Sri Durga Pancharathnam by Sri Mahaperiyavaa - The essence of Svetaswatara Upanisad (Brahma Vidya)

Essence of Svetasvatara Upanisad ~ Durga Pancharatnam by Sri Mahaperiyavaa. 

Introduction

śravaṇāyāpi bahubhiryō na labhyaḥ

Not many have listened to Brahma Vidya.

śrṛṇvantō.pi bahavō yaṅ na vidyuḥ .

…..(and) which many do not understand even while listening,
āścaryō vaktā kuśalōsya labdha

The expounder is wonderful and the receiver is wonderful

aścaryō jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ ৷৷ 1.2.7 ৷৷ – Katha Upanisad.

wonderful is he who knows (about Brahman) under the instruction of an AcArya.

Katha Upanishad expressed a strong sentiment that Brahma Vidyā or Ātma Vidyā has not been paid attention to or listened to by most of us. As Adi Shankaracharya has categorically stated, by the word Upaniṣad is not meant book or text; its primary meaning is Brahma Vidyā (Ka. Up. Bhasya)

Therefore, when the Śruti declares, āścaryo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ (last line above in Katha Up Mantra) it is pointing to the blessed conjunction of a competent teacher and a prepared seeker. In that light, Sri Mahāperiyavā, as Paramācārya, has indeed blessed us with Brahma Vidyā Śravaṇam and Mananam through the Durga Pancharatnam, a stotram distilled from the mantras and essential teaching of the Śvetāśvatara Upanishad.

Thus what appears as a devotional hymn is, in truth, a vehicle of Upaniṣadic Brahma Vidyā.

Upaniṣad means that which dispels ignorance. Ignorance about what? Our infinite divine nature.

Thus, Upaniṣad means Brahma Vidyā, Ātma Vidyā. It also the heart of Śrī Vidyā because the essence of Upaniṣad is recognizing Īśvara Śakti that pulsates in everything and everybody as “I” “I” – Chit Śakti.

This Brahma Vidyā is explained in the Durga Pañcaratnam.

The goal of this stotram is to develop bhakti to Divine Mother Durgā, Brahma Vidyā Svarūpiṇī, and also recognize, on account of śraddhā in Brahma Vidyā, that She is ever present in us as Ātma Sphūrti, the changeless “I current” ever experienced.

Free Translation of Durga Pancharathnam

te dhyānayogānugatā apaśyan tvām eva devīṃ svaguṇair nigūḍhām
tvam eva śaktiḥ parameśvarasya māṃ pāhi sarveśvari mokṣadātri ॥ 1 ॥

With the aid of dhyāna, they realized the Being who shines within the three guṇas, that is, within this body, as Ātman. It is you who are the Śakti of Parameśvara. O Sarveśvarī, forgive us and grant us Brahma Jñānam, that is Mokṣam.

*forgive us for failing to recognize you, despite being ever present as Atma Chaithanya Sphurti

tē dhyānayōgānugatā apaśyan dēvātma śaktiṅ svaguṇair nigūḍhām.
yaḥ kāraṇāni nikhilāni tāni kālātmayuktānyadhitiṣṭhatyēkaḥ৷৷1.3৷৷ – Svetaswatara Upanisad.

devātmaśaktiḥ śrutivākyagītā
maharṣilokasya puraḥ prasannā
guhā paraṃ vyoma sataḥ pratiṣṭhā
māṃ pāhi sarveśvari mokṣadātri ॥ 2 ॥

You are the Śakti of the shining Ātman, that is, Aham Sphūrti, extolled by the Vedas. Adored by great ṛṣis, in whose heart You are ever present as Ātma Sphūrti, “I”, “I”. O Sarveśvarī, forgive us and grant us Brahma Jñānam, that is, Mokṣam.

From the Śvetāśvatara Upanishad 4.10:

māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ vidyān māyinaṃ tu maheśvaram

Know Māyā to be Prakṛti and the wielder of Māyā to be Maheśvara.

From 3.20:

na mahato mahīyān ātmā guhāyāṃ nihito ’sya jantoḥ
tam akratuḥ paśyati vītaśoko dhātuprasādān mahimānam īśam

The Self, subtler than the subtle and greater than the great, is hidden in the cave of the heart. One who is serene and purified sees that glorious Lord and becomes free from sorrow.

parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyase
śvetāśvavākyoditadevi durge
svābhāvikī jñānabalakriyā te
māṃ pāhi sarveśvari mokṣadātri ॥ 3 ॥

You are the Parāśakti, spoken of in many ways in the Vedas and praised in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad.

Your nature is knowledge, strength, and action. These are manifest as icchā, jñāna, and kriyā śakti in Īśvara and in us.

O Sarveśvarī, forgive us and grant us Brahma-jñānam.

na tasya kāryaṃ karaṇaṃ ca vidyate na tatsamaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate /

parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñānabalakriyā ca // 6.8 // Svetaswatara Upanisad

devātmaśabdena śivātmabhūtā
yathoktaṃ vayam iva vaco vivṛtya
tvam pāśavicchedakarī prasīda
māṃ pāhi sarveśvari mokṣadātri ॥ 4 ॥

By the term devātma, You are indicated as being none other than Śivātman (see verse 2 above), as declared and unfolded in the teaching tradition. You cut asunder all bonds of ignorance as Brahma Vidyā. O Sarveśvarī, forgive us and grant us Brahma Jñānam, that is, Mokṣam.

The following verses in the Śvetāśvatara Upanishad remind us that we overcome ignorance, pāśa or bonds, by knowing Brahman.

Svetaswatara Upanisad : -

….jñātvā devaṃ mucyate sarvapāśaiḥ // 2.15 //

Knowing Īśvara (devaṃ) one is freed from all bonds.

…jñātvā mṛtyupāśāṃś chinatti // 4.15 //

Knowing Him, one cuts asunder the noose of death.

.…jñātvā devaṃ mucyate sarvapāśaiḥ // 4.16 //

..…jñātvā devaṃ mucyate sarvapāśaiḥ // 5.13 //

….jñātvā devaṃ mucyate sarvapāśaiḥ // 6.13 //

tvaṃ brahmapucchā vividhā mayūrī
brahmapratiṣṭhāsi upadiṣṭagītā
jñānasvarūpātmatayākhilānāṃ
māṃ pāhi sarveśvari mokṣadātri ॥ 5 ॥

You are the Brahma-pucchā, the culminating support of all, O Mayūrī, manifest in diverse ways.
You are the Brahma-pratiṣṭhā as taught in the Gītā.
As the very nature of knowledge and as the Self of all beings,
Protect me, O Sarveśvarī, giver of mokṣa.

From the Taittiriya Upanishad (Ānanda Valli), in the pañcakośa prakaraṇa, we repeatedly see:

idaṃ pucchaṃ pratiṣṭhā
“This is the tail, the support.”

And finally:

ānanda ātmā, brahma pucchaṃ pratiṣṭhā
“Ānanda is the self; Brahman is the tail, the foundation.”

Here puccha clearly does not mean a literal tail. Śruti itself pairs it with pratiṣṭhā. The meaning is foundation, stabilizing support. You are that which stands as the ultimate grounding reality of all manifestation, the stabilizing basis in which everything culminates.

Thus brahmapucchā is Vedāntic language. 

Why Mayūrī?  Just as the peacock's tail (pucchā) displays many colors, Devī  (tvaṃ brahmapucchā) manifests as the manifold universe through Māyā (through diverse manifestations - here symbolized by the colors of Peacock - She is guṇamayī)

(mind turns to Karpagāmbāl, at Mayilāpūr)

The Gītā, Brahma Vidyā Śāstram, teaches us that you are non-different from Īśvara, vide Śrī Śaṅkara’s Bhāṣyam. You are the pure consciousness, Aham Padārtham, which is non-different from all creation. O Sarveśvarī, forgive us and grant us Brahma Jñānam, that is Mokṣam.

Sri Mahaperiyavaa has referred to the followin Gita Verse & Gita Bhasyam of Sri Sankara Bhagavatpaada, in the context of the verse above (upadiṣṭagītā)

The Bhagavad Gita 14.27 states:

brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham amṛtasyāvyayasya ca
śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca

I am indeed the basis of Brahman, of immortality and the imperishable, of eternal dharma and absolute bliss.

Śrī Śaṅkara Bhagavatpāda explains:

yayā ceśvaraśaktyā bhaktānugrahādiprayojanāya brahma pratiṣṭhate pravartate, sā śaktir brahmaivāham | śaktiśaktimator ananyatvād ity abhiprāyaḥ |

That power of Īśvara by which Brahman, for the purpose of blessing devotees and other functions, becomes manifest and operative is itself Brahman. The intention is the non difference of the power and the possessor of power.

The key phrase is:

śakti-śaktimator ananyatvāt
the non difference of Māyā and Īśvara.

As Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says, Śakti is inseparable from Śiva just as the power to burn is inseparable from fire.

Thus when Devī is praised as Brahma-pratiṣṭhā, It is Vedānta.