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.