Bindu Visarga - A drop of moon on the crown of Tripura Sundari

Tripura Sundari Mandir, Banswara Rajasthan

In the definition of Kundalini, this is the source of creation, represented by the dot or Bindu in the center of the Sri Chakra. The Bindu means the drop or the point, or literally Bindu Visarga which is the falling of the drop. This is represented by the crescent moon and a white drop which is the nectar that is dripping down from the Vishuddhi chakra. It is the ultimate source of immortality, that state which is called bliss when this chakra is activated through sadhana.

"From that Bindu came ether, air, fire, water, earth and the letters of the alphabet" - Kama Kala Vilasa

The Bindu is connected with the Vishuddhi Chakra and its seat is at the back of the head, typically where brahmins leave a tuft of hair growing. It is believed during sandhya, the brahmin ties this tuft of hair tighter, and while he practices mantra, he develops a powerful and continuing awareness of this Bindu point. This is one of the traditional methods of accessing the Bindu Visarga consciously.

In Tantra, Bindu is depicted by the crescent moon on a moonlit night. The Bindu is closely related to the kalas, that is the waxing and waning of the moon. The Bindu gives a hint towards the vast void beyond, the Sahasrara. It is said when the Bindu is awakened, the sound of OM is heard within the self. It is also believed that this Bindu, or the moon, produces a very intoxicating secretion, which is nectar or ambrosia or amrita or soma. At this point, the bhakta enters the state of complete bliss and is no longer dependent on the world for sustenance.

Other explanations to the same Bindu define this as the red and the white Bindu, where the red represents the Goddess, alias blood of menstruation. White represents the sperm or shukla. The red Bindu is established as the sun and the white Bindu as the moon, representing the ida and the pingala. There are various interpretations to what the Bindu really is, but what strikes out most is that which is depicted on the crown of Goddess Tripura Sundari or that of the great Lord Kameshwara.

This is a phenomenon that renders the bhakta immortal, supreme and one with the divine. Great sages have made this secret phenomenon understandable to the masses by simple depiction. Simple depiction that hides within itself a supreme phenomenon unknown until contemplated upon.

This is embedded in the depiction, in the music, in the verses, in the songs to the great Goddess Kamakshi, Tripura Sundari. Quoting...

Tripurasundari Vijaya Sthava
[Ode of Victory to Tripurasundari]

Lakshya bhakthi rasardhra hruthsarasije sadbhi sadaradhitha|
Sandrananda mayi sudhakara kala gandojjwalanmoulike||
Sarvani sarana gatharthi samani sachinmayee sarvadha|
Srichakradhi nivasini, vijayathe Srirajarajeswari|| 14

Victory to the Goddess who resides in the center of the Sri Chakra, who lives among those hearts drenched in devotion towards her. She resides in the realm of happiness among those good. She wears the crescent moon on her crown and is the consort of Lord Shiva in her all pervasive form. She consoles those who seek protection in her, who is true knowledge, who is wisdom, who is Bindu, who is bliss all within the self.

Hreengarathraya saputathi mahatha manthrena sampoojitha|
Hothri Chandra sameerana agni jala bhobaswannabhoroopini||
Hamsa sohamithi prakrushtadishanair aradhitha yogibhi|
Srichakradhi nivasini, vijayathe Srirajarajeswari|| 15

Victory to the Goddess Rajarajeshwari who resides at the center of the Sri Chakra, who is invoked by the great chant in the three hreem, who is in the sacred offerings, moon, air, fire, water, earth, sun and sky. Who is worshiped by great yogis who look upon her in the divine form of Hamsa Soham.

Tripura Thilakam
[The Ornament to the Tripurasundari]

Eeshashad unmishada marthya sakhi kusumaavalee vimala tharakaa|
Vrunda Sundara sudhamsu ganda subhagee kruthathi guru kaishikaam||
Neelakunchithga naalakaam nitalabhooshanayatha vilochanaam|
Neelakandasukruthonnatheem, sathathasraye Tripurasundareem|| 3

My heart depends on the Goddess Tripura Sundari who is the greatest treasure of Lord Shiva, who is beauty described in her dense crown of hair which is embellished by the crescent moon she wears, that is surrounded by the very stars of the night sky. This appears like a fully opened flower of the Kalpaga tree. Among her blue locks of hair that gently flow down her crown, and frame her half open eyes that are like lilies blooming in the full moon night.

Lakshm aheena vidhu lakshanairjjitha vichakshanana saroruham|
Yikshukarmuka sarasanopamitha chillkayugamamathallikam||
Lakshaye manasi santhatham sakala dushkrutha kshaya vidhayineem|
Uksha vahana thapo vibhuthimahadaksharam Tripurasundarim|| 4

My mind remains awake towards the Goddess Tripura Sundari, who is beauty personified within the lotus face she has, growing like that of a million moons, and has teeth like the bow of a sugarcane of the God of love, who reduces the effect of all bad acts done, whose blessings is the greatest gift gotten from the worship of Lord Shiva.

The realm of the Goddess, the awakening of the Bindu is a drop of moonlight that descends into the consciousness of the Bhakta awakening him into the Sahasrara, the path to the realization of the void, of the universe beyond. The experience of this is probably far, but the very thought that the moon makes a poetic drop of elixir, brings intrigue and mystery into the subtlety of this great phenomenon, represented by a silver glow of the crescent moon on the face of the Goddess.

References:
Kundalini Tantra: Swamy Satyananda Saraswati, Bihar school of Yoga
Vedanta Spiritual Library.

Path to Shivahood in the Thirumanthiram

Every seeker wishes to know the way and wants every delusion cleared. Yet there is frustration and lack of knowledge on how one should even proceed in this path. It raises the deep question on why am I born human?

What is the meaning of being human?

The beauty of Thirumular's explanation is that it removes the veil of Maya straight away by presenting this concept to us. Being human is a state, its not me or you, but a state that we have taken on in this birth. This quite simply answers the question - Who am I. Aham Brahmaasmi - That I am/That thou art.

I am not human as much as I am consciousness in this form of a human in this period of time, in this kaal. I breathe because I have taken birth and in this birth my purpose is to raise myself to not just the state of a sidhha or a deva but to raise myself to the state of Shivahood. Is it possible, it is and Thirumular explains how.

Many people center their spiritual progress to offering 5 to 10 mins of puja, offering Archanai at a temple, and/or following few steps to do a parigaram to ward off immediate troubled forces created by planets and yet they wish for wealth, prosperity and progeny. Thirumular attributes all this to the path of Kriya where, though it is beneficial it also accumulates karma. We cannot consider our spiritualism as complete by any of these methods.

Thirumular further goes to explain that the nature of the supreme atman cannot be discovered or experienced by the senses hence it is vain on our part to hope to achieve salvation through our senses. Just as it is in the nature of the sun to rise in the east, one cannot wish it to rise from the west, similarly it is in the nature of the divine to be realized through contemplation and jnana and not just through momentary archanai/puja or action.

The higher form of worship is in the mansion of the mind, our mind, that which only we can control.

Offer oblations in love
Light lamps golden,
Spread incense of fragrant wood
And lighted camphor in directions all
Forget your worldly worries, and meditate
You shall attain rapturous mukti true

Worship is in the consciousness of the mind, where oblations are offered with love, lamp lights appear golden and the fragrance of incense spreads around the Lord. Burn camphor in all the four directions and forget all your worldly worries for a while, this time is for just meditate on the Lord. It is a state of bliss and peace that is achieved over time with practice. Ritual helps us do this with discipline and as one rises in their spiritual curve this turns into a conscious activity in the mind, rhythmic and simple as one tunes in their mind to spend some silent moments with the self.

The beauty of this practice is explained in another passage:

Even when other men's wives approach them
They touch them not
They have mastered passions all
Their mind is preoccupied perpetually
With offer of oblation diverse
They worship prostrating low
Constantly chanting mantra
Thus in the mansion of the mind they abide.

In the realistic world today seduction is an art not just known to women but men as well and these temptations can come from any where, to both genders included. Excluding the chauvinism in the verse that is very male centric, the essence applies to all. When the mind is so deep in the thought of Lord Shiva, in the conscious state it dwells on him in worship, and all passions are mastered and controlled. The mind doesn't waver, and the oncoming temptation doesn't affect it leaving the bhakta far from falling prey to seduction.

Thirumular quotes:

They know not to reach him by jnana divine,
They seek him by ways of senses, in vain
If within you constantly seek him in the right way
You shall indeed be in nadanta

As one rises up the charts of evolved spiritualism, kriya path gives way to that of jnana. Contemplation takes over action.

Bhaktas, yogis and jnanis do not take to kriya path but instead move into jnana and reach the state of Nadanta.

Yourself himself becoming
And himself yourself becoming
And with two none
And as one Shiva becoming
When thus it is,
Those who went the way of kriya
If they take to jnana
They with Shiva one become
They who seek kriya
May but devas be

There is so much inner beauty in this passage. By being in dhyana and contemplating regularly one can attain Shivahood. By mere practice of ritual in momentary intervals one can best hope to reach the state of being Deva. If the mind dwells entirely on Shiva, it entertains no other thought and life's problems appear like states of living without any attachment.

Problems are accepted situations and conscious mind time is spent in single point concentration leaving the mind passionate of Lord Shiva thus elevating the soul to a constant state of Shivahood.
In this state OM rises from under the navel, VA rises from the throat stretched, NA has its seat in forehead and bindu and nada are still placed higher. Nectar or amrit flows from the 7th centre, the bright light of jnana glows at the 8th chakra, in the 11th chakra lies the supreme and beyond it is the void described as the dwadasanta space.

In this world that we live in, in this stressful world that we belong to, time, contemplation, passion and persistence are the possible characteristics that can lead us closer to salvation.

* Dwadasanta is the mystical place 12 units above on the head counting from the region of the third eye between the brow. Each unit is an angula, measuring 1 division on the finger.
Courtesy: Excerpts from the Thirumanthiram written by Sage Thirumular.