Shiva Sutras are a collection of seventy seven aphorisms that form the foundation of the tradition of spiritual mysticism known as Kashmir Shaivism. They are attributed to the sage Vasugupta of the eighth-Century A.D. Aphorism (From the Greek αφοριζειν, to define), literally a distinction or a definition (See the Online Etymology Dictionary entry), is a term used to describe a principle expressed tersely in a few telling words or any general truth conveyed in a short and pithy sentence, in such a way that when... Mysticism from the Greek μυστικός (mystikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, μυστήρια (mysteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is an... For the dispute concerning this region, see History of the Kashmir conflict Shown in green is the region under Pakistani administration. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Vasugupta is said to have lived near Mahadeva Mountain in the valley of the Harvan, behind the Shalimar garden near Srinagar. One myth is that he received the aphorisms in a dream visitation of a Siddha or liberated being. Another is that Lord Shiva came to him in a dream and instructed him to go to a certain rock on which he would find the teachings inscribed. This rock called Shankaropala is still visited by devotees. Whatever the truth is these myths point to the traditions belief that the Shiva sutras are of divine origin or revelation and are not considered the product of the human mind. Srinagar (Hindi: श्रीनगर, Urdu: سرینگر, Kashmiri: سِرېنَگَر सिरीनगर) , is the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India, and is situated in the valley of Kashmir. ... A Siddha in Sanskrit means One who is accomplished and refers to perfected masters who have transcended the Ahamkara (Ego or I-maker), have subdued their minds to be subservient to their Awareness, and have transformed their bodies composed of dense Rajo-tama Gunas into pure Satvic light. ... Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव; Hindi: शिव (when used to distinguish lordly status), and written Śiva in the official IAST transliteration, pronounced as ) is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. ...

Historically the Shiva Sutras and the ensuing school of Kashmir Shaivism are a Tantric or Agamic tradition. The Tantrics saw themselves as independent of the Vedic mainstream schools of thought and practice, and as beyond the rules that had been put in place by them.

A number of commentaries were written by Vasugupta’s contemporaries or successors. Most famous of them is Kshemeraja’s Vimarshini (10th Century A.D) which has been translated into English by Jaideva Singh and Swami Lakshman Joo. Another is a commentary called the Varttika by Baskara (11th Century A.D.) which has been translated into English by Mark Dyczkowski. Ishwar Swaroop Swami Lakshmanjoo Maharaj (1907-1991) was a famed mystic, scholar, and fully-realized saint in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. ...

There are many translations of the Shiva Sutras in to English. A translation by Swami Shankarananda (founder of the Shiva School of Meditation in Melbourne Australia) can be found on Wikisource [[1]].

Shiva Sutras in Kashmir Shaivism

The Shiva Sutras are divided into three parts. And according to Kshemaraja, the commentator, the three parts correspond to the three means (upayas) for the attainment of liberation as revealed by Kashmir Shaivism. These upayas are the means for traveling from individual limited consciousness to universal God consciousness. Kshemaraja (10th century) was a philosopher and a disciple of Abhinavagupta. ... Kashmir Shaivism is a school of spiritual teaching and practice that arose during the eighth century in Kashmir, India. ...

The first and highest means, for highly qualified aspirants, is called shambavopaya. The second, for aspirants of medium qualifications, is called shaktopaya. And the third, for inferior aspirants, is called anavopaya.

Thus, the first awakening of the Shiva Sutras explains shambhavopaya; the second awakening explains shaktopaya, and the third awakening explains anavopaya.

Drawing from the Malinivijaya Tantra Abhinavagupta defines shambhavopaya as the upaya wherein the aspirant achieves entry into supreme consciousness just by the grace of his master, without adopting any process. He does not use thought (dhyana), mantra, or any other aid to meditation. Shaktopaya he defines as the upaya where the aspirant achieves mystical entry (samavesha) through contemplation of that mental object which cannot be spoken or recited. Anavopaya he defines as the upaya where mystical entry takes place through concentration on parts of the body, contemplation (dhyana), recitation, taking the support of breath (uccara), and mantras. Abhinavagupta (c. ...

The means of traveling from limited consciousness to universal consciousness depends on the ability of the aspirant. Abhinavagupta tells us that the aspirant should always try for the highest and best thing first. Thus, in his Tantraloka, he has defined and elaborated the highest upaya, shambavopaya, first. His descriptions of shaktopaya and anavopaya follow.

And so it is that the Shiva Sutras also start with the highest and most refined means.

First Awakening

1. Universal Consciousness is one's own nature.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Supreme consciousness is the reality of everything.)

2. Knowing the individual consciousness as one's own nature and not knowing the Universal Consciousness as one's own nature is bondage.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Knowing differentiatedly is bondage and not knowing un- differentiatedly is bondage.)

3. Differentiated perception and the field of individual activities are also bondage.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Mayiyamala and karmamala are also bondage.)

4. This threefold bondage is attributable to and commanded by the Universal Mother while She remains unknown. Hence the field of ignorance comes into ex- istence through Her and not through any other agency.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: The Universal Mother commands this triple knowledge.)

5. To get rid of this triple bondage, such effort constitutes (the) means, which is identical with Bhairava [Lord Shiva].

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: That effort, the flashing forth of active awareness that instantaneously makes universal consciousness shine, is Bhairava.)

6. With deep contemplation on the wheel of energies, the whole differen- tiated universe comes to an end.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: By establishing and meditating on the wheel of energies the differentiated universe comes to an end.)

7. Such a yogi, who has accomplished this stage, experiences Turiya (Tran- scendental God Consciousness) in the other three states also - jagrat (wake- fulness), swapna (dream) and sushupti (deep sleep).

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Such a heroic yogi experiences the expansive state of turya in the differentiated states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.)

8. Common knowledge (arising out of differentiation) constitutes jagrat (wakefulness).

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: External organic knowledge constitutes the waking state.)

9. Individual differentiated knowledge in the recess of one's own mind is swapna (dream).

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Internal perceptions and thoughts comprise the dream- ing state.)

10. Loss of discrimination in the field of unawareness is sushupti (deep sleep).

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Forgetfulness and the negation of awareness is the dreamless state or maya.)

11. The one who has digested (assimilated) all these three states in God Consciousness (Turiya) is the Lord of heroes.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: The one who enjoys the oneness of the three states - waking, dreaming, and deep sleep - in turiya, becomes the master of all or- ganic energies.)

12. The yogic powers here (in the state of Being) comprise indescribable as- tonishment (wonder).

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: The predominant sign of such a yogi is joy-filled amazement.)

13. For such a yogi, any desire is identical with the Supreme Energy (Parvati) of Lord Shiva and hence his desire cannot be checked by any power.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: His will is the energy of Lord Shiva and it is called uma and kumari - or - For such a yogi hiss will is one with the energy of Lord Shiva, unobstructable, completely independent, always given to play.)

14. For such a yogi, even the body becomes an extraneous object, or the totality of extraneous objects is (constitutes) his own universal body.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: This entire perceived world is his own self - or - His own body is just like an object to him.)

15. By establishing one's mind in the heart - the Universal Consciousness - the whole world of perception appears as one's own nature.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: When his thoughts are diverted to the center of God consciousness, then he feels the existence of God consciousness in oneness in the objective world and in the world of negation.)

16. Or, by establishing uninterrupted awareness of pure supreme Nature, the energy of Shiva is experienced.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Or by aiming at the pure element of Shiva he possesses Shiva's unlimited energy.)

17. For such a realized soul, any ordinary thought becomes the means of realizing one's own Self.

[Editor: The growth of Brahman. See last sukta of Rig Veda - "By virtue of unitedness, and by means of that which remains to be united, I perform action to generate Wholeness of life."]

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: Any inference of such a yogi is knowledge of his own real self.)

18. His being in the ecstatic state of samadhi bestows bliss and happiness to the whole humanity or the totality of enjoyment in the universe constitutes (or comprises) his ecstatic state of samadhi.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: The joy of his mystical trance (samadhi) is bliss for the whole universe.)

19. By putting one's mind on universal energy, any body, internal or external, is formed by his mere will. (Such power is attainable by him in the two other states also - dream and deep sleep).

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: By infusing his energy of will, the embodiment of that which is willed occurs at once.)

20. Such a yogi is capable of:

 a. helping humanity unbounded by space and time, b. casting off his body for specified time periods, c. manifesting his body at various places simultaneously by remaining in God Consciousness. 

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: By the greatness of this achievement of the energy of will, the yogi can focus his awareness and heal the sick and suffer- ing, separate elements from his body, and be free from the limitations of space and time.)

21. When such a yogi abstains from such powers, he attains lordship over the wheel of universal energies through the rise of pure knowledge.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: (When this yogi does not desire limited powers and is eager to attain the knowledge of universal being then) ... pure knowledge rises and by that knowledge he becomes the master of the universal wheel.)

22. By contemplating on Supreme Ocean, Self experience of the Universal-I occurs.

(Swami Lakshmanjoo: By the attentive continuity of meditation on the great ocean of consciousness, the power of supreme I is attained.

Second Awakening

1. Here the mind of a yogi becomes mantra.

2. The cause of attaining this mantra is one's own effort.

3. The state of totality of knowledge is the secret of mantra.

4. When a yogi's mind remains satisfied in cosmic powers, his samadhi is as good as ordinary dreaming.

5. At the rise of natural (pure) supreme knowledge, the state of Shiva, re- siding in the ether of God Consciousness, is attained.

6. For such attainment, the means is the Master - the Guru.

7. When the Master is pleased, the disciple attains the knowledge of the wheel of Universal Mother.

8. For such attainment a yogi has to offer all his three bodies of wakeful- ness, dreaming, and dreamlessness [deep sleep] as oblations into the fire of universal God Consciousness.

9. For him the differentiated knowledge is the food he assimilates into un- differentiated knowledge or the undifferentiated knowledge constitutes his food yielding him fullness and peace in his own nature.

10. By out-stepping his own nature of True Knowledge, at the time of entering into God Consciousness - Turiya, he ill-fatedly enters into dreaming state.

Third Awakening

1. Here the mind is the nature of individual being.

2. Differentiated knowledge of pain and pleasure is bondage.

3. Ignorance of the essence of universal action and universal knowledge is illusion - maya.

4. So one has to absorb the individuality of principles (tattvas) in one's own body successively - absorb the five elements into five tanmatras, those in turn into the five organs and finally integrate them in the supreme God Con- sciousness.

5. A yogi must develop the powers of absorbing prana and apana into sushumna - the middle path, of Lordship over five elements, of isolating one's Self from the five elements and residing in the field beyond the five elements.

6. Such powers appear only when the veil of ignorance falls in the way of en- tering into pure God Consciousness.

7. By obtaining victory over such an illusion of cosmic powers and by enjoying the state of limitless being, the pure and supreme knowledge manifests.

8. For him the state of wakefulness (jagrat) is secondary (beam) of God Con- sciousness.

9. For him, the actor, who plays in the drama of the universe, is his own Self.

10. Movement attributed in this totality of cosmic dance, is nothing other than the Supreme Being.

11. The spectators in this cosmic dance, are one's own cognitive and active organs.

12. Purity and completion of this dance is accomplished by establishing the supreme subtle awareness of intelligence.

13. For him the state of utter freedom exists spontaneously.

14. This kind of freedom obtains for him within and without.

15. Even after such achievement one has to remain aware in contemplating on the sea of Universal Being.

16. So by being established in such a state one sinks into the ocean of God Consciousness - joyously.

17. Such a yogi can create or destroy anything by his supreme will.

18. When the supreme knowledge is well established in an uninterrupted way, the pangs of recurring births and deaths are avoided for good.

19. When the awareness of God Consciousness slackens a bit, the universal en- ergy disintegrates into innumerable individual energies to carry one away from the kingdom of universality.

20. So the fourth state of Universal Being - Turiya, must be made to permeate the three other states - waking, dreaming, and dreamlessness [deep sleep].

21. By developing the awareness of one's own nature, he enters and is lost into the universal God Consciousness.

22. After being well established in that state he breathes out that state into the universal activities. Hence the differentiation between the Self and the universe is not recognized.

23. If one proves a failure in infusing the state of Self in the universe, he ill-fatedly remains satisfied in his own internal nature.

24. When a yogi, after developing awareness of God Consciousness, transcends the state of Turiya, he enters into Transcendental God Consciousness.

25. Such a yogi becomes just like Shiva.

26. For him the austerity is nothing else than the normal routine of physical life.

27. And for such a yogi the daily routine talk becomes the recitation of real mantra.

28. Such a yogi gives as alms to humanity his own knowledge of the Self.

29. The yogi, who commands the entire wheel of cognitive and active organs, is the only means of attaining knowledge of Transcendental God Consciousness.

30. For him the whole universe is the totality of his own energies.

31. Living in this world of ignorance or remaining in the Transcendental God Consciousness is the totality of one's own energies of consciousness.

32. Such a yogi, though apparently engrossed in the daily routine of life, is in no way separated from God Consciousness.

33. Because such a yogi perceives the states of pain and pleasure only super- ficially, they, in no case, affect his state of Supreme-Being-Consciousness.

34. Hence he is liberated from the states of pain and pleasure and is uniquely established in his own nature.

35. On the contrary, the one who feels the absence of God Consciousness in the states of pain and pleasure, is an individual soul and a victim of recurring births and deaths.

36. The one who stands aloof from differentiatedness becomes the creator and destroyer of the entire universe.

37. The energy of creating and destroying the whole universe comes within the experience of such a yogi just as an ordinary soul possesses the power to create and destroy during his dreaming state.

38. The state of Turiya God Consciousness, that comes into experience in the beginning and at the end of the other three states (waking, dreaming, and deep sleep), should be infused and transmitted into these three states by firmly establishing one's own awareness during these intervals - beginning and end thereof.

39. And by developing such a process, a yogi must transmit the God Conscious- ness not only into the three states of individuality but into the entire uni- verse.

40. By the slight appearance of individual desire, one is carried far away from the state of God Consciousness.

41. By firmly establishing one's own Self in the state of Turiya, all desires disappear and individuality is lost into universality.

42. Such a yogi is liberated in life and as his body still exists, his is called bhuta-kanchuki - having his physical body as a mere covering just like an ordinary blanket. Hence he is supreme and one with the universal Self.

43. After remaining in this state of universal Transcendental God Conscious- ness, the functions of inhalation and exhalation automatically take place with the object that this whole universe of action and cognition is united in God Consciousness.

44. When one contemplates on the center of Universal Consciousness, what else remains there to be sought in the practice of prana, apana, and sushumna?

45. When a Shiva-yogi is completely established in God Consciousness, he ex- periences this state spontaneously within and without or both.

The above sutras were compiled from teachings given by Swami Lakshman Joo in the late 60's. The Sutras in brackets are taken from the book Shiva Sutras - The Supreme Awakening by Swami Lakshmanjoo (1980), edited by John Hughes. Ishwar Swaroop Swami Lakshmanjoo Maharaj (1907-1991) was a famed mystic, scholar, and fully-realized saint in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. ...

External links

1. http://www.universalshaivafellowship.org

References

• Shiva Sutras