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100
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JUNE, 1928
ayam purushah sarvasu púrshu purićayah ; TA. 10, 10, 3: Yat pundarikam pura-madhyasan stham; Ch. Up. 8, 1, 1 yad idam asmin brahmapure daharam pundarikan reśma, etc.), while the fortress mentioned in v. 33 is the heart that is also sometimes referred to as pura or brahmapura, compare Mundakopanishat, 2, 2, 7: divye brahmapure hy esha vyomny átmd pratishthitah (Roth in the PW. 8. v. explains brahmapura as 'heart'); Åtmabodho panishat, 1 : yad idam brahmapuram pundarikan tasmal tad id-abha-matram ; Nårâ yanopanishat, 5: tad idam puram pundarikam. This is shown by the epithet hiranyaya that is common to the kośa of vv. 31, 32 and the půh of v. 33, as also by the parallelism of the expression jyotisha vrta in v. 31 with yasasa samparivíta in v. 33. Now this heart has been described, in TA. 10, 11, 2 cited above as shining and full of rings of flames.' It is described as hiranyaya 'golden' in Mundakopanishat 2, 2, 8. The epithets prabhrájamdna, harita, yasasi sampari vrta, and hiranyaya of v. 33 can all be therefore appropriately used of the heart, and the incongruity pointed out by M. Boyer does not in fact exist.
These verses, as also the corresponding ones in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (1, 27, 2) are explained by the writers on Sakta Tantrism-e.g., by Lakshmidhara in his commentary on v. ll of the Saundaryalahari or Anandalahari, by Bhaskararaya in his commentary on the Lalitasahasrandma and also in his commentary, named Setubandha, on the Vamakeśvara-tantra of Nityashodafikarnava-As referring to the Sri-cakra. As the Sri-cakra is, as is well-known, a symbol of the human body (see on this point the Bliavanopanishat; Tantraraja-lantra edited by A. Avalon and the Vamakelvaratantra mentioned above), such interpretation is not so far-fetched as it may at first sight seem to be, and what is more, it has also to be admitted that the Tantrik interpretation brings out the meaning of the various epithets more strongly and clearly than the usual interpretation does. I reproduce 4' here as a specimen that given in the Setubandha (p. 189) where, as I have already observed, Bhaskararaya explains the term yaksham as mahabhitam pujaniyam : tatha cátharvandh Saunaka-sakhiyu amananti ashtacakrá navadvard devánam púr ayothyt tasyam hiranyayah kosah svargo jyotisha urah tasmin hiranyaye kose tryare tripratish hite tasmin yad yaksham atmanvat tad vai brahma taittiriya. sakhayam prathamántam iti viseshah | trailokyamohanadi-sarvasiddhipradânta-cakráshtakayuktam nava-yoni-ghatitam anyeshâm asádhyam devatâvâsa-bhůtam Sri-calera-nagaram yat tatrápy uttamah koso jyotirmayah svarga-tulyas trikona-namalo 'sti tasmin kone tridhå pratishthitam tri-samashti-svarúpam bindu-cakram asti tasmin bindu-cakre svátmaniva yad yuksham mahabhůtam pujaniyam tad brahmaiveti vdsandm ajña (sic) jananti. Substantially the same explanation43 of these two versen is given by him in his Lalita sahasranama-bhashya (p. 179 of the Nirnayasagara ed.); but yaksha is here explained as půjyam only.
I have said above that the explanation of M. Boyer or one similar to it, which makes the verses refer to the sun as being the citadel in which Brahman dwells, is a quite possible one;
49 Correcting the mistakes that are found in the verses quoted in the edition.
18 anayor scor artha, dovdndm apy ayodhyd aaddhyd durlabhd pah nagari Sri cakram ity arthah.... idvard pdea-rupa Ayodhyd-nagari tu martyanam ayodhya iyam tu devanam apity arthah sd kidrfi ashdcakrd ashtau cakrani dohtaram dve dafare manvastam ashtadala-khodadadale padme bhramitraya!! bhdghatrayam ceti yasyam na nand-sankhyani dvårani yonidodranat frikondni yasya sa panica bakti. caturvahni-samyogde-cakra-sambhava iti Nityahadaye i svd bhimukhågra trikonam fakti pardamukhagra. trikonam vahnir iti mantragdstryd paribhasha | tasyam ayodhyaydm hiran yayas fejomayah kolo nidhanam trikona-rapar ea era svargah sukhari patrat Taittiriyana svargo loko iti pathah | tasyapy ayam evdrtha tasnin hiran yaya ity adi saptamyantam pafcaka samanadhikarana spashtårthurn trikone yad aati bindurupam cakram tasmin yaksham pajyam tot prasiddha brahmavida álmaniva viduh.
To understand thene explanations of Bhaskararaya, it is necessary to have a correct notion of how the Sri.cakra is written, of its divisions and of its worship. These can be learnt from the Vamakelvara tantra and the Tantrardja-tantra in detail, and then it will become evident that the Tantrik explanation of the various epithets found in those versos is superior to that of Sayans and of others who proceed in the same way.
