ESSGYGDOPAEE [A

WRA

SATJHUSANTIDEV

VOLUMT'2

COSMO PIIBIICATIONS
.Ul t-i-!:htsrcserved. No part ofthis pubication may be repnduced,
or sLotadin retrival system,or b'atsmitted ilt anyfornl orbl'any
nieans without the p or permission of CosmoPublications.

CONTENTS
firstPublished 1999
1. SalientFeaturesof Tantra
ISBN 8f702G 8{i:l'7(set) - Whatis Tantra
81702G1l6tll (volunre
2) Lexicalandesotericmeaning
ofTantra
- TantricTradition
Founderc ol Tantra
Principles ol Tantra
PrincipleoJPolarity
Principleof ldentity
Nlacrocosm andlllicrocosm
?ublishcd by - Concrete andpositiveviewot Realily
MRS,RANI KAPOOR - TanlricSymbolism
tbr COSMOPUBUCATIONS Div.of TantraSymbols
GENESISPUBUSHING PYf LTD. Linga
24-B,Ansari Road, Atdttanaivara
DaryaGanj, Yajfra-Sactifice
New Delhi-110002,
INDIA Pancamakaa:s M's
t/ladya-Wine
Mamsa-Meal
Matsya-Fish
CosmoPublications
Mudra--Grain
Maithuna-Copulalion
-Conclusion
 -Symbol andTheirTherapeutic
Value - Awakeingof the KundalinlSakli
TheSix Systemsof Yoga 37 lnlroduciion
Theoteticaland aPPliedasPecls
3. TantraandNirvan 53 of the KundaliniYoga
- WhoSeeksNirvana? a.TheorelicalasPecl
- TheLamb,theHero,andtheMan-cod b. Appliedside oi the KundallnYoga:
- AlirheGodswithinus c. TherapeuticaPPlication ol lhe
MetaphysicsofTantra 93 Variousaspecis of KundaliniSakll

TantraSchools 5. Applied side of Tantra:

- MeiaphysicalSchools: Dance,Music,
AstrologY,Sarcraments 135
Sarvism,Saktism,Vaisnavism
...-. SadhanaSchoolsolfan.r'a: VemAcAra. - lntroduction
Daksinecercand Miste: A. Dance
VemaceH 1,Esoleric meaningof theDanong
Daksinecen ot Samayecara Postureot Siva
MisrA Danceol Kallorenergy
a.Ultimalely RealityandWorld LasYaNritva
b. Individual 6elt DanceandHaihayogltechnique
c. Liberation B. Music
8.far,tta Sedhane l.Theoryol Nada
Essentials 01Tantrasadhana 2-Conceptoi NedainTantra
a. Spjriiualguide:Guru 3.Theoryof Faga
RagaswithReterence to centers
b. lnitialion:
Dlksa
or Cakras
c. Puriticationo{ body:thuta Suddhi
C. Astrology
d. Pu dicationol Mind:Nyasa - D.Sacrraments
e. lnslallationof liie:Pranapratt*ha Samske?
1. Gatuhedhana
Conception
g. Japa
2. Pumsavanana Samskara
h. Bhava:Menlaldisposilion
PregnancY
3. Sina ntonMYana Samskara
Via bhava
4. Jata'karmaSamskAn.Brlh
Divyabhava
5. Nema-kanna Samskara
Conclusion Giving the name
child's
 6. NiskramanaSamskaft Nadl:Theoryot Channels
[s FirstViewof ihe Sun - Conclusion
7. Anna-pEsanna Samskera
8. HealingAspectotYanlraand Mant.a j 85
Firsteating
8. CidekatmaSamskea - tntroduction
Tonsure - A.YanlraTherapy
9- UpanayanaSamske.a Introduction
lnvestiture A) l.Yantraandjts symbolicMeaning
10.UdvehaSamskara SymbolicmeaningofYantra
l\,4arriage a. Do|j Bindu
- Conclusion b.TriangletTrikona
Oegenetation c. Saki Kona
ofTantra 161
d. Circle
- Inlroduction e.Squa(etBhupuh
- Tantra, a consciousapproach 2.Themeaning of SriYantra
- Positiveviewot Life a. Formulalion ol SriYantra
- Realization ol Supreme
Consciousness b.Symbolicrepresenlation of Sriyantra
- Conclusion C. SriYantra as Symbilicpresenlation
7. HumanAnatomyandTantra 173 of HumanBody
- lntroduction Physicalbody as represented in
- A. Anatomygivenby theA opathy SriCakra
System 3.Therapeulic aspectol Yantra
1.TheNervousSystem Conclusion
2. ctandSystem Appendix
- B.TantraAnalorny - B. Therapeutic aspectol Mantra
1.Theoryot SixCentres 1. lvleaningsoJMantra
1. Mibdhan Caka 2. Bta Manlra:SeedLetters
2. SwedhisthanaCakra - C.Japa
3. ManipuraCakra
1. Nityajapa
4. Anahah Caka
2. KamyaJapa
5. VisuddhaCakra
3. AcalaJapa
6. AjhACakra
4.CataJapa
7. SahasramCaka
5. VacikaJapa
6. Up2rnus Japa
 7. MansikaJapa
L Ajapajapa
TherapeuticAspectoJJapa
- D-Therapeutic
aspectsof l\rantra
TherapeuticAspect ofTantra 219
- lnlroduction
- A.Puriticationof PhysicalBody
1. Hathayogicway01
Purification
of body:
a. Dhauti
b. Neti NasalCleaning:
ct Trataka Chapter-1
d. Kapahbhati
e. Nauli
SalientFeaturesof Tantra
f. BasaiCleaning oI lowercolon
2.fanl.r.icWayol Nedi
Purilication
3.Theoryol Base:ATanlrc
wayof rejuvenalion
- B.Various TantricWaysol Healing
1. SatKama: Six actions
2. SvarodayaiA ScienceoI
Breathing
3. Mrdra:Geslures
PrunaMudrc
SunyaMudra
SuryaMudra
JfienaMudra
Chapter-1

A.Whatis Tantra:
Desireol pleasureand removalol painwas and still is the
humantendency.Like oiher conmunitiesot the world,Hindus
alsobelievedlhat lhey wefesurrounded by supernaturalpowers
whichtheyconsidered as the causeol lheirpleasLre andpain.
Forthe benignintluenceof powerand removalof the evilimpacl,
they gavethema slatusot deatyand worshipped themthrough
Maniras.The importantoccasionswhichstartfromthe concep-
I on of wombto the cremalionground,accordingto lhe oriental
view,lhey are sixteenin number.knownas Sodas Samskaras,
the humansubjectis protectedfromthe evil intluencesthrough
Iheproouncialion of Manlrasas a partofcertainrilualastic
patte.n
of lradition.
Physicaldisordersandmentalailrnents alsowereconsidered
as wrathof supernaturalpower For lhis they haveworkedout
Manlrictherapy,in whichManlrais considered as havinghealing
power.Does Mentrareallycontainsuch power? Apparentlyil
looks as a collectionof syllabusbut in realilythey are highly
polentbuttherrprtencyis latenl.Onehaslo chargethe Mantra
withhisowninnerpowerforthedesiredresults.Buthowto charge
? Or how to awakenthe innerlatentpower? As we haveseen
bolh in the prelaceand in lhe introduction
lhal Tanlrashowsthe
wayot expansionot innerpower. ButwhatTantrais ? One may
havequeslion.This chapteris chieilydevotedJorthe exposilion
ot lhe SubtleandsoundmeaningofTanlraandils relatednolions.

1. Lexicaland esotelc meanlngolTanlra :

Manydelinitionshavebeengivefor the t6rm'Tanlra'.In ihe
Samskritlexiconlhe termTantrahasusedin manysenses.This
term is derivedfrom the rootr'tanmeans'to spreadoul'.l8ut
whalis to be spreado!t? lt is the spreading
outthe expansionol
worldlyand olherworldlyknowledge.2 Esoterically,
lhe meaning.
 Chapter-1 SalientFeaturesoi Tantra

of latentphysical
thecultivation and figures(Yantra). Tantricway of dealingwith mindis that,in which
alsorepresents
expansion
one has lo allend each and every thought as a mere witness or
seer and not to suppressthe lhoughl Give lolal independence
Nowlet us penetratedeeperintolhe verytermand seewhal one can come out lrom the boundariesol mindand can exoand
it represenls? ThetermTanlrais a combination
ol twoworldnamely, the arenaol mindbecauseonlyunconditioned mindand can real,
Tanotiand Travatewhichstandfor expansionand liberationre- ise the intinite.The observationso1 Dr. Lalan prasad also leads
speclively.Butwhatis to be expanded andwhatis to be liberated us lo lhis facl- In his own words,'TanlraSedhan:lthereforemeans
? Hereit is an expansionoJmindand liberationol energy.Let us a sp riiual path which leads10the expansionof one's mental ob-
thlspoint.
illLrstrate jecl vity.IVleanxs"the arena oi mentalprojectionjs also increased.
lVindfunctions withina specific circleor lirnit.ll workthrough When a Sadhaka atiains the projectionof mentalarena ot 3600
the daiegiveby senses. We cansee onlythosethgingswhich he becomesone withthe cosmicmind",4
ouroolicsvstem allowsustosee.Wecannotseebehindthewall This is about lhe iormer portion of the term Tantra, lhat rs
withnakedeyes.There arealsominuleobjecisin theworldwhich Tanyate.Now somethingaboirl the laier portion of the term, that
we cannotseethrough eyesbecause of itslimitations. Likewise, rs Trayate.As we have seen,Trayatestands for the meaning,'lib-
we canhearonlythosevoiceswhichcomefromthespeciiicrange. eralion".We can liberateonlythosethingswhichare in bondage.
Sameis ihe casewilh all senses.This indicales that mindis FofT?rntra,Kundalinl,the cosmic universalenergy,lying dorrnant
dependeni on sensestimuliand because ol lhisitsexperiences in humanbody in lhe pelvicregionorthe Miladhad cakra in coiled
areverVlimited. form s io be liberaied.lf oncethe Sadhaka(praclitioner)liberates
lf we breaktheboundaries of mind,it canhavenfiniteexpe- this energy,he becomesthe masler of all mani{estationsol en-
riencesol variedtypes.Just now il is a slave oi senses.lf ll ergybecausehe hasgrrppedthe verysourceol energy.Theway
comesoui of the clutchesol senseorgans,it can llow every olliberalon js Iqe vervcoreotTantraSadhana.
whereandcan enioydesiredexperiences.This can happenonly The other meaningolTantra is lhat which savesor protects.5
alterlheexpansion or liberation of mindfromtheclutchesol sense li saves the Sedhaka frorn the wordly bondage by the constant
organs.Simultaneously, the modiJication oi lhe powersof sense mediiation(l\,4anana) o1the HighestBealityin theform ol N,4antra.6
or the transformation of sensesthaough ceriain praclicealsoex- It alsoprotectsSadhakakcmphysicalandmentalailments. Thus
pandsthe areaof lhe lunctionsof mindinfiniiely. it worksas a Therapy.The Sabdakaipadrum, a Samskritdiction-
HowTanira helpinihisregards? Tanlrashedslightontheway ary also gjves the meaningol lhe termTantrain which it declares
oI expansion though techniques (Oneol themeaning olTantrais Tantraas rnedicineand doclrine.T
also technique). Tanlrasaysthat allowyourmindto moveevery SoTantrasavesSadhakaboth as knowledgeand as therapy.
where.Expandthe areaol mind.3Manirahelpsin this regards. With the lamp ol knowledgeil saves Sadhakafrom the darkness
ll's a vehicletor awakeningthe deeperlorces lyingwilhin one ol nescrenceand with the healing process il protecls him trom
self.A soundis a wavewhichcarrieselectricalvibrationol en- physicalandmenlaldisorders.Henceil savesSadhakalromboth,
ergy.Thepronounciation of llanlragivesa newdimension to con- sprnlualas well as psycho-somaiic calamities.lt is righllyre
sciousness whichpenetrates deeperintoinnerrecessesof mind. markedby Hastingsin the encyclopedia of Religionand Ethics
Forthis,Tanlrahasalsoprescribed uniquetypes oJmethodof That, it has been estimatedthat two-thirdsof Hindu relioionsand
meditation. Tantrais alsomeditation, butil is a medilation though one thirdof Hindumedicineis Tanlric.s
sVmbols.These may be linguislicsyllables (Mantra) or geographical
 chapter-1 Salent Fealuresol Tantra

we to givea vividdescriptionol supremacyol Tantra.Let us havea

ln the meaningsot Tantra,giveby theSabdakalpadruma, pleasurein his own wods, 'ln lhis greatlestival,in this ancienl
haveseenthat.termtantraalsosignilieslhe doctrine or syslem'
canbecalledTanlraForinslance' Durgafeslivalol India,astrology, philosophy,smriti, purana,Veda,
(Sddhaata). Soanyphilosophy
lantra,Galitamrya Tanlraetc.Theg'eatvedantrsl Stee Veddntaand manyolher musical instrumonls ar€ playingin lhe
Samkhvd Bul we are grievedto find
hasalsousedtheterm"Vainasika Tanlra" tor the extensivecourt-yardol lhe universe.
Samka;acharya great instruments ol theTantra Saslra, in which allolher
ol theBuddhisls e thatthe
ksanabhangavada are included, on which all other instruments depend,
instrument
Thelerm Agamais the synonymeol Tanira.l0The definilion
andwhichis the solesourceol alYanlrasand Mankas.is today
oive bv lhe Par,m Samhita, a Vaisnava Tantra includes all Siva'
silenf'j3.This is not a tancybul il securessoundbasewhichis
5altr and vrsnu aspects According to it Agama is thal whrc-h S.B.whoconcludesallthe
alsorellectedin the viewot Dasgupta,
comeslrom Sivagoes lo Parvati and ts approved byVasudeva' schools as tho ofi-shoots ofTantricism.ra Off-shoolpre-
esoteric
WiththehelpofsuchinJormation, without having anyhesila_ supposes seedwhich is underlhesoil. Butthequestion is: when
tion.we can savlhatTantra is nota cheap literature ol ghostand the Tantraseed had beenplanled? Forthis lel us proceedwiih
olobinor a cullof black magic and sorcelies as il is so consld- theTanlra antiquily.
6red.Tantrais a process or method which leads Sadhaka to lhe
Antiquityol Tanlrais a very conkoversialproblsm.A com-
sellrealizationthough the cuhivation of innerlorces Hereweclose pleteanddecidedansweatothisenigmahasnotyel beengiven.
this pointwith the myslicdelinitionol Tantragivenby Dr' Lalan Antiquitycan be answe@donlyin lermsof time but not in terms
PrasadSingh."Themysticdefinitionof Tantrais lhat it is a spir- of soundnessof principles. Ancientness is nottheonlymeasure-
ilualcullwhichliberales lromthebondage ofcrudenessand igno'
rool)ot crudness mentfor the iustification of any systembut it shouldhavesome
rance.fhe wordta islhebiia-Mantra (acoustic soundbase.Tantriclladitionis fortunaleto haveboth ancient-
Tanlrais a processof Sddhanawhichrelievesone lromlhe lel_ nessand soundness.For anci€ntnesswe will haveto oo back
tersof crudenoss (ta)Thus,Tanlra isaninluitionalscience which
lndus-Valley (3500B.C).
civilizalion.
standstor the progressiverealizationof the Divine ll liberates
one kom ihe cimmedandarknessand leadsintothe divineefful- Thereisa greatcontroversy amongthescholarwhetherTantra
oence.lt is a palh ol Salvationlt is a science of the soul The has its originin Vedaor vice versa.The reporlsof the excava-
;uthorirativedelinitionol lheTanlra,is lhat whichbringsemanci' iions of Indls-Valleycivilization, belorethe Aryancame into In-
pationfromthe bondageof [,]?ry2r (talraya ayal kayel yaslu sa dia, havelavouredthe lirst possibility.
tantrapariklrtitah)l'r2 Sivaand Saktisymbolsare highlyattachedwithlhe Tenlric
Afterhavingbeenacquainted withthe meaningol Tanlraone metaphysics. Theywereso deeplyrooledin themindof pre-Aryan
peoplethal theytook the lorm of Gramdevata.The idol ot Siva
may be eagerto knowaboutits antiquityor traditionNowlet us
glanceoveritskadilion. and Saktiwas and slill beingworshippedby €achand everyvil-
lage.We shallexpoundlhis vi€w wilh the help ol the authenlic
B.Tanfic Tradition: reporloJlhe archaeologisiDonaldMackenzie.As he reports,'The
clayliguresand imagesand phallicbaclylicstonessuggestthat
heritage
lndianspiritual isconlainedinsc plures.
Variousscrip'
Durga'and Siva'worshipwasol a muchgreateranliquityin ln-
luresshow!s dillerentwayswhichculminale at onepoint.Tantra
diathanhas hithertobeensupposed.is Ghose,N.N.alsosup-
is alsooneof them.lt is lhe greatestpathwhichhasbeenforgol- porlslhesameview."..people weealsointensely
religious isproved
ten ratherneglecl€d.The saviourol TanvaArlhurAvalonhastried oy lhed scovery of a number of beautiful
temples stillpreserued
 Chaple.l
in lineshape,whichtheyusedas placesoJworshipof the Mother
Goddessandlhree headedSival'16
Vedasare composedby the Aryan peoplewhile Tantra s ihe
gitt of pre-Aryancivillzalion.Dr. Lalan Prasademphatcallyde-
claresthat,"Fromaltheseavailable hisloricalev dence,il can be
sad with ce ainty that Iantra is the cult and spirtual farthoi
ancientIndia.ll is lhe giii of the non-Aryanc vilizationl'17 The
v ew of ih€ Ram Chandra Rao is nothing but lhe echo ol lhe
abovemenlionedviews.The originsare lostin the pre-hislory. In
any caseis is as old as Vedarnaybe older.18 HereFam Cahndra
Rao accepts lhe ancientnessof Tanlra than Veda as possibi ty.
But he is sure to accept Tantra as old as Veda, As we know In
Veda,we loundamplereferencesof Siva-Saktiwhichare lheTanlric
deities.The Rgvedaand the AtharvavedaalsoconlainmanyS uklas,
like Ratri Sukta, Prithvi Sukta, Usa Sukta elc. and also Purusa
Sukta, Rudra Sukta, which are relaledwilh lemale and male dei'
ties.Thisis enoughpointerlo declareTantra as mucholderlhan
Veda. Here lhe view ol NandulalKundu will not be oul ot place-ln
his own worlds, "ll is remarkablefact to be noted here lhal no
'[,lalini-Vijaya
where in some ol lhe oldest Tantras such as the
Tanlra the Budra-YamalaTantraetc., no trace o{ lhe vedic inllu'
ence and no menlion ol the vedas can be lound; whereas in the
Vedaswe haveclearevidenceofTantricinlluenceor rnfluence ot
lhe Agama and Nigama whichgoto provethatbelorelhe Aryans
migraledto the lndiansoil,lheTanlras andTantricCullwerelhere
as iormingthe core oi lhe non'Aryanor lhe pre-Aryanciviliza.
tionl'19
Saivismand Sakism are lhe schoolsof the Tantra-tradition.
Both Siva and Sakli as god and goddesswere prevalenlin the
non.AryanCuLt. We againherequoteGhose,N.N.regarding this.
"The religionoi lhe peopleseemsto be iconic,ihe imageoi Siva
takingthe placeoi honouf.The worshipof phallc emblems,lhe
lingaand the yoni also prevalid.20This necessarilyleadsus to
concludethat Saivismand Sirklismare the two pillarson which
lhe spiritualedillce oi non-Aryanwas eslablished.
Here we have lried lo proveTantraas much older than Veda
in lerms ol lime. But this does not mean lhat they are conlrary to
SalienlFeaturesof Tantra
eacholher.In the Tankiclreatiselike lhe 'Kularnava' and the
'Mahanirvana'Tantrait isdeclaredthalTankaisa scriolurelorthe
kaliyugawhileVedais for the Satyayuga2l The one principleis
presented indifferent
waysaccording tolhemo.alsiandard otthe
peopleof theparticularage.Wearethe peoplehavinglimitedlife-
spanandsenses.lt is impossibleto graspVedasthal is whyLord
sivahasgiftedTantra{orthepeopleof theKaliyuga, ArthurAvalon
hasbeautilullycompromised thisconlroversyby declaringTantra
as a perfumeexislingin VedicFlower22lt can be fu her asked
who has perlumedthe Vedicllower ? For this, let us proceed
lowardsthe loundero{Tantra.
C. Founders ofTantta
VedicFloweris pertumedby Tantra.Butwho has perfumed
Tantrais our problemof investigation.
Thoughwe knowverylittle
aboutit.Scholarshavetriedto fix lhe authorshipotTanlra.There
are two superficialcontraryviewsregardingthis nationamong
themone supportsdivienoriginwhilelhe other lavourshuman
authorship,whoevermaysecuretheauthorship, we are notcon-
cernedwithit.Weare highlyconcernedwiththe coreof philoso-
phy.Anysystemcan endureonlyby the strengthof its essence.
We haveseenlhat Tantricphilosophyhas beenprevalentsince
lrvethousandyearsil not more.This is enoughevidenceof iis
soundness. Thissoundness is infusedby divinelorces.Howis it
so ? Forlhiswe willhavelopeepinto th6related nolionsot this
Tantrais generallyconsiderodas Agama.Eachsyllableof
lhrstermis Fullol significance.As Chakravarti,C., notes.'.The
IermAgamais explained as thalclassolTantrawhichisaddrossed
to Parvatiby Siva.2r"
Thisexposition stjpporls
divineorigin.But
al lhesameI mewe havegotsomeolherTantras whicha16asso_
clatedw'rhnumannames.Forinstance, SanatKumera,Daflalreva
Flc Wl'o are consiciered
as authorsot severatTanras. Of courie,
Iney were not lay man like us bui at the sametime we cannol
considefthem as Lord Siva.We haveacceptedlhem onlv
as
seers,
Dr.LalanPrasadhas very distincllyworkedoul lhe authoF
 10 Chapter-1 SalienlFeaturesof Tanlra 11

ship. He is againslacceptingall these scripturesas of divine Theoneandthesameconsciousness pervadesin lhe manandin

origin.In hisownwords, "Butlromourpoinlofview neitherTantra the animalworldalso.Butwhalmak€smansuperiortoanimal?
nor the Vedasare ol divineorigin.Both embody the inluitivevi- Thereare certainobslruclionsol nescienceon consciousness
sion ol seers. Th6 god head ot the Vedas and of Tantra is an Onlymanpossessesthe capacitylo removetheseobstruclions
infinite,eternal, lormless and lranscendental enlily.lt is not a whichis not possible{or animal.Animalis at sub-consciousnes
personalgod.ltdoesnothaveanyvocalchord.There is no tran_ levelwhilemanis at self-conscious lev6l.Beyondsellconscious-
scendenlal validityin theargumenl thatTantraorVedais lhevoice nesslherearecedainlayerswhich areknownas Super_conscious'
of providence(AptaVakya)l'" Nol with slanding he accepls ness.lt is nol easyto reachas it seemsso. Man shouldhav€
siva as originatorolTdntrabul notSivaas we haveaccepledas tremendous powertoconlrollhenaturaltorces,lhen he canreal-
ood.In hisownwords,"TheFounderol Tantrais LordSiva He ls izetheidenlity
withsuper-consciousness. Hereindivid!al s€lfmerges
inownas AdiGuru.He asa greatascelic(Mahar yogi)anda great inlo universalsell.At thislevelhe secures allthe powers which
Tantrika(Mahakaula)he hasonenesswiththesupremeGod He we ascribeto god. li is my humble view that Dt Lalan Prasad
ailainedoccullpowersthroughTantraSadhana.lt is beyondhu- thinksSivaas a founderotTantra,as a realizedsoulor as a soul
man mindto measurelh€ depthand dimensionol his spiritual or superconsciousness, Thoughconsciousness is samein man
powerand personality. Peoplerevered,worshippedand adorecl andsuperman bul he has shattered off all the ot name
limitations
He is conceivedlobe Gunatilirand Nirguna and form.This type of soulcan notbe garthly buta divine oneas
himin ancienttim€s.
Purusa.25 Arlhur Avalonaccepts.We can conclusively declarethal both
haveaccepteddivineorigindirectlyor indirectly. Voiceof realised
The greatadheranlof Tantra,ArthurAvalondilterson this soulcomes,lrom the donain ol divinityandlar remotelrornhu-
point.ltseemslhat h€ hasacceptedthefoundersolTantranotas
manterritorY.
a scholarbut as a devolee.He has triedlo proveconclusively
thaiVedasandTanlrasareAptaVzlkyaor voiceolprovidence. As Whatis lhai in theTanl c perfume-which hasfrelgranced all
he thinks."As the courtiersof a royalccud are nol the authors, the scriptures? ll is not its hoaryantiquityor divine aulhorship
bul merelyihe interpretersol state crafts,so the trulh seelng butits soundprincipleson whichediticeofTantrasyslemstands
Risis are not the originatorsof th€ SddhanaSastra' but Nowwe shalllry to seethe bricksol Tanlraedificeundertheiille
rememberenc€rs merely.ll is nol a Sdstramarredby mistake' "Prnciple6 olTantra".
errorsanddeception, Bhavan,lh€creatorolallcreatures, knower
of all heans,is ils revealar26 D. P nciDledol Tantra:
Theabovementioned two pointsare opposedto each oiher The solidityof edilicedependsuponthelirmnessof lounda'
but what I thinkis that.lhis controversyis only al an apparent tion and qualityof bricks.Tantraprinciplesare very soundon
levf. lf we go intothe rootof theseviews we tind thal lhe bolh whichTantricsystemis stillsustainedsince{ivelhousandyears.
respectodscholarsr€Present lheirviewslromthe sameground' 1. Pfinciple ol Pola ty:
lhat is the groundol consciousness. Lel us ditfusethis slate_
ment. Theprincipleol polarityis thefoundationsloneof Tantrasys-
tem.Beforegoingintotherootolthisprinciple letus beacquainled
Thereis incrediblemovementin the lniversein everyalom wilh whal polarityis.The term'polarity'is relatedwith the word
Movemenlis a characlerislicof consciousness. Universeis a 'pole'- 'pole'is eitherol ihe two
The lexicalmeaningol lhe word
combination ol dillerentatomsand they are full ot conscioils- ponts ol a body in whichthe attracliveor repulsiveenergyis
ness,Henceuniverse is nothingbuttheoceanol conscrousness
 12 Chapter-1
SalientFeaturesof Tanla

concentrated,as e.g-in a magnet.27

ol moon and moon lighl. As moon light is not dilJerenttrom moon
Tantrahas very unaquely workedoul thesetwo polesin the and mooncan nol exislwilhoutmoonlightin the sameway Siva
humanbodywhichis syrnbolically representedinTantrictreatise and Saktiare dentical.32
as Siva-Sakli.Biologically,it representsthe malejemalepoles
whichis pre-requisiteforanycrealion. This idenlilyis alsoexplainedwilh the helpof the illustration
ol creation.ln lhe processot crealon Srvais not able to do any-
Tadricprinciple of polarily worksnotonlyat physical level th ng wilhoutSakti.S va is consideredas corpse(Sava)devod
butit alsoappliesat universal level.ForTanlra,likehuman,uni- of Sakti(i).Theveryllrstverseof lhe Saundraya Laharlpurports
versorsalsoanofJ-spring oftheHighest Reality.Theliteralmeaning ihe same view.In wh ch il is declaredlhal withoulthe un on ot
(Vacyartha)ot the Firstverseol lhe Saundraya laharlretlectthis S va Saktino crealionis possible.Not on y lhal bul when S va
fact.2sThesameviewis alsodepictedbylhe RasarnavaTantra tn un tes withsakti onlylhen he usableto do anything.33 The Today
whichsiva tells Pravatithat He is lhe Fatherand She is the Tantraa so rellectthe same view34We can't go aheadwiihout
MotheroJthe universeand worldlyobjects2s q!otingthe wordsot SreeRamakrisna whichare citedby Swam
Prabhavananda. 'ShriRamkrisna was wonllo saythatiustaslire
Pfinciple ol ldentity:
anditsburningpowerareinseparable, so inseparableare
Brahma
Howthispolarilyresidesin the humanbody? Everyhuman and Sakti".When I medilate upon Bealily as al rest, he once
beingcontainsihesetwopoleswithin;oneis expressed whilethe rernarked, that is, withoutihe aclivitiesot creation,preservation
olher js latent.The exlernallyhimselfexpressedpoteindicales and dissolution. I call il Brahman.When I meditaleuoon Realitv
either maleor femalecharacletll a personis male,temaleis as crealive,I call il Sakli. In eilher case I am concernedwith one
alreadytherebut in a lalenlform.Same is the case ol female. and lhe same lruth,lhe ditterencebeingonly in lhe name and
This newconceptin biologyis knownas b,sexuality. But is nol a
new notionfor a Tdnlricseer.lt has alreadybeen revealedby
themandexpressed itintermsolHemo,phrodite (Ardhanarisvara). 2. Macrocosm and Microcosm:
Letusseehowtheexponent ofTanlratradition,Ajil[,,lookerii
throws HenceSiva and Saktibecomethe lnv sibleseed ol the fu I
lighton lhispoint."Thebi-sexualpotential existin equalmale- grownup lreeol universe- As lhe seedperuadesin the branches,
lemale(M/F)ratioin the reproduclion of prooyplasm.Visuallyit n lhe lru ts of the tree likewise,Siva and Saktia so pervade n
has beendepictedas the formoI Ardhanarisvara (Siva-Parvali), the Lrniverse and in the humanbodyalso.This is enoughto raise
maleand femalealtribllesshownas partof the samebody, a queslon aboutlhe relallonship betweenlhe universe(Macro'
hermophrodiiically joined.Theideathatmascuiar ty andteminitv cosm)andlhe ind vidualse f (l\,4rcrocosm). lf thereis a coldin the
js
are tow factors as illusoryas that of the dualityof body and universe, we also iee coldness,It thereis a heat,we also teel
soul.30 neal in the body_How is il possible? Tanlra has lound out that
Sivaand Saktiare the lwo polesof one thing.Tankarepre- vvnaiever is in unverse also residesin humanbody.The third
senlspolaritybut notdualily-Sivaand Saktiare notlwo ultimate cnaplerofthe S ddha-Siddh:lnta oaddhatiotGorakanath is com
pleley devotedto this aspect.The slighestchangein universe
Bealiliesbul theyare idenlical.This identityhas beenprolusely
co,l Fq'rFnllyrellectsin body.Thus Tanlraacceplsrhe rdenhry
descrioedin manyTantras,We herequoteonly oneor lwo.In lhe
oelwepnmacrocosmdnd mrcrocosm on whch lhe wholedslrol-
MaherniruarnaTantra LordSivaemphatically tellsParvatithat there ogy s based.
is no dillerencebetweenthem.3lTheSuddhaSiddhanta Paddhati
ol Goraksanalha depiclsthe sametruthby givingthe illustralion Beinga replicaof universe,
bodvcontainsallwhateverthere
 t4 Chaptar-1 SalienlFealuresot Tanlra 15

is in the universe.H€ncelor the realizaiionof Realilybehindthe tureslikeDharmaSastradisclosesthistrulhby givingillustration

universe,it is not necessarylo roamintothe world.Bodyis the ol a personwhokisseshiswrleandhisdaughlerwithlhesame
besl meanslor realization. Thecitationot the RalnasaraTantra timbbutwithdrtferent rntentton.4lSoil is thementaloutlook which
whichis quotedby Ajil lilookerjiisverysuggeslive.'Hewho €al- dislorts lhe world and not anything else. This lact is beaulilully
izesthetruthof the bodycanlhencometo knowthe lruthof the depictedby lhe KaulavaliTantrawhich is cited in the Karpura
siava B:ria.a2
3. Concrcte and posltlve vlew ol Eaelily. Somindcanbethemeansforbothbondageaswellas Salvalio
Amongall the mentalinstincts, sexis generally considered as
Thisalsorelleclslhe viewotTantraaboullhe natureof Fleal- themosibinding andpowerfulone. ButTantra hasa heallhy view
ity.ForTanlra,Realityis notan abstractentitybutcan be reatized this.Taniraviewssexas a positivelorce.Therearelwo
regarding
throughphysicalor morlalbody.Bodyis not merelya grossprod, possibiities in theutilizaiionof thisJorcelf it is misused, I rnay
ucl oi Prakritibut is a divinegift of natureand becauseol this, proveto bea curseanda sourceof misery. Al lhe sametirneJ il
the TanlralikeKularnavadeclaresbodyas the templeof God.37 il provesto beboon Toui lize
s usedproperlywithunderslanding
Thls retleclsthe posiliveviewof Tantraregardingbodyelemenl acceptslheposilivity
itas a boonorcursedependsuponus.Tanlra
whichis highlyneglected by Jainisn,ChristianityandBuddhism. ol sexenergyto ihal exlentlhat it becomesthe sourceoi Salva-
This showshow humanbeingenjoysgreal signiticancein lion.Tanlrashowslhe wayo{ sublimation ol lhal inslinctwhichas
Tankatradition.TheKubrnavaTantrahas laidgrealerstresson generally considered as thecauseol downlall43
thisaspect.AsVishvasera Tantradeclares.There is no birthlike In conclusionwe saythatTanlralaysgreaterslresson men-
unio lhe humanbirth.Both Devasand pitrasdesireit. For the lal aspect.As it is declaredin the Kular rnavaTanira,if anythingis
Jiva,the humanbodyjs out of all bodies,the mosidifficultto donewlththe puritvol mindevensin becomes virtueandphe-
come by.For this, it is said that humanbirlh is attainedwilh becomes doorto divinity44ll bernoreproper
would
norrenalworld
extremediiliculty".3s to say that the approachof Tantrais to avoidthe iwo exlremes,
Indianphilosophy believesthalsoulhasio crossthecycleot that s renunciation andindulgence. Thusil showslhe balanced
birthsaccordingto the deedshe has commiltedin previouslile. a d _eallny vrew regaroing worlo and itsa"airs
Humanbirthis th€ only bidh in whichhe gets completesway Fromlhis we canconcludewithoulhavinghesiiationthal the
overthebirthcycleby doingselllessdeeds-(Niskamakarma).To bricksol Tantraedijiceare very so!nd and rational.But whatis
do anythingwithorwithoutintensionis a properlyol mind-Hence thal whichhasdislortor Shakenthe loundaliono, lhe sysiemol
mindshouldbe first conlrolled.lt is not the worldlyobjeclslhat Tanta?
bindus bul the aftitudesof mindtowardit createsDleasureand
pain.This is lhe wisdomand ignorance of lhis is the knolof It is nolhlngbui misinterprelataon ol its symboliclanguage
nescience. The knotshouldbe brokenand lhat is the liberation whichis responsible forlhis-Onemay wish to knowwhicharelhe
(Moksa)advocaiedbyTanlra.3o symbolsand howtheyare unduely jusiified. Forthislel us see
someoi theTantricSymbols wjth lheir proper srgniicancewilh
Buthowmindbecomes thecauseol pleasure andpain? lt is lhehelooi Tantra treaiise-
lhe mentaldisposilion (Bhava)which is responsible lor thisand
lor Tanlramentaldispositionis the propertyof mind.40 Worldly E.Tentic Symbolism:
obiectsare neithergoodnor bad.Theyare as it is. Bul is our
mentadisposilion lowardslhemwhichbindsusor liberates. Scrip- theValmiki
lt is a lactthatthe revealeroJthe epicRamayana,
 16 17
Chapted Meaningot Tanlra

presidedover by a goddessLakini.
o n T a n l r ap. . 2 5 1 ) .
Andheh - in the regionof the heart. tt is like a deep
. fed Srrcakrdo alsoLalledShyanlraor lttpuaca|E connecled
lolirs wtlh lwelve petals.Seat of air. il is presided
godcless K;ikini.
over by wilh Stividya.has been describedin verses, quoted 'n the
Samkara-Vijaya o! A^andagiri (Bib Indicaed 1868)p 255and
-
Visuddhaor Bhatati in lhe regtonof lhe ne.k. Seal
ol n the Selubandhacommenlaryon the Nityesodasikarnava
yamala(ptot'ablyRudrayamala)Ihe
sarasvali.it is grFyand like a lolusot sixteenpetats presrded {1 31-34)quoling lrcm
over by goddessLiikini. Saunaatvatahatt (verse11) also descllbesll A somewhal
A/.ia - belwaenthe pyebrows.Also ca ed patamaiata dltlFrentdps'npl'on occursin a work calledDevnahasla
._
wtu.Rtatrtvent,
ol (Deccan College MS No.490of 1895'S8)A descriplion of lhe
tl is like a loius ol lwo pelals whtte In colour ll lhe bl,du in
rlT rn': cakra thar lhe lhree ,adrs. /c*i er. . spread CakE rs as follows.A Cakla is lo be drawn with
l: oul a small lriangle.The bmdu stands for Sakli or Mllaprakrti
Io.drrrerertdirections.Symbolisedby the le ers
'I rs rhe seal Ha a-d Asa solidifled Thereareninelriangles iiveo{whichhavelhelrapex
of mind. presrdedover by goddessH.k.n, fhe Siva
woro 4/na means order.order ol gufu who ts supposecllo restcJF downward:these represenlsSaktl andfour,representing
haveiheirapexupward. The b/rdu is situated in the smallest
trianglepoinlingdownward. Thereare lwo pairsol triangles.
ot Satcakrabheda(hletallymeantngpenelral,on then14 triangles. theneighlpelalledlolus'16 pelalledlotus
ol, (.a{ras)
^Caktabheda
means lhe manileslaltonot acltvalionol Cakrds lineswilhlourgales lhese
lhen3 circles.thenlhreeboundary
rl.rs-necessary lor keepingthe body fit and for lhe a atnmenr ten lallerbeinglhe ouler sectionof the yattraandlhe lotuses
or s/do,t/s I he six Gakr.asare tdentiliedin some lanlnc pelals being the inner seclion of the Yant? lhete
works of 8 and 16
with the five elementsand lhe mindis This rcea appears angles The part ol the Cakra inside lhe
lo have rs a lolal of 43
lheancrent
Upanisadic tor oxampte
rheories: boundarylines is called bhuputa The worship ol Yantrais
ll"llTSO
rne ""
hearlts comp:tred lo a lolus,and tl is slaledto havet0l bahiyaga. Antaryagaislaking awakened Klndal/nllhrough the
/Vadrs;one ol lhem penetralesthe crownof the head;a Mutadharalo and then uniting il wilh
man Cakras.lrcm Nlecakra'
movingupwardby it reachesimmortay.tn thisuonnexton, with
the Siva in lhe Sahastaracaka; lhe six Cakrasate adenlilied
upanlsadsmay be consutted.Chandagvat_)pan$ad the live elemenls and lhe mlnd
l:1l9yln9
v'll I l. vllt.66. Kathavi.16.prasnaiti.6 Ceria,n
dragra,ns
also.arecalledCakras.Differentworksdifler in the name-s Sahas6E Padm4'
and
numberof Cakras.The Srcakfa is oftenlnentionedie.
A Tanlra. At the cenlre of the head is localedihe Brahmarandhra
:)!:,1-9a!!1gh:0".\D.:can coflese
r/s.No.e62at 1884.87) ihrouohwhichvitalbrealhor life is supposed lo exilal death
menlrons lhe followingfive Cakr,as
usedin Durg.ipdjdaccording
Io Kaulagama. ll is c;nceivedas a mullicoloured lolusot a thousandpelals
facingdownward.
Ralacakra.Mahacaka, Devacakra.Vtnca.rc, pasucaka
, The Cakras,accordingto the Kaulasyslem are as follows
calaloS_ue vot. XVI on lanlra. p. 163). In anolher
\l?e
manuscflpt (DeccanColtegeMS No 964 ot 198/_91)some in lhe ascendingorder: NadicakainthejanmaslhanaBased
.r,,ri. are describedas Akadamacakra.nnadhana oi il is M|Acakra in the navel (from here il prevades
:19,!
saohanacakta,RastcaAra, 1t1411s61ra""kH
(Catatoguevo. XVI everwhere),yogacakra (inlhe heart,cente dyoga)' Bhedanacakrc
(inthe faiureqion).D/iDtbakn(Bindusthenain betweenthe eye_
 18 Chapt€r-1 SalientFealuresol Tanlra l9

posrlively.Notonlythatbutalsogavea highslalusas a sourceo,

satvatton_ spiritualachievemenl.To ignorethe sacrednessol the lingais
danqerous, whereas lhrough of lle (bhuklr)
rtsworshiptheioy and
. We haveseebelorelhatTantricviewis outand outspirilual. (Mukti)
lheioyol liberalion areoblained.s4
It alsoviewslifrgain a spiritualmannetTheTanhictext,Anubhava
S-irlrarnclearlydeclaresihe lifrgaas a sourc€ot creationand Havingseensomething aboutthe lihgaconceptlet us pro-
o,ssorrrrron,
thal sourceis nothingbut lhe LordSivaHimse.ag ceedwiththe othersymbolwhichis alsorelatedwithsex notion,
rhe a4other thatis,svmbolHarmophrodit€. (Ardhanarisvara).
Tarntric lext.lhe vetulsuddhakhyaTanlraalsoerr.
phaticallydeclareslifigaas a creatorand desiroyer.49
B.Ardhanefisvan:
v'ewis atsosupponed by the Abhinava
Oupta.I^ his Wehavebeendiscussing aboutsymbolism. Ourfirstsymbol
-ranra-roka,
.TJ_rs
hedeclares lhatthewisemanshouldconsider l,iga waslifrgainwhichwe haveconsidered linga as a sourceol crea-
as a causeof creationand destruction.In the term linqa.,L;, tion.Bul as we know.only lifrgaor male pole is nol sufticieniior
rndicares drssotution{Laya)whrte.castandstoranivat(Ag;mana'. anvcrealion. Creation ais resull of copulation which demands on
une shouldworshrplhe Atmalingaand avo,dothertingis.so the other pole, thatis yoni, thelemale pole Tantra represents the
Not
oJ]ryabovementionedTantrasbut pu.analikeSivapirana and Synlhesized formo{ iiiga-yonior Siva-Sakti lhroughlhe symbol
lrngapuranaalsosupportthe sameview_ or halJ male_hal{ {emale lorm
of Ardhanarlsvara
TheSivapuranaconsjderlifrgaas afjrsrcause,thesource The concept Ardhanarisvara
of is nota fancyoI Tantraseers
of
consctousness and substanceol universe.si Whileaccordingto bolh spiritual and scientiticsignilicanceUni'
but it alsocontains
thelingapurana, ldgarsbolhthecauseol c,rssolutronandev6lu. verseis a crealion.This pre-supposes ils creatorwho conlalns
boih posiiiveand negative or M/F poles.Tantra hasproiectedihis
polarityin the HigherReality.The Tankictreatiselhe Saundrya
_ Thereareample relerences inTantrawhjchsuggest thjsmeaning.
Theabovementroned references areenoughto conclude thatTantra Lahariveryemphatically andbeautilullydeclaresuniverseas an
nas-nolapplied liigaas phystcalor grossphaltus buras a priTe off-spflngof the univsrsalparentslhe Siva-Sakli.s5 lanlra sym-
causeot crealtonof unjverse.This view js also supported bolizesthesetwo inseparableand identical aspectsol theHigher
'WhenHindus by Tantra
Darrelou.,Alain, Worship thetiiga.they;onolde.iy Realityin thelormoi Ardhanarrisvara TheVitalSuddhakhya
a o^ysrcattealJre,theymerelyrecogntze thed;vine, ete.-allo.rt alsoaftirmsthis fact.As il declareslingais Sivaand yoni is
rnanrlesln the microcosm. Sa(t. Therrcopulation is lne resullintouniverse s6
ll is Ine hu.nanphalluswltch iSa
divineemblem ot theeternal causal form,theal pervadjng lhe dilletent
linga.s3 NoionlyTanlrasbutVedasalsohavemenlioned
A devotee worships linga.Likeoihertoros of worship, pairsforpre-creation. A listof lhe pairshavebeenmentioned by
this
arsosecures someresults. Inothersystems ofSedhana, Sbdhaka Aggarwal. VasJdeva.in h,sboox Stvalrahadeva.
garnssatvatronlhroughpenance whileT:rnlricworship
veryposilivein natufeas it secures
oflingars But what thesepairsindicaie? Accordingto Tanlra,these
bothindulgence andlibera- pairsof oppositeis nothingbul the torrnol energy.We maycoln
no.. Thrsultq,.ienessltesin theapproach ol Tantralowardssex Siva_Parvati elc.butal
anynamelikeNara-Nari, Kumera-kumari,
Fiowrrsecuresbolhthalhas beenrcflected in thev,ew
'Thos€ ot karapatrijr, thesecan he reducedintoone HigherRealitt lhat is, lorTanlra
who do not recognizethe divinenalureof the phallu;,
wno do nol measurethe imporlanceof sex ritual,who consider is energy.Whenthe crealiveposiliveenergycombineswrihthe
negativeenergy,interactionstartswhich resultsinto creation
lhe acl ot iove as low or contempatible or as a merephystcal
lunclron, Zimmer.Henricnviewsthistacl likelhis:"Asthe symbolof male
areboundto lailin theiraflempts at physical as wellas
 20 ChapteFl Sal ent Featuresol Tantra

creative energy,the lingam is lrequen y combinedwith the pri_
marysymboloflemalecrealiveenergy,the yoni,lf,ealerformtng
lhe baseof rhe trragewiththe tormer s,ngl.om ,ts ce^r.e.Th,;
serves as a representalronol lhe crealive union that procreates
and sustainSlhe irteol lhe Unlverse. Ltngamand yont,Srvaano
hrsgoddess,symbokze the anlagonistic yet co-operatrve
torces
ol the sexes.Theirsacred lllarriage(Greek : hieroes-gamos) is
multifariouslyfiguredin the varioustraditionsoi worldmyiho_dlogy.
They are the archetypalparents,Fatherand Motheroithe worl'i,
lherrselveslJ"etrrstborn ot the parrsol opposiles,ttrslbiturca.
llon ot lhe primalcosrnogentc realtly,now re.unrledIn producltve
harmony.Underthe forrnof FatherHeavenand MotherEarth
thev
wereknow4to lhe Creeksas Zeusand Hera.Uranosand Gara,
to
the ChineseT'tenandTi. yang andyin."57
Tantraprojeclsthe natureol Hefmophroditeof H gher Realily
.
In rts
manirestation,thal is lhe objecls of universeaiso. Betng a
pait and parcelof lhe HigherRealilywe atso conlatn
rhe sdme
quarty.Everymatehas femalepole and lemalenas
'dtentforn. TFts TanlFc male pole.in
lruthhas efi,ergedout urde. lhe lane ot
br-sexJal,lyn rrodern bio-Ohystcs. Accordingto the raw ol o _
sexuatrty io tellsomebodyas meremaleor femaleis opposedlo
the concept ol bi-sexuality_ We biturcate the fwo sexes Uy itre
expressedpole. Bul in realitywe are both male and lemale,
Siva
and Sakti
.
Tantra is not only confinedto the bi_sexualilybut it has
also
localedlhe exaclplaceof maje-,emale potern the body where
rheb'o-physics hasyel to reach.Accordingto lheTantra. the righl
sroe atways represenls male.sun or posiltve pole whrle lhe
l-eit
eoe represenlsrematernoonor negativepole.lntheTripuraSarnLita.
uevt oeclares,_| he wrseshouldknowthe bastclact lhar lhe
fe-
male gene residesin lhe lelt side of all males.He can not
dis-
cover the selt when he is alienatedfrom his own nalure.,,ss
Like liiga symbol,this has also been negtectedon the ground
that it is relaled with the sex drive.Tantravlews sex as a
neans
to'realzrngwnoleness.Though we are,ntinjteand whore,due to
lhe lacko' wisdomol it we conslantry feetiinrLeness.
Thatts why
we always try to reach lhal whojeness.This tact is reflectedbV
the attractronol the oppositesex. lran tries to lell compleleness
by Lrnilingwith the outerwoman.LikewiseWomanalso leelswhole_
n;ss bv the unilical on with outer man Tanlrasays lhat satislac'
tion oi sex drive is the only easiestway for realizng intlnite
becauseil s our nature.Suppression ol it willcrealenothingbul
disordersand distortion. In the words of Mookerii Ajit' "The com-
posrle ligure of Siva and Paruali as hall male and half Jemale
indicaleslhat male and Jemale elements are balancedin bothof
them.F! i emanc pation is dependent upon our realization
ol lhis
fact,59
In conclusionwe can say withouthavingany doubtthat lhe
symbol oi Ardhanarivarahas nolhing lo do with gross physical
Iorm ol sex.On the contrary,it leadsus from grossto subtleAs
lo Sociologisl, the
Sree N4aithiav ews this svmbo, "According
male and Iemale secrel has an exlernal as well as lnternal as-
pecl Io elevalehrmsellto a higherpLanol thoughtand exrslence
manshouldgrasp the meaningot theconceplArdhanarisvara'60
symbolthat
Now et us proceedwiihthe olher misinterpreted
s Yajara.
C. Yaifia : Sac fice:
The lirsl two discussed symbols linga and Ardhanarisvara
are allachedwilh sex notion.The third symbolwhich we are
goingto discuss1salso partiallyrelatedwith rl The nameof the
symbol,as t is mentionedabove s Yajfraor sacrf ce
lrom grosslo sublle.Accotding
Tantrais way ol sublimation
toTanlra,the pleas!rewhichcomesoutlromthephysicalcopula_
lion can be sublimatedinto the spirilualbliss This is lhe real
mportof the SymbolYajna.
Beforegoing into the root,Iet as firstsee the etyrnoogical
meaningol the lerm Yajna.' yaj is the rool verb ot lhis term whrch
slands lor propitialion.6lFor Tanlra every acl is a prop'tiationor
worshipol the HigherReality.Eventhe actionlikecopulationwhich
we genera y consideras low is viewedwithvenerationNow lel
us see how lhisYai6ais pertormedexternally and intetnally
In lhe exlernalIormationof sacrilice,an allar is lormedout
 22 Chapl6r.l
lrom specialmaterials and by experls.Burningfire is placed
insidelhe aliar.DuringtheperfornanceotYajia,clarifiedbutteris
constanilvoouredintolhe sacriticial,ire. Somelimesanimals
are alsousedas an obiectol cblalionforthesatislaclion of diety.
TheYajia takesplacein lhe physicalbody.Accordingto Tantra,
body is an altarin whichlhe someor elixiris beingconstantly
droppedlromlhe SahasrarCakraor brain.This elixiris beinqcon-
sumedby the tiresituaiedin lhe navelregionor lhe l/anipura
Cakra,Semenis thegrossformof elixiror sonawhichis ejected
maxirnun inquanlityin inlercourse.
Constanl orfrequent section
oi semennaturally resullsintodecaybecause semenis thevery
baseoi life.ATankicSadhaka retains this consumpiion through
theKundaliniyoga orolherTantric practrses.Thisisihe realTantric
yajia which lakesplacewilhinthebodywilhtheresultthalSadhaka
enioysthe immodality.
Tanlricnotionof yajia alsoleadsone hom the individualily
to theuniversality.TheconceptoJYajia isthecoreof the Sadhana
aspect.In Sadhan:r,Sadhakaollers manyobiectslike Jlowers,
lampoJfire,fragranlpowder,varioustypesol cornsnamelyTilt,
Cookedrice,Java,milk etc. Bul in TantraSadhanalhere is no
needto olleralilhese lhingsin grosslofm. Because a Sadhaka
menlally olfersall the live elemental torcesor lhe fivegross
ele'nenls rPanca Malaohuta) namely Earth( Pflthvi).Wate'(Apj,
F re (Teja).Vayu(Air)and Ether(Akasa)in the placeof flower,
1amp,powderetc.Whateverhedoesphysicallythat s not irnpor
tant in TanlraSadhan:lbut he is mantallyattunedwith the uni-
verseandofiersitlo desireddiely.Thiskindol yajia removeslhe
boundaryof limitations andSeldhaka leelsidenlitywiththe entire
Now let us see whal seemsobjectionable
to lay manin this
symbol.As we havementioned, in Sacrifice,sometimes ani-
mals are also otfered.But Tanirahas nevertaken the gross
animals. This misinterprelation
happensdue lo lackof proper
knowledge of TantricmeaningoJanimal.TheTantralikeYogni
Tanlra, Anadakalpa etc.haveclearlymentioned
thattheanimas
likevice shouldbe killedwiihthe swordol knowledge.62From
lhis reierencewe can saywithouthavingdoubtihat i, we lake
SalienlFeaturesol Tanka 23
the realmeanng oi ablation,thereis nothingoblectionable. On
the conlrarylhe properviewleadsoneto lhe inlinitelromJiniteor
lrom individualilvto universalilv.
Now aparl i.om these symbots,which are targelyrelatedwilh
sex concept,lhere are also some symbolswhich are highly sig,
niiicantin the TantricSadhana.Amongthem,Symbolof S [r,s ]s
lhe basicone. Now let us see aboutit,
D. Panca makara:5 M's:
The m sinterprelatlon ot ihe Symbol5 4,4's playsprominent
roe In the degeneration of the Tantrictraditionand system.In
Tanlrsm, lhere are also some sub-sectsnamely,VAmacara,
Daksinacara, Divyacaraelc- Among them 5 I\,4's. comes under
lhe litle Vamacara.Lel us see firsl why it is known as 5 lvl's.lt is
known as so because either are five iiems in it start with the
syllable M'that is why it is recognizedas 5 M's.These are namety
Nladya(Wine),l\,/amsa(meal), l4aisya (Fish),[,1udra(crain) and
lMadhuna (Copulalion). Let us see each of the svtlablerespec-
lrveV.
i. Madya-Wine:
Madyameanswine.Theinherentq!alityoi Madyais to make
man aloof ftom lhe ouier world.To torget the frusltation creaied
frornlhe machineage,man resortsto lakewine.whichgiveshim
temporary reliei.
lradya is not utilizedin Tantrain lhe sense ol wine. In Tantra
madyais nol a liquorbul as the KuiarnavaTantradeclares,it is an
energy.63All ol us have a lreasure ot energy which is hidden in
our body.Tantrashowsthe approacholawakeningof it. Sedhaka,
who awakensihe cenlresol energy(Cakraireleaseshis senses
Iromiheengrossment (P:rsa)olthe outerworid.Theutilizalion of
thisTantriclvadyaresulisintonot in a temporaryreliefas it so
nappensnthe gross winebut itgiveslife-timeblisstothe Sadhaka.
By do ng so he yokeshis seltwilhhis originalnature,that s Siva
or lrmtlesslnlintteelement.The peculiarity ol Tantricmadyais
Inat.as lhe Kularnava Tanlradeclaresit leadsSadhakato Brah
man.64or a slale knownas Brahmisthiti{ie. identitywith utti-
24 Chapler-1 Sa ient Fealuresof Tantra

mateRealitv). Heathsyogapradipika,mindand prdnatollowone another.By

controlling theone,another canautomaticallybe conlrolled."
So
HencelorTantra,Madyais nola wineandTantricSadhakais herelikemind,prerna is alsoconsideredas {ish.ButhowTantra
of Saktior energy
nota drunkardbuthe is a worshipper pranaas lish one mavwishto know
consrders
ii. I/hmsa-Meat: Accordrng to theTantra,lhough pranapervadesin the entire
The meaningoJ l4amsais meat.lt is meal lt is one ol the body;we breath,whichis the grossformof pranathroughright
sevenconponenlsot lhe bodyi e rakla(Blood)RasaIfslencel and eft nostrilswhichin termso, Tantra knownas pingala,the
[,4amsa (Veat),Majja(Veins]Asthr(BonelSukra(Seren)and sunandlda,themoonrespectively.ln theyougic terms,lifespan
IVeda ([/iarrow).
I\,4ealis uli||zed{orfood purposeoy anrmalsac depends uponthe amountoJPranaconsumed throughrespira-
wellas human berngs. Bulhowthrsmeatis related wilhTanlra? I on.The moreamountof it we utilize,we can enioymorelife or
ongeviiy.Pranafloatseitherin Pinglaor in ldawhichwe feelit in
ln lheTaniricpuia,meatof an animal'somelimesol a numan theIormol respiralion. So to minimizethe amountof respiration
beinqalsois otferedto a deitylor the salistaction ol diety Butto
meaningol or n otherwordsto enjoylongevilyonehasto controlthe prana,
utiliz; a orossmeaiis nol consistent withtheT?rntric
one mayques- whichmoveslikea fishin ldaandpingla.
meal.Wiat is thenthe Tarntric meaning of meal
iron. Fromthis we can conclusively saythat the Tantricmeanjng
oi I\,4atsya
is iotallydilferenifromthe grossone.
Generally, we gel meatby killingthe animal ln Tantrawhen-
ever the term animalis used' lit does not indicateanimallike iv.MudB-Grain:
qoal,donkey. deerelc lnTanlramanin a natural slale sconsld
meanslo raise Mudrameansgrainor cookedfood.Therootvelbof Mudrais
!redas Pasuorananrmal Tosacrllicethls animal
mudmeansto please.67 We eat lood lor the sustenanceol lile
manlromhrsnatural state Io a Supra naluralstateo'evenlo lhe
trom w ihoutwhich ourbodycannotpersjst. Foodnourishes bodyand
soiritualslate. Otfering meal means processol sublimation,
does w th the resuitbodybecomeshealthyandwilh healthybody,we
o;ossto subtle.According to the kuldrnavaTantralhose who
enjoyaLlpleasures,
;o is lhe realeaterof meatand restare the killersof liie'
Tantrahas nol takenonly the grossmeaningof Nrudrd.Ac-
SoTanlrahas neverfavouredthe killang ot any grossanlmal cordrng to it,intherealmol Sadhana, thespiritualbody ofa Sadhaka
bui one has to kill his animal like grossinstincts shourdbe slrenglhened by the spiritualloodl;keJi:lna Varragya,
lapaetc.TheTantratailavaprakarsa has mentionedeighttypes
iii.Matsya-FIsh: oI MJdraorgrainlrkedesire, greed,anger. greedanger,lusletc...,
Matsyastandslor fish ln Tantrait symbolicallyrepresenls wh ch shouldbe cookedorsublimatedintothefireol Brahman.6B
mindand prana,theVitallorce. Tiis istherealJood of Sadhaka by whichhesuslains hisspirituai
llle.So this is the Telntricmeaningof [Iudra.
As lishfloatsin lhe water,mindalsolloatsin the seaof sense
oblects,Mtndalwaysmovesfromone senseobiectlo lhe olher . Ivudraalsois a partof TantraSadhanaandthereit is a rneans
ani due lo ils conslantmovemenl looseits powers So far ihe ror dentifyingspirituallyvariousparts of the bodywith
cosmic
channelization ol mentalpowers, accodingtotheTantra, midshould Iorceor energy.So in Tantra,Mudrais not merely
a cookedtood
be a entrappedbythe not o{ Saldhanar.' otrtil alsoconlainssoiritualmeanino.
Theanothersubtlemeaningof Matsyais pranaor vilalforce v Maithuna- CoDulation:
Vayu(ai4 is the grosslorm ol it As has beenexplainedin the lvlaiihuna indicatescopulation.Copulation is an unionof male
26 Chapl€r-1 Satenl Fealuresof Tantra 27

opposite polesrequired to bebroughl togethertor esseswhicharedesigned for skenglhening bodymindcomplex

andtemale;the thereby lortityingthe insirumentfor ach g allgoalsphysi-
ievjn
and
the purposeol creationbYnalure. as well as supra physical.
cal
Tanlrahas presentedthe subtlemeaningoJcrealion,lhat rs, li we glaceoverihe contentoi the lirstchapterwitha viewlo
spirilualcreationfor whichtwoopposilepolesarerequiredThese
(brain) examinelhe lherapeuticaspectof it, will be loundhightysiEnifi-
lwo polesareSivaandSakti.Sivaresidesatthe Sahasrara
Cakra (pelvic region) ln between canl.Thevery deJinition ol Tankareflectsits lheraoeutic asoect.
whileSaktiat the Mirlardhdra
As we haveseen,one oJthe meaningolTantraaccordingto the
lhesetwo thereare six centresol energyaroundthe spinalcord, is medicine (ousadhi).
al theMirladhara Cakraawakens a^d Sabdakalpadruma Theolhermeaning lib-
Theenergywhichresides
penekates and unites with Siva at the Sahasrara eraion is also deal withlhis aspect. ll liberaiesSirdhakafrom
alllhecentres
lhe physical and menlalailments. HowTantradoesthisthatwe
Cakra.Thls is the realTenlricmaithunaor copulalionwhichoc- havealreadyndicatedas and whenwe havefoundan oooortu-
curs in the Sadhka.6s n ty. StiI howevefby way oi statingthe investigations we have
So il is not a grossmaithunaor copulationtakingplacebe_ loundclearly,we wouldliketo recapitulated brieJlyas follows:
tweentwo phvsicalbodiesbul il is a spiritualcommunionwilh Tanlradoeslhis bytwoways:Oneby thecultivaljon
SivaandSaktiwhich givesbi(h orlransforms lhewholeperson- ot skong
willpowerand second,by the utilization of p?rrad or mercuryand
alityot a Sadhaka. rIspreparallons.
With the help ol Tanlrictreatise,we havetried lo see lhe As has beenaccepted,generallyeverybodyhasgol its own
correclmeaningofTantrasyrnbolsTankicwayoJSadhanais so medicine,that is, its powerot inbuiltresistanceagainstaltacks
efleclivewhichgivesquickresultsSo to avoidmisuseoJil, lhis iromdisease.This can be furthercultivaledbv the cultivation
svsiemis armouredin the symboliclerminology. So symbolsare of
But due to iack ol its proper sr'o.gwillpower,Fromtheprinctples ot Tantra
w€ couldseelnal,
d;signed to maintain its secrecy.
TanlraSadhaneis nothingbutthe awakening of innerpowersoi
knowledge, a distortiontakesplaceintotheTantrasyslem. senses, bodyand mind.Willpower is the k€yof all powers.With
Wecouldseefromthedescriplion, ol thesymbollhat thereis lhe cultivation
of it, one can opendoorsto the otherlaientpow_
a World-wide dillerence belween a gross meaning and a Tanlric ers.The powerof resistanceagainstdjseasesis also included
meaning.The symbolslikelinga,Ardhanarisvara, N4aithuna etc. wrlhinit.
are largely disto ed because ol their relevance wiih sex nolion.
but as the Kularnava Tantraalso does this samejob by the utilizationol mercury
We considersex as a causedegeneralion , .
canaswellbea means lparada)and its prepa.ations. llercury is consideredas highly
sayslhatwhichbrjngsabouldegeneralion medicinal
Ior sublimation.To Thuslhe subtlemeaningof symbolis enough metal.Butis can notbe usedin a naturallormbecause
ol itspoisonousnature.T?rntric seershavefoundoutthisfactfive
to decideils soundness. Inousand yearsbackandalsoworkedoullheprocess(Samskara)
lo makemercuryfit lor medicinaluse.
Conclusion:
Lord
Bodyistheonlymeanslor achieving anygoai.Diseaseproves ^d c"eTy S,vars considered as the oiginatorof thisprocessof
lo be obstaclein lhe pathoi gainingthe goalTankais a sadhanal' whois atsothereveller olTantra.Withthehetpot these
'woonlya HathayogroraTAntricSadhaka
system.Inthewayof SAdhana, Sedhakahasto facemanyphysEal stlnmrlsof mountatns
survivedon thesnowy
disordersand mentaldisiurbancesTanlrahas not over lookecl wilhouthavinganyantibiotic drr-rgs.
This
- uurlre physicat
this fact.To come out {romthis, it has mentionedcerlalnproc' sideof Tantrjcwayof deatingwithbodilyait-
 SalienlFeaturesof Tanlra 29

FOOTNOTE
ments.we nowlurn lo its mentalside.
Tan,Tanyare, Penini,va,4,4zt-loext€nd,tospread.Taken fromlhe
Symbot and thefuthenqeutic value: dictionaryolSirMonierWilliams,p. zK)5, Delhi'
OrientalPublishers,
body 6.
As is the casewith Paradaor mercuryin strengthening
Jor mental ailments And it TanyaleVistaryateJanananonaiti Tanttam.Citedby Shri Ram
so also,Tantrahas a distinctmedicine
to notethatTantra uses psychologlcal synbols or Sharma, TantlaVijnena(Handi),Partl, p. 171.Publishedby Samskrrl
s surpflsing
||nouislcal alphabets as symbols lor curlngthe menlal0lseases
by cultivalinginner polentmentalpowers ln rhe Tanta Sadhan;.ther€is a Mantrain whichSadhakaor a
Dracliiioner mentallvoilefsthe earthelsmenlol lhe universeas a
Svmbolsare also highlysignilicanlin this regardsin ly'ng fragranceol llowsr. (Lan Prilhvilaltvalmakamgandham
streJJon mentataspect. Vindptayspromrnent rolein mentaland parkalpayami) Likewis€he oflersalllhe fiveelementsol lhe uni
are expressed some_
Dhvsicaldiseases.Mentaldislurbances verseln hiswo6hip.In doingso, he haslo expandhis areaol im_
iiriesin a physicaldisorders or physical dislurbance sometimes aglnationas lar as possable till he mentallyoffatslhe €nu16uni_
mat<esmind'weakThus all our diseasesare psycho'somatic verseto his deslredd€rty.
pow'
Beinqa subilerthanbody,mind'selleclon bodyis lell more Singh,LalanPrasad.Tanlra:lts l\,,|ystic and Scienlificbasis,p 1,
t'"a t""ogniiedthisfactmuchearlierthanwe starled ConceptPublishingCompany,Delhi1976.
"rtri."r"nttu
ialkingaboutpsycho-somatic aspeclof disease' Vidurbudhaha.l H.P Saslri.Nep
5 . Tanute Tdryate NityamTantfamitham
The Tanlricsprescribethe use ol synbol tor makingrnlno ll, p. 69. Citedby ShreeChakavarti,Chinlaharan, Tanlras-stud'
calmand positiveby concenlrating it on syllablesor figuresol es on theirrcligionand literature, p. 2, PunthiPustak,Calcuxa-4,
oi.tic.rtarivpes. tris unaislurbed concent'aleo
and mrndwhict'is 1963.
! rorrc" otir".tiu" 'maginalion or allthe cteal'vtV of mi.rdTanl'rc TanotiVipulananhan hwamanlram samnvitam Tranamcakurute
sadhaka has to positively think yasrnZrl tantramithamabhidhtyale. KamikaTanl€, Citedby Shah
siJhana is uaseoon imiginalion JainSirhilyaMandir,1961.
thal object This posiiive thinking also DhirajlalI Tantronu.TdEna(Gujaddi),
that he is offeringthis or
neiosas tnerapvi{ttre mrnd rs diseased The theory ol aulo-sr'rg_ Ta.olitanyateiliva lOusadhi,SidhenlaSabdakatpadruma, Partll,
ln lhe
o"u"iorosv is highlyrelatedwrlh thts aspecl oD.584 a5. MotilalEanarsidas, Delhi,1961.
""iL"-'"
i,ocessol auio_suqqeslion patient grvesslrongsuggeslron or ne 8 GedenA'-S., Encyclopediaof ReligionandEthics,Editedby Hasl_
Thrs process gives
imioinesnimserlqiiie neallhyverypowertully ings,Vol.8,p. 193,Vol.Xll.
i"'ii to p"t'ent and gradualiy helps in cutrng l'insellrromdis- 9 Sarirakamimanasa Commenlryon lhe
bhasyaol SamkaracArya.
fantricSadha;a through symbols slrenglhe's Ire pos- BrahmaSulra2.2.32Sarvathanu papatlescaI
"lses.
riveoowersof imaginations whichSadhakacanufl'7eas a lherapy 10 Agamonama eiilyupsargalagamdhatohacapratyayenrsapannah
lor h:msell andalsocan usedas therapeullc
be mpanslorc'inng I
tanlraSaslrarupoartha avabodhakah
others. 11 AgatamPancavakatrafla gatamca girijananeI
MatamCa vasudeasya tasmatAgamaucyate
12 Slngh,LalanPrasad.Tantra-lts Myslicand Scienlilicbasis,p. 2
ConceplPublishingCompany,Delhi,1976.
13. Avalon,Arthur,Principles
olTantra,Pa l, p.99, Prcface.Ganesh
 30 Chapterl SalienlFealuresof Tantra

a n d C o , L 4 a d € s ,1 9 6 9 . prapancarupasanlanam
nirmalum
sakno!,tay,rviyuklascel
nasknorl
1 4 . D a s g u p l aS h a s h i B h u s a nA, s p e c t so l I n d i a nF e l i g i o u s T h o u g hpl .,
, 4 8 a . [ , 4 l h h e r . eaen d C o , C a l c u l t a1 9 5 7 . 29. Tvamm)la sarvabhirianampila caahamSanetanahI
1 5 . K u n d u ,N u n d oL a l l , N o n - D u a l i s m
i n S a i v aa n d S a k l ap h i o s o p h y Dvyoscayo rasodevimaharmailhunasambhavahll
p 3 (Who has cited from Prefacelo pre-historicancienl Hindu-ln-
dian by Donald A. Mackenzie)Si Ahairabi Jogeswal l\,4ath,Caf Rasarnava Tanlra.Ediledby Panta,Tarananda, ParatI, p.34.
Chaukhamba SanskrilSeries.1939.
1 6 . G h o s e ,N . N . , E a r l yh i s t o r yo f I n d i a ,p . 1 7 .T h e I n d , a nP f e s s( P u b) 30 tv,lookeiiAjit,Tanl€ Asana-A waylo self-realizarion,p. 62. Pub-
Privale Lrd., 1960, Fourth edirion. llshedby BaviKuma(1965,FirctEdilion.
17. Singh, Lalan P€sad, Tantra-lls Mystic and Scientfic basis, p4 31 [4amal|]pasidevilvamna bhedoslilvyarmamaI
C o n c e p lP u b l i s h i n g
C o . , D e l h i1 9 7 6 ,F i r s tE d i l i o n . Thel,lahanrvanaTanlra. Ediledby Avalon,Arthur,Chaps.1-95,p.
18. Bev ew ol Ram Chandra Hao's book'The lrulh aboul Tanlra'by S. 9. l\,4otilai
Banarasidas,Delhi,Beprinted1977.
K . R a m C h a n d r aP. u b l i s h e di n T h e T i m e so f I n d i a ' ,A p r | 1 9 , S ! n - 32. Sivasyabhyanlare SakUhSaklerabhyanta€h Sivahl
d a y ,1 9 8 1 . Anlafm naivajaniyaccandracandfikayoiv
1 9 . K u n d L iN j n S a i v aa n d S a K a p h i l o s o p h y .
. u n d oL a l l , N o n ' D u a l i s m
Siddha-Srddhanra-Paddhari
and otherworksof the NarhYogis.8y
p 8 S . B h a ' r a b r J o g e s w aMn a t h .C a l c u x a .
Sml.I\,lallik,
kaiyani. p.21.PoonaodentalEookHouse,
Upadesa.4-26,
20. Ghose N. N., Early history ol India, p. 16. Indian Press (Pub.) Pfl-
vale Ltd., Allahabad, I960, Fourlh Edition. 33. SivahsaKlyayukloyadibhavatiSaktahPrabhvitum nacedevam devo
21. Krle SrulyuhacharaslretayangSmrlisam-bhavahI na kualukusalab Spandilymapi I
Dvapare lu puranoktangKalau agamlakevalam ll SundryaLahariVerse-|. Sri SankaraBhagavatpadecharya. Ed-
, f l h u r A v a l o nP, a r l I , p . 3 6 , l n "
T a k e nt r o r nl h e P r i n c l p l eos f T a n l r aA led by Klppuswami, A. The Minislryof Educalion & SoclaWet
l.oduclion. Ganesh and Company. fare,Government of India,1976.
22. Arlhur Avalon,PrinciplesofTanlra, Part I, p.48. canesh and Com- 34 Yasmintyaha I\/ahakaliSaktihlnahSadasivahI
Saklyayulo yadedevi,ladaivSivarupakah I
23. Chakravarly,Chintaharan,'TheTanlrasStudieson lheir.eligionand SaklihineSavahSaksert purusatvam na muncatill
literalurc'.p.2. Punlhi Pustak,Calculta 1963, Firct Edition.
TodalTanrra.rakenlromkarpnraStavaraja(Hind)by Mahakala,p.
24. Singh, Lalan P.asad,Tanlra-lts Myslic and Scient,f,cbasis, p. L 00
Concepl PublishingCompany,Delhi 1976, Firsl Edilion. l\,4o1
lal Banarsidas.
25. lbid.,p.L 35. SwarniP€bavananda. The SipritualHeritageol India,pp. 14-45.
26. AvaLon, A hur,Principles ol Tanlra,p. 110,Parl L Ganeshand G€orage Allen andUnwinLtd.,London, 1962,Fi.slEdition.
Company,Madras,1969,Fou h Edition.
36. Mookerji,Alir-Tantfa p. 16.Pub-
Asana-A wayto self reatization,
2 7 Chambers Twentieth
Centurydictaonary. Editedby A.[L Macdonald lishedby Ravikumara, 1965.Fifsl Edition.
B.A.(O xan),p. 1035,AlliedPublishersPrivateLtd..1974.
37 DehadevalayodevijivodevahSadasivahI
2A SivasaktyohjayapatinyayenaieyayA Saktya Yuklascat
The KularrnavaTantra.Ullasa-g-41.
 32 Chapter1 SalienlFeaiuresof Tantra 33

38. Visvas:rraTanlfa.Citedby Avalon,Arthur.Principles

ofTantra,Pafl Adhikaran---3. (3)Ediledby Shukla,
Verse3-4.Yogalantra-Granthmala
I, p. 118,Ganesh andCompany, 1969. BadrinathPad-1. Varanaseya firstEdilion
SanskrilVisvaVidhyalya,
39. Ainanagranlhibhedo yah-Samoksaiti KalhyaleI 1970.
Saryalnabhairava Tantra.Takenlrom LuptaagamaSamgraha. 4 9 . a) LingatSarvamSamulpannam LayamlasminPrakirtitaml
40. Bhavaslumarnaso dharmSabdasyahi Kalhambhavet.Nigama Vitul Suddhakhya Tanl€ 1-51.
Kalpananda. Citedby Dikshil,Sadasivain KarpirfaSlavaRajaor b). Lingelu iayateSarvamjagal Sthavarajangamll
N4ahakala, p. 84, MoiilalBanarsidas.
tbid.1-72.
Manaeva manusyanam KaranambandhamoksayohI
(3), p. 181
TakenhomYogatanlra-Granthmela
YalhaivalingilaKanlatalhaivalingila
Sula I
50. LingaSabdenaVidvansahSrustisamhala I
Karranam
DharmaSastra.Quoledin the KarpnraSlavaRaja,p. 34.
padamavyam I
layad)gaman,rccahubhavanam
42. A1aevayadayasyabhavanakulsilabhavelI
131.
Tantrakaloka-4/
Tadadosayabravar nanyalhadusara.rlKva-|L
tingana pljayet I
l\,lrucchailadhalyrahadibhvam
Ciledin karpuraStavaBaja,p. 34.
KaulavaliTantra.
Yajedadhyaimikam lingamyalra linamcaracram
43_ YairevapalanamdravyaihSiddhihitaihevaCauditar
Bahiliagasya| 6gatvamanenddhisthilamyatah
The Kularnava
Tantra.5-48.
Tantraloka-5/120
BhogoyogayaleSaksatpalakamsukruiayale
Janadana,BharliyaPratika
l\,1ishla, Vidya,pp 106,107,Bihara
Moks;yateca Sans:rahKuladharma Ku klesvafI RasirabhasaParisada,Patna, 1959
tbtd.2-24. 51 LokamLingvamakam JnatualihgaYostpyale hr mamaI
45 Danielou,
Alain.HinduPolytheism.
Routledge
and KeganPaul. Kvacila
Na me iasmalpriyalarahPriyaka Vidhyale
London. 1964.FirslEdilion.
vasrumalramtu yaddrasyam Samsarerrigunahilal ll69llDrasyarn
ca nirgunamlokenabhirtam nobhavisyati
I Nirgunah Parmalmassou 52 LayamgacchalibhirtaniSamsarenikhilyalahI
na lu drsyahKadacana ll 70ll lingamuddhalamll
srustikalepunahSrutihtasmat
Vyes,KrusnaDwaipayana. Sinad DeviBhagavalam. 3 6.69-70. LingaPurana.
Ediledby PandeyRamalejaPanditaPuslakalaya, Kashi1956. andKegan
p 127,Roulledge
Alaln.HinduPolytheism,
53. Danielou,
GavamSarvaiajamKsiramStrevetaSlana-[,4ukhad Yalha
Tath,rSa agatodevahpratimAdisu rajatell
The Kularnava
Tanlra6-75. Jevava SAklva Yuklasceta
5 5 . Sivasaklyohjayapatinyayena
48 Liyalegamyaleyalrayenasarvamcaracaram ll plapancadpaSanlAnamnimirlumSaknoii
SaundryaLahari,Vacy;rrtha p2
oflhe FirstVerse,
lingalatlvaparayanaihI
Tadeladlingamitiyuktam
yohetuhirlalvat ll I
56. L ngamSivaili jneyaihplthalhSaktihiudah:rla
Layagatyadha Satuadehinam
Lingamiliucyate
Seksatsivah ll Anubhavasntram.
Sakalaniskalah Yonl iagaprakarena KaranamI
iagalsrustayanha
 34 chapter-1
SalienlFealuresot Tanlra

TheVatolSuddh:khyaTantra,1-69.
TantraMahavijnina,Sri R:rmaSharma,p.264. Part| (Hindi),
57. Zjmmer,Henrich."i,ltyths
andSymbotsin Indianartandcivilizaton. SamskruliSamslhana,Barcli.
p.127 EdiledbyJosephCampbett.The Boltingen Vt.1946
Series.
6 9 . PaAskliy:rtmamailhunamsamyogenanda ni.bhala
58. Etadimanusyatvavicch innadibhedahar
Vamabhage mamaaksunna
Tanlm5-112.
The kularnava
Evamtad BuddheSvayamevani.desAhiti ardhanariSvaratvena eva caudilaI
70. YairevaPatanamdravyaihSiddhilitaih
mahapuruso vidyateI lbrd5'48.
lipur Samhitet. TranslationandVersetakenfrom the creat yogic
Sermon bylvajithiaSurondra Singh,p.32,A iedpubtishers, 196-9.
59. l4ookerj],Ajil,TantraAsana-A waylo s€tfrea|zation,p. 57. pub-
lishedby BaviKumar, FirstEdilion,
1965.
60. Majilhis Surendra Singh,TheGreatyogic Sermon'_ p.32.
yaj = p worshipor propitiate.Samskruta SabdarthaKoustabha.
Ediledby Shalma,DwarkaprasAd, p.948, Ramnarayana Lal
Benipras;da, Third Edjtion.
62. Punyapunya pasumhatuejnana khadagena yogivatatyoginiTanrra.
Sri Fam Sharma.Taotramahaviinana (Hindi),part I, p.253.
63. SureSaktihSivomamsamladbhohabhairavansvyamI
The Kulernava
Tanlra5.79.
64. MadirebrahmagahproktahcitsodhanaSardhana
I
TheKularnava Tantra5.41.
65. [,lanasacaindriyaganam
Samyamyatmani
yojayelI
TakenkomTantra [,lahAvijfrana
(Hindi),
Sharma, SriBema,p.261.
66. Calevate calamcittamniscateniscatambhaverI
The Hathayoga Pradipike2.2. Transtated
into Engtishby sinh,
Pancham,p. 13.OrientatEooksReprintCoeoration,1975.
67. lrudam Kurvantidevanammanensidrivayantica I
Iasmanmudr:rti khyatadarsitavyahKutesvarl
The KularnavaTantral7-57.
68. Asatrusnajugupsabhaya VisdaghrunamanataijaprakopahI
Blahmagnavasta
mudrahparasuk.uliianah
pacyamanah
samantal
I
 (E
E')
o
o
o
E
o
o
o
Tx
ga
*o
.E-c
oF
 Chapter-2

Sankhya andYoga, l\rimamsa andVedanta, VajsesikaandNyaya,

lhesixclassicsystems, philosophies, or moreliterally"pointsof
view"( darsanas; lromlhe root drs,"to see"),are regardedas lhe
sixaspects oJa singleorthodox hadition.Though apparenfly and
evenovertlyconlradictory, they are understoodto be compie-
menlaryprojectionsot lhe one lruth on variousplanesot con-
sciousness, valjdintuitionsfromdifferingpojntsof view-ljkethe
experiences ol the sevenblindmenfeeling the elephant, in the
popularBuddhist table.The {ounders, actualorsupposed- Kapjla,
jaimini,Vyasa,Gautama,
Palaaajali, andKanada-shoutd probabtv
beregarded ralherasschoolsthanas ind iduats. Nolhingrsknown
of lhembutthearnaoes.Theirsutrasstandat the beginningot a
copiouslileratureof commentators, yet are themselvesbul the
lasllermsol a longforegoingperiodot discussion, eachol them
includingargumentsagainslalllhe others.I\,4oreover. withoutthe
commentaries thetexlswouldbe unintelligible: theyare notthe
self'sufficient
worksofindependentthjnkers, but,nnernonic,lhreads,'
(suras)lor the guidance oJoratteaching in the ancieniIndlan
stye oi theguruandhisadhikarin_1
SANKHYA andYOGAhavebeendiscussedsupra,pp.2BA-
332 Theykeat oi the hierarchyoi the principles(tattvas)that
proceedirom the eflectsof purlsa in prakrtiand supportthe
experiences ot dreamandwakingconsciousnQss.
TheMllVA|\4SA andVEDANTA tikewise betonglogether,both
represenlingthe poantof viewol the "FoLrrth"(turiya)that tran-
scendeninondulaprinciple(brahmar)which is beyondthe prov-
nceol lhe world-suppoing duadlputusa-prakrti). TheVedenta
nas beendiscussed,srJpra,pp. 409-463,as the final trulh or
end (arla) ot the Vedas;the Mjmamsais concerned with a
clarlfication
of lhe liturgicalaspectof the samesacredbooks.
IndFed.lhe termmtmamsa. meaning, .deepthought,
literally, con-
s de'alion.reflection.expos(ion."and whenapphedto phrloso.
 Chapter-2

phy,'refleclion on,or exposilion of,theVedas'prooerlyis appled The prima lacie view is thal lhe balh should immediatelylollow
lo both ol these philosophies: respectively, as 1. Pirva-nimase the learning of lhe Veda.The reply is that the real study ol the
( the lirsl rellection;exposition of lhe tirst parl lol theVedasl")or Veda is not satistiedby a mere readingof the texl. The lrue con'
(1he
karma-m)memsa sludyol [ritual] aclion") and2. utlara-mimamsa ctusion,consequently, is thal the tinal bath should be posl_
l lhe second retleclion;expositjon ofthesecondpariloltheVedas]) ooned unlila study ol Dharma has broughtthe sludent'sunder_
ot behma-mimamsA ("thecontemplation of Erahman") standing oi ihe Veda lo a slate ol perfection.
Jaiminisvolume
PJrva'mimamsa, Karma'mlmamsa, or moreusuallysimply contains some nine hundredand tifteenof theseadhikaranas,
the M mamsa,is a kindof scholastic, priesllyscience,which organizedln twelvebooks.s
definestheorthodox patterns oJBrarhmanic iturgcallile.These The I\,4lmams:rdarsana supportsa theory o{ the infa lib lily oi
inheriled patterns are nolalways clearly designated n theVedas lheVedasand a lheoryol meaningas inherenlin sound:Sanskr1,
themselves; hencealreadyin lhe laterBrahmanas2 lhe term lhe ho y anguageoi lhe Vedas,lhat is to say, s not a hisiorca
mimemse occlrs.whereit alreadv denotes a discussion ol sorne lonquebasedon convention, but an emanationof Being (sat)in
polri ol rilualpractice. Duringthe followingcenluries, wilhthe sound(sabda);hencelhe powerol the sacredmantrasand ol the
prolileration of varianlpriestly readings, thedemandIorlhrssc - VpdiLl-y.nncto touchthe qu ck ol trulhand so tt e worl magrc.lt
ence ol definitivereasoningmusl have increased.Somewhere is from this Dolencvthat the ellects of ihe sacrificeare derived,
belween200 and 450 A.D.-thal is to say,aboutthe lime ol the notfromdivine inlervention;Ior thoughthe ofleringsare addressed
crystallizalion of thevedanta-its findingsweresummarized in the lo deities,lhe dejlies are themselvessupporledby the power ol
Pirvamimemsa-slttrc ol Jaimini;butlhisbasictextbookpresup. the sacrifice."The MlmamsA,'wtilesGarbe,"does nol recogni2e
poses a long historyol argumenl."Thereis evidence," slales the exislence ol God. Neverthelessthis lacl interferesas lillle
A.B.Keilh,'lhalthe sciencewasin lull vogueas earlyas the here as in the Sankhya and lhe olher syslems with lhe behel rn
middleoi thethirdcentury8.C.3 l_F qJpernalural beingsol the popularIndianlarlh."6 Also'eiecled
is lhe idea of the periodic crealionand dissolution of alllhings.
Themethodol the Purvamimamsa-sutra resembles some-
whatthatot ThomasAquinas' Therers a constdnlprocessoJ becomingand passingaway,bul
scholaslic SummaTheologica. lls
("heading'), no ground ior the systemalizaiion of lhis processin lerms ol
eiementary unit,orsubdlvision, islheadhikarana which
cyc es of evolulon and involuiion.T I\roreover, arguingspecilical_
iallsintoliv€partsrllrst,a proposition is formulaled; nexl,lhe
y aga ndt the sunyavadaol the I\rahayana, lhe Mimamsadoc_
doubtas io ilscorrectness is reluted: third.lheerloneous meih-
tr ne ol knowledge aflirmstheworldas real.sThis darsanaslands
ods ol tfeating it are exhibiled;lourth , theseare reiutediand 'to
n cose rel;tionshipto Indian law, since its chlef obieclis
t nally, thelruesoiution is presenled as theinevitable conclusion
determlneinjuctions, which are distinctJromthose of civil aw
of the enlrrediscussion.a Forexample, in Sulra,ltwo proposi-
mainly in lhe faci that they deal with sacrilicialrather than civil
tionsarepresenled:1. thalVedic sludyis obligalory torthe upper
obligalions,and are enforcedby spiriiualratherthantemporalpen.
casles;and 2.lhatDharmais a propersubject lor study. Thefirsl
alties.9
propositionis Joundto be self-evidentin lhe Vedicprecepls.
_OneshouldsludylheVeda"and"Oneshouldperformtheritualol VAISESIKAand NYAYA,cosmologyand logic,the remaining
lhe final bathaftersludyinglhe Veda."A doublarises.however, brace ol the six philosophies.lreal ot lhe data ol waking con'
wilh respeclio the secondproposilion, since it may be asked sciousness lrom lhe point ol view of wakingconsciousness
whelherone shouldperlormthe ritualof lhe balh irnmedialely Itself,and are conseq!entlycloser in spiritand characlerlhan
allerlearning theVedas, andsoterminateone's periodcl studenlship. the otherIndiandarsanasto lhe academickaditionol the West
 42 Chapler-2

The legendarylounderol the Vaisesika,Kanada{alsoknownas

Kanabhaksa andKanabhui, allthreenamesmeaning "atomeat- wouldbe srmullaneously perceived.As lheorganof thought, on
e/'),is supposedto haveJlourished c.200-400 A.0.10 Hislext- lheone hand,impa s lhe quickening powerto thesoul,so,on
book,the Vaisesika-sirtra ('lhe sutras,or precepls,showinglhe lhe other, it actsas a kindof checkby preventing the soulkom
dillerences,distinclivecharacteristics, or fianilesl nalure,ol in- exercrsing morelhanonelunclionat lhe sametime,"l4
dividualthings"),
distinguishes innaturelivecategotles (padaftha,)l
1. substance(drayya),comprisjngearth,water,lire, air, ether, Nyaya,logic,the sixthol the classicalsystems,is atkibuted
time,space,soul(atman),1r andmind lmanas):2.qualilylguna), lo a shadowyfigure,Gaulama-nicknamed Aksapada,"theloof
comprisingcolor,taste,smell,touch(wilhlemperature), number, eyedl thal is lo say."with his eyesfixed on his feet"-whose
exlensionindividuality,connection, separation, priority,poslerity, lexlbook,the Nyaya-sitra,composedperhapsas earlyas 150
knowledge, joy,pain,desire,aversion, B.C.,r5 butmoreprobably between2OO and450A.D.,16 parallels
and will;12 3. movemenl
andaclion{kaha); 4. association (samanya); 5.dilferencevisesa); theVaisesika in ils atomicdoclrine,cosmology, and psychology,
bul s devoted principallyto lhescienceol logic.Foursources ol
and 6. inherence(samavaya).13 TheVaisesikaderivesits name
from category5, visesa,'ditterence;'because it is an atomislic trueknowledgeare recognized:1. perception(pratyaksa),2.in-
doclrine(whence the nicknames of its legendary lounder). The leterce lanumena),3.analogy(upanana),and4. credibletesli'
aloms of the severalsubstances haveno extension,yet in com- mony (salrcia). lnference,the solereliablemeansto philosoph-
binationbecomeexlensive and visible.Duringlhe periods ol rcalknowledge, is of threekinds:1. inJerence rrom cause to
worlddissolutionbetweenlhe cosmogonic cycles,theyare not ellecl lpirvavat),2. inlerencelrom etlecl lo cause (sesavaO,
and3. reasoninglrom perception to abslractprincipleGemanyato
combined;henc€ lhereisthennovisible world.The souls,never'
lheless,retaintheir meritandd€merit,andin consequence drsla).Three kinds of causeare recognized: 1. lhe malerial or
unil6,
presently, withihe variousatoms.This renewslhe movementol nhering cause(upadarna-karana, samavayi-kerana), e.9.,in lhe
the atorxsand beginsa newcycleol creation.The continuous caseol a carpet.itslhreads;2. the noninheringor formalcause
wanderingsandacrivitiesol the soulsin lhe manilestworld ulti- (asamevayi-karana), in the caseof the carpel,the arrangement
matelyfatiguethem,and so a night,a cosmic nightof dissolu- and knotiingol ils threads;and 3. the efJectiveor instrumental
lion, is necessarylor theirrefreshment. The unionsol the aloms cause lnimifta-keana): lhe weaver'slools.The syllogismo1the
dissolve,andlh€ universedisappears. Nyayadarsanacomprisesfivo memberstL the proposition
(prall6a),e.9.,thereis a lireonlhe mounlain; 2. thecause(hefu).
"Bothsouls and the organof thoughtare eternalsubstanc- rorthemouniainsmokes;3.the oxemplificalion (drstanta),wher
es,'wrilesGarbe,describingthe psychology peculiarto thissys- everthereis smokethere is lire, as, for example,on the hearth
lem;"butthesoulis alfperyading, /:e.,not bounddownto tilne in the kltchen;4. lhe recapitulation ol the cause(upanaya), the
and space,whilelhe organof thoughtis an alom.Thelatieris lhe rnountarn smokes;and 5. the conclusion(nigamana),lhetelorc
inlermediary belweenthe soul and the senses,sinceurgedby lnereis Jireon the mountain. The conceplion," writesGarbe,"on
the soulit be takesitsellon eachoccasionto thatsenselhrough whlchthe theoryof the syllogismof the Nyayarestsbearslhe
whichthe souldesireslo perceiveor to act....lf it restsmotion" nameoi'nvariableassociation'(yyaptD. Insteadof siartingas
lessinthesoul,lheunionol thelatterwilh thesensesends,and wedo withanaffirmative proposition,universally valid-'Allsmoke
no perceptionor act or experienceis possible...lf the organol presumeslhe existenceof fire' -the Nyayaphilosophyasserts
thoughtwereomnipresent likethesoul,oi if the soulcouldenter the'invariable association'of smokewithfire.The sionobserved
inloimmedialerelalionwilhthe objectsol knowledge, allobjecls 'Lng,a,- in lh,s Instance lhe smoke- is invariabliassociated'
\vyapya);lhevehicleof the signwhichis to be inferred(r'6gir)-
 namedRahaguila.22
in thls inslance the iire-is the'invariableassociale'(vyepaka)-"17
Rene Guenonpoinisoui, however,that abridgediorms of lhis The "s x sysiems" are consideredto be odhodox because
syllogrsrn are used,in whrcheitherlhefirstlhree termsorthe iasl they recognlzeihe authorityof the Vedas;their co-ordrnalron,
lhreemayappearalone,andthatthe latterabridgment resem0les however,is not particularlyold. Vacaspaiimisra,c 841 A.D,
the syllogsm of Arislotle.13 composed commeniaries on lhe Salikhy, a Yoga, ll]mtrmsa.
Ved:inta,and NyaLya systems,while ol Udayana,about a centu_
Book I ol lhe Nyaya-sirtra defineslhe topics,or calegores,
_o oe drlcLsled,1the volurre;Bookll dea s w lh ooLol, lhe foLI rV laler, combined the views oi lhe Nyaya and Vaisesikaln h s
proofoi lhe exlslenceof God.Theculmination of the tendencyto
means oi proof and lheir validily,and shows that there are no
syncretizeappears in sivadilya(datauncertain,but probablylaler
oiher valldrneansof demonslration; Book lll discusesthe self,
ihan Udayana),who,thoughperhapsnotihe firstto amalgamate
the body,lhesensesand theirobjects,cognilion,and the mind; the darsanasin exposition, must be reckonedthe earliestot the
BooklV disposesol volition,fault,transmigration, the good and
authorities of the iointschool.23
evi frultsol humanaction,pain,andfinalliberation; then passes
t o l h e t h e o r y o i e r r o r a n dt oh fe w h o l e a nidt s p a r l s ; B o ovkd e a s The "s x svstems," however,neverallained lhe positionoi an
wthunreal objectionsoat/)and occasionstortherebukeolan exclusive,dogmatic orlhodoxy. The Sarvadarsanesiddhanh'
e saaaiigraha("Epitomeoi the Doctrinesof Allthe Darsanas"), a
appanefi (nigBh asthena).1
.When;'observesGalbe,"theVaisesika tenth-or eleventh-century lextbookfrom the schooloi Saikara,
and Nyayasystems
de ineales,with adequate objectiviiy,theviews ofthe Lokalyatikas
cameto be blendedtogether,the combinedschooladopted the- (materialits),24 Jainas, Buddhists([,4adhyamikas, Yogacaras,
isticviews,but neversaw in the personal God, whom they as Sautrantikas, andVaibhasikas),Vaisesika,Nyaya,Pirrva-mimamsAr
sumed, the creator of matter.Their theology is set iorth in lhe I in lwo schools: that of Prabhakaraand lhat of Kumarila),2'
KusumAijalial lJdayana[c.950 A.D.],20and in variouslaterworks Sankhya,andYoga,lhephilosophyof Vedawyasa,26 and theVedirnla
whlch discussthe two systemsin cofirmon.Accordingto the ol saikara.2TMadhava,an eminentfourteenth-centuryVedalnlist
view whichihev holdin harmonywilh the doctrineof the Yoga, of the school ol sankara, delineates likewise in his Sarvadar'
God ls a distinctsoulliketheolher individualsouls,andthese sarasangraha("Epitomeol AIISystems")23sixteenphilosophies
are equalv with Him elernal.He is, however,dlstinguished from
add ng to the above the Vedarnlaof Ramanuja,ihe doclrines ot a
them bv the facl thal He aloneDossesses the atlributesof om- numberof sovietSivailesects,and Panini'slreatmentol the laws
niscjenceand omnipolence,whichqualifyHim for the govern' o{ the metaphysicai,eternal,and magicallanguageoi the Vedas
mentol the unlverserandthat.on the otherhand,He acks those n hls SanskriiGrammar.29
attribuieswhich resullln the entanglement of all olher soulsin
ihe cycle of existence."21 ln the fina analysis,the orthodoxyoi lhe Indiahas never
beengroundedin a collegeor academy.Neilhercan it be defined
The idea ol liberationpresentedin Gautama's Nyeya sitra, by any nLrmbering of views.For ils liie is in the moksa of the
BooklV is thatoi asceticdeiachment, culminaling in a conddlon aclualsages:such,tor example,as Ramakrishna (1836-86)in
oi absoluieunconsciousness, similarto thal of the Saiikhya,as ourlhe n neteenthcenturyand Ramana(1879-1950) in ourown J"
describedsupra,P 329-330.This suggeslsthal in theseappar These"wildgeese"(hamsas), teachingnumerously ln everypart
entlylaterdoctrines we may haveanothervesllgeofthe archaic ol lhe and of the Bharatas,haverenewedihe ineffable message
pre-Aryan sc ence representedin Jainism and the doctrine oi perennially,n variable terms,which philosophers classilyand
Gosala supla, pp.263-275). Indeed,ln late Jaina lext (lhe adhikarns iranscend.
Avasyaka), the Vaisesika is attribuled lo a Jaina schismallc
 46
Chaptel-2 The Six Syslemsol Yoga 47

FOOTNOTE
2 1 . Ga.be, Nyaya:p.424.
I Cf. supra,pp.48-49_
22. Keith,lndianLogicandAlomismp. 14.
2. Cf. supra,p.8, Editolsnote.
23. b . ,p p 2 9 , 3 1 , 3 7 .
3. Artr-u'B€r.iedrl€ Kerh.the (arma.t\rimamsa.
therreiilagFof,'1- 24 Lokayab,lterally, belonginglo the worldof sense,"is the name
oraseres Londonandca,curta, 1921.pp.?-3 givenlo a malerialislicsystemsaid to havebeenloundedby ihe
n ln Hasrinss.Fncyctopaedlot 4e\srcndnd sophisrCaruaka(date,ol course,unknown). "Thereare ctearindi-
l;-9,,1T.,
Errlcs,Vot.Y':".:l,
Vl|t,p. 648 cat onsl'slaiesGarbe,"of the presencein India,as earlyas pre,
5 K e i t h o p . c i l . ,p p . 4 - 5 . Buddhistslimes,ol teachersoi a puremalerialism; and undoLrbt-
6. edly lhese theoies have had numerousadhercnlsin lndia {rom
G a r b e ,J o c c. i l .
ihatperiod onwardstothepresenlday..-The Lokayataallowsonty
7. Ke h., oD.crl.,p 6 1.ThF doctfinershetdin oppos,l,on.o percepton as a meansof knowledge, andrciectsinJerence. lt rec-
rhFVaisesika
and Nyaya view' Cf. intra ognizes asthe soe reality lhefourelemenls, Le.,maiier,and teaches
L lb., Chapters It, m. thal, whena bodyis form€dby the combinalion of the elemenls,
lhe sprit alsocomesinloexistence, jusl likethe intoxicating qual,
9. lb.,p.97. itywiththe mixlurcol specialnaterials.Withthe destruciion ofrhe
10. Garbe..,Vaisesika,"in Hastangs,op.cir., bodylhe spiritrelurnsagaininlo nolhingness... The posloperat ve
Vot.X , p. 569
11. I am usingihe transtarion torceof meritanddemerii,which,according 1othe beliet of al the
toul" to accordwirhlhequotalions(inra) olher ndianschools, determines lhelolofeachindlvidualdown lo
lrornca.be..See,however, Dr.Zimmer,snole, supn, p.324.Ihe
rermaharhere denotesthelifo_monad the smallesl delails,hasno exislenceforlhe Lokayalika, because
(as livain,tainisn,purus) ihis conceptionis reachedonly by inference... On the practical
rf-tj.eSrn/rrla) andshouidnotbe confused withrhe ahan o, the srdelhis systemexhibilsitsellas lhe crudeslEudaenronismi lor t
upafrsads,thaqavadcrta,andVedan!a
represenlsthe gratillcationof lh6 sense as the sole desirable
12. Contrastrhetermgura asemptoyedinIhe good...The Vedasare declaredlo be the idlepralingof knaves,
Senkhyaand Bhagvad
characlerized bylhethreefaultsol unlrulhluIness,inlernalcontm-
,t rh6 int,mare,erat,onshrp dicton,anduselessrepelilion...The itualoftheBrahmansisairaud,
?:i1""r1 rha,unrresrhesuosrance
w.h andlhe cosly andlaborious sacrifiesare usetulonlyfor providing
s arrrroLres and is itsel an a[ributF of the suosrarce ,,
uue.ar^tntroductrcngenerata petudp doesdocn,nes \pene witha livelihoodlhe cunningiellowswho caffy lhem out" (carbe,
P a n s1, 9 3 0p . 2 3 7 ) h1dous Lokayata" in Hasiings, op.cil.,Vol.Vlll,p. 138).Noneol the wrir
ings ol this schoolare extant;alllhat we knowoJlhem hasbeen
14. Garbe,,,Vaisesjka," p. 570. gathefed lrom lhe wrilingsof theiropponenls.Cf. F [,4ax[4uller,
15.Garbe,"Nyaya,,,in Hastings,op.cil., Vol.tX, p.423. S x Systemsof /ndlanPhrosophy,London,1899,pp.86, 9411.
16. A. B.Kei\h,tnctian Logicand AtonjsmAxtarc,:92j,p.24 25 A sharpdivergencein lhe onily of the Mim?rmsa,darsana begins
17. Gathe,"NyAya,"p. 423. wilhlhe appearanceofthesetwoscholastics, c.700A.D.Cf.Keith,
The Karma-[,1imamsa, p. 9.
1 8 . Guenon, op. cit., pp. 226-227.
26 /.e.,ihe philosophy of lhe Mahabharala.
1 9 . Keilh, lndian Logic and Atonism, p. jg.
27 Winternilz, op.cit.,Vol.lll,pp.419-420.
2 0 . G a b e g r v e s1 3 O OA . D . .b d r h i s , s c e r t a j n t y
t o o t a l e< , - c e o ^ e o f 28. Translated by E.B.Cowelland A.E.Gough,2nd edition,Calcutla,
udayana s works is dated 984 A.D. Cf. Winternitz
Casch,chle 1894.
d e r I n d i s c h e nL r t e r a t u rV, o l . t , p . 4 6 6 .
 83
FJSg$;:Ae=
3EIqiSi;P 6

sisslf;:
E
tetE$lqi;
SqiF$v=d=fl
<g 1s; FH-3*

iFrEf;i€j
i;sriFis:
o
;;igiitii
APPENDIX B: HISToRtCAL SUMMARY
q.
B.c.' B.c a.c
C. 3500-1450 l\,4inoanCiv ization c. 3500-r500
OravidianCivillzallon .g
(clele) (lndusvalleyRuins) 3
:. 2000'1000 Hellenic Invasionsol C. 2000_1000Aryan lnvasionsol ? Prehisloric
JainaSavisrs s.
Creece N. lndia
C. 1300? lvoses C.1500-800 Vedas
C. 950 Solomon Brahmanas C.812 772 Pasva l23td

Savior
800' Atl€r The Prophets 800& after Upanisads
H0mer EarlyF]€roEpics(losl)? Kapila (sankhya)

C.775 Hesiod
d. C. 526 Mahavna(24th
c.640-546
Savio0
6111-547 Anaximander ? Gosela
'In thiscolumnparalleldatesin lhe Weslemwotld(lorcomparison)
C. 582-C.500 Pylhagoras C.5fi'4a3 Buddha
Fl.6lhcenl Parmenides
c.500-430 Empedocles
c. s00 C. 500B C' Sulras
469-369 5004o
427?-347
344-322 Lawsor manu Patanjali (Yoqa)
356-323 Alexander
the creal 235:Alexander
enlelsN Wlnida

?-287?
3 4 2 ?- 2 l O Epicurus C. 321-29TCandragypta
Maurya
Cenakya
Kautulya(Adhasalra)
C. 6000B.C.? Esrablishment
of old C.400 B.C Ramayana(prcsent
200 A.D. 200A.D lom) C
274-237

264- 146 (present

C. 400B.C. Mahabharata
citd)
400A.o lom ) (bhagavad
100-44 c80
70-29 Vergil Hinayana Bud-

A.D A.D A.D

JesusChrisl
53117 Trajan C 78'123 Kaniska
I21-180 Tanlra-[,4ahayana
Busshism
245?-270? c/2ool45a C.200 Nagarluna(Madhya o
Sulra
272-337 6-

354-430 c 300-500 Prajna-paramila -.1

476 2 C. 350 Asamga (Yogacara)
c. 500 BenediclinelMonasli v)
cism (monl€ Casino) ? Tanllas d.c.527 Eodharma
(Dhyana:Zen) I
570 4th-t3th 3
lndiaArl C. 650/T50LaksminkaraDev
(Gupla,Calukya, (lVahasukha)
6

Cola,Rajpul,
HoysalaStyles)
742-414 Chademagne c.788- Sankara(Advaita
820t502
? "TheSt Syslems" C.983 Camundaraya
(Commataimage)
1907
1225?-1274 1175,1250 ? Endol Buddhism
in lndia
1260-1327? Exkhad
1469-1527 1400-1500
1712-1774 1714-1775
1770'1831 Hegel
1809-1882 Daruin 1836-1886
1879 Einstein 1879-1950
 c
ftt
z
!,
c
(')G
b$
dtL
.c -(5
OF
Chapter-3

I
Who SeeksNirvana?
THELATER Buddhisl changeofattilude towardthefinalgoal
s paraleledexactlybytheconlemporary Hindudevelopment. As
we haveseen,1in Hlnayarna usagetheterm bodhisa liyadenoled
a greatbeingonthepointof becoming a Buddha andso passing
irom time to nirvana,an archelypeof the Buddhistlay-intiate
escapingtromthe world,whereasin the l\.4ahayana the concepi
wastranslatedintoa time-reaffirmingsymbolof universalsavrors hip.
Through renouncing Buddhahood theBodhisattva madeil clear
that the taskof moksa,"release,liberalion,redemption fiom the
v c sstudesoftime;'was notthe highest good;in fact,ihalmoksa
isfinallymeaningless, samsara and nirvarna beingequally oi lhe
natureof sunyata, "empiiness,the voidl'lnthe samespirillhe
HinduTantrc initialeexclaims: "Whoseeksnirvana?" "Whatis
gainedby moksa?""Waiermingleswilhwater."
Thispointo1viewis rendered in manyoftheconversalrons of
Srl Ramakr shnawith hislaydisciples.
"Onceupona iimelhetoldthemoneevening, " a sannyas n
enleredthe templeof Jagganath. As he lookedat the holy mage
hedebatedwithinhimselfwhelherGodhada iormor wasform-
ess.Hepassed hisstafffromlettto righttofeelwhelher il touched
the image.The stafl touchednothing.He undersloodthat ihere
wasnoimagebelorehim;heconcluded thatGodwasiormless.
Nexthe passedthe stafi lrom righlto lefl.lt louchedthe image.
Thesannyasin understood thsatGodhadforrn.Thus he realized
ihatGodhasiormand,again,is formless."'
"Whaiis vijnana?" hesaidon another occasion. "lt is know'
ngGod in a specialway.The awareness anclconviction thal tire
ex stsin woodis jiana,knowledge. Butlo cookriceon lhatf re,
ealthe rice,andgetnourishment Jromil is vljnana,
To know by
one'sinnerexperience thal Godexistsis jfrana.Butto talk10
 Tantraand Nirvan 57

Him,to enjoyHim as Child,as Friend,as Master'as Beloved'is feslationof cod's powerand glory.God has createdallthese,sky,
vijnana.Therealization lhal God-alone hasbecomethe unlverse srars,moon,sun, mountatns, ocean,men,animals. They consti_
and all livingbeingsis vijnana."r tuteHis glory-He is withinus, in our hearts.Again,He is outside.
annihilate in Brah_ The most advanced devoteessay that He Hirnselfhas become
Andwithrespecltotheidealofbecoming
quoting the poel Ram-prasad, "I all ihis-thetwentyJourcosmicprinciples, the universe,and a i
man.he wo!ld somelimessay,
sugar."3a ivingberngs.Thedev,oteeof God wantsto eat sugar,not to be,
loveto eat sugar,I do notwantlo become
co.r'e suga(. (All laugh.)
The lVahayanaBodhisattva lastes unendingsaviorshipby
"Do you know how the lover of God feels ?,'R?lmakrishna
devotinohimselfwilh absoluleselflessnesslc histeachingtask
continued. "Hisattitudeis 'O God,Thouart the Nraster,
in lhe ;orlexof theworld;in the samespirit'the HinduTantric and I am
attitudeoi devoiio",(bhakti)' Thy servanl.Thou ari the [,4other, and I am Thy child.'Oragainj
initiate,by persevering inthedualisitc 'Thou art my Father
of the omnL- and l\rolher.Thou art the Whote,and I am a
enjoyswilhoulceasethebealitude the knowledge
ol
part.'Hedoesn'tlikelo say, Iam Brahman.
presenceol theGoddess.
"The yogl seeks to realize the Paramatman,the Supreme
"The Divinel\rotherrevealedto me in the Ka|]templethat it
Srl Ramakrishna lold his Sou . Hisrdeais the unionoftheembodied soulandtheSupreme
was Shewho had becomeeverything,"
"Sheshowedme lhat everything was tullof Conscious- Soul.He withdfawshismindtfom sense-objects and riles10con
friends.
altarwasConscious centrateit on the Paramatman.Therefore,duringthe first stage of
ness.ThelmagewasConsciousness,lhe
were Consciousness, the doorsillwas his sprritualdiscjpline,
he retiresintosoliludeand with undivded
ness,the water-vessels attentronpractices medilationin a fixed posture.
ConscioLrsness, the marble floor was Consciousness- all was
Consciousness. l found eveMhing inside the room soaked'asit "Bullhe Bealityis one and the same.The djife.enceis onty
4
were,in Bliss-theBlissof SatcidelnandaI sawa wicked manin in name-He who ts Brahmanis verilyAtman,and again,He is the
lront of lhe Kall temple;but in him also I saw the Powerol the Bhagavan, the BlessedLord.He is Brahman10the followersof
Divinel\,4other vibrating.That was why I fed a cat wilh ihe food the path of knowledge,Paramatmanto ihe yogis,and Bhagavan
thal was lo be ollered io lhe DivineNrotherl' 1othe lovers oi God.
'l he to the palhol knowledge: he expraned "The jRanis,who adhereto the nondualistic
tna.i,sricking philosophyof
aoain."alwavs reasons about the Reality, saying, "Not lhis, not Vedanta,say thal the acts of creation,preservation,and destruc_
nor 'that';lt is neilherthe !niverse tion,the universeilseliand all its ljvingbeings,are the manifes-
th;s.'Brahm;n is neither'this'
nor its livingbeings.Reasoning in this way,ihe mindbecomes lations of Sakii, the Divine power.6lf you reason il out, you will
steady. Then il disappears and the aspirant goesintosamadhi' reairzethalallthese are as illusoryas adream,Brahmanalone
Ihrs,s lhe Knowledge ol Branmanll is lhe unwavering convc_ ls the Rea lly, and all else is unreal.Even this very Sakt ls
illusory, -
tion oJthe i62!frlthat Brahman alone is realand lhe world unsubstantial, likea dream.
llikea dream. WhatBrahman is cannolbedescribed. Onecannot "Bul thoughyou reasonall your lile, unlessyou are eslab-
even say that Brahman is a Person. This is the opinion ol the rshedn samadhi,you cannotgo beyondthejurisdiction ol saktr.
the followersof Vedantaphilosophy
jfiern)s, trven when you say, I am meditating,, 'l
or am contempating,,
"Butlhebhaktasacceptalltheslatesol consciousness They slllr you are movingin the realmoi Sakti,withinlts power.
takethe waking slateto be realalso.They dontthinklhe world to "Thus Brahmanand Sakti are idenlical.li you accept lhe one,
be illusory, like a dream.They say lhat the unrverse ls a manl_ you must accept the olher. lt is like lire and iis power
to burn. tf
 Tantraand Nirvan 59
58 Chapler.3

ing ol the modern,timelyIndiaand lhe timeless-ihe modern

you seelhe fite,you mustrecognizeits powerto burnalso.You consciousnes of India withlhe half-torgotten divine symbolsof
cannotihinkot lirewilhoulitspowerto bum,norcanyouthinkof ls own unconscious. Noteworthy, moreover,is lh€ lact that on
the oowertoburn withoutfire.You cannotconceive oJthe sun's thisoccasion theteacherwas nottheWestern-educated, tailored
rayswithoutlhe sun,nor can you conceiveof the sunwithoutils gentleman, whohadbeenentertained in Londonby ihe QLreen,
rays. bLrllhe yogi in his loincloth, speaking ol the traditional Indian
"Whatis milk like? Oh, you say,it is someihingwhite You Godsoutol his owndirectexperience.
cannot thinkol lhe milkwithoutthe whiteness,and again,you KESHAB(witha smile):"Describeto us, sir! in how many
cannotthinkof the whitenesswilhoulthe milk. waysKali,the DivineMother,sportsin thisworld."
''Thusonecannotlhinkol BrahmanwithoulSakti,or ot Sakti
SBI RAI\,IAKRfSHNA (alsowilha smile)."Oh, She ptaysin
wilhoutBrahman.One cannotthinkof lhe Absolutewithoulthe dilferenlways.ll is She alonewho is knownas Nraha,Kall ["The
Relatrve,or oJthe Belative without lhe Absolule GreatBlackOne"l,Nitya-Kall ["TheEverlasting BlackOne"],
"ThePrimordial Poweris everat olay.7 Sheis creating, pre- Smasana-Kali ["Ka|ioftheCremation Ground"], BaksA-Kel ["coblin
serving,and destroyingin play, as it were- This Power is called Kall"l,and Syama-Kalll"DarkKali"].l\4ahe-Kali and Nitya-Kal]
Kal. Kallis verilyBrahman, andBrahman is verilyKall.ll is one aremenlionedin the TantraPhilosophy. Whentherewereneither
and the sameReality- When we think ol it as inactive,thal is lo lhe creation,nor the sun,the moon,the planets,and the earth.
say,notengagedin the acls ol crealion, preservation, and cle_ andwhendarknesswasenveloped indarkness, then lhe Mother,
slruclion,thenwe call lt Brahman. But when lt engages in these lheFormless One,Ivaha'kall, th6GreatPower, wasonewilhlvlahd,
aclivilies.then we call it Kan or Sakli.The Reality is one and lhe Kali{lhisis the masculineformol the samenamel,theAbsolute.
same;thedifforence is in nane and form"3 "Syama-KaIhasa somewhaltenderaspect andis wofshiped
This introductory expositionof theTantricpoint of viewwas n lheHindLr households. Sheis theDispense I ol boonsand the
givenon lhe deck ot a littleexcursion-sleamer, sailingup and Dspellerof fear. PeopleworshipRaksa'Kal,lhe Protects, in
downtheGanges, one beauliJulaulumn afternoon in 1882Keshab limesol epidemic,tamine,earthquake, drought,and flood.
Chandra Sen (1838'84), the distinguished leaderolthe semi'Hindu' Smasana-Ka|j istheembodimentof thepowerof deskuclion. She
semi-Christian Brahmo Samai,s had come, with a number ol his residesin thecremalionground,surrounded by corpses,jackals,
following,to visit Srl Ramakrishna al Dakshineswal a suburb ol and lerriblefemalespirils.FromHer mouth flows a streamol
lhe modern cily of Calculta, where the saintly leacher was sery' blood,lrom Herneckhangs a gadandofhumanheads,and around
ing as prieslin a templededicatedto the BlackGoddess,Kali Herwaistis a girdlemadeolhumanhands.
Keshabwasa modern, occidentalized Hindugentleman, wllha ''Atlerthe deskuction
of the universe,at the end ol a great
cosmopolitan outlook, and a salttvic, humanislic, progressive feli' cycle,lhe Divinel\,4other garnersthe seedsforihe nexlcreation.
giousphilosophy-not !nlikethatol his NewEngland contempo' She is likelhe elderlymislressof the house,who has a holch-
rary,theTranscendenlalist (andstodentof lhe BhagavadGi,a)' potch-polin whichshe keeps differentarticleslor the house-
RalphWaldoEmerson. Ramakrishna, on the otherhand,was a holduse.(A laugh),Oh,yes ! Housewiveshavepots tikethat.
thoroughHindu-intentionally ignoranl ot English.nurluredin the wherethey keepseajoam, bluepills,smallbundlesof seedsof
traditionsol his molherland, long-practiced in the lechniquesol cucumber,pumpkin,and gourd,and so on.Theytakelhem out
introverted contemplation, and filled with the experience oi God whentheywantthem.in th€ sameway,afterthe desiruclionof
Thecoming togeiher ol these two religious leaders was a meel-
 Chapter-3 Tantraand N rvan

the Lrniverse, the Embodimenlol Brahman,

my Divinel\,4other, stantlythinks:l am a freesoul.Howcan lbe bound,whelherI
galherstogetherthe seedsfor the next creation.Aflerthe crea_ llvein theworldor in the foresl? | am a childof God,lhe Kingoi
tion lhe PrimalPowerdwells in the universeitsell.She bfigs Kings.Who canbindme?'ll bittenbya snake, manmaygel rid
'There a poison
Iotrlh this ohenomenalworld and lhen oervades il. In lhe Vedas ol its venomby sayingemphalically, is no in me.'
creationis likenedto the spiderand itsweb.Thespiderbringslhe ]n thesameway,by repeating withgritanddelerminalion, Iam
web out ol itseliand then remainsin il. God is lhe conlaineroi noi bound,I am lree.'onereallybecomesso-onereallybecomes
the un verse and also whal is containedin it. free.
''ls Kall,my Divineftrolher,
ol a blackcomplexion? She ap- "Onesomeone gavefie a bookottheChristians. Iaskedhim
pears blackbecauseShe is viewedlrom a dislance;but when to read it io me. lt talkedabout nothingbul sin. (Io Keshab
inl matey knownShe is no ongerso-The sky appeafsbluea1a ChandraSeri) Sin is lhe onlythingone hearsol at yourBrahmo
d stafce; but look ai air closeby and you willfind thal it has no Sam?rj, too.Thewretchwhoconstantly says, Iam bound,lam
co or.The waterol the oceanlooksblue at a distance.bul when boundlonly succeeds in beingbound. Hewhosaysdayandnighl,
yolrgo nearandiake it in yourhand.you tindthat I s colorless.' lam a srnner, lam a sinne('really becomes a srnner.
Sri Ramakrishana. lilledwith lover {or the Goddess,lhen "Oneshouldhavesuchburningfailhin godthalone cansay:
sang to hertwo songsoflhe Bengalidevoleeand yogi Ramprasad, 'What
? | haverepeatedthenameol God,andcansinsiillclingto
after which he resumed his talk. me ? Howcan I be a sinnerany more? Howcan I be in bondage
"The Divine Mother is always sportive and playful-This unr'
verse is Her play. She is sell-willedand must always have her "ll a man repealsthe nameof God,his body,mind,and eve'
o\vn way. She is full ol bliss.She gives freedom lo one oul ot a rylhing become pure.Whyshould onetalkaboul sinandhell,and
hundredthousandl' suchthings? Saybul once,'O Lord,I haveundoubtedly done
A BRAHMo DEVoTEE:"But,sir, if She tikesShe can g ve wicked lhings,builwon'trepealthem.'And havelaith
inhisnamel'
lreedomto all.Why,then,has She kept us boundto the world?" SriBamakrishna sang:
SRI RAMAKRISHNAT "Thatis Her will. She wantsto con- li onLyI can passawayrepeatingDurga'sname;
t nue p ayingwiihHercrealedbeings.In a gameof hide-and-seek HowcanslThou then,O Blessed One,
the runninqaboutsoon siops if in the beginningall the players Withholdfrommedeliverance,
touchthe granny'.lfalltouchher,lhen howcan the gamego on? Wretched thoughlmay be ? . ... . .
Thatdrspleases her.Her pleasureis in continuing
the game.
Then he saad:"To my Divine Motherlprayed only for pure
"lt is as if lhe DivineMothersaidto lhe humanrnindin conJi- love, I olleredflowersat Her Lolus Feet and prayedto Her:
dence,wilh a sign from Her eye, Go and enjoythe world."How Mother,hereis Thy virtue,hereis Thyvice.Takethembothand
can one blamethe mind ? The mind can disentangle ilselllrom granlmeonly purelovelorThee.Hereis Thy knowledge, hereis
worldliness ri, throughher grace.She makesit turn lowardHer- Thy ignorance. Takethembothand grantme only pure lovefor
seli." Thee.Here is Thy purity,here is Thy implriiy.Takethem both,
Singingagainthe songsol Rampraseld, Sri Ramakrishnan- l\,4olher,andgrantmeonlypureloveforThee.HereisThydharma,
lerruptedh s discourse,but then continued."Bondageis ol the hereisThy adharma.Take themboth,lvlother,andgranlme only
mind.and freedomis also ol the mind.A man is Jreeil he con-
 62 Chapter-3 Tanra and Nirvan 63

purelovetorThee."lo tnevoresent lhemselves as anorganic wholeTheTantrlcs speak

ol t;eir lexts as "The Fillh Veda; "The Veda lor This lron Age'
In Tantrathe theisticallitudepraclicallyobljlerateslhe ab- ages, sruti (Veda) was glven;rc'r
"Forthe Jirsl ol the four world
stractidealof the Forrnfess Brahman(nigunabrahman)in lavol
olBrahman-in-the-Gunas (sagunabahman)-lheLotd (lsvara), the second, smrti( lhe teachingsof the sages,DharamasastG'
the personalGod;and lhe latteris representedby the Tantrics etc.).tor the third, purara (the epics,etc.),and lor lhe lourth'
preferablyin thelemale aspect,sincein thisthe natureol i,leya- agama(lheTantrictexts)."r4
Sakli is mosl immedialelyallirmed.lrThe Tantricdevelopmeni As hasbeenpointedoul by Sir JohnWoodrolte' whoseslud-
supporled thereturnlo powerin popular Hinduism olthefigureoi ies are the mosiimportant examinations of the Tantra published
theMotherGoddessoftheinnumorable names-Devi,Durga,Keli, ln moderntimes: "Tie Sakta tollowers of the Agama claim thal its
Parvall,Uma,Sau,Padme,Candl,Tripura-sundari, elc.-whose Tanlras[i.e.,"books"] conlain the very core oi the Veda 'As men
cull,rootedin lhe Neolithic past,hadbeenovershadowed for a havenoIongerlhe capacity, longevity and moralslrenglh requlreo
periodol abouta thousand yearsby lhe maiedivinilies ol lhe to ori th" Vuidikakarma_kanda lthe ritualsectionol the
palriarchalAryan panlheon.The Goddess beganto reassert her- "urrv
Vedal,ihe Tanlra Sirslra prescribes a Sadhan?r keligiousdiscr
seii in ihe periodof the laterUpanisads.l2 is
She today lhe chief olinelof itsown torlhe atlainment ofthecommon end ofallSaslra'
diviniiyagain.All the consorlsol lhe variousgodsare her mani- thai is. a happy life on earlh, Heaven lherealter' and at length
feslalions,and,as lhe saktior'powe|"of theirhusbands,repre- Liberationl'r5
sent the energythat has broughl the lalterinto manileslalion. BoththeTanlra andpopularHinduism acceptlhe truthof Advaita
f/oreover,as lrahamaya,theGoddesspersonifies lhe Worldlllu- Vedanla bul shill the accent to lhe posilive aspecl ol may?r' The
sion. withinthe boundsand thralldomof whichexist all torms world is lhe unending manifestation ol the dynamic aspect otlhe
whalsoever,whethergrossor subtle,earlhlyor angelic,even divine,andas suchshouldnolbe devaluated anddiscarded as
thoseoJthehighest gods.Sheis theprimary embodimenl ol lhe and mpedection, butcelebraled, penelrated by enllghl'
suJJerlng
lranscendent principle,andas suchthemolheroi allnamesand andexperienced withunderstanding.The hairoJthe
eningin-sight,
lorms."GodHimself;'statesRamakrishna, "is lVahamarya, who Godiessis d shevelled in herfrantic' seltmaddened dancewhich
delLrdes the worldwilhHorillusion andconjuresupthemagrcof producesthe mirageol samsara,bul the perfecldevoteels nol
creation,preservation, and destruction. She hasspreadthis veil iherebvdismayed.
'Thoughthemotherbeathiml'saysRamprasad,
of ignorance beforeoureyes,We cango intotheinnerchamber 'lhe childcries Mother' l O lvlother,'and clingssiilllighterto her
onlywhenSheletsus passthroughlhe door]l3lt is entirely qarmenll'16The Vedalnlic yoglneverliresoi stalinglhar kaivalya'
possiblelhat in lhis reinstatemenl of the Goddess,bolh in the iisolalion-integration," can beattainedonlybyiurningawayfrom
popularcultsand in the deepphilosophy of the Tantra,we have allureol theworldandworshiping withsingle-pointed
thedistracting
anolhersignol lhe resurgenceol ther€ligiousityof lhenon-Aryan. attenlionthe formlessBrahman_Alman; to theTarntrichoweveF
pre-Aryan,matriarchal tradilionol Dravidiantimes. as to the normalchild ol the wodd-lhisnolionseemspathologi-
The T?rnlricmovemenldiJfershom Jainismand Buddhism. cal,lhe wrong-headed effectof a certainmaladyof inlellect By
however,inasmuchas it adheresto lhe authorityof the Vedas, thetrueloveaottheGoddess, notmerelytheseeking of libera-
seekingratherto assimilaleand adjustitselllo the orlhodoxtra- tionbut evenits attainmenlis notdesired Forwhatis the useot
dil on thanlo excludeand refuleit. ln thisit paralelsthe patttern salvation i{il meansabsorption ? "llikeealingsugarl'asRamprasad
ol popularHinduism. Indeed, themixture ol TarntricandVedelnlic said."butI haveno desireto becomesugarl'l7 Lei thosewho
lraits n modern Hlndu life,rilual,
and ihoughl is so intlmatelhat suiferJromthe loilsol samsaraseekreleasellhe perfecl devo'
 Chapter-3 65

teedoesnotsuffer;iorhecanboihvisualize ''Sucha one is cornpetent for ihis scripture;otherwisehe is no

andexperience life
andthe universe as therevelaiion oi thatSupreme DivineForce adepll'23
fsakf,withwhlchheis in love,theallcomprehensive DivineBe- Ones secuar socialstandingis oi no consequence whatso-
ing in its cosmicaspectoJplayiul,aimlessdrspay (l)le) which everw thin lhe sphereof lhe truly spiritualhierarchy. Moreover,
precipilates painas wellas joy,butin its blisstranscends them womenas wellas menare eligrblenot onlyto receivethe highesl
both.He is lilledwiththe holymadnessof that "ecstalic love" nit ation but also lo confer11in the role ol guru. "lnlation by
/prema)whichtransmutes theworld. woman is e{licacous;that by the mother is eightlloldso,"we read
Thisveryworldis a mansion ol rnirth; n Ihe Yoginifanta.24ln strikrngcontrastto the Vedic texts,wherein
Herelcan eai,hefedrinkand make merry,13 evenlhe hearingoitheVedais lorblddenio a sidra, and whereln
Arlha(prosperity), kama{thefulJillment womenare consigned lo a secondary(lhoughhighy praisedand
of sensual desires),
dharma(theenactmenl senlimentalized) sphereoi spiritualcompetencyand aspiralion,
ot thereligiousandmoralritualsof every-
day iie,withan acceptance ol lhe burdenof allthe duties). the Tantraslranscendthe limits ol social and biologica differen-
and
moksa(release fromil all)areone.The polarity tLaIton.
of moksaandthe
trrvargars is iranscended anddissolvednotin inlrovertedrealiza- However,il musi nol be supposed lhat thls indifference lo
lionalone,butin livingfeeling as well.Byivirlueof his talentof lhe rulesol casteimDliesanv idea of revolutionwlthin the social
overior the merciJul Goddess.the true devoteediscoversthat sphere,as distinguished from the sphereof spiritualprogress.
lhelourfold iruitof anha,kama,dharma, andmoksalalls intothe The initiaterelurns io his post in society;lorthereto, is the mani'
palmcf hishand. festat on of Sakti. The world is aitirmed, iusi as ii is-neither re
"Come,lei us go ior a walk,O mind,to Kali,the Wishjul- nounced, as by an ascetic, nor correcied, as by a socia re_
filingTree," wroteRztmprasad; "Andtherebeneathlt gatherthe iormer-Theprerequisite to the initlation beingan acluaisupefror-
toLrrfruitsol life."20"ThemindeverseekstheDarkBeautiful ity to iear and desire,and ihe rite ilsell a conlirmationoi the
One. lhat all is divlne,the lrue lover ol the Goddess
hestatesagain."Doas youwish.WhowantsNirvana understanding
?"
remalnscontentw th what She has beslowed,not findinglault
Tanlrism, as a matterof course,insislson theholiness and wth the varlols lradilionalproprietiesol time and pace, but
purityof all things;hence,the "fiveforbidden thtngs"("thelive beholdng the D vine power,with whom he is himsellidenticalin
l\,4's,
as they are called)constitutelhe subsianceof the sacra- essence,withn a I arrangements,
mentalfarein certainTanlricriles:wine (madya),meal (memsa)
lish (malsya), parchedgtain (mudA),21ands exualintercou For the idea ol dharmais intrinsicto Indianthought.The
rse
(maithuna). As lnlhe patallellvahayana sacramento1lhe "tlvelorbiddenthings"does not open a way to
initiations,22
thenondualist
realizationmakesall the worldone-one,holy,and pure.All be- eitherliberlrnism or revolution.Onthe planeof ego-consciousnes,
ngs and lhingsare membersof a singiemystic"lamily" (kula). whereone operatesas an individual memberof society,the dharma
Thereis therefore oione's casleand as€ma25stillprevails,the heighlbeyonddharma
nothought of castewilhintheTanirc holy,,cir-
cles" fcakr4.Sirdras,outcastes, and adharmabeingascendedonly by one in whomthe mindhas
andBrahmans alikeareeliegible
for initiation-if beentranscended-in whichsupetiorstatetherecan be no ques-
spirilually
competent. The aspirantmustonlvbe
inlelligent, t on oi a desireio enioythe benetitsot illegalpractices.The Terntric
wilhhis sensescontrolled, one who abslainstrom
ritualof wine,rneai,lish,parchedgtain,andsexualintercourse is
injurng anybeing,everdoinggoodto all,pure,a betiever in the
Veda,anda nondualist, accomplishednot as a lawbreakingrevel, but uhderthe caulious
whose faithand relugeare in Blahman:
superuisionof a guru,in acontrolledstate of"nondualist"(advaitic)
 66 Chapler-3
Tanlraand Nirvan 67

realizalicn,and as the culminating

festivalola longsequenceol
spjril!aldiscrplnes,lhroughmanylives.Thespirrlual emotionol Thfoughoutthe historyoi BrahmanthoughlIherehas beena
the adept s p/ema:ecslaiic,egoless,beatificblissin lhe real- reiteraledasserton_eilher vrolenland passionale, or vigorously
zationol transcendenl idenlily. controled-thallhe "One s bothat oncel'andin lhis respeclTanlrism
conlinueslhe orlhodoxVedc Ine. Everyihingproceedslrom lhe
Comrngdownagainlrornthissub ime he ght oi lorm annrhr- samesLpernalsource.A1lbeingsare membersol a s ng e ho y
laling realizationto lhe kingdomof phenomenality, d lferenta- iam y, proceedng frornthe one and only divinesubslanceAnd
tion s seen but lhere is no estranEement; there s no lendency thisv ew nvolvesas we haveseen,on the one handdevaluatlon
lhenlo deprecate-lor there s no guilt,therehasbeenno Fal.The of lhe peculrarypersona nuancesoi individuality,bul on the
wor d doesnol requirelo be reform€d; norare ts lawstobed sre- other a bold all rmatlonol a i thal may evercometo be Maya,
garded.Allol lhe variousplanesoi manilestalion ol lhe abso ute lhe word iluson is nol to be rejectedbul embracedThe lyri-
can be beheldin a dispassionate spirit.The so id, the liquid,and cismoi ihe Vedanla-Gitars27 gaveexpressionto thiswolld alf rmalve
the gaseousslatesol lhe one substance,underdiiteringcondl The Tantradoes so again.And t is reilectedtodaythrouqhlhe
trons,producrng differingetfects,are acceptedw thout moralor wro e ra go or I A populdrHi-du lheologes.
emotronal preierence, For lhe wholespeclacleoi the world,with"
out exceplon,is generateC by the dynamismof t\,4dyA Bu1thereis a pecular and essentiailrail oi the TanlricYea
Sakti,lhe or al leasl
poweroflhe cosmicdancefrla)ol thedarkand terrble subtrm€, whichd slinguishesil lfom lhe eaflierphilosophles
lheseas lhey appear in lhe orthodox textsand commentanesl ior
al -ilourishing
and consurnlng lrotheroi lhe Wor d The be ngs ol preclsely
lheldealolTenlfism islo achieve ilumination by means
the world.and a I the rangesol experience, are but wavesand
oi those very obJecls wh ch the earllersagessought lo oanlsn
strata n a srnge. ever-llowng, universaslreamoi ie.
irom iher conscrousness. The ancientVediccult was wor d al
Obviously,lhrsis the viewlhatwe havealreadyencountered firmative. but ts ntes were primari y lhoseol the vasl popuar an0
manynmes n our presenlexamrnatron oi ihe phi osophes oi n- roya ceremonals n honorol lhe gods ol lhe macrocosm:lhey
dia.The hymn lrom the Taittiiya BAhmana. cetebratng the sub- did noi nv te onelo lathomthe deepresources oi the m crocosm
stance and energyol the world as iood,26was based on a The forestph osopherson the olher hand_devol-ad to the nlro_
nondualism ofluslthiskind.Thereleasedrebornce ebrateshrm vert technques ol Jainsm, Yoga,SarnkhyaVeddnta and lhe
se I as iood and-ealer;for lhough the grossoutersheathof the Hinayana-slrove to repressthe r personabio og ca mpulsesby
organrsm,lfieshealhol lood" (annamayakosa), s nol the whole sublecting themsevesto a spirtua reducng diellor lhe conquer
oi lhe divinemanileslation (therebeing,rn the subtlesphereol ing oi rajas,lamasandthe vasanas(1hevesselsof memoryand
lhe severa Innersheaths,more subtleiormatons and Incarna, desire);and whenlhrslranslerredlhem t naly to a p ane beyond
t ons of the SupremeEssence),neveriheess "lood s nol to be sin and virtLr€they remaineovirtuoLls. Indeed,they had had lo
despised.The realityof Brahmanwas realizedn the orlhodox casl awavthe capacilytor s nnrngat the very starl, as the llrsl
VedicBrahmanlraditronprogresstvely, undervar ous manilesla- prerequsiteol theirapproach lo a guru2eBulin theTanlrawhereas
trons:as the ife'malterot the materialwortd,in the Hymno1lood lhe goalis thal ol the medrtating yogi (notworldlypower,suchas
oras the sun, he whoyonderg owsl in a rnultitudeoi olherBrahmanic \"/assoughtby the anc ent Brahmanconiurersof lhe iorcesol lhe
sofgs ol celebralion; or again,as the macrocosmtc lfe brealh un verse.but en thtenmenl,absoluleconsciousnessand lhe
arzayu), he who blows,"which isthe counterpart of lhe microcos bealitucleol lranscendenlal being),lhe mannerofapproachrslhal
trlicpnna. nol oi Nay.bul ot Yea.Thal is to say,the world_altltude s af
iifmalive,as in lhe Veda,but the gods are now addressedas
dwellLng wlthrnthe m crocosm.
 ChapieF3
Thus it may by said lhat.i{ the Vedantaseems to represenl
lhe conqueslolthe monisticAryanBrahmanheritageby the dual
ist ideoogy oi the pre-Aryanseekersof nlegralion-iso atron
(kaivalya),2ein thefan].tawe are, perhaps,jusllfiedin recognizing
lusl the oopositeinlluence:a rerenderrrg oJ hp p'e-Aryanp'ob-
lem of psychophysical transubstaniialion in iermsot the nondual
philosophyof the all'affirmaliveBrarhmanlc poinl ol view Here the
candidateforwisdomdoes notseeka detourby whichto circum-
venl the sphereof the passions-crushing themwilhinhlmselfand
shuttingh s eyeslo their manileslalionswithoul,until, made clean
as an angle, he may sately open his eyes again to regard the
cycloneof samsarawilh the untroubled gaze oi a dlsembodied
appartion.Quitethe conifary;theTanlrichero lvir.algoes directly
lhrougl,the sphereof greatesl danger.
ll is an essentialprincipleoi the Tantric dea that rnan,in
general,rnuslriseihroughand by rneansof nalure,not by lhe
rejeclionof nature,"As one falls onlo lhe ground:'lhe Kularnava
Ianfra stales," so one must lift oneselJbythe aid of lhe groundl'3o
The pleasureof love,ihe pleasureof humantee ing,is the blissof
the Goddessin her world-productive dance,the b iss oi sivaand
his saktiin theirelernalrealization oi identity;only as knownln
the inleriormode of ego-consciousness,The creatureoi passion
has only to wash away his sense ot ego, and then the same act
that formerlywas an obstructionbecomeslhe tide that bears him
to the rea izalion of the absolute as bliss (ananda.).Moreover,
this lide of passionitself may becomethe baptizingwater by
which the taint of ego-consciousnessis washedaway.Followrng
the Tantric method,the hero (vila) floais beyond himselton the
rousedbul canalizedcurrent.This is whal has discredlted ihe
melhodin the eyesofthe community.ltsheroicaccepiance,withoul
quibble,oflhe fullimpacland implication olthe nondualcelebra-
tion o1the world as Brahman has seemed far too bo d, and too
sensational, lo lhose whose view oJ saintlinessembrancesol
Lord's transcendentrepose but omits lhe detail oi Hrs mystery
play (r/a) of continuouscreation.
A right methodcannotexclude the body;.for the body is
devala, the visible form of Brahmanas jlva. "The Sadhaka [ihe
Tantraand Nirvan 69
Tantric student 1,"writes Sir John Woodroffe, "is taught noi 1o
ihink lhat we are one withlhe Divinein Liberaliononly,bul here
and now,in everyacl we do.For in truthallsuchis Sakti.ll is srva
who as Saktiis actingin and throughlhe Sadhaka...When thisis
realizedia everynaturalfunction,then,eachexercisethereoiceases
to be a mere animal act and becomes a religiousriie-a Yajia.
Every funci on is a part of the Divine Action (sakt| in Nalure.
T h u s , w h e n t a k i n g d r i n k i n t h e l o rwmi noef l h e V i r ka n o w s i t t o b e
Tara Dravamayl, that is, the SaviourHerselfin liquidform.'How
(it is said)can he who trulysees in it the Saviourl\lotherreceive
Iromii harm? .....Whenthe Vlra eats.drinksor hassexualinter
course,he doesso notwithlhe thoughlof himselfas a separate
rndlvidualsatisiyjnghis own peculiarlimitedwants,an animal
filchingas il werefrom natureiheenjoymenlhe has,butlhinking
ol himselfin such enjoymentas Siva, saying'Sivo'ham,"Bhairavo'
harn'('l am siva)."31
Sex, in Tantrism,has a high symbolicrole.The holylear of
the uncontrollable forcesin humannaiureand the consequent
strictresrstance to lhe animalinsiinctsand energies,whichchar
acterizethe common hislory oJman lrom the earliesttabooto the
iatesi moral tract, can be exolainedas the result and residue of
devastatingexperiencesin the past of the race and the by-prod-
uct ol the successfui,historicalstrugglefor independence of a
higher,"purel, spiritualprinciple. The primiiiveforces,out of the
depihsol whichthis principlearose,like the victorioussun, Sol
Invicius,climbinglhe heavensout oi the stormysea (theturbu-
lentabodeol lhe monstersof the deep),hadto be checked,held
at bay and tiedback,likeihe GreekTilansmprisonedLlndervol
canic Aetna, or like the greal Dragon of the Revelationof St-
John.The very realperilofan elementary Lrpheavaland rocking
outbursi led io the conslructionoi proieclivedichotomicsyslems,
such as lhose,not only of jainismand the Senkhya,bui also of
the PersianZoroaslrian ethical religion,lhe Gnosis oi the Near
East,Christianity, Manichaeism, andtheusualcodesol manners
of primitiveand clvilizedmankind.In India,in the ancientworld,
and among mogt of the peoplesknown10 anthropologisls and
historians,there has been, however,an inslitutionalizedsyslem
 7A
ol festivals iesl vaLsol the gods and gen i ol vegelalion-
whereby.wrlhoutdangerlo lhe community, the conventonal frc,
I on ol good and evi couldbe suspendedlor a momenland an
experencepermttedot the mighlyt tan,powersoi lhe deep.Car-
niva , the day ot masks,revealing a I the odd iormsthal dwellin
the prolundiies oj the soul,spillsforthits symbos. and for one
dreamike.nrghlmarish, sacredday,theordered.t m d consciorJs-
nessireelyrevelsin a sacramenlally canaizedexperence oJ(s
The masksare dream ke Drearnlike
also are th-ocamtva
events. ndeed.lhe wor d ol sleepintowh ch we descendevery
n ght. when the tensionsof consciousness
are re ared. is pre.
cisey lhai fromwhrchlhe demons,eives d vine and devilshlig
uresof lhe wor d mythologies havea I beenderived.Ali the qods
dwe w thinus, wil ing to supporl!s, and capabteoi supporling
us. bul theyrequirethe subrnission ol conscousnessan abd ca-
l r o no l s o v e r e i g nol yn t h e p a r to f o u r c o n s c i o u sw i l s l n s o f a r ,
Iowevo. c, h o i r l l l ae o o r e g d r d s r r : o r d n p ' d n
d.
resistsrgorouslythe lorcesoi ts div ne substral!m The gods
lhereuponbecom€dangerousfor I, and lhe indivd!al becomes
hrsown he The ancientpeopl€made madepeacewrlhthe ex
cludedtorcesby holdingthem n worshipand a low ng lhem ther
daemonrccarniva even whie cullivatng, simutaneously. un
der the lorms of sacrifces lo lhe hrghergods,a fruillulrelalion-
ship w th the Iorcesimplcatedin the soc al system.And by this
meanstheywon the permrssion, so lo speak,oJlherrown uncon
sc ous to conlinuein lhe conventionalconscrous atttludeoi prol-
Bul theTantrcsadhakais nol interesledIn conventona sur-
v valso mlch as in ihe falhomingol ife and the d scoveringoi ils
I melesssecrel Hencelhe makeshiltoi carntva rs nol enoughi
lor lh s on y supporlslhe genera ilus on. Hts goa s to incorpo-
rale lhe excludedlorcesas well as lhose accepledgeneraly
and experence by this meanslhe essenlialnonexistence ol the
anlagonistic polarity-ils
vanishingaway,its nirvana,.e. the In-
lr|nsicpurilyandlnnocence of the seeminglydarkand dangerous
sphere. n lhs way he breakswithn himsellthe tenson of the
ChapleF3
Tanlraand Nirvan 71
''torbidden.
and resoves everythingintighl;recognizngineve
rylhng the one Saktrwh ch /s lhe generatsupporlof the wortd.
macrocosm c as we I as microcosmic,
the molh€rof the godsand
eives,lfreweaverof lhe moon-dream ot historyTherewithcomes
releaselromthe wor d il us on-releasethroLrgh ts Iultenjoymenl
Hencethe greatTantrlclormuta(so difierenttromthatol lhe
eariierH nduyog c drscrptines):
yoga(theyokingoi empiricatcon
sciousnesstotranscendenta consctousness)andbhoga(,enloy,
meni. lhe experence of liles loy and sullering)are the sarne
Bhoga lseli can be madea way ol yoga.
Brl rt requrresa herc (vira)lo confrontand assimtate.rn
perlectequanm ty, the wholewondero{ the WortdCreatrix to
make ov€.withoUlhystericalreacirons, to th€ Liie lorce,wh ch
s the saktiof h s own entrrely.Thefivegoodthtngs (pancatattva).
urhichare lhe forbdden lhrngs'oi lhe ordinaryrnenand women
oba.t oi the herd seruehas sacramenlalfare lor one who not onty
knowsbul fee s that the WortdForce fsaklil s n essenceh m-
se f. lf Tanlra,the worshipof lhe WorldCreatrixin her ownterrns
s renderedpossibe, ior cohabtalion (maithuna). her awn sn
pr€meholy r te. s rea zed nol n the spiritoi lhe pasir('ca te l
lile humananimalol lhe h€rd,desiring,learng, and enjoyingrn
the Lrsual an ma -humanway).bul of the vtra(',hero,,)who knows
lr msell to be identrcalwith Siva."Om,"he prays(and knows)i
'
nto the F re which ls Sp ri Gtnan)btighlened by the pour ng on
oiihegheeofmertand demeril,t,bythepathoiyoga(susumnb).
eversacrI ce lhe functionsof ihe senses,usjngthe m nd as the
adleoi lhe offering.Hallelujah 1"32
The Ir!lt ot the rte then is releasetromllus on. which rs lhe
hrgheslg it ot Katl,lhe darkand beauliut Goddess-Dancer of the
C.emation Ground
.l
n
 72 Chapler-3 TanlraandNirvan 73

meanwhrle his mtnd and sentimemenls mustbe givenhelp The

The Lamb, the Hero,and lhe Man-God I tile rniracleoi transubstantialiof, however, is ralhera microcos-
_NoONE who is not himselfdivinemay (successfully) mic than a macrocosmic crisis.Divinityitseltcannotbe satd lo
wor- havebeenactuallysummonedand dismissed; ralher,lhe reall
shlp lhe divrnity(radeyo devam arcayet):'33"Havingbecome lhe zation ol dvin ly has been facilitaled.For, whereas lhe adept in
deity. one shouldotler sact\liceloit(devam bitua devamyalet)."3a thecondilron of perteclrealization beholdsand revereslhe whole
The dentityol the hiddennatureol the worshiperwiih lhe god ,,vorld as an rconor seat (pithalof the UniversalPresence.lhe
worshipedis the firslprincipleof lhe Tantricphilosophy oi devo' usua memberot lhe humanherd fpasu)requiresallthe assist
tion.The gods are rellexesin space(whrchis iiselllhe work ol anceof re|g on lo brlnghis mindfromthe common,animal,eco-
mAya-sakli) ol lhai soe realily,Erahman,which s the Sakli ol nomic'polI ca modeol considerrng lhtngs,lo the contemptalive
lhe devolon, the T;lnlricsadhakaapproachesthe Goddessin all tudeol a luminousintuiton.
worsh p fprF.),throughlhe medilativemutler ng al ptayerc ljapa:
lhe recitaton ol the tany of her names),the unrelenling verba The ritesperformedn lhe presenceoi a consecraledimage
repettron(againjapa)ol sacredtormulaefmarllarword-sounds are lhe counlerparls ol the secularritualsoi dai y iite.The god s
which containher essence),lhe makingof menlaland externa welcomedas a guest,wtth flowers,obe sance,washingof the .
oiterings(homa),and one'pointedmedilalionon her nnervision iee1.Iood,waterlof balhing,clothlor garrnenls, tewels,perfume.
(dhyana).He could never hope lo experiencelhe final ideniily l, ncense.offeringsoi variouskinds,praise,and conversation.36
he were nol alreadyconvincedand awareol itfromlhe lrsl. [,4ean- These redound.in turn, to the sancljiication ol dailv lilet for a
while.lo supporl his preliminaryapproach,he sels beforeh s eyes guesl is welcomedwilh the same ceremoniali a oarenlts hon
and m nd an image (Pratika,Pratima)ol the deity.Thls may be a o u r e d a s a g o da, n d a c h i l d a t t e n d e d a s a g o d . T h e s a n c t i l y o l t h e
jtd Le pdl4ln9.sy'nbololsornek nd.or ya^ rd:15- soeca ca:es Presence thusperceptibly peruades the socialsphere. Rilualqes
lt may be a livingbelng,lor exarnple, a virginfkunAipije), at lhe -'6s mudl;, also are e'r"p.oyed ,n the worsFrp. and t-esp, ||-a
words,ar-othe expresstons and supportsol spriual resove.
Thesegeslures,or mudras,atedenticalwilh lhosereDresenled
The fifst act of devolon consistsin conlempating inwardly I Indan magesand uliiizedin the arl of lhe Indiandance.Thev
the mentalimageof the deity and then prolectingthe spifilua .on:l ule a ve table ,a-gLa9aoi lhe handS,flaL -g pos)roF
energy(lejas)ofthatrnnersublle lorminlothe grossouierimage. the mosl sublleamplifications of expressionFor example,when
This consecrationis known as pranpratisfha, lhe cons gnment presenting,rt olfering,lhe vessei oiwater,thefish gesture
(prat,stti) of the vital breath (prana."ll is to be undone agarn at fmaisya
mud,.a/ rs made."Thisis done as lhe expression ol the wishand
lhe conclusionoilhe periodot worshipby a "dismissal'(visaqana) inlenlron lhat lhe vesselwhichconlainswatermay be regarded
of the holypresence,foliowingwhichthe imageis no longerlhe a s a n o c e a nw i l h l s h a n da l l o t h e r a q u a t i c a n i m a l s . T h e s a d h a k a
seat ot a deity (pilha), and may be lhtown away.The worsh per sayslo the Devalaol his worship,this ts but a smailolleringof
sends forthand takes back agarnlhe shiningfofm. lusl as the waterIn lacl,bul so far as my desirelo honoufyou is concerned.
Crealorsends forth and lakes back again into his lnfinte sub- fegardt as tj | \/ereoflenngyouan oceanl3T Or again.whenlh€
stancethe maniloidol the cosmos-and by virtue of lhe same Goddesss nv ted lo take her place,beforethe momenlof wor
nlinilnde(brahman-Atmar)w thin, as wel as the sarnem rac e ol sn p.lhe yatlimudra s made,s nce lhe yon the female orqan,
mayarLaler,wheninitale learnslo recognizeand spontaneously l " o h " o l a n l r a . T h e y o n . c d - - e voeer . e q d . o e o b y tda ; t r r
respondto lhe presence01the divinityeverywhere,n a I th ngs adeplotherlt,rse than as an altar.Thereiore.when the sadhaka
he no ongerrequires lhe pedagogicalass slanceotthLs nlual.but
 Tant|aand Nirvan 75
74 Chapler3

mnemonic suggestion produced by theskikingof thewindfrorn

has allainedto perfection
in ihis disciplinehe can proceedto the
thelungsuponlhe organsof themouth,butthefundamental OIVI
most appropriate and congeniallorm ol payingworshipto lhe
of creation,whichisthecoddessherself as sound.Because this
Goddess,in marthuna,
is heardin the lotusoi the heart,ihat cenleris called anehatatil
Bhitasuddhi,at"Ihe cleansing(suddhrotthe (five)elements is picluredas a ruddylotusof twelvepelals,and is the seatoi
of whrch the body is composed (bhita)," is an indispensable theelement'ail'.
preliminaryto everyTantric rite.Thedevoleeimaginesthe divine "Etherl'ihe filthandultimate element, iscentered inihecakra
power (sakt)as beingasleepwithjnhim,wilhdrawntrornopera-
ol a smokypuple hueand of sixleenpelalsal the levelof ihe
ton inhs grossphysique,coiledaway likea sleepingserpent
(kundalin)) aI lhe rcat ol his spine,in the deep place known as the
throat.ThisrstheVisuddha Cakra,"thecompletely purified."Be-
yond,at the pointbetweenthe eyebrows,is the Lotusol Com-
muEdhAra,"lhe tool (mula) base fadhara)l'The sadhaka then
pronouncesmanlrato arouseher,whilecontrollngcaretullyhis mand (altar.Whiieas the moon,possessing lwo petals,shining
withthegloryot perfected mediation, wherein themind,beyond
nhalatrons,breathingdeeply{irstthroughone nostril then the
thezonesveiledby ihe iiveelements andthus completely free
olhet @renayema),Ioclearihe way for her throughthe spiritual
of the limitations ol lhe senses,beholdsimmediately the seed-
channelfsusumne)thalissupposedtorunlhroughihe inlerorol
formof the Vedas.This is the seal of the Formol forms,where
the spine.He is lhen to thinkof her as aroused.She lifts her
the devoteebeholdslhe Lord-as in the Christian heaven.Be-
head and beginsto move up lhe susumna,louchlng ln her pas- yondis lhe centerbeyondduality,Sahasrara,lhe vari coloured
sage a numberoi "centers"or"lotuses" (caktas,padmas),which
lotusot a thousandpetalsat the crownol the head.HereSakti-
are regardedas the sealsof the elementsot lhe body.The mu adhara
wlro s to be thoughtof as havingascended throughall the lo-
ls ihe seal oi "earth";jt is picturedas a crimsonlotus ol tour
petals.The next center above,called svadhlsthera (sakl's "own tuseso1the susumna,wakingeachlotLrs to full blossomin
passing-isjoinedio Sivain a unionthat is simultaneously the
abode"), is at the level oi the genilalsand is the seal oi the
fulfilmentand dissolution of theworldsof sound.lorm.andcon-
elerrent"watel'iii s plcturedas a vefmiltonlolus ol six petals.
The nexl, ai the level of the navel, is known as manipura,"the
templation.
c|ly (pilra)ol the luslfous gem (manr," so called because 1 is The Tanklcworshiperis supposedto maglne himselfas
the seal of the elemenl'iire".lt is picluredas a blue-black lotusoi having purified
hisbodybysutlusing alltheloluseswiththeawakened
len pelals.Accordingto the psychology of thissystemol lotuses: Saktin th s way(onlya pedected yogibeingcapable oi making
muladhara,svadhislhana, and manipuraare the centerslrom the kundaliniactuallyrise).Meditation((dhyena),ihe rccilatian
whichthe livesoJmosl peopleare governed,whilethe superior ol charmsfiled with the powerof the coddessin the formoi
ceniers represenlhigher modesol experience.The fourth, at the soundfmarfr4,eloquent posluresofthe handsandbodyfmLrdfe),
levelof the head, is the lolusin whichthe firsi realization ol the andthe meditaliveplacjngol the tips ol the fingersand palmoi
divinilyof the worid is experienced.Here, it is sald, the god therighthandonvariouspa s ofthebody, accompanied bVmantra
reachesdowntolouchhisdevotee,Oragain,herethesageshear fnyasaa,3e assislhim in this process,as wellas in that of we!
the sound fsabdal of Brahman.Sounds heard by the ouler ear comingthegod inlolheimageor yantra. The twoprocesses are
are producedby "twothingsstrikingtogetherl' whereasthe sound reciprocal,andconstitutethewholemysteryof ritualistic i ransub-
ofBrahmanis anehab sabda,"Ihesound (sabda)which comes slantialion.Hencewe read,in lho GandharvaTantrc., "A man
without the stfiking of any two things together Gnahah);'3afhis shoud worshipa divinily(deva6)by becomingadivinity himseti.
soundis OM; not the OI\l pronouncedby the lips,whichis but a une shouldnot worshipa divinilywjlhoutoneselfbecoming a
 77
76 Chapler.3

(ihe qualilyoi vigor and aclion)will requirea diiierentsadhana

drvinily.li a personworshipsa divinitywithoutbecominghimselt
And aga n' lrom one steepedln lamas, whilethe godlikeman ol brillanl
a divi; ry.he will not reapthe kuits oJthat worshlp]4c
in lhe yasrslha Raneyana:"11a mar worships Visnu wrlhoul sattvawill be fil ior still anotherway ln the Tantricvocabulary
iruits ol that worsh p thesethreelypesare known,respectively, as vita,lhehero.pasu
h msellbecomingVisnu,he willnot reaplhe d/vya,the godlke. lumr_
ntliare (sadhaka) the dark wi1ledanrmalolthe herd,and
lf heworshipsVsnubybecorninghimselfVsnu'an
.rll oe,orA GlearV snJ tMahawsnu e lhP Belrg l_al s be'
vond the persona aspectof lhe god)l'4rAnd once agaln,Ins It rsnoteworthy, and peftaps asymptomolKsatrlyaprovenrence
l,me n lne Bhal,svaPuzna A tnanshoJld nol nedale o' that n the c assiaTdntricAgamasthe emphass is givento lhe
RudrawilhoulhimsellbecomingFIudra,!2 nor take the name oi vira. the man ol rajasicdisposilion. Accordng lo the idealand
Budra(bymuttefng the "garland" of the god's names)w thoLribe' way ol the Vedanta.ralaswas to be subduedby sattva,all lhe
'4r
comingFiudra; nor wi I he atlain Rud€ withoul becom ng Rudra discplnes be ng foundedon lhe principle ol ihe perleclrnrrror
pond.bLrtn theclassicTanlrlc realizalron the victorywas acnleved
The dcl ol worsLip s neanl lo lacillarea o'ecl rn'red'dle
by way oi the pass ons lhemselves: they were challengeddl_
exDerenceoiwhal lhe sadhakaalreadyknowstheorelicaLly.namely by a knrghtThe
in ihe lem nine formof rectlyfaced.and ridden as a meillesorne sialllon
lhal iva and isvara(lhe latterpreferably pasu, pedeslrian lhe man ol
the complemenlary lormslhrough Jive good lhrnqslwhich tor the the
sakti)are in essenceone, being
field of lhe pairs_olop_ the herd.representonly danger, becamethe pre eminenl vehrcles
wh ch Brahmanbecomes manitest in the
oi attainment. The lve essentialelemenls in the worship of Sakti.'
posites,the crealedworld.The sadhakaconfrontshis devala
lhe MahenivenaTantra stales, "have been prescribed to be wlne.
which s represenledin ihe Jormeitherot an externallmageor or The
meat. lrsh. parched grain, and the unlon oi man with woman
an inleriorvision,on the planeand in the staleof duallsm.yel he practice ol
,,"rcrshlpol Sakti wrlhout lhese live elements is bul lhe
krows that what appearsas two is actuallyone The actrvilyol power
ol this mys_ (
-"vI magc abh;cara: a rtua thal injures or destroys);the
sell-surrender then eads to the perlectrealization
oi lhe illusory sovereignt nature of the indivdua thal is lhe objeclof lhe discipLine is neveraitainedlherebyand
tery. Surrender
obstacles are encounlered at every step As seedsownon bar_
lra;sformshim into a seruanl @esa)oI Ihe d vinlty and ihis
ren rocksdoes nol germ nate, so worship (Pula/wilhoulthese
state.when broughtto pedection,then reveas lo h m hrs own
as the deity itself The fervorol daLy fiveelernenls is lru tless."45 These statements are quoled n ll'le
Iundamenlasovereignty
texl as lhe words 01 Siva to his Sakti, pronounced n the inner
worshiplhfoughbhaktiyogathus awakenslhe hiddendivrnena_
chamberol lheir divinely blissful abode, on the summf ol the
ture in rnan,and divlneecslaticbeatitudefPrema/supervenes
foLowng the momeniot pedectparticipationS rniarly'the son sacred mountain Kailasa,
the weallhyman, in lhe above_ciled parabe of the MahAyana' Neilherlhe sarntlynor the gentlemanly Hinduol today how-
Budclhisl Sadharmapundarika,without know ng l, served hrs ever.tavorslhe boldnessol lhis heroicview-lnstead,the atlltuoe
lalher as a servant,graduallywas advancedin hls estale,and forrnerly assignedtothe Pasuis recommended iorall,lhatnamely
evenluallycamelo realizethat he was himselllhe son and heir of worshipinglhe lile lorce (sakl, not as the B.ide but as the
of the masler.entrlledto all his possessions; indeed,himselllhe Molher.and thus submitting, likea child,to a sorl ol sacramenlal
4q to one ol
nch man,lhe altef-egool his lord castration. "The atlrtudeoi a hero,"'saidRarmakrishna
B,l lne le< a.d graoesoi servce are governedov lhe sprl_ lhe mostworldlyol his devotees,GirishChandraGhosh,a suc'
rtualcharacterot the devoteeThis is a basicprincipleof al In-
cessfuldramalLst and lhe directorol the Calculla"StarThealre:
''The
d an psychological trainingThe personalilyendowedwilh rajas atttude ol a, hero'is not good. Some peoplecherishit
 7a Chapler,3 Tanlraand Nirvan

Theyregardthemselves as Purusaand womanas Prakrlj;they mistress or lookon oneseltas her handmaid' or as herchild l
wantto propitialewomanlhroughtheirintercourse with her.But lookon womanas mY molher.To look on oneselJ as her handmaid
this methodoltencausesdisasler." s also good; but lt ls extremely diflicult lo practice spiritualdisc_
GIRISH:'At one limelloo cherished thatideal, plinelooking on womanas one's.mislress Toregardoneser as
herchild is a verv pure allitude."a/
Sri Ramakrishna gazedat Girishpensivety, in silence.
And on anoiheroccasion: "Sakti alone is the rootol lhe
GIRISH: "l stillhavethal twistin my mind.Tellme what I andav dya
universe. ThatPrimalEnergy lwo aspects:vidya'which
has
shoulddo." up woman and gold casts
Avidyar deludes. Avidyaconjures
RAI,4AKRISHNA (lotlowinga momentol silen!consideration): the spell.Vidy:tbegelsdevotion, kindness, wisdom' and love'
"GiveGod yourpowerolattorney, LetHimdo whateverHe tjkes. whichleadone io God.This avidya mustbe propitiated, and thai
Abruplly,theconversation wasthenlurnedlo a discussion is the ouroose ol thierlies ol Saktiwotship
oi
Ramakrishna's younger devotees. "The devoteeassumesvariousallitudesloward Sakli n
RA\,IAKBlSHNA orderio propitiale Her:lheattitude ol a handma d' a hero,'or a
tto Citishand theresil "in rredilar,on I man pLeases a
see theinnertraitsofthese youngsters.Theyhavenolhought ch1ld. A hero'sattilude is to please Her even as a
oi
acqurringhouseand property. Theydo not crave sex pleasure. womanlhroughIntercourse.
Thoseol the youngsterswhoare marrieddo not sleepwithlheir .The worshipol Sakti is extremelydifficult lt is no ioke l
wives-Thetruthis thatunlessa manhasgor ridof rajasand has oassedlwo vea;sas lhe handmindandcompanion of the Divine
acqurredsattva,he cannolsteadilydwellin God;he cannottove I\,4other. Bul my nalural attilude has always been that of a child
Godand realizeHim." toward ils mot_her. I regard the breasts ol any woman as thoseol
myown mother. Woman ale, all of them, the verilable images ol
GIRISH: "Youhaveblessed me."
Sakli."a3
RAMAKRTSHNA: "Howis that? | saidthal you woutds!c-
ln theclassic TanficAgamas threevarielles oi sadhana are
ceedif youwerestncere-" good
orescribed lor the various temperaments Thal of the "five
BeloreGirishcouldrespond, Sri Bamakrishna cried,wilha thinos]aswe havedescribed lhem,is lor the vira Butforthe
shoutot joy,"Anandamayi !" andthe companysawhim-as lhey pasi,thesearestilllhe "fiveforbiddenthings" Andso theterm
had beheJdhim manylimesbefore-pass abruptlyfrom normal "wine"(madya)s inlerpretedin his caseto meancoconulwaler'
consciousness to thelrancestateof divineabsotption(samedhi). m i l k .o r s o m eo t h e ri n d i c a t e "ds u b s t i t u t i o n as lu b s t a n c e
Heremained abstracted forsometime,butpreseny moved,and (anukatpataltva). Similarly,insteadof "meat" (memsa),he par
soon.was backagain,vivaciously participaling
in lhe conversa- lakesol wheat-beans, ginger,sesamum, sall'or garllc'ano ln_
steadoi "fish" (mastya),lotrcd ftdish, red sesamum,masur(a
Oneof his"youngslers" had inquired, on a rormeroccasron: kindol grain),thewhitebinjalvegetable, and paniphala (anaquatrc
"lsn'tii lruelhatlhe Tantraprescribes spiritual
discipline in the planl)."Parchedgrain"(mudr4in thelormo{ rice' wheat,paddy,
companyol women?" etc.,is permilied, but insteadol maithuna, childlike submissicn
"That,"the l\,4aster is recommended belorethe Divinel\4other's LotusFeet4e
had replied,"is nol desirable.lt is a very
d ii cult palhand oflencausesthe aspiranfsdownlall-Thereare Thed vya.thegod.man ol oureslsaltvaontheolhet'land 's
three suchkindsot discipline. Onemayregardwomanas oie's iar.iar bevondbolhthe "substitutional," saJe-and-sane sadnana
 80 Chapler.3 81

ol lhe prous arnb,bul also beyondlhe learless,chivalricexper Whereasthe momenllhe ris ng lorce lhen enlerslhe ultimale
encesof lhe hero.For h m no externalimageor sacramenlwhal lhousand-petalled lotusatthecrownotthe head(1hesahasrara),
soevers required. Hence,in the rereadrng ol the"tivegoodthings where Siva and Saktiare one, the knowledgeol duaily is in
as pfescrbed for lhe divya," w ne' (maCya)tsnotany iqu d, bu1 sheerexperience transcended, and lhe staleof theyogibecomes
lhat nloxcalingknowiedge acquiredby yoga ot lhe Parabrahman lhal ol nirvikalpasamadh: reaizationof the dentityoi Atman
whrchr€ndersthe worshtpersenselessas regardsthe external 'beyonda I imilations" (nirvikalpa),where balJ.'
wilh lhe Brahman
urofld Meal fmamsalisnoianyfteshtything, bul theactwhereby Ihe suo-ecld_d rs I rgreglobleclare a4nlrlldle5l
lhe sadhakaconsignsal hrs actsto t\te rmm).lhal s, 1heLord
(lhis.of course,is a pun)_ Fish' fmatsyalis lhat sallvicknowt- "Thereis one simpe lesl wheiherlhe Sakli (= kundalini)is
edgeby whichihroughthe senseot mrneness( a ptayupof the acluaily arousedl'wriles SirJohnWoodrotte. Whensheis afoused
word malsya)lhe worshipersympathizes wilh the pteasureand intenseheatis ie t at lhal spot,but whenshe leavesa particular
p a n o i a l b e i n g s .M u d r e i s l h ea c l o i r e I n q us h n g a I a s s o ca - centerlhe partso leftbecomesas coldand apparenllylilelessas
lionw lh evi whichresullsn bondage. Wh e cotion (maithuna) a corpse,The progressupwads mayihus be exlernallyvefified
s the Lrnon of the SakliKundattni, the InnerwornanandWor d, by olhers.Whenthe Sakli(Power)has reachedthe upperbraLn
lorce n lhe lowesicenter (mihdhan caka) ol the sadhakas fgahasrara) the whole body is cold and corpseiikeiexceptthe
own body wilh the supremeSiva in the higheslc entet (sahasran) top ol the skul , whefesomewarmlh s Jell,lhis beingthe place
in his upperbrain.5c wherelhe staticand kinelicaspectsof Consciousness unite.5r
.Somelimes the Spirilualcurrentrises lhroughthe splne,
For.rr'hereas lhe pasuor viradevoteepractrcng bhirlasuddh
rtual purrficaiion crawing like an anl,"Ramakrishna lold a circleol his ntimale
{lhe ol the elementsof the bodv in oreoaralron
I o r d a . ' o l o u a , i s t cw o r s - p ) ' r h a s t o , m a q , n e r - e o . l . , y r . g ff ends. "Sometirnes, in samaldhi, the soul swimsjoyfully in the
ascenl of the KLlndalini oceanoi divrne ecstasy,lke a lish.Somelimes, when I lie down
throughthe cenlersor lotuses/cakras.
padmas,of the susumna,the divya,adeplin the exercses ol lhe on rny srde,I feelthe Sp rilual curfenl pushing me ike a monkey
Tanlrc Kundaini Yoga,actuallybringslh s psychosomalic and playing wilh me loyfuly, I remains sli L That currenl,like a
rn ra- is
c eto pass.Asanaand mudra(propersealand posture).pralnavama monkev.suddenlywithonelump reachesthe Sahasrara.That
(conlrolol the breath),dhyanaand mantra(inleriorvisuatizatton why you see me jump up with a stari.
and the concentrated recitalionof cerlain,,seed', soundsand lor, "Sometimes, again,lheSpirilualCurrentriseslikea birdhop_
mulae),lollowinga longand severepretiminary trainingrnphysr_ p ng lrom one branchto anolher.Theplacewhereil restsfeels
cal and emolronalsell-purification, lead actuallvto a ohvsical like iire. lt mav hop lrom MirlZldhara to svadhsthana. lrom
e t l e cwr L . h ' s o e s c b e oa s t h a( h a - n e ' n go l a l r t n ee - e , 9 r e o st Svadh sthAnaiolhe heart,andthus graduallylothe head.Some'
lhe bodyinloa subtlechannelup the interor ol the sp ne lsusumna). timesthe spiritua Current moves up llke a snake. Go ng in a
l^ t_,s casA lhe se oi t-e serpenlpower' \\unddttnttana zigzag way, at last it reaches the head and lgo nto samadhl.
owaLe'1 no ol lhe loluses tpddmas)does.ol -avelo oe,maq- is not awakenedun ess his
"A man'sspirilualconsciousness
I ed. rl aclLdllycomes lo pass. Ano when the 5xth center:s ln the [4irladhara.When
Kundallni is aroused.The Kundalinl dwells
allained-the "Lotusol Command"/a/ral betweenlheeyebrows passes Susumna nerve,goes lhrough
rl is aroused.it alongthe
lFe I ord lisvara',sactua,lyseen,not stmplyt.nagined. ano lhe so on, andal lasl reaches
lhe cenlercotSvadisihana,ManipJra, and
beholder is complelelylost in savikalpas:lmadhi-comrnunion movement of lhe Mahavayu, the Spir
lhe head.This is calledlhe
w th lhe Erahman"wlth limilations" (savikalpa),where the dis- n
ilualCurenl. lt cu mlnates samadhi.
trnclon belweenthe subjectand the personatGod is retained.52
 a2 Chapler3
Tant.aand Nifvan

"One'sspiritualconsciousness is nol awakenedby the mere

readingofbooks.Oneshould praylo God.TheKundaliniisaroused Fromlhe Lolusol Thy lear-scallering
FeetflashThy love'slight-
if the aspiranl teels reslless lor God. To lalk ol knowledgeJrom ening;
merestudyand hearsay!What willlhal accomplish? ThySp nt Faceshineslorthwilhlaughierlerrbleand loud.57
"Justbeforemy attainingthis slateof mind,it had been re-
vealedto me how the Kundalilnlis aroused,how the lotusesol 3
the dilterenlcenlersblossomforth.and howall thisculmnalesin A the cods within Us
samadhi.This is a very secret experience. I saw a boy twenty-
two or tweniy-three yearsold,exacllyresemblingme, enlerlhe N THE Ja na and kindredteachings, maller s descrbed as
Susumnanerveand communewilh ihe iotuses,touchingthem of an nert and lelessaajiva) character. The ruthlessasceticism
with hs tongue.He beganwilh the cenlerai lhe a minusand oJlhe "nakedph losophers" (the 'gymnosophists" who aslounded
passed throughthe centersol the sexualorgans,navel,and so AlexandersGreeks)to owedlogicallyfromtheirresolulion lo be
on. The differenl loluses of lhose cenlers-fourpetalled, s x pet- steri zedol thisdeadmaterialandthusrenderedoristine oure.
alled,and so Jorlh-had beendrooping. At his touchtheystood l!minous,and perlecl.Likeballoonsleavinglhe earlhbelow-lhe
erect. earth, ts almosphere, and evenlhe ultimalestratospheric enve-
''Whenhe reached lope-their lile'monads wereleavingbeneaththem, trailby kail,
lhe hearl-ldislinctly rememberit-and the universalbandagesol lileless"life"As we have seen, lhe
communedwiththe lotuslhere,touchingil with his tongue,lhe forcern Indiaoi thatpre'Aryan,dualistic, yogicpointol viewwas
twelve-pelalledlotus,which was hanginqhead down, stood erect so grealthal evenlhe exuberantmonismoi lhe Brahmansinally
andopenedits Petals.Then he cameio the sixleen,petalled lotus submitledto ils lile-searingnlluence.Gladually,the vigorousworld-
in the throaland the two,petalled lotusin the throaland the two- aiiirmationoi lhe Vedicperiodunderwenta slrangelycontradic-
petalledotus n the forehead_ And lastoJall,the lory change,unl I, in whalis generallyregardedas the suprerne
lhousand-petalled lotLrsin the head blossomed.
Sincelhen I nondualstlcdeslgnalion oi Brahmanas sat, cit, ananda\"pwe
havebeen in lhis state."' be ng,conscioLrsnes, andbliss,"absoluiely uninvolvedin lhe bond-
"Waken,O IVotherl" age, ignorance, and miseryoi the worldillusion) the yogicprinci-
wroteBamprasad, "O Kundalnl,whose
ple won its most impressrve triumph.For althoughil is true that
natureis BlissEternaLlThou
art lhe serpentcoiledin s eep, n the
insteadol the pre-Aryan, jaina,and Yogaidealof the "isolation-
lotusol the Muladharal"s6
inleg?lior" (kaivalya)ot separate lile'monads (j)vas,purusas)
"ln dense darkness,
O l\rother,"
runs anotherwonderfulsona, the new goal was that oi reunion wiih the one Saccidananda
"Thylorrnlessbeautysparkles': Brahman.one-wilhoul-a-second." neveriheless lhis nondualre-
In dense darkness,O Mother,Thy formlessbeaulyspar- union,this recognition ol an identitywhich in realityhad never
kles;Thereforethe yogismedilatein a dark mountarncave. been fodeited. was undersloodas being synonymous with a
refutalion ol lhe lalse nolion ol lhe exislence o{ a cosmos: a
Inthe lap ot boundlessdark,on lvahanirvana's
wavesupborne, dissolulicnolthe "superimpositi6n" due to "ignorance".'Thalwhich
Peacellows serene and inexhauslible, is untouchedby the sixlold wave fol decayand death,hunger
Takingthe lorm oJlhe Void,in the robe ot darknesswrapped, andthirst,grietanddelusionl,medilateduponby lhe yogi'shea
Who art Thou, l\,4olher,
seated alone in the shrine of sameldhi? but not graspedby the sense'organs, whichthe tacullyol inlui-
tlon fbuddhi)cannol know,and which is laullless (anavadyam)l
 84 Chapler-3 Tantraand Nirvan 85

a r t l h o u m e d i t a t eu p o n l h i sn t h y m n d . " s e T h e
t h a tB r a h m a n
saTne,bas c asceticallitudeol reieclon asthalwhrch n lhe
pre Aryanpaslhassunderedhumanexperenceintothe spheres
ol ajlvaand ilva,was now discriminating belweensams,lraand
nirvana,whi e str vingfor denlification ("$/ilhoul remalndef')
lhe un mp caled lerm.
And yel, on lhe olher hand,lher I ourishesin Inda, srdeby
s de wilh lhrs attitudeoj negalon, a vigorousall rmaton ot lhe
worldol i ux and trme,wh ch is jusl as iearlessand absolute.n
its own way,as lhe unflnchrngsell-transcendence ol lhe yogis
n thal and the greal humaneftort, ookingerlherway, seems
a waysto havebeento breakthe al loo humanI mrtations of the
rnlndby rneansof "inhuman"iechnq!es. The ldealsand d scr
p Inesof lhe castesare inhuman" humansl callyspeakng;and
in a sense,every Indlan, one way or anolher, s a yogi:for
bhakti,lhe popularHindu"path of devolon," is itseliyoga: an
nlernal"yoking'oi lhemindtoadivineprnciple.Whereverbhakli
s carriedto an u timaleslatement,as for inslance)n1heBhagavacl
Gila and lhe sacramentsol lhe Tantrlc "iive good th ngs"
(pancalattva), the secularinitialeis inspiredto a challengeand
assirnilalon ot lhe lmmareniaspectol absoluleBeing,wh ch is
no ess audacrous lhan the correspondlng eliorl, n the penilen-
liai groves, to assimilatethe transcendenl
The Brahmanm nd, in otherwords,did not captulateuncon-
d tionaiy to the pr nc ple of world rejeclion.The psychophys ca
problerns posedby the Vedicmonistph losophylhat matured
dur ng the periodol lhe Upanisads areas opento wor d'assertrve
as lo negatingreples.Themoreamplydocurnentednd an philo
sophicaltendency, andthe one lirstencountered by lhe Western
scholars wasthatrepresented in lhe schooisoi theVedarntaand
Hinayana but rn recenlyears lhe powerand profundilyot the
Tdnlricsystemhavebegunto be appreciated, andtherewth has
been laci taied a new underslanding of Indan lfe and art. In'
deed. one cou d onlyhavebeenamazedhad rl beenlolrndthat
n the rnostdurableciv izationknown10 hislorythe sole nle ec
llal responselo sucha d ctumas "Al ls Brahrnan'had ben thal
of a monaslc renuncralion of the manilesllor lhe Lrnmantleslas'
pectof the metaphysicai equation.Had we not learnedwhatwe
now know ol the philosophy of the TantrlcAg:rmas;we shoud
have had to positsomesuchtradition; for as the ndian centu-
ries opentheirsecrelslo us we becomemoreand moTeawareol
wdh the powerofsomethngverydifferentlrom the sublimaled me an
cho y of the monks,in lhe lile ovi.g Hinduconlempationol the
delcac es ol the world of nameand form.In the majesticscr]lp-
tura renderng of SivaTrimirrtiatElephanta,se in lhe now we i-
known South Indian bronzes of the Dancing Siva,60in the
phantasmagor c "foamand m st" styleol the greaimaslerpieces
of Bhaja,Mamallapuranr, and E|)ra,61as wel as in the Indan
aeslhetrc phenomenon whichJhaveelsewhere descrbed as that
of "expandng iorm,62a stupendous dionysianatfirmation ol the
dynamismof the phenomena spectacies rendered,wh ch ai
onceaff rrnsand lranscendsthe apprehendedtrailsof the indi
vidualandhis cosmos.Prakrl hetsel lnatun naturans,nol lhe
merelyvis b e s!rface oi thrngs)s hereporlrayed with no re'
sistanceto her charrn as She gives blrthto the oceansof ihe
worlds. Indivdua s-mere waves,meremoments,in the rap dly
tlowing,unendng torrenlof ephemerallorms-are tanglbly present;
bul theiriangibiltyrtsei is s mplya geslure,an affectionale f ash
oi expression on lhe olherwisenv sible countenance of lhe God-
whose play f/i/al is the universeof her own beauiy.
dess l\,4o1her
ln this dionysianvis on lhe indvidua is at once devaluated and
renderedd vine,maleclicwiththe maiestyoj Natureherselland
rnyslicallyshelleredin ihe very maelstfomoi the world.
Such a view, obviously,s nol tl for all. li can appea lo
only cerlarntypes and tastes: the ar slocralc, ior example,or
the art st c, andth6 ecstatic.
An intellectualemperament , though
perhaps appreciatveoi the torrentialmagniludeot such a vi-
sion,willremain,necessarly,somewhatcool,relusng 10respond
to it with the whole personalty.That is why thrs vrew though
certanly perennia n lndia-s ess well docurnented in ilera-
ture,lheology, and ph losophylhanin lheworks otart.The lexls
are lrorllthe handsol inielectuals,by nalure endowedforthe
abslractrealzationsof the way of disembodied thoughl f/tena
yoga);bul lhe art workshavepouredirom lhe handsol cralls-
 Tanta and Nirvan a7

newlormalion of theirsubstance. Slch isthemiracle ot the enigma,

men commissionedby weallhymerchantsand a ristocrais-all the N/ayaSakti.Hers,therefore,is an eroticlife-philosophy, precisely
chi dren.lhe servanls,or the willingheroesof the Goddess;per_ the oppositeand exactcomplimenl of lhe slerilizing,stern,sub,
haps proloundlvrespectiuloi her morethoughttulsons yet lnlr' lme, asceticthinking of theJaina-Sankhya schools.
rnalelvaware,all ihe time, thalthereare riches,boons,andwon
drousparadoxical insightsthatShe holdsin storeonlytor those The concernol the latteris lo divide,to cleanse oi each
wholrulydoteon Het andwhichlhehaughtydiscrlminators, dedF other,andfinallyto separateiorever,the lite-principle, which rs
cated lo lhe transcendental One-wiihoul-a-second,can nevershare Incorporeal, and the principleof bothgrossand subtle matter,
whichis liie-conditioning, life-slainingand-obscuring. Inthelong
Throughoutihe known historyoi lndia these two poinlsol courseof Indianthought,thissternasceticattitudehasbeenable
view have operated in a dialecticprocess ot antagonisticcoop lo celebraleils momentsol viclorv,and lhesemomentshave
eralionto bringto passihe majesic evolullonof art, philosophy, contributed immeasurably lo ihe recolouringand renovationof
rtualand religron, political,social,economic,and iteraryiorms,
Indan life.Butthat life itself,in accordance withits own innate
whlch we knowtoday as the miracle ol Indian civllizationBy dialeciic principle of lransJormalion, hastheninevitably broughl
an.l large,lt canbe sa d that the nondualworld_affirmal on ol lhe
to passa new miracleof absorption, assimilaiion, and restaie-
VedicBrdhmans, wilh itswiderswing and grealerdepth, has been
menl:timeandtirneagain,great,vigorous,tropicalIndiahas
the dominantand viclorlous to
contributor lhe development. To
p
adoptedthe sublimeway ot slerilization, the way supremely
the pluralistic'rea dualism
isllc,ldealistlc oi jaina_Sankhya stam represented in lhe teachingsof the Buddhaand in Sankara's
we can ascribe only a preliminaryand provocalve roe By
Vedanta;bui alwaysthe powersand wisdomof the erotic-para-
virtueof a blood andvlgourslechniqueot phi osophlzing In para-
doxicalmonismol life-and ofthe Brahmanunderstandino-has
doxes,continually.estabiishing lhe essentiajunilyoi lerms and again successtully reassertedits ,orce.
sphereslhatwouldlogicallyappearlobe antagonistic, the ferlie
thoughto{ Brahmanism broughtlogether,tused,and
Lrnfailingly Brahman,sakli,the force-substance of Indiannondualphi-
transcendedthe pairs-of-opposiles, whichwerethenallowedto losophy,is the principlelhat enters,peruades, andanimatesthe
proceedagainfromeacholherln a brilliantdialecUcal play;Brahmanic panoramaand evolutionsof nature,but as the samelime is ihe
thoughlbeingthe philosophic counterpart and expression ol the animatedand pervaded,enleredfieldor matterof nature 1tsell
(prakrli,nalura ,'aturars);thusil both inhabitsandisthe mani-
lite-processitseli, a refleclionin conceplual terms ol the
pd'adoxoogy ol ltles unceasinqdynamrsn fesleduniverseand all its forms.As lhe unceasingdynamisrn of
the lransiiorysphereof becomingand witheringaway,it livesin
Food,ilesh,and bloodbecometransformedin alivingbody a I thechanges of birth,growth, anddissolution.
inlo mpulses,emotions, feelings,lhoughl,and lnspiration-These
inturn conditionandmoveihebodilvframeThenthe decomposi_ But, simultaneously, it is remotefromthis sphereoJchange;
lor in ils quiescent,dormanttranscendentaspecl il knowsno
i on oi the samebodyalterdealhconvertsit intothe leemingliie
phasesand is detachedformboththe livingand the dead.The
oi worms and vegetation,whichagain is Jood.Thereis a con-
ol namesascribed to it are concessions to the humanmind.This
tinuous circuitof metabolism,an unending translormation
m nd, however,being itselfol the essenceot the unutterable,
opposiles into each other.And lhis realltyof becomingis what is
may be louchedto Sell-recollection by properlyhearingone or
mifiored in the Brahmanicmonisi conceptionof maye The per_
pellal motionof thingsturnjng inlo each olher is lhe realily
anoiherof the tinallyinadequatenames.The nameBrahman,
saccidananda Brahman, is misleading; lor il suggests thatlhe
denoted by the icon of lhe Goddess.The temale conceives by Iranscendenlls.The narneVacuity,Sinyata,the Void,is mis-
the rnaleand transformshis seedinlotheircommonoffspringa
 88 ChapteF3 Tanlraand Nirvan 89

leadingajso;tor it suggeststhat the lranscendentls not Per- oJ sociopolitically.As a result, the entire context o{ the plblic
haps,though,lhe hner is the lessmisleadingandtheretorethe Indian laith has been reinterpreted.The rites and religiosityol
betterterm;for it doessuggest lranscendence, falherlhan delin- conlemporaryIndiaexhibitin everytraitthe proloundinlluenceol
ableexistence, Neverlheless, thedifferenceis nolseriouslyworth thisTankic view;indeed,they have ben torc€nturiesmoreTanlric
anargumenl- Asa clueealherterm willserve. whereas il notprop- than Vedic.In spite of vestigialremains ol the archaic snobbism
erly undersloodneithermeansa thing. ol caste, native :ndian liie is shol lhrough with the radianceoi a
Bnihmanphjlosophy producedhs laslsynthesizing realizationol universaldivinity.In conkast to lhe allilude ol Job
stalement
who cried oul toYahweh:"Whatis man, thatlhou shouldestmag'
in the courageous esolericisnol the Tankasand in the Tanlric
l,lah?ryana (thelaltersurvivinglodayin the snow,ctadsummits nitv him ?" the Indian,by shatteringhis ego, equates himsell wilh
God. transcends God. transcends God, and is al peace in the
and highdalesofTibet),wheretheoldAryanlrenzyfor non-dual,
knowledgeol himseltwith God, transcendsGod, and is at peace
ismandthe paradox,,oreverassertingihe unityof incompatibles,
in the knowledgeol himselfwith God, lransc€nds God, and is al
lruitlullycombinedwiih its own incompalible-thearchaicmatri"
pgace in lhe knowledgeol himself as Brahman "The Mother is
linealworld-leeling of lheaboriginal civilizalion
of India.Whatthe presenl in every housel'writes Ramprasad "Need I break lhe
Vedicsageshad recognizedin the heavensof the macrocosm,
the Tantricadepltell dwellingbodilywilhinhimself,in the micro- news as one breaks an earlhen pot on the iloor ?"
cosm,and he naned it, also,"God."Hence,whereasthe mem- FOOTNOTE
bersoi the Brahmancaslein Vedictameshad coniuredthe hoty
Wwet (tuahman)W meansof publicsacrilices,theTdntricdevotee, 1 Supra,pp- 534.535.
ol whatevercaste,by rneansof the simple,essentiallypersonal 2 The Gospet of Si RArDakl,shta,Itanslatod with an introduceby
ritualsof the circlesof Tiankicinitiates,sacrilicedhis own ego SwamiNikhilananda, NewYo*, 1942,p.858
andthereby coniured theholypowerfsaklrolhjsownphenomenality 3 /b.,p. 284.
inlo manifestation in his lile.Thegoodsservedby the BrAhmans
hadbeenthoseoflhe community;the 4 Conlrastsupra,p.439.
godworshiped bytheTantrist
was hasown, his ista-devatA, his chosenbeloved-whichVel 5 Brahmanas Being(sst),Consciousnes(cit),and Aliss (Anada)
wasidenricalin essencewithwhatever deatywasanwhereadored; Cl. suua,p.425.
tor "lt is onlya food,"slatesthe Sammohana lenlra,.Who sees 6 The Gospelot Sri Befiakishna, pP-343'346.
any differencebelweenRama and Siva.'63 The eligibilityol the 7 Knownas mayathe Vedanta;cf. supta,pp.425'427SaKi isYum
Erahmanto serveand conjurethe gods of.ihe communilvhad ot theYab-Yum icon;ct. supta,pp.556-559.
restedIn the highrankol hiscaslein thatcomm,rnitv, wh;reas 8 Thisideaottheplay fiile)ol the Godheedin lh6 tormsotthe world
the eligibilityof theTentricdevoteereposedin the ripenessolhls is fundamentalto th€Tantricviewand is lhe Hinducounlerparlol
mrndandpowe.ofexperience.'The Brahman whois a descend- the Mahayana-Buddhist Mahbsukha ( supra,p. 554).
ent of a Rsi,or holysage,"we readin lhe Satapalha Brehmana,
''isallthegodsl's 9 TheGospelolS Remakishna,pp. 133-135.
"l amlhe Deviandnoneother."thinkstheTantric
devotee- "l am Brehoanwhois beyondallgriel.lam a formot 10 For an accountol the idsals and hisloryol lhe BrahmoSamaj
Saccidananda whosetruenalureis eternalLiberation-"65 (toundedin 1828 by Ririi RammohanRov)' sse Swimi
Nikhilananda'sintroduction lo TheGospalol S Rama-l'rishna,pp
The ideaof the godhoodof lhe individual is thusdemocra- 40-42.A distinguished ligur€in the movemonlwas Devendranalh
lrzedin theTantra,becauseunderstoodpsychologically instead Tagore(1817-1905),lathsrol lhe NobelPrizepoel,SirRabindranalh
 90 .h.^ra,-? 91
Tantraand NiNan

( 1 8 6 i -1 9 4 1 ) .
26 TaiftitiyaBAhmana2.8.8; cl. s.rpla,pp-345'347
1 1 /0.,pp. 135-139{witha,ew brietmtssions).
2 7 Cl. supa, pp. 447-455.
The Agamas (T:rntdcwritings)a,rdivjdedinlo five main groups
accordingto the personification 2A Ct. suDra,o.52.
cehbrat€d: Snrya{tho sun god),
Ganesa('Lordoflhe Hosls,'theeteohant-headed sonofsiva, who 29 Cl. supra,p.459.
is the Indiancounlepartof Hermes. breakerot lhe wav and ouide 3 0 cited by Woodrolle,op.cil., p.593.
of rhesul).Sakli.Siva,andVisnua!etastthreebeinotoO"u6ut",
the mosr rmporrant. Tant!ic prin€,oiesand
practiceshiuu OJ"nup. 3 1 woodrotte,op. cil., pp.l587-588.
pliedalsotothewo|shap ottheMah4ilaAuddhas andBodhisa[vasi
th€ Yab-Yllmsynbolish is Tanlric.
Om Dhamedhatma-havirdipb etmegnan manasa stuca
For a discussionbolhoflhisdevetopment andofths symbotism of Susumnevadmanenityam aksvrtUr iuhomyaham: Svehe
lhe Goddess, cl. Zimmef,MythsatuS@bolsin tndianA and CivL (Tantraasera op.cit.,p.559.)
698; Woodrotf€,
lizalion p. 9O-1O2and lSgfli atso l)e Kingand rhe Colpse parl l ,
'The Romance
of lhe Goddess.' Iho setp€rtpowe(3td te'
33. Ct.ArthurAvalon(SirJohnWoodroffe),
The Gospel of Sn Remkishna. e 116. visededilion,Mard€s and London,1931,p 120
1 5 KularanavaTantra, citedbySirJohflWoodrotfe, Shaktjand Shakta,
3rd edition,Madtasand London,1929, 3 4 An exampleol ryasa in Ch slianwoGhipis the makingof lhe sign
p.7.
of th€ cross,louchinglirsi lhe forohead("inlhs nameol the Fa-
/0.,p.8. Forlhel€rm sasfa cf. sr,?,?, p.36. lhel), thenthe breast("andolthe Son"),lholeftshoulder('andol
'17 Dhesh Chandra
Sen, History
ot Belgatt
Languagean(!I itczture. the Holy.'),ight shoulder('Ghosf), andfinallybringingth6 palms
C a l c u n a1.9 1 1o. . 7 r 4 . tocelherinlheoositionofsalulalionknownto th€ Hindusasari./?i,'
w;ich is the cl;ssic christianmudraof prayor('Amen").
1 8 supla,p. | 561 cf. E-J-Thompson, X poetot the peoote;'TheLon_
ctonOuanenyPeview,CXXX,Fiftf$ies,XVtUuty_October. r9t8). Theaulhorsol The PtittciplesolTantaledit€dby ArthurAvalon,2
p.71. vols.,Londor,1914-1916), haveaptliciled (pp.lxxnlxxiDlhe tol'
lowingslalemenlfromthe Councilol Tr6nt"TheCalholicChurch,
1 9 The Gospel ol Sri RAmakishhatp.j39. richwithths expeienceof ths agesandclothedwilh th€hspend
20 Cl. supa, p.41. or, hasintroduc€dmysticb€nedictionfnart E),incise(dtrpa), waler
2 1 The Gospell ol si Renakn:shra,p.139. @canan4padya,dc.),lighls (dipa),b€lls (gharl4, ffowo|s (puspa)
veslmeols,and all the magnific€nce of ils cer€monies in ordsrlo
Mudraalso denoleslhe mystichandposturesthat ptaysuch an excitelhe spiil ol religionlo the contemplalion ot lhe prolound
importantrolein Indianritualandad.Thisasth€ ontvmeaninoot mysterieswhich lhoy revaal.As are ilsfaithtul,the Churchis com_
the word giv6nin ths Sanskritdioonaries.
We read.t"**"i ," posedol both body (deha)and soul (atmar). lt lh€r€for€ renderc
the YoginiTanta l9h.V l): "F iedpaddyandlhe tike,in tact atl to lhe Lord 0svara)a doublg worship,exteior fuehya'pniA)and
such lcereals]as arechewe&--arecltedMudre'(citedby Woodrofie, inlenot henasa-pij ,the lanerbeingtheprayer/ (vadana)otthe
op.cil., p. 571). laithtul,the breviaryol ils piesl, andthe voiceol Him everinler_
23 Cl. Supra, pp. 554-5559. cedinoin our fevef,andthe torm€rthe outwardmolionsof the lit-
urgy.'lfnlerpolations by authotsol TheP nciptesotTantta)
24 GandharvaTantE 2i Woodrotfe, ol cit.,p. S3B. ol the chrislian lo lh€Tantic service,
As lo the hrsloicalrelationship
25 YoginiTantta1)Woodlolle, op. cit.,p.493. thatis a delicalematt€ryet lo be invesligat€d.
Fof the lerm as/a/ra,cl. supra,pp.155.j60. Citedbv AdhufAvafon,TheGreatLibealion,Maltas,1927,p. 109,
 92 Chapter-3

36 VasisrhaFamayana( Yoga-vasislha, ciledih.).

37 Rudrais lhe viol€nl,world-destructive aspoctof Siva.
38 BhavisyaPurena.(A\alonciles,in Ir€ ArcalLibenUansomewhal
ctosety,AgniPunna.).
41 Saddharma-punddka 4; cl. supra,pp. 508-509.
42 MaheniruenaTantta5. 22-24. (Transtationby Avaton, The Grcat
Liberation, pp. A9-9O1.
43 The Gospelot Si Remakishna,p.682.
tb.,p. 123.
4 5 /b.,p. 116.
Woodtotte,Shaktiahd Shakta,pp. 569-570. Chapter-4
47 NilamaniMukhyopadhyay a, Pancatattva-vican. p. a5:Woodrotte,
Shaktiand Shekta,p. 567. Olher sublimalsdreadingsot the
Metaphysicsof Tantra
pahcatatva apearin oth€rtens; cl. Woodrofle,pp. 495-500,568-
569.
48 Ct. supfa,pp. 584-585.
49 Cl. supra,pp. 435-436.
50 Cl. supra,pp. 436.437.
5l Avalon, Ihe SerpentPowet,pp.21-22.
52 TheGosspelolS Remakishna,pp.829-830.
53 /b.,p. 363.
54 lb.,p.692.
55 Sankara, Vivekacudemani 256.
56 Cl. Zimmer, Mythsand Symbolsin lndian Art and Civilization,pp.
148.151, and fig.33.
pp.
57 /b., 151-175, andfig.38.
58 /b.,pp.53-54,117-121,187-188,andtigs. 1,27,28,55,59,and
60.
59 /b.,pp. 130-136.
60 SamnohanaTantn9;Woodfoffe,Shakl/ard Shakla,p. 53.
61 Satapatha
BrAhmana12.4.4.6.
p. A1.
62 Woodrofle,Shaktiand ShAkta,
Chapter-4

A. Tanlra Schootsi
Tanlrais morea Sedhanasystemlhana merephilosophical
dascourse. ll's a processof identilicationof one'sown potential
andactualpowers of bodymind complex.To bgawareof lhe power
or the realizationof poweris priorto its deification.
Tantragives
bothnamely, theprocessotawareness ol powersandalsomethod
of its deification.
Thethstportioncoversilsmetaphysics whilethesecondrefers
io SadhAnasystem.Any Sadhanasystemis relatedwilh lhe
concepiol God, Worid,individualselt elc., and as such, it is
basedon somemelaphysical prjnciples.TheTantricsystemhas
its own metaphysics and Sadhanasystefi.
In courseol time ot its developmenl, Tantrahas developed
differentschoolsboth in metaphysics and in Sadhaneaspecl.
Saivism,SaktismandVaisnavism arethe majorschoolsof Tantra
whileDaksinacarra, Vemdcara, l\,,lisraelc.,
comeunderitsSadhana
aspect.
A newapproachhasbenmadeherein thepresentation of the
schools,Datailsol diJterenischoolshave ben deliberatelvleft
untouched as itcan onlybe a lranslerol detailsfromonesource
to thislhesis.And secondly, the detailsar€ easilyavailablein all
booksrelaledwilhlhis notion.So herewehavesimplypresented
thosedelailswhichare uselulfor therapeutic aspectonly.

1, Metaphysical Schools: Saivlsm, sAnbtn, Vaisnavism:

Thesethree are lhe majorschoolsof Tanlrasystem,They
alsocontainsubjectsin il. Alliheseschoolsand seclsdilleronly
at apparentlevelbutiheirgoalis th6same,thatis realization
or in
Tantralerms,unfoldment ot innerpoteniialenergy.
Whatis the sourceol creation,maantenance and destruction
ol theworld? lt muslbe higherlhaneveMhingwhichmakesthis
 Melaphysicsof Tantra 97

hasaccepted
possible.Tantla Higher
of polarilylorthis
theprinciple persistin theireffortoJrvorkingout theirliberation are knownas
healilv.The polesare, in Tanlratermssystem in everybody lite' kaulas.Kaulas.Kaulascombineenjoymenl(Bhoga)withrenun-
whilelhelalercanbe removed by theSadhana menlioned by the cialion(Tyaga)and hencelhey havea verypositiveand healthy
aPProach regarding life.
otlheremovalol
Forlheillustration physical-menlal diseases, Therearetwoclassesin lhe kaubcara. i1i purvakaula and
we mayheremenlionlhe view of Pasupata system. Liberalron (2) Ullarakaula. The Purvakualauphold the grossindulgence
takesplacewhenthe unionbetween the individualseltandlhe inlo5 M'swilhcerlainlimitalions.
universalself lakes place. For this,lhe Paltanjala yoga system
the mental modifica- Theybelievethat lhe 5 M's are allowedto be oracticedbv
has mentioned the way o{ suppression ot
l.ose wno l.aveallainedcerlarnlevelIn lhe sointualdevetoD-
I onsby consioenng mindas a causeof sorrowor pain ment-Thereslareto remainawayfrc,,tthisprivilege.The mind
UnlkeIhrs,lorthePasupala systemyoga .reansconjunc- of a Purvakaula Sadhakais so pureihat thereis no possabilitv oi
tionoi the individualsellwilhGod.4Forihisunion,according to anydownfall.This js a standard through whichlheymeasure lhe
lirissvstem, mind does not prove as hurdles in union but ii is an heightol the attainmenlof the purification of Sddhaka.
aidthroughwhichunionis possible-sThis rellectsits therapeulic
leadsto manyabnor- Unlikethe Purvakaula Sddhaka, theUflaftauata Sadhakadoes
value,Suppression of mentalmodifications worship internally.
Noexternalaid
etc.While sublimatron or posr' isneeded lorworship.Thjs practice
malproblemslikesplitpersonality strengthens lhe powerofconcentralion andalsohelpsin cultival-
tiveviewregardingthemresultsintointegrated personalily- This
in ils early ngmentarpowers.
lact has be;n visualisedby the Pasupatalollowers
davswhichprovesas a dislincttherapeuticconlributionol the The realrmportot thisschoolis that,the remedyol the poi-
Taniraschools. son is poison(VisamVisasyaausadham). Evenpoisoncan be
ulllisedas remedyi, il is correctlyapplied.This rellectsthatlhing
2. gdhane Schootsof lanta: Vamdcitra,Daksintciira and itsellis noteithergoodor badbutit is ourou ookthatmakesit
Misn: so.This leadsus to inlerlhat the passionslhat bind the soul,
alsocan be the aid for attainment ot lvloksaor liberation.Bv oiv-
VemeceB: i'g rherlluslration ol poisonthisschoolseemsto sLggest6al
Vamacera:is a synonymol lhe Kaulacara lt laysslresson lhe menialmodilication,whichgenerallyare consideredas poi-
theWeallh (Artha)and desire(kama). Herektmais notthegross son,as lheycreatesulferingcan b€ usedas the meansoJaltain-
orohvsical sexualdrive underlying
butit isan inherent roolcause ingMoksa.
oi ;ll our carvingslor worldlyobjects and pleasures Beings' one
naluralto have desires lJnJul- Again,he is knowna 'Vira'or 'hero'becausehe performs
ol the constilue;lsol mind,il is pracliceon cremation groundor SmasenaSadhana. Thecrema-
liltedor suppressed desireslie dotmanlIntolhe unconscuioLrs tion groundhas herea symbolicmeaning.Ordinarijycremalion
mindwhichmaysometirnes resullsintodislortedJormof behav- groundis a burningplaceof corpses. TheSedhakacrealeswithin
iour.By layingslress on lhe salislactionof desires,Tant€ re- hrmselfa cremaliongroundlor bumingout the deadcorpseot
leasesthe Sadhakalrom lhis lype oJabnormalityor all mental desires orvasanas sothatthey maynolagainappearand lrouble
distulbances.
Thoseadherents olTantrawho acceplihis wayol beinglree To overcomeall these hurdlesis the hiddenkey to health
Jromthe bondsol desiresby lheir naiuralsatislactionand slrll whichis providedbylhe kaulismwhichretleclson itstherapeutic
98 Chaptar4

ThisRealiiyis alsoacceptedbothas immanentin the world and

aspect. transcendenl of theworld.
Daksitdcitft or SamaYadra i The transcendentalaspectof the ultimateRealitvis woF
Daksinarcarra isa Vaisnava Sadhanasystem.As Arlhaorweallh sh ppedby devoleewhrleits mandestationin the tormol wortd,
andkamaor desireare the goaloftheVamacara, Moksa or libera_ thai is its immanentaspectcontainsthe therapeutic value_Now
tion is lhe deslination of the This
Daksinacara. school is largely let us see how it dealswithil.
based on the Vedic path thoughthe philosophy ol this school is IntheKashmir Saivism andintheSektism, thenatureofthe
contained inlhe Sanat Kumara Para6ara
Samhitir, Samhita, NaEda ulirmateRealityis consideredas consciousness (cil)1.Hence.
P?rncardtra andolherAgamatexts.There are hardand lasl rules conscrousness is the synonymof lhe HigherReality. And be_
mentionedby this systom.Thegrossutilization ot 5 M'sis strictly causeot lhrs,beinga creation ol ihe HigherReajity,worldis also
prohibitedin this system. a manileslation ot consciousness,The consciousness whichoer-
According to thissystem,the HigherRealitypervadesevery_ vadesrheworldalsoresides in bodyin the lormoi p,anao; lhe
whereand hencelhey avoidexternalworships andlavourinlernal viiaiforce.lhoughpranais onebutaccorgingto itstunction,tt is
worshipwhichpuriliesthe mindot a Sardhaka and alsocullivates classedintolive.Harmonybelweenthese tive-loldprdnaresults
ihe inherentpowersof mind. intohealthybody-mind whileignorance aboutit or disharmony
endsinlophysical-mental diseases.Tantrahasacceptedthe ideniical
Mishi relalionbetween macrocosm and themicrocosmorin olherwords,
Thisschoolisa synthesis o{theVam?rcar andtheDakslnac?rra. ultimateFlealityandlhe individual self.lgnoranceaboutthisfact
Likethe Vamarcatra, ils way to overcomethe worldlypassionsis createsspirilualdiseases(pass)or sufferingswhichcreate cir-
unique.They gratifylhe senses by over indulgenceand then clesof life,death.
renounceil completely. So this type ksownas Siva-Sakti. This Thus,the conceptot the UllimateRealilyin Tantrapjaysat
also representsa maleJernale or plus-minuscurrentsetc The macrocosmic levelin the formol elementwhileal microcosmic
polaritvinTanlrais notonlyrationally acceptablebulalsohasben evelitpervades thebodyintheformofvitaltorce orprdna.When
propiliatedas deity.The samepolaritySiva'Saktiassumesth€ the UltimateRealityas an elementrealizedat the macrocosmic
guiseol Visnu-Luxrniin the Vaisnavism. or
Thereis no di{Jerence level,Sadhakateelspe.manentbliss.The sameteelinqsoccur
no separalionbelweenSiva-Saktior Visnu'Laxmi.In the Saiva whentheoodilypranaare in harmony whichresultintt heahhv
schools,Sivaenioyspredominant placeawhileln Salkiism,SaKi lrodyandsoundmind.
enioyslht stalusand in the Vaisnavism, Visnuis consideredas
the HigherReality. b. Individual self.
TheUltirnate Realitywhich createstheworldhasnotcreated
a. Ultimately RealitYand World It witheltortbut it is justa playwhichin the Vaisnavism is known
TheultimateReatityisconsideredasthesourceol wo d wheel. as Lila.Thesameconceptis reflectedin the saivaschool.As the
A Saivaiteschool,the Pasupataandthe SaivaSiddhanlacallsal Pasupala syslem,syslemdeclares, Realitypossesses
ihe Ultimate
Pati(Lord)and kdrana(cause)respectivelyln theVaisnavism it lfe qLalilyof playingtor its own sake.2(Svantaya Sukhayaj
isaccepted as Parabrahman whileintheSaktism,lhe sameHigher lrJs lhe worldjs norhirgbut lhe playot conscrousness. The
Realityisknownas Saktiorenergy.All schoolshave announced conscrousness or thecauseol worldprocess, is onobutduelo
intinileelc , withonevoice'
ultimaleRealilyas eternal,unlimited, Ihfeereal,ihat is,Sattva,RajasandTamasit seems1obe manv.3
 Metaphysicsof Tantra 101

Creationtakesplacewhenthedis equilibration (Vaismyavaslha) B.Tanth sedhane:

in the Sattva,RaiasandTamaslakes placein the UltimateReal- lntroduction :
ily o' ir Prak'li.
Practiceis belterthan percept.Mere speculationdoes not
selfis a resultotthe
lndividual oflhesethree
dis-equilibration leadone lo the self realization. Tanhais a syst€mwhjchdeals
reals.Beingacrealion of Prakrtiorenergyourbodyalsoconlains withthe disciplinary aspectoi realjzatjon.
Letus see howit deals
saliva, raiasand lamas as elemenlsoi leals When the dis- withthesame.
equilibraliontakes placein lhe bodilysattva, rajasand tamas,
whicharedirecllvrelatedwiththelivegrossconslituents of Prakrti One ol the meaningsol Tantrais sxpansion(Otan= to ex-
ioancamahabhirta) or in lhe termsof Ayurveda, Vata, Pittaand pand).But expansionof whai ? Onlycontractedthings can be
Kapha.resLrlts intophysical-mental disorderswhich brings limita_ expanded or onlyseedcanbloomintoa hugetree.HereforTantra,
tionson tho llexibilityof body_mind complex. it is an expansionollhe innerpotenlialities whichis lyingdormant
al the end of the spinalcord or the MiJladhara cakrawhichin
c.Libention: Tanlraterminologyjs knownas the kundalinlsakti.The process
Tanirametaphysics dealsnolonlywiththe HigherBeality(pati)' of an awakeningor realizingthese potentialities is lhe Sadhana
individualself (pasu) and bonds (pasa) but il alsodealswithhow aspectof Tanka.Sedhanaslandslor activilyor exeftion(Osadh
physical, mental and also spiriluallimita_ = to exert).So in Sddhana.Sadhakahasto followor lo do some-
to overcomefromthe
iionsor pasu, thal is liberation. Liberation according to the Saiva thing(kriyatmakam) for achievinglhe goal.
Siddhanlais lhe end ol the sorrow, D!hkhanta- Therearevariouswaysot realjzation prescribed bylhe Indian
AllTantricschoolshavementionedthe wayol releasingihe wisdom.Likeothers,thisTantricwayol reclization is basedupon
individualselffromsorrow. Knowledge isnottheonlymeansthrough somepresuppositions, amonglhem the cardinalone is that,it
whlchliberation is gained. Tanlra advocates overand abovethe accepts the physicalbody both as the residingplaceand the
knowledge, the inevitability of g race ol god and lhe constanlprac- instrument forthe realizalion of HigherReality.Asthe lvleruTantra
tiseol Sadhana forworking out liberation. declares,"Whateveris hereis elseandwhateveris nol hereis no
where".This leadsus to concludathe identicalrelationship be-
Thus,by presentingthe metaphysicalconceptof libertion, lweenlhe macrocosm andthe microcosm, SoforTantraShalstra,
Tantraprescribes therapywhichremoves physical-mental diseases it is not necessaryto be losi or to roamintothe vastnessof lhe
and spiritual bonds. The former can be removed by lhe applica- universebut s:ldhakacan realizehis natureby concenhating on
tion ot the doclrine, ascribed by the of renunciaiion there is a his own sell.
leastchance ior reappearing the desires in a distorted form
Self residesintolhe body.So for the realizalionot former,
Theyalsoacceplrenounciativon of desiresfromthe Daksina latershouldbe purifiedtirst. So the firstslep is the puritjcation
kaulism.The desires are lo be renounced atlertheir gratificalaon of bodywhichcan be donewilhexternalaids andthe innerpuri-
mentally.Thus lhey utilize best otthe two types ol the kaulacarra. licationof bodycanbedonelhoroughness innerworshipormedi-
This is alsoagain a way of culitvating healthy mind-body outlook tation.Howlo dothisorwhicharetheessentials ofTantrasadhana
and hencehas ample therapeulic value. ? This can be asked.
Thusby presenting the wayo; worshipof lhe HigherReality' Beforegoingto thataspectlet glanceoveroneproblemwhich
theseschoolsthrow lighlon the druglesstherapy is lertundiscussed: i.e.whysadhanaisnecessary ? Tantric sedhanal
 Chapter-4 Melaphyscs ol Tantra t03
102

_ rls recJllr 'nd 'onseq ienc" TantrasadhakaAmongthern,lhe basrcone is the compelence

t > n o r d s d d h d n a a o s l r d c l ' o no u l d .ri sadhakaAsrtis sard.Tantrasadhanars jusl Ike watklngon
.r" O" ';"fr"c n e v e ' y d a y l r i F l a c ' a s r n _ a n d 1 5b d s ' c d l l v
the edgeol malor.So lor il, guru(guide)is requtred who can test
i:-.ir,.-nj J s"r,t, o, wh ch s requiredto be manifested
is lett out the flness ol a sadhakaand then nitialehim. lnitialionls a
]1i"il,"n i" #tematic practicesNobodv
"nergy
passporlto enter inlo the realrt ot sadhana.After havingt n
o' qv TnFvcrvle n sa^t's ' g,.'i(a'l r-
i^- 'i-" i utir,".
""1-'o* shed someexternalmodeol worship.guruthenleachessome
"ne rn I F Frn Sa\li
'.i. '.""t*-1. 'a" Deuioragvaloecaoq nner aspeclsol worshipin which Nyasa(/dertlrcaron).N/udra
jJ"-.'ot 'ro" ^urnanoowefs'Aa svdncr dnd \'rlor lh'
i,'. _.r'rt 'nese t We Bhuta Sudhi (Puriical on) ol bodilyconslrluenls),
I-]' ." i
,r.'"t a'e wenol n cear'h oi q-a 'ps ilrlednattan).
l'fana pralislha(Establishrneniof self)elc.,take ptace.We shall
ii" r"v lu.. oo *or.rlrolot thelJll 'nanlol Inade*o io wo'10 dea withth s n dela I at properplace.
^ Lil... *r"t. a fa. ' c nil'dr6o sao_dl^a does lh 5 for lho
orIne ' qni cdnl
i"o. -ui o" so n"," *' cangellhelLslrlLa'io- gives
Now something aboultheapproach olTantrasardhana Tantra
thalTanlra i.cepts the physrcalbody postivey hence il also acceptsits
i"r"" in" xJz,t**r"ntra;n whichil declares (Moksa)
"r ,ji-",rJ'toi;asure
l"ii[i|'i" (Bhosa)andl]beratron 2 mpuses and Instrncls.Generallynsl nclsbecomelhe cause ol
resuts' generaLy bondagebul novelviewot Tantrais that by gratificationof these
How it techniqueswork,which give such mpulsesand senses,one can transcendthe limilatlonol lin te
other systems ? Tantralecri-
nor oolsiuy to ne act levedthrough rhat s .xperiences Ol course,this path is a sippery one whch can
i"r;t oosilrvelvto lne verv soLrc'ol oodsure
;;J* pdln Tdnlr<r cadone lo lhe downfalif propercareis nol laken.Tantrahasnol
-,^, o' *o f.no*. mrnds lre causeol pleasurear'o
arJa lho <ana
< overookedlhls Accordng lolhe natureof menlaleve olsadhaka,
."v. rn.' r'".'no *n ah blndsus lo l_e wondly T_e I has prescribedthreewayswhichare termedas ihe Pas! vrra
pole'rrarrl'as o' lhe
-]l"o .rn o" 'n" 'n.,'.r.e_t ol ' bP'alron and d vya sadhakaor rn otherlerms Tamaska, Balasika,and
utillzeonly ihe powersoi consciolrs
-l"i i._it."n"" w" Sattvrkasadhakarespeclvely.
minJ *nlcr, is onty a "an
lew drops ol a sea oi mentalpowersThe
ro rs Vrng
rp\r nt lhe rrtnd.wnicLwF cdrenol .na po'illo_ ulilze n thrscfraplerwe sha see aboutthe Tantrasadhanaunder
'r',o headngs, A and B. A consists
r: h^own as !uo' ons' iou>
,i"r'Jrt *rlrln nt"t,.t ol psycqorogv ol
o{ the essentias ol Tanlra
nothingbutlhe awakening or uniolding :iadhana whrleB conlainslhe processol awakentngthe inner
.j"al""tr"
":,u*"a " Dotentialilres.Now et us procesedw th lhe essenlals of Tantra
that innerPotenllallties
t 'ding(
TherdoeLI'ca'lv, thls dspecli5 alqo slgnllcanl re i
'n lhe l rTesoi lnd a suqaesl
or Oi.Ousru,o*n cf'Ja'e oublisred powerdqarnsld scase A) 1. Essentials ofTantre sadhanal
,"ii it-. '"ti.'rn"" oo*er ol rrrndor wrlr
t anrer evpn And dl Tantricsadhanasyslem s a sea in wh ch the ilowsot various
a"] Ol"""a rhe resultsol lhe o,sFase.'lke
rav oeconev ' Iln ol syslernsmerge.As it is diltcull lo contan the sea in a pot, so il
i_""ar.t" 1,a" o"rton wilh a wea'<nino 'wrl oowerorr'ppowero'
" nere rmaqnario- s dliliculllo containa I the detatlsin a chapter.l\e, thereiore.
;:;;;;;'eo;ltbv ln
;;".;;;;rg"i".i disease i; a gill oi nature to evervbodv 's rrore
m i our lask tO presenlintroduction of some ot the sa ient tea-
wn'lF i'olqers 'l :LrresoiTant.asadhana.Sadhanais thatwhichproducesresuts
a"-" O.O'". ,l's oarllallyawa^ereo lor 'l enalne' ol maleriaiorspirilualtype.Whatevermaybelheresull,lhe
]i"-ie^.o. fa_r'a saotand s bas Larlvdesrg'ed ouler
re)'slan'e oow.' and the nnerpuaiftcalron
r_qlhe r'.d l_' Jdl_gcull'va'lonol s lhe essental aspeclot Tantrasadhana.
' bac^lo oLr or qr' lhe cenlralpo nl of Tanlrasadhanais to worshipdeilyby becom-
How I'r5 sadhanaldkesp'ace Wa co4'e rr!lderly.li means,as Tanlrabeleves,what man worshipsrs not
prescnbed1orthe lradllronal
nuf qr-"rr,on. /any essentialare
 Chapter4 f,'letaphysics
of Tanlra
104

'on'cioL'ne"' :l'
rnal wh,.h 's sonelhrngoutsldebul hls own arrnsand BrahmawilhoutHisiourarm Facesand Brahmawiihoul
."1, in" ,"" rn"t" rr" *riel'es n Tanlrasadhand nF'e we sha'l H s fourlaces.l2These are symbolicexplanations ol lhe various
iln,'oi o-.'urf'o.. no"onswqichare d'gelyaLcoplpobva.l'We modeof the HrgherReatjty.
i.-," tnrt *ili, tf," placeol guru in Tantrasadhana
"ignlficant Whai are the characterrstics
ol such a venerable gLlru? Th s
"t"rl
has beenexptarned in almostallTantras.The
4. Spirittal guicle : gttru : listoj the qualilies
or guru s sucha longthat it takeslwo chaplersn the Kularnava
ln the TantrasZtdhana' guru enjoysthe signi|cantstalus'
emergeooul TantraHence t is impossible lo reproduceit here,Bul herewe
Thouohin presenttimesthe so-calledgurus have can menton some of lhem so that lhe laymancan see who can
r'il-Jr"r,,oor.t or"'o ldck of prooerLnoe'slanorng ol lna cal
lhe prrne coul e ol lh's be the realTantricguru.The iirst requiremeni is thal gurushould
."""'"".i"r'r'if'" ^L arnavaTa'l'a
j"6r3"1es co .ra_v bt'l l'e eal be a realrzedone.OnlysUchpersoncan Initialeotherperson.He
nntln 1r'atr"" !o called9Lr'rs are
belweenan aLlhen_ also shouldknow lhe13, presenland fllure. He shouldbe ac-
."" ,t ,.'e i"* '"ara* a ri'e ol oe'narcallo_ quarnledwrlhthe science of Manlraand yanlraalso.Guru
Tanrra nds preqenrFoce(din also
;";";i; ;Lru "Tha Kul;rndva snou0 havea capacttyto puriiyingthe impurities
li.racter stlci tot aistlnguishing lhe real guru from lhe take one ol all krndsoi
trs see what the lerm discrpleSuchand othersirrealsothe q!atitiesof gLrru described
Whal are lhey ? Belorewe go to lhis, lel
rnTantra.These typesofqualitiesis almostrarelytobe foundin a
guruslandslor? man rn thrs age. But il suppose,somebodygets lhs type ot
bul the
Manvdetinitionhavebeen givenby diiferenltreatise personatrty,he would surelyrealizeihe glimpseol the Higher
n lhe term glru gu stands lor ' Reality.And because oi
KLrlarnava Tantradec ares that this significance, it is declaredwith
removal Hence gur! is he' who
a"rin"". *f, f" rr'"t"nds for reverencethatgurucan save us tromlhe wrathot evengod but
removesdarknessol nesclence' robodvLd- cave us frorr the wralho, guru.BOnly such;n elti
Tanlraalso ac_ anrquruca- Inridlod disctoe.Wnatis the
Nescienceol what ? Likeallother systems signtlcan.e ol ntlia.
oelween lhe no vroLral sell a'd r on and how gUruinitiates discrplesthal we shalt see underthe
."orsine 'oenf.at ,efalronship
i..j,,.,""rsat self Nescreace ol lh s lacl rs lLe hJ dle n tqe waV t lle niliation.
rLe
;;:r;;";. o.lv'ear'zed suru who i" oLI sva h.rse or b. Initiatlon : Diksa
na'.on who nas reari/edSiva w l"in h'Tce'f can e1 ove lnls
noiac'" and Oe.ar"e o1 tr;t,13n116 ssss no drllelFnlebetween LrKeguru,initialionis also an importanlnotionin the Tantra
s sadhana.In the Kularnava Tantra,it isdeclaredihattherecan be
the Srvaand guru
to no lVoksaor tiberation without Diksa or8 and iniliation
li a ouru and Siva are identicalthen why lord chooses ,
bo 'he.e wtlhouta leacheror gJr,l.So only gurJcan Inil,ate
cannot
throughihe medi!rn of guru ? Why should nol lhe
manifesiHimseLt 0'- o F io lqe sadtsane accordingto h,scomoeiency.g
queslionsOne ol
tte maniiestdirectty? i)ne may have such
Siva in the Kularnava Why nit ationis requiredthis can be asked.In responseto
such questlonis askedby ParvatiloLord . ..
a th; question Lord siva repliesthat He is wa ca.rsay our rnrndis jLst lr(e a graden.As In t"e gaden,
i""i*'..|" ,*0.""" -.- o
perceiveHow then oo <o-ous qoroulswith lhe good one, likewrsg,,. ar, a aa
r"rtr,j.. and beingso, rtls dillicultto
"rtii.. Oeworsn,ppec: So o't ol to"'pdst'o' LordS va Ia\es a so, bad lhoughlsor the poisonoussprouts come
out with the
le
"an libFratlo'€nditrllrTenr" goodone,likewise,
lhe ,o'm ol qJ',r.WorsLipol Hr'ngra_ls in ourmind also,badthoughtsorthepoison-
,lnjL"ing.;. it by the sameTanlralhanlhe guruls ous sproutsol desiresalso come out.
At the time of initjaiion,
lour
."."- Siva withoulHis lhree eyes Vishnuwithout
"tsoa"clared !!fu removes lhe unrequired things kom the mind ot disciple
"iniriir'""
 Chaptel'4
106
Meraphysicsol Tantra 107

throuohSaktipata- (Transplantation ol power)Theveryterm'Diks't

which gives knowledgewhile meanspurilication. Especially,in the Tantra sadhana,it is be-
'.iiJ" in,! i""r bi meansthai
iksa'meansthat whichremovesanimal sproutsTheVisvasara lievedthal eachlimbof the worshippershoutdbe puriried. Onty
of lhis lerm Accordinglo l. Dik^sa thenhe becomesfit for worshipot divinity.Notonlythe purilica-
flitfu o'""" rn" del'nition
meansthatwh,chabolishes srnandgivesdrvine[_owleoge" lion of body,bul in lhe Tantra sddhandas the KuhrnavaTantra
declares,requiresol live type ol purification, whichare namely
Howooes qu'ucreates lhistypeol condilion o' i"lorda'words
"*"v" ? Three the puriJication
of selJ of place,of material,of Mantraand oj
*n,.f'-"t" in" Ihrough which guru gives rritrdlio_
ana- The deily.1e
iuo"" oi initi.iionJr" r"rgeiy accepted in lhe Tantra sadh
oabodily rdenliticalionto creale a lvoe oi Firstthe placeof worshipshouldbe sanctifiedby cleaning
ii','.ii. So".u. dr\sa -ne hradya'n
or sadhaka lTava kradyam swippingetc.and shouldbe decoratedwithllowers,incenseetc.
raooorlin lhe student
rr'" is Drksanjfr?r,initiationbv sightand sothatlhe mindcanconcenlrate ondeity.Substance alsoshould
olir',..i ir lr ThesameTanlra'
"t".j. ""cond
aitsa, inilialionbythought be purifiedby sprinklingpure waterThedeityshouldbe purified
inettrirOis manasa
Tantra,alsodescribeshowgurugiveslhese three by placingit onihe seatandalsoby infucinglife(pranapratishta).
ihe Kuta,rnaua We shallsee lhe delailsof the purificalion
ivoesol in,tiation Thetirslinitration by touchrslke d slownoJ' of self.Selfresidesin
rn" brrdwithlhe warmlhol its wrng5l" ll'e in:tialro' bodyso lirst, bodyshouldbe purified,whichinTanlra,is known
'ili- ou 't'of'r
ai.a'pr"'s inlllated asnourishlngol l"evoungby as BhirtaSuddhi.
t""-r-of'
ifroti."nrhrough rhe seeing alone whrle lhe inilralion by lhe lhotrght Bhlta Suddhimeansthe pu ficationot the €lementsof lhe
ol
ifiit e norrLnlngot it" toung by the tortoiseby onlythinking body.The purposeof purificationis to makecleanlhe internal
them." andexternalatmosphereof sedhaka'sbody.The outerpurilica-
'I"'ouqhthesewaysol initiation guruIirst'emoves the:'rpu- lroncanbe doneby bathingetc.andinnerbyNyasa,pranaydma
so that the.latenl etc. As Kapali Sastrythinks,"ll must be notedhere that the
ritiesandiansters trisenergyintothe disciple' purificationot lhe variouslimbs,oulerphysicaland the inner
tor lhis' and alsoas
oowerol the disciplecan be awakenedBut m nd sluffaimsnot onlyat the eradication
i,., nlue seenin iire ctraracteristics ol the guru, guru shouldhave of the narrowinqand
tire funoitinl shakti And onlythistypeof realizedsoul ooscuflng inlluences ot lhe elemenlalforcesand the univ-ersal
u,iaifn-eo
weakness oflhelowerNalure, butinviting
intheirplace theoppo-
canopel lnecenlresol energyof disciple
oi a match srtegoodinfluenceof lhe benignforces,the powerol the supra
Toma^eil moreclear'we canpulherethesimip'y physicalworlds.Thatis whyin the actuat Bhita Suddihs,every
there as coatingor
box. ln the disciple,lhe energyis already partis offeredto deityandthegroupof deitiesthatare invokedto
lJior'ur on rn" ,n.t"rt oox Foi the activation ol which' requires
initiation' occupytheir placesin the body vess€|,idhara, constitutesin-
ihe'external aidwhichis providedby guru at lhe time ol
deedtheminorgodswho arelhe paivaras(family)ofthe chosen
purification
Ailerlhe initialion,the processol innerand outer chief 20
lakes placeand
i'"i ouirl"ii." ol tody (Bhutasuddhr) How the processol purificaiionlakes place? Our body is
"*i.. ountrcat'on
in.n ol mindlollowsWe shallnow see somelhrng
composed ol live elementsnamely,Earth,(Prithvi),Apa(Water),
atoui airlta sudani. Fire(Ieja),Air (Veyu)and Ether(Akdsa).Purificationor harmony
orlheseis the real BhutaSuddhi.
c. Putiticationof body : Bhita Suddhi
teatureol theTantrasadhaner' ll Accordingto theTantrasadhana,tho whole processshould
BhirtaSuddhiis a disfinclive be done mentally{kalpayet).Sadhakahas to first inagine the
aninOispensable prior
discipline to all ritualsSuddhl
"onJaJ|'"a-a" pfedominance of pa icularelemenlon the specificpart of lhe
 of Tantra
[.4etaplrysics t09

pre_
bodvto wh ch thal partbelongs,or thai particularelemenls only by becomingde ty (Devaobhirlvayaieldevam).Theretore.
dominantin lhat parlicular part 01the body' For instance the Tantras a way to rarseone'sown conscousness lo the eveloi
earih elementslarlsfromleei lo thigh walerelemenl from lhrgh
lo ndvpr.' e lrorr _ave ro reall. alr lro.r l'ea l lo Leal'eol eve_ This pracliceshouldbe done by sadhakain daiy wo.ship
brow and eilheris predominant on the mosl upper parl ol the l'e apeJl .aly lalso .lleclsl_e oody.Ac(ordr-oto he Ayurv6da
ro he r spe
body Sao'aka has concenl'alelhesee erienl' o^ harmonybetweenv?rta(A r), pilla (Fire)and kapha (Pahlegm)
cific oarts. resuts nto heallh.Thesethreeare nothingbullhe combnationoi
Aflerdoingthis,he hasto imaginethe processo{ absorplon l h e f i v eg r o s se e m e n l s ( P a n c a m a h e b h u t a ) . P u r f i c a t i o n o l l h e s e
ol orosselemenl intosubtleone,i e , the earthintowaler,waler f ve elementsnecessarily ends nto health.And the body gets
int; fire.fireinloarr,air inloether,elher inlo ego ego inlonalure fortiied againstal d seasesaltogelher.
lo-dkflli,andpraknlrr'lo9oo.Wl"iledolng so lcco'dnqroTan"a
AIterpuriiicalionoi consliluentsol bodyor Bhita Suddhi comes
_e d so hd\ lo mdgined rraa who s madeoul ol bodiv nounlros
theCiltaSuddh, purificalion ol nrindwhichshouldbe donelhrough
(Papapurusa).The ideaol Papapurusaor"manol mpuriles rs Nyasa.How Nyasais perlormedlhat we shallsee now'
an acceplance oflactlhalpriortolhe processoi purilicallon every
s;.lhaka is tulloi bodilvas wellas mental impurilres' As he pfo_ d. Purification of Mind: Nyasa:
ceedslhrouqhrnitiation to Bhirta Suddhi, he gradually gets es'
resull The processofTanrrasidhana is fromgrossto subtle.Be ng
tablishedinto his new position ol a putitied soul with lhe
subtle,punficaton ol mindcomesalterpuriicalionol body.Thrs
lhat lhe evilsin hlm,in the lormot impurities, gradually iade away
nnerpurilrcalion can be donelhroughNyasa.Howthis puriiica-
In tradilionallerminology, il is a process of iirst drying and then
person' tionlakesplace?
of burningthat person lull ol impurilies so that lrre same
afier ourilication,assumes as if were airewJorm atogelner Ie a The root verboi Nyasais ONyas= to p ace.Wilh the helpof
becones a spi'Iua' ma_ I'I {ol bFcomrno a lhe reierence of Kapaia sastflar,we couldsee lhal BhutaSuddhi
spirruarlorn^ano
vesselor receolac e oi splrrluallo'ces olSakl does not mean only removalof bad elementsor impuntes bul
aiso placrngof goodthoughtsor divinity. Alterdissolving
the sin,
The processol dryingawayand butningawayol the Papa fu body,and bu ld ng spirirlual
bodylhroughimagination the body
ourusashouldbe donewilhthe repetition ofthe seedLellervayu'
s to be instiled wilh pranaor diety.The processoi esiablishing
that is, vam, and lire, thal is Ram Now lhe wholebody ol lhe
dety staris wilh Ny?rsa. Lke thuta Suddhl, lhis processalso
blackm;nresultsintoan ash.Thenwiththe helpol neclarwhrdr shouldbe done menlally.
constanllvllowslromlhe Sahasrara, sadhakahaslo builda new
purebodyin imaginalion, whichshouldstarlhom Lord ol Nalure' There are varous lypes ol Nyasa. Namely,I\rantra nyasa,
naiure to intellect, lrom intellecllo ego,lrom ego to elher' fMahasodha nyasa,Karanyasa etc.IVoredelaijsaboutlh s have
irom
etherto air,airto lire, lire 10water,walerlo earlh earthl0 beengivenin to the Kularnava Tanka.The NyAsais doneby plac-
from
veoetaD,e.on veqelableto lood lrom lood 105erre'dno lrom ng the lop ol lhe iingefon the various parisof the body.As for
_alLralegoll s a examplein the MarlikaNyasa, alphabelsare placedon lhe
ce;ren rc o,rrusa.tiatrs Iam Thrs lam rs nol
leelingof ;ellrealization. mbs oi lhe body.In lhe esotencscience,leltersare considered
as the manifestation ol SabdaBrahmanand beingso they are
This s what sadhakahas to do menlallyOnly aller this he consideredas deities This t\,4alrikaNydsa is a so biJurcatedinlo
becornesenlitledlo worshipdeity. We can here see lhe iustifica_ tow partswhichare nameiy,lheouterl\,4akika Nyasa,(Bahirmalrika
tion ol lhe principleot Tarnlricsadhana,lhat is 10 worship delty
 nyasa) ln e. lnstalletion ol lile : PAna pratisthdt :
nvarsa) and lhe innerrnalrikaNyasa(Anataramalrika
tetters are placed on the limbs ol lhe physr_ PrernaPralislhais a unique contribulionolTanlra sadhana to
ti" iolrn"t typ", tn"
lat Uoayimaglnativety ty louchingthat part ol the body whilein the orientasadhana system,In lhe externalworship,at nilial
(sal leve, sadhakaworshipsan imageoJSivaor ol Visnuor ol devl.
the ater tYpethey are p aced on lhe slx subtle cenlres'
lrr,rr.f.fr'" detailsot this'is givenin alltheTantrc workswhich Al liltleadvancedlevelYanlra, imagesofdeitieslikeSiva,Brahma
are relatedwihTanlrasadhanar' orVrsnupresenlhrgherrealityinlogrosslormAstepadvance,in
ol this rite ? ll rs thal lne thLsclireclion oi "grossto subtle"is presentedthroughare plac'
Whal is the esotericsigniticance
lhat his essence Is Spiril and body ano ing imageby Yanlra,which is a dragramon the platewrthseed
s:rdhakashouldrealize lhe unionoi the grossand sublle
lestations ol lhe Spirll All is divineand lellersor numberssymbolizing
minOare O.rtits rnan withlhe dlvrneconsclousness,
bul conscioJsnesc BV Vyaoal'a Nyasdo' or nd vidualse l-consciousness
evervrhinqis nolning
'o"nr'i.."j'on.he menldllyspreaoslhe prece'ce ol worshiptakesplaceinsieadol rmageworshlp
and
.o'na..'o.rJ"".tt,orq"oul .tlmseJTnpn l-e beLone\ oeva
""o"'no,ni Tantrabehevesthat merelmageor diagfam does nol rlseI
only by becorr'ngso he can worshlpdeva' becomeeiiectve ll shouldbe chatgedwith the lle lorce This
does not meanlhat theyare dead.Accordingto Tantra,lherers
The sc entiiicsignitcanceol lhis rite is that' as we know'
ntellectual' nolhng ike a dead thing.Whal here happensis, the sadhaka,
man becomeswhat he lhrnks-Thoughlmouldsoul establishes his llleiofce intothal Yanlra
fne translormation oi being takes placelhrough throughconcenlralion
.oraict'aracter.
of thought lt we constanllylh nk abolll lhe and worshipsil. So hereactuallywhat sadhakaworshipss his
the lranslormalion
conscousness only.
;;';'," *" rhrnk pos;iively'l 'ecessd' v es rlls rnlo rhe
"t
lra-siormator ol perso_alny ThLs lor I ansforral on o'h'-ran Like exlerna worship, this rile also lakes placein internal
very rool ol
lJr.o"uiltu lntouiiui"" on;' Tantratouches al the worshp. Afterlhe puriticalion of bodyand mrnd.sadhakainstalls
and bringsaboul wonderlul re- the ile lorce in his d vine body.
ine processol atl transformation
suLls. The mortalIramewhlchis considered iake suscepl toble
But what is lhe slgnificance of this rite ? Accordrngto the
sus_
diseasesqets lranslormedintoa robLlslIortified'nol easlly SaktaTantra, everythingis a manlfestation olenergyli rs presenl
valueol this process is In-
leptlutetJa seasestfre lherapeutic everywhere but an ordinarymandoesnol considerthis iacl. So
valuaote. al the rnitiallevel, he has lo imaginethat the obiectof worship
Inlo
The therapeulicvalue of this rile also can be applred s alve. One shouldnot worship what s in{eriorio him or her'
Yoqanidrir or relaxationNyasaalso meansidenlilication di_ wilh The worshppbd shouldbe superorand musl be consciousrn
vin; lhouqhiin whichsadhakalorgets everything abouitheworldly nature.And becauseol this,Pr?rnaor liieshouldbe in{usedinto
allairs.This is lhe true and
relaxation il is consideredas the besl lhe worshippedone.But this is nol a processas ArthLlrAvalon
lrom lrre
medicinelorthe diseasesol modernworld,whicharise sayslo spreada butteron a bread'bul as he thinkslhe signiii
'to enliventhe consciousness
pressure'
hearl atlack' oi the
."ni"Lt"n.ions, riticn are namelyblood cance behindlhs rite ls
etc. So, lhat way, Nyasacan be equatedwith the syslematrc worshrpper inloa realization oi his presencel4
methodlor inducingcompletephysicalrnenlalrelaxalLon' How lhls processshouldbedone?This shouldbe donewilh
After purilicationol body mind in lhe divine body sadhaka Now let us see some
the helpol Manlra.iapa and Purscarana.
prana
inslallslhe life,This rite, in Tantriclerms is known as thingaboutit.
pratistha.Now we shall see about it
I
1l
112 ChapteF4 Metaphysicsof Tanla

f. Mantra: h. Bheva : Mental disposition

The piaceoi Mantrain theTankasadhansis verys gnilicant. ln the Tak c sardhan?l, Bhavaor menlaldisposilionplaysa
Nol a singleTantricrile is donewithoutManlra. promnent role.As we have seen lhroughoutlhe essentialsol
Tantrathal, Tantralays siresson the menlalworship.As has been
The rootverboi Mantrais Oman meansto medtate. ln ihe
acceptedin the psychology, we becomewhal we think.Thoughl
Nyasa,we sawthe signiiicance ol lhoughtpower.Manlra s noth-
hassucha powerlhaltcan transformihe personalityotthelhinker
ing butthe condenced{romol thaithoughtpowef.And thatis why
The reasonlor this is thal thoughlls directlyrelatedwilh m nd
properpronuncrationandconcentration on il givesresult.
andmindisconsideredasthe moulderol personality.TanAicsadhanzr
In the [,,lanlra Manlrasare dividedintofour groups
sadhan?r basedupon the principle.Due to signilicance oi thoughtpower
namelyiriendy,.serving,supporiingand deslroying. At the time Ta-t'a avs sress or mentalas pot in sadhana.
of intuition,guru accordingto lhe natureol dsciple givesthe
Tantrahasaccepledthe importance ol mentaldisposi|on(Bhava)
properN/anlraandihal I\,fantrashouldbe doneconsiantly.Th s is
ln sahanato be extentthai-as Rudrayamaladeclaresdeiiy does
not residein a ione or clay,but it abidesin a mentaldisposiiion
or
g. \tapa: Bhava.16
Japa meansrepetiionoi I\lanlra.Th s processcultivalespower The purposeol sadhanapre-supposes a dualilyof worshiper
oi concentration.,Aftersittingin any convenientposlurein lhe andworshpped-Tundualityexislstillthe idenlitybelweenlhe devolee
sient place,sadhakarecitesthe l\laniraintowh ch he has been and the deitvis established.
Tanlrahas Drescribed lhe dilferent
init ated. stages between the way of dualily to identity.There stages are
accordng to lhe menlaltendency (Bhalva)of sadhaka.
Japa is oi three k nds: (1) VacikaJapa in wh ch lvlantrais
ulteredaud bly,(2) UpamsuJapa n whichonly movementof rps Tanlra has prescribedthree kinds ol ghirva, namely, Pasu
is v sib e bul no voiceis heardand the last one is (3) Mansika bhava, Vira bhava and Divya bhava which are also known, as
Japa which rs consideredas lhe highestiorm of Japa in which Tamasika,Raiasikaand Sdtvikarespective, Now we shallsee
only repetilon takesplacewilh a singlemind.One thing should the detals aboutihis.
be remembered herelhatonlymechanical repetitiondoesnol cre-
Pasu bhava :
ate anythrng for the eiiectiveresult,one hasto do Japawilhtailh,
asplration and devotion. J va is known as Pasu. The rool verb ol the term Pasu is
opas meansboliage.The personwho is in bondsof desiresor
The aim behindthe Nyasaand Pranapratishar is lo feeldivin-
Valsanasis Pasu.Inlhe earlystagoJlife,individualbeing
is known
ity withinsowesell.How Mantra-Japa doeslhis thatwe shal see
as Pasu.The reasonis that,ai that lime he underthe controlof
in the word of Aurvindo,"Theword is a soundexpresson of the
senseorgansand desires.
idea.ln lhe Supraphysicalplanewhenandeahasio be realized,
one can, by repealingthe worldexpressionoi it, producevibration ln this Bhava,Tamas(lnenia)elementis predominant. Leth-
whrchpreparethe mindfor the rea|zalionof the idea.Thal is the argy (Alasya)andrigidity(Jadya)is lhe characleristicoflhis Bhava.
pfincipleof the lvanlraand Japa.One repeatsthe name of ihe
Divineandthevibration createdinthe consciousness preparelhe
t Due to nescience(Ajnana),which is also one kind of bondage
(pasa)person
thiscompetency,
playsonlyat grossor externallevel.
he cannolpenetrate
Duelolackof
deeperinlothesubllemeanings
realizalon of ihe Divine".15
of the sadhanaprocess.

114 ChapleF4
In the KuldrnavaTanka,eightbonds(pasa)have been de
scribed.Whichare namely,Daya(tulercy),l\roha(Delusion),Bhaya
(Fear),Lajja(Shame),Ghrna{Nausea),Kulam(Heredity), Shia
(Character) andVerna(colourcomplex).In otherTanlras,gener
aly threekindsof pasashav€beendescribednamely,IVala(lm-
purities),Karma(Pastdeeds)and Maya (Deluston)
Malats con-
ceivedas the higheslamongall thesethfee.So ior overcomng
lhe Pasubhava,removaloi Mala is necessary.And for removalof
t, Drksa, niliationis best means.
Vha bheva :
Al thisstage,Fajas(Activily)elemenls predominant.Those
who can discriminale the real pleasurefrom pain and also who
hasgot controloversenses, greedness,lust,angerelc.he comes
underlhe realmoi Vlra bhilva.
OnlyVlra sadhakaare permittedloutilizethe 5 M's in sddhana
becauselheyhavecontrolled theirsenses,andinsuchasadhaka
thereis no possibility
of decline.
Ailer havingcontrolledthe senses,sadhakaenterslnto the
lhird Bhava,lhatis Divyabhava.
Divya bhava :
As Raja is predominantin the Mra bhZLVa,
herein lhis Divya
bhava, Sailva element is predominant.At lhrs levei as the
MahanirvaLna Tantradeclares,sedhakalranscendsthe duality
(DvandvaUtama)17
of worshipperandworshipped.
So thus, sAdhaka who has transcendedthe dualitresand
has eslablishedlhe identitywilh lhe desireddeityis known as
he who s possessedol divine bhava.
These three Bharvasare slages in sadhana.lt is the victory
of sadhakain whichsadhakaalwaysgoes upwardfromPasuto
Vira and from Vira to Divya bhava.13
Conclusion:
LikerealizalionofReality,unfoldmeniotphysicaland men-
ta powersis alsooneof lhe goalsol anysadhanasystem.Sadhanaar
cs ot -,antra
Metaphys 115
is a keylhroughwhichone canopenthetreasure of infnilepow
ers.Tantrahas donethisjob very signiiicantly
and becauseof
th s, ArthurAvalonsays"lnlactbothpop!larandesioterlc Hindu-
sm s, in ts praclcalaspect,largely
Tanlric".re
Throughoulthe Tantra wecouldsee lhattheproc
sadhan2l,
ess oi Nydsa,Bhita Suddhi,etc. is nothingbut lhe various
physical-mental powers.
lechnique lor mastering andunlolding
Thisrequires purfedbody-m ndcomplexwhich ispossible through
pranayanawhich
Mantra andHalhayog c asanasa(postures)and
dro In.lLsiveaspeclsoi lhe Ianlrds:rdhana.
ThroughHathayogic technlques bodybecomesfreefromdis'
eases and throughMantrasadhanzr, mind becomesca m and
concentraled.This alsosecuresthe lherapeulic aspect-Consist
ent positivelhinkrngwhichis posslbleonlyin concentraled mrnd,
can heal any diseases. This is the core of the lhoughttherapy
whichhas beanfoundoul in gresenltimes.
For lhe desiredresulls in lhe Tantrasadhane,rilualcorn-
menceswilhthe resolution (Samkalpa).This resolutionslrenglh'
ens ihe rnindof a Shadhakaand also cullivateshrsWil power
which is the sourceol all power.
The result of Tarnlricsadhan:r is very quick, effective and
endurng. At the sametime,thereis also a limilalionof il. This
sadhanaasthe KularnavaTanlradeclares, is to walkonlhe edge
of a razor,so forsafety of a sadhaka,an experiencedand aulhen-
tic guru is required which is rarely possible.So lor a Tanlra
sadhaka,it is reallya problemlo have a realizedsoulas guru.
is a lree which is iullof flowers and fruils ot
TantrasardhanzL
supernaluralpowersbut a gurupreventshis disciplesto utilize
it ior mundanepleasures. Sadhakaallainsthe powerin the proc
essol awakeningihe Kundalini.How this process lakes place
that we shallsee under the title"Awakeningot the KudalinlSakti".
B. Awakening ol the Kundalini Sani :
lntrccluction
In thisage oJscience,securityol a livingbeingis a burning
problem. lManhas controlled almosl all propertlesof the nature
 , ru Metaphysics
of Tanlra 117
"nuo,"r_o
and eventhenwe arealwaysin danger. Whyis it so ? Whatis is possiblb
eitherlhroughgraceof god or through sadhana.
thalsmalloosescrewlhalbrirgsabJtthewholemechanism ol Inlhecaseoigrace, disciple byguruorgodthrough
isdirecled
the worldintoa criticalcondition? themedium of intuilion
whilein sadhana,sddhaka has to follow
It is noihing
buttheimbalance ordisharmonv
between bodv- certainrulesandregulations.He has to keephis body-mindpure
mrnd.intellecl e.nolron in man,Weare runringradly allerthe and pertectwithhelpo, Nyesa,Mudres,Hathayogictechniques
materialism. The unfullilleddesirescreateimbalancebetween etc.Moreover,gurualsohas to keepconstantattenlionon each
rntellect andemotion in manwhichleads onelo behavein un- and everystepol the progresso{ s?rdhaka.
Whichare the theoreticalandpracticalbasis
oflhe Kundalinl
Technology has ioundoutthosetypesof weaponsthfough yoga and howthe awakenied powercanbeappliedin a modern
whichmostot lhe partof theworldcan bedemolished withina \rvorld
? Nowwe shaI seetheseoossibleoueslionsin lhe seciion
shortlirne.lf lhe possessors ol theseweaponsdo not think
moderately (moderation alsocomesIromharmonV betweenintel,
lect and emotion)thenit willprovelo bedangerous forthewhole 1. Theoretical and applied aspecb ot the Kundalini Yoga
oi humanity. As copi Krishna lhinkslhe wholehumanity is dan- a.Theoreticalaspect:
gerously sleepingonthelatenivolcano.
Theierm"Kundalini" comeslromthetem'Kundala'means
This latentvolcanool nucleafpowercan bursloulat anv "coiled".The universal energy, lhoughit is postenllies lalentat
lrre lt isanenergywhictcanbe isedwilherlorconstrucltve or theendol thespinalcordina cenireknownas I\,4uladharacakra,
destructrve purposes andthjs sheerlv depends onone,smental in a coiledlormlikea serpenl, henceil is knownas Kundalini.
lendency.
As hasbeenacceptedby science,onlyone-tenth oJourmind
Likealom,ourbodyalsois a toundation ol energywhichls s active while nrne-lenthof it is dormanl,Out oresenideveloD-
ratherrnore powerlulihan nuclearpowerwhich in Tanlraterminol mentis lhe resultof thal one-tenlhawakenedpart.In cou6e of
ogyrsknownas lheKundalinl Sakti.This energyis an !niversal time slowlybutsleadilywe cullivate ourpowers buttheKundalini
energyand il is generally considered as latentand requiresto yoga process enhancesthis cultivationas it dealswilh lhe
be awakened. Awakening of il, is lhe goalofTantra sadhana. exoanslon oi innerlalentoowets,
Energyas an ullimale Reality oi universe is a meta-physical The theoretical basisof lhis yogais identification, based
doctrineundeflyingTantrasystern.This meta-physical dockine upontheprincipleof microcosm andmacrocosm, i.e.all lhatis
has alsobeenaccepted by science. Till now,thisconceptwas containedin the universeis alsopresentin rnan.IV1an, therefore,
considered as purelyspiritual bul nowit hasenteredinto ihe is a minialure universe.At tirst,lhis principleseemsto be a
territoryof science.Nowthelimehasripenedfor theworkingout capriceor merelyan ideaof a fertilemind,but whenwe go lnto
compromise of spirilualismandscientific materialism.Spiritual_ deeperand deeperit proves to the most creativeand luriile
rsmhaslo comedownfromthe solitude of thesurnmit of a moun- Drinciole.
lain and has to seltle its statusin the midstot layman.Al the
sametime,sciencealsohadto expandthe narrowlimitsil has Thereisoneand sameuniversal conscio usnessinminerals
rmposeduponand hasto accepllhat whichis not observable. and man. Thesetwo difieronly in expressionoi the levelsol
consciousness. ln minerals,it is lessexpressedand hence il
Thisuniversalenergy residesinabodyintheformoJ Kundala looksas grosswhilein man,it expressesin moredegreesthatin
(Coil)henceit is knownas Kundalini. Theawakening of energy
118 Chapler4 [,4etaphys
cs ol Tantra 119

'Ihe
rninerals,and hence,it seemsliv ng or conscrous. The presenl abovemenlioned processof crealion takingplacein
staleof developmenl oi man is a resultof a serlesol transforma- macrocosm, a so takesplacein the microcosm simultaneous y.
ol consciousness.The
tionorculiivalion previousstagesol man Lrkeuniverse, ourbodyis alsomadeoutol fivegrosselemenis
are ocaledin amoeba,iromamoebato lish,Iishto ape and ape withlheiressence,lhat isTanmatra, arelocated at certainpoinls
to man.Thisshows thatthe laler transformation is superiorlo on thebodynamelyskull,throat,heartetc.These pointsare in
the formerone.The process of culiivationof consciousness Taniraterrrs knownas centresor cakras,
adds one more possibiliyin the seriesol transformaiion ihat is Thesecakrasorlhecenlresof consciousness arelikepow-
Irom rnanio super man, Tantraleads us to this way lhrough erhousefromwhicheachand everycellgetsits power.Bui how
awakeningthe KundalinlSak1i.unconsciously, we are on that th s powert ow ? Thispowerflowsthroughthemediumo1 Nadlor
way of lfanslormationbut a Tanlricsadhakadoes this with lull veinswhicharesubllein nalure.Through Nadi,lifecurrents flows
awarenessand does it speedly.With the awakeningof latenl andv tal ze the body.Accordingto theTantrictreaiise,thereare
ind vidualconsciousness, s:ldhakagels dentlfication wilh the 72,000nads in body.Amonglhemfoudeen areimportani.Three
univefsalconsciousness ol whichhe is a part and parce. amongiourteen are theprimeone,theyare namely, lda,Pi6gala
But how lh s dentification betweenmicrocosmand macro andSusumnzr, Amongthesethree,susumna is themoslsignrfi-
c o s T . k e s p a c ! ? | h c o h e r s v c l e n q .T a n l - at s a < a s o a ( canl.
c e p t e dt h a tt h e r o o t o f t h e u n i v e r s es l l t m a i e R e a l t y w h i c h i s Cenlres are sevenin number.Though thereis a controversy
one wthoul second,This Realty for Tanlra is eriherSiva or aboutthenumberof cenlres,For someil is ninewhilesevenis
S a k t lb o t ho i w h i c ha r e i d e n cl a l a s m o o n a n d t s b e a m . T h s generallyaccepted.These cakrasare namelyMtladharacakra,
S va and Saktrare the slalic and kineticaspectol one Realty Swadhlsthana cakla,Nranipurcakra, ANajatacaka,Visuddha cakla,
respecrvery. AJfracalraabd Sahasraracakra.Theircorresponding areas in
As in the movingwheel,thereis a poinlwhichls slaiic aro!nd physicalbodynamely, sacrocoaygeal plexus,cardiacplexus,throal,
whrchthe whoe wheel moves.ln the same way, Siva is the eye-brows and skullregionrespectively.
statc aspectof Realilyaroundwhichthe dynamicor kinetc Sakti Theseventhcentre,thal is, Sahasratawherethe manifesla-
moves,So Sivabeinga staiicaspectof Realitys consideredas tlon of consciousness is al thehighestlevel,js considered in
the centreof the universeas a wheel, Tanlraas the abodeol SivawhileN4iladharaal lhe end of the
This Sivawills lo be many.ThenHis wiliingissuesforih inlo spinalcord is consideredas lhe abodeof Sakti.The placeof
a projectionin the iorm of Sakii.The Sivaor lhe ullimateRealily centresand nadis,is in Tantrasadhanavery signiticant. All the
is possessedwith a Fiat;UniversalWillpowerand Wills to be delaildescriplionaboutcentresand nadiswe shall see in the
many. {So akamayat,ekoahambabu syam).Sakli manifests secondsectionot thislhesisunderthe tille'Tanlraanatomy". To
Herselt in ihe planesol consciousness or lokas.Theseplanes avoidihe repelitionol it, here we shallmentiontheirnamesand
ol consicousness are not one and lhe same but ihey d iier by onlyrequired portionof details.
the degrees ol densityol matter oul of which they are com
Now let us cometo the originalpoint,thal is, identification
posed.lt meanswe can say briefythatlhecreationmanrieslsin
betweenthe microcosm andmacrocosm- As mountN4eru is con
increasing degreesofdensilyor complexity.This processslarls
sideredas the axis of uoiverse,likewise,spinalcord is consid-
ifom lhe mostsubtleelemenland culminatesin the creationof eredas lhe base ol physicalbody.Becausebothuniverseand
grosswcrlds,thai ls prithvielc. whichcomposedoi extremely
bodyhas been madeout ot tive grosselemenls.The predom!
124 Chapler-4
Melaphys
cs ot Tantra 121

nanceol I ve elementsis feltal d fterentcentres or cakras'The ntensrlyoJsadhana and competencyoi saonaka.

f ve oross elemenls,Prithvi,Ap,Tej?r' Vayuand Akasav/iththerr
resp;cl rveTanmal rasnamelyGandhi, Rasa Rupa,sprasaSabda It s sa d thalwhenmanawakesior worldy alla rs Kundaln
are iell on lhe Muladhara,Swadhislhanalvlanipura, Anahala' s eeps B!1 when Kudaiin)awakes,man sieepslor wordly af-
Visuddha,fesPeclvely. iarrs.ltmeanslhepowerhegetslromtheawakeningol Kundalan.
expands lhe hor zons of his ordinary tmtlalons allachedwilh
Energy s the supporlor base ol unverse The unlversal hrs ego.Hrs self gels expandedto ils capacilywrlh lhe resLrtl
energy.thal s, Kundalinialso restscoiledal lhe I\.uladh'rra cakra'
point' in Tanlra lhaithe power he gels iromthe awakenng of Kundaini he does
at lh; end oi lhe spinalcord. This is the which
not ulrrze lor h s personapleasuresbutfor the wholehumanity
t - a r mrgsk ' o w r a 5 l a n o a l ' o n w ' c h a l 7 2 0 0 0 n a d F s p t g d n d ll s useess io s t on the so tludeof mounlainaller beraton as
soreacloui in the whole body-The sympalheticchannel,the someyogrsdo. But the realTantficsadhakausesh s powersnol
oara-svmoathetic channeland the spinalcord has a greal r-o_ only lor the satlslactron ot his mundane pteasuresbut Ior the
;emblancewiththe lda,Pingalaand SusumnanirdisThe mental lr0eralronol whole humanily.Lord Buddhaafler entghlment
and vrla currentsllow inlo theselda and Pifgalanird respec poseda queslronas to how he d iiers iromordinaryperson.who
I ve v.Thereare alsolwo subtlenadisnamelyVajraand citrinrIn pursuesweatlfror larne or wofldlypleasuresi he enjoyshrs
lhe S !su rnnar nAdi. realr?al on h rnsellalone Andlhen he dectdesto sharehrsp eas
the lvlJladharra cakrais the meelingplaceoi al lhese chan uresol se I rea rzalronamonga i people
nels. There is also an upwardbaselrianglein the cenlre, nslde Howthe Sal cakrabhedana
liiga on whichthe KundaInrrestscorleo' takesp ace.\\ie sha see uncter
t lhere is a Svavambhu lhe I tle app r-ods de ol Kundatniyoga,'
The latentKundalni canbe awakenedthroughvariousHallra
vaoic oraclicesandTantratechniques-The awakenedKundalin b. Applied side of the Kundaliniyoga:
p Jces centresone byone and ullimalelyreacheslolhe Sahasrara Theterm Kundatrni yoga is a compound
of twote.rnsnamey
;akra. ln its upwardjourneyand unionbetweenSivawho resides Kundaliniand yoga We knowlhe meanng and s gn frcanceot
in lhe Shasraraand Sakt lakesplacein the Sahasraracakra Kundalnr.And yoga meansun on. Herelhe lerm yoga.doesnol
'he denole nrerey !n on bul t also representsthe processwhtch
Saha,ayoga s lhe sy"onym ol lhe \unoallrryood n
ascendenceoi the Kundallniwhile piercingall centres, She
absorbsall elemenlaltorceswhichare ascribedlo lhe centres Fealzat on or dentrlicat on wrthlhe HrgherReatrtyrsthe goa
At the Sahasraracenlres,Sheabsorbsherseliin Siva A cosmlc o l t h e K u n d a l nyi o g a . T h r s g o a lt s oc a n b e a c h r e v e dI h r o u g h
inlercourse iakesplacein thal centre-Thefeissues nectarlrom lhe Bajayoga.l\.4antrayoga Hathayoga elc.Thegoa islhesame
Siva. Kundaini drnks lhis nectarand comes back to Her own lrutthey d fferoniy n the way ol approaching the goa .
olace.l_al rs l'e ly'uladharackara l'het iou ney loward< de_ The Raia yoga acceplsthe a d ot Inte ecl lof reachingIhe
scenl. il revilaiizetsall lhe centreswith lhe ambrosa and ulli
This loai whileManlrayogadoes th s by inslrumenltrkewords The
malelygoes lo her originalabidingplacei e lhe f''luladhara Halrryoga rs 'na nly concernedw lh the physicatbody They be
p oce;s'al SaklrgorngJpwaroandcomlngdownaller Jnro^ and
reve In the nlerdependent relaiionsh p ot physca bodyand lhe
nrercourse wnh Slva has to oe repealedagarnard aoain lll a
suble body n wh ch cenlresol consciousness are stualed So
staqecomewhenshe rests permanenlly wilh sivain Sahasrara
lle apprcalon on lhe gross body allectsthe subte body The
anidecenl movementslopsoncelor all This dependsuponlhe Fiathayoga does lhis by the application ol M!ctras-pranayama
 Chaprer4
The Kundainiyoga dealswilh the seat or centres of con'
sctousness. cenlresand nadisare locatedin the subllebodyot
thepranayama Accod ngto theTantra,
sarira. among72,000nadis,
which are spreadthroughoutihe body,only fourteennadisare
lmpo(anl.And amongfourteenon y lhree namely,lda, P nga ,r
and Susumnanadlare significant. lda and PingaLa runalongwilh
the Susumnaon the lelt and lhe righlsrdeol it respeclrvely. The
root of all nadiswhich in Tantraterms is known as kanda s in lhe
Nluiadhara cakra.TheKundalnini Sakli liesdormantatthe end of
the Susumnachannel.How to awakenlhls sleepingKunda nl
we shallsee il now
Tantrahas workedoutthisprocesslhousandsot yearsback.
Thouqhthis processis a difiicuittask but il glves evetlaslng
elerna joyto sadhaka.Thepre-requirement oi th s process ot
awakeninglhe KLrndalini, is the guidanceol an expertleacher
who shouldbe well versedin this type of practicewho can ellL'
cienly guide in this processllll il cornesto ts naturallrliton.
The obiectiveofihis processls to achievepurityof physlcalbody-
mindcomplex-And hencethe Secondpre requisileis firmdeler-
mrnationor strong will power.
As we have seen in the theoretical aspect,kundalinsleeps
dormanlai the base of the susumnanadi.So the door of this
nadishouldbe openedotherwisethe arousedpowerls likelylo
pass ertherin the ida or in lhe Pifrgalan,rdi.
Therearevariousprocesseslorawakening the power men-
tioned by the di{ferentTaftra treatise. Here we shall see this
orocess rn lhe wordsol ArthurAvalon.In lhe wordsof Arlhur
Avalon."The sadhakasils in as orescribedasanaand sleadies
the mindby concentrating beiweenthe eyebrows.Air is inhaled
and retained;the upper part of lhe body is contract and lhe
prana(upwardbreathiis checked.Theairlhus preventedfrom
qoing upward tends to rush downward;lhis escape ol veyu as
apana is also checked by appropriale conlraciion of lhe lower
parls.Thevayuthuscollectedis directedtowardsihe Marladhara
centreand ihe mind and willare concenlraled upontt with lhe
I
resul lhal due to the lrrctonalpressureol pranaand Apanahetd
t ghl logelher.rniensehealts generatedandthtsagatn arouses
thesleeptngserpent,kunda|ni,whichwhenso activaledis drawn
upwards.By mentaI concentration withlhe aid ol [,tantra,thejivalma
whrchis oi the s hapeoi a ftameis broughldownlromihe heartto
lhe l\.4uledharaand. so lo say, unitedand movedatong wth
awakenedSakti.As ils coils are loosened,lhe ape(ure lo the
doorof Brahman,Brahmadvara, ai the modlhol lhe SusurnnA,s
openedand lhroughthe Colrinenerdrwilh/n the Kundatniis lect
Ailer p ercinglhe Mu adhiiracakra,wilh the aid ol lhe con-
centralon, KLtndalnlgoes upwardand p ercesa I centresand
p ercesa centresand untteswilh siva at lhe saharara centre.
The s gn iicantpo nt, here,is ihat n the ascendings lourney.She
absorbs all the grosselementsascribedon the ceftres and
bathsIn the ambrosa issuesby Sivain lhe Sahasrarcakra.In
returnloLrneyShe revilatzesall cenlresand comesbacklo the
Muladharacakra,her abidn9 ptace.This processshoutdbe re-
Peatedaga n and again.
Tr.r6l ,
. o - " p v o , < I n o a l ; -t,- v o k e sv . r i o u \( e n t r 6 ro -
ls way to Muladhara and endowsthe sadhakawiththe io /owing
quairles.
When i1atla]nsto Sahsraraon ts upwardjourney,sAdhaka
becomescompleley iberatedtrornlhe lmnationsoj body mind
andspacearound.ln lhe ret!rnjo!rneywhilepassrngthroughlhe
Atiracakra endowsthe sadhakawith the qualty ol succ;ss of
words,rneanswhateverhe speaksturnoul lo be ull matelytrue.
ll conlers the vak siddhi.
When t passes to visLrddha cakra,sadhakaendowswith a
uniquelypesof oraltonwhtchwhencehe ulters,keepslhe hearer
spe I bound.When i passeslhroughAnahatacakra,it coniers
un que poweroi drscrimination
by wh/chsadhakacomesto know
!'rhats goodand whal s bador whal is elernaland whal s non-
etefnal. When il comes lo the Manipura cakra,sadhaka is
endowedwrlhtheknowledgeoivariousvdyasor abililieswithoul
be n9 tought When tl passesthroughthe swadhisthana cakfa,
124
sadhakas endowedwrthpoelc senseand lhe sLrble lechnqL.res
ol yoga Wh€nrl comeslo the [,4Jladhara
h e a l i h . T h e s es i d d h i s a r e a g a nc r i l e r i at o w h a t a n e x l a n t h e
sadhakahas beenab e to penelratevariouscakras.
Theseare the powers wh ch normaly do nol manfesl in a
aynran.lt manlests only allef p ercingone afterthe olhercen
tr€s.At the endol lh s processsadhakagetstota y lransformed.
a or lrF suoF'nal- a e-p
9/ o
C. Therapeutic application olthevarious aspects ot Kundalini
Sakti:
H thertowe havebeen discussing aboutthe lfreorelrcaand
app ed s de of the Kunda nl yoga.Awakenng ol the infer poten-
t a rtes s not an easy process.The T,lnlrc way of awakenng s
very elJeclve becauseI dea s directy withthe menla aspect. I
rs p!re y a psychologicaprocess.Thrsfacta so can be seen rn
lhe Tantrc processoi worshipof deily shouldbe done mentaly
LBhavayel, Kalpayel)and rl is consideredas lhe highesl form
ll s sa d thatthe processol sadhanagivessonresupernormal
poriersto sadhaka.Whal s lhe use of lhesepowers f sLrppose
the sadhakaslls dly n so itudeon lhe peakso{ lhe mounlans ?
Ho,,!lhesepowercan be applredin day to day lile ? A aymanis
oast concernedwlth whelherKundaini is lhere or not He is
o.'.1 or lLospcdslL
\or orgrwl_i.Flo
ifcm th-opainresullng fromlhe cornplexities
orCersand menla aimentsare lhe unavoidable
l v h c h a d d t o l h e c o n p e x l y n i i e . l s t h e r ea n y T i n l r c w a y
thro!gh wh ch lhe processol awakenng of Kundain canbe
ut zed to come overthe ev ls ol fe ?
Yes,irornthe descripton of Tantra centres and nads we
ca11
\rr'ork wh ch rs re aledwrlhthe therapeulc
oLrtone hypolhesis
aspeclvrhch runsas lo lows:
The awakenedKukndain can be c assiiiedaccordin!llo ils
v a r o r s a s p e c t so l m a ni e s l a to n . T h e ya r e n a m e l yK r y d v a l.
Chapter 4
Varanamayee.
Kalatrnaand Vedhamayee.25
cakra,sadhakaenjoys
llan leslalionon the planeof physcal body,which s retaled
wrth the Hathoyoga,s known as the Kriyavat aspect oi the
Kundalni saktr On lh s stage,sadhaka does mantioldexer
crsesaulomalically underlheinlluenceof newawakenedpower.
The Hathayogicexercisedirecltyaffeclsthe spinalco umn of
saldhaka nol in a destruclivernannerbut their eliecion syslem
.r. ^il,
grvesheallhto him.
The secondaspect s Kalavati.Elymologcally.Kalarrneans
phase.lt may be a phaseof lime ol moon etc Kunda nl s a
neryenergy.lt s phaseof ilame in bodyiakesthe forrnof b le or
pilla.The p ace of brle in body is very s gnifcant. All rools of
d seasesare ocated n the unbalancedsecrelon ol lhe f rst o{
trre stomachor jatharagnl. The taken food s consLrmedbythe
Tfe al ihe navelregion.Arousedpowerol Kundain slrenghtens
lh s f eringcapacilyof lhe bie or pi|akatdwh ch uttirnat;y re
sulls nlo heathy body.
The Vedharnayeeaspect rs the highest manifestatonot
Kundalinr sakiiwhichcoversalltheselhreeaspects.This aspect
dea s wth th€ p ercingof centres.Bhutalayaor the cornptete
controoverbodly constituents is the resuIotthsaspect.Sadhaka
can cnangetfreproporlionof bodilyconstituents accordng lo his
,,r,i. So thai he can hirnsetleslabtisha harmony
betweenlive
e i e m e n t s w h c h i s t h e prreeq u i r e m e n thoef a t t h . T hiinsd i c a i etss
lremendous lherapeutic value.
o boger ralo'
ol ile. Physicad s' L ke al theselhreelhe Varnarnayt aspecla so has the thera,
aspects ollle peurc aspectvery muchvaluabletn moderntimes.
This Varnamaylaspecl manifestson the Visuddhacakra
lr'rrch s consderedas lhe abodeol Sarasvati. The correspond
nll area ol the V suddhacakrarn physicalbody is the throatre
g cn through!\]hich the pronouncialions oi letters(Varnas) or sound
A I ellershave the r origtnin the Nada lallv or SabdaBrah
m a n .T h e r ea r e l o u r s t a g e st h r o u g hw h c h n a d a p a s s e s t i t
nlanrTests intothe spokenwoTdsor Valkhari.Thesestagesare
126 Chapler4

oara,oa:vanlt,Mad_yan'aand vaiknati.Accotdlng lolne sdn

-ndn'e5lslhro igh
<^rl rnousls lhe va Inan or thespo^enwords
the lilty'lelterwhlch are knownas Varnas Amonglity lelt€rs
there;re sLxteen vowelsnamelya' a, i' i, u, u, r' ri /i, e ai' o au'
groups
rn , h. The lwentylive consonanlsare dividedintofive
which runsas lollows:
k l(h g ghn
chJ lhn
I tho dnn
dnn -::
I lhd
p phb onm
hard non nasal
Lasl nineare semi-consonanls namely,y, r, l, v, s s h l and
ks is a compoundol K and S. :
Now let us come lo lhe Tanlra anatomy wllfl a vLewlo worK
oul the hypothesisrelatedwilh healingaspect As we know ac_
cordinot; the Tantra,lhere are two channels,lda and PLngal'r
runnin;alongthe middlechanneL, thal is,sLrsumn:r' leltand r ghl .l
These
side oi il respeclively- two microcosmic channels are
beiievedto be relatedwithlhe macrocosmic moon and sun And
ti
being so, lda nadi conlans menlalcurrentsas it relateswith
moo; whi e Pingalanadi coniainsvitalcurrentsas it relaleswith
sun,Thus, in brief,menlaland vitalcurrenlsilow lhroughlhese

:
Disharmony betweentheseto currentsis alsoone ol the sali-
ent cause ol diseaseor spllt personalityBecausedlsharmony
betweenthese two curreniscrealedisharmony belweenemoton
and intellecl which are directlyrelatedwith lda and Pingalare' Z.
specrvely.
.. -
All thesedetails lead us to concludethat ii lhe llow ol the
menlalcufrentsor emollongoes ln excess degreein lhe lda ;
nadj,man becomesmoreimaginative or fancilu or behavesLlKe
or'n ol',"t *orOs, he beiomes Incaoab'e oi lal'l_g'al onal E9
decrsion.Al lhe same time rl the llow ol vita' cJ enl ooes 0e_
"ro,'." - 1.'
yond propodion, manbecomesmorevigorousor rigld Bolhlhese :i g!
tn
 128 ChapleF4 Metaphyscs ol Tanlra 129

s tuationsare nol good for heallhybody,mnd comptex.Excess
or any .urlanl Furlslhe oersondltly
ol rrdr
The Varnamaylaspectol lhe Kundalinlhrowstrghton lhe
way10comeoutfrornth s calamty.As the SaradeTlaka aTantfic
work dec ares,the pronuncration of lettersor vafnasis possibe
w th the helpoia rorvayu. Accordtng to the sametreatise(pala-
) lhe eifeclof soundol allthe vowe s are ma nly connectedwilh
lda Agarn shortvowelsperlan to lda and lour vowes e. ar. o.
au. to SusurnnaThe nasal soundperlans to atmAand visarga
to saklr The shorl vowelsare of masculinegender,the long
vowelsare of femininegenderand lhe tour a. ar, o, au are oi
neuter gender.Twenty-ltve consonantsirom k lo m are mainly
connecled withPingala andsibilants are connected wrlhSusurnna.
Again,all consonants from k to ks withshortvowes w th lda and
a , o au wrthSusumna.22
Thrs a lows us to concude that cerlan le ers containvrla
lofce wh le olherscontarnmentallorceas lheirorign is elther n
Prngaa or in lda.
Nowlromlhe givendetailswe can assumethatil, suppose.
sLrbjectA is suileringfrom the vtal de|ciency.This vital def-
ciencycan be recoveredby the correct pronuncalion of lhose
letterswhichare re atedwilh Piagatanadr.
Accofdingto the chart which is workedout by lhe Sarada
T iaka.lhe pfonounciation ol arand a createa d1llerent
typesoi
eifecls as lormer is relatedwith the pingalanad and ater rs
relaledw lh the lda naldi.
A Shortvowel A Longvowel
P ngalanedi ldanadi
Vltality N4entalenergy
In lhe same way deliciencyot mental currenlsa so can be
removedby the pronouncialion ot leltersrelatedwilhihe ldanadi.
Thuslhroughpronounciation ol letters,harmonybetweenemoton
and Intelleclcan be eslablished, which s the pre-requirernenlof
tl-reIntegratedpersona iy.
The Varnamayaspeciamongall lheseaspectss rnore ad'
vrsableIn tormerthree,the person haslo undergoceTtarn rules
and regulations which are difficult
Ior wh
alL, le in the Varnamayl
aspect.a healercan pronouncethe letterlo a pattentaccordlng
lo hrs requiremenl and help h m n strenghtenhrslongt vrly.Pa
I en1has nol to do anythingas everlhingdependson the healer.
Ths is lusl a hypothesis,whch leads us to the drugless
therapy.How iar t s elleclve on how lar lherrresullsarea per'
manenl? The answersof allihesequeslrons demandthe Iurther
resea.chin lh s regards.ll it works elfeclively, is d no1a mosl
benelcia app ied aspectoi the Kundalniprocess?
Conclusion:
t has beenprovedby lhe modernsciencethatwe can !t ize
t t e n e r g yg i v e nb y l h e n a l u r eR e s t o i l h e e n
o n l yl i l le a m o u n o
ergyliesdormanl Th s sameconceplis m rrotedin the Tantric
conceptol the Kundalnl.The goal oi lhe Kundaini yoga is lhe
\.rnfold ng ol this poweror lo be consciousabo!rtand realizelhis
Inherenliatentpowerwh ch in Tanlralerms ls known as the
awakeningoi lhe Kundalni Sakti.
Tantfrcway of unloding oi nherentpoweris very ef{eclve
and at the sarnet me dangerousa so.Sadhakashoud have lre-
mendouspat ence persslence and resrstance lo face any k nd
ol consequencesresulingirorn lheprocess.
awakenssadhakahas 1oaltaincertarnlevel
BeioreKundalrnl
01physca and menla preparatons.
The Kundaliniresidesn the subtlebodybut how the subl e
body can exist wilhoutany residingplace? Physcal body sal_
sl es lh s requiremenl. So for reachinglhe sublle,it is necessary
t o c o m e o v e r l h er m ( a l i o n s ogl r o s s l. t m e a n sb o d y s h o u l db e
puriiredor madedevoidol any disease.
Ivlereheallhybody wouldnot help.There is a so one ent1y
Whch is moresubte n naturethan body3nd also inler_relaled
wilh body.that is mind wh ch also should be pure and healthy
We are nol affecledonlyby physlcasufferings a one but rnenla
a menlsare also oneoi lhe rool causesol our sullerngs.Hence
130
like body m nd also shouldbe kepl pureand concentrated.
By consderingal theseponts, Tanlrahas workedout ts
way oJ altan ng concenlralon in thal lorm n wlrch ts propef
app cat on necessaryensuresheath 01 bolh body and m nd.
This s realy a signilcant aspecloi Tantrasadhanawhich puis
Tantraon a hlgherstage.
or medllalionp!ril es and
HowTAnlricway of concenlration
slrengthensthebody-mnd complexlhatwe haveseenunderthe
ttle EssentialsoiTantrasadhana".Thefewehaveseenlhelhera-
peutc valueof Nyarsa,
lvl!dra,BhulaSuddh etc.
This nnerpurl cat on does not lakesp ace automatcaly. ll
requres sadhanaor constantpracliceIniliaton is requred lo
On y realizedguru or gu de is
enter nlo the rea m of sadhanar.
entt ed to nitate the novice.
Thus n Tanirasadhana,lhe bas c req! rementrs lo havean
eff c eni gufLr,not onlyat the n tlal evel,but at evel oi awaken
in!tlhe Kundainl or piercng the cenlres
The awakenedKundajinlensuresheallhof body .iifd com
p ex and alsofeleasests alenlpowefswh ch agarnjo 1rfes body
and m nd aga nst any attackfrom nside.The var oLSaspectsol
lhe awakenedKundalni namely,Kryavat, Kalaval. Vedharnay
and Varnamayare nol also devoidof therapeulc va ue, The
lherapieswh ch arewofkedoui hereare hypolhesis basedon the
The goa of Tantrasadhanas oLrland oul sprrtua . lts goa s
. . j r o , b . n o n i l h o Ldl 1 y s o L _ d p n p l ' s . t r o ' l l ' " " i
ment or ior the fea izationol lhe sourceol Lrniversa
has no1neglectedthe physca body.On lhe contrary I has
workedoLrtthosetechniques or processthroughwhichthe gross
bodyof the m crocosmcan be subimatedintomacrocosrn.
s I he rnost poslive and pr ce esscontribulionoi lhe Tantrasadhana
n the rea m of lherapes.
Chapler-4
131
FOOTNOTE
A l m e s v a r aS a m y o g a Y o g a hI
C o m m e . l a r yo l k a u n d i n yo n l h e P a s u p a l as u t r aI 1
. u b l s h e d b v A c a d e mc P u b _
E d i t e d b y C h a k r a b o r l iH, a r i p a d a P
l s h e r s . F i r s lE d i l i o n 1
, 970.
2 C i t l a d v a r e n a e s v a rSaa m b a n d h ah e i ! y o g a hI
S a r v aD a r s a n a S a m g r a h a9 5 ' 1 3 0
3. c t l h S v a t a n t r av l s v i s d d h i h e l ! h P r a l y i b h i l n a h r a d a v m _ 1
E dl e d b y s n g h . l a i d e v a
P u b i s h e db y [ 4 o l i a B a n a r s i d a sF, r r s i E d l ] o n 1 9 6 3
Y A d e v iS a r v a b h u t e s cue t a n e l y a b h i dvha t e l
C l r e p e n ay a k r u l s n a m a n t a a d v y a pSylah t h a l a g a t l l S a p l a s a l i l
Sarvakamla iyacaksale
P a s ! p a l aS u l r a 2 ' 6 .
Lrktahpalihsadv'
5 . Tasyakasyapig ! nakarmabhedapeksyavibhagah
S a r v a D a r s a n aS a m g r a h ao l M a d h v a c a r y a
A a s v a r y av a c a n a m aS a s c a k l i g hp a r a k r a m aL
Devbhagvata.
Y o g ic e n n a l v ab h o g is y a d b h o g i c e n n a i v ay o g a vI '
B h o g a y o g e t m a k a mKaa L r l a mlaa s m a l S a r u a d h i k a mpar v e 1 l
T a n l r a2 _ 2 3 .
Kularnava
energy,rt 8. T h e T i m e so ! I n d l ad a i e d 1 . 5 1 9 8 3 S u n d a yE d i t i o n '
L G u s a b d a h t v a n d h a k a .sayha t r u
S a b d a h t a n nr o d h a k a hI
Thrs
A n d h a k a r rnai r o d h a l v agt u r u h i t y a b h r d h i v a l e
T a n l r a1 7 - 8 .
Kularnava
1 0 . Yah S vah Savirrgah SukksmsconmananiskalosvyayahL
V y o m a k a s ea j o s n a n l a hS a k a l h a mp u j v a t ep r v e
t b i d1 3 - 5 1
 Metaphyscs ol Tanlra
Chapter4

Talpasc:rtsreyasaSlhanam divya bhavo matraphatahll

ll A t a e v a S i v a h S a k s a dg t ' r u r u p a mS a m a s r l a hI
T a k e nf r o ml h e T a n t r aM a h a vj n b n a ,b y S n F a m a S h a f m a p 2 0 9
B h a k i y aS a m p n j i l od e v b h ! k l i o nm u k ln r p r a y a c h a t1i 1
23 Avalon.Arthur:PrinciptesofTanlra,part I, p.117. publishedby canesh
b d I3-52
1 2 . A l r n e t r a hS l v a h S d k s a da c a l ! r b a h L h a c u l a hI
21 A v a l o , nA. r t h u f : T h eS e r p e n tp o w e r ,p . 4 S 9 ,p u b l i s h e db y c a n e s h
A c a l L r r v a d a nbor a h m aS r r g u r u k a l h i t a hp y e I l
r bd 1 3 5 7 . 2 5 Calurvidybsa samdist:rkr yavatyadi bhedatah r
l3 H a r i r u h e g u r ol r a l a g u r or i r t h en a k a s c a n a . Kriyevall Var|rarnayeeKatalm:rVedhamayee.
1 : r V n a d k s a mn a m o k s a hs y a l y u k l a ms v a s a s a n el Takenfrom DevalrnaShakli,,(Divine power)by SwamrVishfurirth,
s a c a n a s y a dv i n a c : r r y a m i rci a r y ap a r a m p a r ar p . 1 1 5 P ! b i s h e db y S h a n k a r l a t lB
i h a t n a g a rr,9 4 9
tbdt33 26
r 5 D i y a l e J n a n as a d b h a v ak s y a t e p a s l v a s a n aI T r a n sa l i o ni s t a k e n f f o m l h eD e v a r m saa k n( D t v i n e
p o w e r ) b yS w a m
T a k e nf r o ml h e T a n t r aM a h a vj n a n ab y S h a r m aS r R a m a
1 6 S p a r s a k h y ad e v i d r a k s a n j i ar n a n a s k h y m
a a h e s v a r aI
K n y a y ad e v i d k s a l r d h a ts m f u i a
t bd 1 4 , 3 8
1 7 . A l m a S t h a n a m a n u d r a v yd ae v a S u d d hs l L rp d ' , o a r f
K | ] l a r n a vT
a a n t r a6 - 1 6 .
1 8 S a s t r yK. a p ai l V F u r t h e r l l g h tTs h e V e d a a f d t h e T a n l f a p. p 2 4 2
2 4 3 . P l b l s h e d b y S f i A u r o bn d o L b r a r y .1 9 5 1
19 Avaon, Arlhur:Sak1 a n d S a k l a p 5 4 3 ,P u b l i s h e d
b y c a n e s ha f d
C o . S i x l he d l l o n , 1 9 6 5 .
2 0 . C i t e db y S a s t r y K
, apalilV
F u r t h e rl g h t s : T h e V e d aa n d t h e T a n t f a p, . 2 4 7 .
2 1 N a k a s l h ev i d h y a t ed e v o n a p : r s a n a t en a m r u n m a y o
B h a h iv d h a l ed e v a h l a s m abrhl a v a s t uk a r a r r d ' , i
C t e d l r o r nS r i H a r nS a r m a ,p 1 9 5 .
2 l a . D i v y a s c ad e v a l a p r a y a S
h u d d h a n t a a kha r a n as a d a
D v a n d v a l i lV
o i t a r a g a hS a r v a b h n l a khs m l I
N l a h a n i f v a nTaa n t r a 1 5 5
2 2 A d o u b h a v a p a s u mk r u l v ap a s c a ik u r y a d a v a s y a k a n l
V r a b h a v om a h a b h a v a h
saraabhavolamah
Chapter-5
Applied side of Tantra:
Dance,Music,Astrology,
Sarcraments
Chapter-5

Applcationot any pr nciple s one ol lhe decidng lactorsol

ts scundness.For nslance,in the realmo{ science,lhe law ot
gravitaton is consideredas an authenlicor universallaw The
reasonof il is lhat il dealsunexceplionally with a11
objecisof the
universe. Whaleverwe throwupwardnecessarily comesdown-
ward.ln additionlo thislype ot inslance,we may add the law of
whlchstates lhat everyellectpresupposes
ca,.rsatron a cause,
or in olher wofds, cause necessarily createsellecl. All lhese
aws are universaland theirapplication decidesthe soundness
of ihal branchoi knowledgeirom whichthey emanate.BeLnga
system,Tanlrais alsobasedon some principles amongthernthe
caTdna oTe s lhe principle of cultivating
oi energy.Stgnficance
ol energyin lile needsno illustration. Lifeor energy is the core
ol un verse.Tantrahas toundout lhe sourceol energy,nol only
that, bul il has also mentioned the way ol cultivationand
channelizalion oi il.
ForTantra,
energy s the UltimateReality.
Eve hing s bul its
manLleslation. ll creales,sustainsand deskoys. How does it
lh s work ? Energydoes lhis throughv bration and movement
whichare its unavoidable aspecls.So thesetwo alsocan be lhe
ads ol the reaLizationot energy.lndan arls lke ol Musc and
Danceare basedon these two aspectsrespeclvely.
The rootof the term Nratyais I nrlla means"to act"wh ch s
highy re ated w th movements. A dancerthroughdilferentges-
tures(Mudr?ls) o. movements crealeshis/herownuniverse on lhe
stage.Throughthe rhylhmicalmovementshe/sheis attunedto
lhe entrrecosmicmovements. In thisway he/sheesiabrshesan
denl ty ol lhe linitewith inlinitewhich is our goal.
Like dance,music also ends inlo realizsalion.ln music,
notes(svara)enjoysignrlicant
stalus.In Tantra,lhesesvaraare
138 Chapter-5
consdefed as the Nadasaktior cosmic,soundwhich is one of
the aspeclsol the Kundalinl sakti,the universalpower.As in
Vedos,so n Tantraalso, Sabda is consideredas Brahmanor
energy.Be ng a manilestation ot the N:rdasakti,eachand every
leiterishighlypowerful.Ths poweris lellthroughlhe mediumot
v bration.And becauseof th s we feelthe impactol the arfanged
Ragaof music.
Eachand everyalom o{ the Lrniverse, beinga rnanltesiaton
ol energy,rssuesvibralons. We are noi the only enlily n the
un versebLrllhereis awrde planetarysystem also.Thisa so, like
!s, conslantlyrssLres e eclriccurrenls.Accordingto lhe Tdntric
pfincipleoi identitybeiweenmicrocosm and macrocosm, atlrac-
lionand repusiontakesplacewhichbecomesthe decidingfaclor
of lhe favourableand unfavourable mpactof the planelarysys
lem. Harmonybelweenvibraiions ol the subjectand p anetsgive
Iavourwhiled sharmonygivesunlavour. The Indianastrologyis
basedon thisTarntr c pr ncLple.
Apparenily ih s leadsus lo concludelhal we are slaveol the
p anetarysyslem. Bul accordingio Tanlra,il is not so.Our mind
is more powerfulthanplanetarysyslem.Poweris therebut it is
lalentin m nd. A siddhaor an exped can compe the planetaly
sysiemthroughhis cullivatedmenlalpowers.
The pr m tive man bel eved thal the causeoi p easureand
pain s the supernaturalpower.For ihe benign nfluenceon ihe
rnporlantoccasions ol lie whichstarttromconceplon tocrema
I on groundwhichare sixteenin number(SodasaSamskara)are
stillbeingcelebrated and Yantfas.
wlthlhe helpoi I\,4antras
Likeabovementionedaspecis,the in{luence olTankicprrnc-
ples are also discernibleon otheraspecisof life but withinthe
liml oi this is, we shall see somelhingabout lhe above men'
ironedaspects.wesha lproceedw th the dancean expression oi
Innatecrealrveenergy.
A. Dance:
For Tanlra,energyis the UllirnateBealityoi wh ch conslanl
movementis the unavoidable LordSivals consid'
aspecl-Tirntric
App ied slde oi Tantra: 139
eredas the lordol dance,Nrityamurii
or Nalraja-amasterdancer.
Rhythmboth n universeand in dancealso rs unavoidabe
aspect. n universe,we see the processof creaiion,mante
nanceanddestruction ln a rhylhmicalorderbeingconstantiy
done
by cosmrcRealty.Beyondlhesethereare alsotwoaspectswhich
are namey, grace(Anugraha)andconceaLment (Tirdhdhana).These
ilve lold aspecloi Realityrs symbolzedin a postureof Natrala,
lne greatdancer.
The danc ng postureol handsand legsol Nalratais nol also
olt of s gn ficance.Th s posluresuggestsS va as most beneJi,
crallp mankind. The righthandwithdrumand1re syrnboiizes the
handof protection (Abhaya) wh le lefthandwiihdandams a hand
ol besiowinglhe boons.This is the descrption ofthe exoteric
formoi poslureNatr:rja. Nowlel us seewhat il esolerically
repre
1. Esotefic meaning ol the dancing posturc of Siva :
Th. o or6ri sro^.i. a- e of r,leportJre\dt..jd c-qgFct rr-p
Tanlrlcprlncple of rdenlty betweenm crocosmand rnacrocosn-t
or Indivrdual sell and the Universaseli. As the universels ihe
slageof cidambramol LordSivaon whichHe dances,lhe same
cdambaram rs localedin the body,thal is, hs heart where
Gods mage elernallydancesior destroyinglhe Maya and re,
leasethe sp rit withn. As Rao Gopinaihhas r ghl y observed,
''Sivas a destroyer
and oves the burninggroLrnd. Bul whatdoes
He destroy? Nut merelylhe heavensand earthat the end of a
kalpa.but lhe ieiterslhai bind each separalesou. Where and
what is the burningground.lt is not the place whereour earthty
bodes are cremated,butthe heariol the bhakta,lhe devoteeaid
urasleand disoate.He br ngs not peacebut a sword.The place
wheretheirse ves are destroyed the placeor stalewhere
signriies
the r ego of ilusionand deedsare bruntaway:lhatis lhe crema,
toriu.n,lhebLrrning groundwhereSr Nairajadances.I
Sjva as deslroyeris known as lvahakalawho even rn lhe
work ol deslruclion,conslanly creales.The consorlot Slva as
fMahakalais knownas'Tandava'. Eitherway il is the movementof
energyihal br ngs aboutchangein lhe cosmos.Now let us see
140
somethingaboLrllhe danceof Kal .
2. Dance ol Kell orenergy: Lesya Nritya .
We havegot grmpseol Sivaas lordoidance.ThroughHis
dance.He doestvelold activities
namely,crealion,maintenance.
deslruction,graceandconcealment. He doesthiswiththe he p of
his consorl,Sakt Kai, who nspiresSlva to expressany ges'
Sakt s also a dancer,She dariceson lhe proslratebody of
her lover Siva. This postures a so h ghly signliicant.
S r John
Woodrollehasbeautilully disclosedthe signiicanceol the danc
ing poslureof KAli,or energy.In his own words,"She s naked
be ng clothedin spacealone(Digambara) becauseGreatpower
is un mted;lurthershe is Herselfbeyond l\rlayalhat poweroi
Hersef wrlhwhichshe crealesall universe. She slandsuponthe
whle corpselke body ol Siva. He is white becalse He is lhe
ll,Jmnation.(Prakasha),
the lranscendenlal aspeclol conscious
ness.He s inerl becauseHe s the changeessaspectol the
SupremeandShe s apparentlylhechangingaspecloith-"same,
be ng twin aspeclsol the one who is changeess and existsas
change."2
Tantrc pr nc plesare not relatedonlyw th the esoleTc mean
ing ol dance.But ils technique, ike the Halhoyogicpostures
(Asanas),pranayamaare alsoconnecledwiththe geslurers(N/udras)
Danceand Halhayogic technique :
Danceis not merey a movementoi body but il also repre-
sents ihe exposlon ol lhe moodsand emotons ol mnd. For
perJeclpresenialion of moods,m ndshouldbe calmandlh s calmness
can be gainedlhroughpranaryarma. L ke ca mness,the I exibllity
o ' b o d yr s d l 5 0 r e q J r r e d I n d a _ c e . T h e H a ' h a y o gai ^, saps ,a-' .
this. So wth the helpol asanasand pranay:rrna,
expresshis/heremolionsperfecily.
The abovernenlionedfact is realized by Zdena Bronislaw
Ska Deylova.Her experiencehas been publshedin the "Yoga"
lournalofApril,1978,lnwhichshehasacceptedlhatlhepractice
Chapter5 A p pe d s d e o t T a n t r a l4l
oi the Hathayogc asanashelpsin the Juliilmenlof the dance. n
her own famousdance yoga-etude" she has presenleda serres
oi s xteenasanas.3
Danceis an expresson of innatecreal ve powef,that is known
as KLrndanl The activty oi iie iorce in untverseis lhe cosnric
dancewfrch s conslanllybeingdone by Ltniversal power.Awak-
en ng oi Kundalin also manilestsas a creativrtyin an artist.In
ho ro<- or oo,. a 1.. od-.e. t, ,o.lgr l-e ga<rL,o, rea zo. t..
nectarof B ss which ariseslrorn the union of Siva Sakl, the
periectcoLrpe ol universe.
We c ose this pointw th the wordsol
a dancer 'S va andParvatihavebeen lhe nspiration of a I dances.
the perleclma e-female,lhe dual personatzatronoi the Abso
lute a
B. Music:
L k-odance,musicis a so a dtvinemanifeslalion
of un versal
Energy,Kundalnl.The coreoi mus c is Nada,whichis one of the
aspectsol Kundalini.
that ts Nadamayee.
Perfecton beslowsbiiss.In mustcperfection restsrnlhe Nada
tallva Whena s fger getsidentiicationwith NddaSakt. he en-
jDysthe same blss as a yogior lhe dancerfeelsat the peak oi
perlecton.The Nada sadhanaawakensthe latenlpolentalt es
of Sadhaka. Hor,vt awakens, that is expressed by Svaml
'i rs the lact when
Pralnananada. the Sadhaka,arttsl and lhe
syrrrpalheiicistenersrealze lhe realessenceoi ihe Nadala va,
they dive deep inlo the mysteriouskamakaa or Kundaini and
come to knpwor urqelor knowledgeof the dealof rnusic.stirs
the s eepingco ed Kundain or subconscous mtnd.and conse,
quenly, g ves a startfor lhe ascentof the div n-abas c energy.
Graduallythe awakenedenergypenelratesall lhe Iorcecentres
oi the body (ol the spinalcord)and linallyreachesthe thousand
pela ed otus of lhe Sahasrara, the seal of al conscousness
a dancercan
PararnaSiva and then sadhakaartistand the sinceremusc
lslenersleed vinecommunion oflhe jvatmaandthe paramZrtma.
Theythenattainthe lru tionof the NadaSadhana.whichenabes
themlo cut as underthe knolsof nescienceand realze the lran
scendenlaBrahman And this stagecan be sa d to be the u t
142
mateach evemenl(paramprapt) of lhe practce ot rnusic."s
Thrs eadsus to concudethatliberation lhroughmusicliesrn
the rea zatonoitheN:rda tallva.TheNadataitvawhich iscore
ol mLrsics also an Lrnavoidable aspecl of the Tantrasystem
When we are going to discuss musicas the appled sde of
Tantra.it w il not be out oi placeto havea glimpseoi Nadatattva.
1. Theory ot Nada :
Like Vedicphllosophy, Tantraa so bel eves in the wor d oi
name and fofm. (Narnarupahekajagal. As lar as the wor d ol
nameis conceTned, NAda s its essence.Sabdawh ch ls lhe es-
' a e o r o r h a . : s r h e r d _ i l a s l a r i oo' f \ a d a r a \ d , r k . |
be ng an ong natorof il, Neldatatlva s a so a I pervadng enlily.lt
is the I rst modification of ultirnaleRea ty
There s nothingin this worldwhich has no narll-o.Because
verycreationdependsonname.Voition(Echa)olcreatonspror
to any concretecreation.Un verse was iirsl W lled by Cosmc
Creator(Sa asakayata)then creationtook place.Our w ll ng can
be expressedonlythroughwordsor etters.That's why ord Him
se f has sa d n Vedalhatthe creationhas corneoul fromspeech
or v:rk She is lhe creatorof universe.6lt furtherdec ares, The
knowerol the Vedasknowsihat the world s a manilestalon ol
vak.7
Now et us see how musicv ews Nadalaliva. n the Samgta
llarpana,Nadalatlva s highlyesteemed,as everthingdepends
on Nada.Nadaor Solrnd s the essenc€ol ertherwhich is lirsl
amonga obiectsof the world.So t is sa d that al grossoblects
are madeup ol Naldaor soundand henceNadais the sourceol
The rootol the word Nada,is Nad meansthe !nstruckvoice
(AnahalaNada).Th s unstrLrck
vo ce manlestsin notes sentence
or angLrage whch s knownas slruckvolce (AhataNada) be-
cause whi e speakng the oulgornga r str kes the vocal chord
by Tanlrc seeTsas 'struck
and creaiessoundwh ch is classiiied
voce" (AhataNada)Thesetwo lypes ot Nadasare aso men-
t oned by the Samg(aDarpanaand Samgta Makaranda.s
ChapteF5 App ied s de oi Tantra 143
ForTantfastruckvoice(AhataNacla)is va khari,one fo the
stagesof Vark.The reststagersare knownas ParA,Pasyanliand
Madhyamaand unstruckvoice(AnAhataNAda) s a parava. A
m!sicianstartshrsSadhaneIromstruckvoiceand graduallyde-
ve ops th s mlrsc to attainthe goal,that s unslruckvo ce, or
AnAhataNAda,or vaikharilo Paravak.Nowwe shallsee some
thing aboulthe conceplof Nadaaccordng loTantra.
2. Concept ol Neda in Tantra:
Awakennll of kundaini is the cofeol TantraSadhanaWhen
theK!nda n nl awakens,a yogihearsthe unstruck voice(Anarhaia
Nada).Th s happens only when pranalvital torcelilows from
",
SLsumna nstead of lda and Pingala.A greal rad ance ar ses
frori Nadawh ch manliestsas Binduordol.Ths Binduis div ded
wil ieeha knowledge(lfiana)
Intothree aspects,thal is. narnely,
and act on (kriya).Hence Nada tattva,the a I pervadingentily
becomessourceol wi knowledgeandactionwh ch are the pr-^
requrementol everycreaion.
n Tantra.Bind! s consideredas highlypotenlal. As a drop
of semen(virya)casl nto ov!m and unitedw lh femae ova can
q.)
'6 r' nlo . no, p A r c o n ai l y o ds c seed o
potenla ilily lo resu1 in a hugetree,likewise,the Nadawhrchis
the same as B ndu is h gh y potenlal.Tanlrasees no d llerence
betweenNada and B ndu.eSvami PrajiAnanadahas quoteda
beaullu versewhichdeclareslhecharaclerstics ands gnifcance
of Nada. !
Fromthlswe can concude thal lhe Nadaof mus c is but the
rel eclionol TAntricnotionot Nada.Nada s the sou ol musicbrll
lor the .nanrleslat on oi sou , body is required.SbLrlNAda.iani
feststhro!gh ihe body Raga.Raga s the means throughwh ch
Nardamanifests.Be ng a conlaner, Rdga also p ays prominent
r o e n r n ! s i c . S o e l u s h a v ea g l a n c eo v e rt h e t h e o r yo f F l A g a .
3.Theory ol Rega:
Baga is lhe bodyof sou Nada,whrchmeanslhrolgh Raga,
Nadamanilesls. Whal is the meaningol Rarga? One may havea
question.In lhe treatse on rnusc Raga s consderedas some
 1iE
:i ;$iiiiii€i;iialigi$iiiie
{giiE*:Fiiqeiiei[lgeei
*[i aii
$ ;gi
i ;iiFiiqt*$,i,ffiiiF
9
r i+riie€f,;gt€5ii+i iii
Premotdial elemenl Bija Mantra Cakra
1. Sadyyojata Earlh Larn Muladhara S R:iga 9
2. Vamadeva Swadhisthana Vasanla
3 Aghora Fam [/]anpura Bhairava
4- Tal-Purusa Anafrala
5- lsana Ether Ham VrsLrddha lvlegha

A

146
ments(Pancamahabhirta)namely, earth,waler,lire,air andether.
n Ih. \(orldo'nan e /VananayaJdgdt ll-e5eolere_.s ore ,ap-
resentedby the seed lellers,lam,Yam,Ram,Vam and Ham re-
spectively.These seedlettersare inscribedon the I ve centresof
energy(cakra)in lhe subl e body whichare namely,lvluledhara,
Swadhislhana, Manipura,Anahataand Visuddhacakra.One oi
the ive gross elemenlsalongwilh lhe rest is pfedomnanl n
each oi the centresrespectively, .e. earthalongwth otherele
ments s predorninant rn fMuladhara
Walerrn Swadhislhana etc.
Nol oniy centres,elementsis predominanlnMudharaWaterln
Swathstah,lnaetc. Not only cenlres,elemenlsand seed letlers
but the musicalilvemaiorragasare also beiieved10 be related
w th the fivecentresol energy.SvamiPrajaanananda hasworked
oLl ihe charlwhichrunsas io lows:
Among lhe iive centres,the VlsuddhacakralTasbeen con-
s deredas lhe abodeoi Saraswaii. The goddessof mus c. This
centrewh ch is also knownas lotus has a s xteen petalsfrorn
whichth€ sixteenmuslcalnolesare producedwhich are narnely
: (1) Pranava(the mysticsyllabieom), (2) Udgtha (a portionol
Sarnveda,' (3) Humphat(ivysticsylableused n incantatron,(4)
V a ! s a t ,( 5 )S v a d h a a n d ( 6S) v a h a( E x c l a m a l i ou ns e d n o i l e r n g
oblalionio lhe de ty), (7) namasthe termusedln conneclion
the name ol dietyto s gnily veneraton), (8) Amritalambrosia)
T h e s e v e nm ! s i c an o l e sn a m e y ( 9 S ) h a d a j a( 1
, 0 )R i s h a b h a ( 1, 1 )
Gandhar3, (12)Madhyama, (13)Pancama, (14)Dhavar,(15)Nsada
( 1 6 )B s h a( p o i s o n ) . '
Rapportwith NAda,(Nedanusandhana) s a uniqueglirgiven
by Tantralor savaton. As we know and iee lhai mind is very
unsteady.ln Sardhana, m nd is requiredto be Iullyconcentrated
and cahned.Tantra says thal musicis the easiestway through
wh ch one can-oasily concentrate one'smind.Thishasbeenbeau
t fu ly exp ainedin lhe Nadabinduupansad.i6
This ead us lo concludelhat, the Nada Sadhanaoi music
can be lhe meansof awakening the K!ndalni Sakti.Thus mLrsic
s one of the TAntrc way ol realizingthe denlty betweenthe
Tnacrocosm ano tne m crocosm.
Appied sld€ of Tantra 147
Chapler5
C. Astrology:
SLrpposelhat one car rs goingon withthe speedol 120 km.
and suddeny the dfver, sullersfrom a hallucination sees,as f
lhere is dusiy boardwilh "Stop,dangerahead" nscribedon 1.
Driverslopsthe car and n h s grealastonishmenl lhere s a b g
valleylusl a lew krlomeierslrom his car.Then he lriesto f nd oul
the boardbul in his utter surpriselhere s no boardal all. In this
siluatlonwhal wou d be th nk ? This eventcan be judgeddill€r
ent y as dependng uponone'srnentalstale and his conception.
It is certainthat when he sees a valleynear hlm, he defi-
ntely frfstoi al, wouldthink that he ls savedrniraculous y. A
theislv ews this evenlas a graceol god.A scientislwouldcer
tainy lhinkthathe is savedaccidenlally whrlean astrologer sees
the irnpactoi p anetarysystembeh nd this evenl.Bll all these
v ews cuhimaleto one poinl,that is, there s somelhng whichis
invisibleyet ellective.A iherstconsidersit as a gracegood or a
scienlst considersas a mereaccidentwh e lor an astrooger t
s an influenceof p anetarysyslem.Tantra considersthis'some
lhng as an nlluenceo{ energy.How il consderslhat, we w I
exp a n in the sequel.Bul beforewe do thatlet us be awareot the
re ationshipbetweenTanlraand Astrology.
w th The ltle gven in the beginningoi this pornldeclareslhat
aslroogy s derivedfromlheTanlra,Nowletus seewh ch arethe
.oTnon po '\ ' oll^oFnlheselwo dspe!ls.
Aslrologyis basedon astronomy. In astroogy,il is be ieved
that each and everyobjectfeel rmpaclol astron(stars-planel).
Th s is nolh ng butlhe refleclon of lheTentricprincipe of idenl,
ficationbetweenmacrocosmand microcosm. Whaleveris in un
verse also exisl in hurnanbody.
Becauseot lhis denlification, Tanlraconsders body as a
rn niatureun verseand univoreas a body of Siva.The universe
whichI es in the bodycan on y be seen by the yougicvis on. In
the cosmc v sion (Visvarirpadarsana)Lordkrisnahas shownto
Arlunathe toudeenbhuvanasin Him.Eachand everypersonhas
gol thistypeol potentialil
es bul its expressionrequiresSadhana.
SwamiV janananda very
in the Iorewordol lhe Brhaiiatakam
 Chapler5
148
beaullully reflectsthe t'ase ol astrologyas reslingon vedantic
pr ncipes whichare exacllysameas thoseot Tanlrasyslem,Let
us seein hisownwords,'There aretwobroadand rationalpricipes
on wh ch aslrologyis based-The first principe upon which lhe
sc ence ol Astrologyrests,is thalol Vedanla,lhatthe who e uni-
verse is acluallywhat the term impies a unly; and that a aw
lvhich is lound in manilestalion in one oorlionoi the un verse
musl also be equallyoperativethfoughoullhe whole.Wh le lhe
heavenslorm the macrocosm, manrs lhe nl crocosm,Eachrnan
is a iltlewor d exactlyrepresenting lhe universe.
Whlleall seem
quiet wtholi lhere s an acliveword wilhin.Such a world is
vis b e to lhe inner sightol a yog . These aws whichare opera-
tive amonglhe planetarybodies are a so n iorce amongslour-
The secondprincipleis lhal, by a study of lhe molionand
relativeposilonsoi the planets,the operalions ol theselawsmay
be observed,measuredand determined."lT
Commonprinciples betweentwo systemsdo not necessariy
lead us lo concludelhat one is der ved from another. When we
say A rs derviedlrom B, it meansA necessariypre-exsts n B.
ll we app y this iacl Tour tille, t suggestsTanlra s much older
lhan astroogy in ierrnsoi antiquily, Now el !s lry lo see th s.
Vedacan bedivided nto six limbswhichare knownasVedarnga.
They are namey phonetice(Siksa),Rules lor s3criiicialacls
(kalpa).Meter(Chanda),
Etymology(Nitukkla), Grammar(Vyakarana)
(Vyakarana) and Aslrology(Jyotisa). In the Brahiiatakam
these
limbsareequaledwilhthesixllmbsofVedapurusain whlchJyotisa
or aslroogy s conslderedas lhe eyesof Vedapurusa.le
Veda is the gifiof lhe Aryanpeople.Inlhe "aniiquily
ofTanlra'
wilh the help of the reportsof excavalionof Harappa,we have
lried to provethatthe Tantricgermswere deeplyrooiedintothe
soil ol Indiabeiorelhe Aryancame intoIndia.So be ng a limbol
Veda,astrologyhas a lateroriginihan Tantra.This laci leadsus
to inlerthatAryansmighthaveborrowedthe Tantricprincipleol
idenlilicaton ol microcosmand macTocosm and alsool the influ-
ence ol energy.They mighlhavemodlled ii and appliedit in the
App red s de ol Tantra 149
fie d ol aslrology
How the nlluenceol energytakesplace,for lhis we haveto
see the lrteoryol alomsand ils magneliccurfents.
Th s unrverse,inctudingphysicalbody and planetarysys-
tems havebeenmadeout ol fiveetements(panca [,4ahabhula).
Any objectcan be redLrced inlo atornwhichrs nolhingbul iut oi
e ectncrlyor energy.SirJamesJeans,wilhthe helpol researches
rnadeby RulherFordesiabtishes lhistact.,,Thanks maintyto the
resea.ches of RulherFord,t hasnowbeen established that every
atom s built up enlirelyof negalivechargedeleclrons,and ol
pos t ve chargedparlicles"Prolons',; matterproves10be nothtn!
but a coilecton oJparticleschargedwilh electricily.re
Thsaiom snolhingbltttheifl e magnel.SwamrAbhedananda
has taedto provelhis withaid ol the Newion'stawand tromthis,
he has also logrcally derivedthe tactthatbeinga combrnatron ol
aloms.hurnanbody and earthetc.are also a big magnel.20
In prevrousparagraph whiteexplaining lhe constitut on ot uni-
verse,we have made relerenceol live grosselements(pauca
MahabhLrta) amongthem elher is lhe mostsublleone,and a so
al pervadlngenl ty.From thtswe can saylhat n universe, lhere
rs nothinglke Vacuumbut is on y an ocsanol ether.planelsare
very far irom humanlerritory.They are nol dead but giganiic
m a g n e t sS u n i s t h e s o u o
l f l h e p a n e t a r ys y s t e ma r o u n dw h r c h
lhe wholesyslemrotates,This syslemhas ils own veloctlyand
moton drstribuling theirmagnellccurrenlstn the oceanof elher.
Beinga magnetwe a so thfowlhe currenlsn ihe oceanof eilher.
Harmonybetweenlhesetwo currenlscreatesfavourabe results
and disharmonyresulisnto mislortune. Howthis happensis de_
scribed by Padhey,S.K., in hs book "Astrology".2r A these
th ngs establishthat beinga magnel,planetsdo have lheir m-
pacton worldy objects.lt is also.at the sametime,lntereslng Io
note lhal allplanetsdo nol haveone andthe samelype of infiu
ence.Some planets are consideredas hot, i,e.,IVlars, Jupiler,
Sun whrlesome are as coldnamey [/oon, Salurnetc.Their m-
pact s lell accordng to theirnalure
 cosMlccoNNEcTroN

gam: bhanriman. yam

Fuby Bo.e Hol

lham: dam:dham. naln.

kam kham: gam gham: Blue Nerves Cotd

D amond Spen Cod

Yellow Fat nol

Ederald Flesh (:old

T h i sc h a r l s r e k € n l r o t r i t h eI t l s t r a t . dV r ' e e k y . tt m t . r V o I A u l l s r 1 r ! 9 F 2 b y
K a d a n r a t hw l h r r l em o df ' v a t o nt r o m . r . J n r a

q
jli:i: d
i=
'E+;;iaIii
fi€*iail, ir
f{iiti;i!:;i3gs.
r r:fi:r:;,
43a;: ;;5F1ii$ d

igiqii;i
ffii;iiFiii;$
iE$;e;qiisf
$;ili;;ii
iFsqilil ;;iiii;s
ii$i'f;
5lFiqi3
i3i:fi;;;
ii iI;fl$i
siFr${i
i:iaFi:{qficEr+u:
!Fis;ii-sH::iFe
iii$r;;;=:e
::ii;iuFfi;i
:':''i;
152 Chapter5 Appled side ol Tanlra:

D. Sacrraments : |. carbhedhena Samskea : Conception.

It was the belielol primilivean thatlhey were surroundedby ln thissacrament,the ditterentdeiiiesare req!ested10give
super naturalpowerswhichwere lheir cause of pleasure and ooodchird_. Fi'sttrvede.tiestpancadeva)nametytiranma.Dr.iga.
pain In the prevlousconcepl,lhal is of Aslrology.wecouldsee Ua-Fsaer.. sno rtdtreworsh;pOeo. Allerthatetghtpowerc(Asta
trralbecauseol lhe relationol idenlilcationbelweenmacrocosm Sakti)shouldbe propitiated. In thissacramenl,LordVisnuts atso
andmicrocosm, we feelihe impactol universallorces And hence, askedlo granllhepowertoconceive.Tvastre, forgivinglhe imbs
on the mporlantoccasionsol lile,lor ben inlluenceol powers,
gn
^o
he ch ld.Ano Dnarais 'equestedto givepowerto bear. /
fhe,
whichwerelermedas deilieswereand slil being nvoked \ 'rrvdI Sa.asvaltandAsvtnasare askedlo s.rpporl
l']e worno.,s
And al the end ol ceremony,Visnuis againpropitiated
The HinclusSoc al Syslemhas accepledsorneoccasionsol ,or excel-
/-onlson
ile as importantwh ch are sixleenin numberwhlchrs knownas
srxleensacraments (SodasaSamskara).Tanlra hasalsoaccepled
2- Pumsavanana Samskare : prcgnancy.
the conceplol Sacramenlbut un ike, the lormersyslem t has
accepledon y ten basicsacramenls, This sacramenltakesplaceafterlhe thlrdmonlho, concep-
lion.Aflerllnishng lhe daityduties,the husbandshouldworship
The Mahanirvana Tantrais lhe sourceol the Tantricconcepl
deilies.Afler this,lhe wife js askedto drinkthe specialtype
of sacramenl Bul one may have a questionwhy sacrarnenlshouid oi
cLrrdwhich is made oul of cow,smilk.Thenthe kurca
be perlormed? Whalis the purposebehindlt ? The N,4ahanirvarna bij; Hum
and Maya bija Hrim rs recjled lor the protectionoi wo;b
Tantra1M.NT.) views lhe sacramenlas a meansof physical girosl,pretasand pisdcas2e
irom
mentalpurilicalon.22 {malignantspiIrt.
Wh ch are the ten sacramentsprescribedby the M N.T ? 3. Sim an to nn ayan a Sams ke ra :
These sacramenlsare narney (l ) concepton, (2) pregnancy,
This rite shouldbe perlormedin the sixthor eighthmonth
(3) simantonnayana. (4) b rth, (5) glvingthe chrds name,(6) il s of
pregnancy. The same rite takes placeas it is me;lionedin lhe
t rsl view of lhe sun, (7) nrsl ealing,(8) tonsure,(9) inveslilure
o r'na savn-a.asacramenl.[,10reover, threeobldtiolsto v snL.
and (10)[,4arfiage.'?3 \urva dnd Erahama should
be o':c.ed.And tnen I iS requeslao
Whal shoud be done beiorethe celebraton ol lhese sacra- 1oVrsva-Karma for saie delivery.30
ments? The l\rl.N.T. haslaiddownsomerLrles and regulalons lor
( Accordingloit beforeperlorminganysacraments,the kausandika 4- Jata-kama Samskdh : Birth:
rle s necessaryto be perio.med,in whichthe lordI re sasked Th,sflle takesptacejmmediateJy
lor protecton and boons.LotdErhaspaiiis alsorequestedIor the , atterthebrrthol a so, fne
a Dharahorna
and gives rrvaobtalrons,o Agnl
protecllon ol sacrilce.24Lordlndra,Agni,marula Brahma,Vasus, ]:::
r-ora. i"n9'.:
Prd,dpalt,Vtsvadevasano Bram6 for vtgour.vttd,.ry:nd
Fudrasand Prajalpati shouldbe worshppedfor gracewh ch may Irrmnessol child.3l
g ve prosperily.2s All lhese thingsshouldbe perlormedin pre-
scribedmannerlor success n lhe beg nning of sacraments.26 5. Netua-karana Samskela : civing the child's name:
Nowwe shaLseelhe brief descrlplLon ol a I sacramentsglvenDy
the Maharnrrvana Tantra. This.sacramenl shouldhe perlormedallerlhe srxthor ejghth
nronthoi birth in lhe case ol son.While in the case girt.
ol this
 Appleds de oi Tanlra: 155
Chapter-5

grrde be propitious".33Thenthe sacrilicialthreadis gtvento ch ld.

takes placermmediately alier Brth ln thLssacramenlaIrlvers Afterlhis,the ob ationsare offeredto all dieties.
Then guruwhis,
are askedto bestowqracefor the attainmentol Dharama'Artha persihe pranavamanlra(Aum)in the rightear ol a child.curu,
and Kama.3:Thenilve oblatiosare giventoAgni,VAsava(lndra)' lhen, recltesThe Gayalri l\ranka lor the aitainmentol progressof
Prajapaii,V sva-devasand Brahmar. Aiter that iathertakeshs a chidinlfe.3s
.on in ni" t"p una.p"uks his (boy's)nameintolhe rightear'33
10. Udveha Samskera : Ma iage:
6. Niskramana Samskerc: lts lirstview of the sun: n llr s sacrarnenl,
r" lirst of all,all deitiesare worshiped.
Then
For a daughlerlhere rs no NlskramanaSamskdra Bu1 n aller havingcompleledall ritesln the scripture, Lordprajapaliis
the case of boy,thls shouldbe perlormedn the lourthor srxtTr asked ior lhe accomplishment for lhe desiresol newlywedded
moih afterbirth. coupe. Then al the end of the ceremony,devi Ftaja-Rajesvari,
dailydutres,
1nrhisrite,aiterhavng atlended theiathershoud' Kali,Bhuvanesvaretc, are requestedfor the protecllonof cou,
alter bathingworshipGanesaandthensonshorrld bathedadorned
be
wrlhc othe; andjewelsThenh s fatherrequeslsBraharna, Visnu' Thus,the decrttonheregivenshowsthaton everyoccasions
Srva,Durga,Indra,Vayu,Agnl,Varuna Iorthe prolectlon when ol ite,derliesare nvokediorthe benignnfluenceandasojorthe
ever he g;es oul from the house Then, ialher takes h s child to rernovalof evil impacts.Herewe have mentionedonly that parl
or lhe sacrarnentwhich is direc|y relatedwith the rnJluefceol
energy.And rest ol the part wh ch is relaledwilh rituatis om t
7, Anna'Ptdsanna Safiskdra: First eating led.
When the child becomessix or elghl monthsold, this, nle
shouldbe done.Firstoi aLlcliellesare worshippedThen falher
shoud medltateon the deviAnnada(Giveroi iood)and otlerher The conienlsof thischapterpoiniout the widespread areaof
ilve ob ations.Aiter that payasa(Riceboied in milk wrlh sugar ilewh ch is infl!encedbytheTenkicprinciples.lvan
isnotmerely
dno d rlllaq'ee, <_oLo DepJI i_tolae ch ld s nolrlL by Lller nq an an mal but he is somethingmore thanthal.Thatsomelhng is
theManLra;o l ola|ono'|vevla ars'oThe_ a rrll' ce d_d expressedby his cultural,religious,social activitieslike arts,
curryshouldbe put ln the child'smouth sacramenlselc,Tantrahas not leftthjs area also.lts principles,
namelyiniluenceof energy,identilication betweenmacrocosm-
8- cidekama samskera : Tonsure: m crocosm,lhe conceptof mind,bodypurification elc.are argeiy
This sacramenttakes placeal lhe age of lhLrdor llfthyear- appliedin al theseactivities.
Howtheseprinciples are appliedin
A deties shouldbe worshlppedlirst Then aJterperformingal dance,music,astrologyand sacramentslhat we have already
n l e s 9 r ! e _n l r e s c n p l J l e s l h a l a l ' e r 5 n o L l l or e q l o > l o o m n i seen in thischapter.
y
presentcreatorfor well-being o{ a child All theseabovementionedaspectsare also can be utilized
g. IJpanayana Samskera : lnvestitute: as healthgivlngtechnrques. In the delinitionof healthybody-
rnrndcompex, manylactorsare to be considered. Arnongthen
Thissacramenllakes placeaitheageofeightAllerpefroming I ex bilty of body and calmnesol mind are the dec ding ones.
the rile g ven n ihe the guru givesh m a knottedg r-
scriptures, Dancegivesboth ol these.ln dance,dancerhas lo do various
dle. The; boy shouldpronounce," Hirim',may this auspicLous
 Chaple.5
tvoesol backward,lorward,sidewardmovementswhich keeps
boCVI exible.Secondly,dancegiveshealthlike the Halhayogrc
dancingmudrashavegrealresemblance
ooslures(Asan:rsa).The
So while,doingmudras,a dancerdoes asanasa
postures.
with
which give him/hertherapeulicresuts So dance
aulomalrcaLly,
makesbodvfree kom diseasesby keepingt Lnconstanlmove_
Notonlvmovementol bodvbul in dance,expression (Bhava)
also is very srgniicant.li suppose a dancer is presenllng
an ex_
presson oi Radha,he/shebecomesone with RadhaThis rdenl_
iicalionw th on y one conceplcultivates the poweroi concentra_
tronwhich prevents the waslage of menlal energywhichgeneraliy
t ows lhrough the various modiiicalons ol mind llhelpkeeprng
one awayfrom dlstorlionol mentalenergyand thus Keepsone
mentallyhealthy.
Likedance,musicalsosecuresthe therapeutic va ue llfuslc
givescalmnessto mindto bolhsingerand lislener' This calmnes
o, 1 Inors h ghly'eourredw^en 'noslol our dlsease5ar'seoLl ol
As beinga resemblance withthe Hathayogicpostures' dancer
result.Likewise,a musiciangetsihe hea Ing
geis ils therapeutic
elleclsol pranaydrna.The lhetapeuticvalJeol pra'ayamaneFds
no example.As we know pranaand mind go together-By conlrol-
lingone,other can aulomailcally be conlrolledSo il lhe speed
o' pranars Jnde'coll'ol, becon'essteadyard conce_laIed
In the preseniatron ol R:rga,the pracliceol Kumbhaka'(re_
lenlronoi arr/ s high'ybe'elicial.So lor bernga qoodsrnoe' il is
Dre-reouiremenl to have controlover techniqueol Pranayama
This practiceol Pranayama prevenlslhe ailmentsoJNadis_bodily
channelswhrchmakesbodYundiseasedand heallhyThe Ghernada
'egulat
Sarhrla a.so supporlslhrs view by declarrnglhal lhe
pract ce of Kumbhakakeeps body'mind healthy
The role ol astrologyjn are ot therapeulicis differentlhan lhal
ol danceand music.lt not onlygivesthe aapyTherapybul it also
predictsthe diagnosisol diseases.How it does so ?
Appl ed sLdeol Tanlral 157
In lhe charl altachedin the conceplol aslroogy we saw lhe
conneclionbetweenetlers,Tarnlric cenlerc,humansystem, Trdosa
e ementetc.Froma ltheseconnectron we can conslruclone hy
polhesiswh ch runsas follows:
As we knowlhe placeol zodracin the Indianaslroogy s very
signrficanl. Dilierent lellersare ascr bed to a I zodiacs.li sup-
pose subjeclA is born underthe inlluenceof Aries.The letters
ascribedto Ariesare A.L.l.According1o the chart,A s related
w th Visuddhacakra,L is w th Swadhislh:rna cakrawhileE aga n
wilhVisuddhacakra.ll we applylhe Tridosaelementswhrchare
re atedwith this cakras,we can say lhat, thissubjeclmay have
a constilulon ol Valaand Kapha.He may be subleclto thal dls-
easeswhichare relatedwiththe consliulionol varlaand Kapha.
This hypolhesiscan be appliedin the areaol al zodiacs.
Secondly.I a so givesthe predictionoi diseas€sby consid-
eringlhe movementol planelarysyslem.Everybeingbornunder
one sign or zodiacwhichrs governedby one planel.Thereare
nrneplanets,In syslemwhrchare rnlerrelaledeitherwithlhe re a
t on ol fr end, enemyor neulra. In the movementol planets.il
supposea planelcomesin a signwhichhasa relaltono1enemy
wrthlhe Lord oi the zodiac,l givesunlavourableresultsto the
subject,So from lhe ca cu ation 01the movemenlot planels t
canbe predicledthe lavourable or unlavourable timeof a subjecl
lor lhe trealmentol lhe diseaselo whichone is sublecl.To pre-
venl lhe evi inll!encewhichare arisefromthe disharmony cer-
tainManlrasare prescribed.Removalol evil int uencealsocan
be done by.wearng pearl,gem, diamondetc., but shoud b€
propery chargedwrthMantrasothelwise,it wou d nol give any
results.So thus astrologyand iherapyare inked wilh Tantric
praclces w th a view lo diagnzecorrectlythe diseasesand to
prescribe properremedyfor disease.
Likedance,musc andastrology, sacramenlsalsosecureheaing
va ue.As lhe IVlahanfivfanaTanlradeclares,sacraments are de-
srgnedIor the purilcal on of m nd-body.Thatpuriled body m nd
complexis the sourceoi heallh.
As we havesee allsacramenisshouldbe don€wrlhlhe help
 ,ru Appied s de ol Tantra: 159
"nuo,",-a
of ftranlrasand sacrifice(yajfra),
Poilulon ol almosphere, which 9 Yo vai nada so var brnduh I
rs also one oi the cause of diseases,c6n be removedby the
yogrn hrdayam.
vibralionoi l/antras and flameof fire ol sacrilice(yajna).This
pol utrorlessatmosphere givesheallh to sLrbject
andihe peopte Chattopadhaya, Kshelresachandra, Publishedby Dnectof.Besearch
lving afoundil. n s l r l u l eV
. a f a n a s .S e c o n dE d i t i o n 1
, 963.
1 0 S v a m lP r a j a a n a n a n d a
A, h i s l o r i c a ls t u d yo l I n d i a nf , 4 u s r cp, 3 1 2 ,
Th s is how Tanlrars mainlypreoccuped not on y with spir-
F r r s lE d i l o n , 1 9 7 5
ilua uplit of the individualbut also his physicalwe berng.The
basrcassumpiion otTantrais nolonlyyogaor mediation I 1 - B a n j a y a l i t i R a g eI
bui bhoga
or enjoymentalso.Onlyyoga leadsone lo abstraclion and away D e l n i lo n a n dl r a n s l aol n t a k e nf r o m " A a g a s a n d B a g n sb y G a n g u r .
lromlitewhileonlybhogaor indulgence in worldtyaffafsweakens O C . . p . 1 , N a l a n d aP u b l r c a t i o n1.9 3 5 .
the body mind.Tanlraby unitingyogaand bhogamakesI ie puf- l2 R a g a S a d a y a hI
poseiuiand worlhliving.
P a f c a m a s a r aS a m hl a Nerada.
1 3 . S v a s a k t is a m a y o g arl , g a n l i s a m b h v o b a v e t
FOOTNOTE P a n c a s y aP
i a n c a r a g a hm
a y u :S a s l h a n t uG l r i i a m u k h a l
I
Fao,Gopinalh lA., Elemenlsof Hindutconography.Vot.t. pad t. MadyovkranlS
! r r a g ov a m a d e v a d
V a s a n l a k a hl
p 23.The LawPrinting House,[,4adras,1916.
A g h o r a ib h a i r a v a db h u t a t p u r u s aPt a n c a m o s b h a v a l
2 Woodrofie, John,Ouotedby Bane.iiProjensh. Danceoi Shivap
30. FirstEdilion.
1942,Kilabislan,
Allahabao l s a n a k h y o n m e g h r a gnod t y a r a m b h e
S i v e d b h u t aI
3 Yoga"Jouna, Apri.1978,Vo.XV No.4 Published byB hafSchoo G i r i a y a m u k h a tl l a s y a en a t a n a f a y a nboh v a tI
oi Yoga Monghyr S a m g i t a D a r p a nTa r, a n sa l i o na n dv e r c el a k e nf r o m ' F a g a n dF a g r n
4 Sarabhai Mrinaini,undelstandinglhe BharalNatyam. p 29 N4a, b y G a n g ui , O . C . p p . 2 3 , 2 4 .
haralaSayaliFao Unversily, 1965. 1 a B a n e r j e eS . C F u n d a m e n t a losf a n c i e n t[ , 4 ! sc a n d D a n c e tp . 7 8 .
5. SvamiPfajnanananda, A historicalstudy preface
ot ndianMusrc, L . D S e r e s 5 7 . F i r s le d i to n . 1 9 7 6 .
XXVIII. 1 5 T a g o r e .S ^ 4 . U n i v e f s a h i s t o r yo t m u s i c .A p p e n d i x ,p . l V T h e
6. Vegeva Visvebhuvananijajne vacaiti I C h o w k h a m b aS a n s k r ( S l u d i e s , V o l . X X X I , P u b l i s h e d b y r h e
ChaukhambaSanskil Sef es Oflice,Valanasi.SecondEddion,1963
Sd Saoamanular yaearanydm.,sr,r hl
1 6 . Y a i . aK ! t r a p v a f a d e . .
Thakur,
Omkarnarh, Prcnava
Bhan lH nd ),p.4. N.M Trpathand
Company,FirstEdilion1956. C i l a mV l i y a r eI
7. Sabdasyapafinamosyamitiamnay
vldoviduqhI N e d a b i f d u p a n i s a d3 8 l o 4 4 .
1 7 S w a m V i l n i n a n d aT . h e B n h a t j a t a ko a f V a r r h at \ , 1 h i r ap.. 1 , F o r e
w o r d O r i e . i a l B o o k s B e p r i n l C o r p o r a t i o nD
, ethi1979,Second
I NadenaVyaiyaleVarnahpadamvarnd padadvacahI E d r lo n .
VacasoVyavahjrosyamnadadhrnamidamjagat m u k h a mj y o l i s a mc a k s u s i
l8 Sabdasastrem
SamgilDarpafa1/14,Takentrom PranavaBhart by Tahakur S.olranruktam
n i f u k l a mc a n k a l p ak a r o uI
p. 1.
Omkarnath,
Yalu S kshasya vedasya sa nasika pedapada-
160 ChapteF5

d v y a mc a d a a d a i h b ! d h a i h1 ll b i d ,p . 2 .
1 9 . J e a n s .J a m e s ,T h e m y s l e ro u s u n i v e l s ep, . 4 6 , C a m b r i d g eU n i v e r
s i l y P r e s s ,1 9 4 5 .
2 0 S w a m i ,A b h e d a n a n d aC, o m p l e t ew o r k s o l S w a m A b h e d a n a u d a .
V o V l , p . 6 7 , F a m k i s h n aV e d a n l aM a l h a ,1 9 6 8
2 1 . Padhey,S. K., Astrology,pp. 7 to 10.
2 2 . S a m s k a r e n vai n e d € v i d e h a s u d h i h r n aj e y a l e I
Na samskruloadhikarisyad daive pitre ca kafmanl
M . N T . C h a p t e r2 , E d i t e d b y A v a l o n A r l h u . , V o l X l l l , M o l i l a l

2 3 . J i v a s e k a hp u m s a v a n as i m a n l o n n y a n a lm
alhaI
J n a n a m n i n i s k r am a n n n a s a n m a l apha f a mI
Chapter-6
Cudupanayanaodvahahsamskarahakalhita dasa ll
The [,4ahanituana
Tantra 9-4. of Tantra
Degeneration
24. M.N.T 9 33
25. N4.N.T
9 .6 8 .
2 6 . N 4 . N . t9 , 8 4 .
2 7 . M . NT . 9 - 9 6 .
28. N4N.T. 9,98.
2 9 . N 4N . T .9 - 1 2 4 .
3 0 . M . N . T9 - 1 3 7 .
3 1 . M . NT . 9 , 1 4 2 .
3 2 . M . N . T9
. -149.
33. M.N.l9-154.
3 4 . M . NT ' 9 - 1 5 7 .
3 5 . N 4 . N . l 9 1 6 0 ,1 9 2 .
36. M N.T.9-170.
37. M N.T.9,r82.
38. N,IN.T.9-195.
3 9 . M . NT . 9 2 1 4 ' 2 1 5 .
40. [,1.N.T.9-276.
Chapter-6

Can Tantrapraciicesbe one of lhe decidingfactorsof a per-

son's politicalposiiion? Al firsl this questionseems to be absurd
bul when we go into deeper,it ceasesto be so. How Tantrap ays
promrnentrole in a polilicallife lhat has been shown by [,4r M. P
Pandll,a renowned aulhorn h s book,TzlnlrlcSadhana'.1
In the very begrnnng ol his book'TelntricSadhanawilhoutg v
ing lhe nameoi the polilician, he has menlionedthal some lime
backhe melonepersonwhowasthe brotheroionepo ilician,who
told 0o) the author ihal his brotherwas sulferingfrom uncurable
diseaseand hence he was senl abroadlor lurther trealment.The
cause of the diseaseis very surpising. He lold lhe authorthal in
electionone ol his rivaihad appliedblackmagicorTantravidyalor
lhe death oi his brother,but due to graceol his brother'sguru thal
maglcinsteadoi br ng ng aboul dealh has appearedas uncurable

In democratc countrywhenlheprosperityollaymanis depend'

enlon the policiespursuedby leadersthenwhat is lhelulureolthat
countrywhereleadersare eleclednot by meritbul by applicatlonol
magicalpowers?Being a ciizen o{ this country,it is really a pa-
theliccondilionior us il rs true. But as laras our poinl is concerned
we are leasl relatedwilh il. what is signilicanltor us is lhat how
pollticalpositioncan be gainedlhroughTanlravidya?The following
ooinlwillorovidelhal Ink.
Tantrais basicallya sadhanaJor seerswereaware
energy.lantric
about the lact lhal during sadhana,sardhakahas to face some
obstructions.To curbthoseobslacles,seershaveprescribedsome
lechniques like killing(Marrana),
Hypnotism(Vasikarana) elc.8ul
lragedy startedwhen lhese techniqueswent inlo the handsol m
maturesadhakasor laymen.Theylor the satislaclionol their per_
sona purposes, appliedthem on thelrrlvalsconsidering
them as
obstaclesin the r wav ol success.
164 Chapter-6
The above menl oned illuslralionoi a po itician is enough to
show lhe misutllzalionof Tanlrc lechn ques. [,,loreover,this a so
reilecls 3lJicacyof TantricVldya.
Tentrictraditionhas beenpassingundersuchuniquecondilion.
Due to m sutilzationof il, the very term "Tantra"shockslhe nerves
ot many.I\/ajofity
oflhe humanracewilturnilsiaceby consideflng
t as obnoxious.Only rare people will accept it as a sc ence of
awakening or cullivatinginnerpotenlialiljes.
So both negligenceand acceplanceis enoughto createa con-
ilict n laymanwhelherTantrais as sacredlikeVeda,or ts it a cheap
Iteratureof ghoslandglobir,swhichieachesone to do ant-socal
activilies?
Beiore we come to any conclusionlel us see why ayman and
sometrme schoarsalso,lurniheirlacefromTantra iteralurelWhich
arethe responsiblefaclors which commonproJessorCoweltowrite
as, 'Someyears ago,the Tantraslorm a branchof lteraturehlghly
esternelthoughal presentrn!ch neglected".2
Many reasonscan be givenfor the degenerattonofTantra.We
shall dea with all reasonsone by one-As we know,Tanlratreaiise
are wrltlen in a symboliclanguage.And the reasonoi th s, is also
obvious.Tantrais a very effectivesddhanasystem for awakening
lhe hrddenpowers.To avoid the misuse of it, the technques are
armoured n syrnbols,
These symbolsare lvrittenin Sanskrillanguage.Due to lack ol
the properknowledge of Sanskrrtlanguage, scholarshavemerejy
traus aled lreatiseverbalirnwhich has k I ed the very essence ot
the Tantra system. Arthur Avalon views the impacl ol Engltsh
educalron as the causebehindthis.He has mentioned illustrat
on
ol how verba translallonharmsthe very core of the sysiem.As an
instanceoi ii he qLrotesthe concepto{ Bhitasuddhiwhlch is ver,
balytranslaledasihe removalof dernonbyEnglishauthorwhch is
nol consistenlwith lhe originalT:lntric meanlng.The real Tantric
meanrng of Bhatasuddhiis purlicationofirvee emenlsnamely, earlh,
water,tre and its derivativesoi the body of Sadhaka.3
Herewe can seethe vitaldilierencebetweenthe verbaltransla-
I on andthe rea Tantricmeaning. A laymangeneralyduelolackof
Deqeneralionol ianlra
knowedgeof the Sanskritlanguageusedlo readlhe rmpropertrans_
ation done by experts wh ch creates a Jallaciousnotion ln lheir
m nd.Theviewol Ganthuralsotallieswiththe viewof ArthurAvalon.
In his own words, "Thereis hardlyany other kind of liieraturethat
has met with so much abuse pariicularlyby thosewho never read
of serouslysludieda singleline of it, orlhat has so muchfascl_
naledthosewho on lhe lesumonyo1misiniomedand uninformed
peop e thoughtthe Tantraslo be most powerfuland henceslriclly
gu3rdedmeansforthegratification oi purelybiologicaurges.On y
very few peopleiried lo form as opinionolTa.tras by lhe r own.4
L ke term "Bhutasuddhi", thereare alsosorneothersyrnbos
whrch are also verballyiranslated.They are namely,linga, yoni,
Ardhanarisvara etc,,whichare translated as phalus,vaginaand
grosscopu alronrespectvely,Bul in realily,as we haveseen in ihe
conceptsymbo|sm thal these represenlonly the source oi crea ,
tion.
Thesymboloi5 N,4's is alsohighlymisinlerpreled. Howtheyare
judgedand which s ts subllemeaningthal we haveseen n the
Tanlrasymbolism.Frornthis,we can easilyimaglnethe condiUon,f
the Sadhakapraclicedit grossly.And ii actualy happenedby the
Euddhistmonks.They practiced it grosslyin soltudeor the sum_
m ts oi mountarns.No societycan siand thls lype oi s t!alion. And
hence it becomes lhe cause of condemnalion.But from this we
can'tsaylhatTantricprinciples arelowandcheapTheonlythings
lhattheyarewrongY nlelpreled.
TheTaniricprlncipes do not lead us to do antisocial activiiies.
The KularnavaTantrahas saictlycondemnedthe grosspracliceol
goes10 hel.5 By
5 IV's.As t declaresihe doerof this undoubtly
MeruTanlra declares,
coininglhe characleristc of Vamamargithe
therealSaldhaka is thatwhois bllndforlakingawayother'smoney,
andwhohascontroledall
irnpotenttoolherwoman, dealiorabuse,
are enoughto allowus to conclude thal
senses.6These relerences
the realTantradoes nol leach us to harmsociely.
Besdesa ltheselhings,one solidonsaughthas beenthrown
on Tantraby ma icious Sadhaka.There are cerlain techn ques in
whichcomeLnlhe path
TanlraSAdhana lorcurbingtheobstructions

ChapleF6
ol Sadhananamelyhypnotisrn, deslruction ol an enemyelc. But
mmalureSadhakauseslhesetechn questorkidnappng a ch d or
a girl,or for rape.So thesemal-praclices ot S,rdhakas havealso
playeda prominentro e n the degeneraton ofTantra.
Wilh allthesereasons,ihe social-re igiousconditionol medt-
eva trme s also a remarkable causeof condemnation oi Tanlra.
When Tanlrawas in lLllllorm, sorre other syslems a so emerged
o!t whichwerecontraryloTanlricdoctflnes.Tanlra be ievesin the
grailicatlonofsocal and iamilyiifewhiletheolhefsyslemsde-
claredslnctausterity and renuncial
on oi worldiyandfam ty tie as
a way ol salvation.Ths conkary conceplscrealed a conl ict in lhe
iayman
The viewof atersystems,thal oi Ja nismand Buddhism,re,
nuncalronolworid,wasunnalurallo humanbeingNalurehasg ven
some nslrnclsto enjoy and we can'l negatethem. We can tran-
scendby salisJying lhemin a naturaway andrna creativemanner
oLrillJ suppressthem by negleclingihem s an unnallra way.Be
cause ot this conf icl belweentwo streams,peop e removedthetr
facefrom the realspirituality.
And due to this an unbrdgeabe abyss
haslakenplacebetweena householderanda SAdhaka.
Tantrashows the solutionto come oui from this siluation,The
remarkableditlerencebelwenthesetwo conlrarysystemslie n the
v ew of satislacton ol sensesandtheirsubimationby usingthem
undefralronalcontrol. Insteadof suppressing inslinct,Tantrate ts
to transcendit by enjoyingit. The suppressedinstinctsare ike a
spnngwh ch can aflse at any time in dislorledlorm The root ol lhe
inslancesof rape,krdnapare the resultof mmaturesuppressionof
For Tantra,human beingsare subjectto nstinclivedemands.
So firsl enjoyihe worldlylife completely.Gratificationoi it w I re-
rnovethe wordiybondsas naluralasasnakeremovesitsslough.
ls il nol a healthyviewregardng lfe ?
lgnoranceof ailthesethingsproveas thornsaroundiheTantra
fose. I wewanlto havea pleasureotthe fragranceol rosewe have
to concentrateonlyon roseinsteadotthorns.Thelrag|anceolTantra-
rose ies n ls conscious approachto seli-discovery
andsei-devel-
Deqeneralion
of tanlra
opmenlthroughconsciouslyexpandng the scopeol body-mindcom
plex.
1.Tantft-a conscious apptoach:
The previous poinl rellectsthe reasonsof degeneraton oi Tantra
lradition.We saw in thal pointthat, insteadof magc and sorceries,
Tanlrais a conscous approachto sell-dlscovery, In the successof
sell-dlscovery certainobstruciionsarisewhicharecrealedirom the
gnoranceol real nalureoi self and body.
As we know,Tanira is a key to open lhe hrddentreasureol
Physrca, mental and psychicpowers.The distinctleaiure ot this
Sadhands thatil starisfromthe physicalshealth (Annamayakosa),
that is, represenledlargely by body. In Tantra,body though is a
subleclto decay, s highlyesleemedas templeof the de ty known
as Alman a which rs microjorm of Lord Siva or ullimateRea ity.lt
shouldtherelore be consciously kepipure.Thisslhesuperiorityof
Tantra doctrine.
2. Positive view of lffe:
The approachol Tantrais highlypositive.ll ls the messageol
Tantra,thal nothng s lo be neglected;nothingis to be negaled.
Everthing is lo be acceptedand subimaled.Though our bodyis
frag le. bul Tanlrasays uli|ze yolr body power,make il rnoreand
morepowerlulstrengthen il likea rock.Preparebodyand mindto
the extenllhat, it can endureany dislurbance oi outerand inner
world.Tantra has nol lefl its readeronly by ment oninglhis. li has
also prescribedthe Hathayogicasanasa,Pranayama,sat akarma
etc.,for it. Everybody can uiilizethtsior healthybodyand mind. lt
sthemostappied srdeofTantratechnique for layman.Theonly
condilion lays down by Tantrars ihal, a I lhese esanasaand other
techniques shouldbe doneunderlhe guidance of an experlother-
wise it s ikelyto do moreharmlhan good.Aftergainingcontro
over them, one can freely practicelhem and enjoy the resultsof
Inern.
The superioriiyof Tantra also can be seen from its effective
resuts You can cu tivate your power and check ils result al any
step. I youwanlto achieveanygoaland ii lherearesorneobsta'
r68 Cl apler-6
ol iantra
Degeneralion

cl-osInyour!vay.youcancurblheselhroughlhe technqueoi con_ changein lhe conceptol matter.Hls E=mc2madea hrsloicaL de

centralonlke Tr?rtaka. And becauseof lhrs qu ck and efleclive parlurefrorrthetradillonal defn tionol matter.lvlatter
s nol a dead
resLrls the N/ahan rvana Tanlradeclares "Othertreal se aTeaol no
inertsubstancewh ch occupiessome space.ll is bottledup en-
use whreTanira Aslrologyand Medic ne give is constanty'
r-osults
ergy.To the sp rilualisl,energyis the crudemanleslalronol con'
Thus Tantraremovesobslaclesrelaiedwrth mind body bul l-rowrl sciousness. Consciousness s lhe SupremeRealty.A I otherob-
removesthe ignorance ofsell? jectsand berngsare metamorphosed lormsol consciousness.Param
lgnorance o1the rea natureoi selfis lhe roolol sulierng Sell S va is lhe SupremeSubjecliviiy. Al othersublecllvll
es or oblec-
meansconsciousness.we makea dislnclon belweenconscous tivitiesare mereblendings ot lhe supremeconsciousness. 9
ness and non consciousness eniityor sell and nol self Bul like
Tantraseers,scienlLsts a so havedeclared lhattheresnothng ike 3. Realizationol Supteme consciousness
grossnessor no1-se L Everything is made orn ol atomsand lhat So realzationol supremeconscousnessis the seli discovery
alom is nothlngbut lhe danceol energyor conscousnessThis lo mankind.Bul how io reaizelhal ? Tanlrasayslhatlhe sourceof
clancehasbeen seenby lving occidenlal scienlislCapra Lnhrs realzalrons a readywithinour bodybul in lalentlorm. lt is lalent
$rel knownbook Taoof Physics'hedeclares, saw cascadesol becauseot our nescencewh ch in Tantraterminology is knownas
efergycomingdowniromoulerspace,In whlcrrpaTlcleswerecre Pasaotherwise, withoutPasa, as the Kulernava Tanlradec ares,
aied anddeslroyed rn rhyihmicpulses;I saw the alomsot the ele_ 'TheindividualSellilselts lhe unrversalsef. Sadarsiva
is thalwho
menlsand thoseol my bodypadicrpating in the cosmc danceol (Parsa
s boundless mukla)whileSivals lhatwho is surrounded by
energy LIe t ils rhylhmand I hearditssound,andal lhe momentI
know lhat lh s was the danceol Shiv,the Lordoi Dance€ wor-
shrppedby the H ndusl'B Pesa s crealedduetoatlachmentwiih world.Bul howworldrs
crealed? In the TanlricIorm of Layayoga or n Satcakrabheda. the
The coiclusionlo wh ch sciencehas arrlvedlhroughinlellect live gross constilulLonaelements(paica l\rahabhila) of bolh unl
lhal samehas been realzedor visualized by seersas a resullol
verseand bodydissolvein the r source, I meansduringlhe proc
therrSAdhana. The synthess of a seer'sand scienlrst's v ew has
ess ol th s yoga,lhe earthelementdlssolves intowaler,waterinlo
been beautifu ly madeby Dr.LalanPrasadwhich we sfraI quote
tela inlovAyuandYAU nlo akasa.And lhis akdsaelemeniturlher
dissolvesrnlolherressenceslke sabda,sparsa,rupa,rasaand
'Whal is ullimatelyRealily ? ls lhe Realityaloms and mo _ gandha whichagainrnergeintoBuddhi, Ahmakarelc.and ult matey
ec! es, or somethrng e se of whichthesealomsare lhe different ntothespirt or consciousness. Thusthe individualconsciousness
maniiestations ?The d fference between aspiritualslandan objec' unrleswth the unrversal consco usness,A harmonybelweendi
lrve thinkeris based on the nalure of Beally. The obieclive thinker versrles iakes place in the pe6onalityol a Saddhaka.Thenwhal
holdslhebehellhalReallly |scrude matterol which m nd rsa chem_ everhe lhinks.aclsor wlllsis nol likeoursbutwhaleverhe does,il
cal reaciion.Due lo cash and cohesion in lhe maleria slructure perlectlyand lolally as ii were, lhrough him ihe ultimateReality
consciousnesshasernerged,Henceit is an epiphenomenonWe do manieslsrlself.
agree wilh the malerialistlhal mind is a by_pro.|r.lol maller how rl This seems beyond our capacily lo accepl lhis process ol
is possiblelorlhismotheFmalerto begetlhechild mindwithoutlhe
evolulron. Becauseas NargisDalaldeclares, "Evolution is simply
conception o{ spirt ? We know nolhing can comeout ol nolhlng
lhe capacityto regsterrneanings lhatare alreadyex sl but wh ch
Hencethe matteris notdevoid ol consciousness lndeedmalterls
are notyelapparenllo ihe unenlighlened mrnd.The h ghertheform
noth ng but a crude manfestalion ol spirit.Einsleinmade a radrca
ol I fe.lhe deeperthecapacitylo register
meaning.Any increasern
170
subtetvis an inwardevolutiondevelopedthroughthe examinalionof
meaningsand vibrationslhal so far have been too line to grasp
The crealivepersonlaps lhe powelsol lhe sub conscoJs and n
dorng so, he becomesawareofforceslhat are normallyinaccessi-
ble to lhe consciousness.
lf large numberof intelligentpersonswere 1olake to this prac_
tices,lfeed from the aura oJ mysteryand mumbo'iumbo'il may be
possibleio producea groupof peoplewho wouldbe exlraordinary
fromeverypointo{view;Prodigies wrtha com'
ol lhe highestorder,
mand ovef all the major languages and sciences,a new elile lrom
newlorms ofeducation and who wouldin a sense,
whomwouldcome
keep a walch overthe human race."rr
Thistvoeol evolution,as Srl Auravindothinks,willlakeplace
in a GnoslicBeing which has yet to come on humanlerrilory The
nalure of thrs GnosticBeing has ben describedby him in his "Life
Divrne".12
Conclusion:
In lhis lwentiethcenlurywhen everybodyis made aiter having
moreand moreenergy,it is rightlydeclaredTanka,as the scrIplure
ol the Kalrage,which is directlyrelated with energy Ol course,its
way ol achievingenergyis very dltlicultand il requiresgenuineguru
or gude whrchrs rarelyavalable.Duelo cerlarnreasonswh ch we
havealreadyseenin thischapler,thisnotionhasben surroundedby
ihe cobwebof nescience,
WhatTanlrais !n realilvlhalwehavementionedafterlhe retula-
ton ol the objeciionsraisedby laymanand scholarsTantraactually
is a wav ol self discoverywhich slarts from lhe Purilicationand
per{ectiono{ body mind complex.
The Halhayoga,whichis aparl ofTanlra,deservesa highatlen-
tion in this regatds.Ha and lhat lilerallymeans sun-rnoonrespec-
tivelywhileyoga meansLinion.
Hence Hathayogameans unionbelwenopposite thal is Sun-
,oon. lt is more a harmonylhan a mere unionbetweenlwo oppo-
site.
Degenelation of tanka 171
We live in a world ot dualiiies like heal-cold,day-n ght, male,
lemale,mental-vrtal, intellect-emotion elc. For iniegraledpersonal
ly he harrnonybetweenthese two opposileis required.ln subtle
body these oppositesare ldi and Pingalawhich on physrcalleve
work as sympalhelc and parasympalhelicnervouschannels.Har-
mony betwenlhese two also leadsio the harmonybetweenmela-
bolicand ketabolic tunction, whichis ascribedto lhesechannelsof
body.Ths makes body healthyand lree from diseases.
The pracliceofthe HathayoqaensureslhecultivationoJmental
powers like te epalhy,omnipoiency,omnipresenceetc. bu1lhis is
nol lhe airn ol a real Sadhaka.These are the side-eflortsof his
Sadhana.A genuineS?ldhaka usesthesepowerstorthewelfare o1
society.Jesus is the exampleof it. He has healedmany patientsby
meretouchof hrshands,Thereare also somesainlsand seerswho
havedevotedlheirpowercandlilelorthe humanily. Alltheseliving
exampleslead us to believein the decendenceof divinitytowafds
humaniiy.The G nosticBeingof Sri Auravindois also amonglhem_
The whole humanityis waitinglor lhe incarnationol that divinity.
References
1 CitedbyAvaon,Arlhur,Prlncplesol Tant€,PartI,p 13,Fromndian
Wisdom,p. 522
2 Avalon,Adhur,Principles p. 14.
oiTanlra,Inlroducl,on,
3 Avalon,Arlhur, Pinclples ofTantra,Pa l, p.89.
Capra, Frilof The Tao oi Physics,Pr€tace,p. 1, Filth impression,
1979.
5 Singh, Lalan Prasad, Tant.a its mysticand scientilicbasis,p. 160_
Concept PublishingHouse, First Edition,1975.
6 Jivah Sivah Svo Jivah sa jivah kevalahsivah I
Pasabuddhsmrulo iivah PasamuktahSadasiva
KularnavTantraa,9-42.
D a l a , N a r g i sA
, w a k e n i n g t hK
e u n d a l i nTi ,h eT i m e so l I n d l a A
, pril20,
1 9 8 0 ,S u n d a y .
8 Srl Aufavindo. Lile Divin6', p. 974, €ight lndian Edition,Published
by Au.avindoAshram, PondicherryBook 2, Pad 2.
 G
,(g
!t
e
G
o
(E
N
gtG
CLF
6r
Chapter-7

Physicalbody s lhe main gatefor approaching the soul. In

lhe body,Lordwho conlros lhe enl re unrversealso rs presenl.
Lord n a lorm oi powerliesdormanlin body.In a courseoi lirne,
lhroughconslanteffoflsandlhoughyog c practrces, manunlolds
h s alent powers The physicalbody is the reservoirol energy
and the only meanslor the untoldmenl of whichis the goaloi lhe
sAdhaka.And becauseof this, body rs not givenfor the unholy
purposeor onlyfor theenjoyment ot sensualpleasrues.The pr me
purposeis lo attain iberationlrom limitations
of bodyand mind.
and altainmenlof spiriluallylhroughbody.
Physicalirame, n the Tanlrasystem, s highlyesleemedas
the templeot Spirilor God (Dehaodevalayodevi).And hence,lt
should be kept pure and perfectrn condiion.The processoi
Tanlrasadhanal starlsirom grosand endsiniosubtle.And hence
il has accpled physical body posilrvely.
MierceaEliadewilh lhe
relerence oi the GherandaSamhitadeclaresthat,"Thebodyis no
longerthe sourceot pain,bul lhe most reliableand elfectiven-
str!menlal man'sdisposallor'conqueringdeath. And s nce lb
eraton can be ga ned even in lhis llfe,the body must be pre
servedas ong as possibe and in perfectcondition, preciselyas
an ardon meditation
The Rasernavam, the anotherTantrc lreatisealso supports
the postlvillyof the body.As it vrews,it is of no use lt liberation
s gainedaller death.Evendonkeycan alsoget it. So in orderlo
atiain iberaton nthislilc, lhe preservation ol body rs very es-
s e n ta . 2
ForTanlra,the preseruationof body can be prolongedaccord-
ing to the wil poweror desirethroughthe Halhayogicalsanalsa,
pranayama, Tantrrclechniquesand also by lhe ntakesol mer
 176
Chapter-7
cury preparalions.
Physrcal diseasesand mentalailmenls are hurdtesIn lhe way
oi ongelvity.Thereare variouswaysand meanslhroughwhrch
onecanovercome thesehurdles.They areknownas varoUsthera
pies.Healthybody-mindcomplexs lhe goatof a lherapes. Any
lherapy,is lrst appiiedon the physicatbody and t ultrmately
atfectsthe rn nd.So dilferentlherapieshaveworkedoutlhe analomy.
At presentAlopalhy,Ayurveda,Homeopathy etc.,afe lhe eading
ones Tantraalso has benf a thereapyils own view regardng
anatomy.li rs realy a very surprisinqto nol€ that the analorny
wh ch is workedoul, rnlhe tweniiethcenturywilh the helpoi lhe
sc entificinslrumenls, argelyta lieswilhtheTantraanalomywhrch
is revealedoLll n hoarypasl.
ln thischapteranaflemplhasbeenmadeto presentlhe anatomy
givenbyTantraand Allopalhy.The concluding pofiioncoversthe
synthesisol lhe bolh.We shall,iirsl, bfieflysurveythe analomy
A. Anatomy given by the Allopathy System:
The literalureol the anatomyg ven by the Atlopathysyslem
rs very large.hence,il is difiicuttlo presentil here n detait.This
syslem has acceptednine ma n systemfor the slsienanceoi
bodywhichare namely,(1) Bones,(2)tVusctes,
(3) Drgesiion,(4)
Circulation,(5)Respiration, (6)Excre|on,(7)Nervous.(B)c ands
and (9) Reproduction.
A lhesesystemhavesignilicant piace n the marnlenance ol
the bodybul herewe shallmentiononlythe nervoussyslemand
lhe g and syslemas lheyare direcllyrelatedwiththe Tantraanatorny.
1, The Nervous System:
The nervoussyslem is connectedwith all bod ly syslerns
becauseit conlrolsall activitres
whrchare go ng on n lhe body
The nervoussystemconsislsol lwo divisions{t) Cenlral
systemand (2) AutonomussystemThe centratnervoussyslem
ma n y conssls ol Ihe bra n lwe ve pairsol cardna nerves spl
nal cord ad iorty-ihreepairs ol lhe sprnalnerves The altono
andTantra
H!man AnalomY 117
mousnerveoussystem consistsol spinalcord, sympathetrcnerv-
ous syslemand lhe para_sympalhetic nervous system
The spinalcordwhrchis elongatedin the shape is a prolon'
gat on ol brarn.and.rs localedln the hollowof the sprnaco umn
Spina nervesstarl lrom the spinalcord an.l issueoul lrom lne
spina column Al lhese lorty_three pairsol nervesspreadoul
lhemseves throughout the body and torm a c oselywoven nel
Funolionally,nervesmay be dividedintotwo groups lVotor
and Sefsory or efferentad alierenl respeclive y Al mascuar
aclivt es are responsibe for molor neTves wh le lhe leelng ol
sme . tasle louchelc., are responsible for sensory nerves.
The aulonomousnervoussystem consistsot lwo rows ot
gangian thal s groupol nervecells Theselwo rowsof nerves
are mutua y .onnecledand cross each otherat certainpo nls
along Ihe sprnarcord.These cords on each side of lhe sprnal
colLrmn are knownas sympalhelicnervotlssyslemand Ine para
syrnpathelrc nervoussyslem.
Liteprocesswhrchis goingon in our body wilhoullhe rnter_
ferenceof our will.is underthe controlol these systemsThey
work independenlly. hence,theyare Knownas aulonomoussys
tem.The ellort of Hathayogi andTantficsadhakars to makeIh s
aLrtononrous syslem under his will and that way he conlros lhe
bod ly aclrvtres
2. Gland systefi:
ln body there aTecerlan organswhich lhemselvessecrel
llulclwilh the r specialproperties,which help in lhe aclionand
grov/thof lhe body,knownas g ands The secrelionoi glands s
knownashormononwhichphysical-mental groMhdependsLong
before the ALlopalhysyslem has found oullhe glands lhe Halhayoqa
has advocaled exercses iorlhe propersecrelion whichultmalely
res!Ll Into the g.owlh ol body_mind complex
Theseglandsare knownas the ductlessglandsbecauselfrey
paslhe r se;retonsdlrectlynlo bloodandlymphelc Theseg ands
are namey P turtaryPineal,Thyroidthymus PancreasAdrena
 178 lhe Divine
ol Approachrng
Gradanons 179
Chapter-6

TANTRASADHANA(IV) UPASANA

The Woman Io be watted Waited is the Shaktt that E 'ir'nhau! upasana lhe Presence daes nol fructify.
darmant tn the animat man but awake in the votary al the path. (67S)
The rush of bliss that ensues upan the meeting al the patr,
the Supreme Shakti and the Self above, is the real Congress. THE Drvrners ndeedpresenleverywhere,especiallyn lrre
all else ts mete copulation. human bocly Brt lhal by ilself does not make any difference
(5.111-12) 1oman unlesshe takesslepsto rea se lt In hls conscousness
Sef-awareness,se I-purficalion,adoraton and evocationol
THERE s a d vtne Powerlaienl in man wailing to be the inciwe ng D v ne are the main sleps for awakenng lh s
Presencen h s consciousness and makingil a dynarnicpower
awakenedinlo aclion.All the powersthal are normallt act ve
in llle Suchan nnerd sc p ne is indispensable to preparean0
and make lite possible are only der]valions,dimtnLllions, purlly
ra se the hurnansyslem to the leve oi lhat and inlensty
secondarylormulationsof lhis [,4other-power that is dorm6nl to revea and
in seeking which alone can rnove lhe Divrne
within.This puissance,the Shakli,is lo be awaKeneo,aroused
manifesl itsei in lhe person of the seeker' Otherwise lhe
rnroanupwaromovemenltowards lhe self,lhe pu re consciousness polenlialityremans unlappedand dormanl
situatedat the highestcentreol the being ot man. And when
lhrs unronbelweenthe Shakti dartingfrom its seat betow in
the lotus o1lhe ftruladhara and the Lord wajtingabove in lhe
lotus ol inlinile pelals, the Sahasrara,is eitecled in the
consciousnessof the practitionerlhere is an ebullittonof

Thal is the lrue Congress,the real bliss thal rs airned

al, nol the physicalinlerchangeat the animal tevel.

180
Swameanspranawhi e adhislhana
s Swaandadhrsthana. means
restng p ace.sHenceSwadhisthana meansthe reslng placeol
prana.Th s cenlreis s lualed al ihe root ol lhe genilalorgan.L
The [,la mantraVam ol the walerelemenlis predomnanl here
Thrss x petaled otLscontainslhe letlerfrom Barn1oLam.The
veh cle oi thrs cenlre s Makeror crocodile.The asp ranl who
medrlaleson lh s centrebecomesfree irrmedialey lrom a I h s
3. Manipurc caka:
ThLS centreis ocatedabovetheSwardh sthanacakraandana
lorfrcaLy at the rootol the navelregion.T The bila rnanlraRam of
the lrre elemenl s predominanl here.lt has len peias on which
lhe lellefsfromDamto Phamare located.lVedtalionon thrscen-
lfe nrakes one lreelromthe iear ol life. Even f he throwsh mse I
intolire he remans ahve.
4. AnAhata cakft:
Thrscentfeis be evedlo be situatedin lhe reg on ol heart.
The seed etteryarnol lhe elementa r s predomnanl here.The
vehrce of lh s cenireis anleope.The natureoi bothanlelopeand
lhe a r s lhe sarne.i.e.ihe ileetingnalure.A sadhakawho medi-
ales on lh s centrecontrolsvayu and is lul of capacitye ther lo
crealeor to destroythe world. This claimthoughseems to be
exaggerated,t showsto whai an exlentthe medtalorcan de
velop h rnsell.The simiy given shows to whal an exteni lhe
medrlatorcan develophimsell.The similygiven shows that he
v rluallybecomesas powerfulas Lofd himsell
S.Visuddha cakta:
Thrs centreis locatedrnlhe regionol lhroat.Al s xleenvow,
e s are localedon lhrs sixleenpetalledotus.Vrsuddhameans
pure.Concenlralon on lh s cenlremakeslhe mindol a sirdhaka
p!re Iroma iimpurties.ThebljamanlraHam ot the elhere ement
rs predominanlhere.[,4edtationon this cenlregiveslhe knowl-
edge oj threeworlds.lt also makesfiee lrom d seasesand sor'
H u m f n A r ' a l o m y. r n dT a n r r a 181
6. Ajne cakta:
Th s cenlrers localedin lhe bodyat the spacebetweenlhe
h('oeyebrorvs.The b la manlraAum is localedhere.Thiscenlre s
a seal ol rnindThe mrndot a sadhaka recerves the commands
(Alaa)ofgur! lh rough the concenlratron on lhis centre.Concen-
traton on it aso deslroysthe past deeds ot sadhakaand he
beconresiivanamukla. lt is equaledas a thirdeye oi Srvawh ch
deslroysgnoranceas u/ellas desires.
7. Sahasrara cakra:
The Sahasraracakra s localedat lhe lop o{ the head.This
cenlreconlainssandand petals(Sahasrameanslhousand)lt is
ihe place v/herelhe un on ol Siva-Saktitakes p ace. Here we
shouldnotelhal lhiscentre s verysubtlen nalureand because
oi thrs I rs not consderedas belongto the p an of body.Because
of ils slrbt€iy. rt rs not counledrn ihe six centres.
Nbdi: Theory ol Channels:
rrTaflra,narddoesnol meangrosschanneisbui il conlarns
suble efergyor pfana.Thesechannes are spreadthrougho!llhe
body and heacelhey are rnanyin number.Becauseoi this,they
cannotbe counled.Though,however,some figureshave been
proposedAccordng lo some lreatiselhe Iigureis 3,00,000tor
olhefs.( rs 2.00.000BLrtihe i gure72,000rs largelyaccepted
Anlongal thes€nadis.ten are mportanlnamelylda.P ngaa.
Gandhan.
S!sLrmna. Haslajihva,Pusa,Yasasvini,
Alambusa,Kuhu
and Samkhini.The I rsl three.amongtheseare moresignrficanl.
lda and P ngalaare localedat lhe end ol the spine They
exlendlrom the end oi sp ne to nostrrls.
They are consideredas
lhe containerol lhe lunarand solaror menla andthevila cur
rentsrn the body respeclively.The Susumnanadris said lo be
generay c osed a1the baseol lhe sprneand can be openedby
certarnyogrcpractrces.
Pranaor fe forceilowseitherthroughldaror lhroughPrngala
generaly.TheTanlrasardhaka afreststhiswayol ilowrngoi pr,tna
and he lr es Ior drawingpranathroughthe Susumnan,rdi.
182 Chaprer.T
All therapres revolveroundthe conceplol lhe physicalbody.
Accordinglo Tantra,al organsol the body are connecledwrlh
cakrasor centresthroughs!btle channelsor nadis The power
whichis requiredby lhe limbsof bodyis provded by the cenlres
ol conscousnesslhroghnadis,This conceplhas a greatresem-
blancewith the All palhicconceptof glands and the nergous
system.We haveseenin lhe anatomyol Al opathylhatthe growlh
ofbodyandell c encyol nervoussystemdependsuponproperor
balancedsecrelionot g ands,
cakrais srluatedal
Accordng to the Tantra,lhe lMirladhara
the baseof lhe sprneol which prithvior eafthe emenlrspredomi_
nant,lhe supporterof all things.The Ayurvedasirlrarni also de'
c ares,ihe Mulirdh:rra cakrais a supporlerol allbodilysubsiance,
saptadhartus.lo
To show the predominance ol groselemenl,Tantradeclares
thrscenlre as lhe seat ol prilhvilattvaor earlh elemenl.Phys-
ologically, lhis cenlre s tualed al lhe anus regionand is also as
socialedwilh the areaol excreiionol so d mallerlrom body.
The Swardhisth2tna cakra s localedat the rootol lhe gen tal
organol whichwalerelemenlis predominanl. In body,al outpul
of fluLds, Le.urnationanddrschargesof semenlakespacelrere.
The Manpura cakra is belevedto be situaledal the navel
regionwhLchis associaledwith lhe lire elernent.Physo og caly
when the nnerllameol lire (Jatharagni)s properlyregualed, i
resuts intoheath- Oiherwse it can be the soufceoi d seases
The AnAhaiacakrais ocatedal lhe hearlregion.This s the
centrewherelhe a r elementis predomnant lt s a centreol
nutrition.Hearl drstribulespuriiiedbloodsent to il by ungs t0
variols parls ol lhe body.The elticiencyot lungsis very much
neededlor lhe purilicalionoi blood This efficiencyoi lungscan
be increasedby pran?lyama whichis highlyrelatedwilh lhe alr
e e.ne_l
The V suddhacakrais localedn the areaoi lhroat The ele_
menl etherrs predominant here,All vowes are localedon lhrs
HumanAnalomyandTantra 183
aenier Physologlcally
thts cenlreis considered
as the cenlreol
The Aiiia cakra s localed between the rwo eyebrows rs
a so knownas the thirdeye. lt is lhe palaceof the plneatgtand.
This cenlrecontros our desiresas well as givesus knowiedge.
The Pinea g and doeslh s sameworkaccordrng lo Altopathy.
The Sahasraracakrais ocatedal the top ot the skut, where
ine consclousness is evolvedat the highestdegrees.physl
o og ca y, it is a place of the Pituitaty gta']d.
Accordng 10 the Allopalhy, the pituitaryglandrs ocated n
betweenlwo brainsand is knownas rnaslergland.Becauseil
coniros lhe J!ncllono{ all other glands.The secr€tionwhtch I
rereased are mporlanttromlhe poinlof viewof matnlenance and
deslructon ol lhe body.ll is a seat ol the destreol reproduclion
also HenceTanlrahas apllydescribedil as kameswara
The Tbntriccenlresand nadisare very sub|e In nalure So rl
rs nol properto ldentrlythenwithlhe grossphysicalsystemHere
,,1ie
havemenloned it jusl to showthe resemblance belweenlhe
Iwo systemnamey AltopalhyandTanlra.
The anatomywh ch s mentionedby Tantras very subte n
ratureafd can be seenontythroughthe yog c vis on. and nol by
the drssectof of lhe body.
FOOTNOTE
E I a d e N 4 i r c c yao g a - t m m o r r a i i tay n dt r e e d o r n . T r a n s t atlreodmr r r e
d T r a s k p 2 2 7 p o l t i n g e ns e r e r sL V t S e c o n d
F r e n c l rb y V . / , l l a . R
Idil on.]969
P . d a p . i r ec a y o n r o k s asho c a m o k s an r r a r t h a k aIn
P r i d e l u p a l r r ed e v i I g a d a f b h o p rv r m u c y a t e
F a s a r i a v aT a n t r aI 9
Cakfanrsaklisam!hlYogrnlhrdaya Cakrasamkelartr,updnam.verse
7 C o n r m e n l a royl A h e s k a r a c h a r yoan y o g i n ih r d a y a
E dl e d b y C h a t l o p a d h y a yK
a ,s h e t r e s a c h a n d rSaa r a s w a rBi h a v a .
G r a f l h a m a a V o 7 S e c o n dE d i l i o n .1 9 0 3 .
184 Chaptef-7

susumnesyalagnamdhvajidhogudfodhva
Arha adherapadman

Sal cakranirupanam
4.
Sva sabdenabhavetprinah swadhislhanam ladesrayamI
Yogacudamani upanisadll
Sousumnyamadhyaghatilamadhvajamiladese
14.
Sal cakranirupanam,
Tasyordhavenabhimirledasadalalasileptrmamegha prakae
Sal cakranirupanam.
8 . Vacamisvaraesvalaspijagatarnraksevin;se ksmahI
Sal cak.annupanam,26.
L Trikal:inam darcisakalahitakaserogasokapramukla. Chapter-8
Salcakranjrupanam,31. HealingAspectof Yantraand
10. Nanuyoganispimirladharamadibhulamsakaladhaluposakam
petal
3-90..... Mantra
The AyurvedaSnlramwithcomm€nlaryol Yognandana{h. Edited
by Df.R. SharmaSastry,p. 141,Mysore,1922.
 Chapter-8

On thrsearthamongallexisting species,humanraceis the

onlvone wh ch hasbecomevictimol lhe sellcreaieddisease.
Ilanytherapies havebeenworkedoutto comeoverthiscalamily
bLrlslil, we are nol in a position
to removeall diseases-On the
contrary, sometimes, the sideellects,of drugsappearin a form

The basc reasonof the freouentaooearance of diseaselres

in ourartiticialor unnaturalwayol living.
Wedo everything to go
agalnstnature, e.g.ourhabiiol eating.We musieatwheneverwe
Jeelhe needlor it or hungerforit andeatonlythosethjngwhich
we knoware conducive to good health.Insteadwe eithereat
moreoul of fashron or eatlhosethlngswhichwe knoware not
conducive lo heallh.Thisimproper wayoJeating,createscom
plexiies n stomach whichresultintovarious diseases. Nolonly
n eating,in our routinelifewe do manymorethingswhichwe
know,mayfes|rt intosomeso o{ irregularities eitherphysicalor
mental.
Besides this,ihereisalsoonevitalreason whichis responsi-
bleto crealephysical'mentaland alsospiritualdisorders,
thalis,
theneglect of the nnerhealing poweror lhepowerol resistance
of body againstdiseasesgive by nalure.Modernlile is lull ol
stresses and strains, We are alwaysin hurryandhencewe are
constantly in searchof instant cureanddueto thiswe lakesuch
drugswhichtheycurelhe diseaseinstanlly butultimatelyharm
thebodv.
There are many side etfectsof such drugs,like insomnia,
b oodpressure, disturbance o{sugarbalance elc.Andiherelore,
the expertsin th s field are in searchol thosedrugswhichare
harmlessor in searchoJdruglesslherapy.
Yanlra andManlraaretechniques designed forcullrvatingin-

I
ta8 ChapteFS Healng AspeclofYantra
andl\rantra ta9

ner alentpoweroJreslstance of body-mind

withwhichwe are nol Tanlrashowsus rhe way ol lhe processoi expansion, of lhe
awareo{outof ignorance,We, therefore,
wonderwhenexperlsin powerof senses.Oneot the meaningofTanlrais expansion (Otan
lhrs lield lalk in terms 01 superhumanpowers.Superor power = to expand).Tanlrictechniques are designedlor ihis purpose-li
Invokewondersbecausewe are ignoranlol them. . supposethe powersare arousedby the appllcalionol Tanlra
technquesthenwhal'sthe use ol it, ii lhey are not channeized.
Yantraand l\.lantratechniquesworked out for cullivating a.
Uncontrolled powerharmsthe sadhakahirnsell. Consideringthis,
lent powerol body-mindwhichare baseduponh gh y ascerlan-
Tanlrahasdevisedthe uniquemethodofYantra, The term'Yantra'
able psychological and spirilualiacts.Yantrasare lormedoul oi
comeslormsthe rool'vam'whichmeansio control.Yanlrais an
cerlaingeometrical ligureslike dot, lrangle etc.They serve as
a d for controlIng the porver.
meansof concentration - ll is recognized byTanlncsthatconcen-
lralionot m nd is multiplcalionof mentallacullyand additiono{ Yantras also represenlation ol the HigherRealily.lt repre
menlalpowers wh le disspalionoiPaycho-phys calenergyiswaste senlsthe Rea ity in a geometrical
formslke dot line,triange etc.
ol energyand consequenlly an invitation lo diseasesThrsproc- These are nol merelygeometrlcalsings.They are also Yantric
ess oi concenlration il perfected,may lead lo not on y dfug ess symbolswhichrepresenlsubllemeaningsol lhe HigherRealily.
therapybut also increasesongevily, SriYanlra,amongaltheYaniras, is lhe mostausplcousYantra
of ageshaveperfected
Talntrlc the techniques loTconcentTa- represents deviorsakl.Thelormalon ol ihe Sr Yantrais un que,
lion. Mantrais againa very powerfulweaponin the armouryof F ve ir angleswith downwardapexare superimposed by foui tri-
Tanlrator bringingabouthigheslform ol concenlration by which ang es with downwardbase.This combination resuhsinloforly-
the experlsimplyby concentrallon ot his cultivaledpowers,can threelriangles.The ouler appearanceof lheselrianglescan be
br ng aboulwonderfulresullswtththe helpof repettlonof cerlarn classedintosevencircleswh ch are considered as lhe centresoi
sya 1bes knwonas seedlellersor BrjaN/antra. Now e1Lrssee the
detailsoiYanlraand[,4anlra withihereterence ol theirtherapeutic Tantratechnrquesare baseduponsoundprinciples. (1) Unity
value. of microcosmand macrocosmand (2) ldentilyof two in an indi
vidual.Yanlrais a meansthroughwhichthis identilycan be reai-
A.Yantra Theapy : lzed by the ndividual.SriYantras a symboic representalion ol
these two pr nciplesand henceit represenlslhe human-body-
mLndcomplexwith sell or consciousness as lhe presding deity
One of lhe lheoriesregardingthe creationot world is that,
and lhereforeit lunctionsas a link betweenthesetwo. lt is used
worlds nolhingbut lhe mereprojeclionol m nd . IVInd perceives
worldobleclswilhthe helpoflhedala givenbythe senseorgans as a meansfor conlemplalion. Contemplation on il, resultsinto
the identi{icationof microcosmand macrocosm.N4oreover, con-
So the expansionof vrsionot minddependsuponlhe amountol
datagivenby senseorgans.Fof instance,tf the senseot heaflng,
centratron on SriYantraalsogivesbeneficiaI rewardsto sadhaka.
is cultivated more,lhenthe ownerol il, can hearmorelo!dly,than One ol the cakraso{ SriYantra,is Sarvarogahara cakra,re
a n o l h e r r n aSn a. m e i s i h e c a s e w i l h a l l s e n s e . A y o g i o r a s e d h a k a , moveroi all diseases.The concenlration on this centreinsures
who has expandedthe innerlalentabilty of senseorganscan the sardhakaireedom from al diseases.We, thereiore, sav that
openlhe subtieapparaluslorthe knowledge ol the worldwhichis SriYanlra lechniquehastremendous lherapeuticvaluein insuring
not possrblern case ol a layrnan. hrmsell irom all diseases. Like Sri Yantra.there are also other
Yanlraswhich are believedto be the means tor curing and pro
r90 Chaplerg
teclrnglh€ sadhakakofi the allacksol physicaland m€nla dis-
eases.In lhis chaplerwe shallmake relerence lo lwo Tanlric
lreatisesnamely,lhe SaundryaLaharland the Kalpacinlamanih
lor supportinglhe view.
For the convenienceof presentinglhe delarls,th s chapler
has been divided nto lwo groups,A and B. A consistsoi the
delais regardingYanlraand ils symbolicreprese.talionwhileB
contarnsils therapeutic
value.Now lel us be acqaintedw th lhe
me.ninqand s.9 'rcdnceolYanlral-e I rst.
A) 1.yantrc and its symbolic meaning:
ln scriptures, whrchdeal with the sadhanaaspect,lhe Un
mate Rea ily is termedas deily(Div=shine) becauseil is viewed
as rghl.In Tanlra,ihis greatetlulgenceof Ighi s consderedas
Accordng to the science,whichdealswithlhe ana ys s of lhe
rays ol the sun,the obieclsol wodd are nolhingbut lhe various
combrnations oflhe raysollight.Theseraysare sevenin number.
So by makingchangeinlo ihe cornbinalions oi rays,any oblecl
can be iransformed inloany otheroblect.SwamtYogananda has
mentroned ihis typeol llustration of a yogi'
in his, aLltobiography
n wh ch hisguruhadlransiormed camphornto graphile
Sun lighl as the greal radianceis formess.When t mani-
Iesls,it lakesform.Yantra represenis
the HigherReaityandhence
whaleveris manilesledby the HigherBealily,lhe worldtyobjects,
areYanlras.This v ew is alsoexpressddby Devar4aVidyaVacaspali.
As he declares,"thereare, in lhe world,innumerableYantras. Every
shape,everyleaf,everylloweris aYantra, whichthroughitsshape,
ts colour,rts perfumetellsus the siory of crealon."2
YanlrarepresentsLightor the HigherFealily n the torm ol
geometrrcal figures.Due to thrs presentalion ot /ight,Yantra s
consideredas the abidingplaceof deity.3The HigherFealityis
lrguredoul in symbolsor lorms becausea laymanis not in a
posilionto graspthe formlessgreatradiance, so at rnilal tevet,to
have a glmpse of the HigherReality, Yantra s requred.As the
YoginiTantra dec ares , "The goddessis io be worshpped n the
Hea ing AspecloiYanlraand [,4anira 191
sex embem. a book , a syrnboiicdrawng on lhe ground,an im
age.wateror a stone.'
Th s leadsus to conlerthalYanlrais a storehouseof energy
or a symbo c represenlat on of the cosmc energyunderlyrng all
objectsof the unrverse,lvloreover,i is, as Zlmmerv ews,is also
an nslrumenl.He giveslhis view by breakinglhe lerm 'Yanlra.
The lerm Yanlra is a combnalon of Yam+tra,Yam means lo
conlrolwhiletra rndcates nslrumenl.In hisown words, Yantrars
an Inslrumentdes qnedio curbthe psychiclorcesby concenlral-
Ing lhem on a patlern,and n such a way that ihis patternbe
comes reproducedby lhe worshppeasv sualizingpower.ll s a
machne to stimuate Innervrsualization medilalon and e)(pefr-
Yantras formedoul by lhe tigureslke d01,cifcle, ine,lr an
gleelc.Theyaso conlarnlhe subllemeanng underyrngtheH gher
Realily.Now let us proceedwith the Symbolicrneanng ol the
vaflousI gures.
Symbolic meaning of Yantra:
ln lhe Veda,thereis a beautifulstory
regardinglhe omn pres'
enceoi Lord.As rt says,havingcreatedun verse,God sloodoul
ol lhe univers€and lhoLrght abouthow to penelrateor enler nto
the un verse.Then he dec ded to enterintolhe universelhrough
name and fofrn.So whereverlhere is a name and lorm (Nama-
Rupa),the HigherReaItypervadesin it.6In Yantra,these{orms
ol lhe HigherRealilyare rellectedin such a mannerlhal.Throgh
conlemplaton on them, sadhakacan leel the piesenceol the
HigherRealily.
Boththe constiluenlsol the Higher 8ea ity,the macrocosm
and lhe mrcrocosm, are lhe same and they are representedby
|ve grosselements(Pancamahabharta). In Yanlra,lhese forces
are symbolzedin a figuralve manner,So by concenlraton on t,
one can establishharrnonyL'etween the microcosmand macro'
The geometricafigures,fromwhichYanlrais composedare
dol.trang e, c rcle,squareetc.Nowwe shallseelhe subllemeanings
192 Chapler-a Heaing Aspeclol Yaniraand Manlra 193

ol lhem. are iwo lypes ot trianglesiiguredout rnYanlra.One is wrlh up'

wardbasewhiletheother s ol downwardbase.
a. Dot: Binclu:
Thelrianglewilhapexupwardshows
Brnduis represented by dol. As the wholeol Geornelryis an Amongthelive
the way of sublimalion.
erpa^sronol dol. so also lhe enl'tpYa-lrr is a_ elemenls,it representslhe I efy ele-
a expansionol Blndu.Yanirasor geomelrcaLI gures ment or Agnitallva.As lire goes up'
are drawnon sollor on Bhilriapatra or the barkot lreesmeanlTor ward, the aspirationot sadhakaalso
them or on eavesor on copper,siver or gold pales Vanous goesupward.Th ls alsoknown
slrlangle
rnovernenls go ng on incosmosarelhecreationoivaToLlsiorces as slva kona.
workingn the cosmos.These forcesor movemenls are symbolr The lrianglewilh apex downward
cally represented on lheYantra. C. Sakti kona. representslhe waler elementor Apa
The cosmiciorcesare all pervasiveand hencerepresenled tattva.The lendencyof waterrs to go
on Yanlraare beleved10be all pervasive, e.g.Etherwh ch is a I downward whlchph losophicalyrepre
pervasives repfesentedntheformoi Bindu.In Tanlra thisdo1 sentsthetendency lowardsgrossmanl_
or Bindursconsideredas Sivawhichsymbojca ly represents tlre typeoilriange s known
testalron.This
sourceor crealron. as Sakli kona.
Nol onlyTAnlric seers,butlheweslernpsychoog sl likeJung Fromlhe combnationoi lhese1wo
has also conlemplaled on thisaspecl.He has utilzedlhe word 1rang es arisesa I gureof Satkonaor
Mandalafor cakra and coinedthe word centreof Mandalaas the slar wlth six angles.Th s ligure
S va In his ownwordcreatng ln emanation. Slvaaccordng to lhe symbolicallyrepresentsthe union ol
Tantriclraditions one exrstence,lheTimeless in ils perfectstale. purursaprakrilrorS va_Sakt. wrlhoul
Crealionbegrnswhenthisunexlended pointknownas SivaBindu whichihe crealLon can not lake p ace
appears n the elernalembraceol ils ieminineside lhe Saktl'7 So Satkonais a symbclc represenla'
tionol lhe creaton ol un verse.
The expansionol Bindu lakes lhe lorm of lriange, tr kona
whichaccordingtotheYantrasymbolsmrepresents Sakti Bindu Now el us see how lfre deslruc
ts Sivaand lrikonais Sakti.In Tanlra,bothlheseare consdeTed tronaspectis symbolzed.
as rdenticals This ligure like drurnol Siva
b.T angle : Trikona : (Damaru)refleclsthe separalronot lhe
Triangleis an embelmol SakliandSakli un on which meansthe eno oTcrea
or per odicd sso tr_
tionor destrucllon
is, accordng to lhe Sanskrllex con,con_
sideredas oi a {emininegender,hence t tion of cosmos,
is alsoknownas yoniorlhelemalerepro d. Circle:
duclive Roganbecausethe wholecosmos
has come oul ol it-The Bgvedaalso re_ Triangleexpandsin the lolm cl cir_
lers the orlginoi cosmosas yon.'There cle, Crcle represenlsrolation.ll also
symbolcallypresentstfle arrelemenl
194 Chapter8 HeaInq Aspecrof Yanlraand Llanrra 195

or vayulaltva.lloreover,it is also
an emblem ol perleclron.
AmongYantras meanl lorcullivalng highestpowersof body'
e. Squarc:Bhipura: m nd lor postrvepurposesbenelicial lo one'sown se f as wellas
Generaly,square rsdrawnal lhe tor othersincludng an ma s and subhumanspeces, Sri Yanira
outermostlm t ot theYantra.
lt syrn occupes the centralplace.ll rs knownas k ng of al Yantras
(Yantra
boicallyrepresents thegrossness, RalaYantra)becauseany of lhe abovepowerscan be cu t vated
whichis lhe quaityoi lhe Earlhel by concentralng on one or rnorelrangle elc Because of thrs
ementor lhe pntirvrlallva. grealnessol lhe SriYanlra,we shallsee aboulrt if delail.
Thislig
ure n Yantras knownas Bhupura. 2.The meaning ol S Yantra:
Everi YantraslartstromB nduor dot and endsintosquareor Elymologicay, Sri is prelx which denolesauspicousness
BhupuraTh s showslhe processot evoutiontfomsubilelo gross, Sr Yantras devised{or manypurposesshownaboveand hence
or Irom elherlo earth Heinrich,Zimmerhasvery beauti{ully re rls conslruclionis very complex.We sha I deal w th that aspecl
f ecledth s view,"On one handthe dynamicdiaqramssuggests In deiai laler on For lhe time being,we shouldnote lhat the
a contrnuous processof expansion iromthe centreot lhe patiern uLtlmate objectof sardhaka is Iberation.Liberalon Iromthe bonds
lo thec rcumlerence andrequiring a passagelorlrmelor ilscourse ot physicomenlalas wellas spirilualailmenls.Concenlralion on
On lhe olher handtheyare lo be graspedas an endurng hrerar- somespeciticangleor triangleyieldfreedomlromdiseasesBui
chy as gradalionol simullaneously manilested degrees of be ng man1snol satisted withheallhonly.There are olher goalswh ch
a l t h e c e n l r el.0 D a n i e i o u , A a r n
w ( h l h e h r g h e s l v a l usei l u a l e d I n o t h e r w a l k s ofle . S r i Y a n l r a i s d e s i g nnesdu c ha m a n n etfh a t
has summarized lhesef gures as a represenlalion of lhe d vinr, il may be used by a persondesirousol anythrngn the world
I es. We c ose this poinl w th his view.As he dec ares, "All the ifclud ng freedomtromdiseases,enemes elc
elemenlarygeomelrical Iigurespo nt, straightl11e,cross,circle, ThrsSr Yantrais consideredas lhe abodeoi Lalna.theTantnc
tr ang e elc. havea symbolical valuecofiesponding lo basicno- verypolenl
nameot the HihgerRealily,lherefore,t is considered
trons.They can be combinedin moreor less compex figureslo amongtheYantras,
and celebrated
becomethe representalion ol parlicularforce or qualites em-
bodied n someaspeciol creation. Thereis no shape,no move The ernergence ol the SriYantra
is veryIascnaling.Thereare
menl wh ch may nol be reducedto a combinationol these e, vanoussloflesregrdingils emergence. lt is sardthatthe Supreme
emenlallorms.The magicdiagramsconslrucledwith lheir help Saklioi Her own wllllakesthe iorm of universeand ooks at Hel
lrue y analyze and represenlthe crealve lorce of lhe cosmos own lhrobwilh lhe resullthal Sr Yanlracomesinto exrslenc-o,r?
wh ch we ca i diviniles."r' ThisYantrais alsoknownas V yalcakra.l3 Viyatmeansspace
Thereare many typesot Yankasrneantlor securingone or ( A k a s a )T
. h e r e a r e l w o k n d s o i A k a s a s .T h e o u t e r s p a c e
the olherobjectives likeliberalion,perfeclhealh, wea th, power. (Eahyak,rsa) andlhe innerspace(Daharakasa).
preslrge,lo overcomedtseases, to securelonglileetc.The pow- The outerspace is spreadoverthe enlirecosmos.And lhe
ers cullrvated
thusare veryofienusedlor negativepurposesdue sameagarnrsencapsualedinlohumanbodyknownaslnnerspac
to humanweaknessor fraities.They are knownas subiugaton, or DaharakarsaDaharakasa, thereiores lhe sameakasaa spread
allraclron,Lmmob lization,dissention,iqLridalion,
cradlcalon and
196 Chapter€ HealingAspectol Yantfaand l4anlra 197

The HigherRealityIn ils evolvingprocess,accordingto In- Bhagamalini

dranonroogy.'rrslmdnrlesrs rl lhe lor.nol Akasa.A^aca,Ihere-
lore.is a visiblelorm oi the HigherRealily,as otherwise,Higher
Realilybeinglormlessis nol accessible. Tanlraconcenlraleson J y s e s l aM a i n l e n a n c e
the v siblemanilesled lrom ol HigherFealit,.
As outerandinnerspaces identical, sadhakaby concenlral-
ng on nnerspace,seekshis idenlitywilhthe H gherRealily.The
inner space is the rea spacetor s2rdhaka becauselh€ Higher
Rea ty res des in ihe lorm ot spacein rnnerspace.SriYanlrais
againa symboloi Dahararkasa or HigherReaiitywithin.
d-o Brdgama||_r respeclrvey. Symbo|cally,
Ihese lq'ee de e'
aspeclol SriYantrathat its iormalionre-
It is lhe signilicant represenlMoon, Fire and Sun Again,it is a so a
respectively.
flects bolh microcosmand rnacrocosm.I\,4ed tation on rt resulls ol
represenlailon creation,
maintenance and destructton.
intorealizalon ol the idenldybelweenthesetwo-
Nine lold division:
a- Fomlation ot S Yantrc:
The samethreetolddivisionfromthe pointot viewof gun as
SrrYanlra is drawnarounda Binduor dol whichis considered becomesninelold.
as the abodeol Lalilar.lhe universalenergy.11is describedas
The Sakli or nalureln its subtleform rs composedol lhree
consstingol superimposilion ot ninelriangles.lourwilh upward
apexand live wth downwardapex.Thecombinalion of both pro-
duce lorly lhreelrianges.Aroundlheselriangles,thereare iwo
circlesone wilhinlhe secondwhich containseightpetalswhie
VV
the oulerconlainssixleenpetals.Oulsidelhesepetalsthereare t_----7
threecirclesand theselhreecirclesare coveredby lhe squares \*7
knownas Bh!puras.This s lhe geometrcal iorrnaion represen
talionof Sr Yantra.Now let us see what it representssymbol- v
caly.

b. Symbolic rcprcsentation ol SriYantra:

SriYantrastarlstromBinduand endsintoBhipura.ll means,
in lerms of elementallorces.it coverseverthingirom ether lo
earth.Thisshowsthe wayof creation.BetweenBinduand Bhirprura,
VV
lhe wholeyanlraspaceis dividedinlo three Joldand nine lold
dlvisionas shown below:
The centreof the triangleis knownas abodeoi Lalita.The
trq
apex is known as the residenceplace ot Kamesvariwhile the leit v
andthe rightangleare consideredas the abidingplaceofVajresvari
 r98 ChapteF8 Heaing Aspeclol Yanlraand Mantra 199

g!nas, Sattva,Bajasand Tamas.Thesethreegunars in theirac, Now we shallsee with lhe help ol the figureshow physical
tiveJormare convertible to eacholher.Therefore,the wholedivi bodyis represenled
In SriYanlralrom Bindulo Bhupura.
sronbecomesninelold. Herein the caseof gunas.it s Salva ot Physical body as rcptesented in Sd Cakra:
Sattva. Sattva ot Rajas and Sattva oi Tamas Same is lhe case
w th RajasandTamas.Thus nineloldd;vsiontake p ace. As we haveseen Sfi Cakrarepresents bolh macrocosnr and
microcos m.Thatway tisa inkor mediumlhroughwh ch onecan
BetweenB ndu and Bhapura,Igureslke dol,c rcte,trrange reahzethe rdenlty belwenthe ull male Realty and the se f rl
squarelake place.Theyalsocontan symbolicmeanng.Binduor the processof denlilcalion,accofdng loTantra.sadhakahas lo
dot is the centrewherecrealorand creationare in directcontacl rnentallymaglne(Bharvayet) the rdenliicationoi humanbody.
or identica.C rcle represenlspertection wh e squarepresenls wrththe un versa powersiromwh ch lhe bodyis composed.and
grossness.Triangles an emblemol yoni,a lemae generalve
whlchare magnablyrepresented by var ousangles.lr angleselc
organor a sourceoi crealron. ol Sf YanlraThe Bhav-anopan sada Sarklaupanisad-hasmef-
TheTripuralapinl upanisadhasconsideredlriangteas Tr p! ra. t oned how the drjierenlI guresof Sr CakrarepresentshLrmall
Tn meansthreewhrlepura meansab ding p ace ll is an ab dtng body Thus we shall see the sybmolicrepresenlal on ol the hu
placeol threev/orlds,namely.earth,heavenand netherworld.ri an bodyIn Sri Cakrawiththe helpof th:rvanopanrsad.
According lo theTripuropanisad. The ouler mosl cakra,whichis knownas Bhupuraconlarns
Trrangle represenlgross,subl e and causalaspectsboih In three rnes.The lirsl lineas il is mentionedin lhe charl 2 repre-
i n d i v i d u a l a nI ndc o s m r cI o r m . l s senlserqhlpowersnamely. minuteness. lrghtness. greatness. ord.
Aiter havingseen aboulthe symbotcrneanings ot the geo shrp.contro. power lo have whatever one wanls,enJoyrnenl
rnelrlcaligureol Sr Yanlra.nowlel us see Srryantraas symbol, des re atlanmenland accornplishment of a I desiresrrThe sec
ca representalron ol humanbody. ond Ine .1 lhe Bhupura represenlslust.anger.covelo!sness
d e L r s r opnr d e e n v ym e r i l a n d d e m e r i t . l s l n l h enl herodl B l r r p L r r ; L
C. S yantft as symbolic presentation of human body: lhe srxcen(resol lhe body lhe lwo Sahasraraoneaboveana ll]|'
Tantraconsidersbody as a tempe c,f divrnity. A I mbs c,j oiherbe ow and ndrayoniare the nineSaklrs silualed.c
body belong10lhe un versalpowerThesepowersrepresenlrng The s xleenpetalledolus represenlsthe lrvegrose.)frenls
the Inrbs oi body can be locatedrn Sr Yantra So Sfi Yantra ',1 6ly. aartL. wdrer. I\e. ait elqor,
.en \o !a nd.ia) ,d
r e p r e s e n t s l h e u n /ool nb o d y a n du n v e r s en i d e n t t y . T h egsn i l i sk n. eye. longue.nose.mouth,iool hand arms genlla afd lhe
canlpornlrslhalmereknowledgeaboutihrsdoesnolhepsadhaka
wilhoutdenirlyrng himsellwithit by Bhavanaor rmagnatron.How The e ghl pelalledlotusrs an ernblemoJlaculles ol speirk
lhs dentitytakes place that we shaitsee in lhe words ot S. ing. lakrn!].go ng excrelingenjoyrnq.relectng. acceplf!r a|1d
Shankaranarayanan. 'Thernelhod
of arrivng at the rdentitys by rgnonng.2:
olfeflnglhesemembersoi lhe humanbodylo lhe Sakls lo whom
lhey origrnaly belongedto lhe un versalpowerslocatedn the Srl TheIo!neenaornered {rgure
represenlslourteennadrsnarliey
CakraThis haslo be achievedby Bhavanadeepmedilation con- Aambusa K!hLrh v svodanVaruni.Hastalihva. Payasllrri
Yasovalr.
lemplalng step by slep lhe variouspsychophys ca parls n lhe Gandhar P,rshaSankhn . Saraswati.lda,Pingala.Susurnna22
humanbodyand the corresponding powersin the Sri Cakraand ol len vayus live
The len corneredI gurers a representation
dwellingon iheir dentily."l6 n'ran and ive auxr ary oi body namey Prana Apana.Vyarra
 Chapler-8
Udana,Samana,Naga,Kurma,Krkara,Devadalta,Dhanaijaya.23
The len breathsaclingon the digestivefire ot lhe stomach
jalharaignibecometentoldand digestfoodoi all kindsare repre-
sentedin the ten corneredfigure.2a
The eightcorneredfigurerepresenlscold,heal, p easure,pain,
wish, saltva, rajas and tamas.25
Avyakta,the unmaniiest,Mahatthevasl cosm c princtpletorce
and Ahamkarathe divisionalprinciple of Egojormationare the
threedertiesin lhe primarylriangle,kameswari,Vajreswariand
Bhagamalin.26
The centreol lhe Yantrarepresenls lhe supremedeityLa ita
the absoluteFealilycomprisedof Exlslence'Consciousness
Bliss.27
Thus Srl Yantraexhausisalalmosta I thai the Bealitycon-
iains and henceis the most perfectsymbolicrepresental on of
UllimdteRea ily.lt rs rh.relorpLsFdr'rrlldusprcoLs Leremonies
ol Hinduriies.lt is also usedJorprotectng the sadhakahom al
ev ls. Nol onlythis,withthe helpoi SriYantraserdhaka can obtan
or masierpowersof healing,cuungdiseasesand alsofor driving
awayevilspirits-Thus it is oflremendoustherapeutlcvalue.Wherever
suchsiddhaYanlra is keplihe houseorthepiaceis securedagansl
a I evil iorces.
3. Thea peu ti c aspec t of Yantra :
Tantrameans liberation,lt's a processwhich liberateslhe
sadhakatromphysicalmertaland sprrilual ai menls.Yantra
is an
aid in Tanka,whichenhancesihis processo1iiberation.
As Yantrarepresentshumanbody,ihe bodilycenlresor cakras
can alsobo localedin Yantras,
especiallyin SriYanlra.
One oi the
cakras,in sriYantra,
is knownas Sarvarogahara cakraor remover
of alld seases,Concentrationon thiscenlrernakesbodydevoid
of diseases,Theirtherapeuticvaluehas beenalreadymentoned
n the Kundalinlchapter.
Besides this, lhe Tentric trealise like Saundrya Lahar,
Ka apacinlamanihalso reier someYantraslor removingd seases
lke lever,diabetes,rheumatism eic.'
HeahngAspectol Yantraand Manlra 2A1
The Yantrasmeanllor various purposesdo not themseves
becomeell cacious.Theireff cacydependsuponthe eliorlput n
by sadhiika.Yantras lo be worshipped accordingto cenainpro-
cedure aid down in the texls ike Kalpacinlamanih,Manlra
Mahodadhietc.The entire process s very e aborateand de-
rnandsastuledisciphne, concentrationas wellas observance ol
certainvows like ce iebacy,truth speaking,non vio ence, non
attachments elc.Sadhakais requiredto practlceal thesefelenl-
essnesswith singlemlndeddevoiionand unfli.chng eiiorl.He
haslo praclrcefearessnessforsometimes he comesacrosssuch
experenceswh ch are very muchbewildering. ll is lhereIoread
visedlhal he shouldpursuehis goalsunderthe gurdanceof an
expen.
TheYanhaor l\,4antrabecomessiddhaat lhe endol th s e aborale
processsomelmes ast ng ior yearstogetherbut at lhe end ol
whrchlhe sardhaka becomespossessedol supernormal powers
whch he phim n helpin g othersforovercomingtherllsbothphysica
Psychicalas well as spirtua.
InAserianciv lizationlhe entirepopulation
praclceddrugess
therapyfor rnorethan5,000years.In our countryalso,lhereare
people€x stantwho c aimlo curevariousd seaseswiththe he p
ol MantraandYanlra.11is nowI me we mustunderlakelo exam-
inelhepossb ty lo overcomediseaseby druglesslherapiesbecause
pracliceoj drugs s gellingday by day notonlyirreevantbut a so
oangerous
The term'Yanlra'indicatestwo meanings,One is lo conlro
wh le the s€condis an instrumenl.
Hence,Yantrars an Inslrument
ior gainingconlrolover rnentalmodifications
wh ch are consd
eredas the causeol physicomenlaland spirtuala lmenls.
In yogicafd dntrc treatise,lhe caus€of diseasess consd
ered as dLreto disturbanceol lhe elernentaliorces n outside,ror d
on one handand, or, in the constiluents 01body on olhef hand
The geometfcaf gures,outof whichtheYanlrais iolrnednamey
dot,circe. squareetc.aresymbolicrepresentation ot theelemenh
 HeaIng Aspectof Yanrraand N,lanlra
242 Chapier-8

;oware lakenlrom lhe SaundryaLahario{Sri Samkardcarya.

lorces.ll is believedlhat medistcationwth fu4antra
on certain
I guresofYantragivehealth.And becauseol thisone ol the cakra In lhe noiesunderappendixoI ihe SaundryaLahari,it is writ-
oi the SriYanirais knownas Sarvarogaharacakra,removeroi al ten I ke lh s: No originaity is claimedfor the lacts publishedin
thisprayogasecton.Theprayogashouldbe handledonlybythose
who possesslhe deserving qualiJications
andaftergetling instruc
an emphasishas been laid downon Sn
Arfong allYantras,
r on 5 rron pr6.eplo,<or sn v'dya upasaka.
Yantra..As it rneansauspiciousness.
thelermSriindicates, Heallhy
body-mnd is alsoamongthem. Prcyoga 12
Be ng a symbolicrepresenlalion
of the elementaforces,Sri Yantraon waleror honeyplaced
Yanlraalso representsboth macrocosmand microcosm.So t in siver vessel,Rectal 1,000limes
provesas a linkand alsoas an lnsirumentfor realizing
lhe den- for 45 (48)days,Iac ng North-East.
lily belweenmicrocosmand macrocosm. Arcana:Sarasval, aslotarawilh
The processof concenlration on the Yanlraalso cultivates whitellowersandLallaasototara
with
lhe innerlatentpowers.Powerol resistanceagainstd seaseis jasminellowers.
a so one ol them. Thal way it works as a prolection againsl dis-
ease.This processof concenlration also prevenlsdiseasesby O f f e f l n g s : C o o k e d f l c e , pomogranres,noney,
conlrollingthe menialmodificaljons. Eflecls dumbnesscured,poweroJeloquentspeech,qill ol
The lremendous powersoJmindare being$/astedIn lheiorm Phyoga 52
ol menlal modrlications.
ConcenlrationonYantrachanneize these
powers.Thesechannelizedpowerscan be used pos tivelyas aulo- Yanlra or goldplaleor holyashes.
Recilal10001times (1000).For 45
suggestionin the lield ol therapy.The diseaselke lnsomnia, ?
I days. FacingNorth-EastArchana.
scr zopheniaand otherpsyco'somatic diseasescan be curedby
Rudrathrisathi wilhbilvaon rightside
lhe auto-suggestion lherapy.
oiYantraand Lalilhalhrisath with red
We havealsomaderelerencetoYantrasJromtheTaintrrc trealise flowerson leftside.
ke SaundryaLaharland Kalpacintamanih. The significanlas-
pecl,whrchshouldnot beoverlookedhere.lslhal mereYanlra Ofiering:Cookedrce mixedw lh
or
sesamumPowder,mrlk-gruel,coco-
Iiguredoes nol givedesrredresults.The latenlpowerof tshould
be awakenedor charged.Especially, anthe case oi heallng,the
elliciencyo{Yantra,dependsuponthe chargingoJYanlra doneby nutsand planlains.
healer.Thoughil is a dijjicultprocessbui al at the same time Effecls: Allear and eye disease
devoidol any draslicsideeffeclswhichis veryva uabletromlhe cured.
lherapeulc aspecto{ Yanlra.
Prayoga 89
Yantraon goldplate
orholyashes
l.Yantra lrom Saundrya Lahari: Recital1008iimeslor 30 days.Iac-
ing Easl. Archanalaitha ashlolhara
The Yanlras,wh ch are lsed for therapypurpose g ven be_
204 Chapter-8 HealngAspectof Yantraand N,lanlra 205

ng candlesand drink.Worshippedin this way,the yantranever

OfJerngs Cookedrice(mixeowilhcurd),sweet-gr!el,
honey i a i l sn r l s a m '

B.Therapeutic aspeca of Mantra:

Effecls: Cure of all diseases,physcal strength.

2. Vantn s frcm Kalpac intemanih: Nanreand Formare the lwo inierwovenaspectspervading

the wholeun verse.Becauseof the r all pervadlngnature,they
canbe tlreInsirumenl
tor lhe realization
of Reality.
InTantra,these
Name:Jvara-VnAsanam
nslfumentshavebeenacceptedin theformot ManlraandYantra.
Obj-"ct: Pacilylng{ever
Realzationot Realtyis nothng butlhereaLizationoftheorgina
D e s c r i p t i o n : D r a w a y a n t r aswl ri tahg h ll i n e so n a s d e s a n d natureol one'sown self.Th s selfis ike a deltywhichresidesin
jointhem.Thendrawa quadrangle upon a tempe of body.For geltingnearerthe deity.,one has to cross
th s yantrawilh eightpetals.The yanlra the gates ol body'mnd by removingthe obstaclesthrougha
processol purilcationandtherebyperfecting the body-mind.For
should be drawn wilh the iquid ol
dhattirA planl,on a p eceof c olhlrom th s pfocessoi purilcalon and perfeclron,the [,iantraandYantra;
lhedeadman'scotfn onthespotwhere one relalingto Narneandthe otherrelating io Formafe,accordng
lhe dead are crernatedThus should lo Tantra.pr ncipalaids.How Yankapuriiies body mindthal we
be done eilheron the eLghlor on lhe haveseen underthe tltle"Therapeutic Aspectof Yantral'
lourteenthday of lhe dark iornighl. L keYantra,[,4anlraa so worksas therapy.Apparently,a lvlantra
Writethe nameol lhe personin cen ooks rk-oa rnerecollecton ol words.And beingso a possible
ire with ramon eachoi lhe fours des quesl on may arise here s lhal does merepronuncationof [,4anlra
w th ram in each oi the erghtpetals. can cured sease?The answers posiliveprovdedlhe wordsare
Worshiplhe yantraby offeringlovelyilowersco lectedlor the pronouncedaccording10 certaincondilons aid down by those
processletsevendeadlyfeverdisappearimmed' who have practced them and lestedthe r irulh.The potencyor
eff cacy of words pronouncedby an expertor siddhadoes not
Pacilication 13 res de ri wordson y. lt residesin the effortsol s ddhawhichlh€
Name: Sakini-Dalk
n raksakaram word s chargedw th e.g.The Kuran, The Bible,The Vedasand
othefholywords.
Objeci: Proiectng iromevilspirit
HereIn th s chapteran aitempthasbeenmadeto exposethe
Description : DrawthisYantraon
p sound pnncple on wh ch l\,4antra therapystands.We shallpro
a ece ol c oth spreadover a board
ceed f rst w th the meaningsol l\,4an1ra.
butnoton lhe groLrnd.Draw{ourlines
verlicallyand iour horzonta y mak
.' rn 1. Meanings ot Mantn:
ing eight abodes thereby,wr te
eachabodeandworshipthesame.OJler Hunlanm nd can not conceivethe namelessand forrnless
presents(bai).tlo\r,ersincerise.
bLrrn' Reality.Energiesor the HrgherRea riy,whichwe ca I as deities
246 Chapler-a

canbe reachedlhroughsymbolslikenameandtorm.Onlythrough Pr th v .The r or ginalionis sJfessed back lo sabda sparsa Rupa.

nameandlormonecan reachnameeSSandlormless.Thesetwo Rasaand Gandharespeclrvely. In thisorderol crealron, Akesa.in
symbolsare lechnically
calledin Tanra,as Manlfaand Yantra. lhe gross elemenl,and sabda ln lhe essenceol elemenlare
L ke Yantra,lvlantraalso represents
deity.The powerol de ty consrdered as mosl sublleelementThe subtlelyol sabda s con
s nherenl n Manlrait it is chargedand beng so mantrasare side.edlo thatexlent,il is viewedas Brahmanor Sabdabrahman.
very poweriuland etteclve.Thesepowersare latenlin a Mantra sourceol crealon.3
as tree n a seed A sproLrt froma seedemergesoul on y when t1 lVanlfasare the collection ralherthesyslematica ly arranged
!els proper sunhght, water elc.Lkewiselhelalenipowerol Manlra worcl-pallerns whichare very powerlu.Whena wordis pfonounced
can be act valedlly conslantrepelI on, auslerily,laith. evenal mentallevel,t crealesvibrationsThesev bralionslhrow
The lerm lvlanlra s a combinationol lwo lerrns name y oul irom the mind and allractsame lype ol vibrationsThen ll
m a n + t r a n lav l a n m e a n s l o t h i n k o r i o m e d i l a l e w h i l e t r a n a m e a n s becomesa colocationof vibrationswhen it relurnsback lo ts
lberation.So in terms ol Tantra.we can say. lhe Sakti which cenlre.lhe mind.Whenit comesback,il becomesrnorepowenu
iberaleslhroughmedilalionis Manlra.r and polental. And becasueol ihis, it suppose.we wanl lo be
good or pure,we shouldmeditateuponsuchqualiliesConstant
Lberalionlrorn what ? L berattonof [r]nd lrom ts various
modfrcalons. As we know,mind is very tleetng. lt conslantly medtalionon partc! ar conceptbecomesthe paftol personalty.
rssuesvar ous modificalions. Due lo ts lleetingnalure11dissi ThoughMantrasare poweriulbut haphazard pronounc allons
palesits energy.ll we can preventhis drssipalion ol energy,or in ol it does nol give any resull.In Tantra,cerlain rules and legula
otherterms, I the powersof mindare channelized, theycan cre tions are prescribedeven fo r the correci pronu nc iation and recila_
aie such a h gher evel of m nd wh ch is generaly not presentin tlon ol Mantra A N,4anlra works only when it becomes realized
lay'man IVanlradoes lhis iob easily.The concentrated mind s (S ddhaMantra).A Mantracarl nol be easily realLzed For L'lantra
lhe sourceol all success.Manlra,lherelore,can be one of lhe sadhanaguru or gurde is required. Firsl,guru has to dec de the
mosl elleclve instrumenls Ior the lullillmentol desres. f,,lanlraaccordingto thetendency ol sadhaka. In the SardaTilaka
Mantrasare wriltenin letllersor sabdaand can be pronounced (peta'2) I s declaredthat if lvantraand sadhaka both are n
w th the helpof sound.So d fferentsoundscontan d tlerenttypes ir end y relaton Mantragives quick results ll the relationbe_
lweenlhernls oi enemy,resultis doublJul. A speciaicharl,ihal ls
oi energyor deily.And becauseol th s proper pronounciation ot
A-Ka-ThaHa cakra has been given by Tantra to decidethe rela_
Mantrais hlghlyrequired lor atlainment of gaol.Thered ighlagainsl
lionshipbetweensadhaka and ,anlra.
mproperpfonounciaiion ol l\,4anlra
hasbeenshownby Dasgupta,
Sasibhusana, As he declares,".,.slrghlest devolon etlherin ar Aitertheseleciionol lvlantra,I shouidbe conslanilymenially
t cLralionor accentor rnodulalion was ca culalednol onlyto make pronouncedwith lervouL
spirilual Hehastoassume an yoglcposlure,
lhem negaiivey frurtlessbul positivelyharmful2 By lhe proper perlom Nadisodhana, pranayama, turn prAnaon the wayto Susumna
pronouncrat on ol Mantra,as describedby saslra, conlrotsthe and repealthe l\Iantrawhen prana tlows inlo Susumna Auslenty
erierqyrnherenlin Manlralhroughwhich he qainswhateverhe Firmla lh anddevolionrnl\,4antra are also the basrc requlremenls
wanls.lt s not a mereaccidentbul a soundscientfic reason ies siddhi.These
for 1\,4antra are allkeyswhichopenthe closeddoors
behindthisachievement of treasureol Powers,
The wholeMantraSastra s baseduponthe poienlralities ot Thereare dillerenl1\rantras prescribed byTanlra'Ior dlllerenl
or sabda Fivegrosselemenlsare the consliluenls
\rr'ords oi bolh purposesSomeof lhem are glve irllhe appendrx.
fiircrocosm and macaroscos,narnelyAkasa,Vayu.Teia.Apa and
208 ChapteF8 H e a l t n gA s p e c l o l Y a n l r aa n d I / a n l r a

2. Bija Mantru : Seed Letterc : tzrpinlupnisadi, 13 KarpuraStava,VaradeTantra

Relerence:Tripurer
elc
As lree liesin a seeds,in the sameway lhe powerof N,4anlra
liespolenliallyn a seedlelteror bijamantra.As a lree comesout 3.Theseed'ol-Exstenceor Seed-ol-Fortune (laksmi'biia)
trorn seed, lrkewrsethe whole lrantra evolves lrorn seed letler. Sound:SRl[,
And beingso, lhe seed letlersare considered as Yoni,sourceof Definiton: This manlrarepresenlsthe goddnessol lortune
creation.D fferenlseedlellersare prescribedlor dillerenldeities.
and mu t pl cily.Laksmi,the consortoi v shnu.s represenlsthe
Herewe shallsee sorneof lhem.
transcenclenl d viniy ol lortune.R meansweallh.i s salisiac
1. Seedof speech(vag-blia) lron The sound means imitlessness'. The nasaLzalionmeans
S o u n d :A l l V ihe drspellingol sorrow.This is the seedutleranceol the goddess
Lakshmilhroughwhichsheshouldbe worshipped l' (VaradaTanlra)..
Definiton iThrs I\,4anlrars also calledSarasvali(pertainingto
knowledge) or Sarasvati (pertainingto lhe goddessoi Purpose:Gainingwor dlywealth,power,beautyand glory.
knowledge). li represents lhe iormol consciousness em, ReierencerTripuratapin upanisad,
VaradaTantraetc.
bodiedn lhe goddessSarasvati, 'A represenlsSarasvalr. 'Desire:(kama-bija)
4. The Seed-of
The nasaizationmeansihe removrng ol pa n Thrsis the
seed-uileranceoi Sarasvallwith iithe word' s worshippedl' Sound:KLl[,4
Purpose:Acqurring knowledgeand wisdom,masleryoverwords DelrnilronrThis mantrarepresents the formof joy ol pleasure.
and powerot speech, lhe procrealrve aspect ol the power ot Siva in lhe lorm of his
consort, the Tfanscendent-Goddess (Mahesvari).'K' represenls
Reference:Trpuratapiniupnisad, KarpuraslavaandVaradaTantra
Eros.(kamadeva) or Krsna,the Incarnalionof divinelusl.L means
2. The seed-oi-lllusion
(meyebija)or Seed-oi,Energy
(Saklr the ord oi heavenIndra,I meanssatislaction.The nasalzalon is
Drla) the giveroibothpleasureand pain.Theseedof Des re sspoken
Sound:HRltul Io you oul ol love, O Great Goddess."(VaradaTanlra).
Delintion:This Mantrarepresentsmayathe powerol illusion.t1 Purpose: Gainingtranscendenl alsopleasure.
knowledgeand
standstorlhelady-ot-spheres (Bhuvanesvar victory and roya power.
), lhedtspeller
of sorrow ll is rootfrom whrchdevelopelher and other t:rpiniupnishad,Karpuraslava,VaradaTantra.
Reference:TripurA
elementsot ihe manileslworld,the pnncple over I ber
5 The Primorda-Seed(adya-blja)or seed-ol'lhe'PoweroiTime
ated, unboundedby lhe lripleform ol time "Ha rneans (Kal-b ja):
Siva.R is his NaturePrakriti.I meansTranscendent lllu
s r o n ( m a hm
a a y a ) . T h e s o u n d i s t h e p r o g e n rtthoer uo nf - Sound:KRIM
verse.The nasalization meansthe removingof sorrow Definition:Thrs mantrarepresents thepowerolI me.lhepower
The lady ol the sphereshouldbe worshpped w th this of dealh.the destructive aspect ol Siva and lhus the goddess
( lantra)(VaradaTantra). Kar. the power oi lme
Purpose:Conquestof the unmanilest,of the power of Nature ' K i s K a i . R s l h e B r a h m a nl i s l h e l r a n s c e n d e pn ol w e r o l
Transgressing
ihe lawsol time and space. I usionThe souncls the "l\,4other of lhe Universe. The nasalza_
210 Chapler8
FlealnqAsp€rlolYanlrrand Mantra 211

t on is the d spe lingol sorrow.The goddessKallshouldbe wor- energy

sh ppedwittrlhrsmantrato the paciying oi a I painl' lVaradaTantra)
Ka Wind(orlusl)
Purpos€:Gainingdelachmenl poweroverdealhtranscendenl
Knowteoge. Lordol heaven( ndra)orS va l h r n g
tapiniupnsad,Ivlahdnirvana
Relerences:Trrpurd andVaradal ha c oud (or S va)
Dei nilion:this represents
lhe powerol the
Olherseedlellers enchanlmenl of lhe world.
Dum Durga No.ol repeliron:lo be repealedtwenlyone or 108i rnes.
Ganr ' Ganapali Purposes:to alla n alllhe desiresand ltoeralon
PHAT WeaponIor destroyng anythng Reference:DeviupnrshadN tya soda Sikarnava,Varvasya
STRiM - Llberaiesfromdifficulties
TheseB la manlrasshouldbe constantlyrepealed10rqLrick
Seed ettersol ihe Elemenis: The processof constantrepetitron
results. ts knownas iapa.Now
LAM - Earth-Prilhv we sha I see somethingaboutiapa.
VAI\,4
C .J a p a :
RAM Teja'Fre
Japa sadhanais prescrbedby all reltgious.lt playssignfl
YAI\,4 - Valyu-Air canl role n sadhana.Becauseof ils significance, Lord Krishna
HAI\, , Akash -Ether haddeclared,'lam lhejapayajna,amonga lyajnas.(Yalna, among
all yalnas.(YajadnAmlapayainosmll)
TheThought-Form (Pancadasi)
ol FitleenSyl abLes of the first
Goddess: Japtars a spiritualexercise,lt is a scientiic processior cu
- Ka-e-ila-hrim, tivationol wi I power,Manlralapa ensuresvarioLrs powerswhich
Test Ha-sa-ka-ha'la-hrirn,
i s a l s o a g a i n h e l p tnuc o m i n g o v e r l hheu r d l elsy r n g i n t h e w a y o l
Sa-ka'la-hrrm.
Meaning: Howlapa doesth s workor whal is ihe meaningof lapa this
ust can be asked.ln lhe lermjapa,'Ja' rernovesthe v ciousc rcleof
lrleand deathwhie pa' removessins.Hencejapa s lhat which
e wornb(orspeech) removesbolh lhe c rcleof liieand deathand alsosrn.6Thereare
thesubstanceol lust variousways designedby Tantraior the repelon ol lvlanlraor
japa.These variols ways we shall see uner lhe iille "K nds ol
ta thunder (ortheearth,or Siva)
bolt-bearer
lapa.
hflm a cave(lheseedmanlraof theGoddess)
1. K nds of Japa:
Siva
1. Nityajapa:
As bathing.ealingetc are requred ior the marnienanc-.
and
212 ChapterS

puriicallonof externalbodylikewise,lor the lnlernalpuriflcaton, 8. Ajapa japa:

menla exeTcse ike japa s required. This shoud be done daily This type oi japa is done withod mal?I.This shoutdbe done
wilhoulanYexcePtlon. with the processol respiration.While exhalation,l\,4antra
Ham and
whrleinhalaton, MantraSahshouldbe pronounced.
2. Kamyaiapa:
Ail these lypes of japa difteronly in the manneroj prono-
Japais doneIor var ous purposes.The japa which s donefor
unciatron.The basicprinclpleofjapasahdanais thal it shouldbe
the Iulfilmentof specificdesire,il is knownas Kamyaiapa. doneconstantly wilh laith,devotjonand concentration.
3. Acala iapa:
2.Therapeutic Aspect ot Japa:
J a p a s a d h a n a v a r e s a c c o r d i n g t o t hoelgdoeas i r e . A n u m b e r
ol lapa is l xed which shouldbe compuisofily be done lor the Japa rneansconslantmedialtonon specilicconcepl.lt is lhe
goal. Thls lype of japa also shouldbe nalureol mindlhat the ideaon whichrt constanflymedailesbe
alla nmenlof the deslred
place and llme. This process strengthens the wil comes lrte part ol personaity.lt we thtnkpostively,mind also
done at iixed
poweroi sAdhakawhichultjmaielyresuts inlo success. becomespostive which impactalso can be fe t on body.Nega
trveth nkingharmsboth body and mrnd.Th s necessariyleads
4. Calaiapa: us lo Inlerthalmediationon ldeaofgoodhealihinvariablyresutts
inlogoodhealth.
Calajapacanbedoneatanyiimeorinanysituatlon. No rules
and reguationsare prescribedfor lhis.The natureol m nd is to IVeniallensionis lhe roolof mostol the diseases.In thisage
thinkeithergoodor bad.For avoidng the badtho!ghtsthis cala ol last liie, we conslautlyhaveto face menta tenslons,By con-
laps is utilized. stani repel iion of Manlfa, mind togels everythingaboul the exter-
nai worldand thal way mindgets relielfromlensions.
5. Vacikaiapa:
Japaaso ncreasesiatth in God,Godis ornntpotentandwhatever
Japa which is done in ioud vo ce is knownas Vacrkajapa. happens,t happenseitherforgoodorior bad is dueto hrsw sh.
lhislype of japa s considered at iow andworksonlyal inrtiailevel So thereis no reasonto be worriedaboutanything.Tranquilllozers
of sadhana.Though il is consrderedas ow,lt is 9oodlor concen- and drugs like camposealso do this job, In fact actuallydoing
lrat on of mind. .noreharmlo the bodythangood,Japa,theretoreis an tnnocent
6. Upanusiapa; and yet psychologcallybetter,ongtimelastingremedythanany
type ol tranqullizers.
Lnthistypeo{japa,onlylhemovemenlof ipstakesplacebul
no sound s heard.Thistypeofjapa helpsin the lnlernarzationot D.Therapeuticaspectof Mantra:
sensewhichare generay externalized.
T ll now,Mantrahas beenconsidered as merehypocrsy and
7. ft,lansikaiapa: humbug.But now il has beenacceptedscientitcaliy,specaty in
In this typeoi japa,neithertonguenor the movementol ips lfre areaol therapy,or as a heallngagency.
takesplace.lt is doneonlyal mentalevel.Becauseof ts s!bslicty. The connotation of the ternrN/antraitseltshowsthal t iber
l is consderedas the besttype ol iapa. ales ts sadhaka( \4ananaflranatil Mantra). ll liberatesits sadhaka
lrom physco-menialspirituatroubles).(Adh Vyadhr-Upadh )lvlenia
 Chapter-8

lroubles ke lensiongeneraledfromlhe compex t es ol lfe lhe lManlra,sadakaconcenlraleshis rnindon a Mantrawhich pro

possessoro{ lhe worred m nd becomesunhappyand ullrmalely dLrcea stateol iranquillity.6So thlsslaieoJmeditation.Thisstale
becomesa v clim of menlaldiseaselike scnzophenla.splil per ol meditalionworks as therapyin two ways.Firsfly,medilalon
makesmanaloollromthe externalmenlallensionwhichare con
s deredas the roolol diseasesand secondly, lhe staleoi medila
The nlenseformol lens on end nlo the psychosomal c dls_
/anlra makes lon s a fesut of concentrated mind.This cullivatestnnerlatenl
eases.ll makes bolh body-mind dlseased, lapa
wr I power or the powerot resislanceagainstdiseases. Thus by
one lree lrom worriesand lhal why t also removeslhe bondsol removing the menla lensrons andbycultivaltnginnerpower,med!
menlalphysca disorders.
lationworksas lherapy.Mantrajapa is the easiestand the best
Thereare certainreasonswhrchare consderedas thecaus€ way lor rr1ducing such a stateol meditation.
oJd sease.One of them is lhe imbalance oi hormonalsecrellons
secrellonsbothcrealed scr_ The healinglhroughManka is possibleby two ways.One s
ol lands Over secretions and under
depend menla slateol
Lrporl sell frea ng wh le in secondlype ol healing,healheaispalienl.in
der In body-m nd. Propersecretions
a d seasedbody,rl is nol a wayspossibe to do lvlanlraIn sucha
a personWhen a persons in a happymood.glandsdo not work
case. a Manlrahea er tfansfershis inner powerinto a patient.
properly. Whlleil mlndis nol in a happymood,g andsdo nol work
Hereletters of Mantraworklikechannellhroughwh ch powertravets.
properly. Th s improperway oi workingol glandsresuls nlo 0rs
The permanence ol the curedone by Manlra,dependsuponlhe
eas€.Manlrag ves happrness lo m nd and keepsmrndsilenl ln
Inlersrlyol the innerpower01a healer.
lhe sr enl mrndglandsworkw lhoulany obslaclesor drslurDances
afd thalway here.[lantraworksIndrfecily as lherapy The conceplol the Mantrictherapya so has been accepted
by lheAyurveda.
an Indan art ol meditalion.The
seersot Ayurveda,
The mpactoi lvlanlrajapa also can be seef on lrre brarn
Carakaand Susrutahaveacceptedit as lherapy.T
ce s O!r brarnis d vided nlo two halvesThe larg€bra n:rnd llr-c
s m a I b r a n T h e s m a I b r a n c o n l a i n sa p o r to n k n o w r ra s Besrdesthrs.lvlantratherapyis a so utttized
for removng the
hypolheamls In lhis area oi brarn.cels ol hung-"r.16,t", po son. Suerutahas rnentroned the processoi removingthe pol-
are localedwhen a personls underlenslonhe becomesmoic ",a son by N'lantran the kalpasthana ot his samhita."A physrcian
excled !!hichresultsintohighbloodpressure.I hasbeenworked wel versedin the Manlrasol anlivenomous potencyshouldb nd
oul lhal conslanlrepetilion ol Mantrajapa decreasestirs excrle_ a leLgalure
ol a cordconsecraled withappropriate Mantraswhich
npnl a_d d 50'ro -nd 2e ll'e blood p e<cJ c wouldarresla lurlherspreadol the poison.The A,4antras iull of
How [/]antradoes th s job? Manlratherbyrs argey relaleci occ! t energyol pertectlrulh and dlvinecommunton, disclosed
w th the processol autosuggeslion mentionedby Psyclrology. n by the Devarshs and Brahminsof yore,neverfatltoeliminalelhe
po son lrom the system,and hold lheir own even in the case of
vr'hrcherlherhealeror a patienlhas10gtvea conslairlsuggeslon
Here.In lhe lVantralherapy,constantrepettlof ol lllanlraor lel' deadlieslporsons'.8
lers.penelrateslheconscious mindandlhesoundwavesol Nlanlfa Thereare alsosomeI\,4anlras, prescribed byTantrafor hea lh
entersrnlo lhe subconscious mlnd is more powerill than con and longlilewh ch are here,givenin lhe appendix.
sc ous mind,and its impacla so can be seen on lhe boclyrnrnd n the Mantriclher€apy,
ihere is nothrng|ke mirace ol hum
So lhe mpactoi positrve slaleol subconsco!s m nd elleclsbody_
bug lt siusiawayoic,rltivationof
innerresistancepoweragainst
mrndpos tlvely.Th s positively can be lnducedby Mantralapa
n lhe healingthroughManlra.by constanlor repelt o. or
 Chapler-8

diseasesand positively slrengthening the will powerin the case

of sell-healingwhilein lhe caseol healerarldpatient,a sadhaka n lhe Argaa stolraoi Devisluli,tt s atsoaskedio devitor
who hasrealizedlheMantra.transtershisawakenedpowersihrough healh.
lhe medium ot l\rantra. DelhiSaubhagyamirrogyam
dehtdevrparamamsukham
In the concludingporiionol lhis chapter,we can say lhat., Argalaslotra,12
IVlantraand Yantraare lhe two aids olTantra-Tanlrahas peneraled
A manlrafor ong lifeis prescribed
intolhe Budrastadhyay.
the very roolol disease,lhalis, unbalanced mind.Mantlaandlhe
Yantraare the inslruments lhroughwhich one can slabilizethe Aumlrayambakam
yajamahesugandhimpusli
vardhanamtJ
mind.Thisstabilized orconcenlraled becomefullproolagainstal U.,,aruikamive
bandhanat
mrutyomukhiyamamrulal
ll
krndsof externalallacksof diseases.
FudrAstadhyay
, 5l5
Appendix:
3 Maqtrasprcscribedby Tanttafot dilletenl putposcs
1. Removerofdiseases:
Aum sam sam sirnsim sum sum sem saum sam sah
vam varn vim vlm vilm vem vaim voum vah vafl
ham sah amruta varcasesvahir
- UddisiTanka
2. Bestowerol iberation(lvoksa):
Srlm hrlm krim krusnayanamah
- GaulamiyaTantra
3. Giver oJ Dharma,Artha, Kama and l\,4oksa:
ALrmsaccidekabrahma-
- I\,lahanirvana
Tan€
These mantras are taken from the Tantra {\/ahavihan by Sri
Rama
Sarma,pp.454-55.
4. Mantas lor health and long life:
lhere is a
In the eleventhchapterot lhe DurgaSaptasalr,
versein whichsadhakaasksio devilor health-
rustalu kirm:rnsayalanabhisira'
Roganasesanapahamsiusta
na tl
 G
,G
o
o
o
o.
o
o
oo
io.
e(!
FO
:-
OF
Chapter-9

Desiredlile spanor a long lite has alwaysbeena matteroi

allractionotihe humanrace.Tanlra hasitsownuniquemethodof
healing andlorprolonging lifespaa.
Tantrahaspenetraled lhe veryrootof disease.lt removesthe
accumlation ot impurities which is alsoone ol the causeso{
disease kom lhebodyvessels andalsoJromsubtlechannels. lt
puritieslhe bodyvesselsthroughihe six purificatory aclions
(satkriyas)mentionedby the Hathayoga. While il removesthe
impuritiesof s!bilechannels lhroughtheprocess of Sumanu de-
scribedbylhe GherandSamhite.The processol theBhulaSuddhi,
lhe importanlaspectol Tanlraseldhana alsoplaysan important
rolein lhepurilicationof body-mind complex.
IVloreover,
Tantrahasalsomentioned theprocess ofstreightening
lhe puriled bodythroughthe inlakeoJtheRasaor preparedmer,
qury(parada).
Theseprocesseslargelydealwithlhe purilication of body.lt
hasalsomentionedcertainlechniques.throughwhjch,the body
whichhasalreadvbecomeavictimof disease canbecured.The
uniq!emethods ot Tantrichoaling arelhe Science of breathing
knownas S va Swarodays, Mudra,processof Sal karma,I\ranlra,
Yankaelc.Amongalllhesewe havealreadydeallin delailabout
I\,4anlra
and Yantratherapy.In this chapterwe shalllry to focus
theTankicwayol rejuveration andvariouskindsoJhealing.Letus
proceed withlhe purificationof physicalbody.

A. Putification cl Physical Body:

ln Tanlrism,humanbodyenloyssignificanl place.As the
Gheranda Sambhita (1-8)declares,lhe bodyis nolongera source
ol pain,but the most reliableand ellecliveinslrumentai man's
disposafor "conquering dealh".And scienceliberation can be
222 Chapler.9
gainedeven in this lile,the body must be preservedas long as
possibe and in pedectcondition,preciselyas an aid lo medita-
tion.2
For preservingthe body in perfeclcondition,Tanlraespecially
lhe Halhayoga, prescribes the methodot traininganddeveloping
the body and mind.The goalol Tantrais lo discoverthe hidden
layers of mind, polenlial powersoi body and io awakenthe inner
spiritualtacultes, Forlhis, controlover physicalbodyishighiy
requred.Inihe Hathayoga, conlroloverbodystarlswiththe cleaning
process known as purificatoryaclions or kriyas.They are six i11
numberhencelhey are knownas Sat kriyas.These actionsor
processeshe p n theeliminalion oflhe poisonoussLrbslance ac-
.umulaledin lhe bodilychannels.
Accrmulation ol poisonin channelsis alsoone ol lhe causes
ol d sease.Bodyconstantlylhrows wasie materialsthroughurine,
perspiration,excretionetc- lt constantlydoes lhis process.The
Hatheyogicpurilicatoryprocess enhancesthis process oJ elimi
nalronof waste oroductsof bodv.
l.Hathayogic way of puritication ot body:
The sat kriyas or the six purilicatoryactions mentioned by
lhe Hathayogacove|s the eniire body.Theyare meanl ior clean_
ing the fespiratorysyslem, foodpipe, eyes,stomach,lower colotl
etc..Thenameoflhese ktiyirsate Dhauli,Basti,Neti,NaulLftaaka
and kapalabhbti.2Fhese actionscleanstomach,colon,nasalpas
sage,abdominalorgans,eyesand resprratoryorgansrespectlvely,
We shallproceedfirsiwith Dhauli.
a.Dhauti:
Dhautimeanswashing.ll is dividedinlolour types:
1) Inlernalwashing-Anlardhauti;
2) Cleaningoi teeth-Dania dhaul!;
3) Cleaninglhroal-Hrid dhauli;
4, ClFanr_g
oJreclum-l,4oola
Sodhanam.3
Again lhe iniernal washing, Antardhautiis divided into lour
TherapeulicAspecloi Tantra 223
parls:(1) Wind puriiication-Valasara. {2) Waler purification-
Varlsara,(3) Firepur f cation-Vahnisaran, (4) Clolhpuril catron-
Wind p urification: Valasa,
ta :
In lh s process,one shouldswalow the air to the slomachby
closinglhe eplglotlistilllhe stomach is liledwilh air.Thenmove
lhai air lhereinand lhen slowlytorce it oul throughlowe.passage.
Waler p urifical ion: Varisara:
Drlnk a iarge quanlity ol waler lo which a little salt is added
and then shakelhe abdominalpodon. Then vomil il or.ilby putling
{ingerat the rool ol thelongue.Thisshouldbe donein lhe morn-
ing on an emplystomach.This prevenlsconslipalion
Firc p urifica Iion: Vahnisara :
A personwho wantsto do ihis, shouldsit in a comiortable
posiure.To performit, the trunkshouldbenl torward,handspul
on lhe kneesand deepinhalation be pe.formed.Holdlhe breath
ouisideas tar as possible.While holdingthe breath,push the
abdomenbackwardand lorward.This processslrmulates alllhe
portionwith abdomen,viz., stomach, inlesline,liver,spleen,pan-
creaselc-This processremovesconstipation.
Cloth p urification: Vaslrasara:
Thisprocessprescribes the purilicalion
olihe limenlrycanal.
This cana is a longlube extendedfrom mouihio anus and cov
ers ihe areaoi mouth,pharynx, oesophagus, slomach,largeand
smallintesline.
The clolhpurilcationis prescribedin the lollowingway:
Take a tine piece ol clolh, three inches wide and lilteen leei
long. No piece ol loose ihread should be hangingfrom its side-
Washthe piece Dip it in tepidsalt watet Thenswallowihe one
end of ( lrttle by litlle. On the lirsl day swallow it only one loot.
Then increaseit by dailypractice.Duringprocessdo nol be hasly.
This process should bo done with empty slomach prelerable in
ihe morning.This processis benelicialfor lhe abdomna and
respifalorydisorders.
 224 'hanto' o TherapeulicAspectoi Tantra 225

2. DanlaDhautt:Cleaningol teelh: line ln the comfortableposlure,with the spne slraighlbul re-

Dantadhautiis massagingof teethwith waier or powdered laxedpostron,person ooks al lhe ilamelor a minule.Ailerlhat
earthso ong as dentalimpurities
are not removed, he closeslhe eyes,relaxthe eye muscleandvisuaizethalilame
betweenlhe eyebrows. Againdo th s process.This may be con-
3. Hriddhault:PuriJtcalionoi tongue: t nued4 or 5 t mes.Thisexercisebringsconcentration
and strenglh-
For cleaningthe root.put the threefingers,ndex,middleand
r ng, in a jolnt manner.Rub weli the root;f lhe longue.Wash il 1notherTratakalechnique,calledBhrumadhyadrisl, the half
agarnand again.Repealthisprocess.Thrsprocesshetpsin bringng closedeyes are d rectedupwardtowardthe spacebelweenthe
oul excreliontromsiomachand lungs. eyebrowsThis processenablesthe mlndto becomepa nted.
In the Nasagradr sti,lhe gazingiakes placeal the tip ol the
4 lvloolaSodhanam:Cleaningot recturn: nose.Th s processstrengthens the eye musclesand incr€ases
MoolaSodhanamjs acieaningolrectum.With lhe hetpofthe
middleI nger,the rectumshouldbe carefullycleansedwithwater
d. Kapdlabhdti:
againand again.This processdestroysconstipation, ind gestton
This s an exercisefor lhe puriiication
of the nasalapassage
and lungs.This process s speclallydesigned 10 remove the
b- Neti: Nasat Cleaning: spasm n bronchialtube.Th s also helpsin curingAslhmaand
\ e l 5 a c e a - t n go , - a s a ro a s s a g e o t t , e r e s p t r d t o s. yy 9 also Temovesrnpuritiesoi b ood.
16T rhaea.elwolyoesofneli.rllSLlanel Technique:
a , o ( 2 1. r d l an e l i .
in SLrtaneti,take lhrn threadand insert i1 tnto nostriland Aflerassuming a olus poslure,takea iew deepbrealhs.Then
passrngtt through it, puilit out by mouth. rapid nhaI on exhalation shouldbe done.Moreatlentionshoud
TLe ta a rel ca- oe clo^ewtthrha ,le p o' tukewarn\d I walar be givenon exhalation. Starlone roundof th s exercisewilh len
^ expusion at lhe end ol the tenlh explusiontake deep nha a
H O J ' , a\ n a i l p o r r o no f l h e s a l l w a l e .t l r o L g - o - e n o s l .
by
ciosrngthe othernostrltwithlhumb.Raisethe headand a ow the t on. Gradualy increasethe numberof rounds.
wd'er lo I'ow downto I e throatand erpel ,- ort rhtoLg"rroulh.
I ne rF1 ar- -g porlronot lho wat.r In tha nou.h
sho d be otown
oui by forcedexpiration. Nauliis an exercrse lor puriiication
and strengthenrnglhe
This processremovesdisordersof cold and ensuressharp abdomnal musces. Beforedoingthe nauliprocess, the practice
eye srght. ol the Udd yanabandha abdominalcontractions necessary.
Technlqueof Uddiyitnabandha:
Sri n any meditalve posutre.One haslo emplythe linksby
Tratakars a gazingat particularpointw thoutwakingthe eye. a strongand forcble expiration-When the lingsare ernply,the
_,
lh s processcan be done by varous ways. d aphragrnraisesnalurallylo the thoraciccaviaty.Drawup ihe
In one ol the methods,a candleflameis keptthreeteetaway intestineand the navellowardbackofthe body.Keepthe abdo
I r o m l h ep e r s o n . T h e f l a m e a n d t h e e y e s h o u t d b he ot nr iaz o n t a l menas longas one can holdihe brealhcomfortably ouls de w th
226 ChapleF9
TherapeulrcAspeclol Tanlra 227

oul rnnalng.
oranalo move So lirslNadipurijication is required
Nowwe shallsee howlhis nardi puriljcation
canbe donew(h
The same processol conlractiontakes place in the nauli the helpol lhe Tarnlricseedletlerslikevam, ram,thametc
kriya.While in Uddlyanabandha,allowthecentreof the abdomen
lo be lree by contracting
the lell and rightside ol the abdomen. 2.Tantric way ol Nitdi purification:
This is known as lvladhyanauli.
Thelillh lessonot theGherandSamhiladeclares lheSamanu
Afiermastering thls,lhenexl slageis to contro over the lell processol puritication whichshouldbe done mentallywilhthe
andr ghtmuscleot abdomen.This is known asVamaand Daksina or seedletters.The
Biia'l\,4anlra ot
translation the verses runsas

l. Basti: Cleaning of lowet colon: Sittingn lhe Padmasana posture, andperlorming lheadora-
lionof theGuru.AstaughtbytheTeacher, let himperformpurii_
The bastiprocessol cleaningis doneby crealinga vacuum calionof Nedrsior successin pranyama. Contemplating onVaryu_
lhroughnaulikriyairl lhe inlesline. Bija (i.e. yarn), full ot energy and of a smoke colour, lel him draw
Sil in a tub ot waler and praclce naul. Creale vacuurnin in breathbv the eft nostrll,repealing the Bija sixteen times This
inlesline.To keepthe spinctermuscleopen,inserta small l!be s puraka. Lel him restrain the breath lor a period of sixtyJour
abouifour inchesin lengthintothe rectum.As soonas the waler repetition ol the Manka.Thisis Kumbhaka.Then let himexpellhe
rs drawn,the lubeshouldbe removed.Andwitha lew abdomrnal airby the right noslrilslowly during a period occupied by repeal-
chLirnings (nauli),the waleris lhrownoutfromthe large ntestine ingthe Mantrathiriy-lwo trmes.
wrlh musclesand olher waste products. The rool of lhe navelis the seat oi Agni_tattva. Raisingthe
This pfocess cleanesses the abdominalmusclesand cures tire Jromthat place,ioinlhe PrilhviTattvawith it, lhen conlem'
uanaryand digestived sorders. plaieonlhismixedight.Then repeating sixteentimeslhe Aganr_
Blja(Ram,lethim drawin breathby lhe rlghnostril, and retan it
Fromihe above mentioneddescriptionol the six purificalory
actions menlioned by the Hathayoga,we can see that, these tor the periodof sirlyJour repetitionol lhe Mantras and then
processescoverlhe wholebody.By applyingthese processes expelil by the left nostrilfora periodol thidy_tworepetitions ol
one can purilyone'sbody,wilhlhe resui thatone can not be the the Mantra.
viclrm ol physical diseases. Thenlixingthegazeonthetipofthenoseandcontemplalrng
As we know,lhe origjnol the physicaldiseases the luminous reJleclion ol the moonlhere,let himinhalethrough
are tocaled
Inlhe menialdistulbances_ So mindalsoshoutdbe purifed. of n the lett nostril,repeatingthe Bija (lham)sixleen times;lei hrm
retalnltby repeating ihe Blia(lham)sixty-four limes;inlhemeanwhile
other terms, shouldbe concenlrated. The applicationof ihe
pranayamatechniquets lhe bestway lor concenlralton magine(orcontemplate) lhalthe nectartlowingfromlhe moonat
of mind.
As lhe pre-requiremenl lorperformingthe pranayamais a puriti-
lhe tip ol the noserunsthroughall the vesselsol the bodyand
puri{ies them.Thusconlemplaling, lelhimexpeltheairby repeal_
cationoi Nadisor channels,As we know,in our body a net ot
nervesis spread c!1, Pranaor lhe vitalbreathmovesthrough ingth rty'twotimesthe PrilhviBljalam.
thischannels-lt lhereis any impuritiesin them,it is d licuntor By thesethreepranayamas lhe nddisare puriliedThensil_
llngIilmly in a poslure lethim begin regular pranayama.4

224 ChapleF9
Thus by applyinglhe Hathayogicway ol purilication,s:rdhaka
purilies his bodily vessel, while by applyjng lhe SumanLrproc-
ess.a T?lniricway ot purification, sAdhakapurifiessubllechan-
nes throughwhichvital air flows.Beyondthese two, lhere is
also anolherTanlricway,thai is the purilication ol bodv.Bhuta
Suddh,whichis lhe integrated partot Tanlricsadhana,whichwe
havealreadyseenin lhe chapter'Tenkicsaldhana'.To avoidthe
repelitionol il, herein a nulshell,we can saythat,in ihe process
of lhe BhuiaSuddhi,sadhakahasto imaginea manol impurilies
(papapurusa)and lhal manshouldbe first driedoul then burnt
away mentally. Aller deskoyingthis man ol impuriies,sadhaka
has lo creale a new divinebody wilhihe helpof the elixirot the
Sahasraracakfa.This wholeprocessshouldbe done mentatty_
Whrledestroyingthe man of rmpurtiessadhakadestroysbodily
impurtiesand ihal way this processsecuresbodilypurilication.
Purilicationol bodyis nol the onlygoaloiTanrabut thal puri,
I ed body shouldbe slrenqlhened like rock so lhat il can resist
any kind of physicalmentaldisturbances.For lhat, Tanrahas pre,
scr bed the theoryof Rasa.
3.Theory of Rasa: A Tantric way ol rciuvenation:
The Nathasiddhasand the Rasasiddhasare the two Tantric
cullswhichare basedon lhe idealol liberationduringlife-time,
Jivan-mukti.In orderlo keep body undecayablemany expen-
ments were made by Tantrics.Among them use ot mercury for
rejuvenation
ol bodyis lhe mainone,
Tanlra considersman or human bodyas the higheslevolute
ot the nature.As such the essenceof the cosmicworld.il be-
I eves,is embodiedjn h!man body.The naluraldeductionof this
lheoryis lhal, lhereis nolhingin the cosmoswhichis not therein
humanbody.
The Naiha cult and the Flasasiddhasbelievethat the proc-
ess ol evolulionhas three stages.Thecrealion,lhe maintenance
andihe destructron. AbsoluteFlealityis bel evedto passthrough
these three stages when lhe process ot manifeslalionslarts_
The crealon Iunctionis symbolically idenlilied
with l\roon,while
ThefapeulicAspeclof Tantra 229
luncton is identified
destructlve with the Sun.The goal ofihe
Nathasiddhas is to allain lhe non'dual stale ol immortality-This
can be attainedby the unionof Sun-l\,4oon localedinsldethe
o00y.
Accordrnglo lhese two culls,death or decay takes place
becaus€lhe ehxirwhichtricklesdown from lhe lvloonsitualeal
the Sahasrara,ordinarily ialls inlo lhe lire ol the Sun, which rs
locatedal the navelregion,whereil is dried away.Thusthe elxir
of body,beingdfiedup the bodybecomesa victimto the destruc
tion.Thisrs lhe ordinarycourseollhe tlowo{ neclarwhichmusl
be checked.The elixirshouldnol be consumed. lf onceit is done.
sadhakagetsconlroloverlime meansenjoysdesiredlitespan.
Utilizalon ol alchemy(Rasa)is one of the ways ol geiting
conlro overlrme,In Sanskritlexicon,lhemeaningof thistermis
juice but in T:rnlrismil is specalicallyused for mercury.
Tanlrrcalchemical ideasgrowaroundthe SivaSaktisymbol-
ism. [,4ercuryis consideredas lhd male principleor Siva while
sulphuris consideredas the femaleprincipleor Sakti.The sub-
slance that is produced lhro!gh lhe combination of thege lwo
elemenls makes the creatureimmorlal.5
Rasa is called parada because it leads one to the olher
shore oJ lhe world.6 ll is also consideredas the seed of Siva.7
This mercuryor parade is said lo be able to do lwo extraordinary
things:(1) Rejuvenationol body and (2) Conversionol base metal
into gold. Here we are concernedonly with the firsl purpose.
Mercurycan not be ulilizedin a nakedform dourlo its poison'
ous nalure.So Ior lhe medicinaluse ol it, it has to undergoeighl-
eenditferentprocesses(Samskaras).This preparedmercuryshould
be utilizedas giyer ol immortality.
This lheory of Rasa disclosesthe secret otlhe prolongedliJe
ol our ancienlseers.So by the Hathayogic way of bodilypuritica'
tion, Tantric way ol purificationol subtle nerves and by inlake of
the preparedmercury,on€ can gel conlroloverdecay,Thebas c
requirement lor all processesis thal, al initiallevel,it requires
lhe guidanceof an expert withoutwhich instead ol long lile one
can be victimof dealh.

ol body.ll supposesomeDooy
This is aboutlhe purilication
becomesviclLrnol disease how he cancurehimseltwe shall see
B.Va ousTdntric waYs ol healing:
Tanlranot only purifiesthe bodybut it also rernoveslhe ors
eases which are alreadyihere in the body Thereare vaTious
vlaysol th s. Amongthemlechniquesol Sat kriyits,Sivasworodaya'
[/ludraetc.are unrqueone.
Sat karmais a processlollowedby conternplalion on specilic
Bija [,4antraor seed letters like yam, vam ram etc Sat karma
samgrahals a textol bothyogaand:!yurveda prescrbed by Lord
S va Himsell.3 Nowwe shallseeSal karmaprocessw th the he p
ol ihe treatiseSat karmasamgraha
1- Sat karma : Six actions:
Sai karma,six aclions,are six in numberwhlchar€ namely
(a)Urdhvacakrl, (b)[,fadhyacakr](c) Adhacakrl(d)Tralakam(e)
e
Kasa and (l) Nelrikaranam We shallexplain,in brief each ol
them.
1. a lJrdhvacakri:
This processis pertormedby enlerrngones own lhumbwel
wrth waier, n lhe centreof the palale.Then rolateil By doing
whichare situaledtherecan oe
againand again,lhe rrnpuriiles,
As lhis treatise,Sat karmasamgraha,declareswhile dolng
this process,he has to conlemplaleupon the brighttriangular
thrs
Bam, Bila'Mantraor seed letterol lire Constantpraciiceot
processremoveslhe impuriliesol eyes,ears eic
2. b. Madhyacaktt:
Thrsprocessis done by inserlingthe fingerat lhe roolol the
longue andlhe {ronloltheuvula Rolatethe fingertherewithlhe
remembranceol lhe god ol Agni By constant practice of this
l2
processlhe excess phlegmcan be removed
TherapeutcAsperroi Tanka
In th s. lhe rndexI nger shouldbe enteredin the anus Thrs
processshouldbe continuedtil the expansionol lhe anus with
the contemplation on Yamseed letter.Thisprocessrernovesdropsy,
drseaseol reclum.enlargement ol spleen.l3
This processis done by lhe iixaton ol the eyes on a rninute
objectt ll tearsbe9 n lo fall-Thisshouldbe donewithoLltw nking
the eyes wilh the repetitionoi lhe seed letlerof water,lhat is,
Vam.Thrs.emovesallthedrseases ot eyesand alsosleeplness.ra
5. e. Kasd.
n this process.a f ne smooihlhreadshouldbe ntroduced
Inlolhroalthroughnose.The fr ction of the lhread in nose and
throalremoveslhe disordersol the phlegm.l5
6. L Netrikaranam:
In lhis process,a clean,soll,slronglubricaled
rnadeol whrte
lhreadshould be introducedinio lhe lde and takenout from the
pngaa .
Thus the app icationot the processof Sal kriyaremoveslhe
diseaseIke dropsy.sleepiness, disease ot ears, eyes,dts-or,
ders of phlegmelc.Theseprocesseshave a resemblance wilh
lhe srxpurlicaloryactionsmenlionedby the Hathayoga. lt driiers
on the groundthal theseprocessshouldbe donewtihthe repet-
I on oi the seed etierswhilein the Hatheyogic practice,no rep-
etrlronoi I\,laniraiakes place.
Thereisalsoone anolher treatise.likeSat KarmaSamgraha,
a dialoguebelweenLordSivaand Parvatai,is Sivasvarodayam.
It s a scriplurerelatedwjihthe processof inhalatlon
and exhala
1ion.ll has mentionedthe lechniqueof diagnosis, the drseaseby
patternoJbreathingprocessandlechniqueot healingby manrpu-
latrnglhe brealhng process.Now we shallsee somelhingaboul
lhe Svarodays,a scienceol brealhing,
232
2. Siva Svarcdaya: A Science of breathing:
SrvaSvarodayas a scr pture,toldby Siva10Parvata tor lhe
wellareof the h!man beings.This treatiseis basedon lhe con
cepl ot vrlaliorce or prana sakti wh ch pervadesin lhe ent re
body.The v tal lorce is ihe very core ol lile.This caf be seen by
the drllerencebelweena lving bodyand a dead body. n lormer,
there rs a presenceol lileiorce or pranasaktiwhilein lalerll ls
n replylo one of the queslons ol Parval. LoId Srva says
prana is the best lriendand best brother.Nothingrs srrperlor lo
prana B.eathng is lhe gross torm oi that viial force or prana
PranaSakliisrelaledwithbothbodyand m nd. Physrcalbody
s gross whilemlnd is subtle. Prdnais link betweerrlheselwo
body m nd Henceil allecisbolh.
The very exislenceol lhe physcal body as livrngentrtyis
dependenlupon the presenceol prana.Ths showsthe superor
ly ol pranaoverbody.Therelalon of m nd and pranars a so veTy
we i known.They are so highlyrelatedthal as the Hathayoga
pradp!kadeclares.by conlrollngone,lhe olher can Oecontrol
M e n l ad s l u r b a n c easr e c o n s d e r e d a st h e r o o t o J t h e d l s
easo.T hrstypeol d sturbances occurdue to the fleetng naiureol
'r nd GeneraLy. il s di{lcultto conlro the mrndbul by controlling
!he vrraliorce.throughbfealhingprocess,mindcan b€ control
Hcr€the conlroloverbreathng processis diflerentfrornthal
ol lhe pr;nayamaprocess.As we know,we do nhalatlonand
cxha alroneilherlhroughthe rightnoslrilor throughthe leit nos_
1r SrvaSvarodaymenlonslhe duralon periodof the respiration
pfocesswhrchtakesin one noslril.Al everytwo hoursduratlon,
there s a changeIn the nostriloperalrngal thatt me.
S;' can ascerlarnwhichnostrilmustbe workLng
ar r me duringlhe day and al nighl.The scflplurelaysdown lhe
c o r r e cpl r o c e s s o l w o r k i n g l h e n oas t pr ia r l c u l a r t i m e . T h e w o r k _
TherapeulrcAspectof Tantra 233
n g o l t h e o p p o s t en o s t r l s h o w st h e i m b a l a n c ea n d h e n c e a
s gna lo lhe drsease.The diseasecan be curedby changng the
work ng of tho noslnl.
So n lhs processol hcarng. disease s dragnrzedby the
workfllol noslrland heaed by the manpulalon ol it.Thrslherapy
s a so basedon theTantricprincipe of the rdenlicalre alionshp
belureenmrcrocosTn and macrocosm.
Physicalbody ls a mlnialureuniverse. The sun and a moon
wh ch are h gh y assocatedwllh the vtla lorceand mentalforce
respectivelycan a so be locatedn the body.As we havealready
njenlonedin the chapterol Tantrasadhanathal, pranaor via
forcellolvs ihroughsublle channelswhrchare spreadoul I ke a
nel nabody.Threearethe mainchannels.narnely, lda Prngata
and Susumna.Susumnais a meruora spinalcord alongwilh
the lormerlwochannes runonthe leftand rightsideolil respec-
i vely.
Sun is localedal lhe righls des and berngso the vita current
I ows rhroghlhe Pingalanad . Whilemoon stocatedal lhe telt
sr0eand hencementalcullentsflowthroughlda nAdr. The I ow ot
brealhrnglhro!gh ldaand Piiga a takesplacethroughthe teitand
nghl nostn respeclvely.
By considerng lheselwo abovemenlioned pr nc p es on wh ch
lh s lherapy s based,we can say lhal overworkingunderwork-
ng or rnaJunclronrng oi any noslrilcrealesimbaiancein mental
and vrlalcurrenl.Overworkingof rightnoslril.beingretatedwrlh
Sun resulis n lhe vrgorouspersonality. Whre in the caseol da.
b-"f{J rc aled wrthlvloon,personbecomesv ctimof capnce.
Thrs lact is aso noted by the science,that when lhe rghl
side and ell hemispherels predomjnanl duringa parl cular I rne
one becomesmoreaggressive. Whilemorepassivefunctionsare
to be perlormedwhenthe leitside is pfedominant
Therers alsoone anotherway ofTantrc healingwhlchis a so
ai a parttcu_ basedon the pr ncipe oi identitybetwenmacrocosmand micro.
cosm The nameol lhis lechnrquers I/udra or gesture.
234 Chaptel'9
3. Mudh: Gesturcs:
Mudra is an inlegraledpari oi dailyT?lnlricsadhane.ll is
alsooneol the paica l!4akaras
whichwe havealreadyseenin the
Tantrasymbolism.
Mudr:ris a gestureof handinitiallybut ts goal is tota mental
identification. is basedon lhe pr ncipleol identilybetween
[,4udrA
macroscosm and mrctocosm.
Like unrverse,body is also composedol live eiementsnarnely
earth,water,iire,airand elher.These elemenlsare srtuatedin lhe
body In a iixedproporlion.l/udr:rsare the meanslo normalize
lh s proporlionol the fiveelemenisin lhe body.
li is beleve, the conlrolover tive grosselements,the con
si tuenlsof lhe body,is locatedal the five trngersof lhe hand.
The thumbrepresents space,thelorelingerwindoralr,lhemiddle
Iingerlire,the ringlingerwalerand the jourlh lingerrepresenls
earlh.13 So ihusthe conkolovereachelementrs possiblethrough
Ine tlngers.
1. a. Prena Mudn:
PrAna mudrais designedfor curingthe diseaselike heart
atlack,one ot lhe prorninenl
d seasesol lhrsage.
".....a patienthavinga hearlattackcan checklhe allackand
gel Inslanlrelietby ioldinglhe Ioretingerdownon the moundoi
lhe thumb,and joiningrhe ihumbwith lhe lips ol the lhird and
lourthlinger.rs
2. b, Sinya Mudrd:
''tsendlhe Madhyamamiddlefinger,to louch the root01the
lhumb.Then press it slightlywilh the lhumb.20
This mudra re
3. c. Sirya MudA:
Bendthe An:rmika,(thelhifdringfinger)til n louchesthe rool
ol the thumb.Then pressil slightlywiththe lhumb The thirdfrn-
ger, representing
water, s st mulatedby lhe e eclr c heatol lh€
lhumb representing sun.This poslure s uselultor personwho
TherapeulrcAspectoi Tantra 235
ieel heavrnessIn lhe body.ll s practiceproducesrmblenessand
11shouldbe carr ed out In bothhandswh le s tlrng n Padmasana
ior lhree or live m nuteslwice or thriceeveryday.2r
4. d. Jfrena Mudta:
' T h e t h u m b a n d t h e i n d e x f i n g e r a r e b r o u g h t l o ggeetnhlel er i n
conlact,nol necessarilypressinghard aga nsl each olher.The
otherlrngers are keptuprighl.This posturemuslbe maintained on
bolh lhe handsl
''Thlosewho
suflerlorm a weak memory,lnsomniaor a iee '
rngoi drowsness.iensionand olhermaladiesof the mindshould
practcelh s mudra lt helpsto increasernentalconcentration
thfough
conslantpractice.22
Beyondlhese Mudrars, lhere are also some other lvludras
menlioned by theGherand Samhitaand pradipika.
by theHathayoga
TheseMudrirsare notonlyheallhgrvingdeviceslhey alsoawak
ens the atentun versalenergy,lhe KundalniSaktr.Someof lhe
Mudrasare namelyMaha mudra,Viparla karanimudra.Nabho
mudra,Khecar nrudrar etc.TheseIVudrasare rea1yvery verydil-
licui lo perlormbut as both of the above m-antionedtrealises
declarelhey are surelyto makephysicalbodylree lrom drsease
and he p n spirituauplill.
Thus the practiceoi variousmudrasensureslhe physical
and menlalhealthwrthoutinlroducing
any druginlothe body
The heahngprocessoi MantraandYantra,lhe parts
rntegrated
ol Tantrahave alreadybeen drscussedin lhe prevrouschapler.
These lwo drlgless therapiesheal the body-mnd cornpex by
slrenglhening
or awakening the innerpoweroi resslanceagarnsl
diseaselhrough concentralon oi m nd.
The hea ng hypothesis whichwe havemadein lhe SectionL
in the ChapterofTantra
especrally. and al lheselhera'
sadhanar,
preswhichare basedon lhe conceptollvanlra,Yanlra andTantra,
moreor ess basedon lhe Tantrlcpr ncipe ot identicalrelatton-
shrpbelweenmacrocosmand microcosm.This principles such
a so!nd and a rat onal onethat by propermanpu ationof ii, one
can escapeonesellfron the physlcal,menlaland spirtLradis_
236 Chapter'9 TherapeulrcAspeclof Tantra 237

T r a l a k a mc a k a s a k a r m an e i r i k a r a n a a m u l l a m al lm
l5ll
brd I 15.
1 0 Jalardam nilanianguslhamtalumadhyepravesayel I
Reterences
Bharamayitvaialh pascatlalraslhamma amarharel
L Translalionot ihe verse taken lrornlheYoga-lnrmoralalilyand Free
dom, p 227 by Elrade,lvlircea. P u n a hp u n a hk s a l a y ec c e d n r d h v a
c a k r i p r a k r rlla
2 Dhauli baslistalharnelilaukikilrakas lalha brd 1 32 33
KapalabhatiscailaniSalkarmani samacarel ll I n d r a g on i b h a ml r y a s r a ml a l u s t h a n a m
r a m s u c r ms m a r e lI
i n l o E n g l i s hb y R a r b a h a d u r
G h e r a n d aS a m h i l a1 ' 1 2 . T r a n s l a t e d N e l r a k a . n : ' d y n r d h v a r o g a n s a nmaaml a s o d h a n a rlnr 3 4 l l
S r i s ac h a n d r aV a s u ,p . 3 , 2 n d e d i t a o nO, r i e n l a B
l o o k B e p r i n lC o r - A r h av a n g u l i n ak u r y , r d e l akla r m am u b i s v a r a h
p o r a t i o nD
, e l h iI 9 7 5 .
bid t-34.
3. A n t a d h a u l i d a n l a d h a u l i h r i d a d h amuilr l a S o d h a n a m
1 2 J i h v a m i r l e ds h j h v a y a m ! p a j l h v a g r asl al a l h a l l 3 5 l
Dhauli caturvidhamkrulv;r ghalanr kurvantu nirmalam
K a n l h ec a r d r a n g u l mk s p l v a br h r a m a y ev c a p ip u . v a v a t
l b i d1 -1 3 .
k u r v a np f a g v a d i r a s a k h asmm a r a nl 1 3 6|
Mala.rrharam
4 Tfanslationol the verse taken from the Ghe.nandaSamhitaby Bai
Bahaduf Sirsa Chandra Vasu, pp. 42 43 [ l a d h y a c a k r si a m a k h y a t ak a p h a k a n l a k a n a s i n r n l

5. Abhrakahtavabijam tu mama bijam lu paradah b i d .1 3 5 - 3 6 .

Ancyobmeianamdevi mruludaridryanasanarn t 3 . Tarlafrm payugam krlva sodhanam purvavaccarel

B e s e s v a r ad a r s a n a m6 , S h a r m a ,U m a S h a n k a r a( E d . ) ; T h eS a r v a A d h a s c a k rsi a m a k h y a l ay a v a d g u d a v i k a s s a n aI m
D a r s a n a S a r n a r a b ao t M a d h v a c a r y ap . 3 7 9 . T h e V d y a b h a v a r y a t h a vd h i | 3 8 l l
Y a m l r a ms a s a k h a md h a y a N as o d h a y e c c a
t r a n t h a m a L1a1 3 ,C h a w k h a m bVai d y aB h a v a n1, 9 6 4 F i f s t
S a n s k r iG l\,4ahodaro gulmarogom!laja vyadhayascaye I
Edilion.
Malasrhathalvansayanlio baslikarmaniyogyata | 39ll
Sansarasyaparam param datlessau paradah smrutah
ibid.1.39
l b r d .p 3 7 6 .
b h a v e lI
S ! k s m a l a s y ed r a s us l h a p y an i r n i m e s a s c r r a m
Sulosyam matsamoidevi I mama pralyangasambhavah I
karma tralakamlritamI
AsrLrsarnpataparyanlam
[.lanra deha raso yasmal rasalenamucyale| 36il
Vanglavkaranslesminnanlaiyolih prak?rsyateI
F a s a r n a v aT a n l r a1 - 3 6 .
Nelrarogaslathalandra nasyanlily?rhadhurjalih I
A l h a v a k s y a m ki a r m e n iy o g i n a my o g a s l d d h a y e
b r d , 1 - 4 04 1
Y a n y a h ad h n f j a l l hs a k s a l l o k a r n u g r a h a h e llal 1v4el L
t 5 Ratvin Slaksnarmkasam kuryaddhastam:rlramsusulraka h I
Sal karmasamgrah1.14,Publishedin the journaI ol Yoga-lv'limamsa.
Pravesayelkanthamadhye nasadvarrenatam kasam I

N o .l . p p 1 - 16 , J u l y 19 6 8 ,E d i t e da n dt r a n s l a l ebdy D r F H .H a r s h e . Ghalsayecca sanairetatjasajarmasivodilam I

9. urdhvacakrl madhyacakrllalhacjhascakrikapara I Anena Karmana vayuh kaphadosamhaisyali I

238 Chapler-9

)bid.1 42-43.
Svaccham Slaksnam dradham snigham Svetasnlravinrrmilam
ldya Sampravesyaivalalah prngalayaharel

1 7 P r . r a e v d p a r a m am r t ' ap r a n ae v a p a r a ms d h h a
P r a n a l uy a h p a . o b a n d h un a s t in a s l i v a r a ' n a n e
S va Svarodaya.Tak€n from lhe Sabdakalpadruma.
1 8 T a k e nf r o ml h e a r l c l e o l A c h a r y aK e s h aD e v , A h e l p l n gh a n d l o r
C a . d l a c sp u b l s h e di n l h e T l m e so f I n da , S u n d a yO, c t o b e2r 6 . 1 9 8 0 .
t9 tbd.
20 tbid.
21 Taken from lhe arlicle ot Acharya Kesav Dev. The lrfe-grvrngde-
v i c e , p u b l i s h e dI n l h e ' T i m e so t I n d i a ,S u n d a yA u g u s t .1 9 8 0 .
22. Acharya Kesav Dev,'Yourheallh is in you. hands . publishedin lhe
Trmes ol India. SLrnday,February 1. 1981