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 337 of: Svacchandatantra (history and structure)
337 (of 511)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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330
world matrix in the plane of M膩y膩. 1 As previously, the passing of
his day signals the dissolution of the lower universe. The relation
between his lifespan and those of the planes below him, however,
does not follow the previously established pattern in which each
day of the higher regent equals the lifespan of the lower. Instead,
as interpreted by K峁mar膩ja岣�, the text declares that each day of
M膩y膩 lasts not as long as the lifespan of the preceding plane but
ten par膩rdh膩ni as long. 2
These increased proportions also apply to the duration of the
higher planes discussed in the next section (pp. 160-165). Thus the
text declares that a day of I艣vara岣� lasts a hundred par膩rdh膩ni as
long as the lifespan M膩y膩, and a day of Sad膩艣iva岣� a hundred
par膩rdh膩ni as long as the lifespan of I艣vara岣�. K峁mar膩ja岣�,
however, understands the plane of Vidy膩, to be implied between
M膩y膩 and I艣vara岣�; this interpretation would then maintain the
increase by factors of ten par膩rdh膩ni up to Sad膩艣iva岣�. As fitting
for the great duration of time indicated, a verse calls the
dissolution that occurs in between two days of Sad膩艣iva岣�, the
great dissolution (mah膩pralaya岣�).
At this point, the text briefly enumerates the upper planes
as if enumerating the higher progressions in the meditative
formula ascent. The great body of the five formul忙, i.e.,
according to K峁mar膩ja岣� the lower, gross Sad膩艣iva岣�, dissolves in
Bindu岣�. Then, the formula, after splitting Bindu岣�, Ardhacandra岣�,
and Nirodhik膩, dissolves in N膩da岣�, and finally piercing through the
1 Cf. section II.10.5 for the summary of bk.10, pp.470ff.
2 Cf. the preceding discussion of pp.138-139 for these numbers.
Dropping the equivalence between day and lifespan disrupts the
coordination between emanation and reabsorption of the the lower
regent and day and night of the higher regent. The text does not
explain, for example, whether or not reabsorption of the lower
regent still occurs when the lifespan of the lower regent runs out
and the upper is still experiencing his day.
