The Essence of the Manifested World Tantra

He then states: "Eternal." If one argues that the Pradhana the primordial unconscious matter established by the Samkhya philosophy is also eternal and should be the source of the world, this is incorrect. It is impossible for an unconscious entity like Pradhana, which is not governed by a conscious being, to be a cause. Therefore, Sarada alone, who is of the nature of consciousness and capable of presiding over all, is the source of the world. With this in mind, he says: "Mistress of the entire universe." She is the mistress of both the entire world and its causes, which exist along with its kalas powers/aspects. If one objects that the Pradhana, which is the reality presided over by Sarada, is the material cause of the world and Sarada is merely the instrumental cause a view held by the Ishvara-Samkhya school, he implies that because the Pradhana, which is the aggregate of all letters and their meanings, is superimposed upon the consciousness that is Sarada, it does not exist apart from her. Thus, Sarada herself, through that, is both the material and instrumental cause. With this in mind, he states that the letters are her body and depend upon her, starting with "With the seven groups of letters beginning with A..."

He mentions "composed" to indicate her independence, addressing the doubt that she might have a specific body like ours. He provides the reason for her independence: "Mistress of the entire universe." If one objects that as the presiding deity, she would be subject to change and impermanence, he says: "Eternal." If one then argues that if she is eternal and unchanging, she cannot be the presiding deity or the cause, he suggests that even if this is not true in the ultimate sense, it must be accepted through the mechanism of Maya illusory power, because such causality is impossible in other theories. With this in mind, he says: "Source of the world." Thus, the existence of Sarada, who is distinct from the mind and who has a body of pure consciousness, and her ability to bestow purity of heart, are established. This is the nature of his auspicious invocation.

The subject matter of this text is fivefold, characterized by the witness of the gross, subtle, and causal states. In the first half, he addresses the gross subject, which is the cosmic form Viraj of the universe, consisting of Vaikhari articulate speech. The term "beginning with" is associated with each of the groups. While stating the places for the placement nyasa of the letters of the Mother Matrika, he explains the arrangement of the cosmic form, beginning with "constituting the head, arms, feet, middle, and heart." The word "middle" refers to the placement of the Pa-group. The word "name" refers to the bodily tissues like skin. The word "heart" refers to the prana vital life force which is of the nature of knowledge and action, and the Maya-shakti power of illusion which is its cause. The word "Ka," meaning happiness, refers to the Supreme Self. The places for the placement of the Ya-group, their reality, the connection with bodily tissues, and the placement of the remaining mantra-feet as subsidiary, are also indicated.

If one asks: when the deity-self, extending from the skin to the Supreme Self, is already present in the practitioner's body through the Ya-group placement, why the need for the placement of the remaining letters? We reply: it is for the sake of imagining specific divine limbs.