Kashmir Saivism

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

Kashmir Saivism

This is known by the name Pratyabhijna system. The Agamas are the basis for Kashmir
Saivism. The Agamanta called Pratyabhijna Darsana, flourished in Kashmir. The twentyeight
Agamas were written in Sanskrit in the valley of Kashmir, in order to make the meaning clear to
every one. This Agamanta arose in North India long before Jainism came into prominence. Then it
spread westwardly and southwards. In Western India, it was known by the name Vira Mahesvara
Darsanam, and in South India, it was called Suddha Saiva Darsanam.
Siva is the only reality of the universe. Siva is infinite consciousness. He is independent,
eternal, formless, secondless, omnipresent. Siva is the subject and the object, the experiencer and
the experienced. The world exists within consciousness.
God creates by the mere force of His Will. Karma, material cause like Prakriti, Maya which
produce illusion, forms, etc., are not admitted in this system. God makes the world appear in
Himself just as objects appear in a mirror. He is not affected by the objects of His creation, just as
the mirror is not affected by the reflected image in it. He appears in the form of souls by His own
wonderful power inherent in Him. God is the substratum of this world. His activity (Spanda or
vibration) produces all distinctions.
Siva is the changeless Reality. He is the underlying basic substratum for the whole world.
His Sakti or energy has infinite aspects. Chit (intelligence), Ananda (bliss), Iccha (will), Jnana
(knowledge) and Kriya (creative power) are Her chief aspects.
Sakti functions as Chit, then the Absolute becomes the pure experience known as Siva
Tattva. The Ananda of Sakti functions and life comes in. Then there is the second stage of Sakti
Tattva. The third stage is the will for self-expression. Then comes the fourth stage, Isvara Tattva
with its power and will to create the world. It is the stage of conscious experience (Jnana) of being.
In the fifth stage, there is the knower and also the object of knowledge. Action (Kriya) starts now.
This is the stage of Suddha-vidya. There are thirtysix Tattvas or principles in this system.
Bondage is due to ignorance (Ajnana). The soul thinks: ‘I am finite’, ‘I am the body.’ It
forgets that it is identical with Siva and that the world is wholly unreal apart from Siva.
Pratyabhijna or recognition of the reality, is all that is needed for attaining the final
emancipation. When the soul recognises itself as God, it rests in the eternal bliss of oneness with
God. The liberated soul is merged in Siva, as water in water, or milk in milk, when the imagination
of duality has disappeared.
Vasu Gupta (eighth century A.D.) wrote the Siva Sutra and taught it to Kallata. Siva Drishti
written by Somanatha may be considered equal in merit to Tirumandiram of Tirumular. Vasu
Gupta’s Spanda Karika, Somanatha’s Siva Drishti (930 A.D.), Abhinava Gupta’s Paramarthasara
and Pratyabhijna Vimarsini, Kimaraja’s Siva Sutra Vimarsini are some of the important works of
this school.
They accept the Siva Agamas and the Siddhanta works as authoritative. They modify them
in the light of Sankara’s Advaita. Somanatha’s Siva Drishti, Utpala’s Pratyabhijna Sutra and
Abhinava Gupta’s works support non-dualism.