Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra Verse 49, Yukti #23 (an āṇava-upāya practice suitable for all practitioners):
हृद्याकाशे निलीनाक्षः पद्मसम्पुटमध्यगः ।
अनन्यचेताः सुभगे परं सौभाग्यम् आप्नुयात् ॥ ४९ ॥
hṛdyākāśe nilīnākṣaḥ padma-saṃpuṭa-madhyagaḥ |
ananya-cetāḥ subhage paraṃ saubhāgyam āpnuyāt || 49 ||
With one’s sense-faculties dissolved in the Space of the Heart—in the innermost recess of the Lotus—with one’s attention on nothing else: O blessed Lady, one will obtain supreme blessedness.
WORD-BY-WORD breakdown: hṛdi = in the heart; ākāśe = in the space (together the two words mean lit. “in the heart-space”); nilīnākṣaḥ = one whose senses are merged or dissolved; padma = lotus; sampuṭa = inner recess, between two halves or hemispheres; madhyaga = in the middle/center; ananya-cetāḥ = one whose mind is undistracted; subhage = O blessed one (fem.); param = supreme; saubhāgyam = great good fortune, auspicious blessedness; āpnuyāt = one obtains.
First off, there’s a vocative in this verse: O blessed Lady. Remember, this is Bhairava speaking to Bhairavī, but I like to imagine that also the author of the text is privileging or centering female practitioners with the feminine vocatives, but that might just be my preferential imagination. Then what we have hṛdyākāśe, in the space in the heart. Let’s remember that “heart” in general Sanskrit usage refers to the center of the torso, not so much to the heart muscle specifically. There’s said to be a space in the heart, and this of course is not literal, but it refers to the experience of quiet presence that we can have when focusing awareness on the innermost point, or centermost point, of our body. This is something of a divine mystery that was discovered by the yogins—that anyone can experience this profound, still, silent presence by focusing inwardly into the center of their body—here called the “heart”. Then we have nilīnākṣaḥ—one whose senses are dissolved, or interiorized—the compound refers to a practitioner whose senses are pulled inward, dissolved into this central region. All the sense-faculties are focused inward toward the possibility of touching the innermost heart, tasting the innermost heart, smelling the fragrance, as it were, of the innermost heart, seeing and hearing the innermost heart—even though it doesn’t manifest in a literally sensual way (usually), the sense energies are focused toward that possibility, we could say.
Then, padma-saṃpuṭa-madhyagaḥ—padma meaning lotus; saṃpuṭa meaning (two) hemispheres; and madhyagaḥ—in the middle of; so, in the middle of the two hemispheres of the lotus. Here we have some ambiguity. One possibility is that what’s being described is a partially closed (or rather, not completely opened) lotus flower. It seems that the sort of experience that’s being invited here is one of nestling down into this protected place—the idea of the ‘hemispheres’ being the petals that enclose this sacred place where awareness can come to rest within itself, nestled down into its own center. Another possibility of interpretation is given by Swami Laksmanjoo who says that here we’re supposed to visualize/imagine/feel two lotuses—one upward facing and one downward facing—and those are the two hemispheres mentioned in the verse. We nestle the focal point of awareness into the center of these two lotuses. Now, if this is what’s intended by the text, this would be an innovation that wasn’t picked up by the mainstream of the tradition because in general we find the image of a single lotus flower in the heart. Regardless of which interpretation is correct in terms of the original author’s intention, this obviously offers two legitimate ways that you can practice this verse.
Photo by Crina Uleia Murgulescu
There’s another possibility of interpretation here because the word saṃpuṭa can also refer to two bījās that enclose a mantra. This is an esoteric Tantrik meaning of the word saṃpuṭa. If that indeed is intended here, then we should take two bījās and put them on either side of whatever mantra we’re using in this practice. For example, if your mantra is Oṃ nāmaḥ śivāya then it becomes Oṃ nāma śivāya Oṃ. Another possibility for this practice is Oṃ mama hṛdayāya namaḥ Oṃ, where the middle part means “reverence to my heart.”
Also, I should note that the very first place that the heart-lotus meditation appears is, surprisingly, in the Pātañjala-yoga-śāstra, that is to say, the commentary on Patañjali’s Yoga-sūtra—the commentary attributed to Vyāsa, which scholars now believe was probably written by Patañjali himself. That is where we first see a mention of a heart-lotus meditation, but only a mention, it’s not explained in any way. The heart-lotus meditation becomes much more important, indeed ubiquitous, in the Tantrik tradition. We find it all over the place, and indeed the image of the lotus of the heart was central for Abhinavagupta, and it became central for the whole Tantrik tradition. Even in those cakra systems where none of the other cakras are depicted as a flower, the heart cakra is depicted that way.
Then we have ananya-cetāḥ—which means one whose heart-mind is focused on nothing else but this interiorization of awareness into the middle of the space of the heart. And paraṃ saubhāgyam āpnuyāt means that one obtains supreme blessedness. Saubhāgya is a beautiful word that’s quite resonant in the tradition, and it became particularly resonant in the Śrīvidyā branch of the tradition. Saubhāgya means great good fortune, or total blessedness, or great auspiciousness, or sacredness. It’s when you feel that however much challenge there has been in your life, you are immeasurably blessed—blessed beyond reason. It’s said in this tradition that if you actualize even partially the goal of these practices, you will experience yourself as immeasurably blessed. In fact, the tradition argues that there’s no degree of challenge that could overcome or negate this feeling of blessedness that one has as a result of walking this path. If you don’t yet experience that, just open to the possibility that through these practices you will experience supreme blessedness—the feeling that your life is blessed beyond measure and beyond reason. That mode of experiencing life is indeed available to us—it is our birthright, and it is offered to us by this tradition.
(Please SCROLL DOWN for a guided practice video combining this Yukti with the following one.)
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
a) He whose mind together with the other senses is merged in the interior space of the heart, who has entered mentally into the centre of the two bowls of the heart lotus, who has excluded everything else from consciousness, acquires the highest fortune, O beautiful one. (SINGH)
b) O Blessed One, (the yogi) whose senses have merged into the space within the heart and abides (there) with an undistracted mind in the center between the two halves of the lotus, attains supreme good fortune. (DYCZKOWSKI)
c) If one merges one's senses in the space of the heart, i.e. at the centre between the two halves of the heart-lotus with an undistracted mind, then, O Blessed One, one attains supreme blessedness. (BÄUMER)
d) With closed eyes and attention focused in the space of the heart, in the middle of the two lotuses joined, one shall get supreme happiness, O Happy One! (DUBOIS)
e) O embodiment of good fortune, one who contemplates with closed eyes and one-pointed concentration on the mantra in the middle of the lotus in the heart space achieves the highest spiritual realization. (SATSANGI)
f) When the senses are absorbed in the inner space of the heart, one should concentrate with undivided attention on the center of the two bowls of the lotus, located there. Then O Beloved, one obtains the Supreme Fortune. (CHAUDHRI)
g) One with his attention is directed to the inside of the lotus-like heart, to the exclusion of all else. O beautiful one, has the prospect of attaining the state of the highest beatitude. (Singh & Maheśvarānanda)
h) O Bienheureuse! Les sens anéantis dans l’espace du cœur, l’esprit indifférent à toute autre (chose), celui qui accède au milieu de la coupe bien close des lotus atteindra la faveur suprême. (SILBURN)
i) Les yeux fermés dans l’espace du cœur, au milieu des lotus emboîtés, celui qui ne pense à rien d’autre, ô bienheureuse! gagnera le bonheur. (DUBOIS)
j) Gesegnete! Wer ungestörten Geistes alle seine Sinne in den freien Raum des Herzens in die Mitte zwischen den beiden Lotossen versenkt, der erlangt die höchste Erfüllung. (BÄUMER)
k) Quien absorbe sus sentidos en el espacio del corazón, quien va al centro de la cavidad del loto, totalmente concentrado, ¡oh, bienaventurada! alcanza la bienaventuranza suprema. (FIGUEROA)
l) O beauty! Senses disseminated in your heart space, perceive the essence of the Shakti as indescribably fine gold powder which glitters in your heart and from there pours into space. Then you will know supreme bliss. (ODIER)
m) Blessed one, as senses are absorbed in heart, reach the center of the lotus. (REPS)
n) There is an axis hidden in the region of the anāhata-cakra that goes through the middle of the hemisphere of the lotus flower [of the cakra]. He who minds nothing else but this [image], O fortunate one, might attain the ultimate fortune [of experiencing the state of Bhairava]. (SEMENOV)
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Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra Verses 50-51, Yukti #24 (an āṇava-upāya practice suitable for intermediate practitioners):
सर्वतः स्वशरीरस्य द्वादशान्ते मनोलयात् ।
दृढबुद्धेर् दृढीभूतं तत्त्वलक्ष्यम् प्रवर्तते ॥ ५० ॥
sarvataḥ sva-śarīrasya dvādaśānte mano-layāt |
dṛḍha-buddher dṛḍhībhūtaṃ tattva-lakṣyaṃ pravartate || 50 ||
Completely dissolve the mind in the dvādaśānta of one’s [subtle] body; through this [practice], one of steady mind steadily experiences that Reality which is the goal.
Word-by-word breakdown: sarvataḥ = thoroughly, completely, in every way; sva-śarīrasya = of one’s own body; dvādaśānte = in the dvādaśānta (lit., end-of-twelve); mano-layāt = because of dissolving the mind; dṛḍha-buddheḥ = one of firm mind; dṛḍhībhūtaṃ = steadily, well-established, fixed & firm, unwavering; tattva-lakṣyam = the goal which is Reality; pravartate = manifests, proceeds, occurs, experiences.
The key phrase in the first half of the verse is dvādaśānte mano-layāt, literally, “due to dissolving the mind into the dvādaśānta.” What is the dvādaśānta? It’s a specific point in the subtle body or physical body—but which point? If we look at Swami Laksmanjoo’s interpretation of this particular verse, he offers the notion that there are any number of dvādaśāntas in various places in the body, including the crown of the head, the third eye, the pit of the throat, the base of the heart, and the navel. He says that you can pick any one of those dvādaśāntas and focus there, dissolve the mind there. This may indeed be a legitimate oral tradition, but I haven’t seen any scriptural support for this assertion.
When we look to the commentary of Śivopādhyāya, it’s clear he’s not entirely sure how to interpret this verse. Therefore, it’s a bit ironic that several translators have followed Śivopādhyāya’s commentary in their interpretations. In Jaideva Singh’s translation, he actually translates the verse itself as if it is the commentary—meaning to say, he doesn’t translate the verse literally, he interpolates words and phrases from the commentary in his translation. I think this is not at all the right approach in this case. If we look to contemporaneous scriptural sources, the two primary dvādaśāntas that we find referenced over and over again are 1) the point at the crown of the head, i.e. the brahmarandhra (“the gateway to the absolute”), which is sometimes called śakti-dvādaśānta. Now, dvādaśānta literally means “the end of twelve,” meaning twelve finger-widths. So, a dvādaśānta is always a point at the end of twelve finger-widths. The question is, counting from what starting point? The śakti-dvādaśānta is twelve finger-widths from the bridge of the nose (tracking along the skin). The śiva-dvādaśānta is twelve finger-widths vertically above that, at the upper limit of the subtle/energy-body; that is, at the upper limit of what some people like to call the aura. Of course, there’s no clear boundary or bright line; the energy body fades out. But we can approximate its upper limit: about 21cm or 8.5 inches above the head (twelve finger-widths). When the 36 tattvas are mapped onto the energy body as they often are in Tantrik Yoga, then that upper limit of the subtle body is associated with the śiva-tattva. (Of course, there are Goddess-centric systems such as the Krama that actually have Śakti as the highest tattva. We won’t get into that now.) So which of these two dvādaśāntas are we to focus on? It’s unclear. But we can be certain it’s one of these two, because Rājānaka Kṣemarāja cites this verse (and the preceding one on the Heart-Lotus) when he gives the practice of adyānta-koṭi-nibhālana (“paying attention to the beginning and ending points of the prāṇa flow”) in Chapter 18 of The Recognition Sutras, and that’s how he teaches it — meaning the beginning and ending points of the prāṇa flow in this practice are the base of the heart and the dvādaśānta respectively for the inhale and the reverse for the exhale (see the source just cited).
Let’s look at the verse again. We need to do a little more textual analysis because there are ambiguities to solve. sarvataḥ sva-śarīrasya dvādaśānte mano-layāt: due to, or because of, dissolving the mind in the dvādaśānta of one’s own body—meaning subtle body (in the case of the śiva-dvādaśānta) or physical body (in the case of the śakti-dvādaśānta)—sarvataḥ, thoroughly or completely. I take this sarvataḥ as an adverb, meaning that it modifies how the dissolution should happen. The dissolution of the mind into the dvādaśānta should be complete and thorough. But other translators, and indeed the commentator too, have taken it to mean “everywhere,” somehow imagining that the dvādaśānta is in fact everywhere—in all the pores of the body, the commentator says, which Singh and Lakṣmanjoo follow. To me, that doesn’t make any sense. How then can there be a focal point? There’s a broader tradition here, not just this text, and dvādaśānta has meanings that are well known across the tradition, and it never signifies pervasion of the whole body. That would be a radically unusual usage here, and the verse itself doesn’t warrant such an interpretation. By accessing more sources, we can sometimes formulate an interpretation that is more reliable than even that a Sanskrit commentator writing several centuries ago.
What do we see in the second half of the verse? dṛḍha-buddher—one who has a steady mind (buddhi can mean ‘intellect’, but not here) actualizes the tattva-lakṣyaṃ, the goal which is reality. In other words, through this practice, one attains communion with reality as it is (tattva, lit. suchness or thatness) through dissolving the thinking-mind. It’s only through going beyond the mind that we’re able to be with reality as it is. In my translation above I take dṛḍhībhūtaṃ as an adverb: one of steady mind steadily experiences that reality which is the goal. But perhaps we should take dṛḍhībhūtaṃ as agreeing with tattva-lakṣyaṃ, yielding the meaning “One actualizes the goal, and it becomes dṛḍhībhūtaṃ—steady & firm.” But I think this amounts to the same meaning. One attains the goal, which is reality, in a way that is firm or steady. Once you’ve attained the goal (if you really have attained it), it doesn’t go away. That which is seen truly, clearly, and thoroughly cannot be unseen.
PRACTICE INSTRUCTION (utilizing the śakti-dvādaśānta): Simply bring the focal point of your attention to the center of the crown of your head. Sitting up straight & tall, you may feel the central channel running from pelvic floor to the crown of the head. Then focus on the upper limit of the physical body, where the physical body ends but the energy body continues. Become absorbed in that point and dissolve the mind into that point. This takes patience. If you’re not keenly aware of the point in question, take the middle finger and tap the center of the crown of the head. You can even whisper a mantra into your finger first and then tap that point, activating it with the mantra. Then you’ll feel that point much more palpably. Then you become absorbed in that point.
(SCROLL DOWN for a guided practice video!)
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
b) When the body of the yogī is penetrated by consciousness in all parts and his mind, which has become firm by one-pointedness, is dissolved in the dvādaśānta situated in the body, then that yogī whose intellect has become firm experiences the characteristic of Reality. (SINGH)
c) By dissolving away the mind in the End of the Twelve of one’s own body (everywhere in all its locations and) in all respects, the goal which is (Śiva who is the one ultimate) reality manifests well established for (the adept whose) mind is (thus made) firm (and unwavering). (DYCZKOWSKI)
d) If one's mind is absorbed at the dvādaśānta, (or by meditating that) the body is void in all parts with firm intellect, then the firmly established Reality is revealed. (BÄUMER)
e) Always dissolving attention in the space above the head of one's body, for one who has stable intelligence, stable being, the aim, shall become alive. (DUBOIS)
f) When the mind is dissolved in dwadashanta by steady awareness and steady practice, the true nature or essence of the goal manifests everywhere in one's body. (SATSANGI)
g) Absorb the mind completely at the center of one’s body, where the inhaled breath ends. From steadiness in concentration, one becomes steady in mind, and then one’s true nature is perceived. (CHAUDHRI)
h) Through meditation on whatever point inside the body, particularly on those lying at a distance of twelve finger with firmness of mind, one gets one’s mind rendered void of its content, the real target of meditation emerges by itself. (Singh & Maheśvarānanda)
i) Du fait que la pensée est absorbée dans le dvādaśānta, chez (un homme) dont l’intellect est ferme et dont le corps (est pénétré) de toutes parts (de Conscience), se présente alors (à lui) la caractéristique de la Réalité bien affermie. (SILBURN)
j) En résorbant le mental dans la Fin des douze depuis tous les endroits du corps (à la fois), celui dont l’intellect est fixé devient fixe. Le principe qui doit être visé se présente (alors). (DUBOIS)
k) Wenn man das Denken am Punkt am Ende-der-zwölf-Finger versenkt und den eigenen Körper überall (von Bewußtsein durchdrungen erfährt), dann wird der Geist beständig, und durch Beständigkeit offenbart sich die letzte Wirklichkeit. (BÄUMER)
l) Al disolver por completo la mente en el dvādaśānta del cuerpo, se manifiesta imperturbable ante el [yogui] de intelecto imperturbable la meta última, la verdad. (FIGUEROA)
m) When your body is pervaded with consciousness, your one-pointed mind dissolves into your heart and you penetrate reality. (ODIER)
n) Unminding mind, keep in the middle—until. (REPS)
Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra Verse 51, Yukti #24b (an āṇava-upāya practice suitable for more experienced practitioners):
यथा तथा यत्र तत्र द्वादशान्ते मनः क्षिपेत् ।
प्रतिक्षणं क्षीणवृत्तेर्वैलक्षण्यं दिनैर्भवेत् ।। ५१ ।।
yathā tathā yatra tatra dvādaśānte manaḥ kṣipet |
pratikṣaṇaṃ kṣīṇa-vṛtter vailakṣaṇyaṃ dinair bhavet || 51 ||
Wherever you may be, whatever you may be doing, you should cast your attention to the dvādaśānta in any given moment (or: you may continually keep your attention on the dvādaśānta). As mental agitation dies away, something indescribable may occur within days.
This verse does not constitute a separate Yukti, because it is nothing more (nor less) than applying the practice taught in the previous verse throughout your day. The only question here is whether we’re being invited to continually keep the attention on the dvādaśānta point throughout the day, insofar as that’s possible, or, rather, that we are to keep throwing our attention to that point in any moment we remember to do so, as a kind of micro-meditation.
In the first instance, we could call this a “second attention” practice. Second attention means to do a practice while doing whatever else you’re doing in everyday life. If you can maintain unbroken second attention for a much of your day on, say, the base of the heart (which is the version of the practice I’ve done most) , it really does radically alter your experience of reality, as the verse above suggests. There can be an indescribable shift in your state of consciousness if you can maintain this “second attention”. In this practice, while you’re doing whatever—washing the dishes or walking down the street or playing with your kid(s)—you’re keeping your awareness on that point, whether it’s the heart point, the dvādaśānta point, or whatever. Other examples are keeping the visualized (or felt) image of the light-body of the Goddess just behind you, such that the front her light-body is in contact with (or even overlapping with) your back body. Another example is imagining/feeling the lineage of Gurus extending vertically above your head. In this verse, of course, it’s just about keeping attention on the dvādaśānta.
Let’s be very clear: this is not a method of yogic escapism—otherwise, we would be calling it primary attention. We’re not saying, “wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, withdraw your attention from the world and put it here.” It’s exactly the opposite in the sense that your primary attention is on doing the dishes, walking, playing with the child, whatever it is—but you’re also cultivating this subtle awareness.
Please note, I have found that when doing second attention practice with the dvādaśānta, it’s much more effective to utilize the śiva-dvādaśānta (approx. 21cm above the head) rather than the śakti-dvādaśānta at the crown. If you experiment with both, I think you’ll agree. As a default, when doing the practice as a seated meditation (verse 50), I recommend utilizing the śakti-dvādaśānta, and when doing the practice as a micro-meditation or second-attention practice, I recommend utilizing the śiva-dvādaśānta.
I’ve already alluded to the other way of interpreting the verse, which is to take pratikṣaṇaṃ as “in any given moment” rather than “in every moment”. In this interpretation, we’re being invited to do micro-meditation on the dvādaśānta several times a day. As often as you can remember, you cast the mind (that is, the focal point of attention) to the dvādaśānta point. This is undoubtedly much more doable than continuous second attention. But perhaps we don’t have to choose one or the other interpretation. If I had to choose, I would come down more on the side of the second interpretation, because we have the verb kṣipet, “one should cast or throw”—like when you’re throwing a ball toward a specific point—“the focal point of attention to the dvādaśānta.” It seems to be that the verb suggests doing it over and over again throughout the day rather than trying to keep attention there all the time. The commentator Śivopādhyāya seems to agree with me (pratikṣaṇaṃ = muhurmuhuḥ).
In summary, I think it’s better to start with śakti-dvādaśānta and work your way up to being able to focus on śiva-dvādaśānta, and indeed that is mode that the text recommends more generally, that we should start with Śakti and then go to Śiva.
Finally, let’s address the claim at the end of the verse: “as mental agitation dies away, something extraordinary may happen within mere days.” The scripture is not saying that you’ve got to practice this for months before you see results—it’s saying that if you do it assiduously, you’re going to see results in days. What I invite you to do for the next few days is the dvādaśānta meditation (verse 50) at the beginning of the day, sitting down with full focus, and then do a second attention practice repeatedly throughout the day (verse 51)—and let’s find out if something indescribable happens for you!
Historical footnote: Swami Lakṣmanjoo interpreted this verse differently, at least when he was teaching the text to Paul Reps in the 1950s. Reps represents SLJ’s interpretation as “When in worldly activity, keep attentive between the two breaths” and notes, in his original 1957 publication, that this was SLJ’s favorite Yukti.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
b) If one fixes one’s mind at dvādaśānta again and again, howsoever and wheresoever, the fluctuation of his mind will diminish and in a few days, he will acquire an extraordinary status. (SINGH)
c) One should cast one’s mind into the End of the Twelve in any way and wherever (one may be) every moment and so for one (whose mental) activity (has) ceased (by this practice, he experiences) an extraordinary (state of consciousness) within (a few) days. (DYCZKOWSKI)
d) If one fixes one's mind on dvādaśānta every moment, in any way and wherever one is, then the fluctuations (of the mind) will dissolve and within days one will experience an extraordinary state. (BÄUMER)
e) Throwing attention above the head in all situations, at each moment, for the one whose mental activity is being destroyed, the undefinable shall happen in days. (DUBOIS)
f) By bringing the mind forcibly to dwadashanta again and again, however and wherever possible, the fluctuations of the mind diminish day by day, so that each moment becomes an extraordinary state. (SATSANGI)
g) During every moment of the day, in whatever way, in whatever place, fix one’s attention between two breaths. The mind will be deprived of the means of support, and in a few days, one will be free. (CHAUDHRI)
h) In whatever way wheresoever at a distance of twelve fingers one were to direct one’s attention and get one’s mind offloaded of its content so as get rid of its momentary fluctuations, one has the possibility of realising the Extraordinary well within a few days. (Singh & Maheśvarānanda)
i) Qu’on fixe sa pensée dans le centre supérieur, dvādaśānta, de toutes manières et où qu’on se trouve. L’agitation s’étant peu à peu abolie, en quelques jours l’indescriptible se produira. (SILBURN)
j) Man soll jeden Augenblick seine Gedanken auf irgendeine Weise und in irgendeiner Situation auf den Punkt am Ende des Atems richten, dann wird die geistige Unruhe verschwinden und in kurzer Zeit wird man einen außergewöhnlichen Zustand erfahren. (BÄUMER)
k) Como sea y donde sea debe proyectarse la mente una y otra vez en el dvādaśānta; al poco tiempo, algo excepcional le sobreviene a quien [así] aquieta la actividad mental. (FIGUEROA)
l) Fix your mind in your heart when engaged in worldly activity, thus agitation will disappear and in a few days the indescribable will happen. (ODIER)
m) When in worldly activity, keep attentive between the two breaths, and so practicing, in a few days be born anew. (REPS notes this is SLJ’s favorite Yukti)
DaleAnn Gray’s poetic rendering of verses 49-51:
The lovers’ gaze . . .
O Blissful Bride,
immerse your senses undivided
midst the heart lotus
and attain supreme Bliss.
Become the Cup . . .
Mind All One above the head
Steady sight
Steady aim
The Essence Grail prevails.
A bucket empties and is simultaneously filled with . . . nothing!
Any time, any place,
set the mind above.
Swirling thoughts
drain away,
replaced by . . .
je ne sais quoi.