Post by Kriyaban on Aug 6, 2023 15:39:32 GMT
śaktisandhāne śarīrotpattiḥ //
By infusing his energy of will, the embodiment of that
which is willed occurs at once.
He does not have to pray to Lord Śiva to bestow a boon on his devotees or on
those who have come to take his refuge. He just has to infuse his energy of will
thinking, “let this man achieve this,” and it becomes true. That is the meaning of
śakti sandhāna. Here, with his supreme energy of will, he aims at the object that
is desired by his devotee and the manifestation of that object takes place
immediately without any encumbrance. This has already been explained in the
sūtra 13 of the First Awakening,
For such a yogī, his will is one with the energy of Lord Śiva, unobstructable, completely independent,
always given to play.
Whenever he aims the energy of will completely, not as an afterthought or
superfluously but willing from the core of his heart, then what he wills must
happen. Because of that force of will, whatever is desired comes true.
This is also quoted in Mṛtyuñjayabhaṭṭāraka (the Netra Tantra),
The very moment he has willed something to happen, the power of that will begins to move for its
accomplishment. The will of this yogī is faultless and beyond the imagination of a human being. And
it is not only will, it is also knowledge and action.
The energy of will of such a yogī is said to be the energies of all gods and goddesses. Whenever he
wills wholeheartedly, his will is unstoppable. This is the cause of everything with fire because it works
abruptly and moon because it shines in supreme peace. Everything exists in the will of this yogī.
(Netra Tantra 7.36–40)
In Lakṣmīkaulārṇava Tantra, the glory of targeting his will is explained in this
verse:
Initiation cannot be successful, powers will not really shine, the mantra received from his master will
be useless, its proper recitation
38 will not be understood and yoga will not be achieved unless the will
of such a yogī is focused. (Lakṣmīkaulārṇava Tantra)
This is expressed in Spanda in this verse.
A yogī with attachment to the world attains the objects of his desire, which are necessarily manifest by
the Universal Lord, just by inhaling and exhaling along with focusing his will. (Spanda Kārikā 3.1)
He has to focus his will along with inhaling once and exhaling once and the
desired object is attained. There is no time, no space, no waiting. He only inhales
and exhales along with focusing his will and it is realized and he has achieved it.
But this kind of achievement is only attained by those yogīs who have
attachment for the body, attachment for disciples, attachment for the public. It is
for these yogīs, who have slightly come down from God consciousness, that this
kind of power takes place. For elevated yogīs, these powers do not arise.
Elevated yogīs are always focused in their own supreme way of God
consciousness. They do not care for these powers or for matters of the world.
But for those yogīs, who have not erased the impression of body
consciousness from their minds, and whose internal consciousness is diverted to
external consciousness
39 whatever they want to create, whatever they want to
occur, takes place because Lord Śiva manifests their desired objects simply by
their breathing in and breathing out once. Whatever they want to create,
whatever they want to occur, those things take place because prakāśa and
ānanda
40give rise to these two breaths as soma (moon) and sūrya (sun) and the
energy of prāṇa śakti, which is residing in the center of these two.
This is the meaning of this verse of Spanda:
In the same way, in dreaming state he can dream any dream he wishes. (Spanda Kārikā 3.2)
This is not exactly like the concept of māyā for Śaivities or prakṛiti for the
Vedāntins. For Vedāntins, prakṛiti controls the dreaming state and for Śaivaites,
māyā is the controller of this state. Such a yogī, however, can dream any dream
he wishes. He is not concerned with the consciousness of māyā or prakṛiti. So
also in the dreaming state, he can dream whatever he wishes to dream. This is
called the independent world of the dreaming state (svapnasvātantrya). So, this
yogī’s waking state is not the only independent state. For this kind of yogī, both
the waking state and the dreaming state are independent.
This yogī is fully conscious everywhere. Even when he dies, he is fully
conscious. He knows where and when to die in God consciousness. The one who
is not aware of that God consciousness, he is unaware everywhere, in each and
every aspect of his movements from waking to dreaming to deep sleep.
Whenever he goes to the dreaming state, he doesn’t know from which point he
has entered the dreaming state. When he comes out from the dreaming state, he
does not know when he came out from the dreaming state and entered the
waking state. And, when he enters the dreamless state, he doesn’t remember the
point when he entered. Naturally, therefore, he doesn’t remember the point of
death. On the contrary, the one who remembers these three points will also
remember the point of death. He will also be conscious and aware there. The
point here is awareness, awareness must be developed. The more you develop
awareness, the more you are near to God consciousness.Kṣemarāja tells us that
he has explained this idea thoroughly in his commentary on spanda.
By the glory of the supreme energy of will of such a yogī, other powers also
come into existence.
20. bhūtasaṁdhāna-bhūtapṛithaktva-viśvasaṁghaṭṭāḥ
//
By the greatness of this achievement of the energy of will,
the yogī can focus his awareness and heal the sick and
suffering, separate elements from his body and be free
from the limitations of space and time.
By the greatness of this achievement of the energy of will (icchā śakti), this
yogī can concentrate on some particular person who is sick, who is suffering
from pain or from sadness, and cause this sadness and suffering to leave him.
That is the meaning of bhūta saṁdhāna. This is one power that this yogī
attains.
When it is destined that this yogī has to suffer constantly for three years in his
bed, he can temporarily separate that affliction from his body and keep it
separately locked away. Once he separates this trouble from his body, he can
continue with his daily routine without any hindrance. He has separated his
trouble and kept it locked away. Let his body be painful, his consciousness is
never painful. And whenever he returns from his daily routine and sleeps, he
opens this box of trouble and that trouble enters his body again, causing him
suffering. This is the meaning of bhūta pṛthaktva. This is the second power this
yogī attains.
There is also a third power this yogī achieves. This power gives him the
ability to be free from the limitations of time and space. With this power, he can
enter a past or future world and see what has happened or what is to come. This
power is called viśva saṁghaṭṭa.
The Sanskrit word bhūta means “that which exists.” So, the body is bhūta,
breath is bhūta, objects are bhūta. Simply by focusing on some object with his
energy of will, this yogī’s desired results are obtained. Whenever this yogī
focuses his will on a person to cause that person, who can be either living or
dead, to recover either here or in heaven or hell, that person will recover. He can
lift that person from sadness in all the three worlds. Or to get rid of the pain in
his own body, he can separate that pain from his body, enabling him to continue
to do his work. Or he can enter that world and that universe which is far away in
time and space. He can focus his mind on a distant city and see its past, present
or future. This is explained in each and every Tantra in the chapters on practices
(sādhanā), not in the chapters on attainments (siddhas). It is said in Spanda:
By taking hold of spanda, the energy of will, even a feeble person becomes capable and fit to do
whatever work he intends doing. The one who is filled with extreme and intense hunger can subside
his hunger by focusing the force of the energy of will (icchā śakti). (Spanda Kārikā 3.6)
And,
The absence of awareness robs your body of the wealth of spirituality. This absence of awareness is
created by your own ignorance. If you wash off that ignorance existing in you with spanda, the energy
of will, then where does the possibility of the absence of awareness exist? (Spanda Kārikā 3.8)
And,
Just as when an object is initially not clearly seen by ordinary people and then, when they put their
attention on that object, they see it clearly and know what it is now and in any subsequent
perception.
41So, in the same way wherever and whenever any object is existing, you have only to
focus your energy of will there and you can perceive that object in an instant. (Spanda Kārikā 3.5)
In the previous sūtra, limited yogic powers were explained. Now in the twentyfirst sūtra, the author will explain unlimited yogic powers. When this yogī does
not desire limited powers and is eager to attain the knowledge of universal being,
then for such a yogī,
21. śuddhavidyodyāccakreśatva-siddhiḥ //
. . . pure knowledge rises and by that knowledge he
becomes the master of the universal wheel.
For this yogī, pure knowledge rises and by that pure knowledge, he becomes
(cakreśvara) lord of the universal wheel. This was just like Lord Kṛiṣṇa. Lord
Kṛiṣṇa utilized his powers in a universal way, not a limited way. For example,
Lord Kṛiṣṇa appeared in his universal form. That was the greatest yogic power.
And furthermore, because he was master of the universal wheel, he displayed
many additional powers. His powers were not limited. On the other hand, some
yogīs will tell you that when you take your school examination, you will achieve
a good grade, or they will tell you that you will be successful tomorrow in your
business dealings. These powers are called limited powers.
If, however, you want rainfall to come and rainfall comes, the power that
caused that rainfall is an unlimited power, a universal power. If you want an
earthquake to happen, that is universal power. If you want the destruction of the
whole universe, that is universal power. If you want the rise of happiness for the
universe, that is universal power. When in the background there is no
individuality, that is universal power. That is becoming master of the wheel of
energies, śakticakra. By the rise of pure knowledge (śuddha vidyā), the yogī
exhibits universal power and becomes the master of śakticakra, the universal
wheel.
When he concentrates his energy of will for attaining the universal state of
being, he finds this pure knowledge arises in him, whereby he realizes, “I am the
whole universe. I am not only my body, I am one with the universe.” This yogī
then attains the glory of the Lord, by which glory he becomes master of the
universal wheel.
It is also quoted in the Svacchanda Tantra:
The knowledge that he attains is unequaled supreme knowledge because he simultaneously attains the
supreme glories of all knowledge and all action. (Svacchanda Tantra)
This is said to be the supreme knowledge of this yogī. But what is this
knowledge? In the next verse from the Svacchanda Tantra, more is revealed
about supreme knowledge.
When the eternal aspect of Lord Śiva, the energy of svātantrya, is known, and supreme I
consciousness is also in his knowledge, then the absence of supreme consciousness is kept away. This
is why it is called pure knowledge, śuddhavidyā. (Svacchanda Tantra 6.396)
You should be established in that supreme knowledge and reveal in your own nature the supreme light
of supreme being. When that supreme light is revealed, you become one with Lord Śiva. (Svacchanda
Tantra 6.397)
This is narrated in Spanda in this verse:
When he pervades the whole universe including his individual being, then what is to be explained or
spoken to him? He understands his state by himself. (Spanda Kārikā 3.11)
On the other hand, there are some yogīs who have no desire to create these
universal yogic powers. In this regard, they are just like Rāma, the son of
Dashratha. He did not possess or utilize any universal powers. He was above
that. Because his mind was focused in his own nature, he didn’t desire to have
universal powers. Instead, he utilized his weapons, his strength and his energy.
In the next sūtra, the author explains what happens to this yogī when he desires
to reside in his own state of God consciousness, peacefully, without creating
universal agitation outside or inside.
42
22. mahāhṛidānusaṁdhānān mantravīryānubhavaḥ //
By the attentive continuity of meditation on the great
ocean of consciousness, the power of supreme I is
attained.
Then, when this yogī meditates on the great ocean of consciousness with
attentive continuity, the power of supreme I (mantra vīryā) is attained. In fact,
this universe is created by this supreme energy of consciousness right from his
internal energy of will to his energy of action.
Because there are so many currents rising in that universal consciousness,
currents of sound, currents of touch, currents of smell, and so on, that supreme
consciousness is said to be like a great ocean. All these currents are rising from
that universal consciousness, which is absolutely pure and transparent. No one
can stop this flow of supreme God consciousness, the depth of which is
unlimited.
When he meditates on that supreme God consciousness by diverting all the
flows of his organs to the introverted, not the extroverted, state, he obtains the
state of supreme I (mantra vīryā) because the state of mantra vīrya is the power
of all the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet beginning from the letter a and ending
with the letter kṣa. Why? Because all sounds rise from those letters. That sound
is called śabdarāśi, the collective appearance of all letters. And the power and
the essence of all those sounds is one sound, the soundless sound, the sound of Ibeing, ahaṁ, the supreme I and that is mantra vīrya. The yogī attains mantra
vīrya not in an objective way but in a subjective way. Thinking and saying “this
is mantra vīrya” is realizing it in an objective way. “I am mantra vīrya” is
realizing it in a subjective way. This is said in the Mālinīvijaya Tantra:
That supreme (svātantrya) independent energy of Lord Śiva is said to be one with Lord Śiva.
(Mālinīvijaya Tantra 3.5)
In the Mālinīvijaya Tantra, the author has begun from this point where “the
supreme independent energy of Lord Śiva is said to be one with Lord Śiva.”
From svātantrya śakti arise the energy of will, the energy of knowledge, and the
energy of action. And then all universal energies flow outward. The center,
therefore, from which all these energies flow, is svātantrya śakti.
So the author has explained that this energy of independence (svātantrya
sakti) of Lord Śiva creates universal energies. It not only creates will,
knowledge and action, but all universal energies are created by that one energy
of Lord Śiva.
This is why the rise of supreme I is explained as being held everywhere by
yogīs. It is held in “this,” in “I,” and also in “that.” It is the universal first person
held in the first person, in the second person and in the third person. It is the
universal first person, not individual first person. As long as persons are
concerned, these are all individual persons. The first person is “I”, the second
person is “you” and the third person is “he.” When there is a universal person,
then that is “I,” that is “I” in “I,” “I” in “you” and “I” in “him.”
So that supreme energy of Lord Śiva (svātantrya śakti) is said to be just like
the supreme ocean of consciousness. When the yogī concentrates on that
supreme energy of Lord Śiva, he attains and experiences the state of mantra
vīrya in the world of mātṛikācakra and in the world of mālinī cakra.
Mātṛikācakra is the successive creative way of I consciousness. Mālinī is the
successive destructive way of I consciousness. The successive creative way of
consciousness is synonymous with ahaṁ and the successive destructive way of I
consciousness is synonymous with mahaa (pronounced ma ha a). The yogī
experiences the state of I consciousness in both ways as creative and as
destructive. It is well said in Spanda that:
All mantras live in and get life from that one mantra of I consciousness. (Spanda Kārikā 2.1)
Thus, in this first awakening of Śiva Sūtras, the first sūtra is caitanyam ātmā,
“God consciousness is your self.”
So first, he has accepted the fact that this self is, in its real sense,
consciousness. Consciousness is the self, not the body, not the mind, not the
organs. What is the self? Consciousness is the self and when the state of
consciousness is absent, or lessened, or becomes weakened, then you must know
that the rise of (malas) impurities has begun. These impurities are three and they
are explained in the second and following sūtras of the first awakening
—jñānaṁ bandha, yonivargaḥ kalā śarīram, and so on. And that bondage is
subsided by udyamo Bhairava, “the Bhairava which is the supreme flow of
super effort.” And then this entire universe is filled with divinity and all yogic
powers, limited yogic powers, unlimited yogic powers or the internal residence
of your own nature, are bestowed by that being.
Thus, this first awakening of the Śiva Sūtras, which is one with
śāmbhavopāya, is explained. Though there are, many places, hints of
śāktopāya, that śāktopāya is described only to make a distinction between
śāktopāya and śāmbhavopāya and, therefore, to direct you towards
śāmbhavopāya.
This is the end of the First Awakening.
This is the end of the First Awakening.
1. Kṣetrajñās are those beings who have achieved the fullness of God consciousness through spiritual
practice. Rudras are those beings who are eternally filled with God consciousness.
2. Nāgabodhi siddhas.
3. Siddhas are those saints who are hidden, who do not reside in physical bodies. They reside in subtle
bodies and are all pervading. Yogīnīs are female siddhas.
4. Anāśrita Śiva is that state of Śiva where universal existence is excluded from his own nature because
of the apprehension that universality
5. Cetanā means “consciousness,” “awareness,” while caitanya refers to that state that is entirely
independent in all knowledge and all action.
6. These four means form part of the eight limbs of yoga as set forth in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra.
Traditionally, prāṇāyāma is understood to be the control of the breath, dhāraṇā is concentration, dhyāna
is meditation and samādhi is absorption. See sūtra 6 of the Third Awakening for the expanded Kashmir
Śaiva explanation of these “limbs of yoga.”
7. Paramaśiva (Supreme Śiva).
8. The sprout leading to repeated births and deaths.
9. Because of niyati, you think, “This house here is my house. That other house is your home. It is not my
house.” In reality, though, this is not your home, but niyati has made you think that it is your house. This is
limitation caused by niyati.
10. Beyond intellect, there is caitanya. When caitanya becomes limited, it is transformed into the nature
of the intellect, the intellectual state, and it becomes intellect.
11. The five tanmātrās—śabda (sound), sparśa (touch), rūpa (form), rasa (taste) and gandha (smell)—
are subtle elements attached and corresponding to the five great gross elements: ākāśa (ether), vāyu (air),
tejas (fire), jala (water) and pṛithvī (earth).
12. The bliss (ānanda) of one’s own nature is different from the joy being referred to here, which is the
joy of everyday life. Ānanda is not joy. Ānanda is universal joy. That universal joy is bliss, whereas the joy
and sadness we are discussing is the pleasure of the organs.
13. When you perceive an object, you have to ignore something that is not that object; when you perceive
that other object, then you have to ignore the previous object. This is a limitation. Through this process,
knowledge is contracted and limited. This is particular (viśiṣṭa) knowledge. In ultimate reality, there is no
other, there is only one.
14. “Not properly recognized” means being not universally realized.
15. Citi means consciousness.
16. The brahmarandhra is a subtle opening existing at the top of the skull which is pierced by the force of
cit kuṇḍalinī when, traveling up the central vein, it rises from mūlādhāra cakra to the top of the skull. It
then penetrates the subtle opening of brahmarandhra and moves from the body to the universe, the great
ether of consciousness.
17. These are all pīṭheśvaris for the one who has become the play of the mother. The one who is the
player is not played by mother. He is existing in the state of being player.
18. The deities of these organs of action, organs of knowledge, mind, intellect and ego are gocarī,
khecarī, dikcarī, and bhūcarī.
19. Unmeṣa means “opening the eyes.” Here, we must understand that when one “opens the eyes,” he is
revealing his nature and when he “closes the eyes,” he is hiding his nature.
20. “Non-successive movement” is just a point; there is no space. There is no journey in “nonsuccessive” movement. It occurs in one flash. “Successive movement” occurs in stages 1,2,3,4. The “nonsuccessive” akrama movement is embodied in the means known as śāṁbhavopāya and the “successive”
krama movement is embodied in the means known as śāktopāya and āṇavopāya.
21. In Kashmir Śaivism there are three upāyas (means), śāmbhavopāya, śāktopāya, and āṇavopāya. In
addition to these three upāyas another called anupāya is also mentioned. The Sanskrit word anupāya
literally means “no upāya.” As the name implies, anupāya is not actually an upāya, for in anupāya there
are no means. The one who has attained anupāya has only to observe that nothing is to be done. Just to be is
enough. In anupāya the aspirant experiences that everything is filled with his own God Consciousness. In
fact, anupāya is the unexplainable reality of the liberated aspirant.
22. Here, in examining means, the creation of means is found in āṇavopāya, the protection of means is
found in śaktopāya, and the destruction of means is found in śāmbhavopāya.
23. The wheel of energies.
24. Kālāgni rudra rests in the element pṛithvī. Pṛithvī tattva is the lowest element of the 36 tattvas.
25. Śāntātītā kalā is the abode of Lord Śiva. It is found in the subtlest element, śiva tattva.
26. Whenever you perceive an object, you become one with that object.
27. Kālāgni resides in the left big toe. You have to imagine fire coming from kālāgni and this fire burns
your body so that nothing, no substance of the body, remains unburned. You must imagine that your whole
body has become ashes and the highest peace of God consciousness will shine in your consciousness, in
your knowledge. This practice is set out in the Vijñāna Bhairava, where you are instructed to imagine that
kālāgni, the fire of God consciousness, has risen from the point of your big left toe.
28. Some commentators of these sūtras argue that the word “saṁbhava” should be replaced by the word
“saṁvit” because the word “saṁvit” gives a more vivid explanation to the reader. In that case, the sūtra
would read “jāgrat svapna suṣupti bhede turyābhoga saṁvit” which means, “the differentiated states of
waking, dreaming and deep sleep, the expansive state of turya is held in consciousness (saṁvit).” If the
word “saṁbhava” is correct, then it means “takes place, occurs.” If the word “saṁvit” is correct then it
means “it is held.”
29. This heroic yogī possesses active, not passive, power of meditation. What is active meditating power?
Active meditating power exists when there is no yawning, no leaning, and no other thought interfering
during meditation. It is actively one-pointed awareness. Passive meditation will carry you towards
nothingness. It is only a waste of time. Whenever you meditate, you must meditate in an active way.
30. Turya means “the fourth.” When the individual subjective body travels in absolute subjective
consciousness and becomes that subjective consciousness, this is the fourth state, turya.
31. In passive meditation, when you sit for meditation you may sit and think of someone else. When you
sit for meditation, you must sit with consciousness. That is active meditation.
32. He is a master of organic energies, not organic organs. Why is this distinction being made? Because
there are two classes of organs, one is organic organs (indriya vṛittis) and the other is organic energies
(indriya śaktis). Organic organs are organs found everywhere in every individual being. Organic energy, on
the other hand, is found only in yogīs because yogīs are always aware. They are aware when they see, when
they touch, when they smell, when they hear, when they taste, when they produce sounds, and when they
talk. Yogīs who are the masters of the active organic energies are called heroes (vīras).
33. For example, you see an object such as a chair. When you see this object, the chair is the object but in
this experience there is a subject, an experiencer who experiences, who sees, this chair. The one who
experiences internally that this is a chair, that is the subject and this chair is the object. These two, subject
and object, are found in all the three states, waking, dreaming and deep sleep. In ordinary life, when
someone experiences an object, such as a chair, he is aware of the object and unaware of the experiencer,
the subject. Here, in this same experience, the yogī experiences the objective world and the subjective
world simultaneously. When he is experiencing the object, he is concurrently experiencing the subject, the
experiencer. And, at the same time, he is above these and so he is never stained by them.
34. On the other hand, some other commentators of the Śiva Sūtras have argued that in place of
śaktirumā, the word śaktitamā should be used. If you accept this substitution, then in explaining the word
śaktitamā, you can conclude that the meaning of this sūtra is “the will of this yogī is filled with knowledge
and action.”
35. His will doesn’t rise from the senses. His will rises from the nature of the being of Lord Śiva.
36. Voidness comes at the time of death, because voidness is the link from this birth to another birth. The
deceased enters voidness for some time and then entry takes place in another birth. According to our Vaidic
tradition, that voidness remains for ten days after death. On the other hand, there is no birth and no death for
the one who has entered in that supreme I consciousness.
37. In this sūtra, the word vitarka not only means inference, it also means perception.
38. When aspirants first recite their mantra, they cannot understand how to recite it. But eventually a time
comes when, after reciting it blindly, they learn the reality of its recitation. That is mantrayukti. Mantrayukti
comes by itself after a constant period of recitation. And this mantrayukti will not take place unless there is
focusing of the will of such a yogī.
39. Unless external consciousness is maintained, no power can be achieved. Powers come only by
maintaining external consciousness. Otherwise, what is the use of power when there is always internal
consciousness? In internal consciousness, you are always powerful, always blissful. In internal
consciousness, there is no need of anything. In internal consciousness, you are full and complete.
Incompletion rises in the external world, not the internal world.
40. Here, inhaling is prakāśa and exhaling is ānanda.
41. For instance, there is a rope lying on the ground. At first, the experiencer perceives that it is a snake.
Then after perceiving it clearly, with awareness, he sees and understands that it is not a snake, it is a rope.
So, at that time, he has clearly understood the object.
42. Universal agitation is that agitation in which everyone is upset
Shiva Sutra by Swami Lakshmanjoo
By infusing his energy of will, the embodiment of that
which is willed occurs at once.
He does not have to pray to Lord Śiva to bestow a boon on his devotees or on
those who have come to take his refuge. He just has to infuse his energy of will
thinking, “let this man achieve this,” and it becomes true. That is the meaning of
śakti sandhāna. Here, with his supreme energy of will, he aims at the object that
is desired by his devotee and the manifestation of that object takes place
immediately without any encumbrance. This has already been explained in the
sūtra 13 of the First Awakening,
For such a yogī, his will is one with the energy of Lord Śiva, unobstructable, completely independent,
always given to play.
Whenever he aims the energy of will completely, not as an afterthought or
superfluously but willing from the core of his heart, then what he wills must
happen. Because of that force of will, whatever is desired comes true.
This is also quoted in Mṛtyuñjayabhaṭṭāraka (the Netra Tantra),
The very moment he has willed something to happen, the power of that will begins to move for its
accomplishment. The will of this yogī is faultless and beyond the imagination of a human being. And
it is not only will, it is also knowledge and action.
The energy of will of such a yogī is said to be the energies of all gods and goddesses. Whenever he
wills wholeheartedly, his will is unstoppable. This is the cause of everything with fire because it works
abruptly and moon because it shines in supreme peace. Everything exists in the will of this yogī.
(Netra Tantra 7.36–40)
In Lakṣmīkaulārṇava Tantra, the glory of targeting his will is explained in this
verse:
Initiation cannot be successful, powers will not really shine, the mantra received from his master will
be useless, its proper recitation
38 will not be understood and yoga will not be achieved unless the will
of such a yogī is focused. (Lakṣmīkaulārṇava Tantra)
This is expressed in Spanda in this verse.
A yogī with attachment to the world attains the objects of his desire, which are necessarily manifest by
the Universal Lord, just by inhaling and exhaling along with focusing his will. (Spanda Kārikā 3.1)
He has to focus his will along with inhaling once and exhaling once and the
desired object is attained. There is no time, no space, no waiting. He only inhales
and exhales along with focusing his will and it is realized and he has achieved it.
But this kind of achievement is only attained by those yogīs who have
attachment for the body, attachment for disciples, attachment for the public. It is
for these yogīs, who have slightly come down from God consciousness, that this
kind of power takes place. For elevated yogīs, these powers do not arise.
Elevated yogīs are always focused in their own supreme way of God
consciousness. They do not care for these powers or for matters of the world.
But for those yogīs, who have not erased the impression of body
consciousness from their minds, and whose internal consciousness is diverted to
external consciousness
39 whatever they want to create, whatever they want to
occur, takes place because Lord Śiva manifests their desired objects simply by
their breathing in and breathing out once. Whatever they want to create,
whatever they want to occur, those things take place because prakāśa and
ānanda
40give rise to these two breaths as soma (moon) and sūrya (sun) and the
energy of prāṇa śakti, which is residing in the center of these two.
This is the meaning of this verse of Spanda:
In the same way, in dreaming state he can dream any dream he wishes. (Spanda Kārikā 3.2)
This is not exactly like the concept of māyā for Śaivities or prakṛiti for the
Vedāntins. For Vedāntins, prakṛiti controls the dreaming state and for Śaivaites,
māyā is the controller of this state. Such a yogī, however, can dream any dream
he wishes. He is not concerned with the consciousness of māyā or prakṛiti. So
also in the dreaming state, he can dream whatever he wishes to dream. This is
called the independent world of the dreaming state (svapnasvātantrya). So, this
yogī’s waking state is not the only independent state. For this kind of yogī, both
the waking state and the dreaming state are independent.
This yogī is fully conscious everywhere. Even when he dies, he is fully
conscious. He knows where and when to die in God consciousness. The one who
is not aware of that God consciousness, he is unaware everywhere, in each and
every aspect of his movements from waking to dreaming to deep sleep.
Whenever he goes to the dreaming state, he doesn’t know from which point he
has entered the dreaming state. When he comes out from the dreaming state, he
does not know when he came out from the dreaming state and entered the
waking state. And, when he enters the dreamless state, he doesn’t remember the
point when he entered. Naturally, therefore, he doesn’t remember the point of
death. On the contrary, the one who remembers these three points will also
remember the point of death. He will also be conscious and aware there. The
point here is awareness, awareness must be developed. The more you develop
awareness, the more you are near to God consciousness.Kṣemarāja tells us that
he has explained this idea thoroughly in his commentary on spanda.
By the glory of the supreme energy of will of such a yogī, other powers also
come into existence.
20. bhūtasaṁdhāna-bhūtapṛithaktva-viśvasaṁghaṭṭāḥ
//
By the greatness of this achievement of the energy of will,
the yogī can focus his awareness and heal the sick and
suffering, separate elements from his body and be free
from the limitations of space and time.
By the greatness of this achievement of the energy of will (icchā śakti), this
yogī can concentrate on some particular person who is sick, who is suffering
from pain or from sadness, and cause this sadness and suffering to leave him.
That is the meaning of bhūta saṁdhāna. This is one power that this yogī
attains.
When it is destined that this yogī has to suffer constantly for three years in his
bed, he can temporarily separate that affliction from his body and keep it
separately locked away. Once he separates this trouble from his body, he can
continue with his daily routine without any hindrance. He has separated his
trouble and kept it locked away. Let his body be painful, his consciousness is
never painful. And whenever he returns from his daily routine and sleeps, he
opens this box of trouble and that trouble enters his body again, causing him
suffering. This is the meaning of bhūta pṛthaktva. This is the second power this
yogī attains.
There is also a third power this yogī achieves. This power gives him the
ability to be free from the limitations of time and space. With this power, he can
enter a past or future world and see what has happened or what is to come. This
power is called viśva saṁghaṭṭa.
The Sanskrit word bhūta means “that which exists.” So, the body is bhūta,
breath is bhūta, objects are bhūta. Simply by focusing on some object with his
energy of will, this yogī’s desired results are obtained. Whenever this yogī
focuses his will on a person to cause that person, who can be either living or
dead, to recover either here or in heaven or hell, that person will recover. He can
lift that person from sadness in all the three worlds. Or to get rid of the pain in
his own body, he can separate that pain from his body, enabling him to continue
to do his work. Or he can enter that world and that universe which is far away in
time and space. He can focus his mind on a distant city and see its past, present
or future. This is explained in each and every Tantra in the chapters on practices
(sādhanā), not in the chapters on attainments (siddhas). It is said in Spanda:
By taking hold of spanda, the energy of will, even a feeble person becomes capable and fit to do
whatever work he intends doing. The one who is filled with extreme and intense hunger can subside
his hunger by focusing the force of the energy of will (icchā śakti). (Spanda Kārikā 3.6)
And,
The absence of awareness robs your body of the wealth of spirituality. This absence of awareness is
created by your own ignorance. If you wash off that ignorance existing in you with spanda, the energy
of will, then where does the possibility of the absence of awareness exist? (Spanda Kārikā 3.8)
And,
Just as when an object is initially not clearly seen by ordinary people and then, when they put their
attention on that object, they see it clearly and know what it is now and in any subsequent
perception.
41So, in the same way wherever and whenever any object is existing, you have only to
focus your energy of will there and you can perceive that object in an instant. (Spanda Kārikā 3.5)
In the previous sūtra, limited yogic powers were explained. Now in the twentyfirst sūtra, the author will explain unlimited yogic powers. When this yogī does
not desire limited powers and is eager to attain the knowledge of universal being,
then for such a yogī,
21. śuddhavidyodyāccakreśatva-siddhiḥ //
. . . pure knowledge rises and by that knowledge he
becomes the master of the universal wheel.
For this yogī, pure knowledge rises and by that pure knowledge, he becomes
(cakreśvara) lord of the universal wheel. This was just like Lord Kṛiṣṇa. Lord
Kṛiṣṇa utilized his powers in a universal way, not a limited way. For example,
Lord Kṛiṣṇa appeared in his universal form. That was the greatest yogic power.
And furthermore, because he was master of the universal wheel, he displayed
many additional powers. His powers were not limited. On the other hand, some
yogīs will tell you that when you take your school examination, you will achieve
a good grade, or they will tell you that you will be successful tomorrow in your
business dealings. These powers are called limited powers.
If, however, you want rainfall to come and rainfall comes, the power that
caused that rainfall is an unlimited power, a universal power. If you want an
earthquake to happen, that is universal power. If you want the destruction of the
whole universe, that is universal power. If you want the rise of happiness for the
universe, that is universal power. When in the background there is no
individuality, that is universal power. That is becoming master of the wheel of
energies, śakticakra. By the rise of pure knowledge (śuddha vidyā), the yogī
exhibits universal power and becomes the master of śakticakra, the universal
wheel.
When he concentrates his energy of will for attaining the universal state of
being, he finds this pure knowledge arises in him, whereby he realizes, “I am the
whole universe. I am not only my body, I am one with the universe.” This yogī
then attains the glory of the Lord, by which glory he becomes master of the
universal wheel.
It is also quoted in the Svacchanda Tantra:
The knowledge that he attains is unequaled supreme knowledge because he simultaneously attains the
supreme glories of all knowledge and all action. (Svacchanda Tantra)
This is said to be the supreme knowledge of this yogī. But what is this
knowledge? In the next verse from the Svacchanda Tantra, more is revealed
about supreme knowledge.
When the eternal aspect of Lord Śiva, the energy of svātantrya, is known, and supreme I
consciousness is also in his knowledge, then the absence of supreme consciousness is kept away. This
is why it is called pure knowledge, śuddhavidyā. (Svacchanda Tantra 6.396)
You should be established in that supreme knowledge and reveal in your own nature the supreme light
of supreme being. When that supreme light is revealed, you become one with Lord Śiva. (Svacchanda
Tantra 6.397)
This is narrated in Spanda in this verse:
When he pervades the whole universe including his individual being, then what is to be explained or
spoken to him? He understands his state by himself. (Spanda Kārikā 3.11)
On the other hand, there are some yogīs who have no desire to create these
universal yogic powers. In this regard, they are just like Rāma, the son of
Dashratha. He did not possess or utilize any universal powers. He was above
that. Because his mind was focused in his own nature, he didn’t desire to have
universal powers. Instead, he utilized his weapons, his strength and his energy.
In the next sūtra, the author explains what happens to this yogī when he desires
to reside in his own state of God consciousness, peacefully, without creating
universal agitation outside or inside.
42
22. mahāhṛidānusaṁdhānān mantravīryānubhavaḥ //
By the attentive continuity of meditation on the great
ocean of consciousness, the power of supreme I is
attained.
Then, when this yogī meditates on the great ocean of consciousness with
attentive continuity, the power of supreme I (mantra vīryā) is attained. In fact,
this universe is created by this supreme energy of consciousness right from his
internal energy of will to his energy of action.
Because there are so many currents rising in that universal consciousness,
currents of sound, currents of touch, currents of smell, and so on, that supreme
consciousness is said to be like a great ocean. All these currents are rising from
that universal consciousness, which is absolutely pure and transparent. No one
can stop this flow of supreme God consciousness, the depth of which is
unlimited.
When he meditates on that supreme God consciousness by diverting all the
flows of his organs to the introverted, not the extroverted, state, he obtains the
state of supreme I (mantra vīryā) because the state of mantra vīrya is the power
of all the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet beginning from the letter a and ending
with the letter kṣa. Why? Because all sounds rise from those letters. That sound
is called śabdarāśi, the collective appearance of all letters. And the power and
the essence of all those sounds is one sound, the soundless sound, the sound of Ibeing, ahaṁ, the supreme I and that is mantra vīrya. The yogī attains mantra
vīrya not in an objective way but in a subjective way. Thinking and saying “this
is mantra vīrya” is realizing it in an objective way. “I am mantra vīrya” is
realizing it in a subjective way. This is said in the Mālinīvijaya Tantra:
That supreme (svātantrya) independent energy of Lord Śiva is said to be one with Lord Śiva.
(Mālinīvijaya Tantra 3.5)
In the Mālinīvijaya Tantra, the author has begun from this point where “the
supreme independent energy of Lord Śiva is said to be one with Lord Śiva.”
From svātantrya śakti arise the energy of will, the energy of knowledge, and the
energy of action. And then all universal energies flow outward. The center,
therefore, from which all these energies flow, is svātantrya śakti.
So the author has explained that this energy of independence (svātantrya
sakti) of Lord Śiva creates universal energies. It not only creates will,
knowledge and action, but all universal energies are created by that one energy
of Lord Śiva.
This is why the rise of supreme I is explained as being held everywhere by
yogīs. It is held in “this,” in “I,” and also in “that.” It is the universal first person
held in the first person, in the second person and in the third person. It is the
universal first person, not individual first person. As long as persons are
concerned, these are all individual persons. The first person is “I”, the second
person is “you” and the third person is “he.” When there is a universal person,
then that is “I,” that is “I” in “I,” “I” in “you” and “I” in “him.”
So that supreme energy of Lord Śiva (svātantrya śakti) is said to be just like
the supreme ocean of consciousness. When the yogī concentrates on that
supreme energy of Lord Śiva, he attains and experiences the state of mantra
vīrya in the world of mātṛikācakra and in the world of mālinī cakra.
Mātṛikācakra is the successive creative way of I consciousness. Mālinī is the
successive destructive way of I consciousness. The successive creative way of
consciousness is synonymous with ahaṁ and the successive destructive way of I
consciousness is synonymous with mahaa (pronounced ma ha a). The yogī
experiences the state of I consciousness in both ways as creative and as
destructive. It is well said in Spanda that:
All mantras live in and get life from that one mantra of I consciousness. (Spanda Kārikā 2.1)
Thus, in this first awakening of Śiva Sūtras, the first sūtra is caitanyam ātmā,
“God consciousness is your self.”
So first, he has accepted the fact that this self is, in its real sense,
consciousness. Consciousness is the self, not the body, not the mind, not the
organs. What is the self? Consciousness is the self and when the state of
consciousness is absent, or lessened, or becomes weakened, then you must know
that the rise of (malas) impurities has begun. These impurities are three and they
are explained in the second and following sūtras of the first awakening
—jñānaṁ bandha, yonivargaḥ kalā śarīram, and so on. And that bondage is
subsided by udyamo Bhairava, “the Bhairava which is the supreme flow of
super effort.” And then this entire universe is filled with divinity and all yogic
powers, limited yogic powers, unlimited yogic powers or the internal residence
of your own nature, are bestowed by that being.
Thus, this first awakening of the Śiva Sūtras, which is one with
śāmbhavopāya, is explained. Though there are, many places, hints of
śāktopāya, that śāktopāya is described only to make a distinction between
śāktopāya and śāmbhavopāya and, therefore, to direct you towards
śāmbhavopāya.
This is the end of the First Awakening.
This is the end of the First Awakening.
1. Kṣetrajñās are those beings who have achieved the fullness of God consciousness through spiritual
practice. Rudras are those beings who are eternally filled with God consciousness.
2. Nāgabodhi siddhas.
3. Siddhas are those saints who are hidden, who do not reside in physical bodies. They reside in subtle
bodies and are all pervading. Yogīnīs are female siddhas.
4. Anāśrita Śiva is that state of Śiva where universal existence is excluded from his own nature because
of the apprehension that universality
5. Cetanā means “consciousness,” “awareness,” while caitanya refers to that state that is entirely
independent in all knowledge and all action.
6. These four means form part of the eight limbs of yoga as set forth in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra.
Traditionally, prāṇāyāma is understood to be the control of the breath, dhāraṇā is concentration, dhyāna
is meditation and samādhi is absorption. See sūtra 6 of the Third Awakening for the expanded Kashmir
Śaiva explanation of these “limbs of yoga.”
7. Paramaśiva (Supreme Śiva).
8. The sprout leading to repeated births and deaths.
9. Because of niyati, you think, “This house here is my house. That other house is your home. It is not my
house.” In reality, though, this is not your home, but niyati has made you think that it is your house. This is
limitation caused by niyati.
10. Beyond intellect, there is caitanya. When caitanya becomes limited, it is transformed into the nature
of the intellect, the intellectual state, and it becomes intellect.
11. The five tanmātrās—śabda (sound), sparśa (touch), rūpa (form), rasa (taste) and gandha (smell)—
are subtle elements attached and corresponding to the five great gross elements: ākāśa (ether), vāyu (air),
tejas (fire), jala (water) and pṛithvī (earth).
12. The bliss (ānanda) of one’s own nature is different from the joy being referred to here, which is the
joy of everyday life. Ānanda is not joy. Ānanda is universal joy. That universal joy is bliss, whereas the joy
and sadness we are discussing is the pleasure of the organs.
13. When you perceive an object, you have to ignore something that is not that object; when you perceive
that other object, then you have to ignore the previous object. This is a limitation. Through this process,
knowledge is contracted and limited. This is particular (viśiṣṭa) knowledge. In ultimate reality, there is no
other, there is only one.
14. “Not properly recognized” means being not universally realized.
15. Citi means consciousness.
16. The brahmarandhra is a subtle opening existing at the top of the skull which is pierced by the force of
cit kuṇḍalinī when, traveling up the central vein, it rises from mūlādhāra cakra to the top of the skull. It
then penetrates the subtle opening of brahmarandhra and moves from the body to the universe, the great
ether of consciousness.
17. These are all pīṭheśvaris for the one who has become the play of the mother. The one who is the
player is not played by mother. He is existing in the state of being player.
18. The deities of these organs of action, organs of knowledge, mind, intellect and ego are gocarī,
khecarī, dikcarī, and bhūcarī.
19. Unmeṣa means “opening the eyes.” Here, we must understand that when one “opens the eyes,” he is
revealing his nature and when he “closes the eyes,” he is hiding his nature.
20. “Non-successive movement” is just a point; there is no space. There is no journey in “nonsuccessive” movement. It occurs in one flash. “Successive movement” occurs in stages 1,2,3,4. The “nonsuccessive” akrama movement is embodied in the means known as śāṁbhavopāya and the “successive”
krama movement is embodied in the means known as śāktopāya and āṇavopāya.
21. In Kashmir Śaivism there are three upāyas (means), śāmbhavopāya, śāktopāya, and āṇavopāya. In
addition to these three upāyas another called anupāya is also mentioned. The Sanskrit word anupāya
literally means “no upāya.” As the name implies, anupāya is not actually an upāya, for in anupāya there
are no means. The one who has attained anupāya has only to observe that nothing is to be done. Just to be is
enough. In anupāya the aspirant experiences that everything is filled with his own God Consciousness. In
fact, anupāya is the unexplainable reality of the liberated aspirant.
22. Here, in examining means, the creation of means is found in āṇavopāya, the protection of means is
found in śaktopāya, and the destruction of means is found in śāmbhavopāya.
23. The wheel of energies.
24. Kālāgni rudra rests in the element pṛithvī. Pṛithvī tattva is the lowest element of the 36 tattvas.
25. Śāntātītā kalā is the abode of Lord Śiva. It is found in the subtlest element, śiva tattva.
26. Whenever you perceive an object, you become one with that object.
27. Kālāgni resides in the left big toe. You have to imagine fire coming from kālāgni and this fire burns
your body so that nothing, no substance of the body, remains unburned. You must imagine that your whole
body has become ashes and the highest peace of God consciousness will shine in your consciousness, in
your knowledge. This practice is set out in the Vijñāna Bhairava, where you are instructed to imagine that
kālāgni, the fire of God consciousness, has risen from the point of your big left toe.
28. Some commentators of these sūtras argue that the word “saṁbhava” should be replaced by the word
“saṁvit” because the word “saṁvit” gives a more vivid explanation to the reader. In that case, the sūtra
would read “jāgrat svapna suṣupti bhede turyābhoga saṁvit” which means, “the differentiated states of
waking, dreaming and deep sleep, the expansive state of turya is held in consciousness (saṁvit).” If the
word “saṁbhava” is correct, then it means “takes place, occurs.” If the word “saṁvit” is correct then it
means “it is held.”
29. This heroic yogī possesses active, not passive, power of meditation. What is active meditating power?
Active meditating power exists when there is no yawning, no leaning, and no other thought interfering
during meditation. It is actively one-pointed awareness. Passive meditation will carry you towards
nothingness. It is only a waste of time. Whenever you meditate, you must meditate in an active way.
30. Turya means “the fourth.” When the individual subjective body travels in absolute subjective
consciousness and becomes that subjective consciousness, this is the fourth state, turya.
31. In passive meditation, when you sit for meditation you may sit and think of someone else. When you
sit for meditation, you must sit with consciousness. That is active meditation.
32. He is a master of organic energies, not organic organs. Why is this distinction being made? Because
there are two classes of organs, one is organic organs (indriya vṛittis) and the other is organic energies
(indriya śaktis). Organic organs are organs found everywhere in every individual being. Organic energy, on
the other hand, is found only in yogīs because yogīs are always aware. They are aware when they see, when
they touch, when they smell, when they hear, when they taste, when they produce sounds, and when they
talk. Yogīs who are the masters of the active organic energies are called heroes (vīras).
33. For example, you see an object such as a chair. When you see this object, the chair is the object but in
this experience there is a subject, an experiencer who experiences, who sees, this chair. The one who
experiences internally that this is a chair, that is the subject and this chair is the object. These two, subject
and object, are found in all the three states, waking, dreaming and deep sleep. In ordinary life, when
someone experiences an object, such as a chair, he is aware of the object and unaware of the experiencer,
the subject. Here, in this same experience, the yogī experiences the objective world and the subjective
world simultaneously. When he is experiencing the object, he is concurrently experiencing the subject, the
experiencer. And, at the same time, he is above these and so he is never stained by them.
34. On the other hand, some other commentators of the Śiva Sūtras have argued that in place of
śaktirumā, the word śaktitamā should be used. If you accept this substitution, then in explaining the word
śaktitamā, you can conclude that the meaning of this sūtra is “the will of this yogī is filled with knowledge
and action.”
35. His will doesn’t rise from the senses. His will rises from the nature of the being of Lord Śiva.
36. Voidness comes at the time of death, because voidness is the link from this birth to another birth. The
deceased enters voidness for some time and then entry takes place in another birth. According to our Vaidic
tradition, that voidness remains for ten days after death. On the other hand, there is no birth and no death for
the one who has entered in that supreme I consciousness.
37. In this sūtra, the word vitarka not only means inference, it also means perception.
38. When aspirants first recite their mantra, they cannot understand how to recite it. But eventually a time
comes when, after reciting it blindly, they learn the reality of its recitation. That is mantrayukti. Mantrayukti
comes by itself after a constant period of recitation. And this mantrayukti will not take place unless there is
focusing of the will of such a yogī.
39. Unless external consciousness is maintained, no power can be achieved. Powers come only by
maintaining external consciousness. Otherwise, what is the use of power when there is always internal
consciousness? In internal consciousness, you are always powerful, always blissful. In internal
consciousness, there is no need of anything. In internal consciousness, you are full and complete.
Incompletion rises in the external world, not the internal world.
40. Here, inhaling is prakāśa and exhaling is ānanda.
41. For instance, there is a rope lying on the ground. At first, the experiencer perceives that it is a snake.
Then after perceiving it clearly, with awareness, he sees and understands that it is not a snake, it is a rope.
So, at that time, he has clearly understood the object.
42. Universal agitation is that agitation in which everyone is upset
Shiva Sutra by Swami Lakshmanjoo