The Section on Wisdom (jnana-khanda) of the text Tripura Rahasya (The Mystery of Goddess Tripura) consists of the philosophical dialogue between Dattatreya and Parasurama (the Tripara Rahasya has three sections or parts (khanda): a first part text is also known by the name Datta-Bhargava samvada). The called the 'Section on the Greatness of the Goddess (mahatmya-thanda), with over 6000 sloka verses, the second part or 'Section on Wisdom (jñana-khanda), with 2158 verses, and the yet to be found third part or 'Section on Practice' (carya-khanda), with over 4000 verses. The Mystery of the Goddess Tripura is a treatise that presents the mythology, theories, and practices related to the goddess Tripura or Tripura Sundari ('The Most Beautiful of the Three Cities or Worlds'). It is part of the corpus of samhita texts of the Sakta tantric literature and is part of the canon of the srividya tradition. Its authorship is attributed to Sumedhä Haritāyana, who possibly lived in southern India in the 10 century of our era. The tradition claims that he was a disci-ple of Parasurama. Haritayana narrates the Tripura to the celes-tial bard Narada, explaining what Dattatreya taught Parasurama. The Tripura Rahasya is considered the abbreviated form of the Datta-Samhita (18000 verses) along with its summary composed by Paraśurāma in 6000 verses.
While the mahatmya khanda and the curya khanda (the latter as transmitted by the Parasurama Kalpasūtra and the Niryotsava) present more well-known aspects of the srividya tradition, the philosophy expounded by the jnana khanda is profound and has unique aspects, thus requiring a detailed study to explain its philosophical depth. The philosophy proposed by the Section on Wisdom is sakta advaita. It is part of the srividya tradition, a traditional lineage that integrates Veda and Tantra in a par-ticular style. The fiana khanda is presented as the essence of Vedic (vuidika), Vishnuite (vişnawa), Shaivite (faivo), sakta, and Pasupata knowledge.
The exposition is attributed to the avadhata Dattatreya, a partial incarnation of Visnu. Dattatreya, son of Atri, one of the seven rsi-s, is primarily a divine figure in Puranic tradition who iconcally expresses the union or synthesis of the gods Brahma, Visnu, and Śiva. The mythological narrative of his birth also expresses this. As a mystical figure, the Vaisnava tradition attributes to him a guiding role in maintaining cosmic order.
His interlocutor, Paraśurāma, is also a brahmaņa avatāra of Vişnu. After defeating the ksatriya lineages and being defeated by Ramacandra, a ksatriya avatara of Vişnu, Parasurama encoun-ters the sage Sarivarta, a siddha and avadhūta, who directs him to Dattatreya to be initiated into the worship of the goddess Tripura.
. Parasurăma not only struggles to understand what Samvarta tells him but is also confounded by his strange behaviour resembling that of a lunatic. A significant portion of the jñāna khanda is dedicated to elucidating the unconventional and nonconventional behaviour of many sages-jnanin-s, avadhūta-s, and siddha-s. This reflection and elaboration on behaviours and conduct (daksiņacara, vamacara, saptacara) are essential to the tradition of srīvidya, as well as to the entire Tantric and Agamic tradition in general. The figure of the avadhita Dattatreya already expresses, in a particular way, the tendency to determine various behaviours based on underlying psychological factors (vāsanā, samskara, karma, etc.). The subdivisions of the categories of aspirants and sages contain a fundamental theory of psychological and spiritual typology to understand practices and behaviours. This strategy is based on a psycho-spiritual pedagogy and the expression of the variety of ways of being manifested by the 'liberated in life (jivan-mukta-s).
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