Pasyanti Trika Saivism of Kashmir- Themes and Practices

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The present volume contains 17 selected articles of Bettina Sharada Bäumer which are the outcome of her study and research in the field of non-dual Trika Saivism of Kashmir over the last four decades. They provide insights into essential aspects and themes of the philosophy and spirituality of Trika Saivism, as well as elements of the spiritual practice involved in this tradition. Her approach is based on the fundamental texts as well as on the living traditions.

The first section titled "Stotras - Hymns to the Absolute", contains four articles which focus on the study and translation of some of the important hymns of the non-dual Saiva traditions of Kashmir. The articles include an introduction to the philosophy of Kashmir Saivism through the benedictory or mangala verses; a translation and study of the mystical hymn "Simbapañcikā", in which Sun-worship is discussed in the light of the Salva philosophy of Consciousness; an article on the non-dual nature of praise and finally a translation and commentary on three important hymns of Abhinavagupta, together with two stotra fragments.

The second section, "Non-Dual Tradition of Saivism of Kashmir" contains 13 significant articles presenting themes and practices of the tradition. The articles are based on fundamental Tantric texts such as Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Svacchanda Tantra and Netra Tantra. The author discusses some of the important concepts of Kashmir Saivism, such as vdc, lilä, time and timelessness, harmony and disharmony, mudrd, the space of breath, súnya and creative contemplation in the Vijana Bhairava Tantra, the approach of paramadvaita in the mystical hymns of Utpaladeva's Sivastotrávali, the intensity of emotions and how it is a path to liberation, the concept of sarvam sarvätmakam, Le. "everything is related to everything else" or "all is in all". The last article in this section is dedicated to Swami Lakshman Joo, author's spiritual preceptor.

Pasyanti offers scholars and students, philosophers and seekers a spiritual voyage into the very heart of Indian spirituality. This volume will be useful not only to students and scholars of Indology but also to lay readers.

Bettina Sharada Bäumer is an eminent scholar of Indology and Religious Studies in general and of non-dual Trika Saivism of Kashmir in particular. She is a direct disciple of Swami Lakshman Joo (1907-1991). Visiting Professor in several universities including Vienna, Salzburg and Berne (Switzerland), she has been teaching the philosophy of non-dual Kashmir Saivism in seminars and retreat seminars in India and Europe for the last 20 years. She was a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University in 1993 and a National Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, from 2015-2017. Her recent publications include: Abhinavagupta's Hermeneutics of the Absolute, Anuttaraprakriya, An Interpretation of His Paratriśikā Vivarana (2011); The Yoga of Netra Tantra, Third Eye and Overcoming Death (2019); Utpaladeva, Philosopher of Recognition, co-edited with Raffaele Torella (2016); Tantrapuṣpānjali: Tantric Traditions and Philosophy of Kashmir, Studies in Memory of Pandit H. N. Chakravarty, co- edited with Hamsa Stainton (2018).

In 2015 she was awarded Padma Shri by the Government of India.

I have known Bettina Bäumer (Sharada has been added to her name since she received Indian citizenship in 2011) since the late seventies through our connection with Alice Boner (1889-1981). I found in her a young European scholar who along with her training in Indology, made the traditional Indian approach to the texts and concepts she studied her own. This became clear to me in her early articles contained in the volumes: "The Divine Artist" (published in a Felicitation Volume for Thakur Jaideva Singh) and "Puruşa and the Origin of Form", published in the Commemoration Volume for Alice Boner. For the latter she had also requested for my contribution (Ripa Pratinipa): this title chosen by her already showed her 'insight into Indian tradition' which is the subtitle of this collection.

I was even more convinced of her Indian approach when we both attended a conference in Heidelberg on "Shastric Traditions of Indian Arts". This conference has brought together Indian and European/American art historians in 1986. Her contribution on "Unmanifest and Manifest Form in the Saivagamas" brought out a text-based understanding of the symbolism of the sivalinga. This is included in the following volume.

Keeping in mind the deep interest and the complete dedication of Bettina Sharada Bäumer's life-long engagement with Indian traditions, their living practices, studying their texts and understanding their spiritual, philosophical, artistic and aesthetic values, the title of this volume is: 'Pasyanti: Trika Saivism of Kashmir, Themes and Practices.

Pasyanti is a concept which is significant in the Vedas and has been fully developed in the Non-dual Saiva Philosophy of Kashmir. The concept is already hinted at in the Atharvavedic Sukta dedicated to the vision of Vena: venastat pasyat paramam guha yad yatra viśvam bhavatyekarupam (Atharvaveda 2.1ab). "Vena has seen the Supreme, hidden in the Cave, Wherein all things assume one single form". In Kashmir Saivism, Pasyanti, "the Visionary Word", denotes the second stage in descent from the Supreme Word, Pară. It is without division, thus free from time, space and I sequence. The grammarians say that beginningless, un-decaying supreme Brahman is in the form of un-decaying Word/Sound, that is Pasyanti, which is indeed Paravak (Sivadrst I i 2.2). She is the source of all inspiration and insight, before the Word descends to the levels of thought (Madhyamd) and expressed language (Vikhari).

Bettina Sharada Bäumer has been engaged in the study and research on the Non-dual Saiva Philosophy of Kashmir and practicing this spiritual tradition for the last forty years. She has written a number of articles in the field of the Non-dual Shaiva philosophy of Kashmir and many research papers which have been published in various Journals, collective volumes and encyclopaedias and are scattered here and there. It is at times difficult for students and readers interested in Trika Saivism of Kashmir to find a particular article. Many of her students, friends and admirers have since long desired to find all her articles on Trika Saivism of Kashmir collected at one place. Therefore, we have taken this initiative to bring out this selection of her articles in this special field in a single volume. In discussion with the author we have selected only important articles.

These articles have been written over the last four decades. During the last decades a good deal of research has been done in these areas. However, we have not changed or improved the form of the articles, but have only made the necessary corrections without altering the content.

Since these articles were written by a single author and were published in different books and collective volumes at different times, there are passages which are quoted in different articles and in various contexts, which the readers may find repeated in more than one article. However, in this volume, to keep the originality, I have kept them as they are. Hence the readers are asked to keep this fact in mind that the repetitions are important to be retained.

Each article has a different style, depending on where they were originally published. In this book, I have tried to keep all the articles in a common style; however, there may be some discrepancy here and there. In the entire volume I have decided to use only roman script for the Sanskrit quotations, except in the Stotra section where the stotras are kept in Devanagari as well as in roman script. All the articles are arranged in the chronological order of publication in order to show the development of the author's ideas. Even though the articles were written over the period of forty years of time, or less, and differ in their style and structure, still they are valid now and are full of insights. They give a deep understanding of the Indian traditions in general and Trika Šaivism of Kashmir in particular.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages