vaak the goddess of words

(The words in italics are ‘ITRANS’ version of Sanskrit word. Refer English-Sanskrit dictionary by Sir Monier Williams at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/ )

Condensed or seed words, bIja mantra , Guru

Every word is either a complete or finite form of Consciousness or it is an incipient expression or a nucleus of expression. Such expression which is a nucleus is called ‘bIja’ or ‘bIja mantra’. Thus there are apparently meaningless words or mantras each of which actually represents an aspect of Consciousness as a seed. Like the seed of a tree contains the whole tree and the tree contains seeds and each seed contains a tree and so on and each tree is different from the other!

Here is an example. ‘b I j a’ mantra ‘aing’ which belongs to Guru (the preacher) and also to sarasvatI , (the goddess of Word or Knowledge). ‘aing’ signifies ‘direction’. It is that aspect of Consciousness who sets anyone and anything in appropriate direction. This is that aspect of Consciousness who steers you to your final goal. If you see Consciousness as a personality then ‘aing’ represents a god. Guru or the goddess of word or the living expression named ‘sarasvatI’, represents this aspect or personality of Consciousness. Every alphabet and mantra is like this. This is across all the time and all the space.

Guru, the preacher, provides you the direction by citing the word or a ‘mantra’. As each ray from a sphere of light is the light itself, similarly every word is from the soul (the core Consciousness). Consciousness, soul, is radiating the words and each radiated or spoken word has the soul in it as the nucleus.

Soul means immutable soul, where no different personality and sense exists, there all personality and sense dissolve into a singular sense that is full of Oneness, Consciousness, Omniscience, unbeatable joy of ONE in ONE and who has become many as the universe.

Thus the word that comes from Guru is the soul or the immutable soul or Guru himself showing the direction of the desired one for which/whom the mantra is cited. Your own word is also your radiation and more precisely the radiation of the immutable soul in you. The words provide the direction. A word told by the Seer to his disciple manifests slowly in the universal form, as a universal personality, as a deity. Since the seer, the preacher knows the Consciousness, the source of every thing, his words become effective (mantra) and he knows what is the most appropriate for you. Thus the hymn goes----

‘mantra data guru prokto

(Guru who provides the manta has told)

Mantra hi paramam Guru

(mantra itself is the supreme Guru)

Paraaparaa Guru aartha

(the meaning of the mantra itself is also Guru known as ‘paraapar-----combination of all dualities)

Paramsheti guru devata

(the mantra manifolds in a universal divine personality or devata or deity who is also Guru and called ‘paraamehsti----most desired’).

Guru, the Seer may tell you a few words only but if you take those words sincerely in you, the words will reveal themselves with universal meanings and as universal personalities or deities. Each deity is a personality who represents a particular aspect of Consciousness in an unending, infinite way.

Living words, mantra chaitanya

Words become extraordinarily active if they are pronounced knowing what (whose form) they are and who is the source of the words. The more we identify ourselves with consciousness and realize that we are nothing but consciousness, more our words become active, alive. It is for this reason it is necessary to chant or pronounce mantras or hymns by knowing the meaning. Also it is necessary to know the relationship with the god or the one addressing whom the mantras are articulated. Above all, we are consciousness, we are in consciousness and all the words are forms of consciousness and when we pronounce a mantra the process or the action is also in consciousness and by consciousness. We are part of it. The god to whom we pray, the god himself descends to us as our praying. If one can follow what is written above, the words become living words. Such aspect is called ‘mantra chaitnya’ or ‘making the words live and / or personified’ or ‘seeing the personified words’. Such words never fail.

Word, Electricity and Particle, the three forms of Shakti

Since we are physical, mortal, our words are also with little life. The word or sound called ‘shabda’ in Sanskrit is related to the word ‘ shava’ meaning corpse. The Seers who taught us have explained the meaning of shabda as below.

shabda (sound)= shavattam daati (donates or produces corpse; freezes something;)

shabda (sound)= shavam dyotayati (tears open or detonates the dead)---i.e. detonates the physicality to reveal consciousness.

Thus by the word, Consciousness freezes into physicality and by the word Consciousness breaks open the physicality into animation.

The alphabet ‘da’ (the dental alphabet) implies ‘to donate’, ‘to bite’, ‘to detonate’ etc.

The words have frozen into reality, into physical world. Though each entity at one end is infinite at its source but as an individual it is finite. We are individuals, but this existence as a separate individual is also called death as we are frozen into individuality, into finite limitation. A person called ‘Vimal’ can identify himself as ‘Vimal’ only and can not feel himself as a ‘bird’ or ‘moon’. This getting frozen into an individual is called

‘mUrti’(literally meaning idol) and is connected with the word ‘martya’ (meaning mortal or earthly) and ‘mRityu’ (meaning death). Isolation from the infinity is also death. When we will be able to make our words formed in the outer space we will have our teaching of idol worship completed. The God’s words are this formed universe.

The radiating words are the fragments of the immutable soul fragmented by ‘vaak’, the Shakti. Shakti is that aspect of consciousness by which consciousness splits and integrates, by which the changes are made. That’s why Shakti is known as ‘vaak’ (word), time (‘kaala’), life force (‘praaNa’). Particle in Sanskrit is called ‘kaNa’. ‘vaak’, the goddess of word is adorably called ‘kanyaa’ meaning ‘a girl’ or ‘unmarried daughter’. The word ‘kanyaa’ is derived from the word ‘kannya’ meaning the smallest.

’There are three forms of Shakti and is represented as mother (ambaa), wife (ambikaa) and daughter (ambaalikaa). In the first phase of our journey to eternity, She is the mother (ambaa), in the middle phase She is the wife (ambikaa). In the final phase She is the daughter (ambaalikaa). This word daughter is called ‘duhitRi’ ‘and also kanyaa’ in Sanskrit. The word ‘ama’ means radiance or ‘t e j a’. ‘baalaa’ means a little girl and connected with the word ‘bala’ meaning strength or power. As more She merges in us more we get the strength and like Her we will also be able to split ourselves when we will become strong enough.

Like a radioactive particle, splitting, creating fission, is the inherent property of ‘vaak’. ‘vaak’’ has been termed as ‘agni’ (fire) and ‘vidyut’(electricity) in the Vedas.( vaak vai agni, vaak vai vidyut). Vedas have defined ‘vidyut’ as one who detonates, breaks asunder. By electricity, by ‘vidyut’ the physicality can be broken to reveal the divinity. This is why the weapon of ‘indra’ the king of heaven is called ‘v a j r a’ –the thunder bolt.

‘vidanat (because it detonates, fragments) vidyut (so called viduyt or electricity)……’(Brihadaranyaka Upansihad,5th Chapter, seventh Brahmin).

There is also another significant meaning of ‘vidyut’. The word also means the supreme (ut/ud) state of existence or knowledge. The root word, ‘vid’ is the source of the words ‘vidyatey’ (to exist) or vidyaa (knowledge). That is our supreme form or existence is revealed in ‘vidyut’ (electricity).

The Vedas have mentioned that the weapon of ‘indra’ as ‘v a j r a’ (meaning Electricity or Thunder) was made from the bones of the seer ‘dadhikraa’. The name of the seer signifies who the seer sees. ‘dadhikraa’ is also known as the divine horse in the Vedas who actually moves by heart i.e. has serpentine motion. The word ‘dadhi’ (which means the curd, the milk getting condensed) is from the root word ‘dadh’ which means to hold. ‘kra’ means motion or motion that creates sequence. The word ‘krama’ means ‘sequence’, ’series’ etc. The serpentine motion of ‘dadhikraa’ has been mentioned in the Vedas. Thus ‘praaNa’ who has held us in his heart is moving while holding us. This course, motion of ‘praaNa’, creates day and night, week, fortnight, the summer and winter solstices, years and eras and our evolution. All the time He (She) holds us in our heart.

‘vaak’ is praaNa’s Shakti; ‘praaNa’ and ‘vaak’ are the two aspects of consciousness; consciousness splits by talking, by words, by ‘vaak’. As you talk you also split yourself.

If you look at you, with every word you are a different person. You are always talking. When you sleep you stop to talk. If you forget your physicality for a while and think yourself as only consciousness it will be easy for you to grasp what is being said.

Mother and Her measures

Mother is the one who tells us who is our father. In father we remain as seed, here all the sequences are in a single dimension. In mother, ‘maatraa’ or measures are made. We become definite, defined, our organs differentiate, we get eyes, ears, etc. as different parts of ours and a separate entity. The way She applies the measures, the way we are formed. All the time this measure is there, applied relentlessly. These measures are creating feelings in us and we are shaped as we feel.

Inside the Mother, there is no measure. Every thing is infinite, eternal, without measure. So, ‘mukhya praaNa’, principal ‘praaNa’, has been addressed as ‘amaa’ meaning without (a) + (maa) matraa or measure. Seers have recited (Chandogya Upanishad, 5th Chapter) :

tam amaa nama asi----your name is ‘amaa’;

amaa hi tey sarvam----because certainly every thing is in you, with you;

‘sa hi jyeShTha’, shreShTha , rajya,adhipati---She is the greatest, supreme, radiating, dominating.;

sa mam jyeShTham’, shreShTham, raajyam, aadhipatyam gamayatu---let She lead me in the state of ‘greatest being’, ‘supremacy’, ‘radiance’, ‘dominance’;

aham aeba sarvaam idam asani----me too will become everything!

Ma, Mother, creates the measures known as ‘maatraa’ in Sanskrit. From the ‘maatraa’ all matters are created, every one is created. There are three measures, three ‘maatraa’ or measure. They are ‘ama’, ‘saha’, ‘bhraaja’.

‘Amaasi matra (ama is a matra).

‘ama’ is the radiance(‘t e j a’) with which Consciousness splits and creates finite entity in the background of infinity. This is the first degree. ‘amaa’, the Mother (maa), creates us and rears us by measures coming out of the realm beyond measure.

By Mother the ‘matraa’ of Shakti is adjusted to the degree that suits us. By this ‘matraa’ (measure) everything has adjusted to suit us. This ‘matraa’, this measure controls the radiation of the Sun, the motion of the earth, the level of oxygen in air, the regulations of process inside our body, the strength of the jaws of a predator when it lifts its calf by mouth, the secretion of milk from the bosom of the mother for her siblings, the recurrence of seasons and so on in every thing.

‘sahasi matraa ’ (saha asi matraa- saha is a matraa ).

‘saha’ means ‘together with’ and also it means ’powerful, mighty’.

The measure, control is spontaneously coming out of Consciousness ceaselessly. These are the events and moments of our life, our feelings and knowing, living. Whenever any thing we feel, we know, we become that. Thus those feelings determined by the ‘matraa’ or ‘measures’ become a part of us, our constituent. This is food, ‘anna’, nourishment. We grow and such measures, feelings, actions of consciousness become our parts, make us. This growing, becoming as a part of us, becoming same, is ‘saha’. ‘saha’ means together----this is ‘sahasi matra’(saha asi matra-saha is a matra). This is (she is ) ‘ambikaa’(wife), who merges with us and becomes our own energy. This is ‘saha’, ‘shakti’, SHE.

The measure is vision. Another measure is touch. The other is sound and so on. It is our vision, it is our hearing, it is our test, our touch, our feeling. It is same as us. This is togetherness, this is ‘saha’. She, ‘ambikaa’, has merged in us. Again the way I see is different from the way someone else sees. The way I look at a flower and a goat looks at it is different. It is the degree, measure, ‘matraa’ that makes it different and accordingly we live in our world of feelings. It is in a specific way SHE embraces each of us and that makes the difference.

‘bhraaja asi matra’(bhraaja asi matra- bhraaja is a matra).

‘bhraaja’ means shining, glittering. Shining or glittering means to reveal oneself by oneself. Shine means to radiate, to split. Consciousness, ‘vaak’ splits. Consciousness is self revealing, and every fragment of consciousness is also self revealing. This is splitting of consciousness. The ability by which Consciousness splits is called ‘vaak’, the goddess of word. In consciousness, the ‘ability’ or Shakti is also consciousness. We say that vaak is Shakti. We also say ‘vaak’ is Shakti of ‘praaNa’. ‘praaNa’ is the ‘aatman’ or immutable soul in activity.

The seer can split themselves by word as consciousness splits by words. This is why ‘vaak’ is ‘ambaalikaa’, the little girl is running around. This universe, the every entity, every one, is ‘vaak’; the little girl is running around. ‘vaak’ is called ‘dogdhRi’ which means the milk maid who milks the cow. vaak is also called ‘duhitRi’(daughter). whose secretion is life, ‘praaNa’, whose secretion is time, whose secretion is sound, light, touch, smell, taste,… ,,.There are those streams of life, known as ‘hitaa naaDI’(veins / nerves named ‘hitaa’ in the Upanishads) which are running inside the heart, in the inner sky, described as 72000 in number. Daughter or duhita (du+hita) is the one who is the life flowing through the ‘hitaa’, who is secreting as ‘hitaa’. The Upanishads have described that ‘hitaa’ , the flowing streams of the heart are colorful, “neelasya(blue streams), lohitasya(red streams), haritasya(green streams ), pingalsya (streams of various shades) purNa (filled with)…….Further the texts have described that these streams are like nets shrouding the heart, these streams are the avenues, the lanes and the by-lanes along which the king of heaven ‘indra’ and his wife ‘viraaTa’(the vast universe) loiters around.

In this third phase, the Seer can split himself/herself as ‘vaak’ splits.

vaak and dhenu, lactating Mother Goddess

Vedas, Upanishads have described ‘vaak’ as the milch cow called ‘dhenu’ in Sanskrit. The word is connected to the word ‘dhvani’ meaning sound.

vaacham dehenum iti upasIta

(vaak is worshipped as a milch cow)

tasya chwatari stanaa

(she has four udders)

svaahaakaara, vaShTkara, svadhaakara, hantakara

(the udders are svaahaakaara, vaShTkara, svadhaakara, hantakara )

tasay dou stanou deva upajIvanti svaahaakaaram cha vaShTkaram cha

(the deities live on the two udders which are svaahaakaara, and vaShTkara)

hantakaram manuShya svadhaakaram pitarah

(the human being live on the udder name hantakaara, the Fathers live on svadhaakara)

praaNa rIShava

(praaNa is the bull)

mano vatsya

(mind is the calf).

The two udders are called ‘svaahaakaara’ and ‘vaShTkara by which She (vaak) nourishes the deities (the plane of revelation, radiation).

This world is Her call. Generally the feminine gender is ascribed to Consciousness when the emphasis is on the creation, changes and annihilation. This calling Herself by Herself is ‘svaahaa’. The word ‘svaahaa’ is connected to the word ‘sva’ meaning soul and the word ‘ha’ / ‘haa’ meaning ‘calling’. This creation is call of Consciousness. SHE has called HERSELF by HERSELF. The formed universe is HER words.

‘svaahaa’ has been also described as the consort of agni (fire) or praaNa. By the words, ‘praaNa’ the divine life, the Consciousness has multiplied and created. Consciousness is thus self revealing or ‘svayamprakaasha’. In this revelation we are also revealed as we are Consciousness.

‘svaahaa’ is chanted as the mantra for oblation in the divine fire. The Consciousness scarifies HER eternal form to become finite and still SHE remains as it is. So SHE is eternal (‘ananta’).

‘vaShTkar’ is an aspect related to sweetness. The word ‘Shat’ meaning six signifies six feet honey bee, the two triangles or hearts in union or sweetness.

‘vaShTkar’ is the pleasure of feeling the revelation. She feels whatever she becomes. She enjoys the pleasure of feeling the entire universe as HER own revelation. In the external sky, in the planetary system, the center of this pleasure is the sun (‘aditya’) who is also the inner sun in you. Thus in Chandyogya Upanishad, ‘aditya’ has been termed as ‘deva madhu’ or the ‘honey of all the deities. ‘aditya’ means where there is no duality. The word ‘adana’ means the act of eating. Thus, ‘aditya’ also means where the eating or assimilation is happening with the soul, with the ‘ONENESS’.

The third one is called ‘svadhaakara’ by which she nourishes the ‘fathers’, ‘plane of instincts’, ‘the plane of genealogy’, ‘the plane which controls our inheritance’.

‘svadhaa’ means by whom our own habits and instincts are held. By which everybody’s individuality is held. It is the plane of divine father (pitRiloka). We remain held in the Father as seeds. There every thing is in withdrawn form, all together, not differentiated.

The word ‘stana’ (connected to the word ‘stanan’ meaning sound) means breast and the word ‘stanayitnu’ means the roar of cloud or the sound that rains. So, stanayitnu---rumble of the cloud means the sound coming out of the heart with the rains of affection, love, that makes the earth verdant, that makes the rivers ebullient. It is raining. ‘varShaNa’ means rain and ‘varSHa’ means a year and also rain. Raining means not only rain, it also means whatever is raining as events as the time flows. And thus the word vatsya (calf or offspring) means the outcome of a full time cycle! The word ‘vatsara’ means ‘year’. Thus She rears us!

If you read between the lines you will realize how unified is the universe.

The human beings sip the milk from the udder called ‘hantakara’. The word ‘hanta’ is an exclamatory word and also this word is the most common word of exclamation used by the Japanese. In the Vedas (Chandyogya), the creator exclaimed by saying ‘hanta’ when the Creator felt the creation. ‘hanta aham ima trisro devata’ (oh! I am this trinity!)……..

‘hanta’ resembles ‘oh’ or ‘aah’. It represents the most fundamental human expression of feelings from heart. We are neither like the creatures of upper levels, where things are accomplished as soon as desired, where the sense controlling whether an act should be done or not done is not the guiding factor. Neither we belong to the lower strata where the animals are driven by instincts and don’t wait to ponder on whether something is right to do or not. We are in the middle, in the plane of hRidaya or heart where the emotion and exclamation ‘hanta’ dwells. We do every thing by thinking, by applying judgment, by balancing between a sin and virtue. Our heart is expanded. It is not limited or confined as we see in animal kingdom. We have many friends, we have many relatives, many attachments, many criteria and principles. In the higher plane, it is not the heart, it is the upper heart or radiance that prevails. In our heart it is duality, in the upper plane, the sense of duality is less and less and it’s the soul’s radiance that constitutes everything.

We look for praise, we love to rise by our feats, we embrace our desires and dear ones by heart, we live by the intellect. ‘ha’, ‘hanta’ also signifies the exclamation of certainty. The interjection, ‘haan’, ‘hun’ etc. are very common in Indian languages and represent ‘confirmation’, ‘assertion’. The well known word ‘hiM’ in the Vedas also represents this sound of ‘certainty’. In the animal plane this resembles the call (sounding like ‘hambaa’) and the confirmation call of a cow and its calf when they call each other while out of sight. The intellect is that aspect of consciousness by which we become certain or confirmed. That a grass is a grass and not a leaf is decided by intellect.

Four forms of vaak---paraa, pashyantI, madhyamaa, vaikharI

When we see that everything, all the time, all the space is in a singularity, we call the Goddess vaak as ‘paraa-vaak’ and ‘om’.

When she flares up, becomes flagrant to reveal, to express the universe we call her ‘pashyantI’(the Shakti of vision, energy of vision or revelation). (We have explained in earlier publications that that the centre of vision and source of time cycle is the same.). We have explained earlier that the word ‘IkShaNa’ in Sanskrit means ‘act of seeing’ and also ‘to activate time’. IkShaNa=I (energy)+ kShaNa(moment or elements of time). The three dimensions of time are held in the vision. It is for this reason the Goddess is three eyed. When the Consciousness saw, Consciousness revealed everything in the three dimensions of time.

Consciousness is called ‘svayamprakaasha’ or ‘self revealing’. In the revelation, Consciousness becomes the universe and also remains as it is in the absolute form. What Consciousness becomes is also consciousness and by (Shakti or power) what consciousness reveals is also consciousness. Revelation and annihilation are the intrinsic properties and the confluence of the two is the stability or living or the time called ‘present’.

This universe, the creation is woven by the network of love. ‘Love’ is the outer crust of ‘praaNa’ (commonly known as life force). ‘praaNa’ is the active form of Consciousness. Consciousness at rest is the ‘immutable soul’. SHE remains immutable and also becomes many. This act of becoming ‘many’ is experienced as a ‘conjugal’ action of HER two forms, ‘praaNa’ and ‘vaak’. We have explained this in the earlier publications also. Every bit of creation, every grain of dust is ‘HER’ own ‘self’ and thus ‘SHE’ is beholding the universe. This loving relation and its mystery have been told in the ‘madhu vidya’ of the Vedas. ‘madhu’ means sweet, honey. ‘vidya’ means knowledge or Shakti(i.e. ONE who knows). All actions, phenomena are results of ‘knowing’. In one section of Upanishad it is mentioned that ‘madhu vidya’ has been taught by ‘indra’ to the seer ‘dadhikra’.

Thus in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it is cited as below

yam pRithivI sarveshan bhUtanam madhu

(this earth is sweet to all)

asaai pRithivai sarvani bhUtani madhu

(and all are sweet to this earth)

ya cha ayam asyam prtivyam

( one who is there inside the earth)

tejomayo amrtitomayo purusha

(who is a radiant and eternal being)

yacha ayam adhyatam shariro

(and the one who is inside our body)

tejomayo amrtitomayo purusha

(who is also radiant and eternal being)

ayam aebo sa

(the two are the same)

ya ayam atma

(and they are the same as the Soul)

Iadam amritam

(HE is eternal)

Idam bramha

(HE is the absolute)

Idam sarvam

(HE is everything)

Thus they have found the radiant eternal one in everything as noted in the hymns. They have found HIM in water, in air, in sky and in electricity, in fire, in the mind, in the personality, in the soul and in everything.

After revealing she starts condensing, i.e. she feels what she has become. This is plane of heart, plane of communication or medium, plane of commonality, plane of exchange(between the creator and the creature). Here we call her ‘madhyamaa’(she who is the medium).

The words ‘water’ in English, ‘jal’ in Indian language or ‘eau’ in French convey the same meaning. This meaning, inner word,is ‘madhyamaa’.

The word which is aired, which takes shape in the external space is called ‘vaikharI.

In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad(1st Chapter, 5th Brahmin, 3rd mantra) it is mentioned:

ya kashcha shavda vagaiba sa

(any word is vaak)

saisa hi annaytawa saisa hi na

( it is vaak by whom one gets Her, it is also vaak who remains unexpressed).

If we get these words, it is by ‘vaak’ and if not then that is also by ‘vaak’!

There is another famous hymns in Vedas on ‘vaak’.

‘oShTha apidhanam asi nakuli’

(you are covered by the lips, you without any cast and creed!)

dantai parivritaa pavi

(you are surrounded by the teeth, you flowing and cleaning!)

jewvey ma viwhawlo

(please do not falter on my tongue)

charu vaachang videha mang

(please endow me with charming words).

{This is written from the teachings received from the Seers Shri. Bijoykrishna Chattopadhaya (1875-1945), and his principle disciple Shri Tridibnath Bandopadhaya(1923-1994). This article was earlier published in Scribd.------Debkumar Lahiri

(you may write to the author at dkldk@rediffmail.com or debkumar.lahiri@gmail.com for any comments or query)