Siva Sutram a Reading

8/19/2019 Siva Sutram a Reading

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Siva SutramA Reading

p.madhu

2011


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Siva

SutramA reading

P.Madhu

2011


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Siva

SutramA reading Author: P.Madhu.Ramavilsam,

Malamalkavu,

Kerala, India- 679 554

Title: Siva Sutram, A reading

cc by P.Madhu 2011. Some Rights Reserved.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/legalcode.html

This work may be freely distributed, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes,provided that names of author, editor, and publisher are included.


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i

Preface

Siva Sutram is part of Siva Agama Sastras. The

Siva epistemology is unique and not comparable

to the theological discourses of the Semitic

faiths. Semitic doctrines present God as a

person, creator existing outside the realm of the‘creation’. Siva Sutram, unlike Semitic faiths ,

goes beyond the creator-created duality. The

Siva doctrine unlike the Semitic constructions of

creator-created, God-Satan, good-bad dichotomy

is thoroughly non-dualistic. Atman, unlike the

‘soul’ of Semitic constructions is not an

individual entity given to every single human

individual. Atman, the Siva doctrine holds, is

incorruptible. Atmans are not born. They do not

die. Atman is non-dual with the primordial

spanda. Atman is non-measurable and non-numerable and hence Atman is not even One, it

is non-numerable. Siva is not a theological God-

head alien.


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Semitic constructions present the creation as a

onetime activity of a God alien to the creation.Siva Sutram, unlike Semitic constructions do not

hold that the creation as a onetime event rather,

it is seen as an ongoing process of veiling the

Siva-pulsation ( spanda) Time, space, matter or

energy is presented as limited forms of the

immeasurable immense. Siva Sutram takescreations and dissolutions as never ending

processes. Dissolution (laya) is not presented in

Siva Sutram as apocalypse. Instead, overcoming

the veil of creation and achieving the

dissolvence (laya) is a spiritual recommendation

of the Sutram.

Historically, and culturally, Siva is a pre-theistic

imagination. Hence, theism-atheism divide does

not affect the Siva doctrine. Since Siva is

unnumbered, doctrines of polytheism or mono-

theism do not explain the Siva doctrine. Siva is

not everything that exists, dies or anything that

go under the cosmic or karmic recycle. For this

reason, Siva is not a pan-theistic entity either.

Siva is the incorruptible, undercurrent of


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vibrancy with its own will that is understood to

be the fundamental source.

The epistemology is explained in Siva Agamas.

Some of the known Siva Agamas are: Malini

Vijaya, Svacchanda, Vijnana Bhairava,

Mrgendra, Netra Yoga, Rudra-Yamala and Siva

Sutra. Spanda Karika Pratya Bhijna Hridayam

are two important texts help us to understand the

Siva Agamas better. Siva Sutra is the most

important of the Siva Agamas.

Siva agama sastras are believed to be the

authentic voice of the internality ( Atman) of the

primordial, omniscient, and omnipresent

vibration (Spanda). Vibrancies, it is presupposed

have their co-present internality. Atman is the

internality co-present with the ceaseless

primordial vibration which is present before,

throughout and after emergence and dissolvanceof the cosmic field and the things in it. The

subtle internality, the atman, though comparable

with mind or consciousness, unlike

consciousness or mind, is non-dual, undivided

and not conditioned by experiences of individual


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or collective objects. The Atman has no grehya

(grasper) - grahaka (grasped) bhedaat(distinction). The will of the Atman is Cit .

All that exist in the field of the cosmos, and the

field as the entirety is conceived as one among

many forms of limited existence of the limitless

Siva. The limit veils the existence of limitless

Siva. It is conceived in the Siva Agamas that

Siva is the active and internal aspect of effluence

of existence. Existence, the Siva doctrine holds,

has an active and effluent current of inner

aspect. For instance, in the case of light, Siva is

understood as the effluent active aspect andinner vibrancy, the prakasha; the light as we

witness with our senses is only its external

manifestation. The unlimitable current of Siva

as spanda, atman and cit is present from the

minute to the entirety of the cosmic field hidden

beneath the veil of existence. It is hidden to our

sense perceptions, languages and measures.

The objective of Siva Sutram is Sva-tantra,

guiding its followers to the unlimited freedom.

Siva Sutram consists 77 aphorisms. It is divided


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into three sections. The aphorisms are open

ended with potential for multiple meanings. Thewords are kaleidoscopic and they arrange

themselves differently in different occasions in

tune with the orientation of the reader.

The first section is called Sambhavopaya which

explains the flash of Siva revelation. It is about

the experiencing the flash of the hidden subtle

internality imploding with its beyond-the-

measure knowledge. The experience of flash is

called ‘ Bhairava’ . The Second section is

Saktopaya. This section is about the efforts a

pursuer ( sadhaka) to sustain the flash of Bhairava experience. The third section is

Anavopaya. This section explains how a

sadhaka (pursuers of truth) can overcome her

limit-existence.

The Spanda-Karika, Vignjnana Bhairava and Pratyabhijnahridayam are important texts help a

seeker to better understand Siva Sutram.

Spanda-Karika explains the vibratory ontology

of Siva-existence. Pratyabhijnahridayam

explains the existence in time, space, materiality


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and body as limited existence. Vignjana

Bhairava explains the practices through whichone can sustain one’s Bhairava existence. Siva

Sutram is believed to be textualized in the 9th

century AD of the Siva belief systems that

precedes that century.

It is not a translation. It is my present

understanding of Siva Sutram. I hope the reader

will benefit. For deeper understanding one has to

read the original text. For me Siva-Sutram is a

surprise and inspiration as I could re-discover

what I was discussing in my writings on ‘non-

zeroity’ and ‘being-in-captivity’ with fartherclarity and lucidity. The doctrine of non-zeroity

is very much there in the ‘neither this-nor that’

middle path recommendation found both in the

Siva doctrine and Buddhist philosophy.

---

P.Madhu ([email protected])


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vii

Transliterated text of Siva

Sutram

I. śāmbhavopāya

1. caitanyamātmā:

2.

jñānam bandhah.

3. yonivarga kalāśarīram

4. jñānādhisthāna mātrikā

5. udyamo bhairavah

6. śakticakrasandhāne viśvasamhārah

7. jāgratsvapnasusuptabhedeturyābhogasambhavah

8. jñānam jāgrat

9. svapno vikalpāh

10. aviveko māyāsausuptam

11. tritayabhoktā vīreśah

12. vismayo yogabhūmikāh

13. icchā śaktirumā kumārī

14. drśyam śarīram


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15. hrdaye cittasamghattādd rśyasvāpnadarśanam

16. śuddhatattvasandhānād vā apaśuśaktih

17. vitarka ātmajñānam

18. lokānandah samādhisukham

19. śaktisandhāne śarīrotpattih

20.

bhūtasandhāna bhūtaprthaktvaviśvasamghattāh

21. śuddhavidyodayāccakreśatva siddhih

22. mahāhradānusandhānānmantravīry

ānubhavah


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II.

śāktopāya

1.

cittah mantrah

2. prayatnah sādhakah

3.

vidyāśarīrasattā mantrarahasyam

4. garbhe cittavikāso'viśista vidyāsvapnah

5. vidyāsamutthāne svābhāvike khecarī śivāvasthā

6.

gururupāyah

7. mātrkācakrasambodhah

8.

śarīram havih

9.

jñānam annam

10.

vidyāsamhāre taduttha svapna darśanam


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III. ānavopāya

1.

ātmā cittam

2. jñānam bandhah

3.

kalādīnām tattvānām aviveko māyā

4. śarīre samhārah kalānām

5. nādī samhāra bhūtajaya bhūtakaivalyabhūtappthaktvāni

6.

mohāvaranāt siddhih

7. mohajayād anantābhogāt sahajavidyājayah

8. jāgrad dvitīyakarah

9.

nartaka ātmā

10. rango'ntarātmā

11.

prekśakānīndriyāni

12. dhīvaśāt sattvasiddhih

13. siddhah svatantrabhāvah

14. yathā tatra tathānyatra

15.

bījāvadhānam

16.

āsanasthah sukham hrade nimajjati

17. svamātrā nirmānam āpādayati


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18. vidyā avināśe janma vināśah

19. kavargādisu māheśvaryādyāh paśumātarah

20.

trisu cat urtham tailavadāsecyam

21. magnah svacittena praviśet

22.

prāna samācāre samadarśanam

23. madhye'vara prasavah

24. mātrāsvapratyaya sandhāne nastasya punarutthānam

25.

śivatulyo jāyate

26. Śarīravrttirvratam

27.

kathā japah

28. dānam ātmajñānam

29.

yo'vipastho jñāhetuśca

30. svaśakti pracayo'sya viśvam

31.

stithilayau

32.

tat pravrttāvapyanirāsah samvettrbhāvāt

33. sukha duhkhayorbahirmananam

34.

tadvimuktastu kevalī

35. mohapratisamhatastu karmātmā

36.

bheda tiraskāre sargāntara karmatvam


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37. karanaśaktih svato'nubhavāt

38. tripadādyanuprānanam

39.

cittasthitivat śarīra karana bāhyesu

40. abhilāsādbahirgatih samvāhyasya

41.

tadārūdhapramitestatkśayājjīvasamkśayah

42. bhūtakañcuk ī tadā vimukto bhūyah patisamah

parah 43.

naisargikah prānasambandhah

44.

nāsikāntarmadhya samyamāt kimatra savyāpasavya sausumnesu

45.

bhūyah syāt pratimīlanam


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Siva

Sutram-A reading


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I

The urst into Truth


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1

The Burst into Truth

1. Atman, the internality of the

equiprimordial vibration, the spanda, is

absolutely free and beyond measures.

2. Knowledge from any perspective is

binding because, it is founded upon

measures.

3. The immense in its measured limits as it

appears is fertile, creating reproducing,

mutating, evolving. Creation is the

immense spatially, temporally and

materially limited.

4. Measures are the mothers of knowledge.

Measures veil immeasurable. Words veil

unwordable and numbers veil

unnumerable. Knowledge veils.


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5. Truth of the immense hence, is not

realized through knowledge. Truth is agracious event that implodes like a

thunderous flash raising the receiver

beyond the veils of knowledge. This is the

flash of Bhairava experience.

6.

The thunderous flash of realizationunsettles the receiver from the veils of

measured knowledge. This lets one to be

in union with the primordial vibration

(spanda) and its equiprimordial internality

(atman).

7. The Bhairava eruption transforms

conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious

levels of existence into currents of

realization. Irrespective of waking,

dreaming & deep sleep status one enjoysthe beyond-measures-fourth state of

turiya. Turya is the blissful current of the

primordial vibration (spanda) and its

internality (atman).


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8. The Bhairava eruption transcends one

beyond knowledges one gains throughaware state,

9. hallucinatory dream-like veiled existence

10. and unsettles ones deep immersion into

indiscriminable-delusions.

11. The spurt of Bhairava flash lets one to

master all the three states of conscious,

subconscious and unconscious - awaken,

dreamlike and deep sleep – measured

knowledges, veiled existence and

indicriminable delusions.

12. This non-differentiated existence

( yogabhumikah) is astonishingly

wonderful.

13. In this non-differentiated current of

existence one is fertile enough with


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creative potential like an about to be

fertilized virgin.

14. The whole current of existence appears as

one’s body.

15. United with the core of atman, one

experiences the whole of said, unsaid,measured and immeasurable.

16. In union with the ultimate, the Siva, the

pure principle one crosses the limits of

individual material existence.

17. This is the unwavering atma-realization.

18. The bliss of union transcends the receiver

and makes the world a blissful place.

19. The Bhairava experience frees one to

creative realm:


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20. Freedom to ensemble, assemble,

dissemble space, time, materiality andeverything else

21. Those who gain the wisdom of being non-

dual also gain the creative power of the

primordial spanda, atman and cit as they

have broken the limit existence.

22. United with the infinite reservoir of

creative pulsation, one experiences its

vibratory rhythm, the mantra veerya.


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II

idelity to the

hairava

event


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Fidelity to the Bhairava event

1. The internality of the realized (cittam) is

indistinguishable from the originary

creative vibrancy, the mantra.

2. The realized ( sadhaka) actively maintains

fidelity with the Bhairava flash.

3. The secret of mantra is that it lets one in

rhythm with the primordial vibrancy and

subsequent wisdom.

4. Born as a limited mortal, otherwise, one is

deluded by measures driven limited

knowledge.

5.

Burst of the wisdom of non-duality throbs

one into the unbounded Siva-experience


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6. Fidelity to the siva status should be

maintained through the guidances of gurus.

7. Uncovering the veil of limited knowledge,

they are guided into limitless non-duality.

8. Such a realized is no longer limited by

body, time, space or matter.

9. They are not limited by phenomenal or

knowledges achieved through calculating

measures.

10.

On the attainment of the beyond-

measures-knowledge, one understands the

phenomenal or measures-guided

knowledges were indeed hallucinatory.


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III

Transcending the imit


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Transcending the Limit

1. Internality of the unrealized is merely

their mind.

2.

The unrealized are bound by measuredknowledge.

3. Hallucinated within gross knowledge they

cannot discriminate gross from the subtle.

4.

Realized overcome the misrecognition

that the existence exists in separate and

disconnected parts.

5. The realized understand ‘beyond the

element vitality’. The flow of life is notmerely a body mechanism of inhalation or

exhalation distinct from the vitality

sustaining it.


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6. Understanding the secret of non-duality

and beyond-elementality, elevates therealized. They appear beyond the normal

for those immersed within the veil of

ignorance.

7. By overcoming the delusions of

elementality and duality, one experiences boundless expansion and thorough

mastery, naturally.

8. For the realized existence is experienced

as the effulgence of light that is beyond

dualities and elementalities.

9. One’s sense of internality is like an actor

in the stage.

10.

The stage is the primordial internality,spread as the cosmic internality.

11. The realized are the sensors witnessing

this enactment.


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12.

The current of effulgence is attained bythe realized.

13. Such is the attainment of unrestrained

freedom.

14.

The realized are not limited by spatialtemporal or material existence.

15. They become non-distinguishable from

the seed that sprouted the spatio-temporal-

material existence.

16. The realized be at the core of the

immortal ocean of existence.

17. The realized are not conditioned by

measures or limits.

18. So long as they sustain this realization,

they are not conditioned by the limits of

karma or cycles of birth or death.


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19.

Measures are the mothers of limitedexistence.

20. The realized are unperturbed by their

states of conscious, unconscious or

subconscious existence (waking, dreaming

& deep sleep), they remain realized in allthe states of their existence.

21. The liberated enter the limitless existence

gradually and steadily like the gentle flow

of oil.

22. The liberated gain equanimity through the

internalizing the non-dual vitality present

everywhere.

23.

However, if not remain with the razor-sharp awareness, the realized in their early

stages may fall into inferior states of

awareness.


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24. Regaining fidelity to the bhairava

irruption, however, one can gain what islost temporarily.

25. The conquered attain the very Siva status.

26. Their bodily existence thereafter becomes

pious observance.

27. Their speech becomes meditative.

28. They gift others the wisdom of non-dual-

cosmic internality.

29. They emerge as the source of wisdom.

30. The internality of the cosmos becomes

indistinguishable from that of the realized.

31. The realized remain ever in the current of

atma awareness.


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32. Irrespective of whatsoever appear or

disappear, emerge or dissolve they remainsteady in aatmic awareness.

33. They care least for pleasures or pains

external to their aatmic awareness.

34.

The Liberated remain alone steadily intheir awareness.

35. The unrealized, unlike the liberated,

remain caught in the cycles of birth,

rebirth and reproduction of karma.

36. Recognizing one’s non-distinctness from

the core of the creation, one becomes

internal to the creation as it continues.

37.

From one’s own experience the realizedrecognizes their creative potential.

38. Of the three states – emergence ( sristi),

sustenance ( sthiti) and dissolvance (laya)-


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the dissolvance (laya) enlivens the

realized.

39. The realized experience the cosmos as

one’s own body.

40. Others chase time, space, materiality to

satiate their wants, desires and greed.

41. Realization lets one to recognize the

corruption inherent to the extroversion.

42. Though exist in the gross body, the

realized are the Siva Himself.

43. They remain effortlessly non-dual.

44. The sense of non-duality and being one

with the primordial atman overwhelms therealized.


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45. Thus the internality of the realized and

internality of the primordial spanda remains non-differentiated.


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Siva Sutram a Reading