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

46 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta within His own self known as Śiva. His will to create a particular type of phenomenon presupposes its existence inside His aware- ness, because nothing particular could have otherwise become the object of His conation, or creation. The phenomenon appears initially in Him and that is due to His cognitive power. It shines clearly in Him as the object to be created and is thus created there actually through His creative power. Its outward creation is due to the phenomenal growth of His kriyā-śakti. A worldly creator also follows such process. He creates only that thing outwardly which is initially created by him in his own self. A painter creates initially a wonderful form in his own will and then he illuminates it thoroughly while forming a clear idea about it in his mind and afterwards he starts to paint it actually on a board. So does the Lord create the phenomenon in His own subjective self before manifesting it outwardly and objectively. That is the interior creation which the couplet in hand is meant to express. पुनरपि च पञ्चशक्तिप्रसरणक्रमेण बहिरपि तत् । अण्डत्रयं विचित्रं सृष्टं बहिरात्मलाभेन ॥ ४६ ॥ 46. Punarapi ca pañca-śakti-prasaraṇa- krameṇa bahirapi tat Aṇḍa-trayaṁ vicitraṁ sṛṣṭaṁ bahirātma-lābhena. At the next step the Lord created outwardly the complexly wonderful three spheres (of Māyā, Prakṛti and Pṛthvī) by manifes- ting and finding Himself outwardly as well through the process of outward manifestation of His five divine powers. The five divine powers of the Lord are: cit or pure consciousness, ānanda or blissfulness, icchā or conative power, jñāna or cognitive power and kriyā or creative porwer. These powers shine in Him as His own self. Their outward manifestation reflects them as the creation of the objective existence consisting of three spheres of Māyā, the causal creation, Prakṛti, the subtle creation and Pṛthvī, the gross creation. The whole of such creation is complexly wonderful. It is the outward or objective manifestation of the essential nature of God. Here He finds out His own self in an objective aspect and that is His 'bahirātma-lābha'.

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 47 इति शक्तिचक्रयन्त्रं क्रीडायोगेन वाहयन् देवः । अहमेव शुद्धरूपः शक्तिमहाचक्रनायकपदस्थः ॥ ४७ ॥ 47. Iti śakti-cakra-yantraṁ krīḍā- yogena vāhayan devaḥ Ahameva śuddha-rūpaḥ śakti-mahā- cakra-nāyaka-padasthaḥ. Putting thus playfully the machine of the circle of divine powers in motion, I am myself the Lord, with purity as my nature, working at the highest post as the master hero of the infinite wheel of Śaktis or divine powers. Concluding the discussions noted above, an aspirant realizes that he is not a finite being but the great Lord who is the only hero having the multitudes of divine powers as His heroins. He feels actually that he is himself activating playfully the whole circle of such powers, the primary one among which are five: (1) cit, (2) ānanda, (3) icchā, (4) jñāna, and (5) kriyā. Their amalgamated unity appears in twelve forms in the process of all psychic activities of all beings and are known as Śakti-cakra or the group of twelve Kālīs. Such Kālīs absorb in them the psychic activities of all subjects, the functions of their psychic apparatus and the objective elements that become foci of such activities. A successful practitioner of Śaivism realizes and visualizes such fact through his personal experience. मय्येव भाति विश्वं दर्पण इव निर्मले घटादीनि । मत्तः प्रसरति सर्वं स्वप्नविचित्रत्वमिव सुप्तात् ॥ ४८ ॥ 48. Mayyeva bhāti viśvaṁ darpaṇa iva nirmale ghaṭādīni Mattaḥ prasarati sarvaṁ svapna- vicitratvamiva suptāt. Having a direct realization of his dynamic Godhead, an adept practitioner of Kashmir Śaivism feels like this: "The whole universe appears in me, just as objects like a pitcher etc. appear in a clear mirror; everything flows out from me, just as the manifold variety of the dream world emanates from the dreaming person." A successful Śivayogin, realizing his real nature, feels all pheno- mena as the wonderful reflections of his own divine powers. He

48 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta sees them as emanated from his own self just as dream world ema- nates from a dreaming person. अहमेव विश्वरूपः करचरणादिस्वभाव इव देहः । सर्वस्मिन्नहमेव स्फुरामि भावेषु भास्वरूपमिव ॥ ४९ ॥ 49. Ahameva viśva-rūpaḥ kara-caraṇādi- svabhāva iva dehaḥ Sarvasminnahameva sphurāmi bhāveṣu bhāsvarūpamiva. Such a yogin feels further like this: "Just as it is the very nature of a body to be its limbs like hand, feet etc. so is the whole phenomenon my own form. Just as it is light which shines in the form of all existent substances, so do I myself glitter as all existence." A body is one though its limbs are many. So in one Ātman alone the whole existence of diverse character. To have limbs is the very nature and character of a body; to appear as all pheno- mena is the basic nature of the self. Just as every existent entity shines within the light that illuminates it, so does everything shine within the psychic light of the consciousness of the Ātman. In fact it is light that takes up the forms of all material substances against which it is focussed and shines as such substances. In the same way the Ātman assumes the forms of all phenomena and shines as everything phenomenal in character. Such arguments are put up to prove the correctness of the supreme monism or Parādvaita principle of Kashmir Śaivism. द्रष्टा श्रोता घ्राता देहेन्द्रियवर्जितोऽप्यकर्तापि । सिद्धान्तागमतर्कांश्चित्रानहमेव रचयामि ॥ ५० ॥ 50. Draṣṭā śrotā ghrātā dehendriya- varjito'pyakartāpi Siddhāntāgama-tarkāṁścitrān- ahameva racayāmi. He feels further like this: "Though in fact I do not have any body or senses or organs, and do not commit any deeds, yet I see, hear, smell and I alone compose wonderfully different śāstras like Siddhāntas, Āgamas and logical treatises." The Ātman is pure consciousness that transcends all insentient entities like bodies, senses, organs etc. and yet all such entities

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 49 are driven into their respective functions by the Ātman which alone conducts thus such functions resulting in works like the com- position of śāstras. इत्थं द्वैतविकल्पे गलिते प्रविलंघ्य मोहनीं मायाम् । सलिले सलिलं क्षीरे क्षीरमिव ब्रह्मणि लयीस्यात् ॥ ५१ ॥ 51. Itthaṃ dvaita-vikalpe galite pravilaṅghya mohanīṃ māyām Salile salilaṃ kṣīre kṣīramiva brahmaṇi layīsyāt. When all the dualistic conceptions are dissolved thus, a being having crossed over the deluding Māyā, becomes one with Brah- man, just as water becomes one with water and milk with milk. इत्थं तत्त्वसमूहे भावनया शिवमयत्वमभियाते । कः शोकः को मोहः सर्वं ब्रह्मावलोकयतः ॥ ५२ ॥ 52. Itthaṃ tattva-samūhe bhāvanayā Śiva-mayatvamabhiyāte Kaḥ śokaḥ ko mohaḥ sarvaṃ brahmāvalokayataḥ. The whole cluster of tattvas, having become thus one with Śiva by means of such contemplative practice in constant conceptions of absolute unity, what can remain there as sorrow or delusion for a yogin seeing everything as Brahman? The viewpoint of diversity is a prominent basic cause of all delusions and sorrows. An aspirant, who sees Brahman alone, is automatically freed from all such misery even while he is yet living in a material form. Such viewpoint of absolute unity can be easily developed by means of jñānayoga called Bhāvanā, a practice in constant contemplation of perfect unity of the divinely potent self with the whole existence. कर्मफलं शुभमशुभं मिथ्याज्ञानेन सङ्गमादेव । विषमो हि सङ्गदोषस्तस्करयोगोऽप्यतस्करस्येव ॥ ५३ ॥ 53. Karma-phalaṃ śubhamaśubhaṃ mithyā-jñānena saṅgamādeva Viṣamo hi saṅga-doṣas-taskara- yogo'pyataskarasyeva. Good or bad fruits of one's deeds are to be tasted by a person only on account of his companionship with incorrect knowledge.

50 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta The evil of bad company is indeed very dangerous. It is like an honest man's company with a thief. Deeds are actually conducted by bodies, senses and organs of finite beings under invariable and invisible direction from God. But, being under a deep effect of incorrect knowledge, we feel that we are ourselves doing them. A deep impression of such feel- ing makes us responsible for the results of such deeds; otherwise, if we see things through the correct angle of vision, and feel con- sequently that the divine powers of God are directing and driving the senses and organs of all living beings, we will not develop any impression of our responsibility for any deeds. लोकव्यवहारकृतां य इहाविद्यामुपासते मूढाः । ते यान्ति जन्ममृत्यु धर्माधर्मार्गलाबद्धाः ॥ ५४ ॥ 54. Loka-vyavahāra-kṛtāṁ ya ihāvidyām- upāsate mūḍhāḥ Te yānti janma-mṛtyu dharmādharmārgalā-baddhāḥ. Deluded people, adhering to incorrect knowledge based on mundane transactions, undergo births and deaths on account of their being bound by the chains of piety and sin. A yogin, having developed correct knowledge, and feeling con- sequently that all deeds are being done by the divine powers of God, is not at all involved in the chains of karman, because it is the egoistic conception of one's having done such and such deeds that makes him responsible for their fruits. The impression of such conceptions is known as karmasaṁskāra. It gives rise to a natural disposition towards rebirth to reap the fruits of such deeds. अज्ञानकालनिचितं धर्माधर्मात्मकं तु कर्मापि । चिरसञ्चितमिव तूलं नश्यति विज्ञानदीप्तिवशात् ॥ ५५ ॥ 55. Ajñāna-kāla-nicitaṁ dharmādharmā- tmakaṁ tu karmāpi Cira-sañcitamiva tūlaṁ naśyati vijñāna-dīpti-vaśāt. Good and bad deeds, accumulated during the period of ignor- ance, are destroyed like heaps of cotton collected since long, by the power of the burning effulgence of actually correct knowledge. Jñāna is the knowledge of the Truth at the level of one's under-

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 51 standing and vijñāna is its actual experience in practical life. A person may be thoroughly convinced at the level of his intellect about the correctness of the principle of theistic monism, but may still feel himself to be a finite being different from God before he experiences actually his divinity and absolute unity through the vijñāna of the truth. Such vijñāna alone can annihilate all accumu- lated deeds known as sañcita-karman. ज्ञानप्राप्तौ कृतमपि न फलाय ततोऽस्य जन्म कथम् । गतजन्मबन्धयोगो भाति शिवार्व, स्वदीधितिभिः ॥ ५६ ॥ 56. Jñāna-prāptau kṛtamapi na phalāya tato'sya janma katham Gata-janma-bandha-yogo bhāti Śivārkaḥ sva-dīdhitibhiḥ. Deeds committed by a person after the development of correct knowledge cannot in any way bear him any fruit. How can there be any rebirth for him? Sun-like Śiva, having annihilated the very relation with the bondage of rebirth, shines eternally through His divine rays. The past actions of a Śivayogin become annihilated. His present actions are reduced to ineffectiveness. No cause for any more rebirth remains existent in his case. Shedding off his physi- cal form at the end of his current life, he frees himself from the finitude of individuality as well and, realizing himself as none other than the absolute Śiva, he starts to shine eternally through the rays of his divine powers. तुष-कम्बुक-किंशारुक-मुक्तं बीजं यथाङ्कुरं कुरुते । नैव तथाणवमाया-कर्म-विमुक्तो भवाङ्कुरं ह्यात्मा ॥ ५७ ॥ 57. Tuṣa-kambuka-kiṁśāruka-muktaṁ bījaṁ yathāṅkuraṁ kurute Naiva tathāṇava-māyā-karma- vimukto bhavāṅkuraṁ hyātmā. Just as a paddy seed, shorn of the outer husk, the inner yellow- ish covering and the germ of the plant, cannot sprout into a seedling; so does not the Ātman, freed from the impurities of finitude, diversity and past deeds, undergo any rebirth. The yellowish thin covering of rice, which is often rubbed off with the help of polisher in a husking machine, is called kambuka. A small round particle, stationed in one corner of the grain, and

52 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta falling off in the process of husking, is called kimśāruka, 'syur' in Kashmiri. That syur is the germ of the seedling. Tuṣa is the name of the outer chaff of a rice grain. If these three elements are re- moved from a paddy seed, it cannot sprout into a seedling. The three impurities of a finite being have been compared here with these three elements of a paddy-seed. आत्मज्ञो न कुतश्चन बिभेति सर्वं हि तस्य निजरूपम् । नैव च शोचति यस्मात् परमार्थे नाशिता नास्ति ॥ ५८ ॥ 58. Ātmajño na kutaścana bibheti sarvaṃ hi tasya nija-rūpam Naiva ca śocati yasmāt paramārthe nāśitā nāsti. A person who realizes his real nature does not feel any dread from any quarters because everything is his own self. He does not experience any grief because, in reality, there is no death or destruction. A person can be afraid of some phenomenon other than his own self. When everything is experienced as one's own self, what can become a cause of fear? A person is overwhelmed with grief on account of either the death of some near or dear or the destruc- tion of some property. How can there be any grief when there is neither any death nor any destruction in the view of a Śivayogin who has realized the real nature of his self? अतिगूढ-हृदय-गञ्ज-प्ररूढ-परमार्थ-रत्न-सञ्चयतः । अहमेवेति महेश्वरभावे का दुर्गतिः कस्य ॥ ५६ ॥ 59. Ati-gūḍha-hṛdaya-gañja-prarūḍha- paramārtha-ratna-sañcayataḥ Ahameveti maheśvara-bhāve kā durgatiḥ kasya. What can be taken as a misery or misfortune and for whom can it be taken like that when the heaps of the jewels of the Absolute Reality are fully accumulated inside the deeply hidden treasury of one's inner self and when the supreme and universal Godhead is realized as one's own nature? Hṛdaya is not the fleshy organ known as heart. It is the inner self, the main centre of all the functions of animation. The boun- ties of supreme Godhead are the jewels of paramārtha.

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 53 मोक्षस्य नैव किञ्चिद् धामास्ति न चापि गमनमन्यत्र । अज्ञानग्रन्थिभिदा स्वशक्त्यभिव्यक्तता मोक्षः ॥ ६० ॥ 60. Mokṣasya naiva kiñcid dhāmāsti na cāpi gamanamanyatra Ajñāna-granthi-bhidā sva-śaktya- bhivyaktatā mokṣaḥ. The state of liberation is not confined to any special abode (like Vaikuṇṭha), nor does it necessitate any ascension (towards any celestial abode). Liberation is the illumining of one's divine potency attainable by means of resolving the knots of ignorance. Fully liberated beings have not to ascend to any divine abode like Brahmaloka or Vaikuṇṭha. Ignorance regarding one's real nature, consisting of supreme and divine potency, is bondage and as soon as such ignorance is annihilated, one's really natural purity and divinity shine through the spiritual lustre of his own pure consciousness and that is liberation. Such a being is libera- ted even while living in a physical form. भिन्नाज्ञानग्रन्थिर्गतसन्देहः पराकृतभ्रान्तिः । प्रक्षीणपुण्यपापो विग्रहयोगेऽप्यसौ मुक्त ॥ ६१ ॥ 61. Bhinnājñāna-granthir gatasandehaḥ parākṛta-bhrāntiḥ Prakṣīṇa-puṇya-pāpo vigraha- yoge'pyasau muktaḥ A person becomes liberated even while residing in a mortal form when the knots of his ignorance are resolved, his doubts are removed, his delusion is eradicated and his piety and sin are perfectly consumed. When the impressions of the correct knowledge of one's real nature become deeply impressed on his person, his ignorance, his doubts, his delusion etc. become annihilated and his good and bad deeds lose their power of fructification. Since it is ignorance with its results which is bondage, such a person attains liberation even while living in the mortal world and is consequently known as a jīvan-mukta. अग्न्यभिदग्धं बीजं यथा प्ररोहासमर्थतामेति । ज्ञानाग्निदग्धमेवं कर्म न जन्मप्रदं भवति ॥ ६२ ॥ 62. Agnyabhidagdhaṃ bījaṃ yathā prarohāsamarthatāmeti

54 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta jñānāgni-dagdhamevaṃ karma na janma-pradaṃ bhavati. Just as a seed, parched in fire, loses its power to grow, so do deeds (of a person) lose their power to cause rebirth when these are burnt (from within) by the fire of correct knowledge (of the real nature of his self.) परिमितबुद्धित्वेन हि कर्मोचितभाविदेहभावनया । सङ्कुचिता चितिरेतद्देहध्वंसे तथा भवति ॥ ६३ ॥ 63. Parimita-buddhitvena hi karmocita- bhāvi-deha-bhāvanayā Saṅkucitā citiretad-deha-dhvaṃse tathā bhavati. An individual finite I-consciousness, having a deep rooted con- ception of finitude with regard to itself, is lead by the impression of its future body, formed in accordance with its deeds, to the consequent position after the end of its current form. The impression of the deeds done by a person create in him a consequent disposition that drives him, after the end of his current life, to such a future life in which his deeds can bear fruits. It is such disposition, working in each and every soul, that runs quite automatically the whole system of transmigration of beings from birth to rebirth in endless cycles. यदि पुनरमलं बोधं सर्वसमुत्तीर्णबोद्धृकर्तृमयम् । विततमनस्तमितोदित-भारूपं सत्यसङ्कल्पम् ॥ ६४ ॥ दिक्कालकलनविकलं ध्रुवमव्ययमीश्वरं सुपरिपूर्णम् । बहुतरशक्तिव्रात-प्रलयोदय-विरचनैककर्तारम् ॥ ६५ ॥ सृष्ट्यादिविविधसुवेधसमात्मानं शिवमयं विबुद्ध्येत । कथामिव संसारी स्याद् विततस्य कुतः क्व वा सरणम् ॥ ६६ ॥ 64. Yadi punaramalaṃ bodhaṃ sarva-smuttīrṇa- boddhṛ-kartṛ-mayam Vitatamanastamitodita-bhā-rūpaṃ satya-saṅkalpam. 65. Dikkāla-kalana-vikalaṃ dhruvama- vyayamīśvaraṃ suparipūrṇam Bahutara-śakti-vrāta-pralayodaya- viracanaika-kartāram.

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 55 66. Sṛṣṭyādi-vidhi-suvedhasamātmānaṃ Śiva-mayaṃ vibuddhyeta Kathamiva saṃsārī syād vitatasya kutaḥ kva vā saraṇam. But how can a person move about in transmigration when he knows definitely and feels actually that he is that pure consciousness which is the (absolute) 'know-er' and 'do-er' at the plane that transcends all phenomena, is infinite, consists of the unsetting and unrising light (of consciousness), the will of which is always fruitful, which is free from the concepts of time and space, which is eternal, changeless, all powerful and perfect in all respects, which alone brings forth the rise and fall of so many multitudes of divine powers and which is Śiva, the perfect master of all divine functions of creation etc.? From where and to which place can an infinite entity move? When an adept aspirant develops a thorough realization of the real nature of his self, he feels that he is the absolute truth which is free even from the conditions of time, space and causation, and becomes sure about the fact that he is none other than the Al- mighty God Himself, Who is the only absolute truth. He does not only take such truth as a mere theory, but actually feels himself to be God. A deep impression of such an experience liquidates the effects of all the previous impressions of finitude, impurity, involvement in deeds and so on. It annihilates thus the very mental dispositions that drive finite beings towards rebirth. Such an aspirant becomes liberated even while living in a mortal form. इति युक्तिभिरपि सिद्धं यत् कर्म ज्ञानिनो न सफलं तत् । न ममेदमपि तु तस्येति दार्ढ्यतो न हि फलं लोके ॥ ६७॥ 67. Iti yuktibhirapi siddhaṃ yat karma jñānino na saphalaṃ tat Na mamedamapi tu tasyeti dārḍhyato na hi phalaṃ loke. It can be proved through logical arguments as well that the deeds committed by a jñānin can not bear him any fruits. A reli- gious rite, done in this world through a firm attitude of not being one's own, but belonging to some one else, does not bear any result to its do-er. It is a principle of dharmaśāstra that a priest, performing a religious rite for the sake of his yajamāna, is not himself entitled

56 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta to get the result of such rite. It is the person for whom it is per- formed who gets its fruit. Similarly a jñānin, having a firm belief in the fact that all deeds, being committed through his body, senses, organs etc. are in fact being done by God Himself with the help of His own divine powers, does not become involved in the result of such deeds. इत्थं सकलविकल्पान् प्रतिबुद्धो भावनासमीरणातः । आत्मज्योतिषि दीप्ते जुह्वज्ज्योतिर्मयो भवति ॥ ६८ ॥ 68. Itthaṁ sakala-vikalpān pratibuddho bhāvanā-samīraṇataḥ Ātma-jyotiṣi dīpte juhvaj- jyotir-mayo bhavati. An aspirant, enlightened by such realization, and offering all his conceptual functions and ideas to the sacrificial fire of pure consciousness of the self, kindled highly by the winds of the self- contemplative yoga, becomes one with such fire. Bhāvanā is another name of the method of Śāktopāya. It is a practice in constant contemplation on the pure and divine nature of the self. A practitioner of such yoga has to think constantly like this, "I am infinitely potent and absolutely pure consciousness. All this is my own divine play. It is being manifested by me through my divine powers. I am all this and so on." Any of such conceptions is to be repeated again and again under a regular time-table, till it becomes so deeply impressed on one's person that he feels it to be his essentially real nature. Regular practice in such yoga results in the realization of the absolute unity between one's pure I-conscious- ness and the whole phenomenon. Then the practitioner feals him- self to be none other than the divinely potent, infinite, eternal, perfect, independent, playful and pure consciousness aware of its such nature. अश्नन् यद्वा तद्वा संवीतो येन केनचिच्छान्तः । यत्र क्वचन निवासी विमुच्यते सर्वभूतात्मा ॥ ६६ ॥ 69. Aśnan yadvā tadvā saṁvīto yena-kenacicchāntaḥ Yatra-kvacana nivāsī vimucyate sarvabhūtātmā. Clad in what so ever clothing, eating what so ever eatables, and residing at what so ever places, the tranquil jñānin, feeling him-

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 57 self to be the inner soul of each and every being and thing, becomes automatically liberated. The person, who realizes his real divine nature, does not after- wards remain bound by any laws of religious discipline in food, shelter, clothing etc. He sees his own self in every being and every- thing and feels himself to be liberated from all bondages and restrictions. He may, very often, still observe some previously practised discipline either on account of his habit or for the sake of setting an example for the common man, but he is not at all bound to do so. हयमेधशतसहस्राण्यपि कुरुते ब्रह्मघातलक्षाणि । परमार्थविन्न पुण्यैर्न च पापैः स्पृश्यते विमलः ॥ ७० ॥ 70. Haya-medha-śata-sahasrāṇyapi kurute brahma-ghātā-lakṣāṇi Paramārthavinna puṇyairna ca pāpaiḥ spṛśyate vimalaḥ. A yogin freed from all impurity and possessing the correct knowledge of the Truth can never be touched either by piety or by sin, even if he performs hundred-thousands of horse-sacrifices or commits as many murders of brahmins. Both piety and sin drive a being towards rebirth for the sake of their fructification, but these become ineffective in the case of a yogin who possesses the correct knowledge of the exact reality. He becomes thus liberated from the results of all piety and sin and consequently does not undergo any more rebirth. मद-हर्ष-कोप-मन्मथ-विषाद-भय-लोभ-मोह-परिवर्जी । निःस्तोत्रवषट्कारो जड इव विचरेदवादमतिः ॥ ७१ ॥ 71. Mada-harṣa-kopa-manmatha-viṣāda- bhaya-lobha-moha-parivarjī Niḥ-stotra-vaṣaṭkāro jaḍa iva vicaredavāda-matiḥ. Avoiding intoxication, joyfulness, anger, sexual passion, grief, dread, greed, delusion etc.; not performing any recitation of hymns, not making any offerings to sacrificial fire, and not having any interest in debates and discussions, he may move about posing as an idiot. A yogin attains freedom from the effects of all passions. Per- formance of any religious activities is not compulsory for him.

58 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta He may or may not perform them. It does not make any differ- ence for him. मद-हर्षप्रभृतिरयं वर्ग प्रभवति विभेदसम्मोहात् । अद्वैतात्मविबोधस्तेन कथं स्पृश्यतां नाम ॥ ७२ ॥ 72. Mada-harṣa-prabhṛtirayaṁ vargaḥ prabhavati vibheda-sammohāt Advaitātma-vibodhas tena kathaṁ spṛśyatāṁ nāma. The group of emotions like intoxication, joy etc. rises out of delusion caused by the viewpoint of diversity. How can it touch a person having the revelation of the monistic self? A yogin, who sees only his self in each and every phenomenon, does not come under the effects of emotions like pleasure, pain etc. Even if such emotions appear in him, these can not touch his inner self shining beyond all diversity of mental and physical existence. स्तुत्यं वा होतव्यं नास्ति व्यतिरिक्तमस्य किञ्चन च । स्तोत्रादिना स तुष्येन्मुक्तस्तन्निर्नमस्कृतिवषट्कः ॥ ७३ ॥ 73. Stutyaṁ vā hotavyaṁ nāsti vyatiriktamasya kiñcana ca Stotrādinā sa tuṣyen- muktas tannirnamaskṛti-vaṣaṭkaḥ. Having none other prayable or worshipable besides him whom he could please by praying etc., the liberated one has neither to pay any salutation nor to offer any oblations to any one. It is not obligatory for a liberated person to pray or to offer oblations to any deity because he does not see anywhere any one other than his own self. But such performances are not totally prohibited for him. He is free to perform them as his spiritual play. He may perform them just to establish an ideal for the common man and very often a yogin does it to set a good example for others. षट्त्रिंशत्तत्त्वभृतं विग्रहरचनागवाक्षपरिपूर्णम् । निजमन्यदथ शरीरं घटादि वा तस्य देवगृहम् ॥ ७४ ॥ 74. Ṣaṭtriṁśat-tattva-bhṛtaṁ vigraha-racanā-gavākṣa-paripūrṇam Nijamanyadatha śarīraṁ ghaṭādi vā tasya deva-gṛham.

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 59 Either his own body or that of any one else, being consisted of thirty-six tattvas, and being fully equipped with organic outlets as its windows, or even an object like a pitcher, is his temple where to worship. Such a yogin sees his infinite, all pervasive and pure I-conscious- ness as the only worshipable deity and finds it in all bodies and all outward objects, all of which can serve him as the temples where to worship such deity. तत्र च परमात्म-महा-भैरव-शिव-देवतां स्वशक्तियुताम् । आत्मामर्शन-विमल-द्रव्यैः परिपूजयन्नास्ते ॥ ७५ ॥ 75. Tatra ca paramātma-mahā- bhairava-śiva-devatāṁ sva-śakti-yutām Ātmāmarśana-vimala-dravyaiḥ paripūjayannāste. There in he goes on worshipping whole heartedly the great God, Lord Śiva, known as the supreme Bhairava, along with his divine power Śakti with the pure offerings of self-contemplation. The deity to be worshipped by an advanced Śivayogin in such temples is his all pervading pure I-consciousness, seen as the Absolute God, endowed with divine power called Śakti. The obla- tions to be offered consist only of the contemplation of the unity of the self with respect to all phenomena shining in its pure and divine nature. That is the worship by means of jñānayoga known in Śaivism as Śāktopāya. It is a symbolic worship in which the in- dividuality is merged in the universal self and that is taken as the offering of oblations. Several other methods of such worship that will follow are also symbolic in character. बहिरन्तरपरिकल्पन-भेदमहाबीजनिचयमर्पयतः । तस्यातिदीप्तसंविज्ज्वलने यत्नाद्विना भवति होमः ॥ ७६ ॥ 76. Bahirantara-parikalpana- bheda-mahā-bīja-nicayamarpayataḥ Tasyāti-dīpta-samvijjvalane yatnād vinā bhavati homaḥ. His automatic homa goes on by means of the offerings of the huge grain heaps of diversity, appearing as the conceptions of interior and exterior objects, into the highly blazing fire of pure consciousness. The self luminous pure I-consciousness is the sacrificial fire for

60 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta a Śivayogin practising Śāktopāya. All the mental conceptions of diverse character are the heaps of grain to be offered into it as oblations. Such a homa of a Śivayogin proceeds on without any effort on his part as all his objective ideas become dissolved auto- matically into the monistic conception of the pure and infinite I-consciousness, which alone shines afterwards through its own psychic lustre. ध्यानमनस्तमितं पुनरेष हि भगवान् विचित्ररूपाणि । सृजति तदेव ध्यानं सङ्कल्पालिखितसत्यरूपत्वम् ॥ ७७ ॥ 77. Dhyānamanastamitaṁ punar- eṣa hi bhagavān vicitra-rūpāṇi Sṛjati tadeva dhyānaṁ saṅkalpālikhita-satya-rūpatvam. Such a master of divine authority goes on creating objects of multifarious character (inside his understanding sense) and that becomes his constant meditation, forming conceptions of his (pure and divine) real nature. The word dhyāna is meant here to denote a special type of self- contemplative meditation called Śāktopāya. Such a yogin does not meditate upon anything like the form of a deity or some nerve centre in the physical body, as do the dhyānayogins of the school of Patañjali. Successive rise of a chain of objective ideas in his mind is visualized by him as his own independent creation, suggesting his divinely potent and pure nature of Godhead. The flow of such conceptions, resulting in the realization of the divine nature of the self, is the meditation practised by a Śivayogin in the process of Śāktopāya. भुवनावलीं समस्तां तत्त्वक्रमकल्पनामथाक्षगणम् । अन्तर्बोधे परिवर्तयति यत् सोऽस्य जप उदितः ॥ ७८ ॥ 78. Bhuvanāvalīṁ samastāṁ tattva-krama-kalpanām-athākṣa-gaṇam Antar bodhe parivartayati yat so'sya japa uditaḥ. He turns round, within the thread of his inner consciousness, either the whole series of bhuvanas or the arrangement of the order of tattvas or the group of the instrumental elements and that is said to be his japa. Japa is ordinarily a constant repetition of a religious formula

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 61 along with turning round of a series of beeds. A Śivayogin catches hold of the series of one hundred and eighteen bhuvanas etc. through his imagination and visualizes them, item by item, as being contained inside his I-consciousness through a relation of unity or identity. Such repetiton of the conception of his unity with certain regular series in the phenomenal existence serves him as repetition of a Mantra. सर्वं समया दृष्ट्या यत् पश्यति यच्च संविदं मनुते । विश्वश्मशाननिरतां विग्रहखट्वाङ्गकल्पनाकलिताम् ॥ ७९ ॥ विश्वरसासवपूर्णं निजकरगं वेद्यखण्डककपालम् । रसयति च यत्तदेतद् व्रतमस्य सुदुर्लभं च सुलभं च ॥ ८० ॥ 79. Sarvaṃ samayā dṛṣṭyā yat paśyati yacca saṃvidaṃ manute Viśva-śmaśāna-niratāṃ vigraha-khaṭvāṅga-kalpanā- kalitām. 80. Viśva-rasāsava-pūrṇaṃ nija-karagaṃ vedya-khaṇḍaka-kapālam Rasayati ca yattadetad vratamasya sudurlabhaṃ ca sulabhaṃ ca. He sees everything through a viewpoint of equality and takes his I-consciousness as residing in the whole universe as (the necessary) cremation ground (to live in). Having his own physical body as the necessary human skeleton, holding the broken jar of objective existence filled with the wine of universal tastefulness in his hand and tasting it, he observes his wonderful (Pāśupata) vow which is very easy but, at the same time, very rare. The vow of a Pāśupata monk involves elements like living in a cremation ground, wearing of human bones as ornaments, using the scullbone as a bowl to drink wine and so on. All such elements of the vow of a Śivayogin are only symbolic in character as depic- ted above. The firm viewpoint of equality is his vrata. The whole objective existence, filled with everything mortal, is the cremation ground for him. There he lives in the form of pure and universal I-consciousness. Seeing everything as self, he drinks the wine of self-bliss filled in the whole phenomenon. Such a vow is spon- taneous but can be observed by very few. It is thus easy but rare. इति जन्मनाशहीनं परमार्थमहेश्वराख्यमुपलभ्य । उपलब्धृताप्रकाशात् कृतकृत्यस्तिष्ठति यथेष्टम् ॥ ८१ ॥

62 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 81. Iti janma-nāśa-hīnaṁ paramārtha- maheśvarākhyamupalabhya Upalabdhṛtā-prakāśāt kṛta-kṛtyas-tiṣṭhati yatheṣṭam. Having realized thus the beginningless and endless real Lord of the whole existence, the yogin rests as he likes in perfect satis- faction brought about by the awareness of his being such realizer. Realization of the Truth is not itself as full of taste as the awareness of one's having attained such realization. No other aim of life remains to be accomplished after the rise of satisfaction attained through such awareness. व्यापिनमभिहितमित्थं सर्वात्मानं विधूतनानात्वम् । निरूपमपरमानन्दं यो वेत्ति स तन्मयो भवति ॥ ८२ ॥ 82. Vyāpinamabhihitamitthaṁ sarvātmānaṁ vidhūtanānātvam Nirūpama-paramānandaṁ yo vetti sa tanmayo bhavati. The all pervading truth, as depicted above, is the self of all, has shed off all diversity and is the uncomparable infinite bliss. The person who realizes it like that becomes one with it. तीर्थे श्वपचगृहे वा नष्टस्मृतिरपि परित्यजन् देहम् । ज्ञानसमकालमुक्तः कैवल्यं याति हतशोकः ॥ ८३ ॥ 83. Tīrthe śvapaca-gṛhe vā naṣṭa-smṛtirapi parityajan deham Jñāna-sama-kāla-muktaḥ kaivalyaṁ yāti hata-śokaḥ. The yogin, having become liberated at the very time of his self-realization, may (afterwards) shed his body off at any sacred place like a tīrtha or at any dirty place like the house of a pariah. In both the cases he is freed from all misery and attains perfect liberation even if he loses his alertness at the time. Being completely alert and conscious about the reality at the time of death is not so essential for a person who has fully reali- zed his real nature of absolute purity, unity, divinity etc. Shed- ding off of his body at a sacred place like Kāśī or at a polluted place like the house of a pariah does not mean any merit or de- merit to him.

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 63 पुण्याय तीर्थसेवा निरयाय श्वपचसदननिधनगतिः । पुण्यापुण्यकलङ्कस्पर्शाभावे तु किं तेन ॥ ८४ ॥ 84. Puṇyāya tīrtha-sevā-nirayāya śvapaca-sadana-nidhana-gatiḥ Puṇyāpuṇya-kalaṅka- sparśābhāve tu kiṁ tena. Homage to a sacred place results in piety and death in the house of a pariah leads to hell. But of what avail shall these be when the stains of both piety and sin do not touch a person? तुषकम्बुकसुपृथक्कृत-तण्डुलकण-तुषदलान्तरक्षेपः । तण्डुलकणस्य कुरुते न पुनस्तद्रूपतादात्म्यम् ॥ ८५ ॥ 85. Tuṣa-kambuka-supṛthak-kṛta- taṇḍula-kaṇa-tuṣa-dalāntara-kṣepaḥ Taṇḍula-kaṇasya kurute na punas tadrūpa-tādātmyam. If a grain of rice, separated well from its inner covering and outer husks, is covered again with some other pieces of chaff, it does not again become the same thing. That is to say that it does not become again a paddy seed cap- able to sprout if sown well in soil. तद्वत् कञ्चुक-पटली-पृथक्कृता संविदत्र संस्कारात् । तिष्ठन्त्यपि मुक्तात्मा तत्स्पर्शविवर्जिता भवति ॥ ८६ ॥ 86. Tadvat kañcuka-paṭalī- pṛthak-kṛtā saṁvidatra saṁskārāt Tiṣṭhantyapi muktātmā tat-sparśa-vivarjitā bhavati. Similarly, an I-consciousness, separated from the coverings of kañcukas, is liberated from bondage and is not affected (lit. touch- ed) by them, even though it continues to stay in this world on account of past momentum. A jīvanmukta continues to live in the world of mortals on account of the momentum created by his past impressions; but he is not at all involved in any limiting elements like kañcukas. He lives like that till the prārabdha karman becomes exhausted. कुशलतमशिल्पिकल्पित-विमलीभावः समुद्गकोपाधेः । मलिनोऽपि मणिरुपाधेर्विच्छेदे स्वच्छपरमार्थः ॥ ८७ ॥

64 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 87. Kuśalatama-śilpi-kalpita- vimalī-bhāvaḥ samudgakopādheḥ Malino'pi maṇirupādher- vicchede svaccha-paramārthaḥ. Though a jewel polished by the ablest artist, does not show out its clean brilliance when put inside a casing, it does shine with such brilliance on being freed from such covering. एवं सद्गुरुशासन-विमलस्थिति वेदनं तनूपाधेः । मुक्तमप्युपाध्यन्तर-शून्यमिवाभाति शिवरूपम् ॥ ८८ ॥ 88. Evam sadguru-śāsana- vimalasthiti vedanaṃ tanūpādheḥ Muktamapyupādhyantara- śūnyamivābhāti Śiva-rūpam. Similarly, an I-consciousness, having been purified (from with in) by the precepts of a right preceptor, shines as Śiva and does not take up another body as an upādhi after it is freed from the existing one. A person who realizes thoroughly his pure and divine nature through the precepts of a right preceptor, does not get involved in any more rebirth and shines as infinitely potent, pure and divine consciousness freed from all external attributes like physi- cal form, mind, functions of animation and the void of dreamless sleep. That is the state of his final and perfect liberation termed as Videha-mukti. शास्त्रादिप्रामाण्यादविचलितश्रद्धयापि तन्मयताम् । प्राप्तः स एव पूर्वं स्वर्गं नरकं मनुष्यत्वम् ॥ ८६ ॥ 89. Śāstrādi-prāmāṇyād avicalita-śraddhayāpi tanmayatām Prāptaḥ sa eva pūrvam svargaṃ narakaṃ manuṣyatvam. It was in fact he who had previously taken lives in heaven, hell or human world as a result of his such respective identification built under the impressions of firm faith in scripture etc. The impressions built by a person on the basis of his belief identify his inner soul with the consequent forms of life and drive him to different types of existence for the fulfilment of his flair for the respective taste of objective experiences possible in parti- cular abodes like heaven, hell or mortal world etc.

Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta 65 अन्त्यः क्षणस्तु तस्मिन् पुण्यां पापां च वा स्थितिं पुष्यन् । मूढानां सहकारीभावं गच्छति गतौ तु न स हेतुः ॥ ९० ॥ 90. Antyaḥ kṣaṇastu tasmin puṇyāṁ pāpāṁ ca vā sthitiṁ puṣyan Mūḍhānāṁ sahakārībhāvaṁ gacchati gatau tu na sa hetuḥ. The last moment in a life, giving rise either to a pietyful or to a sinful situation, becomes the immediate cause of some particular type of rebirth of deluded persons, but it can not cause any transmigration of a jñānin. A particular disposition of mind, created by the psychic situa- tion of a person at the last moment of his life, carries him to rebirth in some particular species where he can satisfy his parti- cular flair for the taste of objective experiences. A person who realizes his nature of purity, divinity, perfectness etc. does not become a victim to any such mental disposition. He is not there- fore driven to rebirth in any abode or any species. येऽपि तदात्मत्वेन विदुः पशुपक्षिसरीसृपादयः स्वगतिम् । तेऽपि पुरातनसम्बोधसंस्कृतास्तां गतिं यान्ति ॥ ९१ ॥ 91. Ye'pi tadātmatvena viduḥ paśu-pakṣi-sarīsṛpādayaḥ svagatim Te'pi purātana-sambodha-saṁskṛtas- tāṁ gatiṁ yānti. Even such lower animals as beasts, birds, snakes etc. who, having deep impression of their previous right knowledge, do visualize their future spiritual evolution and go on moving towards that. Some times even some spiritually elevated beings are born as lower animals on account of some curse etc. They do not often forget their previous position and, visualizing it at the time of death, they build a suitable career and do finally attain spiritual evolution. स्वर्गमयो निरयमयस्तदयं देहान्तरालगः पुरुषः । तद्भङ्गे स्वौचित्याद् देहान्तरयोगमभ्येति ॥ ९२ ॥ 92. Svarga-mayo niraya-mayas- tadayaṁ dehāntarāla-gaḥ puruṣaḥ Tad-bhaṅge svaucityād dehāntara-yogamabhyeti.