11th Chapter
In the 11th Patala are described first the Nyasa of (1) Asana, (2) Vasinyadivagdevata, (3) Mulanga, (4) Navayoni, (5) Chaturvyuha, (6) Tattvanyasa, (7) Mulavidya, and (8) Sammohana.
In the first, Asanas, i.e. Amritarnavasana, Potambujasana, Atmasana, Chakrasana, Sarvamantrasana, Sadhyasana, Sadhyasiddhasana, Paryankashaktipithasana, and Mahapretasana respectively presided over by Tripura, Tripureshvari, Tripurasundari, Tripuravasini, Tripurashri, Tripuramalini, Tripurasiddha, Tripuramba, and Mahatripurabhairavi are to be contemplated upon in feet, knees, thighs, hips, private part, Muladhara, navel, heart and cavity in the head. The Mantras to be used are: (1) a.m aa.m sauH tripuraamR^itaarNavaasanaaya namaH (2) ai.m klii.m sauH tripureshvariipotaa,nujaasanaaya namaH (3) hrii.m klii.m sauH tripurasundaryaatmaasanaaya namaH (4) ai.m hvlii.m hsauH tripuravaasiniichakraasanaaya namaH (5) hsai.m hsklii.m hssauH tripurashriisarvamantraasanaaya namaH (6) hrii.m klii.m ble.m tripuramaaliniisaadhyaasanaaya namaH (7) hrii.m shrii.m sauH shivamahaapretapadmaasanaaya namaH.
In the second, eight goddesses of speech are to be meditated upon as presiding deities of (1) Vowels, (2) Gutturals, (3) Palatals. (4) Linguals, (5) Dentals, (6) Labials, (7) Semi-vowels, and (8) Aspirates. Their names, seats and Kutas are (1) Vashini, cavity of the head, rbluu.m (2) Kameshvari, forehead, klhrii.m (3) Modini, middle or the eyebrows, nvlii.m (4) Vimala, throat yluu.m (5) Aruna, heart, jmrii.m (6)Jayini, navel, hasalavayuu.m (7)Sarveshvari, Linga, jhamarayuu.m (8) Kaulini, below the Linga, kshmrii.m
In the third, the six limbs, i. e. heart, head, tuft of hair on the head, armour, eyes and the weapons are to be located in the five fingers of the hands and their palm and back. While doing so the practitioner is to mutter in each case the mantras of Shrividya twice. The six poses of the hands are prescribed for these six limbs, the three fingers — middle, ring and index for Hridaya; two fingers — mid and index for Shiras; thumb for Shikha; ten fingers for Kavacha, the three above referred to for eyes and the two above mentioned for Astra.
In the fourth, Vashini etc. are to be meditated upon in the different parts of the body named in book and the muttering of all the three Kutas of Shrividya is to be done in each case.
In the fifth, the four forms of Mahatripurasundari, i. e. Kameshvari, Vajreshvari, Bhagamalini and Mahatripurasundari are to be contemplated upon below the Linga, in the heart, in the middle of the eyebrows and in the cavity in the head with the four famous centres of her worship and their priests. The mantras to be muttered are (1) ai.m agnichakre kaamagiripiiThe mitreshanaaathaatmake kaameshvariirudraatmashakti shriipaadukaayai namaH (2) klii.m suuryachakre jaalandharapiiThe ShaShThiishanaathaatmaka.m vajreshvariiviShNavaatmashakti shriipaadukaayai namaH (3) sauH somachakre puurNagiripiiThe uDDiishanaathaatmaka.m bhagamaaliniibrahmaatmashaktishriipaadukaayai namaH (4) turyabiija.m brahmachakre uduyaanapiiThe charyaanaathaatmake parabrahmaatmashaktishriipaadukaayai namaH
In the sixth, the three Tattvas Atma, Vidya and Shiva are to be located in the three parts of the body, viz. (1) from feet to the place below the Linga, (2) thence to heart, (3) from the heart to the middle of the eyebrows, uttering the following mantras:-
ai.m aatmatattvavyaapikaayai mahaatripurasundaryai namaH
klii.m vidyaatattvavyaapikaayai mahaatripurasundaryai namaH
sauH shivatattvavyaapikaayai mahaatripurasundaryai namaH
In the seventh, the three Kutas of Shrividya are to be located. in hands, etc. individually and the fourth bija is to have its place in the cavity in the head. The fifteen syllables of the Panchadasi are located in the cavity in the head, Muladhara, heart, eyes, ears, mouth, arms, back, knees and navel.
In the eighth, the practitioner is to consider himself as endowed with a body of mantras and meditate upon Shrividya in the mantra form. While this is being done, Yonimudra is to be placed in the cavity of the head, forehead, middle of the eyebrows, face and heart.
What has been described above relates to the external worship. As regards the internal, the practitioner is first to purify his mind and soul through pranayama which is said to be of the highest value in the spiritual domain. By Prana is meant the life breath and by Ayama the control thereof. Pranayama consists of the three functions — inhalation, exhalation and retention.
Awakening of Kundalini. While doing the pranayama referred to above, the practitioner is to mutter mentally either the whole mantra or its initial syllable. The Kundalini lying dormant in the Muladhara is to be contemplated upon as a thin red flame rising upwards when awakened with the help of Aumkara and piercing the six life centres in its upward march, till it reaches Shiva and becomes united with Him in bliss. Thence she comes down again through the same way to Muladhara. The Kundalini while moving up from Muladhara to the heart receives the name of vahnikuNDalinii being fiery, from heart to the throat suuryakuNDalinii being solar and from throat to head somakuNDAlinii being lunar. The three Kutas respectively get assimilated to her in the three places referred to above. In the Bindu, the fourth form of Kundalini as embracing all the Bijas and all forms of light is to be contemplated upon.
Meditation on Kundalini, which constitutes the inner worship, helps the practitioner to acquire freedom from all sins.
12th Chapter
In the 12th Patala the mental offering of worship and the mental approach to and unification with Mahatripurasundari are at length described. In the first, the practitioner is to sit on the prescribed Asana keeping his body erect and with the hands full of red flowers placed near the heart, close the eyes and feeling as it were the august presence of Mahatripurasundari in the heart, offer worship to her with the mental 16 requisites of worship. The Yogis and sages have recourse to this worship only.
In the second, i.e., the Dhyanayoga, the practitioner has to select a solitary place and seat himself in a particular posture with all his mental operations brought under control. He should feel oneness with the Transcendental Self through absolute introspection. In order to rise to that plane of consciousness he has to immerge the different elements of which the world is composed in the causeless cause. The order in which these evolutes are absorbed from the following into the preceding is given as follows:–
The earth element merges in the water, water in the fire, fire in the air, air in the ether, ether in the mind, mind in the ego, ego in the manifest. the manifest matter in the unmanifest, and the unmanifest in the Supreme Self.
After the absorptive meditation is over, he has to think of evolution. In this he is to think of evolution of the world from the causeless cause through matter, ego, mind etc. down to the frog, Kalagnirudra, Adharashakti in the form of a crocodile and boar holding on the tooth the earth. There he has to think of the nectar-ocean, the coral island, the golden hill, the heavenly garden Kalpodyana and of streams and lakes. On the shore of the highest among the lakes he should imagine the existence of the desire-granting tree with a jewel-pavilion having four gates fitted with diamond doors and coral thresholds and other decorative parts. After having done so, he is to imagine the presence of one big lotus enclosed in another placed in the centre of the Simhasana arranged on a platform of jewels inside the pavilion described above. The outer lotus represents all the elements, its bulb the bliss, its stalk the consciousness, all the evolutes of Prakriti furnishing the thirtytwo leaves and the fifty letters furnishing the pericarp of the lotus. Inside the lotus he has to think of the sun, moon and fire one placed below another. In the fiery orb there stands the triangular mass of light borne by the five karanas. In the centre of this triangle stands the third lotus in which the practitioner is to think of the seven goddesses Tripura to Tripuramba. Of the last, beautiful description of each part of the body is given in detail in the text. While thinking so, the practitioner is to be at one with Mahatripurasundari.