Rituals as Outer Practices
Bhairava
This verse says that ritual actions like offering into fire belong to the outer level of practice. It’s as if Bhairava is saying, “That’s useful, but it’s not the deepest layer.” The deeper meaning is inward, not just physical.
हूयते कस्य वा होमो यागः कस्य च किं कथम् । विज्ञानभैरव तन्त्रम् एषाि प्रवक्रया िाह्या स्थूलेष्वेि मृगेक्षणे ॥ १४४ ॥
hūyate kasya vā homo yāgaḥ kasya ca kiṃ katham | vijñānabhairava tantram eṣā hi pravaktṛkā bāhyā sthūleṣv eva mṛgekṣaṇe || 144 ||
Translation
For whom is the oblation offered, and whose is the sacrifice, and how? Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra. O deer-eyed one, this teaching is indeed external, pertaining only to gross things.
Bhairava explains that ordinary sacrificial ritual belongs to the outer, gross level and is not the highest truth.