चतुर्भुजामेकवक्त्रां पूर्णेन्दुवदनप्रभाम् ।
खड्गशक्तिधरां देवीं वरदाभयपाणिकाम् ॥
प्रेतसंस्थां महारौद्रीं भुजगेनोपवीतिनीम् ।
भवानीं कालसंहारबद्धमुद्राविभूषिताम् ॥
जगत्स्थितिकरीं ब्रह्मविष्णुरुद्रादिभिः सुरैः ।
स्तुतां तां परमेशानीं नौम्यहं विघ्नहारिणीम् ॥
Bhavānī is a special name of Parāśakti celebrated in various scriptures. It is said in the nirvacanādhyāya of Dēvī Purāṇa:
rudrō bhavō bhavaḥ kāmō bhavaḥ samsārasāgaraḥ |
tatprāṇanādiyam dēvī bhavanīti prakīrtitā ||
1. Bhava means Rudra. Bhagavatī being the Prāṇaśakti gives life to the pañcaprētas one of which is Rudra or Bhava. As she is the life-force in Rudra, she is called Bhavānī.
2. Bhava also means Kāma or Manmatha. Jagadambā blessed Manmatha with life after he was burnt to death by Mahādēva. Also, it is she who gives him the power to cause passion in beings. Hence she is called Bhavānī.
3. Bhava also means samsāra or the world. Dēvī is responsible for the seemingly real world of names and forms. She creates all beings in the world, nurtures them, and protects life. Hence she is called Bhavānī.
Also, it is said in Līṅga Purāṇa:
bhava ityucyatē dēvaiḥ bhagavān vēdavādibhiḥ |
sañjīvanēna lōkanām bhavasya paramātmanaḥ |
uṣā samkīrtitā bhaāryā sutaḥ śukraśca sūribhiḥ ||
Mahādēva appears in eight forms called aṣṭamūrti. They are:
ṣarva – pr̥thvī mūrti
Bhava – jala mūrti
Rudra – agni mūrti
Ugra – samīra mūrti
Bhīma – gagana mūrti
Paśupati – yajamāna mūrti
Mahādēva – candra mūrti
īśāna – sūrya mūrti
Of these eight forms of Mahādēva, Bhava represents water. His wife is called Uṣā and she is also called Bhavānī. Thus, Bhavānī is that power in Lord Bhava which in the form of water, destroys thirst in beings and sustains life. It is that nectarine power of Bhava we call Bhavānī. Bhava mūrti is present as śrī Jambukēśvara and his consort Dēvī Akhilāṇḍēśvarī is thus referred to as Bhavānī.
Alternately, Bhava can be directly interpreted to mean water. She, who grants life to beings by making water available, is called Bhavānī. There is a deeper spiritual significance to this name. Samsāra or Bhava refers to kula chakras – Mūlādhāra to ājñā. As Parākuṇḍalinī, having crossed the six chakras, she unites with Rājarājēśvara resulting in the flow of nectar or kulāmr̥ta on the entire kulapatha or the group of six lotuses, here referred to samsāra. Thus, the name Bhavānī refers to the state called Mahāśāmbhava avasthā, where śakti is in complete harmony with śiva (Bhava) and the bliss resulting from this harmony (referred to as kulāmr̥ta) pervades the group of six lotuses called kulavarga or samsāra.
Bhavānī is also the name of the deity adorning the śaktipīṭha at Sthānēśvara (Thaneshwar).
What is the benefit of worshipping Bhavānī or reciting her name?
japan pūjayan tvām bhavānīti mukhyām
bhavābhāvabhavēṣu sambhavayan vā |
bhavam durbhavam tatkṣaṇādyāti hitvā
bhavatvam navānandarāśim sucitram ||
By reciting the mantra of Bhavānī, by uttering her name, by worshipping her with devotion through bhāvanā devoid of bhava-bhāva (attachment to samsāra), one immediately gets rid of limited existence in this world and attains Bhavatva (śivatva, i.e., realizes the self as non-different from Paramaśiva), filled with ever-renewing bliss.
If one observes the sequence of names: Bhavānī, Bhāvanāgamyā and bhavāraṇyakuṭhārikā in Lalitā Sahasranāma, Bhavānī Tattva becomes clear.
Who should one worship? Bhavānī.
How should I worship? Through bhāvanā.
What is the fruit of such worship? Freedom from the forest called samsāra.
The power of the name Bhavānī is reiterated by Bhagavatpāda Shankara in Saundaryalaharī:
He Bhavāni – O mother Bhavānī!
yaḥ – the one (who);
stōtum vāñchan – desirous of beseeching thee (with the following words);
tvam dāsē mayi sakaruṇām dr̥ṣṭiṁ vitara – O Bhavānī, cast a compassionate glance on me, thy obedient servant;
bhavāni tvamiti kathayati – begins to utter O Bhavānī;
tadēva tvam tasmai – instantaneously (even before he completes his prayer seeking your compassionate glance) you bestow on him;
sāyujya padavīṁ – the form of mōkśa termed as sāyujya;mukundabrahmēndrasphuṭamukuṭa nīrājitapadām – illumined by the crowns of Viṣnu, Brahmā, and Indra.
Several concepts are covered in this verse. First is nāma mahimā or the power of uttering the divine name of Bhagavatī. By reciting the divine name Bhavānī with devotion, one is liberated and attains a form of mōkṣa called sāyujya. It is said elsewhere:
bhavānī bhavānī bhavānī trivāram
udāram mudā sarvadā yē japanti |
na śōkam na mōham na pāpam na bhītiḥ
kadācit kathañcitkutaścajjanānām ||
Those who utter thrice the name Bhavānī all the time never face grief, delusion, sin, or fear.
In Saundaryalaharī, before the current verse, we are taught antaryāga and bahiryāga, the two crucial stages in śrīvidyā. However, to stress on the point that without Bhakti or devotion, both these are fruitless, ācārya Bhagavatpāda reveals the current verse. There are four grades of mōkṣa namely sālōkya, sāmīpya, sārūpya and sāyujya, the last being the highest of the four. An aspirant attains these based on the degree of the strength of his Bhakti towards Parāmbā. When a upāsaka with a pure heart and austere piety begins to pray to Dēvī for Her blessings, she blesses him and gradually leads him through various stages of mōkṣa.
When the devotee attains the desired qualification, aikyānusandhāna with Parāmbā, he attains sāyujya (identical with kaivalya in the current context) or the state of complete oneness with Mahātripurasundarī. The path of Bhakti, of nāmasmaraṇa, etc through which cittaśuddhi can be acquired as the fruit of Parāmbā’s grace. Once he becomes an uttamādhikārin, he worships Dēvī with the bhāvanā of Bhavānī i.e. ‘May I be Thou’, resulting in the state of sōham. Here, we can take sāyujya to mean kaivalya as the act of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and others bowing to the feet of Mahābhaṭṭārikā is seen as laya of nāma and rūpa (pādamūlē layam dēvi, according to Vāmakēśvara Tantra).
The best lesson to grab from this verse is this: the path to liberation lies at the feet of Bhavānī worshipped by the trinity. Once the lotus feet are held firmly with devotion, the rest happens on its own.
गतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानी ॥