Rajanaka Kṣemarāja (क्षेमराज) (late 10th to early 11th century) was a philosopher disciple of
Abhinavagupta
Abhinavagupta (Devanāgarī अभिनवगुप्तः; c. 950 – 1016 CE) was a philosopher, mystic and aesthetician from Kashmir. He was also considered an influential musician, poet, dramatist, exegete, theologian, and logicianR ...
,
who was considered a master of
tantra
Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism.
The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...
,
yoga
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
,
poetics
Poetics is the study or theory of poetry, specifically the study or theory of device, structure, form, type, and effect with regards to poetry, though usage of the term can also refer to literature broadly. Poetics is distinguished from hermeneu ...
, and
dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The role of a dramaturg in the field of modern dramaturgy is to help realize the multifaceted world of the play for a production u ...
.
Not much is known of Kṣemarāja's life or parentage. His chief disciple was a sage known as Yogāraja.
Kṣemarāja's magnum opus was the
''Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam'' ('The Heart of Self-Recognition'). In this text, Kṣemarāja explains the main tenets of the ''
Pratyabhijñā'' philosophy in a succinct set of
sutras for students. The work occupies the same place in
Kashmir Shaivite or
Trika
Kashmir Shaivism tradition is a 20th century umbrella-term for a body of Sanskrit exegetical literature from several non-dualist Shaiva- Shakta tantric and monistic religious traditions, often used synonymously for the Trika-school or th ...
literature as Sadananda's
''Vedantasara'' does in
Advaita Vedanta.
Prominent works
*
Pratyabhijnahridayam
* Spandasandoha
* Spandanirnaya
* Svacchandodyota
* Netrodyota
*
Vijnanabhairavodyota
*
Shivasutravimarsini
* Stavacintamanitika
* Parapraveshika
* Tattvasandoha.
Quotes
''"Man bound in all the phases of waking, dream and dreamless sleep by the body,'' ''
prana
In yoga, Ayurveda, and Indian martial arts, prana (, ; the Sanskrit word for breath, " life force", or "vital principle") permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects. In Hindu literature, prāṇa is sometimes described as origin ...
, pleasure, etc. does not recognize his own consciousness which is of the'' ''nature of the great power and full of perfect bliss." -- Kṣemarāja''
See also
*
Abhinavagupta
Abhinavagupta (Devanāgarī अभिनवगुप्तः; c. 950 – 1016 CE) was a philosopher, mystic and aesthetician from Kashmir. He was also considered an influential musician, poet, dramatist, exegete, theologian, and logicianR ...
*
Vasugupta
*
Somananda
*
Utpalacarya
*
Kundalini
In Hinduism, kundalini (, ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or ''Shakti'') believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the '' muladhara''. It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power ...
*
Yoga
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
References
Further reading
*
Kashmiri writers
10th-century Indian people
11th-century Indian people
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
Kashmir Shaivism
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