A Trident of Wisdom: Translation of Paratrisika-vivarana

“I have prepared a trident of Wisdom in order to cut asunder their bondage.” — Abhinavagupta

This is a long commentary on a short Tantra. One of the most authoritative and venerated texts in Kashmir Shaivism, it deals with the nature of Ultimate Reality and with methods of realization focusing on the theory and practice of Mantra. Abhinavagupta presents his metaphysics of language, of the Word (Vak), and its relation to consciousness. He calls it, “trikasastra-rahasya-upadesa: The teaching of the secret of the Trika doctrine.”