He becomes 2 fold, 3 fold...

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté



In the pratyavbhijñāhṛdayaṁ¹ āgama there is a wonderful insight that is offered in sūtra 7 , it says:
and (though) He (śiva-bhaṭṭārka&#185 is one He becomes of two-fold form, threefold, fourfold and of the nature of sapta and pañca ( or 5 x7 =35).

What is this 1,2, 3,4, 5 and 7 ?

One - we know He is Fullness, anuttara, brahman ( unsurpassable)

Two fold - He is consciousness (caitanya) which is unbounded & He is the manifest creation that is within boundaries

Three fold - as śiva comes within boundaries, some like to call this condensation of the Infinite, this condensing resides with in the following 3:

• aṇu - fine , minute , atomic . Another way of saying the Supreme being condensed into the finite realm of the manifest.
  We can call this 'us'. We are considered condensed consciousness of the Supreme, and we are then jiva's.
• māyā - this word is rooted in mā , meaning to measure. Hence this the notion of the Infinite being (as if) measured out into finite things.
  • many come to the conclusion that this māyā is anchored in the notion of illusion found in ādi śaṃkara's view of advaita vedānta
    ( some call śāntabrahmavāda). This is not the case here.
  • this māyā brings about the experience of differences for us e.g. good , small, hot cold, good bad, right , wrong.
    It is the Supreme measured out in differences.
  • karma is karman - action , performance. I are not alluding to the theory of karma here. It is actions we perform.
    Many say they are rooted in vāsnanās - impressions in in the mind ( some like to call this citta, ~individual~ consciousness).

Four fold - śiva assumes the nature of :

• śūnya - void. This is the absence of all things; this too must be owned ( and is possible) by śiva.
  • prāṅa - we know as energy, life force; dynamism.
  • puryaṣṭaka - this means the city of 8. We find many references to the body as a city or village with 9, 10, or even 11 gates¹ ( openings);
    • for this the 8 that are being referenced is the 5 tanmātra-s ( the elements of air, fire, water, etc), manas ( mind) buddhi ( intellect) andahaṁkāra ( some prefer to spell it ahaṅkāra) meaning I maker or I doer - the ego.

• • Note that some may call this puryaṣṭaka by a different name - liṅga śarīra ( the ~mark~ of the body) which is the vehicle or abode of saṁskāra-s. We know saṁskāra's are the impressions on the mind-stuff from former states of existence. They are carried over from life-to-life we are told.

• the gross body ( of beings)

Five and seven
This can be taken taken a few ways -

• that of śiva's 5 natures or qualities
• that of 7 experients or types of experiences of awareness/conscious qualities
• that of 35 tattva's... But how can this be ? Within śaivism we speak of 36 tattva's ? Were is this 36th ?

This 5 and 7 is most profound - it contains all things & all conscious levels from śiva down to the sakala (that would be us).

Sakala means jiva's residing in māyā-tattva. Some care to call this māyīyamala ( the limiting condition of māyā, or the blemish of māyā).
Yet the defintion which is parallel to this idea is defined as sa + kalā or sa-kala consisting of parts , divisible , material.
Again nature of experience: differentiated consciousness ( wake, dream, sleep, turiya at times), experiences of place, time, moment,
persons, things.

Let me ask for your POV
What can one surmise from this insight ? That is, what does this say about śivabhaṭṭārka and the sakala ?

praṇām

words

• Pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ is authored by kṣemarāja-ji śiṣya of abhinavagupta. This word Pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ means the
  re-recognition of ones Self - in this word hṛdya is used as ~heart~ or the inner most , most dear, and hence the Self.
• śiva-bhaṭṭārka - we attach bhaṭṭārka to śiva's name in reverence of the Supreme. This bhaṭṭārka = bhaṭṭāra means honourable .
  Yet if we click down one more level we find bhaṭṭā that comes from bhartṛ meaning lord , my lord; It is also considered a title
  of respect used by humble persons addressing a prince ;
• gates - pura is known as 'the city' , also a fortress , castle, etc. and is used as a epithet of our body. The body is called the city of 11 gates (see below).
  The kaṭhopaniṣad (2nd adhyāya) helps us out and says it this way, The dehin - the embodied ones, humans are puram ekādaśa dvāram
  or the city (puri - city, fortress, town) of 11 ( ekā 1+ daśa10) gates (dvāra).
  • 11 gates
    • 9 gates = 9 openings 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 mouth, 2 nostrils, and two below the waist. Note that various śastra call out the body with 9, 10 and 11 gates.
    • 10 gates : 9 openings forementioned + the navel.
    • 11 gates : 10 gates forementioned + vidrti विदृति or the opening in the top of skull (some call it the suture)

[Adhvagat]

Yajvan, very nice since I was reading the Wikipedia article about the 36 Tattvas just a few days ago. It's also interesting to see how the different philosophical schools divide the tattvas differently and even use the concept of tattva in another way.

Here's a nice graphic from the article:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_36_tattvas

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté Pietro Impagliazzo,

Yajvan, very nice since I was reading the Wikipedia article about the 36 Tattvas just a few days ago. It's also interesting to see how the different philosophical schools divide the tattvas differently and even use the concept of tattva in another way.
Here's a nice graphic from the article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_36_tattvas

Thank you for your post and the graphic that helps one visualize the structure that is here. A very useful graphic.


May I mention there are some discrepancies in the definitions found in the graphic. I will not go in-depth but ask you to perhaps research some of these for your own interest.

• kalā - offered in the graphic is called 'power'. A more appropriate definition may be creativity, skill , ingenuity. This sould not be confused with kāla rooted in kal - 'to calculate or enumerate' also a fixed or right point of time , a space of time , time itself.

• puruṣa - called out as 'soul' - this is called in vedānta, but not the same in kaśmir śaivism. We find in vedānta that this puruṣa is unfettered, some use this term for the realized soul. Yet this is not the case in śaivism. This puruṣa is still subjective, inward facing, yet it is still entangled and bound in 5 ways, says svāmī lakṣman-jū.

• tanmātra-s - are called out as smell , touch, etc. What is very interesting is they arise from the mahābhūta-s. The names are correct for each, yet they are the abode, the residence of smell,touch, taste.

Think of your nose. It smells no? Yet place your nose on a widow , you touch and you sense cold or warm of the window. It is not just smell. Take your tongue - it tastes, it touches too. So these physical senses do other things then there primary purpose.

• Yet one final idea - within kaśmir śaivism the graphic would be reversed. Starting with the most dense pṛthvī (earth or material). Why so ? This will be reviewed in a coming post in the the brilliance of saṃskṛtā string that was started here in the uttara folder.

There are more , but I will let you discover some of these things for yourself. Perhaps you can share what you find with us?


I look forward to more of your offerings and posts


praṇām

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namast�

In the pratyavbhij�āhṛdayaṁ āgama there is a wonderful insight that is offered in sūtra 7 , it says:
and (though) He (śiva-bhaṭṭārka�) is one He becomes of two-fold form, threefold, fourfold and of the nature of sapta and pa�ca ( or 5 x7 =35).

Let me ask for your POV
What can one surmise from this insight ? That is, what does this say about śivabhaṭṭārka and the sakala ?

The implication as I see it:

• there is only one found in the many. The undifferentiated (brahman) is also the differentiated, or the diversity of creation.
• This is the transformation/condensation of the infinite to the finite - śivabhaṭṭārka and sakala are one and the same.

Hence how can there be two? Where can there be dvait� (duality, duplicity) ?

praṇām

[Maya3]

Thank you both for posting this!

Maya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

I wrote

Pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ is authored by kṣemarāja-ji śiṣya of abhinavagupta. This word Pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ means the re-recognition
of ones Self - in this word hṛdya is used as ~heart~ or the inner most , most dear, and hence the Self

This word pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ can be viewed as praty+abhi+jñā+hṛdayaṁ

• praty = prati = back , again , in return
• abhi = a prefix to verbs and nouns , expressing to , towards , into , over , upon - some say 'close at hand'
• jñā = to know as , know or perceive that ; yet it also means to recognize as one's own
• hṛdayaṁ = hṛdaya = the heart or centre or core or essence or best or dearest or most secret part of anything;
  In this use it is 'essence' of everything - pure consciousness

Hence this pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ is returning back again (prati) towards (abhi) one's own (jñā) essence (hṛdayaṁ).
The knowledge that informs one how to return back to one's own essense or the Self is found in thr āgama called pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ.


What is key ( for me is) prati or back again. Returning back to what one was. Now there is a notion of thinking that prati ( return) needs
to occur because of prati-pam - that is, it was hindered or limited and it appears as so. What has been limited? The fullness of this hṛdaya
being fully expressed in the jiva ( person or nara).


Yet it is from Post 1 above we're informed that the Supreme ~throttles-down~ in the manifested world ( world = all existence).
When this is done sakala¹ (consisting of parts , divisible , material) occurs. Yet the essence does not change.

No matter how many times you measure out (mā) infinity and put it in parts , it is still infinite. Cut infinite in half and it is still infinite.

So what then occurs? The Supreme Itself by It's own power or svātantrya¹ ( will or independence) this condensation,
this limiting occurs via His 5 great acts. We will review this 5 ( pañcakṛtyavidhiḥ) in the upcoming post.

praṇām

words and references

• svātantrya is from sva-tantra - the following one's own will , freedom of the will , independence ; (āt - 'by one's own will' )
• sakala - See this HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...4586#post54586

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté
I wrote in the last post,

The Supreme Itself by It's own power or svātantrya ( will or independence) this condesnstation, this limiting occurs via His 5 great acts.

Here we have the Supreme's 5 fold act (pañcakṛtyavidhiḥ) :

• sṛṣṭi सृष्टि - letting go or emanation or emission - from this all of creation as we know it unfolds. Note it is an emission of all the tattva's that make up creation

• sthiti स्थिति - continued existence; continuance in being . We may see this as the maintenance of life or of all creation

• saṁhāra संहार - contraction; drawing in (like an elephant's trunk); fetching back. Note many like to use the word destruction (vilaya - dissolution , liquefaction , disappearance , death , destruction ) yet this is not what is being communicating here, it is that of drawing back in.

• tirodhāna तिरोधान - concealing; covering ( like a sheath , veil , cloak ) ; this covering people wish to call māyā, and we have many posts on this subject.
  Yet here in this darśana (view , doctrine , philosophical system ) māyā is the śakti of the Supreme, in this case of śiva. It is His own self-imposed limitation on his own Self. Why so? I hope we can offer a POV that satisfies this question ( It has for me).

• anugraha अनुग्रह - grace; showing favor, kindness; This we know as His blessings and the main act that brings one to kevala¹

We will look at these items and more discussion of the Supremes condensation/limitation into the world we see.

praṇām

words
kevala - simple , pure , uncompounded , unmingled ; the doctrine of the absolute unity of spirit ; some call this mokṣa

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

The Supreme (called anuttara&#185 in this conversation is parama- śiva, wishes to unfold, or emit the universe (sṛṣṭi ). Yet consider this.
The Supreme is perfectly full, whole, complete , we call pūrṇatā - fullness.

This fullness is unitary or one fullness. So what does the Supreme have to do to manifest a ~creation~ of things ( diversity or differences)?
It has to in some way take this fullness and meter it out ( mā) in some fashion so this pūrṇatā appears as many.

Its as if there is concealment (tirodhāna) occurring. that of the total unitary consciousness of Being appears as the universe of many.
This is the śakti of māyā. This IMHO is quite profound.

Śiva and śakti are one, this we know. But one must consider that it is the energy of śakti that allows for the Self-referral possibility of the
Supreme to become many. That is, for the Supreme to be aware of its own Being, this is the first pulse for Him to begin this emmission of creation.
This is possible only by His own vimarśa . This is vi + mṛś; mṛś is to reflect, to touch mentally and vi means 'in two parts', ' to and fro',
and 'deliberation'. So what this vi + mṛś offers us about vimarśa is the reflection or deliberation within Being, brahman , its own Self-awareness.

If this did not occur then this Fullness, brahman, parama- śiva remains quite still and calm with no need or wish for sṛṣṭi to occur.
But one may ask , why does the Supreme even care to emit, to ~let go~? We find it in the name of brahman.

Brahman is rooted in bhṛ meaning to expand, grow. It is by His very nature to expand. This occurs by His unfolding the universe
again and again.

The first impulse of this begins with this Self-recognition, Self-referal ability and this impulse is considered His energy śakti.
Hence this is then called aham-vimarśa or parama- śiva's own I self-awareness. With this Self-awareness begins the intention now
to expand, we as humans may call this ~create~. Another word used for this is unmukhatā and is found in the pratyabhijñāhṛdayaṁ āgama.

This word unmukhatā means 'the state of having the face raised ' or the state of watching. JUst as you raise your head to view something,
It is as if the Supreme is raising his head to begin something. In this case it is his own aham-vimarśa , Self-awareness, Self-referral, that begins the emission/creative/manifestation process.

So, this knowledge as I see it really allows for a better appreciation of the overall unfoldment/emissions process that is discussed. It then
sets the stage for a more insightful view of māyā being part of the descent of the Supreme into the many. It is no less a tool that is used.
More on this in the next post.

praṇām


words

• anuttara - the view of anuttara by abhinavagupta-ji is very rewarding to consider. He suggests looking at this word this
  way a +nut +tara.
  • nut = nud = pushing , impelling
  • tara = passing over or beyond , surpassing, or going beyond.
  • Hence nuttara suggets going beyond, surpassing to arrive at 'a' .
  • This 'a' अ is the most profound sound or phoneme in saṃskṛtam. It is considered viṣṇu ( all encompassing); ā आ it is
    considered śiva ( Perfect Being, Silence, Auspiciousness); in the feminine gender it is considered lakṣmī ( good fortune,
    success, blessedness, bhaga).

All of knowledge occurs in a , as the first sound of the ṛg ved , agni. The universe of ideas , of creation, of all the tattvas occurs between
this a +ha + ṁ. For this, all the universe is found in akṛtrima-ahaṁ-vimarśa, or pure I consciousness.

• pūrṇatā fullness is based on pūrṇa पूर्णabundant, fulfilled , finished , accomplished

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

Before continuing, I'd thought to offer the following from the upaniṣads and make a connection.

In the taittirīya upaniṣad , brahmanānanda vallī ( 6th anuvāyka or sub-section) offers the following: so'kāmayata bahu syāṁ prajāyeyeti
This says, He ( Brahman - sa) sounded out (syāṁ) His wish/desire (kāma) to bring forth (praja) and become many (bahu), let (Me) to be born. ...let Me be many'


In the bṛhadaraṇyaka Upaniṣad - puruṣavidha-brāhmaṇa says,
( 1st śloka)
In the beginning all this was verily the Self. Observing all around He did not behold anything other then Himself.
(3nd śloka) - He divided His very body into 2.

We go to the chāndogya upaniṣad ( 6.2.1 to 6.2.3)
the ṛṣi āruṇu informs his son śvetaketu, In the beginning my dear all this was sat ( Being, Existence itself), one without a second.
Some say asat, and from this non-existence emerged the existence of the world ( world = universe on all levels). THAT
(meaning Being or tad, another name for brahman) contemplated may I be many.


There are more examples , but my point is this... in vedāntic upaniṣads the notion of perfect pūrṇatā - fullness, chooses to become many,
to manifest, to expand.

Interesting, but what is the point? The word used in the chāndogya upaniṣad ( 6.2.3) is quite revealing. The word used is īkṣita
defined as seen , beheld , regarded. Because of these words many authors take īkṣita = regarded = contemplated , because īkṣa means
considering , also anything seen.

Yet here is the value as I see it - this seeing, contemplating is within Being, brahman, within Himself. It is no different then vimarśa¹
that was discussed in the post above - Self-referral. Brahman aware of itself, via this method of 'curving back onto Itself' as my teacher
has said, is the creative impulse for emission (sṛṣṭi ) of the universe to begin.

The beauty here is we find vimarśa in vedānta , not with the same words, nor is this idea fully developed. There is no fault becasue a different
( not opposed ) POV is offered of Reality that is quite robust vedānta.
Yet in trika śaivism ( tightly identified with kaśmir śaivism) this quality of Reality i.e. vimarśa is at the core of the teaching. If we assocate
the two, brahman = śiva, and when He reflects, contemplates, this = śakti and the Self-referral quality of Being (brahman) to be Self-aware.

praṇām

words

This is vi + mṛś; mṛś is to reflect, to touch mentally and vi means 'in two parts', 'to and fro', and 'deliberation'.
So what this vi + mṛś offers us about vimarśa is the reflection or deliberation within Being, brahman , its own Self-awareness.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

With this sṛṣṭi, letting-go or emanation, comes the manifestation or appearance of the world.

Some call this ābhāsa which is defined as 'looking like , having the mere appearance of a thing', hence the world around us, the manifest. Yet this word is also defined as (m�) as splendor, light.
Now why would that be interesting ( to me) ?

Because another name given to the Supreme in this darśana is prakāśa vimarśamaya - the Light of Self-Recognition (of ItSelf).
So, this light (prakāśa) beomes the manifest (ābhāsa ) yet in its manifest state it is still light (ābhāsa).

So one must dis-assemble the word to find where this 'light' resides:

• ābhāsa = ābhā +sa
• ābhā = to shine or blaze towards, to outshine , illumine + sa is rooted in san = procuring , bestowing

Hence ābhā +sa = bestowing or blazing forth light.

praṇām

words

m - grammatical gender - is (m) masculine, (f) feminine or (n)neuter. Gender we can see is liṅga a mark , spot , sign , token , badge , emblem , characteristic. When looking up a word you will see mfn as an abbreviation next to the definition.
For this use (m) it is masculine gender. These characteristics/marks are called puṃ-liṅga , strī -liṅga and napuṃsaka-liṅga