Rajanaka Kṣemarāja (क्षेमराज) (late 10th to early 11th century) was a philosopher disciple of Abhinavagupta,[1] who was considered a master of tantra, yoga, poetics, and dramaturgy.[2] Not much is known of Kṣemarāja's life or parentage. His chief disciple was a sage known as Yogāraja.[3]
Kṣemarāja's magnum opus was the Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam ('The Heart of Self-Recognition'). In this text, Kṣemarāja explains the main tenets of the Pratyabhijñā philosophy in a succinct set of sutras for students. The work occupies the same place in Kashmir Shaivite or Trika literature as Sadananda's Vedantasara does in Advaita Vedanta.
Works
- Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam
- Spandasandoha
- Spandaniraya
- Svacchandoddyota
- Netroddyota
- Vijnanabhairavoddyota, a commentary on the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra
- Shivasūtravimarśinī, a commentary on the Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta
- Stavacintamanitika
- Parapraveshika
- Tattvasandoha.[2]
Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam
The text elucidates the main tenets of the pratyabhijñā system in a succinct set of sutras, expounding the core of the philosophy and explaining how self-recognition arises within, culminating in the consciousness of Shivoham (I am Shiva).[4][5] Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam consists of 20 aphorisms plus a commentary by Kṣemarāja himself.[6] Translations are given by:
- Singh, Jaideva (1982). Pratyabhijñāhrdayam. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 8120803221.
- Tagare, G.V. (2002). The Pratyabhijna Philosophy. Motilal Banarsidass.
Chapter 18 is also commented on by Shankarananda (2016).
See also
References
- Wilberg, Peter (2008). Heidegger, Phenomenology and Indian Thought. New Gnosis Publications. ISBN 978-1-904519-08-9. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- Kshemaraja, w/ trans. and commentary by Jai Deva Singh (1963). Pratyabhijnahridayam. Bungalow Road, Delhi 110 007: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 8120803221.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)CS1 maint: location (link) - Lakshmanjoo (2015). Kashmir Shaivism. Lakshmanjoo Academy. ISBN 978-0-9966365-2-0.
- Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- Wilberg, Peter (2008). Heidegger, Phenomenology and Indian Thought. New Gnosis Publications. ISBN 978-1-904519-08-9.
- Mahaffey, Patrick J. (26 October 2018). Integrative Spirituality: Religious Pluralism, Individuation, and Awakening. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-87975-3.
Sources
Shankarananda (2016). The Yoga of Kashmir Shaivism: Consciousness is Everything. Motilal Banarsidass.
Further reading
- Pajin, Dushan (1987). "The legitimacy of the term "philosophy" in an Asian context". Journal of Indian Philosophy. 15 (4): 349–362. doi:10.1007/BF00178813. S2CID 141406044. (subscription required)
External links
- mahayana.org, Sanskrit text of the Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam with English translation
- Gabriel Pradipika, Sanskrit text of the Pratyabhijñāhṛdayam with translation