Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

The many features of Tantra which distinguish it from other spiritual traditions make definition difficult within a short space. But if we are to focus on the single most characteristic of Tantra’s distinguishing features, surely that must be the spirit of fight. Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti has said,

The main characteristic of Tantra is that it represents human vigour. It represents a pactless fight. Where there is no fight there is no sádhaná. Under such circumstances Tantra cannot be there, where there is no sádhaná, no fight. It is an impossibility to conquer a crude idea and to replace it by a subtle idea without a fight. It is not at all possible without sádhaná. Hence, Tantra is not only a fight, it is an all-round fight. (“Tantra and Its Effect on Society”)

Tantra finds or creates circumstances designed expressly to bring out, rather than to intern away, one’s problematic mental tendencies. “A practitioner of Tantra becomes elevated and attains mastery over a hostile environment. Tantra does not accept the teaching of the Vedas that human beings should move internally, and carefully avoid any association with their environment.” (“The Fundamental Difference between Veda and Tantra”) So only if a spiritual path at some stage deliberately seeks out fearful, demoralizing or tempting circumstances in order to fight and overcome them by Cosmic ideation and by trust in the guru, does it deserve to be called Tantric.

It is not only an external or internal fight, it is simultaneously both. The internal fight is a practice of the subtler portion of Tantra. The external fight is a fight of the cruder portion of Tantra. And the fight both external and internal is a fight in both ways at once. So practice in each and every stratum of life receives due recognition in Tantra.… The practice for raising the kulakuńd́alinii is the internal sádhaná of Tantra, while shattering the bondages of hatred, suspicion, fear, shyness, etc., by direct action is the external sádhaná. (“Effect”)

Both the “internal fight” and the “external fight” refer to the fight against internal enemies – but the latter uses external means to intensify the fight.

The very first night that a Tantric goes to the burial ground, he is stricken with fear.… But when he returns home after finishing sádhaná, the mind is much lighter than before. When he goes out for sádhaná the next night, he is much less fearful. And thus the Tantric steadily and slowly overcomes fear. This is the applied process of Tantra which will help the practitioner overcome all instincts. (“Fundamental Difference”)

Though practices such as that of sádhaná in a burial ground may be the clearest instances of techniques designed to bring to the surface one’s mental propensities, such practices are not required of all Tantrics. But all Tantrics are brought face to face with their weaknesses in one way or other. A Tantric guru assigns to his disciples tremendous responsibilities for social change. The disciples’ participation in an activist movement aimed at a just and spiritually-based society forces them to confront sometimes physical fear, but more routinely the fear of social censure and the fear of the overwhelming task before them. The inferiority complex is the most debilitating fear which most of us must learn to overcome in our lives.

Tantra advises, “Jump into your environment without the least hesitation. Don’t be afraid. Fear will leave you step by step. Tomorrow you will not be as fearful as you are today, the day after you will be even less fearful, and ten days from now you’ll notice that you are completely fearless.” (“Fundamental Difference”)

Out of the tremendous number of darshans, or discourses, which Ánandamúrtijii gave on a great range of subjects during thirty-seven years as preceptor of Ananda Marga, a great many have been carefully preserved in published form and/or on tape. We have drawn on this wealth for the present collection by first assembling all the discourses or sections thereof which related to the topic of Tantra; and by then electing to include all but those few discourses (all related to this part, on The Nature and Practice of Tantra) which were found to contain only topics already covered in other discourses. Though the subject matter may be virtually the same, each discourse will be found to have its own special appeal, and we recommend these discourses to readers, though regrettably they could not be included here:

“Pashvácára, Viirácára, and Divyácára” in Notes on Spiritual Philosophy. “Theory and Practice” in A Few Problems Solved 6. “Ágama and Nigama” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 2. “The Requirements for Sádhaná” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 3. “The Minimum Qualifications for a Sádhaka” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 4. “Pashupati, Viireshvara, and Mahádeva” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 5. “Where Is Váráńasii?” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 7. “Shiva’s Seven Secrets” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 12. “Seven Secrets” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 14. “Veda Tathá Tantra” [“Veda and Tantra”] in Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 13. “Some Important Questions and Answers” (some of the Q & A on pashvácára, viirácára, and divyácára) in Notes on Spiritual Philosophy. “Aghora” in Varńa Vicitrá [Various Uses of Letters] 2. “Ágama” in Varńa Vicitrá 2. “Ekendriya – 1” (a part covers the etymology of tantra) in Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell 6. “The Speciality of the Fifth Fundamental Principle of Prout” (a part relates to Bhaeravii cakra) in A Few Problems Solved 9.

Within each of the four parts of Discourses on Tantra, the articles are in chronological order.

To assist researchers, it is our policy to indicate here – in addition to the original language of each speech, the date and place, by whom it was translated, and where, if other than in this book, it was originally published – whether or not a tape of the speech is in existence. At the time of this printing, however, not all the cataloguing of tapes has been finished. Further information as to tapes will be given in future printings.

In the cases of some of the discourses published here, no written record was found of the language in which the discourse was given; but if the language could be clearly inferred from the location and other circumstances of the discourse, we have cited that language.

In all cases where a tape was in existence for a discourse given in English, we have re-edited the published discourse with reference to that tape. The retranslations (from the original Bengali) of “The Intuitional Science of Tantra” and “Prapatti, Vipratti, and Aprapatti” were also carried out with reference to the tapes.

Wherever it is noted below that there was more than one existing translation of the same discourse, all the existing translations have been consulted in preparing the discourse for this edition. All retranslations (“retr.”) that were done took all possible material from existing translations.

The abbreviation “DMC” sometimes appears at the end of a discourse. Dharma Mahácakra was a special spiritual gathering addressed by the preceptor, or guru. The abbreviation “RU” at the end of a discourse indicates that the discourse constituted a Presidential speech to Renaissance Universal.

Footnotes by the editors have all been signed “–Eds.” Unsigned footnotes are those of the author.

Square brackets [   ] in the text are used to indicate translations by the editors or other editorial insertions. Round brackets (   ) indicate a word or words originally given by the author.

The important early discourse “Tantra and Its Effect on Society” was given in Hindi, and translated soon thereafter into the English version that appears in this book. That original Hindi can no longer be found. Because the author used English terms infrequently in the early years, translators often rendered Sanskrit terms into English in a way that was at variance with the author’s preferences as they later came to be known. With this discourse, it was therefore found necessary to provide the preferred renderings, indicating the changes in square brackets.

The author used a certain shorthand for explaining the etymologies of words. Under this system, a minus sign (–) follows a prefix, and a plus sign (+) precedes a suffix. Thus ava – tr + ghaiṋ = avatára can be read, “the root tr prefixed by ava and suffixed by ghaiṋ becomes avatára.”

It was frequently the author’s practice, in the case of discourses given in a language other than Bengali, to personally review the Bengali translation and to make revisions and additions. Wherever this appeared to have been done, the editors have taken the Bengali version as the basis for the English translation.

The cover of the book shows the Bhuvaneshvarii Yantra. The upright and inverted triangles are an ancient Tantric design, also to be found in the Ananda Marga pratiika. (The yantra and the pratiika should not, however, be confused. For an example of the Ananda Marga pratiika, please see the title page.)

Part 4. The Nature and Practice of Tantra

“Sádhaná”. Discourse in Hindi. First Bengali publication as “Sádhaná” in Subháśita Saḿgraha 7, 1979. First English publication in Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell 8, 1988, tr. from the Bengali by ÁVA and Ác. Vishvarúpánanda Avt. Retr. from the Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Tantra and Its Effect on Society”. Discourse in Hindi. First published in English in Our Universe, Nos. 7-10, July, Aug. and Sept.-Oct., 1960. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Tantra and Sádhaná”. Discourse in Hindi. Published in Hindi as “Tantra aor Sádhaná” in Ánanda Dúta Year 4 No. 2, April 1960. First English publication in Cosmic Society, Vol. 2, No. 2, Ánanda Púrńimá 1965, or in Jágrti (translator not known). Later English publication in Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell 9, 1988, tr. by ÁVA and Ácárya Vishvarúpánanda Avadhúta. First published in Bengali in Subháśita Saḿgraha 8, 1980. Re-translated from the Bengali and Hindi by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Tantra and Supernatural Power”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in Hindi as “Tantra aor Alaokika Shakti” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 25. Tr. from the original Hindi by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“The Dialogues of Shiva and Párvatii”. Discourses in Hindi. First English publication as “Hara-Párvatii Saḿváda” in Bodhi Kalpa: Parts 2 and 3 in Jan.-Mar. 1968, Parts 1 and 4 in April-June 1968. (A different translation of a portion of Part 1 was published earlier, as “Concept of Music, Dance in Tantric Cult”, in Cosmic Society, Vol. 3 No. 10, October 1967.) Second English publication as “The Dialogues of Shiva and Párvatii – 1”, “– 2”, “– 3”, and “– 4” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 23, 1994, English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Overcoming Máyá”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in English as part of “Máyá” in Notes on Spiritual Philosophy. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“Kauṋkálamálinii Samádhi”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in English as part of “Kauṋkálamálinii Samádhi” in Notes on Spiritual Philosophy. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“When Does He Appear?”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in English in Notes on Spiritual Philosophy. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“From Animality to Divinity”. Discourse in English and Hindi. Tape. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 2, 1979. Reprinted in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 1, 1986. Re-edited.

“Pratyáhára Yoga and Paramágati”. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 2, 1979.

“The Tantric Definition of Yoga”. Discourse in English. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 3, 1981.

“The Seven Secrets of Success”. Discourse in English. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 3, 1981.

“Ghosts and Evil Spirits”. Discourse in English. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 3, 1981.

“Tantra is Sádhaná, Sádhaná is Tantra”. Discourse in Bengali. Tape. Originally published in Bengali as “Tantrai Sádhaná, Sádhaná-i Tantra” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 4, 1980. First English publication in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 4, 1986, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and Vidyádhara Brc. Retr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“The Intuitional Science of Tantra”. Discourse in Bengali. Tape. Originally published in Bengali as “Tantre Brahma Vijiṋána” in Subháśita Saḿgraha 11 (i.e., Series II, Part 1), 1980. First English publication as “The Science of Intuition in Tantra” in Prajiṋá Bháratii, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and Avtk. Ánanda Mitrá Ác. Re-tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“The Fundamental Difference Between Veda and Tantra”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as “Veda o Tantrer Maolik Párthakya” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 4, 1980. First English publication as “Tantra” in a magazine (translator not known). Second English publication in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 5, 1987, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and Ác. Vishvarúpánanda Avt. Retr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“A Few of Tantra’s Special Characteristics”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as “Tantrer Kayekti Visheśa Vaeshiśt́ya” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 4, 1980. First English publication in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 5, 1987, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and Ác. Vishvarúpánanda Avt. English re-editing by ÁAA.

“The Importance of Diikśá”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in Hindi as “Diikśá ká Mahatva” in Shaḿkhanád. Tr. from the original Hindi by ÁVA, Ác. Keshavánanda Avt., and ÁAA.

“Diikśá and Initiation”. Discourse in English. Tape. Originally published in English as “The True Meaning of Diikśá” in Supreme Guide, Vol. 2, No. 11-12, June-July 1981. Re-edited.

“The Cosmic Father Has a Special Responsibility”. Discourse in English. Tape. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 5, 1982. Re-edited.

“An Equal Birthright”. Discourse in English. Tape. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 5, 1982. Re-edited.

“The Phat́ Mantra”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as part of “Jáná ebaḿ Ná Jáná” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 6, 1980. First English publication as part of “Knowing and Not Knowing” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 6, 1987, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and Ác. Vishvarúpánanda Avt. Retr. by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Bhaerava and Bhaeravii”. Discourse in Bengali. Tape. Originally published in Bengali as “Bhaerava o Bhaeravii” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 7, 1980. First English publication in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 7, 1987, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and Ác. Vishvarúpánanda Avt. Retr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Dance, Mudrá, and Tantra”. Discourse in English. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 12, 1980.

“What Are You?”. Discourse in English. Originally published in English in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 12, 1980.

“The Three Species of Human Being”. Discourse in English. Originally published in English as “The Three Species of Man” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 14, 1981.

“The Real Culprit”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as part of “Kurvanneveha Karmmáńi” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 15, 1980. First English publication as part of “The Purpose of Coming in This World” in Prajiṋá Bháratii. Retr. by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Táńd́ava, Shástra, and the Teachings of Shiva”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in Hindi as “Sadáshiva – Tantra ko Pratham Pravartak” in Shaḿkhanád. First published in Bengali as “Tantra Ágágoŕái Vástavavádii” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 15, 1980. Tr. from the original Hindi and from the Bengali by ÁVA, Ác. Keshavánanda Avt., and ÁAA.

“Yoga and Tantra”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in Hindi as “Yoga aor Tantra” in a magazine. Tr. from the original Hindi by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Yoga, Tantra, and Kevalá Bhakti”. Discourse in Hindi. Originally published in Hindi as “Yoga, Tantra aor Kevalá Bhakti” in a magazine. Tr. from the original Hindi by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Keeping Good Company”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as part of “Kuru Puńyam Ahorátram” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 19, 1981. First English publication as part of “Do Virtuous Deeds Day and Night” in Ananda Marga Karma Yoga in a Nutshell, 1988, tr. by ÁVA. Retr. by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Prapatti, Viprapatti, and Aprapatti”. Discourse in Bengali. Tape. Originally published in Bengali as “Párthasárathi Krśńer Jiṋánanushiilana” in Namámi Krśńa Sundaram, 1981. First English publication in Namámi Krśńa Sundaram, 1981, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA. Retr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“The Criteria of a Guru”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in English in Supreme Guide, Vol. 2, March 1981. First Bengali publication as “Prakrta Guru Ke?” in Ánanda Vacanámrtam 21, 1982. Retr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Avidyá”. Discourses in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as parts of “Ekendriya – 7”, “Ekendriya – 8”, and “Vashiikára – 2” in Mánas Sádhanár Staravinyás. First English publication as parts of “Ekendriya – 7”, “Ekendriya – 8”, and “Vashiikára – 2” in Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell 6, 1988, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and Ác. Vishvarúpánanda Avt. Retr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Microvita and Spiritual Attainment”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as sections on “Khamúrtti” and “Khamúrttimán” in Shabda Cayaniká 13, 1987. First English publication in Microvitum in a Nutshell, 1988, tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA. Third English publication in Microvitum in a Nutshell 3rd ed., 1991, retr. by ÁVA and Jayanta Kumar. Retr. by ÁVA and ÁAA.

“Vidyá Tantra and Avidyá Tantra”. Discourse in Bengali. Originally published in Bengali as section on “Guhya” in Shabda Cayaniká 26, 1990. Tr. from the original Bengali by ÁVA and ÁAA.

The active help and cooperation of Ácárya Prańavátmakánanda Avadhúta and Avadhútiká Ánanda Rucirá Ácáryá deserves special mention. The former went to much trouble to collect Márga Guru’s discourses from old magazines and newspapers, and from the notebooks of different sádhakas. The latter did the major work on the cover text and on the index, and in addition worked tirelessly to set up the necessary software, and to advise on and assist in the layout of the book.

Key:
ÁVA = Ác. Vijayánanda Avt.
ÁAA = Ác. Acyutánanda Avt.

Chapter 1	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Today I would like to discuss mata and patha [opinions regarding the Supreme, and paths to the Supreme]. Mata means a certain style of thought, so we have to see where the action of thinking originates, develops, and culminates; and we have to see on what the action of thinking depends. When someone says, “It’s my opinion, my personal view,” where does the action of thinking lie and how does it take place? Thinking depends on the unit mind; it originates in the unit mind and is maintained in the unit mind.

In the absolute sense what is the unit mind? The Cosmic Mind reaches a state of maximum crudification through saiṋcara [the phase of extroversial movement], and thereafter starts returning to Its original abode through pratisaiṋcara [the phase of introversial movement]. The small “I” feeling that gradually develops within crude matter is called the unit mind. Although the Macrocosmic Mind is the Supreme Controller of everything in this universe, It does delegate a certain degree of control to unit minds as they increase in complexity in the phase of pratisaiṋcara. Therefore the unit mind can be called a primary sub-centre in a physical structure within the Macrocosmic Mind. Unit minds have to act within the periphery of time, place, and person, as created by the Macrocosm, and their different styles of action are called mata [opinions]. Just as the unit mind is dependent on time, place and person for its creation, maintenance and annihilation, each of its expressions also depends on a particular time, place and person. This is why opinion carries its highest value in a particular time, place, or individual, and loses its value, or becomes altogether non-existent, when any of these three relative factors changes. Opinions do have some value in both individual and collective life. But when one is dealing with the Absolute Entity, who transcends the boundaries of time, place and person, does one’s opinion have any value? No, in this case an individual opinion has no value whatsoever. Thus the statement Yata mata, tata patha⁽¹⁾ is not logically tenable. An opinion held by a particular individual or group regarding the social sphere, the economic sphere, or the political sphere does have some value, but to attempt to express an opinion concerning the absolute sphere would be simply ludicrous.

An opinion is a psychic object. An opinion of a particular person is, in effect, an object of the object of the Cognitive Faculty [the objects of the Cognitive Faculty are minds and the objects of minds are opinions]. So how can an opinion become the subject of the Supreme Subjectivity? How can it know the Knower of the known? One’s opinion in this regard has no value – for anyone to have an independent opinion about Parama Puruśa is meaningless.

Regarding Parama Puruśa the unit mind can do only one thing: become one with Him as the Supreme Subject. The unit mind must accept Parama Puruśa as its object, and run towards Him. Even this proposition is illogical in the absolute sense. Rather it should be said that the unit mind will have to return to its own subject. This should be the only movement, movement towards the Paramágati [literally, the “Supreme Terminus where the movement, or journey, of finite entities culminates”].

Thus a unit mind may hold many opinions about the mundane world, but no opinion regarding the spiritual world. The path which leads to supreme bliss is a singular one; there is no second path. The path is one, and only one.

If this universe is considered as a circle, its nucleus is the blissful Puruśottama to which every point on the circumference is connected. If any microcosm located on any point of the circumference wants to reach the Nucleus, he or she will have to move with Cosmic ideation, floating on the divine waves of bliss. From no matter what point on the circumference one measures the distance to the Nucleus, that radius will always be the same. This radius is termed the ánanda márga [the path of bliss]. So the ánanda márga is the only márga. The spiritual path has nothing to do with the opinions of any particular individual or of any group of individuals, because Paramátmá cannot be attained by opinions.

The Three Stages of Sádhaná

In Ananda Marga there are three particular stages of sádhaná which can be fused into one, or can remain separate: Shákta, Vaeśńaviiya, and Shaeva. True spiritual practice is a happy combination of these three stages. In endeavouring to reach the Nucleus of the Cosmic Cycle from any point on the circumference, one must develop each stage, for each has an equal importance. To understand Ananda Marga one has to understand the significance of the three stages.

Who is a Shákta? A Shákta is one who is determined to awaken his or her cognitive faculty and fight against the negative influence of the static principle. Such a person struggles ceaselessly against psychic impurities and physical ailments in individual life, and against social evils and economic disparity in collective life. A Shákta is not afraid of the crushing load of unhappiness in life, and never surrenders to pessimism, but fights against the miseries of life with revolutionary zeal. This is the criterion of a Shákta. Such dauntless fighting spirit wins the laurels of victory for a Shákta one day, a victory which is never possible through coaxing and cajoling. Of course, as a war strategy, there can be a temporary truce, but nothing more than that.

In Indian mythology there is a story about the Shákta, Vaeśńava (or Vaeśńaviiya) and Shaeva mentalities.⁽²⁾ Perhaps you have heard that Shiva was first married to Sati, or Dakshayani. Shiva was at that stage of the story like a soul in bondage. When Sati heard from Narada that King Daksha, her father, was staging a grand sacrificial ritual, she became determined to attend it. Shiva objected to her going and tried all He could to dissuade her, but in vain. Sati went to her father’s house. Up to here in the story, Prakrti has been dominant, and Puruśa dormant, as is the case with a microcosm in bondage.

Then next, Shiva’s latent valour awakened. Totally absorbed in His own self, He placed the dead body of Sati on his shoulder and began to move throughout the universe. Everyone saw that the inert Prakrti had found her place on the shoulder of Puruśa. This was the sádhaná of Shiva. Shiva at this stage was the perfect Shákta, performing sádhaná to attain victory over Prakrti.⁽³⁾ This is the first stage of sádhaná – Shakti sádhaná, to establish one’s supremacy over Shakti, or Prakrti.

Then Prakrti undertook the practice of sádhaná in order to make Herself subservient to Shiva. Prakrti wanted Puruśa to be Her Lord. Or as the mythological story goes, Sati took rebirth as the daughter of Himalaya and Menaka and was called Parvati; she then underwent tremendous penance to get Shiva as her husband, while Shiva refused to even look at her. So Prakrti suffered immense hardship to attain Puruśa, but Puruśa remained totally indifferent. At this stage Shiva was the perfect Vaeśńava [Vaishnavite], for he had no concern at all for Prakrti.

Then finally Parvati, with the help of the gods, got her wish to be Shiva’s consort. Prakrti became sheltered in Puruśa. But since Shiva meanwhile did not give up His original non-attributional stance, He was the ultimate Shaeva [Shaivite].

This beautiful allegory has immense educational value. To recapitulate: In the first stage of sádhaná one has to become a Shákta in order to acquire adequate shakti [power]. In the second stage Prakrti is willing to take the shelter of Puruśa, but the sádhaka is indifferent, and remains absorbed in the flow of Cosmic bliss – so this is Vaeśńava sádhaná, the endeavour to throw oneself into the current of Cosmic bliss and float towards the supreme goal. [And in the last stage one practises Shaeva sádhaná.]

In the Vaeśńava stage sádhakas remain totally unconcerned as to who is Puruśa and who is Prakrti. Their only desire is to become one with Brahma in the flow of bliss. They do not make a hair-splitting analysis regarding fight or non-fight, for they know they will remain absorbed in the Cosmic flow of bliss for eternity. This is the true spirit of Vaeśńava sádhaná. “Viśńu” means “all-pervading”, “expansive” – so the proper etymological meaning of “Vaeśńava” is “universalist”.

Vaishnavite bháva [spiritual stance] can be divided into two stages: liilábháva and nityabháva. When a sádhaka’s mind oscillates [among different experiences] along the paths of the saiṋcara and pratisaiṋcara of Brahma and becomes inextricably merged with Its panoramic expressions, that condition is called liilábháva, and the sádhaka’s blissful feeling is called liilánanda. In liilábháva the sádhakas’ entire existences become vibrated with the vibrations of the Cosmic dance, causing them to burst out in dance, laughter, tears and song. But in nityánanda there is no such expression as this. Puruśottama [the Nucleus Consciousness] is the supreme source of the countless forms and flows that emanate during liilábháva; but His own stance is nityabháva [eternal and unchangeable]. So the ánanda which sádhakas experience when united with Him in His unchangeable, eternal stance is called nityánanda.

The difference between the unsullied Shaivite Shaeva bháva and the Vaishnavite nityánanda is very little. In fact nityánanda can also be experienced in Nirguńa Brahma bháva [the Shaeva bháva, here denoted the “non-attributional” bháva]. The difference between the Vaishnavite nityánanda and the Shaivite nirvikalpa samádhi [trance of indeterminate absorption] is not more than the difference between the original bháva of Puruśottama and that of Nirguńa Brahma.⁽⁴⁾ The attainment of the eternal stance at the altar of Nirguńa Brahma is Shaevávasthá [the highest Shaivite stage of realization]. In Ananda Marga there has been a unique blending of the Shákta, Shaeva and Vaeśńava systems of spiritual practice.

The Course of Physical and Psychic Development

The more that unit beings advance towards the Supreme Being, the more their physical and psychic bodies (which are made of Macrocosmic stuff) advance from crude to subtle. In the first phase of Macrocosmic imagination, the Cognitive Faculty moves from subtle to crude. One atom or particle comes in closer proximity to another atom or particle. The name of this process is saiṋcara. And when these particles begin to drift away from each other or become powdered down, thus going beyond the scope of sense perception, it is called the process of pratisaiṋcara. When an object becomes more condensed it should be understood that the Macrocosmic mind-stuff is decreasing its inter-molecular gaps. This causes an object to gradually come within the periphery of sense perception. When there comes to be a high degree of diversity in the structure of the condensed object, it requires a self-activated psychic factor for its preservation, maintenance and destruction. This psychic entity (the mind) is created as a result of clash due to inter-molecular proximity. Thus it can be said that mind emerges as a result of clash within the material structure. But it must not be forgotten that matter is nothing but a condensed state of Macrocosmic mind-stuff. What we call matter is not crude matter as such, but a metamorphosed form of Consciousness.

The unit mind finds its expression through clash. This process of clash causes the psychic atoms to get powdered down and expanded to such a degree that the mind expands into the universe, transcending the limits of the small “I”. This continous unfoldment and expansion of the mind through constant clash and cohesion is brought about mainly by Prakrti. The unit mind finds natural problems which it must solve, such as procuring food, finding accommodation, and rearing children – not to mention simply staying alive. The more difficult these obstacles are, the more scope the mind gets to unfold. The struggle to overcome obstacles is the primary factor in the development of the mind.

But there is also a secondary factor, and that is the influence of a more-developed mind on a less-developed mind. Domestic animals such as dogs and cats get ample scope for accelerated development due to their contact with the human mind. The company of human beings often accelerates their progress more than do the natural forces which present them with obstacles to overcome. So if a dog’s mind can develop into a monkey’s mind, and a monkey’s mind into a human mind, in the normal course of evolution, then a dog that is in constant contact with a human being may experience a tremendous intellectual growth and be reborn as a human being, bypassing the stage of a monkey. Such galloping changes do take place in the process of animate evolution; and comparatively undeveloped creatures, if advantaged with human contact, can establish themselves in human form in a shorter period than can comparatively developed creatures deprived of human contact.

When a microcosm reaches a stage of expanded consciousness, having made considerable psychic progress due to natural clashes or due to contact with more-developed minds, and is able to control the psychic propensities as opposed to being subservient to them, it is called manuśya [human being]. The term manuśya, or mánuśa, means “mind-preponderant being”.

With the development of the mind, the physical structure becomes more complex. It can be put in another way: the physical structure grows in complexity in order to serve as a proper vehicle for the expression of a developed mind. When the psychic activities are channelized in different directions or engaged in combatting various obstacles, the brain, the medium of the mind, is bound to become more complex.

Similarly, undeveloped human beings can make rapid psychic progress due to natural clashes or due to contact with great personalities. The greater the application of psychic energy to a unit being, the more its physical stuff is transformed into mind-stuff. This helps it attain greater psychic expansion, and consequently the greater reflection of Cosmic Consciousness on the unit mental plate.

Unit beings have attained a human body after evolving from the stage of animality through structures of ever-increasing complexity. So human beings have imbibed experiences from animal lives and not from divine lives.

Humans’ psychic development keeps pace with the growing complexity of their physical bodies. Moreover, various new diseases come into existence as destructive forces of that complex physical body.

In human society there are many people whose mentality is somewhere between that of forest primates and that of humans. Some have just evolved from animal life to that point, in the process of pratisaiṋcara; while others have reverted to that point from a more developed human level, due to their mean thoughts. If they continue to allow mean thoughts to dominate their minds, they will degenerate to the even cruder stage of inert matter, becoming bricks, stone or wood. Just as animals have no scope to elevate their thoughts or practise spirituality, similarly human beings who make their minds animal-like through animalistic thinking are unable to pursue spiritual practices. Even after receiving spiritual initiation or receiving an education, they behave like ignorant fools. But those who are by mentality undeveloped human beings, but not animals, will if they receive initiation carry on spiritual practices, and will if they receive education behave like intelligent people.

Spiritual initiation and education will bring about mental development in those who have degenerated to the level of animality, but it will be next to impossible for them to develop spiritually. We must pay more attention to those people who are undeveloped but who have not entirely lost their human sense. If we fail to elevate them, our social system will be futile – all our education, culture and civilization will be futile.

All beings are made of the same consciousness. So although we may find ourselves at different stages of psychic elevation, a Bráhmańa and a Kśatriya, an Indian and an Englishman, a sweeper and a scavenger, a Zulu and a Maori, and even a tiny ant, are all linked by the bonds of fraternity. If we remember this fact, if we work for the well-being of all, then undeveloped human beings will be able to develop their spiritual potentiality when they come in contact with us. Even cows, dogs, tigers and bears who come in close contact with us will develop psychic wealth and gradually acquire spiritual treasures.

In the most developed minds, an infinite thirst becomes awakened. By attaining the supreme rank of Brahma – bliss personified – that infinite thirst can be quenched. The sustained effort to attain that blissful state is called dharma sádhaná. But if human beings do not find the proper way to satisfy their thirst, they go astray. That is, those who do not follow the spiritual path may perform harmful actions at any time. Even those whom society respects as intelligent or learned may, in reality, be no better than “polished satans”, or what the scriptures call “demons”. Our modern society is full of such people. They talk about universalism like parrots. They have no defined ideology in their individual and collective lives, and merely dedicate themselves to the deception of the human race as they strive to serve their petty self-interests by any means, fair or foul. We cannot expect any beneficial contribution from them.

Surrendering Actions to Brahma

The existence of microcosms is bound up in action. Microcosms will have to act and to move; life is a dynamic process from beginning to end. No one has come to this world to remain static; staticity is contrary to living existence. Even the physical body changes every moment, even the body maintains dynamic movement.

Human beings perform two types of action: pratyayamúlaka [original actions] and saḿskáramúlaka [reactive actions – actions prompted or goaded by saḿskáras]. Original actions are performed under one’s own initiative, and thus one is fully responsible for them. Every original action is a new action. It may represent an extension of the experience of the past, but it is not a reaction. And the actions which human beings are compelled to perform as reactions to their previous actions are called reactive actions. In other words, original actions constitute efforts, and reactive actions constitute the resultants [of the original actions].

Suppose you have to go to Dhanbad but do not know the way. Stopping someone on the street you ask politely, “Excuse me, could you please tell me how to get to Dhanbad?” In reply the man retorts angrily, “What do you think I am, a traffic policeman who gives directions to any Tom, Dick or Harry?” You will certainly feel hurt. But you should remember that this was destined to happen to you as a reaction to one of your previous bad actions. So even though you asked that man politely, you had to undergo psychic pain. Your action of asking the man is a reactive action.

When people rob others, or indulge in hypocrisy, or cheat people, or indulge in tall talk day after day, they are committing original actions. When a dishonest government employee accepts a bribe it is an original action, and when his son gets sick and has to be rushed to the doctor it is the reactive action (the reaction to the original action). When his son dies he laments, “I haven’t knowingly done anything wrong. Oh, Lord, why have you given me such severe punishment.” But God did not give him any punishment – the deep sorrow he felt at the death of his child was the result of his past original actions.

The moment sádhakas start spiritual practice they must surrender all their original actions to Brahma so that they do not have to endure the reactions. This surrender is the most important aspect of spiritual practice.

Brahmárpańaḿ Brahmahavirbrahmágnao Brahmańáhutam;
Brahmaeva tena gantavyaḿ Brahmakarmasamádhiná.

[The action of offering is Brahma, the ghee offered into the sacrificial fire is Brahma, the fire is Brahma, and the person who offers is Brahma. Those who will maintain this spirit in every action will finally merge in Brahma.]

Reactions in requital to past actions normally occur more in a spiritual aspirant’s life than in an ordinary person’s life. The reason is that when all original actions are surrendered to Brahma, there remain only the reactive actions. The reactions may be good or bad [according to whether they are resultants of good or bad original actions]. But think about how many of the deeds you performed before coming to the path of sádhaná were good and how many were bad. To tell the unpleasant truth, ninety-nine percent of your deeds were bad. Hence it is often the case that sádhakas have to suffer much more from bad reactive momenta than get to enjoy good ones. It can even be said that the more one suffers from reactions, the more one is progressing along the path of sádhaná.

Of course, the requital of the reactive momenta may possibly be pleasurable instead of painful; it all depends upon the nature of one’s actions. In either case, the more one surrenders one’s actions to Brahma, the shorter will be the period of requital caused by the reactions. In this case the intensity of the requital will be greater than normal; but this is a good sign, because intense requital means the exhaustion of the requital within a short period.

Suppose you have incurred a loan of a thousand rupees. If you repay the loan in monthly instalments of one rupee it will take you a thousand months to clear the loan. One rupee being such a small amount, this will hardly cause any suffering at all. But if you want to free yourself from the debt quickly, you will have to pay a larger amount every month, which will obviously cause more suffering. Likewise, if one does not feel the need to be freed of one’s reactive momenta quickly, one can undergo less affliction, but then one may have to wait ten or twenty lives to exhaust all the reactive momenta. Moreover, within those ten or twenty lives one will probably undergo psychic degeneration, and due to one’s mean actions imbibe new reactive momenta.

Hence genuine sádhakas always strive to be relieved of their acquired saḿskáras as early as possible; therefore they surrender completely to Brahma. The consummation of self-surrender precipitates the requital of saḿskáras, and this requital may take place in the Shákta, Vaeśńava or Shaeva stages, but in the Shaeva stage the requitals are not felt so keenly, and therefore may be considered not to be requitals in the true sense of the term. The requital of reactive momenta is felt most acutely in the Shákta stage, because this stage involves a tremendous fight against Prakrti.

The Shákta stage is dominated by jiṋána and karma, not by bhakti.⁽⁵⁾ Wherever there is struggle, action is bound to become predominant; likewise one will have to acquire knowledge – the knowledge of how to struggle. Through knowledge, Shákta sádhakas become fully aware that all their sorrows and afflictions are the results of their past original actions. In order to be relieved of their affliction they do not cry pitifully to Parama Puruśa, but, displaying the spirit of valour, say, “O Parama Puruśa, give me strength to continue the struggle. I do not want to escape from affliction and suffering, I want to attain You in a joyful struggle against the affliction and suffering.” The great poet Rabindranath Tagore said in this regard,

Vipade more rakśá kara e nahe mor prárthaná,
Vipade yena ná kari kabhu bhay;
Duhkha tápe vyathita cite nái bá dile sántvaná
Duhkhe yena karite pári jay.

[My prayer to You is not “Save me from danger,” but “Bless me so that I can overcome danger.” You need not console me in my suffering, but bless me so that I can overcome suffering.]

This is the underlying spirit of a Shákta.

The underlying spirit of Vaishnavite sádhaná is somewhat different. The mundane obstacles, the friends and foes, merge in the Vaishnavite sádhakas’ world of blissful ideation. With whom will they fight? They feel that the entire universe is an unbroken divine play composed of Rádhá and Krśńa. In this stage there is a clear dominance of action and devotion. Vaishnavite sádhaná is a blissful flow indeed. Such sádhakas are like points on the circumference of the Cosmic Circle, moving towards the Nucleus, Puruśottama, along the radius, which is their sádhaná. And the expanse through which they move towards Him along the radius is the rúpaságar [ocean of beauteous forms], the rasámrtasindhu [ocean of bliss]. Such sádhakas reap only, through reactive actions, the consequences of their past actions. Jiṋána is not dominant in this Vaishnavite stage. Vaishnavite sádhakas say that Puruśottama is enacting His liilá [divine game] through this expressed universe. They say, “O Lord, You are both wisdom and ignorance, happiness and sorrow. Some people You place on golden thrones as kings, others You throw into the street to beg from door to door with outstretched begging bowls. You are my joy, You are my sorrow. Do whatever You like with me.” Such sádhakas would never say, “O Lord, save me from danger,” but

Sudháraseo bhásáo yakhan
Dhanya Hari dhanya Hari;
Vyathá diye kándáo yakhan
Dhanya Hari dhanya Hari.

“When You float me on the waves of bliss, O Lord, You are really gracious, and when You make me cry in pain, You are equally gracious. In happiness I feel Your sweet touch, and burst into laughter, exhilarated by Your divine sport. In sorrow I also feel Your sweet touch, and burst into tears, overwhelmed by Your divine sport. How strange You are! How wonderful! I have nothing to complain about.”

In the final stage of Vaishnavite sádhaná, the unit mind becomes one with the Cosmic Mind. The moment before the final merger, sádhakas realize that the Entity who has come in the form of happiness is their dearest Lord, and the Entity who has come in the form of sorrow is also their dearest Lord. They feel the divine joy of the Cosmic play. They never retreat, for having passed through the Shákta stage they have acquired immense courage and valour. One who has not been an ideal Shákta cannot be an ideal Vaeśńava. In the final stage of the Vaeśńava cult, sádhakas offer their greatest treasure – their mind – to Brahma, and in exchange for this supreme gift expect nothing in return. In the absence of mind they cannot enjoy the sweetness of the divine play any longer. At that supreme stage of surrender liilánanda is transformed into nityánanda. When sádhakas become ensconced in nityánanda they are said to have attained the Shaeva stage. One who has not been an ideal Vaeśńava cannot be an ideal Shaeva. Shaivites have no minds of their own, for they have already surrendered their minds to their dear Lord. This is the supreme surrender, this is the supreme attainment.

Ratnákarastava grhaḿ grhińii ca padmá;
Deyaḿ kimapi bhavate Puruśottamáya.
Ábhiiravámanayanápahrtamánasáya;
Dattaḿ mana yadupate tvamidaḿ grháńa.

[Your abode is brimming over with gems and jewels. The goddess of fortune is Your housekeeper. What can I offer to You, O Lord? Oh yes, there is one thing You lack, as it has been stolen by Your devotees; it is Your mind. I therefore offer my mind to You. Please accept it.]

The Stages of Pratyáhára Yoga

As I mentioned previously, Ananda Marga has harmoniously blended the Shákta, Vaeśńava and Shaeva sádhanás. Of the three, the Shákta sádhaná is the most important, because it is the initial stage of the microcosm’s journey towards the Macrocosm. Progress on this journey is made through pratyáhára yoga. As all spiritual aspirants are aware, the goal of pratyáhára, dhárańá, and dhyána is the attainment of samádhi.⁽⁶⁾ Pratyáhára is the conscious endeavour to withdraw the mind from mundane qualities and attractions – easier said than done! The process of varńárghyádán⁽⁷⁾ is in most cases very difficult to perform properly.

Pratyáhára has four stages: yatamána, vyatireka, ekendriya and vashiikára. Yatamána is a conscious effort to transcend the negative influence of the propensities. Suppose you see one of your colleagues taking a bribe, and think, “Had I not been an Ananda Margi I could have also earned some extra money in this way.” This shows that your propensity of greed is not fully controlled, but as you are keen to control it, you have adopted the Ananda Marga way of life. For this conscious effort on your part, you deserve the appellation yatamána.

In vyatireka, the second stage, some propensities may be controlled at one time, but uncontrolled at another time. Or a person may control physical desire, but suffer from an increase in anger; or may become free from greed for money but will develop a strong desire for name and fame. After delivering an eloquent lecture he or she will say, “All the credit goes to Brahma. It is only by His grace that I could deliver such a lecture,” but in his or her heart will think, “What an excellent speech I gave today.” This is called vyatireka.

In the ekendriya stage, the propensities are brought under control, no doubt, but not permanently. In order to exhaust the reactive momenta the propensities sometimes strongly assert themselves, causing one to repent as a result. (Ask yourself whether or not you have experienced this sort of mental torture.) Hence this stage does not represent complete pratyáhára either, because the páshas and ripus [fetters and enemies of the mind] are not totally controlled.

The páshas and ripus assert themselves through the medium of the mind and the indriyas.⁽⁸⁾ If even one indriya remains uncontrolled, it should be concluded that there is still a worm in the flower of the mind; and a worm-eaten flower cannot be offered to the Lord. Only when all the indriyas are fully controlled can it be said that the mind is under the complete control of the átman [unit consciousness]. This is real pratyáhára, or vashiikára siddhi, for it means Prakrti has merged into the Supreme Cognitive Principle. This is called Krśńasharańa [taking the shelter of Krśńa] in devotional psychology.

The importance of pratyáhára sádhaná is immense, because it involves a harmonious blending of knowledge, devotion and action. In this sádhaná, the Shákta bháva finds its consummation, and the latent devotion starts sprouting. This sprout ultimately develops into the highest Vaeśńava bháva. Shaeva bháva is the path of knowledge. So in social life there is a great need for Sháktas and Vaeśńavas. The pratyáhára yoga with which a Shákta starts rendering service to the world reaches its consummation in the perfect and total service of the Vaeśńava. Pratyáhára begins with vigorous action and culminates in selfless devotion.

Vashiikára siddhi is only attained by devotees. Even Shankaracharya [the great protagonist of jiṋána] admitted, Mokśakárana samagryáḿ bhaktireva gariyasii – “Of all the ways to attain salvation the way of bhakti or devotion is the greatest.”

If knowledge is likened to the elder brother of a family, devotion is his younger sister, happily holding her brother’s hand as she walks beside him. The little sister cannot walk alone, nor would it be safe for her to do so, but when she walks merrily along with her brother, people look lovingly at her and speak sweet words to her. They will probably ask that elder brother, “Is she your little sister?”

Footnotes

(1) “There are as many spiritual paths as there are opinions” – or, “Every opinion or personal view about a spiritual path does in fact reflect a valid spiritual path.” –Eds.

(2) In this chapter the author’s focus is psychological: the author discusses the different mentalities characteristic of Sháktas, of Vaeśńavas and of Shaevas. From a philosophical point of view, the different recognized schools of the Hindu tradition – five in all, known as the Paincopásaná – are distinguished on the basis of their different deities, or objects of meditation. In Shaevácára (Shiva Cult) one’s object of meditation is Shiva. In Sháktácára it is one of the representations of Shakti, or Prakrti. In Vaeśńavácára it is Viśńu. In Saorácára it is Súrya (the sun or the sun god), and in Gáńapatyácára it is Gańapati (Ganeśa). In all the cults, the more subtle practitioners understand that their particular deity is a representation of the infinite Brahma. –Eds

(3) The story goes that King Daksha’s main purpose in staging the sacrificial ritual was to humiliate Shiva, for he never forgave Shiva for marrying Sati against his wishes. When Sati realized this, and saw that her pleas to stop the harsh vilification of Shiva were falling on deaf ears, she threw herself into the fire. Shiva received immediate news and rushed to the spot to try to save her from being totally consumed by the flames. –Eds.

(4) I.e., the two experiences, nityánanda and nirvikalpa samádhi, are no more different from each other than are the two bhávas, or stances, from which the two experiences respectively come. –Eds.

(5) Jiṋána, karma and bhakti are forms of spiritual practice which emphasize, respectively, discrimination, selfless action, and devotion. –Eds.

(6) Pratyáhára, dhárańá, dhyána and samádhi are the last four limbs of aśt́áḿga [eight-limbed] yoga. –Eds.

(7) Offering of mental colours to the Lord, also known as Guru pújá. –Eds.

(8) An indriya is a sensory or motor organ, together with its respective nerves, nerve fluid, and site in the brain. –Eds

Chapter 2	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

What is Tantra? The process of transforming [latent divinity] into the Supreme Divinity is known as Tantra sádhaná. The sleeping divinity in animality is termed, in the language of spiritual aspirants, the kulakuńd́alinii. So we find that actually the spirit of Tantra sádhaná lies in infusing a [vibration] in the kulakuńd́alinii and pushing her up towards the spiritual goal.

The significance of the term tantra is “liberation from bondage [the bondage of dullness, or staticity]”. The letter ta is the seed [sound] of dullness. And the root verb trae suffixed by d́a becomes tra, which means “that which liberates” – so the spiritual practice which liberates the aspirant from the dullness or animality of the static force and expands the aspirant’s [spiritual] self is Tantra sádhaná. So there cannot be any spiritual practice without Tantra. Tantra is sádhaná.

Spiritual practice means practice for expansion, and this expansion is nothing but a liberation from the bondage of all sorts of dullness [or staticity]. A person who, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, aspires for spiritual expansion or does something concrete, is a Tantric. Tantra in itself is neither a religion nor an ism. Tantra is a fundamental spiritual science. So wherever there is any spiritual practice it should be taken for granted that it stands on the Tantric cult. Where there is no spiritual practice, where people pray to God for the fulfilment of narrow worldly desires, where people’s only slogan is “Give us this and give us that” – only there do we find that Tantra is discouraged. So only those who do not understand Tantra, or even after understanding Tantra do not want to do any spiritual practice, oppose the cult of Tantra.

The factors behind their repulsion from sádhaná are two in number. The first is what is known as the psychology of spiritual inertness, and the second is a sort of phobia. The spiritual phobia is the greatest enemy of human society. This phobia is the main discouraging factor.

As I was saying, the [acoustic root] ta represents dullness, and the endeavour to liberate one’s self from this dullness is known as Tantra sádhaná.

At this point I would like to say a few words about the biija mantras [seed sounds, acoustic roots] of Tantra. In this universal arena each and every action has a certain acoustic implication. The fundamental sound that works behind an action is known as the seed of that action. If the different expressions of the Cosmic Self or of the Macrocosm are termed devatás, then at the root of every devatá there lies a particular seed or sound. That particular seed or sound is known as the biija mantra of the devatá concerned. The will power (biija bindu or kámabiija) of the Cosmic Self, [in] its first expression, takes the form of the náda (first expression moving in a straight line). After that the náda is converted into kalá [curvature created under the influence of mutative Prakrti], and the sensible or perceptible manifestations of this kalá are known as the jagat or “world”. The spirit of the term jagat is “passing show”.

So we find that the world, which is an expression of kalá, comes from the náda, and the náda comes from the kámabiija, or will force (Shambhúliuṋga), of the Great. [Náda has the acoustic form of oṋm.] This oṋm is the collective form of three seed letters, a, u, and ma, representing creation, preservation and destruction, respectively. So the word oṋm can properly represent this manifested universe. Through proper analysis we get fifty fundamental sounds, or acoustic roots, from oṋm – that is, oṋm is a collective form of those fifty sounds.

Every worldly action is expressed through activating waves having the potentialities of those fundamental sounds as their nuclei. The potentiality of a particular sound or the potentialities of more than one sound may act as nucleus or nuclei, according to the nature of the action concerned. These fundamental sounds are the creative forces of the universe, so they are known as mátrká varńas [causal matrices]. Whatever exists in the universe is [supported] by a sound of this type.

One of the things existing in the universe is contraction or dullness. Contraction or dullness is also something worldly. Since it exists, it will certainly have some biija mantra. The biija mantra of this dullness is ta, and the sádhaná that liberates spiritual aspirants from the influence of this ta is Tantra.

There is spiritual force in each and every living entity. The practical interpretation of Tantra is to awaken this spiritual force and expand it, with the one objective of unifying it with the Supreme Divinity. The lowermost portion of the spinal cord is known as kula, [the abode of] Svayambhú. It is called kula because it bears the weight of the main physical trunk: ku means “creation” and la means “holder” (lá + da = la). [The abode of] Svayambhúliuṋga, bearing the weight of the main physical trunk, is rightly termed kula.

The unconscious animality residing in this kula in a coiled form, is nothing but the latent divine force. It gets back its original status as soon as its attachment for crude objectivities is removed. Because of its coiled form, this sleeping divine force is known as the kulakuńd́alinii, or the “coiled serpentine”. So the first and foremost phase of spiritual sádhaná lies in awakening the kulakuńd́alinii from her long hibernation, with the help of a proper wave coming from a great spiritualist [and] with the help of a proper mantra. But for one’s spiritual march, just to awaken her is not sufficient. This awakened kulakuńd́alinii must be pushed upwards, and her existence must be suspended in the non-attributed existence of Shiva [Supreme Consciousness]. To suspend the kulakuńd́alinii in Shiva is the ideal of Tantra.

Dhyáyet kuńd́aliniiḿ sukśmáḿ múládháranivásiniiḿ
Támiśt́a devatá rupaḿ sárdhatri balayánvitam;
Koti saodáminiibhásaḿ Svayambhúliuṋgavesthitám.

[One should meditate on the kuńd́alinii – residing in the múládhára cakra in a subtle and divine form – coiled three-and-a-half times – with the effulgence of a million moons – wrapped around the Svayambhúliuṋga.]

There are various glands of various types in the human structure. Each and every gland may be treated as the controlling station of a particular mental [propensity], and the intensity of expression of the mental [propensities] depends on the proper secretion of hormones from these glands. As a general rule hormones secreted from the lower glands cannot influence the upper glands, but they can, directly or indirectly, influence the glands situated at lower points. Since the sahasrára cakra [corresponding to the pineal gland] is the highest cakra, or plexus, hormones secreted by that plexus can control all other glands of the human body. Just now I said that the kulakuńd́alinii is awakened by the force of spiritual waves, or of mantra, and these glands help spiritual aspirants by creating such a force. The sahasrára cakra being the controller of all the glands, it is the central station of all the waves and mantras.

In each and every important gland or sub-gland there resides the seed of its expression, that is, a mátrká varńa. So in the sahasrára cakra there [lie the seeds] of all expressions – that is, all the mátrká varńas are there. The synthetic form of all the mátrká varńas is the oṋḿkára [oṋm-sound]. So it is crystal-clear that the potentiality of expression of all the instincts of the human mind lies in the sahasrára cakra.

Human [staticity] can be converted into spirituality or divinity only after arriving at the sahasrára cakra. The lowermost plexus, the múládhára, is the site of crudeness, and the uppermost plexus, the sahasrára, is just the opposite, it is the site of consciousness. So people of animal instinct have no other way, if they want to free themselves from worldly illusions, than to take the kulakuńd́alinii from the múládhára to the sahasrára. The inner spirit of raising of the kulakuńd́alinii is for one to control the [propensities] and seed sounds of the different glands and to suspend one’s self in Paramashiva [the Nucleus Consciousness], whose rank is beyond the scope of all the instincts and seed sounds. It is a process of shattering the páshas [bondages] of all mental weaknesses; and after conquering these weaknesses and other mental ripus [enemies], to transform animality into divinity. This sádhaná of the kulakuńd́alinii is a great fight. After establishing oneself above the scope of each and every instinct, idea and seed sound, a sádhaka must go on with his or her fight, with the intention of merging himself or herself into the Supreme Entity which is beyond the arena of the world of ideation. So the sádhaná of Tantra is a great battle, a sádhanásamara.

The main characteristic of Tantra is that it represents human vigour. It represents a pactless fight. Where there is no fight there is no sádhaná. Under such circumstances Tantra cannot be there, where there is no sádhaná, no fight. It is an impossibility to conquer a crude idea and to replace it by a subtle idea without a fight. It is not at all possible without sádhaná. Hence, Tantra is not only a fight, it is an all-round fight. It is not only an external or internal fight, it is simultaneously both. The internal fight is a practice of the subtler portion of Tantra. The external fight is a fight of the cruder portion of Tantra. And the fight both external and internal is a fight in both ways at once.

So practice in each and every stratum of life receives due recognition in Tantra, and the coordination and cooperation of the practices in all strata represents Tantra in its proper perspective. The practice for raising the kulakuńd́alinii is the internal sádhaná of Tantra, while shattering the bondages of hatred, suspicion, fear, shyness, etc., by direct action is the external sádhaná. When those who have little knowledge of sádhaná see the style of this external fight, they think that the Tantrics moving in the cremation ground are a sort of unnatural creature. Actually the general public have no understanding of these Tantrics. In the direct fight against the ripus and páshas they may appear to be unnatural for the time being, but one cannot ignore the fact that in wartime every person becomes, to some extent, unnatural in his or her activities.

Those who did not understand the inner spirit of the subtler sádhaná of Tantra,⁽¹⁾ or those who did not or could not understand the essence of [Tantric] practices or could not follow those practices in their lives, misinterpreted the real idea and did whatever they liked according to their sweet will, with the intention of furthering their narrow individual interests and fulfilling their worldly desires. A section of the polished intelligentsia, because of their meanness and degraded tastes, misunderstood Tantra and went against its idea. Those who could not understand the inner spirit of the terms madya, máḿsa, miina [matsya], etc. (known as the Paiṋcamakára),⁽²⁾ accepted the crude worldly interpretations of those articles, and their Tantra sádhaná was nothing but an immoral antisocial activity.

The process of Tantra sádhaná is gradual. But with even a preliminary advancement in this sádhaná, sádhakas attain certain mental and occult powers which make them stronger than the average person in terms of mental and spiritual development. But if in the process sádhakas forget Parama Brahma, the culminating point of all our vital expression, and employ their mental and occult powers to exploit the common mass and to satisfy their lusts, then the demerit lies with those individuals, not with Tantra. If sádhakas remain vigilant and alert regarding the principles of Yama and Niyama, that is, the cardinal moral principles, there is little chance of their degradation. Rather with their developed mental and occult force, they will be in a position to render better service to humanity and to utilize their intellects in a better way.

People can use any of their powers or attainments either for virtue or for vice. If anyone applies his or her potentialities in evil or destructive designs instead of in good ones, then the powers or potentialities are not to be blamed – all the lapses are lapses of the person. Money can be used in various public welfare projects; yet it can also bring on various socials evils. Swords can be applied to suppress the stupid, but also the gentle. So is the sword or the money responsible for its own good or bad use? Certainly not. It is highly improper to allow the powers attained through Tantra sádhaná to become extroversial; it is proper to exercise all these attainments in more complex sádhaná, in the subtler pursuits, so that spiritual obstructions are forced out of the human mind. This spiritual attainment helps the kulakuńd́alinii to ascend and to merge with, or unify with, Supreme Consciousness.

Tantra should be utilized only in the subtle field; if applied extroversially, it brings about so much of the crude impact of worldly affairs that the degeneration of a sádhaka becomes unavoidable. The power that is applied by degenerated Tantrics in the śát karma⁽³⁾ of Tantra – that is, psychically killing, psychically dominating or controlling, stupefying, hypnotizing, etc. – has, in reality, nothing to do with spirituality. All of these powers are simply mental powers attained through Tantra sádhaná. They can be attained even without practising Tantra sádhaná, by practising certain mental processes. But then such powers can be successfully applied only against mental weaklings. No endeavour of this sort will find any opening with mentally stronger persons. And none of these actions carries any value for a spiritual sádhaka.

To attain Tantric power one has to practise both external and internal sádhaná – has to stage a fight of both kinds. As a part of the external fight one has to apply a vigorous force or control over his or her worldly conduct and expression, while in the internal fight one has to arouse and to take up his or her kulakuńd́alinii against one’s crude thought with all the strength of one’s intuition.

The ascent of the kulakuńd́alinii is brought about through the practice of certain processes. At the sahasrára, or pineal gland, the kulakuńd́alinii drinks the hormone secreted by that plexus. The biological explanation of this is that the sádhaka attains control over the flow of nectar secreted from the sahasrára (i.e., over a particular hormone secreted from the pineal gland). This flow of nectar is the main support of divine life. During this period of kuńd́alinii sádhaná (sádhaná establishing control over the “coiled serpentine”), sádhakas attain or establish control over the ascent and descent of the [suśumná] fluid. The mental trends of sádhakas are vitalized by the nectar of the sahasrára – by this hormone – and by the well-controlled movement of the [suśumná] fluid, bringing the sádhakas uncommon sagacity and vigour. The blending of such sagacity and vigour adorns a sádhaka with an attractive personality, with sharp intelligence and with an unparalleled spirit. Only under the sound leadership of such Tantrics can a dharmic social and national life be lived.

On this path of human advancement from animality to divinity, everybody has a particular position and exerts an influence on society corresponding to that position. Every human being, as a matter of principle, by virtue of being Homo sapiens, certainly has equal rights with others in every walk of life, but Tantra admits specialities to individuals in proportion to their positions on metaphysical strata. Tantra does not recognize any racial, genealogical, political, national or economic differences among human beings, but it does give recognition to individual vigour. The fundamental difference between the Vedic Aryan ideals and the Tantric ideals is that among the Vedic ideals, much importance is granted to racial and clan differences, while in Tantra only the ideal human gets the honour. There is very little scope for spiritual development in the prayerful Aryan religion, and that is why the Aryans who settled in India gradually became influenced by Tantra. The effectiveness of Tantra in developing personality and vigour within a short span of time made Tantra attractive to the Aryans. So in the beginning they started practising Tantra sádhaná, but with strict secrecy. During the daytime they would remain Aryans with their usual emblems – shikhá [sacred hair] and sútra [sacred thread] – but at night they would throw off their upaviita [sacred thread] and caste differences and practise Tantra sádhaná in Bhaeravii cakra.

Pravrtte Bhaeraviicakre sarva varná dvijátayah;
Nivrtte Bhaeraviicakre sarve varńah prthak-prthak.

[When they sit in the Bhaeravii cakra, they distinguish only between those who are sádhakas and those who are not; but when they leave the cakra, they renew the traditional caste distinctions.]

Veda through its sacrificial rituals encourages materialism, while the Tantric cult through its mental and spiritual practice helps sádhakas progress towards the intuitional self – towards the Supreme Non-Attributional Reality.

The spirit of sádhaná is to control the extroversial trends of the mind – to guide one’s self in a proper way – so sádhaná and the Tantric cult are synonymous. Ceremonial sacrifices, prayers, and other extroversial rituals are neither Tantra nor sádhaná. Every sádhaná that aims at the attainment of the Supreme, irrespective of its religious affiliation, is definitely Tantra; for Tantra is not a religion, Tantra is simply the science of sádhaná – it is a principle. In reality, can anyone stand up in any sphere of life without [sádhaná]? Can we achieve the honour, the status and the other commodities that we want in this material world without a struggle? And when we consider our aspiration for development and advancement in the mental world – that cannot be brought about without a struggle either. So everywhere, whether in the crude sphere or in the subtle sphere, struggle is the essence of life. The proper role of human beings lies in [controlling] and harnessing all sorts of crude forces or trends. Thus not only is Tantra an asset in the spiritual world; but even in the most material and crude spheres of life there is no other recourse than to accept Tantric ideals.

Those who sparkle and arouse their vigour in the physical and the mental worlds by staging a struggle against crude tendencies become superhuman persons in human frames. Such personalities, adorned with vigour and vitality, receive ovations everywhere. As a matter of fact, whatever may be the social or administrative [system of a country] – whether it is a democratic republic, or a bureaucracy, or a dictatorship – only those rule who have [invoked] vigour and personality in themselves. Vigorous personalities always rule the weaklings. If individuals having great personalities and great vigour enter into politics, they become [strong or autocratic leaders], while others bow to their command.

Personalities of intermediate category [in regard to their vigour] do not like to shoulder the responsibilities of a [strong leader]. They carry on their [autocratic leadership] under the safe shelter of a monarchical or republican government (by making the crown or the parliament a puppet in their hand); though it cannot be emphatically stated that democracy succeeds only in countries where people lack vigour. There are many countries where the people do not lack vigour, yet where democracy has claimed success. Of course, this has a political side too. [Autocracy] makes its appearance only in those countries where the people have an ample store of vigour yet where the government has become infested with a high degree of corruption. In England and the United States of America there is no dearth of vigour, yet due to efficient forms of government, democracy has never failed. But in Pakistan and Egypt, because of hopeless and pitiable sorts of governments, the people in general have accepted [autocracy] wholeheartedly.

In this world there are also many countries where there are no honest, sincere leaders in the political sphere and whose governmental body is full of corruption, but where, nevertheless, democracy has not suffered any setback. Anyway, the essence of my comments lies in the fact that even in worldly affairs one’s personality is developed through Tantra sádhaná, and sádhaná meets success everywhere.

In this regard, it may be asked whether the [strong leaders] of the world practise any Tantra sádhaná or not. To this my answer will be that, perhaps unknowingly, they have always followed Tantric principles. You perhaps know that the great hero of Indian independence, Subhash [Chandra Bose], was an ardent follower of the Tantric cult.

The caste system is based on the principle of distinctions and differences. This system has constituted the greatest obstruction to the formation of a strong, well-organized, well-knit society. This system does not provide a clue to or a seed of the possibility of unity in diversity. The caste system is recognized by the Vedas only, not by Tantra. In the Tantric cult, although there is cent per cent scope for a person’s all-round development, nevertheless, as human beings, all remain in an equal status. That is why there cannot be any compromise between Tantra and the caste system.

Varńáshramábhimánena shrutidásye bhavennarah;
Varńáshramabihiinashca varttate shrutimúrdhani.

–Ajiṋánabodhinii Tantra

That is – Tantra has expressed in clear language – “Those who proudly espouse the caste system are slaves of the Vedas, while those who have risen above it or kicked it off, attain a place at the head of the Vedas or above the Vedas.” The present caste system of Indian society is the creation of those opportunist Vedic Aryans who entered the Tantric cult but because of their lack of sincerity could not attain the desired status. The deficiencies of Vedic society have in this way inflicted great harm on Tantra.

True Tantrics will certainly allow special honour and recognition for individual potentialities and vigour, but as human beings, all will be equal to them. In the Buddhist Age as well, Tantrics followed this principle. In ancient times, Bengal and Mithila were great seats of Tantra. At that time those who had advanced in Tantra sádhaná – those Brahmans, Kayasthas, Vaidyas, etc., who were engaged in the sádhaná of raising the kulakuńd́alinii – were identified as kuliinas. Those who were supporters of the Vedas (also known as shruti) were recognized as shrotriyas. Though as human beings the kuliinas and the shrotriyas all enjoyed equal status in the then society, the kuliinas used to receive special honour as sádhakas. Ballal Sen, the king of Bengal, was originally a Buddhist Tantric, but later on became a Hindu Tantric.

Tantrics are to stage a fight against all crude forces, a pauseless struggle against inequality and cowardliness. Equality in society cannot be achieved if the [basis of power] is quantitative alone, without any consideration of qualitative value, for today those who do not try to invoke vigour in themselves by sádhaná far exceed in quantity those who do. So it is not by democracy, but by entrusting power to the true Tantrics, that equality in the economic and social spheres must be established in this material world. The establishment of equality is possible only by Tantrics and not by non-Tantrics. Of course not only in the mental and spiritual arena, but in the material sphere as well, complete or cent per cent equality is an impossibility. So Tantrics have to continue their fight indefinitely. For them where is the opportunity to have a rest?

Footnotes

(1) See “Tantra and Sádhaná”, section on The Crude and Subtle Paiṋcamakára. –Eds.

(2) See “Tantra and Sádhaná”, section on The Crude and Subtle Paiṋcamakára. –Eds.

(3) For more on the “six actions”, or “six branches”, of Avidyá Tantra, see the chapter “Vidyá Tantra and Avidyá Tantra”. –Eds.

Chapter 3	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

The Practical Cult of Spirituality

To remain satisfied with a little is contrary to human nature. That is why, since the dawn of creation, human beings have been worshipping the Supreme Entity. People longed for supreme knowledge, for indirect and direct spiritual realization. This fundamental human yearning for supreme expansion led people to discover the practical cult of spirituality. Moreover, it created in the human mind the sense of inquisitiveness, the spirit of dedication, and the thirst for knowledge. It is because of these noble qualities that human beings have become what they are today.

The divine revelations experienced by the sages of the ancient Vedic age through their meditative vision have been compiled in the Vedas. Thus the Vedas have to some extent quenched the human thirst for intellectual knowledge. But they have not quenched the thirst for supreme knowledge, the fundamental thirst of human life. That thirst can only be quenched through the illuminating realizations of sádhaná [spiritual practice].

There is no reliable evidence to suggest that in the Vedic period spiritual knowledge was handed down from preceptor to disciple. As far as we know from the history of spiritual sádhaná, Lord Shiva was the first to propound it, and He gave this spiritual cult the name Tantra. Tantra is the secret behind spiritual progress.

The scriptural definition of tantra is Taḿ jád́yát tárayet yastu sah tantrah parikiirttitah [“Tantra is that which liberates a person from the bondages of staticity”]. Taḿ is the acoustic root of staticity.

Tantra has another meaning as well. The Sanskrit root verb tan means “to expand”. So the practical process that leads to one’s expansion and consequent emancipation is called tantra. Thus sádhaná and Tantra are inseparable.

Strictly speaking, theoretical knowledge cannot be called Tantra. Tantra is a practical science. Hence in Tantra the importance of book knowledge is secondary. The practical process of Tantra begins with the physical and progresses to the physico-psychic, then to the psycho-spiritual, then ultimately results in [the supreme spiritual stance,] ensconcement in the átmá [self]. [This scientific process sets it apart from many other schools.]

As the practical aspect is the most important factor in Tantra, the greatest emphasis is placed on the preceptor-disciple relationship. The disciple must do intense spiritual practice to be worthy of the preceptor’s instructions at every stage of development.

And it was for this reason that Sadáshiva never wanted the Tantric teachings to be written down. However, in course of time, due to a lack of competent preceptors and disciples, Tantra was about to be lost to society. It therefore became an imperative necessity to put the teachings in book form to save them from total extinction. There are presently sixty-four Tantric texts.

Tantra is broadly composed of two parts – nigama and ágama. The former is mainly theoretical; the latter practical. As the Vedic scriptures are not based on practical instructions, some people are inclined to categorize them as nigama.

According to the Rudrayámala Tantra,

Ágataḿ Shivavaktrebhyo gataiṋca Girijáshrutao;
Mataiṋca Vásudevasya tasmádágama ucyate.

[The science which comes from the mouth of Lord Shiva, goes to the ears of Párvatii, and is approved by Lord Krśńa, is called ágama.⁽¹⁾]

No serious or sincere Tantric can agree with this shloka [couplet]. Why should the science which was propounded by Lord Shiva need to be “approved by Lord Krśńa”? The Rudrayámala Tantra was formulated much later than Lord Shiva. This shloka was cleverly included in the Rudrayámala Tantra by the protagonists of the Vedas.⁽²⁾

Guru and Disciple

Kśurasya dhárá nishitá duratyayá. [Literally, “The edge of a razor is very sharp and difficult to walk on.”] This path, to walk upon, is like a path strewn with sharp razors. The disciple has to tread the path with extreme caution. The disciple needs the help of the guru [preceptor] at every step. Without this supervision, any defect in the process of sádhaná as imparted by the guru, or the least negligence on the part of the disciple in following the instructions, inevitably leads to the disciple’s downfall. For success on the path of Tantra, the proper preceptor and the proper disciple are both essential. So the first step in Tantra is the selection of a competent preceptor and a worthy disciple.

The situation can be explained through the following analogy with agriculture: The disciple’s heart is a field; sádhaná is the ploughing and irrigation of the field; and the preceptor’s initiation is the sowing of seeds. If the seeds are defective they will not sprout; if the field is infertile the harvest will be poor; and even if the seed and the field are ideal, yet the field is not properly ploughed or irrigated, the harvest will be poor.

According to Tantra, disciples are of three categories. The first category are likened to pitchers placed inversely in a tub of water. Such pitchers contain water as long as they are kept in the tub, but as soon as they are taken out, all the water pours out. These disciples acquire spiritual knowledge when they are in close contact with the preceptor, but as soon as they are apart from the preceptor they forget all his teachings.

The second category of disciples are like people who carefully climb a plum tree and pick plums from its thorny branches. Unfortunately they become so absorbed in climbing down the tree that they completely forget about their carefully-collected plums, which fall out of their bags and break open on the ground. Such disciples learn many things from the preceptor with great hardship, but do not take proper care to preserve those instructions. They lose their hard-earned knowledge out of negligence.

The best category of disciples are like pitchers positioned right side up. When such pitchers are put in a tub of water, there is water both inside them and all around them; and even when they are removed from the tub, they remain full to the brim with water. These disciples carefully preserve in the jewel caskets of their hearts whatever they learn from their preceptor.

According to Tantra there are also three types of preceptor: the inferior, the mediocre, and the superior. Inferior preceptors are those who deliver high-sounding speeches but do not bother about whether the disciples follow their teachings or not. Mediocre preceptors impart knowledge to their disciples, no doubt, and also check on whether the disciples are following their teachings, but they are not too demanding. Superior preceptors, however, take meticulous care to ensure that their disciples follow their teachings. If they discover that their disciples are negligent in any way, they compel them to practise more painstakingly by applying circumstantial pressure.

In the Vedic system there is no such strong preceptor-disciple relationship, for Vedic knowledge is completely theoretical. In Tantra emphasis is placed not only on the selection of competent masters and worthy disciples, but also on the need for disciples to make a total surrender to the preceptor in the early stages of the Tantric path.

The qualities of the best preceptors have been outlined in the Tantrasára:

Shánto dánto kuliinascha viniita shuddhaveshaván
Shuddhácárii supratiśthita shucirdakśah subuddhimán
Áshramii dhyánaniśt́ashca tantramantra visháradah
Nigrahánugrahe shakto gururityabhidhiiyate.

[Composed, self-controlled, adept in raising the kuńd́alinii, modest, soberly dressed, exemplary in conduct, having an honest means of livelihood, pure in thought, well-versed in the spiritual cult, highly intelligent, a householder, established in meditation, well-versed in Tantra and mantra, able both to punish and to reward the disciple – only such a person deserves to be called a guru.]

All sorts of actions, be they nivrttimúlaka [spiritual actions] or pravrttimúlaka [wordly actions] are performed by the human mind. Shravańa [hearing], manana [contemplating], and nididhyásana [focusing the mind on one object] are among the actions performed by the mind.⁽³⁾ One who has controlled all actions, and perfected the last three, is called shánta, or one who has acquired full composure of mind.

The indriyas⁽⁴⁾ are multilateral in their activities. They too play a very significant role in the processes of shravańa, manana and nidhidhyásana. One who has controlled all the indriyas, and perfected the actions of the indriyas in shravańa, manana and nididhyásana, is called dánta, or one who has acquired full control over the indriyas.

A kaola sádhaka (one who practises the science of raising the kulakuńd́alinii, that is, one who is adept in purashcarańa [the process of moving upwards the kuńd́alinii shakti]), is called kuliina. Only such a person can be a kula guru [preceptor of kaola sádhaná].

A preceptor must furthermore be viniita [modest], shuddhaveshavána [soberly dressed], shuddhácárii (exemplary in conduct), supratisthita (having honest means of livelihood), and shuci (pure in thought). In the spiritual sphere this person must be dakśa (well-versed in the practical and theoretical aspects of the spiritual cult). One who has only acquired theoretical knowledge is called vidvána [scholarly]. A preceptor must [be more than] vidvána, a preceptor must be dakśa.

And preceptors must be more than intelligent, they must be subuddhimána [super-intelligent]. They must also be áshramii [married], for according to Tantric injunction only a married person can be the guru of married people. It is not enough that preceptors impart lessons on dhyána to their disciples, they must be dhyániśt́ha (fully established in dhyána). They should also be vishárada [well-versed, i.e., both dakśa and vidvána] in Tantra and mantra.

Mantra is defined Mananát tárayet yastu sa mantrah parikiirtitah – “That which, when contemplated, leads to freedom from [all sorts of] bondages is called a mantra.” The preceptor must know which mantras are appropriate for which people, and which mantras are siddha mantras.⁽⁵⁾

The preceptor must also be nigraha (capable of inflicting punishment) and anugraha (capable of bestowing grace). One who punishes only or who bestows grace only is not an ideal preceptor.

Like the preceptor, a disciple should possess certain qualities, which are as follows:

Shánto viniito shuddhátmá
Shraddhávána dhárańákśamah;
Samarthashca kuliinashca
Prájiṋah saccarito yatih;
Evamádi guńaeryuktah
Shishyo bhavati nányathá.

–Tantrasára

“A disciple must always be samartha (ready to carry out the instructions and commands of the master). He or she must be prájiṋa and yati – that is, must have the requisite knowledge and experience, and must have full control over the mind. One who is of noble soul, of noble conduct and of tranquil mind, who is modest and reverent, and possesses a sharp memory and perseverance, who has all-round competence and is zealous in the practice of raising the kulakuńd́alinii, and who is well-informed and self-restrained, is an ideal disciple.” One who does not possess these qualities should not be accepted as a disciple.

Whenever a worthy disciple is taught by a competent preceptor, spiritual progress is a certainty.

Stages

The practice of Tantra can be divided into several stages. Everyone has his or her own individual saḿskáras, and there is no denying that at the initial stage human beings are normally animals (and have hence been called “rational animals”). A human being who lacks viveka [discrimination] is actually worse than an animal. Animals are undeveloped creatures, and thus certain behaviour on their part may be condoned. But humans are developed, so improper conduct by them cannot be condoned. The initial stage of sádhaná is meant for people of animal nature and is thus called pashvácára or pashubháva [pashu = “animal”].

When sádhakas advance in the process of sádhaná, guided by the instructions of the preceptor, they develop an ideation proper for human beings. At this stage they are called viira [heroic]. Just as animals are controlled through external pressure, in the stage of pashvácára sádhaná disciples must be controlled by the external application of pressure of circumstances. This will help establish them in viirabháva. But those who are more elevated than animals do not depend on external pressure for spiritual progress. Their progress is determined by both external pressure and internal urge.

Sarve ca pashavah santi talavad bhútale naráh;
Teśáḿ jiṋána prakásháya viirabhávah prakáshitah;
Viirabhávaḿ sadá prápya krameńa devatá bhavet.

–Rudrayámala Tantra

“Under ordinary circumstances all are animal-like in the initial stage. When spiritual thirst awakens in animal-like people they become viira, and when they are fully established in viirabháva they become devatás [gods].” The science of Tantra is based on this truth. Hence there is no contradiction between Tantra and science. People are found at all different stages, according to their ideation – animal-like, heroic, or god-like – as they ascend on the scale of evolution. A competent preceptor imparts lessons to his disciples after considering the degree of their spiritual and psychic elevation.

Vaedikaḿ Vaeśńavaḿ Shaevaḿ Dákśińaḿ páshavaḿ smrtam;
Siddhánte Váme ca viire divyaḿtu Kaolamucyate.

–Vishvasára Tantra

“Vaedikácára, Vaeśńavácára, Shaevácára and Dakśińácára are the different stages of pashubháva. Vámácára and Siddhántácára are the stages of viirabháva, and Kulácára belongs to [divya]bháva.”

The first stage of pashvácára sádhaná is Vaedikácára. It has no deep principles, but is merely a set of ritualistic and showy observances and practices. So in the eye of a Tantric practitioner, Vaedikácára is the lowest grade of sádhaná.

It is also the lowest because it does not inspire the practitioner to transcend discrimination and differentiation. In the subtler stages of Tantra the artificial distinctions of caste, colour, and social status are not recognized. In this stage all aspirants merely identify themselves as Bhaerava or Bhaeravii. In the Ajiṋánabodhinii Tantra it has been said,

Varńáshramábhimánena shrutidásye bhavennarah;
Varńáshramabihiinashca vartate shrutimúrdhani.⁽⁶⁾

Elsewhere in Tantra it has been said,

Ye kurbanti naráh múrdá divyacakre pramádatah;
Kulabhedaḿ varńabhedaḿ te gacchantyadhamám gatim.

[Even those who practise Tantra sádhaná and meditate in the Bhaeravii cakra will, if they retain belief in caste differences, degrade themselves to a crude state.]

“Those who accept differences of lineage and caste degrade themselves, and are ultimately converted into foxes, dogs, pigs, worms, or even trees and stones.” No one can prevent their degradation. The practice of Tantra is the practice of self-expansion, not self-contraction. Those who are blindly guided by the teachings of the Vedas and believe in the artificial distinctions of caste and class, etc., or beat drums proclaiming the Aryan supremacy, follow the path of self-contraction. Their sádhaná is the sádhaná of ignorance and annihilation.

The Crude and the Subtle Paiṋcamakára

Many people criticize Tantra for its Paiṋcamakára.⁽⁷⁾ In their case it can aptly be said that “a little learning is a dangerous thing.” They neither know, nor understand, nor try to understand, the underlying significance of the Five M’s.

Tantra can be roughly divided into two branches, one crude and the other subtle.⁽⁸⁾ The subtle aspect of Tantra is also called the yoga márga [path of yoga]. Sadáshiva was the propounder of both branches of Tantra, hence there cannot be any contradiction between them. Under ordinary circumstances the human mind is dominated by animal propensities. Of course, these baser propensities are not equally strong for all people. Those who have intense animal desires rush toward objects of physical enjoyment. Such people cannot just suddenly give up their objects of enjoyment in favour of spiritual sádhaná. Those whose desire for physical enjoyment is less intense can easily abstain from physical objects, but what are the first-mentioned people to do?

If such people try forcibly to turn their minds away from their objects of enjoyment, they will face disastrous consequences. Psychologists are well aware of the dangers of attempting to suppress or repress one’s desires. One may be able to maintain saintliness for a certain time, but the raging storm cannot be contained forever. It is not unusual for those who remain virtuous early in life to fall prey to immoral desires later in life. The dark shadow of immorality fell across the lives of many sannyásiis and sannyásiniis or bhikśus and bhikśuniis [monks and nuns] in the past for this very reason, that they had tried to suppress their desires by force. Some people pretend to be virtuous but indulge in immoral deeds secretly; if their numbers increase in society it is an unhealthy sign. The practice of the Five M’s was formulated for those people who harboured secret desires for crude physical enjoyment. But for those guided by subtle propensities, the subtle Paiṋcamakára, or yoga márga, was prescribed.

The main idea behind the practice of the crude Paiṋcamakára is to carry out sádhaná while in the midst of crude enjoyments. While carrying out this practice, they will limit the degree of their indulgence. By limiting the use of objects of enjoyment they will gradually increase their psychic power, and will ultimately rise above the allurement of enjoyment. For example, a wine addict will drink a controlled measure of wine as a part of sádhaná. A fish-eater will follow certain restrictions: he or she will limit the quantity of fish eaten, and will not eat female fish in their spawning period.

In this way people can gradually establish the superiority of their minds over objects of enjoyment. The practice of this pravrttimúlaka [extroversial] Paiṋcamakára will gradually take them to the nivrtti path.

Madya sádhaná: But many people are under the impression that the Five M’s means only the crude Five M’s. This is incorrect. Let us take the first element of the Five M’s. The deeper spirit of madya sádhaná is,

Somadhárá kśared yá tu Brahmarandhrát varánane;
Piitvánandamayastvaḿ sa eva madyasádhakah.

“One who experiences the intoxicating joy from drinking the sudhá, or somadhárá,⁽⁹⁾ secreted from the Brahmarandhra [pineal gland] is called a madya sádhaka.” In this connection one should remember that every gland secretes sudhá, secretes some hormone.

The hormone secretion of the Brahmarandhra, the supreme gland of the human body, is partly controlled by the moon, and the moon is also called soma; hence that nectar is called somarasa or somadhárá. This somadhárá invigorates the lower glands of the human body and intoxicates a spiritual aspirant with joy. Ordinary people cannot experience this divine joy, because crude thoughts result in somarasa being burnt up in the mental sphere (in the pituitary gland and vicinity). But a sádhaka feels a great intoxication at the time this amrta is being secreted.

When those who are not sádhakas observe this condition, they mistake it for something else. Ramprasad, the great mystic, said,

Surápán karine ámi sudhá khái jaya Kálii bale;
Man-mátále mátál kare mad-mátále mátál bale.

[I don’t drink wine, I take sudhárasa, saying, “Victory to Kálii.” My mind, intoxicated with bliss-causing hormones, makes me drunk. But those who are intoxicated with drink, call me a drunkard.]

There is yet another subtle interpretation of the term madya, according to Tantric yogis:

Yaduktaḿ Parama Brahma nirvikáraḿ niraiṋjanam;
Tasmin pramadanajiṋánam tanmadyaḿ parikiirttitaḿ.

“Intense love for Nirvikára Niraiṋjana Parama Brahma leads to the annihilation of thought, intellect and ego, and appears as an intoxication which may be termed a madya sádhaná.”

Máḿsa sádhaná: Similarly, to a Tantric, máḿsa does not mean meat.

Má shabdádrasaná jineyá tadaḿsán rasaná priye;
Yastad bhakśayennityam sa eva máḿsa sádhakah.

[Má means “tongue”, and it is through the tongue that words are uttered. One who “eats”, or controls, those words is a máḿsa sádhaka.]

Má means “tongue”; máḿsa means “speech”; máḿsabhakśańa means “control over speech”.

There is yet another interpretation of the word máḿsa.

Evaḿ máḿsanotihi yatkarma tanmáḿsa parikiirttitaḿ;
Na ca káyaprati vántu yogibhimasimucyate.

That is to say, “One who surrenders all one’s actions, good, bad, righteous, sinful, wicked – even the attainment of prolonged penance – to Me, is called máḿsa.”

Meat is in no way considered by yogis to be a useful item of food.

Matsya sádhaná:

Gauṋgá Yamunayormadhye matsyao dvao caratah sadá;
Tao matsyao bhakśayet yastu sah bhavenmatsyasádhakah.

The matsya sádhaná of a Tantric yogi can be interpreted in this way: “One who eats the two fish that swim, one through the Ganges (representing the id́á nád́ii) and the other through the Yamuna (the piuṋgalá nád́ii) – that is, one who takes the breath flows of the left nostril and the right nostril to the trikut́i [concentration point of the ájiṋá cakra] and suspends them there by purńa kumbhaka [holding the inhalation] or shunya kumbhaka [holding the exhalation] – is a matsya sádhaka.”

In connection with matsya, Lord Shiva further said,

Matsamánaḿ sarvabhúte sukhaduhkhamidaḿ devi;
Iti yatsátvikaḿ jiṋánaḿ tanmatsyah parikiirttitah.

“When a person feels all the pains and pleasures of others as one’s own pains and pleasures, this sentient feeling is called matsya sádhaná.”

Mudrá sádhaná: Crude mudrá sádhaná involves the use of a certain type of food. Subtle mudrá sádhaná has nothing to do with food.

Satsaungena bhavenmuktirasatsaungeśu bandhanam;
Asatsauṋgamudrańaḿ sá mudrá parikiirttitá.

“Bad company leads to bondage; good company leads to liberation. Having understood this supreme truth, one should avoid bad company. This shunning of bad company is called mudrá sádhaná.”

Maethuna sádhaná: Many people comment adversely on the fifth M. Through this process of sádhaná [i.e., through crude maethuna sádhaná], people of cruder propensities can gradually develop self-restraint. This is the teaching of Tantra, and nobody should object to it.

And regarding subtle maethuna sádhaná, it has been said,

Kulakuńd́alinii shaktirdehináḿ dehadhárińii;
Tayá Shivashya saḿyogah maethunaḿ parikiirttitaḿ.

The lowest vertebra of the spinal cord is called kula. In this part of the múládhára cakra [basic plexus] is located the kulakuńd́alinii, or daevii shakti [divine energy]. The purpose of maethuna sádhaná is to raise the kulakuńd́alinii and unite it with Paramashiva [the Nucleus Consciousness] at the sahasrára cakra [corresponding to the pineal gland].

The Lessons of Tantra

The lessons of Tantra are physico-psycho-spiritual – from the physical to the psychic, and from the psychic to the spiritual. Tantra says that one can attain spiritual elevation through physical and psychic purification. This is a very logical proposition. Hence absolute purity in food and conduct is essential for a Tantric sádhaka. Without attaining all-round purification it is impossible for a sádhaka to experience real spiritual ideation. On the path of spirituality, bháva [ideation] is the main factor.

Regarding the interpretation of the word bháva, the devotional scriptures observe,

Shuddhasattva visheśádvá premasúryáḿshusámyabhák;
Rucibhishcittamásrńya krdasao bháva ucyate.

[Bháva (often translated “psycho-spiritual idea” or “psycho-spiritual parallelism”) means that type of special ideation which makes the entitative rhythm very pure and holy, which arouses the latent love for Parama Puruśa, and which makes the mind smooth-surfaced and soft owing to the spiritual effulgence.]

But Tantra explains bháva as follows: Bhávo hi mánaso dharma manasaeva sadábhyáset – “Bháva is a mental tendency. The flow of bháva can be brought about through repetition.” This repetition of ideation is called japakriyá – outer-suggestion or auto-suggestion. If human beings repeatedly ideate on Paramátmá, their psychic waves gradually straighten, because they come in contact with the perfectly straight spiritual waves of that Entity. Japakriyá is the practical way to realize Iishvara. In the Vedas, Ahaḿ Brahma, Tattvamasi and many other mantras have been mentioned. But what does a person gain by knowing the theory behind these words without experiencing any practical realization from them? The Vedas do not state clearly how to ideate, nor how to realize the inner import of mantra, nor even how to use mantras in practical life.

Anubhútiḿ biná múd́ha vrthá Brahmańi modate;
Pratibimbitashákhágraphalásvádanamodavat.

–Maetreyii Shruti

[Without God-realization, a person will try in vain to get spiritual bliss. Seeing the reflection in water of a sweet fruit hanging from the branch of a tree does not give one the taste of the fruit.]

“The sight of the reflection in water of a sweet fruit hanging from the branch of a tree does not give one the taste of the fruit.” Similarly, what is the value of book knowledge of Brahma if a person has no actual spiritual realization? In this regard Tantra says,

Ahaḿ Brahmásmi, vijiṋánáda jiṋánávilayo bhavet;
So’mityeva saḿcintya viharet sarvadá devi.

–Gandharva Tantra

“The realization Ahaḿ Brahmásmi [”I am Brahma“] is the only way to dispel the darkness of ignorance. But if this knowledge of Brahmásmi remains confined to mere words, it will not serve any practical purpose.” To gain knowledge of Brahma, one’s ideation – ideation on the So’ham mantra – will have to be continuous. Continuous ideation is not possible through mere parrot-like repetition of a mantra. This subtle science of psycho-spiritual practice is the discovery of Tantra.

Japakriyá and dhyánakriyá [auto- or outer-suggestion, and meditation with unbroken concentration] are the subtle techniques prescribed by Mahákaolas.⁽¹⁰⁾ Tantrics also say that mere repetition of mantra will not serve any purpose unless there is a rhythmic parallelism between the incantative flow (the flow of the mantra) and the mental flow (the flow of the unit mind). To perform japakriyá while harbouring harmful thoughts is futile. One can only attain success in japakriyá if all the psychic propensities are diverted towards the deeper spirit of the mantra. (This will simultaneously bring about stillness of the váyus [energy flows in the body]).

Mano’nyatra shivo’nyatra shaktiranyatra márutah;
Na sidhyati varánane kalpakotishataerapi.

–Kulárńava Tantra

“The mind runs in one direction towards its object of fascination; its object of ideation lies in another direction; the vital energy moves in yet another direction; and the váyus run in all directions uncontrollably. In the midst of such chaos ideation on Parama Puruśa is impossible, even in billions of kalpas [ages].”

Indriyáńám manonáthah manonatho’stu márutah. “The controller of the indriyas is the mind, and the controllers of the mind are the váyus.” In spiritual practice the indriyas, the mind and the váyus cannot be ignored. They must be consolidated and directed towards Parama Puruśa.

In Tantra the system of diikśá [initiation] is highly scientific. Initiation has two important aspects: diipanii and mantra caetanya. Diipanii⁽¹¹⁾ means “torchlight”; mantra caetanya means “conceptual understanding of and psychic association with a mantra”. Regarding the interpretation of diikśá, the Vishvasára Tantra says,

Diipa jiṋánaḿ yato dadyát kuryát pápakśayam tatah;
Tasmátdiikśeti sá proktá sarvatantrasya sammatá.

“The process which produces the capacity to realize the inner import of mantra and which expedites the requital of the saḿskáras, or reactive momenta, is called diikśá.”

You may have noticed that some people become extremely sad or extremely happy after being initiated. This is a good sign because it shows that the saḿskáras are being exhausted very quickly. But this sort of reaction does not occur merely by hearing the mantra or repeating it parrot-like. One must be initiated according to the prescribed system. Only then will the mantra be effective. This will be clear to those practising Ananda Marga meditation.

Andhakáragrhe yadvanna kincat pratibhásate;
Diipaniirahito’mantrastathaeva parikiirttitá.

–Sárasvata Tantra

You must know that both diipanii and mantra caetanya must precede the repetition of a mantra. “One cannot see even the most valuable objects in a dark room. Similarly, a valuable mantra cannot be used properly without the help of diipanii.”

Mantra caetanya: Unless the kulakuńd́alinii is raised upwards in the process of spiritual practice, repetition of mantra becomes meaningless. The system of raising the kulakuńd́alinii upwards is called purashcarańa kriyá. Mantra caetanya literally means to imbibe the proper spirit of a mantra. If a mantra is repeated with the understanding of the inner spirit, mantra caetanya will be an easier task. To repeat the mantra without understanding its spirit is a waste of time. In this connection Sadáshiva said in the Rudrayámala Tantra,

Caetanya rahitáh mantráh proktavarńástu kevaláh;
Phalaḿ naeva prayacchanti lakśa kot́i prajapati.

[Mantras without their corresponding ideation are merely a couple of letters mechanically uttered. They will not bear any fruit even if repeated a billion times.]

Dhyána: Diipanii and mantra caetanya are not necessary in the process of dhyána,⁽¹²⁾ but they are necessary in japakriyá [auto- or outer-suggestion through repetition of mantra]. Those who are unsuccessful in japakriyá find it very difficult to master the practice of dhyána.⁽¹³⁾ In the process of dhyána, mantra, diipanii, and mantra caetanya – all three – are associated with the dhyeya Puruśa [Puruśa as the object of ideation]. So from a subtle perspective, japa is a composite of a number of processes, but dhyána kriyá is complete in itself, and this is the reason that beginners find it difficult to become established in dhyána.⁽¹⁴⁾ For those who can establish themselves in dhyána, however, samádhi is a certainty.

Vinányásaeh viná pújáḿ viná japaeh puraskriyaḿ;
Dhyánayogád bhavetsiddhirnányathá khalu Párvatii.

–Shrii Krama Tantra

[Said Shiva to Párvatii, “Through dhyána one can attain the highest spiritual success, even without nyása, pújá, japa and purashcarańa (other practices). You can take this for a fact.”]

Only after one is established in dhyána can one attain nirvikalpa samádhi. If one is established in samádhi, liberation or salvation will come as a matter of course.

Tantra, being a practical process, does not recognize any external practices or showy displays, and in particular does not recognize idol worship as the best process of sádhaná. Even the Vedas, although they contain references to idols, do not approve of idol worship; and Tantra is much more liberal, much more psychological, than the Vedas. According to Tantra idol worship is also a process of sádhaná, but the crudest process.

Uttamo Brahmasadbhávo madhyamá dhyánadhárańá;
Japastuti syádadhamá múrtipújá dhamádhamá.

[Ideation on Brahma is the best, dhyána and dhárańá are second best, repetitious incantation and eulogistic prayer are the worst, and idol worship is the worst of the worst.]

Tantra declares that Citistad shabda lakśárthácidekarasarúpinii [“The Supreme Entity is fundamentally citi (consciousness). It is an unbroken flow of cognition.”] The Supreme Entity is a continuous flow of cognition, only attainable through the process of incantation. So how could Tantra consider the worship of idols or matter an ideal type of sádhaná?

In Tantra there are three types of sádhaná: pravrtti sádhaná, nivrtti sádhaná, and a combination of the two. The crude and horrifying practices of pisháca sádhaná [pisháca = “ghoul”] are part of pravrtti sádhaná. The goal of pisháca sádhaná is to establish supremacy over material forces. Even though one acquires certain powers, and thereby the possibility of some purely temporary happiness, after practising this sádhaná for some time, one’s degeneration is inevitable, for it is based on an external outlook. Pisháca sádhakas will suffer the inevitable fate of being reborn as animals or being converted into wood, earth or stone.

Tantra’s nivrtti márga is the highest type of practice. Through this process a spiritual aspirant attains elevation step by step. Nirváńa or mahánirváńa, mukti or mokśa,⁽¹⁵⁾ can be attained through this process. The path which mixes pravrtti and nivrtti is called the path of upavidyá. Nivrtti márga, or Vidyá Tantra, brings about the highest excellence in the spiritual sphere, but the mixed path of pravrtti and nivrtti brings neither degeneration nor progress. Hence it can be said that practitioners of upavidyá simply waste their valuable time.

Tantra’s freedom from superstition, and its psychological approach, are clearly illustrated in the last few lines of the Mahánirváńa Tantra:

Bálariid́ańavat sarvarúpanámádikalpanam;
Kevalaḿ Brahmaniśt́ha yah sa mukto nátra saḿshayah.
Mrcchiládhátudárvádimúrttáviishvaro buddhayo;
Klishyantastapasáh jiṋánaḿ viná mokśam ná yánti te.
Manasá kalpitá múrtih nrńáḿ cenmokśasádhanii;
Svapnalabdhena rájyena rájáno mánavástadá.
Ná muktirtapanáddhomádupavásashataerapi;
Brahmaeváhamiti jiṋátvá mukto bhavati dehabhrt.
Váyu parńa kanátoyaḿ vratino mokśabháginah;
Apicet pannagáh muktáh pashupakśii jalecaráh.⁽¹⁶⁾

To realize the greatness of Tantra, one will have to carry on spiritual practice. A non-practitioner can never penetrate into the mysteries of Tantra.

Some people are under the wrong impression that as the practice of Tantra is based on an ardent love for ideology there is no room for devotion; or if there is an element of devotion, it is a very minor one. But this is not correct. On the contrary, Tantra’s love of ideology is dependent on parábhakti [absolute devotion]. Hence it has been said:

Api cet sudurácáro bhajate mámananyabhák;
So’pi pápavinirmuktah mucyate bhavabandhanát.

[If even the most wicked persons worship Me with a concentrated mind, I will liberate them from the three bondages (physical, psychic and spiritual).]

And finally, regarding Parama Brahma, Tantra has said,

Oṋḿ namaste sate sarvalokáshrayáya;
Namaste Cite vishvarúpátmakáya.
Namo’dvaetatattváya muktipradáya;
Namo Brahmańe vyápine nirguńáya.
Tadekaḿ sharańyaḿ tadekaḿ vareńyaḿ;
Tadekaḿ jagatkárańaḿ vishvarúpam.
Tadekaḿ jagatkarttr-pátr praharttrḿ;
Tadekaḿ paraḿ nishcalaḿ nirvikalpam.
Bhayánáḿ bhayaḿ bhiiśańaḿ bhiiśańánáḿ;
Gatih práńináḿ pávanaḿ pávanánám.
Mahaccaeh padánáḿ niyantr tadekaḿ;
Paresháḿ paraḿ rakśakaḿ rakśakáńám.
Paresha prabho sarvarúpavináshinnanirdeshya;
Sarvendriyágamyasatya.
Acintyákśara vyápakávyaktatattva;
Jagadbhásakádhiisha páyádapáyát.
Tadekaḿ smarámastadekaḿ japámas;
Tadekaḿ jagat sákśiirúpaḿ namámah.
Tadekaḿ nidhánaḿ nirálambamiishaḿ;
Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah.

–Mahánirváńa Tantra

[My salutations to the Self-Existent Entity, the supreme shelter of all the created worlds. My salutations to the Supreme Cognition, the Supreme One, the Absolute One in the form of this expressed universe. My salutations to the supreme non-dualistic Entity, the distributor of salvation. My salutations to Brahma, the All-Pervasive and Non-Attributional Entity. My salutations to that Supreme Entity who is the ultimate refuge of all, the supreme adorable one, the primordial cause of the universe, the One who has deliberately assumed the form of the universe. My salutations to That which has been creating, protecting and dissolving this universe. My salutations to that Supreme Unmovable Entity, the One without an alternative. My salutations to that which is the fear of all fears, who is the dread of all dreadful entities, the Supreme Terminus of all living beings, the purity of all purities, the Supreme Controller, controlling even the highest dignitaries of the universe. That Supreme Entity is the Subject of all subjects, the Supreme Lord of everything. All the objects, or forms, ultimately merge in Him. He cannot be shown to anybody. He is the Supreme Truth, inaccessible to the senses. He is beyond the capacity of thought. He is intransmutable. He is the most pervasive Entity, yet at the same time, He is unmanifest. It is He who has given expression to the expressed universe; yet at the same time He is above the fundamental factors of which the universe is made. Him only we remember, on Him only we contemplate; my salutations to that Supreme Entity, the witnessing force of this expressed universe. We seek shelter in that supreme ship of the universe, who is the most dependable shelter, but who has no shelter of His own.]

Footnotes

(1) Ágama is a composite of the first letters of three words: the of gatam (“coming from”), the ga of gataiṋca (“going to”), and the ma of mataiṋca (“approved by”). –Eds.

(2) The authority of Lord Shiva should be considered sufficient to validate any teaching. (And the fact that Krśńa came 3500 years later than Shiva also makes the shloka unconvincing.) The protagonists of the Vedas wanted authority to rest in Lord Krśńa, whom they claimed not to be a Tantric. –Eds.

(3) For more on shravańa, manana and nididhyásana, see “Mantra Caetanya” in Volume One. –Eds.

(4) An indriya is a sensory or motor organ, together with its respective nerves, nerve fluid, and site in the brain. –Eds.

(5) “Perfected” mantras. See also “Mantra Caetanya” in Volume One. –Eds.

(6) “One who accepts the divisions of society according to varńa and áshrama is a veritable slave of the Vedas. But one who is above varńa and áshrama is the lord of the Vedas.” There are four varńas [castes] – Vipra, Kśatriya, Vaeshya and Shdra – and four áshramas – Brahmacarya, or student life; gárhasthya, family life; váńaprasthya, retirement in solitude; and sannyása or yati, the life of renunciation. –Eds.

(7) Literally, “five ma sounds” – madya (wine), máḿsá (meat), matsya (fish), mudrá (parched grains), and maethuna (sexual intercourse). –Eds.

(8) There is a middle path between the crude and subtle paths, called madhyama márga in Sanskrit, and majhjhima mágga in Pali.

(9) Literally, “nectar”; actually a hormone. –Eds.

(10) A Mahákaola is a Tantric guru who can raise not only His own kuńalinii, but those of others also. –Eds.

(11) In Ananda Marga meditation there is a process for performing diipanii. –Eds.

(12) They are not necessary as auxiliary practices, because, as will be explained, they are included within dhyána. –Eds.

(13) Japakriyá is a composite of processes, and those processes can be carried out one by one; therefore it is not so difficult as dhyána. –Eds.

(14) Japakriyá is a composite of processes, and those processes can be carried out one by one; therefore it is not so difficult as dhyána. –Eds.

(15) “Liberation or emancipation (non-qualified liberation)” – in the terminology first of Buddhist Tantra, then of Hindu Tantra. –Eds.

(16) Translation of first four couplets: “Meditation on the names and forms (of idols) is a kind of child’s play. Only one whose mind is reverently concentrated on Brahma will win liberation; there is no doubt about this. Those who think that Parama Puruśa is confined within idols made of clay, stone, metal, or wood, are simply torturing their bodies with penances – they will surely not attain salvation without self-knowledge. If an idol produced out of the human imagination can bring about salvation, then can a person, by creating a kingdom in his dreams, become a king in the real sense? Liberation is not attainable by penance, sacrificial rituals, or hundreds of fasts. Living beings attain liberation when they realize, ‘I am Brahma.’” –Eds.

Chapter 4	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

The science of spirituality developed out of human beings’ innate desire to unravel the mystery of creation. Humans began to search for the secret causes underlying both the dreadful and the beautiful aspects of nature. They looked around them at the rivers and streams, the far-flung mountain ranges, the flashes of lightning; they heard the thunder; they listened to the roaring of ferocious animals – and they began to plumb the depths of these mysteries. These endeavours to get at the hidden truth of everything are what is known as Tantra. Since these endeavours were carried on at different times, in different places, and by different groups of individuals, we find some differences in methodology among the various schools of Tantra.

Tantra originated in [South] Asia, and its propounders were the Austrics, [the Dravidians,] and the Mongolians.⁽¹⁾ Among these peoples, the Dravidians and the Mongolians were more developed, the Austrics less. The practitioners of the more-developed Tantra would look upon things from a broad point of view, renouncing all narrow thinking. They would always strive hard to advance the welfare of the masses. Through such selfless service, they would overcome the fetters of the mind, such as hatred and shame. The practitioners of the less-developed Tantra would behave in just the opposite way. They would indulge in casteism; in expressions of untouchability; and in expressions of hatred and envy in relation to other groups.

The overcoming of material bondages signifies the greatest human progress. The word tantra signifies that one “frees oneself from the bondages of crudity;” therefore Tantra is considered the best kind of spiritual practice. Lord Sadáshiva was the first propounder of this Tantra. He developed certain fixed rules, and thereby ensured all-round progress in the different aspects of human life. He brought about a perfect system, reviewing and coordinating all branches of Tantra. He researched and proved the efficacy of both the [external] and the [internal] aspects of Tantra.⁽²⁾ The [external] aspect of Tantra consisted of sádhaná with skulls, in cemeteries. The [internal] aspect of Tantra consisted of the practice of yoga. [It is ultimately] through [internal] Tantra that human beings can reach the heights of spiritual success.

Human beings can never win liberation by flattering Prakrti. An entity which is flattered becomes proud. Human beings must not become the slaves of matter. If sádhakas will worship Puruśa and ignore Prakrti, they will find that Prakrti will automatically begin to flatter them.

There is no such thing as “supernatural” in this world. All sorts of powers lie dormant in human beings. Sometimes we get glimpses of these latent powers. In a more-developed terminology, these glimpses will be called “intellect” or “intuition”. Human beings can develop that which they have glimpsed, eventually attaining extraordinary powers. In the eyes of ordinary people, these powers appear to be supernatural, but actually they are natural. But it is a fact that ordinary persons cannot do these extraordinary things, and that is why they look upon these powers as supernatural.

Tantra is a source of such extraordinary powers. Within a short period, all the páshas and ripus [fetters and enemies] which bind the mind become broken. As long as the mind is in bondage, it tends to move towards crude material objects; that is, the mind remains inextricably associated with matter. But once the bondages become snapped through the practice of Tantra, the mind becomes detached from those crude objects. This implies the elevation of human beings, because [it is through detachment that] physical, psychic, and spiritual progress becomes possible. Humans are predominantly-mental beings, and sometimes [certain of them] develop extraordinary intellect; because of their greater concentration of mind, their societies consider them to be a superior type of person.

When we talk about the ripus [enemies] of the mind, we mean only the [internal, or, innate] enemies.⁽³⁾ For a human being to bring the ripus under perfect control signifies an important victory. Those persons who can do so attain greater control over the forces of matter, and can perform feats that in the eyes of the common masses betoken some kind of supernatural power.

In Tantra the endeavour to establish control over matter or over external forces is called avidyá sádhaná. And the practice which leads to self-realization is called vidyá sádhaná. And that branch of Tantra which is neither vidyá sádhaná nor avidyá sádhaná is called upavidyá sádhaná. Only vidyá sádhaná contributes to the welfare of humanity; the other two practices are merely a waste of time. Márańa, uccát́ana, sammohan, váshiikárańa, etc., come within the definition of avidyá sádhaná. The practice of avidyá leads to degradation. Sadáshiva, the original propounder of Tantra, collected and systematized all the branches of Tantra, but He did not encourage the practice of avidyá, because it is an inferior order of sádhaná. When people practise sádhaná in order to attain “supernatural” powers, their mental objects ultimately become crude, for after attaining such powers, they utilize them for self-aggrandizement or for revenge.

Vidyá sádhaná was almost extinct for the last 1200 years. And there are now only a handful of real Avidyá Tantrics left – the rest are charlatans and hypocrites. After death, these people will be reborn as worms and insects.

Human beings practise sádhaná in order to become one with Brahma, not to become ghosts or ghouls. To become one with Brahma, they must practise Vidyá Tantra, and not Avidyá Tantra. Of course through either kind of sádhaná, sádhakas gain freedom from the páshas and ripus. But the difference between the two sádhanás is that the practitioners of Vidyá Tantra channelize their spiritual powers towards the attainment of Paramátmá, whereas the practitioners of Avidyá Tantra utilize their acquired powers for mundane benefits. Through Vidyá Tantra one “binds” [wins] Paramátmá, while through Avidyá Tantra one binds [dominates] living beings. Vidyá Tantrics accept Paramátmá as their object of supreme adoration, and in order to become one with Him, they channelize all the powers they have acquired towards Him.

From a medical point of view also, Tantra sádhaná has its usefulness. In ancient times there were Vedic experts in áyurveda.⁽⁴⁾ But as they were not Tantrics, they were handicapped in fully utilizing their medical knowledge to cure patients. Because of their prejudices – their hatred of certain groups, their belief in untouchability, their casteism, etc. – they would hesitate to touch the bodies of their patients; whereas the Tantric doctors, because of their control over [such enemies and fetters as] hatred, fear and shame, could render medical service in a proper way. The practices of dissection and surgery rested mainly in the hands of Tantric doctors.

Footnotes

(1) Since anciently Mongolia was an empire, and symbolized all of East Asia, “Mongolian” here means “Oriental”. –Eds.

(2) For more on the internal and external aspects of Tantra, see “Tantra and Its Effect on Society”. The distinction between external and internal is not the same as the distinction between “less-developed” and “more-developed” made previously in this discourse. –Eds.

(3) The ripus, or “enemies”, of the mind – káma [longing for physical objects], krodha [anger], lobha [avarice], mada [vanity], moha [blind attachment], mátsarya [jealousy] – are innate; the páshas, or “fetters”, are externally imposed. –Eds.

(4) School of medicine that brings about longevity, through herbal and other natural treatments. –Eds.

Chapter 5	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

You know that Tantra is a spiritual cult. It is a cult because Tantra clearly explains how to do a sádhaná of a particular type and stage, and what the achievement will be from each such sádhaná. All possible details have been worked out. It is a systematic practical science. It is vaevahárika [practical] – not bookish. Tantra is dharma, and – since Ácárańát dharmah [“Dharma is the assemblage of all your conduct”] – one has to do Tantra practically in one’s individual life. But the practical side of Tantra is very abstract and subtle. One has to be very careful indeed in practising it. So that sádhakas might know and understand the practical side clearly, Párvatii posed questions to Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva answered them.

The questions of Párvatii were for the sake of lokashikśá [education of the people]. Those questions which are only for the sake of questioning or for the sake of measuring the knowledge of the other person have no value on the sádhaná márga [path of spiritual practice]. They are a sheer waste of time. When the questions asked are intended for the purpose of knowing and then doing, the questions are termed pariprashnas.

What to do; how to do; why to do – these are pariprashnas. Such pariprashnas make up the nigama shástra. Such pariprashnas constitute the philosophical, theoretical, side. And the practical side, constituted by the answers of Sadáshiva, is the ágama shástra. In other words, the pariprashnas of Párvatii go to make up the nigama shástra, and the practical answers of Sadáshiva make up the ágama shástra. Nigama and ágama together make up the Tantra shástra.

One of the questions posed by Párvatii was, “What is to be done to get self-realization?” She had posed this question for the sake of lokashikśá – so that sádhakas might be highly benefited. Actually, the intellect in those days had not developed to the point that there were people who could pose such subtle questions about sádhaná. But as the subtle truths of the path of sádhaná had to be handed over to people, Hara [Shiva] and Párvatii had decided to enter into a dialogue of the type compiled in the nigamas and ágamas. Párvatii posed questions, and Shiva answered them.⁽¹⁾ So the question of Párvatii was, “What is to be done for self-realization? People are seen to undergo fasting, to perform strenuous rituals, to travel to obscure holy places, to take all sorts of pains, to know the self. What is the right path?” So Shiva replied,

Na muktirtapanádhomádupavásashataerapi;
Brahmaeváhamiti jiṋátvá mukto bhavati dehabhrt.

[Liberation is not attainable by penance, sacrificial rituals, or hundreds of fasts. Living beings attain liberation when they realize, “I am Brahma.”]

The idea that one can get mukti [liberation] through tapah, that is, by torturing the body, is not correct. God is internal; what has He to do with anything external? Standing in water for days, standing on one foot for months, raising one hand or both hands heavenwards and standing like that for a long time, burying oneself in the earth for days – all these things are simply meaningless. They no doubt call for great physical power and a great capacity of endurance – but many people undertake heavy physical labour; don’t even animals work very hard? Will all such people and animals get mukti? It is not correct.

One cannot get to God through physical tapah. Neither can one get to Him through homa and havana [sacrificial rituals]. Were this possible, it would be very easy for the rich to find God! And the poor could never get near to Him! These things are all meaningless, and represent a very backward stage of humanity.

Upavása in the sense of fasting is also useless. Were it effective, the poor and the unfed would need to make little effort to reach God!

But if one does real upavása, that can do a lot. The scriptural meaning of upavása is – by derivation – upa, which means “near”, and vása, which means “to stay”. Upavása therefore means “to make the mind stay near Paramátmá”. In other words, it means to withdraw the mind from thoughts of physicalities and keep it near Paramátmá. The Sanskrit word for fasting as such is anashana.

One may do tapah, homa, upavása, a hundred thousand times, but mukti will never be obtained. So then what should one do?

After giving the negative side, after dismissing the system of worship then prevalent, Shiva went on to explain the positive side. If these things are not to be done, what then is to be done? Shiva said, Brahmaeváhamiti jiṋátvá mukto bhavati dehabhrt – that is, “When one is established in the knowledge that ‘I am Brahma,’ mukti is obtained.” But a theoretical knowledge that “I am Brahma” will not do – one has to be truly established in this ideation.

Anubhútiḿ viná múd́ha vrthá Brahmańi modate;
Pratibimbitashákhágraphalásvádanamodavat.

–Maetreyii Shruti

[Without God-realization, a person will try in vain to get spiritual bliss. Seeing the reflection in water of a sweet fruit hanging from the branch of a tree does not give one the taste of the fruit.]

One has to taste the fruit. If one sees its reflection in the water and pretends to have tasted and enjoyed it – how much reality and value there is in that you know very well.

Having heard this, Párvatii said, “Very well, I have understood. But please tell me where to search Brahma.” Lord Shiva then said, Dharmasya tattvaḿ nihitaḿ guháyám – “The tattva of dharma is nihita in the guhá.”

The tattva of dharma – that is, the “essence” of dharma – is He, the Lord. He is nihita. Nihita means “hidden”. He is all around but He is hidden in the guhá. So though He is all around, one has not to search for Him all over, one has to search for Him in one’s guhá. Guhá has a couple of meanings – “cave”, and the “I”. Here the second meaning applies. One has to search for Him in one’s “I”. The one who is inside your “I” is you yourself. Search for your self – you will find Him. As long as the [real] you is there, the Lord is also there.

You are a sádhaka. He is the sádhya [object of adoration]. And the link is sádhaná. As long as these three tattvas exist, you are not He. When all three have become one, one may say “I am Paramátmá” – never prior to this. Until this stage is reached, one has to do sádhaná most diligently, with greatest niśt́ha [sincerity]. (Having established oneself solidly in the state of Brahma-hood, one may or may not do sádhaná – one may do it to set an example for the world; that is, one may do it for lokashikśá.)

One must do sádhaná most regularly. As long as one has a body, one must go on doing sádhaná. You must have noticed that a shiny new lot́á [small metal vessel] will no longer retain its lustre and newness after a year’s use. One has to clean it quite regularly with tamarind in order to maintain its shininess. The mind is like that – one has to do regular sádhaná to keep it neat and clean.

For those who are searching the Lord without and not within, Sadáshiva says,

Idaḿ tiirtham idaḿ tiirthaḿ bhramanti támasáh janáh;
Átmatiirthaḿ na jánanti kathaḿ mokśa varánane.

[Here is one place of pilgrimage, there is another place. People of static nature wander from the one place to the other place. But without finding the real place of pilgrimage within themselves, how can they attain salvation?]

They are all persons dominated by the static principle, whose wandering from one holy place to another is simply of no use. All this wandering results in a waste of money and energy.

Lord Shiva gives another illustration concerning such persons:

Átmasthitaḿ Shivaḿ tyaktvá
Vahisthaḿ yah samarcayet;
Hastasthaḿ pińd́amutsrjya
Bhramate jiivitáshayá.

[One who looks for Shiva in the external world, ignoring the Shiva of the internal world, is like one who throws away the rice that is in one’s hand and wanders from door to door in search of one’s livelihood.]

The Lord is within you and with you. Search Him in your innermost existence.

Footnotes

(1) Párvatii knew the answers, but since there was no sádhaka of high enough calibre to ask subtle questions, Párvatii posed as the questioner. –Eds.

Chapter 6	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Once Párvatii posed a question to Shiva: “Who is competent for mokśa [non-qualified liberation]? Who can attain mokśa?” Shiva answered,

Átmajiṋánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaekasádhanam;
Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

[Self-knowledge is the greatest means to attain salvation. People are born as human beings due to their past good saḿskáras, but to attain non-qualified liberation they will have to attain self-knowledge.]

The Formulation of Ágama and Nigama

Questions related to spiritual practice and spiritual progress – questions not simply for inquiry’s sake but for the sake of understanding and for the sake of following the instructions given – are known as pariprashnas (for example, questions put by disciples to their gurus as to how to sit, how to bid prańáma [respectful salutations], and how to repeat mantra). Prańipátena pariprashnena seváyá [“By surrender, spiritual questioning, and servicefulness”]. Questions put only for logic’s sake are not pariprashnas; with such questions the time of the questioner and that of the answerer is wasted. And sometimes questions are put not in order to know but in order to test the scholarship of the guru – such questions are not pariprashnas either.

If pariprashnas are put and answered, and then recorded, or if people somehow get acquainted with such questions and answers, people will be benefited. But during the time of Sadáshiva nobody was there to put such questions. Párvatii learned sádhaná from Shiva (as did their son Bhaerava). Párvatii and Shiva decided that the former would pose the questions, and the latter would reply, and thus people would get acquainted with the questions and answers and be benefited.

They decided to formulate these questions and answers for the all-round development of human society. They decided to cover all branches of knowledge – art, architecture, literature, medical science, spiritual science, etc. For example, you know that in ancient times there was [a simple form of] giita [song]. There was also [vádya, basic instrumental music]. And people were performing some mudrás unconsciously with their hands and feet. So Lord Shiva and Párvatii decided to coordinate and systematize giita, [vádya] and mudrá. Párvatii began to pose questions, and Shiva began to answer; and the saḿgiita shástra [science of music] was produced. (The combined name of nrtya [dance], giita and vádya is saḿgiita.)

Dance was known in quite a primitive age. This kind of dance was rhythmic. Even now the dances of soldiers are mainly rhythmic. There is no important role of mudrá in their dance. The rule is that rhythmic dance requires strength; only males can do it; because it is tiring. But Párvatii gave lalita nrtya, in which mudrá has an important role. Indian dances and other Oriental dances are mudrápradhána [dominated by mudrá]. And Occidental dances are chandapradhána [rhythmic].

They decided to categorize mudrá. So Párvatii questioned and Shiva answered. Párvatii would ask, “What is the meaning of such and such mudrá?” and Shiva would reply. In this way mudrá shástra came about, saḿgiita shástra came about. Shiva invented a rhythmic dance and Párvatii created a dance dominated by mudrá. In Shiva’s rhythmic dance one has to jump. In Sanskrit tańd́ú means “to jump”.⁽¹⁾ So the dance dominated by jumping is known as táńd́ava. The dance of Shiva is táńd́ava – “dominated by jumping”.

Mudrá directly touches the mind. For instance, if one calls to a person, as soon as the sound vibrations of “Come” touch the person’s ears, they directly reach the mind. But the person can be made to understand through mudrás [gestures of the fingers] also. Similar are the cases of expressing that one feels hot and sweaty, that one feels thirsty, etc., without speaking, through different physical gestures. Hence, mudrá has shánta bháva [it is peaceful, calm]. It is just the opposite of táńd́ava, and that is why it is known as lalita [graceful].

The posture of sitting which creates madhura bháva in the body is known as lalita mudrá or lalitásana. You will see different idols from ancient times of devadeviis [gods and goddesses] sitting on lotus flowers in lalita mudrá.

In ancient times those who were superior to the mass were known as devatás.

Sarve ca pashavah santi talavad bhútale naráh;
Teśáḿ jiṋána prakásháya viirabhávah prakáshitah.
Viirabhávaḿ sadá prápya krameńa devatá bhavet.

–Rudrayámala Tantra

[In the beginning everyone is a pashu, an animal. But when spiritual thirst develops, these people become viira, heroic. And when they are firmly established in viirabháva, they become devatás.]

When people were being taught táńd́ava and lalita, they found difficulty with both. With táńd́ava they found difficulty in jumping, and with lalita they felt troubled in expressing the correct bháva [ideation] through mudrá. Therefore they requested Lord Shiva and Párvatii to bring about a balance between the two. Párvatii posed some questions, Shiva replied, and a balance was brought about for the good of the people. The new [beat or rhythmic expression] thus produced was called tála – tá from táńd́ava and la from lalita.

In spiritual practice only a few get the chance to listen to spiritual discourses, and only a few among those few understand. And fewer yet are there who follow the path. And among those who follow the path, only a counted few reach the goal. Therefore, that Párvatii got the opportunity to ask spiritual questions and to listen to the answers, and that Shiva could make her understand, was a very rare thing. The questions of Párvatii, together with Shiva’s practical answers, can be called “philosophico-spiritual cult”. This means the combination of all philosophy, pariprashna, and spiritual practice, along with Shiva’s practical answers. The questions of Párvatii are known as nigama shástra, and the answers of Shiva are known as ágama shástra. The combined name of ágama and nigama is Tantra.

Ágataḿ Shivavaktrebhyoh gataiṋca Girijáshrutao;
Mataiṋca Vásudevasya tasmádágama ucyate.

Ágataḿ Shivavaktrebhyoh refers to “Shiva’s answers”. The first letter of ágatam is á, and the first letter of gataiṋca Girijáshrutao⁽²⁾ is ga. And the first letter of mataiṋca Vásudevasya – “this is the Lord’s thought” – is ma. Tasmat ágama ucyate – “therefore it is known as á-ga-ma, that is, ágama.”

Mokśa

So Párvatii’s question was, “Who is competent to attain mokśa?” Shiva replied,

Átmajiṋánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaeka sádhanam;
Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

Mokśa is átmajiṋána. What is átmajiṋána? Átmajiṋána means “self-realization” – not “self-knowledge” [in the ordinary sense]. Suppose you know of a flower. Here there are three – the knower, you; the known, the flower; and the knowledge, the link between you and the flower. But in the case of self-realization, the knower, the known, and the knowledge are all one.

If you know your self [in the sense of átmajiṋána], knower and known are one. The link between knower and known is knowledge – and there is no question of even a link there. If the two banks of a river become one, what space is there between them?

Self-realization is mokśa. What happens there is oneness. Oneness means seeing Brahma in all objects. And who is competent to get mokśa? Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát – “When one attains human form through good actions, one becomes adhikarii (competent) to attain mokśa.” What is the meaning of sukrti? In laokik [comparatively recent] Sanskrit, su means “good” and krta means “that which is done”. But in Vedic Sanskrit, su means sva [own, self] – that is, when the jiiva attains humanity due to its own actions, it becomes fit to attain mokśa.

What is the stage of mánava (humanity)? I remember having told you at Allahabad Dharma Mahácakra⁽³⁾ that humanity is obtained after reaching a particular standard of intellectuality. Animals and inanimate objects are at a lower standard. At this lower standard, the spirit is personal [or individual] and the medium impersonal [or Cosmic]. Animals and inanimate objects progress due to an impersonal medium. Therefore they can only progress – they cannot have a downfall. But if a human, with a particular intellectual standard, makes good use of that intellect, he or she will have progress, whereas if he or she abuses that intellect, he or she will have a downfall. So a human has intellect, but the intellect is double-edged. Therefore one must be very careful in making use of one’s intellect.

Footnotes

(1) As rice jumps in the process of being separated from the husk (implying that the nature of rice is to jump), in Sanskrit it is called tańd́ula. Tańd́ula means “uncooked rice” – cooked rice is odana.

(2) “Girijá” means Párvatii, shruti means “ears” – so, “that which has gone into the ears of Párvatii”.

(3) Ananda Marga Dharma Mahácakra was a special spiritual gathering addressed by the guru. See “Mantra Caetanya” in Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 10 or Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell, Part 11 (1990) for this discourse. –Eds.

Chapter 7	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Nigama is the collection of all the possible questions of unit minds [regarding spirituality], and ágama is the collection of the answers to those questions, those pariprashnas. Once Párvatii posed a question to Shiva. (Actually she asked it not for herself, but just to make people understand the desideratum of human life.) The question asked was, “What should be the object of worship for those who are doing sádhaná?” Humans create the objects of their worship according to their own intellectual standards. Primitive humans worshipped plants, trees, earth, rivers, etc. It is not logical to think that one can acquire puńya [virtue] by immersing oneself in the Ganges, but cannot acquire it by immersing oneself in the Thames. If puńya can be acquired by immersion, it can be by immersion either in the Ganges or in the Thames. And can there be no puńya from taking a dip in the Yamuna, which originates, like the Ganges, in the Himalayas, and runs side by side with the Ganges? There are some who worship stone: they make idols out of stone, according to their imaginations, and they worship them. How can an idol give you salvation – an idol made by you? You have shaped the idol with different chisels and hammers; you are its father, its creator; so how can it give you salvation? It is all unscientific.

Manasá kalpitá múrti nrńáḿcenmokśasádhanii;
Svapnalabdhena rájyena rájánománavastathá.

[If an idol produced out of the human imagination can bring about salvation, then can a person, by creating a kingdom in his dreams, become a king in the real sense?]

The reply of Shiva to Párvatii’s question was as follows: “One cannot obtain the unlimited from the limited. Secondly, idol worship is more harmful than the worship of flora and fauna; because the flora and fauna have been created and shaped by the Operative Principle, and not by human beings. Plants and trees are in a process of growth. But the idol has been created and shaped by you, by your chisel and hammer – how can it give you salvation?” Párvatii then said, “[Is] idol worship, too, sádhaná?”

Shiva replied, “Yes, it is.”

Whatever there is in the world, it is all the manifestation of Paramátmá. Nothing is hateful – neither cap nor shoes. Each has its respective use. But if you place your shoes on your head and your cap on your feet, people will laugh and take it to be your madness. True, both cap and shoes are Paramátmá, but each of them has its proper use. The proper use of Paramátmá in the form of shoes is on the feet.⁽¹⁾

The earth is also the manifestation of Paramátmá. You address it as “Mother Earth”. But you set your feet on it. Meaning thereby that you should adopt the proper behaviour with the proper object. You must have reverence for the Ganges, as the land in north India has been made fertile by its waters. But there cannot be any puńya produced from its water – salvation cannot be obtained from it.

“Humans create the objects of their worship according to their own intellectual standards” – so said Shiva. In that [process there are] mátrábheda [difference in degree] and starabheda [difference in gradation]. So Lord Shiva’s answer to Párvatii’s question was,

Uttamo Brahmasadbhávo madhyamá dhyánadhárańá;
Japastutih syádhadhamá múrtipújádhamádhamá.

[Ideation on Brahma is the best, dhyána and dhárańá are second best, repetitious incantation and eulogistic prayer are the worst, and idol worship is the worst of the worst.]

[An acceptable alternative version of the shloka reads] Uttamá sahajávasthá.⁽²⁾

Idol worship is also a form of sádhaná, but it is the lowest form. Everything has some effect, so an idol also has some effect. Your mind will become confined to the limitations of the idol. But a human being should perform sádhaná in order to expand his or her mind to infinity.

Japastuti [mantra repetition and flattery] is adhamá sádhaná. There is no real love for Paramátmá; it is simply flattery. Worshippers address Paramátmá and say, “O Paramátmá, give us food to eat and clothes to wear.” You will find such things said in some places. This is flattery. Stuti means “flattery”. Paramátmá is the Supreme Father; will you flatter the Supreme Father?

Suppose a student is studying for his MA, and during the holidays he has come home. Suppose he stands before his father and starts out by saying, “O Father, you are so merciful! Every month you send money. You are having me do my MA studies.”

If he utters such things, the father will say that the son has gone vagabond, and will catch hold of him and give him a good beating. Just think for yourself how unnatural this would be. Flatter you may your boss, but not your father! Hence japastuti is adhamá sádhaná.

Japa [mantra repetition] here really means nirbiija japa. Sabiija japa is a different thing; it comes within the scope of dhyána [meditation]. This I will explain later. (It is connected with sádhaná, so it is not proper to discuss it openly.) If you repeat “Krśńa, Krśńa” – a parrot can also do that! Can that bring about any spiritual progress? Never – because there is no ideation on the meaning. It is mantra devoid of caetanya.⁽³⁾ So one has to ideate. It is through ideation that spiritual elevation is possible.

Ideation may be either reverent or irreverent – Shraddhayá helayá vá. “Paramátmá is my Father, hence I am repeating His name” – here elevation is bound to occur. “Paramátmá is displeased with me, and though I am His child, He does not look at me. Paramátmá is very cruel, I will fight against Him.” – here you still repeat Paramátmá, but irreverently.

Approached either reverently or irreverently, the desideratum must be Paramátmá. Dhruva and Prahlad were votaries of Paramátmá. And so was Ravana. Ravana repeated Paramátmá’s name irreverently. But irreverence cannot last forever.

Suppose one goes on repeating “Krśńa”, but the idea is also there that one has to go to Meerut tomorrow, that one has to file a case against So-and-so; then finally one again repeats “Krśńa”. Then, “The day after tomorrow there is DMC. I have to attend it in Delhi.” Finally the person again repeats “Krśńa, Krśńa”. What is this? Is this a show?⁽⁴⁾

Next comes dhyánadhárańá. It is madhyamá [second best]. Dhyána is taeladhárávat [like a flow of oil]. When the mind moves towards Paramátmá, that is dhyána. Dhyána is madhyamá because there is duality between the sádhaka and the object of his or her worship. And the supreme state, the uttamávasthá, is that where the sádhaka and the object of worship are one – where the worshipper, the worshipped and the worship unify themselves into one. Therefore, sahajávasthá is supreme – it is uttamá. This is the saying of Shiva. Kabir has also said, Sádhu sahaja samádhi bhalii [“The seeker attained sahaja samádhi”]. Sahaja is derived from the prefix saha plus the root jan plus the suffix d́a. Ja means “that which is born”. With what is it born?

Jiivátmá [unit consciousness] and Paramátmá [Supreme Consciousness] are born together. They are together, but jiivas simply do not look to Him. People think that Paramátmá is without, so they are not able to attain Him. When they look within, there is oneness. This alone is sahajávasthá.

Sahajávasthá [also] means “[that which] is easily to be attained”. (Sahaja means “easy”.) Bear in mind that the process of dhyánadhárańá [may lend some of its elements to] Iishvara prańidhána, in which there are so many mental processes. Hence sahajávasthá is uttamá.

Now regarding this sahajávasthá, there is nothing to be had from without – everything can be had from within. Diikśá [spiritual initiation] means “an inward march”. This eternal march has to be learned. This alone is diikśá. Those who roam about looking for Paramátmá outside themselves, and make [ritual] offerings of water to Him – all of these people are roaming outside instead of looking inside. It is as if there is plenty of food at home and one is going out to beg. All of you are very rich; you have much wealth within. So why will you roam outside?

So Lord Shiva told Párvatii, “O Devii, just see – ”

Idaḿ tiirtham idaḿ tiirthaḿ bhramanti támasáh janáh;
Átmatiirthaḿ na jánanti kathaḿ mokśa varánane.

“‘Here is a place of pilgrimage; if one takes a dip in this particular kuńd́a⁽⁵⁾ or in this particular river, one will acquire this much puńya’ – all this is false.” If one can acquire puńya by taking a bath in the kuńd́a, then all the creatures in the water of the kuńd́a will also get to heaven. And all the kuńd́as which you see nowadays at different places of pilgrimage are full of stinking water! Those who take a bath with such ideas are people dominated by the static principle. Their condition is (as Lord Shiva told Párvatii, to make her understand) well described

Átmasthitaḿ Shivaḿ tyaktvá vahisthaḿ yah samarcayet;
Hastasthaḿ pińd́amutsrjya bhramate jiivitáshayá.

Those who are performing external pújá, worshipping the Shiva of stone that is found in the temples, while their internal Shiva is left unworshipped, are hastasthaḿ pińd́amutsrjya bhramate jiivitáshayá [“like one who throws away the rice that is in one’s hand and wanders from door to door in search of one’s livelihood”]. Pińd́a means “food”.⁽⁶⁾ Lord Shiva said that those persons are truly fools who throw away the food that is in their hand and wander to different doors to beg.

Then Párvatii said, “Now that is clear. But please tell me what the qualifications are which a sádhaka should possess.”

Shiva said, “There are seven points.”

Párvatii asked, “What are those seven points? Everyone should try to acquire those seven points if they want to be successful.”

Phaliśyatiiti vishvásah siddherprathama lakśańam;
Dvitiiyaḿ shraddhayá yuktaḿ trtiiyaḿ gurupújanam.
Caturtho samatábhávo paiṋcamendriyanigrahah;
Śaśt́haiṋca pramitáháro saptamaḿ naeva vidyate.

–Shiva Saḿhitá

Phaliśyatiiti vishvásah siddherprathama lakśańam – “‘I must be successful in my mission.’ This firm determination is the first requisite factor.”

Dvitiiyaḿ shraddhayá yuktaḿ. “[Secondly,] there must be shraddhá for the object towards which one is moving.” Then Párvatii asked, “What is shraddhá?” Shiva replied, Shrat Satyaḿ tasmin dhiiyate iti shraddhá. Shrat means Sat [or Satya], “Absolute Reality”, Parama Tattva. And dha means “to march towards That”. “When humans make Absolute Reality their desideratum and move towards It, caring little either for praise or for condemnation, that sort of movement is shraddhá.”

The third qualification is gurupújanam – that is, shraddhá for the personality from whom sádhaná has been obtained.

The fourth is samatábháva [seeing others as yourself]. Say you have performed sádhaná and you have obtained some occult powers; you feel that you are a bit above X, Y, and Z, and that you are not an ordinary person. If this feeling creeps into the mind, samatábháva is lost, because then one begins feeling that there is a group of people far inferior to oneself. Such a pattern is to be observed in the case of people who have come to the city from the village. They say that they don’t feel like returning to the village, as the villagers are illiterate and under-developed. This feeling is very dangerous. And if such feelings creep into the mind as a result of having acquired a little intellectual knowledge, the chances of developing this complex are much greater in the realm of spirituality, when a sádhaka begins feeling somewhat elevated with the development of some occult powers and the feeling of a little bliss. In the second stage of spiritual practice every sádhaka faces this test. One must be very, very cautious, so that vanity may not develop. What vanity will do to a sádhaka is,

Abhimánaḿ surápánaḿ
Gaoravaḿ raoravaḿ dhruvam;
Pratiśt́há shúkariiviśt́há
Trayaḿ tyaktvá Hariḿ bhajet.

[Abhimána is like surápána, gaorava leads to raorava, and pratiśt́há is like shúkariiviśt́há: an inflated ego is like drinking wine, self-aggrandizement leads one into the deepest hell, and social status is like the excrement of a pig. Give up all three of these and only sing the glories of the Lord.]

Abhimána is no better than drinking wine. Gaorava is truly like raorava hell. (The highest loka is Satyaloka and the lowest loka is raorava. One who suffers from a superiority complex is converted into stone – he or she will be crudified to this extent.⁽⁷⁾ This is the result of the feeling of a superiority complex.) And pratiśt́há is like shúkariiviśt́há. “I will be at the pinnacle of society and people will respect me” – this sense is like [a desire for] shúkariiviśt́há. So give up these three mental ailments – abhimána, gaorava and pratiśt́há – and then engage yourself in contemplation on Hari.

So the fourth is samatábháva.⁽⁸⁾

Paiṋcamendriyanigrahah. The fifth qualification is indri- yanigraha, self-restraint.

Śaśt́haiṋca pramitáháro. Pramitáhára – there is a difference between pramitáhára and parimitáhára. Parimitáhára means “[limited] diet”, and pramitáhára means “balanced diet”. The body should have a balanced diet. [Limitation] alone will not do. Just to [limit] the quantity of food will not do – one will have to take a balanced diet, to make the body and mind strong. Food should be substantial, though moderate in quantity. This is pramitáhára.

After having explained this sixth factor, Shiva kept quiet. Then Párvatii asked, “What’s the seventh factor?”

Shiva replied, Saptamaḿ naeva vidyate – “There is no seventh factor. If these six factors can all be remembered, there will definitely be progress.”

Footnotes

(1) And a statue may have a proper aesthetic use, but it should not be used in an attempt to win salvation. –Eds.

(2) The author has explained elsewhere that “Sahajávasthá, the ”tranquil state“ of the Buddhists, is no different from the ideation on Brahma of the Hindus.” –Eds.

(3) See “Mantra Caetanya” in Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 10 or Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell, Part 11 (1990). –Eds.

(4) If one’s mind is concentrated on Paramátmá, even if that concentration is irreverent, one will progress spiritually. Irreverent concentration will eventually become reverent concentration. But even reverent ideation, if constantly broken by thoughts of one’s personal concerns, will be ineffective. –Eds.

(5) A spring (sometimes a hot spring) restricted to use in religous ritual. –Eds.

(6) That which is known as anna (ad + kta) in the Sanskrit language is called pińa in the Vedic language. I remember having mentioned before that in ancient times, when the Aryans from Russia came to India, they started cultivation. The border country of Bhárata [India] was called Saptanada Desha [Land of Seven Rivers], which later on came to be known as the Punjab. (Those seven rivers were the Jhelam, the Chenub, the Satluj, the Ravi, the Beas, the Kabul and the Sindhu.) The people of that place used to sit together at noon to have their meal – that is, in the Vedic language, to have their pińd́a. So a place where the farmers would have their meal was called pińiika. That pińd́iika in Paeshácii Prákrta became pińd́ii-a, and this in old Punjabi became changed to pińae, or pińd́ii. In the Punjabi language, pindi means “village” – for instance, “Rawalpindi”, “the habitation of the Rawals”.

(7) Mental crudification is the actual phenomenon of which raorava hell is the mythological representation. –Eds.

(8) Sanskrit that was unclear in the original magazine publication of this discourse omitted here. –Eds.

Chapter 8	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Párvatii once asked the Lord, “How will my children be able to get you?” Shiva replied, “That I have already explained to you a number of times and in a number of ways.” But Párvatii insisted on a repetition. Shiva replied in short, “They should do sádhaná properly and regularly and in the course of time they will come to achieve their goal.”

But the mother pleaded for her children. “This you have of course said before. But all my children are not made of the same stuff. Some are good, some wicked, some even more wicked. Some are good and pious sádhakas, but there are many who are never calm and collected. They will never be able to do difficult sádhaná that regularly. So will they never get mukti? These children are ours also. You must say something that will help everyone, including this group.”

Lord Shiva insisted that everyone should do sádhaná according to the proper system He had taught; that would bring them to their goal. But Mother Párvatii still insisted on some easier way to mukti. Finally the Lord yielded and said, “Those who surrender completely to the Lord may or may not do sádhaná. All their burdens and duties will be borne by the Lord Himself. The Lord will perform their sádhaná for them. So ask your naughty children to surrender to Him.”

Chapter 9	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

When human beings depend solely on Parama Puruśa, they cross the turbulent ocean of Máyá⁽¹⁾ through His grace. Here lies the importance of Brahma sádhaná – the practice of intuitional science – and the necessity of sharańagati, total surrender to Parama Puruśa. The spirit of sádhaná is to wage an all-round fight against Máyá, to overcome Her tenacious influence. This battle of sádhaná can be carried out in one of three ways – Dakśińácára sádhaná, Vámácára sádhaná or Madhyamácára sádhaná.

Dakśińácára sádhaná: Dakśińácára sádhakas are afraid to declare war directly against Prakrti. On the contrary, they want to please Máyá through entreaties, and they pray for liberation from that propitiated Máyá. They chant devotional prayers and eulogies to implore Viśńumáyá⁽²⁾ to withdraw the negative influence of Máyá.

Is it possible to attain liberation by such entreaties or flattery? Liberation means freedom from the bondage of slavery. It is never attained by flattery. Powerful people are greatly appeased by the entreaties and flattery of cowards, and might grant certain concessions or favours, but would never grant complete freedom. Dominion status may be granted, but the attainment of complete independence remains a far cry away. Thus, in order to attain salvation, to establish the reign of complete independence, a spiritual aspirant will have to fight against Avidyámáyá.⁽³⁾

Svaráj shuddhu átmá hatei antarete mukti cái.
Asir bale masiir bale peshiir bale mukti nái.

[Sovereign rule springs from the átmá or self. Liberation has to be attained from within. Freedom never comes about through swords, muscle power, or the power of the pen.]

Vámácára sádhaná: Vámácára sádhakas are inclined to continue the random and relentless fight against Máyá, irrespective of whether the goal is fixed before them or not. “I will fight against darkness and ultimately Máyá, overpowered by me, will assist me in attaining fulfilment” – this is the psychology of Vámácára sádhakas. Their will to struggle, their courage and valiant spirit are undoubtedly praiseworthy. But in the absence of a fixed goal before them, they fail in their endeavour to attain liberation. Often, before attaining success in the battle against Máyá, Vámácárii sádhakas become tempted to misuse their hard-earned spiritual power, causing damage to themselves and society. As a result they unknowingly invite more darkness, more crudity, and gradually degenerate to the level of animality. That is why wise sádhakas do not accept the path of Vámácára sádhaná as an ideal one.

Madhyamácára sádhaná: Madhyamácárii sádhakas want to fight against Prakrti, keeping Brahma fixed before them. They move forward towards the spiritual effulgence, or Brahmajyoti, tearing the veil of darkness of Avidyá. Ananda Marga accepts the path of Madhyamácára sádhaná, because in this process sádhakas have a fixed goal. A purposeless and random fight usually does not bring victory, rather it causes unnecessary wastage of time and energy.

Footnotes

(1) Creative Principle, Prakrti in Her phase of creation. One aspect of Máyá is the power to cause the illusion that finite created objects are the ultimate truth. –Eds.

(2) The different aspects of Máyá are known as Mahámáyá, Viśńumáyá, Ańumáyá, Yogamáyá, Avidyámáyá, and Vidyámáyá. All together, excepting Ańumáyá, are known as Vishvamáyá. –Eds.

(3) Extroversial force; aspect of the Cosmic Operative Principle that guides movements from the subtle to the crude. –Eds.

Chapter 10	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

About seven thousand years ago Sadáshiva and His wife Kálii did intensive spiritual practice and enjoyed immense bliss. Sadáshiva was the original propounder of Tantric practices. Kálii learned the inner secrets of spiritual practice from her husband. Every day she was absorbed in deep meditation, enjoying the immense bliss of many different samádhis. One day Sadáshiva playfully withdrew her bliss for a long period. Kálii continued to practise meditation regularly, but without the blissful experiences she had previously enjoyed. After some time, the suspended bliss was released suddenly, and Kálii enjoyed the divine sweetness of that accumulated bliss.

She thought, “I shall prepare a kauṋkálamála [garland of human skulls] and remain in a state of perpetual bliss while wearing it, just as Shiva did.” Kálii, when adorned with that garland of skulls, is called Kauṋkálamálinii, and the samádhi in which sádhakas identify themselves with Paramá Prakrti (symbolized by Kauṋkálamálinii) and experience indescribable joy, is described as Kauṋkálamálinii samádhi.

During this samádhi, sádhakas experience indescribable bliss. They totally forget their human existence and feel oneness with Paramá Prakrti or with Paramashiva. One cannot utter anything except some inarticulate sounds through the sides of the mouth. The breathing becomes heavy, the entire nervous system feels immense pressure, and the activities of contraction and expansion in the nervous system become violent.

Chapter 11	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

He comes on earth when there is too much sin and it is difficult for virtuous people to live on this earth. When dharma declines and adharma, or sin, gets the upper hand; when the virtuous and the pious are tortured and the dishonest and evil-doers tyrannize over the good; in a word, when the human intellect is guided along degraded and destructive channels; Táraka Brahma forms a desire to come on earth with a specific mission of restoring dharma by launching a ceaseless fight against all injustice and sin.

There are a few notable criteria by which to distinguish Táraka Brahma from other Mahápuruśas:

1. He Himself is a born guru and has no spiritual guru.
2. He comes with a specific mission, which is to restore morality and dharma. The entire society becomes divided between moralists and immoralists. A fight between them is inevitable, and ultimately dharma comes out victorious.
3. His emergence means a new era of white peace and dharma. He needs no sádhaná, but just to set an example to others, He performs sádhaná with the masses.

Chapter 12	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Sarve ca pashavah santi talavad bhútale naráh;
Teśáḿ jiṋána prakásháya viirabhávah prakáshitah.
Viirabhávaḿ sadá prápya krameńa devatá bhavet.

–Rudrayámala Tantra

[In the beginning everyone is a pashu, an animal. But when spiritual thirst develops, these people become viira, heroic. And when they are firmly established in viirabháva, they become devatás.]

As a created being, everybody in the universe by birth is a pashu, an animal. But the standard of beings is to be exalted towards divinity, towards godliness. A pashu, that is, an animal, becomes man, man becomes god. This process, the process of exaltation, the process of upliftment, from animality to godliness, is your sádhaná.

In Sanskrit it is also said that

Janmaná jáyate shúdra saḿskárát dvija ucyate;
Vedapát́he bhavet vipra Brahma jánáti Bráhmańah.

“By birth, everybody is a shúdra.” (Shúdra means “having all the wonts of animality”.) “And when one gets initiation, that is, Vaedikii diikśá – that is, when one learns how to pray, how to express one’s desire to become human – the person is known as a dvija.” (Dvija means “second birth”. That is, the person is no longer an animal.) “And then after going through scriptures, acquiring proper spiritual knowledge, the person is known as a vipra. And after getting Tántrikii diikśá, that is, psycho-spiritual initiation, initiation in the realm of psycho-spirituality, the person becomes a Bráhmańa.”

Now the question is, have these pashus, these animals, these brutes, no future? Certainly they have. Because the Supreme Progenitor is with everybody, and He is with these animals-in-human-form also. And a pashu whose object of adoration, that is, whose goal of life, is that very Parama Puruśa, will address Him as – what? As “Pashupati” [“Lord of Animals”]. “O Lord, O Parama Puruśa, we are pashus, we are animals, and Thou art Lord of the animals, Thou art ‘Pashupati.’”

So one of the names of Parama Puruśa is Pashupati. For sleeping humanity, the Supreme Consciousness, Supreme Entity, is Pashupati.

Teśáḿ jiṋána prakásháya viirabháva prakáshitah – “And when they feel, when they realize, when they understand, what to do and what not to do, what are the dos of life and what are the don’ts of life, then they become bold.” Why bold? They are to fight against all sorts of adversities, all sorts of troubles, all sorts of inimical attitudes. So they are certainly heroes; and a hero in Sanskrit is called a viira. So at that stage of humanity when this viirabháva develops, when a person becomes ready to fight against all opposite forces, he is a viira. In Tantra this is called viirabháva, and for him, the Supreme Entity is “Viireshvara”. The man becomes viira, and his Lord becomes Viireshvara – no longer Pashupati, but Viireshvara. One of the names of Parama Puruśa is Viireshvara.

When the person is fully established in viirabháva – that is, he is never to be frightened, never to be defeated, never to accept any defeat (you girls should remember that here “he” means “she” also) – then he is established in viirabhava. And that bháva is called divyabháva. And that man is no longer known as viira. He is a deva, or devatá. Krameńa devatá bhavet. “He becomes devatá, he becomes deva in human structure, deva in human framework.” That stage is divyabháva. Then that person’s goal, his object of adoration, becomes “Mahádeva”, not Viireshvara but Mahádeva.

In the first phase the Lord was Pashupati, in the second phase Viireshvara, and in the final phase Mahádeva. So the same Lord, according to one’s own psycho-spiritual stratum, is to be addressed sometimes as Pashupati, sometimes as Viireshvara, and sometimes as Mahádeva. Now, I have said that a person has three types of expression: One expression is thinking, the thinking faculty, and the second one is speaking… In the first the function is within the nerve cells, and in the second, the function is – where? With the lips. And the third action is action with the physical body, corporal action.

Now in the case of pashus, that is, animals in human structure, the thought-waves move like this… and the lips speak like this… and the actions are like that! There is no adjustment amongst these three expressions. The person is a pashu, the person is in the stage of pashu, in the stage of animality, although the structure is like that of a human. In the society these people are in the majority, and others are in a hopeless minority; and I want you boys and you girls to try your best to decrease the number of these pashus.

And in the second phase, that is, in the viira stage, the thought-waves move like that… but the words and the actions are one. That is, there are some differences between thoughts on the one hand, and words and actions on the other hand, but the words and the actions are the same. What these people say, they do. In society, these people, these people of viirabháva, are respected as great men, as Mahápuruśas, as leaders of society, as leaders of the country. But there is a defect in them also, because their thoughts and their actions are not the same. Their actions and words are the same, but their thoughts are not the same. Do you follow? They are [in] viirabháva, they are viira; their Lord is Viireshvara.

And in the final stage, that is, when one attains the stage of devatá, then what one thinks, one says; and what one says, one does. There is no difference amongst thinking, saying, and doing. And that is the best stage of human structure or human existence.

You should all try to be like this, and I want the number of such persons, who have attained the stratum of devatá, to increase. And you have become workers, or wholetimers, just to increase the number of these devatás in human society.

Chapter 13	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Just like práńáyáma, pratyáhára yoga is not complete in itself. Práńáyáma, you know, is a practice to control the movement of the vital energy of a particular body: Práńán yamayatyeśah práńáyámah [“The process of controlling the váyus, or energy flows in the body, is known as práńáyáma”]. It is the process by which the movement of vital energy is controlled by a spiritual aspirant. But práńáyáma should always be associated with bindu dhyána, that is, meditation on a particular point. If práńáyáma is not associated with bindu dhyána, it will affect self-restraint. Práńáyáma will make the mind restless. Similarly, pratyáhára yoga – here the actual English term is “withdrawal” – should always be associated with dhárańá.

The difference between dhyána [meditation] and dhárańá [concentration] is that dhyána is something stationary; that is, the object is a stationary one in the case of dhyána. In the case of dhárańá, the mind moves along with the object; that is, there is a dynamic force behind dhárańá. And dhyána, although sentient, has no movement in it. In the sphere of – rather, in the arena of – spiritual practice, pratyáhára has very much importance, because in the primordial phase of sádhaná, one will have to withdraw one’s mind from the physicalities of the universe.

Now in pratyáhára yoga, what are you to do after withdrawing all your propensities from the objective world, from the physicalities of the world? To where are these mental propensities to be directed? If the mental propensities are withdrawn, but are not guided to some other point, what will happen? Those withdrawn mental propensities will create internal disturbance in your mind, will create disturbance in your subconscious and unconscious strata. It is dangerous. Sometimes it so happened in the past, and may happen in the future, that if a spiritual aspirant, without the guidance of a strong guru, tried or tries to practise pratyáhára only from reading books, there would be some danger. So whenever you are withdrawing your mental propensities from different objects, you are to guide those collected propensities into some moving object, moving within the realm of your mind.

And what is that moving object? That moving object is your citta – your objectivated “I” feeling. The citta is moving. The citta is something moving. So these withdrawn propensities are to move towards the citta and not towards external objects. They stop moving towards external objects, but they start moving towards the internal citta. That is the thing.

If the propensities are withdrawn, but not goaded towards the citta, then there will be a dangerous reaction. I think you have understood. That is why it has been said, Yacched váun manasi prájiṋah – “What are intelligent spiritual aspirants to do? They are to goad their mental propensities to the citta.” Here the word váun represents the external movement of the propensities. Then manasi + prájiṋah – that is, “those withdrawn propensities are to move towards the citta.” Prájiṋah váun manasi yacchet.

Tad yacched jiṋána átmani. The citta, after consuming those withdrawn propensities, also moves. It moves within the mind, not toward any external object – not toward an external elephant, but toward the elephant created within your mind. Tad yacched jiṋána átmani – “and the citta, along with the withdrawn propensities, is to be guided towards the ahaḿtattva, the doer ‘I’, the owner ‘I’ – the ‘I do’ feeling that is subject to the ‘I’ having a direct objectivity.”⁽¹⁾ Here this doer “I”, although not in movement, still has the full potentiality of movement. It can move. It may move. It can partly transform itself into the done “I”. So it has the potentiality. So that citta, that is, the done “I”, is to be directed towards the doer “I”, the ahaḿtattva. Not the feeling “I exist,” but the feeling that the “I” that exists is now able to do something. This is the ahaḿtattva.

Jiṋánamátmani mahati niyacchet. Now this jiṋána átmá, or aham, has also got potentiality, so the mutative principle is very prominent in it. That doer or mutative principle is also a binding fetter, a tethering agency. So “one will have to withdraw this jiṋána átmá, this ahaḿtattva, into the mahattattva” – jiṋánamátmani mahati niyacchet. Mahati means “within the mahattattva”. And what is the mahattattva? The mahattattva is the feeling “I exist.”

Now in this pure “I” feeling there is hardly any movement, because it is a creation of the sentient principle. But you know, although the sentient principle cannot give any specific figure, any boundary line, still it is a sort of bondage, and because there is bondage there is fight within and without. You are doing something. Is there no fight, is there no movement? Although there is no figure, there is fight, there is movement.

So jiṋánamátmani mahati. [The mahattattva] is almost free from bondage, but there is still bondage. Suppose a very good man is harshly rebuking an immoral person for having insulted him. Is that unfair? No, no, it is not unfair. It is called sentient anger. Anger is static; but sometimes it may be sáttvika, it may be sentient. And that type of anger is sentient anger – sáttvika krodha in Sanskrit.

Tad yacchecchánta átmani. “Now this pure ‘I’ feeling, ‘I exist’” – where all your propensities, along with the citta, and the citta along with the ahaḿtattva, and the ahaḿtattva along with the mahattattva, form one strong unit of movement – “is also to be withdrawn and merged into that Cognitive Principle.” And that Cognitive Principle is free from all bondages. And that is the Paramágati, that is the Supreme Goal of human existence.

Footnotes

(1) The “I” having a direct objectivity (also known as the “done ‘I’”) is the citta. –Eds.

Chapter 14	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

What is yoga? You know that in Sanskrit almost all the vocabulary, all the words of its vocabulary, have two types of meanings, two types of significances. One is the root meaning: in Sanskrit this is called the bhávárúd́hártha. The other is the use of the word in common parlance – what the common people say, how the common people use the word: this is called the word’s yogárúd́hártha.

For example, the word paiṋcánana. The bhávárúd́hártha, that is, the root meaning, of paiṋcánana is “having five faces”. The yogárúd́hartha is “Shiva”. There are so many Messrs. Panchanan in the state; but actually the meaning is “something having five faces”.

The word yoga has also four interpretations.

Where the root verb is yuj, and the suffix ghaiṋ is added, it becomes yoga; here yoga means “addition”. “Two plus two is equal to four” is yoga, is addition.

One thing you should know is the pronunciation of the letters in the Sanskrit alphabetical order. There are four letters known as antahstha varńa [convertible letters] – ya, ra, la, va. These four letters are not independent sounds or independent letters. They are known as antahstha varńa, that is, when they appear as the first letter of any word, they will have a special sound; and when they are not the first letter, that is, when they are in the middle or at the end of any word, they will not have this special sound.

For example, the letter ya, that is, i plus a, is a vowel. Ya is a vowel. It is ya, but it will have a special sound when it is the first letter of any word. That is, when it is the first letter of any word, its pronunciation will be ya [as in the English “jump”]. So yoga is pronounced [“joga”], not [“yoga”]. But when ya is in the middle or the last portion of a word, its pronunciation will be [“ya”] not [“ja”]. For instance, it is [“viyoga”] not [“vijoga”], [“samaya”] not [“samaja”].

When the letter ra is the first letter [of a word], its pronunciation is like [“ra”]. Otherwise it is [“r” (as in “serve”)].

When la is the first letter its pronunciation will be ordinary la, just like latá, but when it is in the middle or the end of a word then its pronunciation will be lr + a = lra. When la is not the first letter, that is, when la is the middle or is the last letter, it is pronounced lra. For example, phala is pronounced phalra, not phala. Village people say phara, this is the [comparatively] correct pronunciation. Phala is not the correct pronunciation.

Now, va. When va is the first letter its pronunciation will be like the English “v”, and when it is not the first letter, its pronunciation will be like “w”.

So it is [“joga”], not [“yoga”], because ya is the first letter.

When the root verb is yuj, the meaning is “addition” (“two plus two is equal to four”). But in the case of addition the individual identity is maintained.

However, in the second case, the root verb of yoga – pronounced [“joga”] – is yuiṋj. Yuiṋj + ghaiṋ = yoga, that is, after adding the suffix it becomes yoga. In this case yoga means “unification”. Átman becomes one with Paramátman.⁽¹⁾

In the case of unification, the unifying parties do not maintain their separate identities. Take, for instance, a mixture of sugar and water; when sugar mixes with water it forms a solution. In this case the sugar and the water fail to maintain their separate identities. This can be termed as “unification”. So in philosophy, or in Tantra, yoga is not the word derived from the yuj root but comes from the root word yuiṋj. That is, this yoga means “unification”. Átman unifies with Paramátman without maintaining its separate identity.

The third meaning of yoga is based on the Yoga Sútram of Maharshi Patanjali. There yoga means Yogashcittavrttirnirodhah [“Yoga is the suspension of all psychic propensities”].

There are a great number of psychic propensities in the human mind, as compared to the animal mind. The human mind, broadly speaking, has fifty propensities. These fifty propensities work internally as well as externally and get expressed through the ten sensory and motor organs. Therefore, the total amounts to one thousand propensities. That is, these fifty basic propensities have one thousand expressions or mental occupations. These are called cittavrtti in Sanskrit. The controlling seat of these one thousand expressions is known as the sahasrára cakra in Sanskrit. It is also known as the “thousand-petalled lotus”. The English name for the sahasrára cakra is the pineal gland or pineal body.

Now, let us understand the meaning of cittavrttirnirodhah. When these propensities moving in one thousand directions are withdrawn, when these expressions are suspended, this is known as cittavrttinirodhah. Now if these mental occupations are suspended, all the activities of the human structure will come to an end. According to Patanjali, this is the final stage of yoga. The word nirodhah means “suspension”. It is derived as follows: ni – rudh + ghaiṋ.

But this interpretation of yoga by Maharshi Patanjali is not accepted by Tantra. Tantra says: Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátmá Paramátmanah. “The unification of the jiivátmá with Paramátmá is yoga,” as per Tantra. Saḿyoga means “unification”, and yoga ityukto means “known as yoga”. So here Tantra has moved a step further. According to Patanjali, yoga is the suspension of mental propensities. However, you know that when mental propensities are withdrawn from externalities and suspended, then, for want of a desideratum, they create disturbances in the internal layers of the mind. Although those propensive expressions will not be functioning externally, they will be active internally. One may not steal externally but may steal internally. Tantra refuses to accept this concept.

According to Tantra, the unification of the jiivátmá with Paramátmá means yoga. After withdrawing the mental propensities, they are to be guided towards the Supreme Entity. Then alone will the withdrawal be final. Only by guiding these withdrawn mental propensities towards the Supreme Cognition can the total unification of the jiivátmá with Paramátmá be possible, and this is yoga.

Footnotes

(1) Átman, or jiivátman, means “unit consciousness”. Paramátman is the collective name of all unit consciousnesses. –Eds.

Chapter 15	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Several times in the past I narrated a story from the Hara- Párvatii saḿváda [dialogues of Shiva and Párvatii]. The story goes that once Párvatii asked Shiva, “What are the secrets of success?” In His reply, Lord Shiva said that there are seven secrets of success:

Phaliśyatiiti vishvásah siddherprathama lakśańam;
Dvitiiyaḿ shraddhayá yuktaḿ trtiiyaḿ gurupújanam;
Caturtho samatábhávo paiṋcamendriyanigrahah;
Śaśt́haiṋca pramitáháro saptamaḿnaeva vidyate.

–Shiva Saḿhitá

The first factor or secret of success is Phaliśyatiiti vishvásah siddherprathama lakśańam – “I must be successful in my mission.” This firm determination is the first secret of success. A spiritual aspirant must have this firm determination: “I must be successful in my mission.” This firm determination is the result of extreme love for the Supreme Entity. When this love for the Supreme remains unassailed, uncontaminated, it creates this firm determination: “I must be successful in my mission.” This is the first secret of success.

Dvitiiyaḿ shraddhayá yuktam. The second requisite factor of success is shraddhayá yuktam. One must have shraddhá for one’s desideratum. What is shraddhá? Shraddhá is a Sanskrit word having no corresponding word in any other developed language of the world. That is why I will have to explain this word. Shraddhá comes from shrat, meaning satyam, and dhá from the root verb dha. When one ascribes everything to one’s goal, or one’s object, or to the Supreme Subjectivity appearing as one’s object, and moves, or rather directs one’s everything towards Him, then that movement is shraddhá. First ascribing that supreme veracity to the object (actually it is the Supreme Subjectivity taken as an object) and then directing one’s everything towards Him, is that mental movement which is called shraddhá.

“Respect” or “reverence” does not carry the sense of shraddhá. This shraddhá can also be created or can also be developed when there is sincere love, extreme love, for Him. So the second factor also depends upon the love for the Lord.

Trtiiyaḿ gurupújanam. What is a guru? In old Sanskrit gu means “darkness” and ru means dispeller, “dispelling agency”. Therefore the entity, the guiding faculty, that dispels all darkness, all spiritual darkness, is the guru, and gurupújanam is doing as per the desire of the guru. This third factor is created only when one gets the guru as the embodiment of spiritual guidance, as the embodiment of Brahma in His role as spiritual guide.

Caturtho samatábhávo. Since all are the creations of the same Lord, and the progeny of the Supreme Progenitor, all have the relationship of brothers and sisters amongst themselves. Nobody is higher and nobody is lower. There must not be any superiority complex nor any inferiority complex; that is, there must be samatábhávo – complete mental balance. When this balance is established, when this mental equipoise is established, then we say it is samatábhávo.

Paiṋcamendriyanigrahah. You know that the human motor organs and sensory organs are the link between the external physicalities and the internal arena of human existence. Now, if these organs, motor and sensory, are properly restrained or properly controlled, the mind can function properly, moving towards the Supreme Cognitive Faculty. That is why the fifth requisite factor is that the spiritual aspirant should restrain his or her sensory and motor organs.

Śaśt́haiṋca pramitáháro. What is áhára? A – hr + ghaiṋ = áhára. That which a man collects from the external world is áhára. This is physical áhára. Mental áhára can be obtained both from the external objectivities and from the internal psychic world. You may eat a physical rasagollá [Indian juicy sweet] and get pleasure, or you may create a rasagollá in your mind and “eat” it and get pleasure.

Here the word pramitáhára has been used, not parimitáhára. Parimita means “controlled”, not taking too much, not taking too little. But in this shloka, pramitáhára has been used, which means that the food should be controlled or balanced, and at the same time substantial or nutritious. There are many people who are otherwise good but have no control over the food they eat. It is very important that whatever one gets should not be taken indiscriminately; rather, there should be control over food, and at the same time it should be nutritious.

After narrating these six factors, Lord Shiva said, “O Párvatii, there is no seventh factor.” That is, if you practise these six factors, you require no seventh factor.

Chapter 16	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

The subject of today’s discourse is “Ghosts and Evil Spirits”.

Now let us see what happens when a person dies. When a person dies, their physical body, along with the nerve cells and nerve fibres, remains in the earth and finally becomes one with the earth. When death takes place, the mind, along with the reactive momenta and the non-cerebral memory, leaves the body and moves here in the universe, with the help of rajoguńa [the mutative principle], till it gets another body, a suitable body to quench its thirst and satisfy its reactive momenta. Those reactive momenta, in the second body, are known as saḿskárá.

The mind, along with the reactive momenta and non-cerebral memory, is not visible. One cannot see it. And when it is not visible, it is not possible for anybody to say, “I have seen that mind, that videhii átmá [disembodied spirit].” But we should remember that the dissociated mind is not alone. In that mind there are the reactive momenta and also the non-cerebral memory.

(That mind moving in the universe with the mutative power of the Cosmic Operative Principle is not visible, and at the same time, for want of a nucleus, a seat for the mind, and nerve cells, the mind cannot function properly. For proper functioning it requires ectoplasmic stuff, a body of ectoplasm. So even for ectoplasmic expression it requires a new body. In proper time, due to the mixture of ova and spermatozoa, what happens? The mind becomes associated with a new structure, and the original minds and lives of both the ova and the spermatozoa cease to exist. But those ova and spermatozoa are selected to suit the purpose of this detached mind with its reactive momenta.)

Now during this period, this transitional period, when the mind has left the previous body, before it gets the new body, what happens? It moves in the universe, invisible and inaudible. But you know, by dint of Tantric practice, anybody can develop their ectoplasmic structure. They may be a Vidyá Tantric, they may be an Avidyá Tantric, but the ectoplasmic development is there. So such Tantrics can, with the help of their own ectoplasmic stuff, help the detached mind to get a temporary ectoplasmic body. And for the time being that detached mind, with the help of the ectoplasmic stuff of that Tantric – Vidyá Tantric or Avidyá Tantric – gets that ectoplasmic structure, and when that ectoplasmic structure is a bit solidified it becomes visible, and due to its vibrational frequency it may become audible too, but only for a short span of time.

You have heard stories about bones being thrown into a particular house, bricks being thrown into a particular house, a cot moving upwards, etc. You have heard these ghost stories about certain haunted houses. What are these things? A Tantric, certainly not a Vidyá Tantric, but an Avidyá Tantric, with the help of a certain portion of their own ectoplasmic stuff, sits tight in an ásana [meditation posture], and, with the help of their ectoplasmic stuff, creates an ectoplasmic body for a detached mind (known as preta in Sanskrit). And with the help of their ectoplasmic stuff, attached to the detached mind, they do all these things. But at the time their body remains motionless. So these things are actually not done by ghosts. They are actually done by that Avidyá Tantric with the help of that detached mind. One may say that these things have been done by ghosts, but they were not actually.

And there is another type of being also. I say “being” because it is difficult for me to say that they are living beings or that they are dead beings. What happens? There are seven recognized devayonis, divine entities. They are called “divine”, though actually they are not divine, because they are better, or higher, than ordinary human beings.

Suppose a person is practising spiritual sádhaná regularly, properly, and with proper inspiration and sincerity, but some other desires, some other longings, remain coverted in the person’s mind. The person is a good person, he or she is sincerely doing sádhaná, but in his mind he thinks, “If Bábá gives me ten lakhs – or five lakhs – or only two lakhs – everything will be managed properly. Oh, no! I won’t ask for these things. No, no, no, it is bad, it is bad.” That desire, that longing for money, remains in him, although he or she is a developed soul, not a bad person, not at all a bad person. So what happens? Because of his piety, after death he gives up the physical structure, the solid body, and gives up the aquatic structure, that is, apatattva, also; but the other three factors – tejas [luminous factor], marut [aerial factor], vyoma [ethereal factor] – remain with him, with his detached mind.

These beings are called devayonis. They are of seven types – yakśa, rakśa, kinnara, gandharva, vidyádhara, siddha and Prakrtiliina. In the example I gave, the person had a longing for money, but was a developed soul. Unknowingly or unconsciously the desire came into his or her mind, and that desire was the cause of his or her downfall, degradation, depravation. This type of being is called yakśa.

In Bihar, particularly in the northern portion of Bihar, in most but not all of the villages, you will find a place just outside the village, known as the Brahmasthána. That Brahmasthána is the place where the villagers used to assemble to worship the yakśa. In the images of Paoráńika [Puranic] gods and goddesses you will find the yakśa and yakśinii standing just to the right and left of the deity; a yakśa and yakśinii with cámaras [ceremonial whisks] in their hands. What is a yakśa? It has a body, but not a quinquelemental body; a body with three factors, tejas, marut and vyoma. That luminous body cannot be touched, but it can be seen sometimes.

Rakśa. People with fighting spirit, with proper dedication and proper spiritual aspiration, but who sometimes think, “If I get the blessing I will kill those antisocial elements – No, no, no, during pújá [worship, meditation] I should not think like this.” You have understood, I think? Those thoughts coming in the mind during pújá become the cause of degradation. After death the person won’t have a physical body or aquatic body, but tejas, marut and vyoma will be there. This type is called rakśa.

Kinnara. “Bábá has given me everything, but I am not good-looking. I want to be very good-looking, so that people will say – No, no, no, it is very bad.” Such good persons, good souls (and they are good people, not ordinary people) after death also acquire this type of three-elemented body. They are called kinnara.

Vidyádhara. “I am a good sádhaka, but haven’t any vocal power. I can’t dance properly, I can’t sing properly, my vocal cord doesn’t function well. I require more attributions, more qualifications – and if I get more qualifications I will get promotion in the service also. Oh, no, no, no. These are all bad things. These are all bad desires. A person should not have any desires.” When such a person dies, they also get that type of body, luminous, gaseous and ethereal. These three bhútas are there. These people are called vidyádhara.

Next – a person is doing sádhaná, there is no longing. Then, “I sing bhajanas, but my sound is not good. My vocal cords don’t function properly. My vocal expression should be a bit more sweet and rhythmic – No, no, no, these are all bad things, bad things.” This type of good person, in the body they take in their next life (not “next life”, but “post-physical life”), is known as gandharva. They have a longing for music. And that is why music is called gandharva vidyá in Sanskrit.

The sixth is the siddha. What is a siddha? Suppose there is a good soul, a good person who has no physical desire. But during sádhaná – “Yes, love for God has been created. Yes, people love me, Bábá loves me. But I should have some occult power, so that people will say, ‘This person has power, and is not an ordinary person. This person has occult power – alaokika shakti – aeshvarya – vibhúti’ – No, no, no, these are bad thoughts, bad thoughts.” When this type of person dies, their post-physical body is known as siddha. They are the best among the devayonis. I will say something regarding these siddhas later on.

And the seventh is Prakrtiliina – those who worship idols, ascribing Brahma-hood to that idol, thinking that the very idol is God, the very image is God; worshipping stone, worshipping wood, worshipping metal. Tantra says, Mrcchiládhátudárvádimúrttáviishvaro buddhayo… [“Those who think that Parama Puruśa is confined within idols made of clay, stone, metal or wood…”] Mrt means “earthen image”; shilá means “made of stone”; dhátu means “made of metal”; and dáru means “made of wood”. And they ascribe Godhood to that wood or to that metal or to that stone. Then what happens? The person is ideating on that stone, or wood, or metal, and what happens? Yadrshii bhávaná yasya siddhir bhavati tádrshii – “A person adopts a body according to their object of ideation.” Their own self is transformed into that entity, the entity which was their object of meditation. Now such people worshipping different forms of Prakrti finally take the form of those entities, and become stone, become wood, become metal. They are called Prakrtiliina. They become one with Prakrti and remain there for an indefinite period. What a durdaeva, I will say! What a painful state of existence!

Now, among these seven types of devayoni, the siddha is the best. Siddhas perform their sádhaná, but sádhaná remaining just at the half-way point. And whenever there is an assemblage of singers or dancers, what happens? Gandharvas, with their mental bodies, their reactive momenta and non-cerebral memories, assemble. Wherever there is any programme of music, there they assemble, but invisible. Sometimes, though, they become visible. I will explain.

Wherever there is any spiritual gathering, siddhas come. And during a musical function, whenever the mind of a particular artist becomes concentrated, they will see the luminous bodies of gandharvas. Similarly, during meditation, or particularly during kiirtana, when a spiritual aspirant’s mind becomes concentrated, they will feel the existence of those siddhas. In Jamalpur, in the area of the tiger’s grave, there were assemblages of large numbers of siddhas. One of our senior grhii ácáryas [married spiritual teachers] used to see them.

I will narrate a very short story. A few years back, two of our kápálika sádhakas⁽¹⁾ came to a river. That river is not a big one, but the depth is there. They were at a loss to decide how to cross the river. Just on the other side of the river there was a burial ground, a cremation ground. They were thinking hard, at midnight.

All of a sudden, they saw a luminous body just in front of them. The luminous body began moving, and these two boys followed it. Coming to a particular point, that luminous body started crossing the river, and these two boys followed him. And that particular portion of the river was very shallow, knee-deep. They easily crossed the river and reached the other side. Just on the other bank there was a tree. From there they went two different ways to do their night practice. And after night practice they came back to the tree. They again saw that luminous body and again followed it and crossed the river.

After coming to the original bank, the junior boy addressed the senior man, “Oh Dádá, let us request that luminous body to bless us.” As soon as he said this, the luminous body disappeared. What was that luminous body? A siddha.

Now what happens when a person sees some unnatural picture or unnatural image or unnatural being? One possibility I have already explained – it may be that a Tantric, with the help of his or her ectoplasmic structure, has created a body for a disembodied mind just to terrorize others. A Vidyá Tantric will not do these things, but an Avidyá Tantric may do so just to terrorize others, as they used to do in the past. After getting some money they would stop the practice.

And suppose that some time you go to a particular house which people say is haunted. There are some haunted houses in every town, and I have already told you that if you find any haunted house, you just purchase it and use it. Ghosts won’t terrorize Ananda Margis, because every Ananda Margi is a ghost. [laughter] “They are the followers of Shiva.”⁽²⁾ Ghosts will not terrorize ghosts.

What happens there? Due to terror, due to pre-imposed terror, a person’s mind gets concentrated. Due to fear the mind gets concentrated, and due to concentration, what happens? A certain portion of the person’s own ectoplasmic stuff goes to help a detached mind in creating a body, an ectoplasmic body. So you see your own creation; the creation has been made out of your own ectoplasmic stuff. But that detached mind was also there. It was not a ghost. And those Brahmapisháca, or several kinds of “ghosts”, are all of your creation. Your ectoplasmic stuff is transferred to that detached mind due to your mental concentration, temporary concentration.

And this type of concentration takes place under five types of circumstance – kśipta, múd́ha, vikśipta, ekágra and nirodha. Kśipta is when the mind is very perturbed, full of worries and anxieties. At that time, due to sudden, short concentration, such a thing may happen. Múd́ha is when your brain fails to decide what to do or what not to do – you are at a loss for what to do. This is called múd́ha – múh plus kta. Vikśipta – you are not concentrating on a particular point, but finally your mind becomes tired and, in that state, you see those things. You know by lullabies we make the minds of children vikśipta and they fall asleep. (Lullabies, you know? – poems recited in the ears to put children into deep slumber, not ordinary sleep.) Ekágra is when your mind gets pointed. And the fifth is nirodha, when you suspend all the expressions of your propensities. In these five conditions you may see those things and you may, knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously, transfer certain portions of your ectoplasmic body to a detached mind and create a positive hallucination of this kind.

Footnotes

(1) Practitioners of kápálika sádhaná, a form of spiritual practice which causes the aspirant to confront and overcome all the inherent fetters and enemies of the human mind. –Eds.

(2) The Shivagańa, “Shiva’s people”, included ghosts, according to mythology. –Eds.

Chapter 17	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Many of you surely know that sádhaná means Tantra and Tantra means sádhaná. The word tantra can be interpreted in two ways. Behind every action, behind every expression, there is a particular sound. By hearing the sound of someone’s approaching footsteps, you conclude that Mr. So-and-so is coming. Every action – moving, walking, etc. – has its own sound. Sometimes human beings sit completely motionless – they are inert. The acoustic root of inertness is ta.

Often we use a special sound to help us do a particular thing. For example, while goading the bullocks of a cart, different sounds are produced at different times by the driver. In the olden days, drivers of four-wheeled horse-drawn coaches (which resemble the contemporary tom-tom) would utter a ra-ra-ra-ra sound to make the horses gallop off. And when the driver pulled the reins and shouted tha, the horses would stop. So this coach became known as a ratha: a coach which starts with a ra sound and stops with a tha sound. Many words have been created in this way.

Another example: In the olden days, orthodox people wouldn’t use leather shoes and wore wooden sandals instead. (They were nothing like the laced shoes which people wear today.) Now, when they walked those wooden sandals would make a t́hak-t́hak sound. T́hakam-t́hakam karoti yah sah t́hakkura [“One who makes a t́hak-t́hak sound is called a t́hakkura.”] The surname T́hákur [anglicized “Tagore”] is derived from t́hakkura. So people who wore wooden sandals were addressed as “T́hákur Mashái”. In this way many such words have come into existence. Even today in Gujarat, you will find many people with the surname T́hákur. In Maharashtra they are named T́hákre or T́hákare.

To resume our original discussion, ta is the acoustic root of inertness or staticity. Tantra is the spiritual practice which liberates one from the bondage of staticity (ta). It makes one active and dexterous in action. It exhorts people to work, to leap headlong into action, to run, to extend their hands and feet. This is the spirit of Tantra. Taḿ jádyát tárayet yastu sah tantrah parikiirttitah.

So “Tantra is the practical process which removes jad́atá [dullness and inaction].” In Hindi jad́atá is called jáŕ – and winter is called jáŕa, because in the winter people sit like lumps of inert matter. When the warm wind blows they burn up that inertness. On the night of the Holi festival, observed one day before the Dol Yátrá festival, young people burn a heap of rubbish which represents the dullness of winter. The spirit of this is, “From today I shall no longer remain inert. I will not sit like a lump of clay in fear of winter.” This is called the Holi festival in northern India.

Tantra has another meaning. The Sanskrit root verb tan means “to expand”. A child’s body gradually expands, and this expansion continues up till the age of thirty-nine; but the younger the person is, the faster the expansion. Young children have a big appetite; moreover, their hands and feet are constantly active, and this exercise facilitates the process of growth and expansion. As long as the body is expanding, it is called tanu; it expands in one way or another up till the age of thirty-nine. After thirty-nine years, however, the body gradually wears away: the head become bald and the skin wrinkles. At that stage the body is called shariira, which literally means “that whose nature is to wear out, to become wrinkled, and finally to be destroyed”.

So the root verb tan means to expand, and thus Tantra is the scientific process which leads to liberation through the process of expansion.

These are the two meanings of tantra: their inner spirit being the same.

What is the nature of the sádhaná of human beings? The bondages and mental limitations that afflict human beings exist not in the external sphere, but in the internal sphere. One whose mind is very narrow is a mean-minded person, whereas one whose mind is broad is a great person. Sádhaná broadens and enlarges the mind. How? It is the innate characteristic of the human mind to become as it thinks – Yádrshii bhávaná yasya siddhirbhavati tádrshii [“As you think, so you become.”] To associate oneself with Parama Puruśa, the Supreme Entity, is the actual sádhaná. There is no one greater than Parama Puruśa, and so, when the mind ideates on Him, it expands.

And when the mind expands, what will happen to the bondages of crudity imposed on it by Prakrti? As an analogy, imagine what will happen if your body has been bound with a rope and you then expand your body. What will happen to the rope? It will snap. Similarly, the moment your mind expands, the bondages of Prakrti, which had kept you so small, will snap, will be ripped apart.

This is Tantra in a nutshell. You should bear in mind that the fundamental spirit of humanity is expansion. Brahma paves the way for expansion and, in the process of expansion, liberates human beings from their bondages. This is why Tantra has been given its name. So Tantra is sádhaná and sádhaná is Tantra. Without sádhaná the practice of Tantra is impossible.

Chapter 18	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

The subject of today’s discourse is “The Intuitional Science of Tantra”. Before I come to that topic, however, let me first say something about [the word] tantra. Usually the word tantra is derived from tan plus trae plus d́a. The root verb tan means “to expand”. The process by which one attains liberation from all bondages by strengthening and expanding one’s entitative existence is called Tantra.

The word tantra can be interpreted in yet another way. Each and every entity, each and every existence has an acoustic expression of its own. For instance, ta is the acoustic root of dullness or inertness. And the process that brings liberation from this state of staticity, or ta, is called Tantra. Taḿ jád́yát tárayet yastu sah tantrah parikiirtitah [“That which redeems human beings and paves the way for their emancipation from the bondages of staticity is called Tantra.”]

The cult that Sadáshiva formulated and introduced into human society to ensure the removal of inertness in the physical, psychic and spiritual strata of life is called Tantra. Tantra is not at all theoretical; it is essentially practical, and on the basis of practice, its philosophy has evolved. The major portion of the science of intuition in the Vedas, on the other hand, is purely theoretical; only a small portion is practical. In Tantra, ninety percent of the intuitional science is practical, and only a very small portion is theoretical.

The science of intuition in the Vedas has already been discussed extensively. Tantric literature, like Vedic, offers an elaborate treatment of intuitional science. Both Veda and Tantra have proclaimed that everything of this manifested universe emanates from Brahma. As the Vedas have put it:

Ánandáddhyeva khalvimáni bhútáni jáyante;
Ánandena játáni jiivanti;
Ánandaḿ prayantyabhisaḿ vishanti.

And Tantra has expressed it similarly:

Mayyeva sakalaḿ játaḿ Mayi sarvaḿ pratiśt́hitaḿ;
Mayi sarvaḿ layaḿ yati tad Brahmá dvayamasmyaham.

Parama Puruśa says, “Everything has emerged from me, everything is being maintained in me, and ultimately everything will dissolve in Me.”⁽¹⁾

Mayyeva sakalaḿ játam [“All created beings have evolved out of Me”]. The word játam is derived from the root jan plus the suffix kta. Here the Cognitive Entity has been recognized as the primordial cause of creation. Obviously, this is a major difference between Tantra and the Sáḿkhya school of philosophy, for in Sáḿkhya, Prakrti [the Supreme Operative Principle] has been given the dominant role. But in Tantra, Parama Puruśa has been given the dominant role. Ánanda Sútram⁽²⁾ clearly states, Shaktih Sá Shivasya Shaktih. Shakti [Prakrti], the Supreme Operative Principle, carries on Her creative flow according to the expressed desire or expressed approval of Parama Puruśa. Hence Puruśa is the prime cause of creation.

Mayyeva sakalaḿ játaḿ Mayi sarvaḿ pratiśt́hitam. Since everything in this universe is born out of Puruśa, there is nothing beyond or outside Puruśa; hence Mayi sarvaḿ pratiśt́hitam – “everything is residing in Him.” He is the base of everything; there is no way to go beyond Him. Human beings may go a little way from Puruśottama, the Supreme Nucleus of the universe; they may increase the length of their radius; but they can never go beyond the Cosmic periphery. In fact, every object emerging from Him in the phase of saiṋcara is maintained in Him, and in the phase of pratisaiṋcara⁽³⁾ is finally dissolved in Him. That is to say, the Entity who was in the beginning and the middle, is also present in the end.

Tad Brahmádvayamasmyaham – “Brahma is One.” The Supreme Operative Principle is not given any special importance. To say that Prakrti is doing everything, one will have to admit that nature is everything, but basically nature is a blind force; she cannot do anything by herself unless supported by intellect.

As mentioned earlier, in Tantra, sádhaná has been given the utmost importance. What is sádhaná? Sádhaná means practical effort. An effort to what? An endless effort to move towards Puruśottama, the Nucleus of the Cosmic Cycle.

Now this movement from imperfection to perfection, and in fact every movement in this universe, is not without obstacles. Fundamentally every movement involves opposition, and the resultant achieved during the fight against the obstacles is called progress. So the more vigorously one tries to move towards the goal, the more vehemently one will to have fight against obstacles. Those who are averse to struggle will never make any progress; what to speak of progress, without struggle one will lag behind. Hence, struggle is the essence of life. Those who abhor struggle, who consider struggle to be violence, have no place in this universe. Not only that, they are hypocrites, for although in practical life they have to resort to struggle, outwardly they hesitate to confess it. They feel that if they admit it openly they will become debased in public estimation. They fail to realize that by denying the plain truth, they are hurting themselves [by acting against their own consciences].

This cult of Tantra, as enunciated by Shiva, was the first to show human beings how to attain Brahma. The earlier methods of incantation, contemplation, eulogy, or repetition of hymns, attempted in various ways to lead human beings towards Brahma, but to no avail. The essential thing is to come in the closest proximity to Parama Puruśa, to be established in Brahma. That is why Tantra proclaims:

Uttamá sahajávasthá madhyamá dhyánadhárańá;
Japastútih syádhadhamá múrtipújá dhamádhamá.

[Ideation on Brahma is the best, dhyána and dhárańá are second best, repetitious incantation and eulogistic prayer are the worst, and idol worship is the worst of the worst.]

When spiritual aspirants start spiritual practice, they cannot understand what to accept and what to avoid. Hence in the initial stage they take to idol worship. Only afterwards do they realize its futility.

Mrcchiládhátudárvádimúrttáviishvaro buddhayo;
Klishyantastapasáh jiṋánaḿ viná mokśam ná yánti te.

[Those who think that Parama Puruśa is confined within idols made of clay, stone, metal, or wood, are simply torturing their bodies with penances – they will surely not attain salvation without self-knowledge.]

“If idols made of wood, clay, iron or any other metal are accepted as objects of meditation, then what will be the result?” It is said, Yádrshii bhávaná yasya siddhirbhavati tádrshii [“As you think, so you become”]. The aspirants’ own entitative existence will be turned into clay, metal or wood – a state which in the scriptures is called Prakrtiliina. It is a dreadful state.

Higher than idol worship is the practice of dhárańá and dhyána, through which one can make steady progress. The last stage is called nirvikalpa samádhi, or asamprajiṋáta samádhi, which is otherwise known as uttamá sahajávasthá, or, in the language of other scriptures, uttamo Brahmasadbhávah.

Many may think that since Tantra is a rigorous practice, a hard reality, then in Tantra there must not be any scope for sweet kiirtana. But certainly there is scope for kiirtana. Tantra exhorts spiritual aspirants to advance towards their goal, smashing the boulders of obstacles and impediments; it never tells people to suppress their sweet sentiments. On the contrary, it advises spiritual aspirants that the more love and devotion they develop for the Cosmic Goal, the more speedily they move towards Him. Hence Tantra recognizes all kinds of sweet sentiments. Kiirtana, song, dance, instrumental music – all are accepted in Tantra and unambiguously recognized as vehicles to ensure spiritual progress.

And what is more, Sadáshiva Himself was the original propounder of song, dance and instrumental music. Tantra is based on reality, and takes the qualities of the Supreme Entity in a practical way. In Tantra, Shiva is not an imaginary entity; rather He has been accepted as the benevolent Father. That is why even today, in the society of devotees, Shiva’s popularity remains totally unimpaired, because He is the original father of Tantra.

As said earlier, Tantra is completely realistic; so its relation with Iishvara [the Supreme Entity as Cosmic Controller] is also based on realism. It is not something fanciful. It has been said,

Bhayánáḿ bhayaḿ bhiiśańaḿ bhiiśańánáḿ;
Gatih práńináḿ pávanaḿ pávanánám.
Mahoccaeh padánáḿ niyantr tadekaḿ;
Paresháḿ paraḿ rakśakaḿ rakśakánám.

[You are the fear of fear, you are the most frightening to the dreadful, you are the very movement of all living entities. You are the purity of purity. You are the Supreme Controller of all the controllers occupying exalted posts. You are the highest authority of all high authorities. You are the protector of protectors.]

“O Saviour of saviours, You are the fear of fear – fear is afraid of You as much as living beings are afraid of fear.”

Elsewhere it has also been said,

Bhiiśasmádváyuh pavate bhiiśodeti súryah
Bhiiśasmadágnishcendrashca;
Mrtyuh dhávati paiṋcamah
Tasmáducyate bhiiśańamiti.

–Atharvaveda

[Out of fear of Him the wind blows, the sun rises on time. Out of fear of Him the fire-god, the moon-god, the god of energy and the god of death carry out their duties faithfully. This is why He is called Bhiiśańam, The Terrible.]

As He is feared by all, every action in this universe is being properly undertaken. Were He not apparently dreadful, He would not be able to discharge His responsibilities properly. Tantra has made such a realistic appraisal of Parama Puruśa and said: Bhiiśasmádváyuh pavate – “The wind blows on time out of fear of Him; it never completely ceases to blow under any circumstances”… bhiiśo’deti súryah – “out of fear of Him, the sun rises on time every day without the least deviation”… bhiiśasmádagnishcendrashca mrtyuh dhávati paiṋcamah tasmáducyate bhiiśańamiti – “out of fear of Him, fire burns, and Indra faithfully discharges his duty” (Indra means “energy”; due to fear of Parama Puruśa, all other energies are doing their duties according to their inherent characteristics) “and due to fear of Him, death reaches the proper person at the proper time.” Death cannot say that he will reach somebody a couple of days later. Out of fear, he will always arrive at the stipulated time.

Gatih práńinám [“You are the very movement of all living entities”]. The property of movement, of dynamism, is one of the basic characteristics of our Supreme Lord. Life also is characterized by movement. We distinguish between living and non-living entities on the basis of their movement. Those who lack in dynamism, though physically they may be alive, are virtually dead: there is no justification for their existence. Hence my exhortation to all is to become active, vigorously active. This quality of dynamism comes directly from Parama Puruśa, because He Himself is always dynamic.

Pávanaḿ pávanánám. Human beings consider certain objects to be sacred; those objects are called pávana in Sanskrit. “And those sacred objects in turn look upon Parama Puruśa as sacred.” Indeed, they themselves are considered sacred because they are related to Him, otherwise they would not be sacred.

Mahoccaeh padánáḿ niyantr tadekam. In this world various persons occupy various exalted posts, and because of their posts they enjoy social respect and position. “But however high their rank may be, they pray to the Lord, saying, ‘O Lord, I exist by Your grace – protect me, O Lord.’” So the Lord is controlling everyone, whatever may be their post. The moment one transgresses one’s jurisdiction out of vanity or ego, one is removed from that post. Whenever one misuses or abuses one’s authority, the Lord pushes the person out, and the person falls on his knees. This is the rule. The Lord is controlling everything; He does not tolerate the abuse of power or authority by anyone. In fact, one of His names is Darpahárii [Stealer of Vanity]. He does not tolerate anyone’s darpa [vanity]. We see in practical life that people may be seated today in the most exalted position in society, but if they grossly abuse their position, they will meet with such a great fall that their bones and skin will be altogether beyond recognition.

Paresháḿ param. In the absence of a witnessing entity, the existence of any entity or phenomenon cannot be substantiated. When an action takes place, there should be an entity to witness it, to appreciate it. Due to the presence of the witnessing entity, an action or an object is substantiated. The entity which witnesses is called para, and the entity or entities which are witnessed are called apara. We consider many entities as para or witnessing entities, but “above all these witnessing entities there is one Supreme Witnessing Entity, Parama Puruśa.” Hence He is rightly called Paresháḿ param [“Witness of all witnesses”].

Rakśakaḿ rakśakánám. In various spheres of life, we look upon various objects or persons as our saviours or protectors. But “those very persons whom we looked up to as our saviours or protectors, themselves look to Parama Puruśa for protection.” However cautious one might be, there can never be any absolute security for anyone without the protection of Parama Puruśa. No one can say with any certainty that a particular medicine will cure a particular disease. Even the physician who specializes in the treatment of that disease may himself die of that disease. People invent a particular weapon, thinking that it will counteract other weapons; but often it fails. And people are often over-cautious. There is an old saying in Bengali, Sábdháner mára nei, which means, “Caution circumvents trouble;” but Rabindranath Tagore once said that caution no doubt circumvents trouble, but it is also true that trouble sometimes circumvents caution! Hence Tantra teaches that the human mind should be channelized in only one direction, not in a thousand directions.

Tadekaḿ japámas tadekaḿ smarámas
Tadekaḿ jagatsákśiirúpaḿ namámah;
Tadekaḿ nidhánaḿ nirálambamiishaḿ
Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah.

[I will remember You only. I will contemplate on You only. I will salute You only, the Witnessing Entity of this expressed universe. You are the supreme shelter, but you require no shelter, and no authority lords over you. We take shelter in You in the form of a ship sailing on this vast universe.]

“If anyone’s name is to be chanted in japa, it is the name of Parama Puruśa.” What is japa? A word has a particular meaning; repeating the word inwardly again and again, after having understood its meaning, is what is termed japa. As a result of the prolonged repetition of a word, whose inner meaning is clearly understood, its ideation becomes permanently imprinted on one’s mind, and consequently there occurs a radical change in one’s mental arena. The extroversial tendencies of the mind gradually become introverted. This is the benefit of japa. And if anyone’s name is to be repeated, it is the name of the Lord.

Usually worldly people remember constantly their earthly joys and comforts, or dwell on the names of their enemies. But that is all useless. Only the name of Parama Puruśa should be remembered and chanted, for ultimately one will have to reach Him, to merge in Him.

Namah Shiváya shántáya kárańatrayahetabe;
Nivedayámi cátmánaḿ tvaḿ gatih Parameshvara.

[Salutations to Shiva the tranquil, the cause of the three worlds; I surrender myself to You, the culmination of my journey, the Supreme Lord.]

Ultimately one will have to reach Him. There is no other way. Hence wise persons take only the name of the One and Supreme Lord, and never the name of any other entity.

Tadekaḿ smarámah. “If one has to take refuge in any entity, or has to contemplate any entity, one should take refuge in or think about only the Supreme One,” because whenever the mind broods on a second entity, it will become one with the latter; that is, if the mind constantly reflects on physicality, one’s whole psycho-spiritual existence will become physical. That is a terrible situation.

Tadekaḿ jagatsákśiirúpaḿ namámah. “If there is anyone to whom spiritual aspirants should surrender, if there is anyone to whom they should pay salutations, it is Parama Puruśa.” The system behind salutations is to look for the Supreme Being that is the inner essence of a person, and to pay salutations to that Parama Puruśa. The generally-accepted rule is that one should say namaskára to a human being or a god or goddess, but one should say namaste or namastubhyam only to Parama Puruśa, not to any other entity.

Tadekaḿ nidhhánam. Human beings run along many different paths, but “ultimately they will have to take the path towards the Supreme One.” Nányapanthá vidyate ayanáy – “There is no other way for them.” So if they begin in time to run towards the Supreme One, it saves them a lot of time and energy later.

Nirálambamiisham. In this world each and every object requires a support, a strong base. Nothing can maintain its existence without a dependable base. For example, the base of Calcutta is West Bengal; and the base of West Bengal is India. The continent of Asia is the base of India, and the base of Asia is our planet earth. The base of the earth is the solar system, and the base of the solar system is Parama Puruśa. But “Parama Puruśa does not depend for His existence upon any base. Rather everything is sheltered in Him – He is the base of everything.” So if human beings have to look for any shelter, it must be a self-supporting, self-sheltered entity.

Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah [“seek shelter on the ship floating on this ocean of bhava”]. “Casting aside all futile arguments and time-consuming propensities of mind, we will seek shelter only in You.”

Bhavámbodhipotam [“ship floating on the ocean of bhava”]. The unrequited saḿskáras [i.e., the as-yet-unserved balance of reactions to one’s original actions] which are responsible for one’s rebirth are called bhava, and dharma is the means to cross the vast ocean of bhava. To cross this bhava is part of your sádhaná, and is also your dharma. But individually human beings are very weak; it is next to impossible for them to cross the ocean of bhava without the direct help of Parama Puruśa. Máyá⁽⁴⁾ is very powerful; human beings cannot fight against Her singlehandedly. So one must first seek the shelter of Parama Puruśa and then fight against Her. Máyá gives way to the one who is endowed with divine power from Parama Puruśa because She is, after all, the immanent power of Parama Puruśa. Shaktih Sá Shivasya Shaktih. As Krśńa said,

Daevii hyeśá guńamayii mama Máyá duratyayá;
Mámeva ye prapadyante Máyámetáḿ taranti te.⁽⁵⁾

[This Máyá of Mine is of the nature of three principles, and is almost insurmountable. Only those who take refuge in Me can overcome this Máyá.]

“This divine Máyá is insurmountable; microcosms, by their individual efforts, cannot surmount Her. But those who have taken shelter in Me, can easily surmount Her.” Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah.

Now to cross an ocean, the passengers need to board a ship. Parama Puruśa comes to human beings as a ship does to pick up passengers. What should we do? We should secure a safe shelter on that ship – sharańaḿ vrajámah. All sádhakas are rushing to that ship which will take them to their proper destination. Human beings have to take refuge in that divine ship; they will have to come rushing, without further delay. They should not and must not waste a single moment.

Footnotes

(1) This translation applies equally well to both shlokas, the Vedic and the Tantric. –Eds.

(2) Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, Ánanda Sútram, 1962. –Eds.

(3) In the Cosmic Cycle, saiṋcara is the step-by-step extroversion and crudification of consciousness from Nucleus Consciousness to the state of solid matter; and pratisaiṋcara is the reverse introversion and subtilization of consciousness. –Eds.

(4) Creative Principle, Prakrti in Her phase of creation; One aspect of Máyá is the power to cause the illusion that finite created objects are the ultimate truth. –Eds.

(5) Bhagavad Giitá. –Trans.

Chapter 19	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

During yesterday’s DMC⁽¹⁾ I said something about Tantra. It is not enough to say that the ideological difference between Veda and Tantra is wide; rather one should say that it is very wide. Tantra is a practical and natural process and is thus easily practised and followed by the members of society. People easily accept it as their own.

There is a shloka in the Vedas that begins, Uttiśt́hata jágrata prápya barán nibodhata – that is, “Arise, awake. Seek a competent teacher and start moving along the path of spirituality.” This is similar to the spirit of Tantra. But the Veda further says,

Kśurasya dhárá nishitá duratyayá durgaḿ pathastat kavayo vadanti.⁽²⁾

That is, “The path is as sharp as a razor’s edge, so move along it carefully.”

Here Tantra begins to differ from Veda. The process of Tantra progressively develops the qualities latent in human beings and at the same time eliminates the defects. In Tantra, therefore, there is no question of the path being as sharp as a razor’s edge. Because of this spirit, a practitioner of Tantra becomes elevated and attains mastery over a hostile environment. Tantra does not accept the teachings of the Vedas that human beings should move internally, and carefully avoid any association with their environment. Rather, Tantra suggests that spiritual aspirants should rid their minds of fear from the very beginning. The Vedas maintain, however, that fear will be automatically removed from the mind some day in the process of sádhaná; but who knows when that auspicious moment will come? It is not desirable to wait indefinitely for that. Moreover, while moving in this way, something unexpected might happen which might be detrimental to individual and collective growth.

So Tantra advises, “Jump into your environment without the least hesitation. Don’t be afraid. Fear will leave you step by step. Tomorrow you will not be as fearful as you are today, the day after you will be even less fearful, and ten days from now you’ll notice that you are completely fearless.” The process of Tantra sádhaná is formulated along these lines. The very first night that a Tantric goes to the burial ground he is stricken with fear; there is horripilation all over the body. But when he returns home after finishing sádhaná, the mind is much lighter than before. When he goes out for sádhaná the next night, he is much less fearful. And thus the Tantric steadily and slowly overcomes fear. This is the applied process of Tantra which will help the practitioner overcome all mental propensities. In Tantra, there is a nice blending between the internal sádhaná, an ongoing psychic process, and physico-psychic sádhaná. In the Vedas, however, physico-psychic sádhaná is totally absent – only psychic sádhaná is practised, which may lead to trouble.

Tantra is of the opinion that the Vedas cannot fulfil the hopes of beginners on the spiritual path – the hopes of making some discernible spiritual progress at the outset. In fact there is often retardation. That is why the Vedic system of sádhaná has been almost totally rejected by society. Even in the past it was not widely popular, and today it is practised by only a few people. And the little Vedic sádhaná which is practised today is merely a few prayers to Parama Puruśa. For example, they pray, “O Lord, show me the way. Please help me get Tantric initiation.”

So Vedic initiation today is just the first step towards Tantric initiation. The sádhaka says, “O Lord, I want to follow the path of spirituality and wish to practise the Tantric process of sádhaná. Please give me the opportunity to learn it.”

Sarve ca pashavah santi talavad bhútale naráh:
Teśáḿ jiṋánaprakásháya viirabhávah prakáshitah;
Viirabhávaḿ sadá prápya kramena devatá bhavet.

–Rudrayámala Tantra

“At the first stage all human beings are as good as animals.” Unable to find the light of knowledge, they fail to understand what is to be done and what is not to be done. When one is unaware of the dos and don’ts of life, one is no better than an animal. One will have to rise higher step by step.

“When one masters the first stage of Tantra sádhaná, and acquires some knowledge and intellect and learns about the dos and don’ts of life, one is no longer like an animal but is a veritable hero.” In Tantra that system of sádhaná is called viirácára. Viirabhávaḿ sadá prápya kramena devatá bhávet – “while doing sádhaná in viirabháva [the ideation of viirácára], the sádhaka merges in that viirabháva.”

And just as one who fights against the fear instinct is called a viirácárii, one who has overcome fear, who has gone beyond fear, is called a divyácárii. And the divyácárii who successfully defeats the ripus and the páshas⁽³⁾ and, rising above petty selfishness, identifies himself or herself with the collective interest, becomes one with Parama Puruśa. This gradual movement towards the supreme goal is the path of Tantra. It is a safe path where there is no scope for fear. And the naturalness of human life is not impaired under any circumstances.

The Tantric sádhaná introduced by Sadáshiva was the first sádhaná to be given in this world. Tantra sádhaná is the only sádhaná. Without sádhaná there is no Tantra and without Tantra there is no sádhaná.

Tantra has yet another speciality. According to the Vedas, practical life is guided by theory. But the efficacy of a theory should first be tested in the practical sphere. Movement on the basis of an untested theory may or may not be fruitful. The theory of Tantra has been evolved on the basis of practical experience on the path. And as the theory is formulated on the basis of efficacy in the field of application, it always leads to success. It is infallible in applied life.

Footnotes

(1) Ananda Marga Dharma Mahácakra was a special spiritual gathering addressed by the guru. –Eds.

(2) Kat́hopaniśad. –Trans.

(3) The śad́ripu, or six enemies, of the mind are káma [longing for physical pleasure], krodha [anger], lobha [avarice], mada [vanity], moha [blind attachment], and mátsarya [envy]. The aśt́apásha, or eight fetters, are ghrńá [hatred, revulsion], shauṋka [doubt], bhaya [fear], lajjá [shyness], jugupsá [dissemblance], kula [vanity of lineage], shiila [cultural superiority complex], and mána [egotism]. –Eds.

Chapter 20	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

During the last few days, I have been saying repeatedly that Tantra has its own special characteristics. Although Ananda Marga is essentially Tantra-oriented, it too has a few special features of its own.

As I have said previously, our ideology maintains that no one need be afraid of anything under any circumstances. If anyone does become afraid, it should be understood that he or she is doing something opposed to our ideology. So you should remember that no situation will ever arise in this world which will give you cause for fear.

It has been said that Parama Puruśa is the fear of fear. That is, fear is as afraid of Parama Puruśa as humans are afraid of [objects of] fear. Bhiiśańaḿ bhiiśańánám – “He is the dread of all dreaded things.” A feared object is as afraid of Parama Puruśa as others are afraid of it. So, as you are the progeny of Parama Puruśa, who or what can possibly give you cause to fear?

I have also said that sins are just like the dust that settles on our clothes. By shaking the clothing, the dust will vanish. This simple action can be done by everyone. Ananda Marga has clarified that human beings are the progeny of Parama Puruśa and are thus the objects of His love and affection. Whatever might be the nature of the sins they commit, they will never be deprived of His affection. Parama Puruśa may scold them, but He can never hate them. He will simply shake the dust off their clothes and take them onto His lap. So the most important thing is complete surrender. People should always remember that they are the progeny of Parama Puruśa. That is enough.

In this regard something also should be clarified, something which differentiates the ideas of Ananda Marga from other established ideas. Ananda Marga is very different from isms and theories. We do not want to condemn people over very small or trivial matters, a practice which was common in our past society, ridden with various caste divisions and so on. According to our philosophy, only that injustice which harms others should be considered as pápa [sin].

In ancient times people were made outcastes on trivial charges of social crimes. We do not subscribe to such beliefs. According to us, the only error which may be considered as a sin is the one which harms society, and nothing else. In the past, mental wrongdoing was considered as a sin in all cases, according to the ancient Tantric traditions too. It is of course a fact that all sins first originate in the mind, that mental sins are transformed into external sins. But according to Ananda Marga, unless mental sins take external form, thus harming the society, they should not be considered punishable. (Sádhakas, however, will always rectify their mental sins, because they may take external form one day. If the mental sin does take an external form, it should be punished vigorously. An effective way of rectifying such a sin is to sing and dance kiirtana.)

One should not keep thinking again and again why such a thought came in the mind. It is useless to do so. You should continue to discharge your duties with an open mind, with full awareness of your responsibilities. You should not waste your time bothering about the minor deviations you make along the path of your movement. We are no longer like the ancient logicians or lawmakers. Our duty is to make the best use of the strength and capacity of the entire human race. To analyse everything threadbare or to suppress human strength and capacity or to limit human activities can never be considered as humanistic. Moreover, I do not think it good to criticize anyone behind their backs, saying, “Well, Mr. So-and-so may be leading a virtuous life now, but don’t you know, he was a terrible sinner in the past.” We must forget the past. I said at the outset that sins are like the dust of the street that settles on clothing. We must shake this dust off and move ahead.

Those considered social criminals will have to accept punishment in accordance with the law. Even if society does not punish the wrongdoers, they are bound to be punished by Prakrti. Under no circumstances, however, will Parama Puruśa ever consider them as hated beings. One should not think, “Oh, dear, dear, dear, I’m such a sinner. Oh, how can I ever approach Parama Puruśa.” Rather one should think that as one is a sinner one should rush up to Parama Puruśa as quickly as possible, saying, “So much dust has accumulated on my clothes. How strange it is that You still haven’t taken me on Your lap and shaken it all off.” One should ask insistently why one was allowed to be covered with so much dust for so long.

Always remember that an effective way of freeing the mind from one’s past sins is to sing and dance kiirtana. This will certainly bring about the desired result. You should also remember that no matter how many sins you have committed, you are never subject to hatred in the eyes of Parama Puruśa. He may scold you, but He cannot hate you.

I have said many a time that Parama Puruśa cannot do two things: He cannot create a second Parama Puruśa like Himself, because whoever has established an intimate friendship with Him, whoever has identified himself with Him, becomes one with Him. Secondly, however hard He may try, He can never hate anyone, because everything is in His mind. Even if He wanted to hate someone, to hate would mean that He was indirectly hating Himself. And that is why Parama Puruśa cannot hate anyone, even if He wants to. You should always remember this.

Chapter 21	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Today in a short discourse I shall try to say something about diikśá [initiation] and its importance relative to the existence of a microcosm.

You know that in every sphere of life there is a need for some goal, or for some guiding factors that show the way to a goal. And if the sphere we speak of is human progress, in that sphere also such factors are necessary.

I have already told you that human existence is an ideological flow. To accelerate human progress, we need very powerful guiding factors. The factor of will, for example, connects the physical and physico-psychic existence of human beings to spiritual existence, and merges it into that spiritual existence.

Guiding factors should come from a subtler source, and in the case of the spiritual initiation of a human being, those guiding factors emanate from Parama Puruśa. And this is why in Ánanda Sútram⁽¹⁾ it has been clearly stated, Brahmaeva Gurureka náparah – that is to say, “Parama Puruśa alone is the Guru.” All kinds of inspiration for human beings come from that source.

As far as initiation is concerned, there are two types. The first type is usually known as Vaedikii diikśá, and the second type is usually called Tántrikii diikśá.

As you all know, the word veda means “knowledge”. In this sense Vaedikii diikśá means that when inquisitive persons want to know what they should do, how they should do, and why they should do, they pray to Parama Puruśa, “O Lord, I cannot see clearly because I am enveloped in blinding darkness. Out of Your grace, You show me the way. I cannot move by myself. Tell me, out of Your kindness, how I can move forward.” When they receive a lesson in how to pray in such a way, this is called Vaedikii diikśá. The “Savitr Rk” [a Vedic rk, or verse, composed in Gáyatrii rhythm and therefore often known as the Gáyatrii Mantra] and a few other rks of the Rgveda are mantras of this sort.

And thereafter, when the same persons, by His grace, learn the proper way to progress in the physical, psychic and spiritual spheres, that is called Tantrikii diikśá.

Janmaná jáyate shúdrah saḿskárát dvija ucyate;
Vedapáthát bhavet viprah Brahma jánáti Bráhmańah.

[By birth, everybody is a shúdra, with an animal-like mentality. Going through a renewal, the person becomes a dvija, i.e., expresses the desire to become human. A person next becomes a vipra, an intellectual, by studying scriptures. And finally, when the person begins to realize Brahma (through psycho-spiritual initiation) he or she becomes a Bráhmańa.]

What is saḿskára? Here saḿskára means Vaedikii diikśá.⁽²⁾

After diikśá, the concerned person acquires considerable knowledge regarding how to do, what to do, why to do, and what his or her actual path should be. The person learns all these things. This is what is called Tántrikii diikśá. After following this path, that individual reaches the zenith of spirituality. He or she becomes a Brahman.

The word diikśá in Tantra has been defined:

Diipajiṋánam yato dadyát kuryát pápakśayam tatah; Tasmátdiikśeti sá proktá sarvatantrasya sammatá.

[The process which produces the capacity to realize the inner import of mantra and which expedites the requital of the saḿskáras, or reactive momenta, is called diikśá.]

Diipajiṋána means “torch”, that is, the knowledge that takes a human being from the darkness of animality towards the effulgence of divinity. In the initial stage, human beings require a torch to light up the way for them. This is what is called diipajiṋána. The initial letter of diipajiṋána is dii.

And when a spiritual aspirant moves from the most negative point towards the ultimate positivity, what happens? His or her accumulated saḿskáras start to become exhausted. That is, all his or her saḿskáras start to wane. For this “waning of sins” the Sanskrit word is pápákśayam. The initial letter of kśayam [waning] is kśa. So the dii of diipanii together with the kśa of kśayam becomes diikśa. And with the addition of the feminine suffix t́a, the word becomes diikśá.

Lord Sadáshiva is the father of all Tantric scriptures. According to Him, this is the real interpretation of the term diikśá. For psychic development and spiritual elevation, people will invariably have to pass through this process of initiation. There is no alternative.

Footnotes

(1) Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, Ánanda Sútram, 1962. –Eds.

(2) Literally saḿskára means “renewal”, or changing from one’s original form to another form. –Eds.

Chapter 22	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

In a short discourse, I shall try to say something regarding diikśá and initiation.

As you know, for want of sufficient vocabulary in certain tongues, we are to use some words having close proximity to the required term. [Here, for instance, we have to use the English word “initiation” for the Sanskrit diikśá. But] the word “initiation” cannot represent the spirit of diikśá. The rudimental meaning of “initiation” is “to resort to a new avenue of progress”. Certainly diikśá is a new avenue of progress, but diikśá is also something more.

The first thing to be known and remembered is that, as per the science of yoga, diikśá is divided into two important phases. The first phase is known as Vaedikii diikśá, and the second phase is known as Tántrikii diikśá. In Vaedikii diikśá, the aspirant requests the Supreme Entity, Parama Puruśa, to show him or her the path. It is not a cult; it is just requesting the Supreme Father to let him or her know the secrets of success in the stratum of spirituality. The Gáyattrii Mantra (it is commonly known as the Gáyattrii Mantra, but its actual name is the “Savitr Rk”) is Vaedikii diikśá. Here the request is, “O Lord, show me the path. O Lord, guide our intellect towards the supreme path, so that I may be one with the Supreme Entity.”

Oṋḿ bhúr bhuvah svah oṋḿ tat saviturvareńyaḿ;
Bhargo devasya dhiimahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayát.

This is the “Savitr Rk”, or “Gáyattrii Mantra”. Here the aspirant says, Bhúr bhuvah svah maha janah tapah satya asya saptalokasya savitur devasya, savitur pitur devasya, savitur devasya, tatpitur devasya, vareńyam bhargo dhiimahi, vareńyam pújaniiyam, bhargo jyoti, dhiimahi bayaḿ dhyánam kurmah, kena kárańena bayaḿ dhyánaḿ kurmah. Dhiyo yo nah pracodayát. Dhii buddhih medhá yah nah asmákaḿ sah asmakaḿ dhii pracodayát saḿvidhámaḿ karotu satpathi paricálanaḿ karotu anena kárańena bayaḿ tad vareńyaḿ bhargo dhiimahi dhyánam kurmah.⁽¹⁾

The exact English translation will be “The Supreme Father who did create the seven strata of manifestation – we meditate on His divine effulgence. And why do we meditate on His divine effulgence? So that He may guide our intellect unto the path of bliss, unto the path of supreme blessedness.” So here the prayer is to guide the brain unto the proper path. It is Vaedikii diikśá – tan no dhiyo pracodayát – “so that He may guide our intellect towards the path of blessedness”… sah no buddhyá shubhayá saḿyunaktu – “so that He may connect our intellect with blessedness.”

So these things are Vaedikii diikśá. There is no scope for such an interpretation or such a phase in “initiation”.

Now, the second phase is Tántrikii diikśá. Actually this Tántrikii diikśá is a cult. In the term “initiation” this cult is not properly clarified, or rather, nothing has been clearly said regarding this cult. As you know regarding the word tantra: tan means “to expand”, and tra means “liberator”; so the science that frees the aspirant from the fetters of bondages by expansion – by expanding the mind, by expanding the existence – is Tantra.

Another meaning: ta is dullness, and tra means liberator. So the science that liberates the aspirant from dullness and expands his or her entire existence is Tantra – Taḿ jádyát tárayet yastu sah tantrah parikiirttitah.

Now this Tántrikii diikśá has three phases, rather you may say three sub-phases: and they are diipanii, mantrágháta and mantra caetanya. And the derivation of the word diikśá is also from diipanii:

Diipajiṋánam yato dadyát kuryát pápakśayaḿ tatah;
Tasmátdiikśeti sá proktá sarvatantrasya sammatá.

[The process which produces the capacity to realize the inner import of mantra and which expedites the requital of the saḿskáras, or reactive momenta, is called diikśá.]

Diipajiṋánam. What is the first letter? Dii. Then, kuryát pápakśayaḿ tatah. Kśayam – what is the first letter? Kśa. So the word becomes diikśa, and the feminine term will be diikśá.

Now what is diipanii? Everything lies coverted within the self. The Supreme Entity is also within your “I” feeling. [He] is with you, but you do not know Him. That is, the Supreme Entity is with you, but You cannot see Him. You cannot realize Him. Why? Because you are covered by, you are surrounded by, Máyá, the cimmerian darkness of Máyá. This diikśá, Tantrikii diikśá, is just like a torch. And by focusing the torch, you see your route through the darkness. That is why the first sub-phase is diipanii – diipanii means “showing the torchlight”. But no such thing is there in the term “initiation”.

Diikśá gives the aspirant the route, the way, or rather the path, of bliss. It shows the path of bliss. And to show the path of bliss, light is required; and that light is also supplied by diikśá. This light is diipanii.

Then, pápakśayam. You know what pápa is: pápa is negative reactive momenta. Whatever you do, the reaction is there, and when the reaction is not satisfied, not quenched, it remains in dormant form. The momentum is there, but not expressed. And there is also the case of positive work, that is, when you do something for the advancement of living beings – that is something positive, it is a positive action. In samája shástra [social scriptures] this positive action is called puńya, and when you do something against the public interest, this negative action is known as pápa. Now this negative action in reactive form, that is, this negative reactive momentum, is called pápa; and pápakśayam is brought about by diikśá. And how is that kśayam⁽²⁾ to be effected? Through actions – through reactive actions.⁽³⁾ These reactive actions may be on the physical plane, or may be on the psychic plane. But diikśá teaches us how these reactive momenta are to be satisfied on the psychic plane, thus freeing the person from the bondages of pápa.

Now this process of freeing a person from the fetters of pápa is divided into two sub-phases: mantrágháta and mantra caetanya. Mantrágháta means, as I have already told you, that each and every mantra has the support of an acoustic root: and when that acoustic root strikes at the root of the coiled serpentine, it is aroused. This is called mantrágháta. After that this roused coiled serpentine moves with the force, or the stamina, it gets from the mantra. It moves towards the supreme positivity, and this movement is called mantra caetanya. With the help of this mantrágháta and mantra caetanya, a spiritual aspirant is freed from all the mundane bondages, bondages both on the physical and on the psychic plane.

So whereas in the case of “initiation” we see that it is just a resort to an avenue of progress and nothing more than that, nothing amplified, diikśá is divided into two phases, one primordial and the other final, and that final phase is further divided into three parts, or phases: diipanii, mantrágháta and mantra caetanya. But as we have no proper word for diikśá in English or any other language, we have no alternative but to use the word “initiation” for diikśá. The actual Sanskrit word for the English term “initiation” is abhiśeka, not diikśá.

Footnotes

(1) Here the author comments, in Sanskrit, on the rk. His English translation and commentary then follow. –Eds.

(2) “Waning”. Pápakśayam is “waning of the saḿskáras (the mental reactive momenta)”; literally, “waning of the sins”. –Eds.

(3) Regarding reactive actions, see “Sádhaná”. –Eds.

Chapter 23	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

I invented kaośikii on September 6th [1978]. This dance is both an exercise, and a medicine for twenty-two diseases. It is a sort of panacea for almost all female diseases, and for many male diseases in younger boys. It is a medicine for most liver diseases. It assures safe deliveries for women, and also checks the advent of old age. It is a medicine.

Táńd́ava – which was not invented by me, but by Sadáshiva some seven thousand years ago – is an all-corporal exercise, an exercise for the entire body, including the brain. (There are intellectual exercises for the brain, but hardly any physical exercise. In fact, táńd́ava is the only physical exercise for the brain.) And among all dances it is the best. But it is not for women.

In Sanskrit, tańd́u means “of jumping habit”. You see, when rice is prepared from paddy [in the traditional rural way] the paddy and rice jump. Because of this, rice is called tańd́ulam in Sanskrit. Tańd́u plus the suffix sna makes táńd́ava, the dance where jumping is the main thing. Now this dance was invented by Sadáshiva to maintain the physical and psychic purity of sádhakas. That may help them in their spiritual progress. And Párvatii, the spouse of Shiva, invented lalita mármika, which means “voice of the inner spirit”. The dance used for kiirtana is lalita mármika. It represents the inner voice of the spiritual aspirant. The main thing in lalita mármika is the expression through mudrá. In táńd́ava there is no mudrá.

Among the disciples, among the devotees, there was an altercation as to which dance should be accepted. It was decided that both should be equally accepted and equally respected. And as a result of this adjustment between táńd́ava and lalita, Indian music was started – it is known as “Indo-Aryan” music. Indian music is divided into two schools, the Áryávarta School and the Dákśinátya School. The common name for the Áryávarta School is Hindustani Sangeet, and that for the Dákśinátya School is Karnataka Sangeet. As a result of this adjustment, Indian music was started. It was started by Sadáshiva, and that is why He is called Nat́arája: Nádatanunát́eshaḿ [“The One whose very body is made out of the náda – the primordial sound – is the Lord of the Dance.”]. This adjustment first created the Indian tála. The first letter of táńd́ava is ta, and the first letter of lalita is la – tála was created in Indian music.

Lalita is to be used during kiirtana. It is the only dance which is universally accepted as the best dance for kiirtana. Táńd́ava is a heroic dance, showing the fight between life and death. The knife represents life, represents your vital stamina, and the skull represents the death that wants to destroy you. You are fighting against death with your weapon, be it a knife or a trishula (trident). And as per the rule, during the day, if one so desires, one may use a live snake in place of the skull; and at night one may use a fire mashála [torch] or a d́amvaru [small drum].⁽¹⁾ This is the rule. So táńd́ava represents the eternal fight, the fight for survival, the fight to maintain existence, the fight to establish oneself as a man in this world.

Now during Mahácakra⁽²⁾ and several other discourses, there has been a vijaya for devotees. You know, in Sanskrit there are two similar words, jaya and vijaya. Jaya means “victory”, victory over the inimical force, but victory of temporary nature. When the enemy is defeated, you become a jayii; but in the next phase or in the next moment the enemy may again rise up, become victorious – you may be defeated. And what is vijaya? Vijaya means “victory of a permanent nature when the enemy is completely destroyed”. I think during the past few discourses there has been a vijaya for devotees.

In the course of spiritual achievement, spiritual progress, the jiṋánii is alone in the field, as indeed is the karmii. But the devotee⁽³⁾ is always sitting on the lap of the Cosmic Father and is never alone. In the shástras it has been said that the devotees know that the Cosmic Father maintains His relationship with His children always through ota yoga and prota yoga.

What is ota yoga? The Cosmic Father has a direct relationship with each and every entity of this world, animate or inanimate. Not a single grain of sand nor a single blade of grass is neglected by Him. All are his affectionate children. This is His ota yoga.⁽⁴⁾ Each and every entity, animate or inanimate, has a direct link with Him, and thus nobody can ever be alone in the world. It is His duty to look after His children. So a devotee can never develop the psychology of melancholia.

You know, “melancholia” means to feel hopeless, helpless – “There is no one to love me.” Devotees never feel this type of melancholia, because they know that they are always with their Supreme Father. But jiṋániis suffer from such diseases. You will find psychic diseases, insanity mostly, among jiṋániis, among so-called learned and intellectual people. Bhaktas, however, never suffer from these diseases. They are free from all psychic diseases. And the devotee’s march is a march to serve the Supreme Entity in a better way, not to attain any emancipation or salvation.

The devotees know that whatever their Supreme Father will do for them is best for them. They never ask for anything, mundane, supramundane or psychic, because they know their actual needs, their actual necessities, are better known to their Father. A child of two months does not know what it requires; its mother knows. It is solely dependent upon its mother. Similarly, devotees are solely dependent on the Cosmic Father, and for that reason the Cosmic Father has a special responsibility for the devotees.

I have already said that devotees never develop any psychological ailment or psychological depression, even if they are sinners. You know, while moving along the road, your body or your clothes may come in contact with dust and dirt – this is what is called “sin” in society. And if your body or your clothes become filthy due to any sort of dirt or dust, others may laugh at you, others may ridicule you, others may hate you, but your father cannot ridicule you, cannot hate you, cannot laugh at you. What is his duty? Then and there he will come and put you on his lap and clean you. He will wash your clothes and say, “Oh, my child, while moving along the road, be a bit careful.” This is the relationship of the Cosmic Father with pápiis [sinners]. And the devotees know this.

But the jiṋániis and karmiis say that each and every action has an equal and opposite reaction, provided that the three fundamental relative factors remain unchanged. Very dangerous, very dangerous! And that is why they suffer from so many psychic diseases; they are afraid of the sins they have committed in the past. But the devotees know, “My Father is there; He may punish me, but He will free me from all those bondages, all those fetters.” So devotees are always carefree. And as I told you, devotees are cunning people. Not only are they intelligent, they are also cunning. That is why I said that devotees are A-grade intellectuals.

You see, the path of dharma is kut́ila for those jiṋániis and karmiis, but for devotees it is straight. Dharmasya kut́ila gatih [“The path of dharma is kut́ila, tortuous”].

It is kut́ila for whom? For jiṋániis and karmiis?

Kśurasya dhárá nishitá duratyayá durgaḿ pathastad kavayo vadanti.

[The edge of a razor is very sharp and difficult to walk on. Similarly, the path to the Absolute is difficult to follow. This is what realized persons say.]

Those jiṋániis will say, “It is a dangerous path!” – durgaḿ pathastad kavayo vadanti. In Vedic Sanskrit, kavi means “learned man”, “scholar”, not “poet”. (In laokika [comparatively recent] Sanskrit, kavi means “poet”.) Those scholars, those jiṋániis, say it is a durgam path. What does durgam mean? “Not easy to move”. But what is it for a devotee? Sukhamanantamánandam [“Spiritual bliss is equal to infinite pleasure”]. It is a straight path, it is a movement that ends in union with the Supreme Father. So there is nothing durgam in it; rather it is very easy, it is very natural. So my advice to you all is, feel His existence within your “I” feeling.

Shrutayo vibhinnáh smrtayo vibhinnáh
Naekamuniryasya mataḿ nábhinnam;
Dharmasya tattvaḿ nihitaḿ guháyáḿ
Mahájano yena gatah sa pantháh.

[The scriptures differ, the social codes differ; each sage has a different opinion. The essence of dharma lies deep in the mind; the path followed by realized persons is the true path.]

So many scriptures say so many things. What is an ordinary person to do? Which scripture is to be followed and which is not to be followed? What is what and which is which? A person may be in a dilemma to decide what to do, and what not to do. Shrutayo vibhinnáh – “The scriptures vary from one another.” Smrtayo vibhinnáh (smrti means “social code”) – “social codes also vary from one another.” In the past there was Nárada Saḿhitá, Parásara Saḿhitá, Manu Smrti; and now all the smrtis have been replaced by the Hindu Code Bill. There are so many social codes. What is an ordinary person to do?

The pandits, the propounders of those social codes, vary from one another. One says, “Do this.” Another says, “No, no, no, do this.” Somebody will say that while doing your upásaná [prayers] you should face east; some will say, “No, no, no, face west.” What are ordinary persons to do? They are at a loss to know what to do.

Shrutayo vibhinnáh smrtayo vibhinnáh
Naekamuniryasya mataḿ nábhinnam;
Dharmasya tattvaḿ nihitaḿ guháyáḿ
Mahájano yena gatah sa pantháh.

“There is not a single muni who does not differ from other munis.” Muni means “intellectual”. Muni means maniiśi – “intellectual”. However, Tantra says, “No, no, no, those intellectuals are not munis.” According to Tantra, muni means, Na munih dugdhabálakah munih saḿliina mánasah – “Those so-called intellectuals, so-called scholars, are not actually munis, or actually intellectuals.” Munih saḿliina mánasah – “Those whose minds have become one with the Supreme Entity, whose mánasa has become saḿliina with Parama Puruśa, are munis.” Naekamunir yasya mataḿ na bhinnam.

Now what is one to do then? How to solve this knotty problem? Dharmasya tattvaḿ nihitaḿ guháyám – “The inner spirit of dharma, the inner secret of dharma, lies coverted within your very ‘I’ feeling.” In each and every person there is this “I” feeling. “I am” – Aham asmi. This “I” feeling, this feeling of “I exist”, is called guhá. The spirit of dharma, the spirit of Parama Puruśa, lies hidden within your “I” feeling. So in order to get Him, in order to discover Him, search within your “I” feeling, and not hither and thither – not on this tiirtham [site of pilgrimage] or that tiirtham.

Idaḿ tiirtham idaḿ tiirthaḿ bhramanti támasáh janáh;
Átmatiirthaḿ na jánanti kathaḿ mokśa varánane.

Párvatii asks Shiva, “What is the best tiirtha?” Shiva says, támasáh janáh – “Those who are guided by the static principle, those who are guided by támasika propensities, move from one place to another in search of tiirtham.” In Sanskrit, tiirtham means “the point that touches this world, that connects this world with that world”. That connecting point, that common point, is called tiirtha. Tiirasthaḿ ityarthe tiirtham. Tiirasthaḿ means “the point where the water of a river touches the bank”.

Such people move from one place to another in search of tiirtham. Átmatiirthaḿ na jánanti – “they do not know that the actual tiirtham lies within the átman”… kathaḿ mokśa varáńane – “They can never attain salvation.” This was the reply of Shiva.

Dharmasya tattvaḿ nihitaḿ guháyám;
Mahájano yena gatah sah panthá.

Mahájana means mahat jana. Mahat jana means “devotee”. So a sádhaka, a spiritual aspirant, is to follow a devotee, not a jiṋánii, because the devotee knows the secret of how to satisfy Him. And when one comes in contact with Him, one will know all the secrets of the universe. Because all the secrets of the universe are known only to Parama Puruśa, and to nobody else, not to any jiṋániis or any [karmiis].

Footnotes

(1) I.e., one may use a torch or a d́ambaru in the right hand. See "Táńd́ava Dance – What and Why?" in Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 10. –Trans.

(2) Ananda Marga Dharma Mahácakra was a special spiritual gathering addressed by the guru. –Eds.

(3) Jiṋána, karma and bhakti are forms of spiritual practice which emphasize, respectively, discrimination, selfless action, and devotion. –Eds.

(4) Just as ota yoga means the Cosmic Father’s relationship with each entity individually, prota yoga means His relationship with all collectively. –Eds.

Chapter 24	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

A few months back a very knotty question was placed before me. The question was knotty, no doubt, but the reply was not at all knotty. The reply was very simple. The question concerned the fact that almost all the scriptures of the past said that women are not eligible for salvation. Almost all the scriptures of almost all the so-called faiths said that before the attainment of salvation, women will have to come back in male framework. And those other faiths where there is no scope for rebirth, said that women will have to wait for the final day of judgment, that is, doomsday, before they can get or expect any salvation.

Certainly it was a knotty problem, rather, a knotty question. But according to Ananda Marga, women have equal rights in each and every sphere, so why shouldn’t they also have the right to attain salvation? You see, boys and girls are just like the two hands of the father. The father loves the little girl as much as he loves the little boy. And would the father want his boy to attain supreme bliss and his girl to burn in the fire of hell? Certainly not. If one says this, one is not doing justice to the Supreme Father. To say this is bad, extremely bad.

Párvatii asked Lord Shiva, “O Lord, what is the minimum qualification for becoming a spiritual aspirant?” You know, for each and every job in the newspaper advertisement column, it will say, “The minimum qualification is this or that.” So Párvatii’s question was, “What is the minimum qualification for becoming a spiritual aspirant?” Párvatii’s question was a healthy one, no doubt, a very healthy question. And the following reply was given by Shiva, I think about seven thousand years ago when He was here in India (but the question was not placed before Shiva in English):

Átmajiṋánamidaḿ Devi paraḿ mokśaeka sádhanam;
Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát.

[Self-knowledge is the greatest means to attain salvation. People are born as human beings due to their past good saḿskáras, but to attain non-qualified liberation they will have to attain self-knowledge.]

To attain salvation one is to know oneself; that is, knowledge, the projection of the knowing faculty, should not be outside, it should be inside. Inwardly-projected actional expression is átmajiṋánam, and outwardly-projected actional expression is aparajiṋánam. One should acquire átmajiṋánam, that is, one should have inwardly-projected actional manifestations. And this is the route, this is the way, this is the path of salvation.

And who is to acquire this átmajiṋánam and finally attain salvation? Sukrtaermánavo bhútvá jiṋániicenmokśamápnuyát. By passing through so many frameworks of so many animals and so many other beings, one acquires the human framework, one gets the human structure. And when one gets the human structure, one becomes eligible for self-knowledge, átmajiṋánam. And by dint of acquiring that átmajiṋánam, one attains salvation. So Shiva’s reply is that the minimum qualification for getting salvation, for doing sádhaná, is just a human structure. He never said that it should be a male structure, that it should be the body of a male. He said it should be the body of a human being. The question was raised by an honourable woman, Párvatii, and Shiva’s reply satisfied her very much. About seven thousand years ago this was said by Shiva. So as per Tantra, women have an equal right to attain salvation, and there has been no differentiation made by Shiva in this respect.

And you see, Krśńa also said,

Paritráńáya sádhúnám vinásháya ca duśkrtám;
Dharmasaḿsthápanártháya sambhavámi yuge yuge.

[I incarnate Myself in this world from age to age for the protection of the virtuous, the destruction of the wicked, and the restoration of dharma.]

“Just to save the right-thinking people” – Paritráńáya sádhunám – “just to save the, for the paritráńa of the, sádhus”.

What is the meaning of paritráńa and what is the meaning of sádhu? Sádhu means:

Pránáh yathátmano’bhiiśt́ah bhútánám api te tathá;
Átmaopamyena bhutánáḿ dayáḿ kurvanti sádhavah.

[Just as one’s own life is precious to oneself, the lives of other created beings are precious to those beings; so those who are really virtuous treat other beings as they would themselves.]

For each and every living being, one’s personal life is very dear, very costly. Each living being has love for their own life. A man who, knowing this fact, realizing this fact, loves others as he loves himself, is called a sádhu. A man should not be carnivorous, like cats, dogs and tigers. A man must not eat meat but must love each and every living being as he loves himself. Such a man is called sádhu. Such a man – here “man” is in the common gender, not the male gender – may be a male, or may be a female. You know, “man” is not only masculine gender, “man” is common gender also. “Man is mortal” – here “man” means both male and female.

Now, Paritráńáya sádhúnám. Krśńa said, “Just to save these sádhus” (sádhu means one who loves others as he/she loves himself/herself⁽¹⁾) – “for their paritráńa – ”

(Tráńa means “to save”. Tráńa means “relief work”, which as you know is called tráńa kárya in Sanskrit. What’s the difference between tráńa and paritráńa? Here Krśńa says, Paritráńáya sádhúńám. Paritráńa means “saving permanently”. Suppose you have saved a person from some danger: if that saving is of a temporary nature, it is tráńa. During flood and famines you do tráńa work. You do not help people permanently, but give them temporary relief, so it is tráńa. But when permanent relief is given, when people are saved from the attacks of demons permanently, then it is called paritráńa. When one is freed from all the worldly fetters, it is permanent relief. And this permanent relief is for sádhus. Sádhu includes both males and females. Thus Krśńa supports Shiva.)

Paritráńáya sádhúńám vinásháya ca duśkrtám. “For the annihilation of, for the destruction of, duśkrtám” (duśkrtám means “antisocial elements”)… dharmasaḿsthápanártháya. Krśńa does as He does for what, what is the purpose? For the saḿsthápana of dharma. Sthápana means placing an entity in its right position. Suppose dharma is in its right position. Due to many factors, it may become degraded. This degradation is called gláni. If it is placed back in its right position, where it was and where it should be, this is called sthápana. But here Krśńa says, saḿsthápana, that is, “placing it in its proper position and making proper arrangement to keep it in its proper position”. Dharma saḿsthápanártháya sambhavámi yuge yuge – “I come here again and again.”

Here Lord Krśńa never says that women have no right to attain salvation. So on behalf of the philosophy of Ananda Marga, and also on behalf of the cult of Tantra, I hereby announce that males and females, who are the boys and girls of Parama Puruśa, the sons and daughters of Parama Puruśa, have an equal birthright to attain salvation. Those who say that women are not entitled to the same are antisocial elements. They represent vested interests.

Footnotes

(1) The author’s spoken words here were, “he oblique she loves himself oblique herself”. –Eds.

Chapter 25	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Those who consider themselves greatly learned, and proudly state that they know, do not really know. Those persons who, on the other hand, think that they do not know anything, may be the ones who actually know. So if we want to know who is knowledgeable and who is ignorant, it will be very difficult to arrive at a correct judgment. Offhand we cannot make any comment. Just phat́ kare [impulsively], we cannot say anything. Before deciding we shall have to ponder very deeply.

I shall conclude with a few remarks on a particular word I just used – the word phat́. In the Tantric system of old there were three biijas [acoustic roots] – phat́, vaśat́ and vaośat́. Before performing different sorts of kriyá [work], one of the biijas would be uttered. This was the system. In whatever the work, the biija was quickly transformed into action. That is to say, the thought process was made to act very quickly. An example would be if someone had a sudden desire to go to Cuttack and he or she set out then and there – he or she gave his or her wish an immediate actional form.

So in this Tantric system, if one wanted to transform his or her work or thought into quick action, then the phat́ mantra was uttered before performing the action. Therefore we still say [in Bengali] that such-and-such person is doing something phat́-phat́ – is doing something very phat́-phat́. Phat́ is that Tantric biija. Baŕŕa phat́phat́áni – loke bale ná sab! [“This man is blurting out his thoughts abruptly and impulsively!”]

And as I said, one cannot tell phat́ kare whether a particular person is a learned person or a fool. One has to think a great deal before commenting on such a thing. Here it is better not to apply the Tantric biija, phat́.

Chapter 26	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Today I will relate to you an episode of Tantric history – an episode which has almost been lost. I think you all know that Sadáshiva was the first Tantric Mahákaola on this planet. His mission was Kurvantu vishvaḿ Tántrikam – “To get the whole universe initiated into the Tantric cult”. To become a Tantric means to fight directly against the opposing forces and obstacles on the path of progress and to preach the lofty gospels of universal humanism. That human beings are the greatest of all living beings is to be proven in action, not in mere words or theoretical moral principles.

In that early phase of human civilization, there were more rifts and clashes among the different clans and tribes than there are today. It was therefore safer for human beings to live on hills. Later, with the development of civilization, they moved down to the plains and settled in woods and forests. But in those early days, they would sleep in hill-caves after blocking the entrances with big rocks. Fire had not yet been discovered, so they could not protect themselves by burning fires around their encampments in the caves and forests. Fire was discovered much later.

The hills on which people used to live were called gotras in Vedic Sanskrit. So if a person called Ráma lived on a certain hill, the hill was called “Rámagotra”. Similarly, the hill where Shyáma lived was known as “Shyámagotra”, and all the people who lived on it belonged to that gotra. This was the system followed in that early period of social development. Prior to that [patriarchal system], each hill was ruled by a gotramátá, or clan mother. The clan members would all obey her and would introduce themselves by her name; and likewise the hill itself would be named after that matriarch. These days this system has evolved into a dogmatic clan or caste system.

So each hill was named after its sage. If Maharśi Káshyapa [The Great Sage Káshyapa] was the leader of a hill clan, that clan was called Káshyapagotra. If Maharśi Bharadvája was the leader, it was called Bharadvájagotra. Thus, the early matriarchal system was followed by a patriarchal system of leadership.

Those people who lived on the same hill under a common patriarch lived just like brothers and sisters. However, they considered the members of other hill communities to be their deadly enemies. And since all on one hill were brothers and sisters, they could not marry among themselves. So what would they do in order to marry? One clan would defeat a neighbouring clan in battle, and they would forcibly drag the vanquished women, with hands bound, back to their own hill for a life of domestic servitude. The males of the defeated clan were utilized as slaves.

Even to this day, there is a custom whereby the mother asks her son on the eve of his marriage, “Where are you going?” He replies, “I’m going to bring you a maid-servant.” It comes from those days when the victorious clan would drag the defeated women back to its own hill. Not only that – to bind someone you need a rope or a chain ([now] called a gánt́chaŕá).⁽¹⁾ The women would be brought back in those days with chains on their wrists, otherwise they might run away. The iron bangle that a married woman wears today is a symbol of that early servitude. In those days women also fought in battle, and were often hit on the head and severely injured. A small vermilion mark then came to represent the blood streaming from their cracked heads. But today a woman must wear that vermilion mark if she is to be recognized as married. This is quite different from the original idea. Actually these are all just different dogmas.

In Ananda Marga I have said that those who wish to use vermilion as a decorative mark may do so. Some women like to wear plastic bangles, others like to wear iron ones. I am not going to object to the use of these ornaments. Similarly, if someone uses vermilion on the forehead I have nothing to say against it, because that, too, is a matter of decoration. Those who like to use vermilion may do so. I hope, however, that the original reason for the use of vermilion is clear.

So even today women bear the mark of servitude by wearing iron bangles on their wrists, thus giving the impression that they have been vanquished; they still use the vermilion which originally symbolized bloodshed; they still tie the gánt́chaŕá after marriage, which symbolizes their being forcibly carried away; and the bridegroom still often says to his mother on the eve of his departure for the marriage, “I’m going to bring you a maid-servant.” How absurd! No one is anyone’s servant. The system of slavery was abolished long ago. You should oppose these dogmatic beliefs. They are very objectionable. You should understand the history behind them, and then do the right thing.

There were three main ethnic groups in India in those days: Austric, Mongolian,⁽²⁾ and Negroid. In [East] India they all mingled into one. The dark-complexioned non-Aryan Austrics were the original people of India, and thus there is Austric blood in most of the present population of India. The Bengalees, being a mixture of these three groups, evolved in a particular way and developed a particular psychology. They have developed certain morphological characteristics from which one can easily deduce that they are Bengali. Their physical appearance and nature are a result of a special type of blood mixture. Those groups which have mixed blood are generally very intelligent, and the Bengali people are no exception. Besides being intelligent, they have other marked psychological traits which characterize them as Bengalees: they are sports fanatics, even those who do not play any sport themselves, and they are equally mad for open-air theatre and established theatre. These psychological traits result from the integration of the different racial groups.

In the days of Shiva, three ethnic groups intermingled. One was the Austric group, the black non-Aryan people; the second was the Mongolian group who came to India from the north, that is from Tibet and China; and the third was the fair-complexioned Aryan group which entered India from the west. The Aryans are further divided into three groups. The Aryans of the far north are Nordic. Their complexion is reddish-white, their hair is reddish and the irises of their eyes are brown, which is to say also reddish. The second group, the Alpine group, have bluish hair, bluish irises and a pinkish-white complexion. The third group, the Mediterranean group, have a milky-white complexion, black hair and blackish irises. The Aryans who settled in India came mostly from this Mediterranean group, and converged, as mentioned, with the Mongolians from the north [and with the Austrics].

There was a general disharmony among these three groups that had converged in India, expressed in numerous feuds and clashes among the various hill clans. In those days, a war party would ride fully armed to a rival hill to bring a woman back by force. Even today, in certain parts of India, the bridegroom and his party act this out as a marriage ritual by riding on horseback fully armed to the marriage ceremony and staging a mock battle. The leader of the group, that is the bridegroom, is called bara, which in Sanskrit means “best of the lot”, because on that day he is the most important man.

This predominantly racial conflict among the different hill clans was raging fiercely during the period of Lord Shiva. Shiva worked hard to cultivate a perfect friendship among the three warring groups. He knew that in the absence of such a friendship, the future of humanity was dark. Just as Krśńa wanted to unite all the people of the then India and create a Mahábhárata [Great India], similarly, Shiva wanted to unite the three warring groups. He thought that his lofty spiritual cult and ideology and his unique school of medicine would not be properly conveyed to future generations if the people continued their racial battles.

Those were also the days of polygamy. Shiva himself had three wives – Párvatii, an Aryan girl; Kálii, an Austrico-Dravidian girl; and Gauṋgá, a Mongolian girl. He hoped these marriages would restore the spirit of friendship among the three races. With the help of his three wives, he propagated the gospels of dharma and the practices of Tantra. It was a great advantage for Shiva that he was accepted as a god equally by the Aryans, the Mongolo-Tibetans and the Austrics. Much later, even the Buddhists and the Jains accepted him as their god, because Shiva wanted to bring about a blending of the human race. This is the same Shiva who was known among Buddhists as Bat́uka Bhaerava. From “Bat́uka” come words such as “Buŕo”, “Baŕuyá”, “Buŕa”, “Boŕá” [all applied to Shiva] and “Buŕoshiva”.

In many cities and towns of Bengal you will come across [the place name] Buŕoshivatalá. Buŕoshiva was the Shiva of the Buddhists. In Calcutta, the area around Buŕoshivatalá became known as Buŕo Bájár [bájár = “bazaar”, “market”]. Many people from Marwar settled there and it became a prosperous market, but it became wrongly pronounced “Baŕa Bájár” [“Big Market”]. In fact, originally it was not a big market. Of course, there are Baŕa Bájárs in many cities, but this Baŕa Bájár in Calcutta was not named because it was a “big market”; rather it was the market area surrounding the Buŕoshiva temple.

Later Shiva felt that there should be proper media to propagate the grand and lofty ideals He was teaching. Tomár patáká yáre dáo táre bahibáre dáo shakti [“Give strength to the person to whom you give the flag to carry”]. Otherwise who would be able to carry forth so much knowledge, wisdom, intellect, and such a deep spiritual cult? Incompetent people cannot be expected to carry the legacy of anything. If I teach something to an incompetent or undesirable person, it will bear no fruit, it will get wasted. A heron can never learn to speak like a mynah bird, no matter how much it is trained. The incompetent person is just like the heron. What did Shiva do about this?

Párvatii had a son called Bhaerava, and Kálii a daughter named Bhaeravii. Shiva first taught Bhaerava Tantra sádhaná, or kápálika sádhaná (the Tantric sádhaná which utilizes the human skull); and the táńd́ava dance. Since then all those people who have learned the Tantric practices have also been called Bhaerava, they all introduce themselves by the name Bhaerava. They lose their individual names such as Ráma, Shyáma, Tom or Dick, and automatically become a part of Shivagotra [the Family of Shiva].

Shiva proclaimed, “You are all mine. Whatever hill you live on you are still my own. I will think well of you. I will think about your collective welfare. I will work for your collective well-being. Come one and all to me safely and fearlessly and tell me your needs. I will help you. Átmagotraḿ parityajya Shivagotraḿ pravishatu [‘Leave your own gotra and enter Shivagotra’].”

Whoever is a spiritualist has left his or her own gotra and has entered the Shivagotra. In Ananda Marga also, separate gotras are not recognized. All belong to Shivagotra. I have only stated that at the time of marriage the bride and bridegroom should not have any direct relationship three generations above and three generations below.⁽³⁾ If this condition is not met, the marriage should not be solemnized.

Ananda Margis have no caste or gotra. I have said before also that the division of humanity into Káshyapagotra, Bharadvájagotra, etc., is nonsensical. This is just to mislead people. If we look back in [anthropology] we will see that the forefathers of the present-day humans were apes or ape-men. So if people are very particular about their gotras, I will say to their faces, “Boys and girls! You belong to the ape gotra.”

We have all descended from our common ancestors, the apes. The same is true in relation to the castes. [One might try to argue that] the forefathers of the Bráhmańas were the ape-Bráhmańas and the forefathers of the Kśatriyas were the ape-Kśatriyas; but that just isn’t so. As apes do not have any particular caste, the present-day caste differences are all hypocrisy and maliciousness. You should remove even the least vestige of these nonsensical notions. You must not give credence to such things.

So Shiva taught Bhaerava. Then He thought: “If I teach this only to my son; that is, if my son alone knows this secret spiritual cult, this great asset for humanity, and my daughter remains ignorant, then fifty per cent of the society will remain a burden for the other fifty per cent; that is, the women will remain a burden for the men, and the movement of the men also will be greatly impeded.” Even in those days, seven thousand years ago, Shiva thought in this way. “If I only give the strength and responsibility to carry the burden to my son, Bhaerava, that will not be good. I will also have to give some of the responsibility to my daughter, Bhaeravii.” And that is what He did. And since that day, any woman practising Tantra is known as Bhaeravii.

His other wife, Gauṋgá, had a son called Kárttikeya, but he was more of a dandy. Even though he wished to, he did not have the moral courage to practice Tantra. The practice of Tantra requires a little courage – it is not for cowards. (Some people say that Kárttikeya was known as Devasenápati and was a general of the gods [deva means “god” and senápati means “military general”], but the fact of the matter is different. Kárttikeya’s wife was called Devásená, and so he was Devásená’s pati [husband], or Devásenápati. You should remove this common misunderstanding. If people say that Kárttikeya was the general of the gods, they are wrong.) Gauṋgá was a little sad that the son of one of her co-wives and the daughter of her other co-wife were taught the practice of Tantra while her own son turned out bad. To console her and help her forget her sadness, Shiva gave her extra love and affection. This did not please his other wives, Párvatii and Kálii, who naturally complained to him about this. But actually, what he did was right. There is a rhyme about Shiva’s marriage to three girls:

T́ápur t́upur vrśt́i paŕe nadey elo bán
Shivt́hákurer biye habhe tin kanyá dán.

[Pitter-patter goes the rain, the river water whirls; Lord Shiva who lived long ago was married to three girls.]

Those three girls were Párvatii, Kálii and Gauṋgá. People used to complain that Shiva was “dancing with Gauṋgá on His head.” (Suppose you are doting on someone, people will say that you are “dancing with So-and-so on your head”.) In later days, people completely misinterpreted the facts and made statues of Shiva with Gauṋgá’s head placed on his head and water flowing from her mouth.⁽⁴⁾ These are all mythological interpretations. Could such a thing ever be possible? The poet Bharat Chandra Raygunakar wrote in his famous magnum opus:

Gauṋgá náme satii tár tarauṋga emani
Jiivanasvarúpa sei svámii shiromańi.

[Gauṋgá the blessed one is the jewel sitting on Shiva’s head with water flowing from her mouth.]

Here shiromańi means “a jewel placed on one’s head”. If you are doting on someone, people will say that you are “dancing with So-and-so on your head”.

Thus we see that even in those days Shiva did not accept any differentiation between males and females. He taught Tantra to both his son and his daughter.

Let me tell you a short story about Kálii. One night she thought, “What will happen if my little daughter meets with any danger when she goes out to practise Tantra? Let me go out and help her.” In Tantra, however, it is not permitted to intervene in anyone’s individual practices. Bhaeravii went out and practised her sádhaná according to the instructions she had received. Shiva was already absorbed in samádhi in the burial ground. Kálii thought, “Even if Shiva is able to see me from a distance on this dark new-moon night he won’t be able to tell who I actually am – he’ll think I’m Bhaeravii.” Now while walking in the darkness, Kálii accidentally stepped on Shiva’s chest. When she realized whom she was stepping on, she felt ashamed and stuck out her tongue [a sign of embarrassment or shame in India]. “Who are you?” asked Shiva. Kálii was dressed like Bhaeravii to misguide Shiva, but how could she introduce herself as Bhaeravii, their daughter, to her own husband? So Kálii said, “I’m Kaoverii.”⁽⁵⁾ (In southern India there is a river named Kaoverii. People mistakenly call it “Káverii”. The actual Sanskrit word is “Kaoverii”. The English spelling was at one time “Cauveri”.)

In any case, Kálii said that she was Kaoverii, a name she has also been called ever since. Those who do not know the story in the proper context say that Shiva was lying down and Kálii was standing on his chest with her tongue stuck out.⁽⁶⁾

From a study of history we learn that in those days there was no differentiation between men and women regarding spiritual practices or the spiritual code of conduct. To enable the entire society to develop what He propounded in social, economic, educational, medical, scientific and artistic fields, Shiva taught His daughter in the same way that He taught His son. Shiva was the original propounder of Tantra and the first Mahákaola. Those who oppose what Shiva did are to be treated as opportunists. If they wish to keep women subjugated, to curtail women’s natural rights, they are opposed to Shiva and the code of dharma. In fact, I should say that they are veritable demons, and such demons in human form cast a shadow on the glory of humanity.

Footnotes

(1) Gáńt́chaŕá is the word used for the knotting together of the bride’s sari and the groom’s scarf in a modern Hindu wedding ceremony. As the author will explain, it is a vestige and symbol of the “rope or chain”. –Eds.

(2) Since in ancient times Mongolia was an empire, and symbolized all of North and Northeast Asia, “Mongolian” here means the Oriental, or yellow, race. –Eds.

(3) As opposed to the custom that people should not marry within their own gotras at all. –Eds.

(4) A further part of the misinterpretation was that Shiva’s wife Gauṋgá was somehow the River Gauṋgá (Ganges). –Eds.

(5) Editors’ note: She wavered between saying her own name, “Kálii”, and the name of her daughter, “Bhaeravii”. The word became “Kaoverii”. –Eds.

(6) This is the popular representation of the goddess Kálii, who developed 5300 or 5400 years after the time of the actual Kálii the wife of Shiva. –Eds.

Chapter 27	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

You know that even before Sadáshiva there was dance, there was music; people used to sing, also; but everything was in a disorderly manner. The dexterous hands of Sadáshiva made it a science – rather, an artistic science.

It is not an easy job to dance properly and correctly. The fundamental requirements, or the fundamental spirit, of dance, instrumental music, and song were brought within the framework of science by Sadáshiva, and that is why He is also known as “Nat́arája”: “Nat́arája” means “King of the Dancers”. (And another name of Sadáshiva is “Nádatanu”, that is, “music personified”.)

Dance is a highly-developed art. In the Oriental variety of music, you know, three items come within the fold of saḿgiita, or music: dance, song, and instrumental music. The collective name in Sanskrit is saḿgiita. Lord Sadáshiva brought everything within the framework of science, and just now I called it “artistic science”.

In the Oriental variety of dance there are several mudrás, that is, postures. When giving something to a living being, the mudrá is like this [demonstrates]. When giving something to something past, not present in the world, the mudrá is like this [demonstrates]. The “don’t fear” mudrá is like this. The “take what you want” mudrá is like this. The “come forward” mudrá is like this. The “be serpentine” mudrá is like this. “Be subtle, maintain a link with the earth” is like this. There are so many mudrás used in the Oriental variety of dance. It is not an easy job to learn it, but rather a very difficult job.

Now the fundamentality, or rather the primordial phase of Oriental dance, is táńd́ava. It is not a very easy job either. The knees must cross the navel. When they cross the navel it is called Brahma táńd́ava. When they cross the anáhata [mid-point of the chest] it is called Viśńu táńd́ava. When they cross this portion [indicates the throat], it is called Rudra táńd́ava. It is very difficult to dance Rudra táńd́ava. It requires long practice.

That is why Lord Sadáshiva is known as Nat́arája. And when these boys [indicates them] were dancing, it was just like a picture of Nat́arája in táńd́ava mudrá. It is called táńd́ava; táńd́ava is a mudrá.

Why is it called táńd́ava? In Sanskrit tańd́ means “to jump”. Tańd́u means “of jumping habit”. Táńd́ava means “having the use of tańd́u, the use of jumping”. But jumping in the proper style, not in a disorderly manner. You should learn it properly in a disciplined way.

And táńd́ava represents life; you know Tantra is a cult of life, it is not a cult of death. For Tantra you should be strong physically, mentally and spiritually. First in the present tense; Lord Shiva says all your expressions, all your manifestations, must be based on the present tense. So this táńd́ava is the starting phase of Tantra.

This táńd́ava I said represents life, it represents vitality. There are so many forces that want to destroy you, so many forces forces that are inimical to you by nature. Say a snake – a snake is a born enemy. There are many such born enemies. As Tantra represents life, táńd́ava says that one’s spirit should be based on vitality, based on the principle of survival.

This human skull represents death. You are surrounded by death, but you must not be defeated, you must not develop the psychology of fear or defeatism. So the knife is with you to fight against death.⁽¹⁾ Yours is a fight for survival. In the daytime one may also use a snake to represent death – not an ordinary snake, but a venomous snake. In India our boys dance with a snake. But at nighttime neither a skull nor a snake will be visible. Here there is light, they will be visible, but in a burial ground, in a cremation ground, where there is darkness, a snake or skull will not be visible. There you may use fire to represent death.

This is the spirit of Tantra. To fight, to fight for survival. [[It is the normal wont of all living beings to fight for survival.]] It is normal life moving towards the supreme state of abnormality.

Lord Shiva started this táńd́ava dance, and his spouse, Párvatii, started the lalita dance, lalita mármika. What you did just at present while singing kiirtana, that is called lalita. Lalita represents that now we are enjoying bliss, we are in a happy mood. We are in a happy mood, and the hands should be above ninety degrees. Do you follow? I think you followed me. Lalita represents a happy mood, and it was invented by Párvatii, Lord Shiva’s spouse. Lalita helps people in their spiritual progress and psychic expansion.

Now the devas, the Tantrics of that era, about seven thousand years ago, learned táńd́ava and lalita and wanted there to be a musical expression for the general public. That is your RAWA.⁽²⁾

For the general public there was the middle course. This middle course is called madhyama márga in Sanskrit, majhjhimá mágga in Buddhist scriptures. And that path, where the subtle aspects of spirituality combined with the subtle aspects of vitality, was represented by [tála].

A middle course was invented, and in Oriental music it is called tála. Oriental music is based on tála. Tála means – the first sound of táńd́ava is tá, and the first sound of lalita is la – tá plus la.

Yes, this was the origin. And on the basis of tála, Oriental music invented so many rágas and ráginiis, so many tunes and sub-tunes, in the hoary past.

Now in all of South Asia and Southeast Asia the music is based on this tála. It is the happy blending of táńd́ava and lalita, and in it there are two main offshoots. One is known as the Áryávarta offshoot, from Persia to Vietnam, and the other is the Dákśińátya offshoot of all South India, Ceylon, Indonesia, Malaysia and up to Australia.

This is the science, and this science was invented by Sadáshiva. It is to be learned with proper care and proper respect. These boys displayed excellently what I am trying to say. I am extremely pleased with the sweetness they displayed.

Footnotes

(1) Táńd́ava is performed with a skull or a snake in the left hand, and a knife or d́ambaru [a small drum shaped like an hourglass] in the right hand. Regarding the use of fire (a mashál, a torch), compare the last sentence of this paragraph with “Táńd́ava Dance – What and Why?” in the author’s Saḿgiita: Song, Dance and Instrumental Music. –Eds.

(2) Renaissance Artists’ and Writers’ Association. –Eds.

Chapter 28	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

You know, the cult of spiritual practice, the cult that leads one to the final desideratum of human life, is called Tantra. In Tantra, there is hardly one percent theory; ninety-nine percent is practice. And you also know that a good theory may not help a person, it is practice that counts.

Suppose you know how to prepare a particular sweet, but practically you cannot do it. In such a case, will you get that delicious taste? Theory will not be able to help you. In Tantra there is ninety-nine percent practice, and practice precedes theory. The theory was prepared on the basis of practice and not practice on theory.

It may be that a theory is very sweetly worded but cannot be translated into action. In Tantra, the theory succeeds the practice, that is, the practice precedes the theory. And when the Tantras were invented, there was hardly anything in black and white, because it was practice. Later the Tantras were given book form.

Tadekaḿ japáma tadekaḿ smaráma
Tadekaḿ jagatsákśiirúpaḿ namámah;
Tadekaḿ nidhánaḿ nirálambamiisham
Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah.

[Tadekaḿ japáma.] You say so many things, and major portions of what you say are meaningless, simply a wastage of time and energy. And not only do you say things, but you speak in your mind. And that is also a wastage of energy. Before going to Stockholm, you may say within your mind a thousand times, “I have to go to Stockholm, I have to go to Stockholm, I am to go to Stockholm” – a mere wastage of time and energy.

What is thought? Thought means to speak within. Thought is closely related to soliloquy. Suppose there is nobody to hear you and you are speaking. What is that? It is just like a thought. When you are speaking to yourself, it is called “soliloquy”. Thought is also like that. Some of your thoughts are of such a nature that, if others hear them, they will say you are insane.

So here the Tantric says, “Look, what I am to say within my mind, speak to myself, I should speak regarding You, and not regarding this or that, that or this; so my time will be properly utilized – there will not be any wastage of time and energy.”

Tadekaḿ smaráma. You may be remembering, “Oh, when I went to Alaska, my host served me a very delicious menu.” You are thinking like this – a story of, say, twenty, or perhaps twenty-five or thirty, years ago. You are remembering – what? It is a sweet memory. What is the necessity?

Memory should be of – what? A tactual experience that took place in my mind in the course of my sadhana, or the bliss that I enjoyed during kiirtana. Memory should be like this. “My memory should also be centred around You, so there will not be any wastage of time and energy.” What do people do generally? People generally remember past stories of pain and happiness, sweet stories of near and dear ones. But all those things are a mere wastage of time and energy.

Tadekaḿ jagatsákśiirupaḿ namámah – “If I am to pay respect to anybody, I am to pay respect to You only.” Because all other objects of this universe are expressions of that very Parama Puruśa. So I pay respect to the Nucleus who created all these great personalities, all these little and big ones.

As per yoga and Tantra, to Parama Puruśa one is to do namaste. Namah plus te – “I pay respect to You” – namaste. And namaskára means, “I am paying my respects.” And that is why you may use the word namaste only for Parama Puruśa, but namaskára for both Parama Puruśa and the jiiva [unit being]. Tadekaḿ jagatsákśiirupaḿ namámah – “If I am to pay respect to anybody, I am to pay respect to You only.”

Tadekaḿ nidhánaḿ nirálambamiisham. Whenever one is doing something, there is some goal, there is some objective. Whenever one is moving, one must have some destination, one must have some culminating point, one must have some terminating point. So then, what are You? “You are the Terminus of all termini.” You are going to Stockholm. Stockholm is the terminus. You are going to London. London is the terminus. But for all these termini, the Supreme Terminus is You.

Nirálambamiisham [“there is no authority over You, nor are You contained within anything”]. Why? All these termini are located within certain boundaries. London, for example, is a city in Great Britain. You are going to Paris, Paris is a town in France. [[That is, they are]] under certain limitations, certain boundaries. But You, the Supreme Terminus, You are beyond the peripheries of time, space and person, above all boundaries, and that is why You are the Supreme Desideratum.

I have said so many times that “desideratum” is such a point, such a term, that it should not have any plural form. That is, there should not be any word such as “desiderata”. “Desideratum” always remains singular. Because You are the Singular Entity, You are the Single Desideratum.

Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah. Say, from here, if you were to go to England – how are you to go if you are not to take the help of any vehicle? Perhaps running up to the shore and then swimming. But is it practical or practicable? No. Is it feasible? No. Then what will be the better or the practical approach? By truck up to the beach and then a boat or a big steamer.

Now, if you are to cross the peripheries of time, space and person, what are you to do? You require a big ship. Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah – “O Parama Puruśa, Thou art a big ship, and we have taken shelter in Thee.” Bhavámbodhipotaḿ sharańaḿ vrajámah – “O Parama Puruśa! Thou art the best ship. So I pay my respect to Thee.”

Bhavámbodhipotaḿ. Bhava means “any entity coming within the scope of time, space and person”. Ambu means “water”. Ambodhi means “ocean”. Potam means “ship”. “Thou art the ship, and taking shelter on this ship, we will cross the ambodhi of bhava, we will cross the ocean of time, space and person.”

This is the spirit of this shloka of Tantra.

Chapter 29	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Yesterday I talked about the variations amongst plants, animals and humans. Now, amongst humans also, there are certain variations. Some may have the structure of humans, but may be cherishing the ideas of an animal. From their physical structure, you may say that they are humans, but mentally they are not humans. They are just like animals. The Sanskrit word for “animal” is pashu. They are pashus in human structure. And there are some humans who are just like humans – with all the merits and demerits – and there are some whose physical structure is like that of a human, but who are godly in nature. So among humans, there are these three species – pashu, viira and deva.

Now let us see what yoga is. Then I will say something regarding these three species of humans – pashu, viira and deva.

Some people say that the proper interpretation of yoga is Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto yoga ucyate – “When the mind is free of all thoughts and all internal projections, that state is yoga.” Some people say that just doing physical exercises and controlling the glands and tissues is yoga.

In Sanskrit, the word yoga comes from two root verbs. One is yuj, which means addition. “Two plus two equals four” – this is addition. Another meaning of yoga is yuiṋj, which means “to unify, to make one”. When two become one, this is unification. When sugar is put in water, the identity of sugar is lost. This is unification.

Now, Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto means that the mind is free from all thoughts or all psychic projections, but it does not mean unification, nor even addition, so this explanation cannot be accepted by wise men. Neither physical exercises nor suspension of the mind is yoga.

Another interpretation is Yogashcittavrttinirodhah. There was a great philosopher named Patanjali. He said this about two thousand years ago. The human mind has fifty main propensities, and these propensities, both inside and outside, are working in ten different directions. Each and every propensity works within and without, internally and externally: so, fifty [times] two. And these proprensities work in all ten directions: fifty [times] two [times] ten equals one thousand. The propensities, the expressions, are one thousand. And these propensities are finally controlled by the pineal gland, and not by the pituitary gland. The pineal gland is called sahasrára in Sanskrit.

Now, as per Patanjali, the explanation is Yogashcittavrttinirodhah – that is, “controlling or suspending all these one thousand propensities”. You may have controlled all these one thousand propensities, but this does not mean any addition or any unification, so this interpretation is also meaningless. It cannot be accepted by wise people, because this interpretation has nothing to do with the proper import of the term yoga.

Then the final interpretation, the interpretation of Ananda Marga, is Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátmá Paramátmanah – “The unification of unit consciousness, jiivátmá, with Supreme Consciousness, Paramátmá, is yoga.” When the unit entity, the unit consciousness, becomes one with the Cosmic Consciousness, that becoming one, that unification, is yoga. In that unification, the unit consciousness loses its identity. When the river comes in contact with the sea, it no longer remains a river. It becomes one with the sea, it becomes the sea. For this process of yoga the best interpretation is Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátmá Paramátmanah.

What are the stages? (Suppose the little boy cannot get through the books of philosophical science – so there are stages.) I told you that amongst humans, there are three species, pashu, viira, and deva – animals in human form, men in human form, and gods in human form.

Those who are in pashu form have to elevate themselves to the standard of man-god, that is, God. Pashu form means always moving in order to eat, drink, or sleep – for these things. They will have to elevate their standard to become human both in mind and body. This style of practice is known as pashvácára, as taught by Lord Shiva about seven thousand years ago.

For those who are humans both in mind and body, the style of practice is called viirácára. Our avadhútas and avadhútikás practise viirácára. Viira means brave. Why is it called brave? It is because they are fighting against the fetters of mind, they are fighting against the satanic fetters. So certainly they are brave. This viirácára is of two kinds. In the southern Himalayas, the practice taught by Shiva is known as viirácára. North of the Himalayas – in Tibet, China, Siberia, etc. – the practice taught by Shiva was known as Ciinácára, that is, “the Chinese style”.

From ancient India, the great Tantric yogi Vashistha came to China about five thousand years ago to learn this Ciinácára, the Chinese style of viirácára, and the Chinese-oriented [Tantra]. About 1500 years ago, a great yogi from China, named Pa Fa Hu Le, went to Bengal to revive Ciinácára.

Those who are established in viirácára have elevated themselves to the standard of deva. They are gods in human structure. What is the meaning of “god” here? Here “god” is meant with a small “g”, not a capital “g”; the feminine form is “goddess”. For “God” with a capital “g”, there is no feminine form; “God” is common. So, what is God?

Everything in this universe emanates from the Supreme God – capital “g”. All are different waves, coming out, emanating, from the Supreme Entity. All the waves have their peculiar length, no two waves are the same. That is why in Ánanda Sútram I said, Vaecitryaḿ Prákrtadharmah samánaḿ na bhaviśyati – “Variety is the law of nature, there cannot be cent per cent equality.”

Each and every entity has its peculiarity, its speciality. No two articles or expressions of the world are the same. These expressions of Parama Puruśa are devas. The controller of these devas, or the factor just above these devas, is Mahádeva. Mahádeva means the Supreme God, Supreme Entity. Here the “g” is capital “g”. Those who have elevated their status and are recognized as deva – their goal is attainment of Mahádeva, attainment of the status of Mahádeva, to be one with the Supreme Entity. This is divyácára. Their souls, their spirits, their entities, their existences, finally become one with Mahádeva. Hence they are deva.

The first style, from animality to humanity, is known as pashvácára. The second stage, or the second style, is viirácára in the south of the Himalayas and Ciinácára north of the Himalayas. As the final stage, divyácára is for all people who want to elevate themselves to the supreme excellence of Parama Puruśa.

Chapter 30	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

A question may arise whether the mind can at all function in an entity lacking a physical body. In a disembodied state the mind cannot work, because ectoplasmic structure can never function in that state. The stuff of which the mind is composed cannot function once it is detached from the body, because the mind-stuff functions only when the brain is active and the nerve cells are active. Physical death brings about dissociation of the nerve cells, hence the ectoplasmic structure stops functioning. So when people say that there is a ghost in such-and-such tree, it is totally baseless. The brain of a dead person has already been burnt in the cremation fire or transformed into soil in a grave, so how can it function? A disembodied soul or disembodied mind can never function.

But it is true that often a powerful person will associate his or her ectoplasmic structure with the disembodied mind. Suppose there is a man named Ráma Bábu who has great ectoplasmic strength, great mánasadhátu. (In Ánanda Sútram,⁽¹⁾ the word cittáńu has been used for mánasadhátu). He, employing a portion of his own ectoplasm, activates the disembodied mind according to its saḿskáras [reactive momenta]. In this case the reactive momenta remain associated in the form of seed with the disembodied mind. Now, the disembodied mind has no ectoplasmic structure because it has no physical body. Under the circumstances Ráma Bábu can get that particular disembodied mind or soul to do many things. If people such as this happen to be wicked by nature, they can cause the disembodied entity to hurl pieces of bone, brick, etc., into someone else’s house. Sometimes the cots on which people recline are also found to be tilting. All these actions are done by the ectoplasmic structure of a powerful person, not by that of the dead person.

So to stop this nonsense you should find the real culprit and give the person a good shaking. You will find that the throwing of pieces of bone, brick, etc., will immediately stop. All this comes within the scope of Avidyá Tantra. It often turns out that the person who was responsible for the throwing of the bricks is found sitting quietly in a corner of the burial ground, and their ectoplasmic structure is getting that hapless disembodied soul to do all those wicked things. If you hit their arm with a good stick then their wicked deeds will immediately stop. And when you see a cot rising from the ground with the ectoplasmic strength of that person (though you cannot see the ectoplasmic arm that raises it, as ectoplasm cannot be seen), just brandish a stick at random. It will turn out that the arm of that wicked Tantric gets broken. Perhaps that person was seated three miles away from the actual site of occurrence. These are all interesting things – Avidyá Tantric things.

Chapter 31	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

You know that according to the Indo-Aryan custom (commonly called simply “Aryan”) there are certain special techniques for moving different parts of the body following a particular system. The heel of the foot is related to the sound tá, the ball of the foot to the sound dhin, and the toes to the sound dhae. In the kaośikii dance all three are utilized to some extent. But in the táńd́ava dance tá is utilized more than dhin [and dhae not utilized at all].⁽¹⁾ About seven thousand years ago, Sadáshiva first introduced the táńd́ava dance, and so far as the kaośikii dance is concerned, I first introduced it on September 6, 1978. Actually, both táńd́ava and kaośikii are more physical exercises, useful to the body, than they are forms of dance. Kaośikii serves as a medicine for twenty-two diseases – it is a panacea.

The táńd́ava dance is an all-body exercise, by which even the brain and its nerve cells become strengthened. Táńd́ava is a very vigorous exercise. The Sanskrit word tańd́u means “upward jump”, and hence the dance which involves a lot of jumping is called táńd́ava. You know that rice is called tańd́ula in Sanskrit, because while husking the rice with a traditional wooden husking machine the rice grains leap from the paddy husks and scatter all around. Lord Sadáshiva invented táńd́ava as a valuable tool for dharma pracára [the propagation of spirituality], but that does not mean that táńd́ava is easy for everyone to do.

Párvatii lent her cooperation to Shiva in many ways in propagating spirituality. Shiva introduced the táńd́ava dance, and Párvatii introduced the lalita mármika dance. Ananda Marga has accepted the system of combining the lalita mármika dance with kiirtana. Now to create a link between the táńd́ava invented by Shiva and the lalita mármika invented by Párvatii, certain rhythms were invented or discovered. The common term for all these rhythms is tála: the tá of táńd́ava and the la of lalita.

The two of them together, Shiva and Párvatii, did a lot for the all-round development of the people of that dark prehistoric age. In that distant past, Shiva had to invent so many new things – the science of medicine, the science of music, the science of art, the physical sciences, etc. Párvatii would at times ask Shiva various questions, and with the replies which Shiva gave, she acquired the capacity to educate the masses in the science of spirituality. Shiva used to reply gladly to all Párvatii’s questions. The collective name of all those queries is nigama, and the collective name of the answers is ágama. Ágama and nigama together form the basis of Tantra shástra.

Now, what is shástra? That which teaches discipline to human beings is called shástra. It usually deals with the dos and don’ts, that is, with what should be followed and what should not be followed, what should be practised and what should not be practised. The book which makes people well aware of the dos and don’ts is called shástra. Shásanát tárayet yastu sah shástrah parikiirttitah – “That which provides clear-cut guidelines and thereby paves the way for the liberation of spiritual aspirants is called shástra.” The root verb trae followed by the suffix d́a becomes tra, which means “that which liberates”.

We see a similar use of tra in the word mantra. A mantra is defined Mananát tárayet yastu sah mantrah parikiirttitah – “The process which, when repeated again and again in the mind, brings emancipation, is called a mantra.” Man + trae + d́a = mantra.

And, tan + trae + d́a = tantra. The Sanskrit root verb tan means to expand, and the verb trae means to liberate; so the scientific process that paves the way for the liberation of human beings [by expansion of their minds] is called Tantra. So the word tantra has two implications, one “expansion” and the other “emancipation”.

You all know that the name of India is Bhárata in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit root verb tan [becoming ta] forms part of the word bhárata. The root verb bhara means “to feed”, so the land which has abundant food to feed its population and where there is enormous scope for psycho-spiritual expansion is called Bhárata. As ta means “that which helps in all-round expansion”, bhara plus ta [plus ań], bhárata, means “the country which supplies abundant food to its population and provides ample scope for psychic and spiritual development” – Bharata sambandhiiya ityarthe Bhárata. Similarly, tantra means “the scientific cult which provides ample scope for all-round expansion in human life and thus paves the way for the attainment of salvation”.

The word tantra has a second derivation. Tan is a Sanskrit root verb, as I have already mentioned.⁽²⁾ However, there is also the sound ta, the acoustic expression of dullness or lethargy. So [in the second derivation], the science which helps human beings to shake off the propensity of dullness or lethargy is called tantra.

Both interpretations of tantra are equally recognized. Shiva was the original propounder of Tantra, and as I said earlier, Tantra has two wings, ágama and nigama. Both these interpretations come from ágama and nigama.

As I said, Párvatii asked Shiva a number of questions, and Shiva replied to those questions in detail. One of the most important was, what are the minimum qualifications of a spiritual aspirant? Shiva said in reply that the minimum qualification of a spiritual aspirant is that he or she must have a human body: and for this neither wealth nor formal education nor social position is necessary. It is enough that one have a physical body. With that body one can carry on the practice of Tantra quite well.

In another important answer to one of Párvatii’s queries, Shiva said that a sádhaka must maintain an equanimity of mind; that is, one who is a real spiritual aspirant must not allow any sort of complex to develop in one’s mind. Any sort of complex – superiority complex, inferiority complex, fear complex, defeatist complex, hopelessness – is detrimental to spiritual progress. When Parama Puruśa is with us as human beings, why should anyone be afraid of anything? When the Supreme Entity, the greatest repository of human knowledge, is always with you, you have no reason to be afraid of anything. He is the loving Father of all created beings, so why should anyone fear anyone or anything? This is why the genuine spiritualist will never allow a fear complex to disturb his or her mind.

Likewise, when that extraordinary Entity is your Father, and you are the loving child of the Cosmic Entity, why should you indulge in an inferiority complex? Under no circumstances are you ever inferior to anyone. Never forget for a moment that you exist within the Cosmic Mind. But again, as this entire universe is the creation of the Supreme Creator, no one is inferior to you either. That is why you can by no logic afford to indulge in any sort of superiority complex in your mind. In fact, all living beings are like your brothers and sisters. No one is superior to you, no one is inferior to you.

Those who believe in casteism in fact go against the fundamental principle of the Universal Family. One and the same creator is the Universal Progenitor, so where is the scope for caste discrimination? All are brothers and sisters, with equal dignity. This is the principle of equality, as enunciated by Lord Shiva. You are not inferior to, nor insignificant by comparison to, anyone; nor are you superior to or more important than others. You must not have any defeatist complex in your mind. When the all-powerful and all-knowing Parama Puruśa is your guide, who can defeat you? Even if this creation falls into complete dissolution, Parama Puruśa will remain with you. He will save you from utter annihilation. So under no circumstances should you indulge in a defeatist complex. This is the advice of Lord Shiva.

Yet another significant remark of Shiva is Varttamáneśu vartteta [“Live in the present”]. You can under no circumstances ignore the present. You have to determine your course of action keeping in view the present. You cannot in any way bypass the hard realities of life. That is, your movement, your activities, everything, should be directed towards Parama Puruśa; but simultaneously, you have to solve all the urgent problems you are facing at the moment. You have to become tremendously active in order to bring about a satisfactory solution to problems of all varieties – the problem of food, the problem of clothing, the problems of housing, of education, of medical care, and other mundane problems. And while trying to solve all these problems, you should always remember Shiva’s advice: that under no circumstances should human beings ignore the hard realities of life.

Footnotes

(1) In one style of táńd́ava the dancer lands always with most of his weight on the heel of the foot, represented by tá. –Eds.

(2) Tan + u = tanu. Tanu means the physical structure of a boy or girl, a minor. The human body usually expands little by little up until the age of thirty-nine years. For that reason the human body up till thirty-nine years of age can be called tanu. But after thirty-nine, the human body should not be called tanu: it is called shariira in Sanskrit. Shariira literally means “that which keeps shrinking”.

Chapter 32	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Today’s subject of discourse is “Yoga and Tantra”. Some people are curious to know what yoga is and what Tantra is, and where they agree and where differ. First let us discuss what yoga is.

The word yoga is derived as the Sanskrit root verb yuiṋj plus the suffix ghaiṋ. Or alternatively, the root verb yuj plus the suffix ghaiṋ. If yoga is derived as yuj + ghaiṋ, it means “addition”, such as “two plus two equals four.” But if yoga is derived as yuiṋj + ghaiṋ, it means “unification”, such as the unification of sugar and water. When sugar and water are mixed, you will no longer find sugar separate from water. But in the case of “two plus two equals four,” you will find the first “two” and the second “two” separately. Two mangoes plus two mangoes equals four mangoes: here you will still be able to see the four mangoes separately. So in the case of yuj + ghaiṋ, yoga means “unity” or “addition”, and in the alternative case it means “unification”.

Besides the two derivations of yoga, there are also various definitions of yoga. Maharshi Patanjali defines yoga as Yogashcittavrttinirodhah – that is, “Yoga means the suspension of all the psychic propensities.” In the human mind there are fifty main propensities. If by some special means the propensities are suspended, their expressions are stopped, in that case the mind will cease to function. That state of psychic suspension is here termed yoga. But we have defined yoga above to mean unification, and we can see that the suspension of propensities does not in any way mean that those propensities are being unified. The suspension of the propensities does not necessarily lead to the unification of the unit mind with the Cosmic Mind. This definition does not make clear, unification with whom or what. Hence this definition of yoga is not acceptable.

Now the second definition is Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto yoga ucyate. That is, “When the mind is free from any sort of thinking, the mind is completely free of thoughts, that state is called yoga.” Now if the mind becomes free from thought, it does not lead to unification. When people are in deep sleep, when they do not even dream, the mind becomes free from thought, and people become unconscious. In that state also the mind stops thinking. But is that yoga? No!

Now another definition, as given by Sadáshiva, is Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátmá Paramátmánah. That is, “The unification of the unit soul, the jiivátmá, with the Universal Soul, that is, Paramátmá, is yoga.” This seems to be the best, most scientific, definition.

Now let us see what Tantra is. The Sanskrit root verb tan literally means “to expand”. From the root verb tan comes the Sanskrit word tanu, which means “a body that is expanding”. A child’s body is called tanu in Sanskrit, because it grows and grows until thirty-nine years of age. The human body up to thirty-nine years of age can be called tanu. But thereafter it is called shariira. Shariira means something which wears out, which becomes contracted. So a child’s body is not shariira, and an old man’s body should not be called tanu.

The word tantra is derived as: tan + trae + d́a. Tra [trae + d́a] means “that which liberates.” So Tantra means the science which shows the path for the emancipation of the human entity through psycho-spiritual expansion. In other words, the spirit of Tantra is ever to continue expanding.

Tantra has another meaning also. In the Indo-Aryan alphabet, there are fifty letters. A is the first letter, and kśa is the last letter. Now, the main human propensities are fifty in number, but within one propensity there are several sub-propensities; because the propensities have a certain faculty, and that is, that they can work in ten directions, and can also function both internally and externally. So ultimately we get the total number of propensities as fifty main vrttis times two (internal and external) times ten (working in ten directions), which equals one thousand. So although primarily there are fifty propensities, secondarily there are one thousand propensities. These one thousand propensities are controlled by the pineal gland in the brain.

Each of these propensities has its own vibration and its own colour as well. When someone grows angry, there is a certain vibration in the body, and in accordance with this vibration, the body trembles and simultaneously changes its colour. The fair-complexioned man becomes reddish, the black-complexioned man becomes violet. So you see, each and every object in this universe has its own vibration, its own colour.

These vibrations, representing some action or some object, are called acoustic expressions. A person when angry speaks in a certain way, but the same person in a normal state speaks in a different way. The voice of the angry man has undergone a clear change from its normal state to an abnormal one. Likewise, each and every propensity has its own vibration, and each vibration has a certain colour and sound. The sounds of the fifty propensities constitute our language. These alphabet sounds – a, á, ka, kha [the first vowels and the first consonants or the Sanskrit alphabet] – are our acoustic expressions. Each sound has its own colour, and because of these fifty sounds and fifty colours, we call the alphabet varńamálá in Sanskrit. Varńa, or “letter” – there are svaravarńa [vowels] and vyaiṋjanvarńa [consonants] – literally means “colour”. There are primarily fifty sounds or colours, but secondarily one thousand sounds or colours. As I said, each and every propensity has a particular colour. The colour of the sentient principle is white, of the mutative yellow, and of the static black.

For example, sha is the sound for the mutative principle. Now these representative sounds are called biija mantras in Sanskrit, and “acoustic roots” in English. Sha is the acoustic root of the mutative principle, sa is the acoustic root of the sentient principle, and śa is the acoustic root of the static principle. When someone walks or starts moving, it produces a sound, khat́-khat́-khat́; so the acoustic expression of movement is khat́-khat́-khat́. Behind every action or existence there lies a sound vibration. The particular sound vibration supporting a particular entity or action is known as its acoustic root.

In ancient times, some orthodox people avoided wearing leather shoes. They liked to wear wooden sandals. When people wearing wooden sandals would walk, it automatically produced sounds like t́hak-t́hak-t́hak. So the group of people who used to make a t́hak-t́hak-t́hak sound during movement were called T́hakkara – T́hakam-t́hakam karoti yah sah T́hakkarah. T́hakkara evolved into T́hákur [anglicized as “Tagore”].

So it is clear now that there is an acoustic root behind each and every action, behind each and every existence. As I said, sha is the acoustic root of the mutative principle. Similarly, ra is the acoustic root of energy (energy meaning all varieties of energy). Sha + ra = shra, meaning “where the mutative principle is backed by energy”. Now shra plus the feminine suffix ii equals shrii. It means “where there is mutative force plus energy”. So shrii ultimately means charm. In practical life, every human being longs for charm. This is the reason why since ancient times it has been the custom in India to prefix the word Shrii to a person’s name.

So I hope you are now clear about what an acoustic root is. Similarly there is an acoustic root ta. Ta represents dullness or lethargy. So literally tantra [combining two derivations] means “a systematic and scientific process which brings about first expansion, and thereafter liberation from the bondages of dullness and lethargy”. This liberation is called tantra in Sanskrit. Tantra means “liberation from bondages”.⁽¹⁾

You know that each and every living being wants liberation from bondages. Out of this inherent longing for freedom from bondages arises dharma. Dharma means expansion. Suppose someone is tied with a rope. If the person’s body expands or swells or becomes bigger and bigger in size, the rope will snap. So Tantra is defined as the process of expansion and of emancipation from crudifying bondages.

So now yoga and tantra have come close to each other in meaning. Yoga means the unification of jiivátmá and Paramátmá.⁽²⁾ And how can this unification take place? It is possible through gradual expansion, that is, by dint of the constant practice of Tantra. This practical cult or spiritual sádhaná exists only in Tantra and nowhere else. Prárthanárcaná mátraeva bhramamúlam. That is, “Prayer and eulogy only mislead one.” Only by dint of spiritual cult can one attain success. Thus sádhaná is Tantra and Tantra is sádhaná.

Now how can one attain siddhi through the practice of yoga? The jiivátmá will take the ideation of Paramátmá, and then the former will become one with the latter. How is it possible for the microcosm to become Macrocosm? The Macrocosm, or Parama Puruśa, has one unique characteristic, and that characteristic is, whoever ideates on Him becomes one with Him. The very nature of the mind is to become as it thinks. If it thinks of money, the mental stuff will one day, in a gradual process of crudification, be converted into money. After one’s physical death, the mind will be converted into money, and may find shelter in the iron safe of a moneylender. Will that be desirable? No, certainly not!

Yádrshii bhávaná yasya siddhir bhavati tádrshii – “As one thinks, so one becomes.” There is a certain insect that eats cockroaches.⁽³⁾ When that insect appears before a cockroach, the cockroach becomes mortally frightened. Due to the fright its nerve fibres cease to function, and when the fright becomes more intense, its nerve cells also cease to function. The severe fright creates a picture of that voracious insect in the cockroach’s mind, and due to that persistent image a transformation of its nerve cells gradually sets in, which then extends to the nerve fibres, and at the end of this process the cockroach will appear to that insect to be a member of its own species. The insect actually thinks that the cockroach is a member of its own tribe, so how can it eat the cockroach? If human beings take the Cosmic ideation, they will also become one with the Cosmic Entity.

Now the question is, how can human beings take the ideation of Parama Puruśa? Jiṋániis will analyse, “Parama Puruśa is like this or like that.” Karmiis will think that Parama Puruśa is a master of action.⁽⁴⁾ (Now, what relation do bhaktas have to jiṋána?⁽⁵⁾ A devotee will think, “I may be a virtuous person, I may be poor, I may be learned or foolish, but, O Lord, I belong only to You.”) And a devotee thinks of the Lord just as people think of their nearest and dearest ones. He thinks, “Parama Puruśa is mine;” and in this process of constant ideation, his or her mind gradually expands. From this sort of closeness, a person ultimately becomes one with Paramátmá. Such a person of devotion is called a bhakta.

Thus we see that jiṋániis are Tantrics, because by acquiring knowledge they expand their minds, and thus become one with the all-expansive Cosmic Mind. Karmiis are also Tantrics, for by dint of actions, they expand their minds and become one with Parama Puruśa. Bhaktas are also Tantrics, because they develop so much love and devotion for Parama Puruśa that, in the process of constant ideation, they become one with Parama Puruśa. Thus there is hardly any difference between Tantra and yoga. [Jiṋána, karma, and bhakti are the three main branches of yoga.]

But yes, there is one thing. Human life is very short. If someone wants to cultivate knowledge, he or she may not get sufficient time. Even if someone starts cultivating knowledge at the age of five or six, the time will not be adequate. The scope of knowledge is infinite, whereas life is finite or short. If someone diverts his or her time and energy towards the attainment of objects other than Parama Puruśa, that person’s time becomes less utilized and more misused.

Mathitvá caturo vedán sarvashástráń caeva hi;
Sárantu yogibhih piitaḿ takraḿ pivanti pańd́itáh.

“After churning all four Vedas, and all the scriptures, the yogis assimilate the quintessence, and the non-essential parts are consumed by the so-called scholars.” The four Vedas and all the scriptures are as vast as the ocean. Just as by churning curd [yogurt] we separate the butter from the buttermilk, so by churning the ocean of scripture, the butter comes to the surface and the buttermilk remains at the bottom. Those who are real devotees eat up the butter, and the so-called intellectuals start quarrelling among themselves over the distribution of the buttermilk. And ultimately that also may spoil before they can drink it.

There is a story that once a man of knowledge and a man of devotion went together to a mango orchard. The man of knowledge started verifying whether the mangoes were langra or himsagar or what varieties. Now there are over 1500 varieties of mango in the world. The man began to ponder over which varieties of mango were available in that orchard; and in the process of this constant analysis the sun set and evening fell on the orchard. Then the man started counting the numbers of the leaves, the branches, the twigs, etc. The night became darker. But what did the devotee do meanwhile? He straightway climbed a tree and started eating the mangoes.

As a rule, devotees are more intelligent than jiṋániis. They utilize their time properly, and you know that those who utilize their time properly are more intelligent than those who do not.

Now let us analyse how devotees conduct themselves. A devotee is confident from the very beginning that the Lord belongs to him or her, and to him or her alone. When something belongs to someone, there remains no obstacle or impediment between the person and the belonging. Suppose there is a son who says, “My father.” That son may be a scholar or a big fool, he may be rich or poor, but after all, his father belongs to him, and he can easily come near his own father and serve him. At that time no father will ever say, “You are a fool, get out of here.” He can never do such a thing.

There is a family relation between the Father and the son, and because of this family relation, the intimacy between the two will keep growing, and the internal thoughts will also remain very, very pure. This is why wise people say that the cult of devotion is the greatest. It is the best method to expand one’s mind. And as the fundamental spirit of Tantra is to expand one’s mind, snapping the bondages, devotion is the best Tantra. That is why I repeat again and again that Tantra and yoga are not different from each other, rather they are almost the same thing.

A devotee will practise ásana, práńáyáma, dhárańá and dhyána,⁽⁶⁾ and during this practice he will have one thought uppermost in his mind – that the Entity on whom he is ideating is his nearest relation, and no one is nearer to him than his Lord. Because of this, a devotee’s mind will become highly expanded in a short period.

In the life of a person of action, kiirtana may or may not play a significant role, but in the life of a person of devotion, kiirtana is indispensable. To put it more explicitly, a devotee cannot live without kiirtana, just as you cannot remove a fish from water. If you remove a fish from water, it will die an instant death. Likewise, if a devotee is prevented from doing kiirtana, the person will die.

The secret of a devotee’s heart is known to Parama Puruśa. In Jamalpur I told you that Parama Puruśa does not reside in Vaekuńt́ha [the mythological abode of Lord Viśńu], nor on the throne, nor in the heart of a yogi. He actually resides in the heart of a devotee. A devotee is always bound to think of Parama Puruśa at heart, because their mutual relation is one of love and devotion. That is why Parama Puruśa clearly proclaims, Madbhaktáh yatra gáyanti tatra tiśt́hámi Nárada – that is, “I reside, O Nárada, wherever my devotees are singing.”⁽⁷⁾

So Parama Puruśa says to Nárada that He does not reside anywhere except where His ardent devotees are singing kiirtana. Philosophically, Parama Puruśa is omnipresent, but His nucleus remains at a particular place. That particular place, where the nucleus resides, is not Vaekuńt́ha. That particular place is where His ardent devotees are singing His glories in kiirtana.

So you will notice that when people do kiirtana out of deep love, a highly powerful spiritual vibration is created. Those who do kiirtana feel that vibration in their minds, hearts, and everywhere. They become virtually intoxicated with unbounded bliss. That sort of bliss is not attainable by a person of knowledge. It may be that that person of knowledge will one day become one with Parama Puruśa, but he or she will not be able to attain that bliss; nor is that bliss attainable by a person of action. That bliss is attainable only by a person of devotion. The “wholesale right” to that boundless bliss lies with that devotee only.

Footnotes

(1) Definition of tráńa omitted here. –Eds.

(2) Átman, or jiivátman, means “unit consciousness”. Paramátman is the collective name of all unit consciousnesses. –Eds.

(3) Philology of telápoká (“cockroach”) omitted here. –Eds.

(4) Without action nothing happens. It is said, Karma Brahmeti karma bahukurviita – that is, “Karma is Brahma; knowing this, try to perform as much karma as you can.” Actually, the whole universe is made of karma. Suppose someone is an ácárya/á but does not work. Is he or she still an ácárya/á? No. That person is not an ácárya/á any more. That person does not deserve to be called an ácárya/á. People will not respect the person. One becomes an ácárya/á by virtue of one’s action. What is the meaning of ácárya? Ácárańát pát́hayati yah sah ácárya – “One who teaches others by one’s exemplary conduct is an ácárya.” So you should remember that one’s conduct should be of a high standard. One who remains idle and avoids working should not be called an ácárya/á. Actually, everything in the universe is done by karma. Such are the qualities of a karmii.

(5) Jiṋána, karma, and bhakti are forms of spiritual practice which emphasize, respectively, discrimination, selfless action, and devotion. –Eds.

(6) Stages of aśtáḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. –Eds.

(7) What is the meaning of nára? In Sanskrit, the word nára has three meanings. One meaning is “water”. The second meaning is “the Supreme Operative Principle”. The third meaning is “devotion”. And da means “giver”, “one who gives”. So “Nárada” means “one who distributes devotion among the people”.

Chapter 33	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Today’s subject of discourse is “Yoga, Tantra and Kevalá Bhakti”. In the sphere of spiritual practice, yoga, Tantra and kevalá bhakti, all three, are essential for the realization of Parama Puruśa. We should not ignore any of the three, although [ultimately] Parama Puruśa can only be attained by dint of bhakti – rather, kevalá bhakti [non-attributional devotion].

Now let us see what yoga is.

The word yoga may be derived either from the Sanskrit root verb yuiṋj plus the suffix ghaiṋ, or from the root verb yuj plus the suffix ghaiṋ. When yoga is derived as yuj + ghaiṋ it means “addition,” such as “two plus two equals four.” But when yoga is derived as yuiṋj + ghaiṋ, it means “unification”. For example, when sugar and water are mixed together, they become one. Sugar loses its individual identity. This is the real yoga.⁽¹⁾

And yoga has also three major definitions. One of them is Yogashcittavrttinirodhah. The expressions or propensities of the human mind are primarily enumerated as fifty. And secondarily they are considered as one thousand in number.⁽²⁾ The mind survives because of these vrttis. If the vrttis become non-existent, the mind also loses its existence. According to Maharshi Patanjali [who gave the above definition], if the vrttis are suspended, if their expressions are withdrawn and the vrttis become functionless, at that stage the mind will enter into a state of non-manifestation, the mind will lose its outward expression, and this state will be called yoga.

Now let us see. If the mind ceases to express itself and altogether stops functioning, how can it unify itself with any other object? In the state of functionlessness, the mind is transformed into something crude. At that stage the mind will become like a desert where there is no flower or fruit. Now on the one hand yoga means unification, but here in the practical sphere there is nothing with which the mind can unify itself; hence Patanjali’s definition of yoga does not seem to be very rational.

There is yet another definition of yoga, Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto yoga ucyate – “When the mind is absolutely free of thoughts, when the mind is completely thought-less, that state of mind is called yoga.” Now when a person is sleeping, not even dreaming, in that state the mind is free from thoughts; furthermore, when someone becomes unconscious, at that time also the mind remains free from any thought whatsoever. But that is not yoga. The question is, since the mind is not unified with anything, how can this be accepted as a definition of yoga?

However, there is yet a third definition, which does seem reasonable. Saḿyoga yoga ityukto jiivátmá Paramátmanah – “When the unit consciousness merges itself fully and is finally identified with the Supreme Consciousness, Shiva, that is called yoga.” Here the microcosmic drop merges into the vast ocean of Consciousness; the microcosm merges into the Macrocosm. This state of supreme union or merger is what is called yoga. What is the supreme goal in the life of a spiritual aspirant? To merge the individual existence into Parama Puruśa, Paramátman, the ocean of Macrocosmic Consciousness. This is the real yoga. A person who would endeavour continuously in his or her individual life to attain the Supreme Entity should know that [this] yoga is the only way to attain it. There is no doubt about that.

Now let us see what Tantra is, and what the relationship is between Tantra and yoga. Taḿ jádyát tárayet yastu sah tantrah parikiirtitah. The sound ta is the acoustic root of dullness.⁽³⁾ So “the science or systematic process that liberates one from the bondage of dullness or lethargy is called tantra.” The word tra is derived from the Sanskrit root verb trae, plus d́a. Tra means liberator, so the liberator from ta, that is, dullness, is called tantra.

There is yet another definition of tantra. In Sanskrit there is a root verb tan, which means “to expand”. (From this root verb tan the word tanu is derived. Tanu literally means the growing body of a child. The human body continues to expand up till the age of thirty-nine; that is why a young body is called tanu. Tanu means “that which is expanding”. An old man’s body should not be called tanu; it should be called shariira, because an old man’s body does not expand, it decays.) So tantra means that which shows the way towards expansion and ultimately liberation.⁽⁴⁾

When the unit soul or unit mind transcends the barriers of limitation, and in the process becomes infinite, there remains no bondage of finitude. That is the state of liberation. One’s existence becomes one with Parama Puruśa. Here Tantra and yoga are in complete agreement. So we have established that the word tan means expansion.

Let me digress a little to explain further the significance of the term ta [derived from tan]. You know the Sanskrit name of India is Bháratavarśa. The root verb bhar means “to feed” or “to nourish”, and the root verb tan means “to expand”, “to grow”. So the entity whose function is to feed, to nourish, and then help to grow, is called bhárata. And thus the land which feeds its population and thereby helps in the physical, psychic and spiritual growth of that population is called Bháratavarśa. (Varśa means “land” or “country”.) Bháratavarśa is a land which facilitates gradual growth and finally leads to emancipation; in other words, the mind and the soul gradually expand, and the soul becomes one with the Universal Soul. And in the state of highest expansion, all the eight fetters and six enemies of the human mind, that is, all the external [externally-imposed] and internal enemies of the human mind, will cease to exist; and thus when the microcosms are free from all bondages, they cease to remain as microcosms and become one with Shiva [Supreme Consciousness]. In Tantra it is said, Páshabaddha bhavet jiivah pásha muktah bhavet Shivah – “Those who are bound by the fetters are jiiva [unit consciousness] but one who is free from the fetters is Shiva.”

So we see that as a practical matter there is no difference between yoga and Tantra. Yoga is a practical cult; Tantra is also a practical cult. There may be a slight difference in language, but there is no difference in practice.

Now we come to kevalá bhakti. What is bhakti, or devotion? Bhakti is defined as,

Bhaktir Bhagavato sevá bhaktih prema svarúpinii;
Bhaktiránanda rupá ca bhakti bhaktasya jiivanam.

[Bhakti is service to God; bhakti is the form taken by divine love; bhakti is the embodiment of bliss; bhakti is the life of the devotee.]

When spiritual aspirants advance towards Parama Puruśa by dint of the practice of yoga or Tantra, they develop an exclusive devotion towards Parama Puruśa. Ananyamamatá Viśńormamatá premasauṋgatá – “Spiritual aspirants withdraw their minds from all mundane objectivities, and with the same intention direct all their physical, psychic and spiritual propensities towards Parama Puruśa.” They remove their individualities, and accept Parama Puruśa as their nearest and dearest one. This is what is called exclusive love for God. This is called kevalá bhakti. And only in this stage does devotion reach its fruition or culmination.

The term bhakti is derived as bhaj + ktin. When all the propensities are withdrawn from all other objects and diverted towards the Supreme goal, this is called bhakti. You may have noticed that people sometimes establish some kind of devotional relationship with God out of selfishness. For that reason there are different gradations of devotion. For example, there is támasikii bhakti, static devotion. People sometimes wrongly pray to the Lord, “Such and such persons are my enemies. Let harm befall them.” Here the mind has a defective thought within. The ideation is related to Parama Puruśa, there is no doubt about that, but here the person does not want to attain Parama Puruśa, rather he wants Parama Puruśa to help him by harming his enemies. Here you are moving towards Parama Puruśa, you are even mentally speaking to Parama Puruśa, but to attain Parama Puruśa is not your goal. Under these circumstances, Parama Puruśa may or may not grant your prayers, but one thing is certain, you will not attain Parama Puruśa, because you do not really want Him. This type of devotion is called támasikii bhakti [static devotion]. A genuine spiritual aspirant should keep away from this type of static devotion, because it leads to degradation.

The second type of devotion is rájasikii bhakti [mutative devotion]. In this type of devotion, the mind moves towards Parama Puruśa, and there is devotion, no doubt, but the mind does not want to attain Parama Puruśa. Here the sádhaka prays to Parama Puruśa, “O Lord, grant me some kind of progress or financial achievement or a promotion in my job or more profit in business.” In this type of devotion you do not pray to Parama Puruśa to help you by harming your opponents – so far, so good – but still you do not want to attain Parama Puruśa, you also want something for yourself. And for this reason, you will not attain Parama Puruśa. This is no doubt a type of devotion, but it is not the best type of devotion.

Yet the third type of devotion is called sáttvikii bhakti [sentient devotion]. In this devotion you do not pray to Paramátmá to achieve anything. You do not want Him to harm your opponents, you do not expect anything from Him. This devotion is better in that sense. But there is still a defect inherent in this type of devotion. It is just like the prayer of an old man who feels that if he does not carry on his religious observances he is likely to be criticized by his neighbours. So he carries on his practices with that sort of devotion. Or sometimes a person prays to the Lord saying, “O Lord, I have been here on earth for a long time, I am faced with so many problems in life, now, O Lord, take me on Your lap.” Here the person who is praying wants the cessation of his or her worldly afflictions.

You cannot attain Parama Puruśa with this sort of prayer either, because at this stage you still do not say that you want Parama Puruśa to be your own. This will not serve the purpose. Only when the mind has an intense desire to attain Parama Puruśa alone, and nothing else, is it the highest devotion. This is called kevalá bhakti.

You can make an analogy. A little child is crying for its mother. But what does the mother do? She immediately rushes to the child and gives it a number of colourful toys. The child stops crying immediately. But if a persistent child insists that it does not want anything else but its mother, the mother is compelled to take the child on her lap. So the devotees with kevalá bhakti in their hearts do not ask Parama Puruśa for anything. Even if Parama Puruśa proposes to give them this or that, the aspirant will say, “No, Lord, I don’t want anything but You. I want to remain with you. What You are offering to me is a trivial thing; I want You and You alone, nothing else.”

Now even within this ideal state of devotion there is a gradation. Even those who have this sort of ideal devotion may think that they will worship Parama Puruśa because by worshipping him they may be able to enjoy bliss. So here also there is some slight selfishness, because one shows devotion to Parama Puruśa with an expectation of attaining some bliss thereby. This sort of devotion with a slight tinge of selfishness is call ráganugá bhakti. Although it is one of the higher categories of devotion, it is not altogether free from a tinge of selfishness.

There is yet another type of devotion, which is free from even this tinge of selfishness. It is [the highest kind of] kevalá bhakti, [the highest kind of] non-attributional devotion. Here the devotee says, “I serve Him, I worship Him, because I want Him to get bliss from my devotion or service or worship. I don’t want anything for myself. I want Him to enjoy the bliss.” This type of devotion is called rágátmiká bhakti, and the type of devotee having this sort of non-attributional devotion is called a gopa.

There are people who have a mistaken idea that gopa means “cowherd”. Actually, Gopáyate yah sa gopah – in Sanskrit, the word gopáyate means to give pleasure – “A gopa is one who gives pleasure to Parama Puruśa, one whose very nature is to give pleasure to Parama Puruśa.”

Now we see that in the proper spirit of the terms there is no difference between yoga and Tantra, and that both yoga and Tantra strengthen the aspect of devotion in the human heart. The cult of yoga and Tantra strengthens and nourishes the devotional aspect in a spiritual aspirant. This cult has been called in the scriptures puśt́hi márga, because the practice of this cult nourishes [puśt́hi means “nourishment”] the latent devotional faculty within spiritual aspirants. The highest stage of this puśt́hi márga is rágátmiká bhakti, and Parama Puruśa is attainable by this rágátmiká bhakti. He is not attainable by the vanity of jiṋána or the restlessness of karma.⁽⁵⁾ He is attainable by devotion; there is no other way to attain him.

Footnotes

(1) Yoga should be pronounced [“joga”], not [“yoga”], according to the rule Padánte padamadhyasthe ya-kára [i]ya ucyate – “If ya occurs at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced [‘ja’], but if in the middle or at the end, [‘ya’].” So yoga should be pronounced [“joga”], not [“yoga”], but viyoga should be pronounced [“viyoga”], not [“vijoga”].

(2) The basic fifty vrttis may be expressed in ten directions (or through the ten organs – five sensory and five motor), and both internally and externally, for a total of one thousand (50 x 10 x 2). –Eds.

(3) In whatever exists in this universe, or whatever action is performed, there is a sonic expression. When people laugh they produce a sound, há-há-há. When they walk they make a sound, khat́-khat́-khat́. And thus for every action there is an accompanying sound or sound expression. To denote an existence also there is a sound expression. You exist: therefore wherever there is light, wherever there is an acoustic wave, these come and dash against you and get reflected. The reflection also has an accompanying sound expression and an accompanying colour expression. The accompanying sound expression is called the acoustic root, in Sanskrit biija mantra. Thus dullness is a psychic propensity, and ta is the acoustic root of that psychic propensity. Ta is also a letter of the dental group.

(4) Sanskrit that was unclear in the original magazine publication of this discourse omitted here. –Eds.

(5) Jiṋána, karma and bhakti are forms of spiritual practice which emphasize, respectively, discrimination, selfless action, and devotion. –Eds.

Chapter 34	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Humans should always be careful about the company they keep. What is the result of keeping good company? By spending time with good persons, a deep impression is imprinted on the mind, causing the desire to be good to rise in the mind. If, on the other hand, one chooses to associate with a drunkard, a thought will eventually come in the mind, “What is the harm if I drink a little wine?” And if one associates with thieves, one will think, “What is the harm if I steal something?”

To give an example, suppose a person is standing beside a tea stall. There the smell of the tea wafts to the person’s nose. The person will then say, “Give me a cup, too.” In this incident, the smell of the tea affects the mind. If that person had not remained near the tea stall, the smell would not have reached the nose and perhaps that person would not have taken tea for two or three days. This is the influence that association has on the mind.

Hence humans should choose their company very carefully, for a mistake in this will cause them to repent their whole life. Even parents who realize that they themselves are not good should send their children to live in a good student hostel, or keep them with some of their relatives who are good – lest their own influence cause harm to the children. One must be very strict about this. In Tantra it is said,

Satsauṋgena bhavenmuktirasatsauṋgeśu bandhanam;
Tasmádasatsauṋgamudrańaḿ sá mudrá parikiirttitá.

[Keeping good company leads to liberation, whereas the company of bad people leads to greater bondage. The mudrańam – shunning – of bad company is called mudrá sádhaná.]

The Tantric practice of mudrá sádhaná means to associate with good human beings in order to attain liberation. Here you must remember that salvation [or liberation] is not only spiritual, it is in all spheres of life, in all the strata of life. In all the spheres of life – social, economic, etc. – struggle has to be launched. Wherever there is no food, begin the struggle for it; if clothing is needed, then there should be struggle for it; if there is no irrigation system, struggle for it; if there is no accommodation, struggle for it. And the greatest [liberation] is to liberate the soul from all bondages – that alone is real liberation. Spiritual liberation is the only [ultimate] liberation, other liberations are not [the ultimate liberation]. This is because today one may become free from some physical bondage, but tomorrow it will come back again. Today one may be free from hunger, but tomorrow hunger will return. Spiritual liberation, though, is permanent liberation, eternal freedom. Good association results in salvation and bad association results in bondage. Hence evil company must be avoided.

In the Sanskrit language, mudrańam has two meanings. One is “to print”, and the other is “to shun”. The words asatsauṋga mudrańam here mean “to shun evil company”. But mudrańam also means “to print” – for example, pustak mudrań kará [to print a book – in Bengali]. By mistake people say pustak mudrita kará. In Sanskrit, mudrita does mean “to shun” – for example, Cakśu mudrita kará hala means, “One’s eyes shunned the world [by closing].” Pustak mudrita kará does mean, “to close the book”; [but pustak mudrita kará does not mean “to print the book”;] “to print the book” should be written pustak mudráunkita kará.

However that may be, Asatsauṋga mudrańa kará means “to shun evil company”, and this is the practice of mudrá sádhaná. Shankaracharya said that if you shun bad company and associate with very good people, you will be able to do good to society, and you will continue to do virtuous deeds.

Chapter 35	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

We will discuss Tantra a little in relation to prapatti, viprapatti, and aprapatti. The original propounder of Tantra was Lord Sadáshiva.

From the viewpoint of geography, Tantra has two main divisions – one is the Bengal school of Tantra, the other is the Kashmir school of Tantra. The Bengal school is less ritualistic and more practical, while the Kashmir school is more ritualistic and less practical. And from the viewpoint of spiritual practice, Tantra has five main divisions: Shaeva Tantra, Shákta Tantra, Vaeśńava Tantra, Saora Tantra, and Gáńapatya Tantra. It is said that Shaeva Tantra attaches more importance to the faculty of knowledge and to the elimination of caste and other social discriminations. Shákta Tantra lays greater stress on the attainment of power and its judicious application. Vaeśńava Tantra aspires to lead humanity towards Parama Puruśa through the cult of sweet, divine bliss, but there is less social consciousness. Saora Tantra places much importance on medical treatment and astronomical progress, and Gáńapatya Tantra provides inspiration for people who are divided into different social groups to work unitedly.⁽¹⁾

Here I do not propose to say anything special about Shaeva or Shákta Tantra, but I must say something about Vaeśńava Tantra. It is said that Vaeśńava Tantra aspires to lead spiritual aspirants towards Parama Puruśa through the cult of blissful experiences. (If I ever say anything in the future regarding Saora Tantra, I will discuss it at great length and during that discussion I will point out that Saora Tantra was not only concerned with the sciences of medicine and astronomy. It was much more than that, especially in the Middle East and India about one thousand to three thousand years ago. However, in the present context this is irrelevant.)

While dealing with Vaeśńava Tantra [Vaishnavite Tantra], we notice that although it had its origin in India, more particularly in southern India, it was later significantly influenced by the Middle East. As a result, the modern Vaishnavism, or rather the Vaishnavism which was prevalent during the Mughal period, was greatly influenced by the Sufism of the Middle East.

Our topic of discussion is Krśńa and His life. During Krśńa’s lifetime, Sufism was not in vogue in the Middle East. The Vaishnavism of southern India, as enunciated in the Bhágavata shástra – that is, the Shriimad Bhágavata [of that shástra], not the Shriimad Bhagavad Giitá – came much later than Krśńa. The Dravidian Brahmans of southern India had not yet become clearly divided into two branches; later they were to become divided into the Ayengars and the Aiyars. (The Ayengars were Vaishnavites and the Aiyars were Shaivites. One could easily distinguish the Aiyars from the Ayengars by their distinct styles of decorating their foreheads with holy ash.) While the different classifications of Tantra could be found in those days, they were not very rigid or distinct.

If the forward march towards Parama Puruśa through the cult of sweet, divine bliss is the basic spirit of Vaeśńava Tantra, then that spirit must have been reflected in both Vraja Krśńa and Párthasárathi Krśńa. This forward march can be effected only through prapatti.

When a devotee advances through the cult of sweet devotion, he or she prefers to avoid the path of philosophical intricacies. Suppose you have been allotted a certain duty and you have to run hard to perform that duty. If you are offered some delicious sweets you will say, “No thank you, not now. Let me run first, then I will take some rest and enjoy the sweets little by little with great pleasure.” While running, one’s mind remains at a high speed, tremendously preoccupied. That is why you cannot, at that speed, savour even delicious food. Similarly, when you advance in the cult of sweet devotion, you enjoy more and more sweetness. While advancing, you enjoy bliss at every step. Obviously, at that stage, you do not like the tormenting harshness of jiṋána and karma.

I have said several times prior to this that prapatti – that sweetness of divine ecstasy – was fully developed in Vraja Krśńa. But as I have also said, the karma yoga which is the hallmark of Párthasárathi is not opposed to prapatti. Now let us analyse whether the jiṋána márga [path of knowledge, or discrimination], as associated with Párthasárathi, is more consistent with the jiṋána márga of Shaivism or with the cult of sweet, divine bliss found in Vaishnavism.

Párthasárathi Krśńa demonstrated an enormous wealth of knowledge. All His teachings were based primarily on the cult of knowledge. He taught His philosophy to Arjuna, and it does not smack of negativism or escapism. According to Krśńa, whatever takes place in this universe is designed by the Cosmic will. Nothing can happen without the Cosmic desire.

Jiivas are compelled to act under the impact of two personalities. One is the small “I” which craves to accumulate so many things, big or small, and to give so many things to society. The small “I” creates a world of its own centring around that little “I”, a world of illusion wherein the small “I” is entrapped and where it considers itself to be the supreme monarch. But simultaneously there is a larger world, the much larger world of Parama Puruśa, a world where the small “I” is a mere bubble. All the hopes and aspirations, all the desires and urges, of that insignificant bubble residing within the vast mind of Parama Puruśa, attain supreme fulfilment only at the time when it merges itself in the main stream of the Cosmic flow. Otherwise, individual hopes and desires remain forever unfulfilled and unrealized. Human beings cherish thousands of desires in their hearts, but those desires generally remain unfulfilled, because the waves of individual human desire do not maintain parallelism with the waves of the Cosmic desire.

It was quite natural for Arjuna to hesitate in slaying His friends and relations on the battlefield. The Kaoravas were his dear kinsmen, and there were many other kings and vassals who were bound in ties of intimate friendship with Arjuna. He felt compassion for all his friends and relatives, but that love and compassion for his relatives and friends was something related to Arjuna’s unit “I” feeling. It had no validity in the Cosmic world. Therefore Krśńa addressed and exhorted Arjuna in the following manner: “Oh, Arjuna, don’t think that you are killing anyone. No one ever kills or is ever killed. Weapons can never kill anyone.”

Naenaḿ chindanti shastráńi naenaḿ dahati pávakah;
Na caenaḿ kledayantyápo na shośayati márutah.⁽²⁾

[Weapons cannot pierce him (the soul), fire cannot burn him, water cannot drench him, wind cannot dry him up.]

Who are you to kill? You cannot do anything, for your existence is nothing but a tiny, insignificant bubble within the vast Macrocosm. As the vast Macrocosmic wave advances with its alternate troughs and crests, you move along with the wave, sometimes going up in the wave and sometimes down.

Patana-abhyudayabandhur panthá
Yuga yuga dhávita yátrii.

–Tagore

[Travellers have been moving unceasingly for ages along that high and rugged path of rise and fall.]

So what will you do? Parama Puruśa’s flow of imagination continues unceasingly. No one can resist that mighty flow of Cosmic imagination. It was erroneous for Arjuna to think that he himself was killing his dear kinsmen, the Kaoravas. Thus Krśńa said: “Things are already planned and predestined by Me. I have already planned everything out in My mind. You are just an instrument.”

There are two things to note here. The first thing is that according to Máyáváda [the Doctrine of Illusion], the very existence of the material world, though not altogether denied, is given little importance. Krśńa’s teachings, however, are not actually Máyáváda. In Máyáváda, the systaltic movement of the Macrocosm is not altogether accepted. Máyávádii philosophers argue that the universe is the magic of the miracle-creating Máyá: aghat́ana ghat́ana pat́iiyasii Máyá [“the dexterous hand of Máyá that can even create things impossible to create”]. “Nothing is really happening, Máyá is doing everything” – it is strict monism.

The second thing to note is that in the teachings of Párthasárathi Krśńa, there may not be absolute prapatti at first; when Krśńa advanced so many philosophical arguments, it seemed to be viprapatti, just opposite to prapatti. However, when at the next stage He told Arjuna, “I have already set everything in a pre-arranged plan, you are a mere tool in my hands,” it was clearly aprapatti. Till then it had not been clearly stated that “It is I who do everything. Everything takes place as per My wish. Your wish, your desire has no value.” Finally this aprapatti became prapatti when He said,

Sarvadharmán parityajya Mámekaḿ sharańaḿ vraja;
Ahaḿ tváḿ sarvapápebhyo mokśayiśyámi má shucah.⁽³⁾

[Set aside all other dharmas and take shelter in Me alone; I will save you from all sin, have no fear about that.]

Different entities, different jiivas, are moving according to their respective inherent propensities, their inherent characteristics. “Countless jiivas, countless entities, are moving around the Macrocosmic nucleus with their respective saḿskáras [mental reactive momenta]” – Sarvájiive sarvasaḿsthe brhante tasmin haḿso bhrámyate Brahmacakre. “This movement, this rotation, will continue until the different entities are able to realize their oneness with that Supreme Nucleus, until they realize the Supreme Entity” – prthagátmánaḿ preritáraiṋca matvá juśt́astatastenámrtatvameti.

When the jiivas come to know of the Supreme Entity around whom they are moving, the eternal urge to run after Him develops, and this is the stance of total prapatti, the final culmination of sádhaná. Sarvadharmán parityajya Mámekaḿ sharańaḿ vraja.

The innumerable jiivas, with their innumerable propensities and characteristics, are rushing along, but their movement is not always crowned with success. I have already said that progress in the physical and psychic spheres is not possible. Progress is possible only in the spiritual stratum. Sarvadharmán means the various propensities or various instincts [of a human being], that is, the various fetters and enemies of the mind. The microcosms, with their numerous saḿskáras, are rushing along. Krśńa said to them: “Stop running after your desires”… Mámekaḿ sharańaḿ vraja – “Follow Me. Take Me as your final refuge. Come to Me and increase your love for Me.” (Ananyamamatá Viśńormamatá premasauṋgatá – “Develop love and attachment for Me. Rush to Me, I am ready to receive you on My lap.”) Vraja means “to move in joy”… Ahaḿ tváḿ sarvapápebhyo mokśayiśyámi má shucah – “I will liberate you from all saḿskáras, all bondages. You need not worry at all about your spiritual progress.”

The fact is, the more one advances towards Parama Puruśa, the more one becomes free from blemishes, the more one is cleansed of the dirt and dross of mundane life. Parama Puruśa lifts His devotees and places them on His lap. This can be considered the last word of the Giitá, the summum bonum, or goal, of human life. It is the final statement about the supreme human desideratum. Regarding the path of movement, many things are said, but regarding the goal the final word is this: “Forgetting all other things, forgetting your desires and aspirations, come to Me.” Mámekaḿ sharańaḿ vraja – “take shelter in Me.” This is nothing but prapatti.

Now, is there any difference between the jiṋána of Shaivite philosophy and the prapatti of Vaishnavite philosophy? The Shaivite philosophical knowledge is hair-splitting knowledge which aspires to arrive at the goal through the conflicts and clashes arising from affirmation and negation, and through analysis of the law of cause and effect. On this path there is neither prapatti nor aprapatti. In the initial stage one makes use of viprapatti, but after reaching the goal, nothing remains, neither viprapatti nor prapatti nor aprapatti.

From the earliest times there existed differences of opinion between the Vaeśńava scholars and the Shaeva scholars. This was an ideological conflict. And though Párthasárathi’s teaching [of prapatti] forms part of Vaeśńava Tantra, it is also resplendent in its own brilliance.

Initially Krśńa led Arjuna along the path of discrimination, of jiṋána. (Here Arjuna represents the ordinary human being.) When He guided Arjuna along the path of jiṋána, it was known as viprapatti. Then He said [expressing aprapatti], “It is I who do everything. You are doing nothing.” (Actually, people have very little strength. If a person fasts for twenty-four hours, he or she feels fatigued. If a person fasts for forty-eight hours, he or she cannot think. How weak people are!) And in the third stage Krśńa said to humanity, “You need not worry about anything. I will do everything for you. Just move along your path and surrender to Me.” Whatever hopes and desires people cherish in their hearts find fulfilment when they are in perfect accord with the blissful flow of Parama Puruśa.

Kii habe iccháy, iccháte kii hay? Krśńa iccháviná phal phalená. [Nothing comes out of the wishes of human beings, unless they are backed by the wish of Parama Puruśa.]

In [this] last stage, Párthasárathi uttered something which reflects the spirit of prapatti.

Sarvadharmán parityajya Mámekaḿ sharańaḿ vraja;
Ahaḿ tváḿ sarvapápebhyo mokśayiśyámi má shucah.

[Set aside all other dharmas and take shelter in Me alone; I will save you from all sin, have no fear about that.]

Vraja Krśńa did not do all this [i.e., did not base His actions on a progression of philosophies]. His magic flute sang only one note – the note of prapatti. “What I do is done; nothing else is done. Remain with Me.” The teachings of Párthasárathi Krśńa and Vraja Krśńa are the same, but the path of Párthasárathi Krśńa and the path of Vraja Krśńa have led humanity, have led spiritual aspirants, in two distinct directions. A sádhaka will act according to his or her respective inherent saḿskáras and will select either Párthasárathi Krśńa or Vraja Krśńa as the only object of his or her adoration, as the only desideratum of all the marches of his or her life.

Footnotes

(1) In Shaeva Tantra one’s object of meditation is Shiva. In Shákta Tantra it is one of the representations of Shakti, or Prakrti [Cosmic Operative Principle]. In Vaeśńava Tantra it is Viśńu. In Saora Tantra it is Súrya (the sun or the sun god), and in Gáńapatya Tantra it is Gańapati (Gańesha). In all the cults, the more subtle practitioners understand that their particular deity is a representation of the infinite Brahma. –Eds.

(2) Bhagavad Giitá. –Eds.

(3) Bhagavad Giitá. –Eds.

Chapter 36	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Perhaps you know that the word guru is a very old Vedic word. It means “one who dispels darkness”. Now, this expression “one who dispels darkness” is often used without deeper understanding. This darkness actually belongs not only to the psychic stratum or the spiritual stratum, but to all strata of human existence. That is, darkness prevails in all the three strata – in the crude physical sphere, in the psychic sphere, and in the spiritual sphere. So a guru will necessarily have to be able to remove darkness from all three strata. If he teaches the alphabet or some academic matter to students, he will be called a teacher – teacher in the academic sense. That will not do. If, again, he removes darkness from the psychic world, he imparts intellectual knowledge to his followers, that will not be enough either. And if, finally, he dispels darkness only from the spiritual stratum of his disciples, that will not do either. The fact is that a guru – if one is to be accepted as a real guru – shall have to remove darkness from all the strata of the physical world, all the strata of the psychic world, and also all the strata of the spiritual world.

Now let us look at the spiritual world. In the spiritual world, he alone can be a guru who can lift downtrodden humanity to a high spiritual level, who can illumine humanity with spiritual effulgence. That is, only a Mahákaola has the requisite qualification to be a guru, others cannot be gurus.

In order to be an ideal guru in the spiritual sphere, one must be throughly conversant with the minutest details of sádhaná, every aspect of sádhaná, important or unimportant. The guru must not only learn those things, but must also possess the capacity to teach those practices to others. Otherwise he should not be treated as a guru. The Mahákaola alone has this capacity, no one else. Kaolas are those who by dint of sádhaná have successfully elevated their microcosmic stance and established it in the Macrocosmic one; but a Mahákaola is one who is a kaola, certainly, but at the same time possesses the capacity to help others as well to get to that exalted kaola position. In the past Lord Shiva was one such Mahákaola. Lord Krśńa was another. To be a guru one must be a Mahákaola.

One must possess knowledge regarding sádhaná, not only thorough knowledge of the shástras [scriptures]. And in order to gain thorough scriptural knowledge, one must know as many important languages as are necessary for the purpose. That is to say, it is not enough that a guru acquire the necessary qualifications to be able to teach sádhaná (that is, impart lessons on the practical cult); he must possess adequate knowledge of theory also. That is, in order to know the inner secret of sádhaná, he must possess thorough and authentic scriptural knowledge; then only should he be accepted as a perfect guru in the spiritual sphere. One who has a fairly good knowledge of sádhaná and can also help others in that realm, but is completely devoid of intellect, or knowledge of languages and scriptures, cannot be a perfectly competent guru in the spiritual sphere; for, being a guru, he will have to explain the theoretical side also. If, suppose, I say to someone, “Do this,” I should also explain why he or she should do that, and at the same time I should be able to support it in the light of the shástras.

You may raise the question, “What is a shástra?” You might point to a voluminous book and call it a shástra, but that would be misleading. Shástra in the true sense means, Shásanát tárayet yastu sah shástrah parikiirtitah – that is, “Shástra is that which disciplines and liberates humans.” So a guru must be well versed in shástra, otherwise he cannot show the right path to humankind. The term guru would be a misleading misnomer – which is never desirable. Shástra does not necessarily mean the Vedas; it means the way to emancipation through inculcation of rigorous discipline; it is something that prevents one from taking license in the name of liberty. It means clear instructions that guide everyone along the path, that lead to attainment of prosperity and welfare.

Shásanát. What is this shásana? Does it mean torture? No. Does it mean punishment? No. Does it mean atonement? No. Not at all. Here shástra means anushásana. What is anushásana? Hitárthe shásanam anushásanam – that is, “Anushásanam means that degree of rectificatory punishment which will be conducive to one’s well-being.”

A spiritual guru must be well-acquainted with all the processes of sádhaná, must have the capacity to convince others, must possess complete knowledge of the scriptures, must know many languages, and must have comprehensive knowledge and intellect, plus some extra qualifications. What are those qualifications? Nigrahánugrahe shakto gururityabhidhiiyate – “the guru must possess the capacity both to punish, and to love, or bless, his disciples.” Punishment alone, without love, is not good. Love and punishment should go together, and the degree of punishment should never exceed the degree of love. Then only can one be called a real spiritual guru.

I have already said that a guru must be an authority on all subjects in all the three strata:

As a spiritual guru, he must be thoroughly versed in spiritual science – both the theory and the practice. He must know how Parama Puruśa associates Himself with jiivas [unit beings]; and he must know how jiivas associate themselves with Parama Puruśa (they associate themselves just as the Ganges merges into the Bay of Bengal). Otherwise, how can he teach this science to others?

And who knows this science? Only Parama Puruśa knows it, because He Himself has created everything. He has created our sense organs, and He has created the tanmátras⁽¹⁾ that our sense organs detect. He can create anything He likes. But remember, He does not do anything. His “doing” means His thinking. Things will take shape as He thinks. No one but Parama Puruśa knows how He does it. So how can people know Parama Puruśa if He does not teach to others the science of knowing Him? Only Parama Puruśa knows the science and the method to realize Him, to know Him; because He has created both human beings and the path that they must move along. So people can know the method by His grace only. Hence it has been said in Ánanda Sútram,⁽²⁾ Brahmaeva Gururekah náparah – that is, “Brahma alone is the Guru.” Through His physical structure, He teaches the actual science to the spiritual aspirants. People should clearly understand this.

There are many people who are prone to think that in the spiritual realm there is no need to acquire intellectual knowledge for God-realization; and in support of their thesis they mention the names of some great men. Now it is true that for God-realization, academic qualification may not be necessary at all: there is no differentiation between a learned person and a foolish one. But in order to be a guru, one must be a learned person. God-realization is not enough for a guru, he must possess other qualifications as well. So a person who is devoid of learning and scriptural knowledge and the capacity to teach others, and the twin capacities to punish and reward his disciples, should never be accepted as a spiritual guru. A guru does not mean only a spiritual guru, he must be a guru for the intellectual and physical worlds also.

After the spiritual sphere comes the psychic sphere, which is cruder than the former. That is, the guru must be aware of the nature of the human mind – what it is made of, how it should be elevated step by step from crude to subtle, how all the unit minds can march together in unison towards the goal – in a word, he must know both the theoretical and the applied sides of psychology. He must know a thousand times more than is written in books. He must assimilate everything through his own refined intellect. And then only can he teach others perfectly. That shows that he must be not only a spiritual guru, but also a guru in the psychic world. There is a sense of want in the human mind. One who can remove the sense of want is a guru. In order to qualify as a guru, one must have the power to remove psychic wants.

As in the spiritual sphere, so also in the psychic sphere, a guru must be learned. He should be well-versed in the humanities; in fact, in all branches of human knowledge. In order to be a spiritual guru, it will be sufficient that he have mastery over scriptural treatises; but to be a guru in the psychic sphere, he must be well-versed in all branches of human knowledge. A limited knowledge of a few scriptures will not do. And simultaneously, he must be conversant with the style in which the human mind functions, as also in the method to control and guide it properly.

Next comes the physical world. The followers, the disciples, of the guru, are men and women of flesh and blood having physical structures. They have their sorrows and miseries, their tears and smiles. This is their life. They have their problem of food and clothing; they have their pleasures and pains, their tears of pain and tears of joy; they become elated in happy circumstances and depressed when things go wrong. It is the duty of a guru to provide his followers with the wherewithal for their progress. This is what an ideal guru is to do in the physical sphere. As a guru in the physical world, he will have to teach mankind such techniques as will solve their wordly problems – problems of food, clothing, education and medical treatment. A guru must see to it that their mundane problems are solved.

So in order to be a guru, one must come onto this earth with the highest qualifications in the spiritual field, and with the greatest capacity to face the mountainous obstacles in the physical world. To shoulder the responsibility of a guru is not child’s play.

Footnotes

(1) Literally, “minutest fraction of that”, i.e., of a given rudimental factor of matter. The various types of tanmátras convey the senses of hearing, touch, form (vision), taste, and smell. –Eds.

(2) Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti, Ánanda Sútram, 1962. –Eds.

Chapter 37	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Suppose there is a rose. If the entire mind is focused on the colour of the rose, the mind will become totally identified with the rose and will ultimately think, “I am the rose.” Samádhi on the indriyas⁽¹⁾ is also possible. One who attains samádhi on a particular indriya consciously brings it under control and gets one’s work done according to one’s sweet will. This was widely practised in Avidyá Tantra in the past.

The indriyas can function either within or beyond their immediate surroundings. For instance, from here you can physically see a part of Calcutta. But if you have been to Naihati [a small town about thirty miles from Calcutta], you will certainly also be able to visualize a part of that town while sitting here in this room. In this case a proper adjustment must be brought about between your eyes and the previous perception. Your mind decides, “I want to see the features of Naihati,” and your eye indriya responds accordingly. This is called the “mental eye”.

Avidyá Tantrics make use of this sort of process. With the help of their sense organs and ectoplasms they create positive hallucinations. In Sanskrit this science is called rákśasii vidyá. (Rákśasa does not refer to any monstrous type of animal, but to a particular group of humans.⁽²⁾ ) With the help of your mental eyes and your psychic power you can create an image visible to the eyes of an ordinary person. You can actually suspend the power of vision of another person so that he sees the object you want him to see. This is called rákśasii máyá.

Such negative practices are common in Avidyá Tantra. For example, suppose a wicked person may be sitting in a solitary place where bones are scattered around. Using his or her psychic power, the person can create ectoplasmic “hands”, and command them to throw the bones into the house of the person whom he or she wishes to harm. The inhabitants of the house, ordinary people no doubt, will certainly be terrified by such occult phenomena. They will think it is the work of a ghost and will probably decide to move out of the house. Instead of bones, bricks or stones could also be hurled. To do this, one does not require great power – rákśasii máyá is an occult power of inferior degree.

The Rámáyańa, though fictional, contains some stories which illustrate rákśasii máyá. The golden deer is one such story. Of course, there was never a real golden deer – can you imagine such a thing? – rather the “demon” Marich fabricated a golden deer using his occult power. Another such story goes as follows: Prince Angad, the son of King Bali, was about to present his credentials to King Ravana in court. The nineteen ministers present wanted to humiliate him in some way, and decided to use their rákśasii máyá for the purpose. Present in the court at the time were Prince Angad, King Ravana and his son Indrajit, and the nineteen ministers. In order to baffle Angad, the ministers created a form tanmátra,⁽³⁾ a type of positive hallucination, through which they all assumed the form of King Ravana. So, his vision distorted, Angad’s perception was that there were a total of twenty Ravanas by the side of Indrajit. Nineteen of them were the ministers, of course, but due to the hypnotic spell exercised by their ectoplasm on his mind (they put themsleves into a kind of tánmátrik samádhi, in this case involving the tanmátra of form), they all looked like Ravana. The best way to disturb someone’s mental concentration is to make him or her angry by being provocative. Be it Vidyá Tantra or Avidyá Tantra, everything depends on the degree of psychic concentration. So Angad thought, “I have to disturb their mental balance by provoking them in some way and making them angry. If I make them angry, their arms and legs will tremble and they will lose their mental balance. Consequently they will lose their ectoplasmic support, and their tánmátrik samádhi will be destroyed.” And Angad did just that. He said,

Angada kahila tabe shuńa Indrajitá
Viśt́i Rávańa dekhi viśt́i ki tor pitá?

[Listen, Indrajit – I can see twenty Ravanas. Do you have twenty fathers?]

Everybody became furious, lost their mental balance, and became their original selves, permitting Angad to single out the real Ravana and submit his credentials.

Footnotes

(1) An indriya is a sensory or motor organ, together with its respective nerves, nerve fluid, and site in the brain. Samádhi on an indriya may make possible an extraordinary use of that indriya. –Eds.

(2) In mythology, rákśasa refers to demons or monsters; but the word originated historically as a term of contempt applied by the Indo-Aryans to India’s indigenous Dravidians. –Eds.

(3) Literally, “minutest fraction of that”, i.e., of a given rudimental factor of matter. The various types of tanmátra convey the senses of hearing, touch, form (vision), taste, and smell. –Eds.

	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

I have already told you that rákśasii vidyá is not the black magic of so-called demons, but a kind of occult science. Perhaps you know that Tantra is divided into two branches, and similarly, occult powers are expressed in two ways. Sádhakas who have reached Iishvarakot́i (but not Brahmakot́i, the highest stage of human realization) through intense spiritual practice attain both vidyá and avidyá shakti, both positive and negative occult power. People usually call this aeshvarya [divine power], but this is not completely accurate. The other day while discussing that phenomenon with a few people, I said that some of these occult powers are dependent on space, while others are beyond it. Iishvarakot́i sádhakas, through special efforts, can master some negative and positive powers, and may apply them to certain human beings, places, or ideas. But a Brahmakot́i sádhaka can apply those powers throughout the entire universe at one time, through his prota yoga. Moreover, with the help of ota yoga, he can apply his power to an individual place or person if he so wishes. The same thing, when applied on a crude level, may take the form of magic. This explains the external side; but if people remain satisfied with the attainment of these occult powers and stop advancing along the supreme path, the fullest expression of their human potentialities will be checked. To bring about the greatest fulfilment in life, sádhakas will have to reach the pinnacle of the state of ekendriya. That is, instead of directing their mind-stuff towards crude objects, they must channelize their minds towards the Macrocosm, and embrace the Macrocosm fully as their goal.

Prańavo dhanuh sharohyátmá Brahma tallakśyamucyate;
Apramattena veddhavyaḿ sharavattanmayo bhavet.

“A sádhaka who utilizes his or her spiritual practice as the bow, her or his self as the arrow, and Parama Puruśa as the target, and then tries to pierce the target with undivided attention, attains the supreme goal.”

Sádhakas who accept this shloka as the supreme and final guidance, and move accordingly along the path of ekendriya sádhaná, are capable of devoting their minds to the highest stage of spiritual realization. Their lives become meaningful. It is not enough just to ideate on Brahma, one must also practice ekendriya sádhaná. Here ekendriya means that all the expressions of the sensory and motor nerves, and all the energy and subtle power of the nerves, indriyas, and mind-stuff, should be directed towards the Supreme Goal. This uni-directional movement towards the goal is the stage of ekendriya. In this stage the sádhaka does not attach any importance to any particular indriya, idea or thought, but attaches paramount importance to the Supreme Goal. Such a sádhaka ultimately rises above both Vidyá and Avidyá Tantra.

Vidyá Tantra is an approach of positive ideas towards the world, whereas Avidyá Tantra is an approach of negative ideas. People who tread the negative path tend to become crude. And if they follow the path of positive ideas, they may attain name, fame, social status, etc., but fail to attain Parama Puruśa. They will even fail to attain higher lokas.⁽¹⁾ The person who follows neither of these two paths, but thinks only of Parama Puruśa, will attain Him one day and will be elevated from the ekendriya stage to the vashiikára stage. This path of transcending positive and negative ideas is called in Tantra madhyama márga [middle path]. (Buddha called it majhjhimá mágga). This is the only path that leads to the highest fulfilment in human life. Nányah panthá vidyate ayanáya [“There is no other path”]. At that stage the sensory world has no attraction for a sádhaka whatsoever. But those sádhakas who dabble in the positive and negative aspects of Tantra readily become engrossed in mundane affairs. The time and energy employed to master the positive and negative aspects is a waste, for it diverts the mind and delays its movement towards the higher planes of existence. In my opinion it is better not to waste one’s time on such inconsequential pursuits. Instead it would be wiser for people to utilize their time and energy in the attainment of Parama Puruśa.

If I were to analyse the positive and negative paths you would be fascinated, but it would be of no use whatsoever in attaining Parama Puruśa.

Footnotes

(1) In mythology, the lokas are realms of existence. In yoga psychology, they are the different levels, or layers, of the Macrocosmic Mind. They represent different stages on a continuum from subtle to crude. –Eds.

	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Tantra, as you know, is divided into two branches – Vidyá and Avidyá. Shiva formulated all the Tantras, and thus all Tantrics regard Shiva as their supreme and final shelter. In all schools of Tantra there are certain rules, and these are compulsory for practitioners of both Vidyá and Avidyá Tantra. The difference between the two is that Avidyá Tantra invariably leads one towards crudification, and ultimately annihilation; whereas Vidyá Tantra leads one from crude to subtle, and invigorates the human life, mind and soul – in fact the whole existence – with exuberant joy.

At the initial stage of progress in spiritual sádhaná, the human mind becomes more subtle, enabling one to achieve a certain degree of control over the physical world as well as the mind. This realm of existence, in which psychic control can be exercised to some extent, is called the kámamaya jagat [of the Macrocosmic Mind]. Through such psychic control one can gain material wealth, or earn a certain degree of name and fame. Now, where do these things come from? They come from the cruder manifestation of the Cosmic Mind (this perceptible world is itself a cruder manifestation of the Cosmic Mind). Thus at this stage sádhakas may attain and establish supremacy over certain things in the crude world.

One may also strive to make the mind more subtle while endeavouring to exercise greater control over the mundane world. This is the path of Avidyá Tantra. In this endeavour the practitioners remain totally preoccupied with the attainment of name, fame, prosperity, and material enjoyments – these are their goals. The purpose of their spiritual practice is to make the mind increasingly subtle, in order to be able to exercise further control, not only over the physical world, but over the crude minds of other microcosms as well. Their goal is not noble, and will result in their ultimately being converted into inert matter. So the final result of Avidyá Tantra is extreme crudity. I have attempted to explain this in some of my ghost stories.⁽¹⁾ Try to find time to read them.

The second stage is artha. What is artha? Suppose a person has been struck with afflictions (they are of three types – crude, subtle and causal) and seeks to destroy them. The permanent cessation of these triple afflictions is named paramártha, and their temporary cessation, artha. At this second stage of sádhaná human beings also try to make their minds more subtle through spiritual elevation, but not to attain Parama Puruśa. Their goal is to develop the capacity to dominate the minds of others. Paradoxically, they are trying to make the mind subtle while attempting to establish supremacy over others. This stage is neither entirely Vidyá nor entirely Avidyá – it is an intermediate stage. Sádhakas who tread this path cannot attain the supreme fulfilment of existence, for they try to master the psychic occult powers of Parama Puruśa, and ignore Parama Puruśa Himself. Their fate is to move in the crude arena of the psychic sphere of Parama Puruśa until the day comes when they lose their psychic power and degenerate. Maharshi Jaimini formulated his philosophy, the Púrva Miimáḿsá Darshana, on the basis of this type of psychology. But in this world, such a philosophy does not stand the test of pragmatism, either physical or mental, or of spirituality.

Footnotes

(1) Vicitra Abhijiátá [Strange Experiences], circa 1960. –Eds.

Chapter 38	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

Khamúrtti.⁽¹⁾ Kha + múrtti = khamúrtti. Khamúrtti literally means “image in space”. Since ancient times rśis, sages, yogis, and spiritual aspirants have sometimes seen a kind of luminous body or disembodied soul, by the divine grace of Parama Puruśa. These luminous bodies assist spiritual aspirants in all possible ways.

Only spiritual aspirants are able to see these luminous bodies through the grace of Parama Puruśa. Though they are visible to the naked eye, they cannot be photographed. Spiritual aspirants can speak to these luminous bodies and get answers to their questions. While the words of a spiritual aspirant may be recorded on a tape recorder, the answers given by the luminous bodies cannot be recorded. If a spiritual aspirant asks them for any mundane object, they may or may not grant the request. If they do grant the request, they do so only once, and after that they will never come within that person’s sight again.

If a spiritual aspirant asks for something spiritual, one may get it either directly or through the siddhas. Siddhas are a category of microvita⁽²⁾ which are very helpful to spiritual aspirants. I have already told you about the different categories of devayonis or microvita, and in that connection I have said something about siddhas. Yogis and spiritual aspirants say that sometimes during their sádhaná they see siddhas and receive direct help from them.

People see khamúrttis due to the grace of Parama Puruśa. But the guru cautions them that they should never ask for any object of enjoyment or any mundane object from a khamúrtti. If people want objects of enjoyment, they will find themselves caught in the insidious snare of enjoyment.

It is worth mentioning here that one should not confuse khamúrtti with cháyá puruśa. Cháyá Puruśa is a mere game of light and shade. If someone gazes intently on a dazzling white object and then looks at a dimly-lit object, one will only see a shadow. This shadow is called cháyá puruśa. If you look towards the sun for a while and then look at another part of the sky, you will see a kind of shadow. Similarly, if you look at the flame of a burning lamp for some time and then look at a source of dim light, you are sure to see a kind of shadow.

In ancient times, people who practised hypnotism⁽³⁾ would see cháyá puruśa at night with the help of the moon, or with the help of a burning lamp (fueled by ghee) on new-moon nights. With their vision fixed on the cháyá puruśa, they would gradually become conversant with the science of hypnotism. Since olden times, the practice of Avidyá Tantra and the science of hypnotism have been well known in India and China. In modern times, the science of hypnotism was used to cure disease by Dr. Mesmer, a [European] physician. Since then, curing diseases by the science of hypnotism has been called “mesmerism”, after him. So now you understand that cháyá puruśa as used in hypnotism or mesmerism is only a game of light and shade.

A khamúrtti, however, is a thoroughly spiritual vision. Cháyá puruśa is a mere image of a shadow, whereas khamúrtti is an image of bright effulgence. If any of you have had a chance to see such a khamúrtti or are still seeing one on any occasion due to the grace of the guru, you should not pray for any mundane object or for any finite object of enjoyment from these khamúrttis.

There is yet another kind of shadowy appearance unrelated to khamúrtti. In Tantra this is known as yakśińii darshana. As a result of practising a special type of Tantra, people attain the yakśińii siddhi. (Such people are known as yakśińii siddhas – sádhakas who have attained a type of occult power.) These yakśińiis⁽⁴⁾ work under the instructions of the siddhas, and provided that some rules and regulations are not violated, they abide by their instructions. Usually the yakśińiis cannot be induced to perform any evil deed. They have no influence in the supernatural and spiritual spheres – their influence is primarily exerted in the physical sphere and to some extent in the psychic sphere. They follow the yakśińii siddhas like a shadowy image, and very often can be found moving on walls or inside rooms like black shadows. I have never heard of anyone being harmed by a yakśińii, but it may have happened.

I know a certain person who was a professor of physics in a college in Bihar. Let us suppose his name was Swapneshwar Chattopadhyaya. I heard that he had attained yakśińii siddhi. He did not have a son, but a daughter who lived far away from him, in the house of her father-in-law. She had a daughter who used to live with her grandparents (Swapneshwar Chattopadhyaya and his wife). The granddaughter was very young – about two or three years old.

Once Mr. Chattopadhyaya had to go to Calcutta for quite a long time in connection with his academic pursuits. His wife – say her name was Kanika – was a very good but a timid woman. The thought that she would have to live alone for a long time made her feel half-dead. After all, how far could she rely on her tiny granddaughter? Mr. Chattopadhyaya consoled his wife, saying, “Don’t worry. My yakśińii will take care of you. She will help you in all ways.” On the eve of his departure for Calcutta, he showed his wife a black shadowy image reflected on the wall of their meditation room. Though the figure was very small, it looked like a human figure. Mr. Chattopadhyaya said to his wife, “This yakśińii will protect you from all troubles and dangers.”

He set out on his journey and was expected to return after forty-five days. Immediately after his departure, many strange things began to happen. Wherever Kanika went, the image of the yakśińii followed her like a shadow. For the first few days Kanika was a bit nervous, seeing the shadowy image, but later on, as she was obliged to spend time in its company, she overcame her fear. Rather, she grew more courageous than before.

At noon one day, while Kanika was washing the dishes in the kitchen, she suddenly noticed that the image of the yakśińii was shaking abnormally. At first she was puzzled, but then she saw the yakśińii move quickly out of the room. She followed the image and also left the room. The yakśińii came to the door of the living room beside the main gate. Kanika discovered that a thief dressed like a gentleman was about to escape with a suitcase that was kept in the room. The thief caught sight of Kanika and took to his heels, leaving the suitcase behind. The main gate had been left open by mistake.

On another day, Kanika was sitting in the kitchen kneading flour. Suddenly she noticed that the yakśińii was shaking violently again. Kanika looked at the figure in utter amazement. Immediately it went out of the kitchen, and Kanika followed it closely. The yakśińii rushed towards the well across the courtyard of the house. As soon as Kanika looked towards the well she became alarmed… horrified. She noticed that her three-year-old granddaughter was sitting precariously on the edge of the well, looking down into it. If she moved slightly this way or that, or if she moved only a little to look at her own reflection in the water, she would immediately fall into the well. No one could prevent her certain death. Kanika moved stealthily forward from behind, picked the child up, and placed her on her lap.

Barely a month had passed since Swapneshwar had left for Calcutta. One day Kanika was cutting okra (“ladies’ finger”) in the kitchen. Suddenly she looked at the image of the yakśińii on the wall, and she noticed that it was gradually disappearing. She looked all over the wall but could not see the image anywhere. Meanwhile, she heard the sound of someone knocking at the front door. Kanika went to the door and opened it, only to see Swapneshwar standing on the doorstep. Seeing Kanika, Swapneshwar said, “I was supposed to stay in Calcutta for one and a half months, but as the job was finished in one month, I came home without delay.”

I am narrating what little information I have about yakśińiis. Formerly, some people used to perform yakśińii sádhaná according to the prescribed Tantric rituals. I do not know if people still do the same thing today. In the past there were no caste or communal barriers as far as these Tantric practices were concerned, nor are there any today.

The system of performing sádhaná on various deities is not exactly the same as this, but somewhat similar. Deities like shadowy figures also become visible through this practice. Although this sádhaná is different to some extent from the sádhaná of yakśińii siddhi, the psychology in both is the same. All the systems of Kálii siddhi, Durgá siddhi, d́ákinii siddhi, yakśińii siddhi, etc., are different in practice, yet they are similar theoretically. In case one wants to achieve the siddhi of various deities, one should acquire more mental purity than in the case of yakśińii siddhi, dákinii siddhi, yoginii siddhi, etc., because this subject concerns the psychic stratum. It is of elevated nature, but it has no relation whatsoever to the realm of genuine spirituality.

Once when I visited Allahabad, a certain gentleman came in contact with me. He told me that he had attained Kálii siddhi. I said to him, “Well, can you try to tell me something about your experiences? For instance, what do you see, what do you understand, etc.?”

He said, “I perform sádhaná according to such and such system. One day after sádhaná I saw a shadowy image of Kálii on the wall. Since then, whenever my mind gets concentrated, that image of Kálii produces some kind of vibration in my mind which enables me to understand what it wants to convey to me. Last night that image conveyed to me that you were coming to Allahabad today from Bihar and that you would stay here for a few days.”

I asked him, “Can you see the red mark on Kálii’s feet, her ankle bells, her iron bangles, the garland of skulls around her neck, the garland of fingers, etc.?”

He replied, “No, I do not see anything like that. All those things are mixed up in the shadow. The shadow itself is the combination of all those things.”

Then I asked him about yakśińii siddhi, and I also asked if he knew the difference between yakśińii siddhi and Kálii siddhi.

In the case of sádhaná for yakśińii siddhi, there is less devotional intensity due to lack of deep ideation. But during Kálii sádhaná there is a fair degree of devotion, and at the same time the psychic state is somewhat peaceful. Usually, people do not utilize Kálii shakti for destructive purposes, but of course there may be some Avidyá Tantrics who use their acquired power for malevolent deeds.

This type of siddhi of various deities is a kind of psychic achievement of a higher order, yet this has nothing to do with the spiritual world.

Uttamo Brahmasadbhávo madhyamá dhyánadhárańá;
Japastutih syádhadhamá múrtipújádhamádhamá.

[Ideation on Brahma is the best, dhyána and dhárańá are second best, repetitious incantation and eulogistic prayer are the worst, and idol worship is the worst of the worst.]

You may have heard that some people attain bhúta siddhi or preta siddhi (the ability to communicate with ghosts). This ability is greatly inferior to yakśińii siddhi. In olden days, some people would follow the practice of bhúta siddhi, usually to extend their influence or to do harm to others, and would perform many misdeeds. Today no one follows this practice; if some people do, they are very few.

Instances of people being possessed by ghosts, gods and goddesses, d́ákiniis, yoginiis, etc., are somewhat similar to this from the psychological perspective. You may have noticed that sometimes people look for those who are “possessed” by Manasá [snake goddess], Satii-Má [Mother Satii], etc., when they feel an immense desire to find answers to their questions. Others visit special places or localities to attain the exact answers to their problems.

Although these things are similar psychologically, they are somewhat different in practice. To treat various diseases by performing a special type of dhárańá [deep concentration] on various gods and goddesses, is nothing but the play of the conscious, subconscious and unconscious levels of the mind.⁽⁵⁾

If, due to the grace of Parama Puruśa, someone gets the chance to see a khamúrtti and asks that entity for success on the path of self-abnegation, then one may get such inspiration from that siddha devayoni (positive microvitum). One will merge one’s individual existence and spiritual flow into the Macrocosmic stance of Parama Puruśa and attain savisheśa or savikalpa samadhi, the state of partial absorption of mind; or, by merging in the supreme stance of Parama Puruśa, attain nirvisheśa or nirvikalpa samádhi, the state of complete absorption of mind. This is the summit of spiritual attainment. In the final stages of one’s spiritual journey, the entitative existence of the sádhaka is merged into Parama Puruśa.

Footnotes

(1) The contents of this chapter consists of elaboration on the words khamúrtti and khamúrttimán. The author’s discourse on that day entailed linguistic discussion of a number of Sanskrit terms; the discussion of each term became an entry in the author’s linguistic encyclopedia Shabda Cayaniká (“Collection of Words”). –Eds.

(2) Microvita are entities which come within the realms both of physicality and of psychic expression. They are smaller and subtler than physical atoms and sub-atomic particles, and in the psychic realm they may be subtler than ectoplasm (citta, or mind-stuff). –Eds.

(3) In those days hypnotism or sammohana vidyá was considered a part of Avidyá Tantra. The six “actions” considered part of Avidyá Tantra are márańa, vashiikarańa, uccát́ana, sammohana, shántikarma and stambhana.

(4) A yakśińii is not the same as a yakśa, which is one of the seven devayonis. –Eds.

(5) Etymology of khamúrttimán omitted here. –Eds.

Chapter 39	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

The word guhya⁽¹⁾ as commonly used means something mysterious, something concealed, something like a dreadful nightmare, some secret chant, some mystical occult power; or witchcraft. Or finally, it may indicate the five branches [exclusive to] Avidyá Tantra – márańa, vashiikarań, uccát́ana, sammohana and stambhana.

Avidyá Tantra has six branches in all; the sixth branch is called shántikarma, which is an element common to both Vidyá Tantra and Avidyá Tantra.

The six branches of Vidyá Tantra are: to awaken benevolent intellect, to awaken noble propensities, to arouse a sense of humility, to arouse a sense of dharma, to arouse a sense of self-surrender, and shántikarma [propitiatory rites for others’ welfare]. So as we see, shántikarma is an element common to both Vidyá and Avidyá.

The śat́karma [six actions] of Vidyá Tantra are applied in order to elevate human beings in the world of spirituality by goading them towards auspicious thoughts; whereas the śat́karma of Avidyá Tantra are applied in order to exploit human beings and utilize them for one’s own self interest.

The first action of Vidyá Tantra is the awakening of the benevolent intellect in human beings. Very often people are guided by the crude intellect. That is, they have intellect, but they cannot utilize it; or their intellect is not utilized in the practical sphere. Now if these people are trained to utilize their intellect in the practical sphere, they can prosper in life. This is how both human beings and animals can be guided along the respective paths of their own welfare.

The second action is the awakening of the nobler vrttis [propensities] in the human mind. There are approximately one thousand propensities in the human mind. They are controlled from a particular point in the guru cakra. That particular point is called the sahasrára cakra.

Not that the total number of propensities is exactly one thousand. But anyway, of the propensities, some are benevolent, some are malevolent, and some are neutral.

Some are neutral, as I said. For instance, if you inadvertently put your hand into fire, you quickly withdraw it; if thorns prick your foot, you quickly pull your foot back; when you see a snake in front of you, you take a quick jump; when you feel hungry you tell your mother to give you some food. Similarly you may feel sleepy, drowsy, etc. These are all neutral tendencies of mind. There is neither merit nor demerit in these psychic tendencies. Likewise, seeing, hearing, tasting, touching – these actions are also neutral in character, that is, neither good nor bad. Even in the most undeveloped protozoa, some of these instincts, if not all, are found to exist. The two recognized criteria of living beings – to multiply and to attempt to survive – are very prominent in undeveloped protozoa. These two are also neutral tendencies, above the domain of merits and demerits.

There are some other propensities which are definitely malevolent – for instance the eight fetters, the six enemies, harming others, tyrannizing over others without reason, profligacy, exploiting society, deliberately confusing and misguiding others, duping society with lofty words, falsehood, and hypocrisy. These are undeniably malevolent tendencies of mind.

And as regards the benevolent tendencies, they are compassion, love, sense of righteousness, service, helping others in distress, consoling the bereaved, arousing hope in frustrated hearts, etc. So the second action of Vidyá Tantra is to arouse the benevolent tendencies in the minds of human beings and of other microcosms.

The third action of Vidyá Tantra is the awakening of the sense of humility. Arrogance disturbs peace. If human beings develop modesty instead of arrogance it does no harm to anyone, and many undesirable situations can be prevented by thus avoiding arrogance. A modest person is respected and admired by others. Hence people should be taught to be modest starting at an early age. And even with those who have grown old, efforts should be made to rectify their arrogant nature. If such people are corrected, they too can learn modesty.

Vidyá dadáti vinayaḿ vinayádyáti pátratám;
Pátratat dhanamápnoti dhanáddharma tato sukham.

[A proper education leads to modesty, and through modesty one wins the respect of society.]

The fourth action is the awakening of the sense of dharma in human beings. The basic difference between human beings and other creatures is that human beings are capable of following dharma. This propensity of dharma is either dominant or dormant in human beings. A person in whom the propensity of dharma is very much alive should be encouraged to make vigorous efforts to augment it even more, so that the propensity of dharma becomes more and more manifest. One who is sleeping should be awakened. In the absence of the sense of dharma there is hardly any difference between humans and animals, rather the human without dharma goes one step lower than the animal.

Áhára-nidrá-bhaya-maethunaiṋca
Sámányametad pashubhirnaránám;
Dharmo hi teśám adhiko visheśah
Dharmena hiináh pashubhih samánáh.

[Food, sleep, fear, procreation – these are the common properties of humans and animals. But humans possess an especial dharma (Bhágavata Dharma), in the absence of which they are no better than animals.]

The fifth action of Vidyá Tantra is to arouse the sense of self-surrender. Human beings are microcosms, finite; whereas Parama Puruśa is the Macrocosm, the Infinite Entity. So if a finite microcosm throws down a challenge to the Infinite Macrocosm, it is simply ludicrous. If a tiny mouse wants to wrestle with a lion, the lion may or may not even be aware of the final outcome, but the poor mouse will know all about it. That is why starting from early childhood one should develop the habit of self-surrender to the Supreme Entity in all thoughts and actions. There is no greater happiness or peace or joy than in complete surrender to Parama Puruśa. The essence of the spirit of self-surrender is contained in the following shloka:

Tvameva mátá ca pitá tvameva
Tvameva bandhushca sakhá tvameva;
Tvameva vidyá dravińaḿ tvameva
Tvameva sarvaḿ mama Devadeva.

[Thou art my father and my mother, Thou art my friend and my eternal companion, Thou art my learning and my wealth, Thou art my everything, O Supreme Lord.]

Shántikarma, performing propitiatory rites, is the sixth action of Vidyá Tantra. If one’s predominant defects, caused by the influence of bad stars, are removed, then the suffering consequent upon those defects, and therefore also the legacy of the bad stars, can be avoided.

Now let us analyse the six actions of Avidyá Tantra.

1. One part of Avidyá Tantra is to kill or cause the death of someone through mantra or through some related technique or in some artificial way. This is called márańa. [Mára literally means “annihilation”.]
2. Bringing somebody under one’s control by means of a mantra or a dravyaguńa [some plant or other natural substance which projects psychic effects], or by wearing a squirrel’s tail like a ring on the little finger of the left hand and chanting the mantra hriiḿ kriiḿ klu, or by feeding that tail to a person in a chánci pán [a betel preparation], is known as vashiikarańa. But remember that this action must be accompanied by purashcarańa [raising the kuńd́alinii, the dormant force] as per Avidyá Tantric style. When under the influence of vashiikarańa, a person becomes completely controlled and behaves like a servant.
3. Cat́ana or cát́ana means one’s residence. When somebody is uprooted from his or her residence by means of a mantra or some mystic power or some dravyaguńa, the process is called uccát́ana. It is said that if a particular mantra is written on a brick in red ink and buried under the northeast corner of a house by a naked person on a rainy night, the owner of that house becomes uprooted within three days. This process may or may not fructify, but if it actually does the effect is disastrous. Keeping this fact in mind, I have deliberately refrained from giving the mantra in this book.
4. To get someone to do something by hypnotizing the person with light waves or by fixing one’s gaze on him or by breaking or overpowering his personality is called sammohana. In English this process is called hypnotism. The [European] physician Dr. Mesmer did some research on this method to find out if this process could be utilized for the benefit of the public; hence this process is also known as “mesmerism”.
5. Stopping the flow or movement of something is called stambhana. Stambha means “pillar”. Since any moving thing will be stopped when it hits a pillar, stopping the movement of something by means of a mantra and some dravyaguńa is called stambhana. By using some mantra and holding under the tongue a kánt́ánat́e root fitted into a silver ring (like a hub circled by its wheel), one can stop another person’s movement or action. Suppose someone is about to urinate. The flow of urine is stopped. In the science of áyurveda, the medical condition of constricted urination is known as mútrastambha [just as this Avidyá practice is known as mútrastambha]. Vákstambha [stopping the flow of another person’s voice] is a similar Avidyá Tantric practice. But the Avidyá Tantric should be cautious about trying to maintain the stambhana for a long time, because it requires him or her to remain in an abnormal condition [sometimes physiologically abnormal], which will eventually harm the person.
6. The shántikarma of Avidyá Tantra means to save someone from a danger or a disease by means of certain rituals, and then redirect that danger or disease towards another person: that is, to help one person to survive by killing another.

When the Kálacakrayána and Vajrayána Tantras of the Buddhist school of philosophy were popular in Bengal, these six actions of Avidyá Tantra were widely practised. But when the Kálacakrayána and Vajrayána vanished from Bengal, the six actions also fell out of use. And the six actions of Vidyá Tantra fell out of use simultaneously. It is good that the actions of both have been forgotten by people. What is desirable is that people move towards spiritual elevation along the paths of jiṋána, karma, and bhakti⁽²⁾ with a healthy and rational outlook.

The secret processes of Vidyá Tantra and Avidyá Tantra are called guhya vidyá. The motivation behind the practice of Avidyá Tantra is Máraya máraya náshaya náshaya uccát́aya uccát́aya mama shatruńám [“Kill my enemy, kill. Destroy my enemy, destroy. Uproot my enemy, uproot.”] This sort of mentality should not be allowed to develop in a person. This sort of prayer should also be avoided.

Footnotes

(1) The contents of this chapter consists of an elaboration on the word guhya. The author’s discourse on that day entailed linguistic discussion of a number of Sanskrit terms; the discussion of each term became an entry in the author’s linguistic encyclopedia Shabda Cayaniká (“Collection of Words”). –Eds.

(2) Forms of spiritual practice which emphasize, respectively, discrimination, selfless action, and devotion. –Eds.

	Discourses on Tantra Volume Two [a compilation]

ABHIMÁNA. Inflated ego.
ÁCÁRYA or ÁCÁRYÁ. Spiritual teacher qualified to teach all lessons of meditation.
ADHARMA. That which goes against DHARMA.
ÁGAMA AND NIGAMA. Nigama means questions on spiritual topics; or the theoretical side of TANTRA. Agama means answers to the questions; or the practical, applied, side of TANTRA.
AHAḾKÁRA. Pride.
AHAḾTATTVA. Doer “I”, ego, second mental subjectivity.
ÁNANDA. Divine bliss.
ANANDA MARGA. Path of divine bliss; Ananda Márga Pracáraka Saḿgha (Ananda Marga organization).
ÁSANA. The third limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. Ásanas: postures for curing physical problems, especially those that interfere with SÁDHANÁ.
ÁTMÁ, ÁTMAN. Soul, consciousness, PURUŚA, pure cognition. The átman of the Cosmos is PARAMÁTMAN, and that of the unit is the JIIVÁTMAN.
AVADHÚTA or AVADHÚTIKÁ. A monk or nun of an order close to the tradition of Shaeva Tantra. Literally, “one who is thoroughly cleansed mentally and spiritually”.
AVIDYÁ SHAKTI. Centrifugal, or extroversial, force; force of repulsion from the Nucleus Consciousness; aspect of the Cosmic Operative Principle which guides movements from the subtle to the crude. See also VIDYÁ SHAKTI.

BHAGAVÁN. Lord.
BHAKTI. Devotion.
BHAKTI YOGA. Devotional form of spiritual practice.
BHAVA. The expressed universe; that part of one’s SAḾSKÁRAs which carries one to the next life.
BHÁVA. Idea, ideation, mental flow.
BIIJA MANTRA. Acoustic root; particular sound vibration from which a particular type of action stems.
BRAHMA. Supreme Entity comprising both PURUŚA, or SHIVA, and PRAKRTI, or SHAKTI.
BRAHMA CAKRA. The Cosmic Cycle – the cycle of creation out of Consciousness, and dissolution back into Consciousness, through SAIṊCARA and PRATISAIṊCARA.
BRÁHMAŃA (BRAHMAN). The uppermost social group in India, who traditionally perform priestly functions or live by intellectual labour.

CAKRA. Cycle or circle; psycho-spiritual centre, or plexus. The cakras in the human body are all located along the suśumná canal which passes through the length of the spinal column and extends up to the crown of the head. Some cakras, however, are associated with external concentration points. The concentration points for the cakras: (1) for the múládhára cakra, the base of the spine, above the perineum; (2) for the svádhiśt́hána, the base of the genital organ; (3) for the mańipura, the navel; (4) for the anáhata, the mid-point of the chest; (5) for the vishuddha, the throat; (6) for the ájiṋá, between the eyebrows; and (7) for the sahasrára, the crown of the head.
CITTA. Done “I”, objective “I”, objective mind, mind-stuff.

DEVA. Mythologically, a god, a deity. Philosophically, any vibration, or expression, emanating from the Cosmic Nucleus.
DEVATÁ. Mythologically, a god or goddess. Philosophically, a minor expression of a DEVA, controlled and supervised by the deva. (Deva and devatá are sometimes used interchangeably.)
DEVII. A goddess, a female deity.
DHÁRAŃÁ. The sixth limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. Restricting the flow of mind to particular points in the body; conception. (Tattva Dhárańá means restricting the flow of mind to, or conception of, the fundamental factors.)
DHARMA. Characteristic property; spirituality; the path of righteousness in social affairs.
DHYÁNA. Seventh limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga; meditation in which the psyche is directed towards Consciousness.
DHYEYA. Object of meditation.

GAORAVA. Self-aggrandizement.
GUŃA. Binding factor or principle; attribute; quality. PRAKRTI, the Cosmic Operative Principle, is composed of: sattvaguńa, the sentient principle; rajoguńa, the mutative principle; and tamoguńa, the static principle.

IISHVARA. The Cosmic Controller; literally, “the Controller of all controllers”.
INDRIYA. One of the ten sensory and motor organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin; and hands, feet, vocal cord, genital organ and excretory organ). The eye indriya (for example) comprises the eye itself, the optical nerve, the fluid in the nerve, and the location in the brain at which the visual stimulus is transmitted to the ectoplasm, or mind-stuff.

JAPA. Repetition of mantra, incantation.
JIIVA. An individual being.
JIIVÁTMÁ, JIIVÁTMAN. See ÁTMÁ.
JIṊÁNA. Knowledge; understanding.
JIṊÁNA YOGA. A form of spiritual practice which aims at self-realization through the path of knowledge.
JIṊÁNII. A SÁDHAKA who follows the path of knowledge or discrimination.

KALÁ. Flow with curvature, in a stage of the Cosmic Cycle dominated by the mutative principle.
KAOLA. One who practises kula sádhaná and is adept at raising one’s own KUŃD́ALINII.
KÁPÁLIKA SÁDHANÁ. A form of spiritual practice which causes the aspirant to confront and overcome all the inherent fetters and enemies of the human mind.
KARMA. Action; sometimes, positive or negative action which produces SAḾSKÁRAs.
KARMA YOGA. A form of spiritual practice which aims at self-realization through the path of selfless action.
KIIRTANA. Collective singing of the name of the Lord, sometimes combined with a dance that expresses the spirit of surrender.
KŚATRIYA. The second-highest social group in India, who traditionally discharge military functions.
KUŃD́ALINII, KULAKUŃD́ALINII. Literally, “coiled serpentine”; sleeping divinity; the force dormant in the kula (lowest vertebra) of the body, which, when awakened, rises up the spinal column to develop all one’s spiritual potentialities.

MAHÁKAOLA. A Tantric guru who can raise not only His own KUŃD́ALINII, but those of others also.
MAHÁTTATTVA. “I” (“I am,” “I exist”) feeling, existential “I”. MANTRA. A sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation. A mantra is incantative, pulsative, and ideative.
MANTRA CAETANYA. The awakening of a mantra; conceptual understanding of and psychic association with a mantra.
MARGI. A member of ANANDA MARGA.
MÁYÁ. Creative Principle, i.e., PRAKRTI in Her phase of creation. One aspect of Máyá is the power to cause the illusion that the finite created objects are the ultimate truth.
MOKŚA. Spiritual emancipation, non-qualified liberation.
MUDRÁ. Meaningful gesture (an inseparable part of Oriental classical dance).
MUKTI. Spiritual liberation.
MUNI. A saintly person devoted to intellectual pursuits.

NÁRÁYAŃA. The Supreme Entity; literally, “the Lord of Nára (PRAKRTI)”.
NIGAMA. See ÁGAMA and NIGAMA.
NIRGUŃA BRAHMA. BRAHMA unaffected by the GUŃAS; Non-Qualified
Brahma.

OṊM, OṊḾKÁRA. The sound of the first vibration of creation; the biija mantra (acoustic root) of the expressed universe. Oṋḿkára literally means “the sound oṋm”.

PARAMA PURUŚA. Supreme Consciousness.
PARAMASHIVA. See PURUŚOTTAMA.
PARAMÁ PRAKRTI. Supreme Operative Principle.
PARAMÁTMÁ, PARAMÁTMAN. Supreme Consciousness in the role of witness of His own macropsychic conation. Paramátman comprises: (1) PURUŚOTTAMA, the Macrocosmic Nucleus; (2) Puruśottama’s association with all creation in His extroversive movement (prota yoga); and (3) Puruśottama’s association with each unit creation individually (ota yoga) and (4) with all collectively (prota yoga) in His introversive movement.
PARÁGATI. Supreme Desideratum, “where the journey of finite entities ends”.
PARIPRASHNA. A question on a spiritual topic.
PÁPA. Sin.
PÁPII. Sinner.
PRAKRTI. Cosmic Operative Principle.
PRATISAIṊCARA. In the Cosmic Cycle, the step-by-step introversion and subtilization of consciousness from the state of solid matter to the Nucleus Consciousness. (Prati means “counter” and saiṋcara means “movement”.)
PRATIŚT́HÁ. Social status.
PRÁŃÁYÁMA. The fourth limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga: process of controlling vital energy by controlling the breath.
PRATIIKA. Emblem.
PRATYÁHÁRA. Fifth limb of aśtáḿga (eight-limbed) yoga; withdrawing the mind from absorption in the physical senses.
PUŃYA. Virtue.
PURASHCARAŃA. Upward movement of the KULAKUŃD́ALINII from múládhára CAKRA to sahasrára cakra, including the phases of mantrágháta and MANTRA CAETANYA.
PURUŚA. Consciousness.
PURUŚOTTAMA or PARAMASHIVA. The Nucleus Consciousness, the witness of saiṋcara and PRATISAIṊCARA.

QUINQUELEMENTAL. Composed of the ethereal, aerial, luminous, liquid, and solid factors, or elements.

RAJOGUŃA. See GUŃAS.
RŚI. Sage; one who, by inventing new things, broadens the path of progress of human society.

SADÁSHIVA. SHIVA (literally, “Eternal Shiva”).
SAGUŃA BRAHMA. BRAHMA affected by the GUŃAS; Qualified Brahma.
SÁDHAKA. Spiritual practitioner.
SÁDHANÁ. Literally, “sustained effort”; spiritual practice; meditation.
SÁDHU. Virtuous person, spiritual aspirant. See also SÁDHAKA.
SAHASRÁRA. See CAKRA.
SAMÁDHI. “Absorption” of the unit mind into the Cosmic Mind (savikalpa samádhi) or into the Átman (nirvikalpa samádhi).
SAḾSKÁRA. Mental reactive momentum, potential mental reaction.
SANNYÁSII or SANNYÁSINII. A renunciate; literally, “one who has surrendered one’s everything to the Cosmic will” or “one who ensconces oneself in SAT, the Unchangeable Entity”.
SAT, SATYA, SATYAM. “That which undergoes no change”; Absolute Reality.
SATTVAGUŃA. See GUŃAS.
SHÁKTA. A follower of Sháktácára, the Shakti Cult; hence, any aspirant who embodies the characteristics of Sháktácára, especially the judicious application of power.
SHAKTI. PRAKRTI; energy; a deification of PRAKRTI.
SHAMBHÚLIUNGA. Fundamental positivity.
SHÁSTRA. Scripture.
SHIVA. A great Tantric guru of 5000 B.C. who guided society while His mind was absorbed in Consciousness; hence, Infinite Consciousness, PURUŚA.
SHLOKA. A Sanskrit couplet expressing one idea.
SIDDHA MANTRA. A mantra “perfected” by the guru.
SVABHÁVA. Characteristics, one’s own nature; nature.
SVAYAMBHÚLIUNGA. Ultimate point of negativity, or crudity, in the human body.

TAMOGUŃA. See GUŃAS.
TÁŃD́AVA. A vigorous dance for male spiritual aspirants, originally formulated by SHIVA. It develops the glands in a way that enhances courage and fearlessness. When Shiva Himself does this dance (Shiva Nát́arája), the dance becomes a metaphor in which Supreme Consciousness sends vibrations throughout the universe and causes all objects of the universe in turn to radiate vibrations.
TANMÁTRA. Literally, “minutest fraction of that,” i.e., of a given rudimental factor of matter. Also translated “generic essence” or “inferential wave”. The various types of tanmátra convey the senses of hearing, touch, form (vision), taste and smell.
TANTRA. A spiritual tradition which originated in India in prehistoric times and was first systematized by SHIVA. It emphasizes the development of human vigour, both through meditation and through confrontation of difficult external situations, to overcome all fears and weaknesses. Also, a scripture expounding that tradition.
TÁRAKA BRAHMA. Supreme Entity in Its liberating aspect.

VÁMÁCÁRA TANTRA. A school of Tantra that attempts to overcome MÁYÁ by fight, but without any clear goal.
VEDA. Literally, “knowledge”; hence, a composition imparting spiritual knowledge. Also, a religious or philosophical school which originated among the Aryans and was brought by them to India. It is based on the VEDAs and emphasizes the use of ritual to gain the intervention of the gods.
VIDYÁ SHAKTI. Centripetal, or introversial, force; force of attraction to the Nucleus Consciousness; aspect of the Cosmic Operative Principle which guides movements from the crude to the subtle. See also AVIDYÁ SHAKTI.
VIIRÁCÁRII. A follower of Viirácára Tantra; a Tantric who adopts a particularly “heroic” ideation while seeking to confront and overcome all mental weaknesses.
VRTTI. Mental propensity.