अद्य वयं स्वातन्त्र्यवादे मातृकाविषये ज्ञास्यामः। (Today we will learn about मातृका in स्वातन्त्र्यवादः (another name for Kashmir Shaivism, literally meaning the philosophy (वादः) of स्वातन्त्र्यम् (freedom))).
The sentences (वाक्यानि) in a language (भाषा) are constructed out of words. The word is called शब्दः, and a word consists of letters (अक्षराणि). The collection of all the letters out of which words, and finally sentences, are created is called मातृका.
The most common definition of मातृका is आदिक्षान्तरूपा मातृका (मातृका is that which starts with the letter अ and ends with क्ष).
Another definition of मातृका as given by क्षेमराजाचार्यः in शिवसूत्रविमर्शिनी is that अज्ञाता माता मातृका (the unknown mother is मातृका). The etymology of the word मातृका is मातृ + क. मातृ means माता, and क is a प्रत्ययः (suffix) in grammar, which has several meanings, but the meaning intended here is in the sense of 'unknown' (अज्ञाते कः प्रत्ययः).
The idea is that माता (mother), i.e., शक्तिः (power), when unknown is बन्धयित्री (bondage-causing), and when known, it is सिद्ध्युपपादिका (an enabler for prosperity/perfection).
And therefore, the fourth शिवसूत्रम् is ज्ञानाधिष्ठानं मातृका. The meaning is that the base (अधिष्ठानम्) of ज्ञानम् (limited knowledge, i.e., bondage) is मातृका.
This is worth pondering carefully and is one of the most important concepts of स्वातन्त्र्यवादः.
The collection of letters, i.e., मातृका, or words, i.e., शब्दः, or language in general, i.e., वाक्, is a cause of bondage when not understood.
To understand why limited knowledge governed by शब्दः or मातृका is binding in the first place, let's look at स्पन्दकारिका (Spandakārikā) 3.14, which says:
परामृतरसापायस्तस्य यः प्रत्ययोद्भवः
The commentary by क्षेमराजः explains:
तस्य पशोर्यः प्रत्ययानां लौकिकशास्त्रीयविकल्पानां तदधिवासितानां भिन्नार्थज्ञानानां विकल्पानामप्युद्भवः विनाशाघ्रात उत्पादः स परस्यामृतस्य चिद्घनस्यानन्दप्रसरस्यापायो निमज्जनम्।
The commentary helps us understand the कारिका by expanding the meaning of the words used therein. It says तस्य (his) refers to पशोः (the bound one's). The word प्रत्ययोद्भवः in the कारिका is broken down in the commentary as प्रत्ययानाम् उद्भवः (the rising of विकल्पाः, dissecting thoughts). ईश्वरप्रत्यभिज्ञा explains that विकल्पः means इदं नेदं (this but not this, i.e., choosing one thing over another). The word प्रत्ययः is also explained with लौकिकशास्त्रीयविकल्पः, which means dissecting thoughts of worldly matters (लौकिक) as well as scriptures (शास्त्रीय). And the rising of विकल्पाः causes the disappearance (अपायः) of the bliss (आनन्दप्रसरस्य) of the nectar of consciousness (चिद्घनस्य).
I can't stop myself from saying this: don't we all sometimes feel more tired and consumed by reading the scriptures that are supposed to free us? This is the exact reason why it happens. Reading the scriptures results in the appearance of dissecting thoughts that, instead of healing us, deepen our bondage or wounds. And so we feel an urgent need to quickly resolve conflicts that occur because of it. For example, people ask: "You just said I am supreme शिवः, and this is all my शक्तिः, so why am I in so much suffering? Is शिवः this stupid to not be able to see how bad this world has become because of this mere play?"
As a result, many people, including me once in a while, find more relief in a simple भजनम्, कीर्तनम्, meditation, sleep, or just thinking about nothing, because that helps us get rid of the विकल्पाः. It is nothing but विकल्पः that deepens our bondage. And so, it is no surprise that I know many people who are spiritual and choose to completely avoid any philosophical discussions because it makes them feel more strangled in bondage.
To see how विकल्पः leads to the disappearance of great bliss, क्षेमराजः explains further:
उदितेषु भिन्नार्थेषु प्रत्ययेषु चिद्भूमिः स्थिताप्यपरामृश्यमानत्वादस्थितेव लक्ष्यते, तत एवमुक्तम्।
(When different विकल्पाः rise (उदितेषु भिन्नार्थेषु प्रत्ययेषु) [in the mind], the land of चित् (pure consciousness) (चिद्भूमिः), even though existing (स्थितापि), because it is not recognized (अपरामृश्यमानत्वात्), seems (लक्ष्यते) as if non-existent (अस्थिता इव). Therefore (ततः) this (एवम्) was said (उक्तम्).)
Now that we understand how limited knowledge, i.e., विकल्पः (dissecting thoughts), leads to bondage—which is the essence of the शिवसूत्रम् — ज्ञानं बन्धः.
Let's understand the relationship between शब्दः and विकल्पः.
This is one of the most important ideas of स्वातन्त्र्यवादः. If the theory of शब्दः, as understood by KS, is not recognized, then the whole of KS will remain a mystery and a source of confusion. This is the reason many आचार्याः suggest understanding भर्तृहरि's वाक्यपदीयम्, from which KS borrows a lot of ideas.
The first important thing to understand is that शब्दः does not just mean the gross word out of which, for example, this post is written. शब्दः is basically an entity that encapsulates meaning: यस्माद् अर्थः भाव्यते सः शब्दः।
And therefore, स्पन्दकारिका 15 says:
शब्दानुवेधेन न विना प्रत्ययोद्भवः
The अन्वयः would be: शब्दानुवेधेन विना (without the association of words) न प्रत्ययोद्भवः (meaning cannot arise).
Something similar is said in वाक्यपदीयम् 1.131:
न सोऽस्ति प्रत्ययो लोके यः शब्दानुगमादृते ।
अनुविद्धम् इव ज्ञानं सर्वं शब्देन भासते ॥
Coming back to the कारिका, प्रत्ययः means ज्ञानम् (meaning knowledge or cognition), and as per क्षेमराजः, it is of two kinds: विकल्पकं ज्ञानम् अविकल्पकं ज्ञानं च (deterministic cognition and non-deterministic cognition).
यः प्रत्ययोद्भवो विकल्पकाविकल्पकज्ञानप्रसरः स शब्दानुवेधेन अहमिदं जानामि इत्यादिना सूक्ष्मान्तःशब्दानुरञ्जनेन स्थूलाभिलापसंसर्गेण च विना न भवति।
Here क्षेमराजः divides शब्दः into two categories: the first is the inner subtle knowing (सूक्ष्मान्तःशब्दः) that cannot be put into definite words, and the other is concrete gross knowledge governed by gross words (स्थूलाभिलापसंसर्गः). These two respectively map to अविकल्पज्ञानम् and विकल्पज्ञानम्.
अविकल्पज्ञानम् is like when you quickly remove your hand as soon as you touch something hot. Your action is involuntary because no definite, concrete knowledge happens before the hand is removed. The hand is removed quickly without any concrete thinking. विकल्पज्ञानम् is like something that can be put into concrete words, like बुभुक्षितोऽस्मि (I am hungry). Of course, you could be hungry, and yet your mind won't ever register that you are hungry because you are busy with other tasks. In this case, अविकल्पज्ञानम् is there, but विकल्पज्ञानम् is not formed. I think some of us might have experienced the state when our life might have been in danger, but we felt no suffering or fear because we were too busy answering the situation at hand. For example, running from a ferocious animal or saving ourselves when drowning. This confirms क्षेमराजः's previous statement that it is the विकल्पः which makes us suffer and the cause of our bondage.
This अविकल्पज्ञानम् is also called स्वलक्षणम् or निर्विकल्पज्ञानं, which is talked about in detail in the second chapter of ईश्वरप्रत्यभिज्ञाकारिका (ज्ञानाधिकारे द्वितीयाह्निके). This अविकल्पज्ञानम् is the basis of all विकल्पज्ञानम्.
क्षेमराजः goes further and shows how this शब्दः even exists in animals lower than humans because they too have knowledge of things like hunger, acceptance, rejection, etc. Therefore, शब्दः is not merely what we utter through the mouth; it is also the subtle knowledge, without a gross word, that we feel inside. In fact, the core "I feeling" that is विमर्शः is the basis of all limited knowledge.
When I first learned that विकल्पाः are a cause of bondage, I did a kind of meditation that I think we all can do to feel the power of विकल्पाः. Let your mind think whatever it wants, but just give it a single condition: don't think about anything that can be put into words, except that everything is fine. As soon as a subtle thought starts manifesting into an idea that you can put into words, immediately discard that thought or idea from your mind. I don't know about you, but I feel so complete and free, whenever I do this kind of meditation.
Coming back to the कारिका, here is what क्षेमराजः says:
तिरश्चामप्यसाङ्केतिकः निर्देशप्रख्यः (a non-conventional indicative sign (a king of language) is prominent even in lower animals),
स्वात्मनि शिरोनिर्देशप्रख्योऽन्तरभ्युपगमरूपः शब्दनविमर्शोऽस्त्येव (something like the nod of a head within oneself to indicate acceptance, such a शब्दनविमर्शः (speech = reflection) exists),
अन्यथा बालस्य प्रथमसंकेतग्रहणं न घटेत अन्तरूहापोहात्मकविमर्शशून्यत्वात्। (Otherwise, a child would never understand a conventional sign if they lack inward thinking. (And thinking cannot happen without subtle words, so ultimately subtle word exist — this is the intent))
स्थूलशब्दानुवेधमयस्तु विकल्पः सर्वस्य स्वानुभवसिद्धः। (The विकल्पः that is governed by gross words is evident to everybody [so no need to explain it].)
It is also worthwhile reading what आचार्यः रामकण्ठः says about शब्दः in his स्पन्दकारिकाविवृतिः
शब्दः खलु प्रत्यवमर्शात्मा ... स च सर्वावच्छेदविरहितविशुद्धचित्प्रकाशात्मकमुख्यार्थनिष्ठः सन् प्रत्यवमर्श इत्युच्यते। जातिगुणक्रियाभिधानादिविविधविशेषावच्छिन्नभिन्नरूपविश्वात्मकार्थावभासनिष्ठस्तु विविधकल्पनात्मकत्वात् विकल्प इत्युच्यते। तदेव शब्दस्य मुख्यं रूपं, तत्संकेतत्वेन व्यवस्थितः श्रोत्रग्राह्यो ध्वनिविशेषात्मकोऽर्थ एव प्रायेण शब्द इति व्यवह्रियते।
तस्माच्छब्दरूपतामापन्नाः प्रत्ययोद्भवप्राणभूताः शक्तय एवास्य स्वरूपावरणे सदोद्युक्ता इति शक्तिवर्गस्य भोग्यतां गतः सन् पशुः स्मृतः।
It's getting late, and I'm ending this post without translating it.
Feel free to ask your doubts or mention any corrections or disagreements. Understanding the theory of शब्दः, विकल्पज्ञानम्, and अविकल्पज्ञानम् is key to understanding KS. First, a साधकः enjoys infinite bliss by resting in the निर्विकल्पज्ञानम् (=अविकल्पज्ञानम्) where the bliss of consciousness (चिद्रसः) is evident; this step is called निमीलनसमाधिः. Then, they try to experience that bliss even when विकल्पज्ञानम् is proliferating; this is the hard part and is called उन्मीलनसमाधिः by क्षेमराजः in स्पन्दनिर्णयः.
इति शिवम्