The Sivasutras of Vasugupta is an aphoristic Agamic text of Kahmir Saivism, known as Trika. The tradition records that the Sutras were revealed to Vasugupta by Lord Siva himself, through an inscription on a rock which is still found in Kashmir. The Sutras from the basic text of the school and they have come down in at least two recensions. They had been interpreted by a number of Acaryas, naturally in different ways, without interfering with the basic tenets of the schools. Most of the earlier interpretations are now lost, owing to the influence of Abhinavagupta, with the exception of the interpretations of the Sutras given by Bhaskara in his Sivasutravarttika. Bhaskara claims to have received it is a direct line of spiritual and intellectual inheritence from Vasugupta through Kallata, a direct disciple of the former. It is probable that in it we have the sense in which Kallata understood them from Vasugupta. Therefore, the Varttika, though not much elaborate is supposed to contain an earlier interpretation and, hence is of immense historical importance. The present volume which is reprint of volumes iv and v of Kashmir series of texts and studies contain the Sutras, the Varttika and an anonymous gloss called the Vrtti. The Varttika is in verse whereas the Vrtti is in terse prose. The present edition includes an exhaustive introduction in Sanskrit, outlining the history of the Kashmir tradition of Saivism and its texts, by a renowned scholar of Indian philosophy.
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