Abhinavagupta

Abhinavagupta

अभिनवगुप्त, abhinavagupta

Abhinavagupta (end of 10th – the beginning of the 11th century) is an Indian religious philosopher, poet, mystic and author of works on aesthetics. He practiced music, wrote poems and plays, interpreted ancient texts, was a theologian and a logician. Abhinavagupta is one of the most prominent representatives of the non-dualistic Kashmir Shaivism. The poet Madhuraja claimed that Abhinavagupta was the incarnation of Shiva-Bhairavanath.

Abhinavagupta was born in Kashmir to a family of scientists and mystics, studied philosophy and art for fifteen years. The parents of Abhinavagupta came from families of brahmins and were well-educated. His mother Vimala (Vimalakala) died when he was two years old. His father Narasimhagupta after the death of his wife led an ascetic life, raising three children. Father was the first teacher of Abhinavagupta, teaching him grammar, logic and literature.

He studied with many teachers, but it is especially worth noting the philosopher and tantric Utpaladeva.

In the work of Abhinavagupta, three main periods can be distinguished. The first, the Tantric, is primarily the generalization of the ritual and mystical practice of Kashmir Shaivism (the treatises “Tantra-sara” (Essence of Tantra), “Tantra-aloka” (Light of Tantra), “Para-trimshika-vivarana” (Interpretation of thirty [six shlokas] About the Supreme [Deity]), etc.). The second period is devoted to works on aesthetics and poetics (Comments on “Natia-shastra”, or “Shastra on Dramatic Art”, “Lochana” (Eye) – comments on the treatise “Dhvanyaloka” (Light of the Dhvani) of Anandavardhana). And the third period includes philosophical works of Abhinavagupta (Commentars to "Ishvara-pratyabhijna-karika" of Utpaladeva and others), in which he sought to find an acceptable synthesis between the two main philosophical schools of Kashmir Shaivism – "Spanda" school and "Pratyabhijna" school. The basis of the teachings of Abhinavagupta was the idea of the cosmic union of two entities (more precisely, two aspects of the same indivisible entity) personified in the image of Shiva (the clear light of the consciousness "prakasha") and his beloved Shakti (dynamic, active aspect, reflecting this light "vimarsha"). Shiva and Shakti remain in a state of constant pulsation, the wave-like movement of “spanda”, in accordance with the rhythms of which the universe is unfolding and again collapsing. The same pulsation of consciousness is manifested in every living being, and as soon as the adept correctly recognizes this nature in himself, he comes to the sudden mystical insight of "pratibha", "recognition" (Pratyabhijna) of himself as the supreme Lord, during the ecstatic trance, fully identifying himself with Shiva. The same theological concept was reflected in the aesthetic theory of Abhinavagupta, according to which "recognition" that causes aesthetic pleasure is possible only because the same essence is inherent in the souls of the artist and the viewer, the poet and the listener (the concept of "sahridaya" or the idea of a "co-empathic" listener). The very aesthetic pleasure "rasa" is seen rather as leading to liberation than simply as the idea of pleasure.

As one of the greatest philosophers of India, Abhinavagupta had a strong influence on Indian culture.

Abhinavagupta was an opponent of the established way, based on caste and gender differences in spiritual practice. He criticized those philosophical systems for which strict discipline was a necessary condition of spirituality – systems in which the pursuit of enlightenment was the legitimate right of only a select few. He was opposed to the idea that spiritual revelation is possible only in a purely monastic environment, and that those who lead a family life should wait for its sunset to fully devote themselves to spiritual goals.

The ideas of Abhinavagupta were radical for that time, but since his words were based on direct experience, no one could refute them.

Having attained the eight siddhis, he manifested six signs of spirituality: his unswerving devotion to Shiva, the complete attainment of the mantra-siddhi, control over the five elements, the successful completion of all undertaken actions, the complete mastery of the science of rhetoric and poetry, and the spontaneous descent of all philosophical knowledge.