154. Nirupādhi
There is no upādhi in Devi. The words Upādhi and Samādhi have some common features.
- Upādhi means upa + adhi.
- Samādhi means Sama + adhi.
The word upa means small, the word sama means equal. Thus the words Upādhi and Samādhi refer to a lesser and equal vehicle, a means of observation.
It is strange to think that Devi can be the Upādhi and the Samādhi at the same time. If we subtract a zero from a zero, we get a zero. The new zero that we have got is as capable, as potent, as the first zero to produce as many fresh zeros as one wants. The creator and the creatrix are on an equal footing. One is not bigger nor the container of the other. They are both one and the same.
Śaṅkara speaks thus; of Brahmajñāna:
“jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ”, jīva is the same as Brahman.
The distinction between the Upādhi and Samādhi exists only as long as God is controlled by his Māyā willingly. When he wills himself not to be so controlled, the Upādhi merges into Samādhi.
Source: Śrī Amṛtānandanātha Sarasvatī "Sudhā Syandinī Bhāṣyaṃ" Typed Manuscript
(an incomplete commentary on Lalitā Sahasranāma)
