Shiva Sutra

Journey into the timeless wisdom of the Shiva Sutras, read and guided by Celia Roberts. It invites you into the heart of consciousness and divine awareness. These teachings reveal the essence of Shiva as the pure witnessing Self, illuminating the path to inner stillness, awakening, and profound spiritual insight. Drawing from the Sanskrit text with English translations by I.K. Taimni, this meditation gently supports contemplation, depth of understanding, and direct inner experience. Allow each sutra to resonate within you, opening pathways to clarity, presence, and remembrance of your true nature. May this practice help you rest in the still, luminous awareness that is always here, always whole, and eternally free.

Transcript

SHIVA SUTRA The individual spirit,

Who is the innermost self of man,

Is essentially of the nature of pure consciousness,

Or the reality in its outward-turned aspect of consciousness.

Knowledge,

Vitiated by the illusions of mind,

Is the cause of bondage in the lower worlds.

Maya,

Class,

Function and the vehicle of consciousness determine the nature of mental knowledge,

Which is the source of bondage.

The subtle structural basis of all kinds of knowledge,

Which appear in the mind,

Are the specific powers present in the sounds corresponding to the letters of the alphabet or other modes of motion.

The tremendous effort and energy which is required in the manifestation of a universe comes from the divine will of Shiva,

The universal consciousness,

And appears initially through Akash,

As Nada or integrated sound from which all forms of vibration and modes of motion in the realm of manifestation are derived.

By contemplation on the centre through which the divine power descends and manifests the universe,

Consciousness reverts to its original pure state,

And so the universe,

As a separate mental phenomenon,

Disappears.

By piercing through the lower three states of consciousness,

Jagrat,

Svapna and Sushupti,

It becomes possible for consciousness to expand into the fourth state,

Turiya,

From which the lower three states are derived.

The Jagrat or waking state of consciousness comprises,

In its widest sense,

All knowledge when the subjective self is in direct contact with the objective world around one on any plane.

The Svapna or dream state of consciousness comprises,

In its widest philosophical sense,

All knowledge present in the mind when the subjective self is engaged in mental activity in isolation from the objective world around one.

The Sushupti or dreamless state of consciousness comprises,

In its widest philosophical sense,

All knowledge within the realm of the mind,

Because it is based on the lack of awareness of the one reality caused by maya.

He,

In whose consciousness all these three states have become fused into one integral state,

Can wield all powers within the limited material realm.

The states attained and experiences gained in the different stages of yogic practice are really astonishing.

The divine power working through such a yogi still confined within the realm of manifestation,

Though astonishing,

Is still unwedded to the divine consciousness of Shiva in the unmanifest and is not truly infinite.

The objective world around such a yogi appears as his own body owing to the expansion of his consciousness.

On the perception of the interaction of consciousness and the mind in the centre of consciousness,

The objective world produced in the mind of the yogi is seen as a dream,

As a purely imaginary phenomenon.

By contemplation on the reality in its purity is attained the capacity to counteract the power which binds the soul to the unreal world.

By controlling and ultimately suppressing the activity of the individual mind is attained the knowledge of atma or the individual spirit in man.

By contemplation of the ananda aspect of self,

As in the case of a devotee,

The yogi becomes aware of the bliss which pervades the manifested worlds.

By contemplation on divine power,

Which is the basis of the objective world,

The yogi can see how all bodies are created by this power and with this knowledge can create them.

By contemplation on the nature of the pancha bhutas or the five cosmic elements,

The yogi gains the capacity to analyse and separate them.

And thus to find out how the universe and the objects within have been built or put together through their instrumentality.

On the dawning of the pure integrated knowledge pertaining to the principle underlying all kinds of techniques,

The yogi acquires mastery over the great centre through which divine power descends into manifestation in order to perform its multifarious functions.

By contemplation on the infinite reservoir of the divine energy hidden within the centre of divine consciousness is gained awareness of the integrated power of sound present in all mantras through which they achieve their respective aims.

Persevering effort based on correct knowledge leads to success.

Knowledge and its techniques are based upon vibration and therefore the secret of acquiring knowledge concerning the inner realities is hidden in the science of mantras.

It's hidden in the science of mantras.

The lower kind of knowledge which develops through the mind in the realm of maya or prakriti is in the nature of a dream,

Purely imaginary and absolutely not real.

The supreme knowledge which arises in one's consciousness by adopting the proper means is not vitiated by the limitations of individuality and can exist only in a void state beyond manifestation which is the supreme state of reality referred to as Shiva.

The means of obtaining this supreme knowledge can be learned from one's spiritual teacher,

The guru who has already attained self-realization.

The spiritual teacher who initiates the disciple does this by uniting the consciousness of the disciple with his own giving him direct knowledge of matrika chakra through which the power of sound descends into manifestation through which the power of sound descends into manifestation.

On the practice of the methods imparted by the teacher the body or the vehicles of consciousness are burnt up in the fire of knowledge of reality and they cease to obscure and confine one's consciousness and the lower kind of mental knowledge is burnt up in the fire of knowledge of reality which arises.

On the disappearance of the illusion inherent in the lower kind of mental knowledge the dream-like nature of the mental world created by the mind of the disciple is realized.

Mind is nothing but a derivative and differentiated form of centralized pure consciousness and essentially of the same nature of consciousness.

It is mental knowledge vitiated by the illusion of duality which is the source an instrument of bondage of the spirit in man which is inherently free and essentially an expression of reality.

The ability to realize that the phenomena in the realm of the mind are due to the differentiation of principles which are inherent in consciousness is the essential nature of maya.

Or is due to the influence of maya.

When the vehicles are burnt up in the fire of knowledge the differentiated functions of principles or kalas in which the expression through the vehicles also disappear simultaneously.

By the withdrawal of consciousness from the nadis or channels along which the vital forces flow in a vehicle is attained mastery over the bhutas and the capacity to isolate and separate them from one another.

In these lower cities or accomplishments there is still obscuration by moha or the delusion of mind caused by attachment which prevents complete liberation freedom from the world of manifestation.

Only on mastering the delusion of the mind caused by attachment even to the subtlest objects on the highest planes of manifestation there is attainment of that knowledge which is inherent in reality.

It is all embracing and through which anything can be accomplished.

The jagra or waking state of consciousness in an individual at all levels is the secondary effulgence of the supreme light of consciousness of shiva and the primary effulgence belonging to the divine consciousness.

The individual who has realized his supreme nature as atman is an actor and is aware of his being an actor on the world stage.

Therefore he is not affected nor deluded by the particular part he is enacting.

The universal consciousness of ishvara provides the stage in the world drama which is played in a manifested system.

The other jiva atmas witness the part played by the particular jiva atma on the world stage through their five sense organs.

They are not able to see the atma of the actor but only the external part he is playing in the world.

By complete control of the power of perception it is possible to make outward turns consciousness inward turned and become centered in the atma the individualized center of reality.

On attaining complete control over the power of perception the yogi attains the state of being in which he is quite independent of the ordinary limitations which confine embodied consciousness of human beings in varying conditions of time and space.

As there so also elsewhere or as under these circumstances so also under any other circumstances the implication of the above enigmatic statements is that the yogi has awareness and can function in the same manner everywhere within the manifested system to which he belongs.

At this stage of atma jnana the consciousness of the yogi is centered in the center of his consciousness the center from which his mental world is projected.

Established in the atmic consciousness with its triple sat chit anand aspect the yogi is plunged into the ocean of bliss and knowledge underlying the manifested system.

Such a yogi has the power to create or bring about results according to the measure of his capacity which though it may be tremendous must still be limited.

The cycle of births and deaths comes to an end only on the destruction of the lower mental knowledge based on the illusions of various kinds.

The yogi should be aware of the divine powers which inevitably test him before liberation can take place.

These are the powers of Maheshvara differentiated forms of Adi Shakti and inherent in their elementary form in the sounds of letters.

It is these powers which perform the highest functions of creation producing illusions which are required in any manifested system.

The yogi should make constant effort to maintain the Turiya or the fourth state of consciousness in the background of the lower states so that he does not get involved again in the illusions of the lower worlds.

This Turiya state is the atmic state of consciousness in which there is partial awareness of reality but owing to the centralization of pure consciousness it is not completely free of the subtlest illusions and limitations of manifestation.

It is entered by diving into the deeper levels of consciousness from the levels of one's own mind.

For the same reason he has the capacity to maintain and bring about dissolution of the manifested system.

Although such a self-realized individual is engaged in activities referred to previously,

He remains utterly unattached to them on account of his consciousness being established in the world of reality.

These experiences of pleasure and pain in the life of such a self-realized yogi who acts as Adhikari Purusha are confined to the periphery of his consciousness and do not affect its inner levels as the waves on the surface of the ocean do not affect its deeper levels.

The yogi whose consciousness has thus become completely liberated from the influence of pleasure and pain is called a Kaivali.

Such a person alone can work without any personal considerations and therefore serve as an instrument an effective instrument of the divine life.

A yogi who has risen completely above the influence of moha is alone qualified to serve as the Adhikari Purusha,

The embodiment of divine purpose.

This is one who can hold an office of responsibility in the occult hierarchy which constitutes the inner government of the world.

By rising above the realm of the mind which sees all things as different into the one reality in which all things are seen as different expressions of this reality is acquired the capacity to function with equal ease in all spheres,

Kingdoms of nature and solar systems in manifestation.

The capacity to act freely in these ways which is necessary for an Adhikari Purusha comes to him naturally without making any special effort because the center of his consciousness is established permanently in the world of reality in the very source of the integrated divine power.

As a result of the ability to use the divine universal power the embodiment of the divine purpose the Adhikari Purusha cannot only create any forms needed for his work but also vitalize them in all the states and levels of existence present in the manifested system.

As in the case of mind the body and organs of sense and actions are also seen on the periphery of consciousness and do not affect its deeper levels.

The desire or will to implement the divine plan in the case of an Adhikari Purusha makes him function also on the periphery of consciousness but does not affect him or his innermost being which is established in the world of reality.

On account of the direct and constant awareness of reality in the case of the Adhikari Purusha the embodiment of the divine the life or personality which he has assumed to temporarily carry out a particular part of the divine plan comes to end or disappears simultaneously with the disappearance of desire or will of accomplishment of the work.

When this embodiment of the divine the Adhikari Purusha is freed from the psycho-material mechanism created by his own will utilizing the divine power his consciousness again reverts to the Shiva state or transcendental reality.

The principle of Prana though it connects the pure consciousness of Purusha with his vehicles in the realm of manifestation belongs really to the root realm of Prakriti and so when the consciousness of the Purusha reverts to the world of reality the Prana remains behind with the vehicle and the association with Purusha is dissolved completely.

In the case of those who have learned the technique of regulating the forces of Prana and Kundalini through Pranayama since their consciousness can move up and down the different planes of manifestation in accordance with their will there is really no confinement of consciousness within the realm of manifestation.

In the case of an Adhikari Purusha or yogi embodiment of the divine who has complete control over his vehicles and can shift his consciousness anywhere within the realm of manifestation or even transcendent and enter the world of reality whenever he wills to do so there is again total reabsorption into reality.