परमार्थसार (महामाहेश्वर अभिनवगुप्त - त्रिक-दर्शन, अद्वैत शैव साधना एवं सान्वय सटीक)

Introduction 3 It enhances thus the academic value of the original work as revised and reconstructed by Abhinavagupta. Such revised, impro- ved and explained Paramārthasāra of the Śaiva author became so much popular with later academicians that most of them forgot the more ancient Paramārthasāra of Ādiśeṣa. Some grammarians like Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa do quote the work of Patañjali, but most of the later writers on philosophy know only the Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta Maheśvarananda, the author of Mahārtha-mañjarī- parimala, refers to it as Paramārthasāra-saṃgraha. The same has been done by Amṛtānanda in his Yoginīhṛdayadīpikā. An English translation of Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta by L.D. Barnett appeared in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society in 1910. It was a mere translation without any explanatory notes. It did not appear separately as a book and did never become avail- able like that. The Sanskrit text of Paramārthasāra, along with the detailed commentary by Yogarāja, was published for the first time in AD 1916 at Srinagar under the Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies. Its second edition, along with an additional commentary by Shri D.N. Shastri, was published by Ranvira Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Jammu in 1981. Shri Prabhādevī, a disciple of Swami Lakṣmaṇa Joo of Īśvara-āshrama, Srinagar, published another edition of the text along with a Hindi commentary on the Gita Press style in 1977. Another Hindi edition with detailed explanatory notes, useful for M.A. level Indian students, was prepared by the writer of the present English translation a few years back. It also will be pub- lished as early as possible. The present edition with English translation and notes is in your hands. The translation is meant to express the sense and the purport of the couplets and therefore it is not everywhere a strict literal translation. Both these Hindi and English editions of Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta are meant for scholars who want an entrance into the philosophy of Kashmir Śaivism and also into the texts of higher standard like Īśvarapratyabhijñā and Śivadṛṣṭi. Both these editions can serve as good textbooks at the M.A. Sanskrit and M.A. Philosophy levels at Indian universities because Paramārtha- sāra is the best textbook on Kashmir Śaivism for beginners. It can advantageously replace Pratyabhijñāhṛdaya of Kṣemarāja which