u/AdyasBatVajra_18

This part will illustrate the Lord, His faces and the knowledge each carries, the importance of recognising how every Deity and Truth is just the manifestation of Shiva and Shakthi themselves. The other most pertinent part is the importance of the Guru and the most secret and fruitful mantra.

The Lord’s Truth is in various forms, suited to different times and states and circumstances. This Law takes the form of the Great Traditions, amnayas, each spoken by one of his Faces:

Some of the description here borrows from the Tantra-Rahasya and have been written in Sir John Woodroffe’s: Shakti and Shakta

East

Purva-amnaya is the face in the East, whose path is that of Mantra Yoga and has 24 principles, its central truth is that of creation (Srishti)

‘The face in the East (that is in front) is of pearl-like lustre with three eyes and crowned by the crescent moon. By this face I (Shiva) revealed (the Devis) Sri Bhuvaneshvari, Triputa, Lalita, Padma, Shulini, Sarasvati, Tvarita, Nitya, Vajraprastarini, Annapurna, Mahalakshmi, Lakshmi, Vagvadini, with all their rites and Mantras.’

South

Dakshina-amnaya is the face in the South, whose path is that of Bhakti and has 25 principles, its central truth is maintenance (Sthiti)

‘The Southern face is of a yellow colour with three eyes. By this face I revealed Prasadasadashiva, Maha prasadamantra, Dakshinamurti, Vatuka, Manjughosha, Bhairava, Mritasanjivanividya, Mrityunjaya, with their rites and Mantras.’

West

Paschima-amnaya is the face in the West, whose path is Karma and has 32 principles, its central truth is destruction (Samhara)

‘The face in the West (that is at the back) is of the colour of a freshly formed cloud. By this face I revealed Gopala, Krishna, Narayana, Vasudeva, Narasimha, Vamana, Varaha, Ramachandra, Vishnu, Harihara, Ganesha, Agni, Yama, Surya, Vidhu (Chandra) and other planets, Garuda, Dikpalas, Hanuman and other Suras, their rites and Mantras.’

North

Uttara-amnaya is the face in the North, whose path is Jnana, and has 36 principles, its central truth is Grace and compassion.

‘The face in the North is blue in colour and with three eyes. By this face, I revealed the Devis, Dakshinakalika, Mahakali, Guhyakali, Smashanakalika, Bhadrakali, Ekajata, Ugratara, Taritni, Katyayani, Chhinnamasta, Nilasarasvati, Durga, Jayadurga, Navadurga, Vashuli, Dhumavati, Vishalakshi, Gauri, Bagalamukhi, Pratyangira, Matangi, Mahishamardini, their rites and Mantras.’

Upwards

Urdhva-amnaya is declared to the be the best face, which is upwards, its truth is the Brahman itself and is the most guarded. Although Vedas, Purans and the like can be made public, Shaiva and Shaktha agamas should not. Of these Kula shastras are more secret, and of that the Urdhva-amnaya.

‘The Upper face is white. By this face I revealed Srimattripurasundari, Tripureshi, Bhairavi, Tripura bhairavi, Smashanabhairavi, Bhuvaneshibhairavi, Shatkutta bhairavi, Annapurnabhairavi, Panchami, Shodashi, Malini, Valavala, with their rites and Mantras.’

Downwards

Ishana-amnaya is the face that is downwards.

‘The sixth face (Below) is lustrous of many colours and concealed. It is by this mouth that I spoke of Devatasthana, Asana, Yantra, Mala, Naivedya, Balidana, Sadhana, Purascharana, Mantrasiddhi. It is called Ishanamnaya.’

Each of these faces, traditions have their own Deities with their Mantras and procedures to be followed. The Truth behind their Mantras all is known only to the Lord and any of these amnayas are enough for liberation. However, the Urdhva-amnaya is the highest out of all four put together and can only be known through the Guru.

The highest and most secretive mantra of the Urdhva-amnaya is the Sriprasadapara Mantra, the Hamsa. In this Mantra, the Ha stands for Shiva, the Purusha, and Sa for Shakti, the Prakriti. It is because of Shiva and Shakthi that this entire creation is made, and each breath of its life in its outgoing movement, expiration, spells the Ha, and in its indrawing movement, inspiration, spells the Sa. Everything that pervades the entire creation is just this eternal Shiv-Shakthi, and every Deity mentioned within each amnaya is just Shiv-Shakthi in their different manifestations, all leading to the same Truth.

All the Gods and higher beings know and repeat this very mantra which encodes the Truth. The Rishi of this Mantra is the Supreme Shiva Himself, the Metre is Gayatri which manifests the Unmanifest, the Deity is the Supreme Mother and Highest Herself. The Guru is the most supreme Truth, and all Mukti lies in the Guru who gives the Mantra and its secret.

This part of the Kularnava then illustrates Kula-Dharma, highlighting the importance of the Kuala Marg.

Kaula is the highest and most guarded path. There are 7 ways of liberation. The first 3 (the path of the Vedic ritual, the Vaishnava path, the Shaiva path) are for the broad category called the Pashu: Jivas who are still trapped by the bounds of existence and attachment. The next two are Dakshina and Vama, meant for the one who struggles and fights against the very attachments that used to trap them: the Vira. Higher than the Vama marga is that of Siddhanta where things are finally determined as to their real nature and the direction of one's own goal and the knowledge is embodied in wholly by the being and the consciousness. The last and highest of all is the Kaula marga, with the penultimate and ultimate paths of liberation being for the Divya.

Nothing is more secret or higher than the Kaula-marga, whose teachings are only ever passed down from Guru to shishya across the Parampara and all other paths lead into Kula-Dharma. It is in this path that one is a yogi and a bhogi, what is called sin or good now lose their meaning for they are both used only for the greater good of the entire creation. However, it is not meant for everyone, it is a preparation of lifetimes and fine-tuning internally and externally that must take place in order to gain the knowledge of the Kaula-marga. The Guru, who is Shiva, plays the critical role of imparting the right knowledge at the right time to the shishya in order to allow for purification and eligibility of learning and following the Kula-Dharma.

Once in, the shishya must treat this Dharma with utmost respect, as one treats and guards this Dharma, so too will the same Dharma guard and protect the sadhaka even at the most critical times. They must be *unshakeable* in their belief of the path, of the Guru, and therefore the supreme Maa.

The Kula-Dharma is the union of Shiva and Shakthi, from which all truth originates. However, one must be eligible, act in accordance with dharma, and to understand, must have the blessings and grace of the Supreme Truth Maa Herself. Otherwise, by merely drinking wine, or wearing robes, or chanting, all Jivas would be immediately liberated; yet that is not the case.

The way of the Kula is the hardest to follow, and it is only when the right way spoken by the Guru is followed that any fruits from rituals come by.

The one Truth, featureless, indescribable and the pure consciousness itself, is the source of all the jivas, which go through each of the births from insects to animals to men to Gods and liberated beings.

However, human birth is not merely another stage in existence, it is (especially if used correctly) the most important and the only state where progress towards liberation can be consciously pursued. It is in this birth that the Jiva holds the intellect and the ability to choose one’s own development and then progress accordingly. Even those higher beings are envious of the human birth, for their birth is a stagnant mould that cannot be shaped, only grown into. Every other attainment is secondary to this opportunity, for wealth, status and even heavenly worlds pass away, but the knowledge of the Self alone ends the cycle of birth and death. Time also grants no assurance: death waits for no unfinished work. It therefore becomes essential to begin pursuit of Truth now, rather than postponing it for a future that may never come, for the level of consciousness attained at the moment the body is shed also determines the level of birth attained.

Attachment is the main weakness of the Jiva. All beings constantly work towards pleasure; hence, a human birth must be used to the extent of overcoming that very attachment which binds every Jiva to this cycle of suffering. It should be given up however wholly; temporary abstinence is futile for then the body and the mind will one day scream back for that very object that has been avoided.

Only that which is the Highest Truth is to be pursued. It is important also that one should not be deluded into thinking freedom is truly attained by elaborate rituals, mere repetition of mantras and so on. Neither should one be fixated on the scriptures alone. Many false teachers, ritualists, scholars mistake these learnings as the highest wisdom, with people becoming attached to external appearances.

They debate and become engrossed in these acts and end up then only doing so to amass wealth and name. One’s spiritual authority or progress can never be measured or solely judged by what they wear or what scriptures they refer to or what practices they do. If that was the case, then all who wear the orange robes or memorised the scriptures are enlightened, however that is definitely not the case. The scriptures are vast, and one cannot truly know them by just memorising or debating, for even that feeds ego and attachment.

The right way to go by the knowledge is to embody the truest essence of the scriptures. Assume you are a farmer. You go to the paddy fields and plant the crops in order to harvest. After some work and then patience, harvest then comes. The farmer who then harvests only looks for the rice and will always throw the husk away.

It is the same principle to be applied. True knowledge is always given by the Guru for the Guru is the manifestation of the supreme Truth. The secret towards liberation lies in the fact that a sadhaka should always go straight for the essence, look for the ‘rice’ within the crop, and throw away all the husk, and live truly by embodying dharma. The rituals, sacrifices, mantras, scriptures are definitely pertinent, however only until true knowledge from within doesn’t start to awaken, where the seeker starts to be delighted in themselves and with the Supreme Truth.

One should always respect the Guru and live with the purpose of liberation, gain the supreme knowledge and be comfortable with oneself, and live/act according to dharma only. This secret truth is Kula-Dharma, the true road towards Maa Herself.