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Tantrāloka (Tantraloka): Chapter 18 - stanzas 1 to 11 - Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir
Sūkṣmā dīkṣā
Introduction
This is the only set of stanzas (from the stanza 1 to the stanza 11) of the eighteenth chapter (called Sūkṣmā dīkṣā).
This work was written by the great Master Abhinavagupta and is a compendium of Tantra in all its facets. Tantrāloka is the most important and voluminous work of the greatest Trika Master. Abhinavagupta was also the teacher of eminent Kṣemarāja and lived about 975-1025 AD in Kashmir.
This treatise whose name is Tantrāloka is a complete encyclopedia of Tantra. Since it is a very advanced text in Trika Shaivism, there is no surprise if a neophyte finds it difficult to understand. To start to understand it, the level of the reader must be the one of a real disciple in Trika Shaivism. If this requirement is not met, then there will be a lot of confusion and constant disappointment. Because in spite of my great efforts to explain the things so easily as possible, to study this treatise requires some spiritual caliber. In this system, sometimes it is not possible even to write about certain topics due to the extreme limitation of the words. Because in the end, all this knowledge has to do with 'states', and it is extremely difficult to write about 'states' in a precise way. Abhinavagupta has done his best to accomplish this formidable task of writing about what is superior and intangible. Anyway, despite his incredible skills to carry out this, he is not revealing everything. It is not because he is all the time hiding things from the reader, but because he is sometimes hiding and on other occasions he just cannot write about some extremely subtle topics because of the limitation of the words.
Goal of life is Liberation. Man has searched for freedom always in human history, but according to Trika Shaivism that is not real Liberation. Real Liberation does not mean that your body should be free from some prison and things like that. Real Liberation amounts to attaining His Svātantrya or Absolute Freedom. When the Great Lord's Svātantrya is achieved, then you see unity in all the things, i.e. you stop seeing duality as before. All is forever identified with Svātantrya, with Him, and that is the end of the story called 'you in bondage'. From this point on nothing will get in your way, because if something apparently gets in your way, that is Svātantrya again. This constant awareness of unity in all is real Freedom. There is no other attainment greater than this!
Keeping the above in mind, now read Tantrāloka and experience Supreme Delight, dear Śiva.
Important: All that is in brackets and italicized within the translation has been added by me in order to complete the sense of a particular phrase or sentence. In turn, all that is between double hyphen (--...--) constitutes clarifying further information also added by me.
Stanzas 1 to 11
अथ श्रीतन्त्रालोकेऽष्टादशमाह्निकम्।
Atha śrītantrāloke'ṣṭādaśamāhnikam|
Here begins (atha) the eighteenth (aṣṭādaśam) chapter (āhnikam) in venerable Tantrāloka (śrī-tantrāloke)|
अथ सङ्क्षिप्तदीक्षेयं शिवतापत्तिदोच्यते।
न रजो नाधिवासोऽत्र न भूक्षेत्रपरिग्रहः।
यत्र तत्र प्रदेशे तु पूजयित्वा गुरुः शिवम्॥१॥
अध्वानं मनसा ध्यात्वा दीक्षयेत्तत्त्वपारगः।
जननादिविहीनां तु येन येनाध्वना गुरुः॥२॥
कुर्यात्स एकतत्त्वान्तां शिवभावैकभावितः।
परामन्त्रस्ततोऽस्येति तत्त्वं संशोधयाम्यथ॥३॥
स्वाहेति प्रतितत्त्वं स्याच्छुद्धे पूर्णाहुतिं क्षिपेत्।
एवं मन्त्रान्तरैः कुर्यात्समस्तैरथवोक्तवत्॥४॥
परासम्पुटितं नाम स्वाहान्तं प्रथमान्तकम्।
शतं सहस्रं साष्टं वा तेन शक्त्यैव होमयेत्॥५॥
ततः पूर्णेति संशोध्यहीनमुत्तममीदृशम्।
दीक्षाकर्मोदितं तत्र तत्र शास्त्रे महेशिना॥६॥
Atha saṅkṣiptadīkṣeyaṁ śivatāpattidocyate|
Na rajo nādhivāso'tra na bhūkṣetraparigrahaḥ|
Yatra tatra pradeśe tu pūjayitvā guruḥ śivam||1||
Adhvānaṁ manasā dhyātvā dīkṣayettattvapāragaḥ|
Jananādivihīnāṁ tu yena yenādhvanā guruḥ||2||
Kuryātsa ekatattvāntāṁ śivabhāvaikabhāvitaḥ|
Parāmantrastato'syeti tattvaṁ saṁśodhayāmyatha||3||
Svāheti pratitattvaṁ syācchuddhe pūrṇāhutiṁ kṣipet|
Evaṁ mantrāntaraiḥ kuryātsamastairathavoktavat||4||
Parāsampuṭitaṁ nāma svāhāntaṁ prathamāntakam|
Śataṁ sahasraṁ sāṣṭaṁ vā tena śaktyaiva homayet||5||
Tataḥ pūrṇeti saṁśodhyahīnamuttamamīdṛśam|
Dīkṣākarmoditaṁ tatra tatra śāstre maheśinā||6||
Now (atha) this (iyam) brief initiation (saṅkṣipta-dīkṣā) that gives an entry into the State of Śiva (śivatā-āpatti-dā) is described (ucyate).
Without (na... na... na) powder (to draw the maṇḍala) (rajas), preliminary consecration (before the formal ritual of initiation) (adhivāsaḥ) (and) seizure of a portion of land (where to perform the sacrifice) (bhū-kṣetra-parigrahaḥ) here (atra), the Guru (guruḥ), who is fully conversant with the tattva-s --also "who has crossed over the tattva-s"-- (tattva-pāragaḥ), after worshiping (pūjayitvā) Śiva (śivam) (and) meditating (dhyātvā) on the path (adhvānam) with the mind (manasā), should initiate (dīkṣayet) (his disciple) in any place whatsoever (yatra tatra pradeśe tu). By any path whatsoever (yena yena adhvanā), the Guru (guruḥ... saḥ), who is only soaked in the State of Śiva --if "bhāva" is translated as "emotion", another possible translation is "who is only soaked in an emotion/feeling for Śiva"-- (śiva-bhāva-eka-bhāvitaḥ), should perform (an initiation) which is devoid of birth, etc. (janana-ādi-vihīnām tu) (and) which involves up to one tattva (eka-tattva-antām).
There is (syāt), for each tattva or category (prati-tattvam), (this phrase which is to be created so by the Guru): (At first,) the Mantra of Parā --i.e. Sauḥ-- (parā-mantraḥ), next (tatas) "I purify (saṁśodhayāmi) 'his' (asya iti) tattva (tattvam)". Then (atha), "svāhā" (svāhā iti). Once (the disciple) is purified (śuddhe), (the Guru) should throw (kṣipet) a full oblation (pūrṇa-āhutim) (into the fire). (The Guru) should do (kuryāt) so (evam) with other Mantra-s (mantra-antaraiḥ), or else (athavā) he (might do it) with all (the Mantra-s) (samastaiḥ) such as mentioned (before) (ukta-vat). The name (of the disciple) (nāma) in Nominative case (prathama-antakam) encapsulated by (the Mantra of) Parā --viz. Sauḥ-- (parā-sampuṭitam), with "svāhā" at the end (svāhā-antam). (The Guru) should offer to the fire (homayet), by means of that (Mantra) --the Mantra created with the name of the disciple encapsulated by Sauḥ and with svāhā at the end-- (tena), one hundred (śatam), one thousand (sahasram) —or (vā) with eight (sa-aṣṭam), (i.e. 108 or 1008)— (oblations), according to (his) power (śaktyā eva). After that (tatas), "a full (oblation)" (pūrṇā iti). Such (īdṛśam) a ritual of initiation (dīkṣā-karma), the best (one) (uttamam), which is devoid of object of purification (saṁśodhya-hīnam), has been proclaimed (uditam) by the Great Lord (mahā-īśinā) in various scriptures (tatra tatra śāstre)||1-6||
प्रत्येकं मातृकायुग्मवर्णैस्तत्त्वानि शोधयेत्।
यदि वा पिण्डमन्त्रेण सर्वमन्त्रेष्वयं विधिः॥७॥
Pratyekaṁ mātṛkāyugmavarṇaistattvāni śodhayet|
Yadi vā piṇḍamantreṇa sarvamantreṣvayaṁ vidhiḥ||7||
(The Guru) should purify (śodhayet) the tattva-s or categories (tattvāni) by means of pairs of letters of Mātṛkā --this is what Abhinavagupta wrote, but Jayaratha will say, in his commentary, that Mālinī is included-- (mātṛkā-yugma-varṇaiḥ). Or if (yadi vā) (such a purification is carried out) by means of piṇḍamantra-s (piṇḍa-mantreṇa), this (ayam) procedure (vidhiḥ) (is) regarding all the Mantra-s (sarva-mantreṣu)||7||
यथा यथा च स्वभ्यस्तज्ञानस्तन्मयतात्मकः।
गुरुस्तथा तथा कुर्यात्सङ्क्षिप्तं कर्म नान्यथा॥८॥
श्रीब्रह्मयामले चोक्तं सङ्क्षिप्तेऽपि हि भावयेत्।
व्याप्तिं सर्वाध्वसामान्यां किन्तु यागे सविस्तरः॥९॥
Yathā yathā ca svabhyastajñānastanmayatātmakaḥ|
Gurustathā tathā kuryātsaṅkṣiptaṁ karma nānyathā||8||
Śrībrahmayāmale coktaṁ saṅkṣipte'pi hi bhāvayet|
Vyāptiṁ sarvādhvasāmānyāṁ kintu yāge savistaraḥ||9||
The Guru (guruḥ) should perform (kuryāt) the brief (saṅkṣipta) (initiatory) ritual (karma) to the extent of his well-practiced knowledge and his identification with That --i.e. with Śiva-- (su-abhyasta-jñānaḥ tas-mayatā-ātmakaḥ), (and) not (na) otherwise (anyathā). Also (ca) it has been said (uktam) in venerable Brahmayāmala (śrī-brahmayāmale) (that) even (api hi) in the brief (ritual of initiation) (saṅkṣipte) (the Guru) should contemplate (bhāvayet) the generic pervasion of all the paths (vyāptim sarva-adhva-sāmānyām). Nevertheless (kintu), in the (full) sacrifice (yāge) (the process is) detailed (savistaraḥ)||8-9||
अतन्मयीभूतमिति विक्षिप्तं कर्म सन्दधत्।
क्रमात्तादात्म्यमेतीति विक्षिप्तं विधिमाचरेत्॥१०॥
सङ्क्षिप्तो विधिरुक्तोऽयं कृपया यः शिवोदितः।
दीक्षोत्तरे कैरणे च तत्र तत्रापि शासने॥११॥
Atanmayībhūtamiti vikṣiptaṁ karma sandadhat|
Kramāttādātmyametīti vikṣiptaṁ vidhimācaret||10||
Saṅkṣipto vidhirukto'yaṁ kṛpayā yaḥ śivoditaḥ|
Dīkṣottare kairaṇe ca tatra tatrāpi śāsane||11||
(The Guru) should apply (sandadhat) the brief --I am forced to consider "vikṣipta" to be "saṅkṣipta" for the expression to make any sense; I will do the same thing again soon-- (vikṣiptam) (initiatory) ritual (karma) "to (the disciple) who has not become identified with That --i.e. with Śiva--" (a-tad-mayī-bhūtam iti). (Consequently, the disciple) attains progressively identification (with Śiva) (kramāt tādātmyam eti). Thus (iti), he should perform (ācaret) the brief (vikṣiptam) procedure (vidhim).
This (ayam) is said to be (uktaḥ) the brief (saṅkṣipta) procedure (vidhiḥ) which (yaḥ) has been proclaimed, out of compassion, by Śiva (kṛpayā... śiva-uditaḥ) in the Dīkṣottara (dīkṣottare), in the Kiraṇa (kairaṇe) as well as (ca... api) in various scriptures (tatra tatra... śāsane)||10-11||
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This document was conceived by Gabriel Pradīpaka, one of the two founders of this site, and spiritual guru conversant with Sanskrit language and Trika philosophy.
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