Laghustutih (vrittisameta) 81

81

Regarding "craving the abode of the praṇava": in that beginning where the praṇava itself is the abode, the foundation, craving it, that is, dependent upon it, having reduced [it] to "īṃ," making it consist of only that much form, they utter it clearly and loudly. Because it has the same meaning and purpose as the praṇava, its result is determined to be the realization of the truth of Tripura-Sarasvatī; this is what is stated. And likewise the Śruti [states]: "He who has abandoned his companion that knows with him has no share even in speech; whatever he hears, he hears in vain, for he does not know the path of virtuous action." The meaning of this is: even in speech, that is, in a specific seed syllable of a mantra, [the companion] that knows with him, that is, is inhering, eternally related; the companion, which equally declares, proclaims a specific meaning, that companion which is a phoneme recited in unity and devoted to a single meaning—whoever has abandoned, deserts [it], his share, the fruit belonging to the reciters of that, is not, does not come to be at all. Illustrating that very point, it shows: "whatever," etc. He who hears this form of the phoneme "īṃ," receives it from the teacher, if he hears it as "alaka," that is, devoid of the letters "ka" and "la," that is, receives it only as "īṃ" in the nature of a mantra, then he does not know, does not experience, the path, that is, the way, the fruit characterized by subjugating the three worlds, belonging to virtuous action, that is, merit born of the recitation of the kāmabīja. Rather, he would only be liberated from the bondage characterized by the perception of the entire dualistic phenomenal world. Since this has the same meaning as the praṇava, having the same fruit is inevitable. And that it has the same meaning is determined from the fact that at the beginning of the narrative of Satyatapas, in place of the tāra (oṃkāra), this very [seed syllable] is installed by all the brāhmaṇas. And the praṇava is taught by the Upaniṣad as having liberation as its sole fruit and the reality of the self as its sole object: "Meditate upon the Self thus as Om; cast away other words; this is the bridge to immortality." Alternatively: if he hears "īṃ" without the "la" and "ka," then he does not know, that is, does not consider high or esteem, the path of virtuous action, of all merit, even the status of Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, and the rest; the meaning is that he experiences the bliss of Brahman right here by himself. Or else, he does not know even the path of virtuous action, what then to say of the path of wrongdoing? Devoid of both together with their fruits, he becomes liberated—this is the meaning.