Abhinavagupta's Sri Tantraloka and Other Works (9 vols) Hardcover – January 21, 2015

It is true that the books contain spelling errors and, at times, the wording may leave us confused, but I don't care. This is a monumental piece of work and I love it. To me, it is worth every penny, and I actually paid $650 for it on the Exotic India website; (they have a great selection.) To anyone reading this: Once you attain Samadhi you'll begin to understand what all the Indian Sages were trying to tell us. To attain it, you must transcend the boundaries of your individuality—you must go beyond the Jiva. Meditate with great compassion for the world and imagine an object of your choice, (for me it was a flame.) The Patanjali Sutras are a perfect, concise, guide toward achieving it.

The translators of this book have done an excellent job in the production of this English translation of the Tantraloka. I found the quality of the language in the book to be of a very high standard. The translators/authors provided a very eloquent introduction that places the Tantraloka within the wider context of the collective wisdom of mankind. In particular, the introduction points out that the school to which Abhinavagupta belonged shares its lineage with the school to which Yogananda (the author of Autobiography of a Yogi) belonged. The introduction also points out the similarities between Sri Aurobindo and Abhinavagupta’s conception of the Absolute. I learnt a lot from reading this book, and I found the work to be a comprehensive presentation of Kashmir Shaivism. I would classify this work as more of a religious text than as a text on spiritual philosophy. The truth of reality has been expressed in the world’s various spiritual traditions. This same truth has also been expressed within the Tantraloka. I am rating the book as five stars because the language of the translation is of a high standard and also because the work provides a comprehensive perspective of Kashmir Shaivism’s Tantra.

I read it some chapter and compare to Swami Lashmanjoo and to others Scholars this translation to me was obscure, leaving the reader confused and wondering what is the meaning of what they are trying to say or translate. I higly reccomend the first Anika or the first Chapter of Tantraloka by Swami Lashmanjoo available through the Shaiva fellowship. The English in this translation makes no sense grammatically speaking and that's a pity for such a monumental work of Abhinavagupta whom is considered like a direct vessel in the lineage of Shiva.

The Tantraloka is a magnum opus of Abhinavagupta, a work to which all Kashmere Saiva books refer to. Thus it is important to have it translated to English. This translation is great as regards its size, but the translator does not seem to have a mastery over yoga and yoga terminology. Thus, as it was already mentioned by a reviewer, one who seeks elucidation of yoga related matters mentioned in e.g. Siva Sutra, Vijnana Bhairava or Pratyabhijnahrdayam, gets perplexed, as the text is uninterpretable. It is a pity that the translator did not consult at least someone familiar with Kashmere Shaivism or yoga.Thus the investment into the book is money ill spent. What is more sad that there does not seem to exist a reliable tranlation of the Tantraloka.For a comparison, the Tantrasara of Abhinavagupta is translated in an excellent manner by H.N. Chakravarty (Ed. B. Marjanovic).