I Am the All-Pervading Lord
Affirm with conviction: "all-knowing, all-doing, all-pervading, the supreme Lord — that very one am I"; by firmness, you become Shiva.
दृढ़ता से भावना करो: "सर्वज्ञ, सर्वकर्ता, व्यापक परमेश्वर — वही मैं हूँ"; इस दृढ़ता से शिव हो जाओ।
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.)
You say I am the Supreme, Lord. But I feel small, bound, and afraid. How can such a one be God?
आप कहते हैं मैं ही परम हूँ, नाथ। पर मैं अपने को छोटा, बँधा और भयभीत अनुभव करती हूँ। ऐसी कोई भगवान कैसे हो सकती है?
Affirm, with felt conviction rather than mere words: "The all-knowing, all-doing, all-pervading supreme Lord — that very one is what I am." Let the affirmation sink past the small self into the awareness that is genuinely boundless.
अनुभूत निश्चय के साथ — केवल शब्दों से नहीं — भावना करो: "जो सर्वज्ञ, सर्वकर्ता, सर्वव्यापी परमेश्वर है — वही मैं हूँ।" इस भावना को छोटे "मैं" के पार उस चेतना में उतरने दो जो सचमुच असीम है।
Is this not pride — to call myself God?
क्या यह अहंकार नहीं — स्वयं को भगवान कहना?
It is the opposite of pride. The "I" here is recognised as the universal consciousness, not the small person. This is the pure thought used to undo all impure ones — the conviction that Shiva is your own Self.
यह अहंकार का उल्टा है। यहाँ "मैं" को छोटे व्यक्ति के रूप में नहीं, वैश्विक चेतना के रूप में पहचाना जाता है। यह वह शुद्ध विचार है जो सब अशुद्ध विचारों को मिटाने को प्रयुक्त होता है — यह निश्चय कि शिव तुम्हारा अपना आत्मा है।
And held firmly, what becomes of the small self?
और दृढ़ता से थामे जाने पर, छोटे "मैं" का क्या होता है?
Held with firm, sustained conviction, the affirmation ripens into thought-free recognition, and the contracted self dissolves into the boundless awareness it points to. The pure thought ends all construction — and one becomes Shiva.
दृढ़, निरन्तर निश्चय के साथ थामे जाने पर, यह भावना विचार-रहित पहचान में पक जाती है, और संकुचित "मैं" उसी असीम चेतना में घुल जाता है जिसकी ओर वह संकेत करता है। शुद्ध विचार समस्त रचना का अन्त कर देता है — और साधक शिव हो जाता है।
Why it works
This verse prescribes a direct affirmation of identity with the Supreme: "I am the all-knowing, all-doing, all-pervading Lord." It is the Shaiva counter to the ordinary, contracted "I am this body-mind". Held with dārḍhya — firm, sustained conviction — the affirmation gradually dissolves the small self into the boundless awareness it points to, and "one becomes Shiva".
How to practice
- 1Sit settled and turn toward your own deepest sense of being.
- 2Affirm, with felt conviction rather than mere words: "The all-knowing, all-doing, all-pervading supreme Lord — that very one is what I am."
- 3Let the affirmation sink past the small self into the awareness that is genuinely boundless.
- 4Hold it firmly and repeatedly (dārḍhya); by that firmness, one becomes Shiva.
The deeper story
This is śuddha-vikalpa — a "pure thought-construct" used in Trika to undo all impure ones: the conviction "Śiva is my own Self" (sa eva ahaṃ). Abhinavagupta teaches that, held firmly, it ripens into thought-free recognition (pratyabhijñā) — the construct that ends construction.
Terms in this technique
- aham
- The sense of "I"; the self that is inquired into.
- ātman
- The true self; awareness as one’s own being.
- cit
- Consciousness itself, the aware principle.
- bhairava
- The fierce, all-encompassing form of Shiva; ultimate consciousness.
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)