The picture depicts Ānanda Bhairava and Ānanda Bhairavī
Dehastha Devata Cakra Stotram
by Abhinavagupta along with the commentary by Mark Dyczkowski
In this unique stotram, Abhinava explicitly indicates that the human body is of divine origin and should be worshipped as the location of pithas (seats) where various divinities reside. With moving poetics, he indicates how these various deities are constantly offering obeisance to the presiding deity, the heart or hrdaya represented by Ānanda Bhairava with his consort Devi, the Guru, and two gatekeepers: Ganapati and Vatukanatha. According to Abhinava, the human body is not to be rejected but to be revered as residing place of wonderful deities who can be felt and experienced. This occurs subtly at first, but becomes more established with regular attention and practice.
Abhinava’s intended message embedded in this poem is this – Everything is consciousness which is ever engaged in perception, awareness and action. He encourages us to cultivate our body and its sensual apparatus so that it tunes our anthakaranas (i.e. Mind, Intellect and Ego) to see the wonder of yoga. Every act of perception, small or big presents us an opportunity to experience the sweet bliss of the Lord.
asūra-sūra-vṛinda-vanditam
abhimata-vara-vitaraṇe niratam /
darśana-śatāgrya-pūjyaṁ
prāṇa-tanuṁ gaṇapatiṁ vande // 1 //
Translation: Salutations to Gaṇeśa, the first to be worshipped in all hymns and rituals. As the embodiment of prāṇa (outward breath) he is adored by gods, goddesses, and demons alike. I pray to Gaṇeśa, who is soft in bestowing boons, so that he may allow me to enter in the temple of my own body.
Commentary: this verse is ascribed to Gaṇapati – traditionally a smarta practice ascribed to the remover of obstacles but more deeply, Gaṇapati is represented both as a gatekeeper and as praṇa. Using the power of poetic suggestion, Abhinava explains that human body being a temple, requests Gaṇapati to grant entry. Note the beautiful double-entendre here – in one way, Gaṇapati is the pati of bhuta gaṇas but more subtly he is the master of all the piṭhas (hosts) in the body.
vara-vīra-yoginī-gaṇa-
siddhā-vali-pūjitāṁ-ghri-yugalam /
apahṛita-vina-yijanārtiṁ
vaṭukam apānābhidhaṁ vande // 2 //
Translation: I pay homage to Vaṭukanātha (the boy), who also resides at the door of this temple of my body, in the form of apāna (ingoing breath). I offer salutations to Vaṭukanātha, whose divine feet are worshipped by vīras, siddhas and yoginīs, and who is capable of removing all knots and doubts in the minds of disciples who have taken refuge at the master’s feet.
Commentary: this verse is ascribed to Vaṭuka (Vaṭukanātha) – he is the incoming breadth, the Apana Vayu which is also a gatekeeper. As we are about to engage with the deities residing in our body, we also pray that the worship bears fruit. Subtly put, “knots and doubts of the mind” indicates doubts that arise during the process of worship and we pray Vaṭuka to protect us from such doubts.
From the first and second verse, it is explicit that the whole human body is supported by the two primal life-currents, the Praṇa and Apana. They hold the human body together and Gaṇapati and Vaṭuka are the hosts. Having paid attention to the gatekeepers, Abhinava draws us into the temple of our body.
ātmīya-viṣaya-bhogair-
indriya-devyaḥ sadā hṛidam-bhoje /
abhipūja-yanti yaṁ taṁ
cin-mayam-ānanda-bhairavaṁ vande // 3 //
Translation: I bow to that Ānanda-Bhairava (ever-blissful Bhairavanātha) residing in the center of the lotus of my heart. The goddesses of the indriyas are constantly in search of pleasant sounds, soft touch, beautiful forms, delicious tastes, and fragrant smells, which they offer at the feet of their master Bhairavanātha.
Commentary: this verse is ascribed to the supreme presiding deity Ānanda-Bhairava – who is wonderfully situated in the center of the heart as Cakreśvara. The poet connects the praṇa and apana from previous verses directly to heart, who is Ānanda-Bhairava or ever blissful. Why? Because, the goddesses of indriyas (Karmendriyas and Jñanendriyas) surrounding him are constantly worshiping him with things pleasing to the senses. Whatever happens in the body, whatever we do to our body, good or bad, the goddesses render them into beautiful things for Bhairava. This Bhairava situated in the core of our being is of nature “cinmayam”, the Supreme Consciousness. The stress here is that our core being is ever blissful and contains Supreme Godhead just like it is said in the Vedas and Upaniṣads. In this stotram, the heart-center is portrayed as Bhairava as opposed to the classical Para Śiva because he is Aghora i.e. power and grace that raises and liberates (Udyamo Bhairava – Śiva Sutras). As such he is transcendental and above human plane of existence still residing in the core.
yad-dhībalena viśvaṁ
bhaktānāṁ śiva-pathaṁ bhāti /
tamaham-avadhāna-rūpaṁ
sadgurum-amalaṁ sadā vande // 4 //
Translation: I ever worship the Sadguru, in his pure form residing in the temple of my body. Through constant devotion my master has bestowed upon me the strength of intellectual understanding by which I experience this whole universe consisting of pain, pleasure, and sorrow, as a pathway towards Śiva.
Commentary: this verse is ascribed to the Guru as the giver of the grace in the previous verse. Guru is prayed here for the intellectual strength by which we can approach pleasure, pain and sorrow to be pathways to Śiva. This “intellectual” strength is not mere aspect of some intelligence or brain power. This is what is referred to as “Śuddha Vidya” or the rise of true knowledge which happens after long loving approach to life.
udayāvabhāsa-carvaṇa-
līlaṁ viśvasya yā karoty-aniśam /
ānanda-bhairavīṁ tāṁ
vimarśa-rūpāṁ ahaṁ vande // 5 //
Translation: I bow the ever blissful Ānanda Bhairavī, who creates, maintains, and destroys, this universe in her own Self. Being filled with the energy of awareness, vimarśa, she resides near the seat of her master in the lotus of my heart.
Commentary: this verse is ascribed to Ānanda-Bhairavi as the consort of Ānanda-Bhairava – The Devi is Aham Vimarśa or the Supreme Energy of Awareness. As such she is no different from Śiva (the classic explanation is that the heat or energy of fire is no different from the fire itself) and represents the Svantantrya Śakti. All the sense data and experience is nothing different from Śiva but is identical to him. She is the aggregate of all the awareness and is filled with that bliss. She resides in the core of our being, the hrdaya in perfect union.
The lotus of the heart has eight petals and so now the stotram proceeds to each petal pointing to different directions. Verses 6 through 13 – Each of the directional deities represents buddhi, ahaṅkara, manas and the five tanmatras respectively. One cannot but imply the association of these eight principles to puryaṣṭaka, the baggage that is packaged up during transmigration. Abhinava deftly indicates that the human body is essentially organs of the lord and that by having the right bhavana, right attitude, our body-mind apparatus can be attuned to the saving grace of Śiva and be liberated from transmigration.
arcayati bhairavaṁ yā
niścaya-kusumaiḥ sureśa-patrasthā /
praṇamāmi buddhi-rūpāṁ
brahmāṇīṁ tāmahaṁ satatam // 6 //
Translation: Salutations to the Goddess of Intellect, Brāhmāṇī. Residing in the Eastern direction she confirms all perceptions of the outside world, and offers them like flowers to Lord Bhairava seated in the lotus of my heart.
kurute bhairava-pūjām-
aṇala ḍalasthābhimāna-kusumairyā /
nityam-ahaṁ-kṛiti-rūpāṁ
vande tāṁ śāmbhavīm-ambām // 7 //
Translation: I ever worship that mother Śāmbhavī, the ambodiment of Ahaṅkāra (ego), who eternally worships Bhairava with flowers of I-ness to his lotus feet in the petal of Agni.
vidadhāti bhairavārcāṁ
dakṣiṇa-dalagā vikalpa-kusumairyā /
nityaṁ manaḥ svarūpāṁ
kaumārīṁ tām-ahaṁ vande // 8 //
Translation: Homage to goddess Kaumārī, the embodiment of Mind (manas). Situated in the Southern petal (i.e. of Yama), it is she who offers the flowers of diverse thoughts, ideas and notions (vikalpas) to Bhairava.
nairṛita-dalagā bhairavam
arcayete-śabda-kusumairyā /
praṇamāmi śruti-rūpāṁ
nityaṁ tāṁ vaiṣṇavīṁ śaktiṁ // 9 //
Translation: I bow to that eternal and all-pervading goddess Vaiṣṇavī, the embodiment of Hearing, situated on the point of Nirṛti (southwest). Collecting a garland of beautiful sounds she worships Bhairavanātha on the lotus of my heart.
paścima-digdala-saṁsthā
hṛidaya-haraiḥ sparśa-kusumairyā /
toṣayati bhairavaṁ tāṁ
tvag-rūpa-dharāṁ namāmi vārāhīm // 10 //
Translation: I salute that goddess Vārāhī, the embodiment of Touch, who pleases the Lord Bhairava in the heart-lotus with flowers of touch in the Western petal.
varatara-rūpa-viśeṣair
māruta-digdala-niṣaṇṇa-dehā yā /
pūjayati bhairavaṁ tām
indrāṇīṁ dṛik-tanuṁ vande // 11 //
Translation: I bow to goddess Indrāṇī who is established in the Northwest petal, the abode of the māruts (wind gods, vāyu). As the embodiment of the vibrating force of Sight, she worships Bhairava with all excellent forms which are pleasing to the eye.
dhanapatti-kisalaya-nilayā
yā nityaṁ vividha-ṣaḍ-rasā-hāraiḥ /
pūjayati bhairavaṁ tāṁ
jihvābhikhyāṁ namāmi cāmuṇḍām // 12 //
Translation: Salutations to Cāmuṇḍā, established in the Northern abode of the lord of treasure (Kubera). I worship that goddess with the protruding tongue who is fond of tasting the sixfold rasas (tastes) and offering them to Bhairava in my heart.
īśa-dalasthā bhairavam-
arcayate parimalair-vicitrairyā /
praṇamāmi sarvadā tāṁ
ghrāṇābhikhyāṁ mahā lakṣmīṁ // 13 //
Translation: I bow to Mahālakṣmī, Goddess of Wealth, who is fond of perfume and all good scents, and who is situated in the abode of Īśāna (northeast). To Mahālakṣmī, who embodies the sense of Smell, and who worships Bhairavanātha with various perfumes and scents, I eternally bow.
ṣaḍ-darśaneṣu pūjyaṁ
ṣaṭ-triṁśat-tattva-saṁvalitam /
ātmābhikhyaṁ satataṁ
kṣetrapatiṁ siddhidaṁ vande // 14 //
Translation: Salutations to Kṣetrapati who is situated in my body in the form of the first-person-experiencer. Adored in the six systems of philosophy, the embodiment of the 36 elements, to Kṣetrapati, the Ātma or individual being, whose duty it is to protect me on all sides, I bow down.
Commentary: he situates Ātma very beautifully with several dimensions – as the Kṣetrapāla who protects the body, as the ever pervading aura of the body, as the content of six systems of philosophy, as the sum total embodiment of all the 36 principles. So who is this Ātma the integral of everything? It is none other than consciousness itself (Caitanyam Ātma – Śiva Sutra). Abhinava’s genius of suggestion is evident here. As Kṣetrapala, he both protects and watches the plethora of activities of the pinda – a tantric parallel to the two birds of the Upaniṣads – without ever mentioning Advaita, monism etc. As a master poet, he leaves it to the imaginations of the experient.
saṁsphurad-anubhava-sāraṁ
sarvāntaḥ satatasan-nihitam /
naumi sadoditam-itthaṁ
nija-dehaga-devatā cakram // 15 //
Translation: I bow collectively to all the divine goddesses who are always there, always present, always shining, vibrating in unison in the temple of my own body as the essence of the first-person experience
Source:
http://www.anuttaratrikakula.org/perspectives-on-abhinavaguptas-dehastha-devata-chakra-stotram/
https://www.abhinavagupta.org/hymns/track-5-dehasta-devata-cakra-strotra/
