INTRODUCTION
Mount Kailasa
The scene of the revelation of this Tantra is laid in
Himalaya, the "Abode of Snow," a holy land weighted with the
traditions of the Aryan race. Here in these lofty uplands, encircled with
everlasting snows, rose the great mountain of the north, the Sapta Kula
Parvata. Hence the race itself came, and there its early legends have their
setting. There are still shown at Bhimudiyar the caves where the sons of
Pandu and Draupadi rested, as did Rama and his faithful wife at the point
where the Kosi joins the Sita in the grove of Asoka trees. In these mountains
Munis and Rishis lived. Here also is the Kshetra of Shiva Mahadeva, where His
Spouse Parvvati, the daughter of the Mountain King, was born, and where
Mother Ganges also has her source. From time immemorial pilgrims have toiled
through these mountains to visit the three great shrines of Gangotri,
Kedarnath, and Badrinath. At Kangri, further north, the pilgrims make the
parikrama of Mount Kailasa (Kang Rinpoche), where Shiva is said to dwell.
This nobly towering peak rises to the north-west of the sacred Mansarowar
Lake (Mapham Yum-tso) from amidst the purple ranges of the lower Kangri
Mountains. The paradise of Shiva is a summerland of both lasting sunshine and
cool shade, musical with the song of birds and bright with undying flowers.
The air, scented with the sweet fragrance of Mandara chaplets, resounds with
the music and song of celestial singers and players. The Mount is Gana
Parvata, thronged with trains of Spirits (devayoni), of which the opening
Chapter speaks.
And in the regions beyond rises Mount Meru, centre of the
world-lotus. Its heights, peopled with spirits, are hung with clusters of
stars as with wreaths of Malati flowers. In short, it is written: "He
who thinks of Himachala, though he should not behold him, is greater than he
who performs all worship in Kashi (Benares). In a hundred ages of the Devas I
could not tell thee of the glories of Himachala. As the dew is dried up by
the morning sun, so are the sins of mankind by the sight of Himachala."
It is not, however, necessary to go to the Himalayan Kailasa to find Shiva.
He dwells wheresoever his worshippers, versed in Kulatattva, abide, and His
mystic mount is to be sought in the thousand-petalled lotus (sahasrara-padma)
in the body of every human jiva, hence called Shivasthana, to which all,
wheresoever situate, may repair when they have learned how to achieve the way
thither.
Shiva promulgates His teaching in the world below in the
works known as Yamala, Damara, Shiva Sutra, and in the Tantras which exist in
the form of Dialogues between the Devata and his Shakti, the Devi in Her form
as Parvvati. According to the Gayatri Tantra, the Deva Ganesha first preached
the Tantra to the Devayoni on Mount Kailasa, after he had himself received
them from the mouth of Shiva.
After a description of the mountain, the Dialogue opens
with a question from Parvvati in answer to which and those which succeed it,
Shiva unfolds His doctrine on the subjects with which this particular Tantra
deals.
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Shiva and Shakti
That eternal immutable existence which transcends the
turiya and all other states is the unconditioned Absolute, the supreme Brahman
or Para-brahman, without Prakriti (nishkala) or Her attributes (nir-guna),
which, as being the inner self and knowing subject, can never be the object
of cognition, and is to be apprehended only through yoga by the realization
of the Self (atmajñana), which It is. For as it is said, "Spirit can
alone know Spirit." Being beyond mind, speech, and without name, the
Brahman was called "Tat," "That," and then "Tat
Sat," "That which is." For the sun, moon, and stars, and all
visible things, what are they but a glimpse of light caught from
"That" (Tat)?Brahman is both nishkala and sakala. Kala is
Prakriti. The nishkala Brahman or Para-brahman is the Tat, when thought of
as without Prakriti (prakriteranya). It is called sakala when with
Prakriti. As the substance of Prakriti is the three gunas It is then
su-guna, as in the previous state It was nir-guna. Though in the latter
state It is thought of as without Shakti, yet (making accommodation to
human speech) in It potentially exists Shakti, Its power and the whole
universe produced by It. To say, however, that the Shakti exists in the
Brahman is but a form of speech, since It and Shakti are, in fact, one, and
Shakti is eternal (Anadi-rupa). She is Brahma-rupa and both vi-guna
(nir-guna) and sa-guna; the Chaitanya-rupini-Devi, who manifests all bhuta.
She is the Ananda-rupini-Devi, by whom the Brahman manifests Itself, and
who, to use the words of the Sarada, pervades the universe as does oil the
sesamum seed.
In the beginning the Nishkala Brahman alone existed. In
the beginning there was the One. It willed and became many. Ahab bahu syam � "may I be
many." In such manifestation of Shakti the Brahman is known as the
lower (apara) or manifested Brahman, who, as the subject of worship, is
meditated upon with attributes. And, in fact, to the mind and sense of the
embodied spirit (jiva) the Brahman has body and form. It is embodied in the
forms of all Devas and Devils, and in the worshipper himself. Its form is
that of the universe, and of all things and beings therein.
As Shruti says: "He saw" (Sa aikshata, aham
bahu syam prajayeya). "He thought to Himself may I be many."
"Sa aikshaya" was itself a manifestation of Shakti, the
Para-mapurva-nirvana shakti, or Brahman as Shakti. From the Brahman, with
Shakti (Para-shakti-maya) issued Nada (Shiva-Shakti as the "Word"
or "Sound" ), and from Nada, Vindu appeared. Kalicharana in his
commentary on the Shatchakra-nirupana says that Shiva and Nirvana Shakti
bound by a mayik bond and covering, should be thought of as existing in the
form of Parang Vindu.
The Sarada says: Sachchidananda vibhavat sakalat
parameshvarat asichchhaktistato nado, nadad vindu-samudbhavah ("From
Parameshvara vested with the wealth of sachchidananda and with Prakriti
(sakala) issued Shakti; from Shakti came Nada and from Nada was born
Vindu" ). The state of subtle body which is known as Kama-kala is the
mula of mantra. The term mula-mantratmika, when applied to the Devi, refers
to this subtle body of Hers known as the Kama-kala. The Tantra also speaks
of three Vindus, namely Shiva-maya, Shakti-maya, and Shiva-shakti-maya.
The Parang-vindu is represented as a circle, the centre
of which is the brahma-pada, or place of Brahman, wherein are
Prakriti-Purusha, the circumference of which is encircling maya. It is on
the crescent of nirvana-kala, the seventeenth, which is again in that of
ama-kala, the sixteenth digit (referred to in the text) of the moon-circle
(Chandramandala), which circle is situate above the Sun-Circle
(Suryyamandala), the Guru and the hangsah, which are in the pericarp of the
thousand-petalled lotus (sahasrarapadma). Next to the Vindu is the fiery
Bodhini, or Nibodhika (v. post). The Vindu, with the Nirvana-kala,
Nibodhika, and Ama-kala, are situated in the lightning-like inverted
triangle known as "A, Ka, Tha," and which is so called because at
its apex is A; at its right base is Za; and at its left base Tha. It is
made up of forty-eight letters (matrika): the sixteen vowels running from A
to Ka; sixteen consonants of the ka-varga and other groups running from A
to Ka; and the remaining sixteen from Ka to Tha. Inside are the remaining
letters (matrika), ha, la(second), and ksha. As the substance of Devi is
matrika (matrika-mayi) the triangle represents the "Word" of all
that exists. The triangle is itself encircled by the Chandramandala. The
Vindu is symbolically described as being like a grain of gram (chanaka),
which under its encircling sheath contains a divided seed. This
Parang-vindu is Prakriti-Purusha, Shiva-Shakti. It is known as the Shabda-Brahman
(the Sound Brahman), or Aparabrahman. A polarization of the two Shiva and
Shakti Tattvas then takes place in Parashaktimaya. The Devi becomes
Unmukhi. Her face turns towards Shiva. There is an unfolding which bursts
the encircling shell of Maya, and creation then takes place by division of
Shiva and Shakti or of "Hang" and "Sah." The Sarada
says: "The Devataparashaktimaya is again Itself divided, such
divisions being known as Vindu, Vaja, and Nada. Vindu is of the nature of
Nada or Shiva, and Vaja of Shakti, and Nada has been said to be the
relation of these two by those who are versed in all the Agamas." The
Sarada says that before the bursting of the shell enclosing the
brahma-pada, which, together with its defining circumference, constitute
the Shabda-brahman, an indistinct sound arose (avyaktatmaravobhavat). This
avyaktanada is both the first and the last state of Nada, according as it
is viewed from the standpoint of evolution or involution. For Nada, as
Raghava-bhatta says, exists in three states. In Nada are the guna (sattva,
rajas, and tamas), which form the substance of Prakriti, which with Shiva
It is. When tamo-guna predominates Nada is merely an indistinct or
unmanifested (dhvanyat �
mako�vykta-nadah)
sound in the nature of dhvani. In this state, in which it is a phase of
Avyaktanada, it is called Nibodhika, or Bodhini. It is Nada when rajoguna
is in the ascendant, when there is a sound in which there is something like
a connected or combined disposition of the letters. When the sattva-guna
preponderates Nada assumes the form of Vindu. The action of rajas on tamas
is to veil. Its own independent action effects an arrangement which is only
perfected by the emergence of the essentially manifesting sattvika guna set
into play by it. Nada, Vindu, and Nibodhika, and the Shakti, of which they
are the specific manifestation, are said to be in the form of Sun, Moon,
and Fire respectively. Jñana (spiritual wisdom) is spoken of as fire as it
burns up all actions, and the tamoguna is associated with it. For when the
effect of cause and effect of action are really known, then action ceases.
Ichchha is the Moon. The Moon contains the sixteenth digit, the Ama-kala
with its nectar, which neither increases nor decays, and Ichchha, or will,
is the eternal precursor of creation. Kriya is like the Sun, for as the Sun
by its light makes all things visible, so unless there is action and
striving there cannot be realization or manifestation. As the Gita sways:
"As one Sun makes manifest all the loka."The Shabda-Brahman
manifests Itself in a triad of energies �
knowledge (jñanashakti), will (ichchha-shakti), and action (kriya-shakti),
associated with the three gunas of Prakriti, tamas, sattva, and rajas. From
the Parang-Vindu, who is both vindvat-maka and kalatma � i.e., Shakti � issued Raudri,
Rudra, and his Shakti, whose forms are fire (vahni), and whose activity is
knowledge (jñana); Vama, and Vishnu and his Shakti, whose form is the sun,
and whose activity is kriya (action): and Jyeshtha and Brahma and his
Shakti, whose form is the Moon and whose activity is desire. The
Vamakeshvara Tantra says that Tri-pura is threefold, as Brahma, Vishnu, and
Isha; and as the energies desire, wisdom, and action, the energy of will
when Brahman would create; the energy of wisdom when She reminds Him,
saying "Let this be thus" ; and when, thus knowing, He acts, She
becomes the energy of action. The Devi is thus Ichchha-shakti -jñana-
shakti- kriya- shakti- svaru- pini. Para-shiva exists as a septenary under
the form, firstly, of Shambhu, who is the associate of time (kala-bandhu).
From Him issues Sada-shiva, Who pervades and manifests all things, and then
come Ishana and the triad, Rudra, Vishnu, and Brahma, each with their
respective Shakti (without whom they avail nothing) separately and
particularly associated with the gunas, tamas, sattva and rajas. Of these
Devas, the last triad, together with Ishana, and Sada-shiva, are the five
Shivas who are collectively known as the Maha-preta, whose vija is
"Hsauh." Of the Maha-preta, it is said that the last four form
the support, and the fifth the seat, of the bed on which the Devi is united
with Parama-shiva, in the room of chintamani stone, on the jewelled island
clad with clumps of kadamba and heavenly trees set in the ocean of Ambrosia.
Shiva is variously addressed in this work as Shambhu,
Sada-shiva, Shankara, Maheshvara, etc., names which indicate particular
states, qualities, and manifestations of the One in its descent towards the
many; for there are many Rudras. Thus Sada-shiva indicates the predominance
of the sattva-guna. His names are many, 1,008 being given in the
sixty-ninth chapter of the Shiva Purana, and in the seventeenth chapter of
the Anushasana Parvan of the Mahabharata.
Shakti is both maya, that by which the Brahman creating
the universe is able to make Itself appear to be different from what It
really is, and mula-prakriti, or the unmanifested (avyakta) state of that
which, when manifest, is the universe of name and form. It is the primary
so called "material cause," consisting of the equipoise of the
triad of guna or "qualities" which are sattva (that which
manifests) rajas (that which acts), tamas (that which veils and produces
inertia). The three gunas represent Nature as the revelation of spirit,
Nature as the passage of descent from spirit to matter, or of ascent from
matter to spirit, and Nature as the dense veil of spirit. The Devi is thus
guna-nidhi ("treasure-house of guna" ). Mula-prakriti is the womb
into which Brahman casts the seed from which all things are born. The womb
thrills to the movement of the essentially active rajo-guna. The
equilibrium of the triad is destroyed, and the guna, now in varied
combinations, evolve under the illumination of Shiva (chit), the universe
which is ruled by Maheshvara and Maheshvari. The dual principles of Shiva
and Shakti, which are in such dual form the product of the polarity
manifested in Parashakti-maya, pervade the whole universe, and are present
in man in the Svayambhu-Linga of the muladhara and the Devi Kundalini, who,
in serpent form, encircles it. The Shabda-Brahman assumes in the body of
man the form of the Devi Kundalini, and as such is in all prani (breathing
creatures), and in the shape of letters appears in prose and verse. Kundala
means coiled. Hence Kundalini, whose form is that of a coiled serpent,
means that which is coiled. She is the luminous vital energy (jiva-shakti)
which manifests as prana, She sleeps in the muladhara, and has three and a
half coils corresponding in number with the three and a half vindus of
which the Kubjika Tantra speaks. When after closing the ears the sound of
Her hissing is not heard death approaches.
From the first avyakta creation issued the second mahat,
with its three guna distinctly manifested. Thence sprung the third creation
ahangkara (selfhood), which is of threefold form � vaikarika, or pure sattvika ahangkara;
the taijasa, or rajasika ahangkara; and the tamasika, or bhutadika
ahangkara. The latter is the origin of the subtle essences (tan-matra) of
the Tattvas, ether, air, fire, water, earth, associated with sound, touch,
sight, taste and smell, and with the colours �
pure transparency, shyama, red, white, and yellow. There is some difference
in the schools as to that which each of the three forms produces, but from
such threefold form of Ahang-kara issue the indriya ("senses"),
and the Devas Dik, Vata, Arka, Prachetas, Vahni, Indra, Upendra, Mitra, and
the Ashvins. The vaikarika, taijasa, and bhutadika are the fourth, fifth,
and sixth creations, which are known as prakrita, or appertaining to
Prakriti. The rest, which are products of these, such as the vegetable
world with its upward life current, animals with horizontal life current,
and bhuta, preta and the like, whose life current tends downward,
constitute the vaikrita creation, the two being known as the kaumara
creation.
The Goddess (Devi) is the great Shakti. She is Maya, for
of Her the maya which produces the sangsara is. As Lord of Maya She is
Mahamaya. Devi is a-vidya (nescience) because She binds and vidya (knowledge)
because She liberates and destroys the sangsara. She is Prakriti, and as
existing before creation is the Adya (primordial) Shakti. Devi is the
vachaka-shakti, the manifestation of chit in Prakriti, and the
vachya-shakti, or Chit itself. The Atma should be contemplated as Devi.
Shakti or Devi is thus the Brahman revealed in Its mother aspect
(shri-mata) as Creatrix and Nourisher of the worlds. Kali says of Herself
in Yogini Tantra "Sachchidananda-rupaham brahmaivaham
sphurat-prab-ham." So the Devi is described with attributes both of
the qualified Brahman; and (since that Brahman is but the manifestation of
the Absolute) She is also addressed with epithets, which denote the
unconditioned Brahman. She is the great Mother (Ambika) sprung from the
sacrificial hearth of the fire of the Grand Consciousness (chit); decked
with the Sun and Moon; Lalita, "She who plays"; whose play is
world-play; whose eyes playing like fish in the beauteous waters of her
Divine face, open and shut with the appearance and disappearance of
countless worlds now illuminated by her light now wrapped in her terrible
darkness.The Devi, as Para-brahman, is beyond all form and guna. The forms
of the Mother of the Universe are threefold. There is first the Supreme
(para) form, of which, as the Vishnu-yamala says, "none know."
There is next her subtle (sukshma) form, which consists of mantra. But as
the mind cannot easily settle itself upon that which is formless, She
appears as the subject of contemplation in Her third, or gross (sthula), or
physical form, with hands and feet and the like as celebrated in the
Devi-stotra of the Puranas and Tantras. Devi, who as Prakriti is the source
of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh-vara, has both male and female forms. But it
is in Her female forms that She is chiefly contemplated. For though
existing in all things, in a peculiar sense female beings are parts of Her.
The Great Mother, who exists in the form of all Tantras and all Yantras,
is, as the Lalita says, the "unsullied treasure-house of beauty"
; the Sapphire Devi, whose slender waist, bending beneath the burden of the
ripe fruit of her breasts, swells into jewelled hips heavy with the promise
of infinite maternities.
As the Mahadevi She exists in all forms as Sarasvati,
Lakshmi, Gayatri, Durga, Tripura-sundari, Anna-purna, and all the Devi who
are avatara of the Brahman.
Devi, as Sati, Uma, Parvvati, and Gauri, is spouse of
Shiva. It was as Sati prior to Daksha�s
sacrifice (daksha-yajna) that the Devi manifested Herself to Shiva in the
ten celebrated forms known as the dasha-mahavidya referred to in the text � Kali, Bagala,
Chhinnamasta, Bhuvaneshvari, Matangini, Shodashi, Dhumavati,
Tripura-sundari, Tara, and Bhairavi. When, at the Daksha-yajna She yielded
up her life in shame and sorrow at the treatment accorded by her father to
Her Husband, Shiva took away the body, and, ever bearing it with Him,
remained wholly distraught and spent with grief. To save the world from the
forces of evil which arose and grew with the withdrawal of His Divine
control, Vishnu with His discus (chakra) cut the dead body of Sati, which
Shiva bore, into fifty-one fragments, which fell to earth at the places
thereafter known as the fifty-one maha-pitha-sthana (referred to in the
text), where Devi, with Her Bhairava, is worshipped under various names.
Besides the forms of the Devi in the brahmanda there is
Her subtle form called Kundalini in the body (pindanda). These are but some
only of Her endless forms. She is seen as one and as many, as it were, but
one moon reflected in countless waters. She exists, too, in all animals and
inorganic things, since the universe with all its beauties is, as the Devi
Purana says, but a part of Her. All this diversity of form is but the
infinite manifestations of the flowering beauty of the One Supreme Life, a
doctrine which is nowhere else taught with greater wealth of illustration
than in the Shakta Shastras, and Tantras. The great Bharga in the bright
Sun and all Devatas, and, indeed, all life and being, are wonderful, and
are worshipful, but only as Her manifestations. And he who worships them
otherwise is, in the words of the great Devi-bhagavata, "like unto a
man who, with the light of a clear lamp in his hands, yet falls into some
waterless and terrible well." The highest worship for which the sadhaka
is qualified (adhikari) only after external worship and that internal form
known as sadhara, is described as niradhara. Therein Pure Intelligence is
the Supreme Shakti who is worshipped as the Very Self, the Witness freed of
the glamour of the manifold Universe. By one�s
own direct experience of Maheshvari as the Self She is with reverence made
the object of that worship which leads to liberation.
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Guna
It cannot be said that current explanations give a clear
understanding of this subject. Yet such is necessary, both as affording one
of the chief keys to Indian philosophy and to the principles which govern
Sadhana. The term guna is generally translated "quality," a word
which is only accepted for default of a better. For it must not be overlooked
that the three guna (Sattva, rajas, and tamas), which are of Prakriti,
constitute Her very substance. This being so, all Nature which issues from
Her, the Maha-karana-svarupa., is called tri-gunatmaka, and is composed of
the same guna in different states of relation to one another. The functions
of sattva, rajas, and tamas are to reveal, to make active, and to suppress
respectively. Rajas is the dynamic, as sattva and tamas are static
principles. That is to say, sattva and tamas can neither reveal nor suppress
without being first rendered active by rajas. These gunas work by mutual
suppression.
The unrevealed Prakriti (avyakta-prakriti) or Devi is the
state of stable equilibrium of these three guna. When this state is disturbed
the manifested universe appears, in every object of which one or other of the
three guna is in the ascendant. Thus in Devas, as in those who approach the
divya state, sattva predominates, and rajas and tamas are very much reduced.
That is, their independent manifestation is reduced. They are in one sense
still there, for where rajas is not independently active it is operating on
sattva to suppress tamas, which appears or disappears to the extent to which
it is, or is not, subject to suppression by the revealing principle. In the
ordinary human jiva, considered as a class, tamas is less reduced than in the
case of the Deva, but very much reduced when comparison is made with the
animal jiva. Rajas has great independent activity, and sattva is also
considerably active. In the animal creation sattva has considerably less activity.
Rajas has less independent activity than in man, but is much more active than
in the vegetable world. Tamas is greatly less preponderant than in the
latter. In the vegetable kingdom tamas is more preponderant than in the case
of animals, and both rajas and sattva less so. In the inorganic creation
rajas makes tamas active to suppress both sattva and its own independent
activity. It will thus be seen that the "upward" or revealing
movement from the predominance of tamas to that of sattva represents the
spiritual progress of the jivatma.
Again, as between each member of these classes one or
other of the three guna may be more or less in the ascendant.
Thus, in one man as compared with another, the sattva guna
may predominate, in which case his temperament is sattvik, or, as the Tantra
calls it, divyabhava. In another the rajoguna may prevail, and in the third
the tamoguna, in which case the individual is described as rajasik, or
tamasik, or, to use Tantrik phraseology, he is said to belong to virabhava,
or is a pashu respectively. Again the vegetable creation is obviously less
tamasik, and more rajasik and sattvik than the mineral, and even amongst
these last there may be possibly some which are less tamasik than others.
Etymologically, sattva is derived from "sat,"
that which is eternally existent. The eternally existent is also chit, pure
Intelligence or Spirit, and ananda or Bliss. In a secondary sense, sat is
also used to denote the "good." And commonly (though such use
obscures the original meaning), the word sattva guna is rendered "good
quality." It is, however, "good" in the sense that it is
productive of good and happiness. In such case, however, stress is laid
rather on a necessary quality or effect (in the ethical sense) of
"sat" than upon its original meaning. In the primary sense sat is
that which reveals. Nature is a revelation of spirit (sat). Where Nature is
such a revelation of spirit there it manifests as sattva guna. It is the
shining forth from under the veil of the hidden spiritual substance (sat).
And that equality in things which reveals this is sattva guna. So of a
pregnant woman it is said that she is antahsattva, or instinct with sattva;
she in whom sattva as jiva (whose characteristic guna is sattva) is living in
an hidden state.
But Nature not only reveals, but is also a dense covering
or veil of spirit, at times so dense that the ignorant fail to discern the
spirit which it veils. Where Nature is a veil of spirit there it appears in
its quality of tamoguna.
In this case the tamoguna is currently spoken of as
representative of inertia, because that is the effect of the nature which
veils. This quality, again, when translated into the moral sphere, becomes
ignorance, sloth, etc.
In a third sense nature is a bridge between spirit which
reveals and matter which veils. Where Nature is a bridge of descent from
spirit to matter, or of ascent from matter to spirit, there it manifests
itself as rajoguna. This is generally referred to as the quality of activity,
and when transferred to the sphere of feeling it shows itself as passion.
Each thing in Nature then contains that in which spirit is manifested or
reflected as in a mirror or sattvaguna; that by which spirit is covered, as
it were, by a veil of darkness or tamoguna, and that which is the vehicle for
the descent into matter or the return to spirit or rajoguna. Thus sattva is
the light of Nature, as tamas is its shade. Rajas is, as it were, a blended
tint oscillating between each of the extremes constituted by the other guna.
The object of Tantrik sadhana is to bring out and make
preponderant the sattva guna by the aid of rajas, which operates to make the
former guna active. The subtle body (lingasharira) of the jivatma comprises
in it buddhi, ahangkara, manas, and the ten senses. This subtle body creates
for itself gross bodies suited to the spiritual state of the jivatma. Under
the influence of prarabdhda karmma, buddhi becomes tamasik, rajasik, or
sattvik. In the first case the jivatma assumes inanimate bodies; in the
second, active passionate bodies; and in the third, sattvik bodies of varying
degrees of spiritual excellence, ranging from man to the Deva. The gross body
is also trigunatmaka. This body conveys impressions to the jivatma through
the subtle body and the buddhi in particular. When sattva is made active
impressions of happiness result, and when rajas or tamas are active the
impressions are those of sorrow and delusion. These impressions are the
result of the predominance of these respective guna. The action of rajas on
sattva produces happiness, as its own independent activity or operation on
tamas produce sorrow and delusion respectively. Where sattva or happiness is
predominant, there sorrow and delusion are suppressed. Where rajas or sorrow
is predominant, there happiness and delusion are suppressed. And where tamas
or delusion predominates there, as in the case of the inorganic world, both
happiness and sorrow are suppressed. All objects share these three states in
different proportions. There is, however, always in the jivatma an admixture
of sorrow with happiness, due to the operation of rajas. For happiness, which
is the fruit of righteous acts done to attain happiness, is after all only a
vikara. The natural state of the jivatma �
that is, the state of its own true nature �
is that bliss (ananda) which arises from the pure knowledge of the Self, in
which both happiness and sorrow are equally objects of indifference. The
worldly enjoyment of a person involves pain to self or others. This is the
result of the pursuit of happiness, whether by righteous or unrighteous acts.
As spiritual progress is made, the gross body becomes more and more refined.
In inanimate bodies karma operates to the production of pure delusion. On the
exhaustion of such karma the jivatma assumes animate bodies for the operation
of such forms of karma as lead to sorrow and happiness mixed with delusion.
In the vegetable world sattva is but little active, with a corresponding lack
of discrimination, for discrimination is the effect of sattva in buddhi, and
from discrimination arises the recognition of pleasure and pain, conceptions
of right and wrong, of the transitory and intransitory, and so forth, which
are the fruit of a high degree of discrimination, or of activity of sattva.
In the lower animal sattva in buddhi is not sufficiently active to lead to
any degree of development of these conceptions. In man, however, the sattva
in buddhi is considerably active, and in consequence these conceptions are
natural in him. For this reason the human birth is, for spiritual purposes,
so important. All men, however, are not capable of forming such conceptions
in an equal degree. The degree of activity in an individual�s buddhi depends on his
prarabdha karma. However bad such karma may be in any particular case, the
individual is yet gifted with that amount of discrimination which, if
properly aroused and aided, will enable him to better his spiritual condition
by inducing the rajoguna in him to give more and more activity to the sattva
guna in his buddhi.
On this account proper guidance and spiritual direction
are necessary. A good guru, by reason of his own nature and spiritual
attainment and disinterested wisdom, will both mark out for the sishya the
path which is proper for him, and aid him to follow it by the infusion of the
tejas which is in the Guru himself. Whilst sadhana is, as stated, a process
for the stimulation of the sattva guna, it is evident that one form of it is
not suitable to all. It must be adapted to the spiritual condition of the
sishya, otherwise it will cause injury instead of good. Therefore it is that
the adoption of certain forms of sadhana by persons who are not competent
(adhikari), may not only be fruitless of any good result, but may even lead
to evils which sadhana as a general principle is designed to prevent.
Therefore also is it said that it is better to follow one�s own dharma than that,
however exalted it be, of another.
The Worlds (Loka)
This earth, which is the object of the physical senses and
of the knowledge based thereon, is but one of fourteen worlds or regions
placed "above" and "below" it, of which (as the sutra
says) knowledge may be obtained by meditation on the solar "nerve"
(nada) sushumna in the merudanda. On this nadi six of the upper worlds are
threaded, the seventh and highest overhanging it in the Sahasrara Padma, the
thousand-petalled lotus. The sphere of earth (Bhurloka), with its continents,
their mountains and rivers, and with its oceans, is the seventh or lowest of
the upper worlds. Beneath it are the Hells and Nether Worlds, the names of
which are given below. Above the terrestrial sphere is Bhuvarloka, or the
atmospheric sphere known as the antariksha, extending "from the earth to
the sun," in which the Siddhas and other celestial beings (devayoni) of
the upper air dwell. "From the sun to the pole star" dhruva) is
svarloka, or the heavenly sphere. Heaven (svarga) is that which delights the
mind, as hell (naraka) is that which gives it pain. In the former is the
abode of the Deva and the blest.
These three spheres are the region of the consequences of
work, and are termed transitory as compared with the three highest spheres,
and the fourth, which is of a mixed character. When the jiva has received his
reward he is reborn again on earth. For it is not good action, but the
knowledge of the atma which procures Liberation (moksha). Above Svarloka is
Maharloka, and above it the three ascending regions known as the janarloka,
tapoloka, and satyaloka, each inhabited by various forms of celestial
intelligence of higher and higher degree. Below the earth (Bhuh) and above
the nether worlds are the Hells (commencing with Avichi), and of which,
according to popular theology, there are thirty-four, though it is elsewhere
said there are as many hells as there are offences for which particular
punishments are meted out. Of these, six are known as the great at hells.
Hinduism, however, even when popular, knows nothing of a hell of eternal
torment. To it nothing is eternal but the Brahman. Issuing from the Hells the
jiva is again reborn to make its future. Below the Hells are the seven nether
worlds, Sutala, Vitala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala, Atala, and Patala,
where, according to the Puranas, dwell the Naga serpent divinities, brilliant
with jewels, and where, too, the lovely daughters of the Daityas and Danavas
wander, fascinating even the most austere. Yet below Patala is the form of
Vishnu proceeding from the dark quality (tamogunah), known as the Sesha
serpent or Ananta, bearing the entire world as a diadem, attended by his
Shakti Varuni, his own embodied radiance.
Inhabitants of the Worlds
The worlds are inhabited by countless grades of beings,
ranging from the highest Devas (of whom there are many classes and degrees)
to the lowest animal life. The scale of beings runs from the shining
manifestations of Spirit to those in which it is so veiled that it would seem
almost to have disappeared in its material covering. There is but one Light,
one Spirit, whose manifestations are many. A flame enclosed in a clear glass
loses but little of its brilliancy. If we substitute for the glass, paper, or
some other more opaque yet transparent substance, the light is dimmer. A
covering of metal may be so dense as to exclude from sight the rays of light
which yet burns within with an equal brilliancy. As a fact, all such veiling
forms are maya. They are none the less true for those who live in and are
themselves part of the mayik world. Deva, or "heavenly and shining
one" � for
spirit is light and self-manifestation �
is applicable to those descending yet high manifestations of the Brahman,
such as the seven Shivas, including the Trinity (trimurtti), Brahma, Vishnu,
and Rudra. Devi, again, is the title of the Supreme Mother Herself, and is
again applied to the manifold forms assumed by the one only Maya, such as
Kali, Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Gauri, Gayatri, Sandhya, and others. In the sense
also in which it is said, "Verily, in the beginning there was the
Brahman. It created the Devas," the latter term also includes lofty
intelligencies belonging to the created world intermediate between Ishvara
(Himself a Purusha) and man, who in the person of the Brahmana is known as
Earth-deva (bhudeva). These spirits are of varying degrees. For there are no
breaks in the creation which represents an apparent descent of the Brahman in
gradually lowered forms. Throughout these forms play the divine currents of
pravritti and nivritti, the latter drawing to Itself that which the former
has sent forth.Deva, jiva and jara (inorganic matter) are, in their real, as
opposed to their phenomenal and illusory, being, the one Brahman, which
appears thus to be other than Itself through its connection with the upadhi
or limiting conditions with which ignorance (avidya) invests it. Therefore
all beings which are the object of worship are each of them but the Brahman
seen through the veil of avidya. Though the worshippers of Devas may not know
it, their worship is in reality the worship of the Brahman, and hence the
Mahanirvana Tantra says that, "as all streams flow to the ocean, so the
worship given to any Deva is received by the Brahman." On the other
hand, those who, knowing this, worship the Devas, do so as manifestations of
the Brahman, and thus worship It mediately. The sun, the most glorious symbol
in the physical world, is the mayik vesture of Her who is "clothed with
the sun."
In the lower ranks of the celestial hierarchy are the
Devayonis, some of whom are mentioned in the opening verses of the first
chapter of the text. The Devas are of two classes: "unborn" (ajata)
� that is, those
which have not, and those which have (sadhya) evolved from humanity as in the
case of King Nahusha, who became Indra. Opposed to the divine hosts are the
Asura, Danava, Daitya, Rakshasa, who, with other spirits, represent the
tamasik or demonic element in creation. All Devas, from the highest
downwards, are subordinate to both time and karma. So it is said,
"Salutation to Karma, over which not even Vidhi (Brahma) prevails"
(Namastat karmmabhyovidhirapi na yebhyah prabhavati). The rendering of the
term "Deva" by "God" has led to a misapprehension of
Hindu thought. The use of the term "angel" may also mislead, for
though the world of Devas has in some respects analogy to the angelic choirs,
the Christian conception of these Beings, their origin and functions, does
not include, but in fact excludes, other ideas connoted by the Sanskrit term.
The pitris, or "Fathers," are a creation
(according to some) separate from the predecessors of humanity, and are,
according to others, the lunar ancestry who are addressed in prayer with the
Devas. From Brahma, who is known as the "Grandfather" Pita Maha of
the human race, issued Marichi, Atri, and others, his "mental
sons": the Agnishvattvah, Saumnyah, Havishmantah, Ushmapah, and other
classes of Pitris, numbering, according to the Markandeya Purana, thirty-one.
Tarpanam, or oblation, is daily offered to these pitris. The term is also
applied to the human ancestors of the worshipper generally up to the seventh
generation to whom in shraddha (the obsequial rites) pinda and water are
offered with the mantra "svadha."
The Rishi are seers who know, and by their knowledge are
the makers of shastra and "see" all mantras. The word comes from
the root rish Rishati-prapnoti sarvvang mantrang jnanena pashyati
sangsaraparangva, etc. The seven great Rishi or saptarshi of the first
manvantara are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya, and
Vashishtha. In other manvantara there are other sapta-rshi. In the present manvantara
the seven are Kashyapa Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni,
Bharadvaja. To the Rishi the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so
revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini,
Atharvaveda to Samantu, and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief
classes of Rishi are the Brah-marshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the
Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis through their
knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are
makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as
Jaimini.
The Muni, who may be a Rishi, is a sage. Muni is so called
on account of his mananam (mananat muniruchyate). Mananam is that thought,
investigation, and discussion which marks the independent thinking mind.
First there is shravanam listening; then mananam, which is the thinking or
understanding, discussion upon, and testing of what is heard as opposed to
the mere acceptance on trust of the lower intelligence. There two are
followed by nididhyasanam, which is attention and profound meditation on the
conclusions (siddhanta) drawn from what is so heard and reasoned upon. As the
Mahabharata says, "The Veda differ, and so do the Smriti. No one is a
muni who has no independent opinion of his own (nasau muniryasya matang na
bhinnam).
The human being is called jiva � that is, the embodied Atma possessed by
egoism and of the notion that it directs the puryashtaka, namely, the five organs
of action (karmendriya), the five organs of perception (jnanendriya), the
fourfold antahkarana or mental self (Manas, Buddhi, Ahangkara, Chitta), the
five vital airs (Prana), the five elements, Kama (desire), Karma (action and
its results), and Avidya (illusion). When these false notions are destroyed,
the embodiment is destroyed, and the wearer of the mayik garment attains
nirvana. When the jiva is absorbed in Brahman, there is no longer any jiva
remaining as such.
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Varna
Ordinarily there are four chief divisions or castes
(varna) of Hindu society �
viz.: Brahmana (priesthood; teaching); Kshattriya (warrior); Vaishya
(merchant); Shudra (servile) �
said to have sprung respectively from the mouth, arm, thigh, and foot of
Brahma. A man of the first three classes becomes an investiture, during the
upanayana ceremony of the sacred thread, twice-born (dvija). It is said
that by birth one is shudra, by sangskara (upanayana), dvija (twice-born);
by study of the Vedas one attains the state of a vipra; and that he who has
knowledge of the Brahman is a Brahmana. The present Tantra, however, speaks
of a fifth or hybrid class (samanya), resulting from intermixture between
the others. It is a peculiarity of Tantra that its worship is largely free
of Vaidik exclusiveness, whether based on caste, sex, or otherwise. As the
Gautamiya Tantra says, "The Tantra is for all men, of whatever caste,
and for all women" (Sarvvavarnadhikaraschcha narinang yogya eva cha).
Ashrama
The four stages, conditions, or periods in the life of a
Brahman are: First, that of the chaste student, or brahmachari; second, the
period of secular life as a married householder, or grihastha; third, that
of the recluse, or vanaprastha, when there is retirement from the world;
and lastly, that of the beggar, or bhikshu, who begs his single daily meal,
and meditates upon the Supreme Spirit to which he is about to return. For
the Kshattriya there are the first three Ashramas; for the Vaishya, the
first two; and for the Shudra, the grihastha Ashrama only. This Tantra
states that in the Kali age there are only two Ashrama. The second
garhasthya and the last bhikshuka or avadhuta. Neither the conditions of
life, nor the character, capacity, and powers of the people of this age
allow of the first and third. The two ashramas prescribed for the Kali age
are open to all castes indiscriminately.
There are, it is now commonly said, two main divisions
of avadhuta �
namely, Shaivavadhuta and Brahmavadhuta �
of each of which there are, again, three divisions. Of the first class the
divisions are firstly Shaivavadhuta, who is apurna (imperfect). Though an
ascetic, he is also a householder and like Shiva. Hence his name. The
second is the wandering stage of the Shaiva (or the parivrajaka), who has
now left the world, and passes his time doing puja, japa, etc., visiting
the tirtha and pitha, or places of pilgrimage. In this stage, which, though
higher, is still imperfect, the avadhuta is competent for ordinary sadhana
with a shakti. The third is the perfect stage of a Shaiva. Wearing only the
kaupina, he renounces all things and all rites, though within certain
limits he may practise some yoga, and is permitted to meet the request of a
woman who makes it of him. Of the second class the three divisions are,
firstly, the Brahma-vadhuta, who, like the Shaivavadhuta, is imperfect
(apurna) and a householder. He is not permitted, however, to have a Shaiva
Shakti, and is restricted to sviya-shakti. The second-class
Brahma-parivrajaka is similar to the Shaiva of the same class, except that
ordinarily he is not permitted to have anything to do with any woman,
though he may, under the guidance of his Guru, practise yoga accompanied by
Shakti. The third or highest class �
Hangsavadhuta �
is similar to the third Shaiva degree, except that he must under no
circumstances touch a woman or metals, nor may he practise any rites or
keep any observances.
Correspondence Between Macrocosm and Microcosm
The universe consists of a Mahabrahmanda, or grand
Kosmos, and of numerous Brihatbrahmanda, or macrocosms evolved from it. As
is said by the Nirvana Tantra, all which is in the first is in the second.
In the latter are heavenly bodies and beings, which are microcosms
reflecting on a minor scale the greater worlds which evolve them. "As
above, so below." This mystical maxim of the West is stated in the
Vishvasara Tantra as follows: "What is here is elsewhere; what is not
here is nowhere" (yadihasti tadanyatra yannehasti natatkvachit). The
macrocosm has its meru, or vertebral column, extending from top to bottom.
There are fourteen regions descending from Satyaloka, the highest. These
are the seven upper and the seven nether worlds (vide ante). The meru of
the human body is the spinal column, and within it are the chakra, in which
the worlds are said to dwell. In the words of the Shaktananda-Tarangini,
they are pindamadhyesthita. Satya has been said to be in the sahasrara, and
Tapah, Janah, Mahah, Svah, Bhuvah, Bhuh in the ajna, vishuddha, anahata,
manipura, svadishthana, and muladhara lotuses respectively. Below muladhara
and in the joints, sides, anus, and organs of generation are the nether
worlds. The bones near the spinal column are the kula-parvata. Such are the
correspondences as to earth. Then as to water. The nadi are the rivers. The
seven substances of the body (dhatu) are the seven islands. Sweat, tears,
and the like are the oceans. Fire exists in the muladhara, sushumna, navel,
and elsewhere. As the worlds are supported by the pravahana and other vayu
("airs"), so is the body supported by the ten vayu prana, etc.
There is the same akasha (ether) in both. The witness within is the purusha
without, for the personal soul of the microcosm corresponds to the cosmic
soul (hiranyagarbha) in the macrocosm.
The Ages
The passage of time within a maha-yoga influences for
the worse man and the world in which he lives. This passage is marked by
the four ages (yuga), called Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali-yuga, the last
being that in which it is generally supposed the world now is. The yuga is
a fraction of a kalpa, or day of Brahma of 4,320,000 human years. The kalpa
is divided into fourteen manvantara, which are again subdivided into
seventy-one maha.-yuga; the length of each of which is 4,320,000 human
years. The maha-yuga (great age) is itself composed of four yuga (ages) � (a) Satya, (b)
Treta, (c) Dvapara, (d) Kali. Official science teaches that man appeared on
the earth in an imperfect state, from which he has since been gradually,
though continually, raising himself. Such teaching is, however, in conflict
with the traditions of all peoples �
Jew, Babylonian, Egyptian, Hindu, Greek, Roman, and Christian � which speak of an
age when man was both innocent and happy. From this state of primal
perfection he fell, continuing his descent until such time as the great
Avatara, Christ and others, descended to save his race and enable it to
regain the righteous path. The Garden of Eden is the emblem of the
paradisiacal body of man. There man was one with Nature. He was himself
paradise, a privileged enclosure in a garden of delight � gan be Eden. Et
eruditus est Moyse omni sapientia Ægyptiorum. The Satya Yuga is, according
to Hindu belief, the Golden Age of righteousness, free of sin, marked by
longevity, physical strength, beauty, and stature. "There were giants
in those days" whose moral, mental, and physical strength enabled them
to undergo long brahmacharyya (continence) and tapas (austerities).
Longevity permitted lengthy spiritual exercises. Life then depended on the
marrow, and lasted a lakh of years, men dying when they willed. Their
stature was 21 cubits.To this age belong the Avatara or incarnations of
Vishnu, Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Nri-singha, and Vamana. Its duration is
computed to be 4,800 Divine years, which, when multiplied by 360 (a year of
the Devas being equal to 360 human years) are the equivalent of 1,728,000
of the years of man. (b) The second age, or Treta (three-fourth) Yuga, is
that in which righteousness (dharmma) decreased by one-fourth. The duration
was 3,600 Divine years, or 1,296,000 human years. Longevity, strength, and
stature decreased. Life was in the bone, and lasted 10,000 years. Man�s stature was 14
cubits. Of sin there appeared one-quarter, and of virtue there remained
three-quarters. Men were still attached to pious and charitable acts,
penances, sacrifice, and pilgrimage, of which the chief was that to
Naimisharanya. In this period appeared the avatars of Vishnu as Parashurama
and Rama. (c) The third, or Dvapara (one-half) Yuga, is that in which
righteousness decreased by one-half, and the duration of which was 2,400
Divine, or 864,000 human, years. A further decrease in longevity and
strength, and increase of weakness and disease, mark this age. Life which
lasted 1,000 years was centred in the blood. Stature was 7 cubits. Sin and
virtue were of equal force. Men became restless, and, though eager to
acquire knowledge, were deceitful, and followed both good and useful
pursuits. The principal place of pilgrimage was Kurukshetra. To this age
belongs (according to Vyasa, Anushtubhacharya and Jiya-deva) the avatara of
Vishnu as Bala-rama, the elder brother of Krishna, who, according to other
accounts, takes his place. In the sandhya, or intervening period of 1,000
years between this and the next yuga the Tantra was revealed, as it will be
revealed at the dawn of every Kali-yuga. (d) Kali-yuga is the alleged
present age, in which righteousness exists to the extent of one-fourth
only, the duration of which is 1,200 Divine,or 432,000 human, years.
According to some, this age commenced in 3120 B.C. on the date of Vishnu�s return to heaven
after the eighth incarnation. This is the periodwhich, according to the
Puranas and Tantras, is characterized by the prevalence of viciousness,
weakness, disease, and the general decline of all that is good. Humanlife,
which lasts at most 120, or, as some say, 100, years,is dependent on food.
Stature is 3œ cubits. The chief pilgrimage is now to the Ganges. In this
age has appeared the Buddha Avatara. The last, or Kalki Avatara,the
Destroyer of sin, has yet to come. It is He who will destroy iniquity and
restore the age of righteousness.The Kalki Purana speaks of Him as One
whose body is blue like that of the rain-charged cloud, who with sword in
hand rides, as does the rider of the Apocalypse, a white horse swift as the
wind, the Cherisher of the people, Destroyer of the race of the Kali-yuga,
the Source of true religion. And Jayadeva, in his Ode to the
Incarnations,addresses Him thus: "For the destruction of all the
impure thou drawest thy cimeter like a blazing comet. O how tremendous! Oh,
Keshava, assuming the body of Kalki! Be victorious. O Hari, Lord of the
Universe!" With the Satya-yuga a new maha-yaga will commence, and the
ages will continue to revolve with their rising and descending races until
the close of the kalpa or day of Brahma.. Then a night of dissolution
(pralaya) of equal duration follows, the Lord reposing in yoga-nidra (yoga
sleep in pralaya) on the Serpent Shesha, the Endless One, till day break,
when the universe is created anew and the next kalpa follows.
The Scriptures of the Ages
Each of these Ages has its appropriate Shastra or
Scripture, designed to meet the characteristics and needs of the men who
live in them The Hindu Shastra are classed into: (1) Shruti, which commonly
includes the four Veda. (Rik, Yajuh, Sama, Atharva, and the Upanishads),
the doctrine of which is philosophically exposed in the Vedanta-Darshana.
(2) Smriti, such as the Dharma-Shastra of Manu and other works on family
and social duty prescribing for pavritti-dhamia, as the Upanishads had
revealed the nivritti-dharma. (3) The Puranas, of which, according to the
Brahma-vaivartta Purana, there were originally four lakhs, and of which
eighteen are now regarded as the principal. (4) The Tantra.
For each of these ages a suitable Shastra is given. The
Veda is the root of all Shastra (mula-shastra). All others are based on it.
The Tantra is spoken of as a fifth Veda. Kulluka-Bhatta, the celebrated
Commentator on Manu, says that Shruti is of two kinds, Vaidik and Tantrik
(vaidiki-tantriiki chaiva dvi-vidha shrutih-kirttita). The various
Shastras, however, are different presentments of shruti appropriate to the
humanity of the age for which they are given. Thus the Tantra is that
presentment of shruti which is modelled as regards its ritual to meet the
characteristics and infirmities of the Kali-yuga. As men have no longer the
capacity, longevity, and moral strength necessary for the application of
the Vaidika Karma-kanda, the Tantra prescribes a special sadhana or means
or practice of its own, for the attainment of that which is the ultimate
and common end of all Shastra. The Kularnava Tantra says that in the Satya
or Krita age the Shastra is Shruti (in the sense of the Veda and
Upanishads); in Treta-yuga, Smriti (in the sense of the Dharma-Shastra and
Shruti-jivika, etc.); in Dvapara Yuga the Purana; and in the last or
Kali-yuga the Tantra, which should now be followed by all orthodox Hindu
worshippers. The Maha-nirvana and other Tantras and Tantrik works lay down
the same rule. The Tantra is also said to contain the very core of the Veda
to which, it is described to bear the relation of the Paramatma to the
Jivatma. In a similar way, Kaulachara is the central informing life of the
gross body called vedachara, each of the achara which follow it up to
kaulachara being more and more subtle sheaths.
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The Human Body
The human body is Brahma-para, the city of Brahman.
Ishvara Himself enters into the universe as jiva. Wherefore the maha-vakya
"That thou art" means that the ego (which is regarded as jiva
only from the standpoint of an upadhi) is Brahman.
The Five Sheaths
In the body there are five kosha or sheaths � anna-maya,
prana-maya, mano-maya, vijñana-maya, ananda-maya, or the physical and vital
bodies, the two mental bodies, and the body of bliss. In the first the Lord
is self-conscious as being dark or fair, short or tall, old or youthful. In
the vital body He feels alive, hungry, and thirsty. In the mental bodies He
thinks and understands. And in the body of Bliss He resides in happiness.
Thus garmented with the five garments, the Lord, though all pervading,
appears as though He were limited by them.
Anna-Maya Kosha
In the material body, which is called the "sheath
of food" (anna-maya kosha), reign the elements earth, water, and fire,
which are those presiding in the lowest Chakra, the Muladhara,
Svadhishthana, and mani-pura centres. The two former produce food and
drink, which is assimilated by the fire of digestion, and converted into
the body of food. The indriya are both the faculty and organs of sense.
There are in this body the material organs, as distinguished from the
faculty of sense.
In the gross body (sharira-kosha) there are six external
kosha � viz.,
hair, blood, flesh, which come from the mother, and bone, muscle, marrow,
from the father.
The organs of sense (indriya) are of two kinds � viz.: jnanendriya,
or organs of sensation, through which knowledge of the external world is
obtained (ear, skin, eyes, tongue, nose); and karmendriya, or organs of
action � mouth,
arms, legs, anus, penis, the functions of which are speech, holding,
walking, excretion, and procreation.
Prana-Maya Kosha
The second sheath is the prana-maya-kosha, or sheath of
"breath" (prana), which manifests itself in air and ether, the
presiding elements in the Anahata and Vishuddha chakra.
There are ten vayu (airs), or inner vital forces, of
which the first five are the principal �
namely, the sapphire prana; apana, the colour of an evening cloud; the
silver vyana; udana, the colour of fire; and the milky samana. These are
all aspects of the action of the one Prana-devata. Kundalini is the Mother
of prana, which She the Mula-Prakriti, illumined by the light of the
Supreme Atma, generates. Prana is vayu, or the universal force of activity,
divided on entering each individual into fivefold function. Specifically
considered, prana is inspiration, which with expiration is from and to a
distance of eight and twelve inches respectively. Udana is the ascending
vayu. Apana is the downward vayu, expelling wind, excrement, urine, and
semen. The samana, or collective vayu, kindles the bodily fire,
"conducting equally the food, etc., throughout the body." Vyana
is the separate vayu, effecting division and diffusion. These forces cause
respiration, excretion, digestion, circulation.
Mano-maya, Vijñana Kosha, and Ananda-maya Kosha
The next two sheaths are the mano-maya and vijñana
kosha. These constitute the antah-karana, which is fourfold � namely, mind in its
twofold aspect of buddhi and manas, self-hood (ahankara), and chitta. The
function of the first is doubt sangkalpa-vikalpatmaka, (uncertainty,
certainty); of the second, determination (nishchaya-karini); of the third
(egoity), consciousness (abhimana). Manas automatically registers the facts
which the senses perceive. Buddhi, on attending to such registration, discriminates,
determines, and cognizes the object registered, which is set over and
against the subjective self by Ahangkara. The function of chitta is
contemplation (chinta), the faculty whereby the mind in its widest sense
raises for itself the subject of its thought and dwells thereon. For whilst
buddhi has but three moments in which it is born, exists, and dies, chitta
endures.The antah-karana is master of the ten senses, which are the outer
doors through which it looks forth upon the external world. The faculties,
as opposed to the organs or instruments of sense, reside here. The centres
of the powers inherent in the last two sheaths are in the Ajna Chakra and
the region above this and below the sahasrara lotus. In the latter the Atma
of the last sheath of bliss resides. The physical or gross body is called
sthula-sharira. The subtle body (sukshma-sharira, also called linga-sharira
and karana-shanra) comprises the ten indriya, manas, ahangkara, buddhi, and
the five functions of prana. This subtle body contains in itself the cause
of rebirth into the gross body when the period of reincarnation arrives.
The atma, by its association with the upadhis, has three
states of consciousness �
namely, the jagrat, or waking state, when through the sense organs are
perceived objects of sense through the operation of manas and buddhi. It is
explained in the Ishvara-pratya-bhijna as follows � "the waking state dear to all is
the source of external action through the activity of the senses." The
jiva is called jagari �
that is, he who takes upon himself the gross body called Vishva. The second
is svapna, the dream state, when, the sense organs being withdrawn, Alma is
conscious of mental images generated by the impressions of jagrat
experience. Here manas ceases to record fresh sense impressions, and it and
buddhi work on that which manas has registered in the waking state. The
explanation of this state is also given in the work last cited. "The
state of svapna is the objectification of visions perceived in the mind,
due to the perception of ideas there latent." Jiva in the state of
svapna is termed taijasa. Its individuality is merged in the subtle body.
Hiranyagarbha is the collective form of these jiva, as Vaisvanara is such
form of the jiva in the waking state. The third state is that of sushupti,
or dreamless sleep, when manas itself is withdrawn, and buddhi, dominated
by tamas, preserves only the notion: "Happily I slept; I was not
conscious of anything" (Patanjala-yoga-sutra). In the Macrocosm the
upadhi of these states are also called Virat, Hiranyagarbha, and Avyakta.
The description of the state of sleep is given in the Shiva-sutra as that
in which there is incapacity of discrimination or illusion. By the saying
cited from the Patanjala-sutra three modifications of avidya are indicated � viz., ignorance,
egoism, and happiness. Sound sleep is that state in which these three
exist. The person in that state is termed prajna, his individuality being
merged in the causal body (karana). Since in the sleeping state the prajna
becomes Brahman, he is no longer jiva as before; but the jiva is then not
the supreme one (Paramatma), because the state is associated with avidya.
Hence, because the vehicle in the jiva in the sleeping state is Karana, the
vehicle of the jiva in the fourth is declared to be mahakarana. Ishvara is
the collective form of the prajna jiva.
Beyond sushupti is the turiya, and beyond turiya the
transcendent fifth state without name. In the fourth state shuddha-vidya is
acquired, and this is the only realistic one for the yogi which he attains
through, samadhi-yoga. Jiva in turiya is merged in the great causal body
(maha-karana). The fifth state arises from firmness in the fourth. He who
is in this state becomes equal to Shiva, or, more strictly, tends to a
close equality; for it is only beyond that, that "the spotless one
attains the highest equality," which is unity. Hence even in the
fourth and fifth states there is an absence of that full perfection which
constitutes the Supreme. Bhaskara-raya, in his Commentary on the Lalita,
when pointing out that the Tantrik theory adds the fourth and fifth states
to the first three adopted by the followers of the Upanishads, says that
the latter states are not separately enumerated by them owing to the
absence in those two states of the full perfection of Jiva or of Shiva.
Nadi
It is said that there are 3œ crores of nadi in the human
body, of which some are gross and some are subtle. Nadi means a nerve or
artery in the ordinary sense; but all the nadis of which the books on Yoga
speak are not of this physical character, but are subtle channels of
energy. Of these nadi, the principal are fourteen; and of these fourteen,
ida, pingala, and sushumna are the chief; and, again, of these three
sushumna is the greatest, and to it all others are subordinate. Sushumna is
in the hollow of the meru in the cerebro-spinal axis. It extends from the
Muladhara lotus, the Tattvik earth centre, to the cerebral region. Sushumna
is in the form of Fire (vahni-svarupa), and has within it the vajrini-nadi
in the form of the sun (surya-svarupa). Within the latter is the pale
nectar-dropping chitra or chitrini-nadi, which is also called Brahma-nadi,
in the form of the moon (chandra-svarupa,). Sushumna is thus triguna. The
various lotuses in the different Chakra of the body (vide post) are all
suspended from the chitra-nadi, the chakra being described as knots in the
nadi, which is as thin as the thousandth part of a hair. Outside the meru
and on each side of sushumna are the nadi ida and pingala. Ida is on the
left side, and, coiling round sushumna, has its exit in the left nostril.
Pingala is on the right, and, similarly coiling, enters the right nostril.
The sushumna, interlacing ida and pingala and the ajna-chakra round which
they pass, thus forms a representation of the caduceus of Mercury. Ida is
of a pale colour, is moon-like (chandra-svarupa), and contains nectar.
Pingala is red, and is sun-like (suryya-svarupa), containing
"venom," the fluid of mortality. These three "rivers,"
which are united at the ajna-chakra, flow separately from that point, and
for this reason the ajna-chakra is called mukta triveni. The muladhara is
called Yukta (united)-tri-veni, since it is the meeting-place of the three
nadi, which are also called Ganga (Ida), Yamuna (Pingala), and Sarasvati
(sushumna), after the three sacred rivers of India. The opening at the end
of the sushumna in the muladhara is called brahma-dvara, which is closed by
the coils of the sleeping Devi Kundalini.
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Chakra
There are six chakra, or dynamic Tattvik centres, in the
body � viz., the
muladhara, svadhishthana, mani-pura, anahata, vishuddha, and ajna � which are described
in the following notes. Over all there is the thousand-petalled lotus
(sahasrara-padma).
Muladhara
Muladhara is a triangular space in the midmost portion
of the body, with the apex turned downwards like a young girl�s yoni. It is
described as a red lotus of four petals, situate between the base of the
sexual organ and the anus. "Earth" evolved from "water"
is the Tattva of this chakra. On the four petals are the four golden varnas
�
"vang," "shang," "shang," and
"sang," In the four petals pointed towards the four directions
(Ishana, etc.) are the four forms of bliss �
yogananda (yoga bliss), paramananda (supreme bliss), samaj-ananda (natural
bliss), and virananda (vira bliss). In the centre of this lotus is
Svayambhu-linga, ruddy brown, like the colour of a young leaf.
Chitrini-nadi is figured as a tube, and the opening at its end at the base
of the linga is called the door of Brahman (brahma-dvara), through which
the Devi ascends. The lotus, linga and brahma-dvara, hang downwards. The
Devi Kundalini, more subtle than the fibre of the lotus, and luminous as
lightning, lies asleep coiled like a serpent around the linga, and closes
with Her body the door of Brahman. The Devi has forms in the brahmanda. Her
subtlest form in the pindanda, or body, is called Kundalini, a form of
Prakriti pervading, supporting, and expressed in the form of the whole
universe; "the Glittering Dancer "(as the Sarada-tilaka calls
Her) "in the lotus-like head of the yogi." When awakened, it is
She who gives birth to the world made of mantra. A red fiery triangle
surrounds svayambhu-linga, and within the triangle is the red
Kandarpa-vayu, or air, of Kama, a form of the apana vayu, for here is the
seat of creative desire. Outside the triangle is a yellow square, called
the prithivi-(earth)-mandala, to which is attached the "eight
thunders" (ashta-vajra). Here is the vija "lang", and with
it prithivi on the back of an elephant. Here also are Brahma and Savitri,
and the red four-handed Shakti Dakini.
Svadhisthana
Svadhishthana is a six-petalled lotus at the base of the
sexual organ, above muladhara and below the navel. Its pericarp is red, and
its petals are like lightning. "Water" evolved from
"fire" is the Tattva of this chakra. The varnas on the petals are
"bang," "bhang," "mang," "yang,"
"rang," and "lang." In the six petals are also the
vritti (states, qualities, functions, or inclinations) � namely, prashraya
(credulity), a-vishvasa (suspicion, mistrust), avajna (disdain), murchchha
(delusion, or, as some say, disinclination), sarvva-nasha (false
knowledge), and krurata (pitilessness). Within a semicircular space in the
pericarp are the Devata, the dark blue Maha-vishnu, Maha-lakshmi, and
Sarasvati. In front is the blue four-handed Rakini Shakti, and the vija of
Varuna, Lord of water or "vang." Inside the vija there is the
region of Varuna., of the shape of an half-moon, and in it is Varuna
himself seated on a white alligator (makara).
Mani-pura
Mani-para-chakra is a ten-petalled golden lotus, situate
above the last in the region of the navel. "Fire" evolved from
"air" is the Tattva of this chakra. The ten petals are of the
colour of a cloud, and on them are the blue varnas � "dang," "dhang,"
"nang," tang," "thang," "dang,"
"dhang," "nang," "pang," "phang," � and the ten vritti
(vide ante), namely, lajja (shame), pishunata (fickleness), irsha
(jealousy), trishna (desire), sushupti (laziness), vishada (sadness),
kashaya (dullness), moha (ignorance), ghrina (aversion, disgust), bhaya (fear).
Within the pericarp is the vija of fire ("rang"), and a
triangular figure (mandala) of Agni, Lord of Fire, to each side of which
figure are attached three auspicious signs or svastika. Agni, red,
four-handed, and seated on a ram, is within the figure. In front of him are
Rudra and his Shakti Bhadra-kali. Rudra is of the colour of vermilion, and
is old. His body is smeared with ashes. He has three eyes and two hands.
With one of these he makes the sign which grants boons and blessings, and
with the other that which dispels fear. Near him is the four-armed Lakini
Shakti, of the colour of molten gold (tapta-kanchana), wearing yellow
raiments and ornaments. Her mind is maddened with passion
(mada-matta-chitta). Above the lotus is the abode and region of Suryya. The
solar region drinks the nectar which drops from the region of the Moon.
Anahata
Anahata-chakra is a deep red lotus of twelve petals,
situate above the last and in the region of the heart, which is to be
distinguished from the heart-lotus facing upwards of eight petals, spoken
of in the text, where the patron deity (Ishta-devata) is meditated upon.
"Air" evolved from "ether" is the Tattva of the former
lotus. On the twelve petals are the vermilion varnas � "Kang"
"Khang," "Gang," "Ghang," "ngang,"
"chang", "Chhang," "Jang," "Jhang,"
"Nyang," "Tang," "Thang," and the twelve
vrittis (vide ante) �
namely asha (hope), chinta (care, anxiety), cheshta (endeavour), mamata
(sense of mineness), dambha (arrogance or hypocrisy), vikalata (languor),
ahangkara (conceit), viveka (discrimination), lolata (covetousness),
kapatata (duplicity), vitarka (indecision), anutapa (regret). A triangular
mandala within the pericarp of this lotus of the lustre of lightning is
known as the Tri-kona Shakti. Within this mandala is a red vana-linga,
called Narayana or Hiranya-garbha, and near it Ishvara and His Shakti
Bhuvaneshvari. Ishvara, who is the Overlord of the first three chakra, is
of the colour of molten gold, and with His two hands grants blessings and
dispels fear. Near him is the three-eyed Kakini Shakti, lustrous as
lightning, with four hands holding the noose and drinking-cup, and making
the sign of blessing, and that which dispels fear. She wears a garland of
human bones. She is excited, and her heart is softened with wine. Here,
also, are several other Shakti, such as Kala-ratri, as also the vija of air
(vayu) or "vang." Inside the lotus is a six-cornered
smoke-coloured mandala, and the circular region of smoke-coloured Vayu, who
is seated on a black antelope. Here, too, is the embodied atma (jivatma),
like the tapering flame of a lamp.
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Vishuddha
Vishuddha chakra or Bharatisthana, abode of the Devi of
speech, is above the last and at the lower end of the throat (kantha-mula).
The Tattva of this chakra is "ether." The lotus is of a smoky
colour, or the colour of fire seen through smoke. It has sixteen petals,
which carry the red vowels �
"ang," "ang" "ing," "ing,"
"ung," "ung"," "ring," "ring,"
"lring," "lring," "eng," "aing,"
"ong," "aung," "ang," "ah;" the
seven musical notes (nishada, rishabha, gandhara, shadaja, madhyama,
dhaivata and panchama): "venom" (in the eighth petal); the vija
"hung," "phat," "vaushat,"
"vashat," "svadha," "svaha,"
"namah," and in the sixteenth petal nectar (amrita). In the
pericarp is a triangular region, within which is the androgyne Shiva, known
as Arddha-narishvara. There also are the region of the full moon and ether,
with its vija "hang." The akasha-mandala is transparent and round
in shape.
Akasha himself is here dressed in white, and mounted on
a white elephant. He has four hands, which hold the noose (pasha), the
elephant-hook (angkusha), and with the other he makes the mudra which grant
blessing and dispel fear. Shiva is white, with five faces, three eyes, ten
arms, and is dressed in tiger skins. Near Him is the white Shakti Shakini,
dressed in yellow raiments, holding in Her four hands the bow, the arrow,
the noose, and the hook.
Above the chakra, at the root of the palate (talumula)
is a concealed chakra, called Lalana and, in some Tantras, Kala-chakra. It
is a red lotus with twelve petals, bearing the following vritti � shraddha (faith),
santosha (contentment), aparadha (sense of error), dana (self-command),
mana (anger), sneha (affection), shoka (sorrow, grief), kheda (dejection),
shuddhata (purity), arati (detachment), sambhrama (agitation), Urmmi
(appetite, desire).
Ajna
Ajna chakra is also called parama-hula and
mukta-tri-veni, since it is from here that the three nadis � Ida, Pingala, and
Sushumna � go
their separate ways. It is a two-petalled lotus, situate between the two
eyebrows. In this Chakra there is no gross Tattva, but the subtle Tattva
mind is here. Hakararddha, or half the letter La, is also there. On its two
petals are the red varnas "hang "and "kshang."
In the pericarp is concealed the vija "ong."
In the two petals and the pericarp there are the three guna � sattva, rajas, and
tamas. Within the triangular mandala in the pericarp there is the lustrous
(tejo-maya) linga in the form of the pranava (pranavakriti), which is
called Itara. Para-Shiva, in the form of hangsa (hangsa-rupa) is also there
with his Shakti �
Siddha-Kali. In the three corners of the triangle are Brahma, Vishnu, and
Maheshvara, respectively. In this chakra there is the white Hakini-Shakti, with
six heads and four hands, in which are jñana-mudra, a skull, a drum
(damaru), and a rosary.
Sahasrara Padma
Above the ajna-chakra there is another secret chakra,
called manas-chakra. It is a lotus of six petals, on which are shabda-jñana,
sparsha-jñana, rupa-jñana, aghrano-palabdhi, rasopabhoga, and svapna, or
the faculties of hearing, touch, sight, smell, taste, and sleep, or the
absence of these. Above this, again, there is another secret chakra, called
Soma-chakra. It is a lotus of sixteen petals, which are also called sixteen
Kala. These Kala are called kripa (mercy), mriduta (gentleness), dhairyya
(patience, composure), vairagya (dispassion), dhriti (constancy), sampat
(prosperity), hasya (cheerfulness), romancha (rapture, thrill), vinaya
(sense of propriety, humility), dhyana (meditation), susthirata (quietude,
restfulness), gambhiryya (gravity), udyama (enterprise, effort), akshobha
(emotionlessness), audarya (magnanimity), and ekagrata
(concentration).Above this last chakra is "the house without
support" (niralamba-puri), where yogis see the radiant Ishvara. Above
this is the pranava shining like a flame, and above pranava the white
crescent Nada, and above this last the point Vindu. There is then a white
lotus of twelve petals with its head upwards, and over this lotus there is
the ocean of nectar (sudha-sagara), the island of gems (mani-dvipa), the
altar of gems (mani-pitha), the forked lightning-like lines a, ka, tha, and
therein Nada and Vindu. On Nada and Vindu, as an altar, there is the
Paramahangsa, and the latter serves as an altar for the feet of the Guru;
there the Guru of all should be meditated. The body of the Hangsa on which
the feet of the Guru rest is jñana-maya, the wings Agama and Nigama, the
two feet Shiva and Shakti, the beak Pranava, the eyes and throat
Kama-Kala.Close to the thousand-petalled lotus is the sixteenth digit of
the moon, which is called ama-kala, which is pure red and lustrous like
lightning, as fine as a fibre of the lotus, hanging downwards, receptacle
of the lunar nectar. In it is the crescent nirvana-kala, luminous as the
Sun, and finer than the thousandth part of a hair. This is the Ishta-devata
of all. Near nirvana-kala is parama-nirvana-Shakti, infinitely subtle,
lustrous as the Sun, creatrix of tattva-jnana. Above it are Vindu and
Visarga-Shakti, root and abode of all bliss.
Sahasrara-padma �
or thousand petalled lotus of all colours �
hangs with its head downwards from the brahma-randhra above all the chakra.
This is the region of the first cause (Brahma-loka), the cause of the six
proceeding causes. It is the great Sun both cosmically and individually, in
whose effulgence Parama-Shiva and Adya-Shakti reside. The power is the
vachaka-Shakti or saguna-brahman, holding potentially within itself, the
gunas, powers, and planes. Parama-Shiva is in the form of the Great Ether
(paramakasha-rupi), the Supreme Spirit (paramatma), the Sun of the darkness
of ignorance. In each of the petals of the lotus are placed all the letters
of the alphabet; and whatever there is in the lower chakra or in the
universe (brahmanda) exist here in potential state (avyakta-bhava). Shaivas
call this place Shiva-sthana, Vaishnavas, Parama-purusha, Shaktas,
Devi-sthana, the Sankhya sages Prakriti-purusha-sthana. Others call it by
other names, such as Hari-hara-sthana. Shakti-sthana, Parama-Brahma,
Parama-hangsa, Parama-jyotih, Kula-sthana, and Parama-Shiva-Akula. But
whatever the name, all speak of the same.
The Three Temperaments
The Tantras speak of three temperaments, dispositions,
characters (bhava), or classes of men �
namely, the pashu-bhava (animal), vira-bhava (heroic), and divya-bhava
(deva-like or divine). These divisions are based on various modifications
of the guna (v. ante) as they manifest in man (jiva). It has been pointed
out that the analogous Gnostic classification of men as material, psychical,
and spiritual, correspond to the three guna of the Sankhya-darshana. In the
pashu the rajo-guna operates chiefy on tamas, producing such dark
characteristics as error (bhranti), drowsiness (tandra), and sloth
(alasya). It is however, an error to suppose that the pashu is as such a
bad man; on the contrary, a jiva of this class may prove superior to a jiva
of the next. If the former, who is greatly bound by matter, lacks
enlightenment, the latter may abuse the greater freedom he has won. There
are also numerous kinds of pashu, some more some less tamasik than others.
Some there are at the lowest end of the scale, which marks the first
advance upon the higher forms of animal life. Others approach and gradually
merge into the vira class. The term pashu comes from the root pash,
"to bind." The pashu is, in fact, the man who is bound by the
bonds (pasha), of which the Kularnava Tantra enurnerates eight � namely, pity (daya),
ignorance and delusion (moha), fear (bhaya), shame (lajja), disgust
(ghrina), family (kula), custom (shila), and caste (varna). Other
enumerations are given of the afflictions which, according to some, are
sixty-two, but all such larger divisions are merely elaborations of the
simpler enumerations. The pashu is also the worldly man, in ignorance and
bondage, as opposed to the yogi and the tattva-jnani. Three divisions of
pashsu are also spoken of �
namely, sakala, who are bound by the three pasha, called anu (want of
knowledge or erroneous knowledge of the self), bheda (the division also
induced by maya of the one self into many), and karmma (action and its
product. These are the three impurities (mala) called anava-mala,
maya-mala, and Karmma-mala. Pratayakala are those bound by the first and
last, and Vijnana-kevala are those bound by anava-mala only. He who frees
himself of the remaining impurity of anu becomes Shiva Himself. The Devi
bears the pasha, and is the cause of them, but She, too, is
pashupasha-vimochini, Liberatrix of the pashu from his bondage.
What has been stated gives the root notion of the term
pashu. Men of this class are also described in Tantra by exterior traits,
which are manifestations of the interior disposition. So the Kubjika Tantra
says: "Those who belong to pashu-bhava .re simply pashu. A pashu does
not touch a yantra, nor make japa of mantra at night. He entertains doubt
about sacrifices and Tantra; regards a mantra as being merely letters only.
He lacks faith in the guru, and thinks that the image is but a block of
stone. He distinguishes one Deva from another, and worships without flesh
and fish. He is always bathing, owing to his ignorance, and talks ill of
others. Such an one is called pashu, and he is the worst kind of man."
Similarly the Nitya Tantra describes the pashu as � "He who does not worship at night,
nor in the evening, nor in the latter part of the day; who avoids sexual
intercourse, except on the fifth day after the appearance of the courses
(ritu-kalang vina devi ramanang parivarjayet); who do not eat meat, etc.,
even on the five auspicious days (parvvana)"; in short, those who,
following Vedachara, Vaishnavachara, and Shaivachara, are bound by the
Vaidik rules which govern all pashus.
In the case of vira-bhava, rajas more largely works on
sattva, yet also largely (though in lessening degrees, until the highest
stage of divya-bhava is reached) works independently towards the production
of acts in which sorrow inheres. There are several classes of vira.
The third, or highest, class of man is he of the
divya-bhava (of which, again, there are several degrees � some but a stage in
advance of the highest form of vira-bhava, others completely realizing the
deva-nature), in which rajas operate on sattva-guna to the confirmed
preponderance of the latter.
The Nitya Tantra says that of the bhava the divya is the
best, the vira the next best, and the pashu the lowest; and that
devata-bhava must be awakened through vira-bhava. The Pichchhila Tantra
says that the only difference between the vira and divya men is that the
former are very uddhata, by which is probably meant excitable, through the
greater prevalence of the independent working of the rajo-guna in them than
in the calmer sattvik temperament. It is obvious that such statements must
not be read with legal accuracy. There may be, in fact, a considerable
difference between a low type of vira and the highest type of divya, though
it seems to be true that this quality of uddhata which is referred to is
the cause of such differences, whether great or small.
The Kubjika Tantra describes the marks of the divya as
he "who daily does ablutions, sandhya; and wearing clean cloth, the
tripundara mark in ashes, or red sandal, and ornaments of rudraksha beads,
performs japa and archchana. He gives charity daily also. His faith is
strong in Veda, Shastra, guru, and Deva. He worships the Pitri and Deva,
and performs all the daily rites. He has a great knowledge of mantra. He
avoids all food, except that which his guru offers him, and all cruelty and
other bad actions, regarding both friend and foe as one and the same. He
himself ever speaks the truth, and avoids the company of those who decry
the Devata. He worships thrice daily, and meditates upon his guru daily,
and, as a Bhairava, worships Parameshvari with divya-bhava. All Devas he
regards as beneficial. He bows down at the feet of women, regarding them as
his guru (strinang pada-talang drishtva guru-vad bhavayet sada). He
worships the Devi at night, and makes japa at night with his mouth full of
pan, and makes obeisance to the kula vriksha. He offers everything to the
Supreme Devi. He regards this universe as pervaded by stri (shakti), and as
Devata. Shiva is in all men, and the whole brahmanda is pervaded by
Shiva-Shakti. He ever strives for the attainment and maintenance of
devata-bhava, and is himself of the nature of a Devata.
Here, again, the Tantra only seeks to give a general
picture, the details of which are not applicable to all men of the
divya-bhava class. The passage shows that it, or portions of it, refer to
the ritual divya, for some of the practices there referred to would not be
performed by the avadkuta, who is above all ritual acts, though he would
also share (possibly in intenser degree) the beliefs of divya men of all
classes � that
he and all else are but manifestations of the universe-pervading Supreme
Shakti.
According to the temperament of the sadhaka, so is the
form of worship and sadhana. In fact, the specific worship and sadhana of
the other classes is strictly prohibited by the Tantra to the pashu.
It is said in this Tantra and elsewhere that, in the Kali-yuga,
divya and pashu dispositions can scarcely be found. It may be thought
difficult at first sight to reconcile this (so far as the pasha is
concerned) with other statements as to the nature of these respective
classes. The term pashu, in these and similar passages, would appear to be
used in a good sense as referring to a man who, though tamasic, yet
performs his functions with that obedience to nature which is shown by the
still more tamasic animal creation free from the disturbing influences of
rajas, which, if it may be the source of good, may also be, when operating
independently, the source of evil.
The Commentator explains the passage cited from the
Tantra as meaning that the conditions and character of the Kali-yuga are
not such as to be productive of pasha-bhava (apparently in the sense
stated), or to allow of its achara (that is, Vaidikachara). No one, he
says, can fully perform the vedachara, vaishnavachara, and shavachara
rites, without which the Vaidik, Pauranik mantra, and yajna are fruitless.
No one now goes through the brahma-charya ashrama, or adopts after the
fiftieth year that called vana-prastha. Those whom the Veda does not
control cannot expect the fruit of Vaidik observances. On the contrary, men
have taken to drink, associate with the low, and are fallen; as are also
those men who associate with them. There can therefore be no pure pashu.
Under these circumstances the duties prescribed by the Vedas which are
appropriate for the pasha being incapable of performance, Shiva for the liberation
of men of the Kali Age has proclaimed the Agama. "Now, there is no
other way." The explanation thus given, therefore, appears to amount
to this. The pure type of pashu for whom vedachara was designed does not
exist. For others who though pasha are not purely so, the Tantra is the
governing Shastra. This, however, does not mean that all are now competent
for virachara.
It is to be noted, however, that the Prana-toshini cites
a passage purporting to come from the Mahanirvana Tantra, which is
apparently in direct opposition to the foregoing:
Divya-vira-mayo bhavah kalau nasti kada-chana
Kevalang pasha-bhavena mantra-siddhirbhavennrinam.
"In the Kali Age there is no divya or vira-bhava.
It is only by the pashu-bhava that men may obtain mantra-siddhi."
This matter of the bhava prevalent in the Kali-yuga has
been the subject of considerable discussion and difference of opinion, and
is only touched upon here.
Guru and Shishya
The Guru is the religious teacher and spiritual guide to
whose direction orthodox Hindus of all divisions of worshippers submit
themselves. There is in reality but one Guru. The ordinary human Guru is
but the manifestation on the phenomenal plane of the Adi-natha Maha-kala,
the Supreme Guru abiding in Kailasa. He it is who enters into and speaks
with the voice of the earthly Guru at the time of giving mantra. Guru is
the root (mala) of diksha (imitation). Diksha is the root of mantra. Mantra
is the root of Devata; and Devata is the root of siddhi. The Munda-mala
Tantra says that mantra is born of Guru and Devata of mantra, so that the
Guru occupies the position of a grandfather to the Ishta-devata.
It is the Guru who initiates and helps, and the
relationship between him and the disciple (shishya) continues until the
attainment of monistic siddhi. Manu says: "Of him who gives natural
birth and of him who gives knowledge of the Veda the giver of sacred
knowledge is the more venerable father. Since second or divine birth
insures life to the twice-born in this world and the next." The Shastra
is, indeed, full of the greatness of Guru. The Guru is not to be thought of
as a mere man. There is no difference between Guru, mantra, and Deva. Guru
is father, mother, and Brahman. Guru, it is said, can save from the wrath
of Shiva, but none can save from the wrath of the Guru. Attached to this
greatness there is, however, responsibility; for the sins of the disciple
recoil upon him.
Three lines of Guru are worshipped: heavenly (divyangga)
siddha (siddhangga), and human (manavangga). The kala-guru are four in
number, viz.: the Guru, Parama-guru, Parapara-guru, Parameshti-guru; each
of these being the guru of the preceding one. According to the Tantra,
woman with the necessary qualifications may be a guru, and give initiation.
Good qualities are required in the disciple, and according to the
Sara-sangraha a guru should examine and test the intending disciple for a
year. The qualifications of a good disciple are stated to be good birth,
purity of soul (shuddhatma), and capacity for enjoyment, combined with desire
for liberation (purushartha-parayanah). Those who are lewd (kamuka),
adulterous (para-daratura), constantly addicted to sin (sada papa-kriya),
ignorant, slothful, and devoid of religion, should be rejected.
The perfect sadhaka who is entitled to the knowledge of
all Shastra is he who is pure-minded, whose senses are controlled
(jitendriyah), who is ever engaged in doing good to all beings, free from
false notions of dualism, attached to the speaking of, taking shelter with,
and living in the supreme unity of the Brahman. So long as Shakti is not
fully communicated (see next note) to the shishya�s body from that of the guru, so long
the conventional relation of guru and shishya exists. A man is shishya only
so long as he is sadhaka. When, however, siddhi is attained, both Guru and
Shishya are above this dualism. With the attainment of pure monism,
naturally this relation, as all others, disappears.
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Initiation
Diksha
Initiation is the giving of mantra by the guru. At the
time of initiation the guru must first establish the life of the guru in
his own body; that is the vital force (prana-shakti) of the Supreme Guru
whose abode is in the thousand-petalled lotus. As an image is the
instrument (yantra) in which divinity (devatva) inheres, so also is the
body of guru. The day prior thereto the guru should, according to Tantra,
seat the intending candidate on a mat of kusha grass. He then makes japa of
a "sleep mantra" (supta-mantra) in his ear, and ties his crown
lock. The disciple, who should have fasted and observed sexual continence,
repeats the mantra thrice, prostrates himself at the feet of the guru, and
then retires to rest. Initiation, which follows, gives spiritual knowledge
and destroys sin. As one lamp is lit at the flame of another, so the divine
shanti, consisting of mantra, is communicated from the guru�s body to that of the
Shishya. Without daksha, japa of the mantra, puja, and other ritual acts,
are said to be useless. Certain mantra are also said to be forbidden to
shudra and women. A note, however, in the first Chalakshara Sutra, to the
Lalita would, however, show that even the shudra are not debarred the use
even of the Pranava, as is generally asserted. For, according to the Kalika
Purana (when dealing with svara or tone), whilst the udatta, an-udatta, and
prachita are appropriate to the first of these castes, the svara, called
aukara, with anusvara and nada, is appropriate to shudra, who may use the
Pranava, either at the beginning or end of mantra, but not, as the dvija
may, at both places. The mantra chosen for initiation should be suitable
(anukala). Whether a mantra is sva-kula or a-kula to the person about to be
initiated is ascertained by the kula-chakra, the zodiacal circle called
rashichakra and other chakra which may be found described in the
Tantra-sara. Initiation by a woman is efficacious; that by a mother is
eight-fold so. Certain special forms of initiation, called abhisheka, are
described in the next note.
Abhisheka
Abhisheka is of eight kinds, and the forms of abhisheka
which follow the first at later stages, mark greater and greater degrees of
initiation. The first shaktabhisheka is given on entrance into the path of
sadhana. It is so called because the guru then reveals to the shishya the
preliminery mysteries of shakti-tattva. By it the shishya is cleansed of
all sinful or evil shakti or proclivities, and acquires a wonderful new
shakti. The next purnabhisheka is given in the stage beyond dakshinachara,
when the disciple has qualified himself by purascharana and other practices
to receive it. Here the real work of sadhana begins. Asana, yama, etc.,
strengthen the disciple�s
determina,tion (pratijna) to persevere along the higher stages of sadhana.
The third is the difficult stage commenced by krama-dikshabhisheka, in which
it is said the great Vashishtha became involved, and in which the Rishi
Vishvamitra acquired brahma-jnana, and so became a Brahmana. The sacred
thread is now worn round the neck like a garland. The shishya, then
undergoing various ordeals (pariksha), receives samrajyabhisheka and
maha-samrajyabhisheka, and at length arrives at the most dificult of all
stages introduced by yoga-dikshabhisheka. In previous stages the sadhaka
has performed the panchanga-puraschharana, and, with the assistance of his
guru (with whom he must constantly reside, and whose instructions he must
receive direct), he does the panchanga-yoga �
that is, the last five limbs of the ashtanga. He is thereafter qualified
for purna-dikshabhisheka, and, following that, maha-purna-diksha-bhisheka,
sometimes called viraja-grahanabhisheka. On the attainment of perfection in
this last grade, the sadhaka performs his own funeral rite (shraddha),
makes purnahuti with his sacred thread and crown lock. The relation of guru
and shishya now ceases. From this point he ascends by himself until he
realizes the great saying, So�ham
("I am He"). At this stage, which the Tantra calls jivan-mukta
(liberated whilst yet living), he is called parama-hangsa.
Sadhana
Sadhana is that which produces siddhi (q.v.). It is the
means, or practice, by which the desired end may be attained, and consists
in the exercise and training of the body and psychic faculties, upon the
gradual perfection of which siddhi follows; the nature and degree of which,
again, depends upon the progress made towards the realization of the atma,
whose veiling vesture the body is. The means employed are various, such as
worship (puja), exterior or mental; shastric learning; austerities (tapas);
the pancha-tattva, mantra, and so forth. Sadhana takes on a special
character, according to the end sought. Thus, sadhana for brahma-jñana,
which consists in the acquisition of internal control (shama) over buddhi,
manas, and ahangkara; external control (dama) over the ten indriya,
discrimination between the transitory and the external, and renunciation
both of the world and heaven (svarga), is obviously different from that
prescribed for, say, the purposes of the lower magic. The sadhaka and
sadhika are respectively the man or woman who perform sadhana. They are,
according to their physical, mental, and moral qualities, divided into four
classes � mridu,
madhya, adhimatraka, and the highest adhimatrama, who is qualified
(adhikari) for all forms of yoga. In a similar way the Kaula division of
worshippers are divided into the prakriti, or common Kaula following
virachara, addicted to ritual practice, and sadhana, with pancha-tattva;
the madhyama-kaulika, or middling Kaula, accomplishing the same sadhana,
but with a mind more turned towards meditation, knowledge, and samadhi; and
the highest type of Kaula (kaulikottama), who, having surpassed all
ritualism, meditates upon the Universal Self.
Worship Generally
There are four different forms of worship corresponding
with four states (bhava). The realization that the jivatma and paramatma
are one, that everything is Brahman, and that nothing but the Brahman
exists, is the highest state, or brahma-bhava. Constant meditation by the
yoga process upon the Devata in the heart is the lower and middlemost
(dhyana-bhava) japa (q.v.) and stava (hymns and prayer) is still lower and
the lowest of all is mere external worship (puja) (q.v.). Puja-bhava is
that which arises out of the dualistic notions of worshipper and
worshipped; the servant and the Lord. This dualism exists in greater or
less degree in all the states except the highest. But for him who, having
realized the advaita-tattva, knows that all is Brahman, there is neither
worshipper nor worshipped, neither yoga nor puja, nor dharana, dhyana,
stava, japa, vrata, or other ritual or process of sadhana.
In external worship there is worship either of an image
(pratima), or of a yantra (q.v.), which takes its place. The sadhaka should
first worship inwardly the mental image of the form assumed by the Devi,
and then by the life-giving (prana-pratishtha) ceremony infuse the image
with Her life by the communication to it of the light and energy (tejas) of
the Brahman which is within him to the image without, from which there
bursts the lustre of Her whose substance is consciousness itself
(chaitanya-mayi). She exists as Shakti in stone or metal, or elsewhere, but
is there veiled and seemingly inert. Chaitanya (consciousness) is aroused
by the worshipper through the prana-pratishtha mantra.
Rites (karma) are of two kinds. Karma is either nitya nr
naimittika. The first is both daily and obligatory, and is done because so
ordained. Such as the sandhya (v. post), which in the case of Shudras is in
the Tantrik form; and daily puja (v. post) of the Ishta- and Kula-Devata
(v. post); and for Brahmamas the pancha-maha-yajna (v. post). The second or
conditional karma is occasional and voluntary, and is kamya when done to
gain some particular end, such as yajna for a particular object; tapas with
the same end (for certain forms of tapas are also nitya); and vrata (v.
post).
The Shudra is precluded from the performance of Vaidik
rites, or the reading of the Vedas, or the recital of the Vaidik mantra.
His worship is practically limited to that of the Ishta-Devata and the
Bana-linga-puja, with Tantrik and Pauranik mantra and such vrata as consist
in penance and charity. In other cases the vrata is performed through a
Brahmana. The Tantra makes no caste distinctions as regards worship. All
may read the Tantras, perform the Tantrik worship, such as the sandhya (v.
post), and recite the Tantrik mantra, such as the Tantrik Gayatri. All
castes, and even the lowest chandala, may be a member of a chakra, or
Tantrik circle of worship. In the chakra all its members partake of food
and drink together, and are deemed to be greater than Brahmanas; though
upon the break-up of the chakras the ordinary caste and social relations
are re-established. All are competent for the specially Tantrik worship,
for, in the words of the Gautamiya Tantra, the Tantra Shastra is for all
castes and for all women. The latter are also excluded under the present
Vaidik system, though it is said by Shankha Dharma-shastra-kara that the
wife may, with the consent of her husband, fast, take vows, perform homa
and vrata, etc. According to the Tantra, a woman may not only receive
mantra, but may, as a Guru, initiate and give it. She is worshipful as
Guru, and as wife of Guru. The Devi is Herself Guru of all Shastras and
woman, as, indeed, all females who are Her embodiments are, in a peculiar
sense, Her earthly representatives.
Forms of Achara
There are seven, or, as some say, nine, divisions of
worshippers. The extra divisions are bracketed in the following quotation.
The Kularnava Tantra mentions seven, which are given in their order of
superiority, the first being the lowest: Vedachara, Vaishnavachara,
Shaivachara, Dakshinachara, Vamachara, Siddhantachara (Aghorachara,
Yogachara), and Kaulachara, the highest of all. The achara is the way,
custom, and practice of a particular class of sadhaka. They are not, as
sometimes supposed, different sects, but stages through which the
worshipper in this or other births has to pass before he reaches the
supreme stage of the Kaula. Vedachara, which consists in the daily practice
of the Vaidik rites, is the gross body (sthula-deha), which comprises
within it all other acharas, which are, as it were, its subtle bodies
(sukshma-deha) of various degrees. The worship is largely of an external
and ritual character, the object of which is to strengthen dharma. This is
the path of action (kriya-marga). In the second stage the worshipper passes
from blind faith to an understanding of the supreme protecting energy of
the Brahman, towards which he has feelings of devotion. This is the path of
devotion (bhakti-marga), and the aim at this stage is the union of it and
faith previously acquired. With an increasing determination to protect
dharma and destroy a-dharma, the sadhaka passes into Shaivachara, the
warrior (kshatriya) stage, wherein to love and mercy are added strenuous
striving and the cultivation of power. There is union of faith, devotion
(bhakti), and inward determination (antar-laksha). Entrance is made upon
the path of knowledge (jnana-marga). Following this is Dakshinachara, which
in Tantra does not mean "right-hand worship," but
"favourable" �
that is, that achara which is favourable to the accomplishment of the
higher sadhana, and whereof the Devi is the Dakshina Kalika. This stage
commences when the worshipper can make dhyana and dharana of the threefold
shakti of the Brahman (kriya, ichchha, jñana), and understands the mutual
connection (samanvaya) of the three guna until he receives purnabhisheka
(q.v.). At this stage the sadhaka is Shakta, and qualified for the worship
of the threefold shakti of Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshvara. He is fully
initiated in the Gayatri-mantra, and worships the Devi Gayatri, the
Dakshina Kalika, or Adya Shakti �
the union of the three Shakti. This is the stage of individualistic
Brahmana-tattva, and its aim is the union of faith, devotion, and
determination, with a knowledge of the threefold energies. After this a
change of great importance occurs, marking, as it does, the entry upon the
path of return (nivritti). This it is which has led some to divide the
achara into the two broad divisions of Dakshinachara (including the first
four) and Vamachara (including the last three), it being said that men are
born into Dakshinachara, but are received by initiation into Vamachara. The
latter term does not mean, as is vulgarly supposed, "left-hand
worship," but the worship in which woman (vama) enters that is
lata-sadhana. In this achara there is also worship of the Vama Devi. Vija
is here "adverse," in that the stage is adverse to pravritti,
which governed in varying degrees the preceding achara, and entry is here
made upon the path of nivritti, or return to the source whence the world
sprung. Up to the fourth stage the sadhaka followed pravrittimarga, the
outgoing path which led from the source, the path of worldly enjoyment,
albeit curved by dharma. At first unconsciously, and later consciously,
sadhana sought to induce nivrittt, which, however, can only fully appear
after the exhaustion of the forces of the outward current. In Vamachara,
however, the sadhaka commences to directly destroy pravritti, and with the
help of the Guru (whose help throughout is in this necessary) to cultivate
nivritti. The method at this stage is to use the force of pravritti in such
a way as to render them self-destructive. The passions which bind may be so
employed as to act as forces whereby the particular life of which they are
the strongest manifestation is raised to the universal life. Passion, which
has hitherto run downwards and outwards to waste, is directed inwards and
upwards, and transformed to power. But it is not only the lower physical
desires of eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse which must be
subjugated. The sadhaka must at this stage commence to cut off all the
eight bonds (pasha) which mark the pashu which the Kularnava Tantra enumerates
as pity (daya), ignorance (moha), shame (lajja), family (kula), custom
(shila), and caste (varna). When Shri Krishna stole the clothes of the
bathing Gopi, and made them approach him naked, he removed the artificial
coverings which are imposed on man in the sangsara. The Gopi were eight, as
are the bonds (pasha), and the errors by which the jiva is misled are the
clothes which Shri Krishna stole. Freed of these, the jiva is liberated
from all bonds arising from his desires, family, and society. He then reaches
the stage of Shiva (shivatva). It is the aim of Vamachara to liberate from
the bonds which bind men to the sangsara, and to qualify the sadhaka for
the highest grades of sadhana in which the sattvika guna predominates. To
the truly sattvik there is neither attachment, fear, or disgust. That which
has been commenced in these stages is by degrees completed in those which
follow � viz.:
Siddhantachara, and according to some, Aghorachara and Yogachara. The
sadhaka becomes more and more freed from the darkness of the sangsara, and
is attached to nothing, hates nothing, and is ashamed of nothing, having
freed himself of the artificial bonds of family, caste, and society. The
sadhaka becomes, like Shiva himself, a dweller in the cremation ground
(smashana). He learns to reach the upper heights of sadhana and the
mysteries of yoga. He learns the movements of the different vayu in the
microcosm the Kshudra-brahmanda, the regulation of which controls the
inclinations and propensities (vritti). He learns also the truth which
concern the macrocosm (brahmanda). Here also the Guru teaches him the inner
core of Vedachara. Initiation by yoga-diksha fully qualifies him for
yogachara. On attainment of perfection in ashtanga-yoga, he is fit to enter
the highest stage of Kaulachara.Kaula-dharma is in no wise sectarian, but,
on the contrary, is the heart of all sects. This is the true meaning of the
phrase which, like many another touching the Tantra, is misunderstood, and
used to fix the kaula with hypocrisy �
antah-shaktah, vahih-shaivah sabhayang vaishnavahmatah nana � rupadharah kaulah
vicharanti mahitale (outwardly Shaivas; in gatherings, Vaishnavas; at
heart, Shaktas; under various forms the Kaulas wander on earth). A Kaula is
one who has passed through these and other stages, which have as their own
inmost doctrine (whether these worshippers know it or not) that of
Kaulachara. It is indifferent what the Kaula�s
apparent sect may be. The form is nothing and everything. It is nothing in
the sense that it has no power to narrow the Kaula�s own inner life; it is everything in
the sense that knowledge may infuse its apparent limitations with an
universal meaning. So understood, form is never a bond. The Vishva-sara
Tantra, says of the Kaula that "for him there is neither rule of time;
nor place. His actions are unaffected either by the phases of the moon or
the position of the stars. The Kaula roams the earth in differing forms. At
times adhering to social rules (shishta), he at others appears, according
to their standard, to be fallen (bhrashta). At times, again, he seems to be
as unearthly as a ghost (bhuta or pishacha) To him no difference is there
between mud and sandal paste, his son and an enemy, home and the cremation
ground."
At this stage the sadhaka attains to Brahma-jnana, which
is the true gnosis in its perfect form. On receiving mahapurna-daksha he
performs his own funeral rites and is dead to the sangsara. Seated alone in
some quiet place, he remains in constant samadhi, and attains its
nir-vikalpa form. The Great Mother, the Supreme Prakriti Maha-shakti,
dwells in the heart of the sadhaka, which is now the cremation ground
wherein all passions have been burnt away. He becomes a Parama-hangsa, who
is liberated whilst yet living (javan-mukta).
It must not, however, be supposed that each of these
stages must necessarily be passed through by each jiva in a single life. On
the contrary, they are ordinarily traversed in the course of a multitude of
births. The weaving of the spiritual garment is recommenced where in a previous
birth, it was dropped on death. In the present life a sadhaka may commence
at any stage. If he is born into Kaulachara, and so is a Kaula in its
fullest sense, it is because in previous births he has by sadhana, in the
preliminary stages, won his entrance into it. Knowledge of Shakti is, as
the Niruttara Tantra says, acquired after many births; and, according to
the Mahanirvana Tantra, it is by merit acquired in previous births that the
mind is inclined to Kaulachara.
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Mantra
Shabda, or sound, which is of the Brahman, and as such
the cause of the Brahmanda, is the manifestation of the Chit-shakti Itself.
The Vishva-sara Tantra says that tha Para-brahman, as Shabda-brahman, whose
substance is all mantra, exists in the body of the jivatma. It is either
unlettered (dhvani) or lettered (varna). The former, which produces the latter,
is the subtle aspect of the jiva�s
vital shakti. As the Prapancha-sara states, the brahmanda is pervaded by
shakti, consisting of dhvani, also called nada, prana, and the like. The
manifestation of the gross form (sthula) of shabda is not possible unless
shabda exists in a subtle (sukshma) form. Mantras are all aspects of the
Brahman and manifestations of Kula-kundalini. Philosophically shabda is the
guna of akasha, or ethereal space. It is not, however, produced by akasha,
but manifests in it. Shabda is itself the Brahman. In the same way,
however, as in outer space, waves of sound are produced by movements of air
(vayu); so in the space within the jiva�s
body waves of sound are produced according to the movements of the vital
air (prana-vayu) and the process of inhalation and exhalation. Shabda first
appears at the muladhara, and that which is known to us as such is, in
fact, the shakti which gives life to the jiva. She it is who, in the
muladhara, is the cause of the sweet indistinct and murmuring dhvani, which
sounds like the humming of a black bee.
The extremely subtle aspect of sound which first appears
in the Muladhara is called para; less subtle when it has reached the heart,
it is known as pashyanti. When connected with buddhi it becomes more gross,
and is called madhyama. Lastly, in its fully gross form, it issues from the
mouth as vaikhari. As Kula-Kundalini, whose substance is all varna and
dhvani, is but the manifestation of, and Herself the Paramatma; so the
substance of all mantra is chit, notwithstanding their external
manifestation, as sound, letters, or words; in fact, the letters of the
alphabet, which are known as akshara, are nothing but the yantra of the
akshara, or imperishable Brahman. This, however, is only realized by the
sadhaka when his shakti, generated by sadhana, is united with the
mantra-shakti.
It is the sthula or gross form of Kulakundalini,
appearing in different aspects as different Devata, which is the presiding
Devata (adhishthatri) of all mantra, though it is the subtle or sukshma
form at which all sadhakas aim. When the mantrashakti is awakened by
sadhana the Presiding Devata appears, and when perfect mantra-siddhi is
acquired, the Devata, who is sachchidananda, is revealed. The relations of
varna, nada, vindu, vowel and consonant in a mantra, indicate the
appearance of Devata in different forms. Certain vibhuti, or aspects, of
the Devata are inherent in certain varna, but perfect Shakti does not
appear in any but a whole mantra. Any word or letter of the mantra cannot be
a mantra. Only that mantra in which the playful Devata has revealed any of
Her particular aspects can reveal that aspect, and is therefore called the
individual mantra of that one of Her particular aspects. The form of a
particular Devata, therefore, appears out of the particular mantra of which
that Devata is the adhishthatri Devata.
A mantra is composed of certain letters arranged in
definite sequence of sounds of which the letters are the representative
signs. To produce the designed effect mantra must be intoned in the proper
way, according to svara (rhythm), and varna (sound). Their textual source
is to be found in Veda, Purana, and Tantra. The latter is essentially the
mantra-shastra, and so it is said of the embodied shastra, that Tantra,
which consists of mantra, is the paramatma, the Vedas are the jivatma,
Darshana (systems of philosophy) are the senses, Puranas are the body, and
Smriti are the limbs. Tantra is thus the shakti of consciousness,
consisting of mantra. A mantra is not the same thing as prayer or
self-dedication (atma-nivedana). Prayer is conveyed in what words the
worshipper chooses, and bears its meaning on its face. It is only ignorance
of shastrik principle which supposes that mantra is merely the name for the
words in which one expresses what one has to say to the Divinity. If it
were, the sadhaka might choose his own language without recourse to the
eternal and determined sounds of Shastra.
A mantra may, or may not, convey on its face its
meaning. Vija (seed) mantra, such as Aing, Kling, Hring, have no meaning,
according to the ordinary use of language. The initiate, however, knows
that their meaning is the own form (sva-rupa) of the particular Devata,
whose mantra they are, and that they are the dhvani which makes all letters
sound and which exists in all which we say or hear. Every mantra is, then,
a form (rupa) of the Brahman. Though, therefore, manifesting in the form
and sound of the letters of the alphabet, Shastra says that they go to Hell
who think that the Guru is but a stone, and the mantra but letters of the
alphabet.
From manana, or thinking, arises the real understanding
of the monistic truth, that the substance of the Brahman and the brahmanda
are one and the same. Man- of mantra comes from the first syllable of
manana, and -tra from trana, or liberation from the bondage of the sangsara
or phenomenal world. By the combination of man- and -tra, that is called
mantra which calls forth (amantrana), the chatur-varga (vide post), or four
aims of sentient being. Whilst, therefore, mere prayer often ends in
nothing but physical sound, mantra is a potent compelling force, a word of
power (the fruit of which is mantra-siddhi), and is thus effective to
produce the chatur-varga, advaitic perception, and mukti. Thus it is said
that siddhi is the certain result of japa (q.v.). By Mantra the sought for
(sadhya) Devata, is attained and compelled. By siddhi in mantra is opened
the vision of the three worlds. Though the purpose of worship (puja),
reading (patha), hymn (stava), sacrifice (homa), dhyana, dharana, and
samadhi (vide post), and that of the diksha-mantra are the same, yet the
latter is far more powerful, and this for the reason that, in the first,
the sadhaka�s
sadhana-shakti only operates, whilst in the case of mantra that sadhana-shakti
works, in conjunction with mantra-shakti, which has the revelation and
force of fire, and than which nothing is more powerful. The special mantra
which is received at initiation (diksha) is the vija, or seed mantra, sown
in the field of the sadhaka�s
heart, and the Tantrik sandhya, nyasa, puja, and the like are the stem and
branches upon which hymns of praise (stuti) and prayer and homage (vandana)
are the leaves and flower, and the kavacha, consisting of mantra, the
fruit.
Mantra are solar (saura) and lunar (saumya), and are
masculine, feminine, or neuter. The solar are masculine and lunar feminine.
The masculine and neuter forms are called mantra. The feminine mantra is
known as vidya. The neuter mantra, such as the Pauranik-mantra, ending with
namah, are said to lack the force and vitality of the others. The masculine
and feminine mantra end differently. Thus, Hung, Phat, are masculine
terminations, and "thang," or svaha, are feminine ones.
The Nitya Tantra gives various names to mantra. according
to the number of their syllables, a one-syllabled mantra being called
pinda, a three-syllabled one kartari, a mantra with four to nine syllables
vija, with ten to twenty syllables mantra, and mantra with more than twenty
syllables mala. Commonly, however, the term vija is applied to monosyllabic
mantra. The Tantrik mantras called vija (seed) are so named because they
are the seed of the fruit, which is siddhi, and because they are the very
quintessence of mantra. They are short, unetymological vocables, such as
Hring, Shring, Kring, Hung, Aing, Phat, etc., which will be found
throughout the text. Each Devata has His or Her vija. The primary mantra of
a Devata is known as the root mantra (mula-mantra). It is also said that
the word mula denotes the subtle body of the Devata called Kama-kala. The
utterance of a mantra without knowledge of its meaning or of the mantra
method is a mere movement of the lips and nothing more. The mantra sleeps.
There are various processes preliminary to, and involved in, its right
utterance, which processes again consist of mantra, such as, purification
of the mouth (mukha-shodhana), purification of the tongue (jihva-shodhana),
and of the mantra (ashaucha-bhanga), kulluka, nirvvana, setu, nidra-bhanga,
awakening of mantra, mantra-chaitanya, or giving of life or vitality to the
mantra. Mantrarthabhavana, forming of mental image of the Divinity. There
are also ten sangskara of the mantra. Dipani is seven japa of the vija,
preceded and followed by one. Where hring is employed instead of Ong it is
prana-yoga. Yoni-mudra is meditation on the Guru in the head and on the
Ishta-devata in the heart, and then on the Yoni-rupa Bhagavati from the
head to the muladhara, and from the muladhara to the head, making japa of
the yoni vija (eng) ten times. The mantra itself is Devata. The worshipper
awakens and vitalizes it by chit-shakti, putting away all thought of the
letter, piercing the six Chakra, and contemplating the Spotless One. The
shakti of the mantra is the vachaka-shakti, or the means by which the
vachya-shakti or object of the mantra is attained. The mantra lives by the
energy of the former. The saguna-shanti is awakened by sadhana and
worshipped, and She it is who opens the portals whereby the vachya-shakti
is reached. Thus the Mother in Her saguna form is the presiding deity
(adhishthatri Devata) of the Gayatri-mantra. As the nirguna (formless) One,
She is its vachya-shakti. Both are in reality one and the same; but the
jiva, by the laws of his nature and its three guna, must first meditate on
the gross (sthula) form before he can realize the subtle (sukshma) form,
which is his liberator.
The mantra of a Devata is the Devata. The rhythmical
vibrations of its sounds not merely regulate the unsteady vibrations of the
sheaths of the worshipper, thus transforming him, but from it arises the
form of the Devata, which it is. Mantra-siddhi is the ability to make a
mantra efficacious and to gather its fruit in which case the mantra is
called mantra-siddha. Mantra are classified as siddha, sadhya, susiddha,
and ari, according as they are friends, servers, supporters, or destroyers � a matter which is
determined for each sadhaka by means of chakra calculations.
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The Gayatri Mantra
The Gayatri is the most sacred of all Vaidik mantras. In
it the Veda lies embodied as in its seed. It runs: Ong bhur bhuvah svah:
tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi: dhiyo yo nah prachodayat. Om.
"Ong. Let us contemplate the wondrous spirit of the Divine Creator
(Savitri) of the earthly, atmospheric, and celestial spheres. May He direct
our minds (that is, �towards� the attainment of
dharmma., artha, kama, and moksha), Om."
The Gayatrt-Vyakarana of Yogi Yajnavalkya thus explains
the following words: Tat, that. The word yat (which) is understood. Savituh
is the possessive case of Savitri, derived from the root su, "to bring
forth." Savitri is, therefore, the Bringer-forth of all that exists.
The Sun (Suryya) is the cause of all that exists, and of the state in which
they exist. Bringing forth and creating all things, it is called Savitri.
The Bhavishya Purana says Suryya is the visible Devata. He is the Eye of
the world and the Maker of the day. There is no other Devata eternal like
unto Him. This universe has emanated from, and will be again absorbed into,
Him. Time is of and in Him. The planets, sta.rs, the Vasus. Rudras, Vayu,
Agni, and the rest are but parts of Him. By Bhargah is meant the
Aditya-devata, dwelling in the region of the Sun (suryya-mandala) in all
His might and glory. He is to the Sun what our spirit (atma) is to our
body. Though He is in the region of the sun in the outer or material sphere
He also dwells in our inner selves. He is the light of the light in the
solar circle, and is the light of the lives of all beings. As He is in the
outer ether, so also is He in the ethereal region of the heart. In the
outer ether He is Suryya, and in the inner ether He is the wonderful Light
which is the Smokeless Fire. In short, that Being whom the sadhaka realizes
in the region of his heart is the Aditya in the heavenly firmament. The two
are one. The word is derived in two ways: (1) from the root bhrij, "to
ripen, mature, destroy, reveal, shine." In this derivation Suryya is
He who matures and transforms all things. He Himself shines and reveals all
things by His light. And it is He who at the final Dissolution (pralaya)
will in His image of destructive Fire (kalagni) destroy all things. (2)
From bha = dividing all things into different classes; ra = colour; for He
produces the colour of all created objects; ga, constantly going and
returning. The sun divides all things, produces the different colours of
all things, and is constantly going and returning. As the Brahmana-sarvasva
says: "The Bhargah is the Atma of all that exists, whether moving or
motionless, in the three loka (Bhur bhuvah svah). There is nothing which exists
apart from it."
Devasya is the genitive of Deva, agreeing with Savituh.
Deva is the radiant and playful (lilamaya) one. Suryya is in constant play
with creation (srishti), existence (sthiti), and destruction (pralaya), and
by His radiance pleases all. (Lila, as applied to the Brahman, is the
equivalent of maya.) Varenyam = varaniya, or adorable. He should be
meditated upon and adored that we may be relieved of the misery of birth
and death. Those who fear rebirth, who desire freedom from death and liberation
and who strive to escape the three kinds of pain (tapa-traya), which are
adhyatmika, adhidaivika, and adhibhautika, meditate upon and adore the
Bharga, who, dwelling in the region of the Sun, is Himself the three
regions called Bhur-loka, Bhuvar-loka, and Svar-loka. Dhimahi = dhya-yema,
from the root dhyai. We meditate upon, or let us meditate upon.
Prachodayat = may He direct. The Gayatri does not so
expressly state, but it is understood that such direction is along the
chatur-varga, or four-fold path, which is dharmma, artha, kama, and moksha
(piety, wealth, desire and its fulfilment, and liberation, vide post). The
Bhargah is ever directing our inner faculties (buddhi-vritti) along these
paths.
The above is the Vaidika Gayatri, which, according to
the Vaidik system, none but the twice-born may utter. To the Shudra whether
man or woman, and to women of all other castes it is forbidden. The Tantra,
which has Gayatri-Mantra of its own, shows no such exclusiveness; Chapter
III., verses 109-111, gives the Brahma-gayatri for worshippers of the
Brahman: "Parameshva-raya vidmahe para-tattvaya dhimahi: tan no Brahma
prachodayat "(May we know the supreme Lord. Let us contemplate the
Supreme essence. And may that Brahman direct us).
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Yantra
This word in its most general sense means an instrument,
or that by which anything is accomplished. In worship it is that by which
the mind is fixed on its object. The Yogini Tantra says that the Devi
should be worshipped either in pratima (image), mandala, or yantra. At a
certain stage of spiritual progress the sadhaka is qualified to worship
yantra. The siddha-yogi in inward worship (antar-puja) commences with the
worship of yantra, which is the sign (sangketa) of brahma-vijnana as the
mantra is the sangketa of the Devata. It is also said that yantra is so
called because it subdues (niyantrana) lust, anger, and the other sins of
jiva and the sufferings caused thereby.
This yantra is a diagram engraved or drawn on metal,
paper, or other substances, which is worshipped in the same manner as an
image (pratima). As different mantra are prescribed for different worships,
so are different yantra. The yantras are therefore of various designs,
according to the object of worship. The cover of this work shows a silver
Gayatri yantra belonging to the author. In the centre triangle are engraved
in the middle the words, Shri Shri Gayatri sva-prasada siddhing kuru
("Shri Shri Gayatri Devi: grant me success"), and at each inner
corner there are the vija Hring and Hrah. In the spaces formed by the
intersections of the outer ovoid circles is the vija "Hring." The
outside circular band contains the vija "Tha" which indicates
"Svaha," commonly employed to terminate the feminine mantra or
vidya. The eight lotus petals which spring from the band are inscribed with
the vija, "Hring, Ing, Hrah." The outermost band contains all the
matrika, or letters of the alphabet, from ankara to laksha. The whole is
enclosed in the way common to all yantra by a bhupura, by which, as it
were, the yantra is enclosed from the outer world. The yantra when
inscribed with mantra, serves (so far as these are concerned) the purpose
of a mnemonic chart of the mantra appropriate to the particular Devata
whose presence is to be invoked into the yantra. Certain preliminaries
precede, as in the case of a pratima, the worship of a yantra. The
worshipper first meditates upon the Devata, and then arouses Him or Her in
himself. He then communicates the divine presence thus aroused to the
yantra. When the Devata has by the appropriate mantra been invoked into the
yantra, the vital airs (prana) of the Devata are infused therein by the
prana-pratishtha ceremony, mantra, and mudra. The Devata is thereby
installed in the yantra, which is no longer mere gross matter veiling the
spirit which has been always there, but instinct with its aroused presence,
which the sadhaka first welcomes and then worships. Mantra in itself is
Devata, and yantra is mantra in that it is the body of the Devata who is
mantra.
Mudra
The term mudrais derived from the root mud, "to
please," and in its upasana form is so called because it gives
pleasure to the Devas. Devanang moda-da mudra tasmat tang yatnatashcharet.
It is said that there are 108, of which 55 are commonly used. The term
means ritual gestures made with the hands in worship or positions of the
body in yoga practice. Thus of the first class the matsya � (fish) mudra is
formed in offering arghya by placing the right hand on the back of the left
and extending, fin-like, on each side the two thumbs, with the object that
the conch which contains water may be regarded as an ocean with aquatic
animals; and the yoni-mudra which presents that organ as a triangle formed
by the thumbs, the two first fingers, and the two little fingers is shown
with the object of invoking the Devi to come and take Her place before the
worshipper, the yoni being considered to be Her pitha or yantra. The
upasana mudra is thus nothing but the outward expression of inner resolve
which it at the same time intensifies. Mudra are employed in worship
(archchana) japa, dhyana (q.v.), kamya-karma (rites done to effect
particular objects), pratishtha (q.v.), snana (bathing), avahana
(welcoming), naivedya (offering of food), and visarjana, or dismissal of
the Devata. Some mudra of hatha yoga are described sub voc.
"Yoga." The Gheranda Sanghita says that knowledge of the yoga
mudras grants all siddhi, and that their performance produces physical
benefits such as stability, firmness and cure of disease.
Sandhya
The Vaidika sandhya is the rite performed by the
twice-born castes thrice a day, at morning, midday, and evening. The
morning sandhya is preceded by the following acts. On awakening, a mantra
is said in invocation of the Tri-murtti and the sun, moon, and planets, and
salutation is made to the Guru. The Hindu dvi-ja then recites the miantra:
"I am a Deva. I am indeed the sorrowless Brahman. By nature I am
eternally free, and in the form of existence, intelligence, and
Bliss." He then offers the actions of the day to the Deity, confesses
his inherent frailty, and prays that he may do right. Then, leaving his bed
and touching the earth with his right foot, the dvi-ja says, "Om, 0
Earth! salutation to Thee, the Guru of all that is good." After
attending to natural calls, the twice-born does achamana (sipping of water)
with mantra, cleanses his teeth, and takes his early morning bath to the
accompaniment of mantra. He then puts on his caste-mark (tilaka) and makes
tarpanam, or oblation of water, to the Deva, Rishi, and Pitri. The sandhya
follows, which consists of achamana (sipping of water), marjjana-snanam
(sprinkling of the whole body with water taken with the hand or
kasha-grass), pranayama (regulation of prana through its manifestation in
breath), agha-marshana (expulsion of the person of sin from the body; the
prayer to the sun, and then (the canon of the sandhya) the silent
recitation (japa) of the Gayatn mantra, which consists of invocation
(avahana) of the Gayatri-Devi; rishi-nyasa and shadanga-nyasa (vide post),
meditation on the Devi-Gayatri in the morning as Brahmani; at midday as
Vaishnavi; and in the evening as Rudrani; japa of the Gayatri a specified
number of times; dismissal (visarjana) of the Devi, followed by other
mantra.
Besides the Brahmanical Vaidiki-sandhya from which the
Shudras are debarred, there is the Tantriki-sandhya, which may be performed
by all. The general outline is similar; the rite is simpler; the mantra
vary; and the Tantrika-vijas or "seed" mantras are employed.
Puja
This word is the common term for worship of which there
are numerous synonyms in the Sanskrit language. Puja is done daily of the
Ishta-devata or the particular Deity worshipped by the sadhaka � the Devi in the case
of a Shakti, Vishnu in the case of a Vaishnava, and so forth. But though
the Ishta-devata is the principal object of worship, yet in puju all
worship the Pancha-devata, or the Five Deva �
Aditya (the Sun), Ganesha, the Devi, Shiva, and Vishnu, or Narayana. After
worship of the Pancha-devata, the family Deity (Kula-devata), who is
generally the same as the Ishta-devata, is worshipped. Puja, which is
kamya, or done to gain a particular end as also vrata, are preceded by the
sangkalpa; that is, a statement of the resolution to do the worship, as
also of the particular object, if any, with which it is done.
There are sixteen upachara, or things done or used in
puja: (1) asana (seat of the image); (2) svagata (welcome); (3) padya
(water for washing the feet); (4) arghya (offering of unboiled rice,
flowers, sandal paste, durva grass, etc., to the Devata in the kushi)
(vessel); (5 and 6) achamana (water for sipping, which is offered twice);
(7) madhuparka (honey, ghee, milk, and curd offered in a silver or brass
vessel); (8) snana (water for bathing); (9) vasana (cloth); (10) abharana
(jewels); (11) gandha (scent and sandal paste is given); (12) pushpa
(flowers); (13) dhupa (incense stick); (14) dipa (light); (15) naivedya
(food); (16) vandana or namas-kara (prayer). Other articles are used which
vary with the puja, such as Tulasi leaf in the Vishnu-puju and bael-(bilva)
leaf in the Shiva-puja. The mantras said also vary according to the
worship. The seat (asana) of the worshipper is purified. Salutation being
made to the Shakti of support or the sustaining force (adhara-shakti); the
water, flowers, etc., are purified. All obstructive spirits are driven away
(Bhutapasarpana), and the ten quarters are fenced from their attack by
striking the earth three times with the left foot, uttering the Astra vija
"phat," and by snapping the fingers (twice) round the head.
Pranayama (regulation of breath) is performed and (vide post) the elements
of the body are purified (bhuta-shuddhi). There is nyasa (vide post);
dhyana (meditation) offering of the upachara; japa (vide post), prayer and
obeisance (pranama). In the ashta-murti-puja of Shiva the Deva is
worshipped under the eight forms: Sharvva (Earth), Bhava (Water), Rudra
(Fire), Ugra (Air), Bhima (Ether), Pashupati (yajamana � the Sacrificer man),
Ishana (Sun), Mahadeva (Moon).
Yajna
This word, which comes from the root yaj (to worship),
is commonly translated "sacrifice." The Sanskrit word is,
however, retained in the translation, since Yajna means other things also
than those which come within the meaning of the word "sacrifice,"
as understood by an English reader. Thus the "five great
sacrifices" (pancha-maha-yajna) which should be performed daily by the
Brahmana are: The homa sacrifice, including Vaishva-deva offering,
"bhuta-yajna or vali, in which offerings are made to Deva, Bhuta, and
other Spirits and to animals; pitri-yajna or tarpana, oblations to the
pitri; Brahma-yajna, or study of the Vedas and Manushyayajna, or
entertainment of guests (atithisaparyya). By these five yajna the
worshipper places himself in right relations with all being, affirming such
relation between Deva, Pitri, Spirits, men, the organic creation, and
himself.
Homa, or Deva-yajna, is the making of offerings to Fire.
which is the carrier thereof to the Deva. A firepit (kunda) is prepared and
fire when brought from the house of a Brahmana is consecrated with mantra.
The fire is made conscious with the mantra �
Vang vahni-chaitanyaya namah, and then saluted and named. Meditation is
then made on the three nadis (vide ante) �
Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna �
and on Agni, the Lord of Fire. Offerings are made to the Ishta-devata in
the fire. After the puja of fire, salutation is given as in Shadanga-nyasa,
and then clarified butter (ghee) is poured with a wooden spoon into the
fire with mantra, commencing with Om and ending with Svaha. Homa is of
various kinds, several of which are referred to in the text, and is
performed either daily, as in the case of the ordinary
nitya-vaishva-deva-homa, or on special occasions, such as the upanayana or
sacred thread ceremony, marriage, vrata, and the like. It is of various
kinds, such as prayashchitta-homa, srishtikrit-homa, janu homa, dhara-homa,
and others, some of which will be found in the text.
Besides the yajna mentioned there are others. Manu
speaks of four kinds: deva, bhauta (where articles and ingredients are
employed, as in the case of homa, daiva, vali), nriyajna, and pitri-yajna.
Others are spoken of, such as japa-yajna, dhyana-yajna, etc. Yajna are also
classified according to the dispositions and intentions of the worshipper
into sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika yajna.
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Vrata
Vrata is a part of Naimittika, or voluntary karma. It is
that which is the cause of virtue (punya), and is done to achieve its
fruit. Vrata are of various kinds. Some of the chief are Janmashtami on
Krishna�s
birthday; Shiva-ratri in honour of Shiva; and the Shat-panchami,
Durvashtami, Tala-navami. Ananta-chaturdashi performed at specified times
in honour of Lakshmi, Narayana, and Ananta. Others may be performed at any
time, such as the Savitri vrata by women only, and the Karttikeya-puja by
men only. The great vrata is the celebrated Durga-puja, maha-vrata in
honour of the Devi as Durga, which will continue as long as the sun and
moon endure, and which, if once commenced, must always be continued. There
are numerous other vrata which have developed to a great extent in Bengal,
and for which there is no Shastric authority such as Madhu-sankranti-vrata,
Jala-sankranti-vrata, and others. While each vrata has its peculiarities,
certain features are common to vrata of differing kinds. There is both in
preparation and performance sangyama, such as sexual continence, eating of
particular food, such as havishyanna, fasting, bathing. No flesh or fish
are taken. The mind is concentrated to its purposes, and the vow or
resolution (niyama) is taken. Before the vrata the Sun, Planets, and
Kula-devata are worshipped, and by the "suryahsomoyamahkala"
mantra all Deva and Beings are invoked to the side of the worshipper. In
the vaidika vrata the sangkalpa is made in the morning, and the vrata is
done before midday.
Tapas
This term is generally translated as meaning penance or
austerities. It includes these, such as the four monthly fast
(chatur-masya), the sitting between five fires (pancha-gnitapah), and the
like. It has, however, also a wider meaning, and in this wider sense is of
three kinds, namely, sharira, or bodily; vachika, by speech; manasa, in
mind. The first includes external worship, reverence, and support given to
the Guru, Brahmanas, and the wise (prajna), bodily cleanliness, continence,
simplicity of life and avoidance of hurt to any being (a-hingsa). The
second form includes truth, good, gentle, and affectionate speech, and the
study of the Vedas. The third or mental tapas in-cludes self-restraint,
purity of disposition, silence, tranquillity, and silence. Each of these
classes has three subdivisions, for tapas may be sattvika, rajasika, or
tamasika, according as it is done with faith, and without regard to its
fruit; or for its fruit; or is done through pride and to gain honour and
respect; or, lastly, which is done ignorantly or with a view to injure and
destroy others, such as the sadhana of the Tantrika-shat-karma, when
performed for a malevolent purpose (abhichara).
Japa
Japa is defined as "vidhanena mantrochcharanam,"
or the repeated utterance or recitation of mantra according to certain
rules. It is according to the Tantra-sara of three kinds: Vachika or verbal
japa, in which the mantra is audibly recited, the fifty matrika being
sounded nasally with vindu; Upangshu-japa, which is superior to the last
kind, and in which the tongue and lips are moved, but no sound, or only a
slight whisper, is heard; and, lastly, the highest form which is called
manasa-japa, or mental utterance. In this there is neither sound nor
movement of the external organs, but a repetition in the mind which is
fixed on the meaning of the mantra. One reason given for the differing
values attributed to the several forms is that where there is audible
utterance the mind thinks of the words and the process of correct
utterance, and is therefore to a greater (as in the case of vachika-japa),
or to a less degree (as in the case of upangshu-japa), distracted from a
fixed attention to the meaning of the mantra. The japa of different kinds have
also the relative values attachable to thought and its materialization in
sound and word. Certain conditions are prescribed as those under which japa
should be done, relating to physical cleanliness, the dressing of the hair,
and wearing of silk garments, the seat (asana), the avoidance of certain
conditions of mind and actions, and the nature of the recitation. The japa
is useless unless done a specified number of times � of which 108 is esteemed to be
excellent. The counting is done either with a mala or rosary (mala-japa),
or with the thumb of the right hand upon the joints of the fingers of that
hand (kara-japa). The method of counting in the latter case may differ
according to the mantra.
Sangskara
There are ten (or, in the case of Shudras, nine) purificatory
ceremonies, or "sacraments," called sangskara, which are done to
aid and purify the jiva in the important events of his life. These are
jiva-sheka, also called garbhadhana-ritu-sangskara, performed after
menstruation, with the object of insuring and sanctifying conception. The
garbhadhana ceremony takes place in the daytime on the fifth day, and
qualifies for the real garbhadhana at night �
that is, the placing of the seed in the womb. It is preceded on the first
day by the ritu-sangskara which is mentioned in Chapter IX. of the text.
After conception and during pregnancy, the pung-savana and simantonnayana
rites are performed; the first upon the wife perceiving the signs of
conception, and the second during the fourth, sixth, or eighth month of
pregnancy.
In the ante-natal life there are three main stages,
whether viewed from the objective (physical) standpoint, or from the
subjective (super-physical) standpoint. The first period includes on the
physical side all the structural and physiological changes which occur in
the fertilized ovum from the moment of fertilization until the period when
the embryonic body, by the formation of trunk, limbs, and organs, is fit
for the entrance of the individualized life, or jivatma. When the
pronuclear activity and differentiation are completed, the jivatma, whose
connection with the pronuclei initiated the pro-nuclear or formative
activity, enters the miniature human form, and the second stage of growth
and de-velopment begins. The second stage is the fixing of the connection
between the jiva and the body, or the rendering of the latter viable. This
period includes all the anatomical and physiological modifications by which
the embryonic body becomes a viable f�tus.
With the attainment of viability, the stay of the jiva has been assured;
physical life is possible for the child, and the third stage in ante-natal
life is entered. Thus, on the form side, if the language of comparative
embryology is used, the first sangskara denotes the impulse to development,
from the "fertilization of the ovum" to the "critical
period." The second sangskara denotes the impulse to development from
the "critical period" to that of the "viability stage of the
f�tus ";
and the third sangskara denotes the development from "viability"
to "full term."On the birth of the child there is the jata-karma,
performed for the continued life of the new-born child. Then follows the
nama-karana, or naming ceremony, and nishkramana in the fourth month after
delivery, when the child is taken out of doors for the first time and shown
the sun, the vivifying source of life, the material embodiment of the
Divine Savita. Between the fifth and eighth month after birth the
annaprasana ceremony is observed, when rice is put in the child�s mouth for the first
time. Then follows the chuda-karana, or tonsure ceremony; and in the case
of the first three, or "twice-born" classes, upanayana, or
investiture with the sacred thread. Herein the jiva is reborn into
spiritual life. There is, lastly, udvaha, or marriage, whereby the
unperfected jiva insures through offspring that continued human life which
is the condition of its progress and ultimate return to its Divine Source.
These are all described in the Ninth Chapter of this Tantra. There are also
ten sangskara of the mantra (q.v.). The sangskara are intended to be
performed at certain stages in the development of the human body, with the
view to effect results beneficial to the human organism. Medical science of
to-day seeks to reach the same results, but uses for this purpose the
physical methods of modern Western science, suited to an age of
materiality; whereas in the sangskara the super-physical (psychic, or
occult, or metaphysical and subjective) methods of ancient Eastern science
are employed. The sacraments of the Catholic Church and other of its
ceremonies, some of which have now fallen into disuse, are Western examples
of the same psychic method.
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Purashcharana
This form of sadhana consists in the repetition (after
certain preparations and under certain conditions) of a mantra a large
number of times. The ritual deals with the time and place of performance,
the measurements and decoration of the mandapa, or pandal, and of the altar
and similar matters. There are certain rules as to food both prior to, and
during, its performance. The sadhaka should eat havishyanna, or alternately
boiled milk (kshira), fruits, or Indian vegetables, or anything obtained by
begging, and avoid all food calculated to influence the passions. Certain
conditions and practices are enjoined for the destruction of sin, such as
continence, bathing, japa (q.v.) of the Savitri-mantra 5,008, 3,008, or
1,008 times, the entertainment of Brahmamas, and so forth. Three days
before puja there is worship of Ganesha and Kshetra-pala, Lord of the Place.
Pancha-gavya, or the five products of the cow, are eaten. The Sun, Moon,
and Devas are invoked. Then follows the sangkalpa. The ghata, or kalasa
(jar), is then placed into which the Devi is to be invoked. A mandala, or
figure of a particular design, is marked on the ground, and on it the ghata
is placed. Then the five or nine gems are placed on the kalasa, which is
painted with red and covered with leaves. The ritual then prescribes for
the tying of the crown lock (shikha), the posture (asana) of the sadhaka;
japa (q.v.) nyasa (q.v.), and the mantra ritual or process. There is
meditation, as directed. Kulluka is said, and the mantra
"awakened" (mantra-chaitanya), and recited the number of times
for which the vow has been taken.
Bhuta-shuddhi
The object of this ritual, which is described in Chapter
V., verses 93 et seq., is the purification of the elements of which the
body is composed.
The Mantra-mahodadhi speaks of it as a rite which is
preliminary to the worship of a Deva. The process of evolution from the
Para-brahman has been described. By this ritual a mental process of
involution takes place whereby the body is in thought resolved into the
source from whence it has come. Earth is associated with the sense of
smell, water, with taste, fire, with sight, air, with touch, and ether,
with sound. Kundalini is roused, and led to the svadhishthana Chakra. The
"earth" element is dissolved by that of "water," as
"water" is by "fire," "fire" by "air,"
and "air" by "ether." This is absorbed by a higher
emanation, and that by a higher, and so on, until the Source of all is
reached. Having dissolved each gross element (maha-bhuta), together with
the subtle element (tan-matra) from which it proceeds, and the connected
organ of sense (indriya) by another, the worshipper absorbs the last
element, "ether," with the tan-matra sound into self-hood
(ahangkara), the latter into Mahat, and that, again, into Prakriti, thus
retracing the steps of evolution. Then, in accordance with the monistic
teaching of the Vedanta, Prakriti is Herself thought of as the Brahman, of
which She is the energy, and with which, therefore, She is already one.
Thinking then of the black Purusha, which is the image of all sin, the body
is purified by mantra, accompanied by kumbhaka and rechaka, and the sadhaka
meditates upon the new celestial (deva) body, which has thus been made and
which is then strengthened by a "celestial gaze."
Nyasa
This word, which comes from the root "to
place," means placing the tips of the fingers and palm of the right
hand on various parts of the body, accompanied by particular mantra. The
nyasa are of various kinds. Jiva-nyasa follows upon bhuta-shuddhi. After
the purification of the old, and the formation of the celestial body, the
sadhaka proceeds by jiva-nyasa to infuse the body with the life of the
Devi. Placing his hand on his heart, he says the "so�hang" mantra
("I am He"), thereby identifying himself with the Devi. Then,
placing the eight Kula-kundalini in their several places he says the
following mantra: Ang, Kring, Kring, Yang, Rang, Lang, Vang, Shang, Shang,
Sang, Hong, Haung, Hangsah: the vital airs of the highly blessed and
auspicious Primordial Kalika are here. "Ang, etc., the embodied spirit
of the highly blessed and auspicious Kalika is placed here." "Ang,
etc., here are all the senses of the highly auspicious and blessed
Kalika," and, lastly, "Ang, etc., may the speech, mind, sight,
hearing, smell, and vital airs of the highly blessed and auspicious Kalika
coming here always abide here in peace and happiness Svaha." The sadhaka
then becomes devata-maya. After having thus dissolved the sinful body, made
a new Deva body, and infused it with the life of the Devi, he proceeds to
matrika-nyasa. Mahika are the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet; for
as from a mother comes birth, so from matrika, or sound, the world
proceeds. Shabda-brahman, the "Sound," "Logos," or
"Word," is the Creator of the worlds of name and of form.
The bodies of the Devata are composed of the fifty
matrika. The sadhaka, therefore, first sets mentally (antar-matrika-nyasa)
in their several places in the six chakra, and then externally by physical
action (Vahy-amatrika-nyasa) the letters of the alphabet which form the
different parts of the body of the Devata, which is thus built up in the
sadhaka himself. He places his hand on different parts of his body,
uttering distinctly at the same time the appropriate matrika for that part.
The mental disposition in the chakra is as follows: In
the Ajna Lotus, Hang, Kshang (each letter in this and the succeeding cases
is said, followed by the mantra namah); in the Vishuddha Lotus Ang, Ang,
and the rest of the vowels; in the Anahata Lotus kang, khang to thang; in
the Manipura Lotus, dang dhang, etc., to Phang; in the Svadisthana Lotus
bang, bhang to lang; and, lastly, in the Muladhara Lotus, vang, shang,
shang, sang. The external disposition then follows. The vowels in their
order with anusvara and visarga are placed on the forehead, face, right and
left eye, right and left ear, right and left nostril, right and left cheek,
upper and lower lip, upper and lower teeth, head, and hollow of the mouth.
The consonants kang to vang are placed on base of right arm and the elbow,
wrist, base and tips of fingers, left arm, right and left leg, right and
left side, back, navel, belly, heart, right and left shoulder, space
between the shoulders (kakuda), and then from the heart to the right palm
shang is placed; and from the heart to the left palm the (second) shang;
from the heart to the right foot, sang; from the heart to the left foot,
hang; and, lastly, from the heart to the belly, and from the heart to the
mouth, kshang. In each case ong is said at the beginning and namah at the
end. According to the Tantra-sara, matrika-nyasa is also classified into
four kinds, performed with different aims �
viz.: kevala where the matrika is pronounced without vindu; vindu-sangyuta
with vindu; sangsarga with visarga; and sobhya with visarga and vindu.
Rishi-nyasa then follows for the attainment of the
chatur-varga. The assignment of the mantra is to the head, mouth, heart,
anus, the two feet, and all the body generally. The mantra commonly
employed are: "In the head, salutation to the Rishi (Revealer) Brahma;
in the mouth, salutation to the mantra Gayatri, in the heart, salutation to
the Devi Mother Sarasvati; in the hidden part, salutation to the vija, the
consonants; salutation to the shakti, the vowels in the feet, salutation to
visargah, the kilaka in the whole body." Another form in which the
vija employed is that of the Aiya: it is referred to but not given in Chap.
V., verse 123, and is: "In the head, salutation to Brahma and the
Brahmarshis, in the mouth, salutation to Gayatri and the other forms of
verse; in the heart, salutation to the primordial Devata Kali, in the
hidden part, salutation to the vija, kring; in the two feet, salutation to
the shakti, Hring; in all the body, salutation to the Kalika Shring."
Then follows anga-nyasa and kara-nyasa. These are both
forms of shad-anga-nyasa. When shad-anga-nyasa is performed on the body, it
is called hridayadi-shad-anga-nyasa; and when done with the five fingers
and palms of the hands only, angushthadi-shad-anga-nyasa. The former kind
is done as follows: The short vowel a, the consonants of the ka-varga
group, and the long vowel a, are recited with "hridayaya namah"
(namah salutation to the heart). The short vowel i, the consonants of the
cha-varga group, and the long vowel i, are said with "shirasi
svaha" (svaha to the head). The hard ta-varga consonants set between
the two vowels u are recited with "shikhayai vashat" (vashat to
the crown lock); similarly the soft ta-varga between the vowels e and ai
are said with "kavachaya hung." The short vowel o, the pavarga,
and the long vowel o are recited with netra-trayaya vaushat (vaushat to the
three eyes). Lastly, between vindu and visargah the consonants ya to ksha
with "kara-tala-prishthabhyang astraya phat" (phat to the front
and back of the palm).
The mantras of shadanga-nyasa on the body are used for
Kara-nyasa, in which they are assigned to the thumbs, the
"threatening" or index fingers, the middle fingers, the fourth,
little fingers, and the front and back of the palm.
These actions on the body, fingers, and palms also
stimulate the nerve centres and nerves therein.
In pitha-nyasa the pitha are established in place of the
matrika. The pitha, in their ordinary sense, are Kama-rupa and the other
places, a list of which is given in the Yogini-hridaya.
For the attainment of that state in which the sadhaka
feels that the bhava (nature, disposition) of the Devata has come upon him
nyasa is a great auxiliary. It is, as it were, the wearing of jewels on
different parts of the body. The vija of the Devata are the jewels which
the sudkaka places on the different parts of his body. By nyasa he places
his Abhishta-devata in such parts, and by vyapaka-nyasa he spreads Its
presence throughout himself. He becomes permeated by it losing himself in
the divine Self.
Nyasa is also of use in effecting the proper
distribution of the shaktis of the human frame in their proper positions so
as to avoid the production of discord and distraction in worship. Nyasa as
well as Asana are necessary for the production of the desired state of mind
and of chitta-shuddhi (its purification). "Das denken ist der mass der
Dinge." Transformation of thought is Transformation of being. This is
the essential principle and rational basis of all this and similar Tantrik
sadhana.
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Panchatattva
There are, as already stated, three classes of men � pashu, Vira, and
Divya. The operation of the guna which produce these types affect, on the
gross material plane, the animal tendencies, manifesting in the three chief
physical functions �
eating and drinking, whereby the annamayakosha is maintained; and sexual
intercourse, by which it is reproduced. These functions are the subject of
the panchatattva or panchamakara ("five m�s"), as they are vulgarly called � viz.: madya (wine),
mangsa (meat), matsya (fish), mudra (parched grain), and maithuna
(coition). In ordinary parlance, mudra means ritual gestures or positions
of the body in worship and hathayoga, but as one of the five elements it is
parched cereal, and is defined as Bhrishtadanyadikang yadyad chavyaniyam
prachakshate, sa mudra kathita devi sarvveshang naganam-dini. The Tantras
speak of the five elements as pancha-tattva, kuladravya, kulatattva, and
certain of the elements have esoteric names, such as Karanavari or
tirtha-vari, for wine, the fifth element being usually called lata-sadhana
(sadhana with woman, or shakti). The five elements, moreover have various
meanings, according as they form part of the tamasika (pashvachara),
rajasika (virachara), or divya or sattvika sadhanas respectively.
All the elements or their substitutes are purified and
consecrated, and then, with the appropriate ritual, the first four are
consumed, such consumption being followed by lata-sadhana or its symbolic
equivalent. The Tantra prohibits indiscriminate use of the elements, which
may be consumed or employed only after purification (sho-dhana) and during
worship according to the Tantric ritual. Then, also, all excess is
forbidden. The Shyama-rahasya says that intemperance leads to Hell, and
this Tantra condemns it in Chapter V. A well-known saying in Tantra
describes the true "hero" (vira) to be, not he who is of great
physical strength and prowess, the great eater and drinker, or man of
powerful sexual energy, but he who has controlled his senses, is a
truth-seeker, ever engaged in worship, and who has sacrificed lust and all
other passions. (Jitendriyah satyavadi nityanushthanatatparah kamadi-validanashcha
sa vira iti giyate.)
The elements in their literal sense are not available in
sadhana for all. The nature of the Pashu requires strict adherence to
Vaidik rule in the matter of these physical functions even in worship. This
rule prohibits the drinking of wine, a substance subject to the three
curses of
Brahma, Kacha, and Krishna, in the following terms:
Madyamapeyamadeyamagrahyam ("Wine must not be drunk, given, or
taken"). The drinking of wine in ordinary life for satisfaction of the
sensual appetite is, in fact, a sin, involving prayaschiyta, and entailing,
according to the Vishnu Purama, punishment in the same Hell as that to
which a killer of a Brahmana goes. As regards flesh and fish, the higher
castes (outside Bengal) who submit to the orthodox Smarta discipline eat
neither. Nor do high and strict Brahmanas even in that Province. But the
bulk of the people there, both men and women, eat fish, and men consume the
flesh of male goats which have been previously offered to the Deity. The Vaidika
dharmma is equally strict upon the subject of sexual intercourse. Maithuna
other than with the householder�s
own wife is condemned. And this is not only in its literal sense, but in
that of which is known as Ashtanga (eight-fold) maithuna � viz., smaranam
(thinking upon it), kirttanam (talking of it), keli (play with women),
prekshanam (looking upon women), guhyabhashanan (talk in private with
women), sangkalpa (wish or resolve for maithuua), adhyavasaya
(determination towards it), kriyanishpati (actual accomplishment of the
sexual act). In short, the pashu (and except for ritual purposes those who
are not pashu) should, in the words of the Shaktakramya, avoid maithuna,
conversation on the subject, and assemblies of women (maithunam
tatkathalapang tadgoshthing parivarjjayet). Even in the case of the
householder�s
own wife marital continency is enjoined. The divinity in woman, which the
Tantra in particular proclaims, is also recognized in the ordinary Vaidik
teaching, as must obviously be the case given the common foundation upon
which all the Shastra rest. Woman is not to be regarded merely as an object
of enjoyment, but as a house-goddess (grihadevata). According to the
sublime notions of Shruti, the union of man and wife is a veritable
sacrificial rite �
a sacrifice in fire (homa), wherein she is both hearth (kunda) and flame � and he who knows
this as homa attains liberation. Similarly the Tantrika Mantra for the
Shivashakti Yoga runs: "This is the in-ternal homa in which, by the path
of sushumna, sacrifice is made of the functions of sense to the spirit as
fire kindled with the ghee of merit and demerit taken from the mind as the
ghee-pot Svaha." It is not only thus that wife and husband are
associated, for the Vaidika dharmma (in this now neglected) prescribes that
the householder should worship in company with his wife. Brahmacharyya, or
continency, is not as is sometimes supposed, a requisite of the student
ashrama only, but is a rule which governs the married householder (grihastha)
also. According to Vaidika injunctions, union of man and wife must take
place once a month on the fifth day after the cessation of the menses, and
then only. Hence it is that the Nitya Tantra, when giving the
characteristics of a pashu, says that he is one who avoids sexual union
except on the fifth day (ritukalangvina devi rama-nang parivarjjayet). In
other words, the pashu is he who in this case, as in other matters, follows
for all purposes, ritual or otherwise, the Vaidik injunctions which govern the
ordinary life of all.
The above-mentioned rules govern the life of all men.
The only exception which the Tantra makes is for purpose of sudhana in the
case of those who are competent (adhikari) for virachara. It is held,
indeed, that the exception is not strictly an exception to Vaidik teaching
at all, and that it is an error to suppose that the Tantrika rahasya-puja
is opposed to the Vedas. Thus, whilst the vaidik rule prohibits the use of
wine in ordinary life, and for purpose of mere sensual gratification it
prescribes the religious yajna with wine. This ritual use the Tantra also
allows, provided that the sadhaka is competent for the sadhana, in which
its consumption is part of its ritual and method.The Tantra enforces the
Vaidik rule in all cases, ritual or otherwise, for those who are governed
by the vaidikachara. The Nitya Tantra says: "They (pashu) should never
worship the Devi during the latter part of the day in the evening or at
night" (ratrau naiva yajeddeving sandhyayang vaparanhake); for all
such worship connotes maithuna prohibited to the pashu. In lieu of it,
varying substitutes are prescribed, such as either an offering of flowers
with the hands formed into the kachchchapa mudra, or union with the
worshipper�s own
wife. In the same way, in lieu of wine, the pashu should (if a Brahmana)
take milk, (if a Kshattriya) ghee, (if a vaishya) honey, and (if a shudra)
a liquor made from rice. Salt, ginger, sesamum, wheat, mashkalai (beans),
and garlic are various substitutes for meat; and the white brinjal
vegetable, red radish, masur (a kind of gram), red sesamum, and paniphala
(an aquatic plant), take the place of fish. Paddy, rice, wheat, and gram
geneally are mudra.
The vira, or rather he who is qualified (adhikari) for
virachara �
since the true vira is its finished product �
commences sadhana with the rajasika panchatattva first stated, which are
employed for the destruction of the sensual tendencies which they connote.
For the worship of Shakti the panchatattva are declared to be essential.
This Tantra declares that such worship without their use is but the
practice of evil magic.
Upon this passage the commentator Jaganmohana
Tarkalangkara observes as follows: "Let us consider what most
contributes to the fall of a man, making him forget his duty, sink into
sin, and die an early death. First among these are wine and women, fish,
meat and mudra, and accessories. By these things men have lost their
manhood. Shiva then desires to employ these very poisons in order to
eradicate the poison in the human system. Poison is the antidote for
poison. This is the right treatment for those who long for drink or lust
for women. The physician must, however, be an experienced one. If there be
a mistake as to the application, the patient is like to die. Shiva has said
that the way of Kulachara is as difficult as it is to walk on the edge of a
sword or to hold a wild tiger. There isa secret argument in favour of the
panchatattva, and those tattva so understood should be followed by all.
None, however, but the initiate can grasp this argument, and therefore
Shiva has directed that it should not be revealed before anybody and
everybody. An initiate, when he sees a woman, will worship her as his own
mother or goddess (Ishtadevata), and bow before her. The Vishnu Purana says
that by feeding your desires you cannot satisfy them. It is like pouring
ghee on fire. Though this is true, an experienced spiritual teacher (guru)
will know how, by the application of this poisonous medicine, to kill the
poison of sangsara. Shiva has, however, prohibited the indiscriminate
publication of this. The meaning of this passage would therefore appear to
be this: "The object of Tantrika worship is brahmasayujya, or union
with Brahman. If that is not attained, nothing is attained. And, with men�s propensities as
they are, this can only be attained through the special treatment
prescribed by the Tantras. If this is not followed, then the sensual
pro-pensities are not eradicated, and the work is for the desired end of
Tantra as useless as magic which, worked by such a man, leads only to the
injury of others." The other secret argument here referred to is that
by which it is shown that the particular may be raised to the universal
life by the vehicle of those same passions, which, when flowing only in an
outward and downward current, are the most powerful bonds to bind him to
the former. The passage cited refers to the necessity for the spiritual
direction of the Guru. To the want of such is accredited the abuses of the
system. When the patient (sishya) and the disease are working together,
there is poor hope for the former; but when the patient, the disease, and
the physician (guru) are on one, and that the wrong, side, then nothing can
save him from a descent on that downward path which it is the object of the
sadhana to prevent. Verse 67
in Chapter I. of this Tantra is here in point.
Owing, however, to abuses, particularly as regards the
tattva of madya and maithuna, this Tantra, according to the current
version, prescribes in certain cases, limitations as regards their use. It
prescribes that when the Kaliyuga is in full strength, and in the case of
householders (grihastha) whose minds are engrossed with worldly affairs,
the "three sweets" (madhuratraya) are to be substituted for wine.
Those who are of virtuous temperament, and whose minds are turned towards
the Brahman, are permitted to take five cups of wine. So also as regards
maithuna, this Tantra states that men in this Kali age are by their nature
weak and disturbed by lust, and by reason of this do not recognize woman
(shakti) to be the image of the Deity. It accordingly ordains that when the
Kaliyuga is in full sway, the fifth tattva shall only be accomplished with
sviyashakti, or the worshipper�s
own wife, and that union with a woman who is not married to the sadhaka in
either Brahma or Shaiva form is forbidden. In the case of other shakti
(parakiya and sadharani) it prescribes, in lieu of maithuna, meditation by
the worshipper upon the lotus feet of the Devi, together with japa of his
ishtamantra. This rule, however, the Commentator says, is not of universal
application. Shiva has, in this Tantra, prohibited sadhana with the last
tattva, with parakiya, and sadharani shakti, in the case of men of ordinary
weak intellect ruled by lust; but for those who have by sadhana conquered
their passions and attained the state of a true vira, or siddha, there is
no prohibition as to the mode of latasadhana. This Tantra appears to be, in
fact, a protest against the misuse of the tattwa, which had followed upon a
relaxation of the original rules and conditions governing them. Without the
panchatattva in one form or another, the shaktipuja cannot be performed.
The Mother of the Universe must be worshipped with these elements. By their
use the universe (jagatbrahmanda) itself is used as the article of worship.
Wine signifies the power (shakti) which produces all fiery elements; meat
and fish all terrestrial and aquatic animals; mudra all vegetable life; and
maithuna the will (ichchha) action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana) shakti of
the Supreme Prakriti productive of that great pleasure which accompanies
the process of creation. To the Mother is thus offered the restless life of
Her universe.
The object of all sadhana is the stimulation of the
sattvaguna. When by such sadhana this guna largely preponderates, the
sattvika sadhana suitable for men of a high type of divyabhava is adopted.
In this latter sadhana the names of the panchatattva are used symbolically
for operations of a purely mental and spiritual character. Thus, the
Kaivalya says that "wine" is that intoxicating knowledge acquired
by yoga of the Parabrahman, which renders the worshipper senseless as
regards the external world. Meat (mangsa) is not any fleshly thing, but the
act whereby the sadhaka consigns all his acts to Me (Mam). Matsya (fish) is
that sattvika knowledge by which through the sense of "mineness"
the worshipper sympathizes with the pleasure and pain of all beings. Mudra
is the act of relinquishing all association with evil which results in bondage,
and maithuna is the union of the Shakti Kundalini with Shiva in the body of
the worshipper. This, the Yogini Tantra says, is the best of all unions for
those who have already con-trolled their passions (yati). According to the
Agamasara, wine is the somadhara, or lunar ambrosia, which drops from the
brahmarandhra; Mangsa (meat) is the tongue (ma), of which its part (angsha)
is speech. The sadhaka, in "eating" it, controls his speech.
Matsya (fish) are those two which are constantly moving in the two rivers
Ida and Pingala. He who controls his breath by pranayama (q.v.),
"eats" them by kumbhaka. Mudra is the awakening of knowledge in
the pericarp of the great sahasrara Lotus, where the Atma, like mercury,
resplendent as ten million suns, and deliciously cool as ten million moons,
is united with the Devi Kundalini. The esoteric meaning of maithuna is thus
stated by the Agama: The ruddy-hued letter Ra is in the Kunda, and the
letter Ma, in the shape of vindu, is in the mahayoni. When Makara (m),
seated on the Hangsa in the form of Akara (a), unites with rakara (r), then
the Brahmajnana, which is the source of supreme Bliss, is gained by the
sadhaka, who is then called atmarama, for his enjoyment is in the Atma. in
the sahasrara. This is the union on the purely sattvika plane, which
corresponds on the rajasika plane to the union of Shiva and Shakti in the
persons of their worshippers.
The union of Shiva and Shakti is described as a true
yoga, from which, as the Yamala says, arises that joy which is known as the
Supreme Bliss.
Chakrapuja
Worship with the panchatattva generally takes place in
an assembly called a chakra, which is composed of men (sadhaka) and women
(shakti), or Bhairava and Bhairavi. The worshippers sit in a circle
(chakra), men and women alternately, the shakti sitting on the left of the
sadhaka. The Lord of the chakra (chakrasvamin, or chakreshvara) sits with
his Shakti in the centre, where the wine-jar and other articles used in the
worship are kept. During the chakra all eat, drink, and worship together,
there being no distinction of caste. No pashu should, however, be
introduced. There are various kinds of chakra, such as the Vira, Raja,
Deva, Maha �
Chakras productive, it is said, of various fruits for the participators
therein. Chapter VI. of the Mahanirvvana Tantra deals with the
panchatattva, and Chapter VIII. gives an account of the Bhairavi and Tattva
(or Divya) chakras. The latter is for worshippers of the Brahma-Mantra.
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Yoga
This word, derived from the root Yuj ("to
join"), is in grammar sandhi, in logic avayavashakti, or the power of
the parts taken together, and in its most widely known and present sense
the union of the jiva, or embodied spirit, with the Paramatma, or Supreme
Spirit, and the practices by which this union may be attained. There is a
natural yoga, in which all beings are, for it is only by virtue of this
identity in fact that they exist. This position is common ground, though in
practice too frequently overlooked. "Primus modus unionis est, quo
Deus, ratione suæ immensitatis est in omnibus rebus per essentiam,
præsentiam, et potentiam; per essentiam ut dans omnibus esse; per
præsentiam ut omnia prospiciens; per potentiam ut de omnibus
disponens." The mystical theologian cited, however, proceeds to say:
"Sed hæc unio animæ cum Deo est generalis, communis omnibus et ordinis
naturalis . . . illa namque de qua loquimur est ordinis supernaturalis
actualis et fructiva." It is of this special yaga, though not in
reality more "supernatural" than the first, that we here deal.
Yoga in its technical sense is the realization of this identity, which
exists, though it is not known, by the destruction of the false appearance
of separation. "There is no bond equal in strength to maya, and no
force greater to destroy that bond than yoga. There is no better friend
than knowledge (jnana), nor worse enemy than egoism (ahangkara). As to
learn the Shastra one must learn the alphabet, so yoga is necessary for the
acquirement of tattvajnana (truth)." The animal body is the result of
action, and from the body flows action, the process being compared to the
seesaw movement of a ghatiyantra, or water-lifter. Through their actions
beings continually go from birth to death. The complete attainment of the
fruit of yoga is lasting and unchanging life in the noumenal world of the
Absolute.Yoga is variously named according to the methods employed, but the
two main divisions are those of the hathayoga (or ghatasthayoga) and
samadhi yoga, of which raja-yoga is one of the forms. Hathayoga is commonly
misunderstood, both in its definition and aim being frequently identified with
exaggerated forms of self-mortification.
The Gherandasanghita well defines it to be "the
means whereby the excellent rajayoga is attained." Actual union is not
the result of Hathayoga alone, which is concerned with certain physical
processes preparatory or auxiliary to the control of the mind, by which
alone union may be directly attained. It is, however, not meant that all
the processes of Hathayoga here or in the books described are necessary for
the attainment of rajayoga. What is necessary must be determined according
to the circumstances of each particular case. What is suited or necessary
in one case may not be so for another. A peculiar feature of Tan-trika
virachara is the union of the sadhaka and his shakti in latasadhana. This
is a process which is expressly forbidden to Pashus by the same Tantras
which prescribe it for the vira. The union of Shiva and Shakti in the
higher sadhana is different in form, being the union of the Kundalini
Shakti of the Muladhara with the Vindu which is upon the Sahasrara. This
process, called the piercing of the six chakra, is described later on in a
separate paragraph. Though, however, all Hathayoga processes are not
necessary, some, at least, are generally considered to be so. Thus, in the
well-known ashtangayoga (eight-limbed yoga), of which samadhi is the
highest end, the physical conditions and processes known as asana and
pranayama (vide post) are prescribed.
This yoga prescribes five exterior (vahiranga) methods
for the subjugation of the body �
namely (1) Yama, forbearance or self-control, such as sexual continence,
avoidance of harm to others (ahingsa), kindness, forgiveness, the doing of
good without desire for reward, absence of covetousness, temperance, purity
of mind and body, etc. (2) Niyama, religious observances, charity,
austerities, reading of the Shastra and Ishvara Pranidhana, persevering
devotion to the Lord. (3) Asana, seated positions or postures (vide post).
(4) Pranayama, regulation of the breath. A yogi renders the vital airs
equable, and consciously produces the state of respiration which is
favourable for mental concentration, as others do it occasionally and
unconsciously (vide post). (5) Pratyahara, restraint of the senses, which
follow in the path of the other four processes which deal with the
subjugation of the body. There are then three interior (yogangga) methods
for the subjugation of the mind �
namely (6) Dharana, attention, steadying of the mind, the fixing of the
internal organ (chitta) in the particular manner indicated in the works on
yoga. (7) Dhyana or the uniform continuous contemplation of the object of
thought; and (8) that samadhi which is called savikalpasamadhi.
Savikalpasamadhi is a deeper and more intense contemplation on the Self to
the exclusion of all other objects, and constituting trance or ecstasy.
This ecstasy is perfected to the stage of the removal of the slightest
trace of the distinction of subject and object in nirvikalpasamadhi, in
which there is complete union with the Paramatma, or Divine Spirit. By
vairagya (dispassion), and keeping the mind in its unmodified state, yoga
is attained. This knowledge, Ahang Brahmasmi ("I am the
Brahman"), does not produce liberation (moksha), but is liberation
itself, Whether yoga is spoken of as the union of Kulakundalini with
Paramashiva, or the union of the individual soul (jivatma) with the Supreme
Soul (paramatma), or as the state of mind in which all outward thought is
suppressed, or as the controlling or suppression of the thinking faculty
(chittavritti), or as the union of the moon and the sun (Ida and Pingala),
Prana and Apana, Nada and Vindu, the meaning and the end are in each case
the same.
Yoga, in seeking mental control and concentration, makes
use of certain preliminary physical processes (sadhana), such as the shatkarmma,
asana, mudra, and pranayama. By these four processes and three mental acts,
seven qualities, known as shodhana, dridhata, sthirata, dhairyya, laghava,
pratyaksha, nirliptatva (vide post), are acquired.
Shodhana: Shatkarmma
The first, or cleansing, is effected by the six
processes known as the shatkarmma. Of these, the first is Dhauti, or
washing, which is fourfold, or inward washing (antar-dhauti), cleansing of
the teeth, etc. (dantadhauti) of the "heart" (hriddhauti), and of
the rectum (muladhauti). Antardhauti is also fourfold � namely, vatasara, by
which air is drawn into the belly and then expelled; varisara, by which the
body is filled with water, which is then evacuated by the anus; vahnisara,
in which the nabhi-granthi is made to touch the spinal column (meru); and
vahishkrita, in which the belly is by kakinimudra filled with air, which is
retained half a yama, and then sent downward. Dantadhauti is fourfold,
consisting in the cleansing of the root of the teeth and tongue, the ears,
and the "hollow of the forehead" (kapalarandhra). By hriddhauti
phlegm and bile are removed. This is done by a stick (dandadhauti) or cloth
(vasodhauti) pushed into the throat, or swallowed, or by vomiting
(vamanadhauti). Mudadhauti is done to cleanse the exit of the apanavayu
either with the middle finger and water or the stalk of a turmeric plant.
Vasti, the second of the shatkarmma, is twofold, and is
either of the dry (shuska) or watery (jala) kind. In the second form the
yogi sits in the utkatasana posture in water up to the navel, and the anus
is contracted and expanded by ashvini mudra; or the same is done in the
pashchimottanasana, and the abdomen below the navel is gently moved. In
neti the nostrils are cleansed with a piece of string. Lauliki is the whirling
of the belly from side to side. In trataka the yogi, without winking, gazes
at some minute object until the tears start from his eyes. By this the
"celestial vision" (divya drishti) so often referred to in the
Tantrika upasana is acquired. Kapalabhati is a process for the removal of
phlegm, and is threefold �
vatakrama by inhalation and exhalation; vyutkrama by water drawn through
the nostrils and ejected through the mouth; and shitkrama the reverse
process.
These are the various processes by which the body is
cleansed and made pure for the yoga practice to follow.
Dridhata: Asana
Dridhata, or strength or firmness, the acquisition of
which is the second of the above-mentioned processes, is attained by asana.
Asana are postures of the body. The term is generally
described as modes of seating the body. But the posture is not necessarily
a sitting one; for some asana are done on the belly, back, hands, etc. It
is said that the asana are as numerous as living beings, and that there are
8,400,000 of these; 1,600 are declared to be excellent, and out of these
thirty-two are auspicious for men, which are described in detail. Two of
the commonest of these are muktapadmasana ("the loosened lotus
seat"), the ordinary position for worship, and baddhapadmasana.
Patanjali, on the subject of asana, merely points out what are good
conditions, leaving each one to settle the details for himself according to
his own requirements. There are certain other asana, which are peculiar to
the Tantras, such as munddasana, chitasana, and shavasana, in which skulls,
the funeral pyre, and a corpse respectively form the seat of the sadhaka.
These, though they may have other ritual objects, form part of the
discipline for the conquest of fear and the attainment of indifference,
which is the quality of a yoga. And so the Tantras pre-scribe as the scene
of such rites the solitary mountain-top, the lonely empty house and
river-side, and the cremation-ground. The interior cremation-ground is
there where the kamik body and its passions are consumed in the fire of
knowledge.
Sthirata: Mudra
Sthirata, or fortitude, is acquired by the practice of
the mudra. The mudra dealt with in works of hathayoga are positions of the
body. They are gymnastic, health-giving, and destructive of disease, and of
death, such as the jaladhara and other mudra. They also preserve from
injury by fire, water, or air. Bodily action and the health resulting
therefrom react upon the mind, and by the union of a perfect mind and body
siddhi is by their means attained. The Gheranda Sanghita describes a number
of mudra, of which those of importance may be selected. In the celebrated
yonimudra the yogi in siddhasana stops with his fingers the ears, eyes,
nostrils, and mouth. He inhales pranavayu by kakinimudra, and unites it
with apanavayu. Meditating in their order upon the six chakra, he arouses
the sleeping Kulakundalini by the mantra "Hung Hangsah," and
raises Her to the Sahasrara; then, deeming himself pervaded with the Shakti,
and in blissful union (sanggama) with Shiva, he meditates upon himself, as
by reason of that union Bliss itself and the Brahman. Ashvinimudra consists
of the repeated contraction and expansion of the anus for the purpose of
shodhana or of contraction to restrain the apana in Skatchakrabheda.
Shaktichalana employs the latter mudra, which is repeated until vayu
manifests in the sushumna. The process is accompanied by inhalation and the
union of prana and apana whilst in siddhasana.
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Dhairya: Pratyahara
Dhairya, or steadiness, is produced by pratyahara.
Pratyahara is the restraint of the senses, the freeing of the mind from all
distractions, and the keeping of it under the control of the Atma. The mind
is withdrawn from whatsoever direction it may tend by the dominant and
directing Self. Pratyahara destroys the six sins.
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Laghava: Pranayama
From pranayama (q.v.) arises laghava (lightness).
All beings say the ajapa Gayatri, which is the expulsion
of the breath by Hangkara, and its inspiration by Sahkara, 21,600 times a
day. Ordinarily, the breath goes forth a distance of 12 finger�s breadth, but in
singing, eating, walking, sleeping, coition, the distances are 16, 20, 24,
30, and 36 breadths respectively. In violent exercise these distances are
exceeded, the greatest distance being 96 breadths. Where the breathing is
under the normal distance, life is prolonged. Where it is above that, it is
shortened. Puraka is inspiration, and rechaka expira-tion. Kumbhaka is the
retention of breath between these two movements. Kumbhaka is, according to
the Gheranda Sanghita of eight kinds: sahita, suryyabheda, ujjayi, shitali,
bhastrika, bhramari, murchchha, and kevali. Pranayama similarly varies.
Pranayama is the control of the breath and other vital airs. It awakens
shakti, frees from disease, produces detachment from the world, and bliss.
It is of varying values, being the best (uttama) where the measure is 20;
middling (madhyama) when at 16 it produces spinal tremor; and inferior
(adhama) when at 12 it induces perspiration. It is necessary that the nadi
should be cleansed, for air does not enter those which are impure. The
cleansing of the nadi (nadi-shuddhi) is either samau or nirmanu � that is, with or
without, the use of vija. According to the first form, the yogi in
padmasana does gurunyasa according to the directions of the guru.
Meditating on "yang," he does japa through Ida of the vija 16
times, kumbhaka with japa of vija 64 times, and then exhalation through the
solar nadi and japa of vija 32 times. Fire is raised from manipura and
united with prithivi. Then follows inhalation by the solar nadu with the
vahni vija 16 times, kumbhaka with 64 japa of the vija, followed by
exhalation through the lunar nadi and japa of the vija 32 times. He then
meditates on the lunar brilliance, gazing at the tip of the nose. and
inhales by Ida with japa of the vija "thang" 16 times. Kumbhaka
is done with the vija vang 64 times. He then thinks of himself as flooded
by nectar, and considers that the nadi have been washed. He exhales by
Pingala with 32 japa of the vija lang, and considers himself thereby as
strengthened. He then takes his seat on a mat of kusha grass, a deerskin,
etc., and, facing east or north, does pranayama. For its exercise there
must be, in addition to nadi shuddhi, consideration of proper place, time,
and food. Thus, the place should not be so distant as to induce anxiety,
nor in an unprotected place, such as a forest, nor in a city or crowded
locality, which induces distraction. The food should be pure, and of a
vegetarian character. It should not be too hot or too cold, pungent, sour,
salt, or bitter. Fasting, the taking of one meal a day, and the like, are
prohibited. On the contrary, the Yogi should not remain without food for
more than one yama (three hours). The food taken should be light and
strengthening. Long walks and other violent exercise should be avoided, as
also �
cer-tainly in the case of beginners �
sexual intercourse. The stomach should only be half filled. Yoga should be
commenced, it is said, in spring or autumn. As stated, the forms of
pranayama vary. Thus, sahita, which is either with (sagarbha) or without
(nirgarbha) vija, is, according to the former form, as follows: The sadhaka
meditates on Vidhi (Brahma), who is full of rajoguna, red in colour, and
the image of akara. He inhales by Ida in six measures (matra). Before
kumbhaka he does the uddiyanabandha mudra. Meditating on Hari (Vishnu) as sattvamaya
and the black vija ukara, he does kumbhaka with 64 japa of the vija; then,
meditating on Shiva as tamomaya and his white vija makara, he exhales
through Pingala with 32 japa of the vija; then, inhaling by Pingala, he
does kumbhaka, and exhales by Ida with the same vija. The process is
repeated in the normal and reversed order.
Pratyaksha: Dhyana
Through dhyana is gained the third quality of
realization or pratyaksha. Dhyana, or meditation, is of three kinds: (1)
sthula, or gross; (2) jyotih; (3) sukshma, or subtle. In the first the form
of the Devata is brought before the mind. One form of dhyana for this
purpose is as follows: Let the sadhana think of the great ocean of nectar
in his heart. In the middle of that ocean is the island of gems, the shores
of which are made of powdered gems. The island is clothed with a kadamba
forest in yellow blossom. This forest is surrounded by Malati, Champaka,
Parijata, and other fragrant trees. In the midst of the Kadamba forest
there rises the beautiful Kalpa tree, laden with fresh blossom and fruit.
Amidst its leaves the black bees hum and the koel birds make love. Its four
branches are the four Vedas. Under the tree there is a great mandapa of
precious stones, and within it a beautiful bed, on which let him picture to
himself his Ishtadevata. The Guru will direct him as to the form, raiment,
vahana, and the title of the Devata. Jyotirdhyana is the infusion of fire
and life (tejas) into the form so imagined. In the muladhara lies the
snake-like Kundalini. There the jivatma, as it were the tapering flame of a
candle, dwells. The sadhaka then meditates upon the tejomaya Brahman, or,
alternatively, between the eyebrows on pranavatmaka, the flame emitting its
lustre.
Sukshmadhyana is meditation on Kundalini with sham-bhavi
mudra after She has been roused. By this yoga (vide post) the atma is
revealed (atmasakshatkara).
Nirliptatva: Samadhi
Lastly, through samadhi the quality of nirliptatva, or
detachment, and thereafter mukti (liberation) is attained. Samadhi
considered as a process is intense mental con-centration, with freedom from
all sangkalpa, and attachment to the world, and all sense of
"mineness," or self-interest (mamata). Considered as the result
of such process it is the union of Jiva with the Paramatma.
Forms Of Samadhi Yoga
This samadhi yoga is, according to the Gheranda
Sanghita, of six kinds. (1) Dhyanayogasamadhi, attained by shambhavi mudra,
in which, after meditation on the Vindu-Brahman and realization of the Atma
(atmapratyaksha), the latter is resolved into the Mahakasha. (2) Nadayoga,
attained by khechari mudra, in which the frenum of the tongue is cut, and
the latter is lengthened until it reaches the space between the eyebrows,
and is then introduced in a reversed position into the mouth. (3)
Rasanandayoga, attained by kumbhaka, in which the sadhaka in a silent place
closes both ears and does puraka and kumbhaka until he hears the word nada
in sounds varying in strength from that of the cricket�s chirp to that of
the large kettledrum. By daily practice the anahata sound is heard, and the
jyotih with the manas therein is seen, which is ultimately dissolved in the
supreme Vishnu. (4) Layasiddhiyoga, accomplished by the celebrated
yonimudra already described. The sadhaka, thinking of himself as Shakti and
the Paramatma as Purusha, feels himself in union (sanggama) with Shiva, and
enjoys with him the bliss which is shringararasa, and becomes Bliss itself,
or the Brahman. (5) Bhakti Yoga, in which meditation is made on the
Ishtadevata with devotion (bhakti) until, with tears flowing from the
excess of bliss, the ecstatic condition is attained. (6) Rajayoga,
accomplished by aid of the manomurchchha kumbhaka. Here the manas detached
from all worldly objects is fixed between the eyebrows in the ajnachakra,
and Kumbhaka is done. By the union of the manas with the atma, in which the
jnani sees all things, rajayogasamadhi is attained.
Shatchakra-bheda
The piercing of the six chakra is one of the most important
subjects dealt with in the Tantras, and is part of the practical yaga
process of which they treat. Details of practice can only be learnt from a
Guru, but generally it may be said that the particular is raised to the
universal life, which as chit is realizable only in the sahasrara in the
following manner: The jivatma in the subtle body, the receptacle of the
five vital airs (pancha prana), mind in its three aspects of manas,
ahangkara, and buddhi; the five organs of action (panchakarmendriya) and
the five organs of perception (panchajnanendriya) is united with the
Kulakundalini. The Kandarpa or Kama Vayu in the muladhara a form of the
Apana Vayu is given a leftward revolution and the fire which is round
Kundalini is kindled. By the vija "Hung," and the heat of the
fire thus kindled, the coiled and sleeping Kundalini is wakened. She who
lay asleep around svayambhu-linga, with her coils three circles and a half
closing the entrance of the brahma-dvara, will, on being roused, enter that
door and move upwards, united with the jivatma.
On this upward movement, Brahma, Savitri, Dakini-Shakti,
the Devas, vija, and vritti, are dissolved in the body of Kundalini. The
Mahimandala or prithivi is converted into the vija "Lang," and is
also merged in Her body. When Kundalini leaves the muladhara, that lotus
which, on the awakening of Kundalini had opened and turned its flower
upwards, again closes and hangs down-wards. As Kundalini reaches the
svadhishthana-chakra, that lotus opens out, and lifts its flower upwards. Upon
the entrance of Kundalini, Mahavishnu, Mahalakshmi, Sarasvati, Rakini
Shakti, Deva, Matrikas, and vritti, Vaikunthadhama, Golaka, and the Deva
and Devi residing therein are dissolved in the body of Kundalini. The
prithivi, or "earth" vija "Lang," is dissolved in apas,
and apas converted into the vija vang remains in the body of Kundalini.
When the Devi reaches the manipura chakra all that is in the chakra merges
in Her body. The Varuna vija "vang" is dissolved in fire, which
remains in the body of the Devi as the Vija "rang." This chakra
is called the Brahma-granthi (or knot of Brahma). The piercing of this
chakra may involve considerable pain, physical disorder, and even disease.
On this account the directions of an experienced Guru are necessary, and therefore
also other modes of yoga have been recommended for those to whom they are
applicable: for in such modes activity is provoked directly in the higher
centre and it is not necessary that the lower chakras should be pierced.
Kundalini next reaches the anahata chakra, where all which is therein is
merged in Her. The vija of Tejas, "rang," disappears in Vayu and
Vayu converted into its vija "Yang" merges into the body of
Kundalini. This chakra is known as Vishnu-granthi (knot of Vishnu).
Kundalini then ascends to the abode of Bharati (or Sarasvati) or the
vishuddha chakra. Upon Her entrance, Arddha-narishvara Shiva, Shakini, the
sixteen vowels, mantra, etc., are dissolved in the body of Kundalini. The
vija of Vayu, "yang," is dissolved in akasha, which itself being
transformed into the vija "hang," is merged in the body of
Kundalini. Piercing the lalana chakra, the Devi reaches the ajnachakra,
where Parama Shiva, Siddha-Kali, the Deva, guna, and all else therein, are
absorbed into Her body. The vija of akasha, "Hang," is merged in
the manas chakra, and mind itself in the body of Kundalini. The ajnachakra
is known as Rudra-granthi (or knot of Rudra or Shiva). After this chakra
has been pierced, Kundalini of Her own motion unites with Parama Shiva. As
She proceeds upwards from the two-petalled lotus, the niralamba puri,
pranava, nada, etc., are merged in Her.
The Kundalini has then in her progress upwards absorbed
in herself the twenty-four tattva commencing with the gross elements, and
then unites Herself and becomes one. with Parama Shiva. This is the
maithuna (coition) of the sattvika-pancha-tattva. The nectar which flows
from such union floods the kshudrabrahmanda or human body. It is then that
the sadhaka, forgetful of all in this world, is immersed in ineffable
bliss.
Thereafter the sadhaka, thinking of the vayu vija
"yang" as being in the left nostril, inhales through Ida, making
japa of the vija sixteen times. Then, closing both nostrils, he makes japa
of the vija sixty-four times. He then thinks that the black "man of
sin" (Papapurusha) in the left cavity of the abdomen is being dried up
(by air), and so thinking he exhales through the right nostril Pingala,
making japa of the vija thirty-two times. The sadhaka then meditating upon
the red-coloured vija "rang" in the manipura, inhales, making
sixteen japa of the vija, and then closes the nostrils, making sixteen
japa. While making the japa he thinks that the body of "the man of
sin" is being burnt and reduced to ashes (by fire). He then exhales
through the right nostril with thirty-two japa. He then meditates upon the
white chandravija "thang." He next inhales through Ida, making
japa of the vija sixteen times, closes both nostrils with japa done
sixty-four times, and exhales through Pingala with thirty-two japa. During
inhalation, holding of breath, and exhalation, he should consider that a
new celestial body is being formed by the nectar (composed of all the
letters of the alphabet, matrika-varna) dropping from the moon. In a
similar way with the vija "vang," the formation of the body is
continued, and with the vija "lang" it is completed and
strengthened. Lastly, with the mantra "So�hang," the sadhaka leads the
jivatma into the heart. Thus Kundalini, who has enjoyed Her union with
Paramashiva, sets out on her return journey the way she came. As she passes
through each of the chakra all that she has absorbed therefrom come out
from herself and take their several places in the chakra.
In this manner she again reaches the muladhara, when all
that is described to be in the chakras (see pp. lvii-lxiii) are in the
positions which they occupied before her awakening.
The Guru�s
instructions are to go above the ajna-chakra, but no special directions are
given; for after this chakra has been pierced the sadhaka can reach the
brahmasthana unaided. Below the "seventh month of Shiva" the
relationship of Guru and sishya ceases. The instructions of the seventh
amnaya is not expressed (aprakashita).
Sin and Virtue
According to Christian conceptions, sin is a violation
of the personal will of, and apostasy from, God. The flesh is the source of
lusts which oppose God�s
commands, and in this lies its positive significance for the origin of a
bias of life against God. According to St. Thomas, in the original state,
no longer held as the normal, the lower powers were subordinate to reason,
and reason subject to God. "Original sin" is formally a
"defect of original righteousness," and materially
"concupiscence." As St. Paul says (Rom. vii. 8, 14), the
pneumatic law, which declares war on the lusts, meets with opposition from
the "law in the members." These and similar notions involve a
religious and moral conscious judgment which is assumed to exist in
humanity alone. Hindu notions of papa (wrong) and punya (that which is
pure, holy, and right) have a wider content. The latter is accordance and
working with the will of Ishvara (of whom the jiva is itself the
embodiment), as manifested at any particular time in the general direction
taken by the cosmic process, as the former is the contrary. The two terms
are relative to the state of evolution and the surrounding circumstances of
the jiva to which they are applied. Thus, the impulse towards individuality
which is necessary and just on the path of inclination or "going
forth" (pra-vritti marga), is wrongful as a hindrance to the
attainment of unity, which is the goal of the path of return (nivritti
marga) where inclinations should cease. In short, what makes for progress
on the one path is a hindrance on the other. The matter, when rightly
undertsood, is not (except, perhaps, sometimes popularly) viewed from the
juristic standpoint of an external Lawgiver, His commands, and those
subject to it, but from that in which the exemplification of the moral law
is regarded as the true and proper expression of the jiva�s own evolution.
Morality, it has been said, is the true nature of a being. For the same
reason wrong is its destruction. What the jiva actually does is the result
of his karmma. Further, the term jiva, though commonly applicable to the
human embodiment of the atma, is not limited to it. Both papa and punya may
therefore be manifested in beings of a lower rank than that of humanity in
so far as what they (whether consciously or unconsciously) do is a
hindrance to their true development. Thus, in the Yoga Vashishtha it is
said that even a creeping plant acquired merit by association with the holy
muni on whose dwelling it grew. Objectively considered, sin is concisely
defined as duhkhajanakam papam. It is that which has been, is, and will be
the cause of pain, mental or physical, in past, present, and future births.
The pain as the consequence of the action done need not be immediate.
Though, however, the suffering may be experienced as a result later than
the action of which it is the cause, the consequence of the action is not
really something separate, but a part of the action itself � namely, that part of
it which belongs to the future. The six chief sins are kama, krodha, lobha,
moha, mada, matsaryya �
lust, anger, covetousness, ignorance or delusion, pride and envy.
All wrong is at base self-seeking, in ignorance or
disregard of the unity of the Self in all creatures. Virtue (punya),
therefore, as the contrary of sin, is that which is the cause of happiness
(sukhajanakam punyam). That happiness is produced either in this or future
births, or leads to the enjoyment of heaven (Svarga). Virtue is that which
leads towards the unity whose substance is Bliss (ananda). This good karmma
produces pleasant fruit, which, like all the results of karmma, is
transitory. As Shruti says: "It is not by acts or the pindas offered
by one�s
children or by wealth, but by renunciation that men have attained
liberation." It is only by escape from karmma through knowledge, that
the jiva becoming one with the unchanging Absolute attains lasting rest. It
is obvious that for those who obtain such release neither vice nor virtue,
which are categories of phenomenal being, exist.
Karmma
Karmma is action, its cause, and effect. There is no
uncaused action, nor action without effect. The past, the present, and the
future are linked together as one whole. The ichchha, jnana, and kriya
shakti manifest in the jivatma living on the worldly plane as desire,
knowledge, and action. As the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says: "Man is
verily formed of desire. As is his desire, so is his thought. As is his
thought, so is his action. As is his action, so is his attainment."
These fashion the individual�s
Karmma. "He who desires goes by work to the object on which his mind
is set." "As he thinks, so he becometh." Then, as to action,
"whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap." The matter is not one
of punishment and reward, but of consequence, and the consequence of action
is but a part of it. If anything is caused, its result is caused, the
result being part of the original action, whigh continues, and is
transformed into the result. The jivatma experiences happiness for his good
acts and misery for his evil ones.Karmma is of three kinds � viz., sanchita
karmma � that
is, the whole vast accumulated mass of the unexhausted karmma of the past,
whether good or bad, which has still to be worked out. This past karmma is
the cause of the character of the succeeding births, and, as such, is
called sangskara, or vasana. The second form of karmma is prarabdha, or
that part of the first which is ripe, and which is worked out and bears
fruit in the present birth. The third is the new karmma, which man is
continually making by his present and future actions, and is called
vartamana and agami. The embodied soul (jivatma), whilst in the sangsara or
phenomenal world, is by its nature ever making present karmma and
experiencing the past. Even the Devas themselves are subject to time and
karmma. By his karmma a jiva may become an Indra.
Karmma is thus the invisible (adrishta), the product of
ordained or prohibited actions capable of giving bodies. It is either good
or bad, and together these are called the impurity of action (karmma mala).
Even good action, when done with a view to its fruit, can never secure
liberation. Those who think of the reward will receive benefit in the shape
of that reward. Liberation is the work of Shiva-Shakti, and is gained only
by brahmajnana, the destruction of the will to separate life, and
realization of unity with the Supreme. All accompanying action must be
without thought of self. With the cessation of desire the tie which binds
man to the sangsara is broken.
According to the Tantra, the sadhana and achara (q.v.)
appropriate to an individual depends upon his karmma. A man�s tendencies,
character, and temperament is moulded by his sanchita karmma. As regards
prarabdha-karmma, it is unavoidable. Nothing can be done but to work it
out. Some systems prescribe the same method for men of divers tendencies.
But the Tantra recognizes the force of karmma, and moulds its method to the
temperament produced by it. The needs of each vary, as also the methods
which will be the best suited to each to lead them to the common goal.
Thus, forms of worship which are permissible to the vira are forbidden to
the pashu. The guru must determine that for which the sadhaka is qualified
(adhikara).
Four Aims Of Being
There is but one thing which all seek � happiness � though it be of
differing kinds and sought in different ways. All forms, whether sensual,
intellectual, or spiritual, are from the Brahman, who is Itself the Source
and Essence of all Bliss, and Bliss itself (rasovai sah). Though issuing
from the same source �
pleasure differs in its forms in being higher and lower, transitory or
durable, or permanent. Those on the path of desire (pravritti marga) seek
it through the enjoyments of this world (bhukti) or in the more durable,
though still impermanent delights of heaven (svarga). He who is on the path
of return (nivritti marga) seeks happiness, not in the created worlds, but
in everlasting union with their primal source (mukti); and thus it is said
that man can never be truly happy until he seeks shelter with Brahman,
which is Itself the great Bliss (rasam hyevayam labdhva anandi bhavati).
The eternal rhythm of the Divine Breath is outwards from
spirit to matter and inwards from matter to spirit. Devi as Maya evolves
the world. As Mahamaya She recalls it to Herself. The path of outgoing is
the way of pravritti; that of return nivritti. Each of these movements is
Divine. Enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti) are each Her gifts. And
in the third chapter of the work cited it is said that of Vishnu and Shiva
mukti only can be had, but of Devi both bhukti and mukti; and this is so in
so far as the Devi is, in a peculiar sense, the source whence those
material things come from which enjoyment (bhoga) arises. All jiva on their
way to humanity, and the bulk of humanity itself, is on the forward path,
and rightly seeks the enjoyment which is appropriate to its stage of
evolution.
The thirst for life will continue to manifest itself
until the point of return is reached and the outgoing energy is exhausted.
Man must, until such time, remain on the path of desire. In the hands of
Devi is the noose of desire. Devi herself is both desire and that light of
knowledge which in the wise who have known enjoyment lays bare its
futilities. But one cannot renounce until one has enjoyed, and so of the
world-process itself it is said: that the unborn ones, the Purushas, are
both subservient to Her (prakriti), and leave Her by reason of viveka.
Provision is made for the worldly life which is the
"outgoing" of the Supreme. And so it is said that the Tantrika
has both enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti). But enjoyment itself is
not without its law. Desire is not to be let loose without bridle. The
mental self is, as is commonly said, the charioteer of the body, of which
the senses are the horses. Contrary to mistaken notions on the subject, the
Tantras take no exception to the ordinary rule that it is necessary not to
let them run away. If one would not be swept away and lost in the mighty
force which is the descent into matter, thought and action must be
controlled by Dharmma. Hence the first three of the aims of life (trivarga)
on the path of pravritti are dharmma, artha, and kama.
Dharmma
Dharmma means that which is to be held fast or kept � law, usage, custom,
religion, piety, right, equity, duty, good works, and morality. It is, in short,
the eternal and immutable (sanatana) principles which hold together the
universe in its parts and in its whole, whether organic or inorganic
matter. "That which supports and holds together the peoples (of the
universe) is dharmma." "It was declared for well-being and
bringeth well-being. It upholds and preserves. Because it supports and
holds together, it is called Dharmma. By Dharmma are the people
upheld." It is, in short, not an artificial rule, but the principle of
right living. The mark of dharmma and of the good is achara (good conduct),
from which dharmma is born and fair fame is acquired here and hereafter.
The sages embraced achara as the root of all tapas. Dharmma is not only the
principle of right living, but also its application. That course of
meritorious action by which man fits himself for this world, heaven, and
liberation. Dharmma is also the result of good action � that is, the merit
acquired thereby. The basis of the sanatana dharmma is revelation (shruti)
as presented in the various Shastra.�
Smriti, Purana, and Tantra. In the Devi Bhagavata it is said that in the
Kaliyuga Vishnu in the form of Vyasa divides the one Veda into many parts,
with the desire to benefit men, and with the knowledge that they are
short-lived and of small intelligence, and hence unable to master the
whole. This dharmma is the first of the four leading arms (chaturvarga) of
all being.
Kama
Kama is desire, such as that for wealth, success,
family, position, or other forms of happiness for self or others. It also
involves the notion of the necessity for the posses-sion of great and noble
aims, desires, and ambitions, for such possession is the characteristic of
greatness of soul. Desire, whether of the higher or lower kinds, must,
however, be lawful, for man is subject to dharmma, which regulates it.
Artha
Artha (wealth) stands for the means by which this life
may be maintained �
in the lower sense, food, drink, money, house, land, and other property;
and in the higher sense the means by which effect may be given to the
higher desires, such as that of worship, for which artha may be necessary,
aid given to others, and so forth. In short, it is all the necessary means
by which all right desire, whether of the lower or higher kinds, may be
fulfilled. As the desire must be a right desire � for man is subject to dharmma, which
regulates them �
so also must be the means sought, which are equally so governed.
This first group is known as the trivarga, which must be
cultivated whilst man is upon the pravritti marga. Unless and until there
is renunciation on entrance upon the path of return, where inclination
ceases (nivritti marga), man must work for the ultimate goal by meritorious
acts (dharmma), desires (kama), and by the lawful means (artha) whereby the
lawful desires which give birth to righteous acts are realized. Whilst on
the pravritti marga "the trivarga should be equally cultivated, for he
who is addicted to one only is despicable" (dharmmartha-kamah samameva
sevyah yo hyekasaktah sa jano-jagha-nyah).
Moksha
Of the four aims, moksha or mukti is the truly ultimate
end, for the other three are ever haunted by the fear of Death the Ender.
Mukti means "loosening" or liberation. It is
advisable to avoid the term "salvation," as also other Christian
terms, which connote different, though in a loose sense, analogous ideas.
According to the Christian doctrine (soteriology), faith in Christ�s Gospel and in His
Church effects salvation, which is the forgiveness of sins mediated by
Christ�s
redeeming activity, saving from judgment, and admitting to the Kingdom of
God. On the other hand, mukti means a loosening from the bonds of the
sangsara (phenomenal existence), resulting in a union (of various degrees
of completeness) of the embodied spirit (jivatma) or individual life with
the Supreme Spirit (paramatma). Liberation can be attained by spiritual
knowledge (atmajnana) alone, though it is obvious that such knowledge must
be preceded by, and accompanied with, and, indeed, can only be attained in
the sense of actual realization, by freedom from sin and right action
through adherence to dharmma. The idealistic system of Hinduism, which
posits the ultimate reality as being in the nature of mind, rightly, in
such cases, insists on what, for default of a better term, may be described
as the intellectual, as opposed to the ethical, nature. Not that it fails
to recognize the importance of the latter, but regards it as subsidiary and
powerless of itself to achieve that extinction of the modifications of the
energy of consciousness which constitute the supreme mukti known as
Kaivalya. Such extinction cannot be effected by conduct alone, for such
conduct, whether good or evil, pro-duces karmma, which is the source of the
modifications which it is man�s
final aim to suppress. Moksha belongs to the nitvritti marga, as the
trivarga appertain to the pravritti marga.
There are various degrees of mukti, some more perfect
than the others, and it is not, as is generally supposed, one state.
There are four future states of Bliss, or pada, being in
the nature of abodes �
viz., salokya, samipya, sarupya, and sayujya �
that is, living in the same loka, or region, with the Deva worshipped;
being near the Deva,; receiving the same form or possessing the same
aishvaryya (Divine qualities) as the Deva, and becoming one with the Deva
worshipped. The abode to which the jiva attains depends upon the worshipper
and the nature of his worship, which may be with, or without, images, or of
the Deva regarded as distinct from the worshipper, and with attributes, and
so forth. The four abodes are the result of action, transitory and
conditioned. Mahanirvvana, or Kaivalya, the real moksha, is the result of
spiritual knowledge (jnana), and is unconditioned and permanent. Those who
know the Brahman, recognizing that the worlds resulting from action are
imperfect, reject them, and attain to that unconditioned Bliss which transcends
them all. Kaivalya is the supreme state of oneness without attributes, the
state in which, as the Yogasutra says, modification of the energy of
consciousness is extinct, and when it is established in its own real
nature.
Liberation is attainable while the body is yet living,
in which case there exists the state of jivanmukti celebrated in the
Jivanmuktigita of Dattatreya. The soul, it is true, is not really fettered,
and any appearance to the contrary is illusory. There is, in fact, freedom,
but though moksha is already in possession still, because of the illusion
that it is not yet attained, means must be taken to remove the illusion,
and the jiva who succeeds in this is jivanmukta, though in the body, and is
freed from future embodi-ments. The enlightened Kaula, according to the
Nitya-nita, sees no difference between mud and sandal, friend and foe, a
dwelling-house and the cremation-ground. He knows that the Brahman is all,
that the Supreme soul (paramatma) and the individual soul (jivatma) are one,
and freed from all attachment he is jivanmukta, or liberated, whilst yet
living. The means whereby mukti is attained is the yoga process (vide
ante).
Siddhi
Siddhi is produced by sadhana. The former term, which
literally means "success," includes accomplishment, achievement,
success, and fruition of all kinds. A person may thus gain siddhi in
speech, siddhi in mantra, etc. A person is siddha also who has perfected
his spiritual development. The various powers attainable � namely, anima,
mahima, laghima, garima, prapti, prakamya, ishitva, vashitva, the powers of
becoming small, great, light, heavy, attaining what one wills, and the like
� are known as
the eight siddhi. The thirty-ninth chapter of the Brahmavaivarta Purana
mentions eighteen kinds, but there are many others, including such minor
accomplishments as nakhadarpana siddhi or "nail-gazing." The great
siddhi is spiritual perfection. Even the mighty powers of the "eight
siddhi" are known as the "lesser siddhi," since the greatest
of all siddhi is full liberation (mahanirvana) from the bonds of phenomenal
life and union with the Paramatma, which is the supreme object (paramartha)
to be attained through human birth.
Source: Mahanirvana Tantra Tantra of the Great Liberation,
Translated by Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) [1913]. While we have
made every effort to reproduce the text correctly, we do not guarantee or
accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions or inaccuracies in
the reproduction of this text.
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Saturday , September 18, 2010
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