doration to Shri Chakreshwara Puja makes us go back to the Agamic learning through the Maatrika Pujan on the Horashtami night. It is the auspicious hour to be initiated in the Agamic worship of Shri Sharika.
Shiva Ratri is the celebration of Lord Shiva’s Cosmic play. It is a day of self-realization for getting the साक्षात दर्शन'Saakshat Darshna' of Lord Shiva. It suggests us to be in tune with the Shiva-consciousness. The Yajurveda speaks of the transcendental state of higher bliss, when a devotee gets,when absorbed in the शिवः केवलोऽहम् ---Oneness of Shiva, both subjectively and objectively for experiencing the universal consciousness. It is he who created the Primal sounds of the after the महेश्वर सूत्राणि., in 14 steps of आनन्द नृत्य--Ananda Nritya.Shiva is the Mahadeva and being the First Yogi, he created the वाक् अर्थ---"Vak and Artha",the word and its meaning on the basis of वर्ण आत्मन् --Varna and its Atma. Therefore, the Vedic Vak is the वर्णात्मिका --"Varnaatmaka" of the phonemic family of the Agamic order, as described in the Kashmir Shaiva Agamas.
Shri Chakra is the graphic representation of the वर्णात्मिक स्वरूप of शिव शक्ति
एक : रूपःVarnaatmika Swaroopa of Shiva and Shakti or the unified cosmic order of the Shiva and Shakti
The Shri Chakreshwara is adored as the अक्षर मूर्ति/immutable form, of the आदीक्षान्तं -- A and ksha of the Varnamaalaa.--- at Hari Parbat,Shrinagar Kashmir. अA is the first vowel and क्ष/Ksha is the compound consonant. The great Agamic scholars evolved the Shri Chakreshwara Puja on the phonemic pattern.Every spark of the Divinity has to restructure itself in the Chakreshwara.
Shiva is always adored with His consort Parvati.That is the reason of Shiva being adored as the Ardha Narishvara, which is verily, half male and half female. He is always in trance, singing the glory of Shakti. Therefore, he felt the need of the Varna-Svaruupa Prakasha in the sound phonemes, or Dhvani, popularly revered as the Maheshvara Sutra.
The Maheshvar Sutra in the beginning of the manifestation, has been assigned gwith the manifestation of the वाक्Primal Vak. Shiva is the architect of the Seed-Sound -syllable theory of the Shabda-Brahman, who through his Tandava and Ananda Nritya blessed all the Devatas with the sacred syllable AUM/OM. It is of course, the basis of the Deva Vani with Varna Maalaa. It is He, who created the Male, Female immutable sounds of the Vedic vowels.
The devotees take delight in seeing Him manifested in the Shiva-Lingam, which is the Ice-Lingam at the Shri Amar Nath cave and in the Twelve Jyotirlingams, revered in length and breadth of India . These Jyotirlingams are the effulgent, illumining forces of SHIVA. The famous Jyotirlingams describe the infinite nature of the All pervading Shiva. But in Kashmir,the effulgence of the Shiva and Shakti is seen in the sacred Shila ,known as the Chakreshwara.The unifying abodes of Shiva, who is Bhava, Shambu, Trayambaka,Pinakin, Hara, Mayaskara etc., along with Makhakali --Sidha Lakshmi and Pokhari Bal, find their source in the Chakreshwara, which represent the Divine omnipresence in infinitude of the Shakti.But in Kashmir, Shiva is the source of All-auspiciousness. The scriptures speak of His glory, in the Shiva Purana, but the main source of his consciousness is the Yajur Vedic Raudri. Rudra Mantras express His Divine Name and form, as he is Trayambaka, with three eyes. The First eye is the Surya/solar system, second is Soma/ lunar effects and third is Agni/ fire visuals are inherent.
या सा तु मातृका लोके परतेजः समन्विता।
तया व्याप्तमिदं सर्वमाब्रह्मभुवनान्तरम्॥
yaa saa tu maatR^ikaa loke paratejaH samanvitaa.
tayaa vyaaptamidaM sarvamaabrahmabhuvanaantaram..
-------Shri Tantra
Much of literature in Sanskrit is available in describing the Shiva as a personal Reality and an Impersonal being. But the popular belief is that He manifested as Shiva to reabsorb the creation into the Primal seed known as the Hiranya Garbha, or the Cosmic seed. Within the human perception, the death of a living being is the separation of the soul from the body. He is therefore, said to be the HARA, who is Samhara- kari, the destroyer. Yes , it is so, as the Shiva Purana describes Him in so many ways, but He is the Ashutosha, who can be easily approached with devotion. on the Horashtami day, MahaShakti is seen in Her विलास--Vilaasa,within the orbit of Bindu and Visarga/बिन्दु --विसर्ग
“Shiva has drawn the plan of human destiny,
Blessed with intellect and auspicious life.
Shiva Ratri is the passion of devotee’s will
To find rhythm in Shiva’s seed and syllable.”
Shiva Ratri is Herath
"OM HRIM SHRIM DEVI-PUTRA
VATUK NATHAAYA NAMAH"
ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं देवीपुत्र वटुकनाथाय नमः
This Bija Mantra cited in reference to Kashmiri Pandit HERAT is ASHTA-Akshari. ASHTA-AKSHARI means the EIGHT SYLLABLED Mantra . It refers to the Ashta Bhairavas of Kashmir, which are always in attendance to Shri Sharika , who is visible in the form of Shri CHAKRESHVARA, at Hari Parbat.
These are the Ashtasiddhis , which are being commanded by the Ichha shakti of Shri Sharika. Her ICHHA-SHAKTI is inherent in the WATUKA BHAIRAVA popularly revered as the WATAK RAAZ in Kashmiri Pandit spiritual ethos.
Watak Nath Bhairava is the presiding deity of all the Ashta Bhairavas. He has been commissioned by Lord Shiva Amriteshvara to ward off all the evil known as the Kaala Ratri effects during the pradosha time. It is Watuka Nath Bhairava, who transforms the Kaala Ratri into Shiva Ratri. That is why, we offer our puja/obeisance to Kaala Ratri along with Shiva Ratri. The Sampoorna Raatri is revered in the Purusha form as ----
1 Bhagawate Bhavaaya Devaaya
2 Ugraaya Devaaya
3 Bhiimaaya Devaaya
4 Ishaanaaya Devaaya
5 Ishwaraaya Devaaya
6 Mahadevaaya
7 Parvati Sahitaya Parameshvaraya
8 Devi Putraaya Vatukanaathaaya,
also in the Prakriti form as---
1 Kaala Ratyai
2 Taala Raatryai
3 Raajnyaraatryai
4 Shiva Raatryai
The BijaMantra is HRIM-SAHRIM. Hrim is known as the Lajja Bija, which refers to the Vama Bhaga/left portion of Shiva during his Tandava as Nataraja. Shrim is Shiva's own personality, which is seen in the Right portion of the Ardhanarshvara. Hrim and Shrim are identical in their svabhava/prakriti or nature, which is seen manifested in all the seasons of the year, revered in the Naivedya Mantra, as Amrtiesh Mudrya-Amriti Kritya . That is Shiva aspect to save the humanity from the Asuri Shakti.
Watuka is the Devi-Putra, the mind born son of Shri Parvati . It is the enegy spot of Shri Sharika, which is seen in the Hatkeshvara Bhairava spot in the Shrika Parbat itself. Devi putra is the emotive part of Shri Sharika. It is revered as the Bhavanaa Bhaavagamya. it means, Watuka Raj Bhairava needs to be invoked with the true emotions of spirit. He is in the very recesses of Shri Sharika's mind. Therefore, Watak Raj is revered as "Sharika Hridayamgamah". Shri Sharika is abiding in the heart of Shri Watukanath Bhairava.
Watuk Nath refers to the Brahmacharya aspect of the Watukaraj/Watakraaz, who is always disciplined, ready to complete the task as assigned to him by Shri Sharika for the emanicipation of higher values of Spirituality from Shri, Lakshmi, Siddhi and Shakti. He is merged in the Shaiva Yoga. Watuknath Bhairava is empowered with the Triadic energies as imparted by Shiva -Shakti for the fulfilment of the Dharma-Artha-Kama-Moksha. This Mantra is the invocation Mantra, as and when the Watuk Raaja Bhairava is being greeted in the house, on the HERAT day ,properly filled with the walnuts, adorned with flowers and Kalasha/ noat, filled the water from any sacred spot.
This Mantra is the essence of the Watak Raja Puja.We need to recite this Mantra during Puja hours.
With Namaskars
*Dr. Chaman Lal Raina is an Author & Researcher in Indic Studies, Fellow CSS, Florida International University. He did Masters in Hindi & English. Ph.D. in Hindi & Iqbaliat at the University of Kashmir. Worked on the research project at the Iqbal Institute for writing monographs on Indology as Research Associate. Worked as lecturer to teach research methodology in Iqbal Institute, University of Kashmir. Dr. Raina's first love is for the Vedas and the Shakti Tradition of India. To his credit goes some ten books on Indology. He was awarded Nagmani Fellowship, Buddhist Fellowship etc. from various Institutions. Presently Dr. Raina is associated with the Yoga Studies, religion and sanskrit at Florida International University, USA.