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Philosophy of Srikantha
[CH. Sanskritic, that is, those forms of Saivism which were based on the authority of the Vedas and were open to the first three castes (varna), and those which are open to all castes. Both try to make out that the present topic was not directed against the views propounded in the Saivāgamas as Sankara explained, but against other views which do not form any part of the Saiva philosophy.
In some texts of the Kalpa-sūtras we hear of objections against the valid authority of some of the texts, but these objections do not apply to the Āgamas composed by Siva. It is said that Siva cannot be the material cause of the universe, because the Upanişads hold that the Brahman is changeless, and in this way an attempt is made to refute the pariņāma doctrine. Pariņāma means "change from a former state to a latter state." It is further held that sakti or energy is in itself changeless. Even if that sakti be of the nature of consciousness, then such a change would also be inadmissible. Against this view it is held that there may be change in the spiritual power or energy (cicchakti) on the occasion of a desire for creation or a desire for destruction. The cicchakti which is within us goes out and comes into contact, in association with the senses, with the external objects, and this explains our perception of things. So, since we have to admit the theory of the functiona expansion (vrtti) of the cicchakti, it is easy to admit that the original sakti has also its functional expansion or contraction?
According to the Saiva school as propounded by Śrīkantha, the individual souls have not emanated from God, but they are coexistent with Him. The apparent scriptural texts that affirm that souls came out of Brahman like sparks from a fire are interpreted as meaning only the later association of souls with buddhi and manas, and also with the different bodies. It must also be said that the souls are the conscious knowers, both by way of senses and by the manas. The manas is explained as a special property or quality of knowledge which the soul possesses and by virtue of which it is a knower. This manas must be differentiated from a lower type of manas which is a product of prakyti, and which becomes associated with the soul in the process of birth and rebirth through association
1 teşvapi sisykşā-samjihîrşādi-vyavahāreņa šiva-cicchakteḥ "cicchaktir arthasamyogo-'dhyakşam indriya-märgata" iti cicchakti-vȚtti-nirgama-vyavahārena jīva-cicchakteś ca pariņāmitvam āvişkytam eveti bhāvaḥ. Appaya Dīkşita's commentary, Vol. II, p. 112.
