Parand#257;samvit and Pratyabhijñand#257; an Onto Epistemic enquiry in Trika Philosophy

Abstract

and#346;aivism is one of the largest and most significant Hindu denominations. The eminence of and#346;aivism as a sampradand#257;ya in religion and philosophy is unparallel. The research highlights one of the significant schools within and#346;aivism which derives its teachings from the sixty-four monistic Tantras, popularly known as Trika and#346;aivism or Trika school . The Government of India, in the 19th Century, ordered a German Indophile, Georg Bühler, to lead a literary expedition in Kashmir. The vast literature on the indigenous religious philosophy of and#346;aivism was discovered in 1875. The study of the Trika system has its prominence in the fields of History, Indology, Linguistics, Sanskrit, and philosophy flourished since the 20th Century. The study concentrates on a specific research gap, which is two-fold in nature. Firstly, establishing the Trika school as a philosophy with a Tantric foundation. Secondly, in establishing the former, a philosophical comprehension of the practical ways of liberation is prescribed in the Trika philosophy. The Trika school represents a combination of monistic philosophy and tantric practices. But a comparative approach (sattarka) is applied to understand the Trika school as a philosophical school. The four selected Indian philosophical schools are Sand#257;and#7749;khya, Advaita Vedand#257;nta, Yogand#257;cand#257;ra, and Sand#257;bdika philosophy. The research gap leads to two main research objectives. Firstly, to discuss the various facets that shaped Trika Philosophy which allowed other Philosophical schools to come within its ambit and enrich it. Secondly, to take into account the inclusive nature of Trika Philosophy to provide a comprehensive conceptualization of Parand#257;samvit or Consciousness. The three philosophical and qualitative research methodologies applied are Textual Analysis, Conceptual (Philosophical) Analysis and Critical Enquiry.