History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.32.4

v7.c92.32.4

In the Śvetāśvataropaniṣad it is said 'they (brahmavādins) endowed with meditation and Yoga saw Śakti (power) abiding as non-different from God and concealed (from comprehension) by its own attributes (or by sattva, rajas and tamas).' The same Upanisad (in VI. 8) speaks of *Brahma* as possessing the highest Śakti¹⁶⁷⁹ in various forms and this text is quoted by Śaṅkarācārya on Vedāntasūtra II. 1. 24. In the *bhāṣya* on Vedāntasūtra II. 1. 30 and in the sūtra itself *Brahma* is said to be endowed with all powers. Vide also Śvetāśva. IV. 1. The Nārāyaṇopaniṣad contains an invocation of Durgā-devī¹⁶⁸⁰ 'I approach as a refuge the blazing goddess Durgā, brilliant like fire, luminous owing to *tapas*, that is resorted to for (yielding) the rewards of religious actions; O goddess possessed of excellent might! adoration to your power'. Rāghavabhaṭṭa¹⁶⁸¹ avers that Tantra cult is based on Śruti as can be seen from the Upaniṣads called Rāmapūrvottara-tāpanīya and Nṛsiṁhapūrvottara-tāpanīya. Similarly, Bhāskararāya in his commentary Setubandha on Vāmakeśvaratantra mentions several Upaniṣads as treating in detail of the bhakti of Mahātripura-sundarī and interprets Ṛg. V. 47. 4 'catvāri īṁ' as referring to Kādividyā. But all these Upaniṣads seem to be purposely composed to bolster up the *tantras* that had come to be looked down upon and they are mostly mentioned by late medievel writers like Rāghavabhaṭṭa and Bhāskararāya.