Principle of Shakti in Kashmir Shaivism (Study)
by Nirmala V. | 2016 | 65,229 words
This page relates 鈥楶ratyabhijna: the Realistic Idealism of Kashmir鈥� of the thesis dealing with the evolution and role of Shakti鈥攖he feminine principle鈥攚ithin the religious and philosophical framework of Kashmir Shaivism. Tantrism represents an ancient Indian spiritual system with Shakti traditionally holding a prominent role. This study examines four major sub-streams: Kula, Krama, Spanda, and Pratyabhijn膩.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 10 - 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻: the Realistic Idealism of Kashmir
笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 is a distinct system which spaced out itself from the involuntary influences followed in the Spanda way of thinking. It cleverly incorporated the popular medieval Sanskrit philosophical deliberations which apparently are capable to discuss the major intellectual problems of the whole humanity. Vasugupta鈥檚 艢颈惫补蝉奴迟谤补 and 厂辞尘腻苍补苍诲补鈥檚 艢D are the earliest treatises which provide a sturdy platform for Utpaladeva鈥檚 鈥榥ew path鈥�.[1] Unambiguously this new path was formulated to lead all humanity to soteriological realisation.
Utpaladeva explains in the first verse of his treatise:
啶曕ぅ啶炧啶氞た啶︵ぞ啶膏ぞ啶︵啶� 啶す啷囙ざ啷嵿さ啶班じ啷嵿く 啶︵ぞ啶膏啶 啶溹え啶膏啶ぞ啶啶啶啶距ぐ啶た啶氞啶涏え啷� 啷�
啶膏ぎ啶膏啶むじ啶啶い啷嵿じ啶さ啶距お啷嵿い啶苦す啷囙い啷佮 啶むい啷嵿お啷嵿ぐ啶む啶き啶苦啷嵿啶距ぎ啷佮お啶ぞ啶︵く啶距ぎ啶� 啷�katha帽cid膩s膩dya mahe艣varasya 诲腻蝉测补峁� janasy膩pyupak膩ramicchan |
samastasampatsamav膩ptihetu峁� tatpratyabhij帽膩mupap膩day膩mi ||(Having somehow been caused to obtain servitude to the great lord and desiring the benefit of humanity, I am establishing the recognition of him, which is cause of obtaining all prosperity.)[2]
笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 is the recognition involved in the fusion of what appeared formerly and what appears now, as in the judgement 鈥渢his is the same Caitra鈥�, as emphasised by Abhinavagupta:
啶啶班い啷嵿く啶た啶溹啶炧ぞ 啶� 啶ぞ啶むき啶距じ啶ぞ啶ㄠぐ啷傕お啶距え啷佮じ啶ㄠ啶оぞ啶ㄠぞ啶む啶た啶曕ぞ 啶� 啶忇さ啶距く啶� 啶氞啶む啶� 啶囙い啶� 啶啶班い啶苦じ啶傕ぇ啶距え啷囙え 啶呧き啶苦ぎ啷佮啷�啶啶む 啶掂じ啷嵿い啷佮え啶� 啶溹啶炧ぞ啶ㄠぎ啷� 啷�
pratyabhij帽膩 ca bh膩tabh膩sam膩nar奴p膩nusandh膩n膩tmik膩 sa ev膩ya峁� caitra iti pratisa峁僤h膩nena abhimukh墨bh奴te vastuni j帽膩nam |[3]
It explicitly aims at the establishment of the supreme reality 艢颈惫补 who is perceived as a single, omniscient, and omnipotent conscious principle. The supreme 艢颈惫补 manifests as the universe through his power and the first manifestation, 艢补办迟颈.
In 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻, 艢补办迟颈 is a highly philosophical entity which occupies the position under the supreme reality called 艢颈惫补. This fundamental idea of 艢补办迟颈 (possessed by 艢颈惫补) is followed by almost all the teachers of 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 with slight differences.[4] 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 corpus occasionally conceives 艢补办迟颈 as the inevitable nature of 艢颈惫补-the Supreme; while in other particular contexts 艢补办迟颈 is presented as an entity, which is completely identical with 艢颈惫补. Above all to these, the masculine principle 艢颈惫补 logically transcends 艢补办迟颈, the feminine principle.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Utpaladeva was the writer to use the term 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 for the first time. He qualifies his own philosophy as a new path: iti praka峁璱to 尘补测腻 sugha峁璦 e峁 m膩rgau nava[:?] mah膩gurubhirucyate sma 艣ivad峁涐梗峁璱艣膩stre 测补迟丑腻 | 莫艣惫补谤补辫谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻办腻谤颈办腻, 4.1.16.
[2]:
莫艣惫补谤补辫谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻办腻谤颈办腻, I. 1. 1;D. P. Lawrence, 鈥�Tantric Arguments: The Transfigurations of Philosophical Discourse in the 笔谤补迟测补产丑颈箩帽腻 System of Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta鈥�, Philosophy East and West, Vol. 46, No. 2, 1996, p.166.
[4]:
Vasugupta tried to explore a philosophical 艢补办迟颈, for that he equated the mythological character with the 艢补办迟颈; whereas 厂辞尘腻苍补苍诲补 was involved in establishing the theory of indifference between 艢补办迟颈 and 艢补办迟颈m膩n. Utpaladeva explicitly viewed 艢补办迟颈 as a tool, through which 艢颈惫补 manifests as the universe and the limited individual discovers the reality. It is Abhinavagupta who espoused all the modalities of 艢补办迟颈, and absorbed it into his unique version of 艢aivite monism.