Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta

The Kashmiri Shiva Sutras are the pioneering writings of Kashmiri Shaivism. They are the Wise Vasugupta attributed (around 875-925 ), who lived in the 8th century in the vicinity of the mountain Mahadeva in the valley of the river Harvan near Srinagar. According to legend, he received the aphorisms in a dream visit to a Siddha, a semi- divine being. According to another version god Shiva said to have come to him in a dream and have instructed him to a certain rock ( Shankaropala ) to go in he would find engraved the sutras. The Shiva Sutras are therefore considered to be of divine origin and not as a product of the human mind. Historically, the monistic Shiva Sutras and the associated school of Kashmiri Shaivism, a part of the tantric tradition or agamischen. The Tantrikersahen itself. Than independent of the Vedic main current of thought, practice and rules The number 78 had a special meaning in the Vedanta. These sutras are the type of Hindu scriptures known as Agamas, and they are also known as the Shiva Upanishad Samgraha or Shivarahasyagama Samgraha.

Content

The Shiva Sutras contain 78 verses, and are constructed in three sections:

• - Sambhavopaya - Universal Consciousness

• - Saktopaya - The emergence of the innate knowledge

• - Anavopaya - The transformations of the individual

According to the commentator Kshemaraja ( 10th century ), the three parts correspond to the three agents ( upayas ) to achieve the liberation. In Malinivijaya Tantra Abhinavagupta shambhavopaya defined as the upaya ( means ) by which the aspirant receives access to the highest consciousness only by the grace of the Master. He uses neither thought ( dhyana ) is still a mantra or some kind of meditation. Shaktopaya is on his interpretation of the upaya where the aspirant mystical access ( samavesha ) through contemplation of that mental object ( such as ' I'm All- consciousness ' ) are obtained which can not be spoken or recited. Anavopaya is by its definition, the upaya ( means ) where mystical access by focusing on parts of the body, through contemplation ( dhyana ) and recitation with the help of breath ( uccara ) and mantras takes place. In his Tantraloka Abhinavagupta had first shambavopaya as the highest upaya defined and elaborated. Following are descriptions of shaktopaya and anavopaya. There are a number of comments from Vasuguptas contemporaries and successors. The best known are the Kshemerajas Vimarshini (10th century), translated into English Jaideva Singh, and the translation of Swami Lakshman Joo. Furthermore, there's a comment that called Varttika from Baskara ( 11th century ), which was translated into English in 1992 by Mark Dyczkowski. Furthermore, there are several English translations of the Shiva Sutras ( Shankarananda Swami, Swami Lakshmanjoo, SC Kak )