Essay name: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
Author: William James Arraj
The essay represents a study and partial English translation of the Svacchandatantra and its commentary, 鈥淯ddyota鈥�, by Kshemaraja. The text, attributed to the deity Svacchanda-bhairava, has various names and demonstrates a complex history of transmission through diverse manuscript traditions in North India, Nepal, and beyond.
Page 336 of: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
336 (of 511)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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apparently echo the context of an earlier and simpler cosmogony.
The incomplete adaptation of this earlier account into the
later 艢aiva schema thus required adjusting commentary by
K峁mar膩ja岣�. In particular, as another sign of an earlier context,
the text apparently describes the process of reabsorption of the
planes from water to matter, in a linear, vertical sequence; the
element water, for example, dissolves into fire, fire into air, and
so forth, and then the elements into their originating sensory
media. K峁mar膩ja岣�, in contrast, reads these verses to conform
with the standard cumulative sequence of emanation or
reabsorption; there the earth dissolves into five sensory media,
water into four, and so forth. 1
After discussing the second major phase of reabsorption,
which occurs in Prak峁泃i岣�, and which K峁mar膩ja岣� calls the
intermediate dissolution, the text describes (pp. 156-160) the next
phase which covers the planes up to M膩y膩. In this phase,
艢rika峁囜弓ha岣�, and all the rest of the planes of the jacket become
reabsored into the plane of M膩y膩. This reabsorption, K峁mar膩ja岣�
notes, occurs simultaneously; the hierarchical sequence described
by the previous book applies only to their location in space, and
not to their temporal manifestation. 2 The text characterizes M膩y膩,
as the root matter (m奴laprak峁泃i岣�) of the universe, and the regent
of M膩y膩, as the cave lord (gahane艣a岣�), referring to Anante艣a岣�
who presides over the lower universe from the central cave or
(purusa岣�). The text, however, does not refer to the constituents,
nor explicitly refer to the plane of the person.
1 V. pp. 150-151, vss. 284b-285: "膩pastejasi liyante tatteja艣c膩nile
puna岣� // tath盲nilo 'mbaram prapya saha tenaiva liyate tanm膩tre峁
praliyante yathotpann膩ni ca kram膩t. "On the historical relationship
and development of these two different sequences, v. Erich
Frauwallner, 鈥淶ur Elementenlehre des S膩mkhya," Erich Frauwallner
Kleine Schriften, hrsg. Gerhard Oberhammer und Ernst Steinkellner,
Glasenapp-Stiftung 22 (Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner, 1982), pp. 140-144.
2 V. his commentary, p. 157: "srstirapi yugapadeva ukt膩.鈥�
