[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** षोडशी स्मृति

[girish girish]

षोडशी स्मृति


 
The plain meaning is: षोडशी is the name ofgoddess Sri Tripurasundari and स्मृति means to remember / memory.  So it means to remember the Goddess.


 
The second level of meaning is: 

षोडशी means full – आदिशक्ति has sixteen parts –every part is called as कला.  षोडशी refers to that fullform of the formless आदिशक्ति.  It is nothingbut प्रज्ञानघन.  How does it matter when there are parts – theशक्ति would still be पूर्ण but confined to itsmagnitude.  Hence षोडशी means that limitlessenergy of the Parabrahman which is capable of managing the entire universe, as Herself/ universe itself.  It is निष्कला –the unformed ornon-decimated ones.  षोडशी is another definitionfor “पूर्णस्यपूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते”.


 
Now, what is स्मृति – This is a veryenlightening ones.  To understand this wehave to come from another route.  Thereare two questions the answers for which no one will dispute:

1.     Is God readily available or is he to beprepared? Answer to which is that God is readily available and he is there frominfinite time.  God is सिद्धि (it is available readily) and not साध्य (to be prepared).2.     Where is God? God is everywhere and ineverything.So that means God is readilyavailable and He is everywhere.  Such anabundance !!!  It is mindboggling.  But, how many have realized Him “in the wayHe is” (To realize Him in the way He is, is very important and not in the wayone can).  Further if God is everywhereand in everything, who am I???  This is avery important question.  Logically I amGod – but I am not able to explain / experience the same.  Now see the shanti mantra “पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदंपूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते” That is why साधन is required – for what? To realize ones trueself.  

Where is the साधन to be done? - It is inyour mind you feel that you are body (उपाधि )– so the साधन needs to be done in the mind.  – Few more questions & answers:How it needs to be done? – It has to be done tofind the answer to the question who am I? – More questions:

Am I body? – No, body belongs to me – It is a mereउपाधि - it is My body, so I amnot a body. 

Am I mind? – No, mind belongs to me – I thinkthrough my mind – So I am not my mind.

Am I intellect? – No, intellect is a character ofmy mind – So I am not intellect. Intelligence is my nature (गुण).

So – there are only two things that could beidentified – Me and Mine.  Whatever ismine is not me.  Mine is very beautifulword – it has IN in ME.  So, finally I amthat pure consciousness which is nothing but the ‘I’ feeling which existedbefore the birth and which would continue to exist after death and the birth /death is to the उपाधि.  That pureconsciousness (आत्म) entered into the body and then body took birth.  This entering is called as प्रवेश.  This is the first name in विष्णुसहस्रनामावलि – विश्वं, meaning one whoentered.  Now that आत्म entered into thissmall body (उपाधि) and started thinking that He is this body – That is thebiggest mistake पापं – (remember the shloka पापोऽहं पापकर्मणां पापात्मा पापसंभवः in light of this definition- पापं means not crime – butthis original mistake, blunder).  Nowcoming back to साधन – what needs to be done, I have to recognize or remembermy true self that I entered into this body, this body is mine and not me and soon.  This is स्मृति – It is a greatrevelation.


 
या देवि सर्वभूतेषु स्मृति रूपेणसंस्थ्तिता नमस्तस्यै  नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः 

So goddess त्रिपुरसुंदरी is not only thatCosmic Energy prevailing in the three worlds (त्रिपुर), but the one who isabove these त्रिपुरs (imminent and transcendental) and behind/beyond thesame – it is त्रि-पुरा (पुरा means before)


 
So, षोडशी स्मृति means 

a.    At a सिद्ध level - आत्मना विंदते वीर्यम् 

b.    At a साधन level - विद्यया विंदतेsमृतम्.



Namastripurasundaryai.V Girish