This is part three of our series about ‘glamour of Lord Shiva’ in Kashmir Shaivism. We will learn how this relates to where the real Self is established in the following excerpts from Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara, The Essence of the Highest Reality, followed by audio excerpts from the Svacchanda Tantra (Shiva Sutras) and Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka. Each time Swami Lakshmanjoo gives us a clearer and clearer description of the glamour of Lord Śiva.
You can find part one here and part two here.
From Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara, The Essence of the Highest Reality…
PS DVD 1 (00:14:44)
निजशक्तिवैभवभराद्
अण्डचतुष्टयमिदं विभागेन ।
शक्तिर्माया प्रकृतिः
पृथ्वी चेति प्रभावितं प्रभुणा ॥४॥
nijaśaktivaibhavabharād
aṇḍacatuṣṭayamidaṁ vibhāgena /
śaktirmāyā prakṛitiḥ
pṛithvī ceti prabhāvitaṁ prabhuṇā // 4 //
Prabhuṇa, Lord Śiva has, prabhāvitam, created, four aṇḍas, four circles, of this universe: śaktyaṇḍa, māyāṇḍa, prakṛityaṇḍa and pṛithvyaṇḍa. Pṛithvī-aṇḍa is the lowest circle, and outside that there is another circle which is called prakṛiti-aṇḍa. Outside that prakṛiti-aṇḍā there is another circle which is called māyā-aṇḍa. Outside that there is a circle which is called śakti-aṇḍa.
So there are these four circles: nivṛitti kalā, pratiṣṭhā kalā, vidyā kalā, śānta kalā. Nivṛitti kalā is first, and outside that there is pratiṣṭhā kalā; and outside that is vidyā kalā; and outside that is śānta kalā. These kalās are greater than each other. And the fifth is śāntā kalā . . . (nivṛitti kalā, pratiṣṭhā kalā, vidyā kalā, śānta kalā), the fifth is śāntātītā kalā.
In śāntātītā kalā there are no worlds–śāntātītā sa bhuvanaiva–śāntātītā kalā is without any worlds. There is no world, there is only the glamour of Lord Śiva; there is no residence of anybody. Only this is the residence of Lord Śiva.
Source: Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara,
The Essence of the Highest Reality, by Swami Lakshmanjoo.
Now also available as video on demand.
All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes
From the Shiva Sutras: The Supreme Awakening…
udbodhito yathā vahnir nirmalo’tīva bhāsvaraḥ /
na bhūyaḥ praviśetkāṣṭhe tathātmādhvana uddhṛṭaḥ //
(Svacchanda Tantra 10.371)
When fire has risen from wood, from fuel, nirmala, and it has become absolutely pure, atīva bhāsara, and is with full glamour shining with flames, na bhūyaḥ praviśet kāṣṭhe, it does not get entry again in firewood, it does not enter in fire wood again. Once it has come out from firewood it won’t get entry in that again.
In the same way, adhvana uddhṛtaḥ ātmā, from the differentiated perception of the universe, when the ātmā has come out he does not get entry again in that differentiated universe.
Tathā ātmā adhvanaḥ uddhṛtaḥ. Tathā adhvanaḥ uddhṛtāḥātmā na praviśet adhvani.
Having destroyed the impurities (mala) ānavamala, māyīyamala and kārmamala, and become absolutely pure (nirmala), then, even though he lives in the world of impurity (mala), he does not become attached to it. (Svacchanda Tantra 10.372)
Source: Shiva Sutras: The Supreme Awakening
All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes
From the Light on Tantra in Kashmir Shaivism, Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka…
Definition–Lakṣaṇa
Investigation–Parīkṣā (verses 329–332)
Audio 12 – 17:11
आत्मा संवित्प्रकाशस्थितिरनवयवा
संविदित्यात्तशक्ति-
व्रातं तस्य स्वरूपं स च निज महस-
श्छादनाद्बद्धरूपः ।
आत्मज्योति:स्वभावप्रकटनविधिना
तस्य मोक्षः स चायं
चित्राकारस्य चित्रः प्रकटित इह य-
त्संग्रहेणार्थ एषः ॥३२९॥
ātmā saṁvitprakāśasthitiranavayavā
saṁvidityāttaśakti-
vrātaṁ tasya svarūpaṁ, sa ca nija mahasaś-
chādanādbaddharūpaḥ /
ātmajyotiḥsvabhāvaprakaṭanavidhinā
tasya mokṣaḥ sa cāyaṁ
citrākārasya citraḥ prakaṭita iha yat-
saṁgraheṇārtha eṣaḥ //329//
This is the essence of what has been said in this first āhnika of the Tantrāloka, that ātmā saṁvit prakāśa sthiti, the Self is established in the light of consciousness and that light of consciousness is anavayavā saṁvit, it is anavayavā, without differentiated bodies.
SCHOLAR: Ekaghana.
SWAMIJI: Ekaghana.
JOHN: One mass.
SWAMIJI: One mass. Iti, so, āttaśaktivrātaṁ tasya sva-rūpam, the reality of the Self (that is, the reality of God consciousness) is filled with the masses of energies; ātta śaktivrāta, He has accepted the masses of energies in His body.
SCHOLAR: Kroḍīkṛta.
SWAMIJI: Kroḍīkṛta. There you should put a comma [after “svarūpam”]. Sa ca nija mahasaśchādanādbaddha-rūpaḥ, and that ātmā seems to be bound when He, by His glory of svātantrya, conceals His light of knowledge and action(mahasaḥ means, the light of knowledge and action). He conceals His reality of knowledge and action and seems to be bound in this universe.
DEVOTEE: “Maha” in the sense of “teja”?
SWAMIJI: Maha, teja, yes, teja. Ātma jyotiḥ svabhāva prakaṭana vidhinā tasya mokṣaḥ, and it is not only that He is bound, He again becomes liberated by revealing the nature of His Self-consciousness, His own consciousness. When He reveals His own consciousness again, by that way, He again becomes liberated and becomes mukta. And this liberation and being bound is the play of that Being who is citrakāra, who has consumed various formations of His Self. Sometimes He seems to be bound, sometimes He seems to be liberated.
JOHN: Citrakāra means “he assumes”?
SCHOLAR: No, “He has many” (inaudible).
SWAMIJI: Citrakāra, “he has many.” This is the artha, this is the essence, of the Tantrāloka, that this is only a play.
JOHN: Play of Lord Śiva.
SWAMIJI: Being bound and being liberated. Otherwise, there is nothing to be done.
JOHN: That is why you have this secret word “rām.”
SWAMIJI: Rām, yes.
Audio 12 – 20:46
मिथ्याज्ञानं तिमिरमसमान् दृष्टिदोषान्प्रसूते
तत्सद्भावाद्विमलमपि तद्भाति मालिन्यधाम ।
यत्तु प्रेक्ष्यं दृशि परिगतं तैमिरीं दोषमुद्रां
दूरं रुन्द्धेत्प्रभवतु कथं तस्यमालिन्यशङ्का ॥३३०॥
mithyājñānaṁ timiramasamān dṛṣṭidoṣānprasūte
tatsadbhāvādvimalamapi tadbhāti mālinyadhāma /
yattu prekṣyaṁ dṛśi parigataṁ taimirīṁ doṣamudrāṁ
dūraṁ rūnddhetprabhavatu kathaṁ tasya mālinyaśaṅkā //330//
This incorrect knowledge, when you know your Self not in the correct way, that is mithyā jñāna. In the differentiated state, when that knowledge is timiram, . . .*
JOHN: Mithyā means “illusory”?
SWAMIJI: Yes, illusory and not correct.
*. . . that is really the blindness or the darkness of the Self. By that blindness, you can’t perceive your nature–by this mithyā jñāna. And that blindness creates (prasūte, creates) asamāna dṛṣṭi doṣān, many drawbacks, . . .*
Doṣa means . . .
JOHN: Defects, faults.
SWAMIJI: Defects, falsehoods of perceptions.
*. . . falsehoods of perceptions (dṛṣṭi doṣān) are created by that.
SCHOLAR: Asamān?
SWAMIJI: Asamān: unparalleled, great, huge. Tat sad-bhāvāt, and by the existence of that false perception, vimalamapi tad mālinyadhāma bhāti, although that state of God consciousness is absolutely pure, but It seems to be impure, It appears to be impure. And when, yattu prekṣyaṁ dṛśi parigataṁ taimirīṁ doṣamudrā dūraṁ rūnddhet, when (yattu-yadā; yattu means, yadā), when prekṣyaṁ dṛśi parigatam, prekṣyam, that [which] is to be perceived and [which] is not existing in your own eyes, in your own sight, in your own knowledge(dṛśi parigatam), and because in your sight there is taimirīṁ doṣa mudāraṁ (there is the defect of blindness, blindness of perception), when that blindness of perception is put away, is removed away, prabhavatu katham tatra mālinyaśaṅkā, then there is no question of the rise of impurity in your Self. Your Self shines in glamour.
End @ Tantraloka One Audio 12
Source : Light on Tantra in Kashmir Shaivism, Abhinavagupta’s Tantraloka, revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo
All Content is subject to Copyright © John Hughes
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