Along with Brahma and Visnu, Siva makes the Hindu trinity: the trimurti. The name, Siva signifies 'auspiciousness'. But he is Rudra: the fierce, as well. Often looked upon as the principle of cosmic destruction, he also creates and reproduces. In abstract terms, Siva is the first cause, the source of consciousness, the very substratum of the universe. Saivism : the worship of Siva, is not just a dominant religious tradition. It is also a philosophy which, over the centuries, has evolved metaphysical doctrines on different issues of universal concern, specially the nature of Reality: Siva (pati), and of its interrelatedness with the 'Individual Soul' (Jivatman/pasu) and the world at large. Dr. Tagare's book is a brilliant effort to quintessentially unfold Saivism and its principal philosophical expressions. Spelling out a range of fundamental concepts like, for instance,pati (Siva),pasu (individual soul), and moksa (liberation), the author offers a stimulating, highly systematic discussion of the major, agama-based Saiva Schools, namely, Kashmir Saivism, Siddhanta Saivism, Sivadvaita (or Saiva Visistadvaita of Srikantha), and Vira-Saivism (or Sakti-Visistadvaita); besides the Vedic Pasupatism - with emphasis on how one school of Saiva thought differs from the other. Finally describing some of its syncretic forms, Dr. Tagare demonstrates how Saivism, through a balanced synthesis of yoga, karma and bhakti, inheres a strong relevance to the tension-riven world of our times. Together with a glossary of Sanskrit terms and many bibliographic references, the book holds out a lasting appeal to the scholars of Indology, traditional Indian philosophy, and religion. Contents Preface Introduction 1. Some Fundamental Concepts 2. Pasupatism (Dvaitadvaitism) 3. Kasmir Saivism 4. Siddhanta Saivism 5. Sivadvaita (Saiva Visistadvaita of Srikantha) 6. Vira-Saivism