Vijnana Bhairava Tantra

[Giles]

PREFACE

Vijnanabhairava is a very ancient book on Yoga. It closely follows the basic principles of Saivagama. It contains 112 types of yoga. There is hardly any other book on yoga which has described so many ways of approach to Central Reality that is present in each man as his essential Self. It is both extensive, and intensive in the treatment of the subject of yoga.

An English translation of this excellent work is being provided for the first time. The text that has been adopted is mainly the one that is published in the Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies. At a few places, however, slightly different readings yielding better sense have been incorporated as suggested by Svami Laksmana Joo.

Each verse of the Sanskrit text has been printed in both Devanigari and Roman script. This is followed by an English translation and a number of expository notes which will go a long way in elucidating the main idea of the verse.

A long Introduction explaining the basic principles of the yogas described in the text has been provided in the beginning. A glossary of technical terms has also been added at the end.

Since the yogas recommended in the book are based on the tenets of the non-dualistic Saiva Philosophy, the reader will do well to read the author's Introductory Portion of either the Pratyabhijnahridayam or the Siva-sutras before taking up the study of the present book.

I express my sincerest gratitude to Svami Laksmana Joo who has kindly taught this book to me word by word. My thanks are also due to Shri Dinanath Ganj who has kindly helped me in the preparation of the index to important Sanskrit words and the alphabetical index to the verses.

Varanasi
I. VI. 79

 

JAIDEVA SINGH

 

Edited July 26 by Giles

[Giles]

VIJNANA, GOD-REALIZATION

 

We have now completed our inquiries into the simple concepts or aspects of the Divine, those of the Divine as self, as deities and as the universe. These will generally appear to us first on the path of bhakti as they are easier to understand and comprehend. The following concepts are more advanced but are very important, and ultimately, the bhakta needs to integrate them all. Even if this takes time, the love of God is not complete until we understand God as profoundly as possible, a process that the Gita calls jnana yajna - knowledge offering. The first six chapters of the Gita are fairly introductory, with most advanced concepts introduced in the latter 12 chapters. Unfortunately many readers restrict themselves in their analysis to these first six introductory chapters. But the seventh chapter, at its outset, presents one of the most essential concepts of the Gita, juxtaposing the terms jnana and vijnana. The term jnana is generally identified as referring to knowledge of the self or self-realisation. The prefix vi in vijnana denotes enlargement or extension. Hence, it represents a form of super-knowledge, more comprehensive than just self-realisation. Shri Ramakrishna was the first to point out the importance of the term vijnana, and he taught that it meant God-realization, consisting of the combined realisation of the Divine with form (saguna Brahman) and the formless Absolute (nirguna Brahman).38 Shri Aurobindo picked up the baton from Ramakrishna and further developed the concept of vijnana. Aurobindo usually translates vijnana as supermind, i.e. the intelligence of the Divine.39 Aurobindo also defines supermind as the Supreme Being knowing Itself dynamically as time.40 To elaborate further, Aurobindo also described the supermind as the Supreme’s creative knowledge–will aspect.41 This is important to understand because Aurobindo’s lifelong practice and endeavour was to align himself with the divine supermind, something he labelled as the “calling down of the supermind.” It was important for Aurobindo to focus not just on the transcendental consciousness- stillness, emptiness, and nothingness aspects of the Divine but also on its creative and intelligent self-expression. Aurobindo developed the terminology supermind in the early part of the 20th century, and today, more than 100 years later, the term sounds dated, as we more readily associate it with information technology and artificial intelligence (or more profanely with things such as Superman or supermarket). Instead, I suggest the terms God immanent or cosmic intelligence, and the connection between both is explored in the next section. I don’t mean to be disrespectful when I appear here to improve Aurobindo’s language. I consider Aurobindo the leading intellectual and mystical titan of the 20th century, and I am anything but. But the English language dates quickly, a fact that Aurobindo was only too aware of. Other than Sanskrit, in which the meaning of words is predefined in ancient texts on grammar, in English, definitions of words are derived through convention. Hence, they change if enough people change their minds about what they mean.

 

Gregor Maehle

 

Source: Maehle, G. (2024). Bhakti The Yoga of Love. Kaivalya Publications.