The conception of Ultimate Reality

In Kashmir Shaivism
Dr. Surinder Pal, Associate Prof.
Govt. Ripudaman college, Nabha
The Advaita aivites of Kashmir are staunch advocates of the integral kind of
non-dualism, hence they believe in the existence of one reality which they call by
different names, such as Parasamvit (the supreme experiencing principle),
Anuttara (the absolute), Atman (the universal self), Parmesvara (the Supreme
lord), Caitanya (awareness which has absolute freedom of knowledge and
activity), Paramiva, Mahevara (the great lord) and so on . The ultimate reality
in the system is, Paramiva, in mesculine gender. He is essence and identity of
everything which is existing in any form everywhere in this whole world. He
materializes Hismself in the concrete form of the universe by his inherent power.
i

He is consciousness resting in Himself and is all-pervasive. He is unrestricted
stream of desire, i.e the free will. He is triple power : the power of will, cognition
and action.
ii

The ultimte reality, Paramiva, has two aspects, oe ei is tasedee
adas o ivottia ad the othe is his iaee aada o
vivaaya. e is said toe i the state of tasedee whe he exists i the
letitude of his osious eatitude, i.e. whe he is asoed i the full
easue of his liss ad setiee, to the exlusio of all else. The the thee
owes will, owlede ad atio, ei i the ost sutle fo, eai i a
state of efet uio withi hi. a, is theefoe is his state of his o-
differenciation, i.e. his pre-cosmic state, which is the state of rest of all the


owes. This state does ot exist i the tasedetal state of iva, ut a also
be experienced by an individual between all the successive cognitions, viz. at the
moment of the beginning and the end of any act of knowing , that is to say, when
the initial tension has not yet been determined in discursive knowledge and
when knowledge resolves itself and is integrated into consciousness.
iii
aaaiva
never lacks his triple power in the state of non-differenciation.
In the state of immaee aaa daa, aaaivas owe of will
knowledge and action stream forth from his state of transcendence and from
emanate thirty six tattvas (the principles of creation) which transforms into
diverse limited subjects and objects of the universe. Thus He assumes two states,
one of which he remains self-contained without any manifestation and the other
in which he makes creattion through the play of his powers.
iv
In His
transcendental state, He is purely subjective and in His immanent state He turns
ito ojetivity. I is sujetive state e is ow as iva ad is ojetive state
e is ati. Thus e is Siva y vitue of his tasedetal aset e is Sati y
virtue of His immanent aspect. All this is mere dialectical usage, because sakti is
nowhere different from Siva. Only one absolute God is contemplated as Siva and
Sakti on account of His being, on the one hand, the transcendental pure
consciousness alone, and , on the other hand, the whole phenomenal existence as
well. ati is Sivas owe ad iva is its ossesso. Both ae itiately oud with
each other as heat with fire and coolness with ice
v
.This olaisatio of iva ad
ati is olietay to eah othe.
In this system, the term Prakaa is also used fo iva ad Vimara fo ati
which symbolise respectively universal consciousness and physical activity in
atue. aaa is the eteal liht without whih othi a aea.It is iva.
iaa is ati. It is, so to sea, the io i whih iva ealizes its adeu,
power and beauty.It is karttva akti the owe of doeshi of iva. Mee
aaa aot e atue of Reality.Eve diaod is aaa, ut the diaod



does ot ow itself as aaa. iaa is that aset of aaa y whih it
knows itself. That self-owlede is a ativity. iaa etoes that ativity.
iaa is also eeseted y the te vtatra
vi
which means the
soveeity of the lods will, viz., asolute autooy ad liety of
osiousess. By vitue of whih iva is otet to aifest exteally the
universe comprising of mass of objects, which ever exists within him. The objects,
therefore, named in the system as a (manifestations). The Lord has not
only the potency of externalizing infinite number of diverse manifestations
forming various objects of the world by their association or combination with and
separation from one another, but also the absolute liberty to make use of His
powers of remembrance, knowledge and differentiation
vii
with respect of these
as. The theory of creation of the system affirms that the world was willed
into existence by the sovereign force of iva. Thus the world has no outside
existee ad auses without ivas vtatra
The aove said suee eality, aaaiva, is said to have five iial
kind of functions,
viii
forming a cycle, as it were, through which he is said to
manifest his svatantrya (absolute freedom) eternally. They are technically
desiated as the iaha oealet, sti aifestatio, sthiti
aiteae, saha dissolutio ad auaha divie ae. It should e
noted, here, that these functions are enumerated accordingly descent of
aaaiva, ut these should ot tae as a iid suessio o ode. The
Supreme Lord, being absolutely free in all respects, is not, really speaking, bound
in principle by a logical succession of these said functions tyas.
The first, is also known as Tirodhna, literally means self limitation. Through
whih aaaiva ioses liitatios o his liitless atue ad aeas as ii-
iva idividual ei. Afte iosi liitatios o his liitless atue he
appears as a limited being and faces all the difficulties of limited life. This all is
done by Him at his own will
ix
. Before this experience, he was experiencing his
pure and full I-ness only but at this level He starts to experience his self imposed
limitations also. In the transcendental state, the subject holds within itself the
unmanifest universe as His ideal experience. In the perfect apprehension of
Supreme egoity, all of want and the objects shine in identity with the Subject.
x
At
this level, pure I-ness becomes impure and multiplicity takes place. This is
necessary pre-condition for the emergence of phenomenal universe.When this
act of concealment is recognised by the individual being he again becomes
aaaiva ad ets fee fo woldly liitatios. Thus, this function of self-
concealment is known as nigraha in kashmir shaivism. The second great function
of aaaiva is tehially alled as sti aifestatio i ashi shaivis.
Afte oeali his eal atue aaaiva ultiate eality appears as the
universe. In kashmir shaivism the world is describes as a drama or play in which
aaaiva is sole odue, dieto ad ast of haates. e lays all this lay
with his power of self-deedee svtatya shati. This is his that apacity
with which he is capable to do the impossibles
xi
. This creation of animate and
inanimate creatures is the self-extension of the absolute lord.
xii
The said all
creation is projection of the Ultimate Reality, that is, divine consciousness. This
divine consciousness unfolds the universe at his own screen like
background,through its own free will and not by the will of something else
xiii
.
Everything though animate or inanimate shines on the background of divine
consciousness, nothing can shine outside of it
xiv
. According to this system,
ultimate causality belongs to the ultimate reality alone. This system assumes the
all dualities and differences are manifesting from the ultimate reality through his
self sueay aloe. Thus eithe the Shya o the edta theory of
cretion is acceptable to kashmir shaiva philosophers. Here,it is also worth
etioi that eatio is a ode of self exeiee of aaaiva ultiate
eality.The thid eat futio of aaaiva ultiate eality is sthiti aThis
function is performed by the supreme lord through his powers (shaktis) .The
easo to aitai the aifested wold is oly layfuless of the aaaiva. e
maintains the universe only for the purpose of play (lila).
The fourth function is re-absorption of the manifested universe. Here, re-
absorption does not imply destruction. This dissolution is to give rest to those
who are weary and tired of repeated births. The creation and dissolution of the
world are equated to the days and night. The dissolution of the world is linked to
the eyelids of a yogi and denotes not only the deep introversion of consciousness
but also withdrawal of that which is manifest. When consciousness sinks into
itself there eventuates the experience of pure unity.
xv
The te iesha is used
for dissolution in the system. This term represents the interiorization of
consciousness and so dissolution of the universe. The fifth and the last function
of the play of ultimate reality is divine grace (anugraha). In the kingdom of
spirituality, lord shiva creates masters and disciples through this act. The diagram
given below eesets the aatyas fivefold acts of the ultimate reality):-
Paramashiva
Absolute Reality




Shrishti
emanation
Anugraha
grace
(Liberation
)
Samhara
withdrawal




Sthiti
maintenance
Vilaya
concealment of the real

Concluding Remarks:-
Fo the oove study it eoes lea that aodi to Kai aivis the
Ultiate Reality, ahevaa, is diffeet fo that of the edatis Baha
symbolising only pure Universal Consciousness. The Ultimate Reality in the system
Prakaa and Vimara as its two aspects which symbolise,e Universal respectively,
the Universal Consciousness and physical or material activity in nature. The
various animate and inanimate being , subjects and objects, thought and physical
activity, mind and body and the world around us all real in ultimate being. All that
exists is like waves in the occean of the Ultimate Reality.

Refereces:-

i
Sivadrsti; 1, 1
ii
Ibid, 1, 2
iii
Ibid, 1,5-6
iv
vaaatyahijviaii .
v
Sivadrsti; 3.7(a)
vi
vaaatyahijviaii ,
vii
Ibid., 317
viii
Pratyabhijnahrdyam; 1
ix
Ibid; 2
x
Sivadrshti; 1.10
xi
. Svatantryadarpana; 4.1


xiii
. Pratyabhijnahrdyam; 2
xiv
Parmarthbhitoo yat na prakasahte tat bahyatayapi na prakashte.
xv
Ishwarapratyabhijna karika; 3.1.3




Abstract:-
I Kashi aivis the Ultiate Reality is aaiva ad is used, in the system,
in mesculine gender. He is essence and identity of everything which is existing in
any form everywhere in this whole world. He materializes Hismself in the
concrete form of the universe by his inherent power. He has two asets, oe
ei is tasedee adas o ivottia ad the othe is his
immanence (aada o vivaaya. e is diffeet fo that of the edatis
Brahman symbolising only pure Universal Consciousness. The Ultimate Reality in

the system Prakaa and Vimara as its two aspects which symbolise,e Universal
respectively, the Universal Consciousness and physical or material activity in
nature. The various animate and inanimate being , subjects and objects, thought
and physical activity, mind and body and the world around us all real in ultimate
being. All that exists is like waves in the occean of the Ultimate Reality.