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Verse 5

Sita

देवा ह वै प्रजापतिमब्रुवन्—का सीता किं रूपमिति । स होवाच प्रजापतिः—सा सीतेति । मूलप्रकृतिरूपत्वात् सा सीता प्रकृतिः स्मृता । प्रणवप्रकृतिरूपत्वात् सा सीता प्रकृतिरुच्यते । सीता इति त्रिवर्णात्मा साक्षान्मायामयी भवेत् । विष्णुः प्रपञ्चबीजं च; माया ईकार उच्यते । सकारः सत्यममृतं प्राप्तिः सोमश्च कीर्त्यते । तकारस्तारलक्ष्म्या च वैराजः प्रस्तरः स्मृतः । ईकाररूपिणी सोमामृतावयवदिव्यालङ्कारस्रङ्मौक्तिकाद्याभरणलङ्कृता महामाया अव्यक्तरूपिणी व्यक्ता भवति । प्रथमा शब्दब्रह्ममयी स्वाध्यायकाले प्रसन्ना उद्भावनकरी सात्मिका । द्वितीया भूतले हलाग्रे समुत्पन्ना । तृतीया ईकाररूपिणी अव्यक्तस्वरूपा भवतीति—सीता इत्युदाहरन्ति । शौनकीये ॥१-६॥

देवाः । ह । वै । प्रजापतिम् । अब्रुवन् । का । सीता । किम् । रूपम् । इति । सः । ह । उवाच । प्रजापतिः । सा । सीता । इति । मूल-प्रकृति-रूपत्वात् । सा । सीता । प्रकृतिः । स्मृता । प्रणव-प्रकृति-रूपत्वात् । सा । सीता । प्रकृतिः । उच्यते । सीता । इति । त्रि-वर्ण-आत्मा । साक्षात् । माया-मयी । भवेत् । विष्णुः । प्रपञ्च-बीजम् । च । माया । ई-कारः । उच्यते । स-कारः । सत्यम् । अमृतम् । प्राप्तिः । सोमः । च । कीर्त्यते । त-कारः । तार-लक्ष्म्या । च । वैराजः । प्रस्तरः । स्मृतः । ई-कार-रूपिणी । सोम-अमृत-अवयव । दिव्य-आलङ्कार । स्रक् । मौक्तिक-आदि-आभरण । अलङ्कृता । महा-माया । अव्यक्त-रूपिणी । व्यक्ता । भवति । प्रथमा । शब्द-ब्रह्म-मयी । स्वाध्याय-काले । प्रसन्ना । उद्भावन-करी । सात्मिका । द्वितीया । भू-तले । हल-अग्रे । समुत्पन्ना । तृतीया । ई-कार-रूपिणी । अव्यक्त-स्वरूपा । भवति । इति । सीता । इति । उदाहरन्ति ।

devā ha vai prajāpatiṃ abruvan—kā sītā kiṃ rūpam iti | sa hovāca prajāpatiḥ—sā sīteti | mūlaprakṛtirūpatvāt sā sītā prakṛtiḥ smṛtā | praṇavaprakṛtirūpatvāt sā sītā prakṛtir ucyate | sītā iti trivarnātmā sākṣān māyāmayī bhavet | viṣṇuḥ prapañcabījaṃ ca; māyā īkāra ucyate | sakāraḥ satyam amṛtaṃ prāptiḥ somaś ca kīrtyate | takāras tāralakṣmyā ca vairājaḥ prastaraḥ smṛtaḥ | īkārarūpiṇī somāmṛtāvayavadivyālaṅkārasraṅmauktikādyābharaṇalaṅkṛtā mahāmāyā avyaktarūpiṇī vyaktā bhavati | prathamā śabdabrahmamayī svādhyāyakāle prasannā udbhāvanakarī sātmikā | dvitīyā bhūtale halāgre samutpannā | tṛtīyā īkārarūpiṇī avyaktasvarūpā bhavatīti—sītā ity udāharanti | śaunakīye ||1-6||

The gods indeed said to Prajāpati: “Who is Sītā, and what is her form?” Prajāpati replied: “She is Sītā.” Because she bears the nature of the root-Prakṛti (mūla-prakṛti), Sītā is remembered as Prakṛti; and because she bears the nature of the Prakṛti of the praṇava (Oṃ), Sītā is also spoken of as Prakṛti. “Sītā” is of threefold sound, constituted of three phonemes, and is directly made of Māyā. Viṣṇu is the seed of the manifested world; Māyā is called the phoneme “ī”. The phoneme “sa” is declared to be truth, immortality, attainment, and also Soma. The phoneme “ta” is remembered as the prosperity of “tāra” and as the cosmic (vairāja) expanse or stratum. Taking the form of “ī”, the Great Māyā—unmanifest in form—becomes manifest, adorned with divine ornaments, garlands, pearls, and other adornments, composed of the nectar-like portions of Soma. The first aspect is of Śabda-Brahman, delighted at the time of Vedic recitation, bringing forth manifestation, sāttvic. The second arises upon the earth at the tip of the ploughshare. The third, having the form of “ī”, is of unmanifest nature—thus they proclaim her as “Sītā”.

The gods indeed said to Prajāpati: “Who is Sītā; what is her form?” Prajāpati replied: “She is Sītā.” Because she has the nature of the root-Prakṛti, Sītā is remembered as Prakṛti; because she has the nature of the Prakṛti of the praṇava (Oṃ), Sītā is said to be Prakṛti. “Sītā” is of the nature of three phonemes and is directly constituted of Māyā. Viṣṇu is the seed of the manifested world; Māyā is called the phoneme “ī”. The phoneme “sa” is declared to be truth, immortality, attainment, and also Soma. The phoneme “ta” is remembered as the ‘tāra’-prosperity and as the cosmic (vairāja) expanse/stratum. As the form of “ī”, the great Māyā—unmanifest in form—becomes manifest, adorned with divine ornaments, garlands, pearls and other adornments, consisting of the nectar-like Soma. The first (aspect) is made of śabda-brahman, pleased at the time of Vedic recitation, bringing forth manifestation, sāttvic. The second arises on the earth at the tip of the ploughshare. The third, having the form of “ī”, is of unmanifest nature—thus they designate (her) as “Sītā”.

Māyā–Prakṛti (Śakti) and mantra-ontology (sound as cosmogenic principle)Mahavakya: Indirect: complements mahāvākya teaching by clarifying Māyā’s role in appearance; not itself a mahāvākya statement.AtharvaŚaunakīya (Atharvaveda) ShakhaChandas: Prose (gadya)