SOME IMPORTANT CONCEPTS OF KAADI SRIVIDYA

[AUM.Ravi]

Sri Vidya mantra-s are thirty two or eighteen as per some of the tantra sastras and twelve as per Tripura Taapini. Out of which, haadi, saadi and kaadi are prominent. A srividya mantra started with bija ha is known as haadi vidya, started with sa is known as saadi vidya and started with ka is known as kaadi vidya. Among these vidya-s kaadi and haadi are more prominent. Out of these two, kaadi is eminent/principal vidya. In Atharvana veda it was said that “ Sree vidyaivatu, mantraanaam tatra kaadiryadha para” and in Trisati also nama-s are as per kaadi vidya only. Each of these mantra-s have fifteen bija-s and hence known as panchadasakshari. But kaadi vidya has a special trait that it is both panchadasakshari as well as shodasakshari with fifteen letters. This article will discuss this concept of kaadi vidya.
Now we see how “kaadi panchadasakshari” is “sodasakshari” also.
In “panchadasakshari” last kuta is sa, ka, la, hreem. This kuta started with bija Sa which is Chandra bija. Hence, it has sixteen kala-s. So, sa + kala = sakala, that means shodasakshari (shodasakala). The mantra which is having this shodasakshari is hreem (= vidya) i.e. sakalahreem means Srishodasakshari vidya.
Some arguments against this are as follows:
As per Atharvana veda mantra “kamo yoni: kamala vajrapaani……”,
As per Jnanarnava sloka “Aham panchakshari devi! Tvamtu panchadasaakshri”,
As per Sahasranamaadhyaya stuti “Srimat panchadasaksharyaa mahimaa varnitastada”,
As per Trisati nama “ kadwayam, hadwayam chaiva saivo bhaagah prakeertitah” and
as per some of other tantric texts it is panchadasakshari only but how it is shodasakshari?
Answer to this is as follows:
All we know that Chandra kala-s are sixteen and they are daily tithis like paadyami, vidiya, tadiya etc….. to Pournami/Amavasya. These tithis are fifteen in numbers. Hence total fifteen kala-s. Then where is the sixteenth kala? Can we say that there is no sixteenth kala? This sixteenth kala is Sarvabija kala rupa which has neither luxuriance nor decadence. This kala is called para, saada and inbeing (inherent) in fifteen kalas. In the same way the sixteenth bija is also inbeing in the fifteen bija of panchadasakshari. Further, this “para” kala is tri bindu rupa of last bija of every kuta of Srividya mantra. In which, this kala presents as pasyanti, madhyama and vaikhari rupa with turiya swara (fourth swara) i.e. eem. This can be better understood with glimpses of “kamakala”. Kamakala shabd (eem) evolved from A-Ha-M. (aham) which represents union of Shakti (A) and Shiva (H) with bindu. This turiya kala is inherent in last bija (hreem) of all three kutas of panchadasakshari mantra. Hence, this vidya is panchadasakshari extrinsically and shodasakshari intrinsically.
There is a mantra with Rama bija at the end of the mantra which is known as Sodasakshari mantra. This mantra was evolved by Sri Hayagriva. Sri Bhasakararaya explained that this mantra is nothing but panchadasakshari and inside (=antar) of Srividya.
There is some other argument that, as per Sruti vakya “chatvara eem bibhrati kshemam ante” means, four eem-s and kshema bija i.e. Sreem are form part of Sodasakshari vidya. In gross panchadasakshari, we can find three eem-s only (hreem(1st kuta), hreem (2nd kuta) and hreem (3rd kuta)). If it is so, the sixteenth bija-Sreem is having such fourth eem hence, the gross panchadasakshari cannot be understood as sodasakshari.
Answer to the above is, there are no three eem-s in gross panchadasakshari. Infact, there are four eem-s including third bija of first kuta. But this bija is bindu rahita i.e. without bindu. Then can we call it as turiya swara? Yes, we can. A correct pronunciation of E bija will end with subtle A bija. This subtle A bija is having the inherent quality of bindu. Hence, this third bija of gross panchadasakshari is first turiya swara and remaining three are at end of each kuta of the mantra. Then what about the sixteenth bija Srim? As we observed this sixteenth kala is internal of all bija-s of the mantra and hence no separate mention is required. Hence, gross panchadasakshari is sodasakshari only. In Veda also it is said that “saisa shodasi Sreevidya panchadasakshari”. There is no difference between panchadasakshari mantra and sodasakshari mantra. In Haadi vidya panchadasakshari mantra, this fourth eem is not available. Hence, Kaadi vidya got little prominence among various Srividya mantra-s.
Above concepts were taken from book Sri Vidyandhra Bhashyamu written by my Parameshti guruji, Sri Sriyanandanatha, Sri Sri Sri Eswara Satyanarayana Sharmaji.