kāvyakaṇṭha vāsiṣṭha śrī gaṇapati muni viracitam umāsahasram
Uma Sahasram
saptatriṃśaḥ stabakaḥ - anuṣṭubvṛttam
The thirty-seventh Stabaka, entitled **Tattva-vicāraḥ — “Inquiry into the Ultimate Principle”**, is one of the most philosophical sections of *Umā Sahasram*. Śrī Gaṇapati Muni examines the relation between **Brahman, consciousness, knowledge, Śakti, space, manifestation and the world**, asking whether knowledge is a quality, an action, or the very nature of the knower. His conclusion moves toward non-duality: just as light cannot truly be separated from a lamp’s luminosity, consciousness and its power are distinguishable mainly in language and practical thought, not in direct experience. The title is therefore fully justified, for the Stabaka is a sustained inquiry into the fundamental nature of reality.
Muni then develops a subtle theory of manifestation. The world is presented as the expression of the **total or cosmic consciousness**, just as dream-forms arise within individual consciousness. Prakṛti is the supreme Devatā, while individual beings are Her transformations; yet She remains the underlying reality that gathers them back into Herself. The same Parāśakti appears within embodied beings as experiential consciousness and differentiates into **jñāna-śakti and kriyā-śakti**, expressed through the organs of knowledge, mind, organs of action and vital force. The closing inquiry—whether action is rooted in knowledge or knowledge in action—directs the seeker back toward the one Ātma-Śakti whose realization leads to immortality.
Muni’s expertise here is primarily that of the **philosopher-seer**. In compact **Anuṣṭubh verses**, he handles difficult questions of epistemology, ontology, cosmology and Śākta metaphysics with remarkable precision, while still retaining the theological language of Umā as Īśa-Śakti. The Stabaka shows his ability to synthesize **Vedāntic non-duality, Śakti-tattva and an experiential theory of consciousness** rather than merely repeating inherited categories. Fittingly, he calls the concluding verses profound *Kālikā-tattva-kārikās*—concise philosophical aphorisms on the nature of the Divine Power—offered for the delight and contemplation of the learned.
daśamaṃ śatakam
saptatriṃśaḥ stabakaḥ - anuṣṭubvṛttam
tattvavicāraḥ
uddīpayatu naśśaktimādiśakterdarasmitam ।
tattvaṃ yasya mahassūkṣmamānando veti saṃśayaḥ ॥ 901 ॥
pūrṇa ṃ prajñātṛ sadbrahma tasya jñānaṃ maheśvarī ।
mahimā teja āhosvicchaktirvā prāṇa eva vā ॥ 902 ॥
pracakṣate cidātmatvaṃ jñāturjñānasya cobhayoḥ ।
pradīpasya prabhāyāśca jyotirākṛtitāṃ yathā ॥ 903 ॥
cita ekapadārthatvācciccitā na viśiṣyate ।
tasmād guṇatvaṃ jñānasya śaṅkareṇa nirākṛtam ॥ 904 ॥
jñāturjñānaṃ svarūpaṃ syānna guṇo nāpi ca kriyā ।
yadi svasya svarūpeṇa vaiśiṣṭyamanavasthitiḥ ॥ 905 ॥
vācaiva śakyate kartuṃ vibhāgassvasvarūpayoḥ ।
nānubhūtyā tato dvaitaṃ sacchaktyorvyāvahārikam ॥ 906 ॥
brahmajñānasya pūrṇasya viṣayo dyaurudīryate ।
sā brahmaṇo vyāpakatvādvastuto nātiricyate ॥ 907 ॥
vikāsādapi saṅkocāt sargapralayayordvayoḥ ।
prajñānasya budhairuktau janmanāśāvubhau divaḥ ॥ 908 ॥
dharmabhūtaṃ parasyedaṃ na kāryaṃ paramaṃ nabhaḥ ।
akhaṇḍatvānna vikṛtirviśvasminnaprakṛtitvataḥ ॥ 909 ॥
ākāśe parame dīpyat prajñānaṃ paramātmanaḥ ।
ekāgratvātpravṛddhoṣmagabhīramabhavanmahaḥ ॥ 910 ॥
tridhaivaṃ dharmabhūtasya jñānasya vikṛtiṃ vinā ।
śuddhatvaviṣayatvābhyāṃ mahastvācca daśātrayam ॥ 911 ॥
vijñāne bhāti ye bhānti bhāvā dravyaguṇādayaḥ ।
na kiñcidanubhūyante vijñānoparame tu te ॥ 912 ॥
evaṃ svataḥ prakāśatvaṃ viṣayāṇāṃ na dṛśyate ।
siddhiśca parato na syāt sambandhaṃ kañcidantarā ॥ 913 ॥
dṛśyate viṣayākārā grahaṇe smaraṇe ca dhīḥ ।
prajñāviṣayatādātmyamevaṃ sākṣātpradṛśyate ॥ 914 ॥
na cetsamaṣṭivijñānavibhūtirakhilaṃ jagat ।
viṣayavyaṣṭivijñānatādātmyaṃ nopapadyate ॥ 915 ॥
yathā'smadādivijñāne dhyeyaṃ buddhiriti dvayam ।
pūrṇe samaṣṭivijñāne vikṛtiḥ prakṛtistathā ॥ 916 ॥
pariṇāmo yathā svapnaḥ sūkṣmasya sthūlarūpataḥ ।
jāgratprapañca eṣa syāttatheśvaramahācitaḥ ॥ 917 ॥
vikṛtissarvabhūtāni prakṛtiḥ paradevatā ।
sataḥ pādastayorādyā tripādī gīyate parā ॥ 918 ॥
kabalīkṛtya saṅkalpānekā'pi syādyathā matiḥ ।
bhūtāni kabalīkṛtya devatā'pi tathā parā ॥ 919 ॥
bhūtānāmātmanassarge saṃhṛtau ca tathā''tmani ।
prabhaveddevatā śreṣṭhā saṅkalpānāṃ yathā matiḥ ॥ 920 ॥
anubhūtyātmikā seyāmīśaśaktiḥ parātparā ।
ādhāracakre piṇḍeṣu virājati vibhinnavat ॥ 921 ॥
sūkṣmasthūle tataḥ śākhe vidyucchaktisamīravat ।
tatrādyā jñānaśaktissyāt kriyāśaktiranantarā ॥ 922 ॥
jñānendriyāṇi prathamā vibhūtirmanasā saha ।
karmendriyāṇi tvaparā vibhūtissahasā saha ॥ 923 ॥
kriyāmūlamuta jñānamūlaṃ kimiti cintayan ।
ātmaśaktimito vidvānamṛtatvāya kalpate ॥ 924 ॥
gabhīrāssutarāmetāḥ kālikātattvakārikāḥ ।
dhiyo bhāso gaṇapaterbhavantu viduṣāṃ mude ॥ 925 ॥