Pushkarmuni Abhinandan Granth

Author(s): Devendramuni, A D Batra, Shreechand Surana
Publisher: Rajasthankesari Adhyatmayogi Upadhyay Shree Pushkar Muni Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 1165

LONDE
२६२ श्री पुष्करमुनि अभिनन्दन ग्रन्थ : नवम खण्ड
leaving of course the tanmäträs which are already taken out; by the fire which resembles one which is ablaze at the time of the great annihilation of Lord's Creation (Yuganta-hutabhuk). When the function is over the blaze is to be surrendered to the Lord of the Mantras. Then the Sadhaka sees that the fire is full burnt and what remains is a heap of ashes. Then he transmits a cyclonic wind to make the ashes scatter away at random, all over. Thus the body disappears totally with no visible trace.
Then the sadhaka invokes the disc of mantras shining like a full moon and drizzling nector from heavens. He should sprinkle this nector over the remnants whatsoever of his body and lo! he sees that a lotus springs up out of void and gradually the universe evolves in in its normal order of creation. He finds that there shines for him a reborn body untinted with any impurities whatsoever. This is a body worth entering which he does by the retreating process and embarks on his worship of the Lord in the form Arca, the tangible idol.
By way of resume one could note down following observations :
(i) Bhutaśuddhi is a complete and independent process.
(ii) It is a prerequisite for the ritual of worship and a samaskāra on the body of the worshipper.
(iii) From spiritual point of view, it is a far difficult process as compared to the mechanism of the Pūjā. A sincere effort on the part of the devotee to master this process would certainly uplift him on much higher plane; and it is worth giving repeated trials.
(iv) As for the scientific nature, its feasibility and efficacy, only those who are in that line i.e., the introverts with adequate background alone could say anything.
(v) These various technical terms like the tackling of the nädis, the cakras and winds present within one's own body. This could be compared by an introvert to the corresponding terms in the Yoga school.
(vi) We are told of Layayaga in the Agamas elsewhere which is the abstract process of absorption of the creation. This might be similar to the Bhutaśuddhi.
(vii) We come across some technical processes in metaphysics of the Upanisads, like trivṛtkarana, pañcikaraṇa and Samvarga-vidya where one element is absorbed into the other. Those processes have served the source and might have played an important role in the building up of the scheme of elemental purification.
(viii) In any case, the entire process of isolating oneself from the earthly body, reaching the vicinity of the Great Soul, experiencing the discarding the gross and subtle bodies around oneself, to have a detached visualisation of one's own body from a long distance, to set it on fire by one's own fire of wisdom, seeing that it is reduced to ashes, blowing cyclonic hurricane to puff the heap of ashes helter scalter and further, with the mystic power to the mantras, to rejuvinate the body along with the entire Universe with the help of nector, all this is fascinating for anyone; nay one would be tempted to become an introvert. Naturally, an introvert would rejoice on finding such a fine process to grasp and to practise.
(ix) Even for a devotee having academic interest, this portion would be of great help in tallying various tenets of the Pañcaratra cult, especially those concerning the theories of Creation and Liberation. And further, it is noteworthy that in the form of Bhutaśuddhi the tradition could retain the metaphysics of the Pañcaratra; and practising the Bhutaśuddhi is making an at a glance revision of it metaphysics.
Whatever merits or otherwise, one may safely announce that here lies an important treasure of our spiritual heritage. Let us not just skip over it, or else sleep over it, casually dismissing it as impracticable.
The purification of everything from within and without, renders the Sadhaka eligible for the Yaga, where at the outset he is to perform Manasayäga or the 'worship-within' and then alone he may handle the paraphernelia of outer worship (Bähyayaga). And Manasayaga, too, is