The terrific state of supreme and beautiful worship of supreme Bhairava

In this excerpt, from the unpublished Tantraloka 15, Swami Lakshmanjoo reveals the true meaning of the Seven Pramatris, Kalasamkarshini (Parabhairava) and their role in this terrific state of supreme and beautiful worship of supreme Bhairava.

na kevalamiyaṁ bhedāvacchedanātmanaḥ kālasya grasiṣṇutayā evamuktā, yāvat bahiḥsaṁkarṣaṇādapī (comm. intro to śloka 347a.)

saiva ca bhūyaḥ svasmāt-saṁkarṣati kālamiha bahiṣkurute / 347a

saṁkarṣiṇīti kathitā  (not recited)

This state of svātantrya śakti is not nominated as Kālakārṣiṇī only because bheda avacchedanātmanaḥ kālasya grasiṣṇutayā, as she destroys the sphere of time–differentiated sphere of time she destroys totally and she is nominated as Kālakārṣiṇī–not only that way she is nominated as Kālakārṣiṇī. Yāvat bahiḥ saṁkarṣaṇādapī, this state, when [She] creates from inside in the outside world, i.e. from the inside world she creates this sphere of time in the outside world also, in that respect also she is nominated as Kālakārṣiṇī.

Kālakārṣiṇī is the destroyer of the sphere of time, and creator of, cultivator of, the sphere of time. She cultivates [time] outside her consciousness.

Have you understood?

Now question:

nanu iha anantarameva

‘madhyagā kila yā devī saiva sadbhāvarūpiṇī /

kālasaṁkarṣiṇī . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .//332//’

ityādi uktaṁ, tadatra mātṛsadbhāvaśabdaśabdasya api pravṛttau kiṁ nimittam (comm. śloka 347b)

[Question.]

Already you have explained beforehand [śloka 332] that this energy which is centered in the central lotus, she is Mātṛsadbhāva and Kālakārṣiṇī both (she is nominated as Mātṛsadbhāva and Kālakārṣiṇī); how she is nominated as she is Mātṛsadbhāva, what is the cause of her becoming Mātṛsadbhāva, what is the meaning of Mātṛsadbhāva?

Now answer:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . mātṛṣveteṣu sadbhāvaḥ //347//

tattvaṁ sattā prāptirmātṛśu meyo’nayā saṁśca /

viśvajananīṣu śaktiśu paramārtho hi svatantratāmātram //348//

[Śaiva answer.]

Eteṣu mātṛsu, these seven states of pramātṛs* (right from sakala to śiva: sakala pramātṛ, pralayākala, vijñānākala, mantra, mantreśvara, mantra maheśvara and śiva), in these seven states of pramātṛ bhāvas – sadbhāva, the existence, that is sattā (sattā means where these seven pramātṛs rest), and tattvam, the essence of seven pramātṛs – it is why she is nominated as Mātṛsadbhāva.

Mātṛsadbhāva means the essence of seven pramātṛs, the existence of [seven pramātṛs], and the resting center of all seven pramātṛs is Mātṛsadbhāva.

Mātṛśu meyo anayā saṁśca (now he gives the calculation of this); mātṛśu meyo anayā saṁśca; anayā, by this Kālakārṣiṇī, or, by this state of Mātṛsadbhāva, mātṛśu meyo; mātṛśu in seven pramātṛs meya, that which is vikalpa, object . . .

What is the object of the seven pramātṛs?

1. For instance, in sakala pramātṛ the object of sakala pramātṛ is ‘this-ness’.
2. The object of pralayākala pramātṛ is absence of ‘this-ness’.
3. The object of vijñānākala pramātṛ is just leakage of ‘this-ness’, leakage of ‘this-ness’ in ‘I-ness’, i.e. ‘this-ness’ leaks out in ‘I-ness’; it drips in ‘I-ness’. This is the state of vijñānākala pramātṛ.
4. And mantra pramātṛ is soakage in ‘I-ness’ of ‘this-ness’.
5. And mantreśvara pramātṛ is when ‘this-ness’ is going to melt in ‘I-ness’ (this-ness’ is the objective world).
6. And mantreśvara [i.e. mantra maheśvara] pramātṛ is when ‘I-ness’ only digests ‘this-ness’.
7. And Śiva is when only ‘I-ness’ remains; objective state is also ‘I-ness’ and subjective state is also ‘I-ness’ . . . in which state?

DEVOTEE:  Śiva.

SWAMIJI:  In śiva pramātṛ bhāva.

Anayā, by this Kālakārṣiṇī and by this Mātṛsadbhāva that meya, this jaḍa . . .

What is the translation of jaḍa in English?

SCHOLAR:  Inert.

SWAMIJI:  . . . innate object . . .

SCHOLAR:  Inert.

SWAMIJI:  Inert . . . with ‘r’?

SCHOLAR:  ‘e-r-t’.

SWAMIJI:  Yes.

. . . this inert objective sphere becomes saṁśca, becomes saṁśca, ‘existent’. It exists in that state of Mātṛsadbhāva.

SCHOLAR:  Becomes real by virtue of its participation in that.

SWAMIJI:  Yes.

viśvajananīṣu śaktiśu paramārtho hi svatantratāmātram //348//

Viśva jananīṣu śaktiśu, in all these three energies–icchā śakti, jñāna śakti and kriyā śakti–which are viśva jananīṣu, the creators of all energies (viśva means all energies, viśva śaktiśu), viśva jananīṣu śaktiśu the essence (paramārtha means essence), the essence of icchā etc., which are the creators of all energies, the essence of  these energies is just svātantrya, is just svātantrya and nothing else – freedom.

(continued…)

Adhara sthitāstvanye, but all these separated aspects icchā, jñāna and kriyā, and all others entailed with them, those all energies are adhara sthitā, i.e. below the cycle of svātantrya śakti. It is only svātantrya śakti that entails all these in her own nature.

Bas . . . iti bhairava pūjā, now he gives the conclusion of all this subject.

iti bhairavaparapūjātattvaṁ śrīḍāmare mahāyāge //351//

svayameva suprasannaḥ śrīmān śaṁbhurmamādikṣat /

This way, this supreme worship of Bhairava–or supreme nyāsa of Parabhairava, that is Mātṛsadbhāva . . .

Parabhairava means supreme Bhairava – that is Mātṛsadbhāva.

. . . and this way the worship of this Mātṛsadbhāva, the essence of this worship is explained in the course of both supreme and beautiful and terrific pūja . . . terrific you know?

What is terrific?

DEVOTEE:  Ḍāmara.

SWAMIJI:  Ḍāmara, terrific pūja; terrific pūja, that shatters down all differentiated aspects to pieces. That is because it is terrific in that respect, not terrific in a bad way, bad sense.

This terrific state of supreme and beautiful worship of supreme Bhairava was explained to me (Abhinavagupta says), when my master was very pleased with me, i.e., suprasannaḥ śaṁbhur, Śambhunātha. Svayameva, he didn’t explain it to me on my asking; without my asking he explained it to me, this way of this supreme pūja.

Here ends our lecture . . . bas?

______________

* The seven states of the seven pramātṛs (perceivers) is fully explained in chapters 8 and 9 of Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme.

1. Kālakārṣiṇī and Kālasaṁkārṣiṇī are synonymous.

tanmadhye tu parādevī dakṣiṇe ca parāparā /

aparā vāmaśṛiṇgetu madhyaśṛiṇgordhvataḥ śṛiṇu //

yā sā saṁkarṣiṇī kalī parātītā vyavasthitā //

In the central spoke of the triśūla, Lord Śiva’s trident, is the establishment of parā [supreme] śakti. On the right side of triśūla is the establishment of parāparā [medium] śakti. On the left side of triśūla is the establishment of aparā [inferior] śakti. Above this central spoke, which is parā [supreme] śakti, is Saṁkarṣiṇī Kālī the Divine Goddess Kālī, Amṛiteśvarī (Parabhairava).

Source: Tantrāloka 15th āhnika, verse 347a-351,
from the Archives of the Lakshmanjoo Academy
Copyright © John Hughes