त्रिपुरारहस्यम् (ज्ञानखण्डम्)- Tripura Rahasyam (Jnana-Khanda)

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In the history of Sakta philosophical literature, the place of Tripura-Rahasya Jnana Khanda, is undoubtedly unique Though it is true that the work is affiliated to a particular section of Sakta culture, viz. Tripura Sundari or Lalità, it must be remembered that the philosophy bears on it no sectarian stamp and is thus altogether colourless, not only in its approach to Religion but also in its intellectual set up.

Scholars have always felt that in the systematic presentation of Indian philosophic thought the Säkta Schools have as yet found no adequate recognition. Not only Madhavacharya, the author of the Sarvadarsanasangraha, but even the modern exponents of different schools have ignored altogether the Säkta view point. This is due, I believe, to a lack, not of traditional exposition, bet of a deep and wide appreciation of the half-forgotten ancient texts which lie scattered over widely varied areas and are not even systematically studied. I suppose the time has come when a careful study of these has to be undertaken in right earnest.

A careful student of ancient Tantric texts is a ware of the fact that the Supreme Reality, though in Itself and is a special sense incomprehensible to the human mind as such, is yet self-revealed to a seeker who has got rid of the fetters of mind and has attained to a state of Full Self-realisation under Divine Grace. This Reality is Transcendent and yet Immanent, being beyond Spanda and Aspanda, and yet embracing both as One Spanda is dynamic and Aspanda is Static. The Supreme Reality is One and is perhaps even beyond the sense of Oneness) in which Motion and Rest as two mutually opposed incommensurables have no meaning. Knowing this fully well the Saivas as such lay emphasis on the Śiva aspect which in itself is static, but is always associated with the dynamic principle whereas the Saktas lay stress on the Sakti aspect which is dynamic but has always the static background One without the other is inconceivable.

It is a truism that every system of theocratic culture in India has behind it a consistently evolved system of philosophic thought. It is difficult, in the present state of our knowledge, to have a definite idea of the number of such systems in ancient and mediaeval times and even of the extent of literature comprised under each. Continued progress in researches in this field is likely to yield fresh materials favourable to the better understanding of the true history and philosophic value of these systems. The work published in this series under the name of "Tripurárahasya" (Jñana Khaṇḍa) forms indeed a highly important document in the History of Indian Philosophy, so far as the system of a section of the Śakta Tantra is concerned, and should be appreciated from that point of view.

The systematisation of Tantric Philosophy, on its Säkta side, does not seem to have yet been seriously attempt, The Sarva Darśana Sangraha of Madhava charya ignores the Säkta School altogether. So do the other compendia, earlier and later (e. g. Saddar sana Samuchchaya of Haribhadra, Sarvasiddhānta Sangraha of Sankaracharya etc). There are different lines of Śakta culture still in existence and we have reason to believe that some at least of these have preserved the philosophical tradition. The literature associated with the third Mahavidya named Sodasi or Tripura Sundari, is very extensive and presents several interesting features of Tantrik Iiterature, It is possible to construct a regular philosophy of the school out of the materials available to us and in this work of reconstruction the present treatise will it is hoped prove to be substantially helpful.

The Tripurarahasya, which claims to treat of the se rets of the Tripura culture in all its aspects, is said to consist of three sections (with 12000 verses ) viz. Mahātmya, Jnana and Charya. The Jnana Khanda appears in the following pages in a new edition. The Mahatmya Khanda, of which (as of the Juana Khanda ) we have an original manuscript in the Government Sanskrit College Benares, was entrusted for publication to the publishers of the Chowkhambha Sanskrit Series, Benares, The Third Section is apparently lost, no trace of it having yet been found. It is an extensive work, of which the first two sections contain 2163 and 6687 verses respectively.

**Contents and Sample Pages**