Kashmir Shaivism

Over several hundred years, it is the master and disciple tradition that has transmitted the knowledge and practice of Kashmir Shaivism. The Indian tradition of oral transmission, that is Shruti, has helped the tradition flourish and prosper. The unifying factor between mythology, art inspired by religion and contemporary physics is Natraj or Shiva’s Cosmic Dance. The Kashmir Shaivism tradition has multiple artists whose talents played out to the fullest, in a fashion similar and in line to that of the sages who themselves were similarly evolved in terms of their own artistic sensitivities. These sages and masters belonged to the Trika school. The verses of Abhinava Gupta, composed as a paean to the God, which were almost his entire work.

In this, he was very similar to the other Shaivite sages. He opined that art is a highly spiritual pursuit and the inner sentiment manifests in an exterior form. In Abhinava Gupta’s view, art is supposed to bring out & express what cannot normally be expressed. In most cases, art is an expression of a an inner, highly sublime emotion and is thus unique and distinct from what most humans feel, sense or perceive.

Such perceptions are mostly cosmic and highly intense. Such extremely felt perceptions – be they joy, fear, anger or any other – are generally experienced in a highly aware state. Such a state creates the movement of an individual from an ego state to a highly universal state, thus dissolving the ego.

The Shaivite philosophy was not about putting one’s body through extremes of pain and torture; it is about simple ways of meditation that come naturally to a human being, setting the human’s body and mind free.

Kashmir Shaivism Teachings come from Agamas or ninety-two Tantras that were revealed by Bhagwan Shiva in a conversation with Ma Parvati.

During the Islamic reign in India, Kashmir Shaivism remained underground for centuries post the 14th century. It stayed alive thanks perhaps to some clandestine sages till Swami Lakshmanjoo revived it in the last century. He was assisted by an Oxford Professor Alexis Sanderson in this pursuit. Prof. Sanderson was both the world’s foremost authority as well as Kashmir Shaivism’s most devoted practitioner.

We will share commentaries as well as discussions on Kahmir Shaivism in this space, from time to time.

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