BHUVANAESHWERI - THE JANANA SWAROOPINI -2

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Integrating and unifying knowledge begins with Bhuvaneshwari. The

seven worlds below and the seven worlds above, arise from the act of

seeing. The act of seeing is Bhuvaneshwari. She is also known as mâyâ

or the Shuddha Vidya.

What comes from knowledge? Sometimes it is the act of seeing¹.

Sometimes it is one's desire which makes the act of seeing to happen.

Knowledge has two origins: that coming from the sensory perception

and that which is revealed. The second class of knowledge has two

further divisions: seeing can be related to individual memory of past

experience or be spontaneous. Seeing a divine image of Krishna or

Lalita in meditation belongs to the first class. These are

projections from the mind. If the desire to see is there, but the

object of seeing is not pre-conceived or pre-specified, then such an

act of seeing forms the subject of revelation. This can happen in a

seedless meditation and the knowledge that results is vijnâna. Its

origin is not necessarily in the individual subconscious but it could

be in the collective subconscious, and we will use the name of God to

represent the unmanifest, but potentially manifestable source of

knowledge. When one reads books (not read before) in meditation, or

one sees sights not seen before, then these are revelations.

 

The upâsana of Bhuvaneshwari is an attempt to receive such knowledge

of God as a direct experience. The basic idea here is that the

restriction of an individual consciousness is an artificially imposed

one, and it is possible to transcend this by sâdhan. Suppose you are

seeing an object. Normally the eyes tend to focus to get a clear

image of the object. But it is possible to focus the eye on the space

in between the object and the eye. The eye no more perceives the

object then, but looks at the space in between; this space is

objectless. Or alternatively, one can focus ones eyes to the space

beyond the object to eliminate the object recognition. Thus one

generates a mode of viewing which is not normal. The normal way is to

focus the image, trying to analyze the image, trying to name it,

trying to assess whether it is threatening or loving, trying to

polarize it, trying to judge it. The abnormal way is to defocus the

object, and instead of looking at the object, look at the projection

from the universal mind on the object. This way the illusory nature

of the world is destroyed, and the true nature of the world is made

self evident.

 

All the worlds have their origin in focus - in the act of seeing.

Defocus and multitude merges into the one. This is the open eyed

meditation of Bhuvaneshwari, by Shâmbhavi mudrâ².

 

It is difficult to practice this with everyday objects, because we

have been trained to focus all the time. Besides, there are likeable

and unlikeable objects which immediately bring in the color of love

and hate in mind, destroying the peace of oneness. It is easier to

start practice on objectless space, like sky.

 

Bhuvaneshwari is perceptive power leading to knowledge. Therefore She

is Jnâna Shakti. She is the Space concept in creation, the ether

medium through which light moves and extends. Space, in fact, is an

extension of perception. What we call space is the extent to which we

see, the range of our vision. As our vision widens, the Space grows

and we are able to realize more and more of the Self-extension of the

Divine. The Divine's vision is vast and so is the Space (Âkâsha). She

creates the myriad primoridial worlds (Bhuvanâs), sustains them and

nourishes them. She is the all-pervasive force, permeating the whole

fabric of creation. The Space gives a form to the formless Divine.

 

Another name for Bhuvaneshwari is Mâyâ. Mâ is to measure. It is the

Space which measures the immeasurable. The feat implied in measuring

the immeasurable is acclaimed as an illusion by some seers. However,

to the tântric, Mâyâ is the infinite consciousness having the power

to clothe itself in finite forms. She is the measured out space, the

perception of the Divine, force of the first knowledge. This vast

space, Bhuvaneshwari, resides in the little space of the heart

(daharâkâsha) of every being!

 

The mantrâ of Bhuvaneshwari is Hrim - meaning illusion. It is a

constant reminder not to fall into illusions of focus, of detail, but

see beyond the unifying identity underlying all. Sometimes, the

mantrâ is given as Om Hrim Om - implying that anâhata should be

strung through Hrim. In fact, Hrim is the tântric Pranava. It

connects the little space within one's heart with the infinite space

outside, making the heart yearn to go beyond boundaries of shape into

the vast immensities.

 

Hrim is known to the tântrics as the lajjâ beeja, implying shrinking

and not free. Hrim, therefore denotes a manifestation that is not yet

fully blossomed- the worlds created by Bhuvaneshwari continually

evolve. Hrim is the sound of Space itself, a yearning cry of the

created towards the Creator.

 

The view of the Lord is the one of identity. A Bhuvaneshwari upâsaka

is led to this view, in all circumstances. He sees himself

everywhere, initially. After some time, he stops seeing the external

world, and is all the time merged in the oneness of God, loving

himself deeply.

 

Bhuvaneshwari is the central diety of Shakti worshippers. She is the

crowning sound for each kûtâ in Panchadasi, as Saraswati, Lakshmi and

Gowri.

 

- Amritananda

 

 

SHRI AMRITANANDA IS A SRI VIDYA TANTRIK GURU - I HAD ALREADY POSTED

ON HIM SOMETIME BACK ... hE IS A PHYSICIST BY PROFESSIUON AND A SRI

VIDYA UPASAKA BY INCLINATION.

 

 

LOVE