THE TECHNIQUE OF ANTARA IN THE VIJŇANA BHAIRAVA TANTRA: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT ON THE GAP IN CONSCIOUSNESS
Vidyottama Sanatana International Journal of Hindu Science and Religious Studies June 30, 2026 Ni Wayan Sri Prabawati Kusuma Dewi
The article examines the concept of antara (interval/gap) in the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, a text from the Kashmir Śaivism tradition, as a method for recognizing nondual consciousness. Through textual hermeneutic analysis of dhāraṇā verses, it shows that terms like antara, madhya, śūnya, and visrānti function operationally to guide attention to experiential intervals where subject-object duality weakens. The text's linguistic structure is instructive-performative, using aphoristic and paradoxical formulas to encourage experiential realization. A typology of interval techniques—respiratory, cognitive, and sensory—is identified, with breath pauses as the most explicit model for revealing non-conceptual awareness. The concept is placed in critical dialogue with contemporary consciousness studies, such as gap awareness theory and micro-phenomenology. The findings indicate that antara serves as a practical epistemological device for deconstructing duality and recognizing reflexive awareness.