The Body as the Universe – The Arts of Woman as Word and Meaning

Words are also Vāk (speech), whose vibrations have an impact. Our body is made up of waves and mantra sounds. Blood absorbs these sounds. During the time of marriage, all the mantras that are chanted subtly influence the inner levels of both the bride and groom, as well as the bride’s parents.

The soul is ṣoḍaśakalā—composed of sixteen aspects. It is an imperishable support. The syllabic form of the Sun is the father and also a synonym for the soul. The mind, life-force (prāṇa), and speech (vāk) are considered the soul of beings in the mortal realm.

The mind is imperishable, prāṇa is the thread that binds, and vāk is the substance. Lakshmi is the speech of meaning (arthavāk), and Saraswati is the speech of sound (śabdavāk).

The Earth is Lakshmi, the condensed form of speech. The atmosphere and celestial realms are its liquid and subtle forms. These are the condensed, liquid, and subtle states of the Earth's fire. Soma, when it descends, takes the form of fire.

Similarly, the human body is the condensed form of fire, the intellect is its liquid form, and the mind is its subtle form.

Creation is Vāk—speech infused with mind and life-force (prāṇa).

The desires of the mind are based on prakriti (nature). Prāṇa sets these desires in motion. Desire arises from the heart; Brahma, Vishnu, and Indra emerge from prāṇa. The syllable (akṣara) is the cause behind every action.

Lakshmi, in her form as meaning (artha), is the body’s Bhū, Bhuvaḥ, and Svaḥ—which correspond to speech, prāṇa, and mind. Om is the form of the Self (Ātman). Saraswati governs speech (śabdavāk) in its four forms—Parā, Pashyantī, Madhyamā, and Vaikharī. Her form is based on the will of the mind, that is, dependent on the form of food (anna).

The Earth, as the mother of food, is essentially Lakshmi. Food itself is wealth.

From the same food, both male and female bodies are nourished, but their thought vibrations are not identical. The pathways of blood differ. In the male body, through the sequence of the seven dhātus (bodily elements), śukra (semen) is formed, and from it arise ojas and the mind.

In the female body, the circulatory system functions differently. A part of the blood becomes śoṇita (menstrual blood), from which ārtava (ovum) emerges during the menstrual cycle. It is the mother who recognizes the gender of the child in her womb.

Though the soul in both is the same, realizing the difference in bodily forms is itself a profound understanding. For the educated class, such recognition is facilitated by scientific tools.