Summary of the Contents 1 s t three Chapter of Sri Tantraloka of Abhinavagupta

Taken from the First Time English Translation by Professor Satya Prakash Singh and Swami Maheshvarananda (Mukesh)

Chapter 1: 1. The first Chapter deals with the idea of the Reality as such known as vijna satt. 2. Ignorance is the cause of worldliness while knowledge is that of liberation. 3. Ignorance is not absence of knowledge but absence of it in its integrality. 4. The ultimate object of knowledge is iva who is of the nature of luminosity. 5. The individual known as jva is essentially iva. 6. iva is of six forms, namely, bhuvana, jyoti, kham, mantra, bindu and nda. 7. He pervades all as the original object reflected while whatever is available as His reflection is the world and the individual. 8. akti is one with Him. 9. Mahmantrea, mantrea, mantra, akala and sakala are the forms of His manifestation. 10. Purity of mind, elimination of mental impressions, stasis in the midst of breathing-in and breathing-out are the ways to experience His presence. 11. Willing, knowing and acting are three aspects of His akti (Force). 12. It is He who manifests Himself both the forms, namely conscient and inconscient. 13. It is action (kriy) itself which when accomplished dispassionately becomes yoga. 14. Consciousness is autonomous in its nature. In its manifestation in explicit form it is conscient while in its implicit form it becomes inconscient. 15. Luminosity is the basic feature of consciousness.

16. There is the possibility of becoming one with iva by moving from the earth to Sadiva by way of assimilation, samvea. 17. The path of the individual to iva-hood is differential. Chapter 2: 1. It is concerned with deliberation on the way to iva-hood via the pathless path. Its pathlessness lies in only the initial step suggested by the teacher with the rest of it to follow automatically. 2. It is the kriy yoga which does not require any path to traverse along. 3. It is the path of pure consciousness where any action serves as the means of knowledge. 4. Lord iva has luminosity as His body. Any way of approach to Him is like the flame of a lamp to see the orb of the sun. 5. It is only those who are pure at heart have the possibility of access to Him on the basis of the experience of oneness with Him. 6. On elimination of the fog of doubts what appears automatically like the orb of the sun emerging out of the horizon, is the mode of realisation of iva via the pathless path. Chapter 3: 1. This Chapter deals with mbhavopya. 2. As objects get reflected clearly in a clean mirror, the world becomes reflected in the consciousness provided it has become one with iva. 3. The force of consciousness is considered as inseparably connected with iva. 4. The relationship of inseparability between iva and akti produces delight which is the cause of appearance of the world. 5. There are triple forms of the Goddess, higher, higher-lower and lower. It is the second one from amongst these forms which is responsible for the appearance of the world. 6. Vowels are the stimulator of consonants. Therefore, they are known as seed sounds. 7. It is out of the universal seed as iva that the world has sprouted. 8. Sounds like , , l and l are neither stimulator nor the object of stimulation. Therefore, they are known as immortal, amta. 9. Combination of the vowels a and i results in e which is triangular in shape representing three corners of akti, namely, will, knowledge and action. The Trident is symbolic of it. 10. On stimulation of will in the form of the sun, the moon and the fire is born the bindu which stands for the combination of iva, akti and Au in the circle of the heart. 11. Consciousness rid of the adjuncts of the knower and the known assumes the form of selfconsciousness.

12. The abode of the Transcendent is known as akula. 13. The process of assimilation into iva needs to begin with the earth and end in Sadiva.