अथैकविंशमाहिकम् । एवं समस्तं नित्यं नैमित्तिकं कर्म निरूपितम् । अधुना अस्यैव आगमस्य प्रामाण्यम् उच्यते । तत्र संविम्मात्रमये विश्वस्मिन् संविदि च विमर्शात्मिकायां, विमर्शस्य च शब्दानात्मकतायां सिद्धायां, सकलजगनिष्ठवस्तुनः तद्गतस्य च क र्मफलसंबन्धवैचित्र्यस्य यत् विमर्शनं तदेव शास्त्रम् - इति परमेश्वरस्वभावाभिन्न एव समस्तः शास्त्रसंदर्भो वस्तुत एकफलप्रापकः एकाधिकार्युद्देशेनैव, तत्र तु परमेश्वरनियतिशक्तिमहिम्नैव भाग भागे रूढिः लोकानाम् इति । केचित् मायो चतभेदपरामर्शात्मनि वेदागमादिशास्त्रे रूढाः, अन्ये तथाविध एव मोक्षाभिमानेन सांख्यवैष्णवशास्त्रादौ, परे तु विविक्तशिवस्वभावामर्शनसारे शैवसिद्धान्तादौ, अन्ये सर्वमयपरमेश्वरतामर्शनसारे मतङ्गादिशास्त्रे, केचित् तु विरलविरलाः समस्ता-वच्छेदबन्ध्यस्वातन्त्र्यानन्दपरमार्थसंविन्मयपरमेश्वरस्वरूपामर्शनात मनि श्रीत्रिकशास्त्रक्रमे, केचित् तु पूर्वपूर्वत्यागक्रमेण लङ्घनेन वा - इत्येवम् एकफलसिद्धिः एकस्मादेव आगमात् ।
Chapter Twenty-One Thus, all the rituals of the indispensable (nitya) and occasional observances (naimittika) have been described. Next, the evidence of this āgama237 will be elaborated. This universe is composed solely of consciousness, which abides in a consciousness charac terized by reflective awareness (vimarśa), which has been ascer tained to be its inner verbalization or articulation (śabdana).238 Šāstra, the sacred text, is of the nature of reflective awareness
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manifesting itself in the form of all substances existing in this uni verse, along with the diversity of the relations of deeds and their results. Therefore, the entire corpus of sacred texts is not differ ent from the very nature of the Lord. In reality, it is the giver of one fruit, but because of the regulating power (niyati) of the Lord, people are strongly attached to its various divisions for the fulfill ment of more than one purpose. Some are strongly inclined to the Vedas, having the characteristic cognition of duality born of māyā Others who are also like them are strongly attached to Sāmkhya and Vaisnava doctrines with erroneous notions concerning libera tion. Still others are attached to Śaiva Siddhanta, etc., which is, in esser e, the reflective consciousness of the nature of transcendent śiva. Others are attached to the Matamga āgamas, etc., which is characterized by the reflective consciousness of immanent śiva. But some, the rarest of the rare, are deeply attached to the doc trines of the Trika school,239 characterized by the reflective con sciousness of the nature of the great Lord, free from all limi tations, whose highest essence is freedom and bliss, and who is composed of pure consciousness. Yet others, also forsaking the former, and also the latter, either leaving it or transcending it, thus attain the accomplishment of a single purpose by following only one āgama.
भेदवादेऽपि समस्तागमानाम् एकेश्वरकार्यत्वेऽपि प्रामाण्यं तावत् अवस्थितम्, प्रामाण्यनिबन्धनस्य एकदेशसंवादस्य अविगीततायाः अनिदन्ताप्रवृत्तेश्च तुल्यत्वात्, परस्परबाधो विषयभेदात् अकिंचित्करः | ब्रह्महननतनिषेधवत् संस्कारभेदः संस्कारातिशयः तदभावे क्वचित्
अनधिकृतत्वम् इति समानम् - आश्रमभेदवत्, फलोत्कर्षाच्च उत्कर्षः - तत्रैव उपनिषद्भागवत्, भिन्नकर्तृकत्वेऽपि सर्वसर्वज्ञकृतत्वमत्र संभाव्यते - तदुक्ततद तिरिक्तयुक्तार्थयोगात्, नित्यत्वेऽपि आगमानां प्रसिद्धिः तावत् अवश्योपगम्या - अन्वयव्यतिरेकाध्यक्षादीनां तत्प्रामाण्यस्य तन्मूलत्वात्, ‘सत्यं रजतं पश्यामि’ इति हि सौवर्णिकादिपरप्रसिद्ध्यैव, प्रसिद्धिरेव आगमः सा काचित् दृष्टफला ‘बुभुक्षितो भुङ्कते’ इति बालस्य प्रसिद्धित एव तत्र तत्र प्रवृत्तिः
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नान्वयव्यतिरेकाभ्यां - तदा तयोः अभावात्, यौवनावस्थायां तद्भावोऽपि अकिंचित्करः, प्रसिद्धिं तु मूलीकृत्य सोऽस्तु कस्मैचित् कार्याय, काचित् ऐक्यपर्यवसायिनी, सा च प्रत्येकम् अनेकविधा - इत्येवं बहुतरप्रसिद्धिपूर्णे जगति यो यादृशो भविष्यन् सा तादृशीमेव प्रसिद्धिं बलादेव हृदयपर्ववसायिनीम् अभिमन्यते - इति रिक्तस्य जन्तोः अतिरिक्ता वाचोयुक्तिः, तासां कांचन प्रसिद्धिं प्रमाणीकुर्वता अभ्युपगन्तव्यमेव आगमप्रामाण्यम इति स आगम आश्रयणीयो यत्र उत्कृष्टं फलम्, इत्यलमन्येन ।
संवित्प्रकाशपरमार्थतया यथैव . . . . भात्यामृशत्यपि तथेति विवेचयन्तः। …. सन्तः समस्तमयचित्प्रतिभाविमर्श
’ सारं समाश्रयत शास्त्रमनुत्तरात्म || इति श्रीमदभिनवगुप्ताचार्यविरचिते तन्त्रसारे आगमप्रामाण्यप्रकाशनं नाम एकविंशमाह्निकम्।।२१।।
Even in dualistic doctrines, it is accepted that all the āgamas, being the creation of one Lord, are considered to be authorita tive. Depending on the validity, in one place non-contradictory harmony regarding truth with harmony occurs, and as a result one is inclined to some activity; while thinking that it is not so, one becomes disinclined. Therefore, they are similar. Mutual opposi tion with a difference of subject matter is of no account. Killing a brahmana and the prohibition of it are like the difference between purity and excellence of the soul. In the absence of saṁskāra, one fails to earn the right to follow the code of conduct.
Therefore, the argument is the same for both, like a difference of aśramas. It is said that the excellence of any action is deter mined by the excellence of its fruit, like the Upaniṣadic portion of the Vedas.240
If we admit that all the sacred texts (śāstras) were created by different authors, even then we may suppose that all the śāstras were created by omniscient authors. This is because the āgamas are associated with the concepts explained by omniscient authors,
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as well as other relevant matters. If the eternality of agama be sup posed, even then the logical arguments, i.e., anvaya and vyatireka, perception, etc., as well as their validity, are grounded in tradi tion (prasiddhi).241 A notion such as “I see real silver” depends on somebody else’s knowledge, as in this case on a goldsmith’s knowledge.
- Therefore, the tradition (prasiddhi) is agama. To some, it gives a perceptible result, as, for example, one who is hungry eats. A child becomes engaged with each individual object only because of being impelled by prasiddhi, and not by the logical connec tion of cause and effect, and its negation. At that age, there is an absence of logic, etc. Furthermore, at that age, its presence is of little use. Inference of the logical connection of cause and effect, and its negation, taking recourse to prasiddhi, are required for the accomplishment of some action. Some prasiddhis are the givers of unseen results, such as emancipation after death, dissolution in prakr̥ti, and emancipation of the soul. Other prasiddhis bestow similarity with śiva, while others terminate in the oneness [with Śiva]. These seen and unseen results are again manifold. There fore, in this world full of different traditions (prasiddhis), what ever state a person will have in the future, he selects that kind of prasiddhi and is forced to accept it as something highly desirable (or undesirable). For this reason, what would be the purpose of verbal argument in regard to a person who is quite empty? From among those prasiddhis, one should be taken as valid, and the validity of that agama should be accepted. Therefore, a person should take recourse to whichever agama grants excellent results. What could be the purpose of further arguments?
As the wise person considers the light of the conscious ness shining as supreme reality, in the same way, he is aware of self-consciousness. Therefore, one should take recourse to that holy text which is the essence of the intuitive light of reflective consciousness characterized by the all-inclusiveness of anuttara.
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A person exists in the behavior devised by his own con viction of common usage, but only becomes free from doubts when he becomes the supreme Lord, after attain ing steadiness in the highest prasiddhi, the transcendent.