Avaranas in Shaiva Tantra: The Beings Who Surround The Lord

In Tantra, we see Lord Shiva as the absolute reality being surrounded by different groups of deities. Lord Shiva is surrounded by 5 dimensions which house these groups of deities.

Kamika Agama, Archana Vidhi, verses 186-188:

अस्मिन्देहे प्रवितते कल्प्य शक्त्याब्जमासनम्। 

मूर्तिविद्यातनुं कल्प्य समावाह्य शिवं ततः॥ 

कर्णिकायां यजेद्देवं ब्रह्माङ्गैश्च समावृतम्। 

गणेशैः लोकपालैश्च हेतिभिर्वज्रपूर्वकैः ॥ 

त्रिभिरावरणैर्वापि एकेनावरणेन वा। 

सप्तविंशत्यावरणैः यथाशक्ति समर्चयेत्॥

asmindehe pravitate kalpya śaktyābjamāsanam। 

mūrtividyātanuṃ kalpya samāvāhya śivaṃ tataḥ॥ 

karṇikāyāṃ yajeddevaṃ brahmāṅgaiśca samāvṛtam। 

gaṇeśaiḥ lokapālaiśca hetibhirvajrapūrvakaiḥ ॥ 

tribhirāvaraṇairvāpi ekenāvaraṇena vā। 

saptaviṃśatyāvaraṇaiḥ yathāśakti samarcayet॥

Meaning:

In this body which has well expanded now, the sadhaka should design a lotus-seat of pure energy ( shakti ). Having materialised the vidya deha ( knowledge-body ), He should invoke Lord Shiva to reside in that form. On the pericarp of the lotus seat created, the sadhaka shall worship Lord Shiva and the deities who surround Him, namely the Brahma and Anga mantras, Vidyeshwaras, Ganeshwaras, lokapalas and the astras ( weapons ). Here, one may choose to worship Lord Shiva as being surrounded by 3 enclosures, 1 avaraNa or 21 avaraNas.

To put this in a nutshell, after one invokes the seat and form for Lord Shiva, He worships the Lord as being surrounded by different group of deities.

Panchavarana

(1) prathamāvaraṇe saṃhitāmantreśvarān yajet ( 1st avarana )

The first layer consists of Mantreshwaras. These are verily the forms of the samhita mantras of Shaiva Tantra. The samhita mantras are a combination of the brahma mantras and anga mantras.

Lord Shiva's body is referred to as a mantra-maya sharira ( body made of mantras ). 

( The entire cosmos is in vibration: sound energy: mantra. Lord Shiva who is the embodiment of the entire cosmos is therefore said to possess a body of mantras. The Vedas were downloaded in the form of mantras when the ancient sages tapped into the cosmic archive ).

In tantra, we recognise the samhita mantras as those which make up His body. These mantras themselves are in the form of deities Who occupy the first layer.

Brahma mantras:

ॐ हों ईशानमूर्धाय नमः

ॐ हे तत्पुरुषवक्त्राय नमः

ॐ हुं अघोरहृदयाय नमः

ॐ हिं वामदेवगुह्याय नमः

ॐ हं सद्योजातमूर्तये नमः

oṃ hoṃ īśānamūrdhāya namaḥ      ( Head  )

oṃ heṃ tatpuruṣavaktrāya namaḥ  ( Face  )

oṃ huṃ aghorahṛdayāya namaḥ     ( Heart, chest and related parts )

oṃ hiṃ vāmadevaguhyāya namaḥ   ( genitals, hips and related parts )

oṃ haṃ sadyojātamūrtaye namaḥ   ( limbs )

The Brahma mantras come as elaborate verses denoting the facets of Shiva namely Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Ishana in the Yajur Veda.

Video: My student Kum. Shravanthi and I reciting the Yajur Vedic portion which describes the brahma mantras of Lord Shiva, which is used in Tantra.

Anga mantras:

ॐ हां हृदयाय नमः

ॐ हीं शिरसे नमः

ॐ हूं शिखायै नमः

ॐ हैं कवचाय नमः

ॐ हौं नेत्रेभ्यो नमः

ॐ हः अस्त्राय नमः

oṃ hāṃ hṛdayāya namaḥ 

oṃ hīṃ śirase namaḥ       

oṃ hūṃ śikhāyai namaḥ   

oṃ haiṃ kavacāya namaḥ  

oṃ hauṃ netrebhyo namaḥ 

oṃ haḥ astrāya namaḥ        

(2) dvitīyāvaraṇe - vidyeśvarāṃ yajet ( 2nd avarana )

The 2nd layer is occupied by the Vidyeshwaras and they are worshiped in the petals of a visualized white lotus during a tantric kriya.

There are 8 Vidyeshwaras who are all-knowing and they wield authority over the Rajarajeshwaras.

These 8 deities are ananta, sūkṣma, śivottamaḥ, ekanetra, ekarudra, trimūrti, śrīkaṇṭha and śikhaṇḍī.

Lord Shiva performs the five-fold cosmic action ( creation, preservation, dissolution, obscuration and liberation ) through these 8 Vidyeshwaras.

(3) tṛtīyāvaraṇe - śivagaṇeśvarān yajet ( 3rd avarana )

This refers to the 3rd layer which is occupied by the leaders of the Shiva gaNas. The Ganeshwaras execute function through the Shiva gaNas. The deities who come in this avarana are nandi, mahākālā, bhṛṅgi, vināyakā, vṛṣabhā, skandā, devi and caṇḍeśvarā.

The head of all the gaNas is MahagaNapati.

(4) caturthāvaraṇe - lokeśvarān yajet ( 4th avarana )

The 4th layer is occupied by the dikpalakas. These are the deities who protect the 10 directions.

These deities are indra, agni, yamā, nirṛta, varuṇā, vāyu, kuberā, īśāna, brahmā and viṣṇu. These deities have the function of liberating beings from both pure and impure maya.

(5) pañcamāvaraṇe - astreśvarān yajet ( 5th avarana )

These are the lord of astras. In tantra, an astra is essentially a mantra which is discharged. For example, we use the paashupata astra at the end of a shaiva homa to nullify any error done.

These astras can be used in the form of weapons or missiles which we see in Mahabharata. The astra mantra can be attached to a projectile weapon.

The role of the astreshwaras is to execute an action based on an astra.

In Tantra, we do puja to the astras of the lokeshwaras. The list of astras to be worshiped:

(1) vajrā ( indra )

(2) śakti ( agni )

(3) daṇḍa ( yama )

(4) khaḍgā ( nirṛta )

(5) pāśa ( varuṇā )

(6) dhvajā ( vāyu )

(7) gadā ( kuberā )

(8) triśulā ( īśāna )

(9)  padmā ( brahmā )

(10) cakra ( viṣṇu ) 

So in every invocation of Lord Shiva in tantra, we invoke and worship all the deities in these 5 layers.

It is to be noted that all these deities are verily the manifestations of Shiva. They are no different. They exist in a state of absolute oneness with Shiva.

This is why in Shaiva tantra, we offer worship to all these deities using the bija mantra of Shiva ( haam ).

For example, when we worship Vinayaka, we use 'haam', and not 'gam'.

When we invoke Varuna in a Kalasha during Punyaahavaacanam, we use the bija 'vam'. However, when we worship Varuna as a deity of the Panchavarana, we use the bija 'haam'.