Tripura Rahasya

Sage Dattatreya

Parasuram asked: Master! I have heard your holy words regarding Realization and Wisdom. My doubts are now cleared. I now understand the non-dual state of abstract consciousness pervading all and abiding in the Self. Nevertheless, kindly tell me the essence of the whole discourse in a few words so that I may always remember it.

Dattatreya said: That which abides as the Self is Pure Intelligence, Transcendental Being, comprised of the aggregate of all the egos in perfection. She is Self-contained, and fills the role of maya by virtue of Her own prowess. Being one without a second, She makes even the impossible happen and thus displays the universe as a series of images in a mirror. I shall now tell you how.

She who is transcendence, awareness perfection and total summation of all egos, of Her own Will divides Herself into two. Imperfection is concomitant with such scission; there is bound to be an insentient phase which represents the aforesaid exterior or unmanifested void. The sentient phase is sadashiva tattva. Now Sadashiva, also not being perfect, sees the unmanifest void (i.e., the sentient phase becomes aware of the insentient phase) but yet knows it to be of Himself - feeling 'I am this also'. (Note: The sentient phase is called ishwara; and the insentient phase is called maya or avidya, in the Upanishads).

Later Sadashiva identifies the insentient phase with His body at the time of starting creation. Then he goes by the name Ishwara. Now this contaminated Higher Ego, namely Ishwara, divides Himself into the three aspects - rudra, vishnu and brahma (representing the modes of Ego associated with the three qualities of darkness, brighness and activity) who in their turn manifest the cosmos consisting of many worlds. Brahmas are innumerable, all of whom are engaged in creating worlds; Vishnus are equally taken up in protecting the worlds; and the Rudras in destroying them. This is the way of creation. But all of them are only images in the grand mirror of Abstract Consciousness. These are only manifest, but are not concrete, since they have never been created.