तन्त्रसार (महामाहेश्वर अभिनवगुप्त - तन्त्रालोक का प्रामाणिक सार-संग्रह सटीक)

vii 12. Īśvara Pratya bhijñā vivṛiti vimarśinī. 13. Īśvara Pratyabhijñā vimārśinī. 14. Paryanta Pañcāśśikā. 15. Ghaṭakarpara kulaka vivṛiti. Abhinavagupta was not only an eminent scholar and Saiva teacher, but he possessed profound knowledge in matters related to Kashmir Saivism. Other than his works on Kashmir Saivism, Abhinavabhāratī, a unique commentary on Bharatanāṭyaśūtra and Locana, on Dhanyāloka made him an undisputed authority on rhetoric and aesthetics. He, as is current among scholars of Kashmir valley, was Bhairava in the human form. His frank statement shows that before writing anything he always took resort to the thought abiding in his heart, the resting place ( Viśrānti sthānam ) of all. It is none other than Samvit Herself. In the introductory portion of Tantrāloka he writes that by his repeated resort to the dispeller of bondage he has become bright with knowledge ( bhodhojjvala ), after which he wrote Tantrāloka. This shows that when he realised his identity with Siva, he enjoyed the play of senses as the rays of pure consciousness, or in other words, the senses which are gene- rally externally inclined, had at that time given up externality and become introvert, with the result that they failed to create limited knowledge, but on the otherhand, helped nourishment of self awareness. When emergence of pratibhā, that is, when full I-Consci- ousness occurs in a person by a sudden flash it never wanes, for it is everlasting ( Sakṛtvibhāto'yamātmā ). It is the very nature of Siva, the Bhiarava. With its emergence, it puts a stop to bondage. Such a person is called sāmsiddhikaguru that is, the flow of pure knowledge runs through his being