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 Tantrāloka (Tantraloka): Chapter 33 - stanzas 1 to 32 - Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir

Ekīkāraprakāśana - Normal translation


 Introduction

photo 73 - deityThis is the only set of stanzas (from the stanza 1 to the stanza 32) of the thirty-third chapter (called Ekīkāraprakāśana).

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.

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 Stanzas 1 to 10

अथ श्रीतन्त्रालोके त्रयस्त्रिंशमाह्निकम्।
Atha śrītantrāloke trayastriṁśamāhnikam|

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अथावसरसम्प्राप्त एकीकारो निगद्यते।
यदुक्तं चक्रभेदेन सार्धं पूज्यमिति त्रिकम्।
तत्रैष चक्रभेदानामेकीकारो दिशानया॥१॥

Athāvasarasamprāpta ekīkāro nigadyate|
Yaduktaṁ cakrabhedena sārdhaṁ pūjyamiti trikam|
Tatraiṣa cakrabhedānāmekīkāro diśānayā||1||

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विश्वा तदीशा हारौद्री वीरनेत्र्यम्बिका तथा।
गुर्वीति षडरे देव्यः श्रीसिद्धावीरदर्शिताः॥२॥

Viśvā tadīśā hāraudrī vīranetryambikā tathā|
Gurvīti ṣaḍare devyaḥ śrīsiddhāvīradarśitāḥ||2||

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माहेशी ब्राह्मणी स्कान्दी वैष्णव्यैन्द्री यमात्मिका।
चामुण्डा चैव योगीशीत्यष्टाघोर्यादयोऽथवा॥३॥

Māheśī brāhmaṇī skāndī vaiṣṇavyaindrī yamātmikā|
Cāmuṇḍā caiva yogīśītyaṣṭāghoryādayo'thavā||3||

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अग्निनिरृतिवाय्वीशमातृभिर्द्वादशान्विताः।
नन्दा भद्रा जया काली कराली विकृतानना॥४॥

Agninirṛtivāyvīśamātṛbhirdvādaśānvitāḥ|
Nandā bhadrā jayā kālī karālī vikṛtānanā||4||

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क्रोष्टुकी भीममुद्रा च वायुवेगा हयानना।
गम्भीरा घोषणी चेति चतुर्विंशत्यरे विधिः॥५॥

Kroṣṭukī bhīmamudrā ca vāyuvegā hayānanā|
Gambhīrā ghoṣaṇī ceti caturviṁśatyare vidhiḥ||5||

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सिद्धिर्वृद्धिर्द्युतिर्लक्ष्मीर्मेधा कान्तिः सुधा धृतिः।
दीप्तिः पुष्टिर्मतिः कीर्तिः सुस्थितिः सुगतिः स्मृतिः॥६॥

Siddhirvṛddhirdyutirlakṣmīrmedhā kāntiḥ sudhā dhṛtiḥ|
Dīptiḥ puṣṭirmatiḥ kīrtiḥ susthitiḥ sugatiḥ smṛtiḥ||6||

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सुप्रभा षोडशी चेति श्रीकण्ठादिकशक्तयः।
बलिश्च बलिनन्दश्च दशग्रीवो हरो हयः॥७॥

Suprabhā ṣoḍaśī ceti śrīkaṇṭhādikaśaktayaḥ|
Baliśca balinandaśca daśagrīvo haro hayaḥ||7||

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माधवः षडरे चक्रे द्वादशारे त्वमी स्मृताः।
दक्षश्चण्डो हरः शौण्डी प्रमथो भीममन्मथौ॥८॥

Mādhavaḥ ṣaḍare cakre dvādaśāre tvamī smṛtāḥ|
Dakṣaścaṇḍo haraḥ śauṇḍī pramatho bhīmamanmathau||8||

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शकुनिः सुमतिर्नन्दो गोपालश्च पितामहः।
श्रीकण्ठोऽनन्तसूक्ष्मौ च त्रिमूर्तिः शम्बरेश्वरः॥९॥

Śakuniḥ sumatirnando gopālaśca pitāmahaḥ|
Śrīkaṇṭho'nantasūkṣmau ca trimūrtiḥ śambareśvaraḥ||9||

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अर्घीशो भारभूतिश्च स्थितिः स्थाणुर्हरस्तथा।
झण्ठिभौतिकसद्योजानुग्रहक्रूरसैनिकाः॥१०॥

Arghīśo bhārabhūtiśca sthitiḥ sthāṇurharastathā|
Jhaṇṭhibhautikasadyojānugrahakrūrasainikāḥ||10||

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 Stanzas 11 to 20

द्व्यष्टौ यद्वामृतस्तेन युक्ताः पूर्णाभतद्द्रवाः।
ओघोर्मिस्यन्दनाङ्गाश्च वपुरुद्गारवक्त्रकाः॥११॥

Dvyaṣṭau yadvāmṛtastena yuktāḥ pūrṇābhataddravāḥ|
Oghormisyandanāṅgāśca vapurudgāravaktrakāḥ||11||

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तनुसेचनमूर्तीशाः सर्वामृतधरोऽपरः।
श्रीपाठाच्छक्तयश्चैताः षोडशैव प्रकीर्तिताः॥१२॥

Tanusecanamūrtīśāḥ sarvāmṛtadharo'paraḥ|
Śrīpāṭhācchaktayaścaitāḥ ṣoḍaśaiva prakīrtitāḥ||12||

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संवर्तलकुलिभृगुसितबकखङ्गिपिनाकिभुजगबलिकालाः।
द्विश्छगलाण्डौ शिखिशोणमेषमीनत्रिदण्डि साषाढि॥१३॥

Saṁvartalakulibhṛgusitabakakhaṅgipinākibhujagabalikālāḥ|
Dviśchagalāṇḍau śikhiśoṇameṣamīnatridaṇḍi sāṣāḍhi||13||

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देवीकान्ततदर्धौ दारुकहलिसोमनाथशर्माणः।
जयविजयजयन्ताजितसुजयजयरुद्रकीर्तनावहकाः॥१४॥

Devīkāntatadardhau dārukahalisomanāthaśarmāṇaḥ|
Jayavijayajayantājitasujayajayarudrakīrtanāvahakāḥ||14||

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तन्मूर्त्युत्साहदवर्धनाश्च बलसुबलभद्रदावहकाः।
तद्वान्दाता चेशो नन्दनसमभद्रतन्मूर्तिः॥१५॥

Tanmūrtyutsāhadavardhanāśca balasubalabhadradāvahakāḥ|
Tadvāndātā ceśo nandanasamabhadratanmūrtiḥ||15||

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शिवदसुमनःस्पृहणका दुर्गो भद्राख्यकालश्च।
चेतोऽनुगकौशिककालविश्वसुशिवास्तथापरः कोपः॥१६॥

Śivadasumanaḥspṛhaṇakā durgo bhadrākhyakālaśca|
Ceto'nugakauśikakālaviśvasuśivāstathāparaḥ kopaḥ||16||

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श्रुत्यग्न्यरे स्युरेते स्त्रीपाठाच्छक्तयस्त्वेताः।
जुङ्कारोऽथाग्निपत्नीति षडरे षण्ठवर्जिताः॥१७॥

Śrutyagnyare syurete strīpāṭhācchaktayastvetāḥ|
Juṅkāro'thāgnipatnīti ṣaḍare ṣaṇṭhavarjitāḥ||17||

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द्वादशारे तत्सहिताः षोडशारे स्वराः क्रमात्।
हलस्तद्द्विगुणेऽष्टारे याद्यं हान्तं तु तत्त्रिके॥१८॥

Dvādaśāre tatsahitāḥ ṣoḍaśāre svarāḥ kramāt|
Halastaddviguṇe'ṣṭāre yādyaṁ hāntaṁ tu tattrike||18||

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द्वात्रिंशदरके सान्तं बिन्दुः सर्वेषु मूर्धनि।
एवमन्यान्बहूंश्चक्रभेदानस्मात्प्रकल्पयेत्॥१९॥

Dvātriṁśadarake sāntaṁ binduḥ sarveṣu mūrdhani|
Evamanyānbahūṁścakrabhedānasmātprakalpayet||19||

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एक एव चिदात्मैष विश्वामर्शनसारकः।
शक्तिस्तद्वानतो माता शब्दराशिः प्रकीर्तितौ॥२०॥

Eka eva cidātmaiṣa viśvāmarśanasārakaḥ|
Śaktistadvānato mātā śabdarāśiḥ prakīrtitau||20||

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 Stanzas 21 to 30

तयोरेव विभागे तु शक्तितद्वत्प्रकल्पने।
शब्दराशिर्मालिनी च क्षोभात्म वपुरीदृशम्॥२१॥

Tayoreva vibhāge tu śaktitadvatprakalpane|
Śabdarāśirmālinī ca kṣobhātma vapurīdṛśam||21||

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तथान्तःस्थपरामर्शभेदने वस्तुतस्त्रिकम्।
अनुत्तरेच्छोन्मेषाख्यं यतो विश्वं विमर्शनम्॥२२॥

Tathāntaḥsthaparāmarśabhedane vastutastrikam|
Anuttarecchonmeṣākhyaṁ yato viśvaṁ vimarśanam||22||

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आनन्देशोर्मियोगे तु तत्षट्कं समुदाहृतम्।
अन्तःस्थोष्मसमायोगात्तदष्टकमुदाहृतम्॥२३॥

Ānandeśormiyoge tu tatṣaṭkaṁ samudāhṛtam|
Antaḥsthoṣmasamāyogāttadaṣṭakamudāhṛtam||23||

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तदामृतचतुष्कोनभावे द्वादशकं भवेत्।
तद्योगे षोडशाख्यं स्यादेवं यावदसङ्ख्यता॥२४॥

Tadāmṛtacatuṣkonabhāve dvādaśakaṁ bhavet|
Tadyoge ṣoḍaśākhyaṁ syādevaṁ yāvadasaṅkhyatā||24||

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विश्वमेकपरामर्शसहत्वात्प्रभृति स्फुटम्।
अंशांशिकापरामर्शान्पर्यन्ते सहते यतः॥२५॥

Viśvamekaparāmarśasahatvātprabhṛti sphuṭam|
Aṁśāṁśikāparāmarśānparyante sahate yataḥ||25||

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अतः पञ्चाशदैकात्म्यं स्वरव्यक्तिविरूपता।
वर्गाष्टकं वर्णभेद एकाशीतिकलोदयः॥२६॥

Ataḥ pañcāśadaikātmyaṁ svaravyaktivirūpatā|
Vargāṣṭakaṁ varṇabheda ekāśītikalodayaḥ||26||

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इति प्रदर्शितं पूर्वमर्धमात्रासहत्वतः।
स्वरार्धमप्यस्ति यतः स्वरितस्यार्धमात्रकम्॥२७॥

Iti pradarśitaṁ pūrvamardhamātrāsahatvataḥ|
Svarārdhamapyasti yataḥ svaritasyārdhamātrakam||27||

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तस्यादित उदात्तं तत्कथितं पदवेदिना।
इत्थं संविदियं याज्यस्वरूपामर्शरूपिणी॥२८॥

Tasyādita udāttaṁ tatkathitaṁ padavedinā|
Itthaṁ saṁvidiyaṁ yājyasvarūpāmarśarūpiṇī||28||

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अभिन्नं संविदश्चैतच्चक्राणां चक्रवालकम्।
स्वाम्यावरणभेदेन बहुधा तत्प्रयोजयेत्॥२९॥

Abhinnaṁ saṁvidaścaitaccakrāṇāṁ cakravālakam|
Svāmyāvaraṇabhedena bahudhā tatprayojayet||29||

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परापरा परा चान्या सृष्टिस्थितितिरोधयः।
मातृसद्भावरूपा तु तुर्या विश्रान्तिरुच्यते॥३०॥

Parāparā parā cānyā sṛṣṭisthititirodhayaḥ|
Mātṛsadbhāvarūpā tu turyā viśrāntirucyate||30||

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 Stanzas 31 to 32

तच्च प्रकाशं वक्त्रस्थं सूचितं तु पदे पदे।
तुर्ये विश्रान्तिराधेया मातृसद्भावसारिणि॥३१॥

Tacca prakāśaṁ vaktrasthaṁ sūcitaṁ tu pade pade|
Turye viśrāntirādheyā mātṛsadbhāvasāriṇi||31||

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तथास्य विश्वमाभाति स्वात्मतन्मयतां गतम्।
इत्येष शास्त्रार्थस्योक्त एकीकारो गुरूदितः॥३२॥

Tathāsya viśvamābhāti svātmatanmayatāṁ gatam|
Ityeṣa śāstrārthasyokta ekīkāro gurūditaḥ||32||

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 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.



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