Indian Antiquary Vol 42

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 283

OCTOBER, 1913.)
BUOK NOTICE
271
BOOK NOTICE. SIVA-BUTEA-VIMARINE AND PRATTABXIJRI-XPIDATA, three remedies are technically called sámbhava,
Nos, 2 and 4 of the Kashmir Series of Texts and såkla and anana. Thus the Siva-sútras and so the Studies. By J. C, Chatterji, B.A. (Cantab.) Vidyl
Vimarfini also do not give us any satisfactory idea vAridhi. Printed at the Nirnaya-Sagar Press, Bombay.
of what the philosophy of Saivism is, except THE Archæological and Research Department of the Jammu and Kashmir State has been under
only incidentally, but at once proceed to show the distinguished patronage of H. H. the Maha
men, in the words of the editor himself, 'a
practical way of realising by experience the fact raja Sahib Buhadur, preparing for publication a
that man is essentially......... no other than the number of Sanskrit and Kashmiri works, which have so far remained unpublished, and which are
Deity himself, and of enabling him, in virtue of
this realisation, to attain not only to absolute called the "Kashmir series of Texts and Stu
freedom from all that limits him and subjects dies. The works under review form Nos. 2 and 4 of this comprehensive series. The editor has
him, as a helpless creature, to tbe sorrows and undoubtedly rendered great service to the cause
sufferings of limited existence-but also to gain of Kashmir Saivism by the publication of these
the omniscience like the Deity himself, indeed, two works. The first gives the stras called Siva.
as one with him. sútras, and a commentary on the same by Kshema
Thus it would be seen at a glance that the rajn. These sútras, according to tradition, were
Siva-sitra-vimarkini is not at all the book with revealed to Vasagapta, who handed them on to
which one should commence his study of Kasbhis pupils, who interpreted them in several ways.
mir Saivism. One is at first likely to think that Kabemarija, the commentator, says at the very
the stras may provide us with an outline of beginning, that there lived on the Mahadeva-giri.
Saivism from the philosophical and argumentathe great teacher, by name Vasugupta, who, always
tive point of view, as is for instance the case with devoted to the worship of Siva, received an inspira
Nyaya-sıras. But the reader is disabused of this tion from the same. Once, the great Siva, being
illusion as soon as be goes' to the fifth sútra. moved to pity by the unsatisfactory condition of
Besides, the over-abundance of the technical the world of mortals, inundated as it was with the
terms of tho Mantra-fastra and the uncouthness doctrines of Duality, wished that the doctrine of
of style have rendered the book a hard not to Unity should be spread, and hence appeared to
crack, and in the prose of Ksbemarája we miss this Vasugupta in a dream, and gave him to
the fluency and literary finish which characterise understand thus:- On this game mountain, on a
many & similar manual of Vedanta. great slab of stone, there lies the secret; know
The second volume, however, named Pratya
bhijnd-hridaya is calculated to he more useful it and proclaim it to those who are worthy of the favour.' On getting up, Vasagupta searched for
to the beginner than the first, by its very nature. the stone. As he approached it, he turned it round
As the name signifies, it aims at giving the
essence in brief of the Pratyabhijñá or the with his hand and found his dream realized. This is the origin of the Siva-sútrag'.
doctrine of Recognition,' in twenty sátras with Kshemardja, who names himself as the pupil
a commentary on them, by Kshemaraja. Thus of Abhinavagupta, representa one school of inter
this book 'bears the same relation to the Advaita pretation, as opposed to that of Kullata and his
Saiva system of Kashmir as the Vedantasára of followers. It should be noticed here that the Siva
Sadånanda does to the Vedanta system. That is sutras must not be confounded with the Spanda
to say, it is intended to be an easy introduction to, sútras, as Bübler seems to do. In his Kashmir
and a summary of the doctrines of, the system.' Report of 1875-76, one manuscript, really contain
All the same, one must not be too sanguine ing the Siva-sútras, which we have before us now,
about the usefulness of the treatise, in the abis named Spanda-sútra without any reason.
sence of some preliminary knowledge of Saivism. That Siva-sútras and Spanda-otras must be the
The editor, too, has not come to our help by uames of two different collections of sitras
giving a short sketch in the preface, but he only follows from what Ksbemarája remarks on p. 3
refers us to bis book Kasimir Saivism', which of the let volume before us- Ferragama
is intended to be a general introduction to the
bistory and doctrine of the system in question, सम्ममूचाणि भस्माभिः सन्दनिर्णये सम्बक् निर्णीतानि ।
but which, unfortanately, has not seen the light romag fatti
I. of day as yet. The Sida-ritros are divided into three sections, The Pratyabhýnd dootrine, with which both the called mesha, dealing with the three remedios of volumes before us deal, and which is called by the attaining to Unity of Bive, without which freedom Leditor, by the general name of Kashmir Saivism, from this worldly existence is impossible. The corresponds really to the Pratyabhyñid darlana in
1 Bühler's Kashmir Koport, p.olxvii. The same point has been referred to by Sir R. G. Bhandarkar in his "Report 1883-84. (Section on Saiviam.)