PREFATORY NOTE

It is well known that Mādhavāchārya's Sarva Darśana Sangraha Compendium of All Philosophical Systems, which claims to supply a summary of the philosophical doctrines of all the systems of Indian Thought, has left out many schools. The Sarvasiddhāntasangraha Compendium of All Established Doctrines attributed to S'ankarāchārya fares no better in this respect. Of the neglected schools, the S'ākta relating to the Goddess (Shakti) or the Tāntric esoteric ritual tradition system holds the foremost position. Though the S'ākta system is very rich in its literature, its philosophical status does not seem to have yet been clearly demonstrated anywhere. The Tripurārahasya The Secret of Tripura, which is now published, represents a brilliant attempt in this direction.

It will be found on close examination of the contents of the work that this S'āktā Darśana Shakta Philosophy is very closely connected with the Spanda Vibration and Pratyabhijñā Recognition schools of Kashmir. The work is divided into three parts or khaṇḍas sections, viz. Māhātmya Greatness/Glory, Jñāna Knowledge, and Itihāsa History/Legend. The Jñāna section is now given out, and after it is completed, it will be followed by the Māhātmya section. The Itihāsa portion does not appear to be available in Northern India. It is hoped that it is not entirely lost, and will one day be found in an unexpected.