Brahma Yamala Tantra Pdf
About the Book The Brahmayamalatantra (aka Picumata) is probably one of the earliest surviving Saiva tantras, and possibly the earliest one known to us of the Bhairavatantra tradition. The present volume contains a critical edition and annotated translation of three of its chapters: one on the central mandala of the cult, one on preliminary religious observances (vrata) prescribed for all practitioners (sadhaka), and one on instructions for each individual category of sadhaka instructions on transgressive sexual rituals for the Talaka, on strict rules of conduct for the chaste Carubhojin, and on a combination of these for the Mixed Practitioner.
This unique system of sadhakas marks an early phase in the development of classification of practitioners seeking liberation and magical powers, and gives us an insight into the tantric world of extremes: of rule-bound sexual encounters involving several female partners and highly impure substances on the one hand, and of asceticism, strict vegetarianism and chastity on the other. The introduction deals with the main topics raised by the selected chapters, as well as with problems of the sometimes extremely non-standard (Aisa) Sanskrit that the oldest manuscript transmits. One of the appendices provides a summary of the first twenty-five chapters (about one quarter of the Brahmayamala) to facilitate further study. The extensive index includes all important keywords and all major Aisa phenomena. Introduction 1.1 General Introduction In this volume, I focus on the obscure and intriguing figure of the tantric practitioner (sadhaka) of mediaeval India, investigating his (and her) obligatory daily rituals as well as the occasional and optional rites he (and she) are entitled to perform, many times together as sexual partners, as presented in an early Saiva tantra, the 12000-verse Brahmayamala (BraYa). This text is also known as the Picumata, the Navaksaravidhana, the Dvadasasahasraka, the Ucchusma and the Vimala.1 The BraYa is one of the oldest surviving Bhairava-tantras if not simply the oldest of them, dated recently to around the seventh century. Its importance for mediaeval India, and mediaeval Indian authors can be inferred, among other things, from the fact that Abhinavagupta cites it frequently in his Tantraloka The fact that Buddhist tantras, especially the Laghusarpvara, contain extensive passages that are borrowed from the BraYa add considerably to its importance for the reconstruction of the history of mediaeval Indian religions.
The practitioners of later Saiva tantra are very commonly classified into four classes, and thus are given instructions on and entitled to pursue one of four kinds of ritual life: that of the samayin, the sadhaka, the putraka or the acarya. The case of the BraYa, and of other early tantric texts such as the Nisvasatattvasamhita (Nisv), is different: the practitioner is commonly and generally called sadhaka, and is variously classified into a number of groups. Early chapters of the BraYa mention three such groups or classes of practitioners, Sadhakas. This is what is expounded in great detail in one of the chapters edited, translated and analysed in the present volume (patala 45). One of the two other chapters edited here (patala 3) gives us a general and basic overview of the cult's pantheon and initiation mandala.
The core of the pantheon consists of the main deities Kapalisa and Canda Kapalini (her Vidya OM KANDE KAPALINI SVAHA, is the central mantra of the Bra'Ya), who are surrounded by the four Devis/Guhyakas (Rakta, Karali, Candaksi, Mahocchusma), the four Kinkaris/Dutis (Karala, Dantura, Bhimavaktra, Mahabala), the six Yoginis (Krostuki, Vijaya, Gajakarna, Mahamukhi, Cakravega, Mahanasa) and the eight Mothers/Matrs (Mahesvari/Mahesvari, Brahmi, Vaisnavi, Kaumari, Vaivasvati, Indrani/ Mahendri, Candika/ Camunda/Carcika, Aghori). Presenting this chapter here seemed useful to contextualise and locate many of the rituals described in the subsequent chapters, most of which are to be performed actually inside the mandala.
The third chapter I have choosen to edit for this volume is very closely related to patala 45 mentioned above, being nothing less than an elaboration on one phase in the Sadhaka's religious career touched upon briefly in patala 45, namely on the ascetic observances (vrata) required before setting foot on one of the three paths of the Sadhaka. There has been relatively little scholarly work done on the BraYa.
There are two scholars who are definitely to be mentioned in this respect. One is Alexis Sanderson, the first scholar to contextualise the BraYa within the Saiva tantric tradition and to give a detailed account of its general characteristics. He comments on various aspects of the text in many of his seminal articles. The other is Shaman Hatley, who devoted his ground breaking PhD thesis to the Bra'Ya (HATLEY 2007).
My present contribution is a very modest one. The BraYa being a very extensive text, no comprehensive study of all its important features or a complete critical edition seems a feasible task at the moment. It took me a considerable time to narrow down all the possibilities offered by the text to the topic of the Sadhaka. The 674-verse-Iong main Sadhaka chapter (BraYa 45) gives a detailed description of its subject matter and is relatively coherent: this is one of the reasons why it seemed a good idea to focus on it. The edition of the Mandala chapter (BraYa 3) can be seen as a continuation of HATLEY'S edition of the first two patalas in HATLEY 2007, which is an additional reason to include it here.
Finally, BraYa 21 is not only related to BraYa 45, but provides interesting confirmation for the BraYa's close relationship with the Jayadrathayamala (JRY, see section 1.3 on pp. In the following, I will analyse each of the three patalas critically edited, translated and annotated in the second half of this volume. After the analyses, and some general remarks on the available manuscripts and my editorial policy, there follows the Sanskrit text and annotated translation of the three selected chapters. The appendices contain a summary of the first twenty-five patalas of the BraYa to give the reader some general picture of the overall character of the first quarter of the text, as well as a chart presenting the measurements given in BraYa 4.10-16 for comparison with similar charts in GOODALL 2004:523.
It is followed by a list of abbreviations, bibliography and index. 1.2 The Mandala 1.2.1 General remarks The main objective of editing and publishing chapter 3 of the BraYa and to present a detailed account of the pantheon of its cult is to help contextualise the innumerable rituals the text teaches. Most rituals taught in the BraYa include some sets of deities that are first introduced, enumerated and placed in a hierarchy of deities in patala 3. As I will try to show below, most of the sexual rituals taught in patala 45 (edited in this volume) are performed in the great initiation mandala taught in patala 3. Additionally, the nine geographical locations mentioned in the course of the construction of the mandala, i.e. The nine cremation grounds of Prayaga, Varanasi etc., could provide us with some clues on the provenance of the text. An analysis of these locations has been attempted by HATLEY (2007:228236), but it is difficult to arrive at any definitive conclusion.
According to HATLEY (2007:235), 'Orissa might seem a strong candidate' for the place of origin of the text. All I can add to this is that the fact that the centre of the initiation mandala of the BraYa is Prayaga may have some weight, and may lead us to the supposition that the birth-place of the text should not lie extremely far from Prayaga, modern Allahabad. In support of Prayaga being the place of origin of the text, one could also refer to BraYa 1.27-28, in which Sattika, the Goddess herself, is said to be incarnated in Kanavira, a village near Prayaga. 1.2.2 On domestic worship Since patala 3 starts with a brief summary of domestic pantheon-worship (grhayaga or navayaga), it is perhaps not unnecessary to clarify some of its details, although it has little to do with the mandala itself. For a longer description of one form of navayaga, see BraYa patala 13: the Sadhaka installs the four Guhyakas, the four Dutis, Bhairava and Bhairavi on the petals and the pericarps of nine eight-petalled lotus truuuialas. The deities alternate in occupying the pericarp of the lotuses.
BraYa 3 (and the Jayadrathayamala, see JRY 1.48.4ff) teaches nine forms of domestic pantheon-worship based on nine household items, in which the deities dwell or on which one should visualise them. A list of five household items appears already in Manusmrti 3.68: culli, pesani, upaskara, kandani, udakumbha. These are considered there as potentially dangerous instruments for the householder because by using them he may kill small living creatures unintentionally.
Other lists of nine household items appear in texts such as the Kubjikamatatantra and the Somasambhupaddhati etc. 1.2.3 The construction of the mandala Verses 5-50ab in patala 3 of the BraYa focus on the actual construction of the initiation mandala. The main points to emphasise here are the following: the measuring and tracing of the mandala is performed using impure substances, befitting a transgressive Bhairava-tantra; the core pantheon is located on a lotus in the centre around which an intricate pattern of eight passageways (vithi) is to be constructed, with their open gates placed in the cardinal directions beginning with the North; there are eight additional lotuses called 'cremation' grounds (Smasana) outside the passageways and the enclosing wall; the area of the whole structure is approximately 4 x 4 metres. See a very sketchy reconstruction of the initiation mandala of the BraYa, as described in patala 3, on the next page. Note that in order to reach the centre using the open gates and passageways, one has to circumambulate (pradaksina) the mandala six times.
1.2.4 The core pantheon The central area of the mandala, which is to be visualised as the cremation ground of Prayaga, contains the core pantheon: Kapalisa surrounded by the four Devis/Guhyakas (Rakta, Karali, Candaksi, Mahocchusma), the four Kinkaris/Dutis (Karala, Dantura, Bhimavaktra, Mahabala), the six Yoginis (Krostuki, Vijaya, Gajakarna, Mahamukhi, Cakravega, Mahanasa) and the eight Matrs (Mahesvari /Mahesvari, Brahmi, Vaisnavi, Kaumari, Vaivasvati, Indrani, Candika/Mahendri, Aghori/Carcika). Contents Part One 1 Introduction 13 2 Sources 57 3 Editorial Policies: Language and Conventions 73 II Part Two 91 The Critically Edited Sanskrit Texts 93 Translations 175 Appendices 315 Summary of Brahmayamala 1-25 315 Measurements in Brahmayamala4.10-17ab 337 Abbreviations and Symbols 339 Works consulted 343 Index 353 Sample Pages The Brahmayamala Tantra or Picumata (The Religious Observances and Sexual Ritual of the Tantric Practitioner: Chapter 3, 21 and 45). About the Book The Brahmayamalatantra (aka Picumata) is probably one of the earliest surviving Saiva tantras, and possibly the earliest one known to us of the Bhairavatantra tradition. The present volume contains a critical edition and annotated translation of three of its chapters: one on the central mandala of the cult, one on preliminary religious observances (vrata) prescribed for all practitioners (sadhaka), and one on instructions for each individual category of sadhaka instructions on transgressive sexual rituals for the Talaka, on strict rules of conduct for the chaste Carubhojin, and on a combination of these for the Mixed Practitioner. This unique system of sadhakas marks an early phase in the development of classification of practitioners seeking liberation and magical powers, and gives us an insight into the tantric world of extremes: of rule-bound sexual encounters involving several female partners and highly impure substances on the one hand, and of asceticism, strict vegetarianism and chastity on the other. The introduction deals with the main topics raised by the selected chapters, as well as with problems of the sometimes extremely non-standard (Aisa) Sanskrit that the oldest manuscript transmits.
One of the appendices provides a summary of the first twenty-five chapters (about one quarter of the Brahmayamala) to facilitate further study. The extensive index includes all important keywords and all major Aisa phenomena.
Introduction 1.1 General Introduction In this volume, I focus on the obscure and intriguing figure of the tantric practitioner (sadhaka) of mediaeval India, investigating his (and her) obligatory daily rituals as well as the occasional and optional rites he (and she) are entitled to perform, many times together as sexual partners, as presented in an early Saiva tantra, the 12000-verse Brahmayamala (BraYa). This text is also known as the Picumata, the Navaksaravidhana, the Dvadasasahasraka, the Ucchusma and the Vimala.1 The BraYa is one of the oldest surviving Bhairava-tantras if not simply the oldest of them, dated recently to around the seventh century. Its importance for mediaeval India, and mediaeval Indian authors can be inferred, among other things, from the fact that Abhinavagupta cites it frequently in his Tantraloka The fact that Buddhist tantras, especially the Laghusarpvara, contain extensive passages that are borrowed from the BraYa add considerably to its importance for the reconstruction of the history of mediaeval Indian religions. The practitioners of later Saiva tantra are very commonly classified into four classes, and thus are given instructions on and entitled to pursue one of four kinds of ritual life: that of the samayin, the sadhaka, the putraka or the acarya.
The case of the BraYa, and of other early tantric texts such as the Nisvasatattvasamhita (Nisv), is different: the practitioner is commonly and generally called sadhaka, and is variously classified into a number of groups. Early chapters of the BraYa mention three such groups or classes of practitioners, Sadhakas. This is what is expounded in great detail in one of the chapters edited, translated and analysed in the present volume (patala 45). One of the two other chapters edited here (patala 3) gives us a general and basic overview of the cult's pantheon and initiation mandala. The core of the pantheon consists of the main deities Kapalisa and Canda Kapalini (her Vidya OM KANDE KAPALINI SVAHA, is the central mantra of the Bra'Ya), who are surrounded by the four Devis/Guhyakas (Rakta, Karali, Candaksi, Mahocchusma), the four Kinkaris/Dutis (Karala, Dantura, Bhimavaktra, Mahabala), the six Yoginis (Krostuki, Vijaya, Gajakarna, Mahamukhi, Cakravega, Mahanasa) and the eight Mothers/Matrs (Mahesvari/Mahesvari, Brahmi, Vaisnavi, Kaumari, Vaivasvati, Indrani/ Mahendri, Candika/ Camunda/Carcika, Aghori). Presenting this chapter here seemed useful to contextualise and locate many of the rituals described in the subsequent chapters, most of which are to be performed actually inside the mandala.
The third chapter I have choosen to edit for this volume is very closely related to patala 45 mentioned above, being nothing less than an elaboration on one phase in the Sadhaka's religious career touched upon briefly in patala 45, namely on the ascetic observances (vrata) required before setting foot on one of the three paths of the Sadhaka. There has been relatively little scholarly work done on the BraYa. There are two scholars who are definitely to be mentioned in this respect. One is Alexis Sanderson, the first scholar to contextualise the BraYa within the Saiva tantric tradition and to give a detailed account of its general characteristics. He comments on various aspects of the text in many of his seminal articles. The other is Shaman Hatley, who devoted his ground breaking PhD thesis to the Bra'Ya (HATLEY 2007). My present contribution is a very modest one.
The BraYa being a very extensive text, no comprehensive study of all its important features or a complete critical edition seems a feasible task at the moment. It took me a considerable time to narrow down all the possibilities offered by the text to the topic of the Sadhaka. The 674-verse-Iong main Sadhaka chapter (BraYa 45) gives a detailed description of its subject matter and is relatively coherent: this is one of the reasons why it seemed a good idea to focus on it. The edition of the Mandala chapter (BraYa 3) can be seen as a continuation of HATLEY'S edition of the first two patalas in HATLEY 2007, which is an additional reason to include it here. Finally, BraYa 21 is not only related to BraYa 45, but provides interesting confirmation for the BraYa's close relationship with the Jayadrathayamala (JRY, see section 1.3 on pp. In the following, I will analyse each of the three patalas critically edited, translated and annotated in the second half of this volume.
After the analyses, and some general remarks on the available manuscripts and my editorial policy, there follows the Sanskrit text and annotated translation of the three selected chapters. The appendices contain a summary of the first twenty-five patalas of the BraYa to give the reader some general picture of the overall character of the first quarter of the text, as well as a chart presenting the measurements given in BraYa 4.10-16 for comparison with similar charts in GOODALL 2004:523.
It is followed by a list of abbreviations, bibliography and index. 1.2 The Mandala 1.2.1 General remarks The main objective of editing and publishing chapter 3 of the BraYa and to present a detailed account of the pantheon of its cult is to help contextualise the innumerable rituals the text teaches. Most rituals taught in the BraYa include some sets of deities that are first introduced, enumerated and placed in a hierarchy of deities in patala 3. As I will try to show below, most of the sexual rituals taught in patala 45 (edited in this volume) are performed in the great initiation mandala taught in patala 3. Additionally, the nine geographical locations mentioned in the course of the construction of the mandala, i.e. The nine cremation grounds of Prayaga, Varanasi etc., could provide us with some clues on the provenance of the text. An analysis of these locations has been attempted by HATLEY (2007:228236), but it is difficult to arrive at any definitive conclusion.
According to HATLEY (2007:235), 'Orissa might seem a strong candidate' for the place of origin of the text. All I can add to this is that the fact that the centre of the initiation mandala of the BraYa is Prayaga may have some weight, and may lead us to the supposition that the birth-place of the text should not lie extremely far from Prayaga, modern Allahabad. In support of Prayaga being the place of origin of the text, one could also refer to BraYa 1.27-28, in which Sattika, the Goddess herself, is said to be incarnated in Kanavira, a village near Prayaga. 1.2.2 On domestic worship Since patala 3 starts with a brief summary of domestic pantheon-worship (grhayaga or navayaga), it is perhaps not unnecessary to clarify some of its details, although it has little to do with the mandala itself. For a longer description of one form of navayaga, see BraYa patala 13: the Sadhaka installs the four Guhyakas, the four Dutis, Bhairava and Bhairavi on the petals and the pericarps of nine eight-petalled lotus truuuialas. The deities alternate in occupying the pericarp of the lotuses.
BraYa 3 (and the Jayadrathayamala, see JRY 1.48.4ff) teaches nine forms of domestic pantheon-worship based on nine household items, in which the deities dwell or on which one should visualise them. A list of five household items appears already in Manusmrti 3.68: culli, pesani, upaskara, kandani, udakumbha. These are considered there as potentially dangerous instruments for the householder because by using them he may kill small living creatures unintentionally.
Other lists of nine household items appear in texts such as the Kubjikamatatantra and the Somasambhupaddhati etc. 1.2.3 The construction of the mandala Verses 5-50ab in patala 3 of the BraYa focus on the actual construction of the initiation mandala. The main points to emphasise here are the following: the measuring and tracing of the mandala is performed using impure substances, befitting a transgressive Bhairava-tantra; the core pantheon is located on a lotus in the centre around which an intricate pattern of eight passageways (vithi) is to be constructed, with their open gates placed in the cardinal directions beginning with the North; there are eight additional lotuses called 'cremation' grounds (Smasana) outside the passageways and the enclosing wall; the area of the whole structure is approximately 4 x 4 metres. See a very sketchy reconstruction of the initiation mandala of the BraYa, as described in patala 3, on the next page. Note that in order to reach the centre using the open gates and passageways, one has to circumambulate (pradaksina) the mandala six times. 1.2.4 The core pantheon The central area of the mandala, which is to be visualised as the cremation ground of Prayaga, contains the core pantheon: Kapalisa surrounded by the four Devis/Guhyakas (Rakta, Karali, Candaksi, Mahocchusma), the four Kinkaris/Dutis (Karala, Dantura, Bhimavaktra, Mahabala), the six Yoginis (Krostuki, Vijaya, Gajakarna, Mahamukhi, Cakravega, Mahanasa) and the eight Matrs (Mahesvari /Mahesvari, Brahmi, Vaisnavi, Kaumari, Vaivasvati, Indrani, Candika/Mahendri, Aghori/Carcika). Contents Part One 1 Introduction 13 2 Sources 57 3 Editorial Policies: Language and Conventions 73 II Part Two 91 The Critically Edited Sanskrit Texts 93 Translations 175 Appendices 315 Summary of Brahmayamala 1-25 315 Measurements in Brahmayamala4.10-17ab 337 Abbreviations and Symbols 339 Works consulted 343 Index 353 Sample Pages.
S Rangachar Often tantra shAstra is characterized as ‘prayoga shAstra’ - a spiritual technique, a religious technology, a ‘Do-it-yourself’ shAstra for the aspirants. TAntrikI shruti is called a siddhAnta Agama, a sAdhanA shAstra. Amarasimha says: tAntriko jnAtasiddhAntaH He means thereby that Tantra is siddhAnta - an established system of knowledge and practices. He who is well-versed in the siddhAnta is called a tAntrika.
The different established systems of thought such as the mImAmsA, nyAya, vaisheShika usually delineated as darshanas are also often referred to as tantras. For instance, shankara in his brahmasUtra bhAshya (3.3.53), while commenting on pUrva mImAmsA darshana, refers to it in the style - prathama tantre - thereby implying that darshana and tantra are interchangeable terms.
Often great scholars are conferred with the title ‘sarvatantra svatantra’ extolling their erudition and mastery of the shAstras. If manu could call the vedas ‘veda shAstra’, veda shAstraM sanAtanam (12-99), the tantras can be called ‘siddhAnta shAstra’ with equal force. For instance, shankara calls sAmkhya, a tantra. Why, the sAmkhya kArikA does so itself, by calling its own darshana a tantra in kArikA. There is of course the long-standing controversy whether the vedas are really apauruSheya (authorless). While the orthodox believe so, Indologists are of the opinion that the authors of the vedas may be assigned various dates upto 1500 B.C. Recent excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and also Tilak’s researches have pushed back the origin of the Vedas by many thousands of years.
I do not wish to enter into the controversy whether the vedas are apauruSheya or pauruSheya. The point relevant here is that the shrutis lose their claim as revealed literature. If the vedas have their authors, then the tantras will have to have their authors.
These very same indologists are of the opinion that the Agamas and tantras are of later origin than the vedas and that they are definitely later than the purANas. They are of the further opinion that the purANas themselves are newly created Post-Buddhistic literature specially formulated in such a way as to offset Buddhistic influences and boost Hinduism. If that is so, tAntric literature is to be considered as of very late origin and cannot be deemed as pari passu with the vedas as claimed earlier in terms of the accredited convictions of the orthodox schools. The above argument of the Indologists that the tantras are of recent origin later to the purANas, can be easily refuted by pointing out that in the various purANas themselves we find mention made both of the vaidiki and tAntriki forms of worship.
So also the allegation that the tantras are of Post-Buddhistic origin can be easily refuted. Buddha himself condemned the tAntric worships of brahmA, indra, viShNu, kAtyAyanI, gaNapati and others. LalitavistAra, a famous Buddhist work, makes mention of buddha’s denouncement of tAntric cults in its seventeenth chapter.
After Buddha, we find Buddhists themselves began to have their own innumerable tantras. They veritably began to worship innumerable deities such as Adi buddha, prajnA pAramitA, manjushrI, tArA, Arya tArA and so on. In other words, Buddhists could not resist the temptations of having their own Tantras on the lines similar to those of the Hindus. Thus, if Buddha could denigrate tAntric worship, the tantras should have existed earlier to Buddhism. Quite in contrast with the considered opinion of the Indologists, one of the tantras themselves, namely nArAyaNIya tantra points out that the vedas themselves have originated from the yAmaLas, a class of tantras of considerable importance and also magnitude. The principle yAmaLas are eight in number namely: 1. Rudra yAmaLa 2.
Skanda yAmaLa 3. Brahma yAmaLa 4. ViShNu yAmaLa 5. Yama yAmaLa 6. Vayu yAmaLa 7. Kubera yAmaLa 8. Indra yAmaLa Just as the original shaiva tantras or Agamas represent the rudra or sadAshiva tradition, the yAmaLas represent the bhairava tradition and it is further narrated that the yAmaLas were first communicated to mankind by the following eight bhairavas: svacChanda, krodha, unmatta, ugra & kapAlin, jhankAra, shekhara and vijaya.
The yAmaLa tradition believes in a huge pantheon of gods and goddesses; the tAntric sAdhana here is open to all castes. Some of the yAmaLas describe that the rigveda originated from rudra yAmaLa, sAma veda from the brahma yAmaLa, yajurveda fom viShNu yAmaLa and atharva veda from shakti yAmaLa. Siddha sarvAnanda in his compendium called sarvollAsa means to convey the idea that the yAmaLas are so ancient that they precede even the tantras. All these of course are highly controversial issues. According to brahma yAmaLa, it is believed that Ishvara communicated the secret knowledge to shrIkaNTha. This shrIkaNTha reincarnated himself near prayAga and communicated the tantra in 1,25,000 anuShTubh shlokas to various disciples and that one of those disciples was a bhairava and that was how many bhairavas came to know of it. According to mahAsiddhasAra tantra, bhArata is divided into three krAntas or sub-divisions and eah krAnta is said to possess 64 tantras.
The three krAntas are: 1. Vishnukranta 2.
RathakrAnta 3. Ashvakranta Shaktisangama tantra defines the krAntas: 1. The land east of the vindya hills extending upto Java comprise Vishnukranta. The country north of the vindhya hills including mainland China forms Rathakranta. Rest of India westwards is Ashvakranta. Hindu temples could be found in Indo China, Indonesia, Bali and many other islands.
KAlI, tArA, rudra could be found all over the far east and south-east Asia. Even Egypt came under Ashvakranta and worship of the Indian linga was very popular there.
In the brhannIla tantra it is said worship of paramAnanda was vogue in Persia. In Rhodesia, phallic emblems made of gold have been discovered.
The worship of Ashtaroth, Astarte, Ishtar referred to in the Old Testament of the Bible is interpreted to be none other than the bIjAkShara strIm of tArA. Thus it is evident that tAntric worship was widely prevalent in ancient times in many parts of the world other than India even and that Indian influence was all over Asia, Africa and the Middle East too. The ShaT shAmbhava rahasya mentions four famous sampradAyas of bhArata, four famous schools very popular all over: 1. GauDa in the East 2. Kerala in the Center/South 3. KAshmIra in the North 4. VilAsa, an eclectic sampradAya all over.
Whether we agree with the view or not that the vedas themselves have their source in the yAmaLas, we can at least be convinced that the tantras are of very ancient origin and they are not post-purANic or post-Buddhistic literature. Then there is another insinuation against the tantras namely that the Agamas and tantras represent a revolt against the vedas. The objectioners quote the bhagavadgItA sometimes, stanzas 45 and 46 in Canto II. Sometimes it is argued that the tantras cannot be on par with the Vedas for the simple reason that in many places black magic is described in the tantras, that in some parts they contain obscenities and that therefore they are not of good taste. In reply we may raise the question - what about the vedas themselves? Manu says: shrutiratharvANgirasIH kuryAdityavichArayan.h vAk.h shastraM vai brAhmaNasya tena hanyAdarIn.h dvijaH On certain occasions a brahmin can undoubtedly make use of the atharvaveda. A brahmin’s strength lies in his tongue (vAk) meaning thereby mantra.
To overcome an enemy a brahmin is permitted to resort to the practices enjoined in the atharvaveda. The following sUktas deal directly with the so-called ‘black arts’ and magic in the atharva veda: First khaNDa - sUktas 14-17 Second khaNDa - sUktas 17-31 Third khaNDa - sUktas 25-30 Fourth khaNDa - sUktas 12-16-36 Fifth khaNDa - sUktas 14-23-27 Sixth khaNDa - sUktas 37-105-130 Even in Rigveda and yajurveda, there are references to abhichAra krtya: Rigveda - Tenth maNDala - Suktas 14, 16, 163 and 58-60. Yajurveda - taittirIya brAhmaNa - kANDa 2, pra 4, anu -2 To make a sweeping remark that all the tantras teach is Black Art and nothing else is wrong and smacks of an unwarranted hasty generalization and bad faith. There may be separate tantras exclusively meant for Black Arts and they are exclusively known by their distinctive appellations such as gAruDa, vAma, bhUta etc. If the vedas themselves could advocate and enunciate a few items of black arts to bring couples together or punish the enemies of the veda and brahmins, why should any one denounce an assemblage of tantras?
When we take into consideration any discourse on Creation in the vedas, we can easily observe similarity of views between the vaidikI and tAntrikI shrutis. Everyone is aware of the pancha brahma mantras beginning with sadyojAtam prapadyAmi and ending with IshAnaH sarvavidyAnAm. To understand the pancha brahma mantras, we have to clearly know about the pancha sAdAkhyas. So also about the mantras such as adhvapate etc. To understand the significance of these mantras it is absolutely necessary to have recourse into the Agamas. The brahma-svarUpa as suggested in the shruti is clearly explained and illustrated in the Tantras.
Tantra is defined as: tanyate vistAryate jnAnamanena iti That which amplifies and nurtures knowledge. Tantra is that branch of knowledge that not only enlarges and illustrates, but also sustains shruti jnAna. In kAmikAgama, it is stated: tanoti vipulAnarthAn.h tattvamantrasamanvitAn.h trANaM cha kurute yasmAt.h tantramityabhidhIyate Not only does tantra promulgate profound knowledge concerning tattva (Cosmology) and mantra (the science of mystic sounds), it breathes life into them so to say and makes them practicable. It helps in true practical realization through self-elevation. One of the oldest tantras, the niHshvAsa tantra samhitA is of the view that tantra is just a culmination of the esoteric aspects of vedAnta and sAmkhya for the reason that it upholds the ultimacy of puruSha with the validity of the world as an expression of His shakti. PrapanchasAra cites vaidika mantras and mahAvAkyas.
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Meru tantra describes mantras as part of the vedas. According to prANatoshinI tantra, tantra is an extension of the vedas.
Niruttara tantra calls tantra the fifth veda. KulArNava tantra reiterates that the shAstras have as their heart both the veda and the tantra. Matsyamukha tantra says that the tAntric disciple must be a pure soul (shuddhAtmA) and a knower of the vedas. Knowledge of the vedas is largely considered as an essential preliminary to initiation into the tAntric cult. MahArudra yAmaLa says that a person bereft of veda-kriyA is disqualified for the study and practice of tantra. Gandharva tantra asserts that the tAntric sAdhaka must be an Astika and have faith in the vedas. That Hinduism or sanAtana dharma as it should be rightly called is revealed in the six darshanas is a well-known fact.
The six darshanas are the six stages through which the mind progresses in its quest for brahman. The six darshanas are the six limbs. These six systems are not to be treated separately.
Tantra thus is also precisely a darshana and a sAdhanA shAstra. In general it lays down different forms of practice for the attainment of the highest aim of human existence by one living the ordinary life of a householder. In this respect, tantra corresponds to the upAsanA part of the shruti.
It helps in achieving two ends namely: 1. Abhyudaya - General progress or uplift 2.
NiHshreyasa - Attaining liberation or salvation Tantra may aptly be described as sAdhana reduced to a science. The siddhi achieved is a demonstrable fact, experimentally verified. Tantra not only helps in achieving the supreme end of self-realization and liberation but also helps to achieve the ordinary ends of living existence such as dharma, artha and kAma. The tantra shAstra is based on the firm convictions that mantra is efficacious, that yantra is potent and that ultimate siddhi at the level of sacchidAnanda is a certainty. It helps in the coordination of karma, yoga, jnAna and bhakti.
Although it emphasizes will and effort on the part of the individual sAdhaka, it glorifies self-surrender to the Almighty and seeking Her mercy and grace. It demands bhakti and prapatti. The tantra employs both the exoteric rituals of the vedic kind and the the esoteric rituals of the yogic type.
The tantras in general simplify the vedic rituals and make greater use of esoteric symbols.