Kashmir Saivism

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Kashmiri Overseas Association

 

Kashmir Shaivism

 

Kashmir Saivism, with its potent stress on man's recognition of an

already existing oneness with Siva, is the most single-mindedly

monistic of the six schools. It arose in the ninth century in Northern

India, then a tapestry of small feudal kingdoms. Maharajas patronized

the various religions. Buddhism was still strong. Tantric Shaktism

flourished toward the Northeast. Saivism had experienced a renaissance

since the sixth century, and the most widespread Hindu God was Siva.

 

According to the traditions of Kashmir Saivism, Lord Siva

originally set forth sixty-four systems, or philosophies, some

monistic, some dualistic and some monistic theistic. Eventually these

were lost, and Siva commanded Sage Durvasas to revive the knowledge.

Sage Durvasas' " mind-born sons " were assigned to teach the

philosophies: Tryambaka (the monistic), Amardaka (the dualistic) and

Shrinatha (monistic theistic). Thus, Tryambaka at an unknown time laid

a new foundation for Kashmir Saiva philosophy.

 

Then, it is said, Lord Siva Himself felt the need to resolve

conflicting interpretations of the Agamas and counter the encroachment

of dualism on the ancient monistic doctrines. In the early 800s, Shri

Vasugupta was living on Mahadeva Mountain near Srinagar. Tradition

states that one night Lord Siva appeared to him in a dream and told

him of the whereabouts of a great scripture carved in rock. Upon

awakening, Vasugupta rushed to the spot and found seventy-seven terse

sutras etched in stone, which he named the Siva Sutras. Vasugupta

expounded the Sutras to his followers, and gradually the philosophy

spread. On this scriptural foundation arose the school known as

Kashmir Saivism, Northern Saivism, Pratyabhijna Darshana ( " recognition

school " ), or Trikashasana ( " Trika system " ). Trika, " three, " refers to

the school's three-fold treatment of the Divine: Siva, Shakti and

soul, as well as to three sets of scriptures and a number of other triads.

 

Kashmir Saivite literature is in three broad divisions: Agama

Shastra, Spanda Shastra and Pratyabhijna Shastra. Agama Shastra

includes works of divine origin: specifically the Saiva Agama

literature, but also including Vasugupta's Siva Sutras. The Spanda

Shastra, or Spanda Karikas (of which only two sutras are left), are

both attributed to Vasugupta's disciple Kallata (ca 850-900). These

elaborate the principles of the Siva Sutras. The Pratyabhijna

Shastra's principle components are the Siva Drishti by Vasugupta's

disciple, Somananda, and the Pratyabhijna Sutras by Somananda's pupil,

Utpaladeva (ca 900-950). Abhinavagupta (ca 950-1000) wrote some forty

works, including Tantraloka, " Light on Tantra, " a comprehensive text

on Agamic Saiva philosophy and ritual. It was Abhinavagupta whose

brilliant and encyclopedic works established Kashmir Saivism as an

important philosophical school.

 

Kashmir Saivism provides an extremely rich and detailed

understanding of the human psyche, and a clear and distinct path of

kundalini-siddha yoga to the goal of Self Realization. In its history

the tradition produced numerous siddhas, adepts of remarkable insight

and power. It is said that Abhinavagupta, after completing his last

work on the Pratyabhijna system, entered the Bhairava cave near Mangam

with 1,200 disciples, and he and they were never seen again.

 

Kashmir Saivism is intensely monistic. It does not deny the

existence of a personal God or of the Gods. But much more emphasis is

put upon the personal meditation and reflection of the devotee and his

guidance by a guru. Creation of the soul and world is explained as God

Siva's abhasa, " shining forth " of Himself in His dynamic aspect of

Shakti, the first impulse, called spanda. As the Self of all, Siva is

immanent and transcendent, and performs through his Shakti the five

actions of creation, preservation, destruction, revealing and

concealing. The Kashmir Saivite is not so much concerned with

worshiping a personal God as he is with attaining the transcendental

state of Siva consciousness.

 

An esoteric and contemplative path, Kashmir Saivism embraces both

knowledge and devotion. Sadhana leads to the assimilation of the

object (world) in the subject (I) until the Self (Siva) stands

revealed as one with the universe. The goal-liberation-is sustained

recognition (pratyabhijna) of one's true Self as nothing but Siva.

There is no merger of soul in God, as they are eternally nondifferent.

 

There are three upayas, stages of attainment of God consciousness.

These are not sequential, but do depend upon the evolution of the

devotee. The first stage is anavopaya, which corresponds to the usual

system of worship, yogic effort and purification through breath

control. The second stage is shaktopaya, maintaining a constant

awareness of Siva through discrimination in one's thoughts. The third

stage is shambhavopaya in which one attains instantly to God

consciousness simply upon being told by the guru that the essential

Self is Siva. There is a forth stage, anupaya, " no means, " which is

the mature soul's recognition that there is nothing to be done,

reached for or accomplished except to reside in one's own being, which

is already of the nature of Siva. Realization relies upon the satguru,

whose grace is the blossoming of all sadhana.

 

Despite many renowned gurus, geographic isolation in the Kashmir

Valley and later Muslim domination kept the following relatively

small. Scholars have recently brought the scriptures to light again,

republishing surviving texts. The original parampara was represented

in recent times by Swami Lakshman Joo. Today various organizations

promulgate the esoteric teachings to some extent worldwide. While the

number of Kashmir Saivite formal followers is uncertain, the school

remains an important influence in India. Many Kashmir Saivites have

fled the presently war-torn Valley of Kashmir to settle in Jammu, New

Delhi and elsewhere in North India. This diaspora of devout Saivites

may serve to spread the teachings into new areas.

 

Saivism is not a single, hierarchical system. It is a thousand

traditions, great and small. In the broadest sense Saivism is life

itself. Philosophically it may be understood as six major traditions

with many similarities and a few differences.

 

In the search for peace, enlightenment and Liberation, no path is

more tolerant, more mysticaL, more widespread or more ancient than

Saivite Hinduism. Through history Saivism has developed a vast array

of lineages and traditions, each with unique

philosophic-cultural-linguistic characteristics, as it dominated India

prior to 1100 from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka, from the Bay of Bengal

to the Arabian Sea. Here we seek to present the essential features of

six major traditions identifiable within the ongoing Saiva con Saiva

Siddhanta, Pashupata Saivism, Kashmir Saivism, Vira Saivism, Siva

Advaita and Siddha Siddhanta.

 

It should be understood that this formal and somewhat intellectual

division, however useful, is by no means a comprehensive description

of Saivism, nor is it the only possible list. In practice, Saivism is

far more rich and varied than these divisions imply. Our discussion of

these six schools and their related traditions is based upon

historical information. There are wide gaps in the record, but we do

know that at each point where the veil of history lifts, the worship

of Siva is there.

 

The Saiva Agamas form the foundation and circumference of all the

schools of Saivism. The system of philosophy set forth in the Agamas

is common to a remarkable degree among all these schools of thought.

These Agamas are theistic, that is, they all identify Siva as the

Supreme Lord, immanent and transcendent, capable of accepting worship

as the personal Lord and of being realized through yoga. This above

all else is the connecting strand through all the schools.

 

Philosophically, the Agamic tradition includes the following

principle doctrines: 1) the five powers of Siva: creation,

preservation, destruction, revealing and concealing grace; 2) The

three categories, Pati, pashu and pasha-God, souls and bonds; 3) the

three bonds: anava, karma and maya; 4) the three-fold power of

Siva-iccha, kriya and jnana shakti; 5) the thirty-six tattvas, or

categories of existence, from the five elements to God; 6) the need

for the satguru and initiation; 7) the power of mantra; 8) the four

padas: charya, kriya, yoga and jnana.

 

As we explore the individual schools and lineages within Saivism,

keep in mind that all adhere to these doctrines. Our discussion

necessarily focuses on the differences between one school and another,

but this is not meant to obscure the overwhelming similarity of belief

and practice among them.

 

Agamic philosophy and practices are conveyed to the common man

through other channels, one of which is the Saiva Puranas. These oral

collections of stories about the Gods are interspersed with Agamic

philosophy.

 

A second channel is the Saivite temple itself, for the

construction of the temples and the performance of the rituals are all

set forth in the Agamas-in fact it is one of their main subjects. The

priests follow manuals called paddhati, which are summaries of the

instructions for worship contained in the Saiva Agamas, specifically

the shodasha upacharas, or sixteen acts of puja worship, such as

offering of food, incense and water. A third channel is the songs and

bhajanas of the sants, which in their simplicity carry powerful

philosophic import. A fourth is the on-going oral teachings of gurus,

swamis, panditas, shastris, priests and elders.

 

Such matters of agreement belie the fact that Saivism is not a

single, hierarchical system. Rather, it is a thousand traditions,

great and small. Some are orthodox and pious, while others are

iconoclastic and even-like the Kapalikas and the Aghoris-fiercely

ascetic, eccentric or orgiastic. For some, Siva is the powerful,

terrible, awesome destroyer, but for most He is love itself,

compassionate and gentle.

 

For nearly all of the millions of Siva's devotees, Saivism is not,

therefore, a school or philosophy; it is life itself. To them Saivism

means love of Siva, and they simply follow the venerable traditions of

their family and community. These men and women worship in the temples

and mark life's passages by holy sacraments. They go on pilgrimages,

perform daily prayers, meditations and yogic disciplines. They sing

holy hymns, share Puranic folk narratives and recite scriptural verses.

 

Still, it is useful for us all to understand the formal streams of

thought which nurture and sustain our faith. Now, in our brief

description of these six schools, we begin with today's most prominent

form of Saivism, Saiva Siddhanta.

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