Ranchi (VSK). Kashmir, a treasure trove of philosophers has given the
world innumerable intellectual gems who gave new paradigms to the whole
world by virtue of their spiritual knowledge, extensive penance and
self realization. Several religions and sects have flourished in
Kashmir. Existing order changed several times but that never eliminated
the earlier order.
Acharya Abhinavagupta is an important link in this tradition. Acharya
Abhinavagupta was a great philosopher and literary critic. He was the
tallest scholar of Shaiva philosophy. He was not only an exemplar
preceptor of Advaita Agama and Pratyabhigya Darshan,
but several streams of knowledge systems converged in him. Many schools
of Bharatiya intellect and penance coalesced in his towering personality
and flows ahead as a powerful stream.
The intellect of Acharya Abhinavagupta has greater acceptability as
he trained and graduated himself under many foremost contemporary
teachers and mentors in several schools of knowledge. He learnt grammar
from his father Narsimhagupta. Likewise, Lakshmanagupta was his teacher
for Pratyabhigya Shashtra and Shambhunath of Jalandhar Peeth was his teacher for the practice of Kaul sect.
Ancestors of Acharya Abhinavagupta were related to renowned scholars
in the Court of Kannauj rulers. His ancestor Atrigupta had come to
Srinagar at the behest of victorious king Lalitaditya Muktapeed of
Kashmir. Yogini Vimalakala was his mother who died in the childhood of
Achaya Abhinavagupta.
Knowledge hungry Acharya Abhinavagupta studied under 19 eminent
teachers including his chief preceptor Lakshmanagupta while remaining
bachelor. He shared his knowledge by scripting many books. He became a
true example of the verse ‘Shatahaste Samahara Sahasrahaste Vikir’ (Acquire by 100 hands and distribute by 1000 – giving back more to the society)
He wrote on all the aspects of Shaiva philosophy. He was the author
of around 50 books. Acharya Abhinavagupta traversed way ahead of his
contemporary Shaiva philosophers by writing volumes like Tantralok, Paratrinshika vivran, Parmarthsaar, Tantrassar, Geetarthsangraha along with treatise on Natyashastra and Dhwanyalok.
He declared sound as the ‘fourth dimension’. He did not reject the
preaching and contents of Geeta but expressed them metaphorically. It
was also acceptable to him if one saw Shiva in the form of Krishna. He
presented Kaurav – Pandav war as conflict of Vidya vs Avidya (Spiritual
vs Worldly).
In the last days of Acharya Abhinavagupta, his followers used to see
him as mantrasiddha sadhak (Disciple who mastered the mantras – hymns)
and incarnation of Lord Bhairav.
Around the age of 70, he and his disciples entered a cave in Beerawa
village in Badgam district near Srinagar chanting the hymns of Lord
Shiva. He immersed himself with Lord Shiva on 4th January 2016. The cave
exists even today and is known as Bhairav gufa.
It would be a true homage to Acharya Abhinavagupta to enlighten the
whole world, especially the youth of Kashmir with the life and deeds of
this legend who interpreted the ancient spiritual and cultural heritage
of Kashmir in a new unifying philosophy with the challenges of times, in
this era of ideological fanaticism.
1 Comments
This should be translated into Tamil and published in Vijaya Bharatham.Most of the tamil people are not aware of this.Fortunately I was taught about him by my father because he was a Samskrit scholar and I was fortunate enough to study Samskrit under him.
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