The Ajaḍa-pramātṛ-siddhiḥ of Utpaladeva: Its Purpose, Relevance, and Relationship to the Īśvara-pratyabhijñā-kārikā

In the beautiful valley of Kashmir In India, there flourished in the 9th to 11th centuries circa a dynamic intellectual environment of the pursuit of the meaning of life and an energetic dialog among the numerous philosophical schools engaged in that pursuit. Among these was the development of a unique non-dual school that came to be known as Pratyabhijñā, Recognition. Based on ancient agamic wisdom, it presented a compelling and coherent picture of how the universe including its creatures were all a manifestation of a single divine energy of consciousness. They named this unitary consciousness Śiva. The purpose of life then became the understanding or recognition, of one’s unity with this divine consciousness. Its most influential text, the Īśvara-pratyabhijñā-kārikā, (Verses on the Recognition of the Lord), was written by Utpaladeva. Utpaladeva also wrote numerous other texts, including a short and elegant text called the Ajaḍa-pramātṛ-siddhi. The article here discusses this text and shows how in a space of less than 30 verses, Utpaladeva managed to present the lofty themes of the entire Pratyabhijñā system. A companion article presents a complete translation of the text.

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Anand MundraComment
Karunashtake by Ramdas Swami

We present here two poems by the seventeenth century Marathi master, Ramdas Swami. He is unique in that he was not part of the “Varkari Sampradaya” that most other well-known Marathi poet-saints, including Jnaneshwar, belong to. He was a real no-nonsense kind of master, advising the great Marathi king Shivaji in matters of kingly administration. These two poems show the other, more vulnerable side of the poet-saint.

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Aham Vimarsha – I consciousness

Aham Vimarsha , I-Consciousness, is a central term and concept in Kashmir Shaivism. First formulated by the celebrated Utpaladeva, who established the Pratyabhijna (Self- recognition) school of thought in Kashmir Shaivism, it sets apart the essentials of the living vs. the non-living. It is simultaneously the door, the path and the goal of the system.

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Janabai

Janabai was a contemporary of Jnaneshwar. She was a maidservant at the home of the famous Namdev, whose love and relationship with Vitthal is legendary. It is said, so powerful was her bond with Krishna, that he used to come grind wheat with her. Her poetry brings out her remarkable intimate relationship with Krishna, the relationship, through which she attained to the supreme knowledge beyond all form.

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The Ajaḍa-pramātṛ-siddhi Of Utpaladeva - A Summary

Utpaladeva, the grand-guru of the celebrated Abhinavagupta, wrote the Pratyabhijna Karikas (Verses on Self Recognition), setting down the principles of the Pratyabhijna philosophy, the doctrine of Self-Recognition in Kashmir Shaivism. The Karikas are a voluminous work of over 700 verses, with four major commentaries of much greater volume. Utpaladeva also wrote a very short work, Ajada Pramatr SIddhi. It could be argued (and debated) that this short work presents the essentials of the system, at least from the point of view of practice. English translations of this work do not appear to be readily available. We provide here a first draft of an English rendition of this short work. Comments are welcome.

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