Guruji's teachings
An article from Guruji's blog on how the fifteen-letter Panchadashi mantra can be read: a count of 37 sounds, four layers of meaning and a link to the letters of the alphabet.
Written by Atmanandanatha. It first appeared on devipuram.com and was shared on Guruji's blog by Vira Chandra on 25 April 2016. Post title: "Panchadashi Mantra". Originally published at amritananda-natha-saraswati.blogspot.com.
The article starts from the fifteen-letter Panchadashi, which the old texts give only in coded form. It lists the sources it draws on: the Tripura Upanishad, the Devi Atharvashirsha Upanishad, the Nityashodashikarnava, the Paramananda Tantra, and Bhaskararaya's Varivasya Rahasya with its commentary Prakasha.
It then counts the mantra by vowels, consonants and the subtle nasal sound called nada. The three groups give 11, 15 and 11. The total is 37, one for each of the 36 tattvas and one for the state beyond them. The writer points out that the numbers have a rhythm: in the first group the vowels, which stand for Shakti, outnumber the consonants, which stand for Shiva.
Each sound is then matched to a tattva, such as the five elements, the senses, the mind and the ego. Bhaskararaya's match and the Paramananda Tantra's match differ, and both are given. The same counting is tried on the Hadi and Sadi forms of the mantra.
Four meanings follow. The lineage meaning is the one handed down from teacher to student. The kula meaning is about inseparable links: the mantra, the Goddess, the Sri Chakra, the guru and the seeker cannot be pulled apart, just as a father and mother cannot be called so without a child. The most secret meaning is the oneness of Shiva and the guru. The fourth reads the mantra as a prayer to Lalita to remove the veil of maya, bring in the all-pervading awareness, and settle us in the natural state.
The article ends by tying the mantra to the 51 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, which fall into three parts of sixteen, matching the three groups. It also notes that the whole alphabet is held between the first and last letters of the word "aham", meaning "I". The writer links this to Lalita Sahasranama and the Bhavanopanishad, and concludes that the mantra, Lalita and the self are one.
Now let us see that the whole mantra is made of 37 syllables indicating the 36 tatvas and the tavAtIta parasiva state.
Atmanandanatha, "Panchadashi Mantra", first on devipuram.com. Shared on Guruji's blog. This page is a summary with one short quote. The full article is at the link.
The Panchadashi is the heart mantra of Sri Vidya, and in Kaula practice it sits under every outer act of worship, from yantra puja to homam. This article shows why people in the lineage treat it as more than a string of sounds.
The counting links the mantra to the five elements, the senses and the mind. That fits the Kaula view that the body and the world are the temple, and that worship can be turned inward as well as outward.
The kula meaning is the practical point. Mantra, deity, yantra, guru and seeker work together. That is why this site does not print the mantra for use. It is received from a guru, with guidance. Guruji's own teaching on it is on the page linked below.
It is the fifteen-letter mantra of Goddess Lalita in Sri Vidya. The old texts give it only in coded form, and it is passed from teacher to student.
The article counts vowels, consonants and the nada, the subtle nasal sound. The three groups come to 11, 15 and 11, which makes 37.
They stand for the 36 tattvas and the state beyond them, called Parashiva. Each sound is matched to a tattva, such as an element, a sense or part of the mind.
They are the lineage meaning, the kula meaning about inseparable links, the most secret meaning about the oneness of Shiva and the guru, and the meaning as a prayer to Lalita.
They are the three groups of the mantra: Vagbhava, Kamaraja and Shakti. In this article they hold 11, 15 and 11 sounds.
Read the original: Panchadashi Mantra, on Guruji's blog.
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