Book Title: History of Indian Philosophy
Author(s): Surendranath Dasgupta
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
View full book text
________________
XXXVII] Saiva Philosophy in the Siva-mahāpurāņa 99 in that neutral state there existed only the pure being, the pure consciousness, infinite and pure bliss, which was immeasurable and a state in itself; it had no form and was devoid of all qualities. This was purely of the nature of pure consciousness, without beginning and end and without any development. Gradually there arose a second desire or will by which the formless was changed into some form by its own playful activities. This may be regarded as the all-creating pure energy, of which there is no parallel. The form created by this energy is called sadāśiva. People also call Him Iśvara, or God. The lone energy, spontaneously moving, created from itself its own eternal body, which is called pradhāna, prakrti, or māyā, and which generates the category of buddhi. This māyā or prakyti is the creator of all beings and is regarded as coming into contact with the supreme puruşa, the Siva, called Sambhu, who is different from God. This sakti or energy is also regarded as kāla or time.
From prakrti came the mahat or buddhi and from buddhi came the three guņas, sattva, rajas and tamas, and from them the threefold ahankāra. From ahankāra came the tanmātras, the five bhūtas, the five conative senses, and the five cognitive senses, and manas.
In the Kailāsa-samhitā of the Siva-mahāpurāna the view of Saivism is described as being the Sivādvaita system or the monistic theory of Saivism. It is said here that since all living beings are constituted of a male and a female part, the original cause must also be represented by a male and a female principle united. As a matter of fact, the Sāmkhyas had taken that idea from this statement, and had regarded the original cause as being prakrti and puruşa. But they tried to establish it merely on rational grounds; they were not disposed to establish it in a theistic sense. For that reason, though some of the Sāmkhya categories may be accepted, yet the Sāmkhya philosophy as a whole, being a purely rationalistic system, ought to be abandoned. The Brahman is regarded in the Vedas as being the unity of sat, cit and ananda, and it is in the neuter gender. The
satyam jñānam anantam ca parānandam param-mahaḥ. aprameyam anādhāram avikāram anākrti, nirgunam yogigamyañ ca sarva-vyāpyeka-kārakam.
Siva-mahāpurāņa, 11. 1. 6, IIC, d-12. utpatya ajñāna-sambhūtam samśayākhyam visa-drumam, śivādvaita-mahā-kalpa-vrkşa-bhūmir yathā bhavet.
Ibid. vi. 16. II.
7-2
Page Navigation
1 ... 2409 2410 2411 2412 2413 2414 2415 2416 2417 2418 2419 2420 2421 2422 2423 2424 2425 2426 2427 2428 2429 2430 2431 2432 2433 2434 2435 2436 2437 2438 2439 2440 2441 2442 2443 2444 2445 2446 2447 2448 2449 2450 2451 2452 2453 2454 2455 2456 2457 2458 2459 2460 2461 2462 2463 2464 2465 2466 2467 2468 2469 2470 2471 2472 2473 2474 2475 2476 2477 2478 2479 2480 2481 2482 2483 2484 2485 2486 2487 2488 2489 2490 2491 2492 2493 2494 2495 2496 2497 2498 2499 2500 2501 2502 2503 2504 2505 2506 2507 2508 2509 2510 2511 2512 2513 2514 2515 2516 2517