Parātrīṃśikā Vivaraṇa (Part 89): How Bhairava Holds All Bhāvas by Illumination

 

Parameśvara as the luminous Self, holding mountains, moon, flame, body, thought, memory, and all bhāvas within his own radiance by the power of prakāśa.

The previous part unfolded the alphabetic body of Bhagavatī: vowels, vargas, tattvas, organs, inner instruments, and the powers of limitation. It ended with the basic sense of dhriyante — the tattvas are “held,” meaning they enter into avasthiti, stable abiding. That gave the first layer: the cosmic alphabet does not merely name the tattvas; it holds them in ordered manifestation.

Now Abhinava goes deeper and asks: where are these bhāvas held, and how are they held?

The answer is not that they are held in some external cosmic container. They are held svātmani eva — in the Self itself, in Bhairava, the luminous and perfectly full state. All bhāvas exist in the Self, because nothing can stand outside the field of prakāśa. But Abhinava immediately adds a subtler point: although the bhāvas are held in luminous consciousness, they are made to appear as non-self-luminous, inert, and object-like — as idam, “this.”

This is the new pressure of the chunk. The previous mapping showed the structure of manifestation. This passage explains the mechanism of objectification. Bhairava holds all things by illuminating them, but he also causes them to appear as if they were not self-luminous. That is how the world of objects becomes possible: bhāvas are consciousness in essence, yet they enter the field of the knowable as “this.”

So this part is not merely continuation. It is a deepening. The alphabetic cosmos is held in Bhagavatī, but its bhāvas become knowable through the play of illumination and concealment: they are revealed by Parameśvara and then covered again through ahaṃbhāva, I-ness. This is the delicate field of Sadāśiva, Īśvara, and Śuddhavidyā — where “I” and “this” are not yet the ordinary split of bondage, but the first divine articulation of manifestation.

All bhāvas exist only in the Self, in Bhairava, the perfectly full luminous state

svātmani eva sarve bhāvāḥ prakāśātmani paramaparipūrṇe pade bhairavātmani sarvātmani

“All bhāvas exist only in the Self — in the light-natured Self, in the supremely full state, in Bhairava, the Self of all.”

Abhinava begins with the strongest possible placement: svātmani eva sarve bhāvāḥ — all bhāvas are in the Self alone. But bhāva here should not be flattened into one English word too quickly. It can mean a being, a state, an existent, a condition, a mode of appearing, a concrete thing, a lived formation. In this context, it includes all the tattvas and all the forms that arise through them: elements, senses, organs, thoughts, bodies, worlds, emotions, memories, desires, limitations, and recognitions.

So when Abhinava says sarve bhāvāḥ, he does not mean only “all objects” in a narrow sense. He means all modes of manifest existence — everything that can stand forth as something. A mountain is a bhāva. A thought is a bhāva. A body is a bhāva. A grief, a cognition, a god-form, a world, an inner state, a subtle tattva — all of these are bhāvas. They are the many ways in which reality becomes present as a definite formation.

And all of them exist svātmani eva — only in the Self. Not outside, not beside, not in a second container. But this Self is not the private psychological ego. It is prakāśātman, light-natured; paramaparipūrṇa-pada, the supremely full state; bhairavātman, the Self as Bhairava; and sarvātman, the Self of all.

This is the necessary foundation for what follows. The bhāvas can later appear as inert, separate, knowable “thises,” but first their true location must be established. They are in Bhairava. Their existence is not outside illumination. No thing, state, or world can stand apart from the luminous fullness in which it appears.

So this opening sentence is not a vague “everything is consciousness” statement. It is more exact: every definite mode of appearing, every bhāva, has its place only in the perfectly full luminous Self. The next movement will explain the paradox: how those very bhāvas, though held in Bhairava, are made to appear as object-like, inert, and separate.

Śivadṛṣṭi support: Śiva flashes in all beings as the Self

yathoktaṃ śivadṛṣṭau

ātmaiva [ātmā - svasvabhāvaḥ |] sarvabhāveṣu sphurannirvṛtacidvapuḥ [cidvapuriti ātmasātkṛtasamastavedyārthaḥ |] |
aniruddhecchāprasaraḥ prasaraddṛktriyaḥ śivaḥ ||

iti |

“As it has been said in the Śivadṛṣṭi:

‘Śiva is the Self alone, flashing in all bhāvas, whose body is blissful consciousness, whose expansion of will is unobstructed, and whose triad of seeing expands.’

Here ātman means one’s own true nature; and cid-vapus means that all knowable objects have been assimilated into oneself.”

Abhinava now supports the previous statement through the Śivadṛṣṭi. All bhāvas are in the Self because Śiva himself is the Self flashing in all bhāvas — sarvabhāveṣu sphuran. This is not a distant God looking at beings from outside. Śiva is the very self-nature — svasvabhāva — shining in every form of existence.

The gloss makes this clear: ātman here means svasvabhāva, one’s own true nature. So the Self is not an object behind things. It is the innermost nature by which every bhāva appears at all. A mountain, a thought, a body, a god-form, grief, memory, perception — each flashes because Śiva flashes there as its very ground.

The phrase nirvṛta-cid-vapus is beautiful. Śiva’s body is blissful consciousness. And the gloss explains cid-vapus as ātmasātkṛta-samasta-vedyārtha — all knowable objects have been made one’s own, assimilated into the Self. This is crucial. Objects are not left outside consciousness. The whole field of the knowable is taken into the body of consciousness. Śiva’s “body” is not a physical form among forms; it is consciousness in which all knowables have been absorbed as self.

Then the verse adds aniruddha-icchā-prasaraḥ — the expansion of will is unobstructed. Śiva’s manifestation is not forced, not blocked, not produced by lack. It is free expansion. And prasarad-dṛk-triyaḥ — the triad of seeing expands. The knower, known, and knowing unfold within him, not outside him.

So this verse gives the doctrinal support for the whole chunk. All bhāvas are held in Bhairava because Śiva is already flashing in all bhāvas as their own Self. The universe of knowables is not foreign to consciousness; it is assimilated into the blissful body of Śiva. And from that fullness, the triad of experience expands by unobstructed will.

Spanda support: everything is established there

yathoktaṃ spande

yatra sthitamidaṃ sarvaṃ |

iti |

“As it has been said in the Spanda:

‘Where all this is established.’”

Abhinava now brings in the Spanda statement to support the same point from another authoritative current. All this — idaṃ sarvam, everything that appears as world, body, thought, object, state, and experience — is sthitam, established, in that supreme reality.

The line is short, but it carries weight because it confirms the structure already given by the Śivadṛṣṭi. The bhāvas are not floating independently. They are established in the Self, in Bhairava, in the luminous fullness of consciousness. Their apparent separateness does not give them a separate foundation.

The word sthitam also connects directly to the previous chunk’s dhriyante and avasthiti. The tattvas are held; they enter into abiding. Now the question is where they abide. The Spanda answer is: in that reality where all this is established. The holding is not external support, like objects stored in a container. It is establishment in consciousness itself.

So the sequence is tight. The previous chunk said the tattvas are held. This chunk says: they are held in the Self. The Śivadṛṣṭi says Śiva flashes in all bhāvas. The Spanda says everything is established there. Abhinava is gathering the witnesses before explaining the mechanism: Parameśvara holds beings by illuminating them, and then, through concealment, makes them appear as object-like “thises.”

Parameśvara holds bhāvas in his own luminous Self by illuminating them

evaṃ svātmanyeva prabhāsvare prakāśanena dhriyamāṇān bhāvan dhārayati

“Thus, in his own luminous Self, he holds the bhāvas that are being held there by illumination.”

Abhinava now explains the actual mechanism of holding. The bhāvas are not held externally, as objects might be stored in a container. They are held svātmani eva — in his own Self alone. And this Self is prabhāsvara, luminous, radiant, self-shining.

The means of holding is prakāśana, illumination. Parameśvara holds beings, states, and objects by making them shine. To be held in consciousness is to be made manifest. A bhāva does not first exist in darkness and then later receive light from outside. Its very standing as an appearing thing depends on being illumined in the luminous Self.

This continues the previous points exactly. First, all bhāvas were placed in Bhairava. Then the Śivadṛṣṭi showed Śiva flashing in all bhāvas. Then Spanda confirmed that all this is established there. Now Abhinava says how: they are held by illumination.

This is subtle but decisive. The world is not held together by dead external support. It is held by appearing. Things abide because they shine in prakāśa. Their stability is not outside consciousness; their stability is the way consciousness sustains them as manifest.

So dhāraṇā now gains depth. The tattvas are held because they are illumined in the Self. Their abiding is not separate from Bhairava’s light. This prepares the next, more paradoxical step: the same Parameśvara who illumines them also makes them appear as non-self-luminous, inert, and object-like.

He makes them non-self-luminous and gives them object-status as “this”

svayamaprakāśībhāvena - jaḍatāsvabhāvedaṃbhāvāspadatāprāpaṇena

“By making them non-self-luminous — by bringing them to the condition of inertness and to the status of being the basis for ‘this’-experience.”

Abhinava now gives the paradoxical second side of Parameśvara’s act. He holds the bhāvas by illumination, but he also makes them appear as svayam-aprakāśī, not self-luminous. They shine only because they are illumined by consciousness, yet they appear as though they do not shine by themselves.

This is the birth of objecthood. A bhāva that is in truth held within prakāśa comes to appear as jaḍa-svabhāva, inert by nature. It becomes an idam-bhāva-āspada, a basis for the experience “this.” The mountain becomes “this mountain.” The body becomes “this body.” A thought becomes “this thought.” A pain becomes “this pain.” The thing is illumined, but it does not appear as the illuminating power itself. It appears as an object.

This is very subtle. Abhinava is not saying that objects are simply unreal in a crude sense. He is explaining how objecthood is produced. The bhāvas are held in the luminous Self, but by being made non-self-luminous they become available as knowables. They enter the field of idantā, “this-ness.”

A simple example: when you see a cup, the cup appears. It is not outside consciousness, because without illumination it would not appear at all. But it does not appear as “I, the luminous consciousness.” It appears as “this cup,” something inert, something known. That “this”-status is exactly what Abhinava is describing here.

So the holding has two sides. Parameśvara illuminates the bhāvas, sustaining them in his own luminous Self. At the same time, he makes them appear as object-like, inert, and non-self-luminous. This is how the one field of consciousness becomes a world of knowable “thises” without anything actually leaving consciousness.

Pratyabhijñā support: bhāvas reach the field of the knowable as “this”

[svabhāvedaṃbhāveti - yaduktaṃ pratyabhijñāyām

idaṃ bhāvopapannānāṃ vedyabhūmimupeyuyām |
bhāvānāṃ bodhasāratvādyathāvastvavalokanāt ||

iti |]

“‘By their own nature becoming “this”’ — as it has been said in the Pratyabhijñā:

‘Those bhāvas that have assumed the condition of “this” enter the field of the knowable, because, through seeing things as they truly are, the bhāvas are understood to have consciousness as their essence.’”

The gloss now supports the previous point through the Pratyabhijñā. The bhāvas become idam, “this,” and thereby enter vedya-bhūmi, the field of the knowable. This is the object-side of experience: something stands forth as “this thing,” “this body,” “this thought,” “this pain,” “this world.”

But the verse immediately prevents a crude objectivism. The bhāvas are knowable as “this,” yet their essence is bodha-sāratva — consciousness. When seen yathāvastu, as they truly are, the bhāvas are not inert things outside awareness. They are consciousness in essence, appearing under the mode of objecthood.

This is exactly the paradox Abhinava is unfolding. Parameśvara illuminates the bhāvas, and by that illumination they are held in the Self. Yet he also makes them appear as svayam-aprakāśa, non-self-luminous, and as idam-bhāva-āspada, the basis for “this”-experience. So they become knowable objects, while never ceasing to be consciousness in essence.

A simple example: pain appears as “this pain.” It seems object-like, something experienced by “me.” But if seen more deeply, its appearing is not outside consciousness. The pain has entered vedya-bhūmi, the knowable field, as idam; yet its actual essence as appearing is bodha, consciousness. The same applies to a mountain, a thought, a memory, a god-form, or a world.

So this point clarifies the mechanism of objectification without severing the object from consciousness. Idantā, “this-ness,” is real as a mode of manifestation, but it is not ultimate separateness. The bhāvas become knowable as “this” while remaining, in truth, consciousness-essence.

Parameśvara reveals the bhāvas and then covers them again with I-ness

prakāśayati parameśvara eva punarapi ahaṃbhāvenaiva ācchādayati |

“Parameśvara himself reveals them, and then again covers them precisely with the state of ‘I.’”

Abhinava now gives the next turn in the mechanism. Parameśvara first prakāśayati — he reveals the bhāvas, makes them shine, brings them into manifestation. Nothing appears except by his illumination. But then he also ācchādayati — covers them. And the covering is not by darkness in a crude sense, but by ahaṃbhāva, the state of “I.”

This is subtle. In the previous point, the bhāvas were brought into idantā, “this-ness.” They became knowable objects: this body, this thought, this pain, this world. Now Abhinava says that Parameśvara covers this “this-ness” with ahaṃbhāva. The object is not merely left as external “this”; it is taken back into the field of “I.”

At the divine level, this is not yet ordinary egoic appropriation. It belongs to the subtle play of manifestation in which the “this” is revealed and then enfolded in “I.” The object does not remain foreign. It is covered by I-ness, meaning it is included within the self-apprehending field of consciousness.

This is why the movement is so delicate: Parameśvara both reveals and covers. He reveals the bhāvas as knowable, and he covers them with ahaṃbhāva so that they are not ultimately left as separate inert objects. Manifestation appears as “this,” but the deeper divine movement reabsorbs “this” into “I.”

So the point continues the exact logic of the chunk. All bhāvas are in Bhairava. They are held by illumination. They are made to appear as object-like “thises.” But Parameśvara then covers them again with I-ness. The world becomes knowable as “this,” yet in the divine field it is not abandoned outside the Self.

This is the Sadāśiva-Īśvara state, consisting of Śuddhavidyā

tadiyaṃ bhagavatsadāśiveśadaśā śuddhavidyāmayī ekena ṇicā dhvanitā

“This state of Bhagavān — the state of Sadāśiva and Īśa, consisting of Śuddhavidyā — is suggested by one causative.”

Abhinava now identifies the level of this operation. The movement just described — Parameśvara revealing the bhāvas and then covering them with ahaṃbhāva — belongs to the divine field of Sadāśiva, Īśa, and Śuddhavidyā.

This is important because we must not confuse this with ordinary egoic appropriation. When an ordinary person says “I,” that ahaṃ is usually contracted, mixed with body, memory, lack, fear, and ownership. But here Abhinava is speaking of a much subtler divine articulation. At the level of Sadāśiva, the emphasis is “I am this” with the I still dominant. At the level of Īśvara, the this becomes more explicit, but still within divine consciousness. Śuddhavidyā balances the two: aham and idam, “I” and “this,” held in purified relation.

So the grammar matters. The one ṇic, the causative marker, does not merely indicate a linguistic form; it hints at a whole metaphysical operation. Parameśvara causes the bhāvas to appear, causes them to be held, causes them to enter object-status, and then covers them with I-ness. This is the divine causative play by which manifestation becomes articulated without yet falling into ordinary bondage.

So the chunk is now moving from the general fact that all bhāvas are held in Bhairava to the finer structure of divine manifestation: illumination, objectification, and reintegration into ahaṃbhāva. The world appears as “this,” but in the divine field it is still embraced by “I.”

The covering of “this-ness” by “I-ness” requires a coverable “this-ness”

tatrāpi ca yat idantāyā ahantayā ācchādanaṃ tadācchādanīyedantopapattau upapadyate

“And even there, the covering of idantā, ‘this-ness,’ by ahantā, ‘I-ness,’ is possible only when there is an idantā capable of being covered.”

Abhinava now makes the structure exact. If idantā, “this-ness,” is to be covered by ahantā, “I-ness,” then that idantā must first be present in some form. You cannot cover what has not appeared. There must be a “this” capable of being covered, absorbed, or enfolded into “I.”

This is subtle because Abhinava is speaking about a divine level, not ordinary egoic confusion. At the lower level, ahantā may mean the contracted ego saying “this is mine,” “this belongs to me,” “this defines me.” But here the movement is higher and cleaner. The “this” is revealed as knowable, and then it is covered by divine “I-ness,” meaning it is not allowed to remain as a foreign object outside consciousness. It is taken into the self-apprehending field.

So the order matters. First, Parameśvara reveals the bhāvas as knowables. They enter idantā, the field of “this.” Then he covers them through ahantā, the field of “I.” This is how manifestation can appear without being abandoned into separateness. The object becomes “this,” but in the divine field the “this” is embraced by “I.”

This is exactly the terrain of Sadāśiva, Īśvara, and Śuddhavidyā. The balance of aham and idam is being articulated before the hard split of ordinary bondage. Idantā must appear, otherwise there is nothing to manifest; but ahantā covers it, otherwise it would stand as alien. The divine play requires both: a “this” that can appear, and an “I” that can contain it.

The covering is possible only when divine “this-ness” is present

[vidyeśvarādirūpāyām idantāyāṃ satyām upapadyate nānyatheti |]

“This is possible only when there is idantā, ‘this-ness,’ in the form of Vidyeśvara and the others — not otherwise.”

The gloss now clarifies the previous point. The covering of idantā by ahantā is possible only when idantā has already appeared in a suitable form. Here that idantā is specified as vidyeśvarādi-rūpā — taking the form of Vidyeśvara and the other divine levels or beings.

This matters because Abhinava is still not speaking about ordinary objectification at the level of crude bondage. This is a higher divine articulation. The “this” that appears here is not yet the fully fallen object-world of ordinary separation. It is a pure idantā, a divine “this,” arising within the field of Sadāśiva, Īśvara, and Śuddhavidyā.

So the order must remain exact. First, the bhāvas are held in Bhairava’s luminous Self. Then they are illumined. Then they are made to appear as knowable “thises.” Then this “this-ness” can be covered by “I-ness.” But if there were no idantā at all, there would be nothing for ahantā to cover, include, or reabsorb.

That is the point of na anyathā — not otherwise. The divine “I” does not cover a blank. It covers a manifested “this.” Manifestation requires some appearing of objectivity, but at this level the objectivity is still held inside the divine field. The “this” is not abandoned outside consciousness; it is the form in which consciousness begins to display itself before being gathered again into “I.”

Abhinava has shown how the bhāvas are held in Bhairava, revealed by illumination, made to appear as object-like idam, and then covered by aham in the pure divine strata. The next movement can continue from this refined structure of I and this, not from crude duality.