Recalling Acharya Abhinavagupta- the forgotten genius from Kashmir in present times is one of the finest acts to be done. Otherwise Abhinavagupta till the other day has been just another name in the long list of our venerable ancestors who made Kashmir known world over. Notwithstanding his mention in the official anthem of Kashmir University “TARANA” as ocean of knowledge, the great genius remains largely anonymous.
Here we are – a community from a territory that by sheer hard-work, brainpower, devotion and selfless commitment to human advancement established both people and the place as reputed brands in an elevated peculiarity being aspired globally and for millennia of years. The conventional identity of Kashmir has been scholarship. Its reputation as seat of learning and the Land of saints is irrefutable.
Yet we have been unable to utilise that reverence & benevolence earned by our forefathers for betterment of the society. It is a distressing reflection of our unworthiness and equally emphatic commentary on our incompetence.
When we start looking into our hoary past and study our ancestors like Acharya Abhinavagupta, we realise what excellence means and why Kashmir the place of our origin is being called the seat of learning- the Sharda/ Sarvagya Peeth.
Who was Abhinavagupta?
Christopher Wallis also known as Hareesh answers the query in following words:
“When studying the writings of non-dual Śaiva Tantra, there is one figure who stands out above all others, who appears as the very lynchpin of the tradition, who is the convergence point of much that had come before and the source of much that was to come after: the unparalleled master Abhinavagupta”.
“Abhinavagupta was not only a prolific writer, but was also a man of letters, of unfathomable wisdom, deep philosophical insight, an aesthetician and above all a yogi par excellence” says M.L. Pandit a renowned expert on the subject.
“Wash your hands and feet, rinse your mouth well and then if you recite the name of Abhinavgupta you shall attain Moksha,” says Swami Sri Raam ji Maharaaj, the great mystic, saint and scholar of nineteenth century, who single handedly, undertook upon himself to impart teachings of Shaiva Siddhanta and established a school in Fetah Kadal in downtown Srinagar for the purpose. The Ashram exists till date.
In the words of Ishwarswaroop Swami Lakshman Joo, “He (Abhinavgupta )was pride of Kashmir.”
Madhuraja from Madurai, Tamiḷ Nadu who travelled 2,000 miles to receive initiation from Abhinava 1000 years back wrote a beautiful description as an eyewitness account in his Gurunaath Paramash, which he composed for meditation on his guru.
There are lot of other people of merit who have said and written a lot about him. In short we can say that Abhinavagupta ‘ born as yoginbhu, earns name Abhinava from his teachers at an early age for his extra ordinary talent, dedicates his life to scholarship and Shivasadhna, writes around 70 books out of which 45 are identified and 28 available and finally enters Samadhi to have communion with Paramshiva.’
It is therefore time to change that situation and familiarise Abhinavgupta among the masses around the world. This is an important task for a variety of reasons. The most important reason being, his relevance to the future of conflict ridden human race.
As we proceed forward on the path to know Acharya Abhinavagupta we will realise that he is the answer to most of the questions confronting us as an individual as well as a collective.
Family Back Ground Yoginibhu Abhinava
Ancestors of Abhinavagupta came to Kashmir from present day Kanauj. Lalitaditya Muktapeeda the famous King of Kashmir, who after defeating King Harsha came to know about the family of scholars (Atrigupta) in the Doab area. Impressed with his scholarship, the victorious King so earnestly requested the Atrigupta to accompany him that former could not refuse. Lalitaditya established the family on the banks of vitasta near Srinagar and gifted a big Jagir.It was in the family of Attrigupta that Abhinavagupta was born after some 200 years. It was a family of scholars and the tradition continued for centuries.
His father Narsimhagupta alias Cukhulaka also was a great intellect and proficient in all the shastras besides being a Shiva devotee. Vimalakala a pious a religious lady was the mother of Abhinavagupta. The couple lived virtually by scriptures.
Before proceeding forward alluding to Dr. Kanti Chander Pandey with due credit and respect for his pioneering work to reintroduce Abhinavagupt to present generations is necessary. His book Abhinavagupta- A Historical and Philosophical study published by Chaukhamba publications in 1935 is valuable service to mankind.
Writing about society of Kashmir at the time of the birth of Abhinavagupta, Dr. KC Pandey writes, “ the people then believed in the efficacy of religious observance. For each worldly gain there was prescribed a separate elaborate ceremony. …. It is enjoined in the Shiva scriptures that parents desirous of a son, who in Shiva terminology is called Yoginbhu, should rise above all the worldly ideas at the time of meeting and that the mother should identify herself with Shakti and Father with Shiva.” Abhinavagpta himself refers to his being a yoginbhu in first shloka of Tantaraloka- the encyclopaedic Shiva text.
It is pertinent to remind our readers that this custom of identifying with Shiva and Shakti is still prevalent in one way or the other in our community life.
Personhood of Abhinavagupta
It is very clear that Abhinava’s parents were advanced Shaiva practitioners who conceived him in Kaula ritual; he was thus said to be yoginī-bhū, ‘born of an awakened yoginī,’ and thereby possessing a special capacity for liberation.
Abhinava lost his mother when he was still a child. His father also renounced the world soon after and took to asceticism. These incidents only contributed to his passion for spirituality and learning. When it came to sources of learning he describes himself as a bee, going from flower to flower, collecting the nectar of each of these branches of the tradition in order to make them all into the sweetest honey. (TA 37.63)
Abhinava learned Sanskrit from his father, Narasiṃha Gupta, and received initiation into the Kālī-worshipping Krama lineage at an early age from his father’s Krama Guru, Bhūtirāja, who had been a direct disciple of the famous Chakrabhānu. But later he studied with many gurus—more than fifteen Śaiva teachers in all, plus teachers of logic, exegesis, Buddhism, Jainism, and Vaishnavism. (TĀ 13.335) But it was not until he met his true master (sadguru) that his realization was complete. It is said in the Kaula tradition that full awakening can only be transmitted by a guru who has himself attained it. This guru, for Abhinava, was a man named Śambhu Nātha- a master of both forms of the Trika (Kaula and non-Kaula), from the Jālandhara śakti-pīṭha. It was to this master that Abhinava attributed his Self-realization though he respected & loved all his teachers.
Why do we still remember and revere this man 1000 years later? What makes him so powerful, so insightful, that some of us alive today would call him our Guru?
In the history of Sanskrit literature, writes Dr. KC Pandey, “we do not come across another writer with such an extensive intellectual background as Abhinavagupta. Though we have not yet discovered all his works to appreciate it fully, yet the available works in themselves are sufficient to give us an idea of vast literature on various subjects that he had thoroughly read so as to criticize the views contained therein or to quote an authority from it” (Page 215). He was a great synthesizer of not only different schools of thought but also of various faculties with a person also.
Kashmiri Shaiva Darshan we know, comprehends three systems; the Krama, The Kula and The Pratibhijnya. Pratbhijnya means self-recognition. Time has come to recognise ourselves as individuals as well as a collective. But be cautious! Mere talk of a lamp does not dispel darkness. Likewise mere verbal chanting of scriptures will not remove ignorance.
(GL Raina@ Ajey Bharti is former Member of Legislative Council of J&K and spokesperson of BJP JK UT)
