śrīmātrē namaḥ |
Prāsāda Paramēśvarāya namaḥ |
Lakṣmīnr̥siṁha parabrahmaṇē namaḥ ||
Upāsanā of Bhairava is considered indispensable for all upāsakas of Bhagavatī. Lord Bhairava is worshiped in various forms:
– As the consort of Mahāvidyā Goddesses (Akṣōbhya Bhairava, Krodhabhairava, etc.)
– As the consort of the Mātr̥kā group of deities (Asitāṅga Bhairava, Ruru Bhairava, etc.)
– As the son of Bhagavatī, Vaṭuka, who is indispensable to saparyā, as is the Kumārī
– Various forms of Bhairavas who form the retinue of Bhagavatī invoked for protection such as Baḍabānala Bhairava, ākāśabhairava, Unmatta Bhairava, etc.
– Special forms invoked for specific purposes by śāktas: Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava for protection and prosperity, Sammōhana Bhairava (for enchantment), Svacchanda Bhairava (as Mahāguru in śrīkula Krama system), etc.
In the scheme of śrīvidyā, the mantra of Srī Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava is the uttarāṅga of Māhāṣōḍaśī mahāmantra. It is also employed as uttarāṅga to other mantras such as Mahāprāsāda and Vanadurgā. Needless to say, it forms the mukhya-mantra (and not aṅga) for upāsakas who primarily worship Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava.
The significance of this form of Bhairava in the context of śrīvidyā, is explained thus in the Sundarī Tantra:
śrīpārvatyuvāca:
tripurāyāḥ purē ramyē mūlē kalpatarōḥ śubhē |
sthitaḥ simhāsanē tatra bhāti kaḥ puruṣaḥ paraḥ ||
dāsībhūtā mahālakṣmīḥ puratō yasya rājatē |
tasya mē dēvadēvasya mahāmantraṁ vada prabhō ||
Parvati questions thus:
“Lord! Who is the resplendent Puruṣa seated on a throne under the wish-fulfilling kalpavr̥kṣa in the beautiful city of Mahātripurasundarī, i.e., śrīnagara? Mahālakṣmī the Goddess of wealth, has stationed herself in his service. Please describe to me his great Mantra!”
śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtiruvāca:
mahātripurasundaryāḥ purē bhōgasamnvitē |
mūlē kalpatarōrmahāsanē maṇivirājitē ||
svarṇākarṣaṇanāmā’sau bhāti śrībhairavaḥ swayam |
bhaktānāṁ tripurāmbāyāḥ dhanarāśipradāyakaḥ |
alakṣmīnāśanaḥ sākṣāt brahmaviṣṇuśivātmakaḥ ||
Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti replies thus:
In the city of Mahātripurasundarī filled with riches, seated on a gem-studded golden throne is the great Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava. He grants enormous wealth to the devotees of Tripurāmbikā. He destroys misfortune and his form constitutes of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra, the trinity”.
brahmā nārāyaṇaḥ śambhurindrādyā lōkapālakāḥ |
nityamēnaṁ pūjayanti sampattyarthaṁ mahēśwari |
sarvasampatpradō nṟīṇāṁ mahādāridryanāśakr̥t ||
“The trinity, Indra and other deities worship him to obtain riches. He grants prosperity and destroys poverty”.
purā pitāmahō dēvamēnaṁ sampūjya bhairavam |
samprāpāṣṭaguṇaiśwaryam jagatkartr̥tvamuttamam ||
purā nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt swarṇākarṣaṇabhairavam |
śrīśatvamapa sampūjya dhanādhyakṣaṁ mahābalam |
aṇimādiguṇaiśwaryaṁ purā prāptaṁ mayā śivē ||
“Even the trinity worshiped him to obtain the powers of creation, destruction, and sustenance”.
Mahādēva then goes on to describe the mantra of the Lord and various prayogas to obtain unimagined riches.
As the Sundarī Tantra is a śrīkula Kādi krama Tantra, Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava described as an aṅga applies to Kādi ṣōḍaśī. The same Tantra teaches aṅgarāhitya for Pañcadaśī (unlike other Kādi Tantras such as Paraśurāma Kalpasūtra, Paramānanda Tantra, etc.)
Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava is described as one of the primary aṅgas of śrīvidyā (Kādi) in the Dattātrēya Samhitā (Chapter 18). He finds a place in the longer version of the Raśmimālā, listed among the Cintāmaṇitraya.
Based on our own Sampradāya, Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava is also one of the sixteen aṅgas of Sādi vidyā saptadaśākṣarī, in which case the seer for the mantra is Srī Durvāsā.
The upāsanā of Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava involves āvaraṇa pūjā, Mantra japa, recitation of Mālāmantra, Sahasranāma, Aśṭōttara, Kavaca, Hr̥daya, and Stavarāja. Of these, the Stavarāja seems very popular and recited even by lay devotees.
Notes:
1. Mahālakṣmī is described as serving Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava in various versions of his dhyāna ślōka. The aṣṭōttara includes names such as – mahālakṣmyarcitapadaḥ, ramāpūjitapādābjaḥ, vaikuṇṭhaśrīsamāśritaḥ. Mantras of Mahālakṣmī and Madhumatī are the two aṅgavidyās of this form of Bhairava. Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava Tantra (considered to be a part of a much larger Mahāpañcākṣarī Tantra, which also houses other smaller Tantras such as the Chidambara Tantra) describes a story where Mahālakṣmī lost her powers due to a curse by Srī Durvāsā and as per his instruction, worshiped Bhairava in the Avimukta kṣētra to regain her powers.
2. Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava belongs to the group of deities considered Trimūrtyātmaka. Other such deities are śuddha Dakṣiṇāmūrti, Dattātrēya, Nr̥simha and Ucchiṣṭa Mahāgaṇapati. These five forms are worshiped as trimūrtyātmaka in the ūrdhvāmnaya Krama of śrīvidyā.
3. The particular Mantra described in the Sundarī Tantra seems to be the version popularly used by śrīvidyā upāsakas today. This mantra is published in hundreds of corrupted forms in various manuals and such corruptions can hardly be explained away as pāṭhāntaras. There are two other lesser-known forms of the mantra, one from an unknown source quoted in āmnāya Kalpalatā (later reproduced in manuals such as āmnāyamantrasaṁgraha, Saparyā Paddhatis, Lalitārcanacandrikā etc.). The other is traced to the Skandayāmala, mainly referenced in the context of Vanadurgā Panñcaśatī. Interestingly, most upāsakas today use the popular (śrīvidyā) version even during Vanadurgā krama, probably because this is the mantra most are initiated into. The only sampradāya that uses the Skandayāmala version is that of Kalyāṇānanda Bhāratī of āndhradēśa, which utilizes a mixture of Vanadurgōpaniṣad and Kalpakaustubha (of Rudrayāmala) for deriving the pātha of Vanadurgā Mahāvidyā Pañcaśatī. Also, they use the aṅgavidyā krama from the Skandayāmaḷa. Of course, everything associated with this lineage needs to be consumed with a generous pinch of salt.
4. The worship of Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava is chiefly for prosperity and sudden financial gains but that is not the sole benefit of this upāsanā. He is also an āpaduddhāraṇa mūrti who destroys hindrances and protects the upāsaka. Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava, famed to be stationed in Chidambaram in the service of Lord Citsabhāpati and Parāmbā śivakāmasundarī, is described as bhairavō viṣṇurūpakaḥ in the Chidambara Tantra. He is, thus identified as a form of Srīmannārāyaṇa. He is further described as a combination of two specific forms of Hari and Hara, Saṅkarṣaṇa and Bhairava. While the mantra of Vaṭuka is necessary for upāsakas of śrīvidyā and caṇḍī, some Tantras prohibit the initiation of women into this mantra (Hamsamāhēśvara, Rudrayāmala). In our lineage, for women initiated into ṣōḍaśī, this mantra is given instead of Vaṭuka. Due to sattva prādhānya, this mantra is considered safe to be given in such cases (substituting the praṇava with Ramā bīja).
5. The upāsanā of Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava should be undertaken only under the guidance of Sadguru. This mantra activates the kuhū nāḍī and malfunctioning of this nāḍī can cause irreparable damage to a person. Kuhū functions towards ejaculation and its abuse can push the consciousness into netherworlds due to the depletion of Ojas.
6. Sundarī Tantra is described in the list of Tantras provided in the Vārāhī Tantra. Another such list speaks of a Tripurasundarī Tantra. Some hold these two Tantras to be the same. But Mahāmahōpādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraj writes that the two are independent Tantras. Sundarī Tantra is available almost completely today in the form of manuscripts.
7. The Cintāmaṇitraya includes the mantras of Svarṇākarṣaṇa Bhairava, Ardhanārīśvara, and Cintāmaṇi Gaṇapati.