AchArya AmritavAgbhava, who experienced shAmbhava samAvesha from none other than durvAsA, has recorded in a memoir, his direct experience of vision of various divinities. In a chapter titled divyadarshanaprakaraNa, AchArya records his experiences in chaste sanskrit verses. Here is a condensed summary of the same for the purpose of inspiration to other sAdhakas to pursue mantropAsana with full zest.
"In the valley of Himalayas, when I lost my way and was overcome with confusion, three divine women appeared holding lanterns in their hands. Accompanying them was a divine male who held a flute in his hands. They showed me the way and disappeared with the speed of a lightening. This incident occurred in vikrama samvatsara 1985, on mAgha amAvasyA, in pUrNagiri (punna giri near Nainital).
Yet another time, I saw a supremely divine Jyotirlinga in the cave of Amarnath which was tall like a kadalI-stambha. It spanned across the heaven and earth and was embraced by shakti till the waist (of the linga). It was mithunAtmaka or yugala in appearance and its height was unimaginable. The four lotus feet of the linga were clearly visible, but it was impossible to envision it beyond the region of the waist. The feet appeared like clear quartz embedded with the reddish hue of ruby. Having seen such a linga, my entire being was immersed in divine joy!
Towards my right hand, in eastern direction, was present the paramapuruSha Lord amaranAtha and towards my left hand, in the western direction was the great goddess parAshakti. For a moment, having forgotten the entire world, I sat there submerged in the radiance of the divine spectacle that stood before me. I had the vision of
shAka (this special terminology connoted by AchArya is explained
here) based on the merit of the secret sAdhanA taught to me by the great guru sage durvAsA. This vision occurred during Vikrama samvatsara 1986, on shrAvaNa shukla chaturdashI, on a Monday.
I am verily of the nature of shAka, having witnessed Goddess shAradAmbA herself in the form of three birds colored shveta, rakta and shyAma (indicative of the three srotas of shyAmA, raktA or sundarI and shAmbhavI). This very form which was seen by sage shANDilya after a thousand years of penance, I saw in nine days due to the grace of my Guru (sage durvAsA). This incident occurred in 1986, on Ashvina shukla navamI, within the premises of shAradA temple in Kashmir.
The divine form of shAka materialized before me in the tIrtha of shailaputrI (Devi bal temple at Baramulla), within who I saw countless universes appearing like small bubbles of water, each one appearing as complex words and meaning (shabda and artha) or names and forms. Within one such universe, I also saw my current birth and the physical form. Having realized my self as parameshvara, the three praharas of night passed as though a minute, while I remained immersed in the intoxicating bliss of AtmAnanda. This incident occurred in vikrama samvatsara 1986, on kArtika shukla dashamI.
In mArtANDa bhavana (Mattan), I had a vision of shAka, which appeared brighter than the sun, moon and fire. This incident occurred in 1986, on mAgha shukla dashamI, during the second prahara of the night.
In the kShetra of kArkoTa nAga in Kashmir, I had the direct vision of the panchakoshas discussed by the vedAntins. This vision occurred in 1987, on chaitra shukla panchamI, during the early hours of dawn.
In Srinagar, in the sacred shrine of shArikA, a Siddha who appeared to be a Kashmiri Pandit and identified himself as ‘Shiv-ji’, graced me by revealing the hidden philosophical as well as the practical sAdhanA tattva embedded within the verse ‘mAyA kuNDalinI’ (from devI panchastavI which also forms the guideline for one the important pArAyaNas of shrIvidyA). Having blessed me with this secret, he disappeared. His appearance before me occurred in 1987, on bhAdrapada shukla panchamI.
Once I was on my deathbed, burning with a deadly fever and nearly unconscious with thirst. A mysterious Siddha of a dark complexion (krishna pingala) appeared before me and poured in my mouth the nectarine water from his kamaNDalu, imparting along with that the sanjIvanI mantra of tryambaka. I was cured instantly from my affliction. The siddha held in his hand a trident and a kamaNDalu. He seemed to be the very personification of divine compassion. I know neither his name nor his identity. This incident occurred in a dharamshAlA at Kulu (Sultanpuri) near shmashAneshvara in 1988.
Once, immensely grieved by a terrible disease, I decided to end by life through prAyopravesha on the banks of river Ganga. Then, a siddha who was fair like the moon and sporting a long flowing beard, appeared emitting a bright light, out of his own sweet will. He approached me and said, “Son, do not discard your body. Instead, take a vow to retain the body till the end of prArabdha karma, at the end of which it shall fall by the will of the great Mother. You are a scholar of great merit and you know that you are still to exhaust the karma”. Having advised thus, the great man disappeared. This incident occurred in 1991 in Ropad (Punjab) on mArgashIrSha shukla trayodashI.
At a certain point, I lived within a hut on a hill top near Tithwal (Kashmir). On afternoon, I witnessed the appearance of a divine umbrella (Chatra) which was studded with pearls, precious gems and floating by itself. This occurred in vikrama samvatsara 2003 during Ashvina mAsa.
Once I was reciting Gangalahari composed by Panditaraja Jagannatha at a tIrtha named Kamkhal near Daksheshvar, on Birala ghat. I then had three visions of mother Ganga in her divine form. Her complexion was like that of a champak flower and she shone with dark curly hair. It appeared as though she was swimming towards me. She wore a dazzling white garment that was fixed by a knot at her neck. The goddess disappeared after the completion of the recitation of Gangalahari. A brAhmaNa named Sri Bhagavati Prasad who was present there also saw the divine form of the Mother and was surprised beyond words. This occurred in 2004 during AShADha.
Though I had the vision of various divinities, I was unhappy on account of not seeing the divine form of my iShTa devatA, Goddess tripurasundarI. One fine day, when I completed my nitya karma, the great goddess appeared as a little girl, sitting on my shoulder, with her lotus feet swinging freely. I could see her feet which were adorned with beautiful anklets. One of the payals slipped from her foot and before it fell down to earth, I caught it with my hands. When I tried to put it back on her lotus feet, she suddenly jumped from my shoulders, ran away and disappeared. I could only see her back but not the face. Who can understand the divine play of the great Mother? This incident occurred at the residence of a brAhmaNa named Deshraj Sharma in Motibagh of Delhi in samvatsara 2039".
The great philosopher also describes his vision of durvAsA and of the Supreme Goddess mahAtripurasundarI in a different work, which we shall examine in another post in future.
