) the expanded world of movable and immovable.
nanu
sarvavedānteṣu
parameśvara eka niścitatvāt māyām āśritya jagadrūpo abhūd ityukter advaitahāniḥ syād ity āśaṅkyāha| ṛḷk sarve[47]
iti| ṛ parameśvaraḥ ḷ māyākhyāṃ[48] manovṛttim āśritya idaṃ carācaraṃ janayāmāsa| ṛtaṃ satyaṃ paraṃ brahmetyādi[49] ṛt paraṃ
satyam ity arthaḥ|
vṛttivṛttimator atra bhedaleśo na
vidyate|
candracandrikayor yadvad vāgarthāv
iva sundarīti[50]||
mama vṛttimato rūpaṃ ḷkāraḥ
parameśvarīti|[51]
atra
carācaraṃ janayāmāsety uktam janyajanakabhāvāt| advaitahānir ity āśaṅkyāha||
However, he says in doubt: “Since
all Vedānta schools maintain a strong position that Parameśvara is One, then being
engaged in Māyā [he] assumed the form of the universe, which means destruction
of non-duality”. So, ṛḷk sarve (‘ṛḷk’ is everything). ‘ṛ’
is Parameśvara. Being engaged in the mind activity called Māyā, or ‘ḷ’, [he]
became an origin of this world of movable and immovable. “ṛta (settled
order) is the truth, supreme Brahma etc.” confirms that ‘ṛt’ is the supreme
truth.
There is no difference here between
two functions, or activities (vṛttimat). Oh, beautiful lady, like the
moon and the moon light so also are the word and its meaning.
The letter ‘ḷ’ is a form of my activity, the supreme Goddess Parameśvarī.
He says in doubt: “Here [in the
verse], it is told that [he] produced the world of movable and immovable
because there is a relationship of producer and produced (janaya-janaka),
[but] this destroys non-duality.”
sākṣitvāt sarvabhūtānāṃ sa eka iti niścitam||4||[54]
4. ‘eoṅ’ is known as oneness of Maheśvara
and Maheśvarī in all things. It is strongly maintained that he is One because
he is the witness of all existing beings.
eoṅ iti| a-akṣaraḥ|
i-māyāyuktaḥ san| u-jñānarūpaḥ prajñānātmā| sarvavastūnāṃ ekatvāt advaitāpattiḥ
na nānātvaṃ janyajanakatvaṃ ca svayaṃ praviśya tadrūpeṇa varttata ity arthaḥ|
vaṭabījanyāyena ceti pūrvasūtradvayajanitavarṇapañcakam eva sakala-[55] -jagatkāraṇam iti proktaṃ| uttarasūtra[56]-varṇānām
api tasmād eva sambhavaḥ| samaṣṭivyaṣṭi-[57]bhedena
pūrvavarṇadvitīyasya pūrvavarṇatṛtīyasya ca saṃyogam idaṃ sūtraṃ| saṃbandham
api ekatve coktaṃ|
In regard to [the sūtra] ‘eoṅ’: ‘a’ is imperishable, ‘i’ is united with Māyā [and] being
so [it becomes] ‘u’ which has the form of knowledge, omniscient by
nature. Oneness of all things [and] absence of multiplicity and relationships
such as between creator and created lead to non-dualism. He himself having
entered [the world] assumed its form. Just as a Banyan tree seed, so also a
group of five letters appearing in first two sūtras become the cause [or
the seed] of the entire universe [or universe with form], this was declared. The
letters in the subsequent sūtras also originate from those [five letters].
This sūtra is an aggregate, or a conjunction (saṃyoga) of the
third letter with the first and the second letter with the first through
distinct relationship of the whole and a part (= samaṣṭi-vyaṣṭi). The
connection (saṃbandha) was also said to exist in oneness.
śṛṇu tvaṃ sāvadhānena caturṇām api
sāmyatām[58]|
vedānāṃ ca mahāvākyaṃ[59]
catuṣkānām ihocyate||
Listen attentively about equality of
all four Vedas. The great sayings [of Upaniśads] consisting of four [statements]
are spoken here in this world. Whatever is expressed by the word Brahma[69],
it is said to be omniscience (or wisdom, or intelligence). tat
(that) refers to Brahma because [he is] the witness of all, so tat
tvam asi (you are that) is the only truth. The difference [of sayings] is for
the purpose of distinction between Vedic schools. [The saying] ‘ayam ātma...’
(this Self...) belongs to the Atharva Veda.
icchayā vistaraṃ kartum āvir āsīt kṛpānidhiḥ[72]||5||
5. ‘ai-auc’ has the nature of
Brahma who has the universe concealed within himself. Then, [he], an ocean of
compassion, became manifest by [the power of] his own will to expand the world.
svātmabhūtasya parameśvarasya jagatkāraṇatvaṃ katham ity
āśaṅkyāha| aiauc iti| tataḥ svāntargataṃ jagad visphāritum icchuḥ ai
jñānaśaktiyuta iti ataḥ pūrvasūtragata akāra-ikāradīrghayogasyaiva ekāratvaṃ| atra
saḥ prajñānasvarūpaparameśvaro yaḥ
pūrvasūtrāntaragatabhāvaḥ| uktaṃ svaravimarśinyām| ukārajñānasaṃyogāt sarvasaṃbhūtir[73]
iṣyate|[74]
evaṃ tattvasamudāyānāṃ dvādaśavarṇānāṃ śivādiprakṛtyantānām udbhavaḥ| prakṛtipuruṣavivekam
uttaratra kapaysūtre upasaṃhāratvena paṭhyate| atra hrasvadīrghaprabhedāt
caturdaśasvarāṇām eva kīrttanaṃ| caturdaśabhuvanacaturdaśacakracaturdaśaprakārāṇām
iti niṣkarṣaḥ|
How can Parameśvara being within his
own Self become a cause of the universe? - He says in doubt. [The reply is] ‘aiauc’.
Then, desirous to shine forth (or manifest) the world concealed within himself (or
unmanifest), [he becomes]) ‘ai’, a combination of knowledge and power. Therefore,
the characteristics of sound ‘e’ are concealed in the first sūtra, [i.e.
the sound ‘e’] is a combination of long sounds ‘ā’ and ‘ī’.
Here, in the state of being within the first sūtra, he is the supreme Lord,
consciousness by nature. It is said in the Svaravimarśiniī: “The manifestation of everything is said to derive
from the combination of the letter ‘u’ with knowledge.” In this way the assemblage
of primary elements (tattvas), [or] twelve letters, beginning with Śiva
and ending with prakṛti came into being. The distinction between puruṣa
and prakṛti is taught later in the sūtra ‘kapay’ by the
ulterior statement. The number of the fourteen vowels only is [given] here due
to division into short and long [forms]. This is the essence of the fourteen
worlds, fourteen cakras, and fourteen classes.
atra
śivagaurīsaṃvāde
caturdaśātmakaṃ cakraṃ tava cakram
itīritam||
trayodaśātmakaṃ turyaṃ āvayor mantram ambike|
tac chūnyakāle[77]
bindvātmā tasmād akṣarasambhavaḥ||
bindusphuṭana[78]-mātreṇa
varṇānāṃ ca samudbhavaḥ|
tasmād ākāśamukhyāni bhūtāni
samajāyata||
binduḥ srīcakrarājasya
parabrahmātmakas[79] tv iti|
Here is the
dialogue between Śiva and Gaurī:
In your mantra, oh Maheśānī, you
are indeed my form. The cakra, consisting of fourteen [parts] is
proclaimed to be your carka.
Oh Ambikā, our mantra is the fourth
state (turya) consisting of thirteen parts. At the time of dissolution,
that [mantra] has the nature of bindu from which all the letters
originate.
Also, the letters come into being by mere expansion
of the bindu from which the primary elements such as space etc originated.
Bindu has the nature of the supreme
Brahma (or the Absolute) of the royal śrīcakra. Afterwards, the fourteen [vowels] were
originated from the letter ‘a’ in the cakra.
bhūtapañcakam etasmāt hayavaraṭ maheśvarāt||
vyomavāyvambuvahnyākhyabhūtāny āsīt sa eva hi||6||[83]
6. A group of five elements which are ‘ha-ya-va-raṭ’ originated from that
Maheśvara. He indeed became the elements called space, wind, water, and fire.
tata ātmanaḥ
sakāśād ākāśādibhūtasaṃbhavam[84]
āha| bhūtapañcakam iti| sa eva
parameśvaraḥ|
hakārād vyomasaṃbhūtir[85]
yakārād vāyur ucyate|
tasmād
ātmanaḥ ākāśaḥ saṃbhūta iti| tasmāt parameśvarād bhūtapañcakātmakaṃ ākāśādikaṃ
prapañcakāraṇam āsīt| atrāsmin sūtre
bhūtapañcakam āsīd iti uktam|6|| ākāśāḍi bhūtacatuṣṭayam evoktam| na pṛthvīty
ākāṅkṣāyām| yadādhārasvarūpaṃ samastakāraṇam iti sūtrāntareṇāvocat|
Thereafter, he says that the elements
beginning with space originated from the presence of Self. In regard to bhūtapañcakam
(a group of five elements): sa eva (only he) means
Parameśvara.
According to śaivas’ speech (vāk),
the manifestation of the space element (vyoma) comes from the letter ‘ha’,
from ‘ya’, wind is said to derive, fire derives from ‘ra’, water
derives from ‘va’.
Space (ākāśa) originated from
that Self. The cause of further expansion comprised of five elements beginning
with space [comes] from that Parameśvara. In this sutra, it is said that he
became a group of five elements. (6) [However,] only a group of four elements
beginning with space was mentioned. There is no earth element to complete the
sense. He told in the sūtra, that the cause of everything is [something]
which has the nature of support.
ādhārabhūtaṃ bhūtānām annādīnāṃ ca kāraṇam||
ānnād retas tato jīvaḥ kāraṇatvāl laṇīritam||7||[88]
7. [‘laṅ’] is the element
of support, the cause of food etc., and living beings. Semen derives from food.
From that [semen], a living being [is born]. ‘laṇ’ was proclaimed due to
its causative force.
ādhārabhūtam iti| bhūtānāṃ prāṇijātānāṃ[89]
udbhijjādīnāṃ[90]
pradhānādhārabhūtatvāt pṛthvī punaś cānnapānādīnāṃ kāraṇatvāt|| pratyekatvena
laṇityādīritam ity arthaḥ||7||
ādhārabhūtam (the element of support) is used in the sense of earth because
[this is] a primary element of support of what exists (bhūtānām), or living
beings born from seeds etc., and also, because [the earth is] the cause of
food, drinks etc.. This is the reason to deal with ‘laṇ’ and so forth
singly. (7)
śabdasparśau rūparasagandhāś ca ñamaṅaṇanam|
8. Sound and touch, form, taste, and
smell are ‘ña-ma-ṅa-ṇa-nam’.
One
should know peculiar qualities of [elements] beginning with air etc. in all
things.
tataḥ pṛthivyādīnāṃ kāraṇatve sthitānāṃ
tanmātrāṇāṃ samutpattikramam āha| śabdasparśāv
iti tantroktenoddhāṭitam| anyatra bījanirṇayabhedā bahavaḥ santi| pañcavargeṣv
antimārṇā śabdasparśādayo guṇā iti vākyānīti||8||
Thereafter, he says about a succession of
manifestation of established subtle elements (tanmātras) as the cause of
earth etc. [The word] śabdasparśāv (sound and touch) [is explained] according
to a selected [passage] from the tantras. There are many divergences of opinions
regarding bīja (seed) elsewhere. There are statements that the
qualities beginning with sound and touch are the final letters of five series (vargas)
of consonants.
jha-bhañ asau virāḍrūpacidātmanaḥ sarvajantuṣu vijñeyam[93]|
sthāvarādau na vākyāni vargāṇāṃ turyavarṇayoḥ||9||[94]
9. ‘jha-bhañ’ should be
recognised in all living beings as [him who] has the nature of consciousness in
the form of the supreme intellect (virāja). There are no [such] statements
in regard to inanimate [objects] and so on.
jhabhañ iti| virāḍrūpaśivasya
prāṇijātasya jhakārabhakārau[95]
sthāvarādiṣu vinā vijñeyāv ity arthaḥ||9|| atha kramaprāptapādādikam āha|
The meaning of ‘jha-bhañ’ is
that the letters ‘jha’ and ‘bha’ should be recognised as belonging
to Śiva in the form of the supreme intellect of living beings, excluding
inanimate objects. (9) Now he says in successive order about [action faculties]
beginning with the foot.
ghaḍhadhaṣ sarvabhūtānāṃ pādapāyū upasthakaḥ|
karmendriyagaṇā hy ete jātā hi paramātmanaḥ||10||[96]
10. ‘gha-ḍha-dhaṣ’ are the organ
of locomotion, the excretory organ, and
the organ of reproduction of all the creatures. These groups of action faculties
are brought into existence by the supreme Self.
ghaḍhadhaṣ iti|
paramātmanaḥ śivasakāśāt ime karmendriyagaṇāḥ pādapāyūpasthā ghaḍhadhavarṇā jātā
ity arthaḥ||10||[97]
The meaning of ‘gha-ḍha-dhaṣ’
is that these groups of action faculties [such as] organs of locomotion, the excretory organs, and the organs of
reproduction are letters ‘gha-ḍha-dhaṣ’ brought into existence by
the supreme Self, or derive from Śiva. (10)
śrotratvaṅnayanaghrāṇajihvādhīndriyapañcakam|
sarveśām api jantūnām īritaṃ jabagaḍadaś ||11||[98]
iti
11. ‘ja-ba-ga-ḍa-daś’, also proclaimed
to belong to all living beings, are five senses: ear, skin, eye, nose, and tongue.
śrotratvag iti| varṇānāṃ
ca madhyavargesthā jñānendriyajanakam iti vijñeyam ity arthaḥ||11|| tataḥ prāṇādipañcakamanobuddhyahaṅkārāḥ
samunmīlyante||
śrotratvag (ear, skin) also means that among the letters, [the syllables ja-ba-ga-ḍa-da] occupy the middle
position in [their respective] series of consonants [and they] should be known as
generating cognitive faculties. (11) Thereafter, mind, intellect, limited egoity,
and a group of five beginning with the vital air (prāṇa) are disclosed.
prāṇādipañcakaṃ caiva mano buddhir ahaṃkṛtiḥ|
12. ‘kha-pha-cha-ṭha-tha-ca-ṭa-tav’
became by the force of causality a group of five [elements] beginning with the vital
air (prāṇa) as well as mind, intellect, and limited egoity.
prāṇādipañcakam iti|
vargadvitīyavarṇotthaḥ prāṇādyāḥ
pañcavāyavaḥ|
anyadvayasamudbhūtau puruṣaprakṛtiguṇeti
ca|
etair aṣtāvarṇaiḥ
prāṇādipañcakaṃ manobuddhyahaṅkārāś ca jagatāṃ kāraṇatve saṃbhūtā ity arthaḥ||12||
The meaning of prāṇādipañcakam
(a group of five beginning with the vital air) is [as follows]:
The letters in the second position in the series
of consonants are five winds beginning with prāṇa. The activities
of the inner instruments (antaḥkaraṇa) emerge from the initial [letters]
of three series of consonants. Moreover, the qualities of puruṣa and prakṛti
originated from the other two [series of consonants].
It means that a group of five vital
airs beginning with prāṇa plus mind, intellect, and limited egoity came
into existence through these eight letters being the cause of the worlds. (12)
prakṛtiṃ puruṣañ caiva sarveṣām eva sammatam|
saṃbhūtam iti vijñeyaṃ kapay syād ity ahoditam[103]||13||
13. Surely he says that ‘ka-pay’ is
to be known as a combination [of procreative principles which] are truly
regarded by everyone just as prakṛti (nature) and puruṣa (primordial
being).
tataḥ
sarvaprāṇikāraṇatve ādyantavarga[104]-dvayādyakṣaragrahatve
sampuṭībhāvaḥ prakṛtipuruṣābhyāṃ prakāśayati|| prakṛtim iti| kakārapakārajātau prakṛtipuruṣāv ity arthaḥ||13||
tato’vasthātrayaṃ nirūpayati sattvaṃ rajas tama iti||
Thereafter, the existing space
between two hemispheres [made of] puruṣa and prakṛti illuminates being
the cause of all living beings when initial letters of the first and the last series
of consonants are taken together. [The verse beginning with] prakṛtim means
that both classes of the letters ‘ka’ and ‘pa’ are prakṛti
and puruṣa. (13) Thereafter, he describes three states which are sattva,
rajas, and tamas.
sattvaṃ rajas tama iti guṇānāṃ tritayaṃ purā||
samāśritya mahādevaḥ śaṣasar krīḍati prabhuḥ||14||[105]
14. The great God (Mahādeva) assuming
in the beginning a triad of qualities (guṇas) sattva (purity), rajas
(activity), and tamas (inertia) ‘śa-ṣa-sar’ the mighty one plays.
purā sṛṣṭeḥ prāk śaṣasavarṇasaṃbhūtasattvarajastamoguṇān
āśritya paramaśivaḥ sarvabhūteṣu krīḍatīty arthaḥ|
śakārād rajasotpannaḥ[106]
ṣakārāt tāmasodbhavaḥ|
sakārāt sattvasaṃbhūtir iti triguṇasaṃbhavaḥ||[107]
sarvatattvajanakaḥ tattvātītajñāpanārthaṃ
sūtram etac cakāra iti||14||
This means that purā (in the
beginning), or before the emanation, the supreme Śiva (Paramaśiva)
assuming qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas produced
from ‘śa-ṣa-sa’ plays in all living beings.
rajas
arises from the letter ‘śa’, the quality of tāmas derives from
the letter ‘ṣa’, sattva is produced from the letter ‘sa’. Thus,
three qualities came into existence.
The progenitor of all constituent
categories made this sūtra with the purpose of making known the supreme
category.
tattvātītaḥ paraḥ sākṣī sarvānugrahavigrahaḥ|
aham ātmā paro hal syād iti śambhus tirodadhe||15||[108]
iti śrīmat sarvalokopakārinandikeśaracitā kāśikā samāptāḥ||16||
15. “I am Self, a supreme witness beyond
the categories of existence, the form of complete grace, the final (or supreme)
hal” - saying thus Śambhu disappeared.
16. Thus ends the commentary composed by
Nandikeśa, a saviour of the whole world.
sarvānugrahavigrahaḥ
sākṣī tattvātītaḥ hal syād iti ḍhakkāninādavyājena sarveṣāṃ munijanānāṃ tattvam
upadiśan tirodadhe[109]
ity arthaḥ||15|| ity ādinandikeśvarakṛta sūtravimarśinī samāptā||
kaśikāyāḥ ṭīkāsamāptāḥ
|| śubham|| śivadattena likhitaṃ svārthaṃ|| śubham astu||[110]
The meaning is that having taught
the truth - ‘hal’ is the form of compete grace, a witness beyond the
categories of existence - to all the saints by the artifice of sounding
the drum, he disappeared. (15) Deliberations on the sūtras composed by
Nandikeśvara are completed. The notes on the commentary are finished. [Be]
auspicious! Written by Śivadatta [to express] the original meaning. Be
auspicious!
[1] A: śrīdugdhavināyakāya namaḥ ||
[2] V: sarvajñāya mahātmane
[3] V: guruṃ śivaṃ kumārañ ca
[5] V: kāśikām
[6] B: ādisūtrasya
[7] V: nṛtyāvasāne
[8] vimarśe (in the locative case, singular, masculine adverbial
noun from mṛś 6P) literally means ‘within discussion, examination,
explanation’. The translation here is based on the gloss in the commentary “vimarśe
sphuṭīkaromi” - vimarśe means ‘I explain’. Also, the commentator
explains that vimarśe here is for metrical purposes: vimarśe iti
chāndasaṃ bodhyam.
[9] uddharttukāmaḥ
is
considered to be of obscure origin. It is a bhahuvrīhi
samāsa = ud-hartum kāmaḥ yasya saḥ
(he, whose desire is to elevate) where ‘m’
of tumun affix in hartum is deleted according to Kāśikāvṛtti 6.1.144: samastate vikalpena makāralopo vidhīyate|
lumped avaśyamaḥ kṛtye tuṃkāmamanasor api|
[10] The four realised
beings are four Kumāras, sons of Brahma born out of his mind - Sanaka,
Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanatkumāra.
[13] A,B: -vaicitya-
[14] B: tatad-
धात्वर्थं समुपादिष्टं पाणिन्यादीष्टसिद्धये॥२॥
Translation:
Here in all the sūtras, the fourteen
final letters are taught to achieve desired efficiency of Pāṇini’s etc.
[grammar] in [conveying] the meaning of dhātus
(verbal roots).
[18] Verse 3 in
V.
[19] emend. V: māyām; A,B: moghām. moghām
(useless, false) is an adjective which has no noun to qualify in the sentence. It is possible that māyām was corrupted into moghām
because य is often confused
in the manuscripts with घ and मो differs from मा by one stroke only.
[21]
Taittiriya Upaniśad 2.7.1
[23] Bhagavad Gīta 10.33
[27] A: tam
īritā
सर्वं परात्मकं पूर्वं ज्ञप्तिमात्रमिदं
जगत्।
ज्ञप्तेर्बभूव पश्यन्ती मध्यमा वाक्
ततः स्मृता॥५॥
वक्त्रे विशुद्धचक्राख्ये वैखरी सा
मता ततः ।
सृष्ट्याविर्भावमासाद्य मध्यमा वाक्
समा मता ॥६॥
Translation:
5. In the very beginning, this entire
world was pure cognition consisting entirely of the parā (the highest) [level of speech]. The paśyantī (i.e. seeing speech) [level of speech] emerged
from cognition [and] then became known as madhyamā (the middle) [level of] speech.
6. Then in
the mouth, in viśuddha cakra, it (speech) is considered as vaikharī. Having come close to the state of manifestation, it is thought of as madhyamā [level of] speech.
[29] The words agra and akṣara refer to both Brahma and
the letter ‘a’. Brahma is the first, or eldest (agra), among gods
and he is an imperishable (akṣara) spirit. The letter ’a’, in its
turn, comes first (agra) among the letters and it can be called akṣara
as well as any other letter of the alphabet (for example, the
alphabet is called akṣrasamāmnāya in the Mahabhāśya). Since these
alphabets came out of ‘Śiva himself, who is immortal, these varnas
are known as akṣaras (deathless). The jaal (net) that the
Supreme God knitted is called akṣaramala.
[30] From that akṣara,
imperishable Brahma or ‘a’ comes sakalaguṇam. It seems that sakalaguṇam can also be interpreted as
referring to both, Brahma and the letter ’a’:
as qualities of the material, immanent world divided into parts or as phonetic
characteristics of the Sanskrit vowels.
[31] Pāṇini, Aṣṭādyāyī 1.1.71. The rule says that the
initial item (ādiḥ) together with (saha) the last (antyena) marker (iṭā)
denotes itself and all the items before ‘iṭ’,
thus, constituting a siglum (pratyahāra).
Here in case of aham, strictly
speaking, the rule cannot be applied
because ‘ha’ is not a marker, ‘iṭ’, or anubandha. aham is only a
kind contraction of the entire
alphabet in a manner similar to pratyahāras.
[36] These are verses 7 and 8 in
V.
उकारो विष्णुरित्याहुर्व्यापकत्वान्महेश्वरः ॥९॥
Translation: The letter ‘a’ is pure cognition. The letter ‘i’ is known as an aspect of consciousness (cit). They
say that the letter ‘u’ is
Viṣṇu (and it is) Maheśvara due
to its omnipresence (or
pervasiveness).
[43]
A: ṛḷk sarvai[sa/śa][ḷ/?]
[44] A,B: [va/ca/ba]. In the Mss
A,B ‘va’ stands for both, ‘va’ and ‘ba’.
[45]
A,B:[va/ca/ba]laḥ
तामेव वृत्तिमाश्रित्य जगद्रूपमजीजनत् ॥१०॥
Translation: A group of letters ‘ṛ ḷ’ is Sarveśvara (the Lord of Everything,
the Infinite Being) [who] showed Māyā, the activity of the mind. Assuming only
that activity he brought into being the form of the universe.
[47] emend. A,B: sarva
[48] emend. A,B: mākhyāṃ
[50] In V, this is verse 11 where
pāda d reads: yathā vāgarthayor
api. Then the translation of the last two pādas would be: just as the moon and the moon light so also are the
word and its meaning.
Verse 12 is not found in this
recension: स्वेच्छया स्वस्य चिच्छक्त्या विश्वमुन्मीलयत्यसौ।
वर्णानां मध्यमं क्लीबमृऌवर्णद्वयं विदुः॥
Translation: He reveals the universe
by the will [which is] his own power of consciousness. Among the letters these
two letters are known as androgynous, placed in the middle.
[52]
V: māyeśvarātmy. It means that the aphorism ‘eoṅ’ has the nature of Māya
and Maheśvara united together.
[53] emend. A,B: sarvavapha.
[54] Verse 13 in V.
[55] B: sakale-
[56] emend. A,B: uttaratra
[58]
V: sāmyatā
[59] V: mahābhāga
[60] V: tattva-
[61]
V: jñānam
[62]
V: itīritam
[63]
The pādas cd in V: prajñānaṃ brahma yasmād dhi tasmād brahmāsmyahaṃ
tataḥ||
[66]
V: vāraṇatvāya
[67]
V: etyapi varṇyate
[68]
According to V, the verses are cited from Sanakadakśiṇāmūrti saṃvādamahāvākyavivaraṇa.
[69]
The word Brahma occurs three times in four Upaniṣads’ great sayings: prajñānam
brahma (Aitareya Upaniṣad 3.3 of the Ṛgveda), aham brahmāsmi (Bṛhadāraṇyaka
Upaniṣad 1.4.10 of the Yajurveda), tat tvam asi (Chāndogya Upaniṣad
6.8.7 of the Samaveda), ayam ātmā brahma (Mandukya Upaniṣad 1.2
of the Atharvaveda).
[70] emend.
A,B: brahmaṇa. The verse is unmetrical in A,B.
[71]
V: san jagat
[72]
V: mahāmuniḥ. This is verse 14 in V.
[73]
B: sarvabhūtir
[74]The
commentary in V contains a quotation from Iśvaravimarśinī: akārekārokārāṇāṃ
hrasvadīrghāṇāṃ saṃyogāt sarvasaṃbhūtir iṣyata iti
[75]
V: mantram
[76] emend.
A,B: rūpa
[77] V: ucchūnakāle
[79] emend.
A,B: parabrahmātmakam
[80]
V: caturdaśātmakaḥ
[81] emend.
A,B: saṃbhava
[83] This is verse 15 in V.
[84]
B: sakāśādibhūte saṃbhavam
[85]
V: vyomasaṃjñaṃ ca
[86] emend.
A,B: vahni
[87] V: saiva vāk. This is verse
16 in V.
[88] This is verse 17 in V.
[89]
A: prāṇijātīnāṃ
[90] emend.
A: udbhijjādīnī; B: udbhijādīni
[91] V: guṇā hyete
[92] Verse 18
in V.
[93]
A: vijñayam
[94] The verse seems to be
corrupted because the first line is unmetrical and the verse does not mention
any tattvas corresponding to the
letters. The whole verse resembles verse 19 in V:
वाक्पाणी
च झभञासीद्विराड्रूपं चिदात्मनः।
सर्वजन्तुषु
विज्ञेयं स्थावरादौ न विद्यते ।
वर्गाणां तुर्यवर्णा ये कर्मेन्द्रियमया
हि ते॥१९॥
Translation: Also, ‘jha-bhañ’ are speech and hand of [him who] has nature of consciousness
in the form of the supreme intellect (virāja).
He should be known in all living beings except immovable (or inanimate things)
etc. The forth syllables in the series of consonants are composed of faculties
of action.
[95] emend.
A,B: jakārabakārau
[97] A,B: kramaprāptapādādikam
āha| The expression in the Mss seems to be a scribal error. It is out of place
and the same phrase occurs just before verse 10.
[98] Verse 21
in V.
[99] V: babhuva
[101]
V: madhya-
[103]
V: niścitam. This verse is 24 in V.
[104]
emend. A,B: ādyantavarṇa-
[105]
Verse 25 in V.
[106]
emend. V: rajasobhūtiḥ; A: raja utpanna; B: rūja utpannaḥ.
[107] Verse 26 in V.
[108] Verse 27 in V.
[110]
This line is not found in B.
