Kashmir Saivism: The Central Philosophy of Tantrism (New fully revised and enlarged edition)

The present work is an exposition of the philosophy and religion of the Trika system, popularly known as Kashmir Saivism. Kashmir Saivism is the most prominent system of the Tantric tradition. The author considers Kashmir aivism the true or central philosophy of Tantrism. In this book, he attempts to present a logical analysis of the Tantric position of Abhinavagupta. He has also shown, according to his understanding, what remains unresolved and unanswered in his philosophy, but he admits that in the present work he is mainly playing the role of advocate of Abhinavagupta rather than critic. He is trying (a) to justify the Tantric position from the rational point of view, (b) to work out a consistent philosophy of Kashmir aivism, (c) to present the rationale of the abstruse Tantric sÈdhanÈs, (d) to trace out and clarify the inner thread of logic running through the entire system of thought, and (e) to demonstrate the soundness and significance of Kashmir Saivism.