Skip to content
VoidLightDissolutionVerse 128advanced

Mind in Space, into the Spaceless

Place the mind in the open outer sky — eternal, supportless, void, all-pervading — and then enter the spaceless.

मन को बाह्य आकाश में रखो — नित्य, निराश्रय, शून्य, व्यापक, सीमा-रहित — और फिर निराकाश में प्रवेश करो।

Source verse · Verse 128
नित्ये निराश्रये शून्ये व्यापके कलनोज्झिते। बाह्याकाशे मनः कृत्वा निराकाशं समाविशेत्॥
nitye nirāśraye śūnye vyāpake kalanojjhite | bāhyākāśe manaḥ kṛtvā nirākāśaṃ samāviśet
हिन्दीमन को बाहरी आकाश में स्थापित करो — जो नित्य है, निराश्रय (बिना सहारे का) है, शून्य है, व्यापक है, और सब सीमाओं (कलना) से रहित है। उस खुले आकाश में मन को टिकाते-टिकाते, फिर उससे भी परे — निराकाश (आकाश-रहित, परम शून्य) में — प्रवेश कर जाओ।
EnglishPlace the mind in the open outer sky — eternal, supportless, void, all-pervading — and then enter the spaceless.
▶ Practice this technique15 / 20 min · eyes either

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

You have led me into open space, Lord. Is there anything beyond even space itself?

आप मुझे खुले आकाश में ले गए, नाथ। क्या आकाश से भी परे कुछ है?

भैरव · Bhairava

Let the mind rest in the vast outer sky, and dwell on its qualities: eternal, leaning on nothing, empty, all-pervading, free of every limit. Let the mind take on those very qualities.

मन को विशाल बाहरी आकाश में टिकने दो, और उसके गुणों पर ठहरो: नित्य, किसी पर न टिका, शून्य, सर्वव्यापी, हर सीमा से रहित। मन को उन्हीं गुणों को धारण करने दो।

देवी · the Goddess

And having become as boundless as the sky?

और आकाश जितना असीम हो जाने के बाद?

भैरव · Bhairava

Take one step further: let even the sense of "space" drop, and enter the spaceless — the pure void beyond all extension. Space is still a subtle object; go past it.

एक क़दम और आगे बढ़ो: "आकाश" का भाव भी गिर जाने दो, और निराकाश में प्रवेश करो — समस्त विस्तार से परे शुद्ध शून्य। आकाश भी एक सूक्ष्म वस्तु है; उससे आगे जाओ।

देवी · the Goddess

What is this spaceless that holds even space?

यह निराकाश क्या है जो आकाश को भी थामे है?

भैरव · Bhairava

Pure consciousness — subtler than the void, the sky of awareness itself, which contains space but is not spatial. Dissolving the last subtle object, space, into the knowing in which it appears, you rest in the spaceless ground that holds the sky.

शुद्ध चेतना — शून्य से भी सूक्ष्म, स्वयं चेतना का आकाश, जो आकाश को धारण करता है पर आकाशीय नहीं। अन्तिम सूक्ष्म वस्तु, आकाश, को उसी ज्ञान में विलीन करके जिसमें वह प्रकट होता है, तुम उस निराकाश भूमि में ठहरती हो जो आकाश को थामे है।

Why it works

Placing the mind in the vast outer sky and dwelling on its qualities — eternal, supportless, void, all-pervading, limitless — lets the mind borrow those qualities and grow boundless. But the verse takes one further step: from space into the "spaceless" (nirākāśa), beyond even the concept of extension — pure consciousness, which contains space but is not itself spatial.

How to practice

  1. 1Let the gaze and attention rest in the open outer sky (or any vast empty space).
  2. 2Dwell on its qualities: eternal, leaning on nothing, empty, all-pervading, free of every limit.
  3. 3Let the mind take on those qualities, becoming as open and supportless as the space it rests in.
  4. 4Then let even the sense of "space" drop, and enter the spaceless (nirākāśa) — the pure void beyond all extension. Rest there.
Practice note. Two steps: first merge the mind with open space, then go beyond space itself. The outer sky is only the launch-point for the spaceless awareness within.

The deeper story

The move from ākāśa (space) to nirākāśa (the spaceless) marks the difference between the great void and the consciousness subtler than void — cidākāśa as pure awareness rather than mere extension. It is among the highest of the void-contemplations, dissolving the last subtle object (space itself) into the knowing in which space appears.

Terms in this technique

ākāśa
Space, ether; the open expanse, inner and outer.
śūnya
Void, emptiness — not nothingness but open, contentless awareness.
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)
← All 112 techniquesVigyan Bhairav Tantra home →