‘Sri-Vidya’ is the abode of Consciousness;
it is Devi Sarasvati, the embodiment of all Knowledge- the science, art,
and technology and, as pure Consciousness (‘cit’) it pervades the universe. So
far, this Consciousness (cit) has not been defined. It may be
said, “Consciousness is just what it is and what it does!” Consciousness
is everything. It is the ‘Theory of Everything’ (TOE). It is called “prajnyanam
Brahma”. SrIvidyA is AtmavidyA, BrahmavidyA. We shall leave
it at that. But, let’s remember, it, this SrIvidyA, does everything. It
sees itself as aslso sees others. It is ‘that which sees without being seen’.
It is because of this Consciousness that we become aware of ourselves, the
world, and know of our existence. It is the source of all that exist. Here,
when we talk of Sri-Vidya, we are dealing with an ancient scripture that is the
source of all other ancient scriptures including the Veda, the Brahma Sutra,
and the Upanishads. Sri-Vidya is the study of evolution of planes of
Consciousness as presented in the Sri-Chakra.
The
supreme Lord of the universe, Parabrahman or Parameshvara, whatever we call it,
is the sudha sindhu, ksheera sagara-the abode of pure
Consciousness. It is called ‘Sri-Vidya’ here. The word ‘SrI’
stands for the embodiment of resources; all that are required for creation and
its knowledge is the ‘VidyA’. SrIVidyA is thus the
knowledge of all that is at the root of creation. It is Light, Energy, Force, Intelligence
(LIFE). lt vibrates as Prana, Chaitanya, Vidyut (electricity), Ayaskanta
(magnetism), and the effect of these can be observed in diverse forms.
In
other words, Sri-Vidya is all about the avyakta, the unmanifest, or the
subtlest of the subtle aspects of creation. It is found in seed form and
contain secrets of creation (srushti), sustenance (sthiti), development
(vikasa), dissolution (laya), as well as their ultimate merger in
the Absolute (vilaya). Creation involves a good lot of preparation such
as mopping up of material and non-material resources starting with the Desire
and the Will (iccha and sankalpa) of the Lord for creation,
creation of the blue-print of the universe (line-drawings and sketches in all
minute details) called the Sri-Chakra, and the technology of creation
called ‘Sri-Yantra’, and other details about the Grand Design- structure
and composition of the Universe, the nature of Consciousness that supports this
universe, etc. it will be interesting to unfold the subtler aspects involved in
the creation of this universe as depicted in Sri-Vidya.
Srividya upasana is through Sriyantra and this dates back
to antiquity. Some of the ancient temples have Sri Chakra as the ‘vimana’ over
the sanctum sanctorum (garbhagudi) as in Tirumalai Venkateshvara
temple, Chandala-Parameshvari temple at Sannati in Gulbarga dist., mUkAMbikA
temple at Kollur, Sringeri (Karnataka), and at many places in Tamil Nadu such
as Chidambaram, Jambukeshvaram, Avadaiyyar-koyal, Kanchi (kAMcIpuram),
Kurtalam, dEvIpuram, etc.
SrIvidyA is a complete work on spiritual
sadhana. It aims at mukti (muktiprada) and holds secrets of evolution
and dissolution or involution. It is a Yoga Shastra of great importance for the
Samayins who take to antaryaga. “SrIvidyA has an ideology which is distinctive
and, a practical framework including rituals, recitation of mantra,
contemplation and esoteric practices.” Further, “It requires great intellectual
understanding and a discerning appreciation of the theoretical foundations
(jnyana), an attitude of earnest devotion (Bhakti), a willingness to undertake
the prescribed rituals (sadhana/karma), and acceptance of the necessary askesis
(yoga/ meditation/ tapasya) (SKR).
There are eight Agama Shastra texts* which
explain the different techniques of upasana. These are: Chandra-kala-jnyana,
Kularnava Tantra, Bhuvaneshvari Tantra, Jyotsnavati, Kalanidhi, Kuleshvari,
Durvasas and Barhaspatya-tantra.
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