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The Vaisnava Sahajiya Traditions of Medi PDF
The Vaisnava Sahajiya Traditions of Medi PDF
Glen A. Hayes
How can men and women get to heaven, given the demands of a body of flesh
and blood? As sexual beings, how should we relate to those of the other gender?
What does it mean to be a man? A woman? How was the universe created? Can
we use our emotions to reach ultimate reality? Can we really become like the
gods? Can mastery of the human body lead to cosmic consciousness and to free-
dom from the painful cycle of reincarnation? These and other questions were
major concerns for an important medieval Hindu tantric movement called the
Vaig4ava Sahajiya ffadition. The term "tantric" is explained elsewhere in this vol-
ume, but essentially refers to a range of Asian religious movements using different
yogic techniques, emphasizing the correspondence between the human body and
the universe, and using an equilibrium between male and female energies to reach
ultimate reality or liberation. They also generally regard the world as "real," in
contrast to other Asian traditions that treat the world as basically "unreal" or
"iilusory." The term Sahajiyais derived from the Sanskrit and Bengali wordsahaja,
which means "together-bom"; this refers to the belief that all differences and
dualities are unified-"together-bom"-in an elevated state of consciousness.
Thus, Vaiglava Sahajrya means "those who seek the together-born srate by fol-
lowing the god Vis{ru." Although called a Vaig4ava tradition (those who follow
Visrru, the 'All-pervading" god), the Sahajiyas actually dealt more specifically with
the playful and erotic god Krs{ra (the "Dark Lord"). For the Sahajiyas, K19na
functions on two levels: as the popular mythological god of Hinduism and as an
abstract cosmic principle, with greater emphasis given to the abstract form. Al-
though mainstream Hinduism regards Krsna as an incamation of Viglu, the Sa-
hajryas reverse this and view K194a as the supreme power of the universe. Vig4u,
when he does appear, generally functions as a less-powerful celestial being. How-
ever, since scholars have traditionally called them "Vaignava" SahajiyAs, we pvill
use that term for reasons of consistency,
334 6LEN A. HAyES SAHAJIYA TRADITIONS 335
Found primarily in northeastem India during the sixteenth through nineteenth Sahajiyds are direct descendants of an earlier (eighth to thirteenth century) form
centuries, especially in greater Bengal (Bengal, Bihar, orissa, Assam), their leaders of tantric Buddhism that made use of the concept of sahaja. Another problem
blended together a curious range of beliefs and practices from several Hindu, involves the authorship of the songs and texts that have come down to us. Far
Buddhist, and possibly even Islamic sources. Because some of their most impor- too many have the signature line (bhanita) of a famous person of the past, like
tant religious practices required having ritual sexual intercourse, they were re- Candtdasa ("Servant of the Furious Goddess") or Krsnaddsa ("Servant of the Dark
garded as rather scandalous and controversial by many people in the community. Lord"). Why? Because the authors felt that more people would respect their com-
This unsavory reputation was magnified duringthe siitish period, and conrinues position if it was thought to be by a legitimate authority from the past. Some
to this day. As a result, the vaisnava Sahajiyas tried to keep their pracrices hidden medieval teachers, as noted below, did give their own names, but typically their
from the larger community, imposing a veil of secrecy upon both teachers and disciples went back to using fictive names. They were concerned not about claim-
disciples. However, the vaisnava Sahajiyas, like other tantric groups, had definite ing personal pride of authorship, but rather with conveying powerful liberating
religious reasons and explanations for their practices. knowledge. The overall message, not the individual messenger, was what mattered
Followers of vaisnava Sahajiya tradltions consisted of both men and women; most. So we know very little about the people themselves apart from what we
in contrast to most other south Asian religious traditions, women often served as can infer from the texts.
masters (guru). Furtherrnore, it was believed that a man could not realize ultimate Another major problem in understanding the Vaig4ava Sahajiyas is the esoteric
reality without the cooperation of a woman, and likewise a woman's realization code language they use. Since they are dealing with controversial issues like sex-
depended upon the companionship of a man. The reasons for this cooperative ualty, including the use in religious rituals of penises, vaginas, semen, and uterine
nature of Sahajiya belief and practice comes from their blending of earlier rantric blood, they generally use other words to indicate these concepts. Semen, for
traditions with contemporary devotlonal practices directed to the god Klsna and example, can be indicated by using the word rasa, which basically means 'Juice"
his consort Radha ("Prosperity"). These influences will be explained shortly. from a sugarcane, or some sweet fluid. However, in other places in Sahajiya
There were many reasons for the vaisnava sahajiyas to keep their practices compositions rasa can mean an elevated mystical experience according to the
hidden from the communiry atlarge. Most of the people in Bengali Hindu society Caitanyaite tradition. So the word rasa rn the text might mean semen or it might
were fairly conservative when it came to issues of sexuality, and the sahajiya mean the mystical state-or both. A variety of metaphors are also used to refer
practices frequently involved violations of caste, as well. As with many other to the sexual process and to genitalia; for example, the woman's pubic hair might
tantric traditions, the Sahajiyas disregarded the prevailing norms and attitudes, be referred to as a garden with rows of vines, the vagina is a whirlpool, and the
but since their members may have held responsible positions in society, they action of coitus is called "chuming." In the translations that follow, I have tried
typically preferred to keep their status as sahajiyas a secrer. They lived in consranr to use the context to determine which meanings are implied. This uncertainty
danger of social condemnation by rhe Hindus and harassment by the Muslim about the secret code in other tantric traditions is usually clarified by later com-
authorities who controlied much of medieval Bengal. They also wanted to keep mentators, who laboriously comment on important words, phrases, and images
the true meanings of their teachings within a closed circle of masters and disciples, and explain what they "really" represent. Unfortunately, the Vaignava Sahajrya
and so virtually all sahajiya rexrs were composed in Bengali and sanskrit using a tradition is the only major tantric movement for which we lack such later com-
special esoteric (hidden) code language called "intentional language" (sandttya- mentaries. It seems that the gurus themselves provided a living commentary,
bhaqa). since they felt that their practices conferred the power to shape reality transmitted orally from master to student, thus maintaining the veil of secrecy
and travel to inner heavens, they did not want the teachings falling into the hands conceming Sahajiya traditions and practices. Faced with these difficulties, I have
of the uninitiated. They warned that unprepared people would suffer the pains tried to break the code using information from context, other parts of the text,
of hell if they tried to use sahajiya techniques without being properly initiated by other texts, and interviews with modem tantrics who follow similar beliefs and
a qualified master. Those atrracted simply ro the sexuality and sensuality of sa- practices.
hajiya practices wouid instead be etemally rormented, never reaching the blissful It is likely that we will never fully understand the Sahajiya code, slnce most
heavens beyond this material world. research and fieldwork suggests that the traditional teaching lineages disappeared
Unfortunately for modem scholars, this evasiveness has made the study of the during the late nineteenth century. One Bengaii scholar with extensive contacts
Vaigqava sahajiyas difficult at best. Exactly when and where they originared is in the villages and among many religious communities has never been able to
unknown. Many scholars beiieve that they appeared in Bengal soon after the time locate a genuine Sahajiya whose master continues the old lines of instruction.
of the great Vaig4ava religious leader K1$4a-caitanya ("He who Makes the world Some modem tantrics claim to be Sahajiyas, but they have not demonstrated
Conscious of the Dark Lord"; c, 1486-1533), who popularized the worship of proof of an unbroken connection to the medieval schools; in fact, these modern
the god Kp94a and his divine consorr R|dhe, But others argue rhat the vaig4ava Sahajiyds may have been inspired by the publication of some Bengali Sahajiya
F
The inner person is a jewel. The inner person is life itself. Sahaja manu$dhothao ndi (23)
The inner person is the treasure of the vital breaths (prana).
The together-born inner person (sahaja mdnu$a) is nowhere,
All the world's people are deluded by errors and confusion. but if you search you will find it nearby.
They do not understand the true inner meaning (marma) of life.
It is not born from the womb,
The divine love (prema) of the inner person does not usually appear in but gains its birth through controlled passion (raga).
the earthly realm, Such birth through controlled passion is most extraordinary;
but only through the inner person can people experience divine love. through the pursuit of such controlled passion, all is made firm.
Those people who experience the inner person are the inner person, Establishing a relationship with the dead,
because the inner person recognizes the inner person. one then maintains that relationship with the dead.
These people and the inner person seem to exist separately, Dwelling forever among the dead,
yetit is the inner person who realizes the inner person. one's hope is to transform the physical body.
By whom and where was it cultivated? Who tasted it? Vastutattva jane yei pdya'vastudhana (59)
Who is able to speak about it?
One who understands the principles of cosmic substance (vastu)
The essence of the nectar of immortality (amiya) is named "divine
will receive the treasure of that cosmic substance.
juice."
Without the cosmic substance, you'll never reach the Dark Lord
The divine juice flows in three streams.
in his pastoral heaven.
The experience of divine juice is eternally renewed.
No one understands that the principles of the cosmic substance
Who has the power to understand this?
are found within the divine juice (rasa).
The treasure trove of nectar is churned without stopping. Without the divine juice, there can be no cosmic substance
Divine juice is produced by that churning. in the three regions of the universe.
That woman who is called "faithful to her husband" (pativrata) Within the glowing divine juice, there is a singular cosmic substance.
is devoted to the nectar. lf you do not experience that cosmic substance, you will never reach
Through the motions of her husband, divine juice is made. the Dark Lord.
The sweetness of divine juice overwhelms everything. The delectable experience of the erotic state is the embodiment of
Who has the power to understand this? divine juice.
344 GLEN A' HAYEs SAHAJIYA TRADITIoNS 345
While in that erotic state, the Dark Lord has command of that cosmic eD/rnan, and his nine fellow thieves represent the several organs of perception
substance. and activity known to classical yoga tradition. The distance of "eight measures"
traversed by the river refers to the eight constituents of the body, such as bone,
Extract of extracts, the cosmic substance is profoundly esoteric.
ligament, sweat, semen, blood, and so forth. Their five weapons stand for the five
Only the foremost of practitioners is able to taste that cosmic
cosmic elements: earth, air, water, fire, and space. Of interest are the references
substance.
to the three colors of the river water (red, white, and mixed: representing uterine
That person who is the guru can taste that cosmic substance' blood, semen, and the mingled fluids, respectively), to the cosmic mountain Su-
There is nothing to talk about-nothing to say. meru, and to the potent alchemical substances (dravya) to be extracted from the
whirlpool running down the body into the river. Reflecting the daily scenes of
When Caitanya came, he made the devoted followers eat that cosmic
the riverine life of deltaic Bengal, passage aiong the mystical river is likened to
substance.
the movement of merchant vessels, whose lights represent the yogic vision of the
Through the grace of Caitanya, the devotees tasted it.
practitioner as the inner vision unfolds. This excerpt clearly illustrates the Vaiq-
Kp{radasa says: Listen, my fellow practitioners! 4ava Sahajiya tendency to employ allegory and natural symbolism to convey the
Worship the together-born inner person (sahaja manusa), dyrramics of the divine yogic body. It is written using both the basic and "triple-
for it is the refuge of the highest devotees. footed" couplet meters. The Bengali text is found in Basu, Sahqiyd sahitya, pp.
163-66.
Esoteric Manuals
Selection from AmTtarasdyah of Siddha Mukundadeva
In addition to the numerous short poems produced over the centuries by the
Vaignava Sahajiyas, certain influential gurus and their students produced longer There is a lotus pond (sarovara) within the inner world,
works focusing on ritual practices and meditations. As with the poems, they are and in this pond the lotus flowers grow.
composed in a special esoteric code language intended to conceal the details from
the uninitiated. The best known of these manuals were produced by the medieval The divine juice (rcsa) of the flowers fills the lotus pond'
guru siddha Mukundadeva ("The Perfected Divine one who Gives Liberation") and flows outward in two streams.
and the various teaching lineages begun by his students. Mukunda lived approx- That person who is able to prevent ignorance and confusion
imately 1600-1650 c.n. and seems to have been responsible for syrrthesizing is the grandchild of the inner person.
many of the diverse concepts and practices that are found in the manuals: Bengali
Vaig4ava religious devotionalism and aesthetics, Hindu tantrism, alchemy, and He drinks just a little of that divine juice, letting the rest flow on,
classical yoga cosmoiogy and symbolism. His major work was called "The Col- as the mythical swan extracts only the milk from the mixture of water
lection of Liberating Statements of Mukunda" (Muhunda-muhtavalt), which con- and milk.
sisted of six related works composed in Sanskrit. The Bengali translations were
In all humility I ask you once again
probably prepared by his disciples during the seventeenth and eighteenth cen-
to understand that there is an inner world.
turies. The Bengali translation of one of these works, "The Collection of Immortal
Divine Juice" (Amftarasavalt, c. 1650 c.r.), has been attributed to either Mukun- All of the deities themselves hope to experience
dadasa or to Mathuradasa ("Servant of the Pilgrimage Place of Krsna"), although those flowers, the divine juice, and that lotus pond.
the specific manuscript used for this printed version does not provide a name.
This excerpt discusses the inner yogic body and how it is created during ritual The mystical lotus flowers grow only in that lotus pond.
sexual intercourse. This mystical cosmography of ponds and flowers is made All of the deities enjoy the divine juice of those flowers.
through experiencing the divine juice (rasa)-here both an elevated religio-aes- Around the lotus pond are posted five guardians.
thetic state and the human sexual {luids-which must be directed along the yogic "Carefully guard this place where the juices are united (yoga)|"
channel or "river" (nadt) that runs from the penis upward into the yogic body.
The text wams of those unprepared and impure people who, Iike thieves, would Saying this to the guardians, the gods returned to their abode.
try to enter the yogic body to improperly experience the rasa. The leader is Ev- As they were leaving, they reminded the guardians to be watchful.
3+6 GLEN A. HAyEs SAHAJTYA rRADrrroNs 3+7
Now, it happened that there was a thief who wanted to steal the divine
juice, and his name was Everyman (saba). What kind of landings (ghata) are along the river and how does one
He was the leader of nine other thieves. dock there?
Looking in all directions, one is dazzled, by all the sights.
Terrifying indeed was rhe sight of their five hand_weapons.
These thieves usually roamed around the city doing nasty
How many hundreds of noble women have bathed in its waters?
things. At the touch of the river, their beautiful forms (napa) flourish.
Ore day the gang ser out to sreal the divine juice.
It is most difficult to explain the characteristics of these beautiful
They crept along the riverbank, within sighiof the river (nadt).
forms.
[The narrator interjects:] Great effort is required in making such beauty permanent (sthayt).
Once again I humbly ask you ro pay attention.
Eight measures (hroSa) away from the river is a special place.
Vaisnava Sahajiya Responses to Bengali Vaisnavism
In that place there is a lotus pond.
A blue-colored flower blooms upon its waters.
Approximately two or three generations after Siddha Mukundadeva composed
From that flower the divine juice flows a distance of eight measures. his works, some of his followers issued texts arguing that the most famous per-
Emerging from the pond, the divine juice mixes with the waters sonalities of Bengali Vaig4avism had in fact secretly been Sahajiyas-that is, prac-
of the
river. ticed the secret sexual rituals. Their argument was simple: due to public pressure,
these early Vais4ava notables had to make themselves seem to be only symboli-
In that place which I cail "Eye of the Great Lord,, (mahesa locana) cally involved in the erotic devotions of Kpna and the cowherd girls in Vpda-
there is a comer, and in that corner is a garden. vana-so the Sahajiyas claimed, much to the outrage of orthodox Vaisnavas. The
That garden has been beautifully constructed major text making these controversial claims is "The Erotic Sport of Transfor-
With so many of the finest trees and so many plants and creeping mation" (Vivarta-vildsa) by Akincanadasa ("Servant of the Lowly Ones"), dating
vines, from around 1700 c.r. In this very extensive treatise of several thousand couplets,
in delicate lines like rows of ants. the author uses numerous quotations from a famous sixteenth-century hagiog-
raphy of the religious leader Krsna-CaitanyA, "The Immortal Acrs of Caitanya"
The river surges through the garden, as so much water flows (Caitanya-caritamfta) to show how Caitanya and most of his important follow-
and
flows- ers-including the author of the hagiography, Klgnadisa Kavirija ("King of the
but water that I cannot write about. Poets, Who Serves the Dark Lord," although hairaja also means "physician")-
were actually Vaig4ava Sahajiyas.
That water which flows in the cool season is white in color,
The first excerpt presented here comments on the necessity for the assistance
while the water of the hot season is colored red.
of experienced Sahajiyas in the preparation of the "alchemical candy" (bhiyana)
During the rainy season the water is colored much like ordinary water. that is made from the sexual fluids during ritual love making, and uses one quote
In these three colors it flows during the twelve months. from "The Immortal Acts of Caitanya" to argue that these powerful yogic sub-
stances are the final products of a series of processes that refine worldly things
Above the river there is an encircling mountain.
into divine experiences. It is probable that an actual mixture was made out of the
In front of the mountain there is a whirlpool.
sexual substances and other additives such as camphor and mercury in order to
within this whirlpool are substan ces (dravya) of tremendous value. make the alchemical pill used to create the divine body. The details are itnsls2l-
By diving into the whirlpool, one wiil ...tuirrly obtain such probabiy for reasons of secrecy. This passage is composed in the basic couplet
subsrances.
meter.
In this river there is no sand-everyvyhere there is mud. I have used the seventh printed edition of. the Vivarta-vilasa, edited by Krsna
But along the two banks the sand is piled up like mountains. Bhattacarya (Calcutta: Taracand Dasa and Sons, n.d.). The first excerpt comes
How many hundreds of merchant vessels have plied those waters? from pp. 92-93. All quotations from the Caitanya-carttAmftu refer to the edition
The river is illuminated by the equipment aboaid the vessers. edited by Radhagovinda Nath, Srisricaitanyacantamrta,6 vols. (Calcuua: Sadhana
PrakaSanl, a,s, I392lc.e. 1986).
348
GLEN A. HAyEs SAHAJIYA TRADITIONS 349
The Erotic Sport of Transformarion
master and the initiate's ear arc likened to the penis and the vagina. While the
without the help of experienced devorees, devotion physical form of such intercourse leads to the birth of the body of flesh and blood,
(rasa)
to rhe divine juice the Sahajiya initiation leads to the birth of the divine body. Attainment of this
cannot be understood. divine body means that the couple has realized the all-powerful inner person
The alchemical candy (bhiyAnd is ritually (manu1a), who is at the heart of reality.
prepared using the
instrument of divine love. This selection is composed using the basic couplet meter. It comes from the
Viyarta-vilaa of Akincandasa, edited by Bhaglacarya, pp. I 13-15.
The alchemicat was made by seizing the divine juice,
lnff
and blending into that precious treasure the female and
principles.
the male ln a lyrical poem [anonymous] it is said:
As many sugar-drops and candy pieces Upon the touch of the alchemist's touchstone (sparSama4i) iron is
that can be made from the juice turned into gold.
of the sugarcane,
in direct proportion, that much cosmic Iron becomes gold-this happens very often.
substance (vastu) and power
(sahti)
lf you take some secret cosmic substance (vastu), and touch iron with
are to be gained in the great mystical condition (mahabhava). ir,
ln The lmmortal Acts of Caitanya (2.23.23) time and again the iron will become gold-know how to distinguish
it is said; them!
From the sugarcane plant come seeds,
stalks, juice, and molasses,
but they share the same basic essence. Use judgment to behold that which seems not to exist.
Sugar candy is really just the finest Keep the company o[ practitioners, hold them close to your heart.
white sugar mixed with spices.
Just as these products introduced into the sugarcane The crest-jewel and the touchstone are Lord Caitanya.
gradually
increase the flavor, Without him the touchstone cannot be found anywhere.
so do controlled passion and divine
love incrementally increase
religious experience. He is the touchstone which makes the river Jambu into gold
as it flows down from the heavens.
The juice and cosmic substance That same divine love touched his disciples Rupa ("Form") and
are always present in a special place.
If they remain, what happens? you ,nurt Sandtana ("Eternal One").
urrd..rtand all of this.
Take the juice in that place and mix Some souls have the good fortune to associate with practitioners.
spices with it.
You musr fashion the confection by Seeing the cosmic substance that has been obtained, they become very
ransforming ihat luice.
powerful.
The second excerpt begins with an unattributed
poem conceming the use of
alchemy in transforming the huma"
ilt. j;; as the proverbial alchemist used Day and night they focus their minds on that form,
beholding with the eyes that which is eternally radiant.
the magical touchstone to rum iron into-gold,
the Sahajiy. uses the sexuar sub_
stances collected in rirual ro transform
trre"prrysicat uoay nto . aiJ.. That same form has no similarity to physical beauty,
body' Throughour India one finds spiriruar
oi ,t e conservatio";f ;;;""', by the seeing that the two-the moon and the sun-are within a single body.
male; in some versions-it is kept i'"o,io.,i
a r.s.rvoir within the body*rikened
pitcher or, more elegantly, to a lttus to a
pond, (roro"ara). Much ,u.n,ior,-i, The mind is continually focused on that same form.
as a resuh, to the sexual rituar, airected,
sexuar fluids, and ,.*ud o;;;;;.-iliin
tn. sur,"- At the feet of the Dark Lord, I ask for a vision.
jiyas, however, both the female
and mare .onirrbutio.,, are varued. of
the distinctive corresponden.. u.,r..n interest is [The narrator resumes:]
ir,. aiit r.n, aspecrs of the secret initia-
tion and the act of coitus. The praises to Those rituals which deserve the highest praise involve childless
Xrsaa and the seed_syllable (bija)
identified with the femaie and male are asceticism.
fluids,-ffiecrively, while rhe tongue of
the Please, I implore you, behold and understand the secret meanings!
350 cLEN A. HAyES 351
SAHAJIYA TRADITIONS
On his head there is a pitcher (humbha) to
be filled. You must realize,brother, that everything has its uterine blood and
When the pitcher is filled, the practitioner becomes
very powerful. semen.
Then divine love appears in his body. Semen and uterine blood will develop when one assumes the condition
Thus everyone says: ,,That inner .o.rrrtry is of Radha.
a remarkable place.,,
Hear about the differenr kinds of birth from
the manuals of the The condition of being Radha I call the "law of loving one who belongs
practitioners and from the mouths of practitioners. to another" (par ahty adharma).
It is not even worth considering othe, uie*points
concerning the All of the principles of greed and devotion can be found in that
nature of devotion. condition.
The grace of the guru and the grace of practitioners Thus it is said [in an anonymous Sanskrit couplet] :
come after the
grace of mother and father. One should act according to Vaignava conduct'
This tells you that there are two separate and
distinct births. Such a devout condition is hindered by greedy impulses.
There is no birth at all without uterine blood, Realize that there are many viewpoints and teachings in the world'
semen, vagina, and
penis. No one can understand their d:uty (dharma) with such confusion.
How can that be? I will discuss its significance.
How will you know the nature of the self (atma), the soul (jlva), and
At first there was a birth due to the bonding between passionate love (rati)?
mother and
father. I say that the inner person will appear-yet nothing is known about it'
But behold howjust a rittle grace from the
guru can cause a rebirth In its control are the god Brahmd and the souls, in birth and in death'
(punarjanma).
Time and time again it does nothing, simply reflecting on eternity'
That also involves uterine blood, semen, vagina,
and penis. Purity, activity, and inertia are the three qualities (gu+a) of the one
Clear your mind and listen, for I speak ,h"
.rr".r.. of this. who has been born.
The praises for the Dark Lord are like the By the hand of the physician a single vessel of wind, bile, and phlegm
uterine blood,
while the seed syllable is like the semen. is delivered.
The tongue of the master (guru) is like the it is said:
penis, ln The Immortal Acts oJ Caitanya (2.20.258)
while the ear of the disciple is like the vagina. Brahmd, Viguu, and Siva are the incarnations of the three qualities'
So, your birth should come abour from Fulfilling the promise of the three qualities is the process of creation.
these things.
You should really try to understand how you
can f,e bo.n through the lln 2.20.264:l
grace of practitioners.
Just as milk becomes yogurt when mixed with a sour substance,
The eye and ear are some of the five organs The active substance is not milk itself, so yogurt is not the same as
of knowledg e (jnana_ milk.
indriya).
In the beginning and intermediate stages of practice, lIn I.5.57:l
you must make
them compassionate. From far away, the cosmic man (puru5a) is placed in a state of
Use the organ of knowledge that is the illusion (maya).
ear to hear about birth.
Use the eye to see the grace of the practitioners
and the eternar order
(nitya dharma).