Lesson 13 of 22
In Progress

Session 10 – Verses 71 to 78

Noora L May 8, 2022

Verse 71 

स्थावरं जङ्गमं चैव तथा चैव चराचरम्।
व्याप्तं येन जगत्सर्वं तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥७१॥

Sthāvaraṁ jaṅgamaṁ caiva tathā caiva carācaram|
Vyāptaṁ yena jagatsarvaṁ tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ||71||

Salutations to that blessed Guru principle by which this whole 
world is pervaded, consisting of moving and stationary types of things / beings, animate and inanimate.

Very first temple dedicated to Śiva and to Bhairava was in Karnāṭaka, one of the main heartlands of non-tantrik and tantrik Śaivism for a very long time. Śāradā uniquely Kashmiri Goddess, her original temple was destroyed by the Muslims. There is a connection between Kashmir and Karnāṭaka. 

Karnāṭaka birthed a movement called the Vīraśaiva or Liṅgāyat influenced by Śaiva Tantra and Bhakti movement. They used vernacular language, not Sanskrit. Speaking of Śiva (book) is all about this tradition. They actively articulated the need for social change, and abolition of caste. This book includes great poetry including poetry from a woman saint Akka Mahadevī (auntie Mahadevī) which is incredible as poetry from womens were not often preserved in a patriarchal culture like India. Good article about Akka Mahadevi. 

These two words – Sthāvara and jaṅgama) are at the heart of Śaivism, a shout out to the Vīraśaiva community. Sthāvara a temple dedicated to Śiva, and jaṅgama is a Vīraśaiva holy person who wears a portable liṅga around their neck. The temples will fall but the holy men will stand. Many forms of devotion to Śiva still exist, but the temples are now archeological sites, some of them ruined, some of them in better conditions. The rich can only make temples, they can’t be or become temples. The jaṅgama were thought to be living temples. They dedicated their lives to Śiva. 

Reverence to the auspicious Guru who pervades this entire world of stationary and moving things (moving temples = holy men and women). 

Verse 72

ज्ञानशक्तिसमारूढस्तत्त्वमालाविभूषितः।
भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदाता यस्तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥७२॥

Jñānaśaktisamārūḍhastattvamālāvibhūṣitaḥ|
Bhuktimuktipradātā yastasmai śrīgurave namaḥ||72||

Reverence to that auspicious Guru who bestows both enjoyment and liberation.
This Guru is one who has mastered the power of insight (jñānaśaki) 
and is adorned with the garland of tattvas.

Only in tantra the spiritual path bestows enjoyment of the challenging conditions of embodiment. 

Adorned with the garland of tattvas – perhaps it means they fully understand all the tattvas.  

Verse 73

अनेकजन्मसम्प्राप्तसर्वकर्मविदाहिने।
स्वात्मज्ञानप्रभावेण तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥७३॥

Anekajanmasamprāptasarvakarmavidāhine|
Svātmajñānaprabhāveṇa tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ||73||

Reverence to that auspicious Guru / Salutations to that blessed Guru who removes all the karma acquired in countless lifetimes through the power of insight into one’s own true nature. 

The karmas are dissolved. Almost would seem magical thinking, it is not absurd as a proposition. 

When you realise your true nature, you cease to be the person to whom these karmas apply. 

The karmas have no landing place – and that energy dissipates in other ways. 

Verse 74

न गुरोरधिकं तत्त्वं न गुरोरधिकं तपः।
तत्त्वं ज्ञानात्परं नास्ति तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥७४॥

Na guroradhikaṁ tattvaṁ na guroradhikaṁ tapaḥ|
Tattvaṁ jñānātparaṁ nāsti tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ||74||

There is no principle / tattva higher than the Guru / Guru principle, 
and there is no tapas / spiritual power / energy superior to that of the Guru,
There is no tattva higher than insight. Salutations / reverence to that auspicious Guru. 

The Guru Gītā places the Guru principle as tattva number zero. 

So here the Guru is equated to insight of jñāna. Insight is what arises spontaneously as a realisation of your learnings. It is not not knowledge or understanding. You can understand the view, which gives you a foundation but insights arise. 

Tapas here is spiritual power, radiant energy or power (tejas) because spiritual practice generates tejas, radiance energy of power. 

Verse 75

मन्नाथः श्रीजगन्नाथो मद्गुरुस्त्रिजगद्गुरुः।
ममात्मा सर्वभूतात्मा तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥७५॥

Mannāthaḥ śrījagannātho madgurustrijagadguruḥ|
Mamātmā sarvabhūtātmā tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ||75||

My Lord is the auspicious Lord of the world. My Guru is the Guru of all three worlds. 
Myself is the self of all beings. Reverence to that auspicious Guru. 

My Guru is the Guru of all three worlds – Perhaps this is just a hyperbolic way to be devoted to your Guru, or perhaps it means the Guru gives you understanding of all three worlds. 

Mamātmā sarvabhūtātmā – the consciousness that’s looking out of your eyes right now is the same that’s looking out of my eyes. The only difference is what is looking through, the body-mind, my body-mind is different from yours. If there is identification with body-mind, it’s hard to recognize that it’s one consciousness in all these forms because you are identified with the one thing, the body-mind, that’s the only differentiation. But if you are identified with consciousness, then it’s really simple to see the Self. 

The body-mind deserves care and attention but not identification. You can take care of your body-mind as something that’s been given into your care, it’s your garden to tend, but it’s not you, except in the sense that all is you, your body, the trees, the sky, etc. 

First is ‘neti neti’ then ‘iti iti’. First the negation ‘I’m not these thoughts,’ ‘I’m not this body,’ then the affirmation ‘I’m all of this including this body’. 

That which is looking through your eyes is that which is looking out of all beings. The play of consciousness is the play of one consciousness, there aren’t many consciousnesses. 

Verse 76

ध्यानमूलं गुरोर्मूर्तिः पूजामूलं गुरोः पदम्।
मन्त्रमूलं गुरोर्वाक्यं मोक्षमूलं गुरोः कृपा॥७६॥

Dhyānamūlaṁ gurormūrtiḥ pūjāmūlaṁ guroḥ padam|
Mantramūlaṁ gurorvākyaṁ mokṣamūlaṁ guroḥ kṛpā||76||

The root of meditation is the Guru’s form, the root of worship is the Guru’s feet, 
the root of mantra is the Guru’s words, the root of liberation is the Guru’s compassion or grace.

Favourite verse of Swāmī Muktānanda and Swāmī Satchidānanda. 

The root of meditation is the Guru’s form – doesn’t mean to meditate on the image of your Guru. Guru yoga where you meditate on the image of the primordial Guru (for full explanation and transmission of the practice please refer to the recordings of the course). 

The root of worship is the Guru feet – does it mean to prostrate to your Guru? Yes, if you really want to.

Another possibility is going back to the A-KA-THA triangle (verse 58). The one thousand petals lotus with the A-KA-THA triangle with the entire Sanskrit alphabet, and the feet in the middle of the A-KA-THA triangle in the crown of the head  ‘the root of veneration are the feet of the Guru.’ The feet that are the root of all worship. It helps facilitate the flow of the teachings into the tissues of one’s body and of one’s actions in life. 

The root of mantra is the Guru’s words – the scriptures are the words of the primordial Guru. 

The whole body of scripture is one single vākya of Lord Śiva. 

The root of liberation is the Guru’s compassion or grace – if it wasn’t for the compassion of those who have realised some aspects or one aspect of the divine, others would be very unlikely to stumble on this realisation., Almost everyone who realises the truth is introduced to it by someone else who had had this experience. 

If you realize the truth there is no feeling that you have to do anything. Everything is the infinite. 

Mike Snider says, ‘if you lie on the couch, that’s the infinite lying on the couch. Why would you do anything? Maybe you are moved by care. Making a bunch of money is not going to make you happier. 

It is care, it’s caring that results in teaching and sharing. People need to be convinced that this is really possible, and it’s possible for them in order for them to go for it. Having at least one teacher who is a relatable human being allows you to feel, ‘oh this person had a realization, maybe I can, too’, not with a pedestalized teacher for you wouldn’t believe it as quite possible for you. 

Verse 77

गुरुरादिरनादिश्च गुरुः परमदैवतम्।
गुरोः परतरं नास्ति तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः॥७७॥

Gururādiranādiśca guruḥ paramadaivatam|
Guroḥ parataraṁ nāsti tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ||77||

The Guru principle is primordial and is beginningless, it is supreme divinity. 
There is nothing higher than the Guru. Salutations / reverence to that blessed Guru.

Beginningless means that it is there from the beginning and also doesn’t have a beginning. 

Verse 78

सप्तसागरपर्यन्ततीर्थस्नानादिकं फलम्।
गुरोरङ्घ्रिपयोबिन्दुसहस्रांशे न दुर्लभम्॥७८॥

Saptasāgaraparyantatīrthasnānādikaṁ phalam|
Guroraṅghripayobindusahasrāṁśe na durlabham||78||

The result obtained by bathing and so on at all the sacred pilgrimage sites up to the seven seas, that would not equal the benefits obtained from a single drop of water from the Guru’s feet. 

Another hyperbolic verse!

Up to the seven seas means all the world. 

It means that you don’t need to go on pilgrimages and bathe in these places, etc., if you have lineage transmission. Lineage means living lineage transmission. Someone who receives them from somebody who received them from someone, etc.,  in which people are awakening with these teachings and practices – this is what we speak here when we speak of lineage. Oral transmission. It doesn’t need to be documented and written down. There is no record, for example, from Abhinavagupta down, but we know the Trika and Śrī Vidyā are living lineages. 

Lineage holder is when a teacher designates a lineage successor. Otherwise there are informal successors – Lakshman Joo didn’t appoint any official successor. You can claim to be cherishing the lineage and sharing it with people, without claiming you have been designated in an official way. 

References:

Gurugīta, Stanzas 61-120 on TrikaShaivism.com

Book: Speaking of Shiva

Akka Mahadevi

Poem: Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, A Mother’s Tears and Triumphs

India Trip:
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Terms:

bhāvanā – contemplative meditation
bhoga – happiness, enjoyment
dhyāna – ( in tantrik context ) visualization meditation
jñāna – insight
mokṣa – liberation
tapas – warmth, heat
tattva – principle, level, reality
tejas – spiritual or moral or magical power or influence