Text. Verse 7
*
"Hymn to Kali", by Arthur Avalon (Sir John George Woodroffe), [1922],
p. 61
Verse 7
O Mother, even a dullard becomes a poet who meditates upon Thee raimented with space, 1 three-eyed 2 Creatrix 3 of the three worlds, whose waist 4 is beautiful with a girdle made of numbers of dead men's arms, and who on the breast of a corpse, 5 as Thy couch in the cremation-ground, 6 enjoyest Mahkla. 7
Commentary
\"'Dullard' (Jadaceth)"
One whose mind is smitten with passion for the world.
"'Poet' (Kavh)"
A great Jn.
"'Meditates' (Dhyyan)"
Who in mental vision sees Thee who art Saccidnandarpi.
"'Whose loins' (Bhuprakarakta-kcparilasannitabm)"
At the end of each Kalpa all Jvas abandon their gross bodies, and existing in their subtle bodies in which their respective Karmas inhere, form part of the Avidy which is in the causal body of the Brahmarpi associated with Her own Gs (Svagua) until they are liberated at some future time after the commencement of the next Kalpa. Hence the girdle adorning the loins, lower belly and generative organ of the Mahdev virdrpi, capable of producing children is fashioned of the arms and hands of dead Jvas. For these arms and hands were their principal instruments for the doing of work (Karma). The ktnandataragi says, 'With Karma is a Jva born, with Karma he dies, and in the next body again that Karma is
p. 62
attached to him.' Devgt says, 'In Her at dissolution Jvas and their Karmas are merged in undifferentiated mass, just as all which is done (Vyavahr) merges in dreamless sleep (Suupti).' Again the Dev says, 'It is I who create the whole world and enter therein with Pra, My, Karma and so forth.'
"'Raimented with space' (Digvastrm)"
Raiment is the covering of My. She is without that and above My.
"'Three-eyed' (Triayanm)"
Having knowledge of the three divisions of Time, past, present and future.
"'Creatrix' (Vidhtr)"
She who at the beginning of the next Kalpa gives birth and enjoyment to Jvas according to their respective Sacita Karma.
"'On the breast of a corpse' (avahdi)"
The corpse is Nirgua-Brahman. The couch is the support (dhra). On Nirgua-Brahman as Thy dhra. that is established in Thine own state (Pada) as Nirgua-Brahman. Gyatr-Tantra says, 'By the word corpse is indicated Brahman as the dead body (Preta).' Gandharva-Tantra says Sadiva is the couch on which lies the subtle Tripurasundar.
"'In the cremation ground' (anasth)"
The cremation ground (mana) is the great Ether (Mahka) in which all creatures are merged as corpses in the Great dissolution (Mahpralaya). In dissolution even the greatest of creatures are but corpses and hence it is a cremation ground.
"'Dost enjoy Mahhla' (Mahhla-surata-prayuktm)"
At the end of a Kalpa, there being no creation, She being inactive, and there being nought but supreme Brahman, She being in-separate from Paraiva, experiences Herself as unlimited (Akhada) Bliss.
p. 63
Footnotes
61:1 p. 63 The Dev is naked, as is iva, for, like Him, She is clothed with space, and is the great void itself (Mahnya).
61:2 \"Triayan". The Three eyes are Sun, Moon and Fire (V). "Mahnirva-Tantra" says, 'Three eyes are attributed to "Klik" because She observes the whole world with such eyes as the Sun, the Moon, and so forth'. See as to the meaning of these three terms which do not merely denote these luminaries and elements, A. Avalon's 'Serpent Power' and Studies in "Mantra-stra"'.
61:3 \"Vidhtrim", who provides Enjoyment and Liberation for all Jivas. (v).
61:4 \"Nitaba", literally, buttocks but the girdle goes all round. Kl is represented as so girdled.
61:5 The corpse ("ava") represents "iva" (V) because He is inactive whilst his "akti" it is who does everything. "avahdi"--that is, on the breast of iva ("Vipartarati"). The Dev is given the dominant position in her union with Her consort, because She is "Kartri" (actress), and He is "Bhokt" (unacting enjoyer). According to Skhya, "Purua" is neither producer nor produced, but passive, and a looker-on upon the actions of "Prakti". It is not the "Purua" who is active in the creation of the world, but it is She who, in the light of His gaze, dances the world-dance. So Kubjik-Tantra says: 'Not Brahm, but Brahmn, creates; it is Vainav, not Vishnu, who protects; Rudrn, not Rudra, who takes all things back. Their husbands are like dead bodies.' For in respect of power they are dependent on their akti. As to the "Sdhana", see Pratoin 622, "Viparitaratau japtv nirvapadav vrajet". Two corpses are sometimes pictured, the lower being the eternally quiescent iva, and the upper being the iva united with akti in creation. Similarly the Dev is represented as reclining on a couch made of five corpses, which are the Mahpreta (see Bhairavaymala, Lalit verse 174, etc). The "Mahpretas", whose "Bja" is "Hsau", are Sadiva, na, Rudra, Viu, and Brahm.
61:6 The site of certain forms of Tantrik "Sdhana", such as "avsana Mudsana", etc., as to which the Phetkri-Tantra says that it is an excellent place for "Sdhana". He who makes japa a number of times on a corpse in a cremation-ground attains all manner of success ("Siddhi").'
61:7 Parama-iva.
"Hymn to Kali", by Arthur Avalon (Sir John George Woodroffe), [1922],
p. 61
Verse 7
O Mother, even a dullard becomes a poet who meditates upon Thee raimented with space, 1 three-eyed 2 Creatrix 3 of the three worlds, whose waist 4 is beautiful with a girdle made of numbers of dead men's arms, and who on the breast of a corpse, 5 as Thy couch in the cremation-ground, 6 enjoyest Mahkla. 7
Commentary
\"'Dullard' (Jadaceth)"
One whose mind is smitten with passion for the world.
"'Poet' (Kavh)"
A great Jn.
"'Meditates' (Dhyyan)"
Who in mental vision sees Thee who art Saccidnandarpi.
"'Whose loins' (Bhuprakarakta-kcparilasannitabm)"
At the end of each Kalpa all Jvas abandon their gross bodies, and existing in their subtle bodies in which their respective Karmas inhere, form part of the Avidy which is in the causal body of the Brahmarpi associated with Her own Gs (Svagua) until they are liberated at some future time after the commencement of the next Kalpa. Hence the girdle adorning the loins, lower belly and generative organ of the Mahdev virdrpi, capable of producing children is fashioned of the arms and hands of dead Jvas. For these arms and hands were their principal instruments for the doing of work (Karma). The ktnandataragi says, 'With Karma is a Jva born, with Karma he dies, and in the next body again that Karma is
p. 62
attached to him.' Devgt says, 'In Her at dissolution Jvas and their Karmas are merged in undifferentiated mass, just as all which is done (Vyavahr) merges in dreamless sleep (Suupti).' Again the Dev says, 'It is I who create the whole world and enter therein with Pra, My, Karma and so forth.'
"'Raimented with space' (Digvastrm)"
Raiment is the covering of My. She is without that and above My.
"'Three-eyed' (Triayanm)"
Having knowledge of the three divisions of Time, past, present and future.
"'Creatrix' (Vidhtr)"
She who at the beginning of the next Kalpa gives birth and enjoyment to Jvas according to their respective Sacita Karma.
"'On the breast of a corpse' (avahdi)"
The corpse is Nirgua-Brahman. The couch is the support (dhra). On Nirgua-Brahman as Thy dhra. that is established in Thine own state (Pada) as Nirgua-Brahman. Gyatr-Tantra says, 'By the word corpse is indicated Brahman as the dead body (Preta).' Gandharva-Tantra says Sadiva is the couch on which lies the subtle Tripurasundar.
"'In the cremation ground' (anasth)"
The cremation ground (mana) is the great Ether (Mahka) in which all creatures are merged as corpses in the Great dissolution (Mahpralaya). In dissolution even the greatest of creatures are but corpses and hence it is a cremation ground.
"'Dost enjoy Mahhla' (Mahhla-surata-prayuktm)"
At the end of a Kalpa, there being no creation, She being inactive, and there being nought but supreme Brahman, She being in-separate from Paraiva, experiences Herself as unlimited (Akhada) Bliss.
p. 63
Footnotes
61:1 p. 63 The Dev is naked, as is iva, for, like Him, She is clothed with space, and is the great void itself (Mahnya).
61:2 \"Triayan". The Three eyes are Sun, Moon and Fire (V). "Mahnirva-Tantra" says, 'Three eyes are attributed to "Klik" because She observes the whole world with such eyes as the Sun, the Moon, and so forth'. See as to the meaning of these three terms which do not merely denote these luminaries and elements, A. Avalon's 'Serpent Power' and Studies in "Mantra-stra"'.
61:3 \"Vidhtrim", who provides Enjoyment and Liberation for all Jivas. (v).
61:4 \"Nitaba", literally, buttocks but the girdle goes all round. Kl is represented as so girdled.
61:5 The corpse ("ava") represents "iva" (V) because He is inactive whilst his "akti" it is who does everything. "avahdi"--that is, on the breast of iva ("Vipartarati"). The Dev is given the dominant position in her union with Her consort, because She is "Kartri" (actress), and He is "Bhokt" (unacting enjoyer). According to Skhya, "Purua" is neither producer nor produced, but passive, and a looker-on upon the actions of "Prakti". It is not the "Purua" who is active in the creation of the world, but it is She who, in the light of His gaze, dances the world-dance. So Kubjik-Tantra says: 'Not Brahm, but Brahmn, creates; it is Vainav, not Vishnu, who protects; Rudrn, not Rudra, who takes all things back. Their husbands are like dead bodies.' For in respect of power they are dependent on their akti. As to the "Sdhana", see Pratoin 622, "Viparitaratau japtv nirvapadav vrajet". Two corpses are sometimes pictured, the lower being the eternally quiescent iva, and the upper being the iva united with akti in creation. Similarly the Dev is represented as reclining on a couch made of five corpses, which are the Mahpreta (see Bhairavaymala, Lalit verse 174, etc). The "Mahpretas", whose "Bja" is "Hsau", are Sadiva, na, Rudra, Viu, and Brahm.
61:6 The site of certain forms of Tantrik "Sdhana", such as "avsana Mudsana", etc., as to which the Phetkri-Tantra says that it is an excellent place for "Sdhana". He who makes japa a number of times on a corpse in a cremation-ground attains all manner of success ("Siddhi").'
61:7 Parama-iva.
