Tripura Rahasya Tantra summarized - Shakta teachings on consciousness

[julianhorack]

In Vedanta there are two main schools of thought, dual and non-dual, or in Sanskrit Dwaita and Adwaita.

I am personally a follower of neither, but rather an adherent of the third way, the synthesis of the two opposites. This school is called dwaita-adwaita, our more specifically achintya bheda-abheda tattva.

It implies that the philosophical conclusion is not that all is one, or that all is different, but that all is both simultaneously one and different, inconceivable as it is. This is the Brahna Madhva Ramanuja sampradaya or school, as opposed to the Shankaracharya school of thought.

Nevertheless, I still aim to stay informed regarding all the various literature on the various diverse teachings, and so have summarized one of the well known and respected texts from the Shakta or goddess tradition. This philosophy is close to Kashmir Shaivism, and is more impersonal or Adwaita philosophy. Many people follow and accept this school of thought, though I like to qualify it a bit more, along the Ramanujacharya line of thinking.

Stay informed and research the ancient texts if you wish to know the secrets of the ancient seekers and philosophers. The info is there if you wish to know more about yourself.

History and Background of Tripurā Rahasya

The Tripurā Rahasya (त्रिपुरा रहस्य, “The Mystery/Secret of the Triple Goddess” or “The Secret beyond the Three Cities”) is one of the most important scriptural texts of the Sri Vidya tradition within Shakta Tantra (specifically the non-dual Kashmir-oriented branch called Trika or Parā-vidyā). It is classified as a Tantra-śāstra and belongs to the corpus of the Tripurā Upaniṣads (sometimes counted among the 108+ Upanishads of the Śākta group).

Traditional Attribution and Date

• Traditionally attributed to Mahādeva (Śiva) himself as the teacher and Sage Parashurama (the 6th avatar of Vishnu) as the direct disciple who received the teaching.
• The text claims to be a condensation of an original enormous work of 1 lakh (100,000) verses taught by Dattātreya to Parashurama, of which only about 2,000–2,200 verses survive today.
• The colophon states it was later re-taught by Haritāyana (a later incarnation or disciple in the lineage) to Sumedha Haritāyana.
• Modern scholarly dating: composed between the 12th and 15th centuries CE (most scholars lean toward 13th–15th century), probably in South India (Kerala/Tamil Nadu region). It shows strong influence of Kashmir non-dual Shaivism (Abhinavagupta, Utpaladeva) but is firmly in the Sri Vidya tradition of the Hadi and Kadi schools.

Extant Versions

Two main sections survive:

1. Jñāna-khaṇḍa (Section on Knowledge) – the longer and more important part (22 chapters).
2. Mahatmya-khaṇḍa (Section on Glory) – shorter, more devotional and narrative (added later, sometimes considered less authoritative).

The most authoritative Sanskrit edition with commentary is the one with Śrī Rāmeśvara’s commentary published by the Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies (1935) and later by Chaukhamba.

The text was made famous in the 20th century by Ramana Maharshi, who considered it one of the greatest expositions of Advaita and often recommended it. He encouraged the first full English translation (1938–1940s) by the Ashram.

Structure and Chapter-by-Chapter Summary (Jñāna-khaṇḍa only – the core philosophical text)

The Jñāna-khaṇḍa has 22 chapters (sometimes numbered slightly differently in editions). Below is the standard chapter-wise summary (based on the Kashmir edition and standard commentaries):

Chapter	Sanskrit Name	Key Theme & Summary
1	Vairagya-prakaraṇam	Dispassion. King Janaka’s sudden renunciation after hearing divine words in the air; Parashurama asks Dattatreya for the highest teaching.
2	Guru-kṛpā-prakaraṇam	Necessity of Guru’s grace. Hemāṅga’s story begins (frame story that runs through most of the text).
3–4	Hemāṅga-vijñapti	The curse on Hemāṅga’s wife Hemalekha by a sage; she becomes detached; Hemāṅga’s confusion.
5–9	Hemalekhā-upadeśa	Hemalekha’s five masterful discourses to her husband on the nature of the Self, illusion, bondage, and liberation. Considered the philosophical core of the entire text.
10	Svānubhava-prakaraṇam	Direct experience of the Self. Hemāṅga attains realization through Hemalekha’s instructions.
11	Bhāvana-abhyupāya	Methods of contemplation and meditation on the Self.
12	Nirvikalpa-samādhi-prakaraṇam	Description of savikalpa and nirvikalpa samadhi; the state of the jivanmukta.
13	Jīvanmukti-prakaraṇam	Characteristics of the liberated while living (jivanmukta).
14	Sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭānta	Cosmology through the analogy of creation as the spontaneous play (krīḍā) of pure consciousness.
15	Prapaṇca-vijñāna	Detailed analysis of how the world-appearance arises from the Self (very close to Kashmir Shaivism’s 36 tattvas).
16	Cidānanda-rūpatā	The nature of the Self as pure Consciousness-Bliss (cit-ānanda).
17	Ahaṃ-bhāva-prakaraṇam	Dissolution of the ego (ahaṃkāra); the famous “Aham” (I) inquiry similar to Ramana’s.
18	Sthiti-prakaraṇam	Maintenance/sustenance of the universe as the Self’s own radiance.
19	Laya-prakaraṇam	Dissolution (pralaya) of the universe back into the Self.
20	Upasamhāra-prakaraṇam	Concluding teachings; the identity of individual and supreme Self.
21	Parāmarśa-prakaraṇam	Direct recognition (pratyabhijñā) of one’s own nature as Tripura.
22	Jñāna-prakaraṇam (final)	Final summation: the entire universe is nothing but the play of Tripurā (the Supreme Goddess as pure Consciousness). Only the Self is real; everything else is appearance in consciousness.

Key Philosophical Highlights

• Extremely non-dual: “There is no world apart from Consciousness.”
• The Goddess Tripurā is not a deity separate from the Self; she is the power (Śakti) of pure Awareness that manifests as the three cities (tri-pura) – waking, dream, deep sleep – and finally the Fourth (turiya).
• Uses the famous analogy of the mirror and reflections and the screen and movie long before modern Advaita teachers.
• Strong parallels with Kashmir Shaivism (Spanda, Pratyabhijñā) and Advaita Vedānta, but remains firmly Śākta.

In short, Tripurā Rahasya is regarded by Sri Vidya practitioners and many Advaitins as one of the clearest, most poetic, and most profound expositions of non-dual Śākta Advaita ever written, and its Jñāna-khaṇḍa (especially chapters 5–17) is considered an absolute masterpiece of spiritual literature.

Detailed Summary of the Core Teachings in Chapters 5–9 (Hemalekhā’s Five Discourses to Hemāṅga)

These five chapters form the absolute philosophical heart of Tripurā Rahasya. Hemalekhā, the enlightened queen, delivers five successive upadeśas (instructions) to her deluded husband Prince Hemāṅga, who is burning with desire and unable to understand why his beautiful wife has suddenly become completely detached from worldly and sexual pleasures.

Each chapter is structured as one long evening discourse. The teachings are cumulative and increasingly profound.

Chapter 5 – First Discourse: The True Nature of Happiness and the Falsity of Objects

• Real happiness is not caused by objects or sense-pleasures; it is the very nature of the Self.
• When you get an object you desired, the mind momentarily becomes quiet and objectless — that quietude is the real source of the happiness, not the object itself.
• Proof: In deep sleep there are no objects, yet you wake up refreshed and happy. The happiness was already there.
• All objects are finite and perishable; they can never give infinite, permanent happiness. Seeking happiness in them is like trying to find daylight inside a dark cave.
• Conclusion: Turn the mind away from objects and towards its own source.

Chapter 6 – Second Discourse: The Three States and the Fourth (Turīya)

• Analysis of the three states of experience (waking, dream, deep sleep).
• In waking and dream, objects appear; in deep sleep, objects disappear but the Self remains as pure “I am.”
• The Self is the unchanging witness (sākṣin) of all three states and is itself the Fourth (turīya).
• The Goddess Tripurā rules the “three cities” (waking, dream, sleep) but herself resides beyond as pure Consciousness.
• Whatever appears and disappears cannot be real. Only the unchanging substratum (the Self) is real.
• Key verse: “Just as the same gold appears as bangles, rings, and chains, the one Consciousness appears as the three states.”

Chapter 7 – Third Discourse: The Ego (Ahaṃkāra) is the Root of Bondage

• The ego (“I am the body, I am the doer, I am the enjoyer”) is a false superimposition on the pure Self.
• This ego arises because of non-discrimination (aviveka) between the real Self and the not-Self.
• The ego is like the redness superimposed on a transparent crystal when a red flower is placed nearby.
• As long as the ego persists, the world and suffering persist. When the ego is dissolved, the world is seen as it truly is — an appearance in Consciousness.
• Famous analogy: The world is like a dream. In a dream you may suffer terribly, but on waking you laugh because the entire dream-world was only yourself.

Chapter 8 – Fourth Discourse: Inquiry into the “I” (Ahaṃ-vicāra) – the Direct Path

• The most practical and direct method: trace the “I” thought back to its source.
• Ask: “To whom does this body, mind, and world appear?” → “To me.” → “Who am I?”
• When you search for the ego, it disappears like a ghost at dawn.
• The ego has no independent reality; it borrows existence from the Self.
• Repeated practice of this inquiry dissolves the vasanas (latent tendencies) and reveals the Self naturally.
• This is almost identical to Ramana Maharshi’s later teaching of self-enquiry, and Ramana himself said this chapter was one of the clearest expositions he had ever seen.

Chapter 9 – Fifth Discourse: The Vision of the Realized Sage (Sthiti of the Jñānī)

• Description of the state after realization.
• The world does not disappear for the jñānī; it appears exactly as before, but is now known to be nothing but the Self — like waves known to be nothing but water.
• The jñānī enjoys perfect peace and freedom while acting in the world. All actions happen spontaneously without the sense of doership.
• Analogy of the cinema screen: the pictures (world) come and go, but the screen (Self) remains untouched.
• Final punch: “There is no creation, no dissolution, no bondage, no liberation. The one pure Consciousness alone appears as all this. That Thou Art.”

After the fifth discourse, Hemāṅga is stunned into silence. In the very next chapter (10), he sits in contemplation and attains direct realization (sākṣātkāra) of the Self.

These five chapters are regarded by Sri Vidya adepts and Advaitins alike as one of the most brilliant, systematic, and beautiful presentations of non-dual teaching in all of Indian literature — poetic, logical, and immediately practical.

Chapter 10: Svānubhava-prakaraṇam

(“The Chapter on Direct Realisation of the Self”)

This is the shortest but most dramatic chapter in the entire Jñāna-khaṇḍa. After Hemalekhā’s fifth and final discourse (end of Ch. 9), Prince Hemāṅga falls completely silent. The chapter describes, in vivid and moving detail, how he instantly puts the teaching into practice and attains direct, irreversible realisation.

Key events and teachings

1. Immediate cessation of doubts
   As soon as Hemalekhā finishes speaking, all of Hemāṅga’s questions, desires, and restlessness vanish like mist before the rising sun. He does not ask for any further clarification — the teaching has done its work perfectly.

2. He retires to a solitary place
   Without telling anyone, he leaves the palace at night and goes to a secluded spot on the banks of a river, determined to realise the truth then and there.

3. One-pointed contemplation
   Sitting alone under a tree, he begins intense vicāra (self-enquiry) exactly as instructed:

   • “To whom do all these thoughts and sensations appear?”
   • “They appear to ‘I’.”
   • “What is this ‘I’?”
     He relentlessly traces the “I”-thought back to its source.

4. The ego vanishes
   As he enquires deeper and deeper, the ego (ahaṃkāra) suddenly dissolves, “like a thief who, on being caught red-handed, drops everything and flees.”
   The text says: “In that instant the knot of the heart was cut asunder, all doubts were resolved, and the accumulated karmas of countless births were burnt to ashes.”

5. Direct experience of the Self (Svānubhava)
   What remains is boundless, objectless, pure Consciousness-Bliss — the natural state.
   The chapter gives one of the most beautiful descriptions in all Advaita literature:
   “He became like a crystal placed in empty space — perfectly still, transparent, and radiant from within. He was the Self alone, shining by its own light, with nothing second to it.”

6. Sahaja-samādhi (natural, effortless abiding)
   He does not fall into trance or unconsciousness. He remains fully awake, yet completely absorbed in the Self. The body continues to breathe, but there is no longer any identification with it.

7. Return to the palace
   After some hours (or days — the text is deliberately vague about time), he calmly returns to the palace. Hemalekhā immediately recognises the transformation in his eyes and smile and rejoices silently.

8. Final verses of the chapter
   Dattātreya (the narrator) declares:
   “Thus did Hemāṅga, by the grace of the Guru’s words and by the power of Hemalekhā’s flawless instruction, attain the supreme state in a single instant — a state which yogis strive for through countless austerities and lifetimes.”

The chapter ends with the statement that this is the true meaning of “hearing the truth once from a competent teacher” (śravaṇa-ekena): for the perfectly ripe soul, a single clear teaching is sufficient for immediate liberation.

This chapter is often cited as the classic example in Sri Vidya and Advaita of sudden, effortless enlightenment (sadyo-mukti) through pure self-enquiry, and it is the direct inspiration for many later accounts of instantaneous realisation.

Chapter 11: Bhāvanā-abhyupāya-prakaraṇam

(“The Chapter on the Means of Firm Abiding through Contemplation”)

After Hemāṅga’s sudden realisation in Chapter 10, the text now shifts from the dramatic event of awakening to the practical question:
How does one stabilise and perpetually abide in that realised state?
This chapter is addressed to those who have had a direct glimpse (or even full realisation) but still experience occasional rising of the ego, old vāsanās (latent tendencies), or apparent return of world-consciousness.

Core Teaching: The Four Stages of Bhāvanā (Contemplative Assimilation)

Dattātreya (still narrating through the frame-story) explains that even after the knot of ignorance is cut, the mind’s old momentum can temporarily reassert itself. To make the realisation irreversible and effortless, four progressive methods of bhāvanā (creative contemplation / meditative reinforcement) are taught:

1. Śravaṇa-bhāvanā (Contemplation through repeated hearing)
   Keep the mahāvākyas and core teachings alive in the mind by repeatedly listening to or reciting the truth:
   “I am pure Consciousness”, “The world is an appearance in Me”, “There is no object apart from the Self”, etc.
   This is compared to dyeing a cloth: repeated immersion makes the colour permanent.

2. Manana-bhāvanā (Contemplative reasoning)
   Actively refute, through logic, every possible doubt that arises.
   Examples given:

   • If the world seems real again → “Did the dream-world become real when you were dreaming?”
   • If the body feels real → “The body was absent in deep sleep, yet ‘I’ remained.”
     The mind is trained never to accept any appearance as ultimately real.

3. Nididhyāsana-bhāvanā (Deep meditative absorption)
   Deliberately withdraw attention from objects and rest as the Self for long periods.
   The text recommends practising in solitude at first: sitting motionless, letting thoughts and sensations arise and subside while remaining as the unchanging witness.
   Gradually, the gap between thoughts becomes longer until only pure awareness remains.

4. Sahaja-bhāvanā (Natural, effortless abiding) – the final and highest stage
   Once the first three are perfected, all deliberate effort drops away.
   The jñānī now lives normally in the world, but the contemplation “I am the Self, all this is the Self” continues spontaneously and without break, even during activity.
   This is compared to a married woman who thinks of her lover unconsciously at all times, or to the continuous flow of oil when poured (tailadhārāvat).

Key Analogies in this Chapter

• A burnt rope: it looks like a rope but can never bind again → similarly, the mind of the jñānī retains its form but has lost all binding power.
• An arrow that has almost reached the target: a little final effort is needed to pierce through completely.
• Writing on water vs. writing on stone: ordinary people’s knowledge is like writing on water (quickly erased); the jñānī’s is carved in stone.

Closing Declaration

Dattātreya states that whoever practises these four bhāvanās with sincerity will quickly reach the state of sahaja-samādhi (effortless, unbroken abidance), in which liberation is no longer something attained but the natural, ever-present condition.

Chapter 11 thus serves as the essential “post-realisation practice manual” — very rare in Advaita/Tantra texts, which usually stop at the moment of awakening. It shows that Tripurā Rahasya is not only for sudden enlightenment but also provides complete guidance for perfect stabilisation.

Chapter 12: Nirvikalpa-samādhi-prakaraṇam

(“The Chapter on Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa Samādhi, and the State of the Jīvanmukta”)

This is one of the most technically precise and beautiful chapters in the entire text. It clearly distinguishes the different depths of samādhi and explains exactly how the realised sage lives.

Main Sections and Teachings

1. Definitions and Distinctions

   • Savikalpa samādhi: There is still a subtle triadic distinction (tripuṭī): knower, knowing, known. The mind is absorbed, but a faint “I am experiencing bliss” or “I am the Self” remains.
   • Nirvikalpa samādhi: All vikalpas (distinctions, thoughts, subject-object duality) completely cease. Only pure, non-dual Consciousness remains — no “I”, no world, no experience, no experiencer. It is the direct, naked state of the Self (kevala-svarūpa).

2. How Nirvikalpa Arises Naturally
   After repeated practice of the bhāvanās taught in Chapter 11, savikalpa becomes longer and deeper, until one day the last trace of “I” dissolves of its own accord.
   Famous analogy: “Like a candle flame in a windless place that finally consumes the last bit of wax and goes out into perfect stillness.”

3. The Two Phases of Nirvikalpa

   • Internal (with body awareness suspended): The jñānī sits motionless, breathing almost stops, no world appears. This is what most yogis mistake for the final goal.
   • External or Sahaja-nirvikalpa (the real goal of Tripurā Rahasya): The eyes may be open, the body moves and acts in the world, speech and actions happen normally, yet inwardly there is absolutely no trace of duality or individuality. The sage is “intoxicated with the wine of the Self” while appearing sober to others.

4. Characteristics of the Jīvanmukta in Sahaja-nirvikalpa

   • The world is seen, but not as “other”; everything is tasted as one’s own Self (like waves tasting only water).
   • No sense of agency: “Actions happen through this body, but I do nothing, nor do I cause anything to be done.”
   • Perfect equanimity in pleasure and pain, praise and blame, life and death.
   • Spontaneous compassion without personal motive.
   • Silence is natural, yet when speech arises it is powerful and liberating for others.

5. Key Analogies

   • A drunk man who walks and talks normally but has forgotten his own name and the world.
   • An actor perfectly playing a role while never forgetting he is not the character.
   • A dry leaf blown by the wind — no resistance, no choice, yet total freedom.

6. Final Declaration
   Dattātreya concludes:
   “The highest state is not the motionless nirvikalpa that yogis prize, but this living nirvikalpa in which Tripurā dances as the universe while remaining utterly still within Herself. This alone is the real liberation while living (jīvanmukti), and this is the state of all true knowers of the Self.”

Chapter 12 is revered in both Sri Vidya and Advaita circles as one of the clearest descriptions ever given of the difference between temporary yogic samādhi and the permanent, natural, non-dual state of the fully realised sage.

Chapter 13: Jīvanmukti-prakaraṇam

(“The Chapter on Liberation While Living”)

This chapter is entirely devoted to a detailed, vivid portrait of the jīvanmukta (one who is liberated here and now, while still embodied). It is one of the longest and most celebrated sections of Tripurā Rahasya, often quoted by later Advaita and Śākta teachers.

Core Teaching

True liberation is not something that happens after death or after the body falls. It is the recognition, here and now, that I was never bound. The jīvanmukta lives in the world but is completely untouched by it.

The 24 Hallmarks of a Jīvanmukta (as listed in the chapter)

Dattātreya gives a systematic list of unmistakable signs. A selection of the most important ones:

1. Perpetual peace and contentment, independent of external conditions.
2. Complete absence of desires, fears, and anxieties — even the desire for liberation has vanished.
3. No sense of “mine” — body, wealth, family, reputation are seen as passing clouds.
4. Equal vision: a clod of earth, a precious stone, and gold are the same to him.
5. No hatred or attachment toward anyone — friend, enemy, or stranger.
6. Silence is natural; speech arises only when necessary and is always truthful and beneficial.
7. The world appears like a dream or a magic show — seen, enjoyed if it comes, but never taken as ultimately real.
8. Actions continue perfectly, yet there is no sense of doership (“prārabdha karma flows like a river, but I am the motionless bank”).
9. Sleep is like waking and waking is like sleep — no difference in the underlying awareness.
10. The gaze is steady and inward-turned even when the eyes are open; the face shines with a natural radiance.
11. No pride in knowledge or humility in ignorance — both are seen as mere words.
12. Spontaneous compassion arises, but without the feeling “I am helping someone.”
13. Complete fearlessness in the face of death — the body is seen as a worn-out garment.
14. Lives like a child or a madman (bāla-unmatta) — free from social conventions, yet harmless and delightful.

Famous Analogies in This Chapter

• A diver who has found the priceless pearl at the bottom of the ocean and now plays on the surface without worry.
• A royal swan (haṃsa) that drinks only milk (truth) and leaves the water (world) untouched.
• An elephant that has broken its chains and now roams the forest freely, indifferent to the ropes that once bound it.

The Highest Secret

At the end, Dattātreya reveals the ultimate hallmark that only another jīvanmukta can recognise:

“In the jīvanmukta, the three cities (waking, dream, deep sleep) are burnt to ashes by the fire of knowledge, yet Tripurā continues to dance joyously in the heart as pure ‘I-I’ (continuous, unbroken awareness). He is the living form of the Goddess Herself.”

The chapter closes with the declaration that such a being is the rarest and most auspicious sight in all the three worlds, and even the gods long to take human birth just to behold one.

Chapter 13 is often read aloud in Sri Vidya and Advaita gatherings as the definitive description of the fully realised sage — practical, poetic, and profoundly inspiring.

Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/shiva-tantra-shakti-harmony-art-4896335/

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