A partial map from Abhinavagupta. An Historical and Philosophical Study, Dr. Kanti Chandra Pandey, 1935.

parentage
schools and subjects
disciples

“According to the Trika, there can be nothing like an origin of the SZaivaagamas.
There is only appearance or reappearance of them at the divine will.”
Kaaliyuga Maalini Vijaya Vaartika, Abhinavagupta

When the iron age (Kaliyuga) was sufficiently advanced, the sages who were in the possession of the SZaiva Tantric traditions, retired to places inaccessibe to ordinary mortals.
The SZaiva Tantric traditions, therefore, disappeared from the ordinary society and spiritual darkness prevailed. SZrikan-ttha, touched with pity, instructed the sage Durvaasas
to revive the SZaivaagamic teaching. The sage accordingly divided all the SZaivaagamas into three classes according as they taught monism, dualism or monism-cum-dualism;
and imparted their knowledge to his mind-born sons (3 sons and 1 daughter), and charged each one of them separately with the mission of spreading
the knowledge of the AAgamas. Thus there came into existence 4 SZaiva Tantric Schools.

SZrikan_tthanaatha
Durvaasaa Rrswi

SZrinaatha AAmardakanaatha Tryambakanaatha Ardhatryambakaa

founder of the Advaita Tantric School

Tryambakaaditya

4th C. Paan-ini and Nandikeszvara (older contemporary of Paan-ini).

3th C. Reign of Aszoka (273-232 B.C.), at this time Buddhism entered in Kashmir.
There was already a religion there, the predominant feature of which was
the worship to Ardhanaari Natteszvara.
B.C.
Kaniswka’s gift (125-60 A.D.) of Kashmir to Buddhistic Church. Naagaarjuna
came to power anb began to use his power of both learning and position to
spread Buddhism. This was the time when the struggle between Buddhism
and SZaivism began. (Some authorities stand Naagaarjuna also as Naagabhodi).
The immediat effect of this was that the teaching of the local religion, which
were till then simply a matter of floasting traditions, were systematised
for the first time by a pious Braa h man- a ascetic, Candradeva. p. 150
The Lakulisza Paaszupata system arose in the first half of 2nd Century A.D. The According to Maheszvaraananda,
bifurcation of different schools of SZaivism can, therefore, be admitted to have the Krama system is also
called Auttaraamnaaya, because
taken place much earlier than the traditional method would permit us to assert. it arose in Kashmir, The Utta-
The SZaivaagama in its available form had its origin between the 3th rapittha, originated from SZiva
and the last quarter of the 4th century A. D.. or Bhairava and the first
recipient of its teaching was The fourth school called Ardha-Tryambaka, has its origin
5th C. Icchaa SZakti or Bhairavi. KULA
in Kaamaruupa (Assam), and its founder was the great sage,
According Jayaratha, SZivaanan- Macchanda Mina alias Macchanda Vibhu, described also as Turyanaatha.
For over 9 centuries (from 2th C. B. C da, who belonged to Kashmir,
y

the Uttarapittha, was the ear- Macchanda (or also SZ r imacchandanaa t ha) is admitted
6th C. until 8th C. A.D.) the local faith had been liest known teacher of this to be the originator of the Kula system in the Kali age.
influenced by Buddhism. For about the system on the earth. p. 463
e

same period the people of Kashmir had SZ i vaa n anda is also refered to
7th C. professed a mixed faith and had heard as Avataa r aka Naa t ha. p. 466

enough of the idealistic philosophy and Sammgamaaditya KRAMA

l

perhaps thought also over it. Kumaa r ila SZivaananda

8th C. Bhatttta (about 750 A.D.) shaked the roots Varswaaditya
He lived in Antarvedi, the region between
l

of Buddhism and its decline had come. p. 151 Keyuuravati-Madan_ikaa-Kalyaan_ikaa the Ganges and the Yamunaa, reign of king
Arun_aaditya
SPANDA Atrigupta Yaszovarman of kannauj (Circa 730-40 A.D.).
a

Vasugupta He atteined a very great fame for erudition

end 8th-first half 9th C.
AAnanda Govindaraaja Bhanuka Erakanaatha in all the branches of learning in general
9th C. and in the SZ a iva SZ a a s tras in particular.
V

SZan4karaacaarya visited Kashmir PRATYABHIJÑAA King Lalitaaditya, (Circa 725-61) impressed

Bhatttta Kallatta later half 9th C.
Somaanandanaatha
in the second decade of the father
855 A.D.
19th descendant of Tryambaka
Ujjatta with his scholarship, after the conquest of

9th C., after giving his final Udbhatta King Yasz o varman (about 740 A.D.),
son Pradyumna Bhatttta requested Atrigupta to accompany him
blow to Buddhism in the rest cousin of Kallatta
to Kashmir. Thus the family migrated from
of India. Mukula
Prajñaarjuna Kaa n yakubja to Kashmir. The successive
r

Utpaladeva Sumatinaatha generations had maintained the scholastic

10th C. Mahaadeva Bhatttta end 9th-firts half 10th C. Southern Pittha
tradition of the learned family.
father
Bhuatiraaja Bhattttenduraaja SZrikan_ttha Bhatttta
i

Somanaatha Varaahagupta grand father, beginning of 10th C.

and his son Bhagavad Gitaa Raajaanaka son
Bhaaskaraacaarya
Helaaraaja or Dhvani (poethry) older contempor. of Raamakan_ttha Lakswman_agupta father
SZambhunaatha Narasimmhagupta U Vimalakalaa
mather
Vaamanaatha
h m

Bhuatiraajatanaya Abh. or a predecessor 2-3/4r 10th C.

Tota or Bhatttta Tauta dualistic SZaivaagamas,

Krama & Trika Kaulica literature alias Cukhulaka Dvaita Tantras
(philosophy) and practices Grammar uncle
Dramaturgy Brahma-Vidyaa & Krama

Abhinavagupta
s

middle 10th-beginning 11th C.

Abhinavagupta was recognised to be the spiritual head
of all the SZaiva sects known up to that date, such as Manoratha younger brother
a

11th C. Siddhaanta, Vaama, Bhairava, Yaamala, Kaula and Ekavira.

Kswemaraaja , Utpala, Abhinava, Cakraka, Padmagupta / 5 cousins
1-2/4r 11th C.
K

Kswemendra or Vyaasadaasa
1-2-3/4r 11th C Madhuraaja Yogin
or Bhatttta Krrswn-a 1-2-3/4r 11th C.
Yogaraa j a father
3-4/4r 11th C KRAMA
son

12th C. Varada Raaja alias Krrswn-adaasa

end 11th beginning 12th. C. Cola, South India
Subhatta Datta Maadhava Mahaaprakaasza
teachers
midle-end 12th C. SZan4khadhara 12th or 15th? C.
father teacher
and Kalyaana son pupil
He had inherited the tradition of the Auttaraa m naayas,
SZaivism teacher
Jayaratha Gorakswanaatha alias Maheszvaraananda
13th C. Abhinavagupta wrote on a number of subjects and was recog- end 12th beginning 13th C.
the various SZaiva philosophical schools of Kashmir. He
nized to be a reliable authority on each one of them. (...) Hence had mastered the Krama, Kula and Pratyabhijñaa systems.
he is better known as an able exponent of the theories of Rasa Lallaa
14th C. and Dhvani than as the greatest authority on the three monistic
SZaiva systems, the Krama, the Kula and the Prayabhijñaa. The
15th C. reason is not so far to seek. The systems of philosophy he has
attempted to formulate and to elaborate, are non-Vedic; not
because their doctrines are fundamentally opposed to those of
16th C. the Vedic systems, but because they do not recognize the Vedas KULA

as the final authority. They were, therefore, ignored by the

17th C. Braahman-a community, which alone has kept alive the literary
traditions connected with various schools of Indian thought as Kasz i
a matter of religious duty. These non-Vedic trends of thought, Narasimmha Yajva
teacher
18th C. however, were very popular among the Braahman-as of Kashmir The AAgamic lore was heriditory in his family. At the request of his
who had the opportunity of knowing them better than those Vaidduarya Kan-ttha Kaula Bhaaskararaaya alias Bhaasuraananda loving pupil Candresena Yaadava, he travelled all over India and
end 17th first half 18th C.
elsewhere. They had a succession of learned writers and the grandfather Narottama installed SZricakra in many temples.
basic AAgamas. (...) But, for more than a century, they were Avataara Kan-ttha teacher Jagannaatha alias Candrasena Yaadava
neglected even in the land of their birth. Some fifty years back father Umaanandanaatha
SZukaananda
the literary tradition of these systems seemed to be completely Bhaaskara Kan-ttha
dead in Kashmir too, where they primarily existed. The local middle-end 18th C.
Deszikaananda son
Yajñeszaananda grandson
19th C. Pandit families, however, continued to hold a very high opinion
son
Jagannaatha
of them, because of the vast treasure of MSS. of the literature on Dharmaananda
them in their possession, and to regard the monistic SZ a iva Dhiraananda
philosophy of Kashmir to be better than any other system of
thought in India. During the last Fifty years, however, the Bhuumaananda
scholarly interest in the monistic Kashmir SZaiva philosophy has Ambaananda
20th C. been growing, because it has been realised that it has contributed Bhuumaananda Dr. Kanti Chandra Pandey had direct contact with him in Kashmir.
to the growth of such important branches of Indian thought as
the philosophy of grammar or language and aesthetics. Nauraayan-a SZastri Khriste Ex Principal of the Government Sanskrit College,
Banaras, actual Sanskrit University.
Vattukanaatha SZastri son