Clearance of the Path – The Reality of Kashmir Shaivism

 In this excerpt from the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, Swamiji Lakshmanjoo explains the sixth chapter, called “Clearance of the Path”, “Adhvavisphuraṇākhyaṁ ṣaṣṭham stotram, the sixth. Adhva visphuraṇākhyaṁ means, if I am treading on the path of Thee, just to achieve You, just to get entry in Your kingdom, the happenings on the path, other happenings on the path are a disturbance. Those disturbances he wants to get removed.”

Chapter Six

Clearance of the Path

Adhvavisphuraṇākhyaṁ ṣaṣṭham stotram

SWAMIJI: Now, this chapter is [called] “adhva visphuraṇā-khyaṁ ṣaṣṭhaṁ stotram”, the sixth. Adhva visphuraṇākhyaṁ.

BRUCE P: What does that mean?

SWAMIJI: Adhva visphuram means, if I am on the path, I am treading on the path, on the path of Thee, Thy path, just to achieve You, just to get entry in Your kingdom, the happenings on the path, other happenings on the path, that are a disturbance, those disturbances he wants to get removed.

It is only madness in this stotra.

Adhva visphuraṇākhyaṁ ṣaṣṭhaṁ stotram. He wants clearance of his path (adhva visphuraṇ). Adhva visphuraṇa means, he wants his path on which he is treading, just [to obtain] clearance, so that [he] could tread nicely.

क्षणमात्रमपीशान वियुक्तस्य त्वया मम  ।

निबिडं तप्यमानस्य सदा भूया दृशः पदम्  ॥१॥

kṣaṇamātramapīśāna viyuktasya tvayā mama /

nibiḍaṁ tapyamānasya sadā bhūyā dṛśaḥ padam //1//

Īśāna, O Lord, mama tvayā viyuktasya, when I become separated from Your Self, kṣaṇamātram api, even for one second–when I become separated, when I am placed away from You even for one second, one moment–nibiḍaṁ tapyamānasya, You must understand that I catch fire of sadness, at once. I am burnt in the fire of sadness at that moment.

Sadā bhūyāḥ dṛśaḥ padam. So, it is worthwhile for You, my Lord, to remain in front of me always. Because, when I am kept away from Your Self, even for one moment, I get burnt with sadness, the fire of sadness. So, sadā bhūyā dṛśaḥ padam, be in front of me, remain in front of me, always.

वियोगसारे संसारे प्रियेण प्रभुणा त्वया  ।

अवियुक्तः सदैव स्यां जगतापि वियोजित  ॥२॥

viyogasāre saṁsāre priyeṇa prabhuṇā tvayā /

aviyuktaḥ sadaiva syāṁ jagatāpi viyojitaḥ //2//

It is a fact that this world (saṁsāre), this world is viyogasāre, it is to be . . . there is separation in the end. In this universe, there is separation. You are being separated from your kith and kin. You have to . . . viyogasāre saṁsāre, this saṁsāre, the essence of this world, is to [experience] separation. Separation will take place in the end. Everybody will be separated.

JOHN: “Separated” means death.

SWAMIJI: Yes. There is no contact afterwards.

So, this is the essence of the world–that I believe–but I have not attachment for my kith and kin. If I am separated from them, I don’t mind. But I have got attachment for Thee, my Lord. Priyeṇa prabhuṇā tvayā, You are my only thing. You are my wished and longed personality. I am craving for You.

Aviyuktaḥ sadaiva syāṁ jagatāpi viyojitaḥ. If I am separated from my relatives and kith and kin in the end, [I don’t mind]. I wish I was inseparable from Thee. I wish I was one with Thee, always. This is my earnest desire in my mind.

कायवाङ्मनसैर्यत्र यामि सर्वं त्वमेव तत्  ।

इत्येष परमार्थोऽपि परिपूर्णोऽस्तु मे सदा  ॥३॥

kāyavāṅmanasairyatra yāmi sarvaṁ tvameva tat /

ityeṣa paramārtho’pi paripūrṇo’stu me sadā //3//

Ityeṣa paramārtho’pi. This is the real science of our philosophy, ityeṣa paramārtho’pi, this is our true philosophy, that wherever I go, yatra yāmi, wherever I go through body, through speech, or through mind, wherever I go, wherever I move (kāya means “through body”, vāṅ means “through speech”, manasaiḥ means “through mind”), wherever I move, in fact, sarvaṁ tvameva tat, in fact, that place is always one with Thee. Sarvaṁ tvameva tat, wherever I move, e.g., if I move to a picture house, that picture house is one with [Thee]. I am not away from Thy presence there.

Wherever I go, wherever my body goes, wherever my speech goes, whatever my speech says, whatever my mind thinks, that is Your nature, that is Your divine Self. This is the reality of our philosophy.

Ityeṣa paramārtho’pi, this is the reality. It is a fact that this is the reality. Paripūrṇo’stu me sadā, but I don’t get satisfaction. I would like to get satisfaction in this understanding. I understand this is true, but this does not appear to me practically. I want this to appear in practical shape.

निर्विकल्पो महानन्दपूर्णो यद्वद्भवांस्तथा  ।

भवत्स्तुतिकरी भूयाद्अनुरूपैव वाङ्मम  ॥४॥

nirvikalpo mahānandapūrṇo yadvadbhavāṁstathā /

bhavatstutikarī bhūyādanurūpaiva vāṅmama //4//

O Lord, You are nirvikalpa, You have no vikalpas.¹¹¹ Mahānanda pūrṇa, You are filled with supreme ecstasy. This is the reality of Your nature. You are nirvikalpa and You are filled with supreme ecstasy, always.

But, I am Your singer, I sing Your glory. But, I would like that whatever I sing, whatever glory I sing of Thee, it must become like that. It must not become shrunk. I must not sing Your glory in a shrunken way. I must sing Your glory just as You are. You are nirvikalpa, and my singing also must be nirvikalpa. And You are mahānanda pūrṇa, You are filled with ecstasy, and my singing must also be filled with ecstasy. That is what I wish, long for.

–––––––

111. Nirvikalpa:

In reality, everything, whatever exists, it is in the nirvikalpa state [where] you can’t define anything . . . you can define only in the vikalpa state, in the cycle of vikalpa, e.g., when you say, “This is a specks cover”. But it is not a specks cover in the real sense, in the state of God consciousness. It is just nirvikalpa. You can’t say what it is, but it is! Saṁketādi smaraṇam, when you understand, “This is mine”, “O, this was in my house and this is mine”, this memory takes place in the vikalpa state, not the nirvikalpa state. And that vikalpa state cannot exist without anubhavam, the nirvikalpa state.

Nirvikalpa is the cause of all vikalpas; the undifferentiated state is the cause of all vikalpas . . . . It is not something foreign [to vikalpas]. It is their life. It is the life of all vikalpas.

Parātrīśikā Vivaraṇa (USF archives).

(source: Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo )
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