Yoga of Synthesis in Kashmir Shaivam

Author(s): S S Toshkhani
Publisher: S S Toshkhani

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knowledge which hinders us from an insight into the reality of things - the non-duality of consciousness.* .xxx We are led to think of duality as the real state of existence and loose our sense of unity with the rest of the world which we treat as the other. It is this state of ignorance or restricted vision that makes it difficult for us to recognize the truth of our predicament that is called mala or impurity in Shaiva terminology. In fact there are three types of impurity we have to deal with before we can realize our real self: anava mala, mayiya mala and karma mala. The three malas work havoc at our level of existence, causing a contraction of our powers of will, thought and action.
Anava mala is the impurity of individuality which makes the individual soul to identify itself as a limited being. This impurity is responsible for giving rise in the individual soul a sense of being imperfect or incomplete due to his failure to recognize his purnată or fullness, which in turn results in a craving for something that he desires but has not acquired as it is outside himself. It is a primordial impurity that causes the other two impurities as well. According to Utpaladeva, änava-mala operates in two ways: "there is no freedom of consciousness" and "there is no consciousness of freedom".* It gives rise to a sense of self in the non-self as one is not aware of one's real nature.
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Mayiya mala reinforces anava mala, the impurity of limited individuality and gives rise to a perception of duality or diversity everywhere. This sense of difference is caused by the limitation of the individual soul's freedom of knowledge which separates him from the rest of the world. In a way all the impurities are the products of Maya and can as such be called maylya mala. Pointing to this discrepancy Abhinavagupta writes:
"The name mayya given to the impurity of seeing difference is just a name; all three malas are also mayiya by virtue of being the products of māyā, "xxxii
Karma mala is the impurity pertaining to karma or action that comes into play when the individual soul acts in a state of ignorance and imperfection. Loosing his freedom and will, he is "prompted by desires and fears for his personal gain" and subjects himself to
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