39 - Discourses on Tantra Volume One
Chapter 11
The Acoustic Roots of the Indo-Aryan Alphabet (9)
While discussing ka I mentioned that human thoughts are sometimes guided by áshá vrtti, sometimes by cintá vrtti. The acoustic root of áshá vrtti is ka, and that of cintá vrtti [the propensity of worry] is kha. Suppose the train you are travelling by from Krishnanagar to Dignagar is running late. In that case you will not only think about the train being late, but of the probable inconveniences caused as a result, notably the inconvenience you will cause your host in Dignagar if you arrive at his house late and expect him to serve you food. So you decide to eat your supper somewhere near the station before proceeding to your host’s house. All thoughts such as these are symbolized by the acoustic root kha.
Suppose you are travelling from Krishnanagar to Matiyari. The thought passes through your mind that at one time Matiyari had an important brassware industry, which today is on the verge of collapse, resulting in thousands of its employees losing their jobs. You wonder whether it might be possible to revive the industry. But as you are not personally affected by the collapse of the industry, you are not a direct player in your own thoughts. Impersonal thoughts such as these are symbolized by the acoustic root kha.
Kha means “sky”, but kha is not the acoustic root of the sky. The acoustic root of the sky is ha. Kha also means “heaven”, but it is not the acoustic root of all of heaven, either. The crude aspects of heaven are represented by kha, whereas the sphere of heaven which transcends the crude is represented by kśa.
Ka is the acoustic root of Kárya Brahma. First comes ka, Kárya Brahma, and then follows the rest of creation. That is why ka is the first consonant. And as ka plus ha equals kha, ka is immediately followed by kha in the Indo-Aryan alphabet.
Every entity, whether animate or inanimate, has the potentiality of expression. An animate entity can arouse that dormant potentiality through both external and internal means, whereas an inanimate entity acquires impetus through external means. Suppose poetic genius lies dormant in a certain person. If he arouses that latent genius by applying his will-force, he can become a renowned poet. But if he fails to do that due to lethargy or for some other reason, his poetic genius will remain unexpressed. The effort made to arouse one’s dormant potentiality is called ceśt́á. Ceśt́á is one of the psychic vrttis [propensities] and is the main cause of mundane development and spiritual elevation. So its value in the mundane and supramundane spheres is immense.
Ga, being the acoustic root of ceśt́á vrtti, plays an important role in the physical, psychic and spiritual spheres of human life.
Mamatá, the vrtti of love and attachment of human beings and all other creatures, is related to time, space and individuality. It is not unusual for people to praise even the goods of the poorest quality manufactured in their own country and criticize the best-quality goods made in other countries. This occurs due to their irrational attachment for a certain place. It is a kind of psychic disease. The same sort of thing occurs in individuals as well. The mother who feels so much love and affection for her child that she sacrifices everything in life for its comfort and welfare, mercilessly slices young kai fish [walking fish] into pieces without the slightest emotional feeling. The young kai fish cry out in the agony of death, but the cruel heart of the human mother does not melt. Mamatá vrtti is also related to the time factor. The same mother cow who so lovingly suckles her calves and licks them clean today kicks them away when they grow up tomorrow.
Thus mamatá vrtti is limited by the relative factors. Only human beings can make mamatá vrtti transcend the boundaries of time, space and individuality, after persistent and intense efforts. This is something impossible for other beings. Gha is the acoustic root of mamatá vrtti.