Abhinaagufia
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ABHINAAGUFIA A Trident of Wisdom Translation of PARATRISIKA VIVARANA by JAIDEVA SINGH with a foreword by Paul Muller-Ortega PARÁTRIŠIKÁ-VIVARANA SUNY Series in Tantric Studies Paul Muller-Ortega, EDITOR ABHINAVAGUPTA A Trident of Wisdom Translation of PARATRISiKA-VIVARANA byjaideva Singh Foreword by PAUL MULLER-ORTEGA State University of New York Press Published by Suite University of New York Press, Albany © 1989 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, NY 12246 Library of Congress Cataloging-in Publication Data Abhinavagupta, Rajanaka. [Paratrimsikavivrti. English] A trident of wisdom / Abhinavagupta ; translation of PanitriSikii -vivarana by Jaideva Singh ; with a foreword by Paul Muller-Ortega. p. cm. — (SUNY series in tantric studies) Translation of: Paratrimsikavivni. Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN 0-7914-0180-4. — ISBN 0-7914-0181-2 (pbk.) 1. Tantras. Rudrayamalatantra. Paratrisika—Commentaries— Early works to 1800. 2. Kashmir Saivism—Doctrines— Early works to 1800. I. Singh, Jaideva. II. Title. III. Series. BL1142.6.R846A2413 1989 294.5’95—del 9 89-4425 10 987654321 CIP CONTENTS Foreword by Paul Muller O rte g a .............................................ix List of Abbreviations................................................................xxi Part I : Para tris ikà-Vivarana of Abhinavagupta: Translation with Notes Preliminaries (Benedictory Verses 1-5).......................... 1 Verse 1 of Parâtrisikâ.................................................................. 5 Com mentary........................................................................ 7 Different implications of the word Devi................... 10 The rationale of the past tense in ‘said* (uvàca)............................................................................... 11 The Final Resting Place of all questions and answers.................................................................... 14 Sixteen interpretations of a n u tta ra ............................ 20 Interpretation of kaulika-siddhidam............................ 31 Exposition on Verse 1 and Commentary..................... 47 Etadguhyam mahàguhyam.. .Text and Com mentary........................................................................ 53 Verse 2 ........................................................................................... 61 Commentary............................................................................... 61 Verses 3 and 4 ............................................................................... 65 Commentary............................................................................... 65 Verses 5 to 9 a ................................................................................. 87 Commentary............................................................................... 89 Verses 9 to 18b............................................................................... 202 Commentary............................................................................... 204 Verse 19 ..........................................................................................236 Commentary............................................................................... 236 Verse 20 ..........................................................................................239 Commentary............................................................................... 239 Verse 21 .......................................................................................... 240 Commentary............................................................................... 240 vi Para-TriHka-Vwararia Verse 22 ..........................................................................................241 Commentary............................................................................... 241 Verse 23 ..........................................................................................242 Commentary............................................................................... 243 Verse 24 ..........................................................................................243 Commentary............................................................................... 243 Verses 25 to 26 ............................................................................... 243 Commentary............................................................................... 244 Verse 27 ..........................................................................................245 Verse 28 ..........................................................................................248 Verse 29 ..........................................................................................248 Verse 30 ..........................................................................................249 Verses 31 to 33 ............................................................................... 250 Commentary............................................................................... 251 Verse 34 ..........................................................................................259 Verse 35 ..........................................................................................262 Commentary............................................................................... 262 Verse 36 ..........................................................................................268 Commentary............................................................................... 268 Verse 37 ..........................................................................................269 Commentary............................................................................... 269 Autobiographical Verses of Abhinavagupta.............................270 General Index ............................................................................... 273 Part II: Paratrisika-Vivara$a : Sanskrit Text 3*3°^ List of Additions & Corrections (Sanskrit T e x t)................................................................................................VV3 Index of Half-Verses of Paratrisika.........................................333 Index of Quotations.....................................................................33Y L ist o f C harts 1. The various anfa or ellipses contained in anuttara . 103 2A. The identity of the original source (bimbo) and its reflection (pratibimba)....................................................106 2B. The transposition of the tattvas (categories of existence) in reflection (pratibimba).................................107 3. The arrangement of letters according to Matrka in parasamvitti in saruagrarupatd........................................132 Contents vii 4. Arrangement of letters according to Matrka in parparasamvitti in sarvamadhyarupata...............................133 5. Letters of MalinI together with their representa tion with reference to supreme consciousness or parasamvitti..............................................................................138 6. Parasamvitti (supreme consciousness)— sarvdgrarupatd....................................................................... 143 7. In parapara-samvitti—supreme-cum-non-supreme consciousness, sarvamadhyarupata in the order of Matrka-letters......................................................................... 145 8. Arrangement of letters according to Matrka in paraparasamvitti sarvantya-rupata....................................... 146 9. MalinI in apara samvitti and Matrka in pasyanti or parapara samvitti...................................................................147 10. The outline of the Mandala of the trident and lotuses (trisulabjamandala)..................................................237 FOREWORD It is quite fitting that the inaugural volume in the State University of New York Press series on Tantric Studies should be this book. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to state that the present translation of Abhinavagupta’s Pardtrimsika-vivarana (PTv) repre sents both a landmark and a new staging point for the invesu- gation of the Hindu Tantra. This translation of the PTv brings to light a treasure-laden text such as the romantic imagination of visionaries and scholars have sought in India for centuries. Composed as one of the first major works of Abhinavagupta (ca. 975-1025 CE), preceded perhaps only by the Malini-vijaya-vdrtika (MVv), it is written in die difficult but elegant style of the great tantric Saiva master of Kashmir. In this text Abhinavagupta addresses himself to advanced disciples as well as to those who have already achieved liberation. After the demise of the Trika as a lineage in Kashmir in die late thirteenth century, due in large measure to the invasion of Islam, a few rare manuscripts of this important and complex text miraculously survived, copied and recopied by scribes who prob ably little understood it. Then, almost a millenium after its composition, it emerged in 1918 as one of the early publications of the Kashmir Series of Texts and Studies. Now, some seventy years after the publicauon of the Sanskrit text, the PTv is made available to the larger public. It is indeed curious and significant that three translations of this text should be published