On कुळदीप in श्रीविद्या कुलदीप is made of two words कुल+दीप meaning कुलं दीपयति इति of which दिवादि√ दीपी दीप्तौ= to shine or light about one’s कुल i.e. a family or tradition, which is mainly of two types of viz: कौल and समय for their distinct आचार or practices known as कौलाचार and समयाचार. In नित्यषोडशिकार्णव-योगिनीहृदय of the वामकेश्वरतन्त्र, there is mention that “न्धैपितैलिंगनाशिअ धूपैराराध्य देवताः । चक्रपूजां विधायेत्थं कुलदीपं निवेदयेत् ॥“ Hence after performing the चक्रपूजा, one has to offer the कुलदीप। Here the unintellegible first part written through व्याकुलिताक्षर (placement of letters in a disorder to confound the readers) to maintain the secrecy thus meaning अलिपिषितैर्गन्धै: when put in proper order. Our Paramaguru Pujyapaada Sarvamaanya BhaskaraRaya ‘Makhi’ ji interprets ‘अलि’ to be ‘प्रथम’ i.e. liquer and says ‘प्रज्वालित-कुलद्रव्यात्मको दीप:’. Even the great scholar of our time the guru of jagadgurus ShriKarapatraSwami, who was kind enough to bless me by presenting a crystal Meru (which is being worshipped by me along with another Meru of ashta-loha and a siva-linga of mercury by Vidyaranya’s Pushpagiri-Peethaadhishvara Shankaracharya and a Baana-linga presented by Jagadguru Shankaracharya NiranjanaDeva Tirtha Swami of GovardhanPeetham,Puri), in his श्रीविद्यारत्नाकर recommends to burn the liquor(प्रथमं प्रज्वाल्य) in the कुलदीप and offer by saying: “अन्तस्तेजो बहिस्तेज एकीकृत्यामितप्रभम् । त्रिधा दीपं परिभ्राम्य कुलदीपं निवेदयेत् ॥” KUĻADĪPA is the unifying effulgent light that discards all the darkness inside and outside and enables one to see the TRUTH ABSOLUTE. Then comes to mind – ‘What is कुल ?’ कुलं=कुलस्य सजातीयसमूहस्य निधिं मातृ-मान-मेयस्य त्रिपुट्या एकज्ञानविषयत्वेन साजात्यात्, aघटमहं जानामीत्येव ज्ञानाकारात्, जानामीति तमेव भान्तमनुभात्येतत्समस्तं जगदिति श्रीमदाचार्यभगवत्पादोक्तेः, तदेव हि ‘कुलम्’(‘सजातीयैः कुलं यूथ’मित्यमर:)।So the dictionary meaning of ‘कुळ’ is ‘class’. ‘673-संख्या वंश्येन(2-1-19)’ इति पाणिनीसूत्रे BhaţţojiDikşita quoting पतञ्जलि‘s महाभाष्य says “वंशो द्विधा – विद्यया जन्मना च – i.e. ‘Family is of two types, one derived from birth and the other from learning’, Or a “कुळ” may mean either by birth or the spiritual hierarchy beginning with परमशिव and ending with one’s own गुरु (परमशिवादिस्वगुरुपर्यन्तो वंशो वा ‘कुलं’). Or कुळ=conduct; for भविष्योत्तर-पुराण says कुल does not mean mere family, but right conduct indeed (“न कुलं कुलमित्याहुराचार: कुलमुच्यते”). There are mainly two ācāra(practice)s viz: कौलाचार and समयाचार. So the ācāra(practice) differs between the two. The कौलs use पञ्च-म-कारs i.e. मद्य, मांस, मत्स्य, मुद्रा and मैथुन as it is. The कौलs after completion of their worship by using the 5Ms in the end burn a दीप with liquor without a wick saying: “अन्तस्तेजो बहिस्तेज एकीकृत्यामितप्रभम् । त्रिधा दीपं परिभ्राम्य कुलदीपं निवेदयेत् ॥” Here कु =पृथिवी and also according to ‘अमरकोष(3-3-221)’means पाप(evil, sinful, wicked), कुत्सा(abuse, contempt, reproach), ईषत् (slightly, to some extent, a little) etc related to all earthly qualities. Earth element is associated with smell. Wine or liquor has a repugnant odour. When one takes too much, he falls on the ground while walking(कौ लसति इति कौल:). Their preference for worship is भू-प्रस्तार-श्रीयन्त्र, while मेरु--प्रस्तार-श्रीयन्त्र is meant for समयाचारीs, whose medium of esoteric divine practice is based mainly on one’s मेरुदण्ड. The दण्डी संन्यासीs in आचार्य शङ्कर’s समयाचार tradition the दण्ड itself becomes the medium of whole process of श्रीविद्या-उपासना according to the procedure as prescribed in the यति-दण्डैश्वर्यविधानम्. Hence, the समयाचारीs do not think the above 5Ms to be necessary or proper in पूजा(पूञ् पवित्रीकरणे for purification+ जायते that generates as an outcome in worship) and consider all these to be symbolic and a yogic process for realization of the Truth, Consciousness and Bliss. In समयाचार the fluid that exudes from the सहस्रारचक्र is considered to be मद्य. The beastly thoughts viz: passion, anger etc. killed by the sword of knowledge is called मांस. The movement of कुण्डलिनी in the सुषुम्ना is considered मत्स्य. The cessation (मुद्रण) of all mundane desires is मुद्रा. Dallying of mind with the play of Divine-Power शिव+शक्ति in the thousand pettaled सहस्रार is known as मैथुन. But these are substitutes for the कौल-पञ्च-म-कारs, while some other consider मनन( meditation), मन्त्र(repeatition of certain syllables in a prescribed manner), मौन(thinking of the Divine in silence) , मुद्रा(मुदं Bliss Divine + राति=ददाति gives, That which) and मज्जन(delving deep in the Divine exuberance) are considered to be 5Ms of समयाचार. Describing this आचार्य शङ्कर in the end of आनन्दलहरी writes: तवाधारे मूले सह समयया लस्यपरया नवात्मानं मन्ये नवरसमहाताण्डवनटम् । उभाभ्यामेताभ्यामुदयविधिमुद्दिश्य दयया सनाथाभ्यां जज्ञे जनक-जननीमज्जगदिदम् ॥ The समयाचारीs also offer कुलदीप made of silver or gold with a wick burning with the help of clarified butter, saying in final submission as per सौन्दर्यलहरी as follows : प्रदीपज्वालाभिर्दिवसकरनीराजनविधिः सुधासूतेश्चन्द्रोपलजललवैरर्घ्यरचना । स्वकीयैरम्भोभिः सलिलनिधिसौहित्यकरणं त्वदीयाभिर्वाग्भिस्तव जननि वाचां स्तुतिरियम् ॥ i.e. Oh! Mother, This praise of words in your honour composed with your own words is like the worship of lights in honour of the Sun done with its own rays, the oblation in honour of the Moon with water emanating from the moon-stone and the pleasing of the ocean with its own waters.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 11:24:55 +0000
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