Bhairavistotra = Hymns to Bhairavi.

Bhairavistotra = Hymns to Bhairavi.

1. I worship You, O Tripura, to receive the fruit of my desires. By chanting hymns men gain that Lakshmi, who is the object of worship of the Devas. 2. You are the origin of the world and yet you yourself have no origin, though there are hundred hymns honoring you. Even Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesvara do not know you, who is the Mother of all Sastras. We worship your shining breasts smeared with saffron. 3. O Tripura, we adore you. Your body is radiant with the effulgence of a thousand risen suns. You hold in your two hands a book (knowledge) and a rosary of Rudraksa beads. Your other two hands grant boons and dispel fear. Your Lotus face shines with three Lotus eyes. Your neck is beautiful with a Rudraksha necklace. She holds two hands in Abhaya Mudra and Vara Mudra. Abhaya = no fear. Vara = boon or blessing. 4. O Mother, how could the doubting and disputing ignoramuses know your form which is reachable only by Punyam (merit) accumulated in previous birth, which is ravishing with the overlay of vermilion and which bends from the heavy weight of your breasts? 5. O Bhavani (Consort of Bhava) Munis know and describe thy physical form; the Sruti speaks of your subtle form; others call you the presiding deity of speech; still others call you the origin of the universe; We know You are the Ocean of Mercy. (Devi has three forms: the gross, the subtle, and para forms. The gross (sthula) form consists of anthropomorphic features with hands and feet. The Suksma or subtle form is her Mantra; her Para or Supreme form is her Real Form (Svarupa). This form is Supreme Consciousness beyond the grasp of mind. Devi basically has two forms: Prakasa and Vimarsa. Prakasa form is Pure Consciousness. Vimarsa form is the power latent in Pure Consciousness. Referring to Siva-Sakti, Siva is Prakasa and Sakti is Vimarsa. In particular reference to Devi, Prakasa is her Pure Consciousness and Vimarsa is her Sakti or her ability to appear as many in a world of multiplicity. Vimarsa is the stuff of Tattvas which make this universe of matter and beings. She who is of red color is the manifested one. Brahman and his multiplicity have application in Prakasa and Vimarsa. Prakasa is the canvas and Vimarsa is the painted objects; Prakasa is the hypostasis and Vimarsa is the manifest multiplicity. Devi is Nishkala (no parts) and Prakasa and Vimarsa is Sakala (many parts) and manifest multiplicity. KAla, Bindu, and Nada have rolls to play in Vimarsa aspect of Devi. Vimarsa makes demands of Devi's Iccha, Jnana and Kriya for the projecting the manifest multiplicity.)

6. Votaries meditate you in their heart as three-eyed Devi with the bright autumnal crescent moon. Her substance is made of fifty letters (without which there is no Vrtti, evolution of Tattvas) and hence she is called MAtrakAmayi. She holds in her hands a book, a rosary and a pot of Amrta (nectar); She poses with her Vyakhya Mudra. 7. O Tripura, You are Sambhu conjoined with Parvati (Adhanarisvara or Androgynous god, . You are Vishnu embraced by Kamala (Lakshmi). You are Brahma born of the Lotus. You are presiding and purveying deity of speech. You are the essence or the energy of all deities. 8. I have taken refuge with your four BhAvas, ParA and others, originating from VAgbhava. I will never forget in my heart You the supreme Devata whose is Sat and Chit (existence and intelligence). Your BhAva in the forms of letters expresses in the throat and other organs. (The four BhAvas or states of Kundalini as sound and its derivatives are ParA in Muladhara, Pasyanti in SvAdhisthAna, MadyamA in AnAhata, and Vaikhari in Visuddha Chakras. Sabda or Sound. The sound in Muladhara is Tamasic, impinges the mind upon arriving in Svahistana or Manipura Chakras, takes on the color of Buddhi upon arriving in Anahata or heart plane and flows out in combinations of fifty letters upon the arrival of Kundalini in the Visuddha (larynx) plane. VAgbhava indicates Bija sound, Aim the Bija sound of Sarasvati. Devi has three Saktis: Iccha, Jnana, and Kriya. VAgIsvari is the Jnana Sakti in the domain of VAgbhava; KAmarAja is in the Kriya domain; SAkti is in the Ichchha sakti domain. Thus Devi plays three roles: Knowledge (jnana), Iccha (will), and Kriya (action).

9. The Blessed, conquering their six enemies (KAma--lust, krodha--anger, lobha--greed, moha--delusion, mada--pride, and mAtsaryA--envy, and performing retention of breath in the practice of Pranayama, fix their gaze on the tip of the nose with steady mind and meditate in their head your moon-crested form (Sakti of Siva), effulgent as the sun at dawn. 10. The Vedas assert that you created the world, having taken the other half of the body of the enemy of KAma (Androgynous form--one half is male (Siva) and the other half is female (Parvati). Is it true, O Daughter of the mountain and the only Mother Goddess of the world, the variegated universe would not have been so, if it were not (for you)? 11. The Siddha women (inhabiting the Bhuva, atmospheric region) with eyes red from imbibing wine in the company of Kinnaras (Devayonis, celestial spirits) worship you sitting in your shrine in the caves of Mount Sumeru with flowers from celestial trees and sing your praises. 12. I worship you in my heart Devi whose body became wet with the nectar, who looks beautiful as the splendor of lightning and who makes all lotuses blossom on the beautiful path going from her abode to that of Siva. (This depicts the ascent of Kundalini from Muladhara Chakra to Sahasrara Chakra where union of Siva and Kundali takes place with the production of copious nectar that suffuses the body of Kundalini. The path depicts the Susumna Nadi along the spinal cord. As she ascends from chakra to chakra the south-pointing lotuses blossom, point upwards with the infusion of energy [Prana] and then close as the energy of Kundali leaves the chakra.) 13. O Tripura, I take refuge at your Lotus feet, the abode of Bliss, the fountainhead of Vedas and the origin of prosperity, served and worshipped by Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesvara. Your body (tanu) is Intelligence itself (Caitanya mAtra). 14. She is the grantor of happiness; I shall never forget her. She is the Mother. She in the form of the Moon is the origin of sounds and meanings. She with the power in the form of Sun maintains the world. She in the form of Fire destroys the universe at the end of ages. Go to Verse 15 down the page.

(Mother Goddess is the Moon who created the sounds, their meanings and the worlds by her Iccha [Desire or Will]. She is the Sun maintaining the world by her Kriya [Action] and illuminating the objects. She is the Fire destroying the world at the end of ages by her Jnana [knowledge].

NAdA (sound) exists in three states: Nibodhika or Bodhini, NAda and Bindu. Nibodhika = Ni+Bodhika = Giver of Knowledge = Nada is the Giver of knowledge = Bodhini. Sound manifests in these three states according to the guna of NAdA. Nibhodhika is infused with Tamas and therefore stays unmanifest and hence it is called Avyakta Nada [Unmanifest sound]. When NAdA is infused with Rajas guna, there is agglutination of letters with or without meaning. When NAdA is infused with Sattva guna, it is called Vindu or Bindu, in which the letters form intelligible combinations and meanings.

The Moon (Indu) is in the forehead area and forms the zone between the Unmanifest and the Manifest. Above the Moon is Nibodhika or Bhodini, the Potential Giver of Knowledge or Avyakta Nada (Unmanifest Sound). Between the Ajna Chakra in the forehead and the Sahasrara Chakra (the seat of the causal body of Jiva or individual soul) there are seven Saktis of the Jiva. The letters become twenty-fold when the 50 letters of the Sanskrit reach Sahasrara Chakra. 50 X 20 =1000 which represents an infinite number.

Rising above Bodhini are the Nada shaped like a crescent moon (Nada = KriyAsakti-rUpa, in the form of action)), MahA NAda or NAdAnta shaped like a flaming plow, VyApikA, Samani and Unmani. This is the ascending order, from Bindu at the bottom to Unmani /Unmana at the top, all belonging to Suddha Tattvas. Mahanada sounding like a bell resides in Sadasiva Tattva. When Sakti spreads this sound nadanta all over the world, it is called Nada. The differentiation into "I" and "This" (Aham and Idam) takes place in Sadasiva Tattva. Saivites say there is nothing beyond Supreme Supreme Siva, who is immutable and unchangeable illumination (AbhAsa) who moves by his Will which is Sakti called UnmanA, who resides in Siva Tattva. When Unmana Sakti projects herself in the form of universe, matter and beings starting from Void and ending with DharA, She creates the thinkables and now she is called Samana or Vyapini residing in Sakti Tattva. Samana or Vyapini can involute into herself the thinkables (the Universe). Thus Sakala Paramesvara is Siva Tattva and Sakti Tattva holds Samani, Vyapini and Anjani. Unmana, Unmani, manonmani = Ecstatic, State of Mindlessness, beyond the reach of human mind.. Samana = of the same mind, uniform, synchronous; undifferentiated energy, Consciousness-Bliss. Vyapika = all-pervasive Being. Sakti thinks of the thinkables in the Will of Samana, projects or involutes the universe as Vyapini (Nimisa aspect, closing of the eyes). Anjani aspect of Sakti Tattva is the opposite of involution or Unmesa (unfoldment, opening of eyes) meaning evolution or one becoming many. The Saktis above Ajna are involuting centripetal liberating Saktis streaming towards Siva Sakti and not having the creative output into world of matter and beings. The Saktis below Ajna are involved with the creation of the world of beings and matter.

Siva Tattva = Unmana; Sakti Tattva = Samani, Vyapini and Anjani (Exerciser of Will, All-pervader and involutor and projector of the world.)

Tattvas and their horizontal associations

Siva Tattva = Sunyatisunya, Unmani with No KalAs. NishkalA Nirguna Brahman. Siva Sakti, Parabindu, the abode of Siva, Kundali and Jiva merger, Sahasrara; Parabindu, the supreme Nirvana sakti, Nirvanana KalA, AmA KalA (that digit of the moon from which nectar is derived) and the Fire of Nibodhika. Nirguna Siva. Isvara of Sahasrara is not the creative aspect. Supreme Bindu in Maha Vayu and Chandra Mandala. Bindu is void and Supreme Light, formless and decayless. Supreme Guru is Siva residing in Sahasrara--Sivasthana. SarvAtma Siva. Nirvana Sakti, the Sakti of Parabindu. The Mother of all three worlds. The knower of Sahasrara attains Jivan Mukti. Sri Chakra in SahasrAra in the form of ParA sakti in the middle of the Chakra, Baindava. She rests united with SadAsiva. She radiates myriad rays, 360 of which illumine the world in the form of Fire, Sun and Moon. Agni = 118; Sun = 106; Moon = 136. They light up the macro- and microcosm. 360 rays make a year and KAla (Time). Siva is partless; he has no KalAs.

Sakti Tattva = Samani, Vyapini, and Anjani Shaktis. Saguna Brahman. KalAs appear. The sakti consists of 16 parts (KalAs) of power. The deity with full power (all 16 parts in one; it is like a 16-cylinder engine!) is PUrna KalAmUrti. 1-part deity is KalAmUrti. A deity with a fraction of one part is Amsa MUrti. A deity with a fraction of the latter is AmsAamsa MUrti. Siva is partless and Sakti has 16 parts. These 16 parts are latent and exist in a potential state in Sakti. They become manifest when Maya Prakrti, the material cause of the universe, becomes functional. MAya is compared to the skin covering the seed; this sheath is inside the other five Kancukas or sheaths. There are other enveloping Saktis (Kancuka = sheath). MAya of Saiva Siddhanta is unlike MAya of VedAnta. MAya sheath covering the Real Siva has at least two qualities: ignorance and transformation. Its ignorance has the ability to transform the infinite limitless Self of Sakti into something or someone with limitations. During that process, the degraded Jiva or the individual soul becomes tainted with Maya Mala and Karma Mala.

MAyA is taken as the first innermost envelope or sheath of the Self though it is called the "sixth" Kancuka or jacket or sheath. Directly or indirectly the MAyA is the progenitor of other five sheaths.

KAla Tattva is the first outer sheath wherein Ananda (Bliss) of Siva has undergone extreme contraction so that the individual thinks in terms of impermanence of the body and not of eternal soul.

Niyati Tattva is the second Tattva wherein the Chit Sakti of Siva has contracted in such way that the individual does not think of the all-pervasiveness of the Soul.

KalA Tattva is the third sheath or Kancuka. It is actually Kriya Sakti of Siva that has undergone contraction and degradation, which means that its omnipotence has contracted to limited potency, which creates a rich milieu for karma to thrive in a compromised individual. The radiant power of Siva is basically blocked by this KalA Tattva screen so that the individual sole does not get enough light of wisdom. (Think of sunscreen lotion.)

Vidyaa Tattva is the fourth outer Kancuka where Jnana Sakti of Siva has contracted; the individual soul has scanty Divine Wisdom.

RAga is the fifth outer sheath wherein the Iccha Sakti of Siva has undergone contraction and manifests as passions, desires and wants of earthly nature.

Purusha Tattva is the individual soul covered by the above Tattvas.

One source tells that KalAs are the (Kancuka) sheaths or jackets worn by Maya: Jackets of KAla (Time constraints), Niyati (contracted Chit Sakti, subjection to destiny and Karmic fruits), KalA (contracted Kriya Sakti, disability to acquire spiritual knowledge), Vidya (contracted jnana Sakti), and RAga Tattvas (transformed Iccha Sakti, Passion and attachment) which again wrap the individual soul. Thus the individual soul wears Jackets with limitations on Time, lack of control over karma, lack of incentive to acquire spiritual knowledge, lack of spiritual knowledge, and passion and attachment tearing one's soul,

This step-down process of the Supreme Consciousness appears as essential for birth in the world as a human, who is a degraded and dilute version of Siva with many Malas (impurities) and disabilities. Think of Siva as the Sun whose radiations are the individual souls. These radiations attenuate in power proportional to the distance from the Sun. Siva is like the Sun and the individual souls are like the rays striking the earth. Think of the power of the radiant energy close to the sun and their attenuation as they strike the earth. And yet Siva remains as the Inner Atman (Antar Atman, ParamAtman) in the spiritual heart of the individual. The one who overcomes these liabilities gets Saktinipatam--descent of Sakti or divine wisdom-- into his soul and becomes ready for Oddukkam, involution or merger with Siva.

Prakriti as such in its primal state is an impalpable entity with no form. It is like the moisture in the air; unless it undergoes condensation you don't see it. It has three qualities: Sattva, Rajas and Tamas in equilibrium. They are respectively contracted forms of Jnana Sakti, Iccha Sakti, and Kriya Sakti of Supreme Siva. These three qualities coalesce and congeal to produce matter. It is like invisible hydrogen and oxygen atoms react under ideal conditions and produce visible water. Siva Himself degrades into myriad individual souls (think of rays of the sun). Siva Sakti is one and many are their forms.

Sadasiva Tattva = Mantramahesvara. Nimesa aspect. Mahanada, NAda, and Nirodhini: Nada in its three forms is in the Sadakhya Tattva.

Nirodhini = cessation or extinction.

Suddha Vidya Tattva =

Isvara Tattva = Mahesvara. Unmesa aspect, Ardhachandra is the terminal "speakable" (VAcya, words, phrase) end of higher NAdas. NAda progresses from the thinkables (Mantavya to Speakables (Vacya), which develop into Bindu. Higher NAdas are involved in infinite consciousness from which ideation, formation of thought, intermediate (Saktopaya) expression or sounding of Mantras in Bija and other forms, and clearly defined speech.

Suddha Vidya Tattva = Mantras.

MAyA Tattva = Ma-KAra (M of AUM).

Prakrti Tattva = separate existences. U-kAra of AUM.

When Tattvas are completely revealed it is A-kAra (A of AUM).

In northern Saiva and Sakta schools Sadasiva and Isvara are the Nimesa and Unmesa aspects of the experience intermediate between Siva Tattva and Suddha Vidya Tattva, the former being Sunyatisunya. Nimesha = shutting the eye, twinkling, time measured by twinkling of eye. Unmesha opening the eyes, looking up. Upward motion of the eyelids. Becoming visible. Blossoming of flower.

Unmesa and Nimesa are two aspects of one Sakti. Srsti or creation and unfolding of Tattvas are opening of eyes, while Pralaya or dissolution is Nimesa or closing of eyes. It is like the opening and closing of the bud. Kashmir Saivism advocates a variant of this Unmesa and Nimesa aspects of Siva. He creates this universe for His own joy. Closing of His eyes (Nimesa), it advocates, is loosing His Supreme Pure Consciousness at His own Will and hiding it in His creation. Unmesa is the opposite: regaining the lost Consciousness. Saiva Siddhantist may have a problem with this theory: Siva has no connection with the world of matter; He does His business through Sakti.

More on Suddha Tattvas mentioned above.

Suddha Tattvas contain saktis as follows: Unmani in Siva Tattva, Samani in Sakti Tattva, Nadanta or Mahanada in Sadasiva Tattva, Bindu in Isvara Tattva. The descending hierarchy of the seven saktis are as follows: Unmani, Samani, Vyapika, Nadanta or Mahanada, Nada, Bodhini, Bindu. Some sources give the following descending Saktis: UnmanA, SamanA, VyApika, AnjanI, MahAnAda, NAda, NirodhinI, Ardhacandra, Bindu, Ma-KAra, U-kAra, A-kAra.

Unmani state is without kalas or parts; it is Nirguna state (no attributes); it is unitary and indivisible. Unmani is beyond Turiya state, the fourth state of consciousness. and find the write up on Turiya. Samani (same mind; mnemonic: So many) state has potential parts or kalas. In Kundalini planes, these saktis exist between Ajna and Sahasrara Chakras. You may notice that this hierarchy demonstrates progressive degradation (dilution) of Pure Consciousness from Siva Tattva to Vidya Tattva (of seven Suddha Tattvas). In Sahasrara Chakra, Supreme Bindu Parasiva keeps his abode. This descent of the saktis from Unmani to Bindu goes by the name Viloma, reverse or descending order, while the ascending order from Muladhara to Bindu (Kali Kundalini) at Ajna is called Anuloma order (evolution, srsti, forward movement, or lower order). Viloma is path of return of the Jiva or involution from lower status to a higher status. Woodroffe says Viloma is reading alphabets from Z to A, while Anuloma is reading it from A to Z. Viloma is Nivrtti, cessation and involution, to a higher state, while Anuloma is Srsti, creation and forward movement. The words are deceptive in their meaning: involution means rise and return of Jiva to its original Superconscious state, while srsti or creation and evolution is downward movement of Jiva from its original state. We are all fallen beings and that is evolution--remember our consciousness is not equal to Siva's Pure Consciousness); we have to return to our source and that is involution.

Our fallen state can be compared to that of a lapidary who morphed to a quarrier, whose precision cutting is not a compelling asset for his stones go to build roads, while Lapidary's stones glitter on the rich and the famous ; both are stone cutters of different sort. The descent and the ascent meet at Ajna Chakra (point on the forehead, glabella), the point at which descending Viloma order meets ascending Anuloma order. The letter "Z" is superconscious state or Siva Tattva of Pure Consciousness which descends to Suddha Vidya Tattva of less perfect Consciousness or "Z" descending through Y, X, W , so on. The A of ordinary consciousness in Muladhara Chakra ascends via B, C, D, and E towards higher center at Ajna Chakra from where the path of return to the source, Superconsciousness, is Viloma. Go to to find out more on Chakras or Adharas. I named the same Saktis from 12 to 1 for convenience. The descent of Saktis from 12 to 6 takes the Viloma path which is a two-way pathway. The Yogi ascends the lower Anuloma path and comes to a junctional point in Ajna Chakra from where he takes the Higher Viloma path. The descending Viloma path is evolution meaning that the Superconsciousness of Siva becomes diluted down to the point of Suddha Vidya Tattva. Though the Yogis can take the Ascending Viloma path, they do not have the powers of the products of Siva Sakti: creation, maintenance, destruction, obscuration, and Grace. The descent of 36 Tattvas means dilution of Siva Consciousness down the cascade until the gross matter is reached.

Cit = Consciousness in a focused and pointed or Bindu state --> Citi = outspreading, Vyapini state --> Citta = with inward and outward activity --> Caitanya = the Bodha or experience which is from outward inwards ---> CetanA = the retention the Bodha --> Indriyakarma = experience through the actions of organs --> Deha and KalA = the body and its inherent subtle moving forces such as the 38 KalAs of Moon, Sun and Fire. In Moon, Sattva is dominant. In Fire Tamas is dominant. The Rajasic activity of the Sun mediates between the two. --page 275 The Garland of Letters by John Woodroffe.

In the Anuloma pathway Brahma is the presiding deity from Prithvi (earth to Prakrti); Vishnu from Purusa to Kala; Rusr in MAyA; Isa in the regions extending to SAdhakhya Tattva and then AnAsrita Siva and Parasiva. AnAsrita siva: Siva who is far removed from matter. the state of Siva in which there is no objective content yet, in which the universe is negated from Him.

UnmanA Sakti is in Siva Tattva, the highest of Tattvas. When UnmanA Sakti projects itself as the expanding universe beginning with Sunya (Void) and ending with DharA (foundation), She is called SAmanA and Sakti Tattva; One becomes many. SamAna Sakti is VyApini meaning she is all -pervasive since she is the origin of the universe and she resides in Sakti Tattva. VyApini has the intrinsic capacity to withdraw into Herself all of her own "thinkables" (mental creation) during involution consisting of 12 stages. SAmanA Sakti has the capacity as shown before to project the universe (her own "thinkables") in evolution.

Here is what Woodroffe says of all these entities:

"When the Supreme Siva beyond whom there is nought, who is in the nature of unchanged and unchangeable illumination, moves forth by His will, such (willing movement) Sakti, though in fact inseparable from him, is called Unmana ["Closing of the eyes" - dissolution]; Her place is the Siva-tattva

When the Unmana-Sakti displays Herself in the form of the universe beginning with Sunya (Void, the Absolute) and ending with Dhara (Foundation), formulates as mere thought the thinkable, then She is called Samana [" Unmesa--Opening of the eyes"-- creation] as well as Sakti-tattva.

This Samana-Sakti Herself is called Vyapini ["pervasive, out- spreading"] when she operates as the Power which withdraws (dissolves, involutes) into Herself all "thinkables" which are Her creation. She resides in Sakti-tattva

It is again the same Samana Herself who is called Sakti when her operation is chiefly creative in regard to her own "thinkables". She resides in Sakti-tattva and is also called Anjani because of her association with the "thinkables"

When the Sabda-brahman moves forth with great strength from Its Siva form then the very first sound, like the vibration produced by a sounding bell is called Nadanta (or Mahanada - "Great sound"). It resides in Sadasiva-tattva

When Sakti fills up the whole of the universe with Nadanta then She is called Nada. And this also is Sadasiva-tattva because of the equality of "I" (Aham, subject) and "This" (Idam, object)

When Nada, having ceased to operate in its universal scope, does so limitedly, then it is called Nirodhini ("cessation" or "extinction"). This Sakti rests in Sadasiva-tattva

When Nada is slightly operative to the creation of the "speakable" it is called Ardhachandra ("half moon") which is Ishvara-tattva

Then Para-Shakti Herself is called Bindu when she is of the nature of inseparable illumination (prakasha) in regard to the whole range of the "speakable". She resides in Ishvara-tattva

When Bindu causes diversity to manifest, it is called Ma-kara [the M of AUM] and moves in Maya-tattva

When Shakti creates objects as separate existences She is called U-kara [the U of AUM] and resides in Prakriti-tattva

When the creation of Tattvas has come to an end because objectivity is completely revealed, Shakti as Mantri-Kala (Mantra) is called A-kara [the A of AUM]."