Kashmiri Shaivism

Kashmiri Shaivism, religious and philosophical system of India that worships the god Shiva as the supreme reality. The school is idealistic and monistic, as contrasted with the realistic and dualistic school of Shaiva-siddhanta. The principal texts of the school are the Shiva-sutra, said to have been revealed to Vasugupta; Vasugupta’s Spanda-karika (“Verses on Activity”), 8th–9th century; Utpala’s Pratyabhijna-shastra (“Manual on Recognition”), c. 900; Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara (“The Essence of the Highest Truth”), Pratyabhijna-vimarshini (“Reflections on Recognition”),...