Spandanirṇaya (Spanda Nirnaya) Section III (aphorisms 11 to 19) pure - Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir

Pure translation

 Introduction

This is the second and last set of 9 aphorisms out of 19 aphorisms constituting the third Section (dealing with Vibhūtispanda or supernormal powers originating from Spanda). As you know, the entire work is composed of 53 aphorisms of Spandakārikā-s plus their respective commentaries.

Of course, I will also insert the original aphorisms on which Kṣemarāja is commenting. Even though I will not comment on either the original sūtra-s or the Kṣemarāja's commentary, I will write some notes to make a particular point clear when necessary. If you want a detailed explanation, go to "Scriptures (study)|Spandanirṇaya" in Trika section.

Kṣemarāja's Sanskrit will be in dark green color while the original Vasugupta's aphorisms will be shown in dark red color. In turn, within the transliteration, the original aphorisms will be in brown color, while the Kṣemarāja's comments will be shown in black. Also, within the translation, the original aphorisms by Vasugupta, i.e. the Spandakārikā-s, will be in green and black colors, while the commentary by Kṣemarāja will contain words in both black and red colors.

Read Spandanirṇaya and experience Supreme Ānanda or Divine Bliss, dear Śiva.

This is a "pure translation" document, that is, there will be no original Sanskrit, but sometimes there will be a minimal quantity of transliterated Sanskrit in the translation itself of the text. Of course, there will not be any word for word translation. Anyway, there will be transliterated Sanskrit in the explanatory notes. If you are a blind person using a screen reader and do not want to read the notes, or simply if you are not blind but want to skip the notes, click on the respective "Skip the notes" to keep reading the text.

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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 Aphorism 11

When (a Yogī) desiring to see, as it were, all objects, abides pervading (them all), then, what (is the point) of saying much (about it)? He will perceive or experience (that) by himself!||11||

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¹  When the yogī immerses his identification with the physical body in Unmeṣa —in the middle state between two kinds of awareness, according to Kṣemarāja, or in the middle of two thoughts, according to others—, i.e. when he transforms his identification in the form of 'I am the body' into 'I am Spanda'. As Spanda is Svātantryaśakti (the Power of Freedom), attaining full identity with It amounts to attaining Liberation.

²  Here Vasugupta is speaking about the yogī who is treading the path of Śāmbhavopāya (no support for concentration). He desires to realize unity between his Self and all the objects around. To accomplish this, he firstly empty his mind from thoughts and enters Paśyantī, the state of speech where there is only 'contemplation' without any kind of particularization, e.g. this is a pot, that is a jar, etc. It is with this state of Paśyantī devoid of any particularization that the yogī desires to perceive all objects in unity with his own Self. Certainly, as he is on the threshold of Liberation, there is nothing else to be said. Anyway, sage Kṣemarāja will add something:

He mentions that the expression 'all objects' refers to all the objects included in the 36 tattva-s or categories of manifestation as indicated by Trika Shaivism. In this state of absorption or samādhi, the yogī remains as Lord Sadāśiva (tattva 3 is the abode of Paśyantī speech) whose experience is indefinite (not particularized) in the form of 'I am all'. He mentions that this state of unity with all the objects is initially a process of constantly being conscious of the inner Self (a process in which one uses thoughts), and finally of expanding this inner consciousness into the entire universe (a process in which one uses no thought). When this is like this, there is no use in explaining much about it! He will experience Paramaśiva at the end —whose Knowledge --Knowledge of Paramaśiva-- swallows all the objects (knowables) immediately— in the form of Supreme Bliss which appears from the experience of unity with all the objects.

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 Aphorism 12

Beholding all that is within the range of one's own perception by knowledge, one should always remain awake (and) put all in one place --i.e. in Spanda--. Consequently, he is not pressed or afflicted by another||12||

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¹  The whole collection of means an advanced yogī uses in order to attain the state of the Suprabuddha (of the perfectly awakened one who constantly realizes Spanda) will be exhibited by Vasugupta after this brief introduction. Vasugupta also reminds in the heart of the disciple of the presence of innumerable objects mingled with Spanda. This is why the path of this advanced yogī is Śāmbhavopāya, in which a practitioner attains at will unity with all the objects without any support of concentration on anything else. By reading the aphorism and its commentary, all this is very clear!

²  Remember that Vasugupta and Kṣemarāja are speaking of an advanced yogī moving in the highest means (Śāmbhavopāya). The prabuddha or partially awakened one (the one who is only conscious of Spanda at the beginning and end of the three states of consciousness) is now urged to become conscious of Spanda even in the middle of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Why? In order to attain the state of the suprabuddha or perfectly awakened one.

And how to do that? By using the Power of Will (Icchāśakti). In what way? By beholding all the objects around him while remembering the teachings given in II, 4 of this scripture, viz. that there is no state that is not his own Self, whether in word designating objects or in thoughts about objects or in the objects themselves. He should consider all these things to be only Spanda, which is the essence of his own Self. This is meaning of putting it all in one place, in Spanda, in Śakti who is one with Śiva. So, all this, initial, middle and final portion of the three states of consciousness is just the coagulation or solidification of the sap of Consciousness.

In this way, one cannot be troubled by another, because that 'another' was recognized as one with one's own Self. This is the meaning.

³  This process of becoming one with all is beautifully described by Utpaladeva in the aphorism 16 of the chapter XIII, called Saṁgrahastotram (Hymn acting as a compendium), of his Śivastotrāvalī. The purport is clear from merely reading.

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 Aphorism 13

He who has (his) glory deprived by Kalā, is used or enjoyed --i.e. falls prey to-- by the group of powers derived from the multitude of words. (Hence,) he is known as paśu or limited being||13||

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¹  The one doubting this way is the typical smart person ready to destroy non-dualism by means of non-dualism. I could reply: 'Why is asking all this, after all, if there is only one Self?'. It is obvious that is the Play of the Great Lord. He plays to be bound and next to get Liberation again. This is very simple to understand. There is no shortage of morons then, you know, and all of them are the Great Lord too. Anyway, Vasugupta is much nicer than me and he will answer to this foolish question by means of the aphorism 13, and in the process he will describe the nature of the bonds and the bound one.

²  Here Kṣemarāja quotes a stanza of Svacchandatantra, as he himself declared, but despite all my efforts I could not find this stanza in the versions of Svacchandatantra I have. No idea why, but maybe he was using a version which is now lost.

This stanza of the Svacchandatantra teaches the well-known Pañcakṛtya or Fivefold Act carried out by Paramaśiva. Kṣemarāja is quoting it to ratify that it is the Lord Himself who is playing to bind and being bound. He is embraced by His Supreme Power, by His Svātantryaśakti or Power of Absolute Freedom, i.e. He is always endowed with Freedom. In the scriptures He is mentioned with various names, Kṣemarāja affirmed. Anyway, I disagree with him about the name 'Spanda', the Supreme Vibration. This name is assigned to Śakti instead. 'Lalita' means 'the Lovely one who is fond of playing', and again is a name you will see generally associated with Śakti (in the feminine form of the noun: 'Lalitā'). Strange mistakes, in my humble opinion. Now, 'Īśvara' (the Lord) is correct. And so on and on!

³  His Svātantryaśakti (Power of Absolute Freedom) or plainly Śakti is called by many names in the scriptures too: Parā (the Supreme One), Matsyodarī (Fish-bellied One, because She is replete with Vibration), Mahāsattā (the Great Existence, i.e. the Supreme I-consciousness), Sphurattā (Flashing Consciousness), Ūrmi (Wave), Sāra (Essence), Hṛdaya (Heart), Bhairavī (the Power of Bhairava), Devī (Goddess), Śikhā (Flame), etc.

⁴  Kṣemarāja explained the Sanskrit alphabet and its connection with tattva-s and śakti-s while commenting in Śivasūtravimarśinī II, 7. Additionally, I dedicated three documents to fully explain the meaning of his translation: First Steps (4), First Steps (5) and First Steps - 1 (appendix). So, from reading all that it is clear why Kṣemarāja is describing Śakti like this. And this Supreme Power is known as the Supreme Speech (Parāvāk) too. She is always active, never stopping even for one second. She is the Great Mantra (Aham) which is unutterable. The reader could think that because the Great Mantra is Aham, so it is utterable. No! It is just a way to indicate the Great Mantra, but this Great Mantra cannot at all be pronounced such as It is. The word Aham is only intended to provide a way to deal, by means of words, with this unutterable Reality. Anyway, this Aham (the word) is never the Great Mantra as It essentially is.

And She is Akrama or without any succession. She is immediate, because at the moment you want to realize your essential nature as the Great Lord, She is there for you as Aham. There is no process of evolution in Her non-dualistic nature. All the supposed process of evolution undergone by the yogī lies in Her mayic aspect but not in Her Core. That is why, if you are spiritually intelligent, you do not need to practice anything special. Liberation is immediate if you are intelligent enough. But, unfortunately, most yogī-s are not that intelligent and they are consequently thrown into the ocean of different spiritual practices. They are pushed down into Her aspect with succession (with krama). This is Her mayic aspect. In this aspect there are uninterrupted manifestation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe.

Finally here, the topic known as 'the six courses' has been thoroughly explained by me in the respective document: Trika: The Six Courses.

⁵  Though Śakti is completely motionless like Her Lord (Śiva), She moves though. This cannot be understood by the ordinary mind because it is beyond the mental circle. Also, She is called Spanda because She vibrates (from the root 'spand': to vibrate, throb).

⁶  The first movement of Śakti is Her transformation into Icchāśakti (Power of Will). Abhinavagupta and others assign this Power to the tattva 2 (Śaktitattva Itself), but other authors assign it to the tattva 3 (Sadāśivatattva) instead. Later on, as it were, as there is no time in this process for now, Icchāśakti becomes Jñānaśakti (Power of Knowledge) and Kriyāśakti (Power of Action). According to Abhinavagupta and others, Jñānaśakti is predominant in the tattva 3, while other authors assign her to the tattva 4 (Īśvaratattva). In turn, in the opinion of Abhinavagupta and others, Kriyāśakti dwells in the tattva 4, while other authors assign her to the tattva 5 (Sadvidyātattva).

Also, Śakti is said to be double because She turns into vowel and consonant. And then She becomes ninefold and fiftyfold (nine varga-s or groups of Sanskrit letters, and fifty letters contained in them). In general, there are eight varga-s or groups of letters instead, but Kṣemarāja considered the letter 'kṣa' (which usually is included in the eighth group --the sibilants or Śa-varga--) to be having its own group (the ninth one, in which she is the only member). When you study Sanskrit grammar, sometimes you can also see that the consonant 'ha' is placed apart from the group of the sibilants. Let us see all this in a table showing the traditional way to arrange the letters:

So, in this case, Kṣemarāja spoke about 9 varga-s or groups of letters, because he considered the letter 'kṣa' to be forming its own group: Kṣa-varga. Sometimes too, the letter 'ha' is shown as isolated from the Sibilants (Śa-varga) and forming its own group. This would add up one more varga. Anyway, I never heard of 10 varga-s but 9 varga-s as a maximum. Therefore, the number of varga-s can be 8 or 9, according to the position of the letter 'kṣa'.

And now, regarding the famous number 50 assigned to the total number of letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Let us check if this is totally true: 16 vowels (check the above table) and 34 consonants. This equals 50! But, here the sad news: This is just true in this ideal philosophical framework where we are working. You will see that sometimes in the Sanskrit grammars, the letter 'kṣa' is not included. Why? Because, as a matter of fact, it is not a real letter but a conjunct (combination of two or more consonants) created from the union of 'ka' + 'sa'. Surprise! So, the number of letters is now: 49.

Also, some Sanskrit grammarians (like me) do not consider the vowel 'ḹ' (long ḷ) to be a real vowel. Why? For two reasons: (1) Because it was invented to keep the compatibility of short-long, and (2) Because it is practically never used in practice, if you will excuse the repetition. Then, these grammarians are not including it in the alphabet. Therefore, the number of letters is now: 48.

Besides, some grammarians say that there are only 9 vowels (a, i, u, ṛ, ḷ, e, o, ṁ and ḥ --in the alphabet ṁ and ḥ are written aṁ and aḥ to be able to pronounce them--), while the remaining 7 (ā, ī, ū, ṝ, ḹ, ai and au) are just expansions of the original vowels or, as in the case of 'ai' and 'au', they are formed by adding 'a' to 'e' and 'o', like this: a + e = ai; a + o = au. And they also discard the conjunct 'kṣa'. All in all, they only speak about 9 'real' vowels and 33 consonants. This amounts to 42 Sanskrit letters. Yes, this destroy the round number '50', but life is hard, you know. In all the fields of knowledge, things are no so simplistic. When you check with an expert, you receive extra complications which can easily spoil your day. OK, but for now, considering the 'ideal philosophical framework' where the Sanskrit letters are studied in Trika, yes, the number of Sanskrit letters amounts to 50.

Finally, according to sage Kṣemarāja, She (Śakti) becomes triple —Aghorā-s (not terrible ones), Ghorā-s (terrible ones) and Ghoratarī-s (more terrible ones)— and carries out the famous Five-fold Act (Pañcakṛtya) of manifestation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe together with concealment of one's own essential nature and its revelation. I will describe these three groups of goddesses in the 8^th note of explanation. For now, it is enough.

⁷  Now I will explain this difficult long topic to you. Before starting with it, I want to tell you that in another version of Mālinīvijayatantra the reading is different: I will show you by quoting both versions, the one quoted by Kṣemarāja and the other I am quoting here. The final meaning is not changing substantially anyway. First the version by Kṣemarāja in this Spandanirṇaya of his. I will mark the stanzas by adding the respective number (all of them belong to the 'Tṛtīyo'dhikāraḥ' or 'Third chapter' of the scripture). Remember that Kṣemarāja omitted the entire 14^th stanza as well as the second half of the 12^th stanza. Additionally, he only included the first half of the final stanza mentioned here, the 16^th one. OK, let us begin:

Yā sā śaktirjagaddhātuḥ kathitā samavāyinī|
Icchātvaṁ tasya sā devī sisṛkṣoḥ pratipadyate||5||
Saikāpi satyanekatvaṁ yathā gacchati tacchṛṇu|
Evametaditi jñeyaṁ nānyatheti suniścitam||6||
Jñāpayantī jagatyatra jñānaśaktirnigadyate|
Evaṁ bhavatvidaṁ sarvamiti kāryonmukhī yadā||7||
Jātā tadaiva tadvastu kurvatyatra kriyocyate|
Evameṣā dvirūpāpi punarbhedairanantatām||8||
Arthopādhivaśādyāti cintāmaṇiriveśvarī|
Tatra tāvatsamāpannā mātṛbhāvaṁ vibhidyate||9||
Dvidhā ca navadhā caiva pañcāśaddhā ca mālinī|
Bījayonyātmakādbhedāddvidhā bījaṁ svārā matāḥ||10||
Kādayaśca smṛtā yonirnavadhā vargabhedataḥ|
Pṛthagvarṇavibhedena śatārdhakiraṇojjvalā||11||
Bījamatra śivaḥ śaktiryonirityabhidhīyate||12||
Vargāṣṭakamiti jñeyamaghorādyamanukramāt|
Tadeva śaktibhedena māheśvaryādi cāṣṭakam||13||
Śatārdhabhedabhinnā ca tatsaṅkhyānāṁ varānane|
Rudrāṇāṁ vācakatvena kalpitā parameṣṭhinā||15||
Tadvadeva ca śaktīnāṁ tatsaṅkhyānāmanukramāt||16||

And now the version I have of all these aphorisms. I will mark the different reading by highlighting in maroon color (and bold letters):

Yā sā śaktirjagaddhātuḥ kathitā samavāyinī|
Icchātvaṁ tasya sā devi sisṛkṣoḥ pratipadyate||5||
Saikāpi satyanekatvaṁ yathā gacchati tacchṛṇu|
Evametaditi jñeyaṁ nānyatheti suniścitam||6||
Jñāpayantī jagatyatra jñānaśaktirnigadyate|
Evaṁbhūtamidaṁ vastu bhavatviti yadā punaḥ||7||
Jātā tadaiva tattadvatkurvatyatra kriyocyate|
Evaṁ saiṣā dvirūpāpi punarbhedairanekatām||8||
Arthopādhivaśādyāti cintāmaṇiriveśvarī|
Tatra tāvatsamāpannā mātṛbhāvaṁ vibhidyate||9||
Dvidhā ca navadhā caiva pañcāśaddhā ca mālinī|
Bījayonyātmakādbhedāddvidhā bījaṁ svārā matāḥ||10||
Kādibhiśca smṛtā yonirnavadhā vargabhedataḥ|
Prativarṇavibhedena śatārdhakiraṇojjvalā||11||
Bījamatra śivaḥ śaktiryonirityabhidhīyate||12||
Vargāṣṭakamiha jñeyamaghorādyamanukramāt|
Tadeva śaktibhedena māheśvaryādi cāṣṭakam||13||
Śatārdhabhedabhinnānāṁ tatsaṅkhyānāṁ varānane|
Rudrāṇāṁ vācakatvena kalpitā parameṣṭhinā||15||
Tadvadeva ca śaktīnāṁ tatsaṅkhyānamanukramāt||16||

And now I will show the translation I made above (the one of the aphorisms quoted by Kṣemarāja in his present commentary on the stanza 13 in the third section of Spandakārikā-s). I cannot add numbers to clarify because the text in the translation flows from one stanza to the next sometimes (this is typical in poetry), i.e. the text from one stanza continues in the next stanza. If the text could be isolated in every stanza, then I could put numbers with no problems at all. Unfortunately, this is not the case:

The Power who belongs to the Creator of the world is said to be inherent in (Him). This Goddess changes into the Will of that (Creator when) He is desirous to manifest (the universe).

Listen how She becomes many even though She is one:

By announcing with determination that 'This knowable or object (is) like this, (and) not otherwise!', She is called Power of Knowledge in this world.

When She becomes oriented toward activity (as) 'Let all this become so!', then, by making that thing here --in this world--, She is said to be (the Power of) Action.

Thus, though She has two (main) forms, She nevertheless undergoes endless changes, according to the characteristics of the (desired) objects. (Consequently, this) Mistress (is) like a thought-gem --which yields its possessor all desires--.

Then, (when the Mistress) firstly assumes the condition of mother, She is divided in two ways and in nine ways, and, (when such a Mistress is divided in) fifty ways, (She becomes) a wearer of a garland (made out of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet).

With the division consisting of bīja (and) yoni, She appears in two ways. The vowels are considered to be bīja or seed. (With) ka, etc. She is said to be yoni or womb --i.e. the consonants are regarded as yoni--. (Therefore,) according to the division of the varga-s or groups of letters, (She appears) in nine ways.

(And) according to the division of the letters —separately—, She shines as fifty rays --since there are fifty letters in the Sanskrit alphabet--. In this (context), bīja --vowel-- (and) yoni --consonant-- are called --lit. is called-- Śiva (and) Śakti.

'The set of eight groups of letters' is known as Aghorā, etc. in succession. And that very (set of eight groups of letters), according to the division of śakti-s or powers, has a set of eight (deities such as) Māheśvarī, etc.

Also, oh lovely-faced One!, She has been split into fifty divisions by the Highest Lord as being indicator of the Rudra-s, whose number amounts to that --i.e. to fifty--. And, in the same way, (She was made fiftyfold by the Highest Lord again, as being indicator) of the śakti-s (of such Rudra-s) --viz. the celebrated Rudrāṇī-s-- —whose number amounts to that --i.e. to fifty--— in succession||

And now I will translate the version with slight different reading for you (which was analyzed above), and at the same time, I will highlight, by the use of a different color and bold letters, the areas where there is a difference between both versions. The meaning is not significantly altered anyway:

The Power who belongs to the Creator of the world is said to be inherent in (Him). Oh Goddess, She changes into the Will of that (Creator when) He is desirous to manifest (the universe).

Listen how She becomes many even though She is one:

By announcing with determination that 'This knowable or object (is) like this, (and) not otherwise!', She is called Power of Knowledge in this world.

However, when She appears (like this:) 'Let this thing become so!', then, by making that --the aforesaid thing-- in this way here --in this world--, She is said to be (the Power of) Action.

Thus, though this very (Goddess) has two (main) forms, She nevertheless undergoes many changes, according to the characteristics of the (desired) objects. (Consequently, this) Mistress (is) like a thought-gem --which yields its possessor all desires--.

Then, (when the Mistress) firstly assumes the condition of mother, She is divided in two ways and in nine ways, and, (when such a Mistress is divided in) fifty ways, (She becomes) a wearer of a garland (made out of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet).

With the division consisting of bīja (and) yoni, She appears in two ways. The vowels are considered to be bīja or seed. With ka, etc. She is said to be yoni or womb --i.e. the consonants are regarded as yoni--. (Therefore,) according to the division of the varga-s or groups of letters, (She appears) in nine ways.

(And) according to the division of each of letters, She shines as fifty rays --since there are fifty letters in the Sanskrit alphabet--. In this (context), bīja --vowel-- (and) yoni --consonant-- are called --lit. is called-- Śiva (and) Śakti.

The set of eight groups of letters here is known as Aghorā, etc. in succession. And that very (set of eight groups of letters), according to the division of śakti-s or powers, has a set of eight (deities such as) Māheśvarī, etc.

Oh lovely-faced One!, She has been manufactured by the Highest Lord as being indicator of the Rudra-s, whose number amounts to that, i.e. to the fifty different divisions (that She assumed in the form of fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet). And, in the same way, (She was made fiftyfold by the Highest Lord again, as being indicator) of the śakti-s (of such Rudra-s) --viz. the celebrated Rudrāṇī-s-- —(whose quantity amounts) to that number --i.e. to fifty-- --Sanskrit structure here is a little far-fetched anyway--— in succession||

The last part, with that 'tatsaṅkhyānam' is a little far-fetched but it could be correct if one remembers that Sanskrit in many scriptures can be extremely far-fetched many times. Or else, it could be a typo and the expression really is like in the version quoted by Kṣemarāja, viz. 'tatsaṅkhyānām', which looks much better from the viewpoint of 'structures in Sanskrit', as it agrees with 'śaktīnām' in the Genitive case (plural). OK, let us continue now a little more, and why not, we can include the stanza 14 and the second portion of the stanzas 12 and 16 just for fun. As you can see above, in the case of the stanza 16, Kṣemarāja clearly dropped that for a reason which will be clear later, after my translation of that missing part. Let us do it.

The entire aphorism 12 is revealed now (with the second portion translated and shown in bold letters and green color):

In this (context), bīja --vowel-- (and) yoni --consonant-- are called --lit. is called-- Śiva (and) Śakti. And the Śakti --the Power-- of Śambhu, who --i.e. the Śakti-- is the Totality, is praised (in the scriptures) as the denoting One||12||

Though the Power of Śiva is All, nonetheless She is predominantly the One who denotes (the Subject) and not the one being denoted (the object). This is Her Mystery.

And now, the entire aphorism 14 is revealed (no need of bold letters and green color as it is the full aphorism and not a portion):

They --i.e. the eight deities of the eight groups of letters-- are believed to be (the following ones): 'Māheśī --also called Māheśvarī-- and Brāhmaṇī --also called Brāhmī--, as well as Kaumārī (and) Vaiṣṇavī; (also) Aindrī --also called Indrāṇī-- and Yāmyā --also called Vārāhī--, (along with) Cāmuṇḍā and Yogīśī --also called Yogīśvarī or Mahālakṣmī--'||14||

But the order given in the stanza is not the real order of the deities with reference to the respective varga-s or groups of letters. In the stanza, the author (Śiva) arranged the names of the goddesses in a way which meets the meter requirements. What do I mean by all this? First, the order given in the stanza is as follows:

1. Māheśī or Māheśvarī
2. Brāhmaṇī or Brāhmī
3. Kaumārī
4. Vaiṣṇavī
5. Aindrī or Indrāṇī
6. Yāmyā or Vārāhī
7. Cāmuṇḍā
8. Yogīśī or Yogīśvarī or Mahālakṣmī

But the real order is like this:

1. Yogīśī or Yogīśvarī or Mahālakṣmī
2. Brāhmaṇī or Brāhmī
3. Māheśī or Māheśvarī
4. Kaumārī
5. Vaiṣṇavī
6. Yāmyā or Vārāhī
7. Aindrī or Indrāṇī
8. Cāmuṇḍā

Now, in order to clarify this complex topic, I will show you the deities (in the right order) in conjunction with the respective varga-s or group of letters:

Now it is very clear!

And what about the second missing half of the aphorism 16? I will follow the same procedure as I did with the aphorism 12, but I will use the version I have of the aphorism, i.e. not the one quoted by Kṣemarāja:

And, in the same way, (She was made fiftyfold by the Highest Lord again, as being indicator) of the śakti-s (of such Rudra-s) --viz. the celebrated Rudrāṇī-s-- —(whose quantity amounts) to that number --i.e. to fifty-- --Sanskrit structure here is a little far-fetched anyway--— in succession. (Now,) I will mention (the names of) all (the Rudra-s) in accordance with their --of the śakti-s or powers-- division; listen!||16||

So, you can understand now why Kṣemarāja omitted the second half of the aphorism. All the fifty names of the fifty Rudra-s are mentioned from aphorism 17. I will mention his names soon, but firstly, I need to explain the meaning of these aphorisms quoted by sage Kṣemarāja (from 3.5 to 3.16):

The Power of the Great Lord is inherent in Him, i.e. She 'naturally' belongs to Him. There is nothing artificial in this. When He wishes to manifest the universe, She becomes His Power of Will in order to proceed to such a universal manifestation. Next, She becomes His Power of Knowledge by feeling: 'This knowable or object is like this and not otherwise!'. Finally, when She is trying to actualize the universe which was only an idea in the Mind of the Supreme Self, She becomes His Power of Action in the process. So, She feels: 'Let all this become so!'.

And after this first creative movement, She has to assume all the aspects of the creation. In this way, She becomes a gazillion of things. But anyway, She never became anything, because She is totally one with Her Lord (with Paramaśiva). She is called 'thought-gem' since She fulfills all the desires Her Master has.

A vowel is called 'bīja' or 'seed' because it fertilizes the 'yoni' (lit. womb, uterus), that is, the consonant. This is clearly understood if you consider the consonants in this light: You cannot pronounce them without the help of a vowel. For example, 'k'... how to pronounce it properly without the help of a vowel? It is not possible to adequately utter it without the support of a vowel. For instance: 'ka'... now it is easily utterable. So, vowels are seeds which make the consonants or wombs fruitful. Without vowels, the consonants would be just like barren women, unable to procreate.

Śiva is vowel and Śakti is consonant in this scheme. Yes, everything is Śiva in the end, because Śiva and Śakti are one. This one Reality is divided into two only for the purpose of being studied then.

In one of the aphorisms quoted from Mālinīvijayatantra, it is said that She is divided in nine ways (navadhā). It refers to the deities of the varga-s or groups of letters, but this time counted like 9 due to the isolation of the Kṣa-varga. Look at this:

Now the Kṣa-varga constitutes the brand-new 9^th varga. When Śakti appears in this way, a new deity arises: Śiva-Śakti. This goddess will become the presiding deity of the A-varga (the group of vowels), and the other goddess (the one previously presiding over the A-varga) becomes the presiding deity of the new Kṣa-varga. Look at the previous arrangement (if the Sanskrit alphabet is divided in 8 varga-s):

1. Yogīśī or Yogīśvarī or Mahālakṣmī (presiding over the A-varga)
2. Brāhmaṇī or Brāhmī (presiding over the Ka-varga)
3. Māheśī or Māheśvarī (presiding over the Ca-varga)
4. Kaumārī (presiding over the Ṭa-varga)
5. Vaiṣṇavī (presiding over the Ta-varga)
6. Yāmyā or Vārāhī (presiding over the Pa-varga)
7. Aindrī or Indrāṇī (presiding over the Ya-varga)
8. Cāmuṇḍā (presiding over the Śa-varga)

But if the Kṣa-varga (the ninth group of letters) is created, then the order slightly changes (I highlighted in bold letters the change):

1. Śiva-Śakti (presiding over the A-varga)
2. Brāhmaṇī or Brāhmī (presiding over the Ka-varga)
3. Māheśī or Māheśvarī (presiding over the Ca-varga)
4. Kaumārī (presiding over the Ṭa-varga)
5. Vaiṣṇavī (presiding over the Ta-varga)
6. Yāmyā or Vārāhī (presiding over the Pa-varga)
7. Aindrī or Indrāṇī (presiding over the Ya-varga)
8. Cāmuṇḍā (presiding over the Śa-varga)
9. Yogīśī or Yogīśvarī or Mahālakṣmī (presiding over the Kṣa-varga)

Now, returning to the traditional 8 varga-s: The set of eight groups of letters or varga-s is known as Aghorā-s (not terrible ones), Ghorā-s (terrible ones) and Ghoratarī-s (more terrible ones), i.e. this set starts with the Aghorā-s and next it continues with the remaining two groups of deities. However, as I expressed in the previous note, I will explain these three aspects of the one Goddess in the next note of explanation. And each of these eight varga-s or groups has a particular presiding deity as I showed you above already.

The Power of God also became 50 letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, each of them having two special presiding deities (Rudra and Rudrāṇī). There are 16 Rudra-s and 16 Rudrāṇī-s for the vowels and 34 Rudra-s (plus 34 Rudrāṇī-s) for the consonants. At the end of the aphorism 3.16 in Mālinīvijayatantra, Śiva said that He was about to mention the names of all the Rudra-s (see the stanza above, please). Very well, He did so in the stanzas 3.17, 3.18, etc. I will only give the names of the Rudra-s, because the names of their consorts (the Rudrāṇī-s) are easily created by transforming the masculine noun assigned as a name into its feminine form (e.g. Jaya ---> Jayā). These Rudra-s and their wives are eternally liberated, i.e. they never got Liberation but they were created like this, liberated from the start:

OK, I suppose that I have made this difficult topic a little less difficult through my extensive explanation!

⁸  Regarding this set of three stanzas in Mālinīvijayatantra (3.31 to 3.33) there is a different reading, but only with reference to the stanza 3.31. I will show you by comparing both versions (the one quoted by Kṣemarāja here in his Spandanirṇaya and the one I have). To do this, I will use the method I used previously. Let us start by showing the version quoted by sage Kṣemarāja here:

Viṣayeṣveva saṁlīnānadho'dhaḥ pātayantyaṇūn|
Rudrāṇūnyāḥ samāliṅgya ghorataryo'parāstu tāḥ||31||
Miśrakarmaphalāsaktiṁ pūrvavajjanayanti yāḥ|
Muktimārganirodhinyastāḥ syurghorāḥ parāparāḥ||32||
Pūrvavajjantujātasya śivadhāmaphalapradāḥ|
Parāḥ prakathitāstajjñairaghorāḥ śivaśaktayaḥ||33||

And now the version I have of these aphorisms, by highlighting the differences in bold letters and maroon color:

Viṣayeṣveva saṁlīnānadho'dhaḥ pātayantyaṇūn|
Rudrāṇūnyāḥ samāliṅgya ghorataryo'parāḥ smṛtāḥ||31||
Miśrakarmaphalāsaktiṁ pūrvavajjanayanti yāḥ|
Muktimārganirodhinyastāḥ syurghorāḥ parāparāḥ||32||
Pūrvavajjantujātasya śivadhāmaphalapradāḥ|
Parāḥ prakathitāstajjñairaghorāḥ śivaśaktayaḥ||33||

Fortunately, the difference between both versions is minimal. OK, now the translations will be compared by highlighting in bold letters and green color what has changed:

The ghoratarī-s --lit. more terrible ones-- who, by embracing the Rudra souls --liberated souls--, throw the individual souls who are clung to objects down and down, are certainly aparā-s or non-supreme ones.

The Ghorā-s --lit. terrible ones-- who, by generating, as before, attachment to the fruits of mixed actions --mixture of good and bad actions--, block the path to Liberation, are parāparā-s --partly supreme and partly non-supreme--.

The Aghorā-s --lit. not terrible ones-- (are) the powers of Śiva (who) bestow, as before, the fruit of the State of Śiva on the multitude of limited beings --lit. insects--. They are eminently called parā-s or supreme ones by the Knowers of That --i.e. by the Knowers of the Supreme Principle--||

The ghoratarī-s --lit. more terrible ones-- who, by embracing the Rudra souls --liberated souls--, throw the individual souls who are clung to objects down and down, are said to be aparā-s or non-supreme ones.

The Ghorā-s --lit. terrible ones-- who, by generating, as before, attachment to the fruits of mixed actions --mixture of good and bad actions--, block the path to Liberation, are parāparā-s --partly supreme and partly non-supreme--.

The Aghorā-s --lit. not terrible ones-- (are) the powers of Śiva (who) bestow, as before, the fruit of the State of Śiva on the multitude of limited beings --lit. insects--. They are eminently called parā-s or supreme ones by the Knowers of That --i.e. by the Knowers of the Supreme Principle--||

And now I will proceed to explain the meaning in these three stanzas. There are, broadly speaking, three categories for Śakti:

(1) Aghorā-s (not terrible ones) are the powers of the Great Lord who push all the beings to Liberation. They carry only Grace and therefore they belong in the Parā class.

(2) Ghorā-s (terrible ones) are the powers of the Great Lord who only block the path to Liberation by generating attachment to the fruits of mixed actions. In other words, they block the beings from accessing the path to Liberation by creating attachment to the results of good and bad actions. These śakti-s only put hindrances. They belong in the Parāparā class.

(3) Ghoratarī-s (more terrible ones) are the powers of the Great Lord who help (they embrace) the beings in the path to Liberation but block the ones who are attached to objects. These powers put hindrances and remove hindrances. They belong in the Aparā class.

Obviously, it is all the time one Śakti or Power, but She, somehow, divides Herself into three powers to start with. In the end, She will end up being divided into myriad of powers. OK, enough of this!

⁹  All in all, this limited being who is Śiva but does not realize he is Śiva is a calamity. There is no other way to define him. He is absolutely nasty, and there is no doubt about it. Why is he like this? Because he is all the time something which is not himself in essence. So, he looks and feels nasty. Because he tries to be what he is not at all, and because he cannot be at all what he really is, he is absolutely disgusting. The whole day and night he is attached to everything, even to his own stupidity. In this way, he cannot be 'himself' even for a second. To be in his company feels like a calamity because it is. His manners feel completely false because what he is identified with is NOT himself. As result, everything in him feels false and in the end disgusting. His goals in life are just absolutely ridiculous. Though he is inherently Śiva, he nonetheless attempts to get happiness from the pile of garbage known as 'objects'. And he also tries to be happy by means of association with other similarly miserable paśu-s like him. He can never get it like this, but he does not know it. For all these reasons, he is the whole time in trouble, but he is so ignorant that he blames other people for his misery. Or he is so moronic that he thinks that having his body in a different place will bring him instantaneous happiness. He is totally lost in his own ignorance. A paśu like this is absolutely despicable, but anyway he will be at his height in the world of the fools. All this process of apparently transforming the Highest Self into this puppet called 'a limited being' is always an unpleasant one. But one day, when this foolish being starts to realize, by His own Grace, that he is Śiva, then he becomes adorable and worthy of reverence.

The goddesses of varga-s (which I explained already in the previous notes) constantly cheat this puppet-like paśu (limited being). The cheat is so obvious, but anyway he is trapped by it time and time again! He is completely caught by the combination of letters forming words. He lives every day on words and, therefore, it is no surprise that suffering is his constant refuge. But he is essentially Śiva! So, how did he reach such a terrible state? He did so by losing his glory in the hands of Kalā. But what is Kalā? To answer this, Kṣemarāja will give four possible alternatives.

¹⁰  First translation of the term 'Kalā': She is the power of Māyā. And by means of this power, the Great Lord is able to lose His Glory and become a despicable limited being. This power of Māyā is not Māyātattva (the sixth category) but Māyāśakti (the power to create duality). The Māyātattva is the final byproduct of this power generating duality. The word 'Māyā' comes from the root 'mā' (to measure). Māyā is what makes all finite, i.e. She turns what is infinite into something which can be measured. He is then deprived from His Glory by this power of Māyā.

¹¹  Second translation of the term 'Kalā': She is one of the kañcuka-s or sheaths of Māyā. This kañcuka generates in the infinite Śiva the notion that: 'He cannot do beyond a certain limit'. And Kalākañcuka is also that which impels, i.e. that which pushes all the limited beings to perform actions. In this way, Kalākañcuka is the starting point of the law of karma as without any action this law could not be operative. I explain the five kañcuka-s in Trika 4. Anyway, a question is still left: How did he become an object of enjoyment of the group of powers? This question is answered by means of the third and fourth translations of the word 'Kalā'.

¹²  Third translation of the term 'Kalā': She is the goddesses of the varga-s. These goddesses are 8 or 9 in number according to the arrangement of the letters in the Sanskrit alphabet (as I explained before):

If the Sanskrit alphabet is arranged in 8 varga-s or groups of letters, then the presiding deities are as follows:

1. Yogīśī or Yogīśvarī or Mahālakṣmī (presiding over the A-varga)
2. Brāhmaṇī or Brāhmī (presiding over the Ka-varga)
3. Māheśī or Māheśvarī (presiding over the Ca-varga)
4. Kaumārī (presiding over the Ṭa-varga)
5. Vaiṣṇavī (presiding over the Ta-varga)
6. Yāmyā or Vārāhī (presiding over the Pa-varga)
7. Aindrī or Indrāṇī (presiding over the Ya-varga)
8. Cāmuṇḍā (presiding over the Śa-varga)

But, if the alphabet is arranged in 9 varga-s, then the presiding deities are as follows:

1. Śiva-Śakti (presiding over the A-varga)
2. Brāhmaṇī or Brāhmī (presiding over the Ka-varga)
3. Māheśī or Māheśvarī (presiding over the Ca-varga)
4. Kaumārī (presiding over the Ṭa-varga)
5. Vaiṣṇavī (presiding over the Ta-varga)
6. Yāmyā or Vārāhī (presiding over the Pa-varga)
7. Aindrī or Indrāṇī (presiding over the Ya-varga)
8. Cāmuṇḍā (presiding over the Śa-varga)
9. Yogīśī or Yogīśvarī or Mahālakṣmī (presiding over the Kṣa-varga)

So, this limited being has his glory deprived by such deities presiding, as a whole, over the words of every language. And he is deluded by those words day and night, as even while dreaming he listens to words. And if those words are gratifying, he feels well. On the contrary, if those words are disheartening, so he feels bad. When a person is such a puppet, it is obvious that he can never be really happy in the full sense of word. He is just the whole time busy with the miserable activity of taking and leaving. What else could one express about his misery that has not already been shown in this world? Just take a book dealing with human history and see by yourself.

¹³  Fourth translation of the term 'Kalā': He has been deprived from his glory by Āṇavamala (by the impurity related to lack of Fullness). Āṇavamala is the primordial impurity from which the rest of impurities emanate. I explained Āṇavamala in Trika 4 too.

¹⁴  And what is the final consequence of his being deprived from his glory? That he is not able to realize his essential identity with Śiva, with his own Self. This condemns him to a life full of misery and constant trouble. He is in trouble not because there is someone or something doing something bad to him. NO, he is in trouble because he 'sleeps' from a spiritual viewpoint. As he is unable to recognize that he is Śiva in reality, he suffers the consequences of his blunder in the form of constant trouble. Even when everything is OK outside, he cannot be fully happy. He can only access glimpses of happiness that are just laughable. Because this is so, he and all his actions, thoughts, emotions, etc. are considered to be a calamity. If he cannot be 'he' as 'he really is', there is no much sense in all that he does, thinks, feels, etc. In the next aphorism, Vasugupta and Kṣemarāja will explain more things about the nature of bondage in this paśu.

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 Aphorism 14

The rise of ideas which (takes place) in that (paśu or limited being implies) the loss of the sap of the Supreme Nectar of Immortality. From that, (such a conditioned being) becomes dependent. That (rise of ideas) has its sphere of influence in Tanmātra-s --the subtle features of all things--||14||

Skip the notes

¹  The cognitive power in the limited being ties him tight. Because he knows a lot about anything except about his own Self, he is deprived from his inherent Bliss. An analysis of this process of ignorance is about to be displayed by Vasugutpa and Kṣemarāja.

²  The rise of ideas, i.e. thoughts related to the world or to scriptures, puts an end to the enjoyment of the sap of the Supreme Nectar of Immortality. By 'scriptures', Kṣemarāja cannot be referring to the non-dualistic Trika scriptures (Mālinīvijayatantra, Svacchandatantra, Spandakārikā-s, Śivasūtra-s, etc.) but to the erroneous scriptures. For example: Buddhist scriptures teeming with erroneous concepts about the Highest Reality, Advaitavedānta and its eunuch Brahma, dualistic and qualified Vedānta and their ridiculous ideas of Liberation associated with moving to some place, etc.). The ideas inoculated by these inferior scriptures are effective in producing more and more bondage, and there is no doubt about it. On the contrary, the Trika scriptures are full of light and Grace bestowal. This would look like the statement of a fanatic of Trika system, but I invite you to see what I say by yourself. It will take you many years of investigation but in the end you will realize that the Trika scriptures are telling the Truth about you, about the universe and about the nature of God.

This God, whom we called Śiva in this Trika system, is a compact mass of Consciousness and Bliss. He is like this as He is everywhere. I mean, as He is in every place, He cannot really move since there is no place where to move to. And His State (the State of Śiva) is always present in all the ideas (right and wrong) which emerge in the mind of the limited being. Anyway, because he cannot realize this State, therefore it is indicated as if such State does not exist. And due to the emergence of all these ideas about himself and everything else, the limited being is not supremely Free. Why? Because Absolute Freedom (his essential nature) resides in the dimension where the ideas do not exist. So simple as that!

³  The limited knowledge is bondage. In other words, limited knowledge about who you really are. This lack of understanding that you are Śiva is bondage indeed. And the dependence on father and mother in childhood points out that he is not free, i.e. that he has lost his absolute Freedom and now is under the sway of mother and father. When a human being is born, he is pure Śiva. But next, by His own Will, he becomes associated with ignorant (mother and father), which generates in him the rise of ideas about who he is, what the world is, etc. For example: I am Gabriel and I was born in Argentina. But this notion is false because Śiva is one with me and consequently I am everywhere, and because I have never been born. A lot of foolish ideas populate the mind of the child after his association with ignorant people, and these ideas will prove very difficult to be removed later, if that human being starts treading the path to Liberation. All the trouble that person will experience will have its source mostly in his previous association with ignorant parents. That, plus the association with ignorant teachers at school, will suffice to make sure that that person will be in full bondage during his lifetime. Everything is just an invention because, in the first place, there is nothing like such a person called Mr. Gabriel, etc. The rise of ignorant ideas created all this absurd network of nonsenses from which it is very difficult to escape. And from such rise of ideas comes dependence, because Śiva is convinced that He needs someone or something to exist or be happy, etc.

The person is inherently Śiva. And Śiva has no mother, no father, no beloved one, etc. And everything belongs to Him. So, why is He saying 'mine' and 'not mine' when He is the owner of all? And if He is the owner of all, why should be worried about losing some things? How did Śiva become all this? By means of the rise of ideas. But in the end, when that person gets Liberation (if he is so lucky!), he will realize that nothing happened to Śiva. He remains the same the whole time. So, his bondage is false too. Sage Madālasā explained all this in an abridged manner in Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa XXV, 15.

⁴  All the objects you see around are the creation of the Tanmātra-s (tattva-s 27 to 31). The creation itself (the objects) consists of Mahābhūta-s (tattva-s 32 to 36), which are directly derived from Tanmātra-s (the patterns --generic features-- of all that can be heard, touched, seen, tasted and smelled. I explain all this in Trika 6. And all the ideas that have risen are related to objects. This is the way of ignorance, isn't it? They are not ideas about Svātantrya (Absolute Freedom), about the glory of the Great Lord, etc. NO. They are ideas about 'objects' (people are included as 'objects', because their physical bodies and egos are objects too). In this way, the Tanmātra-s are prevalent in a person in bondage, and he constantly forgets the Subject, which is not a by-product of Tanmātra-s but the essential Self of all.

While this spreading out of different objects exists, a person is indeed in bondage. Now, if you see a lot of objects around you in the form of things and people, etc., so you are in bondage. But when, through these teachings we are studying, you realizes that you are one with all those objects, so you are liberated while living (jīvanmukta). The constant spreading out of objects separate from you shows your bondage. But at the moment all those objects are perceived as one with you, bondage is over. As has been declared in the aphorism II, 5 of the present scripture: 'Or he who has that knowledge or realization and is constantly united with the Supreme Self views the whole world as a divine play. He is liberated while living, there is no doubt about it'.

Therefore, it is totally correct to affirm that despite the fact that there is no state which is not Śiva, at the same time one loses the Bliss of the State of Śiva due to the rise of ideas. There is no contradiction between non-dualism and dualism as the former is the underlying Truth and the latter is just a Play of Śiva. OK, I suppose that everything is clear now.

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 Aphorism 15

The powers (are) constantly ready to conceal or veil the essential nature of this (limited being), because there can be no rise of ideas without intermixture of words||15||

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¹  The objector wants to know the relationship between 'the rise of ideas removing the experience of the Supreme Nectar in the limited being' and 'the group of powers using or enjoying him'. Vasugupta explains this by means of the aphorism 15.

²  According to Kṣemarāja, the particle 'ca' acting as an expletive here (as a word that, despite adding some sense to the phrase, is never translated) expresses 'doubt'. However, this doubt is removed by the statement included in the rest of the aphorism itself: 'Because there can be no rise of ideas without intermixture of words'. By specifying the way the rise of ideas emerges, the doubt suggested by 'ca' is then removed. Oh yes, this is very subtle. Anyway, in my opinion, 'ca' is really emphasizing the phrase, i.e.: 'The powers are constantly ready to conceal or veil the essential nature of this limited being (indeed)'. OK, it is about divergence of opinions then.

All these powers (i.e. Brāhmī, Māheśvarī, Kaumārī, etc.) have already been explained before. They are always intent on concealing your essential nature (your Śivahood). However hard you try, it is very difficult for you to exactly realize who you really are. This tremendous difficulty is directly rooted in the constant work of such powers. It is extremely difficult to defeat them. It is only because of His own Grace that you will be able to vanquish them in the end, which amounts to the attainment of Liberation. But for Him to bestow His full Grace on you, He needs to be pleased with you. So, the whole problem is how to correctly please Him. There is only one way to do it, according to my experience: To devote your whole life to Him. It is not cheap achievement indeed! My statement is tricky like Him, because you cannot devote your entire life to Him without His Grace. So, it is a vicious circle from which you can escape through His Grace again.

These powers will continue to be ready to hide your essential nature till you get a full recognition that Śiva is You. Even during extreme devotion to Him, if there is duality between You and Him, then these powers will keep cheating you. The only way to cheat them back is to realize that, as a matter of fact, He is You. All the key to attain Final Liberation from these tricky powers lies on this simple teaching about inherent unity between You and Him.

³  And this rise of ideas cannot take place without intermixture of subtle and gross words. The former are always internal and the latter are always external. This even happens in animals, in which there are non-conventional indications. Conventional indications are created by means of language, for instance: 'Ten numbers are the basis to express quantities of something'. But every kind of animal has its special set of sounds only understood by the animals belonging to that species. Nonetheless, all these sounds could not be understood without the presence of the power of words inside the animal. If this is like this with animals, it is all the more so with humans. The little child can understand simple gestures in the faces of his parents due to the presence of this thinking power based on intermixture of words. Next, the child will learn how to create words on his own. Anyway, all this would not be possible without the previous support of the power of words inside. This topic does not need to be discussed any more because it is very simple to understand. It can be perceived by oneself at every moment.

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 Aphorism 16

This very Power or Śakti of Śiva, whose nature is activity, abides in the paśu or conditioned being (and) binds (him). (However, when Śakti) is known or realized as staying (in the aforesaid paśu) like the way toward one's own Self, produces success||16||

Skip the notes

¹  Now Vasugupta says that bondage and Liberation are simply non-recognition of the Spanda principle and recognition of the Spanda principle, respectively. If you do not recognize this Principle in the entire universe, so you are bound by 'another'. But, by means of the divine Knowledge, you realize that the whole universe is nothing else but this principle of Spanda, then you are said to be liberated.

²  The expression 'Seyam' (sā iyam) in the aphorism means: 'This very', and it should be translated as a whole (and not as two separate words). Anyway, Kṣemarāja, playing with the literal meaning of each of those pronouns (i.e. sā = 'that' --feminine in gender-- and iyam = 'this' --feminine too--), gives an extra explanation by separating the words: She is called 'That' because She was already defined in the previous three stanzas, but She is called 'This' because She is now in front of you in the form of the entire objective reality.

She is the Supreme Goddess and the Power of Action belonging to the Great Lord who is one's own Self. She even exists in the stage when Śiva has become a limited being. She sprinkles him --the conditioned being-- with a drop of I-consciousness whose essence is limited doership. So, She exists in this limited being as a drop of I-consciousness. That is why that limited individual feels: 'I am Gabriel', 'I am John', 'I do this', 'I have that', etc. Everything is replete with limitation in his life. In this way, She hides his essential nature and pushes him to the miserable activity of leaving and taking (e.g. I dislike this but I like that), etc.

³  Nevertheless, when the yogī knows Her like the way toward his own Self, or when, even with his mind working (full of definite and indefinite ideas), he can perceive that the entire objective reality is just a fragment of his own Self, then She stops being a binder and becomes the bestower of the highest attainment.

Kṣemarāja quoted the aphorism 20 in Vijñānabhairava to show that She is the way toward one's own Self. Now I will translate for you the commentary by Kṣemarāja/Śivopādhyāya on this important aphorism. There is a little different reading: Śaktyavasthāṁ praviṣṭasya ---> Śaktyavasthāpraviṣṭasya. The meaning is the same:

"When in one who has entered into the state of Śakti, there is a contemplation (full of) the feeling of non-difference (between Śiva and Śakti), then that (being) --i.e. such disciple-- becomes Śiva, (since) it is said here --in the revealed scriptures-- that (Śakti) is the face of Śiva||20||"

When a limited individual which is being taught enters into the state whose nature is the Supreme Śakti —viz. (when he,) through the means which will be described later, gets fully absorbed (in the state whose nature is the Supreme Śakti)—, at that time there is in him, by means of the unity between Śiva and Śakti, a contemplation (full of) the feeling of non-difference (between Śiva and Śakti); then he becomes one who has gotten the force of Śakti —i.e. one whose essential nature is the extremely praiseworthy Śiva—. (Why?) Because this Śakti pertaining to Śiva is said here —in the revealed scriptures— to be the face —i.e. the doorway serving as a means to enter— of Śiva||20||

The expression 'nirvibhāgena bhāvanā' (contemplation full of the feeling of non-difference between Śiva and Śakti) is a state where there is Śivaśaktisāmarasya (where there is no difference between Śiva and Śakti). For example, in ordinary wakefulness, you see objects around you. At that moment, the objects are Śakti and the one watching (You!) is Śiva. They are separate then. Yes, yes, it is just a play but it looks like that. Now, there are points through which you can enter the state where there is the sāmarasya (uniformity) of Śiva and Śakti. In Āṇavopāya, the point is located between prāṇa and apāna (between inhalation/exhalation and exhalation/inhalation). In Śāktopāya, the point is between pramāṇa (perception) and prameya (object being perceived). In Śāmbhavopāya, such point is situated between Knowledge and Action (between Jñāna and Kriyā). Finally, in Anupāya, it is between Prakāśa (Śiva) and Vimarśa (Śakti). These points belong to Śakti, obviously. And why is so important to enter through those points into a state where Śiva and Śakti are not different from each other (Śivaśaktisāmarasya)? Because this Śivaśaktisāmarasya is none other than Paramaśiva Himself. Having realized Paramaśiva there is nothing left to be realized. This is the purport.

And I could not translate the commentary on this aphorism 20 in Vijñānabhairavakaumudī for a simple reason: Ānandabhaṭṭa, its author, decided to write a very long running commentary on the whole set of aphorisms 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. He wrote in a way making it difficult to isolate the portion of the commentary which is related to the aphorism 20. Sad!

⁴  And this is a method pertaining to Śāmbhavopāya: To perceive even with one's mind fully active and replete with ideas that the entire universe is completely one with oneself. It is Śāmbhavopāya because there is no support in it, i.e. no concentration on anything at all.

All in all, when the yogī has this attitude and quickly moves in the direction of the unity of all the things, he acquires the Highest State (the State of Śiva).

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 Aphorism 17-18

Completely stopped and besieged by Puryaṣṭaka which arises from (the five) Tanmātra-s --i.e. subtle elements-- (and) resides in mind, ego (and) intellect, the subservient (limited being or paśu) experiences the rise or generation of ideas derived from that (Puryaṣṭaka, along with) the enjoyment (of pleasure and pain coming from those very ideas). He transmigrates due to the continuance of that (Puryaṣṭaka). Therefore, we (proceed to) explain the cause of this dissolution of transmigration||17-18||

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¹  All the accumulated impressions of past actions are residing in the subtle body (Puryaṣṭaka) and in the causal body (Kāraṇaśarīra). The impressions that are active during the present lifetime are in the former while the impressions that are not active during the current lifetime are stored in the latter. I explained this topic before, when I spoke about the several types of karma-s.

As he derives pleasure and pain with regard to ideas, one can affirm that the rise of ideas (and the inherent attachment to them) is what makes him a conditioned being replete with foolishness and misery. And these ideas arise from the intermixture of words. So at the end, it is the words which are making him that miserable. All in all, the deities presiding over the groups of letters (Brāhmī, Mahālakṣmī, Kaumārī, etc.) are deriding him, and in consequence of this he is not free like the suprabuddha (the perfectly awakened one).

And because his Puryaṣṭaka or subtle body continues to exist, the various accumulated tendencies in him are activated time and time again. As a result of this ignorant process he gets bodies which are fit for him to experience the fruits of such tendencies. In short, he transmigrates from one body to another body. This is called Saṁsāra, a real sickness.

The cure for this sickness will be given immediately (in the next aphorism). It has to do with the removal of the impurities existing in such Puryaṣṭaka. The word 'sampracakṣmahe' (we explain), according to the rule formulated by the famous Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini, can be interpreted as recent past too: 'We have explained' (i.e. we have explained the way to cure this sickness known as Saṁsāra). And also, according to the same rule, 'sampracakṣmahe' could imply recent future: 'We are going to explain'. This could be another interpretation of that word in the aphorism. So, now, with the arrival of the aphorism 19, Vasugupta will describe the right method to eradicate this disease called Saṁsāra.

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 Aphorism 19 and end of Section III

But, when taking root firmly in one place --i.e. in the principle of Spanda--, then, by controlling the disappearance and emergence of that (Puryaṣṭaka, the ex-limited being) becomes the (real) enjoyer (and,) consequently, he (also) becomes the Lord of the group (of śakti-s or powers)||19||

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¹  While explaining this, the author of Spandakārikā-s (Vasugupta) is summarizing the whole meaning of the aphorism I, 1 of this scripture:

"We laud that Śaṅkara --an epithet of Śiva-- who is the source or cause of the glorious group of powers, (and) by whose opening (and) shutting of (His) eyes (there is) dissolution and emergence of the world||1||"

So, the aphorism 19 is the last one of the scripture, as the last two aphorisms in section IV were added by Kṣemarāja --IV, 1 belongs to Kallaṭa really and IV, 2 is attributed to Vasugupta by Kṣemarāja--. In a nutshell, the entire Spandakārikā-s scripture consists of 51 aphorisms written by Vasugupta, but in his Vṛtti (commentary) Kallaṭa added one stanza of his own as the number 52. Additionally, Kṣemarāja added this very stanza to his Spandanirṇaya (in the section IV) plus one who was written, according to him, by Vasugupta himself. So, Spandanirṇaya contains 53 stanzas. Therefore, it is completely right to affirm that this stanza 19 of the third section is the last one of Spandakārikā-s. Hence it sums up the meaning of the first stanza of the scripture (I, 1).

²  Anyway, if such a limited being, practicing the devices which were taught in this scripture (e.g. the Unmeṣa method), takes root firmly in one place (in the Spanda principle who is Śakti or I-consciousness), then, by controlling the emergence and disappearance of the subtle body and the universe associated with it, the ex-limited being becomes the real Enjoyer (the real Player), i.e. the Śaṅkara described in I, 1 of this scripture. And, through the method of recognition, by swallowing (i.e. by realizing the underlying unity) all the objects of enjoyment known as tattva-s, from the first one down to the last one, he grabs hold of the eternally existent State of the Supreme Knower. He is not played by the group of śakti-s, but he becomes the real Player, as I stated before.

³  He becomes Śaṅkara, the Sovereign of the group of śakti-s forming the multitude of rays of his own Self. He attains the state of the Great Lord while he resides in the body, viz. he is a jīvanmukta. In this way, Vasugupta, showing the Great Reality which contains it all at the beginning of this scripture (in I, 1) and at the end of it (in III, 19), reveals the extreme importance of this book as being the essence of Trika Shaivism!

So, this scripture composed by Vasugupta is finished. The upcoming fourth section contains the stanza composed by glorious Kallaṭa and the stanza written by Vasugupta himself, according to Kṣemarāja, as I explained before. ¡May there be welfare for all the beings who devote their lives to the worship and service of Great Lord Paramaśiva!

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 Further Information

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.

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