What the Bhairava state is — Vijnana Bhairava 14-15
Bhairava's own answer to what he actually is: released from the reckoning of space and time, and unspeakable in the strict sense.
Vijnana Bhairava Tantra verses 14-15edition
Sanskrit · संस्कृत
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Meaning
Released from the reckoning of direction and time, not particularised by any place or designation, she cannot be pointed at, and in the strict sense cannot be spoken. Her range is the bliss of one's own inner experience, freed from thought-constructs — that state, whose form is fullness, is Bhairavi, the state of Bhairava himself.
This rendering is by a DharmSetu editor, not a quotation from a published translation. Compare with the public-domain translation.
A Hindi meaning has not been written for this mantra yet. Hindi is authored by a named editor rather than machine-translated, so it arrives more slowly.
How to recite
- Time
- brahma muhurta
Pronunciation key — sounds commonly got wrong
- ट ठ ड ढ ण · ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ
- Retroflex — the tongue curls back and touches the roof of the mouth. Distinct from the dental त थ द ध न, where the tongue touches the teeth.
- श ष स · ś ṣ s
- Three different sounds: ś as in “shy”, ṣ retroflex and further back, s plain. Collapsing them changes words.
- ः · ḥ (visarga)
- A soft outward breath echoing the preceding vowel — not a hard “ha”.
- ं · ṃ (anusvara)
- Nasalises the vowel; the closing sound follows the consonant that comes next.
- Long vs short vowels — a / ā, i / ī, u / ū
- Vowel length is meaningful in Sanskrit. Hold the macron vowels roughly twice as long.
- Aspirated consonants — kh, gh, ch, th, dh, ph, bh
- A distinct puff of breath. ph is an aspirated p, never an English “f”.
Word by word
- दिक्कालकलनोन्मुक्ताdikkālakalanonmuktā
- released from the reckoning of space and time(nom. sg. f.)
- देशोद्देशाविशेषिनीdeśoddeśāviśeṣinī
- not particularised by place or designation(nom. sg. f.)
- व्यपदेष्टुम्vyapadeṣṭum
- to point at, to designate(inf.)MW1899-CDSL p.1031
- अशक्याaśakyā
- incapable of being(nom. sg. f.)MW1899-CDSL p.112
- अकथ्याakathyā
- unspeakable(nom. sg. f.)MW1899-CDSL p.1
- परमार्थतःparamārthataḥ
- in the highest sense(abl. adv.)MW1899-CDSL p.588
- अन्तःस्वानुभवानन्दाantaḥsvānubhavānandā
Context
Shadanga — the six limbs
The traditional analytic frame for a mantra. Blank limbs are simply not recorded for this text.
- chhanda
- anushtubh
- devata
- Bhairava
Recited at / traditionally recited for
Classified as Tantric — From the Tantras. Typically built on bija (seed) syllables. Basis for this classification.
Related mantras
Gayatri Mantra
The most widely recited Vedic verse, addressed to the light of the sun — Rigveda 3.62.10.
Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
The Tryambaka verse of the Rigveda, addressed to Rudra — a prayer for release, likening it to a ripe fruit loosening from its stem.
Asato Ma Sad Gamaya
Three movements — from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to what does not die. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.