User:Visarga/Paravak

In Kashmir Shaivism, Paravāk (from the Sanskrit para-supreme and vāk-word) represents the creative force that exists at the origin of the universe, equivalent to the western concept of logos, and sometimes personified as the Goddess (devi), feminine counterpart of Śiva.

Relation to Consciousness
Paravāk is the vibrating energy of consciousness (spanda) , or, as it is centrally involved in every act, it is also called the heart (hṛdaya). It emanates from consciousness, exists in consciousness and acts as its operative agent in the cosmic act of creation. It has been called the supreme will of God (svātantrya) as it represents the irresistible energy in motion and the "divine word" because it is an eminently subjective energy that sits at the origin of speech. Other attributes are: unsurpassable (anuttara) and reflective substrate (vimarśa).

The simbolic names associated to paravāk might appear opaque and esoteric so we will to rephrase them. The most important idea is that all the attributes of paravāk are intimately linked to consciousness, and some of these atributes are: force-energy, ultimate nature, reflective nature, will, substrate, vibration and word. In Kashmiri Shaivism consciousness is thought of as the ultimate monad, root of the universe - but it is in an inactive state and as such it first needs to activate in order to create anything. This first activation is a sort of internal vibration or energy. Because this energy is at the beginning it is called the ultimate, the unsurpassable. It acts as a medium, a substrate or as the preferred metaphor goes, as a mirror of consciousness for the upcoming creation. Because it is not a blind force but a conscious agent, this energy is also named "the will of God". And because of its eminently subjective nature it is named "supreme word" and is considered to be the substrate of any form of speech that will appear.

As Logos

 * 1) the absolute as sound - sabda brahman
 * 2) expression of the supreme energy parasakti
 * 3) is full of wondrous delight
 * 4) pulsating (sphurati)
 * 5) supreme verbum
 * 6) synonymous to paravak, vimarsa
 * 7) transcendental speech, not uttered by any speech organ or mind
 * 8) soundless, made of universal consciousness
 * 9) beyond word, form or symbol
 * 10) identical to Vimarsa - Spanda - Cit - Hridaya
 * 11) unstruck sound in anahata (heart)
 * 12) transcendental sound, potentiality
 * 13) transcribed as parabija or pranava

As the Supreme Energy

 * 1) in the para stage there is total absence of the object
 * 2) her nature is nirvikalpa
 * 3) ever present
 * 4) the refuge, the boat floating on the ocean of doubt regarding one's essential nature
 * 5) the para stage is far from human experience; mental inquiry can lead up to pasyanti but cannot enter paravak
 * 6) is a Sakti of the highest Bhairava
 * 7) is the potential Kundalini energy
 * 8) brings about the sense of time (kala)
 * 9) vibrationless, motionless sound
 * 10) seated in muladhara cakra

As Universal Substrate

 * 1) every experient is capable to carry all his activities by entering paravak
 * 2) by the principle "everything else is in everything", paravak is in pasyanti, madhyama and vaikhari
 * 3) she is non-different from pasyanti; equally present in all the stages of the word
 * 4) in paravak there is absolutely no difference between this, thus, here and now (object, individual, form, place or time)
 * 5) from paravak to pasyanti, madhyama and vaikhari there is a gradation of differentiation (incipient, apparent, full)
 * 6) in madhyama there are two phases, one in which predominates the energy of knowledge, jnana (Sadasiva) and one in which predominates the energy of activity (kriya) Isvara
 * 7) in pasyanti and madhyama, paravak experiences herself as Supreme Consciousness
 * 8) the pasyanti stage is the commencement of maya
 * 9) the madhyama stage is that of inner senses
 * 10) the vaikhari stage is that of outer senses
 * 11) in the womb of paravak lies pasyanti, in pasyanti lies madhyama, in madhyama lies vaikhari
 * 12) vaikhari is inherent in parasamvit
 * 13) the sound emanation (from Siva to bindu) occurs at the level of paravak
 * 14) in parakak is not only the ontological but also epistemological foundation of language; the origin and the archetype
 * 15) is the reason of all mantras; the power behind all mantras
 * 16) manifests the wheel of phonemes, matrika
 * 17) all the phonematic energies are created by paravak, or parasakti, or anuttara sakti

As the Goddess

 * 1) personified as the Goddess in the Heart
 * 2) the Devi, while appearing as pasyanti and madhyama knows herself as Supreme Consciousness