Shiva Sutras 3.34, 3.35, 3.36 & 3.37 – Expanding into God Consciousness

Shiva Sutra 3.34

Tadvimuktastu kevali

Immersed in God consciousness, the enlightened yogi is free from the experiences of pleasure and pain that characterize everything that exists in this polarity world. Such a fortunate yogi is ‘separated’ from the pairs of opposites that are the never-ending episodes of the external temporal.

“All those states, like the perception of pleasure and pain and the thoughts associated with them, have arisen out of imagination. That differentiation is actually the great illusion of duality. [SLJ – Kalkakrama Stotra]”

The enlightened are “established in real seclusion. [SLJ]”

The ideas of seclusion and ‘being alone’ have a unique implication in the Sanskrit texts. When we become the One, we are said to be truly alone. However, if we have Become the Oneness, God consciousness, then it is evident that we are the All. We have transcended the state of individuality.

Shiva Sutra 3.35

Mohapratisamhatas tu karmatma

Moha means ‘delusion’ in Sanskrit. Again we are warned of what may occur if we allow delusion to destroy our immersion in God consciousness. “The past, present and future actions (karmas) of this yogi, whose God consciousness has been destroyed by the illusion of duality, will control him and make him their plaything. [SLJ]”

“Only the states of good and bad appear to him, which are unfortunate and which, when experienced, cause supreme pain to shine within him. Because of this, he has become an absolutely unfortunate being. [SLJ – Kalikakrama Shastra]”

The fallen yogi seems to experience the polarities of the external manifested world to a more extreme degree. Perhaps this occurs by the contrast of having previously felt absolute Freedom. Or is this intensity of being ‘unfortunate’ rather the God-within nudging the poor yogi to come back to the Real, and return to his/her immersion in God consciousness.

When you have tasted Home for even fleeting moments, the allure of temporal five-sense rewards lose their seductive glamour. Nothing in the external world compares to God consciousness.

Shiva Sutra 3.36

Bhedatiraskare sargantarakarmatvam

The fallen yogi rallies all inner effort and “drives away the field of differentiated perception. [SLJ]” The enlightened live in the external world that is produced by differentiated perception, but must remain ‘unattached’ to these perceptions. This non-attachment is practiced in the mind and eventually differentiated perceptions subside and God consciousness again expands in and fills the yogi’s being.

In this sutra Swami Lakshmanjoo inserts the understanding of three states that the yogi, who has conquered delusion and succeeded in entering sustained God consciousness, enters consecutively. These three states are defined as follows in chapter one of his book ‘Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme’:

Shuddha vidya – exists when the yogi realizes his own nature and yet that realization is not stable. It is flickering and moving. “Sometimes you realize it, sometimes you forget it.”

This shuddha vidya state consists of an entirely subjective impression, meaning you are the ‘subject’ and not the objects, the objective external. “I am Shiva, this universe is in duality. This universe is unreal, I am Shiva (the Oneness, God consciousness).” But we cannot hold on to this awareness in continuity. It flickers and fluctuates.

Ishvara – is defined as a purer subjectivity. This comes as the realization that “This universe is my own expansion. This universe is not an illusion, it is my own expansion.” When we are not in God consciousness we are deluded by the power of Maya’s illusions that transmit the five-sense hologram to our brain. When we are immersed in God consciousness, the ‘illusion’ of this world is understood as our own expansion - and therefore is not mere illusion, but rather our own Divine Play.

Sadashiva – is an ever more refined state in which you realize “I am this whole universe.” The universe is not merely your ‘expansion’ – it is you yourself.

Shiva Sutra 3.37

Karana Shakti svato’nubhavat

As ordinary individuals we all have the ‘power’ to create in the dream state and also in our imagination. The truly enlightened yogi who is firmly united with the Oneness, experiences the Universal power to create - and “he can create whatever he desires in the waking world and these worlds which he has created can also be experienced by others. [SLJ]”

The yogi who in continuity has become fully immersed in God consciousness, and has conquered the experience of falling back into the allurement of differentiated perception, is said to experience the power of creation. Just as the Oneness has the power to create and destroy, so the enlightened yogi experiences these powers.

I am reminded that the Shiva Sutras have again and again warned us against using Siddhic yogic powers. One wonders what the implications are of using the God-like powers of creation and destruction. We assume that in the highest states of Union with the Oneness no misuse of such awesome power could exist. When the yogi has Become the All, what is there to want?

Swami Lakshmanjoo