Yoga of Synthesis in Kashmir Shaivam

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

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The non-dual Kashmir Shaivism views mantra as a means that assures attainment of
liberation when imparted by the guru. According to Abhinavagupta, it "causes consciousness to vibrate more quickly".b At the shäktopaya level, the salvational. power of the mantra, which it derives from reflective awareness of the supreme subjectivity, is harnessed to purify thought and elevate awareness to take the practitioner progressively towards experiencing the vibration of the universal Self. At this level the mind, freed from the constrictions imposed by impure thought and reaching the "nirvikalpa condition", becomes one with the mantra. Describing the process, Mark C. Z. Dyczkowski writes:
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"It leads the adept in stages along the rungs of the ladder of consciousness, ascending which he abandons the lower stages of conditioned awareness to reach the highest state of Shiva-hood, dense with the light of consciousness."lxviii
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Sattarka: Sattarka or right reasoning forms another important constituent of the yogic process that comprises shāktopāya. It is said to be most effective in uprooting the tree of duality and guiding the aspiring yogi along the path to realization of his essential Self. Much more than mere logical argument, sattarka rids the mind of impure thought constructs. The yogi can develop it in three ways: through personal experience, through the word of the spiritual Master and through the guidance of the scripture. It matures gradually to what is called 'bhavana', a difficult to translate term which, according to Jaidev Singh, connotes the sense of "creative contemplation". I Making the use of "constructive imagination", bhavana implants in the yogi's mind the liberating idea of "sarvamevedam ahameva" or "I alone am all this". Though itself of the nature of thought, it helps in clearing all doubts and strengthening conviction, leading ultimately to shuddha vidya or the "Pure Knowledge" which reveals to him his true identity as Shiva. This pure vikalpa (purifying thought) culminates in the state of nirvikalpa (thought-free) consciousness, rendering all external worship, yaga, japa, homa, mudrā, dhyāna, mudrā etc. as superfluous. Thus sattarka causes annihilation of all dualistic perceptions, and the yogi comes to experience what is called samvitchakra or the cycle of consciousness. He
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