Lakṣmī Tantra Chapter 19—Origin of Sanskrit Letters
Channel: Consciousness Research Centre
Date: 2020-12-21

This series is classified Vivartha-vāda | Rāja-yoga | Suśupti | Viśuddhi-cakra
“I am the primary, total I-hood of Hari, characterized by sisṛkṣā, the creative urge. Being the supreme Śakti manifest as creation, I become creatively active. O delight of the gods, I have fifteen similar daśā (states of existence) corresponding to the fifteen vowels: a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, ṛ, ṝ, ḷ, ḹ, e, ai, o, au, ṁ. The process of cosmic evolution is exactly mirrored in the alphabet, akāra being the root and all subsequent sounds and letters being projections or transformations of it, and each successive sound is the effect of the preceding one.” [19.1–2]
“The eternal essence of Myself as vāc (speech) is akāra (letter a) which is primary and self-revealed, is consciousness and the root of the entire domain of speech. When the same akāra develops into the ānanda form (ā), it is regarded as the second vowel. The third vowel appears as icchā (i) and the fourth as īsāna (ī). The fifth is unmeṣa (u) while the sixth is said to be ūrja (ū). The four middle vowels ṛ, ṝ, ḷ, ḹ, are modifications of i, ī, u and ū respectively. Combination of the first vowel akāra (a) with i produces ekāra (e); icchā combined with ānanda (ā) is called jagadyoni (ai). The combination of akāra (a) with unmesa (u) indeed produces okāra (o) which, when combined with akāra produces the sound sadyojata (au). Thus all these sounds that ultimately relate to objects of knowledge are derived from the first vowel.” [19.3–7]
“The thirteen vowels from ānanda to sadyojata are specific elaborations of the first sound. When these thirteen developments reach the stage of representing nothing but knowledge itself, their final and most subtle stage, the fifteenth vowel sound ṁ emerges. The first vowel a respresents the avyakta or primordial state of creation. The thirteen modifications of akāra represent the created states. And ṁ represents the final annihilation of creation when even the primordial nature is dissolved into the ultimate principle of consciousness, or in other words when nothing save Brahman exists.” [19.8–9]
“These fifteen states represent the results of the first creative efforts of Śakti in cosmic creation. Because the divine creative Śakti’s urge to create furnished with these fifteen limbs, She becomes active in creating each specific object. From Me engaged in the function of creating, emerged the twenty-five tattvas (cosmic principles) beginning with puruṣa and ending with pṛthivī, as well as the corresponding sounds and letters from ka to ma. Each principle emerges from the manifestation of its correlated sound. The last four sounds ya, ra, la, va are named as the fourfold dhāraṇā (deep meditation with the mind fixed on a single object). As these are themselves composed of puruṣa, they are regarded as dhāraṇā. ka to ma represent the Self’s material state of differentiated existence; śa to ha and kṣa its unpolarized Absolute state; ya to va its intermediate state, when through meditation it descends from the Absolute to the differentiated state.” [19.10–13]

Yakāra, consisting of a particle of Śakti’s active aspect, is called vāta. Repha (ra), being vidyā (learning) which consists of a trifling fraction of Her jñāna aspect, is named pāvaka. Lakāra (la), representing māyā as a combination of insensibility and delusion or infatuation, is regarded as pṛthivī. Vakāra, which in essence is joy, is called Varuṇa and represents rāga (bliss) śakti. Those versed in the philosophical realities should view these four dhāraṇās as the support of man in between his two states of existence: parā and aparā (the Absolute and the relative).” [19.14–16]
“The letters śa, ṣa, sa, ha and kṣa represent the fivefold pure Brahman: Satya and the four Vyūhas. O lord of the gods, śa, ṣa, sa and ha should be regarded as representing Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Saṅkarṣaṇa and Vāsudeva respectively. That wonderful form that I assume when I feel the stir of activity at the very commencement of creation, is the powerful Śakti which is the soul of the letter kṣa, otherwise known as Satya. The five divine Śaktis beginning with pṛthivī and ending with viyat (space)—the five cosmic elements (states of matter) earth, water, air, fire and ākāṣa—represent My divine existence-principle, the five attributes bala, vīrya, tejas, śakti and aiśvarya. These five śaktis are represented by the letters śa, ṣa, sa, ha and kṣa when I am creatively active.” [19.17–19]

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