Abhinavagupta lived between 950 and 1025 CE and was known as a mystic and philosopher.
Profile
Abinavagupta was born into a family of mystics and scholars in Kashmir but it is not known whether he was born into a Brahmin family or a Vaishya family. Abhinavagupta was not his real name, it was a title conferred on him. He has stated that his birth was mystical and he termed it ‘yoginibhu’ which means born of a ‘yogini’, a female practitioner of yoga or a female spiritual teacher. It is believed that he was endowed with the powers even while he was in the womb. He was also a musician, dramatist, poet, theologian and logician. He wrote commentaries on various texts and one text that made him very popular all over the country was his commentary on Natyasastra known as ‘Abhinavabharati’. It is said that his end came with his disciples. He took 1200 disciples with him and went off to a cave chanting the Bhairava Stava. Abhinavagupta and his disciples were never seen again.
Philosophy Propounded
Abhinavagupta was born into the family of people who worshipped Shiva in the form of Bhairava. The philosophy that he followed was Kaula and Trika. Kaula also known as Kulamarga or Kula is a tradition that worships ‘Shakthi’, mother goddess and ‘tantric Shaivism’ which means magical rituals which are still prevalent but flourished in the first millennium AD. Trika originated in 850 CE and it was known as Trika Shaivism and later known as Kashmir Shaivism. This philosophy believed on the supreme head of Lord Shiva alone, Shiva with power Shakti, rolled into one; the nondual tradition of Shiva-Shakta Tantra.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
During his lifetime, Abhinavagupta wrote about 35 works and they fall into different categories – devotional songs, religious rituals and philosophical works. The work which made him famous pan-India was ‘Tantraloka’. This is an encyclopaedia on the practical and philosophy of Kaula and Trika.
