Prakasha

(“illumination”) In Hindu tantra, a
secret, ritually based religious practice,
prakasha is one of the bipolar opposites that are used to characterize the
nature of all reality, with its counterpart being reflection (vimarsha).
These two terms are particularly
important for the creation of the world,
which is said to happen when the pure
and radiant consciousness (prakasha)
of the ultimate Brahman becomes
self-conscious through the reflection
(vimarsha) of this original consciousness. From one single consciousness,
the absolute then evolves into a binary
divinity—the god Shiva and his consort Shakti—whose continued interaction combines to create the world. For
further information see Jaideva Singh,
Pratyabhijnanahrdayam, 1982. See
also cosmology.