40 - Discourses on Tantra Volume One
Chapter 11
The Acoustic Roots of the Indo-Aryan Alphabet (10)
Uṋa is the acoustic root of dambha vrtti [the propensity of vanity]. The popular story goes that the great sage Vashiśt́ha travelled to China to learn the Chinese school of Tantra. In China he learnt the use of una in the utterance of Tantric mantras, and introduced it in India on his return. Una is used extensively in all the dialects of the Indo-Chinese languages, even in Tibetan, Laddaki, Sherpa, Manpa, etc. It is said that Vashiśt́ha learned that una is the acoustic root of vanity. It is also said that he first learned the Tárá cult of the Buddhist Vámácára Tantra from China. Since then in Buddhist Tantra, the Tárá cult has been trifurcated: Ugra Tárá or Vajra Tárá is worshipped in India; Niila Tárá, or Niila Sarasvatii, is worshipped in Kiḿpuruśavarśa (Tibet), and Bhrámarii Tárá (Krśńa Tárá) is worshipped in China.
It is believed that in the post-Buddhist period Vajra Tárá or Ugra Tárá was accepted as the Tárá deity in Varńáshrama Dharma [medieval Hinduism]. Today names such as Tárá Dás, Tárápada, Tárá Kumar, etc., are quite common. It is generally accepted that the Niila Tárá, or Niila Sarasvatii, of Tibet was later converted into the [Hindu] goddess Sarasvatii by the supporters of Varńáshrama Dharma.
The acoustic root of Vajra Tárá of India and Niila Tárá of Tibet is aeḿ. The black-coloured Bhrámarii Tárá of China is accepted as the goddess Kálii in Varńáshrama Dharma. Their acoustic root is the same, kriiḿ (ka symbolizing Kárya Brahma plus ra symbolizing the luminous factor).
Ca is the acoustic root of viveka [conscience].
Cha is the acoustic root of vikalatáh vrtti [nervous breakdown]. A nervous breakdown occurs when one’s mind, which had previously been functioning properly, either starts malfunctioning or stops functioning altogether.
Una is the acoustic root of dambha vrtti [the propensity of vanity]; ja is the acoustic root of ahaḿkára vrtti (ego). The ego becomes inflated when one allows one’s “I” feeling to take a predominant role. “Since I was there, I was able to control the situation. But I wonder what would have happened in my absence. I’m sure that had I not been there the world would have met its final destruction.” So spoke Aurangzeb, the last powerful Mughal emperor of India. It is an expression of ahaḿkára vrtti.
Jha is the acoustic root of lolupatá, lobha [greed] and lolatá [avarice] vrttis. The Bengali word nolá [the greedy fascination of a cat or a dog] is derived from lola or lolatá.
Ina is the acoustic root of kapat́atá vrtti [hypocrisy]. Another Sanskrit word for “hypocrite” is páśańd́a, which was more widely used in the past. In Hindi a hypocrite is called pákhańd́ii. Hypocrisy can take many forms, but we are mainly acquainted with the following three: (1) getting one’s purpose served by exploiting or cheating others; (2) unnecessarily dominating somebody to conceal one’s own ignorance or weakness; (3) pretending to be moral by criticizing the sins of others, which one secretly commits oneself.
T́a is the acoustic root of vitarka vrtti [overstating one’s case]. Many people think that vitarka means a type of debating, but this is only partially true. It also means overstating one’s case to the point of garrulousness. Vitarka is a combination of a bad temper and garrulousness. It is in no way synonymous with kaśáya vrtti [speaking harshly to hurt others]. The following is an example of vitarka vrtti.
Suppose a person arrives at the Howrah railway station in Calcutta a little late and asks a well-dressed gentleman, “Excuse me, sir, has the Uluberia local train departed yet?” The gentleman snaps angrily, “Is it my duty to keep information about the Uluberia local train? Am I a railway timetable? How idiotic! People like you make life hell for others. This is the reason the country is going to the dogs. What do you think I am, an enquiry office?” Another gentleman standing nearby says helpfully, “Were you asking about the Uluberia local? The train will leave from platform eleven in five minutes. If you hurry you’ll catch it.”
The first gentleman has an uncontrolled vitarka vrtti whereas the second gentleman has uttered pramita vák [balanced statements]. In pramita vák only relevant words are used.