In this excerpt from the Essence of the Supreme Reality, Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara Swami Lakshmanjoo explains what is Moksha (Liberation) is and why to attain Moksha (Liberation), the starting point of the journey is the ending point.
PS DVD 3 (00:52:47)
मोक्षस्य नैव किंचिद्
धामास्ति, न चापिगमनमन्यत्र ।
अज्ञानग्रन्थिभिदा
स्वशक्त्यभिव्यक्तता मोक्षः ॥६०॥
mokṣasya naiva kiṁcid
dhāmāsti, na cāpi-gamanam-anyatra /
ajñāna-granthi-bhidā
sva-śakty-abhivyaktatā mokṣaḥ //6...
The Shiva Sutras, by Vasugupta, are divided into three parts. According to Kshemaraja, the three parts correspond to the three means (upayas) for the attainment of liberation (moksha), as revealed by Kashmir Shaivism. The three upayas for traveling from individual limited consciousness to universal God consciousness are shambhavopaya, shaktopaya, and anavopaya.
- The first and highest means is called shambavopaya.
- The second means, for aspirants of medium qualifications, is calle ...
The festival of Maha Shivaratri, the ‘Night of Shiva’, is celebrated throughout India and the world by sincere devotees of Shiva.
In Oregon/Pacific Coast time we will privately celebrate Maha Shivaratri on Tuesday, February 25th, a day earlier than the Vedic calendar, according to Kashmir Shaiva philosophy. Swamiji suggested spending the night meditating as long as one wishes, followed by a light meal before retiring to bed.
Wishing you a Happy
Maha Shivaratri!
Swami Lakshmanjoo gives us a...
Swamiji describes how the actual state of God Concsiousness rises in meditation. This is an excerpt from the “Special Verses on Practice" now called The Wisdom of Kashmir Shaivism. He says, "They are for your daily recitation. Maybe sometime you will experience these stages.”
Special Verses-882 (04:30)
prakāśamāne paramārthabhānau
naśyatyavidyātimire samaste /
tadā budhā nirmaladṛiṣtayo’pi
kiñcit na paśyanti bhavaprapañcam // 3
This is the way you should recite t...
This is a continuation of the first part of the excerpt from the book Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, by Swami Lakshmanjoo. Chapter Six, The Theory of Speech: Vāk. Swamiji answers the question of “what really happens when you speak.”
These three states of speech are, respectively, called subtlest, subtle, and gross.
- Gross speech is vaikharī vāk,
- subtle speech is madhyamā vāk, and
- subtlest speech is paśyantī vāk.
Each state of speech is itself also
- gross (sthūlā),
- subtle ( ...
This is an excerpt from the book Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, by Swami Lakshmanjoo. Chapter Six, The Theory of Speech: Vāk, when the aspirant resides in the śāmbhava state, in complete universal I-ness (pūrṇāhantā).
When the aspirant resides in the śāmbhava state, in complete universal I-ness (pūrṇāhantā), he is traveling in the kingdom of vāk, “speech.” Here, he resides in the principal and supreme speech, which is called parāvāk. And not only does this aspirant reside in th...
Dhāraṇā 23
तनूदेशे शून्यतैव
क्षणमात्रं विभावयेत् ।
निर्विकल्पं निर्विकल्पो
निर्विकल्पस्वरूपभाक् ॥४६॥
tanūdeśe śūnyataiva
kṣaṇamātraṁ vibhāvayet /
nirvikalpaṁ nirvikalpo
nirvikalpasvarūpabhāk // 46 //
Actually samādhi is where there is no mind, when mind does not work. The functioning of mind is just to think of things...
“You must understand, you’ll know that unperishable state of God consciousness is residing in each and every being. In that way, you won’t hate anybody. If you hate anybody, it means you don’t find the state of God consciousness in that person. If you ever found that the state of God consciousness is in that person, you’d never hate him.” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
A very important point of Kashmir Shaivism, a monistic school of thought, is exposed in this excerpt from the Essence of the Supreme Re...
In this excerpt, from the Hymns to Shiva, Utpaladeva’s Shivastotravali, Swamiji takes us to the heart of Utpaladeva, as the author gives Lord Shiva the choice to bless him now or have it done automatically because “I will be blessed because I am craving for that (blessing)!” ~Swami Lakshmanjoo
Chapter 4 (13:07)
शिव शिव शम्भो शङ्कर
शरणागतवत्सलाशु कुरु करुणाम्।
तव चरणकमलयुगल-
स्मरणपरस्य हि सम्पदोऽदूरे ॥४॥
śiva śiva śambho śaṅkara
śaraṇāgatavatsalāśu kuru karuṇām /
tava caraṇakamalay...
In his revelation of the Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization verse 6 Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the difference between introverted and extroverted paths in Kashmir Shaivism, as well as the significance of sakala [differentiated] and niṣkala [undifferentiated], and aham and ma-ha-a.30
न हि वर्णविभेदेन
देहभेदेन वा भवेत् ।
परत्वं, निष्कलत्वेन,
सकलत्वे न भावयेत् ॥६॥
na hi varṇavibhedena
dehabhedena vā bhavet /
paratvaṁ, niṣkalatvena,
sakalatve na bhāvayet // 6 // 27
This is a misunde...
Excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo, which we studied during our Weekly Sangha #76. In Chapter 12 verse 9, Krishna tells Arjuna, “If you cannot do that (devote everything to Me) if you have not that kind of strength… (to focus all of your might and all of your desires and all of your thoughts and ambitions and desires and cravings and longings towards Me, [asking], “how should I achieve that”.)”
DVD 12 (18:23)
अथावेशयितुं चित्तं न ...
This week’s excerpt is from Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara (The Essence of the Highest Reality).
Swami Lakshmanjoo chose to reveal the Paramarthasara because, as Abhinavagupta tells us, the Paramarthasara contains the complete essence of the teachings of Kashmir Shaivism. In this direct and clear-cut explanation, Swamiji reveals and clarifies the essential teachings of this profound philosophical and practical tradition.
View or download the video on YouTube.
SWAMIJI: Let us start his śl...
