Soundarya Lahari Sloka -36

[the parasambhu-swaroopa in aajnaa-cakra]
[sarva vyaadhi nivaaranam]

Tavaajnaacakrastham tapana-sasi koti-dhyutidharam
Param sambhum vande parimilita-paarswam paracitaa
Yamaaraadhyan bhaktyaa ravi sasi suseenaa-mavishaye
Niraaloke loke nivasatihi bhaaloka bhuvane

Tava - your
ajnaacakrastham - posited in the aajnaacakra
tapana-sasi koti-dhyutidharam - possessing the brilliance of crores of sun and moon
Param Sambhum - Lord Parama Siva
vande - [I] prostrate [to]
parimilita-paarswam - being embraced on both sides
paracitaa - by you, who is of the saguna and nirguna roopa
Yam - such a person like lord Parama siva
aaraadhyan - if one prays
bhaktyaa - with devotion
ravi sasi suseenaam - by the brilliance of the sun, moon and agni
avishaye - not able to be expressed [beyond words or expressions]
Niraaloke - not within the reach of the eyes [beyond the reach of vision
or sight]
aloke - different from the world seen with the eyes
nivasatihi - will definitely reside in
bhaaloka-bhuvane - your saayoojya abode which is paranjothi swaroopa

My salutations to Lord Parama Siva , who is having the brilliance of crores of suns and
moons, who is posited in your aajnaa cakra, and is embraced on both sides by you as the
saguna and nirguna swaroopa. If one does the or upaasana of such a Lord Parmasiva
with devotion, he will definitely attain moksha or the sayoojya which is beyond the
brilliance of crores of sun, moon and agni and beyond the reach of the normal eye or
vision and different from the world outside. This is sure!

Tava :- the divine poet Lakshmidharar says

"Tava sabdena saadhakasya bhroomadhyaantargatam
siva cakra catushtayam kathyate. Na tu dwitalam padam"

With the word ‘tava’, the four siva cakra in the broomadhya or at the middle of eyebrow
is referred and not the two petalled cakra.

Tavaajnaacakrastam:- Another divine poet Kaameswara Soori says :-
"Twadaajnaanuvarttinam"

This refers to the two petalled lotus or cakra between the eyes or bhroo-madhya. In the
same way this also refers to the corresponding cakra in the six aadhaaraas further above
also.

Bhalokabhuvane:-
"Yamaaraaddhum niraatange loko Bhaloka bhavane"

In the above sentence, referred by another great poet, niraatange – is opposite of aatanga.
Aatanga represents the worry or bhava roga of birth and death. Niraatange means a
devotee of goddess or paramasiva will get rid of the worries due to the blessings of the
god and goddess.

Aajnaacakra : why this name?
Eeswara’s aajnaa appears in this cakra to the jeeva and hence called aajnaa cakra.
At this cakra, great poets/saints say that Kaameswara is supported with alankaara on
both sides by Saguna Sakti and Nirguna Sakti.

In India, there is a temple identified specially for each of the cakra. For aajnaa cakra,
kaasi kshetra is referred. Durga and Visaalaakshi are the two important goddesses in
this temple.

Niraaloke :-
Kathopanishad chapter 5 sloka 15 says :-
"Na tatra sooryo bhaati na candra taarakam
Nemaa vidyuto bhaanti kutoyamagnih
Tameva bhaantam anubhaati sarvam
Tasya bhaasaa sarvamidam vibhaati."

There, the Sun does not shine;
the Moon and stars too do not shine;
Lightning also does not shine there.
Then how Agni will shine?
Everything else follows that pure consciousness
which is alone self luminous and illumines everything in the world.

Also refer Bhagavad Gita chapter 15 – sloka -6 says –
"Na tad bhaasayate suryo na sasaanko na paavakah
Yad gatwaa na nivartante taddhaama paramam mama"

[the supreme consciousness or pure consciousness which is referred as sadaa siva
is one which cannot be lit by the sun god or moon god or agni;
one who reaches that state will never come back to life of birth and death
which is a suffering. That abode is the purest one.]

Bhagavad Gita chapter 15 – sloka -12 says –
"Yad aaditya gatam tejo jagad bhaasayatekhilam
Yaccandramasi yaccaagnau tattejo viddhi maamakam"
[know the pure consciousness which is seen to exist
fully pervading in the sun, moon and agni
and the whole world.]

The 360 rays in the Agni-kantha, Soorya-kantha and Soma-kantha never cross over
Aajnaa cakra and go up.
Above that in the Sahasraara what is luminous with
indescribable brilliance is another imperishable, eternal candra kala.

From this sloka 36 onwards upto sloka 41 –
the description of the jnaanaswarupa
in the kundalini in the shadaadhaaraas of a true devotee

[who has got the blessing of Goddess Tripura Sundarai
due to hatha yoga or due to nidhidhyaasana of ahaitava bhakti]
whose kundalini has started awaking due to the blessings of the Devi is referred. In the aadhaara cakra, whatever experience one gets is not ordinary darshana, but is anubhooti.

[there are many examples to cite, but one with the name anubhooti is of that the great
abhiraama bhattar who wrote from his anubhooti level the abhiraami andaadi.

Yet another example is about the great Malayalam poet who is named as Ezhutthacchan
who got the glimpse of anubhooti and wrote harinaama keeratanam which refers as –

"Yaatonnu kaanmatatu naaraayana pratima
Yaatonnu ketpatatu naaraayanasrutikal
Yaatonnu ceyvatatu naaraayana archanakal
Yaatonnatokke hari naaraayanaaya nama"

Yet another example is that of kabir das who says –
"Guru kripaa anjan paayo more bhai
Raam binaa kuch jaanat naa hi
Raam binaa kuch dekhat naa hi
Antar raama baahir raama
Jahaam dekho vahaam sabhee
Raamaa hi raama
Jaagat raama sowat raama
Sapne me dekhat raama hi raama
Kahte kabir anubhava neekha
Jahaan dekho vahaam sabhee
Raamaa hee raama"

So many examples are there which covers so many bhaktaas in different states who got this anubhooti and wrote in their respective languages, about their experience in this anubhooti or samaadhi anubhava.]

The sahasraara padam is beyond the reach of agni – soorya and soma kantha
and is called "paraavastha".

The state of a person for whom this anubhooti happens is referred as niraaloke aloke bhaaloka bhuvane. It is the paramaananda or brahmaananda which is beyond words and mind and intellect even.
"yato vaaco nivartante apraapya manasaa saha"

In the aajnaa cakra, we have to propitiate the Lord Paramasiva [parasambhunaatha] and Goddess Parvati [cidambaraambaal] as surrounded by the 64 maanasa vyoohaa divine gods.