Pratibhijnaa, Trika and Spanda are other names for this system which claims to be based on the Saiva Aagamas. According to the tradition, the Shiva Sutras were revealed to Vasugupta (8th century CE). Spaandakaarika is attributed to Vasugupta. Somaananda (9th century CE) has written the Shivadrshti and Utpala (10th century CE) is the author of Pratibhijnasutra. Abhinavagupta (975 CE) is considered the greatest scholar of Kashmira Shaivism. The works attributed to him are : Paramaarthasaara, Ishvara Pratyabhijnaavimarshini, Srimaani Vijayavaartika, Paraatrimshikaa laghuvritti, Paraatrimshikaa Vivaarana, Tantraloka and Tantrasaara. Kshemaraaja was the direct disciple of Abhinavagupta and he has written the Shivasutravimarshini.

In its metaphysical aspect the Pratibhijnaa system bears some resemblance to Vijnaanavaada Buddhism, but its theistic inclinations takes the speculation much further. In its basic doctrines that Reality (Shiva) is one without another and that the soul in its essence is the Reality itself it resembles Advaita Vedaanta - but again there're important differences between the schools. Maya is the power of Shiva through which he manifests himself as many - but even this is only an appearance ...

SHIVA

Shiva is the only reality - he is one without a second - infinite consciousness, self-luminous light (prakaasha) and absolute independence. Shiva is also vimarshamaya - creative energy. If reality was only self-luminous light and not activity, then it would be inert and powerless. Then how would the world be created? Vimarsha is the creative power/conscious activity of Shiva - his kartrtva shakti. Shakti is the power by which Shiva creates the world. It is like a mirror in which Shiva sees his beauty and glory.

But Shiva and Shakti are not ultimately different. They are two sides of the same coin. From the point of view of prakaasha Shiva is transcendent to the universe. From the point of view of vimarsha he is immanent in the universe. In his transcendental aspect he is called Vishvoteerna and in his immanent aspect he is called Vishvaatmaka. Shakti is the power of self-consciousness by which Shiva manifests himself as the world on his own transcendental background. He is the subject as well as the object. He makes the world appear in himself as though it were distinct from him. But this is not really so - "even as objects appear in a mirror …". With his shakti he appears as the souls as well as their objects of experience. The aspect of Shakti through which Shiva manifests himself as the diverse world, is called maya. Maya is neither the material cause of the world nor an illusion. It is due to the power of svaatantraya shakti that Parama Shiva appears as both the subject and object. His vibration (spanda) is the cause of all distinctions. But all these manifestations do not taint his purity and his nature is unchanged.

Chaitanya is the nature of reality. Its essential nature is consciousness and bliss. It expresses itself as icchaa or will, jnaana or knowledge and kriya or activity.

SVAATANTRAYA OR INDEPENDENT CREATIVE WILL

The absolute is also called Maheshvara because of its absolute independence (svaatantraya) of will. Svaatantraya is the svabhaava or nature of the absolute, the free will which brings about the objectification of the ideation of the absolute. It is the unrestrained expression of the divine will. It is svaatantraya or independent as it doesn't depend on anything other than itself. It is beyond space, time and causality.

Abhinavagupta puts it beaufifully : "Therefore the Lord Parama Shiva whose being is consciousness of the nature of prakaasha and vimarsha, who as the undeniable and everpresent reality, appears as subject from Rudra down to the immovable entities, as objects like blue, pleasure etc which appear as if separate, though in essence they are not separate, through the glorious might of svaatantraya (freewill) which is inseparable from samvit (universal consciousness) and which does not conceal in any way the nature of the Supreme. This is the exposition of Svaatantrayavaada".

ABHAASAVAADA

Abhaasavaada signifies the view of manifestation of the Reality. The entire objective world lies like an undifferentiated mass in the absolute reality, even as the varied plumage of the peacock with its rich colours lies in an undifferentiated mass in the plasma of its egg.

All aspects of the phenomenal world - knower, known and knowledge - lies en masse in the universal consciousness. Manifestation only means appearance of that reality as objects to the empirical subjects. Abhaasa means manifestation or appearance in a limited way. All aspects of phenomenal life - subject, objects, knowledge - are an aabhaasa of the universal consciousness.

Abhinavagupta uses the analogy of the mirror to explain aabhaasavaada in the Paramarthasaara : "Just as in a clear mirror varied images of city, village etc, appear as different from one another and from the mirror, though they are non-different from the mirror, even so the world, though non-different from the purest consciousness appears as different both in respect of its varied objects and that universal consciousness. Just as the reflection in a mirror is not something different from the mirror, but appears as different, even so aabhaasas are not different from Shiva and yet appear as different".

But unlike the mirror which needs both external objects and light to produce the reflection, it is Maheshvara's own ideation and light which brings about the reflection. Also unlike the mirror which is not conscious of that which it reflects, the universal consciousness is aware of its own ideation.

Abhaasas are external projections of the ideation of the divine. The divine being makes the collection of objects appear outside by his will without any external material. He simply manifests outside what is already contained within him.

WORLD PROCESS

Siva is consciousness with infinite powers and contains within himself in a potential form all that is to be. It is his svabhaava or nature to manifest. If he didn't manifest he cannot be consciousness or self but would be non-self. His spanda shakti is a dynamic creative power which contains within itself all that is to be. "Even as the great banyan tree lies only in the form of potency in the seed, even so the entire universe with all the mobile and immobile beings lies as a potency in the heart of Shiva".

The shakti of Shiva also called as citi (activity of cognizing) expresses itself in the following five main powers :

1. cit or the power of self-revelation. Here the supreme is called Shiva.
2. Ananda or absolute bliss. Here the supreme is called Shakti.
   Cit and Ananda are the very svarupa or nature of the supreme.
3. Iccha or the will to do this or that. In this aspect the supreme is called Sadaashiva.
4. Jnaana or knowing. Here the supreme is Ishvara.
5. Kriya or the power to assume any form (sarvaakaara yogitvam kriyaashakti). In this aspect the supreme is known as Shudda vidhyaa.

The tattvas or reals that make up the world can be considered under the following heads :

1. universal experience,
2. individual experience,
3. those in the limited individual,
4. those involved in the mental operation,
5. those involved in sensible experience and
6. that which make up matter.

Tattvas of universal experience :

1. Shiva tattva is the initial creative moment.
2. Shakti tattva is the principle of negation which distinguishes between subject and object - 'I' and 'this'.
3. Saadaakya tattva which affirms the objective side of experience as "I am this". Here the concentration is still on the subject or the "I" which the object or "this" is still hazy.
4. Aishvarya tattva is the stage where the objective side becomes more clearly defined. Here the experience is "this am I".
5. Shuddhavidhyaa tattva is the stage where both the subject and object are equally balanced.
   
   Till here all experience is still only in the form of an idea and the real nature of the Divine is not yet veiled.

Tattvas of individual experience :

Here the maaya tattva which measures out the immeasurable and severs the connection between the subject and object, begins its play. It is the principle of differentiation where individuality takes root - where each object rests in its own identity. Maya draws a veil over the self due to which one forgets one's real nature.

The products of maya are the five coverings or kancukas :
1. kalaa or that which brings about limitation regarding the authorship of the universal consciousness,
2. vidhyaa or that which reduces omniscience and limits knowledge,
3. raaga which reduces contentment and brings about desire,
4. kaala or that which reduces eternity and brings about a limitation in time by dividing it into past, present and future,
5. niyati or that which limits freedom and brings about limitation by causality.

The tattvas of the limited invidual are Purusha or the subject and praakriti or the objective manifestation. Prakriti has the three gunas - sattva, rajas and tamas.

The tattvas of mental operation are buddhi or the intellect, ahamkaara or the ego and manas or the mind which coordinates the activity of the senses and builds images and concepts.

The tattvas of sensible experience are all considered to be products of ahamkaara or the "I" principle. They are the five powers of sense perception (jnaanendriyas), the five powers of action (karmendriyas) and the five primary elements (tanmaatras) of perception.

The products of the five primary elements are the tattvas of materiality - the five gross elements or the pancha mahaabhutas.

THE INDIVIDUAL SELF, BONDAGE AND LIBERATION

Chaitanya forms the core of every individual. It is his real self.

The physical body is made up of the five gross elements, while his mental apparatus make up his subtle body (puryastaka). There's also praana shakti or the living force which works in every individual. Kundalini is a form of shakti which lies in three folds at the base of the spine. Apart from the three states of consciousness - waking, dream and deep sleep - there's also the state of pure consciousness and unalloyed bliss called Turiya.

Bondage is due to innate ignorance or aanava mala. Anava mala leads to karma mala i.e, good or evil actions which in turn produces vaasanas or habit energies which leads to maayiya mala which brings about please, pain, birth and death. It is due to the force of the vaasanas that jivas are carried from one life to another.

Liberation is pratibhijnaa or to recognize the true nature of one's own self - the pure I consciousness. This consciousness is immediate and non-relational awareness.

Liberation cannot be brought about by mere intellectual understanding. It is directly caused by anugraha or divine grace. To obtain divine grace one must undergo spiritual disciple - upaaya or yoga.

Upaayas are themselves divided into four :

1. anupaaya where the aspirant without any special effort, by simply hearing a sacred word from the guru realizes the true nature of his own self.
2. sambhavopaaya - here there's either a sudden flash of the I-consciousness of Shiva or where all ideation completely ceases or where the entire consciousness is in the inner Bhairava principle.
3. Shaaktopaaya - where liberation is obtained either through mantra shakti or intensive awareness of the deity inherent in the mantra, sat tarka or the reflection that reinforces continuity of ideas, bhaavana or creative contemplation where a thing previously considered non-existent and unreal, becomes existent and real due to clarity brought about by contemplation and shudda vidhyaa or pure knowledge where the knower, known and knowledge merge into a transcendental "I" consciousness.
4. Anavopaaya is for those who are not competent for shaaktopaaya. It involves the discipline of the mind/body complex. Varnayoga is a popular spiritual practice which concentrates on an imperceptible and inarticulate sound/vibration. The vibration is said to be sounded by Shiva himself in the heart of every living being. By mental observation praana and apaana gets equilibrated and the kundalini which rests in the base of the spine rises upwards causing a number of pleasant sounds to be heard. By dwelling on this the citta gets dissolved and the kundalini passes through various charkas and finally joins the sahasraara chakra. Then when all the vikalpas are calmed one is said to experience the jyothi (light) and the purnaahantaa or the supreme "I" consciousness.