Sri. Kallatta speaks about "Spanda or movement" in his "Spanda Karika". Spanda is a very technical word in Advaita system. Literally, it is some sort of movement or throb. But as applied to the Divine, it cannot mean movement.
"Spandana means some sort of movement. If there is movement from the essential nature of the Divine towards another object, it is definite movement, not some sort, otherwise, movement itself would be nothing. Therefore, 'Spanda is only a throb, a heaving of spiritual rapture in the essential nature of the Divine which excludes all succession. This is the significance of the word 'Kincit' or 'calanam' which is to be interpreted as "movement as it were".
Movement or motion occurs only in a spatio-temporal framework. The Supream transcends all notions of space and time. Spanda, therefore, in the case of the Supream is neither physical motion, nor phychological activity like pain and pleasure, nor pranic activity like hunger or thirst. It is the throb of the ecasty of the Divine I-conciousness is spiritual dynamism. It is the Divine creative pulsation. It is the throb of Siva's swatantrya or absolute freedom.
If Spanda is not any kind of movement, how can the application of this word be justified to the activity of the Supream, for the word Spanda means 'a somewhat of motion?'This is the explanation offered by AbhinavaGupta.
"Spandana means a somewhat of movement. The charecterestics of 'somewhat ' consists in the fact that even the immovable appears 'as if moving' because though the light of consciousness does not change in the least, yet it appears to be changing as it were. The immovable appears as if having a variety of manifestation".
Spanda is, therefore, spiritual dynamism without any movement itself but serving as the cause sine qua non of all movements.
The infinite Perfect Devine Consciousness always has vimarsa or self-awareness. This Self-awareness is a subtle activity which is spiritual dynamism, not any physical, psychological or pranic activity.
As Utpaladeva puts it in Isvarapratyabhijna: The Devine is termed the great Lord (Maheswara) because of His ever-present, immutable Self-awareness (vimarsa). That Self awareness in its absolute Freedom constitutes Divine( suddha-pure) knowledge and activity". Spanda is only another name of Self-awareness or Vimarsa. Spanda Connots the svatantya or absolute Freedom of the Divine (Bhagavatah swatantrya sakthi). Vimarsa, parasakti, svatantrya, aisvarya, kartrtva, Sara, hrdaya, Spanda are synonymous in saivagam
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