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by Jankinath
Kaul 'Kamal'
 The
Pratyabhijna School is quite akin to the non-dual
vedantic thought of Ajatavada explained by Gaudapada.
Vasugupta was the first propounder of Shaivism in
Kashmir. He flourished in the middle of the late Eighth
Century A.D. Worship of different deities, Yoga systems
and Shaiva faith have already been in practice here.
According to Dr. K.C. Pandey, Kula, and 'Krama' system
of Shaivism existed here much before Atri Gupta and
Sangamaditya were invited by king Lalitaditya (725-761
A.D.) to settle in Kashmir. 'Agamas' are believed to be
as old as 'Vedas'. It is natural that after the lapse of
a certain cycle of time an established system of thought begins to fade away. Its revival, which emanates
from God Himself, is also natural. Shaivism was thus
revived in Kashmir when Lord Shiva Himself revealed
'Shiva-sutras' to Vasugupta in the vicinity of Harwan
Village. He re-established the faith by explaining the
Sutras to his disciples. With this he combated the
growing Buddhism in Kashmir. This faith developed into
two school of thought-one Spanda system of thought and
the other Pratiyabhijna Philosophy; Siddha Somananda's
Shivdrishti explains the latter. His teachings were
imbibed well by his disciple Utpaladev, who possessed a
sharp intellect. This brilliant disciple reestablished
the thought of 'recognition' with his illustrious work
Ishwara - Pratyabhijna. It is stated that Utpala was
motivated to write the Karikas at the request of his son
Vibhramakara, who wanted to imbibe them. In this
treatise Utpala reflects the wisdom taught to him by his
preceptor. It is an exhaustive exposition of the
Philosophy of Recognition. Persian Scholars of Kashmir
have termed it Khird-i-Kamil, "Wisdom of the
sage". Together with various commentaries on this
book and other similar works there grew up a mass of
literature round the Pratyabhijha Karikas of Utpala.
This work assumed such importance that the whole system
of Kashmir Shaiva philosophy came to be known as
Pratyabhyha Darshan in India and the countries abroad.
We know little
about the early life of Utpala, who grew to be a great
mystic saint of Kashmir. This, however, comes to us by
tradition that he lived somewhere at Nowhata in Srinagar
and that his time was the middle of the ninth century
A.D. This is also as calculated from the date available
in Rajatarangini. From the colophons of the works of
his contemporary authors and those who followed him, we
know that he was a Brahmin and lived a married life. His
father's name was Udayakara. Utpala was followed by his
disciple Lakshmana Gupta, one of the preceptors of the
great Abhinavgupta, who wrote an exhaustive commentary
and gloss on this work.
Although Utpala's
Ishwara Pratyabhijha is difficult to assimilate as it
deals with abstruse logic, yet it is a perfect work on
this philosophy It is not only a set of philosophic
doctrines but also contains instruction on practical
yoga. It is, therefore, interesting for aspirants of the
highest ability, who can develop constant awareness of
Supreme Consciousness. The three means advocated by
Kashmir Shaivism in general are recognised in this
philosophy. It is, however, known as Anupaya - the means
without any means. The doctrine as summed up by
Abhinavagupta is:
"Only the
five great functions are to be followed. Since there is
no existence of impurity, whence can there be any
erosion: it is only a change in point of view.
Otherwise, nothing has happened to Shiva. No Jeeva Bhava
has been assumed by Him." (Abhinavagupta's
commentary).
This doctine of
'Recognition' was explained by Somananda to Utpaladev
with the help of the following illustration:
A girl and a boy
whose marriage was fixed and who did not know each
other, one day happened to sit together along with their
relatives and friends at a fair. During this short
company the girl served tea to the party in which one
was her would-be groom. There was no stir of feeling in
either of them. But while tea was being served, a common
acquaintance gave a hint of the scheduled marriage to
the one sitting by his side. Instantly a wave of the
feeling of love ran through the bodies of both. The girl
recognized her lover." In the same way 'Jeeva'
recognizes himself in Shiva with the help of his
preceptor. This is the philosophy of 'Recognition' in a
nutshell. Utpala explained this more comprehensively
than his teacher had. He sat and wrote his abstruse
aphorisms during calm moments. It was his
self-introspection which got established as philosophy.
Gaudapada, the grand preceptor of 'Adi Shankaracharya'
also had expounded a similar philosophy earlier. It is
known as 'Ajatavada' in the Advaita vedanta philosophy.
He says that nothing is born and so nothing dies. It is
only the change in vision that the world appears as
such." Utpala explained the philosophy in his own
way and convincingly too.
Tradition goes
that Utpala, during the later period of I his life,
would often be in spiritual ecstasy. His practices had
ripened by the divine grace of Lord Shiva as a result of
which he uttered notes full of divine rapture, intensely
musical and pregnant with esoteric meaning. These
utterances, verily, reveal the 'heart of Utpala'. He
gave the same philosophy an exclusively devotional
tinge. He sang verses in different tunes in praise of
his Lord, expressing non-dual devotion, 'Abheda Bhakti'.
He was so engrossed in ecstasy that he could not keep a
record of his composition. He 'floated' above
bodyconsciousness.
Since divinity
also recedes to duality more often than not, while the
soul resides in the body, Utpala at times came down to
it when he opened his eyes to look around, his spiritual
joy predominated in him. Filled with divine consciousness
he would find his own mental reflection outside and get
instantly drawn within. Once in spring, being in his
ecstatic mood for long, Utpala opened his eyes and saw
almond blossoms strewn by wind on the ground. At once he
exclaimed: "Ah! devotees have performed worship and
adorned the Lord with flower wreaths. Only I fall
back." Uttering this he instantly got into Samadhi
again.
Another time,
while running in divine ecstasy, Utpala's locks got
entangled among bushes. He felt that his beloved Shiva
was catching hold of him. Imagining this he got drawn
into meditation. To common people this may mean that
Utpala was a psychological abnoramlity with a soft heart.
Since psychology has no approach to the spiritual field,
as it is beyond the range of mind and matter, Utpala is
known to have measured a considerable divine height. He
needed not to sit for meditation. Shiva was always in
his being just as Mother Kali's Divinity was always
present in Paramahansa Ramakrishna's being. He sang in a
melodious tune while panting for the final beatitude of
Shiva, addressing him with earnest devotion. This speaks
of the extent of his joy, the expression of which was
termed Janun-i-Kamil - divine ecstasy of the sage by the
Persian scholars.
Thus Utpaladev is
said to have composed in this state a large number of
verses many of which were collected and compiled by his
disciples Sri Ram and Adityaraja. Finally, these were
classified into twenty hymns by a great scholar
Vishwavarata, who gave each hymn his own heading. The
collection is named Utpala's Shivastotravali. This
information has come down to us from Kshema Raja, a
later author, and a disciple of Abhinavagupta.
In his exhaustive
commentry on Sivastotravali Kshemaraj tells us, at the
very outset of the book, that Utpala had, however, named
three hymns himself. These are Sangrastotra, Jayastotra
and Bhaktistotra - thirteenth, fourteeth and fifteenth
chapters respectively as arranged in the book. Unplumbed
deeps of one's heart get stirred as the rhythm on
reciting of the verses touches one's ears. One sits rapt
and breathless. A new life, a new course of study and
meditation seems to begin. The centre of interest gets
shifted. You continue to sing to yourself or the muse on
the versified lines. Tears of joy, like pearls, trickle
down the eyes and one virtually forgets oneself. Utpala
addresses his beloved:
<verses>
O Lord: just, a
while to listen to me
My pleasure and pain, in a nut-shell, I tell.
This being with
thee is joy Supreme,
Bereft of thy grace, I suffer again.
Here you have a
feeling of the joy of solitude that is experienced by
listening to the shrill voice of a morning bird or the
continued flow of a waterfall. Utpala, for all purposes,
was a mystic, a loving and pure-hearted soul whose
example we much later again find in Lalleshwari, Nund
Rishi and Ropa Bhawani. Swami Rama Tirtha was also one
of such exalted modern saints.
As the chief
characteristic of Utpala's language is symbolism, it
appeals to all sects of people, especially to those who
understand it. His power of penetrating human hearts
enraptures one with his dynamic touch. He sang:
<verses>
O Lord: I may
possess like common people, desire for enjoyment in the
world. But with this difference that I should look upon
these as thyself - without the least idea of duality.
Utpala laid stress
on reconciliation of knowledge and devotion which
practically means earnestness in knowing the self. He
categorically expressed:
<verses>
"There is
naught but thy existence in the Universe for those
endowed with knowledge of self."
"Thy worship
is great celebration for those who are blessed by
thee."
Both these
statements ever befit thy earnest devotees." Again
he gushed
<verses>
"All their
actions bear fruit who worship thee for their fulfillment.
But every act of thy devotees who reside in thee is the
fruit by itself."
These lyrical
songs of Utpala are pithy and pierce through the very
recesses of the heart of a devotee who is endowed with
Divine grace. Utpala sang, rather uttered these notes
like a singing bird, not for others but for himself,
drowned into the Divine. His own feelings and emotions,
joys and sorrows and above all his intense longing as an
earnest seeker of spiritual Truth are vividly pictured
in the hymns.
Utpala's
philosophy of Recognition can be summed up in the lines
of Carol Schnieder:
"Being sad
with you is more beautiful
Than being happy Anywhere else."
This exactly
conveys what Utpaladeva says to Lord Siva.
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