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CHAPTER VIII FIRE SYMBOLISM AND RITUALISM Nataraja Cardinal points of analysis. Bhairava's fire as knowing subject. Fire as synthesis of knowledge. Ash-bath and fire-bath. Introjection of sacrificial fire. The sacrifice of fire (agnikaryam). The rite of propitiation of fire (agnitrpti). Fire is seen in Saiva tantra as one of the main ' this entities which express the tantric way. The tantric influence of firerituals and symbols is found even in baiva mythology which materializes in a rather late period in the puranic literature. Fire actualizes the greatest Saiva antinomy, namely destruction and creation. Siva is often represented performing his terrible dance on a funeral pile, surrounded by flames. The Saivite tantrika loves image inasmuch as it symbolizes for him the very imago mundi with its vanitas vanitatum, having the same function as the leitmotif "remember that you must die" of the Hellenistic period. For this reason the tantrika will remain contemplating the cremation grounds which are pierced by that unifying axle of all the worlds. The cremation ground is a center, an ajar door through which the unseen part of the existent can be grasped. On a cremation ground the powers of will and of existence lessen, whereupon it is a weak place from the tantric point

159 of view, casing the possibility of severing the fetters of worldly bondage. Fire is purificatory but not to the stage of sterilization. On the contrary, it is the symbol of birth, but in another world: the essential world. One of the simplest oblations in Saiva tantra is, for instance, pouring a substance into the fire. In this act, the substance i imagined as Siva's seeds and the fire will be the fertilizing ground. The fruit will appear on the other side of existence, with another significance. Actually, the fire is the barrier between the material and perishable world, and the spiritual and eternal world. Hence Siva's dance, like tantric practice, is not destructive in itself or essentially destructive, but destructive for a superior creation into another world; the element that expresses this dance is agni in the Saiva tantric vision. = The whole mystic symbolism of fire is pointed out in the ritual called the "thorough liberation", a vedic rite that was reinterpreted in the Saiva tantric manner. Here the fire assumes the role of a catalyst in the process of self-realization. The master will pour, little by little, purified butter into the sacred fire burning in a small cavity hollowed out in the ground. The drops of purified butter that rise as vapours in contact with the blaze, are visualized by the master as identical with his own vital breathing. In this subtle form the master's breathing becomes syntonic with the disciple's, and raises along variegated wheels of the latter, up to the final wheel, the dvadasan ta, placed twelve fingers upwards from Brahma's foramen. The master can remain there more or less time; reaching this wheel is tantamount to a

- 160 transient or definitive reintegration in to a state of perfect unity with Siva. That supreme state is obtained through "Bhairava's fire" which is another name for the true consciousness burning the multiplicity and purifying it into a non-differentiated continuum. Fire represents the true nature of the knowledge embodied in the knowing subject because the process of acquiring knowledge is a fire that reorganizes the whole universe of discourse. Knowing consciousness is imagined as a blaze bursting out and is called citrabhanuh, "what is shining in various manners", that is another name for agni (Tantraloka, III, 122-123a). The knowing subject is actually the consciousness itself in actum. The subject is tributary to the manifold cognisable because he is supplied by images of variegation (vaicitryabhasa) which are found in the outside world. Between fire and the knowing subject is identity in so far as both are fed from the pure world and both transform the information of our impure world into a more subtle, spiritual wave. Thus ' among On the other hand, the barrier represented by fire can be crossed from the opposite direction, viz. from the pure reality, that is vacuity, to the worldly existence where maya, kala etc. rule. the three kinds of emission anava, sakta and sambhava -, the first, which is the emission of "particles" characterized by "placidity of mind" (cittavisranti), appears in the "fire of vacuity", i.e. the fire dissolving the primordial emptiness, from which the ordin life and the samsara arise (Haracarita-cintamani, III, 211-212). This important part the fire plays in the process of emission is based upon the fact that fire

- 161 - c itself is power. This constatation becomes evident after the simplest analysis of fire, because it manifests physically a double aspect: impressing our sensors like any "gross" element and, at the same time, appearing always as a process that modifies the structure of other elements. The modification of elements assumes the action of a power, thus fire can be particularly considered as a power. Under the appearance of power, fire is contained in siva's seed and it transfers its power to the sun and the moon which express the energetic polarity of the world. Thus, the sun and the moon become the worldly embodiment of the supreme energy, the supreme Brahman, the phoneme A. Actually, the real polarity does not appear, according to Saiva thought, in the state of seed of the universe, when the power (fire) is organically embedded in Siva's nature, but only in the way of impure creation when the unity degrades itself. This opinion is based also upon some statements in the Aitareyaranyaka that were mentioned by Jayaratha in his commentary to Tantraloka, III, 226, seq.: "This seed is ardour (tejah) coming from all the limbs and thus it bears a self in itself" (Ait. Ar., II, 5). The second "birth" is in fact the actualization of polarity that, however, does not cease to bear the marks of the pure creation. "Woman's blood is Agni's form, hence it must not be disdained. Man's seed is Aditya's form, hence it must not be disdained" (Ait. Ar., II, 3, 7). Abhinava expresses the same idea speaking about the two nodes of the transcendental state which are determined, in one direction, by non-manifestation of conditions of creation and, in the the reverse direction, by the disappearance of the conditions of creation.

- 162 The disappearance, which is the way of reabsorption, can be divided in its turn into two other modes of realization, namely, through a common line of action consisting in different rites of initiation etc., and through a "violent digestion" (hathapakakramana). This violent mode is characterized by a great "taste of devouring" and by an uninterrupted blaze burning the fuel of differentiation. "All things found in the fire that burns within the stomach of our own consciousness and which (fire) is fed by their (the things') power, abandon (after 'digestion') any differentiation" (Tantraloka, III, 262). This fire found within the "stomach of our consciousness" is identical with Bhairava's fire, viz. with the very deep and authentic part of consciousness. It is interesting to note that the same analogy between fire and abysmal zones of our consciousness was pointed out in modern psychoanalysis (v.Gaston BacheLa Psychanalyse du Feu, Paris, 1946). lard This violent fire that devours the outside reality is seen at the same time as a continuous sacrificial fire. All the sensorial wheels of our body are holders of powers, hence flames of the inner fire of knowledge. Objects of the outside reality are poured as oblation into this sacrificial fire. The Saiva tantrika will meditate on fire as a synthesis of the sun and the moon, within the wheel of his heart. By means of his contemplation, the practician kindles Bhairava's fire in the fireplace of his heart. That Bhairavic blaze is identified with the the/ subject possessing power whence the triad of subject, object and means of knowledge arises. This triad is nothing else in fact than another

163hypostasis of that macrocosmic triad of the sun, the moon and the fire, which, in its turn, is the projection of pure triad of Para, Parapara and Apara. Every component of the triad at any level, has four aspects in accordance with the moment of emission, maintenance or reabsorption as well as with an uncreated and illimitable nature. The three goddesses will become twelve according to the fact that each of them will take a different form expressing the essence of the fire, the sun, the moon and their extinguishment (Tantraloka, V, 22-27a). In order to obtain identification with Siva the adept has to meditate on the mantra KSMRYUM settling it into his heart during seven days. After seven days of exercises, the sadhaka becomes aware of the fruit of his endeavour, seeing a blaze in his heart together with the seeds of the mantra which are surrounded by colourful sparkles. In the center of the heart is the bindu which shines like a sun. Becoming self-luminous the devotee consequently becomes alike to Siva. The fire follows the water category; Siva's abode is in the fire and it can be reached by those who concentrate on the fire at the moment of death. Fire plays host to eight Lords: Bhairava, Kedara, Mahakala, Madhyama, Amratikesa, Jalpesa, Srisaila and Harindu, that govern eight worlds: Bhimesvara, Mahendra, Attahasa, Vimalesvara, Kanakhala, Nakhala, Kuruksetra and Gaya (SVT, X, 855-873a). All these places are located in ancient India and the Saiva tantrika has discovered their affinities with fire. ' One of the most purificatory rituals for the Saivite is the ash-bath (bhasmasnana). In the tantric vision, the produce

- 164 of fire has mainly spiritual attributes, as the telluric elements are burnt out and the remaining ashes are their projection into a world of pure quality. The suitable ashes for performing this ritual are ashes proceeding from a sacrificial tire. The ash is impregnated with the mantra PHAT, the "great weapon", seven times. For removing impurities of a spiritual order, ash is strewed on the worshipper's body, beginning with the head. A handful of ash is thrown on the head, and the recitation of the root-mantra of goddess Para with her "members" or "limbs of wisdom" (vidyanga) accompanies this operation. In the same manner, the ritual goes on by strewing asnes on the face, on the chest in front of the heart on the genital organs and on the legs. During the celebration of the ritual, the adept is naked. naving strewed ashes, the Saivite washes new sometimes putting of clothes/he takes a kind of ritual snack and his hands and his fee with water, continues purifying (marjana) himself by means of introjection of the polysyllabic vidya Para. Then he celebrates the rite of worship (upasthana) of the sun (Haracarita-cintamani & Tantraloka, AV, 55) with the help of the malini, and he recites the monosyllabic mantra of Para at the end. The ash-bath has into/ also the purpose of introjecting the tantrika's body the qualities of ashes that are beyond worldly elements. Beside this bath of ashes, the Saivite tantrika practises a proper bath or fire (agnisnana) in the following manner: the tantrika mentally arouses the tire in his body starting with the big toe, employing the mantra of "weapon" (astra) of Para. 1 remind here that the "weapon" is one (the last) of the six members or limbs of a deity, and is its corresponding mantra. The sadhaka burns, hence

- 105 purities, his whole body with this mantra. ne becomes thus a spotless receptacle into which the mantra Para signifying the divine ambrosia in this way he identifies is poured. Then the adept worships the sun, which is the great worldly fire and meditates upon the "weapon"-mantra. himself with the pure nature of mantra. After carring out the baths, the Saivite tantrika obtains an inner quietness and equilibrium. in this state he goes to the sacrificial place which is purified through the "weapon". Having worshipped the guardians of the door, he throws flowers that are impregnated with the "great weapon", for the purpose of abating any the building as being thoroughly splendid and Shining. He mentally projects inside himself the ten regions getting protection by means of weapon-mantra. Only then the celebrant may enter the place of sacrifice turning his Iace towards the east or the north resistence. ne thinks oi in order to burn the ties keeping nim in bondage. His ties are burnt out by the huge blaze that the sacrificial place symbolizes. This fire is projected into the Saivite's body as follows: The performer has to meditate that his body is burnt from inside and outside, beginning with the top of the big toe. This burning is realized through the "weapon" PHAT that appears to the tantrika as shining like the "fire of time" (Malinivijaya-tantra, VIII, 19). "This burning consists in an absolute destruction. The destroying element is the lightning mantra, full of the juice of its own differential representations which are reduced to the ordinary language" (Tantraloka, XV, 234). Jayaratha comments that the "juice" is the pure thought which is the foundation,

- 166the essence, the life of the discoursive thought. The absolute destruction means the destruction of the gross body as well as of the subtle body through the agency of two bodies is feasible in so the mantric fire. The destruction of the far as the egotistic feeling is destroyed. The mere presence of the can become alienated body does not imply necessarily the bondage; we from it and we will look at it as belonging to "another person'. This means the that the "corporality" is based only upon the feeling of ego. The introjection of the sacrificial area into the tantrika's body is realized as a huge fire that burns all the existential residua. After obtaining this total catharsis, the sadhaka scatters mentally the products of this burning of his own body, reciting the "armour" HUM. This mantra is imagined as a wind dispersing the last traces of cinders. The Saivite reposes this way on the pure consciousness, becoming equal with Siva. But the consciousness, by its own nature, tends to emit so long as a certain bond with a material body still exists. Consequently, the first wave or movement with which he makes contact after emerging from the transcendental and immobile reality, must be the so-called "corporeal image" of Siva. It is Siva's purest 1 and subtlest form named also the murtimantra. The adept has to be united with Siva's point (sivabindu) assigning to it the mantra HAM or OM HAM. The complete form of the murtimantra is therefore OM HAM ATMAMURTAYE (or SIVAMURTAYE) NAMAH (Somashambhu-paddhati, pp.104, n.2 and p.178). The main Saiva tantric rite concerning fire is the agnikaryam, the sacrifice of fire. For this purpose, the cavity that

167 will contain the fire, the kunda, has firstly to be prepared. That cavity is a sacred place, a "center", and it is consecrated through incantations of mantras and pure thoughts. The most important purificatory rite of the kunda consists in meditating that it is Siva's power of action. The outside rites are less important for preliminary purification and they may even be absent. But it is worthy that all the things or persons taking part in any way in this sacrifice, viz. the whole sacrificial surface, the linga, the vessel, the water, the fire, flowers, the disciple and so on, must be realized as identical with Siva. The basic ideology of this tantric behaviour Abhinavagupta resumes in a quotation from the Yogasamcara: "In the fourteen species of creatures, in flowers, in incense, in offering, in the lamp, in recitation, in the offering to the fire, in all these things (it is not us but) the goddess Candika who offers, recites, lights, worships, laughs, does. Also the doers of offering and of sensual union (are not us but) the goddess who lives in our body" (Tantraloka, XV, 391b-393). Because a great deal of disciples have not got such a powerful awareness, they need to develop it gradually through the external rites. It is advisable to accompany the meditation with more or less purificatory rites, in accordance to the intensity realized in mental concentration on: "I am Siva, that is conceived by mantra; my thoughts (samkalpa) are conceived by mantra, and the cavity, the fire etc. which arise from them (viz. from my thoughts) are identical with Siva". Thus, the rites will appear as auxiliary instruments of meditation, consolidating it. The ten purificatory rites concerning the sacrificial

168 cavity are the digging of the fireplace, the sprinkling of it, the of tapping it in order to make it smooth, the besmearing of the cavity all over with cow-dung, the construction of the cross, of the tapestry, the accomplishment of lightning, the flooring of the surrounding surface . with kusa grass, the arrangement of auspicious branches on the four sides around the cavity and the construction of a seat from a bunch of kusa grass which is knotted in the middle. During these operations, the performer must recite the weapon-mantra PHAT (Mrigendra-tantra, Kriyapada I, 4; VI passim). two blades of The cross occupies the central part and consists of kusa grass which are laid transversaly, one of the blades towards the east and the other towards the north. The tapestry consists of hanging the inner walls with the kusa grass. The accomplishment of lightning is required to lay some blades of grass orientating them = towards the north upon the three other blades orientated towards the east in such a way that the shape of a double vajra (i.e. two intersecting triangles) is obtained (Rauravagama, XV, 1-4). After fulfilling all these rites follows the worship and the preparation of thrones (asanavidhi) for the ten Lords of regions whose duty is to protect the fire just arising (Somashambhu-paddhati, p.244, n.3). The ritual is continued by taking the place in possession, by the projection of the cavity into the performer's body with the help of the fire-weapon PHAT, by the consecration of the ground in order to uphold Siva's fire and by driving obstacles away (SVT, II, 183-189; Somashambhu-paddhati, pp. 234 236).

- 169 The kunda has to be meditated upon as Siva's power of action, i.e. the goddess Vagisvari (Haracarita-cintamani & Tantraloka, XV, 40lb-402). The Saivite tantrika will project afterwards either the malini that is to be preceded by the mantra OM HRIM, or the matrka preceded only by OM. Both of them are worshipped and they must be understood as arising from imagination (samkalpa Rauravatantra, XV, 5). The cavity, namely the power of action, is thought to be the Goddess generative organ. The Goddess, as I have pointed out, is the produce of imagination, out this does not mean for the tantrika an unreal object. Rather it means an ideal entity with thoroughgoing existence that subdues the material world. The next step is the bringing of fire, generally comm. a piece of embers on a tray of copper or a plate (Mrigendra-tantra, Kriyapada, VI, 8). The red-hot coals are assimilated to Siva's seed and henceforward, to the seed of knowledge. Outside the cavity, the fire is moved over it three times to "arouse" the power. Actually, the momolugation of the kunda with the vagina or even the womb and the piece of embers with male seeds, implies actions reminding human behaviour before the sexual union. The three circular movements of the fire in front of the cavity symbolize a kind of prelude through which both partners come to a visual contect. At the same time their powers are aroused with a view to the forthcoming union; only in this way the union will be thoroughly realized. This procedure underlines once again the active part the male plays in Saiva tantra only, whereas in Hinduism generally, the active part in the courtship is attributed to the woman. The three movements of embers in front of the kunda correspond to the three powers, viz. will, knowledge and action, that are produced one by one, by the pure seed of consciousness degrading itself in order to be able to act How would you Contrast Hindrom wen sacinom?

170 ep be on the kriya plane. Having thrown the red-not coals into the fireplace, the aadhaka meditates upon the five qualities of Siva which correspond to his five members or limbs. These are: omniscience (sarvajoata), satiety (trpti), knowledge without principle (anadibodha), freedom (svatantria) and infinite power (anantasakti); there is another quality, the sixth, namely the power without obstacles (aviluptasakti), which corresponds to the "eye", which sometimes is not considered (SVT, I, p.53). The celebrant offers oblations to these five qualities one by one, into the fire. Each quality is tantamount to one of the five sacramental acts in life from birth to receiving an initiatory name. This way, the fire becomes a purified entity, a common place where human and divine attributes join together. The fire receives the nature of the five elements as well as the behaviour of a being, whereupon it gets generative capacities, a sacramental name, i.e. Siva's name imparted by the master etc. (SVT, II, 225). The celebrant continues the purificatory rites of fire performing a libation and concentrating on the goddess Parapara who bears inside herself all the goddesses and multifarious paths. The master iuentifies his thought with Siva's nature by means of the Goddess mantra, becoming this way Siva himself. Malini and Sabdarasi are worshipped as the mother and the father of Siva's fire. After purifying leave to the place and the the fire, the celebrants must give entities invocated during the rite (SVT, II, 226, reads: ksamyatam ity uktva visarjayet). From this purified fire some red-hot coals are to light the fire used in the preparation of caru, taken which is anoblation

- 171 of grains of rice boiled in water with milk or butter; it could also be steam-cooked. A query could arise envisaging the necessity of this rite of purifying the fire since the purifying fire must itself be purified. Many rituals need the presence of the sacrificial fire which is a purificator as, for instance, the ritual of the birth (jatakarman) etc. The answer concerns two directions of reasoning. Firstly, in conformity with the Trika vision, everything can play a double role inasmuch as an entity can be purified and can also become a purificator at tue same time (Tantraloka, XI, 92). Therefore the process of purification is not conditioned by a previous process of purification which would lead to a regressus ad infinitum. The rire which is employed in the jatakarman, for instance, does not necessarily require a preceding ritual or purification. Secondly, in the Saivite tantric practice the ritual of fire has its own identity inasmuch as the tantric space must be delimited both from the profane world and from other sauteriologique methods. Performing the rite of fire, all other sacrificial tires employed by further any celebrant, will have a pure essence, because they all burn at the same sacred time, they are all synchronic and syntopical for the Saiva tantric universe of discourse. in accordance with another procedure, the practitioner must mentally inspire a tongue or fire through his downward breath, the apana; he must keep it for some time in his heart in order to join it with his fire of consciousness, expires through the prana a purified fire. After this he must make a and afterwards he

172 thorough libation. in fact, sayo Abhinavagupta, "for the purification of anything it is enough to think firmly of it (the desired purification which makes the object identical with Siva. From this (behaviour) the object obtains an immaculate nature" (Tantraloka, XV, 413). Identification of Siva with his fire becomes the object of an inner sacrifice and consequently the Saivite tantrika's body actually becomes purified (Malinivijaya-tantra, VI). Another line of action concerning the agnikaryam consists in offering nine oblations into Siva's fire. The performer accompanies them with the mantra Navatma placed between OM at the beginning and SVAHA at the end. The fire is identified with ether and henceforward with Siva as the generic and universal consciousness, in this way being purified. Also the wheel of goddesses must be worshipped with the same purpose. The master must contemplate the spoon and the little spoon which are used for libations. Both of them must be turned towards the earth symbolizing the emission and creation that spread out from heavenly levels to the earthy plane (Haracarita-cintamani, XV, 370%; 416, 417, srstyunmukhataya; Ksemaraja, SVT, II, p.124 srstikramena). The spoon and the little spoon signify Siva and Sakti. The fire is the most suitable medium for bringin together the two worlds because of its above-mentioned qualities. The great tantric invocations are directed at the fire as, for instance, during the rite of satisfaction and propitiation of fire (agnitrpti). Here, the master makes offerings to the Lord in order to obtain the power of the mantric wheel, and therefore identity with Siva. above the sacrificial fire: "O Lord, you have chosen me the master. Now, He recites

- 173 you might rain your mercy upon these disciples who are roused by Siva's power either directly through dreams, learning etc., or by the master, with the help of mantric recitations. They are in front of you as you see. Show sign of your mercy! And pierce me with the rays of your own self, that I be Siva" (Malinivijaya-tantra, IX, 37-38). Mantra can obtain satisfaction and propitiation only by the agency of fire which has a nature close to sound, both of them becoming identical on the "ether of consciousness". I shall render in the conclusion of this chapter the meditation that accompanies the total offering of on self to the wheel of divinities. It is interesting to notice the igneous and rather apocalyptic images by which the Saiva tantrika worships the divinities within his body in the so-called total sacrifice: "See in the body a stake blazing out like the fire from the end of times, where all (the variegated subjects) dissolve, where the different categories are burnt. He who has entered this support of all the divinities (i.e. the performer's body visualized as a blazing stake), this empty graveyard, the place of entertainment for the 'perfects' and yoginis, does not he reach the self-realization? (This saved body is) a frightful graveyard, full of countless and terrific stakes, the sunset of all the bodies which is strewed with the light of its own rays (i.e. the divinities of senses), without any layer of dark, without any differential thinking, where only bliss is" (Tantraloka, XXIX, 182- 185).