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8. PHILOSOPHICAL DOCTRINES
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there arises Nāda whence emerges Bindu. From Bindu arises Sadāśiva, from the latter Maheśvara, and from the latter again Vidyā, the expressive energy of Siva consisting of the letters of the alphabet. The foregoing account adds Nāda and Bindu to the five usually accepted Suddhatattvas, viz. - Śiva, Sakti, Sadāśiva, īśvara or Maheśvara and Vidyā. The Tattvaprakasa of Bhoja, for instance, recognises only these five, and remarks that Nāda and Bindu are included in the Sivatattva.'
It is in some of the Tantras that we find an exhaustive treatment of Nāda and Bindu.2 Roughly speaking, Nāda represents the awakening and Bindu the active aspect of Sakti. According to Säradātilaka 1.7, from Siva emerges Śakti, from Sakti Nāda, and from Nāda Bindu. The Prapancasăratantra (1. 42, 43), explaining the next stage of evolution, says that the Bindu splits up into three portions: Bindu and Näda ( different from the first two) and Bija, of which Bindu represents Isvara or consciousness and Bija unconscious matter, while Nāda represents Puruşa or the Self,the blend of consciousness with unconscious Matter. While the original Bindu is in the process of disintegration, there arises an indistinct sound, and this is known as Sabdabrahma, the consciousness abiding in the creatures of the universe and the basic foundation of sounds and their meanings. According to Rāghavabhatta, Nāda and Bindu represent the indistinct, undifferentiated and pervasive sound emerging at the beginning of the process of cosmic evolution initiated by Siva, and it is this sound that is known as Sabdabrahma. There are also other interpretations, but there is no doubt that Nāda and Bindu were fundamental concepts of the Saiva system in Somadeva's time.
Although Sabdabrahma is universal and all-pervading, it abides in the form of Kundali, better known as Kundalini.? Kundalini is the stored up energy inherent in each individual and the force that produces all forms of sound from the primitive inarticulate murmur to organised literary speech.
1 77 fars: TOT Fat fra afThrerait aferat 2. 11 2 See, for example, săradātilaka, Chap. 1 and the citations in Raghavbhatta's com.
mentary thereon. 3 Rāghavabhatta (op. cit.) says (1.7)-ati gara-"argaar sya # actualeti
शिवोन्मुखी यदा शक्तिः पुंरूपा सा तदा स्मृता"......."अन्यत्रापि "अभिव्यक्ता परा शक्तिरविनाभावलक्षणा ।.........
प्रयाति बिन्दुभावं च क्रियाप्राधान्यलक्षणम्" इति । 4 "......HATIT i stratosfentant al arafagh9na: 11" 5 Cf. Far & Tavai FC À Afa: Śäradātilaka 1. 13. 6 fear arafaT4AETH BUSTsaa rfre ga area : Jaa :'(1.12).
Ibid. 25. 35. Madhavācārya in his comm, on Sūtasanihita (Sivamähätmyakhanda 5. 9) says 'va 3777& t ta igrani fa galima ratif tifojai tursfraza ra-HIFF Erat e Tur 9: 1 Batara aty STIROTTürilt (Prapañcasāra 1. 63) abroafa
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