An excerpt from the Paratrishika Laguvritti by Swami Lakshmanjoo explains why the objective world is considered highest in Trika Shaivism . . .
So, krama abhinna samasta tattva svīkaraṇāt, all the elements are owned . . .
āsanavyāptiḥ pradarśita [bhavati] /
. . . [so,] this is vyāptiḥ of pervading-ness of āsana; this is all seat for Lord Śiva. From earth to Śiva is all the seat for Lord Śiva to adore [Himself] Lord Śiva, to worship Lord Śiva. That is what he says āsana vyāptiḥ pradarśitā.
tato visargātmikā ṣoḍaśī bhairavātmikā kalā yāvat sarvottīrṇā spṛiśyate, tāvat tasyāṁ sarvamabhedena āste iti smastābhedarūpā saptadaśī yāsau kalā, saiva anuttararūpā yājyā /
Afterwards, visargātmikā ṣoḍaśī bhairavātmikā kalā, the sixteen-fold kalā of bhairava–which is no other than visarga [aḥ]*, visarga kalā–it becomes supreme to all kalās. Ṣoḍaśī kalā [sixteen-fold kalā] become supreme to all: supreme to twelve kalās, and supreme to ten kalās. It is [more] supreme than ten kalās, [more] supreme than twelve kalās, ṣoḍaśī kalā. The objective world is [more] supreme than cognitive world, and objective world becomes [more] supreme than subjective world–there. Objective world is the supreme most. Objective world is the most supreme state of Lord Śiva. Cognitive world is not supreme, subjective world is not supreme . . .
GANJOO: Objective world is.
SWAMIJI: . . . objective world is the most supreme state of Lord Śiva.
And the objective world is found in sixteenfold-ness–prameya kalā. Prameya kalā is the supreme kalā. Pramāṇa kalā is not the supreme kalā. Pramātṛi kalā is not the supreme kalā, in this technique of Trika.
JOHN: Why is that, because you have to find everything in everything.
SWAMIJI: Because you have to find everything in an inferior way, in the inferior state. The inferior state is the most supreme state of Lord Śiva.
DEVOTEE: Of Lord Śiva.
SWAMIJI: Because he has not come down from that inferior state to another state more.** This was the resting place of Lord Śiva, this inferior state of becoming dull-headed. When he becomes dull-headed, this is the inferior state of Lord Śiva, which is the most supreme state of Lord Śiva.
DEVOTEE: From the point of view of . . . ?
SWAMIJI: His. From his point of view; from universal point of view. Not from individual point of view.
Yāvat sarvottīrṇā spṛiśyate, when you find that it is above all–this ṣoḍaśī kalā–tāvat tasyāṁ sarvam abhedanāste there then you find that everything is existing in that objectiveness. All subjectivity and all cognitivity, the cognitive field, is residing there.
It is samastā abheda rūpā saptadaśī yasau kalā, so when this cognitive world and subjective world is found resting in the objective world, that sixteenfold-ness of the objective world becomes seventeen fold. It becomes saptadaśī kalā, this is the seventeenth movement. This is not sixteenth movement.
The pramātṛi kalā is of ten movements, pramāṇa kalā is of twelve movements and prameya kalā is of sixteen movements. When this sixteen movement . . . in this state of sixteen movements you find the ten movements also existing and twelve movements also existing; this state of sixteen movement place becomes the seventeenth movements. This is the state of the seventeenth movement. This is not seventeen movements. Seventeenth movement. Seventeenth movement is above all.
This is what is called as pramiti kalā in Kashmir Shaivism, pramiti kalā.
Iti samastā abheda rūpā, all is held there, all portions are held there. Samastā abheda rūpā saptadaśī yāsau kalā saiva anuttara rūpā, that in the real sense is the supreme Goddess, and yājyā [She] is to be adored, is to be owned, is to be possessed in oneness.
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* Visarga is the sixteenth letter of the vowels aḥ, represented in Devanagri as two bindus (:). Here both Shiva and Shakti exist together, indistinguishably interwoven, one in another. = Ṣoḍaśī kalā [sixteen-fold kalā] = The objective world.
** There is no lower state than prameya kalā, the state of the objective world.
*** Prameya kalā is the sixteen fold objective world. Pramāṇa kalā is the twelve-fold cognitive world. Pramātṛ kalā is the eight-fold subjective world. Pramiti kalā is the four-fold pure subjective world.
# NOTE: pramātṛ kalā is generally considered to be eight-fold.
from the Archives of the Lakshmanjoo Academy.
3 Comments
Shivakant Tiwari
October 11, 2018
Sir, “the inferior state is the most supreme state of Lord Shiva”, from universal point of view, does it mean that this state is superior than subjective state or does it mean that in the process of manifestations, the objective state is the last state of manifestation of Lord Shiva?
admin
October 15, 2018
This question can be answered in two ways: 1) the objective world is superior because it contains the other two states, i.e., cognitive world and subjective world, and therefore it is the fullness of Lord Shiva’s manifestation; 2) from the point of view of awareness, one can fall from the subjective world to the cognitive world, and from the cognitive world to the objective world, but when awareness is held fully in the objective world, then there is nothing lower to fall to. This is why Swamiji says, “Because he has [can]not come down from that inferior state to another state more. This [objective world] is the resting place of Lord Śiva.”
SHIVAKANT TIWARI
October 28, 2018
Thank you sir for clarifying. It’s much clear now. Objective inferior state is supreme. Reflection of this is also found in Karmayoga as explained by swamiji, where Yoga is completed when one has established God consciousness in Vaikhari vak and is one with Bhairava while interacting in objective world.
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