Soundarya Lahari Sloka -34

[seshasesheebhaavam]
[mutual growth]

Sareeram twam sambho: sasi-mihira-vakshoruha-yugam
Tavaatmaanam manye bhagavati navaatmaana-managham
Atah seshah sesheetyaya-mubhaya-saadhaaranatayaa
Sthitah sambandho vaam samarasa-paraananda-parayoh

Sareeram - body
twam - your
sambhoh - to Lord Paramasiva
sasi-mihira-vakshoruha-yugam - having God Sun and God moon as divine breasts
[akhila bhuvana vyaapta devi – viraat roopa]
Tava - your
atmaanam - body or aatman
manye - think [see with my mind]
bhagavati - Oh! Goddess Supreme!
Navaatmaanam - siva who has nine vyooha samooha
Anagham - pure [devoid of evil]
Atah - hence
seshah seshee ity - feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’
ayam - this
ubhaya-saadhaaranatayaa - equal for both
Sthitah - stands good
Sambandhah - relationship
vaam - in you [both]
samarasa-paraananda-parayoh - equaling aanandabhairava, aanandabhairavi

Oh! Paraasakti!
You, who has the Sun and the Moon as the breasts, are the body of Paramasiva; and Paramasiva who has nine vyooha surrounding him is your body – like this I see with my mind. Hence, the I and mine are common for you both, who are aanandabhairavi and aanandabhairava, are equal, in all respects

Sambhoh :-
The aanandabhairava who is the rishi for the mantra referred in earlier two slokas is mentioned here.
Bhagavati:-
Utpatyaadi vetanam bhagam, tatwateeti bhagavati.
Bhagavaan:-
Utpattimca vinaasamca bhootaanaamaagatimgatim
Vettividyaamavidyaanca sa vaacyo bhagavaaniti
Navaatmaanam:-
Paramasiva is nine-vyooha swarooopa :-

Kaala - the time from nimesha [second] to kalpaanta; candra and soorya are also included in this as they are also kaalaatmaka. They are kaala vyooha
Kula - neelasuklaadi roopa are the kula vyooha
Naama - ghata pataadi samjnaa form the naama vyooha
Jnaana - savikalpa nirvikalpa roopa-jnaana form the jnaana vyooha
citta - ahamkaara, citta, buddhi, mahattatwa, mind are the citta vyooha
Naada - paraa, pasyantee, madhyamaa, vaikharee roopa sabdaa form naada vyooha
Bindu - moolaadhaaraadi shatcakra vyooha is called bindu vyooha
Kalaa - akaaraadi pancaasad varnaas form kalaa vyooha
jeevan - bhoktaa jeevaatmaas form jeeva vyooham

kaalavyooha-
closing/opening of the eyes, movement of the fingers, breathe, count the heart beats –the starting with this and then minute, ghati, yaama, day, night, date, week, month, year and such timings are made by man. Kaala is beyond these - Kaalaateeta. As far as we are concerned, sun and moon are the pratinidhi of the kaala sankalpa and the niyaamaka sakti. All the components that can be included in the anaadi kaala is called the kaala vyooha.

Kulavyooha –
This indriyagraahya prapanca is full of objects. Varna is the one which enables us to differentiate the khara, drava, and vaataka objects. White, black, blue, yellow are all the varnabheda components in the same prakaasa dhaara. The saajaatya and vaijaatya of all objects are in some respects depending on varna. Hence, the varnaas are called kula vyooha.

Naama vyooha –
Through the jnaanendriyaas man has intellectual understanding about the objects in the world and their functioning. He keeps it in mind and uses when necessary to teach others regarding the same. For this he forms certain words and sabdaas. When you say, pot, cloth, running etc – there is no connection between the pronouncing of the words and the shape or name or functioning of the objects. Instead of pot we can say, kuta or ghata also. Words are just the way – the prateekaa useful for remembering and recalling to others the prapanca objects or their pratibhaasaa. We give each object one name, that’s all. But when we discuss about those things, it may not be possible to handle them as we like or make them function compulsorily. Hence, this prapanca is naama roopaatmaka. The totality of the objects in the world is called naama vyooha.

Jnaana vyooha –
This is the aadhaara or jnaana for the first three vyooha referred above. The curiosity of the mind which starts with the enquiry of what, why when and how etc culminates first in vikalpa jnaana and ultimately leads man to nirvikalpa jnaana. Each human being is able to understand according to his mind and intellect strength –
The panca bhoota or elements join in different proportion to form different compounds or materials.

The bhoota sanghaata join with caitanya and bring forth jeevaas and objects
Limit or boundary of action environment karma bandha – these limit the man’s intellect and accordingly he gets jnaana. Different people have different knowledge or jaana and the totality is called jnaana vyooha.

Citta vyooha
All the above four vyooha act on the basis of the mind only.
Mind is not having any form. It is not also the sareeraantargata indriya visesha.
Inside all the jeevaas there is the same paraasakti which shines itself and makes the whole world shine. But, still, each individual is not like another. Then what is that "satta"which differentiates one individual from another? Even the great realized paramajnaani if he is a dehabimaani – will have hunger, thirst, pain, happiness etc. when one says I am hungry or when one says I am happy or when one says I am god , even in such cases, there is the consioucsness called I available with anybody. Even the jnaani’s mind may sometimes act in such a way that it will loose hold and act according to indriyaas. The mind which reacts with the ishtaanishta and sukha-dukha is called citta. That part of the citta which differentitates good from bad, wanted from unwanted, and leads the mind to the righteous path is called buddhi. The aarjita samskaara which leads the buddhi is daivopalabdha and hence it is called mahattatwa. Mind is that power which gets controlled by ahamkaara, citta, buddhi, and mahattatwa and controls them too. In one way, we can say the first four referred are the counterparts of the mind. The power of the mind is the caraacaravyaapta paramacaitanya sphurana. Cittavyooha is the combination of mind, ahamkaara, buddhi and mahattatwa.

Naada vyooha –
This whole world is of sabda roopa. Prapanca is the aavishkrita roopa of sabdaveeci. The aroopa-nirguna-nishkalanka brahma transforms [for jnaanis – seems to transform] into prapanca only in the form of sabda. The naadabrahma acts in four ways in the pindaanda [every person]. Individual starts speaking due to the divine power inside only. It is due to the shrishti abhivaanca of the iswara it is referred. In the form of kundalini roopa, from the moolaadharastha paraasakti, emerges the aavishkaranavaancaa sphurana. This is termed as "paraa" sabda. You can say either that this paraa sabda involves everything in itself or it does not involve anything. It is the tejoroopa which is undescribable and is of trememdous power as Bhagavad Gita chapter 11-sloka 18, which refers about the viswaroopa darsana therein as below :-

Twamaksharam paramam veditavyam
twamasya viswasya param nidhaanam
twamavyayah saaswata dharma goptaa
sanaatanastwam purusho mato me

anaadi madhyaantamananta veeryam
anantabaahum sasi soorya netram
pasyaami twaam deepta hutaasa vaktram
swatejasaa viswamidam tapantam

the paraa sabda gradually is taken from moolaadhara upwards. When it reaches the naabheesthana, i.e., the manipooraka cakra, it learns [by seeing] from individuals, circumstances and environment. Because it is said to see it is then referred by the name "pasyanti". Again, when it goes up and reaches the anaahata cakra in the heart, it merges close with the samskaara of the individual. How an individual wants to use his sabda power depend on his samskaara. The difference between the words of a yogya and ayogya is formed by the sabda brahma mingling with his samskaara. This sabda is almost moulded but still it is not fully formed and hence, called "madhyama". At this time, the sabda comes fully in control of the cittavyooha. When this sabda comes under the control of the breathing and through the swaasa kosa, it expands and contracts and comes out therein, the sabda combined with naadatantri sound and otherwise also, and and further through the combined effect of the sabda going through the kantha, taalu, danta and adharoshta the pronunciations are formed and due to the karanaas as tongue, lips the fully transformed bhaashana sabdaas are formed. Since these words formed of aksharaas, and akshara sanghaata padaas and the pada sanghaata words are capable to be heard and taken in to the mind and undergo vikharana process and hence called by the name "vaikharee". The sound which appears as different languages depending upon the time and space or country is this vaikhari only. The sabdaroopa consisting of paraa, pasyanti, madhyama and vaikharee together is called as naada vyooha.

Binduvyooha:-
The pindaandastha shadaadaara cakra is called as binduvyooha. This consists of the six cakraas called moolaadhaara cakra, swaadhishthaana cakra, manipooraka cakra, anaahata cakra, visuddhi cakra, aajnaa cakra.

Kalaavyooha:-
The varnaas or aksharaas starting from ‘a’kaara to ‘ksha’kaara is called kalaavyoohaa. This represents the samastaprapanca and also the objects, vikaaraa and the actions involved therein. We have to note clearly the difference of naadavyooha from kalaavyooha. Naadavyooha represents pindaandastha sabdabrahma vyaapaara. Individual is formed of two parts –
1. sareerastha jeevaatma, and
2. the sareera covering that the jeevaatma
Individual has jnaana [originally available in the first birth and before] and ajnaana [stored in so many janmaas] {these are all illusions and a person is not at all born and will never die – only the body undergoes change as per newton’s law}. Ajnaana consists of two parts – non-apprehension or ignorance or avidyaa and mis-apprehension or erroneous knowledge. Once this erroneous knowledge is removed, the ajnaana will automatically vanish and jnaana alone will remain and this state wherein only self in pureconscious form is there is called as realization. Actually, nothing is newly obtained, only Self or god or love or pure consciousness is available and is forgotten temporarily due to maayaa and is regained back when one gets out of the clutches of maaya. Kalaavyooha is anaadi and ananta and is sarvaadhaara for sarva vijnaana. And is also the prabhava for sarva pratibhaasa and all actions.

Jeeva vyooha:-
Prapanca is bhoota samghaata. Bhoota is that which is derived from the nirguna paraaasakti due to guna sannivesa earth and everything in the earth [caraas and acaraas] are formed of panca bhoota. Jeevavyooha is the group of jeevaatmaas who are bhokta.
The above nine vyooha called navavyooha is the body of sambhu. There is nothing different from sambhu.

The nine triangles in the sri cakra represent the nine vyooha.
these navavyooha can be grouped into three types – bhoktaah – bhogah – bhogyam
bhoktaah – aathma vyooha
bhogah - jnaana vyooha
bhogyam - kaala, kula, naama, citta, naada, bindu, kalaa
the prapaca vyaapta paramacaitanya has nine dharmaas. Prapanca is the pratibhaasa sankeernata of these dharmaas.

Seshah seshee :-
During the shrishti, sthiti, laya of the world there is equal part for both siva and sakti, but due to the fact that aanandabhairavi surrenders to aanandabhairava and hence both become sesha seshee. Sesha seshee bhaava is equal for both.

Samarasaparaananda parayoh:-
One who is enjoying samarasa and paraananda.
Samarasa means aiswarya ; paraananadah means the supreme happiness- sat chit aananda.
Since both Siva and Sakti are equal; Siva is called Samayah and Sakti is called Samayaa.

Samatwa is of five types:-
In the sreecakra pooja, samatwa is the first one-this is called Adhisthaana saamyam.
Srishti, sthiti, laya and in such actions anushthaana saamyam. This is second one.
Nritya and in such acts – avasthaana saamya – this is third one.
Siva-sivaa, bhairava-bhairavi and in such names – naama saamya – this is fourth one.
Red color, third eye – in these roopa saamya – this is the fifth one.
Aanandabhaira is bhoktru, bhoga and bhogya.
So too, aanandabhairavi also. Hence they both are equal.
Hence nava vidha aikya is also same for both.

In families, where chanting of this sloka with reverence is done, therein, mutual relationship between the partners will become full and they attain moksha and definitely the other purushaarthaas- so says the great Tetiyoor Subrahmania Saastri.
If the question arises, whether Siva is greater or Sakti is greater,
The possibilities are :-
Siva is great and sakti also;
Siva is not great and sakti too is not great;
Siva is great, but sakti is not;
Siva is not great but sakti is great;
There is no world without siva and sakti both and hence both are great is the correct version. All other possibilities are wrong.
There is no separate siva or sakti. This is the sankalpa of the kaula mataacaara.
You can compare this with the simple question in computer field :-
Whether software is great or hardware.
We know the answer.
But –
The upaasanaa in the form of naama rooopa becomes meaningless as far as sakaladharmasoonya nirvikalpa siva; because, he is withut karma or sakti. He is not capable of giving results.
"paro hi sakti rahitah kartum na kincana sivopi
savataam yaati kundalinyaa vivarjitah"
So says vaamakeswara tantram.

In the sreecakra pooja, the bindu is kaameswara swaroopa; there is no separate pooja for kaameswara, but you have to imagine the aavaahana of the devi in the bindu of kaameswara swaroopa.

For daahaka sakti, agni is the adhishthaana;
similarly, without a dharmi, the dharma roopa sakti cannot exist and hence,
only to establish the saktitwa,
dharmi roopa paramasiva is imagined.

This paramasiva saamarthya, paramasiva abhinna devi is the paraasakti and
her upaasana is paramasiva upaasana or brahmopaasana.
Devi bhagavatam says :-

"Yevam sarvagataa saktih saa brahmeti vivicyate
sopaasyaa vividhaih samyag vicaaryaa sudhiyaa sadaa"