People unfamiliar with the śāstradr̥ṣṭi of the Tantra and āgama are often found to make derogatory comments about upāsanā of the Saguṇa aspect of Brahma-vastu. We find this to be quite unacceptable and rather contradictory to the very spirit of Tantra śāstra.
śivajñānaṁ dvidhā jn~ēyaṁ saguṇaṁ nirguṇaṁ tathā |
ādau saguṇamāśritya paścānnirguṇamāśrayēt ||
Says a popular āgama belonging to the class of Bhairavāgamas. There are several important observations to be made here.
a. Both saguṇa and nirguṇa (sometimes corresponding to pravr̥tti and nivr̥tti aspects roughly corresponding also to the top-bottom and bottom-top approach of the Taoist Alchemy) are recognized as equally valid by Paramānanda Bhairava here.
b. As there is no special mention of specially qualified ones who are sanctioned permission to skip the initial step, it should be assumed that the general rule is to start with the saguṇa realm and then transcend the same through practical realization.
c. That the saguṇa realm needs to be transcended at some point is another important point made by the Supreme Bhairava here.
The second point here will not go down well with several self-professed uttamādhikārins but the Lord further clarifies as below:
saguṇajñānahīnasya nahi nirguṇadarśanam |
nandidarśanahīnasya yathā naśśivadarśanam ||
Without the realization of the saguṇa aspect of the Iṣṭadēvatā, there cannot be nirguṇa jñāna, just as there is no merit in seeing Shiva without first seeing Nandikēśvara.
Completeness, according to āgama, is not in knowing either of the two aspects but rests in realizing both.