Thread by @blog_supplement

3 gAyatrI-s of netra-tantra tradition. 1sr is to its focal devatA amR^iteshvara/netranAtha. 2nd to mahesvara as the culmination of the pAshupata tradition or identified with sadAshiva of the Urdhvasrotas. 3rd is to koTarAKSha-bhairava of the dakShiNasrotas @goghritaM

Thus, the conception is of triadic shiva that is inherited from the older pAshupata substratum and also probably reflecting the vaidika antecedent of the tradition in the form of the tryambaka mantra. But why the association of amR^iteshvara with netra - it reminds one of the eye

of mitra and varuNa in the shruti and the one-eyed rudra of the sAmaveda (ekAkSha; also reflected in ekanetra among the saiddhAntika vidyeshvara-s) or Odin farther afield in the IE world. This becomes clear only from the Himalayan tradition that has greatly declined & secondarily

forgotten by most south Indian practitioners. This is the key aspect of the netra practice involving mapping of the maNDala of deities on to the planetary system. In this amR^italakShmI & amR^iteshvara/netranAtha placed in the sun at the center of the maNDala - this establishes

the link to eye in the shruti, i.e. the sun. This central rudra and his shakti are surrounded by the ogdoad of bhairava-s (reminiscent of other ogdoadic shaiva systems like the 8 bhairava-s of the dakShiNa-srotas and the vidyeshvara ogdoad of the Urdhva-srotas. These bhairava-s

are kapAlIshabhairava; shikhivAhanabhairava; krodharAjabhairava; vikarAlabhairava; manmathabhairava; meghanAdabhairava; somarAjabhairava; vidyArAjabhairava. Then in the center with the sun agni, along the bhairava vIreshvavara and vIralakShMI are invoked. In the moon varuNa;

in Mars skanda; in Mercury viShNu; in Jupiter indra followed by sarasvatI; the asura prahlAda or balin in the north followed by brahman in Saturn; gaNapati in rAhu; rudra in ketu. sharabha and his shakti named sharabha-devI and vanadurgA were also worshipped there after in the

in the netra tradition pbs.twimg.com/media/CCSgkiYU…