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140
PROBLEM OF AVIDYA
[CH.
The power of obscuration (rodha-sakti) belonging to the Lord Siva is recognized as the fifth form of pāśa. Lord Siva is not responsible for the obscuration of the innate nature of the souls. But obscuration continues in the absence of the descent of His Grace and so the nondescent of Grace, because it apparently imitates the nature of a pāśa, is conceived as the positive power of obscuration. Thus it is said that although the power of Maheśvara is auspicious and beneficent to all, yet because of its apparent imitation of the functions of mala, it is known as a pāśa.?
These are the five forms of pāśa recognized in Saivism. Of these, mala is the most fundamental. It corresponds to the avidyā of the other sistems. The soul that is associated with the three pāśas viz. måte karman and māyā is known as sakala. The soul that is associated with only the two pāśas viz. mala and karman is known as pralayākala. And the soul that has transcended the category of māyā and has only the mala-pāśa is called vijñānākala. The vijñānākala soul, on the maturation of its mala and the consequent descent of the Divine Grace, rises up to the levels of the categories of vidyā (śuddhā), īśvara or sadāśiva according to the extent of its spiritual development revealed in the manifestation of its kriyāśakti or the power of action (the manifestation of jñānaśakti or the power of knowledge being uniform in all cases). The consummation of spiritual development is reached on the attainment of śivatva (divine nature). It will not, in this connection, be out of place to relate in brief the way in which the soul gets rid of mala.
On the maturation of the mala and the approach of the termination of the influence of the obscuring power (tirodhāna-śakti) of the Lord, there is descent of Lord's Grace (anugraha-śakti).2 On the descent of the Grace, the soul begins to take interest in the attainment of emancipation and abhors worldly life. It can now discriminate the self from the not-self. And consequently an inquisitiveness for the nature of truth is born in it. Now the soul easily finds out a competent preceptor (guru) who gives dikşā (initiation) which ultimately disentangles it from the pāśas. Saivism regards dikşā as the most essential condition of emancipation. Pure consciousness and perfect will are inherent in a soul, but on account of its association with mala, these powers suffer obscuration which can be removed only by the Grace of Siva. It is Siva who, by means of His Supreme 1 Cf. tāsām mäheśvarī śaktiḥ sarvānugrähikä sivä
dharmānuvartanād eva pāśa ity upacaryate.--Sataratnasangraha, p. 38. 2 Cf. tamah-saktyadhikārasya nivịttes tat-paricyutau
vyanakti dỊk-kriyānantyam jagadbandhur aņoh Sivaḥ.--Ibid., p. 65. 3 Cf. yeşām saririņāṁ Śaktiḥ pataty avinivșttaye teşām tallingam autsukyam muktau dveşo bhavasthitau.
---Ibid., p. 65.
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