O Lord (deva), what is the real essence of the way we have t

[Pathfinder]

kiṁ rūpaṁ tattvato deva

śabdarāśikalāmayam // 2b //

kiṁ vā navātmabhedena

bhairave bhairavākṛitau /

triśirobhedabhinnaṁ vā

kiṁ vā śaktitrayātmakam // 3 //

nādabindumayaṁ vāpi

kiṁ candrārdhanirodhikāḥ

cakrārūḍhamanackaṁ vā

kiṁ vā śaktisvarūpakam // 4 //

O Lord (deva), what is the real essence of the way we have to tread

(kiṁ rūpaṁ tattvato deva)?

This is one sentence, an exclusive sentence.

O Lord, what is the real essence of the way we have to march, we have

to tread?

Tattvato means “in reality, the real essence.”

Is the way of that to tread on the fifty letters12 and return? Is this the

way of śabda rāśi kalā, the way we have to make the journey from ‘a’ to

‘kṣa’ and return from ‘kṣa’ to ‘a’ again? Is this the way? [Pārvatī] puts this

question: Kiṁ śabda rāśi kalāmayam tattvam? Or, kiṁ vā navātma

bhedena, or is it navātma bheda, is it the journey of the nine states? The

journey from one state to the second, from the second to the third, from the

third to the fourth, from the fourth to the fifth, to the sixth, to the seventh, to

the eighth, to the ninth, and then back again to the first, is this the way?

The nine states are [to be explained now]. The first state is prakṛti.

The original source of the material world is prakṛti. Puruṣa is the

individual soul who treads on that material world (this is the

second). The third is the kañcukas, the five kañcukas, the five

coverings of puruṣa–the five kañcukas.

13 You have not to go in the

depth of the letters here. [These are the] kañcukas: kalā, vidyā,

rāga, kāla, and niyati. Then the fourth point is māyā. Māyā is the

personified will of the supreme will.

There is a difference between prakṛti and māyā. Prakṛti is the

original source of the material world, māyā is the personified will

of the supreme Lord, the supreme Self. This is the difference

between māyā and prakṛti. Otherwise, the function of prakṛti is just

like the function of māyā. Only, the personified will of the supreme

Self is māyā where[as] the original source of the material world is

prakṛti. Prakṛti, puruṣa, the kañcukas, and māyā–these are four.

Then you have to tread again in the pure state of knowledge, that is

śuddhavidyā. The pure state of knowledge and action, that is

īśvara. Establishment in knowledge and action, that is sadāśiva.

And the universal energy is Śakti and its holder is Śiva.

These are the nine states. This is navātma bheda. This is navātma

bheda when you keep before you the theory of states.

When you keep before you the theory of [letters], then those [letters]

are respectively: ‘h’, ‘r’, ‘kṣ’, ‘m’, ‘l’, ‘v’, ‘y’, ‘ṇūṁ14’. These are

navātma bheda from the mantric point of view. You have to tread on

this field of mantra, the mantra field.

And [with regard to] states, [you must tread] the field of states from

prakṛti to Śiva and back to prakṛti with His glory. When you tread

from prakṛti, you are not glorified. When you return from Śiva, you

are glorified with garlands and with Śaivism and with Śiva-thought

and everything–everything comes with you.

Is this the way of navātma, . . .

Bhairave means “in the Bhairava āgama15”. Bhairavā kṛtau [means]

“for entering in the state of Bhairava”. “Bhairavā kṛtau” is naimittikī

saptamī

16

.

. . . bhairavā kṛtau, for entering in the formation of Bhairava? Or,

triśiro bheda bhinnam vā kiṁ vā śakti trayātmakam, or just as in the

Triśirobhairava [Tantra]

17 it is said, “You must tread on the three energies

from parā, parāparā, and aparā, and then return again”?

From aparā to parāparā, from parāparā to parā, from parā to

parāparā, and then from parāparā to aparā again, this is the reality of the

journey in Shaivism.

Is that the way (this is the asking of Devī

18), or nāda bindumayaṁ vāpi

kiṁ candrārdha nirodhikāḥ, is this the way to travel: from nāda to bindu,

from bindu to ardhacandra, from ardhacandra to nirodhikāḥ, from

nirodhikāḥ to nādānta, then śakti, then vyāpinī, and then samanā? Is this

the way? Or, if this is [not] the way, then You tell Me clearly what is the

real way I have to travel.

Nāda means–first you have to begin traveling, begin the journey,

from nāda–nāda means ‘a’, ‘u’, and ‘ma’ (a- kāraśca, u-kāraśca,

ma-kāraḥ). This is nāda.

19

Then bindu. One-pointed perception in the movement of breath

while reciting this mantra, ‘auṁ’, that is bindu.

Then ardhacandra. Ardhacandra is that state of movement of auṁkāra where there is no breath, without breath. Ardhacandra is

without breath. Breath stops there.

Then nirodhikā, the establishment of the stoppage of breath. In

ardhacandra, there is an apprehension of breathing again, but in the

nirodhikā state, there is no question of the breathing way. Nirodhikā

is the complete establishment of breathless-ness.

Then comes the state of nādānta, entrance in the soundless state of

sound. This is the soundless state of sound. Nādānta means, when

you enter in that sound which is soundless, soundless sound.

Then the establishment of ‘ahaṁ’ is Śakti in the state of supreme

oneness–vyāpinī and samanā.

Is this the way?

Vā (or) cakrārūḍham anackaṁ vā kiṁ vā śakti svarūpakam, or you

have to travel on that universal energy which is moving in such a velocity

that moveless-ness takes place (that is anackam).

Anackam means “without movement”. Cakrā rūḍham means “in the

wheel of movement”, anackam, without movement.

That energy, that svarūpa20 of energy, is that the way to make yourself

established in that state?21

She puts these questions before Lord Śiva.

VIJÑĀNA BHAIRAVA

The Manual for Self Realization

REVEALED BY

Swami Lakshmanjoo