FOREWORD by Professor K. Satchidananda Murty
About 800 A.D. Vasugupta of Kashmir wrote explanatory verses on the Sivasutra which was claimed to be Siva's revelation. Somānanda (850 A.D.) in his Sivadrsti and other works developed Vasugupta's ideas, and Utpala (c. 900 A.D.) in his Isvarapratyabhijñākarika logically co-ordinated these ideas and created God-non-dualism (Isvarādvaya- vada). Abhinavagupta (950-1000 A.D.) through his explanatory (Vimarsini) work on Utpala's and his independent works (Paramarthasara, Tantraloka, etc.) systematised the doctrines of this school. His disciple Kşemarāja (975-1025 A.D.) also wrote some important works. Utpala and Abhinavagupta are two of the great thinkers of India. Saivism, Sünyavāda, Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta influenced this school. What Gauḍapada was to Sankara's Advaita, Sankaranandana (author of Prajňalankara), some scholars say, was to Abhinavagupta's Pratyabhijña. Sankaranandana, it is conjectured, was a Buddhist who later became a Saiva, and he especially influe- nced Abhinavagupta's theory of knowledge.
