Bindu :-
This means a drop, a dot. In the definite calm of the Highest Reality
(anutta) there arises an metaphysical point of stress. This is known as bindu.
In this, the universe to be lies gathered up into a point. This bindu is known
as ghanibhuta Shakti – the creative force compacted into a point. It is as yet
undifferentiated into objects. It is the cidghana or massive consciousness. in
which lie potentially in an undifferentiated a mass all the worlds and beings
to be manifested. Therefore the text says that ‘a’ and ‘ha’ joined into ‘aha’
and they together summing up the entire manifestation lie undifferentiated into
a point in the Highest Reality. A point is indicative of non-differentiation
from the point of view of language the bindu in Sanskrit is indicated by anusvarathe
nasal sound marked by a dot on a letter. Bindu is thus the anusvara and this
completes ‘aha’ into ‘aham’ ¼vga½. This anusvara, after having joined ‘a’ and
‘ha’ in oneness shows that all manifestation though oppearing emanated and different is actually residing in Shiva
and is not different from him. ‘A’ represents Shiva; ‘ha’ represents Shakti;
the anusvara represents the fact that though Shiva is manifested right upto the
earth through Shakti, he is not devided thereby; he remains undivided (avibhaga
vedanatrmka bindu rupataya)
Bindu as a point without area symbolises the non-finite nature of the
pure awareness (pramitibhava) of Aham. It is the pivot around which the cycle of
energies from ‘A’ to ‘Ha’ rotates, the void in the centre from which all the
powers emanate arol into which they collapse. As such, it is the supreme power
of action which holds subject; object and means of knowledge together in a
potential state in the one light that shines as all three[1]
containing them is its repose (visranti) Bindu is the knower (Jnatr), who is
essentially cons. that though omniscient does not manifest its intelligence,
like a man who knows the scriptures but having no occasion to explain them to
others silently bears this knowledge within himself. As such, it symbolizes the
union of Shiva and Shakti (Shiva Shakti mithusnapinda)[2] a state of heightened potency in which they
have not yet divided to generate the world of diversity. It stands, in other
words, at. the threshold of differentiation in the stream of emanation still contained
within Shiva.
Then to the degree in which that which is to be accomplished by the power
of action residing within it (as a potential) penetrates into the absolute it
appears initially as bindu which is the light of pure cons. when outer objectity
is reabsorbed into its transcendent source bindu is the point into which all
the manifest power of cons. are gathered and fused together. The universal
potency of all the letters is thus contained in bindu which as the reflective
awareness of supreme ’I’ consciousness [3] gives them all life. Thus bindu also marks
the beginning of Shiva’s internal movement back to the undifferentiated
absolute and so stands at the threshold of both emission and absorption without
being involved in either.
Bindu is described as the state of the letter “Ma” before manifestation,
consisting of the Shiva Shakti Tattva enveloped by Maya or Porama Kumdalini. It
implies both the void (shunya) – that is the Brahman state (Brahmakadain empty
space within the cycle of the Bindu; as also the gunas which are implicitly
contained in it, since it is in indissoluble union with Shakti in whom the
Gunas or factors constituting the material source of all things are contained.
The Para-Bindu is called the Ghana ghana
The three aspects of AHAM together constitute a movement from the
undifferentiated source of transcendental consciousness. ‘A’ though the expansion
or emission of its power ‘Ha’ to the subject - ‘M’ - which contains and makes
manifest the entire universe of experience. The reverse of this movement that
of withdrawal (Samhara) as represented
by M –Ha –A. AHAM and M-Ha-A alternate in the rotation of the reflective
awareness of ‘I’ consciousness as immanent Shakti emerges from transcendental
Shiva to then merge bock into him. As Abhinava says.
The universe rutes within Shakti and She on the place of the absolute
(another) and this agains within Shakti – for the universe chires within cons.
and (consciousness chires) here (within the universe by the power of) consciousness
these three poles, forming a couple and merging to make up the one supreme
nature of Bhairava whole essence in AHAM. [4]
Despite the one aspect being the other, Shakti is still the active aspect
and the cause of creation. There is movement of awareness from one to the other
as Shiva becomes Shakti and Shakti become Shiva. As it is written in Varivasyaahasya
“The Brahman, with the desire to create the universe glanced on Its (other)
half (consort) Shakti and assumed the form of a Bindu (sperm) is to which again
Shakti enters assuming the form of a replabindu (ovum).[5]
Bindu divides in to two parts: upper Bindu and lower Bindu. Nada is the
continuous connecting link between the two Bindus. As it is writer in the Varivasya
rahasya.
Nada emanating fro muladhara appears as the string passing through the
several letter forming with them a composite whole even, as the threads in a
piece of cloth.[6]
The very Bindu which is in the Muladhara divides itself into five Bindus.
All these five Bindus are the centre of five plexuses.
The causal (karana) or supreme Bindu (Para Bindu) is unmanifest,
undifferentiated Shiva - Shakti, whose power are not yet displayed but are to
be displayed from out the then undifferentiated state of Mulaprakriti. This is
the state of Supreme Speech (paravak) the Supreme Word or loses the seat of which
in the individual body in the Muladhara cobra.
There is one Spirit which appears three cold as a Trinity of Manifested
Power (Shakti). As so manifesting the one Shiva-Shakti becomes two fold, Shiva
and Shakti and the relation (Nada) of these two makes the threefold Trinity.
The one first moves as the Great Will (Iccha) then as the knowledge or Wisdom (Jnana)
according to which Will acts and then as Action (Kriya).
According to one nomenclature the Supreme Bindu becomes three fold as
Bindus, Bija and Nada. Though Shiva is never separate from Shakti non Shakti
from Shiva a manifestation may predominantly signify by one or another. So it
is said that Bindu is in the nature of Shiva (Shivatmaka) and Bija of Shakti (Shaktyatmka)
and Nada is the combination of the two. There are also called Mahabindu (Parabindu)
Sita Bindu (White Bindu) Sonabindu (Red Bindu) and Mishrabindu (Mixed Bindu).
These are supreme (Para ) subtle (Suksma gross
thula). There is another nomentlaturre viz. Sun, Fire and Moon.
Bija is moon, that from Bija issues
the Shakti Vam from whom comes Brahma, who are in the nature of the Moon and Will
Power (Iccha-Shakti) in terms of the gunas of Prakriti is Rajas Guna which
impels Sattva to self display. This is Pashyanti Shabda, the seat of which is
in the Svadhisthana Cakra. From nada similarly issue Jyestha shakti and Vishnu
and from Bindu Pautri and Rudra which are Madhyama and Vaikhari Shabda, the
seats of which are the Anaheta and Vishuddha Cakras respectively. According to
one account Bindu is Fire and Kriya-Shakiti (action) and Nada is “Sun” and Jnana
Shakti, which in terms of the Gunas are tamas and Sattva respectively.
Consciousness completes itself as both Shiva and Shakti simultaneously.
The moment in which it is aware of itself as transcending all things, it is
also aware of its immanence. These two moments of transcendence and immanence
imply one another while remaining distinct. Kamakala Vilaso explains the
dynamics of this process in some details. Shiva and Shakti are represented in
this work as the universal subject and his Cosmic object. There infinite nature
is symbolized by two trans dimensional points of absolute Consciousness (Bindu)
Shiva is represented by a white point ( Shukla bindu) and Shakti by red point
(Shonit bindu) both expand and contract.[7] White
Shiva penetrates red Shakti. This results in the creation of the universe and
Shiva’s transformation into Shakti and Shakti’s transformation into Shiva.
Shiva becomes ‘Red Shiva’ and acts as the supremes reality and transcendertal
ground of White Shakti the manifest universe. Then ‘Red Shiva penetrates into
white Shakti and white Shiva withdraws from movement of transcendence and the
withdrawal of the universe White Shakti is retransformed into White Shiva ad
Red Shiva into ‘Red Shakti’ Shakti then merges in Shiva as the introverted
awareness he has of himself as pure transcendental ‘I’ consciousness. They thus
exchange roles. When one comes to the fore and becomes manifestly apparent, the
other recedes into the background as the unmanifest inner nature of the other.
The two movements of transcendence and immanence. Shiva and Shakti thus imply one
another.
Shiva is symbolized in the mystic alphabet by the first letter ‘A’ which
stands for the absolute. Shakti is represented by ‘H’ the last letter of the
Sanskrit alphabet which symbolises the ongoing emanation (prasana) of the
universe. Each letter of the alphabet stands for an aspect or phase in the cycle
of cosmic manifestation and withdrawal ‘A’ and ‘H’ ‘Shiva’ and ‘Shakti’ the two
ends of the cycle are united by their passion in the totality of ‘Aham’ (I- consciousness).
This pure ‘I’ is the universal vibration of consciousness which embraces the
universe in its nature. It is Kamakala sometimes called the ‘Supreme Power’ and
at other times the Supreme Shiva.[8] The
identity and distinction between them is thus reiterated in different ways at
higher and lower levels of consciousness in more or less comprehensive terms.
There is no past no future. There is eternality the now. There is no
‘there.’ It is here only. This concept was given by Hermann Minkowski, who was Einstein’s
mathematics teacher. He was very much inspired by his student’s special theory
of relativity. He deduced a space time diagram out of his mathematical
explorations. In this diagram, the past, the present and the future are
mathematically related. All the past and all the future for each individual meet
and ever meet, at one single point of now in the diagram. The now of each
individual is specifically located here (wherever the observer is) and nowhere
else. In the relative world where knowledge is variable depending upon the
states of the observers there can also be the invariant concept of now and
here.
The meaning of eternality in relation to General Theory of Relativity may
be mentioned like this : time is elastic; it can stretch, shrink and word. It
stops altogether at a singularity as in a black hole. The word ‘eternal’ has
got two meaning. It means ‘timeless’. There is no fine without motion or
change. If change is universal in matter and energy. If A cannot remain as A,
but becomes no – A such as B, C, D, it cannot be said that matter and energy are
eternal and everlasting. In order to be timeless something must be changeless
and in order to be changeless, it must be actionless and attributeless.
Void is the most logical concept for the beginning and end of any
manifestation. To say that life came from outer space or that the universe was
formed out of the primordial soup is not enough, one must answer the question
how the starting entity came into being. The concept of void obviates such quarries
Void does not need a beginning nor a reason to be so.
If we accept void as the beginning and end of this universe, the question
arises how physical matter with forms and colours can emerge
out of void. In fact such matter does not exist al all. The present status of
universe is also void. The forms and colours we observe around us in nature are
not real, they manifest and reside only in our consciousness. There is no
objective material existence as such which can stand independent of our consciousness.
The material objects we see through our sense organs are no different from the
mental concepts and ideas we imagine or fancy. Both appear in our mind arising
out of our own consciousness; one due to the pressure of the external
environment the other due to the internal agitation of the consciousness. Our
consciousness and the environment external to its, are both parts of the same
void; projecting as separate entities under certain limitations of our mental
mechanism. If we could overcome these limitations, the projection will vanish
and only void will prevail.
According to H.C. Mathur, “In the Yogic concept void is a state of
dynamic equilibrium. It contains all the entities in a state of balance equal
and opposite entities concealing one another. It is the zero which represents
the right hand side O. a balanced mathematical equation an equation containing an
infinite number of parameters….”
abcd ……. = 0
Here abc ….. may be any entities. So long as they are distributed in the
fashion shown above. They will always add up to zero. So long as the balance is
maintained there is no manifestation. The reality remains void. But of the
balance is distributed, the system goes into swing and starts oscillating
around its neutral state of void. Viewed over all the dimensions of space and
time the system as a whole will always be void. But if the view is restricted
to a limited frame of space and time, the system projects a state of unbalance
where all the entities do not cancel one another. There is a definite
manifestation a projection of arbitrary number of entities mass charge momentum
temperature etc. The manifested entities then constitute a universe which
continues to exit so long as the balance lasts and the view remains restricted.
Our universe, the universe of our senses the retional and intellectual universe
is thus manifesting under the space-time limitation of our cons. if we could
expend our consciousness embody the total space, we would see only void. Similarly,
if we could foresee in time the eventual return to the neutral position of the
universal swing we would see only void.
The ultimate reality or the absolute truth is void – nothing a
mathematical zero. It is in void that both mind and matter emerge; in void they
interact and in void they perish. The following proposition outlines the hypothesis:
The beginning and end of this universe is void. So also is its present
status. The objects and events we see around us have no real existence. They
are an illusion. They exist only in our mind created by the mind and our sense
organs. Our senses have a limited perception. They cannot perceive the whole,
and therefore present a partial picture to the mind. The mind becomes a victim
of ignorance. It interprets the sensations as material objects constituting the
universe. Incomplete perception manifests a whole sequence of objects and
events out of perfectly balanced state of dynamic equilibrium, that is, void. The
body and the mind which appear as Self are also part of this illusion. Once ignorance
is removed, the distinction between Self and Not self vanishes. The manifested
universe merges with the vast unmanifested reality. The sum total is always
zero. Void is the only reality the absolute truth.[9]
The future projection of our universe can be defined in the words of Lincoln Barnett
in the following way.
The universe is thus progressing toward an ultimate ‘heat death’ or as it
is technically defined a condition of maximum entropy. When the universe
reaches this state some billions of years from now, all the processes of nature
will cease. All space will be at the same temperature no energy can be used
because all of it will be uniformly distributed through cosmos. There will be
no light, no life no warmth- nothing but perpetual and irrevocable stagnation. Time
itself will come to an end. For entropy points the direction of time. Entropy
is the measure of randomness. When all systems and order in the universe have
vanished, if when there no longer is any sequence of cause and effect in short,
when the universe has run down- there will be no direction to time, there will
be no time. And there is no way of avoiding this destiny.[10]
H.C. Mathur writes, “The void of the Yogic philosophy is a similar state
of randomness; a state pf maximum entropy where the probability of occurrence
of any event is the same as the probability of occurrence of its exact opposite
counter event. Every positive electrical change is balanced by an equal and
opposite negative charge, every magnetic field is balanced by a field of
opposite polarity; mass and energy, appearing as electromagnetic of wave forms
are cancelled by their mirror images that is by wave forms, of the same
frequency and amplitude but opposite is phase. All matter is cancelled by anti
matter; all forces and vectors, by equal forces and vectors in apposite
direction. Such a state of void can carry every imaginable entity and yet
remain void. In yogic terms this state of existence cum-nor-existence is known
as ‘Brahman’, the Absolute or the Ever Un manifest.[11]
[1] Tantra loka –I Volume
Chapter –III, Verse – 111, P- 410
mfnrk;k¡
fØ;k”käkS lkselw;kZfXu/kkfuA
vfHkkx%
izdj”kks ;% l fcUnq ijeks fgu%AA111AA
f”ko”kfDr
feFkquh fi.M% doyh d`rHkqoue.Myks & t;frA5A
[2] Kama
kalavilasa trans by Shyamakanta Devivedi
Chauphambha Surbharati Prokashan Varanasi – 2001, p.36.
[3] fcUnq gdkjkRek jfojsrfUe/kqulej lkdkj%A
dke%
d;uh;r;k dyk p ngusUnqfoxzgkS fcUnqAA6AA Kanakalavilasa Translated by
Dr. Shyamakanta Dwivedi, Choukhana Surbhar ats Prakashan – Varanasi – 2001, p.
43
[4] rfnna fo”oeUr%LFka “koUrkS lkuqÙkjs
ijsAA205AA
rÙkL;kfefr
;RlR;a foHkquk laiqVh d`fr%A T. A. Tantraloka – 3/205L – 6a., p. 475
[5] fo”ofll`PkkO”kr% Lok/kh “kfDr foyksd;}áA
fcUnqHkofr rfeUnqa
izfo”kfr “kfDrLrq jDr fcUnqr;kA70AA Varivaryarcharya – PP-55-56, Verse -
70
[6] Ibid. verse – 21, P. 17 vk/kkjksfRFkruknks xq.k bo
ifjHkfr o.kZe/;xr%A
[7] flr”kh.k fcUnq;qxya
fofoDrf”ko”kfDrj dqpRizljeA
okxFkZl`f’V gsrq% ijLijkuq
izfo’V foLi’Ve~AA6AA Kamakalavilasa, Verse – 6, P. 43
[8] fcUnqjgdkjkRek
jfojsrfUeFkqulij lkdkj%A
dke% deuh;r;k dyk p ngus
nqfoxzgkS fcUnqAA7AA Kamalatavilasa – Verse – 7, P. 43
[9] Quoted from Patanjali’s
Model of the Human Mind - H.C. Mathur. Shree Publishing House – New Delhi
[10] Lincoln
[11] Patanjalis’s Model of the
Hman Mind H.C. Mathur PP. 9-10.
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