In this week’s excerpt, from the book Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali as revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo, Utpaladeva explains to us why Lord Shiva destroys this universe. He also talks about why Shaivite yogi dances in the graveyard, and why “everything is divine to them”.
Chapter 20 (34:28)
सतोविनाशसम्बन्धान्मत्परं निखिलं मृषा
एवमेवोद्यते नाथ त्वया संहारलीलया ॥१८॥
satovināśasambandhānmatparaṁ nikhilaṁ mṛṣā /
evamevodyate nātha tvayā saṁhāralīlayā //18//
DVD 3.1 (1:00:58)
यश्चात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः ।
आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते ॥१७॥
yaścātmaratireva syādātmatṛptaśca mānavaḥ /
ātmanyeva ca santuṣṭastasya kāryaṁ na vidyate //17//
And that person who is, on the contrary, ātma ratireva, who is...
This is an excerpt from “The Mystery of Vibrationless-Vibration in Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta’s Spanda Kārikā & Kṣemarāja’s Spanda Sandoha" revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo, which addresses the question…
What do you do when you have slipped from that one-pointed-ness, and you have slipped down?
A central theme of the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism is the highly esoteric principle known as spanda. Swami Lakshmanjoo tells us that the word ‘spanda’ means established, stable movement. That is, it is...
There are three types of spiritual joy (sukha) in Kashmir Shaivism: sāttvic sukha, rājas sukha, and tāmas sukha. In this excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, by Swami Lakshmanjoo, chapter 18, verse 36-37, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains sukha of sāttvic [kind] and how this joy seems poisonous in the beginning.
Chapter 18 Part 2
SWAMIJI:
DVD 18b (00:01)
सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं शृणु मे भरतर्षभ ।
अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च नियच्छति ॥३६॥
sukhaṁ tvidānīṁ...
Swami Lakshmanjoo talks to Alice Christensen about the final goal in Kashmir Shaivism and what it is like to reach it.
Now with transcript. For Spanish translation scroll down…
This excerpt contains a very rare glimpse into the perceptions of a true yogi, Swami Lakshmanjoo, as he reveals the real goal of Kashmir Shaivism and talks about kundalini.
Alice: Swamiji, and in the Shaivite philosophy you are the greatest living authority in Shaivism. The Yamas and Niyamas are an important par...
In this excerpt from the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains Utpaladeva’s wonder about being a “slave” to Lord Shiva without seeing his master.
Chapter 12 (58:58)
भगवन्भवदिच्छयैव दास –
स्तव जातोऽस्मि परस्य नात्र शक्तिः ।
कथमेष तथापि वक्त्रबिम्बं
तव पश्यामि न जातु चित्रमेतत् ॥२६॥
bhagavanbhavadicchayaiva dāsa-
stava jāto’smi parasya nātra śaktiḥ /
kathameṣa tathāpi vaktrabimbaṁ
tava paśyāmi na jātu citrametat //26//
O Lord, by Yo...
In these two excerpts, Swami Lakshmanjoo answers the question of how to know which is the true path. The first excerpt is from the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali, the second is from the Magical Jewel of Devotion, Stavacintamani by Bhaṭṭa Nārāyaṇa, as revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo.
Download and listen to the audio here.
Chapter 2 (1:01:24)
सर्वाशङ्काशनिं सर्वा-
लक्ष्मीकालानलं तथा ।
सर्वामङ्गल्यकल्पान्तं
मार्गं माहेश्वरं नुमः ॥२८॥
sarvāśaṅkāśaniṁ sarvā-
lakṣ...
This is a lecture of Swamiji given in Kashmiri, translated into English. You can also listen and read more about the Systems and Schools of Shaivism by visiting this blog excerpt from the book Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, Chapter 19, where Swamiji explains the four sub-systems of this philosophy in English.
Long after Sage Durvasa was first initiated into Shaivism by Lord Shiva on Mount Kailash, the Lord felt the need to explain it in greater detail to make it easily understandable to ...
Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the different ways of (sāttvic, rājasic, tāmasic) acting in this universal drama, as revealed in the Shiva Sutras: The Supreme Awakening, by Swami Lakshmanjoo. (The transcript below is different than the book text)
[Intro for sūtra 10.]
Now in his theatrical dress evaṁvidhasya asya jagat nāṭya nartakasya, while he steps in the play of drama, acting, his way of acting is explained in next sūtra, the 3rd chapter, 10th sūtra.
raṅgo ‘ntarātmā // 10 //
Ran...
This is an excerpt from Swami Lakshmanjoo’s publication: Light on Tantra in Kashmir Shaivism – Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka Volume 2 Chapters Two & Three.
Tantrāloka is the voluminous masterwork of the 10th-century philosopher-saint Abhinavagupta. It is a veritable encyclopedia of non-dual Shaivism, a spiritual treasure trove containing a glorious synthesis of all the schools that make up Kashmir Shaivism.
This second volume includes chapters two and three, dealing with Anupāya, the means (upāya...
This is the continuation of the Bodhapañcadaśikā by Abhinavagupta, who wrote the [15 verses of wisdom] ‘those dear devotees who are not intellectually inclined”. See previous verse 10 here.
यदेतस्यापरिज्ञानं तत्स्वातन्त्र्यं हि वर्णितम् ।
स एव खलु संसारो जडानां यो विभीषकः ॥११
yadetasyā-parijñānaṁ tat-svātantryaṁ hi varṇitam /
sa eva khalu saṁsāro jaḍānāṁ yo vibhīṣakaḥ // 11 //
Yadetasya apari-jñānam, now if we don’t understand like this – that this is only a trick ...
This is the continuation of a previous lecture on the Bodhapañcadaśikā by Abhinavagupta, who wrote the [15 verses of wisdom]. In this part, Swamiji is explaining the 10th verse…
“Time only appears, it does not exist.” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
तेषु वैचित्र्यमत्यन्तमूर्ध्वाधस्तिर्यगेव यत् ।
भुवनानि तदंशाश्च सुखदुःखमतर्भवः ॥१०॥
teṣu vaicitryam-atyantam-ūrdhvādha-stiryageva yat /
bhuvanāni tad-aṁśāśca sukha-duḥkham-atir-bhavaḥ // 10 //
In the previous śloka he has explained that ...
