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 Tantrāloka (Tantraloka): Chapter 12 - stanzas 1 to 25 - Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir

Adhvopayogaprakāśana - Normal translation


 Introduction

photo 43 - prayer wheelsThis is the only set of stanzas (from the stanza 1 to the stanza 25) of the twelfth chapter (called Adhvopayogaprakāśana).

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 द्वादशमाह्निकम्।
Atha śrītantrāloke dvādaśamāhnikam|

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अथाध्वनोऽस्य प्रकृत उपयोगः प्रकाश्यते॥१॥
Athādhvano'sya prakṛta upayogaḥ prakāśyate||1||

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इत्थमध्वा समस्तोऽयं यथा संविदि संस्थितः।
तद्द्वारा शून्यधीप्राणनाडीचक्रतनुष्वथो॥२॥

Itthamadhvā samasto'yaṁ yathā saṁvidi saṁsthitaḥ|
Taddvārā śūnyadhīprāṇanāḍīcakratanuṣvatho||2||

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बहिश्च लिङ्गमूर्त्यग्निस्थण्डिलादिषु सर्वतः।
तथा स्थितः समस्तश्च व्यस्तश्चैष क्रमाक्रमात्॥३॥

Bahiśca liṅgamūrtyagnisthaṇḍilādiṣu sarvataḥ|
Tathā sthitaḥ samastaśca vyastaścaiṣa kramākramāt||3||

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आसंवित्तत्त्वमाबाह्यं योऽयमध्वा व्यवस्थितः।
तत्र तत्रोचितं रूपं स्वं स्वातन्त्र्येण भासयेत्॥४॥

Āsaṁvittattvamābāhyaṁ yo'yamadhvā vyavasthitaḥ|
Tatra tatrocitaṁ rūpaṁ svaṁ svātantryeṇa bhāsayet||4||

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सर्वं सर्वत्र रूपं च तस्यापि न न भासते।
नह्यवच्छेदितां क्वापि स्वप्नेऽपि विषहामहे॥५॥

Sarvaṁ sarvatra rūpaṁ ca tasyāpi na na bhāsate|
Nahyavaccheditāṁ kvāpi svapne'pi viṣahāmahe||5||

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एवं विश्वाध्वसम्पूर्णं कालव्यापारचित्रितम्।
देशकालमयस्पन्दसद्म देहं विलोकयेत्॥६॥

Evaṁ viśvādhvasampūrṇaṁ kālavyāpāracitritam|
Deśakālamayaspandasadma dehaṁ vilokayet||6||

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तथा विलोक्यमानोऽसौ विश्वान्तर्देवतामयः।
ध्येयः पूज्यश्च तर्प्यश्च तदाविष्टो विमुच्यते॥७॥

Tathā vilokyamāno'sau viśvāntardevatāmayaḥ|
Dhyeyaḥ pūjyaśca tarpyaśca tadāviṣṭo vimucyate||7||

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इत्थं घटं पटं लिङ्गं स्थण्डिलं पुस्तकं जलम्।
यद्वा किञ्चित्क्वचित्पश्येत्तत्र तन्मयतां व्रजेत्॥८॥

Itthaṁ ghaṭaṁ paṭaṁ liṅgaṁ sthaṇḍilaṁ pustakaṁ jalam|
Yadvā kiñcitkvacitpaśyettatra tanmayatāṁ vrajet||8||

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तत्रार्पणं हि वस्तूनामभेदेनार्चनं मतम्।
तथा सम्पूर्णरूपत्वानुसन्धिर्ध्यानमुच्यते॥९॥

Tatrārpaṇaṁ hi vastūnāmabhedenārcanaṁ matam|
Tathā sampūrṇarūpatvānusandhirdhyānamucyate||9||

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सम्पूर्णत्वानुसन्धानमकम्पं दार्ढ्यमानयन्।
तथान्तर्जल्पयोगेन विमृशञ्जपभाजनम्॥१०॥

Sampūrṇatvānusandhānamakampaṁ dārḍhyamānayan|
Tathāntarjalpayogena vimṛśañjapabhājanam||10||

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 Stanzas 11 to 20

तत्रार्पितानां भावानां स्वकभेदविलापनम्।
कुर्वंस्तद्रश्मिसद्भावं दद्याद्धोमक्रियापरः॥११॥

Tatrārpitānāṁ bhāvānāṁ svakabhedavilāpanam|
Kurvaṁstadraśmisadbhāvaṁ dadyāddhomakriyāparaḥ||11||

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तथैवङ्कुर्वतः सर्वं समभावेन पश्यतः।
निष्कम्पता व्रतं शुद्धं साम्यं नन्दिशिखोदितम्॥१२॥

Tathaivaṅkurvataḥ sarvaṁ samabhāvena paśyataḥ|
Niṣkampatā vrataṁ śuddhaṁ sāmyaṁ nandiśikhoditam||12||

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तथार्चनजपध्यानहोमव्रतविधिक्रमात्।
परिपूर्णां स्थितिं प्राहुः समाधिं गुरवः पुरा॥१३॥

Tathārcanajapadhyānahomavratavidhikramāt|
Paripūrṇāṁ sthitiṁ prāhuḥ samādhiṁ guravaḥ purā||13||

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अत्र पूजाजपाद्येषु बहिरन्तर्द्वयस्थितौ।
द्रव्यौघे न विधिः कोऽपि न कापि प्रतिषिद्धता॥१४॥

Atra pūjājapādyeṣu bahirantardvayasthitau|
Dravyaughe na vidhiḥ ko'pi na kāpi pratiṣiddhatā||14||

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कल्पनाशुद्धिसन्ध्यादेर्नोपयोगोऽत्र कश्चन।
उक्तं श्रीत्रिकसूत्रे च जायते यजनं प्रति॥१५॥

Kalpanāśuddhisandhyādernopayogo'tra kaścana|
Uktaṁ śrītrikasūtre ca jāyate yajanaṁ prati||15||

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अविधिज्ञो विधिज्ञश्चेत्येवमादि सुविस्तरम्।
यदा यथा येन यत्र स्वा सम्वित्तिः प्रसीदति॥१६॥

Avidhijño vidhijñaścetyevamādi suvistaram|
Yadā yathā yena yatra svā samvittiḥ prasīdati||16||

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तदा तथा तेन तत्र तत्तद्भोग्यं विधिश्च सः।
लौकिकालौकिकं सर्वं तेनात्र विनियोजयेत्॥१७॥

Tadā tathā tena tatra tattadbhogyaṁ vidhiśca saḥ|
Laukikālaukikaṁ sarvaṁ tenātra viniyojayet||17||

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निष्कम्पत्वे सकम्पस्तु कम्पं निर्ह्रासयेद्बलात्।
यथा येनाभ्युपायेन क्रमादक्रमतोऽपि वा॥१८॥

Niṣkampatve sakampastu kampaṁ nirhrāsayedbalāt|
Yathā yenābhyupāyena kramādakramato'pi vā||18||

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विचिकित्सा गलत्यन्तस्तथासौ यत्नवान्भवेत्।
धीकर्माक्षगता देवीर्निषिद्धैरेव तर्पयेत्॥१९॥

Vicikitsā galatyantastathāsau yatnavānbhavet|
Dhīkarmākṣagatā devīrniṣiddhaireva tarpayet||19||

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वीरव्रतं चाभिनन्देदिति भर्गशिखावचः।
तथाहि शङ्का मालिन्यं ग्लानिः सङ्कोच इत्यदः॥२०॥

Vīravrataṁ cābhinandediti bhargaśikhāvacaḥ|
Tathāhi śaṅkā mālinyaṁ glāniḥ saṅkoca ityadaḥ||20||

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 Stanzas 21 to 25

संसारकारागारान्तः स्थूलस्थूणाघटायते।
मन्त्रा वर्णस्वभावा ये द्रव्यं यत्पाञ्चभौतिकम्॥२१॥

Saṁsārakārāgārāntaḥ sthūlasthūṇāghaṭāyate|
Mantrā varṇasvabhāvā ye dravyaṁ yatpāñcabhautikam||21||

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यच्चिदात्म प्राणिजातं तत्र कः सङ्करः कथम्।
सङ्कराभावतः केयं शङ्का तस्यामपि स्फुटम्॥२२॥

Yaccidātma prāṇijātaṁ tatra kaḥ saṅkaraḥ katham|
Saṅkarābhāvataḥ keyaṁ śaṅkā tasyāmapi sphuṭam||22||

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न शङ्केत तथा शङ्का विलीयेतावहेलया।
श्रीसर्वाचारवीरालीनिशाचरक्रमादिषु॥२३॥

Na śaṅketa tathā śaṅkā vilīyetāvahelayā|
Śrīsarvācāravīrālīniśācarakramādiṣu||23||

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शास्त्रेषु विततं चैतत्तत्र तत्रोच्यते यतः।
शङ्कया जायते ग्लानिः शङ्कया विघ्नभाजनम्॥२४॥

Śāstreṣu vitataṁ caitattatra tatrocyate yataḥ|
Śaṅkayā jāyate glāniḥ śaṅkayā vighnabhājanam||24||

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उवाचोत्पलदेवश्च श्रीमानस्मद्गुरोर्गुरुः।
सर्वाशङ्काशनिं मार्गं नुमो माहेश्वरं त्विति॥२५॥

Uvācotpaladevaśca śrīmānasmadgurorguruḥ|
Sarvāśaṅkāśaniṁ mārgaṁ numo māheśvaraṁ tviti||25||

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अनुत्तरपदाप्तये तदिदमाणवं दर्शिताभ्युपायमतिविस्तरान्ननु विदाङ्कुरुध्वं बुधाः।
Anuttarapadāptaye tadidamāṇavaṁ darśitābhyupāyamativistarānnanu vidāṅkurudhvaṁ budhāḥ|

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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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