Philosophy and Religion / J. C. Chatterji: Kashmir Shaivism

Jagadish Chandra Chatterji

Kashmir Shaivism

Part II. The Main Doctrines of the System.

A.—The Universal Experience. I. Five Principles of the Universal Subject-Object.

1. The Shiva Tattva.

But, in order that there may be a Universe, He brings into operation that aspect of his Shakti which manifests itself as the principle of Negation¹ and lets the ideal Universe disappear from His view and allows Himself, as it were, to feel the want of a Universe, but for which feeling there could be, as said above, no need of a manifested Universe on the part of one who is all complete in Himself.

In this state He is what He was as Parama Shiva in all essentials and in every respect, with only the elimination of the experience of the ideal Universe which Parama Shiva, in His aspect as pervading the Universe,—as distinguished from the transcending aspect—feels as one and identical with himself.

The experience of this state is called the Shiva Tattva which comes into manifestation without in any way whatsoever affecting Parama Shiva who remains as He ever was—exactly and in every respect the same as before—existing simultaneously with and including the Shiva Tattva.

With the experience of the supremely ideal Universe negatived, the Shiva Tattva is only the pure light of Intelligence (Chinmatra, Chit only) without anything whatsoever to shine upon—without even a trace of the notion or feeling of a Universe in the experience². It is thus only the pure ‘I’ without even the thought or feeling 'I am,' for ‘am' or being implies a relation, namely, of identity, howsoever subdued or indistinct, meaning I am this, viz., this body or this mind and so on; or I am here and now, which however really means I am what is here and now, i.e., I am this something which is here and now. But as there is in this state no notion or feeling of a This' or That' (of an 'idam', meaning, as it would in this state, the ideal Universe), there can be no thought of even an ‘am' or being in the experience of the Shiva Tattva. It is therefore the experience which acts as the Principle of the pure 'I'.³

Thus Shiva Tattva is the first stage⁴ in the process of the Universal manifestation it is a state in which the Chit, aspect of Shakti is most manifest, all the other aspects being no doubt there, but held as it were in suppression or suspense.⁵

2. The Shakti Tattva.

And because these other aspects of the Divine Shakti are held in suppression—and because, indeed, the whole experience of the supremely ideal Universe of the Parama Shiva state is negatived and held as suppressed—there must be some aspect of this Divine Shakti herself in operation to make such a tremendous act of Negation possible. This the Universe-negativing aspect of the Divine Shakti is called the Shakti Tattva, which is to be distinguished from Shakti as such, and is thus the second element or factor which enters into the composition of the manifested Universe. It can scarcely be called second stage as it comes into manifestation simultaneously with the Shiva Tattva. Indeed, it may be safely said that it is by the operation of the Shakti Tattva that the manifestation of the Shiva Tattva becomes at all possible. And it is on account of this fact perhaps, that the separate mention of the Shakti Tattva is sometimes omitted from the list of Tattvas, it being counted as one with and included in the Shiva Tattva.⁶

But if counted separately, it is really the manifestation of the Ananda aspect of the Divine Shakti; for the nature of Ananda, as perfect Bliss and Supremest Self-satisfaction, is absolute Rest in what is one's own, and cessation of all flutter and movement.⁷ For no perfect Bliss is ever there unless there is complete absence of restlessness—unless there is a cessation of all goings and movings out. As there is, in the stage we are considering, absolutely no such moving out yet, but only the feeling of absolute rest and peace in one's own real self, this feeling can be only the realisation of the Ananda aspect of the Divine Shakti.⁸

Thus as they come into manifestation, the Shiva and the Shakti Tattvas remain united to each other—the one as the pure light of the Experiencing Principle, as only the Chit, realising itself as only the pure 'I', without the experience of even an 'am', much less of a Universe which that light can shine upon and reveal; and the other as the realisation of the feeling of only the profoundest Bliss and Peace passing all understanding—as that Ananda which is to be the core of all things to come.

Although produced, in a sense, from Parama Shiva, inasmuch as they form an experience which is other than and distinct from the Supremest Experience, the Para Samvit, of and as Parama Shiva the Shiva-Shakti Tattvas are really eternally existent⁹. For they do not disappear in Pralaya but remain in the bosom of Parama Shiva as the seed of the Universe to come. If this analogy of the seed may be carried little further, then the Shiva Tattva is what may be called the Life (Prana) in the Universal seed, while the Shakti Tattva abides as the potentiality of the infinite variety of Forms in which that Life becomes manifest in a Universe.

Further, the Shiva Tattva, as life (or Prana) in this sense, is the very 'first flutter,' of Parama Shiva,—the first 'vibratory movement' towards a Universal manifestation; and the Shakti Tattva is what checks, controls and regulates that movement of Life and acts as the Principle of Restraint.¹⁰

3. The Sadakhya Tattva.

From the Shiva-Shakti State there gradually develops the experience which may be formulated in thought as ‘I am.'

This experience of an ‘I am' means and must mean, as said above, 'I am this'—the This' in the state we are considering being of course on indistinct, because not as yet clearly formulated, reference in thought and feeling to the Ideal Universe which was suppressed in the Shiva-Shakti stage, but is just beginning to come up to the surface of the experience again, like an object which, being of a naturally buoyant character but having remained submerged under pressure, may begin to float up to the surface of the ocean as the pressure is lifted. The Ideal Universe at this stage is felt, as it were, as a vague something just stirring in the depth of one's consciousness¹¹—as a movement, as it were, of an unformulated thought, or an undefined feeling, of a something in one's innermost being as yet eluding a clear grasp in experience. And as it begins to stir there, the experiencer also begins as it were to recollect his true character and state, in somewhat the game way as a man may begin to recollect, as he just begins to recover from a state, let us say of supreme joy (as, for instance, when one may be 'in the embrace of the beloved’)¹² which has made him forget everything about himself—his own status, position, possessions and glory—and may just vaguely begin to formulate these in thought as "I am so and so," the 'so and so ' being as yet of an undefined character but referring all the same to his bodily form, name and their relations to things, in other words, to what constitutes the This' in the thought or feeling of the 'I am' on his part.

This stage follows the former one as a necessity by virtue of what may be called a law similar to the one, which, in the psychical process of the human mind, brings about a stage of 'movement' after a state of profound but calm and motionless enjoyment of perfect bliss, rest and peace. It is due, one might say, to the stirring anew of the Life of the Universe which was held in suppression in the previous stage.

It is, however, just the beginning of activity—of just the first stirring of life—and therefore the thought or feeling of the Ideal Universe at this stage is, as said above, only a dim one, like a faint and indistinct picture of a long-forgotten scene which is beginning to re-form itself in one's memory and is still quite in the background of consciousness. This being the situation at this stage, the realisation of the ‘I’,—in the experience 'I am this,'—is a more dominant factor, than the This' referring to the Ideal Universe which is just beginning to reappear in consciousness and is, as consequence, still very vague and indistinct.

It is also the state in which there is for the first time the notion of ‘being' in the experience 'I am this,' and is therefore called the Sadakhya¹³—that in which there is for the first time the experience which may be spoken of as Being. It is also called the Sada Shiva Tattva, which as only another name of the Sadakhya should be distinguished from Sada Shiva the meaning of which term by itself will be explained later.

It is the state in which the Ichchha aspect of the Divine Shakti is the dominant feature, the others being held in suppression¹⁴. And it is only natural that this should be so. For, as already said, Ichchha is the aspect which, in one of its forms, produces, or rather is, that feeling which may be described as one of divine 'wonder' as to what to do—of resolve as to what is to be done; and as such precedes actual movement and activity. And as there is as yet, no actual activity but only a sense of wonder of this sort as to what to do and a resolve to move and act—only a will to act, following a state of perfect Rest and Bliss—it is naturally a state in which the Ichchha aspect of the Divine Shakti is most manifest.¹⁵

As the manifestation of the Ichchha aspect of the Divine Shakti, the Sadakhya, or the Sada Shiva Tattva, may perhaps be also spoken of as the state of Self-realisation as 'Being' or 'Force' which is able to start action. This Self-realisation ag Being and Force—or, as it may be said of it at a lower stage, of realising one-self as a somebody with a will that is able to perform an act—is a necessary step before that act itself can be undertaken.

That this is the case may be seen from an analysis of our daily experiences under circumstances which are at least to some extent similar to those we are now considering. It is true that in our daily life the process of such a realisation as being or as a somebody able to do thing—or, as may be said of it, such a mental stock-taking of one-self as a being with a will,—is a very rapid one, almost too rapid to be clearly realised. But it is all the same there. And the Sadakhya step in the life process of the Universe may be said to correspond to this step in the daily life of a man. It is a necessary step, without which no act of the kind that is going to follow is possible.

Further, although counted as the third Tattva, the Sadakhya is, as a matter of fact, the first manifestation in the Universal process. For, as pointed out above, the Shiva-Shakti Tattvas are really eternally existent.

And the Sadakhya comes into manifestation, as will be readily seen, from what has been said of it, as the principle of pure Being.

4. The Aishvara Tattva.

In the next stage, this ‘mental stock-taking,' on the part of the Divine Experiencer as a Being with will to act, is followed by the emerging out, as the most prominent element in the Experience, of the This,' that is, of the Ideal Universe which had been lurking as an indistinct picture in the back-ground of the Being. In this stage, therefore, the experience assumes form which may be formulated in thought as: ‘This am I’,—a form in which the This' becomes the more dominant element, while the other factor, the 'I,' is thrown into back-ground. Self-realisation as being is followed by the realisation—by a full survey—of what constitutes the state of that Self as Being.

We may observe in our own individual lives a state corresponding to this one in the process of the Universal manifestation. It may be noticed that, as one begins to think of oneself, after an enjoyment of the all-forgetting bliss of the 'beloved's embrace' of our previous illustration, the vague experience of the 'so and so' in the thought 'I am so and so,' which first emerges into consciousness, is followed by a clear notion of who or what he really is. He begins to realise clearly all about himself—his state, in short.

And it is obvious that in this experience what is more dominant is not the notion of the 'I' as a being or a mere somebody, which is there only as a back-ground, but the notion of what constitutes the 'so and so' or the This,' i.e., his state. His experience in this state is occupied chiefly with a survey of what may be called his 'so-and-so-ness ' which emerges into full view and eclipses and Identified with what may be termed his I-ness.

Thus, the state which follows the Sada-Shiva Tattva in the life-process of the Universe is brought about in obedience to what may be called a law similar to the one which obtains in our own individual lives under similar or somewhat similar circumstances.

This stage of making a full survey of, Identification with, what constitutes the state of the Experiencer,—of the This' aspect of his being,—namely, of the Ideal Universe as it must be at this stage, is called the Aishvara or the Ishvara Tattva, i.e., the Tattva of realising what constitutes the Lordliness and the Glory of the Divine Being. The ‘Ishvara Tattva' is to be distinguished from Ishvara, the Lord, to be explained later—like the Sada-Shiva Tattva from Sada-Shiva mentioned above.

And as it is the state in which a full survey of the This' i.e., the Ideal Universe is which the This’ emerges into full and clear view, as a clear and well defined picture and not as a vague and indistinct image in the background of one's consciousness as it is in the Sadakhya state,—the aspect of the Divine Shakti which is most manifest in this state, is the Jnana or Power of being conscious.¹⁶

In these two states, the Sadakhya and the Aishvara,—or the Sada-Shiva Tattva and the Ishvara Tattva—the experience may, as said above, be respectively formulated in thought as

‘I am This' and This am I,'

with only this difference that, while in the first case the ‘I'-side or aspect of the relation of being is more dominant, the This'-side remaining merely as vague background, in the second state, that of the Aishvara, the This'-side of the relation is the more prominent aspect, the 'I'-side being thrown quite into the back-ground, indeed, being quite Identified with and merged into the This.' ¹⁷

5. The Sad-Vidya.

In the next state which follows, there arises an equalisation in prominence of the two aspects of the Experience which then takes the form, 'I am This' in which both the 'I' and the This' are realised with equal clearness, so much so that, while they are felt as entirely identified with each other, they can yet be clearly separated in thought—so that the ‘I' can be realised as the subject and the This' as the object of the experience, and that, for this reason, the experiencing subject can realise the This' as 'my' and 'mine,' in much the same way as a man in his daily life, while ordinarily feeling himself as one and identified with his body, thoughts and feelings, yet somehow realises himself as the possessor of these and speaks of them as is 'my' body or these thoughts and feelings are ' mine’.¹⁸

This experience of equalising the realisation of the two sides of the relation of identity, namely, 'I am This', and also of what may be called possession—of one of the two sides as belonging to the other—is called the Sad Vidya or Shuddha Vidya—the state of Experience (or knowledge) in which the true relation of things is realised.

That such a state follows and must follow the previous ones may be seen from our own individual experiences in similar circumstances.

From the balancing in realisation of the two factors, the ‘I' and the This,' of the experience in this state, and from simultaneously realising the one as belonging to the other, there also follows an important result; namely, there arises, for the first time, what may be called the Experience of diversity-in-unity-and-identity (Bheda-bheda)¹⁹. This new Experience may really be said to correspond at a lower stage, as just stated, to the one which enables an individual human being to regard his body and thoughts and feelings as at once diverse and different from and yet one and identical with himself, and to think and speak of their totality as at once 'I' and ‘mine.' This Experience arises in the Shuddha Vidya State because, as the Experiencer has his attention—or what corresponds to it in a lower state—drawn equally to himself as the 'I' of the Experience and to the This' as what we have called the object of the Experience, he naturally realises, on the one hand, some contrast between the ‘I', which is felt as an absolutely undivided Unity, and the This', which, as the prototype of the multifariousness in the future Universe of the sensible and psychical experience, is seen as other than such a Unity—as a something which has in it at least the germs of diversity —and, on the other, feels that this is yet somehow one and identical with himself, as being really nothing else than his own Experience, i.e. his own thoughts and feelings, if we may use such terms in this connection. In our individual lives also as ordinary human beings, the corresponding experience of diversity-in-unity-and-identity in regard to the body and thoughts and feelings is possible, because, while our attention is simultaneously drawn, willingly or unwillingly, to what, on the one hand, is realised as the 'I' and, on the other, to the thoughts, feelings and bodily states, a contrast is, as a consequence of this simultaneous noticing of the dual factors of the Experience, also felt—the 'I' being felt as a Unity and the rest as a diversity and yet as somehow one and identical with the unity of the 'I.'

Such an Experience is possible in the Shuddha Vidya State, and not in the previous ones, because in these latter the 'attention' of the Experiencer is, as it were, one sided. In the Sada Shiva Tattva it is drawn chiefly to the ‘I'-side, while in the Ishvara Tattva the ‘gaze' is fixed principally on the This'-side—on what constitutes the Aishvarya, i.e., the Lordly State, of the Experiencer. There is, therefore, in these states, little chance of what may be called a comparison between the two aspects of the Experience ‘I am This,' and therefore of realising both the contrast and the identity which there subsist between the two.

As another result, of this realisation of contrast and of the experience of diversity-in-unity-and-identity, the This' of the experience is now realised as not a pure and undivided This' or a unit, but as a whole, i.e., an ‘All-this.'

Further, as the 'All-this' at this stage is of the nature of thoughts and are naturally realised as proceeding from, and originated and created by, the Experiencer himself, in much the same way as a limited human being realises his own thoughts and feelings as his own creations.

The whole Experience in this state, therefore, assumes a form which may be stated as follows:—

I am all-this and all-this is mine as part and parcel of myself and all this proceeds from and is created by me—I am the author of all this²⁰.

In such an experience there is and must be, as is obvious, some movement of Thought'—some action. There is, in the first place, a movement of 'attention' from the This' to the 'I', and again, as it were, all over and all round the This,' so as to realise it as an All-this as distinguished from the bare This' of the previous state. This is all very different from the absolute hush and stillness of the divine wonder of the Sada Shiva stage and also from that steady and immovable 'gaze' at the glory of the Divine State which there is in the Ishvara Tattva. While in these Tattvas there is thus motionlessness, there are in the Shuddha Vidya state movement and action—or what, in a lower stage of manifestation, correspond to these. In the Shuddha Vidya, therefore, the Kriya aspect of the Divine Shakti is most manifest.²¹

So far, the manifestation of the Universe is a purely Ideal one; and being Ideal it is the 'Perfect and Pure Way or Order' (Shuddhadhvan) without any blemish in it. In these purely Ideal States of manifestation, i.e., in the Pure Order, the things are realized as they truly are, and therefore they are the regions of pure and true knowledge (Sad Vidya or Shuddha Vidya.)

Moreover they are the manifestation of the Universal, as distinguished from the limited aspects of the Experience. That is to say, in these states the Experiencing entities are Universal beings who realise themselves actually as such, and have for their Experience the whole of the universal 'All-this,' —in different forms, no doubt, in the different states constituting the Pure Order, but, in no particular state, with any part of the This' hidden away from them.

Footnotes

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