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Can any one explain what does "Vigyan Bhairava Tantra" mean? What does "Vigyan" i.e Science here refer to?

Keshav Srinivasan
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WitVault
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    I have read this Text..Its an "Agama"..Bhairava(Shiva) answers the questions that are posed by Devi..The text doesn't use the word Vijnana even for once..and the text also doesn't explain why it is so called..But it gives several things/places to impose one's Dharana upon which leads to realization(oneness of Shiva Shakti).. – Rickross Feb 08 '17 at 05:20
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    I had read it on the title of a book of the same name – WitVault Feb 08 '17 at 05:28
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    @Wit-Mahanirvana Tantra-The Tantra of great liberation..Yoni Tantra-The Tantra of the Yoni..Tantraraja Tantra-The king among all Tantras..Maheswara Tantra-The Tantra of Maheswara etc..Similarly for VBT it will be-The Tantra endowed with special knowledge of Bhairava..something like that may be.. – Rickross Feb 08 '17 at 08:23
  • @WitVault "Vigyaana" does not necessarily mean- "Science". What is science? Knowledge about atoms, microbes, forces, radiations et cetera? No. Science means- State of knowing something. But we use the word "science" as a branch of study of atoms, microbes et cetera. In the same way, Vigyaana means- special Gyaana or special knowledge. People only use the word "Vigyaana" to relate to the word "science". So, it's not that- Vigyaana Bhairava means "A science professor". It means "Bhairava who give Special Knowledge" id est, knowledge of Brahma. –  May 28 '17 at 14:50
  • @Sinister Have u read VBT? It is more about meditative techniques than anything else. So, meditation is a perfect tag here. Do not make unnecessary edits without having any knowledge on the topic. – Rickross Sep 07 '17 at 05:20
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    @Rickross Did you read meditation tag excerpt? We don't tag according to the content of the Agama speaks about something and We only tag what is asked on the question. If we tag about a content of the text, we won't have sufficient tags. We Meditaion is only used when the question is asking about meditation. Tags help in searching. If someone comes for meditation and sees here, he finds nothing in the question. Rohit added that there are techniques. THat's enough. Tag is not needed. – Sarvabhouma Sep 07 '17 at 05:23
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    You are not achieving anything by removing that Tag. By adding it we are enriching this post. And i have edited after discussing with MOd. Also meditation is the correct tag here. Because that scripture deals with basically Dhyana techniques. @Sinister So do not make unnecessary edits unless its very much needed. – Rickross Sep 07 '17 at 05:25
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    @Rickross Many puranas talk about yuga, manvantara topics. Should we add manvantara, shraddha tags to questions which asks about those puranas? We have to tag only based on the content of the post and not content of the text. I am removing unrelated tags and increasing accuracy. I suggest you to read help centre how to tag questions. In which chat room did you discuss this thing? I? Mod supported it? XD To that mod, "Please encourage accurate tagging". – Sarvabhouma Sep 07 '17 at 05:32
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    VIjyana Bhairava is about meditation only It basically teaches Dhyana techniques.. So, how meditation is not a valid tag here? Ask them who have read it. Since u don't know anything about it it pls do not interfere. @Sinister – Rickross Sep 07 '17 at 05:35
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    @RIckross Don't simply make silly comments. I know how to tag questions. I don't need to read scriptures to tag a question. I have privileges and know rules of taggging from help centre. "A tag is a word or phrase that describes the topic of the question." We should not tag based on the content of the text mentioned in the question. We should tag based on the content of the question. The tags you added makes the question already answered. The OP only asked about what is that text. He doesn't know about the content of the topic. So, we should let the questions remain like that. – Sarvabhouma Sep 07 '17 at 05:57
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    You can tag u got privileges i know all that- but u can do it wrongly too, Because we are all are human..And In this case you did it wrongly and i corrected it. So what is wrong in it? Also if u have not read the Text how will u know what it teaches, what it is about? And in short its about Dhyana or meditation. So that's why that tag/ @Sinister – Rickross Sep 07 '17 at 06:00

1 Answers1

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There have been, in India, two main ways of approach to Reality or the Essential Nature of Self,

  • Vivekaja mārga. (the path of distinction or discrimination). Systems following this mārga are patanjali yoga & Sankara Vedanta.

  • Yogaja mārga.(the path of union or integration). Saivāgama has adopted the Yogaja mārga in which the goal is not isolation of the Self from Prakrti or Màyà (in case of Sankara Vedanta) but the integration of the individual Self to the Universal Self or Bhairava and the realization of the universe as the expression of His Sakti or spiritual Energy. The ideal of Saivāgama is not the rejection of the universe but its assimilation to its Source. Vijnānabhairav is an excellent exposition of the yogaja mārga.

Literal meaning: Vijnānabhairav consists of two words, vijnāna and bhairava. We have first of all to understand the esoteric significance of Bhairava. Ksemarāja in his Udyota commentary gives a description of the esoteric meaning of Bhairava. The sum and substance of it is that Bhairava is an acrostic word consisting of the letters, bha, ra, and va; bha indicates bharaña or maintenance of the universe; ra indicates ravaña or withdrawal of the universe; va indicates vamana or projection i.e., manifestation of the universe. Thus Bhairava indicates all the three aspects of the Divine. From the mystic point of view Bhairava is the ultimately reality in which there is no distinction of Shiva & Shakti. The svarupa or essential nature of Bhairava is vijnāna or bodha or mahābodha, cit or caitanya the main characteristic of which is svatantrya or absolute freedom revealing itself in icchā, jnāna & kriyā. It is to this vijnānabhairav that the seeker of spiritual life has to be integrated.

The entire manifestation consisting of subject and object is a mere reflection in this vijnāna. Just as a city in a mirror appears as something different from the mirror, though it is nothing different from the mirror, even so the universe though appearing different from vijnāna is nothing different from it. In verses 2 to 6 of vijnānabhairav, the Devi mentions certain well known statements about Bhairava and wants to know His highest state or essential nature. Bhairava categorically rejects the various well known opinions about his highest state and pithily but with luminous clarity states in verses 14 and 15 what His essential nature consists in :

The highest state of Bhairava is free of all notions pertaining to direction, time, nor can that be particularized, by some definite space or designation. In verity that can neither be indicated nor described in words. One can be aware of that only when one is completely free of all thought-constructs. One can have an experience of that bliss in his own inmost Self (when one is completely rid of the ego, and is established in the plenitude of the divine I-consciousness).

That state of Bhairava which is full of the bliss of non-difference from the entire world is alone Bhairavi or Sakti of Bhairava. That state is vijnāna-a state of consciousness which is free of all thought-constructs. This vijnānabhairav is the goal of man.

Content of Vijnānabhairav Tantra- In short - Devi asks - " Who are you" Lord Shiva in reply end up replying the methods to know him. Methods which are 112 in number, all are sufficient to realize that Bhairava, becomes the content of Tantra/Āgama.

Ref- Vijnānabhairav Tantra by Jaidev Singh

Rakesh Joshi
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    That's quite in depth answer. On a side question did ravna contributed to tantra as well? – WitVault Mar 16 '17 at 14:06
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    Sorry, I don't know whether Ravana contributed to Tantra or not. But looking at his lifestyle he seems staunch Vedic. You can post another question for this. – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Mar 16 '17 at 15:35
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    Yes for sure and thanks for the info. I will post another question after some research on that topic. – WitVault Mar 16 '17 at 15:54