Gleanings from SHIVSUTRA and SPANDSUTRA -І

 

The Kashmir Shaivism is known essentially as "Trik" shastra, since it encompasses the philosophy of the triad of Siva (the Lord), Shakti (his Energy) and Nara (the created being or human being) or the supreme - the para, supreme cum non supreme - the parapapra and the non-supreme - apparat. The 'Trik' system is further sub categorised as - The Agama Shastra, The Spanda Shasta and the Pratyabijna Shastra. The Agama shastra is believed to be the revelation of Lord Shiv and incorporates the principles and practices of the system. The several Agama works are Malinivijayottara, Svachannda, Vijnana Bhairava, Mrigendra, Rudrayamala, Siva sutras etc. The most important Agama shastra is Siva sutra. The Spanda shastra elaborates the principles enunciated in The Siva sutras. Spanda shastra was written by Vasugupta. Several commentaries on Spanda Shastra’s were written by UT pal Vaishnava, Ramkatha, Kalama and Khemraja. The Pratyabijna Shastra contains the philosophy of the system. It deliberates on the Trik philosophy by putting forward arguments et al. Somananda, the pupil of Vasugupta composed the first philosophical work termed as 'Shiv Dristi' in around 9th century A.D. Spanda means somewhat of a movement. The characteristics of 'Somewhat' consists in fact that even the immovable appears 'as if moving' because though the light of consciousness does not change in the least, yet it appears to be changing as it were. The immovable appears as if having a variety of manifestation. Spanda is, therefore spiritual dynamism without any movement in itself but serving as the source of all movements. The infinite perfect divine consciousness always has vimarsa or self-awareness. This self-awareness is a subtle activity which is spiritual dynamism, not any physical, psychological or pranic activity. Almost all spiritual philosophies sermonise that we should erase our अहं (ego) and forget it, since so long as one doesn't forget his/her अहं (ego), one doesn't realise God. But as per the tenets of 'Spandshastra' one should never forget oneself and should always keep on remembering it because that is the only means of realising God. It further enunciates that one need not worry about realising/finding God but should rather focus on finding oneself, one's अहं (ego), since as per it one's अहं (ego) and one's Atma only is God. You and the universe are one. Unification (एकात्मता) of God, universe and self (जीवात्मा) only is अद्वैत and this अद्वैत is the absolute truth, eternal release and release from life (जीवनमुक्ति). As per the belief of other philosophies, World (जगत) is Maya - falsehood (मिथ्या) but from the belief of Spandshastra, the world is not maya-falsehood but is the self play of consciousness and Lord Shiv. The other philosophies consider lack of knowledge as ignorance but Spandshastra considers limitedness of knowledge and not the lack of knowledge as ignorance. Spandshastra is spand (vibration / throb) - realisation of self by independent desire (स्वतंत्र इच्छा), full of knowledge of God's existence at every place and the same soul encompassing all beings (सर्वात्मवाद),Shiv is Prakash and Shakti isVimarsh'. The very nature of the spirit of light, Shiv is Vimarsh. As per Spandshastra, the very will of Lord Shiv is the only ingredient and reason for the creation of world. Pratyabhigna and Spand philosophies enunciate that the Mukti (liberation) is termed as the re-attainment of Shiv tatv (i.e. being Shiv). The entire structure of Spand philosophy is based on the foundation of अहं मैं, ego - परावाक स्पन्द (आत्मशक्ति, शिव की शक्ति, चित्त शक्ति) का ही स्वरूप है. The meditation on ego (आत्मविमर्श) only is the seminal throb. Shiv has this throb which gets transmuted into Idam aham with the coming of Ishwar. (शुद्धविद्या, ईश्वर, सदाशिव, शक्ति, शिव) All the thirty six elements from Prithvi element to Shiv are established in this ego (अह). Nothing does exist beyond it. This first level of growth of creation is meditation on Shiv tatv (अहं - अहमस्मि). The second level of growth is Sada Shiv tatv (अहमिदम). The third level of creation is Ishwar tatv (ईश्वरतत्व - इदमहम). In Shudvidya, Aham (अहं) and Ida (इदम) are equally poised, being concerned with one. The fifth level is Atma tatv (आत्मतत्व) i.e. separate knowledge and experience of Aham (अ) and iam (इदम). In the entire philosophy, चैतन्य (consciousness), आत्मा (soul) and अहं (ego) elements are ever present and the three are indivisible अभिन्न Spand is the manifestation of world and its growth. It has two statuses: i) Common/General and ii) Distinctive. The general spand is unitary but the distinctive is infinite. The throb (Spanda) arises once but its momentum is never stunted. It's arising once and arising continually is one and the same thing, since what is unitary in normal conditions is manifold in distinctive sense. The emersion of throb (spand) only is the self pastime / dalliance of Pranav (प्रणव / ॐ). Modern scientists believe that genesis of world was caused due to pulsation of a terrible explosion and this pulsation is still continuing and as such the growth of the world going on, perpetually. However, the scientists were not able to locate its origin. But the Spand shastra of Kashmir has effectively deliberated on it. The doctrine of Spand shastra is that the spand is the throb of the power of consciousness (चैतन्य शक्ति) of the Supreme Being. The world was created by the blossoming of the resolve in the form of consciousness inclusive of Prakash and Vimarsh of the Supreme Lord. This is in consonance with the tenets of the Big Bang theory, which enunciates that the world at the commencement of expansion undergoes huge detonation and due to its throb, the genesis of the world occurs. This huge detonation / explosion occurs only once but the throb thereof keeps the process of growth always operative. The word "Spand" means somewhat movement. Calm and stable orientation towards every form of animate and inanimate beings in every form is termed as Spand. Nature of twin Spand (Vibrations) Generic spand This is the pulsation in pure ego (अ ) Distinctive spand This is the pulsation in the pure form of This-ness (इद) Generic spand doesn't pulsate in the vicinity of complete ego (पूर्णाहन्ता - पूर्ण अह) since it is growing upon the identity of non divisible nondualist (अद्वैत). The divisible ego (अपूर्ण अहं ) and Thisness' (इद) are close to each other.(This divisible ego (परिछिन्न अहं) is known as जीव, पशु, क्षेत्रज्ञ, जीवात्मा, सकल एवं पशु etc.} From the philosophical point of view, complete ego (पूर्णाहन्ता - पूर्ण ही) and divisible ego (अपूर्ण अ ) are not different from each other, yet the harmony of perfection makes it different. The divisible ego (अपूर्ण अहं) is obsessed with hesitation, while as indivisible (पूर्ण अहंस्वरूप)ego of Supreme Lord doesn't bear any hesitation. The Supreme Lord, for the sake of creation, as His pastime, poses hesitation to assume the form of a living being for performing on the stage of living system. The appearance of pure egotism is the growth of normal Spand (vibration). Once the pulsation commences, it never retires. Spandshastra conceives 'Shakti' and this Shakti is the power of Param Shiv. It is named as the Independent power (स्वतंत्र शक्ति) of Lord Shev”The power of contemplation (विमर्श शक्ति) and the mental strength (चित्त शक्ति). The Param Shakti is of five types:- Chit (चित्त शक्ति),Anand (आनन्द शक्ति), Ichcha (इच्छा शक्ति), Gyan (ज्ञान शक्ति) and Kriya (क्रिया शक्ति). Creation (सृष्टि): As per Spandshastra, creation is not new composition. It is the external display of internally existing matter. The entire matter internally exists in the Supreme soul (चिदात्मा). When creation takes places, as per the desire of Lord Shiv, there is no need for any atomic particles. It (creation) is nothing other than external manifestation of internally existing matter. The world is a sport of Param Shiv. Spandkarika considers the creation and destruction as akin to opening and closure of the eyes of Lord Shiv (उन्मेष - निमेष). According to Acharaya Khemraj, Shivsutras were revealed to Acharaya Vasugupt on a hill named Devoir on an engraved boulder. Acharaya Vasugupt studied the engravings, which were in fact the Shivsutra, revealed by Lord SHIV himself. Acharaya Vasugupt subsequently tutored the same to his disciples like BhattshriKallat and others and compiled the knowledge articulated in Shivsutra, in the form of Spandkarika. The etymological meaning of 'Spanda' is a slight shake but its philosophical interpretation is power of freedom, spurt of the power of consciousness et al. Acharaya Khemraj considers the objective of 'Spandsastra' as inclusion, which is nothing but liberation from existence

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Courtesy: Ganshyam Wangneo and  Koshur Samachar-2025, August