hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~~
namasté
Can you think of anyone that is completely independent ? That has has no reliance on anyone or anything?
Take a wealthy individual - one can say that he is independent. He may have enough wealth to purchase anything, have all of his needs taken care of. He could even have independent energy generation, a farm for all his food, maids and servants for all his care, fresh rivers for his water. There would not be one thing he could not provide for himself. Would this person be ~completely independent ~ ?
No matter how wealthy you are, you find support from the environment. You could not survive , no matter what wealth one has, without nature offering the supplies of existence to the individual. Think of it. The wealthy man may have the means to purchase goods and services, yet he cannot exist without these goods supporting his bodily needs. He does not have the means to actually create these goods.
But one would say if this man was truly wealthy, he could have all his own manufacturing plants and make every thing for himself. This could be, yet he could not be the producer of the raw materials - the elements (tattva) themselves that go into the products he produces. Even the breath that he takes is not owned by him and is supplied by the universe.
Now think of a being that is completely independent - does not need anything , has no support; is completely and utterly self-reliant. This is called svatantra - self-dependence , independence , self-will. And from this svatantraya (to make subject to one's own will) arises. This is the nature of the Supreme.
This Being is non-relative to anything. It cannot not be compared as being bigger then, smaller then or even infinite then something else because that would suggest it being relative to another, and hence some ~support~ of its existence or definition.
This svatantra is a key principle of kaśmiri śaivism. This does not suggest it is the only principle, but is one of great import.
praṇām
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