In this excerpt from chapter two of Abhinavagupta’s Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, Swami Lakshmanjoo proclaims “Parabhairava is everywhere. You can’t deny that you are Parabhairava and that Śaktipāta is everywhere. But only one fortunate person in a thousand millions understands and realizes the [reality] of his nature–Parabhairava.”
Throughout this recension of Abhinavagupta’s Bhagavad Gita Swamiji keeps reminding us that Lord Krishna is Parabhairava, universal God consciousness.
DVD 2.2 (12:21)
आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति कश्चिदेन-
माश्चर्यवद्वदति तथैनमन्यः।
आश्चर्यवच्चैनमन्यः शृणोति
श्रुत्वाप्येनं वेद न चैव कश्चित्॥३०॥
āścaryavatpaśyati kaścadenam-
āścaryavadvadati tathainamanyaḥ /
āścaryavaccainamanyaḥ śṛṇoti
śrutvāpyenaṁ veda na caiva kaścit //30//
At least one in one million persons, somebody who is fortunate, he experiences this state of being of Bhairava in his own way. As Parabhairava [supreme Śiva]. . . for instance, how have I become Parabhairava?
DENISE: You always were Parabhairava.
SWAMIJI: You were always Parabhairava also! Why don’t you become Parabhairava? You can’t deny it, Parabhairava is everywhere. You can’t deny that you are Parabhairava.
So even [out of] thousands and millions of people, somebody who is fortunate, he experiences the state of Parabhairava.
JOHN: Why only one?
SWAMIJI: Huh?
DENISE: Śaktipāta, isn’t it?
SWAMIJI: Śaktipāta–tīvra tīvra śaktipāta.33 When tīvra tīvra śaktipāta comes, bas! He makes you anew; you are born anew.
JOHN: Why so few?
SWAMIJI: Why so few? There is only one! There is only one pervading in each and every corner of the world. It is all one. But you have forgotten that; you have forgotten your nature.
JOHN: But why does He reveal himself only in one?
SWAMIJI: It is your own play . . . it is your own play. When you withdraw this play, you’ll become the same. It is your will that you don’t want to reside in . . .
JONATHAN: How do we withdraw that play?
SWAMIJI: Huh?
JONATHAN: How do we do that? How do we withdraw that play?
SWAMIJI: Why should you withdraw [laughs]? Why should you withdraw? As long as you don’t withdraw, don’t withdraw. It won’t go anywhere.
DENISE: How do you withdraw? How? How?
SWAMIJI: It is there [clapping hands, laughing].
DENISE: There must be a way . . . I don’t think there’s a way. If śaktipāta comes from above, then how can we do anything? Doesn’t it come from above?
SWAMIJI: It comes from the bottom also. It comes from the bottom also, not above only. He is not above only in the one hundred and eighteenth world. He is in the bottom also. He is in the center also. He is everywhere; śaktipāta is everywhere.
DVD 2.2 (15:45)
So, āścaryavat paśyati kaścadenam. Kaścad, in one thousand millions, some fortunate person understands and realizes the [reality] of his nature–Parabhairava.
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33 “The first and highest level of grace is called tīvra tīvra śaktipāta. Tīvra tīvra śaktipāta means “super-supreme-grace.” When Lord Śiva bestows super-supreme-grace on anyone, then that person becomes perfectly Self-recognized. He knows his real nature completely and in perfection.” Swami Lakshmanjoo, Kashmir Shaivism–The Secret Supreme 10.66 (Universal Shaiva Fellowship, Los Angeles, 1985-2003).
![Kāma (desire) and krodha (wrath) are just one ray of that universal-I. For instance, there is a big ocean, there are tides, there are bubbles, like this; this [kāma and krodha] is one bubble. How will a bubble agitate this ocean? It can’t be agitated. What can a bubble do? So you should remain above that in universal God consciousness. That way there is no fear of kāma and krodha (desire and wrath). ~Swami Lakshmanjoo](https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/How-to-overcome-desire-and-anger-Facebook-Post-262x262.jpg)
![If this limited body holder dies, that next [unlimited] one does not die. He carries him into another fresh body and goes on carrying him with new improvements, new increments... Everybody increases... There is no doubt that he is lost. He is never lost! ~Swami Lakshmanjoo](https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/neverLost_IG-1-262x262.jpg)
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