Om ! Gods ! With ears let us hear what is good; Adorable ones !With eyes let us see what is good. With steady limbs, with bodies, praising, Let us enjoy the life allotted by the gods. May Indra, of wide renown, grant us well-being; May Pusan, and all-gods, grant us well-being. May Tarksya, of unhampered movement, grant us well-being. May Brihaspati grant us well-being. Om ! Peace ! Peace ! Peace ! Bhavanopanishad is listed under the category of Shaktha Upanishads viz. the Upanishads that delineate the tantric outlook and attempt to reconcile that with the Vedic approach. Bhavanopanishad is affiliated to Atharva Veda. It is a major text in the Sri Vidya - Sri Chakra tradition; and, brings out, very crisply, the symbolism of Sri Chakra and its upasana; its spiritual mode of worship of kadi (samya) school, and contemplation. Bhavanopanishad is an important text for the practice of antaryaga, the internal worship. It is described as an Upanishad in the sense of a secret doctrine or a liberating-wisdom. The Bhavanopanishad is closely related to the Tantra-raja-tantra, another major tantric text of the Kadi School of the Sri Vidya tradition. The Kadi_ matha is regarded the most orthodox among all the schools of Sri Vidya tradition. It insists on virtue, discipline and purity of rituals. Its attitude is Sattvic; and itsform of worship is internal. Hence Kadi School (also known as Samaya) is regarded as Para Vidya (transcendental knowledge) where the worship (archana) is conducted in the space of one’s heart (hrudayakasha madhye). establish a relation between structures of the human body and Sri chakra. The Sri Chakra, in turn, is The main purport of Bhavanopanishad is to regarded as a projection of the essential characters of the universe. There is an attempt to harmonize (samarasya) the micro (pindanda) and the macro (brahmanda), with Sri Chakra being the median imbibing in itself the characteristics of the both. Bhavanopanishad lays greater emphasis on symbolic representations and contemplation, than on rituals. The text begins with salutations and surrender to the Guru, hailing him as the fountainhead of the liberating wisdom. Then it goes on to relate the human constitution in its physical, mental and vital levels to the nine-fold energy represented by the nine enclosures of the Sri Chakra. A significant portion of the text is devoted to the enumeration of the nine enclosures (avaranas) that compose the Sri Chakra yantra; and to their geometric, cultic and psycho-physical representations. The method of enumeration adopted is the samhara-krama (absorption or dissolution method), which commences from the outermost avarana and proceeds inwards, systematically, till the central point of the Sri Chakra, the bindu, is reached. In short, the text attempts to construct a harmonious relation between the micro and the macro; between the Tantric and the Vedic; and between worship and contemplation. It also renders the Tantric worship sattvic and sublime. In the Sri Vidya tradition, the concept of Bhavana (after which the text is named) has a very special significance. In the tantra tradition, the worship is classified as external (bahir-yaga) and yet he submits to them. the term is derived from the root bhu (to be) to suggest bringing something into being. The worship here tends to be subtle (sukshma). It helped sublimating the coarse tantric beliefs into universal principles. for him.and internal (antar-yaga). The most well known of all the commentaries on Bhavanopanishad is The Bashya by Bhaskararaya Makhin. Such transformation is termed Bhavana. The method of Bhavana is regarded as the sublime form of worship for attaining liberation. It came as a breath of fresh air cleansing the polluted atmosphere of the tantra. a preliminary procedure. repeating the mantra handed down by the Guru (japa). The Bhavanopanishad is in the form of terse Sutras and it is not easy to understand its import without the aid of a commentary. worships or conducts. to an extent. There is also the contemplation on the glory of the God (dhyana). The external worship is a means and not an end. such as image. The services (upacharas) are offered to that form as if it were the most adorable and highly revered human being. This form of worship is termed as gross (sthula). who called himself Saubhagyabhaskara. the external rites. The second stage of antar-yaga is transcendental (para). He knows that the props are there to help him and guide him along the path. His entire psyche is immersed in the mother principle. even while one is alive (jeevan mukthi). internal worship (antar –yaga) of the Devi.The props referred to here are the physical accessories. the internal worship. It also helped to reconcile the tantra outlook with the Vedic ethos. the object of adoration and worship is gross (sthula). the term means contemplation or meditation. The advocacy of meditation (bhavana) rendered the tantra acceptable to householders too. visualizing Sri Chakra as identical with ones own being (sva_atma shakthi) and offering worship through mental constructs . The expression Bhavana here is taken to mean. The worship also includes praising the divinity (stuti). Bhavana emerged as a very significant concept in the development of the tantric tradition. gestures (mudra) or sounds. comprehending the abstract as real and tangible. . one must go beyond that in due course. It also suggests a mental process that transforms an idea into reality. with devotion and reverence until the wisdom dawns. In the former the worship is offered to a concrete representation of a divinity which inspires devotion and reverence. The devotee looks upon the mother-goddess as having a human form which he can see and touch. The other form of worship viz. it rescued the tantra from totally degenerating into grotesque and abominable cult practices. no longer carry any meaning. Here. and. His dependence on the props tapers gradually. is in two stages – with external props (saadhara) and without such props (nira_dhara). The text says that external worship is only a stepping stone. entirely. Now. The devotee understands and appreciates the symbolism involved in those objects of adoration and in the ritual sequences. leading to gradual dissolution of mind in intense contemplation and visualization of identity with the mother-goddess. antar-yaga. projections and visualizations. and. which the tongue can utter and the ears can hear. Etymologically. The devotee’s consciousness undergoes a transformation with the realization that he and the Mother are one. In an extended sense. acceptance and apathy are the eight (entities) such as the flower of love. envy. vasini. rudimentary sound. etc.dharma. 15. 2. Lalita. 17. kuhu. what cooks. The digestive fire becomes fivefold through distinctions based on its association with this pre-eminent breath. The earth. flesh. Varahi. energy (of the mind) is the garden of the trees of plenty. sarasvati.. and the principle of Egoism are the divinities of the inner triangle: Kameshvari. artha. The five. The five vital breaths and the five minor breaths are the ten divinities of the outer spokes. Of that Power the body with its nine orifices is the form. etc. marrow and semen) like the skin and the hair is the island of the nine gems. pusa. 25. namely sweet. gandhari. Attachment is the cord (that binds). eye. Alambusa. 10. greed. ida. Speech. kama and moksha). hastijihva. fat. The Power of the Boar is paternal: Kurukulla. demerit – these constitute the eight powers of Brahma. sankhini. etc. 26. feet. varana. The six seasons are the tastes. 16. heat. Absolute awareness. 5. are the flowery shafts. Owing to the prominence of the minor breath. grasp. Resolutions are the wish-granting trees. payasvini. 13. and the knower. etc. Vaishnavi. Raudri. The body with the seven constituents (Chile. The meditation on the identity of the three. 18. 19. tongue. astringent and saltish. 4. is one’s own blissful Self. 27. It is the holy Wheel in the guise of the nine wheels. They promote the digestion of the fivefold food: eaten. etc. The unmanifest. chewed. ear. evacuation. The nine abodes (muladhara etc. (styled) Sarvasiddhiprada. Lust. speech. 28. elation.Bhavana Upanishad / Bhavanopanishad 1. rajas and tamas are the eight powers. the knower is the sacrificer. skin. 11. generation. Charmamunda and Kalasamkarsini). the ejector. sattva. The supreme divinity. Knowledge is the material for worship. Kaumari. Of all this the distinctive apprehension is the red glow. and the attitudes of rejection. is maternal. merit. (Brahma.) are the powers of the mystic gestures. knowledge. air. is the worship rendered to the holy Wheel. what burns and what inundates. pain. Vajreshvari and Bhagamalini. water. yasovati. licked and imbibed. anger. 24. Aversion is the hook. desire. hands. the organs of evacuation and generation and the modification of mind are the sixteen powers such as the pull of lust. its object. what dries. 3. (They are) what ejects. 9. 20. pleasure. 21. The (four) human Ends are the oceans (purusharthas . the yawner and the deluder. which are apprehended by the tongue. blood. the agitator. is Kameshvara. The ten aspects of Fire are the ten divinities of the inner spokes. The qualities of cold. delusion. motion.7. fire. Maheshvari. . ether. the deity of sacrifice. nose. sour. pungent. visvodara.. The holy Teacher is the Power (Para-Sakti) that is the cause of all. 6. sucked. these (fires) in the human body come to be styled as the corroder. etc. bone. Sarvajna. the object of knowledge is the oblation. bitter. 12. etc. 8. etc. verily. 23. pingala and susumna – these fourteen arteries are the fourteen powers such as the all-exciting. the Great. 14. 22. Mind is the bow made of sugarcane. Destiny and sentiments like love are (the miraculous attainments like) atomicity. etc. 29. The act of oblation is the merger in the Self of distinctions like I. 33. or two. 35. Existence. or even for a single instant. . 36. Thou. one becomes liberated while living. Meditations on the inner wheel have been discussed (here) following the tenets of Saktaism. 30. the sense of duty and its negation. non-Existence. Assuagement is the thought of identity of (all) objects of imagination. one is styled the Siva-Yogin. Perfection (ensues from) exclusive concentration of the mind. and the obligation worship. 32. Thus meditating for three instants. Whoso knows thus is a student of the Atharvasiras. The view of time’s transformation into the fifteen days (of the half lunar month) points to the fifteen eternal (divinities). In the performance of meditation consist (various acts of) respectful service. 31. 34.