Śrī Śrī Caṇḍī Tattva: Rahasyavidya

A compilation of talks by Śrī Bijoykṛṣṇa Cattopadhyaya, guru of Brahmarṣi Satyadeva, on the spiritual significance of Śrī Śrī Caṇḍī (Devī Māhātyam) was  published by Saṁskṛta Pustak Bhāndār (Kolkata 700006) in 2019.

Śrī Bijoykṛṣṇa commented that just as Pātaṅjali  Darṣaṇ is the ‘practical aspect’ of Sānkhya, Śrī Caṇḍī is the ‘applied philosophy’ of Brahmavāda. (Veda Vāni, Feb 13, 1941).

Book is an enlightened and inspired commentary on Goddess Mother, śakti worship and Tantra philosophy.

dakSina kAli dhyana mantra

om karAla-badanAm ghorAm mukta-kEshim chatur-bhuryAm.
kalikAm dakshinAm dibyAm munda-mAlA bibhushitAm
sadya-chinna shira kharga bamA-dordha karAmbujAm
abhayAm baradAn-chaiba dakshina-dArdha pAnikAm

mahA-megha-prabhAm shyamAm tathA chaiba digambarim
kanThA-bashakta mundAli galad-rudhira-charchitAm
karna-batAng shatA-nita shaba-jugma bhayanakAm
ghora-drashtAm kara-lAsyAm pinnonnata-payodhorAm

shabanAm karasanghAtayi krita-kAnchim hasan-mukhim
srikkadaya galadrakta-dhArA bishphuri-tananAm
ghorarabAm mahA-roudrim sashAnAlaya-bAshinim
bAlArka mandalA-kAra lochana tri tayAnitwam

danturam dakshina-byapi lambomAn kaccho-choyAam
shaba-rupa mahA-deva hridayo-pari sangsthitAm
shibArbi-ghora rAbArvi chatur-drikkhu samanitwAm
mahAkAlena cha samam biparita-ratAturam
sukha-prassanna-badanAm smerAnana-saroru-hAm
ebam sacchinta-eta kAlim dharmma-kAmArtho-mokhsha-dAm

Meditation Hymn of Dakshina Kali
Om. Fierce of face, she is dark, with flowing hair and four-armed.
Dakshina Kalika divine, adorned with a garland of heads.
In Her lotus hands on the left, a severed head and a sword.
She bestows sanctuary and blessings with her right hands.

The color of the monsoon clouds, and clothed by the sky,
the garland of heads around her neck, tinges her with blood.
Fear-inspiring, with a pair of unborns as her earrings.
Her face is ferocious , her high breasts full in affection.

Girdled with a skirt of severed arms, she smiles.
A stream of blood flows from the corner of her lips.
Terrifying of voice, turbulent, dwelling in cremation grounds
With fearsome teeth, her three eyes reddened like the early sun.

Her unbraided locks covering her left side,
she is installed on the heart of a corpse-like Siva.
Jackals howl around her, filling the four directions.
She is in reverse congress with mahakal (Time) .
With a blissful face, she is always smiling.
Meditate on kali, who grants all needs and desires.



**This transliteration follows the text given by Shri Narendranath Brahmachary
of Dev Sangha Ashram, Deoghar, India, in his ‘Mantra O Puja Rahasya’
( Mantra and Mystery of Worship).
© 2008 Adyakalidas

Science of Tantra: From Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari

From ancient times, two streams have existed in Indian spiritual thought, Vedic and Tantrik. The basis of the Vedic stream are the Vedas and Upanishads. The basis of the Tantrik stream are a large number of Tantra texts. The Vedic stream finds completion in the Bhagabad Gita. The Tantrik stream finds a final destination in the Sati Sapta-Shati or Sri Sri Chandi.
Another name for the Vedas is Nigama, and another for Tantra is Aagama. Nigama and Aagama both words have a similar meaning, that from which all knowledge arises or comes. Both are universal stores of knowledge. In the eyes of the seers, they are both apaurusheya – not composed by any human. The rishis felt that truth could not be created. Whatever is created at any time, or is demarcated by any space or age, would be transient and non-truth. Whatever is True, exists for all time, there is never a dearth of it in any time-frame.
The Gita says, ‘naasato vidyatay bhaabo naabhaabo vidyatay satah’, that which is non-truth could be scarce, there is no scarcity of truth.
The truth had no creator, could not have one. Truth has a seer or viewer, truth is observed, truth is remembered, truth is not created. The tantras and the Vedas are both stores of true knowledge, they have no composer. In most Tantras, Siva is the speaker, Parvati the audience. The Primal Father speaks, and the Primal Mother listens. This also sets the idea of absence of a composer. There is no real meaning to try to determine the age of what is Apaurusheya. Much effort is now seen in determining the ages of the Vedas and the Tantras. In the eyes of the Aryan seer these are meaningless. The tree comes from the seed and the seed from the tree. Whether the tree came before or the seed came before; such questions have no satisfying solutions, similar to the question of who or when created the earth.
Knowledge can be twofold – philosophical and scientific. There are two components in knowledge – the knower and what is known. The subject is the Knower, the object , what is known. The attempt of philosophy is inquiry about the knower. The question for science is about the object of knowledge. I see a flower. What is the ‘I’ – this is the objective of philosophical query. What is the ‘flower’ is the question for science.
Philosophy is synthetic, science analytic. Philosophy turns towards the whole, science looks at the segments. One takes a total view, the other at the separate parts. To see the whole garden is a philosophical view, to study each plant is a scientific task.
The Tantrics have a scientific sense and vision. Their efforts led to much deep investigative sciences. The contributions to advancement of science from Tantra is somewhat seen in ‘History of Hindu Chemistry’ by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy and ‘Positive Science of Hindus’ by Sri Brojen Shil. The word ‘Tantra’ connotes scientific investigation and logical, systematic determination of facts. For example, surgery is about the scientific discussion of use the of instruments. The contribution to a detailed analysis of the body by the ‘Sushruta Sanhita” is no less than that of Gray’s anatomy from the West. Western science has not yet reached the fine analysis of the Tantra masters about the subtler parts of the body. Information about Ira, Pingalaa, Sushumnaa, Mulaadhaar etc. is still in the dreams of occidental science.
Geology, botany, biology, astronomy, psychology, sociology, have all had contributions from Tantra. In India, mathematics, number theory, geometry and trigonometry have all been enriched from Tantra.
The Tantras study things that are transient and changeable. That which is sentient is the focus of the Vedas. All things in this world can undergo changes, so anything in this world is in the scope of the Tantras. To the common person, sputum and urine are things of disgust. To a scientist they are valuable as clue to health and disease. For common people, discussion about sexual organs is pornographic, to the science of Tantra, they are valuable clues to the mystery of creation.

Shri Shiva Chandra Vidyarnava Bhattacharyya Mahodaya

Shri Shiva Chandra Bhattacharyya was born in the village of kumArkhAli in Nadia district of Bengal in 1860. He earned the honorific vidyArnava (ocean of learning) in his youth. He was introduced to writing script by the writer saint kAngAl harinAth. He went to vAraNasi and studied vedanta, agamas and nigamas with leading proponents. He returned home and began study and practice in tantra from his grandfather kRSNasundar.

Shiva Chandra travelled to kailAsh, manas sarovar, jwalamukhi and other places in his spiritual quest. He returned to his home and a temple to sarvamangallA (the goddess who bestows all blessings).

He was a great orator and authored books of poetry and prose, gitAnjali, rAslilA, and the famous tantra tattva.
The last was translated by his famed disciple, Sir John Woodroffe, aka Arthur Avalon, as the Principles of Tantra.
In this, Woodruffe was helped by Shri Pramathanath Mukhopadhaya, who was later known as Swami Pratyagatmananda.

Shri Shiva Chandra passed away in 1913.

An introduction to the Devi Suktam by Brahmarshi Satyadev

vAk,a daughter of the great sage ambhRN , realized brahma, the ultimate being, so she too was a sage. She experienced union with, that is became non-different from, the sadchidAnanda (existence-awareness-bliss) paramAtmA (supreme soul) and expressed that unity in what is known as the ‘devI sukta’. There are eight mantras in the sukta. The devI sukta is the fundamental component of the chanDI . The chanDI or ‘devI mAhAtmya’ is an analysis of this sukta. The devI sukta is from the veda; it is the insight of self-realized flawless seers; therefore it is eternal, without extrinsic creation. The flow of words in the chandI, although uttered by some sage, expresses a knowledge and affect that too is eternal. This knowledge and affect appears at all times, in the hearts of all classes of advanced seekers. Only because of differences in place, time, person and language, this eternal knowledge and affect show differences in expression.
The subject of the devi sukta is sadchidAnanda paramatma. In the Devi Mahatmya, this paramatma is described in the episodes as Mahamaya . Paramatma and Mahamaya are non-different. In the logics of textual argument or in verbal discussions, maya and atma may be said to be different; but the seeker, the brahma-conscious or self-realized, know that atma and maya are completely non-different. As long as there is a search, as long as there is a body, atma expresses as maya. In paramatma, there is no attempting, no seeking, no seeker, no scriptures, no thoughts, and no language. When we come into language, thought or seeking, atma is manifested as maya. So, even though paramatma is the subject of the devi sukta, in the Chandi it is described as Mahamaya. These will be discussed in detail later.
The aim of all the scriptures is knowledge of the paramatma. The self, within all the diversity of race, color, denomination, is present identically in all beings. Who am ‘I’ ? The definite knowledge of this is ‘self-knowledge’. All beings are keen to know their true selves. As long as they do not understand this, they are just common entities. When they are aware of this search, they are termed seekers or devotees.
When one is aware of this movement towards the self, then, the external signs that are manifested are named as ‘a path of withdrawal’ (nivritti mArg) or sAdhanA . These characteristics have been described in the spiritual texts as rules of conduct. In reality, all work is a spiritual quest, all beings seekers, and self-realization is the goal. Any quest without realization of the self is incomplete. As long as we seek any god other than the self, even though ‘I’ am the only one sought (who else is there but ‘I’), it is an incomplete quest, unable to deliver liberation (mokSa). In other words, all spiritual quests without self-awareness are open to error. On the other hand, everyday worldly acts with self–enquiry are spiritual enterprises. This atma is ‘I’- mA (Mother). Knowing myself, finding Mother, and self-realization, are all the same. The principle appearing as ‘aham’ in the devI sukta, is described as Mahamaya in the Chandi. That which is At-mA in the devI sukta, is in the Chandi mA (Mother). Therefore the idea that the Chandi is meant only for the worshipper of shakti (shAktas) is not correct.

It is useful to have a gross idea of the nature of the goal one is striving towards, consciously or unconsciously, whatever be ones desired goal. Otherwise, the road becomes unnecessarily long. That is why the shAstras advise not to enter into the Chandi without knowing the devI sukta. The reason we see many seekers in this world fail, is because of a lack of direction. Having no idea of the nature of the divine and not seeking the divine nectar, advancing on the path will be wrought with danger.

Devi Suktam - Brahmarshi Satayadeva

ahaM rudrebhirbasubhishcharAmya ahamAditairuta vishvadevaiH.
ahaM mitrAvaruNobhA vibharmya ahamindrAgnI ahamashvinobhA. 1

I (the sadchidAnanda atma) move about as rudra, bAsu, Aditya and viswadeva. I bear mitrA, varuNa, indra, agni and the asvinikumAr(s).

ahaM somamAhanasaM vibharmmyahaM tvaShTAramuta pUsSaNaM bhagam.
ahaM dadhAmi draviNaM haviSmate suprAvye yajamAnAya sunvate. 2

I bear the gods soma, destroyer of enemies, tvastA, puSa and bhaga. Those worshippers that offer great soma sacrifices with much oblation, I bear the fruits of their fire ceremony.

ahaM rASTrI saMgamanI vasUnAM chikituSI prathamA yaJgiyAnAM.
tAM mA devA vyadadhuH purutrA bhUristhAtrAM bhUryAveshayantIm. 3

I am the sole monarch of this universe. I bestow all worldly and other worldly wealth. I am the awareness of encounter with brahma, or as knowledge. This knowledge is the origin of all worship. I exist in many forms as all phenomena. I exist in surfeit in innumerable beings; the gods worship me in diverse manners.

mayA sohannamatti yo vipashyati yaH prANiti ya IM shRNotyuktam.
amantavo mAM ta upakSiyanti shrudhi shruta shradvivate badAmi 4.

The food and other materials that beings eat, view and survive on, all these functions are carried out by me. Those who cannot see me in all these actions, or understand this, they do not thrive. O pious one, I impart to you these principles, listen to them with respect.

ahameva svayamidaM vadAmi juSTaM devebhiruta mAnuSebhiH.
yaM yaM kAmaye tantamugraM kRNomi taM brahmANaM tamRSiM taM sumedhAM 5

I myself express these fundamental principles, the gods and humans proffer this. Whomever ‘I’ wish, I give him the highest position, make him brahmA, or a seer (Rsi), or give him the mental faculty to grasp knowledge of the self.

ahaM rudrAya dhanurAtanomi brahmadviSe sharave hantavA u .
ahaM janAya samadaM kRNomyahaM dyAvApRhibI Avivesha. 6

To destroy the rudras (eleven indriyas) opposed to the knowledge of brahma, I mount the arrow of the self in the bow of pranava and in this way do I battle for all. I am closely enmeshed in both regions of heaven and earth.

ahaM suve pitaramasya mUrdhanmama yonirapsbantaH samudre.
tato vitiSThe bhuvanAnu vishvotAmUndyAM varSmaNopaspRshAmi 7.

I give birth to the father of the universe. My subtle body (kAraN sharir), resides in the intellectual body (vigyAnmay koSa), inside the blissful body (Anandamay koSa) in its upper part. I reside, entering into the entire universe. Even the distant heavens, I touch with my own body.

ahameva vAta iva pravAmyArabhamANA bhuvanAni vishvA.
paro divA para enA pRthivaitAvatI mahinA saMvabhUva. 8.

When I flow like the winds, then does all this universe begin to be created. I am present even after the heavens and earth. This is my glory.

Copyright 2008 Adyakalidas