Chapter 2 - A hymn to the Śrīkrama

This chapter opens with a hymn to the Śrīkrama (vv.1-8).

The Goddess said:

"Salutations to the Śrīkrama which is devoted to the four seats,^[1] connected to the six-fold way^[2] and endowed with the sequence of the child (Bālakrama).^[3]

Salutations to Śrīdevī, the Goddess Who bestows Eternal Bliss; arising from the Seat of the Yoginī, She is the Revealer of the Śrīkrama.

Salutations to the Śrīguru, knower of the difference between the supreme and the not-supreme, Who is the incomparable sage taking one across saṃsāra (mundane existence).

Salutations to the Śrīguru, Who pierces the (heart of the) devote in the three-fold way, i.e. āṇava, śākta and śāmbhava.^[4]

Salutations to the Śrīguru, Who by the power of His intense Command has the ability to initiate through piercing,^[5] whether physically present or not.

Salutations to the Śrīguru, Who after having undergone beginningless lifetimes can destroy the bonds of karma by the power of the fire of His wisdom.

Salutations to the Śrīguru, eternally compassionate towards the entire world; hail to Him who, by striking with the rays of His Command, awakens the lotus in the heart.

Salutations to the Śrīguru Who is endowed with knowledge and discrimination, Who bestows the eight siddhis

starting with Aṇimā, and Who is free from desire and aversion."

The chapter continues with Goddess asking Śiva to describe the qualities of the Guru, since there are many masters roaming in the earth, both true and false, and also to describe the qualities of a disciple. She asks about initiation and the paths known as Samayācāraṇa and Nirvāṇa (vv.9-11).

The Lord replies by first warning against false gurus who declare themselves to be great masters, but who in reality are slanderous, false, cruel, dishonest, angry, misusers of the dravyas (ritual substances), deluded and so on (vv.12-24). It is stated that, with an unqualified master, a disciple cannot pass over saṃsāra, just as even a king cannot cross a river without a boat (v. 23).

Then the qualities of a true Guru are given: He is well-acquainted with bestowing initiation through piercing merely by the strength of their Command (tīvrājñavedhasampannā);^[6] He is himself a follower of His own Guru's Command; endowed with knowledge and discrimination, He is well-versed in the āgamās; He is furnished with the quality of samādhi, and is unceasingly devoted to the Śrīkrama.

A true Guru is free from illusion, beyond manifestation, and pure (niṣprapañca); He always only wants to give, and not to take; He is not subdued, and is free from egotism, desire and doubt; He is patient, always content, and truthful; His senses have been subdued; He is engaged in virtous actions; He is clean of body and apparel; He is compassionate towards all beings; with calm mind, He is virtuous and free from duality; He is firm in austerity, and without lust for women; He is not harsh, and avoids lowly actions; free from the illusion of hypocrisy, He is free from angriness and avidity; He is delighted by the bliss of divine knowledge, and is the awakener of goodness and honesty. A disciple who meets such a Guru should honor Him with devotion by circumambulating Him three times and by prostrating to Him with his whole body (vv.25-31).

After describing the qualities of the Guru, upon being requested by the Goddess, Śri Bhairava gives the characteristics of an eligible disciple: he shouldn't be drawn towards intoxicating substances, but rather, frightened by the fear of saṃsāra, he should be eager to follow the way to enlightenment. He should be calm and intelligent, and free from anger, vice, slander, falsity, misbehaviour and jealousy. He should offer his life to the true Guru, with body, speech and mind. Such a disciple, who is eager to obtain Śivahood (śivatattvābhikāṃkṣī), illuminates the Kula Tradition (kūladīpakaḥ). Otherwise, if the Guru initiates a disciple who has not these qualities, the curse of the Kula (kulaśāpa) will fall on both of them (vv.32-41).

The text continues with an exposition on initiation (dīkṣā)^[7] and its rules. First, some considerations on the mantra are given, to make sure it is suitable for the candidate: for the saguṇa mantra ("the mantra with attributes"), it is said that one should consult the tārā-cakra, rāśī-cakra and nāma-cakra to check if the mantra is beneficial or not for the disciple. The favourable time for initiation is also discussed, describing the effects of receiving dīkṣā depending on the month, the solar and lunar day, the ruling constellation, the astronomical conjunction (yoga), period (kāraṇa) and ascendant. In the same way the auspicious places for initiation are given, such as in a cow-shed, the Guru's house, a temple, a forest, a holy place or in a garden, on the bank of a river, below a bilva (Aegle Marmelos) or dhātrī (Emblica Officinalis) tree, on a mountain-top, in a cave or near the river Gāṅgā.

A fast before initiation is prescribed where it is allowed only to eat fruits, roots, barley, and grains without vegetables, and to drink only water, milk or juice; the importance to terminate the fast after the ceremony of initiation is also pointed out (vv.42-86').

Then the mantras of Varāha (vv.86"-88'), of Pṛthivī (vv.88"-89) and of Svapnavārāhī (v. 90), along with two dhyānas of Vārāhī as Svāpnavārāhī (vv.91-92) and as Vārtālī (vv.93-95') are given.

Svapnavārāhī is described as dark blue, with three eyes and prominent breasts; she has a boar's face with the moon on her forehead, and she holds the earth with her tusks; she carries a curved sword (khaḍga) and a hook (aṅkuśa) with her right hands, while with the left ones she holds a shield (carma) and a noose (pāśa); she sits on a horse and is adorned by many kinds of ornaments.

Vārtālī is meditated upon as standing upon a dead body on a red lotus, of having a blue colour and of being adorned with a garland of severed heads; with two of her hands she shows the gesture of dispelling fear (abhaya) and carries a club (muśala), while with the other two she holds a blade (phala) and shows the gesture of bestowing boons; she has a boar's face, prominent breasts and three splendid red eyes.

After that follows a subdivision of dīkṣā into four abhiṣekas (consecrations through anointment): puṣpa, performed by offering a hundred flowers on the head of the disciple, śaṅkha, by sprinkling water from a conch, tulā, by "measure", meaning the lightness following the disappearance of the body, and rajomaṇḍalarekhā, where the disciple is consecrated into a maṇḍala (vv.95"-101').

Also described is the vedha dīkṣā, or initiation through piercing, divided into āṇava, śākta and śāmbhava (vv.101"-111').

The chapter concludes with an explanation about the five states of a devotee who receives vedha dīkṣā, they being bliss, new birth, tremors, sleep and reeling about (vv.111"-124).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The catuṣpīṭha are the four main seats of the Goddess, knowed as Uḍḍiyāṇa (the seat of Mahātripurasundarī), Jalāndharā the seat of (Vajreśvarī), Pūrṇagiri (the seat of Bhagamalinī) and Kāmarūpa (the seat of Kāmeśvarī).

[2]:

The term "ṣaṭprakāra" here refers to the subdivision of the Śākta doctrine into six main traditions (ṣaḍāmnāya), revealed by the Lord through His six faces as sure means of liberation. They are known as Pūrvāmānaya manifested by the eastern face, Paścimāmnāya manifested by the western face, Dakṣiṇāmnāya manifested by the southern face, Uttarāmnāya manifested by the northern face, Ūrdhvāmnāya manifested by the upper face and Adha āmnāya manifested by the lower face.

[3]:

In the Kubjikā doctrine a maṇḍala, a mystical diagram, is worshipped in four sequences, which are Bālakrama (the “Sequence of the Child”), Kaumārakrama (the “Sequence of the Youth”), Vṛddhakrama (the “Sequence of the Eldest”) and Khecarīkrama (the “Sequence of the Female Skyfarer”). See “A Journey in the World of the Tantras” of Mark S. G. Dyczkowski (Indica Books, Varanasi 2004, pp.263-264). Or it is to intend as Bālākrama (the “Liturgy of the Goddess Bālā”, who is Vārāhī herself).

[4]:

These are three kinds of initiation bestowed by the Guru: the āṇavadikṣā is an initiation where mantra, arcanā, nyāsa, dhyāna and various articles of worship are required; the śāktadikṣā is based on pure knowledge without external ritual; the śāmbhavadikṣā is done by the mere touch, glance or will of the Guru.

[5]:

This does not refer to a physical piercing but rather, at the moment of initiation, by means of the śakti (the energy which flows through him) the Guru pierces the energetic centres within the disciple, thus literally empowering him by releasing the disciple’s own latent energy.

[6]:

A true Guru, at one with the light of the Supreme Consciousness which shines everywhere, can bestow initiation through the mere power of his will.

[7]:

In his Bṛhattantrasāra, Śrī Kṛṣnāndāgamavagīśa quotes verses from a Vārāhītantra (and from some other Tantras as well) which are almost identical to the ones of the present Vārāhī Tantra (see dīkṣa prakāraṇa, in particular pages 7, 8, 13, 16-20). In that work, a few verses from a Vārāhī Tantra are quoted which are absent from the two manuscripts available for this work (p. 7).