Swami Lakshman Joo Raina (9 May
1907 – 27 September 1991) was a mystic and scholor of Kashmir
Shaivam or Trika. He was known as Lal Sahib (‘‘Friend of God’’) by followers.
Lakshman Joo was born in the city
of Srinagar, which is in the Kashmir region. He was the fifth
child in a household of four boys and five girls. His father, Narayandas
("Nav Narayan") Raina, was the first person to have introduced houseboats in
the Kashmir Valley. His mother's name was Arnyamali Raina.
At the age of five he was introduced to the
path of spirituality by his elder brother Maheshvaranath. Up to the age of
eight his spiritual progress in the lineage of Kashmiri Shaivam was
monitored by his family priest, Pandit Swami Ram Joo (1854-1915), and
later by his chief disciple Swami Mehatab Kak (1870?-1942). At the age of 19,
it is said, he experienced a clear taste of Self-realisation. Shortly
afterwards he left home, as he wrote, "in search of the Supreme" and
moved to the famous ashram of Sadhamalyun (Sadhuganga) in Handwara.
Persuaded by his father to return to Srinagar, he continued to study Sanskrit and Shaiva
philosophy under the guidance of a scholar named Maheshwar Razdan.
In 1934-35, he moved to an isolated place
above the village of Gupta Ganga near Nishat suburb of Srinagar where
his parents built him a house. This was a place where Abhinavgupta had
lived nine centuries before. In 1962 he moved down the hill to a place closer
to the famous Dal Lake a few hundred metres from the Nishat Gardens.
Around the age of 30 he traveled in India,
spending time on a Bombay beach and a short time with Mahatma
Gandhi at Sevagram and then with Sri Aurobindo at Pondicherry.
From there he found his way to Tiruvannamalai to meet Ramana Maharashi.
There he spent some weeks and later commented; "I felt those golden days
were indeed divine".
Little was known about the Swami for almost three
decades (1930-1960), as it was his habit to spend the winter months in silence
and seclusion. Still, in the summer he had occasional visits from both scholars
and saints. The Indian Spiritual Master Meher Baba visited
his ashram in 1944. In 1948 Lilian Silburn from
the National Centre for Scientific Research,
Paris, visited the Swami. She would return regularly for the next ten years,
during which time she studied the major texts of Kashmir Shaiva philosophy, all
of which were published in French. It was through Silburn that Andre
Padoux,
another prolific scholar of Kashmir Shaivism came to meet the Swami. Paul
Reps,
the American artist, author and poet stumbled across the Ashram in 1957. With
Swami Lakshmanjoo he studied the ancient text of Vijnana
Bhairava Tantra, and later published the 112 practices of
transcending in the fourth chapter of his book Zen
Flesh, Zen Bones. This teaching also influenced Osho,
and formed the basis of The Book of Secrets. It was a few years
later, in 1965, after attending a Sanskrit conference in Varanasi,
chaired by the renowned Sanskrit Tantra scholar Gopinath
Kaviraj,
that the word quickly spread that the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism was alive
and well, and fully embodied in the person of Swami Lakshmanjoo. Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi visited the Swami each summer from 1966 to 1969.
The two saints formed a lasting relationship. Baba Muktananda,
of Siddha
Yoga also
visited on two occasions. Until his death in 1991, Swami Lakshmanjoo freely
taught, giving weekly lectures on the mystical and philosophical texts of
Kashmir Shaivism. Many of these lectures were audio recorded by John Hughes and
later published. Lakshman Joo's interpretation of Kashmir Shavism attracted the
attention of both Indian of western Indologista.
The Swami has correspondence with Professor Giuseppe Tucci of
the University of Rome La Sapienza,
and his regular visitors included scholars, such as, Jaideva
Singh, Professor
Nilkanth Gurtoo, Acharya Rameshwar Jha, Jankinath
Kaul ‘Kamal’, Gherardo Gnoli, Alexis
Sanderson and Mark Dyczkowski.
In
1991 the Swami traveled to the United States and established the Universal
Shaiva Fellowship where he designated John Hughes and his wife Denise to continue
publishing his teachings of Kashmir Shaivism. In India the teachings of
Lakshman Joo are carried on by a local organisation Ishwar Ashram Trust which
was founded by him.
Selected Publications:
·
1933 – Gitartha Samgraha (Abhinavagupta's commentary
on the Bhagavad Gita)
·
1943 – Hindi translation of Sambpanchashika
·
1958 – Sri Kramanayadipika (Hindi) on the 12
Kali-s
·
1964 – Hindi translation of Utpaladeva's Shivastotravali
·
1982 – Lectures on practice and discipline in Kashmir Shaivism
·
1985 – Kashmir Shaivism: The Secret Supreme, edited
by John Hughes (the essence of the first fifteen chapters of
Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka)
·
1986 – Hindi commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo on
Abhinavagupta's Bhagavad Gitartha Samgraha
·
1987 – Hindi translation of Panchastavi
Posthumously:
·
1994 – Self Realization in Kashmir Shaivism, Oral
Teachings of Swami Lakshman Joo, edited by John Hughes
·
2002 – English translation of Shiva Sutras, edited
by John Hughes
·
2002 – Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta along with
original audio recordings
·
2005 – Revelations on Grace and Spiritual Practice,
original audio and DVD recordings
·
2006 – Trika Rahasya Prakriya, Sanskrit verses with
Hindi commentary
·
2007 – Vijnana Bhairava, original audio and
transcript, introduction by John Hughes
·
2009 – Bhagavad Gitartha Samgraha of Abhinavagupta
(Revisited), Chapters 1–6, translated by Swami Lakshman Joo, DVD
·
2013 – Bhagavad Gītā in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism,
Chapters 1-18, translated by Swami Lakshman Joo, DVD
Kashmir Shaivism – Library:
Over
a period of nineteen years John Hughes recorded Lakshman Joo's translations of
the following texts. Transcripts of these lectures are maintained in the
Universal Shaiva Fellowship library.
·
Bhagavad Gitartha Samgraha of
Abhinavagupta, translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 28 Nov. 1978 to 3 June 80).
·
Bodhapancadashika of
Abhinavagupta, translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 18 to 22 Oct 1980).
·
Dehastadevatacakra of
Abhinavagupta, translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 25 Oct to 12 Nov 1980).
·
Interviews with Swami Lakshman Joo:
Questions by John Hughes, Alexis Sanderson, Alice Christenson, original audio
recordings (July 1974).
·
Janma Marana Vicara:
translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio recordings
(Kashmir, May 1975).
·
Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme (Lectures
in English), Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio recordings (Kashmir, 1972).
·
Kashmiri Lectures on Practice and
Discipline, Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio recordings (Kashmir, 1980).
·
Paramarthasara (Abhinavagupta's
commentary): Swami Lakshman Joo's comments on John Hughes’ reading, original
audio recordings (Kashmir, 26 April to 6 Sept 1972).
·
Parapraveshika of
Kshemaraja: translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 12 to 15 Nov 1980).
·
Pratyabhijna Hridayam of
Kshemaraja: Swami Lakshman Joo's answers John Hughes questions: original audio recordings
(Kashmir, 26 April 1972).
·
Paratrishika Laghuvritti of
Abhinavagupta: translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 25 May 1974 to 6 July 1974)
·
Paratrishika Vivarana of
Abhinavagupta, translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 26 May 1982 to 24 Aug 1985).
·
Revelations on Grace and Practice: A
collection of Swami Lakshman Joo's original audio recordings plus transcript,
ed. John Hughes (USA, 9 May 2005).
·
Shivastotravali of
Utpaladeva: translation by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio recordings
(Kashmir, June 1976 to Sept 1978).
·
Shiva Sutra Vimarshini of
Vasugupta: translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 7 June 1975).
·
Spanda Karika of
Vasugupta: translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 5 Aug to 26 Aug 1981).
·
Spanda Samdoha of
Kshemaraja: translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Kashmir, 29 Aug to 9 Oct 1981).
·
Special Verses on Practice Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio
recordings (Nepal, 1988).
·
Stavacintamani of
Bhatta Narayana: translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original
audio recordings (Kashmir, 26 Nov 1980 to 17 July 1981).
·
Tantraloka of
Abhinavagupta (Chapters 1–18): translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman
Joo, original audio recordings (Kashmir, 1976 to 1981).
·
Vatulanath Sutras of
Kshemaraja: Swami Lakshman joo, original audio recordings (Kashmir, 1975).
·
Vijnana Bhairava:
translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio recordings
(Kashmir, 1975).
·
Vijnana Bhairava Questions:
Swami Lakshman Joo, original audio recordings (Kashmir, July 1985).
Audio recordings in Kashmiri
language:
·
Kalika Stotra of
Shivanandanatha, Recitation by Swami Lakshman Joo and devotees (Kashmir, 1977).
·
Maharthamanjari of
Maheshvarananda, translated by Swami Lakshman Joo (Kashmir, 1977).
·
Paratrishika Vivarana,
translated by Swami Lakshman Joo (Kashmir, 1982–83).
·
Shiva Sutra Vimarshini of
Vasugupta, translated by Swami Lakshman Joo (Kashmir, 1978).
·
Shiva Stotravali of
Utpaladeva with Kshemaraja's commentary, translated by Swami Lakshman Joo
(Kashmir, 1975–85).
·
Stuti Kushmanjali,
translated by Swami Lakshman Joo (Kashmir, 1977).
·
Tantraloka of
Abhinavagupta (selected chapters), translated by Swami Lakshman Joo (Kashmir,
1975–85).
DVD recordings in English:
·
Bhagavadgitarthasamgraha of
Abhinavagupta, translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original video
recordings (Nepal, 1990)
·
Paramarthasara of
Abhinavagupta, translation and commentary by Swami Lakshman Joo, original video
recording (Nepal, 1990)
·
Revelations on Grace and Spiritual Practice,
Selections from translations and commentaries on Bhagavadgitarthasamgrah
(video), Paramarthasara (video), and Tantraloka (audio). (Los Angeles, 2006)
·
Special Verses on Practice by
Swami Lakshman Joo, original video recordings (Nepal, 1988).
Websites:
