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by Jayaram V
The Svetavatara Upanishad describes the qualities of the manifest
creation inhabited by the divine power of God (devatma-shakti). Unlike
the Prakriti of the Samkhya school, the Shakti that is described here
is not independent of Brahman but an aspect of Him. The Upanishad
describes the qualities of the manifested creation in the following
manner (I.4):
"We know Him with one hub, three divisions, sixteen ends, sixteen supports (spokes), six sets of eight each, whose one noose has innumerable forms, whose paths are distinguished as three and whose delusion arises out of two causes."
The symbolism is explained below:
One hub: The One Creative Principle, called Iswara
Three Divisions: The three qualities namely sattva, rajas
and tamas (Vishnu, Brahma and Mahesa)
Sixteen Ends: The five gross elements ( mahabhutas), the
five sense organs (jnanedriyas), the five organs of action (karmendriyas)
and the mind (manas).
Fifty supports: They are the five viparyayas (ignorance,
infatuation, love, anger and fear), the 28 weaknesses , nine opposites
of happiness (tushti) and eight opposites of perfections ( siddhis).
Twenty counter supports: They are the five sense organs,
five organs of action and their objects.
Six sets of eight each: They are 1. Prakriti with its eight
principles of gross elements, mind, buddhi and ego-sense, 2. eight
types of minerals (dhatus) found in the body, 3. eight types of wealth
or abundance (aisvarya), 4. eight types of feelings or mental states (bhava),
5. the eight types of gods (devas), and 6. eight qualities of the self
(atma guna).
The one noose with innumerable forms: It is the desire or
kama which manifests itself in many forms and holds the beings in
bondage.
The three paths: These are the three paths to salvation
namely, the path of knowledge (gnanamarg) , the path of devotion (bhaktimarg)
and the path of action (karmamarg).
The two causes of delusion: They are the good actions and
bad actions performed with desire which lead to delusion only.
The subsequent verse speaks of Brahman as a river of five streams
flowing from five terrifying and crooked sources, whose vital breaths
are five, who is at the root of the five perceptions, five whirl
pools, five pains that are divided into five branches of fifty each.
The five streams are perceptions flowing from the five sensory organs,
the five vital breaths are the five types of prana that flows in the
body, the five whirlpools are the five types of mental afflictions
caused due to ignorance, desire etc.
As the material and efficient cause of creation Brahman brings
forth his manifestation through these principles and resides in it.
These principles are elucidated in more detail by different schools of
Saivism. The Svetavatara Upanishad suggests the growing popularity of
Saivism and its influence upon the Vedic tradition at the time of its
composition.
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