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Wellsprings
hindu-devotionWe're still mapping where this idea was first discussed. Key passages and related ideas below.

Power of Consciousness (Cit-Śakti)

The first power: awareness itself, the self-luminous light in which everything appears.

Cit-śakti is the power of consciousness — the most basic of the five, the sheer capacity to be aware and to light up experience. It is awareness considered as a living power rather than a passive screen: the self-luminous knowing that underlies every other power and every experience. Without it nothing could appear at all.

Key passages(13)

Tantrasāra · Abhinavagupta

High

Tantrasāra · Abhinavagupta

High

Spanda-kārikā · Bhaṭṭa Kallaṭa

High

Vijñāna-bhairava · Anonymous (Bhairava Āgama / Tantra)

High

Aṣṭāvakra-gītā · Aṣṭāvakra

High

Vijñāna-bhairava · Anonymous (Bhairava Āgama / Tantra)

High

Paramārthasāra · Abhinavagupta

High

Haṭhayoga-pradīpikā · Svātmārāma

High

Upadeśasāhasrī · Ādi Śaṅkara

High

Upadeśasāhasrī · Ādi Śaṅkara

High

Paramārthasāra · Abhinavagupta

Moderate

Śiva-stotrāvalī · Utpaladeva

Moderate

Śiva-stotrāvalī · Utpaladeva

Moderate