{"collection":"tantra","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/tantra/htg/htg18.htm","path":"tantra/htg/htg18.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/tantra/htg/htg18.htm","text":"Hymns to the Goddess, by John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon), [1913]\n1\nI call to mind the Mother of the whole universe,\n Who has created this world, both real and unreal,\u00a02\n And who, by Her own power with its three gu\u1e47as,\u00a03\n Protects it, and having destroyed it, She then plays,\u00a04\n2\nCommonly is it said that Brahm\u0101 creates the universe,\n Yet the learned in Veda and Pur\u0101\u1e47\u0101\n Speak of His birth from the navel lotus of Mur\u0101ri,\u00a01\n Although it is said He creates, yet He is Himself dependent therein.\u00a02\n3\nEven Mur\u0101ri in the blossom of whose navel lotus, Brahm\u0101 was born--\n Deeply sleeps upon his serpent bed\u00a03 at the time of dissolution.\n Therefore Ananta with his thousand hoods is His support.\n How can He who is Himself supported\n Be called a leader\u00a04 in the creation of the world?\n4\nEven the water of Ocean\u00a05 which is a liquid substance\n Cannot exist without a container; therefore\u00a06\n I take refuge with Her, the Mother of all beings,\nWho exists in all things in the form of Power. 1\n5\nBrahm\u0101 in the lotus,\n Seeing that the eyes of Vi\u1e63\u1e47u were closed in deep slumber,\u00a02\n Prayed to that Dev\u012b with whom I take shelter.\u00a03\n103:1 First Skandha, (chap. ii.).\n103:2 Sad\u0101satsvar\u016bpam, on which N\u012blakantha says: Vyavah\u0101ra drishty\u0101 sat, param\u0101rthadarshanena asat; that is the world is real (sat) from the point of view of practical life and reason; to all those, in short, who have not experimentally realized the Advaita Tattva; but to those who have, and from the transcendental standpoint, it is, in fact, unreal (asat).\n103:3 Sattva, rajas, and tamas, the substance of \u015aakti, as Prak\u1e5bti (see Introduction).\n103:4 Ramate--that is, \"in her own self\" (svasminnevakr\u012brate) (N) She shines. Hence She is also called Lalit\u0101. \"She who plays;\" Padma pr. says, \"having passed beyond the worlds, She plays; hence She is called Lalit\u0101.\" Beyond \u015aakti and \u015aiva there exist various manifestations of Par\u0101\u015bakti and Sad\u0101\u015biva, each in its own sphere. But Mah\u0101sakti, who is Parama\u015biva, crossing all worlds in the supreme sphere of Mah\u0101kail\u0101sa. She it is who is known as Lalit\u0101 and K\u0101me\u015bvar\u012b.\n104:1 Vi\u1e63\u1e47u as Enemy of the Daitya Mura.\n104:2 Because He is born, He creates dependent on Bhagavat\u012b. In the next verse the argument is: \"Let Brahm\u0101 be not the creator; why not, then, Vi\u1e63\u1e47u?\" To which the answer is given of His dependence on Ananta.\n104:3 Vi\u1e63\u1e47u reposes on the 1,000-headed Serpent Ananta.\n104:4 Netra.\n104:5 Which is again the support of Ananta.\n104:6 And that container requires a support. Therefore the \u0101dh\u0101ra\u015bakti is the Mother of all. For this reason, in commencing any p\u016bja, the \u0100dh\u0101ra\u015bakti is worshipped on account of Her being the supporter of all, and that \u015aakti is none but the Mother of all.\n105:1 \u015aaktir\u016bp\u0101.\n105:2 Yoganidra, the sleep of pralaya.\n105:3 That He might be roused from his sleep and take part in the cosmic process. S\u016bta continues; \"Having meditated upon Her who is M\u0101y\u0101 and Sagu\u1e47\u0101, and giver of liberation and Nirgu\u1e47\u0101, I will tell you, O munis, the whole Pur\u0101\u1e47a, which is the best and the most sacred \u015ar\u012bmadbh\u0101gavata of 18,000 Sanskrit \u015alokas.\"","title":"Hymns to the Goddess: From Pur\u0101\u1e47a: Mother of the Whole Un...","type":"page"}