In Reply to: Shiva bija Mantra

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" A Mantra is not mastered even after repeating it a billion times by a person

who does not know the esoteric meaning (vEdAnta) of it, has not experienced its

awakening and knows not the yoni Mudra ".

 

 

 

---- Kularnav Tantra

 

 

 

 

 

All Vedas and Tantras speak about the single supreme being – the Parabrahman.

 

Shiva and Shakthi are only its two aspects. Shiva is gross (vyakta) and Shakthi

is subtle (avyakta).

 

The two are inseperable; hence

 

“namah ShivABhyAm”:

 

 

 

1. Om

 

 

 

The primordial sacred syllable "Om" is its bija mantra. This is beautifully

illustrated by:

 

 

 

"Om kAram bindu sanyuktam nityam dyAyanti yOginah |

 

kAmadam mOkShadam tasmai nakArAya namO namah ||"

 

 

 

 

 

This "Om" itself is composed of 3 parts: "a" + "u" + "m", as explained in the

nArAyaNa upaniShad and represents the aspects of creation (srShti-brahma),

preservation (sThiti - viShNu) and destruction (laya - mahEShwara) of the

Parabrahman

 

 

 

 

 

2. hreem

 

 

 

 

 

There is no difference between "Om" and "hreem". Both are composed of 3 parts as

illustrated below:

 

 

 

Om ------> a + u + m

 

 

 

hreem ------> h + r + ee

 

 

 

in both, the bindu - anuswAr is implied.

 

 

 

"h" represents AkASha- brahman - sat

 

 

 

Sri Adi Shankara explains this in his LalithA triShati BhAShya:

 

 

 

" 'h' kArasya AkASha bIjasya arThA, arTha swaroop chaitanyA, AkASha

vigrahEtyarThah " ---

 

 

 

Hence “ ham AkASha tatwAtmikAyei puShpam samarpayAmi”

 

 

 

“r” represents agni – Rudra – chit

 

 

 

“ ‘r’ kArasya vahni vachanah prakAShah parya vasyati|

 

sacchidAnanda roopOsya paramAtmArTha uchyatE || “

 

 

 

“ee” represents chaitanya – ViShNu – Ananda

 

 

 

“ ‘ee’ kArah manmaTha beejam tatkAraNa lakSha katayA sThiti hEtu viShNu roopam

chaitanyamaBhi dadhAti “.

 

 

 

Therefore we can conclude that “hreem” is the bija mantra of “sachchidAnanda

Shiva”. As Om is to vEdic literature, so is hreem to tAntric literature. Hence

both “Om namah ShivAya” and “hreem namah ShivAya” are one and the same.

 

 

 

 

 

The “bindu” in Om and hreem is itself again composed of 3 parts:

 

 

 

1.: nAda, à Consciousness à Shiva

 

2. bindu à Energyà Shakthi

 

3 beeja (seed)àShiva + Shakthi

 

 

 

I think this is what Shri Shankara has meant in the very first verse of

Saundarya lahari: “Shivah ShaktyAyuktO ---“

 

 

 

 

 

3. “a” to “kSh”

 

 

 

Sanskrt language is considered to be the divine language with great potency. The

fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet are called MAtrkA s (mothers) since they

together constitute the source of all ancient sacred wisdom. Each syllable, when

it ends with anuswAr ( spelling 'm' at the end), becomes a mystic syllable.

Hence all the 50 syllables of the Sanskrt qualify as the “beeja mantra” of

Shiva, as explained in the “akSha-mAlA-upaniShad”:

 

 

 

Om “am” kAra mrtyunjaya sarva vyApaka praThamEkShE pratiShTitah |

 

…….

 

…….

 

……

 

Om “kSham” kAra parampara tattva jnApaka paranjyOtee roopa ShiKhAmaNau

pratiShTitah||

 

 

 

4. Bham

 

 

 

the root syllable “Bh” ( as in BhArath) means knowledge:

 

 

 

“ ‘Bh’ tEShu sarvEShu vEdEShu”

 

 

 

This is what exactly the word “Bharga” in the GAyathri represents. Adding

“Shakthi” – am to it, becomes “Bham”. Hence “ Bham Bham BholEnAth”!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

R.Srinath

 

srinath_atreya

 

 

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