The Advaitist

To account for manifestation, Trika postulates the immanent or active aspect of pure consciousness. Manifestation necessitates a subject and an object, and in the universal condition since there is nothing else, both factors must be consciousness. Consciousness therefore becomes visible to itself as Subject (ahaM) and Object (idam). The removal of one destroys the other. During the passive state they are in equilibrium. During the process of cosmic evolution, the first factors is the dual appearance of aham and idam. The Shiva Tattva is postulated to account for the Subject (Aham) of the dual relationship of universal manifestation. The emphasis is on ahaM without any awareness of the existence of idam. It is pure consciousness. The Shakti Tattva is postulated to account for the Object (Idam) of the dual relationship of universal manifestation. It accounts for the universal cause of all motion and change observed throughout the manifest world. Both Shiva and Shakti Tattvas are eterna...

parAsaMvit is the transcendental aspect of Nature or Pure Consciousness, also known as Paramshiva. Since something cannot come out of nothing, the Ultimate Reality must contain all things in their fullness. Therefore it must be: a. chit or Universal Consciousness to account for feeling b. Ananda or Universal Bliss to account for joy c. ichChA or Universal Desire to account for desire d. GYAna or Universal Intelligence to account for knowledge e. kriyA or Universal Action to account for action The eternal substance in which all things inhere is called Chaitanya or Universal Spirit. It is eternal and unmanifest and can be recognized only by spiritual illumination.

Trika or Kashmiri Shaivism is a system of monism based on the Shivasutra attributed to Vasugupta. The name is derived from Trikashasana or Trikashastra. Trika believes that pure consciousness is the spiritual substance of the Universe. It is a system of pure monism which postulates a single reality with two aspects, one Transcendental and the other Immanent. The former is unmanifest while the latter pervades the universes of the manifest universe. As per Trika, consciousness eternally alternates between two phases, governed by the law of karma: a. transcendental or period of potentiality (pralaya) during which all manifestations are dormant b. immanent or active phase (srishti) which is a phase of manifestation A cycle of Pralaya and Srishti, known as Kalpa is supposed to last 4.32 billion years. As far as the nature of manifestation is concerned, Trika postulates that there is only reality  but that it has two aspects, hence the manifestation is real. Trika uses thirt...

Introduction Hindu Philosophical thoughts have their origin in antiquity - for example, as early as the 10th book of Rk Veda,  in the Nasadiya Sukta (RV 10.129), we find the Seer contemplating on the Origin of Universe. However, by the Upanishadic age, dvelopment of various philosophical schools were in full swing. Differences in Philosophy Development Style in East and West Development of philosophical ideas in India, were quite distinct from the way it happened in the Western World. In Greece for example, a philosopher propounded his views. He himself or someone else, documented the ideas and others debated on it. The next philosopher entered the scene and did the same thing and so on. Thus a clear chronology of philosophical ideas is available to the student of history and philosophy. In India, things were different. First of all, there were different schools of philosophy as opposed to a single person, and the inter-school rivalry was intense. Secondly, the entire phil...