By Swami Harshananda
Baindava-śarira literally means ‘body comprising the bindu’.
Among the several schools of Śaivism, the Siddha school has a concept of mukti or liberation, peculiar to itself. Mukti is incomplete if it is confined only to the elimination of future births after death. It becomes complete only when death is also transcended.
A sādhaka or aspirant of the Siddha School, through appropriate exercise and spiritual practice, is able to transmute every cell in his body so that it is transformed from aśuddha-māyā (impure māya or nature)-state to śuddha- māyā (pure māyā or nature)-state. This transformed body which is incorruptible, is called ‘praṇavatanu’ (body of praṇava or Om) or ‘baindava-śarira’ (body comprising the bindu or divine power-śakti). Then he becomes a ‘jīvanmukta’ (one liberated even while living).
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore