Vigyan Bhairava Tantra — 112 dharanas

ऊर्ध्वे प्राणो ह्यधो जीवो विसर्गात्मा परोच्चरेत्। उत्पत्तिद्वितयस्थाने भरणाद्भरिता स्थितिः॥

The breath rises upward and downward. Between the two — the gap, the source — is fullness. Stay there.

Technique — Attention on the breath. As you exhale, observe the moment when the out-breath ends but the in-breath has not begun. As you inhale, observe the moment when the in-breath ends but the out-breath has not begun. These two gaps (kumbhaka) are the doors of consciousness.

Result — Recognition of the witnessing awareness behind breath. The "I" that observes — independent of the body's rhythm.

मरुतोऽन्तर्बहिर्वापि वियद्युग्मानिवर्तनात्। भैरव्या भैरवस्येत्थं भैरवि व्यज्यते वपुः॥

When the breath, neither going in nor going out, settles in the heart — there, O Bhairavi, the form of Bhairava is revealed.

Technique — Practise pranayama until the breath spontaneously stops in the centre. Do not force it. In the natural pause, the Self is revealed.

Result — Direct meeting with the formless. The supreme yoga.

न व्रजेन्न विशेच्छक्तिर्मरुद्रूपा विकासिते। निर्विकल्पतया मध्ये तया भैरवरूपता॥

When the breath, in the form of shakti, neither goes out nor comes in — in the centre — through that, the form of Bhairava (is revealed).

Technique — Watch the gap between thoughts. Watch the gap between heartbeats. Watch the gap between breaths. In ALL gaps, the Self.

Result — Stabilises witness-consciousness. Becomes the natural state.

मध्यनाडी मध्यसंस्था बिसतन्तूपमयोऽनुना। ध्यातान्तर्व्योमया देव्या तया देवः प्रकाशते॥

The central channel is centred — fine as a lotus-stem fibre. Meditated by you, O Devi, with the inner sky — the deity is revealed.

Technique — Visualise the Sushumna (central spinal channel) as a fine fibre running from the perineum to the crown of the head. Inside it, vast inner sky. Hold attention on this thread.

Result — Activation of Sushumna. Kundalini begins to flow centrally. The supreme inner-anatomy practice.

कररुद्धदृशा यन्तु बिन्दव्यः खे ततस्त्रिमध्ये। एकीकृत्य महाकाशस्तत्त्वज्ञानप्रकाशकः॥

Block the senses with your hands, see the dots that arise in the inner space. Unify them in the centre — the great sky (chid-akasha) reveals truth.

Technique — Close the 9 gates (2 ears with thumbs, 2 eyes with index fingers, 2 nostrils with middle, mouth + 2 lower gates by posture). Watch the inner darkness; tiny lights/dots arise. Hold attention on them centrally.

Result — Yoni mudra unfolds. Inner light becomes the meditation-object. Visual + auditory withdrawal complete.

अनाहते पात्रकर्णेऽभग्नशब्दे सरिद्द्रुते। शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति॥

In an unstruck sound, in a vessel-ear-shaped place, in unbroken sound like a flowing river — being immersed in shabda-Brahman, one reaches the supreme Brahman.

Technique — Sit in a place of unbroken natural sound — a river, a waterfall, a continuous mantra. Become the sound. The listener dissolves.

Result — Nada-yoga. The supreme entry through hearing — for those whose dominant sense is ear.

प्रणवादिसमुच्चारात्प्लुतान्ते शून्यभावनात्। शून्यया परया शक्त्या शून्यतामेति भैरवि॥

By prolonged utterance of Pranava (Om) — at the end, the silence. The supreme shunya-shakti — leads to the void itself.

Technique — Chant Om aloud. Make the m-sound longer + longer until it dissolves into silence. Watch the silence that follows. THAT is the goal — not the Om.

Result — The supreme practice for mantra-sadhakas. The mantra is the boat; the silence after is the shore.

जग्ध्वा पात्र्वा च पीत्वा च अवस्थां भावयेद्भरिताम्। भरिताम्भावयेत्तां च परा भैरवि भोगिनी॥

After eating, drinking, partaking — meditate on the state of fullness. By that meditation, the supreme Bhairavi the enjoyer.

Technique — After eating, instead of jumping back to activity — sit quietly for 5 minutes. Feel the body's fullness. Watch the contentment. Stay with it.

Result — Pleasure becomes a door. Daily life becomes sadhana. Tantric integration of bhoga + yoga.

गगनं हृदये ध्यात्वा जागृत्स्वप्नविवर्जितः। परमा परमा देवि भैरवस्य प्रकाशते॥

Having meditated on the sky in the heart — freed of waking and dreaming — the supreme of the supreme, O Devi, the form of Bhairava is revealed.

Technique — Imagine an infinite empty sky in the heart-centre (anahata). Not the visualisation — the sense of vastness.

Result — Hridaya-akasha vidya. The supreme heart-cave meditation. Used by Ramana Maharshi.

दिक्कालत्रयविच्छिन्ने भ्रामकं हृदिकं तदा। भैरवो भैरवीयं तु शिवो भवति शान्तये॥

When direction + time + the three (past-present-future) are sundered — the wandering of the heart ceases. Then Bhairava is Bhairavi, Shiva is for peace.

Technique — Drop attention from direction, time, and the three tenses. Just be — without here, now, then.

Result — Direct samadhi. The mind's 3 coordinates of bondage released.

गीतादिविषयासाद्या समानां सूक्ष्ममूर्तिषु। प्राप्तिः परा परोपायः खस्थोऽन्तःस्वर्गलोकता॥

In tasting music + the like — feel an immense joy. Through that joy, the supreme. The sky-dweller knows the inner heaven-world.

Technique — Listening to a song that moves you deeply — at the peak of the joy, suddenly stop listening to the song. Watch the joy itself, without its cause.

Result — Aesthetics → spirituality. Rasa-sadhana. The tantric path to the divine through art.

त्वग्भित्तिको विभाव्योऽन्तर्न किञ्चिदिति चिन्तयन्। निराधारतयाध्यानम् यस्तस्य प्रकटीभवेत्॥

Imagine the body to be only skin — within, nothing. Meditate without support. To that one, (the truth) is revealed.

Technique — Sit + imagine your body is only a skin-balloon. Inside — only space. No organs, no blood, no bone. Just empty space inside a thin outline of skin.

Result — De-identification with the body. Begins the recognition: "I am not the body; the body appears in me."

स्थूलरूपस्य भावस्य स्तब्धां दृष्टिं निपात्य च। अचिरेण निराधारं मनः कृत्वा शिवं व्रजेत्॥

Looking with a steady gaze at a gross form — by quickly making the mind support-less, one reaches Shiva.

Technique — Gaze unblinking at any object until your mind has nothing to think about (because it knows the object completely). Then drop the object. Stay in the support-less mind.

Result — Trataka practice. Direct entry through visual concentration. Used by Ramana for self-inquiry.

चित्ताद्यन्तःकृतिर्नास्ति ममान्तर्भावयेदिति। विकल्पानामभावेन विकल्पैरुज्झितो भवेत्॥

"There is no inner instrument like chitta + others within me" — meditating thus, free of all thought-formations.

Technique — Repeatedly affirm: "I have no mind. I have no intellect. I have no ego. I have no memory." Watch these supposed-inner-instruments dissolve as you observe them.

Result — Pure jnana-vichara. The Self alone remains.

अद्वैतान्तश्च तत्त्वं स्याद्द्वैतान्तं तं हि शाङ्करम्। तद्बोधे यानि च द्वन्द्वा शूले अग्रांकुशे यथा॥

Non-duality is the truth — the end of duality is Shankara himself. In its recognition, all dualities (are like the points of a goad).

Technique — In every experience of duality — pleasure-pain, success-failure, friend-enemy — recognise: BOTH points exist on the same line. The line itself is the Self.

Result — Dvandva-atita state. Beyond opposites — the supreme equanimity.

अग्निना वारिणा चित्तं दुःस्थमादौ निशम्य च। दहेद्भृष्टेच्छ्या भावान्निर्विकल्पः प्रकाशते॥

First steady the unsteady mind with fire and water. By that, burn down all desire-objects — the thought-free shines forth.

Technique — Pranayama (alternating cooling + heating breaths) → mind steadies. Then meditate on desires being burned away by the fire of awareness.

Result — Burning out vasanas. The seeds of future desires consumed.

सर्वं देहं चिन्मयं हि जगद्वा परिभावयेत्। युगपन्निर्विकल्पेन मनसा परमोदयः॥

Meditate the entire body — or the entire world — as pure consciousness. All at once, by thought-free mind, supreme arising.

Technique — Sit + suddenly perceive: this body is not flesh. It is pure conscious-light, shaped like a body. The same light flows in the chair, the wall, the air. ONE field of light shaped variously.

Result — The "world as consciousness" perception. Direct Advaita realisation through perception, not thought.

चित्तमन्तरे चित्तं कृत्वा यद्रूपं विक्षिप्यते। तद्भावनापथं तेषां योगितेति निगद्यते॥

Having placed the mind within the mind — whatever form arises, contemplate that as one's path. They are called yogis.

Technique — Watch your own watching. When thoughts arise, do not engage — but also do not push them away. Just watch them be watched.

Result — Sakshi-bhava. The witness-state stabilised.

मा चिन्तय न चिन्तय चिन्त्यम् भावय परं हृदा। निर्विकल्पतया तस्य स्वरूपं भैरवं वपुः॥

Do not think. Do not think any thinkable. Conceive the supreme by the heart alone. In thought-freedom — that is the form of Bhairava.

Technique — Whenever any thought arises about God — abandon it. God is not a thought. Stay with the unthought.

Result — Apophatic mysticism. The "not this, not this" approach to the divine.

पाशादिकं किमप्यस्तु नाहं वा मम वा भवेत्। मत्तदन्यस्य कस्यापि सम्बन्धोऽपि न कुत्रचित्॥

Let any bondage be — neither am I, nor mine. There is no connection of anything else with me, anywhere.

Technique — Repeatedly think: "This thought is not mine. This feeling is not mine. This identity is not mine. NONE of this is connected to the I-that-knows."

Result — Radical neti-neti. The Atman recognised by total negation.

अव्यक्तं नित्यविभु तत्त्वं नित्यानन्दं समैकयोः। एतद्ध्यानमवच्छिन्नं विमुक्तौ बद्धचेतसाम्॥

The unmanifest, eternal, all-pervading, eternally blissful — meditation on this, unbroken — frees even the bound-minded.

Technique — Sustain the awareness of: unmanifest (no form), eternal (no time), all-pervading (no space), bliss (no want). Stay with these 4 qualities as the only object.

Result — The supreme nirguna-meditation. Granted to the bound-minded who cannot yet handle dharanas of form.

इत्थमेव विमुच्येत यः कोऽपि शिवशक्तियोः। भैरवस्य पदं प्राप्य संसारेऽपि निवर्तते॥

Thus alone is freed any one who knows the union of Shiva + Shakti. Having reached the Bhairava-state, even in samsara — turns away (from samsara).

Technique — Recognise: every breath = Shiva-Shakti union. Every thought-arising = Shiva-Shakti. Every sense-impression = Shiva-Shakti. The ENTIRE field of experience is the cosmic union.

Result — The supreme tantric realisation. Samsara itself becomes the path.

इदमेव शिवं विद्यान्न तु तत्त्वान्तरं किलम्। केवलं तत्परित्यागे न मुक्तिर्न च बन्धनम्॥

Know this very thing as Shiva — there is no separate tattva beyond. By complete abandonment of (the "elsewhere"), there is neither bondage nor liberation.

Technique — Wherever you are, whatever you are doing — recognise: THIS is Shiva. The seeking of Shiva ELSEWHERE is itself the illusion.

Result — The supreme + simplest. No special technique. Just the recognition that there was never anywhere else to go.