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The Gaze of the Five Powers

Hold the gaze steady through the great mudras of the Goddess; in that fixed gaze, the supreme is attained.

देवी की महान मुद्राओं (करङ्किणी, क्रोधना, भैरवी, लेलिहाना, खेचरी) के साथ दृष्टि स्थिर करो; उसी दृष्टि-काल में परा-प्राप्ति।

Source verse · Verse 77
करङ्किण्या क्रोधनया भैरव्या लेलिहानया। खेचर्या दृष्टिकाले च परावाप्तिः प्रकाशते॥
karaṅkiṇyā krodhanayā bhairavyā lelihānayā | khecaryā dṛṣṭikāle ca parāvāptiḥ prakāśate
हिन्दीकरङ्किणी, क्रोधना, भैरवी, लेलिहाना और खेचरी — इन भैरवी की महान मुद्राओं के साथ जब दृष्टि स्थिर की जाती है, उसी दृष्टि के क्षण में परा-प्राप्ति (सर्वोच्च की प्राप्ति) प्रकाशित होती है। मूल भाव यह है: बाहर दृष्टि खुली-स्थिर, भीतर चित्त शून्य — इसी मुद्रा में परम प्रकट होता है।
EnglishHold the gaze steady through the great mudras of the Goddess; in that fixed gaze, the supreme is attained.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 15 min · eyes open

The conversation of Devi & Bhairava

A faithful retelling of the dialogue that frames this verse — the Goddess asks, and Bhairava answers with the teaching above. (The śloka is the scripture; the conversation dramatizes its meaning, in English and Hindi.)

देवी · the Goddess

The texts speak of secret mudras of the Goddess, Lord. Is their power something I too can touch?

शास्त्र देवी की गुप्त मुद्राओं की बात करते हैं, नाथ। क्या उनकी शक्ति मैं भी छू सकती हूँ?

भैरव · Bhairava

Their secret is shared and simple. Settle into a steady, outward gaze while attention rests within — eyes open and unmoving on the field before you, fixing on no object.

उनका रहस्य साझा और सरल है। एक स्थिर, बाहरी दृष्टि में बैठ जाओ जबकि ध्यान भीतर टिका रहे — आँखें खुली और सामने के क्षेत्र पर अचल, किसी वस्तु पर टिके बिना।

देवी · the Goddess

Gaze outward, yet rest within?

दृष्टि बाहर, फिर भी विश्राम भीतर?

भैरव · Bhairava

Just so. Let the outer gaze stay full and still while the inner mind grows empty. This is the heart of all those great mudras — the Bhairavī mudrā: eyes wide open, awareness wholly at rest.

ठीक वैसा ही। बाहरी दृष्टि भरी और स्थिर रहे जबकि भीतरी मन खाली होता जाए। यही उन सब महान मुद्राओं का हृदय है — भैरवी मुद्रा: आँखें पूरी खुली, चेतना पूरी तरह विश्रान्त।

देवी · the Goddess

And in that held gaze — eyes outward, mind void?

और उस थमी दृष्टि में — आँखें बाहर, मन शून्य?

भैरव · Bhairava

The supreme reveals itself. The division between inner meditation and outer life dissolves: you live with eyes wide open upon the world, and awareness wholly at rest within.

परम स्वयं को प्रकट कर देता है। भीतरी ध्यान और बाहरी जीवन के बीच का भेद मिट जाता है: तुम संसार पर आँखें पूरी खोले जीती हो, और चेतना भीतर पूरी तरह विश्रान्त।

Why it works

The verse names five great mudrās (gestural-meditative postures) of the Goddess and locates their power "at the time of the gaze" — when the eyes are held steady outward while the mind rests within. Stripped of ritual specifics, the technique is the Bhairavī mudrā: an open, unwavering outward gaze combined with an inwardly empty, witnessing mind, in which the supreme (parā) is attained.

How to practice

  1. 1Settle into a steady, outward gaze while attention rests within — the essence of the Bhairavī mudrās the verse names (Karaṅkiṇī, Krodhanā, Bhairavī, Lelihānā, Khecarī).
  2. 2Keep the eyes open and unmoving on the field before you, without fixing on any object.
  3. 3Let the outer gaze stay full and still while the inner mind grows empty.
  4. 4In that held gaze — eyes outward, mind void — let the supreme (parā) reveal itself.
Practice note. The five named mudrās are advanced ritual postures; their shared heart, accessible to anyone, is the "Bhairavī mudrā": gaze fixed outward, awareness resting empty within.

The deeper story

These mudrās belong to the Krama and Kaula currents the Vijñāna Bhairava drew on. Their common essence — gaze outside, aim within — is the celebrated Bhairavī mudrā, in which the division between inner meditation and outer life dissolves: eyes wide open, awareness wholly at rest.

Terms in this technique

tejas
Light, brilliance, inner fire.
śūnya
Void, emptiness — not nothingness but open, contentless awareness.
bhairava
The fierce, all-encompassing form of Shiva; ultimate consciousness.
cidākāśa
The space of consciousness; the inner sky of awareness.

Sources consulted

  • Jaideva Singh, Vijñānabhairava: The Manual for Self-Realization (Motilal Banarsidass, 1979)
  • Swami Lakshmanjoo, Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization (Universal Shaiva Fellowship, 2007)
  • Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)
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