Śrī Nāthanavaratnamalika

Even Śiva bereft of Kuṇḍalinī Śakti becomes a corpse (Shava) – Devi Bhagavata

Śrī Nāthanavaratnamalika, a tiny Sanskrit work, “the rosary or garland of the nine gems of the Nāthas”, is found in the 1953 Ganesh & Co version of Sir John Woodroffe’s translation and text of the work on Shri Vidya, the Kamakalavilasa.

Ascribed to one Maheśanātha, the text includes a commentary by the renowned Śrī Vidyā devotee Bhāskarararāya (Bhāsurānandanātha). The briefness of the text belies its importance, as it deals with the number symbolism of nine and how this relates to the 21,600 breaths a human is supposed to take in a day and night, as well as the identity of these with the mātṛkās, or letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, the Śrī Yantra, and time itself.

As the first śloka says, Haṃsaḥ is the gāyatrī mantra produced by breathing, and this is one with the unconscious recitation of the mantra so’haṃ, pervading all human beings. Sir John Woodroffe says in a commentary to his translation of the Ānandalahari (Wave of Bliss), published in 1916: “Śiva can do nothing without Śakti which is of threefold aspect of Icchā (will), Jñāna (knowledge) and Kriyā (action). The author here speaks of the mantra Haṃsah. Haṃ is the bīja of Śiva and Sah that of Śakti. Ham+Sah = Haṃsah = Sah+Haṃ = So Haṃ = So’Haṃ = Sa+Ahaṃ, So Haṃ being Sah+Haṃ = Śakti+Śiva; if S and H be eliminated therefrom there remains Ong or oṃ the Praṇava…”

The Navanāthas of the title of this work are, in the Tantrarājatantra, linked to the nine orifices of the human body, and to the nine maṇḍalas of the Śrī Yantra. A human being, in these schools, is considered as a microcosm, the in-breathing and the out-breathing symbolise the creation and the dissolution of the universe.

The realisation of Ha+Sa, sun and moon, Śiva and Śakti, in-breathing and out-breathing, is to become one with the universe itself. But this, according to these schools, cannot be achieved without a yogic understanding of the other effects of the wheel of time, one, as the Yoginīhṛdaya states, with the maṇḍalas of the Śrī Cakra, the letters of the alphabet (sound/mantra), and the Śaktis or attendants of the goddess. Some of these Śaktis, as the introduction to the Mālinīvijayottaratantra says, have the function of preventing such a realisation, while others foster realisation. Further, according to various texts and commentaries of Kashmir Shaivism, ignorance and other defects also prevent the realisation of one’s essential unity with Śiva-Śakti.

The normal course of creation is pravṛtti, an expansion or flowing outward. The sādhaka is to cultivate nivṛtti, ulta sādhanā – a reverse movement, or kāya sādhanā – cultivation of the body. This may have little or much to do with ritual worship (pūjā), which if performed without an inner realisation of the principles it embodies is considered to be mummery.

The different nyāsas of the Śrī Vidyā tradition are intended to bring to a sādhaka the realisation of his or her essential unity with the mātṛkās, with the constellations (rāśi) planets (graha) which includes the sun and the moon) and the 27 asterisms (nakṣatra), and breath itself. Practical ways to achieve this realisation are reputed to be the inner tradition of sādhanā taught in some schools, and which may include a number of different methods.

Some of these may require an intense struggle because an individual, not realising that she or he is Śiva-Śakti, instead identifies with partial aspects or Śaktis. The Tantrarājatantra hints at some of these methods, such as the way the grahas or planets influence the breath and therefore prevent this realisation as they affect the musculature and other parts of the human bionergetic web. Freeing oneself from these misidentifications also frees up the natural flow of Prāṇaśakti, herself one with the supreme Devī, in the body. A teacher who understands the movement of these currents (nāḍīs) and the relationship between the wheel of time (Kālacakra), divinity, and the body itself is said to be a requisite in these different tāntrik schools.

The text follows, using the iTrans format and in Devanāgarī.

श्रीगणेशाय नमः
श्रीमहेशनाथकृता
श्रीनाथनवरत्नमालिका
श्रीभासुरानन्दनाथविरचितया
हंसः सोऽहं मन्त्रमयैः श्वासनिकायैर्या गायत्री जन्तेषु सर्वेषु पिनद्धा ।
तद्रूपः सन्नाविरभूद्धासनया यस्तं सन्मार्गं मत्त्मयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ १॥
उद्यद्भास्वन्मण्डलकालाद्दिननित्याविद्यारूपः प्राप षडथीनरभावम् ।
यस्तीर्थात्मा मण्डलपूर्णाक्षरवर्ष्मा तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ २॥
तत्पश्वात्यप्राणसमूहैर्नवनाथा यः षड्त्रिंशत्तत्त्वमयः षोडश नित्याः ।
एवं रीत्या वासितसंध्यात्रयमूर्तिस्तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ ३॥
स्वासैः षष्ट्या षष्टिघटीदैवतरूपो “], [२, “६०“], [४, ” मेषप्रष्टद्वादशशशि “], [६, ” १२ “], [८, ” प्रतिमानः ।
अर्काद्यात्मा यो नवसंख्याग्रहमूर्तिस्तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ ४॥
पञ्चात्मा भूतनिकायो गतमायो यः पञ्चाशद्वर्ण “], [१०, ” ५० “], [१२, ” वपुश्चक्र्गताभिः ।
शक्त्यालीभिः सङ्गतिमानेकनवत्या तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ ५॥
यद्धा पञ्चाशल्लिपिपीडैकरदानामावृत्त्यासीद्यः फलवान् देशिकवर्यः ।
ज्ञानोत्तुङ्गो “], [१४, ” ३६०० “], [१६, ” डरलकसहषट्कवृतैस्तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ ६॥
नेत्रोद्गाढो “], [१८, ” ४३२० “], [२०, ” देशिकराड्भूत “], [२२, ” ५ “], [२४, ” समूहैरेनो वारी यो नवनाथग्रहचक्रैः ।
नक्षत्रस्यावृत्तिभिरानन्दशरीरस्तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ ७॥
नित्यावृत्तावीशलयः सन्नचलोऽभून्नाड्य़ाव्ऱ्‌^त्तौ राशिषु नानाजपरूपः ।
अभ्यस्यद्भिस्तत्त्वगणैरुन्नतमूर्तिस्तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ ८॥
धृत्युर्वीशाष्टेन्द्रदिगाशाहियुगत्रिप्रोक्ताभिः पुंहेतिभिरम्बाभिरभिन्नः ।
आवृत्त्यैवं षण्णवतेर्यः शिखरात्मा तं सन्मार्गं मत्तमयूरं गुरुमीडे ॥ ९॥
इत्यग्रथ्नाद्भास्कररायो नवरत्नैर्भालामग्र्यां नाथरह्स्यं गमयन्तीतम् ।
येषामेषा कण्ठगता ते जगदम्बा विद्याभ्यासादत्र जनुष्येव महेषः ॥ १०॥
इति श्रीमहेशनाथकृता नाथनवरत्नमाला समाप्ता ॥

shrIgaNeshAya namaH
shrImaheshanAthakR^itA
shrInAthanavaratnamAlikA
shrIbhAsurAnandanAthavirachitayA
ha.msaH so.aha.m mantramayaiH shvAsanikAyairyA gAyatrI janteShu sarveShu pinaddhA .
tadrUpaH sannAvirabhUddhAsanayA yasta.m sanmArga.m mattmayUra.m gurumIDe .. 1..
udyadbhAsvanmaNDalakAlAddinanityAvidyArUpaH prApa ShaDathInarabhAvam.h .
yastIrthAtmA maNDalapUrNAxaravarShmA ta.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 2..
tatpashvAtyaprANasamUhairnavanAthA yaH ShaDtri.mshattattvamayaH ShoDasha nityAH .
eva.m rItyA vAsitasa.mdhyAtrayamUrtista.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 3..
svAsaiH ShaShTyA ShaShTighaTIdaivatarUpo ##(##60##)## meShapraShTadvAdashashashi ##(## 12 ##)## pratimAnaH .
arkAdyAtmA yo navasa.mkhyAgrahamUrtista.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 4..
pa~nchAtmA bhUtanikAyo gatamAyo yaH pa~nchAshadvarNa ##(## 50 ##)## vapushchakrgatAbhiH .
shaktyAlIbhiH sa~NgatimAnekanavatyA ta.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 5..
yaddhA pa~nchAshallipipIDaikaradAnAmAvR^ittyAsIdyaH phalavAn.h deshikavaryaH .
GYAnottu~Ngo ##(## 3600 ##)## DaralakasahaShaTkavR^itaista.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 6..
netrodgADho ##(## 4320 ##)## deshikarADbhUta ##(## 5 ##)## samUhaireno vArI yo navanAthagrahachakraiH .
naxatrasyAvR^ittibhirAnandasharIrasta.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 7..
nityAvR^ittAvIshalayaH sannachalo.abhUnnADYAvR^ttau rAshiShu nAnAjaparUpaH .
abhyasyadbhistattvagaNairunnatamUrtista.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 8..
dhR^ityurvIshAShTendradigAshAhiyugatriproktAbhiH pu.mhetibhirambAbhirabhinnaH .
AvR^ittyaiva.m ShaNNavateryaH shikharAtmA ta.m sanmArga.m mattamayUra.m gurumIDe .. 9..
ityagrathnAdbhAskararAyo navaratnairbhAlAmagryA.m nAtharahsya.m gamayantItam.h .
yeShAmeShA kaNThagatA te jagadambA vidyAbhyAsAdatra januShyeva maheShaH .. 10..
iti shrImaheshanAthakR^itA nAthanavaratnamAlA samAptA .

(Kindly send any corrections to the Sanskrit text to Mike Magee)

Artwork is © Jan Bailey, 1975-2022. Translations are © Mike Magee 1975-2022.Questions or comments to mike.magee@btinternet.com

Home Page