ŚIVA SŪTRAS
Section I. Śāmbhavopāya - The Method of Śiva
1. Consciousness is Self,
This sūtra has two meanings:
1) The Self is awareness – the Self is pure awareness, consciousness free of subject-object duality. By identifying the Self as absolute consciousness, the sūtra is stating that the Self is one entity, for consciousness is not variable (consciousness is universal and one). Also, pure consciousness is the nature of the Supreme Reality, so the sūtra is stating that the Self is identical to That.
2) Consciousness is the nature of reality – everything exists in consciousness and nothing exists that is outside of consciousness.
2. Ignorance is bondage.
The first sūtra stated that the Self, being absolute consciousness, is one with Śiva. So how does the individual find himself as a prisoner of the world, unable to free himself from this apparent bondage? It is ignorance of one’s true identity as the Self and mistaking the aggregate of mind and body for a self.
3. The source (Māyā) and her group, whose form is activity, (karma) are the cause.
The cause of bondage is māyā and karma. Māyā is the power of illusion by which Śiva forgets His true identity and identifies Himself as an individual who performs actions in the pursuit of pleasure and, as the doer, enjoys or suffers the fruits of those deeds.
4. The Unknown Mother (of letters and words) is the basis of (limited) knowledge.
Mātṛkā, the Unknown Mother is the deity of words and letters. She is unknown or misunderstood due to the limited nature of language. When human thought becomes based on words, that knowledge becomes limited. Thoughts such as, “I am tall,” “I am thin,” etc. perpetuate the individual’s bondage by strengthening one’s identification to non-self.
5. Realization of the Supreme Reality is an uplifting (of divine consciousness).
Realization or awakening is the (often sudden) recognition that one’s true nature is Being-Awareness-Bliss and not the limited person one identified with for so many years.
6. Through union with the Group of Powers (Śakti) the world disappears.
The Group of Powers is the complete manifestation of Śiva, beginning with His I-consciousness (awareness of Being). By uniting with That, one realizes his true identity and the allure of the world vanishes.
7. In the different states of waking, dream, and deep sleep there is the delight of the fourth state (turya).
Turya is the fourth state of consciousness, the Divine Consciousness of the Self that permeates the other three states (see Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad). For the realized yogi, who is one with Self, the bliss of that Divine Consciousness exists throughout his states of waking, dream, and even deep sleep.
8. The waking state is knowledge.
9. The dream state is imagination.
10. Deep sleep is the delusion of non-descernment.
Sūtras 8-10 define the three states. The waking state is the universal consciousness of objectivity. It is common to all conscious beings and it is defined as knowledge of the objective world. The dream state is consciousness of a world created by one’s own mind. It is fantasy based on the experiences of the waking state. The state of deep sleep is called māyā or delusion, as it is a state of apparent unawareness. (How else can the Self, which is consciousness by definition, be unaware?)
11. The enjoyer of the three is the Lord of Heroes (Śiva).
The enjoyer of the three states is none-other than Śiva. So, the Self realized yogi who enjoys the bliss of Divine Consciousness is one with Śiva.
12. The stages of Yoga are a wonder.
The journey to enlightenment is filled with fascination and surprise.
13. His will power is the splendor of Śiva.
The will power of the yogi is the Light of Śiva, which destroys the darkness of delusion.
14. His body is a perceivable.
This sūtra has two meanings:
1) The yogi’s body is an object.
2) All phenomena is the yogi’s body.
To the enlightened yogi, not only the body, but the whole aggregate of body, mind, senses, etc. is just another object of consciousness, no different from any other object in the material world. And, for that yogi, all phenomena is one.
15. By uniting the mind in the heart (hṛdaya) there is realization of the perceivable and the Void.
When the yogi becomes one with the Core of Consciousness in the heart, he realizes the true nature of objectivity and That which is beyond objectivity, which is Self. The technique of meditating on the space in the heart is mentioned in the Vijñāna Bhairava 49.
16. And from union with the True Reality, one overcomes the power that binds limited beings (Māyā).
When the yogi realizes his oneness with the Supreme Reality, he becomes free of the illusion that keeps the limited being bound to material existence.
“One who has that true knowledge is always united with Śiva and sees the entire world as His play. He is liberated in this life, no doubt about it.” (Spandakārikā II.5)
17. His thought is Self-knowledge.
Since the yogi’s mind is united with the Self, his thoughts are Self-knowledge.
18. The bliss of his awakened state (samādhi) is his pleasure in the world.
This sūtra can be interpreted two ways:
1) The bliss of his samādhi is his joy in the world – the yogi does not need worldly pleasure, since he is one with the Source of Happiness and, therefore, in a constant state of bliss.
2) The bliss of his samādhi is joy in the world – the yogi is a source of joy in the world due to his being in a constant state of bliss.
19. Union with the dynamic power of the Supreme (Śakti) is the origin of the body.
20. Also the joining or separating of elements and the assembly of all things.
Sūtras 19 & 20 refer to the power of Śakti, the creative energy of the Supreme
21. From the emergence of true knowledge one acquires command over the Group of Powers.
The emergence of true knowledge is realizing one’s true identity; then, being one with That, the yogi is the master of all the Śaktis.
22. From absorption in the Great Lake (of Consciousness) one realizes the generative source of mantra.
The Great Lake is the Divine Consciousness mentioned in sūtra 1. By uniting one’s mind with That, the yogi realizes his true nature as the source of all thought and speech.
The first section describes Śāmbhavopāya, the method of Śiva, beginning with a definition of the Self, the nature of reality, and the cause of the individual’s bondage. The text goes on to describe realization as the manifestation of Divine Consciousness and list some of the benefits of that awakening. The section concludes by describing Śakti, the Group of Powers by which Śiva manifests and maintains the universe. The last sūtra serves as an introduction to the next section on the method of Śakti, which focuses on the use of mantra and self-inquiry.
This sūtra has two meanings:
1) The Self is awareness – the Self is pure awareness, consciousness free of subject-object duality. By identifying the Self as absolute consciousness, the sūtra is stating that the Self is one entity, for consciousness is not variable (consciousness is universal and one). Also, pure consciousness is the nature of the Supreme Reality, so the sūtra is stating that the Self is identical to That.
2) Consciousness is the nature of reality – everything exists in consciousness and nothing exists that is outside of consciousness.
2. Ignorance is bondage.
The first sūtra stated that the Self, being absolute consciousness, is one with Śiva. So how does the individual find himself as a prisoner of the world, unable to free himself from this apparent bondage? It is ignorance of one’s true identity as the Self and mistaking the aggregate of mind and body for a self.
3. The source (Māyā) and her group, whose form is activity, (karma) are the cause.
The cause of bondage is māyā and karma. Māyā is the power of illusion by which Śiva forgets His true identity and identifies Himself as an individual who performs actions in the pursuit of pleasure and, as the doer, enjoys or suffers the fruits of those deeds.
4. The Unknown Mother (of letters and words) is the basis of (limited) knowledge.
Mātṛkā, the Unknown Mother is the deity of words and letters. She is unknown or misunderstood due to the limited nature of language. When human thought becomes based on words, that knowledge becomes limited. Thoughts such as, “I am tall,” “I am thin,” etc. perpetuate the individual’s bondage by strengthening one’s identification to non-self.
5. Realization of the Supreme Reality is an uplifting (of divine consciousness).
Realization or awakening is the (often sudden) recognition that one’s true nature is Being-Awareness-Bliss and not the limited person one identified with for so many years.
6. Through union with the Group of Powers (Śakti) the world disappears.
The Group of Powers is the complete manifestation of Śiva, beginning with His I-consciousness (awareness of Being). By uniting with That, one realizes his true identity and the allure of the world vanishes.
7. In the different states of waking, dream, and deep sleep there is the delight of the fourth state (turya).
Turya is the fourth state of consciousness, the Divine Consciousness of the Self that permeates the other three states (see Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad). For the realized yogi, who is one with Self, the bliss of that Divine Consciousness exists throughout his states of waking, dream, and even deep sleep.
8. The waking state is knowledge.
9. The dream state is imagination.
10. Deep sleep is the delusion of non-descernment.
Sūtras 8-10 define the three states. The waking state is the universal consciousness of objectivity. It is common to all conscious beings and it is defined as knowledge of the objective world. The dream state is consciousness of a world created by one’s own mind. It is fantasy based on the experiences of the waking state. The state of deep sleep is called māyā or delusion, as it is a state of apparent unawareness. (How else can the Self, which is consciousness by definition, be unaware?)
11. The enjoyer of the three is the Lord of Heroes (Śiva).
The enjoyer of the three states is none-other than Śiva. So, the Self realized yogi who enjoys the bliss of Divine Consciousness is one with Śiva.
12. The stages of Yoga are a wonder.
The journey to enlightenment is filled with fascination and surprise.
13. His will power is the splendor of Śiva.
The will power of the yogi is the Light of Śiva, which destroys the darkness of delusion.
14. His body is a perceivable.
This sūtra has two meanings:
1) The yogi’s body is an object.
2) All phenomena is the yogi’s body.
To the enlightened yogi, not only the body, but the whole aggregate of body, mind, senses, etc. is just another object of consciousness, no different from any other object in the material world. And, for that yogi, all phenomena is one.
15. By uniting the mind in the heart (hṛdaya) there is realization of the perceivable and the Void.
When the yogi becomes one with the Core of Consciousness in the heart, he realizes the true nature of objectivity and That which is beyond objectivity, which is Self. The technique of meditating on the space in the heart is mentioned in the Vijñāna Bhairava 49.
16. And from union with the True Reality, one overcomes the power that binds limited beings (Māyā).
When the yogi realizes his oneness with the Supreme Reality, he becomes free of the illusion that keeps the limited being bound to material existence.
“One who has that true knowledge is always united with Śiva and sees the entire world as His play. He is liberated in this life, no doubt about it.” (Spandakārikā II.5)
17. His thought is Self-knowledge.
Since the yogi’s mind is united with the Self, his thoughts are Self-knowledge.
18. The bliss of his awakened state (samādhi) is his pleasure in the world.
This sūtra can be interpreted two ways:
1) The bliss of his samādhi is his joy in the world – the yogi does not need worldly pleasure, since he is one with the Source of Happiness and, therefore, in a constant state of bliss.
2) The bliss of his samādhi is joy in the world – the yogi is a source of joy in the world due to his being in a constant state of bliss.
19. Union with the dynamic power of the Supreme (Śakti) is the origin of the body.
20. Also the joining or separating of elements and the assembly of all things.
Sūtras 19 & 20 refer to the power of Śakti, the creative energy of the Supreme
21. From the emergence of true knowledge one acquires command over the Group of Powers.
The emergence of true knowledge is realizing one’s true identity; then, being one with That, the yogi is the master of all the Śaktis.
22. From absorption in the Great Lake (of Consciousness) one realizes the generative source of mantra.
The Great Lake is the Divine Consciousness mentioned in sūtra 1. By uniting one’s mind with That, the yogi realizes his true nature as the source of all thought and speech.
The first section describes Śāmbhavopāya, the method of Śiva, beginning with a definition of the Self, the nature of reality, and the cause of the individual’s bondage. The text goes on to describe realization as the manifestation of Divine Consciousness and list some of the benefits of that awakening. The section concludes by describing Śakti, the Group of Powers by which Śiva manifests and maintains the universe. The last sūtra serves as an introduction to the next section on the method of Śakti, which focuses on the use of mantra and self-inquiry.
Go To Section II
