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The Shaiva Reality at the Edge of All

Contemplate the Shaiva reality pervading the utmost limits of the whole universe, all around; a great arising follows.

सम्पूर्ण विश्व की चरम सीमाओं पर, सब ओर, शैव तत्त्व को व्याप्त भावित करो; महान उदय होता है।

Source verse · Verse 57
अस्य सर्वस्य विश्वस्य पर्यन्तेषु समन्ततः। अध्वप्रक्रियया तत्त्वं शैवं ध्यत्वा महोदयः॥
asya sarvasya viśvasya paryanteṣu samantataḥ | adhvaprakriyayā tattvaṃ śaivaṃ dhyātvā mahodayaḥ
हिन्दीइस सम्पूर्ण विश्व के पर्यन्त (अन्तिम छोरों) पर, चारों ओर, अध्व-प्रक्रिया (विश्व-रचना के क्रम) के द्वारा शैव तत्त्व — शिव-स्वरूप परम सत्य — को व्याप्त हुआ भावित करो। ऐसा ध्यान करने से "महोदय" — महान उदय, परम जागरण — प्रकट होता है।
EnglishContemplate the Shaiva reality pervading the utmost limits of the whole universe, all around; a great arising follows.
▶ Practice this technique15 / 20 min · eyes closed

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

Many of your doorways turn inward, Lord. Is there one that expands me to the very edge of all things?

आपके अनेक द्वार भीतर मुड़ते हैं, नाथ। क्या कोई ऐसा है जो मुझे समस्त वस्तुओं के अन्तिम छोर तक फैला दे?

भैरव · Bhairava

There is. Bring to mind the entire universe extending in all directions, and travel attention to its outermost edges, all around — the very limits of everything that is.

है। समूचे विश्व को सब दिशाओं में फैला हुआ मन में लाओ, और ध्यान को उसके सबसे बाहरी किनारों तक, चारों ओर, ले जाओ — जो कुछ है उसकी ठीक सीमाओं तक।

देवी · the Goddess

And at those farthest peripheries?

और उन सबसे दूर के छोरों पर?

भैरव · Bhairava

Contemplate the Shaiva reality — consciousness itself — pervading even there, leaving nothing outside it. Stretch awareness to encompass the whole, and recognise that I am already at its every edge.

वहाँ भी शैव तत्त्व — स्वयं चेतना — को व्याप्त भावित करो, कुछ भी बाहर न छोड़ते हुए। चेतना को समूचे को घेरने तक फैलाओ, और पहचानो कि मैं उसके हर किनारे पर पहले से ही हूँ।

देवी · the Goddess

So the sheer vastness itself becomes the doorway?

तो विशालता ही द्वार बन जाती है?

भैरव · Bhairava

The vastness itself. As awareness swells to the scale of the whole, a great arising — mahodaya — dawns. Nothing is outside the reality you are recognising; the mind made vast enough recognises consciousness as the all.

विशालता ही। जैसे चेतना समूचे के परिमाण तक फैलती है, एक महान उदय — महोदय — उतरता है। जिस सत्य को तुम पहचान रही हो उससे बाहर कुछ नहीं; इतना विशाल हुआ मन चेतना को ही सर्वस्व पहचान लेता है।

Why it works

This verse expands contemplation to the very boundaries of the cosmos: the Shaiva reality is to be seen pervading even the outermost limits of all that exists, on every side. Stretching awareness to encompass the entire universe — and recognising consciousness already at its edges — produces mahodaya, the "great arising", an expansion of awareness to the scale of the whole.

How to practice

  1. 1Bring to mind the entire universe extending in all directions.
  2. 2Travel attention to its outermost edges, all around — the very limits of everything that is.
  3. 3Contemplate the Shaiva reality (Shiva-consciousness) pervading even those farthest peripheries, leaving nothing outside it.
  4. 4As that all-encompassing recognition fills you, let the great arising (mahodaya) dawn. Rest in it.
Practice note. A vast outward contemplation: extend awareness to the absolute edges of all, and find Shiva already there. The expansiveness itself triggers the opening.

The deeper story

The adhva-prakriyā — the process of the cosmic "paths" of manifestation — is here run outward to the limits of the world rather than inward to dissolution. Both reveal the same Shaiva tattva; this verse reaches it through sheer magnitude, the mind made vast enough to recognise consciousness as the all.

Terms in this technique

cit
Consciousness itself, the aware principle.
bhairava
The fierce, all-encompassing form of Shiva; ultimate consciousness.
bhāvanā
Contemplative imagination; cultivating a state through felt imagery.
śakti
Energy, the dynamic power of consciousness; Devi.

Sources consulted

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