Spanda-Karikas: The Divine Creative Pulsation; the Karikas and the Spanda-Nirnaya

The typesetting and page alignment of this book is very poor. The left pages are stacked high up, and the right pages are running down and out of the pages as if alignment does not mean to the printer and publishers. Printed by Rave Scans, this book is bad reflection on MLBD. While I'm fan of huge Indology collection of MLBD I could never really understand their poor print quality, typesetting, page alignment, missing pages and other problems. I have one Siva Sutra from MLBD which had many missing pages, and Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Vedbharati, which has poor font selection and spacing problems which makes reading difficult.I hope MLBD can do a better job some day.

Translation is good and the shastra itself is full of realistic experiences. Everyone on the path of spirituality should read this.

Hindu mystical journey . Shaivism..must have

good purchase

probably one of the best indian scriptures.. from kashmiri shaivism.. spanda = the Flow.. Universal River of Light..though the translator is terribly weak.. if u know sanskrit you can improve it on your own.. haha

Old book.Pages turned yellow.

Spanda-Karikas is a classic masterpiece of Shaivite philosophy/cosmology/speculation. Jaideva Singh's careful translation of this treasured text makes it available to Western/English speaking seekers in a helpful, illuminating and comprehensive manner without sacrificing even the slightest amount of its original profundity and power. This is a masterful presentation of Spanda-Karikas, both enlightening and praiseworthy. Each verse is presented first in its original Devanagari with accompanying English translation followed by extensive exposition by the great Shaivite saints Vasugupta and Ksemaraja. Jaideva Singh also includes copious and incredibly helpful notes on the text along with his own commentary on each verse. A must-have for any student of Shaivism/Hinduism. Without a doubt, an enlightening and fascinating journey into the Shaivite concept of Spanda and consciousness that will be a true boon to any earnest spiritual seeker.Though I do feel the need to include a word of caution to some readers. This text is by no means whatsoever "Hinduism-lite". Spanda-Karikas is a journey into the philosophical/speculative heart of Hindu thought. If you are just starting into Hinduism or your interest is more casual in nature I would recommend starting with Bhagavad Gita or the principal Upanishads as these may be more digestible and comprehensible to newcomers. This is not to discourage anyone, but I definitely suggest you approach this text after having already established a reasonable familiarity with the philosophical concepts of Hinduism, otherwise you may find yourself struggling just to keep your head above water in the ocean of complex terminology and concepts presented here.

this book is endlessly valuable if you're interested in kashmir shaivism's philosophy and practicesit's a bit crowded in a way and might be dry reading for somehowever once you get into it and become familiar with it you'll find the quality of iti find some of jaideva singh's translations a bit clunky but they work to get the point acrossthe subject matter is of course fairly obscure in many ways - however as one studies more of kashmir shaivism one begins to find in it a philosophy and system of practice that is remarkably clear and yet still profound.at the center of all the talk is the incentive : go within , realize your own nature

The book itself came in excellent condition. Very happy.Within the book, the wisdom which is received therein, the reconciliatory path to reunion with that which never really left... Pure bliss!

It is wonderful to have this book in my possession once again after having lost it some years ago in a house fire. The vendor was swift with delivery and the item was as described. No complaints at all. Very pleased with this transaction.

This English translation of Spanda-Kārikās: The Divine Creative Pulsation (Spanda) by Jaideva Singh is an affirmation of ancient cosmological principles given expression in modern science physics.Consisting of a total of 53 verses (karikas), it is based on the verses and Kesemarāja's commentary, entitled Spanda-nirṇaya. Jaideva Singh has sprinkled throughout the text additionally some commentary notes of his own.Herein alone in Spanda-Kārikās is to be found the reason of things which is not to prove the reality of a tangible uni-verse but to gain a firm conviction regarding one's real nature; absolute Divine Consciousness. If Divine Consciousness has to be functional -- practical and useful -- it has to have spanda, an impulse. Spanda, impulse, is existence, is the physical existence. He existing, the whole uni-verse exists.In Shiva-sutras, it is the immutable silent witnessing Divine Consciousness or the motionless Shiva (prakāsha) aspect that is emphasized.In Spanda-Kārikās , it is Shiva's essential nature that is emphasized -- the active dual impulse (vimarsha), jñāna-shakti and kriyā shakti (knowledge and action powers respectively), instantaneously and simultaneously occurring, thus intemporal -- throbbing with life; that creates, that manifests, that sponsors individual existence at the point from where everything emerges. Knowing Itself, it is Spanda, Law: controlled in the most orderly and evolutionary way and nourishing to everyone.Together, the two books give an integrated view into the all-of-reality of the Shaiva philosophical tradition that eternally is, immutably so.The Spanda doctrine is the meeting point of ancient science and the most modern scientific theories of physics in which the lively potential of natural law, the unified field, knows itself and nothing else.From the theory of physics, the self-referral unified field of all the laws of nature is a self-referral (jñāna-shakti), self-interacting (kriyā-shakti) reality at the unmanifested basis of creation.Modern science physics know that Nature functions through the Principle of Least Action. The ancient Spanda doctrine knows that orderly action (Dharma) is embedded in silence and available in the awakened, alert consciousness.Uni-versal creation but is itself an intemporal -- self-referral, self-interacting -- process at the indestructible wakefulness basis of creation to which modern science physics can neither attribute nor deny beginning and end since these words have no sense outside the limits of time. Spanda-Kārikās (verses) are designed to establish absorption into Spanda principle in the partially enlightened without a vestige of doubt for the manifestation of the state of the fully illuminated yogi -- one who transcended the mind and recognized the irreversible evidence of his real nature.In the words of Spanda-Kārikās translator, Jaideva Singh, "...the book has to do only with the perfect enlightenment of the partially enlightened. Other commentators have not understood this fact. Readers may examine this for themselves. How far can I go on pointing this out with regard to every word" (page 91).In the concluding remarks by Kesemarāja, we have (p. 176):"They are not qualified for the study of this shastra (teaching) whose intelligence is not purified by the teaching of right sort of teachers, whose doubt has not been shattered by the esoteric teaching of Shaiva discipline, and who, being of tender intellect have not tasted previously the nectar of Pratyabhijna (Recognition). This may, however, be enjoyed by the other high-souled ones."Spanda-Kārikās is divided into four sections under the following topics:Section I: Svarūpaspandaẖ (describes spanda principally as Shiva's dynamic aspect which is identical with the essential Self of each. Emphasis is placed on nimilana samadhi -- introversive meditation for the realization of the spanda principle) - consists of 16-karikas or verses.Section II: Sahaja Vidyodayā (describes spanda not only as identical with the essential Self but also with the whole uni-verse. Emphasis is on unmĪlana samādhi -- extroversive meditation -- to realize this aspect of spanda.) - consists of 7-karikas, or verses.Section III - Vibhūti Spanda (describes the nature of Spanda principle -- the higher and lower supernormal powers, according to desire, that arrive by lying hold of the Spanda principle while, at the same time, briefly delineating the nature of bondage & liberation; and concludes by describing the means of cutting asunder bondage, i.e., what was said in the first verse of the first Section: unmesha, opening of the eye -- or consciousness knowing Itself is law.) - consists of 19-karikas or verses.Section IV - Conclusion (expresses Self-wholeness or Guru is Spanda in him, with him and around him) - consists of 2-karikas or verses.This translation of Spanda-Kārikās by Jaideva Singh, based on the verses and Kesemarāja's commentary, Spanda-nirṇaya, is an affirmation of the pure non-dual cosmological principles given expression in modern science.In it is to be found the most important doctrinal aspect of science in modern times, an affirmation of the details of the Unified Field of Natural Law and total knowledge available in Advaita Vedanta, Unity Consciousness where one knows others as oneself -- the highest aim of human existence and essential foundation eternally in science and cultures, any civilization deserving to be so called.