Mālinīvijayottaratantra (Malini Vijaya uttara Tantra): Chapter 1 (pure) - Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir

Jagadānanda is the highest Bliss to be achieved in Trika Shaivism. Its attainment amounts to Liberation in this system. It is the supreme Joy of realizing that the universe is not different from Paramaśiva, one's own Self. In a nutshell, it is the Bliss emerging from the total realization of unity with all the things.

All these famous Vedic Ṛṣi-s, inspired by the Grace of Paramaśiva, resorted to Kārttikeya (the Destroyer of demon Tāraka) in order to achieve success in Yoga. They came to him as he is celebrated due to his compassion to people sinking in the ocean of Saṁsāra or Transmigration full of sorrow (to be born to die, and to die to be reborn, etc.). After saluting him properly, they felt extremely happy for that. Then, they asked him to teach them that Yoga which is the key to be successful in Yoga. This sounds a little redundant, but it is true: You cannot meet with success in Yoga without practicing Yoga.

Now Kārttikeya begins to tell the story of Mālinīvijayottaratantra. He narrates that the Goddess (Pārvatī), i.e. Umā (the Splendor of Paramaśiva), one day approached the Great Lord and started to describe the story of this scripture:

First there was a massive Tantra called Siddhayogīśvarītantra containing 90 million stanzas (overwhelming!). This Tantra was divided into three sections dealing with bheda, bhedābheda and abheda (dualism, mixture of dualism and non-dualism, and non-dualism). As this first version was absolutely heavy, Paramaśiva reduced it to 30 million stanzas (still overwhelming!). This version was called Mālinīvijayatantra. In it, the path of Yoga has been extensively explained by the Great Lord. But again, Paramaśiva needed to reduce the size due to the weak intellects of the beings. He then created a 12,000 stanzas version, which is a compendium or summary of the 30 million stanzas version.

Even such a short version of the scripture containing 12,000 stanzas could not be understood by the thousands of small-minded ones. Though it looks like a joke, it is not one. Many important scriptures in the Vedic tradition are lengthier than that. So, Śakti kindly asks Paramaśiva two things: (1) Summarize the still long version being composed of 12,000 stanzas, and (2) narrate it for the spiritual success of all the beings. As a result, the Great Lord had to smile, because even the 12,000 stanzas version was very difficult for a lot of people at that time. The final result was the scripture we are studying right now: A super compressed version furnished with only 1281.5 stanzas called Mālinīvijayottaratantra. I can say that, at the time I am writing this translation and notes, the scripture should be shortened into something even smaller in size, e.g. 10 stanzas. The problem now is not only the massive presence of people with weak intellect, but also the overwhelming presence of people without any intellect almost. By 'intellect' here I mean: An intellect which is minimally fit for studying scriptures of this magnitude and depth. The intellect being referred to here is not an intellect that is only good for mathematics and so on.

The last compression of the massive teachings contained in Siddhayogīśvarītantra is known as Mālinīvijayottaratantra (the Tantra we are studying right now).

Though the Great Lord Śiva is obviously the Supreme Self (Paramātmā), since He is now positioned as the narrator, He can say that He received this Mālinīvijayottaratantra from the Supreme Self (Paramātmā), in whom there is no duality at all in the form of someone narrating and someone listening to the narration. So, it is Himself in an inferior aspect receiving the teachings from Himself in a superior aspect. And this superior aspect is always non-terrible because it is merged into the non-dualistic Truth.

Next, Śiva exhibits the name of the five pramātā-s (experients/knowers) of the first five tattva-s (read Tattvic Chart): Śivapramātā (experient/knower of Śivatattva and Śaktitattva), Mantramaheśvara (experient/knower of Sadāśivatattva), Mantreśvara (experient/knower of Īśvaratattva) and Mantra (experient/knower of Sadvidyātattva). Additionally, a fifth experient called Vijñānākala (experient/knower of the upper region of Mahāmāyā, between tattva-s 5 and 6) is also included as 'acceptable', i.e. his state is desirable despite of the stain of some limitation. But next, all the absolutely mayic world derived from the three mala-s or impurities (Āṇavamala, Māyīyamala and Kārmamala), i.e. from Āṇavamala between tattva-s 5 and 6 down to the earth element (tattva 36), is 'rejectable' always.

Āṇavamala inoculates the notion of 'lack of fullness' in the minds of all the beings affected by limitation. Māyīyamala inoculates the notion of duality, and Kārmamala inoculates the notion of doership. All these three mala-s are to be abandoned.

In this mayic world there are two experients/knowers: Pralayākala (deeply sleeping in the womb of Māyātattva) and Sakala (the lowest experient/knower being affected by the whole three mala-s). This matter about what is acceptable and rejectable should be perfectly understood or a lot of confusion will arise. And this confusion is again an undesirable result from the mayic world.

When the spiritual aspirant not only know what is rejectable but so he is able to completely abandon it, then he gets all types of perfections in Yoga. In the group of what is acceptable, Īśa (i.e. Śiva), is the One who does all that exists in this universe. He is completely Peaceful, i.e. His essential nature cannot be altered by the impetuosity of the creation of different objects. He is also Omniscient because His Power pervades it all. Besides, He can do, undo or do otherwise at will, i.e. He is the Lord who accomplishes all.

Paramaśiva has parts, has no parts and is infinite. He covers all the possibilities always. And His Supreme Power is like Him because is absolutely one with Him. There is no time or space in His essential nature despite the use of a conjugation in periphrastic perfect tense indicating remote past: bodhayāmāsa (He awakened... a long time ago). Nonetheless, in order to display the universal Sport, in the Tantra He specifically wrote: 'At the beginning of the universal manifestation'. At that time, in this universal Play, He awakened, i.e. He promoted eight Vijñānākala-s (stationed between the tattva-s 5 and 6) to the tattva-s 4 and 5, transforming them into Mantreśvara-s (lords of tattva 4) and Mantra-s (lords of tattva 5). And because all this 'creation' is only Him always, He, like them, proceeded to create 70 million Mantra-s (both the Mantra knowers and the sacred formulas constituting their bodies) together with their arrangements (deities and everything else related to such Mantra-s). These Mantra-s specifically emanated from the mouth of Anantabhaṭṭāraka, the chief of the Mantra-s.

Ātmā or Self is the Great Lord because there is nobody else here. This Ātmā is said to be of four kinds. Kṣemarāja explains this well in his commentary on the seventh aphorism of his Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam. There he explains that He becomes śūnya (the void), prāṇa (the vital energy), puryaṣṭaka (the subtle body) and śarīra (the physical body). Void is the sphere of the Pralayākala knower who remains in deep sleep, while the vital energy, and the subtle and physical bodies are the sphere of the Sakala knower who remains in dreaming and wakefulness. The subtle body is constituted by intellect, ego, mind and the five subtle elements (Tanmātra-s), while the physical body is fully formed by Mahābhūta-s (gross elements).

Vijñānākala knower is a middle stage between the mayic world (tattva-s 6 to 36) and the kingdom of God (tattva-s 1 to 5). This knower is semi-divine for sure. He is full of the realization that he is Śiva, but he has no Freedom (he cannot move). So, he is hardly acceptable, but acceptable nonetheless, such as the Tantra previously indicated. The superior knowers (Śivapramātā, Mantramaheśvara, Mantreśvara and Mantra) are always divine and highly acceptable indeed. Anyway, the Pralayākala and Sakala knowers are rejectable always. One should perfectly understand this truth or a lot of confusion will emerge later in his spiritual path.

Actions following dharma such as indicated in the scriptures or not following it, are marked by the experiences of pleasure, pain, etc. By the Will of Paramaśiva, the desire to enjoy arises in him (in the limited knower who is just Him but appearing in a very conditioned way).

The King of all Mantra-s (since He, in the form of Anantabhaṭṭhāraka --the chief of the Mantra knowers--, generated the 70 million Mantra-s), in the case of Himself appearing like a limited knower, firstly penetrates into His own Māyāśakti (not Māyātattva), i.e. into His Power to create duality, with all His śakti-s or powers (i.e. all the higher powers in Him will also go through contraction and limitation like Him and they will appear as all the beings and objects in the vast universe). After entering like this, He produces the entire universe only for the limited knower (who is Himself also) to succeed in generating enjoyment. There is no other reason for this universe in this downward movement of Śakti, from Śiva (tattva 1) down to the earth element (tattva 36). In the future, also created by Him in this universe, such a limited knower will wish to stop his frantical search of enjoyment in order to attain his own essential nature again. This is the upward movement of Śakti. In this ascendant movement, the existence of the universe is only for pushing the limited knower to higher and higher levels of consciousness. There is no other reason for the existence of the universe during the upward movement of the Supreme Power.

The stanza is describing Māyāśakti or the Power of Śiva which is able to create duality where there is only non-duality. The Māyātattva is just a byproduct of this Māyāśakti. She is only one. Her nature is Vyāpinī because She penetrates it all. Additionally, She is also called Vyāpinī because of her penetrating into the Śikhā above Brahmarandhra. To understand what I am saying, please read Meditation 6 (the last three stages). She has no parts despite Her becoming endless portions in this universe. She is the Treasure of the universe because of Her being an infinite Source of Freedom replete with Bliss. She has no beginning or end too, and never changes or decays even a little bit. She is verily the Great Power of the Lord always busy in creating duality for the Sport called the universe to go on. He and She remain eternally one and the same Highest Reality indeed.

For understanding tattva-s or categories, apart from the already mentioned Tattvic Chart, you can start with Trika 2 and next continue to read all the pages up to Trika 6 in the 'Trika (overview)' subsection of the 'Trika' section in our main website. All the tattva-s, from Kalātattva (category 7) down to Niyatitattva (category 11) are the well-known kañcuka-s or sheaths of Māyātattva (category 6). And sometimes, even Māyātattva is also considered to be another sheath.

The limited knower being referred to here is Sakala, because Vijñānākala is not affected by Kārmamala, and Pralayākala, though affected by this mala, is only potentially so as he is all the time engrossed in the void of deep sleep. And only limited beings perform actions (karma). The Lord performs 'acts' (kṛtya) always. In the case of the limited being (Sakala in this context), Vidyātattva (category 8) separates or divides his actions into cause and its effect. In other words, in the world of the limited knower, the actions have a cause and their respective effects. This paves the way for the Karma Law to get fully operative later. Additionally, Rāgatattva (category 9) gratifies him with its own limited impure pleasures, which forces him to grow attached to such enjoyments. So, the limited being, leaving aside his own inherent Supreme Bliss, embraces the new miserable pleasures which are just an invention of Rāgatattva.

Niyatitattva (category 11) pushes this limited knower to perform actions, which finally triggers the machinery of Karma. Kālatattva (category 10), remaining in the form of all kinds of measurements (tuṭi-s and the rest), divides and separates him. In other words, it divides him in multiple parts and separates him from his essential state as Niṣkala or Without any parts at all (undivided). One tuṭi is the space occupied by two and a quarter fingers laid side by side. This unity of measurement is used to understand the yogic processes of breathing. For example: The entire exhalation occupies 16 tuṭi-s from the center of the heart, where it starts, up to the external point where it ends. This amounts to 36 fingers. Yogī-s make efforts to reduce this 'natural' span of breathing to 15, 14 or even 13 tuṭi-s. The shorter the number of tuṭi-s the more one realizes his own divinity. There are techniques given in Vijñānabhairava, in which knowledge about tuṭi-s is fully used, and in Tantrāloka (chapter 7) Abhinavagupta explains this topic in detail. Enough of this for now!

Directly from Kalātattva (category 7), the Māyāśakti of Paramaśiva manifested Avyakta, the unmanifested Prakṛti (category 13) which is the source of all the materialistic creation. Next, from that very Prakṛti, She (Māyāśakti) manifested the three Guṇa-s or Qualities of Sattva (Goodness), Rajas (Passion) and Tamas (Darkness). After this, from those Guṇa-s She manifested Buddhi or intellect (category 14), which is furnished with 8 attributes, viz. (1) dharma (virtue), (2) jñāna (knowledge), (3) vairāgya (dispassion), (4) aiśvarya (lordship), (5) adharma (absence of virtue), (6) ajñāna (ignorance), (7) avairāgya (absence of dispassion) and (8) anaiśvarya (absence of lordship). The first four are sattvic while the last four are tamasic. Finally here, this glorious Māyāśakti emits Ahaṅkāra or ego (category 15) from Buddhi itself. While intellect is indicated as the determinative faculty, ego is just that which appropriates. For example, one has a thought all of a sudden, and ego thinks: 'I think'. The constant work of ego appropriating thoughts, emotions and the like as well as external objects and people creates the notion that one is the mind and that one is connected with other objects or beings through affection, attachment, etc.

Ego has three aspects: (1) Taijasa, which is sattvic and gives rise to Manas (mind) and Jñānendriya-s (Powers of perception) (categories 16 to 21), (2) Vaikārika, which is rajasic y gives rise to Karmendriya-s (Powers of action) (categories 22 to 26), and (3) Bhūtādika, which is tamasic and gives rise to the subtle elements (Tanmātra-s) (categories 27 to 31). You can clearly see all these categories in the Tattvic Chart.

All this is clear, as I specified before, from reading the Tattvic Chart. Anyway, there is a little difference regarding order in the case of the Powers of action. The real order is the one given in the Tattvic Chart, i.e. power of speaking, power of handling, power of locomotion, power of excreting and power of sexual activity and restfulness. Meter requirements sometimes force a writer to adapt his text in strange ways. So, it is understandable. In prose, due to the absence of such strict requeriments, there is not such problems.

All the mayic world where the Pralayākala and Sakala knowers reign is the whole circle or territory of Saṁsāra (Transmigration from one mood to another mood, from one emotion to another emotion, from one body to another body, etc., all of which is replete with sorrow). This whole world containing oceans, continents, innumerable living beings, etc. changes (i.e. moves, continues to work) only due to the Will of the Great Lord. There is no other cause of this. As this is so, one cannot say that one is separated from His Will. There is never such a separation anywhere. This false notion of being separate from the Will of the Supreme Lord is summoned by His own Māyāśakti too.

The entire universe is just a compact mass of Joy and Consciousness because it emerged from the Great Lord who is a compact mass of Joy and Consciousness. He made all this slight effort of manifesting the universe only for the beings who desire to enjoy. And He is all these beings too since in this compact mass of Joy and Consciousness there is no room for anyone else. To fully realize this simple truth amounts to the attainment of Final Liberation in Trika Shaivism.

Here the Lord defines the state of a Sakala knower very precisely. His territory extends from the category 7 down to the category 36. In the category 6 (in Māyātattva), there is the knower called Pralayākala who is deeply immersed in the void of Māyā. Most of the living beings are engrossed in enjoying the universe one way or another. Anyway, there is a very small group of living beings who desire to destroy the state of Sakala or enjoyer of the universe. This is the group of the serious spiritual aspirants who are not entirely satisfied with the level of enjoyment they are having. They want the whole thing and not only a limited portion of the All. The only way to destroy this state in oneself is moving in the direction of considering the entire universe to be a compact mass of Joy and Consciousness and not otherwise.

There is this practice performed by the yogī-s, in which they reabsorb all the tattva-s from Manas (mind, the category 16) down to the earth element (tattva 36) in their source, i.e. in Ahaṅkāra (ego, the category 15). This ego has three aspects, as I mentioned before: Taijasa (sattvic), vaikārika (rajasic) and bhūtādika (tamasic). I explain this technique to reabsorb all the physical universe in ego and beyond here: What is enlightenment according to the six traditional philosophies and Trika?

They do not want the universe and limited enjoyments. These yogī want the Delight of Paramaśiva who consists of Śiva and Śakti instead. Despite all the practices they may perform: The total destruction of the state of Sakala (and of Pralayākala too) only happens by realizing that this entire universe is just the Body of the Great Lord. The attitude of unity in all the things ultimately leads to Liberation of this wretched Sakala state which is just another Play of frisky Paramaśiva. At the end of all their practices, these yogī-s, by completely perceiving that the universe is only a compact mass of Joy and Consciousness, will lastly attain their goal.

This is extremely long to explain really. Śiva Himself, the Adorable One, elevated a group of 118 Rudra-s (eternally free souls), whose bodies are the size of a thumb, on account of their doership, i.e due to their fitness in performing their duty regarding manifestation, maintenance and withdrawal of the universe. He promoted them to the category 4 (Īśvaratattva), to the tattva where the Lords of the Mantra (the Sovereigns of Aham) reign supreme. Next, after these 118 Rudra-s took possession of their own circles (territories), gave Brahmā, etc. the fruits of worldly enjoyment and spiritual Liberation. Of course, the magnitude of this experience of worldly enjoyment and spiritual Liberation is in accordance with the level of strength of Brahmā, etc. Later, the very 118 Rudra-s gave the same fruit to the Seers (Ṛṣi-s) such as Atri, Pulastya, Marīci, Vasiṣṭha, etc. And afterward, they gave the same fruit to the great lords of the manvantara-s (periods of around 308.5 million human years in which the Manu-s or Progenitors of humankind rule). Currently humankind is under the sway of the seventh Manu of this Kalpa (period of 4,320,000,000 human years in which Brahmā is awake, i.e. it is the day of Brahmā), whose name is Vaivasvatamanu (the son of the god of the sun). There are 14 Manu-s per Kalpa... oh well, it is something very long to explain and understand. With this is more than enough for you. As these 118 Rudra-s live in the fourth tattva where time does not exist, Śiva (the author of the Tantra-s) is using Present Tense. Anyway, for the sake of clarification I used the Past Tense in my explanation here.

Within the kingdom of Brahmā (the creator of the material universal), this teaching dealing with what is to be accepted and what is to be rejected is enough. This universe has just merely emerged from the depths of the Power of Śiva as if it were a sprout.

In other words, those thirty-five million Mantra-s in Sadvidyātattva (category 5) got full Liberation. In a nutshell, half the number of all Mantra-s created by Anantabhaṭṭhāraka (the chief of the Mantra knowers) attained final Emancipation which is realization of inherent unity with Paramaśiva.

When this Ātmā is ready to receive spiritual Liberation, the peaceful Śakti of Lord Śiva appears at some moment and bestows such a Liberation on him. She is peaceful because there is no objects in Her. When one sees objects as different from subjects, this is bondage. But when one sees objects and subjects merged into the Supreme Power, this is Liberation.

At the moment of the contact with the Power of Śiva, some will be immediately liberated, while others will need more time. This is the meaning.

Only real spiritual aspirants (the ones who are engrossed in Śakti) with a genuine desire to attain not only wordly enjoyment but, more importantly, spiritual Liberation, are led to a genuine Guru who is nothing but the personification of the Supreme Master.

After receiving the initiation of Śiva, in very few cases, the experience is so overwhelming that the spiritual aspirant gets Bhukti and Mukti and just leaves the body immediately. Great Yogī-s like this are called videhamukta-s (liberated ones who abandoned the body at the time of their Liberation). In most cases, the Great Yogī will survive the massive experience of His Glory and will continue to live like a jīvanmukta (liberated while living). Anyway, his Liberation is not complete due to the presence of the body (Śiva has no body). So, after he lives here for some time, he leaves his body and merges into Śiva.

All this process is without krama or succession, i.e. it is akrama or direct.

For other people, the attainment of worldly enjoyment and spiritual Liberation is not so fast and direct. They instead need another kind of initiation: The initiation in Yoga. After receiving this initiation, and after having gotten all the necessary knowledge about Yoga, that spiritual aspirant practices Yoga for, generally, a long time. At the end of all that yogic process, he achieves perfection in Yoga and the resulting eternal State, i.e. he enters into the Being of Śiva.

This process is with krama or succession, i.e. it is not direct but it requires the spiritual aspirant to practice Yoga for, generally, a long time.

After attaining perfection in this Yoga based on succession (an indirect means to worldly enjoyment and spiritual Liberation), such a spiritual aspirant attains the Supreme State (the State of Śiva) and from that moment he will never become a limited being again. Instead, he will completely rest on his own essential Self which is full of Light.

One way to divide Ātmā or Self into four kinds is like this: (1) Jīvātmā (microcosmic Self), (2) Śivātmā (macrocosmic Self), (3) Paramātmā (Supreme Self beyond the universe) and (4) Śuddhātmā (also called Nirmalātmā), which is completely immaculate, never touched by actions and associated with pure intelligence. According to Śiva, each kind of Ātmā there contains again other four divisions. Here Śiva is specifying that the divisions of ācārya (master), sādhaka (adept), putraka (spiritual son) and samayī (neophyte) are coming under Śuddhātmā. In Tantrāloka (chapter 4) you can read more about initiation of ācārya, sādhaka, putraka and samayī. It is a long topic really.

There are many kinds of karma (actions, duties, rites) which are to be done. The traditional division for these types of karma is as follows: (1) Nityakarma (daily obligatory actions, e.g. ablutions, japa or muttering of a mantra, meditation, etc.), (2) Naimittikakarma (occasional rites to be performed on certain occasions, if you will excuse the repetition, in a special way according to the precepts of the Guru), and (3) Kāmyakarma (optional rites, e.g. rituals for some desire in the heart of the aspirant to come true). While the categories of ācārya and sādhaka can perform the three types of karma, the remaining two categories (putraka and samayī) can only perform Nityakarma during their whole life, by Śiva's bidding. Anyway, Abhinavagupta, the greatest Trika Master, does not seem to be very interested in these karma-s. He only recommends daily worship of the chosen deity by following the instructions given by the Guru.

Śiva is now declaring that this first chapter is about the special knowledge about what is acceptable and rejectable. I never found a name for this chapter anywhere, but you could call it: 'Upādeyaheyavijñānam' (Special knowledge about what is acceptable and rejectable). This science of what is to be accepted and what is to be rejected is very important. 'Śivapramātā (Śiva Himself), Mantramaheśvara (Great Lord of the Mantra Aham --I AM--), Mantreśvara (Lord of the Mantra Aham), Mantra and even Vijñānākala (the knower who knows he is Śiva but at the same time has no Śakti or Power (no Freedom)' are acceptable. But 'Pralayākala (the knower who has no Power after experiencing a dissolution —the knower of the void of deep sleep—) and Sakala (the knower who has limited power and is bound by all the three mala-s or impurities)' are rejectable.

The word 'siddhi' has many meanings (achievement, perfection, supernatural power, etc.). In this case, in my opinion, it should be interpreted as 'achievement'. So, the last part of the stanza would read: 'there is absence of secrecy regarding all the achievements'.

From the Śiva's viewpoint, practically almost the whole humankind dwells in a state (Pralayākala and Sakala) which should be rejected. Yes, it is correct. Only a few people, by means of His Grace, can escape from the clutches of His terrifying Māyā. There is no doubt about this. Hesitation about the desirability or undesirability of the states of Pralayākala and Sakala must be discarded or one's own elevation to higher levels (the acceptable ones) will never take place.