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“My Lord, there is a strange and reclusive yogi, riding a hefty bull, who wants
an audience with you,” said the royal guard.
“A yogi? On a hefty bull? It must be Shiva! Ah, have Him brought here with
respect,” said Himavat.
“Greetings, your Highness,” said Shiva in a soft voice.
“Greetings, O Yogi of yogis, Shiva! I am blessed to have you in my Kingdom. Any
service for me?”
“Too many people come looking for me in Kailash, and due to some very tragic circumstances,
I cannot be of any help to them... I just wish to be left alone” said Shiva.
“Yes,” said Himavat. “How may I assist you in that?”
“I would like to stay in one of your mountains, instead,” said Shiva,“So that I
may carry out my meditations just like I used to, in Kailash,”
“What an honour, Shiva! Of course, please stay in any mountain, stay here! Take this
palace, it is all yours!”
“Thank you,” said Shiva softly. “I do not need the palace at all, I just need a cave.”
“A cave? Take any cave my Lord! All the Himalayas are yours, you are
Shailendra, King of the mountains” said Himavat.
“ You are too humble, your royal Highness,” replied Shiva softly,“Though we share that epithet, it is you, who are the King of Himalayas in reality.”
“Ah, be as that may be, it is all given by you, my Lord, I may be
Himavat in this world cycle, but you shall remain King Emperor of the
Himalayas, or any other mountain, as long as this world exists! And truly,
as I do know, even after that!” Himavat got up from his throne, and escorted
Shiva and Nandi to the palace windows through which they could see the entire
mountain range.
The Himalayan snow bound peaks shone brilliantly against the winter sun.
“ Where would you like to go, my Lord? There is Kanchenjunga, Makalu,
Manaslu, Nanda Devi, Kamet, Nun Kun...”
“Which is the mountain that houses
Shambala?” asked Shiva.
“Ah, my Lord, nice choice. Would you like to go there?”
“Not there exactly, but something like that nearer to Bharata, rather than
Mahacina.”
“Amareshwar it is, then,” said Himavat with finality.
“Amareshwar?”
“Near to the most beautiful lake Sati sar, where the great rishi Kashyap
meditated on you and Shakti for years…where, indeed Sati Herself had lived when She undertook the most arduous
tapasya for begetting you as her husband…”
Shiva said quietly, “Yes, Amareshwar it shall be….”
When Shiva an Parvati got married, they went to spend their days in the Himalayas.
"What is it that you know always, that all the
yogis always want to know?" asked Parvati in the Amareshwar cave, ( Now called Amarnath )
Shiva smiled, laughed, and then spoke exaltedly
like a poet. “This earth upon which we sit, the hills, these trees, the
springs, this soft wind, even the moon, the sky, those distant stars that
bejewel the night are offerings to you, truly, dearest!" He exclaimed,
arising. "The entire universe is a projection from the pristine essence
within me; this human bodied Yogi you love - your husband, Shankar! I am always
the knower of the highest transcendence, I am always the knower of what is
always."
Parvati was impressed. “But… where do I fit in?" She asked teasingly.
"You, Parvati…" He urged emphatically. "Are the embodiment of
Shakti, my inseparable power of dynamics. You cause the projection.Without you,
there would be no manifest world, and I would remain ever, in my transcendence,
by myself." Seeing that His young wife was pleased, Shiva continued,
"and so this beautiful miracle, that tonight we sit as two beings in love,
chatting, admiring each other and our surroundings, such a beautiful creation, of
which we are now a part, and yet I tell you, the secret is that we are the
perennial source of all that is..."
चितिः स्वतन्त्रा विश्वसिद्धिहेतुः
स्वेच्छया स्वभित्तौ विश्वमुन्मीलयति॥
Chitih svatantra vishvasiddhihetuh, svechchaya svabhittow vishvamunmeelyatih.
This is
pratyabhijnahrdayam, O Parvati! Learn to re-cognize your self! Chitih, which is
absolute consciousness, by its own free will – svatantrya, is the cause of
manifestation, preservation and again re-absorption or withdrawal of the universe
into itself. Such withdrawal is what we call destruction of the world or
dissolution. By Her own power, She unfolds the universe on Her own screen, and
there result endless cycles of time and creation.”
“Fascinating!” said Parvati.
“Yes. It is. But what’s really fascinating is the perennial magic that creation
has…”
“Magic?” asked Parvati.
“To make each life think that the world began with the opening of its eyelids,”
said Shiva.
“And that is the very nature of the human mind - to think that life began with
its own birth.”
“Yes, Swami.”
“And to be honest, creation is a paradox, and there is some truth in this primal thought of each being,” smiled Shiva,
and whispered softly again, “Chitih svatantrah vishvasidhhihetuh.”
~ Shail Gulhati is the author of the
books :
SHIVA,
The Ultimate Time Traveller.
The
Yogi and the snake
Shiva
Poetry
NAAM
ROOP- A Tribute to the Divine
And
Life Said.
Available on Amazon E books :https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07HVY1PPS ( India) and
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HVY1PPS ( USA)
What is it , that you know always, that all the yogis always want to know?
The Devi once asked her beloved Nath, Shiva.
Shiva smiled,laughed, and then spoke exaltedly like a poet,
‘this earth upon which we sit, the hills,these trees, the springs,this soft wind,
even the moon! the sky! those distant stars that bejewel the night as offerings to you,
truly, dearest," He exclaimed, arising,"The entire universe is a projection from the pristine essence within me; this human bodied yogi you love-your husband, Shankar! I am always the knower of the highest transcendence, I am always the knower of what is always.
The Devi was impressed,but, “where do i fit in?" she asked teasingly
“You, Parvati,” He urged emphatically, “are the embodiment of Shakti, my inseparable power of dynamics, you cause the projection.without you,there would be no manifest world,
and i would remain ever, in my transcendence , by myself.”
Seeing that his young wife was pleased , Shiva continued,
"and so this beautiful miracle, that tonight we sit two beings in love, chatting, admiring each other and our surroundings,such a beautiful creation ,of which we are now a part,and yet i tell you, the secret is that we are the perennial source of all that is...”
Even as Shiva was expounding the most secret Agama of Srishti rahasya to the Devi, a trickle of water on a portion of their cave wall began solidifying, in the form of a magnificent LINGA,which is, of course, the symbol of all creation.It was as though to demonstrate the manifestation of
a subtle state into a grosser one,as if to freeze the magical words for posterity. As though to make explicit , the truth that water and ice are one,and yet each contains the other."Witness, my dearest", said Shiva "this linga as a symbol of our love; a reminder of our eternal togetherness
a vision of the eternal principle of shiva shakti ,therefore a vision of foreverness in its simplest form.
And when shall my children get this vision? demanded the mother , latent ,in the bride.
In due course of time,many kathas later O devi vouched Shiva any being that attains to this station to which you are primal witness, shall be granted the Amrita.
This was the divine prelude to AMARNATH. Shiva had asserted that the whole world is his playground, every place is pervaded by his divine essence,and yet ,there are places where this divinity is more clearly perceived,places where the individual's consciousness is uplifted spontaneously into universal being.places,where yogis and bhaktas have meditated and done tapas , in order to get closer to the pristine truth.And these are stations which do give the feel of the truth.
And Amarnath where the whole truth had been expoundedby the NATH himself.is an extremely powerful station,
still vibrating with the divine essence of existence ,
still echoing shiva's words and parvati's love ....
still remaining the fountainhead of all life.
And so, the rishis went for darsana,the siddhas went,the sadhs went, the naths went, the kulas went the sants went, and went so many other blessed ones,
so many went like a backward flow of waters, back to the origin, and felt for themselves the presence of the perennial source,so many sang prayers ,gave offerings , meditated and then came back home to tell the others stories of AMAR NATH, the master storyteller.
Till today Amarnath stands as a colossal sanctorum.Till today we team up every year, to go for the yatra - holy trek to have darsana of the lord's symbol in its prisitne glory .And the numbers grow .But the enigmatic shivlinga waxes into fullfillment in a phase,or wanes into disappearance in another, and we all want to witness it in its purna avastha,
And this desire becomes a great platform for shiva's leela. our aspirations give way to the lord to enact his play! He is a great performer, he is Natraj,
and when he has a devoted audience, you can be sure that the play is in full swing,and not only is Shiva present, He is dancing.....
and the happy bhaktas can feel His dance in their own ....they are sure of His presence much before they reach the cave,Sure that He has been with them from the first steps of the yatra....and when they reach the top and see the Shivlinga for themselves,it is a great fulfillment.
and this goes on and on,and more and more bhaktas have darsana, go home, pass the word,and yet more people join the yatra , and it goes on happily.
And then, suddenly,
news comes,
The lord has disappeared.
This is an abrupt change of scene
it is disappointing, it is a sadness
what has happened?where has Shiva gone?
volleys of discussions begin, why has he gone?Who is responsible? who is irresponsible?has something annoyed Him?
and these debates are happening mostly in places far from Amarnath itself ..and as the scene shifts from the mountain to our discussive armchairs, so does our focus.We get more involved in intellectualism,we remember to blame, but forget the game!
We begin to forget that all is Shiva's Leela, all is the play of Natraj, we begin to forget Natraj Himself !
This is to be noted, we actually are forgetting Shiva when we are animatedly arguing about him,
we forget that he can take care of his own schedules,
we forget that even in the Puranas one of His chief characteristics is to appear and disappear at will,
we forget that this is the same Shiva who can mesmerise the doubting by snowing hairat (astonishment) into Shivratri!
We forget that we at our best are custodians of faith ,not just of symbols,
we forget that seeing ,always ,is not the only believing,sometimes,it is believing that enables "seeing".
We even forget that Amarnath, the very ephitet of lord Shiva means, the Nath always exists!
And happily, far from the television arguments, there are still thousands who are climbing each day to "see' their beloved Nath
even if he Appears not to be there.This is real spirituality, to have faith that God always is, even if he Appears not to be there.
This to be noted, it is not a dissappearance of shiva, but his appearing, not to be there, where he always is!
He is everywhere , but in our discussions, we forget.
Throughout the ages, the lord has always been.
In Amarnath the shivlinga always comes,sometimes it disappears ..much like the enigmatic moon
that being always full,appears to wane, whereas it is actually nested in the lord's matty hair!
Sometimes, as we all in J&k should know too well, even the cave is lost, till the lord wills that it be found again..
It is all the lords will. we are but finders, discoverers, faithkeepers.
some keep the faith by praying for shiva to show his shivling, again,
some keep the faith by going on climbing regardless,
some do keep the faith by trying to have meaningful discussion for future,
some keep the faith in their heart..
And i am glad some keep the faith by planning and tending and feeding and then, cleaning the disposals of evergrowing numbers of pilgrims,regardless of any detraction.
It is good that some assist Shiva in felicitating others, He doesnt need anything from us,
but this is our chance to participate in the Leela as attendants, so we offer in the spirit of "Tera tuj ko arpan".
And as one who have known Shiva intimately in meditation,i am glad that people with senior temporal positions have risen to the occasion and made arrangements for our guests who come from far ,and the numbers will grow..
and i am glad we have some administration in place to be around ,for Amarnath will not only continue to abound for bhaktas in India,but there will be a day when it will be a great pilgrimage destination for seekers all around the world also ,
in mundane terms, it has the potential.
When this happens is ,of course Shiva's will and when He chooses, He will appear in the hugest Shivlinga..
We, will wait in great attendance..Aum Namah Shivaye!
~ Shail Gulhati is the author of SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.
The Yogi and the snake
Shiva Poetry
NAAM ROOP- A Tribute to the Divine
And Life Said.
This was a talk given by me in the third International seminar on Kashmir Shaivism, held as part of Swami Lakshman Joo's birth centenary celebrations.
Salutations to swamiji,
who are omnipresent, and therefore with us in this very hall...
to the organisers of the ishber trust,honoured delegates, and all you beautiful people gathered here today. Kashmir shaivism, these are not two words for me. Kashmir is shiva, and whenever the word shiva is sounded, images of kashmir come rushing to my mind. i love kashmir, and its people, and that is why it is a great privelege for me to be with you and tell you why i love kashmir shaivism.
WHY I LOVE KASHMIR SHAIVISM
The ability to think is what makes man stand at the crest of all creation.
And man used this ability in two ways. He observed the world around him,
And kept records of his discoveries and these records became studies for further thinking, giving way to the circle of inventions and more discovery.
In India,from time immemorial, there appeared great thinkers,who came to understand
that though this cycle of outward discovery was fascinating,as well as rewarding,
it, however, was endless,as the Universe itself was too large. They became keen to know who they themselves were, what was their purpose in life, who had created life, and why? Whether there was a higher power that governed this immaculate Universe? They used the second ability of thought and shifted their focus to man himself. They began to develop an “inward thinking”.Some of these rare individuals discovered that there is a faculty greater even than thinking and rationalizing,the higher knowledge that comes by intuition. Intuitively, they began understanding various phenomenon about not only themselves, but the entire cosmos.They became keen to enhance this subtle way of knowing ,and with interiorized eyes ,they started developing systems of yoking themselves to the intuitive state by will.They were the yogis, and their yogas were what we now call meditation.When the most determined of these meditators dwelled on the inner Self with unwavering awareness, they reached the very core of life itself, this core was beyond mind, beyond even flashes of intuition, it was a state of being .In this state the knower, the knowing and the known all became one.The seer , the seeing and the seen became one.This non dual state of oneness,in which the whole universe , all of creation, was actually felt within one’s own Self was obviously a state of tremendous bliss and it came to be called Samadhi, and its expression was Cid ananda, bliss of the Self.
When one arose from this Samadhi, one was back to the outside world as before,but with the massive transformation of knowing that all is one. And this phenomenon of having been in that state of Oneness was termed as Darsana. The possessors of Darsana, were called the Dristas, the seers or the Rsis. Even from the Everests of their spiritual attainments,out of their compassion the Rsis gave pointers for others of the outside world of Samadhi, so that they too may realize it for themselves. So Cidananda, or the meditative climax of finding that the whole universe was, in fact within one’s Self was thought to be man’s greatest achievement in the inner journey, the greatest blessing that divinity could give by revealing itself.
But, the rsis of Kashmir wanted to pursue even the state of Samadhi more.They were not
content with just cid ananda,of being blissed only during Samadhi. Perhaps it was the greater design of divinity itself,that the rsi of Kashmir could not ignore his beautiful outer landscape for even the divine mountains within.And he began to seek for even greater blessing,working dexterously on harmonizing the two beatitudes.
And this, to me, was the real advent of Kashmir shaivism,given to us by Vasugupt, Utpala, Somananda, Abhinava, Lalleshwari and of course, Swamiji, they were all adept yogis,they were siddhas, and yet they retained their tremendous love for the manifest beauty of Kashmir.
‘Kashmira parvati paroksh, tat swami ch Maheshwara”, my favourite aphorism from the Puranas of Kashmir, quoted even by Kalhana, emboldens me to suggest that even Lord Shiva wanted us to subscribe to this harmony of both the inner and outer divinity.
And as this Darsana matured, the outstanding feature that started developing was its pragmatism.The love for the reality of the Jagat made our founding spiritual fathers
work tirelessly to uphold all of life in the world.They redefined renunciation, they did not want for us to leave our homes, they wanted us to renounce the sense of duality with god.They did not advocate monkhood,though in their task, they may have had to go on long hours, days, even lifetimes of retreat, the fruit which they wanted to give us from their amri trees, was for us to see God everywhere, in everything.They started leading us from Cidananda, to Jagadananda, bliss of the world. I am sure that in their days they loved their baaghs ,the shikaras in their ferrylanes,the dainty embroideries on their phirens,the warmth of the kangris,the singing alongside with the chinars with the tumbak naris and the santoors,all was Shiva! So too, our children are engrained with divinity and pragmatism, it is in their DNA !They are a proud people renowned for their efficiency in work,their amiable and warm natures and customs .Only the outer times change, our children can move in their motorbikes and cars, go to gyms, pursue great professions and aspirations, go anywhere, and still see Shiva,in the temples, or in the discotheques,He is everywhere, and the ability to see it like this is the essence of Kashmir shaiv Darsana.
The ability of confluencing the two abilities of outward thinking and inner intuition, the ability to harmonise caring for outer beauty and inner divinity, the ability to perfect working efficiency and inner surety. This is Kashmir shaivism. This is our great inheritance, And I entreat all of you to learn our Darsana for ourselves. When and where does one begin to learn? When the mind is resolved,now is always the best time.And, as many great teachers will be giving out beautiful facets of the darsana, this right here, is a great place to begin!
For my part, I will just try to give you a very basic idea of how rich and supportive of pragmatism some of the advanced ancient Kashmir shaiv texts are.
In the Vijnanbhairava,which loosely translated would mean the applied knowledge of Lord Shiva,the Devi asks the lord to teach some methods that will help an aspirant reach high levels of shivahood for himself.Now shivji comes out with 112 yoga dharanas, which can be practised.Its wonderful to note, that not all the yogas are of the same grade, but they all lead to the same summit.And Shiva has been thoughtful enough to prescribe so many different methods to tune into the higher frequency of vibrant divinity.
Do you remember, when, as children,or sometimes, even accompanying our children to a magic show, we used to be amazed at the conjurer’s tricks,say of making things disappear or appear? While most spiritual systems may tend to rubbish this as hoax, lord shiva is far kinder,and in his advanced meditative technology, tells us, to mature that amazement (vismaya) which you feel at the show of magic, into a meditation, make it a bhumika (base) for yoga .For those of you who love music, the sadavasantam(evergreen) shiva says, that anand (ecstasy) you feel while listening to, or humming alongside your favourite tune, let that ecstasy lead you to know that it is your right as shiva to be happy,
Not even your right, this is your actual nature, you only have to re-cognize it, pratya bjna.
He goes on to say that even the literally hair raising arousal we get when we see our favourite land,Des Dristi, or when we are reminded of our excellent preceptors, the para patras, as many of Swamiji’s devotees would be feeling during this celebration,know that to be the oneness with Shiva himself.Whether even it is the eating of good food,(which is of course another great inheritance) the delight that one gets ,know that to be the delight of Shiva enjoying his own creation.
I will repeat that, Shiva enjoying his own creation, this is the essence of Kashmir shaivism ! Kashmir shaiv tells you in the most direct of words,that you are the God you looked for,you, are Shiva! You are Shiva every moment, even if you don’t know it, and it helps you only to re-cognise, that you are and have always been Shiva, because, All is Shiva.And this is why I love Kashmir shaiv. It is by design that Kashmir Shaiv speaks of so many things which can be delighted in our own culture,as pathways to divinity, to abiding happiness,provided, of course, we do everything with the remembrance of our shivahood.When every act has become a ritual dedicated to the divinity that abounds everywhere, And then the Lord says
Yatra yatra manas tustir, manas tatra aiv dharayet,
Tatra tatra parananda svarupam samparvartate
A yogi should fix his mind on any phenomenon that brings delight,
Because the repose in delight is the nature of the lord.
But to ensure that we are bonafide yogis and not self deceiving bhogis,we will have to begin where we began, to make sure that we end where our normal state becomes
a flow of divinity, we must train as yogis with the introverted, meditative eye.
For these sections of the Vijnanbhairava that I have chosen are only to illustrate how a matured yogi can reach the level when all is yoga,so if you can already do that, great! It means you have strong anugraha already,you may take the high path, but even if you cant straightaway do that, your Guru will tell you which Upaya suits your present disposition,
And lead you up the same mountain of Mahadev where the sutra’s of Shiva are revealed by Shiva, for Shiva to know that He, in fact, is Shiva!! This is why I love Kashmir shaiv I love and live it , and again entreat upon you to know it for yourself, and then, like good shaivites, share it with those who devotedly wish to learn.
To end, I would like to recite a poem written in reverence of Lalleshwari, Lalded or even Lal didi as I heard someone call her.
LALLI
Sang Lalli in Kashmir
Take heed!
Enchanting is paradise,
And you forget,
To look,
For HE who hides.
Even through the brilliant guise,HE is everywhere!
But sits where you wont seek
Such is the player!
Such is the player,
That doubt will cloud the peak
Here? In my own bosom?
Aah how could that be?
O Lalli Lalli!
Don’t you know,
That HE is you
And you
Are HE
Svacchanda Nath ( Shiva Mahadeva, Kashmir Shaivism )
Now is expounded the Pratyabhijnahrdayam
प्रत्यभिज्ञाहृदयम्
Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam
-Heart (hṛdayam) of Recognition (pratyabhijñā)-
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The Pratyabhijnahrdyam prepared by Ksemaraja, the disciple of Abhinavagupta, serves as a digest to the prtyabhijna philosophy of Self Re-cognition in the Kashmir Shaiv Darsana.The following texts have been taken from Shri Jaideva singh's translation.
My friend Randhir bhan has painstakingly and with thorough devotion , given the sutras in sanskrit. At most places, i have added a few of my notes.
चितिः स्वतन्त्रा विश्वसिद्धिहेतुः॥१॥
Citiḥ svatantrā viśvasiddhihetuḥ||1||
1) Citih, which is absolute consciousness, (and latent with power to do),
by its own free will (svatantrya/independence), is the cause of manifestation, preservation, and again re absorption or withdrawal of the Universe into itself also called dissolution.
This is a description of Godhead, and before time and space are created, it alone is, in itself. It is Citih, or Para Samvit , perfect Prakasa Vimarsa ,it is all knowing, omniscient, and all powerful, omnipotent.
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स्वेच्छया स्वभित्तौ विश्वमुन्मीलयति॥२॥
Svecchayā svabhittau viśvamunmīlayati||2||
2) By Her own power, she unfolds the Universe on her own screen.
This is a direct statement on the understanding of Kashmir Shaivism, that God is both the efficient, as well as material cause of the Universe, that is to say, He creates out of his own will, on his own self, there is no extraneous material, and even the analogy of the potter and the pot of clay, fails here, since the potter emanates or projects out of himself, not out of clay.
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तन्नानानुरूपग्राह्यग्राहकभेदात्॥३॥
Tannānānurūpagrāhyagrāhakabhedāt||3||
3) That Universe, so unfolded, is manifold , consisting of many subjects, who are objects for the others in reciprocal differentiation.
The potter was one, the projector was one, but the pots are many, the projection features many. The various projections, though coming from the same source, and thus essentially the same, are different from the other, like one is a conical pot, the other rounded the third triangular and so on. When they view the other as an object, they see others as different from themselves, and therefore begin to be more difference than identity. Spiritually, this means that the manifold creation gets adapted to each other as subject and object in a reciprocal manner, in my perception you are my object, but in yours, I am an object, you are the subject that views me. Or, simply, that even though we are all essentially the same, but still no two people are alike. Thus, the identity of the oneness of Citih has been veiled (vilaya).
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चितिसङ्कोचात्मा चेतनोऽपि सङ्कुचितविश्वमयः॥४॥
Citisaṅkocātmā cetano'pi saṅkucitaviśvamayaḥ||4||
4) (But) even while he has been reduced to such individual experients,
each individual has the Citi contracted within him, as Citta.
So even while each Experient finds himself limited from birth, and/or limits himself in life, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the primal consciousness in him, he always does ,albeit in a contracted manner. The fact is, one cannot survive without the Citi, that gone, the body would be lifeless.
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चितिरेव चेतनपदावरूढा चेत्यसङ्कोचिनी चित्तम्॥५॥
Citireva cetanapadādavarūḍhā cetyasaṅkocinī cittam||5||
5) Thus does Citi contract itself in conformity to the object of consciousness, Cetaya.
Such that in the high Experient of Sadashiva, there is predominance of Prakasa Vimarasa, that is, light (pure knowledge)
and power (the power of knowledge knowing itself),
but in the Pasu (a soul bound by ignorance of its divine nature, using its ability as a human, and thus akin to a lower species of animal)
there is predominance of the contraction, and therefore great dullness.
By Dhyana(contemplation, meditation) one may loosen the contraction and advance to a higher stage.
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तन्मयो मायाप्रमाता॥६॥
Tanmayo māyāpramātā||6||
6) Even the Mayapramata, highly deluded being, consists of Citta.
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स चैको द्विरूपस्त्रिमयश्चतुरात्मा सप्तपञ्चकस्वभावः॥७॥
Sa caiko dvirūpastrimayaścaturātmā saptapañcakasvabhāvaḥ||7||
7) And thus, though He is one, he becomes two, three, and many.
As is said in the Taittiriya Upanishad, for Brahman as source of all, he desired, may I be many, may I be born!
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तद्भूमिकाः सर्वदर्शनस्थितयः॥८॥
Tadbhūmikāḥ sarvadarśanasthitayaḥ||8||
8) Thus too, it becomes easier to understand the positions of various systems of philosophy. They are only various reaches of that consciousness of Self.
Like the Hill and the climbers, each successively exalted Darsana is like the climber who has already traversed the path and is now on top, he can see Panoramically (wholly) at what stage the other is, but not vice versa.
Thus a Carvaka, or gross materialist, will tell the believer of soul,
'show me your soul', let me test it, and so on ,and the spiritualist will insist, that everything that is transient, is more like a dream, less of a reality. Swami Vivekananda, said they both think that the other is a dreamer!
And, in all honesty, at all times, no one Darsana deliberated misleading; they actually spoke of the vision, as they saw, much like only one who has seen the moon in its entire phases, will know the truth that it is always full, it only appears to wax and wane. The man who has only seen a crescent, will find it difficult to talk of a full moon, and vice versa.
So too, the non dualism of Kashmir Shaiv is Paradvait, Dvait and Advait both. Thus Shiva spoke of the dual as well as non dual Tantras.
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चिद्वत्तच्छक्तिसङ्कोचान्मलावृतः संसारी॥९॥
Cidvattacchaktisaṅkocānmalāvṛtaḥ saṁsārī||9||
9) Consequently, highest Shiva who's reality, is all consciousness ,because of such limitation of his own Sakti, becomes a mala (dross) covered Samsarin.
The travelling soul is covered with Mala because of constriction of His power(Sakti).
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तथापि तद्वत्पञ्चकृत्यानि करोति॥१०॥
Tathāpi tadvatpañcakṛtyāni karoti||10||
10) For even in the limited state of Jiva, Shiva does retain the five acts, in a limited way, and it is all his perception of what happens as :
· Sristi (projection),
· Sthiti (maintenance or preservation),
· Samhara (dissolution or re -absorption back to the pristine),
· Vilaya ( veiling of the divine nature by Malas) ,and
· Anugraha ( revelation of the divine by grace).
There may be a cat, but for you it comes into existence when you see it, so you give it its Sristi (creation) in your world. If you were to close your eyes, the cat would still be in the world, but not in your world for then. if you remember the cat you are preserving it , maintaining it by memory. and so on. therefore, in a limited way you are still playing Shiva
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आभासनरक्तिविमर्शनबीजावस्थापनविलापनतस्तानि॥११॥
Ābhāsanaraktivimarśanabījāvasthāpanavilāpanatastāni||11||
11) And so on you go, manifesting, relishing, experiencing, dissolving etc
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तदपरिज्ञाने स्वशक्तिभिर्व्यामोहितता संसारित्वम्॥१२॥
Tadaparijñāne svaśaktibhirvyāmohitatā saṁsāritvam||12||
12) To be a samsari means to be deluded by one's own power , because of ignorance of such authorship of the fivefold act. Samsari aka traveling soul is bewildered and infatuated by his own powers as ignorance leads him into delusions.
Since this power of delusion or concealment is Vilaya, obscuration or
forgetfulness of one's divine nature, one should understand that the very recognition that one is deluded, marks Anugraha, grace, and the process of re-cognition of one's (lost) nature begins.
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तत्परिज्ञाने चित्तमेवान्तर्मुखीभावेन चेतनापदाध्यारोहाच्चितिः॥१३॥
Tatparijñāne cittamevāntarmukhībhāvena cetanāpadādhyārohāccitiḥ||13||
13) And as the process ripens, through Sadhanas and methods ,acquiring the full knowledge of the five fold act accrues, and Citta expands from its contracted form to become Citti itself.
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चितिवह्निरवरोहपदे छन्नोऽपि मात्रया मेयेन्धनं प्लुष्यति॥१४॥
Citivahniravarohapade channo'pi mātrayā meyendhanaṁ pluṣyati||14||
14) It can be seen that the fire of citti, keeps burning the fuel of the known objects.
Citti is ever at work! taking you back to your pristine consciousness. but you may accelerate this, by roasting, as they say, the chestnut over and over again..! The fuel is partially consumed by the fire of Citti though its still delusional and is in inferior stage.
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बललाभे विश्वमात्मसात्करोति॥१५॥
Balalābhe viśvamātmasātkaroti||15||
15) In the re -assertion of that power, it, through the aspirant, accomplishing the prasara, or outgoing (expansion) of the divine senses,
comes to fulfillment ,such that it makes the entire universe its own by assimilation.
Ballabbhe vishvaatmasatkaroti, the world is the same as your pristine SELF. That is, he assimilates universe to himself.
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चिदानन्दलाभे देहादिषु चेत्यमानेष्वपि चिदैकात्म्यप्रतिपत्तिदार्ढ्यं जीवन्मुक्तिः॥१६॥
cidānandalābhe dehādiṣu cetyamāneṣvapi cidaikātmyapratipattidārḍhyaṁ jīvanmuktiḥ||16||
16) Liberation while one retains his physical body.
When this bliss of cit is attained, there accrues a lasting acquisition (a stability) of identity with cit, even while having the body, and this is jivanmukti.
This means that one does not have do die, or lose the physical body, to attain to the subtler realms and consciousness itself, the great promise is to attain to the essence here, in this body, and be free from the delusion of life as one earlier thought it to be. Indeed , the reverse seems to be true, if you die without knowing God while alive, there's little chance, you'll come back to birth , knowing him .
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मध्यविकासाच्चिदानन्दलाभः॥१७॥
Madhyavikāsāccidānandalābhaḥ||17||
17) By the sustained development of this centre(of consciousness) ,by the sustenance of this stability on Samvit itself, there is lasting of the bliss.
Now this seems like a repetition, but Shaiv Darsana has the understanding of Vipula, the thickening of that stability on centeredness. Like an actor who goes over his lines over and over, who gets used to playing the role of king, becomes natural about it. while Advait Vedanta goals "Sat Chit Ananda", consciousness, blissed at knowing itself as the ultimate,Kash Shaiv exhorts to reach Cid Ananda Ghana, consciousness blissed thickly, densely! like a forest of bliss consciousness! after having scaled the ultimate truth that doesnt change. ( So Sat,is understood, to be present in the statement...Sat Chid Ananda Ghana!)
Even in traditional yogi literature, once one reaches Sahasrara, the crown chakra (in the human body at the place over the head ,
in geography, Kailash..and so on), by definition itself, the lotus of thousand petals opens,
here thousand denotes Anant, infinite...The Vedantic realization, is called Atma Vyapti, and the thickened Ghana, Vipula, Shaivic goal , is Shiva Vyapti.
One who has Atma Vyapti, has full knowledge of the self, but lacks the powers, while one who has Shiva Vyapti, gets the dynamics also.
The lesser realization is about pure being, the higher realization is about being and becoming, both.
To repeat, again, Prakasa, and prakasavimarsa both, Advait, or Paradvait.
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विकल्पक्षयशक्तिसख़ोचविकासवाहच्छेदद्यन्तकोटिनिभालनादय इहोपायाः॥१८॥
Vikalpakṣayaśaktisaṅkocavikāsavāhacchedadyantakoṭinibhālanādaya ihopāyāḥ||18||
18) For the development : Upayas are given for dissolving all thoughts, constriction and unveiling of power.
At this point the Pratyabhijna gives a few means beginning with sukhopaya, or anupaya, which cannot be taught,and then gives a few other methods, as sadhanas to reach at one ment with Shiva. Since the methods may be found in the successive upayas, it is better to get versed with the Upayas for detail.
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समाधिसंस्कारवति व्युत्थाने भूयो भूयश्चिदैक्यामर्शान्नित्योदितसमाधिलाभः॥१९॥
Samādhisaṁskāravati vyutthāne bhūyo bhūyaścidaikyāmarśānnityoditasamādhilābhaḥ||19||
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19) By reflecting upon the Oneness with Cit experienced in samadhi, there is the lasting bliss even in vyutthana.
Samadhi is to go into the deepest meditation, and merge with pristine consciousness. Vyuthana is when you arise from that Samadhi.
Samadhi passes on its effects to Vyutthana,
and Kashmir shaivism says that by constant reflection on that Oneness with cit, as experienced in samadhi,
we are lead to a permanent state of samadhi, even while not in meditation.
You may call samadhi 'being in meditation', and vyutthana 'meditation in being'.
Such alternation of swinging between the actual inner state of smadhi, and the externalised reflection over it, is called Krama mudra.
Regular practice of this inner-outer swing, of krama leads to the permanent state of Bhairava avastha,
which is to simply know, that inner or outer..all is siva.
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तदा प्रकाशानन्दसारमहामन्त्रवीर्यात्मकपूर्णाहन्तावेशात्सदा सर्वसर्गसंहारकारिनिजसंविद्देवताचक्रेश्वरताप्राप्तिर्भवतीति शिवम्॥२०॥
Tadā prakāśānandasāramahāmantravīryātmakapūrṇāhantāveśātsadā
sarvasargasaṁhārakārinijasaṁviddevatācakreśvaratāprāptirbhavatīti śivam||20||
20) By attainment of such krama mudra and bhairava,as a result of entering into the perfect I -consciousness or Self,
which is in essence Cit and ananda and also of the nature of power of the great mantra,there accrues Lordship over the group of the deities of consciousness that bring about all emanation and re absprbtion of the Universe.All is the nature of Siva.
When one is completely established in Siva consciousness in Samadhi and Vyutthan,One gains Lordship over every power of emanation and re absorbtion that arises from consciousness,because, all is the nature of Siva.
~ Shail Gulhati Author of SHIVA, The Ultimate Time Traveller.
