In this excerpt, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains how the threefold mala becomes the cause of bondage. This is from the Shiva Sutras, The Supreme Awakening, by Swami Lakshmanjoo. Read the original transcript along with the audio, scroll down…

atha kathamasyājñānātmakajñāna-yonivarga-kalāśarīrarūpasya trividhasya malasya bandhakatvam

Now, he puts this question.

How this threefold mala, how this threefold way of knowledge, is the cause of bondage; how this threefold mala becomes the cause of bondage, this threefold mala?

Ajñānātmaka jñāna [ignorance of your own nature] that is āṇavamala.

Yonivarga [limitation in perception] is māyīyamala.

Kalāśarīrasya rūpasya [limitation in action] is kārmamala.

These threefold malas how they give you bondage?

To this he puts the answer:

ज्ञानाधिष्ठानम् मातृका ॥४॥

jñānādhiṣṭhānam mātṛkā  // 4 //

“Mātṛkā is the chief conductor of this knowledge.”

Mātṛkā is the point. Mātṛkā is the chief conductor of this jñāna (knowledge). Mātṛkā is the chief conductor of this triple knowledge.

You know triple knowledge?

One knowledge is āṇavamala.

Another knowledge is māyīyamala.

And the third knowledge is kārmamala.

This triple way of knowledge is handled by Mātṛkā.

Mātṛkā means ajñātā mātṛkā mātā, when the universal energy is known in the wrong way, in the incorrect way.

When universal energy is known in its correct way, it is found . . . it seems to be just svātantrya śakti. When it is known in the wrong way it is the energy of illusion, it is called māyā śakti.

So Mātṛkā is both!

Mātṛkā means ajñātā mātā (unknown mother), when that universal energy is not known in its correct way. And, when that universal energy is not known in its correct way, then these triple ways of bondages are handled by this energy, this svātantrya.

So this too is your own will.

If you bind yourself it is your own free will. If you get it out from bondage, it is your own will. It is at your disposal.

JOHN:  So when this energy becomes unknown, or not known properly, then it becomes māyā śakti, that binding energy.

SWAMIJI:  It becomes māyā śakti. Svātantrya śakti is transformed in the form of māyā śakti. And māyā śakti is transformed in the formation of svātantrya śakti in the correct way of knowing. In the incorrect way of knowledge it is transformed in the svarūpa of māyā śakti, i.e., in the formation of māyā śakti.

This he explains in this [4^th] sūtra.

yadetat trividha-mala-svarūpaṁ, apūrṇam-manyatābhinn-avedyaprathā-śubhāśubhavāsanātmakaṁ vividhaṁ jñāna-rūpam-uktaṁ,

This triple way of mala, threefold mala, is already explained, which is:

1) first āṇavamala – apūrṇammanyatā (non-fullness);

2) second mayīyamala – bhinnavedyaprathā, differentiated knowledge;

3) and third mala, kārmamala – śubhāśubha vāsana (the impression of good and bad actions).

tasya ādikṣāntarūpā ajñātā mātā mātṛkā viśva-jananī tattat-saṁkucita-vedyābhāsātmano jñānasya ‘apūrṇo ‘smi, kṣāmaḥ sthūlo vāsmi’, agniṣṭomayājyāsmi, ityādi-tattad-avikalpaka savikalpaka avabhāsa-parāmarśamayasya tattad-vācaka-śabdānuvedha-dvāreṇa śoka smaya harṣa rāgādi-rūpatāmādadhānā /

iti śrī-timirodghāṭa-proktanītyā varga kalādy-adhiṣṭhatṛ-brāhmyādi śaktiśreṇī śobhinī śrī-sarva-vīrādyāgama-prasiddha-lipi krama-saṁniviśothāpikā ambā jyeṣṭhā-raudrī-vāmākhya śakti-cakra-cumbitā śaktir-adhiṣṭhātṛ,

Yadetat, this threefold way of malas, which is already explained, tasya adhiṣṭhātṛ, the handler of these threefold malas . . .

Tasya is there, tasya should be joined, attached with adhiṣṭhātṛ there.

. . . the handler of those three malas is, ādikṣānta rūpā ajñātā mātā, the universal mother who pervades from a to kṣa; all letters, all the world of alphabets. Not only the world of alphabets. The universal mother pervades the world of vācaka and the vācya world also.

Vācya means [Swamiji holds a pair of spectacles]; this is specs. And this (word) specs, “s-p-e-c-s,” this is the world of ādikṣāntaḥ, this is the world of letters (vācaka). And this object that is explained by that word, this is the world of objects (vācya). This object is known by those words. This is what he says here.

Tasya ādikṣānta rūpā ajñāta mātā, that universal mother is pervading all the letters from a to kṣa. Not only letters, objects too, objects also which are nominated by letters; nominated by words. And that mother is viśva jananī, the creator of the universe.

Tattat saṁkucita vedyā abhāsātmano jñānasya, and when that universal energy carries the differentiated and shrunk knowledge she appears to be in this mood that:

apūrṇo ’smi – “I am not full,”

kṣāmaḥ – “I am weak,”

sthūlo vāsmi – “I am stout,”

agniṣṭomayājyasmi – “I am the only fortunate person in the world.”

Ityādi tattad avikalpaka savikalpaka avabhāsa parāmarśa-mayasya. And this way, this is savikalpa parāmarśa: “I am not full . . . I am weak . . . I am stout . . . I am fortunate,” this kind of knowing is savikalpa parāmarśa.

Nirvikalpa parāmarśa is: “I am great master . . . I hold so many disciples . . . I am the world-known teacher,” and all this. This is nirvikalpa parāmarśaḥ.

This too is in the field of māyā!

DEVOTEE:  How is that nirvikalpa? When there are words it is savikalpa?

SWAMIJI:  That is nirvikalpa plus savikalpa.

Tattad vācaka śabda ānuvedha dvāreṇa. By these words and by these letters, and by these objects, sometimes he is filled with grief (śoka); sometimes with smaya, with ‘wonder’; sometimes filled with harṣa, joy; sometimes filled with rāga, attachment.

And what happens in the end?

Karandhra citi madhyasthā, so this Mātṛkā does a very bad thing to this victim who has become the play of this mother, who has become the play-ball of this mother.

karandhra-citi-madhyasthā brahma-pāśāvalambikāḥ /

pīṭheśvaryo mahāghorā mohayanti muhur-muhuḥ //

(Śrī Timirodghāṭa)

Karandhra citi, although this Mātṛkā resides in brahmarandhra (karandhra means brahmarandhra, ka means brahma; ka-randhra, i.e., brahmarandhra); in the state of brahmarandhra there is citi Mātṛkā, the universal mother; and the universal mother is situated in the center of brahmarandhra, and around that citi are situated pīṭheśvaryo (pīṭheśvaryo means those who are seated at his seat, around her, around the mother), and those pīṭheśvarīs are called organs of knowledge, organs of action, mind, intellect and ego. These are all pīṭheśvarīs to him.

To whom?

The one who is played by Mātṛkā, i.e., who has become the play of the mother.

To be continued . . .