ananyacittatvena ca siddhiḥ || अनन्यचित्तत्वेन च सिद्धिः॥

(Bhāvanopaniṣad 20)

Undisturbed awareness coupled with yearning for realization is worship and ultimate attainment.

Having elaborately dealt with the contemplation of various āvaraṇa-s with different aspects of human body, the second section of Bhāvanopaniṣad deals with mental worship. Identifying gross and subtle bodies with different āvaraṇa-s of Śri Cakra is the preliminary stage of contemplation. This is based on the fact that perfect identity should be established between the worshiper and the worshiped. Having thus unified the worshiper (the aspirant) and the worshiped (Lalitāmbikā), the next stage is to attain Her. This aspect of worship is being explained now.

Ultimate object of any worship is only liberation. Liberation is not an easy task and it entirely depends upon two factors. One is our mind and another is our karmic account. When karmic impressions are less, one resorts to the path of spirituality. Worship consists of several methods. The preliminary stage is gross worship where our sensory organs are involved. This is ritualistic worship, where She is considered as someone different from us. This kind of worship is based on dualism. As long as an object is worshiped, it is always dualism, though one may claim that it is not dualism. It is dualism because there are two different objects – worshiper and the worshiped. The next stage is mantra japas. A proper and perfect ritualistic practice leads an aspirant to the state of mantra japa where the aspirant persistently recites a particular mantra by contemplating Her. Bālā, Pañcadaśī, Ṣoḍaśī and other mantras help in contemplating Her. There are three types of mantra sādhana-s. One is infantry stage where the aspirant sits for repeating japa mantras for certain rounds per day. The mediocre stage is where the performer repeats the mantra throughout the day without any break during his active state. Advanced stage is where the performer aligns his or her breath with the mantra in a way that is convenient to him or her. As long as the aspirant breathes, he continues to recite mantras.

During the second and third stages mentioned above, a practitioner while mentally reciting the mantra contemplates on a particular form of Lalitāmbikā. The description of the form is only secondary; what is more important is the ability to contemplate Her with a particular form of his or her choice that is most convenient to the practitioner. This is based on the fact that Brahman has no shape and form. But this reality can be understood and experienced over a period of perfectsādhana. Sādhana does not mean only meditation. Sādhana begins from ritualistic worship, move forward to japa stage, perpetual repetition of japa mantras, preliminary stages of meditation and advanced stages of meditation. We must always remember that Lalitāmbikā has three types of forms – gross (in various shapes and forms such Bālā, Pañcadaśī, Ṣoḍaśī, Kālī, Lakṣmī, etc), subtle (Her Kāmakalā form, where Śiva and Śakti unite to create the world process) and finally the subtlest of Her form, Kuṇḍalinī (combination of breath and consciousness). Along with our advancement insādhana, we also move from gross to subtle and then subtle to subtlest of Her forms.

The object of Bhāvanopaniṣad is only to enable us to meditate on Her. This is neither the second stage nor the third stage as detailed above. This is the preliminary meditative stage.  This is so, because still there are traces of dualities involved here, such as contemplating various parts of the body with the different āvaraṇa-s of Śri Cakra. Contemplation here is not on a single object, whereas contemplation is on more than one object (nine āvaraṇa-s). When the contemplation is not focussed on a single object, it means dualism still persists. In the first part of Bhāvanopaniṣad, though we contemplate Her in the ninth āvaraṇa, yet, it is not pure as elucidated in other Upaniṣad-s, where only Brahman alone is the object of discussion, understanding and realization. That is why second part of Bhāvanopaniṣad pursues Her through discussion, understanding and realization.

The first part of Bhāvanopaniṣad dealt with āvaraṇa-s in the following manner.

First āvaraṇa dealt with schematic attainments, emotions, ritualistic mudras.

Second āvaraṇa dealt with five prāṇa-s (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna samāna); five jñānendriya-s (organs of perception – ear, skin, eye, tongue, nose); five karmendriya-s (organs of action – mouth, feet, hands, organ of procreation and organ of excretion); and mind.

Third āvaraṇa dealt with represent psychophysical properties. Another interpretation is that this āvaraṇa represents expression, apprehension, movement, elimination, lust, rejections, attention and detachment.

Fourth āvaraṇa dealt with represent mental agitation, chasing away (evil thoughts), attraction (physical), causing happiness, delusion (māyā), obstruction (in the path Self-realization), release (releasing obstructions in the path of Self-realization), subjugation (surrendering to Her), rejoicing (experiencing Bliss), maddening, accomplishment of desires (both material and spiritual), providing wealth (material wealth), all mantras (to conquer mind) and dispelling all types of dualities (dispelling ).

Fifth āvaraṇa dealt with ten prāṇa which work on different aspects of sustenance and death such as bestowing everything, giving material wealth, worthiness (both material and spiritual), fulfilment of all types of desires, removal of sorrow and pain, removing all pains at the time of death and foretelling death, removal of all obstructions both in spiritual and material life, giving a good external appearance and good looks and bestowing both material and spiritual prosperity.

Sixth āvaraṇa dealt with requisite knowledge, necessary spiritual energy, attaining mastery over all types of knowledge leading to realization, continued spiritual knowledge, free from all types of diseases, supports all spiritual practices, removal of traces of karmic impressions, purification of mind leading to Bliss.

Seventh āvaraṇa dealt with five organs of action (karmendriya-s),  five organs of senses (jñānaendriya-s),  antaḥkaraṇa (four in numbers - manas, buddhi, cittam and ahaṃkāra or ego), five prāṇa-s (prāṇa, apāṇa, etc), five elements (ākāśa, air, etc) desire, ignorance and karma. 

Eighth āvaraṇa dealt with mind that is freed not only from all afflictions, such as desire, attachment, ego, sensory pleasures, but also relieved from māyā to a very great extent.

Ninth āvaraṇa dealt with the union of Śiva and Śakti leading ultimate Bliss and liberation.

Thus, in the nine āvaraṇa-s discussed above, every form of duality gets annihilated when we proceed from the first āvaraṇa to the ninth āvaraṇa and then to the bindu, where merger with Śiva takes place. Once we reach the innermost triangle, it is the point of no return for him to be born again in this world. Lalitāmbikā is revered as Śrī Mātā because She never allows anyone who falls at Her feet to go back to the mundane world and undergo saṁsāra.

Therefore, it is important that one has to evolve in spiritual life crossing infant and mediocre stages as quickly as possible to reach the higher stages of spiritual life. During intent stages of meditation, sense organs and mind cease to function. Mantra japa is associated with the mind and hence mantra japa stops on its own when one begins to experience the initial stages of Bliss or Ānanda, which is nothing but an indication of our closeness with Her. When our mind is fully pervaded by Her due to our perpetual contemplation, where is the question of mantra japa? Mantra japa is needed only to make Her pervade our mind. When She pervades our mind, we begin to experience Her Grace in the form of inexplicable Bliss. During this stage, the differentiation between the knower, the known and the process of knowing is completely annihilated. In other words, all types of dyads and triads are dissolved where She alone exists.

This is the conveyance of this verse.