Shaiva Upanishads (A Critical Study)
by Arpita Chakraborty | 2013 | 33,902 words
This page relates 鈥楾heistic Philosophy鈥� of the study on the Shaiva Upanishads in English, comparing them with other texts dealing with the Shiva cult (besides the Agamas and Puranas). The 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 are ancient philosophical and theological treatises. Out of the 108 Upanishads mentioned in the Muktikopanishad, 15 are classified as Saiva-Upanisads.
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6. Theistic Philosophy
[Note: Cf. Merging with 艢颈惫补 p.xxiii.]
The above mentioned theistic philosophical schools are based firmly on the 痴别诲腻蝉 and 艢补颈惫补 膧驳补尘腻蝉, and thus have much in common, including the following principle doctrines:
1) the five powers of 艢颈惫补鈥�creation, preservation, destruction, revealing and concealing grace;
2) The three categories: Pati, 笔补艣耻 and 笔腻艣补 (鈥淕辞诲, souls and bonds鈥�);
3) the three bonds: 腻峁嘺惫补, karma and 尘腻测腻;
4) the three-fold power of 艢颈惫补: icch膩 艣akti, 办谤颈测腻 艣akti and j帽膩na 艣akti
5) the thirty six tattv膩s,[1] or categories of existence;
6) the need for initiation from a satguru;
7) the power of mantra;
8) the four pad膩s (stages): 肠补谤测腻 (selfless service), 办谤颈测腻 (devotion), yoga (meditation), and 闯帽腻苍补 (illumination);
9) the belief in the 笔补帽肠腻办峁谤补 as the foremost mantra, and in 搁耻诲谤腻办峁 and 痴颈产丑奴迟颈 as sacred aids to faith;
10) the beliefs in satguru (preceptor), 艢颈惫补li峁単a (object of worship) and 蝉补峁単补尘补 (company of holy persons).
艢补颈惫补 厂颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补 first distinguished itself in the second century bce through the masterful treatise of a Himalayan pilgrim to South India, 峁氠梗i Tirum奴岣穉r. It is 艢补颈惫补鈥檚 most widespread and influential school. Hence the tamil dictum 鈥�罢别苍苍腻岣岛岣峚颈测补 艢颈惫补ne Potri, En峁嚹乼tavarkkum Iraiv膩 Potri鈥� 笔腻艣耻辫补迟补 艢补颈惫补 emerged in the Himalayan hills over 25 centuries ago. Ancient writings chronicle it as a 艢颈惫补 ascetic yoga path whose most renowned guru was 尝补办耻濒墨艣补. K膩shm墨r 艢补颈惫补, a strongly monistic lineage, arose from the revelatory aphorisms of 艢ri Vasugupta in the tenth century. V墨ra 艢补颈惫补 took shape in India鈥檚 Karnataka state in the 12th-century AD under the inspiration of 艢r墨 Basavanna. It is a dynamic, reformist sect, rejecting religious complexity and stressing each devotee鈥檚 personal relationship with God. Siddha 厂颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补, also known as Gor膩k峁natha 艢补颈惫补, takes its name from the writings of the powerful 10th-century yogi, Sri Gor膩k峁n膩tha, whose techniques for 艢颈惫补 identity attracted a large monastic and householder following in North India and Nepal. 艢颈惫补 Advaita is a 艢补颈惫颈迟别 interpretation of the Ved膩nta S奴tras, based on the writings of 艢谤墨办补峁囜弓补, a 12th-century scholar who sought to reconcile the 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉 with the 膧驳补尘腻蝉.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
See Appendix VII.