परमार्थसार (महामाहेश्वर अभिनवगुप्त - त्रिक-दर्शन, अद्वैत शैव साधना एवं सान्वय सटीक)

18 Paramārthasāra of Abhinavagupta
second and final stage a being studies divine scriptures and works
on philosophy, comes into contact with a right preceptor, receives
initiation in Śaiva path from him, practises yoga, develops correct
understanding about the real truth of everything and finally realizes
such truth through intuitional self-experience. Thus he realizes his
real nature and recognizes himself as none other than God Him-
self. Such self-realization is the aim of Kashmir Śaivism.
As shown above, the monistic absolutism of Abhinavagupta is
quite different from such principle of Advaita Vedānta because
that philosophy takes theism as based on Māyā, an external ele-
ment that comes into contact with Brahman and consequently
presents it as God, soul and the objective existence. Besides, the
Advaita Vedānta takes Brahman to be pure and tranquil conscious-
ness, devoid of all activity. Kashmir Śaivism finds a divine and
subtle stir within such tranquillity of the Absolute. It is the stir of
divine power shining as the infinite blissfulness and such stir is
the Godhead of the Absolute. Such stir of blissfulness of the pure
consciousness is its kriyā without which it can not become aware
of even itself. Such activity of awareness has been taken in
Śaivism as the essence of all consciousness, but the quest of
Vedāntins does not generally go so deep into the secrets of pure
consciousness. The Buddhist absolutism does not at all touch even
the outer level of such theistic consciousness. Their search stops
at the dreamless state of animation and does not penetrate into
the fourth state, the state of intuitive self revelation called the
Turyā state. The theism of Vaiṣṇava philosophers does not go
beyond the mythological conception of God and cousequently
does not penetrate into the realm of absolutism. The pantheists
in the West see everything as God but do not see Him beyond
every thing. Like the Indian Vaiṣṇavas, they avoid absolutism.
Śaivism teaches to see everything as God and also to see Him as
pure and divinely potent consciousness, shining as transcendental
reality beyond the whole phenomenon. The theism of Nyāya-
Vaiśeṣika sees God as a divine authority dependent on many
things other than Him. He has to work in accordance with the
law of nature and the law of karman and has to depend on atoms
etc. Such divine authorities are simply some supergods in Śaivism
and the Absolute God is perfectly self dependent. Besides, Nyāya-
Vaiśeṣika is a pluralistic and non-absolutist philosophy. Many
schools of Indian philosophy maintain that Śakti, the divine power