2. The text of the Gītārthasaṅgraha

It cannot be denied that among all the compositions of Abhinavagupta the Tantrāloka or Īśvarapratyabhijñāvimarśinī, Abhinavabhāratī, Locana etc. are widely discussed by the scholars, while the Gītārthasaṅgraha comparatively lags behind. But it is a fact that Abhinavagupta himself has considered the Bhagavadgītā as mokṣa-śāstra^[1] and he has unveiled the secret meaning of it in an appropriate place^[2]. The Bhagavadgītā has a unique place in Śaiva literature, because in the Śaiva tradition there is a belief that Śrī Kṛṣṇa learnt the non-dual Śaiva āgamas from sage Durvāsas and the other āgamas from Upamanyu. It can be noted that the name Vāsudeva for denoting Kṛṣṇa in many places of its commentary is undoubtedly significant. For this reason many Śaivite scholars have explained the Gītā. It is to be mentioned here that in the Śaiva philosophy, Śiva and Pārvatī together with Vāsudeva have been mentioned as the speakers of the āgamas.^[3]

The worldly affairs have been taking place based on the established old traditional behavior. This established practice is known as Āgama^[4]. The names Āgama, Nigama, Raasya, Saṃhitā, Yāmala, Manta, Arṇava and Tantra mean the same śāstra. The spiritual path followed by the Dakṣiṇācārins is known as Āgama and the path followed by the Vāmācārins is called Nigama. Generallya, the name Tantra includes all the śāstras followed by the sādhakas, but there is some particular meaning of the term^[5] as known from tradition.

The Trika philosophy is an idealistic monistic Śaiva philosophy which holds that the Parameśvara is one and without any division. Though it is known that this philosophy was originated and prevalent in Kashmir at the end of 8th Century C.E. or the 9th Century C.E. yet the existence of Śaivism or Āgamic tradition in Kashmir is presumed long before that time.

In the Gītārthasaṅgraha, Abhinavagupta has worked out the ślokas of the Mahābhārata available in Kashmir. The Kashnirian recession of Bhagavadgītā contains 716 ślokas in all with available commentaries. The chapters therein contain the number of ślokas are 47, 74,48,42,29, 49, 30, 28, 35, 42, 60, 20, 35, 27, 20, 24, 28, and 78 respectively. Moreover, there are six benedictory ślokas and at the end of four self composed ślokas are available. In his commentary Ācārya Abhinavagupta has cited examples in many places from different texts some of which were composed by Abhinavagupta himself. Among them the texts relating to Śaiva philosophy, are–Tantrāloka, Spandakārikā, Vijñānabhairava (Śivopaniṣad), Paramārthasāra, Yogasūtra, Laghvīprakrīyā, Stavacintamaṇi etc.

As regards the name of the Gītārthasaṅgraha, we find in the benedictory śloka the name as such but the second of the concluding four verses at the end of the text, the name Bhagavadgītārthasaṅgraha has been mentioned. The context of thus text being the Gītā of the form of well known conversation between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna written in the śloka style and belonging to the Bhīṣmaparvan of the Kashmir version of the Mahābhārata, the names Gītārthasaṅgraha and Bhagavadgītārthasaṅgraha suggested for the same text bears no ambiguity.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

yadyapyanyaprasaṅgeṣu mokṣo nāmātra gīyate |
tathāpi bhagavadgītāḥ samyak tatprāptidāyikāḥ || Gītārthasaṅgraha,Maṅgala-verse, 4.

[2]:

tāsvanyaiḥ prāktanairvyākhyāḥ kṛtā yadyapi bhūyasā |
nyāyyastathāpyudamo me tadgūḍhārthaprakāśakaḥ || Gītārthasaṅgraha,Maṅgala-verse, 5.

[3]:

āgataṃ śivavaktrebhyo gatañca girijāśrutau |
mataṃ śrīvāsudevasya tasmādāgama ucyate ||, Introduction by Sukhamay Bhattacharyya, Tantrāloka.

[4]:

Āgataṃ Śivavaktrebhya gatañca girijāśrutou mataṃ śrīvāsudevasya tasmādagama ucyate”, Bhūmika, Tantrāloka.

[5]:

tanoti vipulānarthān, ibid.