Sivastotravali of Utpaladeva: Sanskrit Text with Introduction, English Translation and Glossary

Sivastotravali is a collection of stray verses composed by Utpaladeva simply to ventilate his feelings, thoughts and experiences during various stages of his spiritual life. it was discovered by his admirers in total disorder after the author gave up his mortal coil. Since they contained a wealth of spiritual wisdom they were taken up by one Visvavarta and compiled into twenty stotras, and later commented upon by rajanaka ksemaraja, the authors's gret-grand-disciple The text contains spontaneous outpourings of a master mind given to the discovery of the truth of existence. They constitute and authenitic saga of one of the greatest spiritual adventures in the world. The book throws valuable light on the author's struggle gained entrance into the closely guarded audience chamber of the Lord.

About the Author:

Born in a humble family of kashmiri Pandits, NIL KANTH KOTRU evinced strong predilections for religious and philosophical studies while still young. His inquisitive spirit brought him in contact with some eminent scholars, who helped him to study bhagavad Gita and other works on Vedanta philosophy. the author happened to hold a managerial post in a respectable commercial concern in Srinagar, and this left him with no time to take care of his natural disposition. It was late his life that he was introduced to kashmir Saivism, and the first work that caught his imagination was no other than Sivastotravali of utpaladeva which cast a lasting spell on his mind. he received immense help from his teacher, to whom the present work has been respectfully dedicated. With his blessings the work of translation was undertaken for the benefit ot English knowing public.