Dīkṣā
The instruction of the śāstras concerning dīkṣā is that, to attain progress on the spiritual path (adhyātmika life), the reception of dīkṣā is, in general, indispensable. The embodied self (jīva) is indeed no different from Śiva Himself. Bhagavān (Lord Kṛṣṇa) himself, through His līlā or divine play, has self-manifested as the jīva in the world of māyā. The jīva, in spite of being an eternal part of the Supreme Consciousness (Bhagavat-svarūpa), has remained engaged in the endless cycle of existence from primordial non-origination in certain doctrines. Because of this the ācāryas have described the jīva as having an eternal outwardly turned disposition (anādi bahirmukha)[1]. In both views, for the jīva to attain establishment in its eternal being (nitya-svarūpa), the aparokṣa jñāna or non-mediated realisation of ātma-tattva can only be obtained from the guru.
The process by which the guru bestows this aparokṣa jñāna upon the śiṣya is called dīkṣā. In the Kulārṇava Tantra it is said:
dīyate vimalaṃ jñānaṃ kṣīyate karmavāsanā
tasmāt dīkṣeti sā proktā jñānibhiḥ tantravaibhiḥ
Unless the attainment of Pure Knowledge (vimalaṃ jñānaṃ) and the dissolution of the desire that arises from karmic action go hand in hand, the true purpose of dīkṣā cannot be accomplished. In certain tantra-scriptures it is mentioned specifically that dissolution of the karmic burden along with the attainment of Śiva-being (śivatva-yojana) actually constitute the sign of dīkṣā. This is to say that the knowledge by which karmic deeds (pāpa) undergo dissolution and Śiva-being is attained is the actual divya-jñāna.
Isolated liberation (kaivalya-mukti) is not the actual purpose of dīkṣā. For even without dīkṣā, if spiritual discernment (viveka-jñāna) of ātman and anātman arises, the ātman may attain kaivalya-mukti. But in that, no union of the embodied self (jīvātman) and the Supreme Self (Paramātman) is established. Therefore, for the jīvātman who is Śiva-being itself, such kaivalya cannot be regarded as the absolute goal (parama puruṣārtha).
The scriptural conclusion (siddhānta) is that the jīva cannot be liberated from the ignorance of the subject (pauruṣa-ajñāna) by any means other than dīkṣā. And it is also true that without the cessation of pauruṣa-ajñāna, the realisation of Śiva-being within the jīva, who is indeed Śiva himself, is impossible. Even when the ignorance of the subject has been removed, so long as the jīva is not freed from cognitive ignorance (bauddha-ajñāna), it cannot realise its own Śiva-being obtained through dīkṣā. Therefore, through sādhana, cognitive discernment (bauddha-jñāna) must be produced and cognitive ignorance must be removed.
When, through the grace of the Guru (gurukṛpā), one's own Śiva-being (Śivasvarūpa) wells forth before oneself, the embodied self then experiences itself as Śiva and tastes the nectar of liberation-while-living (jīvanmukti). Upon the exhaustion of one's reckoning (prārabdha), at the moment of departing the body, the arising of the knowledge of the subject (pauruṣa-jñāna) occurs. Then comes true and stable abiding in one's Śiva-being. This dīkṣā is the very gateway to the unfolding of the ātman's own divya-jñāna.
The fruition of piercing the six centres (ṣaṭcakra-bheda) and the fruition of dīkṣā received from the Sadguru are one and the same, namely, the opening of the eye of wisdom (jñāna-netra). In the process of piercing the six centres, one must through one's own exertion awaken the Kuṇḍalinī and breach each centre in succession. But in the matter of dīkṣā bestowed by the Sadguru, it is through the Guru's grace alone (gurukṛpā) that the veil covering the embodied self is lifted. However, until the citta becomes pure, it cannot experience this uncovered being. For this reason, spiritual disciplines such as yoga remain necessary
Glossary of the Technical Terms
Sanskrit / Bengali Term | Translation Used | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Dīkṣā | Dīkṣā (retained) | Spiritual initiation bestowed by the guru upon the śiṣya |
Jīva / Jīvātman | Embodied self | The individual self bound in the cycle of existence |
Paramātman | Self (capitalised) | The Supreme Self; distinguished from jīvātman by capitalisation |
Ātman | Self / ātman | The self in its pure aspect; context determines rendering |
Śivasvarūpa | Śiva-being | The essential being of the self as identical with Śiva |
Nitya-svarūpa | Eternal being | The self's own timeless essential being |
Gurukṛpā | Grace of the Guru | The transformative grace flowing from the Sadguru |
Sadguru | Sadguru (retained) | The true or realised Guru |
Aparokṣa jñāna | Non-mediated realisation | Direct, immediate realisation as opposed to inferential knowledge |
Ātma-tattva | Self (as principle) | The principle or truth of the Self |
Māyā | Māyā (retained) | The cosmic power of appearance/concealment |
Līlā | Divine play | The Lord's spontaneous self-expression as creation |
Anādi bahirmukha | Eternal outwardly turned disposition | The jīva's beginningless orientation away from the Self |
Bhagavat-svarūpa | Supreme Consciousness | The essential being of the Lord |
Vimalaṃ jñānaṃ | Pure Knowledge | Unblemished, untainted knowledge |
Karmavāsanā | Desire arising from karmic action | The latent impressions and cravings generated by karma |
Śivatva / Śivatva-yojana | Divinity / attainment of Śiva-being | The realisation and establishment of one's Śiva-being |
Divya-jñāna | Divya-jñāna (retained) | Divine knowledge; the supreme gnosis |
Kaivalya-mukti | Isolated liberation | Liberation as mere aloneness of the self, without union with Śiva |
Parama puruṣārtha | Absolute goal | The highest end of human existence |
Viveka-jñāna | Spiritual discernment | The discriminative knowledge distinguishing ātman from anātman |
Pauruṣa ajñāna | Ignorance of the subject | The ignorance pertaining to the puruṣa or subject; removable only by dīkṣā |
Pauruṣa jñāna | Knowledge of the subject | The knowledge that arises upon exhaustion of prārabdha at death |
Bauddha ajñāna | Cognitive ignorance | Ignorance at the level of buddhi; removed through sādhana |
Bauddha jñāna | Cognitive discernment | The discernment produced through sādhana that removes cognitive ignorance |
Prārabdha | Reckoning | The portion of karma already set in motion; must be lived through |
Jīvanmukti | Liberation-while-living | Liberation attained while still embodied |
Ṣaṭcakra-bheda | Piercing of the six centres | The yogic process of awakening Kuṇḍalinī through the six energy centres |
Kuṇḍalinī | Kuṇḍalinī (retained) | The dormant spiritual energy awakened through yogic practice |
Jñāna-netra | Eye of wisdom | The faculty of direct spiritual perception |
Citta | Citta (retained) | The mental substance; the field of consciousness at the individual level |
Sādhana | Spiritual disciplines | Disciplined practice undertaken for spiritual purification and realisation |
Siddhānta | Scriptural conclusion | The established doctrinal conclusion of the śāstras |
anādi bahirmukha: literally “beginninglessly outward-turned.” The expression is well known in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava literature (e.g., Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20), where it describes the jīva as turned away from Bhagavān from anādi (non-origination) due to forgetfulness. In the present context, however, the term is employed within a non-dual Śaiva–Tantric framework. Here, “outwardness” does not denote devotional deviation but the beginningless externalization and contraction of consciousness under māyā, whereby the jīva becomes identified with manifestation rather than its own svarūpa ↑
