SAIVA-SIDDHANTA

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INTRODUCTION
XV
The Agamic mysticism makes quite a speciality of the sub
jective processes connected with the Soul s Emancipation.
On the
principle
that the
cottage
in which the Soul lives, is a minified
copy or replica of the outer Nature, and the active Spirit behind
Nature, is
again the Soul s Soul, a graduated course of spiritual dis
cipline is prescribed, quite replete with apt methods to suit the Soul
in every one of its stages, whereby it is first trained to enter upon a
minute examination of the constitution and functions of Nature,
through a detailed and searching inspection of its own "
cottage
",
and then taught to slowly and steadily disentangle itself from the
enmeshments of Nature, and is finally left in a condition fit for the
Grace of Emancipation from the Spirit. The disentanglement
from the meshes of Nature, is briefly marshalled as ten-fold
(dasa-karyani), the condition of the Soul in its different grades
of bondage to Nature, is ear-marked as eighteen- fold (ashtadasa-avasthah),
the course of Nature s manifestation is regarded
as six-fold (shad-adhvanah), the mood of Nature is proclaimed
as five-fold (pancha-kalah )
and so on, and, in this fashion, many
a precious hint is dropped in the Agamas, not only
with re
ference to the procession
of Nature in Her manifestation,
and Her
precession in Her involution, but also in connexion with Her unsus
pected methods of seducing the unwary Soul, and with the only
w?ys of keeping Her at Her proper vocation, to wit, as an obedient
handmaiden of the Spiritward-bound Soul. All these, however, but
make for a preparation to await the appearance of the Spirit, Who,
at the right moment that is only known to Him, suddenly opens the
door of His Kingdom (Sankarapura) upon the ever-expectant Soul,
and admits it to His never-ending Fellowship (Ananya-sayujya).
So much for an imperfect summary of a system of ancient thought,
philosophy and mysticism, to an exposition of which, the various
papers, now brought together for the first time, in book-form, from