Contents: Foreword by Andre Padoux. Acknowledgements. Abbreviations.Introduction. 1. The Entrance Gates: Mangalashlokas (Benedictory Verses). 2. The Supreme Dialogue. Guru-shishya Sambandha. 3. Anuttara: The Unsurpassable and its Meanings. Anuttara as Bestowing the Perfection of Totality: Kaulikasiddhidam -- Immediacy: Explanation of Sadyah -- Anuttara and the Interconnectedness of all Things -- The Sutra: uttarasyapi-anuttaram. 4. Khecarisamata: Harmony with the Power of Consciousness Moving-in-the-Void. 5. The Three Grammatical Persons and Trika. 6. The Heart -- the Resting Place of I-Consciousness. The Possessive Pronoun : Mama. 7. From the Absolute to Manifestation: Anuttara to Kaulikasgrshti. 8. Levels of Manifestation: Emanation of Phonemes and Tattvas. 9. The Core Mantra: Hridayabija, The Seed of the Heart. 10. Transcending Ritual. Conclusion. Abhinavagupta's Personal Conclusion -- General Conclusion. Appendices: 1. Verses of the Paratrishika. 2. List of Quotations in the Paratrishika Vivarana. 3. Stotra Fragments of Abhinavagupta quoted in the Vivarana. 4. Comparison between the PT Versions of Vivarana and Laghuvritti. 5. Abhinavagupta: Anuttarashtika -- Text and Translation. 6. Bibliography. 7. Index/Glossary.
The Paratrishika Vivarana by the great Kashmiri philosopher and mystic Abhinavagupta is an extensive commentary on the Paratrishika Tantra, and it is one of the most profound texts, not only of non-dualist Kashmir Shaivism, but of Indian philosophy and mysticism in general. The present work attempts to make this difficult text accessible, by culling out the important themes and offering an interpretation. The main focus is on the understanding of the Absolute (Anuttara) and the ways to realize it. The central theme of mantra also leads to a mysticism of language with its philosophical implications. All these reflections and practices are inscribed in the theory that "everything is related to the totality", "every part contains the whole of reality" (sarvam sarvatmakam). It is this holistic vision of Abhinavagupta, based on the Tantras, which makes this work so relevant in our times of fragmented aspects of life and knowledge in search of integration. No doubt, in the view of the Tantra and of Abhinavagupta, language and mantra provide the key.
This fascinating book is an important contribution to studies and interpretations on Kashmir Shaivism, its spirituality and philosophy, and on Abhinavagupta in particular.
