Hindu Tantra – Kashmir Saivism

Hindu Tantra, Tantra Yoga, the trident, symbol and Yantra of Parama Shiva of Kashmir Saivism represent the triadic energies of Para, Para-Apara and Apara Shakti

Included within the broad spectrum of the different Hindu Tantra philosophies, Kashmir Saivism is one school of Saivism. It is categorized by a number of scholars as monistic idealism. They also call it absolute idealism, theistic monism, realistic idealism, transcendental physicalism or concrete monism. Meaning to say, there is just One Reality. That is Cit - consciousness. The world and all embodied souls are the same; indistinguishable from Cit. Matter is not disconnected from the concept of consciousness. Rather it is identical to it. There is no breach or space between God and His manifest world. And this includes all living creatures. In Tantra Yoga and particularly in Kashmir Saivism the world is not an illusion (as postulated in Advaita Vedanta). It is just that the perception of duality is an illusion.

According to Hindu Tantra and Tantra Yoga, Kashmir Shaivism evolved somewhere around the 8th or 9th century in Kashmir. It is said to have made significant strides, both philosophical and theological, somewhere until the end of the 12th century. Kashmir Saivism of Tantra Yoga is extraordinary and amazing in its ethos and orientation. It is an authentic geography of consciousness.

Mythological origins of Kashmir Saivism

Since the philosophy of Kashmir Saivism is profoundly rooted in the Tantra Yoga, the family tree is said to start in Lord Shiva himself. Going by tradition, as the knowledge of Tantras Yoga was lost by the time of Kali Yuga, Lord Shiva is said to have taken the form of Srikanthanath on Mt. Kailash. There, it is said, he completely initiated a Rishi (seer) named Durvasa into all forms of Tantra Yoga knowledge. Rishi Durvasa, it is said, meditated intensely hoping to find an good enough pupil to initiate, but failed to do so. As a substitute, he is said to have created 4 "mind-born" sons. He initiated the first son, completely into the monistic philosophy of Tantra Yoga, that came to be known as Kaśmir Saivism.