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Thread: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

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    List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Namaste,

    Shaivas interested in studying scriptures often ask questions like
    -Where do I start?
    -Which texts should I study?
    -How deep should I go? etc.

    Unlike certain sampraydas which have central texts(for ex.The BG or a Purana),Shaivism has many traditions and each one emphasises different scriptures. In spite of this, I propose that we should develop a list.

    Some texts are easily understood whereas some require more effort.For example,one can't suggest a Saiva Bhasya on Brahma Sutras (say,Neelakanthiya Sivadvaita),Shvetasvatara Sruti or the Saiva Agamas to a student who has just began studying Saiva Dharma.It would be practical to separate texts into categories such as: 'For Entrants’, ‘Advanced Texts’, ‘Bhakti oriented’,‘Lengthier Texts’, ‘Works by Sivacharyas', etc.

    To build a list is by no means an easy task as knowledge about the vast amount of Saiva scriptures and allied literature is required.I don't think my knowledge of Shaivism is encyclopedic, yet since the questions I mentioned in the beginning of the post appear frequently in HDF I strongly feel that we should have a list at hand. Initially this list may not be exhaustive but as time passes it can be updated/modified.

    Summing up, the two compelling reasons to have a list of Saiva texts are:

    1. A list would give an idea of the scriptures and help aspirants to take a step forward by enabling them to select a text for study.

    2. Those who weren’t interested in studying scriptures previously or were put off by the vastitude or complexity of scriptures might chance upon a text or even a portion of a Saiva scripture and studying it will benefit them greatly in their spiritual practice.


    This list and the classification scheme I put forward are rudimentary but before proceeding further I request members to give their opinion/suggestions regarding this idea.


    He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Namaste!
    I love this idea.. Looking forward for list..
    Pranam
    Aasato ma sat gamay
    tamaso ma jotirgamay
    mrityorma amrutamgamay
    (Bring me from asat to sat, bring me from darkness (ignorance) to light (knowledge), bring me from death to immortality)
    Om Namah Shivay
    Om Vishnave Namah

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    hariḥ om̐
    ~~~~~~
    namasté

    Some years back one of our members (saidevo) listed out many reference books and sites...
    Here is just one post that lists many :
    http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?1655-A-Personal-Hindu-Library&highlight=scriptures


    If you search on posts offered by saidevo you will find even more.

    इतिशिवं
    iti śivaṁ
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Quote Originally Posted by Soul of Light View Post
    Namaste!
    I love this idea.. Looking forward for list..
    Pranam
    Namaste Soul of Light Ji,
    I concluded that there are no Shaivas online!And then you replied,thank God!,there are at least two now.
    Rather than making it my list,I want to you to give your inputs too.I'll begin with a rough list and we can modify as required.

    For Entrants:

    1.Tiruvilayadal Puranam- A popular collection of 64 stories on Lord Shiva and His sports
    All 64 stories are there in the below link
    http://shaivam.org/english/sen_thiruvil.htm

    2.Shiva Mahimna Stotram - A set of 43 verses composed as prayer by Pushpadanta
    Shlokas with translation
    http://shaivam.org/ssshivamahi.htm


    Advanced Texts:

    1.Upanishads (Shvetashvatara Upanishad and others)
    Most/All are available easily - both online and as books

    2.Shaiva Agamas (Siddhanta)
    https://www.himalayanacademy.com/site/search/tags/agama


    Uncategorized Texts


    1.Shiva Maha Purana
    2.Vigyana Bhairava Tantra

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    Some years back one of our members (saidevo) listed out many reference books and sites...
    Namaste Yajvan Ji,

    But there isn't a Shaiva list anywhere,that is why I started this thread.Could you kindly give your suggestions to the list.
    Last edited by Ram11; 27 April 2016 at 12:09 PM.
    He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Vannakkam: Saidevo's collection is saved in the 'library' link in the top bar. It's extensive, and does have extensive Saiva literature in it, starting at about page 2.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Namaste Ram11 ji,
    My journey as a Shiva devotee just started before few years and in busy schedule of college I didn't get much time for study so my inputs will not like others.. But I will put what scriptures I read yet related to Shiva..

    Shiva Purana-
    One of the basic scripture dedicated to lord Shiva, for beginners.
    It contains some stories of Lord Shiva..

    Vigyan Bhairav tantra-
    I am currently reading it. I don't know the best website but the website from which I am reading is
    http://www.meditationiseasy.com/medi...on-techniques/
    It contains 112 meditation technique for self realisation. When Ma parvati asked Lord Shiva all the basic questions like purpose of life and all then Lord Shiva just gave this techniques as this question cannot be answered but we can only perceive truth through experience and this techniques are enough to do that.

    I think first we should put all list then we should categorize them and there should be little introduction so reader can choose what will be best for him to read.. After finishing all work we can make new thread with modified list. Lol if it will good enough then satay ji will make attachment of it..

    You mentioned agama.. Even I am a Shaiva I don't know what I will find in this book.. Can you please tell what one will find in that book..
    Sorry for big message.
    Pranam
    Aasato ma sat gamay
    tamaso ma jotirgamay
    mrityorma amrutamgamay
    (Bring me from asat to sat, bring me from darkness (ignorance) to light (knowledge), bring me from death to immortality)
    Om Namah Shivay
    Om Vishnave Namah

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Namaste EM ji..
    I had seen that library section and downloaded some but I found them in Sanskrit so I didn't download all..
    Is there are pdf with English translation in saidev ji list..?
    If list is already there then there is no need to make
    Pranam..
    Aasato ma sat gamay
    tamaso ma jotirgamay
    mrityorma amrutamgamay
    (Bring me from asat to sat, bring me from darkness (ignorance) to light (knowledge), bring me from death to immortality)
    Om Namah Shivay
    Om Vishnave Namah

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    Vannakkam: Saidevo's collection is saved in the 'library' link in the top bar. It's extensive, and does have extensive Saiva literature in it, starting at about page 2.Aum Namasivaya
    Namaste EM Ji,

    That library is just a motley collection of texts.And all of the them(except those Wikipedia links) are in Sanskrit, without translation. Saidevo’s library maybe be useful only for a Sanskrit scholar.Compared to his library,Kauai Adheenam’s publications are infinite times useful and better.And anyway I am not making an online library, I proposed to make a list with classification so that aspirants at various levels will be able choose a text easily. Like I said earlier we can’t suggest the Agamas or Upanishads to one who wants to start reading, they will be difficult for a beginner to understand. I hope you understood what I’m trying to do.


    Quote Originally Posted by Soul of Light View Post
    Namaste Ram11 ji,
    Shiva Purana-
    One of the basic scripture dedicated to lord Shiva, for beginners.
    It contains some stories of Lord Shiva..
    Vigyan Bhairav tantra-
    I am currently reading it. I don't know the best website but the website from which I am reading is
    I think first we should put all list then we should categorize them and there should be little introduction so reader can choose what will be best for him to read.. After finishing all work we can make new thread with modified list. Lol if it will good enough then satay ji will make attachment of it..
    You mentioned agama.. Even I am a Shaiva I don't know what I will find in this book.. Can you please tell what one will find in that book..
    Sorry for big message.
    Pranam
    Namaste Soul of Light Ji,

    Shiva Purana is a very good suggestion. As you said, we will make a rough list(titled as Uncategorized) and categorize later under .

    The Agamas are very important books dealing with temple worship, meditation, initiation and philosophy etc. They are somewhat long and one needs some basic knowledge to Shaivism to understand.Any person who has read the Shiva Purana wouldn’t find the Agamas difficult to understand.

    Quote Originally Posted by Soul of Light View Post
    I had seen that library section and downloaded some but I found them in Sanskrit so I didn't download all..
    Is there are pdf with English translation in saidev ji list..?
    If list is already there then there is no need to make
    Pranam..
    Yes,that isn’t a list and there are no English books there.That is why we are doing this activity.


    He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    hariḥ om̐
    ~~~~~~
    namasté


    Quote Originally Posted by Ram11 View Post
    Could you kindly give your suggestions to the list.
    I see this subject matter slightly differently and I would like to share this orientation with you and the reader if I may…
    It is my purview that ‘study’ ( vs. just mere reading i.e. window shopping) depends on the experient ( the native) and their capacity. I am taught and experience that knowledge is different in different states of consciousness. A person that is the paśujana ( worldly, of differentiated consciousness) reads the bhāgavadgītā or say the bhāgavadgītārthasaṁgraha¹ will see/comprehend it much differently than the muni. But why so? Clarity of consciousness.

    There is an ocean of knowledge to consider
    Within the śaivāgama-s of which, there are 92 the āgama-s ( 64+18+10):
    • It is the bhairava śāstra-s that are non-dual, advitīya ( whole, full, non-dual) in their knowledge and they align to parā; there are 64 of them.
    • Then there is the rūdra śāstra-s and they align to parāparā; there are 18 of them and considered viśsiṣṭādvaita
    • And finally there is the śiva śāstra-s and they align to the āpara. There are 10 of them and considered dvitīya


    • advaita - no separateness or not two - unity
    • viśsiṣṭādvaita - separate yet - unity in diversity
    • dvaita - separateness or 2 - diversity


    What can the experient digest?
    Let me pause here for a moment, as Ram11 mentioned the brahmasūtra-s, is there a śaivāgama equivalent ? The notion of digesting suggests the following. Within the upaniṣad-s there is no set form that was apparently used. That is, a vast ocean of knowledge is discussed within and throughout the upaniṣad-s. To the casual observer one could think that the knowledge is disjointed and that various views regarding brahman was inconsistent or contradicts one another.
    Yet it is though bādarāyana-ji’s brahmasūtra-s that this inconsistency was to be reconciled. We can see this even in the brahmasūtra chapter (adhyāya) titles :

    1. samanvaya adhyāya – chapter on regular succession or order , connected sequence or consequence , conjunction , mutual or immediate connection
    - sama – the right measure, equitable ; Said another way the 1st chapter’s intent is to harmonize the views on brahman across the upanisad-s that are taken up.
    2. aviodha adhyāya - non-opposition; harmony - addresses objections to vedānta philosophy i.e. opponents to vedānta.
    3. sādhana adhyāya - the practice or means : describes the process by which ultimate emancipation is to be achieved.
    4. phala adhyāya – the fruit ; what unfolds within this fullness being experienced; the fruit of liberation.

    If we look at the 4 sections of the brahmasūtra-s¹ we can see it offers knowledge (chapters 1,2) and practice (chapters 3,4). Within the śiva sutra-s ( a key śaivāgama) the orientation is slightly different in the arrangement: There are 3 chapters or adhyāya-s and they align to the 3 means or methods (upāya-s) considered parā, parāparā and āparā ( See the alignment to the śaivāgama-s of which there are 92 āgama-s ?)
    • Chapter 1 is considered śāmbhavopāya and aligns to parā
    • Chapter 2 is considered śāktopāya and aligns to parāparā
    • Chapter 3 is considered āṇavopāya and aligns to āparā

    It aligns to the 3 means or upāya-s that re-establishes one’s true status , Being, or Self , or śiva and are called āṇavopāya, śāktopāya, and śāmbhavopāya.
    What is my point ? It comes back to the aspirant, the experient , the native in question. For me to list out all the śaivāgama-s without the proper framework ( the alignment of which & to whom i.e. the aspariant or the approach) is throwing paint against the wall in hopes a picture will emerge.

    Humans and knowledge
    Humans with differentiated awareness (bhinnavedyatā¹) come in a few ‘sizes’:
    • the brute (nṛpaśu¹) – he/she has no interest in spiritual pursuits as their attention is elseware.
    • the seeker (anveṣaka¹) the one with doubts, or the sādaka who is in pursuit
    • muni or tṛptá – one that is satisfied; absorbed in their own Being which is none other than the Supreme; he or she has no need for books.


    When it comes to being the śiṣya (student) of vijñānagrahaṇa ( grasping knowledge of higher subject matter) it is the seeker or anveṣaka that has the greatest benefit of the śaivāgama-s . The muni has no need for additional knowledge for he/she has arrived at the final station. And the brute? There is no interest or compunction for this type of knowledge.
    So, one must focus then on the sādaka & his/her capacity to comprehend and execute. That for me and my orientation on this matter (kaśmīr śaivism school¹) fall into the following categories of the trika philsophy or trika śaivism composed of 4 schools of thought:
    • pratyabhijñā ( SELF recognition),
    • kula ( grouping and used for 'totality' , Universal Consciousness),
    • krama ( progress made step-by-step),
    • spanda ( the throb, movement, SELF-referral of the Divine)


    इतिशिवं
    iti śivaṁ

    words
    · brahmasūtra-s also called vedānta sūtra-s, śārīrika mīmāṃsā

    • bhāgavadgītārthasaṁgraha this is abhinavagupta-ji’s bhāṣya (or explanatory work) on the bhāgavadgītā
    • bhinnavedyatā= bhinna+vedyatā bhinna = distinct , different from or other, ~differentiated~ + vedyatā = restrained or held ( yata) knowledge (veda) differentiated awareness or knowledge
    • vijñānagrahaṇa = vijñāna+graha+ṇa : vijñāna = the act of distinguishing or discerning , understanding right judgement + graha = seizing, grabbing hold of + ṇa = nirvṛti = nir-vāṇa = liberation or Self-realization (~mokṣa~)
    • nṛpaśu = man-beast or brute; some call paśujana ( worldly, differentiated consciousness)
    • anveṣaka – searching inquiring


    • śaivism's multiple schools ( there are many more):
      • kaśmīr śaivism
      • śaiva sddhāna
      • paśupāta śaivism
      • vira śaivism
      • śiva advaita
      • siddha siddhāna
      • some add pāṇini's work to this list ( the grammarian)
    Last edited by yajvan; 27 April 2016 at 03:04 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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    Re: List of Shaiva Scriptures for All

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    hariḥ om̐
    ~~~~~~
    namasté
    Namaste Yajvan Ji,
    Thanks a lot for the reply.

    I see this subject matter slightly differently and I would like to share this orientation with you and the reader if I may…
    It is my purview that ‘study’ ( vs. just mere reading i.e. window shopping) depends on the experient ( the native) and their capacity.
    Yes, of course.I agree that it all depends on the person studying.

    For me to list out all the śaivāgama-s without the proper framework ( the alignment of which & to whom i.e. the aspariant or the approach) is throwing paint against the wall in hopes a picture will emerge.
    I proposed a general list, it isn’t made keeping a particular individual in mind, so it may or may not work for all. To inform is our duty, it is up to the reader to make the choice whether to study a particular text or not. If not the complex or advanced ones, we could at least get to know the names of the important or basic ones studied in your tradition from the set of 64 Bhairava Sastras. Even if the reader fails to a appreciate a text, there is a very good chance that that process itself would be beneficial and make him wiser. Moreover a single section of a work could be useful, just like the philosophy of the voluminous Mahabharata is most concentrated in a particular text. All need not read hundred thousand verses, seven hundred are sufficient for most aspirants. It is our aim to help others in whatever way possible, a plate full of sweets is offered to any guest that turns up, it is up to the guest as to how many he wants to relish ,one ,two and more or none at all.

    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan
    This upaniṣad is a discussion between Śrī Rāmaḥ and Hanumān-ji. Śrī Rāmaḥ says the māṇḍūkya (frog) upaniṣad's wisdom is enough to bring liberation (kaivalya). Yet if one does not achieve this via this upaniṣad , then the 10 must be considered. If not the 10, then the 32 and one then should stop. He then says if desiring mokṣa without the body then read the 108. So , Śrī Rāmaḥ offers us a roadmap.
    This list is also a roadmap.


    He dances in the golden hall of Chidambaram, Let us worship His rosy anklet girt Feet.

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