Shiva Sutras are a collection of seventy seven

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

s that form the foundation of the tradition of spiritual

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

known as

Kashmir Shaivism Kashmir Shaivism or Trika Shaivism, is a nondualist tradition of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra which originated sometime after 850 CE. Since this tradition originated in Kashmir it is often called "Kashmiri Shaivism". It later went on to become a pan ...

. They are attributed to the sage

Vasugupta Vasugupta (~ 800 – 850 CE) was the author of the ''Shiva Sutras'', an important text of the Advaita tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, also called ''Trika'' (sometimes called ''Trika Yoga''). Biography Little is known about Vasugupta's life, other ...

of the 9th century C.E. Vasugupta is said to have lived near Mahadeva Mountain in the valley of the Harvan stream behind what are now the

Shalimar Gardens Shalimar or Shalamar refers to three historic royal gardens (or Baghs) of the Mughal Empire in South Asia: * Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India; built in 1619 * Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan; a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in ...

near

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

. One myth is that he received the aphorisms in a dream visitation of a

Siddha ''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...

or semi-divine being. Another is that Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

came to him in a dream and instructed him to go to a certain rock on which he would find the teachings inscribed. This rock called Shankaropala is still visited by devotees. The other theory is that Lord

taught the Siva-Sutras to Vasugupta in a dream. Whatever the truth is these myths point to the traditional belief that the Shiva sutras are of

Philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

origin or revelation and are surely a very great product of Sanatana Dharma. Historically the Shiva Sutras and the ensuing school of Kashmir Shaivism are a Tantric or Agamic tradition. The Tantrics saw themselves as independent of the

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

mainstream schools of thought and practice, and as beyond the rules that had been put in place by them. A number of commentaries were written by Vasugupta's contemporaries or successors. Most famous of them is Kshemaraja's Vimarshini (10th Century C.E.) which has been translated into English by

Jaideva Singh Jaideva Singh (19 September 1893 in Shoratgarh, Uttar Pradesh – 27 May 1986 in Banaras) was an Indian musicologist and philosopher. He played a key role in the development of All India Radio where he was chief producer. He was influenced by t ...

and Swami Lakshman Joo. Another is a commentary called the Varttika by Bhaskara (11th century C.E.) which has been translated into English by Dr. Mark Dyczkowski. There are many translations of the Shiva Sutras into English. A painstaking Italian translation of the Sutras and the Kshemaraja's Vimarshini by Raffaele Torella is also available. Demetrios Th. Vassiliades translated the Shiva Sutras with the Kshemaraja's Vimarshini into Greek. Kriya yogi. The latest most authoritative treatise on the Sutras is by Gerard D. C. Kuiken. The Fifth Guru of Kriya yoga (Babaji's lineage), Shailendra Sharma gave yogic commentaries to Shiva Sutras in 1993. In 2014 new translation of Shiva Sutras into English has been made available along with innovative commentary organized into chapters called cascades The soul power of Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta is that the

yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...

experiences both internal and external awareness of the Divine. His consciousness transcends into sublime awareness of each minute particle of the universe so that all the seemingly mystic to others seems totally innate to him.Siva Sutras: The Yoga of Supreme Identity, by Vasugupta, translation, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1979

/ref>

Bibliography

References

External links

Siva Sutras in UTF-8The Commentary on Shiva Sutras by Shailendra SharmaShiva Sutras with Cascading Commentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiva Sutras Of Vasugupta Shaiva texts 9th-century books Sanskrit texts Kashmir Shaivism

See also

Bibliography

References

External links