महामनुस्तवः

THE MANTRA

The quickest way to have a realisation of the Deity is through its Mantra. Mantra is not a mere arrangement of letters. When the Transcendent Brahman desires to manifest out of its own volition, there is a stir, a throb which starts a series of vibrations. These take the form of sound, nada which is the origin of the whole creation. Each deity has its own nada lines of vibration in the high supernal. The Rishi hears in his occult audition the characteristic nada and when it is transmitted in the articulate tongue, it becomes the Mantra. The Mantra enshrines the deity and reveals the deity to the earnest seeker. The Mantra is not, as popularly held, a means to contact the deity. It is the deity itself. It is the sound-body of the deity, having a remarkable correlation with the body of the deity that is contemplated in Dhyana. For instance, Siva is said to have five faces and his Mantra is the five lettered pancakshari. Skanda has six faces and his Mantra saravanabhava, has six letters. Vishnu in his twelve aspects of Kesava, Narayana etc. has the twelve-lettered dwadasakshari. Chandika who has nine aspects as Nava Durgas has her famous navakshari. But nowhere the concordance is so close, the identification so complete as between Maha-tripurasundari and her Mantra.

The Tantra records the names of twelve pioneers as the foremost worshippers of Sri Vidya. They are Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Lopamudra, Manmatha, Agastya, Nandikesa, Surya, Vishnu, Skanda, Siva and Durvasa. It will be observed that the list is comprised of men, manava, accomplished beings, siddha and gods divya. Each one of them has founded a school of Sri Vidya. The Sri Vidya Mantra in each case is different. Out of these the Vidyas of Manmatha and Agastya are much in vogue amongst the worshippers. The Vidya of Manmatha or Kamaraja Vidya is known as kadi, because the Mantra begins with ka and that of Agastya is known as hadi as the Mantra begins with ha. Which is superior, kadi or hadi? There has always been some argument about it. The Tantric works mention both the Vidyas with equal regard. Some worship the Divine Mother through Hadi Mantra while others through Kadi Mantra. Without counting the letters that are repeated, the effective letters in Hadi are five, while in Kadi they are seven. The Mother reigns as Nadakala in the seven letters just the same way as in the five letters²³