Sanskrit & Trika Shaivism (English-Home)

JavaScript is disabled! Check this link!


 Tantrāloka (Tantraloka): Chapter 14 - stanzas 1 to 46 - Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir

Dīkṣopakramaprakāśana - Normal translation


 Introduction

photo 47 - sunset in IndiaThis is the only set of stanzas (from the stanza 1 to the stanza 46) of the fourteenth chapter (called Dīkṣopakramaprakāśana).

This work was written by the great Master Abhinavagupta and is a compendium of Tantra in all its facets. Tantrāloka is the most important and voluminous work of the greatest Trika Master. Abhinavagupta was also the teacher of eminent Kṣemarāja and lived about 975-1025 AD in Kashmir.

This treatise whose name is Tantrāloka is a complete encyclopedia of Tantra. Since it is a very advanced text in Trika Shaivism, there is no surprise if a neophyte finds it difficult to understand. To start to understand it, the level of the reader must be the one of a real disciple in Trika Shaivism. If this requirement is not met, then there will be a lot of confusion and constant disappointment. Because in spite of my great efforts to explain the things so easily as possible, to study this treatise requires some spiritual caliber. In this system, sometimes it is not possible even to write about certain topics due to the extreme limitation of the words. Because in the end, all this knowledge has to do with 'states', and it is extremely difficult to write about 'states' in a precise way. Abhinavagupta has done his best to accomplish this formidable task of writing about what is superior and intangible. Anyway, despite his incredible skills to carry out this, he is not revealing everything. It is not because he is all the time hiding things from the reader, but because he is sometimes hiding and on other occasions he just cannot write about some extremely subtle topics because of the limitation of the words.

Goal of life is Liberation. Man has searched for freedom always in human history, but according to Trika Shaivism that is not real Liberation. Real Liberation does not mean that your body should be free from some prison and things like that. Real Liberation amounts to attaining His Svātantrya or Absolute Freedom. When the Great Lord's Svātantrya is achieved, then you see unity in all the things, i.e. you stop seeing duality as before. All is forever identified with Svātantrya, with Him, and that is the end of the story called 'you in bondage'. From this point on nothing will get in your way, because if something apparently gets in your way, that is Svātantrya again. This constant awareness of unity in all is real Freedom. There is no other attainment greater than this!

Keeping the above in mind, now read Tantrāloka and experience Supreme Delight, dear Śiva.

Important: All that is in brackets and italicized within the translation has been added by me in order to complete the sense of a particular phrase or sentence. In turn, all that is between double hyphen (--...--) constitutes clarifying further information also added by me.

top


 Stanzas 1 to 10

अथ श्रीतन्त्रालोके चतुर्दशमाह्निकम्।
Atha śrītantrāloke caturdaśamāhnikam|

Untranslated yet

तिरोभावस्वरूपं तु कथ्यमानं विविच्यताम्।
स्वभावात्परमेशानो नियत्यनियतिक्रमम्॥१॥

Tirobhāvasvarūpaṁ tu kathyamānaṁ vivicyatām|
Svabhāvātparameśāno niyatyaniyatikramam||1||

Untranslated yet


स्पृशन्प्रकाशते येन ततः स्वच्छन्द उच्यते।
नियतिं कर्मफलयोराश्रित्यैष महेश्वरः॥२॥

Spṛśanprakāśate yena tataḥ svacchanda ucyate|
Niyatiṁ karmaphalayorāśrityaiṣa maheśvaraḥ||2||

Untranslated yet


सृष्टिसंस्थितिसंहारान्विधत्तेऽवान्तरस्थितीन्।
महासर्गे पुनः सृष्टिसंहारानन्त्यशालिनि॥३॥

Sṛṣṭisaṁsthitisaṁhārānvidhatte'vāntarasthitīn|
Mahāsarge punaḥ sṛṣṭisaṁhārānantyaśālini||3||

Untranslated yet


एकः स देवो विश्वात्मा नियतित्यागतः प्रभुः।
अवान्तरे या च सृष्टिः स्थितिश्चात्राप्ययन्त्रितम्॥४॥

Ekaḥ sa devo viśvātmā niyatityāgataḥ prabhuḥ|
Avāntare yā ca sṛṣṭiḥ sthitiścātrāpyayantritam||4||

Untranslated yet


नोज्झत्येष वपुस्त्यक्तनियतिश्च स्थितोऽत्र तत्।
नियत्यैव यदा चैष स्वरूपाच्छादनक्रमात्॥५॥

Nojjhatyeṣa vapustyaktaniyatiśca sthito'tra tat|
Niyatyaiva yadā caiṣa svarūpācchādanakramāt||5||

Untranslated yet


भुङ्क्ते दुःखविमोहादि तदा कर्मफलक्रमः।
त्यक्त्वा तु नियमं कार्मं दुःखमोहपरीतताम्॥६॥

Bhuṅkte duḥkhavimohādi tadā karmaphalakramaḥ|
Tyaktvā tu niyamaṁ kārmaṁ duḥkhamohaparītatām||6||

Untranslated yet


बिभासयिषुरास्तेऽयं तिरोधानेऽनपेक्षकः।
यथा प्रकाशस्वातन्त्र्यात्प्रतिबुद्धोऽप्यबुद्धवत्॥७॥

Bibhāsayiṣurāste'yaṁ tirodhāne'napekṣakaḥ|
Yathā prakāśasvātantryātpratibuddho'pyabuddhavat||7||

Untranslated yet


आस्ते तद्वदनुत्तीर्णोऽप्युत्तीर्ण इव चेष्टते।
यथा च बुद्धस्तां मूढचेष्टां कुर्वन्नपि द्विषन्॥८॥

Āste tadvadanuttīrṇo'pyuttīrṇa iva ceṣṭate|
Yathā ca buddhastāṁ mūḍhaceṣṭāṁ kurvannapi dviṣan||8||

Untranslated yet


हृद्यास्ते मूढ एवं हि प्रबुद्धानां विचेष्टितम्।
श्रीविद्याधिपतिश्चाह मानस्तोत्रे तदीदृशम्॥९॥

Hṛdyāste mūḍha evaṁ hi prabuddhānāṁ viceṣṭitam|
Śrīvidyādhipatiścāha mānastotre tadīdṛśam||9||

Untranslated yet


ये यौष्माके शासनमार्गे कृतदीक्षाः सङ्गच्छन्तो मोहवशाद्विप्रतिपत्तिम्।
नूनं तेषा नास्ति भवद्भानुनियोगः सङ्कोचः किं सूर्यकरैस्तामरसानाम्॥१०॥

Ye yauṣmāke śāsanamārge kṛtadīkṣāḥ saṅgacchanto mohavaśādvipratipattim|
Nūnaṁ teṣā nāsti bhavadbhānuniyogaḥ saṅkocaḥ kiṁ sūryakaraistāmarasānām||10||

Untranslated yet

top


 Stanzas 11 to 20

ज्ञातज्ञेया धातृपदस्था अपि सन्तो ये त्वन्मार्गात्कापथगास्तेऽपि न सम्यक्।
प्रायस्तेषां लैङ्गिकबुद्ध्यादिसमुत्थो मिथ्याबोधः सर्पवसादीपजकल्पः॥११॥

Jñātajñeyā dhātṛpadasthā api santo ye tvanmārgātkāpathagāste'pi na samyak|
Prāyasteṣāṁ laiṅgikabuddhyādisamuttho mithyābodhaḥ sarpavasādīpajakalpaḥ||11||

Untranslated yet


यस्माद्विद्धं सूतकमुख्येन नु ताम्रं तद्यद्भूयः स्वां प्रकृतिं नो समुपेयात्।
नो तैः पीतं भूतलसंस्थैरमृतं तद्येषां तृट्क्षुद्दुःखविबाधाः पुनरस्मिन्॥१२॥

Yasmādviddhaṁ sūtakamukhyena nu tāmraṁ tadyadbhūyaḥ svāṁ prakṛtiṁ no samupeyāt|
No taiḥ pītaṁ bhūtalasaṁsthairamṛtaṁ tadyeṣāṁ tṛṭkṣudduḥkhavibādhāḥ punarasmin||12||

Untranslated yet


ततः प्रबुद्धचेष्टासौ मन्त्रचर्यार्चनादिका।
द्वेषेद्धान्तर्दहत्येनं दाहः शङ्कैव सा यतः॥१३॥

Tataḥ prabuddhaceṣṭāsau mantracaryārcanādikā|
Dveṣeddhāntardahatyenaṁ dāhaḥ śaṅkaiva sā yataḥ||13||

Untranslated yet


न चास्य कर्ममहिमा तादृग्येनेत्थमास्त सः।
किं हि तत्कर्म कस्माद्वा पूर्वेणात्र समो विधिः॥१४॥

Na cāsya karmamahimā tādṛgyenetthamāsta saḥ|
Kiṁ hi tatkarma kasmādvā pūrveṇātra samo vidhiḥ||14||

Untranslated yet


तस्मात्सा परमेशेच्छा ययायं मोहितस्तथा।
अनन्तकालसंवेद्यदुःखपात्रत्वमीहते॥१५॥

Tasmātsā parameśecchā yayāyaṁ mohitastathā|
Anantakālasaṁvedyaduḥkhapātratvamīhate||15||

Untranslated yet


तत्रापि चेच्छावैचित्र्यादिहामुत्रोभयात्मकः।
दुःखस्यापि विभेदोऽस्ति चिरशैघ्र्यकृतस्तथा॥१६॥

Tatrāpi cecchāvaicitryādihāmutrobhayātmakaḥ|
Duḥkhasyāpi vibhedo'sti ciraśaighryakṛtastathā||16||

Untranslated yet


कालकामान्धकादीनां पौलस्त्यपुरवासिनाम्।
तथान्येषां तिरोभावस्तावद्दुःखो ह्यमुत्र च॥१७॥

Kālakāmāndhakādīnāṁ paulastyapuravāsinām|
Tathānyeṣāṁ tirobhāvastāvadduḥkho hyamutra ca||17||

Untranslated yet


अन्योऽपि च तिरोभावः समयोल्लङ्घनात्मकः।
यदुक्तं परमेशेन श्रीमदानन्दगह्वरे॥१८॥

Anyo'pi ca tirobhāvaḥ samayollaṅghanātmakaḥ|
Yaduktaṁ parameśena śrīmadānandagahvare||18||

Untranslated yet


समयोल्लङ्घनाद्देवि क्रव्यादत्वं शतं समाः।
तत्रापि मन्दतीव्रादिभेदाद्बहुविधः क्रमः॥१९॥

Samayollaṅghanāddevi kravyādatvaṁ śataṁ samāḥ|
Tatrāpi mandatīvrādibhedādbahuvidhaḥ kramaḥ||19||

Untranslated yet


स्वातन्त्र्याच्च महेशस्य तिरोभूतोऽप्यसौ स्वयम्।
परद्वारेण वाभ्येति भूयोऽनुग्रहमप्यलम्॥२०॥

Svātantryācca maheśasya tirobhūto'pyasau svayam|
Paradvāreṇa vābhyeti bhūyo'nugrahamapyalam||20||

Untranslated yet

top


 Stanzas 21 to 30

भूयोऽनुग्रहतः प्रायश्चित्ताद्याचरणे सति।
अनुसारेण दीक्षादौ कृते स्याच्छिवतामयः॥२१॥

Bhūyo'nugrahataḥ prāyaścittādyācaraṇe sati|
Anusāreṇa dīkṣādau kṛte syācchivatāmayaḥ||21||

Untranslated yet


तिरोभूतः परेतासुरपि बन्धुसुहृद्गुरून्।
आलम्ब्य शक्तिपातेन दीक्षाद्यैरनुगृह्यते॥२२॥

Tirobhūtaḥ paretāsurapi bandhusuhṛdgurūn|
Ālambya śaktipātena dīkṣādyairanugṛhyate||22||

Untranslated yet


तत्रापि कालशीघ्रत्वचिरत्वादिविभेदताम्।
तथैति शक्तिपातोऽसौ येनायाति शिवात्मताम्॥२३॥

Tatrāpi kālaśīghratvaciratvādivibhedatām|
Tathaiti śaktipāto'sau yenāyāti śivātmatām||23||

Untranslated yet


इत्थं सृष्टिस्थितिध्वंसतिरोभावमनुग्रहः।
इति पञ्चसु कर्तृत्वं शिवत्वं संविदात्मनः॥२४॥

Itthaṁ sṛṣṭisthitidhvaṁsatirobhāvamanugrahaḥ|
Iti pañcasu kartṛtvaṁ śivatvaṁ saṁvidātmanaḥ||24||

Untranslated yet


पञ्चकृत्यस्वतन्त्रत्वसम्पूर्णस्वात्ममानिनः।
योगिनोऽर्चाजपध्यानयोगाः संस्युः सदोदिताः॥२५॥

Pañcakṛtyasvatantratvasampūrṇasvātmamāninaḥ|
Yogino'rcājapadhyānayogāḥ saṁsyuḥ sadoditāḥ||25||

Untranslated yet


ऐन्द्रजालिकवृत्तान्ते न रज्येत कदाचन।
सादाशिवोऽपि यो भोगो बन्धः सोऽप्युचितात्मनाम्॥२६॥

Aindrajālikavṛttānte na rajyeta kadācana|
Sādāśivo'pi yo bhogo bandhaḥ so'pyucitātmanām||26||

Untranslated yet


ज्ञातृत्वमेव शिवता स्वातन्त्र्यं तदिहोच्यते।
कुलालवत्तु कर्तृत्वं न मुख्यं तदधिष्ठितेः॥२७॥

Jñātṛtvameva śivatā svātantryaṁ tadihocyate|
Kulālavattu kartṛtvaṁ na mukhyaṁ tadadhiṣṭhiteḥ||27||

Untranslated yet


इति ज्ञात्वा ग्रहीतव्या नैव जात्वपि खण्डना।
शिवोऽहं चेन्मदिच्छानुवर्ति किं न जगत्त्विति॥२८॥

Iti jñātvā grahītavyā naiva jātvapi khaṇḍanā|
Śivo'haṁ cenmadicchānuvarti kiṁ na jagattviti||28||

Untranslated yet


ममेच्छामनुवर्तन्तामित्यत्राहंविदि स्फुरेत्।
शिवो वा परमेशानो देहादिरथ निर्मितः॥२९॥

Mamecchāmanuvartantāmityatrāhaṁvidi sphuret|
Śivo vā parameśāno dehādiratha nirmitaḥ||29||

Untranslated yet


शिवस्य तावदस्त्येतद्देहस्त्वेष तथा त्वया।
कृतः कान्या देहतास्य तत्किं स्याद्वाच्यतापदम्॥३०॥

Śivasya tāvadastyetaddehastveṣa tathā tvayā|
Kṛtaḥ kānyā dehatāsya tatkiṁ syādvācyatāpadam||30||

Untranslated yet

top


 Stanzas 31 to 40

उक्तं च सिद्धसन्तानश्रीमदूर्मिमहाकुले।
पवनभ्रमणप्राणविक्षेपादिकृतश्रमाः॥३१॥

Uktaṁ ca siddhasantānaśrīmadūrmimahākule|
Pavanabhramaṇaprāṇavikṣepādikṛtaśramāḥ||31||

Untranslated yet


कुहकादिषु ये भ्रान्तास्ते भ्रान्ताः परमे पदे।
सर्वत्र बहुमानेन याप्युत्क्रान्तिर्विमुक्तये॥३२॥

Kuhakādiṣu ye bhrāntāste bhrāntāḥ parame pade|
Sarvatra bahumānena yāpyutkrāntirvimuktaye||32||

Untranslated yet


प्रोक्ता सा सारशास्त्रेषु भोगोपायतयोदिता।
यदि सर्वगता देवो वदोत्क्रम्य क्व यास्यति॥३३॥

Proktā sā sāraśāstreṣu bhogopāyatayoditā|
Yadi sarvagatā devo vadotkramya kva yāsyati||33||

Untranslated yet


अथासर्वगतस्तर्हि घटतुल्यस्तदा भवेत्।
उत्क्रान्तिविधियोगोऽयमेकदेशेन कथ्यते॥३४॥

Athāsarvagatastarhi ghaṭatulyastadā bhavet|
Utkrāntividhiyogo'yamekadeśena kathyate||34||

Untranslated yet


निरंशे शिवतत्त्वे तु कथमुत्क्रान्तिसङ्गतिः।
यथा धरादौ वाय्वन्ते भृग्वम्ब्वग्न्युपवासकैः॥३५॥

Niraṁśe śivatattve tu kathamutkrāntisaṅgatiḥ|
Yathā dharādau vāyvante bhṛgvambvagnyupavāsakaiḥ||35||

Untranslated yet


आत्मनो योजनं व्योम्नि तद्वदुत्क्रान्तिवर्तना।
तस्मान्नोत्क्रमयेज्जीवं परतत्त्वसमीहया॥३६॥

Ātmano yojanaṁ vyomni tadvadutkrāntivartanā|
Tasmānnotkramayejjīvaṁ paratattvasamīhayā||36||

Untranslated yet


श्रीपूर्वशास्त्रे तूक्तं यदुत्क्रान्तेर्लक्षणं न तत्।
मुक्त्युपायतया किन्तु भोगहान्यै तथैषणात्॥३७॥

Śrīpūrvaśāstre tūktaṁ yadutkrānterlakṣaṇaṁ na tat|
Muktyupāyatayā kintu bhogahānyai tathaiṣaṇāt||37||

Untranslated yet


जपध्यानादिसंसिद्धः स्वातन्त्र्याच्छक्तिपाततः।
भोगं प्रति विरक्तश्चेदित्थं देहं त्यजेदिति॥३८॥

Japadhyānādisaṁsiddhaḥ svātantryācchaktipātataḥ|
Bhogaṁ prati viraktaśceditthaṁ dehaṁ tyajediti||38||

Untranslated yet


स्वच्छन्दमृत्योरपि यद् भीष्मादेः श्रूयते किल।
भोगवैरस्यसम्प्राप्तौ जीवितान्तोपसर्पणम्॥३९॥

Svacchandamṛtyorapi yad bhīṣmādeḥ śrūyate kila|
Bhogavairasyasamprāptau jīvitāntopasarpaṇam||39||

Untranslated yet


योगमन्त्रामृतद्रव्यवराद्यैः सिद्धिभाक्तनुः।
हातुं नह्यन्यथा शक्या विनोक्तक्रमयोगतः॥४०॥

Yogamantrāmṛtadravyavarādyaiḥ siddhibhāktanuḥ|
Hātuṁ nahyanyathā śakyā vinoktakramayogataḥ||40||

Untranslated yet

top


 Stanzas 41 to 46

उक्तं च मालिनीतन्त्रे परमेशेन तादृशम्।
सर्वमप्यथवा भोगं मन्यमानो विरूपकम्॥४१॥

Uktaṁ ca mālinītantre parameśena tādṛśam|
Sarvamapyathavā bhogaṁ manyamāno virūpakam||41||

Untranslated yet


इत्यादि वदता सर्वैरलक्ष्यान्तःसतत्त्वकम्।
एवं सृष्ट्यादिकर्तव्यस्वस्वातन्त्र्योपदेशनम्॥४२॥

Ityādi vadatā sarvairalakṣyāntaḥsatattvakam|
Evaṁ sṛṣṭyādikartavyasvasvātantryopadeśanam||42||

Untranslated yet


यत्सैव मुख्यदीक्षा स्याच्छिष्यस्य शिवदायिनी।
उक्तं श्रीनिशिचारे च भैरवीयेण तेजसा॥४३॥

Yatsaiva mukhyadīkṣā syācchiṣyasya śivadāyinī|
Uktaṁ śrīniśicāre ca bhairavīyeṇa tejasā||43||

Untranslated yet


व्याप्तं विश्वं प्रपश्यन्ति विकल्पोज्झितचेतसः।
विकल्पयुक्तचित्तस्तु पिण्डपाताच्छिवं व्रजेत्॥४४॥

Vyāptaṁ viśvaṁ prapaśyanti vikalpojjhitacetasaḥ|
Vikalpayuktacittastu piṇḍapātācchivaṁ vrajet||44||

Untranslated yet


बाह्यदीक्षादियोगेन चर्यासमयकल्पनैः।
अविकल्पस्तथाद्यैव जीवन्मुक्तो न संशयः॥४५॥

Bāhyadīkṣādiyogena caryāsamayakalpanaiḥ|
Avikalpastathādyaiva jīvanmukto na saṁśayaḥ||45||

Untranslated yet


संसारजीर्णतरुमूलकलापकल्पसङ्कल्पसान्तरतया परमार्थवह्नेः।
स्युर्विस्फुलिङ्गकणिका अपि चेत्तदन्ते देदीप्यते विमलबोधहुताशराशिः॥४६॥

Saṁsārajīrṇatarumūlakalāpakalpasaṅkalpasāntaratayā paramārthavahneḥ|
Syurvisphuliṅgakaṇikā api cettadante dedīpyate vimalabodhahutāśarāśiḥ||46||

Untranslated yet

इत्थं दीक्षोपक्रमोऽयं दर्शितः शास्त्रसम्मतः।
Itthaṁ dīkṣopakramo'yaṁ darśitaḥ śāstrasammataḥ|

Untranslated yet

top


 Further Information

Gabriel Pradīpaka

This document was conceived by Gabriel Pradīpaka, one of the two founders of this site, and spiritual guru conversant with Sanskrit language and Trika philosophy.

For further information about Sanskrit, Yoga and Indian Philosophy; or if you simply want to comment, ask a question or correct a mistake, feel free to contact us: This is our e-mail address.



Back to 13. 301-361 Top  Continue to read 15. 1-150

Post your comment

To post a comment please register, or log in.