Universe is Her Divine Play

Eternal consciousness known as chiti, by Her own free will, constantly unfolds within Her own being the wondrous universe with myriad names and forms, says the spandakarika, all renowned text of Kashmir Shaivism. She carries out Her blissful sport by enacting the wonderful drama of the deluding activities of the walking state, the astral, mysterious worlds of the dream state, and the oblivion of the deep sleep state of consciousness. There is no other material cause of creation.

Infinite universes keep arising and subsiding of their own accord on the canvas of chiti- the creative energy, consciousness of everything she has brought into being. Just as a clear mirror, while reflecting huge and diverse objects in itself, retains its clarity without undergoing even a minute change in its nature, chiti, the eternal consciousness, despite the projection of the variegated cosmos, does not suffer the least diminution of Her perfection and continues to retain Her transcendental aspect.

In a movie we observe the colorful costumes, speeches, gestures and actions of the characters; scenes that evoke laughter and some that bring tears - all creations of the director. In the same way, Chiti alone is the author and the director of the infinite occurrences that constantly take place in the walking, dream and deep sleep states. All the sentient and insentient beings and objects of the world comprise the blissful dance of Chiti who constantly enacts enchanting scenes on Her own stage, for Her own delight and ecstasy.

There are thus dimensions to chiti the perceiver and the perceived. The entire external universe which is experienced through the senses and is understood as idam, as 'this' is the perceived; while the inner self which becomes aware of 'this' from within, which sees things separately as 'this book, this pen' is the perceiver.

The entire external world is the domain of the perceived while the perceiver is the universal self. The perceived universe cannot exist at variance with the nature of the perceiver; it comes into being only for the perceiver to enjoy. Thus, the omniscient and omnipotent chiti projects Herself both as the universe and the universal self by becoming the perceiver as well as the perceived. "Chiti is the play of the world; and the world is the play of chitshakti"

According to Swami Muktanda, exponent of the doctrine of Kashmir Shaivism, the normal waking state of consciousness is not true wakefulness. On the contrary, the state of waking being coupled with ignorance is enveloped with darkness. He said it is only when by the grace of a perfect master the dormant Shakti within the seeker gets ignited that the seeker enters into deep meditation and begins to perceive, in the inner most recesses of his being the dazzling blue rays of consciousness, referred to as the light of inner knowledge.

The dark clouds of ignorance then get automatically dispersed and the seeker leaves behind his identification with the physical body the mind, and finally, even with the oblivion of deep sleep. For such a seeker, there is neither one, nor two, nor many; neither matter nor consciousness; neither jiva nor Siva; neither gods nor goddesses. In the luminous region within, he perceives the Divine Effulgence radiating in all directions, reverberating with the knowledge of aham, "I am".