Abhichara Tantric Magic and Mysticism

 

by 

 Adinath Jayadhar Jayadhar & 

Siddheshvari Jayadhar 

 

 AB B H I C H A R A: TAN TA N T R I C MAG M AGII C AN A N D M Y S T I C I S M   A by Adinath Jayadhar & Siddheshvari Jayadhar 

Text Copyright © 2018 Adinath Jayadhar & Siddheshvari Jayadhar.

 All rights reserved. reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or or utili‐ zed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without  permission in writing from from the publisher. publisher. Layout & Design by Fall of Man. Illustrations by Akhileshwari Jayaw Jayawat. at. Edited by Alejo Torres. Torres.

www.fallofman.eu

 

T ABLE

OF CONTENTS

 AUTHORS’  AUTHO RS’ NOTE

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I - INTRODUCTION TO BHAIRAVA-KALI-ABHICHARA ABHICHARA IS ABHICHARA “BLACK MAGIC”? THE LIMITS OF ABHICHARA BHAIRAVA‐KALI‐ABHICHARA THE AMBIVALENCE OF THE GODS OF BHAIRAVA‐KALI‐MANDALA TANTRISM AND ABHICHARA IN CLAN TRADITIONS CRIMINALITY AND SANATANA DHARMA SACRED CRIMINALITY, THE LAW OF KARMA AND THE DIVINE FORTUNE THE DEGREES OF KINSHIP WITH THE GODS MANTRAS AND SPELLS MANTIC SYSTEMS IN ABHICHARA

II - THE DEITIES OF THE MANDALA THE SACRED ANATOMY OF BHAIRAVA‐KALI‐MANDALA BHAIRAVA KALI THE OCTAD OF BHAIRAVAS AND MATRIKAS THE CENTRE OF THE MANDALA ASITANGABHA ASIT ANGABHAIRAV IRAVA A AND AN D NILASARASV NI LASARASVATI ATI (UGRABRAHMI) (UGRABRA HMI) RURUBHAIRAVA AND MAHESHVARI (RAUDRI) CHANDABHAIRAVA AND KAUMARI (CHANDI) KRODHABHAIRAVA AND NARAKALAKSHMI (VAISHNAVI) UNMATTABHAIR UNMATT ABHAIRA AVA AND A ND VARAHI (MOHINI (MOHINI))

17 20 21 22 24 25 29 31 37 37 38 41 46 52 61 62 64 72 77 80 83

KAPALABHAIRAVA AND INDRANI (CHANDAKAPALINI) BHISHANABHAIRAVA AND CHAMUNDA (HASTI) SAMHARABHAIRAVA AND YOGESHVARI (MAHALAKSHMI) THE GODS OF THE BASE AND THE TOP OF THE MANDALA THE DEITIES OF THE BHUPUR VARANASI – THE PLACE OF POWER OF MAHAKALABHAIRAVA KAMAKHYA KAMAKHY A PITHA: THE PLACE OF POWER OF MAHAKALI

91 96 102 106 110 116 122

III - THE 36 FOUNDATIONS OF THE UNIVERSE THE SYSTEM OF THE 36 TATTVAS THE PURE ORDER THE TRANSIENT ORDER. MAYA AND KANCHUKAS

127 130 137

THE IMPURE ORDER

139

 

IV - THE TANTRIC MATRIKA THE ABSOLUTE AS PARA‐AMBIVALENCE MATRIKA AS A SYSTEM THE VOWELS. THE INTERNAL ORDER THE CONSONANTS. THE EXTERNAL MANIFESTATION OF KRIYA‐ SHAKTI BRAHMAPANCHAKA BRAHMAP ANCHAKA – THE PURE ORDER THE TRANSIENT ORDER: MAYA AND KANCHUKAS THE IMPURE ORDER A SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTED MATERIAL WHY THE KNOWLEDGE OF MATRIKA IS NECESSARY NECESSARY FOR SUC‐ CESSFUL USE OF MANTRAS IN TANTRISM TANTRISM AND ABHICHARA ELUCIDATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BIJAS THROUGH THE CODE OF MATRIKA V - THE MANTIC MATRIKA THE PRINCIPLES OF THE MANTIC MATRIKA THE PRINCIPLES OF SHODASHAYAMALA, NAVAGRAHA, AND THEIR COMBINATION VOWELS – PURE ORDER CONSONANTS, PURE ORDER THE TRANSIENT ORDER: MAYA AND KANCHUKAS THE IMPURE ORDER: THE WORLD OF DUALITY AN EXAMPLE OF MANTIC MATRIKA MATRIKA IN ACTION THE BASIS OF SUCCESS IN THE PRACTICE OF BHAIRAVA‐KALI DHARMA THE KEY TO MASTERING THE TECHNIQUES OF THE MANTIC MATRIKA MASTERING THE ADVANCED MANTIC ART, THE TECHNIQUES OF DEIFICA DEIFICATION TION AND MAGIC

145 150 151 161 164 166 169 175 179 181 191 195 200 213 217 222 250 276 283 284

 

 ABHICH  ABHICHARA ARA MANDALA  MANDALA 

1 Kalabhairava and Kali

8 Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi

2 Aghorabhairava and Aghora

9 Unmattabhairava and Varahi

3 Ghorabhairava and Ghora

10 Kapalabhairava and Aindri

4 Ghoratarabjairava and Ghoratara

11 Bhishanabhairava and Hastichamunda

5 Asitangabhairava and Brahmi

12 Samharabhairava and Yogeshwari

6 Rurubhairava and Maheshwari

13 Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi

7 Chandabhairava and Chandakaumari

14 Batuka and Ugrakumari

 

“Human reason has the peculiar fate in one species of itsare cognitions it is bur‐ dened with questions which it cannot cann ot dismiss, si since nce they given to itthat as problems by the nature of reason itself, but which it also cannot answer, since they transcend every capacity of human reason. Reason falls into this perplexity through no fault  of its own. It begins from principles whose use is unavoidable in the course of ex‐ perience and at the same time suf󰁦iciently warr warranted anted by it. With these principles it  rises (as its nature also requires) ever higher, to more remote conditions. But since it becomes aware in this way that its business must always remain incomplete be‐ cause the questions never cease, reason sees itself necessitated to take refuge in principles that overstep all possible use in experience, and yet seem so unsuspicious that even ordinary common sense agrees with them. But it thereby falls into obscu‐ rity and contradictions, from of which it can indeed that it mustthem, somewhere be proceeding on the ground hidden errors; butsurmise it cannot discover for the principles on which it is proceeding, since they surpass the bounds of all experience, no longer recognize any touchstone of experience”1. Immanuel Kant 

1.

Translated by Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood.

 

  uthors’ note Today, the problems of Consciousness, Reality, Time, Space, and Thinking are the focus of the attention of philosophers, physicists, biologists, and mathematicians. The fact is that the t he mentioned questions are of immediate interest for all these areas of knowledge, and the brightest minds are engaged in solving them. The scale of what is happening can be shown by the example of one of the 󰁦irst projects: the CIA experiment experimen t called MK‐Ultra. The purpose of this program cre‐ ated in 1950‐60’s was to investigate different ways of observing and in󰁦luencing the human mind. One of the t he most known aspects of this program was the adminis‐ tration of large doses of LSD to the subjects. No less exciting is the study of extrasen‐ sory perception and the possibility to read, to interpret and to change people’s thoughts through hypnosis hypnos is and psychotherapy psychotherapy.. And there is more to come. In 2013, the USA launched the BRAIN initiative initi ative project. Hundreds of millions of dollars dol lars were invested during the 󰁦irst three years of the project. In their turn, tthe he European Union invested 1.34 billion of dollars in the EU Human Brain Project started in 2013. In 2014, Japan launched a similar project called Brain/MINDS (Brain Mapping by In‐ tegrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies). In 2014, DARPA, an agency re‐ sponsible for the development of emerging technologies for their use by the U.S. Department of Defence, launched the development of implants that detect and sup‐ press urges. Even Paul Allen, one of the co‐founders of the Microsoft, invested hun‐ dreds of millions of dollars dol lars in the research conducted at the Allen Institute In stitute for Brain Science that he created. It may be said without exaggeration that cognitive science is becoming the key area of study in the modern world. All the more surprising is that there is still no acceptable de󰁦inition of what consciousness actually is; that is, the subject of study stays unde󰁦ined. There can be found hundreds of de󰁦initions in different sources, but  none of them are satisfactory from the perspective of contemporary science. A sig‐ ni󰁦icant dif󰁦iculty lies in the lack of precision of the used terms and concepts. It ap‐ pears that the source of the problem in this t his case is the crucial role of the peculiarities of the human mind and its way of understanding understandin g the world. Here we face a paradox: paradox: consciousness is located in the world, and the world is located in consciousness. Thus, the instrument of cognition is the subject of cognition itself. The emerging approach to the problem of consciousness reminds of the old Roman rule ‘divide and an d conquer’. conquer’. The phenomena o off consciousness consciousnes s are in a spe‐

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 Abhichara: Tantric  Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism cial way related to the level structure, and they perform the most important function of integration of separate modular mechanisms on every level. level. One of the most im‐ portant application 󰁦ields of the idea of level structure directly directly connected with rec‐ ognizing several forms of consciousness was the study of the t he in󰁦luence of language on the categorical perception of the world, or the study of the role that language plays in ‘organizing nature’ nat ure’. According to some assumpt assumptions, ions, “the world unfol unfolds ds be‐ fore us as a kaleidoscopic stream of impressions which are to be organized by our minds, and particularly by the linguistic system of our minds... ‘The real world’ is built on the basis of the language skills of the group... We see, hear, feel and think this way and not the other way mainly because our language skills s kills de󰁦ine our choice of interpretations”. According to this idea, order is not an original attribute of the world. Our mind forces it upon the world. In other words, language establishes order,, and nature learns from it in some sense. It is considered that tthe order he same cog‐ nitive universal universal and generic social forms of activity lie in the basis of different lan‐ guages, with all their diversity. That is to say, some fundamental processes or principles of organizing organizi ng cognition are universal and primary, while while languages differ in the nature of their means of expressing and supporting various aspects of these processes. Gigantic government subsidies, large grants, generous private investments in mega‐projects where the best contemporary chemists, physicists, biologists, mathematicians, linguists, psychologists, philosophers, anthropologists, engineers and programmers are involved... involved... All this demonstrates that the principal strategic task of the world’s science today is to learn how the human brain works, what con‐ sciousness is, how does the intelligence develop, and, in the long term, to learn how a brain can become intelligent. Obviously Obviously,, the large scale of investments is motivat motivated ed not by the theoretical intere interest st alone but also by the expected prac practical tical bene󰁦its. From the practical point of view, it is interesting that the topics which are the subject of global and intense attention of science, such as the questions of in‐ 󰁦luencing the human mind, the research of the possibility of reading, interpreting and changing people’s thoughts through hypnosis and psychotherapy, the study of  extrasensory perception, the development of o f the mechanisms of revealing and sup‐ pressing urges, are not quite innovati innovative. ve. The same questions have been the subject  of research of a traditional canonical doctrine for centuries: magic. “Magic (G reek  mageia – sorcery, sorcery, witchcraft, enchantment) – a complex of ideas, rites and actions related to the belief in the possibility of in󰁦luencing the reality around (people, an‐ imals, objects and phenomena of the objective world) by special means different  from the everyday practical activity”. The authors of this book have devoted all of their conscious lives to the study and practice of tantric traditions related to the god Bhaira Bhairava va and the goddess Kali, for these particular deities are native to these authors’ own nature. The path

12

 

 Authors’ note  Authors’ given by Kali and Bhairava have always fascinated and attracted A. M. Jayadhar and S. M. Jayadhar with its main purpose: the attainment of divinity. In the process of  achieving this purpose, the authors explored various schools, mastered relevant  doctrines and methods, dealt with the practical magical aspects of Tantrism, ex‐ plored the doctrines and methods of bhairava‐k bhairava‐kali‐abhichara, ali‐abhichara, mastered its methods and polished the techniques of applying them. Twenty years of theoretical t heoretical and prac‐ tical study of Abhichara have inspired S. M. Jayadhar and A. M. Jayadhar to write this book, which they dedicated to the deities of bhaira bhairava‐kali‐ va‐kali‐mandala. mandala. The phenomenon of Indian magic called Abhichara is colossal and multi‐ faceted. It is impossible to express the profundity and abundance of wisdom asso‐ ciated with Abhichara Abhichara on the pages of a single book. So tthe he authors faced a choice: to give a panoramic view of all the aspects of Abhichara without going deep into the details of any of them; or to concentrate upon certain aspects of Indian magic, also providing a brief description of all the other ones. After thinking it over over,, A. M. Jayadhar and S. M. Jayadhar decided to choose the second way and to devote the largest part of this book to two topics. The 󰁦irst topic is the deities of the mystical‐ magical mandala, for it is they who are the source of the power of bhairava‐kali‐ab‐ hichara and the base of the magical potency of its adepts. The second topic is Shri Matrika. Matrika is one of the most important disciplines of Ta Tantrism ntrism and Abhichara, the traditional Indian magic native to Tantrism. The practice of classic Kaula Marga is unthinkable without the use of Matrika. Mat rika. First, Matrika is a part of the metaphysics of Tantrism. Tantrism. The 󰁦ifty phonemes of Matrika are a symbolic model of Reality re󰁦lect‐ ing the whole of the immanent and transcendent being; a multidimensional orna‐ ment of sacred symbols, the existential meaning of which is represented on each level of their manifestation: the cosmogonical, the cognitive and the soteriological levels. The system of phenomenological categories and universals of Matrika re‐ 󰁦lects the typological analysis of the t he basic archetypal symbols of human conscious‐ ness that represent the archetype of the Supreme Reality. The system of the 36 tattvas represented represented in Matrika expresses the idea of the ontological unity of micro‐ cosm and macrocosm as a hierar hierarchic chic structure of the basic principles forming the existence of the human body and consciousness. Therefore, it is also used in a num‐ ber of deifying meditations including intellectual comprehension and visualization. Second, Matrika is a means of compressing great volumes of essential in‐ formation and accumulating great storages of energy. The access to the ocean of  energy and information contained in tantric bijas, mantras and viddyas can be opened through taking hold of the key of Matrika. No matter for how many years somebody repeats a tantric mantra, without the key they will not be able to release the information and the energy contained in it. As they will be unable to use the in‐ formation and the power of the mantra, tantric practice will be fruitless for them.

13

 

 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar Third, Matrika is used to 󰁦ind out the causes of the past, past , to identify the char‐ acteristics of the present, to predict, to forecast and to model the possible future. The purpose of this work is to assist specialists in the practice of T Tantrism antrism and Abhichara, which is impossible without a proper understanding of o f the mandala of deities, the system of the 36 tattvas, and Matrika. As a result of studying this book, the reader will come closer to the possibility of coming in contact with the deities, obtain the key to the successful use of mantras, come to understand the causes and features of the present situation in a particular person’s life, learn to forecast the future and to model a better future for particular persons. The book consists of 󰁦ive parts. The 󰁦irst part is an introduction to Indian magic. The second part is devoted to the deities of the mystical‐magical mandala, their powers, and the archetypes that manifest their nature. The third part is de‐ voted to the system of the 36 tattvas – the foundation of the universe, according to the world view of tantric mystics and mages. The fourth part describes des cribes how the sys‐ tem of the 36 tattvas t attvas is re󰁦lected in the 50 phonemes of Shri Matrika. The 󰁦ifth part  is devoted to Shri Matrika as a system that allows to understand understa nd one’s past and pre‐ sent, and to determine one’s possible and/or desired future. Different Differe nt schools of philosophy that developed during the period of its ex ex‐‐ istence have have often varied not only in methodology but also in their subject of study study.. Throughout the history of philosophy, its goals of study included the universal laws of the development of the world and society society,, the process of cognition and thinking, moral concepts and values, the relationship between man and nature, the mastery of the techniques of knowledge itself, etc. Regarding the diversity and versatility of  the universe, and the impossibility of describing all thinkable methods and ap‐ proachess to viewing the phenomena of existence accepted in tantric mysticism, the proache authors point out that the content of this book is a result of a serious study of the fundamental principles related to human existence, to the nature of human con‐ sciousness and the universe, the processes of thinking and the knowability of the world. The main methodology of our research is based on the archetypal symbolic system of the mystical‐magical mandala of radical T Tantrism antrism which is the key to gain‐ ing command of the powers of the universe – along with wit h the system of the 36 tatt tattvas vas which is an integral part of the mystical‐magical world view known as Kashmir Shaivism (abbreviated (abbreviated as “KS” in this book). This ancient tradition revived revived in the IX century eventually spread widely all over India and integrated an entire constel‐ lation of tantric traditions. Kashmir Shaivism uses a system of 36 tattvas (‘tattva’ can be loosely translated as ‘category’, ‘principle’, ‘suchness’) which are meant to explain the process of the cosmic evolution, and offers a most complete analysis of  the principles lying at the heart of the processes and phenomena that form the uni‐ verse and are manifested on all levels of existence. Today, the interest in this tradition has largely increased, and numerous

14

 

 Authors’  Authors’ note attempts to interpret the system of 36 tattvas can be found in different sources. Un‐ fortunately, the majority of these attempts are deeply unsatisfactory and primitive, either due to the insuf󰁦icient clarity of the researchers’ understanding, or to the un‐ structured, fragmentary presentation of information (lack of correlation, no com‐ prehension of the patterns, etc.). All this complicates the practical use of this system. For this very reason, being aware aware of both aesthetic and practical bene󰁦it of the sys‐ tem, relying on the verbal instructions and explanations of our gurus, the analysis of all the texts available at this moment and our practical experience expe rience of self‐in self‐inquiry quiry,, we wrote this work clarifying clarifying the system of the 36 tattvas and the 50 phonemes of  tantric Matrika. A. M. Jayadhar, S. M. Jayadhar

15

 

I Introduction to Bhairava-Kali  bhichara  ABHICHARA India is like a treasury full of precious stones shining with wit h all the colours of the rain‐ bow.. Hundreds of peoples, each of them rich in their unique ethnic culture, art, ttra‐ bow ra‐ ditions and customs, have been living in that country for ages. Such a number and diversity of religions as can be found in India is impossible to meet in any other country.. India is the birthplace of Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. country S ikhism. Islam, Christian‐ ity and Shamanism can also be found there; Judaism and Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianis m are related to India as well. However, most of India’s population practices Hinduism, which is a colourful multitude of various spiritual movements united by certain principles. India gave us sophisticated medicine, the 󰁦irst grammar treatises in history, the dec‐ imal numeration system, a number of algebraic, geometric and trigonometric con‐ cepts, chess, highly developed religious and philosophical systems, masterpieces of  world art, and much more. Within the colourful diversity of cultural, geographic, religious, caste and social formations of India, there evolved and 󰁦lowered unique mystical‐magical mystical‐magic al traditions: namely namely,, the tantric ones. The main de󰁦ining feature of  all tantric schools is their practical mysticism based on a detailed and multileveled study of doctrinal concepts of sacred texts and on religious‐magical practices in‐ cluding theurgy and mantic arts. The applied mystical‐magical aspect of Tantrism is called ‘ Abhichara’   Abhichara’  in Sanskrit. The root ‘abhi’ can be translated into English as ‘action’, and ‘char’ ‐ as ‘movement’, ‘following’ or ‘way’. Thus, it can be said that Abhichara is ‘the way of  performing actions’. The essence of the methods and means of Abhichara consists in a direct  way of addressing certain supreme powers of absolute divinity, with the assistance of which the desired result is achieved. The effectiveness of Abhichara is not con‐ 󰁦ined to just the applied mundane utility, though this aspect is of highest demand nowadays. Involving different spheres of human existence, the methods of Ab‐ hichara can give harmony harmony and prosperity on much deeper levels of being, with rel‐ evant motivation. The mundane does not contradict with the sacred, and the sacred

17

 

 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric does not contradict with the mundane. Material prosperity does not bring on an in‐ evitable spiritual decay, and vice versa. If a person is healthy, provided with food, shelter and a harmonious environment, if they are able to realize their creative and intellectual potential, if they have enough free time and nothing threatens them, the circumstances are most suitable for their spiritual development. To sum up, Abhichara is an ancient magic system, a complex of principles and practices that touch upon both the sacred and the profane spheres of human existence. The practical knowledge knowledge of this tradition is mainly passed on by word of  mouth, so in order to meet an expert practitioner teaching Abhichara one would most probably have to set off to India, Nepal or Shri Lanka. Concerning written sources, Abhichara is sometimes called ‘tantric magic’ as its doctrines and methods are described in a number of written texts. A classic example is the “Bhoota Damara Tantra”, an ancient tantric text in which Bhairava, a personi󰁦ication of the universal form of divine consciousness, is instructing his godly consort; it almost completely consists of short descriptions of Abhichara techniques. The existence of written sources on this topic should not misguide neophyte enthusiasts, for, with all their authority, they can provide only unstructured fragmentary knowledge related to some of the t he aspects of Abhichar Abhichara. a. T To o perceive all the intricacies of this doctrine to the full extent and to master speci󰁦ic practical skills, one can’t do without personal communication communicati on with a teaching expert who can initiate a worthy student, ‘connect‐ ing’ him with the divine powers correspondent to his level. Obviously, it is not so easy to become an Abhichara master. master. It requires to have outstanding mystical mystical‐mag‐ ‐mag‐ ical talents from the very beginning; these talents are to be developed and brought  to perfection through years of persistent and dedicated practice under the guidance of wise teachers, and then to be polished and sharpened by practical experience experience in the 󰁦ield of mysticism and magic. Proceeding to the practical side of the matter, it should be pointed out that  Abhichara is a “way of performing actions”. In this case, the de󰁦inition grounds the practicability of using this system. Any change requires certain actions, inner or outer ones. In order to achieve their goals, a person of sense doesn’t sit still waiting for the ills of life to go away by themsel themselves, ves, and for the victories to come by them‐ t hem‐ selves. They act applying all available adequate methods, understanding that this is the most effective way. To achieve his goal, a reasonable Hindu will surely take the opportunity to use the power of a known Abhichara master, as this system is traditional for him. With the same motivation, a non‐Hindu, using all available re‐ sources, may consult a Christian priest or a rabbi. A signi󰁦icant difference is that  talking to a priest would be talking to a God’s servant in the best case, while an ad‐ vanced master of High Abhichara is a member of the gods’ family, a dei󰁦ied entity. Furthermore, an Abhichara master has an individual approach to the clients’ re‐ quest, taking into account the characteristics of their personality, the speci󰁦ics of 

18

 

I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara their particular situation, and their individual life tendencies. The level on which an Abhichara master operates essentially eliminates the possibility of providing mass ritual services and perceiving the client as “one of tthe he anxious crowd” crowd”.. Besides, there is a range of services that are exclusiv exclusively ely within the scope of Abhichara. There is a good reason why the centuries‐long attempts to annihilate the ancient magic, carried out by the of󰁦icial church structures, failed to succeed. The main obstacle for that was the wisdom of everyday pragmatism: if people’s life experience clearly demonstrates the effectiveness effectiveness of something, this something deserves respect and support, and will always always be in demand. As for the speci󰁦ics of the methods and possibilities of using Abhichara, it  is widely thought that it manifests itself as ‘shatkarma’ (six actions). There are dif‐ ferent variations variations in the description of this hexad of actions. According to one of the t he versions, the six actions are: shantikarana (conciliation, harmonization, making peace); vashikarana (submission and control); stambhana (immobilization, para‐ lyzing); vidveshana (causing con󰁦licts, discord and dissent); uchatana (causing exile, banishment, expulsion expulsion); ); marana (elimination, murder). According to the other ver‐ sion, there is no shantikarana in the hexad, but instead there is akarshana (attrac‐ tion of desired things, of a person, money money,, way of life). Some think that in this case

shantikarana and akarshana are one and and the same action, some assume that they

are different actions. According to the opinion of the respected Mohit Amar Ji, the guru who guided the authors of o f this book in T Tantrism antrism in general and Abhichara in particular, the actions of Abhichara can be classi󰁦ied in different ways: as a pentad, as a hexad, as a septad or an octad. Depending on its purpose, the classi󰁦ication can be brief or expanded, the accents can also vary. Among the actions of Abhichara there can also be named: liberation from illusions, strengthening of certain trends, and so on. The authors are aware of the relativity and conventionality of any clas‐ si󰁦ications, so it is far from their intention to reduce the limits of Abhichara to six actions. Next, we would like to touch upon an important question related to the ‘ecological purity’ of using this system: namely, should you agree if an Abhichara master offers to perform some action for free? There would be no harm in it if you are closely related (being friends or family members), for in this case you and the Abhichara master are united by a shared fate. In another case, a speci󰁦ic mutual bond in the form of an unpaid debt will appear. As a self‐respecting, honourable person, an Abhichara master provides assistance to the clients who are not his rel‐ atives or close friends in exch exchange ange for a pre‐arr pre‐arranged anged fee, not luring them ‘into the mousetrap with a free piece of cheese’. Such honesty is pragmatic: it greatly en‐ hances the master’s abilities. Besides, maintaining the mystical‐magical ecology is an element of the professional ethics. Masters of Abhichar Abhicharaa follow the ancient code of purity of behaviour behaviour.. It is important to keep in mind that an Abhichara specialist 

19

 

 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar who has not received the arranged fee for his services gets the right to collect the compensation in any other way he or she sees 󰁦it. For example, the debt can be sat‐ is󰁦ied by taking some part of the vital energy of the client or people related to him, or by using the capacity of the client’s will, his health, fortune, etc. The master can sell the debtor’s life to another master, or use the client’s health to pay off some deities or spirits. All the aforesaid, together with common sense and mere decency, decency, demonstrates that respecting the arrangements is the most advantageous and safe course of action that allows to get the desired result to every everyone’s one’s bene󰁦it, without  getting into magical debts. If we were to compare the entire history of the existence of mankind with one calendar year, year, the period of existence of the whole modern science would equa equall to about three minutes before the clock strikes midnight and a new year begins. As for mysticism and magic, they had existed before modern science appeared, they exist alongside with it, and they will exist after modern science is replaced by the science of the future. Magic never goes out of fashion on account of being operativ operativee and ef󰁦icient. Just a while ago, in the 19‐20th centuries, the majority of learned schol‐ ars were sceptical of Tantrism and its Abhichara. Today, in the 21th century, they state that the newest achievements of psychoanalysis, quantum physics and higher mathematics describe things that hav havee been already known to tantrics and mages. Over time, science will 󰁦inally coalesce with mysticism and magic as it used to be in the old times. But it will happen on a new round of development. This time is not  long in coming, and much depends on us. It is within our powers to speed up the positive processes processes of uniting ancient and modern science.

IS ABHICHARA “BLACK MAGIC”? In modern Western world, the phenomenon of Abhichara is often understood in a completely wrong way. Many Internet sources translate the Sanskrit word ‘Ab‐ hichara’ as ‘black magic’. Let’s open a Sanskrit dictionary: अभीचार (abhIcAra) – ex‐ orcising, incantation, magic, spell. So, the most proper translation of this world is ‘magic’ or ‘wizardry’. Its ‘colour’ depends not on this magic itself but on the practi‐ tioner.. A knife is useful both in a big city and in the woods. The mere fact that ssome tioner ome scoundrel can use a knife to butcher a poor old woman does not make the knife an ontologically negative negative element. The knife is not the evil here, but the scoundrel and his aims. If one is to understand ‘black magic’ as the magic dealing with causing trouble, murder and destruction exclusively, Abhichara is not such magic. Because Abhichara, Abhichar a, along with magic of destruction, retribution and death, includes magic of healing, protection protecti on and prosperity. Besides, killing is not n ot always a bad matter: for example, killing disease‐causing disease‐causing microbes in a patient’s body is a virtuous act. Oc‐ casionally,, some Abhichar casionally Abhicharaa masters, on their client’s request, do really put a curse

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara on someone but it doesn’t follow that the Abhichara master is a scoundrel. s coundrel. It follows that the Abhichara master can manifest as a 󰁦ierce force force like a storm, a 󰁦lood, a 󰁦ire or a pack of wolves, but it can’t be concluded that the storm is a villain, and the wolves are scoundrels and scumbags. Can there be situations when Abhicharians can suffer a karmic penalty as a result of their actions? This may happen if, for example, they don’t fully under‐ stand the functioning functioning mechanisms of Abhicha Abhichara; ra; or if they br break eak the pr professional ofessional code; or if their actions result in damage to the well‐being of the world of the adepts of the associated mandala deities; if they make a mistake in their practice; if they overstep overst ep their authority or intrude upon the sphere of vital interest of a more pow‐ erful Abhichara master. The same goes for the requesters of a given mystical‐mag‐ ical ceremony. The better the divine aspect is realized in an Abhichara practitioner, the less is the possibility possi bility of them having any karmic problems. Again, at the physical body level, the closer is a practitioner’s life to the life of wild animals in the nature, the less is the possibility that any karmic problems will appear in it. The divine, as well as the animal nature, is free from sin. One who follows their nature on all the t he four levels is relieved of problems; these are the level of universal divinity, the level of the person’s special tantric deity deity,, the llevel evel of the honourable man, and the level of the animal – the dweller of the natural sphere. An Abhichara master who who dei󰁦ies himself through the dharma of an Abhichara master, follows his dharma.

THE LIMITS OF ABHICHARA What is the likelihood of achieving the desired goal with the help of Abhichara, and are there any factors that in󰁦luence the result? Many centuries of practical use of  Abhichara show that, as mantic systems, matrika and phalit djyotish djyotish applied for pre‐ dicting and modelling the future, as well as the theurgic magic of Abhichara Abhichara,, are ef‐ fective in 84‐96 cases out of 100, depending on each particular case. On planet  Earth, there is no such system that could co uld guarantee 100% success for everyone and at any time, regardless of the circumstances. No lawyer lawyer,, no doctor and no mage have the possibility or the right to guarantee 100% success to the client. Only scammers can be so bold as to promise a positive solution of any question in 100 cases out of  100, and besides fast, in a strictly 󰁦ixed period of time, accurate to a speci󰁦ied month and day of ful󰁦illing the order. Also, one should not forget that there is no such power – be it a god, or a mage, or a hero – that can make a fool clever, an idler rich, and a sadistic sociopath loved when this is contrary to their nature and their wishes. The power of magic enhances a person’s abilities many times over, but sometimes it is not enough for achieving the goal. Resorting to the aid of magic, one should not stay idle, fondly believing that the result will somehow miraculousl miraculouslyy materialize itself.

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric There are situations where mages, wizards and shamans are powerless, with all their high professional level and the desire to help. For instance, when the requesterr does not perform what is necessary for success. Or when they fail to fol‐ requeste low given instructions, or confuse them. Sometimes the requester deceives them‐ selves about what they really want. Also there are such situations when, to achiev achievee their goal, a person has to change for the better, to improve themselves, but they don’t want to make any move. Another important factor of success is the t he will and the blessing of the gods. god s. Everything in the world depends on their will and blessing. No one can go against  the will of the universe. All magical systems, no matter from whom they technically draw their power, have a common source of power: the divine might of the universe. A human being, no matter how great an expert of mystical‐magical this person is, cannot go against the will and the power of the gods. If the gods punish somebody for some faults, they alone can forgive them. No Abhichara master, no mage, no witch or sorcerer, sorcerer, if they are in their rright ight mind, would wage a war against agains t the great  might of the universe. If the gods are willing to grant their favour to the requester, they will empower the Abhichara Abhic hara master to solve the problem in a positive posi tive wa wayy, en‐ duing him with the forces of their nature. An Abhichara master can guarantee guarantee the client only that he will ttake ake what‐ ever measures are necessary to deliver success on the highest professional level obtained by decades of self‐perfection, of increasing his knowledge, of developing 󰁦inesse and virtuosity in his techniques and gaining immense practical professional experience.

BHAIRAVA-KALI-ABHICHARA From the depths of the mystical‐magical matrix we call Abhichar Abhichara, a, various schools and branches branches were de developed veloped throug through h the power of certain gods. The auth authors ors of  this book, as well as all other adult members of their family, practice bhairava-kaliabhichara. This school, manifested by the gods of bhairava-kali-mandala, doctrinally relies on the ideas of the non‐dualistic radical Shaiva‐Shak Shaiva‐Shaktism tism and is traditionally practiced, for example, by members of some clans of the Mohyal and Bhumihar castes. Its “trademar “t rademark” k” is resorting to the divine powers of bhairav bhairava‐kali‐mandala a‐kali‐mandala and using the Tantric system of Matrika as a mantic instrument. Obviously, not ev‐ eryone who feels like it can claim to be related to the gods, let alone their patronage. Among all the magical systems present on our planet, theurgic non‐dualistic magic is one of most dif󰁦icult types to understand and practice. Specialists are required not only to have a deep and extensive knowledge of this system and to have spent  years of practice, they are required much more: to spend their entire life in self‐ perfecting deifying meditations.

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara The main strategic factor of success in bhairava‐kali‐abhichara is the feeling of close kinship and unity with the gods of mandala. The main tactic factor is a nat‐ ural predilection predilection to practicing Abhichara. The main talent leading to success is the ease of comprehending the theory and practice of Abhichara. A true master of Ab‐ hichara is 󰁦lexible and knows how to use us e the most effective method in a given place, time and circumstances. Since adepts differ in their type of perception, traits of  character, cultural and ethnic background, and place of residence, their Abhichara will also differ in some technical details, retaining its universal unchanging basis and core. All beings of the universe are children of the universal divinity; considering that, different people are limited projections of different deities who are one in their nature and different different in their manifestation. In order to gain success in Abhichara, it  is not enough to have the potential of being one family with certain deities. dei ties. It is nec‐ essary to activate one’s potential to make godhood rise from the abyss of human existence to the surface, through all the levels and dimensions to the earthly mate‐ rial world. It requires years of studying and comprehe comprehending, nding, of deifying meditations, visiting various places of power power,, polishing one’s mystical/magical skills, and earning the special blessing of the t he gods. Only then an adept has the right to call themselves a master of bhairava‐kali‐abhichara. The use of the mantic system of Matrika and of theurgic magic is a “trade‐ mark” of bhairava‐kali‐abhichara. A master of bhairava‐kali‐abhichara, as well as their family, is kindred to the gods of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala pantheon. When, in the process of some mystical/magic mystical/magical al action, an Abhichar Abhicharaa master comes in con‐ tact with some deities offering them gifts and asking for help for the client, in doing so he acts for the sake of all his go godly dly family family,, strengthening and expanding the might  of the deities of mandala on Earth. If the request is reasonable and the gifts are ac‐ cepted, the conditions for the gods to aid in ful󰁦ilment of the client’s wish are thus created. So, bhairava‐kali‐abhichara bhairava‐kali‐abhichara is a magical system, the essence of the t he methods and means of which is contacting the higher powers of the absolute divinity, the powers of Bhairava and Kali who represent the archetypal idea of the supreme re‐ ality. At the level of being, the godly couple manifest themselves as the bhairava‐ kali‐mandala – a pantheon of deities who are one in their nature but different in the aspects of their manifestation and action. On the level of being, bhairava‐kali‐mandala is a manifestation of combi‐ nations of certain phenomenological categories and universals, representing dif‐ ferent modes of expression of the supreme reality. reality. In the psychosomatic aspect, it  is an expression of certain ways of perception of existence. Everything inside us, as well as everything outside, is a realization of different powers of Bhairava and Kali. Bhairava‐kali‐ma Bhaira va‐kali‐mandala ndala is comprehende comprehended d in two contexts:

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ ‐

In th thee con conte text xt of tthe he m myst ystica ical‐m l‐magi agical cal p pra racti ctice ce of sel self‐d f‐dei󰁦 ei󰁦ica ication tion of an adept. In the co conte ntext xt of obta obtaini ining ng pow power er,, for fortun tune, e, har harmon monyy, succ success ess an and d pro prospe sperit rityy in one’s everyday life through through the connection with the deities.

THE AMBIVALENCE OF THE GODS OF BHAIRAVA-KALI-MANDALA Based on dualistic magical systems, the whole range of energies operating in the world can be conventionally conventionally divided into “the powers of good” go od” and “the powers of  evil”. The “powers of good” used in “white magic” grant fortune, health, love, har‐ mony,, wealth, etc. Accordingly, the “powers of evil” used in “black magic” b mony bring ring mis‐ fortune, diseases, disharmony, poverty and defeat. Therefore, the magician’s help consists in clashing the two rival factions together and gaining a victory for one side over the other other.. From the perspective perspective of non‐dualistic magical systems, such worldview is far from perfect, and methodologically ineffective in the context of achieving the goal. That method implies the presence of two rival for forces ces and a war between the mages: one magician, with the help o off the “black powers” powers”,, puts a curse on somebody somebody,, and another magician, with the help of the “white powers”, conducts a war against  the “black magician” and their powers. The success of the matter depends on the victory in the con󰁦lict. But… instead of victory, one can be defeated at war. Why 󰁦ight? To To gain success, it is much more effective and useful to come to an agreement. To make it methodologically possible, one’s worldview should not contain any con‐ 󰁦licting attitudes; there are no hostile armies but there t here is one army repre representing senting it‐ self in two modes: they kill and they heal. Thus, a deity whose in󰁦luence extends over the ‘sphere of health’ is the same deity on whom depends also the appearance and the healing of various diseases. In other words, there exist not two different  gods (a god of health and a god of illness) but a single god of this sphere ( Rurubhairava and Maheshvari). We don’t 󰁦ight the “evil powers”, powers”, reaching out to the t he “good

powers” to help the client. We reach out to Rurubhairava and Maheshvari, asking them to remove the effects of pathogenic emanation from one’s life and to strengthen the healing emanation which leads to health and the abundance of en‐ ergy. And the other way round: to cause the opposite effect, an Abhichara master reaches out to Rurubhairava Rurubhairava and Maheshvari, asking them to remove the emanation of health that supports one’s energy energy,, and to manifest the energy of illness in a per‐ son’s life. How can it be explained that the deities of bhairava‐kali‐mandala are most  often depicted in their wrathful forms? The wrathful form here re󰁦lects the glow of  intensity, a speci󰁦ically powerful, vigorous strength of emanating energies of differ‐ ent kind (the energies of creation, maintenance, and destruction). The deities of 

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara bhairava‐kali‐mandala are ambivalent: they cure diseases and send diseases; they protect from criminals and help criminals; they strengthen vital forces and destroy life; they drive people insane and cure from insanity insan ity.. People of different types en enter ter into different types of relationships with the deities: people of noble nature are given results results correspondent to their nature, the ssame ame goes for the people of lower nature. To sum up, Abhichara cannot be classi󰁦ied on the scale of morality, for in its essence it is beyond the categories of “good” and “evil” “evil”..

TANTRISM AND ABHICHARA IN CLAN TRADITIONS Most of the traditions of Kaula T Tantra antra exist within families and endogamous clans, and are passed on in generations. Theref Therefore, ore, only entering a family of a Kaula mas‐ ter,, a person gains the possibility to become a part of this world. In this context, our ter case was no exception. Only after the authors of this book had been, in a mystical sense, adopted by the family of guruji Mohit Amar and guruji Lakshmi Kumar Kumarii who have passed to mahagahvara several years ago, they got proper initiation which al‐ lowed the authors to comprehend the depth of the doctrines and practices of these lineages. The authors gained access to the world of T Tantrism, antrism, the details and norms of which signi󰁦icantly differ from those which are presented in scholastic antholo‐ gies and the works of some Orientalist scientists. First, First , here the basis of the pr practice actice is a deity manifesting through a mantra, image and yantra‐mandala, yantra‐mandala, and not some Tantric text or ano another ther.. In family traditions traditions,, the basis of sadhana are the family padhati and other texts – particularly, the records of practical transfer of knowledge. Such texts are based on a number of different tantras related related to different amnayas. Because of this, the ‘of󰁦icial’ commonly used division into amnayas such as urdhva, uttara, pashchima, dakshina, purva, etc., to some extent loses its relevance and is applied in certain visualizations with mantras, and is also used in the context of  mapping. Before that, the authors, as well as many others, considered that each Tantric tradition has its own commonly known and widespread text, some sort so rt of  a “bible”, this text being the foundation of the cult. But in reality, a number of inner cults practiced within separate families and castes are based on a mantra, on the cult of a deity, verbal instructions, and written records describing the practice of  the deifying cult. Such records have been made for centuries, absorbing symbols, doctrines and practices from tantric texts of different amnayas. amnayas. This point of view was shared by the deceased Dr. Andre Padoux. The venerable Mohit Amar and his esteemed wife worked with different tantric texts related to different amnayas. They used something from those texts, something they didn’t. In response to our question about the amnaya, they said “bhairava‐kali‐amnaya”, and were surprised when asked to clarify “from which face of Shiva have this doctrine and this shaktipat 

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar emerged”, answering: “Bhairava and Kali!” Later, the authors managed to 󰁦ind out  that, according to the traditional division into six amnayas, it corresponded to “Aghora and Gahvara”. But the gurujis could not imagine that Aghora and Gahvara could exist separate s eparate from Ishana, Sadyojata, Vamadeva and Tatpurusha. Tatpurusha. Second, Seco nd, the meaning of the kaulic ovali has mostly become obsolete and lost its importance. They were replaced replaced by family dynasties. Our gurujis found it dif󰁦icult to name “the ancient Kaula princes” of sampradaya, but they could name the t he members of the fe‐ male and male lineages dating back to the gods. Also, it was not clear which links of parampara repre represent sent deities, and which of tthem hem human beings. The gurujis said that all self‐realized masters are gods, and all gods are self‐realized masters. Third, the so called ‘viniyoga’ has lost in importance, while the trust in the undoubted power of mantras, bijas and patterns of bijas and mantras comprising the “deities’ body”, has grown. All these tendencies can be understood in two ways: either as a sign of decline of the t he tantric tradition; or as some metamorphoses which are are an ev‐ idence of a limitless power of the tradition manifesting itself in various forms in ac‐ cordance with the changing conditions: in different places, epochs and circumstances. circum stances. The authors of this book prefer the second interpretation as it com‐ plies with the anti‐dogmatism of the heterodox Tantrism, while the 󰁦irst opinion would rather be󰁦it the orthodoxy of scholars. It would be no exaggeration to say that almost all the aspects of Tantrism are a subject of discussion among scientists. At that, t hat, many researchers, both Eastern and Western, share the view that Tantric traditions did not originally represent  ‘spiritual schools’ or ‘philosophical movements’. Certain cults of particular deities stood at their origins. Brilliant French scientist Andre Padoux wrote in one of his works: “... there are hardly any schools, but rather traditions of initiation –  guru parampara … it is the main deity and his cult, and not some doctrine, which may be, to a signi󰁦icant extent, quite personal and often composed of... materials taken from different traditions”. It can be approximately described in the following way. Let us imagine that in the old times somewhere in India Indi a there lived a tribe that worshiped a certain deity d eity who was, in essence, one of the particular manifestations of the divine archetype. In the holy place, there stood a murti – a statue or another representation of this deity deity.. In the perception of those people, a certain name, sacred syllable or mantra – a ritual form of addressing and glori󰁦ication – were related to that deity deity.. In the temple, there was a priest – the main expert and adept of the cult that included a complex of rit‐ uals for the liturgical worship of the deity. Myths and legends related to this deity were passed down from generation to generation. As time went on, the number of  mantras, sacred incantations, myths and rituals grew larger and larger larger,, the doctrinal concepts grew more detailed, liturgical actions grew more complicated. In such a manner,, an archaic metaphysical model of the world was forming around the deity’s manner deity ’s

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara cult. There emerged proto‐philosophical lines of reasoning, allegorical interpreta‐ tions of the deity’s attributes, and a mythology related to that deity, forming the doctrinal basis which determined various standards of life, taboos, systems of re‐ wards war ds and punishments, and life goals. As the tribe grew grew,, the mystical‐magical mystical‐magical sys‐ tem developed too. The main holy texts describing rituals, legal laws and practices of achieving divine harmony, were were expanded with explanatory commentaries. If the cult was strong, then, in favourable conditions, it extended over the neighbouring territories were new temples were built. The evolution of human mind in the direction of abstract thinking resulted in the forming of relev relevant ant philosophical systems around the existing cults of differ‐ ent deities. Mystics went on pilgrimages, exchanged their knowledge, and shared their experience and re󰁦lections. All this encouraged the elaboration of mystical‐ magical traditions; in time, some o off them grew into T Tantric antric movements with all tthat  hat  it implies. During recent centuries, the conditions for practicing Tantrism have been horrible. The Muslims who had conquered the major part of the great India, slaugh‐ tered an enormous number of teaching masters and created such conditions under which to build a temple equal to Khajuraho was unthinkable. It was impossible to conduct orgiastic rites and rituals in the open. In many places it became dif󰁦icult to practice some types of rakta bali (bloody sacri󰁦ices). Over time, the Muslims were replaced by the British, and the latter by Hindu reformers and Hindu mainstream fundamentalists. Masters and adepts isolated themselves in their own communities, local or forming a network of diaspora. There emerged a ‘twilight’ world of trans‐ gression, parallel to the of󰁦icial, ‘daylight’ ‘daylight’ world. It is not surprising that such con‐ ditions created a fertile ground for some kind of merging of one ‘twilight’ world with another: the ‘twilight’ world of crime. So, for example, a pujari brahman by birth can be a priest of o f the temple of Kali by day and a seller of hashish, heroin and opium by night. A sadhu, a mahant of an ascetic order order,, by day appears as a celibate brahmacharya monk, and by night as a practitioner of sadhana that includes maithuna (sex). A thakur (count), by day an owner of an antique store and jewellery workshops, by night is a poacher and a reseller of antique weapons bought from ‘black diggers’. An of󰁦icer of Indian army or a police of󰁦icer are crime 󰁦ighters by day, and by night they gather in a temple room of a private house and practice bhairava‐kali sadhana with the sadhu, the bandit, the priest, the thakur and the thief, united by belonging to one clan or a certain group of clans. Today, when India is free from the bloody scourge of padishah Aurangzeb, there is no need to conceal one’s af󰁦iliation to the world of T Tantrism antrism and Abhichara so hard. But the ‘twilight’ and the ‘nocturnal’ way of life has already grown into a habit for these people and became a tradition. This speci󰁦icity appears in many as‐ pects. For example, our guruji’s name was written as Mohit Amar (plus the family

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric name), and only the initiated knew that ‘M. A.’ also stood for ‘Mahakalnath Adharb‐ hairav’. According to the family tradition, in keeping with the lineage of power, knowledge and skills, the 󰁦irst name of the spiritual father becomes the second name of the adopted student, discarding the ‘‐nath’ suf󰁦ix and adding the ‘‐bhairav’ suf󰁦ix. In that way, the name of one of the authors of this book is Adinath Mahakalb‐ hairav. The name of the authors’ son – Kapalnath Adibhairav – is formed the same way. The name of the authors’ daughter is Vijaya Siddhikali, for her mother’s inner name is Siddheshw S iddheshwari ari Mahakali. Siddheshwari got the second name from Lakshmi Kumari Kuma ri whose 󰁦irst inner name, which she took after she got married, initiated and started practicing tantric tradition, was Maheshwari. Maheshwari. The second names of women, according to the inner principles of the tradition, are composed from the mother’s name and the ‘‐kali’ suf󰁦ix. The 󰁦irst female inner names don’t have to include the ‘‐ ishwari’ ishwa ri’ suf󰁦ix, tthough hough it is prev prevalent. alent. Many tantric adepts belonging to different of󰁦icial Indian clans are also members of secret inner clans originated from the tantric ‘kuladevi’ ‐ a certain man‐ ifestation of Mahashakti worshipped by a family of adepts as the founder and pa‐ troness of a mystical clan. The patroness of the guruji’s clan is the goddess Jaya (‘jaya’ means ‘victory’, ‘glory’, ‘triumph’): a manifestation of Mahakali granting the “unsinkability” of their godhood. Accordingl Accordinglyy, the family name of the tantric clan is ‘Jayadhar’, ‘the bearers of triumph’. Families associated with this clan have a family name ‘Jayawat’ – ‘equal to triumph’. With that, there is usually another name stated in the IDs of the adepts who are citizens of India – the of󰁦icial clan name: for exam‐ ple, ‘Datt’ ‘ Datt’,, ‘D ‘Datta’ atta’,, ‘Chhi ‘Chhibber’ bber’,, ‘Lau ‘Lau’’, ‘Vaid’ ‘Vaid’,, ‘Moh ‘Mohan’ an’, ‘Bal ‘Bali’i’ etc etc.. For example, as the th e Datt  clan is known as a clan of military of󰁦icers, priests and statesmen – that is, they ap‐ pear in the most respectable light – hardl hardlyy any of its members, as far as the authors of this book know know,, openly present themselves as adepts of a radical tantric path or adepts of Abhichara in India. An interesting peculiarity of bhairava‐k bhairava‐kali‐abhichar ali‐abhicharaa is, as the authors’ ex‐ perience has shown them, its popularity not only among the professional temple priests but also among the t he Indian military military,, as well as in the criminal world of India. The 󰁦irst is explained by that most of the members of the castes with which the au‐ thors of this book were dealing ha have ve chosen service in the Indian military as their careers. The second is due to the transgressive nature of the god Bhairava and the goddess Kali, which determines the radical nature of the practice of their dharma and the nonconformist way of life of its adepts. The military ful󰁦il the radicality and non‐conformism through the warriors’ path. The people of the criminal world re‐ alize the radicality and non‐conformism through “the night and twilight path” which is also full of risk and danger, and requires spiritual strength and maximum con‐ centration from its followers. A great dacoit (‘bandit’, ‘robber’) of the North India, Man Singh Rathore, used to consult the masters of this type of Abhichara durin duringg his

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara entire rebel life. The same goes for the next generations of dacoits of the Chambal valley, along with the dacoits of Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Bengal thieves. A great da‐ coit of the South India, Veerappan of Tamil, being a follower of Kalabhairava dharma, used resort to the help of bhairava‐ka bhairava‐kali‐abhichar li‐abhicharaa masters on a regular basis. This was told to the authors of this book by their guru, Mohit Amar Ji, who guided their family in Tantrism and Abhichara up to his departure to paranirvana in 2014.

CRIMINALITY AND SANATANA DHARMA On the pages of this book you will see many references to the criminal aspects of  the nature of the Bhaira Bhairava, va, Kali, Ganesha and Skanda archetypes, fully correspond‐ ing to the nature of their adepts. Some readers are able to digest certain transgres‐ sive aspects of Tantrism Tantrism and Aghora A ghora Marga up to some point point,, but they can be to totally tally shocked and confused by the elements usually de󰁦ined as “criminal” present in these divine archetypes and their inherent dharma. Most people brought up in the envi‐ ronment of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) cannot at all imagine without explanations: how come that the actions listed as sinful can lead not to hell but to heaven, or even more, to becoming divine? Neo‐Hindus cannot grasp it as well: doesn’t the law of karma, which many people understand as “you reap what  you sow”, sow”, assume that the gods will give criminals a terrible punishment, not a re‐ ward of spiritual perfection? It is necessary to explore this topic in details and to describe how things stand. There are spiritual paths for engineers, doctors, programmers, artists, ar‐ chitects, yoga instructors, lawyers, lawyers, workers and peasants. But how does the spiritual sphere care for thieves, thieves, gangsters, swindlers, killers and drug dealers? Most often, they are recommended to change their activities and to choose another profession for the sake of spirituality. But what should these people do, being natural‐born gangsters, thieves, swindlers, killers, killers , drug mules and drug dealers? If they do some‐ thing else, it would contradict their nature. At the end of the day, they will not get  happier as they won’t be able to become good accountants, engineers or program program‐‐ mers. They will not become more spiritual following a borrowed dharma. What  spiritual leader will tell them the secrets of how they can improve spiritually and deify themselves following their inherent, natural dharma? Helping those who are rejected rejecte d by the of󰁦icial society is an extra virtuous, godly action, but who is enlight‐ ened, kind and brave enough for it? Such masters exist, and they belong to the tra‐ dition of Bhairava and Kali. Bhairava‐kali‐dharma is good for doctors and killers, lawyers and gang‐ sters, architects architects and swindlers, teachers and drug dealers, farmer farmerss and artists. This path is transgressi t ransgressive, ve, radical and universal. It contains a strategic dharma – a uni‐ versal essence common for all, and many different tactical sub‐dharmas meant for

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 Abhichara: Tantric  Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism people of diverse types, qualities and inclinations. People of differ different ent sub‐dharmas represent different manifestations of Bhairava and Kali. They are united in a crown of 󰁦ire‐black hair on the head of Shakti and Shiva: kalagni jata. The masters of  bhairava‐kali‐dharma carry out a noble mission: they help all the transgressive and radical ones. They illumine life with the highest harmony of the Holy Abyss – Mahagahvara. Their work is honourable but often thankless. Let us wish health and well‐being to such teachers. In the majority of spiritual traditions of sanatana dharma, robbery, theft, fraud and banditry are denounced as “sinful acts” and tabooed. But not all traditions of sanatana dharma globally judge criminality as such. Some actions which are today perceived as criminal had been considered quite honourable deeds in Vedic times. Elena Uspenskaya, a scienti󰁦ic researcher, writes in her book “The Anthro‐ pology of Hindu Caste”: “The Aryan society was strati󰁦ied into two main classes. The warriors, Kshatriya (), who were also shepherds and cattle breeders, special‐ ized in military raids for cattle, thus increasing the wealth and prosperity of the tribe. They grazed their own cattle and took away that of other tribes hiding it in mountain caves; the cattle‐centred con󰁦licts were never‐ending. It is known that  they ate meat, it was not thought of as wrong. They played dice fervently, grieved beyond measure when they lost, and these passions are described in Vedic hymns (later also in epics) in a very heart‐piercing way too”. The same is mentioned by S. V. Kullanda: “The 󰁦igure of Indra was an em‐ bodiment of a leader of a group of young warriors, who, on account of belonging to the respective age group, lived by war and robbery and comprised bands of elite warriors – the main assault force of the early society in their con󰁦licts with neigh‐ bours”. The logic of people who committed “criminal acts” was the same at all times: if we stole from somebody, it is good; if somebody stole from us, it is bad. That is, the “criminality” of some act is a relative notion. Moreover, there are such cases when, for a certain type of people, the criminal way becomes a part of their dharma given given by gods. If a “criminal act” is committed in the name of the gods, self‐ perfection and the sacred dharma, it stops being criminal for such people. E. Uspenskaya writes in her above‐mentioned book: “In Hinduism, sub‐ castes are usually represented as endogamous jati (castes). Such castes included in the dictionary of castes and tribes were once classi󰁦ied as ‘professional’, ‘sectarian’, ‘tribal’ or ‘racial’, ‘muslim’, ‘untouchable’ and even ‘criminal’... One shouldn’t forget  that the system of values in the caste society is segmented: there is no linear scale with two poles of ‘the moral’ and ‘the immoral’; many jati of thieves consider their own way of life as absolutely moral, and all other o ther labouring people recognize it as god‐given for each particular ‘thieving’ jati. Brahmans, for example, are born to perform sacri󰁦icial rites, to read Vedas,

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara to teach and guide people, and this is their dharma. A tailor is born to create gar‐ ments and temple cloths. The warrior dharma involves the possibility of murder, and the jati of thieves is characterized by the vocation for stealing”. Let us explore the phenomenon of sacred criminality from within: both from the point of the usual adepts of bhairava‐kali‐dharma and the kaulic adepts. It will allow us to understand the n nature ature of the bhairava‐ka bhairava‐kali‐mandala li‐mandala deities bet better ter,, as well as some speci󰁦ics of its adepts’ path.

SACRED CRIMINALITY, THE LAW OF KARMA AND THE DIVINE FORTUNE This chapter will explain the viewpoint of the adepts from the criminal underworld of India on what is today called “criminality” by the of󰁦icial society and “sin” by many orthodox movements. For the adepts of other ot her ways, the laws of karma work like this: “If you broke the laws of the state and the of󰁦icial morality of the mainstream society – stole some‐ thing, killed an enemy, lured your prey into a trap by deceit – then, under the law of  karma, later somebody will steal from you or your loved ones. Your health can be damaged; harmony, peace and inspiration can leave you”. For the adepts of a great  many spiritual paths, bloodshed in war, fraud, thievery, blackmailing and robbery are a violation of the natural way of their lives prescribed for these adepts by the gods. For a great many adepts of bhairava‐kali‐dharma, the case is just the op‐ posite: “If there are no friends or family of yours among the rulers of a country – this is the governme government nt of strangers. If neither you, nor your friends or family have have passed any laws of the country – this law is foreign for you. If you don’t don’t violate the laws forced forced on you by strangers, if you obey a government of strangers, by that you acknowledge the divine sanctity of the strangers’ nature and the nothingness of  your own nature. It means you de󰁦ile your divine nature and curse your Atman. Thus, under the law of karma, you will devolve to animal incarnations. So after you commit the act of submission to strangers, somebody will steal from you or your loved ones. Your health can be damaged; harmony, peace and inspiration can leave you. And the worst evil is that t hat you can gradually get used to the t he slave’s humility, the obedience to the oppressors’ will. It will cause spirit dystrophy dystrophy and lead to extinc‐ tion of the Aryan 󰁦ire of your divine essence. However, if you regularly violate the foreign laws and the foreign morality forced on you, your property will be saved; your health will be perfect, your peace, harmony and your inspiration won’t leave you. Your spirit will be strong and worthy of your pure and bright divine nature”. Let’s take a closer look on how this mechanism works. What is theft? It is taking somebody else’s property. What is somebody else’s private property? It is the property that was created or taken by somebody who considers it to be theirs.

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 Abhichar  Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Taking what the rich one calls their property and the law of the foreigners calls the rich one’s property, property, the adept displays his godly qualities: wisdom, freedom, spiri‐ tual strength, dexterity and valour. The most fortunate and worthy of people have such a good karma that it allows them to receive the learning and practice from the adepts. But the karma of many people is not good enough to receive the learning and practice. The karma of many is such that the only situation situati on where they can meet  the adepts is where the adepts steal o orr take away their money and property property,, or pun‐ ish them for unworthy acts and words. Such situations, through providing for the maintenance of the adepts on the one hand, and showing an example of how one shouldn’t behave on the other hand, also improve the karma of living beings. The worst possible situation of all is the situation of creatures so bad and sinful that  their karma doesn’t allow them even to be robbed by the adepts. How does the above comply with the traditional Yog Yogaa principles of ethics and self‐perfection? To provide an illustrative example, we’ll describe how bhairava‐ kali‐dharma understands the eight principles of raja (ashtanga) yoga. Yama:  Ahimsa: non‐violence excep exceptt in cases of natural necessity necessity.. Satya: honesty towards each other, keeping one’s word.  Asteya: not following borrowed dharmas. Brahmacharya : order and self‐control in sexual activities, faithfulness to one’s fam‐

ily.  Aparigraha: non‐attachment to material comforts and luxury luxury,, non‐possessiveness. Niyama: Shaucha: purity of mind and body. Santosha: modesty, modesty, being content with the present, optimism, the ability to maintain

the balance of mind. Tapas: self‐discipline; discipline in pursuing spiritual goals. Svadhyaya: thirst for knowledge, study of spiritual and scienti󰁦ic literature, devel‐

oping thinking capacity. Ishvara-pranidhana : accepting the divinity and the devata as one’s goal, as the only ideal in life.  Asana:

Being in harmony with one’s natural place in the universe; 󰁦irmness in following one’s natural dharma. Pranayama:

Increase of one’s energy and the mastery in applying it.

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara Pratyahara

Being the pre‐existent reality; detachment from the control of the external world phenomena over one’s consciousness; perception of all existence as the play of  Shakti. Dharana:

Practical realization realization of the fact that the primary state – the t he divinity – does not need to be cultivated in oneself, for divinity grows through the adept’s inner nature, cul‐ tivating itself. Dhyana:

Being one’s inner essence, enjoying the aspects of the divine.  Samadhi:

Limitless realization of oneself as the abyss of divinity divinity.. If an adept of a powerful mystical‐magic mystical‐magical al path and a profane person who doesn’t practice this path but lives an ordinary samsaric sam saric life are both in mortal dan‐ ger, and the adept can save his own life by sacri󰁦icing the ger, t he life of the latter – the adept  can do it. Because the life of an adept is much more precious, useful and important  than the life of a samsaric person. This opinion is supported by both the tradition of bhairava-kali-kaula and the Dzogchen tradition, as evidenced by some Kaula Marga Mar ga and Dzogche Dzogchen n masters. masters. If an adept of the way of Brahma and Sarasvati steals some money from a rich person, this act would contradict with the brahma‐sarasvati‐dharma and thus will worsen the karma of the one who stole. If an adept of the bhairava‐kali‐dharma steals some money from a rich person, this act will comply with the karma of the one who stole; thus it will not harm their karma. However, if an adept steals money from an equal adept, it would be a violation violat ion of the dharmic principle to protect one’s sacred clan and not to take t ake awa awayy the property of a cl clan’s an’s member; so in this case the thief’s karma will be damaged. Also it is deemed unacceptable to take away the prop‐ erty of a poor, penniless person whose life depends on possessing this property. The crucial things in one’s spiritual path are awareness and motivation. It  is not as important what you do as is important with what awareness, with what  motivation and with what purpose you do it. If a rich samsarian, on the advice of his image maker, gets some money out of his pocket and gives it to an orphan in the presence of journalists, with the intention to wash away his sins before god and to gain the fame of a benefactor, benefactor, it is unlikely that he will deify himself through this act. act . An adept of the path of Bhairava and Kali aspires to perceive each act of  taking, each process ‘from the outside to the inside’ as a manifestation of the god

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 Abhichar  Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Batuka, and every act of giving, every process ‘from the inside to the outside’ as a manifestation of the god Ganesha. In that way, having gifted a sinful, rich samsarian with a heart‐felt brass knuckles punch in the face, and having taken his money and valuables for the sake of subsistence, the adept manifests as Batuka and Ganesha at the same time, and dei󰁦ies himself on the path of Kali and Bhaira Bhairava va without doubt. Such is the point of view of the adepts who belong to the criminal world. By blessing the rich man with these two sacred acts and improving imp roving his karma by that, the adept  performs a spiritualizing ritual and follows his natural dharma, deifying himself  quickly, guided by Bhairava and Kali. And it goes without saying that if the adept  full of divine love also helps their t heir family and friends, slows the evil down and pushes the good forward, the process of self‐dei󰁦ication is especially quick and powerful. It is very important to remember: this act can really lead to self‐dei󰁦ication and help living beings only if the adept stays st ays in the divine consciousness, feels himself a man‐ ifestation of Bhairava and Kali, and has benevolent intentions. The adept’s heart  must be full of love to the divine, to the gods, dharma and all living beings. It is nec‐ essary to exclude self‐deceit, egoism, false pride and greed. To reject the samsaric; to relax one’s mind, energy and body; and to manifest oneself as the divinity. This is taught by the Tantric mystics who are thieves of Kolkata and Varanasi, dacoits of  Chambal and Tamil Nadu. E. Uspenskaya says: says: “Being incarnated – that is, having been born in a cer‐ tain jati in a form typical for this jati – beings ‘share common fate’ with the other members of their jati including biological relatives. For that reason, it is not cus‐ tomary in the world of Hinduism to excessive excessively ly re󰁦lect on one’s social status: being born this way, way, one lives this way way.. ‘Dharma is being content with what you have, with your life’ [Manu 1886: II, 6]. A Hindu does not cultivate complexes complexes about his dharma. The ‘shared fate’ that unites respectable citizens, outcasts and untouchables, ‘un‐ couth barbarians’ of all kinds, ‘vagabond swindlers and rogues’, etc., makes the bear‐ ers of these honourable or unwelcome statuses a quite consolidated community able to protect their interests on all levels of social relations, and this right of ttheirs heirs is acknowledged by members of all al l other jatis. In the circle of the ‘shared fate’ fate’,, there always alwa ys develops inner life independent from the evaluating eyes and conditions of  the others. This belief of the Hindus is the reason for the high level of self‐esteem natural for each living being in the world of Indian jatis, even the most miserable in appearance. Everybody does what they are destined to do by the gods”. But how to deal with the fact that an adept of bhairava‐kali‐dharma who violated the state laws can be caught and put to jail where the conditions don’t con‐ tribute to health and well‐being? The food there is bad, the inmates can be illegally beaten by the police and the guards, or put into damp and cold basements where it  is so easy to catch tuberculosis. Isn’t it an evidence that the adept is punished by the law of karma? From the perspective of the adepts of the karma of the criminal

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara world, this is not such evidence. For such an adept, arrest, prison or penal colonies are unwanted but normal stages of the rough path of a mystical traditional insur‐ rectionist: an anarchist for the external society and a traditionalist inside their sa‐ cred society. These are not punishments. These are tests, trials, initiations from Bhairava and Kali. If the adepts pass them with honour, they will improve them‐ selves, feeling harmony and contentment. They will ful󰁦il their divinity divinit y in a yet more complete way. People of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala are descendants of Bhairava and Kali, their inner nature is divine. If they cave in to some external forc force, e, conform to alien powers and to alien laws, the people peopl e of bhairava‐kali‐mandala will de󰁦ile their divine nature by doing so. And, by the law of karma, after death they will degenerate and go to the lower dimensions including infernal worlds. As for detention centres, con󰁦inement cells and prisons, they are places of probations, trials and initiations where, wher e, if the initiation tests are successfully passed, Kali and Bhairav Bhairavaa can bestow special powers and properties upon the adept. Shri Guruji Mohit Amar, answering to the words that many people see him as a criminal and are unable even to imagine imagi ne that “ma󰁦ia can be b e a spiritual conc concept” ept”,, said with a laugh: “Ma󰁦ia? Me? What is the state and the government, then? The ma󰁦ia of samsara. If I am ma󰁦ia, I’m the ma󰁦ia of divinity divinity.. I’m a villain because I steal and rob from rich people and suckers? suckers ? My karma gets worse? Such words make me laugh. I’m a god, just like you all, my students! The Supreme is not subject to karma and reincarnation. When stealing and robbing from rich people and suckers, I per‐ form a sacred rite: I bless the rich and the suckers and improve their karma. Those who wrote the state laws wrote wrote them in such a manner that, following the rules of  this game, the authors and initiators of these laws will always win and we will al‐ ways lose. These people, as well as their ancestors, seized enormous wealth by fraud, banditry and stealing. And when they became state authorities, they estab‐ lished these laws that forbid you and me to seize wealth by the methods by which they did it themselves. Tell me, three million euros wouldn’t hurt you, right? One who says that taking valuables away from the system, rich people and suckers is sinful and evil, is i s either a dumbass or a cowardly underdog, or a hypocrite, or a paid mercenary of the system and the wealthy ones”. Shri Guruji instructed his students student s this way: “I am Bhairava, my my wife is Kali, my sons are Batuka and Ganesha, my daughter is Ugrakumar Ugrakumari.i. My family and friends are different different manifestations of the gods of the mandala. My life space is the sacred abode of the mandala. The one who thinks this way is an adept of bhairava‐kali‐ dharma. My recitation of o f mantras, my swearing, my good advice, my exhalation, my urination and defecation are Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi. The absorption of sacred scriptures in my mind, my act of eating and drinking and my inhalation are Batuka and Ugrakumari. The ones who realize it are constantly practicing kaula sadhana and deifying their whole lives. That’s how you should practice kaula sadhana. Those

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar who declare that they want to deify themselves but acknowledge the profane power and the law over themselves are in fact kneeling before the prime minister, minister, 󰁦inancial magnate, president or sultan. That is, they manifest bhakti towards the profane, worshipping the profane and the delirium of their foolish laws as the god and the sacred dharma. It is prostitution, not the love of god. God is replaced by a whore in the form of a prime minister or president, p resident, love is replaced by perversion, and reality is replaced by an idol. Though even Christians once 󰁦igured out: “you shall not make for yourself an idol”. Your spiritual path will be shit other way. The goal of radical kaula sadhana is the quickest dei󰁦ication of the adept. One who practices the way of kaula properly is already a god. I am the god Bhairava, my wife is the goddess Kali, my children are Batuka, Ganesha and Ugrakumari. I am the living truth, my speech is an ornament of mantras. My life is an ornament of bhairava‐k bhairava‐kali‐dharma. ali‐dharma. How can I accept the power of prime ministers, presidents and kings above me when I’m a god?! I have ful󰁦illed my divine potential, and the members of the par‐ liament have not. Their laws are samsaric mundane laws, and my law is the abysmal dharma of Bhairava and Kali. Their laws are nothing before mine! A jivanmukta is one who has the entire universe inside, including the body of the dei󰁦ied man. All basic practices of kaula sadhana are a con󰁦irmation of the adept in his jivanmukti. An adept who has accepted the power of prime ministers, presidents and kings above him has desecrated his divinity. One who has submitted to the mundane law has de󰁦iled his samai, ruined nyasas, and poisoned his mantras. A person, who has accepted the power of the profane and their law above them, has de󰁦iled his Atman and turned into a soulless beast. One who is true to his Atman is the divine 󰁦ire that  is cremating the samsara, and that is free from it. For him the whole world is a ma‐ hashmashan of Bhairava and Kali. I’m a citizen cit izen of the universe, my holy family is my nation. I’m a god, and there is not enough room for me within the narrow bounds of the state. If an adept, in his heart, sees himself as a citizen of a secular state, if he submits to the laws of profane strangers – by that he declares that he is not a god, and likens himself to a hen in a hen house or a parrot on a perch. He curses his sad‐ hana and dooms it to barrenness”. Of course, guruji didn’t dispute the right of the adepts of other spiritual schools to obey strangers, profane people and their laws. His speeches, sermons and instructions concerned exclusively Tantric adepts from the criminal world. In this chapter and the previous one, the Western reader got an insight into the dharmic worldview of the adepts from the criminal world of India. These chap‐ ters will help the reader to understand the ambivalent nature of the deities of  bhairava‐kali‐mandala, and also to understand why many adepts among Indian priests and warriors don’t 󰁦ind it shameful s hameful to communicate, to practice or to make business with the adepts from the criminal world of India. Of course, such connec‐ tions are of󰁦icially of󰁦icial ly not welcomed by the Indian state and broad society so ciety,, but in secret 

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara (which is often a secret that everybody knows) they are present almost everywhere, as evidenced by the life experience of the authors of this book. The inner spiritual kinship is stronger than the t he external barriers of social differences in this case.

THE DEGREES OF KINSHIP WITH THE GODS There are three three degrees of kinship between the adepts and the gods in Abhichar Abhichara. a. The degree of distant kinship is when an adept sees himself as kindred to the gods but to a large extent separate from them. He asks the gods to help him or his cus‐ tomers, appealing to the family spirit. The degree of close kinship is when an adept  feels himself one with the gods on the inner level, and on the outer level separate from the gods, a creature connected to them with family ties. The degree of direct  kinship is when an adept feels himself as the gods themselves both on the inner and the outer levels: as the entire mandala of the gods. gods . Every next degree of kinship endows the adept with a greater degree of might. In all three cases, the gods act  based on this kinship. When they help the client of the Abhichara master in one matter or another, the help is granted not so much because of their care for the client’s well‐being, but because of their care for the well‐being of the Abhichara master and his family. If the master and his family are provided with food and dwelling, they can practice the path of self‐perfection inherent to the bhairava‐kali‐ dharma and pass on their knowledge and power to the younger generations. And if the master and his family also have a suf󰁦icient supply of spare money, they will sacri󰁦ice money for spreading the power of the gods of the mandala: to sponsor temples, ashrams, seminars and workshops, the publishing of spiritual literature, pilgrimages to places of power. power. That is, to extend the power of the dimension of the mandala. No person is able to make the gods believe that they are their kin. The gods cannot be tricked. They perceive perceive a person as their kin only in the case if the person lives the mystical mystical and magical dharma of the gods of the mandala and radiates the might of the mandala directly. directly. Without being kin with the gods of the mandala, it is impossible to make them help you by offering them gifts or casting spells. The gods are not poor; all gifts gift s to them are, in the 󰁦irst place, an expression of love and respect  coming from their family. The gods are not slaves to any mantras and spells: all mantras and spells can be any help only to the gods’ kin who practice T Tantrism antrism and its Abhichara.

MANTRAS AND SPELLS There are three main types of mantras and spells in bhairava‐kali‐abhichara. The 󰁦irst type is based on Matrika. Matrika is a mystical‐magical discipline based on

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 Abhichar  Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Tantric metaphysics, helping to connect with the deities, to accumulate energies and doctrines of different deities, to keep an enormous volume of information and power in a compact form and to extract the information and energy at will for achieving various results. Matrika expresses itself through phonemes of Sanskrit  written down in different ways. The most popular ways of denoting the phonemes of Matrika are the systems of symbols of Devanagari, Charade, Bengali, Tamil and Kerala. Ker ala. Matrika includes 󰁦ifty phonemes each one of which expre expresses sses one of the as‐ pects of the world. All of them together together,, the phonemes present a multifaceted and multilevel universe. Mantras and spells based on Matrika are the strongest ones, their effects are direct and powerful. Their structure is logical, pragmatic, and re‐ sembles mathematical, physical and chemical formulas. The principle of their struc‐ ture is very similar to the principle of computer programming. The second type of  mantras and spells is based on Sanskrit. They are 󰁦illed by the powers of ancient  gods, ancient seers and ancient masters. Their language and the principles of their structure resemble computer programming languages to a lesser degree than the structures based on the doctrine doct rine and the code of Matrika. The third type typ e of Mantras and spells are shabar mantras and shabar spells. They are mantras and spells com‐ posed not in Sanskrit but in other languages: Tam Tamil, il, Kashmir Kashmir,, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Telugu, Konkani, Assam and also the languages created by masters of mysticism and magic for solving their professional special tasks. In theory, shabar  mantras and shabar spells can be composed even in English, Russian, Ukrainian or Spanish. Shabar mantras and spells can be written in languages which have have been passed to mystics by non‐human beings, or a mixture of severa severall languages. Such mantras and spells must be blessed by Kali, Bhairava and the guru. When using them, it is very important to understand their sense; very important is the presence of energetic transmission of the power of the mantras and spells from the gods and the guru, the adept’s respect for the gods and the guru, the understanding of the tasks for which these mantras and spells are applied. There are mantras based on principles which are more rare and less widespread nowadays: for example, the principle of  malini, the principle of mixing malini with matrika, and other principles. The de‐ scription of the system of malini, the description of the principle of the structure of  such mantras, as well as the description of the science of using various special  yantras in Abhichara, is beyond the scope of this t his book.

MANTIC SYSTEMS IN ABHICHARA Abhicharaa includes different systems that allow the practitioner to forecast a per‐ Abhichar son’s future, to explain the reasons that caused this speci󰁦ic situation to evolve in one’s life, to help them to model the desired future. To help one to identify which tendencies bene󰁦it them and which are useless or harmful in their life. Who is a

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I: Introduction to Bhairava-kali-Abhichara friend and who is an enemy. One of the mantic methods is the following: the Ab‐ hichara master master falls into a trance of unity with the gods, and then throws a special cube on a special surface. The sides of this dice and the squares forming the surface on which it is thrown contain different aspects of emanation of the universal energy energy,, designated by different symbols. The situation is clari󰁦ied by analysing on which square the cube fell, and which face face of the cube is up. There is a similar method: an entranced Abhichara Abhichara master comes in contact with the gods or spirits, and speaks to the client directly while being possessed by them. Another mantic method is div‐ ination from human or animal entrails. Ve Very ry widespread is the system of phalit djydjyotish: Indian predictive astrology astrolog y. There are two systems of making horoscopes horoscopes:: the Southern and the Northern. Each of these ttraditions raditions differs from Europe European an astrol‐ ogy.. At that, both have adopted some of its elements and enriched themselve ogy themselvess that  way.. Indian astrology is a vast topi way topicc impossible to 󰁦it into the t he scope of this book. The use of Matrika as a mantic system is also a very vast topic, which will be discussed in details on the pages of this book.

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II The deities of the Mandala THE SACRED ANATOMY OF BHAIRAVA-KALI-MANDALA The bhairava‐kali mandala is a ‘devajala’: an energy net created by the deities of the universe who are emanations of Mahakali, inseparable from her divine husband Mahakalabhairava. Mahakalabhair ava. Graphically Graphically,, in it itss most simple variant, bhairava‐kali‐mandala is a triangle with a point in its centre, placed in an eight‐petaled lotus, placed in a square called ‘bhupur’. This square is often pictured with four gates, each gate shaped as a ‘T’. The central point denotes Kalabhairava and Kali (Adyakali). The tri‐ angle denotes their three fundamental emanations: the goddess Aghora and Aghorabhairava (Bhairavasadbhava), the goddess Ghora and Ghorabhairava (Ratishekharabhairava), the goddess Ghoratari Gho ratari and Ghoratarabhairava (Navatmab‐ hairava). haira va). The eight lotus petals carry the following emanations in the form of sixteen deities: eight bhairavas and eight matrikas (mothers) comprising eight yamalas (eight pairs). Here are these yamalas; yamalas; the sequence of their positions goes from the east  clockwise: Asitangabhairava and Nilasarasvati (Ugratara, Brahmi), Rurubhairava and Maheshvari (Raudri), Chandabhairava and Kaumari (Chandakumari), Krodhab‐ hairava and Vaishnavi Vaishnavi (Narakalakshmi), Unmattabhai Unmattabhairava rava and V Varahi arahi (Mohini), K Ka‐ a‐ palabhairava and Indrani (Chandakapalini, Aindri), Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda (Hastichamunda), Samharabhairava and Yogeshvari (Shmashanakali). A more expanded version of the mandala includes more lotus circles and yamalas: the pairs of lotus petals of the introverted cir circle cle and the pairs of llotus otus petals of the extroverted circle. In the bhupur square, there are two more couples of deities: the god Gane‐ sha and the goddess Siddhiriddhi, Sid dhiriddhi, the god Batuka and the goddess go ddess Ugrakumari. The gates of bhupur are guarded by four yamalas, from the east clockwise: the god Mayasura Maya sura and the goddess Oladevi, the god Skanda and the goddess Devasena, the god Dandapatanaka and the goddess Raktavati, the god Jvarasura and the goddess Shitala. Apart from these deities, above the mandala there are the god Aryagnib‐ hairava (Mahakalagnibhairava) and the goddess Jaya, and under the mandala there are the god Kalagnibhaira Kalagnibhairava va (Kalagnirudra) and the goddess Kalagniraudr Kalagniraudrii (which cannot be seen on a 󰁦lat picture). Each of the yamalas of the mandala manifests in

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar different aspects and in different ways. Together they compose the pattern of  bhairava‐kali‐m bhaira va‐kali‐mandala, andala, also called mahakalagni mandala. The goddess Mahakali is the supreme truth that is one with the indescrib‐ able Mahakalabhairava. Mahakalabhairava. She is cal called led Anakhya (the inexpressible), Anuttara (the un‐ surpassed, surpassing everything), Parasamvit (the supreme consciousness), Chit  Shakti (the power of consciousness), Ananda Shakti (the delight of the harmony of  divinity), Anugraha Shakti (the great mercy – the power of dei󰁦ication). Ananda Shakti contains Ichha Shakti (the unbreakable divine intention) in its pure form, untainted by desires. Ichha Shakti develops into Jnana Shakti (the power of cognition), Jnana Shakti unfolds into Kriya Shakti (the power of action). Since both cognition and volition volit ion are active principles, Iccha and Jnana can be called Kriya. Kriy a. All these mentioned 󰁦ive energies (chit, ananda, icchha, jnana and kriya kriya)) are actually 󰁦ive aspects of the one universal Shakti – Mahakali. Kriya Shakti manifesting in the aspect of shivavartini is vimarsha, the divine self‐awareness. Vimarsha is not  separate from from Chit Shakti. Chit Shakti is Anuttara Shakti. Thus, these 󰁦ive energie energiess are 󰁦ive aspects of the universal Parashakti who is one with Shiva. It is she who is Anuttara. Mahakalabhairava (Shiva) emanates Mahakali (the one Parashakti) through his 󰁦ive faces the names of which are: Ishana, Tatpurusha, Sadyojata, Va‐ madeva, madev a, Aghora. Thus, Para Parashakti shakti becomes a pentad of energies. Ishana manifests Chit Shakti, Tatpurusha Tatpurusha – Ananda Shakti, Sadyojata – Ichha Shakti, Vamadeva – Jnana Shakti, Aghora – Kriya Shakti. Each energy and each phenomenon of the uni‐ verse is a manifestation of one of the qualities/aspects of Mahakali. Mahakali is called Mahapara, Matrsadbhava, Matrsadbhava, because she is the mother of  the three great goddesses who dwell in the centre of everything and give birth to the whole mandala of the universe: mahagahvara (the great abyss). The names of  these goddesses are Aghora, Ghora and Ghoratari. Her divine husband Mahakalab‐ hairava, hairav a, the principle of tthe he existence of Mahakali, is the foundation foundati on of the existence of the three great bhairavas: the three principles of existence of these three great  goddesses‐energies. Let us examine the nature of the three goddesses of the primal matrix of the t he universe. The goddess Aghora called Para (the supreme, surpassing, deifying) is Iccha Shakti. Her speech is paravach (the indescribable speech); she leads to divin‐ ity,, bringing the adept to the perception of his godhood. In human speech, Aghora ity manifests as the 󰁦irst person. In action she is srishti (manifestation). As a mode of  consciousness, she is abheda (identity). In the triad of consciousness, she is prama  pramatr  tr  (subject, one who is aware). In the triad Shiva‐ Shiva‐Shakti‐Nara Shakti‐Nara (consciousness‐energy (consciousness‐energy‐‐ form), she manifests as Shiva. To human beings, she is a favourable power. In a human being, she is Atman. Her name means ‘beyond fear’, ‘not fearful’. The goddess Ghora called Parapara (the middle one between the surpass‐

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II: The deities of the Mandala ing and the coarsening) is Jnana Shakti. Her speech is  pashyanti (speech in its po‐ tential power) and madhyama (speech in consciousness). She leads profane people to the mundane, causing the sense sens e of distinction in unity unity,, and she can lead advanced adepts to the divine, causing the sense of unity in distinction. In human speech, Ghora manifests manifests as the second person. In action she is sthiti (maintenance, preser‐ vation). As a mode of consciousness, she is bhedabheda (identity‐and‐distinction). In the triad of consciousness, she is pramana (means of cognition, cognition). In the triad Shiva‐Shakti‐Nara Shiva‐Shakti‐Nara (consciousness‐energy‐form), (consciousness‐energy‐form), she manifests as Shakti. To an average human being, she can be favourable, neutral or negative. In a human being, she is the processes going on in the brain and spinal cord, nerves and the or‐ gans of perception. Her name means ‘fearful’, ‘terrible’. The goddess Ghoratari called  Apara (the lower, densifying, coarsening, shackling) is Kriya Shakti. Her speech is vaikhari (speech of mouth). She pushes liv‐ ing beings to submerging in samsara, causing the sense of distinction. Only the ad‐ vanced adepts, who are able to perceive themselves as god and goddess in meditation, perceive Ghoratari as part of their own manifestations. In human speech, she manifests as the third person. In action she is samhara (dissolution, de‐ struction). As a mode of consciousness, she is bheda (distinction). In the triad of  consciousness, she is prameya (object). In the triad Shiva‐ Shiva‐Shakti‐Nara Shakti‐Nara (conscious‐ ness‐energy‐form), she manifests as Nara. To a human being, she manifests in a n neg‐ eg‐ ative way. In a human being, she is the material 󰁦lesh. Concerning the t he mind’s activit activityy, Aghora is prevalent in experience, Ghora G hora in remembrance, remembr ance, and Ghoratari in the interchange of vikalpas (thoughts, images, re‐ 󰁦lections). One is Shiva, duality is Shakti, plurality is Nara. One produces two, two pro‐ duces three, three produces the whole plurality. Aghora is the vital power of Shiva, Ghora is the vital power of Shakti, Shakti , Ghoratari is the vital power of Nara. Shiva resides in Shakti, Shakti resides in Nara. Everything in the world consists of Shiva rupa, Shakti rupa and Nara rupa. Nara is prevalent from the earth tattva to the shud‐ dhavidya tattva. Shakti is prevalent from the shuddhavidya tattva to the shakti tattva. Shakti tattva and shiva tattva are governed by Shiva. Nara‐jiva (a living being) who wants to ful󰁦il f ul󰁦il their Shiva nature has to come c ome to Shakti for help. Without Shakti, everything is dead and nothing is possible. To ask for help directly to Shiva is impossible, imposs ible, as he is transcendental. Shiva has already helped people where possible: he provided them with the divine potential. T To o ask Nara for help makes no sense at all, for any Nara is absolutely powerless and dead without Shakti. For that reason, proper interaction with Shakti is the t he basic practice in Kaula Marga. Bhairava‐Kali‐Mandala can be understood in two main ways: the intro‐ verted way way and the extroverted. The extroverted understanding is important on the t he

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism path of Abhichara: the magic aimed at achieving material bene󰁦its for the sake of  the overall prosperity in life. The introverted understanding is important on the path of non‐dual radical Tantrism: the magic aimed at the quick dei󰁦ication of the adept, and through this the elimination of the adept’s Samsara and the attainment  of in󰁦inite divine harmony. I will start my explanation from the introverted way of  applying the mandala including the Kaulic understanding of Aghorayamala, Gho‐ rayamala and Ghoratarayamala. The main meditation practices of Kaula Marga are those that allow adepts to deify themselves together with the whole world around them. These practices are intended to eradicate the samsaric way of perceiving reality, changing it to the divine way of perceiving reality. The samsaric mode goes like this: “I am a small mortal creature living in a big world where the joys keep on going, and sorrows keep on coming. I am not all‐knowing, not almighty, almighty, and not fully satis󰁦ied. For that  reason, sometimes I stray and make mistakes, crave for some things and fear oth‐ ers”. The mode of a Jivanmukta is: “I am the divinity that contains the entire uni‐ verse, and also a single psychoph psychophysical ysical organism which I once used to consider my Self. Being the abyss, I am boundless, in󰁦inite, unwavering, unwavering, and omnipotent. I enjoy my essence and my universal expressions. All that can be perceived by the psy‐ chophysical system of a human being whom I used to consider myself, are my joyful manifestations”. To achieve such awareness an adept practices a set of mystical‐ magical meditations. These meditations, each in its own way and from its own angle, strengthen the adept’s divine perception. The result is the self‐dei󰁦ication of the adept who ful󰁦ils himself as a Jivanmukta. I will provide an example of such medi‐ tative exercises exercises and deifying rituals. It is known that there are three divine energies that in󰁦luence people: Aghora, Ghora and Ghoratari. Aghora brings them to divinity, Ghora spins them around in the same spot, Ghoratari pulls them down to degradation and inferior in‐ carnations. Some mystics practice the invocation of Aghorakali in order to strengthen her in󰁦luence on them. Along with that, they practice the invocation of  Ghorakali Ghorak ali and Ghoratarikali, asking them to weaken their in󰁦luence on the adept. It  is not a very effective way: placing your stake on one goddess in a 󰁦ight with the two other goddesses is not the best deal. The worldview that lies at the basis of  such practice is de󰁦icient and disadvantageous. There is a mystical‐magical ritual of asking the supreme goddess Mahakali to strengthen the in󰁦luence of o f Aghorakali and to weaken the in󰁦luence of Ghorak Ghorakali ali and Ghoratarikali. Such meditation stems from a more advanced worldview, as the supreme Kali has the strongest powers. However,, this worldview is also not However n ot the best bes t one, for it involves some weak creature who is bound to appeal to some mighty external power asking for assistance in solv‐ ing some personal problems of this creature. It is hard to say to what extent Ma‐ hakali will help the adept in this case. There is a third t hird way way of solving this question;

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II: The deities of the Mandala it originates from the Kaulic worldview. The adept is aware of being the divinity: Mahakalabhairava and Mahakali in their oneness. The three goddesses are the adept’s own energies, the three organs of his universal body. Obviously, the organs of a body don’t 󰁦ight either with each other or with the owner of the body. They dwell in complete harmony. harmony. The mystical‐ma mystical‐magical gical ritual consists in that the adept  self‐identi󰁦ies with the divinity and meditates over the mantric formula: “Aghorakali, Ghorakali and Ghoratarikali together are parts of my universal form. I welcome and honour myself as the god Mahakalabhairava and the goddess Mahakali in their unity!” We can see that with such perception, the need for struggle and asking for help vanishes. This is the Kaulic approach. Our life situation and the actions that  we have to commit in our life are directly related to our worldview, our manner of  perceiving the reality. Adepts of Kaula Marga learn not no t to perceive the reality in dis‐ dis ‐ advantageous ways, and learn how to perceive it in the most advantageous ways. And it is amazingly, wonderfully, strikingly effective. In Kaulic tradition, there are meditations intended to deify the psychoph psychophys‐ ys‐ ical organism of the adept and, through it, to deify the whole world around the adept. The worshipping of the mandala of deities of the psychophysical organism is an example of one of such meditations. It starts from perceiving prana as the god Ganesha worshipped by the adept. In this context, ‘prana’ is meant as the energy of  exhalation in particular, and all the ‘from‐inside‐to‐outside’ processes. After that, the adept’s attention is focused on apana which is perceived as the god Batuka and worshipped by the adept. adept. In this context, ‘apana’ ‘apana’ is understood as the energy of in‐ halation in particular, and all the ‘from‐outside‐to‐inside’ processes in general. Batuka and Ganesha are the sons of Shiva and Shakti and the gatekeepers of their temple. In this case, the adept’s body is understood as their temple. After entering the body, body, the adept proceeds to the axis of its essence symbolized by the heart and the centre of the eight‐petaled lotus. In the centre of the lotus of the heart of the adept’s entity, there reside Bhairava and Kali. The adept worships them as his in‐ trinsic nature: the divine principle and its almighty power. Prakasha and vimarsha. The primal “I” and the “I exist”. exist”. After that, the adept begins b egins the ritual of worshipping the gods who reside on the eight petals of the lotus lot us heart starting from the Eastern petal. This petal is the abode of Brahmi, the goddess of intellect. She transfers ev‐ erything perceived from the outside world into consciousness and presents it to Bhairavaa and Kali as offerings meant to bring joy. Bhairav joy. After that, that , the goddess Shambhavi is worshipped in the Southeast; she is the embodiment of ahamkara (“the Ego”) who worships Bhairava and Kali by offering them the perception of “the Self”, for the sake of pleasure and the joy of the game. Then Kaumari, the goddess of mind, is worshipped on the Southern petal. She manifests herself as ideas and de󰁦initions, bringing them to Kali and Bhairava Bhairava as a gift of a delightful game. After that, the god‐ dess Vaishnavi Vaishnavi is worshipped. She resides on the Southwestern petal and is the god‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism dess of sound. Vaishnavi creates all sounds of the universe and offers them as uni‐ versal melodies to Kali and Bhairava. Bha irava. The next goddess worshipped on the Western petal according to Kaulic rites, is Varahi. She is the goddess of tactile senses, and she creates the feelings of touch, offering offering the ornament of these sensations as a gift  to Bhairava Bhairava and Kali for the sake of enjoyment. Then the adept’s attention shifts to the Northwest where Indrani dwells on a lotus petal: the goddess of the world of  visual images. She creates her masterpieces as images and various patterns of their combinations, offering them as delightful gifts to Kali and Bhaira Bhairava. va. After that, the adept worships the goddess of the world of taste – Chamunda, whose tongue is al‐ ways wa ys pulled out. She creates and tastes different 󰁦lavours, presenting them to Kali and Bhairava in the name of joy. Then the adept worships the goddess of the world of scents in the Northeast: Lakshmi, who manifests the world of smells and gives them to Kali and Bhairava. As the result of this practice, impressions and psychic processes are directed from the outside world to the primal consciousness, and the adept strengthens the perception of his divinity and of the universe inside him. After worshipping the deities of the lotus, the adept honours Kshetrapala who dwells around the lotus in its aura, protecting the adept on all sides, being the embodiment  embo diment  of the Brahman, Atman, the six philosophical systems, the adept’s body, and the thirty six tattvas of the universe. At the end of the meditation ceremon ceremonyy, the adept  of Kaula Marga honours the whole mandala of the radiant deities present in the holy temple of his heart. heart . In such a way way,, the yogin expresses that his body, everything everything that it perceives and everything that it is aware of, is a pure manifestation of divinity and is not something bad, dirty and sinful. The adept must retain this divine per‐ ception forever: to attain Jivanmukti (freedom from Samsara, divinity during the life of the physical body). The described logic of the deities’ positions can be easily understood: the pairs of the deities go one after another according to the principle of ‘densi󰁦ication’: buddhi, ahamkara, manas, aether, air, 󰁦ire, water and earth. Apart from the non‐anthropomorphic inner manifestation and an d the non‐an‐ thropomorphic outer manifestation, the deities of o f the mandala manifest themselves in anthropomorphic forms as well: as archetypes of great power. The next chapters will be devoted to not only the non‐anthropomorphic aspects, but also to the men‐ tioned aspect of the t he deities and to their magical power expressed in Abhichara. Abhichara.

BHAIRAVA Bhairava Bhaira va is considered to be the most destructiv destructivee and deadly manifestation of the god Shiva, born from his hi s wrath. According to the myth, Shiva created Bhairava from himself, from his third eye, to punish Brahma – the god who created the material universe. univer se. It is dif󰁦icult to 󰁦ind a more terrible and fearsome character character in the entire Indo‐Aryan pantheon that includes thousands of deities. Nobody and nothing is

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II: The deities of the Mandala able to resist the disastrous might of Bhairava. Bhairava. After the blow of his monstrous club‐ khatvanga not even ashes remain: even the void itself dies di es and ceases to exist. exist . Great  gods, such as Brahma and Vishnu, fear the wrath of Bhairava. Even Yama, the god of death, hell and the dead, can be destroyed by Bhairava – the death of death of  death. Mystics, anarchs, warriors and criminals worship Bhairava as the redeemer who breaks all chains and obstacles on o n the way to achieving divinity, divinity, both inner and outer.. At the same time, such an understanding outer underst anding of Bhairava is one‐sided and incom‐ plete. Bhairava is not only a total destroyer but also the one who transforms sin into sanctity, impurity into purity, and duality into non‐duality. Bhairava is the lord of  tantric yoga, shamanic rituals, magic and witchcraft. He is the de‐facto founder god of mystical insurrectionary anarchism, anarchism, and also the father and patron of the crim‐ inal world. Bhairava teaches his children how to practice the criminal way so that  it would lead not to accruing bad karma but to spiritual self‐perfection. Among other things, Bhairava is an embodiment of horror and fear, fear, and it is said that t hat those who want to worship him must 󰁦ind out and examine the source of all their fears. His name consists consist s of the root ‘Bhi’ which means ‘fear’ here. Bhairava means ‘fearful, terrible, horrifying’. His vahanas are: wolf, dog, bear, lion, tiger and octopus. Among them the wolf and the dog are mentioned in sacred texts most often. They are also most frequent on the images of Bhaira Bhairava va and near his statues. According to the leg‐ ends, Bhairava Bhairava and Kali like to live in places frightening to urban people: mountain caves, cav es, deep forests, cremation grounds. At nights they feast not only with gods and sages but also with demons and graveyard spirits. During these orgies, the ban‐ queters enjoy meat, blood and magical potions made from herbs, seeds, mushrooms and roots. Bhairava, the father of primordial anarchy and radical anti‐dogmatic re‐ bellion, represents everything that horri󰁦ies the caste Hindu by breaking fundamen‐ tal social and religious norms that rule people’s life. There is a popular opinion that the main zoomorphic symbol of Bhaira Bhairava, va, his companion and his mount, is a dog, particularly a black dog. The Dog totem has two meanings and, accordingly, is understood in two ways: 1. The street dog is a symbol of a 󰁦ilthy life, lower castes, ritual impurity, the scorned ways. In this sense, the dog represents a criminal, outcast, transgressive life. 2. The dog is a guarding animal. In later times, the orthodox society tried to assimilate the ‘un󰁦itting’ – that  is, Bhairava and his universe – to reduce the transgression. For the sake of social adaptation, Kalabhairava and his eight manifestations were assigned as the main guardians of the inhabited areas of all the cardinal directions. One more understanding of this vahana suggests itself. In primordial times, Bhairava wasn’t wasn’t perceived as a criminal counter‐cultural counter‐cult ural element. His Hi s way of think‐ ing, behaving and living, as well as his aesthetics, didn’t con󰁦lict with the most an‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism cient tribal way of life – proto‐kula‐marga or proto‐kula‐dharma – that thrived be‐ fore the system of four varnas was established. As the vahana exists in Bhairava’s world from the moment when Bhairava came into existence – in other words, since the primeval times – it should comply not only with the later time but also with the time when the phenomenon of Bhairava Bhairava and Kali was a re󰁦lection of the norm and not of transgression and something ‘un󰁦itting’: when it symbolized sanctity, wisdom, purity, power and freedom. The dog totem doesn’t conform to the archetype of  Bhairava as the holy primal ancestor, father, shaman and chief, but the wolf totem does that to the fullest extent. The social history of Bhairava Bhairava consists of several phases: 1. A godly ancient paragon of virtue; 2. A criminal born of the gods who practices practices self‐dei󰁦ication; 3. A holy defender of the society from demons and criminals; 4. A messiah who rejected the role of the defender of a society of dubious quality, and who is reviving the original phase enriched by the wisdom, experience and gifts of the two t wo phases that followed. This goes in alignment with the speci󰁦ics of the history of the Bhairava’s vahana: 1. A wolf; 2. A stray dog living on the streets; 3. A watchdog. The wolf that went back to the wild, enriched by the experience of a stray dog and a watchd watchdog. og. The name of Bhairava consists of three syllables: ‘Bha’ means the force of  maintenance, ‘Ra’ – the force of destruction, and ‘Va’ – the force of creation. In this way, it is explained that Bhairava creates the world, maintains it and destroys it. He is higher than the highest and deeper than the deepest. Secret doctrines explain that Bhairava is the source and the master of all the energies of the universe, that  Bhairavaa is the reality, the nature and the essence of everything in countless dimen‐ Bhairav sions and worlds. From the perspective perspect ive of metaphysics, Bhairava Bhairava represents the tran‐ scendent aspect of divinity while Kali metaphysically represents the total immanence. However, as the ancient Tantric texts are polysemous, sometimes Bhairava is understood not as the transcendence only but as the complete divinity including the total immanence as well. The same goes for the goddess Kali: some‐ times she is understood as immanence and transcendence together. Of course, Bhairava and Kali are also the archetypes of the dei󰁦ied man and the dei󰁦ied woman. Bhairava and Kali are the ontological matrix of the adepts who are a coarser and a less perfect projection of the gods in this material world that the gods themselves. The gods are like the sun, and the practicing adepts are like sun rays. These projec‐ tions have the possibility to transform themselves into gods by shifting the focus of 

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II: The deities of the Mandala their being from the sun ray to the sun itself. In Tantrism, Bhairava represents the undivided, integral, universal Consciousness. Co nsciousness. Vijnyana‐Bhairav Vijnyana‐Bhairavaa Tantra Tantra touches upon the question: “What is the true form of Bhairava, the Terrifying?” Bhairava himself  answers to the goddess: “Know that there exists only one form that is ultimately real: the pure, immaculate reality that 󰁦ills everything, the state of Bhairava called Kali, for he is absolutely complete, dwelling beyond the conceptions of space and time, indescribable, enjoying inner awareness of his own essence, free from any thought. In such Absolute, how can one who receives adoration and offerings be discerned? Worshipping is not offering 󰁦lowers or something else. It is an awareness made adamant, the dissolution in the 󰁦inal emptiness within the consciousness free from the in󰁦luence of any thought, through intensive conviction that this is the aim”. The symbolism of the iconographic image of Bhairava Bhairava originates from the myth of his origin, in the 󰁦irst place. This myth, in one way or another, another, is described in Shiva Purana, Matsya Purana, Skanda Purana, Vamana Purana and a number of  other sacred texts. Once, Brahma the creator god and Vishnu the preserver god started an argument in order to 󰁦ind out who is the supreme god here. “I am the supreme god – said Brahma. – I created the entire universe, and I am the patriarch and forefather of all living creatures!” “You are mistaken, Brahma, for I am the supreme god, – objected Vishnu. Vi shnu. – I keep the world turning. turni ng. Without my power, power, nei‐ ther you nor your creations would be able to exist longer than a second”. To solve this argument, these two deities appealed appeal ed to different authorities: “Let us be judged by a third party”. But all the authorities one by one said: “The main god is Shiva”. Brahma and Vishnu were very frustrated. They didn’t believe these sages and sum‐ moned the deity who was a personi󰁦ication of all holy texts to be their judge. But  this deity also answered: “The true god is Shiva”. “How so? – Brahma was enraged. – It can’t be so. Look at Shiva, at his unkempt appearance and dubious way of life. While I dwell in heaven in my precious palace, Shiva roams different worlds spend‐ ing his nights in all sorts of places. Like a lost soul s oul he wanders over icy mountains, thick forests full of wild beasts, roves about barren deserts. I am 󰁦ine‐looking, dressed as a king, my aura shines brighter than the sun. Shiva is dishevelled, un‐ shaved, he rides naked on his bull, and his only clothes are the ashes of the burnt  corpses which Shiva spreads over his body. I engage myself in creating and estab‐ lishing the universal laws while Shiva gives himself up to ascetic practices and med‐ itations one day, as if there is something that he hasn’t achieved, and another day he dances and feasts on shmashans and graveyards with a pack of cannibals, spirits and demons. I relish the divine ambrosia while Shiva devours anything, pure and impure, uses mushrooms, intoxicants intoxicants and smokes hashish all the t he time. There is no way such an impious, unrighteous entity could be the supreme god”. While saying that, Brahma was peeking at his daughter who was bathing naked. Lust awoke in his body, and erotic fantasies appeared in his head.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Suddenly, right after Brahma’s words, a shining appeared in the air and took shape of a tiny infant. The infant began to cry, and Brahma said: “Here is the proof that I am the true and supreme god. I got furious, and my rage gave birth to one more creature. I’ll name this child Bhairava, for he screams so blood‐curdlingly” blood‐curdlingly”.. Suddenly the infant, growing in size, transformed into a terrible monster. His body became black, fearsome fangs glistened in his jaw, jaw, the three eyes of Bhairava burned with red infernal 󰁦ire, and his shining shinin g aura turned into the 󰁦lame of cremation crematio n of the world. The monster leaped up to Brahma and cut off one of his 󰁦ive heads with the claw of the small 󰁦inger of his left hand. That same head that t hat swore at Shiva squint‐ ing at the naked daughter bathing nearby. “I am Bhairava, the wrath of Shiva, the lord of time and death”, – said the terrible god, “I came to punish you for blasphem‐ ing the supreme lord of all being, and besides while desiring to copulate with your own daughter! Chief and lawmaker, don’t break your own laws, and don’t deny the supreme nature of the universe! Your 󰁦ifth head towered proudly over your body, but I shortened your pride”. Brahma, in horror and repentance, fell down on his knees. Vishnu, intimidated, praised Shiva and together with Brahma began to chant  sacred hymns devoted to Shiva. Thus, they acknowledged the supreme reality of  Shiva, recognized his status as the god of all gods. After that, the skies opened and Shiva, the gods saw Shiva who came out in the form of Maheshvara, the great aryama‐ haraja of the universe, the lord of all the worlds. “Oh, Batukabhairava (‘daredevil’), – said Maheshvara, – on the one hand, you did right of course, for you showed to Brahma how things really are. But on the other hand, you violated the sacred law and committed a sin. Brahma is the progenitor of all living beings, their patriarch and arch‐priest. The law of the tribe reads: the young should not raise a hand against the elder of the clan. To cut off the head of a Brahman‐priest is a terrible crime for certain. For that reason, you cannot go without punishment punishment.. Do you agree to bear the punishment?” Shiva Maheshvara manifested himself as Bhairava to enlighten Vishnu and to punish Brahma, and then to formally bear a ‘punishment’ ‘punish ment’ for it but in fact to walk the spiritual path of a radical rebellion against the foundations of the hypocritical, sanctimonious, bigoted and imperfect of󰁦icial society. The path of a spiritual person of the criminal world. In that way, Shiva and Shakti wanted to show to the anarchic radicals (in terms of the formal society) their dharma. To point at the way of break‐ ing free from Samsara and of achieving divinity that would be 󰁦it for them. With the help of Batukabhairava, Shiva and Shakti revealed and presented to the world the fundamental essence of rebels, natural anarchs, criminals who walk the true path. The god and the goddess showed that the life path of the t he outsiders which includes ordeals in the form of battles, raids, pursuits, tortures, trials, sentences, exiles and penance, is a special spiritual path. The 󰁦inal goal of o f this path is self‐dei󰁦ication, dur‐ ing lifetime or after the body’s death. Whatever the social people who walk the

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II: The deities of the Mandala broad ‘decent’ ways of life would think or say. Each person should follow their nat‐ ural dharma. If somebody is radical by their nature, and it is natural for them to step over the limits of the ‘of󰁦icial’ morality, religion, aesthetics, state laws – then their dharma has to be radical too. Otherwise there will be no quick release and di‐ vinity for that person. Shiva Maheshvara promised Batukabhairava not only to give him the chance to manifest as an immaculate and almighty god again. He promised Bhairava that the latter will reveal his divinity even more by becoming the patron of Varanasi, Varanasi, the city of holiness, wisdom, death, chaos and criminal life. Bhairava agreed to walk that path, as this path was in accordance with his nature. Maheshvara said to Bhairava: “You are invincible and able to destroy all and everything without effort, while nobody is able to destroy you. However, I will create the magical maiden Brahmahatya, Brahmah atya, and she will be able to destroy you. If you want to be spared, run for your life from her, and keep on running like that until you 󰁦ind yourself in a special holy place and by that atone for your sin”. “How will I recognize this place? How will I know when I am there?” – asked Bhairava. “The head of Brahma will now stick to your hand. I will not tell you where the sacred place of your redemption is. Find it by yourself. When you reach it, the head that is attached to your hand will fall off  and drop down to the t he ground”, ground”, – such was Shiva’s answer. answer. At the same moment, mo ment, the t he maid Brahmahatya (‘Brahma’s death’) armed with huge scissors manifested from the air. Shiva whispered in her ear about her mission: to pursuit Bhairava relent‐ lessly and to pester him everywhere until he reaches the holy city of Varanasi where she is unable to pass. Upon seeing Bhairava, Brahmahatya rushed at him. Bhairava started running. So they ran, he from her and she after him, across the entire uni‐ verse. Years passed by, but the pursuit never stopped even for a second. Once, Brahmahatya and Bhairava were running running by the palace of Vishnu. Lakshmi, the god‐ dess of fortune and prosperity, saw what was going on from the windows of their magical palace and was surprised and completely bewildered. “Tell me, my beloved, – she asked Vishnu, – what is this supposed to mean? Shiva cursed at Shiva, and for that reason Shiva came and cut off Shiva Shiva’s ’s head. After that, that , there appeared Shiva and punished Shiva by creating Shiva. And now Shiva runs after Shiva on Shiva, in Shiva and during Shiva, and Shiva runs away so that Shiva wouldn’t catch him. All this looks l ooks very strange, I’d say even absurd. What is one to make of this? What is the meaning of what is happening?” “My beloved, – answered Vishnu, – what you see now, now, as well as many other things, makes no sense at all. There is a good reason why they say Shiva invented this world while he was drunk. After all, he is permanently in the state of the ecstasy of narcotic intoxication. For he is permanently intoxicated by having sex with his beloved Shakti: his limitless, boundless, radiant power. Shiva’s consciousness is not determined by the karmic law of cause and effect, logic, space and time. That’s why the universe is so bizarre and paradoxical: it re󰁦lects the image

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism of the creator himself; here darkness becomes light, and light becomes darkness, good turns into evil and evil into good. Purity transforms into impurity, impurity, and impurity into purity. The ultimate beauty turns into ugliness, and the uttermost ugliness be‐ comes beauty. Wisdom turns into madness, and madness into sanity. In such a way everything 󰁦lows, everything changes and turns into in to one another. another. This pulsation and modulation is the ecstatic love of Shiva and Shakti, the motion, the life of the sacred Reality. Other than this, my dear Lakshmi, Shiva doesn’t care at all what to engage in, all is the same to him. However However,, as Shiva and Shakti have the divine sense of artis‐ tic taste, they prefer to create masterpieces. Thus their universal mandala and the way of bhairava‐kali‐dharma, native for their adepts, are created” created”.. Further on in this story, after a certain time Bhairava found himself in the vicinity of the holy city of Varanasi (Benares, Kasi) situated on the shore of the Ganga. Brahma’s head fell off Bhairava’s head, and he realized that his h is problem was solved. The place where Bhairava parted with Brahma’s head is called Kapal Mochan. It is still worshipped by Hindus. From the profane point of view, having been forgiven forgiven (and in truth, having passed the transgressi transgressive ve spiritual way with the blessing of the Divinity), the criminal god Bhairava was crowned as the lord of  Varanasi, the city of transgressive ways, of death and of the 󰁦inal liberation.

KALI Kali is the most ancient goddess of mankind. Though the earliest references references of the goddess bearing bearin g this very name date back to the middle ages, around aroun d the 600 CE, her archetype exists since Paleolith Paleolithic ic times. The Great Mother, Mother, producing, pre‐ serving, feeding and devouring, absorbing everything that exists in the unive universe, rse, is a very ancient concept of divinity. The name ‘Kali’ can be translated as ‘black’, ‘gi‐ gantic’, ‘mistress of time’ time’.. Kali is the original, the t he greatest goddess of perfection, free‐ dom, wisdom, struggle and death, of the mighty elements of nature, for radical mystics and for hunters, revolutionaries, rulers, warriors, thieves, robbers and swindlers. The sacred myths of the cult of Kali abound with esoteric, criminal and battle subjects. In most traditions, Kali is pictured black, the colour of the cosmic space. The same way the darkness of the open space contains all the cosmic light  in the form of the stars, pulsars and quasars, Kali contains everything. Being, in fact  the supreme divine energy of the existence, she gives birth to the t he whole existence and to all that is in it. Kali’s appearance is terrible and erotic at the same time; it  embodies the unity of Eros and Thanatos which is an inherent element of nature. Being the mother of all goddesses, Kali is the most worshipped and important deity in most of Tantric Tantric traditions, including Kaulic traditions. The Shaktisamgama S haktisamgama Tantra Tantra reads: “All goddesses, including the mahavidyas, siddhividyas , vidyas and upavidyas, are different manifestations of Kali”.

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II: The deities of the Mandala Kali’s appearance is frightening. She is naked and looks like a mountain of  kohl. She has three eyes. eyes. In meditations, Kali can be visualized vis ualized with dishevelled hair and a garland of severed human heads. She has four arms. In her upper left hand, Kali holds a sword freshly sprinkled with the blood of the chopped off head which she holds in her lower left hand. The upper right hand is folded in the gesture of  fearlessness, the lower right hand in the gesture of benefaction. Her complexion is blue, and her face shines like a dark cloud. Kali is completely naked, and her face glistens with blood pouring from the garland of severed heads around her neck. She wears corpses as earrings. Her fangs are monstrous, and her expression is 󰁦ierce. Her breasts are full and round. Kali wears a belt of severed human hands. Blood drips from the corners of her mouth, adding lustre to her face. Kali lives in places of cremation, surrounded by howling jackals. jackals. Kali stands on the chest of Shiva who rests in the position of a corpse. She desires to have sex with Mahakalab‐ hairava. Her face expresses contentment. Kali owns a cup made of a human skull and 󰁦illed with an alcoholic drink. She is drunk, she devours meat and smiles. In such a way the great goddess is depicted in the tradition of Dakshinakali (the god‐ dess who gives and accepts gifts), Guhyakali (the mysterious cave goddess) and Shmashanakali (the goddess of cremation grounds). The ancient text Kalingat‐ tuparani describes a sacred temple chamber of Kali built from heads and bones of  enemies killed in battle, and erected in a lifeless desert. During the construction of  the building, blood was used instead of cement. Teeth of killed elephants support  the roof. The walls of the temple chamber of Kali are decorated with bleeding 󰁦lesh of living beings, chopped off heads of sacri󰁦iced peacocks and people, grownups and infants alike. The temple is cleaned up with blood instead of water. The meat  of living creatures is sacri󰁦iced to the goddess. The temple of Kali is illuminated by the 󰁦ire consuming the dead. Armed yoginis come to honour Kali and offer the heads of their enemies and of their prey to the great goddess. Some warriors sacri󰁦ice their own heads to Kali. The temple is full of blood and dead 󰁦lesh, vultures, jackals and demons. In her temple chamber, the great Kali sits on a bed of 󰁦ive ghosts and sleeps on a bed of dead 󰁦lesh. She laughs and dances like mad, dwelling in the places of battle and residing in the places of cremation. The vahanas of the goddess Kali are the owl, the lion, the tiger, tiger, the octopus and the zombie. As I have already mentioned, this archetype of Kali is rooted in Palaeolithic Palaeol ithic times, and the earliest references about the goddess named Kali date back to the middle ages (around 600 CE). The texts of this period tell about the successes of  Kali in wars and her victories over enemies. She is asked to suppress, to break, to kill, to incinerate the enemy, according to the Agni Purana in particular. In Bengali poems, Kali is glori󰁦ied as the goddess who endows thieves with magical abilities, helps them in criminal affairs. The Bhagavata Bhagavata Purana describes her as the mother of thieves and tricksters instructing them in the thieves’ law. This sacred text tells

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism that Kali used to be the guardian of a certain band of criminals until it occurred to the leader to sacri󰁦ice some holy mystic to the goddess. It was a violation of the In‐ dian thieves’ law. Enraged, Kali appeared in the place pl ace where the sacri󰁦ice was going goin g to happen and killed the chief with his entire band. Then she and her demon atten‐ dants beheaded the corpses, drank their blood, ate their meat and, playing with their remains, scattered the skulls and bones around. Kali supports mystics, war‐ riors, thieves, swindlers and robbers of all kinds. She is the mother both for the dacoits armed to the teeth who try not to kill their victims when possible, and for the murdering thugs. Kali is worshipped by the kandjaras who specialize in kidnapping people, thievery and controlling prostitution. She is honoured by the rovers from the nomadic caste of  panjaro whose occupation is stealing cattle. With the devel‐ opment of railroads there appeared the caste of bhampta who chose stealing on the railroads as their profession, and who worship Kali as their foremother. Among the most dangerous criminal castes of Northern India worshipping Kali, there is the caste of barvar whose 󰁦ighters have always been famous for their martial art. Orig‐ inally, Kali was related to the periphery of the Indian society. Both to the religious periphery in the form of the secret mystical doctrines to which belonged the great‐ est saints and philosophers, and the social and geographical periphery periphery,, as this god‐ dess was also worshipped by criminals and by the free tribes living in wild places. Further on, Kali was worshipped by kings and their armies. Kali and Rudra‐Bhairava belong together as husband and wife due to their nature. When Kali is mentioned as Bhairava’s wife who practices one way with him, she is called Bhairavi and de‐ picted in black, red or gold. g old. She can be purely destructive destructive in such manifestations as Kalagniraudri Kalagniraud ri (Kalaratri) annihilating the univer universe se with the 󰁦ire of kalagni. She can be beautiful, enticing and fertile, and then she is called Kameshvari. The Vishvasara tantra calls her Parameshvari (the mistress of the universe). As Sakalasiddhib‐ hairavi, she endows her adepts with all sorts of powers and perfections, and as Chaytanyabhairavi she grants awakening, as mentioned in the Tantrasara. According to the text of the Devimahatmya, Devimahatmya, Kali 󰁦irst manifested her war‐ rior form in this world on the 󰁦ield of battle. She stepped out of the third eye of  Durga, the goddess of victory victory,, and, having torn the demons Chanda and Munda apart  with her fangs, she devoured them and took their powers. Since then Kali is called Chamunda. Then Kali slayed the demon Raktabija (‘the seed of blood’). From every drop of blood leaking from Raktabija’s wounded body, a clone demon was born. In that way, the more wounds Raktabija’s army received, the more it grew. Kali drank all the blood of Raktabija and his clones, and devoured them. After defeating the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha, Kali, with her horrible comrades‐in‐arms settled down in the woods and terrorized the whole neighbourhood. All this distracted one adept of Shiva S hiva’s ’s path from his spiritual practice. The adept asked Shiva to save the forest from Kali. Kali didn’t want to comply with that request, she threatened him

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II: The deities of the Mandala and demanded to get out from ‘her territory’. Then Shiva made an offer: “Let us show each other how we dance tandava (‘the dance of death’). The winner gets the forest, the loser goes awa away” y”.. Kali didn’t win this competition and left. It is described in Linga Purana how Shiva summoned his wife Parvati to smite the demon Daruka, for only a female creature was able to annihilate him. Parvati entered Shiva’s body, and, transformed with the poison accrued in Shiva’s throat, came out of Shiva as Kali. She defeated Daruka but, drunk on her rage, couldn’t stop and destroyed ev‐ erything around. Only Shiva succeeded in calming his wife down and by that saving all worlds from annihilation. The entire appearance of the goddess points to her transcendent, transcen dent, primeval nature and radical non‐conformist character. Regardless of being Shiva’s wife she refuses to wear her hair parted in the middle as be󰁦its a married woman in the de‐ cent Indian caste society. society. Unfastened hair is the symbol of the refusal to chain one‐ self with formal conventions, formal morality and orthodox decency. It is an untameable manifestation of the supreme wisdom, love passion and 󰁦ierceness of  battle. It is the chaos of the end of the universe, the 󰁦lame of the world’s cremation – mahapralaya. Jeffry Cripal, a researcher, researcher, came to a conclusion conclus ion that the sticking out  tongue of Kali has two principal meanings: sexual satisfaction and consumption of  the forbidden and ‘impure’. Kali savours all the tastes of the world. Kali teaches to embrace the essence of the world in all its aspects, to taste the world in all its ex‐ pressions: the most beautiful and glorious and the most disgusting and forbidden alike, and to discover the unity and sanctity in its core: the great goddess herself. There are many forms of Kali, the worshipping of which consists in follow‐ ing their teachings and in practising their methods of self‐perfection. Among these forms there are Mahakali, Adyakali, Adyakali, Sankarshinikali, Shmashanakali, Dakshinakali, Guhyakali, Siddhakali, Bhadrakali, Ugrakali. One of the most widespread cults of the great goddess is the cult of Dakshinakali: the fearsome goddess who bestows gifts and receives receives gifts, including bloody sacri󰁦ices. Canadian researcher researcher David Kingsley writes in one of his works: “Kali is an embodiment of freedom, especially especially the free‐ dom from social norms. She lives beyond the borders of the normal society. She prefers prefe rs places of cremation, that is, the places that are usually avoided by the normal members of society. She lives in the woods among amon g savages. Her dishevelled hair and nakedness express that she is totally uncontrollable, absolutely abso lutely free from social and ethical obligations and expectations. On the same grounds, she is an outsider be‐ yond any conventions. She is worshipped by outlaws and criminals... And perhaps for that very reason Kali is an outsider, breaker of boundaries and social models, she is strong and full of energy”. Dakshinakali is four‐handed and three‐eyed. She stands on the resting Shiva. Shiva. The palm of one of her hands is raised raised in the abhaya mudra (the mudra of fearlessness) which symbolizes the protection of her adepts. varada ada mudr mudra a (the mudra of giving) which The palm of her other hand is open in the var

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism means endowing her adepts with the gifts that they need. The nature of Dakshi‐ nakali is such that she intimidated even Yama, Yama, the god of the dead whose kingdom lies in the South, the cardinal cardinal direction called ‘dakshina’ ‘dakshina’ in Sanskrit. The black colour of Kali symbolizes her transcendence above all forms and dichotomies; emptiness and fullness at the t he same time. The black colour also expresses fullness, as it absorbs all existing colours ( vishvaguna ), and the complete absence of any colour or quality (nirguna). Kali has the indescribable nature of Bhairava which is like the blackness of nonexistence. However, at the same time she manifests as the whole universe, universe, and her black body is the cosmic space and everything that exists and happens in it. “Mahanirvana‐Tantra” reads: “The black colour embodies white, yellow and all other colours. In the same way, Kali embodies all other beings”. In addition to all that, the black colour is the white colour of such an unimaginable brightness that the shining of this colour goes beyond its own limits and turns into the shining of darkness. Kali’s nakedness symbolizes the nakedness of reality and its absolute naturalness. All that was said about the blackness and nakedness of  Kali’s body also refers to the nakedness and blackness of her divine consort, Kal‐ abhairava. The four arms of Kali symbolize the four levels of practising practis ing dharma: the outer, inner, secret levels and the level of suchness. Also they symbolize the four epochs: the golden age, the t he silver age, the bronze age and the iron age – the turning of the wheel of time. Apart from that, the four arms of the goddess also symbolize the four cardinal points: North, East, South and West. Wherever would her adept  go, he will have the luck, protection and support of Kali. The three eyes of Kali rep‐ resent several triads: the subject, the object and the perception; the discerning mind, the integrating mind and the mirror‐like mind; the past, the present and the future; consciousness, energy and form. The sharp blood‐stained sword symbolizes the adept’s victory over his limits, over the narrowness of the profane mind, over the restrictions of the adept’s ego and physical form. The blood leaking from the severed head symbolizes the material world, and the head itself represents the power of the illusion of samsara, maya. The adept is free from it: he is the t he great god‐ dess himself now, being one with the great god. The skull is not a prison anymore but the material for a cup. And this world is not the maddening, poisonous blood of  samsara anymore, anymore, but the inebriating and exhilarating wine of the blessed game of  self‐expression. The cloth of severed hands attached to Kali’s waist is a symbol of  victory over karma and over enemies. Kali is the mistress of karma, free from karma. Her children, advancing advancing in self‐dei󰁦ication, can become such masters. The garland of severed heads and skulls symbolizes the 51 phonemes of the alphabet each of  which represents one of the basic elements of the universe. It is believed that the universe univer se is a musical ornament of a mantra consisting of 51 sounds. Also Al so the skulls and the heads of the t he garland symbolize the chain of reincarnations from life to life, from body to body. body. For an ordinary person, it is almost impossible to leave the chain

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II: The deities of the Mandala of reincarnations. It is possible for those who are kindred to the goddess. Kali is sit‐ ting, standing or dancing on the resting Shiva. Here Shiva symbolizes both the prin‐ ciple of divinity and the transcendence similar to non‐entity (nothingness). Also, the position of Kali above Shiva symbolizes the spiritual practice where the adept  in meditation dissolves the universe in the abyss of his divine nature beginning from the coarsest element, “earth “ earth””, up to the most subtle element. Jayadrathayamala Tantra describes the form of Viryakali. She personi󰁦ies the primal vibration of the abyss of consciousness. Viryakali has six faces, twelve arms, her hair is 󰁦lame. She is black, gaunt, embellished with severed heads and limbs of different gods. She holds a sword, a severed head, a khatvanga trident, a kapala cup, a bleeding heart, a noose, a goad, a shield, a vajra (lightning), a bell, a damaru drum, a knife, and an elephant hide. She S he mounts the shoulders of Kalagni‐ raudra, the god of destruction of the universe. The body of Kalagniraudra is red‐ black which symbolizes apana (exhalation) and prana (inhalation). Siddhakali is naked, her hair is loose, her body is of the colour of the t he blue lotus. In her right hand, she holds a sword touching the Moon above her head. Sid‐ dhakali’s body is 󰁦illed with nectar that 󰁦lows out of the Moon. She is adorned with a crown of precious stones, her earrings are the Moon and the Sun, she drinks blood bl ood from the skull that she holds in her left hand. Shmashanakali is black like a mountain of black wax. She is always always drunk and always naked, she dwells on shmashans and looks ghastly. Shmashanakali is red‐eyed, her hair is dishevelled, her body is bony. Smiling, she holds a skull 󰁦illed with wine in her right hand, a freshly cut off head in her left hand, and she is con‐ stantly chewing on raw and half‐roasted meat of the dead. The adepts honour her on shmashans, naked and fearless. Kali’s dwelling is situated in the cremation grounds: on a shmashan. That is, Kali dwells in the place of transformation and disappearance of forms, fears, hopes, and passions. The external dwelling of Kali is the mundane shmashan of the physical world. The internal dwelling of Kali is the shmashan of the adept’s heart, where in the 󰁦lames of divinity, wisdom, love, creativity and spiritual devotion all faults and re‐ strictions dissolve, and godhood is gained. The goddess Kali is not only the goddess of chaos, death, war and the fearful elements. She is also Kamakhya, the goddess of  love and sexual desire. desire. Some of her epithets mean: “She who manifests as sexual de‐ sire”, “She who manifests as yoni”, “She who loves lingam”, “She who is worshipped by spilling semen”. According to the Yogini Tantra, “Kali is the mother of all worlds: it  is stated in all the writings”. David Kinsley says: “Kali is sexually insatiable and there‐ fore dangerous”. dangerous”. The image of Kali is i s erotic and deadly at the same time, t ime, beautiful and terrifying. She looks godly and beastly at the same time, wise and wild. Her appear‐ ance re󰁦lects her paradoxical nature, her dharma, her spiritual path and the goal of  this path: the obtaining of the unlimited and multidimensional divinity. divinity.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism The role of Kali in Tantrism is paramount. The goddess Kali plays the most  important part in the Tantric texts of Kashmir, Assam, Bengal, including the works of the great Abhinavagupta. Kamakhya Tantra, Yogini Tantra, Kamada Tantra, Ma‐ hanirvana Tantra, Niruttara Tantra, as well as multiple other sacred texts, call Kali the greatest of all goddesses, the divinity itself. Pichhila Tantra calls Kali’s mantra the greatest of all mantras. Nirvana Tantra reads that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva emerge from Kali like air bubbles from the sea water. According to Kamakhya Tantra, “The whole of this world emerges from her, with all that moves and all that  is motionless, and then dissolves in her again. Her energy is boundless; she is the ocean of mercy; liberation dwells dwells in her; she is the Mistress of the world world replete with eternal bliss”. Why did the adepts of different Tantric schools worship Kali so? First  of all, Kali is a personi󰁦ication of both the divinity transcending the abilities of the usual consciousness and senses, and the divinity of the mundane world perceived by ordinary people as the samsara full of suffering. If an adept gains total unity unit y with Kali, he automatically transforms samsara with its most cruel, tormenting and rough elements into the pure and blissful divine dimension. Second, as Kali is radical and possesses an enormous power to destroy, destroy, to transform, to support and to give birth, her doctrines and methods have the nature of Kali including the radical manifesta‐ tion of a tremendou tremendous, s, monstrous might. It means that the adept who follows the path of Kali will be free from his weaknesses and limits, and will get g et closer to godhood in the quickest, strongest and the most extensive way possible. When it is pointed out that Kali is a universal goddess, the mother of all other goddesses, she is called Mahakali (the Great Kali). The three main universal manifestations of Mahakali are Aghorakali, Ghorakali and Ghoratarikali.

 Aghorabhairava  Aghorabhair ava and Aghora Aghora

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II: The deities of the Mandala Aghora appears in peaceful form, her manifestations are positive. She is pictured beautiful, her body is of white colour. The iconographic appearance of  Aghora doesn’t cause fear and horror. In the triad of consciousness, she represents the subject.

Ghorabhairava and Ghora

Ghora manifests herself in a passionate pass ionate and wrathful form. Her expressions can be both positive and negative. Her body is of red colour. She looks sexually at‐ tractive and full of rage at the same time. In the triad of consciousness that forms the universe she represents the cognitive space, the process of cognition. She is a fearsome energy. Ghoratari expresses herself in an even more terrible and wrathful form, though not lacking in sexuality. Her manifestations are negative for the profane, however they can be positive for the adepts. Her body is of black colour. She repre‐ sents the object in the triad t riad of consciousness that forms the universe. Some ancient traditions, such as the mystical‐magical schools of Kashmir whose main text is the Siddhayogeshvarimata Si ddhayogeshvarimata Tantra, Tantra, describe three vidyas that ex‐ press the principal manifestation of Mahakali (who is mentioned in Siddhay Siddhayogesh‐ ogesh‐ varimata Tantra only implicitly, between the lines) in three anthropomorphic forms: crystal white, 󰁦iery red, and black. The crystal white goddess is magni󰁦icent. magni󰁦icen t. She has three shining eyes and holds a string of beads, a sacred text, a kapala and a trident  in her six hands. The other two hands show the varada mudra and the abhaya mudra. The red and the black goddesses have three shining eyes, their tongues are

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism like lightnings; the body of the red goddess is built a bit coarsely, the body of the black goddess is savagely built. The bodies of both goddesses are decorated with great snakes. They have terrifying fangs, their mouths are widely opened. Both Bo th god‐ desses are horrible, with frowning, joined eyebrows; each goddess wears a garland of human corpses, a necklace of a huge snake and earrings of human hands. The goddess Ghora (Parapara) (Parapara) holds a trident, a staff adorned with skulls, a kapala full of blood and a jar in her hands, another hand is folded in the vajrapataka mudra. The goddess Ghoratari (Apara) holds a trident, a staff adorned with skulls, a butcher’s knife, a kapala, a damaru drum, and a sword. In the anthropomorphic Tantric iconography, a trident of three lotuses is growing out of Sadashiva, and the goddesses reside in three lotuses. The goddess Aghora dwells in the central spike, and Mahakali (Mahapara, ( Mahapara, Paramaghora) dwells above her. her. There exist iconographic images where Mahakali appears in a many‐handed and many‐faced form, with black, red, white and green faces. It is assumed that one should contemplate Sattvika Devi of white colour in peaceful rituals. In rituals meant to compel, one should contemplate Rajasa Devi of  red colour. colour. In wrathful rituals, one o ne should contemplate Tamasa Devi of black colour colour.. Along with that, some very respectable texts read read that one can appeal to the goddess Ghora also when doing black magic pointed at making harm to one’s enemies. This means that the functions of each of the three goddesses go beyond the mode of the t he three gunas of prakriti. According to the text of the Siddhayogeshvarimata Tantra, in order to 󰁦ill oneself with the power of the goddesses, one o ne must meditate on them, and also perform a pentad of special actions included in the ceremonial of the great  triad. The tetrad consists of vidyavrata, vidyavrata, 󰁦ire rituals, and shmashana sadhana. 1. The ceremony corresponding to the worshipped vidya, vidyavrata: the adept should sprinkle ashes upon his head, wander in uninhabited places, laugh a wild, unbridled and violent laughter, and loudly recite special mantras. To invoke the goddess Aghora, one should perform inner actions. To invoke the goddess Ghora, one should laugh loudly and wildly. To invoke the goddess Ghoratari, one should assume a cruel, angry aspect, swearing and insulting people around. 2. The ceremony of 󰁦ire: japa accompanied by agnikarya; Tantric agnihotra. 3. The ceremony of water: worshipping by offering water from arghapatra. 4. The graveyard ceremony, shmashana sadhana: invocation of the yogini goddesses on a shmashan at night while naked and sprinkled with ashes. One should seduce the goddesses by offering them ‘impure’ substances such as meat or siddhamrita (mixed sexual substances). Also one should sacri󰁦ice the blood from their left hand to the goddesses. 5. The ceremony of preparing one’s mind, energy and body: before perform‐ ing the described rituals, one should do rituals for protection. The one who doesn’t  do them in his ignorance, falls under the power of the deities. Therefore, before the

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II: The deities of the Mandala ritual, a wise one always does maha‐shodha‐nyasa, puja and bali (sacri󰁦ice). The mystical‐magical ways of Bhairava Bhairava and Kali are the heroic paths to god‐ hood. Thus, male adepts able to successfully practice the Tantric path of Kali and Bhairava, are called viras (heroes) and bhairavas. Successful female adepts are called bhairavis, yoginis and kapalinis. Many meditative practices of bhairava‐kali‐ dharma can be successfully practiced only by a person craving for divinity, smart, brave and capable. Among these dangerous and terrible practices, there can be men‐ tioned a number of meditations that can drive a person un󰁦it for such ways ways insane: subduing one’s 󰁦iercest 󰁦iercest passions and vices to dei󰁦ication; contacting aggressive, aggressive, predatory spirits and other dangerous entities; meditative ceremonies involving intoxicants and sexual acts; necro‐ceremonies involving meditations on corpses and contacts with the spirits of the dead; bloody ceremonies including war, hunt, sacri󰁦ice and cannibalism; operating with the energies of one’s body; meditations related to the power of wrathful deities. The wisdom of Kali’s doctrines transcends the limits of mind and human notion of divinity in the world, of the paths to dei󰁦i‐ cation. Kali furiously shatters the limitations and errors of mind, prejudice, bigoted dogmas, dominant ethic conceptions, enslaving laws and narrow‐scoped aesthetic values. Favouring radical mystics who reject religious orthodoxy and caste bound‐ aries, favouring favouring rulers, military of󰁦icers, anarchs and criminals, she s he instructs them in following a special spiritual path native to the radical spiritual devotees, sages, warriors and people of the criminal world.

THE OCT O CTAD AD OF BHAIRAV BHAIRAVAS AS AND MA MATRIKAS TRIKAS Bhairava and Kali manifest themselves as an octad of yamalas (pairs) located around the master and the mistress of the kula – Mahakalabhairava and Mahakali. The central deities emanate eight bhairavas – fathers ( viras), and eight mothers – matrikas (kapalinis). This symbolism is polysemous, the octad of bhaira bhairavas vas and the octad of matrikas is interpreted in different ways. As mentioned previously, ma‐ trikas can be understood as the triad of antahkarana (human consciousness) along with the pentad of  jnanendriyas (󰁦ive sense organs). The matrikas can be under‐ stood as the goddesses of the consonant groups of Sanskrit who give birth to dif‐ ferent phenomena of the universe, or as the Tantric archetypes. The same can be said about the bhairavas. The eight yamalas can represent eight or sixteen aspects‐ emanations of the central seed syllable (bija) of a certain Tantric tradition. Bhairavas and matrikas are pictured in yantras and mandalas residing on the eight petals of  the lotus in the centre of which dwell kuleshvara and kuleshvari, the main deities. Sometimes, for the sake of convenience, the octad of yamalas is extended to two or three octads. In this case, we can see two or three circles of lotus petals, one circle within another. another. For example, the inner lotus contains the octad of o f antahkarana and

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism jnanendriyas, the outer lotus contains the octad of archetypes, which can also be an octad of negativ negativee phenomena which the adepts, with the t he help of mystic‐magical meditativee methods, should transform to perfections. The most common names of  meditativ the eight matrikas are: Brahmi, Maheshvari, Kumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani, Chamunda and Yogeshvari. Yogeshvari. The most common names of the bhairav bhairavas as are: Asitanga, Ruru, Chanda, Krodha, Unmatta, Kapala, Bhishana, Samhara. S amhara. In different Tantras, the names and functions of the bhairavas and the ma‐ trikas can differ from each other, in part or in whole. The same concerns the posi‐ tions of the deities with respect to the cardinal directions and their appearance. In some traditions, all the bhairavas and matrikas are of one colour, black; in other traditions they are of different colours. There are also traditions including a circle of black yamalas along with a circle of multicoloured ones. On the level of  archetypes, the eight bhairavas and the eight matrikas can personify the eight prob‐ lems of samsara, the eight weaknesses of a samsaric person, and the eight protec‐ tors‐winners, the eight merits, the eight perfections of a Tantric master. For example, Asitanga represents represents the problems and the bene󰁦its from the magic of life that creates successes and failures. Ruru Ruru – the problems and the bene󰁦its from the organic body and its instincts, the wild nature and its elements. Chanda – the prob‐ lems and the bene󰁦its from wars. Krodha – the problems and the bene󰁦its from anger,, wrath and hatred. Unmatta – the problems and the bene󰁦its from intoxication, anger pleasures and illusions. Kapala – the problems and the bene󰁦its from crime. Bhis‐ hana – the problems and the bene󰁦its from fear. Samhara – the problems and the bene󰁦its from destruction and death. deat h. The eight matrikas represent the eight powers of Samsara, as well as the eight manifestations of Mahakali, the eight powers and perfections of the divinity. The eight bhairavas represent the eight manifestations of Kalabhairava who appears in the aspect of Kshetrapalabhairava, the keeper and the master of the universe. The eight bhairavas bhairavas are located in the eight directions. They guard the adepts and create problems for the Samsaric profanes.

THE CENTRE OF THE MANDALA Mahakalabhairava and Mahakali described in the previous chapters chapt ers are the kulesh‐ vara (the master) and kuleshvari (the mistress) of the mandala. They form the entire mandala and thus are present everywhere. At that, being the cause, the nature and the origin of the deities of the mandala, the fundamental, essential manifestation of these deities in the mandala is the mandala’s heart: the centre. Manifesting as the basis of all divine emanations, they are called Kalabhairava Kalabhairava and Kali. Kali of the centre of the mandala is called Adyakali – the 󰁦irst Kali. The anthropomorphic man‐ ifestation of Kalabhairava in the mandala looks like this: black six‐handed body, blazing 󰁦iery hair forming an aura of 󰁦lame, a beard, a necklace of skulls, beads, and

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II: The deities of the Mandala

Kalabhairava and Kali

a snake garland. His body is bedecked with a Brahmanical cord made of lightnings. He wears a white crown with skulls decorated with a crescent moon. Kalabhairava is naked. He holds a 󰁦laring club, khatvanga, a skull with a lotus growing through it, a shining 󰁦ive‐sided stone, a damaru drum, and Brahma’s head. He embraces the goddess Kali with one of his arms, the 󰁦ingers and the palm of his other hand are open in the abhaya mudra. The anthropomorphic manifestation of Kali looks like this: naked, black, with a six‐hande s ix‐handed d body, body, blazing 󰁦iery hair forming an aura, a neck‐ lace of skulls, beads, and a snake garland. She holds a trident with a 󰁦lag, a kapala cup 󰁦illed with blood and with a heart in it, a sword, a bell, an owl, a mirror, and money; one more hand is extended in the varada mudra. The function of Kalab‐ hairavaa and Kali in hairav i n the mandala is manifestation of divinity divinity,, jagad  jagadananda ananda. Their ma‐ hasiddhis (great magical powers) are: manifestation, preservation, destruction and dei󰁦ication of everything in the univer universe. se. Their siddhis (magical powers): they can help to deify oneself and to ful󰁦il oneself as a mandala of deities. Their negative man‐ ifestation in a human being is the Samsara. Kalabhairava and Kali are the source and the reason of not only the dei󰁦ication, but also of the immersion in the illusion of the Samsaric obscuration. They are the origin of both Nirvana and Samsara. The vahanas (riding animals) animals ) of Kalabhairava and Kali are the wolf, the dragon, the pan‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism ther, the owl and the bear. Their celestial satellite is the Polar Star. Their godly at‐ tendants are the deities of their mandala. The next chapters will elaborate on the description of the gods of the above, the below, and the eight cardinal directions. We will tell about the nature and the particularities of the iconography of these gods and goddesses, their mahasiddhis, siddhis, dimensions, vahanas, totems, and other speci󰁦ics. The special details nec‐ essary to know for contacting particular gods, such as mantras, spells, symbols, ob‐ jects of power, places of power, times of power, plants, metals, stones, dimensions, stones of action, ritual 󰁦lags and cloths, substances for offerings, rules of behaviour before rituals and during rituals, will not be described. First, because such infor‐ mation can be useful only for specialists in Abhichara and will be useless or even dangerous for all the rest. Second, such a detailed description wouldn’t wouldn’t 󰁦it into the compact format of this book, which we intend to stick to. In the context of this book, totems are to be understood as zoomorphic presentations of certain qualities and powers of the gods of the mandala. Mahariddhis are to be understood as the fun‐ damental, the most important mystical‐magical abilities of a certain couple of gods; riddhis – as their other magical abilities.

 ASITANGABHAIRAV  ASITANGABHAIRA VA AND NILASARASV NILASARASVATI (UGRABRAHMI) Asitangabhairava and Nilasarasvati Nilasarasvati are the expressions of the magical aspect of Kal‐ abhairava and Kali. The Indian magic inherent to Shaiva‐Shaktism is unthinkable without resorting to these gods and their powers. The magical help provided by masters of Abhichara directly depends on Asitangabhairava and his Shakti. Being the source of magical powers and sciences, they are the patrons of the sorcerers’ guild. To achieve success in practicing the Tantric path of Kali and Bhairava, the adept must gain the protection of three gods: Ganesha, Batuka and Asitangab‐ hairava. The 󰁦irst thing that catches one’s eye when resear researching ching Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava is the extreme controversy of the information about him. According to a number of  religious and Tantric sources, Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava is the dark aspect of the creator god Brahma, which is evidenced by the similarity of the attributes of both deities and the fact that the shakti of Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava is Brahmi. In the same time, according to some sources that describe the world of the Kapalikas, Asitangabhairava is the dark aspect of the preserver god Vishnu. And with that, in both cases, Asitangab‐ hairava is the manifestation of Kalabhairava. To South Indians, Asitangabhairava has a white or golden‐tinted body, body, he holds a sword, beads, a jug, a cup, and rides a swan or a goose. In North India and Nepal he is often pictured reddish or golden‐ tinted, dressed in red garments, holding a kamandal  jar, a wooden ladle for sacri‐ 󰁦ices, beads, a holy text or book, a damaru drum, a trident or a ringing staff –

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II: The deities of the Mandala

 Asitangabhairava  Asitangabhairav a and Brahmi

khakkara; showing the varada mudra (the mudra of giving), and riding a goose or, more rarely, a horse. The attributes of Brahma, along with the attributes of Shiva, are plain to see. According to some other Tantric and religious traditions referred to by Elisabeth Chalier‐Visuvalingam, Asitangabhairava has a golden‐tinted body and looks athletic, or at least well‐built. The deity holds a trident, a damaru drum, a slipknot lasso and a sword in his hands. Here is one more description of Asitangabhair Asit angabhairava: ava: Trinethram, varadam shantham, munda mala bhooshitham, Trinethram, Swetha varnam, krupa murthim, Bhairavam Kundalojjwalam, Gada kapala samyuktham, kumarsya digambaram, Banam pathrancha sankham cha aksha maalaam kundalam, Naga Yagnopaveetham cha dharinam suvibhooshitham, Brahmani shakthi sahitham, hamsaroodam suroopinam, Sarvabheeshta dharam nithyam asithangam Bhajamyaham. “I pray to the dark Bhairava who ful󰁦ills all desires... Who has three eyes... Who wears a garland of skulls, who is white, who holds a mace and a skull, Who is young and nude... who wears a snake as his sacred thread... who rides a swan with the goddess Brahmani...”

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism We can see that Asitangabhairava is described both as “dark” and as “white” in the same text. This ambiguity can be explained, like in the case of Krod‐ habhairava who is “black with hatred and 󰁦iery with rage, glowing white‐hot”. But  it is dif󰁦icult to express in iconography, since an iconographic representation of the deity is necessary for the needs of magic and mysticism. This task is to be solved in a consistent way. I will explain further how it is solved in bhairava‐kali‐abhichara. The goddess Brahmi or Brahmani, often identi󰁦ied with the t he goddesses Para and Aghora in Northern and North‐Eastern Indian Tantric traditions, is Asitangab‐ hairava’s hairava ’s shakti. She S he is pictured with a white body, holding a scroll and a diamond ak ak-shamala (beads); her other two hands are extended in the varada mudra (a gesture of giving) and abhaya mudra (a gesture of fearlessness). Also she manifests herself  as having a golden body bo dy,, four‐headed, richly adorned, ado rned, crowned with karandamukuta, holding beads, a lasso, a lotus, a sacred text, a kamandal jar, jar, a lotus, a bell and a ladle for sacri󰁦ices. She rides a swan or a goose, or, in the Nepalese tradition, a duck. Some‐ times she is depicted sitting on a lotus, mainly a red one. In fact, Asitangabhairava and Brahmi are most frequently pictured like Brahma and Sarasvati. When we plunge into the t he Tantric Tantric and religious traditions of sorcerers, so rcerers, thief  castes and bandit kulas, we come to see a picture that considerably differs from the described conceptions of Asitangabhaira Asit angabhairava va and Brahmi. We We see chtonic gods of dark blue colour, surrounded by spirits, ghosts and poisonous reptiles. Geese and white swans are gone, and their place is taken by the mediators between the worlds of the dead and the living: black swans, ravens, ravens, snakes and mice. The 󰁦irst reaction of a pro‐ fane researcher is “naturally, “naturally, in the world of criminals, everything is not like among ‘normal’ people. Of O f course, these low, vile people are poorly educated and don’t know the higher mystical mysteries. Therefore their perception is distorted and wretched”. However, there are researchers of a different mind‐set, different type of conscious‐ ness. The researchers of the second type are actually those whom the gods and the people of the nocturnal world would let in through the looking‐glass into the hidden sacred dimension of their living space. For they are able to see in the twilight and in the night. The 󰁦irst thing that occurs to the researchers of this type: “Plunging into the mystical‐magical traditions traditions of the sinister sorcerers and the dwellers of the crim‐ inal world, I 󰁦ind sober logic and ultimate rationality of these traditions. The man‐ dalas of this world are expressed with more logic than the mandalas of many ‘decent’ Tantric and religious traditions. For example, according to Dr Elisabeth Chalier‐Vi‐ suvalingam, the colours and the attributes of some of the eight bhairavas are re‐ peated in the ‘decent’ ashtabhairava mandalas. Some bhairavas in these mandalas differ in names, colours and attributes, and other bhairavas differ only in names. It  is reasonable to assume that this difference between the manifestations of  Asitangabhairava and Brahmi in the world of sorcerers and criminals and in the or‐ dinary world has some pattern in it and is based on a certain logical regularity”.

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II: The deities of the Mandala This is the way it is. Ashtabhairava mandalas of bhairava‐kali‐abhichara and the religious cults of the criminal world are logical and coherent. At least, we came across exactly such ones. All deities differ in names, colour and attributes, and no one of them repeats another one by these characteristics. Only certain aspects can be repeated due to the polymorphism and the ambiguity of the deities of the Aryan‐Dravidian pantheon. In these mandalas, Asitangabhairava’s body is of the same colour as Vishnu’s. Are there any traditional grounds for that? According to some sources, Kapalikas saw Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava as the manifestation of Vishnu. It is possible that in radical mystical and magical traditions, as well as in criminal soci‐ eties, some aspects of the cult of Kapalikas were preserved pure, while in many other traditions these aspects have undergone some metamorphoses in the course of time. There is a spiritual tradition of dacoits of the Chambal valley. Its adepts worship Asitangabhairava and wear both the Shaiva beads of rudraksha and the Vaishnava beads of tulasi. At the same time, it is unlikely that we have have any grounds to claim that these two factors (the kapalikas and the dacoits) dacoi ts) prove that Asitangab‐ hairava is connected with Vishnu, and that he is not connected with Brahma and other deities. Let us look upon the image of this manifestation of the god Bhairav Bhairavaa in the tradition of bhairava‐kali‐kaula and its Abhichara, and in the traditions of the Indian criminal world. This is how Asitangabhairava appears in these contexts: “Great is Asitangabhairava, the glorious dark Bhutaraja, the lord of darkness and black magic, male󰁦ic, necromancer whose servants are demons, evil spirits, spirits of the dead, werewolves, rodents who infect with death, and poisonous snakes. Great is the god who is like Saturn in the upper sky, indigo in the middle world, and a black snake in the lower world. The god is great with the power of his shakti”. At  󰁦irst thought it may seem that this description is opposite to the description of the ‘Brahma‐like’ ‘Brahma ‐like’ Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava popular in other traditions. What is it based upon? Let us refer to the etymology of the word ‘asitanga’ ‘asitan ga’. First of all, in Sanskrit Sa nskrit this word means ‘with limbs of dark colour’. Judging from this, the dark blue colour of  Asitangabhairava’s body is related to his name in a much more logical way than white, reddish and golden. In Indian traditions, the statue predominates over the icon, and the sound of a deity’s name and their mantra predominates over the statue. Consequently, Consequently, according to traditional logic, the image must be a represen‐ tation of the name. One can suggest a version: “Asitangabhaira “Asitangabhairava va is so dark that his colour evolves into its opposite, and therefore dark turns into white”. It can be the case; however it shouldn’t be the de󰁦ining characteristic of Asitangabhairava. As itangabhairava. There is a special form of o f the white bhairava – ‘Shvetabhairava’ ‘Shvetabhairava’. Besides, there t here is a shining black bhairava – Kalabhairava, while Asitanga is dark in the 󰁦irst place, not black. Golden, reddish and white don’t classify as dark, obviously. ‘Anga’ can be translated as ‘limb’, ‘organ’, ‘component’, ‘body’ in this context. And the word ‘asita’ can be translated as ‘dark’, ‘not constrained’, ‘black’, ‘the dark half of the crescent moon’,

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism ‘black snake’, ‘the indigo plant’, ‘intoxicating drink’, ‘poison’, ‘planet Saturn’, ‘poi‐ sonous animal’, ‘dark mantra’. Now let us once more elaborate on the ‘unorthodox’ description of Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava common for a number of mystical, magical and re‐ ligiously criminal traditions of India which was included in our previously published book “Mahakalagni Kula Tantra”: “Great is Asitangabhairava, the glorious dark Bhutaraja:: the lord of darkness and black magic, male󰁦ic necromancer whose ser‐ Bhutaraja vants are demons, evil spirits, spirits of the dead, werewolves, rodents who infect  with death, and poisonous snakes. Great is the god who is like Saturn in the upper sky, indigo in the middle world, and a black snake in the lower world. The god is great with the power of his shakti”. shakti”. In fact, this t his description is based on the meanings of the words ‘asita’, ‘asitanga’, and the manifestation of the image is, in this case, an unfolding of the aspects contained in the name of the deity. Let us consider how the given description corresponds to the descriptions typical for the other traditions. Asitangabhairava is also called ‘Bhutaraja’, which can be translated as ‘the lord of  spirits and ghosts’ and ‘the lord of entities’, ‘the lord of elements’. Here, the ‘ele‐ ments’ can be also understood as ‘pancha mahabhuta’: earth, water, 󰁦ire, air and aether.. Brahma created this universe and inhabited it with living beings. aether be ings. Asitangab‐ Asit angab‐ hairava also has these functions (as expressed in some of his attributes identical to hairava the attributes of Brahma); however he represents, above all, the grim, chthonic, wrathful aspect of Brahma. And to such s uch a degree that his body is expressed as dark: not white and not gold, but the colour of dark indigo. As well as Brahma, Asitangab‐ hairava is the father and the lord of the world and the creatures of the world. He created the world with the black magic of restriction, illusion, obsession and con‐ fusion of mind. And the inhabitants of this world correspond to his nature: they are spirits, ghosts, poisonous plants, snakes and insects, ravens, rats and mice trans‐ mitting plague: Asitanga’s children. ‘Asita’ is also the name of the fearsome god Shani, Saturn. Shani is a deva, the son of Surya and his wife Chhaya. Chhaya. He is the elder brother of the Hindu god of death, Yama. Shani rewards or makes one suffer during one’s lifetime, while Yama rewards rewards or punishes them after their death. Shani Shan i is con‐ sidered the greatest teacher. teacher. He brings many sufferings to those who follow the path of treachery and injustice. He is regarded as the greatest benefactor and the god who gives the greatest sufferings. In Hindu art, Shani is pictured dark‐skinned, dressed in black, holding a sword, arrows and two daggers, sitting on his vahana – a black raven. However, we shouldn’t identify Asitangabhairava with the god Shani who is formally located on the opposite Western side of the mandala. Asitangab‐ hairava has a mighty inner solar aspect, as he and his Shakti are the torches of  magic: glorious scholars, priests and sages. Besides, Asitangabhaira Asitangabhairava va and Brahmi are neighbours with Indra and, together with him, in the traditional perception, are givers of luck and well‐being. In fact, it turns out that Asitangabhairava in the tra‐ dition of bhaira bhairava‐kali‐a va‐kali‐abhichara bhichara is an integration of Brahma, Surya, Indra and Shani

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II: The deities of the Mandala (the latter has manifested in the East due to the secret principle of inversion of the mandala deities) that happened in the space of Shaiva Shaiva‐Shaktism. ‐Shaktism. And for the mas‐ ters of bhaira bhairava‐kali‐a va‐kali‐abhichara, bhichara, Asitangabhairava, Asitangabhairava, residing in the East of the man‐ dala, despite his twilight nature, manifests as the god of the unseen morning Sun the light of which is to shine after the morning twilight. Based on what we have found, let us consider Asitangabhairava’s wife, Brahmi. It is logical that, as Asitanga to some extent has the nature of Brahma, his consort Brahmi is the chthonic form of Sarasvati, Brahma’s wife. In some Tantric traditions, Sarasvati Sarasvati is called Vagvagishv Vagvagishvari: ari: the mistress of speech, the mistress of  mantras and spells, by means of which the great universe is formed. There exists a certain chthonic form of Sarasvati: Nilasarasvati, also known as Shyama, Ugrabrahmi, Ugrabr ahmi, Matangi. She is of dark blue colour and is identi󰁦ied with the wrathful goddess called c alled Ugratara, Ugrata ra, beloved by Tantrics Tantrics and a nd Aghoris. Aghoris . Sarasvati‐T Sarasvati‐Tara, being the goddess of sounds, mantras, spells, speech, can manifest as Nilasarasvati who is also Ugrabrahmi, Ugratara: the mistress of not only kind and beautiful words, but  also incinerating sounds, deadly words, maledictions, curses and swearing words. In some Tantric traditions, Brahmi and Asitangabhairava symbolize not only the universe of sounds but also the buddhi-tattva. This is directly related to the common qualities in the spheres of buddhi and of sound vibration. Here is one more curve of the snake of ambiguity and polymorphism of the gods of swastika: in some North‐ ern Tantric traditions, the world of sounds is governed by Krodhabhairava and his shakti Ghoramukha, the Terrible‐Faced, also called Vaishnavi or Narakalakshmi. They are related both to the world of hell and the divine fury, and to Vishnu and Lakshmi, the gods of balance, prosperity and fortune. We have already followed a certain connection between Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava and Vishnu, now this connection re‐ veals itself through the essence of Brahmi. In some criminal circles of India, the wife of Asitangabhairava, as well as the wife of Krodhabhairava, is called Lakshmi‐Alak‐ shmi. As Lakshmi, she is the goddess of fortune and prosperity; as Alakshmi, she is the goddess of misfortune, ill luck and failure. The culmination of misfortune and failure is getting into naraka, hell. Thus, fortune and misfortune, failure and pros‐ perity depend on the goddess. The same is characteristic of Shani and his shakti. The name of the consort of Shani is Niladevi, the Blue goddess. The wrathful form of the consort of the god Brahma is Nilasarasvati, the Blue Sarasvati – that is, Ugratara. Therefore, the intrinsic powers of different aspects of different deities in‐ tertwine inside the mandala of bhaira bhairavas vas and matrikas, while on the surface of the mandala each deity has their unique name and appearance. Let us consider the manifestation of Brahmi’s form in the mystical‐magical traditions of the criminal world. Her appearance is very different from the golden or white Brahmi‐Sarasvati of the popular Hinduism and some Tantric traditions. Her body is dark blue, her neck is adorned with a garland of skulls, she is dressed

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism in black, or wears tiger or antelope skin; in her hands she holds a lotus, a kapala, a sword, sometimes a spear, beads and a book. Profane people are unable to under‐ stand why a goddess of this colour and with these attributes is recognized as the goddess Brahmi or Brahmani by the adepts of some clans and jatis. As for the adepts, they are well aware that the wife of Asitangabhairava manifests herself as Ugratara, or Nilasarasvati, and therefore t herefore she is Sarasvati, Brahmi. Ugratara is a form of both Mahakali and Nilasarasvati, the shakti of the “grim Brahma”, Asitangab‐ hairava. To provide a 󰁦inal demonstration of polymorphism and ambivalence of the deities of the pantheon, we will point out the following: Rurubhairava Rurubhairava is regarded regarded a manifestation of both Rudra (Tantrics) (Tantrics) and Brahma (Kapalikas); one of the sym‐ bols of Rurubhair Rurubhairava ava is an antelope. The wife of Asitangabhairava wears wears an antelope skin, which emphasizes her kinship with both Brahma and Rudra. In the tradition of Shri Vidya, Brahmi symbolizes the concept of ‘kama’ : love, desire, altruism, lust, debauchery, unbridled passion, lechery. All this describes a manifestation of conceiving and generating the uni‐ verse, divine as well as samsaric. Brahma is the creator of the cosmos, the primal forefather, the lawyer, a learned sage and a teacher. Sarasvati is the mother of the cosmos who creates the world of mantras and spells, the goddess of wisdom and learning. Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava and Brahmi are the creators of the ghostly cosmos, the parents of its dwellers; the warlocks who weave all the spells of existence, prosper‐ ity and destruction; the lords of magic, the protectors of the beings of the chthonic world. Asitangabhairava, Asitangabhairava, or Bhutaraja (the Lord of spirits, ghosts, and phantoms), represents the world of power terrifying the profane who call this power “black magic”. However, in reality, the essence and the power of Ugrabrahmi and Asitangabhairava are not limited by “black magic”. In bhairava‐kali‐abhichara, the main function of Asitangabhairava and Ni‐ lasarasvati lasarasv ati is the creation of the drawing, according to which everything in the uni‐ verse happens. Their dimension is the world of the de󰁦ining magic, their side of the world is the East. Their mahasiddhis: they can make something appear or disappear in our world, strengthen or weak weaken en it, preserv preservee or transform it. Their siddhis: they can weave weave a spell of luck in any activity; protect from one’s enemies; create a mag‐ ical pattern of prosperity, wealth, strength and success; help to gain success in all types of magic: attack, murder, murder, bringing a person and their activities to a deadlock, curse, evil eye, jinx, hypnosis, subjection, infection, mental confusion, contact with spirits, souls of the dead, demons. Accordingly, Accordingly, they can protect from all this; elim‐ inate the negative karmic connection with the dead; ease the transition from the world of the living to the world of the dead; harmonize one’s relationships with powerful forces and provide their support in one’s life; predict the future and grant  methods of in󰁦luencing the future; protect against diseases dis eases caused by infection, poi‐ sons and black magic; remove demons and evil spirits from a person, their home

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II: The deities of the Mandala and workplace; dispel dangerous illusions and malicious ghosts; order crows and other birds not to steal from a person; to make snakes, rats and mice become friends with a person or leave their home. The negativ negativee aspect of Asitangabhair Asitangabhairava ava and Ni‐ lasarasvati lasarasv ati in a person: a mad desire to build, to act, to engage in mental masturba‐ tion; lust and mad desire to create and to give birth. The inner nature of these deities is the buddhi. In his anthropomorphic manifestation in Bhairava‐Kali‐Mandala, Asitangabhairava has a dark blue body; the aura around his head, surmounted by a crown, represents the disc of the white sun. He wears beads of rudraksha and rock crystal, a necklace of severed male heads and a necklace of precious stones around his neck. His body is adorned with a Brahmani Brahmanical cal cord of a live snake. In his hands he holds a trishula (trident) burning with a blue 󰁦lame, a damaru drum, a black magic text, and a chakram made of Saturn’s ring; his fourth hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. Asitangabhairava is dressed in black, purple, blue with orna‐ ments of gold and silver. The anthropomorphic manifestation of Nilasarasvati is dark blue; the aura around her crowned head is the disk of the white sun. Around her neck there are beads of rudraksha and rock crystal, a garland of severed human male heads, a necklace of precious stones and a snake. In her hands there are prayer beads, a sacri󰁦icial sword Rao, a kapala and a lotus; another an other hand of the goddess shows the varada mudra mudra bestowing wealth: gold and precious stones. She is dressed in black, purple, electric blue, or blue with ornaments ornament s of gold and silver s ilver.. Her secret name is Aghoramukha, “not terrible of face”. The vahanas of Asitangabhairava and Ni‐ lasarasvati are the crow, the black swan, the peacock; their totems are the spider spider,, the snake, the rat and the owl. The celestial satellite of these t hese deities is the god Surya S urya (the sun), and their neighbour satellite is the god Indra. Asitangabhairava and Ni‐ lasarasvati are the patrons of bhuts. The word ‘bhuts’ is polysemous. One of its meanings is the souls of dead people who didn’t get a material body after their death. Bhuts are sick, suffering creatures bound to wander the earth in an imma‐ terial form. ‘Bhuts’ is the most common term for ghosts. Often they are the ghosts of those who died in an unnatural unnat ural way. way. They are living the past and suffering from their memories of the past (one of the meanings of ‘Bhūta’ ‘Bhūt a’ is ‘the past time’). They can also be just the natural spirits or o r spirits of the place, not related to a dead per‐ son. They are active at night. They dwell on trees, in deserted and abandoned places, in attics, on crossroads, nobody’s territories, but they never touch the earth. They can send curses, misfortunes and illnesses upon people and cattle, ruin crops. The word ‘bhuts’ also denotes the elements that constitute the material world: ether, air, 󰁦ire, water and earth.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism

Rurubhairava and Maheshwari

RURUBHAIRAV RURUBHAIRAVA A AND AN D MAHESHV MA HESHVARI ARI (RAUDRI) According to some sources, Rurubhairava is the manifestation of Brahma in the mandala of the Kapalikas, and in some subsequent Tantric traditions he is the man‐ ifestation of Rudra. He resides in the Southeast of the mandala, as does the god of  󰁦ire Agni, as well as the planet Venus honoured honoured by the Hindus as the teacher of the Asuras – the god Shukra (Shakra, Chakra). In the microcosmic Tantric mandalas, Rurubhairava and his shakti Maheshvari are identi󰁦ied with the ahamkara (ego). In this regard, the archetype of Rurubhairava includes some of the features of Agni and Shukra, however the main qualities and characteristics of Rurubhairava Rurubhairava are the characteristics of Brahma and Rudra. Along with Rurubhairava, ‘Brahmanic’ mani‐ festations in the bhairava‐kali‐mandala are typical for Asitangabhairava and, as strange as it may sound to the profane, also for Kapalabhairava. The latter is the ‘Antibrahma’, a violator of the Brahmanic laws and the supreme criminal; in fact, the ‘Brahma’ of radical Tantrism, transgressive radical asceticism and the under‐ world. The features of Brahma are expressed in Asitangabhairav Asitangabhairavaa and Rurubhair Rurubhairava ava in different ways. ways. Asitanga created this illusory world through his black magic. As Vishnu, he sustains its existence; as Shani, he carries out the processes of retribu‐ tion; and as Shiva, he destroys destroys all that must be destroyed in this world. Located in the East, the place where the god Indra and the Sun reign, he is the dark sun of his

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II: The deities of the Mandala delusion woven world, and its supreme masculine force illuminating the world of  secret knowledge. Thus, Asitangabhairava is a warlock Brahma and a twilight  Vishnu, sometimes acting in the manner of Shani, Saturn. Rurubhairava, in his turn, is the Brahma of the primeval world of the wild nature, its progenitor and forefather, which, in fact, can also be said about Shiva Pashupati Pashupati and about Rudra through his ferocious feroci ous aspect of Lakulisha. He is like the 󰁦ire of life which can also be the 󰁦ire of  death when the life of some natural element or of some living being extinguishes the vital power of some other element of nature or creature. He can act in a cunning way like Shukra, Shukra, the guru of the Asuras. Such a cunning act is the typical provocative behaviour of Rudra causing a stream of negative energies towards the adept from the profane, which makes the adept’s bad karma pass to the profanes, and their good qualities to the adept. In the South of India, Rurubhairava is depicted as a deity of white colour, holding a sword, vessel, an antelope and an axe, riding a bull. In Himalayan India and Nepal, Rurubhairava’s body is usually ash coloured, and much less frequently green in colour; he holds in his hands the attributes of the North Indian Shiva, plus the antelope of the South Indian Shiva, and a veena – a musical instrument similar to the lute. In the Himalayan region, Rurubhairava is often portrayed as Charichikanatha who dances with his Shakti called Charichikamba on the body of  a vampire or a corpse. This is not surprising, considering that according to Tantrism and mythology, Rurubhairava is the leader of not only yogins, wild people and ani‐ mals, but also vampires. According According to the descriptions typical of a number of other Indian traditions, as evidenced by E. Chalier‐Visuvalingam, Rurubhairava has a white body decorated with ornaments of rubies (the ruby is also considered the stone of Rurubhairava in South Indian traditions); he is holding an akshamala – prayer beads, an elephant goad, a sacred text and a veena (musical instrument). The wife of Rurubhairava is the goddess Maheshvari – that is, Parvati. She is also known as Rudrani, Raudri. Maheshvari is usually depicted as a goddess of white colour, with a different number of arms in different cases, holding a trident, a damaru drum, prayer beads, a vessel of water, water, an axe, a sword, a spear s pear,, a kapala and an antelope. She is adorned with necklaces, garlands and bracelets of living snakes, her hair is gathered in a jata‐mukuta and decorated with a crescent. The goddess rides a bull, along with her god Rurubhairava. In fact, talking of Rurubhairava, we are talking about the god of the t he terrible natural forces Rudra Rudra who has the t he features of the ‘Brahma of the wild world’ — Pashupati, vehemently vehemently manifested as Agni and Marut, who can also be manifested as the dangerous sage‐trickster, Shukra. In the ancient Aryan pantheon, Rudra was one of the most powerful and respected gods of the Pantheon of the swastika. In the Rigveda, the most ancient  Dharmic Indo‐Aryan text extant, one can 󰁦ind 75 references to Rudra. With that, Rudraa is a special god. Unlike other gods, people address him not with requests to Rudr

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism give them something, but with pleas for mercy: “Do no harm neither to our children (or) grandchildren, grandchildren, nor our lifetime, nor our cows, nor horses! Do not kill, o Rudr Rudra, a, enraged, our husbands! With sacri󰁦icial libations, we always invoke you”. That is, simply put, ‘o god of cruel elements, do not kick our asses!’. asses!’. The god Rudr Rudraa was so feared that his altar was set not in the East like for all other deities, but on o n the harsh Northern side. Rudra is described as a mighty god armed with a bow and black ar‐ rows, 󰁦lying fast, bearing a scythe, accompanied by the Maruts – the deities of storm. It was thought that Rudra is responsible for the death of hunters from wild animals, for hurricanes, 󰁦ires and earthquakes. He was a deity bringing diseases, as well as the one who healed them: people addressed him with prayers prayers for health and called him ‘the owner of thousands of medicines’ medicines’,, ‘the most healing of all healers’ healers’.. The con‐ nection of Rudra with diseases and with curing them in the Puranic period was re‐ 󰁦lected in a number of epithets, such as Vaidyanath — the lord of physicians. The Rigveda repeatedly repeate dly refers to Rudra as ‘Ghora’, terrible. terribl e. This word, however, however, has an‐ an ‐ other meaning, less known: ‘perfect’; ‘󰁦lawless’; ‘beautiful’. The Rigveda also calls Rudra ‘the father of the universe’ and ‘the lord of this world’. As well as Shukra, Rudra favours favours the Asuras. The Rigveda reads: “The strength st rength of the Asuras never de‐ parts from the Lord of this great world, from Rudra!” Rudra is also the Lord of all animals; one of his names is Pashupati, Pashupata (Beast Master) – the Lord of  beasts. Rudra gave rise to the mystical‐ma mystical‐magical gical tradition of Pashupata. Pashupatas worship the divinity as Rudra Pashupati, the fearsome lord of  the elements of nature, people and beasts. Once, the god entered the dead body of  a Brahman lying on a pyre, and brought it to life. Thus, Pashupati manifested himself  on this Earth as the holy sage Lakulisha who passed to people verbal instructions and a sacred text, Pashupatasutras. Pashupata Dharma is i s meant for male Brahmans and includes four life periods. First, the adept lives near a temple of Shiva and as‐ similates himself to his deity, bringing his body and behaviour in accord with his divine archetype – Rudra Pashupati, meditating on the pentad of mantras known as the Yajurveda. Covering his body with ashes, he laughs violently, dances and sings, glorifying glorify ing his god. On the second secon d stage, the ascetic leaves the temple and lives among people, asking them for alms in the form of food. He conceals the fact that  he is an adept of Pashupati. Pretending to be a mentally ill person, a troublemak troublemaker er and a freak, he acts in a provocative manner. People, outraged by the adept’s be‐ haviour,, speak ill of him, haviour hi m, swear at him. And he forgives them for it. it . As the result, result , the bad karma of the adept and his disadvantages pass to those who scold him, while their good karma and their merits are transferred to the adept. Puri󰁦ied through such an exchange of karma, the adept enters into the third stage of the path. He dwells in some cave, forest forest hut or the t he ruins of some building, practices meditation repeating the pentad of mantras of the Yajurveda, and eats what he can 󰁦ind. The stage is completed when the adept achieves a full identi󰁦ication with Rudra and

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II: The deities of the Mandala doesn’t need the mantras any longer. On the fourth stage, the adept settles on a shmashan and lives there until his death. After A fter death, according to the will of o f Rudra, the adept gets rid of all sufferings and attains the perfections of his deity. deity. The path of Lakula Marga evolved from Pashupati Marga and represents its radical branch. An adept of the way of Lacula should live as a vagabond, wearing a necklace of human bones, wandering around the world, leaning on a khatvanga – a staff with a human skull impaled on it. He should collect alms in a bowl made of  a human skull – kapala‐patra. His sacred Brahmanical cord should be made of snake skin. He wears a loincloth; his body is covered with ashes and painted with the sym‐ bols of the deity. He can eat and drink whatever he wants as he is identi󰁦ied with Rudra, and there is nothing that is able to de󰁦ile Rudra. The adept worships Rudra as the supreme killer, killer, among other things thing s the killer of holy Brahmans. In this aspect  Rudra, or Rurubhairava, is identical with Kapalabhairava, the leader of criminals. The name Rudra is translated as ‘󰁦ierce’, ‘roaring’, ‘red’. How is the name ‘Rurubhairava’ translated? ‘Ruru’ can be translated from Sanskrit as ‘roaring’, ‘snarling’, ‘antelope’, ‘wolf’, ‘dog’, ‘wild animal’, ‘wild fruit tree’. In the version of the myth of Bhairava described in the Kanda Purana, Bhairava puts the sages to a test  by sending a beautiful prostitute Mohini to them. In reality reality,, this courtesan was the god Vishnu whom Bhairava asked asked to take this form. In this t his version of the myth, the sages gave up their ascetic practices to follow the courtesan everywhere, while Bhairava in the form of a beggar seduced their wives. Later the sages and their wives met in the woods and realized that they became victims of someone else’s tricks. The sages decided to take revenge. They brought to life a terrible tiger, and it at‐ tacked Bhairava. Bhairava. But Bhikshatana killed the tiger with one blow and wore its skin as a loincloth. Then the sages set a 󰁦ire against Bhairava, Bhairava, but it turned into a trident. Then they sent a huge antelope to defeat Bhairava, Bhairava, but Bhikshatana caught it with his left hand. The rishi attacked Bhikshatana with snakes, but he used them as or‐ naments. Then the sages summoned demons with their spells, and set them against  Bhairava. But Bhikshatana calmed them down with a single Bhairava. s ingle gesture of his hand, and they, having accepted his leadership, vowed to serve him. All the magic of the sages was powerless against Bhairava, and they agreed to follow Bhairava‐Kali‐Dharma. Since then Rurubhairava is portrayed holding an antelope in one hand. Moreover, one of his totems is a strong male antelope. In bhairava‐kali‐abhichara, Rurubhairava (or Shiva Pashupata) and his wife Maheshvari Maheshv ari (or Raudri) represent the realm of the wild nature. Their function is to rule the primeval powers of nature. Their mahasiddhis: they can grant an excep‐ tional vitality, teach the wisdom and the rites of the wild nature, help to make progress in natural sciences and to manipulate the surrounding world through it. Their siddhis: they can let natural disasters, wild beasts and diseases loose on the adept’s enemies; help the t he adept to 󰁦ind harmony with nature, to endow with health,

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism to cure sickness, to protect from destructive natural cataclysms, to successfully hunt  creatures creatur es including two‐legged and four‐legged ‘deer’; to control one’s territory on the biological level and to increase its well‐being; to defeat enemies, to gain support  of the spirits of o f nature and animal totems; to protect oneself from vampires, to make remedies and poisons, to increase fertility and to multiply crops, to stir s tir sexual de‐ sire, to seduce men for women and women for men, to increase the vital power of  the adepts, to strengthen the immunity. A love spell cast by Rurubhairava and Ma‐ heshvari heshv ari differs from a spell cast by Unmattabhairava Unmattabhairava and Mohini. The gods of the primal wild nature evoke healthy biological instincts of founding a family, family, producing children, protecting the family of misfortunes and providing for the well‐being of  the family, while the spell of Unmattabhairava and Mohini is based on the power of  mental and emotional obsession, and lust. The negative manifestations of Rurub‐ hairava haira va and Maheshvari in a person result in beastly outbursts of anger and animal lust, cause a mind‐numbing falling into Tamas, Tamas, or a tormenting separation of oneself  from the nature and the natural, healthy life. In his anthropomorphic image in the bhairava‐kali‐abhichara bhairava‐kali‐abhichara mandala, Ru‐ rubhairava rubhaira va manifests as a god with wit h a body the colour of copper co pper or caked blood: dark red, with a green tint. Around his head there is an aura of snaking lightnings. He wears prayer beads of rudraksha and a necklace of skulls of different creatures around his neck. Like Asitangabhairava, Rurubhairava wears a Brahmanical cord of live snakes. In his hands he holds an axe, an antelope, a damaru drum, another hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. Rurubhairava is dressed in a cloak of dark blue and green, he wears a skin of a wild beast around his thighs. The anthropomorphic manifestation of Maheshvari looks like this: her body is of the colour of copper or caked blood, dark red with a green tint. tint . Around her head there is an aura of snaking snaki ng lightings, her hair is 󰁦iery. Around her neck there are prayer beads of rudraksha, a garland of skulls of different creatures, a 󰁦lower garland, and a necklace of snakes. In her hands Maheshvari holds a bow, a black arrow, and a vessel; another hand shows the varada mudra. Maheshvari is dressed in green and dark blue. Her secret  name is Paramaghora, “beyond terrible”. The vahanas of this couple of deities are the ox, the snake, the green parrot and the deer; their totems are the wolf, the bear, the antelope or the deer, deer, the snake, the green parrot, the owl. Their celestial satellite is the god Shukra (Venus), their neighbouring satellite is the god Agni. The tribes favoured by by Rurubhairava and Maheshvari‐Raudri: the Asuras, spirits spirit s of nature, ve‐ talas (vampires), animals. In the pantheon of bhaira bhairava‐kali va‐kali‐mandala, ‐mandala, this god and this goddess, along with Unmattabhairava and Varahi, Aryagnibhairava and Jayā, Jayā, Aghorabhairava and Aghorā, for all their destructive power, are the most life‐af󰁦irming and healing deities. Upon analysing the mandala of bhairavas and matrikas, we can conclude

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II: The deities of the Mandala Tantric tradition that the Tantric traditio n of Bhairava and Kali, with all its wild sexuality sexualit y, intoxicants and criminal ways, is, above all, founded for those adepts whose dominating klesha out of the three basic kleshas is not raga (passion, attachment, desire) and not  avidya (ignorance, bluntness, narrow‐mindedness), but dvesha (aversion, anger, ha‐ tred). For us, the deities of death and destruction are kind healers, while the other deities of our pantheon are “even more horrifying”. But it is so only in the eyes of  strangers. Family is family, and for us our beloved gods are the most beautiful and dearest ones in the world.

CHANDABHAIRAVA AND KAUMARI (CHANDI) Chandabhairavaa and his shakti Kaumari, also known as Chandi, represent the world Chandabhairav of battle; battle󰁦ields and places of war are their realm. They are terrible, cruel, 󰁦ierce gods of war, war, great generals, strategists and soldiers, 󰁦looding the t he earth with blood and covering it with corpses, conquering wealth and defeating enemies. These deities are like mighty beasts of prey. They crush their enemies, take away their property and devour their victims. v ictims. Kaumari and Chandabhairava Chandabhairava are furious in battle. They are hot and passionate, violent, in charge of a violent viol ent force, solid as the pillars of the earth, and merciless to their foes. According to some sources, Ka‐

Chandabhairava Chandabhairav a and Chandakaumari

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Chandabhairavaa to be an angry incarnation of the sun god Surya. palikas believed Chandabhairav Some later Tantric traditions consider Chandabhairava an incarnation of Skanda, the god of war and thieves. In South India Chandabhairava Chandabhairava manifests as a god with a gold‐tinted body, holding a bow, an arrow, a kamandal vessel, and a straight sword. His vahana is a peacock devouring a snake. According to the traditions of Northern India and Nepal, Chandabhair Chandabhairava ava has a body of red colour; his vahanas are the wild boar and the peacock. In several other Indian traditions he is described as a god with a blue body, similar to the colour of the body of a peacock, holding a 󰁦ire, a spear,, a wand‐mace, and a kamandal. spear kamandal . The goddess Kumari is often o ften represented rid‐ ing a peacock crowned with a kiritamukuta, holding a spear, an axe, a battle bow, and a vessel or tray 󰁦illed with silver or gold coins. This godly couple is located in the south of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala. Their dimension is the world of war. war. According to the traditional religious mandalas of India, the South is the abode of Yama – the god of death and of the dead, of the planet Mars, of the pitars – the good ancestors, and the pishachas – the damned an‐ cestors who became demons. Everything located in the south of the mandala is re‐ lated to death and the world of the dead. Skanda, Mars, and the wrathful form of  Surya are manifestations of war and victory. Through this, the deceased ancestors – pitars and pishachas – are also related to military honour and the dishonour of  brutal killers. The son of Shiva and Parvati Skanda, also known as Kartika, also called Murugan, is the supreme commander of the army of the gods and the patron of thieves. In this he is similar to his brother, the god Ganesha. The difference is in the emphasis: Ganesha is a wise scholar, the chieftain of the army of Shiva and Shakti, the remover of obstacles and the captain of the guard of his father and mother’s temple, and a patron of gangsters and thieves. Skanda is, 󰁦irst of all, a war‐ lord, a Kshatriya, a warrior, warrior, a victorious general, and in the t he second place also al so a sage, a patron of thieves and bandits, and the captain of the guard. The name ‘Skanda’ can be translated from Sanskrit as ‘an attacking evil‐doer’. evil‐doer’. According to some myths, Skanda is a form of Agni, the god of 󰁦ire. As well as Agni and the personi󰁦ication of  the wrathful aspect of the Sun, Chandabhair Chandabhairava ava can destroy the whole world in the heat of battle. In the Tantric mandala, Chandabhairava and Kaumari represent the manas. In their negative aspect, they represent greed and can cause greed and cru‐ elty in a person. And here is the treasury of their positive aspects: they can give energy of  indescribable power, destroy competition and rivals. They can grant the triumph of dei󰁦ication, victory over enemies, appropriation of money and property, fore‐ knowledge of the outcome of the battle. They can protect one’s honour, honour, life, property and territory from enemies, to give the talents of strategy and tactics, to give the talent to rule an army and to control the 󰁦ighters. 󰁦ighters . They can consecrate weapons and strengthen their capacity, guide them precisely to their targets. They can set ene‐

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II: The deities of the Mandala mies on each other, sow dissent among people and reconcile people. They help to seize a territory and to control it; they also can help to get rid of greed. Such are their siddhis. The mahasiddhis of Chandabhair Chandabhairava ava and Kaumari are expressed like this: in battle and in war they can defeat anyone and provide provide a great triumph. The function of these deities is to create wars, to control wars, to destroy enemies at  war, to conquer and to win. Their inner nature is expressed as the manas. In the bhairava‐kali‐mandala used in Abhichara, Chandabhairava and Chandi Kaumari have their t heir speci󰁦ic anthropomorphic forms. Chandabhairava’s Chandabhairava’s body is red. The god’s head is adorned with a battle helmet that radiates an aura in the form of a blazing golden sun. Around his neck there is a garland of bloody severed heads and a necklace of precious stones, his chest is covered with plate armour, he wears a Brahmanical cord made of human intestines. Chandabhairava Chandabhairava holds a long straight sword, a shield and a spear; another hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. The god’s belt is decorated with severed human hands. Chandabhairava Chandabhairava is dressed in blue, turquoise sky blue and black robes embroidered embroidered with gold. The anthropo‐ morphic manifestation of Kaumari looks like this: her body is red, and her head topped by a battle helmet is surrounded by an aura of a blazing golden sun. On O n the neck of the goddess there is a garland of severed heads, a garland of severed ears and a necklace of precious stones. Her chest is protected by plate armour. In the hands of Kaumari there is a sword, a battle bow, a 󰁦ire arrow; another hand is ex‐ tended in the varada mudra, bestowing her adepts with gold and silver coins. The belt of the mighty goddess is decorated with the scalps of enemies. She dressed in blue, turquoise sky blue and black robes embroidered with gold. Her secret name is Ghorarupa, ‘she who has a terrible form’. The vahanas of Kaumari and Chandab‐ hairava are the boar, the winged horse, the peacock; their totems are the tiger, the wolf, the eagle and the owl. The celestial satellite of this yamala is the god Mangal (Mars); their neighbouring satellite is the t he god Yama. Yama. Chandabhairava Chandabhaira va and Kaumari are the lords lo rds of the Pishacha Pis hacha Kula. In popular lore, Pishachas, the evil and malicious demons, are the damned Pitars (ancestors) who attack people, eat them and drink their blood. According to the Brahmins and the Mahabharata, pishachas were created by Brahma, together toget her with asuras and rak rak‐‐ shasas, from the stray drops of water which fell apart from the drops out of which devas, men and gandharvas had been produced, or appeared from the universal egg. According to the Puranas, they are children of Kasyapa and his wife Pishacha (Krodhavashi, Kapishi) or are created by Brahma from his anger (“Vishnu‐Purana”). There are special spells and herbs against pishachas, for they are capable of stealing one’s soul. They dwell in places of cremation with bhuts, vetalas and yakshas. Empty houses and forgotten roads can also be their abodes. These demons move around in twilight. They are able to assume any appearance and even to become invisible. Some Indians believe that a person who happens to get a sight of pishachas will die

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism in the course of nine months, if only they don’t appease Chandabhairava Chandabhairava and Kau‐ mari with hymns in their honour and offering of gifts.

KRODHABHAIRAVA AND NARAKALAKSHMI (VAISHNAVI) Krodhabhairava and his shakti Vaishnavi, also called Narakalakshmi, represent the world of the absolute divine clarity, wrath, anger, malice, hatred, repulsion, pain and suffering. That is, in their higher manifestation they represent the world of di‐ vine light, and in their lower manifestation they represent the world of hell – Naraka. Their location on the lotus lo tus of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala is South‐W Sout h‐West. est. The function of these deities is the rage of pure divinity, divinity, formation of the world of pain, hatred, anger and repulsion; salvation from the world of pain, hatred, anger and re‐ pulsion. The mahasiddhis of this pair of deities can help to gnaw through and to burn through all the obstacles on the way to Jivanmukti, to incinerate samsara to ashes and to deify oneself, to release oneself from hell, to transform suffering suffering into harmony, pain into pleasure, anger into unwavering calm, fury into clarity. The sid‐ dhis of Vaishnavi Krodhabhairava are numerous and impressive. These deities can set pain, suffering, torment, demons, sadists, maniacs on one’s enemies; turn a living being into a sadist and maniac, into a zombie of hell, and ruin both their life and af‐

Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi

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II: The deities of the Mandala terlife; get a person hooked on uncontrollable anger or repulsion, and through it to spur them on to commit a fatal, irreparable deed; lead them to suicide with anguish and suffering; make one a victim of somebody’s anger, hatred and repulsion; save and release one from all the above mentioned; defeat one’s enemies by sending them suffering, pain and hatred; curse one’s enemies, turn them against each other and make them torture and plague each other. Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi can grant an ability to manifest oneself one self in a very intensive way way to accomplish one’s task, ta sk, to give powers to successfully solve multiple tasks and to perform numerous actions with triumph. Their negative negative manifestation in a person is delusion, obsession with rage and anger. The inner nature of these deities is the sound. In the tradition of the Kapalikas, Krodhabhairava Krodhabhai rava is a wrathful manifestation of the god Rudra. According to the later Tantric Tantric traditions, Krodhabhairav Krodhabhairavaa is a wrath‐ ful manifestation of the god Vishnu, judging by some common iconographic forms, and on that his shakti is Vaishnavi. In the south of India he appears as a god with a dark blue or pearly lead coloured body, riding an eagle, holding the attributes of  Vishnu in his hands: a mace, a battle chakram, a sea shell, and a vessel. Like Rudra, Rudra, he has the anger, the might of disasters and destruction, and the 󰁦ire. According to some Tantric traditions, Krodhabhairava’s body is of smoky colour, his gem is the pearl; he holds an axe, a long sword and a shield. In the North of India and Nepal, Krodhab‐ hairava is depicted as a god with a green body, riding an eagle, with Vaishnavi as his wife: a goddess with a green body, riding a peacock. In India, Vaishnavi is very often depicted as a goddess with beautiful eyes, with a body of dark blue or purple black colour,, holding a sea shell, a mace, a lotus, colour lot us, a sword, a bow, her hands show the abhaya mudra and the varada mudra. She is richly adorned with jewellery and a garland of  leaves, crowned with kirita mukuta, and rides the eagle Garuda. In the Tantric tradi‐ tion of Northern India, Vaishnavi’s secret name is Ghoramukhā Ghoramukh ā – ‘terrible‐faced’, which associates her with the goddess Narasimhi who has a face of a lioness and whose husband is a lion‐faced god Narasimha, a wrathful manifestation of Vishnu. Considering Krodhabhairava and his shakti, one discovers such a mon‐ strous medley of incompatible aspects that it is nowhere to go further on the path of phantasmagoria. The understanding of the transgressive nature of the deities and their wrathful nature has degraded to the level of total schizophrenia. Take for example one of the texts describing bhairavas and matrikas, considered quite au‐ thoritative among a large number of people: Trinethram, varadam, santham, kumarancha digambaram, Gadam shankam cha Chakrancha pada pathrancha dharinam, Lakshmyacha sahitham vame garu‐ dasana susthitham, Neela varnam maha devam Vande Sri Kroda Bhairavam. “I welcome the spiteful wrathful Bhairava, Bhairava, who is the great blue god with three t hree eyes, who bestows blessings, who is peaceful...”

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism The verse began with the description of Krodhabha Krodhabhairav iravaa as violent, violent , angry and spiteful, and continued with a statement that Krodhabhairava Krodhabhairava is a kind, loving god. “You are not bald, Alexander, for you have a lot of hair on your head, but you are totally bald, as there is not a single hair on your head”. It is not the divine am‐ bivalence pictured there but the degradation of o f the transgressive nature of the wor‐ ship of Bhairava and Kali, and the progression of o f fear of the gods among the th e people. People can be understood: Krodhabhairava and his infernal Narakalakshmi are so nightmarish and dangerous that people tried their best to cover them up with de‐ cent and beautiful smiling masks. Only the Kapalikas, the founders of the cult of the bhairavas and matrikas, wouldn’t be happy with that approach. app roach. Because the ‘peace‐ ful wrathful Bhairava’ Bhairava’ is nonsense, absurdity and falsehood. As a ‘non‐drinking al‐ coholic’.. Because prayers and spells coholic’ spell s will not work the way they should, and through t hrough this one can come to grief. I had to travel a lot visiting very speci󰁦ic locations to de‐ 󰁦ine the essence essenc e of Kapalabhairava and Vaishnavi‐Narakalakshmi. And here is what  we can say, say, in the words of Bhairav Bhairavaa himself: “Great is Krodhabhairava – the demon‐ god who drinks tears, who bestows sufferings, glowing hot, consuming with rage, black with anger and spite, insane with hatred, cursing, tormenting, blazing with passion, commanding the demons of hell, incinerating with fury. The god is great  by the power of his Shakti. Honour and respect to her!” Krodhabhair Krodhabhairava ava’s ’s shakti is like him, for the most appropriate name for her will be Narakalakshmi: “the goddess of the prosperity and the fortune of hell”. God help you! As we have already mentioned above, the deities of sound and realm of  sounds are on the level of the Tantric mandala of the microcosm of Krodhabhairava Krodh abhairava and Ghoramukha. According to Matrikabhairavanirnaya, they are the deities of delu‐ sions and of freedom from delusions. In the mandala, Ghoramukha and Krodhab‐ hairava are located in the Southwest. This is also the location of the god of  misfortune and suffering, Nivritti. The gods of hell can send misfortune, expose to gravest sufferings or set free from them; they can bring good luck and prosperity even in hell. They can also bestow the joys and successes that will end in a hell of  suffering. The anthropomorphic manifestation of Krodhabha Krodhabhairav iravaa in the mandala of  Abhichara looks like this: his body is bright white, smoking with grey smoke. His hair and beard are 󰁦iery, his head is topped with a crown of demonic heads scream‐ ing in pain and fury. The god’s neck is decorated with a necklace of torn out eyes, ears, noses and tongues, a necklace of burning coals and a garland of bleeding human heads. The Brahmanical cord of Krodhabhairava is woven of nerve 󰁦ibres. In his hands he holds a mace hammer, a curved knife, a vial of corrosive poison; an‐ other hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. The god’s belt is decorated with hooks attached to ropes or chains, similar to those used in slaughterhouses. According to Indian symbolism and the mythology mythology,, these tools (similar to those of the Cenobite

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II: The deities of the Mandala from the 󰁦ilm “Hellraiser”) are meant to drag sinners to naraka. They are the weapons of Yamadutas: creatures from the retinue of Yama, the god of death. The terrifying god is dressed in black, red and dark‐red robes, and a skin of a man 󰁦layed alive.. The anthropomorphic manifestation of Narakalakshmi corresponds to Krod‐ alive habhairava’s: an incandescent bright white body smoking with grey smoke, 󰁦iery 󰁦laming hair, and a crown of demonic heads screaming with rage and suffering. She wears a necklace of torn off eyes, ears, noses and tongues, a necklace of burning coals, a garland of bloody heads. The belt of o f the goddess is weaved with human guts. In her hands she holds scissors or tongs, a sword with a serpentine blade, a two‐ tailed whip with hooks on the ends. She is dressed in black, red, dark‐red and 󰁦layed human skin. The vahanas of Krodhabhairava Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi are the demon, the eagle and the blue lion; their totems are scolopendra, estuarine crocodile and a snake. The celestial satellite of this pair of deities is Rahu; their neighbouring satellite is the terrible deity Nivritti. Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi have one more aspect: they are the lords of  the Apasmara Kula. Apasmaras are the demons of ignorance, disorientation, epilepsy, seizures and convulsions. They have the forms of dwarfs. The dancing Shiva Nataraja tramples the dwarf of ignorance, spasms and convulsions of the hellish existence.

UNMATTABHAIRAVA AND VARAHI (MOHINI) Unmattabhairava Unmattabha irava residing residing in the t he West West of the bhairava‐matrika mandala mand ala is the man‐ ifestation of a wide range of aspects of Kalabhairava. However, 󰁦irst of all he is a deity of wisdom beyond reason, of the intoxication with the divine and creative creative in‐ spiration, the deity of insanity, insanity, euphoria, madness, confusion, delirium, erotic pas‐ sion and orgasm. His shakti is the goddess Varahi. Varahi. When manifested in her beautiful, erotic aspect, she is called Mohini. Their dimension is the world of freedom of con‐ sciousness, intoxication, madness and sexual s exual passion, located on the t he Western Western petal of the lotus of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala. According to several sources, the Kapa‐ likas believed Unmattabhairava to be the manifestation of Indra intoxicated with soma and the passion passi on of love. Other sources, both bot h Puranic and Tantric, Tantric, indicate indi cate that  Varahi is the consort of Varaha, one of the avatars of Vishnu. Hence, there is a ver‐ sion that Unmattabhaira Unmattabhairava va is a manifestation of Vishnu. Finally, Finally, according to other ot her sources, Varahi is the consort of the god of death Yama. Based on this version, Un‐ mattabhairava is the manifestation of Yama. At the same time, the West is the seat  of Saturn – Shani, the brother of Yama, and also the residence of the god Varuna, the god of the world’s waters, the judge, and the supreme guardian of justice. At  󰁦irst sight, we see a medley of energies, functions, and attributes inconceivable to reason. So it should be: the word “unmatta” is translated as “mad”, “crazy”, “drunk”,

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism

Unmattabhairava and Varahi

“inebriated”, “intoxicated”, “mind warped”, “mentally ill”, “lunatic”, “nightmarish”, “related to the datura plant”. plant”. However, However, we can see the general outline out line of the essence of Unmattabhairava and his Shakti. The key to this is Mahabhairava himself, Kalab‐ hairava. Let us consider the main Bhairavite myth. After Bhairava ripped off or cut  off Brahma’s head, he roamed about the world naked, with long dishevelled hair, adorned with a live snake, collecting alms in a skull bowl, accompanied by a dog, a pack of jackals or a retinue of bhuts (goblins). (go blins). The myth tells how Bhairava, Bhairava, perse‐ cuted by Brahmahatya, proceeding from stage to stage of his journey, wandered into wood oftogether Himalayan whereThese thereascetics lived the seven Rishis (the seven Vedica sages), withcedars, their wives. were sons of Brahma, the progenitors of the varna of Brahmins, the highest of the four varnas of the ancient  society. They strove for spiritual perfection performing severe ascetic tapas and keeping the sacred 󰁦ire. Bhairava came to this forest to test their faith by a violent anarchist revolt  against all orthodox principles, and also to reveal the bhairava‐kali‐dharma bhairava‐kali‐dharma to them. When he entered a village of the Rishis, he did not 󰁦ind them. The sages had gone into the woods shortly before that. Bhairava, intoxicated by many magic potions, was wild and charming. He was completely completely naked, and the ashes of burned corpses were his only garment covering all his body. Wandering around the huts of the Rishis, dancing erotically and holding his erect penis in his hand, he started asking

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II: The deities of the Mandala the wives of the Rishis for alms. Now he danced wildly and shouted, then he wan‐ dered around the dwellings of the hermits, like a beggar. They were so seduced by his naked beauty that they abandoned all shame. They rushed to him, forgetting about modesty, modesty, dying from lust. The women let their hair down, some of them t hem rolled on the ground and moved their bodies lustily even in the presence of their husbands when they returned from the forest. The ascetics didn’t recognize Bhairava who appeared in front of them com‐ pletely naked, wildly dancing and singing, holding holdin g a skull and his penis in his hands, surrounded by their wives and also goblins, jackals and dogs. Bhaira Bhairava va looked lust‐ ful and ominous at the same time. The Rishis didn’t understand that Bhairava breaks all limitations and boundaries, because he and his spiritual path are beyond all men‐ tal, aesthetic and social constraints. “What kind of an unholy father is this? Is that the way wandering wandering ascetics should look and behave?! — the Rishis were outraged, – now we’ll teach you proper manners and good sense!” sens e!” They were so angry at the mad Bhairava Bhairava that they cursed his penis with such a terrible curse that Bhairava’s Bhairava’s penis fell off immediately to the ground. But, having reached the ground, it turned into a pillar of 󰁦ire, and in the place of the old lingam there grew a new lingam. This one was also cursed, fell off  to the ground and turned into a 󰁦iery light, and there grew a huge lingam in the place of the old one again. This repeated many times. Upon seeing such a combination of inner spiritual strength with the exter‐ nal beauty of male body, the wives of the ascetics decided to leave them and to fol‐ low Bhairava. According to the Shiva Purana, as soon as the sages recognized Shiva, he gave them instructions: “The passion of the god cannot be stopped. The world shall not 󰁦ind peace until a proper receptacle is found for my sexual organ. And there is no better place for it than the yoni of the Lady of the mountain realm (Bhairavi, Parvati). When she takes hold of it, it , peace will immediately come to the t he world”. world”. Then Shiva taught the sages how to worship the lingam. “As “As long as the phallus is not in‐ stalled, there will be no peace in any of the three worlds. To appease the divine lingam, you need to build a base for it in the t he form of a vagina. After installing it there with prayers, offerings, prostrations, hymns and chants accompanied by musical instruments, you should sprinkle it with Holy water, then you should invoke the god, saying ‘You are the source of the Universe, the origin of the Universe. You are present in everything that tha t exists. The Universe is but a form of your being. being . O benev‐ olent one, calm yourself and protect the whole world”. Thus, the  pranava of the mantra of this myth is the aspect of the divinity transmitting knowledge in a transgressive manner. Along with that, the erotic aspect  is dominant in this t his myth. It is accompanied by two other aspects: intoxication and madness, and the collapse of all taboos, rules and regulations. In fact, Unmattab‐ hairava appears as the divinity manifested as a chaos god in whom wisdom and

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism madness, love passion and destruction are intertwined. A question arises: why don’t  most sources associate Unmattabhairava with the god of love and sexual passion Kama and the god of intoxication Soma? Why is Unmattabhaira Unmattabhairava va associated with Varuna, Shani, Indra and Vishnu? Let’s consider this. As Unmattabhairava is related to Kapalabhairava who has the strength of Soma, Chandra (the Moon) and Indra in‐ toxicated with soma, he manifests as Soma and Indra. Kapalabhairava Kapalabhairava and Unmat‐ tabhairava are two divine criminal aspects of the same Mahakalabhairava. Varuna is both an Asura and a Deva, the god of the t he waters of chaos and cos‐ mos, he is the keeper of rtu – the world order, ‘the world law’. Yama and Shani are brothers, and just like Varuna, they punish and bestow blessings. blessings . Chaos is a mixture of life and death. Yama Yama is the god of death, and Shani is the god of punishment and reward, the teacher of wisdom. The obscuration of mind is chaos, chao s, partial dying. dying . The knowledge of potions and their properties falls within the domain of the gods of  intoxication. The deity of madness is capable of not only being mad himself, but  also of driving others mad, and of healing from madness. To drive someone mad means plunging one into illusion, illusio n, or deceiving them. Hence, Unmattabhairava is not  only the patron of mystics and the t he father of somasiddhanta, but also the god of gam‐ blers and swindlers. Bringing a person to the ecstasy of transcendental wisdom, the fury of inspiration and overwhelming love can be also called “driving mad”. Un‐ mattabhairava mattabhaira va brings one to the ecstasy of transcendent wisdom, the fury of inspi‐ ration and the madness of love and erotic passion. Therefore he is Mahakama. In Damara Tantra and Bhuta Damara Tantra, Unmattabhairava acts as a teacher of  magic and witchcraft in the name of enlightenment, in the name of both prosperity and destruction. Thus, he appears as Asitangabhairava, Samharabhairava, Krod‐ habhairava, Rurubhairava, Yama and Shani. Here is the dialogue of Shakti and Un‐ mattabhairava from Damara Tantra: “O Lord! How can Brahma and other gods be destroyed? How can a dead man come alive, to become healthy and immortal? Bow‐ ing (to the goddess), g oddess), Unmatta Unm atta Bhairava said: I, the God Go d of Anger... Anger... Out of love for you I will reveal these mysteries... Here is a mantra... the recitation of this mantra born from the pores of Krodhabhairava Krodhabhairava is like a 󰁦lame of a lightning strike, incinerating the pramathi and sending Brahma, Indra and other gods to the Kingdom of Yama”. Now let’s consider the connection between Unmattabhairava Unmattabhairava and Vishnu. In the version of the myth of Bhairava described in the Skanda Purana, Bhairava put the sages to a test by sending them a beautiful prostitute Mohini. In fact, this courtesan was the god Vishnu whom Bhairava asked to take this form. In this ver‐ sion of the myth, the sages gave up their ascetic practice to follow the courtesan ev‐ erywhere, while Bhairava in the form of a beggar seduced their wives. Since Unmattabhairava’s shakti is Varahi, and Varahi is also the shakti of the avatar of  Vishnu called Varaha, the easiest way for Unmattabhairava to ask Vishnu to provide to him the mentioned service serv ice is to ask his wife Varahi Varahi to manifest in the form of Mo‐

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II: The deities of the Mandala hini. In the inner Tantric mandala of some Tantric traditions, Varahi is responsible for the world of touch, tactile tactil e perception. Touch is the dominant channel in sex, and an d prostitution is exploitation of sex. By the way, this is why Unmattabhairava and Varahi are protectors protectors of pimps, prostitutes, brothels and prostitution. That is, they t hey are the patrons of the areas associated with the illusion (of love) and exploitation of sex. Here is a detailed version of the t he legend of Bhairava, Mohini, the Rishis and their wives. Unmattabhairava Unmattabhairava and Mohini considered the spiritual life of the t he seven Vedic sages to be meagre, and their behaviour hypocritical. The Rishis believed themselves to be paragons of virtue and modesty, looking down on other people. Bhairava and his shakti decided to check: does the nature of the seven Rishis and their wives correspond to how they present themselves? When the Rishis went to the forest to gather 󰁦irewood, Unmattabhairava Unmattabhairava came to their village and began to seduce their wives. Very soon the wives were ready to give in to desire. Unmattab‐ hairava suggested going to a cave located in a cliff near the village of the Rishis to make love there. there. At this time, the beautiful Mohini came in contact with the Rishis themselves. themselv es. She 󰁦lirted with them, showered them with compliments, danced erot‐ ically in front of them, and said that it would be a great honour if the holy sages would give her at least a little lit tle love. The sages got excited and yielded to temptation. They expressed their de‐ sire to make love with this exquisite beauty driving them crazy with her sexual 󰁦lu‐ ids. Mohini offered the Rishis to enter the cave and to ful󰁦il their wishes there. Before that, she decided to take a bath in the forest river. The sages entered the darkness of the cave, took off their clothes and waited for Mohini. At this time, Unmattab‐ hairava haira va brought the Rishis’ wives to the cave, telling them that he was going goi ng to bathe and return to them. In the cave, the wives undressed themselves themselves and began to wait  for Unmattabhairava. Having heard the whispering of their wives in the cave, the Rishis decided that it was Mohini who came back. The wives of the Rishis heard their husbands approaching in darkness and decided that it was Bhairava. When the naked Rishis ran into their naked wives in the cave, all of them were shocked. Then they realized that Mohini and Unmattabhairava pranked them and mocked their pious arrogance. Burning with shame and embarrassment, the Vedic sages and their wives re‐evaluated themselves in a more reasonable way which was ben‐ e󰁦icial for them all. Unmattabhairava and Mohini helped the Rishis and their wives to know themselves in a more realistic way. way. After all, the spiritual path to oneself is impossible without self‐knowledge. In the tradition of Shri Vidya, Varahi particularly represents pride. Some Tantric traditions say that Unmattabhairava removes obstacles related with an over‐ in󰁦lated ego. This divine couple has truly crushed the pride of the Vedic Vedic sages and the pride of their wives. Varahi and Unmattabhairava knock people down their

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism perch by leading them astray, intoxicating them and provoking ridiculous behaviour, infecting them with lust, mocking them and putting them to shame, exposing them naked. They also use the intoxication with shaktipat and potions in order to knock the ‘bookworms’ down a peg: to show the metaphysic metaphysical al ‘bookworms’ and the reli‐ gious of󰁦icials that mental conceptions of the universe and the divinity are nothing more than mental conceptions, not the reality reality.. In the conservative Indian society, Unmattabhairava and Varahi sanctify sexual and substance‐induced ecstasy; sanctify extramarital affairs in the name of  the divine harmony: that is, they help to go beyond the rigid constraints con straints of the mind and to calm the demon of the unsatis󰁦ied libido. Like Rurubhairav Rurubhairavaa and Raudri, Un‐ mattabhairava and Varahi can enhance sexuality and fertility, and grant the birth of children to the adepts. Unmattabhairava and his shakti Varahi represent the di‐ vine world beyond the rigid framework of mind, the world of erotic, sexual ecstasy, divine intoxication, intoxication with divinity, drunken revelry, drug intoxication, insanity and madness, deception and delusion, drug addiction and alcoholism. Ac‐ cordinglyy, they can help to get rid of all this and protect against it; to give a mystical cordingl and poetic insight and inspiration; to deceive one’s enemy or victim; to deprive the enemy of reason; to drive one mad; to get one hooked on drugs or alcohol; to de‐ stroy the enemy’s health and life through this. They can help to make and sell psy‐ choactive potions; to 󰁦ind or to grow psychedelic mushrooms and plants; to help with the mastery of shamanic trance and possession by deities; to transport magic potions; they can cure madness, drug and alcohol abuse; strengthen the positive in󰁦luence of magical substances in the name of healing, spiritualization and dei󰁦i‐ cation; to subdue the insane; to deify oneself. They can help lovers to avoid punish‐ ment from the cheated spouses and can help the cheated spouses to uncover love affairs. They can help women to bewitch men, causing sexual desire in them, and help men to charm women. They can enhance sexual pleasure, intensify orgasms and to make them multiple and long lasting. To gain help from Varahi and Unmat‐ tabhairava, one should know the meditative ceremonies devoted to them, including the sequence of stages and all the details of the mystical‐magical liturgy, liturgy, or to con‐ tact a master of Abhichara who is a priest of the cult of Bhairava and Kali that in‐ cludes the worship of the mandala of the eight matrikas and bhaira bhairavas. vas. Varahi is usually depicted with a wild sow head; in her hands she usually holds a danda staff, a lightning, light ning, a sword, a goad, a plough, a vessel, a bell, a chakram, a battle bow, a tail of a yak. Her vahana is the sheep or the buffalo. Her head is topped with a karanda mukuta. The sow and the pig are an embodiment of exuber exuber‐‐ ant sexual power and of a total immersion in intoxication (‘to get pig‐drunk, swine‐ drunk’). The Varahi Tantra mentions 󰁦ive forms of Varahi: Svapna Varahi, Chanda Varahi, Var ahi, Mahi Varahi (Bhairavi), Kriccha Kri ccha Varahi and Matsya Varahi. Varahi. She is also called cal led Panchami because she represents 󰁦ive aspects of divinity: Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra,

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II: The deities of the Mandala Ishvara and Sadashiva. In some tantric traditions Varahi bears the name of BhimA, the ‘Terrible and Magni󰁦icent’. Another form of Varahi is Chaitanyabhairavi. She moves in a chariot drawn by boars. She lives in the Ocean of sugarcane juice (Ikshu – one of the four oceans that surround the Mother Goddess), reigning on the Island of Nine Gems. She has two hands, she sits s its in lalitasana, and she has a wild sow head and a body of a divine woman. In her right hand Chaitanyabhairavi Chaitanyabhairavi holds a 󰁦ish, in the left hand a kapala. The big belly of Varahi contains the universe (Bhugarbha Parameshvari Jagaddhatri). In South Indian tradition, Unmattabhairav Unmattabhairavaa is depicted mounted on a white horse or standing next to the white horse. His hair is adorned with a crescent; his body is of golden colour colour.. In his hands he holds a sword, a shield, a staff and a vessel with intoxicating substances. According to some other sources, Unmattabhairava’s Unmattabhairava’s vahana is not a horse but a swan, and he holds not no t a staff but a pestle pestl e for the mortar for making intoxicating potions. There is some logic in it, as the pestle symbolizes the phallus and the making of the intoxicant at the same time. The white horse is a symbol of obsession with intoxication and with anger, anger, as well a symbol of the win‐ ner. Concerning the swan, I haven’t found any arguments to explain this variant of  vahana except one: the swan doesn’t get wet from water or dirty from mud, just j ust like a divine adept doesn’t degenerate from violation of taboos, doesn’t become an al‐ coholic and a drug addict from intoxicants, doesn’t get corrupted from wild sex and doesn’t damage their karma from fraud, pimping and prostitution. prosti tution. Such are the sid‐ dhis of this pair of deities. Their mahasiddhis mahasid dhis are: Unmattabhairava and Mohini can bring the mind beyond the restricting limits; endow with divine inspiration and the delights of divine love; grant the power of love; grant the power to set free, to awaken, to limit and to control. When they manifest negatively in a person, there appears excessive pride, stupidity, insanity, naivety, addiction to psychoactive sub‐ stances, enslavement with the passion of love and sex. E. Chalier‐Visuvalingam, based on her sources, describes Unmattabhairava Unmatt abhairava like this: his body is white, in his hands there is a vessel, a mace with iron spikes, a shield and a bhindipala (a kind of missile weapon). In the traditions of Nepal and Indian Himalayas Unmattabhairava is always naked and his large penis is always erect. Unmattabhairava has a blue body; he stands on a serpent symbolizing the Kundalini, holding a khatvanga and a chakram. He is the embodiment embodi ment of the archaic Lakulisha, of the world of sexual yoga and Kaulism. There is an opinion that in Va‐ jrayana Unmattabhairava corresponds to Chakrasamvara, and Varahi to the goddess Vajravarahi. There are more rare forms of Unmattabhairava: green and red. Green symbolizes the paradoxical nature and magical potions, the red – the heat of love, passion and masculine power. Sometimes Unmattabhairava is pictured yellow, but  this expresses the golden colour as a rule. The most common are the colours able to clearly symbolize sexual madness or sexual attraction.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism In bhairava‐kali‐abhichara, Unmattabhairava manifests as a god with a golden body. His hair is decorated with a young crescent and the 󰁦lowers of datura. Around his neck he wears prayer beads of rudraksha, a necklace of precious stones and a necklace of magic mushrooms. His Brahmanical cord is made of hemp. Un‐ mattabhairava mattabhaira va is naked, and his huge lingam is permanently erect. In the hands of  the magni󰁦icent god there is a chillum (a pipe for smoking cannabis), a shield which is also a frame drum, a mace which is also a pestle for the mortar and a stick for the drum at the same time; another hand of Unmattabhairava is raised in the abhaya mudra. Varahi in Abhichara is manifested as Mohini: a gorgeous, charming goddess provoking desire, with a beautiful face and a golden body. On her head there is a golden crown decorated with a golden sow face and precious stones. On her neck Mohini wears prayer beads of gems, a garland of 󰁦lowers and a garland of magic mushrooms. In her hands there is a bell, a kapala with intoxicants, a sword; another hand of the goddess shows the varada mudra. Varahi is dressed in red, purple, violet, white, and green. The vahanas of this pair of deities are the white horse, the sheep, the buf‐ falo; their totems are the boar, the spider, the peacock, the swan. Their heavenly satellite is the god Shani (Saturn), their neighbouring satellite is Varuna. Unmat‐ tabhairava and Varahi are the leaders of the Brahmarakshasa Kula. Brahmarak‐ shasas are the spirits of Brahmins, the dead scholars who have done evil in their life or have misused their knowledge. They are mighty and dangerous creatures, they are still very powerful and can bestow gold and money mon ey.. They have the qualities of both Brahmins and Rakshasas.

Kapalabhairava Kapalabhair ava and Aindri

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II: The deities of the Mandala KAPALABHAIRAVA AND INDRANI (CHANDAKAPALINI) The god Kalabhaira Kalabhairava va and the goddess Indrani (Aindri, Chandakapalini Chandakapalini,, Mahendri) reside on the Northwestern petal of the lotus of the Abhichara mandala. Their di‐ mension is the world of crime, transition, transformation. Their function is trans‐ gression, crime, breaking of stagnation; freedom, merging, transmutation. Kapalabhairava Kapalabhair ava is the manifestation of the criminal aspect of Kalabhaira Kalabhairava. va. In tra‐ ditional Hinduism he paradoxically turns out to be the guardian of the Northwest. In some Tantric Tantric traditions, this description of Kapalabhairava and his shakti Indrani also includes the aspect of personi󰁦ication of visual perception, so he can also be called Rupabhairava or Agnibhairava, Jyotibhairava. Kalabhairava’s shakti is Aindri, Ai ndri, also known as Indrani, Mahendri and Chandakapalini. Thus it is revealed that Ka‐ palabhairava is the god Indra: the impetuous chief of young Aryan warriors attack‐ ing different tribes and stealing their cattle, who loves to get drunk on sura. Both Bhairava and Indra are masters of theft, robbery, banditry, blackmail, fraud, gam‐ bling and transportation of stolen goods. This is evidenced by the Vedas, sacred myths and legends. In the south of India, Kapalabhairava Kapalabhairava is most often depicted as a handsome young man mounted on an elephant, holding a vajra lightning, a 󰁦laming sword, a cup and a lasso. His gem is the diamond – that is, vajra, the lightning of  Indra. In some Indian traditions widespread across the whole country, Kapalab‐ hairava appears as a god with a golden‐coloured body holding a mace with iron spikes, a cup, a round shield and a spear. In the far north of India and in Nepal Ka‐ palabhairava appears as a god with a ruby‐red coloured body. Among the objects that he holds in his hands there is a goad for handling elephants, and a 󰁦ish which is a symbol of the mahasiddha Matsyendranath, Matsyendranath, the founder of the tradition of the Kaulas and the Nathas. The relation between Kapalabhairava Kapalabhairava and Indra is con󰁦irmed by his attributes, his conduct, conduct , his elephant vahana, and the appearance of his shakti. Aindri, also known as Indrani, Mahendri, Shachi and Vajri, Vajri, and also as Bhishani in some Northern non‐dual Tantric Tantric traditions, rides an elephant and has from two to a thousand eyes like Indra. Aindri has a dusky body, and usually is depicted with two, three or thousands of eyes, just like Indra. She wields a vajra lightning and a lasso; she also holds an elephant goad and a lotus, in some cases growing from the kapala bowl. In Nepal, Indrani is sometimes portrayed with a pink coloured body. As mentioned before, in some Tantric Tantric traditions Indrani represents vision and the world of images: the divine vision in the aspect of nirvana, delusion in general and jealousy in particular in the samsaric aspect. In other words, she can both illuminate the truth and mislead. misl ead. We can see that Kapalabhairava and Aindri, like many deities of the Indo‐Aryan pantheon, are ambivalent deities that can manifest themselves under the dharmic laws, or in an adharmic way, or transgressing the dharmic laws. Kapalabhairava, Kapalabhaira va, who cut off the head of Brahma the creator god, represents the realm of spiritual transgression and crime. He and his Shakti Shakt i Mahendri can help

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism to gain the Jivanmu Jivanmukti, kti, the divinity in radical ways, to overcome any limits, restric‐ tions, to break free from chains, to achieve happiness in unknown ways. Such are their mahasiddhis. The siddhis of Kapalabhairava Kapalabhairava and Indrani‐Mahendri can protect  from problems on the path of radical transgressive mysticism; help to overcome the restrictions of karma; to deify transgression and crime; to overthr overthrow ow the gov‐ ernment; to crush dogmas and authorities; they can bestow success in all types of  crime: fraud, extortion, racketeering, theft, banditry, robbery, looting, smuggling, counterfeiting, drug traf󰁦icking, murder, prostitution and tax evasion, and they can protect against all types of crime. This couple of deities protects and supports pris‐ oners, and also they help to break barren or hindering relations, processes and obli‐ gations. When they manifest negatively in a person, there appears a tendency to envy, to excessive destruction and to achieving the desired even at a wrong price. Basically, Bhairava Bhairava represents the t he element of 󰁦ire. However, However, since Kapalab‐ Kap alab‐ hairavaa is the lord hairav lo rd and the guardian of the t he North‐West North‐West like the god go d of the wind Vayu, he is often identi󰁦ied with Vayu Vayu which is typical t ypical in particular for Nepal. According to several sources, the Kapalikas identi󰁦ied Kapalabhairava with the moon god, Soma. The moon is the guardian of the North‐West, as well as the wind. At the same time, in the Tantric tradition of Pichumata, Yamala Kapalabhairava dwells not on the periphery of the Tantric mandala but in its centre. In this case he is called Ka‐ palishabhairava, the lord of the skull, and is associated not only with Indra, but 󰁦irst  of all with Kalabhairava. In Brahma Yamala Tantra, the shakti of Kapalishi is called not Indrani but Raktachamunda (Bloody Chamunda) and Chandakapalini (the 󰁦ierce mistress of the skull). In sever several al tantric, magical and religious traditions practised in criminal clans and an d castes, such merging of Kalabhairava with Kapalabhairava Kapalabhairava and of Indrani with Kali is expressed in multiple manifestations of the transgressive god and his shakti. It is associated with such a form of Bhairava as Bhikshatanamurti (“the barefoot tramp”), and especially with such form as Kankalamurti (“Bhairava the skeleton”, skeleton”, or “Bhairava “Bhai rava who carries a skeleton”). In I n this form Bhairava B hairava has mon‐ ster fangs, and either pierces a warrior with a spear, or is depicted as already car‐ rying a corpse or a skeleton of a warrior on his shoulder. shoulder. In both cases, he is either naked or wearing a tiger or elephant skin, s kin, a garland of human skulls, skulls , snakes around his neck and hands; his skin is grey, grey, dark blue or sometimes gold, orange or blood‐ red, and he has monster fangs. His hair is tied in jata‐mukuta. The right side of his head is adorned with wit h a crescent, the t he left side – with wi th a datura 󰁦lower. 󰁦lower. When the crim‐ inal, thuggish aspect of Kapalabhairava is emphasized, he may be depicted with loose hair and moustache and sometimes beard. Kalabhairava is accompanied by the wives of the Vedic sages, women in love with him and full of sexual desire, and various chtonic creatures forming a gangster band – the retinue of Kapalabhairava. Kalabhairava is the god of time, the source of Tantric and religious mysti‐ cal‐magical teachings and the father of the underworld. His body is black. In one

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II: The deities of the Mandala hand he holds a khatvanga or a sword, in the other hand he holds the head of  Brahma by the hair, blood is dripping from his head. The blood is greedily licked by Bhairava’s wolf (or dog, according to another version). He continues expressing the holy dharma of the mystical‐magical criminal underworld becoming Kapalab‐ hairava, the one with a skull, and then manifesting himself as Kankalamurti. This form of Kapalabhairava Kapalabhairava includes a number of manifestations that differ from each other in the accentuation of their expression. Among them, there is a mystical man‐ ifestation, a criminal manifestation, and a manifestation where both aspects are equally expressed. One of the anthropomorphic manifestations of the latter type has a black, grey or golden body adorned with snakes, golden bracelets and prayer beads of rudraksha, diamonds and bones. Kapalabhairava wears wears a tiger skin and a blood‐red cloak with a black underside. Sometimes So metimes he wears a black‐red‐gold lungi. He holds a mace, a sword, a spear with a corpse impaled on it, a kapala bowl, a money bag, and a shield. His shakti is manifested as Indrani, Dakshinakali and Chan‐ dakapalini; her appearance corresponds corresponds to her manifestation. The shakti of Kapal‐ abhairava expresses luxury and asceticism, militancy and quiet contemplative wisdom at the same time. On her shoulder there sits uluka – an owl, which unites her with the goddess go ddess of luck and prosperity prosperity,, Lakshmi, and some manifestations of  Chamunda, Kali. The image of Kankalamurti illustrates an important episode in Bhairava’s Bhairava’s wanderings. After demonstrating his godly might to the Vedic sages, he gave them some doctrines and practices of the bhairava‐kali‐dharma. bhairava‐kali‐dharma. He suggested transfer‐ ring some of these doctrines and practices to the sages through their wives, for the sake of increasing the shaktipat (the godly power) of this knowledge transfer. Ac‐ cording to Bhairava’s design, to make the shaktipat most powerful, the doctrines and practices should be brought to the dwelling of the goddess of fortune and pros‐ perity, Lakshmi. Bhairava and the wives of the sages ascended to the world of  Vishnu and Lakshmi, and appeared before their temple chambers. However, the guards of the palace led by the mighty Brahman warrior Vivaksena didn’t see Bhairava Bhaira va as a god, and besides a god friendly to Vishnu, and refused to let Bhairava and his companions in. In the next instant, Bhairava, enraged, enraged, killed Vivaksena on the spot, after which he slaughtered slaughtered all the guards of the palace of Vishnu and Lak‐ shmi. Followed by the wives of the sages, he broke into the palace, causing havoc and spreading terror. When Bhairava saw Vishnu and Lakshmi, he told them that  he was extremely extremely insulted with such disrespect and haughtiness of his friend Vishnu who had desecrated friendship and violated the sacred law of o f hospitality. Bhairava’s Bhairava’s fury could burn down the realm of Vishnu Vis hnu and Lakshmi. They tried to calm Bhairava offering their apologies and any gift of his choosing. The guest said that he desired blood. Vishnu and Lakshmi sacri󰁦iced to Bhairava Bhairava the blood of all the animals that  lived around the palace. But all this blood b lood covered only the bottom of Bhairava’s ka‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism pala. To satisfy the guest, Vishnu started several wars, and offered to Bhairava all the blood of those who fell in battle. But Bhaira Bhairava va’s ’s kapala has not even been 󰁦illed to a quarter. quarter. The situation situati on was heated up to the limit. Vishnu, V ishnu, willing to do whatever it would take in order to avoid the deadly wrath of Bhairava, cut his forehead and drained his blood into the kapala. When the kapala was half full, Bhairava drank drank all the blood, calmed down and forga forgave ve Vishnu and Lakshmi. After successfully 󰁦inishing the mission of his journey, Bhairava and the wives of the sages came back into the woods of o f Himalayan cedars. Upon leaving leavin g the world of Lakshmi and Vishnu, Bhaira Bhairava va brought along the corpse of Vivaksena and took it to the human world. The Rishis, when they saw the corpse and learned that  Bhairava was going to eat Vivaksena’s 󰁦lesh with alcohol and other intoxicants at  dinner with them and their wives, were extremely surprised and scared. But  Bhairava explained to them that there are radical spiritual teachings and practices that make this kind of food and drink spiritual, and such food and drinks, in turn, bene󰁦it the adepts on their spiritual path and bring them closer to dei󰁦ication. Bhairava Bhaira va gave these doctrines and practices to the sages and their wives, and then taught the adepts how to make bowls, horns, and other ritual objects from the bones, skin and hair of the dead. The sages lost any point in performing their pre‐ vious rituals and ascetic practices, and thus they became free from the restrictions that bound them. Severing the head of the Creator God, killing and eating the guard in the house of the god, Bhairava broke through all the limits and chains of both dharma and adharma. After that, Kapalabhairava tricked his enemies and the karma, performed many heroic deeds and gained the supreme spiritual triumph. He demonstrated the power and principles of the transgressive dharma of the crim‐ inal world. The insurgent anarchism of Bhairava is an untameable manifestation of his in󰁦inite divine freedom and his supremacy over any causality. causality. His holiness is so in‐ tense and transcendent that it reaches the point of transition to its opposite. That  is why limited minds may perceive it as unrighteous behaviour and blasphemy. Bhairava is the carrier of his special spiritual law, perceived by the profane as a monstrous iniquity. Mystic philosophers, such as the great Abhinavagupta (X‐XI cc) who carried out a remarkable synthesis of Hindu culture, have identi󰁦ied themselves with the supreme Bhairava through Tantric practices, including the violation of the Brahmanic standards. As mentioned above, Kalabhairava and Kali in the form of  Kapalabhairavaa and Chandakapalini favour mystics, swindlers, gamblers, extortion‐ Kapalabhairav extorti on‐ ists, robbers, thieves, murderers, traders and carriers of forbidden goods, pimps, holders of brothels and underground gambling houses. They can help the adepts to advance in the hierarchy hierarchy of the criminal world; they support prisoners. prisoners . They help in any risky business; save from prosecution by the police and government; destroy the of󰁦icial magic. They bestow with great criminal power and luck, ensure impunity,

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II: The deities of the Mandala prompt cunning and clever moves; they are experts in striking and deceiving; they help in court; they can contribute to success in any criminal cases and in various shady businesses, assist in carrying out justice and rev revenge. enge. Stella Kramrisch, an art historian and an author of several books on Indian culture, says: “No contradictions were adequate and no single iconographic icono graphic likeness suf󰁦iced to render the total, tremendous mystery of Bhairava. The furthest outreach of contradictory qualities was was gathered in the intensity of the myth, and split in the variety of images in bronze and stone”. A great researcher of the cult of Bhairava, Elizabeth Chalier‐Visuvalingam writes in one of her works: “The fusion of beauty and horror in Shaiva religion is indeed related to the reconciliation of life and death. deat h. It was this fusion of contradictory values that seemed to have facilitated the con‐ vergence of two complementary movements within Hindu society: a) the path of  radical Brahmins who saw the Ultimate Truth in transgressing the foundations of  Brahmanical orthodoxy, and b) the path of the outsiders (even non‐Hindu), who nevertheless conformed to the models prescribed by the Brahmanical law‐books, however decided to do it in their own manner”. E. Chalier‐Visuvalingam acknowl‐ edges that “because of his transgressive essence and his wild, wandering character, Bhairava has been instrumental, through his heretic, outcaste, even criminal adepts, Bhairava in the Hinduization of local pastoral and tribal divinities, who gradually gradually came to be identi󰁦ied with one or the other of his varied forms... As a result, Bhairava has often two wives, the legal one coming from the settled agricultural or merchant upper‐ caste culture, and the mistress, also the favorite, favorite, coming from the hunting or gath‐ ering tribal community and retaining all her savage associations”. To resort to the powers of Kapalabhairava, Raktachamunda, Kali and Ain‐ dri, one has to be initiated and adopted into the family of these deities, to establish a proper contact with them, to be able to understand what they say to the adept, to know what items, drinks and dishes should be sacri󰁦iced to these deities. One should know the ritual of offerings which includes the correct sequence of actions, the choice of the right time and place, proper ingredients, gifts and talismans; a proper design of the temple  garbhi or sacri󰁦icial altar, altar, appropriate mantras in Sanskrit, shabar  mantras and spells. The alternative to immersion into the lives of these deities is asking a priest of this cult to help in contacting the deities and receiving the desired support and assistance from Kapalabhairava Kapalabhairava and his great Shakti. In the Abhichara mandala Kapalabhairava manifests as a god with a smoky mirror‐like body, like mercury or hematite. His head, surrounded with a shining moon aura and decorated with with a crescent, is topped with a turban turban made of hair‐ snakes – ‘sarpa-mauli’  or agni-kesha. The ears of the criminal god are decorated with earrings made of gold or snakes. Around his neck there is a garland of heads, a garland of bones and a necklace of precious stones. His Brahmanical cord is made of live snakes. In his hands Kapalabhair Kapalabhairava ava holds a sword, a spear with a skull and

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism a corpse impaled on it, and an elephant goad; another hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. Kapalabhairava’s body is decorated with gold bracelets with precious stones. He is dressed in a tiger skin and a blood‐red cloak with a black underside, decorated with gold and silver. Sometimes he wears a black‐red‐gold lungi with a silver ornament. His shakti Indrani appears in Abchichara mandala as a goddess with a smoky mirror‐like body. Her head surrounded with a shining moon aura, is topped with an agni-kesha and decorated with a crescent. The goddess wears a gar‐ land of male severed heads, a necklace of precious stones and a live snake coiled around her neck. An owl sits on the shoulder of Chandakapalini. In her hands, the goddess holds a vajra, a lasso, a kapala 󰁦illed 󰁦ill ed with money and jewels; her other hand is extended in the varada mudra. The goddess of the criminal world is dressed in red, black and gold with silver ornaments. Her secret name is BhishanA, ‘the Terri‐ ble’. The vahanas of this t his couple of deities are the elephant, the wolf, the dog; their totems are the wolf, wolf , the panther panth er,, the bear, bear, the owl, the octopus, o ctopus, the t he rat, the monkey mo nkey.. Their celestial satellite is the god Chandra (Moon). Their neighbouring satellite is the God Vayu. Chandakapalini and Kapalabhairava favour the kulas of the rejected and the oppressed by the formal society. Among them, there are radical ‘left hand path’ mystics, criminals, members of the lower castes and the untouchables.

BHISHANABHAIRAVA AND CHAMUNDA (HASTI) Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhair ava and Chamunda (Hasti, Vama) reside on the North side of the Ab‐ hichara mandala. Their dimension is the world of horror, fear and terror. The func‐ tion of these deities is to terrify and to rule through this, to set free from nightmares, nightmares, and through this to lead to divinity and harmony. According to several sources, the Kapalikas believed them to be a manifestation of the god Yama and the goddess Iamia, the lords of the underworld, ‘the king and the queen of death and justice’. The same is said in the Varaha Purana. According to some Tantric and religious tra‐ ditions, Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda are terrible manifestations of Shiva and Shakti. Since Vedic times, the altars of Rudra‐Shiva were placed not in the east like the altars of the other deities of the pantheon of the swastika, but in the north as‐ sociated with a harsh climate. This was so because of the terrible, deadly nature of  Rudra and Raudri who manifested themselves in harsh and dangerous natural phe‐ nomena. Due to this, t his, there are no radical differences between bet ween this couple and Yama with his Shakti, except that originally Yama was a mortal man, and these gods, though took mortal forms from time to time, were gods at that time. Now let us consider the apparently contradictory pattern of the divine powers: in common traditional mandalas, the god Yama dwells in the South, his wife’s name is also Varahi, while in some tantric mandalas Varahi is the consort of 

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II: The deities of the Mandala

Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairav a and Chamunda

Unmattabhairava and resides with him on the west side of the mandala. The syn‐ thetic comprehension of the Kaula pictures the situation in the following way: Rudra and Rudri appear as Yama and his Shakti. Unmattabhairava, among other things, symbolizes the confusion and ruin of mind, thereby manifesting as Yama and his wife Varahi, which is con󰁦irmed by the fact that the Unmattabhairava’s wife is also Varahi. In addition, in some of the religious mandalas of India, on the Northern side there dwells the god Buddha embodied by the planet Mercury, and this side is guarded by the god of wealth Kubera. All this is bound to affect the mandala of  bhairavas bhaira vas and matrikas. Further on, we will show how it happens. But 󰁦irst we will touch upon the main features of Bhishanabhairava and his Shakti: his intrinsic power and its microcosmic and macrocosmic expression. According to some Tantric Tantric sources, these gods manifest as the deities of taste and liquid‐like manifestations of energy, as the waters in particular; and also as the deities of horror and terror. Here is how Bhishanabhairava is seen by the adepts of some criminal and radical mystical traditions: traditio ns: ‘Great is Bhishana Bhis hana Bhairava – the fearsome, whose name is Ter‐ ror,, from whom they run to escape and save themselves. He is the ror t he awe‐striking god, go d, an ominous, creepy, gruesome monster, inspiring horror, frightening; he is the one who evokes anxiety and strong fear, the god whose appearance causes shock, de‐ spair and insanity, the nightmarish, the overwhelming, overwhelming, the monstrous, killing with

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism horror. The god is great by the power of his shakti’. In fact, here we can see the un‐ folding of the meanings contained in the Sanskrit word ‘bhishana’. This explains why people resort to Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda in order to defeat their fears, and also to gain success in racketeering, extortion, terror and blackmail. The god of wealth Kubera Kubera is located in the North, and the power of Chamunda and Bhishan‐ abhairava is related to him: they accumulate wealth by racketeering. The planet  Mercury – the god Budha – is also located in the North. Mercury is associated with the Tantric Tantric traditions of inner alchemy, alchemy, wisdom and learning, learning , with theft, with trans‐ gression, with chemistry, with wandering and good trade. Fusing different things together and sorting everything out is the function of Mercury. Mercury. Besides, Budha be‐ stows success in the art of speech. This is all very consistent with the dharma of  Shiva and Shakti, especially in its Tantric aspect, and other transgressive aspects. Intelligence, cunning, knowledge, and metamorphosis on the one hand, and threat‐ ening with death, damage and loss on the other hand, are the keys to success and gaining of wealth in compliance with the dharma of Chamunda and Bhishanab‐ hairava. People favoured by these deities are able to turn things over in their mind and arrange everything everything in such a way that it is dif󰁦icult to refuse their offers. Due to their nature, Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda can help their adepts to follow the most radical Tantric dharmas. Also, having the spiritual aspects of Rudra‐Raudri and the judicial aspects of Yama‐Varahi, they can spiritualize extortion and black‐ mail with the fact that the adepts adept s follow the rules of universal harmony. harmony. Considering that Varahi Varahi also manifests as the goddess of erotic passion, the deities 󰁦ill the prac‐ tices of extortion and blackmail with love. As for those who are not adepts, they may be intimidated by Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda, driven insane with terror and fear, fear, and deprived of their material values. In the negative n egative manifestation of their power,, Chamunda and Bhishana represent sinking into adharma, and they can bring power non‐adept thieves, racketeers, terrorists and extortionists to accumulation of a bur‐ den of a very bad karma with sad consequences. The conclusion conclusi on is clear: if you want  to rob, to extort, to collect tribute successfully, providing for spiritual growth and prosperity and not accumulating sins that lead to the misery and suffering – you have no other choice but to walk the spiritual path of Bhishanabhairava and Chamundi. The mahariddhis of these deities can make a person fearless, give them courage, con󰁦idence and bring brin g to dei󰁦ication; they can breed horror, horror, control through fear and terror, achieve their goals through terror and blackmail, set free from fear, and neutralize terror and blackmail. The riddhis of these deities can drive one in‐ sane through fear, kill by fright, poison one’s life with fear, paranoia, anxiety, and concern; cause nightmares, turning one’s o ne’s life into one long extended nightmare. Ac‐ cordingly, they can save from all these disasters, help in the matter of extortion and blackmail: intimidate victims and force them to ful󰁦il all the terms of the t he blackmailer to gain political bene󰁦its, money and other material values; intimidate enemies,

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II: The deities of the Mandala 󰁦i ll banditry, terrorism breaking their minds and paralysing their will; 󰁦ill terrorism and extortion with love, harmony, harmony, and fearlessness; they t hey can spiritualize the life li fe of a psychologist, psychiatrist, creator of horror 󰁦ilms. They can spiritualize the life of a bandit, gang‐ ster or blackmailer, enrich people of these professions; they can ruin the lives of  those who commit robbery, robbery, extortion, terrorism and blackmail, not being the adepts of the cult of Chamunda and Bhishanabhairava; Bhishanabhairava; they can help to gain courage, con‐ 󰁦idence and divinity; they can annihilate evil spirits and negativ negativee in󰁦luences of any kind. Chamunda and Bhishanabhairava are destroyers of delusions, ignorance and evil tendencies in man, as well as those who cause and maintain all this. t his. Their neg‐ ative manifestations manifestations in a person are: adherence to the path of adharma; the desire to subdue and to in󰁦luence only by threats and intimidation; cowardice. We must say a few words about the degeneration of the transgressive na‐ ture of the cult of Chamunda and Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairava in modern India. On some im‐ ages of South Indian traditions, Bhishanabhairava doesn’t look very fearsome: a kind effeminate face, a trident or a curved sword sword in his hands, a lotus 󰁦lower and a kamandal vessel… The horror horror,, apparently, apparently, must be impersonated by the lion vahana and the skin colour of the ‘damned white man’ – a Caucasian. Here we have have an ob‐ vious degradation of the transgressive nature of this deity: the t he tawdry kitsch of the mainstream of Hinduism. The same thing happened in North India with the images of Kalabhairava and Batukabhairava. We wonder how should the goddess Chamunda look like, to be paired with the sweet and sugary Bhishanabhairava? A cute girl riding her vahana: a likeable, smiling smil ing dead man of a charming appearance? Elizabeth Chalier‐Visuvalingam writes in one of her works: “Bhairava is no longer such a focus of transgressive transgressive practices as he was in the past, past , for his cult in India has been ‘Brahmanized’, ‘Brahmanized’, in the sense of ‘puri󰁦ied’ ‘puri󰁦ied’,, to such an extent that t hat it nowadays n owadays dif‐ fers little from the temple cult of any other orthodox Hindu deity. This may be at‐ tributed to various socio‐cultural transformations, especially the political domination of the proselytizing proselyt izing and ‘purifying’ ‘purifyi ng’ Islam...” Thank gods that Dr. Dr. Chalier‐ Visuvalingam was mistaken in her conclusions. Before our eyes we see a host of  Tantric practitioners who would express a strong disagreement with this statement  of the respected scientist. She didn’t obtain the keys to the inner circle of Tantric adepts of bhairava‐kali‐mandala, bhairava‐kali‐mandala, and it didn’t occur to her (or she was afraid) to go to search for the transgressive transgressive traditions of the cult of Bhairava in the sphere of the criminal world of India and Nepal. There where where the ancient 󰁦lame and the ancient  traditions are alive and thriving. As long as the hardcore Tantrism and the criminal world do exist, there will exist the murtis and icons on which Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda look like themselves. These two worlds will never let the true deity be replaced with some ‘dummy’. ‘dummy’. Who will be struck by horror at the sight of a sug‐ ary boy?! How can he represent the deity of the universal horror that emanates all kinds of fear? With all the above said, E. Chalier‐Visuvalingam was right that the

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism popularity and the degree of manifestation of the transgressive aspects of the cult  of Bhairava and Kali in modern times leave much to be desired. In ancient sources, Bhishanabhairava Bhis hanabhairava is depicted in a much more adequate way.. According to ancient sources, Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda emanate a pat‐ way tern of manifestations. One of the manifestations of Bhishanabhairava looks like this: his body is red, he holds a mace with iron spikes, a spear or a slingshot with a dart, a shield and a pitcher; his vahana is the lion. With all that, Bhishanabhair Bhishanabhairava ava’s ’s attributes coincide with the attributes of Unmattabhairava Unmattabhairava and Samharabha Samharabhairav irava, a, which can cause some confusion. Here is one more manifestation of Bhishana: Trinethram, varadam, santham, kumarancha digambaram, Gadgam soolam Kapalancha darinam musalam thadha, Chamunda shakthi sahitham pretha vahana susthitham, Raktha varnam maha devam Vabde Bheeshana Bhairavam. “I greet the Terrifying Bhairava, three‐eyed, with a body of blood‐red colour, naked... holding a sword, a trident, a skull and pestle of a mortar... mortar... with him his Shakti Chamunda rides a corpse”. On some Nepalese images the body of Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairava riding a horse is yellow, and the body of Chamunda is black. According to some Tantric traditions of  the criminal world, Bhishanabhairava’s body is of the colour of caked blood: dark red. His three‐eyed face is terrible, his fanged jaws are full of sharp teeth, and his hands have sharp claws. His long forked tongue resembles the tongue of a snake or a lizard. Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairava is adorned with sinister attributes of death: bones, sev‐ ered hands and heads, severed ears, skulls, snakes and scorpions. Sometimes he wears a garland of hot peppers. His Brahmanical cord is sometimes someti mes made of human bowels. His clothes may be made of human or elephant 󰁦layed skin. In his hands Bhishanabhairava may hold a spiked mace, a sword, a damaru drum, a pipe made of a human thigh bone, and a spear with a human head impaled on it; sometimes he holds one of his hands in the abhaya mudra addressed solely to his adepts and no one else. His vahana is the lion. Chamunda, the other half of this anthropomor‐ phic manifestation, has three 󰁦iery eyes and a terrible, grinning face; her body is black or dark red. The alternative colours are dark grey, dark blue and dark green. Chamunda holds a sword, a trident, trident , a damaru drum, a cut off head or a kapala bowl. She may ride the following vahanas: a zombie corpse, a vampire, a jackal, and some‐ times an owl. She is usually naked, often depicted with an emaciated body, some‐ times with sagging breasts. She is adorned with garlands of human heads or skulls, jewellery made of skulls, bones and scorpions. Sometimes she wears a belt, from which there hang severed human hands, sometimes a tiger skin. Her hair is piled

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II: The deities of the Mandala in a jata mukuta and fastened with a snake. Sometimes she appears sitting on a throne of three skulls, using a human corpse as a footstool. She accepts bloody sac‐ ri󰁦ices and drinks blood. The remains of that blood are drunk by jackals. In the Ab‐ hichara mandala the tradition of which we practice, the manifestation of  Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda is almost identical with the described above. The main difference difference is the body colour and some minor details. The body of the anthro‐ pomorphic manifestation of Bhishanabhairava Bhishanabhairava in our tradition t radition is green. Instead of  hair, his head is topped with predatory snakes piled in ‘jata mandala’ – a circular aura‐like headdress. The three‐eyed face of the god is awful. His fanged jaws are full of sharp teeth, and his long, forked tongue resembles the tongue of a snake or lizard. Bhishanabhairava wears earrings of spiders, around his neck there t here is a neck‐ lace of live snakes, a garland of gouged out human eyes, a garland of ears, noses and an d tongues, a garland of severed s evered heads. Bhishanabhairava’s Bhishanabhairava’s hands have long and sharp claws; his whole body is adorned with the ominous attributes att ributes of death: bones, sev‐ ered hands and heads, cut off ears, skulls, snakes and scorpions. Bhishanabhairav Bhishanabhairava’s a’s Brahmanical Brahmani cal cord is woven from human intestines. The god is dressed in dark red and black, and also he wears a 󰁦layed elephant elephant skin. His belt is decorated with sev‐ ered hands and scalps. In his hands Bhishanabhairava holds a spiked mace, a tri‐ dent, a damaru; another hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. mudra. The anthropomorphic manifestation of Hastichamunda in the mandala of our tradition of Abhichara looks like this: a green body, a horrible, grinning fanged face with an ever‐protruding tongue. Three 󰁦iery eyes are burning on her face. The hair of the goddess is piled in jata fastened with a snake. Chamunda’s neck is decorated with a necklace of snakes, a garland of severed male heads, a garland of scorpions and centipedes. An owl is sitting on the shoulder of the goddess. In the hands of Chamunda there is a pipe made of a human thigh bone, a severed head, and a kora sword; her other hand shows the varada mudra. The goddess is dressed in dark red and black, she wears a belt from which there hang severed human hands, and a tiger skin. Her secret  name is VamA – ‘the Vomiting’, ‘the Belching’. In the aspect of the deities of the sphere of taste and of the water tattva, this couple appears as Danturabhairava and Asijihva. The vahanas of Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda are the lion, the jackal and the zombie; their totems are the bear, the dragon, the owl and the bat. Their celestial satellite is the god Budha (Mercury); their neighbouring satellite, according to the system of Vastu, is the god Kubera. Chamunda and Bhishanabhairava are the lords of the Pre Preta ta kul kula a. The Pretas are the spirits of dead ancestors ancesto rs who for different  reasons haven’t gone to the other world and haven’t been reborn. In many cases, they had been dif󰁦icult in character: the angry or depressed people who had been vexing their family even even during their lifetime. The Pretas are bound to the places of  their lives and suffer from different types of hunger, disturbing their relatives and friends. They can appear in dreams, call people to follow them – the vibes of fear

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism are food for these creatures. They crave to be with their loved ones and therefore they call and ask for help. But if somebody s omebody satis󰁦ies their request and an d agrees to help, this person may soon get sick or even die.

SAMHARABHAIRAVA AND YOGESHVARI (MAHALAKSHMI) Samharabhairavaa and Yogeshvari Samharabhairav Yogeshvari reside on the Northeast Northeas t of the t he bhairava‐kali‐man‐ dala. Their dimension is the world of death, cemeteries and shmashans. Their func‐ tion is death, destruction, oblivion, dissolution and liberation. Their mahariddhis can help to break free from samsara and to achieve divinity. Their riddhis can help to completely destroy karma; karma; to bless the deceased and to give them a better incar‐ nation; to teach special powerful spiritual doctrines; to gain peace of mind and fear‐ lessness; to protect oneself against death, injuries, ruin, destruction of family happiness; to kill the enemies, destroy their business, damage their family relation‐ ships, destroy their property, property, to carry their memory away; protect one from injuries, destruction and death; set free from pseudo‐spiritual arrogance. Samharabhairava Samharabhairava is the destructive manifestation of Kalabhairava. Samharabhairava is the collapse god, the killer kil ler god, the t he destroyer, destroyer, the great all‐devouring al l‐devouring disintegrator disinteg rator,, digesting digesti ng ev‐ erything, dissolving everything by himself within himself. He is the t he father of decay, decay, of death and destruction, the annihilator who absorbs everything, exterminating all that exists in the universe, living and nonliving. He is the force before before which no one and nothing can stand. Samharabhairava is the end of gods and demons, the death of the universe, the completion and the end of everything. The god is great  by the power of his shakti Yogeshvari, also called Mahalakshmi (the great fortune), Mahavetali (the great vampire), Shmashanakali (Kali of cremation grounds), known in the Northern Nort hern Tantric Tantric traditions under the secret name of Peeba – ‘drinking down’ (the entire universe). There are also traditions where the shakti of the god of de‐ struction is called Narasimhi. In those traditions, accordingly, Samharabhairava is paired with the image of Narasimhi. Samharabhairava and Yogeshvari represent  the sense of smell and the ‘earth’ element, because kalagni (the 󰁦ire of the annihi‐ lation of the universe) is the 󰁦irst bhuvan of the sphere of the ‘earth’ mahabhuta. As the deities of the sphere of smell and the earth tattva, the god and the goddess are called Kunjarabhairava and Mahaghrata. Samharabhairava Samharabhaira va has several manifestations. In the t he aspect of the t he destroyer of the universe, he is called Kalagnirudr Kalagnirudraa and Kalagnibhairava. Kalagnibhairava. His shakti in this as‐ pect is called Kalagnikali and Kalagniraudri. They dwell on the lowest level of the universe located below the deepest hell, Naraka. This world is called Kalagnishmashan, and the whole universe universe is burning in the 󰁦lames of this shmashan. shmashan. Par‐ ticular manifestations of the world of Kalagni are shmashans of the planet Earth. Here the god and goddess are manifested in the form of Shmashanabhairava and

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Samharabhairava and Yogeshwari

Shmashanakali. They are the essence of the shmashans Tantrics shmashan s and the teachers of Tantrics and of the Aghori. They are the patrons of gravediggers of the Dom caste. The Ka‐ palikas respected and revered Samharabhairava and his shakti as the direct mani‐ festation of Mahakalabhairava. Mahakalabhairava. The same attitude to these deities is charac characteristic teristic of the traditions that appeared after the Kapalika Dharma: Yogeshvari and Samharabhairava are the patrons of viras and kapalinis of vidya pitha, the leaders of the Kushmanda kula – the kula of the Dakinis. In common Indian mandalas, the Northeast is the location of the god Ish‐ vara and the god Brihaspati manifested as the Guru planet which is Jupiter. In the system of the 36 tattvas, the ‘Ishvara’ tattva means a very high degree of divine re‐ alization: “all this universe is I”. Brihaspati is the teacher of the gods. This is one more reason why Yogeshvari and Samharabhairava are the leaders of the Dakini Kula, also known as Kushmanda Kula. This is a Kula of terrible deities manifested in a wrathful form, perceived perceived as deities with female nature. They are called Dakinis or Yatudhani. They are independent, possess power and wisdom, and can assist  tantrics, mages, sorcerers and diviners. The goddess Durga is manifested as Kush‐ manda Devi in this kula, and is depicted holding two jugs in her hands: one with sura, another one with blood. Some of the goddesses of the Kushmanda Kula, Kula, being quite jealous and capricious, constitute a danger to the adepts not ready to make contact with them.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism The main aspect of Yogeshvari and Samharabhairava is liberation, annihi‐ lation, death, oblivion, destruction. The second aspect of Samharabh Samharabhaira airava va and Yo‐ geshvari geshv ari is teaching formidable deities and radical mystics, transferring transferring shaktipat  to them, including the shaktipat of prosperity on some shmashans or on the shmashan of the whole lifetime. According to the Matrikabhairavanirnaya, these deities represent pseudo‐spiritual pride in their negative expression, and the lib‐ eration from the pseudo‐spiritual pride in their positive manifestation. Another positive gift from these deities is the complete destruction of the accumulated neg‐ ative karma. They do everything associated with death, annihilation, disruption, and accordingly they protect from disruption, annihilation and death. Yogeshvari is considered to be a direct manifestation of Kali, and her ap‐ pearance attests to that. For clarity see the image of the great goddess: “the look of  Kali is horrible. She is naked and is like a mountain of kohl. She has three eyes. In meditation you should imagine Kali with dishevelled hair, and with a garland of  freshlyy severed human heads. She has four hands. In her upper left hand Kali holds freshl a sword freshly freshly sprinkled with the blood of the sever severed ed head that she holds in her lower left hand. Her upper right hand is raised in the gesture of fearlessness, and her lower right hand is extended in the gesture of bestowing blessings. Her com‐ plexion is bluish, and her face is shining like a dark cloud. Kali is completely naked and her body gleams with blood streaming from the garland of severed heads around her neck. She wears earrings made of corpses. Her fangs are monstrous, and her face expresses fury. Her breasts are full and round. Kali wears a girdle of  severed human hands. Blood is trickling from the corners of her mouth, mout h, making her face glitter. glitter. Kali produces horrible howls, piercing p iercing screams and creepy laughter. laughter. She lives on cremation grounds, surrounded surrounded by howling jackals. Kali is standing st anding on the chest of Shiva who rests in the position of a corpse. She desires to have sex with Mahakalabhairava. Her expression is happy. Kali has a bowl made out of a human skull and 󰁦illed with an alcoholic drink. She is drunk, she devours meat and smiles” smiles”.. So the great goddess is described in the tradition of Dakshinakali (the goddess who gives and receives gifts), Guhyakali (the mysterious cave goddess) and Shmashanakali (the goddess of cremation grounds). In the South of India Samharabhairava Samharabhairava’s ’s shakti is known as Chandi, and he himself is depicted as a deity with a golden body, holding a trident, a mace, a chakram, chakra m, a sword, a goad, a temple sea shell, a damaru drum, skull and bones, a ka‐ mandal vessel, prayer beads or a rope. His vahana is the dog. In Nepal Samharab‐ hairava haira va is depicted as a deity with a blue body, body, holding a skull, a pipe made of human bone, and other liturgical items including weapons. In some North Indian and Cen‐ tral Indian traditions Samharabhairava is described as a god whose body colour re‐ sembles a 󰁦lash of lightning. He is holding a mace with iron spikes, a spear spear,, a shield, a kamandal or a vessel of a differe different nt shape. According to other traditions, Samharab‐

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II: The deities of the Mandala hairava is a deity with a dark blue or black body which is 󰁦laming white or red, wielding a khatvanga, mace and other weapons, a pipe made of a human thigh bone, a damaru drum, a 󰁦ire, and a 󰁦laming black trident. This is how Yogeshvari Yogeshvari is described in the t he aspect of Shmashanaka S hmashanakali: li: she is black like a mountain of black ointment. Her dwelling is the place of cremati cremation. on. Her hair is dishevelled, her body emaciated, her appearance frightening. Her sunken eyes are red. In her right hand she holds a skull 󰁦illed 󰁦il led with wine, and in her left hand a freshly severed head. Her weapon is the black 󰁦laming sword of death. She is smil‐ smi l‐ ing and constantly chewing on raw meat. Her body is adorned with 󰁦inery made of  󰁦inger phalanges and other skeleton bones. She is naked and is always drunk with wine. Her vahanas are the tiger, the owl and the human corpse. Her three thrones are the pretamunda asana, the 󰁦lame where the corpses and the resting Shiva are burning. The usual places for her worship are cremation grounds where the adept  should perform the rituals, rituals , preferably naked. In the Abhichara mandala, the anthro‐ pomorphic manifestation of Samharabhairava has a purple‐black body blazing with white and red 󰁦lames; white lightnings are snaking along it. Three red eyes are are shin‐ ing on the face of the god of death, blood is dripping from his dreadful all‐devouring jaws. Samharabhairava’s head is topped with a crown of skulls decorated with spikes made of bones, an agni kesha or jata mandala. The god’s ears are adorned with earrings of corpses. Around his neck he wears a garland of skulls, a necklace of bones, and kapala beads. The Brahmanical cord of Samharabhairava is woven of  󰁦ire. He holds a trident decorated with corpses, heads and skulls, a 󰁦ire, and a mace of death; another hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. He wears a loincloth made of  bones, severed hands and feet. He stands on a pile of skulls. Yogeshvari has a pur‐ ple‐black body blazing with white and red 󰁦lames, white lightnings are snaking along it. Her face matches the face of Samharabhairava: three red eyes; dreadful, fanged, all‐devouring all‐devouring jaws with blood oozing from them; tongue sticking out. Like Samharabhairav Samharabha irava, a, the goddess wears a crown made of skulls and bones – agni kesha or jata mandala, and earrings of human corpses. The neck of the t he goddess is adorned with a garland of skulls, a garland of corpses, a necklace neckl ace of bones, and kapala beads. In her hands she holds a big 󰁦laming sacri󰁦icial sword, sword, a kapala, a human head; an‐ other hand shows the varada mudra. Yogeshvari wears a lace skirt made of bones and skeleton hands. Human hands are attached to her girdle. Yogeshvari tramples a pile of skulls with her feet, or dances on it. it . The vahanas of this yamala are the lion, the wolf, the dog and the tiger; their totems are the lion, the tiger t iger,, the wolf, the snake, the jackal and the raven. The celestial satellites satel lites of Samharabhairava Sam harabhairava and Yogeshvari Yogeshvari are the god Brihaspati (Jupiter) and the god Ketu; their neighbouring satellite is the god Ishvara.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism

 Aryagnibhairava  Aryagnibhairav a and Jaya

THE GODS OF THE BASE AND THE TOP OF THE MANDALA The god Aryagnibhairava (Aryagniraktabhairava, Aryabhairava) and the goddess Jayāā are located above the Abhichara mandala in the dimension of pure divinity, Jay and represent the power of the divine immunity to samsara, making aryaji aryajivas vas un‐ sinkable in the muddy waters of the samsaric dimension. The function of these deities is the original divinity. divinity. Their mahasiddhis lead the adepts to the original di‐ vinity. Their siddhis can help to pursue the realization of divinity in any circum‐ stances. Their negative manifestation in a person, or rather the lack of their manifestation, leads to the absence of an active and conscious expression of one’s divinity. The inner nature of Aryagnibhairava and Jaya is the Aryagni deifying sam‐ sara (the Atman and his power). ‘Arya’ is translated as ‘divine’, ‘noble’. Aryabhairava is the god of the original divine 󰁦ire burning in the heart of the existence of all living creatures and blazing 󰁦iercelyy in the 󰁦iercel t he hearts of aryajivas – people who have exceptional exceptional spiritual strength. Aryabhairavaa represents the very principle of the divine nature of living beings, Aryabhairav beings , and the goddess Jaya is the power of that principle. In fact, Aryabhairava and Jaya are the Atman and its power which is like 󰁦ire. Some aspects of Jaya are identical to the aspects of the goddess Aghora also called Para Paradevi, devi, Parashakti. Some other aspects of Jaya are identical to the aspects of the goddess of victory, victory, Durga. The other aspects

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II: The deities of the Mandala are identical to the aspects of the goddess Jwala (Flame). Jwala is the manifestation of the goddess Aghora in the aspect of the spiritual 󰁦ire coming out of the Abyss and generating the shaktipat of all radical spiritual paths. On a certain level, Kali, Jaya, Aghora and Jwala are one and the same goddess, the only difference is the under‐ lined aspect. Kali resides in the centre of the mandala. Aghora represents the mode of non‐duality. Jaya is the power of divinity, Kali is the wrathful form, Aghora – the benevolent form; Jaya mercifully bestows spiritual triumph in any challenge, in bat‐ tle with any opponent. She does it by endowing the adept with a powerful intuitive awareness of his divinity. The appearance of Jaya is a synthesis of the image of Kali and Paradevi, thus it is much alike with the image of Durga. Vikarala Jaya is the god‐ dess of victory for mystics. Jaya is the inner 󰁦ire of power, glory, joy and bliss, the overcoming, over coming, victorious force. Durga as such has a lot of aspects that perform many functions. She is very adequate for the people of the Hindu Dharma, D harma, especially for Indian warriors who ardently worship the goddess of victory. victory. She brings the light  l ight  of victory to the t he battle󰁦ield. Jaya is the light of the 󰁦ire of the abyss. She bestows her adepts with the t he power of divinity, divinity, vision, beauty beauty,, nobility and different talents. She inhibits degradation and degeneration, and preve prevents nts the developme development nt of spiritual weakness. It is the power of our godly nature, the might of the immunity to the in‐ 󰁦luence of the forces, processes and conditions of degradation inherent to the adepts. Therefore, in Kali Yuga such manifestations of Mahashakti as Ulukadevi (the owl goddess) and Vikarala Jaya (victory that terri󰁦ies the enemy; total triumph) are of great importance: their essence is the perfect ability to harmonize, to improve and to deify oneself onesel f even in the most hopeless and dark reincarnations reincarnati ons of Kali Yuga. Jaya is the capacity for vitality, regeneration, revival, the possession of powers and talents making the adept victorious in this world. Those who in their essence belong to our spiritual race have have these natural qualities, rare and incomprehensible incomprehensible for an incredible number of people. To To honour the power of Jaya, one must summon her light and her 󰁦ire, and follow the dharma of those under the banners of  Jaya Kula. And not to make damage through rituals of degradation: not to behave in a manner unseemly for the descendants of the noble blood of the t he gods able to be ever victo‐ rious. Aryagnibhairava Aryagnibhairava is the primal spark of the divine 󰁦ire in the inner heart of a living being that makes the being an Arya Jiva. This 󰁦ire is perceived by the Arya Jiva, is felt in a practical, inherent, intuitive way. Because of this, the Arya Jiva feels their divinity, dignity, ability to wisdom, inclination to generosity. This 󰁦ire gives them the power to exercise their knowledge and skills, to escape from the dangers of ignorance and delusion, from the oppressive, grinding and breaking environment. The simple creatures abundant on the planet do not have such an ability to perceive aryagni on the intuitive level deep in their heart. They may possess a 󰁦ire that helps them in their life, but it will not manifest as the power of spirituality of the heart of  the Abyss. It will manifest itself only in their intelligence, or the talent to get along

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism with people, or physical strength, and other worldly aspects. The magical power of  Aryabhairava Aryabhair ava and Jaya is immense. It gives the opportunity not to fall under the in‐ 󰁦luence of numerous misconceptions and destructiv destructivee forces. It saves s aves one from dis‐ solving in the sea of spiritless people and “sheeple”. It helps to go in the right  direction even in the face of great ignorance and unawareness, in a thoroughly harmful, pathogenic environment. The anthropomorphic manifestation of o f Aryagnibhairava has a bright white body with a blue sheen. He wears a combat helmet in the form of a multi‐layered agni kesha decorated with diamonds, a white sun, a crescent, a star and a 󰁦lame. Around his neck there is a white snake, diamond prayer beads, a necklace of dia‐ mond skulls and a necklace of stars. His Brahmanical cord is woven from rays of  light. Aryabhairava holds a diamond mace with a diamond skull, a white 󰁦lame, a sacred text entwined with prayer beads; another hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. In her anthropomorphic manifestation in the Abhichar Abhicharaa mandala, Jaya has a bright white body with a blue sheen and a beautiful face. She wears a shining crown with diamonds, similar to a combat helmet – tiered like a karanda mukuta or agni‐kesha. Around her neck there is a snake of white light, diamond beads, a necklace of diamond skulls and a necklace of stars. In her hands, the goddess holds a 󰁦laming sword, a kapala bowl with the facial bone, and a banner; another hand of  the goddess shows s hows the varada mudra. Aryabhairava and Jaya wear chain mail, brac‐

Kalagnibhairava Kalagnibhair ava and Kalagnira Kalagniraudri udri

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II: The deities of the Mandala ers and greaves woven woven of silver light, and white robes. Both deities are located on the Polar star which is their celestial sattellite. The vahana of Aryabhairava and Jaya is the owl; their totems are the owl and the octopus. Their neighbouring sattellite is Brahma. Aryabhairava Aryabhairava and Jaya are the leaders and the elders of the Aryaji  Aryajiva va Ku Kula la. At the bottom of the mandala, being its foundation, there lies the world of  kalagni. This world is called Kalagni-shmashan, and the whole universe is burning on that shmashan. This is the dimension where the inconceivable inconceivable kalagni is burning: the 󰁦ire of time, which is the 󰁦irst bhuv bhuvan an of the ‘earth’ mahabhuta. It is located l ocated under the whole universe, lying deeper than t han the deepest hell. hel l. In Malini Vijayottara Vi jayottara Tantra, Tantra, Shiva says: “Now I will tell, o lady, about the location of the worlds. In the beginning (there is) the cleansing world of Kalagni, (then) (t hen) the three (worlds) of avichi (hells): Kumbipaka, Raurava and Kushmanda”. Any destruction, annihilation and dissolu‐ tion that take place in the universe are inspired by the 󰁦lames of kalagni. One day, kalagni will arise from the bottomless depths and devour all the worlds, starting with the hells of naraka, ending with the world of the gods. This process is called mahapralaya, the great dissolution. It marks the kalaratri – the great night of Shiva and Shakti. There is a more esoteric understanding of the essence and the manifes‐ tation of kalagni. kalagn i. According to it, every second the world is burning burn ing down in the 󰁦ire of the shmashan of time. The 󰁦ire is ever burning. The shmashans of the t he planet Earth are limited images of the great supreme Kalagni‐shmashan. Samharabhairava Samharabhairava and his shakti, manifested in the world of kalagni as Kalagnibhairava (Kalagnirudra) and Kalagniraudri, appear as Shmashanabhairava and Shmashanakali on the shmashans of the Earth. Kalagnibhairava, also called Kalagnirudra, is sometimes portrayed as a deity with many heads, sometimes as a single‐headed God. In the Abhichara mandala, mandala, he appears as a god with a crimson‐black body burning incon‐ ceivably with black, white and red 󰁦lames; white lightnings are snaking along it. Three red eyes are 󰁦laming on the face of the god of the 󰁦ire of time, sharp teeth are glistening in his dreadful, all‐devouring, fanged jaws. Kalagnibhairava’s head is topped with a tiered agni kesha with spikes of 󰁦ire, crystals and bones, decorated with skulls. One of his ears is adorned with an earring made of a corpse of a deity, while the other ear wears an earring made of a demon corpse. On his hi s neck he wears a garland of dying stars, a garland of skulls and bones, and kapala beads. The Brah‐ manical cord of the god is woven of tongues of 󰁦lame and 󰁦ire lightnings. The terrible god holds a blazing trident decorated with skulls, a 󰁦ire, and a 󰁦laming mace of death; another hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. Kalabhairava is dressed in 󰁦lames and a crimson‐black robe with ornaments in the t he form of white tongues of 󰁦ire. The god‐ go d‐ dess Kalagniraudri has a crimson‐black body paradoxically paradoxically blazing with black, white and red 󰁦lames; white lightnings are meandering along it. Her three red eyes burn like the pyres of the universal cremation, her dreadful all‐devouring jaws dripping with blood are adorned with sharp teeth and fangs. The head of the goddess is

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism crowned with a tiered agni kesha embellished with teeth of 󰁦ire, crystals, cryst als, bones and skulls. Around her neck there is a garland of dying stars, a garland of skulls, a neck neck‐‐ lace of bones, and kapala beads. The terrible, invincible goddess holds a 󰁦laming sword, a kapala with a facial bone, a scroll s croll with prayer beads; her other hand shows the varada mudra. Kalagniraudri is dressed in 󰁦lames and crimson‐black robes dec‐ orated with ornaments in the shape of white 󰁦lames. The function of this couple of  deities is universal destruction and liberation. Their inner nature is being the foun‐ dation. Their mahasiddhis can help the unive universe rse to gain divinity and freedom from the constraints of form. Their siddhis can help to completely destroy the accumu‐ lated karma of the beings of the universe, to bless the dying worlds; they can grant  special strong spiritual teachings to the adepts; help to gain con󰁦idence and fear‐ lessness; help in various spheres to those thos e who belong to the Kalagni family. family. Kalagni‐ raudri and Kalagnibhairava are the leaders and the progenitors of the tribe of  Kalagni Kula (Kalagni Jata). The vahanas, as well as the totems, of these deities are the octopus, the owl and the rat. The celestial satellite of Kalagniraudri and Kalagnibhairavaa is Prithvi (Earth). Their neighbouring satellite is Vishnu. Their neg‐ Kalagnibhairav n eg‐ ative manifestation in human beings is the mortality mortali ty.. According to the myths, before the kalaratri (the great night of the unive universe), rse), kalagni will manifest in the form of a billion 󰁦lames or a billion magical rats and mice that will devour the universe. The adepts related to Kalagni Jata gain immortality on the level of kalagni. The ancient mystical‐magical mystical‐magic al metaphysics proclaims: “as above, ab ove, so below”. below”. The even more advanced metaphysical systems say: “the above, the centre and the below are one and the same”. In fact, Aryabhairava and Jaya, Kalabhairava and Kali, Kalagnibhairava Kalagnibhair ava and Kalagniraudri are one divinity in three different aspects. The goddess Jwala, who is the same as the goddess known by the name Jaya, is mani‐ fested on our planet not only as the 󰁦ire of shaktipat coming from the heart of the abyss, which creates the  paramparas of radical ways, but also as the burning un‐ derground gas and magma. Magma and the underground gas are a partial and rough manifestation of the Kalagni dimension. This fact clearly shows that Aryagni and Kalagni are the same in their essence but are manifested with slight differences. Kalagni not only frees from samsara, but also destroys all forms of the universe. Aryagni dei󰁦ies some living beings, saving them from sinking into the samsaric swamp of avidya and pashu-bhava.

THE DEITIES OF THE BHUPUR One of Shiva’s Shiva’s sons is called Ganesha, Ganapati. That is, the chieftain, the leader of  the gana. ‘Gana’ in Sanskrit means the attendants of Shiva, among whom there are gods, dakinis, titans, sages, ghosts and demons. The English word ‘gang’ (band, crew) that generated the word ‘gangster’ comes from the ancient Indo‐European

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Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi

word ‘gana’. The vahana of Ganesha is Mushika – a mouse or o r rat. The word ‘mushika’  comes from the Sanskrit root ‘mush’ ‐ ‘to steal’. Why is the divine son of Shakti and Shiva called Ganesha – that is, a leader of an organized, well‐armed well‐armed criminal band? Why is he riding a mouse‐thief? mouse‐thief ? Why is his brother Skanda the god of warriors, rob‐ bers and thieves? That’s because their t heir parents Bhairava Bhairava and Kali are patrons of not  only mystics and sages, but also thieves and robbers. Initially Rudra (aka Shiva, aka Bhairava) was the deity of radical mysticism, natural disasters, wars and raids. Shiva Bhairava) has always been very different from the other Aryan deities. The altars of all the gods of the Vedic Vedic pantheon face East, East , and only the altars of Rudra Rudra,, Shiva are turned to the harsh lands of the North. The T he altars of Bhairava are located in the North‐East. North‐ East. Rudra‐Shiva‐Bhairava got famous in the myths for cutting off the head of the leader and the high priest of the universe: the creator god Brahma, Brahma, and also for successfully participating in an armed robbery, extortion and cannibalism. Bhairava killed the guard of the palace of Vishnu, rushed inside, extorted Vishnu’s blood to quench his thirst (and received received it), after which he ate the corpse of a guard, sharing it with the Vedic sages and their t heir wives, and gave them his shaktipat, his h is transgressive dharma, its doctrine and its practice. These sacred myths are widely known in India and abroad, besides these myths have been thoroughly described by scientists: for ex‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism ample Elizabeth Chalier‐Visuvalingam. Rudra and Kali have always represented ‘dis‐ sidence’,, non‐conformism. sidence’ non‐conformi sm. Their supreme wisdom and their t heir supreme dharma tran‐ scend the dharma of the other deities of the Hindu pantheon to such an extent that  they don’t reckon reckon much with these dharmas, and are not very well combined with them. Bhairava and Kali are so all‐pervading and holy, that their holiness turns into its opposite. Just like bright light blinds the eyes and bestows darkness; and the darkness gives birth to the sensory visual hunger that leads to emergence of bright  󰁦lashes of light, spots and shapes in the human mind. Like most ancient deities, Shiva‐Bhairava, Shakti‐Kali, Ganesha and Skanda are ambivalent gods. In the ancient times when the Aryans lived in militarized family clans who spent their lifetime in raids, Rudra as such was quite consistent with the norms of  the Aryan religion. Later, when the Aryans became more separated from nature, Rudra‐Shiva Rudra‐ Shiva took a special place in their dharma: the t he place of a holy god with trans‐ gressive, ambivalent qualities. When the Aryan society stepped into the era of king‐ doms and empires with a strong state power, the state tried to make themselves safe from Shiva through obliteration and exaggeration: consigning the antidogmatic, antisocial aspects of Shiva to oblivion and emphasizing the religious aspects con‐ sistent with wit h the ‘spirit of the t he age’. age’. They dealt with the goddess go ddess Kali in the t he same way: they brushed her up, stopped to think about her original savage, radical radical and crim‐ inal nature, and pictured her not as the symbol of horror for the profane, not the symbol of the primeval 󰁦ire of the lives of the ancient radicals, but a comely, smiling woman with combed hair and wearing a sari. sari . Some people have reached such mad‐ ness that, contrary to the archetype of Kali as such, contrary to the idea itself, to the very speci󰁦ics of her nature, announced Kali ‘a vegan goddess’. However, the true nature of Bhairava and Kali (primeval mystics, nonconformists, benevolent preda‐ tors, anarchs) was not forgotten by all. Sanskrit tells us a lot too. In particular particular,, why Shiva and Kali are the father and mother of a gana: the armed group of outsiders, whose chieftains are their children, children, Ganesha and Skanda. It tells us why do Indian criminal jati, castes and criminal brotherhoods originate from Shiva, Shiva, Kali and their descendants. Besides, Besi des, Kali, Bhairava, Ganesha and Skanda are the founders of many spiritual schools and the authors of many mystical traditions, including the most  brilliant and powerful. Ganesha and Skanda are known as the worthy children of  their Father and Mother, as those who ‘follow in the footsteps of their own father and mother’ (‘like begets like’). Those who attempt to walk the path of Ganesha, Skanda, Bhairava Bhairava and Kali completely ignoring their ambivalent, rebellious, preda‐ tory, non‐conformist nature, are trying to sterilize Shaiva‐Shaktism, to repaint its red, black and white pattern in pinkish, bluish, yellowish colours. They attempt to turn Shaiva‐Shaktism into something that differs from the original Shaiva‐Shaktism. Does the family of Shiva and Shakti need such a sanctimonious pseudo‐spiritual transvestism? Or did they ask anybody to dress them in something white and 󰁦luffy?

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II: The deities of the Mandala Did they ask anybod anybodyy to attempt to distort their natural transgressiveness, transgressiveness, turning it into law abidance alien to them? Did Di d they ask anybody to cut off their claws, tusks and fangs, and make the gods of this kula herbivorous herbivorous creatures?! creatures?! As far as we understand, our gods haven’t asked anyone about that. And so we say to those who ignore the transgressive aspects of the deities of this t his ancient  family and who credit them with the qualities from which this family is free; people, peop le, wake up and face the truth! If these deities are not native to you, you don’t need to call yourself Shaiva‐Shaktas. You You have to come to your own gods, those thos e who are nat‐ ural for you, and meet them. Do not try to repaint, manicure, polish and brush up Kali and Bhairava, Ganapati and Skanda. They are beautiful for their children and relatives as they are. You shouldn’t dress the members of this divine family in so‐ cially accepted dresses and suits. There is no need for botox. They are who they originally are! And if we respect them, we must live and practice according to the principle: ‘The bitter truth t ruth is better than a sweet lie’. lie’. In the bhaira bhairava‐kali‐m va‐kali‐mandala, andala, Batuka and Ganesha are responsible for the protection of the Bhupur. Bhupur. The god Ganesha and his consort, consort , the goddess Siddhirid‐ dhi, being deities that remove obstacles, control the entry to the mandala. Their magic removes removes obstacles and chains, opens doors, passages, opportunities, secrets, powers, knowledge and bliss, provides entry and importation. In the Abhichara mandala, Ganesha manifests as a deity of an orange‐red colour whose head is crowned with a karanda mukuta, whose neck is decorated with prayer beads of  rudraksha rudrak sha and a precious necklace. Ganesha is dressed in clothes of red and white. In his hands he holds an axe, a spear, and a mace; another hand is raised in the ab‐ hayaa mudra. On his belt, Ganapati carries keys and lockpicks. His shakti Siddhiriddhi hay has a body of the same colour; she is dressed in clothes of red, white and gold. Her head is crowned with a karanda mukuta; around her neck there are prayer beads, a precious necklace and a 󰁦lower garland. She holds a bow, an arrow, a lasso that is a living snake; her other hand shows s hows the varada mudra. mudra. Siddhiriddhi is carrying a bag full of food and drink. The totems of these deities are the elephant, the mouse and the rat. Their vahanas are the rat and the mouse. Tantrics and Indian criminals are very respectful to Mushika. According to the myths, before the kalaratri (the great night of the universe), kalagni (the 󰁦ire of time) will appear as a billion 󰁦lames and a billion magical rats and mice that will devour the universe. Mushika has the siddhis to prevent the little things in life from stealing the adept’s time and energy, energy, and make them focus his attention on his sadhana and his divinity. It is easy to be awaree of one’s divinity in pleasure and in battle, but it is very dif󰁦icult to be aware awar of one’s divinity divinit y in the everyday routine, ‘the prose of everyday life’. The little littl e things of life are the most horrible enemies for a Tantrist. The routine consumes the en‐ ergy,, time and the attention of the adept, ergy adept , like mice and rats devour food and gnaw the foundations of the house. Therefore, Therefore, the transformation of powers in the direc‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism

Batuka and Ugrakumari

tion of dei󰁦ication is the top priority task of the adept. It is very favourable when rats or mice are living in an adept’s home temple. They are protected, provided with the best accommodation and the best food. After performing rakta-bali, sacri󰁦icing a cock or a dove to the gods, the head of the sacri󰁦icial bird is given to the temple rats. Thus, the offering of rakta‐bali arrives arrives to the gods in the best possible way. way. The god Batuka and his wife the goddess Ugrakumari, being deities capable of taking away even Brahma’s head, control the exit from the mandala, the closing of doors, passages, taking away opportunities, providing exportation and exit. With‐ out the consent of Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi no man can enter into the t he sacred space of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala. Batukabhairava looks like a teenage boy. His body is blue, he has three eyes, sharp fangs and 󰁦laming hair. Batuka’s head is topped with either a jata‐mukuta or jata‐mandala or agni‐kesha; around his neck he wears a snake, a garland of skulls, and beads of o f rudraksha; in his hands Batuka holds a khat‐ vanga or danda (staff) with a skull impaled on it, a sword, and a bloodied head; an‐ other hand is raised in the abhaya mudra. The young god is dressed in black and red. His Shakti Ugrakumari has a body of a teenage girl of the same blue colour, three eyes, sharp fangs and 󰁦laming hair. Her head is crowned with an agni‐kesha or jata‐mandala. Any of her headwear includes a battle chakram. The goddess wears a snake around her neck, a garland of bones and skulls, s kulls, prayer prayer beads, and a precious

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II: The deities of the Mandala necklace of rubies and other precious stones. Ugrakumari is dressed in red, black and gold. In her hands she holds a trident, a kapala and a dagger; her other hand is extended in the varada mudra. The vahanas of Batuka and and Ugrakumari are the wolf and the dog, their totems are the wolf and the wild cat. Without the consent of Batuka and Ugrakumari, no one may exit the man‐ dala. Together with Ganapati and Siddhiriddhi, they coordinate the actions of the four yamalas of the gate keepers of the bhupur of the mandala. The Eastern gates of the mandala are guarded by the god Mayasura – the architectt of the dimension of the titans architec t itans (divine lords of war) and the infernal worlds; and Oladevi – the t he goddess of cholera and of healing from cholera. The Southern gates of the mandala are guarded by another son of Shiva and Shakti – Skanda, together with his wife whose name is Devasena. They are the gods of the military strength of the pantheon of the swastika, and also the gods of  rabies, violent obsession, psychosis, 󰁦ires and theft. The same gods are the deities of healing from rabies, violent obsession and psychosis, and they also protect from 󰁦ire and thieves. The Western gates of the mandala are guarded by Dandapatanaka – the god of tetanus and healing from tetanus; and Raktavati – the goddess of blood in‐ fections and healing of blood infections. The Northern gates of the mandala are guarded by Jvarasura – the god of  the heat of fever and malaria, and of healing fever and malaria; and Shitala – the goddess of smallpox and cold, and of protection from cold and smallpox. Bhairava‐kali‐abhichara is the kind of magic that can be practiced exclu‐ sively by the relatives of all the deities deit ies of the bhairav bhairava‐kali‐mandala. a‐kali‐mandala. The manifesta‐ tions of the deities of this mandala have an extremely intense and destructive nature nature for outsiders. To become relatives with all the deities of the mandala, to go through the gates and the bhupur to the lotus of dimensions, to ask any pair of deities for magical assistance, and to exit the mandala mandala in one piece is not a task that can be done by everyone. A kinsman of the gods can pass through any gate, through the whole bhupur, and to establish proper relations with the deities of the lotus, the trikona (triangle), the centre, the top and the bottom. A master of Abhichara of the highest  level doesn’t even have to enter the gates. He can enter the t he mandala through its cen‐ cen ‐ tre: for this, one should be a living manifestation of Bhairava and Kali. The mandala is the greatest place of power. Being a special mystical‐mag‐ ical dimension, it also partially projects itself in certain places of the planet. The two most important places of projection of the power of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala are Varanasi and Kamarupa.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism VARANASI – THE PLACE OF POWER OF MAHAKALABHAIRAVA In different time periods, this legendary city located on the banks of the t he sacred river river Ganga was called in differe different nt ways: Mahashmashana, Anandakanana, Benares... In the Rigveda it is called Kashi – ‘the shining’, shining’, and this reference reference tells modern scien‐ tists that the city existed at least three thousand years ago. According to Hindu re‐ ligious sources, the city is about 󰁦ive thousand years old. Now its name is Varanasi. Like Rome which is the holy city for Catholics or Mecca for Muslims, Varanasi, sur‐ passing them both in age, is the most sacred city for all Hindus. It is also considered sacred for Buddhists and Jains. According to the legends, it was built by Lord Shiva. For thousands of years Varanasi Varanasi has been the largest spiritual, cultural and scienti󰁦ic centre of the East. There was a time when the city was as aesthetically beautiful as it was holy and ancient. Its architecture amazed by its splendour. But Muslim in‐ vaders occupied Benares and destroyed it multiple times, each time starting with the magni󰁦icent Hindu temples. The last time the architecture of the city was de‐ stroyed by the Islamic army of padishah Aurangzeb. It happened at the end of the XVII century. century. The Hindus rebuilt Benares once again, and built new temples on the ruins of the ancient ones. However, the political and cultural situation, along with the economic problems, prevented the revival of the city in all its architectural splendour.. Since then, Varanasi splendour Varanasi just stays the most sacred city for the Hindus around the globe. It is created by Shiva, full of sacred  pithas (thrones of divinity), and is lo‐ cated on the banks of the sacred river Ganges which, according to the myths, is 󰁦low‐ ing from the crown of Shiva and running down to earth from the heavens. Varanasi is both a tirtha (a place of sacred water) and a pitha (a throne of divinity), the most  important place of pilgrimage for every Hindu. Every day, more than sixty thousand people come to the banks of the river Ganga to be washed from the 󰁦ilth of their sins and to open themselves to divinity. In this city, gods and goddesses descend to the earth, and people are governed not  by the law of karma but by the t he law of Bhairava. Bhairava. Like thousands of years ago, pilgrims from around the world come to Varanasi to sanctify their life or death. The fact is that according to Hinduism, the city is under the auspices of the transgressive transgressive god Bhairava who has the power to change the law of karma in favour of those who are sincerely devoted to Bhairava and his wife, the goddess Kali. Therefore, to obtain an afterlife much superior in quality than the afterlife deserved by one’s karma, one should die in i n Varanasi Varanasi and be cremated c remated in one of the t he two places where Bhairava in‐ cineratess bad karma: Manikarnika Shmashan or Harishchandra Shmashan. So peo‐ cinerate ple from all over India and from all over the world come to Varanasi: the living, the dying, and the dead. The living get there by themselves, themselves, the dying and the t he dead are brought to the holy city of Bhairava by their relatives. The cremation in Varanasi corresponds to the cosmic dissolution of the universe ( pralaya) and is conceiv conceived ed as a form of 󰁦ire sacri󰁦ice where the priest (the

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II: The deities of the Mandala main one present at the funeral) is identi󰁦ied with the divine (Shiva) through med‐ itation on the sacri󰁦ice in the form of a corpse (shava = Shiva). Just like India is said to be the heart of the world, and Varanasi – the heart of India, the shmashans of  Manikarnika and Harishchandra, along with the temples of Kalabhairava and Kashi Vishvanath, are the heart of Varanasi. For a Hindu, the death or cremation in Varanasi, on the banks of the sacred Ganga, is not an ordinary biological act but a mystical‐magical initiation purifying the sinner from the burden of negative karma. The mechanism by which all this karma is being processed is called bhairavi-yatana. Since this is called ‘the redeeming punishment’, punishment’, we can conclude that t hat it is applied, 󰁦irst of all, in order to overcome a very bad karma. The punishment of Bhairava is brief, lasting only for a moment, but very intense. It is a kind of a combustion cham‐ ber for the negative experiences, where the karma that usually lands the sinners in hell or plunges them into numerous bad reincarnations, is fully experienced in a split second. Not only the sacred mystical‐magical geography of Varanasi Varanasi con󰁦irms the fact that cremation on Manikarnika Shmashan is understood in terms of the 󰁦iery ascent of the adept along the Sushumna, but also the fact that Sushumna is called ‘shmashan’ in secret Tantric texts clearly shows that this ascent is a real ini‐ tiatic death. Although Varanasi is sometimes identi󰁦ied with the  Ajna chakra, the mystic centre centre between the nose and the the brows of the adept, it is also identi󰁦ied with the subtle body in general. The rivers Asi and Varuna in the vicinity of the city, whose names formed the name of the city ‘Varanasi’, and a third river which 󰁦lows through the centre, are associated with the three main channels of the yogic body: Ida, Pingala and Sushumna. In modern times, the third river is not visible and its precise location is debated. Some of the most experienced theologians recognize her in the Brahmanala, a small stream that did not leave any obvious traces but  which must fall from Manikarnika into the Ganges. Then, according to this identi󰁦i‐ cation, the central channel of the mystical body of Varanasi ends in the cremation ground, equating it to the highest centre of yogic anatomy. anatomy. In this context, it may be worthwhile to recall that the two synonyms for the Sushumna found in the texts are Brahma-Nadi and shmashan, a place of cremation. There are from two hundred to three hundred bodies ritually burnt every day on the Manikarnika Shmashan and the Harishchandra Shmashan in Varanasi. The dead bodies are being bein g cremated twenty‐three hours a day. day. A short break occurs between 󰁦ive 󰁦ive and six o’clock in the morning. The process of cremation is run by the Dom caste. These people are untouchable for most orthodox Hindus, but respected by the Aghoris and Tantrics; our good, kind friends. The corpses are cremated on pyres. They are lit by the lights taken t aken from the temple of the deity especially revered revered by the deceased person. According to the legends, the temple lights have been burn‐ ing for several thousand years, and even the Muslims who destroyed Hindu temples were unable to break the continuity of the holy 󰁦lame. The Manikarnika Shmashan

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism is the image of the 󰁦ire in the mystic Sushumna channel in the human spinal column. It is also the embodiment of the universal shmashan of Kalagni Pitha that lies in the foundation of the existence, and the 󰁦ire of which will destroy the universe in the great dissolution – Mahaprala Mahapralaya. ya. Manikarnika is the 󰁦ifth of the 󰁦ive sacred tirthas. In Hindu culture, the t he number 󰁦ive is the centre, cent re, the lock of the other four. four. In mystical symbolism, Manikarnika is the manifestation of the place of creation and destruc‐ tion of this world. About thirty thousand human bodies per year are cremated on this shmashan. The Harishchandra Shmashan represents everything that embodies embo dies Manikarnika. The difference between the two shmashans is that t hat Manikarnika is the main formal, ‘ceremonial’ ‘ceremonial’ shmashan of the planet, while Harishchandra Harishchandra is the t he main cremation ground for secret mystical practices. Manikarnika is always packed with crowds crow ds of people; the corpses of rich persons of respectable castes are burned there. On the Harishchandra Shmashan, the corpses of people of all castes are cremated, cremated, including the untouchables. Thus, at present this shmashan s hmashan adheres to non‐dualistic rules. Besides it is not packed with crowds crowds of people, which makes the practice of  mystical sadhana much easier. On the Harishchandra Shmashan one can perform such practices that would be interfered by people and the police on the Manikarnika Smashan. This is our main shmashan, our mystical home. There we have friendly, kindred relations with everyone. Not only the dead can be freed from the burden of karma by Bhairava in Varanasi, but also the t he living. These sacred mysteries happen in such s uch spiritual places of power as the Pishach Mochan and the Kapalmochan Tirtha. The Pishach Mochan is the place where, according to the sacred myths, the transgressive god Bhairava decapitated Brahma, the god‐creator of the universe who descended to earth from his heavenly abode. This is the place where the dead head of Brahma stuck to Bhairava. Bhaira va. In the circles of devout Hindus, this place is considered the abode of evil spirits and all kinds of the undead. No rickshaw will drive drive a person to the Pishach Mochan in the evening or at night. night . At the same time, the Pishach Pis hach Mochan is a sacred place of power among radical mystics: Aghoris, Tantrics Tantrics and Kaulas. It is where the power of the radical transgressive transgressive spiritual path has triumphed over the power of  the ‘respectable’ Brahmanical mainstream Hinduism. This area is damned for the layman, while the radical mystic practicing bhairava‐kali‐dharma has a chance to achieve Jivanmukti there: the divine awareness which gives the release from Sam‐ sara during one’s lifetime. Bandits from criminal castes perform secret prayers there. After all, the main crime of the universe has been committed of the Pishach Mochan: deicide. And it was commited not just as a terrible sin, but also as a deifying spiritual act of a transgressive criminal path. The modern Pishach Pis hach Mochan is a pond with ‘cursed water’ and a temple of Bhairava on the shore. In the temple, along with wit h the murti of Bhairav B hairavaa and a Shivalingam, there is a stone head of Brahma. According to the legends, if you whisper your heart’s secret desire in the ear of this head, it 

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II: The deities of the Mandala may be ful󰁦illed. There is a sacred tree decorated with colourful ribbons, grown into the temple of Bhairava. Bhairava. On the roof of the temple there is a platform for meditation known only to the adepts initiated into the tradition of Bhairava. The power of the Pishach Mochan is tremendous, and meditation in this place can bring magni󰁦icent  results. On the festival of Bhairava Jayanti, the birthday of Bhairava, the adepts per‐ form a special prayer to the god of transgressive mysticism and the lord of the crim‐ inal world. The Kapal Mochan Tirtha is the place of power where Bhairava washed away his sin of deicide. Here the head of Brahma attached to Bhairava fell to the ground, symbolizing the successful accomplishment accomplishment of the paradoxical spiritual journey. The pilgrims in Varanasi are not afraid to die in this city. On the contrary, they desire it: their pilgrimage to the Mahashmashan is based on the ritual model of the arrival of Bhairava in Varanasi for atonement of his terrible sin and his sub‐ sequent reign in the city. The Kapal Mochan Tirtha is a pool of sacred water, on the shore of which stands the sanctuary of Bhairava and Kali. Modern people call this temple ‘the tem‐ ple of Lat Bhairava’. ‘Lat’ is a synonym for ‘khatvanga’ – the mace or staff of Bhairava. Khatvanga is also associated with the phallus of Bhairava: Bhairava: the shivalingam. A huge phallus‐mace is installed in the deep well of the temple symbolizing the Yoni Yoni of the goddess Kali. According to ancient sources, 󰁦irst of all, this is the temple of Kapal‐ abhairava, the holy criminal. However, the temple of Kapal Mochan Tīrtha can be called the temple of the nine bhairavas: around the lat that is installed in the well there are eight square stone pillars symbolizing the eight bhairavas and the eight  shaktis. In the corner of the temple temple there is is a murti of the goddess Kali. The bene󰁦it  from the meditative mysteries committed by an adept at this place of enormous power is colossal. The mace of Bhaira Bhairava va as the axis of the universe is the macrocos‐ mic projection of the spine. The death of the temporal and spiritual triumph through initiation raise the winds of life li fe in the form of a 󰁦ireball that passes through the skull into the ‘crevice of Brahma’ (Brahma‐randhra), along the Sushumna. Only such an understanding of Bhairava’s mace explains the de󰁦inition of a Kapalika’s khatvanga as a ‘symbol made of a skull mounted on a staff (danda)’. The mysteries of holy places of Varanasi are directly associated with the processes of the internal Tantric alchemy that leads an adept to divinity. Another sacred place of power in Varanasi is the temple of Kalabhairava: the eldest, main Bhairava. It is located in the heart of the labyrinth of the narrow streets of the old town. Together with the temple of Kashi Vishvanath, the temple of Kalabhairava is the center of the city mandala of the sacred Kashi. These two sanctuaries differ in their essence: the Kashi Vishvanath temple is a great place of  power for Hindus of all denominations, including the devotees of Shiva, Vishnu and Krishna; the temple Kalabhairava is a great place of power chie󰁦ly for the bhaktas

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism of Bhairava, Kali and Shiva. To To ask the divinity for success in a scam, theft or robbery in the temple of Vishvanath is an exotic idea but not n ot a brilliant brillian t one. But to make this request in the temple of Kalabhairava is quite appropriate. Kalabhairava protects not only the of󰁦icially respectable and legal affairs, but also the transgressive transgressive ones, including criminal acts. Swindlers, thieves and robbers have their natural dharma which they are obliged to follow. And each dharma is an emanation of a certain deity. The same applies to the dharma of the Aghoris, Tantrics, and Kaulas. There are several more temples of Bhairava in Varanasi: the sanctuary of Batukab‐ hairava (‘Child Bhairava’, who along with Ganesha is the guardian of the chambers of Shiva and Shakti), Unmattabhairava (‘Mad Bhairava’), Rurubhairava (‘Wild Bhairava’) and other forms of this transgressive god. The Kashi Vishvanath temple is the abode of one of the twelve twelve great jyotir lingams: the fossilized columns of the light of the star Ardra (Betelgeuse), in the form of which Shiva Shiva manifested himself  one day. This centre of pilgrimage is a great place of power for each Shaiva or Shakta, as well as the devotees of other deities of Hinduism. The Kashi Vishvanath Vishvanath temple is called ‘the Golden Temple’, as its roof is covered with 820 kilograms of pure gold once donated to the temple by Ranjit Singh – the Maharaja of Punjab. The paths leading to this pitha are always always crowded crowded with pilgrims. On the territory of the Ba‐ naras University there stands a new Kashi Vishvanath temple, built bui lt of white marble in the Nagara architectural style. Being a copy of the old temple, it is much larger and taller. The main tower of the new Kashi Vishvanath is taller than the famous Qutub Minar located in New Delhi. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and Shakti. It  is decorated with numerous swastikas, tridents, and fragments of holy scriptures. There is a temple of the god Hanuman in Varanasi, called ‘the Monkey temple’ by foreigners because because it is a home to plenty of monkeys. It is not surprising: the divinity is worshipped as the Great Monkey in this sanctuary. His name is Hanuman. He is the king and the god of all monkeys, a great warrior, a friend and a helper of the god‐king Rama. In Varanasi, there are temples of Durga, Ganesha and many other gods of  the swastika. In and around the city there are several Aghori ashrams including the famous native Aghori Ashram of Kinaram Krim Kund. Sanctuaries are located ev‐ erywhere in Varanasi. And yet for many outsiders the city is perceived not as par‐ adise but as a sinister manifestation of the infernal dimension. Based on my experience, visiting the holy city of Varanasi Varanasi is a heavy and depressing trial for many tourists and white pilgrims. Putrid soot, dead corpses, dirt, crime, grim legends of  grim gods… Places of spiritual power, some of which people prefer not to visit in the dark. Varanasi is a holy city, a sin city and a city of transgressive divinity at the same time. Next to one of the two main shmashans on one of the narrow streets there is a small temple of Kali, which is also a place of drug trade. The priest of this temple is a real Brahmin from the highest varna of Brahmins, and also a part‐time

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II: The deities of the Mandala drug dealer. The priest’s agents, kids from the rabble of Bihar and Uttarpradesh, catch tourists in the neighbourhood of the shmashan and push hashish, opium and heroin. For the devout followers of the ‘respectable’ spiritual paths this is horror and degeneration. For the adherents of transgressive ways, the ritual buying of  hashish from the members of the Bihar ma󰁦ia is as much a sacred rite as a set of  meditations in the Pishach Mochan and in the temple of Kalabhairava. We perceive Varanasi in an easy and spiritual spirit ual way. way. The secret lies in that for us this city has never been something like ‘a blessed Jerusalem’ or ‘an Orthodox Mecca’. From the very beginning, we saw this city as the city of sacred transgression: a place where ghouls, evildoers, spirits of the dead, and the t he crime are mixed with saints, sages, Aghori as‐ cetics, ancient shmashans, learned Pandits, and sanctuaries. For us, initially Bhairavaa has been not only the god of gods and sages but also the god Bhairav go d of devils, Rak‐ shasas, robbers. The Harischandra Shmashan is our spiritual ‘home sweet home’. We have enough intelligence and inner power to not suffer from the ‘putrid corpse soot’, ‘degradation of spirituality’ or ‘degeneration of the Brahmins’. For us it is a holy city that has its part in inspiring the lives of the adepts of the paths of deifying transgression. And praise the gods, how powerfully it inspires! Night descended on the Harischandra Shmashan. The temple of the ‘Boom‐ ‘Boo m‐ Boom‐Baba’, the temple of Kali and the temple of Ruru Bhairava. The idle cremato‐ rium, the site of the working shmashan. Stars, moths, owls and bats in the air. air. The 󰁦ires of cremation. The relatives of the dead, the gravediggers of the Dom caste around. Tantrics, Tantrics, Sadhus, Avadhutas, Aghoris, sitting in a circle. A kapala with Indian whiskey and a chillum with hashish are passed around the circle. A mantra is heard. Someone is doing japa in a dark corner. Someone found a nice viewpoint, and is contemplating the burning corpses. Now a leg of the corpse slipped out of the 󰁦ire: the shmashan caretaker shoves it back into the 󰁦ire with his pole. The skull is burst‐ ing, the brains are boiling, human fat 󰁦lares up in the 󰁦ire. Flakes of soot rise up to the sky, blending with the smoke of the kitchen of the ‘Sonmony’ restaurant. The force of the night wind whirls up the sparks of 󰁦ires, mingling them with the sparks of the stars of the t he black sky re󰁦lected in the waters of the t he sacred Ganga. Isn’t it beau‐ tiful and romantic? Where on Earth can you 󰁦ind another place like this? The atmo‐ sphere is such as recommended in the ancient Agamas; the atmosphere blessed by Bhairava and Kali in the Tantric texts. If the shmashan was less crowded we could perform some important practices directly on site. But it’s no big deal: we can do some of these practices in the hotel built right next to the shmashan. Once, we showed this shmashan and the hotel above the shmashan to Western pilgrims, a place where it is so good to practice Tantric sadhana. Of course, along with several serious mystics, ‘for company’ there came a number of stupid and weak people who have forgotten about the spiritual, who were only consuming hashish, opium and heroin. Even Even among the sadhus spending their time on the shmashan there is a fair

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism number of similar lunatics. However, despite all this, Varanasi in general and its shmashans in particular are places where one can meet amazing mystics, wise and strong. And most importantly: in this city one can obtain shaktipat as a result of the darshan of father Bhairava and mother Kali.

KAMAKHYA KAMAKHY A PITHA: THE PLACE OF POWER OF MAHAKALI Kamakhya Pitha is the mother of all pithas and the place of birth of Tantrism Kamakhya Tantrism as we know it. It is the great place of pilgrimage for the Hindus of the whole planet and the most sacred place of pilgrimage for Tantrics. To be a Tantric and not to visit Ka‐ makhyaa Pitha is nonsense. ‘Pitha’ means ‘a throne of divinity’ makhy divinity ’. ‘Tirtha’ means ‘a place of sacred water’. It is the sanctuary of the goddess Kamakhya who embodies Ma‐ hashakti – the unity of Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Kali – is a tirtha and a pitha at the same time. It is located in the pitha of the sacred mountain of Nilachala whose bot‐ tom is washed by the sacred river Brahmaputra. It is a beautiful place of nature dec‐ orated with lush trees whose crowns are inhabited by many birds and monkeys. The sacred myth tells that there was an era when Shiva’s Shiva’s wife bore the name of Sati. She was the daughter of Daksha, the god of sacri󰁦ices. Daksha disliked his son‐in‐ law. One day he performed a great sacri󰁦ice to all the gods and goddesses. The only ones who were uninvited were Shiva and Sati. The wife of Shiva couldn’t stand such an insult from her home, and burned herself to death. Shiva appeared before Daksha and took brutal revenge on him and his companions, but the bitterness of his wife’s death was very strong. He wandered around with the burnt corpse of Sati in his arms, and the universe was plunging into the hell of depression of Shiva Shiva.. Then Lord Vishnu, desiring to save s ave the universe universe from this hell, threw his magical chakram and clove Sati’s corpse into 108 pieces. Each of these parts fell to the ground and became one of the 108 Shakti pithas. The reproductive reproductive organ of Sati fell down on the hill of  Nilachala and turned to stone. So there appeared the Kamakhya Kamakhya Pitha. Sati S ati was re‐ born as Parvati, and Shiva was happy once again. And the 108 places of power began to give people magical gifts, spiritual and material. We climbed higher and higher up a winding mountain road. The anticipa‐ tion of meeting the sanctity and the source of all magic grew stronger and stronger stronger.. Here is the entrance to the temple complex of Kamakhya Tirtha before us. It in‐ cludes a pattern of many temples dedicated to various manifestations of Ma‐ hashakti: the universal energy of being forming everything that we mean by existence. The 󰁦irst temple from which the pilgrimage begins beg ins is dedicated to the god Ganesha, the second temple to the goddess Banadurga. The third temple is devoted to Tirthanath – the divinity in the aspect of the Lord of all the tirthas. Higher on the mountain slope the road forks into two horns, two parts. The right horn goes past  the temple of Kameshvara, the god of love and passion, the spouse of Kamakhya.

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II: The deities of the Mandala The road leads on to the temple of the goddess Bagalamukhi and the two temples dedicated to the goddess goddes s Bhuvaneshvari. The left horn leads towards the cave sanc‐ tuary of Kamakhya, and the 󰁦irst temple on the way to it is a cave temple of the god‐ dess Chinnamasta. The cave entrance is covered with a conical dome the colour of  caked blood. We descended into the darkness, down the extremely steep stairs of  the narrow passage. The bowels of the mountain engulfed us. When we were in the cave, we immediately felt the immense power that permeated this place, uncanny for the profane. The darkness was lit by the 󰁦lames of dozens of oil lamps. In this twilight, covered with a thick layer of ritual paint the colour of blood, washed by the waters of an underground spring, there lay the sacred stone of the goddess go ddess who cut off her own head. It was a live contact with the Tantric goddess of non‐human nature. As for the mystery of meditation that happened there, let it be hidden in the alcove of our hearts. The second sanctuary on this road to the central temple of Kamakhya was was the temple of Krishna. The third was the temple of Dakshina Kali. The 󰁦irst object  on the way to it turned out to be the sacred fork for offering dakshina to the goddess Kali: for making bloody sacri󰁦ices. The next temple was the temple of the goddess Tara. Further on, the road divided into two branches once again. The left one led to the temples of three goddesses: the sanctuary of Bhaira Bhairavi vi embodying the power of  all the bhairavas, the temple of the terrible goddess Dhumavati woven of smoke, and the temple of Shitala – the goddess of cold and smallpox. Behind these sanctu‐ aries there are the temple of Jarasandha and the temple of Shiva. The right road leads straight to the heart of the tirtha: to the Kamakhya Pitha. The cave temple of Bhairavi Bhairavi is located on the shore of the picturesque sa‐ cred pond inhabited by ducks and a beautiful drake. The top of the entrance to the t he temple is decorated with lion heads. Near the temple, there is a wooden fork for bloody dakshina to the goddess. Bhairavi’s cave itself is rather shallow. Inside, it  can be immediately felt felt that, 󰁦irst of all, this is a temple of Shakti, S hakti, not Shiva: instead of a Shivalingam towering in the centre of the sanctuary, sanctuary, there is a square deepening adorned with tridents. Inside it, there gapes the round mouth of a shallow well. Bhairava is represented in the temple as a dome‐shaped stone Shivalingam resem‐ bling a coconut and located on a small hill in one of the corners of the sanctuary. Meeting with Bhairavi and Bhairava in this special place of power illuminated us with the light of power, love and wisdom. The right branch of the road leads directly into the heart of the holy place: the cave temple of the goddess Kamakhya, covered with a dome, resting on six s ix foun‐ dations. Just like the holy city of Varanasi is the main place of burning corpses on Earth, Kamakhya Pitha is the main place of committing bloody sacri󰁦ices on the planet. Smoldering 󰁦ires are eternally burning over the shmashans of Varanasi. The 󰁦loor of the sacri󰁦icial chamber of Kamakhya Kamakhya Pitha is alwa always ys wet with sticky st icky blood

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism covering it in a thick layer. Professional priests make sacri󰁦ices there, as prescribed by the Kalika Purana. The name ‘Kamakhya’ comes from the word ‘kama’ – lust, lust , love. Passion leads to sex and reproduction; Kamakhya evokes passion, gives orgasms, and creates life. She feeds and nourishes this life, and at the end of the life cycle takes this life back. The sacri󰁦ice to Kamakhya is a relic of the primordial worship of the Great Mother that passed into the XXI century from the Stone Age. It is hard to imagine something as ancient as the Goddess and her sacri󰁦ices in today’s reli‐ gions. The text of the Kalika Purana, the 󰁦irst text that mentions the word ‘Hindu’, refers to spiritual rituals that include consuming meat, intoxicants and sexual in‐ tercourse.. Chapter 53 describes the rules of sacri󰁦icing animals and humans. Chap‐ tercourse ters 73 and 75 read that human sacri󰁦ices are pleasing to the Great Goddess. In our era, annihilation of a dangerous enemy who seeks to kill an adept or his family members and friends can be considered such a sacri󰁦ice. The Tantric doctrine sanc‐ ti󰁦ies the practice of Rakta Bali, and Abhinavagupta himself speaks spea ks of sacri󰁦icing an‐ imals and birds in his great Tantraloka. The goddess feeds hunters, shepherds and 󰁦ishers with meat and 󰁦ish. They consecrate their food by offering offering the right of the 󰁦irst bite and the 󰁦irst sip of blood to the great Mahashakti, and returning the creatur creatures’ es’ souls to her with a prayer for their better afterlife and a better rebirth. Those who cannot accept the liturgy of  death as the sister of sacred life and as part of their spiritual path, are unable to be‐ come one with nature and with divinity. They are unable to see divinity in war or in the nature of predators. The cowardly rejection rejection of the aspect of violent death as part of the manifestation of the divinity is a dead end in the self‐perfe s elf‐perfection ction process. Mother Nature not only creates and feeds, but also kills, taking back the souls whom she gave birth. The inner acceptance of this fact and the dei󰁦ication of the whole cycle of life are the main aspects of Rakta Bali, as such sacri󰁦ices are called. It is not  barbarism but a coherent way of realization of the divinity in us and our world. Along with this strategic mystical aspect, there is an important tactical, magical as‐ pect: the goddess, having accepted the gift, generously rewards those who have brought her this dakshina. We walked across the yard around the temple where people were waiting for their turn to be sancti󰁦ied, and the animals waited in line for their turn to cross the border of life and death. Hundreds of people lit oil o il lamps and placed them along alo ng the wall of the temple. The priest sacri󰁦iced pigeons and goats. With mantras, he swept a pigeon’s throat against the blade of the ritual sword – and it was done. Goats are sacri󰁦iced in another way. The head of the goat is placed in a wooden fork and blocked on top with an iron rod passing through the holes in the fork. Prayers, mantras, a blow of the sword on the neck – now the goat’s head is separated from from its body, body, and the priest tears the goat’s skin off, hanging the carcass on a hook pro‐ truding from the wall. To sacri󰁦ice an ox to the goddess is more expensive. A much

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II: The deities of the Mandala larger spear is used to perform this rite. Only male creatures can be sacri󰁦iced. Fe‐ male creatures are prototypes of the goddess Kamakhy Kamakhyaa herself, they are not sac‐ ri󰁦iced, but are revered with spells and mantras. How to describe what transcends the possibilities of description and can only be felt in one’s heart, body and mind? It is only possible to describe the external details and to give a glimpse of what everyone of us has experienced in the depths of that mountain. The alcove of the cav cave, e, lamps, twilight… The sacred stream 󰁦lowing from the black stone – the Yoni of Kamakhya. Here it is, the heart of the heart of the heart of the tirtha. Once O nce a month, the water of the stream turns red. Today Today it is black in the twilight, shining in the light of the oil lamps. The power of life, the energy that creates the entire universe, emanates from the sanctuary. We immerse our hands in the stream to touch the sacred stone and to sanctify ourselves, to be 󰁦illed with the power of Kamakhya. The water is warm, giving a feeling that the hand en‐ ters the vagina of the Great Goddess. We bring her a sacri󰁦ice: s acri󰁦ice: our love and our pur‐ suit of dei󰁦ication. Something happened there that will remain hidden in the t he caves of our hearts. We ascended to the surface of the earth, reliving what we have just expe‐ rienced. We sacri󰁦iced a pigeon. Then a coconut. Pilgrims P ilgrims break the nuts on a special iron pedestal, where Hindus used to smash the heads of the defeated enemies cen‐ turies ago. Another ritual of dakshina to the Great Goddess. The nuts symbolize human skulls in particular, and gifts from the heart in general. This offering ex‐ presses the love for Kamakhya. Break a nut, see the sweet juice sprinkle sp rinkle up – accept  the gift of luck from the goddess! The Great Goddess is worshipped both by Tantric mystics and ordinary Hindus. Everyone worships her in accordance with the level of their development  and understanding of spiritual spi ritual practices. The pilgrimage to the t he great place of power mentioned above is the most meaningful satsang of the divine shakti. A spiritual event of ultimate importance. A sacred mystical‐magical ritual after which a per‐ son’s life will be divided in two parts: the life before visiting Kamakhya Pitha, and the spiritual path after visiting Kamakh Kamakhya ya Pitha.

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III The 36 foundations of the universe THE SYSTEM OF THE 36 TATTVAS The non‐dual Tantrism of Bhairava and Kali practised by the authors of this book operates a well‐developed system of multidimensional symbols and an d related psychic techniques, the knowledge of which is transmitted through spiritual mentorship. This approach allows to go beyond the subjectivity of the individual sporadic mys‐ tical experiences, and gives the possibility of describing them and passing them on at least partially parti ally.. The method of our research is a comprehensive com prehensive study and analysis of philosophical texts of this and other traditions, an independent study of our own consciousness and an d the world around by means of logical reasoning and through the direct experience obtained through the senses, meditation, and intuitive insights. The instrument of our research is the consciousness and the direct experience which is, in turn, examined and understood. That is, the consciousness is at the same time the object of the research, the research instrument, and the researcher. The psycho‐technical aspect of the Shakta Upaya practice is the active con‐ templation of the higher self, using the creative powers of the practitioner’s mind associated with the inner meanings of the existential senses of sacred symbols rep‐ resented in the forms of speci󰁦ic mantras, gradually identifying the mind with them. The purpose of this practice is as follows: using the cognitive and the creative pow‐ pow‐ ers of the mind operating under the in󰁦luence of its own mental constructs, to dis‐ identify with them and to form a ‘pure perception’ based on a positive comprehension of the source of any perception. A philosophical re󰁦lection on such a term as ‘the Absolute’ clearly demon‐ strates that the Absolute, in virtue of its absoluteness, which by de󰁦inition involves involves being beyond any conditions and limits, intrinsically transcends conceptual de󰁦ini‐ tions, and its description cannot be reduced neither to a single symbol or any sym‐ bolic system. However, the system of symbolic models of the manifestation of the Absolute consciousness consciousnes s plays quite a signi󰁦icant part in doctrinal texts and the mys‐ tical practices described there.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Proceeding to the system of the 36 tattvas describing the stages of the im‐ manent manifestation of the Absolute consciousness step by step, we have have to make a few clari󰁦ications. First, terms like ‘phase’, ‘process’, etc. are used here only no‐ tionally, for the sake of convenience. Although words like ‘create’, ‘manifestation’ and the like suggest some process and some so me ‘distance’ between two extreme states, we apply them only due to the necessity and to the linear nature of the language and the way of thinking that we use. It is always emphasized in traditional texts that  t hat  any differentiation differentiation here is just a logical technique that helps to understand the na‐ ture of the described, and should not no t be understood literally. literally. The proof of this t his can be found in everyday human activity. For example, physical activity always supposes a certain sequence of actions, while the activity of consciousness (in the form of  memories or imagination) does not need it. For example, if we were building a house in the physical world, 󰁦irst we would have to build the foundation, then the walls, roof, etc. But if we are building a house in our mind, we can imagine it whole at once. The actions are not consequent here, because mentally we don’t lay bricks one after another. another. Second, in this case, the systematization systematizat ion is built on the basic prin‐ ciples underlying the processes and phenomena that form the Universe, working on all levels of being. These forming principles of the universe are arranged arranged in as‐ cending and descending order: from the particular to the general, from the singular to the collective, from the concrete to the abstract. Thus, the entire phenomenal world appears to be one continuous chain where each link is connected with a larger link. Hence logically follows the arrangement of the principles that form each ‘link’ in hierarchical hi erarchical order, order, where each higher level includes includ es and contains cont ains the lower lo wer,, which is stage by stage represented in the system of the 36 tattvas. In this chapter, we will consider the stages of the immanent manifestation of the Absolute mind expressed in the system of the 36 tattvas, which are based on a fundamental un‐ derstanding of the unity of the macro‐ and the microcosm. Thus, the cosmogonical symbols that constitute the system of the 36 tattvas are also the symbols that de‐ scribe the structure of an individual mind, having a clear and traceable relationship with the four states of mind. 1. The state of wakefulness ( jagrat ) is characterized by the attention fo‐ cused on external objects and sensations, such as taste, colour, smell, etc. On the macrocosmic level, the state of vaishvanara correspond correspondss to the world of dense, tan‐ gible forms observed in the everyday life. This is the usual state of wakefulness, i. e., the perception of external objects as the result of their contact with the sense organs. 2. The state of consciousness when a person is dreaming in their sleep (swapna), the state of taijasa (lit. ‘󰁦laming’, ‘shining’) is compared with 󰁦ire due to its plasticity and 󰁦luidity which is like l ike tongues of 󰁦lame. This condition is most vividl vividlyy

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe experienced during the so‐called ‘coloured dreams’, hallucinations, all kinds of al‐ tered, trance‐like and out‐of‐body states of consciousness, when the consciousness is fully engaged in the contents of its mental ment al toolbox: the mind (manas), the intellect  (buddhi) and the ego (ahamkara), and also the inner re󰁦lections of the perceptual experience of the senses. Here the objects of perception are creations of the mind itself, the world of dreams being inseparable from them. The macrocosmic corre‐ spondence to the state of taijasa is the middle world of subtle forms ( antariksha). 3. The unconscious state of dreamless sleep, the state of deep sleep or swoon (sushupti), where, in the absence of perceived objects, the state correspond‐ ing to them is the experienced state of bliss ( ananda). 4. The ‘fourth’, the transcendental t ranscendental state of consciousness (turiya), is beyond all the previous ones: beyond wakefulness and sleep, deep dreamless sleep and bliss; it is essentially essenti ally inde󰁦inable and can be characterized only as “the state of being the witness to it all”. These four states of consciousness are understood in the microcosmic and the macrocosmic aspects, correlated with the four mantras, the phonetic elements comprising the sacred syllable ‘оṃ’. According to O. Yerchenkov, “The cosmological model of the Absolute consciousness is the doctrine of the 36 tattvas common for all the Shaiva Agamas. The ultimate reality of the Absolute consciousness is the source of the immanent manifestation of the world formed by a set of modal ele‐ ments – tattvas, which comprise the integrity of the 36 ‘modes of being’ described in the Agamas, and which are hierarchically emanated from the Light level of being of Paramashiva as phenomenal projections of his internal potential energy – his Shakti”. The 36 ‘modes of being’, or the 36 modes of self‐awareness, are divided into three categories, or three orders: shuddha (the ‘pure’ tattvas, or the ‘pure’ order), shuddha-ashuddha (the ‘pure‐impure’ tattvas, or the ‘transient’ order), ashuddha (the ‘impure’ tattvas, or the t he ‘impure’ order). The states of the ‘pure’ order

are characterized characterized by the dominant, self‐suf󰁦icient ‘I‐consciousness’, ‘I‐consciousness’, the t he experience of wholeness where the object is not different from the subject. The Shiva‐con‐ sciousness, though it projects the world on ‘this’ (idam), however realizes that ‘this’ is its own projection, and that’s why it is united with it. The mere presence of the object is not unaw unawareness; areness; the object may be the result not of unawareness unawareness but of  a conscious self‐projection. Unawareness is the sense that the object is different  from the subject. A further unfolding of the process of ‘downward’ projection results in that there appear the states of consciousness typical for the ‘pure‐impure’ order. Here the self‐suf󰁦iciency of consciousness, which existed in the previous stages, gradually decreases and brings the consciousness to limitations in different spheres (maya, the kanchukas). This results in the t he appearance of the subject with a limited

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism perception, dominated by the maya and 󰁦ive kanchukas determining the sphere of  its experience. Then follows the ‘impure’ order of the ‘narrowed’ self‐awareness: there appears Prakriti in the state of equilibrium of the three gunas, and its subse‐ quent derivatives up to the Prithvi – the inanimate matter devoid of consciousness.

THE PURE ORDER 1 – Shiva; 2 – Shakti; 3 – Sadashiva; 4 – Ishvara; 5 – Shuddhavidya. (1-2) Shiva-Shakti-tattva Though Shiva and Shakti are listed as two among the 36 categories, they are one and the same. They are two only 󰁦iguratively; in conceptual description they are one reality: the reality of the being of Shiva‐Shakti. Shiva‐Shakti. This is the state of self‐awareness (aham, or ‘I am’) without any object (ahamidam, or ‘I am this’). The question of the awareness awa reness of the world does not rise here since the world does not yet exist in any form. Shakti is the ‘I‐consciousness’ of Shiva, his power to create, the active aspect  of One, from which all the subsequent manifestations follow. On this stage, ex‐ pressed by the Shiva‐Shakti tattva, the principle of anuttara (the single, the undi‐ vided), assuming the position of  pramiti (unconditional knowledge, knowledge without subject‐object relations), pramata (the subject, the knower), pramana (the process of cognition) and  prameya (the object, the knowable), performs an inner manifestation that is pure awareness. awareness. The state of the undivided knowledge of the universe, the absolute identity of Shiva/Shakti is the essence of the reality ( anuttara-chit ) in the aspect of knowledge. Here anuttara contains within itself – in the void of the original absolute consciousness and the absolute self‐identity – all its potential self‐manifestations. Consciousness Conscious ness as such is always de󰁦ined by its ability ab ility to be aware, to know. The consciousness which is unable to be aware is nonsense. Moreover, cognition (awareness, knowledge as a function of consciousness) is carried out by the con‐ sciousness within itself. That is, such phenomena as ‘knowledge’ and ‘conscious‐ ness’ are de󰁦ined through each other like ‘light’/’the quality of being illuminated’. Light is a phenomenon, the basic property of which is illumination. Illumination is the property that de󰁦ines light. In other words, the terms ‘consciousness’ and ‘knowledge’ (as a function of consciousness) describe different aspects of the same phenomenon. The term ‘consciousness’ re󰁦lects the static aspect, and the term ‘knowledge’ – the dynamic aspect. Knowledge is the activity of consciousness. The

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe (‘Shiva/Shakti’) is static and dynamic in essence at the same time. Ultimate Reality (‘Shiva/Shakti’) In traditional terminology, terminology, the nature of the Ultimate Reality is ‘Prakasha/Vimarsha’ , which is conventionally interpreted as ‘light/illumination’ or ‘consciousness/knowl‐ edge’. Prakasha is Shiva, the void of the absolute consciousness of the Supreme Re‐ ality which has the nature of the light of consciousness (luminous in nature), as it  has the ability to know (to illuminate, to reveal). Vimarsha is Shakti, the dynamic aspect of the Supreme Reality, its inherent function of knowledge (illumination, identi󰁦ication), the primal activity of consciousness. How can the emptiness of the primal absolute consciousness (the non‐being) to project the multiplicity of mani‐ festations (the being)? being )? The ordinary physical space is involved involved in the dichotomy be‐ tween the being and the non‐being, conventional within the common sense. Objects exist, but the physical space is ‘nothing’, non‐existence. ‘Nothing’, ‘Nothing’, in this sense, can‐ not be a cause of something. However, even the conventional notions of space can be fundamental in some ways. This possibility is clear in terms of the physical space, as we usually feel that it is de󰁦initive in the sense that it does exist, even if there are no objects. The reverse is not true because objects ‘depend on’ the presence of  space. Moreover, even in the case of a perceived space, where the perception of  space, as opposed to the perception of ‘things’, ‘things’, is a single process (the two aspects that complement each other), there may be some kind of ‘space’ that is essential and necessary for the perception of presence presence and absence to be possible at all. Ob‐ viously, the object that exists ‘here’ came from the preceding state of the empty space; it requires the existence of some space here, and gives place to the future state of the empty space again – the ‘non‐existence’. That is, even in the ordinary sense, space is projected into the space. The experience of the pure, undifferentiated ‘I’ is the emptiness generated by the absence of any objects. From this level, which is a state of absolute freedom (swatantrya) where there are no restrictions, endless forms of different manifesta‐ tions 󰁦low out spontaneously spo ntaneously and freely. freely. Thus, it is transcendental, transcendent al, superior to these forms, and at the same time immanent, i.e. inherent in them, for in its absence at  the basis of their reality they would all be ‘unlit’ and therefore non‐existent. From the perspective of the 36 categories (tattvas), the primal Shiva‐Shakti transcending all Creation are the source of all Creation. From the perspective of the energy, it is chit-ananda, which is the nature of the Reality Real ity.. From the perspective of the external externa l projection process, this is the reality empty in its nature that generates diversity through srishti (creation of the world of manifested forms) and absorbs diversity in samhara (absorption of the world of manifested forms).

(3) Sadashiva-tattv Sadashiva-tattva a To make the process of external projection (creation of the world of manifested forms) basically possible, it is required to ‘break’ the balanced unity of the two prin‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism ciples of Shiva/Shakti, who at the time of this “split” are referred to as “the one who pushes” and “the one who is pushed”, pushed”, being the t he prototypes of cause and effect. The “split” here actually means that a single indivisible unit is “divided” into two oppos‐ ing principles: Shiva (non‐being, non‐existence, non‐manifestation) and Shakti (being, existence, manifestation, something that ‘happens’). Thereat, the very pos‐ sibility of the ‘existence’ or ‘presence’ of anything presupposes the presence of a ‘witness’ (the perceiving consciousness), for if nothing/no‐one can testify that  something is ‘happening’ it is neither provable provable nor disprovable. Thus, the ‘split’ of  the single whole indivisible into two opposing principles actually leads to the birth of plurality expressed not only in such dichotomies as non‐existence/e non‐existence/existence xistence or cause/effect, cause/eff ect, but also single/multiple, subject/object, etc. The presence of a knowing subject is a necessary condition and basis for the process of knowledge. It is also clear that the knowledge of any object by the subject is impossible without the initial presence of the self‐aw self‐awareness areness of the sub‐ ject: that is, without the realization of the subject’s own existence. ‘I know some‐ thing’ implies that ‘I know’ and that ‘I exist’: the presence of the ‘I‐consciousness’. Thus, the presence of the ‘I‐consciousness’ is the basic foundation of any act of  awareness. The knowing subject, in this sense, is the original universal permanent  awareness. subject of any experience, the subject ‘par excellence’, absolute and transcendent, because there is nothing else that could make it the object of its own perception, as there is nothing else that could act as the subject perceiving it. The pulsation of ap‐ pearance and disappearance of the original ‘I‐consciousness’ is denoted by the term ‘spanda’. Spanda is the power of the perception process, the essential nature of the primal subject as well as the empirical individual, the basis of the psychological subject. The original subject pervades all possible states of consciousness. It con‐ nects them together in a stream of experience: ‘I am the same person who rejoices and suffers, or then gets interested by something’. All of these states are present in this subject who is independent from all transient (temporary) experiences. Un‐ doubtedly, there is a difference between being and becoming. Our perception is at‐ tached to the diversity of objective forms. Forms appear and disappear, but the being – that is, the self‐luminous universal consciousness lying at the base of all forms – is permanent and unchangeable. The original subject of knowledge doesn’t  need any objects to be aware of its own beingness, and it also doesn’t become its own object: in other words, it perceives itself subjectively. Unlike the usual subject‐ object way of knowledge that consists in comprehending or ‘grasping’ an object, the subjective way way of knowledge is self‐illumination (swayamprakasha). In the same way that light doesn’t make itself its object though it illuminates itself, the original subject knows itself directly and subjectively subjectively. Besides, the ‘I‐consciousness’ is self‐ evident and self‐suf󰁦icient as it does not no t require any other evidence other than bear‐ ing witness to itself. A rough illustration of a state similar to the described can be

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe the experience that occurs in the 󰁦irst moment after a sudden, abrupt awakening, when the consciousness ‘switches on’ and the person is not aware of where or who they are. This moment of a spontaneous 󰁦lash of consciousness can be described as a direct integral spontaneous experience of one’s beingness, when some ‘I’ is sud‐ denly ‘switched on’. This unconceptualized experience (the activation of ‘I’) is inte‐ gral and self‐apparent: it doesn’t need additional evidence to con󰁦irm its existence. Since we are talking about the transition from the sphere of non‐being to the sphere of being, it is evident that such a transition cannot hav havee any cause, for the presence of any cause belongs to the sphere of being. For the same reason, it can be stated that this transition is not marked by any manifestation of sequence or simultaneity, as it is happening outside of time, which is a phenomenon of being. Here are some interesting thoughts of Plato on the theoretical possibility of such transitions from one opposing state to another and their ‘non‐temporality’: “The transitions from being to non‐being and back, just like the transitions from rest to motion and back, are extreme transitions. How are such transitions possible at all? After all, while something is moving or at rest, it exists in time, but when it passes from rest to mo‐ tion, in the moment of transition it is not moving and not resting... For is no such time during which something could be both not moving and not resting. resting . Then when does it change? For it does not change when not moving, and when not resting, and when not being in time... In that case, isn’t it strange: the ‘something’ where it will be in the moment when it changes?” If in the process of moving or resting some‐ thing is present in time, then in the moment of transition from motion to rest it is not present in time. What, then, is ‘the something’ somethin g’ where it is in the moment of tran‐ tran‐ sition? According to Plato, it is the timeless ‘suddenly’. This ‘suddenly’ means some‐ thing starting from when a change occurs in one direction or another: “Truly, the change does not start from the state of rest, as long as it is rest, or from the state of  motion, as long as the motion is going on; however, this strange ‘suddenly’ is be‐ tween motion and rest, being completely outside of time but being directed towards towards it; and proceeding from it, something that was moving changes and goes to rest, and something that was in the state of rest changes to motion. But isn’t it also true of other changes? When something goes from life to death or from non‐existence to emergence, it happens between some motion and rest, and it does not possess neither being nor non‐being at that moment, does not emerge and does not perish”. So, the ‘I‐consciousness’ of the primal subject, its 󰁦irst and main activity, activity, is witnessing the transition of the ‘self’ ‘self ’ from non‐being into being. This phenomenon of transition from one opposing state to another can be described as ‘there was nothing – and suddenly there appeared something’; as some atemporal ‘suddenly’, which, according according to Plato, Pl ato, does not have any any cause and is not subject to any law or rule. That is, the original ‘I‐consciousness’ of the absolute subject is not mediated by anything, or rather, is mediated by ‘nothing’. It should be noted that the concept 

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism of ‘nothing’ here is rather similar to what modern physicists call the quantum or the physical vacuum. According to S. Alemanov: A lemanov: “The notion of the ‘physical vacuum’ vacuum’ has appeared in science as a result of the realization that the vacuum is not empti‐ ness, is not n ot ‘nothing’. ‘nothing’. It represents an extremely essential ‘something’ that generates everything in the world and sets the properties of the material from which every‐ every‐ thing around is built. It represents the ‘space’ of the virtual – that is, not manifested in any way – particles with no properties being in the ‘zero’ state. It is hard to imag‐ ine. After all, if something doesn’t manifest manifest itself in this world in some way, way, then it  doesn’t exist. But nonetheless, vacuum is constantly ‘boiling’: the virtual particles emerge into reality for a moment again and again; they appear from nothing and then disappear... disappear... At the present time it is alread alreadyy known that all substance owes its origin to the substance of the vacuum, and all the properties of substance are set  by the properties of the physical vacuum. Science penetrates deeper and deeper into the essence of vacuum. It has rev revealed ealed the fundamental role of vacuum in the formation of the laws of the material world. It is not surprising any more that some scientists state that ‘everything is made of vacuum, and all around us is vacuum’”. Summing up, the absolute consciousness, having the nature of both being and non‐ being and called Shiva in our tradition, is the source and the basis of any manifes‐ tation. Its power of perception is called Shakti. The 󰁦irst and the main activity of the absolute consciousness is the transition from non‐being to being and in the opposite direction through being the witness of this transition. It must seem an internal contradiction to think that consciousness, which is the subject or ‘the knower’ in its true nature, can become the object. How can ‘I’ become the object of my knowledge? If I make myself the object of my knowledge saying ‘this is I’, then I’m not ‘that’ but the one who knows. An attempt to know yourself as the object is similar to an attempt to see your own eyes. The eyes will always be “the lookers”, they can never “be looked at”. If I point at the re󰁦lection of  my eyes in a mirror or try to separate my eye as an object and say: ‘this is my eye’, this re󰁦lection or the separate ‘eye’ is not the true eye; something that sees the re‐ 󰁦lection or sees the separated eye is the true eye. At the moment when the eyes be‐ come an object, they cease to be the eyes. Similarly, the Consciousness, or I, stops being ‘I’ the moment it becomes the object. The reality which is ‘I’, being the con‐ sciousness, is the subject and not the object. Even though the subject cannot become the object, still, during dreaming we 󰁦ind that the subject is also the object. A thor‐ ough analysis of the experience of dreaming will show that here ‘I’ is the one who sees or the one who sleeps, and not what is seen, or what comes in dreams. And yet  it is true t rue that the object of dreaming is my own projection and, therefore, it is true that ‘I’ also becomes the object of dreaming. This aspect of dreaming clearly indi‐ cates three things: a) that the subject can project, or to become an object, b) that  the projected object is essentially one and the same with the subject, as the sub‐

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe stance or material of a dream is nothing else than consciousness, and c) that the subject, even after projecting projecting itself as the object of a dream, stays the subject as the one who is dreaming. Thus, the experience of dreaming reveals a very important  and signi󰁦icant truth: the subject, despite staying the subject, is also the object, meaning that it projects the object. There is no logical contradiction between the logical truth that ‘I’, or the subject, ceases to be ‘I’ if it becomes the object, on the one hand, and the fact that the subject becomes the object in dreaming on the other hand. Regarding dreaming, it is said that the object is one and the same with the subject not in the sense that ‘the observed’ is ‘the observer’, but in the sense that  the substance of the object of a dream is the same consciousness that is the sub‐ stance of the subject. The object of a dream is made not of material substance, but  of mind or consciousness. The object of a dream is not ‘real’, but ‘ideal’. It is made of ideas, or mental substance, s ubstance, which is nothing more than Consciousness. The object  is a re󰁦lection, or projection, of the subject, and therefore in essence it is one with the subject. Of course, in the sense of ‘the perceiver’ perceiver’, not in the sense of substance or matter, the subject remains the subject even in a dream and never becomes the object. Thus, it is fair to say that the subject remains the subject and yet, yet , at the same time, also becomes the object. Next, the ‘split’ of the One and Indivisible, which makes the unfolding of  external projection projection possible, cannot occur without the presence of the original po‐ tency (impulse) in this ‘split’ ‘split’.. No ful󰁦ilment is possible without the presence of the t he power (potency, will, desire) to this ful󰁦ilment. Thus, the creation at this stage (Sadashiva) is represented in its absolute potential form, being the pure potency of  any possible creation rather than the actual ful󰁦ilment of creation of any kind. K. Mishra says: “This state is described as ‘unity‐in‐distinction’ ( ahamidam – ‘I am this’)... It is similar to the plasma of a peacock’s egg where the variety of coloured peacock feathers feathers is fully immersed into the homogeneous unity of the egg, though the distinction is potentially present there. In this state, the desired object exists yet only in the form of a single Consciousness... The distinction between the world (vachaka) and the object (vachya) is not manifested yet, yet, they both exist in an undi‐ vided form. The consciousness of the object (idam) has already sprouted but is still not different from the subject (aham)” )”.. At this stage st age of the integral, in tegral, undifferentiated perception of everything desired to be perceived, there is no sequence and there is no segregation between the word and the referent. The state of consciousness cor‐ responding to this level can be experienced in strong emotional states; at the mo‐ ment of a sudden recollection of an urgent matter; when suddenly faced with something terrifying; when unexpectedly meeting someone; between thoughts. It  is something that connects connect s thoughts like a thread, something that exists before they occur.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism (4) Ishvara tattva The second stage of the process of external projection (creation) can be described as ‘performance’ or ‘imagination’, where the future creation, the world of the per‐ ceivable ceiv able objects, is only a thought form. This is the state of idamaham – ‘this is I’. It  is still within the t he overall framework framework of the unity‐in‐distinction, unity‐in‐distinct ion, but here the distinc‐ tion is accentuated (idam, or ‘this’), since the distinction is more manifested. The subject has fully imagined the object, but the object continues to exist in the subject  as a thought‐form. The perception of integrity remains in the distinction between the word and the referent. No thought can be formed without attaching it to some s ome verbal image. These words‐images are present in consciousness as ideas‐seeds of  phenomena, and are the essence of conscious or unconscious processes of thinking. Thoughts, words‐images, and objects comprehended through words‐images, are the three elements comprising the process of thinking. It is the level of conscious‐ ness which makes the processes of thinking and understanding possible, because on this level it contains the t he word‐image, the meaning of the word, and the total idea of them both shining in the consciousness. (5) Shuddhavidya tattva In this state of consciousness, the world is fully manifested, clothed in an external form. The object is projected from the subject and stands as if on the same level with the subject. Therefore, this condition is described as ‘I am’, and ‘This is’ ( aham cha idam cha). The distinction is completely obvious, so that it appears to be inde‐ pendent of the unity which is the perceiver (the subject). But although it appears to be independent from the perceiving perceiving I, still the ‘I’ (Shiva) knows that it is not dif‐ ferent from Him. K. Mishra said: “The existence of o f idam as such is not unawareness; idam may be the result not of unawareness but of conscious self‐projection. Un‐ awareness awa reness is the feeling that idam is different from the subject”. On this level, there is a clear distinction between the word and its referent. This is the unity in distinc‐ tion, where the distinction manifests as a formed image, formed speech through which the exchange of information occurs. This means that it is possible p ossible to perceive and to pronounce it. The further unfolding of the process of the downward projec‐ projec‐ tion results in a state in which the self‐suf󰁦iciency of consciousness that existed on the previous stages graduall graduallyy decreases (maya, kanchukas); it becomes limited in various spheres. This leads to the emergence of the limited perceiving subject dom‐ do m‐ inated by maya and 󰁦ive kanchukas, which determine the sphere of his experience. Then there appears prakriti in the state of equilibrium of the three gunas. Then fol‐ low the other derivatives up to  prithvi – the inanimate (devoid of consciousness) matter.

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe THE TRANSIENT ORDER. MAYA AND KANCHUKAS 6 – Maya; 7 – Kalā (separation); 8 – Vidya (knowledge); 9 – Raga (attachment); 10 – Kāla (time); 11 – Niyati (necessity). (6) Maya tattva Maya tattva is the very principle of limitation or separation. Any limitation (distinc‐ tion, de󰁦inition) is a denial of the transcendence that is beyond any de󰁦inition or the absence of any de󰁦inition, by making the integral perception fragmented. Spinoza was right saying that ‘any de󰁦inition is negation’: de󰁦ining something, we thereby deny everything what this ‘something’ is not. In this context, the principle of limi‐ tation, being an expression of the unlimited freedom and the independence from any conditions of the Absolute consciousness, consciousness , is at the same time a negation of tran‐ t ran‐ scendence leading to the segregation of the immanent aspect of the ‘I‐conscious‐ ness’: i.e., to the emergence of a limited subject. Thus, the original principle of the limitation of the Absolute consciousness represented by maya maya tattva is the basis of  the mode of existence of the limited subject. In other words, it is the source that  emanates all possible forms of any knowable objects and the ways of perceiving them, uniting them at the same time. The principle of limitation of the Absolute consciousness manifested in different aspects is expressed by the kanchukas. (7) Kalā Kalā tat tattv tva a Limitlessness in the sense of ‘beyond all boundaries’ in the sphere of the manifested is expressed as ‘the in󰁦inity of discrete series’. For example, the concept of in󰁦inity in relation to time involves an in󰁦inite sequence of points in time, etc. A limited sub‐ ject, trying to comprehend its own nature, discovers an in󰁦inite sequence of points nested within each other (meaning that it is impossible to reach the end of the se‐ quence), the boundaries of self‐comprehension being de󰁦ined by the very principle of limitation, which is manifested as kāla and kalā. Kalā is the limitation of the mode of existence of the subject as such, manifested as the sense of con󰁦ined capacities or the constrained kriya, kriya, limitation of the possibility to act, an impression of ‘non‐ omnipotence’ that causes the feeling of lack, of need, which determines and compels to do actions (driven by karma and the feeling of lack) to satisfy this need.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism (8) Vidya tattva Vidya is a limitation in the context of the method of knowledge ( pramana). Vidya is the limited jnana, the unawareness consisting in the impression of distinction be‐ tween subject and object (dualistic perception) and the limitation of the means of  knowledge. The limited perceiver (the subject) comprehends the world (the object) as something distinct from itself or other than itself. As the result, the subject is not  the true perceiver as it does not know the truth that the whole world is the subject’s own projection. The conclusion is that vidya, the limited knowledge, creates the possibility to forget or to remember something, or the feeling of the t he inability to hold several sever al objects in mind at the same time. (9) Raga tattva The initial potency (‘freedom to’ and ‘freedom from’) has the nature of Shiva, Shiva, is per‐ fect and doesn’t differ from the soma‐shakti (‘soma’  means ‘sa uma’ : ‘with Uma’; Uma is the Shakti of Shiva), i.e., the transcendental will is soma: the bliss and the freedom of Shiva. The densifying iccha develops towards getting more and more manifested in the process of downward projection, becoming the source of the lim‐ ited manifestations of Shakti, which come to be perceived as different objects. In such a way, way, the densi󰁦ied Soma S oma becomes the principle of the limited object. The as‐ pects of ananda and swatantrya that have been the original causes of the develop‐ ment of iccha towards manifestation (the manifestation of the objective world originates from the bliss and the unconditional free will of Shiva) become limited, and become the prerequisites for the emergence of raga, dvesha and causality (de‐ terminism). Raga-tattva, being the limited ananda shakti, causes the feeling of dis‐ satisfaction, the absence of the ‘feeling of the single taste’ (sarvatmabhava) and, as a consequence, attachment to some object. The opposite of raga is dvesha – the aversion or antipathy towards something. Raga and dvesha, in fact, represent the same state of mind and indicate the same attitude attit ude of mind: it likes something that  is pleasant, and does not like something that brings pain and disharmony. Since dvesha is the reverse side of raga, it isn’t considered separately: hence, raga can be called raga‐dvesha. raga‐dvesha. The result is that raga creates the preconditions for the mani‐ festation of the concepts of comparison and choice.

(10) Kāla tattva Kāla is the limitation of the mode of existence of the subject: the way of thinking that conditions the consciousness. This kanchuka generates the feeling of sequence (krama) that is experienced as time, the sense of ‘before’ and ‘after’ ( purvapara). Time cannot exist without sequence, and vice versa. In fact, sequence and time are

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe one and the same; time is well de󰁦ined by the expression ‘one after another’. The consequence of this limitation is the experience of 󰁦initeness and non‐eternity, non‐eternity, giv‐ ing rise to the concepts of birth and death, the past, the present and the future, and consequently,, creating the possibility for the development of such concepts as mem‐ consequently ory and the phenomena of represe representation, ntation, imagination, planning.

(11) Niyati tattva Niyati is the determinism, the opposite of freedom (swatantrya). It is the principle of the existence of causality. causality. In the t he psychic sphere, it is the principle of the impos‐ sibility of achieving anything just by wish: to achieve results, results, one has to create the preconditions for it. Similarly, Similarly, if there is a cause, it is impossible to avoid the effect. Under the in󰁦luence of niyati (since it is impossible for a limited subject to create the preconditions for unlimited satisfaction) there appears the feeling of a limited scope and limited relations. For this reason, niyati is also interpreted as the principle of ‘space’ THE IMPURE ORDER Purusha, Prakriti, Antahkarana Antahkarana are 󰁦ive stages that express the development of the powers of activity of Shiva of different intensity. (12) Purusha tattva Purusha tattva is the stage correlated with chit kriya, whose nature is voidness gen‐ erating diversity diversity in srishti and absorbing diversity in samhara. Purusha is the lim‐ ited knowing subject, not yet ‘formed’ and uncertain what exactly is ‘I’; but the sphere of its perceived experience is already limited by the kanchukas. At the stage of purusha, the Consciousness enters the 󰁦ield of duality where the subject perceives perceives the object as something really different from itself. Not knowing one’s true self in its undivided pure form results in the experience of ‘non‐I’ within ‘I’, ‘I’, called purusha‐ ajnana, which in this case is the essential aspect. What is perceived by purusha is called prakriti (the objective world). In Kashmir Shaivism, S haivism, despite being separated from prakriti (‘the objective world’) on the external level, purusha is one with prakriti on a deeper level of existence. Prakriti is its own shakti (‘energy’) and its own expansion ( prasara), or manifestation. According to D. Sen Sharma, “on this stage (in the moment of manifestation), the perception of prakriti by purusha is like a vague uncertain dream where there is no feeling of ‘I’. ‘I’. So prakriti is also a lso called bhogasamanya for purusha. On the next stage, prakriti produces all experiences speci󰁦ic for purusha in the form of o f objects and an d different ways of experiencing them” t hem”..

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism (13) Prakriti-tattva Prakriti‐tattvaa is the Prakriti‐tattv t he stage correlated with ananda‐kriya whose nature is the desire to expansion, all‐pervasion and objecti󰁦ication. Prakriti is the primal subtle root  cause, the matrix of the phenomenal world. The absolute divine pulsation (samanya-spanda ) is ‘substantiated’ here, becoming the manifestation of the gunas (qualities) of prakriti. At that, it is perceived as vishesha-spanda. Vishesha‐spanda is expressed as the individual qualities of consciousness. If vishesha‐spanda is ex‐ pressed as slow‐speed vowels (energies), the predominant quality of consciousness has the nature of sattva. s attva. If vishesha‐spanda is expressed as medium‐speed vowels (energies), the predominant quality of consciousness has the nature of rajas. If  vishesha‐spanda is expressed as fast‐speed vowels (energies), the predominant  quality of consciousness has the t he nature of tamas. In the process of further manifes‐ tation, the entire phenomenal world (both the mechanism of thinking t hinking and the ob‐ jects of thinking) is created from the gunas (qualities) of prakriti. While the gunas are in equilibrium, prakriti is not manifested. The sattva guna is the potential of the manifestation of objects. To make an object ‘appear’ for the subject, it is necessary to become aware of it; therefore, it is the capacity of awareness, of clarity. The rajas guna is the energy, power, capacity, agitation, which can be directed at awareness and non‐awareness alike. The tamas guna is the potential of non‐manifestation, non‐manifestat ion, non‐awareness, the resistance to change expressed by the principle of inertia. In Kashmir Shaivism, the three gunas are char‐ acteristic of the perception of purusha. Purusha contemplates all ‘this‐ness’ through the lens of these three properties, and experiences it in the form of pleasure, pain and unawareness, unawareness, at the same time resting in equilibrium. Being in constant inter‐ action, the three gunas produce all objects. An object (a combination of objects) can be fully manifested for a subject: that is, to be clearly perceived with all its details and features; it can be not manifested at all, or not to be perceived at all; or it can be perceived in a vague, unclear, indistinct way. Prakriti produces all experiences speci󰁦ic for the purusha in the t he form of different objects and the way wayss of experiencing them. For purusha they manifest in the form of antahkar antahkarana, ana, the indriyas (senses) and the bhutas (matter (matter,, substance). The 󰁦irst product of prakriti is buddhi.

(14) Buddhi-tattva Buddhi‐tattva is correlated with iccha‐kriya i ccha‐kriya whose nature is ‘to illuminate’, illuminate’, ‘to iden‐ tify’, ‘to determine’. The nature of buddhi is the ability to determine. The function of buddhi is to determine, to de󰁦ine the difference between the perceiver and the perceived, and to make distinction between objects seeing them as separate from each other. other. Buddhi is the ability by which purusha begins to de󰁦ine itself, its elf, to de󰁦ine the difference between itself and prakriti, to distinguish between the subject and

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe the object. Due to the limitations of the subject, the purusha, its de󰁦ining ability is also limited, which becomes the cause of a false conceptual identi󰁦ication of ‘I’ and ‘not‐I’ in the buddhi, called ‘buddhi‐ajnana’. Among the functions of buddhi there are also analysis, comparison and decision‐making (the formation of desires and tendencies). Buddhi is the subtle substance of all mental processes (buddhi works with images, symbols, mental concepts). It is in󰁦luenced by two kinds of objects: the external, supplied from the ‘outside’ through the chain ‘jnanendriy ‘jnanendriyas’‐’tanma‐ as’‐’tanma‐ tras’‐’mahabhutas’ tras’‐’maha bhutas’, and the internal, i.e. the imprints of the impressions left in bud‐ dhi in the past (samskaras). In other words, buddhi is the stockroom of instincts and memories. The product of buddhi and the next stage of its development is ahamkara.

(15) Ahamkara-tattv Ahamkara-tattva a Ahamkara‐tattva is correlated with jnana‐kriya, whose essence is identi󰁦ication. Ahamkara is the ability of self‐identi󰁦ication manifested as the sense of ‘ego’, which is the limited ‘I‐consciousness’ (this is I; I think, I speak, I do, etc.). Ahamkara also determines the degree of the proximity to ‘I’ and forms the degrees of interest: strong interest, weak interest, or lack of interest. Also this is where the function of  accepting something as ‘one’s own’ is carried out, as well as the assimilation or non‐ non ‐ acceptance, suppression, transfer into the personal unconscious. The products of  ahamkara are the manas, jnanendriyas, karmendriyas and the tanmatras. (16) Manas-tattva Manas‐tattva is correlated with kriya‐kriya whose nature is shaping, assimilation and satisfaction. Manas is the inner psychic apparatus apparatus whose function is the capac‐ ity for the formation and the perception of ideas and images, as well as the conve conver‐ r‐ sion of the data of the sensory experience to the results of perception (images, symbols, ideas). Manas performs the function of ‘manifesting’ objects and assimi‐ lating them. As the t he subject has the lack, the need and the desire, there occurs a ‘man‐ ifestation’ of the organs and the objects for the ful󰁦ilment of these desires.

(17-21) The jnanendriy jnanendriyas as The jnanendriyas are the products of ahamkara due to which the determined ways of sensory perception are manifested (de󰁦ined) for the limited subject, such as: the perception of sound, the tactile perception, the visual perception and the olfactory perception. No other methods of sensory perception are possible for the subject. Such determinacy re󰁦lects the aspects of stability and immobility. immobility.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Shrotra-tattva (the ability to percei perceive ve sound) corresponds to the stage of  chit‐kriya, chit‐kriy a, the nature of which is voidness that gives rise to dive diversity rsity in srishti and absorbs diversity in samhara. Twak-tattva (the ability of tactile perception) corresponds to the stage of  ananda‐kriya, ananda‐kri ya, the nature of which is the desire for expansion and all‐pervasion. Chakshu-tattva (the ability of visual percep perception) tion) corresponds to the stage of iccha‐kriya, iccha‐kriya, the nature of which is illumination and rev revealing. ealing. Rasana-tattva (the ability to perceive taste) corresponds to the stage of  jnana‐kriya, jnana‐kri ya, the nature of which is identi󰁦ication. Ghrana-tattva (the ability to perceive smell) corresponds to the stage of  kriya‐kriya, the nature of which is formation, de󰁦inition, assimilation and satisfaction. (22-26) The karmendriy karmendriyas as The karmendriyas are the products of ahamkara causing the heat of knowledge (pramana‐tejas) (pramana‐t ejas) to manifest itself for the limited perceiver perceiver in the form of the abili‐ ties to carry out the 󰁦ive functions of life. The aspect of mobility is manifested as the connection between the internal knowledge and the external expression in the form of actions. Vach-tattva (the function of speech) corresponds to the stage of chit‐kriya, the nature of which is voidness that generates diversity. Pani-tattva (the function of control and action) corresponds to the stage of ananda‐kriya, ananda‐kriya, the nature of which is the desire for expansion and all‐pervasion. Pada-tattva (the function of motion) corresponds to the stage of iccha‐ kriya, kriy a, the nature of which is illumination and revealing. Payu-tattva (the function of separation) corresponds to the t he stage of jnana‐ kriya, kriy a, the nature of which is identi󰁦ication. Upastha-tattva (the function of sexual pleasure and satisfaction) corre‐ sponds to the stage of kriya‐kriya, kriya‐kriya, the nature of which formation, de󰁦inition, assim‐ ilation and satisfaction.

(27-31) The tanmatras The tanmatras are the products of ahamkara due to which it develops towards man‐ ifestation in the process of the descending projection, becoming the source of the limited manifestations of shakti perceived as different objects. The tanmatras are the primary ‘forms’ of sensory senso ry perception, the sources that are yet undifferentiated, which can be perceived by the methods de󰁦ined by the jnanendriyas. For example, by the method of sound perception, sound is percei perceived ved as such (the very principle of sound as a phenomenon), etc.

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III: The 36 foundations of the universe Shabda-tattva (the principle of sound); Sparsha-tattva (the principle of touch); Rupa-tattva (the principle of form and colour); Rasa tattva (taste); Gandha-tattva (smell). The products of the tanmatras are the mahabhutas. (32-36) The mahabhutas The mahabhutas are the products of the tanmatras in which the static aspect is ex‐ pressed in the 󰁦inal level of materialization, formness and distinctness of the per‐ ceivable objects, and the dynamic aspect is expressed in the complete separation of the perceived objects from the perceiving subject; that is, in the absence of any self‐awareness self‐awa reness in them. The absence of self‐awa self‐awareness reness leads to the inability to feel the lack of something and of the need for something, which expresses the aspect of  bliss and self‐suf󰁦iciency, indivisibility and integrity. The mahabhutas are an exten‐ sion of the tanmatras, being the determined, ultimately substantiated principles (elements) that comprise the material world. The mahabhutas are the inanimate (devoid of consciousness) matter. Being devoid of self‐awareness, it is unable to lack something, hence it is self‐suf󰁦icient. The stability of the self‐suf󰁦iciency of the divine consciousness in its dense form is expressed by the group of mahabhutas (the most ‘dense’, stable forms). Without the percei perceiver ver (the jnanendriyas) and the linking process of perceiving (the tanmatras), an object cannot be perceived (known): thus, the tanmatras and the t he jnanendriyas are also represented here. Here are the 󰁦ive mahabhutas:  Akasha-tattva (space, ether); Vayu-tattva (air);  Agni-tattva (󰁦ire); Jala-tattva (water); Prithvi-tattva (earth). It is the highest degree of ‘coarsening’ of the ananda‐shakti, the most vivid expression of immutability, stability, rigidity, integrity, density, and self‐suf󰁦iciency. As anuttara (ananda) is the basis of everything, so prithvi is the foundation, foundation , the sup‐ port of all the t he tattvas of a more subtle nature. Prithvi is the t he densest degree of man‐ ifestation of the inanimate (devoid of consciousness) matter. At the level of ‘para’, the I‐consciousness attains stability in its own nature as Shiva. Prithvi expresses such divine qualities as support, stability stabili ty,, and the aspects of negation and complete‐ ness (consolidation). Kalagni is the primary bhuvana of the prithvi‐tattva.

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IV The Tantric Matrika

THE ABSOLUTE AS PARA-AMBIVALENCE The philosophical‐mystical system of Kashmir Shaivism is a complex of multidi‐ mensional and multilevel mystical‐religious, mystical‐religious, ritualistic and metaphysical theories and practices, the purpose of which is the perfect existential realization of the adept’s own divinity, divinity, a deep, unshakable, consistent recognition of that the true ‘I’ is nothing else than Shiva. The achievement of this goal is based on the ability of  the adept to break the empirical individual consciousness and to see one’s own ‘I’ as in󰁦initely coincident with the supreme ontological Sincefor ‘microcosm equals macrocosm’, the symbols of Kashmir Shaivism make it‘I’.easier the adept’s con‐ sciousness to comprehend the principles of the design and the functioning both of  their own consciousness and the universal consciousness of divinity. Let us recall that the 󰁦ifty phonemes of Matrika are a symbolic model of the Reality, re󰁦lecting the entirety of the immanent and the transcendent being; a multidimensional pat‐ tern of sacred symbols, the existential existen tial meaning of which is represented on all levels l evels of manifestation: the cosmogonic, the perceptive, the cognitive and the soteriolog‐ ical levels. The system of phenomenological categories and universals of Matrika expresses the typological analysis of the basic archetypal symbols of human con‐ sciousness, representing the archetype of the Supreme Reality. Tobrought facilitateupthe of the philosophy Kashmir by the reader oncomprehension classical European philosophy, weofwill draw Shaivism some paral‐ lels between the views of European philosophers and Kashmir mystics. The Absolute (absolute consciousness) is not limited by being or the ab‐ sence of being. Non‐being is the source, the basis and a possibility of being – of the totality of phenomenal manifestations/disappearances. The non‐theoretical nature of this postulate is obvious in everyday everyday life (in some basic practices such as obser‐ vation of appearance‐disappearance appearance‐disappearance of the objects of perception in consciousness: thoughts, feelings, states emerging from non‐being and disappearing back in it). The absolute consciousness (as well as any consciousness in general) and the pro‐ cess of awareness are two terms describing a single phenomenon in two aspects: the discernment of a phenomenon, and its inherent properties (the properties that 

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism characterize it). An analogy might be made: ‘light and the process of il‐ de󰁦ine and characterize lumination’. Such formal separation of the single phenomenon of the Absolute Con‐ sciousness, expressed in the aspects of the statics (the unchangeability, the non‐being – Shiva) and the dynamics (the changeability, the being – Shakti), is used only for the convenience convenience of systematic presentation. It is obvious that without the knower no knowledge as such is possible. Relativ Relatively ely speaking, the knower is prior to the process of knowing and to what is known. It is what makes any knowledge possible, the potency of any knowledge. This explains the use of the Latin term for this phenomenon (subjectum — ‘lying in basis’). It is also clear that the perception of any object by the subject is impossible without the initial presence of self‐per‐ ception in it. The ‘I know’ know ’ or ‘I perceive something’ as such already implies an initial ‘knowledge’ of the fact that ‘I exist’. exist’. The knowledge of beingness of one’s self is called ‘I‐consciousness’’. Thus, the presence of the ‘I‐consciousness’ is the basic foundation ‘I‐consciousness foundati on that precedes and is present in any act of realization. The ‘I‐consciousness’, the 󰁦irst  and the main activity of the absolute consciousness, in fact, is the act of witnessing the subject’s own transition from nothingness into being and back. This witnessing is the basis from which all other conscious processes derive, without the existence of which they are not possible. The perceiving subject, in this sense, is the original universal permanent subject of any experience, the subject ‘par excellence’, the ab‐ solute and transcendental subject, because there is nothing else that t hat could make it  an object of its own perception, as there is nothing else that could act as the subject  perceiving percei ving it. it . It should be noted that the term ‘consciousness’ is dif󰁦icult to de󰁦ine, since this word is used and understood in a broad range of senses, and is overloaded with meanings in the modern world. According to G. Hegel, ‘consciousness’ in philosophy philos ophy is understood as the fundamental way way in which a person is related to the world in general. It is said that consciousness is a form or a method of the givenness of the object, a form or a manner of the givenness of the world in general. Understood in this way, way, consciousness is constantly present; it can neither nei ther begin nor end; it cannot  cann ot  disappear, in the same way as it is impossible to disappear for the world correla‐ tively constituted by the consciousness. E. Husserl argued that consciousness is not  only the ability of correlation, but the correlation itself. It is evident from the fact  that we cannot escape from consciousness, ‘exit’ beyond it. In fact, we are totally within the consciousness. If there is no consciousness, there is nothing for us. In this sense, the consciousness itself is some s ome co‐relatedness, duality, duality, separation within itself. Consciousness always expresses itself as the structure of awareness of some‐ thing. Moreover, Moreover, philosophy tries to explain the conclusion that such nature of con‐ sciousness constitutes the distinction between the subject and the object itself, between the inner and the outer outer,, the ‘I’ and the world. As a relation, consciousness is some perception, some s ome experience in which we correlate with the world. This ex‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika perience is understood as the very activity of correlation in general, and as the per‐ ception of the subject of this activity of its own self and its relation to the world. That is why sometimes philosophy places the emphasis on the subject as such, and consciousness in the narrow sense is understood as the correlation of the subject  and its object. It is said that the subject is conscious of the object. In other words, the object (lat. objectum – thing) is a phenomenon knowable by the subject. The objects of knowing are understood as all possible phenomena of perception, every‐ thing that is manifested, everything that comprises the sum of phenomena of sen‐ sory perception or comprehension, all that lies within the reach of the external senses or the internal mind, everything that we feel, everything about which we can say that exists within something, including the process of knowing itself. It is inter‐ esting to note that the process of cognition of any object is at the same time a pro‐ cess of manifestation or creation of this object. To be recognized, the object must  be located within the 󰁦ield of the consciousness; that is, it must be de󰁦ined somehow. somehow. If it is not de󰁦ined in any way, then it does not exist for the consciousness: it is in the sphere of nothingness. On the other hand, any de󰁦inition transfers the de󰁦ined into the sphere of existence. For example, it is impossible to think the unthinkable, because the very de󰁦inition of it as ‘the unthinkable’ makes it thinkable, or belonging to the being, manifested in consciousness. Summing up, the interrelated basic principles that de󰁦ine consciousness are: being and non‐being, statics and dynamics, one and many. Touching upon the concepts of ‘one and many’, it can be very useful to get familiar with some of Plato’s works. Plato is known as one of the founders of the idealistic school s chool of philosophy. philosophy. Studying the works of Plato, we found that his ideas can help to understand and re‐ alize the ideas of Kashmir Shaivism, its forming principles, symbolism and structure deeper and from unexpected sides. Besides, they shed light on the theory of the ‘Great limit’, and are con󰁦irmed by modern physics of elementary particles (the anal‐ ogy with the quarks). It comes along with such perks as the beauty of presentation, the clarity of thinking, and the wit of Plato. In order to prepare the reader to per‐ ceive the information contained in Matrika, we suggest investing some time into the intellectual meditation of Plato: ‘How can one – if it can – be many?’

I. Let us suppose that “the one is one”, so it cannot be many, and present the con‐ clusions of this thesis below below.. 1. ‘The one’ cannot have parts. 2. Having no parts, it can have neither beginning, nor end, nor middle, and since the beginning and the end are the limit of each thing, ‘the one’ is unlimited and devoid of any form. 3. Having no parts, ‘the ‘t he one’ can be placed neither in itself nor in another another,, for, being placed in another anot her,, it would be encircled by that in which it was, and would

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism touch it with many parts; and being in itself, it would encircle itself and thus split  in that what encircles and that what is encircled; hence, ‘the one’ is nowhere, i.e., isn’t anywhere. 4. Again, because of the absence of parts, ‘the one’ can neither rest nor move nor change due to the same s ame arguments. 5. ‘The one’ can be identical neither to another nor to itself, but, on the other hand, it cannot be different from itself or from another, as the de󰁦inition of  identity or difference involves involves the act of correlating or comparing two objects: that  is, a certain action of consciousness, while ‘the one’ is the 󰁦irst thing, something without which nothing else can be. ‘The one’ is the condition of possibility of ev‐ erything else, including the identical and the different. 6. In the same way Plato proves that the single can be neither equal nor unequal to itself (for the measurement required a measure different from the mea‐ sured). 7. It cannot be invol involved ved in time, as it has no parts and theref t herefore ore cannot ‘be‐ come’ or be in the past, the present and the future; therefore, ‘exists in no way’. The following conclusion is drawn from the analysis of this hypothesis: if  there is ‘the one’ as such that exclud excludes es ‘the many’, many’, then it does not exist, for this one is nothingness; “there is no name, no word for it, or any knowledge about it, or any sensual perception of it, or opinion”. opinion”. Which means that the one, taken as such, not  only cannot be known, but also there is no being for it.

II. Suppose that ‘the one exists’. 1. The basis of this hypothesis is not ‘the one is one’, but ‘the one exists’, which means it involves being. In this case ‘the existing one’ appears as a whole, the ‘parts’ of which are ‘the one’ and ‘the being’: it is the 󰁦irst system in which only two parts are connected: ‘the one’ and ‘the being’ being’,, and this system can be called the existing ‘one’. 2. If we assume that ‘the one exists’, hence follows the existence of the 󰁦irst  part, that is, the notion of ‘the one’ and the t he existence of the second part; that is, the notion of ‘being’ ‘ being’,, ‘existence’. ‘existence’. These concepts concept s are not identical: identical : the concept of o f ‘being’, ‘being’, ‘existence’ is different from the concept of ‘the one’. 3. Each of these two parts, in turn, contains both the one and the being (‘the one’ exists and ‘the being’ exists), and any part is again formed from at least two parts. That is, as soon as the one gets involved in the 󰁦irst relation, i.e. receives its 󰁦irst predicate predicate – the being, – the system of two two parts is formed, which which potentially contains a system from any number of parts. 4. ‘The one’ can remain one only under the condition that it does not exist. If it exists, it is many. many. That is, to be is to be related to something else, and therefore to be involved also in time, and motion, and change. The correlation of ‘the one’

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IV: The Tantric Matrika with ‘another’ is the prerequisite for its knowability.

III. What conclusions follow for ‘the other’ if there is an evident system of the ex‐ isting ‘one’? 1. Being ‘the other’, other’, it must be distinct from ‘the one’ itself. ‘The one’ is one, so ‘the other’ must have parts (i.e. to be many). 2. However, in turn, parts cannot exist without the whole, the parts of which they are; thus, ‘the other’ must be whole and multiple. 3. With that, howev however er small the ‘part’ of this multiplicity that we take may be, it falls apart into in󰁦initely many ‘parts’; in other words, it is the in󰁦inity in󰁦inity.. 4. Thus, ‘the other’ has opposite de󰁦initions: on the one hand, it is limited, and on the other hand limitless. IV.. If ‘the one is one’ as in the 󰁦irst argument, what conclusions follow for ‘the other’? IV 1. In this case, when ‘the one’ is taken as such, outside of any de󰁦initions, there are no relations between it and ‘the other’, and thus there is no medium be‐ tween ‘the one’ and ‘the other’, they are not within one system, there is nothing not hing dif‐ ferent from them in which ‘the one’ and ‘the other’ could be present together. 2. ‘The other’, in this case, is devoid of any de󰁦initions and any possibility of being perceived at all, since any de󰁦inition implies the relatedness which is not  present here. V. Suppose that ‘the one does not exist’. exist’. 1. If the one does not n ot exist, we have the simplest system of ‘the non‐existing one’, which has all the de󰁦initions of the system of ‘the existing one’ (from the argu‐ ment II). 2. If we can attach any predicate to ‘the one’ at all – whether it is being or non‐being – we thereby put it into a certain connection with something other than itself. The existence of such a connection is necessary so that we could say at least  something about it, i.e. to know it. 3. In this sense, the non‐existing ‘one’ is a part of existence, being.

VI. If ‘the one does not exist’, exist’, what conclusions follow for ‘the other’? 1. Here ‘the other’ is correlated with the non‐existing one and de󰁦ined by this correlation; therefore, it is possible to say something about it; but since it is correlated with the non‐existing ‘one’, we can speak about it only vaguely: any at‐ tempt of de󰁦ining it will be in󰁦inite; it acquires the traits of 󰁦luidity where it is im‐ possible to focus on anything de󰁦inite, solid, restricted. “If ‘the one’ does not exist, then nothing of the other can be conceived either as one or as many many,, because with‐ out the one it is impossible to think of many” many”..

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Therefore, if ‘the many’ is correlated with the non‐existing one, it can be 2. Therefore, thought of, although it is inde󰁦inite; but if it does not correlate with ‘the one’ at all, nothing can be said about it, it , and this is equiv equivalent alent to that it does not exist.

General conclusions: 1. Everything lives within ‘the one’. If not through af󰁦irmation of it then by negation of it. If not in a positive then in a negative connection with it. 2. The prerequisite for the existence of ‘the one’ and its knowability is its correlation with ‘the other’, and ‘the other One’ is many. 3. And vice versa: the prerequisite for the existence and knowability knowabil ity of ‘the many’ is its correlation with ‘the one’; without it, ‘the many’ becomes limitless and becomes not only unknowable, but also non‐existent. 4. ‘The one’ is many when conceived conceived in correlation with ‘the other’; when being conceived in a different way, it is inconceivable at all. 5. At that, this correlation as such is characteristic of ideas themselves. Thus, Plato puts ideas into relation with one another and demonstrates that only the unity of the multiple – the structure – is the essence of the intelligible world, and it is something that can exist and be knowable. 6. This correlation, the unity of the opposites, gives rise to the notion of  number, as it is possible to ‘correlate’ something only by ‘de󰁦ining’ it, distinguishing it from the indeterminate 󰁦lux, ‘measuring’ it in a certain way. To de󰁦ine something means to set the boundaries. The boundaries, being correlated with the boundless, add some measure in it, create a relation of measurement, i.e. the relation of the equal, double, triple, etc.: it generates numbers. The number, therefore, according to Plato, is a means of comprehend comprehending ing the sensual world. MATRIKA AS A SYSTEM Now the reader brought up on European philosophy is prepared for a proper per‐ ception of the Tantric Matrika. It is a system of Sanskrit phonemes arranged in a particular order, with certain meanings and regularity. Each of the 50 phonemes of  Matrika is not only a symbol of a sound vibration, but also conveys a meaning ex‐ pressing a particular aspect of the universe. All together, the phonemes form the universe. unive rse. In fact, we are talking about how divinity manifests itself and unfolds as a hierarchy hierarchy of dimensions, the base of the existence of each of which is a set of spe‐ ci󰁦ic factors. In Matrika, each bija and each mantra consists of phonemes arranged in a sequence, which contain the information and the energy that are able to in󰁦lu‐ ence the adept and the world around in one way or another. Unlike European al‐ phabets in which vowels and consonants are mixed together, Matrika begins with vowels after which come the consonants. Each consonant syllable of Matrika con‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika tains not only the consonant as such but also the vowel sound ‘a’. Thus, by default  ‘a’ is contained in every consonant, consonant , and remains there until it is replaced by another vowel, or until it i t is cancelled cancel led in a special spe cial way. way. Symbolically Symbolical ly,, all vowels represent dif‐ ferent aspects of the world of pure divinity. That is, the vowels are what is happen‐ ing within the divinity that has not yet condensed into the world of tattvas of the impure order: not yet unfolded to an ‘external ‘exte rnal manifestation’ manifestat ion’. Along with wit h this, some consonants also symbolize the pure tattvas, but these are the pure tattvas in the process of unfolding of the divinity to the state of the material universe manifested manifested externally.

THE VOWELS AND THE INTERNAL ORDER ‘a’ The original perceiving subject is de󰁦ined by the term ‘anuttara‐chit’ and denoted by the vowel ‘a’. The term has many meanings. Abhinavagupta, a scientist, mystic and philosopher of Kashmir Shaivism, brought sixteen ways ways to explain the meaning of this concept from different different points of view in one of his works. In particular, the meaning of anuttara‐chit can be roughlyy interpreted as the transcendental, supreme, unrivalled, all‐pervading, un‐ roughl changing absolute consciousness conscious ness beyond time, space and causality, causality, the potency and the source of any phenomenal manifestation. ‘ā’ (aa) The basic initial activity of the absolute consciousness (its dynamic component, the energy of self‐awareness) is de󰁦ined in the tradition as ‘ananda’ and denoted by the vowel ‘ā’ (aa). The term ‘ananda’, ‘ananda’, which has many meanings and connotations, connotatio ns, is conven‐ tionally translated as ‘the bliss of self‐suf󰁦iciency’. Here the word ‘bliss’ means not  the everyday pleasure but something like the ‘awe of being 󰁦illed’ with the dynamic vibration of the appearance and disappearance of the ‘I‐consciousness’, perfect and self‐suf󰁦icient in itself. itsel f. The aspect of self‐suf󰁦iciency and the dynamic balance is well re󰁦lected in writing this vowel as ‘aa’, thereby emphasizing that the original subject  ‘a’ is aware of itself through illuminating its own self with ‘a’; that is, the subject is complete in itself. The energy of self‐awareness sel f‐awareness of ‘ā’ ‘ā’ (aa), being absolutely unlimited, unlimi ted, free (unconditional, beyond causality, 󰁦lowing spontaneously) and one (not having differentiated aspects), at the same time contains all possible differences perceived by the empirical subject as the multiplicity of objects and the ways of perception. The ‘I‐awareness’ ‘I‐awareness’ of the original subject is a direct, holistic, non‐dual wit‐ nessing of the self‐being. The original subject needs no object for the knowledge of  its beingness; it also does not become its own object: it perceives perceives itself subjectively. subjectively.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism way of knowing is expressed in directing the vector of  The ordinary subject‐object way awareness towards an object, its separation and realization, ‘grasping’. The subjec‐ tive way of knowing is self‐illumination. Just as light does not make itself its own object but illuminates ill uminates itself directly, directly, so the original o riginal subject knows kn ows itself subjectively. subjectively. There is a very speci󰁦ic term to denote the dynamic pulsation of appear‐ ance‐disappearance of the ‘I‐consciousness’: the Sanskrit word ‘spanda’. Spanda is a double movement of the Pure Consciousness directed outwards and inwards at  the same time. As a rule, the word ‘vibration’ is used to denote spanda, as it most  closely conveys the nature of this phenomenon. However, unlike the vibration in the usual sense, the ‘internal’ and the ‘external’ motion of spanda is not related to any particular movement movement in space or time. t ime. We We can say that this is a kind of ‘motion‐ less movement’ similar to the emergence of agitation or anxiety. anxiety.

‘i’ Dynamism (development of action, active process) is based on the principle of  change. At that, any change (movement, action) is impossible impossibl e without the initial im‐ pulse (in the form of intention, desire, will) actualizing the potential of this t his change. The initial impulse of spanda s panda is denoted by the term ‘iccha’ ‘iccha’ and expressed by the vowel ‘i’. The term iccha has no direct equivalents in European languages; the closest meaning of the root ‘icch’ can be de󰁦ined as “the pre‐cognitive impulse”. Considered in the aspect of the ‘outward’ direction, the 󰁦irst impulse of spanda (iccha) breaks the balance of the ‘seed ‘s eed of creation’, creation’, parabindu (the absolute absol ute original identity of Shiva/Shakti), ‘tearing apart’ the unity of the two principles (Shiva and Shakti), at the time of the split conventionall conventionallyy referred referred to as ‘the one who pushes” and “the one who is pushed’, pushed’, being the prototypes of cause and effect. Here the question may arise whether the terms “will” or “desire” are ap‐ propriate to describe this aspect of the original ‘I‐consciousness’, since in everyday life a desire for something or a will for something usually have a cause; in other words, they are based on dissatisfaction. In our case, we were talking about self‐ suf󰁦iciency and perfect satisfaction. Upon a more detailed examination, it can be noticed that in everyday life the term ‘desire’ has a slightly different connotation than the term ‘will, volition’. The desire for something (food, sleep, etc.) usually appears spontaneously spontaneously,, against  the will of the individual, and is attributable to the necessity (hunger (hunger,, fatigue, etc.). As for volition, most often it represents a conscious effort made in order to achieve something: it is devoid of spontaneity. Sometimes these happens a coincidence when a spontaneous wish to do something is at the same time a conscious volition. For example, a musician full of happiness manifesting his state of bliss in musical improvisation. Or a child who, while not experiencing a lack of anything, expresses his over󰁦lowing joyful activity in playing. In these examples, the emergence of the

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IV: The Tantric Matrika desire (will) isn’t caused by dissatisfaction arising from some lack or need of any kind; that is, there is no motivation ‘to avoid’ (hunger, an unpleasant situation) or ‘to achieve’ (a social status or recognition of one’s merits). The desire (will) here originates from the excess of bliss in the state of complete satisfaction, and has a playful nature. Therefore, Therefore, the seeming contradiction in the use of these terms is re‐ moved: such qualities as freedom from causality and self‐suf󰁦iciency don’t contra‐ dict with the possibility of any desire or will. Thus, the use of the term ‘iccha’ that refers to both ‘desire’ and ‘will’ in San‐ skrit emphasizes that for the primal subject a deliberate volition is at the same time a spontaneous desire: here the concepts of desire and will coincide.

‘ī’ (ii) The actualization of the potential (force, ability, ability, will) to dynamics, change, motion, is the dynamism itself as the principle of change and motion. In this sense, it can be described as the impulse, tension, susceptibility, the energy of intention (will, de‐ sire) that does not have any any speci󰁦ic direction. Symbolically, this condition can be compared with the swelling of a seed, which is the 󰁦irst step in the appearance of a tree. Swelling, the seed becomes ‘pre‐ disposed’ to appear in the form of a tree, and the tree itself exists in this state only potentially. However, unlike the seed that cannot, for example, refuse to develop in a tree if all the conditions for its development are provided, provided, the absolute subject is free to manifest or not to manifest. The absolute consciousness in the dynamic aspect representing the prin‐ ciple of motion and change is called ‘ishana’ (sovereignty), (sovereignty), and is expressed by the vowell ‘ī’ (ii). Writing it as ‘ii’ emphasizes the aspect of its indivisibility and self‐suf‐ vowe 󰁦iciency: the single undifferentiated subject (i) makes changes within itself by the strength of its desire (i). The use of the term ‘sovereignty’ emphasizes that on this stage the tension, the impulse and the desire for change (from non‐being to being, or vice versa) don’t have any speci󰁦ic direction direction yet: here the original subject is the connection between being and non‐being. Thus, it is limited neither by being nor by non‐being, and therefore is superior to them, ‘governs’ them. At this t his stage it be‐ comes apparent that the impulse, the active predisposition to change, the energy of volition (desire) can develop in two directions: ‘outwards’ – that is, in the direc‐ tion of manifestation, of being, – and ‘inwards’, in the direction of the non‐mani‐ fested, of the non‐being. The movement ‘outwards’ refers to the phase of the emergence of the ‘I‐consciousness’. ‘I‐consciousness’. This is the phase of creation that, in its further development developme nt on the next stages, leads to the emergence of the phenomenal world (the world of knowable objects). object s). The movement ‘inwards’ refers to the phase of the disappearance of the ‘I‐consciousness’. In the technical terminology of Kashmir Shaivism this phase is called pralaya, the absorption or dissolution of all forms of 

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism the immanent manifestation of the universe by the emptiness – the Absolute Con‐ sciousness resting within itself. It is important to note that both these phases lead to the “negation” of the transcendence of the original perceiving subject, as in both cases there t here occurs a sep‐ aration (distinction) of the sphere of being and the sphere of non‐being; the t he integral perception gives way to a fragmented one, which is the beginning of objecti󰁦ication. Thus, the energy of volition (desire), being one with the absolute consciousness, and therefore being the source of all possible subsequent emanations of different aspects of the universal energy, is also their cause. The further development of tension (the energy of desire) that has no speci󰁦ic direction supposes the presence of the de󰁦ining ability: the ability to determine the direction of the activity of consciousness (here: orientation “inwards” or ‘outwards’). In the case of the empirical subject, to direct  the activity of consciousness means to focus attention. Spinoza rightly said that ‘any de󰁦inition is negation’, because de󰁦ining some‐ thing we thereby deny everything everything what this ‘something’ is not. Thus, it is clear that  the direction of the activity of consciousness either way (inwards or outwards) is a negation of the other direction, a fragmentation of the integral perception. In fact, it is the negation of the transcendence of the original knowing subject, leading to the manifestation of immanence (manifestation of the world of knowable objects). In other words, the determination of the direction of the activity of consciousness – that is, fragmentation of the initially integral perception – further leads to a change in the method of knowing. The subjective method of knowing (the direct, undivided self‐awareness) gives way to the subject‐object method of knowing based on the principle of separation. The ability to de󰁦ine (to distinguish, to divide) is the basis for the possibility of the existence of the subject‐object knowing, eventually leading to the emergence of the world of knowable objects. It is clear that the principle of distinction (separation) implicitly contains also the principle of identity. identity. The border that separates one phenomenon from an‐ other, being in contact with both of them (i.e., being common between them, iden‐ other, tical to them both), thereby unites, ‘binds’, ‘holds’ them together. The one who comprehendss the symptoms of the difference comes to understand the roots from comprehend which this difference arises. On the next two stages, the original ‘I‐consciousness’ is considered in the aspect of knowledge: from the perspective of the ability to know and the process of knowing.

‘u’ The absolute consciousness in the aspect of knowledge, containing in itself the abil‐ ity to determine (to divide/to identify), that is, containing the potential to know by the subject‐object method, is called ‘unmesha’ and is expressed by the vowel ‘u’.

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IV: The Tantric Matrika Unmesha is the state of the non‐distinguishing consciousness that precedes what is considered to be mutually exclusive. Unmesha is the source of all objects that are knowable. Generally, the term unmesha can be translated as “appearance” (here: of  the world of knowable objects) as opposed to nimesha (“disappearance”). However H owever,, it is clear that the manifestation of one (a phenomenon, object, process) in con‐ sciousness is at the same time a suppression of another (e.g. the appearance of the sphere of ‘being’ is at the same time the disappear disappearance ance of the sphere of ‘non‐being’; the appearance of one thought is the disappearance of another...). another...). So unmesha and nimesha are both de󰁦ined as ‘the developme development nt of the forces of activity’ (ishana).

‘ū’ (uu) The dynamism of the process of knowledge based on the principle of  separation/identi󰁦ication (subject‐object cognition) includes the direction of atten‐ tion towards a knowable object (orientation of the activity of consciousness towards the object) and the recognition, ‘grasping’, appropriation of the object by the con‐ sciousness. To direct attention to an object means to distinguish it from the sur‐ rounding sphere, to determine it. To To fully determine an object means to manifest it  in consciousness, to recognize it, to identify with it, to “absorb” it in consciousness. On the considered stage where the non‐dual perception remains (that is, there is no distinction between subject and object, because the object is not yet  manifested), the activity of consciousness is directed either “inwards” to the non‐ manifested or “outwards” “outwards” in the direction of manifestation and objecti󰁦ication. The meaning of these phases as potentially possible directions of development development was dis‐ cussed above. The results of further dynamics of development in both directions are considered in the next stages. Thus, the absolute undivided consciousness (where there is no division into subject and object) in the aspect of dynamism of the process of knowledge, based on the principle of separation/identi󰁦ic separation/identi󰁦ication, ation, is called ‘unata’ and expressed expressed by the vowel ‘ū’ or ‘uu’. For the convenience of systematic presentation which is use‐ ful for the conceptual thinking of the researcher researcher,, we can say that here the dynamism of the process of knowledge is expressed as the direct integral knowledge of the identity of the 󰁦irst six forms of energy, perfect and self‐suf󰁦icient (chit, ananda, iccha, ishana, unmesha and unata), with the primal original subject’s own essential intrinsic nature. In this context, the essence of unata is to hold these categories of  existence (in dynamic and static forms) within itself (conscious of its non‐distinct‐ ness from the original subject) until the subsequent external manifestation.

Kriya-Shakti Kriya -Shakti (the energy of implementation) The next eight stages of the unfolding of divinity express those aspects of the single

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism t ranscen‐ energy that represent the development of the process of ‘negation’ of the transcen‐ dence of the absolute subject, who in turn is the beginning of manifestation of the immanent aspect (the beginning of the process of manifestation of the world of  knowable objects). The study of the primary activity of the original consciousness, integral and non‐dual (where there is no division into subject and object), on the previous sixth level (unata) has reached the stage where two directions are possi‐ ble: either the development “inwards”, from the manifested to the non‐manifested, which is basically extinction of the activity of consciousness; or the rev reverse erse direction – ‘outwards’ to manifestation, which is characterized by the appearance of the ‘I‐ consciousness’.. The phase of consciousness’ o f disappearance of the ‘I‐consciousness’ ‘I‐con sciousness’ is called pralaya in Kashmir Shaivism, which means the absorption or dissolution of all forms of  manifestation in the empty space of the Absolute Consciousness resting in itself. The development of this process is re󰁦lected in the amrita‐bijas. The phase of ap‐ pearance of the ‘I‐consciousness’ is called the phase of creation, because on the fol‐ lowing stages it leads to the creation of the phenomenal world (the world of  knowable objects). The development developm ent of this process will wil l be considered further. further. The aspects of the single energy which are described as kriya‐shakti kriya‐shakti are de󰁦ined as the energies of implementation or the energies of action. They are called so because each of these eight modes re󰁦lects the ultimate stage of the sequence of the phases of development leading to the 󰁦inal result, 󰁦inished and complete within itself. That  is, each sequence of the phases of development is characterized by obtaining a 󰁦inal result corresponding to the described process. The next four stages deal with the phase of disappearance of the ‘I‐con‐ sciousness’,, that is, the direction sciousness’ di rection towards non‐manifestation. As already mentioned, the inclination to either direction (‘inwards’ or ‘outwards’) is in fact a negation of  the transcendence of the original subject. In the phase of creation (which will be considered further further on), this results in the emergence of immanence, i.e. the emer‐ gence of a multiplicity of knowable objects. However, in the phase of dissolution and movement towards towards non‐manifestation, since the original absolute subject can‐ not become its own object, o bject, the negation of transcendence leads to the fading of the activity of perception, to the immersion into the emptiness of the space of the Ab‐ solute Consciousness resting within itself. It must be emphasized here that the dis‐ appearancee of the ‘I‐consciousness’ doesn’t mean the disappearanc appearanc disappearancee of the ability to be self‐aware. In other words, we are talking not about the disappearance of the original knowing subject, but about the fading of the activity of its self‐knowing. The fading of the activity of its self‐knowing as such is an expression of absolute freedom and limitlessness of the original subject. The absolute freedom includes the freedom to manifest the activity of consciousness, and the freedom resulting from such manifestation. That is, the absolute unlimited subject is not obliged to perceive. percei ve. The process of the disappearance of the ‘I‐consciousness’ can be divided

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IV: The Tantric Matrika into several speci󰁦ic phases: from the beginning of fading of the activity of con‐ sciousness to the complete dissolution in the void of non‐manifestation. Something similar can be experienced in everyday life when you are ex‐ hausted, when your mind does not immerse in sleep, but falls completely out of re‐ ality. If you are attentive during this process, it is possible to notice that  consciousness doesn’t disappear all of a sudden. When mental activity starts fading, there still remains a very subtle light‐like vibration of consciousness gradually re‐ placed by the immersion into the t he complete darkness of unawareness. unawareness.

“ṛ” and “ṝ” This stage corresponds to the state where the activity of the ‘I‐consciousness’ is just  beginning to fade. At this stage, the subject still percei perceives ves some residual activity of  consciousness, like some vibration that can be compared to a subtle sound per‐ ceived ceiv ed by the inner ear even after the external sound of a bell is no longer audible. This stage re󰁦lects the rejection of any exclusion speci󰁦ic for the state of discern‐ ment, which results in expansion. At this stage, s tage, there occurs the absorption of cog‐ nitive activity: the absorption of the boundaries of all differences and of the very principle of discernment (negation) basic for the ability to percei perceive ve by the subject‐ object method. This stage is charact characterized erized by the aspects of luminescence l uminescence and mo‐ bility.. The aspect of mobility (the bility (t he heat of awar awareness) eness) describes the gradual fading of the cognitive activity of consciousness, still lingering with the subject at this stage. The aspect of luminescence (the 󰁦ire or light of knowledge) describes the extinction of the perceiving ability associated with 󰁦ire, radiance. As 󰁦ire reveals, determines objects with its light, so the ability to perceive, based on the principle of determi‐ nation (discernment), illuminates the objects of knowledge. These 󰁦irst two stages of absorption of manifested forms by the emptiness of the absolute consciousness are represented by the phonemes ‘ṛ’ and ‘ṝ’. ‘ḷ’ and ‘ḹ’ This is a stage corresponding to the complete dissolution of any activity in the empty nature of the Absolute Consciousness. This stage is described using charac‐ teristics such as viscosity (density) and stability (immobility). The aspect of viscos‐ ity (density) corresponds to the stage of 󰁦inal absorption of any possible activity. The aspect of stability (immobility), being the de󰁦ining characteristic of the ‘earth’ element, corresponds to the stage of full immersion to the level of emptiness which is not limited with anything and is consistently stable, almost like a stone. These two stages are expressed by the phonemes ‘ḷ’ and ‘ḹ’.  Amrita-Bijas The phonemes ‘ṛ’, ‘ṝ’,’ḷ’,’ḹ’ are called amrita‐bijas (seeds of immortality) because of 

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism ambivalence, since they ‘contain’ pairs of opposites their ambivalence, o pposites (the non‐perceiving con‐ sciousness, the empty source of all possible manifestations, etc.). It is important to note that the presence in the original subject of the freedom not to be aware, aware, not to manifest and not to be is a necessary precondition for the subsequent manifestation of the world of objects. The difference between subject and object exists only in the mind of the knowing subject and is based on the following features of perception. The subject  has its own (subjective) knowledge of its beingness, self‐evident in its perception; the self‐awareness, and the ‘I‐consciousness’. In the perception of the subject, the object does not have the ‘I‐consciousness’ of the knowing subject; that is, the object  is devoid of self‐awareness inherent to the subject, and therefore is perceived as external to the subject. Thus, any particular object exists because it is illuminated by light of consciousness. It is the light of consciousness (prakasha) which is the source of being of everything that exists. It follows that there are two possible ways of being: 1) when something has the ability to illuminate itself, i.e. be self‐luminous; 2) when something is unable to illuminate itself, but is able to be luminous when being illuminated by an external light. In the t he 󰁦irst case, the source of being of an en‐ tity is located within it, and such entities are thought of as animate. In the second case, the source of being of an entity is outside o utside it, and such entities ent ities are seen as inan‐ imate. Every animate being has an independent existence, which means that their existence is not dependent on anything external to him. Accordingly, everything inanimate, being unable to illuminate itself, has a dependent existence, i.e. its exis‐ tence depends on another, on a light source external to it. The latter function is per‐ formed by self‐luminous animate entities. Thus, we can conclude that the existence of inanimate entities is dependent on the existence of animate entities. An example of an absolutely pure object of perception, expressed in an ex‐ treme material form is a stone, which is totally devoid of self‐perception. If we con‐ sider it as a subject, its state is characterized by a complete negation of its subjectivity, being pure nothingness. The next four stages deal with the primary activity of the absolute con‐ sciousness in the phase of creation, corresponding corresponding to the emergence of the ‘I‐con‐ sciousness’ (the development towards manifestation, from non‐being into being). As mentioned earlier, earlier, the development towards manifestation is, in i n fact, a ‘negation’ ‘negatio n’ of the transcendental aspect of the absolute consciousness, which on further stages leads to the creation of the phenomenal world (the world of knowable objects). That is, kriya‐shakti (the energy of implementation), in its further development, leads to the perception of distinction between the subject and the object perceived by it, which gives rise to the state of diversity of the Universe. The process of the emergence of the ‘I‐consciousness’ that precedes the phase of manifestation of the ‘external’ objects separate from the subject can be conventionally divided into sev‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika characterized by the degree of objecti󰁦ication; that is, the degree of per‐ eral stages characterized ception of the distinction between subject and object (between ‘I’ and ‘not I’).

‘e’ (a/ā + i/ ī) The initial stage of the emergence of the activity of the ‘I‐consciousness’ is an inte‐ gral, undivided, self‐evident awareness awareness of one’s existence. It is a dynamic potential, the source of all subsequent emanations directed towards manifestation. This stage is re󰁦lected by the phoneme ‘e’ (а/ā + i/ ī). A rough example of the described state can be the experience that occurs in the 󰁦irst moment after a sudden awa awakening, kening, when consciousness suddenly gets “switched on”, and the person still doesn’t realize where they are or who they are. This moment of the spontaneous 󰁦lash of consciousness can be described as the di‐ rect integral knowledge of one’s one ’s beingness, beingnes s, when some ‘I’ is suddenly sudd enly ‘switched on’. on’. This non‐conceptual non‐conceptual experience (the switching on of ‘I’) is self‐evide self‐evident, nt, i.e. does not  need any additional evidence to con󰁦irm the truth. The phoneme ‘e’ is also known as ‘Virabhadra’ – ‘the great hero’, and it is an integral part of the great bija of Ma‐ hakali. ‘āi’ (e + а/ā = а/ā + i/ i/ ī + а/ā) This stage re󰁦lects the dynamic development towards towards manifestation, the active as‐ piration towards immanence, characterized by ‘negation’ of the transcendence of  the original subject. It is the phase that precedes the beginning of objecti󰁦ication (manifestation of many different objects of awareness). This stage is re󰁦lected by the phoneme ‘āi’ (e + а/ā = а/ā + i/ ī + а/ā). Conventionally, we can say that at this stage the direct integral knowledge of one’s existence, which is similar to the expe‐ rience of ‘I am’ without any de󰁦inition of what is ‘I’ and what is ‘am’, is replaced by the intention to know oneself indirectly, i. e. by discerning particular aspects or characteristics. In other words, there appears a desire to de󰁦ine what is ‘I’. The pre‐ cognitive impulse, memory (smarana).

‘o’ (а/ā + u/ū) The aspiration towards immanence, developing, results in the direction of the ac‐ tivity of consciousness towards the identi󰁦ication (determination) of the borders of differences: what is ‘I’, what is ‘not I’, etc. As discussed above, according to Plato, such fragmentation of ‘the one’ leads to the subsequent emergence of a multiplicity of limited objects of knowing. That is, this stage precedes the beginning of the pro‐ cess of subject‐object perception based on the principle of separation. This stage is expressed by the phoneme ‘o’ (a/ā + u/ū). In everyday everyday life, this stage re󰁦lects the state of consciousness from which a thought emerges in the mind of someone who is already busy with another thought.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism It is the interval between thoughts and objects that remains undifferentiated. undifferentiated. Mod‐ ern scientists claim that everything in the universe works as a pendulum that moves from one resting point to another. another. In other words, all matter vibrates. This resting point is very dynamic as the change of direction occurs there. At this point, the movement movem ent really stops for a moment and then appears again. This means that our whole reality is based on ‘switching on’ and ‘off’. During the ‘switching off’ we ex‐ pand and feel the whole universe, and then we shrink down and continue to exist  in our normal reality as if nothing happened. Thus, every object stays in permanent  contact with any other object, for the essences of all things are connected in that  state, and this same state is also the base from which all the distinctions emerge. This turning point is the basis of all thoughts and images, the conscious force that  causes an immediate transition from one image to another. Different images are transient, but their source, which permeates all of them, does not change.

“āu” (o + а/ā = а/ā + u/ū + а/ā) On this stage, the process of de󰁦inition of the boundaries of ‘I and ‘non‐I’ can be roughly described as an attempt to make ‘I’ (that is, the subject) the object of its it s own perception, which leads to the total inability to single out any direction (or sign) for such de󰁦inition, which in turn leads to immersion into nothingness, into emptiness as the absence of objects. In other words, the process of knowledge, being based on the principle of separation and the subject‐object negation, is in this case the process of negation of the objective side of the experience of the original absolute subject. This stage is re󰁦lected by the phoneme ‘āu’ (o + a/ā = a/ā + u/ū + a/ā). The state where the objectivity is negated is called emptiness. A further development developme nt of this process of negation of objectivity results in that only ‘I’ remains: the aspect of experience characterized characterized as the experience of undividedness and in‐ tegrity. As mentioned above, in the world of manifested objects, objects , the process of sub‐ ject‐object knowledge involves the attention directed towards a knowable object, and the act of identi󰁦ication, iden ti󰁦ication, ‘grasping’, ‘grasping’, appropriation of the object by the conscious‐ ness. To To direct attention to an object means to distinguish it from everything else, to de󰁦ine it. To fully fully de󰁦ine the object means to manifest it in consciousness, to cog‐ nize it, to identify identi fy with it, to “absorb” “abso rb” it in consciousness. Thus, the process of know‐ ing is based on the t he principle of separation/identi󰁦ication. separation/identi󰁦ication. The ‘knowledge’ of any object indicates kriya‐shakti, the ‘knowledge’ of  this fact – jnana‐shakti. Without iccha (the direction of attention) any knowledge is impossible. An adv advanced anced form of iccha‐shakti is jnana‐shakti. An adva advanced nced form of jnana‐shakti is kriy kriya‐shakti. a‐shakti. Kriya‐shakti Kriya‐shakti includes both iccha and jnana. That is, iccha and jnana are included in kriya. Therefore, Therefore, the ‘āu’ phoneme is called the tri‐ dent of power po wer..

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IV: The Tantric Matrika ‘ṃ’ In a further development of the process of the negation of the objective aspect of  experience of the original absolute subject, there remains only the ‘I’ aspect of ex ex‐‐ perience. The inner manifestation dissolves in the emptiness of the primal absolute consciousness, in anuttara, which represents the state of the undivided knowledge of the universe. Now anuttara, containing all its self‐expressions within, in complete identity with itself, is differe different nt from the previous ‘a’ that was the 󰁦irst stage of self‐ manifestation. This difference manifested manifested in the aspect of knowledge is expressed by the bindu ‘ṃ’, representing the essence of reality in the aspect of knowledge. Thus, ‘ṃ’ is the most ‘potential’ self‐expression of anuttara‐chit, which is the source of further emanations on another level. ‘ḥ’ (:) In this stage, the supreme energy of the manifestation manifestat ion of ‘ā’ ( para-v  para-visarga isarga or shambhava-visarga) becomes the aspect of ‘ḥ’ through connection with kriya‐shakti. kriya‐shakti. This is the 󰁦inal stage of the self‐expression sel f‐expression of kalatmaka. The vowel ‘ḥ’ (:) is unchanging. It represents the 16th lunar phase, which is known as ‘amā‐kalā’. The phoneme ‘ḥ’ (:) is an expression of the primal state of oneness onenes s of Shiva‐ Shakti (or the Absolute and Its energy of self‐realization), the state of union with the supreme non‐dual consciousness and the potency of empirical discernment at  the same time, which is expressed by the colon sign. The external manifestation al‐ ways involves expansion and shrinking, but visarga‐kalā (amrita‐kalā) remains un‐ changed in its nature. The upper dot is the inner visarga, Soma (Moon), the centripetal backward motion of kriya‐shakti. It symbolizes Shiva. Though Shiva is manifested through Shakti even in ‘earth’, however, he is not fragmented, he remains undivided; the whole world rests in the I‐consciousness of Shiva. Any exclusion inherent in sepa‐ ration is rejected here, which results in expansion. The lower dot is the external visarga, Surya (Sun), the centrifugal motion, the expansion from the centre outward of kriya‐shakti. It symbolizes Shakti – the unfolding of the objective world. In this case, the expansion occurs as the result of  the unfolding of the objective world.

THE CONSONANTS THE EXTERNAL MANIFESTATION OF KRIYA-SHAKTI The undiscerning self‐suf󰁦icient consciousness (‘a’, ‘ā’), dwelling in the beyond (anuttara), wishes wishe s (‘i’, (‘i’, ‘ī’) to know (‘u’ ( ‘u’,, ‘ū’) itself i tself as a s ‘being’ ‘bein g’,, as a multipli m ultiplicity. city. To To know oneself as a multiplicity, multiplicity, one must ‘wish’ to perceive perceive ‘self’ ‘self ’ as an object of cognition,  para-that is, to ‘externalize’ oneself. The supreme energy of the manifestation of ‘ā’ ( para

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism visarga or shambhava-visarga) becomes an aspect of ‘ḥ’ (‘:’ –  parapara-visar  parapara-visarga ga or visarga-kalā ), which unfolds in virtue of its abundance and immediately becomes an aspect of ‘ha’ (apara-visarga), i.e. of the external manifestation.

The attainment of the state of ‘ha’ leads to the appearanc appearancee of a structure of  countless categories symbolized by the consonant phonemes like ‘ka’, etc. Single manifestations are forms of vishesha‐spanda. Vishesha is the manifestation of  spanda in such form‐generating aspects like sattva, rajas and tamas or such objec‐ tive perceptions as ‘blue’, ‘pleasant’, etc. ALL consonants are an expression of ‘pashu‐ vartini’ – kriya‐shakti. Consonants are formed from densi󰁦ied vowels (‘ā’, ‘i’, ‘u’, ‘ṛ’, ‘ḷ’), which, upon obtaining density and taking the form of consonants, do not deviate from their nature. In the form of consonants, all of them are described as being in the position of unfolding (visarga). Regarding the vowels ‘ṛ’ and ‘ḷ’, theoretically re‐ lated to the level of kriya‐shakti, the following can be said. When anuttara turns to the external unfolding, it deviates from its essential nature, but on the level of am‐ rita‐bijas there is still no exit from the state of jnana, while the state of kriya, through which the external world is manifested, is not yet achieved. That is, the t he amrita‐bijas also do not deviate from their nature. The accumulation accumulat ion of density (densi󰁦icat (densi󰁦ication) ion) of o f vowels (‘ā’ (‘ ā’, ‘i’, ‘i’, ‘u’, ‘u’, ‘ṛ’, ‘ṛ’, ‘ḷ’) takes place in visarga‐pada in accordance with the method of uktanitya, and occurs due to the baindavī kalā (belon (belonging ging to bindu) bin du) – a group of six shaktis (‘a’, ‘ā’, ‘ā’, ‘i’, ‘i’, ‘ī’, ‘ī’, ‘u’, ‘u’, ‘ū’). The densi󰁦ication of ‘ā’ forms the category of the mahabhutas:

On the Para level, the phoneme ‘ā’ re󰁦lects transcendental undividedness, integrity and the bliss of self‐suf󰁦iciency, being twofold in nature, and expressing the un‐ changeability (static aspect) and the motion (dynamic aspect) of the Absolute ‘I‐ consciousness’ at the same time. The densi󰁦ication of ‘ā’ results in that the static aspect is expressed in the 󰁦inal externalization, formedness, de󰁦initeness and stability of the objects of knowl‐ edge, and the dynamic aspect is expressed in the complete separation separatio n of the objects of knowledge from the knowing subject (that is, the absence of self‐awareness in them). The absence of self‐awareness leads to the inability to experience the lack of something and of the need for something, which expresses the aspect of bliss and self‐suf󰁦iciency, undividedness and integrity. The densi󰁦ication of ‘ā’ forms the category of the tanmatras, and the raga, niyati  and shuddhavidya tattvas:

On the Para level, the phoneme ‘i’ expresses the state of iccha – the perfect undis‐ turbed will, not contaminated with objectivity. The perfect iccha‐shakti ‘i’ has the nature of Shiva and is non‐different from soma-shakti, i.e. the transcendent will is soma itself: the bliss and the freedom of Shiva. Shiva.

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IV: The Tantric Matrika The aspects of ananda and swatantrya, which were the original cause of  the development of iccha towards externalization (the manifestation of the objec‐ tive world emanates from the bliss and the uncaused, unconditional free will of  Shiva), Shiva ), get limited and become the prereq prerequisites uisites for the emergence of dissatisfac‐ tion and causality leading to a further unfolding of energy. energy. The densi󰁦ied soma be‐ comes the principle and the source of the limited manifestations of Shakti, which are perceived as different objects. The condensation of unmesha ‘u’ forms purusha, prakriti, antahkarana and the maya tattva:

On the Para level, unmesha ‘u’ is the stage of development where anuttara‐chit is about to take shape. This is the state of the non‐differ non‐differentiating entiating consciousness prior to what is considered cons idered mutually exclusive. exclusive. Unmesha is the transitional t ransitional stage between non‐manifestation and manifestation. This group is formed by the condensation of unmesha ‘u’. Condensation of  unmesha leads to that it manifests itself as the basis prior to differentiation, as something that unites all forms and from where all forms are emanated; as the source of all objects that are perceived; perceived; as the link between the non‐differentiating non‐differentiating consciousness and the beginning of differentiation. The condensation of ‘ṛ’ forms the category of the karmendriyas, and the vidya and ishvara tattvas:

On the Para level, the phoneme ‘ṛ’ expresses the state where iccha‐shakti, which is the empty space in the aspect of luminosity ( akasha), is penetrating itself, connect‐ ing with the heat of knowledge ( pramana-tejas), appears in its luminous mobile form. The densi󰁦ication of ‘ṛ’ results in that iccha‐shakti, developing towards the negation of the transcendent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’, causes the manifestation of the immanent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’ – of the limited subject perceiving (absorbing) the determined (limited) objects. The aspect of luminosity changes its direction from self‐illumination to the illumination of the object. object . The presence of di‐ rection, orientation towards the object re󰁦lects the aspect of mobility. The condensation of ‘ḷ’ forms the category of the jnanendriyas, and the kāla, kalā, and sadashiva tattvas:

On the Para level, the phoneme ‘ḷ’ expresses the state where iccha, being the empty space in the aspect of stability and immobility (vyoma or shunya), suddenly proceeds to the level of emptiness that is not limited by anything and is constantly stable. The densi󰁦ication of ‘ḷ’ results in that iccha‐shakti, developing towards towards the negation of the t he transcendent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’, ‘I‐consciousness’, causes the manifesta‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism tion of the immanent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’ – of the limited subject per‐ ceiving (absorbing) the determined (limited) objects. The aspect of limitlessness in the sense of ‘beyond limitations’, inherent to this phoneme, is expressed as the limitlessness of the limited – that is, a manifested sequence. The aspect of constant  stability is manifested as discreteness, determinacy, ‘󰁦inality’.

BRAHMAPANCHAKA BRAHMAP ANCHAKA – THE PURE ORDER Shiva-Shakti-tattvas Although no external manifestations take place on the level of  para-vach that cor‐ relates with the Shiva‐Shakti Shiva‐Shakti tattvas, still they have their own phonetic representa‐ tion, which allows to operate them as concepts. As for the internal manifestation, it  is re󰁦lected in the 16 vowels. Shiva-tattva is expressed by kuta-bija: the phoneme ‘kṣa’ 

The phoneme ‘kṣa’ contains all the phonemes of Devanagari, being a combination of ‘k’, ‘k’, ‘ṣ’ and ‘a’, and represents the t he unity of Shiva and Shakti. It is the kuta‐bija which emerges from the combination of the halanta letters ‘k’ and ‘ṣ’. The phoneme ‘a’, sinking to the level of ‘ha’, becomes ‘ka’. Shakti-tattva is expressed by apara-visarga: the phoneme ‘ha’ 

It corresponds to the t he stage when ‘ḥ’ (‘:’) – parapar parapara‐visarga a‐visarga or visarga‐kalā – unfolds due to its abundance and immediately becomes an aspect of ‘ha’ (apara-visarga, anava-visarga), i.e. of the external manifestation. The attainment of the state of ‘ha’ leads to the existence of a structure of countless categories symbolized by such phonemes as ‘k’, etc. In the aspect of jnana, Shakti‐tattva, being the energy of Shiva, is the prin‐ ciple of negation. Here Shakti negates ‘this’, ‘this’, or the objective ob jective aspect of the experience in Shiva. The state of negation of objectivity is called call ed emptiness. Under the in󰁦luence of Shakti‐tattva, ‘this’ leaves Shiva‐tattva, and only the ‘I’‐aspect of experience re‐ mains; that is, the experience of indivisibility and oneness. The phoneme ‘ha’, ex‐ pressing the aspect of emptiness as the absence of objects, is the akasha‐bija.

Sadashiva-tattva – ‘sa’ Sadashiva-tattva When Parashakti ( para-v  para-vach ach) expresses the will to creation of the world, it becomes Pashyanti. Pashyanti is the 󰁦irst step of creation of the manifested universe. In the state of Pashyanti, the world exists only in potential form, since Pashyanti is just  the state of volition to create, not the state of actual creation. Pashyanti Pashyanti is the state of ‘unity‐in‐difference’ (aham idam – ‘I am that’). On this stage of the non‐frag‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika mented, integral perception of everything knowable, there is no sequence and no division into words and referents. The nature of the phoneme ‘sa’ is the supreme bliss containing the entire multiplicity of other forms. The phoneme ‘sa’ is the beginning of the amrita‐bija, or srishti‐bija, or hridaya‐bija ‘sаuḥ’. In this bija, the phoneme ‘sa’ symbolizes the 31 tattvas from prithvi to maya, penetrating three spheres: prithvi, prakriti, maya.

Ishvara-tattva - ‘ṣа’ It corresponds to the phase of madhyama, being the second step in the process of  creation. From the perspective of the 󰁦ive powers of the activity of Shiva, madhyama is the state of jnana‐kriya (‘conceptualization’, ‘imagination’), where the future world is only a thought form, the nature of which is identi󰁦ication. Madhyama is the state of what is called idam aham (‘this is I’). It is still within the general framework framework of unity‐in‐distinction, but here the emphasis is placed on the difference (idam, or ‘this’), since the difference is more manifested. During the demonstration of the dif‐ ference between word and referent, there remains a perception of integrity of ev‐ erything. No thought can be formed without combining it with some verbal image. These words‐images are present in consciousness as seed ideas of phenomena, being the essence of conscious or unconscious processes of thinking. Thoughts, words‐images words‐im ages and objects knowable through the words‐im words‐images ages are the three ele‐ ments comprising the thinking process. Madhyama is a form of speech through which the processes of thinking and understanding are carried out, because at this level speech contains the word‐image, the meaning of the word, and the idea that  unites them, shining in the consciousness. Shuddha-vidya-tattva (sadvidya) – ‘śа’ Shuddha-vidya-tattva ‘ś а’ (çа) It corresponds to the level of vaikhari, to the densest manifestation of the vach‐ shakti. In the state of sadvidya the world is fully actualized, or clothed in external form. The object emanates from the subject and becomes as if located on the same level with the subject. That’s why this state is described by the phrase ‘I am, and this is’ (aham cha idam cha). The difference is absolutely abso lutely obvious. To the extent that  it appears to be independent of the integrity which is the t he knower (the subject). But  although it appears to be independent of the knowing ‘I’, ‘I’, still ‘I’ (Shiva) knows that  it is non‐differe non‐different nt from Him. The mere presence of idam is not unawa unawareness; reness; idam may be the result not of unawareness but of conscious self‐projection. Unawar Unawareness eness is the feeling that idam is the subject. The state corresponding to vaikhari is the state of clear distinction between word and referent. referent. It is the unity in distinction, where the distinction manifests as a formed image, the structured speech through which the exchange exchange of information happens. In other words, it is possible to percei perceive ve and pronounce it.

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar Brahmapanchaka Brahmapanchak a in the form of a table

THE TRANSIENT ORDER: MAYA AND KANCHUKAS A further unfolding of the downward projection process leads to the state where the self‐suf󰁦iciency of consciousness present on the previous stages is gradually de‐ creasing (maya and kanchukas); there occurs self‐limitation in differe different nt areas. This leads to the appearance of the limited perceiving subject dominated by maya and the 󰁦ive kanchukas (dharmas), which determine the sphere of the subject’s experi‐ ence. Then there appears prakriti in the state of balance of the three gunas. Then other derivatives up to prithvi, the inanimate (devoid of consciousness) matter.

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IV: The Tantric Matrika Maya-tattva: ‘va’ Maya is the densi󰁦ication of the energy of the unmesha ‘u’ and the amrita‐bija ‘ḷ’. Mayaa is the very principle of limitation. The densi󰁦ication of ‘ḷ’ results in that iccha‐ May shakti, developing towards towards the negation of the transcendental aspect of the ‘I‐con‐ sciousness’, leads to the manifestation of the immanent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’: ‘I‐consciousne ss’: the limited subject. The densi󰁦ication of unmesha ‘u’ leads to that  it manifests itself as the basis prior to distinction, dist inction, as something that t hat unites all forms and from where all forms are emanated, as the source of all knowable objects, as the link between the non‐distinguishing consciousness and the beginning of dis‐ tinction. The phoneme ‘va’, expressing the transient aspect that connects and sepa‐ rates the transcendent transcendent and the immanent, is the salila-bija. The kanchukas: the principle of limitation experienced in different aspects Kāla-tattva and kalā-tattva – ‘la’ 

This phoneme represents the limitation of the principle of the existence and the perception of the limited subject. The phoneme ‘la’ is the densi󰁦ication of ‘ḷ’. The densi󰁦ication of ‘ḷ’ results in that iccha‐shakti, developing towards the negation of  the transcendental aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’, leads to the manifestation of the immanent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’: the limited subject. In the sphere of the manifested, manifest ed, the aspect of limitlessness (in the sense of ‘beyond limits’) is expressed as the limitlessness of the limited: that is, the unboundedness of a discrete se‐ quence. For example, example, when they say that Shiva is eternal and in󰁦inite, it means that  he is outside of time and space, beyond time and space, not limited by them. In the sphere of manifestation, the concepts of eternity and in󰁦inity have a different differ ent meaning. For example, speaking of ‘eternal memory’ or ‘in󰁦inite sky’ sug‐ gests that there is a time that consists of countless moments or that there is a space composed of countless points. Here the limitlessness is the unboundedness unboundednes s of a dis‐ crete determinate determinate sequence. In the sphere of the manifested, discreteness and de‐ terminacy are the expressions of the aspect of constant stability re󰁦lected in the vowel ‘ḷ’. Thus, the limited subject, trying to comprehend its own nature, 󰁦inds an in󰁦inite sequential nesting (in󰁦inite in the sense of that it is impossible to reach the end of this sequence), the borders bo rders of the possibilities of self‐knowledge, determined by the very principle of the limitedness of the subject, which is expressed as kāla and kalā. Kāla is the limitation of the very mode of existence of the subject, deter‐ mining its consciousness, the way of thinking. This kanchuka gives rise to the feeling of sequence (krama) that is experienced as time, the impression of ‘before’ and ‘after’ ( purvapara). Without sequence, time cannot exist, and vice versa. In fact, se‐ quence and time are one and the same; actually, time is well de󰁦ined by the expres‐

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism sion ‘one after another’. The consequences of this limitation are the experience of  󰁦initeness and non‐eternity, non‐eternity, creating the possibility poss ibility of existence of the concepts of  birth and death, the past, the present and the future, which consequently creates the possibility for the existence of such concepts as memory and the phenomena of representation, imagination, planning. Kalā is the feeling of con󰁦ined capacities, the limited l imited or constrained kriya, kriya, the limi‐ tation of the possibility to act, the impression of ‘non‐omnipotence’ that causes the feeling of lack, of need, which gives rise to causality and compels compel s to perform actions (preconditioned by karma karma and the feeling of lack) to satisfy this need. The phoneme ‘la’, re󰁦lecting 󰁦initeness, de󰁦initeness, solidity, density, is the prithvi‐bija. Vidya-tattva: ‘ra’ 

t he means of knowledge. Vidya‐tattva is the densi󰁦ication of  A limitation related to the the phoneme ‘ṛ’. ‘ṛ’. The densi󰁦ication of ‘ṛ’ results in that iccha‐shakti, developing developing to‐ wards war ds the negation of the transcendent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’, ‘I‐consciousness’, leads to the manifestation of the immanent aspect of the ‘I‐consciousness’ – of the limited sub‐ ject. The aspect of luminosity changes its direction from self‐illumination to illumi‐ nation of the object. The presence of direction, orientation towards the object  re󰁦lects the aspect of mobility. Thus, with the appearance of subject and object, the means of knowledge become limited. Vidya‐kanchuka is the limited jnana, the un‐ awareness consisting in the impression of distinction between subject and object  (dualistic perception) and limitation of the means of knowledge. The limited knower (the subject) comprehends the world (the object) as something distinct  from itself or other than itself. As the result, the subject is not the true knower as it  does not know the truth that the whole world is the subject’s own projection. The conclusion is that vidya vidya,, the limited l imited knowledge, creates creates the possibility of forgetting or remembering something, or the feeling of inability to hold several objects in mind at the same time. The phoneme ‘ha’, expressing such aspects as heat, light and mobility, is agni‐bija (the seed bija of 󰁦ire). Raga-tattva, niyati-tattva – ‘ya’ 

The limitation related to the possibility of knowing ( prameya). The phoneme ‘ya’ is formed through the densi󰁦ication of iccha ‘i’. The iccha‐shakti ‘i’ has the nature of  Shiva,, is perfect and non‐different from soma‐shakti (‘soma’ means ‘sa uma’ : ‘with Shiva Uma’; Uma is the Shakti of Shiva), i.e., the transcendental will is soma: the bliss and the freedom of Shiva. The densi󰁦ication of iccha makes it the source of the limited manifestations of shakti, perceived as different objects. In such a way, the densi󰁦ied Soma becomes the principle of the limited object. The aspects of ananda and

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IV: The Tantric Matrika swatantrya that have been the original cause of the development of iccha towards swatantrya manifestation (the manifestation of the objective world originates from the bliss and the unconditional free will of Shiva) become limited, and become the prereq‐ uisites for the emergence of raga, dvesha and causality (determinism). Raga-tattva, being the limited ananda shakti, causes the feeling of dissat‐ isfaction, the absence of the ‘feeling of the single taste’ ( sarvatmabhava) and, as a consequence, attachment to some object. The opposite of raga is dvesha – aversion or antipathy towards something. Raga and dvesha, in fact, represent the same state of mind and indicate the same attitude of mind: it likes something that is pleasant, and does not like something that brings pain and disharmony. disharmony. As dvesha is, in fact, the reverse side of raga, it is not considered separately: hence, raga can be called raga‐dvesha. raga‐d vesha. The result is that raga creates the preconditions for the manifestation of the concepts of comparison and choice. Raga is possible when the subject is preconditioned, determined. This lim‐ itation is called niyati-tattva. Determinism is the opposite of freedom (swatantrya ). It is the t he principle of existence of causality causality.. In the psychic spher sphere, e, it is the principle of the impossibility of achieving anything just by wish: to get the result, one needs to create the preconditions for it. Similarly, if there is a cause, it is impossible to avoid the effect. Under the in󰁦luence of niyati (since it is impossible for a limited entity to create the preconditions for unlimited satisfaction), there emerges the feeling of a limited scope and limited relations. So niyati‐tattva is also interpreted as the principle of ‘space’. The phoneme ‘ya’ is vayu‐bija (air‐bija), since this level is characterized by such qualities as variability (the diversity of the manifested forms) and the desire to 󰁦ill all the space s pace (caused by raga).

THE IMPURE ORDER The further projection is characterized characterized by the subject feeling that the object is ssep‐ ep‐ arate from it. The 󰁦ive groups of phonemes, corresponding to the t he categories of the externalized existence, existence, re󰁦lect the stages of further manifestation.

The 󰁦irst group: purusha, prakriti, antahkarana This group is formed by the densi󰁦ication of unmesha ‘u’. The densi󰁦ication of un‐ mesha leads to that it manifests itself as the basis prior to differentiation, as some‐ thing that unites all forms and from where where all forms are emanated; as the source of  all objects that are perceived; as the link between the non‐differentiating conscious‐ ness and the beginning of differentiation. The densi󰁦ication of unmesha goes through the 󰁦ive stages corresponding to panchashakti.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Purusha-tattva: “ma” It corresponds to the stage of chit‐kriya. Its nature is voidness generating diversity in the process of creation (srishti) and absorbing the diversity in the process of de‐ struction (samhara). Purusha is the limited knowing subject, not yet ‘formed’ and yet uncertain what exactly is ‘I’ ‘I’,, but the sphere of its perceived experience is already limited by the kanchukas. At the stage of purusha, Consciousness enters the 󰁦ield of duality where the subject perceives the object as something really different from itself. Not knowing one’s true self in its undivided pure pure form results in the experi‐ ence of ‘non‐I’ within ‘I’, called purusha‐ajnana, which in this case is the essential aspect. What is perceived by purusha is called prakriti (the objective world). In Kashmir Shaivism, despite being separated from prakriti (‘the objective world’) on the external level, purusha is one with prakriti on a deeper level of existence. Prakriti is its own shakti (‘energy’) and its own expansion ( prasara), or manifesta‐ tion. The perception of prakriti by purusha is like a vague uncertain dream where there is no feeling of ‘I’. ‘I’. So prakriti is also called cal led bhoga-samanya for purusha. On the next stage, prakriti produces all experiences speci󰁦ic for purusha in the form of ob‐ jects and different ways of experiencing them. Prakriti-tattva: “bha” Prakriti-tattva: The stage of ananda‐kri ananda‐kriya. ya. Its nature is the aspiration for expansion, all‐pervasion and objecti󰁦ication. Prakriti is the primal subtle root cause, the matrix of the phe‐ nomenal world. The absolute divine pulsation (samanya-spanda) is ‘substantiated’ here, becoming the manifestation of the gunas (qualities or modes) of prakriti. At  that, it is perceived perceived as vishesha-spanda. Vishesha‐spanda is expressed as individual qualities of consciousness. When vishesha‐spanda is expressed as vowels (energies) with a slow tempo, the predominant quality of consciousness has the nature of  sattva. If vishesha‐spanda is expressed as vowels (energies) with a medium tempo, the predominant quality of consciousness has the nature of rajas. If vishesha‐spanda is expressed as vowels (energies) with a quick tempo, the predominant quality of  consciousness has the nature of tamas. In the process of further manifestation, the entire phenomenal world (including the mechanism of thinking and the objects of  thinking) is created. While the gunas stay in balance, prakriti is not manifested. Sattva guna is the potential of the manifestation of objects. To make an object ‘ap‐ pear’ for the subject, it is necessary to become aware aware of it; theref therefore, ore, it is the capac‐ ity of awareness, of clarity. Rajas guna is the energy, power, ability, agitation, which can be directed at  awareness and non‐awareness alike. Tamas guna is the potential of non‐manifestation, non‐awareness, resis‐ tance to any change, expressed by the principle of inertia.

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IV: The Tantric Matrika In Kashmir Shaivism, the three gunas are characteristic characteristic of the perception of purusha. Purusha contemplates all ‘this‐ness’ through the lens of these three properties, and experiences it i t in the form of pleasure, pain and unawareness, at the same time resting in equilibrium. Being in constant interaction, the three gunas produce all objects. An object (a combination of objects) can be fully manifested for a subject: that is, to be clearly perceived with all its details and features; it can be not manifested at all, or not perceived at all; or it can be perceived in a vague, un‐ clear,, indisti clear i ndistinct nct way way.. Prakriti produces all experiences speci󰁦ic for purusha in the form of differ‐ ent objects and the ways of experiencing them. For purusha they manifest in the form of antahkarana, the indriyas (senses) and the bhutas (matter, (matter, substance). The 󰁦irst product of prakriti is buddhi.

Buddhi-tattva: ‘bа’ Buddhi is the 󰁦irst product of prakriti. Buddhi‐tattva corresponds to the stage of  iccha‐kriya whose nature is ‘to illuminate’, ‘to identify’, ‘to determine’. The nature of buddhi is the ability of determining. The function of buddhi is to determine, to de󰁦ine the difference between the perceiver pe rceiver and the perceived, and to make distinc‐ tion between objects, objects , seeing them as separate from each other. other. Buddhi is the ability by which purusha begins to de󰁦ine itself, to de󰁦ine the differences between itself  and prakriti, to discern the subject and the object. Due to the limitations of the sub‐ ject – purusha, its ability to determine determine is also limited, which which becomes the cause of  a false conceptual identi󰁦ication of ‘I’ with ‘not‐I’ ‘not‐I’,, called ‘buddhi‐ajnana’. The product  of buddhi, the result of its development, is ahamkara.  Ahamkara-tattva: “phа”  Ahamkara-tattva: Ahamkara is the product of buddhi. Ahamkara‐tattva corresponds to the stage of  jnana‐kriya. jnana‐kriy a. Its nature nat ure is identi󰁦ication, connection/separation (analysis/synthesis). Ahamkara is the ability of self‐identi󰁦ication manifested as the sense of ‘ego’, which is the limited ‘I‐consciousness’ ‘I‐cons ciousness’,, the limited subject. subject . There are two directions of man‐ ifestation of the limited subject. ‐ It is able to perceive perceive (absorb) limited objects (the (t he ‘inward’ ‘inward’ direction). The ‘inward’ direction (the ability to perceive) further generates the cate‐ gories of the jnanendriyas and the tanmatras. ‐ It is able to manifest (to emanate, to implement) limited functions (the ‘outward’ ‘outwar d’ direction). The ‘outwar ‘outward’ d’ direction (the ability to manifest) fur‐ ther generates the category of the karmendriyas . To some extent, these two directions re󰁦lect the aspects of statics (equilib‐ rium, stability) and dynamics (mobility, (mobility, direction). The product of ahamkar ahamkaraa is manas.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Manas-tattva: “ra” Manas is the product of ahamkara. Manas‐tattva is correlated with the stage of  kriya‐kriya kriya‐kri ya whose nature is bringing into form, assimilation assimi lation and satisfaction. satis faction. Manas is the inner psychic apparatus whose function is the ability to the formation and the perception of ideas and images, as well as the conversion of the data of the sen‐ sory experience to the results of perception (images, symbols, ideas). That is, manas performs the function of ‘manifesting’ and assimilating objects. The second group: the jnanendriyas The jnanendriyas are the product of ahamkara, ahamkara, the result of the ability abilit y of the limited subject to the perception (absorption) of limited objects. The jnanendriyas are formed through through the densi󰁦ication of “ḷ”, “ḷ”, which on this stage leads to that the deter‐ minate means of sensory perception are manifested manifested (de󰁦ined) for the limited sub‐ ject: the perception of sound, the tactile perception, the visual perception and the olfactory perception. perception. No other methods of sensory perception are possible for the subject. Such determinacy re󰁦lects the aspect of stability and immobility. The fact that the phoneme ‘ḷ’ corresponds to the experience of the empti‐ ness, which is the reality that follows the heat of 󰁦ire of the perceiving subject ( pramata-tejas), is re󰁦lected in its densi󰁦ication in the ability of the limited subject to perceive (absorb) limited objects, being directed inwards. Shrotra‐tattva: “na”. The ability to perceive sound (and in some sense, the ability to perceive concepts). Corresponds to the stage of chit‐kriya, the nature of  which is voidness that generates diversity. As we cannot perceive anything that we cannot think of, and the thoughts are expressed by words, the ability to perceive sound is the t he backbone of the thinking process, and accordingly accordingly, of the existence of  the world around us. Twak‐tattva: “dha”. The ability of tactile perception. Corresponds to the stage of ananda‐kriya, the nature of which is the desire to expand, to pervade, to 󰁦ill, i. e. to interact. The most effective way of direct interaction is the tactile way.

Chakshu-tattva: “da” The ability of visual perception (and in some sense, the ability to perceive concepts expressed in visual symbols). Corresponds to the stage of iccha‐kri iccha‐kriya, ya, the nature of  which is orientation, direction of attention, illumination and revealing. The most  effective and direct way of immediate direction (shift) (shift ) of attention attenti on is the visual vi sual way. way. Rasana-tattva: “tha” The ability to percei perceive ve taste. Corresponds to the t he stage of jnana‐kriy jnana‐kriya, a, the nature of  which is identi󰁦ication, connection/separation (analysis‐synthesis). The most ef‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika fective and direct way of identi󰁦ication with an object is tasting it, digesting it, to let  fective it pass through, to assimilate what is useful and to discharge what is useless.

Ghrana-tattva: “ta” The ability to percei perceive ve smell. Corresponds to the stage of kriya‐kriya, kriya‐kriya, the nature of  which is stability, stability, balance, satisfaction. Breath, representing the aspect of equilib‐ rium (inhalation/exhalation), is the basis of life. The third group: the karmendriy karmendriyas as The karmendriyas are the product product of ahamkara resulting from the ability of the t he lim‐ ited subject to manifest (emanate) limited capacities (functions), from being di‐ rected outwards. The karmendriyas are formed through the densi󰁦ication of “ṛ”, which causes the heat of knowledge ( pramana-teja  pramana-tejass) to manifest itself for the lim‐ ited perceiver perceiver in the form of the abilities to emanate the 󰁦ive determinate determinate functions of life. The aspect of mobility is manifested as the connection between the internal knowledge and the external expression: in the form of actions. Roughly speaking, each function corresponds to a physical organ that is most adequate for performing it (hands, legs, mouth, etc.). However, if the physical organ is out‐of‐service or missing, then the corresponding function can be per‐ formed by other organs with some loss of ef󰁦iciency (for example, ideas can be rep‐ resented not only by the use of voice (mouth), but also by writing (hands). Vach-tattva: “ṇа” The ability to perform the function of speech. Corresponds to the t he stage of chit‐kriya, the nature of which is voidness generating diversity. Since we cannot perceive any‐ thing that we cannot think of, and thoughts are expressed by words, the function of speech is the basis of thinking, thin king, and hence of the existence of the world for us. The corresponding organ is the mouth.

Pani-tattva: “ḍha” The ability to interact, the function of control and action. Corresponds to the stage of ananda‐kriya, the nature of which is the desire to expand, to pervade and to 󰁦ill: that is, to interact. The most effective and direct way of immediate interaction is the tactile way. The corresponding organs are the hands. Pada-tattva: “ḍa” The ability to perform the function of motion. Corresponds to the stage of iccha‐ kriya, kriy a, the nature of which is direction, motion towards a purpose. The correspond‐ ing organs are the legs.

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism Payu-tattva: “ṭa” The ability to perform the function of excretion. Corresponds to the stage of jnana‐ kriya, the nature of which is identi󰁦ication, connection/separation (analysis/syn‐ thesis). The most effective and direct way way of identi󰁦ication with an object is tasting tast ing it, digesting it, letting it pass through, assimilating what is useful and discharging what is useless. The corresponding organs are the organs of excretion. Upastha-tattva: Upastha-tat tva: “ṭha “ṭha”” The ability to perform the function of sexual pleasure and satisfaction. Corresponds to the stage of kriya‐kriya, the nature of which is stability, equilibrium and satisfac‐ tion. The outward manifestation of enjoyment, equilibrium (the moveme movement nt in and out) and stability is expressed in the ability to perform the function of sex. The cor‐ responding organs are the sex organs. The fourth group: the tanmatras The tanmatras are the product of ahamkara formed through condensation of “i”. Condensing, iccha develops towards manifestation in the process of down‐ ward projection and becomes the source of limited manifestations of shakti per‐ ceived as different objects. The tanmatras are the primary ‘forms’ of sensory perception, the sources so urces that are yet undifferentiated, which can be b e perceived by the methods determined by the jnanendriyas. For example, by the method of sound perception, sound is perceived as such (the very principle of sound as a phe‐ nomenon), etc. Shabda-tattva: ña. The principle of sound. The chit‐kriya chit‐kriya stage. Sparsha-tattva: jha. The principle of touch. The ananda‐kri ananda‐kriya ya stage. Rupa-tattva: ja. The principle of form and color. The ichha‐kriya stage. jnana‐kriya ya stage. Rasa tattva: cha. The principle of taste. The jnana‐kri Gandha-tattva: ca. The principle of smell. The kriya‐kriya stage. The products of the tanmatras are the mahabhutas.

The 󰁦ifth group: the mahabhutas The mahabhutas are the products of the tanmatras, formed through condensation of “ā”. The condensation of “ā” results in the stability of the self‐suf󰁦iciency of the divine consciousness in its it s dense form, expressed by the most “densi󰁦ied” “densi󰁦ied”,, i. e. stable st able forms. The static aspect of the “I‐consciousness” is expressed in the 󰁦inal point of  materialization, formedness and distinctness of the knowable objects, and the dy‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika namic aspect is expressed in the complete separation of the percei perceived ved objects from the perceiving perceiving subject; that is, in the absence of any self‐awareness in them. In this case, the bliss of self‐suf󰁦iciency emerges from the complete absence of self‐aware‐ ness. The ultimate degree of fragmentation, caused by the absence of awareness, becomes unity (Abheda). The negation of lack originates from the absence of self‐ awareness, awa reness, and the feeling of completeness originates from the impossibility to be‐ come aware aware of the lack of something. Without the ability to perceive ( jnanendriyas) and the linking process of  perceiving (tanmatras), an object cannot be perceived (known): thus, the tanmatras and the jnanendriyas are also represented here.

 Akasha tattva: “ṅa” “ṅa”. Space, ether. Vayu-tattva: “ṅa”. Air.  Agni-tattva: “ṅa” “ṅa”. Fire. Jala-tattva: “ṅa”. Water. Prithvi-tattva: Prithvi-tattv a: “ṅa”. Earth. Prithvi is the highest degree of ‘coarsening’ of the ananda‐shakti, the most  vivid expression of immutability, stability, solidity, integrity, density, and self‐suf󰁦i‐ ciency. As anuttara (ananda) is the basis of everything, so prithvi is the foundation, the support of all the tattvas of a more subtle nature. Prithvi is the densest degree of manifestation of the inanimate (devoid of consciousness) matter. Being devoid of consciousness, it is devoid of the possibility of lack in anything, thus it is self‐suf‐ 󰁦icient. On the ‘para ‘para’’ level, the I‐consciousness attains stability in its own nature as Shiva. Prithvi‐tattva expresses the aspect of negation and completeness (consoli‐ dation). Kalagni is the primary bhuvana bhuvana of the prithvi‐tattva prithvi‐tattva..

 A SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTED MATERIAL MATERIAL In the process of outward projection, the condensation of vowels (‘ā’, ‘i’, ‘u’, ‘ṛ’, ‘ḷ’) in visarga‐pada occurs due to baindavī kalā (‘a’, ‘ā’, ‘i’, ‘ī’, ‘u’, ‘ū’). The result of further development developme nt of baindavī kalā is kriya shakti going through 󰁦iv 󰁦ivee stages: the stage of  Anashrita‐shiva Anashrita‐ shiva (expressed by the group of amrita bijas) and the four stages which are the result of Kriya Shakt Shakti: i: ‘e’ ‘e’,, ‘o’ ‘o’,, ‘āi’ an and d ‘āu’ ‘āu’.. These 󰁦ive stages are loose loosely ly referred to as the 󰁦ive powers of activity of Shiva – ‘panchashakti’. The vowel ‘ā’ The vowel ‘ā’ is present at all stages of the outward projection. Shakti‐tattva, the energy of Shiva, being the development of ‘ā’, is the principle of negation in the as‐

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar pect of Jnana. Here Shakti negates ‘this’, or the objective side of the experience in Shiva.. The state when any objectivity is rejected is called emptiness. Under the in‐ Shiva 󰁦luence of the Shakti‐tattva in Shiva‐tattva, the ‘this’ leaves and only the ‘I’‐aspect  of experience remains; that is, the experience of indivisibility and oneness. The phoneme ‘ha’, re󰁦lecting the aspect of emptiness as the absence of ob‐ jects, is akasha‐bija. As the result of condensation of ‘ā’, the mahabhutas are formed, re󰁦lecting aspects such as self‐suf󰁦iciency, stability, certainty, solidity.

The vowel ‘i’ As the result of condensation of the vowel ‘i’, there appear the kanchukas, raga and niyati. The The aspects of ananda and swatantrya, which have been the original cause of the development of iccha towar towards ds manifestation (the manifestation of the objec‐ o bjec‐ tive world originates from the bliss and the unconditional free will of Shiva), become limited, and become the prerequisites for the emergence of raga, dvesha and niyati (causality, determinism). The vowel vowel ‘i’ re󰁦lects the following aspects: direction (volition), spontaneity spontaneity,, the source of all future distinctions, the subsequent limited manifestations of Shakti. The phoneme ‘ya’, the product of condensation of ‘i’, is vayu‐bija, being the source of all future differences. Condensation of the vowel ‘i’ gives rise to the group of ‘tanmatras’: the pri‐ mary ‘forms’ of sensory perception, the still undifferentiated sources from which various material objects are further manifested. The vowel vowel ‘ī’ The vowel ‘ī’ re󰁦lects the aspects of orientation, direction ‘outwards’, to a yet unde‐ 󰁦ined object. Or vice virsa, in the process of collapsing inward inwards. s. The vowels vowels ‘i’ and ‘ī’ These vowels share the aspects of direction and dynamics. It is expressed in that  the result of the development of these phonemes in correspondence with pan‐ chashakti is ananda‐kriya, the development of ‘e’ (a/ā + i/ī) and iccha‐kriya, and the development of ‘āi’ (a/ā + i/ ī + a/ā). Ananda‐kriya manifests the aspect of the dynamics of expansion and re‐ 󰁦lects the mode (dashā) of air in subtle and gross form. Iccha‐Kriya Iccha‐Kri ya manifests the aspect of the dynamics of direction and re󰁦lects the mode (dashā) of 󰁦ire in subtle and gross form. The vowel ‘u’ Condensation of the vowel ‘u’ results in the formation of maya‐tattva (the principle

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IV: The Tantric Matrika of limitation) and the group ‘purusha, prakriti, antahkarana’, re󰁦lecting the aspect  of transition from the non‐manifested to the manifested and the densi󰁦ied ‘u’ as the basis for the emergence of the entire diver diversity sity of objects. The phoneme ‘va’, the product of condensation of ‘u’, ‘u’, is ssalila‐bija, alila‐bija, re󰁦lecting the aspects of identi󰁦ication and connection/separation (synthesis/analysis). (synthesis/analysis).

The vowel ‘ū’ The vowel ‘ū’ re󰁦lects the aspects of holding and identi󰁦ication. The vowels vowels ‘u’ and ‘ū’ These vowels share the aspects of stability and statics. It is expressed in that the further development of these phonemes in the context of panchashakti corresponds to jnana‐kriya, to the development of ‘o’ (а/ā + u/ū) and kriya‐kriya, and the devel‐ opment of ‘āu’ (а/ā + u/ū + а/ā). Jnana‐kriya manifests the aspect of stability of balance and re󰁦lects the mode (dashā) of water in subtle and gross form. Kriya‐kriy Kriy a‐kriyaa manifests the aspect of stability of immobility and re󰁦lects the mode (dashā) of earth in subtle and gross form. The vowel ‘ṛ’ Condensation of the vowel ‘ṛ’ results in the formation of vidya kanchuka and the category of karmendriyas. It is expressed in that the t he limited subject (whose appear‐ ance is the consequence of iccha negating the transcendental ‘I‐consciousness’, which corresponds to the experience of emptiness) is able to manifest (emanate) limited abilities (functions), the ‘outward’ direction of its activity activity.. The phoneme ‘ṛ’ re󰁦lects the aspect of emptiness and dynamics (expressing the state corresponding to the achiev achievement ement of the heat of knowledge ( pramana-teja  pramana-tejass)). The phoneme ‘ra’, the product of condensation of the vowel ‘ṛ’, is agni‐bija re󰁦lecting the aspect of light (heat) of knowledge (pramaṇa‐tejas) (pramaṇa‐tejas) and mobility mobility..

The vow vowel el ‘ḷ’ Condensation of the vowel ‘ḷ’ causes the formation of the category of jnanendriya jnanendriyas. s. It is expressed in that the limited subject (whose appearance is the consequence of  iccha negating the transcendental ‘I‐consciousness’, which corresponds to the ex‐ perience of emptiness) is able to perceive (absorb) limited objects, the ‘inwar ‘inward’ d’ di‐ rection of its activity. The jnanendriyas determine the means of sensory perception, re󰁦lecting the aspect of stability and immobility immobility.. Condensation of the vowel ‘ḷ’ also results in the formation of the kanchukas kālа and kаlā, expressing the aspect of limitlessness in the sense of ‘outside the boundaries’ as the limitlessness of the limited: the limitlessness of a discrete se‐

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric quence (krama). It creates the impression of time and limited capacities. The phoneme ‘ḷ’ re󰁦lects the aspect of emptiness and stability (as it ex‐ pressed the states prior to the heat of tthe he perceiving subject) The phoneme ‘la’, being the product of condensation of ‘ḷ’, indicating 󰁦inite‐ ness, formedness and solidity solidity,, is prithvi‐bija prithvi‐bija..

The vowels ‘ṛ’, ‘ṝ’, ‘ḷ’ and ‘ḹ’ These vowels, expressing the state of Anashrita‐shiva and called amrita‐bijas, share s hare the aspect of emptiness. Since these vowels are the result of the development of  iccha within itself (iccha penetrating itself), they also re󰁦lect the aspect of dynamics

The summary table

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IV: The Tantric Matrika (the presence of direction). It is re󰁦lected in the fact that the development of these phonemes (r + i/ī and l + i/ī) in correspondence with panchashakti is chit‐kriya. Chit‐kriya re󰁦lects the mode (dashā) of akasha in subtle and gross form by mani‐ festing the aspect of emptiness that generates and absorbs all other modes (dashā).

The phoneme ‘ha’ and amrita-bijas It is interesting to note that the aspect of emptiness is common for all states ex‐ pressed by the phoneme ‘ha’ and the amrita‐bijas. The phoneme ‘ha’, being akasha bija, re󰁦lects the aspect of emptiness as an absence of objects. Amrita‐bijas, re󰁦lect‐ ing the state of Anashrita‐Shiva, re󰁦lect the aspect of emptiness as the absence of  the subject. WHY THE KNOWLEDGE OF MATRIKA IS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESSFUL USE OF MANTRAS IN T TANTRISM ANTRISM AND ABHICHARA With each passing decade, the speed and the t he volume of the information transmitted and received by us are signi󰁦icantly increasing. We have the possibility of almost al most in‐ stant access to any speci󰁦ic knowledge currently currently existing in various 󰁦ields of human activity,, as well as to extensiv activity extensivee information on plans and possible trends of devel‐ opment of mankind, which would would be dif󰁦icult or impossible in previous er eras. as. The volume of material for studying and comprehend comprehending ing is growing, howev however er the quality of knowledge is steadily decreasing; the scope is growing, but the t he knowledge itself  becomes extremely super󰁦icial. People develop a kind of ‘information immunity’, they become less sensitive to the information 󰁦low 󰁦low.. The lines are blurring – both in the areas of knowledge and technology — and the focus of attention is shifting to‐ wards the process, not the content. The increasing blending and interpenetration of cultures on the background of the progressive profanation of knowledge explains the growing interest in the relativ relatively ely new phenomena, such as the practices of Hatha yoga, various meditations, repetition of mantras, contemplation of yantras and so on, as well as the massive amount of speculations associated with them. In the context of this book, you should pay special attention to the fact that  mantra yoga cannot be successful without the knowledge of how to ‘unseal’ the in‐ formation contained in the mantras, how to release their energy, how to use their potential. Abhinavagupta said that the subtle differences of the meanings of  mantras, depending on the imaginary and the symbolic interpretation of phonemes, can be used by adepts, but cannot be used by adepts of all countries and of all times, and are absolutely inaccessible to the profane. The repetition of mantras based on Matrika without mastering Matrika is a foolish activity, like reading a book in Span‐ ish by a Chinese who does not speak Spanish. Regardless of how many times would such a ‘Chinese’ repeat the words or sounds of that book, aloud or silently, silently, he will

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar be unable to comprehend comprehend its contents. A lot of people, not knowing the code of Ma‐ trika but hoping for success and an d believing in the miraculous power of Tantric spells, use the sacred bijas ‘auṃ’, ‘hrīṃ’, ‘hūṃ’ and repeat various mantras, convinced that  ‘the purity of their intentions, their faith and their love to the deity’ are enough to unfold all the power of these bijas and mantras. This approach is no differ different ent from the naive belief that someone, not being a sailor, can enter the cabin of an ocean liner, take the helm, and with a pure intention, with faith and the love of god, drive this ship from Spain to Brazil hoping that god will help him to understand naviga‐ tion and the handling of vessels, and that all the passengers will sstay tay alive and reach their destinations destina tions safely. A simple recitation of bijas bi jas and Tantric mantras may prob‐ ably bring some good effects, but it will have only one hundred‐thousandth of the real power contained in these bijas and mantras. Information is energy, energy is information. To practice Kaula Dharma, an adept is required to master the code of  Matrika. In some branches of Tantrism, it is required to master not only the code of  Matrika, but also other codes, such as the t he code of Malini. In a meditativ meditativee state, with a focused mind, chanting chantin g a mantra expressing the nature of a Tantric deity and con‐ taining their power, power, the adept becomes one with the mantra and through this with the deity, thus gaining their power and properties. The Primal Reality, the Absolute, is indescribable in its entirety and com‐ pleteness; however, the multiple descriptions of its different aspects can be pre‐ sented in the form of a many‐branched tree of in󰁦inite patterns of innumerable modes manifested by the primal reality. To re󰁦lect and to meditate on each of them is a useful practice; however, even a simple description of a part of these aspects would take thousands of pages. Not every mystic has enough time and diligence to read through such a volume of information on a daily basis, especially if we add other practices and meditations, work and leisure. If we make the descriptions of  the main aspects of the original reality very brief, laconic and aphoristic, the t he volume will be reduced greatly, greatly, but still too large. If the information will be recorded not in letters but in hieroglyphs, the number of the pages will be reduced eve even n more. And if we apply the Kaulic method of information archiving, all this initially init ially huge amount  of information can be encoded in approximately twelve mantras; it can be com‐ pressed into one main mantra, which in turn can be rolled into one single bija, a single syllable‐seed. Such seed mantras, as well as pranavas, vary from each other in different traditions. Since information contains energy, Tantric sacred scriptures have great power. Reading these scriptures, the adept gains this power. Reading them twelve times gives the adept the wisdom of twelve mountains and twelve oceans of energy. A text containing several s everal thousands of verses cannot cann ot be read even once a day by a person who has to work for their bread. At the same time, a one‐ syllable bija can be consciously uttered not just twelv twelvee times a day day,, but a thousand times. If the adept has studied and understood 10000 pages of information, if he

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IV: The Tantric Matrika has mastered the code of Matrika, then by repeating a bija one time in a meditative state, he will read 10000 pages of text. And by repeating a bija 100 times, the adept  will read 10000 pages of text 100 times a day. Thus, a conscious utterance of a one‐ syllable mantra is equal to reading a sacred scripture consisting of thousands of  verses. Abhinavagupta con󰁦irmed that in Tantrism the bija mantra contains the total potency and the total meaning of the entire T Tantric antric doctrine. He said that tthe he whole text consisting of thousands of verses can be put in sever several al verses, and then summarized in several lines, and 󰁦inally reduced to a bija‐mantra, which, though being the smallest sound unit, will retain the full power of the whole doctrine. Tantra is a highly effective mechanism for archiving and accumulating energy. The knowledge of the code of Matrika multiplies the adept’s powers and abilities, sets him free from many reincarnations and from the obstacles on his way, allows him to master the maximum powers and possibilities contained in the magic of Ab‐ hichara. The essence of the radical non‐dual Tantr Tantric ic system is integrity and perfec‐ tion. Consequently, Consequently, the method of entering the supreme consciousness can be found everywhere. Whether in jnana‐shakti or kriya‐shakti, every object rests upon a pure, creative I–consciousness , non‐empirical and non‐conditioned. ‘It is the state praised by all schools as non‐discerning (nirvikalpa). In this unconditioned splendour of  the supreme expression expression – in ‘I’ (aham) – all empirical (maya), conditioned symbols are determined in such a wa wayy that their very determinacy completes (destroys) it‐ self. Thus, these symbols attain identity with this transcendent, unconditioned mantra (aham)’. ‘The only meaning of these empirical symbols is to achieve the ex‐ perience of the essential nature of the unconditioned, and they have no other pur‐ pose. The passing into the unconditioned can be realized by means of seeing, hearing, thinking. Thus the determined knowledge, following its source, 󰁦inds itself  in a transcendental state (anuttara)’ )’..

ELUCIDATION O ELUCIDATION OF F THE MOST IIMPORT MPORTANT ANT B BIJAS IJAS THROUGH THE CODE OF MATRIKA To demonstrate the principles of Matrika, let us extract the knowledge, the tech‐ niques and the energy of the most important seed‐syllables, including the widely known pranava “auṃ”, the bija of the might of abhichara ‘hrīṃ’, the root bija of Ma‐ hakalabhairava ‘hūṃ’, the great bija of Mahakala ‘hskhphrеṃ’ and the bija of  Shmashanakali Shmashan akali ‘‘krīṃ’ krīṃ’. ‘auṃ’ The process of knowledge of one’s own primal nature, one in its essence, found in

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric the diversity of the manifested forms of energy ( shakti), reaches its conclusion through entering into the essential nature of annutara. Kriya‐shakti (the energy of  implementation/completion/realization), implementation/comp letion/realization), passing through different stages (‘ṛ’...... ‘āu’) and having completed its development (‘āu’), which is the attainment of the full knowledge of one’s nature (anuttara), settles in the state of non‐differ non‐difference ence (‘ṃ’). The phoneme ‘āu’ expresses the full (complete) development of kriya‐ shakti: the simultaneous s imultaneous awar awareness eness of oneness with tthe he supreme undifferentiat undifferentiated ed empty consciousness (non‐being) and with the t he world of multiplicity of manifesta‐ tions (being), contained within the potential of empirical discernment. ‘āu’ is called the trident of power, as it represents the state of full (completed, accomplished) knowledge (recognition). Which means that the “knowledge” of any object indicates kriya‐shakti; the ‘knowledge’ of this fact – jnana‐shakti; no knowledge is possible without iccha‐shakti. The advanced form of iccha‐shakti is jnana‐shakti. The ad‐ vanced form of jnana‐shakti is kriy kriya‐shakti. a‐shakti. Thus, kriya‐shakti includes both iccha and jnana‐shakti. Iccha/ishana (‘i’/’ī’) and unmesha/unata (‘u’/’ū’), having reached their full development by entering into the essential nature of annutara (i.e. having achieved achiev ed ‘āu’), discarded the variations of these energies (shakti), and, rising to tthe he state of non‐distinction, immerse in bindu ‘ṃ’, which is the integral non‐conceptual ‘knowledge’ of the nature of reality that is pure consciousness; that is, they dissolve in anuttara. When, in the absolute emptiness of the space of primal consciousness (Shiva), there 󰁦lashes the awareness of their oneness due to the dynamism (Shakti), this unity (Shiva and Shakti) causes the emergence of Mahabindu. This is the stage of dissolution of the t he inner manifestation in anuttara that represents the state of the undivided knowledge of the universe. At this stage, anuttara‐chit, having expressed itself in different aspects symbolized by the phonemes up to the ‘āu’, reaches the state when all its expressions manifested from ‘a’ merge and dissolve into ‘a’. Now it, containing all its self‐expressions within, in complete identity with itself, is dif‐ ferent from the previous ‘a’ that was the 󰁦irst stage of self‐manifestation. This dif‐ ference, manifested in the aspect of knowledge, is expressed by the bindu ‘ṃ’, representing repre senting the essence of reality in the aspect of knowledge. The bindu ‘ṃ’ here is kalā (the aspe aspects cts) of the self‐expression of shakti, con‐ tained in annutara and identical to it. Thus, ‘ṃ’ is the most ‘potential’ self‐expression of anuttara‐chit, which is followed by further emanations on another level.

‘hūṃ’ Para‐vach Para ‐vach (‘ha (‘ha’), ’), cognizing (‘ū’) its undivided nature in all aspects of its own mani‐ festation (‘merging’ with a ‘u’, ‘ḷ’, ‘ṛ’, ‘i’, ‘a’, i.e., appearing as air, touch, etc.), settles in the state of non‐discernment expressed by the bindu ‘ṃ’ representing the aware‐ ness of the nature of reality, which is pure consciousness. The restoration (as in taking out of archive) of the great seed of Mahakal‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika abhairava who destroys samsara is performed in the following way. The phoneme ‘ha’ corresponds corresponds to the stage when the ‘ḥ’ (‘:’) – parapara‐visarga or visarga‐kalā – unfolds due to its abundance and immediately becomes the aspect of ‘ha’ (apara‐ visarga, anava‐visarga), anava‐visarga), i.e. of the external manifestation. The phoneme ‘ha’ corre‐ sponds to the Shiva‐Shakti tattva belonging to pure order relevant to para‐vach. This state of consciousness is experienced by Shiva‐pramata, Shiva‐pramata, it is beyond the scope of time, division, etc., and is described as ‘I am’. The attainment of ‘ha’ results in the appearance of a structure of countless categories, symbolized by ‘k’‐phonemes, etc. It is the t he second varna in its ggroup roup wher wheree there dominates the aspect of pleasure in being self‐suf󰁦icient. It is the dynamic creative consciousness, the nature of which is undividedness. In the sphere of division, para-vach is manifested as Prakriti (the balance of all the gunas). Its dynamic nature is re󰁦lected in further unfolding, ex‐ pressed as the  jnanendriya of touch, the principle of touch (sparsha), the air ma‐ habhuta, and the organ (karmendriya) of action. ‘ū’ is jnana‐shakti. In the aspect of jnana (‘ū’), the Shiva Shiva‐Shakti‐tattv ‐Shakti‐tattvaa (ex‐ pressed by the phoneme ‘ha’ in Matrika), which is the energy of Shiva, is the prin‐ ciple of negation. Here Shakti denies ‘this’, or the objective side of the experience in Shiva. The state of negation of objectivity is called emptiness. Under the in󰁦luence of Shakti‐tattva, ‘this’ leaves Shiva tattva, and only the ‘I’‐aspect of experience re‐ mains: the experience of undividedness and oneness. Bindu ‘ṃ’ corresponds to the stage of dissolution of the internal manifes‐ tation in anuttara that represents the state of the undivided knowledge of the uni‐ verse. At this stage, anuttara‐chit ‘a’, having expressed itself in different aspects symbolized by phonemes up to the ‘āu’ ‘āu’,, reaches the state where all of its expressions manifested from “a” merge and dissolve in ‘a’. Now it, containing all its self‐expres‐ sions in identity with itself, is already different from the previous ‘a’ that was the 󰁦irst stage of self‐manifestation. This difference, manifested in the aspect of knowl‐ edge (‘u’), is expressed in denoting it by the bindu ‘ṃ’ which represents the essence of reality in the aspect of knowledge.

“hrīṃ” This great syllable of the might of Abhichara is called Raudri‐bija, and also Ma‐ hamaya‐bija. Since this is the bija of Shakti that runs everything that happens in this universe, no serious magic can do without it. it . This is how ‘hrīṃ’ is decoded by Matrika: the empty space of the primal consciousness of the Supreme Reality (vyoma), not limited by anything, realizes realizes the freedom of its boundlessness in man‐ ifesting ‘externally’ (‘h’) based on the principle of limitation, 󰁦initeness, fragmenta‐ tion of the sphere of knowledge of ‘ra’ (the limitedness of the knower, of the known and of the ways of knowing). Having expressed the world of multiplicity from the single indivisible, having known one’s undivided nature in a variety of limited

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 Abhichara:  Abhichar a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism ‘forms’ of one’s own manifestation, the state of ‘ṃ’ is achieved once again: the state of the non‐discerning, pure ‘knowledge’ of the nature of reality. This interpretation emphasizes that the Kaulic tradition doesn’t consider Mayaa as a useless or a harmful delusion, confusion, deception and obstruction. On May the contrary, Maya Maya is regarded as a manifestation of o f absolute freedom, and an d as a tool and means of achieving the purpose. The unfolding of the great seed of omnipotence is done in the following way: the phoneme ‘ha’ (apara‐visarga) corresponds to the stage where ‘ḥ’ ‘ḥ’ (‘:’) (para‐ para‐visarga) unfolds because of its abundance and immediately becomes an aspect  of ‘ha’, i.e. the external manifestation. The attainment of the state of ‘ha’ leads to the appearancee of a structure of numberless categories symbolized by phonemes like appearanc ‘k’, etc. The phoneme ‘ra’ is the result of condensation of ‘ṛ’. When the primary im‐ pulse of spanda (iccha) disturbs the equilibrium of mahabindu (the seed of cre‐ ation), the unity of the two principles (Shiva/Shakti) gets broken. At the moment  of this ‘disruption’, iccha appears as two ‘forms of light’ (conventionally referred to as ‘the lightning’ and ‘the 󰁦lash’), expressing two aspects of the pre‐cognitive pre‐cognitive impulse of expansion/emergence (‘ṛ’ and ‘ḷ’). It means that the very capacity of ‘knowing’ is based on two basic factors, dynamic in nature: ‐ The impulse that triggers the ‘beginning’ of any process or phe‐ nomenon. (The ‘beginning’ or the ‘moment/point’ of the emergence emergence of  something contains the possibility of 󰁦initeness or limitation manifested in different aspects). ‐ The ‘duration’ or ‘length/continuation’ of any phenomenon (the dy‐ namic connection of a sequence of changing ‘moments/points’, ‘moments/points’, per‐ ceived ceive d by the empirical consciousness as ‘space/time’). The absence of one of these factors means the absence of both of them, and also the inability of ‘being aware’. The ‘ṝ’, based on the unchangeable and indestructible vyoma, the empty space of consciousness, is the light form of iccha‐shakti expressed as a ‘󰁦lash’ (a mo‐ ment/point/beginning/source...), which, in fact, is the beginning of the ‘fragmen‐ tation’ of the whole. This empty space (vyoma) gives rise to the four states of  consciousness in the process of the unfolding (sristi) of the universe. In the same space they dissolve during its collapse (samhara). Thus, on the one hand, ‘ṝ’ em‐ bodies the possibility of 󰁦initeness and limitation, manifested primarily as the lim‐ itation of the possibility of knowledge (the limitations of the knowing subject, knowable objects and the ways of knowing), which is expressed by the vidya kanchuka ‘ra’. At the same time, ‘ra’, expressed as ‘the limitation of the sphere of  knowledge’ for the empirical knower, knower, contains the possibility of achieving the pri‐ mal unlimited single source of any limitations, limitation s, embodying the very principle of cog‐

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IV: The Tantric Matrika nition, of knowledge as such. Therefore, ‘ra’ represents the 󰁦ire of awakening; and bija ‘raṃ’ is the seed bija of the t he 󰁦ire of knowledge (pramaṇa‐tejas). (pramaṇa‐tejas). ‘i’ – iccha‐shakti. Iccha‐shakti is the primary impulse of spanda (the dy‐ namic nature of the Supreme Reality) in its tendency to manifest itself. The term “iccha”” has no direct equivalent “iccha equivalent in European languages; the closest meaning of the root ‘icch’ can be de󰁦ined as ‘the pre‐cognitive pre‐cogn itive impulse’. impulse’. Iccha‐shakti breaks the bal‐ ba l‐ ance of the ‘seed of creation’, parabindu (the absolute original identity of  Shiva/Shakti), Shiva /Shakti), ‘tearing apart’ the unity of the two principles (Shiva and Shakti), at  the time of this disruption conventionally conventionally referred referred to as ‘the one who pushes” and “the one who is pushed’, being the prototypes of cause and effect. That is, iccha‐ shakti manifests/realizes (both in the sense of inducing and implementation) the primal ‘space’ of consciousness of the Supreme Reality Reality into being through demon‐ stration of in󰁦inite diversity. diversity. At the same time, the principle of distinction and divi‐ sion contained by iccha‐shakti also contains the principle of identity in implicit  form. What differs one phenomenon from another is at the same time what con‐ nects them, being what they have in common. The T he one who comprehends the symp‐ toms of differences, comprehends the root from which these differences arise. Thus, iccha‐shakti is the source of the possibility of comprehending one’s original nature (anuttara). Bindu ‘ṃ’ corresponds to the stage of dissolution of the internal manifes‐ tation in anuttara, which represents the state of the undivided knowledge of the universe.

‘krīṃ’ Bija ‘krīṃ’ is the bija of Shmashanakali, and in some traditions the bija of Kali as such, including the aspect of Dakshinakali and other aspects. Here is how ‘krīṃ’ is unfolded by the power of Matrika: the t he supreme divine energy, the dynamic dynamic creative  prithvi vi), ‘ka’, at the 󰁦inal stage of the full manifestation consciousness becomes earth ( prith of the world of objects; being the maximum expression of the principle of separa‐ tion, with the power of the 󰁦ire of knowledge it is recognized as the starting point  of the process of absorption, of becoming one with the primal essence expressed by bindu ‘ṃ’ that represents the awareness of the nature of reality, which is pure consciousness. The unfolding of the seed of Shmashanakali is done in the following way: ‘ka’ is the mystical name of the ‘Unknowable God’, it contains all spheres of being, as the phoneme ‘a’ – anuttara, anutta ra, sinking to the level of ‘ha’ – apara‐visarga (the (t he sphere of Shakti, Maya and Prakriti), becomes ‘ka’ – prithvi (the sphere of prithvi), without  changing its nature. That is, ‘ka’ is the supreme divine energy. It is the dynamic cre‐

ative consciousness, the nature of which is undividedness and voidness. The fol‐

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric lowing phonemes of bija ‘krīṃ’ are decoded in the same way as the correspondent  phonemes in bija ‘hrīṃ’.

‘hskhphrеṃ’ The bija of great Mahakali ‘hskhphrеṃ’, also called Khechari‐bija, is the bija ‘khphrеṃ’’ called Matrsadbha ‘khphrеṃ Matrsadbhava, va, Pindanatha and Kalakarshini, strengthened by the phonemes ‘ha’ and ‘sa’. ‘Hskhphrеṃ’ includes all activities of Mahashakti (manifes‐ tation, maintenance, etc.), but here the emphasis lies on the dissolution ( samhara) of everything in the original divinity divinity.. ‘Hskhphrеṃ’ contains a great volume of infor‐ mation, powers and methods. All this cannot be presented on the pages of this book, so we will touch upon only two levels of this great phonetic manifestation of Ma‐ hakali. The 󰁦irst level:

The phoneme ‘ha’ corresponds to Shiva‐Shakti tattva, which belongs to the pure order corresponding to para‐vach. para‐vach. This state of consciousness is described as ‘I am’ and is experienced by Shiva‐pramata.  parapara-visarga -visarga) The phoneme ‘ha’ expresses the stage when the ‘ḥ’ (‘:’) ( parapara unfolds because of its abundance and immediately becomes an aspect of ‘ha’ (aparavisarga), i.e. of the external manifestation. The phoneme ‘ha’ covers the sphere of  Shakti. The phoneme ‘sa’ corresponds to the next stage when Parashakti ( paravach) manifests the will to creation of the world and becomes Pashyanti. Pashyanti Pashyanti is the 󰁦irst step of creation of the manifested universe. Pashyanti is the beginning of Maya. Therefore, the phoneme ‘sa’ symbolizes the 31 tattva tatt va from prithvi to maya, permeating three areas: prithvi, prakriti and maya. The nature of the phoneme ‘sa’ is the supreme bliss containing all the multiplicity of other forms. Everything that  exists (sаt ) is represented by the phoneme ‘sa’. The phoneme ‘sa’ is the beginning

of the great hridaya‐srishti‐bija ‘sаuḥ’, containing all the activities of Mahashakti (manifestation, maintenance, etc.), but here the emphasis is placed on the aspect  of manifestation (srishti). However, in this case, the phoneme ‘sa’ is interpreted as ‘the experiencer’ of the level of sakala. “The “ The experiencer’ cannot correspond to the level of pure order, order, because here the p phoneme honeme ‘sa’ is not followed by the tri trident dent ‘āu’ that represents the energies of iccha, jnana and kriya, expressing expressing the nature of the ‘experiencers’ of the pure order. The phoneme ‘sa’ is followed by the 󰁦ive‐sided bija of destruction ‘khphrеṃ’. It describes the process of ‘absorption’ of the limited ‘experiencer’ ‘experiencer’ (sakala) into the state of the t he supreme ‘experiencer’ ‘experiencer’,, the undivided Absolute ‘I‐consciousness’ ‘I‐co nsciousness’.. Sakala, originally having both the ‘external’ (physical body) and the ‘internal’ ( antahkarana) forms, with the power of the 󰁦ire of awakening (the phoneme ‘ra’) sinks ‘inside’, to

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IV: The Tantric Matrika the level of ahamkara – the limited ‘I‐consciousness ‘I‐consciousness’’ re󰁦lected by the phoneme ‘pha’. According to the code of Matrika, the phoneme ‘ha’ corresponds to vidya‐ tattva. Vidya‐tattva is the condensation of the vowel ‘ṛ’ re󰁦lecting the state corre‐ sponding to the experience of emptiness in the aspect of luminosity (the unstable vyoma‐samadhi). In this empty space, where the four conditions – earth, water, 󰁦ire and air (in their subtle and gross forms) – are dissolved in the collapse of the uni‐ verse (samhara), a faint sound of ‘r’ is heard. Bija ‘rаṃ’ is the agni‐bija: the seed of  the 󰁦ire of knowledge ( pramaṇa-teja  pramaṇa-tejass). The phoneme ‘pha’ corresponds to ahamkara‐tattva. Ahamkara belongs to the group formed by densi󰁦ication of the vowel ‘u’ – unmesha. The densi󰁦ication of  unmesha results in what manifests itself as the basis prior to differentiation: as the point wherein all the knowable objects are contracted back during the phase of  samhara. The densi󰁦ication of unmesha goes through the 󰁦ive stages corresponding to panchashakti. Ahamkara‐tattva corresponds to the stage of jnana‐kriya. This stage is the devel‐ opment of the phoneme ‘o’. Its charac characteristics teristics are identi󰁦ication, connection/sepa‐ ration. Thus, ahamkara manifests itself as a bridge between the empirical and absolute consciousness. The attained state develops in the experience of akasha, the emptiness, ex‐ pressed by the phoneme ‘kha’. This experience of emptiness, moving through the triad of energies contained in the yoni‐bija ‘e’, reaches the level of ‘the supreme ex‐ periencer’, the bindu ‘ṃ’, and 󰁦inally gets absorbed into that whose essence is ab‐ sorption. The phoneme ‘kha’ contains all spheres of life within itself, because the phoneme ‘a’ (anuttara), sinking to the level of ‘ha’ (apara‐visarga – the sphere of  Shakti, Maya and Prakriti), becomes ‘ka’ (prithvi – the sphere of prithvi), without  changing its nature. The phonemes ‘ha’ and ‘kha’ ‘kha’ are both used in the ssense ense of mu‐ tual penetration and correspond to the tattva of Shiva‐Shakti, belonging to the pure order corresponding to para‐vach. This level is experienced by Shiva‐pramati who is beyond time, separation, etc. and is described as ‘I am’. It is the dynamic creative consciousness, the nature of which is undividedness and voidness. Thus, the word ‘kha’ means mean s ‘Brahman’ ‘Brahman’,, ‘chit’ ‘chit’,, ‘‘sky’ sky’,, ‘‘emptine emptiness’ ss’.. The vowel ‘e’ (a/ā + i/ī – ‘ yoni-bija  yoni-bija’) contains three energies: iccha, jnana and kriya. It is the implicit (inde󰁦inite) force of activity (kriya-shakti). The vowel ‘e’ is short. The phonetically pure vowe vowel,l, not combined with a consonant, represents represents only Shiva separate from Shakti. The state where the male and female principles (vowels and consonants) are not in actual alliance, and where there is no external manifestation or expression, has the nature of kama-tattva – the creative potency in itself. The ‘knowledge’ of any object indicates kriya‐shakti, the knowledge of this fact – jnana‐shakti. Without iccha (the direction of attention), no knowledge is pos‐

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar sible. That is, kriya kriya‐shakti ‐shakti includes both iccha and jnana. Now let us elucidate the mechanism of bindu ‘ṃ’. Iccha (ishana – ‘i’, ‘ī’) and unmesha (unata – ‘u’, ‘u’, ‘ū’) are developed by entering into the essential nature of an‐ nutara. After that, they discharge the variations of these energies and, rising to the state of non‐discernment, immerse in bindu ‘ṃ’ expressing the awareness of the nature of reality, which is pure consciousness. That is, they dissolve in anuttara. This stage re󰁦lects the state of the undivided knowledge of the universe. Now it  (anuttara ‘a’), containing all its expressions within itself in identity with itself, is different from the previous ‘a’, which was the 󰁦irst stage of self‐manifestation. This difference, manifested in the aspect of knowledge, is re󰁦lected in using the bindu ‘ṃ’ to express the essence of reality in the aspect of knowledge. According to the order described here and commented by Jayaratha, the destruction bija has to sound differently: like ‘rphkhеṃ’. Usually, however, the above mentioned order is applied; according to it, it , the method of writing this bija involv involves es the combination of the phonemes ‘kha’, ‘pha’ and ‘ra’ that are second from below in their respective groups, to which the yoni‐bija yoni‐bi ja ‘e’ and bindu ‘ṃ’ are then added. The result is bija ‘khphrеṃ’. The second level:

The phonemes ‘ha’ and ‘sa’ together are referred to as ‘the swan’ ( hаṃsа) in the language of Tantric symbolism. This term denotes the connection between inhalation and exhalation, the intermediate position of balance leading to the state of emptiness, the space between inhalation and exhalation. In addition to the pho‐ netic similarity with the Sanskrit word ‘hamsa’, inhaling and exhaling sustain human life and reveal reveal the heavenly space of the inner abyss to the adept, adept , as the left and the right wing support a swan in its 󰁦light in celestial space. ‘hаṃ’ is a symbolic word for inhalation, ‘sаḥ’ is a symbolic word for exha‐ lation. There is an opposite interpretation of these words as well; however, our choice is the interpretation consecrated in the Vijnanabhairavatantra. Common sense and logic also support this interpretation. The phoneme ‘kha’ expresses expresses the state corresponding to the experience of  emptiness, of space. A balanced inhalation and exhalation lead to this state, as it ex‐ ex‐ ists between them and generates them. The pause (delay) between an inhale and exhale is called kumbhaka. Kumb‐ haka is the state that gave birth to all the empirical experiencers. Performing the natural japa (inhale‐exhale), being in a state free from desires, attachments, etc., and constantly maintaining the subtle (mental) bhakti, the experience of emptiness needs to be ‘brought’ to the level of ahamkara expressed by the phoneme ‘pha’. With the help of this japa (breath), the ‘󰁦ire of knowledge’ should be lit, ex ex‐‐ pressed by vidya‐tattva, denoted by the phoneme ‘ha’.

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IV: The Tantric Matrika With the help of this 󰁦ire, all subtle channels, all states of consciousness, all differences should be cleared. The divine consciousness ‘permeates’ the universe in the form of subtle energies: the vowel ‘e’. ‘Creations’, like other phenomena, appear as the result of the delusion of  mind (manas), and are purely mental derivatives. Once the state of the non‐discern‐ ing empty absolute consciousness expressed by the phoneme ‘ṃ’ is reached, any ‘creation’ etc. disappears.

‘a kṣa hrīṃ’ The mantra ‘a kṣa hrīṃ’ is the vidya‐mantra of Matrika as the great Mahashakti forming the entire universe. The logic of its mechanism is obvious. The 󰁦irst  phoneme of Matrika is “a”, and the last is ‘kṣa’. All the other phonemes of Matrika are present between them in a latent form. Thus, ‘a kṣa’ contains the power of all the 36 elements, the power of the 50 phonemes of the universe universe.. All these force forcess are controlled by the almighty goddess who is expressed by ‘hrīṃ’. Thus, ‘a kṣa hrīṃ’ expresses the powerful universal universal Mahakali manifested as Shri Matrika: the pattern of vibrations forming all of creation.

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V The Mantic Matrika THE PRINCIPLES OF THE MANTIC MATRIKA Masters of Tantric Abhichara apply in their practice all of the t he in󰁦inite, multi multilevel level and multidimensional wisdom represented in Matrika, inaccessible on the ordinary level of human knowledge and perception. It is similar to the devices allowing to 󰁦ind and to determine radio wav waves, es, radiation and elementary particles unavailable to the direct perception by the senses. Matrika helps to predict the future of a per‐ son, to explain the causes of the speci󰁦ics of the present situation in a person’s life, to help a person to model the desired future. To help them to determine which trends useful, which are useless or harmful. Who is a friend and whoofisthe an enemy..are enemy Each of theand phonemes of Matrika, expressing a certain manifestation divine nature of the universe, is written on a separate card. The Abhichara master attains unity with the deities of the mandala through meditative trance. Focusing on the question that needs clari󰁦ication, he mixes the cards with the back side up without looking at them, and then makes a layout of 3, 9, 11 or 20 phonemes. After creating the pattern of the layout, the master 󰁦lips the cards to show their face. Then he proceeds to the interpretation of the layout. The location of each phoneme and the speci󰁦ic meaning of each of them are of particular importance in the layout. Along with that, the front (upright) or reverse position of certain phonemes is taken into account: the reverse position changes the polarity of the interpretation of the symbol. The positio nposition position of each of these phonemes favourable oppor‐ tunities, andfront the reverse – possible negativerepresents effects. It is considered that  the phonemes the meanings of which have a bipolar interpretation depending on their position are aligned in a metaphysical sequence. The phonemes of the ban‐ davi‐kala group do not follow one another metaphysicall metaphysically: y: they follow one another solely in the table of symbols. The same concerns anusvar anusvaraa and parapara‐visarga parapara‐visarga,, as well as two consonants – ‘kṣа’ and ‘ha’. Each of these phonemes has a 󰁦ixed inter‐ pretation that doesn’t depend on the position of the phoneme. In the mantic manti c system, amrita‐bijas are interpreted interpreted as being arranged in the order of succession; based of  this, the interpretation of each of these symbols depends on its position: front or reverse. With all of the above, when identifying the methods of neutralization of  the negative phenomena, even inverted phonemes are interpreted positively, and

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric this interpretation has two faces. First, the reversed symbol itself is interpreted positively. Second, even if the phoneme is reversed, the interpretation of this phoneme in the front position is used. The same concerns the layouts that include such locations of phonemes which have negativ negative e meanings. Even if the phoneme symbolizes something favourable, it is interpreted in a negative way. At the end of this book, there is an example of how exactly this two‐stage interpre‐ tation is done. The simplest layout consists of 3 phonemes arranged in a line. The left line speci󰁦ies the details of the past, the t he central one – the details of the present situation, the right one – the emerging future. A more complex layout of 9 cards reveals more possibilities. The master places on a 󰁦lat surface three cards that show the client’s past, present and future. Then one more card is placed atop each of them; each of  these cards re󰁦lects the trends that ‘strengthen’ the situation. Below Below,, under each of  the 󰁦irst three cards, the master puts one card showing the trends that weaken, worsen the situation. It allows the client to 󰁦ind out what would their present be like if their actions in the past would have been different; how it is possible to strengthen the favourable trends and weaken or neutralize the harmful trends; what options of the future can be brought into life, and what should be done for it. In this particular layout, any phoneme of the top line, regardless of its position, is interpreted positively positively,, and any phoneme of the bottom lin line, e, regardless of its position, is interpreted negatively. The third layout is more complicated. It is based on contacting the nine pairs of deities of the bhairava‐k bhairava‐kali‐mandala. ali‐mandala. The 󰁦irst card is placed in the central sector, the second in the eastern sector, and the other cards are laid out clockwise. The structure of the mandala has been described in detail in the second part of this book. The phonemes are arranged according to the cardinal directions. Each direc‐ tion, as well as the center, center, corresponds to one of the nine pairs pai rs of deities of the lotus of the bhairava‐kali‐mandala, and includes one god and one goddess. Each pair of  deities is a certain manifestation of the universal energy that affects people’s lives – Mahashakti. There are two main ways of interpreting the layout: the introverted and the extroverted interpretation of a person’s situation. The introverted inter‐ pretation shows how the person’s mind and perception react to the situation. The extroverted extrov erted interpretation shows the relations of this person with certain areas of  life. If the analysis of the layout shows a disadvantageous relationship of the person with a particular pair of deities, additional cards are taken: one for each card that  shows an unfav unfavourable ourable relationship. These cards help to understand what exactly needs to be done to optimize the work of certain elements of mind and senses; they also reveal what needs to be done to harmonize one’s relationship with a speci󰁦ic sphere of life. Very often, however, taking extra cards is not required, as the

situation itself shows what to do and what not to do.

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V: The Mantic Matrika The fourth layout layout is the most complex one. It is based on contacting all the deities of the mandala. The 󰁦irst phoneme forms the centre, the second one – the top of the mandala, and the third one the base of the mandala. The next three phonemes form the triangle of the mandala. The next eight phonemes form the eight‐petal lotus of the mandala. Two other phonemes show the relationship of the t he bhupur deities with the client. The last four phonemes refer to the deities guarding the four gates of the bhupur bhupur.. There are also simpler versions of this scenario: a) the layout of 18 phonemes; no phonemes are placed on the positions of the deities of  the top and the base of the mandala: in this case, it i t is considered that their functions are carried out by the two pairs of deities of the triangle; b) the layout of 16 phonemes; no phonemes are placed on the positions of the bhupur gatekeepers: the relationship of the client with the bhupur is described by the two phonemes that de󰁦ine the positions of two yamalas – Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi, Batuka and Ugrakumari; c) the layout of 11 phonemes: the phonemes are placed only on the positions of the deities of the centre and the lotus, and other two of them represent  the guardians of the mandala – Ganesha with his Shakti and Batuka with his Shakti. The data of each layout is speci󰁦ied and summarized by interpretation of  its numerical value. It can be very helpful when the interpretation of a particular phoneme in a particular case meets some dif󰁦iculties. Each phoneme has its own serial number in the system of mantic Matrika, which is the numeric value of a phoneme. If the sum of the numbers of the layout is within 50, it is considered to be the numeric value of the summary, after which this summary can be elaborated by the sign system of Shodashayamala and, if necessary, by the system of signs of  Navagraha. If the sum of the numbers of the layout exceeds 50, then all the digits of this number are added together, determining the number of the layout, after which the layout is speci󰁦ied by the shodashayamala system or, if necessary, the navagraha. With all the additions, according to the principles of Matrika, shodashaya‐ mala and navagraha, zero is not cons considered idered a number number.. That is, 20 means ttwenty wenty,, but  208 means 2+8, which is ten. For example, example, the sum of the digits of the layout is 124. The following oper‐ ation is performed: 1+2+4=7. The number 7 corresponds to the phoneme ‘ṛ’ (Shabdabrahman) and can also be interpreted according to the system of nava‐ graha: it is the number of Saturn. If the number of layout is, for example, 563, its result is 14 (5+6+3). The number 14 can be interpreted according to the 50‐element  system of matrika and to the 16‐element system of shodashayamala. According to the latter, the number 14 corresponds to Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi. However, this number cannot be interpreted according to the t he 9‐element system of navagraha. For this, the following operation is done: do ne: 1+4=5. Five corresponds to the Mercury graha and can be interpreted according to the system of navagraha. As for the above ex‐ ample with the number 7, in shodashayamala system it corresponds to Rurub‐

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar hairava and Maheshvari. In plenty of cases, the shodashayamala system is quite enough for the summing up and consolidation of layouts, as well as the interpreta‐ tion of phonemes that require clari󰁦ication. In those fairly rare cases where even this does not clarify the situation, the Abhichar Abhicharaa master can resort to the system of  navagraha. If even this does not clarify the situation, it is believed that the deities do not wish to clarify it in any way way.. In tthis his case the client should not take offence to the master, master, for the sit situation uation is caused by the will of the gods. There are a number of specialized layouts, some of which have been de‐ scribed above. The degree of complexity of a layout is re󰁦lected in the number of  details of the answer to the client’s question. Some layouts are designed solely for the followers of Tantrism or Shaiva‐Shaktism. Other layouts are commonly used and can be applied to any person’s life. The more advanced the Abhichara master is, the more complicated are the layouts available to him. The mind of such a master is like a computer capable of processing enormous amounts of information. Each phoneme, as well as the position of most of tthem, hem, conve conveys ys a great meaning as such, complemented by the meaning of the position of each of the other phonemes, and all this should be interpreted in connection with the information describing the speci󰁦ics of the client’s personality and situation. The position of each phoneme has a profound meaning. First, each position of a card includes a) a pair of certain archetypall multifunctional and mostly ambiv archetypa ambivalent alent deities, b) a certain archetype of  the Indian system of Vastu; c) a certain archetype of the Indian system of Jyotish. That is, the meaning of each position is a synthesis of three sign systems. Second, each of these trinities is interpreted a) in the introverted wa way; y; b) in the extroverted way. Third, each interpretation takes into account the speci󰁦ics of the situation of  each client. A higher quality detailed layout of the phonemes based on the mandala can be performed by someone who: a) has dei󰁦ied himself to the degree that gives him the ability to directly take the correct phoneme and to place it in correct posi‐ tion; b) has conceived the meaning of each phoneme of Matrika and the nature of  each network node of the energy pattern of the mandala in a profound, detailed, multidimensional way, way, as the result of study and mystical practice. Concerning those who have just started the practice of the mantic Matrika, 󰁦irst they should master the layout of three phonemes, continue with the layout of nine phonemes, and only then proceed to the layout of nine phonemes based on the lotus of the mandala. More complex layouts require the practitioner to possess a very advanced level; mastering them on a pro󰁦icient level is not available to everyone. There is an alternati alternative ve version of the Shri Matrika system, not inv involvolving cards. The phonemes of Matrika are written on 50 pieces of ivory, wood or stone, which may be square, rectangular, rounded – that is, of any shape. These pieces are placed in a special bag. As in the version with cards, before divination the master focuses on the Shri Matrika mantra, and during divination divinat ion – on the ques‐

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V: The Mantic Matrika tion asked by the client. During this process, the master shakes up the bag with the t he the phonemes. At some point, several phonemes are taken out of the bag without  looking, and laid out according to one of the methods described above. above.

THE PRINCIPL P RINCIPLES ES OF SHODASHAY SHODASHAYAMALA, AMALA, NA NAV VAGRAHA,  AND THEIR COMBINA COMBINATION The shodashayamala shodashayamala system is based on 16 pairs of deities of bhairava‐k bhairava‐kaa li‐man‐ dala, each of which has its numerical value. 1 – Aghora and Sadbhavabhairava; 2 – Ghora and Ratishekharabhairava; 3 – Ghoratari and Navatmabhairava; 4 – Aryab‐ hairava and Jaya; 5 – Kalagnibhairava and Kalagniraudri; 6 – Asitangabhairava and Brahmi; 7 – Rurubhairava and Maheshvari; 8 – Chandabhairava and Chandakau‐ mari; 9 – Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi; 10 – Unmattabhairava and Varahi; 11 – Kapalabhairava and Aindri; 12 – Bhishanabhairav Bhishanabhai ravaa and Chamunda; 13 – Samharab‐ hairava and Shmashanakali; 14 – Ganapati and Siddhiriddhi; 15 – Batukabhairava and Ugrakumari; 16 – Kalabhairava and Kali. This sequence of numbers has its it s own logic. Kalabhairava Kalabhairava and Kali are the deities of the centre of the mandala, also called Adibhairava and Adyakali – the principal Bhairava, the 󰁦irst Kali. However, their number is not 1 but 16 in shodashay shodashayamala: amala: these deities are the centre emanating the other 󰁦ifteen yamalas. Number 1 belongs to aghorayamala: it is the yamala of  unity. Accordingly, number 2 belongs to ghorayamala and number 3 – to ghor‐ atarayamala. Number 4 refers to the upper yamala and number 5 to the lower, for they are the next deities in terms of universality. Then the numbers go clockwise from the East of the lotus. Number 14 refer referss to the deities of entrance and number 15 to the gods of exit. Each pair of deities has its own speci󰁦ic features described in the second part of this book, on which depends the interpretation of the summing up and clari󰁦ication of the spread. In this part of the t he book the authors can only rev reveal eal the principle of the t he navagrah navagrahaa system, which is an additional method of interpreting the elements of the layout and clarifying the general situation, if the situation should so require. The system of navagraha navagraha is included in the ancient Indian science of Jyotish, which combines, combines , in particu particular lar,, astronomy and as astrology. trology. The navagraha system has nine ‘grahas’: astronomical and astrological phenomena, including one star (the Sun), one satellite (Moon), two lunar nodes (Rahu and Ketu) and 󰁦ive planets (Mer‐ cury, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mars). Each of the grahas in󰁦luences the world and contains certain properties and values. The full Abhichara mandala includes eleven astronomical phenomena: in addition to the nine mentioned above, the system of  the mandala includes the Earth and the North Star. However, these two objects are not taken into account in the t he calculation of the summarized and the clarifying nu‐ merical values of mantic layouts, which has its own reasons. In the mandala, the

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric North Star is the main, central space satellite of Kalabhairava and Kali (all the other ten astronomical phenomena are also satellites of this pair of deities), along with this being the celestial satellite of Aryabhairav Aryabhairavaa and Jaya. The Earth is the ‘celestial’ satellite of Kalagnibhairava and Kalagniraudri. In the system of the Abhichara man‐ dala, Aryabhairava Aryabhairava and Jaya are the deities of shaktipat: the sense of one’s own di‐ vinity. When there is almost no shaktipat, people have no interest in spirituality and dei󰁦ication. When shaktipat is present to a greater extent, one feels the spark of divinity, and has interest in spirituality and self‐improvement. When shaktipat  is strong, one clearly cle arly feels their divinity, ffeels eels the interest to dei dei󰁦ication 󰁦ication and is ready to perform feats in the name of self‐dei󰁦ication. Kalagnibhairav Kalagnibhairavaa and Kalagniraudri are the deities of the 󰁦ire of time that incinerate incineratess the entire universe. Kali and Kal‐ abhairava abhaira va are the main deities of manifestation of the divinity of everything, crea creat‐ t‐ ing all processes and controlling these processes. The functions of all these deities are universal universal and permanent, being present in Matrika in a corresponding number of phonemes, also presented separatel separatelyy in the system of shodashayamala. Most peo‐ ple resort to the mantic Matrika in order to get the answers directly related to their daily life. In most cases, the systems of shodashayamala and navagraha, covering all areas of daily life, are enough to clarify the interpretations of different elements of Matrika layou l ayouts. ts. Each element of the navagraha system is denoted by a number: Sun – 1; Moon – 2; Jupiter – 3; Rahu – 4; Mercury – 5; V Venus enus – 6; Ketu – 7; Saturn – 8; Mars – 9. There is an alternative numerological system in India: Sun – 1; Moon – 2; Mars – 3; Mercury – 4; Jupiter – 5; Venus – 6; Saturn – 7; Rahu – 8; Ketu – 9. It is as‐ sociated with the sequence of the days of the week starting start ing with Sunday Sunday,, the symbol of which is the Sun, and also with a peculiar interpre interpretation tation of the correspondence of the energy of each graha to a certain numbe numberr. To summarize the layout and to clarify the elements of the scenario, the 󰁦irst version is applied, which again has its reasons that lie beyond the scope of this book. There are different different traditions of interpreting the manifestations of the el‐ ements of navagraha. Also, each symbol system of the navagraha system is polyse‐ mous and interpreted in relation to a speci󰁦ic context. Each traditional interpretation is correct from the perspective of its tradition. In order to help an in‐ experienced reader to master the basic framework for interpreting the manifesta‐ tions related to each of the nine grahas, we will show how they manifest in the sphere of life of our planet. For this we will use the interpretation adopted in our tradition. Its ef󰁦icacy is proven by the experience of the authors of this book and the experience of their teachers. From the point of view vi ew of the authors, the nin ninee gra‐ has are not so much nine astronomical objects as nine causes of nine types t ypes of phe‐ nomena.

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V: The Mantic Matrika Relationships: Sun – father; Moon – mother, Mars – brothers and sisters;

Mercury – uncle or aunt; Jupiter – grandparents; V Venus enus – husband or wife; Saturn – children; Rahu – distant relatives; Ketu – friends. Varnas: Jupiter and Venus – Brahmins; Sun and Mars – Kshatriyas; Moon

and Mercury – Vaishyas; Saturn – Shudras; Rahu and Ketu – outsiders. Methods of in󰁦luence on a person or group of persons: Jupiter – a good, useful

advice. Venus Venus – seduction. Sun and Mars – threat and punishment; Moon – zombi‐ 󰁦ication based on emotions or instincts; Mercury – diplomacy diplomacy,, deception, collusion; Saturn – diplomacy, espionage, scheming and blackmail. Rahu and Ketu – sudden compulsion by unexpected means, entrancement and confusion. Places in populated locations: Sun – temples, shrines and major government 

buildings; Moon – places where there is a lot of water, places for shamans’ practice, drug dens; Mars – places near 󰁦ire, military sites, certain sports facilities; Mercury – places of practice for tantrics and alchemists; clandestine laboratories for pro‐ duction of forbidden substances; dens of the criminal underworld; underworld; places for public speaking; places of trade and exchange; certain sports facilities; Jupiter – govern‐ mental and educational institutions, tthe he state treasury treasury,, banks, storehouses; Venus – places of recr recreation, eation, amusement parks, theatres, concert halls, night clubs, cine‐ mas, public houses; Saturn – ghetto, dormitory areas for people of lower class; im‐ pure, dirty places: dwellings of the homeless and alcoholics, hangouts of wretch wretched ed people, places of execution and other punishments, dumps; for a thief also police stations and jails. Spiritual world : Sun causes the thirst for spiritual life, the blessing of the

deities in the form of giving the sacred knowled knowledge, ge, the desire to help people. Moon represents the mind developing the powers of concentration and meditation, pure represents spiritual aspirations, the worship of Shakti and emotions aimed at providing spir‐ itual help to people. Mars is the desire to establish spiritual life on Earth, to create temples, mystical military orders, communities, spiritual organizations and ashrams. Rahu can inspire to perform heterodox spiritual practice, practice, or give the ability to achieve mystical and magical results in unconventional ways. Ketu motivates one to focus on the inner world and works as a spiritual guide to the realm of deep mys‐ ticism. Venus represents the love for religious hymns, for decorating sacred places and writing the spiritual music of Shakti. Saturn inspires to self‐renunciation, as‐ ceticism and knowledge, leads to getting gett ing on the path of Aghora Marga. Jupiter urges to follow the Dharma, to st stick ick to ethical behaviour behaviour,, to worship divinity divinity,, to do charity; causes the desire to teach others about spiritual disciplines and to give wise guid‐

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar ance. Mercury causes the interest in Tantrism Tantrism and leads to achieving success in it it,, causes the aspiration for the art of self‐mastery and controlling one’s life, the inter‐ est in Atharvaveda; Atharvaveda; inspires to go on pilgrimages and journeys with the aim of learn‐ ing and changing oneself for the better. Composition of government, membership in society : Sun – king, a respected

elder,, chief, leader of the criminals. Mo elder Moon on – queen, a person possessing poss essing wisdom and charisma; Mars – war leader, administrator, in󰁦luential bandit, robber; Mercury – crown prince, mystic, scientist, sci entist, creator creator,, speaker speaker,, 󰁦inancial specialist specialist,, speculator speculator,, shady businessman; Jupiter – counsellor counsellor,, scientist scientist,, priest, judg judge, e, lawyer lawyer,, psychologist, pro‐ grammer, banker; Venus – psychologist, artist, perfumer, restaurant keeper, pimp, prostitute; Saturn – executioner, prosecutor, killer, palace steward, democrat, old man, labour union leader leader,, cripple, representative of the lower class class.. Rahu – criminal, architect, engineer, engineer, pilot pilot,, steward, person of a technical profession, foreigner foreigner,, trans‐ porter of forbidden goods, g oods, intelligence intell igence of󰁦icer of󰁦icer.. Ketu – doctor doctor,, healer healer,, criminal, llinguist; inguist; the keeper of powers and spiritual and material treasures of the criminal world. Professions: Sun – priesthood, gardening, speculation, gambling, pharma‐

ceutics, metallurgy. Moon – clothes, fashion, food, sailing, 󰁦ishing, cultivation of oys‐ ters and sea cabbage, hotel business, prostitution, pornography. pornography. Mars – machines, mechanisms, military, cooking, 󰁦ire service, surgery, meat factories, arms manufac‐ turing and trade, energy industry, rescue services. Mercury – speculation, production of counterfeit money and other artifacts, poetry, astrology, education, literature, pub‐ lic speaking, chemistry chemist ry,, alchemy alchemy.. Jupiter – religion, spiritual mentorin mentoring, g, counselling, teaching, education, philosophy, law. Venus – animal raising, fashion, design, busi‐ ness, jewelry, art, pimping and prostitution. Saturn – cultivation of root crops, the labour of gravediggers, porters, miners, butchers, janitors and garbage cleaners, ser‐ vants, laborers, scavengers. Rahu – professions related with ‘paranormal’ phenom‐ ena, production of poisons and alcohol, the profession of magician, certain criminal occupations. Ketu – professions associated with spiritual activity, production and distribution of intoxicants, immigration services, certain criminal occupations. Character : Sun is stable and steady; Moon is inconstant and variable; Mars

is hotblooded, 󰁦iery and swift; Mercury is changeable and versatile; Jupiter is kind, forgiving and soft‐hearted; Venus Venus is sociable and friendly; Saturn is harsh, patient, cold and shrewd; Rahu and Ketu are eccentric and impulsive, Rahu is extroverted and Ketu introverted. Diseases: Sun – heat, fever, eye diseases, teeth diseases, neuralgia; Moon –

lethargy, drowsiness, lung disease, oral cavity diseases, diseases associated with

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V: The Mantic Matrika blood, digestion disorders, water retention, mental disorders; Mars – heat, fever, fever fev er with rash, liver problems, skin diseases, ulcers, irritation, acute diseases and surgical operations; Mercury – disorders of consciousness, nerves, skin diseases; Jupiter – tumours, excessive hyperemia, obstruction of lymphatic and blood blo od vessels, ear diseases and liver problems; Venus – genitourinary system problems, impo‐ tence, infertility infertilit y, the loss o off sexual desire and sexual perversions; Saturn – fever fever,, dif‐ ferent types of exhaustion, rheumatism, arthritis, nervous disorders, chronic diseases, deformities; Rahu and Ketu – epilepsy, epilepsy, poisoning, epidemic diseases, diseas es, men‐ tal disorders, psychosis, hysteria, chronic skin diseases.  Amulet features: Sun – tetragon; Moon – circle; Mars – the shape of the

damaru drum; Mercury – triangle; Jupiter – ellipse; Venus – octagon; Saturn – a square divided by a cross into four squares. Rahu – a straight line; Ketu – a 󰁦lag on a pole. Clothes: Sun – durable, long lasting clothes; Moon – new clothes; Mars –

multicoloured or extra extravagant vagant clothes; Merc Mercury ury – stylish, elegant, well‐󰁦itting, neat  clothes; Jupiter – conservative style clothes; Venus Venus – stylish, good, rich clothes; Sat‐ urn – old, worn clothes. Rahu – disguise clothing, Ketu – clothes of a person who left the ordinary society. Distances: Moon, Rahu and Ketu – close; Mars and Venus – medium; Mer‐

cury, Jupiter and Saturn – far. Gender : Sun, Mars and Jupiter – male, Moon, V Venus enus and Rahu – female; Mer‐

cury, Saturn and Ketu – uncertain. It is impossible to list all the associations of different phenomena of life with the grahas in this chapter, and it is not necessary. The system of navagraha is supplementary for Matrika and shodashayamala. It is used rarel rarelyy and only in some particular cases, at the Matrika master may see 󰁦it. Even if summarization of the re‐ sults with the help of Matrika and shodashay shodashayamala amala has not suf󰁦iciently clari󰁦ied the situation, the master has the right to refuse further attempts of analysis. He has the right to issue his verdict: “The deities don’t want to speak more in the context of  clari󰁦ication of the situation”. The authors draw the reader’s attention to the fact that these correspon‐ dences described by the system of navagraha, which is an element of Jyotish, Jyot ish, do not  necessarily coincide with the correspondences established in the system of  shodashayamala that dominates in the mantic Matrika of bhairava‐kali‐abhichara. The power of the 16 pairs of deities of bhairav bhairava‐kali‐mandala a‐kali‐mandala ex exceeds ceeds the strength of the grahas and determines the main trend, while the 9 grahas determine addi‐

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar tional trends that may help to understand intricate situations. Here is an example of mismatching symbolic correspondences in the systems of shodashay shodashayamala amala and navagraha: nava graha: in the 󰁦irst system, the East corresponds to Sun and Buddhi; Southeast  – Venus Venus and Ahamkara; South – Mars and Manas; Southwest – Rahu, ether and hear‐ ing, West West – Saturn, touch and air; Northwest – Moon, seeing and 󰁦ire; North – Mer‐ cury, taste and water; Northwest – Jupiter and Rahu, smell and earth. In the second system: the East corresponds to Sun, seeing and 󰁦ire; Southeast – to Venus, taste and water; South – Mars, seeing and 󰁦ire; West – Saturn, touch and air; Northwest  – Moon, taste tast e and water water,, North – Mercury Mercury,, smell, and earth. As the system of nava‐ graha is subordinate to shodashayamala, into account are taken those interpreta‐ tions of the grahas by Jyotish which do not directly contradict with the basic aspects of the deities of the mandala.

VOWELS VOW ELS – PURE ORDER Baindavi-Kala We will provide the interpretation of 50 symbols of the mantic Matrika starting from the 󰁦irst six vowels ( baindavī kalā), which are forms of perfect energies of  the absolute consciousness not separated from their basic essential nature – the higher self. Separation into ‘forms’ is relevant here only because partitioning and formatting are typical for human ways of thinking and exchanging information. The reason for specifying these particular ‘forms’ is that they manifest as the basic prin‐ ciples, the fundamental com components ponents of our micr micro‐ o‐ and macroc macrocosm. osm.

अ  1. Anuttara Bhairava – ‘a’ Anuttara‐chit is called ‘A Anuttara nuttara Bhairav Bhairava’ a’ in the mantic Matrika. This is the absolute 󰁦ield of consciousness (the primal knower knower,, the subject). The in󰁦inite pre‐initial (lying in source) potential, the basis and the source of all phenomenal manifestations. manifestati ons. The transcendental (beyond existence and non‐existence), unrestricted, self‐suf󰁦icient. The supreme transcendental potentiality is beyond any dichotomy; and at  the same time it is the source of all dichotomies. So, ‘being’ and ‘non‐being’, ‘exis‐ tence’ and ‘non‐existence’, ‘chaos’ and ‘cosmos’ are dichotomies generated by it. Thus, the absolute potentiality is not conditioned by anything (not restricted by ‘non‐being’ or ‘being’), but the possibility of any manifestation is conditioned by it. The absolute potentiality is realized (actualized, manifested in any form) re󰁦lecting itself in itself (‘aa’). The absolute potentiality; the in󰁦inite realm of possibilities. p ossibilities.

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आ  2. Anand Ananda a Kali – ‘ā ‘ā’’ (aa) Ananda, the absolute primal energy, the perfect power (capacity). Unlimited, uncon‐ ditional, causeless, spontaneous and inexhaustible. At the same time it is nishkala and sakala (‘without parts’ and ‘with parts’); nirguna and saguna (‘without quali‐ ties’ and ‘with qualities’); transcendental (vishvottirna) and immanent (vishvomaya). Being one, it contains all possible differences that the empirical subject  perceives as the plurality of objects and the ways of knowing. It can occur in any mode (as any and every phenomenon: process, object, energy of any type: creation, destruction, love, hate, knowledge, curse, etc.). In the mantic Matrika, this phoneme is called ‘Ananda ‘Ananda Kali’ Kali’,, which emphasizes its unity with the 󰁦irst phoneme of Matrika as Bhairava and Kali are the ‘two poles’ of the single indescribable reality. Perfect power (energy, capacity); unlimited resources. resources.

 इ 

3. Iccha - ‘i’ Iccha is swatantrya‐shakti, the absolute power and freedom, transcendental will. The root ‘icch’ can be de󰁦ined as the primal pulse (pre‐cognitive pulse) prior to any change (action). The pre‐initial primal tension (vibration, momentum, charge, po‐ tential, capacity) determining the basic possibility of performing any action. The source of any changes. The starting point of the tense equilibrium that precedes any action. The absolute 󰁦ield of possibilities. The initial potential is realized (actualized) through division, division, tearing one’s own original wholeness (the absolute single energy) apart into opposite poles (prin‐ ciples) within himself, thus creating tension between them, which is recognized by the empirical subject as desire or will (for something). During the creation of the phenomenal world, the 󰁦irst impulse of spanda (iccha) breaks the balance of the ‘seed of creation’, creation’, parabindu (the absolute absol ute original identity of Shiva/Shakti), ‘tearing apart’ the unity of the two principles (Shiva and Shakti), at the time of this ‘split’ conventionally referred to as ‘the one who pushes” and “the one who is pushed’, being the prototypes of cause and effect. Figuratively speaking, at the point of this ‘split’ between the two poles there is formed a dividing line (vector) that includes iccha‐, jnana‐ and kriya‐shakti. This line becomes the force separating subject and object, ‘I’ and ‘not‐I’, being the prototype and the root cause of any separation that will subsequently occur after the complete polarization be‐ tween the absolute subject and absolute object, Shiva and Shakti, between ‘I’ and ‘It’.

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 Abhichar  Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism The absolute 󰁦ield of possibilities (for any acti activity); vity); the perfect capacity of creativity (change, transformation, actions and deeds).

 ई  4. Ishana - ‘ī’ (ii) Ishana (dominion) – the absolute primal power (energy) of creativity, change, ac‐ tion. The perfect energy of intention (volition, desire), control (direction of atten‐ tion, activity of consciousness and effort) based on the initial ability of separation. The in󰁦inite capacity for transformation. The original power of permission/prohi‐ bition (of something) is expressed as the in󰁦inite diversity of possible combinations of the three basic energies: creation, destruction, maintenance. The ability to per‐ mit/prohibit (appearance‐maintenance‐d (appearance‐maintenance‐destruction estruction of tthe he phenomena of the uni‐ verse) provides provides the fundamental possibility to maintain the integrity and harmony of the universe. Limitless power; the perfect power of transformation, change, action, creativity; the absolute capability of management, leadership, control (over changes, situations, conditions, processes, relationships, etc.); the perfect  power of intention (volition, desire).

 उ  5. Unmesha - ‘u’ Unmesha is the absolute 󰁦ield of cognitive possibilities: possibilit ies: from the direct non‐discern‐ ing object‐less ‘knowledge’ of one’s own existence (self‐illumination) to the sub‐ ject‐object mode of cognition. The initial power of division of the single Consciousness of Paramashiva into subject and object (and into substance and consciousness) manifests itself as a loss and ‘oblivion’ of its ontological status under the in󰁦luence of the own will of  the Absolute Consciousness, which is the basis for the manifestation of all the count‐ less phenomena of the universe. Unmesha is the transitional stage between non‐ manifestation and manifestation. Unmesha is the non‐discerning state of  consciousness that precedes what is considered to be mutually exclusiv exclusive. e. The con‐ densation of unmesha leads to that it manifests itself as the basis prior to differen‐ tiation, as something that unites all forms and from where all forms are emanated; as the source of all objects that are perceived; as the link between the non‐differ‐ entiating consciousness and the beginning of differentiation. Unmesha is the source

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of all the objective entities that have the aspiration to know. Unmesha is the absolute abso lute 󰁦ield of experiences possible to pe perceive/to rceive/to know know.. The in󰁦inite potential of manifestation of multiple (local, limited in some way) cog‐ nitive dimensions. The potential for manifestation of any forms (forms of existence, forms of experience, form of interaction). It is realized (actualized) by rejection of one’s original transcendence, which in its progress leads either to the subject‐object knowledge (manifestation of the world of objects, recognition of oneself in one’s own re󰁦lections), or to the absorption by the emptiness of vyoma‐samaddhi (dissolution / disappearance of  the I‐experience / of the I‐consciousness) . The absolute potential of manifestation of any forms (forms of existence, forms of experience, forms of interaction); the limitless potential of an in󰁦inite variety of experiences of all kinds.

 ऊ  6. Unata - ‘ū’ Unata is the absolute unlimited ‘cognitive dimension’, or the ability to ‘know’ the reality/experience reality/expe rience of different categories of existence. Unata is the original ability to identify; the ability to recognize/de󰁦ine/detect the identity of various manifes‐ tations/forms of energy to their original essential nature. We can say that the essence of unata is to hold various categories of existence (in mobile and immobile forms) within itself (self‐aware of its original nature) until the subsequent external manifestation. Unata is the unlimited capacity of creation and destruction of all categories of existence in mobile and immobile forms. The in󰁦inite ability of the absolute sub‐ ject to experience (to know) an in󰁦inite multiplicity of limited experiences/realities related to all the ‘cognitive dimensions’ that are available to their respective em‐ pirical subjects. The absolute power of manifestation of the desired des ired (like with a ‘wish tree’); the unlimited ability to manifest the corresponding dimensions for the multiplicities consisting of subjects of experience, different ways of experience and the objects of experience.  Amrita-bijas (shanta-bijas) Four amrita‐bijas amrita‐bijas re󰁦lect the four stages of immersion in the emptiness of ‘ vyomasamadhi’. The dissolution of cognitive activity in the emptiness of the primal nature

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric leads to gradual rejection of all exceptions speci󰁦ic for differentiation, which results in expansion (unboundedness, in󰁦inity) corresponding to the state of complete ab‐ sorption by the emptiness of ‘vyoma‐samadhi’. In other terms, the desire to know oneself (‘I‐subject’) as an object – that  is, ‘to follow’ the space going through itself – leads to a failure (absorption by empti‐ ness), as the original subject can never become its own object. This empty space (akasha, vyoma or shunya) is the basis, the internal state and the source of manifestation of the four states of matter mat ter,, or the four fundamental elements (earth, water, 󰁦ire and air); this state is also where the four states dissolve during the collapse (samhara) of the whole system of the world. The four fundamental elements are called great because they are the car‐ riers both of their own entities and of the derivative (secondary) forms of matter. They are great because they are the basis of all manifested matter, and they inte‐ grate all the diversity of physical phenomena that exists as combinations of earth, water,, 󰁦ire and air water air,, which express ttheir heir ways of actio action. n. The ways of aaction ction of the fun‐ damental elements are: maintenance, attraction, change, and pervasion (develop‐ ment and movement). Their inner essences are hardness, wetness, heat and motion.

 ऋ  7. Shabdabrahman – ‘ṛ’ The phoneme ‘ṛ’ represents an unstable vyomasamadhi. Its fundamental element  is gas (air). Its It s distinctive feature featuress are: ‐ The desire to 󰁦ill all available space; ‐ The desire to pervade (initially ‐ the desire to penetrate into the empty space of consciousness); chaotic nature; ‐ Freedom of movement (ability to move in any available direction, espe‐ cially apparent in whirling, rotation); ‐ Isotropy (the independence of the charact characteristics eristics from the directionP; ‐ Mobility. Front position:

‐ Renewal, restoration restoration (of relationships, connections, trends); ‐ Revival of something that seemed ‘missing’ (plans, projects, prospects, lost connections, lost animals, etc.); ‐ Finding of something (companion, thing, meaning, wa wayy, exit, money); ‐ Restitution (of a debt, opportunity, power, etc.); ‐ Return (from a journey, prison, hospital);

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‐ Extraction of something valuable from the past, past , which may be associated with information (documents, things, witnesses/evidence, experience, experience, memories, etc.), with material values, immaterial values (creative, cultural, scienti󰁦ic heritage, etc.), health (history of illness, genetic analysis, heredity heredity,, etc.). Reversed position:

dencies;

‐ Renewal: of old hostility, con󰁦licts, diseases, bad habits, destructive ten‐

‐ ‘Resurrection’ of the past (repetition of negative situations, feelings, ex‐ periences; clash with something that one would like to forget forever); ‐ Problems originating from rancour (either of one’s own, or of the others); ‐ The negative effects of vengefulness (either of one’s own, or of the others).

 ॠ  8. Shikhandi – ‘ṝ’ The phoneme ‘ṝ’ is a weakly stable vyomasamadhi called Shikhandi in the mantic system: the ambivalent deity who took the form of a heroine who turned into a hero, performed his duty and departed from the human world. Its fundamental element  is plasma (󰁦ire). ( 󰁦ire). Distinctive featur features: es: ‐ Randomness of motion, and at the t he same time the ability to take a changing shape; ‐ The ability to absorb, dissolve; ‐ Spontaneity, Spontaneity, rapidness and at the same time 󰁦lexibility; ‐ Luminosity (the ability to emit light due to the transition from a higher energy state to a low energy state). Front position:

‐ Restoration of justice (at work, in personal relationships, in court, etc.); ‐Vengeance; ‐ Turning of weakness into strength (by using something that seemed to be weakness as power); ‐ Turning of power into weakness (by directing the opponents’ force against themselves, as in Kaula‐Tantrism or in Aikido); ‐ Manifestation from an unexpected angle; ‐ Turning of the situation in the right direction in an unexpected way. Reversed position:

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ Being deceived by a seeming weakness or strength; ‐ The damage from overe overestimating stimating one’s powers; ‐ Meeting of a ‘turnskin’ (adultery, betrayal, lies, double life, double stan‐ dards, hidden goal); ‐ The damage from underestimating the opponent’s forces; ‐ The risk of “burning one’s 󰁦ingers” or of being burned dow down n – both 󰁦igu‐ ratively and literally; ‐ The possibility of becoming a victim v ictim of fraud and deception.

 ऌ  9. Dasra – ‘ḷ’ The phoneme ‘ḷ’ is a semi‐stable vyomasamadhi called Dasra in the mantic system – ‘bright gift’. It is the name of one of the two divine Ashvin brothers. The funda‐ mental element is 󰁦luid (water). Distinctive featur features: es: ‐Fluidity; ‐Density; ‐ Preservation of volume, but not form (the form depends on the condi‐ tions); ‐ Cohesion and inde󰁦initen inde󰁦initeness ess (inde󰁦initeness of position and cohesion due to the absence of the freedom of movement); ‐ Isotropy (the independence of properties from the direction); ‐ The ability to dissolve (to liken, to equate). Front position:

‐ Luck, win (in disputes, contests, competitions, gambling); ‐Conception; ‐ Healing (especially favourable conditions for healing of blindness and lameness both literally and 󰁦iguratively); ‐Rejuvenation; ‐ An in󰁦low of funds (money (money,, resources, knowledge, connections, vehicles, communications, etc.); ‐ An in󰁦low of life and energy (inspiration, emotional outburst, etc.); ‐ Receiving of inheritance or other gifts from ancestors (which may have not only material but also emotional or any other value); ‐ A creati creative ve or scienti󰁦ic breakthrough (discove (discoveries, ries, innovations, etc.); ‐ Being ahead of rivals, trends, technologies, time.

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Reversed position:

‐ An in󰁦lux of problems and unresolved issues; ‐ The risk of prosecution, conviction, sentencing (judges, public opinion doctors, diseases); ‐ A chance of drowning (literally (l iterally – drowning in water; 󰁦iguratively – drown‐ ing in work, problems, emotions, etc.).

 ॡ  10. Nasatya – ‘ḹ’ The phoneme ‘ḹ’ is a stable vyomasamadhi called Nasatya in the mantic system – ‘True.’ This is the name of one of the two divine Ashvin brothers. Its fundamental element is earth (stone). Distinctive features: ‐ Solidity, permanence, de󰁦initeness; ‐ Preservation of volume and form (volume, form and weight do not depend on conditions); order, presence of structure; ‐Immobility; ‐Completeness; ‐ Steadiness, stability (the most stable st able state of a solid body is crystalline). Front position:

‐ A wedding, creation of a stable union of love; ‐ Making of contracts or agreements (with partners, friends, rivals, com‐ petitors; creative agreements, etc.); ‐ Establishment (of terms; plans of action; relationships; etc.); ‐ Structuring (of a sequence of actions, life priorities, etc.); ‐ Conclusion of truce; ‐ Obtaining a delay; ‐ Protection from conviction, judgment; ‐ Protection from possible injury or death (military con󰁦licts, robbery robbery,, ac‐ cidents, natural disasters); ‐ Protection from enemies, diseases, misers, envious people, evil spirits, in‐ 󰁦luences, etc.; ‐ Stabilization, solution of unstable situations (business relationships, part‐ nerships, friendships, personal relationships); ‐ Recognition of one’s merits, achievements, authority. Reversed position:

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ The loss of something that is of value (wealth, position and prestige; the loss of a person; the t he loss of inspiration and con󰁦idence; betrayed betrayed trust, etc.); ‐ Destruction (of plans, conditions, stability, both material and psycho‐emo‐ tional, etc.); ‐ The loss of o f time; stasis / pause / halt (in business, relationships, creativity creativity,, development, developme nt, etc.); ‐ The loss of property (movable or immovable); ‐ The danger of forgetfulness, or problems from forgetfulness.

The fruit of Kriya-Shak Kriya-Shakti ti Kriya‐shaktis Kriy a‐shaktis are the energies of implementation. The perfect powers carrying out  the process of manifestation (internal or external). The energies of manifestation (creation) of ‘this’ (objectivity). The external world is manifested due to kriya‐shakti. When anuttara turns to the external unfolding, leaving the state of jnana and attaining the state of kriya, there occurs a deviation from its essential nature. The development towards objec‐ ti󰁦ication, taking place when the original subject rejects its own transcendence, leads to the manifestation of the immanent aspect of experience, to the increasing polarization between the ‘I’‐subject and ‘This’‐object. Various kriya‐shaktis, kriya‐shaktis, increas‐ ing the intensity of their activity, produce more and more distinct perceptions of  the difference between ‘I’ and ‘not‐I’. ‘not‐I’. A complete separation of the poles is demon‐ strated in the objective Universe Universe (the world of tthe he material objects of knowledge).

 ए  11. Virabhadra – ‘e’ The phoneme ‘e’ represents the indistinct power of activity (asphuta kriyashakti). It is the initial stage of expression of the ability abilit y to create the perception of difference between ‘I’ as the subject and ‘This’ as the object. o bject. It is manifested as ‘ kshepa’ (throw‐ ing). Everything – in essence and in reality – is pure and absolute ‘I’‐consciousness, as this consciousness conscio usness contains everything in the form of divine power power.. It means that  it has the ability to appear in the form of all phenomena, and to manifest some of  the phenomena externally as something different from itself at its free will. Such a seeming difference of these phenomena is known in Shaivism as kshepa, which means ‘throwing away away,, cast casting’ ing’.. It appears like everything that includes the absolute consciousness ‘throws’ the phenomena out of itself, eternally shining as the almighty almighty,, in󰁦inite ‘I‐conscious‐

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ness’. It manifests the phenomena outwards in the state and in the form of ‘This’. Thus, they are as if ‘thrown’ out of the ‘I’ and put in the position of ‘This’ ‘This’,, or objec‐ tivity. The phoneme ‘e’ is known as homakunda for two reasons. Its form resembles a sacri󰁦icial wooden spoon with a triangle 󰁦ireplace for tantric 󰁦ire sacri󰁦ices. Also, it is the 󰁦iery energy of the triangle formed by three goddesses and their manifes‐ tations (iccha, jnana and kriya). The 󰁦laming patterns of self‐manifestation of divin‐ ity are bursting out from the triangular brazier ( homakunda). Though the 󰁦lames are licking out beyond the 󰁦iery brazier, they don’t break contact with the epicentre of the 󰁦ire, being its tentacles. The phoneme ‘e’, also known as ‘Virabhadra’ (‘great  hero’), hero ’), is a part of the great bija of Mahakali. Front position:

‐ The maximum potency of personal power (ability (ability,, skills); ‐ The space of maximum capacities for implementation (of goals and ob‐ jectives of any kind); ‐ The potency to materialize (to realize, to accomplish) one’s goals/inten‐ tions/desires; ‐ The abundance of pleasures associated with beauty, success, love. Reversed position:

‐ The inability to transform potential energy en ergy into kinetic energy, to take take ad‐ vantage of the opportunity to seize the chance; ‐ The inability to recognize one’s potential, to estimate one’s own capaci‐ ties.

 ऐ  12. Sarasvati - ‘āi’ The phoneme ‘āi’ represents the distinct power of activity (sphuta kriyashakti). The second step of the objective manifestation is characterized by an inde󰁦inite cognitive perception of ‘This’. ‘This’. The differentiated ‘This’ 󰁦irst shines in the mental light of ‘I’ as an object not yet perceived in any clear de󰁦inite form or under any particular name. It shines there through the knowledge not yet accompanied by any speci󰁦ic idea or verbal image. Such knowledge is called nirvikalpa samvedana, or perception without  any clear idea; that is, a differentiated object is perceiv perceived ed through nirvikalpa‐knowl‐ edge: the knowledge not accompanied by any clear representation or ‘word image’. This phoneme is known as Sarasv Sarasvati, ati, who is tthe he essence of speech.

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric Front position:

‐ The ability to choose from an unlimited 󰁦ield of possibilities the most  promising direction for: development of a business, selection of the sphere of ac‐ tivity, investment of efforts; ‐ Investment of money or other resources; ‐ Medical examinations; ‐ Tests; ‐ Revealing of strengths and weaknesses (both of one’s own and those of  others); ‐ Focusing on the development of relationships (personal or business). Reversed position:

‐ Troubles or injuries due to absent‐mindedness (accident, crash, bodily injuries, home problems, etc.); ‐ Con󰁦licts with others due to the revaluation of their qualities (personal or business); ‐ Depression, irritability, irritability, long lasting anger and resentment.

ओ  13. Natha – ‘o’ The phoneme ‘o’ represents the more distinct power of activity (sphutatara kriyashakti). It is the third step of the external manifestation: the knowledge of  something accompanied by an idea denoted by a certain word related to a certain image in our consciousness, which becomes an integral part of such knowledge. The knowledge of this type, shedding light on the name and the form of the object, is called samkhyanam . In this case the term is interpreted as ‘samyak khyanam’ – ‘to make something clearly known’. This is savikalpa-knowledge , where the law of  apohana (separation) is applied. According to Tantraloka, ‘The knowledge of some‐ thing through savikalpa‐knowledge is called samkhyanam, as it considers an object  as de󰁦initely different from another similar object’. Front position:

‐ Success associated with mental, intellectual activity; ‐ Any forms of studying; st udying; ‐ Clarity and coherence of consciousness (there are no discrepancies in the triad of ‘I think’ ‐ “I say” ‐ ‘I do’), leading to effective, successful successful actions. ‐ The potency to manifest the desired of any kind in one’s life: relationships;

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success; material or non‐material prosperity prosperity,, etc. Reversed position:

‐ Anxiety, sudden panic attacks; ‐ Weakening of physical health due to excessive suspiciousness (psychoso‐ matic diseases); ‐ Drowsiness (long sleeping, chronic fatigue syndrome); ‐ Intemperance of speech (grumpiness, ( grumpiness, aggressive aggressiveness, ness, rudeness); ‐ ‘Evil tongues’ and ill‐wishers may become a reason for the appearance of  the hidden foe, able to cause serious harm in the future.

औ  14. Durga – ‘āu’ The phoneme ‘āu’ represents the most distinct power of activity ( sphutatama kriyashakti). The fourth step of the process of objecti󰁦ication is de󰁦ined by the term ‘gati’. Abhinavagupta wrote: ‘Gati is the position of re󰁦lecting the objective ideas in the ‘I’ as the consciousness of the knowing subject. For the empirical knower, the object is ‘known’ (understood, manifested in consciousness), if: – this object was singled out from an in󰁦inite number of o f perceived phenom‐ ena, it caused interest, attracted attention; – this object was ‘recognized’ (identi󰁦ied somehow) by the consciousness; that is, there occurred some ‘grasping’ (‘appropriation’) of the object by the con‐ sciousness. The phoneme ‘āu’ is known as the goddess Durga, Trish Trishulini ulini – ‘with a Tri‐ dent’, the teeth of which are iccha, jnana and kriya in the phase of active manifesta‐ tion. Front position:

‐ Purchasing of something that can be bought for money (land, vehicle, art‐ work, etc.); ‐ Construction, building; ‐ Realization of creative potential (painting, singing, dancing, writing, etc.); ‐ Victory in battles (󰁦ights, contests, arguments) of any kind. Reversed position:

‐ World weariness in different aspects. ‐ Lust and heavy gluttony;

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 Abhichara: Tantric  Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism ‐ Destruction of property; ‐ Scandals and breakups. breakups.

. 15. Mahesha ‘ṃ’ The next stage of the process of objecti󰁦ication is the subject achieving the state of  complete satisfaction regarding regarding the cognized object. The object is fully ‘known’ (fully absorbed in consciousness) and is no longer of interest, that is, the objectiv objectivee aspect  of the experience disappears and there remains only ‘aham’ – the subjective aspect  of ‘I’ as the experience. Tantraloka describes it as follows: ‘It is the residual self‐ awareness which has completely engulfed the objective manifestation’. The phoneme ‘ṃ’ represents represents the undivided knowledge of the universe. In other terms, it can be de󰁦ined as the process of dissolution of tthe he internal manifestation in the emptiness of the primal absolute consciousness, ‘anuttara’, which re󰁦lects re󰁦lects the state of the undivided knowled knowledge ge of the universe. Now anuttara, containing all its self‐expressions within, in complete identity with itself, it self, is different  from the previous ‘a’ that was the 󰁦irst stage of self‐manifestation. This differ difference, ence, manifested in the aspect of knowledge, is expressed by the bindu ‘ṃ’, representing the essence of reality in the aspect of knowledge. knowledge . Thus ‘ṃ’ is the most ‘potential’ self‐expression of anuttara‐chit, being the source of other emanations on another level. This phoneme is called the ‘Shiva bindu’, and also ‘Mahesha’, the Great Lord. The maximum capacity of complete realization of anything, based on the presence of all the necessary knowledge and experience; the absolute potential of  self‐expression self‐expr ession (self‐realization) in any form and on any level.

: 16. Kalarudra Jamala - ‘ḥ’ (:) The phoneme ‘ḥ,’ being parapara‐visarga, called Kalarudra Yamala in the mantic system, is the 󰁦inal stage of self‐expression of kalatmaka. On this stage, through t hrough the connection with kriya‐shakti, kriya‐shakti, the supreme energy of the manifestation of ‘ā’ ( paravisarga or shambhava-visarga ) becomes the aspect of ‘ḥ’. The vowel ‘ḥ’ (:) is un‐ changed. It represents the 16th lunar phase, which is known as ‘atā‐kalā’ (‘visarga-kalā ’, ‘amrita-kalā’ and ‘kalārudra yamala’). The phoneme ‘ḥ’ (:) is the expression of the primal state of oneness of  Shiva‐Shakti (the Absolute and Its energy of self‐knowing), of being in union with

212

 

V: The Mantic Matrika the supreme non‐dual consciousness and possession of the potency of empirical discernment that is expressed by two dots symbolizing the yamala – the divine cou‐ ple: Shiva and Shakti. ‘The external manifestation always involves expansion and shrinking, but visarga‐kalā (amrita-kalā) remains unchanged in its nature’. (:) is the unity of the essence of the Absolute (anuttara) and the Creation (visarga). The upper dot is the internal visarga, Soma, the centripetal backward mo‐ tion of kriya‐shakti. It symbolizes Shiva. Though Shiva is manifested through Shakti even in ‘earth’, however, he is not fragmented, he remains undivided; the whole world rests in the I‐consciousness of Shiva. It re󰁦lects the rejection of any exclusion typical for the state of distinction, and further it results in expansion. The lower dot is the external visarga, Surya (Sun), centrifugal motion, the expansion of kriya‐shakti outward from the centre. It symbolizes Shakti – the un‐ folding of the objective world. In this case, the expansion occurs as the result of the t he unfolding of the objectiv objectivee world. ‐ Elimination of any obstacles; ‐ Going beyond what is possible and conceivable; ‐ Absolute perfection; ‐ Maximum capacity (power) of manifestation (of the desired), going be‐ yond any visible or imaginary limitations; ‐ The peak (the best) condition for the attainment of harmony on all levels of being/consciousness; ‐ The best preconditions for (the attainment of) beauty, peace, accumulation of  wealth (material or immaterial).

CONSONANTS, CONSONANT S, PURE ORDER

17. Kalagni – ‘кṣа’ ‘Кṣa’ – kuta‐bija (one of the meanings of ‘kuta’ is connection or peak). ‘Кṣа’ – the starting point of absorption and the end point of creation. It sym‐ bolizes the unity of Shiva and Shakti, as it contains all the phonemes of Devanagari, being a combination of the phonemes ‘ka’ and ‘ṣа’ ‘ṣа’.. It contains the totality of all think‐ able phenomena (those that have a thought‐form – ‘nama‐rupa ‘nama‐rupa’). ’). The phoneme ‘ka’ has many meanings. Apart from being ‘the personal name of many gods’, it also means: sun, soul, body, time, joy, fun, water, head. The most important explanation of ‘ka’ is provided by the Sanskrit word ‘naraka’. Naraka is hell, the underworld, but this word read as ‘na‐ra‐ka’ can be literally translated

213

 

 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric as ‘without ‘ka’‘. That is, without exactly the same ‘ka’ the meanings of which are given above, above, and which has no place in a hellish abode. Among other things, it means that not only the soul is absent there but also the head, sun, body, time, gods, etc. The phoneme ‘ṣа’ is the ability of consciousness to make the connection between the perceived perceived object, the thought‐form of this object, and the common idea of both of them (the seed, bija), resting at the level of consciousness that is unable to dis‐ cern, that precedes everything considered to be mutually exclusive, and is the source of all knowable objects. ‘Кṣa’ is the oneness of the essence of the Absolute (anuttara) and the Cre‐ ation (visarga). The state where the original subject directly ‘knows’ its transcendent  essence: prakash prakasha/vimarsha. a/vimarsha. This phoneme is ‘the Joker’ – it may manifest itself in i n any way and an anyy form (of powers, conditions, phenomena); the unexpected and the strongest ‘trump ‘ trump card’ used for solving simple tasks and for complex multi‐move combinations alike (grand purposes, global projects, etc.); the maximum luck; so to speak, a ‘jackpot’ of opportunities.

 ह  18. Shiva/Shakti – ‘ha’ ‘Ha’ – apara‐visarga. apara‐visarga. The attainment of the state of ‘ha’ corresponds to the state of  turiya, transcendental to all other states. It is fundamentally indeterminable and characterized charac terized only as being the witness to everything. In other words, the state of  ‘ha’ corresponds corresponds to para‐v para‐vach, ach, the experience of pure unity with no differentiation. Para‐vach manifests lower forms of pashyanti, madhyama and vaikhari, and is pre‐ sent in them as their basis. Thus, para‐vach is at the same time transcendent to them (superior to them), and immanent (inherent in them). Without para‐v para‐vach ach lying in basis of their reality reality,, they would be unilluminated and theref therefore ore non‐existent. It is the t he dynamic creati creative ve consciousness the nature of which is undivided‐ ness, where the aspect of enjoying self‐suf󰁦iciency is predominant. ‐Self‐suf󰁦iciency; ‐ Activities arising not from the lack of something but from abundance (inner harmony, the desire to share, creative energy, etc.); ‐ Pleasures of all kinds (trave (travels, ls, art, science, researc research, h, play); ‐ Satisfaction (physical, material, psycho‐emotional); ‐ Dynamic balance of all aspects of life; l ife; ‐ Coolness, the art of balancing (in relationships, deals, achievement of goals).

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 स  19. Sadashiva – ‘sa’ ‘Sa’ is Sadashiva‐pramata (sat  – being, existence, vimarsha; the 16 aspects of the moon). Everything that exists (sat ) is repre represented sented by the phoneme ‘sa’: that is, ‘sa’ represents repr esents the totality of phenomena that can be known. Symbolizes the 31 tattvas from prithvi to maya, pervading three areas: Prithvi, Prakriti, Maya. The capacity for the creation of the world. The 󰁦irst step of the external manifestation. Para‐vach, expressing the will to creation of the world, becomes pashyanti – vach. ‘Pashyanti’ comes from the root ‘ drish’ (to see, to watch), as it is the direct integral experience prior to the distinction between subjectivity and ob‐ jectivity,, between the internal and the external. The beginning of Maya jectivity Maya.. For the sakala (the empirical subject), this is the state of sushupti (dream‐ less sleep). The feelings of ‘the presence of the subje subject’ ct’ and ‘the presence of the ob‐ ject’ appear in the course of further development. In this case, the visible, self‐evident nature of the experience represents represents the knowledge itself, since self‐il‐ lumination here is the only 󰁦ield of knowledge. Since self‐awareness is primary to all kinds of knowledge, everything knowable is represented here. The nature of the phoneme ‘sa’ is the supreme bliss containing the entire multitude of other forms. Front position:

‐ Experiments (business, creativ creative, e, sexual, etc.); ‐ New activities, rearrangement, moving to another place; ‐ The winning of a prize in a lottery or gambling; ‐ Success in all kinds of adventures, risky enterprises, wagers; Reversed position:

‐ The loss of alertness due to excessi excessive ve relaxation (unrea (unreadiness diness to react  when the life situation changes); ‐ Sinking into a “nirvana” of self‐complacency.

 ष  20. Ishvara – ‘ṣа’ On the level of ‘ṣа’ (madhyama‐vach), the objective world is represented as a thought‐form. On this level, there remains remains a holistic perception of unity along with the perception of the difference between word and referent. The dominant power

215

 

 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric here is jnana‐shakti, which provides the connection between the percei perceived ved object, the thought‐form of this object and the common idea of both of them (seed, bija). This is the level of consciousness which precedes everything that can considered mutually exclusive, and which is the source of all knowable objects. In other words, ‘ṣа’ is the state of svapna (representation, imagination, dreaming). Swapna is referred to as ‘shining’, ‘󰁦iery’ (taijasa). It is compared to 󰁦ire due to its plasticity and variability, like tongues of 󰁦lame, as there remains the ‘knowledge’ of the unseparability of the objects of perception from the conscious‐ ness generating them. This perception is typical for the world of night dreams, day‐ dreams, memories, memories, when the cconsciousness onsciousness deals with the contents of its mental toolbox: mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara), and internal re󰁦lections of sensory perceptions. Front position:

‐ Spontaneity in the expression of emotions, feelings, desires; ‐ An advice to pay attention to your personal needs (don’t be a slave to duty; don’t put the interests of others above personal interests; ‐ To listen to yourself, to your subconscious; ‐ To give attention to your psycho‐emotional sphere, even in spite of the philistine ‘common sense’; ‐ To try ‘to make dreams come true’, that is, to realize what seems impos‐ sible (new ideas, fantasies, dreams); ‐ To give vent to creative imagination; ‐ To pay attention to the various ‘clues’ and ‘signs’ of the external world, which can appear both in an explicit or implicit form (something like a barrier on the way to the airport, or the opposite – a ‘green wave’ of traf󰁦ic lights on the way to the negotiations; premonitions; dreams, visions; coincidences, etc.). Reversed position:

‐ Violation of moral principles or inner beliefs; ‐ The loss of connection to reality; daydreaming, ‘rose coloured glasses’.

 श  21. Shudhanidhi (Sadvidya) – ‘śа’ (çа) In the state of Sadvidya, the world fully realized, or clothed in external form. The object comes out of the subject and becomes as if it were on the same level with the subject. That’s why this state is described by the phrase ‘I am, and this is’ (aham

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cha idam cha). The difference is completely completely apparent, to that extent that it appears

to be independent of the unity which is the knower (the subject). But, even though it appears to be independent of the knowing ‘I’, still I (Shiva) knows that it is not  different from Him. The mere presence of idam is not unawareness; idam may be the result not  of unawareness unawareness but of a conscious self‐projection. Unawareness Unawareness is the feeling that  the object is different from the subject. Sadvidya Sadvid ya is the state corresponding to vaikhari-vach: the state of clear dis‐ tinction between word and referent. referent. It is the unity in distinction, where the distinc‐ tion manifests as a formed image imag e or structured speech through which the exchange of information happens. In other words, it is possible to perceive perceive and pronounce it. Front position:

‐ Negotiations, communication; ‐ Bargaining; ‐ The balance of possibilities and needs; ‐ Equal/balanced relationships (business, home, personal, creative, creative, etc.); ‐ Monitoring, examination (of health, market, market, state of things); ‐ Forecasting (of consequences, situations); ‐ Foresight, prediction, divination; ‐ Summing up, drawing the balance; ‐ Preparation of a will. Reversed position:

‐ ‘Getting stuck’ on one level, in one state; ‐ The possibility of being deceived, wishful thinking; ‐ Disappointment (in oneself or in others); ‐ Guilt complex or ‘accusation complex’.

THE TRANSIENT ORDER: MAYA AND KANCHUKAS

 व  22. Maya – ‘va’ The term ‘maya’ comes from the t he verbal root ‘ma’ which means ‘to measure’ measure’,, ‘to sca scale’ le’,, ‘to limit’, ‘to divide’. It is the ability of the original transcendental ‘I‐subject’ to ex‐ perience the in󰁦inite multiplicity of immanent experiences by limiting certain as‐ pects of its own absolute unlimited energy of self‐awareness. The ability to transit 

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 Abhichara: Tantric  Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism from the single (transcendental) to the multiple (immanent). Front position:

‐ Acquisition of real estate; ‐ Construction; ‐ Separation (of property, territory, spheres of influence, responsibili‐ ties, etc.); ‐ Allocation of targeted funds; ‐ Arrangement of a pro󰁦itable scam, fraud; ‐ Creation of one’s own business. Reversed position:

‐ Termination Termination (of a contract, friendship, love, partnership); ‐ Divorce; ‐ The loss of vigilance in business matters; ‐ Restriction (of freedom, power, opportunities); ‐ The probability of being cheated, misled.

 ल  23. Kāla, kalā – ‘la’ Kalā is the ability to cause the feeling of limited capacities. It represents the restriction of the absolute abso lute power in the aspect of omnipo‐ tence. Limited capacities cause a sense of lack (need), which makes the empirical experiencer to perform certain actions to ful󰁦il this need. Thus, kalā is the cause of  karmic (conditioned) actions. Kalā K alā divides the reality reality,, forcing the original essence to action. Under the in󰁦luence of kalā‐tattva, an empirical creature considers itself a subject, perceiving perceiving some in󰁦luences and reacting to them: that is, performi performing ng actions. The verbal root ‘kal ’ means ‘to manifest’. The word ‘калā’ means ‘a tiny part’ (fragment) of something. somethin g. It comes from the root ‘gele’ — to break. The smallest part that cannot be divided into smaller parts is an atom or quantum perceiv perceived ed in the phenomenal world of time (kshana), or a point of space (anu). In the context of the subject of experience, the ‘atomic’ empirical subject is Purusha. Kāla is the ability to cause the feeling of 󰁦initude, non‐eternity non‐eternity,, manifested as the impression of sequence (krama) perceived by the empirical subject as the passage of time. In fact, sequence and time are the same thing; t ime ime is well de󰁦ined by the expression ‘one after another’. In this sense, time is the ability to relate/re‐

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V: The Mantic Matrika member the stream of ‘moments’ with the help of the combining operation ‘now’. Kāla is the power that limits the universal state of eternal existence, and therefore is the reason for the separate existence of things that are being known and cease to be known. Kāla is the cause of temporal order — the past, the present  and the future. The effects of this limitations for the t he empirical subject are: the experience of 󰁦initeness (non‐eternity) which which causes the possibility of the existence of the phe‐ nomena of birth and death, memory, representation, representation, imagination, imag ination, and planni planning; ng; the feeling of the inability to hold in mind severa severall objects at once; the possibility of fac‐ ing an endless sequence, ‘bad in󰁦inity’ (the impossibility to get to the end, to com‐ plete a process). Front position:

‐ Cutting off of the unwanted (of the disturbing, distracting, haunting, fu‐ tureless); ‐ Cutting of a tangled knot (of problems, misunderstandings, relationships); ‐‘Extraction’ of the main cause (problem, trouble, gossip, slander, etc.); ‐ A reminder about something (about oneself, about duties, merits, promises, etc.); ‐ Passing of examinations; ‐ Making of plans; ‐ Remembering of something important; ‐ Precognition of future events; ‐ Revival of the past; ‐ The usefulness of giving way to one’s imagination, fantasies, dreams; ‐ Forgiveness. Reversed position:

‐ Injuries; ‐ The lack of resources (energy, health, knowledge, capacities, abilities, aid); ‐ A crash, a disruption, a loss (of a car, relationship, hope, illusions, prospects); ‐ Destruction (of health, of a process, plans, intrigues, conspiracies); ‐ The state of being conditioned by sexual thoughts and desires; ‐ Constant presence of hunger quite dif󰁦icult to neutralize; ‐ An increase in body temperature; ‐ Hypertrophy of sexual thoughts, fantasies, and desires; ‐ Being driven by the lust for money and other material assets; ‐ An almost uncontrollable urge to acquire material assets; ‐ Forgetting about something important;

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ An unexpected end (termination, dying) of something or someone; ‐ Encounter with death (of a human or other beings).

 र  24. Vidya – ‘ra’ Vidya – the ability to cause the feeling of limitedness of the experience experien ce (knowledge) available to the empirical experiencer exper iencer.. ‘The limited knower (the ssubject) ubject) knows the world (the object) as different from himself or other than himself. As the result, he is not the true knower knower,, because he doesn’t know the truth that the whole world is his own projection’. The consequence is that the empirical subject doesn’t only per‐ ceive ‘I’ as ‘not‐I’, but also perceives ‘not‐I’ as ‘I’. Front position:

‐ Insights (about oneself and others); ‐ Discovery of unexpected potential in oneself (abilities, talents, qualities, resources); ‐ Discovery of new sources of information; ‐ Education in a new 󰁦ield; ‐ Meeting with interesting people; ‐ New experiments and experiences; ‐ Self‐knowledge; ‐ Acquaintance with new cultures, countries, traditions, opinions; ‐ The knowledge of one’s own limitations and of one’s limits, preventing possible trouble in the future. Reversed position:

‐ Delusion about oneself and others; ‐ Different types of doubt (in oneself, in the chosen path, in one’s loved ones, in one’s knowledge; in the future, etc.); ‐ Misunderstanding (of a situation, needs, people); ‐ Revaluation of someone or something; ‐ Wrong choices because of the wrong vision of the situation in general; ‐ Existential crisis; ‐ The loss of one’s life goals; ‐ The loss of meaning (of life in general; of one’s effort, relationship, etc.).

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 य  25. Raga, niyati – ‘ya’ Raga represents the ability to cause the feeling of dissatisfaction, the loss of the ‘feeling of a single taste’ ( sarvatmabhava), urging the empirical subject to search satisfaction in limited manifestations (forms). Thus, ‘raga’ ‘raga’ manifests as the power that generates attraction. The word ‘raga’ comes from the root ‘ranj’ – ‘limitation’ of interest and desire. The opposite of raga is dvesha, the power that causes the t he feeling of aversion (antipathy). Dvesha, being the reverse side of raga, is not considered separately. In fact, raga could be called ‘raga‐dvesha ‘raga‐dvesha’’. Raga gives birth to such phenomena as: com‐ parison, choice, envy, preference, disdain, rivalry, etc. Niyati is the ability to cause the feeling of impossibility to get the desired (to achieve the result) just by wish. The effects of the t he activity of ‘niyati’ are: the as‐ surance of the empirical subject that it is impossible to obtain everything and at  once, as it is impossible to be everywhere at once; the assurance of the empirical subject that in order to get results one needs to create the preconditions for this; on the other hand, the conviction that if there is a cause, then it is impossible to avoid the effect. ‘Niyati’ is the ability of consciousness to link the causes with the corre‐ sponding effects. The word ‘niyati’ comes from the root ‘ni‐yam’ — ‘to regulate’ or ‘restrain’. Front position:

‐ The achievement of the desired by using the skills of successful commu‐ nication or psychological skills; ‐ The delight of new sensations, emotions, interests; ‐ Achievement Achievement of the ‘impossible’ due to the passionate desire; ‐ Salvation from a grave danger through manifesting willpower; ‐ Entering of a new level (of life, relationship) by taking control of one’s psycho‐emotional psycho‐em otional sphere (passions, temptations, likes/dislike likes/dislikes, s, etc.); ‐ Going beyond self‐limitations by maximum activation of one’s internal motivation; ‐ Finding of new opportunities by overcoming animosity animosity,, antipathy antipathy,, disgust  (to someone or something); ‐Improvement of one’s physical and emotional state by weakening the con‐ trol over natural desires; ‐ Achievement of goals through unemotional analysis of the situation; ‐ Successful ful󰁦ilment of plans, provided that the tactical steps have been

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric carefully thought through; ‐ Moving to a new place of living; ‐ The ability to connect the one who desires with the desired, the ability to effectively effecti vely 󰁦ind the opportunities for such connections; ‐ The consequence of this ability – the success in the related activities: mediation in the purchase of goods; dating services, betting of󰁦ices, recruitment  agencies, stock exchange, etc.; ‐ Rearrangement Rearrangement (of a house, land, relationship); ‐ Good conditions to achieve the goal (time‐place‐circumstances), (time‐place‐circumstances), which can be used as prerequisites for the failure (of an enemy, opponent). Reversed position:

‐ A strong temptation that can affect the whole life in general; ‐ A con󰁦lict (internal or external) due to the inability to satisfy a desire; ‐ A wrong choice in an important matter; ‐ Enslavement by passion; ‐ Alcoholism, drug addiction, gluttony; ‐ Poisoning (literally or 󰁦iguratively); ‐ Destructive desire (to someone or something); ‐ Blind passion; ‐ Emotional or psychological dependence (on someone or something); ‐ Obsession (with feelings, ideas, sensations); ‐ Nervous breakdown, psychosis; ‐ Uncontrolled destructive manifestations; ‐ The threat of becoming a victim of manipulators (political parties, pub‐ lic movements and organizations, commercia commerciall advertising, sects and churches, in‐ formal destructive communities, etc.); ‐ Problems due to mistaking means for ends; ‐Frustration and con󰁦lict due to excessive ‐Frustration excessive control (of oneself or others); ‐ Getting in trouble as the result of the t he fact that the possible conse‐ quences of actions have haven’t n’t been thought tthrough; hrough; ‐ Pessimism, depression, sense of doom.

THE IMPURE ORDER: THE WORLD OF DUALITY 

 म  26. Purusha – ma

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V: The Mantic Matrika Purusha represents the 󰁦ield of the empirical consciousness where the dichotomy between the individual knower and the ‘external’ world of objects will further un‐ fold (the pure initial empirical subject). Purusha is also called ‘anu’ which literally means ‘atom’, ‘point’. Purusha is the principle of the limited experiencer; the essential aspect of  consciousness of the limited experiencer is ‘purusha‐ajnana ‘purusha‐ajnana’’ – the unawar unawareness eness of  the true ‘self’ in the undivided pure form (expressed as the experience of ‘not‐I’ within ‘I’, or as the subject‐object way of knowing). Purusha‐ajnana is further manifested as the sense of separatedness of the subjective and the objective aspects of knowledge, inherent to the empirical subject. The consciousness of the empirical subject has the same empty nature as the Absolute consciousness, and also has the t he ability to be aware of; that is, the initial essence represented as ‘consciousness‐bliss‐will‐knowledge‐action’ remains un‐ changed. At that, the capacities of the empirical knower are reduced as the result of  self‐limitation in some aspects of its originally unlimited energy of self‐awareness. Purusha is the potential of perception (awareness) of limited experiences; the potential of the expression of the dichotomy between ‘the knower and the known’. And all this is due to the complete po polarization larization between bet ween the subject and the objects of its perception. What is known by purusha is prakriti (the objective world). On the next  stage, prakriti produces all experiences speci󰁦ic for purusha in the form of different  objects and the ways of experiencing them. Front position:

‐ The engagement of all present resources resources of consciousness/psy consciousness/psychic chic world; ‐ The engagement of the support suppo rt of transpersonal p protective rotective forces and re‐ sources beyond the usual determinacy of most types and forms of human be‐ haviour; ‐ The ‘return to the basics’: actualization of the originally unlimited cogni‐ tive capacities beyond the dichotomous subject‐object relations.

Reversed position:

‐ A subjective feeling of utter helplessness based on the ‘a priori’ sense of  being limited in different aspects: ‐ The limited capacity of creation; ‐ The limited capacity of energy; ‐ The limited capacity of knowing; ‐ The limited capacity of self‐manifestation and self‐realization; ‐ The limited scope of ava available ilable experience;

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar ‐ The limitation of time and space; the t he law of cause‐effec cause‐effect; t; ‐ The dichotomy of frustration because of the permanent con󰁦lict between the seeming freedom of choice and the possibilities of ful󰁦illing the desired; ‐ The deformation of development of will and volitional qualities; ‐ An ambivalent, uncertain attitude to oneself and others; ‐ Marginality and inde󰁦initeness of social behaviour and status; ‐ A limited range of behaviour and consequently, of the effectiveness of ac‐ tions; ‐ Disbelief in one’s own powers, abilities, talents, leading to frustration and failure.

भ  27. Prakriti — ‘bha’ Prakriti is the primal subtle root cause, the matrix of the phenomenal world. Pu‐ rusha is the ‘limited experiencer’, and prakriti is ‘the experienced.’ Prakriti represents the ability to produce all experiences speci󰁦ic for pu‐ rusha in the form of different objects and the ways of experiencing them (one of  the interpretations of the phoneme ‘bha’ is “separation”). On this stage, the dualistic world of consciousness and matter is being continuously created. Although on the external level purusha (the knowing subject) seems to be separate from prakriti (the objective world), on the deeper levels of existence they are one. That is, prakriti is the subject’s own shakti (energy) and its own expression (manifestation). At the initial moment of ‘substantiating’, prakriti is not manifested because the three factors of its existence (the three gunas) are in perfect balance. The three gunas are sattva, rajas and tamas. They are the dense forms of Shiva Shiva’s ’s jnana, iccha and kriya‐shakti, and they form prakriti just like 󰁦ibres form a rope. The state where prakriti is not manifested is the state where prakriti pro‐ duces neither the sense of ‘sattva’ (the tranquil motionless satisfaction), nor the sense of ‘rajas’ (the excitement or desire urging to activity of any kind); nor the sense of ‘tamas’ (apathy, inertia or dullness). These three types of sensations are further recognized as pleasure, pain and delusion. The balance of the three gunas is the state of balance of all kinds of experiences/sensations. Prakriti is the capacity of the limited consciousness to manifest many dif‐ ferent combinations of limited energies of knowledge, will, action (creation); the capacity of limiting the ways of cognition and action. Front position:

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‐ The capacity to create, maintain and destroy limited forms (phenomena/objects/manifestations); ‐ The capacity for 󰁦lexibility of form while maintaining the integrity of con‐ tent; ‐ The capacity for 󰁦lexibility/variability/plasticity of manifestations (ways of  action, reactions, behaviour) with limited resources (conditions, abilities, tools, etc.); ‐ The capacity to use all the combined resour resources ces of consciousness/mental‐ ity (explicit and implicit), which results in: the capacity for intuition, the ability to invent (to produce ‘new’ from ‘old’), to discover, to make a breakthrough (creative, scienti󰁦ic, existential), the capacity for mutation, metamorphosis. Reversed position:

‐ Deprivation of meanings (cognitive depriv deprivation): ation): the structure of the ex‐ ex‐ ternal world becomes too changeable and chaotic, without a clear organization and meaning, which makes it impossible to understand, to forecast and to control what  is happening; ‐ Deprivation of the emotional attitude: the lack of the capacity to establish an intimate emotional relationship with any person or a disruption of emotional bonds if such have already been created; ‐ Deprivation of identity: a limited capacity for self‐knowledge, which which can result in stress, apathy, apathy, the syndrome of anxious waiting, the lack of con󰁦idence, an invalid self‐esteem (underestimation of one’s true abilities, talents, goals, desires, etc.), the inability to overcome dif󰁦iculties, the disregard of obstacles, the predispo‐ sition to a certain activity due to behaviour behavioural al stereotypes, etc.

 फ  28. Buddhi ‘bа’ Buddhi is one of the three tattvas of mental operations (antahkarana). The nature of buddhi is the capacity to de󰁦ine, the limitation of which manifests as the possi‐ bility to cause a false sense of conceptual self‐identi󰁦ication in the empirical subject: the identi󰁦ication of ‘I’ with ‘not‐I’ known as ‘buddhi‐ajnana’. Buddhi represents the potency of the limited subject to the perception (knowledge) of oneself and the world of objects. This ‘perception ‘perception’’ itself is the pro‐ cess of formation of the re󰁦lexes and operations for differentiating differentiating various types of  the perceived ‘objects’. Moreover Moreover,, the subject can try to become its own object, being different differ ent from the rest of the world and thoroughly included in it at the same time. The aspects of its manifestation:

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ The subjectivity of self‐knowledge (self‐aw (self‐awareness); areness); ‐ The subjectivity of knowledge of the percei perceived ved objects: the presence of a subjective side in perceptions of different kinds, due to which the universal oneness is recognized; the aspect of ‘witnessing’; ‐ The subjectivity of ‘knowledge’ of oneself as its own object (the ‘I’ knows about itself, thus becoming an object of its perception): ‘I am the one who knows it’. Buddhi can be described as a transpersonal state of consciousness of a lim‐ ited individuality. individuality. Buddhi is manifested from prakriti (nature), following the same principle that works in our daily lives when our consciousness shifts from the sleep‐ ing state to the waking state. When purusha wakes up after the sleep of the unman‐ ifested prakriti, prakriti, the part of its awareness that awak awakens ens 󰁦irst is called buddhi. Buddhi, considered in the context of human individuality or any other in‐ dividual state, is its direct but transcendental principle, just as an unformed mani‐ festation in regard to a formed manifestation, from the perspective of the universal Existence. At the same time, buddhi is what could be called the expression of per‐ sonality in manifestation: it is what connects an entity together through the in󰁦inite multiplicity of its individual states. In other words, if we consider the supreme “I” as the spiritual Sun in the heart of an integral being, buddhi is a ray directly em‐ anated from this Sun, illuminating the entire individuality as a whole, at the same time interconnecting its various individual states, both ‘external’ and ‘internal’. Front position:

‐ Turning to one’s deepest instincts in order to identify the hidden (implicit, subconscious) attitudes that motivate the unconscious choices (including the wa ways ys of behaviour and activity) and determine the unconscious willingness to act in a certain way; in order to reveal the hidden contradictions between the conscious and the unconscious which are the cause of con󰁦licts (internal and external); in order to understand one’s true preferences and inclinations that implicitly de󰁦ine the basic life tendencies; in order to identify the sphere of hidden motivations, which allows the person to resolve the tense controversy between their conscious will and their instinctive manifestations; ‐ Employment of the resources of one’s genetic memory (the genetic po‐ tential determines the success of any activity or many activities, increases the pos‐ sibility of modelling modelli ng the processes of the physical world): activation of the inherited talents and abilities; neutralization of inherited imperfections and weaknesses; identi󰁦ication identi󰁦ica tion of the predisposition to certain types of activity; determ determination ination of the sphere of ‘innate’ limiting trends; ‐ Seclusion with the purpose of putting the experiences of everyday life aside, which gives: the capacity of making a conscious decision free from outside

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in󰁦luences; the possibility of planning the future based on personal values and as‐ pirations; the possibility of insight (the discovery of the key or the missing link in the solution of a problem); the possibility of inspiration; ‐ T The he possibility of ac‐ tivation of the unconscious creative processes; processes; the possibility of engaging the abil‐ ities based on the natural individual qualities; the t he possibility of experiments related to the widening of consciousness. Reversed position:

‐ Problems associated with the genetic predisposition of one’s mental and behavioural spheres; ‐ Problems due to hidden (unconscious) ( unconscious) needs, attitudes, motives; ‐ Karmic problems; ‐ Hereditary diseases; ‐ Inherited defects; ‐ The disregard of one’s individual innate abilities, which leads to destruc‐ tive activities; ‐ Irrational fears; ‐ Sudden destructive chthonic manifestations; ‐ An increased exposure to negative magical in󰁦luences from wizards and witches.

 फ  29. Ahamkara — ‘pha’ Ahamkara is the development of the ability of the empirical consciousness to be aware awa re of itself, thus becoming the object of it itss own perception (‘I am tthe he one who knows this ‘), manifested as the ability to establish identities leading to the emer‐ gence of the ‘ego‐consciousness’. On this level, the subject s ubject is not just ‘I’ in it itss pure form, but always ‘I am this’ this’.. Ahamkaraa is tthe Ahamkar he power by which the subject identi󰁦ies itself through objects (‘I am all this’; ‘all this is mine’), based on the t he selection of individual elements depending on whose are they: ‘mine’ or ‘someone else’s’; that is, on the basis of belonging (‘this is mine, for this is a part of me, or o r I own it’ it’,, ‘this isn’t mine, this is so something mething external to me that doesn’t belong to me’). As a result of self‐differentiation (self‐de󰁦inition through objects), there t here ap‐ pears a feeling of one’s ‘incompletene ‘incompleteness’ ss’ (imperfection, lack), leading to the activity caused by the desire to compensate for what is missing. Thus, there appears the ‘ego‐doer’, which is re󰁦lected in the word ‘aham‐kara’ (I‐doer). Ahamkara is the

227

 

 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar power that connects the pure ‘I‐witness’ with a particular action/concept/object. The ‘ego‐subject’ is de󰁦ined by the whole of all memories and experiences gained by an individual since their birth. Front position:

‐ Purposeful actions (to achieve something or to avoid something); ‐ Taking of responsibility; ‐ The effective use of past experiences (one’s own or of the others); ‐ The obtaining of the desired through precise de󰁦inition of one’s true needs and intentions; ‐ Success based on the ability to establish identities, to identify, to relate (facts, events, phenomena); ‐ An actively selective perception of the norms and values of one’s environ‐ e nviron‐ ment; ‐ Self‐discipline; ‐ Asceticism; ‐ Careful consideration, analysis analysis and weighing of all the circumstances, the development of new effective methods of action; development ‐ The ability to correct one’s actions in due time, based on the situation situat ion and with regard to the new information. Reversed position:

‐ Failures due to the rigidness of one’s behavioural patterns; ‐ Excessive dependence and (even) enslavement by one’s sel󰁦ish desires and expressions; ‐ Frustration as a result of perception of some external standards, values, behavioural patterns as one’s own, or as a result of an uncritical attitude to various in󰁦luencing factors (such as the t he economic, social, demograph demographic, ic, cultural factors, etc.); ‐ Unmet needs in the sphere of interpersonal relations; ‐ Reduced self‐criticism; ‐ Doubts in one’s personal value; ‐ Problems coming from past experiences, emotions; ‐ The inability to properly de󰁦ine one’s identity and role.

 प  30. Manas — ‘pa’ Manas is the ability to apply the subject‐object method of thinking, the active side

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V: The Mantic Matrika of knowing, which includes the functions of: ‐ Attention; ‐ The perception of the ‘external’ data of sensory experience; ‐ The conversion of the data of sensory experience into the ‘internal’ rep‐ resentations by combining them in categories; ‐ The associative process; ‐ The formation of concepts and judgments (about things and their rela‐ tions) on the basis of logical thinking. Important characteristics of Manas: ‐ The strict separation s eparation of concepts from each other; ‐ The ability to correctly classify the percei perceived; ved; ‐ The ability to systematize the experience and knowledge in a consistent  way. Manas generates a chain of thoughts. Moving from feeling to feeling, it con‐ trols the attention. A person can have the whole world before them, and their senses can be assailed by many stimuli, but the stimuli will not produce any effect if the person is in a state of ‘absence of mind’. Manas is the focal point of designating the priority and the importance of different tasks, shifting either to one of the 󰁦ive or‐ gans of perception ( jnanendriyas), or to one of the organs of action ( karmendriyas ). ‘Manas steers the t he indriyas, and through it the senses get their power power..’ With‐ out the aid of attention attentio n of manas, the indriyas are unable to perform their function functions. s. Manas operates with the indriyas of perception and action, and thus shares the essence of both knowledge and action. In other words, manas has the nature of both bot h (the indriyas of perception and the indriyas of action). Manas is an organ of control and an indriya at the same time. Working in connection with eyes or with other senses, Manas becomes active, at the same time being separate from these special instruments that cannot perform their function except in combination with Manas. Front position:

‐ The perception and application of new ideas and trends in the process of  choosing the most appropriate and effective ways of solving problems; ‐ Taking control of one’s life processes; ‐ setting of priorities; the understanding of the degree of importance of  various spheres of life; ‐ coming up with strong requirem requirements; ents; ‐ The employment of the mechanism of reassessment of the t he ongoing events (the present is compared to the ideal in order to assess the degree of the discrep‐ ancy and to determine the necessary adjustments of behaviour); ‐ new ideas for business, art, production, forms of communication, etc.

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric Reversed position:

‐ A possible loss or curtailment of the planning phase in the structure of  the volitional act; ‐ Dif󰁦iculties in the transitional phase, starting with psycho‐hormonal pro‐ cesses and 󰁦inishing with mental reorganization; ‐ A gap between one’s wishes and their ful󰁦ilment; ‐ A gap between one’s claim for success and their capacities; ‐ A deformation of the development of will and volitional qualities, the re‐ action of avoida avoidance; nce; ‐ A destructive disregard for obstacles; ‐ The lack of material resources; ‐ Problems associated with the dichotomy inherent to the system of values (for example, the dichotomy between the material and the spiritual, process and result, work and leisure).

The indriyas All living beings have the ability to know and to act. Knowledge and action are two interrelated interrelat ed aspects of consciousness that de󰁦ine the essence of life in all its mani‐ festations. On the level of the pure initial consciousness (in the absence of objects of perception), knowledge and action are undivided: the consciousness lights itself  (self‐illumination). For the empirical consciousness, knowledge (perception) is, in fact, the process of forming re󰁦lex re󰁦lexes es and building operations for the differentiation of various types of ‘objects’ by the subject. The functions of knowledge and action are carried out by the jnanendriyas, the karmendriyas, and the manas. The word ‘indriya’ means: – an act of supreme power, act of domination; – divine powers, abilities; – related to Indra, similar to Indra; – the power of Indra, supreme power; strength, force; – an organ of sense (the sensory system); – the power of the senses; – sensuality; – sensual pleasure. Receiving Recei ving the data from the sensory system, the body usually responds to it with some action. The sources of information can be either the ‘external’ objects of the world of dense forms that we see in everyday life, or the ‘internal’ objects that we can see when sleeping, daydreaming, hallucinating, remembering. In the second case, the ‘internal’ objects are different contents of our mental toolbox (manas, buddhi and ahamkara) and the internal re󰁦lections (imprints) of the sen‐

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sory information received by the external sensory organs (the eyes, the tongue, etc). Entering through the external organs of senses, the images of the objects leave imprints that stay in a person’s memory and subsequently result in the for‐ mation of certain ideas. Thus, for the empirical consciousness, the functions of  knowledge and action are carried out by the ‘internal’ triple tool (ahamkara, buddhi, manas) operating in the three times; the ‘external’ decimal tool, which is an object  for the ‘internal’ one, operating only in the present time. The decimal tool of ‘knowledge/action’ is represented by two categories of abilities grouped by their functions: ‐ The category of jnanendriyas is represente represented d by 󰁦ive speci󰁦ic knowing (per‐ ceiving) capacities of the empirical subject, ‐ The category of karmendriyas is represented by 󰁦ive speci󰁦ic capacities of  action (ways of ful󰁦ilment/actualization). The karmendriyas and the jnanendriyas not only interact but also share similarities in their functional organization: ‐ The jnanendriyas begin with splitting the integral phenomena of the sur‐ rounding world into elementary components to build an internal picture of the ex‐ ex‐ ternal environment from them, ‐ The karmendriyas karmendriyas 󰁦irst build a mental image of upcoming activities, and then put the generated plan into action, using physical organs (the hands, the speech).

The jnanendriyas The jnanendriyas are the 󰁦ive types of sensory knowledge: hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell. At the body level, they are represented by 󰁦ive corresponding organs of sensory perception: the ears, the body/skin, the eyes, the tongue, and the nose. The jnanendriyas are the product of ahamkara that speci󰁦ies the sphere available to a certain kind of sensory perception in such a way that no other ways available of perception are possible for it (it is impossible impos sible to see with one’s ears or smell smel l with one’s eyes, etc.).

 न  31. Shrotra — ‘na’ ‘Shrotra’ – the ear, ear, the hearing ((the the ability abilit y to hear hear,, the power of hearing hearing). ). According to the ancient Indian religious and philosophical tradition, above all to the Vedic tradition, the divine knowledge can be rev revealed ealed to sages also through hearing: the

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric Vedas belong to the shruti ttradition radition – the divine revelation, as opposed to the smriti smri ti – the knowledge traced back to individual in󰁦luential 󰁦igures. The meanings of the word ‘šruti’ are: listening, the sense of hearing, an ear, ear, something that can be heard (for example, a call), ‘the heard’ (one of the names of the V Vedas). edas). Its main aspect is the voidness generating dive diversity rsity.. Since we cannot per‐ ceivee anything that we cannot think, and thoughts are expressed in words, the abil‐ ceiv ity to perceive sounds is the basis for thinking and hence for the existence of the world for us. Front position:

‐ The ability for the intuitive understanding; good intuition; ‐ The understanding of the true meaning of what was said and of what was not spoken aloud; ‐ The extraction of hidden meanings from what was heard; ‐ The ability to make use of the drawn drawn conclusions to achieve th thee desired results; ‐ The ability to hear oneself, one’s inner voice. Reversed position:

‐ Excessive dependence on authority, the opinions of others and an d the media; ‐ Excessive psycho‐emotional dependence on how exactly something was said: exaggerated attention and reaction to intonations, tempo, intensity of some‐ one’s speech; ‐ Fascination with the beauty of presentation, not the meaning.

ध  32. Twak — ‘dha’ Twak Tw ak represents the power of touch, the ability of tactile perception by the skin re‐ ceptors. Its main aspect is the desire to expand, to pervade and to 󰁦ill: to interact. The most effective and direct way of an immediate interaction is tactile. Its features are also randomness, freedom of movement, isotropy (the characteristics do not  depend on the direction). Front position:

‐ The capacity for development (of business, relationships, art/scienti󰁦ic projects, etc.); ‐ Personal growth;

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‐ Recognition of implicit, non‐apparent trends, both helpful or and imped‐ ing for the achievement of the desired; ‐ The ability to change (places or circumstances, or qualities); ‐ The ability to have a “gut feeling” about any changes (dangerous, unde‐ sirable or pleasant changes); ‐ Expansion in many directions; ‐ The ability to see ‘which way the wind blows’ based on many minor, minor, seem‐ ingly unrelated phenomena: the ability to determine their internal connections and common basis; ‐ The ability to activate the skills of a layered defense, ‘covering up’ from the adverse effects (‘thick skin’), or ‘bare one’s heart’ to something new. Reversed position:

‐ A dangerous passion for something or someone; ‐ The possibility of missing something important or something dangerous in a hurry; ‐ The possibility of an unwa unwanted nted change in one’s life; ‐ A change in one’s attitude to someone or vice versa; ‐ Treason; ‐ Sinking into the chaos of in󰁦inite sensual manifestations and experiences; ‐ The ability to lose one’s ‘centre’ yielding to strong external in󰁦luences; ‐ The risk of getting lost in the in󰁦inity of options; ‐ The risk to be seduced by an unusual but ‘dominant’ trend; ‐ Frustration in one’s powers due to aimlessly wasting one’s attention and energy on a variety of options and activities.

 द 

33. Chakshu — ‘da’ ‘Chakshu’ represents the sight, the eyes, light, radiance. ‘Chaksur‐indriya’ is the power of the eye, vision, the intensity of light, the organ of sight. The Vedic Vedic version of the anci ancient ent Indian lan language guage contains a clear reference to the ancient Indian understanding of the connection between knowledge and vi‐ sion. Knowledge was visual in nature, and the gods (devāþ) associated with light  (div‐/dyu‐ ‘shine’) were considered omniscient. ‘To know’ meant ‘to see the divine truth’. It is re󰁦lected in the expressions ‘to see in the mind’s eye’, to ‘see mentally’. At the same time, for the empirical subject, ‘the eyes’ are the embodiment  of such ‘knowledge’, which, in order to perceive or to know, must take a certain

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar point: consider the expression ‘my point of view.’ The main aspect of chakshu is direction, change, the focus of attention, il‐ lumination, revealing. The most effective and direct way of an immediate direction (shift) of attention is visual. Front position:

‐ The ability to think clearly and to provide a clear response to stressful circumstances; ‐ A clear vision of the situation and oneself in it; ‐ The right choice in dif󰁦icult decisions; ‐ A relationship successfully sorted out; ‐ The ability to change the form/the structure of something (business, per‐ sonal life, diet, lifestyle, etc.) while preserving the essence/the content; ‐ Demonstration of affection; ‐ The ‘burning of bridges.’ Reversed position:

‐ Fascination with form without noticing its 󰁦lawed content; ‐ Being blinded (by an idea or person) and the consequent loss of vigilance; ‐ Closing one’s eyes to something important; a dangerous inaction; ‐ Falling in rage which is harmful to oneself o neself or others; ‐ Uncontrollable bursts of anger or passion; ‐ ‘Burning out’ from something (work, emotions, relationships, ideas); the loss of zest for life; ‐ The possibility of getting burned (literall (literallyy or 󰁦iguratively); ‐ Leaving of something important, essential or de󰁦ining out of account.

थ 

34. Rasana — ‘tha’ ‘Rasana’ is the ability of taste perception, the organ of taste. Its essential aspects are identi󰁦ication, connection/separation (analysis/synthesis). The most effecti effective ve and direct method of identi󰁦ication with an object is eating and digesting it, letting it go through, the assimilation of what is needed and the disposal of what is not  needed. Front position:

‐ Attraction of good luck, success, money, people;

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‐ Attraction of affection, love; ‐ Making of the necessary/desirable relations/contacts; ‐ The use of fortunate circu circumstances; mstances; ‐ The ability to inspire other people with one’s one’ s ideas, personality personalit y, skills, tal‐ ents; ‐ Attraction of people, resources (material, intellectual, human, etc.); ‐ The use of 󰁦lexibility of mind to avoid possible trouble (at work, in per‐ sonal relationships, health) or to avoid emer emerging ging problems, con󰁦licts; ‐ Coincidences in time (favourable circumstances, opportunities, re‐ sources); ‐ Retaining a partner; ‐ Creativity; ‐ Conception; ‐ Deep and diverse emotions; ‐ The opportunity to try something new (literall (literallyy and 󰁦igurativel 󰁦iguratively). y). Reversed position:

‐ The loss of control over solving some important issues; ‐ The possibility of “going adrift” adrift”,, missing opportunities; ‐ Getting into a vortex of uncontrollable events or circumstances; ‐ Attraction of someone unwanted, unpleasant, dangerous, stupid, etc.; ‐ Attraction of unnecessary attention; ‐ Sinking in unresolved problems; ‐ Sinking in unwanted relationships; ‐ ‘Tasting of the forbidden fruit’ and facing the harmful effects.

 त 

35. Ghrana — ‘ta’ ‘Ghrana’ is the organ of smell, the capacity of smelling, the odour sense, the ability of the nose. One of o f the meanings of ‘ghrana’ is ‘muzzl ‘muzzle’ e’,, ‘animal’s face’ that t hat indicates the basic sensory animal ability of smelling. The primary aspects of ghrana are balance and stability. Breath, which re‐ 󰁦lects the aspect of equilibrium (inhalation/exhalation) is the basic life‐sustaining element, the basis of life. Front position:

‐ Preservation Preservation of equilibrium (tr (tranquility) anquility) in stressful situations and under

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar stressful circumstanc circumstances; es; ‐ The use of opportunities, the ability to ‘sense’ the most favourable mo‐ ment for realizing the intended; ‐ The ability to ‘trim the sails s ails to the wind’: to be attentive to changes in life (your own and others’); ‐ The ability to balance the rhythm and the pace of life to avoid possible health‐related health‐rela ted complications; ‐ Elimination of undesirable trends (in personal relationships, at work, etc.); ‐ Neutralization of negativ negativee in󰁦luences; ‐ The ability to have one’s own way (at work, at home, in any creative/sci‐ enti󰁦ic projects); ‐ Stabilization, the ability to annihilate a tense situation or to act success‐ fully in a tense situation (in any area of life). Reversed position:

‐ A ‘crossing of the line’ and destruction of relationships due to stubborn‐ ness and rigidity; ‐ An uncontrollable desire to satisfy one’s animal instincts leading to prob‐ lems related to health or relationships; ‐ The possibility of losing one’s positions positio ns (marital status, professional level, position, respect, the quality of life, etc.) due to the passivity of behavior, laziness, habits; ‐ Getting stuck in some unfavourable situation destructive for one’s per‐ sonality (for example, a con󰁦lict at home or at work, blackmail, degrading behaviour of one’s boss or friend, bullying, etc.), not daring to act from the fear of change.

The karmendriy karmendriyas as The karmendriyas karmendriyas represent the capacity of tthe he empirical to perform determined forms of activity, which is re󰁦lected, in particular, in that only 󰁦ive determined life functions are possible for a limited experiencer. Any form of activity is inextricably linked with motion, regardless of  whether it is the muscular movement of one’s hands when writing or working, or the movement of the speech organs when pronouncing the words. Thus, ‘karmen‐ driya’ driy a’ is the capacity of the empirical experiencer for certain forms of activity: ‐ The ability to think/speak, to create (generate, bring forth); ‐ The ability to move, change places, expand, increase, grow; ‐ The ability to change, transform, metamorphose; ‐ The ability for connection, attraction, contact;

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‐ The ability to hold, to retain (to maintain posture, thoughts, etc.). At the body level, each form of activity corresponds to the physical organ that represents it most appropriately: the mouth, the hands, the feet, the sexual or‐ gans and the excretory organs. However, if the physical organ is out of order or miss‐ ing, then the corresponding function can be performed by other organs with some loss of ef󰁦iciency (for example, ideas can be presented not only by voice (the mouth), but also by writing (the hands)).

 ण  36. Vach — ‘ṇа’ Vach is the ability to think, to speak; the ability to create, to generate, to give birth; the energy of speech; the power of externalizing the internal; the organ of speech, the mouth. Its main aspect is the voidness generating diversity diversity.. The function of speech is basic for the ability of thinking, and hence for the existence of the world for us. Moreover, it is the ability to bring forth the contents of one’s ‘inner’ experiences (one’s psycho‐emotional state, thoughts, images) into the ‘outside world’ in the form of speech, providing the possibility to exchange in‐ formation with other creatures; the intrument of in󰁦luence and of the creation of  the world ‘external’ to us. The uttered speech is a manifestation of the internal con‐ tent (thought‐forms). The name of any object is a rough expression of the inner mental movement. It gives rise to this movement and expresses it. It gives rise to thinking, and this thinking is the consciousness in the form of mental activity activity.. Such activity can be so intensi󰁦ied that it urges itself to creation. The ability of thinking and speaking is the generating ‘󰁦ield’ out of which any conscious action comes forth; the forming and structuring factor of the ‘exter‐ nal’ activity. activity. In every everyday day life it appears as the point of action, the anticipation (fore‐ casting) of the fruit of this action, actio n, and the motivation (the ideal form of presentation of the results). Anticipation (forecasting) ( forecasting) is the main form of the so‐called advanced re󰁦lection of the reality by the subject. An important feature of anticipation and forecasting foreca sting is their layere layered d structure. It means that they can be realized on qualita‐ tively different levels of complexity, involving absolutely different processes and mechanisms. Front position:

‐ Attraction of any living creature or phenomenon into one’s life; ‐ The in󰁦luence on others through speech (conviction, warning, attraction, etc.);

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar ‐ A signi󰁦icant expansion of one’s capabilities through involving the re‐ sources (knowledge, relationships, relationships, skills, etc.) of other people. Reversed position:

‐ Susceptibility to hypnotic suggestion; ‐ Becoming a victim of deceit, the danger of falling for someone’s someon e’s promises; ‐ Falling under the in󰁦luence of an eloquent personality; ‐ Harm from someone else’s scam.

 ढ  37. Pani — ‘ḍha’ Pani‐indriya is the ability to move, shift, spread, grow, increase; the power of control, direction, in󰁦luence; its organ is the hand. Pani‐indriya is also called ‘vjuhana-indriya’. ‘Vjuhana’ is a type of activity (motion) de󰁦ined by two main characteristics: 1) vrddhi – development, excitement, oscillation, rotation, the desire to spread, to pervade; entropy (the quality of variability/changeability/turning); 2) prasarpana – the freedom of movement in all availa available ble space (the prop‐ erties of movement and activity do not change with the change of direction). The word ‘pani’ can be translated from Sanskrit as ‘hand’; ‘to honour’, ‘to respect’ (to recognize the importance, authority authority,, power power,, in󰁦luence). The latter mean‐ ings have certain parallels with the word “to handle”: to manage, to control, to ma‐ nipulate. The hands are characterized by a large degree of freedom of movement, so that it can adapt to any action. A similar freedom of movement is characteristic characteristic of the legs; however in the normal position (standing upright) the movement of  legs is limited by their support (󰁦loor, earth). Hands can wave, bend, straighten, ro‐ tate, twist, affect the object (handle it). Pani‐indriya is the capacity of activity, based on processuality, develop‐ ment, spreading. It is the type of moveme movement nt the essence of which is a chain of suc‐ cessive changes (a continuous stream of sequentially successive states, points). Its essential basis is the self‐reproduction of this continuous sequence of states in the adjacent points of space. The main aspects of pani‐indriya are: contact (of adjacent points, condi‐ tions: stream, wave, excitement, spinning, oscillation); interaction (of the entities involved in contact); motion as a sequential change; activity; movement, progres‐ sion, pervasion, development; the urge to expand, to pervade, to 󰁦ill the space; the freedom of movement, movement, independenc independencee of the nature of action from from its direction.

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Front position:

‐ Progress (in business, career, social status, etc.); ‐ Expansion of in󰁦luence; ‐ Active development development of relation relationships ships (interperso (interpersonal, nal, business, creative re‐ lationships, etc.); ‐ Relocation, change of residence; ‐ Recurrence Recurrence of a successful experience on a higher stage of development; ‐ The obtaining of a leadership position (status). (st atus). Reversed position:

‐ Repetition of errors; ‐ Causeless anxiety; ‐ The pressure of the enemies (rivals, competitors, haters, etc.); ‐ Someone is trying to bend your willpower, to break your con󰁦idence; ‐ ‘Walking in circles’, obsessive rumination about a problem; ‐ Someone is “pulling your leg”.

 ड  38. Pada — ‘ḍa’ Pada‐indriya Pada‐indri ya is the capacity for sudden change, conversion, transform transformation, ation, impul‐ sivity, the power of motivation. The word ‘pada’ can be translated from Sanskrit as ‘power’, ‘might’, ‘pres‐ sure’,, ‘root of a mountain’; ‘sole’ sure’ ‘sole’,, ‘foo ‘foot’ t’,, ‘s ‘step’ tep’, ‘st ‘stage’ age’,, ‘ho ‘hoof of’’, ‘se ‘sense’ nse’.. Pada‐indriya is the ability of the empirical consciousness for ‘explosive’ spasmodic manifestations, which, in fact, represent the kind of motion which entails a non‐linear change of the properties of phenomenal existence. A sharp change in energy levels can be accompanied by luminescence, which is a feature of 󰁦ire. The corresponding part of body is the leg. Of all the parts of the body, the legs are the most powerful. For orthograde creatures, any movement movement of the t he legs will be ‘upward’ from the upright position (standing on feet). Front position:

‐ A motivating and stimulating change; ‐ Three types of motivation: motivation: for thinking, speech and action; ‐ A scienti󰁦ic or creative breakthrough; ‐ An expansive, powerful ‘upward’ motion;

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar ‐ Power, Power, pres pressure; sure; ‐ Suddenness of action; ‐ ‘Acceleration ‘Acceleration from zero’; ‐ Inspiration (‘grasp’ of sense); ‐ Ecstatic states of consciousness and behaviour (radiance, burning). Possible negative effects:

‐ Sharp sudden changes in life; ‐ Sudden attacks; ‐ Crack, break, rift (of a relationship, health, con󰁦idence, etc.); ‐ Explosion, 󰁦lash (con󰁦licts, quarrels, accidents, etc.); ‐ Burning, radiance, 󰁦ire (internal or external).

 ठ  39. Upastha — ‘ṭha’ Upastha‐indriya is the binding capacity (the ability to constrict, const rict, to compress, to con‐ nect); the strength of interaction, tension, the driving force, force, attraction; the organ of  sex. ‘Upastha‐indriya’ is also called ‘samgraha‐indriya’. The word ‘samgraha’ can be translated from f rom Sanskri Sanskritt as ‘‘connectio connection’ n’, ‘wedding ‘wedding’’, ‘gatheri ‘gathering’ ng’,, ‘cohesi ‘cohesion’ on’. The word ‘upas’ can be translated as ‘near’, ‘inclination’, ‘tilt’, ‘holder’. The property that de󰁦ines this type of activity is the compressive (cohesive) downward movement. It is di‐ rected ‘downward’ because the result of the connection (cohesion) is densi󰁦ication/increase/weighting. For example: magnetic coupling, muscle spasms, the pursuit of an ideal, etc. Front position:

‐ The ability to 󰁦ind the general idea, to unite, to ‘link’; ‐ The ability to interact, communicate (sex, gestures, nonverbal communi‐ cation, speech); ‐ The ability to inspire; ‐ Attraction, affection, magnetism; ‐ The ability to reduce, compress (distance, period, difference); difference); ‐ Union, wedding; ‐ Partnership agreement; ‐ Reconciliation. Reversed position:

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‐ Problems due to excessive passion (for something or someone); ‐ Condensation of troubles; danger; ‐ An unwanted union; ‐ The need to go begging (to bribe, to stoop, to humble your ambitions, etc.); ‐ Diseases associated with heavy emotions.

 ट  40. Payu — ‘ṭa’ Payu‐indriya is the ability to capture, to identify, to support, to maintain balance; the power of isolation, stabilization, separation/excretion; its bodily organ is the anus. ‘Payu‐indriya’ is also called ‘dhrti‐indriya’. The word ‘dhrti’ can be translated from Sanskrit as ‘determination’, ‘fortitude’, ‘󰁦irmness’. The word ‘payu’ can be trans‐ lated as ‘defense’, ‘battle axe’, ‘cutting off’, ‘separation’. Front position:

‐ The ability to 󰁦ixate, to stabilize, to balance; ‐ The ability to de󰁦ine; ‐ The ability to maintain balance, stability, steadiness (the actions aimed at the maintenance of postures, thoughts, etc.); ‐ The ability of segregation, separation (excretion); ‐ The power of maintenance, preservation; ‐ An appropriate conserv conservatism; atism; ‐ The separation of the unnecessary and disturbing; ‐ A successful defense of territory (physica (physicall and spiritual). Reversed position:

‐ Confrontation with hard resistance; ‐ Being stuck between several unfavourable choices; ‐ The probability of staying alone, ‘overboard’ ‘overboard’;; ‐ The risk of cutting off something valuable, important; ‐ Taking the ‘wrong’ side, supporting someone who should not be sup‐ ported.

The tanmatras The tanmatras are 󰁦ive objective spaces of sensory perception corresponding to the jnanendriyas, jnanendriy as, which are formed by all possible objects of perception.

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar The word ‘tanmatra’ is composed of two parts: ‐ ‘Regulation’ (‘matra’, measure, de󰁦inition); region, country, limit, horizon, subject, theme, topic, question, problem, sphere of activity; ‐ ‘It/this’ (tad or tat – a neuter pronoun ‘this/that/something/it’, object, thing, the phenomenon of de󰁦inition). Literally, tanmatra is ‘the measure or the de󰁦inition of this/it’. The tanmatras represent represent the de󰁦inition, identi󰁦icat identi󰁦ication, ion, projection of certain energy con󰁦igurations from the common space of the primal consciousness; the manifestation of the ‘ideal limits’ de󰁦ining the spheres of experience for certain types of perception and knowledge available for the empirical consciousness. A tanmatra is an ideal measurement or identi󰁦ication of properties (char‐ acteristics, outlines, signs), based on the totality of which the empirical conscious‐ ness identi󰁦ies or recognizes a certain phenomenon or an object (‘this’) as referring to the corresponding channel of perception (eye, ear, etc.). To be recognizable and predictable, an object or phenomenon has to be measured somehow. For example: ‘this is sound’; ‘this is taste’, etc. The 󰁦ive tanmatras are usually denoted by the names of the qualities perceivable by the senses: the audible, or sound (shabda), the tan‐ gible (sparsha), the visible (rupa, with the double value of shape and colour), the taste (rasa), and the smell ( gandha). But these qualities can be considered cons idered here onl onlyy as some kind of principles, in their potential state, as they can be manifested on the sensory level only through the bhutas. The ratio of the tanmatras and the bhutas is, to some extent, similar to the ratio of ‘essence’ and ‘substance’, so the tanmatras can be reasonably called ‘the essences of the elements’. The tanmatras cannot become objects of empirical perception (they cannot  be perceived by the usual eye, the ear, etc.), because the empirical perception as such is conditioned by them. So the tanmatras are considere considered d separately from both the indriyas and the mahabhutas through which they are manifested. The tanmatras correspond to the level of consciousness where percep‐ tion/knowledge (comprehension) are carried out directl directlyy (intuitively), without in‐ volving the mental sphere; therefore they are considered separately from the manas. Being independent from the process of thinking, they can be invol involved ved in it  in various descriptions, classi󰁦ications, etc. The connecting ability of the tanmatras is expressed in that they mutually connect the subject of sensory experience with the objects within the range of its perception: ‐ On the one hand, by singling out certain ‘outlines’ of energies from the initial/single/indivisible, they determine determine the fundamental possibility of the emer‐ gence of perceptions of different types (or scopes); ‐ On the other hand, the principles principl es presented by the tanmatras are realized (implemented, carried out) with the help of the mahabhutas (similar to the sound,

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which needs space for its manifestation).

 ञ  41. Shabda — ‘ña’ ‘Shabda’’ is the audible, the sound, word, name, speech; the cognitive dimension of  ‘Shabda ‘the audible/utterance’. It is the connection between the ability to hear (to recognize sounds, speech) with the articulated (manifested) sound shapes. Para‐shabda, the cosmic tension present in the primary space of spandashakti, produces shabda-tanmatra that turns into akasha-bhuta, then into vayu and the other mahabhutas. Front position:

‐ Favourable conditions for the realization of any plan; ‐ The bene󰁦it of re󰁦lection or the rethinking of something; ‐ Success in studying, s tudying, teaching; ‐ Favourable conditions for planning; ‐ Success in exerting in󰁦luence by speech or writing. Reversed position:

‐ Susceptibility to suggestion, hypnosis, curses, slander; ‐ The possibility of unwanted effects from something said in the wrong way or in the wrong place.

 झ  42. Sparsha – ‘jha’ ‘Sparsha’ is the tangible, the contact, the feeling of perception. It is what allows to touch, to feel the surface, to lay hands on (something), to hold, to take. The space of the t he reality of ‘the tangible’, or the cognitive dimension of ‘the tangible’. Front position:

‐ Guidance; ‐ Active efforts; ‐ Favourable conditions for an active search; ‐ Internal and external changes;

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ Success under the condition of active expansion and self‐expression; ‐ The bene󰁦it from stepping over the usual boundaries; ‐ Successful innovations. Reversed position:

‐ The possibility of 󰁦ights; ‐ Dispersion of powers; ‐ Exposure to aggressiv aggressivee external in󰁦luences.

 ज  43. Rupa — ‘ja’ The term ‘rupa’ has a variety of dictionary meanings: the visible, image, form; ap‐ pearance,, look; beauty; nature, manner; play; drama; looking like something; con‐ pearance sisting of. It is the cognitive dimension of the ‘visible’ ‘visible’.. It represents the reality, reality, the ‘ideal’ boundaries of which specify the scope of the experiences available for the perception of ‘chaksur‐indriyas’; the space of  the reality of ‘the visible’ belonging to the sphere of in󰁦luence (action) of ‘chaksur‐ indriyas’ indriy as’ and formed by all possible objects, the properties of which belong to the ‘visible range’ of perception. Front position:

‐ Revision of some reality or tendency; ‐ Determining the focus of one’s efforts; ‐ Favourable conditions for manifesting (demonstrating) feelings, emo‐ tions; ‐ Favourable Favourable conditions for manifesting spontaneous aspirations, passions, pas sions, intentions; ‐ Manifestation of desirable forms of existence (family, work, health, etc.); ‐ Denial of something for the greater good; ‐ Clari󰁦ication of the connections between a certain phenomenon in the person’s life (family, work, health, etc.) and themselves; ‐ Success through remembering something or forgetting something. Reversed position:

‐ Dramatic situations; ‐ Being blinded by temptations; ‐ Falling for illusions;

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‐ The loss of meaning in the pursuit of a visible form; ‐ Contrast, brightness, colour colour,, illumination; ‐ Problems related with highlighting/dimming; formation or smearing of  boundaries; ‐ Clari󰁦ication/clouding, identi󰁦ication/blurring etc.

 छ  44. Rasa – ‘cha’ ‘Rasa’ (rasa) is a polysemous word; its meanings include: the taste, the tasted, sap (of a plant), syrup, liquid, core, essence, entity, mercury mercury, a dose (of medicine), a sip of poison, 󰁦lavour, 󰁦lavour, tongue (as the organ of taste), emotion, enthusiasm, delight, poetic experience, religious feeling, revelation, and aesthetic pleasure. Rasa represents represents the sspace pace of the reality or the cognitive dimension of ‘the tasted’. Front position:

‐ A union of opposites; ‐ Trying of something new; ‐ Flexibility in communications; ‐ The change of form of expression in the given direction; ‐ A free 󰁦low of events; ‐ Emotional impulses; ‐ Ecstatic experiences; ‐ Poetic, romantic tendencies. Reversed position:

‐ Excessi Excessive ve sensibility sensibility,, emotionality; ‐ Satiety; ‐ The loss of meaning; ‐ Drug addiction, alcohol abuse, etc.

 च  45. Gandha – ‘ca’ ‘Gandha’ – the smelled; odour, aroma, fragrance. The cognitive dimension of the smelled.

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar Front position:

‐ Good luck in any confrontation or defence; ‐ Keeping (holding) of something; ‐ Steadiness in the face of trials; ‐ Bringing of order into any area; ‐ Favourable conditions for waiting; ‐ Success through resoluteness, persistence, in󰁦lexibility, in󰁦lexibility, steadiness; ‐ Favourable Favourable conditions for systematization of something. Reversed position:

‐ Undesirable consequences of stagnation, passivity; ‐ Losses resulting from the resistance to changes; ‐ Undesirable consequences of ultimatism and rigidity.

The Mahabhutas The Mahabhutas are the categories of being; the forms of existence (representa‐ tions) of phenomena. They re󰁦lect the constitutive contents of the 󰁦inite being, fun‐ damentally outlining it (separating it from other contents of being). The category of being is a verbal concept (derived from the verb ‘to be’). What does it mean – to be? To be is to exist. The concept of being can be synony‐ mous with such concepts as reality, world, existence. Being embraces everything really existing in nature, society so ciety,, the mind. Thus, th thee category of being is a very gen gen‐‐ eral concept that unites a variety of items, phenomena, states, processes by the com‐ mon feature of existence. The 󰁦ive mahabhutas (󰁦ive fundamental categories of life, 󰁦ive states of mat‐ ter) are called great as they are carriers of their own entity, and at the same time of  the derivative (secondary) forms of matter. They are great because they are the basis of all manifested matter matter,, connecting together all the diversity of physical phe‐ nomena that exist in the space of being and consciousness as the totality of earth, water, 󰁦ire and air, which express their way of action.

 ङ  46. Akasha — ‘ṅa’ ‘Akasha’ means the empty space (an open 󰁦ield for manifestations) devoid of char‐ acteristics, the vacuum. vacuum. It is tthe he basis and source of all manifestations. The perceived space is interrelated with the concept of the perceived ob‐

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ject, taking part in the conventional dichotomy between existence and non‐exis‐ tence. Objects exist in perception, but the physical space is ‘nothingness’, ‘non‐ex‐ istence’. However, from the perspective of common sense it obviously exists, even if there are no objects. The reverse is not true since the objects depend on the pres‐ ence of space. Moreover, ‘space’ is essential for the perception of presence and ab‐ sence to be possible at all. Front position:

‐ The potential and the t he foundation (but not tthe he realization) of any project  based solely on the person’s own resourc resources; es; ‐ Planning; ‐ Meditation and contemplation; ‐ Concentration, thinking; ‐ Detachment from worldly concerns. Reversed position:

‐ Failures Failures in enterprises (when the element of ether is dominant, it is better not to undertake anything except for spiritual advancement; advancement; during this time, it is recommended recommend ed to practice yoga, because all other actions will not give the desired result).

 घ  47. Vayu — ‘gha’ ‘Vayu’ is translated from Sanskrit as ‘wind’. In this case, this concept symbolizes air, gas. Its main characteristics are: the desire to 󰁦ill all available space, the tendency to spread; the desire to expand, to increase (volume or quantity); growth; random‐ ness, freedom of movement; isotropy (the independence of the characteristics from the direction). Front position:

‐ Accumulation (of information, money money,, connections, etc.); ‐ Progress (career, creative, intellectual, sales growth, etc.); ‐ Spread (expansion) of in󰁦luence; ‐ Enrichment; ‐ Freedom (of movement, decisions, contacts); ‐ Active easy communication; ‐ Using of harmful and dangerous trends against one’s enemies (rivals,

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar competitors, ill‐wishers etc.). Reversed position:

‐ Fickleness, in󰁦idelity; ‐ Dependence on a stronger personality; ‐ Being subordinate; ‐Betrayal, ‐Betra yal, loneliness; ‐ Inclination to destruction of any kind (in particular particular,, destruction of prop‐ erty, relationships, health).

 ग  48. Agni — ‘ga’ Agni is 󰁦ire, plasma. The main characteristics of agni are spontaneity, sudenness and at the same time 󰁦lexibility; the ability to dissolve, to absorb; chaotic manifes‐ tations and at the same time the t he ability to take a changing form; the ability to glow (due to the transition from a higher energy state to lower energy state). Front position:

‐ Conversion, transformation of energy states of any kind (the resources can be external or internal); ‐ Combustion or burning of the established forms, trends (internal or ex‐ ternal); ‐ Destruction of obstacles; ‐ A spontaneous manifestation of the desired form; an unexpected, unexpected, uncon‐ ditional result (external or internal); ‐ Time‐consuming actions; ‐ Activation of creativity; ‐ Clarity of thinking and new ideas. Reversed position:

‐ The state of instability, ‘anxiety’ which can be caused by both external and internal factors (the ‘internal’ state can be recognized as tension, anxiety, excite‐ ment, premonition, emotional lability, instability of consciousness, intellectual ac‐ tivity, lack of concentration; the ‘external’ condition can be recognized as randomness of manifestations, unpredictability unpredictability,, haphazard activity act ivity,, spontaneity sp ontaneity,, su‐ denness, inconsistency); ‐ Anxiety caused by the variability of external phenomena (objects, ttrends, rends, etc.).

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 ख  49. Jala — ‘kha’ ‘Jala’ means ‘water’; it is the symbol of the liquid state. Its I ts main features are: preser‐ vation of volume but not shape (the shape depends on the conditions); 󰁦luidity that  has two aspects: connectedness (there is no freedom of movement) movement) and inde󰁦inite‐ ness (of position); isotropy (the properties are independent of the direction); the ability to dissolve (to assimilate, to identify, to perceive). Favourable Favour able opportunities:

‐ The changes (internal or external) happening in some predetermined di‐ rection: these changes can be positive if the t he ‘direction ‘direction’’ is set by the person (by their own needs, conditions, limits, properties); ‐ An immediate, however inconstant, result; ‐ Temporary and changeable activities. Reversed position:

‐ The changes (internal or external) happening in a predetermined direc‐ direc‐ tion: these changes can be negative if the direction is set by the external forces (cir‐ cumstances, personality, in󰁦luence); ‐ The state of dependence on the ‘external’ or ‘internal’ factors, trends, con‐ ditions, properties.

 क  50. Prithvi — ‘ka’ The literal meaning of ‘prithvi’ in Sanskrit is ‘earth’; it expresses solidity solidity.. The main characteristics characte ristics of prithvi are: completeness, 󰁦inality 󰁦inality,, structure, stability stability,, steadiness, motionless, wholeness, preservation of volume and shape (the size, form and the weight don’t depend on the conditions); unchangeability (the most stable state of  a solid body is crystalline). Front position:

‐ A sustainable internal (psycho‐emotional, mental, etc.) and external sta‐ bility (physical, economic; stability in the sphere of relationships, home, work, re‐ alization of plans, materialization of ideas, completion of projects, plans); ‐ The state of rest; ‐ Financial well‐being, prosperity;

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ Reliability, solidity; ‐ The adherence to traditions, dogmas, customs; it is recommended to per‐ form stable, routine work. Reversed position:

‐ Narrow Narrow‐mindedness; ‐mindedness; ‐ The rigidity of reactions or actions; ‐ Financial stagnation; ‐ Hopelessness; ‐ ‘Dead‐end’ circumstances or relationships; ‐ An ending, a completion (of one’s activities, life, progress); progress); ‐ A break (of agreements, relationships, connections).

 AN EXAMPLE OF MANTIC MATRIKA MATRIKA IN ACTION Now let us sum up all the above with an example of learning about the future using the ‘mandala of 9 yamalas’ yamalas’.. We’ll provide a very concise in interpretation terpretation of this layout, elaborating upon the interpretation of only some particular aspects for illustrativ illustrativee purposes. Let us lay out the nine phonemes of the mandala in the following order: the centre, East, Southeast, South, Southwest, West, Northwest, North, Northeast. A rectangle is formed. Assume that the phonemes got spread s pread in the following way: Centre – 23: ‘la’ (kāla/kalā) in the front position; East – 32: ‘dha’ (twak) in the front position; Southeast – 26: ‘ma’ (purusha) in the front position; South – 45: ‘ca’ (gandha) in the front position; Southwest – 3: ‘i’ (iccha) in the front position; West – 33: ‘da’ (chakshu (chakshu)) in the front position; Northwest – 49: ‘kha’ (jala) in the reversed position; North – 34: ‘thа’ (rasana) in the reversed position; Northeast – 35: ‘ta’ (ghrana) in the front position.

The introv introverted erted interpretation The centre means the aspects of spirituality and coordination of all spheres. It con‐ tains the phoneme ‘la’ (kāla / kalā) which represents the feeling of 󰁦initude, non‐ eternity, manifested as the impression of sequence (krama), perceived by the empirical subject as the passage of time, the sense of limited possibilities, and the limitation of the absolute power in the aspect of omnipotence. This suggests that  the client hasn’t made much progress in self‐perfection and coordination of all their

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abilities and actions. There is a reason for taking the path of a more intense self‐ improvement improv ement and self‐knowledge. The phoneme ‘la’ in the front position suggests that this is a good time for three spiritual acts. The 󰁦irst of o f them is to cut off every‐ thing unnecessary, unnecessary, interfering, distracting, super󰁦icial, useless and hopeless in this person’s spiritual life. Second, the client should come to the understanding of his own nature, the purpose of his spiritual path, the speci󰁦ics of the best spiritual path for him, to clear his mind from confusion. Third, the time has come to 󰁦igure out the main problem in his spiritual development, the root cause of the stagnation of the process of his dei󰁦ication. All this will help in his spiritual progress and enhance the work of buddhi, ahamkara, manas, hearing, touch, vision, taste, smell; as well as the interaction between between all these eight elements. If the client is suf󰁦iciently advanced, meditations on Kalabhairava Kalabhairava and Kali can be recommended, since they are the deities of power and time (their 󰁦ields of  expertise include categories such as power/energy and time), and the phoneme ‘la’ represents the factor limiting the expressions of omnipotence and the absolute

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar power. With time, such meditations will harmonize the person’s activities and in‐ crease his energy resources. The East corresponds to buddhi. Buddhi is the potential of the limited sub‐ ject to the perception (knowledge) of itself and the world of objects. The presence of the phoneme ‘dha’ (twak) whose main aspect is the desire to expand, to pervade, to 󰁦ill, that is, to interact similarly to the tactile perception (touch), suggests that  the client will succeed in understanding the ways of personal growth, progress in business, relationships, creative/resear creative/research ch projects, in seeing the bene󰁦its or harm of any life changes, and cognitive expansion in all directions. The Southeast refers to ahamkara (ego). The presence of the phoneme ‘ma’ (purusha) in the front position (and this phoneme refers to the principle of limited experiencing) experienc ing) suggests that the client adheres to an ordinary samsaric self‐percep‐ tion and worldview, which does not prevent him to improve the quality and har‐ mony of his life, recalling his divine origins: that is, to actualize within himself tthe he initially unlimited cognitive capacities that transcend the dichotomous subject‐ob‐ ject relations. For this, the client should engage all the total resources of his mind and psyche; to use the support of the supra‐personal protective powers and re‐ sources beyond the usual determinacy of most types and forms of human behaviour. The South refers to manas. Manas is the ability to think in a subject‐object  wayy. The functions of manas are attention, perception of the wa t he ‘external’ data of sen‐ sory experience, associative process, formation of concepts and judgments (about  things and their relations) on the basis of logical thinking. The presence of the phoneme ‘ca’ ‘ca’ (gandha/smell) in the front position in this t his area means the following: there comes a favourable time in the client’s life to restore order in their conscious‐ ness, feelings, emotions; to set priorities; to deal with their life attitudes that can be conscious or unconscious, useful or disturbing. The Southwest means hearing and ether. The phoneme ‘i’ – ‘iccha’ (the ab‐ solute power, power, transcendental will) placed in this area indicates the presence of the broadest range of opportunities in the client’s life at this moment, related to the use of information resources (obtaining of important information; distribution, transfer or sale of information; manipulations with the available information; in‐ 󰁦luence through information, etc.); and also related to creativity: especially those forms of creativity that are associated with the auditory sphere (music, audio broad‐ casting channels, the art of speech, etc.). The position of the phoneme in this part  of the mandala also indicates that the client will be able to keep his secrets undis‐ closed. The West represents the sense of touch and air; the phoneme ‘da’ (chakshu) is in the front position in this layout. This phoneme symbolizes the eyes, sight, vi‐ sion, light. The client will be able to clearly see everything that he may come in con‐ tact with in any direction of their activity, which will help him to determine what 

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V: The Mantic Matrika he should turn to in the future, and what is better not to touch. The decisions taken in this context will be correct and reasonable. It will allow the client, client , while keeping the most valuable things in him unchanged, to improve and modify everything else. The Northwest represents vision and 󰁦ire. In this thi s layout, the phoneme ‘kha’ (jala) is placed in that area in the rev reversed ersed position. This phoneme symbolizes liq‐ uid, water. Water is placed in the 󰁦ire sector, which generates steam, weakens the 󰁦ire and, together with it, the vision of the t he situation. This shows the possibility that  someone will try to harm the client, ‘throwing dust in his eyes’, taking pro󰁦it from the situation in his life. The ‘steam’ in this case is an attempt to attract attention with idiotic behaviour, showing off, ‘blowing hot air’, or with inappropriate foolish extravagance. This ‘steam’ makes one swell in all directions; the steam hisses, the 󰁦ire cracks. cracks. Judging by this layout, nothing good comes of it since the client is highly likely to 󰁦ind that ‘this play had a short run’. The North refers to taste and water. In this layout, this position is taken by the phoneme ‘thа’ (rasana) symbolizing eating and digesting, laid out in the re‐ versed position. In fact, this phoneme is positioned in its natural sphere sphere,, but in an irrelevant form. The opportunities for ‘eating’ will be good, however one can ‘eat  the bread of af󰁦liction’ and ‘sup sorrow’. The tasted fruit may turn out to be ‘forbid‐ den’, or the client’s taste may become perverted, or the food will be poisoned. Con‐ sidering the interpretation of the previous phoneme, the client may ‘bite on the bait’, which will bring him to harm. There is a risk to attract someone or something dangerous. As a result, the client can get in serious trouble or in a whirlpool of  events that drag him down into the abyss. There is also a possibility of ‘drowning in problems’, since this is the water sector the power of which is activated by the water phoneme in a negative way. In some cases, the forbidden or poisoned fruit  can be a sexual ‘bait’ followed by blackmail; or the t he lure of some business prospects wheree the business relationships are used to gain the partner’s’ trust and to reveal wher his resources. In such cases, the best way to complete the work is not so much a further elaboration on different interpretations of the number of the layout as a de‐ tailed conversation with the client, clari󰁦ication of certain speci󰁦ics and features, shedding light on the dynamics of the events and revealing the emerging llife ife trends. In some complex, intricate situations a detailed, thorough diagnosics may be the only chance to save the client from serious problems. The Northeast refers to the sense of smell and the earth. This position of  the layout is taken by the phoneme ‘ta’ (ghrana). Ghrana is the sense sen se of smell, scent scent,, odour,, the nos odour nose. e. As well as the previous phoneme (see above – the phoneme ‘thа’), this phoneme is placed in its native sphere. However, the good news is that unlike the previous case, the phoneme ‘ta’ is in the front position. Such compliance of the sector and the phoneme is extremely positive, and predicts great success and pros‐ perity in the respectiv respectivee area. The client can ‘smell’ the pro󰁦it, use the chance, avoid

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar the trouble (not least due to contacting the Abhichara master in time) and sstabilize tabilize the situation. All opportunities and bene󰁦its that provide a good sense of intuition are now within reach; in particular particular,, the opportunities and bene󰁦its related to gaining material values. The situation in the Northeastern section of the layout, as well as the client’s future as a whole, is also clari󰁦ied by analysing the combinations of fea‐ tures of different sectors of the mandala in relation to each other ot her,, mutual in󰁦luences of all the phonemes in all the sectors. In the mantic Matrika, the dif󰁦iculty of interpretation of any phoneme in any sector often vanishes after analyzing the other phonemes and their relation‐ ships with this intractable situation in some particular sector of the layout.

The extroverted interpretation The centre means the aspects of spirituality and coordination of all spheres, the re‐ lationship between man and divinity that manifests itself in the t he form of a pantheon of deities. It includes the phoneme ‘la’ (kāla/kalā) in the front position. In both in‐ troverted and extroverted extroverted interpretations, the cen centre tre has the same meaning. There‐ fore, the interpretation of the central phoneme in both bot h ways is the same. They differ only in the emphasis. The introverted interpretation is focused on the dei󰁦ication of the person through their inner work. In the extrov extroverted erted interpretation, the em‐ phasis is placed on building the right relationships with the deities of the mandala. Kalā is the ability to invoke invoke the feeling of limited possibilities, the restriction of the absolute power in the aspect of omnipotence. The limited possibilities possibilit ies cause a sense of lack (need) in something, which makes the empirical experiencer perform certain actions to ful󰁦il this need. Kāla is the ability to cause the feeling of 󰁦initude, non‐ eternity, manifested as the sense of sequence (krama) perceived by the empirical subject as the passage of time. Kāla is the power that limits the universal state of  eternal being, and therefore is the reason for the separate existence of things that  are being known and cease to be known. Kāla is the cause of temporal order — the past, the present and the future. We can recommend the client to pray to Kalab‐ hairava and Kali for the gift of strength, for harmonization of the client’s life with the 󰁦low of time, and for making their life longer if such s uch a lengthening is desirable. The phoneme ‘la’, ‘la’, placed in the front pos position ition in the centre, cent re, suggests th that at the deities of the centre will help the person to loose the restrictions of kāla and kalā and to strengthen the person’s capacities within these boundaries. However, However, a lot will de‐ pend on the person and on their actions on the spiritual path. We can recommend the client to contact Kali Kal i and Kalabhairava with the request to appease those deities of the mandala, the relationship with whom, judging by the spread of the phonemes, is not perfectly harmonious. To enhance the effect, the client can bring certain of‐ ferings to the deities of the centre, demonstrating respect, good acceptance of these

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V: The Mantic Matrika deities, and the recognition of his natural connection with them. The East represents the world of magic that creates the sphere of life. Asitangabhairava and Nilasarasvati create the drawing according to which some‐ thing appears or disappears. The phoneme ‘dha’ (twak) is located in this sector s ector in the front position; it embodies the power of touch, the ability of tactile perception. This situation is fortunate. Magical powers will favour the client. In fact, they have already begun to do so, providing assistance through the Abhichara master. This luck will help the client to understand the magical laws of the world in the spheres of personal growth, magical transformation, business, all kinds of creative projects, changing their place of residence or travelling. His intuition will grow, as well as the ability to feel the action of divine powers, magical effects, and the presence of  spirits. His level of magic protection from the in󰁦luences of unfriendly spirits, witches and sorcerers will increase. The Southeast represents the world of wild nature, which includes the or‐ ganic sphere and the elements. The phoneme ‘ma’ (purusha) is located in this t his sector in the front position. Purusha is the potential of experiencing, of the perception of  limited experiences; the potential of the expression of the dichotomy between ‘the knower and the knowable’ due to the complete polarization between the subject  and the objects of its perception. What is known by purusha is prakriti (the objec‐ tive world). The phoneme ‘ma’ placed in the Southeastern sector signi󰁦ies the cog‐ nition and experience of the natural world, allowing the person to turn to the natural origins of humanity, and through this to improve their health, to correct the errors of consciousness, to avoid new errors caused by the dissonance between natural needs and intellectual speculations. In fact, the client will come to harmony with the deities of wild nature: with Rurubhairava and Maheshvari. He will be able to feel the single power behind the in󰁦inite diversity of natural phenomena, and thus to engage all the resources of his individual consciousness and psyche, and to use the t he support of the supra‐personal protective powers and resources resources transcending the usual determinacy of most types t ypes and forms of human behaviour. The South refers to the world of war ruled by the god Chandabhairava and the goddess Chandakaumari. The phoneme ‘ca’ (gandha) is placed p laced there in the front  position. Gandha is smell, odour odour,, scent, fragr fragrance. ance. The location of the phoneme ‘ca’ in the Southern sector is very favourable for gaining victory in any confrontation. The deities of this sector give protection and the ability to lie in ambush waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Their strength will bestow the person with a warrior’s 󰁦irmness, steadiness and resilience in battles and trials. All this will allow him to put things right on the territory of his dwelling, to deal with the machinations of  the open enemies, leaving him vulnerable only against the secret enemies. If the client is neither a military nor a criminal, nor an athlete nor a 󰁦ighter 󰁦ighter,, before inter‐

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar preting the phonemes in this sector it will be appropriate to ask in what areas of  his life there may arise such situations which could be described in such terms as ‘battle’, ‘struggle’, ‘󰁦ight’, ‘attack’, and the like. The interpretation of the spread will be clari󰁦ied and speci󰁦ied depending on the answer (a 󰁦ight for division of property, a war with competitors etc.). The Southwest represents the world of rage, repulsion, anger and suffering. The phoneme ‘i’ – ‘iccha’ (absolute power, transcendental will), placed in the front  position, suggests that the deities of wrath and hell, Krodhabhairav Krodhabhairavaa and Vaishnavi (Narakalakshmi), (Naraka lakshmi), will not bother the client in the nearest future. On the contrary contrary,, if  the client wants to do someone harm, make someone suffer, to torture someone or to make someone ill, or if he asks them for help in destroying some massive or nu‐ merous obstacles – they can provide such assistance. Iccha gives an oceanic 󰁦ield of  possibilities. The West West represents the world of intoxication, deception and addiction of  all kinds. The phoneme ‘da’ – ‘chakshu’ (eyes, vision) is in the front position. This means that the deities of delusion and obsession, Unmattabhairava and Mohini (Varahi), (V arahi), are unlikely to bother the cl client ient in tthe he nearest future. On tthe he contrary, contrary, they will help him avoid deceit and get rid of all kinds of destructive addictions, will pro‐ tect against problems by rewarding him with sobriety of mind and clarity of  thoughts. The Northwest represents represents the world of crime and crossing of any kinds of  lines. The phoneme ‘kha’ – ‘jala’ (water) is placed in this sector in the reversed po‐ sition, portending the possibility of an invasion of the criminal world in the client’s life, causing unwanted changes and destruction. The North refers to the worl world d of horror horror,, fear and ter terror ror.. The phon phoneme eme ‘tha’ – ‘rasana’ (the ability to perceive taste) located here in the inverted position por‐ tends the loss of control over the decision of some important issues; getting into a vortex of uncontrollable events or circumstances; attraction of unwanted attention. The phoneme also indicates the possibility of some events frightful for the client in which they will not be able to properly maneuver. The combination with the re‐ versed phoneme ‘kha’ in the Northwest clearly foretells that the client will face crim‐ inal extortionists. The powers standing behind these two reversed phonemes need to be neutralized. This neutralization can occur in two ways: by appeasing the deities, or if the client does the right actions in their life. It is not recommended to try to neutralize the danger by clashing the benevolent deities (in this case, for ex‐ ample, Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi) with the threatening deities. Since all the deities of the mandala are one family, such an attempt is unlikely to be perceived by them as reasonable. This situation shows that the risk is likely associated with crime and extortion. Therefore, Therefore, if the client is unable to pay for the ritual offerings to the deities of the criminal underworld (Kapalabhairava and Chandakapalini) and

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V: The Mantic Matrika the gods of horror and terror (Bhishanabhair (Bhishanabhairava ava and Chamunda), then the appro‐ priate reaction to the situation will be paying for the rituals and offerings appeasing Chandakapalini and Kapalabhairava, as well as doing of the right actions in order to neutralize the danger coming from the terrifying phenomena of the world (Bhis‐ hanabhairava hanabhair ava and Chamunda). A phoneme describing the speci󰁦ics of such actions is taken from the matrika (the deck). In our case, this phoneme turned out to be the reversed ‘ga’ – ‘agni’ (󰁦ire). When talking about 󰁦inding of the remedy, the reversed symbol is interpreted positively; it is also added with the interpretation of the front  position of this phoneme pho neme regardless of the position that it took originally orig inally.. Since agni is located in the Northwest of the mandala, 󰁦irst of all, it con󰁦irms the correctness of the decision to extinguish the fury of the deities of the t he criminal world by rituals and gifts. It is better to sacri󰁦ice a small amount of money than to lose much more. Second conclusion: in the nearest future, the client should s hould behave modestly modestly,, without  attracting attention, staying out of the public eye. It was a positive interpretation of the reversed phoneme. phoneme. Now it is necessary to add the interpretation of the same phoneme in the front position, posit ion, because we are determining the speci󰁦ics of protec‐ tion against the dangers of a certain kind. Such are the rules of the mantic Matrika. ‘Transformation of the states of energy of any kind (the resources can be external ‘Transformation or internal) – which again con󰁦irms the correctness of performing a ritual to ap‐ pease the gods of the criminal world. Burning of established forms and trends (in‐ ternal or external); activation of creativity; clarity of thinking and emergence of  new ideas’: this means that the problems can be the result of the client’s usual be‐ haviour and schedule (for example, knowing the client’s schedule, behavior behavioral al pat‐ terns and habits, someone can ambush and rob him). The way to get rid of the problems in this case is to change the client’s usual schedule and habits, and to renew his life. The Northeast represents the world of death and destruction. The phoneme ‘ta’ – ‘ghrana’ ‘ghrana’ (the sense of smell, the nose) is in the front position. Thus, the ability to ‘smell trouble’ will protect the client from accidents, crashes, derail‐ ments, fractures and death. The client just needs to maintain patience and calm in stressful situations, and to be watchful. The gods of death and destruction, Samharabhairava and Yogeshvari (Shmashanakali) favour the client in the near fu‐ ture. It looks like they will assist him in the elimination of undesirable tendencies in personal relationships or at work. Let us now proceed to the summary of the situation. The total number of  all the 9 phonemes is 280. Zero is not considered a number here, so the summary number is 28 in the t he system of Matrika. It is the number of the phoneme ‘ba’ – bud‐ dhi. Therefore, the main theme of the future is the potential of the limited subject  for perception (knowledge) of itself and of the world of objects. It is time to improve the mechanism of analysis, cognition and perception. To 󰁦igure out the summary

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar number in the system of shodashayamala, we calculate 2 + 8; number 10 corre‐ sponds to Unmattabhairava and Varahi (Mohini). It indicates the freedom of re‐ search in all areas of life, the need to taste the knowledge in all spheres of life, to try oneself in various activities. And this, in turn, gives the freedom from the en‐ thrallment by illusions and from unhealthy addictions; gives creati creative ve intoxication, inspiration, love, ease, freedom; activates protective forces and mechanisms. The situation is so clear that it is hardly necessary to clarify it by using the system of  navagraha. Thus, a brief layout made by an Abhichara master has comprehensively de‐ scribed the dominant trends of the main spheres of the client’s life. ‘Forew ‘Forewarned arned is forearmed’ forearm ed’. With this information, the person knows what they should pay attention to strategically and tactically, what kind of efforts they should make in order to avoid potential problems and to use the fortunate opportunities to the maximum. Appeal‐ ing to folk wisdom, ‘had I known where I would fall I wouldn’t have come to that  place at all’; basically speaking, an Abhichara master gives the client the knowledge about ‘where they can fall, and which cushions are better to soften the fall if they have already come to that place’. Let us move on to the next layout. The customer who ordered it is a Mexi‐ can drug producer. Question: there is some information that the police are on the trail; is that true, and what is the general life situation in this context? Layout: the 9‐sector mandala, ‘9 yamalas – 16 deities’. Interpretation: extroverted. Centre – 12: ‘ai’ (sarasvati) in the front position; East – 49: ‘kha’ (jala) in the rev reversed ersed position; Southeast 17: ‘kṣа’ (kalagni) in the reverse reversed d position; South – 37: ‘Dha’ (pani) in the front position; Southwest 29: ‘pha’ (ahamkara) (ahamkara) in the front position; West – 2: ‘ā’ (ananda kali) in the front position; Northwest – 3: ‘i’ (iccha) in the reversed position; North – 14: ‘o’ (natha) in the front position; Northeast 19: ‘sa’ (sadashiva) in the front position. The centre (Kalabhairava (Kalabhairava and Kali) of the mandala symbolizes the aspects of spir‐ ituality and coordination of all spheres, the relationship between man and divinity that manifests itself in the t he form of a pantheon of deities. Here we have have the phoneme ‘ai’ (Sarasvati) (Sarasvati) in the front position. This phoneme of Matrika is very creative: it is the pure power of divine activity (sphuta kriyashakti). It appears that the go gods ds want  this person to stay engaged in his business: the layout indicates the patronage of  the higher spheres. As the situation takes place in Mexico, it may be the goddess

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Santa Muerte or the spirit of Jesus Malver Malverde. de. If this person was a Bengali, we would be talking about the goddess Kali and the ggod od Kalabhaira Kalabhairava. va. Here are the standard lines of interpretation of this phoneme placed in the front position: ‐ The ability to select the most promising direction from an unlimited 󰁦ield of possibilities: development of business; determination of the scope of the person’s activities and the focus of efforts; ‐ An investment of money or other resources; ‐ A medical examination; ‐ A test; ‐ Identi󰁦ication of strengths and weaknesses (of the client’s own or those of others); the focus on the development of relationships (personal or business ones). The presence of this phoneme in the central sector obviously indicates indi cates that  the customer did very wisely in contacting the Abhichara master: the test of Shri

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric Matrika provides the customer with important information. The unlimited possi‐ bilities for choice have brought brought this person to an opportunity not very common for a Mexican: to get advice from an expert in Indian magic. Overall, it will help this person to choose the right strategy and tactics for their business. The East, the realm of Asitangabhairava Asitangabhai rava and Brahmi, the gods of magic: the phoneme ‘kha’ (jala) in the reversed position. This phoneme is called ‘water’, sym‐ bolizing the liquid state. Its main features are: preserv preservation ation of volume but no nott form (the form depends on the conditions); 󰁦luidity that has two aspects: connectedness (there is no freedom of movement) and inde󰁦initeness (of position); isotropy (the properties are independent of the direction); the ability to dissolve (to assimilate, to identify, to perceive). The standard interpretation of this phoneme in the reversed position goes along these lines: ‐ Changes (internal or external) happening in a predetermined direction: these changes can be negative if the direction is set by external forces (circum‐ stances, personality personality,, in󰁦luence); ‐ The state of dependence on the ‘external’ or ‘internal’ factors, trends, con‐ ditions, properties. Now our task is to synthesize this information with the meaning of the Eastern sector of the mandala and with the client’s personal features. The world of  the de󰁦ining magic in the life of a drug producer producer.. This person begins to experience a negative in󰁦luence of some occult power which is trying to convince him to aban‐ don his religion, his gods. This can be anyone or anything able to in󰁦luence: wife, mother,, a reputable friend, a religious or philosophical book. It is also possible that  mother at the same time, some relative who doesn’t appreciate this person’s business is trying to return him to the path of ‘pure Catholicism’ and makes prayer requests with the help of a Catholic priest. The customer need to appeal to his gods for mys‐ tical‐magical support to neutralize the attempts to infect him with mental and en‐ ergetic viruses that corrupt the pure drug dealer spirit and morally weaken it. The Southeast is the sector of Rurubhairava and Maheshvari, the gods of  the primordial world of wild nature. It is related with family, family, health, household, sus‐ tenance of life. In this sector, Shri Matrika has manifested as the phoneme ‘kṣа’ (Kalagni) in the reversed position. Any position of this phoneme is interpreted pos‐ itively, this is a special phoneme. ‘kṣа’ is the starting point of absorption and the end point of creation. It symbolizes the unity of Shiva and Shakti, as it contains all the phonemes of Devanagari, being a combination of the phonemes ‘ka’ and ‘ṣа’. It  contains the totality of all phenomena that can be thought t hought of (that have the appro‐ priate thought‐form t hought‐form:: ‘nama‐rupa ‘nama‐rupa’). ’). The phoneme ‘ka’ has many meanings. Apart from being ‘the personal name of many gods’, it also means: sun, soul, body, time, joy, fun, water, head. The most important explanation of ‘ka’ is provided by tthe he Sanskrit word ‘naraka ‘naraka’’. Naraka

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V: The Mantic Matrika is hell, the underworld, but this word read as ‘na‐ra‐ka’ can be literally translated as ‘without ‘ka’‘. That is, without exactly the same ‘ka’ the meanings of which are given above, above, and which has no place in a hellish abode. Among other things, it means that not only the soul is absent there but also the head, sun, body, time, gods, etc. The phoneme ‘ṣа’ is the ability of consciousness to make the connection between the perceived perceived object, the thought‐form of this object, and the common idea of both of them (the seed, bija), resting at the level of consciousness that is unable to dis‐ cern, that precedes everything considered to be mutually exclusive, and is the source of all knowable objects. ‘Кṣa’ is the oneness of the essence of the Absolute (anuttara) and the Cre‐ ation (visarga). The state where the original subject directly ‘knows’ its transcen‐ dent essence: prakash prakasha/vimarsha. a/vimarsha. In the deck of Shri Matrika, this phoneme is ‘the Joker’: it can manifest itself  in any way and any form (of powers, conditions, and phenomena); it is the unex‐ pected and the strongest ‘trump card’ used for solving simple tasks and for complex multi‐move combinations alike (grand purposes, global projects, etc.); the maxi‐ mum luck; so to speak, a ‘jackpot’ of opportunities. Rega Regarding rding our client, it  means robust health and the possibility to in󰁦luence his family so that a child would be born, and to stop the attempts atte mpts to in󰁦luence tthis his person in order to make him lose interest in his religion and abandon his gods. At the same time, provided that this card is “the Joker”, Joker”, this person can willingly choose another way: to ruin his health and to weaken his position in the family. The question is, why would he do it? One doesn’t need that. Let us proceed to the South, the realm of the ferocious gods: Chandab‐ hairava and Chandakaumari. In this sector secto r, Matrika has manifested as the t he phoneme ‘dha’ (pani) in the front position. The front position of the phonemes of this type is encouraging. Pani‐indriya is the ability to move, shift, spread, grow, increase; the power of control, direction, in󰁦luence; its organ is the hand. Pani‐indriya is also called ‘vyuhana-indriya’. ‘Vyuhana’ is a type of activity Pani‐indriya (motion) de󰁦ined by two main characteristics: 1) vrddhi – development, excitement, oscillation, rotation, the desire to spread, to pervade; entropy (the quality of variability/changeability/turning); 2) prasarpana – the freedom of movement in all availa available ble space (the prop‐ erties of the movement and activity do not change with the change of direction). The word ‘pani’ can be translated from Sanskrit as ‘hand’; ‘to honour’, ‘to respect’ (to recognize the importance, authority authority,, power power,, in󰁦luence). The latter mean‐ ings have certain parallels with the word “to handle”: to manage, to control, to ma‐ nipulate. The hand is charact characterized erized by a large degree of freedom of movement, so that it can adapt to any action. A similar freedom of movement is characteristic of  the legs; however in the normal position (standing upright) the movement of the

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric legs is limited by their support (󰁦loor, earth). Hands can wave, bend, straighten, ro‐ tate, twist, affect the object (handle it). Pani‐indriya is the capacity of activity, based on processuality, develop‐ ment, spreading. It is the type of moveme movement nt the essence of which is a chain of suc‐ cessive changes (a continuous stream of sequentially successive states, points). Its essential basis is the self‐reproduction of this continuous sequence of states in the adjacent points of space. The main aspects of pani‐indriya are: contact (of adjacent points, condi‐ tions: stream, wave, excitement, spinning, oscillation); interaction (of the entities involved in contact); motion as a sequential change; activity; movement, progres‐ sion, pervasion, development; the urge to expand, to pervade, to 󰁦ill the space; the freedom of movement, movement, independence of th thee nature of action fr from om its direction. Placed in front position, this phoneme is interpreted along these lines: ‐ Progress (in business, career, social status, etc.); ‐ Expansion of in󰁦luence; ‐ An active dev development elopment of relationships (interpersonal, business, cre‐ ative relationships, etc.); ‐ Relocation, change of residence; ‐ Recurrence of a successful experience on a higher stage of development; ‐ Obtaining of a leadership position (status). (st atus). Needless to say say,, everyone understands how important military successes are in the life of the Mexican ma󰁦ia, big and small. For our client, everything will soon be 󰁦ine in this sphere. Let us move on to the Southwestern sector, the realm of the most wrathful gods: Krodhabhairava and Narakalakshmi. In the higher aspect it i t is the world of the 󰁦ierce glow of the great Divinity, in the lower aspect it is the world of hell. Here we havee the phoneme ‘pha’ (Ahamka hav (Ahamkara) ra) in the front position. It becomes clear that the one who will be shot, tortured, cut or sawed alive in the near future, is not our client. He will succeed in doing it himself, together with his people (earning a hellish karma if these guys are weak adepts). If they would want to, of course. Ahamkara is ego. Besides, it is the 󰁦irst letter of the explosive bija ‘phaТ!’ Oh, how it can ignite the party... Everyone Everyone will be on 󰁦ire... Cans of gasoline o orr kerosene appear before my mind’s eye, it smells like on a shmashan. Dear customer, maybe it is not necessary? Maybe the phoneme in this sector is one of those ‘g ‘green reen lights’ which are sometimes better just to be ignored? Let us move on to the Western sector. Unmattabhairava and Varahi‐Mohini: the world of swindlery, swindlery, the madness of love, drugs and alcohol. The world of the ul‐ timate intoxication with the divine wisdom of somasiddhanta. It is hard to remem‐ ber a more favourable phoneme for a drug dealer in this sector. This is luck! This is Ananda Kali – the long ‘A’ sound! Of course it’s necessary to inspect the layout fur‐

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V: The Mantic Matrika ther, not making a hasty conclusion that the ggreat ther, reat shining fortune looms ahead. Al‐ though it’s hard to resist the temptation to do so. What does the long ‘A’ sound mean? Look it up in our book; today I 󰁦ind it a shame to explain such fundamental truths to you – as if we were some muttonheads. Which we are not, and that’s very good. The Northwestern sector of the mandala is the t he transgressive world of spir‐ itual practice and crime: the sphere of in󰁦luence of Kapalabhairav Kapalabhairavaa and Chandaka‐ palini Aindri. Shri Matrika has manifested here as the phoneme ‘I’ (Iccha) in the reversed position. Iccha is one of the phonemes of the ‘baindavi‐kala’ group: it  means luck, fortune, great opportunities. Iccha is swatantrya‐shakti, the absolute power and freedom, the transcendental will. The root ‘icch’ can be de󰁦ined as the primal pulse (pre‐cognitive pulse) prior to any change (action). The pre‐initial pri‐ mal tension (vibration, momentum, charge, potential, capacity) determining the basic possibility of performing any action. The source of any changes. The starting point of a tense equilibrium that precedes any action. The absolute 󰁦ield of possi‐ bilities. The initial potential is realized (actualized) through division, division, tearing one’s own original wholeness (absolute single energy) apart into opposite poles (princi‐ ples) within oneself, thus creating tension between them which is recognized by the empirical subject as the desire or will (for something). During the creation of the phenomenal world, the 󰁦irst impulse of spanda (iccha) breaks the balance of the ‘seed ‘s eed of creation’, creation’, parabindu (the absolute absol ute original identity of Shiva/Shakti), ‘tearing apart’ the unity of the two principles (Shiva and Shakti), at the time of this ‘disruption’ conventionally referred to as ‘the one who pushes’ and ‘the one who is pushed’, being the prototypes of cause and effect. Fig‐ uratively urati vely speaking, at the point of this ‘split’ between the two poles there is formed a dividing line (vector) that includes iccha‐, jnana‐ and kriya‐shakti. This line be‐ comes the force separating subject and object, the ‘I’ and the ‘not‐I’ ‘not‐I’,, being the pro‐ totype and the root cause of any separation that will subsequently occur after the complete polarization between the absolute subject and absolute object, Shiva and Shakti, between ‘I’ and ‘It’. So, our client is favour favoured ed by the gods of the criminal world. Iccha gives an absolute 󰁦ield of possibilities for any venture in the sphere of crime. This is the per‐ fect potential of creativity (changes, transformations, acts, deeds). Ya Yay! y! It calls for a celebration. Camarero, Camarero, pour us two margaritas with lemon and lime! The Northern sector is harsh and terrible: Bhishanabhairava and Has‐ tichamunda rule the world of horror and terror. The phoneme ‘o’ (Natha) is in the front position in this area. The phoneme ‘o’ is a more de󰁦inite power of activity (sphutatara kriyashakti). It is the third step of the external manifestation: the knowl‐ edge of something accompanied by an idea denoted by a certain word related to a

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric certain image in our consciousness, which becomes an integral part of such knowl‐ edge. The knowledge of this type, shedding light on the name and the form of the object, is called samkhyanam. In this case the term is interpreted as ‘samyak khyanam’ – ‘to make something clearly known’. known’. This is savikalpa‐knowledge, s avikalpa‐knowledge, where the law of apohana (separation) is applied. According to T Tantraloka: antraloka: ‘Know ‘Knowing ing something through savikalpa‐knowledge savikalpa‐knowledge is called samkhyana samkhyanam, m, as it considers an object as distinctly different from another similar object’. The front position of this phoneme is interpreted in terpreted in the following contexts: ‐ Success associated with mental, intellectual activity; ‐ Any forms of studying; st udying; ‐ Clarity and coherence of consciousness (there are no discrepancies in the triad of ‘I think’ ‐ “I say” ‐ ‘I do’), leading to effective, successful successful actions; ‐ The potency to manifest the desired of any kind in one’s life: relationships; success; material or non‐material prosperity prosperity,, etc. Let us relate this information to the meaning of the sector of the mandala and the speci󰁦ics of life of our respected customer. It is not he who will be afraid: he will be afraid of. And he will make pro󰁦it of it, for the good of his family. The last sector, sector, the Northeast, is the realm of death, dissolution, liberation: the world where death and life are connected, the world of higher radical teachings. It is under the control of Samharabhairava and Shmashanakali. Here we have the phoneme ‘sa’ (Sadashiva) (Sadashiva) in the front position. I look at this all, and I feel a sponta‐ neous desire to ask the distinguished don to enter his business to our mutual ad‐ vantage. The fact is that this client’s layout is extremely good. I have even revised my conclusions on his opportunities in the Southwestern sector. Maybe it should be the other way: it is necessary to cut and burn to achieve success and to enter a new,, higher level of busin new business. ess. We will clarify the si situation tuation llater ater,, interpreting the nu‐ merical value of the layout. ‘Sa’ is Sadashiva‐pramata (‘sat’ – being, existence, vi‐ marsha; the 16 aspects of the moon). Everything that exists (sat ) is represented by the phoneme ‘sa’: that is, ‘sa’ represents the totality of the phenomena that can be known. It symbolizes the 31 tattvas from prithvi to maya, pervading three areas: Prithvi, Prakriti, Maya.

The capacity for the creation of the world. The 󰁦irst step of the external manifestation. Para‐vach, expressing the will to creation of the world, becomes pashyanti – vach. ‘Pashyanti’ comes from the root ‘ drish’ (to see, to watch), as it is the direct integral experience prior to the distinction between subjectivity and ob‐ jectivity, between the internal and the external. The beginning of Maya. For the sakala (the empirical subject), this is the state of sushupti (dream‐ less sleep). The feelings of ‘the presence of the subject’ and ‘the presence of the ob‐ ject’ appear in the course of further development. In this case, the visible, self‐evident nature of the experience represents the process of knowing, since self‐

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V: The Mantic Matrika illumination is the only 󰁦ield of knowledge here. Since self‐awareness self‐awareness is primary to all kinds of knowing, everything knowable is represe represented nted here. The nature of the phoneme ‘sa’ is the supreme bliss containing the entire multitude of other forms. The front position of this phoneme is interpreted along these lines: ‐ Experiments (business, creativ creative, e, sexual, etc.); ‐ New activities, rearrangement, moving to another place; ‐ Winning a lottery or in gambling; ‐ Success in all kinds of adventures, risky enterprises, wagers. All in all, he won’t be killed, everything will happen an another other way way.. The client  will yet ‘cross our palm with silver’. We’ll dismiss ‘sexual experiments’, this is out of our context. Winning the lottery is also off the subject. Leave everything else and add what we know about  the client’s life. I won’t describe it here as such things are discussed in a private, con󰁦idential setting. It’s time to move on to the clarifying conclusion. Let’s calculate the sum of the layout card numbers. The sum is 182. Shri Matrika is manifested as 50 phonemes, which speci󰁦ies the manipulations with numbers. 1+8+2=11. This means that the layout can be clari󰁦ied in the systems of Matrika and Shodashya‐ mala. In Matrika, number 11 is the number of Virabhadra: the phoneme ‘e’. The phoneme ‘e’ is an indistinct power of activity (asphuta kriyashakti). It is the initial stage of expression of the ability to create the perception of differ difference ence between ‘I’ as the subject and ‘This’ as the object. It is manifested as ‘kshepa’ (throwing). Ev‐ erything – in essence and in reality – is the pure absolute ‘I’‐consciousness, as this consciousness contains everything in the form of divine power. power. It means that it  has the ability to appear in the t he form of all phenomena, and to manifest some of  the phenomena externally as something different from it at its free will. Such a seeming difference difference of these phenomena is known in Shaivism as kshepa, which means ‘throwing away away,, cast casting’ ing’.. It appears that everything that includes the absolute consciousness throws a phenomenon out of itself, eternally shining as the almighty, almighty, in󰁦inite ‘I‐conscious‐ ness’. It manifests phenomena outwards in the state and in the form of ‘This.’ Thus, they are as if thrown out of the ‘I’ and an d put in the position posi tion of ‘This ‘This’’, or objectivit objectivityy. The phoneme ‘e’ is known as homakunda for two reasons. Its form resembles a sacri󰁦icial wooden spoon together with a triangle 󰁦ireplace for tantric 󰁦ire sacri󰁦ices. Also, it is the 󰁦iery energy of the triangle formed by three goddesses and their manifestations (iccha, jnana and kriya). The 󰁦laming patterns of self‐manifestation of divinity are bursting out from the triangular brazier (homakunda). Though the 󰁦lames are lick‐ ing out beyond the 󰁦iery brazier, they do not break contact with the epicentre of the

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric

󰁦ire, being its tentacles. The phoneme ‘e’, also known as ‘Virabhadra’ – the ‘great  hero’, is a part of the great bija of Mahakali. In our case, the front position is interprete interpreted d in the following directions: ‐ The maximum potency of personal power (ability (ability,, skills); ‐ The space of maximum capacities for implementation (of goals and ob‐ jectives of any kind); ‐ The potency to materialize (to realize, to accomplish) one’s goals/inten‐ tions/desires; ‐ The abundance of pleasures associated with beauty, success, love. Now let’s check it according to Shodashyam Shodashyamala: ala: what pair of deities is as‐ sociated with number 11? Number 11 corresponds to Kapalabhair Kapalabhairava ava and Aindri. Looks perfect? It does. Let’s continue our training. This time let’s consider a layout requested by a professional fortune‐teller. Question: what is the situation in life?

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V: The Mantic Matrika Layout: the 9‐sector mandala ‘9 yamalas – 16 deities’. Interpretation: the synthesis of the introver introverted ted and extrov extroverted erted interpre‐ tation. Centre – 2: ‘ā’ (ananda kali) in the front position; East – 23: ‘la’ (kālа/kalā) in the front position; Southeast – 40: ‘ṭa’ (payu) in the front position; South – 37: ‘ḍha’ (pani) in the front position; Southwest – 19: ‘sa’ (sadashiva) in the reversed position; West – 11: ‘e’ (virabhadra) in the front position; Northwest – 3: ‘ṇа’ (vach) in the reversed position; North – 29: ‘pha’ (ahamk (ahamkara) ara) in the front position; Northeast – 14: ‘au’ (durga) in the front position.

The extroverted interpretation The centre (Kalabhairava (Kalabhairava and Kali) in the mandala refers to the aspects of spiritu‐ ality and coordination in all spheres, the relationship between man and divinity that manifests itself in the t he form of a pantheon of deities. Here we have have the phoneme ‘ā’ (Ananda Kali) in the front position. But even if its position was rever reversed, sed, ā is al‐ ways interpreted in a positive way in our tradition. Ananda is the absolute primal energy,, the perfect power (capacity). Unlimited, unconditioned, causeless, sponta‐ energy neous and inexhaustible. It is both nishkala and sakala (‘without parts’ and ‘with parts’); nirguna and saguna (‘without qualities’ and ‘with qualities’); transcendental (vishvottirna) and immanent (vishvomaya). Being one, it contains all the possible differences that the empirical subject perceives as the plurality of objects and the ways wa ys of knowing. Can occur in any mode (as any and every phenomenon: process, object, energy of any type: creation, destruction, love, hate, knowledge, curse, etc.). In mantic Matrika, this phoneme is called ‘Ananda Kali’, which emphasizes its unity with the 󰁦irst phoneme of Matrika, as Bhairava and Kali are the ‘two poles’ of the single indescribable reality. Perfect power (energy, capacity); unlimited re sources.

In the East, we have the phoneme ‘la ‘la’’ (kāla/kalā) in the front position. The East is the sector of magic. Nilas Nilasarasvati arasvati and Asitangabhairava Asitangabhairava are ‘draftsmen gods’: they design what is going to happen in the universe, which forms forms all life situations. In the introverted interpretation, interpretation, the East is the sphere of buddhi. Buddhi is the ca‐ pacity of the limited subject s ubject for the perception (knowledge) of itself and the world of objects. This ‘perception’, in fact, is the process of formation of re󰁦lexes and op‐ erations of differentiation of various types of ‘objects’ perceived by the ‘subject’. Moreover, the subject can try to become its own object, being different from the rest of the world and thoroughly thoroughly included in it at the ssame ame time. The aspects of its

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar manifestation: ‐ The subjectivity of self‐knowledge (self‐aw (self‐awareness); areness); ‐ The subjectivity of knowledge of the perceived objects, that is, the pres‐ ence of a subjective side in perceptions of different kinds, due to which the universal oneness is recognized; the aspect of ‘witnessing’; ‐ The subjectivity of ‘knowledge’ of oneself as its own object (the ‘I’ knows about itself, thus becoming an object of its perception): ‘I am the one who knows it’. Buddhi can be described as the transpersonal state of consciousness of the limited individuality. Buddhi is manifested from prakriti (nature), following the same principle that works in our daily lives when our consciousness consciousn ess shifts from the sleeping state to the waking state. When purusha wakes up after the sleep of the unmanifested unmanifeste d prakriti, the part of its awareness that awak awakens ens 󰁦irst is called buddhi. Buddhi, considered in the context of human individuality or any other in‐ dividual state, is its direct but transcendental principle: just as an unformed mani‐ festation in regard to a formed manifestation, from the perspective of the universal Existence. At the same time, buddhi is what could be called an expression of per‐ sonality in manifestation: it is what connects an entity together through the in󰁦inite multiplicity of its individual states. In other words, if we consider the supreme ‘I’ as the spiritual Sun in the heart of an integral being, buddhi is a ray directly em‐ anated from this Sun, illuminating the entire individuality as a whole, at the same time interconnecting its various individual states, both ‘external’ and ‘internal’. Kalā is the ability to cause the feeling of limited capacities. It represents the restriction of the absolute power in the aspect of omnipotence. Limited capac‐ ities cause a sense of lack (need), which makes the empirical experiencer perform certain actions to ful󰁦il this need. Thus, kalā is the cause of karmic (conditioned) actions. Kalā divides the reality, reality, forcing the original essence to action. Under the in‐ 󰁦luence of kalā‐tattva, an empirical creature considers itself a subject, perceiving some in󰁦luences and reacting to them: that is, performing actions. Kāla is the ability to cause the feeling of 󰁦initude and non‐eternity, manifested as the impression of  sequence (krama) perceived by the empirical subject as the passage passa ge of time. In fact, sequence and time are the same thing; t ime ime is well de󰁦ined by the expression ‘one after another’. In this sense, time is the ability to relate/remember the stream of  ‘moments’ with the help of the combining operation ‘now ‘now’’. Kāla is the power that limits the universal state of eternal existence, and therefore is the reason for the separate existence of things that are being known and cease to be known. Kāla is the cause of temporal order — the past, the present  and the future. The effects of this limitation are: the experience of 󰁦initeness (non‐eternity) which causes the possibility of the existence of the phenomena of birth and death,

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V: The Mantic Matrika memory, representation, imagination, and planning; the feeling of the inability to hold in mind several objects at once; the possibility of facing an endless sequence, ‘bad in󰁦inity’ (the impossibility to get to the end, to complete a process) for the em‐ pirical subject. Front position:

‐ Cutting off of the unwanted (of the disturbing, distracting, haunting, fu‐ tureless); ‐ Cutting of a tangled knot (of problems, misunderstandings, relationships); ‐ The ‘extraction’ of the main cause (problems, troubles, gossip, slander, etc.); ‐ A reminder about something (about oneself, about duties, merits, promises, etc.); ‐ Passing of examinations; ‐ Making of plans; ‐ Remembrance of something important; ‐ Precognition of future events; ‐ Revival of the past; ‐ The usefulness of giving way to one’s imagination, fantasies, dreams; ‐ Forgiveness. Conclusion: purity and freedom from energetic negativity in the sphere of  magic, and building of proper energetic relationships with the universe. This is the t he result of the properl properlyy working buddhi. In the Southeast, in the world of primeval primeval nature (the realm of the deities Rurubhairav Rurubha iravaa and Raudri) which includes human beings, the sphere of health, and natural disasters, we have the phoneme ‘ṭa’ (Payu) in the front position. In the in‐ troverted interpretation, Southeast indicates ahamkara – the organ that allows to de󰁦ine the world in terms of ‘I’, ‘mine’ and ‘not‐I, ‘not mine.’ Payu‐indriya is the ability to capture, identify, support, maintain balance; the power of isolation, stabilization, separation/excretion; separation/ex cretion; its bodily organ is the anus. ‘Payu‐indri ‘Payu‐indriya ya’’ is also called ‘dhrti‐ indriya’. The word ‘dhrti’ can be translated from Sanskrit as ‘determination’, ‘forti‐ tude’, ‘󰁦irmness’. The word ‘payu’ can be translated as ‘defense’, ‘battle axe’, ‘cutting off’’, ‘separatio off ‘separation’ n’. Front position:

‐ The ability to 󰁦ixate, to stabilize, to balance; ‐ The ability to de󰁦ine; ‐ The ability to maintain balance, stability, steadiness (actions aimed at  maintenance of postures, thoughts, etc.);

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric ‐ The ability of segregation, separation (excretion); ‐ The power of maintenance, preservation; ‐ Appropriate conservatism; ‐ Separation of the unnecessary and disturbing; ‐ Successful defence of territory (physical and spiritual). Conclusion: everything related to health, biological instincts and interac‐ tions with natural elements is alright. The stability and the maintenance of the per‐ son’s natural environment are in a healthy and safe position. On the introverted level, it is the ideal position for deciding what is best for this person and what is not. In the extroverted interpretation, interpretation, the So South uth is associated with the sphere of battles, wars and conquests (the god Chandabhairava and the goddess Chan‐ dakaumari). dakaumar i). In the introverted interpr interpretation, etation, the SSouth outh refers to manas. Manas is the ability to apply the subject‐object method of thinking; the activ activee side of knowing, which includes the functions of: ‐ Attention; ‐ Perception of the ‘external’ data of sensory experience; ‐ Conversion of the data of sensory experience into ‘internal’ representa‐ tions by combining them in categories; ‐ Associative process; ‐ Formation of concepts and judgments (about things and their relations) on the basis of logical thinking. Important characteristics of Manas: ‐ Strict separation of concepts from each other; ‐ The ability to correctly classify the percei perceived; ved; ‐ The ability to systematize the experience and knowledge in a consistent  way. Manas generates a chain of thoughts. It directs attention, moving from feel‐ ing to feeling. A person can have the whole world before them, and their senses can be assailed by many stimuli, but the stimuli stimul i will not produce any effect if the person is in a state of the ‘absence of mind’ mind’.. Manas is the focal point of designating the pri‐ ority and the importance of tasks, shifting either to one of the 󰁦ive organs of per‐ ception ( jnanendriyas), or to one of the organs of action ( karmendriyas ). Here, the card “ḍha” “ḍha” (Pani) is located in the Southern part of the mandala in the front position. Pani‐indriya is the ability to move, shift, spread, grow, increase; the power of control, direction, in󰁦luence; its organ is the hand. Front position:

‐ Progress (in business, career career,, social status, etc.);

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V: The Mantic Matrika ‐ Expansion of in󰁦luence; ‐ An active dev development elopment of relationships (interpersonal, business, creative creative relationships, etc.); ‐ Relocation, change of residence; ‐ Recurrence Recurrence of a successful experience on a higher stage of development; ‐ Obtaining of a leadership position (status). (st atus). Conclusion: it looks loo ks like the customer will be a capable commander of their own life in the sphere of battles and struggles, with all the consequent bene󰁦its. The same applies to the intellectual activity: the power of intelligence allowing to achieve goals, to control emotions and to do the right, ef󰁦icient actions. The Southwest is the area of anger and rage (the (t he god Kroddhabhairava and the goddess Vaishnavi). In its lower manifestation it is the realm of hell (anger, ha‐ tred, pain and suffering), in the higher manifestation it is the realm of divine clarity and enormous power. In the introverted interpretation it is the world of sound, hearing and the element of ‘ether’ (space). In the Southwest, the card ‘sa’ (Sadashiva) is in the reversed position. ‘Sa’ refers to Sadashiva‐pramata Sadashiva‐pramata (sat ‐ being, existence, vimarsha; the 16 aspects of the moon). Everything that exists ( sat ) is rep‐ resented by the phoneme ‘sa’: that is, ‘sa’ repr represents esents the totality of phenomena that  can be known. Symbolizes the 31 tattvas from prithvi to maya, pervading three areas: Prithvi, Prakriti, Maya. The capacity for the creation of the world. The 󰁦irst step of the external manifestation. Para‐vach, expressing the will to creation of the world, becomes pashyanti – vach. ‘Pashyanti’ comes from the root ‘ drish’ (to see, to watch), as it is the direct integral experience experience prior to the distinction between subjectivity and ob‐ jectivity, between the internal and the external. The beginning of Maya. For the sakala (the empirical subject), this is the state of sushupti (dream‐ less sleep). The feelings of the ‘presence of the subject’ and the ‘presence of the ob‐ ject’ appear appear in the course of further development. In this case, the visible, self‐evident nature of the experience represents represents the process of knowing, as self‐il‐ lumination here is the only 󰁦ield of knowing. Since self‐awareness is primary to all kinds of knowing, everything knowable is represented here. Reversed position:

‐ The loss of alertness due to excessive relaxation (unreadiness to react  when the life situation changes); ‐ Sinking into the “nirvana “nirvana”” of self‐complacency self‐complacency.. Conclusion: a very fortunate situation in several spheres of life can lead to carelessness, and carelessness can lead to infernal sufferings. Vulnerability to the

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric poison of 󰁦lattery, praise, praise, the lies that everything is well. The person should stay re‐ laxed but alert and ready for anything. They should be very critical of what people tell them. The West West is the king kingdom dom of Unmattabhairava and Mohini: the deities deit ies of de‐ ception, illusion, obsession, addiction, intoxication, lust, swindlery, and liberation from all this. In the introverted interpr interpretation, etation, the West symbolizes the tactile per‐ ception, the world of touch and the element ‘air’. In this area, there lies the card “e” (Virabhadra) (Virabhad ra) in the front position. The phoneme ‘e’ is the indistinct power of activity (asphuta kriyashakti). It is the initial stage of expression of the ability to create create the perception of difference between ‘I’ as the subject and ‘This’ ‘T his’ as the object object.. It is man‐ ifested as ‘kshepa’ (throwing). Everything – in essence and in reality – is the pure absolute ‘I’‐consciousness, as this consciousness contains everything in the form of  divine power. power. It means that it has the ability to appear in the form of all phenomena, and at its own free will, it manifests some of the phenomena externall externallyy as something different from it. Such a seeming difference of these phenomena is known in Shaivism as kshepa, which means ‘throwing away, casting’. It appears like everything that includes the absolute consciousness throws a phenomenon out of itself, eternally shining as the almighty, in󰁦inite ‘I‐conscious‐ ness’. It manifests phenomena outwards in the state and in the form of ‘This’. Thus, they are as if thrown out of the ‘I’ and an d put in the position posit ion of ‘This’ ‘This’,, or objectivit objectivityy. The phoneme ‘e’ is known as homakunda for two reasons. Its form resembles a sacri󰁦icial wooden spoon together with a triangle 󰁦ireplace for tantric 󰁦ire sacri󰁦ices. Also, it is the 󰁦iery energy of the triangle formed by three goddesses and their manifestations (iccha, jnana and kriya). The 󰁦laming patterns of self‐manifestation of divinity are bursting out from the triangular brazier (homakunda). Though the 󰁦lames are lick‐ ing out beyond the 󰁦iery brazier, they do not break contact with the epicentre of the 󰁦ire, being its tentacles. The phoneme ‘e’, also known as ‘Virabhadra’ – the ‘great  hero’, is a part of the great bija of Mahakali. Front position:

‐ The maximum potency of personal power (ability (ability,, skills); ‐ The space of maximum capacities for implementation (of goals and ob‐ jectives of any kind); ‐ The potency to materialize (to realize, to accomplish) one’s goals/inten‐ tions/desires; ‐ The abundance of pleasures associated with beauty, success, love. Conclusion: a moderate amount of drugs, alcohol and sex will lead to sat‐ isfaction and personal development development of this client client.. It is also a magni󰁦icent situation for scams and frauds. Cheating dummies with money will allow to appropriate this

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V: The Mantic Matrika money, if our client uses the opportunity money, opportunity.. Also tthis his is a favou favourable rable situation to invoke invoke a strong sexual passion in someone and to use this sexual enslavement enslavement to gain ma‐ terial and spiritual bene󰁦its. The opportunities for opening a public house are in‐ creased. The conditions are also favourable for drug producing and traf󰁦icking. The Northeast is the area of transgressi transgressive ve processes such as tantric meta‐ morphoses, alchemical transmutations, crime and trav travel. el. In the introverted inter‐ pretation, it is the universe of visible images and the element of 󰁦ire, the power of  vision, of o f seeing. In thi thiss sector sector,, we have the phoneme ‘ṇа’ (Vach) in the rev reversed ersed po‐ sition. It represents the ability to create, to generate, to give birth; the energy of  speech; the power of externalizing the internal; the organ of speech, the mouth. Its main aspect is voidness generating diversity. The function of speech is basic for the ability of thinking, and hence for the existence of the world for us. Moreover, it is the ability to bring forth the contents of one’s ‘inner’ experiences (one’s psycho‐emotional state, thoughts, images) into the ‘outside world’ in the form of speech, providing the possibility to exchange in‐ formation with other creatures; the instrument of in󰁦luence and of the t he creation of  the world ‘external’ to us. The uttered speech is a manifestation of the internal con‐ tent (thought‐forms). The name of any object is a rough expression of an inner men‐ tal movement. It gives rise to this movement and expresses it. It gives rise to thinking, and this thinking is the consciousness in the form of mental activity activity.. Such activity can be so intensi󰁦ied that it urges itself to creation. The ability of thinking and speaking is the generating ‘󰁦ield’ out of which any conscious action comes forth; the forming and structuring factor of the ‘exter‐ nal’ activity. activity. In every everyday day life it appears as the point of action, the anticipation (fore‐ casting) of the fruit of this action, actio n, and the motivation (the ideal form of presentation of the results). Anticipation (forecasting) ( forecasting) is the main form of the so‐called advanced re󰁦lection of reality by the subject. An important feature of anticipation and fore‐ casting is that they have a layer layered ed structure. It means that tthey hey can be realized on qualitatively different levels of complexity, involving absolutely different processes and mechanisms. Reversed position:

‐ Susceptibility to hypnotic suggestion; ‐ Becoming a victim of deceit, the danger of falling for someone’s someon e’s promises; ‐ Falling under the in󰁦luence of an eloquent personality; ‐ Harm from someone else’s scam. Conclusion: the danger from secret enemies and/or the criminal under‐ world. Someone will tell compliments, words which are nice to hear, and offer cer‐ tain bene󰁦its, entice or create the appearance that all is well, or the appearance that 

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar the customer will attain a very good result if they go to certain lengths. Actually Actually,, if  the customer believes these words and loses their vigilance, it will turn into a big problem: the customer will lose something of value and through this will fall into great suffering. This information is con󰁦irmed by the information from the South‐ western sector of the mandala. The North is the realm of fear, horror, phobias and terror, extortion and blackmail. In the introverted introverted interpretation, the North corr corresponds esponds to the world of  tastes, the organ of taste and the element ‘water’. Here we 󰁦ind the card with the phoneme ‘pha’ (Ahamkara) (Ahamkara) in the front position. Ahamkara is the development of  the ability of the empirical consciousness to be aware of itself, thus becoming the object of its own perception (‘I am the one who knows this ‘), manifested as the ability to establish establi sh identities that lleads eads to the emergence of the ‘ego‐consciousness’ ‘ego‐consciousn ess’.. At this level, the subject is not just ‘I’ in its pure form, but always ‘I am this’. Ahamkaraa is the power by which the subject identi󰁦ies itself through objects (‘I am Ahamkar all this’; ‘all this is mine’), based on the selection of individual elements depending on whose are they: ‘mine’ or ‘someone else’s’; that is, on the basis of belonging (‘this is mine, because this is a part of me or I own it’, ‘this isn’t mine, this is something external to me that does not belong to me’). As a result of self‐differentiation (self‐de󰁦inition through objects), there ap‐ pears a feeling of one’s ‘incompleteness’ (imperfection, lack), leading to activity caused by the desire to compensate for what is missing. Thus, there appears the ‘ego‐doer’, which is re󰁦lected in the word ‘aham‐kara’ (I‐doer). Ahamkara is the power connecting the pure ‘I‐witness’ with a particular action/concept/object. The ‘ego‐subject’ is de󰁦ined by the whole of the memories and experience experiencess gained by an individual since their birth. Front position:

‐ Purposeful actions (to achieve something or to avoid something); ‐ Taking of responsibility; ‐ The effective use of past experiences (one’s own or of the others); ‐ The obtaining of the desired through precise de󰁦inition of one’s true needs and intentions; ‐ Success based on the ability to establish identities, to identify, to relate (facts, events, phenomena); ‐ An actively selective perception of the norms and values of one’s environ‐ e nviron‐ ment; ‐ Self‐discipline; ‐ Asceticism; ‐ Careful consideration, analysis analysis and weighing of all the circumstances, the development developme nt of new effective methods of action;

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V: The Mantic Matrika ‐ The ability to correct one’s actions in due time and based on the situation, situatio n, considering the new information. Conclusion: the enemy will not be able to ‘screw’ this person using threats, terror, blackmail and extortion. But this person, if able and willing, can collect some dirt and try to sell it for money. Tasting the joys of their current life, the customer will not allow anyone to blackmail them, while being able to try t ry the opportunity to blackmail and intimidate others. The Northeast is the realm of death, destruction, oblivion and liberation. In the introverted interpretation, it is the world of smell, scent, and the element  ‘earth’. In this sector, the phoneme ‘āu’ (Durga) is placed in the front position. The phoneme ‘āu’ represents the most distinct power of activity ( sphutatama kriyashakti). The fourth step of the process of objecti󰁦ication is de󰁦ined by the term ‘gati’. Abhinavagupta wrote: ‘Gati is the position of re󰁦lecting objective ideas in the ‘I’ as the consciousness conscio usness of the knowing knowin g subject. For the empirical knower knower,, the object  is ‘known’ (understood, manifested in consciousness), if: ‐ This object was singled out from an in󰁦inite number of perceived phe‐ nomena, it caused interest, attracted attention; ‐ This object was ‘recognized’ (identi󰁦ied in this way or another) by the con‐ sciousness; that is, there occurred some ‘grasping’ (‘appropriation’) of the object  by the consciousness. The phoneme ‘āu’ is known as the goddess Durga, Trish Trishulini ulini – ‘with a Trident’, Trident’, the teeth of which are iccha, jnana jna na and kriya in the phase of active manifestation. Front position:

‐ Purchasing of something that can be bought for money (land, vehicle, art‐ work, etc.); ‐ Construction, building; ‐ Realization of creative potential (painting, singing, dancing, writing, etc.); ‐ Victory in battles (󰁦ights, contests, arguments) of any kind. Conclusion: a good opportunity for creating or purchasing something deadly,, destructive, or ass deadly associated ociated with deat death, h, destruction, destructi on, breakage. Moreover Moreover,, con‐ sidering that this card refer referss to the vowel phonemes (major cards), the bene󰁦its of  such creation or acquisition will be not only material and tactical, but also strategic s trategic and spiritual. In addition, it is recommend recommended ed to perform shmashana sadhana. Summary: the sum of the numbers of the phonemes of this layout is 178. As Shri Matrika includes 50 elements, we need to add the three digits of this number together,, which equals 16. This number is also iincluded together ncluded in the system of Shodashya‐ mala and corresponds to the central yamala of the mandala of Kali and Kalab‐

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric hairava. The function of Kalabhairava and Kali in the mandala is the manifestation hairava. of divinity, jagadanand  jagadananda a. Their mahariddhis (great magic powers): manifestation, maintenance, destruction and dei󰁦ication of the entire universe. Their riddhis (magic powers): they can help to attain divinity and to realize oneself as the mandala of  deities. Their negative manifestation in a person is samsara. Kalabhairava Kalabhairava and Kali are the source and the cause of not only dei󰁦ication, but also of the immersion into the delusion of samsara. They are the source of both samsara and nirvana. Looks like the great deities have created the 󰁦ield of self‐development for this customer and perhaps even (although this is not 100% clear) invite them to take path of  Bhairava‐Kali‐Dharma. At least, the essence of the situation is the following: the customer should actively interact interact with their divine essence. Tantrism in general, and within its scope, Abhichara and Shri Matrika in particular,, enhance and expand human capabilities, improving one’s personal ef󰁦i‐ particular ciency and opening the access to new resources. In fact, it is the pragmatism and the practical bene󰁦it that explain the undying centuries‐old interest in traditional Indian magic.

THE BASIS OF SUCCESS IN THE PRACTICE OF BHAIRAVA-KALI DHARMA The 󰁦inal three chapters of this book focus on how to form a connection with Shri Matrika and to win the favour of the deities of the mandala, since this is necessary for gaining success in divination or any other mystical‐magical actions. The mysti‐ cal‐magical practices practices fall into two types; the 󰁦irst one is aimed at the dei󰁦ication of  the adept and his family, family, the second one is aimed at material gain: attraction of goo good d luck and prosperity, 󰁦inding of a suitable spouse or pro󰁦itable work, improvement  of health, destruction of hindering factors, neutralization of enemies, etc. It is clear that Tantrism as a whole and its Abhichara in particular can be successfully practised only by those people who are in a harmonious relationship with the deities, deitie s, the power of which is what en ensures sures the success here. The Tantrism of Bhairava and Kali is a radical non‐dual path. Let us de󰁦ine what radical Tantrism is. Radical Tantrism is the path of transformation of the adept into a god who is a unique manifestation of divinity. In Tantrism, divinity is understood as the inde‐ scribable reality that contains being and non‐being, 󰁦iguratively referred to as the absolute perfection, the in󰁦inite potential, the original basis and the nature of ev‐ erything. According to the teachings of Tantrism, the universal divinity manifests itself to the adepts in the form of a pantheon of deities. Each deity represents one of the ways of self‐manifestation of the universal divinity divinit y. Thus, different deities are one in essence and differ from each other by their qualities and speci󰁦ic features of  manifestation. Every Tantric deity exists simultaneously in different dimensions, manifesting in them in different ways. Particularly, in the form of the energy inspir‐

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V: The Mantic Matrika ing a mystic, in the form of Tantric teachings, in the form of Tantric symbols as iconographic images, yantras, mandalas, myths. Iconographic images and myths are special powerful archetypes having the power to in󰁦luence in󰁦luen ce people. For a mystic, a Tantric deity is the link between man and the universal divinity, and also an op‐ portunity to unfold the divine potential of their form in a three‐dime three‐dimensional nsional space. Different Tantric archetypes refer to the speci󰁦ics of manifestation of people with different personality traits. An adept of Tantrism should practice the path of the deity whose archetype best corresponds to his personality. On the level of his essence, the adept is divinity divinity.. On the level of conscious consciousness, ness, the adept likens l ikens himself  to his deity through t hrough the practice of meditativ meditativee aware awareness ness speci󰁦ic to the doctrine of  this deity. On the energy level, the adept practices the mantras which are a pattern of this deity’s energies. On the body level, the adept likens himself to his deity by wearing the attributes of this deity. He ritually spiritualizes his lifestyle, behaving like his Tantric Tantric deity behaves in the myths. In Tantrism, the deity radiates, emanates his own special dimension: the sacred mandala. The adept dei󰁦ies his living space, 󰁦illing it with the symbols of his deity’s deity ’s realm, thereby turning his dwelling dwelling and then his entire world into a mandala. As a result of Tantric practices, everything that ex‐ ists in the world of the adept attains divinity divinity.. The adept dei󰁦ies himself during life‐ time, in a three‐dimensional space. He transforms into a deity, and the nominally samsaric world around him turns into a pure sacred dimension of a deity. This type of tantric self‐realization is called ‘sakaladevarupa jivanmukti’: the adept attains a divine existence during the life of his biological body, body, at the level of the indescribable essence and at the level of the individual form which has de󰁦inable and describable attributes. There is no more samsara for the divine adept: the whole world is now dei󰁦ied and turned into jagadanand  jagadananda a – the universal divine harmony and bliss. Whether the adept wants to achieve jivanmukti and to gain divinity, divin ity, or just  wants to learn to forecast the future and to do magic to achieve material success, in any case he needs to harmonize himself with the unive universe rse and with the powers of  its deities. For this purpose, there are special meditations, mantras and spells which are the keys to success. The scope of this book allows us to describe some practically useful meditations and mantras. Any ritual in our tradition, whether it be a prepar preparatory atory ritual for clari󰁦ica‐ tion of the present, prediction of the future, material gain or spiritual dei󰁦ication, begins with a meditation on Panchakaratna – ‘󰁦ive‐sided treasure’. For this medita‐ tion, we have to elucidate the teaching of the three pranavas and to expound the doctrine of the 󰁦ive‐sided treasure. In our tradition, many of the important mantras and vidyas gain additional power being charged ch arged by the three t hree pranavas: ‘oṃ hrīṃ hū hūṃ’ ṃ’. ‘Oṃ’ is the veda-pranava that provides harmony with the universe. ‘Hrīṃ’ is the shakti-pranava bestowing with might. ‘Hūṃ’ is the bhairava-pranava that gives freedom from samsara. In

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric some cases, in order to enhance the effect of the ‘hūṃ’ pranava, the shakti‐pranava ‘hrīṃ’ is replaced by the shmashanakali‐pranava ‘krīṃ’. According to many non‐dual teachings, divinity is our original, fundamental nature. Logically, there is nothing easier than to follow one’s own nature. Hence, the dei󰁦ication, jivanmukti, shouldn’t be a very long and dif󰁦icult process. However, we don’t see a lot of awakened people who have attained godhood around. A great  number of yogis, sadhus and lamas have been unable to achieve divinity even at  reaching old age. Having devoted their lives to dei󰁦ication, having received powerful initiations, having performed countless meditations, having commited yogic and ascetic feats, having become professors and doctors of philosophy, they were still unable to recognize themselves themselves as the divinity and to gain the ability to consciously be themselves: the divinity. One of the main causes of such a spiritual collapse is the lack of understanding of the doctrine of Panchakaratna. Panchakaratna Panchakaratna is a sin‐ gle set of 󰁦ive keys to the door of godhood. To open this door, one has to use all the 󰁦ive keys. keys. With just on one, e, two, three or four keys, the door will not open. It only opens with all the 󰁦ive keys. Here are these keys: Bhairava, Kali, Guru, Dharma and Kula. In the polysemous language of Tantrism, the same term can refer to different phe‐ nomena in different contexts. For example, ‘Bhairava’ and ‘Kali’ have three main meanings. First, in a metaphysical context, Bhairava refers refers to the transcendent as‐ pect of divinity, divinity, which is our o ur divine potential. Kali in a metaphysical context is con‐ sidered as the almighty divine power, and also as total immanence. In the strategic context of rahasya-dharma – the practice of radical Tantrism – Bhairava and Kali are considered as particular Tantric Tantric deities that endow their followers with spiritual power, knowledge, and special techniques of quick self‐dei󰁦ication. In the tactical context of rahasia‐dharma, Bhairava Bhairava is understood as the prototype of a male adept adept,, and Kali of a female adept. Considering the teaching of Panchakar Panchakaratna, atna, we will in‐ terpret the terms ‘Kali’ and ‘Bhairava’ on a metaphysical level. Meditation on the 󰁦ive keys keys to success in attaini attaining ng jivanmukti and in mastering magic allows us to pos‐ p os‐ sess the power of these keys. This is a meditation on the formula of a pentad of  mantras, and the deep meaning of this formula: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ bhairavaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kālīṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ guruṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kulaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye The meditation on o n ‘oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ bhairavaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapad prapadye’ ye’ is focused on the divine potency and the beginning of its activa activation. tion. The meditation on the ‘oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kālīṃ śaraṇaṃ prapad prapadye’ ye’ is the com‐

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V: The Mantic Matrika plete activation of the natural power of divinity; activation of the divine omnipo‐ tence as a whole. The meditation on ‘oṃ ‘o ṃ hrīṃ hūṃ guruṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye’ is the creation and the maintenance of the portal through which the divine power will 󰁦low to us; this meditation activates comprehension comprehension and learning in our life. The meditation on ‘oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye’ is the cre‐ ation of a channel for the divine power 󰁦lowing from the depths of Mahagahvara (the great abyss of the foundation of the world); dharma is the path to divinity in‐ herent to a particular person, being very enjoyable enjoyable,, very fruitful and very active at  the same time; dharma includes teachings, techniques, lifestyle, symbolism symbol ism and aes‐ thetics. The meditation on ‘oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye’ prapadye’ is the acti‐ vation of everything not speci󰁦ied in the previous four formulas as the assisting powers: the family of deities of the mandala, including the adepts’ family, the 36 tattvas of the universe and the 50 phenomena denoted by the t he 50 phonemes of Shri Matrika. Some people believe that Bhairava, Kali, Guru, Dharma and Kula are 󰁦ive ontologically separate phenomena. However, However, this understanding is fundamentally wrong. They are not 󰁦ive ontologically separate phenomena: they are the 󰁦ive faces of the same phenomenon. Otherwise, the mastery of the teachings and methods of  a doctrine would not lead the adepts to the attainment of divinity divinity.. They would just  󰁦ill their minds with intellectual baggage and techniques not leading to divinity. divinity. T To o learn Tantrism, Tantrism, o one ne has to become Tantrism. The master is Tantrism, n not ot just a per‐ son who carries Tantric science as intellectual baggage stored in their head. Tantrism and a Tantric deity are one and the same. If they were two different phe‐ nomena, becoming the Tantrism would not mean dei󰁦ication. A tantric deity is Bhairava and Kali together. If Bhairava and Kali weren’t one – the presence in us of  the divine potential alone wouldn’t lead us to activation of this potential. The fol‐ lowing is apparent to us: Bhairava is Kali, Kali is Guru, Guru is Dharma (Tantrism), Dharma is Kula (the circle of deities and adepts including yourself). Through the practice of Dharma, you become one with its carrier (the instructing master). And since the instructing master is Kali in human form, you become Kali. Since Kali is inseparable from Bhairava Bhai rava – you become Bhairava. In essence, Bha Bhairava, irava, Kali, Guru, Dharma and Kula are 󰁦ive sides of the single sacred divinity: Panchakaratna. If your life lacks at least one element of this pentade, a whirlwind quick dei󰁦ication is im‐ possible. Tantrism Tantrism will be useless, and sometimes very harmful. For clarity, the phenomenon of Panchakaratna can be also presented 󰁦igu‐ ratively: meditation on a formula devoted to Bhairava is focusing on our divine po‐ tential (it is like l ike the very principle of the possibility of the existence of water in the universe); univer se); Kali is the capacity of the divine potential to become actual divinity (it is

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar like the waters of an ocean); Guru is the t he gate through which divinity comes into i nto our lives (it is like an opening through which the water 󰁦lows); Dharma is the way in which the divinity dei󰁦ies us (it is like a channel for the ocean water 󰁦lowing through the opening); Kula is the combination of factors for a successful practice of Dharma (it is like a certain temperature appropriate to keep the water 󰁦lowing, the factor of  gravity, a team of workers maintaining the mouth of the stream, water 󰁦ilters, and the canal bed in optimum condition). Addressing directly directly to our transcendental potential not through Kali man‐ ifested as Guru is fruitless. We cannot directly address to the transcendental, be‐ cause the transcendental is connected with all the forms of universal existence exactly through mahashakti – Kali. The divine potential, Bhairava, is like a check for 10 million dollars written out to our name. Kali is our capacity to use that check. If  we suffer from severe physical and mental illnesses, if we are ignorant and know nothing not just about our check and its location, but about checks and banks in general, we will not be able to take advantage of the potential of this $10 million check. Kali is our capacity to use our potential divinity. Is it possible to study and practice Tantrism without a guiding master? The answer to this question is very important. There are two ways to study and practice Tantrism: with a teacher and without a teacher. The master instructor is a ‘professor of safe‐cracking who will teach you how to successfully rob a bank and not to get in jail for this’. There is an alternative way of learning the art of ‘bank robbery’, without the teaching master: through personal experimentation, by trial and error. error. ‘Landing up in jail’ from time t ime to time, and then experimenting again, then ‘going b back ack to jail’ jail’,, returning to ‘robbing banks’ after being released, and so on, until you learn or leave your body in death. Communicating with people, we found two popular extremes: either a total denial of the great role of teachers somewhere along these lines: l ines: ‘to recognize the teacher’s divinity is to deny ourselves the freedom and humiliate our great personality!’, or a dependent, infantile in fantile subservience to the teacher teacher,, like ‘the Tea Teacher cher is god, and before god we must kneel and humbly lick the dust. No need to take responsibility for our spiritual path, no need to worry about our safety and our success – the teacher will take care of everything! The guru himself will hold responsibility for us and for our success all the time. At the right time and on his own initiative, the spiritual master will give us everything we need!’ Both of these extremes are the result of a lack of  understanding. Yes, the spiritual teacher is a Tantric deity for his students, an ishtadeva. But Tantric deities are not some tyrants, whip‐crack whip‐crackers ers or dictator presidents presidents!! Their students humbly cringing on their knees is the last thing they want to see. They don’t make their students kneel before them. On the contrary, they raise their adepts and deify them. That’s why these deities are known as the liberating Tantric deities. Servility, irresponsibility and complete reliance on the mystical professor as on a babysitter is not devotion but an insult to a T Tantric antric master of radical paths.

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V: The Mantic Matrika A sane worship of the Guru is the adherence to his teachings and practices, practices, taking care of yourself and about your success in the mystical‐magic mystical‐magical al sadhana, and also the assistance to the teacher in his everyday life. As for those who completely deny the great need for a teaching master in their life, it is like going to rob a bank without  possessing the technique and skills of robbery and the knowledge of how to avoid prosecution by the state. The Guru is Bhairav Bhairavaa and Kali who surged into the world of creatures as a 󰁦low of deifying power and took the th e form of the instructing mas master ter.. Viras (male adepts) and kapalinis (female adepts) become one with the divinity through becoming one with their Guru, his teachings and his sadhana. This is the quick way of radical Tantrism. As the teachers of the slow ways are not such direct  and intense manifestations of divinity and are not Tantric deities, being just sages and advanced yogins, yogins , these paths lead to the goa goall very slowly slowly.. T To o learn from merely advanced people is a path that can take thousands of years, tens or hundreds of  reincarnations. Now let us shed light on the importance of Kula. Some mystics, especiall especiallyy the ‘left‐ hand path’ mystics, claim that a digni󰁦ied person will not cooperate with other individuals individua ls for an effective mystical practice. They say, say, ‘any community iiss like a 󰁦lock of sheep’. We will now consider whether it is possible to effectively practice Tantrism without the presence of the factor of Kula in an adept’s life. If you don’t  enter the family of the deities of the mandala, it is impossible to possess the t he power of these deities. No one can compel the gods to obey their will and to take advantage of their capabilities. Only the kinship with the deities, up to a complete identi󰁦ica‐ tion, will provide the adept with wit h the universal power of the deities of the great man‐ dala. The deities of the mandala are inclined to assist the members of their family both directly and through other adepts. All the adepts of Bhairava‐Kali‐Dharma are united by the fact that their nature nat ure is Bhairava and Kali. At that, different adepts are different differ ent accentuations of this integral nature. One adept manifests as Bhishanab‐ hairava, another one as Chandabhairava, another one as Asitangabhairava. One yo‐ gini is a manifestation of the aspect of Mohini, another one of Yogesh Yogeshvari, vari, another one of Aindri. If the adepts who are different manifestations of Kali and Bhairava are united in one family with you, the grace of the great assistance of the deities pouring down on you will be much more intense than that which you can obtain walking the path alone. Here is a primitive but illustrative example. For the success‐ ful practice of Tantrism Tantrism and its Abhichar Abhichara, a, you will need the texts tthat hat describe se‐ cret doctrines and secret techniques. The translation of these texts from Sanskrit, Bengali and Kashmiri to your native language. Yantras and icons. An experienced master instructor. Beads from the bones of a human skull. A source of money to travel to India to meditate in the places of power. When you have a Kula, one family member will give you the desired text; another one, a translator, will translate this text to your native language; the third one, an artist, will draw an icon and a yantra

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar for you; the fourth, a teaching master, will explain to you how to understand the translated text and how to practice the elements of the sadhana. The 󰁦ifth family member will get you the skulls to make the kapala and beads; the sixth one, a wealthy merchant, will provide you with the missing sum of money for your pil‐ grimage to India. If you don’t have a Kula, you have to do everything by yourself, alone. It is much harder, and it will slow down the process of achieving the desired results. And 󰁦inally: if your spouse, your parents and your children practice the same spiritual path together with you, there will be understanding and harmony in the family. In such a family, you will be interested in communication in your family cir‐ cle, eagerly helping each other in everyday life and in spiritual practice. In the era of postmodernism, many meanings are lost, many concepts are substituted. The word ‘Ashram’ now often refers to a monastery, and the word ‘Kula’ is understood as a group of followers united by doing the same practice obtained from one teacher, meeting and interacting only during spiritual events. In fact, a real Ashram is quite a different thing. An Ashram is a settlement settl ement of the adepts of a particular path together with their families, grown around the house of the teacher and his family. The teacher’s house is situated near the temple, or the house itself  is the temple. This place is ‘pitha’ ‘pitha’,, the sacred throne of the descent of the gods. It is also a ‘tirtha’ ‘tirtha’ – the place of transition of the gods to people and people to the gods. If the Ashram is in a rural location, it is a village; in troubled times, the village is forti󰁦ied and armed. If the Ashram A shram is located in a city, it is a scattering of apartments ap artments or houses concentrated in the same neighbourhood, grouped around the dwelling of the teachers. The teaching kaula-master can hold a lecture or a practical course in some country, tell people about the concept and the doctrine of Kaula-Marga, and even transfer some formulas and meditative practices. The people who attended these events are considered as ‘those who received some information about Kaula‐ Tantrism’ antrism’.. They are not conside considered red adepts o off Kaula‐ Kaula‐T Tantrism until tthey hey become rel‐ atives with the teaching master, and until they are accepted as the members of his family descending from the gods. The adepts are members of the same s ame clan or tribe. They are together not only during mystical‐magical mystic al‐magical events but also al so in everyday life: business, study s tudy,, hunting, war war,, family relationships. relationships . The adepts prefer to marry their own. They trust their family members and deal with them in the 󰁦irst place. All members of a Kula are descendants of the ishtadevata Kula (for example, Brahma and Sarasvati, or Bhairava and Kali), with whom they become relatives through their Guru who is a spiritual and physical manife manifestation station of the deities of the mandala of a particular Kula. The adepts can become members of a Kula in the current gen‐ eration or through their ancestors in past generations: through physical birth in a family of adepts. One can be born in the sacred clan (Kula), or the Kula can adopt a ‘foster child’ through dikshas and rituals – and to open the path of an adept before

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V: The Mantic Matrika them. Apart from this, one can enter the family of gods by swearing brotherhood with any of the adepts of a particular Kula. All the clan members manifest the sacred mandala of deities in three‐dimensional space, crushing and devouring the samsara, consolidating the divine realm.

THE KEY TO MASTERING THE TECHNIQUES OF THE MANTIC MA MATRIKA TRIKA It is indeed possible to master the techniques of the mantic Matrika without a teacher, without practising Bhairava‐Kali Dharma, without the presence of a spiri‐ tual family in human life. However, to achieve this for such a person will be harder than for a person whose life is 󰁦illed with the 󰁦ire and light of Panchakar Panchakaratna. atna. I would also be extremely dif󰁦icult to gain the other bene󰁦its of Bhairava‐Kali‐Dharma, mys‐ tical (Kaula-Marga, Yamala-Marga) or magical ( Abhichara ) skills, without Pan‐ chakaratna. To receive the gift of the Five‐sided treasure from the gods, one should begin the practice of meditation on the above mantric pentad. Without a Guru who can instruct a person in the divination Matrika, they can study this mantic technology and gain some skills up to a certain level. This book is a guide that provides the reader with an opportunity to master the tech‐ niques of the mantic Matrika, which is both a science and an art. art . We will explain to those who are interested how the training starts and how to continue further. We will start with the understanding that tantric Matrika is the Shri Ma‐ trika – that is, the goddess (mahashakti) who represents the entire universe in all its essential aspects. She has expressed herself in the form of 50 aspects, also having manifested herself in the form of 50 phonemes. Let us lay out 󰁦ifty cards from ‘a’ to ‘kṣa’’ on a clean, 󰁦lat surface, as shown in the diagram No.2. Comfortably sit down in ‘kṣa front of the system of Matrika opened before you, and recite her mantra, placing it  between the pranava ‘oṃ’ and the kilaka ‘namaḥ’: ‘oṃ a kṣa hrīṃ namaḥ’. Light some incense for the goddess Shri Matrika represented by the mandala of the 50 phonemes, perfume the phonemes with a sandalwood stick and put it on the in‐ cense stand. Then say the following vidya: ‘oṃ hrīm hūm a kṣa hrīm śrī bhavānī bhagavatī mahākālī sarveśvarī kuleśvarī siddheśvarī parameśvarī mahākapāleśvarī mahākālāgnimaṇḍaleśvarī mahākālāgnimaṇḍ aleśvarī svāhā svāhā’’ and feel yourself as Shri Matrika, inseparable from her Bhairava. This vidya includes include s three pranavas, the power of matrika mat rika ‘a kṣa hrīm’ hrīm’,, the names and the epithets of the universal goddess and the kilaka ‘svāhā ‘svāhā’’ that in‐ creases the power of identi󰁦ication of the adept with Shri Matrika. You can now meditate on the aspects of matrika. Take the card with the 󰁦irst phoneme ‘a’ and think about the meaning that it expresses. If necessary necessary,, look into this bo book ok and care‐ fully read the meaning of the phoneme. Then meditate on this meaning, trying to understand the phenomenon expressed by this phoneme as deep as possible. Then take the next card and do the same meditation in the sequence from anuttarab‐

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 Abhichara: Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichara: Tantric hairava to prithvi. Each time, meditate on such a number of phonemes which you can comprehend without fatigue and overex overexertion. ertion. This meditativ meditativee ritual lasts sev‐ eral days and 󰁦inishes with a meditation on the phoneme ‘kṣa’. This meditation is called the ritual of the descent of divinity divinity.. When it is completed, proceed to the med‐ itative ritual of the ascension of divinity. Do the same as in the 󰁦irst ritual, but the sequence of phonemes on which you meditate must be directly opposite: ‘from prithvi to annutarabhairava’. After completing this ritual, move on to the ritual of  the divine freedom of expression. To To do this, mix up all the cards in random order without looking at them, put the whole deck in front of you without spreading the cards, with the reverse side up, so that the phonemes could not be seen. After the meditation on the mantras from which the previous two meditative rituals started, open the 󰁦irst top card and meditate on the meaning of its phonemes. Then open the next one and meditate on its meaning. In the same way as in the previous two rituals, meditate on such a number of phonemes which you can comprehend with‐ out overloading your mind. In several days, you will perform the whole ritual, after which you can proceed to divination. Start with the simplest layouts, moving on to the more dif󰁦icult ones. There are more complicated versions of these three rituals. In addition to the mantras given above, they include the practice of karamatrikanyasa , shadangamatrikanyasa and bahirmatrikanyasa.

MASTERING THE ADVANCED MANTIC ART, THE TECHNIQUES OF DEIFICATION AND MAGIC If we want to master the technique of the mantic layouts based on the abhichara mandala, we will have to perform a series of meditations devoted to the deities of  the mandala before this practice. It has to be done in order o rder to correctly comprehend the manifestations of these deities and to build harmonious relationships with them. Similar meditations are also requir required ed for starting tthe he mystical‐magical prac prac‐‐ tice of tantric self‐dei󰁦ication and the practice of magic for material gain. There are different degrees of complexity of these meditative medit ative rituals. We will describe the eas‐ iest version. For the meditation, you will certainly need the image of the mandala, at  least in its simplest form. The presence of a more sophisticated, extended version of the mandala and iconographic images of the deities is prefer preferable able as it enhances the intensity of the presence of the deities and the coef󰁦icient of ef󰁦iciency of the meditativee ritual. meditativ The ritual begins with the formula of Panchakar Panchakaratna: atna: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ bhairavaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kālīṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye

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V: The Mantic Matrika oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ guruṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kulaṃ śaraṇaṃ prapadye Then follows the simple version of the t he guru-mantra appealing to the power of the instructing master who passed on the teaching that includes the de‐ scribed ritual: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ śrībhairavakālīdharmasadgurave svasti vai namaḥ Reciting the mantra, visualize the image of your Guru Ji on the top of  your head. After that, address the guardians of the four portals through which the path goes into the sacred space of the mandala: oṃ dāṃ dvārapālеbhyо namaḥ Visualize these four yamalas of the guardians. Then recite the mantras of  Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi, Batuka and Ugrakum Ugrakumari: ari: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ gaṇapatisiddhi‐ṛddhībhyāṃ svasti hamaḥ oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ baṭukaugrakumārībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Recite the mantra and enter into the space of the bhupur of the mandala. Next, continue the ritual honouring the deities of the t he central yamala: yamala: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kālabhairavakālībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ After that, perform the ritual of worshipping the deities of the mandala in the following order, starting with Aghorabhairava and Aghorakali: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ sadbhāvabhairavaparābhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Ghorabhairava and Ghorakali: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ ratiśekharabhairavaparāparābhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Ghoratarabhairava and Ghoratarakali: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ navātmabhairavaghoratarābhyāṃ svasti namaḥ

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar Worship Aryagnibhairava and Jaya: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ aryabhairavavikarālajayābhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Kalagnibhairava and Kalagniraudri: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kālāgnibhairavakālāgniraudrībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Asitangabhairava and Brahmi: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ asitāṅgabhairavabrahmībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Rurubhairava and Maheshvari: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ rurubhairavamaheśvarībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Chandabhairava and Kaumari: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ caṇḍabhairavakaumārībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Krodhabhairava and Vaishnavi: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ krodhabhairavanarakalakṣmībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Unmattabhairava and Varahi: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ unmattabhairavavārāhībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Kapalabhairava and Aindri: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ kapālabhairavaindrībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Bhishanabhairava and Chamunda: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ bhīṣaṇabhairavacāmuṇḍābhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Samharabhairava and Yogeshvari: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ saṃhārabhairavayogeśvarībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ

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V: The Mantic Matrika Worship all the deities of the mandala: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ mahākālāgnicitradevajālāya svasti vai namaḥ Exit from the mandala with the following mantras: Worship Batuka and Ugrakumari: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ baṭukaugrakumārībhyāṃ svasti namaḥ Worship Ganesha and Siddhiriddhi: oṃ hrīṃ hūṃ gaṇapatisiddhi‐ṛddhībhyāṃ svasti hamaḥ Worship the guardians of the four portals where opens the exit from the mandala: oṃ dāṃ dvārapālеbhyо namaḥ Complete this ritual by dedicating the merits gained from this sadhana to those who deserve it. Pronounce the following formula: yat sādhanapuṇyaphalaṃ tan mahākālabhairavāya mahākālyai sarvebho maṇḍaladevatābhyo gurubhyo mātāpitṛbhyas sakulyebhyo / sajātibhyo paramakulāya kulamaṅgalāya ca siddhi‐ṛddhibhyāṃ mama divyasvabhāvāya samarpayāmi | svāhā ‘I dedicate all the merits gained from this practice (sadhana) to Mahakalab‐ hairava, haira va, Mahakali, all the deities of the mandala, my teachers, fathers and moth‐ ers, relatives, relatives, the sacred kula, the prosperity of the kula, to perfection and to the manifestation of my divinity. divinity. By the power of the gods, let it be so!’ The above ritual is basic, the most simple one. It does not include mantras with bijas containing the powers of the deities and containing the keys to opening the space for an intensive manifestation of these powers. It also does not include such elements as arati, agni-hotra and bali, which are practiced on more advanced stages of the mystical‐magical way. However, even without all this, the power con‐ tained in the three pranavas pranavas and the names of tthe he deities is enough to start the pro‐ cess of mastering the power of the pantheon of the mandala. Through this ritual and some meditations that we will describe below below,, the adept will suf󰁦iciently har‐ monize his relationship with the deities, and gain the ability to make detailed mantic layouts in the system of Shri Matrika.

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 Abhichara: a: Tantric Tantric Magic and Mysticism  Abhichar Along with the practice of the mystical‐magic mystical‐magical al ritual described above, the adept performs the following. Make yourself comfortable, keeping your body re‐ laxed and your spine straight. Then, reciting the mantra dedicated to a particular pair of deities, contemplate these deities in front of yourself (inside your mind or looking at an icon). Thinking about them and their abilities, comprehending the meaning of their various attributes, try to experience the nature of these deities, the taste of their energy, the features of their unique harmony, and the speci󰁦ics of  their aesthetics. Each new day meditate on another pair of deities, following the se‐ quence of the yamalas described in the above ritual of worshipping the deities of  the mandala. Through this practice, you will explore the worlds of these deities and gain an insight of how these dimensions in󰁦luence the world of human beings. In combination with the studying of matrika, the comprehension of the mandala will give you the abilities to perform high‐quality mantic operations, for the bene󰁦it of  yourself and others. The authors of this book wish happiness, spiritual growth, success in good deeds, and prosperity to the esteemed reader readers. s.  Adinath Jayadhar   Siddheshvari Jayadhar  Jayadhar 

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V: The Mantic Matrika

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