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

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 21 A disciple, having moved about in the cycles of the miseries beginning with confinement in a mother's womb and ending in death, approached Lord Śeṣa and asked him about the real truth of the whole existence. आधारः (ādhāra) = Patañjali who is believed to be an incarnation of Śeṣanāga, the serpent god who, according to Hindu mythology, supports the earth from beneath, परमार्थ (paramārtha) = the real truth about every thing. आधारकारिकाभिस्तं गुरुरभिभाषतेस्म तत्सारम् । कथयत्यभिनवगुप्तः शिवशासनदृष्टियोगेन ॥ ३ ॥ 3. Ādhāra-kārikābhistam gurur- abhibhāṣatesma tatsāram Kathayatyabhinavaguptaḥ Śivaśāsana-dṛṣṭi-yogena. The preceptor (Patañjali) discussed the topic with him through the work named Ādhārakārikā (the Paramārthasāra of Patañjali), the essence of which is being expressed by Abhinavagupta through the view point of Śaivism. The name of the original work of Patañjali was Ādhārakārikā. Abhinavagupta adopted its style, drew its essence and presented it as a work on Śaiva monism under the title Paramārthasāra. Such new name was afterwards given to the original work of Patañjali as well. That work has a Vaiṣṇavite character. निजशक्तिवैभवभरादण्डचतुष्टयमिदं विभागेन । शक्तिर्माया प्रकृतिः पृथ्वो चेति प्रभावितं प्रभुणा ॥ ४ ॥ 4. Nijaśakti-vaibhava-bharād- aṇḍa-catuṣṭayamidaṃ vibhāgena Śaktirmāyā prakṛtiḥ pṛthvī ceti prabhāvitaṃ prabhuṇā The Almighty Lord brought into existence these four spheres of Śakti, Māyā, Prakṛti and Pṛthvī by means of the abundance of luxuriousness of His divine powers. An aṇḍa is a sphere that contains in it a series of phenomenal elements and serves as a sheath that covers and hides the divine nature of the Absolute. Four such sphere are: (i) Śakti, the divine power of God projecting itself externally and covering the Absolute with the pure creation. Manifes- ting diversity within unity, it hides the basic absoluteness