श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता गीतार्थ संग्रहोपेता Pratyabhijñā means recognition of one's self as Siva¹, lord of the Universe (svātmāpi visveśvarah), through the teaching of the guru. Siva is the only Reality. He is completely free, and is capable of action. The world or nescience is His freely assu- med form. Out of His free will and with himself as the sole basis He unfolds the universe. There is no material cause or other al cause (freede basis for the world. Consci- ousness, 27 independence), will, know- ledge and capacity (to assume all forms),-these are Siva's five principal powers. Creation (srsti), suste- nance (sthiti), destruction (samhāra), obscuration (tirodhana) and grace (anugraha) constitute His five- fold activity (pañcakrtya). The world is a reflection in Him. Just as the reflections in a mirrror are not different from it but appear to be different, the world of multiplicity reflected in Siva, though not different, appears to be different. But, unlike the reflection in a mirror, the world-reflection has no original. Due to Siva's power of freedom (complete independence) the world-reflection is projected with- out any original. So all conscious beings and un- conscious things are mere reflections. The world, being a flash of Siva's consciousness-power (cit sakti) is real. Liberation is attainment of one's own cons- ord ciousness and bliss (cidanandalabha) by piercing through the veils of ignorance, a state of divine har- mony or equilibrium (samarasya), in which the self realises itself to be the supreme Self; and yet on the very basis of this advaita the former continues to have loving devotion for the latter as he did earlier on the basis of dvaita, 1. The Good, the Auspicious, personified. viii
