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Entrance into the Kingdom of Reality, Cosmic Sensuality

“The five objects of the senses constitute the expanded Cosmos. Of all this knowledge is the Essence. Yoga is liberation,” we read in the Kaula Upanishad.⁴⁵ This absolute approach of the senses, the emotions, the mind, and the body, which regain their friendly balance in this form of yoga—which in turn involves being deeply involved in our life and surpassing our blockages and our limits—is a larger, all-encompassing approach to existence. The slightest ego-related impulse transforms this subtle, refined, and divine palette into ties with which we will continue to struggle unsuccessfully.

Abhinavagupta, in his commentary on the Paratrisika, offers a very profound vision of what the Tantric masters consider liberation lived through the opening of the senses and of sexuality:⁴⁶

Now whatever enters the psychic apparatus of the outer senses of all beings, that abides as sentient life-energy (cetanarupenaa pranatmana) in the middle channel i.e., susumna whose main characteristic is to enliven all the parts of the body. That life energy is said to be “ojas” (vital luster), that is then diffused as an enlivening factor in the form of common seminal energy (virya) in all parts of the body.^*6 Then when an exciting visual or auditory perception enters the recipient, then on account of its exciting power, it fans the flame of passion in the form of the agitation of seminal energy. . . .^**7Every kind of pleasure, in a sense, every emotion is conceived as a disturbance of this force (Raniero Gnoli).

Of the form, sound, etc., even a single one, because of its being made powerful by the augmented vigour referred to previously, can bring about the excitement of the senses pertaining to all other objects also. Since everything is an epitome of all things for all people, even memory or idea of a thing can surely bring about agitation because of the excitement of innumerable kinds of experiences like sound etc. lying subconsciously in the omnifarious mind. Only well-developed seminal energy (virya) containing the quintessence of all experiences (paripusta-sarvamaya-mahaviryameva) can bring about full development and endow one with the power of procreation (pusti-srstikari), not its immature state (apurnam) as is the case of a child, or its diminished state (ksinam) as in the case of an old man. When the seminal energy that has been lying within and identical with one’s Self in a placid state (svamayatvena abhinnasyapi) is agitated (viksobha) i.e. when it is in an active state, then the source of its pleasure is the Supreme I-Consciousness full of creative pulsation, beyond the range of space and time (adesakalakalitaspandamayamahavima-rsa-rupameva), of the nature of perfect Bhairava-consciousness, the absolute sovereignty, full of the power of bliss.

Even a (beautiful) figure brought into prominence by the meeting of two eyes affords delight only by the device of its union^*8 with the mighty seminal energy (mahavisarga-vislesan^**9-yuktya) which stirs up the energy of the eyes (tadviryaksobhatmaka); such is also the case when the ears hear a sweet song.

In the case of other sense-organs also, the perception by itself (i.e., without its union with the seminal energy) cannot acquire full expansion because of the springing up of energy only in the sense organ itself (svatmani eva ucchalanat).^†1

So is the case of those in whom the seminal energy has not developed (tadvirya-anupabrmhitanam), in whom the pleasure of love that excites the seminal energy as in other cases, is absent, who are like stone, to whom the beautiful figure of a charming young woman with large and handsome hips, with face moving to and fro with sweet, soft and melodious song cannot give full delight. To the extent to which an object cannot bring about full excitement, to that extent it can provide only limited delight. If there is complete absence of delight, it only spells insentiency. Engrossment in a profuse delight alone excites the seminal energy and that alone signifies a taste for beautiful things (sahrdayata). Excessive delight is possible only to those whose heart is expanded by seminal energy which has the boundless capacity to strengthen sensibility and which is established in them by repeated association with objects of enjoyment. . . .

When there is the dissolution of prana and apana (marudadi), in susumna which, as the central channel, is full of the storage of the energy of all the senses, then one’s consciousness gets entry into that stage of the great central susumna channel where it acquires union with the pulsation of one’s Sakti (nijasakti-ksobha-tadatmyam), then all the sense of duality dissolves, and there is the perfect I-consciousness generated by the abundance of the perfection of one’s own inherent Sakti. Then by one’s entry into the union of Siva and Sakti (rudrayamalayoganupravesena) which consists in the bliss of their essential nature of manifestation and by one’s complete integration (vislesana) with the expansive flow of the energy of the great mantra of perfect I-consciousness, there is the manifestation of the akula or anuttara (absolute) Bhairavanature which is beyond all differentiation (nistaranga), unalterable and eternal (dhruvapadatmaka).

In the case of both sexes sustained by the buoyancy of their seminal energy, the inwardly felt joy of orgasm (antahsparsa sukham) in the central channel induced by the excitement of the seminal energy intent on oozing out at the moment of thrill (kampakale sakalaviryaksobhojigamisatmakam) is a matter of personal experience to everyone. This joy is not simply dependent on the body which is merely a fabricated thing. If at such a moment it serves a token of remembrance of the inherent delight if the Divine Self (tadabhijnanopadesadvarena) (i.e. if at such a moment one realizes khecari-samya), one’s consciousness gets entry in the eternal, unalterable state (dhruvapade) that it realizes by means of the harmonious union (vislesana) with the expansive energy of the perfect I-consciousness which constitutes the venerable Supreme Divine Sakti (parabhattarikarupe) who is an expression of the absolutely free manifestation of the bliss of the union of Siva and Sakti denoting the Supreme Brahman. It will be said later that “one should worship the creative aspect of the perfect I-consciousness” (Paratrisika, Verse 29b). . . .

“O goddess, even in the absence of a woman, there is a flood of delight, simply by the intensive recollection of sexual pleasure in the form of kissing [lit. licking], embracing, pressing, etc.” (Vijnana Bhairava, Verse 70).^*10

The above has been said in the following sense:

Even when the contact with a woman is intensely remembered, that is reflected in the sexual organ (tatsparsa-ksetre) and in the central channel pertaining to the natural, supreme Sakti^*11(madhyama-akrtrima-paratmaka-saktinalikapratibimbitah). Then even in the absence of contact with an actual woman (tanmukhyasaktasparsabhave’pi), the intensive memory of the contact excites the seminal energy pertaining to contact with women which lies in it (the central channel). In this connection, it has been said, “At the time of sexual intercourse with a woman, complete union with her is brought about by the excitement which terminates in the delight of orgasm. This only betokens the delight of Brahman which in other words is that of one’s own self” (Vijnana Bhairava, Verse 69).^**12