The Aphorisms of Siva: The Sivasutra With Bhaskara's Commentary, the Varttika

267 Pages·1992·11.81 MB·English

by  Mark S. G. Dyczkowski

THE APHORISMS OF SIVA
SUNY Series in Tantric Studies
Paul E. Muller-Ortega, editor
THE APHORISMS OF SIVA
The with
SivaSutra
Bhaskara's Commentary, the
Varttika
Translated with Exposition and Notes by
Mark S. G. Dyczkowski
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

CONTENTS
Foreword ix
The Siva Sutras xiii
Introduction 1
THE FIRST LIGHT
The Description of the Light of
Universal Consciousness 9
THE SECOND LIGHT
The Arising of Innate Knowledge 65
THE THIRD LIGHT
The Vibration of the Powers 93
Appendix: The Stanzas on Vibration 181
List of Abbreviations 187
Notes 189
Bibliography 209
Index 211

This book is dedicated as a tribute to my family
and as an offering to the Supreme Being
Who makes all things possible.

FOREWORD
It is indeed a pleasure to introduce this book as part of
the ongoing program of publication by SUNY Press in the
Tantric Studies Series. With this translation and exposition of
the Sivasutra and two of its commentaries, Mark Dyczkowski
makes a serious and weighty contribution to the study of the
Shaiva traditions of Kashmir. The importance and usefulness
of this book—which includes a first rendering of Bhaskara's
Varrtika on the Sivasutra—may be stressed on several grounds.
First of all, because the Sivasutra stands textually at the foun-
tainhead of the nondual Shaivism of Kashmir, the present
translation of the Aphorisms of Siva expands our understand-
ing of the early phases of this tradition. Moreover, while previ-
ous translations of this text have primarily focussed on the
influential commentary by Ksemaraja (known as the
Vimarsini) Dyczkowski has chosen to translate along with the
aphorisms the important comment by Bhaskara as well as
another, anonymous commentary on this foundational text.
These commentaries—here rendered for the first time in
English—open a wider commentarial panorama within which
to read and interpret the aphorisms. Finally, Dyczkowski has
added his own lucid and patient exposition of each sutra, with
the added benefit of continuously comparing Bhaskara's com-
mentary to Ksemaraja's position. In this way Dyczkowski
brings forth the many levels of meaning contained in this fun-
damental text and weaves them together into a rich interpre-
tive tapestry for the delectation of the reader.
In the various commentaries on the Sivasutra, one
encounters several versions of what might be called a textual