Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt

The Vajra, divine weapon of Indra, forged from the spine of the Rishi Dadhichi who was son of Sage Atharva and devotee of Mahadeva. There is great significance to the Vajra being forged specifically from the spine of a great Rishi like Dadhichi. The spine is the pillar of all yogic prowess and spiritual progress. Here yoga doesn’t stand merely for the path of Yoga, also called the Yoga marga, encompassing the various paths like Ashtanga yoga, Hata yoga, Kriya yoga etc. but instead the act and process of union with the Parabrahma (yujyate iti yogah: union [of the jeeva with the parama] is yoga)

The reason is blatant. The sushumna nadi, all the six major chakras, the three granthis or knots, the thousand petalled lotus Sahasrara and the coiled serpant kundalini all align with the position of the physical organ that the spine is. In reality, the Vajra being forged from the spine of Rishi Dadhichi only means it is verily the immense Pranic potency of such an esteemed Sage itself.

This can be further observed through the depictions of the Vajra. The earliest depictions show it to be a staff with spiny protrusions. Here the base of the staff is the Muladhara chakra, and the spiny end of the bludgeon represent how the Prana pulsating at the Sahasrara is potent and powerful.

Later depictions also present the weapon as a duel ended bludgeon, showing how a steadier and more potent base, a stable Muladhara, makes the Kundalini a lot more potent. However, Devaraja Indra only ever wields the open-ended Vajra which, though extremely powerful by itself, is still rather rustic. This is also a reflection of the fact that even as King of the Devas himself, Indra is still rudimentary in grasp over both Shakti, and thereby, the clutches of Maya.

The difference can be observed in the representations of Lord Kartikeya, Krodha Bhairava, Kapala Bhairava, etc. who wield closed Vajras. Guruji has already given the reason why. They have absolute mastery over the weapon, and no energy is wasted, but the implication is that they can show and also give the upasaka the skill to use their kundalini shakti with absolute efficiency, with no wastage.

Furthermore, the fact that the Mahavidya associated with Krodha Bhairava being Bhagavati Chhinnamasta is also extremely relevant, as can be observed from the iconography. The central spout of blood entering her severed head’s mouth is the Sushumna nadi, showing how severance of ego accompanied by the flow of Prana through the Sushumna towards the head is how the Sahasrara blooms. Yet, she simultaneously feeds Dakini and Varnini with her Ida and Pingala, all while standing on a couple copulating on a lotus.

Her entire iconography is a closed-circuit Vajra in and of itself. The lotus blooming on either ends, the couple representing the lower chakras and the “retas”, which forms the base and flows upward as Devi, with such sheer potency, while Maa Adya as Chinnamastika shows us that it is possible not just to bloom the myriad-petalled lotus through the process, but also to refine it so much that two-thirds of it can be diverted to sustain other entities without affecting one’s own spiritual progress.

And the path to such refinement, is through balance. As King of Devas, Indra opposes the Daityas, constantly ignoring, suppressing and thwarting the “negative” that the Daityas represent; but that brings no refinement. It is inherently a biased perspective of the world, and even absolute refinement and attaining the pinnacle of that path, only ever bestows unpolished ability. Hence, why Maa Adya is Rakshasi, why She is Tamasi, and why as one edges closer and closer to Her, the further one begins to master their own self, through acceptance and detached relishing of one’s “vulgar” aspects.

BhairavaKaalike Namosthute

Aadyeya Hemant