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

In Mālinīvijaya it is known as Piṇḍastha, for the yogin taking his stand on dharā and others as the base, is able to identify himself with them. But to the jñānin who are well- developed in meditation it is known as Sarvatobhadra, for to him the jāgrat state is one which fully pervades the objects of experience (āpūrṇaṁ sarvato Vedya Sattayā). Techni- cally the waking state is known as the object of experience (prameya) or adhiṣṭheya, the base, while dream is known pramāṇa or adhiṣṭhāna and adhiṣṭhātā or the subject is the Premātā in suṣupti. All the states have subdivisous of their own. The are known as (1) jāgrat-jāgrat, jāgrat svapna, jāgrat suṣupti and jāgrat turya. (2) Svapna-jāgrat, svapna svapna, svapna suṣupti, Svapna turya, (3) Suṣupti jāgrat, suṣupti-svapna, suṣupti suṣupti, Suṣupti turya. Jāgrat again is known to have four portions. The object that is experienced is abuddha insentient and the instrument of experience is called buddha and the right knowledge that is born out of the instrumentality is known as prabuddha and suprabuddha. Of the two prabuddha is of the nature of buddhi, while Suprabuddha is free from the impurities of the object of experience and therefore is of the characteristic of resting in the self. The following chart may be of some help for the understanding of the scheme: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Prameya | Pramāṇa | Pramātā | Pramiti Jāgrat | Svapna | Suṣupti | Turya Piṇḍastha | Padastha | Rūpastha | Rūpātīta Sarvatobhadra | Vyāpti | Mahāvyāpti | Pracaya —T U R Ā T Ī T A— M A H Ā P R A C A Y A—

xxxxvi Piṇḍastha may be explained thus. It is that which abides in the body. The abode of all the adhvās is the vital energy and saṁkalpa. Everything lies in the vital energy and saṁkalpa, hence it is known as abiding there, there- fore it is known as padastha. Rūpayati, is the one that gives forms to respective objects and then withdraws them into the self which is none other than the ātman where they stay as identical with it. This identification and the merger is known as rūpastha. But the form which is beyond all these is called rūpātīta. To the jñānin svapna though by nature vaikalpika, yet it is considered to be vyāpti, for his jñāna is then free from external conditions and he is the active agent in changing and arranging the order of thoughts. In the state of deep sleep the jñānin feels freedom from limitations, therefore it is considered as mahāvyāpti. While in the turya state the jñānin sees the universe collected together like an āmalaka fruit in the palm of his hand, therefore the name is pracaya. Jāgrat is the state which a sakala soul enjoys, while svapna is enjoyed by Pralayākala and suṣupti by viñānākala. In the turya level Mantra, Mantramaheśvara have their abode. But in the turyātīta state all the being whether they are prame- yas and pramātāras become one with Śiva-Śakti and shine non-differently with it. The fifteen aspects as mentioned above are also observed in five states known as jāgrat etc, thus: ( 1 ) From dharā to Prakṛti (a) Svarūpa-sakala-Śakti Jāgrat (b) Pralayākala svapna (c) Vijñānākala suṣupti (d) Mantra and others turya (e) Śiva Śakti turīyātīta

xxxxvii ( 2 ) From Puruṣa to-Māyā (a) Sakala Jāgrat (b) Pralayākala svapna (c) Vijñānākala suṣupti (d) Mantra and others turya (e) Śiva-Śakti turīyātīta ( 3 ) Māyā (a) Pralayākala Jāgrat (b) Vijñānākala svapna (c) Mantra suṣupti (d) Mantreśvara Mantramahesvara turya (e) Śiva-śakati turīyatīta ( 4 ) Above Māyā (a) Vijñānākala Jāgrat (b) Mantra svapna (c) Mantreśvara suṣupti (d) Mantra maheśvara turya (e) Śiva śakti turyātīta ( 5 ) Śuddhavidyā (a) Mantra Jāgrat (b) Mantreśvara svapna (c) Mantramheśvara suṣupti (d) Śakti turya (e) Śiva turīyātīta ( 6 ) Īśvara (a) Mantreśa jāgrat (b) Mantramaheśa śakti svapna (c) Mantramāheśa suṣupti (d) Śakti turya (e) Śiva turīyātīta

xxxxviii ( 7 ) Sadāśiva (a) Mantramaheśa Jāgrat (b) Kriyā śakti svapna (c) jñānaśakti Suṣupti (d) icchā śakti turya (e) śiva turīyātīta ( 8 ) undifferentiated śtage (a) Kriyā jāgrat (b) Jñāna svapna (c) Icchā suṣupti (d) Ānanda turya (e) Cit turīyātīta X Chapter ten begins with the description of kalā with its general feature. As in bhuvanas that which abides as a common link among them, is known as tattva, similarly that which runs along the class of tattvas as common, is called kalā. The number of kalā is four, viz, nivṛtti, prati- ṣṭhā, Vidyā and śāntā. Four aṇḍas viz, Pārthiva, Prākṛta, Māyīya and Śākta are made of these kalās. Nivṛtti operates in Pṛthvī tattva, pratiṣṭhā from jala to Prakṛti, Vidyā from above Prakṛti to Māyā, from above Māyā śāntā is abiding. Though Śiva is considered to be beyond kalā, for He is niṣkala, yet for the purpose of medi- tation, He is said to be possessed of a kalā named Śāntyatīta. Aṇḍa is a kind of covering ( āvaraṇa ) which exists upto aśkti but though there is the existence of bhuvanas even under Śiva tattva, they are said to be of the form of the void and therfore do not serve as a covering. XI The present chapter discusses Śaktipāta, but before giving a detailed account of it, it deals with the questions how the

xxxxix full of grace occurs in a particular individual. The question has been dealt in detail in our translation of the text and other related doubts have been removed by the notes added to it. The author presents three views regarding Śaktipāta. They are as follows : (1) Bondage or saṁsāra has ignorance as its root. When the rise of right knowledge occurs the fall of grace also comes into being. This view has been refuted by the author first. (ii) The second view is known as karmasāmya that is the balance of two opposing Karmas. When this occurs, Śaktipāta is sure to take place. The author does not accept the above view, (iii) The third view is that of the ripening of mala ( malaparipāka ). All these views may be acceptible to the dualists, but according to the non-dual system known as Parameśvarādva- yavāda, they are not tenable, for according to this system the Great Lord in His play of veiling His nature, assumes the limited nature of pudgala. When the concealment of the pure nature disappears, the aṇu becomes the recipient of Śaktipāta and is able to attain the proximity of svarūpa either by following a sequence or immediately. The Great Lord is in essence free and it is He who is the agent of causing Śaktipāta. therefore it does not depend on any- thing to look for ( nirapekṣa ) that is, it has nothing to depend on. The person who is eager to have some bhoga also attains Śaktipāta, but the bhoga to be effected some deeds are to be performed. The person who has the desire for bhoga and mokṣa both, should have some karma for them. It has been stated in Tantrāloka १ that Śaktipāta is in esse- nce the descent of the highest light on the limited soul. It is १. तं० आ० १३.२५४-२५५। 4

1 free from all limitations and is of the characteristic of pure consciousness ( Samvidaikasvabhāva ). But Śaktipāta of a little lower nature than the former, though shines in its full- ness of consciousness ( paripūrṇacidātmatayā ), is conditioned with the limitations of bhoga. It should be remembered in this context that Śaktipāta is really of the nature of icchā of the Lord. It is He who by His freedom of will manifests all the subjects and objects. This is his activity of concealment known as tirodhāna, on account of which bondage and the objects to be enjoyed shine before the view of the subject. Thus He binds Himself by the deeds supposed by Him. Then He removes all the bonds away and finally shines in the fullness of dṛk and kriyā. His play of freedom is such that though He assumes the limited forms, yet on His return journey He shines in His pristine pure nature.¹ Kṛpā or grace is known to be of two types, the one is parā, the highest and the other is aparā. The highest kind of Śaktipāta is bestowed only by the Lord Himself, but the lower kind of grace is bestowed by the superintending lords of the domain over which they have their control. The Śakt- ipāta as bestowed by them does not lead the soul to attain Śiva-nature, hence it is inferior from the one which follows from the Lord Himself. The grace, it should be kept in mind, is manda, less keen and tīvra, exceedingly keen. When it is manda, it gives birth to the soul the right judgment of disti- nction between Pakṛti and Puruṣa, as a result the soul does not go any farther below prakṛti. But when it is keen, the soul by its merit is able to discriminate his own being from Kalā १. यदणुरूपोऽपि सन्नसौ प्रत्यावृत्त्या रूपं स्वयं परिशुद्धं स्पृशति । तं० आ० विवेक १३.१०५

li and as a result becomes one of the vijñānākala souls. He even arises to the level of mantra when the lord wills it so.¹ After Śaktipāta the author explains the nature of tirobhāva. It is one of of the five functions ( pañcakṛtya ) of the Lord. Tirobhāva is of two types : the one is niyatikrama when the Lord is seen as the ordainer of law and the bestower of fruit in accordance to the merit and demerit of the soul. Here He ta- kes recourse to niyati and therefore the functions of creation, maintenance and dissolution follow from Him. But above Māyāṇḍa, that is, at the level of Śakti which is beyond the sphere of karma, there continues creation of immense nature, It is done by Aghora. This creation is known as mahāsṛṣṭi. Similarly pralaya of greater nature, that is, the highest diss- olution is also performed at this stage. Creation and dissolu- tion of this nature are performed by the Lord without taking recourse to niyati, but those which are performed from Māyā downward are done by him by taking recourse to niyati. Therefore at that stage He though in essence is ever prabu- ddha, the enlightened one behaves in the worldly level as an unlightened one. XII In the present chapter the author gives the preliminaries of initiation. The question as to the necessity of dīkṣā or initi- ation being asked the author states that dīkṣā only is the means to lead the soul to enjoy bhoga and finally helps to attain liberation. Primarily dīkṣā sanctifies the soul and pro- duces in it competency for receiving jñāna, yoga and others, for without dīkṣā the highest prerogative of following the course along Śāṅkara yoga cannot be possible. Therefore dīkṣā is considered to be the preliminary step to the series 1 T, A 13/275

lii viz, saṁskāra, the tight to yoga, perfection in yoga and finally liberation, or in another way initiation, Saṁskāra, perfection in mantra, worldly and other worldly bhoga and finally liberation. It should be remembered that the highest kind of know- ledge is obtained from holy texts. One who is uninitiated is not considered to be the right person to receive Śāstra, therefore dīkṣā is essential. But those who have received the highest kind of grace and thus earned worthiness do not require any formal dīkṣā, for the innate knowledge serves as dīkṣā for them. But to those who are unable to follow the path of knowledge easier path is recommended. It is predominantly of ritualistic nature. Snāna, bathing, is the preliminary step to dīkṣā. Gene- rally bathing cleanses impurities of the body, but esoterically it helps one to get absorption in Parameśvara. Ordinarily bathing is performed with water but according to this system it is a little bit different. One who goes to take a bath should think of the presence of Śiva in eight forms. By uttering a mantra one should perform one's bath with eight prescribed objecsst. Bathing is of two types, external and internal. The former is done by earth, water and the sacred ashes etc, but the internal is preformed by one's concentration ( dhāraṇā ) in various locations of the body. The object with which one performs one's bath is charged with a mantra and thus helps the body to become steady, well- refreshed and removed of impurities. XIII The author describes in this chapter about the procedure of worship to be performed in the hill-top, river bank and

liii other holy spots. Though those places are considered au- spicious yet they are really external and be of help for att- aining Siddhis, whereas the internal pīṭhas are of much help, for by fixing the vital energy in different locations of the body one is able to attain liberation. Just as there are a good number of holy spots outside, similarly they have their locations inside the human body, They are generally known as Pīṭha, upapīṭha, sandohaka, kṣetra, upakṣetra. Pīṭhas are three, namely, (a) Kāmarūpa, Pūrṇagiri and uḍḍiyāna. Kāmarūpa is of the form of icchā, the other two are of the nature of nāda and bindu respectively and have their locations at the right and left side of the body. The following chart shows them clearly : (b) Upapīṭha : 3 (c) Sandohaka : 3.

1. Devīkoṭṭa : Śākta 1. Puṇḍravardhana : Lalanā
2. Ujjayinī : Bindu 2. Vārendra : Vaindava
3. Kulagiri : Vyāpinī 2. Ekāmra : Vyāpti (d) Kṣetra : They are the petals of the heart lotus
4. Prayāga 2. Varaṇā 3. Aṭṭahāsa 4. Jayantikā
5. Vārāṇasī 6. Kaliṅga 7. Kulūtā 8. Lāhulā (e) upakṣetra : 8 The eight tips of the lotus.
6. virajā 2. Eruḍikā 3. Hālā 4. Elāpū
7. Kṣīrikā 6. Rājapurī 7. Māyāpurī 8. Marudeśa (f) Upasandohaka : 8 The meeting point of petals.
8. Jālandhara 2. Naipāla 3. Kaśmīra 4. Gargikā
9. Hara 6. Mlecchadigdvāravṛtti 7. Kurukṣetra 8. Kheṭaka Though places that are external are of no help for attaining release, yet they are acceptible, for deities who are well-versed in jñāna and yoga are born there and have sanctfied the place. Moreover, by their stay in those places devoted people may become recipient of jñāna and yoga.

Lv Really speaking, the author states that such places are to be selected for rituals as bestow satisfaction of the heart ( hṛdambhojam vikāsam pratipa dyate. ) For the purpose of worship one should with pure heart stand outside the place of the rituals and perform nyāsa either with mātṛkā or mālinī or both. The nyāsa of mātṛkā is performed in the following way. Lalāṭa — a right shoulder — K Vaktra — ā eyes — i / ī forearm — Kh hand g ears —u/ū finger — gh nails — ṅ nostrils — ṛ/ṝ. Left shoulder — c Cheeks — ḷ/ḹ. „ arm — ch teeth — e/ai „ hand — j „ fingers — jh „ nails — ñ lip upper — o Right hip — ṭ lip lower — au thigh — ṭh top of the head — am foot — ḍ tip of the tongue— aḥ finger — ḍh nails — ṇ Left hip — t Right and left thing — th arm pit — p/ph foot — d back — b finger— dh belly — bh nails — n heart — m tvak — y asthi — ś rakta — r vasā — ṣ mānsa — l sūkra — s majjā — v prāṇakośa — h

lv Mālinī are as follows : n ṛ ṝ ḷ ḹ th c dh ī ṇ u ū v k kh g gh ṅ i a b bh y ḍ ḍh ṭh jh ñ j r ṭ p ch l ā s aḥ h ṣ kṣ m ś am t e ai o au d ph. The precedure af nyāsa with mālinī is quíte different from mātṛkā nyāsa. Nyāsa is performed in the fingers first which is followed by nyāsa in the body. Mālinī and mātṛkā both are Śiva and Śakti by nature. Bhairava contains the mass of words inseparably within. She is Śakti Herself who like a mother will give birth to the future creation. Therefore she is called Mātṛkā, the Mother. While Mālinī like a garland is put on by the Rudras by which they bestow enjoyment and liberation to devotees. To derive mālā the author says that mā represents saṁhāra that is, withdrawal and rā means granting. As rā and lā are identical, hence lā means to receive. In order to bring forth the Śākta body in the worshipper nyāsa should be performed. It is also done in the arghapātra. The acārya then purifies all the articles of worship with a few drops of water from the arghapātra. After worshipping the external deities outside the door the ācārya enters within and watches the interior with the look of the Lord. If the disciple is desirous of release, the acārya sits facing the north, if otherwise he sits facing the east. The highest light of Consciousness is the middle from which other directions proceed. As the Lord manifests the respec- tive distinctions of directions, so is the Sun. It is the sun which represents Lordś jñānaśakti. While deciding directions one should think of the unity of the three, namely, the self, the sun and the Lord as coalesced into one. It is followed by the procedure of burning of the physical and the subtle bodies, by giving up of I - consciousness in

lvi them. It is not actually burning. Afterwards whatever remains as ashes are nothing but the residual trace of the former bodies. They are blown away by means of varma = hum representing the wind. Then the ācārya should remain steady in the state of pure consciousness. It is like a tranquil sea from where the creative saṃvid begins to break into waves. The first creative impulse of saṃvit causes the pure body to get its rise. This newly born body is characterised by unlimited power of Bhairava. This body is really the supreme form ( parāmūrti ) of the Lord and is characterised by the mantra 'om ham.' Various other nyāsas are performed so that all the tattvas may get their rise there. All the śaktis as associated with nine principles are to be worshipped. Then follows the sixfold nyāsa. There are five states, namely, jāgrat, svapna, suṣupti, turya and turīyātīta, but anuttara is beyond all which is. Śvabhāvadaśā. These states have Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra Īśvara, Sadāśiva and Śiva as their Lords. They are associated with and the real cause ( kāraṇa ṣaṭka ) of thirty six tattvas. When nyāsa is thus performed in the body, the entire uni- verse becomes one with it from which pure creation begins to manifest. Mūrtinyāsa and others are performed only for the purpose of attaining non-duality. It may be asked that after the burning of the body when one has attained steadiness in tranquil Śiva, is there any use of further nyāsas ? To this question the author states that Śiva is not a static reality totally separate, transcendent and excluded from all the tattvas ( sarvetarāddhvāvyāvṛtta ) but

lvii the great light of consciousness which shines in multifarious forms, is really His Śivahood (Śivatā)¹ After consecrating the body the worshipper then per- forms Śūlābjanyāsa in the vital energy. One should think of the earth, the water, the fire and the wind above ādhāraśakti which is situated four digits below the navel. One digit each is occupied by the earth and the others. Kanda is supposed to be like a boat to help crossing the ocean. The air is functioning there and the sky is lying within them. Then the worshipper thinks of a staff named Ananta going upto lambikā, the aperture below the palate (tālurandhra). It contains all the tanmātrās and others. It terminates in kalā. Above it there is the knot of māyā where four legs of the Siṁhāsana in the forms of the lion stand. Dharma, jñāna, Vairāgya and aiśvarya have taken these forms, whereas adharma, ajñāna, avairāgya and anaiśvarya are the joining planks. They occupy south-east, south-west, north-west and north-east respectively, adharma and others occupy the east, the south, the west and the north. Above māyā and below the trident the siṁhāsana is covered with two sheets of cloth---the lower one represents māyā for veiling the real nature and the upper one is for the purpose of covering māyā itself. The worshipper then medi- tates on the vidyā Kamala, that is Śuddhavidyā as a white lotus. Its petals are oceupied by Śaktis known as vāmā and others which Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra representing creation, maintenance and dissolution, meya, māna and mātṛ superin- tending on three maṇḍalas one above the other from lambikā onward. Above Rudra Īśvara is located and further above Sadāśiva is lying, like a corpse, but he is everawake and is of

1. T. 15.265

lviii the nature of reflecting nāda. From his navel three lotuses consisting of three pronged trident piercing three apertures of his head, have grown. It is the nature of nādānta and lumi- nous by the three, namely, Śakti, Vyāpinī and samanā Śaktis. Above them there is the aunmanasa lotus where one should meditate on Her as having made all the tattvas as Her seat. Offering of the entire universe is Her worship. Dhyāna, japa and others are performed internally. It is followed by external rituals. If the disciple is desi- rous of getting initiation, he is then given adhivāsana. This is performed in order to make him worthy to receive various saṁskāras and to cause the deity to become intent on him. Then the author gives in details how adhivāsana is per- formed. It is to be noted here that both guru and śiṣya pass the night in the place of adhivāsana. If the Śiṣya sees any inauspicious dream, he reports it to the teacher the next morning. The teacher then gets them allayed by some rituals. Then the teacher worships the Lord. When it is complete the teacher enters inside the body of the disciple by the outlet of prāṇa in order to come in contact with six presiding deities located in six centres. Then meditating on forty eight Saṁskāras they are performed in the body of the newly born child ( disciple ) by its contact with Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Īśvara, Sadāśiva and Śiva placed in hṛdaya, kaṇṭha tālu, bhrūmadhya, lalāṭa, and brahmarandhra. Eight purifica- tory rites are meditated upon differently in six centres each. Thus the number becomes complete and as a result he becomes dvija. Then causing the prāṇa of the disciple to take rest in the respective places for a while the teacher comes out and gives him the mantra along with flowers.

lix Then he tells him the code of conduct (samaya) which he should have to follow so long he lives. XIV The procedure of initiation called putraka is described in the present chapter. On the third day after adhivāsa a diagram consisting of the trident with lotus are drawn on the gronnd. All the rituals are performed in it. But those which are called external retinues and the deities at the door, are worshipped outside. Then before the maṇḍala from north-east to southeast the deities named gaṇeśa, guru, paramagurus, parmeṣṭhigurus, the previous teachers, yoginīs, Vāgīśvarī and kṣetrapālas are worshipped. After receiving their permission the teacher worships all the adhvās in the trident. In the middle- most trident on the middle prong (arā) Śrīparā along the with Bhairavanātha, on the left Śrīaparā, on the right Śrīparāparā are worshipped. On the trident to the right Śrīparāparā to be placed in the middle, while on the trident to the left Śrīaparā is placed in the middle. Bhagavatī is the supreme goddess. On account of Her presence every- where all activities become perfect, therefore all the rituals should be performed in the middlemost prong of the middle trident. Then the ācārya meditates on the unification of the jar (kumbha), Kalaśa, maṇḍala agni and the self as one. He thinks that all pervading aham is staying everywhere. This is performed by the method known as mantranāḍī prayoga. He sees to it that all the articles for the ritual are colle- ted not in a miserly way (vittaśāṭhyavivarjita). If the person is poor mahāmaṇḍalayāga is not recom- mended.

Ix Then the author describes paśuhoma. When it is comp- lete the teacher brings the disciple in front of him and per- forms all the adhvanyāsa in his body, purifies his inauspi- cious deeds provided he is desirous of bhoga, if he desires mokṣa both auspicious and inauspicious deeds are purified. Then the teacher reflecting on the chief mantra purifies all the adhvās abiding in his body meditating on the non-dual nature of Śiva. After attaining oneness of consciousness abiding in his body from the toe to the top of the head with the conscious- ness of the body of the disciple, the teacher takes rest along with the disciple in the ocean of bliss which is the wealth of freedom in essence. He merges along with him into the Lord resplendent with icchā, jñāna and kriyā. Thus the dis- ciple becomes non-different from the Lord. If he is desirous of bhoga the teacher unites him with that particular principle. After that the teacher bestows on him a pure body for performing deeds in the mundane life. XV This chapter contains description of initiation which is given to a dying person. The recipient of such a dīkṣā is a person who has been suffering from an incurable disease. The teacher after making nyāsa of all the adhvās in him and purifying them one after another, he makes a nyāsa called marmakartanī by which he severs all the delicate joints and brings his consciousness to brahmarandhra. Then for the purpose of unification ( yojana ) offers the final oblation into the fire. Thus the disciple becomes one with Paramaśiva· XVI The author describes the method of initiation that is

lxi given to those who are dead and who are not present during the procedure, For the purpose of bestowing it to the departed soul the teacher brings him near by a device which is known as mahājālaprayoga. To the person who is absent this procedure is not followed. XVII This chapter gives the procedure known as liṅgoddhāra. It simply means rescuing a person from a fallen state. It is performed for him who has gone away from the right track either by receiving initiation from persons belongng to other systems, like Vaiṣṇava, Bauddha and other lower Śaiva schools. When the teacher is convinced that Śaktipāta has definitely occurred in him, only then he gives him initiation. According to the author the Trika is the excellent system, for all the other śāstras as preached by Kapila and others lead the seeker to attain release from prakṛti. but it does not help him to attain release from Māyā. On the otherhand Śaivāgamas as expounded by Trika leads everybody to the ultimate end immediately. XVIII The method of abhiṣeka is described in this chapter. Abhi- 'ṣeka is given both to putraka and acārya type of disciples provided they have received sabīja form of initiation. The term sabīja means with seed, but it really signifies that this form of initiation is given to those who are competent eno- ugh to follow certain strict rules of conduct during their life time. But nirbīja form of initiation is given to old and decr- epit persons who are less assiduous and therefore unable to follow strict codes of conduct as enjoined by the holy text. Abhiṣeka is restrictive in the sense that everybody is not considered competent of receiving it, particularly acāryābhi-

lxii ṣeka is given only to those who after receiving initiation have attained proficiency in Āgamic knowledge, have restraint over his body, mind and speech, follow the duties as enjoined by the scripture, are proficient in arranging the adhvās in their respective order (adhvānusandhāna, ) have gained per- fection in the highest knowledge by listening to it from their teacher, continue mental exertion for retaining it followed by the meditative thought terminating in identity with it (śruta, cintā and bhāvanā). The author categorically states that after receiving abhiṣeka only the one who has really attained perfection in the highest knowledge is worthy of bestowing grace to others. XIX The funeral sacrifice is the final rite for every human being. Initiation is given during that period only to those who though belonged to the highest Śaiva order, yet on acc- ount of some unknown factor have lost the tradition and expired without performing expiatory rites before their death. Such a person is given initiation when the body is placed on the funeral pyre. For the purpose of rescuing the deceased all the rituals are performed in the body. The final offering into the fire (pūrṇāhuti) is performed by burning the body. In order to convince the ignorant people the person who initiates causes the body of the dead to shake. He does this by means of kriyā, jñāna and yoga, though it is not necessary for the release of the soul. If the deceased person cannot be given initiation even during the burning of the corpse, he may be given initiation during his Śrāddhā rite. The teacher takes a ball of rice in his hand and meditates it to be the form of the energising Śakti

lxiii by which the soul of the dead is possessed, The food is con- sidered as the portion of animality of the soul and is really the thing to be enjoyed. Both the bhogya and bhogyaśakti when become unified by the meditation of the ācārya it becomes fit to be offered to the supreme Enjoyer, the Lord. Thus leaving the animal portion behind, the essence of the bhogya, the bhogyaśakti along with the self are offered in the supreme Bhoktā, the Lord. In this way the soul becomes identical with Him. It should be remembered that the final proceeding is preceded by homa and other rituals. The author raises a relevant question whether for the tattvajñānin Śrāddha and other rituals are necessary or not. To this question he answers that when by the light of true knowledge darkness from the enlightened one has totally been removed there is no need of the final ritual like antyeṣṭi Śrāddha and others,¹ But to the people who had been closely associated with the departed one, the day of his unification with the Supreme is observed as a day of parva, for it is the day which causes fullness of consciousness in him ( parvāhapūrṇāt ). XX The present section discusses the occupation of the dis- ciple. This is known as śeṣavartana : the duties that should be carried out till the end of his life. Duties are of three kinds : nitya ( obligatory ) naimittika ( occasional ) and kāmya that is performed for the fulfilment of some desire. The nitya procedure is given thus : One should get up early in the morning and call to mind one's desired deity first. After completing his essential deeds like washing etc and

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lxiv cleansing himself he should take his seat facing the north, He then purifies his body, the place where he sits and the mind. Then he makes a nyāsa in its respective places with the mantra. It is followed by the show of mudrā. Then he performs dhyāna in two ways, keeping duality first and then in dual-nondual way. The worship of the deity is performed in the body, then in prāṇa, in the intellect and finally in the Vyomā ( void ). Everything is performed mentally. It is followed by japa and finally it is offered to the deity. All these are performed everyday in every sandhyā for the pur- pose of getting identification with the deity. Four sandhyās have been mentioned in chapter six. According to the author that by means of meditation during the sandhyā endless absorption ( anantatanmayībhāva ) in the Supreme comes about which in its turn gives birth to a lasting impression, with the result that all the time becomes identical with it. The worshipper should worship his deity in the sthaṇḍila. He should view it as a clear sky with the characteristic of consciousness where all the deities are shining as reflected therein. Viewing the bare open ground really signifies āvāhana ( invocation ). This practice ensures the disciple to have his identity with the desired deity and the highest mantra. Though invocation of the Lord who is all-pervading, is not possible, yet it is only the desire (vāsanā) which is invoked and drawn within. Really speaking the great Lord has neither invocation nor withdrawal ( nāvāhana visarjane ), The person who is totally absorbed in the highest mantra in the way as stated above, becomes free from the stains of animal proclivity and finally is able to put an end to all the bonds by the blow of bhakti. After that whatever remains is the most agreeable object for the worshipper.