Sri Vijnana Bhairava Tantra: The Ascent

by Satyasangananda

The theme of bhairava tantra is dharana, or concentration this translation and commentary of a classical tantric text sheds light on the practice of dharana

Genres: Spirituality, Hinduism

499 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

Reviews

[Saaniya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had I been a more humble human being, the correct course of action would have been to mark this as "read" only after a reread, because it's incredibly deep and dense. However, I am only human and want to fulfil my Goodreads challenge this year (bye-bye intellectual integrity)

I definitely recommend making notes and reflections as you read. Take your time with it. Interact with it as if it were a living text.

I meditated while reading this and essentially, experienced most of these insights not as linear but multi-dimensional expansions of awareness.

I recommend this - but not for everyone, I suppose?

[Binu Pradeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is all about techniques for those who seek. For the others, it might seem just a bit odd. But for those who are really in need, this makes things easier. The realization that we don't need to do anything different, but to be what we are and do what to do, is simply amazing.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text, straight from the mouth of Bhairava himself, is the fundamental basis of Kashmiri Shaivism and meditation. The techniques are excellent, and are a much faster way of acquiring jivan mukti than some other forms of meditation. Very short and definitely worth a read.

[Nicole P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sutras which stream through and into the body, sensory portals, elemental temples, practices in embodiment, fullness & emptiness... inspired.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An elderly couple sitting in silence.















Longstanding, intimate friends . . . real lovers . . . hanging out . . .

In Sanskrit they may be said to be sahrdaya -- kindred spirits, of the same heart.

Sharing such true intimacy, if they speak at all, they leave much unspoken . . . or only hinted at.

Their code phrases presuppose a shared, taken-for-granted world. A familiar frame of reverence. A common universe of communion.

Outsiders, listening in, may find their phrases elliptic. Cryptic.

Yet, their shared assumptions and contextual frames of reference, only hinted at or entirely missing . . . invite involvement, relationship.

Their words . . . interwoven with gaps, voids, silences, and obscure allusions . . . invite intimacy.

In this way, obscurity and intimacy inter-relate.

"Tell it slant," the poetic strategy of Emily Dickinson, is also often that of Shiva and Shakti.

The Delphic allure of their utterances forces readers to become involved: to dig in and find meaning within their own internal subjective grounding, as well readers should.

In such grounding, absence becomes condensed presence. Negative space yields nearness.

A semantics of silence. A poetics of impalpabilities.

After all: the scripture is not a staid, stolid search for an unyielding, orthodox, eyes-clamped-shut take on divinity.

She is not primarily a building up, like the erection of a theological system.

She is more often a licking away, a melting away, a lingo of erosion. The way snow-blindness bleaches away our vision of this world. The way monsoon darkness erodes away the forms of all this world's objects, giving way to a sable sense of presence . . . of union.

The scripture is rooted neither in Sky nor Earth, but in precisely no place in particular -- which means everywhere.

She dances into each truly living moment: a devic djinn or genie flailing rhapsodically her thousand-thousand arms, pounding out silent rhythms on her wave drum at full-universe, full-heart scale.

A magician, she offers a high-wattage, fun, unfussy, vertiginous garden of gaps, voids, unknowings.

She perceives the world not as solid, but as a web woven of wonderments: of breathtaking awe, astonishment, delight, flickering, fading, evanescing, swooning into awakening.

~ tantrasanta dot com

[Pashu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text dissects 112 meditative techniques to attain unity with Bhairava (divine consciousness), framed as a dialogue between Bhairava and Bhairavi.

Unlike dry academic interpretations, Satyasangananda’s work bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary spiritual practice, making its 112 meditation techniques accessible to modern seekers. The book serves as both a philosophical guide and a practical manual, emphasizing direct experience over mere intellectual understanding.

A core theme is the interplay between stillness (Shiva) and energy (Shakti). The text avoids abstract metaphysics, instead illustrating how this balance manifests in daily life—whether in meditation, relationships, or creative action. This aligns with Kashmir Shaivism’s non-dual (advaita) view, where the seeker realizes that everything is an expression of divine consciousness.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The VBT, an important text of Kashmir Shaivism, has become a trendy subject in US yoga circles due to a translation/commentary published as [i]The Radiance Sutras[/i]. I went for this title instead, because I was reading up on Kashmir Shaivism and mistrust the Western-oriented "Radiance Sutras". Seems like a good book, but (tantra being an experiential discipline), one has to practice the described meditations rather than intellectually analyzing the text, and I can't fully comment in that regard.

[Amit Ghatak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Translation of many verses are incorrect. Many information given by Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati in this book is entirely wrong. Overall not a good translation and commentary of VBT by Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati.

[Sohan Kumar]

Concentrating to accumulate energy to Accelerate evolution of consciousness in your mind to understand and harness the cosmic energy.

Shakti to get shiva to understand and get all of shakti to achieve shiv (cosmic) consciousness.

Summary till I have studied...
(Pg 40)


Still reading it..

[Paolo Bagnato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ottimo testo, il commento spiega molto bene il contenuto e dà molti spunti pratici rivelandosi molto utile ed esplicativo soprattutto per chi ha già una sadhana

[Veda Vittal Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-blowing literally

[Laksman das · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional translation

[Louisa Geenen-schimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great teacher book

[Paolo Bagnato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letto per la seconda volta, questa volta leggendo un versetto al giorno. Consigliatissimo, soprattutto a chi ha una sadhana

[Sucugi]

good