Sri Vidya Mantra: Unravelling the Cosmos

Niraj Kumar

he visible world is only a small part

of reality, which again is relative to an ob
server. Human beings experience only a
sliver20 Hz to 20,000 Hzof the vast world
of sounds. For bats and some other creatures it is

332

a different sonic universe. Recent explorations in

some branches of theoretical physics have led to
the formulation of the idea of a multiverse. More
over, many astrophysicists suggest that only about
five per cent of our universe comprises of visible
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Sri Vidya Mantra: Unravelling the Cosmos

matter. The rest is composed of dark energy and
dark matter, whose properties are elusive.
The human mind is unaware of many things
outside and inside the body. However, to an
introspective person, the universe appears to be
a graded existence from the gross to the subtle.
Sri Vidya is a subtle conception of tracing the
relationship between various levels of existence.
This vidya, science, structurally correlates the
microcosm and the macrocosm and establishes
a connection between the human body, the cos
mic body, and the geographical body.
The Science of Vibration
Indian philosophers posited the primacy of vk
or abda, sound, in their conception regarding
both inner and outer worlds. Vk is the creative
force of the universe. As the universe is in con
stant flux, each movement, big or small, produces
sound. This vk evolves in stages in the universe,
which is also reflected in the human body. The
sages observed internal sounds through deep
meditation and discovered the nature and place
of their origin. In its principal stage vk is called
par, absolute, and rests in the mldhra, root
receptacle. The second stage is madhyama, mid
dle, when it is still nebulous and unperceived.
The third is payanti, perceived, as thought, and
finally to the vaikhar, audible words we utter
and listen. The sadhaka has to follow the audible
sound to its root in thought, from there one has
to plunge into its nebulous stage and then to the
par. One thus travels from the relative and gross
to the subtle and to the causal to reach the nda,
primordial vibration, which is the path towards
the Godhead.
The nda corresponds to the ka, space,
the primordial element among the five mahbhtas, great elements. This is the vibration of
emptiness. Any mtra, phoneme, gets charged
with a bindu, point, which the tantras view as the
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fusion of Shiva and Shaktithe spandana, vi

bratory, principle. Ordinarily, a bindu takes half
the time taken for uttering a phoneme. But the
bindu also tapers into the subtler sound of nda,
which is equivalent to 1/16th of a phoneme. The
further subtle division of sound ends at the level
of unman, mind in extremely low vibration,
which corresponds to 1/512th of the time taken
to utter a mtra.
Since spara, touch, always produces sound,
the sages developed a paradigm for phonemic
emanation. The bja, seed, as vowels, are equated
with Shiva, and the vyajanas, consonants, as
yoni, womb, with Shakti. The vowels are bjas
since no compound word can be formed with
out them. The world evolves from a phonemic
emanation through a grosser condensation of
sound, and created through the three powers of
icch, desire, krya, action, and jnana, knowledge.
The great Kashmiri philosopher-mystic
Abhinavagupta gives a meticulous description
of phonemic emanation in his works Tantrasara
and Paratrishika-vivarana. In the infinite ka
operates the bimba, mirror-principle. The first
letter that emerges due to the inherent power
of svtantrya, freedom, from the praka
Shivais the vowel a. This is the anuttara, si
lent one. When a sees its reflection, it is filled
with nanda, joy, and emerges. It desires
more and then the third vowel e/i emerges.
This inheres as the icch-akti. Similarly, u
emerges with the inherent power of kriyakti. Now, the first three short vowelsa,
e, uhave the Sun principle and their cor
responding longer vowels, ee, have
the Soma, lunar, principle, as the latter three
rest on the former. When anuttara and nanda
vowels fuse through saghtta, friction, ae,
ai, ao, au emanate. These also correspond
to kriy-akti. When kriy-akti dissipates, all
the vowels enter back into anuttara as a bindu

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and form the vowel ag. The anuttara dissi

pates, visarga, into the bindu, and the vowel ah,
ends the cycle. While the anusvara as the
bindu represents the unity of Shiva and Shakti,
the visarga, represented as two dots :, signifies
the division of the ultimate Consciousness into
twoShiva and Shakti. This starts the eman
ation of the manifest universe in the form of
consonants, vyajanas.
Alphabets Corresponding to Creation
The consonants evolve in a pattern from the
kaha, guttural, to osthya, labials. These are the
five series of five alphabets, each forming a sep
arate group of spara vyajanas. These 25 conso
nants also represent the 25 tattvs, realities, of
the Samkhya philosophy. The five letters of the
ka-varga classka, kha, ga, gha, arepresent
the five mah-bhtas: pthiv, earth; p, water;
tejas, fire; vyu, wind; and ka, space, respect
ively. The next series ca-vargaca, cha, ja, jha,
astand for the five tanmtrs, subtle elem
ents, of gandha, smell; rasa, taste; rpa, sight;
spara, touch; and abda, sound. The next pentad
of a-vargaa, ha, a, ha, acorresponds
to the five karmendriyas, instruments of action
speech, hands, legs, and organs of evacuation
and generation. Thence comes the ta-vargata,
tha, da, dha, naseries corresponding to the five
janendriyas, organs of knowledgeeyes, ears,
skin, tongue, and nose. In the last pa-vargapa,
pha, ba, bha, mathe series stands for Purusha;
Prakriti; buddhi, intellect; ahamkra, ego; and
manas, mind. Even within a series, the letters are
arranged according to condensation. The fifth
element in the series corresponds to the ka
element and the first one to the pthiv element,
the second to water, the third to fire, and the
fourth to wind. Therefore, all the five series end
with nasal soundsa, a, a, na, maand are
termed as anunsikas.

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One can find another pattern in how spara

consonants get subtler and subtler as they em
anate both laterally and vertically. The last spara
consonant is ma, and here ends the manifest uni
verse of touch. By employing Paninis pratyhra
technique1, the combination of the first spara
consonant ka and the last ma forms the word
kama. The touch produces nanda. The addition
of the vowel forms the word kma, mean
ing thereby the desire for touch in the material
universe. It is this word that lies at the heart of
the Sri Chakra, or Sri Yantra, which is the dia
gram representing Shiva and Shakti centred as
the primordial desire, the primal seed of mind.
The next series of consonants are antahstha,
comprising semivowels of the ya-varga series
ya, ra, la, va. Here the order of materiality is
reversed. La is the pthiv element, and thence
come the three alphabets and elements: va, p,
water; ra, agni, fire; and ya, vyu, wind. The al
phabets ya, ra, la, va also correspond to rga,
attachment; vidya, knowledge; kal, division;
and maya respectively. The last series of frica
tives, ma, are produced by friction. After the
three a, a, sa, the ha is the visarga. Here the
emanation of consonants ends. Ha is akin to the
two vowel visargas of and ah. These three
kinds of visarga produce nanda. In visarga, the
mtrik, syllable, rests, virma. Ha has space
as element, and this conjoins with the ya-varga
series to complete the pentad of letters.
The three letters a, a, sa also correspond
to uddha vidya, pure knowledge, Ishvara, and
Sadashiva in Abhinavaguptas scheme. Apart
from the eight series, there is the ninth series that
comprises a single compound letter: ka. This is
formed by the conjunction of two consonants:
ka, the first one, and a, the last one. By employ
ing the pratyhra technique, ka is the mani
festation of all the consonants from ka to a, or
the world of manifestation. The seed syllables of
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Sri Vidya Mantra: Unravelling the Cosmos

the mantras are derived from the proper under
standing of the mtrik.
Finally, the sages pinned the source of life to
pra. Breath is the carrier of pra. The sound
of breath was observed to open up a simple path
to the par-vk, supreme sound. The sound of
inhalation and exhalation, as sa and ha respect
ively, unlocked the secret of this phonemic
path. Sages eulogized the combination of the
two letters along with the nasal a, or ga, last
of the ka-varga, as the hasa, the swan of wis
dom, and its anadrome soham, I am That, pos
tulating the non-duality of jiva and Brahman,
the individual and cosmos. The tantras also em
phasize the conception of pra-akti circulat
ing through the mechanism of the sa and ha
sounds. Sa is the si, creation, bja, and ha is
the sahra, dissolution, bja. Sa represents the
state of the manifested universe, where balance
and harmony is established. This is also known
as the amta bja, seed of elixir. In ha the mani
fest phonemic universe finally dissolves. This
is the ultimate visarga. Hence ha is the seed
of dissolution. If sa is jiva, ha is Shiva, the ul
timate destroyer. The inhalation and exhala
tion cycle produces the continuous sound of
soham-hasa, That I am-I am That, or jiva is
Shiva. The Sri Vidya conceptualized a sequence
of the akaras, alphabets, employing these seed
syllables as the powerful Sri Mantra.
Fifteen-lettered Mantra
The pacada, fifteen-lettered, mantra has been
revealed by Acharya Shankara in the Saundarya
lahari: O Mother! The parts that combine to
form thy name (Mantra) are three groups of syl
lablesfirst, the group ka, e, , and la indicated
by the words Shiva, Shakti, Kama, and Kshiti;
second, the group ha, sa, ka, ha, and la denoted
by Ravi, Sitakirana, Smara, Hamsa, and Shakra;
and, third, the group sa, ka, and la, denoted by
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Para, Mara, and Hari, together with Hrllekha

(syllable Hrim) added at the end of each of the
three groups of syllables.2
The mantra has three kas, divisions: (i) ka,
e, , la; (ii) ha, sa, ka, ha, la; and (iii) sa, ka, la.
H is added at the end of each ka. The
first division is the vg-bhva, the second is the
kma-rja, and the last one is Shakti. These kas
correspond to the process of dissolution, main
tenance, and creation. Since the phoneme e, rep
resents the knowledge principle, the vg-bhva
has predominance of the subtle intellect and
stands for Maha Sarasvati, great goddess of wis
dom. The second division has the first letter sa,
meaning thereby wealth, and ka, for women and
other objects of desire, while ha means to go or
the attainment of these. According to Bhaskara
Rayas Varivasya-rahasya, the second division has
the preponderance of valour, wealth, women,
and fame, and hence the kma-rja also signi
fies Maha Lakshmi, great goddess of wealth. The
third division does not have any vowel or the let
ter ha, Shiva; hence it is known as the akti-ka
and signifies Maha Kali. The seed syllable h,
or hllekha, is attached in all three kas. H
is derived from the root h, which signifies de
struction of the entire universe. A subtle nda,
sound, emanates when and are pronounced
along with the bindu and its nava-nda, nine
sounds. H is also known as the nava-nda in
the Lalita Sahasranama.3
Thus, it is seen how the number nine emerges
as the predominant number in the cosmogony
and other formulations of the Sri Vidya. Three
kas also represent the three fires of time, sun,
and moon respectively. The first ka begins
from the mldhra and touches the anhata,
the second ka extends with the brilliance of
the sun from the anhata to the ja chakra, and
the third ka touches the lalta-madhya, mid
dle of the forehead, from the aja chakra. Thus

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a homologous relationship is drawn between the

subtle chakras within the human body and the
three divisions of the mantra.
The Varivasya-rahasya explains the mantras
first division in the following way:4 Ka signifies
kamevara, one who desires, and here it is Brah
man; the second letter e, signifies the genital
organ as it is triangular in shape; the third letter
is Shiva, who is immanent and all-sustaining.
La signifies the Earth, and h is maya. In the
second division, ha-sa-ka means smiling face,
since ka signifies the face and ha-sa is hsya,
laughter. The other half of the second division
is ka-ha-la. Ka is also the sun, ha is the moon,
and la is the eye. One who has the sun and the
moon as eyes is the ka-ha-la. The second div
ision would mean that Brahman is bliss with its
cid-rpa, form of Consciousness (verses 1379).
The third division sa-ka-la refers to jiva, as the
jiva has three states of consciousnesswak
ing, dream, and deep sleepand h is the

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akti-bja. Therefore, the third ka will imply

that all is Brahman. This is the mah-vkyartha,
meaning of the great saying, as per Bhaskara
Raya (verses 1437).
The same text mentions about sixteen differ
ent meanings of Sri Vidya. The meaning of the
three kas is that Brahman is Shiva and also
Shakti, since the concordance exists between
Shiva and Shakti (verse 120). There are three
pairs of alphabets in the mantra if one counts
the h syllable as the mere appendix. While ka
and ha are the Shiva principles, la and sa are the
Shakti principles. The two vowels are S haktis.
Hllekha itself is the Para Brahman, as Shiva in
form of ha and Shakti in form of ra fuse and vi
brate unto the nava-nda of hkari-akti.
Another interpretation of the pacada man
tra is to connect the five Shakti triangles down
wards, which constitute the Sri Yantra with the
form of the five bhtas, elements. These bhtas
have a total of fifteen qualities: the earth element

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Sri Vidya Mantra: Unravelling the Cosmos

has the five qualities of smell, taste, sight, touch,
sound; the water element has the other four ex
cept the quality of smell; the fire element has the
other three except the quality of smell and taste;
the wind element has only touch and sound,
and the space element has only sound. These fif
teen kals, divisions, transform into time fac
tors known as tithi, days, which wax or wane
along with the Moon and are in fact digits of
the Moon. These fifteen form the fifteen-lettered
mantra which is the sound body of Goddess Lal
ita of the Sri Vidya. But it is the sixteenth digit
of the moon that is verily the moon. This oda,
sixteenth, syllable is very secret and not shared
beyond the kula, lineage.
New Revelations of the Mantras Import
While contemplating over the mantra for many
months I had a sudden flash of revelation. The
three divisions have a common pattern. H
is preceded by the pthiv tattva, earth element;
la in phonetic correspondence. Once we separ
ate la and h only nine letters are left, three in
the first ka, four in the second, and two in the
third. This is a nine-fold code hidden beneath the
fifteen-lettered pacadai. We have already seen
how h itself is a nine-fold sound, nava-nda
If one infers the meaning from the combination
of lapthiv bjaand hmya-bjathis
should give us the following meaning: from the
earth la to the ka ha the mya-bja pervades.
But what is this mya-bija? Ha is the ul
timate visarga of the phonemic emanation.
Ha is the ka principle. When the universe
dissolves each grosser element dissolves into
its subtler element. All bhtas finally dissolve
into ka, which is represented by ha, the last
consonant. Ra is the rhu that swallows ka.
H is the dissolution of the manifest universe,
which is nothing but a mere illusion, maya.
But the same seed also contains the power of
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creation in the form of topped with spandana,

vibratory power, of the bindu. Thus in each dis
solution the seed of creation remains intact and
the cyclic movement goes on. H is the con
densed potency of Shakti. Only this can express
itself in a new creation.
With this new interpretation we can decipher
the elegant wisdom of the pacada mantra
of the Sri Vidya. In the first kaka, e, , la,
hthe former three phonemes represent the
primordial powers of will, knowledge, and ac
tionicch-akti from kmarja-bja ka; jnaakti from bja e; and kriy-akti from bija . The
meaning of the ka will then be as follows: the
three powers of will, knowledge, and action per
vade everything from the earth to space and also
dissolve maya. In the second kaha, sa, ka, ha,
la, hha-sa is for hsya, the laughter or joy
principle, nanda. This nanda pervades from
ka to ha or across the manifest universe and ends
the illusion of maya. In the third kasa, ka,
la, hsa is the jiva and ka is Shiva. The verse
will mean thereby that there is absolute nonduality between jiva and Shiva, microcosm and
macrocosm, individual and cosmos, immanence
and transcendence. The realization of this nonduality dissolves maya.
Though the sixteenth letter is secret and eso
teric, the single phoneme appended with bindu
and -akti, will be the fourth or the turya stage
of the odaa, sixteenth, Sri Vidya mantra.
The Nine-fold Pattern in
the Human Perspective
There are various other nine-fold characteriza
tions. The three Shaktis, composed of the three
gunas and with three fires as her three eyes, is
of nine aspects, the graha-rpa, form of the
nine planets (verse 84). Time is divided into
nine parts ranging from ghatika, twenty-four
minutes, to abda, a year. The body is an island

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Prabuddha Bharata

of nine gems, as per the Bhavana Upanishad,

comprising tvak, touch; roma, hair; and seven
dhtus, constituents.5 A body has nine orifices.
Interestingly, the human foetus grows in the
womb for nine months. Probably, the human
being that grows under the constraints of nonawareness, with the power of consciousness
slowly unfolding, explores the nine-fold pat
terns in the external and internal worlds. In
dian sages have factorized alphabets into nine
series, with ka as the last letter summing up all
the fifty alphabets. Corresponding to these fiftyone letters are fifty-one akti-phas, locations,
in the Indian geo-body spread across the sub
continent, which create an idea of a common
cultural space. The Sri Yantra, which generates
forty-three triangles through three levels of fur
cation caused by intersection of nine triangles,
has been held in awe by the sages and mystics
across the religious spectrum of the subcontin
ent. The Sri Vidya mantra and the Sri Yantra
have developed the most elaborate method to
connect time and space in a nested hierarchy
in an abstract diagram and code sequence. The
methodical system reveals to a sadhaka how
ultimately the whole universe throbs with the
three powers of will, knowledge, and action and
craves for more and more nanda, attaining in
the process the unity of all things. This scheme
highlights the interrelation of each element
with every other element and how division and
fusion, creation and dissolution, potency and
manifestation go together in the cosmos.
The powerful seed syllable g in the
odakar, sixteen syllables, is derived from
the word g. This corresponds to the sixteenth
digit of the moon also known as the digit of im
mortality. It is this connection of the number
sixteen with the eternal power of renewal that
the culture of the sixteen festivals; the sixteen
kinds of gra, erotic love; the sixteen kals,

338

arts, of proficiency; and so on became popular

in Indian culture. The word ga also denotes
two horns as well as a mountain peak. In Bud
dhist and Vedanta philosophies the concept of
the hares horns is often given as an example
of non-existence. The Sri Vidya is the highest
peak of sadhana, which also makes us realize
the fusion of existence and non-existence, cre
ation and dissolution, symbolized in the seed
syllable h. In Indian mythology Yama, god
of death, is represented with two horns. The Sri
Vidya, with its hidden seed-sound g, is the
antidote against the fear of the horned Yama.
The mantra is the ultimate code to further de
cipher the cosmic interrelationship. Sri Rama
krishna himself was a great adept in this science
after his initiation by the Bhairavi Brahmani.
He went through the entire process very quickly
astounding his guru. It was his grounding in
this vidya that allowed him to experince the
bliss of various spiritual paths. After attaining
the Advaita experience Sri Ramakrishna boldly
declared: Jiva is Shiva. This essential message
of Sri Ramakrishna was preached by Swami
Vivekananda all over the world.
P
Note and References
1. The comprehension of several letters or affixes
into one syllable are effected by combining the
first letter of a sutra with the final indicatory letter. For instance, a-a is the pratyhra of the
sutra a, e, u, a.
2. Saundarya Lahari of r ankarcrya, 32; trans.
Swami Tapasyananda (Madras: Ramakrishna
Math, 1987), 83.
3. Nrya ndarp nmarpa vivarjit;
hnkr hmat hdy heyopdeyavarjit
Acharya Shankara, Lalita Sahasranama, 70.
4. See Sri Bhaskara-Raya Makhin, Varivasya-
Rahasya, with his own commentary Prakasha,
trans. Pandit S Subrahmanya Sastri (Adyar:
Adyar Library, 1948), verses 601.
5. Bhavana Upanishad, 7.
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