Yoginī-Hṛdayam

Background of the Tantra

The Heart of the Yoginī is a Śrīvidyā tantra that describes in detail the structure of the Śrīcakra, its epistemological underpinnings, its yoginīs, related mudrās, as well as its sacred mantras. The commentator Amṛtānanda (ca. 1325-1375) gives deep insights from the overall traditions and texts of what is now generally attributed to the Kashmir valley, showing perfectly how Śrīvidyā was understood by him as the natural extension of the tantra traditions known in Kashmir. He does not see it as a separate tradition.

Chapter 1

The Characteristic of the Cakra

The tantra begins with Devī as the interlocutor asking the lord Bhairava about points not understood in the Vāmakeśvaratantra. Thus, the tantra aligns itself with the root-tantra of the entire Śrīvidyā tradition, revealing itself to be an important Śrīvidyā-based tantra.

In very artful language, the tantra describes the lord as responding with a prakāśāṁśa, a mere particle of his light. He promises Devī that he will reveal to her the great secret, the Heart of the Yoginī, which has been transmitted only from ear to ear.

Qualifications and Prerequisites

The lord says that this great secret cannot be shared with the students of others, negators.

The commentator cites a verse from the Kulārṇavatantra: “labdhvā kulaguruṃ samyaṅ na gurvantaramāśrayet”, “having obtained a kula (=kaula) guru, one should not resort to a different guru.” (13.130)

The lord says the great secret should not be given to those who are weary of learning or lazy at inquiring (śūśrūṣālasa), nor to those who give nothing. The commentator explains it should be given only to one who has been properly examined and who has lived with the teacher for at least half a year. The lord says that by understanding this, he shall attain the state of khecara, the sky-traveller.

The Cakra of Tripurā

The chapter then goes on to the describe the cakra of Tripurā, how it emerges from nondual union into the triad symbolised by the triangle, then the nine cakras, and so on. Details meditations on the śaktis of the various cakras and higher levels of cakras are given.

viśvākāraprathādhāranijarūpaśivāśrayam |
kāmeśvarāṅkaparyaṅkaniviṣṭamatisundaram || 1.52 ||

The Weapons of Tripurasundarī

The verse uses the language of present-day Śrīvidyā.

icchāśaktimayaṃ pāśamaṅkuśaṃ jñānarūpiṇam |
kriyāśaktimaye bāṇadhanuṣī dadhadujjvalam || 1.53 ||

The verse correlates Tripurasundarī’s weapons with the three śaktis: her noose is the power of desire, whereas the hook is of the nature of knowledge. Her arrows and bow represent kriyāśakti.

Cit as Vimarśaśakti

cidātmabhittau viśvasya prakāśāmarśane yadā |
karoti svecchayā pūrṇavicikīrṣāsamanvitā || 1.56 ||

“In her own nature, cit or awareness, when revealing the light of the world,
she distinctively creates by her own will, endowed with the perfect wish to create.”

In his commentary on this verse, Amṛtānanda explains cit as vimarśaśakti, the power of reflection.

In his commentary on 1.71, he cites this verse about the eight types of pāśas or bonds:

ghṛṇā śaṅkā bhayaṃ lajjā jugupsā ceti pañcamī |
kulaṃ śīlaṃ ca jātiścetyaṣṭau pāśāḥ prakīrtitāḥ ||

"Contempt (ghṛṇā), doubt (śaṅkā), fear (bhayaṃ), shame (lajjā), and disgust (jugupsā) — these five, along with family (kula), conduct (śīla), and social class (jāti), are known as the eight bonds (pāśāḥ)."

The Meaning of Mahātripurasundarī

In the commentary on 1.84, Amṛtānanda explains Mahātripurasundarī with the following words:

"Mahādevī – She is called 'Mahādevī' because of her immense nature, and because she transcends all distinctions of time, place, and form. The term 'Devī' means ‘luminous’ and refers to her as the embodiment of Vimarśa (the power of reflection, consciousness), which is the core of all existence. Here, she is described in two ways: both in a threefold and ninefold manner (see 1.72), as mentioned earlier in the discussion of Vāsanācakra.

Mahātripurasundarī – She is 'Mahātripurasundarī' because she is beyond any veil, being in the form of pure consciousness (Cidrūpiṇī). She is Tripurā because she transcends the three realms (earth, atmosphere, and heaven), and turyarūpatvāt, because she exists in the transcendent fourth form (beyond even the highest states). The term Sundarī means 'she who is supremely desirable to all', because her essence is the very nature of supreme beauty and self-realisation, which is the goal of all beings.

Thus, Vidyā, the supreme knowledge, is intrinsic self-awareness (Svasaṃvid), and she, the Devatā, is worthy of worship. In this way, she is to be meditated upon in the three forms of Parā (Aparā, and Parāparā)."

Chapter 2

The Characteristic of the Mantras

The lord commences the second chapter by stating that one who knows the mantras becomes Vīracakreśvara, the lord of the cakra of heroes, of the nature of tripura.

The tantra correlates these vidyās with the cakras of the Śrīcakra:

karaśuddhikarī tvādyā dvitīyā cātmarakṣikā |
ātmāsanagatā devī tṛtīyā tadanantaram ||
cakrāsanagatā paścāt sarvamantrāsanasthitā |
sādhyasiddhāsanā ṣaṣṭhī māyālakṣmīmayī parā ||
mūrtividyā ca sā devī saptamī parikīrtitā |
aṣṭamyāvāhinī vidyā navamī bhairavī parā ||

An interesting verse stresses the importance of the paramparā:

pāramparyavihīnā ye jñānamātreṇa garvitāḥ |
teṣāṃ samayalopena vikurvanti marīcayaḥ || 2.14 ||

“Those who are without paramparā and merely puffed up with knowledge,
the marīcis upend them due to their lapse in samaya.”

The Six Types of Meaning of a Tantra

The six types of meaning (artha) of a tantra are given:

ṣaḍvidhastaṃ tu deveśi kathayāmi tavānaghe |
bhāvārthaḥ sampradāyārtho nigarbhārthaśca kaulikaḥ || 2.15 ||
tathā sarvarahasyārtho mahātattvārtha eva ca |
akṣarārtho hi bhāvārthaḥ kevalaḥ parameśvari || 2.16 ||

“O faultless queen of the devas, I shall tell you the sixfold (meanings):
The sense-meaning (bhāvārtha), the traditional meaning (sampradāyārtha), the hidden meaning (nigarbhārtha), the kaula meaning, the meaning secret from all (sarvarahasyārtha), and the meaning of the great reality (mahātattvārtha).
The meaning of the words is only the sense-meaning, o supreme queen.”

These meanings are then elaborated upon in detail in relation to the mantrarāja, the king of mantras, which in the context of the tantra is the supreme Śrīvidyāmantra.

In the commentary on 2.25, the commentator introduces an interesting discussion on what is a real guru vis-a-vis one who only deems himself a guru (gurumānita) but has not studied all the scriptures, the Vedas, and the limbs of the Vedas, nor understood the meaning of ultimate reality. He then quotes an interesting verse:

sarvajño hi śivo vetti sadasacceṣṭitaṃ nṛṇām |
tenāsau nānugṛhṇāti kiñcijjñasya gurorgirā ||

“The all-knowing Śiva knows the good and bad conduct of human beings.
Thus, he does not grace the speech of a guru who knows only little (kiñcijjña).”

yasya yasya padārthasya yā yā śaktir udīritā |
sā sā sarveśvarī devī sa sa sarvo maheśvaraḥ || 2.31 ||

”Whatever capacity (śakti) is said to exist of any phenomenon, that (very capacity) is Devī, the queen of all,
and that entire (array of phenomena) is the great lord.”

The commentator explains beautifully: loke yasya yasya padārthasya yatkiñcitkaraṇasāmarthyalakṣaṇā yā yā śaktirvidyate, sā sā śaktiḥ sarveśvarī devī sarvasya śivādikṣityantasyeśvarī niyāmikā devī parā, sa sa sarvaḥ padārtho maheśvaro viśvajaganniyāmakaḥ paramaśivaḥ | loke yadyadvastu yatkiñcitkaraṇasāmarthyaśāli tatsāmarthyarūpeṇa paraiva pariṇatā, tattatsāmarthyavadvasturūpeṇa paramaśivaḥ pariṇata iti vaktuṃ śakyate |

"In the world, for each and every object, for whichever there is the characteristic of the capability to bring something into existence (i.e. the potential for action or effect), that very potential is the energy (śakti) of the Supreme Goddess, the Sovereign Devī, who is the ruler of all, who governs even the entire realm from Śiva to the farthest end of the earth, the ultimate controller. He (Śiva) is the Supreme Lord (Mahādeva), the ruler of the universe, Paramaśiva. In the world, whatever object has the ability to act or bring about something, it is by that same power that it manifests, and that power of manifestation is identified as Paramaśiva, who is the ultimate form of all capabilities."

The lord further explains the qualities of the elements in relationship to the mantra syllables.

The Nigarbha or Hidden Meaning

Explaining the hidden meaning, the lord says:

nigarbho'pi mahādevi śivagurvātmagocaraḥ || 2.48 ||

“The hidden (meaning), o great goddess, is the pasture for Śiva, the guru, and the self.”

nigarbho nigarbhārthaḥ | śivo vāṅmanagocaraḥ sakala-niṣkala-sakalaniṣkala-bhedaviśeṣyaḥ, [ātmādisakalaguṇābhidhastādṛśameva svātmatayā vīkṣamāṇo viditākhilāgamārtho guruḥ, tādṛśagurukaruṇā-kaṭākṣapātavigalitasakalapāśaviśada] cidrūpānubhavaḥ [śiṣya] ātmā | taduktaṃ svacchandasaṃgrahe - 

tattvātītaṃ varārohe vāṅmano'tītagocaram |
aniṣkalaṃ cāsakalaṃ nīrūpaṃ nirvikalpakam ||
nirdvandvaṃ paramaṃ tattvaṃ śivākhyaṃ paramaṃ padam |
sarvavidyāvidācāryo mokṣadharmaparāyaṇaḥ |
guruvaktraprayogeṇa paśuṃ tatraiva yojayet ||

"Beyond all transcendental realities, which surpass speech and mind, indivisible, without parts, beyond form, and beyond all concepts, it is free from duality, the supreme reality, known as Śiva, the ultimate state. He who is the teacher of all knowledge, the guru who leads to liberation, the embodiment of the dharma of liberation: Through the practice of the guru’s teachings, the animal (conditioned mind) is united with that supreme state. “

The commentator quotes this verse to define the guru:

gṛṇīte tattvam ātmīyam ātmīkṛtajagattrayam |
upāyopeyarūpāya śivāya gurave namaḥ || 

And he explains it in these words:

”He comprehends the reality related to the self, the three worlds being his very own self, he is both the means and the goal to be reached: Homage to the Guru, Śiva himself.”

ityuktalakṣaṇaḥ | evaṃvidhaśivagurvātmaikyagocarānusandhānātmako nigarbhārtha ityarthaḥ ||

”Such is this characteristic (of the guru, in relation to whom) the hidden meaning is the contemplation that has as its object the oneness of Śiva, Guru and oneself.”

The commentator beautifully explains:

”By the power of the guru’s command, the state is pure and free from all multiplicity. By beholding this (state), one experiences the ocean of non-dual consciousness, which is like nectar, full of supreme bliss. A pure disciple dissolves into the ocean of consciousness, becoming the essence of bliss and consciousness. By following the instructions given by the guru, the disciple’s vision becomes capable of severing all bonds (of illusion). Due to the guru’s power, the pure disciple, filled with devotion and humility, constantly meditates on the thought "I am Paramaśiva" with utmost reverence, through continuous practice, and with unwavering devotion. He becomes blemishless, like the blemish-free, faultless moon. The doubts, contraction, and ego of worldly existence vanish; attachment to external desires and possessions disappears. Through this, the conditioned mind becomes spotless, free from the identification of "I" and "mine," and cultivates the realisation that his true nature is Śiva. As the disciple, in proximity to the guru, who is like a pure crystal, gradually sheds the impurities of the ego and attachment, he becomes a fully purified being, the essence of nondual self-realisation, with the guru’s glance cutting through all illusions and bonds, leading him to his true, untainted nature.”

The Kaulika Meaning

The tantra states that the kaulika (kaula) meaning is:

kaulikaṃ kathayiṣyāmi cakradevatayorapi || 2.51 ||

“The kaulika (meaning) is (the unity of) the cakras and deities.”

The commentator explains:

“vidyāgurvātmanām aikyaṃ kaulikaṃ kaulikārtham, kathayiṣyāmi | cakradevatāguruvidyā-sādhakānām aikyānusandhānaṃ kaulikārtha ityarthaḥ | akṣarārthaḥ sphuṭaḥ |”

“The kaulika meaning is the oneness of the vidyā (mantra), the guru, and oneself. The kaulika meaning is the contemplation of the oneness of the cakras, the deities, the guru, the vidyā (mantra), and the sādhaka. Whereas the literal meaning is clear.”

A notable point: The commentator knows the Kāmakalāvilāsa as a text.

In the commentary, Śrīvidyā is also known as the Saubhāgyavidyā.

devatāyāḥ paraṃ vapuḥ || 2.56a ||

“cakraṃ devatāyāḥ param anyad vapuḥ |”

“(The Śrīcakra) is the deity’s other form.”

evaṃrūpaṃ paraṃ tejaḥ śrīcakravapuṣā sthitam |
tadīyaśaktinikarasphuradūrmisamāvṛtam || 2.57 ||

“The ultimate light of such nature exists in the form of the Śrīcakra,
surrounded by  waves blazing with the rays of its śaktis.”

The commentator explains that its nature is that of 111 devatās and lists them as they are known in present-day Śrīvidyā:

ekādaśādhikaśatadevatātmatayā punaḥ | ekādaśottaraśatadevatāstrikoṇāgradakṣavāmakoṇeṣu kāmeśvaryādikāstisraḥ, tadbahiraṣṭakoṇāntarāle trikoṇaṃ paritaścaturdikṣu aṣṭau kāmeśvarakāmeśvaryāyudhadevatāḥ, aṣṭakoṇe'ṣṭau vaśinyādyāḥ, aṣṭakoṇāntarāle ṣaḍaṅgadevatāḥ, antardaśāre sarvajñādyā daśa, dvitīyadaśāre sarvasiddhipradādyā daśa, caturdaśāre sarvasaṃkṣobhiṇyādyāścaturdaśa, aṣṭadale'ṣṭānaṅgakusumādyāḥ, ṣoḍaśadale kāmākarṣiṇyādyāḥ ṣoḍaśa, antaścaturasre mudrādevatā daśa, madhyacaturasre brāhmyādyā aṣṭau, bāhyacaturasre'ṇimādyā daśa | evamekādaśottaraśatadevatātmatayā tāsāmādhārabhūtā śrīcakrarūpiṇī devatetyarthaḥ ||