“The Mystickal Pearl of One-pointedness”
— MAHĀMAHEŚVARĀĊĀRYA BHAṬṬA NĀRĀYAṆA
ॐ नमश्चिद्भैरवाय ।
॥ अथः श्रीभट्टमारायणविरचितः स्तवचिन्तामणिः ॥
Oṃ namaścidbhairavāya |
Atha śrībhaṭṭanārāyaṇaviracitaḥ stavacintāmaṇiḥ ||
Hail unto Bhairava, He who is all-consciousness. This is the stotra-cintāmani composed by Śrī Bhatta-Mārāyaṇa.
सुगिरा चित्तहारिण्या पश्यन्त्या दृश्यमानया ।
जयत्युञ्ज्ञासितानन्द महिमा परमेश्वरः ॥१॥
sugirā cittahāriṇyā paśyantyā dṛśyamānayā |
jayatyullāsitānanda mahimā parameśvaraḥ |1|
This is the initial salutation to Lord Śiva. We bow down before the feet of Lord Śiva and offer our respects, declaring, “Victory to the Divine Guru, Victory to Śiva.” When Lord Śiva utters His holy voice—that supreme, matchless and divine utterance (that is, that highest and most beautiful utterance)—He completely subjugates your mind, with all its thoughts and conceptions. His single word attracts your mind and dissolves it, erasing every thought and imagination. His compassionate glance, which is filled with infinite grace, sends within you infinite waves of divine bliss. May the glorious Lord Śiva always triumph! May He always triumph—He, whose word silences the mind and its delusions, and whose glance of grace dispels all worries and sorrows.
Reflections: The form of Lord Śiva’s supreme voice is the sound that is the essence of consciousness itself. It is the pulse - the unspoken resonance, Parāvāk—the silent motionless-vibration.
यः स्फीतः श्रीदयाबोधपरमानन्दसंपदा ।
विद्याद्दश्याततमाहात्म्यः स जयल्यपराजितः ॥ २ ॥
yaḥ sphītaḥ śrīdayābodhaparamānandasaṁpadā |
vidyoddyotitamāhātmyaḥ sa jayatyaparājitaḥ |2|
May Lord Śiva be eternally victorious, eternally triumphant—He whose glory is manifested through the divine splendor of śrī-dayā-bodha-paramānandasaṁpadā. Śri is the infinite richness of pure consciousness; Dayā is the epitome of compassion and benevolence. He is supremely glorious through infinite grace, the immense wealth of divine consciousness, infinite grace, bodha (all-pervading knowledge), and paramānanda (ultimate bliss).
May Lord Śiva, who is radiant with the radiance of omnipresent consciousness, eternal compassion, supreme knowledge (Bodha), and supreme bliss, be eternally victorious.
May He be eternally victorious—He whose greatness is illuminated and empowered by the light of Vidyā and Śuddha Vidyā (the purest and most subtle knowledge). May that infinite consciousness pervade all directions, circulate everywhere, and rule over the entire universe.
Reflections: These are two verses, simple prayers dedicated to Lord Śiva. Now Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa will begin these sacred devotional hymns, and we will go through them one by one.
प्रसरद्विन्दुनादाय
शुद्धामृतमयात्मने ।
नमोऽनन्तप्रकाशाय
शंकरक्षीरसिन्धवे ॥३॥
prasaradbindunādāya
śuddhāmṛtamayātmane |
namo’nantaprakāśāya
śaṅkarakṣīrasindhave |3|
I bow to Śaṅkara who is like an ocean of milk, an infinite ocean of pure sweet milk. I bow to Śaṅkara who is like an infinite ocean of milk, and it is expanding [prasarat] bindu nādāya, where the divine two-fold or divine dual flow of bindu and nādā takes place.
These are two positions of Parābhairava which Bindu meaning Prakāśa and nādā is Vimarśa. Bindu is basically “I-consciousness”; nādā is to feel and observe “I-consciousness.” All Consciousness is bindu; and the feeling “I am consciousness, I am universal consciousness,” that is nādā.
For example, the light [prakāśa] of the sun, the [prakāśa] of the moon, the [prakāśa] of fire—these are all bindu, but they do not have nādā. These lights do not have the understanding of their existence, they don’t know they exists. The sun has light, but the sun does not know that “I am light.” It is only a star, it does not have the awareness that “I am full of this light.”
When this awareness arises, when the understanding develops that “I am this light, or I am filled with this prakāśa,” then it is called nādā. Both Bindu and Nādā are found in the universal consciousness. The other lights have only Bindu, not Nādā. Nādā is understanding and perception.
The fire burns, but it does not know that “I am burning.” Similarly, the light of the moon, the light of the sun—they are unknown by their nature. But the universal consciousness has both Bindu and Nādā.
Similarly, prakāśa and vimarśa are called Bindu and Nādā in the Śāmbhava state. In Śāktopāya, Jñāna and Krīyā [knowledge and action] are considered Bindu and Nādā. In Ānavopāya, the inhalation and exhalation of breath are Bindu and Nādā.
Inhalation and exhalation are Bindu and Nādā from the perception of Ānavopāya, knowledge and action according to Śāktopāya, and prakāśa and vimarśa in the perception of Śāmbhavopāya.
“Prasarat Bindu Nādāya,” that is, I bow to Lord Śiva, who is full of Bindu and Nādā. Within him the flows of prakāśa and vimarśa always exist—in the śāmbhava state, in the śākta state, and in the ānava state, the incoming breath and out-going breath.
In the ānava state—inhalation and exhalation.
In the śāktopāya—action and knowledge.
In the śāmbhavopāya—prakāśa and vimarśa.
“Śuddhāmṛtamayātmane,” and this is the fullness of pure nectar. The purest nectar is found only in the universal consciousness. Other nectar is found in the demigods, making them immortal, but only for a certain time.
“Kṣīṇe puṇye martya lokaṁ viśanti,“—when the virtue is depleted, they again come to the mortal world. The effect of that nectar eventually ceases.
But the nectar that is found in the universal consciousness, found in Lord Śiva, is the real and eternal nectar. It is never destroyed, never ends. It remains forever. This is the meaning of “Śuddhāmṛtamayātmane.”
And “namo ananta prakāśāya,” He is the light of all lights. He is the light of all darknesses (light of all darknesses of ignorance). All light and darkness, both have manifested from Him.
“Śaṅkarakṣīra-sindhave,” I bow to that Śaṅkara who is like an infinite ocean of sweet milk.
Reflections: This passage reverentially describes Śaṅkara as the infinite, pure consciousness, manifesting as both Bindu (Prakāśa – “I-consciousness”) and Nāda (vimarśa – self-reflective-awareness of that prakāśa). These two-fold positions of Śiva manifest in various sādhanā-s as incoming and outgoing-breath, knowledge-action and prakāśa-vimarśa. Unlike the common nectar that grants temporary immortality and was granted to devatā-s which is limited, Śiva is the eternal source of Śuddhamṛta – the nectar of pure consciousness. He is the origin of all light and darkness – an infinite, divine, milk-ocean of self-consciousness.
द्विष्मस्त्वां त्वां स्तुमस्तुभ्यं
मन्त्रयामोऽम्बिकापते ॥
अतिवाल्लभ्यतः साधु
विश्वङ्गो धृतवानसि ॥४॥
dviṣmastvāṁ tvāṁ
stumastubhyaṁ
mantrayāmo’mbikāpate |
ativāllabhyataḥ sādhu
viśvaṅno dhṛtavānasi |4|
Oh Lord of My Sweet Mother Aṁbikā, Oh husband of my universal mother (the universal mother is Pārvati), Oh Lord of the Mother, O Lord Śiva, I love You so much. Ativāllabhyataḥ — I love You very much, I have great attachment to You. And because of this great attachment, sometimes I even hate You!
Though I hate You sometimes, you should not care about that. I will sometimes praise You (stumas-tubhyaṁ). I will praise You only because of my love to You, because of great love. I love You very much, so I also hate You. I love You very much, so I also praise You.
Mantrayāma, I chant Your mantra, because I love You. Ativāllabhyataḥ, because I have nobody else. I have no one else to support or to lean on — only You. So whom should I hate? I will hate You! Because viśvaṅno dhṛtavānasi, I see you everywhere, in every form, in every thing.
I see you everywhere, so I love you so much — I will hate you, praise you, hit you, kick you, embrace you — I will do everything, do everything to you.
Reflections: This passage expresses a very personal and intimate devotion to Lord Śiva, regarding Him as omnipresent in every form and the only beloved. Due to extreme love the devotee sometimes praises Him, sometimes gets angry – even hates – but all this arises from that deep love. When there is no other support, all emotions – even opposing ones – flow towards Him alone. Śiva becomes the only object of love, irritation and complete surrender.
संहृतस्पर्शयोगाय
संपूर्णामृतसूतये।
वियन्मायास्वरूपाय
विभवे शंभवे नमः ॥५॥
saṁhṛtasparśayogāya
saṁpūrṇāmṛtasūtaye |
viyanmāyāsvarūpāya
vibhave śaṁbhave namaḥ |5|
I bow to Lord Śiva, who is beyond the attachment of touch. He does not touch, He is beyond the sense of touch. Because when we touch something beautiful, we feel bliss. But Lord Śiva has risen above that cycle of touch. And yet, He is full of bliss! It is a wonderful thing found only in Him that without touching, He is full of bliss. Normally, bliss without touch is not possible, but Śiva has bliss without touching. I bow to the all-pervading Lord Śiva, whose illusive energy dissolves itself into Himself and who pervades the entire universe. I forever venerate Lord Śiva.
Reflections: This passage highlights the transcendental nature of Lord Śiva that is beyond the need for sensory experiences – beyond the touch that normally provides bliss. Yet, in a wonderful phenomena, He is full of supreme bliss without any touch. His bliss does not depend on the senses, but arises spontaneously from His divine perfection. He is both Māyā (Limitation) and its dissolution (Absence of Limitation), and is the eternal power pervading all creation. This is the mystery and glory of Lord Śiva – untouched, yet completely blissful.
भिन्नेष्वपि न भिन्नं
यच्छिन्नेष्वच्छिन्नमेव च ।
नमामः सर्वसामान्यं
रूपं तत्पारमेश्वरम् ॥६॥
bhinneṣvapi na bhinnaṁ
yacchinneṣvacchinnameva ca |
namāmaḥ sarvasāmānyaṁ
rūpaṁ tatpārameśvaram |6|
I bow to that form of Lord Śiva who is common everywhere – who is seen everywhere in the same formation. For example, if there is a body, that body itself is Lord Śiva. If you cut that body into pieces – you will see Lord Śiva cut into pieces. If you burn that body – you will see Lord Śiva burning.
Bhinneṣvapi – that is, even in division of separatedness, He is not divided. He is one. In one form He is here, in another form in this webpage, in another form in this screen, and He appears in different forms in different things. But even in that difference, He is one.
Chineṣu acchinnameva cha – He remains unbroken even in the things which are cut. He is not cut – He is the same.
Thus, that formation of Lord Śiva is everywhere same – the same everywhere in everything. Therefore he cannot be burnt, nor can he undergo any change. He is immutable even in all mutation, immovable even in all movements, He is changeless in all changes.
Reflections: This passage contemplates the omnipresent and indivisible nature of Lord Śiva, who is equally present in every form and appearance. Whether the external forms burn, break or are fragmented – Śiva always remains complete, untouched and unbroken. He is unchanged even in changeability. Stillness in every movement, unity in every variation – this is the ultimate, omnipresent truth of Śiva.