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The chapters 15, 17, 18 & 19 in Section 7.2 of Vayaviya-saṃhita of Shiva Purana informed about the procedure of initiation.
The initiation is threefold -- pertaining to Shiva, Shakti and mantra. The initiation of Shiva is that whereby at the mere sight, touch and talk of the preceptor (guru) the individual soul gains immediately the consciousness quelling the bondage. It is twofold in view of the difference in the destruction of bondage, viz. acute and more acute. The Shakti form of initiation coupled with knowledge is performed by the preceptor with knowledge for his vision, after entering the body of the disciple along the path of Yoga. The Mantra form of initiation is coupled with the rites performed in the sacrificial altar. This has to be performed by the preceptor (guru) externally with respect to the dull-witted disciple. For securing shakti, the preceptor shall purify and consecrate the disciple either by knowledge or by means of rites. Since shakti is enlightenment and bliss, the two are the signs of its manifestation. Preceptor - The preceptor is in the form of gods and the mantras. Hence every endeavour shall be made to accept his behest with bent head. The seeker of welfare shall never even think of transgressing the commands of the preceptor, because only he who carries out the behests of the preceptor attains the wealth of knowledge. If the preceptor is nominal, the liberation too is nominal. If neither enlightenment nor bliss is obtained by the disciple even after a year, even slightly, the disciple shall resort to another preceptor. Even though he may resort to another preceptor he shall never dishononr his previous preceptor, his brothers, or sons or illuminers or urgers. If the preceptor is pleased the sins of the disciple are immediately quelled. After offering his belongings, he shall dedicate to him, himself, his family and all his possessions along with water and remain subservient to him for ever. Since he has offered himself to shiva as his devotee he shall ever remain so. He will have no rebirth thereafter. Six Paths of Purification - The six paths (adhvas) are Kala, Tattva, Bhuvana, Varṇa, Pada and Mantra.
In this rite three Ahutis shall be given. With the specific mantras the refulgent deities shall be meditated upon. He shall then take the thrice-spun white threads made by brahmin girls, strung into three and with these bind the tip of the tuft of the disciple. The thread shall be let loose till the tip of the toe of the disciple standing straight. The Sushumna (the nerve of the backbone) shall be joined with it. The consciousness shall be invoked with the basic mantra and he shall offer three Ahutis to create its presence. After striking the disciple on the head and the thread worne on the body he shall bedeck the sutra in the Shantyatita Pada, repeating the mantra. In this manner after offering the Ahutis of Shantyatita upto the end of Nivṛtti he shall perform three Ahutis and worship Shiva in the Mandala. The preceptor shall make the disciple sit to the south of the lord facing the north, on the Mandala strewn with Darbha grass. He shall give him the rice soaked in ghee left after the Homa. The disciple shall take the Caru offered by the preceptor, and eat it repeating the name Shiva. After performing the Achamana twice he shall repeat the mantra of Shiva. The preceptor shall give him the Panchagavya on the other Mandala. The disciple shall drink it upto his capacity, perform the Achamana twice and remember Shiva. He shall make the disciple sit on a third Maṇḍala as before. He shall perform Achamana and remember Shiva. Then at the behest of the preceptor he shall enter Shiva Mandapa with palms joined in reverence. During the night the disciple shall lie on a Darbha mattress covered with an unwashed bed-sheet and consecrated with mantra. While lying he shall meditate on Shiva and keep his head to the east. As before the lord shall be worshipped in the Maṇḍala and the vessels and the homa performed. The disciple shall be brought to the Maṇḍala without his headdress. After performing hundred Ahutis and the rites upto the Purnahuti, and the rite of Tarpaṇa with the water from the jars repeating the Mulamantra, the preceptor shall make offering and perform every rite. By the grace of the supreme lord this great Mantra shall certainly confer on you the Siddhis both of this world and the next one. Then, the preceptor shall worship lord Shiva and secure his formal permission. He shall then impart to the aspirant the Yoga of Shiva, the means of liberation. On an auspicious day, in a holy spot, the devotee shall take bath and perform the rites of the forenoon scrupulously. He shall wear a white head-dress and a white upper cloth. He shall have the Tripuṇḍra marks and shall wear Rudraksha beads. He shall worship the lord Nakul-Ishvara. He shall offer milk pudding as Naivedya and conclude the rite of propitiation. Thereafter his diet shall be limited in quantity and confined to milk pudding and such other as is devoid of salt and acidity. He shall not be violent. He shall be forbearing, quiet and self-possessed for ever. He shall perform the rites of Tarpaṇa and homa in the Shaivite fire with seven, five or three materials of worship or with ghee alone. He shall perform the Japa of the five-syllabled mantra a thousand times every day, with full concentration of the mind. He shall not take food before the thousand Japas are completed. He attains learning, prosperity, happiness, and salvation.
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Vibhuti is a word in Sanskrit which means greatness, wealth, prosperity, super human power, splendour, holy ashes etc. Vibhuti is also called Bhasma (ash). Generally, it is used to denote the sacred ash which is made of burnt special kind of dried wood or cow dung in Agamic rituals. In yajna, the offerings like ghee, milk, curd, rice, holy twigs etc., are made to Agni who carries the offerings to the respective devata in a yajna. The residue left over which is white in colour is considered as Vibhuti and is given to the devotees as prasad for daily use to please Lord Shiva.
Vedic scriptures say as follows “Lalaata Shoonyam Smashaana Tulyam”, which means that “an empty forehead is comparable to a cemetery”. Shaivites or Shiva worshippers apply vibhuti on their forehead and other body parts. Vibhuti on forehead is worn along with red tilaka also. Vibhuti relates to Shiva and Red tilaka to Shakti. It reminds that Shiva and Shakti form the universe and everything is though the union of Shiva and Shakti. Chapter 24, Vidhyeshwara Samhita of Shiva Purana elaborates Bhasma or Vibhuti hereunder. Spiritual, Religious & Medicinal Significance of Vibhuti:
Types of Vibhuti: The holy ashes of auspicious nature are of two types - Mahabhasma (Great ashes) and the second is known as Svalpa (the little).
Reference: Vidhyeshwara Samhita chapter 24 of Shiv Purana The chapters 23, 26 & 27 of Section 5, Uma-saṃhita of Shiva Purana discuss about impure body and means purify it.
The body is considered impure because it is produced by the mingling of semen and blood and is always full of faeces and urine. After taking in sweet, fragrant and delicious foodstuffs and drinks the body becomes impure quickly. The physical body does not become clean though it is scrubbed and cleaned. If a man has wicked feelings and emotions he can never be purified. A vicious soul is not sanctified by the waters in the pilgrim spots nor by austerities. Neither heaven nor salvation can be attained by a man of vicious emotion even if he immolates himself in the holy fire. Fishes stay in the holy Ganga and other sacred rivers. Flocks of birds stay in the temple. They do not attain any special benefit from the ceremonial ablutions and charitable gifts since they are devoid of holy feelings. It is the purity of the feelings that is the criterion for the sanctity of rites. Feelings are different in the mind even if the objects are not different. A man purified by pure emotions attains heaven and salvation. Attainment of Perfect Knowledge – Performing Japas, sacrifices and eulogies after purifying the soul with pure emotions a man acquires perfect knowledge and after death, he attains the worlds of persons who perform many sacrifices. An intelligent man shall understand that the body is defective and faulty. He shall be disinterested in such emotions as revolve round the pleasures of the body. With the mind in restraint and intellect delighted he surmounts the worldly existence and becomes a living liberated soul. The misery of life is proclaimed to be grievous and painful to men due to the fault of ignorance and the influence of different activities. The feeling of “My-ness” is the greatest affliction. The feeling of “not-my-ness” is the greatest joy. What little recollection the child had while within the womb perishes when his misery develops further on being crushed by the muscular walls. As soon as the external air touches him or delusion overwhelms him. After being deluded he soon suffers from the loss of memory. Loss of memory leads to forgetfulness of all previous activities. The creature soon begins to love the present birth. His intellect no longer remembers the sins he committed which he remembered in the womb. There is pain due to minor childhood ailments, different kinds of children’s diseases and adverse evil planets and other evils. Where is happiness during youth, when all the sense-organs are developed fully and begin to function, and there is an attack from the sickness of lust that remains unrealized ever? Then, he feels misery from malice and rivalry. Due to honor and disrespect, due to union with and separation from the beloved people youth is soon devoured by old age. Where is pleasure without torment? A man overwhelmed by old age is tormented by daughters, sons and other kinsmen and even by servants who cannot be kept under control because they are not attached to him. A sick and an aged man is incompetent to strive for virtue, wealth, love and salvation. Hence a young man shall strive for these virtues. Shiva has explained the benefits of Yoga: - 1. The physical body consists of five elements. It arises from them and merges in them. It is always endowed with their attributes. Earth has five attributes. Water has four. Fire has three. Wind has only two. Ether has only one. The five attributes are sound, touch, color, taste and smell. When it is relieved of its attributes the element perishes. 2. The perfect knowledge shall not be imparted to anyone and everyone. It is to be imparted to the faithful, to the intelligent, to one who is endowed with devotion, to the pious who is not an atheist and to one who is always virtuous. 3. The knower of Yoga shall practice it taking breath normally sitting on a good bed. If he practices in darkness, he shall not keep any lamp. He shall practice when people are asleep. 4. Meditation of Shabdabrahman - When the ears are closed with the index finger for a short while a kind of sound is heard as that of a blazing fire. He becomes omniscient and omniseer. He attains all Siddhis. If the Yogin hears the sound resembling that of the rain-bearing cloud he becomes rid of worldly bondage immediately. He then becomes the subtlest of all Yogis. The Shabdabrahman cannot be uttered, cannot be struck at. It is neither Omkara nor any mantra nor any Bija nor any syllable. a. After knowing the great Brahman, the cause of salvation, the bestower of happiness, the non-external, the imperishable, freed from all limitations, nothing else need be aspired after. b. The Shabdas are ninefold. They are Ghoṣa (sound of the soft consonant), Kaṃsya (sound of bell metal), Shrnga (sound of horn), Ghaṇṭa (bell), Vina (lute), Vaṃsaja (flute), Dundubhi (drum), Shankha (conch) and Meghagarjita (the rumbling thunder). c. The first sound is Ghoṣa. It purifies the soul. It dispels sickness. It is excellent. It attracts and controls. d. The second sound is Kaṃsya. It stops the movement of living beings. There is no doubt that it stops the effect of poison, evil spirits and evil planets. e. The third sound is Shrnga. It is employed in black magic for exorcizing enemies and killing them. f. The fourth is Ghaṇṭanada. It is one that attracts the gods even. What then of human beings on this earth? g. Attracted by him the virgins of Yaksas and Gandharvas give him great Siddhis as desired by him or out of their own accord. h. Vina is the fifth sound. It is heard by Yogins always. O goddess, from it arises the power of vision from a great distance. i. All principles are understood by one who meditates on Vaṃsha Nada. One who meditates on Dundubhi is devoid of old age and death. j. Through the conch sound he assumes any form as he wishes. k. By means of Megha Nada the Yogin wards off all adversities. l. One who meditates with single-minded devotion the Tuṃkara form of Brahman? He becomes omniscient and visualiser of all. He moves about assuming any form he wishes. He is not affected by aberrations. He is Shiva himself. 5. Another mode - Yogin engaged in the practice of Yoga, meditation and retention shall stay in the state of Dharana. The blacksmith blows air into the bellows and does his job by means of the wind. The Yogin shall also practice similarly. Holding the breath, one shall repeat the Gayatri Mantra along with Oṃ and Vyahṛtis thrice. That is called Pranayama. The person who performs a Pranayama quells his sins and goes to Brahma’s region. Free from lethargy he who is engaged in Pranayama in an isolated place, conquers old age and death, masters the vital air and can traverse the sky. He can assume the form of a Siddha. He gets luster, intelligence, exploits, valour, happiness and the speed of the wind. The Yogin who illuminates the fire existing between the eyebrows, alert fully can see in darkness without lamps to be sure. The Yogin meditates on it for a muhurta (48 minutes) or half that time with concentration. By repeated practice, the Yogin gains various powers—subduing the senses, entry into other bodies, the attainment of eight Siddhis Aṇima and others, mental vision, hearing from far, perfect knowledge, invisibility assuming multi-forms, and the ability to walk through the sky. 6. Another mode - The devotee practicing another method, sits in a comfortable posture in a convenient spot with pure mind. He keeps his body straight. His hands are clasped together cuplike. He shapes the mouth like a beak and drinks in the wind slowly. The water-drops clinging to his palate begin to exude. They are life-givers. He inhales them through the wind. Drinking this nectarine cool water daily he will never be subservient to death. He gets a divine body and great brilliance. He becomes free from hunger and thirst. 7. Another mode - The Yogin shall practice curving the tongue towards the palate. After sometime be can carry it to the uvula. When touched it begins to exude cool nectar. By drinking in this the Yogin attains immortality. The tip of the tongue touches the tip of the uvula. The hands are clasped in the form of a white lotus. Drawn by him the nectar falls drop by drop. When he attains the great region, he delights even the deities. 8. The earth possessing these four types of Yogis can bestow happiness on the entire universe. Hence the earth united with mantras, penances, Vratas, restraints, medicinal herbs and Yogic practice becomes lovable to men endowed with humility, polity and sacred virtues. In the chanting of Vedic mantras, the pitch and amplitude should be perfect. The chanting of different mantras creates vibrations and thus sound.
Breathing patterns differ based on moods and tempers. Happiness arising as a result of religious practices or Bhajans is different from that caused by the satisfaction of desires of senses. Generally, the higher type of happiness results in exhalations through the right nostril. More sensory pleasure activates breathing out through the left nostril. All sensations are synthesised when thought is centred round a noble cause. The passage of breath through various nerves creates vibrations which are responsible for the health of beings. With every kind of emotion, a different set of vibrations are caused to the nerve centre. Emotions caused by the mind result in the change of one’s pulse beat. By controlling the pulse beats and rhythms of breathing, we can exercise control over passion or anger. Parnayama is thus chief instrument in the control of the mind. Similarly, Mantra Yoga is another path. When we utter a word, the life breath is allowed to pass through the gaps in the throat, tongue, lips, mouth etc. Only then the sound of the word emanates and becomes audible. Vibrations are caused to the nerve centres situated in these areas through which breath passes to produce the sound of the word. Veda mantras properly recited with the proper discipline produce the necessary emotions in the mind which ensure well-being to the person reciting as well as to the world. Learned people consider six methods of recitation, as not correct and advise to be avoided: -
In the chapter 1 to 3 in Section 5 of Kailash-saṃhita of Shiva Purana, Shiva informed about Pranava to Parvati.
The Pranava is Shiva. Vedas arise from the Pranava. Pranava is the seed of all the lore. It is the imperishable Brahman, the means of attaining all objects. Shiva creates universe at the outset saying “Om”. He who aspires for salvation and is free from aberration shall understand Pranava as the cause of all and me as the Nirguṇa Parameshvara. Structure of Pranava: The Pranava of five syllables is explained by extricating the three Matras AUM), Bindu and Nada. It yields liberation to those who perform the Japa in this manner. Pranava is the vital breath of all living beings from Brahma to immobile beings. Being the Prana thus, it is called Pranava. The first letter (A) is like water in the south, the second letter (U) is in the north; the letter M is like fire in the middle, before Nada and Bindu. ‘A’ is the great Bija, Rajas, the four-faced creator. ‘U’ is the Prakirti, source, Sattva, the protector Vishnu. ‘M’ is the Purusha, the Bijin, Tamas, the annihilator Shiva. Bindu is Maheshvara the lord, the disappearance. Nada is Sadashiva the bestower of blessings on all. On the top of Nada there is Shiva who is greater than the greatest. He is omniscient, the creator, the lord, free from dirt, the imperishable, the inexpressible, the great Brahman, beyond the existent and the nonexistent. The five Brahmans beginning with Sadya and ending with Ishana are stationed in the five letters ‘A’ etc. They are my very forms in order. In the syllable ‘A’ eight Kalas of the form of Sadya exist. “In ‘U’ thirteen Kalas of the form of Vama exist. The eight Kalas of the form of Aghora are stationed in ‘M’. In Bindu four Kalas of the form of Puruṣa exist. In Nada five Kalas born of Ishana are present. Thus, their state of being the soul of the universe is due to the recognition of their sixfold identity. The sixfold objects constitute Mantra, Yantra, deity, universe, the preceptor and the disciple. The mantra previously mentioned is a composite of five letters. The same attains the form of a Yantra. I shall mention the details of its mystic diagram. Yantra is in the form of the deity; the deity is in the form of the universe; the preceptor too is in the form of the universe and the disciple is of the body of the preceptor. Om is everything, everything is Brahman. This Vedic Text establishes the link between the word and its meaning. The preceptor shall be one who has understood the tenets and the meanings of sacred texts; who has mastered Vedanta; who is an ascetic and the most excellent of intelligent men. After approaching him the intelligent brahmin shall prostrate before him and propitiate him by reverential deeds. That disciple is the most excellent who possesses good behavior and the qualities of peaceful calmness. The disciple shall realize that preceptor is Shiva and Shiva is the preceptor. Then he shall reveal his thought. Holy rites by Preceptor: After being permitted by the preceptor the brahmin devotee shall perform holy rites without taking anything except milk, for twelve days on the sea-shore, or on the banks of a river, or on a mountain or in a temple of Shiva. On the fifth or the eleventh day of the bright half he shall take his bath early in the morning. The intelligent devotee pure in mind shall perform his daily duty. He shall invite the preceptor duly and perform Nandi shraddha. He shall get himself shaved of the hair on the head and the moustache and the beards. The hair in the armpit and the private parts must not be shaved. The nails shall be cut. He shall perform his ceremonial ablution with restrained mind. He shall cat only powdered fried grain. In the evening he shall take his bath and perform Sandhya. In the presence of the preceptor, he shall perform the Aupasana rites in the evening. To Shiva in the form of the preceptor he shall give Dakṣiṇa according to the scriptures. He shall collect articles for Homa. place the holy fires, laukika and others, with the rules of his Gṛhya Sutra. A brahmin who consecrates the sacred fire shall perform this Aupasana in the sacrificial fire consecrated by the Prajapatya sacrifice, reciting mantras from the Vedas and offering due Dakṣiṇas. Then the brahmin shall superimpose the fire in the Atman and formally renounce the world. The food-offering shall be cooked with the fire-wood and cooked rice and ghee. He shall perform the sacrifice repeating the Purusha Sukta. The ghee shall be offered at the end of every stanza. The Sauvisṭakrti shall be performed in accordance with the rules of his own Sutra. After the sacrifice he shall perform Tantric activities. The learned devotee shall sit on a doth, deer-skin or Kusha grass to the north of the fire. He shall repeat the Gayatri mantra silently till the Brahma Muhurta, and stabilise his mind firmly. Then he shall take bath and cook the Caru. He shall perform the sacrifice beginning with Puruṣa and ending with the Viraja suktas. After performing the remaining rites of the sacrifice, he shall perform the Aupasana rites of the morning. Then he shall superimpose Agni in the Atman and perform the morning prayers. When the sun has arisen, he shall recite Savitri. He shall eschew the three Aṣaṇas and repeat the Presa mantras. He shall abandon the tuft, the sacred thread and the girdle too. He shall start to the east or to the north. He shall lake with him a staff and a loin-cloth and such other things as are necessary for life. If he is totally detached, he need not take these things too. He shall approach the preceptor and prostrate before him thrice. Standing up he shall sit at the feet of the preceptor. The teacher shall take the white ashes from the Viraja fire and smear it over the body of the disciple. Repeating the mantra “Agniriti” etc. he shall make the three marks Tripuṇḍra on his forehead. He shall think of me stationed in the lotus of the heart along with you. Then the teacher shall place his hand on the head of the disciple. With a delighted mind, the preceptor shall utter the Pranavamantra thrice in the right ear of the disciple mentioning the sage etc. Then he shall tell him the sixfold meaning. The disciple shall bow prostrate before the preceptor on the ground twelve times. He shall remain subservient to him and practise the study of the Vedanta strenuously. He shall ponder and meditate in the pure Atman without aberrations, upon me the great Atman, the Saksin of Brahman, the unchanging. Here the person authorised is the ascetic engaged in the pious activities of self-restraint, the master of Vedantic knowledge and free from rivalry. The lotus of the heart is free from dust, devoid of sorrow, clear and great. It has eight petals with filaments and it shines above the pericarp. After thinking about the region from the Adhara-Shakti to the three Tattvas the Dahara Vyoman (the ether-heart) shall be imagined and conceived in the middle. Repeating the single-syllabled Brahman Om, he shall with alert mind think of me along with you in the middle. He who performs the rite of this type attains my world. After securing the knowledge of my principles he will attain Sayujya salvation as the fruit. |
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