The philosophy of shaktipata

"The Philosophy of Sadhana" is a scholarly introduction to Trika, a Tantric school of Hinduism associated with the region of Kashmir in northern India. It's often referred to as Kashmir Shaivism. The author, Deba Brata SenSharma, is an Indian scholar whose teacher was both a scholarly expert on Trika and a practitioner of the same system. The book doesn't deal with the history of Kashmir Shaivism, but is rather a study of the basics of Trika metaphysics. Sadhana could be translated "spiritual practice", but the book doesn't contain detailed descriptions of the rituals of this particular school. Rather, the rituals, yogic practices and mystical experiences are mentioned only when necessary to illustrate the philosophical underpinnings of the system - hence, the title "The Philosophy of Sadhana".

The book is well-written and can probably be read with some profit by students of comparative religion. However, the large number of Sanskrit terms and the rather complex metaphysics of Trika probably make the book difficult for the general reader.

Although Trika refers to the Divine as the Supreme Lord and as Shiva (a deity in the Hindu pantheon), I got the impression that its view of God is really impersonal. Since "Shiva" both includes and transcends the world, Trika could be classified as a form of impersonal panentheism. I also got the impression, however, that the author doesn't consider this an important issue, not even when discussing differences between Kashmir Shaivism and theistic Vaishnavism! A more fundamental issue is the contrast between seeing the Divine as essentially passive (a position the author attributes to Advaita Vedanta), and seeing it as essentially dynamic. In Trika, God has two sides: a passive and an active one, forever united in a dyadic relationship. When discussing the divine dyad, "Shiva" refers to the passive principle while "Shakti" is the active one. (Note that Shakti, usually seen as a feminine power or goddess in Hinduism, is considered active!) Shiva creates the world through Shakti. Creation can also be described as Shiva temporarily hiding himself from himself, transforming himself into a seemingly limited cosmos with a multiple of mortal beings. There is no creation ex nihilo, but rather a complex process of emanations from the Divine. Since the world is part of Shiva-Shakti, the Ultimate Reality, Trika doesn't consider it to be a sheer illusion. This is another contrast with Advaita Vedanta. Interestingly, Trika holds that the Divine has free will, and has created the world accordingly. Doesn't free will imply a person?

The cosmos is hierarchically structured, with a pure creation of god-like beings followed by an impure creation of various spirit-beings, humans and subhuman creatures. The book doesn't discuss all the 36 tattvas (emanations) emerging from the Supreme Lord. It does imply, however, that there is no evolution in the modern scientific sense. The universe was apparently created all at once, and the various stages of its emergence can be differentiated only "logically", not temporally. This creates a tension with the process of liberation, and the future dissolution of the cosmos, which *do* seem to happen in time.

As for liberation from the cycles of life, death and rebirth, Trika holds that it's possible only through divine grace (shaktipata). This is a central concept within Kashmir Shaivism. Yet, there is an obvious tension in the system (noted by the author himself) between the idea that shaktipata is unfathomable (otherwise it wouldn't be grace!) and that it's only bestowed upon people who are ready to receive it. There are also different degrees of shaktipata. In practice, it seems that concerted human effort is needed to receive the desired grace. Trika is a guru-centred system, and the practitioner must be initiated (diksha) by an appropriate teacher. He must also carry out a long range of rituals, chant mantras, practice yoga, and so on. The mystical experiences in this tradition seem to be very dramatic, as indicated by the book's description of "the flames of the Bhairava fire", experienced by the yogin as he reaches his goal.

The goal of sadhana is to lay off the physical body and become consciously one with Shiva, i.e. Shiva seen as a purely spiritual force "above" the material universe. Some advanced practitioners accomplish liberation and destruction of the body simultaneously, while others decide to keep their physical bodies despite already being freed, in order to carry out good works. They become one with Shiva after the natural death of the physical body. Less advanced practitioners become a kind of spirit-beings which are completely dependent on Shiva's active intervention to progress further. A more elaborate scheme is to become a deva (a kind of demi-god) and progress to oneness with Shiva after the long lifespan of such a creature have run its course. Such a deva will presumably administer boons to humanity, and maybe even dispense shaktipata on the worthier ones...

One day, our universe will be destroyed or dissolved, but Trika holds the perspective that eventually *all* beings in samsara will be saved and united with Shiva. After all, since everything *is* Shiva, it's only natural that everything will - perhaps after billions of years - reach consciousness *as* Shiva. From my philosophical perspective, however, the entire process seems fundamentally meaningless. Shiva's dance is eternal, and new universes will be created after ours have disappeared. Shiva will once again occlude himself and create a world of evil, suffering and limitation. What in heaven's name is the point?! Trika doesn't seem much different from other forms of Hinduism (or "Hinduism") on this score. The capricious god controls everything as a puppeteer in a grand eternal return whose purpose is unfathomable - which, at least to the Western mind, means that there really isn't a purpose in the first place.

Perhaps Shiva-Shakti is simply a demiurge who forgot his purposes...

With those personal reflections, I close my review of "The Philosophy of Sadhana" by Deba Brata SenSharma.