{"collection":"tantra","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/tantra/htk/htk09.htm","path":"tantra/htk/htk09.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/tantra/htk/htk09.htm","text":"Hymn to Kali, by Arthur Avalon (Sir John George Woodroffe), [1922]\nO MOTHER, they who recite Thy charming B\u012bja, composed of the first of the group of letters, 1 followed by Vahni, 2 Rati, 3 and beautified by Vidhu, 4 thrice, the K\u00fcrca B\u012bja 5 twice, and thereafter, O Smiling Face, the Lajj\u0101 6 B\u012bja twice, followed by the two Thas, 7 they, O Spouse of the Destroyer of the Deva of Desire 8 contemplating Thy true form, 9 become themselves the Deva of Love whose eyes are as beautiful as the petals of the lotus which Lak\u1e63m\u012b holds in Her playful dance. 10\nCOMMENTARY\n'Whoever' (Ye, ye)\nEven the most sinful. The K\u0101l\u012bkularahasya says, 'Whoever he be who remembers Durg\u0101 with or without reverence is delivered from evil and attains the supreme end.'\n'Recite' (Japanti)\nMeditate upon.\n'Thy B\u012bja'\n[Durg\u0101r\u0101ma Siddh\u0101ntav\u0101g\u012b\u015ba calls it the nine syllabled B\u012bja.]\nFirst letter (Varg\u0101dya\u1e41)\nThe aspect of Consciousness (Cinmayar\u016bpa) which is the beginning of creation.\nPlaced on Vahni (Vahnisa\u1e41stha\u1e41)\nFull of Tejas.\n'Associated' (Vidhu-rati-lalita\u1e41)\nThat is cooling and beautiful.\n'Thrice' (Traya\u1e41)\n'That is the three aspects of Sattva, Rajas, Tamas.\n'K\u00fcrca'\nIs \u015aabdabrahman.\n'Lajj\u0101'\nIs Brahman associated with M\u0101y\u0101.\n'Two Thas'\nSv\u0101h\u0101 the revealing \u015aakti of Fire.\n'Smiling face' (Smitamukhi)\nBecause She is always blissful.\n'Spouse of the Destroyer' (Smara-hara-mahile)\n\u015aakti of \u015aiva who is the Destroyer of passionate Desire; that is She destroys the lust, anger and so forth of Her S\u0101dhakas.\n'Thy true form' (\u015avar\u016bpa\u1e41)\nThat which is not different (in essence) from J\u012bv\u0101tm\u0101. \u015avar\u016bpa is explained here as the R\u016bpa of \u015ava, that is \u0100tm\u0101, meaning the Oneness of Param\u0101tm\u0101 and J\u012bv\u0101tm\u0101. K\u0101lik\u0101-\u015aruti says, 'One should always think of \u0100tm\u0101 as K\u0101l\u012b'. K\u0101l\u012bkulasarvasva says, 'He who worships the spouse of \u015aiva thinking that his \u0100tm\u0101 is K\u0101lik\u0101's \u0100tm\u0101 and meditating on the \u015aiva-like Guru is Sad\u0101\u015biva Himself.' Yogin\u012b-Tantra says, 'He who thinks, even if it were for a moment, \"I am Brahman\" to him the Dev\u012b gives unending fruit. One's own body should always be thought of as the body of the I\u1e63tadevat\u0101. And so the whole world should be considered as Her body.'\n[Durg\u0101r\u0101ma explains Svar\u016bpa in the following ways: (a) The true form is that indicated in the previous or following verses. (b) It is that of the nine-syllabled Mantra. (c) It is that indicated by the letters composing the Mantra. For instance Varad\u0101-Tantra says that in 'Kr\u012b\u1e41', K is K\u0101l\u012b, R is Brahm\u0101, I is Mah\u0101m\u0101y\u0101, N\u0101da is the Matrix of the universe and Bindu is the Dispeller of Sorrow. In 'H\u016b\u1e41', H is \u015aiva, \u016a is Bhairava, N\u0101da means the Supreme and Bindu is the Dispeller of Sorrow. In Hr\u012b\u1e41, H is \u015aiva, R is Prak\u1e5bti,\n[paragraph continues] I is Mah\u0101m\u0101y\u0101, N\u0101da the Generatrix by the Universe and Bindu the dispeller of pain. Contemplation on Mantras constituted of these letters reveals their Caitanya. Japa of Mantra without knowing its Caitanya is useless.]\n'Become themselves' (K\u0101mar\u016bp\u0101 bhavanti)\nThey acquire the power of assuming whatever form they desire and of charming the whole world with their beauty.\n56:2 Deva of Fire, or Ra.\n56:3 \u015aakti of Kama, God of love, or long \u012a.\n56:4 The moon, or N\u0101da-bindu. The B\u012bja is, therefore, K + r + \u012b + \u1e41 = Kr\u012b\u1e41.\n56:5 That is, H\u016b\u1e41.\n56:6 Hr\u012b\u1e41, literal meaning of Lajj\u0101, is modesty.\n56:7 Or Sv\u0101h\u0101, \u015aakti of Agni. The mantra is, then, Kr\u012b\u1e41, Kr\u012b\u1e41, Kr\u012b\u1e41, H\u016b\u1e41, H\u016b\u1e41, H\u016b\u1e41, Hr\u012b\u1e41 Sv\u0101h\u0101, or the nine-lettered Vidy\u0101, or feminine mantra, which ends with Sv\u0101h\u0101 (see Vi\u015bvas\u0101ra-Tantra).\n56:8 Smarahara or Siva, who destroyed Manmatha with fire from his central eye of wisdom when the latter sought to distract him by passion from his Yoga. The Dev\u012b, according to the Brahmavaivarta-Pur\u0101\u1e47a, restored Manmatha to life (see as to this Bh\u0101skarar\u0101ya's Commentary on the Lalit\u0101, verse 34).\n56:9 Svar\u016bpa\u1e41, that is true form as described in the first and other verses (V).\n56:10 Lak\u1e63m\u012b is associated with, holds, and stands on the lotus, hence Her titles\u2014Kamal\u0101, Padm\u0101, Padm\u0101lay\u0101, Padmadh\u0101rini (see Lak\u1e63m\u012bstotra in Tantras\u0101ra, p. 577, Rasik Mohan Chatterjee's edition).","title":"Hymn to Kali: Text: Verse 5","type":"page"}