Trika

Trika (a concept of Kashmir Shaivism) in Sanskrit means trinity. On the other hand, Trika has been the name by which Kashmir Shaivism has been known before year 1900, because the concept of trinity is manifested in many ways and on multiple levels throughout its whole philosophical system.

A list of the most important triads in the Kashmir Shaivism philosophy:

Śiva, Śakti and IAST|Aṇu

According to the Kashmir Shaivism there are three essential realities: [ The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. 13]
# "The Supreme Transcendent" - Śiva
# "The Supreme Creative Energy", immanent in creation - Śakti
# "The Spiritual Atom", the limited atom or individual - "IAST|aṇu" (sometimes "nara" - man)

Anu is a "microcosm", a complete image, on a reduced scale, of the "macrocosm", and in permanent resonance on multiple levels with the "macrocosm" (universe). The resonance (link) between the "microcosm" and the "macrocosm" is Sakti, the only one who can help "Anu" recover his lost knowledge - that he is one with Siva. This is all possible because of the completely free will of Siva - Svatantrya Sakti.

The Śakti trinity

Trika is also reflected in the Śakti trinity: [ The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. 17]
# "parā-śakti" - the supreme energy, existing in transcendence
# "parāpara śakti" - the supreme-unsupreme Śakti, existing both in transcendence and immanence
# "aparā śakti" - the unsupreme energy, existing in immanence

The trinity of energies of "will", "knowledge" and "power of action"

Any action of any being, including God, is subject to three fundamental energies: [ The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. 14]
# "Icchā Śakti" - the energy of will. This energy appears in the beginning of any action or process.
# "Jñāna Śakti" - the energy of knowledge, by which the action is clearly expressed first in mind, before it is put into action.
# "Kriyā Śakti" - the energy of action

The trinity of knowledge

# "Pramatri" - the one observing, the subject
# "Pramana" - the modalities of knowledge
# "Prameya" - the known object

In Kashmir Shaivism when "pramatri", "pramana" and "prameya" become one, the true nature of the world is discovered. This state of nonduality is how God (Siva) and perfect yogis experience the world.

The three fundamental states of consciousness

# "jāgrat" - waking state
# "svapna" - dreaming
# "IAST|suṣupti" - dreamless sleep

Besides these three there is another state which has no name (turya - "the fourth") because it is indescribable. This fourth state is that of perfect fusion of "pramatri", "pramana" and "prameya", also known as superconsciouness, pervading the other three states and existing also outside them. [ Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, Swami Lakshman Jee, pag. 73]

The three-fold spiritual path

# "Śāmbhavopāya" - the path of Siva, the divine path; unstoppable spiritual aspiration is the characteristic of this short and difficult spiritual path
# "Śāktopāya" - the path of the Divine Energy, the path of Śakti, the intermediary path; here the yogi must be able to perfectly control his emotions and thoughts and merge his consciousness with one or more Divine Energies, Śakti
# "IAST|Āṇavopāya" – the individual path, accessible to the limited beings ("IAST|aṇu"); here the aspirant must strive to awaken his soul by working with his intellect (buddhi), subtle breath (prana), physical body (deha) or exterior objects such as yantras or the picture of an authentic master. [ The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. 16] [ Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, Swami Lakshman Jee, pag. 33]

The three levels of the logos (vāc)

# "paśyanti" - subtle speech, undifferentiated speech, intuitive language, the seeing word (in the heart)
# "madhyamā" - mental speech, intermediate speech (in the mind)
# "vaikharī" - spoken speech (exterior) [ The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. 17]

The transcendental triad - parātrika

# "prakāśa" (or "cit", "śiva") - luminosity
# "vimarśa" (or "spanda") - dynamism
# "sāmarasya" - homogeneous bliss [The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pp. 4]

The types of Shaiva schools

# "abhedha" - non dualism (Kashmir Shaivism)
# "bhedabheda" - qualified dualism
# "bheda" - dualism (Saivāgama)

Triad of God, world and the soul

This triad is identical to "Śiva, Śakti and IAST|Aṇu". [ The Trika Śaivism of Kashmir, Moti Lal Pandit, pag. 13]

# "pati" - master, lord, Śiva
# "pāśa" - bondage, the three mala
# "paśu" - bonded, animal, the limited soul, "jivatman"

The three impurities

Mala means impurity, bondage or poison. The three impurities are responsible of the limitation of the divine condition. When they are transcended, the limited being becomes liberated. [ Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme, Swami Lakshman Jee, pag. 47]

# "IAST|āṇavamala" - being incomplete, non-full
# "māyā mala" - limitation in knowledge, "avidyā", illusion
# "kārma mala" - limitation in the power of action, wrong identification of the author of action with the limited self instead of Śiva

ee also

*IAST|Aṇḍa, the four spheres of reality

Notes