THE KASHMIR SERIES

OF
TEXTS AND STUDIES.
 c

jtvntfi fit ate mid

NO. xvn.
THE
TANTRASARA
OF

ABHINAVA GUPTA.
Edited with notes by

MAHAMAHOPADHYAYA
PANDIT MUKUND RAM SHASTR1,
Offlcer-in-Cliarge Eeseaxcli Department,

JAMMU AND KASHMIR STATE,

SRINAGAR,

Published under the Authority of the Government of

His Highness Lieut.-General Maharaja

Sir PRATAP SINGH SAHIB BAHADUR,

Q. C. S. I., Q. C. I. E.,

MAHARAJA OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR STATE,

BOMBAY:
PRINTED AT THE 'NIRNAYA-SAQAR' PRESS,
1918.
 PK
313/
ft 51

-..-

% 808994 .
f

(All rights reserved).

Printed by Ramchandra Yesu Shedge, at the 'Nirnaya-sagar' Press,

23, Kolbhat Lane, Bombay.

Published by Mahamahopadhyaya Pandit

Mukund Ram Shastri for the Research Department,
Jammu and Kashmir State, SR1NAQAR.
t i
V
II ^ II
 PREFATORY.

Before introducing the reader to the most abstruse

and technical contents of this philosophical work I take
this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to the
owners of the manuscripts which have been made the
main bases of this edition of the Tantrasara, appearing
for the first time as volume XVII of the Kashmir Series
of Texts and Studies.

Inthere were three manuscript copies used in

all

preparation of this work for the Press. The first of

these belonging to RajanakaSodarshana of Srinagar con-
sisted of 72 leaves of Kashmiri paper written in Sharada

characters, and of a copy was made in this office.

this
It is a transcript of another older manuscript and bears

1903 anno Vikrami (1846 A.D.) as the date of its trans-

cription. As regards omissions and mistakes it is, how-
ever, not free from blemishes.

The second manuscript copy with which the above

was collated belongs to the collection of books bearing
on the Shaiva philosophy in general which one Rivat!
Raman of Southern India got copied during his visit to
Kashmir for acquisition of rare manuscripts. On his
death here in Kashmir these books fell into the hands
of his servants, and from one of them I bought this
manuscript copy of the Tantrasara for my personal use.
It is in
Devanagiri characters and consists of 48 leaves
of old Kashmiri paper. Three more leaves which this

manuscript seems to have contained are lost. It is

generally incorrect and full of omissions.

The third and the most useful manuscript copy of

the Tantrasara was the one presented to me at Agra in
1912 A. D. A brief history of its acquisition would not
be out of place. It is as old as 1527 A. D., correspond-
ing to the Laukika era 4603, and consists of 79 leaves
II PREFATORY,

of very Kashmiri paper.

old It belongs to the
books which one Manmohan Chandra of
collection of

Srinagar received as a heritage from his ancestors.

During the tenor of the Emperor Shah Jahan the great
Moghul's reign the aforesaid Manmohan Chandra left
Kashmir for Dehli and, rinding favour at the Emperor's
Court, settled down there. Of the
precious books of
Manmohan Chandra's only about one fifth were available
when in 1895 A. D. on my visit to Agra I saw them
in a of preservation with the widowed wife of
state
Kidar Nath, the source of all this information, being
through her husband's side, one of the relatives of
Narayan Chandra, a descendent of Manmohan Chan-
dra. When I revisited this city in 1912, the widow-
ed wife of Kidar Nath who had no male issue by
her deceased husband, found the further preservation
of the few remaining books a burden and willingly
presented them to me in the sanguine hope of their

utility in some way or the other. the Of these

Tantrasara written on very old Kashmiri paper in
Sharada characters is bound in one cover with ten more
books. 1 All of them appear
to have been copied by one
and the same Krishna Swami, as stated by
scribe,
himself at the end of Mahanaya Prakash, one of the
books of this collection, in two Shlokas which run thus:

: II

: II*

1. Janma Marana Vichara; (b) Amaraugha Shasan;

(a)

(c) Mahanaya Prakasha; (d) Kama-kala-Vilas; (e) Vatula

Natha Sutra Vritti (f) Munimata Vartikam, (g) Bhavopahara-
;

stotram Savivaranam, (h) Spanda Vivriti by Ram Kantha,

(i)
A jada Pramatri Siddhi, (j) Spanda Vritti by Kallata.
 PREFATORY. Ill

It is generally correct and abounds in marginal

notes. It has been made the principle basis in prepa-
ration of this edition.

At the same time it is a great pleasure to me to say

that among the Pandits of this Department Rajanaka
Maheshvara who assisted me in going through the

proofs, has my thanks.

Last though not least acknowledge the

I gratefully

promptitude and efficacy with which the Proprietor,

Nirnaya-Sagar Press, Bombay, carried this work through
the Press.

But it is the Kashmir Durbar to whose liberal

policy in matters of research into ancient Sanskrit
Literature every credit is due in bringing out the
literary books of this Department.

SEINAGAR, i -MAHAMAHOPADHYAYA,
Dated Wth Nov. 1918. } PANDIT MUKUND BAM SHASTRI.
Officer I/O Research Department,
Jammu and Kashmir State.
 ABSTRACT.

The the Supreme Self or God Him-

individual self is

self, but with the only difference of being enwrapped

with the veil of ignorance resulting from Mala or im-
purity (classified under three heads, viz. Anava or little-
ness or limitation as regards self-knowledge; Maylya or
that caused by illusion; and Karma being the outcome
of our deeds, good or ill ).

That the individual self should realise himself as the

Supreme Self, the All-powerful Lord ( Parama Shiva ),
who is beyond time and space, dwelling in all beings
but unaffected withal, like a crystal reflecting various
hues, sets forth in Agama Shastras or revelations of
divine authorship what is called Jnana or knowledge
of oneself as the Supreme Self. With the obtainment
of Jfiana the trammels of Mala as alluded to above
are cut asunder by dawning of the divine light on the
individual self.

Shaivagama coming under the category of Agama

Shastras forms a short cut towards the approach of
Advaita Jnana or knowledge of the Supreme Self
( Parama Shiva ) as identical with that of the individual
self.

Just as the renaissance of the Vedanta system of

Philosophy was brought about by the great expounder
of the system, Shankara, generally known as Shankara -

charya, in exactly the same manner the exposition of the

Advaita Shaivagama owes all itscredit to the great pre -

ceptor, Abhinava Gupta, who following in every minute

detail the principles as laid down in the Malinivijaya
Tantra, a leading work of Shaivagama, composed the
voluminous work of Tantraloka which, as the name im-

plies, is a cyclopaedia of Shaivagama. Considering the

 ABSTRACT. v

volume of the Tantraloka as onerous to less assiduous

people of generations the aforesaid Abhinava

later

Gupta epitomised the contents thereof in what

is called

the Tantrasfira, the subject of our discourse. In a

out the
prelude to the Tantrasara the author points
necessity of the work in a verse which runs thus:

u'

In stating the aims of the book the author adds:

3^f^r:
<Tc[fisRJ

It will be interesting for the reader to know that

the present work
lays down two ways by which the
individual self can realise how he is identical with the

Supreme Self. One way leads to this end irrespective

1 "My Tantraloka is much voluminous and as such its

thorough study be trying to people of less assiduous

will
habits. The Tantrasara which is an epitome of the Tantraloka
will on a small scale be as useful to the reader as the
latter work."

2 "Ignorance is said to be verily the cause of all

worldly trammels. It has been termed as Mala or impurity

in the Shastras. With the knowledge of oneself as the
Supreme Self such Mala is reduced to nothing, and the
stage thus arrived at is called Moksha or freedom from
miseries caused by Mala. I expose the means for obtaining
such Moksha in this Shastra. Herein the reader will find a
brief explanation of the Tattvas or principles, the
knowledge
whereof is indispensable for Self-realisation."
VI ABSTRACT.

of the performance of religious rites and ceremonies,

while the other constitutes the three Upayas or means
(Shambhava, Shakta and Anava ) based respectively on
Ichchha, Jnana and Kriya Shaktis of the Supreme
Lord. In this connection the author adds :

This book divided into 22 ahnikas (ahnika,

is

signifying literally the work done in a day ) and for the

reader's facility the author finishes each ahnika or

chapter by one shloka, giving therein a gist of his detail-

ed discourse. For the reader's information a very brief
summary of the 22 ahnikas is given below :

The first treats of the various kinds of Vijnana or

the highest knowledge.

The second shows how by stability of meditation

on the significance of the all-important word, Aham,
the individual self can realise his oneness with the
Supreme Self.

The third emphasises the Shambhavupaya as the

means for attainment of the highest Bliss.

The fourth dwells upon the Shakhtupaya as the

way leading to the same goal.

1 "The All-knowing Lord, Who is All-complete, suffers

Himself, as it were, to be enveloped by Maya (illusory

power ) and appear in the form of the Jiva or individual

selfand to enable this Jiva to recognise his identity with
the Supreme Self brings to light the path of Jiiana in the
three ways named above."
 ABSTRACT. VII

In the fifth the author deals with the Anavupaya

giving a detailed account of the functions of the Prana
and the Apana, the two vital spirits of the body, in the
form of recitation of prayers, postures of the body and
contemplation of mind.
The sixth contains an elaborate description of the
Kaladhva or the significance of Kala or time, beginning
from the second, the minute, the hour, the night, the
day, the tithi ( time from one moon-rise to another
moon-rise ), the month, the year, in short up to the
Maha Pralaya ( dissolution of the whole universe ) as
based on the working of the Prana, and shows thereby
the way of recognition.

The seventh shows how by stability of meditation

on the significance of the Tattvas, ( viz. from Prithvl
Tattva to Shakti Tattva ), enwrapped as they are with
the five-fold aspects of Parama Shiva's power and glory
Shanta and Shantyatlta
Nivritti, Pratishtha, Vidya,
and on the relation existing between them and the
Kalagni-Rudra and other representatives of the Lord's
supremacy as also on the extent etc., of all the Bhuvanas,
the individual self can realise oneself as the Supreme
Self. This is known as kaladhva.
The eighth deals with the way of contemplation on
the above-mentioned Tattvas and shows how by attain-
ingperfection knowledge therein, the vision of the
of
Highest Reality dawns on the mind of the individual self.
In the ninth the forms of all the Tattvas, taken
one by one, are described and it is distinctly stated that
stability of meditation thereon is the way to recognition
of oneself as Parama Shiva.

The tenth describes the three ways Padadhva,

Mantradhva and Varanadhva as penetrable in Kala-
dhva referred to above, and laying special stress on
their relation with the Lord's five-fold power and glory,

points out the means for Self-knowledge.

VIII ABSTRACT.

In the eleventh it has been decidedly shown that

the benevolence of Parama Shiva
is necessary for one to

become worthy of which is another way for

initiation
attainment of Moksha by means of knowledge of the
Highest Reality.

The twelfth deals with the ordinances of bathing,

so to speak, in divine waters, as preliminary requisites
of initiation.

The thirteenth ascertains means as to test of effici-

ency of a certain termed "Samayi", for initia-

disciple,
tion as also of "Dlksha Yajna" or rites connected
therewith.

The fourteenth likewise subjects to examination

another disciple by name "Putrak" and prescribes the
various courses of initiation which he must go through
as a preliminary measure.

The fifteenth contains the"Samut Kramana Diksha",

or initiation, by his descendants, for one about to die
but desirous of being initiated by grace of the Lord.

The sixteenth shows the way of initiation for him

who dead or missing in another country.
is ini- Such
tiation can alone be made by the special grace of his

guru or preceptor.

The seventeenthenjoins how a man of another re-

ligious denomination can, if he so desire, be initiated in
Shaivaism after being freed from his former belief.

The eighteenth formulates the way in which an

initiate can obtain the position of a guru.

The nineteenth ordains re-initiation for one already

initiated but having apostatised under circumstances
beyond his control, as also initiation, on his death, for
the other who may be desirous of obtaining this end but
may die before accomplishment of his heartfelt desire.
 ABSTRACT. IX

The twentieth lays down the various religious

ordinances for an initiate, such as recitation of the
Mantras, study of the Scriptures, redemptions for
regulation of his conduct, adoration of his guru etc., etc.

The twenty-first proves how among the Shastras

the Shaivagama is to be looked
upon as an authority.
The twenty-second enunciates the internal and
external forms of "Kula Yajfia" or the special modes of
worship towards the Highest Reality.
Mahamaheshvara Abhinava Gupta, the author of
this work, is silent as to the date of its composition.
But as, in his great work Tantraloka, he often quotes
from Tshvara Pratyabhijna Vimarshin!, which, he
himself says, was written by him in the year 4115
of the Kali age, corresponding to 1014 A. D., it follows
that the former was composed after the year 1014
A. D. Now the date of composition of the Tantrasara
which is an epitome of the Tantraloka must necessarily
be some time later than 1014 A. D.

As
to the lineage of Abhinava Gupta and a brief

history of his age as well as of his literary activity, as

recorded by himself in his Tantraloka and other books,
the reader's attention is invited to my introduction on
Para-Trimshika, forming volume XVIII of this Series.

SRINAGAR, ^ Mahamahopadhyaya,
KASHMIR, i PANDIT MUKUND RAM SHASTR!.
The 20th Nov. 1918. ) Officer I/O Research Department,
Jammu and Kashmir State.
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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY

PK Abhinavagupta, Rajanaka
3931 The Tantrasara of
A52T4. Abhinava Gupta