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”.