ईश्वरप्रत्यभिज्ञाविमर्शिनी (महामाहेश्वर अभिनवगुप्त - उत्पलदेव प्रणीत प्रत्यभिज्ञा महाभाष्य सटीक)

FOREWORD Isvarapratyabhijna of Utpaladeva is an authoritative exposition of the principles of the pratyabhijna school—a system of philosophy that dominated people's thinking in Kashmir buring the 8th & 9th centuries A.D. Somananda laid the foundation of this school through his great and thought provoking work entitled Sivadrasi. Utpaladeva has religiously followed Somananda and presented the Siva Darsana in a succinct aphoristic style in the present work which comprises of 190 Karikas which are known as sutras because of their brevity and terseness. Utpaladeva himself has written a brief commentary ( Virtti ) as well as a Tika or Vivrti ( not extant ) on the Karika. The fact that so learned a man as Abhinavagupta chose to comment on the work bears testimoney to its authenticity. Pratyabhijna System was a prograssive branch of monistic Saivism, which was then prevalent in Kashmir. It is based on monistic Saiva Tantras. The main characteristic of this non-sectarian system is realization of the highest reality, i.e. recognition ( pratyabhijna) or a self-realization. Abhinavagupta who has commented on this work is a prolific writer who wrote on a number of subjectes with equal felicity and competence. His works on philosophy outnumber those on poetics. Amongst the writers on Indian dramaturgy, he shines as one of the brightest stars. His learned commentaries on Natyashastra of Bharata and Dhvanyaloka of Anandavardhana speak volumes for his learning, erudition and critical insight into the subject of poetics. He is also the greatest authority on