Bhava Shuddhi is the mental disposition relevant to the external and internal practices of Tantra. In ancient Hindu world, the main aim of all intellectual and ritualistic pursuits used to be mukti or emancipation from duhkha (pain). Tantra Shastra is a storehouse of Hindu mysticism, occultism and sadhana (spiritual discipline). Sadhana is that which one actually does in concrete action, including purification of the body and mind, worship of the divine being by various offerings like flowers, fruits, cooked food, water for washing and drinking, perfume, incense, light, cloth, seat, etc., identification of the body and its parts with the divine being, chanting of mantras, concentrating the mind on the deity, and, in fact, all the actions that one performs while having a mystical, religious, and spiritual experience. It may be observed that all rituals and practice in Tantra are actually aimed at, and are meant for, strengthening an inner feeling of oneness with and absorption into the divine being or the deity worshipped. Simply reciting a mantra like soham or aham brahmasmi has, according to Tantra, very little meaning if it does not become a bhava or actual inner experience of the practitioner. It is important that the bhava should be of the purest form, and whatever the aspirant does to achieve it is called bhava Shuddhi.
Bhava indicates the mental inclination of the aspirant
towards the mode of practice. Some aspirants require something that they can
see for worshipping, i.e., touch, and enjoy through sense organs, i.e.,
physically. This disposition is called puja bhava. Such aspirants engage
themselves in saguna bhakti. Another form of disposition is called japa bhava
or stave bhava. In this case, the aspirants recite a prayer-formula mentally
without any physical object like idol, picture or image. Here the aspirant concentrates
the mind on the divine being by repeating the mantra a number of times. The
third bhava is called dhyana-bhava, in which the aspirant contemplates mentally
either a material form of the deity (saguna dhyana) or a formless entity (Nirguna
dhyana). The highest bhava is the brahma-bhava or the realization that the world
is essentially only the sole reality of Brahman and nothing else, and the variety
and multiplicity of objects is only apparent and not real.
Bhava Shuddhi is achieved through two practices, namely Bhuta
Shuddhi and nyasa. Bhuta Shuddhi is an important tantric rite prior to worship.
Our body has five elements – Prithvi (earth) in the lower limbs, apa (water) in
the pelvis, teja (fire) around the navel, vayu (air) in the chest, and akasha
(space) in the head. It is said in Agama Rahasya (X 9-13) that these five
bhutas are cleansed by Bhuta Shuddhi. The body is smeared with ashes, it is
sprinkled with water while reciting purifying mantras and doing pranayama.
Nyasa is a technique of assigning the purified body parts of
the deity. It develops a feeling of oneness with the deity. As described in
Mahanirvana Tantra (V:106) the aspirant places his palm and fingers of the
right hand, reciting particular mantras on different body parts, thus infusing
the body with the power of the deity. The aspirate thus experiences oneness with
the deity.