JÑĀNADĪPIKĀDĪKṢOTTARAVIDHI: A Śaiva initiatory and post-

initiatory manual
Study with critical edition and translation

Dr. T. Ganesan Dr. R. Satyanarayanan

Senior Researcher Researcher
French Institute EFEO, Pondicherry
Pondicherry

• About the text:

This text jñānadīpikādīkṣottaravidhi forms part of the devanagari paper transcript of the
French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP) T. 206, pp. 45-53. It has been copied from a MS
belonging to Ramasesha Diksita, Chamaraja Nagar, Mysore.

• Introduction
In the śaiva system any person that aspires for the attainment supreme state is advised to
undergo the rites of initiation (dīkṣā). The āgama-s and the secondary texts give utmost
importance to dīkṣā and treat this subject in a very elaborate way. Basically it is a rite
which removes the bondages that bind the individual self and confers the supreme
knowledge which leads the self to the highest state.

• Dīkṣā
According to the Āgama-s there are three fundamental realities: the
Supreme Lord (pati) who is śiva, the individual selves (paśu) and the inert
material world (pāśa); while śiva's power of knowledge and action
(jñānakriyāsvabhāva) is unlimited and illimitable that of the individual
self is limited. But the self has the same unlimited power of knowledge
and action like śiva 1 which is covered since beginningless time by an
impurity called mala 2 ; since it pertains to the self it is called āṇavamala.

1
् (Mgendrāgama, Vp, 2:5ab)
चत ं िया प ं तदािन वदा
2
अनािदमलािलनमण ः ितम्
अनािदमलम ु ािमलं
् ् (Kiraṇāgama, Vp, 2:2)
िशव ितम॥
अनािदमलािि ऽ मय िदतः
 2

Thus obstructed the self considers himself to be of limited intellect and

power, always dependent and wrongly identifying himself with the
material psycho-physical body experiences pleasure and pain, births and
deaths 3 . As an inevitable consequence the self, because of its ignorance
gets bound by another bondage, māyā 4 and experiences pain and pleasure
which are the fruits of its karma. Āgama-s declare that being a substance
(dravya) this obstructing agent, āṇavamala, can be removed only by the
power of grace of śiva 5 . This act is technically called dīkṣā which is
performed by śiva 6 through the medium of the guru. Once done, the innate
power of supreme knowledge and action of the self is restored and it starts
manifesting it in all its future activities. According to the Āgamas for
some highly evolved and mature selves, technically called vijñānākala and
pralayākala, śiva directly performs the dīkṣā whereas it is the ācārya who,
himself initiated before and practises regularly all the rites prescribed in
the Āgamas, that performs the rite of dīkṣā for the ordinary men called
sakala 7 . Though physically it is the ācārya that performs the rite,
spiritually it is śiva, who, through the medium of the ācārya that executes
the entire rite of dīkṣā. Varuṇaśiva puts all these ideas and
epigrammatically expresses that "Dīkṣā is that act by which the innate
śivahood is manifested along with the destruction of all the three types of

अनािदमलमुत्वा्सव्ञ ऽस ततः िशवः॥ (Kiraṇatantra,Vp. 2:2 according to Dominic Goodall, 1998)

3
ु
पशरााऽत िचाऽ मल िषतः
ढू िनारी
ं िकि ऽनीर ऽिबयः॥ (Sarvajānottara, Vp, 1:4)
ु
अञ जरनीश ्
ऽयमाा यािजषाः
्  घटािदवत॥् (Pauṣkarāgama, Vp, 1:86)
 ऽिप ािपषयव ात ूवृ
4
्
पश रञतया मायाय ग  गाय कमणाम् (Varuṇapaddhati, 7ab)
5
ू  शवं धाम नयिप(Svāyambhuvāgama as quoted in the comm. Vilocana on Varuṇapaddhati,
दीषव म चय
5ab)
6
मयादीरात मिु नाथा
् यतः(Varuṇapaddhati, 7cd)
7
िवषापारं कु त ानीजलयथा
्
कु त पाशिवष ं िशवं त यया॥ िबया ा क त दीषा(Varuṇapaddhati, 2)
 3

bonadges". 8 It is succinctly said in the text that initiation is characterised

by "devotion [to śiva] and non-attachment [towards worldly enjoyment]" 9
The Kāraṇāgama states that dīkṣā brings forth not only liberation (mukti)
but it also bestows prosperity and removes all diseases. 10
Now it becomes clear that dīkṣā has such a paramount importance in the
doctrinal and ritual scheme of śaivasidhānta system. It is of different types
and it is the duty of the ācārya who performs the rite to decide which type
of dīkṣā his disciple deserves based and the disciples behaviour, mental
attitude, etc. 11 and on the intensity of the fall of grace of śiva which is
called śaktipāta 12 .
• Importance of dīkṣā
All the āgama-s and the successive ācārya-s who had composed ritual
manuals seem to be unanimous in holding that dīkṣā in one form or the
other is the prerequisite to attain liberation. For, as the Ṣaṭsāhasrikāgama
puts it, only after dīkṣā a person becomes qualified to undertake the
religious practices such as worship of the sandhyā, worship of Śiva as
prescribed in the āgama-s, undertake the study of the āgama-s and, if
interested, undertake the practice of yoga as taught in the āgama-s. The
Parākhyāgama goes so far that dīkṣā is the only means to attain liberation
and neither knowledge (jñāna) nor yoga nor ritual conduct (caryā) can bring

8
पाशऽयिवष ं त यया 
िबया ा क त दीषा . . . (Varuṇapaddhati, 2)
9
ि वरा्यलषणा ibid.
्
तात ञानं च ि  वरा्यिमित चानः
दीिषत िचािन पश तािन नाा॥(ibid, 3)
10
्
नराणां म षिथ वपापरं परम ्
वर् गिवनाशाथ धनधामृिदम ्
11
ि  िशव ष ु ा तान िवध 
ु
अननानिमितः ू
िशत ः लिधयामिप (Mgendrāgama, Vp, 5:5)
12
यषा ं शरीिरणां शि ः पतिविनवृय
ु ं मु
तषा ं तीम  ष वित ॥(Mgendrāgama, Vp, 5:4)
 4

about liberation. 13 According to the Skandapurāṇa seeking liberation

without dīkṣā is comparable to the effort of a blind person to walk without
the stick (daṇḍa) or to the effort of crossing the ocean without the aid of a
boat. The Acintyaviśvasādākhya puts the greatness of śaivadīkṣā in such a
way that even all the vedic saṃskāra-s prescibed in the smti texts cannot
bring forth liberation whereas the dīkṣā performed according to the
śaivāgama-s even done in a bad manner will surely bring forth liberation. 14
The Varuṇapaddhati very briefly and succinctly defines the types of dīkṣā
and their special characteristics. There are different types of dīkṣā 15 :
1. Cākṣuṣī- That which is done through the eyes: Here the ācārya looks at
the disciple intently in order that his bondages are destroyed after
meditating on the form of śiva.
2. Sparśadīkṣā: The ācārya after placing, by nyāsa, the five brahmamantra
and the aṅgamantra along with the mūlamantra on his right hand and
touches the disciple from head to foot.
3. Vāgdīkṣā: The ācārya utters the saṃhitā mantra-s after intensely
meditating on his oneness with śiva.
4. Mānasī: The ācārya performs all the external rites with the kuṇḍa,
maṇḍala, etc,internally.
5. śāstradīkṣā: The ācārya teaches the śaivāgama-s; this presupposes the
samayadīkṣā which is the basic and the entrance, as it were, into the
śaiva practices.
6. Yogadīkṣā: The ācārya instructs on the various limbs, such as the
dhāraṇā of the śaiva yoga system 16 ; this also presupposes the
samayadīkṣā.

13
ञानत य गतव चयात ु
् न मत 
दीषया चाऽ मिु  ु वषा ं ूािणनािम 
14
तािदकमागण मलनाश न िवत 
शवागम मागण दीषया म ष एव ि 
15
ु शदीषा
चाषषी ् च वािचकी मानी तथा
शाी च य गदीषा च  ऽीािदरनकधा॥ (Varuṇapaddhati, 15)
 5

Another classification of the dīkṣā is twofold: jñānavatī where all the rites
are done mentally and kriyāvatī which consists in the elaborate
performance of the rites externally. The latter is again divided into nirbīja
and sabīja. For the category of disciples to be initiated such as samayī and
putraka the nirbījā type is done while for the sādhaka and the ācārya the
sabījā type is done. The basic difference between these two is that when
one is initiated in the former type he need not perform the obligatory daily
rites which are done by the initiating ācārya himself during the dīkṣā
whereas he who is initiated in the sabījā variety has to do all the
obligatory rites regularly. Normally the former is done for women,
children, dumb, mentally retarded and for others afflicted by diseases. By
bīja the rites and conducts of the samaya initiate (samayācāra) is meant.
This, again, is divided into śivadharmiṇī and lokadharmiṇī and sādhikārā
and niradhikārā, etc.
The foremost of all the dīkṣā according to Varuṇaśiva is the Nirvāṇadīkṣā
which mainly consists in the purification, for the disciple, of all the six
adhvans: mantra, varṇa, pada, tattva, bhuvana and kalā. It mainly consists
in invoking all the five kalā-s, nivtti, pratiṣṭhā, vidyā, śānti and śāntyatītā
in the thread called pāśasūtra, then removing all these one by one and
thereby making the self free from all the three types of bondage and
finally bestowing all the divine qualities of śiva. The mantra-s which are
the five brahmamantra-s, six aṅgamantra-s and the mūlamantra are
pervaded by the eighty-one pada-s of the vyomavyāpimantra which in
their turn are pervaded by the fifty-one letters; these letters are pervaded
by the thirty-six tattva-s which are pervaded by more than two hundred
worlds (bhuvana) which in their turn are pervaded by the five kalā-s--
nivtti, pratiṣṭhā, vidyā, śānti and śāntyatītā.
• Jñānadīkṣā

16
For a better understanding of the śaiva yoga system one may profitably refer to T.
GANESAN, 2009 : Sarvajñānottāgama, yogaprakaraṇam critically edited along with the
commentary of Aghorśiva with a detailed introduction and translation in Tamil, published
by Sri Aghorasivacharya Trust, Chennai, 2009.
 6

This subject is treated in a detailed fashion in such āgama texts as the

Rauravāgama, vol.III,) 58 th paṭala), Kāmikāgama (uttarabhāga),
Suprabhedāgama, Sūkṣmāgama and in the Acintyaviśvasādākhya. We find
many diffrences in these texts in the treatment of jñānadīkṣā. While the
āgama-s referred above treat in a slightly elaborate way, the text
jñānadīkṣottara under study now, is very brief. There is absolutely no
reference to external elaborate rites in this text. This jñānadīkṣā is
performed without much elaborate procedure of drawing kuṇḍa and
maṇḍala.is one of the variety of hautrī dīkṣā 17 . The entire ritual sequence of
purification of the six adhvā-s—mantra, pada, varṇa, tattva, bhuvana and
kalā—are done by the guru to the disciple mentally and through his yogic
visualisation. In the same way he completely cuts, again purely in a mental
way, asunder all the bondages of the disciple
One may discern certain general features of jñānadīkṣā in all these texts.
1. It is generally performed only to those persons who have complete
detachment from worldly affairs and desires, who have fully
renounced and are intensely desirous of liberation (mokṣa).
2. After the dīkṣā the disciple offers all his possessions—physical,
material and life—at the feet of hid guru and fully devotes himself for
the study of āgama-s (especially the portion dealing with doctrines),
worship of Śiva and meditation.
3. After the dīkṣā thedisciple is taught the āgama-s, mainly those
sections that deal with the doctrines such as the discussion on the
three ultimate realities of śaivasiddhānta—pati, paśu and pāśa. For, in
the present text under study we have a section called dīkṣottara that
briefly discusses the three ultimate realities (tripadārtha), the
evolution of the tattva-s, etc. In the same way, the 58 th paṭala of the
Rauravāgama that deals with the jñānadīkṣā we have the passage, “

17
ृ
ञानवती वका िबयावपरा ता
् मन ापारमाऽतः॥
िवनानलकमािद
दीषाञानवती ू ा क ् ताव धजा
Raurava, Kriyāpāda, paṭala 47, verse 22—23b, p.5, PIFI18.3, 1988.
 7

िशवञान धशा ं दात ् पािदिचनम ्  58: 35ab while the Kāmikāgama

(uttara) 18 and the Sūkṣmāgama 19 prescribes the teaching of the
concept of daśakārya which, again, is concerned with the proper
understanding and meditation of all the tattva-s, the self and Śiva.
This clearly shows that the disciple after jñānadīkṣā becomes fully
qualified for the study and discussion about the doctrinal sections of the
āgama-s and we may say that it is his foremost duty to do so and devote
his life for this till the end.
The concept of jñānadīkṣā seems to be referred in other schools of śaivis
such as the trika system. For, in the Tantroloka, 28: 288 the jñānadīkṣā
is mentioned.

• Conclusion
Thus this brief study that introduces jñānadīkṣā which is one of the
important concepts of śaivism and especially in the school of
śaivasiddhānta along with the first edition of the text
jñānadīpikādīkṣottaravidhi will be interesting for the scholars and
researchers in the field of śaivism. We hope that more such explorative
studies will be undertaken in the future for a clearer and deeper
undrstanding of many interesting and more unknown aspects of śaivism.
• Editorial policies
As the manuscript is the unique one we have to correct the wrong
readings at many places only by ourselves. Th corretions of the readings
at many places have been carried out purely on the basis of general
textual and contextual basis. To show that the corrections are suggested
by us we have indicated so by showing the corrected readings as
‘sampādakīyam’ and the readings found in the manuscript as ‘kośe’.
Scholars may suggest some better readings which we thankfully
welcome.

18
Kāmikāgama (uttara), French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP) devanagari paper transcript T. 298 (II), pp-
201-202.
19
Sūkṣmāgama, IFP T. 112. p. 554
 8

॥ञानदीिपका॥
ु
ू ं ूणािदपरीरम
तातीतं परं   ् 
20

ु ु शवागमबमम॥् १॥
ञानदीष रं व ण
Having prrostrated adipurīśvara who is beyond [all] tattva-s, [who is] the supreme
brahma 21 and subtle, I am going to speak out the [procedure ?] of jñānadīkṣā and the
matters that are beyond dīkṣā [dīkṣottara] as [expounded] in the śaivāgama-s.
ु
चाषािद  ा दीषानकिवधा मता
तऽ  ऽी िधा ञया िबयाञानिवागतः॥ २॥
Dīkṣā is known to have several types beginning with cākṣuṣī and ending with hautrī.
There hautrī is known to be of two types, kriyā and jñāna
शि ूपतनं नाम दीषायां ूािरानः
मं मतरं चव ती ं ती तरं तथा॥ ३॥
In dīkṣā ‘fall of shakti’ means receiving [the grace of Śiva 22 which again] is of four
kinds: slow, slower, intense and more intense.
ु
ु ् तय रा क्डम्डलमि्डता
चतधा
या ा िबयावती दीषा ती ती तरान ः॥ ४॥
अरा त ु या दीषा ा ा ानवती मता
ु ् ं ूय गिवत॥् ५॥
तऽ ञानवत दीषां कयादव

20
ु
ूणािदपरीरम ्
-ादकीयम; ् ूणािधपरीरम
ु ् श
-क
21
ु ं श  परं च यत्
यं मि
ु ं शन शितम॥् Ajitāgama as quoted in Śaivāgamaparibhāṣāmañjarī, 2:1, p.61.
परं तिवमि
22
In all the āgama texts the importance of śaktipāta is highly stressed and the guru is obliged to test the
level of śaktipāta on the disciple before starting to give him dīkṣā since without that the dīkṣā will not be
effective.
ु
Cf. शि पातानारण ु ् 
िश ऽनममित
ु ् जायत 
यऽ शि न ् पितता तऽ शिन
ं
तािािन वी ू
शि पात यशः 
् Vāmadevapaddhati as quoted in the commentary Vilocana by
ञानन िबयया वाथ ग ु ः िशं िवश धयत 
Nigamajñānadeśika on varuṇapaddhati, 2.
The marks of śaktipāta are briefly explained in the following passage:
यषा ं शरीिरणां शि ः पतिविनवृय 
ु ं मु
तषा ं तिम  ष वित  Mgendrāgama, (vidyāpāda), 5: 4
 9

Among the two—kriyāvatī and jñānavatī—the first one includes [rites to be done in the]
kuṇḍa and [the drawing of] the maṇḍala, etc. 23 The dīkṣā done for those persons with
intense and more intense [śaktipāta] and that done internally is called jñānavatī. The
adept in the performance of rites should do the jñānavatīdīkṣā in the following way.
य ्यनषऽयं ग िशं ती ाशि कम्
मयाव दीषायां िनकम् यथािविध॥ ६॥
ू ्
माप तमाचाय ममामना ितः 24 
ू  यथािविध॥ ७॥
िशवावं यं िा ममित
ू ु
ापयद चतं परकूाणवायना
ृ
गीा मनन िशवन  य जयत॥् ८॥
• Preparatory rites [Adhivāsa]
On [a day] of appropriate asterism, the ācārya, after having made the disciple on whom
the śaktipāta of intense type has fallen, complete his daily obligatory duties appropriate to
his earlier samayadīkṣā, visualises himself to be Śiva possessing the body composed of
mantras. He should then take the disciple’s self following the rules through the
performance of pūraka and join it with Siva [visualised to be] dwelling in his mind.
ु
ककदव रचकः िशदगम्
कयात ् ृ
ु ् कतनमारं पगमम ं ु पनः॥
ु ९॥
पायिया तत ंमण ूणवन वा
ु 
पाषरण वा ाध पमा ं 25
ं कारयधः॥
ु १०॥
् ्
अिधवा ऽयमाातः ततः ान ूवतयत
After arresting it firmly by the performance of kumbhaka [he] replaces it in the body of
the disciple through the performance of recaka. [The ācārya] then, makes him drink the
pañcagavya who has already prostrated himself [to the ācārya]. Then the disciple is made
to be the self (?) uttering either the haṃsamantra or the praṇavamantra or the
pañcākṣaramantra. This is called the preparatory rite (adhivāsa) and then [the disciple] is
made ready to take bath.

23
्
शाि ञानवती दीषा िशदं ूिवँय च
ग ु णा य गमागण िबयत ञानचषषा॥
ु
ु ू ्  Vāyavīyasaṃhitā, (uttara), 15: 10-11 as quoted in
माी िबयावती दीषा क्डम्डलपिवका
Śaivāgamaparibhāṣāmañjarī, 3: 80cd-81, p.119.
24
ू ्
ममाना ितः ] ादकीयम ;् ममानितम
ू ् ् श
-क
25
ु ा
पम ु -ं क श
ं -ं ाº; पमान
 10

ु मयािपत ल॥ ११॥

ं ृ शग
दालकत
् ु यं ात  िलतिवमः
आचाय ू
ृ ्
िाषािण दधवरः कतिशवाचनः॥ १२॥
ृ
िशं कतनमार ु ू ः
ं ापिया परः
The ācārya after completing his obligatory rites such as the bath and after applying the
holy ash (bhasma) all over his body and wearing the rosary of rudrākṣa performs the
worship of Śiva. Then he makes the disciple sit on a clean place covered with cowdung
and well decorated with darbha grass.
ु
यं िशवं नमृ  लानञत ग ु ः॥ १३॥
ग ु म्डलम दिषणािमख
ु ऽथवा
ु दिषणामितानलटमानः
ूाख ू ् 26
॥ १४॥
After making salutations to Siva and after receiving the permission [from Śiva] the guru
remaining at the centre of the gurumaṇḍala meditates on Dakṣiṇāmūrti facing either south
or east.
प रीययं ु ा ं दधान य गपिकाम्
् शु मलाधारवि
दान ू ु
ं गदािनलः॥ १५॥
ु
आचिमा ाियनं पिरकयत्
The ācārya wears the pleeted upper garment in the form of yogapaṭṭikā (uttarīya) and [is
seated] on the darbhāsana which is pure. He visualises that the fire from his mūlādhāra to
have been activated by the air from the anus and to have risen upto [the stage of] Candra
(ardhacandra in the dvādaśānta ?) and [finally] make it remain there.
अ द यथा य ु तानष
ू ु दिशकः॥ १६॥
ु
् वनाकः
माा च पदाा च वणाा
कलाा चित षदानन ाििः ॥ १७॥
ु ू
ं ितशततमध
ूवँय ृ ु
ं कम् यथा िछा ञानन िनिशतािना॥ १८॥
् धयििधना ग ु ः
ञानन चानः वान् श
The ācārya having entered the body [of the disciple] along with the six adhvā-s—mantra,
pada, varṇa, bhuvana, kalā and tattva 27 —and their pervasion destroys the karma that

26
ू ् पण ग ु ं िश ु ावयत ् Rauravāgama, III, 58: 19cd
Cf. दिषणामित
27
In the text the tattvādhvā is omitted.
 11

resides in the lower adhvā and which causes bondage with the sharp sword which is the
jñāna. Then with the help of the [same] jñāna he purifies all [the six] adhvā-s.
ृ चतर िधकाम॥् १९॥
मामायाकं िशं का
ु ं
आणव त तां शि मनधाय ु
चषषा
ा तत ु चतं पृथ ु ् २०॥
ृ धाकरम॥
ु ं28 िशवपद च तम्
राम ु िमवातीव श
ु ं
य जियानधानवँयिच त ि॥ २१॥
मातृलषणयं ु ूाादमनना
ु  
The ācārya after having made the disciple to be of the form of mahāmāyā and
ascertaining the āṇavīśakti of the disciple that covers his self [the ācārya] sees him. Then
he separates the consciousness (caitanya) of the disciple which is pure [from the śakti that
covers the self] just as the moon is released from rāhu [after eclipse] and joins it which is
suitable for investigation with the feet of Śiva (level of Siva, state of Śiva) with the
prāsādamantra that is appropriate to him.
् ु
िवधाय िऽपदाथानामपदश ं यथामित॥ २२॥
दीिषतानां यथा य ु ं पिरक िशवकधीः
शरीरमथ ूाणं च जलपवू गरु ः कर॥ २३॥
ं
िनव ित ं िशं यािकं तव
मदीयमव तव मा ं िवचरः दा॥ २४॥
्
ु तं ग ु ः 29 श ः कारयत ूणामिबयाम
इा ् 
30

The ācārya fully concentrated on Śiva, then having imparted the knowledge of three
categories (pati, paśu and pāśa) [to the disciple] according to his capability and having
made him conform to be a dīkṣita makes him offer at the hand of the guru all his body,
wealth and life with water. 31 Then he states to the disciple that stands before him “You
should always move about with the knowledge that whatever you possess till the end of

28
राम ु म ं िनमल
् यथा  Rauravāgama, III, 58: 27cd
29
ग ु ः-ाº; गरु ः-क श
30 ्
ूणामिबयाम-ाº; ् श
ूणमिबयाम-क
31
The Acintyaviśvasādākhyāgama in its chapter called Yogadīkṣā deals with the rites of jñānadīkṣā in a
different way. There also we find that the disciple offering everything he possesses to his guru: शरीरमथ ूाणं
ु िवदयत ् (Acintyaviśvasādākhyāgama, IFP T. 7, 36th paṭala, verse, 34ab)
च गरव
 12

your life actually belong to me”. Then he makes the disciple prostrate before Śambhu, the
supreme guru.
ु
यं िशव शाा 32
ु ् ् ं परम 33् ॥ २५ ॥
कयािाचन
अिय
ू
34
ू
परं  ऽः पजामव ं मापयत्
The ācārya himself performs the worship of Śiva and completes with hymns and stotra-s.
ू ं गरु ः ािधकः पराम॥् २६॥
ृ िशः यं पजा
का
्
वणग ु ः धपदीपािदिः
रः प ू 
The disciple having performed the highest worship of his guru with supreme faith and
with highly beautiful and fragrant flowers accompanied by [the offering of] dhūpa, dīpa,
etc. utters the following:
ं ं त 35
ं ितशताप
ृ ु नाथ मीिशष॥ २७॥

ृ ू पाि मां दिशकर

नापर ऽि कपामत
“Oh compassionate Lord ! Chief among teachers ! You are capable of removing the
affliction of transmigration and there is none else than you [to do that]. Please protect
me”.
इिय
ू
36
ृ िलः॥ २८॥
नाथ ानिप कता
्
तान ािनन ् जयग ु निप
ान 
Having praised in this way and having prostrated to the elders belonging to his own
lineage [the disciple] should feed his guru as well as those elders.
ु कया
शषम ं यं ा ु ् २९॥
ु ् ु पदितम॥
He takes the remainder of the food and recites hymns glorifying the holy feet of his guru.
ञानदीषयमााता दीष रिविधं णु
The [procedure of] jñānadīkṣā has been explained. Hear the procedure of dīkṣottara (the
duties to be performed by him who has been initiated into jñānadīkṣā and other matters).
ु
ूात ाय मनानरिश करम॥् ३०॥
ृ ानपिविऽतः
शरीरश धनं का
ु ् ३१॥
ु व ः 37 शि ं ामनरत॥
शच

32
ु
शाा ु
-ाº; शान ् श
-क
33
ु ् ् -ाº;
् परम
कयािाचनम ् ु ् ् श
् -क
कयािदचनम
34
अिय
ू -ाº- अि
ु -क श
35
त- ु ाº; कत- ु क श
36
इिय
ू -ाº; इि
ु -क श
 13

Having got up [from bed] in the morning [the initiated person] meditates on his guru.
After cleaning his body and purified by performing the bath of holy ashes (bhasmasnāna)
he meditates on the sandhyā, the Śakti 38 who is always united with Śiva and inseparable
just as summer is always united with heat.
मलऽयादत म ु ः ािवञानत रः
ु
ञानत तं िशवं गनाय ु
िनराकलः॥ ३२॥
Thus being free from the three mala-s 39 and ever devoted to the knowledge of self he
meditates well on Śiva without any mental disturbance.
ु
अथािशवय ः िमनायत ्
माितः
ृ ाकम् माचरत॥् ३३॥
अथवाऽचमनं का
Then he meditates deeply on the union of his self and Śiva. Or, after performing the
ācamana he should perform the rite of nyāsa.
ु
श यिष ु कालष ु िवरािकाः
् कातपनम्डल॥
ाषकमािण ृ ३४॥
् ं दा गरु ः पां िनवदयत्
िशवायाऽय
The three śakti-s for the three junctures (sandhyā) are of the form of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and
Śiva. After performing [the worship] of these sandhyā-s he should give arghya thrice to
Śiva in the orb of the sun (sūryamaṇḍala) and give pādya to his guru.
्
जलाधार तीर त ु जपत पाषरं ततः॥ ३५॥
ू चवमा मी वत्
िशवय ग िर ा
He should do the japa of the pañcākṣaramantra on the bank of a water reservoir. In this
way having been well established in the śivayoga he becomes an atyāśramī [he who
transcends the āśrama-s]
ूषािदूमाणन ूमयं च िविचयत॥् ३६॥
He should investigate about the object to be analysed (prameya) by the means of
knowledge such as perception (pratyakṣa).
ु ु िऽपदाथिविनयम
वािम ः णत ् ्

37
ु व ः- ाº; शच
शच ु उव ः-क श
38
Cf. एकवाथत् ईशशि रिमता याऽनक पा िशवा
ु ं ाािद पण ताम ् 
काल पािधवशािजानिदन
ायऽ त ु िनमलािशवय
् ः ि शवी परा
ाऽतः िशव एव ाधकवरयः दा िनमलः ्  Śivapūjāstava, 2
39
Here the impurities pertaining to body, mind and self are referred.
 14

I will now explain the conclusive statements about the three categories (tripadārtha). Oh
best men ! Hear it .
्
िनः वगत ्
ञानिबया पी च िनमलः॥ ३७॥
्ु वल
िनगणः ् कककारण ं तत िदतः
वदिवया य ु ः वानमत
् ु रः॥ ३८॥
अितः परया श ा शरः पित त
Śiva is called Pati. He is eternal, all-pervasive, of the form of knowledge and action,
ever-pure, beyond all qualities, the only cause for [the creation] of all the worlds, ever-
active, knower of the veda-s, possesses the power of action, bent upon blessing all selves
and is always united with the supreme śakti.
ं
शकरादिवनाता ् ॥ ३९॥
ू शि र िमवानलात 40

मणराल कव ् क णािका
या वञा
् िच िपणी॥ ४०॥
ू िनमला
आरिता ा
पःु िबयािका शि ः कमणा
् ं फलदाियनी
ृ
कप ्
किनवात ्
रा पिरकीितता॥ ४१॥
The śakti of Śiva is known to be the power of action and brings forth the fruits of the
karma [of the selves] who does not exist apart from Śiva just as the heat does not from
fire and the light from the gem. [She is] omniscient, compassionate, without beginning or
end, subtle, free from impurities and of the form of consciousness. She always has the
aim to accomplish the five-acts (pañcaktya). 41
पशवििवधा ञया िवञानूलयाकल 
ृ
कलित तऽा आणवकमलावतः॥ ४२॥
ृ ् ृ ूलयाकलः
परमावितकमामावतः
्
कलाणवकममाया ु्
चित िऽियतः॥ ४३॥
The selves are known to be of three kinds: vijñānākala, 42 pralayākala and sakala. Among
them, the first one is covered only with the āṇavamala. The pralayākala is coverd with

40 ्
शि र िमवानलात-ाº; ् श
शि र िमवानलम-क
41
sṣṭi, sthiti, saṃhāra, tirobhāva and anugraha.
ृ ं ृििितितितर
Cf. पिवधं त ं ावाः
ु
तदनमकरण ं ू ं तत िदता | Tattvaprakāśa, 7
42
Cf. Mgendra, etc. & tattvaprakāśa, etc.
पशवििवधा ञया िवञानूलयाकल कलः
 15

two impurities, āṇavamala (paramāvti) and the karma[mala] while the sakala is covered
with three impurities, āṇava, karma and māya.
ृ
आानं कलं व मलनावतचतनः
ं
मायायां चरन ्
िकि तं ूितपत॥ ४४॥
जननािदष ु ःखष ु मीरच िदतः
् ु 43
कमफलता ्
् िनः वगतः ु ४५॥
पशः॥
Now I will talk about the sakala type of the self. The self fully covered by the [āṇava]
mala gets a little consciousness while coming into contact with māyā. 44 By the command
of Śiva the self experiences the sorrows of birth, performs action and enjoys the fruits of
its action. The self is eternal and all-pervasive.
आणवं जं ू ं त्डल
ु ु
तषािदवत्

ु ु ियािनर धकम॥् ४६॥

म ािदगणत
The āṇava[mala] is said to be congenital [with the self] like the husk is with the rice. It is
the cause of qualities such as confusion (moha) and it obstructs the power 45 of knowledge
and action of the self.
कम्46 त ु प्यपापाना
ु ु ःखदम्
ं  पं ख
जाायु ग पण नानािु ूदायकम॥् ४७॥
The karma [mala] is nothing but the effect of good and bad deeds and is the cause of pain
and pleasure. It gives different fruits of action in the form of birth, life and experience [of
pain and pleasure].
ु
शमाया ु
िशवूाितत दयािका
ृ
िनवािदकला पा िशवािधय िपणी॥ ४८॥

् ु ितीयः ात॥्
मलय ु ऽा मलकमयत
् ु कलः . . .
मलमायाकमयतः Tattvaprakāśa, 8– 9a
43
दा ऽनर ापी िविः मल ऽजडः .
् ु ् िकि
कमफलता ः रः पशःु .. (Parākhyāgama as Śataratnasaṃgraha, 18)
Also Dominic Goodall, 2004: Parākhyatantram, published IFP/EFEO, Pondicherry, p.3.
44
Actually kalā the effect of māyā is the cause for slightly removing the cover of mala .
् चरः
कल िलतचतः िवादिशतग
रागण रितािप . . . Svāyambhuvāgama, 32:10
45
In the text the word ‘ātmā’ is used to denote the power (śakti) of the self.
46
कम्-ाº; करं-क श
 16

The śuddhamāyā is the source of the tattva-s that serve as the cause for attaining to Śiva.
It is of the form of the five kalā-s such as nivtti, etc. and it is under the control of Śiva.
ु ू नादािमवः
ता नादः मत ु |
ु ॥ ४९॥
ि ः ादाम ु  ं तािराव
From her [śuddhamāyā] the nāda has come out; from nāda the bindu, from bindu the
sādākhya and from sādākhya the vidyā[tattva] and the īśvara [tattva].
ु
एतािन शतािन नादििरित यम्
ियाकम ु ादां म ियम॥् ५०॥
These are the śuddhatattva-s. The nāda and the bindu have the power of knowledge and
action (dkkriyāśakti); the sādākhya possesses these two powers in equilibrium.
ृ
िबययािधकमीशां िवा ञानािधका ता
ू
लय गािधकाराणां ानतािन तािन व॥ ५१॥
The īśvaratattva possesses the power of action more [than that of knowledge] and the
vidvātattva possesses the power of knowledge more [than that of action]. These tattva-s
serve as the base for the three states (avasthā-s) [of Śiva]: laya, bhoga and adhikāra.
ु ् मयः
िवामराणा ं च वयि ू
They also become the manifesting ground for vidyā, mantra and mantreśvara.
् ् ५२॥
माणामषराणां च वखयािदूिदनाम॥
शानां च म ु िताव
ु ं ूपिदर
These tattva-s become the cause for the creation of mantra-s, the syllables and of the
stages (levels ?) of the sound such as the vaikharī, etc.
्
माया वजगीज ं िना च ाि िपणी॥ ५३॥
्
कालािदपृ ीपयतदूदाियनी
Māyā is the seed of all the [material] world. It is eternal, of the form of confusion and
gives out the tattva-s beginning from kāla upto pthvī.
ु
काल िनयित कला मायायामवमी॥ ५४॥
These tattva-s—kāla, niyati and kalā—araise from māyā.
ू
काल तिवािद ्
प िवूवतकः
Kāla is of the form of past, future, etc. and it sets the world
in motion.
ु
िनयितः शािदकम ् िनिती ूवतत॥
् ५५॥
 17

The niyati decides correctly the good and bad karma and activates them[in producing
their fruits ?] 47
्
कला दात िबयाशि ् ूताावामानः 48 
मउ
The kalātattva gives the power of action to the self which was almost non-existent before.
कलाया 49 िवाराग ूकित
ृ पजायत॥ ५६॥
Vidyā, rāga and prakti arise from kalā.
िवा ञानािकां शि ं रागिां ूयित
Vidyā[tattva] gives the power of knowledge and rāga that of action [to the self].
पताियं ु ः पमान
ु ्
वित चतनः॥ ५७॥
The self united with these five tattva-s—kalā, kāla, niyati, vidyā and rāga—becomes the
puruṣa[tattva].
ु ु
खानगता ु
य ं ूकितिगणूदा
ृ
The prakti is composed of three guṇa-s [sattva, rajas and tamas] which give raise to
happiness, etc.
ु ु
िऽगणाि ं
ा कारत वत॥् ५८॥
From prakti composed of the three guṇa-s come out the buddhi and from it the ahaṅkāra.
ं
अकारिधा ञयजािदूदतः
ु
तजाानं चव पीियािण च॥ ५९॥
ू
कमियािण वकारत तािदकावत्

ू कम॥् ६०॥
शािदपकं ता ायत तप
The ahaṅkāra should be known to be of three kinds, such as taijasa, etc. From taijasa the
mind and the five sensory organs are produced. From the vaikāri [vaikārika] type of
ahaṅkāra the organs of action [are produced]. From the bhūtādi [type of ahaṅkāra] the
five [qualities] beginning from sound and the five elements are produced.
् ु ं ु ं ािकं राजं पनः
धयािदगणय ु
ु ् ६१॥
् ु ं ु ं ूाामं च मदािदयक॥
ब यािदगणय

47
कालानरं मायात िनयितः  ा च कमािण ्ु फलूदािन नाषािमित िनयमतःु 
् कतरव
Śivajṇānabodhopanyāsa ad. Śivajñānabodhasūtra, 4. (See, Dr. T. Ganesan, 2009: Śivajṇānabodhopanyāsa
of Nigamajñānadeśika critically edited for the first time along with an English tranlation to be published by
the Rashtriya Sanskrit Samsthan, New Delhi)
48
उूताावामानः- ाº: उूयाावमानः-क श
49
कलाया-ाº; कलायां-क श
 18

The products of sattva [sāttvika] have firmness (dhairya), etc. as their qualities; those of
rajas [rājasa] have that of cruelty, etc. as their qualities while the products of tamas
[tāmasa] possess arrogance, etc. as their qualities.
्
अथिनाियकािधमा ु वत्
ु ् ् गणा

शतऽयं त ु तदमपिवदतः 50 ॥ ६२॥

The intellect (buddhi) which takes decisions possesses eight qualities beginning from
dharma, etc. 51 Its inner divisions are three hundred based on eight lotuses.
ाव ् प ऽकार
ं ूाणािनलचारकः
52
ं ं
मनः शयक जनयवणादयः॥ ६३॥
शाालना 53 ञया वागािद वचनािदकम्
ू ् ६४॥
कर ित ताकाशमवकाशूदायकम॥
ु
वायलन ्
पः ादिदाकशि मान्
िललं िवतातःु पृ ी किठनलषणा॥ ६५॥
The ahaṅkāra is of the form of I-feeling (feeling of me) and it activates the vital airs such
as the prāṇa. The mind produces doubt and decision. The [sense organs] such as the ear,
etc. are the base for sound, etc. The [organs of action] such as speech, etc. perform the
acts of speaking, etc. Among the five elements the ether gives space [for objects]; the air
has the quality of movement. The fire has the quality of burning; the water is the cause
of flowing and the earth is characterised by solidity.
ृ
ि ः िशव मायाया अनः ूकतरिप
ीक्ठ यथाय गं54 ऽयाणां ूरकायः॥ ६६॥
Śiva is the controller of bindu; Ananta of māyā and Śrīkaṇṭha is the controller of prakti
respectively.

50 ्
अारऽिन माचब ्
पयटः ु ु 
पनःपनः
ु
पलान तषा ं त ु ना ं पँयि पलाः
ु  Pauṣkarāgama as quoted in Dīkṣādarśa, IFP T. 153B, p. 624.
51
Dharma, jñāna, vairāgya, aiśvarya, adharma, ajñāna, rāga (avairāgya) and anaiśvarya are the eight
qualities of the buddhi (buddhidharma).
्
Cf. अधमािदऽय ु
् च चतयम
ं राग धमािद ्
् ं मत  Bhogakārikā, 55.
तम रजःमय ं प ं तमज
52
ं ं
शयक ं ं
-ाº; शयक -क श
53
शाालना-ाº; शाालना-क श
54
यथाय गं-ाº; मथाय गं-क श
 19

िवशुं िऽपदाथाना
् ं ा तिवशषतः

िवचरिप रागािदशः शािदग चरः॥ ६७॥

ु
अृः पिरशाा ु
ाया् च िता तः
िपता च माता च िगनी ाता षऽ ं धनािन च॥ ६८॥
ू
अं ममित वा मिधयािकिषः
म ि 55 ल  वा िर्य वा खिप
ु वा॥ ६९॥
ु वा िरप 
ःखऽ ारय वा तथा िद
Having realised the purity 56 of the three categories (padārtha = pati, paśu and pāśa) by the
special features of each of the tattva-s one does not become attached even though moving
around in the mental states such as attachment (rāga), etc. and among the sense objects
such as the sound, etc. one does not get attached [by them]. He who has destroyed
attchment such as me and mine towards wife, daughter, son, father, mother, siste,
brother, property, wealth becomes free from sins. He sees the clod and glod, happiness
and misery, snake and valuable necklace and friend and foe as equal.
ःिखतष ु कपा ु
ृ मऽी िखत ु ृ ु च॥ ७०॥
प्यक
ु
मिदता ु 57 िनमलाशयः
बमताायानपषा ्
्
विविनम ु ् ७१॥
्ु ः िशवमकमनरन॥
ू जािचनाम
अनिवषय ा ं ्
Compassionate towards those who are suffering, (in misery), to be friendly towards
those who are happy, to be glad towards those who do holy deeds and to be indifferent
towards wicked, 58 with pure mind (intention ), free from all dualities, 59 without thinking
any other objects, mediatting on Śiva alone he should completely abandon all external
thoughts.
ं ु
अितपावनिषामाऽतमानः॥ ७२॥
मािधरित काल ावधानः िशवागम

55
म ि-ाº; म -क श
56
One of the ten acts (daśakārya) prescribed by the Kāmikāgama (uttara) is tattvaśuddhi.
57
The text is not clear here. But definitely the four spiritual qualities (mental dispositions)—maitrī, karuṇā,
muditā and upekṣā-- are intended here.
58
Cf. Yogasūtra, 1:33
59
Dualities such as sukha and duḥkha, heat and cold, etc.
ु ःख म कृ ा लााला जयाजय 
Cf. ख
ु
तत याय ु
य नव ं पापमवाि  Bhagavadgītā, 2:38
 20

िशवाचन् िशवान िशवमजपऽिप वा॥ ७३॥

ु त वदा
कालषप ं ूकव ् िविजतियः
During the time when he is not in intense contemplation he should be satisfied with the
pure food that he begs as alms. He, with full control of his sense organs should always
spend his time with attention on the [study of] the śivāgama-s, worship of Śiva,
meditation on Śiva and recitation of śivamantra. 60
ृ
िशवाञया िवना याणाममिप न चलत॥् ७४॥
ृ ं िशवाताम्
तािवाकं िवं मा क
नीतः ाीयमिखलं िशवायव िनवदयत॥् ७५॥
Since even a blade of grass does not move without the command of Śiva so he should
realise the entire universe to be Śiva. Having himself become Śiva he should offer
everything belonging to him only to Śiva.
िशवानरतव गरु राञाकरः षमी
ु ं
आनखिव य गिनिामन ु जत॥् ७६॥
Being immersed in the meditation on Śiva, following the command of his guru with
petience he should resort to yoganidrā in order to realise the absolute bliss.
ु
इािवतप्याा िशवय गी िनगत
्
यऽ यऽ वत ान ृ
कदष ु ृ ् ७७॥
ु प्यकत॥

त ावनं त शं तीथ तप वनम्

He whose self has been purified in this way is called a śivayogī. Wherever he stays even
for a while that becomes sacred, famous (well known ), a place of pilgrimage and a
hermitage.
ु ु चर पितता नराः॥ ७८॥
अ प्यानषग
ं ं िशवल कं जमी
न याि वताप

60
The eight-limbed śivabhakti is highly extolled in the ancient śaiva text, Śivadharma.
ू
म जनवां पजाया ं चानमु दनम ् 
यमचन् ं चव ममाथ चाचनम ् 
मथा वण ि ः रनऽािविबयाः 
ु
ममानरण ं िनं य मामव पजीवित 
्
ि रिवधा षा यिन ऽिप वतत् 
ु
 िवू मिनः ् यितः  च पि्डतः  Śivadharma, 1: 27-29.
ीमान 
 21

Those persons who come under the vision of this holy man will not be tormrnted by
transmigration. They will reach the world of śiva.
ृ
ग यिद वा ञानी िशव गरु रिप॥ ७९॥
ु त िनशः
ू ं कव
िशवञानपरायणः पजा
ू
एवजाजपः ु ु ् ८०॥
 ऽिप िशवायमायात॥
A householder or a jñānī devoted to the śivajñāna [śaivāgama-s] should daily do the
worship of Śiva or his guru. He who does the worship and the japa in this way also
attains union with Śiva.
ु ं शां म षककारणम्
अूकाँयिमदं ग
िवना िशं च पऽु ं च नापर ूकाशयत॥् ८१॥
This science which is the only cause for liberation should be kept secret and it should not
be revealed to persons other than one’s disciple or son.
॥ इित ञानदीिपकादीष रिविधः॥
 22

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Acintyaviśvasādākhyāgama, French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP) devanāgari paper
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Sanskrit University, Varanasi, 1988.

Parākhyatantra A Scripture of the Śaiva Siddhānta, A critical edition and annotated

translation by Dominic Goodall, Collection Indology – 98, IFP/EFEO, Pondicherry,
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 23

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