(

\..;.'

..

q,l''iiirrff

riu' An
,;
,.-,'j,:,,

'\, ,,
\ .i :.., I i

i.', I,

i:1,::i:

,!

;.;:

.-

U-a

,,q,;,.*cfl? .,.':

'.1r I 1*'.::lr'::,:' ';

..."1',;i _ I

{i;'^t'

'4

,.4{ilj..!W$.fr1_l

The Art of Tantta

PHILIP RA-WSON
t69 illustrations, z5 in colour

IT&H)

THAMES AND HUDSON

Contents

Any copy ofthls book rssued by the publisher as a

paperback is sold subject to the condition that it
shall not by way oftrade or otherrvisc be lent,
resold, hired out or othemise circulated rvithout
the publisher's prior consent in any lorm ofbinding
or cover other than that in which it is published
and without a similar condition including these
words being irnposed on a subsequent purchaser.

Fundamental attitudes

Historical characteristics

r7

-)

Sex and logic

)-

Basic ceremonial and images

+3

Mantra and yantra

59

Scxual translormation

B3

Krisna and eesthetics

f02

Graveyards and horror

TT2

Cosmograms

4r

ro The subtle body

ro

Fir\r publi\hcd in Crcar Britairr rn ro73

Revised edition published in the World of Art Series

II

in I 97b
Ileprinted r99 5

I2 The One

1973 and r97f3 Thames and Hudson

Ltd, London

Doubling and development

r87
r95

Kmakalvilsa translated

zo6

Notes on the text

2ro

Glossary

2ro

publisher.

Location of objects

2r2

rsBN o-5oo-2or-lJ

Bibliography

213

Printed and bound in Singaporc by C.S. Craphics

Index

214

All Rights Reserved. No part of

thrs pubiication

nray be reproduced or transnritted in any lomr

or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopy, recording or any other

inlormation storage and retrieval systenr,

witholrt prior permission in rvritirg from the

CHAPTER ONE

Fundamental attitudes
This book is based upon the catalogue which the author wrote for

the

Jirst

comprehensiue exhibition of Tantra art at the Hayward Callery , London, in

1921, sponsored by the Arts Council of Creat Britain. Sinrc then, Tantra

with its

imdgery has entrenclted itsel-f

in the aesthetic and

spiritual

conscousness o;f the West, and its deas haue helped many people to dchieue d

new synthesis between scienti-fic and personal perspectiues.

In this reuised edition the selection of illustrations has been modiJted to
increa-se the sense o-f

Tantra's historical depth.

Tantra is a special manifestation of Indian feeling, art and rcligion. It

may really be understood, in the last rcsort, by pcople who are
prerpared to undertake inl-rer mcditative action. Thcre can be no quick
and casy dcfinitions. Thcy have been tricd; but they cither tr-rrn out to
bc so broad and gcneral if thcy are expressed in Indian words that thcy
-Westcrner,
scarcely mean anything to thc
or so narrow that tlrey are
only true for a part of thc cnormous and dift-use rcality. There arc
many variations of practice and belicf. Flowevcr, thcre is onc thrcad

thror-rgl.r the labyrinth; all the different

manifestations of Tantra can be strung on it. This thread is thc idca
that Tantra is a cult of ecstasy, focused on a vision of cosmic sexuality.
Life-stylcs, ritual, magic, myth, philosophy and a complcx of signs
and emotivc symbols converge upon that vision. Thc basic tcxts ilr
which thcsc are conveyed are aisc ca1lcd Tantras. Tantra does aiso
includc imagcs and ideas from thc oldest strata of Indian rcligion,
many frorn the Aiyan Vcda and Upanisads, often reinterprcting
thcm in visual tcrms by diagrams ar-rd persoirification.
Tantra has a particular wisdom of its own. Tfiis sets it apart from all
other religious and psychological systems, especially thosc traditional
to the orthodox Brahmins. The othcr systcrns agrce ir-r asserting that
our real world is a meaninglcss illusion, that the mental play of forms
which wc call our cxpericnce of life and t1-rc world is utterly without
value. They show that all thosc cxperiences which ordinarily we
cherish most, slich as lovc for our lovers and childrcn, foocl, thc
intcnsc emotional joy naturc, music and art can producc, evcn the
adoratiol-r wc may ftel for a persorial God, are mercly traps, whosc
grip on us has to be priscd loose. We must lcarn to rejcct totally any
fondncss for worldly experience of any kind, so as to allow our wholc
attelrtion to be flooded with i consuming abstract vision of thc

which can guidc us

Brahrnan, i.e. 'The Truth', 'Thc undivided whole', which is the

r-rltimate Grouird of tseing. Accorcling to the Rrahmin systcms, when
we manalc to stay pcrmanelrtly in this state of attention, with our

el)tirc mirld stilled and absorbcd in thc Uitinrate, wer may achicvc
Ilclcase. Our naturc may ccasc to bc human, so that we arc converted
into an all embracing Consciousness which is at oncc Being and Ritss.
Obviously it needs a spccial kind of heroism to detach oneself uttcrly
from cxpcricnce in thc wor1d, and it takcs a 1ong, lotrg time malry
successive livcs according to Indian thinking. But this has been thc
constallt obscssion of Indian orthodoxics.
To achicve such insight ()nc may dwell on thc miscry of thc human
conclition. To hclp dctachmcnt one may mcditate with special
attelrtion on the agonies, despair and crimes of which oue knows:
thcre are plenty. One may also focus one's mind on the 'disgttsting'
aspccts of one's own body and the bodies of others, thinking of thcm
as mcrc transient bags of phlcgm, sl-rit and pr-rtrcfying ofi-al. One can
then discover how easy it is to say 'Nol' to the world enjoycd by such
bodies, to dcny the claims of all apparcnt bLrt vanishing possessions.
Thc horrors of suffcring will thr.rs fadc ir-ito insignificant clreams. By
the samc tokcn the most bear.rtiful lovcr will dissolvc into a tcmporary
illusion, the airy fantasy of a dcsiring mincl. Whcn all this is quitc'
clearly scelr one's libido is lrecd from its iclle imagining, its motions
may bc stoppecl, ancl one can fix it on the eternal, changcless light. By
opprcssing thc body and the mind with fasting, asccticisnt and
vigorous discipline, one can oblitcratc from otrc's conscioustress every
last shred of thc intcrest that knots the self to any picce, part,
fragmcnt, inrage, movemcnt or mcnlory of the world of illusion;
one's owlr mind may thus be swallowed into the Brahman like a drop
olwater into thc surfacc of a lake. Thcn even though othcr people
may see thc body walking, there will be no man in it. It will bc a husk,
an empty pupa-shcll when the buttcrfly has gone. lt will continue to
exist mcrcly so as to finish up the last remnants of impulsc from its
immemorial past.
Tantra does not disputc thc fundamental truth of this position. But
it bcliervcs that thc rnethods used are absurd. It declares that there is trct
nccd firr such a despcrate upstream strugglc to reach the shore, that
such an ideal of life produces a drcadful u'orld for those as yet
unrclcased. In fact distinguished uineteenth-ccntury Tantrikas statcd
cmphatically that they believed many of thc miserics of their poor
India to be caused by the world-hatred which traditional Brahmin
philosophics l-rad instillc'd intc:l the majority of the population. No one
nowadays can doubt that they werc right. In addition, as Dr S. S.
8

Rarlingay has pointcd out, there is a logical and pheuomenological

fallacy involved in any assertion of the nature of Bcing which fails to
take account first of all of that which is and its rclation to man.
In complcte colrtrast to the strenuous 'Nol' that ofiicial Brahmilr
tradition said to the world, Tantra says an emphatic, if qualified,
'Ycsl' It asserts that, instead of suppressing pleasure, vision and
crcstasy, they should be cultivated and used. There arc, in fact, plcnty
of rcfcrences to this even in the most sacre d orthodox upanisads.
Bccause scl'rs:rtion atrd emotioll rrc tile nlost powcrful human motive
forces, thcy shor-rld not be crushcd out, but harncssed to the r.rltimatc
goa1. Properly charurellcd thcy can providc an unparalleled sor-rrce of
elrcrgy, bringing bencfits to society as well as continually increasing
ccstasy for the individual. To help in this the physical body needs to bc
carcfully cr.rltivated. Tantrikas suspect the ollicially-approved'Nosayers', who hate and dcny the wor1d, at worst of a hiddcn and
dangerous sclf-inclulgcncc which wc shctld now call sadistic, at best
of neglccting thcir fcllor,v-creaturcs. Tantra deals in love, and love
needs objccts. Olle cannot love nothing. Love means care; and care
carried to the limit is probably thc ultimate social virtuc. At the same
timc, difi,-rent forms of Tantra cultivated elaboratc frameworks of

qualification and ritual proccdurc, to nrake quitc surc that its

followers did not fall into complaccnt ways of self-induigcncc. It is

itl to seek pleasnrc, evcn ccstasy, and makc

nothin5l clf thcm, leaving thcm lying as dcad and stcrile cxperiences itr
one's own past. Writers on Tantra have pointed out, though, that in
the total onelress occasionally expericnced itr everyday love thc goal
can bc glimpsecl. Tantra, howcvcr, distinguishcs very slrarply ir-rdecd
fataliy casy - millious do

betwccn the bcast-like rrlan in bondage to appetites, who sceks

pleasurc or-rly lor thc sake of expericncing the ecstasies it may oft-cr,
arrd the committed Tantrika who treats his senscs ttd crnotiotrs as
asscts to be turned to a spccial kind of accotlnt. It never denics that otlr
fragmented cxpericncc of the worlcl is intrinsically valuelcss. But it
docs acccpt that Iifc contains positive cxpcrict-tccs which can be put to
rise. They n-ray be madc irrto a laddcr of ascellt, or built illto
something likc a lincar-accelerator to propel a persoll into ecstatic
releasc, drawing behind him a wake of love and benefit.
Hinclu Tantra proclaims everything, thc crimes and miscries as
wcll as thejoys, to be thc active play of a fernale creativc principle, thc
Goddcss of many fbrms, sexually pcnetratcd by an invisiblc,

indescribable, seminal mle. In ultimate fact Hc has gcner:ited Hcr for

his own enjoymcnt. Ancl thc p1ay, becausc it is anaiolorrs to thc
activity of sexuai intcrcourse, is plcasr-rrable to Her. Thc Tatrtrika
must lcarn to identify himself with that cosmic plcasure-in-play, and
to rccogn.ize that u.hat may seent to ctthers to be miscry is an
inevitablc ancl ncccssary part of its cre:rtivc web, whercas thc plcasr-rre
is a true reflcction of thc cosmic delight. This poiut is madc cvcn in the
titles. of Tantrik texts: Kmakalvilasa (p. zo), lor examplc, nrealrs

'croticaoy in thc movcnrcnts of lovc'i S:rktisarirgama Tantra mcans

'the Tantra abotrt Sakti intercoursc'. By the excrtiolls of thcrr
coupling thc two divinities llcr)cr.ttc lrourrc'l tlicmselvcs, in various
kjnds oll patterncd halo in stages less and lcss sr-rbtle, more
particularized figr-rres, callcd devatas, arnong whom thcir encrgy is
sharcd. The patterns are describcd in thc marrdala clcsigt-rs and yantras
with whiclr the tcxts nd art arc very nruch concerncd. Budclhist
Tantra in practice shlrcs with Hindu the use ancl valuation of
figurativc symbols, even thollgh it n.ray seem to difler ovcr their
ultimatc significance.
The devats arc all hum:in in shape, fcnralc or ma1c, and have
dift-erent colours to show their clualities, pcrhaps many arnls to shor.v
thcir spccial furictior-rs, heads, expressions, garmclrts, lestures and
postllrcs all with spccific meanitrgs. Pcrson:rlization in thc boclily
shapc of beautiful peoplc has important implications of its owr-r. At
thc supcrficial levcl it eng:rges thc human libido in scnsuor-1s alrd
crotically attractive imagery. Bnt at a clceper level it rcflecrts a
principlc which has ramificatiorrs thror-rghout thc whole of Lrdian
tl'rought, including mcdicinc and astronomy. According to this
principlc Tantra equates thc human bocly with the cosmos. Thc twcr
arc, so to speak, the samc fultctional systclx seen from diftcrent points
of vieu,, and each is inconceivablc without thc other.'I'and'Titar
over thcrc' lre lulrctions of cach other. Tire cosntos whicl-r matr's
n'rind knows is a stmcturc of the encrgy-cllrrents in his bodily systent.
Only by tlie activity of man's rnind does a cosnl()s corne into any kind
of meaningfr-rl existcnce. MINII (cosmic) and nrind (hr"rman) :rrc not
esscntially clifrcrcnt; nor arc BODY (cosrnic) and bocly (human). The
trick is to knit togcther tl-re two aspects, by gctting rid of cbstaclcs and
limitatioris. So thc dervata-boclies to which Tantra constantly rcfcrs
arc invitations to cach human bcing to iclentify himself with them,
first at lor.vcr thcn at highcr lcvcls.

r Tibctall pairting es dn,clling for tl'rc BLrilcihist Lotus (loddcss of suprcnrt- lvislonr
whom thc figurc rcpresclts. Tibct, t 8th ccntnry (iuchc and gold rn cloth t x I t
(4r x z8)

Worship of thc Tndcnt as

cmblern of its indwclling clcity,

Siva, Raj:rsth:rLr, r Sth ccrtr:ry.

Clouachc on papcr Iox 7
(25

z, Lons-haircd sage in

rorlLlitill:,rl \(xtt,rl

Jr()tl\,t1.

South lnclia, r. t Sth cetrtury.

Carvccl n,rod, probably lrom

templccar,7x7(r8xt8)

3 Cclcstial cor.rple ir scxlial

interccursc in an acrobatic
postllrc, the nran playing a u'ind
ilrstrunrcrlt, thc u,holc an im;rgc
of cck-stial clcJight. South Lrdia,
.. r gth ccntury.

Wocr1, probably
h-om a tcr.nplc c:rr, h. r6 (4t)

x rlt)

r40

2-4

Tantra has mapped thc mechanism of currents of energy through

which the crcative impulse is distributed at oncc through man's body
and the world's. The universe of phenomena which rcsults has,
therefore, for the Tantrika a kind of subtlc fo-rr-dimensional skeleton
of channels, the knots and crossings of which arc occupied by devatfigurcs. Thc Tantra texts and art contain maps olthe system, together
with detailed instructions for working the mcchanism. The Tantrika
does this by'sadhana, i.e. psychosomatic efi-ort, assimilating his own
body to higher and highcr lcvcls of cosmic body-pattern. In the end
he may bccomc identical with the original double-scxcd dcity, which
is involved, without beginning or end, in blissful intercourse with
itself. Thc incentive to his continr-ral efi-ort is an occasional vision, as if
onc wcre to glimpse the firc of a raging furnace through a crack in its
wall, cf thc cosmic bliss which is an all-embracing lovc, sexual,
maternal, fi1ial, social and destructive, all at once.
Sdhana consists, fundamentally, of repeated rituals and carefully
dcsigned meditative activities, somc of which will bc dcscribcd later
on. The Tantrika has to lcad a controlled lifb. For he knows tl-rat only
wlrolehcarted and continuoLls rcpetitionof real als, both physical and
mental, can change his body and conscioLlsness. Mere reading and
thinking is no good at all. Tairtra is not a belief or faith, but a way of
living and actirlg. Indians have anyway enjoyed ritr-ral since vcry
ancicnt times. To repeat prcscribed ceremonies gives thcm grcat
satisfaction, and a powcrful assurance of thcir idcntity in thcir
universc. Reguiar ritual is not for them thc wcary chore it can so casily
become for the city-bred 'Westerner. Tantra, like most other Indian
cults, focuses al1 its interest on prescribed schcmes of behavior-rr and

irnagcry. Its texts are full of impcrativcs, which again sonlc

-Wcsterners
may find distasteful. 'The Sadhaka mLrst do so and so;
then he must do so and so', or 'Before doing this he must do this, this
and this.' He has to stick to rigid laws and obscrvances, avoiding
certain things likc the plaguc. In practicc Tantra has ncver shown any

interest in valuing and contemplating the continuously dillerent

forms produced by the creative p1ay. Although tl-rcre could be plenty
ofroom for them in the system, Tantra has never discovered anything
similar to thc hexeity (haccceitas) of Duns Scotus or thc deeply
individualized in-scapes of Gerard Manlcy Hopkins. Tantra acce pts the
structure of the world as dcfined by an abstract univcrsal pattcrn,
scrmalitically conditioned by abstract nouns. The prcscribcd methods
t4

arc

fclt to be prccious discoverics, relatcd certainly to the limitations

of Indian culturc, which only a fool would question. lf thcy

properly

are

in a singie Lfctime.
Among thcm are meditation, the cult of cxtrcmc feeling, aesthetic
erxperience, sex, drugs, magic ancl social action.
Onc story mous among Tantrikas is given in two slightly
dift-errng vcrsions in the Rudraymala and the Brahmayma1a. It
summarizcs many olthe chicf idcas behind thc Tantra. Among them
rre: that Tantra is a 'way' superior to but rot inconsistent witir
traditional ways; that it c<mbines the virtues of difiercnt rcligious
sects; that it seems scandalous to the conventionai; aud that it dcals in a
usecl a sdhaka can rcaclr bliss and release

spccial kind of ecstasy.

The chicf figurc in thc story is an Indian culturc-hero

ca11ed

Vaistha, who is the prototype cf the Brahmin sagc, and is saicl to havc
been son of the God Brahm and teacher of the incarnate god 1lma.
Hc was highly skillcd in orthodox Hindu religior-r and philosophies.
Hc is thus a very good symbol for all thosc in nccd of Tantra's lesson.

The story describes how Vaistha pcrformed his orthodox

rncditations, with tcrrible asceticisms, for six thousand years, trying
to compci the great Goddess to show Herself to him. He failcd, and ir-r
a fury wanted to curse Hcr. His father told him not to, cxplaining that
hc had an altogethcr wrong idca of the Goddess. In rcality, he told
Vaiistha, Shc is the boundlcss material, brilliant as tcn thousand suns,
out olwhich everything in the cosmos is made; She was Herself the.
substance of the Buddha's enligl'rtenment, kindly, loving and
bcautiful. Vaistha tricd again in a dil-erent spirit, and in thc encl She
appeared to him, in the bodily form of Sarasvati, the holiest Goddess
of ancieut Brahmin Vcdic wisdom - an appropriate iconic shape for a
Brahmin like him. Shc told him hc was still way ofi-thc proper track,
and that he ought to lcarn the 'Kula' method of rcligion; that is, the
Tantrik tradition. She said hc could not hope to get anywherc by
mere yoga and asceticism, not even to glimpse Her proper fect. 'My
worship', She said, 'is without austcrity and pain!' FIe must go to
MahTn (probably somewhcrc in the Himlaya) ancl lcarn thc
proper forms. Thcn She dissolvcd herself back into space and time.
Vaiistha did as She said. But when he rcached MahIn hc was
l-rorrified to recognize there the great Hindll god Vislu, incarnate as
the tsuddha, sitting among collcagucs naked and red-eyed, fuddled
with drink. They were surrounded by bear-rtiful womcn wearing
I5

jewelled belts and tinkling be1ls on thcir broad hips, with whom thcy
continually had scx,taI intcrcourse, giving and taking ereat pleasure.
Vaistha made r great fuss alrcl protested that this all wcnt against
every sacred teaching. Br,rt thc Rucldha pointed out to him that he was

CHAPTF,R T\x/O

making a vr.rlgar mistake ancl bcing deccived by outward

appearances. The mcn and women involvcd wcrc doing things tl-rat
had bccn prcparecl for by prolongcd ritual and n'reditation. hr rcality
their outcr actiolrs wcrc merely instrurnents to en intense inward
vision, thc worncn were images cf the llreat Gocldcss Herself, and
thcrc wrs no self-indr-rlgencc invcivcd. Hc thcl-l taugl.rt Vaistha thc
spccia.l Kula yoga and ritual, and the sage understccd. Hc achieved fiis
goal.
,5 Sagc scatcd in his meditation bancl, a cloth strap to supporr thc bociy. SoLrth hrdi,

rTth ccntnry. Stonc r9 (48)

istorical characteristi cs

No one knows how old Tantra is. Therc arc hints ofit in hrdia's oldcst
litcrature. The carliest sr.rrviving completc texts are tsuddl'rist, ald
date to about AD oo. But therc are many elements of what bccamc
Tantra in oidcr Hindu ad Buddhist scripturc; and later tcxts even
rcfer to Tautra as'Atharva Veda', thus identifying it as an aspcct of the
most ancient sacrcd and orthodox literature of Hinduism. There is
Tantra which is Hindu, Buddhist atrd cvcn, by strctching a poirrt,
strata of Hindu
Jaina. Since thc Middle Agcs it has flourished in many
the South' It
parts
of
and
Kasmir
Bengal,
Assam,
in
notably
iociety,
ideas, and
Muslim
with
combined
and
occasionally
assimilated
travclled to mally other countries of thc East. It rcached China during
the eighth century, when rhere wcre two major Tantrik Bucldhisr
tcmplcs in thc T'ang capital. From thcsc it was transported toJapan' Tt
is likely that sexual ritcs, also familiar in Chincse Taoism, were used
by thesc T'ang Tantrik Buddhists- Thcy certainly werc by thc
in the twclfth century.
Japanese Tachikawa sect which was founded
Br_rt in both chrna ar-rdJapan puritan confucianism has expungcd thc
menrory and literatur'e of scxual Tantra, leavir-rg only a schcmatic
psychological vcrsion. On the other hand, in Tibet Tantrik
Buddhism flourished cxceedingly from thc sevcnth cclrtl-lry ilrto
rccclrt years; ancl Tibctan Tantra made its way into Mongolia, with
occasional excursions into China. ln Nepal Ruddhist Tantra has 6,7
flonrishecl from early timcs, mingling witir Hindu Tantra' In
Southcast Asja Hindu Tantra was aclopted in Cambodia andJava by
alt goo, while Budclhist Tantra was probably known clsewhere in
Southeast Asia.

Tantra contains many arcl-raic elcments. Somc arc as ancient as thc

palacolithic c:rves ofEnrope, and can be precisely matchccl with thcrn.
Thc great Frcrrch cavc cotnplex of Pech-mer1c, for example, cclntains
a cl.rapel with triangular lcmale emblems which can be dr.rplicated
closely at Indian shrines. Other parallcls will be pointcd out latcr on. It
is thereforc morc thalt probable that what we know as Tatrtra is all
t7

ii(-

S't}&

6 l)ralr,ing of rlcvrti
i:ornLirilrq cl cnrctrts of
synrbolisr.n f}om scvcrl
clcitics into thc inragc.

Ncpal. i. r Soo- Ink uncl

coiour on pupcr, n,holc

rnlntrscript lox1r
(z9 x zll)

7 Ilarrusr:ript contuining
prcscriptions fi ritu:rl
and flcurcs for
visualiz:rtion. rvith
rn:urclal:rs. Ncp:r1, r iith
centlrl y. Ink rrlcl colortr
on papcr 66 x 8 (r 6li x t o)

adaptatiou into latcr lncli:rn life-pattcrns of very altcicltt and powcrful

imrgcs, practices ancl thought. Indced Lidia is famous for thc way it
It.rs pr.s.'rv.'d ullbrokcn tr.tditi()lt\ ol^inlltr.'lllorill .rrrriqrrit. I ller..is
not mucll profit, thcrefore, in arguing abor-rt the priority of one
Tartrik scct ()r tcxt over arothcr; although, of course , historia,s must
do so for thcir own pllrposes. The irnportaltt point is that sincc thc
esscntial insredicnts of Tantra arc likcly to be older than any cf thc
individual hrdiarr religions, thcre is 1]orhirg sr-rrprisirg i, each of thcm
dcvclopinu a vcrsion of it, simply aclapting the ingreclicltts t() its owlr
worlcl-picturc. This also lierlps to cxpllin why the crarcrflrl linguistic
analysis of tcrnls witich Agehnanda Bharati has rnaclel was llot ntorc
profitable. For at bcttom Tautra is lrot :l mattcr of rationalizcd
ternrinoloey, but of inncr facts of cxpcricncc tr which tcrnts arc only
pointcrs: clilfc'rerrit tcrms lnay, and flequcntly do, indicatc similar
cts.

Thc inrportalrt thin!l for ns is rhat thc archctypal clcnrcnts in thc

cr:lt nray in practicc briclgc thc rap eirabling us to cliscover, and
I8

perhaps to

try to vitalize in ourselves, the

same kinds

of experience,

learning to use them for similar cnds.

As we know it in relatively recent history, Tantra has been

transmittcd thror-rgh mily groups, down lines of pupil-tcacher

dcscent. Frcquently the pupil has had to spend many ycars in search ol
his own pcrsonal and true tcacher. It is said that oniy hc who is fit for a
tcacher is able to find and rccognize him. Since they were used cither
for cxplanation betwcen teacher and pupil or for individual rites,

most works of Tantrr art fit into the moclest person-to-pcrson

conterxt. They are often on a sma11 scale, executed in an immcdiatc
brushwork that makes no pretension to pcrfect finish. It is
charactcristic of this art that thc artist always knew what hc was going
to make before he made it. Evcn thc minor details wcre standardized

and prescribed, and artists had lcarucd what they shouid be by

imitating them exactly from cariier work. The frechand directncss of
thc stylcs was possible because thc artist had himself made the same
imagcs with the same touches nlany times bcfore. Colour was based
on a standard repertoirc of hues, all witl-r their own definite
significance.
7l

But though colours were used primarily for their conventional

symbolic significance, in practice they also have powerful emotive
efi-ects. It is not a simple question of hr-re, saturatioll and density. Thc
pigmcnts used were chosen, and aclopted as traditional, because their
particular colour-inflections cvoked the requircd emotivc respollscs.
These were not diluted in intensity or 'killcd'; thcir force was
always kept at its maximum. Furthcr, such coiours, combincd as thcy
often werc to meet prescribcd symbolism, were ncvcrthelcss also
juxtaposcd vcry skilfully in calculated quantities so as to produce
dcfinite but indescribablc visual and emotivc effccts.
The figurcs rcprcscnte d in Tantra art natllrally sharc in thc
comrnon heritage of Indian traditions. But Tantra was never
corrcenred with imitating an external worid; and so its figr-rrcs are all
to some dcgree stereotypcs, prlppcts stimr-rlating by their visual
inadcquacy a vigorous rcintcrprctation in the imagination of thc
mcditator. Thcy rnay embody almost gcomctric ideals of beauty; and
only in the Rajput paintings which prescrve the ding influcnccs of
Islam and Europcan sixteenth-ccntury art are thcre interpersonal
dramas acted out between beings who scem to be aware of cach
othcr's existcnce.
20

Thc ob;ective coloured surface was llever meallt to challcnge

comparison with any sctrsuously derivcd imagc of cxternal rcality. It
was mcant to stimulate radiant itlncr icons, whose bodies atld features

could be quite unrealistic in any ordit'rary scllse of that word. Blue

skin or red skin, many l.reads atrd arms werc commonplace. Thc
dcnsity ancl strength of colours, the vigour of plastic development
could lift the imagcry, so to speak, offthe pagc or wa11, dissolving rt,
at the same timc interposing a barricr bctwcetl thc inner icorl ancl any
comparable visr-ral objcct. This was meant to produce a higher key or
srade of objectivity than any transicnt reflectior-i on the retina of the
cyc, a consistcnt world of the imagination against which visu:rl
phcnomcna sccln

EJrey

and pale.

Tantra sti1l exists as a living cult; and although it is endangercd like

-Western
massso many othcr Indian :instittttions by thc advancc of
conditioning and crudcly qlrantified causal theories of man, Talltra
rnay weli bc in a better positioll tharl most to survive, although it will
ccrtainly nccd adaptir-rg. Its vivid world cf the creative imagination
(using those words in their most serious sensc) draws on the f :rbulous
wcalth of Indian myth and legend attd weaves thc elements together
into a densc tissuc of meaning. This could quite well bc programmcd
to ermbracc thc material sciencc of the industrial world' Indccd one
br:rnch of Tantra has always dealt with physics and medicirre, as they
wcre traditionally undcrstood; so that it is quite possiblc to reconcile
Tantra with, say, chemistry. What ls not pclssible, howcver, is to
rcconcile Tantra with the ironical sclf-hatred, purcly convcrgcnt
thinking and closed mind common among workaday scientists. To a
Tantrika the table of clemcnts or thc abstract forms of molecular
strllctrlrcs and particlc physics amollnt to revelations of thc action of
1cloved dcvatS, and catr be wclcomed as such.
The Indian Tantrika knows his cult fiom thc irtsidc, as a code of
ritcs and practiccs along with their explanations- Some l-rc has dorle
fiom childhood; othcrs he nr:ry learn by seeking progrcssive initirrtions, according tc his ambitiort. Most of these nccd trot conflict
witl-r his carrying on a domcstic life; in ct they catr dignify and
cnh:rnce that life by filling it with significance. But thcre are
some mcn and wonlcn who may want to dcvote their wholc lives tcr

'l'antrik sadhana; such people can take vows which involvc leaving
home, perhaps joining an aram or an order. Thcn they will start
llrore intensive rittrals. And although most Tantrikas have been born
2l

into their tradition it has becn quite common for converts to gein
initiation. Some of thc most famous Bengali poets werc converts.
And the Kasmiri Abhinavagupta, one of the greatest philosophers of
India, who n-radc what may be thc most importanr individual conrribution to the world's acsthctic thcory, travelled to Bengal to bc
initiated into thc Kula Tantra.
'We know Tantra nowadays from
the manuscript tcxts called
Tantras, in Sanskrit or vernacular languages. Only a few of those
surviving have been published; fewer still translated. Thcy secm to
have becn composed at difrerent times and places in India, more or less
as encyclopacdias of Tantrik ritual and philosophy, and ro have been
copied and addcd to many times ovcr. The earliest wcrc put togethcr
bcfore ap oo, but some of thc most important and influential during

the latcr Middle Ages and at the command of Rajput princes. They
arc ncvcr actually given hard dates, so chronology is usually a matter
of intcrnal cvidcnce; and that is none too reiiable anyway, siuce thc

compilers borrowed frcely from one another.

Some Tantras carry more authority than others with different

grollps of Tantrikas. Thc most generally allthoritativc amol)g Hindu
Tantras are, perhaps, thc Saktisarhgama, the Kulrnava, the
Mahnirvna, and thc Tantrarja.2 Some are morc inclined towards
philosophy, some to magic, others to the scicnce of sound. Some arc
more flamboyant and extreme than othcrs. Therc are also important
abbreviations or summaries, often in the form of hymns, likc thc
Karprdistotram or the nandrlhrr. Most of them set out, as we
have secn, to be inclusive, combining into their symbolic structure
ancient Vcdic ritr-rals along witir sectarian deities and popular lcgencls.
Evcrything is grist to thcir mill, for they take it for granted that Truth
can be indicated by many difrcrcnt symbolic combinations. From one
text to another therc is no particular consistency of system or narnes.
Virtually all of them insist that rhere are parts of the ritual which can
never be put down in writing, and that Tantra can ncvcr bc learned
from books, but only from a competent teacher, or guru. A few r-rse
codc-language for crucial passages. Virtually all use symbolisms
which can only be partly undcrstoocl by ar-r outsider who is prepared
to pursue them down to their roots in Indian life and culture. To t1"rc
Tantrika, however, the whole point of his ritcs is that the symbolisrns
of which they arc composed opcn in his own mind vistas of fecling
and meaning which changc him, oblitcrating his materialist view of
22

tl're world. This dcmands that, as he pcrforms thcm, he has to

contemplatc what he is doing with total awarcness. lt is true that
many Indian cl-lstoms are now carried out in a perfLlnctory and formai
spirit. But a genuine Tantrika knows he will get lio\,4lere if he runs
through his ceremonials in an cmpty and haif-hearted way.
How thc Wcst has learned about Tantra has its own history. The
most important figure in that history is SirJohn Woodrofii, aJr-rsticc
of thc High Court of India at Calcutta durir-ig thc last decade of thc
ninctcenth ceiltllry. He devoted his pcrsonal life to publishing
Tantras, speaking and writing extensivcly about Tantra undcr the

pscudonym Arthur Avalon (a vcry romalltic and mystical penname). Tantra owes more to his advocacy than to the work of any
otficr single man. Hc was writing for a double audience: there wcre
thc Europcans dccply infectcd with Victorian prudery; and then therc

were the English-speaking Indians who werc mostly under the

influencc of their castc-prcjudiccs, ashamed and violently critical of
clemcnts in their own culturc. and hence anxious to seem evcn more
puritan than their 'V'estern rulers. Arthur Avalon devoted an
cnormoLrs amount of efi-ort to cxplaining and.;ustifying thc elcment
of carnal cnjoyment in Tantrik practices, wrapping it up in lurid
warnings against taking thcm as mcrc bestial pleasure. Hc was driven
by a quite gcnuinc fear of being misunderstood by his audience into
implying, without perhaps actr-rally stating it in so many words, that
no good Tantrika actually enjoys the ritual. Hc includcd extenstve
quotations from Tantra warning that only hc who has totally
conquered passion and desirc is cntitled to participate in the rites
during which cooked hog-flesh, winc (abhorrcnt to most high-caste
Hindus) and sexual intcrcourse (even more abhorrent) wcre'indr'r1gcd

in'. It is, of course, truc that the purpose of Tantrik ritual is far from
being carnal indulgence, as will be abundantly clear from what
follows. But wc must also remembcr: frrst, that Av:r1on was standinI
a vocal alliance betwcen an Indian caste lite and'Western
missionaries who wcrc aiming to gct Tantra ol-ltlawcd (he was, of
c-ourse, a lawyer); and second, that the pttblished Tautras as we know

out against

them have alrcady bccn filterccl, often many times, througl.r the
n-rinds of high-caste Indian editors who have writtcn something of
their own prejudices into thc very text of many of the Tantras, oftcrl
adding long scctions specrally emphasizing that social ar-rd
philosophical cor.rformity which so much concerned their caste.

Other European scholars have even bcen gr-rilty of bowdlerizing their

translations, wfiich Avalon, much to his crcdit, did not.
As with so many other religions we mltst, for our own purposcs,
learn to distinguish betwccl-i what in thcse texts is conditioned by
1oca1, historical and criltural factors, and what has gencral valuc. The
latter wc can assimilatc without prqudice into our own outlook. In
fact cnjoymcnt (bhoga) is thc essence of Tantra, as has becn explained;
and that kind of errjoyment can only be the dircct function of dcsire of
some kind. Tantrik desire and enjoymc-nt, thercfore, may bc defincd
as tralrsformations of raw, scltsltolls material. No Tantra ritc can
work, thor"rgh, unlcss thc cnJoymcnt and desire are therc. It is absurd
to prctcnd that srich a ritc can be undcrtaken ir the spirit of mcre cold
duty. To begin with, no man can gct thc necessary erection for a

scxual rite r-rnless both his body can be possessed with normal
instinctual rcspolrse, and hc can expect, on the basis ofpast experiencc,
that thc desirc will be consummated in somc way. Truc Tantrikas
l.ravc always kntwn and dcclarcd - that thc strength and success ol
their rituals depend on vividly inrcnsc and dircctly physiological
arousal. This many writcrs otr Tantra still attempt to supprcss.

A rclatcd ftct that tends to be forgotten iu wlrat scholars have

writtcn about Talrtra is that many olits practices wcre dclibcratcly
intenclcd to breach thc caste systcnl. A numbcr oithe clcmclrts that
Tantrik ritcs involve wcrc aimed drrcctly at the heart of Hindu social
prqudice; and Buddhist Tantra had its own vcrsion of social iconoclasm.3 The meaning hcrc, of course, is that a pridc in social identity and virtue is thc most insidious and crippling of all the menral
blocks on thc road to rclease. The Tantrika has to commit himsclf to
acts which destrc>y any vestigcs of social status and self-esteem. Oldcr
-Westerners
havc becn inclincd to overlook this aspect of Tantra;
mcrnbers of the Altcrnative Society nlay firrd it cspecially intcrcstins.
And once again, we can discover how thc 'official' castc outlook has
cven bcen writtcrn into many of thc texts. For it secms that Brahmin
cditors may have tried to prescnt some ritcs as if thcy wcrc occasional

formalities which drd not rcally alter thc social status quo, instead of as
the drastic purges of personal commitmcut thcy wcrc meant to bc.
Anyone who actually carries Tantra to its ultintate degrcc, as rcal
dcvotees rnllst, can only end up a scandalous outcast. We catcl-t
sulficient glimpses from Indian history to bc quite sure of the truth of
the mattcr.
)t
-a

known of folk cult atrd custom among the vast populations

also corroboratcs thc suggcstion that thc literary
rccord, which has always been compiled by literate Brahmins, treeds a
goocl dcal of supplemcntation, to say thc least. Thcre wotlld have
been no need for thc many dirc warnings uttercd by puritan
apologists for Tantra against the danger in orgies pcrpctratcci by
'1cw-ciass' people in thc namc of religion, unlcss such orgics did irr
fact takc piacc. Popular rcligion in India has always madc a spccial
fcature of orgiastic bchaviour; and thcre is plcnty of eviclencc that
various forms of Tantra contain e choes of the same ancient theorics as
those on which such bchaviour was based.
Therc are vital diffcrcnces at the practical, as wcll as the thcoretica],
lcvcl between Buddhist and Hindr-r Tantra, which lvill bc brought or-rt
later in tl-ris survcy. It is chicfly thc tsuddhists who insist upon thcsc
difi-ercnces, for reasous of their own. Inclccd Tibctan Buddhists,
whosc- Tantra came from India in the early Middlc Ages, now sccm to
r,vish to dissociate thcmselvcs cntirely from what they know of Hindu
What

is

of ancicnt India

Tantra, cvel) though thcir owrr original Tarttra cttntainecl tnany

Hindu ingredients. Thcir special reasous arc bound up both with their
owu racial inhcritance and perhaps u'ith Chinese jnfiltration. So there
amplejtrstification for prcscntir-rg Tantra as thc Indiatt pheuclmenon
was, and still is today.
Its history is ticd up with accidents in thc survival of manltscripts,
with the travels of individual mastcrs, with thc extreme secrecy
Tantrikas have gencrally preservcd and with the history of Inclia
itself. As a colrsequencc the important Hindu Tantra of Berlgal and
Bihar, where Buddhism was oblitc'ratcd about AD I2oo, rctrins nd
makes its owt-l sensc of many Ruclclhist clemetrts. Indccc'l orre Bengali
Hiudu Tantra is cailed, after an carly mcdiev:rl Buddhist goddcss strll
known in Tibet, Trbhaktiudclhrnava, 'Thc pure occan of
adoration of TIr' - a godclcss who also plays a rolc in thc Hindu
cosmic systcm of dcvat. It is typical of Inclia that clifi-ercnt systems
of symbolic figuration overlap and interpclletratc. Thcological
clificrenccs bctween sects arc- at the relativcly supcrficial 1evcl of
terminology. Since thcsc are vcrbal ancl conccptual, thcy fascinatc
modern academics, lndian and American in particttlar. Br-rt gcnuinc
Tantra is so much a mattcr of practice , of intuitiort and archetypal
is

it originally

symboiism, that many pcople in thc Wcst, who are not at all
intercstcd in scholastic argument, have rcspondcd to it dircctly. It
25

offcrs thcm a concretc symbolisrn with which they can fcel afiinities
through deep human links, despitc the cr-rlrural diferences which, ol
course, it would be absurd to minimizc. Not by acciclcnt has Tantra
art demonstrated its power to many peoplc who have ncvcr studicd
Indian philosophy. It is not right that an academic and vcrballyoricntcd 1itc should be allowed to rcserve Tantra only for thcir own

CHAPTER THREE

Sex and logic

purposcs.
Sorne pcople are troubled by thc way Indian thought goes in for vast
lnd widc-ranging generalization. It is true that Indian art and thought
ell works on a principlc of total conceptr-lal cnclcsure. From about
AD 4oo onwards Rrahmin culture rnade a sr-lstaincd efi^ort to deflnc
:rucl organizc all thc manifestations of reality, life and cxpcricnce
witl-rin a single imaginativc wholc. It attcmptcd to comprchcnd the
liistory of cach rndivrdual in relatit>n to the entirc cosmos. It thereforc

constructcd a kind of pyramid of gencralizations to which diffcrent

aspects of lifc and philosophy werc madc to corrcspond, each highcr
lcvcl being morc comprchcnsivc than thc one below. Mcntal
conccpts that cmbrace the wl-rolc lanclscape of reality are matched in
Tatra art by sr-rmmary diagrams which reler to colltinents, planetary
movemcnts and cosmic gcnesis. One can easily bc deceived by this

bandying-about

of

vastly-embracing ideas

ilrto farrcying

that

Tantrikas had an image of a world rather hkc that which nincteenthcclrtrlry Christians used to havc until astronomy tar-rgfit them better,
s a modest chr-rnk of ground about six thousand ycars old with a lid of
sky. Nothing could be farthcr from the truth. Indian culturc, at least
since the first century BC, has held an idea cf the cosmos as being vast
beyond human imaginir-rg, containing worlds numberlcss as the sandgrains of the Gangcs, and devcloping through incalculablc aeons of
time. hrdian mathematics and mctaphysics have long recognizcd
numbcr, both abstract ard concrete, of an order of magnitudc which
only bccame familiar to cducated peoplc in Europc durillg this
'When
Tantra makcs statemcnts or paints icons relating the
ccntury.
structLlrc of thc world to faculties in tl-rc minds of men atld gods, onc
lras to rcalizc that it is not simply being glib, reducing thc content of
its conccpts to falsc and easily mar.rageable proportions- Even though

without thc benefit of modern scientific

knowlcdge they were nevcr mcant to bc anything but colossal in
scopc. Meditation has the job of fiiling the abstractiorrs with a valid
contcut of reality. Lr thcir cveryday lives the Indians know u'hat
its generalizatiqns were made

z6

27

lt

vastncss mcans, thcy livc in a vast coLlntry watercd by immensc rivers,

fringed to thc north by the world's highcst mountain-rangc. In their

imagination tl-rcy see even thc rnost momcntous cvcnts in their livcs iu
relation to their stupendous reality as mcrc ripplcs on an occalr. At the
salxc timcr, thcy do n()t scc that reality cithcr as dcad or unconcerned
with thcmsclvcs, but as iutimately identified, tl.rrough rhosc channels
of creative r:lrergy, with their own inncr natllres. The link is sex.
Lyiug at the root of Indian imagcry is an assumption whicl-r gives
meaning to cherrishcd bclicfs ancl practices in Indian culture.a To some
cxtcnt it has a shadowy existcltcc even in 'Wcstcrn Christiau cuitnre,
though nrodern scxological theory runs vcry rnuch against it. Thc
assLrnrptioll, however, has vcry ancicnt roots in the constructivc
imagination of the human race. It is this: that human sexual libido is in
somc scnse ideutical with the crcativc and bcneficial encrgy-esscnce of
thc Universc. From this assr-rrnption various collrscs of action may
follow. The rnost significant colrscquelrce tl-rat has bccn drawn is tl'rat
for human librdinous energy to be 'spent' in normal scxual relations,
or even in erotic dreams, represents a serious spirituai loss to thc
person conccrned, perhaps cvcn to the world. A popular bclicf
widesprcad in India thus holds, for cxamplc, that scx and wet drcams
givc a hcld to djsease. I)r Morris Carstairs found that his Brahnrin
informants, whosc special c:rstc-role it was to be vcssels of thc
Brahman. tenclcd to avoid intcrcourse evcn with thcir wives as mLlch
as possible , out of clread fur the dangerolls spiritual wastc cntailcd.

lxtr

s,l
r\..Jq4\

7fla6\R{1{

I lleductivc

diagram ofthc

constcllations, a pagc
rrranuscript of thc
S:rnrar:Ln ga na stra

cl

lrom

:t

hara.

llryasthan, clatecl r7rz.

colcur on p:rpcr 5 x ro

Ik nd

(r3xz5)

aims spiritually very high mr-rst, according ro rhis assumprion, hold in

and build up both his sexual libido and thc semcn which cmbodies ir

shavcd, thc bocly tortured.

z8

,a1:l

When tl'rcir wivcs had a 'right' to intcrcoursc, at the cnd of

trorstruation, they pcrformcd the act hedging it rbout with ritual
precautions. High caste and rnoral virtuc both sccrn to clepcnd, to
somc dcgrec at least, on sexual abstinencc. This was probably thc
sourcc of Gandhi's cxtrcmc sexual inhibition, of whrch hc madc so
much atrd which so troublcs his 'Westcrn admirers. Any ascetic wl'ro
to thc uttcrriost limit. His body will then bccomc full of a kind of
radiant cnerlly (teas) which elrablcs him to work all kinds of
supcrnatural efi't-cts; and folklorc has it that the highly-developed
ascetic, if cut, bleeds not blood but semen. Thcrc arc other cutflows
through which more lcneralizecl libido may cscape , and thcy may bc
inhibited as wcll: food and clothing may be abandorrcd, thc head

MW*;
e
\ &:&e

l!s*w
IlEsK,ry:ry{9,kl{Xm.:
***-

h.naec

of birth, lrnloguc of

thc crcativc fiurction ofthc

(lcddcss. Sruth Lrcli, r 8th

ccntlrry. Cervcd u'oorl h. I3

(::)

&

ro,

rz

r3-r9

All of these activities reprcscr-it the cult of what one may call the
'scxual misers' which has gained such a powcrful hold in India.
According to it every individual develops his psycho-sexr,ral cnergy
for his own spiritual bencfit; though it is true that Indians also believe
that peoplc well advanced along this road arc ablc, if they feel
inclined, to work a power of good to othcrs, as well as harm, by thcir
supernatural energy. In spite of its cuit of 'cnjoyment' some Tantra
still keeps very strictly to this asccticism, especially the Buddhist
Tantra of Tibet, which makcs a vital issue of treasuring thc male
'Tl-rig-le', called Bildu in Sanskrit, whosc physical form is the semen.
Tantra which has becn rigoror-rsly vettcd by Brahmin prejr-rdice also
makes a great point of such energy-hoarding.
There arc, howevcr, other courses of action which can follow from
the basic assumption, reflcctir-rg a cult of scxual gencrosity. Folk
ceremonics, such as the spring-harvest Holi proccssion, when pcoplc
spray each other with coloured water or powder and once uscd to
sing extremely erotic songs and plrticiparc in promiscuous scx,
probably symbolizes a kind of generous spreading abroad and
exchange of this encrly, when it was at its seasonal hcight. A
connectcd imagery must havc r,rnderlain thc violently erotic songs
and dar-rcing once performed in so marry Hindu tcmples in front ofthe
divine icon, thcir many sllpcrb sculptures of the erotic de1ig1-rts of
heaven, as well as the custom of religious prostitution which uscd to
flourish widely in India. In such contexts, as in parallel 'primitive'
customs, the more copiolls the expenditurc of pleasure and sexual

juice the better.

Hindu Tantra does not go as far as this. But it docs cr-rltivate
activities aimed especially at arousing the libido, dedicating it, rnd
cnsuring that thc mind is not indulging in mere fantasy. All thc
concrete enjoyments and imagery are supposcd to awakcn dormant
energies, cspccially thc cnergy which normally finds its outlet in
sexual intercourse. The encrgy, once aroused; is harnessed to rituals,
meditation and yoga, turned back up (paravritta) within the human
enerly-mechanism, and uscd to propel the consciousness toward
blissful enlightenment. Orgasm is in a scnsc an irrclcvance, lost in the
sustained and vastly enhanccd inward condition of nervous vibration
in which the union of the cnergies of man and world are felt to be
consltmmated, thcir infinite possibilities rcalized virtually on the
astronomical scalc of time and space.
3o

In spite of the protests of somc authors, rnuch Hindu Tantra in fcr

wclcomcs orgasm, provided it is r.ecognized as being thc analogr-re to
ancient traditional Hindr-r sacrifice. This sacrifice consisted essentially
of pouring oil, t or butter on to an altar fire, in which other things
nray also be consumed. Tantra cquates the male ejaculation with thc
oil poured out; the friction of the sexual organs with the rubbing of
sticks to light the fire; the vagir-ra of thc femalc companiorr, who
should, for extrcmc'left hand' ritual, bc menstruating so that her own
vital energies arc at what is believed to be thcir dangerous peak, with

the altar on to which the oft-ering is poured; the firc with the
cnjoynlent; and the womalr with thc Grcat Goddcss. Thc'White' and
hc 'Red' were thus combined a proloundly important symbolic
conjunction througl.rout Tantra.
Herc- is a quotation from thc Karpradistotram, which sums L1p the
joint image and act, translatcd from the code language in wl-rich it is
cxpressed in Sanskrit: 'O Goddess Kah, he who on a Tuesday
rnidnight having nttcred your nlantra, makes an ofitering to you in the
crcmation ground just once of a fpubic] hair from his female partner
laktil pulled out by the root, wet with semcn pourcd from his penis
ilrto hcr mcnstruating vagina, bccomcs a lleat poet, a Lord of the
World, and [like a rja] always travels on elephant-back.'There may
bc scholars who, for rcasons suggcsted above, would repudiate any
sulgcstion that tl-ris passage, and many others likc it, had any factual
basis; thcy may prefer to belicve that all such cxprcssions are only
figurative, and nevcr rcferred to any but pr-rrcly internal processes.

Tantra, however, has always had its fbct on tl-rc ground of rcal
practice; things done comc first, interpretations later. No Tantrika
wor-rld expect to be ablc to move straight from ordinary life to the
rnost cxaltcd stagc of intcrnal symbolism by mcrc tfiought. Tantra
was always hard-headed, and not at all interested in fantasy. For each
rdll,rk its synrbolism was givcn roots in r bcd oiccrcmoniel lct.
Only at the most advanced stages of Tantrik practice, when his
rssimilation of his own to the cosmic body was far advanced, could
the sdhaka learn to internalize what had originally bccn 'cxternal'
rcalities. A man then had no need for 'outer' womcn or for all thc
other 'outer' paraphernalia which wcre essential to rituals performed
;rt carlier stagcs in his dcvelopment. It was recognizcd that the ability
to perform totally realized but purciy iuward rituals was achievcd
only by a few of the most giftcd sdhakas in any gencrariou.

lr

r-:, Couple

fiom

thc

'her,cn irllcls'oir
tcnrplc :rt Puri. ()riss:r.
a.

l2th

cclrtnr-y

r o llclicf sculpturc of
couplc itr scrr.tal
irtcrr:oursc. trorrr thc

'hcrrvcn banils'of rhc

l)cl'r.l:rurd;rnr bu tcnr plc

rt Khrjrrrrho. r. tooo

r
Ciroup tf ilrascs fi-o:rr
:r collapsccl I oth-.crtrrrv

siorrc tcntplc ut Tcrvltr,

Nortll Ilrli, inclurlilg

rps:rrls, crriblc vogini,

Kili lnd lirjqrrir

..,;;'.W

l:':*:. i;i
;:-*1,

-.,t

1'Y
,
:t

../

li8i8s*rir$*A&.iei{$ri4}

r3 r9

Dralvings ilh.rstrtilrg thc posturcs

whicb e nha:rcc thc ar:t of lovc. fionr a

r.nenuscript i:ink rn papcr, lronr ()rissa,
I

gth cc1)tlrr-v

r
One can thus say, quite correctly, that Tantra rcprcscnts a
thoroughgoing practical system for manipulating and focusing
human libido, enhancing it, and then withdrawing it completcly
lrom the passing ancl valueless phenomena of the world and dirccting
it instead to a tralrscelrdcnt object in other words for ecstasy; but an
ccstasy in which a conccrn wlth infinite multiplicity, individuality
and unrcpeatablc change like that which plays such an important part

in Chillesc and European theology and metaphysics, has no place.

Likc all Indian metaphysics Tantra assumcs that thcrc is never

anything ncw under any sun; since the cosmos is unuttcrably vast,
cvcrything which happcns musr have happened before many rimes
over; what matters thercfore is always the pattcrn rather than the
instance, the general rather than the particular. The standardized
patterns of ritual and art are thc ones w1-rich work. Whatever
variations therc may be among them are incidental, not cssential. The
value ofthe patterns depends entirely on the ct that they are, in some
fundamental and immutablc sensc, truc.
Scientists now rccognize that thcir own discoverics, thc planning
of tl-reir experimcnts along with their hypotheses, are functions of
their own psychic situation. Quite a small rapprochement or
inversion is nccded for modern man to rc-establish a trnc idca of tl.re
link bctween man's psyche and his world, though it may be onc
which rnay be particularly difiicult for pcople with hypertrophied
corrscious ego-functions to make. However thcoretically 'communal'
or 'inductively established' any 'wor1d' may be, it can never bc other
than psychic. For that total 'thing in rtself' whicfi we might likc the
(Jniverse to be could ncver be idcntical with man's world-imagc,
howcvcr many scicntists who arc als< men agrce about it. It is
inner, of thc mental order, not outer, of a 'dead', factual order.
Tantra thus begins its invcstigations with the human psyche which word is thc most convt'.rrieltt portmantcall term for all
the instinctual, archaic and individual subconscious and conscious
strt-ictures which are arranged in pcrccptr-ral cxperiencc, communication and introspcction to present a man with his world.
No one need expect that p}rysioiogy, zoology and animal ecology
will infringc on or conflict with Tantra. For Tantra has millcnnia of
direct observation and analysis of thc hlrman psyche behind it. One
may grant that a Tantra meant for the modern 'Wcstern city-dweller
may not be identical with that intended for a seventccnth-century
36

lleneal viliager. But therc will be lar morc common gror-u'rd than
might be expcctcd at first sight. Modern thinking, like Indian, has
concentrated on crcating static inrages of the world, in which change
is reprcsentcd as changc of state, following tlrc demands of our
systems of calculation. All our most important problems concerning
reality and the psychc havc been relegated to a kind of iimbo, where
the issues raised by time, change, and individr"ral history are kept so to
spcak around thc corner, or-rt of philosophical sight. Br-rt psychic truth
.lcmands that such aspccts of the world be trcated as realities in thdr
ou)n termsi not mcrcly transcribed into a systcm of general notions
dcrivcd ultimately from Aristotciian taxonomy.
The logically 'convergcnt' world ol concepts which each man
f :rbricates for himself during the first two dccadcs of his lifc with thc
id of lar-rguage is, of coursc, esscntial lbr cvcryday activity. It
provide s him with the mental and behavioural map of the world he
lrccds to act rationally and succced itr his profession- Society must
li:rve its maps of 'rcal evcnts' if it is to function properly. But however
truthful it may be, however accurately it may meet ut:ilitarian needs
rrnd guide courscs of action over thc terrain, .1 map i- llot J1r ct1.lal
lrrndscapc. As the key to a conglomeration of conccpts, it is not the
rcality it indicates; which lattcr is always infrnitely richer in possiblc
fi>rms than any conceptual .reduction of it that can be madc- And
rvhcn onc's customary map comcs to inrpose its own concepttral
lin-ritations on thc landscape, preventinl one from cvcn experiencing
rlny aspccts or forms of thc reality which arc beyond its scopc, thcn it
bccomcs an insidiously comfortable prison. The ordinary, non:rrtistic Llsagcs of language help every day in forging that prison's bars
[ry reinfbrcing the conventional pattcrns of perception anr]
cxpcrience. Tl-re reaction so common today, ()f reselltment against
one's circumstanccs, only rcinforces yet further the illr-rsory existencc
of tl're bars.
Worsc still, our ordinary linguistically conditioned conccpt'W'c comc to
structurcs are based overwhelmingly on thc noun.
'self',
around whir:h
iclcntify tl-re processcs of ottr expericucc with a
thc apparently stationary strLlctr-lrc of our world of conccpts
crystallizcs. Thc prospect of dcath thus confronts us with the prospect
of pcrsonal disintcgration, with the negatiorr of all that we have been
:rt sr-rch pains to fabricate over dccades. Thc maturc personality has tcl
llce out this prospect. How he does it is always his owrl problcm. But
37

only thc immaturc rcnrain intnrcrscd in tlicir illusory ccnsolrtjons.

Thcy may rctirsc to cc disinrcgr:rtion, stlrpcfying thcmsclvcs witl'l
thc ccnstant flow of 'hrppy cndings' ofiercd by popular ortcrtaiument; ()r thcy ntay stakc thcir idcntitics on idcal itnagcs of activity to
which thcy attach an absolurc valnc, such s 'scicncc' u.ith its rcfilcd
co1rccptlla1 lnlps, or 'mothcrlroocl' rvith its pattcrns of leclirrg.
Tantra, hcw,cver, rcduccs each man's original convcrger)t strlrctrlrc to
its truc stitlls, as a mcrcly provisional inventiotr r,vhich bcl<tngs to thc
nrental kir-id of re:riity, :rncl as such is part of cosmic proccss. It
describcs horv each idca of scparatc self cmcrgcs ficnr the gcrreral
storchousc ol intclligiblc forrns into a consciousncss, whic is yet
:rlrothcr rcalizatiolt in thc mcntll ordcr of tl're possibilitics of crcation.
Tantra denrands clisintcgration of the oftcn cornfbrtable prison of
conccptual hbit aucl illtrsion as an absohrte neccssity bclbrc irs
proccsscs and im:rscs call cvclr bcgin to work. This will be clcscribcd
irr Clr.rprt'r ri.
Pcrhaps thc most clilTicult clcmcnts of this prison to dissolve arc ticcl
up with imnratrrrc bclicfs in causality, will and ccr'rvcntional
moraiity. Fcr thc West thcsc ii:rvc alrcacly bccn finally dcmolished (or
should havc bccn) by Fricclrich Nictzsche in 7'u.,ilight o.l'thc Idttls. Wc

must thcrcfbrc

bcvu,,arc

of interprcting thc practical magic which

looms so l:rrgc in Tantra as involving, in any scnsc, thc suborclinatitn

of a'cleacl cxternai lraturc'to a'human will'. Tl-rc inner statc which

Tantra inculcates is bcyoncl intcsration or disintcgration in any

nornral tcrms. For it ploptrscs rn cnjoynrent of thc infinitc rclations ofthe Creat Wlrcllc w-hich cor-rceptual maps cur only hinclcr.
It sccnrs likcly that much of tl're fantastic claboration of inragcry
fcuncl in latcr Tantra, both Hinc'lu and l3udclhist, rcprcscnts an cfforr
to ovcrc()rne thc semalrtic modc bascd on thc noulr, withr)Llt stcpping
otrtsidc it. Al1 Inclian ianguaecs f,rvour the rroun, with its variaric'rns
rnd cornpounds, to

a1r

cxtrcnlc clcgrcc. Onc cf thc goals of Lrcli.rn

othcr) nrysticism can bc dcscribecl as, in ouc scnsc, thc 'unsclving'

of objccts, dissolving the individual man and his wcrlcl of scparatc
things by a vision of the encllessly mobilc tissuc of changc borrrc by
clrrrcnts of c-ncrgy and kinetic principlcs of sl-rapc rclatcd to cach othcr
throug}r timc in dillercnt ways. This tissric c:runot bc seen past thc
barrier of 'selvecl' alrd scparate objects with beginnirrgs and cnds,
linkcd by crr,rdc causality, rvhich cach rnar's libiclo isolatcs lnd r,vith
which hc fills his utilitariarr ur.rivcrsc. To think ancl spcak of this vision
(ancl

zo Tibctn T:urka p;rintinu rcprcscnting thc silrt-ntqicin Pclnr:rs:rrubhv:r i

rttagical pal:rcc st:rrottndcd by cclestrls rncl sirlclh:rs rvlrt tlcrrrnstrltc their
supcrnrrur:rl powcrs. Tibct, rlith ccl)tur\,. Ciuchc on cloth jz x -:,j (lir x

-58)

1t!

__

should dcmand that the noun, which is a sentantic parallel to tire

'selved' object, should be overcome somchow. But Tar-rtra, because

of its Indian linguistic

hcritage, was obligcd ro refine 'sclvcd'

concepts, to push contiDually further its refinenrent of supertratural
noun-objccts, deities, principlcs, dcfinitc shapcs ancl sounds in an
endlcss pursuit of the 'unselved' and hcnce non-objective 'absolute'
which will ncvcr, in fiact, submit to noun-shaped thoughts. Tl-iis is.r
poirrt at which the I Ching (the lamous ancient Chincse oracle-book
treated in both East and 'West as :r fundamental tcxt of rnctaphysics),
with its images of change in timc which are not limited to specific
rhirrgs. mr1 h.' usrlul rs .l ( oultrr.rpoisc.
As Mircca Eliadc has pointed our5 ir has rrow becn wcl1 cstablished
by generations of workcrs cngaged in collcction and analysis that thc
great traditional mystical symbolisfirs are spontaneously rediscovered
by modern mcn in dreams, hallucinations and pathologrcal ecstasics,
including thosc chemically induced. The commnr-rity of pattern
cr()sscs bcundarics of race and time which wc might have thousht
werc impassable. hr view of what hasust becn saicl, this mcans that
thcy shoulcl be takcn scriotrsly. For it is amolrg them that we are likcly
to discover thc originating formulae which makc us men-in-a-wor1d.

Tatrtra prcscnts perhaps the most fully comprehcnsivc kirotting

togcthcr of all thosc traditionai symbolisnrs which clsewherc are
know'n rclativcly fragmcnted :rnd clispcrscd. In comparison with irs
i.sights even thc work of cassircr, Hsscrl or whitehead scem fragilc
indecd.
135, r40

Tantra's maps of thc subtle body arc not meant to be maps of a

body which is conccivcd as pure organisnt with its 'origins' in an
trncxplaincd astronomical and chcmical'dead-natr-rrc'. Thc associated
nredicinc is not a prasmaric ailopathy. The kinds of yoga used by
Tantrikas clo not work as a systcm of athletics, 'physical causc'
producing 'physical efl-cct'. Thc subtie physiology thcy dcfine rcflccts
a dcvcloping discovcry, authcnticated by gc-ncratiolts of invcstigators
whosc devotion gocs far bcyond ar-rythinu we know alnonll
oursclvcs, about the inrcrrelationship of body, mind and wor1d.
Witl"ror-rt adcquatc psycl"ric pcrfcrrrnancc physical act is nlcaninglcss,
and can ncvcr produce lny result that mattcrs. Takcn togcther, and

carried throush to the limit, t1'rcy providc the unifying pcrspectivc

against which cvcry phelrornenal question 1rlls into an intclligiblcr
position.
4o

The Tantrarja describes thc charactcr of tl-re worshippcrs of this

(ircat Wisdom. They are not uncertain about the future lil, and arc
r'ontcntc'd, for they have nothing morc to attain; thcy arc con-rpleted
(pcr-lcct) in spacc and timc, and so they arc full of bliss, depcnding on
rrothing and nobody. Thcy do not covr:t or hoard, are frec from
t'rookcdncss, Incanncss or busybodying. Thcy are mcrciful, care
rrothing for profit or loss, and hclp cveryolre. They lovc all creattlrcs,
bcing lree from anger. They stay whcre they want, have no fcar of
I'ings, thieves cr encmies, and cnjoy lifc. Womcn adore thcm. They
,rrc particularly fbnd of music, ris it is the clcarest manifcstation of thc
lrocly of thcir Goddess as Sound. Thcy envy 11o one, for thcy spcnd
thcir time unitccl with the goal of all thcir desircs.
The re rcmains one dcfect which can appcar to vitiatc thc whole of
'l'untr:r, which it may wcll bc tl-rc responsibility of a contcmporary
qcncration of Tantrikas to rcmcdy. Thor.igh it is more apparent thalr
rcnl, it involves a scrious qucstion of va1uc.
As it is rccorded in nrany tcxts and explainccl by recer-rt Indirt
rvriters, Indian Tantra could bc undcrstood to share that commot-l
Inclian habit of devaluing entircly thc contingent world, pcrsonality,
,urd thc individual cxpcricncc of passing sensr-loLls reality. Evcrywiterc
it sccnrs to bc saying,'Withdraw yotlr intercst entircly fiom thesc
tlrir-rgs; tl-rey arc of no sisnificatrce aud value at all. They are as nothitrg
bcsiclc the vision of the r-rltimate wholc.' It nray also scem to bc
\Lrllgcstilr!! that Tantrik slrcccss somchow dcpends on witl'rdrawing
lionr the world into a rcalm of gcneralized idcas ancl images. Indietr
tnrdition cften :rnswcrs thc question 'why is thcre sonlething rather
tlnn nothing?' by ofi-ering the collccpt of 'lila', 'pl"y'. This suggcsts
tlmt thc world is thc rcsult of thc 'p1ay' or 'sport' of the l)city, or in thc
t'sc of Tantra, of scxual play bctwccn thc Originating Couplc. This
expl:rnation again appears to drain all value out of the rcsults of that
plry.
Earlicr (p. q) it was suglcstcd that true Tantrikas recognizccl tl.ris
.rttitucle as thc fatal'lndian disease'of thcir s()cicty, grving rrsc to att
.rpathy towarcls the'rcal world', an indiffcrence to sufieritrg and a
rcfusal to initiate ar-ry change. Thc trr-rth is that tiris disease has cven
urfcctccl Tantra itsclfand can bc for-rnd implicit in passages from rnany
'l'ntrik texts. Therc are plenty of Talrtrikas who stil1 fcel thcir primc
object is to ncgatc the world and eliminate it from their ficld of
intcrest. lt is perhaps incvitablc that a cr:lt which concclltr.ltes so
1r

lff
I -tI

intensively on

a racliant

inncr vision of the Whole

shor:1c1

CHAP'fER FoUR

run the risk

of scerning to devalue the comporlcnt p:rrts of that whc,le. Rut a

momcnt's carcful thonght shoulcl ntakc it quitc clcar that, actually,
ca11s for cxactiy thc opposite.
Creation, iir Tantra, is dcscribed as sexual sclf-realization through
thc activity of the Goddess. As the vcnerablc Brihadrar.ryaka
Upar-risacl says: thc One alone 'kncw no delight' ancl so he clcsircd ancl
gencrated for himself 'a sccond', the flmale partncr, whose function it
wxs to present to him a cliscursivc reflcction ofhis own splcndor.rr, laid
out in tjmc and space. This is to both an infinitc bliss, whjch implics
infinite value. And it can only mcan that what thc Goddcss gcneratcs,
down to thc hr-rmblcst rninutiac of crcation, the twining of each twiq,
thc cmnch of a monse's spinc, thc gestrlres of a gnat's foot, thc rising
of a bubble, are essential to that universal as distinct from individurl
b1iss. All of them are (in thc scnsc of rdcntity) the cosmic sexual joy;
alid creatiolr means to make that which is concretc, individual, and

Trntra

r57

trairsicnt. Tantra thus mc:lns realizing that the concreteness,

particularity, narrowncss and seeming horror of individual existcncc
and change, thc web of cruclty which bincls lifc'to lifc, are essential ro
creation, cssential to bliss, the w.hole purpose of the cosmic sexual act.
hi all of thcse rninutest phcnomena lics tl-re purposc of the Great
'Whole.
The successful sdhaka is thus lrot somcone who has
climinated :rppreciation ancl valuc of pl'rcnomena from hls lifc, but
one who is totally awarc of thcm and has clevatcd their mcanirig tcr
thc highest clegrec possible. He does not see 'God in everytiring' as
basc par.rtheism might claim, but he shor-rld know that every stuallesr
phcnomenon, with all its infinite network of causal and structtrral
rt'lrt.iolts to t'vt'r orhcr iclrrtlilrg Llt6r,' u llicll llllnt.rn t trlrict
cannot rcad - is essential to the existcnce of the Great'Wholc, and
therefore ofinfinite value . Thc suff:ring ofanimal cxistencc is intcgral
tc the showing of the Lcrd to Hirnselfir-i the discursive Mirror of His
encrgies, which is rcalizcd when thc diffractecl consciousncsses ol
scparatc sclvcs can bc induccd to become awrrc cf what they arc.
Sarirsara equals Nirvar.ra. Thcre is thus nothing which cannot be grist
to the Tantrika's mi11. All this is inrplicit in thc rrue value-sysrcm,of
Tantra; but it is still particularly hard for Indian Tantrikas to rcalize;
all their natural rnodcs of thotrght, fceling and exprcssion obscure it.
Herc is wherc a rnodern :rnd cnlightencd syncretisnr rnight hclp.
+2

Basic ceremonal and images

'l untra is esotcric ancl much of it was alu.ays kept secre t. In adclition its
firnctions ;rnd imagery arc, so to spcak, simultarrcons and totally
tcrdcpendent.
It can be approachcd fiom tlvo distinct poir-rts of vicw-: as a ladder
ol-Clcncsis, lcadrng down from atr ultirnate llnknor.vable origin, or as a
l.rdde r to be climbcd ir-i the oppositc direction, from the creatcd r'vorld
Ior,vards an ultimate goal. Goal and origin arc iclcntical- This book
u,ill take the path the Tantrika himsclf takcs, by asccnt torvards origirr
tlrror-rgh sdhana, thc psychological and bodily eftort and mechanisn-t
u,hich arc the Tantrika's constant conccr1l.
ln fact, all visions of a Genesis amount to thc prescnt.rtion ilr rcvcrsc
of'what was initially an intuitive insight towards ultimate origir-i. And
sincc any such intuitivc view was discovcred first by visiorlarics who
,rsccnded the laddcr of thcir owlt conccptual and imagillative
t:rtcqcries to the lirnit of possiblc mcaning, it is perhaps lnorc
rcrsonable to take thc approach of 'asccnt'. In this w'ay the high
,rbstractiot-is ncar thc go:rl r.vi11 retain thcir full wealth of content, and
tlrcrc will not be sc much risk of thern secmin[J'cmpty'. Hinduism
recognizcs alryway that Gencsis is a permaucnt conditioll ncccssary
lirr the continuing cxistence of thc rvorld, not just a once-for-evcr
rrrrrking. 'Whenever Tantra uses w'ctrds dcnoting succession in time,
such as'first','last'and so on, it is rcferring to a rclationsl-rip in t1're
r r

rrrlcr of continuoLrs e xistcntial hicrarchy, which has no

real

rr'lrrpor.rl inrplit rtioni.

l']fa is thc root activity irt all hrcliart ccrcntonial- It is done at

spccified tinrcs each day, ancl ort special occasions. It means in a
rt'ncral scnse'worship', but thcre is far more to it tlian that. Phj is
,rt'tivc. It involves thc making of ofi'crings which arc fhr more thau a
rrrcre giving. The basic idca is that of sacrifice; only things in sorne
rvly valr-rable calr serve as ollerings, and the recipio'rt of the ollering is
nornrally rnadc visiblc in sonrc symbolic form such as an icon. In India
tllc usual tl-rings cffered arc flor,vcrs, iucctrse, perfumes, lights, bel1s
13

w._.-t__

and mrlsic, choice food, valuable cloths anc'l ornamcnts. The ritual
actiolrs of pqa involve scating thc image , wclcoming thc dcvat into
it with appropriatr: gesrurcs, washins its fcet symbolically, as if the
devata hacl come a journcy, making the o1-crings, sipping and

oficring water, anointitg thc image with hotrcy, liquid butter, milk
or curd, smcaring it with red powdcr, bathing the imagc, and pcrhaps
:rclorning it with cloths andjewels, as if it wcrc a supremcly honoured
visitor. Flowc-rs in thc form of garlands may be uscd in tlic
wclcotnin1.

24

A simplc sacred object or icon may be distinguishccl by bcing

paintcd rcd, cither all over, or with stripcs and dots; it may bc
sprinklcd with watcr, lnd, nrost inrp.,rrent, it may havc mcltcd br-lttcr
or oi1 pourcd oli to it. The implcnrcnts used in pl are oftcn
clrbor,rtcd rrtisric.rlly. At prrblit'sllrincs rrrd r..mplcs rlrc puj;r is
usr"rally donc thricc daily by official plrls, on bchaif of visitors, with
spccial ccrc'monial on thc occasion of somc fcstival. Pr.rja carr also bc
seen as a modificd dcsccnclant of alrcicnt animal sacrifice, called in the
Vcda 'Yaja'. In s<nre Tantrik tcmplcs animals are srill sacrificed (e.g.
at thc Kahghat, Calcutta), and therrc are rcfcrcnccs herc and therc tcr
hnm:rn sacrifice, w,hich was cert:rinly perfbrmcd cven during the
twcnticth century. In the pj which f<rrrns thc basis of sdhana,
howcver, aninral sacrificc mry somctimcs bc synrbolizcd only by thc
offcring of small coppcr plaqucs which are shapcd in rcpouss witl.r
fbrms str;gcstin g butchcrcd animals.
The most important point in Tantrik pla is thar thc symbolisnr of
the wholc c.rcniorry is takcn ,r.r.. ,,,,d applicd by thc prlari to
himself, through an intcnsc mcditation olr tllc significancc of cach act
as he pcrforms it. lt thus bccomcs the ccntral occ:rsion fbr ancl element
in thc wholc cf Tautrik rncditation, and is espccially cficctrve if it is
donc at somc significant tirnc, srich as an cclipsc. lSeforc hc begins l-rc
shoulcl have gone through thc yogic processcs dcscribcd latcr in the
book. The 'honorific' spccts of garlanding and ar-rointing, w-hich
again hc may do to hin'rsclf, arc imbucd lvith a sense of thcir archaic
significance. Bcth indicatc that thc phjarr, in performing his act, is
proclairning his rccognition that thc divine power rcsides in tirc
synrbolic rccipient, which may also bc himsclf. Thc qarlancl sienifies
the powcr of blossomilrs col)tilruity, an unbrokcn stcm fillcd with
plant-juicc;" thc anointing is an cxtcrnalization of the oi1 of divinity,
a w'iclcspreacl imagc in l.rr-tnianity's ritual crlstoms. Bccausc of thc
+4

hr ccnsc-bnnrcr shapccl as
a trcc of lrfc cornposccl of

scrpcrts. Rajasthan,
u r (3)

rSth cc1]tury. Brrnzc h.

:,: (lcrcmorial

rvatcr-pot.
ll:rjasthan, rgth cortury.
Br:rssh. tr (zli)

z3 Holy-rv:rtcr cont:rincr in
tlr. .ll.rP.,,f tllr' ),'rri.
Llcng:rl, r 8th ct-ntr.rry.
Cloppcr 1. rz (3o)

''\t

",

'

Slrrbolic

oficrirrg u,ith fla),cd

l,rll nrotil Ncpal, r8th'

,. ilrrir'). [3,.rt.rr cu,1.,

gth
1

1rSxt3)

'. Msk of I{elJ tc rcccivc

I. Lrlu.

r'vorship.

6th ccrtury. l3ronzc h. r r (zli)

,, I lr. ( i,,dd. r'Jrg.r,l,rnr[,l. .rrr

rrr.rgc nrc:urt tr bc clrcsscd nd
,,lonrccl rvith jcu,cllcry. T'hc namc
,rt ns 'Mothcr of thc Worlcl'.
Iir ngul, r 8th ccltury. Eight mctals

2.5 (r,

z8

cqlration of body and cosmos discussed carljcr, Tantra sccs both of

thcsc as outward acts realizing inncr attributcs of thc pujarl; and in
practice all icons which present thcmselves cc to facc with the
worshipper invitc him to idcntify himsclf with thcrn.
This sclf-identification is takcn furthcr. One group of thc ollerings
is intcndcd to reprcselrt the fivc senses whercby a man dillercntiates,
'When
constructs and explores his world.
thesc arc o11i:rcd to the
divinc principlc resiciing in a rccipicnt icon it rnrounts to a conrplcte
symbolic abdication of the pjrT's scnsuoLrs n:rturc, by dedicating it
utterly to the trurs-hunran. His naturc becoi.r-lcs thercby transmutcd.
The cornmoncst llroup of synrbols representing the senses of sigl-rt,
hearing, touch, srnell and tastc r-rscd in pj are, rcspe ctivcly, flowers,
bc1ls, cloths, inccnse and food. At the bottom of Tibetan Buddhist
paintings, howcver, onc often fincls clepicted a cruder emblem of tl'rc
sacrifice olthc seuses in a little heap of choppcd-offhr-rmalr cyes, cars
46

5 (3li)

.,rtl hnds, nose and t()lrglrc laicl in a skull-cr:p full of blood. Tl'rese,
rt cclless to say, rcfcr not to rn actual bltt to an intaginativc act of selfl,utchery. Innunrcrablc \,.orks of Tantrik art colrtain rcfrcnLrcs to
l,.rsic pfa, from thc garlands usccl as pictlirc frames to the colours
rssociatcd with thc scnscs. Thc llst of the latter may vary, but one
( ()nrlnon grolrp is (following thc ordcr of the senses
lliven abovc)
l,luc, whitc, yellow, rccl and green.
'fhc vesscls and implcmcnts Lrsccl by Tantrik ptqns arc oftelr
tlrr'rnsclves worshippecl as dcvata, cmblcmatic rf tl-re activities of thc
tr,rnsrnLrtcd selL Ccrtain paintirrgs nrakc thc point very clcarly, by
,,,iving thcse olrjccts eycs, ancl even rudimcntary l-iands. Thc water pot 22

r' probably the commonest dcvata sLlbstitutc. In pl it is covcred

,r ith mango lcaves and :l llrccl-l coconut, whosc stcm is pairttcd
i , r'rnilion, ancl sct bchind a cliagramrnatic rcprcsentatiolr of the
rlr'rta who is intcnded to takc up rcsiclcncc in it.
47

27 Rj Sjilh Scn of Mrdi

pcrfirrtttinu pfija rvith hjs hrci

ir

rosary-b:Lg. M:urdi, r. t7zo.

Ciotuchc orr ppcr 8 x 8 (zo x:,o)

zll

Hcerl of thc Clddcss lor

orship. I{qesthan. r 8th ccntril v.
L3rorrzc h. .5 (r 3)

z<. (opy:ostt)

r fbrnr

Thc (loclclcss I)rvrtt,

rf thc corsort rf Siv. South

Inclia, tth cclrtllry. l3rorrzc -27 (69)

r-'r

hi fact thcre are many symbolic objccts and substances usecJ for
spccial pl rites liste d in thc marry Tanrra tcxts. They dil-er accordiug
to thc c{cvata worshippecl and thc reasons behind the rite . Arrd during
prolongcd rreditativc ritnals, whcn many difi-erent dcvatas arc
invokcd, cach onc m:ry rcqurrc rts own act of pq, cither cxternal or
intcrnrl.

Thc way outer worship is convcrtcd to inner is describcd jn thc

Afier cvoking the imagc of thc Goddess in thc
heart-lotus, you should 'dedicate your fieart as thc [devata's] lotusscat; give divine ncctar from the Sahasrara lotus [ir-i the crown of thc
l'read; scc p. 172-31 as watcr to wash Hcr fcct. Givc acthcr as Flcr
clothing, thc principle of smcll as pcrfume, the mind as flowcr, thc
body's vital cnergies as ilrcense, the principle of liglit as lamp. Grvc
Hcr the occ:rn of nectar as food, thc inaudible heart-sound as bcll. thc
principle of air as n and whisk; givc thc acrivity of scnse and the
agitations ol thc mind as dancing. To rcalize clivine thor-rght, give
thcse tcn diflcrcnt flowcrs Iof the sprritl: freedoms frorn clclusion,
sclfisllncss.,rrtlcllnlcllt. inst'rrsiriviry. pridr.. rrros.lr)c(.. irortrliry.
pcrtrlrbation, cnvy and grccd. The suprernc flower of non-injtrry, tl.rc
flowcrs of control ofthe scnscs, ofpicty, lorgiveucss and Knowlcdge.'
All these conrpr:isc the fifteen inner sentimcnts offcred in pra.
Tantrik ritual is developcd fronr pl, and puj is addrcsscd to a
rccipient. All Hinduisnr uses imrgcs or icons of onc kind rr anothcr to
rcccive pl. Indians havc always bccn rcady to rc'cognize thc holy
everywhere about thern. Their named gods c:ur.rppc.tr at any time,
anywherc; and their wholc countryside is scattercd with objccts in
which thc divinc shows itself in ways and for rcasons which locai
tradition alonc carr cxplain. Thcsc hallows reccivc phj, in thc lorm ol
simple, maybc cvcn c.rsul ,lfterings. Ar thc humblest level thc
hallows may bc a little clustcr of rcd-paintecl stoncs in the corncr of a
ficld, or a big bor-rldcr on a hillsidc, one of whose ces is paintcd rcd;
village mor and womcn may clcposit bcforc them a f-ew liandfi-r1s of
flolvcrs or squeczccl balls of rice. As well as thc gelrcral sacrcd spots ilr
thc countryside, a villagc may havc its own spccial hallows in thc
form, say, of a gnarlcd and dcsiccated sacrcd trce , all old anthill, or
cvclr an :rncicnt brokcn sculpture dug up frorn the ficlds. Thc artmadc imagcs i1r tcmples of all typcs ancl sizcs fulfll the samc frurction,
each bcing a focal point wherc thc worlcl of evcryday sprcad-out
rcality and thc world of conccntrated truth nreet.
Gautamrya Tantra.

29

-5o

r,, Icrn of thc lirig:rrir (phrllns)

sct

thc yoni, thc st:urclrd cmblcnr of

r lr, doullc-scrccl clcity as used in
lr rrr'\ J\ prirr, ip.rl icorr: ptrjr
,,ilclings arc licl on it. ucl thc
Ir,,noriflc nmbrclla is brokcn.
l\,urqr, Hirachrl Pradcsl'r, r9th
L ( rtury. Cloulchc on prpcr 5 x 4
rr

Lr I

x ro)

Ilindu Tantr:r docs much thc same, savc that its images arc
()vcrwhelmingly based upon the gcrnrinal idea of the two-scxed
,lrvinity dcscribed in Chaptcr r. This is thc place whcrc Tarttrik
r,leology strikes root into genuine popular and ancient custom. It is
rrr r possiblc hcrc' to draw a hard and fast line betwccir gerlcral
llinduisnr and Tantra. For thc comnlollest icon in ]ndian temples is
rlre lirigarh, a phallic cmblem that displays thc malc scxual erlergy for
rr hich it is a symbol as the ar-ralogttc of cosmic clivinity. It occr.rpies thc
u orLr ccll' in the tcmplc, while thc otlter strllctttre of tl're tenrple
,lrsplays thc feminine creative functicn. At the samc timc thcrc arc
rlso innurnerable tcmples and lestivals focused around in-ragcs of thc
t ,rrc'ldcss. Tantra takes thcse public imagcs as the most outw:rrd
rrr;urifestatiolrs of its cu1t, adapting and translormirtg thcnr for more
l,t rson:rl usc. And silicc thc f,:mininc aspcct of thc deity is resporrsible,
rrr thc eycs of thc Tantrika, ftrr thc activity of crctitn. it ls the
l, rrrinine, thc cosmic Sakti or power-cncrgy, which ollers hinl thc
-5r

3o

to his goal and origin by sdhana. The masculinc

partner in the dcity is fclt ro be more remore, buried within the
feminine, attainable only as a fina1 achicvement. Flence thc imagcs
upon which Hindu Tantr concentrtcs are images of the female. Thc
masculinc elcment plays its part, as we shal1 scc. But Hindu Tantrik
phja is usually addrcssed primarily to a form of the Goddess.
Such forms arc felt to be powerful channels through which love
can operatc. If one begins by loving a living creature one can cnd only
in love for a living crcatlrre. But if one addrcsses one's love to an
image, which is merely modified material signifying devat, olre can
end in love for the Devat. And since the activity of puj is only a
preliminary to, not a substitutc for, genuine mcditation, an imagc
which is bcautifully and correctly conceivcd can supply a visual
pattern for meditation. By concentratinJ on the actual icon onc can
awaken its inner image in the mind for inward meclitation and
worship. Since, as we have seen, all Tantra art has about it something
of yar-rtra, thc formal attributes of a good image are all mctaphors for
attributcs of the Devat itself, who is the intermediary between the
worlds of reality-extcnded-in-time and thc Formlcss Tn-rth. No
physical imagc can thus be any morc than a reflcction of the truc
transcendcnt image whose sphere of cxistcnce is the MIND-mind.
-What
one worships, that one becornes. Most Tantras contain brief
schematic descriptions of thc attributes of the principal devatrs,
including the high Goddess hcrself and the figures which symbolize
Her many distinct fuuctions. The descriptions are meant to help both
those who wish to make and use outward images as well as thosc who
nccd only to bc rcmindcd of the formal attributcs of images which
they will inwardly rcalize in their own meditation. Among many
Tantrikas it is customary to ntake temporary images which can bc
disposed of at home or thrown away into water, so as to prevent what
the physicai cyes havc seen impedirrg the transformation of thc visr-ral
image into an inner presence.
Thc author of the Tantratattva describes the ideal cor:rditiorr:
'whcnever or whercver I look', he says, 'within or without, I always
sec thc Goddcss, whose substancc is dcsire, as Bhagavilr [malc] or
Bhagavati [female] [Bhaga means both vulva and wealth] in
whatever form she is plcased to appear. I see my mothcr, the crazy girl
[beautiful as a sixteen-year-o1d], dancing with gentle movcmcnts of
hcr body, taking up in tl-lrn the flutc and the sword, mingling hc'r
best approach

52

llughter with her dancing, binding up and unbinding her hair

lsymbolic of creation and dissolutionl . . . Who in thc three worlds has
thc power to break this imagc to which my heart is fastcncd wiih so
dccp a love?' The outer image witl-r which you are coucerned is
r)othing but a rcflection of the rcal one. So long as the rcal image
rcmains unbrokcn, what docs breaking its rcflection matter?7
tsuddhist Tantra may secm to take a diffcrent attitudc. Certainly it
has r-ro prccise equivalent to the outcr image to which pj is addrcssed
try Hindus, and thc idca of Sakti as power is displaccd. Buddhist
'lantra, although it 1-ras produced an immcnse volume of superb art,

rrlways makes the proviso that its dcvats are purely 'mindrrigir-rated'. Thc fundamental difference betwcen Ruddhist and
I {indu doctrines is herc brought out into the open. Hinduism says that
Ichind cvery imagc or reality there is 'something' which can be callcd
lry the names of dcvat, each appearance sliding easily into othcrs up
the scale from grossest fact to r,rnimaginable Brahman. Buddhism, on
thc otl-rer hand, uses assertions that where we think we see somcthing
we scc in truth'nothinq'. It refuses any positive statement, cancelling
t'vcry provisional cxpression as ultimately empty of meaning. It aims
;rt a statc of mind devoid of any normal existential content whatevcr.
A Hindu imagc is thus a pointer, however crude, to an ultimatc
positive truth; a Buddhist image is a device for emptying the mind on
its way to the void fullncss of Nirvana, which is empty of any
cxistential thought.
Indian Tantra, however, does recognize a fundamental cornnrunity of aim bctween the two cults which Tibetan Tautra dcnies.
llcccnt Buddhism, despite the way it uses images, tends to makc the
-Western
missiottarics m.ide,
smc mistake about Hindu images as
confr-rsing Hinduism's positive attitudc to them with the'worship of
iclols' something which has probably ncver cxistcd anywa).
Monastic Buddhism has aiways tended towards puritanism and what
lrs been callcd in Chaptcr 3 sexual miserliness. The female is certainly
thcrc as an important clcment in Buddhist Tantra, as will be scen in
Ohapter ro. But because of its interest in positive imagcry it is Hindu
'l-antra which shows the female complex most completely.
There has been much argument among scholars as to thc
gcnuineness of the ancicnt conception of a 'Mother Goddess'. The
()Lrtcomc of thc case8 is now prctty well acceptcd. The idea of a
ucnerically female creative womb, mother of beasts, plants and men,
53

ll4t

J.

-r-i

.\/
IT

whidr is a complcx aralogy between tirc earth, its cavcs a,cl thc
huma, c.mnrlrnity of womcn, secnls to havc takc, root i, thc mi,c1
olman probably by about 3o,ooo rc. This r,.hole won'rb-cornplcx
was often symbolizcd by signs refcrring to the olltcr appcarance of
the huma, vu1va, as i, ,umerons cnrblerrrs a,cl objects fioin
thc Enropcrn palacrtlirhic c:ives. Indian Tantra prescrvcs this symbolism, alongsidc its .wrr arthropomorphic images of the GocJdess.
The Tantrika who makcs pla to onc of rhc many small icons of the
fcmalc vulvr (callcd yoni) is makirg it to that all-cmbraci.rg crc:rrivc
cncrgy fbr r,vhich thc yoni is thc symbol. Ritual ob.jccts nray also be
mac]e in the shapc of the vulva, or clecoratccl witl-r surf,rcc designs of
thc samc shape. objccts which cornbinc striking visual or t:rctilc
cffccts with a vulva shapc:irc uscd in the same way. Thc coco-dc-mcr,
from thc Scychelles islands, w1'rich is sonreti,res wasi'rcc'l ash.re on thc
coast of Inclia atrd regardcd as secrcd, is a nrost beautifiri cxamplc.
Spiral she1ls too .lre widcly recognizcd as :r symbol of fcmiuinity,
crcation arrd growtfi, :rnd are adoptcd in Bucldhist Tantra as symbols
for thc root- ntalrtr;r'()rh'.
I

-j
rs

Coco-dc-rncr, scrving

crnblcln of thc yoni of

thc (lorlclcss. Soutll hrdi,
t 9th ccnturv. Ccconut
shcll

l,l

h. r7

(.13)

Icon if thc Clrdclcss s

gclctri-r of ll thinss

displayinq hcr yoni fbr

Hydcrabd. r rth

pLrja.

cclrturv. Stinc. lorn

tcrnplc

; ' Image of thc

t iodclcss as gcnctrix

,,t .rll things,

,Irsrlrryirg hcr yoni

Nortircrn Indil,

l)oo, I)rovcn:tncc

,rnkrorvn. Stoc h.
lro)

34 Sr-r Yetrtr:r, cliagr:rrrrilttic

cnr[odirnctt of thc crc:rtivc
scrr,ral acrivity of thc Univcrsc.
1lasthal. r llth ccntury.
GoLrachc otr papcr 8 x 8
(zo

x zo)

j5 A stonc pillrr-sculptnrc
rcpr-cscntirg worship of thc
yoni (vr-rlvr) of thc Yogini as
(iddcss. Madnra. South hlcli

ITth ccl)trry

36 Tailtrik

godclcss. Eastcnt

Jeva, rotlr (crtury. Stonc,

lifc-sizc

,;'

lirli

C]HAPTIR FIVE

Mantra and yantra

Mrrntra' is onc of the rnost important clemcnts in all Tantrik ritual.
I lrc nc:rrcst parallels in English to the meaning of t1-rc worcl are 'spt--11'
'charm'. But thcse words, which arc anyway clcgraded in ouLr orvrl
,
'r
',1,(cch, have many deficierlcics alld. Llllwantcd extra mcallings. So

word 'mlntra' will be

r-rsecl ulrtraltslatt:d.
cornmonly cnding in a nasal tir,
syllablc,
A basic firantra is a singlc
,()nrctimcs k or t. A complcx mantra is made up of a scries of thesc
,r lllbles, pcrhaps forming the abstract of a pl-rrasc w-ith a known prt>se
',, nsc. Somc are pure sounds irt thcir owrr right; the best knor'vn is the
,rrticnt Vcdic'Orir'. Others arc the first syllablcs of the namcs of
,li r.:lta, perhaps slightly moclified and givcn thc r or otl.rer crrclir-rg.
I ,rrrr chief typcs are gcneraliy rccognized.

lrr'r'c the

A mantra is felt to be a sort of nucler-ls or gathcring point for

ilr'r-gy, a concelttratcd form of cosrnic power. Tc uttcr onc corrcctly

(rr llich nccds paticnt study and ei-ort) cvokes from the intcrfttscd
,,tr.ucrturc of ntan atrd cosnros thc spccific forcc to which it is rclatccl.

r\gcl'ranarida tsharati

l-ras

pointecl oute tfiat thc orclinary Irldian, faccd

rr ith a dcmand on l'ris strength, will uttcr a malltra undcr his breath; as
rr lrcn, s:ry, he prcks t1p the shafts of a heavily loaded cart. The mantras

37 I{clicf yorri crnblcnr, staincd rvith colt,rcd pr-ra ponclcr. Sotitl'r llcli:r. r9th
Lrcr)tlrry. Cllrvccl rvood ll x 7 (zo x t 8)

J-)

Thc association bctwecn thc vulva as icon ancl the ar-rt1-rropomorphic fen'rale is stresscd by a sculpture which illustratcs Indian
practice. It represents a pla altar in the form of a icmale figurc w,ith
l-rer legs spreacl apart to display tfic vr-rlva. This will connect at once in
most people's minds with the frgurcs called'Sheila-na-gig'fr-cm lrislr
and Wclsh churchcs, which rcprcscnt thc snrvival of a similar idca,
much dcgradcd in'Westcrn culture. (So, too, docs thc horseshoe over

thc door, for 'ltrck'.) Othcr sculptr-rres ilr Indian shri,cs illrrstratc
35

dcvotces literally worshipping thc vulva of thc Cloddess.

r8

rrlrich concertr us here, however, are thosc with a ritual purposc'

I trcy n'r:ry bc recitccl cither voicccl or voicelcssly, tl.rousands cf tirnes
()\/cr in what is ca1lcd japa', so as to produce a ctlmulativc stream of
, r)('r!ly. On cloths nrantras nray be wovc11 or printecl rnany timcs
38,47
()\,er, rs a visu:rl ccluivalcnt toJapa. A sir-rglc mllrlrl m:ry focus more
,rrt cnscly e nergy which has 1cctr prcvior.rsly crystallize d into a grosse r
, , r ntore bodily re prcse lltation. Rarir, ftlr cxamplc, ls the 'Firc'
n),rlrtra, H1rrh, a hcart mantra, based on the Sanskrit u'ord'Hridaya'
l,rr- hcart, usccl when thc herrt-cnergv of a dcvat is to bc cvckcd.
li lirr' condenscs the energy of scxual utrictl.t.
Mautrs are supposcd to rvork by cacli crcating its owtr special kincl
,,l rcsonance in spacc, iu the reaim of snbtlc s<lt-tnd or vibration, ca1led
NIcla, discr,lssed in Chaptcr 12. Arlcl, sitlcc a mtst inlportltrt rrspt-ct of
59

*
I

jl
;

il

,}

II
I

1
a

\')

of lcttcrs, as a yoni-shapccl rosary. Rajasthan, I Sth cclltllr,v.

on p:rpcr I r x 8 (28 x 20). Rtq/rr, thc lcttcrs of thc Sanskrit :rlphabct, tbr

.l.o Lt-f't, garlanctl

( iLrrraclc

rri rlit:rtirn and rvorship, es thc sor,rlrcl-root of all clivinc klrrrvlcdgc. I(ajastl'ran, lgth
ntrlry. hrk arrd gouachc olr ppcr I I x 9 (28 x 23)

,(

Imrgc of Siva and thc Gccllcss Annaphrn:r, clrlrvr cntircly n tth rnantras. Bcncal,
rgth ccrrtr-rry. Ink or.r papcr r6 x r 2 (4r'x 30)

l.urtra is its interest in pattcrus of vibration, thcrc arc Talltras u,'hich

.rrr' clcvotcd alrnost entirely to mantr:t alld the scicncc of sornd.
Wcstcrn scicnce is dcvcloping thc idca that visiblc forms and the
l).rttcrns of atornic and cellular strncrtures are functions of vibration.
I lrc cfi-ccts of lrcqucncy and sound-shape upon plants and anim:rls arc
l,L urg studicd. No doubt thc working of mantras Llpoll 111c1r alld thcir
rr orlds connect with this idea.
arc hcld to bc rclativc'ly gross modificat.ions clf n
.f ust as all clev:rtas
,,riginal hiddcn dcub1c-scxcd principlc, so all rnantras arc hcld to bc
nrorljflcations of an original, underlying vibration r,,,'hich sustains the
,r lrolc cncrgy-pattcrn of thc world, ancl which is another fcrrm irl
rr lrich the principlc can be rccogltizcd. Thc matttra nearest to thc
r,,ot-vibratjon is'Oril'; meditation bells are madc which produce a
',,,rrncl cf cquivalent vah-tc whcn thcir rirns re cotrtitruously rubbcd
rr ith a rvooclen stick. l)evatls and cosrnic fbrccs n-ray be evoked by
6t

42

r, llccte d in thc world of sound tl-rrough syllabic malrtras, ln extLrl1siol1

,,1'tlrc rr-asonir-rg suggcsts that the root-syllables out ofwhich tl-rc rirords
l,,r r11 things, qualities a1ld fturctions of the world are made tlp, i.c- th(l
,lplr:rbct, arc a root-form of thc lamecl cosnlos. Anc1, sincc virtr-ially

nrantra-dcity allyway, the Tntrika looks on thc

l-ris sacrcd Sanskrit languagc u'ith a special
r( vcl-cncrc. Hc calls it 'the nccklacc of lcttcrs' r,vhich the Grcat Goddess
\\ ('irrs, synrbolizing her crctivt- .rctiviry ts sottnd, thc gross form of
lri r subtlc vibration (scc Chaptcr ru). This couccption is oftcn
rllustratccJ in art, thc r-lccklcc itself being shapecl likc thc I'rmale vulva
n oni), cnrblem of thc creative sourcc of rcality, uhosc significarlce is
,rrplified 1:rtcr on. Fttrthernrorc, thc irtdividttal lctters of the alphabct
rr(' Lrhar:rctcrizccl accorcling to their cmotivc alld opcrativc cllccts:
r ,urtras themsclves nlay bc crLrcl, bcllcvolcnt or illdillrcnt accrording
rll thc lettcrs havc

llolc alphabct of

r. tlrcir conlpolrcnts. Mntras -,vitll

an cxccss ol'acthcrial','fiery'or
ry' lettcrs arc crucl. Matrtr:rs with rnorc'carthy' or'watery' lctters
,,,'bcnevolent. Btrt Tantra trcver sllggcsts that it is possible to Llsc
.,

' Mcdittion lcll,

hancllc u,orkccl r,vith

vajrr morif :illil hcc of thc Boclhisattva

,rlokitcivarl, rvhosc rim rtrbbcd n,ith thc stick prodrtccs

rsoo. Silvcr rvith brozc h.7 (r8)

\r

4l

lJrocdc br:ic wovcn rvith invoc:rtirns to

qold

U-s

x9z (zt6xzj,'

l)urgl. B:rnlrs, r 9th ccntnrv.

Silk ncl

uttcring their mantras, inducing them, for exemple, to take

rcsideircc

up

sculpturecl or p:rintcd imascs. Every ritual has its sct of

appropriatc m:lntras, which must be spokelt in thc right tctc of voicc
in thc right crder at the rislit tirnc. Sornc arc cspecialiy sacrcd, and
kcpt secrct. Btrt all Tantras includc instrnctiolts fbr usitrg them. So
pieccs of ra,trik ritr-ral equipnrer-rt are oftc, lcttcrcd with o.c or rnore
of the mantras which arc to bc r-lttcred wl.rcn thcy are bcilrg uscd. The
energics conccntrated by mantras can bc dircctcd to spccifrc m:rsical
pllrposcs, including hcaling, obstructing cncmics, carlsilrl the crops to
ir-r

grow or attractillg

a ncccssary womalt.
in-rpctrt:rnt reflcx of thcr wholc idca of mantra is a Tantrik
thcory about thc Sanskrit alpl-iabct itscllt Sinct- cosmic cnergrcs arc

()nc

6:

cotltitlttous hun.r. Tibct,

39

in a merely rncchaliical \,'ay, as crr-rcle magic. It repeatcdly

points cut thrt; 'Thc sounds which arc utterccl arc n()t by thcmsclvcs
malrtrrs. Thc proucl iods and celcstials u,,cre dcludccl by tlris falsc
idca.'1o For 'the irnnrortl S.rkti is sccn t() bc the life of mantrrs.
Dcvoid of Hcr thcy arc as frtritlcss as an autumn clcucl.'1rAnd':r
fi]antra r,vithout Sakti cannot cxist. Rot]r flow from knowlcclec, and
cal)lrot exist scp:rratcly.' r:
Rclatcd to nrar)tra is 'yantra', e u,ord for which tl-rcrc is r-rot evcn thc
remotest plr:rllcl in Enslish. Thc functicn of yantra in thc sphcrc of
thc visible is analoqous to that of mautra in thc sphcrc of sound. As
mantra is a nncler-rs of souncl by rncans of whicli cosnric errd bodily
firrccs.are conccrrtratc'cl into rituai, so y:rntra is a lruclcus of the visiblc
a'e1 know'ablc, a linked cliqgram of lincs by tneans of which visualized
mantrls

ncrgics :lre c()lrccntratcc1.' Mantra ancl yantra complcmcnt cacl-i

other, ancl are used in conjunction. A yatrtra may lcok at first sight
like an abstract clcsign. But what \\c may c:rl1 its'bstr'crion'is thc
cffcct not of its indicatins an abstrct conccpt for a mclrtal classrclationsl-iip, br.rt of its coliccrtrtiug colr.rute , forrnuiatccl cnergy. Its
'pattcrnncss', likc thc stylizcd syllablc of rnantra, is the esscntial
element of its forcc; its sparcncss is not thc rcsuit of gcnerality, but of
condcnsation of encrey urd contcnt. It proviclcs thc lbcal fiamework
fbr acts of mcditativc visualization. All Tantra art thlrs has in it a
spccial clcrnent of yantra. lt provicles thc rclatively 'gross' fornrs
which point fcrrw-ards ancl evokc thc 'subtlc' forms of rncntal
imagery, and calurot bc rnistakcn for anytliing but what thcy arc. Thc
rvidc-ranginp nrcaning which is comprcssccl to a hieh dcgrcc of
clensity in thc purcst yairtra is :it first synthcsizcd and fcd into thc
sadhakr's mincl through thc morc cxparrsivc art ancl diaerarns, r,vith
thcir elrboratcd syrnbolisnr, u,,hich will bc illustratccl latcr. To usc
yantra thus involvcs a colrtinr.tons mcditativc clialcctic in which
col)tclrt ancJ conccntr:itiolt clrivc cach other to a highcr pitch of
intcnsity. This is onc of thc ways in .,vhich thc psycho-cosmic
nrcch:urisrn is w.crkccl. And it is also one of thc aspccts of Tantr:r art
u'hich appcals nlost to pcoplc u,ho ltavc bcccntc clisillusionecl lvith
t1-re vapid conccptualism of much moclcrn rt. Txntra knou,,s, rnd has
long usccl, rcductivc nrcthcc1s ancl optical cf}.:cts. Rut it has uscd thcnr
syl)thetically, to colrcel)tr.ltu .rn enrotivc rncl psychic co1)tc1rt, llot
arralytically, to refinc abstractions rvhosc only nrcanins is their
l'r'l:ttion t() otll( r .rb:trlrtiolrs.
64

hiqe"*
;liu,t, ,.,i \
'#i a*ar,,r.,I

,,

,."n

#ril.t

e[i
i:H
1 n.ir-

*.{'i*
..t&:

f;

i,'11'

) ri'
tjr

ii:$,ffi*,-t

Sri Y:rntrrr. rvith rnarttr:rs, bcrrittg thrtnlb ir.nprcssiorrs ilr rcd cl gur-us, b1' u,hiiJr
IilL.rild,,rl,rur oil p.lf(, ,, r r. 1o)

tlrc yrrntr:r wrs rc-:Ictivlltccl. llajlstl.r:trt, r. r 8oo

_.

'7,.r-Y

r,,
';:H,,
aa
ND

',

a
AZ

Icosahedt:on ofrock crystul, u,hosc triattgul:rr flccts

,,r)(lcllsc thc sigrrificlncc of the Srl Yrttr;r, usecl ftr
r,r, 1li161 ['ibct. . t iith cctlturY

44 CiroLrnd-pllls of'hrdin tcnrplcs, r,r'hich rc thcnrsclvcs v:urtrls

,, Lrgril crgrrvcd rvitll

, ,rtur'\,. R<ck crystel

+5,46

+1

li.

Srr Yrtrrtra.

lllijsthrtr. r7th

3 (8)

Yantr:ls nray bc nradc of mrliy difrrcllt matcrials. Thc hnnr:u.r

body itsclf is oftclr callcd'the bcst of yantrs', for rcas()ns w-hich will
Lrcccmc clcar in Chapter 1o. Rut artistic y:urtlas may be maclr: with
color-rrcd prstcs or powdcrs o1l thc flcor in front of tl.rc scatccl sadhaka;
thcy may bc clrawn or paintccl on p:rpcr cithcr tc'r bc kcpt pcrmarrcntly
and rc-uscd, or rcrnadc lor cacll occesion. Thcy may bc madc il
perrrlencnt fcrrn of rnany substanccs; thc nrost impc,rt.rnt is rock*
crystal, v,,hicli has a synrbolism of its ow'n. Its clcar colourlcss
sulrst:rlrcc, n,hicir can trc shlpccl so as to focus light at its apcx, is a vcry
goocl crnblcm for thc all-inclusivc substancc of fundamcntal rcality;
just as colourlcss light incluclcs all the possiblc colours of light, so
crystal cr1l scrvc ls analogy lor the substancc r,vhich incluclcs all
substanccs. In Tantrik Buddhisrn thc tcrms 'rnaui' (cw'cl) or'vajra'
(dranroncl) hrvc r rclated significancc. Ilccl coppcr is also uscd
cspccially fbr yantras w'ith a fcmalc significancc. It must r1so ncver bc
forgottcn tllat the grouncl-plans rf most Hinclu, Jaina ancl Buddhrst
tcmples arc also yulrtras.
66
Mlttnscript illustr:rtcd u,ith :r lollg scrics o1'malldl,l
to bc ttscil itl scclt-lcllcc. Ncpal, r 7th
, r rrrtr\. Iltk nd goulr:1lt' o1) prpcr tuox9 (559Xz3)

r )(r:ls, clcsignccl

. \.

,&

is

b,
ia&. I

Mi
ffi

tffi
tw

r#

'w.

ffi
i:)Y

&

ilw-..

ffi

'&,,

W'

.t9 Sct ()f rrrctlitrtloll-crcls, painrcd

n.itlr syrnbolic \'rtrs. llrrsrh:rn,

rSth cclrturr'. Cirulcirc ()r p;rpcr

,r.

crclr:+xz(loxs)

&

tr
.k
&,
:.

48 Yrlrtrs. fr-orn ;r l:lrrrdu printcd

lr,','1. ri itlr lrlrlr, \ r't ,l! v.rt.r\.
Ncp:rl, r. r(roo. (lou:rcllc on ppcr
2r x ii (t6 x 2(r)

l)irgrtntntic y:rntras llrc tlsi.t11v cclltrcd o1l ll sillglc poillt, thc

rint upon u,hicll lncdjtirtive c()lr.rclltratioll citll qradtl:111Y !aathcr
,r il flx itsclf . 'Onc-p()ilttccl1lcss' of ctlttccl)tl'.rti()ll ir .t llt ce Ss.trY
lricvcnrcnt firr nv saclliak:i bcltorc hc call cvclt bcgill to urakc atly
i()grcss. Rut thc yrlttrs illltstrtccl hcrc erc elso jcotls, subtlc boclius
,l'dcr.,at:rs, boclics flonr lvhicll thc sross physicel rcscnlblal)ccs hvc
,, cn clilnilr:rtccl in iivor,rr of'thc highcr, lrlorc illclusivc inraQcr,v of
l kccl cncrgics. Whcn thc lnntra-rtttcr1lccs of por'vcr irtscribccl oll it
(' corrcctlv rccitccl thc y:rrrtr:r itsclf 1'ccomcs infirscd r'ith thc acttlrrl
i'cscncc of clcvrtlt; its clvtl pliysicll 1r:lttlrc is lost; thc clcvata, so tcr
,ck, floats up ofJ thc surl:rcc of tltc physicll objcct etrcl expaticls
itlrirr thc nrind ncl bocly of thc saclhlka as a clctlsc conlplcx iclcntitl',
,,r prcsclrcc of r,r,hich altcrs his r'vholc llaturc. Suclt yltltr:rs trrry btr
rrr'd:rl()1rc orr singlc oca.rsir)trs or 1tl scrics Llurillg prolorlgcd 47.49
,rt'ditatjvc ritcs.'f'hcy nrrry bc Llscd to iltvokc thc snbtlc boclies of
,, \,.ltiis tc rcccivc ptrlt, as lti iltternrecliatc stcp Lrctu'ccti Llsing tll(l
oss rcprcscnt:rtionl imagcs of ntalc atrd lcnrlc allcl rts'itrq purcly
ritcrnal int:rgcs. Iti precticc, ortly cxtrctllclv rdvarlcccl sadhak;rs crrl
r.rsp thc trttc fcrrnls irnplicit ill Yantra rtttl tn:rntra' For this rc:lsorl
,r )St orclitiary Wcstcrtlcrs tl ill lr()t bc ablc to gr:rsp thcnr
ricllcctLr:rlly; cvcn in Illdie thc trLlc llrlttlrc olyarltra is rlormrlly kcpt
:l sccret u,hich catr otrlv bc ittilicatcd vcrbally bctu'cetl sadh:rkls,
d is ncvcr rvrittcn r-1orvn. l)crhaps thc tnost subtle ymtrlls of :rll rrc
',osc u,hich prrtviclc only :r blarrk splcc cll) to which thc nlcclitetor has
, projcct his rr'vn f:rnrilir irrrtcr yatttra.
69

.5o Sri Yxntra incise cl ort rcckI(lr- ntr.Jir.rLi,,n. \rp.rl. lXtll

(r\\r,rl.

ccl)tr-lry.2x2 (5x 5) ..,

, ' I{hli Yltra. R:rjastlian, ISth cclrtury. Thc clor,vnu,lrrl-porntrng

i, rrrf,lc ylrni-cmblcm. Goulcbc on papcr 7 x 7 (1lt x I8)..

, C)nc il1 sct t1 flftcclr

,Ir,rgranrs of pl:rnctary timc
tl,,iisthar, r9th ccrrtury. Ink
rrrri ct)lonr on papcr

rrrT(.z8x18)

clclr

is ll

Thcre arc, howevcr, co:tain things which can bc cxplaincd. First is

thc olvious fact tliat it takcs a lrc.rt dcal of tirrc ancl cft-rrrt to build up
thc cc-rntent of thc imagery storcd in any yantra-ntalttra complcx. Thc
rcalitics rcfcrred to in conclcnscd pattcrns of sight ancl soulrcl can

52

bcconre rcaclily availablc to thc mincl only aftcr long practicc. To

simplify, it is, in a w-ay, likc lcanring an cxtraordinarily complicatcd
alphabct ancl vocabulary at oncc. Thcn again when a yalrtra is to be
usccl on any givcn occasiou it takcs cxtrcnrc conccntratiolr ovcr a lorrg
pcriod of timc tc build up the prcscncc olthc clcvat by merans of thc
malltra-schcmcs which arc its snbtlc alatr>nry. The strbtle clcvat
prcscnt in the saclhaka's body rnay bc pcrsuadcd by I long yogir
proccss to crncrge in subtlc fornr fionr his nostril, and takc r-rp
resiclencc in the yantra.
Second, thc gcneral pattclr foilow'cd by nr...,sr, if not rLll. y.rNtr::ls
tcnds to bc constant. Around the pcrirnEtr is a s.lurru p.lttcnr of rccntrant 'gatcs'. This rcprcscnts the 'nclosurc' r,r,ithin which thc
rncclitating self is shut (r.,,1'ratJune callqrd thc 'tcmenos'); the successiyc:

circuits insidc that rcprcscn t slrccL-sivc 'shcaths'

or

stagcs of

inwardncss, thc rnultiple outcr pctalsl or tri;rnglcs l.,--lnq occupic.l by

'grosser'forms of encrqy, u,l-rich arc absorbcc'l ancl fr-rrthcr

corccntratcd in thc lcss multipliccl inner circuits. Thc centrc is the

point where all thc origin:rl radiating cncrgies arc finally focuscd,
r-rsr,rally in a singlc mantra such as'Om'or'Kllrjr'. Thc mantraiclcntitics in all tl-rc basic circuits may also bc rcprcsclltcd in
alrthr()ponlorphic shapc, s clcvatas. ht tlre glc.rt Sri Y.rntr. rhe ntost
important rf- all Tantrik yantras, each cf thc ()utcr trianglcs is
occupied by thc clcvats which rcpresent thc snbdivicicd cncrgy-se1f
of the Clccldess.
Thcsc Nityas ('etcrnal oncs') or Mahavidyas ('llreatcr u,isclonrs')
nray actually be prcsortcd in hurnan fbrnr. Thcy arc listed in Chapter
8. Each rf thcsc lesscr goclclesscs nlay havc hcr owr yantra as well:
which flict u,ill givc sonre idca of horv important ancl clifrlcult thc
w-holc mattcr of yantra is. Some of thc lcsscr yantras arc obviously
scgments or-rt <f thc all-cnrbrrrcing SrT Yrrntra.
Although, of course, yantr:r has thc typical Tantrik doublc aspet,
thc SrJ Yalrtra is bcst explainccl firnr the point rf vicw olClclrcsis. In

urcclittion it is uscd in thc rcrc.-rc clircction, scrving to fccus front thc

outcr rinr ilrto thc frnal 'point' or clot all the sdhrka's realizations of
cosnric cl)erlly. l}rlt sincc this grcat yalttra is thc vcry image olthc
,i3 ThckindoflarlpnscclintemplcpLrj:r,asanclblcnroithcprcscrccofthcc-liviru
dortion. l3asohli-Ksnrir, rllth ccntr-riv. Goucllc on prpcr

rncl of thc rvorshippcr's

r4(r5xro)

process of creation, mctaphysically sexual, to penetratc

it is to intr-rit
thc wholc undcrlying Tantrik mctaphysical idca. Thc- description
r'vhich lollorvs is basecl on that given in thc Knrakalavilasa, translated
as a1l appendix (p. zo). Taken in conjuncrion with thc Srikhya

ciiagrarn (p. i88) rhesc aclcl up ro

f,'definition'of the Cloddess.

Thc dot, or bindu, ar thc ccntrc indicates thc invisible first

principlc, thc self-originated seec'l of Bcing and cor-rscioLrsllcss which,

strictly spcaking, can lrcvcrr bc visible or inraginable. Frorn the sidc of
man it is the point cf final dissoir-rtion. From rhe sidc of crcation irs
flrst act of pro.lection consists in splitting itself into malc and fcmalc;
thcse arc thc visible dot alrd thc srnallcst cnclosing clownr.vardpoir-iting trianglc. As the alrciellt rnd rnost sacrcd Brihadararryaka
Upanisad (r. rooo B c) says: 'He was alone: he did trgt cnjoy: one aloire.
docs not enjoy: he dcsired a second, and bece likc a mau and
womarl itr closc embrace. He maclc this ylf of lris into two.
Thcrcfrorn camc husband and wif.' Thcn ltcr: 'He dcsirccl, let rny
wife be: may I bc born as many: nray I possdss things: may I pcrform
acts: this was his clcsire.'The past tcnse her[ significs not priority in
tinic, but ontological or cxistential priority. It-o thc Tantrika crcatir-r
is continuor-rs act. So the frrrm the desirc (K.rm.r) tkes is the shapc of
his fcnrale moving identity, making the world for hinr to L-njoy rs

r02

Rliss, Consciousness and, olcoursc, Bcing. Thc dot as irs first act of
motion traces the trianglc u,.hich is thc original form of the gcnerativr:
yoni (vulva) of the Goddcss, thc'first cxpansion of space ancl time in
act, a trinity which can bc seen in rnothcr guise in thc icoir cf
Chinnamasta.

j T:rrka pairrtccl rvith ninc rnandala-yarrtras, which are rnecljtatcd orl in scrics tcr
1rodncc a spccial ccnditior of conscioustress. Ncpal,.. rgth ccl)trlry. Ink atld colour

(rn

plpcr zzr.zz (56x

:4

l-cJt,

S, Yr,rtra.

5(>)

South lndia, r. r7c)a. C)oppcr platc

6x6

(r-5

x r5)

.:
'!i

''
'll:l'l'i
l-ri"'l ' 'l

r,l.

,dh':Irr.

.,. .

jri

, w[.

:r.,.
;

r.ii;].

.rP

r.

":{., l}i'

:,i: - -\ t

1'

ri;:i

'
le

1,

,]'i

\n

;!-

.il
r;

L,',tt
I
.,

..,

.!i.1

. -:f ,{.r.
:
!'.,
liiir,

r$

-.--i
'.,.-4aI

. ,i.

l,

,n.i,

ti 'j

il

rl

h*"

"r'

ilr \ri Y,rrrtr.r,

rr

,li,rgrur ()i tlr. ( ()ntllrrl()tr-\ pro( ( \s of (llc.rti\'(

rn.Jl ellirgl \lrrhlr irlr I .l, i rrris rr illl lh. triilnglcs illr(l \tLlir.r
.()1]r1irilrg llu.lilhist rrd I IirtlLr s\ rri)olisrr. \L l-1. . t-tt,.

r(rxl+ (i1x()r)

it ()nc ri rr st't ()l-\(\'en 1)irjnt(J nr;u.rtlrrls. (:lalr ()f rrhiclr. ulrcr rrciljrrrted rr.
!r'llcr-irtes il \f.ci.rl (()n(ljrj()r ()l c()rr(i()u\ncss. I il)cf. . ISoo (lourrcirc ()r (l()tlr
::i r rr7 (7r x 1S)

qry_,,., ifi"
'a- i-j
ia'

.4.

Therc is thrrs'in cxistetrcc'at the first stagc of crcativc crvolution a

rlot inside clownw-arcl-pointirrg trianglc. Thc lext strgcs consist irr
thc gencration by this couple rf fbur pairs of triartgles, c:rch p.tir'
lrlvir-rg onc pointing up, the rna1c, thc otherr clcwrt, thc fcmale. Tht:
inncrnrost pair thcn'rselvcs appear somctitnes with an cncircled dot
insidc as thc yantra ol BhuvancvrrJ, thc sccolrd of thc Hirrclu
Mahavidys. All rcprcscnt thcr 'goitrg fbrth' or cxpansiou of thcr
ruclcar light-orcrgy fion.r within the first triarrgle, thc 'flash' alld its
'ilcvclopccl rcflection' (in Sanskrit callcd Prakaa ancl Vinrarsa). The

interlacing

of the fivc original fcrnalc and four malc

95

trialrqles

gcneratcs the circuits olother trianglcs in which thc rarlgc of v:rricd

lirrms of consciousness and cre:rtiotr jointly cmcrgt: to shapc the
u,hole of thc movitrg u,or1d and its history in timc. Tl'rc datrce of

lurninous cncrgy is reprcserrtcd in icorts at certain shrincs u'hosc

t'sscntial fcatures cau be visually parallelcd by rnoclcrn photograpl'rs

particlcs

in cloud chambers. It is ch:rractcristic of Illclilir

of

artistic

rlrirrkirrg. tlrotrglr. t() cxpr( s\ t tlttc-p.rtrt'rtrs by .r clot,'d .ystcltt of

stylizcd ctrclosurcs ir.r flat clcttrs. Clhirtcsc traditioll, ftrr exanlplc,
exprcssing its ou''n colrccpt of crcativc lnotiotl iIl titc:incl sp:rcc, tlie

'ho,

crnpl-rasizccl an cndlcssly urtrolling, 1rc-ver rcpurltitrg, ctrtltinnous

chaugc as the fabric of the rvorld. In the Tantrik contcxt, hclu''evcr,

()nc n1l1st not forsct that thc motivc fbrcc undcrlying tl-re wholc
proccss is a transcetrdcntal Dcsirc, w'hich jtrstifics thc sexttal
uudcrtonc. Dcsirc crcttcs its objcct as cosrnic desire crcatcd the world.

'Withdrawlr

al-rd icuscd cln

)csire rnr,rltiplied creatcs n.rany objects.
thc Void of Ultimatc llcaltty it bccomcs a spcial intlcr racliarrce
I

linown only to thc Tantrika.

Bucldhisrrr Lrscs yantras, on thc rr,'hole, in a lcss clcvelclpe d way thatr
Hincluism. All of the rnandalas cf dcvatas discusscd r,ulde r tl're hcading
..rf thc subtlc bocly (Chaptcr ro) are , in cff:ct, yantras, and thc clcvatls
rrray bc rcprescntcd in reditation only by their nlalltras. The tlsc oI
rnantrs in v:rrio-rs pattcrns is onc of tlrc feu'Tantrik technicltrcs to
llavc survivcd in thc Buddhisrn of Cliina andJapan, be:ing cultivatccl

by thc Hua-Ycn (Kcgon, in Japancsc) and cspccially thc Chcn-yctr

(Shingon) sects. Thc ra11tr:ls itr Chincsc andJapanesc diaqrams,

base,-i

on rrchaic and misunderstoocl fbrrns of thc Sauskrit lctters, callcd

Siddha lcttcrs, are ustrally ratiortalizcd accordit-rg to thc strict canons
of Bucldhist philosophy. Sincc uuddhisrn's rnairr rcqr.rirerncrrt is tl'rc
total cxtinction of dcsirc one of thc basic Four Holy Truths irl lact
li Tak:r rvith fivc m:rrc'lal:rs. Trbct, r,!th cclrtr,rrY. (louachc olr cloth
1r4ix97)

57

x 3ll

5s

-s9 [3Lirlclhist

inititiil

crrl gith Hurir r thc

i:cntre . T'ibct. lgth
ccr)tLrry. l)illt or cloth

4x:t (lox
o

ro)

l3urdclhist yantre,

ir corporltinu

rt

contptrt:rtion bo;rr-r1.
Neprl, r. r7oo. (iouuclrc
on cloth L1 x z9
(3 rr

74)

mcciitation :lcross thc loarcl of thcsc diagrarrrs crilrnot bc clllecl tmly

Tantrik. ILccelrrt Tilct:rn Brrclclhism, holvcvcr, anc'l cspccially

Ncpllcsc Buddhism inflnenccd by Hinclu iclcrs, clo bcth still rctrrin
clcfinitc lnc1ns for controlling thc functions of thc libicliuous Lrrsc
tor,rrarcls scparation, rlniou allcl bliss in their yairtra tcchniqucs. Thc
fbrn-rs cxprcssing this Lrllion arc based upon thc gcrnrinal mantra 'C)rh

mani paclmc Hr.rrh'.

Tliis rnantra appcars

59

in nralry forms, ancl its clcnrcnts arc

clistrilutccl antoltl a varicty of clifrcrclrt clcvata-principlcs for
conlbinatiolr. Its basic conrpoltcnts arc: 'Orh', thc root syllablc ol
origiliation and clissolution, thc ancient Brahmin vibratory sylllblc in
lvhich thc prcscnce cf thc Brahrnalr, i.c. total rcality, was colrdcllscd
(Ori-r also appcars as thc nLlclcus of ntany Hinchr anc'l Jaina yal)tras);
'mani' mcanilrg JCwcl, syllonym for vajra, the w.ord which rlcans
'diamond', 'thr.urdcrbolt' ancl 'malc orgar'; 'paclme' lncalrin!l 'il/
(locativc casc ()f p:rdm:r) thc lotus', a sylrolrynr lor the openly
clisplayccl mal)ifst world and thc male orllan; and 'Hhrir' thc
nncle:rr ma1)tra in which rcsidcs the highcst f<rce of enlightcnmclrt,
an altcrnativc imagc of the supreme Bucldha of any scct. The sexualit'
hct:c may be rclnotc ancl metapl'rorical, but it is not r11rrcrl. The trnion
8o

'ctcrrccl to is ccrtainly mcant to propag:ltc l1 spirittlelly bcrrcficial

{.'r)crgy. Thc ccnunoilcst Bucldhist pr.rrc yalttra distributcs thc six
s1,ll:rblcs around tlie pctals of r lotus, *'ith l'Hurir'tt thc crclttrc.
Thc sl'rapc of thc stralrqc inrplcrncrrt trsecl by Tibctatt Varayau'r
(Vajra-mctl'rod) Ruclcihists, cellccl vrr:r (rDor-jc in Tibc-t:rir), h:is a
lnctaphorical rclationship with thc fbrccs intplicd ilt this 1n:l1ltr. Thc
rtylizccl shapc probably contcs frorn a contbittatiolr cf flrst: arr archic
lnclian synrbol ol polver, folurd cvcn in thc crowtts of vcgetatiorltlcitics on scals rf thc Lrdus Vallcy Clivjlizatit.rl (.. ll'ioo l2oo B(.) :rs
as o1r thc getcs of Sachi ti-rddhist stupr (..,tr-r lo) atrcl, sc-conc1:
rhc late Hellcnistic tl'rrce-prorrgccl cloublc-cncled'th-urclcrbclt' carricd
lry sccond thircl ccl)tury AI) inr.tges of Zcus or Jupitcr. A

\\,cll

.:otrbination of all tl'rcsc ulrdcrlying mcaniltgs problbly fl11s ort tlic

rlcvclopccl synrbol of the vajra r'vith its clor-rblc-cncl alrd its protrus,
rrorv rnr,rltipliccl tc lour or ntore , which curvc ilt to cnclosc thc ccrltrrl
rrotnbcrrncc. It thlrs probably crorrvcys thc scrrsc not of 'vajrr'alotrc,
br-rt of 'vajra padrnc'. It is certainly lc,okcd ott as thc ntystical bcarer of
thc fcrrcc of 'Hhrh'. As such it appcars carriccl ilr orlc harrcl by thc
lrighcst principles ir Tibctan iconogr:iphy. Ancl brorlzc vajras arc thc
trcasure cl posscssiolrs cf nrrtrks attd rnagiciatts.
8r

62

Both these grorlps of pcoplc also nsc thc 'phr-rr-bu', or lnystical

daggcr, an objcct rvliich has a vajra-hilt, oftcu with tcrrible frccs
acldcd to incorporatc into thc objcct thcir olr,n spiritual powcr. In tiris
it rescnrbles the wands usccl by sharn:rns (e.g. amonu thc Snnratralr
l3atak). The otlier cncl is a triangr-rlar bladc. The phur-bu is usccl in
ritLrals by i,vhich dcmonic fbrccs are coe rccd, drivcn a\\ay or:
clcstroycd. Tl'ic r-nagician r,viclcls it lvith stabbinc !lesturcs, tirus
concentrating the powcr ol thc Vajra-Hhrir. Monastcrics usccl tcr
contain huee 'mothcr phur-bus', probablyistarrdirrg in thc rnail
shrines as the rcpositorics of all thc pou,,cr clistributccJ irto indivicJual
pl-rur-bus or,r.necl by particular rnorr k-rn:r gici r s.
In a sensc, thercfbrc, vajra ancl phr.rr-bu both'bclorre in the c:rregory
r

of yantra.
6t z

LtJt. V:rjras,synrbolsofTlntrikBLrclrlhistl'rLrth.hrdia,f ibct.Ncpal,Chirra,

variors dtcs. Mctll 3 9 (8 z3). ,ltiq/it, phnr-bu, or spirituel rlarucr ircorpomting thc
pr)s(r If tlr, nt.rnll.r HUlir. Iil,.t. lvrll \(lltut\. llt(,lrl( lr. r,i qt)

*e
*P &*'e ^b'

UJ
k*ts*g,#e#

-*

CHAl'TER StX

Sexual transformation
t1're inncr scxual cnerlly of humanity is idcntificd in Irtdia u'itir
thc ccsmic clrcr{y, imagcs which reL)rcsel)t the cutward appe:rrallce
,rf scxual cncrgy arc u,orshippcd as its cmblcrns. Thc niost cbvious
ixrnrplc is thc ercct malc penis, callcd lirig:rrir. Stylizecl lir'igar-icons
.rrc, of coursc, thc commonest icons in Indian Siva-tcrnples, arrd thcy
u,ill bc discr-rsscd in a later cl-raptcr. Many alrthropomorphic figurcs of'
iva show him r,r.ith pcnis crect. []ut at thc hnman lcvel, sittcc scxltal
t',xcitemcnt is fclt tr inclicatc thc prcscrncc of thc diviltc encrgy, some
ordcrs of yogrs r,vorsl.rip their ow'rl crcct pcltiscs, pcrforming fu11 pj.r
ro thcrn;:rnd numerous icons reprcscnt sadhakas inflamcd with desite
lirr union rvith the Yoni. Onc constallt cmblcm for this inncr libidc,
scxurl incl cosric, is thc snakc, r'vhosc syntbolism is known a1l ovcr
thc r,vorld in r-r.latry nrodiflcations.l3 In hrdia thc imagc of a magical,
rnany-l-rcldcd snakc hes lon{-r bccn r.tsed in dificrcnt c-olttcxts. Tatttra
lras devclopccl thc iclca, alrd uses it to rnap ways for manipuhtinir thc
irrner channcls of cncrgy which are so inrportl1rt ilt saclhalra. Othcr
rrnagcs will bc discussccl in Chaptcr ro.
Scxnal intcrcoLrrsc is tlrc principal lorm of 'enjoynrcut' r,r'hich
'l:rntra harnesscs to its spiritr-ral cncls, treatilrg it as a paradigm ol

Sirrcc

tlivinc ccstesy. As has alsc bcctr cxplainccl, rnoclcrlr w'riters otr Tantra,
lirr rcasons of thcir orvt.l. tcncl to ciiscuss its scxual ritr-rals itr an lbstract
\\ay, as if thcy wcrc eithcr purcly irnaginary or rncrcly mccharrical
lirnctions of yoga. hi fuct, rcal intcrcourse with con'rplctc crtjoyrncrtt
tan be trcrrtecl as an icon of what it significs, jr-rst as thc art-mac1e
,lnthroponrorphic icon 1cr olrtcr w'orsliip catr bc trcated as a reflcctiolt
,rf tl.rc pcrmancnt ancl truc inne r imagc. Thc trtlc intrcr imagc bchirrcl
scxual intcrcourse is thc transccndetrt crrjoymctrt irt cncrgctic loveplay of thc tr'vo-sexed creativc clivinity in Hitriluism, or Budclliar)atLlre in Ruclclliism. Thcoy rf actual sexltrl intcrcottrsc, utrdertekerl
in the s:rrnc spirit as u''orsl-rip of :tn otitcr imagc, can l.rc1p to awakctt itt
Llic nrincl of thc sclhka that pcrn'rancllt i1l1)cr bltssfitl inragc, of u'hich
,'rch hunran intercourse is ancthcr rcflcctior-r.
83

75

;&,

It is possiblc ftr thc Hinrlu Talitrika to tre.lt ce\u.il intcrcoursc of

67, 6t 7o

any kind in this way, including that bctrvccnihusband ancl r,vifc, ancl
thlt bctw'ceu mrlc visitor to I tcnrplc and a fe-nr.rlc 's-itc of tlrt- god',

othcrwisc knou,n as a clcvaclasi or darcinu-gir]. Thcre- rrr.nr.llry ritual

aspccts to scxnal intercoursc ir India rvhich drtc'b.ack to a very carly
stagc in thc cvolution of humall symbolic thoughC. 1a Among thcm
rc thc complcmcritary notions, flrst: that thc hcavcn u,hich \\.its
heroers and pious sagcs is 1u11 of cclcstial girls, whosc love is their

rcward; and sccond: that the maier dcity rcsiclort in thc icon of a
tcmplc, w'hich lattcr is itsclf a rc-flcction of hcavcn on carth, should bc
attcnclccl by a corps of fcnralc clallccrs. Thcsc worncn arc synrbcllically
marriccl to hirn, sc that r,vhclr tralc visitors colrple with thcrn thcy
rchcarsc onc of thc clcnrcllts in cclcstial b1iss. Most of thc strpcrb erotic
scuiptLlrcs clr rnccJicval Hinclu tenrplcs illtrstratc this cclrnbincd
f unction.
I)evacJasis werc also vcry suitablc partlrcrs for thc sldl-rak's scxual
ritcs. lloyal or famiiy prostitrltcs, proviclcd they havc undcrsone
corrcct initiations, may sharc sonrcthilrs of the spccial symbolic:
senctity of thc clcvadasis. Trditional music ancl ciancing vu,erc part of
this systenr clf pleasr.trc. Hinclu Tantra i-rscs this intagery ofplcasure as a
mcchrnism for cnhancing cnjoymcnt in thc clircctioli of ecstasy.
It mr-rst bc obvicus that thc Tantrik:r - and inclccd thc hrdian docs
not conceive of sexnal interconrse as a qnick scnrry to orllasnr. This is
an bsolutcly fi-urclamcntal factor, which clistinguishe s C)ricntal

Lt.

t
j:
/

-v,/estcrn

attitlrdes to all menifestations of scxuality.

attitudcs, rcflcctccl
in thc Ki,sey rcports ard in tcrs of thousa,ds cf1ara1 rr.vels, look o,
scxual intcrcoursc ls :l m:lttcr of tcnsion, appctite ancl rclicf, cluick
rclief bcing thc 'uatural' goal olmalc ancl fcnrale, according to thc
simplistic biological conception which is still current. It suggcsts that
all that can bc clonc w,ith thc scxr:al act to make it bettcr fbr both
partlrers is to adcl to thcir pleasurc by raisitre the key of thc tension,
ancl/or incrcasing the freqtrcncy of rclief. It is r,vell kncll.n that thc
man who, in tl'rc Kitrscy Rcprtrt on thc Flunrarr Malc, rccordcd a
frcquency abovc thirty timcs a clay for malry ye:lrs bercame a kincl rf

ftlk-hero in Amcrica. Scxual lovc, in such a contcxt, becomers at bcst

a mattcr olfrcclucnt happily sharcd orlJlsnts.
To thc raclitional lnclian mind this attitr.lclc is rrotcscltrc ancl
patl'rctic. Evcn tl-ic orclinary mart rec()gltizccl that such bauality was
absr-rrd, and lacked any rcal
84

point. Eiglrteelrth-c.^ntrrry Lrdian harlots

.\
,=h

.{,;#******

':di."""{il.'
!,ii..,

*
i-..

S;
\

Tffi'ffi
F'
lr

h,

,,,,,,

r*i:"'l
/ii''I ^i:."'"...
/i.

"Wifllffi

".".".

:',
tq.,

l..

\;.'

i,

',

..

Y..,tt

il

ffifj6;r

=''*ir:''',l*'

:, : ,r''

ffi

-:r:

;+'

{,"

r):l Anoilltir)g ;rrcl rr:rss:rgc of thc body of a high-castc woln:lll ftcr bathirlg allcl
Ircfbrc intcrcor.rrsc. R:rjasthan, r 8th ccntllr),. Clou:rchc on clotlt 9 x 7 (23 x l8)

tl:r:if

i..i

rr()cked Europcan mcn for their miserablc sexual pcrformance,

,.rlling them'dunghill cocks'for whom the act was ovcr in a few
,,r'tondS. Despite recent advances in sexological knowlcdge, the
Wcst's chosen cxternal explanations of sex, attached as they are to a
l,rovisional and impovcrishcd rationalization of the infinitc complcx

still tend to regard sex as the pursr-rit of orgasm,

Traditional India did not.
lrven at the hcdonistic, sccular level Indian croticism always
l,,t trsed on the inner state of erotic posscssion. Thosc long sequenccs
,,1 r:aresscs and postures rr:commcnded in the Kmaslttra, Anal,.rrilnsa and other handbooks aimed at crcating a condition of
. r tcndcd savouring or cnjoyment; in ncither text is orgasm trcated as
r)(('cssary relief, nor cven as the chief goal. It is simply taken for
r,,r',ultcd. In the higher reaches of Indian erotics orgasm becomes
rrrt'rcly a punctuation in, and inccntive for, the state of continuous
rrt('nse physical and emotional radiancc which lovers can cvoke in
,'.r,'lr othcr. Sex is not re gardcd as sensation, but as fecling; attraction is
rrot appetite, but thc'mceting of cycs'; love is not a rcaction, but a
,,rlcfully nurturcd crcation. Its meaning is a protractcd ecstasy of
rnrncl and body, whose fires are continually blown by prolonged
( ngugcment and stimulation of thc sextial organs, not mutual relief. ]t
r., tlificult to know how many 'Wcsterncrs or modern men and
\\ ()rnen experience this condition; certainly very, very few works of
lrtt'r:rry or pictorial art evcn suggest it. And the scltabnegation it
,l, nrands of both partners in prolonging intercottrsc and studying
, ,rt h other's nccds has no place in European cultural attitudes.
I ,rboratory-based conceptual cxplanations (which 'leave the rcality
l', lrirrd') do nor cmbrecc i.
'fhe postures and inward contractions pcrformed in thc course of
l,rntrik union work on this Indian basis of scxual love. The special
rrrrvrrdly radiant condition they promotc only appears, however,
rr lrcrr the erotic focus is shrfted from the oLttcr scnsory personification
,,1 desire to thc inner Godcss of whom all or.ltcr women arc
,,rr':rdigms. Actual man and actLlal woman become keys to each
,,llrcr's bliss. This does not mean that one loscs vaiue in the othcr's
, \1('s; the opposite is truc. For each is God in the other. In addition, the
,,1 lluman cxpericnce,

rn,.'rc biological act.

64 Aninitiation. llajasthan, rSth rgthcentllry.Gouacheonpaper7x6(rgxr-5)

rt..'s

and mantras accompanying in tercottrse themsclves carry charges

from past practice, study and custom;

with
their own force.
activity

,,1 rrccrete{ cnergy

, rrllnncc the

these

8l

Wc have thcrcforc to rcrncnrbcr that scxual sdhlna, for its ou,n

nrctlrods to bc cllc'ctivc, ltLtst proclucc uo less a clclight tl'rrough thc
same kind of skills, as wcrll as throu!!lr cxtra rcchlriqucs. C)nly in this
wy crir thc sdhaka rcach what is callecl Rasa (uice-oy) or Mahrrrac.r
(the rrreat cmotion). Mcrc nrcch:rrrical pcrfornr:rnce is no lcss absurd
th:rn nrcrc undircctcc'l irrdulgcncc. For ccrtairr rituals it is also
itnportant tlrt thc u,()nlrur's ou,lt vital cncrgics sl-roulcl bc at thcir
pt.rk.,rtrr'l tlt.rr sll.'rlt,,ul,l b('t'n('l)\trrr.lriug. Irrtli,rtr trrditit,u il:rs it tlt.rt
Thc scxnl p()sturc Mul bndh. Ncp:rl, r. r 7oo

z 7(ri'

<

r,r, Thc scxual posturc (1.k., t,,,r.. thc tu,ist

il rvllich ailccts thc p;lttcrtl of orergics

rrrthcspinal .,uJ,-,rrrrr.Ncpal,r8thcL-lltlll-v.Clotlillcollclothr5xt-i(;Sxz3)

,,rr cliflercnt days of tl-rc trtorrth a wontatr's scxnal sclrsitivity, which is

rt'lated to costt.tic nrovcments by her owll pcriods, lrccds to bc
tr-iugercd by spccial :rttcntiolr to difi^crcnt parts of hcr bocly. I)iagrar-rls 68
rllustrate tl'rcsc triggcrr poittts, and rchtc thcnr to thc pl'rascs cf tht:
n)oou. As u,c11, ritual intcrcoursc is preccdcd by the anoirlting of parts
,,f thc wonran's body with pcrfumccl synrbolic oils.
The nrost significant rituals of Tantrik sdhana arc perfornlcd rvith

\\'onrcn who Ilavc becn spccially trtitiatcd. What this initiatiorl

onsists ofhas usually bcen kept secrct alrcl jts reasottiug liiddcu. Therc
sccnrs to be a variety of methods, pcrhaps Llscd tolacthcr.
All sccni to be basccl on thc iclca of convcrting tilc:rralc participant
,

a1r irnage of thc malc dcity (c.g. Mahakala or Siva), the fcm:rlc
intr an imagc of tl're Clodclcss (c.g. Dcvr or Kah). l)otiotrs cttrrtaining
tlrc scrnen of an alrcaily errlightcncd mastcr nray bc drlurk. Nyasa is
,urother irnportant mcthod. Tl-ris consists of touching thc corrlponent
p:rrts of each partir:ipant's body, whilc recitinc thc rnatrtras which will
rtlcntify it u,itl'r, ancl transubstantiate it into, the sanrc part of thr:
,lcvata's body.

into

8g

CloupJc fronr thc 'hcvcn blncls'

of thc l)cviJag:rdtnti tcmplc rt

I{hajuraho. r. iooo

(r7 Scxual crjoynrcnt as ritrral; fronr

thc plinth of thc Laksmana tcmplc
at Kha.juraho, roth ccntury

r,\ l'i1i1- illrr.r.rrrlc rlt, r.rr1 in

points of scnsibilrty on l lvonr:rll's
bocJ-v throughont thc ]nar rnollth.
Hinrachal Praclcsh... rlJoo. Ink nd
gouachc olr p:rpcr 6x 4 (r 5 x ro)

7o Nekccl rscctic couplirg rvith a

Yogini. flonl thc L:rksnr:r1r tcmplc

rt

Khajurhcr

ffii..-::.;

.lt'
tlllr+or,r :,r*j';-iil1

.,
n

r ,AllrLrrr l)itirting. tr'lrrL\(tirl ,t pllil\r'

r i lr'Ll rr I J.tlluil.l ir,r \
|oenr' ll.r s.rllr.rir j
i. l;-l() \ (,()U,t(lri ()ll p,llrr't ().! t-l (t-l I
,

tlr'sr

lor , ,',1 ruL lr l(r irr,r .ur,l lllLll1. .r'

. rr lricl is rler oicil Ir eli,i, s. IJ.olrli.

Nr;ts;r p.rtitr-n:j nlil\ l,r' r'onllrinctl. A rilor-c c(,1rplc-\ irt:is.r. lLrr

s()lit;u'\'. intr.'l-iot-1lt((li[ilri\c lltrr:rl. ntrrv co1ltl]i1l('tltc rubtle li,civ t1
botit :;cres u ilrin lre stlhrrk:r's rirrglc bodr'. Mrulrrir! rr(1 r'()11illr()rrs
.jill)ir nilr \ ,rls,.r 1r'l;ctl tlrri-rrrg tltr.'r'crcrrrolltrl ilttcrLirst'. Anr] tlte
i,iclies ()f 1)r:ll:rrl u otnrl lnilv l)c nr:li-k('(l s i1r st nrhojir. tlr'signs tlr.rl
]rrrvc t]rc forr'r' ot r'ntr-rr. 'l lrcsc 1r1ir\ i)(' tlrnc 1l'cchrulrl ol' rr iih stiul)ps
ulippt'il it r colo rrrr'rl

,***:1,ii\;it.
\i x:,

/q,"

.'

clrrlo\\c.l \\()nr:lir, n]lo lrur Lrr.cn lrersclf

r'onvcr-tcJ irrto:r vcssel rf tlrc rliviuc cllcrg\ br scrtr.rl ilrtt'rctrrre :iirrl
rrtLIl n jLll ol)e ()r nrtrc tlir,iltizcrl T:trrtrili nlclt. ('ii1l pilss ()t) tl)c
initi:rriin 1\ intcrcout-sc u itlt nr:rlc rr oLrltl-lc iniri:rtcs. TIris u rrs
cspe('rilll\ irtrrol-trtnt in tlre Iilrlilir ilLlt'lrlhist T:ulurr orr uitic'lr'ljl.ctrur
1-,rscti. ill(rl sril'\'i\.cs

r; -.

:ipeci:rl1r'

T:rtr.r n:rs origirr:r11.,

i ir,r

i
,r4
':' ..

1.,rst'.

ft,Iolc irtrport.llrr still is titc idcrr tltt serLrr1 'llivirriz;rrirn"t'.ur be

pclti)nlreLl [.r rr ntenrl,Lt'o1-rlre oprositcscrulrrislriinscli-orltcticll
:rlletlv rilis('(l t():r Irrqir spiritu:r1 lcr.cl":rnd ltus lt:rs tltc crrp:ii:itt ro

'illitite'. A

i.

in roilr.'rii

[]e

jl
i',

;.FE

.:
,
,i

"-'{!*l

,r*:'1.:rr

'

"

rrg:rli 'l'lrtr;r.

-l.tttk.r l(Pr(\arltirlg .l trilr\l()r'nr.rli!rr

lcon oi llre llirllri:.ritr,.r (l:rLrL:rnrL.lrr.r
7l
liihlrisrrrl l)lkiltJ. libt.r.tiiilt.(.rlLl\.(,ouli'llr',trlolltt,)lttill).it)

..{:r'.i,

.!*

'

i4
l
.r
1;'ii

',.11

ii

r4q

.;rflrfr!1ffii;i:,*

/.1t

/4

There arc pienty of tcxtr-ral rcfcrenccs to this particular aspect of the

clllt. Thc worncn wcrc cal1ed t)akinrs by Br-rddirism. In more reccnt
Tibctan litcraturc thcy have bccn convertccl iito ntasy-figures
(Kha-do-mas - sky-goers); in Hindu Tautra thcy may bc called Duris,
Yoginis or simpiy Saktis. Thc oldcr sol-lrccs show quite clcarly tliat it
was both difiicult and csscntial for a truu^ Tantrika to obtain initiation
from such a wolnan. Tibetali tcxts dcscribe thc Indirn foundcr of thc
Rcd Hat sect, Padmasambhava, raping thc Dakini in her 'palace' in a
crcmatiol'r ground, which hc had dcvastated by his magic power, tc)
gain his ultiratc initiation. He then meditatcd in cight further
crcmation srouncJs. And it rnay wcl1 be, although there is only
indircct cvidcnce to prove it, that herc lics the most archaic nucleus of
the whclc of Tantra.

73 Vrjravarahr,

Dakinl. lcnrlr

partlrcr of Herka.
pcrsonifrcation of intursc
p:rssion.

Tibct, r7th cc1ltury.

Rrrllzc h.

r: (:)

74 Rcd D:Lkirri. symbolic of thc

irititorv

pon,cr of thc fcmale

Tibct, rgth ccntury. Couachc on

cloth ro x
94

,3 (z-5

x zo)

75 A p.rir o1 snkcs.
;.,'rn

iolrc

r1'

coslnrc

ncrq),. crilccl ;rbout l

rr, isilic iiirs:rril. IJso]lli
-

i. Itlh (elltur\'. (loulcltr

.)nppcr6r4(r.5xro)

7(r Yoqirri

ith scrpcntirrr cncrgl,

he r voni. Sotitll
Irilir. . rSor. \X/cocl h. ru (3o)

nr:rrrifcsting

fl-ol

77 Fivc-hoorlcrl sc'rpcnt-porvcr

orclosirg :l stonc cnrblcr of the

oriqirrel csg-iirigril. South Jclir. r r)tlr
ccllturv. llrss rld stonc Ir. 6 (r 5)

It

is probablc that in ancient timcs thc spccial potclrcy of Tantra r,vas

transrnittcd alorrg a female line of powcr-holders; by ritual

intcrcoi-rrsc with thcrn thc ilritiatiorr r,vas clifr-r-rscd. Son're scholars have
identified thenr ll',ith thc women of a mysterious old scct callcd the
Vratyas. This ccnnccts up vcry w-ell r,vith what c:rn bc lcarnecl about
archaic cult-pr:acticcs amonl carly palacolithic pcoples. It also
accoullts lor thc way in which a fen-rale encrly-symbolism has
.survived in latcr rcligions, sr:ch :rs Tibctan Buddhism and
Br:rhmanical monistic Tantra, wl-iich wcrc rnale-orientcd rnd not at
all likcly to havc discovercd the'fcmale principle lor thcmselvcs. Any
such female transmission w'as bound to be cntircly outsidc thc castc
system, which depordecl upon strict rule and custonl for its cxistcncc.
Such fcmale transmitters woulcl bc outcaste and, as scxual partners,
dcfiling. To seek an initiation with thc'm would havc placccl arry
sadhaka beyond thc palc of lrornlal socicty. An important part of the
appcal of such a cult lay preciscly in the brcaking of a1l thosc rigid tics
of Inclian social convcntion which it cntailcd. Much Rcngali religious
erotic poctry, both Buddl'rist and Krisna-Hindu, makes a grcat point
of thc fact that'the belovcd' (or-rter and inner), is of dcgradccl castc.
Buddhist pocts ca11ed hcr, for exa1plc, Dornbr (washcrrvoman lowcastc gjrl), Hindr-rs frequcntly callccl her by hcr o\\,n name, or 'thc
widorv' a type of pcrson at a llrctt disadvrntage in Hindu society.
Other aspects of castc-brcaking will be mentioned latcr on.
In historical Tantra it scems that tl-re trnsnrission tri spiritual

initiation cou1c1 run both ways, fronr male to female as well as flom
to nrale. tlut powcr cculd also bc transmittcd for rncditative
Lrse by mcans of other sr.rrvivitrg archaic tcchniques. Implenrcnts,
imagcs or objects imbuccl with encrgy could be bror-rglit into contact
with tl'rc selritals.
In Tibetau and Ncpalesc Budclhism certtln initirtions rc still
confcrrccl by thc initjator seating thc irnagc ofa Dakini with opcn lcgs
across tht: Iap of a male initiate in act olpurcly symbolic intercollrse.
The basic scxual ritc's arc thesc. For thc househclclins Tantrika the
Cakrapl scrvcd. akra nleans 'circle'. At this cerenrony, clrugs
derivecl fiom hemp were sorrletirnes takcn as a swLret, as clrink cr
smoked. Thcn thc fivc powcrful but usually forbidden enjoyments
(fish, cookcd hog-flcsh, winc, cercals and intcrcotrrsc intcrprctcd
transformatior-rally as the clcrnctrts of the world) were ritually taken
by a circlc olcor-rples as a kind of Eucharist prcsided over by thc guru.
f-emale

64

78

98

J
1

t
;

I,

I l)liltif illustrltilg

thc fivc polvcrfirl cnjoymcnts (Pairchamak:rra) rangcd rountl

,qtrrc of thc Cium. Raj:rsthrn, Igth cclturv. Clou:tchc oll cloth : x:: (liqx il+)

Irr akraphja the participants forget all rlistincti<'rrrs of caste and

, .rstorr1. All have to rentembcr constantly that evcrythirrg is a short'of
rit One llrahtnan. The great KLlla tcxt, thc Kaulavalrnirnya, points
,,rrt that'all thc ntcn bccomc Sivas, all thc womel1 DevJs, the hog,1.
'lr lt'c.n,er Siur. tlrc wint. Slkti. Tlrcy t,rkc tlrc fivc-l-olJ Etrchrrisr.
,,rnsccrating the twelve cups of wine with evocatiotrs, and utritc itl
,( \r1a1 intcrcollrse.'The bliss thcy experience is a manifcstation in thc
l,,rrly of the cosrnic Rliss of the Brahman, purifiring all thosc
r .nrpoi)cnts of tl"re body ir-r which thc clivirlc cltcrJics dwcll.
99

Therc has becn much tl-rcoretical dispute as to whcthcr thc ritc

workccJ bctter if the couples wcrc or wcre not m:irried to each other.

On the wholc the weight of opinion favourecl ritual intercourse

outside thc nrarriage bond, and in the akra couples could split to p.rir
with the husbands or wivcs of othcrs. Tlic ritc cor-rld be prcceded by
thc adoration of one or morc virgi:rs in whom the prcscr-rce of thc
Goddess was invoked. tsut it is also probable that in other versions of
thc rite a human initiated Yogini-Dkinr played that role, and somc
forrn of prclimiuary intcrcollrsc was had with her by malc

participants. At a high leve1 of practicc, by participants of 'Vira'or

hcroic statlrs, other things might be done . Partners for intercourse
might bc selected at random, by picking jackets from a heap. They
could be chosen or-rt of a socially unorthodox love. A single Vira
might perform sdhana with betwecn three and one hundred alrd
eight women, some of whorn ire only touched. In one special
'Spidcr's web' akra the pairs might all be linked by ticd lcngths of
cloth an elcmcl'lt of imagery taken over into art as radiating lines.
Somc of thesc akras were performcd for the magical bcnefit of third
partics, as for kings before a battle. Despite the disclaimers of some
scl.ro1ars, snch akraphj customs must be thc original Indian ritual
facts which underlie the whole translormation system represcntcd by
the circular mandalas of coupled dcvats which appcar in the Tantrik
Br-rddhism of Tibct and Nepal. Therc can bc littlc doubt that thc
akrapuja system is vcry ancient indecd. Irr rcccnt timcs it has been
espccially cultivatcd at the Rajput coLlrts of northwcstern India.
For the sdhaka who was intensively seeking relcasc in a single
lifetime as a yogi therc wcrc other rites. Thesc involved prolonp;ed
acts of ecstatic meditation in scxual union with :r lemale partner,
whosc aims matched his own. Such rncditation invi>lved litr:rgics,
mantras, inner visualizJtiolrs. yogic postures and manipulation of the
conoined male and female cncrgies. They will bc discussed latcr. As

with

a1l other

nlr,lr show hin-r carrying his drug-jar under his arm. Likc serxual
rrr( r(()rrrsc, bharrg and ganjam are a nlcans to bc aclopted utttil thc
',.r,llr,rkl's own faculties have been dcvelopcd. As an indulgcnce thcy
rr, .rlrsurcl, and a fatal hindrance.

Tantrik sadhana, at thc lowcr stages tlrcy wcre

perfcrrmed rn physical act; at thc final, highcst stage, as an inncr

rcalization.

Somcthing sirnilar is the case with herbs and dmgs, sr-rch as bhang
and ganjam (forms of cannabis). Like alcohol thcy havc ccrtainly becn
uscd in ritr-ral since very eariy times, to hclp in finding thc road to
ecstasy. Wl-iat tl"rcy do for the Tautrika, perhaps more dcpendably
than other physioiogical cnhancerncnts, is reveal somethinl of the
roo

',t.r k banality, tl.re inadequacy ar-rd falscncss of our cveryday

rrrrt, rirrlist image of the world, with its narrow cage of acceptcd
l,( r{ ('})tiol1s and concepts, and its r-icglect of the infinite, radiairt tisstre
,,1 rt l:rtions within the truth. lir Europe an earlic-r generation of
1,,i , lrologists and Christian theosophists cultivatcd thc usc of cther
rr(l r)itroLls oxide to gain cxpcricnce of tl-rc limitations of uormal
, r,r)\'L'r-gcnt thought ancl g :rccption concerning the lrature of tinre;
\\,'rllr:rmJames uscd a nnmbcr of thcir reports in his great work l"le
Ltttttit's oJ'Rcligious Expericnce. In India Tantrikas take clrugs ftrr
,rrrrl,u l'Lrsor)s. Thcrr'rt'icotts rcpr.st'rrtirrg Siv,t ls Lt,rd.rItlt,.'Y,,gis

,, \lrlc

rlcity,

,,rllr.
r,,, ,,,1. llron-t
r lr, \' ritrrl l)cul
i, rrr'lt, lYhC r
l, lr ri( l)rtltcr
rr. r,, lris lcft.
I11, rr.rrrr'(v:ttt:r,

i rr

, L,

. lJ jo

I
ll

ti

(]HAI'TFR SFVI-N

Krisna and aesthetics

Thc crotic cult of tlre cowhcrcl-god Krisr]a may havc 1'rad origins
which wcrc not dircctly Tantrik; ancl therc arc ccrtainly rnany hrdian
Krisr.ra dcvotees who rvotld strongly repucliate the n:rmc of Tantrika.
Btrt thc sret Tantraraja Tantra, during its almost incrcdiblc cftort at

massivc rcligious synthesis, dcclarcs that, from thc Tantrik point of

vicw, thc entrancing person of thc incarnatc god Krisna, with which
all thc womcn of Rrindabn fcll hopelessly in 1ovc, r,r,as in ct a forn-l
assnmccl by the hrghcst fen'rale Nttya in thc suprcntc nranclala cf
Tantrik f':rnale clcitics, u,ho is calle d Lalita; thc (lreat Goddess hersclf .

S2

cnrbracing all womcn and entrancing thc world. For Krisna has
bccome the clominant erotic syrnbol in the whole of Indian ctrlturc,
attractilrg to himsclf complcte, sclf-abnegating adclration.
Adoration, as a religious attitudc, has a klrg history in lndia.
Bhaktl, its Sauskrit narrc, is a closc paralleJ tc tl-ic Love r,vhich iras
played so important a part in Europcan culturc. For thc result of
cultivating Bhakti to\,,ards any clevata is that thc mincl and bocly arc
floodcd rvith an ovcrwhcimilrll swcetncss, thc Rasa or llaqa, which is
t1.rc expericncc of being ilr lovc not w'ith a human lover but a clivine.
I{rjsna has come t() serrvc as thc outstanding obect of this kind oflove ,
and this is probably wfiy his cult was takcn up into thc Tantrik
complcx during thc Micldler Ages.
Thc story of thc ilrcarnaticrr of Krisna is long and complcx.15 Ir
probably originatccl in the lascivious songs which wcrc snlr[J at thc
popular spring-harvest fcstival, r.lou.cnshrincd in the Floli ccrcrnoriy,
rnd forcccl itsclf into ttrc llrahmin calrolr. An cnormous nuntber of
vcrlracular u,,orks, cspccially pocms, deal with his legcncl. Thc most
important is thc tr,r,clfth-ccntury Gitagovinda in Hincli byJayaclcva.
Thc esscntial clcnrcnts are that Krisna was a1r incanration of the high
god, usually idcntificd as Visnu, u,hc w:rs brousht up alnolrg a lowcastc cattlc-hcrcling peoplc of- Brinclaban on the banks of thc rivcr
Yarunl. Hc w'as an adorable chilcl, bluisl'r of conrplcxion for
synrbolic reasots; rnd :rs a yoLrlr!l rnan his bcauty and his flr-rte-music
1()2

i\ 1 rrruscr-ipt of tbc Clit

,, . r r,l.r illurninatccl lvith

'

L.

l,
'r t r oI K ri'l.r,r
r'. too. Prlnt lcaf,

't tlr.

'x7(.5x18)

l' ,llri. nrkccl ncl

, r,,1 llenq:tl, Illtir
,

Lr

[]r:rss h. q

(::)

7t

catlscd all the womcn in Brindaban. both unmarricd ancl

scandalously marriecl, to tall hclplcssly in krve with hint. Thcsc
womcn arc callcd the Goprs, or cow-girls. Thc chicf of thcrn was
Radha, wifc of thc cowhcrd Ayar-raghosha, whom Vaislava Tantra
recc-rgnizcs as 'not clillc'rcnt' from her divine lovcr.
I{risla's complex simuitancous iovc afr-air with al1 the C}opis
progressed tlrrough many cpisodcs, culminating rn thc RasalJla, or
springtimc round-clancc, during which all were united scxually at
once with a mr-iltiplc Krisrla in a statc of cornplctc self-abandon.
This lovc betwccn Krisna and the Goprs, Rdht espccially, .rg.rin
rcpresents that santc pinnaclc of transftgr.rred dc'sirc mentiolrecJ carlier,
bnt scen in a cliflcrcnt pcrspcctivc. Lt somc' cf the greatest Krisna
literature therc are long clcscriptions of the acts rnd postrlrcs of sex thc

cJivinc'lovcrs perlormcd; thcy prornc)tc an endlcss transcendcnt

I)csirc, nning thc ilrncr flrc of Bhakti.
A vast qual]tity of thc poctry of Incli, dating fiont about rzoo
onwarcls, clcals r,vjth thc aspccts and minutiae oltthc Gopis'love af,iirs
with Krisna in the rnost inrirnate, dclirious physical dctail. Young
bursting brcasts, swcliine hips in charming undul:rtion, snrall pinkpalnred wanclcrins fiarrcls, pcrfumcd black hair dishcvcllccl by long
nights of love, slcndcr linrts cxhausrecl rl',ith nrorous strugglc all
fc':rture in thc poctry. Thcsc pocnrs are usually cxplainccl by acacicn'ric
writcrs as allegorics of thc love bctwcen humalr s<uls ancl eod. Br_rt
thcrc can be no donbt that thcir aint was to r.rise crotic cnrotic-r and
scnslloLrs cxcitemcnt in thcir audiorcc to their highcst pcak an inr in
rvhich music and painting also sharecl. For cluring the Mrddlc Agcs
the l(risrla leecnd camc to occupy the ccntre of tfic wholc cor-nplcx of
lrldir Jt'sl,'1 j. ( xpr( s\ior).
Furthermore, it is no accidcnt that a rnost ir-nportant rolc in rnany
of the stories is playcd by thc go-between whc carrics lnessaJCS
bctwccn thc lover.s. Shc is callecl DtltT. the samc tcrrn as is usccl for thc
f-emalc partner in Tantrik scxual ritcs.
Thc cults and customs u.hich cflorcsccd around thc imacc of
Krisna arc innurncrablc. Al1 wcre bascd on devction, :rnd rnany wcrc
inspirccl by two grcrt rerchcls, C:ritanya and Vallabhncharya
(c. r5oo). All of thcr.n conccntratc upon cxalting thc carthly lifc.and
lovcs of I{risna on tc thc transcenclcnt scale, trcating thc carthly
iconography as a rcflcction, irr thc Tantrik scnse, of cosrnir-- pattcrns
which embody ctcnr:rl trnth aucl takc place in a cclcstjal and
r04

,rrlclcss Brir.rdaban. The re Krisna is rcve alcd as thc high goci Visrlu,
,i l,,,st' fbotprints hc lcft ltpotr carth. Thc approach tc this cclcstial
r, ,lru of b1iss, sornctimes called'Goloka','cctw-rcalnl', was, through
,,,r.r,ltrally intensifiecl lovc, ftcr-rscd at first otl a hunlan lovcr irr
,lrr:ir'ul lovc, then shiftcd on to thc tratrscendcnt irnagc of which
Irrnr.ur lovc is a clull rcflcctjon. An actual lcmalc partjcip:ult ir-r tl-rc
l,,,lrrninary physical lovc rnay thus rightly bc called Duti.
lrr tlrc donrcstic contcxt husbancl and wife , as a Vaisnava marriagc., i \ r( ('says, should look on cach othcr as thc divinc lovcrs Krisna and
lr r,llrI. llut a nrore cxtrcnle cult of love clemancls that social tics bc
l,,,1,.r'n, and that thc lovers mLrst possess each cthcr otltsjdc the
r, r iiisc bond in a rclationship ca11cd par:ikiya; thc ctnoliorl betwcctl
rlr, I \\,() should bc fccl colrtirtually by al1 kirrcls of scllsuoLls stinlulaticn.
l 1r, i ulnrinating asccticism of the Krisna cult rnay dcmancl that mctr
r,l, ,,t e1p1etcly thc livcs and attitucles of I{risrla's Copls to adtlre
rlr, rr tlrvinity. For'a1l souls arc fcminine to God'. Ascctics who ftlllorv
rlrr, r;111 clrcss and dccorate thetnsclvcs iike girls, .ind cvcll obscrve
l, rr ,lrrys' rctiremcllt cach ntotlth.
\rr inrportant part of such a Vaisttava life rvas alw:iys tnusit:r ,,,nnlulritics nlay sing togcther wholc nights alld clays. But cvctl
,, , rl.rr'music is dccply tingccl rvith Krisnt dcvotion. The systclll of

, l,

t(]I

rrrr:rr':rl scalcs

cl11cc1

llagas (ntllc, thc Ivorcl lucans 'fceling') atrtl

lr r.,rnis (fcmalc), upon rvhich Ittdian ntr-lsic is t'row basccl, rcflccts thc

of Krisna clcvotiotr, cspccially in thc way it

nuI1)ccs
of crctjc sctltimctlt throu;h totle-colour,
rcfilred
1,lol'cS
rlrr tlrnr and mclodic patterlr. Similar exprcssitrtr xpPcrlrs rrl nr.rlry of
rlr, lrt'st of tlie lLajput nliniturc p.ljrttilrgs nldc at tlrc HitldLl coLlrts of
\\ L,l ('r'll :r1rd northwcstern lnclia bctwectl tbotlt r6lo alld r 8oo. Sonrc
,,t rlr, fircst wcrc madc at Basohli.
lr strch paintings rcfincd colour-srctltps ancl uxtapositic-rlrs nlay
1,,,,11 varicd alld sclrsuolts cntotivc efi-ccts. Thesc w'crc lvcll
rr,l! r'stood in :iesthctic thcory. C)nc pairrting may bc clonlinatccl by l
l,l rrrq rcd-ycllou,, vcrmilion altd llrccn, u'ith lcsscr trotcs of blr-re,,,,r rrncl lilac; anotl.rcr by scarlct, chocolatc ancl turquoisc; :lnothcr
,r, ,\ lc s:rtnratccl in clark grccns and grcys with .'rrcas of lilac ancl trotcs
,,1 i)r.ursc. The objects linkcd by cotnmr,tnity of colottr withirl a
l,r, rrlc dcl an cxtra dirncnsiorl of associatcd n'rcallir-rgs. Stlch picturcs
, r r lt ,rrl thc spectator's ficlings into clifltcring statcs, rvhich, u'hcn thcy
r, ( \pcricllccd in scrics, work on Talltrik 1incs.
'rrrrrt111l tcchniqr"rcs

ro5

71

l,rrrnp:rirrting.reprcsqptil)!l:rpri1)ccandladt,nrkillfllovc,thcirlnutLirl fi'clitrg
,,ibv thcir'rrlcctir)g f cycs'. Klrgra, crrly Lgtir ccrtnrv. Clouchc o1r p:rpcr
l'

I \)

Ili f-act, thc wholc hrdian acsthctic complcx was basecl upon Tantra,
cvclr at the thecrctical lcvcl. Few pcoplc yct rcalizc this; but ir is
somethilrs thet uct olte ilrtcrested in Indian art should ignorc. Thc
long traclition of Indian aesthctic thcory, bcginrring wirh thc fourthccntury(?) Natyaiastra (Trcatisc or) the l)ancc) by Rharata,
culminatcd in thc trcnrcndous work ol thc I{asmiri philosopl-rcr
Abhinavagupta (elcvcrrth ccntury). Hc also wrotc a nrc-rnunrcntal
cncyclopacclia of Tantra, callccl Tantmloka, having gonc to Bcngal to
stucly Kula practice at firsr hancl. His acsrhctic thcory sulascsrs that art
operatcs by arousinu iu the niincl of tlte spcctator the latcnt traccs of
cnrotions associatecl with cvents in his past lifc (orlivcs) analogor.rs to
thcsc w-ith r,vhicli thc r,vork of art prcsents hirn. Thcrc is a spectmnr of

nlodcs, covcring all thc possiblc catcgorics of crnotional erpericncc

ancl cxprcssion, through u,hicl-r :rrt cxn work. Thc firrrns of art
stinrulatc in turn latcnt traccs bclonging to thesc cliflcrcnt modcs, so
that thc milrcl'tastcs'thcrn, likc a juicc (rasa). Thc tastins of thcsc rasas
in scqucncc plrts thc rlincl into a spccial stte, in which it transcends its
ou,,n cnrctive crolttclrts, and becomcs ccDscjous both intellcctually and
emotionally of itsclf. Thc statc is c:rllcd the grcat Rlsa, which wc clul
givc a capital R. It is intrinsically nc difl.arcnt f}om thc grcat Rasa or
Maharga (grcat lecline) of Tantra. Anrong all the lcsscr rasas, thc
crotic is reglrde cl as thc lnost powcrf ul, having nrorc in it that attracts
aild lcss that rcpels. What is Tntrik about thc .,,vholc thcory is thc way
in u,hich it rnakcs positivc usc of t1-re latcnt traccs of mcnrory :rncl
cxpcricncc lying in tlic nrincl. orthoclox non-Tantrik llrahrnin ancl
Ruddhist philosophy rcgardccl such traccs as cnrpty, mcaninglcss
ilhrsions, to bc stenrlv supprcsscrl. Thc scconcl yoga-aphorisrn of
Pata.;ali, thc ntost authoritativc clcfinition of yoga in Hindu
litcrturc, rcacls: 'supprcssion of thc nrovcnrcnts of the mincl, that ls
yoija.' Art, howcver, r'rcccls positivc niatcrial to work w,ith; ancl this is
solncthilrll which Tantra alcnc recosnizcs, sceing hidden in thcsc
tt':tr'r's tltr'.((.{id/f('ii rrf-otl'Ltr)iv,.rr,.s.l\ \p.lti()-t(.nrpor.rl rlrytlrnlr. Jr is
inrpossiblc tct conccivc thc cxistcncc of an art likc that of thc Rajput
miniaturcs r,vithout thc clccp-laicl assurnptions bout f-celins and its
cxprcssi on wh ir:h Abhinava gupta canolri zccl ftr Lr clian tl'r ough t.
Hcrc, to clcrn()nstratc Abhinava's Tantrik idcntity, is a sunrnrary
dcscription of hint u,hjch a pr-rpil cornposed. It ntarchcs thc
dcscription of thc Tantrik Visrru-Br-rcldfia sccn by Vaiistha givcn in
Chaptcr i. It calls Abhin v.r n incrrurrion of thc irigh god Siva, rvho
r olJ

l,r

t,rkcn bodily frrrm in I{asmir. Hc sits in a garden of grape-vines

,r, rl1 ir pcrfumcd pavilion of crystal, fillcd witil pair-rtings. Thc ir
r, ,unrlq continullly -uvith music and singing. On a goldcn thronc,
lrrrr,,,, lnui11 pearls, Abhinava sits, playing a lutc and clrinking u.ine, his
, , , , rlcnrbling with ccstasy; his long hair ancl bearcl fly loose; he is
rrrr,,11lg-l by cro,,vds of beautifi"rl womcu ar-rcl spiritr-rally realizcd
ru, rr. .u)d spends his time dcvisin5 Tantrik ritlrals, rvhich hc hinrsclf
,, rl,r1115 with tw'o chief dtis ancl then dictatcs to l'ris pr"rpi1s.
lL r: obvious that such a traclition looks r-rpon Tantrik ritual ls itsc'lf

I rr,,l of':lrt, to bc developercl ancl cxpanclccl by giftccl artists.

( )r(' inlp()rtant cpisodc in Krisna's lifc is clcscribcd

lllr, ,,rv:rdgita. It

in

:r

thc

not fit tot comftrrtebly with the rcst of the

r, ,, \ , but it has been incorporatecl into thc later tcxts, ancl
,,r,, sponds vcry wcll u,ith Talrtrik ima5cs ol thc cosmic body

it
,

lr

lr Lr

cloes

rrf ro). Durine a llrct wrr when Krisla was servil]g as chariot, [1 thc hcro Aruna hc hacl occasiorl to hclp Arjuna ove r mcral

in conncction rvitl'r his rnilitary dnty; he was fina11y

by Arjtrna to dcmonstrate his orvn divinity by shorving
l,r,,,, ll'in his cosrnic fcrrm. This visior-l Krisr.ra showccl to Arjuna of
1,r,,., lf.as Strprcmc Bcing, cmbracilrg thc u.holc of rcality, bccanrc
rl,,,rr[r.jcctofagrcatmar-ryiconsdesignedtoliclpdcvotccstoattail]a
,lrtl'' rltics
1,,

,r,rrlccl

rl visiorr for thcmsclvcs. It was, ilt :1 strangc lvay, thc ob.jcct of tlic
,, l.irtcl of se1)suolrs acloratiotr as othcr nrorc obvior-rsly beautiful
rr L ,,r's of I{risna. At Puri, C)rissa, in the famous shrinc ofJ:rganntha
rl,, rl.rlnc lucans 'lord of thc Lllrivcrsc') a strangc archaic typc of
,r, ,,,., is the centrc of de votjon. lt must havc a long ance stry back into
rl,, l,rrrrritivc lcvcls of rcii;ior-r. A bonc of Krisna, wfio is saicl tc havc
' lr, , | ,,1'his own w-ill, is sct irrto a hollow' irr thc tcrnplc icon. The lattcr
, r, rlwcd cvcry twelrty ycars, the boue bcing transfcrrecl by a holy
llr ,Jrrrin, who ahr',ays dics soon after.
r rrt'st-ll;lll poilrt must bc aclcled. hrdians attribllte a clear sct of
rlr, s [o dific'rent parts of thc body. Thc hcacJ is tirc tnost valuabl'e;
rlr, l, t t thc lcast. To touch s()[leone u,ith orrc's foot or shoc is :rrr
l l rlt llut to pay trrlc rcvercnce to s()mcolrc, oilc may sct thcir fcct on
,,r,, . ()w1) heacl, ancl r,vorship thcrn. On the transccndcnt vah-rc-scalc
!r r rl)(' fl'ct of thc deity which arc nearcst to mc1r. Hcrrcc, as thc most
lLr,, r ,rppr()ach to God and as an emblenr of onc's own lrumauity,
,rr, rr.ry pay worship to thc divjne footsolc, such as thc Visnupacla in
1,,, lr tlic crcated wcrld is rcflcctcd.
,r , , ,1.

r09

84,8-s

1
j

CIIAPTITR 111(lIlT

Graveyards and horror

Thc imagcry of rhc qlrvr-)rrLl lst, has thc csscntial T:rntrik cloublc
asPect, or-ttcr ttcl inner. Clrctn:rtior-grounds in India usu:r11y lic to thc
r'vcst of a tor.r,n. hi thcm corpscs arc llicl orlt arld crcnlatccl on clrefully
constructcd pilcs of rvood, so th:it thc spirit 1n.l) nr()vu on to a frcsl-r
birtl-r. Thc burning is oftcn lar fionr cornplctc. l)ogs, jackals, cro\,.s

livc thcre, lccding ou thc rernains and scattering the

boncs. Contrct w-itli thc dcad, from tfic point <tf vicw of caste, is
dceply dcfi1ing, espccially if thc dcad arc therlsclves of lowcr castLrs.
ancl vulturcs

To hanclle corpscs is thc t:rsk of thc lcwcst rnembers in thc rvliolc castc
hicrarchy. The graveyarcl, ncvcrthelcss, is whcre liigh and low, alikc
crtcl up, and is a perpctual rcminclo: cf thc dcath which consnrnnratcs
1ifc.
cf thc disintcgration of
prcludc to cxpericucin{

Hcre thc sadhaka must encor-rnter tllc rcality

l-ris ncat cctnccptual utrivcrsc, ::ls :t ltcccssary

the state of ratinal non-intcgration mentionccl carlicr.

Tantra makcs usc of the gravcyarcl ir scvcrll u.ays. Thc sadhaka is
supposecl to make it his horc, at first litcrally, 1:rrcr mctaphorically.
Hc rnust confront and assimilate, in its nlost colrcrctc fcrrnt, thc
mcanins of dcath together with thc absoiutc social dc-'filement it
cnt:rils. His Gccldess, his loving Mothcr in tinre, who givcs him birth
ancJ lovcs him in thc flcsh, also dcstroys liim in thc flcsh. His imagc of
Hcr is incornplctc if he docs not know Hcr as his tearcr ancl clcvourer.
Thc hidcous corpses, clcfiling corpsc-handlers, .ackals and crrlvs
sc:rtterir-rg his boncs, arc Hcr agcncics. Shc thus has:r lcrm he nlust
lcarn tc assimilatc into thc wholc imagc to which hc makcs puja, ancl
which is not or-ltwrrdly beantifr.rl lt all. It is thc 1-riclcous form u,hich
She assumcs whcn the sdhaka rccogriizcs that to him as an indiviclual
Shc is the girl w-ith the axe or slvr>rd, the snrallpox, cholera and
famine-lady w'ho grins as Shc drains his blcod ancl cracks his spinc.
94,

96

i Hcr body nray

bc black, grcyisli or dark bluc. Her garland is of

human heads, Hcr belt orltantents arc choppcd-offhands. F{c nray call
FIcr, amonc othcr namcs, I)urg (harcl to approacli) or Kah (the

tr2

po\ver of tinre), thc (]odclcss to u,,hom brifii-alo, goats elrd clcvcs arc
srcrificccl in He r malry tcnrplcs, u.hcrc tl.rc stinkirrg rval1s and
puvemcnts run rvith blood.
The point is: thc grlveyard is the gatew-ay to spiritual success, to
rcgcncration and bliss (as bcinu s:rcrificccl is hcld to bc frrr thc aninrl
victims). This f,rngccl and bloocly Cloddcss is thc samc :is the othcr, thc
bcautifirl mother :rncl lovcr. Tr bc ablc to superimp()sc ancl adorc
Lroth in.ragcs ill c'rnc is pcrhaps thc soliclcst bcginning on thc rorcl ol
srclhana. Thc firc of thc funcral pyrc is:r prinrc agcnt of rclcsc. Thi-rs
in nrany rlcditations llncl innunrcrablc mandal:r y:rrrtr:rs, thc first
(sscntial stcp is througl'r thc barricr cf firc, invokcd by its rnantras.
8 Meditation carpet with symbols of death reminisccnt of thc sku11-enclosures used
yogis. Himllaya (?). Wool 8z x 68 (zo8 x r73)

b-v

87

1
i

S9 Folk-icorr of-thc (lorirlcss

Kli, tllc nruitiplc

Wrl

nlrsks nc'l

).&'

lirttbs c.rprcssir g clitir-.rction lrrrl

rrrultrplrcitr". MdhuLr:ilr i
prLirtirrg. llihr. tttodcrn.
Clruchc ()n piipcr lS x l-r,
(7r x i)

');:'/,

..-,{'.

,,

!,s:

.Y&

k:ia

ry?

S7 Thc I)nrrciplc oiFirc.

thc rrianqul:rr shrpcs of
the fl,inrcs conrrlctirg thc
fi rc-s1'nr bol

is

nr

,W

ll:rlsth:rr, r grlt ccltrrrr'.

(iouchc or p:lpcr

(rox

r.j)

.:Wr,,re.

h",
'h

%::::1 I
.' ..\ &

't

i',

.t

lf,

,ff{
ry

;l

ii
1

(roxii)

,ai

"

'ra
*
a 7.4/
9i

{:

.:

'/

tii Tlrc Clotllcss I(Ili ir

ccrrctcry. Mrrdi. . t 8oO
(loLrchc oir Lr:lpcr + x j

[t l

.&--....--.

Kem

-.1 r
'

:.1.,:

t:,,1

*t'.
x
7X

j@.r;

&,.

i.

90 lcor rf tcrriblc
(lodclcss. probrbly
Clhlruncl. (Jriss,
I r tlr ccrturY

92, 93

Onc can, howcvcr, only rcach thc significent firc :rfter acccptil)g tirc
rcvolting dissolutiou of thc bocly, that dcstnrction of thc prorrcl ancl
cxciusivc ser1f, which thc graveyard synrbolizcs. This is sonre'thing
upon lvhich Hindu and lludclhist Tantra allrec. Tantrik Buclclhist
lcgencl tclls of sairts lvho gaincd their initiation fior I)akini:rt niliht
in a eravcyarcl, by thc rccl light of dying pyrcs. Tibctan imaecry,
basccl on that of ninth-ccntury Ilucldhist Bihar ancl Bengal, r.rses
crclnatiol) grouncls as stalrdrcl syn.rbols, alid rcfi:rs tjmc ertd agaitl tc)
rncd:itation on or in rotring Corp55 perhaps the tnost intitnatc
actlu:rintance possible witli thc horrors ol nrortality. A meclitation
scqucncc in 'cight crcnrrtion qrounds' is a standard pattern, lvhich
saints are s:ricl to havc nndertakcn in cogr:rphical rerlity. Many
Br.rclclhist devetas r,r,car flrycd-ofi skins of animals or nlcn, and flourish
skull-cups of blood, flaying knivcs (gri-gug), xcs aucl bloody
sworcls. Thc rnost tcrrible, perl-raps, is Lha-nrc, a transfirmition cf
thc Hindu I(ali; to acld firrthcr note of horrcr, shc is said to bc
I

'prcsn:rrt r.vith a child of inccst' rvhich shc lter kills and flays to lvear
its skin. Thc firnous gChi)cl ritual, u,.hich a solitary nrotrk may
rcrlbrrn r: fi-om hnnrln hbitation to pLlrllc his cot.lscioustrcss,
collsists at Lrottcnr in an act of rnystical sclf-butchcry ancl scll-fcccling
to ell dcmors. Rchincl thc Tibctan sharnaliizecl ancl intcrnalizccl
lrurtasy lic thc cxtrclnc cxtcrnal Inclian ircts.
Indiar Uuclclhist Tantrikas, as r,ve11 as Hinclu, actually dicl pcrfbrnr
rlrcir gory mcditations, clrivirg themsclvcs bcyoncl the lirnits of
tlisgust. Fronr thc history of thc carly and Middle Agcs, of cotlrsc,
(here is 1itt1e documelrtrry rccord. Thc rclatively latr: Fctkarinr
I antra, for cxamplc, statcs: 'Hc who docsjape trrnl tinrcs (rtr :r c()r-pse
in a crcnl:rtion srouncl attains a11 kinds ol succcss'r atrcl tlrc
KltrlavalJnirnlya givcs fi-rll instructirns for such nreditation w'ith
rrppropriatc malrtras and ylntras. But the concluct of Hindu Tantrik
sldhakas of more rccL-nt tinrcs. .Lutong uhorn tludclhist survivals
tlctrrish, l.r:is bccn, if rcluctalrtly anrl sqr.tcamishly, dcscribccl by
l'ir-rropcans. Thc Aghons arc knor,vr) to c:lt bjts of corpsc. C)n thc
prerniscs hcrc statccl that wonlci bc a natural Eucharist. Many Saiva
r ogis inhabit crcnratiol'r grotrnds. Somc meclitate in snrall cnclosurcs
built cf sknlls. Sclf:imlnolation ilr all sorts of lvays is still cxtrcmcly
('onrrn()n. Scxual intcrcoursc rrmong thc corpscs is also practisccl. All
.rrc clrtircly consistcnt with thc doctrinc. It is, 1-ior,vevcr, also truc that
lrich-bonl or princcly Tantrik:rs werc lrot avcrsc to r-rsing symbolic
srrbstitutcs fir thc 'nasty' rcality, such rs a crpct \\rovcn with a sku11
,lcsign instcad of thc barc soil ancl rock of a rcal sktrll-cnclosurc.
To Lrclian sensibilitics thcy w'otrlc1 havc bccn cvcll lnorc abllorrent
.urcl clisgusting than thcy arc to orlrs. But, of croursc, thcy arc trcvcr
,lonc fcrr thcir or'vn sakc but for wht thcy ntcan, for thc sakc of w'hat
lics bcyorc'1, on thc othcr sidc oltthe firc. C)nly a lovc that has driven
rsclf so r c'lcservcs thc nrmc of Tantrik. This is tlic urclcrlyilr!l selrsc
,rf tl'rc offcring of a pubic hlir, clcscribccl in Chapter 3, fioln thc
I(arphredistr)tram. It cculcl bc cluplicated many tirncs ovcr frcrn
I-antrik text. This is part of thc significencc olthc clancins llccl Dakini
so important in Tibetan Bucldhlst Tantrl, r,vho is sonlctilncs cognatc
*,ith VajravarahJ r,vho wcrrs a scu,'s hccl to thc right sicle of hcr facc.
Shc is thc horriblc- ir.ritiatic'rn pcrsonificcl, thc one that really coturts.
llcr redness, matchcd to that of thc flrst of thc Hindu Nityas, Lalitr,
ruclicatcs 1-rcr spccifically fi:nralc clrcrgy, conrplcnrortlry to thc
rrlonk's own r,,,I-ritc masculinc cncrgy.

tt7

8(r

74

qq1

,r

Icon c1-thc tcrriblr'forrn

ol'tlrc

Cloclrlcss s slrc

is

krrr*.lr t K:tnr:rkh 1.;r. Ass:rnr.

thc scrccl spot \\'hcrc thc
r"or i oi rhc (icldcss is
lD)'thrcillly suppscrl tr h:rVc
frllcn tr crth. ll.irsrh;rn,
I gtl] ccntUr,v. Wiltcrcol()ur
or) plpcr rl x to (-ll x 2j)

9:

S:rcrifici:rl sworr1. :rs usctl to sl:urshrcr ltinl;ris

.clrtrrr).. Stccl

1.

4r

shrines

I I lrc tcrriblc li'nrlc

oj'l{li.

rorzc h. i.1 (3)

(ro.1)

r1cr,tI Lh:r

lto

lir',l,llri.r l,,rn,,t llJ. I il), r. t\rlr (\'nlur\

94 AlbLrnr p:iirrtirrg,

9(r Albunr printi;rs,

reprcscrting rhc crribk.
Cioddcss I{eJi triunrphltnt on
thc b:rtlcflcld. Ciulcr, l);rrjrb.

rcprcscntinq thc tcrriblc

(loddcss Kili triunrphant on
thc lttlcflclcl. (itr1cr, I):rrjrb.
r Soo .:.o. (lourche (l1) p:1pcr
ll

I8oo

xro(rox2j)

li

95 lihuvrrrc(vrrr Y:rntrr, tlrc

M:rhr'idvl sctci1 i:r thc
ccntml trirr g1c. lla-jrstlr:rn.
r

-r,o. Cioui:hc orl pirl)('r

ro1 (-uox-u6)

r17 Folk peintirrg

rcprcscntir g thc (iodclcss

s,rdcllcd ir,cr thc cr-ci:t

Stll ccntur\'. Clonuchc o:r

ppcr llxrr

lli:qlir ofthc c.r.1rr"

(3;xz8)

Si.',r

()riss:r. r 9th ccntrrr\'.

Ciotrchc on c]oth t -s x
(3ll

x.il)

t2r
;

i
I

r-l

hl rccclrt

of Hiliclr-r in'ragc of the

in rvorship. It conrbincs
clirectly thc synrbolisni of gravcyard scxr-ral mcdit:rtion r,vith tht
ccnturies one particular typc

Gorlclcss has bcr:onrc cspccially important

91,99

c()nception of thc origirral cloublc-scxccl cle ity dcscribe cl in Cih:rptcr r.

Thc imagc rcprcscrts thc (lcclclcss sc:rtccl astriclc nr:rlc corpsc-like
flqure , his pcnis cnrbcclclccl in hcr v:rgin:r. lumerous tcxts clcscribc
ircr as the bcautifirl full-brcastcd Kali, 'garnrclrrccl w.irh spacc' (thrt rs,
nakccl), hcr hips rnaclc bcautiful by I gircllc of clcad rncn's hruids, rhc
L:rcscelrt nroon poisccl on hcr clishcvcllccl hair, trvo tricklcs of blood
clribbline front thc corncrs of hcr smiline mcnth, as shc flourishcs a
sacrificial srvcrd ancl sits cn3c'rying Mehak:rla, tllc crcativc lord, botli of
thcnr rrsing a corpsc as couch.
Mrny vcrsiol.rs of this imagc are made. Thc Karphrdistotrarn
sttcs ullcquivocally that it js upctn sucli an imagc, at flrst cxtcrnal bi-rt

r() Icolr of tl)c tcrriblc

,rtlclcss scrrtctl it l

)tcrcorrrsc

oll tllc

rrrlc corpsc-Siv:r,
).rscd.o1l e

hct oi

itu:rl. R:rsthan, t 8th

,

9S Icon o1'thc tcrrillr

(locldcss

I):rk(il
Klik. sctcri in

irtcrcrrrrsc rvith thc

nr,rlc corpsc-Siv:r.
C)riss:r. I 7th

ccrtnrv.

Llrorzc h.4 (ro)

rtrrry.

13r'lss

h. 5

(r 3)

,rtcr intcrnf,lizcd. tl'rat thc sadhak:r shculd nlcditatc at midnight,

Iuring scxnal urion with l-ris fcrrlalc partllcr.
T1-rrs in1agc has bcclr givclr pctephysical cxplallatjolls, itr tcrnrs ot
irr cxpalrdccl vcrsiolr of the traditional Hinclu philosophy callcrl
,rrlkliya (p. r 88). Thc Clocldcss sitting alcrt, r'vrithirrg :rtrcl
lcsticLllatilrg, is thc kinetic principlc of rcality, actjvc crcation, callccl
'r:ikriti. Thc nr:rle rvho pcttctratcs :tnd corlt:intrally fcrtilizcs hcr intcr
,cinfl ancl acti()n is thc prirtciplc crllccl Pttrtlsa, or 1ord, who though
rlnotc, is yct visiblc, artlusccl ncl irlltlsilrq crcatioll with its cltlalitics'
Vhcrc hc is sholvn hinisclf lyine on attothcr itrcrt corpse , thc l:rttcr
('prcselrts his altcr ego; this is thc cornplctely withdrar'vn, qualitylcss
,nd passiorilcss strte bcyoncl al1 bcing, crcrtivcly 'prcvior:s' to thc
,rcrjcctior.r of the scxual pair ancl cutsidc of tilne . Thc nralc's heacl rnay
r'st o1t l yalttra of thc Clocldcss, u,liicll syntbolizes thc i:t:cativc pattcrlr
,f irc-r ctivity ancl sllggcsts tirat thc crorpsc is an atialogLte t() thc
;,1cl1laka's

own body.

rll

Hcre is a translation of a Tantrik Hymn to Kli, -cln thc

Mahanirvlnr Tautra, which illnstratcs how many aspccrs of thc
in the Indian inraginerion. Thc hyrnn irsclf is
called 'the or,vn-fcrm of thc Suprernc CloclcJcss rf Timc'. Evcry
description begirrs with thc lctter I{, the Godclcss's ow.u sccd souncl,
but it is impossiblc to rcprodnce this ellcct in English. Thc hymn
bcsins :rnd cnds rvith threc llrcat mrlrtras.
Cloddcss arc combined

HffIM

rnantra cornbinins rhc- soturds th:lt cvokc Lt,rd Siv (H), firc (Il),
thc grcat Weavc-r'ofillus,,rr sorl.ls (I), rhc s.u11l rn1, .r, gcncrttcs ll othcrs
f

(M),.urd thc- rrnqraspal1c ultimatc point (.)l ().LrnrlLrr-r()r,.f Tim.-: SRIM

Ithc nralrrra of r]rc Gocldess-fbrrn of (loocl Forrurc-l () trcrncndous onc;
KIUM, () I{ind givcr of pcacc-, g:iftccl r,vith all rhc rrs [You arcl rhc lottrs-

flor,vcr smrsl'ring thc pricle of this clegcncritc agc; de vt,tctl to [Srv.r] u.rth thc
mxttcd hair', clcvourcr of rhat Dcvonring Tin'rc, you arc bright :ts thc firL-\
that consunrc- thc (Jnivcrsc. Wjfc,.f ISivr] with thc ntattcd h:rir, your tccth

rrc fings. but yotr :rrc- [alsol the ncctar-occan of conrplssion; your rvholc
naturc is cornpassiolr, cornpassion lvithout limit, cornpassicn that qivc-s
ircccss to your-sclf-. Yon arc firc, fcmalc- de-ity of flamc; votrr bl:rck body
of thc Black Lorcl Il{risnal, end as thc vcry fornr of f)csrr-t.
yorr liLrcratc frcnr thc bcnds of dcsirc. Likc l bank of ckxrcl you srrstrin all thc
fcnlrlc cucrgic-s of thc Universe, anc'l blot out thc cvil of our dcgcncrtc :lg(.;
plcescc] bv thc r,vorsl-rip of girls, you :rrc thc rcftrec of thosc u,ho u,rrship
thcnr, rnd t:rkc clclight in thc su,cct ollcrings thc-,v arc aivcn Iin s]rcll lrskcts,
lvhcrr rhc solcs olthcir fcct hevc bccn paintcd pinkl. You r,vrnc.lcr in thc
inc-rcascs thc bliss

Kac'larnba fbrcst [rs thc Gopis whom lcrcl I{risna lovcc]l :rncl cnjoy thc
lbrilliart ycllorvl flou,crs of thc Kadarnba trccs lthrt surrotrncl rl-rc placc of
gcnrsl in u.hich you livc-. u,c:rring I(adarnb:r flou,crs Iovcr"your cars]. Yt,r-r
a1'c yor.rn!1, dccp-thrortc-cl u,ith a voicc tlut rcsoLurds [,,vith thc brttlc
nret'rtra]. Excitcd r,r,ith Kadarnbir-flowcr u,inc, drinkins lronr a sktrll ancl
r'vcrrinq a grrlarrcl of boncs, you c'lclight to sit on thc lotus fcnrblcm of thc
unfolcling rvorldsl at the ccntre of .uvhich you bclonu, irrroxic:rtccl r,vith the
lottrs-fragr:rrcc. Yru nrovc swlyirg likc I swun, clcstroyirg all fcer. Forrnccl
es Dcsirc-, you livc in thc placc of [se.xLr:rl] L)csirc- rcl phy thcrc
[:rs I{urdaliri
in thc Mulac'lharr 'akra]. Y<u al'c thc crccpcr rvhosc lruit s:rtisfics cvcry wish,
hung u,ith thosc ffrLrits rvhich:,rrc] rich ornanrcnts. Aclorlilc inr:rgc lanil
cvoc:rtiolrl of tcnderrrcss, your body is dclictc- ancl snrall-bellicd. You trke
rlcasnrc in thc ncct:rr of pr-rrc r,r,inc. and sivc succcss ro thosc u,ho Iin thc
Tantrik ritual lcrjoy this u,inc [whosc lanlc also nrcrrs thc Ultinr:rtc Causc
of cvcry cficctl. You arc the choscn onc of thosc u.ho pcrfomr jepa rvhc-n
high on cer,rsality-u,inc, plcascd r,vhcn it is trscd in ) ()Lrr \\ orshrp; inrurelsec1 in

thrs u,inc-occ:ur, you pl'otcct thosc lvho pcrforrn riturls u.ith r,r,ilc. Thc
124

fl'lsrancc of nrusk glaclclcns -vou, youi forcheacl is nrarkcd rvith its lsafir-,,rr
l'cllor'vl; usc-c1 in pLra rnusk cxc--itcs vou, ancl )ron lcvc thrsc r,vho rvorsl'rip you
rl,ith it. Yon arc a rnothcr tc thosc rvho burn mnsk-incclrsc; .vou lovc mr-rskdccr ncl srvallorv r,r.rrh plcsurc thcir lephrodisircl rnrisk. Thc sccnt of
l.rnother aphroclisi;rcl cenrrhor g1:rclclcrrs you, rrrcl yorr wcar garlands rntclc
of it; yorrr body is ll smc:rrcd u.ith a pastc of camphor arrd lfragrantl sanchlrvoocl Iporvdcrl. YoLr rclish u,'inc flavor.rrcd u,ith canrplor, yor-r batlrc irr en
occan of canrphor, rnd it is yotrr natural honrc. You alc plcasr-d rt rccit:rtlon

,,It]lt'prrrir'rlirlrrt.utttr'HM'.rrlrirlr(,1 )()[rr\(lfurrr'r lulrr'rrr'or]ql(ring

rlcrnonsl. L:rcly of [noblcl I{ula f}rnil1,, Ku]a-Tantrikas :rdorc yor-r. errd you
rcr,vrrd thcnr; vou ftrllt-uv thc Kula peth youlsclf. rrrd caccrly poilrt out thc
I,.rtlr to its li,ll,,rrcr.. Qrrtcrr t,l Siv.r'. '.r,'r.d , irr Ill,rrr.rr.r.l. rootllt.r rrlsutlcring, you givc Siva rvhat hc chooscs, givc hinr dclieht, :urd ovcrrvhclnr
lris nrind u.itl'r plcrsr-rrc. Thc bcll-rirrgs on yolrr tocs jinqlc rs )rou ntovc-. rnd
\'orr wcar e bclt of tiltkling bc'lJs. You livc olt thc Golc'lcn Mountain Mcru,
:urd you xrc thc m<)onbcaln thet shincs upon it. Yclr ac cnthrallcd bv
rcciltion of thc rnlrtr:r lof scxual urrion] I{LIM, fbr ir ls yoLlr own sclf. You
,rtroliih all thc cvil intcntions rncl rhc- afilictions of Kula-Tntrikas. Lad1. of

lll.

K,rLrl.t.. )('u
IIT].TM SRTM.

d(\tr(,) tlrt'lb,rr,,f .l,.rtl: rritlr tltr's, tl)r(! m.lt)n.l\ I(RTM.

Illack l{ah (or Lalita) is thc first of thc most iniportanr Hinclu Tanrrik
goddess-trlnsfornraticns, the Mahlvidyas; they arc tctr in nuntbcr,
scvctr Lrclonging to tlr'e cru-rtivc rnnifr-sttiolt-stagcs rf thc ul'livcrsc,
thrcc to the r,r,itficlr:rrval. Kali is thc central cleity of time. Her own
nrrtrrrc, dcspitc hcr outu.ardly fcarsonrc app.lrrutcc, is ptrre ccst.rsy,
rrlovc :r11 icleas of positivc ancl ncgrtive. Whcn in thc proccss of
r r(',rti()r) l(lrli tlrst '.rrv.tkclls' u irlr .r \('t)\( (,Ipoiitivr'r'xistt'ntt.. re..i:r!I
lrcrsclf as tl-rc origin of n-rr-rltiplicity, she takcs on rhc aspc of thc
sccrnd Mahavidya, Tara, rvho is reprcsentecl as shining dark blue,
sllort u.ith a swollcn bclly, and rcsts hcr left foot on a corpsc-icon of
Siva. Shc \vears:l tigcr skin and a necklacc of severcd hcacls. Hcr 1rcc,
u,ith its threc cycs, werrs l terriblc grinracc of ir-rshtcr, ancJ hcr l.rair is
in a singlc mattccl braid. Shc stands on thc fi.tnerrl pyrc in which thc
'\\orld'is rcducccl to ashes, but is hcrsclf prcgnant lvith thc potclttial
o1'rc-crcation; for shc it is u,ho divldcs thc one into the niany. Thc
u'hclc imagc rcsts on a r,vhite lotus rrising fioln n exp:rlrsc of u,atcr.
Ilcr original lludc1hisr conucetions lrc rcnrcnlbcred in thc srnall
inragc of thc Buddha Aksobhya appearilrg on hcr hcadclrcss.
Thc next manifcstation-phrse is Soclasi, rcd as the rising sun, r,vho
sits:rbove a pcdestal cornposccl of figures cf tl'rc Hindu gods Brahma,
r2

l[

IOO, I()2

Visnu, Rtrclra, Lrclra rnd Sacliva. Shc sits astride thc brcly of
M,rlrIk:rl.r (grt:rt Titttt t in jo Iirl i.ru.rl inr('r'(()r.u'\\'riirlr lrinr. SIrt'ir
thc enrboclimcnt of thc sirtccn nrodifications cf rlcsirc. As thc fburth
Mahavidya, thc Goclclcss bcccmcs Bhuvancivr'J, consritrrting ther
substlrtial forces rf thc nratcri1 r,vorlcl. Sl'rc is golclcn as thc risin srrn,
wcars thc crcscrcllt rnoou ancl:t crowlt o1l hcr heacl. Of hcr fiur arnrs
two llolcl thc noosc ancl goarl, two gcsturc, oficring gifts ancl conrfirrt;
hcr brcrsts are swollclr lvith tfic ruilk which fcecls objcctivity irrtcr
crcation. Thc fiIih transfbrrnation is thrcc-cycd BhlirvT, rcd,
grlande c1 w'ith hcacls, her ehcst rubbc.l u'ith gorc, cror.vncrl, lr.rl,ling
a rosary ncl book. Shc it is lvho nrultiplics hcrsclf into tllc infinity ol
beirrgs:rncl fornrs, t:ansing nrclr t() rlur ftcr thcnr fbr satisf,tction.
'l'hc sixth Mahavidya is one of thc most inrport:urt. Shc is r:allcd
Clhirrnamasta. Thc srdliak w'ill frncl hcr in himsclf :it thc lcvcl of his
navcl, insic'lc a full blou,n krtus containiirg a ficlcl 'rcd es thc hibiscus
flou'cr', :rnd surrourclcd by thrcc c:ircular 1incs. Thc lottrs riscs from a
plir olfrgurcs rcprcscntin{ pnrc cosrnic fcrtilrty, blue malc ancl:r
ti'rnlc (Maha1:rksrrr) anrlorrous to I(rjsna ancl Raclha, ir.l scxual
intcrcoursc. Chinnniasta hcrsclf sits on ti)c lotus, clark grcy-bhrc arcl
qarl:urcled r,vith hcails, Iloldins a snakc in onc hancl, hcr ou,,n llcad in
thc cthcr. Fronr hcr scvcrcd ncck sprinq strcanrs of blood, onc
flow'ing into thc nrouth of hcr own hc:rtl, othcrs into thc rncuths of
tr.vo nukcd, sixtccu-vcr-old tcnralc fisurcs trt cch sicle of her, rvlto
holil skull cups and slrakcs. Thc fcnralc on thc riglit is golclcn, ancl
callccl Barnini; thc onc o1r thc lcft is callcd Dlkini, and is bright
vcrnrilion. This transfonnation-icon shou,s thc goildcss distributing
hcr lif-c-cncrsy into tllc trnivclst. r pr( )ce sc syrnbolizccl by thc strcerls
of bloccl u,hicll pour fronr hcr sclf-scvcrcd ncck ilrto thc mouths of
thc othcr trvc lcnrrlc imlgcs to ftrrm ancl nourish thcnr. All thrcc:rrcr
firnctions of thc (lodrlcss in intcrcoursc- w,ith rhc r-nalc. They can bc
mtchccl philosophicrlly lvith thc tric1 of prclinrinary pattcrlis r,vliich
crcativc clrcrlly is fclt tr aclopt. Thcy can llso bc lookccl at fionr twcr
ilircctions, rvhicli corresponcl to orlr two approachcs to thc lacldcr of
Clcncsis.

These thrce are , fl-orn thc sicle of the rnatcrial u,orlc1 as thc ordirary
tuan klrrr,vs it ftcr lic has clirnbcd high on his conccptual laclder, tlic
drk incrt (Tamas), thc- brilliant and ctivc (Rajas), ancl thc racliancc of
Rcine (Sattva). T'hcsc rrc crllcd thc qualitics of objcctivity (Ciunes),
thc most liurdrment:rl ttriLrutcs of reality. From thc siclc of the
r

oo Mhrviclvi (lhirlllrst

p:rtr, ltcrc rcprcscntcd

Mirl:rksllr. l)errjeb.

Lrr"

sc:ltccl or) thc lotrrs, u,irich sprinqs fl-otn thc or iuirrrtirrg

thc 1lue bocliccl Vrsru :urd thc personrflcxtlolr of:rll fi'rtilit

crlv rgth ccrtLrrv. (lourchc

o1r

pxpcr ru x fi (3ox

-:.o)

f;
0

r+

:a'

-rtI

"

-"-':d

{*
*-

-e

,'firu;

*'

v,l >*.#l;

ffi

bff{*-;
-$
-&

q;
ii:9:;::
-:Ylt!

'li

4/.

r Tllc fi)()rprilrts oi Visltil nlt'kcd u,ith sl nl[rols o1'thc Ullivcrsc. bctirrc u'hit h thc
jcyitcc brscs hilrscliir rttlorltiolr. I{:irrgr:r. t Stlt cctttrtrt'. (iuchc oll Prpcr :l x,l
(rox ro)
r

.j-::fL

l2 Ic i Clhilrnrstl, thc Mh:rvidvr rrsing iionr thc -joirrccl borlics oi

I(lgt:i. . I Soo. Ciortlchc o1l pilpcr 8 r (:o x t s)

L)r'igirr:rtirg CioLrplc.

thc

ir: '

"f

i[,

Goddess thcy extcnd thcrnselves from hcr own naturc as,

rcspectivcly, dcsirc (Iccha), actioll (K.,y) and kuowing (fna),
coiourecl dark blue, rc-d and bright yel1ow or white. Thesc particr-rlar
forms will appcar again in later discussion of the cosmic p1an.
Thc scventh Mahvidya is the smoky one, the widow DhmavtT.
Shc is tall arid grim, pallid, agitatcd ar-rd slovcnly. Her hair is tar-rgled,
her bre rsts droop and hcr tccth arc gone. Hcr lrose is big, hcr body and
eyes crooked; she ridcs in a crow-chariot. Horrid and quarrclsome,
shc is perpetually tormcntcd by hunger and thirst. And so it is shc who
gcneratcs that stagc of bcing whcre indivicluals forget thcir origin,
lose ccntact with thcir source, ancl sul-er crolrtinually thc agonics of
unsatisficcl appctitc and defcatcd hopc. This is the bottom, the nadir of
creation.

The three ncxt transformations embody the process of rcturn.

Bagala sitting o1r a throne ofjewels is ycllow, rhe colour of hopc. Shc
is covercd with ornamclrts, and holds a club in one l-rand with which
she belabours n enemy whose tonlllc she holds with thc othcr. In
hcr, illusion ancl dcceptivc conccptr,lalizatior-r are recognized and

attacked. Thc liinth transforntation, Matangi, is the incartration of

cmotiolial frenzy. Her complexion is dark, hcr rcd cyes ro11 in her
head; drur-rken and recling with desirc shc stumblcs likc a furious
elephant. For she is tl're phase where the world falls under the
intoxication of mantra, Tantra ancl the longing for r.urity with Siva.
Finally, as thc tenth Mahvidy, Kamal, rhe lotus-lady, Sakti appears
as plrrc consciousness of sclf, bathed by the calm water of fulfilment,
which four goldcn elcphants pour over her with their trunks. She
holds a pair of lotuscs, and hcr whole body is goldcn. She is cnjoycr
and enjoyed, thc statc of rcconstituted uuity.
Theie'Sakti-transfornratior-rs may bc worshrpped separatcly, in
series,'or cvcn in cornbinecl imagcs symbolic of transitional stages.
Each one of thcm rcpresents a limitation of the total persona cf KalI
hersclf, but is an incvitable part of that whole. Withcut thc drastic
expericncc of clisintcgration, no scarch lor irrtcgration mcans
anything. Kali must bc known in the full gamur of hcr
transformations. For:
'As white, yellow and othcr colours all clisappear in b1ack, jr-rst so do
all bcines enter Kli.'17
A special adaptation of the graveyard symbolism is fcrund in many
Nepalesc Tantrik cliagrams and paintings. Nepal 1'ras lorrg occrlpied a
r30

spccial place in relation to Tantra, for the Muslim invaders whc drovc
the Tantrik Buddhists out ofnortheastcrnr hrdia in the twclfth century
ncrvcr conquercd that kingdom. Tibct and Nepal, as \\.e11 as Bhutan
.rnd Sikkim in the Hlmlaya, wclcomcd Tantrik Buddhist monks and

rcfusccs from the plains. But whereas Tibct, Bhutan and Sikkim
lccamc complctely Budclhist, incorporatir-r!J tlre rcsicluum of
sharnanic cult, such as Bon-po, into thcir new religion, Nepal alscr
rcmaincd Hindu. So in Ncpal Tantrik Br.rddhism and Hinduism have
flourishcd side by sidc, inflnencing each other, and combining their
tloctrines in a quitc individual way. Ncpalesc art cor-nbincs the
ic:onography of Hindu Tantra with that of Buddhisrn morc
interrsively than any other, so that, for example, tirc Buddha-familics
of Indian alid Tibetan Vajrayar-ra arc often found intcgrated with
Hindr-r symbolisms, cverr including.that of Krisna.

hr Ncpal thc gravcyard symbol was synthcsizcd lor meditativc

prlrposes with thc ancicnt Vcdic sacriflcial ground. Diagrams of this
,ippear in many manuscripts w-hich give prcscriptions for mcditativc
.rcts. The Hindu altrr with its fire assimilatcs thc symbolism of thc
pyre towards which the inner phj is dirccted; and all around the
gr:rvcyard are placcd mjxcd Buddhist and Hindr-r emblems, arrar-igcd
in dircctional pattcrns. Thc mcaning of all such mandala lorms will be
tliscussed latcr, ir-r Chaptcrs 9 and ro.

In both Tibct and Nepal a number of devatas, both male anci

cmale, appcar in the iconography wcaring furioLrs exprcssions, often
lr:tving grossly swollcn bodies with cxaggeratcd scxlral organs. Far
thc greater part of these arc of Tibetan inspiration, and arc imbucd
n,ith a spirituality which is not of an Indian type. Since this sr-rrvcy is
rrot broadly concerned with Tibctan art, only that aspcct of thcsc
tlcitjes which has a spccial bearing on Indian Tantra will bc discr-rsscd.
[]lit first it might be as wcll to nrention that the Buddhism with which
they are associated has beclr rcducccl by the Gcrman-born Lama
Anagrika Govindals to a sr-rpcrbly devclopcd abstract systcm,
f

Irrobilc and not at all static, beautifully co-ordinatcd with tire

r'llornrous volume of other westcrnizcd tsuddhist scholarship. But all
such work, despitc its grcat intellectual and jntuitivc bcauty, must
lrrck frrr L1s the dimcnsions of rcal lifc. Institutionalized and schematic
,rs it is, Tibctan Buddfiism in practicc works w-.ithin an all-ernbracing
( ontext of lived ritual; its monks are cverywherc seen to be flcsh and

lrlcod, and

in the minds of its followers its imaginativc

dramafis

r3r

ra7

rich u,ith that nrcrning ancl cxperiencc which can only bc

from livins culturc, lnd cxn r.rcvcr be convcycd in -Wcstcrn
collccptu:rl prosc. Thc nrystcrics of nrcclitativc cxpcricnce arc rllvays
mc:urinslcss rvithout a basc irl reality. So extrcrc has thc proccss of
conccptualizttion bcconrc in thc intcrprctation of Tibctan Tantra that
'\Xl'csterncrs
arc in danger of losing touch altogcthcr w,ith its cxistential
basc. For this rcason r,vhat u.ill bc strcsscd herc is thc root of tllc rt in
actuality, rather than its scholastic reflncmcl-lts rvhich calr bc studiccl
clst-whcrc. C)ne nrnst ncver lbrgct thrt evcn thc nrost obliqr,rcly
nretaphysical iconography c1111 only rnean anythilrg at all by virtuc cf
its ultimatc scrnantic rcfcrcncc tack to thc rcalitics cf human
cxpcricncc. Whcrc C)ricntal art is conccrnecl, thc str()ngcr th:rt
connecti()n calr bc nrac-lc the bctter. A glib vcrbalisrn cn flattcr the
scnsc cf achicvcnrent without conrrnitting oltc to real c1I'-ort. Thc
intrinsic negativity of Iluclclhist mcclcs of cxpr:cssir)1r c:ruscs tllc
srcatest scmantic clifiiculty for thc rts.
Thc tr,vo main classcs of objcct tvhich constitutc firr us thc Tibetan
typc of art.rrc tl)c snrall bronze shrinc-inrasc and thc tanka painting,
t1-iorrgh olt conrsc, in Tibct tl.rcir inragcry was also cxccutccl orr an
architectur:rl sclc in sculpturc and painting. Roth arc intcndccl as
tcmporary clwcllincs frrr thc spiritual, but at the sanrc ti11lc illusory,
bcings into r,vhich this Builclhism projccts its arrrlysis of tLic natnrc of
the u,,orld. Thcy arc thus r.rot csthcticr objccts but roostins placcs,
acturl clrvcllings for cncrgies projcctcd into thcnt w'ith the aii'1 of
nlalrtrls, r,vliich arc oftcn inscribcd on the oLr-jects; the pc-rlvcr of those
encrgics can thus [c crnalizccl tor.vards thc Rllddhist goal. The shrinc
ilna;cs \vcre lrrcant to be sct ol'rt o1r lltars in rrralrgcnrclrts rvhidr nrct
1ocal, scasonal or purcly tcnrporary magical and spiritual nccds. Thcy
conld thus makc thrcc-clirncnsional malldal:rs, firr cramplc. Thc
tankas coulcl sunrmarizc vcry largc-scalc.rr-nnqcnrents rr r\\o
climcnsions which 'nl,c.ruld bc impossiblc to rcrlizc in thr:cc. The
brocacle nrounts in lviiich these paintccl icons are containccl had n
irnportant magical frurcticn. Thcy syrnbolize thc cosnric 'doonvay',
its pillars and thc racliancc of thc clcitics rcprescntcd.re Tankrs coulcl
rnorc c:rsily bc uscd by monks lor pcrsonrl mcditation than thc shrinc
irnascs. And sincc Tilctan nrcditative ritcs alu.ays incorporatc long
scts of nroving anc-l conrplcx visualiztious, rescnrbline a kincl of
intcrnal cilrcm-fi1m, tank:rs cotrld provic'lc thc monk r,r,ith p:rrtcnrs
Irecessary for his inncr inrrgcrl- irr its 1r.llr) stagcs.
p(rs()n.a( arc

abscrbcd

t07- r04

to3 A u'r:rthfirl lrnilcsttiol of rhc Voicl, in nriorr rvith tllc bolition of sclilloocl
Ncp:ri, r. too. Clorrchcon cloth 6x-j8 (t4zx97)

r o.5 Mahasicldha rvitlr

r:riscd lcl' hncl in scsturr

,ri'holding thc sulr' to

Llcntonstrtc his
rLrpcrnatnrll po\vcrs.
l'ossiblv Kasmir, r3th
( elrtLlry. Bronzc mirturc

,,f tivc lrctrls h.

.s

(r:)

ro M:rhesicldh
.r....a))a:r,.!4131-9:{alt::.a).:.r.,:)t?r:,:,l

ro.1 T:rnka rcprcscntirre thc tcrriilc form of thc Rodhisttva Vajrapani, prorcctor
rund chie f cmlocLrncnt of thc porvcr oi Budcihisn.r Tibct. rTtir ccntrrry. Clouachc ol
cotrolr 2r x t7 (-5-l x 43)

Grnrlhrp;r, in thc suisc r1

tirc Ruclclh Vajradh:rra.
in st'xrrrl ulriorl rvith his
ftmllc prrtucr. Tjbet.
ITth ccntllry. Cli]t bronzc
h. (r -5)

Thc hrrriflc clcities probably havc- thcir roors i1) thc olcl Tantrik
Tantrik saints. They :tppear
in nunrercus stories:urcl texts rvhich rccor.rlrt tlieir livcs, ancl a
canonical numbcr rf ciehty-fbur has bcen fixcd. Most -nvere probably,
historical cl1:rr:lctcrs, gurus in olrc or othcr traclitict, tltough a goocl'
rleal of myth and syrrbolic f:rntasy surrounds thcnr. Thc-y arc thc ones
rvho havc livcd succcssful Tarrtrik livcs, pcrfor:nring innunrcrablc
rituals, and rcacl-iccl the goa1. C)nc of thc nrost importrnt is
l)adnr:rsarnbhava, thc founder-gr-rru rf thc Rcd Hrt scct in Tibet iu tlic
ninth centnry AD. Hc js oftcn rcprcscnted on Tibctan tankas. Such
s:rints arc not lt all likc thc iaints of nrost othcr rclisions. They havc
fcaturcs in ccrnnron w.ith thc description of Abl'iin:rvagupta (p. to8);
lbcvc all, thcir icons display an immcnsc, qllasi-clcmonic encrgy in
their strong, well-carccl-fir bodies ancl violent eycs. Thcy probably
crnbocly folk rnernorics of the nragical d:rnces pcrfirrmed by shanrans
posscsscd by spirits. So tot clo inragcs cf horrific clcitjcs. And in all
lluddhist Tantra thc cloings of thc Mhasiclcihas arc bound up with
i'akras, gravcyards, initiations and rnagic; the very tcrtr applied to
()nc llrolrp of the principal horrific Tibetan clcvatas, F1erhkas, rvas
originally a tcrnr applied to higl'r-ranking sr1hakas. For all thcir
heightenccl attributcs, thc Mahasiclclhas lvcre at bottom real pcople.
With the violent figures of Tibet:rn :urd Ncpalcsc :rrt, howcver, thc
colrnection with rcaiity has bccn strctched to breaking pctint.
"I'hc cxprcssions of passiolr or ragc lvhich the horrific de vats wear
signifl in inconceiv:rble dcgr:ec of cr-rcrgy; their irnmcnsely su,,oilen
lrcclics, violent gestnres and copulations demonstrate thr:ir linritless
libido; whilc thcir aurcolcs of flamc ncl sroke refcr symbolically to
supcrnatnral cucrsics rcleasecl in thc crcnration gror-urcl. Such devatas
:rrc cvokcd into their paintcd or sculptured irnages primarily when
power is needccl, e ither or protcctioli or fcrr carrying ol-lt magic. Thc
vcry cxaggcration of their appearancc to the point of c:rricatllre shcurs
that they bclor-rg to a world of prcrjccted faurasy; rhough thc peoplc
u,ho Lrsc thcnr, of crolrrscj clo belicvc iu thc existencc ol dernonic
elemcntal bcings. But everr r,vhelr such inrages are nlclnt as outr,vrrcl
quidcs to inner frrrccs ancl rcalities, thc high kcy of thcir exprcssion
r':ru only be acceptable on thc assrlmption that thcy havc left all
Havoilr of rcal act bc-hincJ. Nc meditator conld expc-ricnce such
intcnsity and livc. Thcy arc sraphic symbols, not invitations to thc
srmc kind of sclf-idcntification as Hinclu irnascs.
cr-rlt cf the Mahasidc'lhas, grcat succcssfill

:::

.*

o7 Raktayanrari. a lornr of Yantantakn dcstroycr of clch. lvlth hrs fcnrajt

l ibct, rUtli cclrtury. L3ronzc h. ro (z;)

I o)

20

I o.1

This mcans that, apart from a numbcr of basic canonical pattcrl)s,

Tibctans may nrakc relatively frce use of thcir iconography. Frcsh
cornbinations of imagcry can be composcd by the painters for
difi-crcnt peoplc and occasions. The dernonic figr.rres arc, so to speak, a
rcscrvoir of characters from whicl-r any number of metaphysical ritual

dramas can be woven, s() long as certain acccptecl lines of

transrnutation arc fo1lowed. Therc arc stories and paintings which
rccitc, say, how a symbolic denror-r is dcfcatcd by a Br-rddh:r who
tr:rnsforms hinrsclf into a terriblc male Bodhisattva, who couples
'without attachment' with circlcs of hideous fcmale gr.rardians of the
castle of cvil; tl'rc females haver bcast heads, and thcir prolclry share thc
natllre of thcir fathcr arid nrcthers: the Bodhisattva thcir ravishcs
the demr:ln's hideous wifc at thc ccntre of the castlc, brcedir-ig from
her, and finally entcrs the dcmon, splitting and transforming him.
mystical allegories of the 'spirit' making its own use of the
violent nd horriblc cnerg;.ies of 'mattcr' rn:ry bc cxtremcly absorbing
to r-rs, who do not sharc thcir invcntor's lives, as fantasy. tsr,rt thcy may
scem to depart a long w.iy front rny firrniliar actuality in which
Tantrik transformation can be rootcd. Their truth, howevcr, is mernt
to lic in the subjcctive insights they induce. One nray rcmcntbcr that
IJr-rddhisrn docs not claim 'hisher objcctivity' lor its imagcs.
Sr-rch

r o9 Clri-uug, ritual fl:rying-kriii'. Tilct, I 8th

ccntllrv. Rronzc ncl stccl l. rr (r;)

ioS Hrrriflc olll'ring vcsscl. Tibct, tgth

ccntllr)/. -Brss, r'vith turquoisc h. 6 (r -5)

ro

M:rgician's

costumc of apron
nrdc cfhnrnln bonc

'fibct, rgth century.

:rxz,4(53x6r)

rrl

Ritu;rl trunrpcts
of hr-rlnatr thigh
bonc. Tibct. rgth
cortury. Bonc r4 (3(r)
rn:rclc

rz

F-lurnr skull

nroLurtccl as ritual
vesscl. Tibct, rgth

cclltLlr'y. Bone, u"ith

silvcr rnounts 1. 7 (I 8)

Cosmograms
In this chapter re discusscd cliagran-rs olthc rvorlcl, lvhich provicle :r
b:rckgrounrl tci sclhan:r. Thcy illustratc ftrndamental Inclian idcas, :urd

ir

,ffilY.ffi'#Li,ffi

iI*:li.'*

,,r'rti.g.r;:i]t.,r,..,i,,g'trou, thc rr:rrr,:.;;.-',; ;r;,",, ,,, ..,'r,'il.'0".'.-.'1",u, ,,,

W, N, is subtlV rclatccl through lVcrs of nl:rttcr atrd sp:tcc tcr
thc lvorlcl of JarrbLrdvip:r. Fronr cpy of thc Sarigr:rhlni srrtr:r. Gtcr:rt, t(rth
bsrlutc dircctions E, S,

ccntury. Ink :ulcl coliur oil prpcr

-5

x r o (r 3 x z5)

so f:rr as thcy arc Tntrik exprcss thc calculatius rather thatt

cnrotivc, de:rling with thc coslllos itr tcrrns of an ancient and
stcrcotypccl popular inragcry. Far thc 1:rrgcr proportiort of thcm arc
lina; ancl .fainisnr is not intcrcstecl in inlportant aspects of Tantr.
lrinisnr bclicves in a worlcl cornposcd of scp.rr.irc. L-lrtit1ts, s,'ttltu cf
rvhich m:ry obtairr rclcase, and is thcrelore irltercstcd in ttLlmcrical
crlculation. It also hclds that cach of tiic irrfirtitciy !lrc::lt lttllrlbcr ol
('ntities in thc Urivcrse is rclatcd to all tl.rc otlicrs, ar-id that to knou'
('vclr ()Irc tnrly dcmencls an intuitivc krrou'lcclge of rll its relations to
.rll thc othcrs. Hinctrs and Rudclhists, of cotlrsc, do trot belicvc irt thc
existcncc of scpel:atc cntitics, lut titat evcry pparcnt ciltity is orlly a
lipplc on thc surcc of an rlr.rdcflrblc who1c. So they hlvc r-rot thc
srrme intcrcst itr pure calculation as thc Jainas, thougl'r thcir sctrsc of
scalc is rc less clcvclopcd. Thus u,herc Tatitra is r,vliitc-hot vision thc
rina diagranrs arc cold rcckonings, r'vhcrc Tantrt is kirtctic, thc
,.liagrams lre static; lvhcrc Trntra involvcs cnrotiolt, thcy arc
r'onccptnal. They rcprescnt thcr ntcst irttellcctu:rlizecl rltrd otltwardIooking aspcct of thc Lrclian rvorld-inragc, rt the point tvhcrc it is
rcrhaps at its wcakcst ilr rclation to nrodern scictrtiflc colrstrtlcts. Sttch
iruagcs arc not lrccrcssary for Tlntra. Major tcxts clo lrot bothcr tcr
nlclrtic-rr.l them; ancl tr,venticth-cct'rtury Tantra c:tnnot rvork withirr
thcir pattcrns. But thcy do hevc inrportant transfcrln:rtion fturctjons
u,hich arc conslln)nrrtccl in thc itnagery of thc Unive rsal sr.rbtlc body
,lisr:ussed in C)haptcr ro.
The flat, circular cliagrarns illustrate vcrsiotrs of a u'idesprcacl tr3
f ndian idea of tirc layout cf thc clrth. It is, so to speak, thc sarnc sort of
,r priori n-rap of the rvorlcl :rs \'lls clrarvtr by mcdicvltl Etrropc:irr
scholastics befbrc cxploration or nrapping had proercsscd vcr:y r',
slvc that it is conccivcd on a vestly Iarger sca1c. It js called
:r rnbuclvipa,'Rosc-applc Incl'.
f

-"1

,. t',

--/-'li

" .-r.rr#t
''--,,*-l*

t*ru

*+1

It{tfiffiltq

rr4 I)iagramshou,ingthcscccl-sounclsiircontrol ofhcflor,voflorccsinthcsnbtlc

vcirs. I)ctril of a rnanuscript pagc fiom Ncpal, rllth ccr.rtury. Ltk on p:rpcr zjx ro
(6 x:)

I4I

r
p:rgc illustrtj1Ig a
-.; .Jaina MS
r.lc-clcv:rtion' of Jlntbuclvip:1, u'ith
r

r. lu'..,' l)1,'):lL..ir, ,l. l,tit)

)\\ irrals thc ccntrc. rvllcrc Morttlt

lr'ru starrds: tltc blsc-s11u:lrc is thc
: t, il ,,1 lll,,\ llll .r(rll{ r. ( 'ilir l.rl-

r,rh ( ('rrtrrr). Ltk on prpcr 4

r)x2j)

,j{

,, ( lrrrt,,f rlr, ,l H,r.nt I,ci,'rr'

Es, &,: Ais

*r. !&F

I tllc hc:rvcrs rnclictcd b1 strrs.

Lrn, rr()o1r

:rrd pl:rricts, fronl

:ut

'.rrr>io{ric1 1nnuscript. Raj:tsth:rn,

\Llr ccntnry. Ink lld cololtl olr

.l'( \ ll/lt
:r)
r

-T1n:l

cligrttt illustr:rtirg thc

rcr tf'snbtlc ntovilrg rcthcr

r..ilrr rlL,rr.-l), 1, 1,,p..,'r

r(rcilsilrq clcnsity to r worldlhcrc. lL:lsth:ul, c1tcd r 7r z. hrk

rrd colcrrr ()1r ppcr .1 x Io (to x zj)
rr8
r.. ,.,.,...
,.:,^,,.\,;.
.-,
:.
'i.:
'der4'i
. 1' .:-.
)..
r,'.::s
..:arth,1iki{.:e{SBrnn
arqlr}ti{tnlr!@ir4aw,@r46itj44i'4,fina@&n
,,r;qi.r!:{niii:lrtu{:rr?liqlrlalfr.r re.e;;:ir.}irSj,&j.r,a,i?rt'}iqtq7t3".tA.
. -.-,.\..r.a.:t:;,t^e*a*tt.dr.r'i[i{.?1:re+41frr&1!idr{r5rjq]i.,rar:,.lr
., nt4tlL
r4..itlrir,-i!in:!,:1i,'411iri,rtrSiqr,E*:ra6rr*rq:ai;:1*tir{trriir-,_tra,:'|rry)ia
irrr:r|:r.t,rr&.4fr4;-q46tiliAa6-)aa*tri.i4'.rt1:,r71,r1r*,fiir.ra.rtr.',U'.ti::rrq.,4
.*,..1t
' ,.{irir*r:ar!ar{a'nJ'r6i,&iliq!:1,Ar1;@1{1r*;tlqrrirl**rri.,i\lLtr.*\Gt;i...-,

l)igraln ol thc

u orltl of -lrrrrrLru clvip:r

rvith rts scvcn strc1r)s.

Mrnrt Mcr-u rt tlrc

(c1rtrc.

Iljsthr.

8th

cclrtrrry. Ink rd colorrr

nlrppcr9x9(23x23)

r'., :,.1 i,. | 1-.. ;l',.:'!r

!'
t tt" :..t' t\::
1"r'la;
r:ifar6t

'...t

I I9 Astrolollicrl cljsrrnr
o1'ln cclipsc. 1l:r j;rstlt:rn,
rsth .rcrtury. Lrk :rlld
cololir ()11 prpcr z1 x I9
(r x48)
*---,rs,'.

itt t1\\..;r;A r',r'.:q?rr y;$r'2a.. .,.rri

.,.

I
I

i
I

t
I

ll,,

r20

Sorrlc Hiltdrr rliagranrs rclatc this irnagc tc thc clcvcloprnent of thc

contcllts

of rhe Closntic Eqg, ,,,

o]cl Indialt n<tion

of

Clcncsis

appcarir.rg in (Jpanisacl, notably thc C)handoglra, r.vhich is not srricrly

Tantr:ik but is relcvant to a lrgc nurnbcr of Tantrik obccts. lt

:rn Orphic coslnosor)y lvhich snrvivcs frorn Grcck
entiquity. Tlic first division of crcltion, it slys, r,r,:rs i.rctr,vcclt 'tltat
which is', i, thc frrr,l ofa rclia.t egu, arcl'rorr-being', i, thc fornr of
dark lvaters. TIte cgu ct-xrsistcd of t1-ic ccnclcnscd rnass of al1 thc gross
ard snbtlc clcnrclrts rvhich $,crc to conrposc thc r.vorlcl. It thc, split
part to mkc tllc silvcr carih and tirc golclcn sky, its vcins bctt,nrin!l
tirc rvntcrs of carth, i, thc firurlrcr of thc Jlmbuclvipa cli.rgr.rnrs.
I)rogressivc srb-divisi., of srrch r, cgg is.,c of thc r,vays i, r,vhich
thc proccss of difrercntiation ancl crc:rtivc cvolution can bc crrrcssccl
by bencls nci arcas olcolour.
This irnagc is casily rcconcilecl rvith Tntrik thousht, ancl thc
syrnbols of thc cbsmic Eqg rrc rc:rclily iclcntiflccl rvirh thosc oi thc
Svavnrbhu lingarir clcscribcd in C)lraptcr rz.
At tlic cclrtrc or hut of thc crparcliru urivcrsc is thc r,vthical
Mount Mcnr, rrrouncl r,vhich is Jambudvip:r, rvith its contint.nts,
corilltrics. grc:rt rivcrs, scas. circling plancts ncl constcllaticns. This
rrrral)scrncllt c:]1)not bc saicl to bc iD elty \\ay o[-rcctivc. It sinrply rr,,il1
ltot scrvc:ury lolqcr.rs I Sentrine point ofjrrtrction bctr,rrccn thc
r3 'objcctivc' crosrlt()s s $ (. ll()\\ r.()ltce ivc it alld thc vllid 'srrbcctivc'
cosrnos ivliicli Tentru pro-jccts. Horvcvcr, thc signifrcancc of thcsc
c'lirgrams is purclv snbjcctivc. Thcv nrcrn tllat thc 'rcality' to u,hicl-r
thcy poirrt in gcncrtlizcd lva_v has no inrlcpcndcnt mcening, nri is
not r v:lluab]c act of thcopharry. For Tntra thcir nrcss:rsc is thrt onc
shonld sathcr thc or,rtcr w'orlcl intc a singlc contclnplativc.rct.'rhc
Moltttt Mcrtt ltt thc lxis shonlcl bc iclcntificd lvith thc ccntrc cf thc
irrrcr b.dy thr.r.rgl'r rvhich rulrs:rs axis a srbtlc spi,al t,be crllcd
'Mcrtlclal.rda' or 'Susutnn.r'. Thc inrplication of thc c1isranrs is thus
tht thc possiblc U,ivcrsc crch nra, krou,s is a flt'circlc'racliati,g
fronl his or,rrn :rxial ccntrc.
In firct thc s:unc r:osnric imasc unclcrlics the grouncl-plen of thc
ncrnrrl Hindr-l lnd Jaina tcmplc. The spirc abovc thc nrain rcon,
thro,sh both ol r,r.hich thc xis p:isscs, rcprcscl)ts M.unt Mcru;
rrouncl its lolvcr slopcs thc'hcavcn bands'flllccl u,ith sculprr-rrc arc
slture likc srrlancls. Au,y fionl its plinth strctcllcs thc c:rrth. lvith its
contincnts, rivcrs lrcl scas u,hich are in this casc 'actual' rnd
rcscrnblcs

r11

I
I

I o I)irgr:tttt illtrstr:rtillr thc dircctiolrl confirrnltion oithc rl.crlcls :rrcl hcr,clrs :rs
rlrcl' cr1'st:rJlizc attd scparrtc ficm rvlthill tllc Cosnric Egg. 1l:rj:rsth:rn, rErll cclrrrLr v.
Ink llcl coloLrr clt ptpcr -j x ro (t 3 x z5)
-u

convincins. instcad of pLrrely 'noti()1r:rl' rs in thc diagrams. Ry thc

smc link olthe 'Mcrudancla'tentplc ancl bocly arc likclvise ecluatcd.
As is cxplainccl in thc first chaptcr, cosntos aird bocly arc sccn in Taltra
,rs fr-urction;rl var:iants of thc sanrc cncrgy-pattcrlt.
This nxis is thc crcativc centrc frorn wliich thc cxp:rnsion of tlic
u,orld js rcckonccl as taking p1acc, us thc pct:rls open iu a lotus flor,r.cr.
fhcrcforc thc axial crclrtrc is ofltc, sh.r,r., as oi:c.picd by thc ccrltral

ilragc of cech particular rcligion, thcJinl in Jeinisn-r, thc llucLlhr il

Lludc1hisnr, a lirlsuir, a tcnrplc or'Orir'in Hindllisnr (and sonrctirncs
irtJairtisnr). The sairlt is a saint bccausc hc has bccornc iclcntificrl with rJ2
the crcl)trc. F{c alsc-r knt.rws the o-rtcr bcyoncl, 1'raving stcppcd cross thc
linlits of thc LJnivcrsc. Hcncc saints nr:ry also bc sllolvn at thc carclinal
points on thc ccigc of-thc diagrarn. hi Hinclu and Ruclclhist Tntra thcr

sctrinal clcvata is thc invisiblc centrc. Thc Cloclclcss is thc cncrgy

rvhicfi nrakcs rcal thc outcr alrcl inncr rvorlds, thc colplerncntary
ilnagcs of objcct and subjcct, spinning thcnr out frorn thc ccntre, as:i
spidcr spins a r,vcb fi-cnr its c'rr,vn body, into tl're open space of l3eirrg.
Mctaphorically, she gives thcrn colrrinrlal birth, whilc slic hcrsclf-is
contiriuously infusccl with imprcgn:rtion from thc subtlc, selforiginatccl lirigarir, w.hich colrvcys into all hcr activity thc scccl of
I3eing hidclcrr bcyond ancl u.ithin. The orclinary Jaina cosnric nrap,
I4-5

it

i
';:

.d\

dj

l"t

-. r lt{
:

r'

)"

r,\

_1. ,

r.

..

,rla.Af
qrqgl(a z-.-q'\4
t$alil
haa,

eeiuualqtuii
'

;,:.i:
ti

r-r-r l)ilgr;,rnr illnstrrting thc occulrlticns oi thc moolr bchilrcl t\\'o grct nrvthlc:li
tttor-urti:r rrllqcs dividnrg thc u,oricl *,hich flark Mount Mcru. Illrlasth:ur. tfith
(cntrlr). hrk rncl cclour rn pxpcr s x ro (r3 xu5)

rr

u.hich is intcnclccl morc:ls a piecc of sttrpcndorls rcckol)ins, c::l1r tilrls

bc used by thosc u.ho know how s a Tantrik manclala, to fccus
thcir attentiolr upon th:rt ccntrc poilrt, tl)c subtlcst of thc subtle
yct all-crnbrtcinil, frctnr u,hich is gcltcrrtccl thc lvholc of rc:rliry.
Aud tht J:rina rc:rlity nr:ry inclucle numbcr carcfr,rlly calculatcd
in concretc elclncnts of eccn-long tinlc ancl colrssal spacc, of thc
ordcr of r o,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo,ooo.
C)bviously cach actual nran, cach tcnrple and cach diagranr would
sccnr to ns to have :r diflcrclrt ccntrc in objectivc spacrc. Thc ]ncliau
1iotio1l, howcvcr, is th.rt thtrc is 1ro llclt il',i,',g.r-. clcad, extcrnal
objcctivc spacc. A1l spaccs arc srrbjcctivc; ail worlcls cxist i1r rclarioll to
mcn, a1)d, according tc a univcrsal rcletivity, thcrc is no n()n-rcl:rtivc
absolutc point of rcfirencc to u,,hich thcy car-r all be relatccl. Evcry
cclrtrc is thus :ln cpiphcnomcllon, an :rdcclurtc lccrtion whcrc rlryollc
cari rclatc to tllc'rcel'crclttrc, ancl providcd a ntrn carr idct'rtily hinrsclf
lclecluately with his o\\1r ccntrc, rn:rybc with thc hclp of a nrandala
cliagranr, hc can bcgin Tantrik work. T'his will also involve hirn in a
Inovcmclrt r-rpr,vard, aicng the vertical clircction of thc axis:rs it wcre,
from thc central sllnrmit of thc Mcru-pcak. His psychic elrcrsy
gathcrcd:rt the ccltral point is ablc to pcnctratc upr,varcls out oithe
rcalrn olmatcril fornt. This thrce-dimcnsional ntovcntcnt u,ill bc
cliscussed ill the ncxt chaptcr.

(lcrtail'r of thc diagrams shclv thc cosrnos in 'side-clcvatiorl' (as

in grouncl-plan) as a kind of flowcr-calyx, a worlcl-trce, or as
thc scction through a laycrccl tubc. Herc too thc cclttral thrcacl is thc
rnfinitcly sLlbtlc crcative wcr1cl-axis; and jts succcssivc cltvclopcs
rllustratc stagcs of progrcssive'dcnsity'in u'hich that:rxis is encloscd
(callccl I{oas) rs thc 'worlcl' crystallizcs arortnd it. Tl-rcsc, thor.rgh
,liagrarnmatic tc thc scholastic eyc, calr bc sccn by Tantrikas as imallcs
,rIthc Clodclcss-function, rltc-rnative icons of hcr joyful p1ay.
Truly Tantrik r-rse of the flat cost-t.tic diagrant in rnecljtation is
,lcscribecl in the Tantrar:ija Tantra. It placcs tlie grcat Clocldess Lalitl,
thc liighcst of thc Mahavidyas, at thc ccntre, abovc thc pSoldcn McntArouncl tl'ris racliatcs thc vast circuit of carth with its rivcrs, all
strrroulrdcd by succcssivc oceans of salt-watcr, sttrr-c.tttc jtticc. wtne,
L lclr buttcr, curd, milk ancl plain water. Obvior"tsly suclt atr irn:rgc is
r)o mcrc clculation diagram, btrt a represetrtatiotl 'clrclrched' jrr
sytnbols for sensc-lpperal. Thc spe cial Tarltrik visiotr comcs, hou'cvcr,
u'ith the olitcrmost circr-rit wl'rich cnvclops all thcsc. It is the gigantic
r,vhccl of time, sct into corlrpler rnotion by the creativc dcsirc of thc
( lodclcss. It has twclvc sl-rining spokes stttnmrrizit'le thc mor-rths, arld
ur it arc incorporated thc planctary cycles arrd thc motions of sutl ancl
llroon. Tc rncve from thc outsicle towards thc cctrtrc of sr-rcl-r a
nranclala is, of coursc, to rnovc bcyond the partitiorting scopc of time.

:: l)i:igr:rttt iiorr

a J:rin;r tr:rtruscript illustratirtg thc Jenrbr-rvriks, thc rclirnt

trld-tlcc lvhosc grow'tlt is rcflcctcd in thc clillcrcrrt lcvcls of tlc Llnivcrsc. Clr.cmt,
r)th ccntur)'. Cllonr on prpcr 4x lo (roxz5)

\\,c11 as

r46

t17

122

II.5
t17

ll

l4

Astrolxbc, lor thc clculation of

cclcsti:rl rclatiorships. Wcstcrn [ndi,

rllth ccntury. Brass dia. 9 (23)

rz-5 Cilobc, illustrating thc prrcctiorr

,'l tlri orilir.rl rr,,rld illtrt r'rirl.rll,r'

frorn thc rrnfblding lotus of

trrurslbrnrrrtion. Onss, Igth celltltry.
l)lpicr n:ich[', lacqr.rcrcci, clir. 7 (t 8)

of thc Sun Ciocl Surya (Ncpali clyn:rstic dcity) as sLlprclnc mcrsurc of

Ncprl, rth ccntury. Clouachc on cloth zl x r7 (S x4:)

Mr_rclala

r
t)6

tz(t

All thc cliaqrarns discusscd so r arc sptial. 1'hcy picturc thc

cxtcllsi()n oitlrc u,,orlcl into surrorir-rcline spcc :rs if it r,vcrc ctcrnal ancl
chrngc]css. This, of cor-lrsc, is only :r ncccssity of hurnn tliought.
Nothing c,rists in spacc r.r.ithout cxisting in tirnc; und tintc is sccn by
Trntra s a ficld no lcss inlportallt, lut tlir lcss rcprcscntablc, then
spncc. C)rcution is timc; thc Goddcss in hcr firnction rs 'r.ncsurcr'
(Mava) \\,c:tvcs thc snbstuncc of cvcnts in tin'rc, .just :rs sllc docs in
spacc. It ntttst be aclntittccl that:r11 Inclinn thinking on tintc, inclr,rcling
Tarrrrik. is frlr lcss sophisticatccl thrn that on othcr aspccts of cre .rtior.
This, :rs \\ras cxplriliccl iri Chlptcr:l (p. :), has to clc rvith sonrcrhing
th:rt might bc callccl thc'borcdol'n of imnrcnsity'. C)n thc v:rsr rinrescalc imaginccl by hrcli:rn thinkcrs, varirtion ancl individu;rlity sccnr to
rncn trothin. Elch rpparentiv uniqr.rc F.lttt.nr,,f eventr ir fclt tt bc
thc rcsult o1- ovcrlap.rine cyclcs olt cliflc.ring rhythrr, conccivcd,
pcrh:rps, sonrcrvht too spatirlly, :r1r,v:rys rcprodr.rcinu cvcntrrally a
rcsol)rrltcc thcy ntust havc producccl bcforc. 'Wc rnust bc :rr,vrc tht ilt
oLlr ()\\rlr physiolouy lifi, tr,ith all its rhythntic filnctions of brcrth,
hcrtbclt, pcristalsis and ccll-clia1tgc. structltrcs cuch rnilrl's scnsc <tf
timc in a way r,vhich nray bc plrallclccl on the cosrujc scalc. Evcn
alnol)q stcller cr.,clrts, holvcvcr, thcrc rnay sccln to bc a proccss rvlricl-t

/^\
t,l

dcmnc1s instlbilirl . n()l)-re (Lrrruuce , rnd pcrpctual if oftcn sclrccly

pcrccptiblc changcs of rhythm, thc csscntial rsylnnrctry of tinrc.

r7 l)i:Lur:rnr firr corrrputirru:rstrorrontir'l pcriods. uscd lor tlcclit:ttitn. Kltgr

ttlr t crrtul'\. Ilrk rncl coionr oll Lrirpcr' r I x (-2,lj x:o)

r (r
J;rin:r dirgrrnr illirstr:rring thr.ctcli rccrrrrcncc oithc scvcnfblcl divtsiolts o1 thc
Llnivcl-sc;rs cosllric rivcr tf rinlc :rd rclitr". il-onr rn:inuscript of thc
S;tIrrtr:rrigrrnlstrdlril . lll jrrstlr;rn. r 7 r -z Ink or rlpcr Ox r r (r,5 xz.8)
-u

',;,

()L-:rscrving thc rncvcnlcnts of thc tnootr rrd plal)cts nrrd thc

L.rpprrrcnt) lnovcrlie nts of c<lrstcllations is thc ch icf Tantrik nrcthorl
,r rccorclinq ancl rcl:rtinq indiviclual hist<rics to cosnric rhythrns.

.a

euqa{qlsi&i
nnmaa'?;l

l'llc rcson firr this is th:rt ilstr()log-v,:is:l lncarls for crlcrrletitrg r

lcrson's ilcstiny rltcl prcscribing his bcst c,,rLL.e o| ctioll rr gi vcrl
i rrncs, hus rrlw'ays bccn takcr vcry scriotlsly in Inclil bv toliou'crs of nll
rt'ligiorrs. Thc nrlrkct-:lstrolorICr is e cotttnlol) sight itt cvcry torvtt.
iiings liavc built lrrcc cbscrv:rtorics to irlcrcrrsc thcir :lstrologcrs'
.'filr:icrrcy. (lonclusion-shccts fr-crli thc J:ripLrr obscrvatorv fitunclccl
:r1 Jri Sineh, s wcll ils br:iss astrolabcs fionr I{ljrsthlrt. cspccralll,
irripur, urc wcll-klrolvtt cratnplcs of this rliagt.rurtrt.tlic .Lt't.

harqrlqaf,mr&:
iqtaft&rrl?B I
qI?o'qqn:?,

'..pntq1qde.{

'.,,.k;*#
::;,.;

ljr

[l

a rqq*q{e'1-?q

ll9
t21

r
TX

f'

,',-,;

.I
il

i
,i

l[1

I ti,
\
t

{i

tl'

l'ri,

rI
,l

,'

''/

rldl

tl

,l

ln clrlitiolr thc Tntrik sldhrrka, rccorrlir.rg to ccrrrin trclitions,

..f

1'1,'11,..irr 1 rlt trsr I lll.rlr\'r 'r,,j,, rrrr.l

lr-oll outcr sp:rcc irrto thc Ulrivcr-sc.

shorrld rclatc his prr1a, nicclit:rtion rrncl nrauically cftcctivc ritcs to thc
cl:rys, thc phlscs of thc nroon, thc tinrcs of thc ,vc;rr and thc positiorrs of
thc plaucts uncl corstcliaticns. M:iry 'lantrik u,crks cf lrt the rcforc
cont:rin claboratc c:rlcul:rtion-systclirs rcscnrl)lilrs colourcd chcckcr-

t)7

ll.ljrsther. r. I 8oo. (irrrrchc

rox(zxr-3)

by r,vhich thc slrlhaka c1r r,vork out thc r)cccssry

corrcsponclcnccs. Thcsc'rnegic sqrrarc'clcviccs:rrc alsc r-rscd s a rvev

borrcls

r:9 Jlrnl

skriti

:,

oi

thc..f irr.r

rs rclcrscrl spirir.

ii=
it
I

J;rirrl cligrrrrr o1'thc l)uniskr

Y:urtrr. rcprcscltirt thc trllLrl lirr thc
corstitution oi tlrc libcrltcrl spirit.
i{:rsthrrr, tStlr ccntrrrv. Cior.rlcllc in cloth
t 1o

r_irrr (3Sr:8)

sts.

'firnc, it nrust alwlys bc rcnrcnrbcrcd, horvcvcr it

is clculltcd, is
still to thc Tantrike thc flclc'l of rhc Circldcss's pll1,.; hcr ruosr
intportant narnc is KIll, 'Timc'. Onc of Siv's 1r:l11rcs is Mhnkela,
l

icorr

Lr clr>tlr

1{;rsthln. r 8th cclrtur\.. l}r:rss h. 9 (.u-1)

of prodrLcins :rr inr.rlcnl;iblc varicty of m:iutnr-conrbiratiors, by

inscribilrg or imagilling dcvatls or rnall[r2rs in tlic sqr-r:rrcs of suc]l lr
checkcr-borr1, colorrrccl irr synrbolic colours, :uril cloing japa across
thc bourd accordinq to ilillcrcnt p:lttcnrs lncl pararlctcrs. T'his is I
strbjcct lvhich still nccds ilrvcstigltion by urethcnraticrlly-nrinclcd
Sair

r:8 linr clilgrrnr of rhc blrcls of

t I)ilgr:rnr

o1-thc coslllos lnaorporirtcLl

into tlrc cosnric I)lrrs. Wcstcrrr Incli,
t-1

r.rh

ccrrtrrrl . Cioucllc on cloth

(,:3.1x 8r)

-52

1):

r j:

'Clrc:rt Timc'. [-Icnce it is n'rost intportatrt fbr sac]hanr to ilrcctrpor:rtc a

cornprchcnsivc intagcry of tjnrc. Tiris c:rn bc done by making and
nrcditnting on a spccial kind of y:urtrl.
Hcrc is onc clcscription of holv tllc r,r,ilolc systcln of r,r,orlclly tirc
can bc snrnmurizccl ancl itrcorporatcd into such a yat)trrr. It iiiclrriles
visualiztions th.lt call bc uscd for iclcntifying iconography. T'hc
passeces, rvhich arc translltcd fl-onr thc Mahanirviina Trntra, arc put
into thc mouth of Siv hinrsclf-.

r llrahnrinl. holding:1 ll()ok in orre hatrcl rucl a rosaty of

l{udraksr lcrrics in thc otlcr'. Vcnr-ts, u'ho is thc C}uru of thc Dcrrlotlic

::rcrcd thrcrd flikc

bcings. shonld bc blinc'l iu orc c,vc, nncl S:rtttrtr should bc 1;rntc; R:thu shoLrlc'l
bc visu:rlizcd as;r scvcrcd hccl. Kctlr;rs lrcrcllcss trurk, both dc[<rntcd:trtc'l
,

l. rr,ls. :rr r,,ur)rlr'rl lr

c1'

iirit. 'itrirl ltit pt,,t.,..

I.,rtr.r lirr tltc rtolrlt-r',rrt | .its

lul1, holcling a triclcnt it.t onc h:rnd. givirrg blcssitigs lvith thc othcr. IIc
'Whclt ottc lt;ts nrcditatt-cl orl
\\:c:rl's tigcr*skilrs, alrd glor'vs likc thc lull nrootr.
rlrcsc clcities and r,vorshiprcd tircnr in ordcr, Llrl-rlrr:t Ithc ct-crtctr Dcr':rta]
:hotrlcl bc rvorshippcd in thc uppcr Ircd, cxtralcirclc outsic]c tllc tn:tt.tcl:rlr,
,rrrd Visnu in thc 1t>rvcr lr,r,hitclonc.
Thclr thc gurrcliln gocls et thc citv setcs shoLrlcl bc rvorshipped. Ugra,
,r

[]hilr:r. l)recnrle rlrcl Ii.L .rr-t t thc c.r\tL I-n gatc; Jl-varttl, Ksctr-apa1a,
rnd Ilrhatiireh:rt thc sor-lthcr1r; t thc \\rcstcrtt:rrc Vrkr, A(vr,

NrkLrlc:r

Alr;rd arrcl J)rrrjryr. Tri(imh, t)Lrrajit, llhinrrrlcla mcl Mhoclarl rc rt thc

rrorthcnr gltc. All Ir:rvc rnrottr rtrcl lvc:trolts, to pr()tcL-t thc gltcs.
Bnt listcn r)o\\r ro thc itnrqcry oiLJrll'rlni ancl Arrtrta lVistrLr thc ctc-ntel].
iJr:rhnri is thc coloul of thc rcd lotus. r,vith lour rrtns:rncl ftrur ficcs. Hc sits
()lr il su:u1 lFlarrse, rvhosc nnrc rcletcs to ahrril, nlcallills'['ot 'sclf'l; rvith
tr,r,< h:urcls hc qcsturcs dispclling fcer rllrl llralrtirlq rcqucstsJ lrrilh thc tlvtr
rrthcrs hc holcls a gerl:urcl nd book. Alrnt ts u,hltc likc srrorv, I{ultcl

l\ikltll lltlrir.l rlr,'\urr

rf thosc trvo flcrcc

this u,:ry thc cight (lovcrtrors

in his hnd ncl stts on :r Lrisorr lin thc south l. Nirrti lin thc sor-rth-u,cstl
clerk g1'ccn, h<lcls l srvord, sitting on hcrsc. Varur.r [thc god ofthc r'v:rtcrs
iir tl-rc rvcstl rvhr is r.r,hitc. sits on n Makar-:t nrolrstct, Irolcling e ltocsc. VYrt
Ithc god of airl shotrlcl lc rncclittcd otr es rrclirtrtly bleck, sittinu lirr thc
north-u,cstlolr rr dccr, holding r go:rd. I{uvcr:r Ithc god itf u,c1th]is qolclcrr.
:itting lin thc rrorthlon r jcr,r,cllccl liolr-scat, holding 1)oosc ancl goad in his

stnclerc'ls

is

tllc circlc. T'hcn rrouncl it shoulcl [c clrervn e bctrtifr-rl ctty-p.]rrr r.r'ith firrlr
grtcs. [Jctll,ccil thc c:rst iltcl ilitrth-c:tst corl]ers I circlc shotrid lc drr,vlt . .
ancl lnothcr bctu'cclr tllc u,c-st ncl south-rvcst corncrs. T'hclt thc nlne
tnnqlcs slrould bc flllccl in rvith thc colours of tlrc rrinc phncts, urcl thc lcft
rrrd right siclcs of thc nriildlc rriurqit'shoulcl [c nrrclc u,hitc nd ycllorv, thc
brsc bleck.'Ihc cight pct:rls shoulcl Lr.' flllcd in u.ith thc colorrs of thc cight
qovcrlrors of thc clrrrltcrs lof thc lvollcll. -l'1lc r,v:r11s of thc city-pl:rn shoulcl bcclccor:rtccl u.ith uhirc, rcd acl bllck pou'dcr, nd. C) Godrlcss, tlrc n'r,o
Icxtr:r j circlcs . . . shorrld lc colourcd, thc uppcr rccl end thc ]or,r.cr r,vhitc. . .
Ilr thc irttrrost tlinglc thc Sun shoulcl bc r.vorshippcd, errl m thc anslcs on rhc

u,ith his hulo of'rys thc

onc has rvorshippcd thc pl:rncts

.r sr11

clowrlr,r,rd poirrting, onc uplr,erdl should bc clr:tu,n Iintcrsccttlq to givc

ninc sulellcr tri:rrrelcsl u,-ith r circlc rountl thcnr, arrd cicht pctrls touchrrg

lr,rli,,r.t r lAlrrr.r.r l .rrr,l lri. ll.r,li.rnrt

-Whcn

rhc clircctios shoulcl bc rvorshippcd. First, hrclrr firr thc crstl, hc of

rhousancl cycs, his bocly ycllou, :rncl clrcsscd in vcllor'v, holding a
rhrnrc'lcr'[olt. sits rn thc clcphrnt Airvrtr. Thcn Agni Iirr tl'rc sorrth-crst. thc
qorl of fircl sits on gort holciing ltrs rc. Yrnra Iuod of dc:rthl is black, holcls

N,,rr l'lr.rllrpt,rk,,l rlr, ,rrrn;r ,,l rlrt'l'l.rlrrts.ulri. llprr)nl()rr\.rllkin,l.,,I

pcrcc. if'thc guerclirns of thc clircctions rnd all thc pllrcts. hrdrr :rrrd thc
orhcrs, arc rvorshippcd ilr it thcy *rerrt ell clcsircs. Thrcc trianqlcs lru.<t

I\r..llr lti. (

vil.

r>ncs shotrlcl bc

u,orshippcd.

Thcrr lvrrship fthc Moonlthc rn:rkcr of nighr in thc rrienslc Lovc rhc
Sun orr tllc cst: ill tllc south-cst Mirrs [Meri*rlll. rl thc south Mcrcnry
l []tr,llr.rl. irt rlrt srrll-11(\rJltl,ir(r l llllr,r:|.r1il. irr rl:,,\\(.\r V(t)lr\ l\rrkr.rl. in
thc north-,"r,cst S:rrur lS.rni l. in thc rr.r-th kJJru lthc rsccnclinq noclc r,r.,hcrc
thc rnocn cr.rts thc ccliptic in passinq nortllr,r,rcl l, in thc nolrh-c:rst Kctu Ithc
lltoorl's clcsccnclinr noclc], rrci lest, cncrrclirrq thc Moon, thc crolvrl rf Sters.
Thc Srin is rccl, thc Moorr r.vhitc: M:rrs is t:r\vn,v, Mcrclrrv pelc ycllorv-lr,hitu,
Jupitcr Icl1or,r,, Vcntrs u.hirc, Satr.rnr black. I{:rhLr encl I{ctu vrricg:rtcd. . .
Onc slrorld nrcclittc oll thc Sull as heving lirur hands, orrc prir hoidirrg
lottrscs, thc- othcr p:rir n'rakinu thc gcstul-cs of'cLspcllirrr: fcer rnd of blcssirrg;
thc Moolr shoLrlrl Lc visrr:rlizcd as holcLnf ncctrr rn onc h:urcl, urvirrg rvith thc
othcr. Mrrs should bc slightlv bcnt, ltolding r st:rff in his hlrcls. Mcrcury. thc
Moon's sol. shoulrl bc nrcditerccl on:1s:r boy u,ith locks o1'h:rir loosc on his
firchccl. JLrpitcr lr,r,ho is thc (]uru of thc (ioclsl shoulrl bc sccn ro h:rvc I

blossonls rcl thc rn<on. Hc hes thottsncls of cycs nrrcl fcct, thottserrcls of
lr;urcls rncl flrccs lrs (.osnric Forrn l, ;rnd hc shoul,-l bc rncditatcd on by rJl (iocls
:ulcl clcn-ronic bcilgs . . . Norv listcrr to thc malrtr:rs ilr thcir orc'lcr Irttcl thc cts

of pqe:rppropri:rtc to c:rch clcvetll.

Thc ebovc clcscription shclrld shorv clcrrly hou, Tatrtr:t thirrks of

thc fornrs by r,r,hicli wc rccrk()1r tirne, aucl shoulcl cxplaill its irttcrcst irr
,lstrology. Likc thc Hcllclristic rttd Rcnrrissancc Nco-Platonists of
lir-rrope it ser,v thc tit-nc-sc:rlcs anci r1-rythnric systctns of thc costnos ls
.ur inrportalrt aspe ct olthc 'clothing' or 'ttarrcu,itrg clttr'r,tl' b,v Sakti of

I 5.t

T-5-j

nrathcrnatical fornrulation of thc Jaina diagrams rvhicli givcs tfic

thc Purusa. It interprcts r1l thc 'clocks' ol'thc Univcrsc as firnctionally

rclatcd to nt:ln. To us now,ad:rys thc synrboiisnr rlay sccm inaclcqtrltc.
Brt wc havc yct to conccivc thc synrbols for scttins olrr owll r,rrhclc
sclves into a valicl rclationship r,vith tlrc intclL'ctul cr)lrccpts by lvhicl-i
u,c rccorcl our kncr,vlcclqc of purts of our cosnlos. Tantrl is ntct.lltt to
sct tlrc tnind in a position fionr w'hich it cnn assinrilatc fornls extcnclcd
irr tinlc. If tl-rc circuits of tinrc ancl spacc whiclr constitutc thc hnnran
rvorld of cxpcricncc rrc rcprcscntcd us plarrc cliscs ccntrccl on tilc

such a spccial appcal for rnodcrn Wcstcrncrs.

Altl-iough such dctailcd stmctlrrcs of thc cosnros rc bcst kncrlvn

rxirl thrcacl, thc vcr-tical co-orclin:ttc of thc tltrc:rd itsclf cal

bc usccl to cxprcss thc reilltioliship of that w,orlcl to tllc crc.ltivc
cre rgics which shapc it. Thc thrcc-c'limcnsional inragc lvhich
rcsults nray bc conccivcd ir) t\\,o w,ays, following thc principle
of eclnatintt cosmos and hunran bocly. First, fron'r thc outsiclc,
by thc J:rin:r's calcnlation, thc cosrnos rnay bc rccosnizcd ;1s rr vast
analrquc to thc hunran bocly, m:lcrocosnr to niicrocosnr. Sccond, by

thc csscltial Tantrik approach, the subrlc fbrm <f thc htrnran body
may bc scclt as a subtlc frrrnr of a coslnos lro lcss vast but totally
alivc.
r-J

ll

1.12

-Jlina lr,orks, a sinrilar pettcrn can also bc founcl in Bncldhist nd

Hindu psycho-cosrllolJrams. In qcncal, holvcvcr, ncitlrcr Hindns nor
lJucldhists bclicvc in an absointc mattcr.2o Evcn thc vcry lorvcst lcvcls
oicxistcncc arc thcnrsclvcs fr.rnctions of thc highcst principlc. lndced
thc hidian philosophical strncturc tc rvhich Jlinism is most closcly
rclatcci, tirc Snnkhla, is that rvhich sivcs Tantra its spccial chrr:rctcr.
Tlrc r-lifi-crcncc bcturcen thc tu,o is prinrlrily one of valuc. Thc
ultin'rrtc principlcs, Punrsa as pllrc spirit, Prrkriti :is pr,rrc miittcr, arc
the smc in natnc. I3utJaina philosophy rcftrsccl any firrtl'rcr intrrition,
rrnd fbllorvine its Llclicf il) se. p.rr.ltc untitiu\, rsscrts first that Purl-rsrs arc
nlrrny, so that thc spirits inc:rrnrtcd successivcly in all thc crclcrs ol
living crcaturcs arc ell clistinct fronr cach othcr cvcn rvl'rcn thcy arc
rclcasccl, and sccond tht Prkritj, the mtter in r,vhich thcsc spirits are
cntanglcd urd fionr which thcy strr-rgglc for rclcase, is absoltrtcly
ulicicsirblc encl vluclcss save lor thc lcssons it can teach.
Tantra holcls cxactly tlic op.rositc vicu,. 1)nrsas rc all sparks of thc
onc ultirnatc Purr-rsa; Prkriti is tlrc crcrtivc Coclclcss, hcrsclf :r
projcction frorr thc original C)nc, shc is in :r scnse voicl, bccar-rsc thlit
n.hich cont:rins cvcrythilrg spccific c.lnlrot itsclf bc spccific; and thc
rclcascd inclividual is rclcasccl by rcalizing th:rt hc is onc u,ith botfi
principlcs. Thus, in so r rsJlina cliagralrs:rrc Tntrik, tl'rcy arc not
aira. Truc T:rntrik cliagrams bsccl on sirihr iders b:rvc, how'cvcr,

T'hc disc of'thc cxpcriclrccd hunrari lvorld is irnagincd by thcJainas

racliating f-ront its axis on thc lcvcl of thc gcnitals, at thc bottor cnd
cf thc spinal Mcrr-rclar,rdu. Thc vcrtical dinrelisiol'l is usccl irr Jaina
dirgr:rms to exprcss thc rclationship bctu,ccn thc two ctcrlral
principlcs r,vhich thc archricJeina philosopliy rccognizcs. l)lrre spirir
at thc top is iuvolvcil r,vith pr-rrc ntattcr r,r,hich sncks at it ftorn thc
bottom. Thc vcrtical climclrsion fi:orn top to bottcl thus cxprcsses
thc trotiolr of progrcssivc density ancl incrtia. Thc human rvorld-disc
lics part-r,vay betwccn thc 'highest' lcvcls of thc most rcrotc :rnrl
as

rlso bccu maclc.

Thcy arc r-rsually cxprcssccl as vcrsions of thc Closmic Man, or

l)urr-rsr, an idca u,llich call bc traccd back to onc of thc nrost inrportant
philosophical Hyrnns of thc ancicnt Rig Vcda, end r.vhicli rlso lies

subtlc racliart principlc ncl thc'dlrk'ancl rnorc'incrt'lcvcls of

cxistcncc r,vhich cLrlntinatc at thc' bottont in total darkncss nd
clissolntiolr. It is possiblc ftrr lncn, in the ccursc of thcir manv rcbirths,
to pcrlorni thcirJaina ritnal cluty ancl struuglc up thc stnecs through
t29 thc uppcr Icvcls to bllzc finally intc rclcasc. Thcy can also subsidc, if
thcy lrril to try propcrly, thronuh thc lcwcr srtscs to$.ards cornpletc
incrtia in tlrc cnlbracc cf nttcrnrost nl attcr. Thc chcckcr-boarcl
r jo
pttcrlrs givc :rn inrasilrativc rcckoning of thc colossal pcriorls of tirnc
thc spirit lnust p::lss at alry lcvcl. Adclccl tollcthcr thcy antount tc thc
cntirc timc-cyclc ol thc cosrncs. Thc Jainl clocs jnclccd sce thc
achicvctrtctrts of his slilrts i1r a perspcctivc at r,vhich thc numcrical
in'ragirtation bosslcs. AIrcl it rnay wcll bc that it is thc 'n)ltcrialist' lnd

bchincl thc irnagc of I{risna as Strprcrnc l3ody, mclrtiolrcd carlicr. Thc

Hynrn clcscribcs horl,''thc Clods'fornrccl thc cc'snros by sacrificing ard

cr,rttilrg up thc Prinlel Punrsa. His dificrcnt prrts wcrc tmnsforrnccl
into dil-crcnt parts of thc r.vorld. Trntra thus ellutcs that 'original'

rartitioning rvith its olvn dcscriptions cf the lvay 't1'rc u,orld' is

prqcctccl around hinrsclf by clch 'pcrson' (pLrrfrsa). Thc imagc oithc
(losrnic Man thus bcconres an inragc of the origirral l)urusa r,vhicl.l
e:rch inclividual nray rcconstitntc rvithin hinrsclf by sadhrna. Such a
'I'antrik in-ragc is closcly ccrrcl:rtccl lvitll that of t1'rc 'sr.rbtlc bociy'
tlcscribecl in thc firllou,ing ch:rptcr.
f57

rs

IJI

l'\l='

(,'

?-"

-=-

//{

lit

.'i

i3z

Diagranr of-tlrcJaina cost.ttos rlith its scvcn scp;rratiru occ:rns. intcrprctccl rs:r
u,ith'orir'ar tilc ccr)rc. Ilajrsthen, r9rlr.il,rt,,.y. coloi',-cn clclr

cosnr:ic bocly.
z7 x 2.9 (6t

74)

Irl closnric frrnr of vlsru-I{risna u,ith ekrs of'thc subtlc boc{y; fionr
li.rjrsthan, rgtlt ccrtnrrl.. ti,,,,,,..1,.. ()n pJpcr,t . ,, (: < r S)

book

32 I)iagr:lnr of thc J:rirr:r cosrnos n,ith its scvclr scplrrtirg occurrs. intcrprctcd

:ls

cosnric body, u,ith'C)rit'ar tllc cclrtrc. llej:rsth:rn, r9th.c1rturv. Colour-olr cloth

t7xz9 (9x7q)

I33 oosrnic forrn ol visnu-I{risn u,itlr 'akrs of tlic snltlc body; tionr r book
llejrsthln, rgth cc1)rury. Ciou:rchc or ppcr 9 x (z-j x r-s)

(]HAPI'I-,R Tt]1\'

The subtle body

r33

'flic strbtle bocly is probably tllc lnost irnportrnt srib.;cr:t

of Tartre art.
It illusrrtcs thc stnrcttrrc of thc inncr hum:rn body r-rsccl in yogic
sadhana, lvhich has thc csscntiel Talrtrik cloublc vluc. Fronr thc
aspcct of Gcncsis it is thc nrc:lrs by r,vhir:h llis r,vorld is rnaclc rcal
around hinr lcr cvcry indivic'lual. It is thus closcl.v an:tlogous to
tlic Cosrnic l3ociy. Frcm alrothcr :rspcct, tht of saclllana, it is thc
fillrclanrcntal rncchanisrn by which thc indiviclurl c.rrr rvurk ,, thc
rcconciliaticn bctr,vecrt rvhrt hc nt:ry thirrk of as spirit and rs nrattcr, as
subjcct and objcct, or:rs Sar'ikhya calls it'l'ancl'That'. Thc prrrcly
philosophic:rl rliagram cf thc T'antra-Sarikhyr systcnr (p. t 8,S) bcars a
closc rcscnrblnce to thc partcrlts of thc subtlc boily illustratcd in the
T:rntrik diagr:rms. It should bc mcntionccl th:rt, oncc rgain, the
Tibctan Btrclc'lhists rrsscrt tllat thcrc is a signifrcart difR'rcncc bctr,vcci'l
thcir p:rttcrn of thc subtlc bocly ancl tlic norm:rl Hilrdu onc, rvhich r,vill
bc iliscusscd Lrtcr. Thc two systcnrs, hor,vcvcr, clcfinitcly sharc the
same inclamortal idcrs, end both c'lcm:rnd an irtcnsivc cnlturc of thc
body ancl its flrcultics. Sor.nc orclcrs of Tntrik Hiudu ycrgis carry sr-rch
culturc to thc cxtre nrcs of possibility.
Thcsc ic'lcas, likc so rnuch ill Tantra, arc gcncricllly Indian, ncl:rre
not tllc propcrty of any onc rcligion. Incliarr nrcdicinc, u,,hich hncl
clcvclopcd cxtrcntcly sophisticatccl prrcticcs by about an 4oo, u.ith
sr.rrgical instrunrcnts alrcl fracturc bcds r,vhich mcclcrn cloctors woulcl
rccognizc, sh:rrcd this vicr,v of thc 'inncr ran' -uvith the Hindn :rnd
Iluddhist rcligiors. It is found vcry clcurly cxprcsscc-l in nr:rrry of tl-re
re lativcly 1:rtc Uprnisacls composcd probably dtrring thc l:itcr
cclrtllrics Hc;:rncl tlic cnrly cclttrtrics,qlt, suclt as the Aitarcga, thcvaralra ancl thc Yosatattva. T'hc fbllorving is l clcscription of the basis
of thc systcm translatcd s fur as possible into'Wcstcrn tcrrrs.
The Ultirntc Trlnsccndcnt Grouncl of rcality ancl lilc, whatcvcr- it
rnay bc cailccl, ancl horvcver it rnay bc ccnccivecl, is tholrr-rht of as
scparatcd tronr the cvcr,vday w-orlcl by a krnci cf sLrrcc, just as tlic
earth is scparatcc'l frorn thc :rir by thc surficc of thc soi1. T1'rc carth herc
IO

*l;'t'

{
\aRnqtnfrqr/,.
{ae ruri-eaaan
\i

$,

.t

r l )ctil froln ;r|

rllustrutcd bor>k rf
\ ()g:l posturcs.

ll:rjnsth:rn,

rNth rgth ccntnr\'.

( iruchc

r,1xii

on ppcr

(r(r3x^zo)

qr.V;l-d:L\L#'
velaqE${r'!1,
ffi *,;llSf?F*,'
'm

t'

i&{'

}"'1't'W

,,,,-.,.'.

"fAqla
;frqdr

-*,b

'q?ir{t
' .^ *\-:,-t

- i

':X4tqn

F
Ultirnltc Grotrnd of 13eirr attcl thc ir thc cvcryday
u,orlcl. Thc hnrnan pcrsolr is thouglrt of as rcscnrblirrI a plarlt
gror,vine froni t1-rat soil out into thet air rrpsiclc clou'n, so to spcak. Tht'
crowlr of his hclcl is tlte placc w'hcrc thc root-stcnr pctretratcs thc
surlacc lctr.vcen thc cvcryclay rnil tltc transccticlctrt. Thc boc1y, or.rt irr
thc air, rs fcd rvith vital cncrgy fiorn thc'Clrouncl' bcyond through an
invisiblc opcning sitr-ratccl in tlic clrtrnc of thc skull. Front tl'ris placc irr
thc crou,n of thc hcacl a svstclll of strbtle ch:tlrncls or vcins, callccl
naclis, sprcrcls throushollt thc body likc thc vcins through thc lclvcs
of gror,ving plants, clistributing thc vitrl cl)crgy otlt to thc snrlllo: tits
tf thc nrcrnbcrs. At spccial placcs irt thc sct'lsc or{ra1)s, irrcluclillg tht:
huncls arcl gcnitals, importartt ch:tt.tlrcls tcrrnitlatc. Thc naclis bratrch
ofi frcm various points on a principal nadi il'hich rtttls dorvtl thc
spin:rl colrinrn :urd is ca11cd Sustlnurlr. This is thc samc :ls th(l
Mcruclrnda mcntiotrcd in Ciiraptcr 9 which is thc:lxis of thc rvorlcl,-1isc. 'l'hc cllrrclrts of vital e1'rcrgy rtttlt.tilrg thrctr-rgh thcsc rlndis arc
cllccl thc Prnrs, s()nrctilncs ntislcadingly traltsletcd as 'brc:rths' or
'airs'. Ccrttinly sirch fiqurtlvu tt.rllls .1re rtsccl mctaphoricrllly to
dcscribc thcnr cvctt in Sanskrit; artd controlling thc outwarcl physical
brcath is onc of thc cl'ricf w-ays trscd by yogis ttt cc'rntrol tllcir Pranas.
lltrt'air'is not u,ht is mcatrt at a1l artd cliicrcrtt rcgions of thc bocly
irrc thorlght of as having difi-cr:cnt spccial Prinas, thc nrost irlrport:ltrt
bcing thc Prfua of thc chcst, thc trext tlic Aphna ili thc gcnito-anal
rcgion. Thc rcllity cf thcsc itrrcr cncrgtcs is r ln:tttcr of dircct irrrler
syrnbolizcs tlic

cxpcricr-rcc.

hl tlic ordinary mall or wornan, absorbcd ilr his or hcr cvcryclay

lifc. thcsc crrlrrcnts of cticrgy clistribtrte cxistcntial po\\'cr to all thc
scnsc-facltics, sight, hcaring, tor.lch, tastc alld snrcll, to thc nrctltrl
:rctivitics oi pcrcciving-conceiving, atrcl to sexual-procrcxti\ c
rrctivity. TI-rcy lrc wh:lt mlkcs a rvcrlt'1 actttal t<l thcln. Extrcnrc
irlcrlist uncl rnorist philosopl'ry rvotrlcl say that I so-callcd w'orld only
exists thrtugh thc projcction t>f tliis c1)crgy ont thror-rgh a pcrsott's

subtlc bod,v.

trrcultics, ratllcr likc l nrultiplc cin-projcctor thro$'i1rg its irnagcs out

through scnsc-lenscs. It is ccrtairlly trltc that, ls is poitltcd ortt irr
Chlptcr t, r,vhcncvcr r,vc talk of e rc:rl world \'c :rrc talking ofottr idc;r

I{:rttqrr, } Iinrchll

of

J-j I)iaqmnr of
thc sir :kr:rs il tlrr
r

Prclcsh, l Stll
ccntrrrv. Clourrchc

()r ppcr I9x

(.1S
.

:..1

? *.-

rcal rvorld,lrcvcr of thc thing*in-jtsclf. Btlt Tltttr:r points otlt that

sorrcthinc likc clottd-scrccti is first trcccsslry if thc itlncr

'prccctionist' is to bc ablc to scc thc itnascs hc is prqcctins. This
scrcclr Hilrdl Trntrr calls thc root-Pr:lkriti, thc firndamcrltal

11

x:8)

:l-.

'.
',.,1:',*'r;-;.\:

r3

F_
'objcctivity', intrinsically void of particular

but

whicl-r

it sccm 'rcal'. W1'rcn

he has

oL-rjccts,

ncvcrthclcss makcs it possiblc firr a pcrson to crpcriclree what he

pr:crjccts as objcctive. This is thc first thing to bc projcctcd in Clcncsis,
thc rcd fcmalc principlc, the Nity:r-Lalita, or Parvati thc'wife'of
Siva. In succcssful sdhana it is thc llst thing to bc mcrgccl into the
cxpcricnce of unity, as can bc scen from the cliagranr of the Sarikhya
:
Tattvas (p. r88).
This cncrgizcd projcction of a r.r,orld is, according to titc thcory of
yoga u.hich forms part cf sadhana, \\astc. Somc tcxts rcfcr to thc
w:rst:rgc :ls rat ola banclicoot urhich yotis fc-cl slrrreptitiously
sncking aw-ay thc cncrgics thcy wish to coltserve. What thc sadluka
nrust lcarn to c]o is to control thc clrrrcnts. tncl w,ithdr:rw fronr rvhat
he cxpcricuccs the power which rrlakcs

'uvithdrru,.rr the' rcaiity-ccrgy [e ntLtSt conCCntratC it, perfr]rrrs

'tunring back r-rp' (paravritti, a kcy-ternr) along thc naclJ systcm oftlre
condclrscd forcc, lnd drivc it to the subtlc point in tlic crolvn of his
hcacl rru,ltcrc it rvill clcave w,ide the opening into thc IJltimatc Gronncl
of Bcing. Thror"rgir rhis an infinitely bliss-crc:rtinI ncctar u.ill thcn
clrip down to flood his bociy and rnincl w.ith thc thickcr substancc of
Resr-jr-ricc, a conclcnsed crrearn of Trnth rathcr than the clilutc crrcrgy
which origirrally flowcd through his urclis. Thrs is w.har cousrirurcs
.,t

I38

thc ultirnatc inncr-crtrtic expcriencc, when Purl-rsa and Prakriti re

trnitcd in a tr:utsccndcntal intcrcoursc in a l,vny sllggcstccl by or-rter
crotic imagcs. This llcctar may bc rcprcscntcd es milk fronr thc uddcr
of thc Kamaclhcnu, thc 'cow of dcsirc' in tl:uruscript cliagrarns. In
Bucldhism this jtricc rlppcars as rhc Bodhicitta, 'enlightcnmcntcouscic-rusncss', analogr-rc oltrnscclidcllt scnlclr, somctimcs klor,r,n as
a rvhitc flow'cr. To chicve all this no Tantra. Hiltdu or lluddhist. ever'
cxpccts thc sdh:rka to clestrr.ry his body u,,ith usccticisrns. Hc ntnst
kccp it in socd trim so it cln be ol vital assjstancc. Thc sr-rcccsshrl
saclhaka clocs not crcasc to bc thc pcrsol) his friclrcls kncu,. What
happcns is thrt to his huran personality is addccl an inrrnorsc
supcrstrltcturc of cxtra dinlensions of thc minc1. Nonc of his se nsu()Lrs
or crnotionul facultics ntnst bc lost; on thc contrary thcy must bc
cnltivatcd and cxpanclcd. And s this kincl ofsdh:rna is rcvcr a mrtrcr
of mcrc thinkins or in-raginatiolr, thc aclcJccl dinrclisions of thc'rnincl'
:lrc stttcs of knorvlcdgc colrcrctc :rs rlrly worldly cxpcricncc.
Thc clctlils of thc subrlc-bocly mcchnisnr arc as follows.21 Akrns
thc Susunrna nacli rc strlln!i :r scrics olm:rnclala-discs; thesc rc oftclr

;:;LW
ranFt

UUL]

ilrn.f
t-; . t

r 36 Painting rcpr-cscrtiru thc clcnrcrrts rcnctrlting into spcc bcyontl thc hcd
rcqiorr. lll.jasthn. t 8th ccl)tnrv (lout hc .)1r ppcr 7 x6(rSrr5)

t64

r37 Saiva Yogi called Gosain

Sagagir. Makot, t. \730. Gouachc

onpapergxT(z3xr8)
r38-9 Two from

a sct

of seven

paintings of the meditativc series of

kr,lr. oltrc [ormirrg continuos
scroll, of wl'rich the last rcprescnts
the void Prakriti. Rajasthan, rgth
century. Gouache on paper each

16xrr (4rx28)

known
I3J
r40

as

as the akras, or wheels, and they are usLlally represented in art

open lotuses with diffcring numbers of petals. Hindu and Br-rddhrst

systems vary in thc number of akras they recognize. Hinduism

knows a basic six, Bucldhism sometimes confines itself to four. In
morc elaborate Hindu systems a numbcr of akras may be developed
in the clivine realm above the highest akra in the human subtle body,
beyond the head. The basic six can casily be discovered by a modest
act ofintrospection. They are, in fact, a special type ofyantra. Chincse
Taoism knows a similar subtle bodv, with a spinal channel, gateways

and difrcrently symbolized regions through which an inner

circulation passcs.22 And the Sufi symbolism of the inner'illustrated
towcr' must refer to a subtle body.23 The pictures in thc rooms of
each of its sevcn floors parallel the akra systcm, and individr-rally
resemble the Grcater Trumps of Tarot cards. Both these systems, as
thcy arc now known, may owe somethin! to Indian Tar-rtra; but they
also may contain independent strands of ancient tradition.
t66

The lowest Tantrik akra, at the base of the spine in the anal region,

is congruent with the world-wheel on its axis, the

Merr-rdanda

(Chapter 9). In Hindu Tantra this lowest akra is cal1ed Mldhra,

'root-support'. When a yogl sits to begin his pl and meditation he
may first of all perform a rite which 'establishes' or 'fixes' the place on
which he sits as his solid centre-base on the earth. This links his own
inncr forces directly to the earth and his world; it is symbolized in
diagrams by a tortoise. Morc thoroughgoing sdhana may invoke thc
protection of the sprrit of the locality:
Thc Devata of the spot [cl'rosen for mcditation] should bc' mcditated on as
four-armcd, hnge of framc, his hcad covcred with mattcd hair, threc-eycd
and fcrocious; l-re wears garlands and earrings, has a vast bel1y, long ears and a
hairy body. FIe wcars yellow garments and holds a mace, trident, axe and a
stafi-with skull on top . . . red likc the rising sun, and [looking] like the lord of

Dcath to l-iis er-remic's, he sits in thc lotus posture on top of a tortoisc,

surroundcd by . . . armed followers.2a

r67

IP

This

thc pattcrl) acioptccl frrr icrr.ls olinrrurncrablc Tibctrn local

spirits. T'hc slclhlku thcn colrr:clrtratcs upon thc cncrgics lvhich rc
flolvirrg out aroru)d thc ro<tt of his Mcrudancla prrectinr-r liis li,.orlcl,
:rt thc r:ertrc ofu,hich hc is no.ur, firrnly locatcr'l. He proccccls tc usc thc
ittttcr int:rgc oiliis lor,vcst :lkra rs mnclala-y:rlrtra r,vith its lnrntrf,s
to r,vithdrati,' anc] cc-rnccntritc ltis outgoinu crrcrgies.
First hc nrust sct Llp a systclll olinncr crrL-ulatiolt along a pair <tf

is 1so

nrdis rvhich spiral tionr thc tor to bottonr around tllc Susnnrn.r,
passing points c()lrlarucnt r,vith thc lcft rnd riqht nostrils. 'I hcsc rrc
callccl thc n:rclis Icl rcl Piirerl. sr-ur ancl nro()n, thc rislit r,vhitc. thc
icft rcd. 'Whcn this is c-lonc tllc or.rtlvard-florving -uvorld-cncrgics can
thcn bc r,r,ithdrrrrvn into thc i-akra's circuit of pctals, thcn into a ccntrrl
clor'vnu,:rrd-pointing fcnlalc yoni-trilnglc. Thc saillirka, having
cxtcrnlizccl his u,orsiril.r of tlris,vc-rni. pcrtorrninr spcci:rl
colltrection of his pcrinc:rl nlnsclcs cullcrl yorri-ntudra, bcconrcs
11\\'rc of lncl controls this yoni in hinrscll, as thc srrbtlc gcncr:rtivc
orsan of his u,orld. Firrally tirc cncrgics arc collccl)tratcd into thc
fbrnr o1'r sultlc fcrnalc snrkc, callccl I{undrlini, u,ho is irr orclin:rry
pcoplc :rslccp aftcr hr,ing propagrtccl tltcir r,r,orld rrotuiil tl'rcnl lv
nt:ury activc coilinqs.2s Shc is sid. by r-rsing thc fiftv S:urskrit lcttcrs as
thc strilrss of hcr irstmnrcnt, to 'sing hcr sons' out of u,hich urc
wovcn :rll thc forrns of thc rvorlr'ls. Anyonu rvhr can hc:rr it frr u.hrt ir
trtrly is, in f:rct 1.cc:ontcs libcr:rtcd.
Thc s:rclhrka's rrirn is to:rr,r,'akcn ancl, b1'using \(,gi. p(r\rrrcs.
nnrscul:rr actions anci scxr,r:rl intcrcoursc, vitelizc Ktruc-lalini,
compclling hcr to straiqhtcn out :urcl clltcr thc bott<tnt cud of his
Srsnnrna

li

nuc'lJ.

Occasiorlelly atr clcphant is shcr,r,n in thc M1dhrtra rkra, .,,vhich

sccrlrs to rcprcscnt thc cntirc body of thc scrlscs rvhicll is to bc
trunsfbt:mccl through thc uppcr :rkras. I{unclalillJis also shou,,n, u.hcn
aslccp. as bcing coilcd r-orurd r st:rnding inncr lirig:rrir at thc ccntrc cf

r+l

thc :rkrt, covcring its orificc rvitli hcr rnouth thc sunrc orifice
throtrglr u.hich shc llas to cntcr tlre Susrrrnrlf
l'hc :rkra hrs fitLtr pctals, arcl its'presicling dcv:rt'is tht senrc rcd
Dakini lvho rcprcsclrts thc liurclnrclital 'frrntrik initi:rtion. In
Lltrclclhisnl thc'c:rrtli'colour is ycl1ou,, and its ch:rractcristic tirnr is
.

s(luerc. This'prcsicling clcit,v'carr proviclc thc flrst trnsfcrencc in thc

proccss of intcnrlizing thc cxtcnral \volllrr1r. C)onrplctc transltcrcncc
c:ru orrly happcn
I (r8

rftcr prolongccl

ancl rcpc:rtcd

pla

arrcl nrcclit:rtion.

t+o l)irrqr:rm oithc i-krs in tlc subtlc bodr Knqr. Hll'n:rchal I)rclcsh, . t :o.
(louachc on papcr ru x 9 (3o x zj)

,J

Thc continuation of the mcditative proccss consists of 'clriving

KLu.rclrlini (or, in Bucldhist thcory, somc ()thcr tcnralc pgrsonification
of tl.rc 'encrgy' srlch as Vajravarahr) onu,ard up thc Susumn jnto each
of tlic highcr akras or lotuscs in turn whcre 'radiating' mcditatiolrs
r-18,1-1,

+z

takc place in othcr-rvorldly dirncnsions. hr cach of thcm :r

'transformation' occurs, colrcclrtratcd by rnandala-yalrtras of the

akra anc'l rcinforccd by mantras. l)iflcrort tracliticr-is :rllocatc

dificrcnt clcvatas to each, symbolizing by lotnscs with varying
nnnrbcrs of pctals thc successive trrnsform:rtions olcosrlic principles
fronr gross to sr-rbtle. In tsr-r.dclhist traditions tsudclha frgurc's wliich
rcprcse.lrt thc'nrcilitator's owlr pcrsonality in a stiitc cf full
consciousncss ol cacl-i lcvcl occupy thc clemcntal stagcs. Bnt hcrc a
subtlc rnd rncbilc clisplaccmcnt occurs; for thc Buddha wiro 'prcsiclcs'
in cach rcalm is, in f:rct, the Br-rcldha r,vhosc c-rurn rcalm (and colotrr) rs
thc onc ncxt bclo\\. Thc rneaning of this refincment can bc fonnd
explainccl by Lanra Anagarika Cirviucla.26
This proccss is son-ictirncs ca11cd Laya, 'absorption', and thc whole
tcchniqr-re may bc callcd Laya yoga. Thc signific:rlrcc of the succcssivc
trarsfornrations js bcst cxpressccl in tcrms of thc fivc 'elcmcnts'
re cognizecl in Oricntal thcory. Thesc arc not matcri:rl clcrncnts in thc
'Wcstcrn
scicntiflc scnse, bnt rcprcscnt stegcs of progrcssivcly morc
subtlc :itd inclusivc statcs of rnatter rvhicl-r corrcspond to progrcssivc

r4r KLrrdalili
l1nq.l1tt

Lr,ur.t

coilccl bout

r.t\.

contcl]]por:try. Stotrc h. 7

(r 8)

r.z Paintiug

rf hlnrls holr'linc skrrll cr-rps. symbols l'tr thc frvc

clcntclts. Ncpal,

ccntury. Couchc ou clcth.r ll (roxzo)

of bliss. Thcy mtch exactly thc 'clcnrcnts' kno-nvn to Er-rropcan

Ncoplatonic and Alchcnrical thought, savc th.rt thc ordcr of thc third
and lburth is, for a spccial relsolr, reverscd thns: carth, \\ater, flrc, lir-,
acther. Tfic asccnding scries, in Bncldhist yoga, is displaccd Lrpwards
by onc', sincc l3lrclclhism prefcrs tc trrnit thc ccntrc at thc gcr)itals.
Mhldhhra is thc Hindu akra wherc rcality is cxpcricnced as solid
lnattcr. At thc six-pctallcd Svadhisthana, which Hinclus placc bchincl
thc genitals, Bnddhists at the navel, rcality is knou,,n in its dissolved,
lunar, u,atcry statc, thc prcsiding dcvatas appcaring in frcsh forn'rs,
ancl tirne bcing seen as f, trlrc climcnsion not a mcrc scclucncc. T1-rc
colour of this realm is whitc ancl its cl'iaractcristic shlpc in Buddhist
statc-s

Tll-itra is :r cirr:lc.
At thc lcvcl of tlic naveJ is thc tcn-pctallcd Hincln Mauipr,tra akra.
Its nme rnerns icwcl city'. The 'mani' is the sanrc word as that u,,hich
mcans both jcu,el' ar-rd 'phallic principlc' in the flrnrous Tibctan
mantra mentioned in Chaptcr ,S, 'Ori mani padmc Hurh'. This ccntrc
is at the heart in Budclhist Tntra. Hcre is thc region of tl-rc rnystical
fire, and in Hinduism its clcvatas are thc patrons of thc crcm.rtir)n
ground.27 At t1'rc level of this akra thc u,or1d is ccl'rsunrccl and
transformcd through thc agency of flaine gcncratcd by the uppcr and
lower psychic cncrsies in comlination, and timc is tr:rnscended; in
Buddhist T:rntra its colour is rec'l ancJ its shapc:ur upward-poir-rting
triangle. At this lcvel is carriecl cut thc lamous sTum-mo ritual of
,Tibetan Lamaisnr which arouses thc inncr firc for all sorts of magical
purposcs, including kccpinq w.lrr]r .llnong thc snou,s.

At thc lcvel of the hcart on thc Sr-rsumna ii the Hrndr,r Anahata

akra, rvitl-r twclvc petals. In Buddhisrn it is at thc levcl of t1-re throat;
its colour is green and its shapc is a scmicirclc. Hcrc reality is gathered
into a single subtilized image of thc smoke-likc principlc of air, the
realm of undefined possibility in spacc and time in which thc most
fun dam en tal cosmic soun d-frcquen cies sJCnera tc thcir fi rst vibration-

pattcrns. Thc Hindu Goddess-transformation hcrc is yellow 'likc

lightnrng amonEl rnonsoon-clouds'. Most important of all, in the
Hindu centrc is a goldcn fcmale trianglc with, inside it, the selforiginatcd Siva lingarh which hrs no base on r.r,hich to stand, bcing
oval; it is hcre EJcncrating itsclf, cxpanding from nothins, insidc thc

most primal ph:rsc of materialization. Herc. thcrcforc, resides the root

of thc sensc of 'I-ness', distinct from'thc other'. Immcdietcly bclolv
this akra Hindu Tentra somL-timcs rccognizcs another smallcr onc,
cor-itaining a jcwcllcd aitar, lvhcre prolonged acts of mcntal worship
dire cte d tor,vards the dcvats of the Anahata akra may be performed.
Thjs is hcld to bc thc island strorrghold of pcrsonal selfhood, its cight
pctals symbolizir-rg thc cight cemcrcries menrioncd in Chaptcr 8.
The sadhaka may mcditatc on this island of gcms, cvcn as an
altcrnative to full KundalinT yoga. It floats, the KaullvalTnirnya says,
in the occar-r of nectar encirclcd by a beach of golden sand. It is thickly
lJrow'n w'ith trces ofjcwels, golder-r lotuscs and blossoms, full of birds.
At thc ccntrc is t1-ic Kalpa or acon trec composed of thc fifty lettcrs of
the alphabct, ofien rcprcscntcd in Tantra art. At thc foot of this trec
stands the splcndid maldala-tcmplc of light with walls of gold, hung
with jcwcls and garlandcd with beautiful \\omcn. It is cntcred by four
doors that arc guardcd by gods. Silkcn r,vhisks and bar-rners float in an
inccnsc-pcrfumed wind. On a jewcl-altar at its cenrrc is thc grcrt
symbolic vasc, overflowrng wrth ncctar. To this hc may ofier all kinds

of pr.
The throat akra in Buddhism is thc regior-r of air. In Hindu Tantra
rt is callcd Visrddha, sixtccn-petalled and colourcd a smoky pr-rrplc,
symbolizing thc region of aethcr, thc state of knorvlcdgc beyond all
possiblc physical cxprcssion. At its ccntre is a w-hjte circlc. The
presrding dcvat is the half-malc, half-fcmlc form of the original
tw-o-scxcd principlc in a statc cxistcntially prior to scpararion into
distir-rct malc and femalc. The Goddcss-form is pure white. Thrs
clemental region of acthcr, howcvcr. Buddhists locate in thc crown of
the head, and give it tl-re colour bluc, with a flamboyant nasal dotr72

1.13 Dctail ironr book

rcprcscntinu tl.rc i-akras in
thc subtlc body and
uxiliarv s-vnrbolisms of thc
rransccndcnt lcalnr. Ncp:rl,
? t7t1.r ccntr-rry. Gouachc on

papcr

r40xrr (-j5xz8)

mantra. Most Hindn Tantra, sincc it locatcs thc cthcr rcalrn irl
the throat, cnvisagcs tu'o fi.rrther akras abovc, ottc betwcen thc cycs, I43
r,vhitc, r,vith two pctals. callcd thc' n.r, thc other in the crou'n of tl.rc
hcad, callcd Sahasrra, the thousand-pctalled.
ln the Aa, tne placc of the 'third eye ' of wisdom, the sadhaka's
facultics rcach a statc of formlcss contemplatiort. Thc subtlest statc of
mind is thcre; the mantra is 'Orh' itself. Devat :rppcars only as a 1'oni
(vulva sh:rpc) cnclosing an elliptical purc whitc lingarh. Hcre thc
sadhaka achievcs union of thc tw'o absolute principles into thc unitary
Brahman. This is probably the most important meditativc akra of all
to the Hindu Tantrika.
Bcyond it is the Sahasrra, its thousand petals cncirclir-rg thc pornt
of uttcrmost brilliant light which opcns on to the engulfing vord of
supernal spacc. Its rays are the nectar of immortality. As cxpcrience ir
is Nirvna. It is thc gate of Being itself, through u-hich mcn and their
rvorlds arc sustained, thc place alikc of relcasc and Get'resis. It can only
be reached by malc and femalc joincd irt sexttal union. As to whcthcr
s1-iapcd

r73

r
the union lrccds to bc outward ancl physical as wcll as purcly inu,,ard
ancl synrbolic there is disagrecnlelrt. The nrost archaic strancls of

Tantra, that survive today only :rmolrg a fcw Hindll sects, alrnost
certainly rccognizcd that outcr ilnion w:rs thc ntost pou,crfr-rl
medium. The two lcvcrs wcrc said cach to givc t1-rc otl'rcr, quitc
htcrally, what thc <ther lackccJ of conrplctcncss. Joinecl, thcy nray
bccomc more than eitircr can bc alone. Othcr sccts, cspccially the
Tibctan Bllddhists, rcquirc that thc union bcr elrtircly subjcctivc,
cornbining within the single person thc elcmcnts of 'activc
compassion' as thc malc, 'wisdom' f,s thc fe malc, intc a
com prehcnsivc ir-rsight.

Abcve thc Slhasrara somc latc traditions havc aclclccl a scrics of

furthcr -akr:rs'wherc only thc Gods rcsidc'. Thcsc r-nust bc explainccl
as c()rrcsponding to inwarcl psychic expericnccs; but thcy ntay alscr
reprcsent a spectrlativc clcvicc for brcakilrs through thc barricr of
clefrnitions conditicncd by thc uoun (scc Chaptcr 3), which must havcgrowlr trp wlieu litcrary clescriptions cf thc 'highcst placc' had
bccornc ovcr-familiar and obstructivc.
Thc Tantrik Budclhism (Va.;rayana) of c.rstt-rn lndir, Tibe t .rnc1
China invoivcs its own spccial scts of clcvatas organizcd into rnandalas
placccl in thc':rkras. Its grcat carly tcxt, thc Ciuhyasamaja Tantra,
describcs how whcn thc subtle encrgy (Boclhicitta) becornes unitccl
with thc voicl of wisclom, thc sky of thc mind fills with infinite visions
al-id scelrcs. Thcn like sparks sccd-mantras cmcrsc and cryst:rllize
gradually into completc and glowing livir-rg forrns of dcvates,
beautiful or terrible, wl-rich confront thc mcditator. Their only
rclationship is with hinr; they act oLlt no notional intcrpersonal dr:rnta
indcpcnclcnt of him. Oncc thcy are thoroughly rcalized in mcditation, they ncver lcavc the sdhaka. Thcy bccomc like cxtcnsions cfhis
facultics, edvar-icing his mcditation, ancl helping hinr to producc
physical cfi-ccts in thc wor1d. In fact'thc form cf a dcvat is nothing
but an cxplosiolr of the void, naturally non-cxistcr.rt'(i.c. bcyoncl the
scopc of c:onvergcnt logic), br-rt dcpends olr a chrin of particr-rlarizations within the voicl which makcs a particular stretch of thc psychic
and cosmic wholc available to the mcditator. Thcy present
themsclvcs likc visicns wrthin a supcrnatlrral clouclcd or flaming
space, hovering ovcr a lanclscape scttin1, the thrce cJimensions of thc
former quitc inconsistent with those ol the lattcr. This is the basic
pattern of the Tibetan tanka picturc.
174

This idca of iconography lcd to spccial devclopmcr-rts wjthin

Tantrik Blldclhisni. Largc nttrnbcrs of spccial rnandalas u'cre
clevclopcd during thc sixth to twclfth cclrtllrics, Inally recorded
.. Al) rroo by thc grcat Indialr sagc Abhaykaragupta and prescrvccl
in Tibct.28 Thesc co-ordinatccl itrnttnrcrablc vriatiolrs of devltl
frgr-rrcs. Thc largcst collcction cf artistic icorrs illustrttirtg thc figr.rrcs,

rnacle in thc cightcenth ccntury, was f<rntlcl irr Pcking it'r r9z. It
originally colrtaincd 787 irnagcs. Thc lists upon r'vhich thc ntandalas
rvcre brsccl arc olten quitc inconsistcrtt; thc 'sixtcclt Bodhis:rttvls', fcr
cxanrple, can difrcr drastically accordins to difii-cl:cnt ltsa!!es. Thcsc
inconsistcncics may indicatc local variatiolrs artoilg thc traditiorls
which havc bccn collcctcd. Br-rt thc idca bchind this Budclhist
nllrr.rd:rl:r s) ste nr i. ,rlr,r .r s tltt' ..tltl.'. Arry rn.rttd.rl.t ,,r i.rkr, ol tlt v:tt.is.
thoroughly rcalizcd in rncclitetiol), bccolnes a pcrlnaltcl'lt propcrty
of thc sclhaka's ilrncr bcitrs, art aclclccl clintctrsiott to his tcta1
condition.
Thc coursc of an inclividual's spiritual history rnry clcmancl tl'rat hc
lcnr ancl assimilatc a !livcll mandala ftrr a special occasion. Thc
manclala itsclf, :rs a diagrarnn-ratic coniplcx strltctttrcd rlroulld :l
ccntral poir-rt, focuscs thc cltcrgics it contailts upolt tlic nlcditator's
ccntral Sr-rsurnn; wltilc thc clifIcrcnt ftgurcs gyratitte u,ithirl it
crystallizc strctcircs of psychologicrl cxperietlcc attd rncatritrg. ln a
scnsc, thcrcforc, thc nrcrc nrrnclalas a sacll-raka can rcalizc lrld absorb,
thc grcatcr his cndou,,rnent.
Thcrc is, horvcvcr, onc lcading p:lttcrtt whicli co-ordil).ttcs lll thc
lnany possiblc nrandalas of this Buddhisnr, r'vhich is ofteil (lvrorlgly)
bclicvccl to bc thc only Vajrayana rnanclala. It is that of thc pcaccfirl
or Dhyani Iluclclhas, supplcnlclrtcd by ntatchirte lnar.,dals of
'Knor,vlcclgc Holc1crs' and 'Wrathlul' clcvrtas. Agairr, not all thc
surviving vcrsions arc totally consistct'lt. Thcir syrnbolisnl atld
r-nanipulatiolr:rrc cxtrelnely rcfinecl, atrd kttorvrt to vcrv fcr,v l-tlastcrs
cvcn in tl-rc Tibetan sccts. Somc indicltiorl lias alrcady bccrr givcrl
(p. ,:r) of parts of thcir rneanirg; othcr prrts rlsc rclatc to spccific
points of Btrddhist psycholopSy and rnctaphysics. T'l'rc inrportant thinu
here is that l)ollc of thcm ili il-scft alonc rcprcscrlts cnlichtenmcnt. All
thrcc mar.rclalas lreed to bc superinrposecl and fr-rsccl, transfbrmcd ittto
a singlc irnagc.

Thosc mandalas occtlpy Vajrayna's t1'rrce upper akras of flrc at

the hcart. of air at thc tl-rrcat ancl of aethcr in thc cro\\'n of thc hcad.
775

I.l-5

I:14 Thc colnbincd

sultlc
boclics

,i,

r:

li

r,'

frr

nd cosnric

in rhc firrlrr oi

thc'clcntclts'.:ts

li
I

Svr'rnrbLlr"llnrhrr. rhc

sclf-orisinrtcd lorcl.
Ncp:rl. r 7th ccnrur\.
CloLrchc o:r ckrrll
7:l x.lo (iS.\ x 7)

lfi]i

ll'j

trl

t
r

+i Tnk.

dcpicturg

thc n.lndls of thc

l)c.rccf ul lJuticlhrs. of
rhc Knos'lcdqcHoldcr :rrl thc
Wrh1irl Llu clclh-s.

of

thc six BLrclrlh;rs

prcsirlirg ()\:cr thc
rclnrs oi

crntioll. :r11 thc

(lul-clilr oi thc iirur
dircctios. TiLc. I 8th

l-cilr

ccl)tLrr\'.

(loulchc o]l

cloth :9 x 22 (74 x

-ia))

14-5

Each mandala must bc inu.arclly 'realizccl', with its full complcmcrtt

of mcaning, at its appropriatc akra-lcvcl of kncw1edge. Thcy are all
conccivccl as groups ol five circlcs ror-rghly ott a plane , olre at the
ccntre and onc at each cf thc four clircctiot'ts, sot-rth, ctst, lrorth and

wcst of each tnandala. Each circlc is agait'r an clcmcntal rcgiorr

occupicd by its own presiding Br.rddha o1' appropriatc symbolic
colour, in symbolic scxual uniolr with his lenlale wisdcln-condition,
i.e. in a spccific statc of intuition. The BucJclha-stltes in each ntand1a
are focuscd in thc frgures at the cclrtrc; and cach nrarlclala rcprcscnts a
transfcrmation of the othcrs. Each of the set of fivc at ali thrcc levels

rcprcscnts the moclification and sr:blin-ration of gradcs of

rnajor human cmotional hindranccs, corrclated both with the setrscrerlrns and u.ith thc psychological catcgories (skandhas) to wl-rich all
cxperiencc is rcduced accorcling to lJtrcldhist tradition. Each also l-ras a
special kind of insight. Thc five rcgions arc: in thc lluc cclrtrc rcgion
Rudcll-ia Vairoana. whosc cmotional realm is 'fascinatiou', sclrsefield 'sight' and skandh:r 'visible form'; in thc ycllow'soutficrn regiorr
llucldh:r Ratliasarnbhava, whosc cmotional rcllm is 'priclc', senscfield'touch'alrd skandfia'fcelings'; in thc whitc castcrn rcgitttr is

tirc five

Buclclha Aksobhya, whosc crllotional rcalnr

is'ragc',

scnse-ficlcl

'sound' and skanclha'intellectu1 discrimination'; itr thc grccn

northcrn rcgion Rucldha Amogirasicldhi, whose crnctitnal rcalm is
'c1)vy', scnsc-ficlcl 'tastc' and skanclha 'tr:rccs of habit-etlcrgy fr-om
past livcs'; in thc rcd w(rsterll rcgion Buddha Amitabh (ot
Arnrtyus), u.hose emotional rcalm is 'llrst', scnsc-ficlcl 'smcll' and
skanclha'idc:rs'. Each'dircction'savc thc ccntre has its own special
tcrrifying gu:rrclian figurc, also rcprescntccl in sexllal union with a
fc'nrale counterpart. Thesc last arc thc particular dc'itics of thc pcoplc,
of thosc on the ontsicle of thc circlc olinitiatcs.
All thc Buddfia-figr.lrcs may thcmselvcs have thcir own ntaudalas,
of which they arc thc focl cclltrcs; ancl all havc scvcral of thcir ow'rt

spccial antllroponrorphic 'rcflcxcs' or 'proections' it'lto thc iowcr

gradcs of spiritual lilc. Chief of these arc tllc Bodhisattvas, frgurcs of
infinite compassion. Thc most itnportant f,ru Av1okitt'iv.traPaclnr:rp:rui, a rcflcx of Anritabha, Samantabhadra of Vairoana, and
Manjuri of Aksobhya. There arc flmale B<clhisattvas too, antollg
u,hom rnay bc ranked thc various colottrccl Tars. Thc ttantc 'Tar'
nlcans'She who causcs onc to rro--', thc r,vord'cross'in-rplying slfcly
rcaching 'thc othcr sitlc' cf thc storrny torrcnt of erxistcnce r.vhich
178

is

elh-rciccl

to in the nrost :rncicnt Ruddhist Mantra of

Sttprerne

Wiscloni.

Thc Knowlcdgc-Holdcrs are usually

re

prcscnted as figurcs

matching the colour of thcir equivalent Buddha-rcgion, dancing in

sexual intcrcoursc with dille'rcnt-colorrrccl Dkinis; thcir laccs wear
slightly 'e nrrgcd' cxpressions. Thcir mcaning is always kept
particr.rlarly sccrct, br,lt it is clcar iom thcir partners, u.ho arc always
Dkinis, tirat thcy syrnbolizc thc whole gamut of initiatory statcs.
The significancc cf the topnlost mandala of big-bcllied and raging

'Wrathtul Hcrkas', cacl.r dancing with his f,:male reflection, his gross
phallus thmst into hcr, hair bristling lorrg ancl wild, aurcolccl in flamc,
has bccn sr-rggcstcd carlier on (p. r 37). 13ut thc fact tliat thcsc
Buddha-transformations inhabit the highest rcgion in the Bucldhist
subtle body, callcd variously thc 'C)ccan of rcconcili:iticn', 'thc sclforiginatcd Univcrsal Bocly', 'the Totality of the Void', gives thern a
spccial char:rcter. Tl.rcir colours are all darkcuir-rgs or ncgatives of the
colours of their corresponding Br"rddhas brown, tawlry, black, darksrccn, red-black. Thcir'conclition' is the oppositc of thc'Peacc' of the
Dhyani-Buddl-ras. Thus thcy re prcscnt thc ultimate 'calrcellins
througl-r' of all the obvior-rs virtucs w-hich cutward tcacl.rings namc
ancl propagate. Their gcncral aspect conlrects thern r'vith tirc image of
thc completcd Tantrik sadhaka with which this book cncls (p. zo4).
Thc special kincl of integration' symbolizecl by the jnitiatior-rs cf thc
Knowleclge-Holdcrs is transformcd at this lcvel into an apparent
frcccJoni, an identification with originating vorticcs rn''ithin the Voicl.
Thcir narnes anc'l thosc of their fcmales are all formcd from thc names
of thc csotc'ric ernblems which link thc stagcs of Iluddha-transformation (C. Ilucldha, S. Ratna, E. Vajra, N. Karma, W. Padma,
symbolizcci by whcel, jewel, vajra, sacrificial sword and lotus).
Sincc thc gencral charicter cf thcsc 'Wrathfi.rl' figures solxchorl'
cxprcsscs gcneric 'raec', thcrc is always fclt to be a spccial conncctiorr
between thcm and thc Ruddha Aksobhya of tl-rc East, whosc
cmotionai rcalm is 'ragc' and rnily Vajra: so much so that
Aksobhya, although his is not the central position in his own
manclala, is oftcn s:ricl to be the 'originator' of thc othcr fcur. Sincc thc
'Wrathful' inragcs arc placed highcr in the subtlc bocly ancl hcncc
l'righcr in the existentill chain of Vajrayana, 'originator' hcrc rnust
nreur that he is the link bctu'een his ou,n peaceful mandala and tl'rc
higl-icr nrar.rdalas w'hcrc a transcendcntalizecl 'rage' prcvails.
179

.1.5

T]

-l

1.,1() trkJ. rcprcscrtillLa tllc nllrdlrr of- tlrc Srrprcnrc lJirddh:r Vtrjrrs:rttvr.
tttcditt1on upon u'hiclr ('iln gcrcr:ltc thc ultinr:rtc colrrlitirn oi l<rrou lcdgc. Titct.
ISth ccrtrrr\'. (ioui:]rc tr tlitlt 2r x r7 (-l x:tj)

I47 V-jrsirrt\':r ilr turiorr u,ith thc Srrprcnrc Wisdonl Vu.jrldhrrvi(r-rrri. Tlbct. rrll
crtLrr\. (iilt Lrorzc r,r,itll jcu,cls r r (:E)

This is probably why Aksobhya is uivcn:i ccntral positiorl in somc

sub-Tantrik Buddhism (c.g. in Japan), the original justification for
this having bccn eliminated along with the pure Vajrayna teaching.
It also fielps to cxplain thc importance in Tibetan Buddhism of thc
104 terrillc form of his Bodl-risattva-rcflex, Vajrapani, the prcltcctor ancl
chicf embodirncnt of the power of the Vajrayna.
Onc furthcr Tantrik Br"lddhist mandala reprcscnting the subtle and
cosmic body should be mentionccl. It is that olKalaakra, thc 'w4recl
r48 of time'. It seerns tc havc been cvolved as a deliberate attcmpt to
rcconcilc lluddhist and Hindu mandaia-symbolism, ancJ w:)s
espe cially cultivated in Ncpa1. lts conccntric circlcs and radial ranks of
images inchclc Hindr"r dcitics and Vajrayna principles carcfully
correlate d with cach othe r. The bluc-black Kiaakra himsclf
occupics thc centrc of tlrc manclala, dancing in the cmbrace of his red
fcmale countcrprrt Vivamat, 'mothcr of all'. Therc is somc obscurc
cot'rner:tion bctwccn tiris and the Hindu planctary akra describcd
errlier, in Chapter 9.
Each major traclition of Tibetan Tantra cnvisages a sllpremc
Ruddha-form (some cnvisagc two, olre above thc othcr) which
pcrsouifics thc statc of bcing ancl consciollsncss in which the cntire
imagcry of thcse grcat mandalas, with all their complcx significancc
ls cotrclens:rtions of expericnce, is known as a unitary whr1e. Two are
rcprcscntcd as transcendcntally tranqr.ril, in the statc of uttcrnlost
awareness, tircir minds irradiate d by thc light of all thc
transformatiol.rs in the great malrdalas. Their nanres are
t46 7, r5o Samantabhadra and Vajradhra. A third, Vajrasatrva, mry appear as
'activc'. Nonc of thc thrce represcnts a 'crcator', as Hindlr sllprcmc
principles do. Bucldhism is only conccrnccl with statcs of
conscioLlsness, of wh.icl'r cnlightenment is thc highcst. Its praematic
mcthods, dcalins :rs they do with thc cmptiness of cvcry possiblc
inner and outcr phcnr)rncnon, ncvcr supposc a creator. Their Great
Whole is thc Voicl.
Thc ultimate goal is dcscribed by cvcry forn-r of religitn ir its rrrvn
terms; and thc arts of dificrcnt religions locatc at the crown of the
he:rr1 the cmblem they use to indicatc it. Buddha in'r:rgcs rrc givcn .r
swclling at thc top of thc skr-rll, callcc1 the unJsa, whicl'r has bccn
iclcntificd sincc at least the third ccntury AD as an outward physical
indcx of inncr cnlightclrment. Burmesc and Sianresc Bucldhas have
flanrc-shapecl uinrsas. Tibctan Buddhism has a dcvarr- of sr.rprcmrt48 Tarrka rcrrcsentine I{alakr. thc prcsiding Dcvata of thc cyclc of tirnc u,ith
Va.jradhlra abovc. Tibct, rgth cenrury. Gotachc on cloth z5 x r; (64x 38)

-v-

I49 Thc oriuirrlll I)crsilr rrlvtllicl bird, Srrnurgh, Itolditrg lust ninc clcphlnrs
syrrbolizirrg lou,cr constitucrrs of thc prrrtirl sclf. I{rllcra school. rgth ccntur\,.
Cliuacllc or pilpcr rox rz (25 x 3o)

t+9

rvisdom callccl Uinisviiay, 'shc r,r,ho is born fl-crn thc UrJsa'.

Krisnn-u,.orshippcrs locrtc thc cclcstirl rcrlity of thc transccnclcnt
Clolok, 'colv-u,orlcl', thcrc. Sonrc Hindu inr.llfc\ s(.t Sivr n.l his
'u,ife' thcrc.
By an intcrcsting transfcrcnce thc rld Pcrsirn Sinrurgl'r, a grcrt
mythical bircl usccl as a Snfi syltlbol of thc highcst divincly spiritual
clclcut irr nran, bccunrc knou,n in India rvith thc con)i1rg of Islarll.
Sonctinrc rftcr roo it rvas assinlilatccl tt alr oldcr Llclian irnrgc of
a llrcat vulturc-bircl callcd Garuda, r.vllctsc chicf carlier rolc had bccn
to sytnbolizc tlic cclestial air llcl lieht uporr r,vhich thc hieh gocl Visr.ru
I84

io T;ulk rcprcsctttiru thc Suprcrnc lludtllla

At ccntrc top

is thc

Vtt

jrrtsrttv:t s1'rthcsizittg ntrrrtl:tls.

l)hlrnr:tkayr Btrcldhl Slnrrrtblltlr:t n'itlr trrsor-t. Til.t't.

r8th Ccnturl,. (lour'hc on clith :6 x r fi (6(r x

4)

rl',as

b()rnc. By thc ciqhtecnth ccntury Garuda

1-racl

takcn on

somcthins of the significance of tfic Simurgh, rv1'rich also survives as a

spiritrral symbol in scme parts of India whcrc Islam has flcnrished.
Thcrc arc nrin-rerous Tautrik icons w-hich summarizc thc wholc
strllctlrrc of thc subtlc body. Apart from the 1]1rny alrthropomorphicl
cliagranrs which ilhrstratc the -akras with their mysrical siglrificanccs
thcre arc yantras ancl schcm:itic diagranrs rvhich 1ay out the n-rr-rlticlimcnsjonal symbolisnrs trn ,r pl.urr- surf,icc. Tibctan pintings lnxy
clefine the psycho-cosrnic elcmcnts in :r similar way.
So too may l3udclhist stupa-cmblerns. Thcsc last rnay bc on nr:ury
scalcs, ranging from large works of architcctllrL- to snrall bronze
objects. Rr-rilt strrp:rs in Ncpal evcn havc eycs painted ()lr rhcm to
rcinfcrrcc the rncaning. Thc gigantic stupa of Ilorobodur in Java
(r. atr 8oo) rcprcscnts a psych()-cosmoUr:tm in cntirely Buddhisr
ternrs, but r-lot, howcver, really Tantrik. It olerrs a path of ascclit up its
many scr-rlptnrcd tcrraccs from t1-re worlcl of cliscrimination and crror
towards tirc shining elnptiness of Nirvna at its peak. Thc- esscntial
fcrture of a Trntrik stupa cosmograrn is that the asccnciing scrics of
inncr 'clenlents' is refcrrccl to by the thrcc-dimcnsional forms of
r,vhich the stupa is composed: a cube lor earth, rounclcd clomc for
watcr, conc fbr firc, bow.l or clisc shapc for air and curling finial lirr
aether.

C]HAI'TER ELF]V[,N

Doubling and development

Earlicr on thc proccss wl'rereby matr's w'orld of rcality is devclopcd
has becn dcscrjlcd ir-r variotts w:rys. Flcrc, ciosc to the root of thc
proccssJ Hiilclisni rccognizes a llllnlber of distjrlct elrly stages. Thc
irg..- (p. r.98) of thc esscntial proccss as it is conccivcd ir.r the
clevclopecl Srikliya phrlosophy of Talrtra i,vill link thenr togctl'rcr. It
should, pcrhaps, be rnentioned that Bucldhism has no contribtltion tc
rrrakc to this aspcct of Tantra. Thc subtle catcgorics cliscr-rssccl hcrc are
rcgarde c1 by lSuddhism es cmpty and rncanirtgless, and thcir absencc is
the rcson why tsuddhism clides thc two uppcr akras irr the sttbtlc-

body systcm.

Matry Hindu Tantrik irnages represcnt tl're frrst division of thc

creativc rlrse :into malc and fcmalc, white and red. This first divisiolr
was dcscribcd carlicr (p. l+), ill cotrnectitltr u'ith yantra.
Rut pcrhaps thc nrost important philosophical issuc in collllcctio1l
r,vith the wholc iclca of the doublc-sexcd prim:r1 divinity is this. The

point whcrc an ultimatc divisictr.r crn be intttitcd is a logical ancl

p1,.,r,r-",,o1ogical ncccssjty, since withotlt that division thcre can bc
r.ro cxpcricilce . Expcricncc mllst bc cxpcrienced by an cxpericnccr,
and he ntllst have sontctirinll to cxpcricncc. This:is thc vital issue
sccfctcd in tl'rc c1r-rotations fronr the Brihaclarnyaka (Jpanisacl givcn
abovc (p. +z).Tl-rc'one'who dcsircd to crcatc, trr t1,'r, tr possess ancl
to :rct hacl 'frrst' to djvidc hirnscllinto subjcct and objcct. Thosc two
terms arc corrclative; lieithcr has ar-iy scnsc \\'itholrt thc othcr. Thc

r;

Hinclu-

13uddhist yantr:r,
shupccl as stupa.

Ncprl, r sth
cclrfrrr\'. LJrorzc
(r )

subject is rvhat cxpcricnces the objcct, rvhich is dcfinccl as that which

is e'xpericncccl by thc subjcct. At the higl'rcst lcvcl ol sclhana thc
objcct ntay inclccd bc a ntost coltcentrated ancl remote iclca, such as
that presclrted in thc SrJ Yantra. But thc rclationsi'rip of subject ancl
objcct is tliere . Withont thc divisicn therc can be rlo lovc, no acrtivit)
or frcld of :rction, no pla can bc rnacle. In llrdian philosophy, sirlce tllc
tirnc of thc oldcst upanisads, subect ancl object havc beeu callcd'l'
and 'This', 'aharir'and 'idarn', eqr-lated with male ancl fcrnalc, Siv.t
ancl Sakti, nralc ancl fernalc datrccr. Thc tlltirnate rccogrritiotl is tht 'l'
r

li7

56

ncl'This' :lrc lrot scpartc. IJut this

is a

point of rcalizaticn to which

singlc act cf intcllcct or u,ill. Ifhc pretcncls to hc is

proviclcs laclclcr tou.arcls tlirt point. Thc Tlntrikally

no ()1rc can lcap by

Talrtr
nrorlificcl Sarikhya ol1crs a philosophical systcnr lvhich
a fic1.

cf,1)

aurhcl)ticretc it.

Thc low'cr lcvcls oi thc Sarikhy:r Trttvr cliagranr dcfirc ll thc

various sr-rb-filnctions ancl catcgorics through u,hich thc original florv
of Rcing-encrgy is chrnncllcd :urcl subdividccl by the Cloc'lclcss intc
cxpcricncccl worlds

of fornr and timc. It is. in f:rct, a

firll

Siva
Praka

Brahman

wiih oualtes
orher
Salri wirh

,/
,/
/ E il*;;;;a;

I the work ol aktis

I deriving from tne

eYes crosed

satt' *ittr
I uY"'
oP"n

'
't'

EErg!!1!!---J
M

Sakti of
illusory division

with 5 Kachukas

Mantra zone
)

sett

sepatates t tre
Niyati : produces dependence
Rga l attaches to separate "things"
Vidy : knows s6parate "things"
Kal | causes diff0sd ct;on

I,
I

i;

Prnciple diffracted
by My and Kachukas

I
I

:':.

5 Organs
of action
Eat

Sou nd

Mouth

Skin

foch

Hand
Leg

Eye

Tongue

Taste

Eowel

Nose

Odour

Genitls

*o
(-,'

),1

!''

e*0.u" -r,i"n

beleve themselves
separle

\
)

t,

r..\ I
1 7rl
-

I
I

Ascent=
Re inleqrtron
by Sdhana

nstruments by which each ndividual

The system of Tattvas,
essences or reality-functions

r 5-l 4 T*,r fionr sct of thirtccn lcr,cs frinr r rnrrr,rscript rllustrating thc prot'csscs
of prir.jcctivc-cvolutioll oithc Unilcrsc. Wcstcrlr Incli, . l7oo. ()ottrcltc oll pPCr

rox5 (:.5x r3)

r88

pircnornenological 'synthctic d priori' systcm, and it matches tfic

pattcnr of thc subtle bocly rcmarkably. It cxplains rhe rncaning of
nralry of thc cliagrams of world-evolution rc-prodtrced hcrc,
illustratine hor'v thc catcgor:ics clcfining fbrnl are cut ancl shufied out
r53, r-54 likc ciifi-ercntly colourecl playing circls frorn thc- singlc dcck of the
possiblc. Indiert playing cards rre round. An irnportant point l.ras
alw.ays to bc ren-iembcrcd. In cvcry cxpcriencc of cvcry objcctivc
'This' by cvcry cxpericnccr thc fcnralc dillcrcntiating function is
lrcccssary; but so too is the m:rlc sccd of nnity, which sr.rpplics 'Beins'
frorn thc siclc of thc subje ct, thc lrnitary consciousness of sclf fiom the
sidc of tl're cxperienccr. Within cve ry yoni, cve ry ctivc u,,orld-aswonr:1n, is buricd thc lirigarh, tl'rc phal1us, withont which thcrc u,ould
bc rro being to support hcr pattcrn. To a primary nrale spark of Being
(Prakaa) tl'rc Godclcss ollcrs Hcrsclf as thc 'Pure Mirror jn w1-rich He
rcflccts Hirnself' (Vimarsa).2e Therc' arc innumerablc icol-rs in Lldia
u'hich reprcscllt thc l)ivinc Irair cithcr as a rnalc and a femalc, He with
ri6 crcct organ, She holding a nlirror, or as a singlc clouble-sexed being,
clivic'lcc1 dow,n thc ccntrc, thc right half nralc, again with an crect
or!!a11, thc lcft half fcntale.
Pliilosophy, howcver, nlust not bc allowcd to dcluclc itself with its
own constructions. 'Whilst it may thcorctically assllme an original
spark witirin the rcflection, thc momort it secks to attribute to that
spark any char:rcter or forrrl it flls into delusion. For: ''Whatcver
powcr allythin!J posscsscs, that is thc Clocldcss. . . . Into thc hollws ol
hcr hair-pores nrillions of cosmic cggs c()tlstantly disappcar. . . . Shc
grants the desircs of sadhakas by assunring various forms in pl.y.'.o
I}-rt'Shc u,.ho is absolutc Bcing, tsliss and Couscior-rsncss rnay be
tl-rorigl-rt of as fcmalc, m:rlc or purt: Inclrtcr] Brahman; in rcality sl-rc is
nonc of thcsc.'31 Evcn thcsc arc simply furnrs Shc assrlrncs to make

5_i lLicc-lnskirg stoncs,

norshrppcd:rs nr:rlc rtd fcntrlc

Ilcnqal, nrodcnl. Stonc ro (u 5)

sdhana possiblc.

And so, ifin his pla thc saclhaka clocs cvcryrhing in thc.rppropri.rrtway, he can rcach a statc of conccntration w-hich cnables hjs focusccJ
eycs and mind to sink into thc dcpths of thc- image; the Devat will
thcn entcr thc in'rage. Rut this means, propcrly undcrstoocl, tht
anything can bc trcated as an intagc. For rhc encrgics which fi11 the
t-rtrivcrsc, which are all thc diflcrent Saktis radiating front thc original
scccl through thc cosmic al1torny of thc GoclcJcss, arc parts of Hcr,
alrd rcsiclc in nrountail'1, trec, shrub, crccpcr, rivcr alrd sc:l; one nray
wctrship Her in any of thcsc objccts, lookins on cach as anr:lthcr sort of
r90

I56 Thc clcity as helf rnaic, hrlf

fcnralc. Rajshahi. Llcngal. rzth
ccntury. Stonc

r -i

yalrtri, or instrunlcl)t. It is, of coursc, Shc who nrnst be urorshippccl ilr

thc objccts, not the objccts thcmsclves. And so She can bc rcvcrcuccci
in those jackals, kites, graveyards, corpscs! wolnclr, cows, firc and so
on, of w'hich Tantr:r's art is fi"rll. Evcrything frcnt Brahnt:tll to I srassbladc, includirig stonc, r,vood, axc, spacle, {ruit and ricc, shoulcl bc
worshippcd. Sl-ic is thus abscnt nowhcrc. Fcr this rcrrsol'l manv natural
objccts can bc intcrprctccl as thc Clodclcss in nr.t:rifL.strrion, cspccially
thosc which play a spccial part in thc tralrsforrnatiolrs of thc u,oricl rlrd
in which:,1 sexltal analogy is prcscnt, sr.rch ls thc stoncs convcrtcd ilrtcr
ricc pounclers illustrated herc.
I1r reahty:r2 thcrc arc r.lo such tr.vo things as Saktl ancl posscssor of

Sakti. Thcrc is no cvidcncc of, nor is thcrc an-v ncccssity fbr. thc
cxistcncc of the two things. Malc, fc'malc, and lrcutcr, all u'c S.rkri.
Body, scnses, mir-id, and sc11, all are nranifcstations of S.rkti.
Clolrsciousl'lcss s sclf rs, likc the orb of thc slr1r, thc condensecl ancl
lnassivc fbrnr of S.rkti; u-hilu b...d)'. .cnscs, mjncl, and othcr things,
likc sun's rays ciilluscd into space, arc brrt fluicl parts of that great
rnassive Sakti. Althotrgh thc sr.rn is rcally cnerlly il.r substancc, yc-t for
cottrnlolr unclerstanclirg sucl-r cxprcssions as 'thc sun is posscssecl cf
c-lrcrgy' and 'the snl)'s cnergy' arc lrscd. Sirnilarly, althotrgh scll is
Sakti rtsclf in substancc, yct in ordcr t1'rat living ntelr may the bctter
undcrstancl, Sastrl hrs usccl such cxprcssions as 'self is posscsscd of
S:rkri'.rrr.l ':,'l['s \rkti'. TIri' is tJrc orrl difli'r.n,'r'l.ctrv.',:n 5,rkri .ul,l
thc posse ssor t>f Saktl. hr a spiritull scnsc. nothing cxists as posscssor of

Sakti bcsidcs Sakti. Even the Purs:r-form, rl',hich yor-r ancl I,

according to oLlr languaec nd unclcrstandins. klrow as tl-ic posscssor
of Sakti, is but anotho: or cllanse cl fbrnr of Prakriti. Othcr evidcnce is
Llnllcccsslrry. Tlic Suproc Lord Hinrsclf, thc sole nc1 best Purr-rs in
thc r,v<rld, lvho prcsidcs or du,clls in ll Purhsas, has said in thc
Nirvalra Tantra:
trccs r1'o\\ olr thc certh :rnd again diseppcar irr it;just:rs bubLlcs lrc
r'r"atcr:tnci rgain dislppcrl in r,r,rtcr; just es lightninc is fonlrcd ilr
clouc'ls rnd agein disappc:rrs in thcrn; so et thc tilnc of crcatioll Brehml,
Visttu, Mehcvam, :urcl othcr sods:rrc bonr o1-thc boclv of thet bc-girrninslcss
:rnd ctcrnei I(aliki, and :rt thc tinrc of dissolurlon thcy again clisappe-rr in Hcr.
O Dcvi, lor this rcason, so long rs thc living man clocs lict knor,v thc suprcnrctntth irr rcqarcl tt Hcr lvho pl:rys r.vith Mahrk:rla, his clc-sirc lor libcratirrr c.rl
only givc rise to ricliculc. From r prrt o1rly cf I{alika, thc- primorcli.rl S.rktr,
riscs Brnhnri, frcnr r prrt only ariscs Visnu rnd fronr x p:1rt only ariscs Sir-.i.

Just

as

1-orrltccl

r92

ilr

r 57 'Thc Clod Siva scrtcd n,ith his r.vrfl'. I3rsohli stylc.

p:rpcr roxT(z5xrll)

(-uI] tU

r)

C) fair-cyccl L)cvi,just rs rivcrs end lakcs rrc unrblc to travcrse;r vast sca Ithat
is to say, hor,vcvcr srrong thcir cu1'rcnts nray bc, thcy xll losc thcir indiviclul

cxistccc cntcrillg into thc vast wornb of thc sca] so Brahnii utcl othcr Dcvas
losc thcir scp:rr.rtL'cxistcncc on entcring into thc uncrossrblc lltd infiltrtt.
bcing of Great Kali. Oornparccl with thc vast sce of rhc beirc of Kli. thc
cxistcncc of Brahmi rncl the othcr gocls is nothirrs but strch littlc rvatcr ls is
cont:rincd ir tltc hollou,, rnaclc- by a ccu,'s hoof. Jusr as it is irnrossiblc for :r
hcllcu, nraclc by cow's hoof to lbrnr l notion of thc unfthomablc clcprh of a
sc:r, so it is inipossiblc for Brelirnl u'rd othcr gocls to havc r knou.lcclgc of thc
naturc of Kali.

Rrhma, Visnu, and Mhciv.lr.l, thc tcxt .()lltinucs, arc thc prcsicling
Dcvrs of the thrcc periocls of crcation, preservatiolr, ar-rcl dissolution;
but nonc can mastcr with his intcllect thc n:rture ol that Khll with
rvhose playful slancc cvcn Mrhakla, to u,hcm thc thrce pcrioc'ls of
tirne arc but thrcc twinklcs of His thrce cyes, appears at one nlonrclrt
and disappcars at anothcr. Ncitl-ie r Rrahm, nor Visnu, ltor
Mahcvara knou,s t{cr rlly.
This sl'ronld makc the cssclrtial point that thc 'projcctins' of'
'world' .trorlnd thc ilrdividr-ra1 is not subject to his o-uvli will. It may bc
prodr-rccd tlrrough the instmmcntality of his pcrson:rl clcsircs; but
thcse thcrnsclvcs, ancl his cwn notiolr that hc i-s ll indivichral wjth
desires performin!l cts of u,ill, arc thcmsclvcs the u,ork of thc Grct
'Wholc.
Thc world mLlst tltcrcforc colrtrrilt lrlalty things whjch to tlic
inc'lividuai :rrc rcplrglrant, hostile and horriblc.

r94

CIIAPTER T'WLLVE

The One
Thc Trntrik vicw of thc cosmic ultirnate is exprcsscd in the Kurma
Pr-rrna: 'Thc truth whjch is the conclusiotr of all thosc peoplc
jts highcst philosophy [Vcdanta] is that
limbuccl withl thc Veda and
which yolls sce as thc Onc, all-pcrvasivc, subtle, beyond qualitics,
moticnlcss and static; it is the ultimatc state of thc Clrcrt Gocldcss.
What yogis sec as thc ctcrllal unwastilrla, solitary, pllre, sllprclnc
l]rahman. that is the ultirnatc state of thc Grcrl Goddcss. Th,it 11etnbracin; existencc, highcr than thc hiehest, tlnivcrsal, bcnevttlent
ancl f aultle ss, which is in thc y,rni of Prakriti, that is the ultimatc statc
of thc Grcat Clocldcss. That which is white, spotless, pr-rrc, witfiottt
qualitics and clistinctions, that which is rcalizcd only in thc Sclf, that is
thc ultinrate strtc of thc Grcat Gcddcss.' She may appcar as 'He who
acts out tl.rc drarna cf thc Univcrsc, lvho is ar,v:rkc whcit thc w'orlcl
slecps Ithat is: w]icn cach crcatjon is witlidrawnl, the C)nc, thc
Suprcnrc Lord.'33 Hc is thus thc danccr dancing thc worlc1, His
activity bcing Kali, Shc bcing himsclf :Is actiolr. Lr the ir-incr sclf Hc
prrts on his costumc ancl makc-up. Thc succcssful sadhaka, by looking
inrr,,ard, is a[.lc to watch the drarna nloulrted in his orvli cycs ancl
scnses by the activity of thc One Lord.
This is tl-rc ultinrate condition: 'He who hrs.sco' his truc self looks
clow'n r-rpou transmiJl.rtinu cxistclrcc JS tlpo1t a rolline cilariotwheel.'3a Bnt in fact,'IThc Sclt-] is unthink:rblc, formlcss,
unf athomablc, conccaled, nnassail:rble , compact, impcnctrablc,
without qualitics lGur-rasl, pure, brilliant, [but] cnloying qualities,
tcrriblc, nnprocLrcccl, a m astcr y<lgi l sa pphi re-bodicdl, all-kno win g,
all-givrng, imnrcasurablc, bcyoncl bcginning or cud, illtlstrious,
unbonr, intelligcnt, inclcscribable, crcator cf-a11, tlic sclf of all, crtjoycr
of all, ruler of all, inmost being of cvcrything, the Supremc Light.'35
T'his Ground beyoncl all rlarncs and fornrs is bchind cvcrythir-ru
u''hich cxists, supplyrng it with thc possibility of bcing. In Tantra it is
indicatcd by thc scccl binclu. Thcre arc, howcver, full-blorvn inragcs
which rttclnpt to srlggcst ways of thinking of it symbolically.
l9-j

r6r Prin.rrry
Clonache on

divisions rvithilr thc fcrtillzccl ri'orld-cgg- l{qasthar.r, rSth ccntttry

ppcr tt x I7 (2li x 4l)

tz Painting iilrrstr:ttirrg Brhmins as thc I{nowcrs of llrahrnllt irr thc prcscttcc of

goldcn etgs. llajasth:rn, ISth ccntriry. Clourchc on pxpcr 9 x r5 (23 x 38)

St1r

e&

aea#s ib'qQr; a(ry46 ir q't * r ii 1 "r,'6

I6o Thc Primal Licht. l)ccc:rn, r8th

ccntLrry. Golrrclrc antl gold o1l p:lpcr r r x

(28x

r8)

I-j8 9 Closnric srur ancl rrrool, obvcrsc urd

rcvcl'sc. Tarorc. rllth ccntury.'Woocl.
paintcc'l h. rz (3o)

q'l
eeiif

taq..'
,

iia]&,

w&

tfi

r3

Chief of thcse imagcs is thc lir'rgarh in its spc-cial fbrrn as

Svayambh, 'self-originatcd'. This is mosr srlbrly crrved in its
surface, alrd rounded at top ancl bottont tcl show that it does llot
'stancl'or'arisc from' anywhcrc in our spacc or time . It ntay thus look
cgg-shapcd, ancl reca1l thc Cosmic Egg mcntioncd carlicr. Stout icol.ls
of this form arc made at scvcral places iri Lrdia, espccially Banaras, and
arc soid fbr pja images. Ancicnt cxarnplcs are treasurcd by indiviclual
fanlilics. Somc represent thc stagc wherc scparation has taken placc
into purc malc and femalc. Thcsc white marble lirigarhs, maclc durir-r;
the last ccntllry or so, my be worshippcd laid on a rr:d cloth. Hcre thc
symbolic colour-polarity of whitc and rcd is at its prircst. Whitc is the
nuclcus of lJcins, red the active, the passionate attachnteut w,lrich
crcates and projccts orlt into space and tinrc.
FIowcver, thc stagc prcccdir-rg scparation is syntbolizcd in a special
sroLlp of natural stolrc icons of the same shapc from the I3rahmaputra
vallcy. 'When they ar:c workcd and polishcd, thc rnctallic oxicles thcy
contain appear on thc strrcc as vivid l1ash-pattcrns. Thesc iirdicate
the first stirrings of clillcrentiation which appcar within thc Grcat
Wh ole o lthe Sclf:C)riginatcd-Liri ga rir-Wor1d-Egg. C)n th c sdhakas'
r-rpward path towards cxpcricncing the source of Genesis thcsc stones
symbolize thc pcnultimatc jlrtuirion of the Great Wholc which
contains all things in timc, rcclucing thc.m to a singlc thor-rght; :ury
dangcr that thc trrlc vastltcss of the sclt-originated may be forgotten
is rcmovcd by attcntivc pj. The yogi shoulcl acrr-ra1ly enrcrrin
this singlc thought togcthcr with its mcaning.

r(r5 I)air.rting illustratinr thc lcgcnd of thc Erp:rrding Ligerir. I{:rj:rsthan, rllth
ccntury. Cirulchc encl solcl on p:rpcr r3 x r (33 x 4r)

The forms which tl-re flashcs on thc snrface may takc arc extrcmely
intercsting ancl important, alrcl each stonc givt-s its own prrticul:rr
intuition. Sornctirncs the flashcs may bc carefully calculated to imitatc

163

Ergs

of

1lrhnrn or
Svayrnrbhir lingarirs;
rigfut,

rvith yoni-

shrpccl fhsh of rccl.

l3lnarrs, agc
rurknou,n. Stonc,

both 7 (tti)

the pattcnr of thc shtras, the surflrce-divisions on the ectLlal male pellis.
But more oftcn thcy slrggcst an astrolromical visiol-r of apparently
random c()smic cxplosions or driftir-rg cloucls cf incandcsccncc in t1-ie
renrotcst spacc-, at an carly stage in their concrction into galaxies, stars
and worlds. As surface-flasl-ics, however, thcy are essenti:rlly mere
changcs in thc skin of thc Self-Originated.

Many sculpturcs and pailrtinas attclnpt to incJicate complctc

existential primacy by legcndary imagcs basecl upon the lirigari. hr
r

9t)

r -5

thc remotest rcaches of spacc, onc story n1ns, the high gocls Brahnr
and Visnr-r wcrc disputing wl.ro was thc higher. Suddenly there
appcarccl besidc thcnr a colossal radiant liirgarh. Thc tu,o gods
separatcd to try ancl mcasurc its lcngth; but no mettcr how f,rr and
how long thcy_plungcd ancl soared thcy could nevcr reach cithcr of irs

cnds. Thcrr Siva appcared within it in pcrsolr, iraving thus

dcmonstrated his own ovcrwhclmir.rg prin'racy. Another lcgcnd,
unfirrtunatcly not illustrated 1-rcrc, from Purar.rl, recroLrlrts hou, on
another cccasion thc conrbincd cfi-orts of all the Hindtr gods coulcl not
subduc a violcntly lcaping and ralinl ficry lir'rgarir. At lcnsth the
Goddcss did, by qucnching it insidc hcr vagina. Thcse two storics givc
somc imprcssion olthc way in which importaut Tantrik idcas wcre
cxpresscd at the popuiar lcvel. Thcy also indicatc tht thc 'power' of
thc lirigadr can be shown in humau fornr, as a frrrceful male figurc

u.hom Tantr:r sometimes calls by the namc of Maliakala, 'ercat

power of time', thc 'great black onc' and sccs as terrifying. Snch a
gross imagc, popr-rlar in ctnccption, ccltrinly hclped to inspire the
terrible dcvatas of Tibctan Buclclhisnr, which :rdoptcd Mrhkala as
tlrt g.r'ne tic puwcl o tirrrt'.
The lirigarhs fbr public pq which arc thc focal icons of so many
Hindu templcs share in the idcology of transcendent encrgy. Since
they stand on the carth, oftcn within a ccll cut frorn the body of-the
carth as cavc or m:isolrry, thcy carurot represcnt thc original
Svayambhr-r, which exists 'bcfore ' anything clsc. Btrt thcy do
reprcscnt thc psycho-ccsmic cncrly of Rcinp5 altcr tl-rc first stagc of
scparation has.lust takcn placc, whcu thc malc and fcmale principlcs
c.rn be sccn as distinct. Individr-lal peoplc may carry with thcnr or kecp

rr Lirigarir in yoni-basin
syrnbolii'of th" .,,rit".:1 ,,,"i"
ancl fcrn1c principlcs.
Llan:lras. nroclcrn. Rrck

crystal

h. r

(3)

at homc srnall lirigarhs rnaclc of m:iny clillcre nt syrnbolic matcrials to

wlriclr rlrt' mrkc priv.rrc pt.r.

Collcctions of carvcd ligarirs kcpt in tcmples, and a nuntbcr of
miniaturc paintings, illustratc thc idea that all the rnany lingarirs
which may cxist, largc and small, share in the radiant orcrgy of thc
cosmic lirigarii-principle. Paintings may show ilr profilc many smaller
lirigarirs springing, as it wcrc, from the Circ:rt Lirigarir. A1l of tircm
rnay bc of that lorrn which shows thc phallic shaf t standing cncircled
by thc lcrnale yoni-basin. This basin, in thc case of small lirigarhs for
privatc pi, may be made in the fbrm of a sep:rratc ring which is
shppecl down ovcr the shaft of thc lrrigarh rvhile mantras arr'. crhantcd.
Stones frorn nurnerous sacred sites arc collccted and ritually
sanctificd for pilgrims to carry away r,vith thcrn. Scme of these,
cspccially Salagramas containing the spiritual chanrbcr of anrmotrites,
may some times bc borccl with tr,vinnccl holcs suggesting thc openin;or-rt of spacc and time t thc root of crcation. All are mea11t to scrvc us
local poir-its for thc imagination and rcnrincicrs of thc ultimatc; rnany
'Wor1d
of thcm rcfcr t() the
Egg. Evcn whcr.r thcy are llot shapcd nruch
likc it, thcy arc usr-ially thouglrt of as crnblcms of tl.rc Svayambhti
lirigarir, which itsclf rcprcsents thc crystallization ancl stasis orltsidc
crcatiolr of the desirc from w'hich cref,tion sprin5s. Thcy arc selfcontainccl objccts which o1ler the simplcst yct rnost inclusive form thc
mind can grasp.
Thc last ancl thc first, most subtlc symbolisr of all for thc rclnotc
and absolutc principle of encrgy, is exprcsscd in tcrnrs of soulrd.
Mantra systcmatizcs thc resonances of thc creatcd worlcl, and rnakcs
thc sadh:rka ablc to colrtrol them. This implies a view'of the existcnt
matcrial r,vorld which tallics vcry well with rcct:nt 'Westcrn irnagery.
Thc topic rvas discr-rsscd in a spccial strand of traditior-l in Talrtra
-Whcrcas
the cther syrnbolisms illustratcd
dcvotcd to Nada, 'scr-rncl'.
hcre havc bccrr prirnarily visual, this tradition thinks of thc world of
rcality as coirsistilrg of :rn immensely complcx \\.cb of vibrations and
'rescr:il-lccs' ('dhvani' in Sanskrit) rviiich al1 originatc, in a logical not
a tcmporal scnsc, fronr a sir-rglc self-originated point ol souncl, thc
Nadabindu, analogons to thc crcativc point in thc cctrtrc cf the Sn
Yantra. Thc variety of vibratior-patterns u,hich cotrstitrtte the wor1cl
of expcrience cvolvc fiom its rnodifications: in s:rdliana tl-rey can bc
reverscd to rediscovcr thc original ali-inclusivc vibration in thrt
subtlcst fn cf mattcr called aethcr. One mctaphor for the rcrnotcst
20t

r(t7

crcltivc sound is thc tinklins anklct of the fc'rralc d:rnccr (Lalita*

Irrakriti) whosc d:uicing, accorcling to Sarikhya, wclvcs tlie visiblc
pattcrlr of thc r,vorlcl. The sprcaclilr!! rcs()nalrccs :urd interfi:rcncepattcrlrs, as their varicty incrcascs, constitutc thc grosscr fornrs of

r(>8,

t67
r9

mattcr dorvn tfic scalc: air, firc, u,atcr, carth, rl'hich :rrc pcrccivcd by
thc ;rosscr senscs. Mrntr:rs control and organizc thcse rcson.rnces just
rs yantra organizes the visual patterns. Thc nrantra system can thlls
lcacl thc ccnsciousncss by stagcs of condors;rtion tou,.ards an inncr
pcrccption of the primal vibrution (syrnbolized by the cloublc drum)
and the singlc Nadabindtr. Thc l-righcst rcachcs of subtle soulrcl arc
cmbodicd in thc mantra'Orir', whosc physical syrnbol is thc chank or
conch-shcll that c:ur be macle into a powerful ritual trr-rmpct, ancl
clscwherc in Indian culturc syrnbolizcs Laksrnr, fruitftrl mother of thc
w.r t('r\ o l- Crt'l riorr.
'Orh is thc wholc rvtrlcl. . . past, prcscnt and futurc. . . all is C)ril . .
wi-ratcvcr clsc transccnds tinrc. . . is Orir.':r6 And so'By.joinine thc
breath to Or onc may go aloft up thc Sustrmn. .. two Brahmans
may bc mcditatcd o1r, thc sor.rnding anci thc soundless. Thc soundlcss
is only rcvcaled by sound
thc souncl-Brahnran is "C)rir".37
Asccnding by it onc reachcs an cnd in thc sor.rndlcss prssing
.

yond soulrd, nrcn vanish in thc suprelnc souncllcssncss, t1-rc

unnr:urifest Brahnr:rn. Therc tl-rey losc rll qtralitics, bccoming
indistinguishablc iikc juiccs blcnclcd into honcy . . . thc soundllrahmn is "Orir". Its pcak is tranqtril, soundlcss, fcr1css, bcyond
sorrow, blissfirl, irnrovable . .' at the apcx of thc crystal column of
thc Susunrn. Thc point at which consciousncss touches thc ultimatc
througl-i sound corncs at the encl of the long-clrawn, sknl1-p.-n. rrJtirq
vocalizatjon of this sccd-rnantra of thc cosmos, thc sharpcst vibration
of tllc nasal hum with which 'C)rii' concludcs, u,,rittcn in thc Sanskrit
alphabct as a dot. Hcrc nrcrge'thc points of sound ancl lisht,
ilrclcscribably fine :urc1 srnall, but also comprchcndirig thc wliolc
world of nralrifcstcci tlrinqs jn cosmic history.
Audlblc persisting sound is only a manifcstation of the activity of
thc Sakti-Goclcless. The seed of sounrl is beyond sound. To look at it
from thc point of vicw of Gcncsis, rncrnory is the actual vchiclc of
cndrlrilrg Scl1-hood in the living creaturc's nrind; indcccl both onr
conscious and uncol-rscious percepts, conCcpts ancl nrcmory-traces as
wcll as t1-rc 'world' wc colrstrLrct witl-r thcrn. are all morc or lcss rcccnt
memorics. Thc hidclcn statc of thc fcutalc po\\,,cr cf mincl-andbe

202

r67 Orir-Hrinr Yantra, thc conrbiccl sccd-syllablc of' tht- Lhrivcrsc, containing
.tx.t (8gxsq)
clcvat pr:inciplcs. Ila.jlsthan, tSth cc;rtlrry. Clouac:hc on cloth

mcmory is rcsonance (dhvani), the otltward f<rn-r olwhich is sourld.

Primary resonalrce is thc first shoot of sound, arrd of thc pcrson's vital
force. 'Thc nniversc of rnoving and static thirtgs is knit togcther by
this Sakti, who is Rcsonatrcc. . . . Shc it is whonl yogis ktrow ls
I{ulakundalini moving insidc thcm, contirrtrally makirlg arl irlciistinct
swcct mrlrmur likc thc l'rumming of a bce in thc Mfrladhara',38 or likc
a swr.rnr of black bccs drunk on honey, whose rcsoltanccs evolvc tl-ic
203

fifty lcttcrs, and orn thenr, all poctry and all rcalized forn-r, filtcring
out do-uvl-l thc Susumna. lt is t1-ic osciliation cf rcsonance whicli causcs
thc Lrcthing of all living bcings. For brcrth is the gross forrn of timc
(Kah).
Tantra's world of irrurpcnctrti1rg .urd interacting systcrns of
-Wcstcrn
vibrtion and resonance accorcls w'cll wit}r thc wcrld our
nrathcrnatical scicr.lccs prcscl)t to r-rs. Thc diflercnce is tht, whcreas we

Vasn:rva cnrblctn of
tl'rc conch shcll, rldiating
qlory. Sorrth hrcli:r, t6th

t8

ccntury. Gilt bronzc h. r r

(zll)

w-or1cl with cold curiosity, complaccnt sclf-congr:rtulation

cr fear, at lcst with disp;rssion, thc Tantrika vicws his world with an

vicrv our

acceptrnce into which all human fceling is interwovor. For hinr the
rcsonences of art, its mctaphors, rhythnrs ancl time-lincs, are no less

sigirificant than thc intcrrelations cllalizcd in abstract systcms. To

live continuor-rsly awarc of this elrtirc interfusccJ structurc of Rc:rlity is
Tnlrtrik bliss. No amoulrt of r-u-rinspirccl ritual, 1ro anl()Lurt of abstract
rcflcction, can produce liberation. Only thc :lwareness, in thc fullest
sclrsc. thrt 'I am Brahman' i-r' li[-cuorr.
The truly succcssful Tantrik yogi, says thc- Kaulavalrnirnya, carr only
bcg in ordcr to livc. Hc is alu,ays in a statc of b1iss, conscior-rs of his
idcntity with Siva-Bhairava, so that it is impossible for alryonc not
cqr-rall1, clcvclopccl to know his trr-lc lratrlrc. When alonc he is as
thor,rgh mad, dumb or paralyscd; in thc compalry of others hc
s()nrctilncs bchavcs likc a goocl Inrn, solnetimes likc wickcd onc; oll
occ:rsion hc cvcn sccms to act likc a dcmon, bccalrsc 1-rc is working
tou,ards n immcnsely cornplcx lorrg-tcrm cnd. Hc is always purc
ar-rcl anything hc touchcs is pr,rrifiecl. Detachecl from liis bocly ancl
immcrscd in fiis visioii hc plays with thc sclrscs, w'hich to others would
bc as dangcrous as poisonous snakcs. 'Whcncvcr hc sccs florvcrs, food
or pcrfun'res hc utomatically oi-crs thcm to thc great Goddcss. Hc has
1)o or-ltcr rvorsl-rip, performs no vow-s. He knows hc is conrplctc iri
hirnsclf , that hc has rcachecl thc irrrnost ravellings ,,f Skti :rud bcct,rnc
cternal bliss, tfic undyir-rg, unlirnited Sclf, frec fiorn divisions ancl

unchansins. Hc undcrstauds all rcligious tcxts instinctivcly, does

goocl to cvcryonc. 'On his lcft hc has the wolnan skillcd in the arts of
krvc. on his right 1-ris clrinking cup. Llc rc him is hog-flesh cookecl
with chillics. On his shoulcJcr is thc wcll-tnncd Vrna, with its
rneloclics. This I(ula doctrinc containing the teaching of the grcat
Cluru is dccp and dillcult evcn lor yogls to attain.'In sucir an abstrusc
syrnbolisnr arc hiddcn the bcgirrnir-rs ancl ord of Talrtra.
204

r69 Natur:Ll sl'rcll

trllrnpct, cmblcnr of
the Crcltivc Sonud.

r9th ccntury. l.

(r;)

&*

sustair)inlj, atrcl dissolution rrc dividccl as thrcc oll

thc pattern ofthc threc biclus lthejoint Suprcmc
birdu, the white arld the rcdl.
r

and the itttttitcd lre

thc threc binclus ad forms of sccd Ibr.ja]: the thrce
liglrts Isun, tttoott ancl frrc], thc three pitlras

lltli rvill bc lbund hclpliLl in

urdrr.t,rrrdulL' tlr. slrr'n l.rr,tr.r dcvorcd t,' rhc \ri

tnd lrst lctters fof thc

.rlplr.rh.tl: it i' rlr, d,n., nr.r'.,,llrh, c,'rrpl..l (ir..
and Sakti, anrl contains rvithin itsclf thc circuit
cncloscd bctu,eenl thc flrst

o1r prlgc

Yantr:r.
C)ne outstarclirur clrarxcteristic of iate Sanskr:it is thc
nr,v it scts up a u'idc vrricty of rclations bctrvcerr
u.orcls rvhich can onlv be trarrslatcd by thc English
vcrl'te'. I{crders rvill discover that the strirrg of
'iclcntitics'tlris tcxt convcys can bc bcst rinclcrstood
lmost as a set of'urixcs'. to tlsc tcrn lrorn fi1r

Irnir.r.1,r1.r]

Thc trvo

brackets [].
is

au,rkc

il

his

Icosnric activiry ol crcating, sustailing rud

clisstlvnrq

lil

ar oncc, protcct you, thc Circt Lorcl

is thc subtli: original splrk

fl'rrkarl, u,ithin rvhom is containcd thc nnirvhcsc naturc

z Shc thc primordirl Sakti is suprcmc, u,hosc

nturc is uuorigirrrtcrl aucl unclisturbccl joy.

of cvcrything il thc rvorld arc

pounde

c1l.

it

:ltion.

liom

Thc sclf of thc point Ibildu I of se ]f]oocl is tlrc sun

forrned by the couplinu ancl iltcrlusiou of rhcsc
two; these seecl-points combincd of flrc lncl
nooll constitlrtc both thc Erotic goal [Kama
mrlcl and de tight IKale lcmalc].

ro [But in lact]

the rvhite binclu is equally the origin

of Acthcr, Air, Firc, Wtcr arrd Earth; thc rvholc

univcrsc fi-onr the rrost rninutc to thc Ia]l

cmbrecinql sphere foftlre cosrnic cggl consists o1

com-

point f,ppcers on that u,rll rvhich is

by thc rcflcction of [His ou,n]
Selflroocl is of thc naturc of tht Colsciousnr-ss,
maniii'sted in tlre rnutual combin:rtion of Iwhat is

l -5

thcsc flvr:
l

trnsloruatiol-modcs.

thc tt,o liltclus rc without intrilsic

scpr:rtiorr r dillerence lronr olrc:urothcr sL)
too are the Insiuht Irncntioncd abovc, rcgistcrcd
by a tlfteen-lettcr mantral arrcl the ICioddess] it
intuits not tliflcrcnt.

-JLlst s

r2 Lcttcrcd sould
1,, ol)c

and mcaning arc ctcrlallyjoiucd

lrrotlrrr, . \tv rd (rlri rr,; , f!ilorr!

rvhcn Shc matrilcsts Hcrself as the thre c lllltrikls

Pa(vanti and tlre othcrs, rrd tlistributcs HcrselI
into thc circuits fof thc Srr akra cliagraml.

I6 tt is thc

Goclcle ss

fTripurasundarr] rvho is Hersclf

the lrnantra ot'l filtecrr lctters aud is intttitccl in thr:

rcitlms of sensc. Shc is surrorulclcd by hcr filteen

hrnctional aspects [nit1's, rs gocldcsscs], n'ho cach

correspond to one of tlrc liltccrl grtpas.
r

r8

'l-hesc filteen nitvas

llso correspoll(l \\'ith

thc
frltecn da.vs fin caclr motrthl rvhcn the rnoon
appcars, which thcrrtselvcs ate r tttriotl o1'Sivr aucl
Sakti, consisting of da-vs with uights; thc lityas
arc also thc lcttcrs of the urntra, and all have thc
doubled Prakaa-Vimrrsa Ilature.
Shc the Divine Insight Ivid.val is of the rl.rture of
thc three binclus, rncl is cotlposecl of the scrrcs cf

vowels Dd coltsollants both rs collectivc unitv

rnd as distinct forns; Shc is thr: vcry sclf of the
rf,ngc of thirtv-six tltt\rs Iscc cliaqraur oi) pallc

rll8l antl stands alolrc tr:ittsccucling Iell ofl thcnr.

r 9 This is n'hat Shc rvhou rve scek to knorv is 1ikc,

the infinitclv subtle Goclcless Tripurasundart;
noblc lsadhakasl sustlir t dircct iuttritiotr ofthc
cterlral uildividedncss ofIHer as] their knorvlcclgc
[vidya] itself aud shc rvhom tlrcy scek to kuorv
I

vedy1.

l Enlightcued mcr cxpcriclce no

difi-erencc

thc Clreat Lady; lor thc

Suprcnte Hcrselfis thc subtle lbrm ofboth, lor is

bctrvccl thc

akrr and

thcrc any ilifiercncc bctt'eett thc subtlc ald tirc

gross f physicall lorms.

IHcrc is givcn a clescription ofthc Sn Yatrtra]. Lct

thc Suprcnc be at tirc cortrc of the akra; this is
the bilrdu-trttvx; rvhen it is rerdy to cvolvc it
dcvclops into thc shapc of a trianglc Ipoint
c1orvttu,arcll.
is thc sorircc ofthc three Inratrikisl
Paiyantr alrl thc others, rrd is thc threc tl.jrs too.

:3 Thc triangle

IThc leurale ilcvatrsl Varn, Jvcst]ra,

Souncl, Tottch, Forrtt, Tf,ste f,lld Smcll are thc

Inon-substlrrtial] realms cf setrsc Icallcd blrlitas];
cucl) sivcs risc to the orre tht follorvs fand
rcmrilrs prcser)t il itl; cach is callcd thc guur

lquality-naturel of thc rcspcctivc clemctal

principlc fin thc serics given in vcrses 9 to Iol.
Hence thcy total iu Order filtcctr ctturs.

r.

as it srvcllccl cncrgcd thc

sprout of thc Sourd-Brahman INada]; lrom that
Ithen] came Ithe clemental principlesl Aethcr,
Air, Firc, Watcr, Erth ld thc lcttcs of thc
rlphebct.

ofthc

Wlr, u lL nr rr. of rlr. \urr-r.r) \ o[\uprL nre \ir.. i.

rcflccted back fto Hinl from tli' mirror c thc
unfblcling IVimarsa-Sakti] the great ratliant seecl-

206

sciousncssl as well as thc sonrce of all dil{crcuti-

9 Fron thc rcd birclu

C)onsciousttess,
Lrilliancc.

mnift'station of both lcttcrc.l souncl and of rvhat

bcauty'1.

thc sprout,of thc rcvelled corning-

nmcs

14 In crch of'these in orclcr re the thrcc lirigarirs

11)ana, Itara, arcl Peral, tnd thc tlrrec nltrikrs
fPr(valti, Milhvaml. Vaikhrrr]. She rvho is this
thrccfblcl body is the l)ivilc lnsight, t'hich is the
fourth prtha la tretrscctrderrt statc of con-

Hcrsclf lrvhosc namc mclls 'triplc-lrturcd

rLvt.,lL,l tlrr'lr rLli.'rLl [urm ut irr.r.

tollcthcr oiSivr antl Srkti; subtlcst oftlre subtle,

Shc is containctl in Ir11 that lics bctrvccu] thc first
rnd thc hst lcttcrs lot' thc alphabct, which
coutains thc original root lorms from which thc

composecl]; he rvho gails [this lnsigirtl lcconcs

releasccl, icl^ntical rvith Grct Tripurrrsrrnclau

ctcnral Iin that Shc transccncls thc divisions of

sccd uril

sccret

Hrr 'r,uit. l,.rkr.'..,' rrlrr, lr tlr, \ri Yntr.,

timcl, Lrttcrly incornplrablc fhcucc inclcscribablcl, thc scccl of all that rnovcs or is
motionlcss, thc spotlcss nirror in rvhich is
Shc thc Suprcnrc akti has thc hrm Loth

iu

lJ Nou, hcrc is givcn true Insight [vicly-] into thc

grert Clodclcss IKamakrlrl scttinq out thc ordcr of

versal rnrhrlclinc I Vimarsr ].

scccl-poilrs, u'hitc and rccl,

mcans, lro\\ pclrctrti1lg, norv scprrating

cach otlrer.

My translator's cxphnatory additions arc cncloscd in

May Hc ISivr]. u,ho in blissful play

ot tlre ulr,'Jr ur'ircr',.

ilrillu.rl erU,,ym(,,t. rr, (ir., .il1,1 \.rlri. r','rr

.1,'rrrr t,'5rrh, r. nu\\ Ollellilr! ,rUl ilr ttt.rlrllc.tatiolr Iofa universe]; they arc the causc ofthc

tcchnicuc.

IKamagirt, Purrraila aud Jalanclhara. transformtions of thc Clotldcss as cotrscioustressl, tlte

tlrec (ktis Ior encrgies, Icc]ra, desirc, -]irarra,
knorvlcdgc and Kriyr, actiolll rre that by u'hich
tlre binclusl arc known.

u'hosc

inner naturc transcctrds thought, yct js a triad

3 Hc \\4ro intuits, tlrc intuitiou

Kmakalvi lsa translated

Thc diagrarrr

:o The (lrcrt Lady IMahci] is thc Suprcme

Raudrr,

Ambikii and [)rr(akti rcsiclc in o1lc part

fcourposed of thr: five t]orvuu'rrd pointing
trianglcs or yonis].

:- IlrL ..rkrr.l l,,lrI.Jrrrrrr. KrJrr,rrrd \lrrtr ltlrt

pacificdl restdc in thc othcr part lcomposcd ofthe

lonr uprvrrcl-pointirg trianglcsl. Thc nvo lettcrs
lA rncl H, flrst alcl last of thc elphrbet], takcn
collcctively atrcl separrtely rvith tiresc uine,
constitutc thc clevcnlcld I'avantr.

z5 Thus Kma and Kala united [il the forrus of thc

cliagraml are thc letters uhose orvn form is
thc three bitrdus; for Shc the Mother takcs on the
lirnr ofthc trianglc alcl the character ofthe thrce
gunas lsattva, 13cing, Rajas. I{acliant Encrgy, and
Tanras, I )ark Lrcrtial.

z6 Next fronr the centrc] l)a(vanti rrattifests, lrom

rvhose sclf clcvelop thc irrclviduaJ matrikas Van,
and thc othcrs: arrd so Slre lccomr:s nirrelolcl.
bcing callccl thc Mothcr Madhyanra Iu'ho
persouifrcs thc cottdition of rrricn bctu'ccn thc
Suprcnrc rncl Pa(-vrnti].

z7 Madhyana has doublc uture, bcing both subrlc

rnd gross irr forn; :rs subtle sh c is I ctcrnrlly I strtic,
thc cssencc of thc nine sorurcls I uidal; as gross s)rc
is the ninc lcttcr-gronps lofthe elphabctl antl ts
callcd'scuse-tr;rccs' []hlttaiipil.

zll The first;fsubtle Maclhyamal is causc rnil

thc

thcir
rc1tion thc lrttcr is tllc s:tlttc rs tlle iirrlner; thc
two arc nol diflerent Iitr futrcmcntrl nrtttrc] lor
other Igross Madhyanral

is

cllcct; sincc tlris

is

207

the unit,v ofcause ard effect is an axiorr

u,hiclr corrc-sponcl rvirh thc pattcrns

arrlnqcrncnt uiverr earlicrl.

loflndial

logicl.

z9 The lirurcrl circuit [akra] of cight triangles

l7

comprising the S and P letter-eroups lciuht lcttcrs

in all] is au expansion from the centrc trianglc,

38

of thc urgc towards libcratiue knowlcdge], and

thc sugarcalc bolv and five florvcry arrows

lour circuits rs thc lully

fernblcmatic, in tlre smc rvay as'Cupicl's borv'.

passion u,hich drjves a person to dcdicate
his senses to adoratirl of thc tlcvatal.

arrcl

!!roups.

these

dcvclopcd Ioutcr] circllit of tcn trirlglcs; thcncc

canre ilto bcing thc circuit oflourteen trianglcs in
rvhich arc thc lonrtcen vorvcls bcginring lrom A.

l2 By thc triad of thc Supreme, Pa6yrnti ald

Madhyrrna in the forrn of thc gross lcttcrs is
projectcd Vaikhan, whosc nature is the Ientire
ofthel fifiy-onc lcttcrs ofthc rlphabct.

j3

34 Thc thrcc cncircling lilcs rc transformat:iors of

the three Jights wlrich radiatc lrom thc thrcc
biudus [in which othcr aktis rcsic]e u'hosc narnes

arc variously givurl; thcsc circlcs rc on tlre

elrthplane fbhhpurr], ancl here the thrcc mothcrs
Paiyantr ancl the others comc to rest.

35 Progrcssivc development is either steprvrse Irvhen

Tripurrsundarr projccts cotirrtlcss ildiviclual
ktis lrcm Her raysl, or cotrtitruous iu all
clirections fiu au unbrokerr radiancc passilg

lion

tcacher to teacherl; so it is dcscibed as of two

kinrls, lthe firstl an fobscuring cloud-likc'] halo of
iaktis, fthe second] a line of gurus; both are
movenlerts of tlre Mothcr's lotus fcr:t.

3 Whcn this Supr.-me Grcat Lady tansforrns

Herself into rhc lSril akra thc mcmbcrs of hcr
body Irvhich is a mass of Iiglrtl c]range

ofthe

39 That [divinc] couple Iwho are rccognized as thc

origtnating frrrm of Brahrnan] are sct in thc
triangle forrned by thc thrcc bindus; ancl by
transformrtion

lorm ofthrcc
othcr couplcs: Lord Mitreia and Lady l{amc(vari

set

Thcsc eight groups oflcttcrs, frorn the I{ group

on, arc on thc petrls of the eight-pctallccl frunr:rl
lotus; rnd thc foutcrl krtus ofsixteen pctals should
alrvays bc colrtemplated as bcaring on its pet:rls
the vorvcls fplus trvo aspirations].

irto Hcr

fprojected mdl envelopinu aktis Iappearing and

relppearing in thcir millions like brilliant

bubblcsl.

lNorv [,rll,,u. ] Jc..ripliurr uf per.onifrcrrior,.

2()lJ

hr herlourhands Shcholds thenoosc femblcm of

thc power of attachnrel)t u,hiclr separatcs the
petty self lrom thc Suprcmc], the gord fcmblerr

I{ letter-

trirngles, thc inrrcr sct manifcsting thc

letter-groups and the outer the C and

3r Thc light of

Shc, thc Goddess Tripurasundan, residcs in thc

subtle rcgion fakral u,hrch is csscntiallv binclu,

lorchcad.

3o Thc doublc-brilliancc ofthcsc ten is rrdiated as

trvo lurthcr Icolccntricl circuits each of tcn

45'l'hcfive bhhtrs lcarth, rvetcr, firc, air ancl actherl,

the tr sclrscs ffrvc pcrc:ptive lacultics and fivr:

[Lorcl Uddiir and Vajrcvari, Sasthi(r

and

,o In thc circuit [akre] ofcirht trianglcs Irvhic

callecl thc'clestroyer

is

discasesl are the aktis,

Vasilr and thc othcrs, who shine likc thc sctting
sun. This akra is thc cight-fold subtle body ofthc

Cocldess, nd its inncr Self is the Suprcrnc

Expcricncc lrvhich naturally curcs all cliscascsl.
Her Iprojectecl Powers] assumc thc hrrms of lthc

lcmrlc clcvatasl Sarvajna lrll-kuowlcclgcl

ancl

the others ancl rcsidc in thc inncr ofthe cicuirs of

lwhite andl splendicl f,s thc autumlr

H:,:r,l:"*t.',

4z Thc yoginis lrcsidingl in tJrc foutcr] circuit Ioftcn

trianglcsl arc Sarvasicldha-praclha lgivcrs of all
achicvcmerrts] and tire [linc othcrs]. Thcy arc thc
repositoric's of thr: organs of kuonlcdgc and
action fpro.jcctcd froui] thc Goddcss, and arc clad
in whitc clothcs and lsilvcrl ornanrcnt.

43 T'hc iaktis rvho bclolg il thc circuit oflourtccu

triangles ernbody the unlilclinc nlovcmcnts of
lourteen projected faculties of thc Goddess Ithe
ftur forms of mental activity, the flve modes of
knorvledge and the flvc sclrsc orgars, as in the
diagraml. Thcy rvcar clothing [red] as thc sctting
sun and are the yogirm oftotal prescrrtation; they
should be contcmplatcd as suclr.

5z She, thc Lacly ofthe three corncrs lofthc ccntral

triangle, personificd

as

Kanrc(vari, Vajre6vari arrd

orgens ofaction; sec diagr:rur on pagc riiS] aud

niucl arc tlre sixtcen l:rst rnodiflcrtions of thc
Goddcss; thcy drvcll in thc sixtecn pctals of thc
outcr lotus s I{anrakarini anci thc others.

INorv lollorvs a brief ciescription of tlre rvay thc

ofthe subtJc body rclatc to u4rat has gone

53 lt rvrs She lcrself rvho initiated ard rcvcalcd thc

llsight to the Teaclrers u,lro arc sccds ofthc Thrcc

i:akras

belore.]

4 All the Ifemale devatas callcd] mrlclrs, includiru

the Triplc Goddcss Herself,:rrc thc suprctnc
knorvlcdge, transccrrding c'ver,vthiug, ln thc irtrcr
clclosLrre

ofthc carth-plane fofthc yantrai thcy

shinc likc c'arly surt.

.7 Thcse mdrs

are transforrn:ttiors of the aktis

of

tlrc ninc forms of the Ltrd, Icach occupvingl onc

ofthc Goddcss's nine statiol)s lin thc body ofthc

sadhakal which re themselves trrnslorrned jnto

ofall

insight to his own akti, the Lady ofl-ovc, ftrrn of

the unfoldiug world, at tirc lrcmotclbcginnurg of
thc Clolden Age fKritayuga].

tshagrrnenil, is callcd thc EIdcst, Mrclclic nd

Yurrrrqr.l. rrJ i. tlrc ,,b,, t uf \uprcilr, irr,r'.
enjoymclt, has the n:rme of Mitradcva Ithc
loulding-ruru of "T'antrik tradition of Tcachcs
in our prcscnt Kali agcl.

Shc also takes on thc

13hagamlinr].

4r

Unrcvcaled, tlrc Totalitv, thc Sclving ancl thc fivc

rcllrns, assumc lemalc shapc las prcrjcctiorrs
of thc Gocldcssl and shilc in tirc cight-petalled
lotus; thcy arc callcd the most Iridden yogilis.
sensc

sittiug in the lap of fSiva] the Lord of Lovc, a

phrsc of thc moon sct [f,s alr orn:rmerrtl on Hcr

and thcse ninc togcthcr rvrth thc ccntral birdrr

makc a tcl-group, illuminatecl by the light of
Ipure] consciousnes [it].

of lcttcr-

thc nine Iotus akrrs lof thc subdc bocly, givcn

elsewhcrc as scven or trvelvel.

48 Her scvcn phvsical conrponents lskin, bloocl,

flesh, lat, bones, nrarrou, rndjuiccsl ncl Her orvr

fbrnr nranifcst thenrselves rs the lorms of thc

eight Mothcrs, Bralrrni and tlre rcst, ancl rcside in
thc ccntre ofthc Isqurrc] crrth-phne.

49 Thc lcightl porvcrs, Irvhiclr are also] Hcrsclf, takc

on the shapcs ofbcautilul youlg rvomen who can
be obtaincd by othcr mcditativc practices; bcine
subordinatc thcy arc in thc last Ion,estl part ofthc
Isquare] earth-planc.

5o Supreme Lord ive lthc Original Gurul is

identrcal rvith thc binclu and expcricuccs total
tsiiss. Hc it is, the highcst sc11-, who by cJegrces
scparrtes out into the unlblding lofthc Universel,
assumils the lorm of thc Lcrcl of Lovc.
rcsidcs iu the Ucldiyla pitha
fthe innerrnost trianglcl, passcd on this profouncl

5r Guru Siv, rvho

Agcs alcl Lorcls of thc thrcc b-rjas, ancl by whon

the thrce ordcrs [ofuurusl arc maiutainecl. This is
thc systcm oigurus.

54 Hcrc encls the description by Punyilalcla Ithe

authorl of thc crotically plal,ful moveucnts of
beautiful Kamakala, t])e \\,o1nan who is eternally
rlre ol,ject oflr, d, rirc u irh u lriclr Srtrcnte \ir
is flllccl.

5-5 C)vcr thc ocer ofrvandcring, rvhose u,atcrs rre

rrging thirst ancl u ild rvith thc rvrvcs ofarrxicty, I
have crosscd bv thc grace of thc IJoatnan, the
rcspcctcd Lord, to rvironr Namas! Rcvcrcnce!

In this brief, oftcl cryptic but rviclely respectccl

Tautra thc whole mcchanism of yf,utrJ, mantra,
dcvta and the meatting of sdhana arc surnmrized.
By dcscribing thc process ofGelreration from a singlc
poil)t it denronstratcs how libido rnay [e wit]rdrarvn
from any iDtcrcst in, or attachment to, thc objccts of

the u'old rvhich are no more than projections

throrrgh cach person's channels ofmild and body of
an orisinl L)esirc lor the mrrtuality of love. By
locusing meclitation inrvards or to thc imagcs and
sounds of the yrntra, which transcclds tirnc, the
projected .orltl corncs to bc scen as a distant
palrorf,na of intrinsically u,ortlrless :rccidents,'play'.
The libido, locusccl into unparticularized cosmic
scxuality, and progrcssivcly condcuscd u,ithin the
circuits

of the yantra, is shorvn to bc that vcry

point lrorn u,hich Clrertion contiDlrally

intclrsest

springs ald to rvhich inclividual crtlightenrttent ma1,

return. ]

44 In the eight pctals the follow,ilg eight: rhc

209

Notes on the text

hc

mird rvirhirr

rhc nrultipiicity of

f,PPCarrnccs.

(ioloke:'co*,-worlcl'. thc cclcstrl

rcgion offirlfilmort for lollorvcrs of
r Bh:rrti, Tht Tantnt Tralitiot.
r96j.

: Avrlon (cd.).
3 13hartacheryye, cd..
'l'antra, ()h 5.9.

Ouhyasanta.la

4 T'his rvill bc huld cxplaincd in

dctil r Rrvscn, Erotir Att oJ thc
Ed-!,

I96ll.

Ii It is continc.l cspecielly in thc

Bh.,tat dtt,t. tlt Bh.pnt ata l'tt,a,',.
d tbc Bral'ndtait,artd Purina.
r6 Avlor, tt-, Karpiridistonant, p. 15.
I7 Avalon, tr., lllaliruina'fdntra.
ti f tt,tlt,,t ,r 1t|,-t.t,t .\ly.rt t.,,,.

r9

5 Eliedc, Y,,gr, Imnorfality and

lrtttiltm, 195E.
Ilosch, 7r CoLder Ctnn, t96o.

in Conierrdtlfr

ir.

R.u.. rr, /i,, f.

r.

u4 Av:rlon, tt., \,Iahiiryin Tanlra.

u 5 Avrlon, Shakti ard Shakta, t1<.p.
J.l

z6 (lovinda, lotnddtion: Ltf

llyttisn,

Strptnf Poucr, r9to, ancl Covircla,

I t,,dntit, t
1

o/
Chincst lluliation, Londorr r94,
Lu l('urr Yii, Tor Yrry, Loridoll

oJ' Europtan

L97o rucl (lheug Chung Yurn,

Crtatiuity and Tooisn, Ncrv York

rr.or. t h l:-tt; lt 'J ltttrt,;r"

Man,

9o.

zz Scc Chrlcs Luk, '/[c Scrrctr

'l hou.qht, r<15r.

r,,,.,,,.

t963.

r<73-

is

callcd l,akiri.

cd

Niryaarra-

ya.qiualt.

29 Avilof, tt., Kitndklivilisd.

ao Yollnt Tintrd.
l1 Narildlnt\udr.
3: Ad:ptcd lrom Bhrttacharya
Mrhodel a,' I roil ttdldtt, d.

j3 PtdtldbhiA \ira.
3l Nlditti Ljpouilod.

35 Nloirri Upani:a1.
36 itlindtLkya Upannl.
11itri Llpani\dtl.
33 Prataiasira.

l1

rcgrrdcd rvirh horror.

hir: 'l', thc sclf of pcrsorr rrd

( losrnos.

Aji: thc

akre bctwccn thc cvcbrows.

Aksobhye: thc Budclh ofrhc fivc q4rt,
in Vajrayanr, occrrpics thc crst, rnd
is,

a scnsc.

thc'first'.

Auht;r: thc kr ucar thc hcrr.

nanda: Suprcrnc bliss.

Annt: 'ctcnl or

crdlcss onc , thc

snkc on lr'lrom Visnu rcsts.
Apila: onc ofrhc chicf'clc-rgics' ur thc

suldc lorlv, fillurg thc rcgion ofthc

f,IILlS,

eir:rm: a horsc ofrcligious rcttct rncl

mcdiratio.
Athrvr Vccla: hc fourth Vcdr, rvhich
dcals cspccirlly rvih nrcdicinc ;urd
m gr c.

f,,rnr ,. ui oIt]rc r.rl'1, l. rnr uI

Sir".

2to

g.rcr.rl, .t.tsuri,\ l
Holi: a crrrvl, t thc

ir..

rp.

sprirlg hrvcst,

rvhcr pcoplc sprl_v crch othcr with

coloucd \\,lcr or polvdcr to cclcbretc fcrtility.
Hhir: a mautra cmboclying spiriturl
PO

wCr.

Clting'. ar arrcicrt Chircsc'lrok ol

Oraclcs, "Ihe Rook ofChanges'.
idrn: \rrs(rr f,r rlr\. tlrr rnrmcdiately ob.jc'ctivc prcscnt, hcrc

rl.,t,d .rs 'rlr.r'. r. ,,,'rrrr ir.

Indra: thc u,rrricr kinq of thc Vcdic

Bhekti: thc ct ancl titudc of torrlly
scllldcnying dcrtion.
Llirclu: hc crctivc ralc clot, poitrt or
scc.i, cLiuritcd

tha structurc of thc rurivcrsc.

L r.rtl. r., Nr vlrrr. LL r r'( rn.,rrrrI

in tlc rvorld, oLrt of.ompxssion, to
rici rJ1 sud.cring creaturcs towards

cnlightcrincnt.

Hndn clcity rvho

tioDS xs active cretor in

Brrhmi: thc

lunc'
sorrrc

groups of myth.

rl,, illrirr.rr.. rl'.,'1ilr, l,r il,r,,,!r.iz, ci .ir. t' r.rr' .,r,,". rtt

LJr..lrrn.ilr.

rPlc.

,\tn.at.ilt). .',lt.r!t.rtt) t('P''.rIUtr.

\\'ith spcrm.

L]odhicirt:'enlightennrcnt conscjouslcss'. oticn idcrrtificcl n,ith scnc.

[to,r] r.,t',. r I'ci r,. ir tsr,l,l i.rrr.

Closnric Egg: r goldcn cge lrom rvhich

rhc Lnlivcrst- s,:rs born.

tiures iu luclien tdition.

Butlclhr: originrlly historicel tcchcr
,. ioo h, . ulro ". r.l.,l B r.l.llr.rr.

Iarcr rccoglizcd rs onc of rrrny

figurcs crribodyirrg thc trxDsccnclcnt

kra: onc cf a serics of ccntcs iu the

ncclitativc subtlc body, corrccivcd as
disi:s or Iotuses.
Chinn:rmasrl: 'Shc of the cut ncck'. an
icon indicating thc rvr, hc Gorldcss
diviclcs hersclf intt otltcr flurctiousCosnric Bocl-v: thc (lcsmos considcrcd
in hunran forrrr.

rlLir r: ', r .rl. .r.nrrrti,. r ur . .rr

I r r k Bu,l,ll,r'rr,..' .rn rrrr.rro'
or staqc of rvisdom.

(lo cls.
lnscapc: tcrnr conrcd b1 thc poct (rncl
Scotist) Cicrard MarJcy Hopkiris tor
thc unicluc individrLl fonr contamplatcd s tltc csscncc ot_r'.i
cxPcrrcDca.

Jarrr (Jeinism): r rcligitn fouuclccl

bolrt Joo rc by Mrhiure, ufiosc
rncks bslir fronr irrjur,v to lry

l)cv: clivjnc figurc: thc root ( \'div)

living creaturc, rnd hcncc ultimatcly

l)c!'ta: Tintrik dir-inc prnciplcs (cl

Jatrbudvrpa: thc imagc of thc srruc-

t1c1)s'shinc'-

l)o r).
Devi: 'Thc Goddcss'; one ofthc Fcnralc
Principlcs of f:1ntrt.
l)urgi: r namc of thc Gct (loddcss,
rcfcrring to a lcgcnd in rvhich shc
cmborlics hc combitrcd cri.riics of
thc ohcr cleiics.
L)irti: fcmle irrrcrrucdirrv, irr r
rcchnical scnsc.

tin relcsc
rure

ofthc

1y suiciclc.

Univcsc.

nlcditxtions.

tlic

Tcrriblc Godclcss

as

Dcstroying Timc.

Krlpr: drc tcc oitinrc rvhosc brrchcs

Jr( lr L LP," lr\,'f ('.r)r.. ll,.t,'r\.

Kimr: lovc or
Four Ho1,v Truths: the basic tcrching
uttcrcd ir thc Rurldh's first scrnror.
Garud: r mythical bird, vchrclc of
Visu.

gChird riturl: ritc in rvhich al

inclivrdul Trbctarr rrronk syrnbolical1,v butchcrs his boclily idcntlt) 1rd

feccls it to the spirits.
Clc-rralel: unitery shapcs pcrccivcd b1,

inirirrcs (Kru1:rs).

Klur.,.l.rlrri:

l(rrr,,r.,lrr
knorvn to Kauhs-

r .,. J.

r.

Kun,l,lr,i: rlr. 'rr1., lil. f, rr rrrrc

lonr,,Ii.r'r'r.rr.rgurl r, h.lrrp. irr
ordiner,v pcoplc. arouscci by Tanrrrk
) oijrs.

Lrl.-

dcsirc pcrsonifiedl(lm:rdhcnu: the celestil cow whose

mrlk'grants all desircs'.

KImsirrre: ;r lemous rext dcaling rvitlt
thc techniques of lovc.
Karma: the dccds pcrlormecl by cach
rrdir idr.rl Jtr r,g lri. \ r, ' '.\.v\'
incarnations, rvhrch, eccorcling to
thcrr posirive or negatrvc valuc, lcld
hrnr tolvads or a\\,,v tiom firlal
clcasc arc1 bliss.

and thc cosnric principle

of vibationNidabin{u: the Seccl of thc lJnivcrsc
conccivcd rs thc origilll first
vib:rtio.
adi: channcl in rvhich cncrgics flon,
tirrough thc subrlc body.

Nirv:r1:1: thc Buddh's ultirnatc- stc ol

rclesc, rvhcn ll I(rra is cxhusted.

Nit,va: i synouym lor Mhividyi

implving hcr ctcml qulity.
nyts:r: ritc of touchlrg parts of thc
bod-v to potclrtif,tc rhem rnd iclortrfy
thcm with parts o1'rhc l)cit,v.
ahc root nlntrr rfthr- rvorld, end
thc most porvcrhrl of r1l.

,..rr,

Tor Lh( r

,r(. (,u,ldr";

rr

hrs ovcrtorcs of crotic.jol'.

Lrya ,voga: yog.r u,hich uscs thc

principlc of rbrrbmg lowcr grdcs
of clicrqy rlro highcr, up thc
succcssrvc lcvcls of hc sullc boclv.
1la: 'plav', erotic pleasurc, jo-v, and

.1",", .,lr\r\

tr,,' [,'n' ,l.r.ir,

lrrr!'nr: rlr,'!. rr'. ur , 'rrl',,l.,lrr

cnblcn ofthc masculinc L)city.

-,

Mahikil:'Crcet tirnc'. thc frrm of

\tr.r ir '.lrr.t'lrr. rr.rt r. t l'rr, It
rcvc1c.1.
Mehirrgr: thc highcst lorr of conccntratcd Prssiolllc encrLy.

sr:rrc il which thc Lrltirtc

cxpericncr-cl as a wholc.

art

irtncr

tmth

Mahivirlyi; lcnrlc form in

is

rvlich

one ofthc subdiviclccl cncrgics ofthc

Gcat (loclclcss appcars rnd can be
rvorsh ippcd.
Mrlicivra:'thc Gr.:rt Lord', Siva s

Lrrcl rfClrc'arion.

a circular cliegr:rm uscd lor

concentrti11ll cosmic atrd psychic

mrrc.1;r1r:

i1:1lrlr jewcl', r substitutc tcrm fr

'vara', lr.hich indicrtcs thc lughcst
Tantrik Buddhist insight.
Mekrr: e wtcr rnorlstcr, oftc'rr shorvrr
\. llrllllr olll lll,'\\'.1t.'t'' f' l. ,rl, l.
fertilit-v ancl tirnc.
a Sanskrir sylhblc or llroup

rrntra:
'1

NId: soud,

()i1:

c11crgy.

Kalkra: 'Whccl rf Tiruc', a Trntrlk

Ruddhist !,vstclD of rnarqiales rucl

Kili:

hs a bhrc cot1plcx1o1l.
a u,idcspcd faurily of Tarrrik

I(rla:

f,lnl.

distnictncss lrom tlrc succt-

Enlightcnmcnt, thc Llucldlla-ni1tL1rc.

Bhagavaclgita: nrysticill pocm. supposeclly urtcred by Krisna, incorportcd into the Mahbhrata.
Bhegavati: n honcrifrc larlr- applicd
ru qudd.^.c': tlr, Crc. r t,,,oc,.1.
Rhairvi: thc Cloddcss n her rcrribL-

Hcrka: rnllc pcrsonifi cetion of orcrgy

and porvcr, in T'ntrik IluclclhismHcxcity (/rrrrrirr-r): Duns Scottrs' tcrm
lbr ndrvidual lnrl unrcpcar:rbLpattcrns irr rca1it,v, es opFo\ed to thc
Ar..r,,t.1..,., .)'.lr nr of r ,.iLr.rv,

,r.rr

Glossary
Aghoris: ascctics rvho cultivatc cusr,,)r. \l)r,n1,....k*.r.,l,i,r.
rri,,r.;

Krisna.

Gopi, '.o.r girl', ich of the girls of

I(risr s cattle-hcrdurg nibc, rvidr
.\llL'lll ll''.".lCllarJd,','r,'-.,ff,1r.
gTnr-nro: mcditatl\c'l ibctn ritrr.l
lbr gcucrlring intclisc Psvchic cn
crgy ild Physicxl hct.

11-.

dcvetl, for consistencv ir sourd,

:ll tlhrttacheryya,

I htr. .,rr .r lc\i qr, rrP\ llr.'l ,1,,.

r Fuller dctils of HirdL rrd
Buddhist svstcnrs in Avalotr, T/c
I thtt .\ly

r96o, pp. r8r

ThLtan

27 I[ thc Satr'rtfuaniripana thc lcmelc

(r97o), pp. ryo

20 5.

,,.

I9J,
Vitifr0tdro l antrd.
Nlantrdsallhita.
Srikintl a Soi I ti t.

3 Onirns, Tfu Origitts

r5

n Farfar L. Cartq,iliht,
'1fu, lrlylrir Ro-rc, London, u.cl.

Dcscribcd
(i 8e7?).

'O

Art of Prinitivt l,Ian, t971.

y B!.,r ru. I l,' 1 ',t', 11.|i,i

SccJ. G. Huntington, 'The icono!lrphy a11.1 strrcture ofthe mount

irrgs of 'fibctrrr paillturgs' in,Srrd/-\

13hartechar,r,r Mahod:ry:i, Tartra-

' \lm,/,'d

to
tt
t z

r6o.

:3

Kaulas: mcmbcrs, by birth or by

initietion, of Kul
Kr,,'u lro5, H"J,l, r'. .r gr rdi oi
Tarrrrik Buddhist clivinc prrrciplcs.
I{risnr: a god, an incarnetion ofVis4u,
thc objcct ofpassionrc dcvcior. Hc

of

ll.hl. r.,r.cd (o, urrr'(n[.r],,,,\mr.

lnd

ps_vchrc cnergics.
Mye: drc Clrct (ltclclc-ss s

shc rvhcr
'n."surcs o.,i' (Srrrskrit .r'mr) spacc
nc1 timc, brth r rr inlPorlnt

sensc clelusory.
Mcru: thr'nrythic:rl lrlounlf,in xl the
ccrtre rf thc urrivcrsc. Iom s'hich
llolr, 11 c watcrs of cre:rtion.
Mcrucland: thc spinal tube ir thc
subtlc bocl,v, iclcntrficd with Meru.
mudr: gcs!urc collcentrxtinq a lncan
ing arrd cncrgy.

Mul:dhir:

thc lorvest :rkr-

Pc1mr: Iotus.

parvritti: 'turning brck up' the en

crgics of thc sublc bodv rvhich c
rorm1lY lvstcal.
P:irr,i: hc Cioddess rs rvilc oi Sive.
Patall: Snskrit schola and author..
1

JO BC.

phur-brr: ruagicirn's cl:rggcr, rn instrtl-

il1t of powcr.
Pakiia: thc prinral spark of(lrcation.
Pkrrri: lenale igorr jn the mxterixl
crertivc Proccss.
l)r riua: inucr cncr1y ofthe subtlc body.
ptrl.r: p' . rr' rl 'ior'h.-','rrr rir, -1.

pirj-ri: one u,ho docs pirj.

Prrir: Sanskjt collection of myth

and lcgend.
Puiisa: nrale'pcrsou' nvolvcd

creitivc

iu

the

process-

lladh: thc chief of the Gopis.

ll,:r.'p.,*r,,rr ..rl'' u .,' uIrlr('' rr,,r,,
scles of lndin music.

Rigini: onc of hc 'fimelc'

Indian lnusic.
lllp,.r: p,,pr.l rli,'r

sclcs of

ir', l. rr..rrlr

'r,

1rothu'estcrn LrcL:r, u,hosc tr:rditions wcrc nrility.

l{. r r.,. rlr. h, r,' of r rr 5.rr..k-rt crc

Rirrri,rr:.

.,(lupr,

d -.

r,

rn

carrr:rtiol of Vigqn.
llrsa: jurcc'; lhc'tasting' of ctcllory
of crnotional cxpcricnccRaslila: tcrur uscd by firllorvcrs of
Kil'r.,., Ir hl,. i,l . r"r , pl r rrr
sprinqti1c.
cclcstil sPrlnqtr1(
cclcsll
L\!() principrl
ulvlrluils
divisions
Ilcd
rG naL:
Hat: or
of thc
ulc trvo
t
PrtrlrlPrl
of I'iutldhist trdition i1r Tibct. ht

rvhich is thc norc 'lcft-ulng

Ttrik.
llig Vede: thc oldcst Vcc1a, conrposccl r.
I 2OO BC,

S:rdiive:'Etcrnal Siva'.
sidhak: rric who Pcrforrns acts of
ritual, worship nd mcditatlonsdhana: the ects of a siclheka.
Sahasrra: thc thousrnd-pcrallcd lotus.
located in thc crcr,n cf thc hcd of
thc subtlc botiv.

zrl

Srivr: fillcu,cr of Slv.

Sekri:'pou,cr', thc Clrcrt Citlcicss s
supr cnrc po\!cr; thc fcntlc coucr
pert of r siclhaka.
5rsiar thc LJurlclhis u,rlcl oflirth.
dcrth ard rniscry, u,hich is sccn tr be
dclusory.
Sinkhy: onc rfthc

lcict syltcn)s of
philosophy ccosnizcd by rhc

Brhrins s orthodox.
Sarsr,ti: tlle Brahnri Goclciess of
Drvinc Spccch or (lharrr, usually
shown llolcliq Dlusicl illstrunltn t.
scnsc flcltl (or scDsc-rcall): a rcqion

of

cxpcricrrcc dcfincd by onc rf thc

htnttt scrtsr-sShrra: r qiftcd er-str.ic u,ho pcrllornis
trilcc dnc('s to Drakc coDtat widr
_ rhc supctrrrturrl u,o11d.
Sivr: thc niost irnportlt }{rch C;od of
Hiduisnr.
skrn(lh: onc oi thc psychologicll
catc!ioric! accordir)fl to u,hjch or-

thodox IJurldhism rnrl)scs hunrn

Sufi: tlic lrarc pplicd to Islrnric

rn1.i,. rJr., 1..p..i.,.r
dr,,r
Susuri: Mcruclrncl.
str::1 I)rslc rext. lritli thc forcc of
divilic rcr.clation.
Svayanrbh:'Scll()rigiuetccl
rrrnrc:rpp1icc1
bicnr
r

Onc'.

to Siv:nd his

crn-

s.

rrl .r: .r

I l',

.,'.,

I, r

rrir r.

nlountcd so.rs to providc r dwclling

lor divurc prrrciplc.
'frta: tcxt crDb()d,ving 1 rrtriL
tr il(litlorr, man\ Ilinclu cxrmplcs

Icinq in hc fbrnr of r clialoguc

l .'ru,, .r rlr, .rlr r r,,
I )'r r.'.

Couplc. Sive rnd Saki.

I r,.r rrr rlr ( lrr,s 'Wrv'r.r.r rr il

thc rcicnt tcxts To Tc (lhing arrl
thc u orks of Chueng Tzu. Lo T'zu
is its lcgcrdrr,v tcachcr.

,,'.ld. .. . I \\ r'J.rrr il
Bucldlrsnr; orc rf thc Mrhrvidyi
Cloddcsscs in Hindu frita.

lr. . .,

Bibliography

IJuclclhisnr.

(-xPcrlcDcc.

stupr: e synrbolic sructurc dcvclopc(l

i lndi lom morurd nc thc
sunlrnit of u,hicb c bodily rclics
of crrly Buddhist sirts werc cnshrinccl firr pubiic rcvcrcnce.
su1tlc bocly: thc structurc of chIDcls
r,d (r"t' 1', ,ll l r', l.r r,or .J,'rr'cl $,ith tlrc Irunrn body throush
u lri. r rlrc I lrr,'r .\ rnrl.L'\.o \v-tL rr\
scnsc of rcaiity.

Vajrasattva: oc of drc Suprcr).

Iluddh figucs of Tibcrn Trrrrik

rcltionsllip rvith Clod.

Up rri..,.l,: lrrdr.rr

\r r rplur''\. .,r.r, t
sLrnlDrrics of thc nuclcar philosophl,

of Hirrluisru.

uiis: rhc protubcrencc o tilc cowr)

,, r llLrdll , lr. . 1. . ..rifr ir r
Lnligh tcntnen L

Visrv: a folk*cr of Visu.

virjrr: eD cnrblcnr ofposcr ir T:intrik
Buclclhism.

Vrjrryinr: Tntrik lJuclclhisn.

Vctle: thc lost aciant ltd sacctl
collcctions of h),nrrts rncl lcgcnrls
p L'., r\(. L) ,lr. lJr,l rriilr\. i',
erchic lonrs of Snskrir.

Vcrlirta: thc'culminairr' of thc

Vcdr. lrnc fbr thc cxtrerrrc

A lull unotatcd biblioguphy rvi11 bc

itr Agchnrnde IJliati, 7-lc
'l autrt -htlition. London, t965.
Thc [o]lru,ing works irc r.idily
avrilblc in Lrlish. or u,ith Lnglish
t-ound

lv Snk.u lcirya. .. AD lloo.

V:r' rr.. ' ..rs. ,i ,o ..r ',1r., rrrsiv.
r, ll(','r,,r',,lrr l, nr.l,' lL'r,'.,r' r'rr
roilr,r' rl,, ( )ri,,il,-l \1..ri., Lt,ilr.
\tn:r: a strirgcd musical instrutncllt.

s1

Vira: hero,

1,c11-clcveloped sadhak

(q.

".)onc of
Visrru:
the prircipal High Ciocls
.,1 Hrlrdui'nr. lr r ili.l) .'l t,
. .n r rr r. .r. r, lr lirrr K rv.r. . l.l n
.

ncl thc lluddh.

Vtid, thc: thc orly drlissiblc

clc

finiion or thc lJuclclhist cxpcricncc

of ultinrrc tuth,voni: Srnskrit for rhc fi-rn:rlc gcnirals;
thc Cosnric Worub.
Yrja: thc rirull sacrificc <turld rvhich

ncicnt Brhnrili rcligion ccltred.

r.rntra: e dragraurutatic synll)ol for
flclcl of ccrgv.

:r

\,,rr: 1' f.i. rl .,r., rr,rrrl,.r.r'..

rvirh r spiritull purposc.
Yogini: a fcmrlc prrtucr iD'1'arrrrik
scxul \'og.

lnl rr ric.

Aivrr. l{. N., tr. J'lrilly

L-pattistds.

Mrclrls, r9r4. llasic

mtcril lb dillcrcnt schrols of

reli rtion

Av:rlorr, A., tr. I Iytttus tr / Coddr-s-.,

[-ondon, r9r3. Ecstatic aud philosophic:rl h-v1lns to dillcrcnt xlpc.ts
of thc Goddess.
Ar lorr, A., tr. Kinakalauilisa.
Cl.rlcurta nd London, I9uz. A

\lll)rl.l,rr\ tr'\l:.t.'h.'r,.

\',r,,r.

tt

\..

K't

p. :OO.

t'tit';l;)

ttat't

(lalcutt:r d Lonclon, r9zu. Onc of

thc most important short Tentni,
rvith a vlullc conllncntary.

Av1on.

A.. r. lvllnirtin'lautr.

Mrdr:rs, t9 (4th cd.). An

cyclopcdic Tntr,

crt

sonlcwlll

Brh minrzcd.

gctest long ['entrrs, in Srskrit

n.ith leiriy fuli English sumnrrr).
Hathdyo!prddtt)ika,

A. Avelon),'l dtttdfdtttd 1)rintiplt

o.l'Tatttra), Lordon and Maclras.
r9r6; M.1rrs, rgJj (2n.1 cd.). A
!lr.rt book s'rillcn b),1 lrxrncd ln.i
qcucrous miD.lcd Incli:ut Tnrik.
Blr:ltridrr),vx, 8., cd. CttltydsdnLt
Trrlld, Barodx, 191r. Oilc of lhc
oldcst Buddhist Tnts. u,ith loll
English summary.

Bhattachrryya, -ts., cd. Niyarrta-

yo,qitalr qf

Calcutt:i Musc-urr
Jc.'

r 5

r Cl rdc Cr.rr.rrrr,, .,'ll,Lrr,,n.

Lordon , jo, JJ, r09, r 14, r 19, r23

fohn Dtrggcr aucl Drvicl Meclllr

collcctiol, Lorrdon 24,,lr, i7 59.6r,
IOJ, IJI
I s(, r,zi I r,l .i,ll<.t o .. I o ,dou \t
Svcn Gahlin collcctiorr 21. 21. 27. 4ll.
o, i14.97, ro2, ra3, t31, t46. r57
P1l[p (iolclnran collcction, London 4.
7.1,91, ro7, rro
Culbcnkien Muscunr, f)urherr zo, 7.1.

r4i

212

London t47
Prful1 Moharti collcction, Lonclon

Victoria nd Albert Museunr, Londrr

J, 29, 3lJ, 62, Ja j2, 82, 83, 94, 96.
106, rrr, i24, r25, r48, rjo

2u

Ajit Mookcrjce collection 2,4,

23, 3o -12,.14,.17, .t9

4r,.1j

Il, 9, 22,
.17,,19,

.1,6j,66,68,7J 78,80,8r,
8J, 87 89, 9r, t)2, <)5, 97 ro 1 t t2,

Jr

J4,

rlt, 1rJ rr8, r20 r22, r26 r lo.

rl2 rJ, rlll r44, i:19, rjl rj5.
r

j lJ 1ii

()iortal Instrtutc, Baroda r3 r9

Priv:rtc collcctlorrs r, lo,l, roll, r69
Mrr lr^nl,l ( ). \r. '\.lr . ull.cLio
London I ,l r

PHO'fO CIIEI)ITS
Archaeologrcal Survey of-hrdir r r, 67.
79, r)o1 r 5()

JcfTcasclale r J, 1, 9, rl .1,1, .17 .12,

44 49, sr, j2. J4, J8 62,64,13,71.
76 78, Eo ll9, 91 9j, 9ll rr2,
r

r,

r4 r26, r28 ll9, r.1t r.13,

r48,

rjr,1J2, r55. rJ7 r69

Spilik & Co.. London 36
'Wernc Forran 61,73.93.
to7, tto

oi thc rvhtlc I ibcrrn

Ahhayikaragupra,
Baroda, r9.9. Lrrgc collection of
rnandalas, rvith English slrmmry.
Bhettrchrr,vye, 8., cd. .Salri-ratqarra
'1irrrlra, Baroda,.1 r,ols. Mrjor ctr
cyr:lopacclic tcxt, with bricf Eng[sh
sLlnl nliry.
Cihrng. C. C,.. f iltr Ytrga, Ncrv
York, r93 (cf-. also !1. Y. Evens-

W cntz, 'l ilr'f.n lirga atid Srrrrl

l)0.ril,.-\. Lon(lor) ctc., t95ll). Basic
mcclittrvc tcchniqrr-s.

Darv:-Sandup, K., t. ShttthakrdsanhItdrd Tantua, Lourlon :rnd Calcrtlla,

r9r9. Prt ofa lorlg mecljtativc ittl1
full of visualizatious.
Evens-Wentz. \V- Y., cd. Tht

Calcurta, r963.

Dlsliupta, S. ll., -lr lnraluctiott tt

1

Hunrc, R. H.. tr. l'l tj Printipal

{ipailsat}s, Lrndon ctr:.. I9.1.1.
Funclncral encl unplrrllclctl rc1ri,,rr.r. 'r'

\. I(.. '7.,:1,,, ,,, {rr

Hrrrr.r,d.u,,'t.'. r,/ 1 H\rlrr. ul-

lr,.r rj r

Souh hrcLirn T.urtik sints.

\r, ll:r',r'. l). 1.. .r. 11, H,'tt

Tiltd (borvdlcrizcd), Lonclon,
r9i9. \lhrt nrr,v bc rhc oldcst

Lonclon, r9513. First-hand, rccurate

irrltmtron.
EIlrdc. M., ) o.q.t, hnntttrtally artl
Frccdon, L-ondrr, 19J3. Scholl-Y

irrvcsrigrtion of vogr iiom thr.tr'd,,r,t.'f..,r,1 r., .r. r.I ;'ior,.

r,r,, lr. li.. t l, L tl,t,. ft1rtt,.,,
,

ar.oklilt.l fo :1lrirrrragrtpla, llonrc.

r

Vasrr, S. C.. tr. Clrranlasonhira,

Shiua:nlitt. Allha[cl. )l)r+.

Tcxrs on Hetha yogr.

Vijirrriuend.r, Srvrmi (tr.). Srrrrar/

L)ttt Blta.qarafatn, Allhbec1,
r92r -l
BOOKS 1lELA'I IN(] TO
TANTTIA
Archcr, W C.,'l'lc l.ot,Ls of'Krtlna.
Ltclon, r957. Thc hisrory of rhe
Kn.r.r . ..lt Jr,l .1. prco,. ..fJrr.1
rvith lovc.

A., Tht StrtLnf Poutr,

V.,1r.,.. r,,<o 14r1, ,,1. . lr r "rlio',
of tcxt rd cliscussion of lhc nturc

Avrlor,

of thc subtic boci,v.

Avalon, A.. Slt/ l.SAl, Mrdras,
cssvs rtt

tnY

spccts of

Blr.ittarJrarl,ye, ts., Tfu lndim

Bdli

lono.{rplty, Lonclori ctc.. t9:,1.

I t,.rl. . rrlr rlr, rrrrr,^ .rpp.'. nr! nr
Budclhisr -l antik mcclittiorts.

Illotc1c1.J., 'l he Way ol Poucr.

r99. A bricfexplanrtion

.r.r

Lotdo,

oiTantr

1,. .r, .rrlr',,r tr l',,.. rrt'rrr

cxpc'ricrrcc l rs iu thc I r Eist.
Rosch. F. l). 11.,7'fu CoLtlen Ccr, Thc
Ihguc, t96o. Stucly of thc archc.r ul ,,lr.r'
r) l,
u.i,l, rl\ irr i

!iastcrn iconography.
Bosc. D. N., I dtlrds, ht Pltilosophy
at I ()ct u k .S..r.-r, Clf,lcuttr. r9iar.
Bosc, M. M.. 7'li l)ot Ohdtattyo
Sahaiiya Cult { Bragal, Oalctrtta.
r9Jo. Srucly of lhc extrcnlc crlt of

..r,U r. ilt ,1il.'. .,1 ur Kr r.r.r.r.

C.. 'l lc Td.td!, Sf u(\

' ti, t
Cllrakreverti.

l)vid Nccl, 4., lfirh MJ,-,irs a,1

Nlagicians irr Ti|o, London, r93t,
lcl lrilialio dnd Itit,ttts tu TibLt,

Rudclhist l'atr.

r9l9 (-lrd cd.)- Brsic

TDlr.

st,t,t, lltttl,lttt ,i, ( Jl, lrr.., .?J,

n.,. ,,,1'r,. \. lJ . r )r ..," R' ltq"u.

(,'lt-i, Cllcutte. r96: (zncl ccl.).
Survc-v tfsuvir.jng culs iu llcngrl
rvhich rcein strollg vcstigcs ofoldcr
Trntrr, inchrclilg drc Nith.rs ld

s,vmbolic

s,vslcnl.

'l

antarqa T artrt (ct1.)

Londrn, z vols, n.cl. ()nc of thc

Avaion, A.,

11. Alisrir McAJpirre collcction,

\1. Y., cd.

pcricnccs u hich rrroLults to r slrrvcv

Mi,ror

rlllJg ctc. lrlportxnt u,ork on Ytg.

IJhxtta.hry Mahodryr, S. O. V. (tt.

Alrrrrpr.r Mrr.,,rnr. llyJ, r ,h..,1 rr:,,

3l

Sidclhe l)drrrsrbhrvr. firll

of clcscriptiotts of nrrgic ancl Tantrik
ritL1.

Mehi

A clcscription of aftcr .1crth cxTEX'T'S

llh.rb, [:]., t.

Location of objects

Lonclon ctc., r954. I3iographv ofthc

l-hc'l'ihLttt
Evarrs'Wcttrz,
Book LtI rlrc 1)rl. Londrtt .tc., r9+9.

nronist philosoph,v rrueht cspccially

oil tltir R(li.qiol) nd Llcrturt

Tibau llook ol tht Ortar LibtrtiLr.

956.

i,'r,r,d.r. Lrrr.. \r,. ., iL.r. I 'ttl,tn:; tt

ttf 'l ibctdtt M1-rtiri-vr. LrDdon, t96o.
Scholarl,v accolrtrt of Tarrtrik
H ndr.i.r r,e,,,i'rr 'r.'r r r(' rrr'
si

de.

(]trcrrtlrcr, H. Y.. \'tganatldhd, the

Tdti. l'itl, of /-ili. Berrrrrs, r95:.
Knmrr, 1r., Ski Ol of ,lntitnt India,
Var:rnasi, r97.1. A thorotrgh history.

V.r.-'r.. l. L.r,.1 l'.,r'r rr'llr r. V. V..

5tr/d,...i. Po,, r. l',r,,, \rLrdr ul
lndin :rcstirctic prnrciplcs.

Mookccc. A., TanLtd lr, P:ris cc.,

r967, xnd 'ldltila A\nnd, Pans clc.,
i97r- Thc two source borks 1ir tlic
wholc of Trnlr f,rl.
Mrrklcrjcc, P., Tlr Hisrory o.f xltdieraL
Vaislnuistt r ()rl-i-i, C1cutta,
r94o. LrdLrcics r study of Tantrik
clcmcnts in thc I(ris cul.
Ncbcsky-Wrkorvitz, R. clc, Ori'-s
nt! Dentons of Tlc, Lonclon nd

The Heguc, r95. Thc rvold of

spirituel bcugs in uhich l'ibctu
'T

antra is rootcd.

t)ott, lr. H., Yoya attd'l'dttr, the

H.rrr, t,',,r' | .' .r..'rrll l.'nr, rlrr
ohcr u'ork, rr(l vcrv clcrl\ \\'rittcll.
ll.uson, l). S.. ljol --lr t)l tl! Ea!t.
Ncrv York, r 968. Coltrirs r strrcly

ofscxul idcs ntl irrrrgcry ir Indra.

rvirh a c:haptcr rn l'rntr.
Il.u.scn, P. S. (ccl. ctc.), l fu L.roit Ar!
t I't,t,iu,. .\1,. I or ,l. r'. .., ,.

\r.rk.rn-. I lthr I'tti1.,,,. lttiti..

Thc I hguc, Iraris, r 966. Wirlcraogug but ittconr:lusivc cxplorr
tirr rf thc scrurl inrplicetiors.

Tucci. Cl.. TfuLry atd [)rLuitt

Marrda/a. London, t 9

Ll

lt

213

r
lndex
Numlc

italic rclcr ro the illusrrrtios

Abhayakaragupta r75
Abhinavrgupta 22, roll 9,
Aghoris, thc r r7

Agni

rl7

r55

aharh r ll7

Aitarcga Upanisad, thc r6o

iakra r73
Aksobhya, Budciha rz5, r78-82

Eliade, Mircea 4o

JR: -rrtrrL'. r'l ir'-

tercourse 8J; -states, xDd _akrrs rz5,

r70, r7J 82
Buclha r:4

aitanyr to4
Lrkrlprrl 98

roo
akras 98,99, r37; and thc subtlc body

r6 82, r84; 1j3.135,136"10,113;

r.3

Assam r7
Atharva Veda t7
Avaiokitevara-Padmrpni

ard s Mirldhaa ak
akrasambhara 7z
Cambodia, Tantra in r7
Carstairs, Dr Morjs u 8
Cassirir, Ernst 4o

r78; 4:

Avalon, Athu (Sir John Woodroffe)

234

Bagala r 3o

Chamuntli

go

Chandogya Upanisad, thc r4.g

Chcrr-yen sect 79
(lhina: Tantik tsuddhism in r7, 79 llo,
17+

S.

S.,

it

Basohh Io5

Bcinq, Kisria as Suprernc- ro9, t57

Ber,gal r7, 22, 25, 92, 9ll, roll, i16
Rhaga 5z

Bhrgavadgitr ro9
Bhagavin 5z
Bha!!avati J2
Bhairavr Iz
Bhakti roz, ro4
Bhrata I08
Ilharari, Agehananda
bhoga z4

,o.mu\. rh,': Br,lrmir ,o,.pr ul z-:

humrn bociy cquatcd with ro r,l,
{r. 40. 4h 1. r.14. r.r, . Jrirr.
concept of r4r-, r56-7; nrodern

8, 59

Bhuvnevai r 2a); yantra of 79; gj

Bihar 25, r r6
brndu 3o, 74, r95
Bliss 7, r4, 41, j1, t)<), ro5, r90, 2o2
Bodhicitta r64, r74
Brdhisattvas: coupling of r 38; in rcons
r75; irr menclalas rj8 9: 1ol
body, human, es yantra 66; equated
'ith cosmos ro 14, .lr, 40, 46, 81,
t+1, 156 7

Borobodur, stupa of r 8
Ilrahm r5, r2i. rJJ, r92 :l, 2oo
I3rahmau, the 7 8, zll, J3, 30, 99,

t92, t95,2O2;

Chirranrasti J4, t26; roo, io2

,:rlou: ancl the akrs r68, rTlt 9:
symbolism ofzo,3r, 17. r17, r26,
rJ4, I37, IqlJ; 1n Tantrik art 20 r,
roJ
(lonsciousress: and Being j, j4; ad
Sakti r3o, r90, r92; states of r82
cosmic body, thc r09, r57; r1+
cosmograms r ilr J7

Bhutan r3r

79O,

Brhasprti r54 5
Brihadrnyakr Upanisad +2. 7 1. t87

of r5 r".

Amoghasiddhi, Buddha rTil

Anhata akra t7z
nandlhai, thc zz
Anariqarrnga, rhe 87
Ananta r55
Annaprlrn 3,9

Barlingay, Dr

Durg r rz; 4r
Duri 9,+, r04, ro j

Brindaban roz 5
Buddha, the I45; imallcs ofr84; nyths

Amitlhi, Buddha r78

Apina, thc
Arjuna r o9
Aruna r54
rams zr

Brahmaputra vallcy r98

Brahmaymala r 5
Brahminism 7 8, rJ,24 5, 27, 80, ro9

162

vicw of37; 'l'arrtrik corrcept o27

36, \4t 57, r8+: i1l, t20 2, t21
131

-1

creDllioD llounds 3I, 94,

ard

-rcc

Dakuri

9,1,

-. I,,

Gandhi, Mhtnr z8
Garuda r ll,1
gChcl ritual, the r r7
Clcncsis: lndiarr notion ofr44; Tantra
laclcler of43, 126, t73, r98,2a2
()itagovinda, the r02; 80
Goloka ro5, r8,g
Gopis, thc ro4, ro5
graveyrrds rr2 21, rlr, r37; and
crcmrtiorl ilrouDds
gTum-rno ritual r7r
Guhvasrmja Trntra, thc r 7,1

Gurrs, the r26

lo,

as

21, r 17;

,l

Mangala r54
mrri 6, 8o, r7r
Manipure i'akra r 7r
Marr.juri r7!i
Matingi r3o

44

Nda J9,2or
Ndabindu zor"z
nadis r3 4
Nt,vastra, e roll
Nco Platonisrn r5, t7r
Nrctzsche, Frrcdrich 33

9,1

Krisna rz., r26, rJ7; .ult of

ro9, IlI. I84;71,E0,E2.81 5

Kriya

3o

Kula yoga rJ rf),99, Io8, r25

Kul.rkundrlini zol 4

79

,59, z

Nirrti

rJ

J-1, r7l, rll4

Nirvna Tartr, the 192 .l

Nirvina 42,

Nrtvs 72, roz,

Nyira 89 9:

Sanrsra 4z

r64

Schi Buddhiur 8r

s9, 6r, 72, 80,

r,fi,

l):rdnrasarnbhava 9+, r 37 2o
palaeolithic culturc r7, 9ll

Icch r3o
Id nadi I8
idarh r 87

Laya yoga

tTer
Lha-rno rr6 r7;91

Patjali ro8
Pcch rueric r7

lila +r

Persia

lin!lm, the Jr,83, r,tJ. r68, r90,

2oo 1: ot Srva 83, r72, zoo;
Svayanrbh r 4+, r98 zor 1, io, 46,
i),77,97, t|t, t61 6

phur bu 8z;6:
Piga1 nadi t6ll
Plarlets I47 55 51, 116

Mahakah It9

Prinas r63
prostilLrrion, rcligiotls

Mahlaksmi ru

pirJi4l

Prakii zoz

Jagrnnrh:r, shrinc of r o9

r:6 jo,

r;z

Mhairivana Tantra, thc

r54 J

Janrbndvipa t +r-4'. t t 3,
Jambuvriksa, thc rz:
James, Williaur ror

dhvani zo3

lapa 5<. c|z, tt7, t5z

Japan 17,79 lo, r82

Dhyrnr Buddhrs r75, i 79

Drurs Scotus (hextity) r4

Java I7, r84

Jayadcv:r roz

1 r

5.

1 1

Pachamakara 78
parvritri 3o, r64

22,

Mahxrgx lJ8, roll

Mrhisrcldhas, thc r37
Mahisicidha ro5 6

Mahividys, the 72,79, r2i .to,

214

Siclclha lettcrs 79

Prakia 79, r9o

lrrakriti rz3. rj7, I6l 4, t92, t9\;

jSpd-r-rir,69,

lo,

511

pas-rrr

Purin:r r95, zoo

Puri, Orissa ro9; z
Pur1sa r2l. rs, rJ7,
Irurtlskara Yautra r3o
Radha ro+

1.jg

84

3j, rlr, IJ2,

l90,2oo r; imagcs i98;27,-30,

pir.jaris .14

s8

shclls j,+, 2o2; rE g

il4

5,95, too, t02

Mahci\,ra r92. r94

Shcih-nr-gig

Prvati r64;29

tz6,

rll8 90; lJ2

Sarasvati r 5
Sattva r26 3o
scncrr 28, 30, 89, r64; d s bindu
shD1f,1rs 82, rl7

padma 8o, r 79

Laksmi zo:

Jrinism IT; and thc cosmos r4r-6,

rj6 7; rrrantras of 3o. tr5, rt7, tzz.

Snkhya philosophy rz3, rs7, zoz;

Sirikhya Tattva dragram 74, r6e4,

I(uvere

r47;

scrilicc, aimal 44, r t 3: Hinclu

human 44; ard pirj 43-4
Sadliva rz
Sahasra rkrr 5o, r73-4
Saiva yogis tr7; r;7
Sakri 5r-3, 64, t)t), r30,

SlagrIm;rs zor
Samantabhdra r78, rlJ2; 7jo
Samranganastr:rdhira r z

Nityi-Lalit

C)m-Hiur Yanlra ,7

Lalit; ro2, I r7, r2J,

I{asalila, the ro,1

ll.atna r79
Ratnasambhava, Buddha r78
Red Hat sect 9r1, r37
fl.ig Veda r57
Rud rz6
lludraymala, the t

79A 2,2O2

Kul-rnava, the zz
Kundalini r21, 168 fo, \72; tl1
Krnu Puriir.rr t 95
r 55

to5

Saktis 9,1
Saktisar:irgama Tautra. the ro, 22

Hiisserl, Edmtmcl 4o

lndra rz6, r55

Iana r 55
Islam rT, r3r, r84; art ofuo

rJ6

Mirldhra akra rz4, r7 8, r7r, 2o3

music 4r, ll4; ancl Kisna cult ro, 5

Koias r47

r4

r46; rI,5, rr8

Kimasritra, rhe ll7

Karma r79
Karprriclistotram, tLc :z

Kha do-nas

r9J

1.14,

Mcrudanda. the r44 j,

r67 E

Kaulivalinirniya, the 99, tr7, r72

Ketu i 54 5

see

May r o
Mcru, Morut

lliga roz; iild Rginis

Rahrl r 5,l s
Ilija Sidh Sen u7
llajas rz 3o
llaktayamri ro7
Rm r J
Res 118, r02, r08, r64

Kama 74
Kamadhenu r6,1
KmaLahvrlsa ro,74
Kmikhya, Assrm gr
Kamali r3o

r22

r.ll

mcDstruation 28,3r, il3 9

Kasrnir r7, r o9

Hopkins, Gcrrrd Manley ('inscapes')

I'{irri

Kalarkra r8z; r4d

Kli3r,119, rr2 rJ, r16, t22,r91.195,
spects oi rz5 3o; Hyrnn to 124 ji
istitrrc I2J, I j2, 2o4; ri, 2j,J2, 88 9,
92 1,97

r46, and grlvey:rrcl sytnbolism

Hidu r8; j7 8,12i, Il5 .150

KIik r9z; 9t
Kalpa trcc rT:

Herirkas r37, r79

hcxciry r4
Holi ccrcmony lo, r02;82

Hua-Yen scct

nenclls to, r02, I 3 1, r7:+ 84:

Buddhis 79, roo; cosmic nlap as

Kilighat, Calcutta

oo,

o:

Jaipur r5r

72 4
dancing-girls 84

r92

Jrgadanrb:

98, roo, r r6, r26, 168, r79;

dcvaclsis il.1
Dcu 89, 99,

9z

r./.r, I tlLill. YuEilrs

Fctkirini Trntra, thc r r7
fir, symbolisnr of 3 t, r r3 r6, r3r,
r37; in Tibctan Lrmaism r7r; 87
.

6,

gravcyrrds

Dhumavati r3o
r7.1,

rrz

8,

femalc principlc: and initiation

Jirrr, thc r4-5; r:9

Jirur r:o
Jung, C.G. 7u

168.

3',5-

Sikh r s+
Srkkim r 3 r
Simurgh, thc r84; 1.tg
Sir5h,Jai r5r
Siva roll 9, r24, rjo, r64, r8+. I87,
r94, zoo; irnages of ll3. r or, r2J, r ll4;
lingarh of 33. r72, 2oo; rcllectcd 1r
man 39, 99; ancl timc r 5,1 5; 4, 38,
97 q, 157
skandhas t78
snake, synrbolism
-rc

of

83, tz6; 75 7;

Kunclalini

Sodasi

rz5

of 4r
Sri Sri Nt1i E5
Sl Yanta 72 +, r31, zor; jq,
Sornd,

GoLldess

50,:1,56

q1,6

6,

Sufisnr r66, rll4

Sukra r54 5
Srmtra llz
Sun, rhc r54, t68. t92; 116, t5E

tq:rs 2l
Thig-1e 3o

veietation-deities I I
Vimarsa 79, r9o

third dye, thc r73

Visnu r5, ro2 J, r26, rJj, r84, r92

2aa:64, too,

Surv ru J
Suunrn-nadi t14, r6j, r64 6, r68
r7o,172,175,2o2,2o4
sitras r99
Svdhrsrhia akra r7r
Svayambhir ligarir r44, r98 zor

Upanisads

7,9. 42,74, r,+4, ro, r37

uinisa, the r8z 4

Vrsnupada, rhc ro9

Unisavrjay-

ViSrxlclha {:rkra

ll,1

Svayrmbhrrlitha t44

Vairoana, tsuddha r78

Vaisnava Tantre ro,. ro
v{ra 6, 8r2; Vajra r79;6r
Vajradhra ril2; ro, I48

T'achikar' sect, Japen r7

V{radhitviivrri r.17.
Vajrapini rllz; iol

1fu1

Tanus rz6 3o
tankr r3z, 174 20, j5,
14E.

53. 72,

to4, tq5

t50

Tantriiloka. the ro8

Tailtraraur, thc 22, 4r , r02. r 47

Tanrratrttva, drr 5z
Tao, Ta<rism 11.
Tr tz5, r78 9

j9,

-l

t()()

Taribhaktiiuddharuava

Tiroi .rrds

2r6

6f)

z5

r7u

Vivamta r 8:
Void, tLe 79, tj9, tB);1ol
Vr-tyas 98
,atcr pots 47

!lhitcired, Allred North 4o

Woodrolle, Sir John, -t'e Avalon,

Arthrlr

Va.jrasattva t82: 1l 7, i50

Vajraverihi t 17, qa., 73
Vajrr,vina Bucidhism 8r, rlr, r74 z

Yajrrr

Valhbhichi1i

Yana r5J

ro.1

4,1

Variha Llpa;iis:d. thc t6o

Varura 't 5 5

Yamuni, river roz

Vaistira, rnyrh ofIJ I6, t08

Vyu t5J

Yogini 9,9, roo1, .15,70,76

yoni-lnudra r8

Vcdrc mecljttion 59; -ritual

-culturc r3r; -phiLosophy r95

4,

t3j

Visru-l3uddha rJ .r, r08

Yogatatn,a Upanisad, the ro

u:
Z,cus