Talk:Á¹¢aá¸adhvÄ
By Swami Harshananda
ṣaḍadhvā (‘six paths [leading to the Divine]’)
This is a special technical term of the Sakti cult, the cult of the Divine Mother.
Adhvā means a path; sat means six.
According to the cult of the Divine Mother, there are six paths of spiritual discipline that lead to the Divine Mother. They are: varṇādhvā (letters of the alphabet), padādhvā (words made up of these letters), mantrādhvā (mantras comprising the words), kalādhvā (aspects such as vidyā or knowledge, śānti or peace and so on), tattvādhvā (the thirty six categories of Śāktāism) and bhuvanādhvā (various worlds).
Alternatively it can mean the worship of the six deities viz., Śiva, Viṣṇu, Durgā, Sūrya, Gaṇapati and Indusambhava (a Jain deity). By worshipping these six deities in his earlier lives, the śākta-sādhaka becomes fit to worship the Divine Mother.
Divine Mother Lalitā is described (ivide name 991) in the Lalitāsahasranāma as beyond these six adhvās (ṣaḍadhvātīta-rūpiṇī).
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
OLD CONTENT[edit]
By Swami Harshananda
ṣaḍadhvā (‘six paths [leading to the Divine]’)
This is a special technical term of the Sakti cult, the cult of the Divine Mother.
Adhvā means a path; sat means six.
According to the cult of the Divine Mother, there are six paths of spiritual discipline that lead to the Divine Mother. They are: varṇādhvā (letters of the alphabet), padādhvā (words made up of these letters), mantrādhvā (mantras comprising the words), kalādhvā (aspects such as vidyā or knowledge, śānti or peace and so on), tattvādhvā (the thirty six categories of Sāktāism) and bhuvanādhvā (various worlds).
Alternatively it can mean the worship of the six deities viz., Śiva, Viṣṇu, Durgā, Surya, Gaṇapati and Indusambhava (a Jain deity). By worshipping these six deities in his earlier lives, the śākta-sādhaka becomes fit to worship the Divine Mother.
Divine Mother Lalitā is described (ivide name 991) in the Lalitāsahasranāma as beyond these six adhvās (ṣaḍadhvātīta-rupiṇī).
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
OLD CONTENT[edit]
ṣaḍadhvā (‘six paths [leading to the Divine]’) This is a special technical term of the Sakti cult, the cult of the Divine Mother. Adhvā means a path; ṣaṛ means six. According to the cult of the Divine Mother, there are six paths of spiritual discipline that lead to the Divine Mother. They are: varṇādhvā (letters of the alpha¬bet), padādhvā (words made up of these letters), mantrādhvā (mantras comprising the words), kalādhvā (aspects such as vidyā or knowledge, śānti or peace and so on), tattvādhvā (the thirty six categories of Sāktāism) and bhuvanādhvā (various worlds). Alternatively it can mean the worship of the six deities viz., Siva, Viṣṇn, Durgā, Surya, Gaṇapati and Indusambhava (a Jain deity). By worshipping these six deities in his earlier lives, the śākta- sādhaka becomes fit to worship the Divine Mother. Divine Mother Lalitā is described (ivide name 991) in the Lalitāsahasranāma as beyond these six adhvās (ṣaḍadhvātīta- rupiṇī).