Yesterday I talked about the Puranic gods and goddesses. In this connection let me tell you one thing more. Various types of Puranic methods, such as nyása⁽¹⁾, práńáyáma, etc., have now become accepted in the Puranic mode of worship, but in fact these methods are of Tantric origin and not related to the Puranas. When doing práńáyáma one will have to concentrate one’s mind on a certain point. This is a Tantric method; when the mind is concentrated on a point it gets confined to a particular space. This method, confining the mind to a certain space, is called Yudhiśt́hira Vidyá in yoga shástra. That is, this was invented by the first Páńd́ava brother, Yudhiśt́hira.

However, I will have to say something more about the Puranic system of worship. There are many Puranic worship practices which people are inclined to believe to be very old; many believe that they are as ancient as the Vedas. But that is not the fact of the matter. None of the Puranic systems of worship, or Puranic rituals, is older than 1200 or 1300 years. All those systems of worship are post-Buddhistic, or developed somewhat prior to the period of Buddhist Tantra [which came one thousand years after Buddha himself], or developed, at the earliest, contemporaneously with Buddha.

Numerous Buddhist gods and goddesses later became accepted as Puranic gods and goddesses; for example, the Buddhist goddess Shiitalá became converted into a Puranic goddess because of the fear of smallpox and some of the Buddhist Tantric gods and goddesses also became converted into Puranic gods and goddesses. For instance, the Buddhist Tantric deity Tárá is now accepted as a Puranic deity; these days many Hindus accept Tárá Devii. You will find many persons with names such as Tárádás, Tárápada, etc. Similarly, the Hindu Tantric goddess Kálii has been accepted in Buddhist Tantra.

For these reasons I was saying that no Puranic ritual or mode of worship is older than 1200 or 1300 years. In the wake left by the collapse of Buddhism [in India], the Puranic religion or neo-Hindu religion emerged, and the Buddhist Tantric gods and goddesses became accommodated in the new religion.

A new religious movement called the Nátha Cult emerged during the period of transition from the Buddhist Era to the Puranic Era. Many gods and goddesses of the Nátha Cult can also be detected [in the Puranic religion], for instance Buŕo Shiva. In fact, most of the Puranic gods and goddesses receiving great reverence in our country are not older than five hundred or six hundred years. If any of them are 1200-1300 years old, that is indeed the maximum.

Some people believe that the worship of Durgá is something very old, but that is not true at all. This worship became popular during the Muslim period; that is, it is of quite recent origin.

The system of Durgá worship was in existence at the time when Krttivasa first composed the Bengali Rámáyańa. Since Durgá worship was a contemporary matter, Krttivasa mentioned the goddess Durgá in his Rámáyańa. For instance, he mentioned that Ramacandra worshipped the goddess Durgá with 108 lotus flowers. But in the original Sanskrit Rámáyańa, Valmiiki’s Rámáyańa, these stories are absent. The worship of Durgá was popular during the time of Krttivasa, and therefore he inserted the story into his Rámáyańa. But even in the Rámcaritmánasa composed by Tulasii Das, the story is conspicuously absent. Thus we can conclude that it was only created in the imagination of Krttivas. So the idea that the system of Durgá worship is quite old is entirely unfounded.

The system of worshipping the goddess Durgá was first introduced in Bengal by Kamsanarayana Ray, the king of Tahirpur of Rajsahi District [now in Bangladesh], during the Pathan period. King Kamsanarayana had a lot of wealth. He told the pandits, “I have so much wealth, I would like to hold the Rájasuya Sacrifice.” The pandits said, “O king, in Kali Yuga there is no system for holding the Rájasuya Sacrifice [a sacrifice done only by the most powerful kings]. But since you have so much money, you can celebrate the worship of the goddess Durgá in accordance with the instructions in the Márkańd́eya Puráńa.”

The story goes that Kamsanarayana Ray spent as much as 700,000 rupees for the worship of the goddess Durgá. 700,000 of the rupees of those days mean almost 70 million rupees today. It was a huge expense, and this sparked a competition among the other kings and landlords. The following year King Jagadvaballabh of Ektakia (his name was Jagat Narayana according to other sources) spent 850,000 rupees on the worship of the goddess. In this unhealthy process of competition, the worship of the goddess Durgá became an affair restricted only to the wealthy landlord households. Actually the display of wealth became the primary motive. There were gargantuan feasts, and a lot of pageantry. “I will feed multitudes of people, I will hold huge pageants.” The competition went on.

All kinds of landlord, big, small and medium, began to worship the goddess. This all happened during the period of Pathan rule [just before the Mughal Dynasty]. These are purely Puranic systems of worship, and the books considered authorities for this subject are only the Puranas. None of these books has anything to do with Tantra or Veda, except that they prescribe chanting some rks [couplets] from the Deviisukta [verse] of the Rgveda. Actually, the worship of the goddess Durgá has no direct relation to the Rgveda, except that incidentally the word “Haemavatii Umá” from the Deviisukta is quoted. [“Umá” is conceived of as another name for Durgá.]

So you see that the landlords began to worship the goddess with a lot of fanfare. The middle-class people did not have enough resources to organize such expensive religious worship. But perhaps you know that there is a certain place called Hukkipara in Hooghly District. Twelve persons from middle-class families in that Hukkipara village once decided to organize the pújá [worship] of the goddess Durgá collectively, because separately they did not have the resources to organize such worship. In Urdu a friend is called iyár. Since twelve friends [in Bengali “twelve” is báro] combinedly organized the pújá, it was called “Bároiyárii Pújá”. At that point in time this form of worship spread from the landlords down to the masses.

Caste distinctions continued to be observed in Bároiyárii Pújá, but toward the end of the British rule, people began to argue, “Since you are collecting subscriptions from all kinds of people, how can we believe in casteism? Let all people participate in this worship.” At that time this worship received a new name, “Sárvajaniin Pújá”. This Sárvajaniin Pújá is also bároiyárii, but caste distinctions are disregarded.

In Tantra there is some reference to Durgá, but to aśt́abhújá [an eight-armed one – ten-armed was more common]. In western India and northern India, similar aśt́abhújá stone and metal images are sometimes unearthed during excavation work. So the quarrel is whether the deity has eight or ten hands.

One of the characteristics of Tantra is this, that the different gods and goddesses originate from one idea or other. Those ideas were conceived in order to arouse and develop the finer sensibilities of the human mind. Thus a person conceived of a certain idea, and to make concrete that abstract idea, an image was invented. But such an idea, whether good or bad, is not an integral idea, it is a non-integral idea. If human beings try to give expression to one such idea out of many, that means that other ideas are excluded. In any case, this is how there arose the various gods and goddesses in Tantra, through a process of giving external form to abstract ideas.

In Sanskrit the term devatá is feminine. In this respect there is no fundamental difference between Buddhist and Hindu Tantra, although there is a difference in terminology. For instance, there are Buddhist Tantric goddesses called Máriici, Háritii, Vajrabaráhii, Báráhii, Vajrayoginii, Vajratárá and Bhánatárá. And then there are Kálii and the Dashamáhávidyá [ten goddesses known as the Ten Mahávidyás], all Hindu Tantric goddesses. These various gods and goddesses represent one idea or other. For instance, Anucchunyá Prakrti, the state of Prakrti at the stage prior to creation: that idea is represented by Kálii. But this is just a non-integral idea, not an integral one.

Meghavarńávigatavasaná,
Shavashivárúd́há shyámá trinayaná;
Narashirakhad́gavarábhayashobhaná,
Caturbhújá Kálii Kálikárúpińii.
Garvitádánavagarvakharvákrti khad́ga
Kharpará Niila Sarasvatii;
Sarvasaobhágyapradáyinii kartrii,
Namaste Tárárúpá tárińii.
Bálá ruńásamá-ujjvalauṋgábhá,
Caturbhújá trinayaná,
Tribhuvanamanolobhá pásháuṋkush-sharacápa-
Dhárińii Shivá, Śod́ashii rúpá Shiva bhávinii.
Hásyamukharitá nishákaravanditá,
Tribhuvana mauṋgalá Bhuvaneshvarii máta.
Raktotpaladhará kot́ibhánuninditá,
Bhaeravii varábhaya dáyinii.
Vivarńá vidhavá malinámbaradhará
Kákadhvajá Dhúmávatii shúrpakará;
Bagalámukhii piitavarńá piitámbará
Mudgara ari jihvá dhárińii.
Nijashirachinditá rudhirapánaratá
Digvásá ratiratá jano parisaḿsthitá;
Chinnamastá mátá d́akiniisamanvitá
Pravalapátakiikula ghátinii.
Mańimayásane shyámakalevará,
Mátauṋgiirúpadhará sudháḿshu shekhará;
Káiṋcanakántisudiiptá manohará
Kamalá harahrdivásinii.

With a particular idea in one’s mind, one experiences a particular state of existence in life, and accordingly one or another Mahávidyá has been thought up. For instance, Dhúmávatii is described as vivarńá [colourless], vidhavá [widowed], with sunken eyes and wizened face, wearing dirty, dishevelled clothing (malinámbaradhará). Crows hover over her head (kákadhvajá); in her hand she is holding a broken winnow (shúrpakará – from the Sanskrit shúrpa, the words suppa in Prákrta and sup in Bengali have come⁽²⁾). The entire description gives an idea of an impoverished deity, shorn of all glory and opulence.⁽³⁾ When people are shorn of everything, the idea of Dhúmávatii symbolizes that idea. Tantra holds out one or another idea of that type.

It is not proper to create images, ostensibly for religious worship, such as that. As ideas are very pleasing to the human mind, if we draw or paint a picture on any surface, it will give us aesthetic pleasure, but what is the benefit in worshipping such things? If you worship one idea, maybe you will have some control over that idea, but you will not have influence over other ideas. After all, one particular image is not Parama Puruśa, it is just one of His partial expressions.

Take for instance the case of Kálii. She is described as meghavarńá, black. Why the black colour? Because it was conceived that there was no creation at that time. At the time when this world had not been created, there was no colour, and want of colour is black; so the idea of want of colour is represented by Kálii. It is not possible to think of any other colour, because there was no other colour.

Then again Kálii is conceived of as vigatavasaná, having no clothes. Why no clothes? Because, is it possible to cover an all-pervading entity with clothes? Can we conceive of clothing the Infinite Entity? What does logic say about this? Therefore vigatavasaná. If the Infinite Entity is covered with clothes, can it be called infinite? Therefore vigatavasaná, but also digvásá:⁽⁴⁾ here metaphorically all the directions (dik) are Her clothes (vásá). She is further described as shavashivárúd́há. When Consciousness has not been metamorphosed into the different successive stages of manifestation, Shiva [Consciousness] is just like a dead body, because at that stage Shiva cannot do anything, there is no expression of consciousness. Only Paramá Prakrti is the creative entity. She carries on Her eternal dance of creation. She is also conceived as three-eyed (trinayaná), because she is witnessing all the phenomena of the past, present and future.

In fact there is no such thing as Kálii, it is just an idea. Two of the deity’s hands hold a human head and a sword (khad́ga). The other two are in varábhaya mudrá.⁽⁵⁾ She is wearing a garland around her neck, a garland dotted with forty-nine severed heads, each face representing one particular acoustic root, and one hand, as mentioned, is also holding a head. (I have already told you that in that Vedic period people did not know how to write. Script had not yet been invented.⁽⁶⁾ ) The fifty sounds from a to kśa [symbolized together as a málá, a garland] are called akśamálá – although the a of the akśamálá is in her hand. All the sounds are represented by faces – faces, not heads⁽⁷⁾ [as may appear at first sight].

Yata shońa karńaput́e sab-i máyer mantra bat́e. Kálii
paiṋcáshat varńamayii varńe varńe viráj kare.

[Whatever you hear with your ears are the mantras emanating from the Causal Matrix. Kálii is a combination of fifty letters; she is associated with all the letters.]

At the time when the universe had not been created, the sounds were already present, and all those sounds were merged in the dark void of MaháKálii [Supreme Operative Principle]. So Kálii, or Paramá Prakrti is holding them, though they are not expressed.⁽⁸⁾

In the poem Kálii is described as Narashirakhad́ga-varábhayashobhaná . Here khad́ga [sword] is a symbol of the fight against evil and sin, and abhaya means “fearlessness”. When we confront the illusions of creation and destruction, the Supreme Entity tells us, “Don’t be nervous, don’t be afraid, there will again be creation.” And what is vara? “I will again create.” And in her hand there is a container of nectar. So this is an excellent idea, but an idea is just an idea, it should not be worshipped. If people do so, they will be metamorphosed into that idea only; they can never attain the Supreme Goal.

All such Tantric ideations are very beautiful images of the different aspects of the Supreme Entity, and human beings start moulding clay statues depicting those ideas. So this Kálii, this Tárá, and all the Dashamahávidyá, are one or another mental ideation, born out of the human mind. The total expression of all these ideations is what is called the human psychic expression. If a follower of Tantra or Purana remains preoccupied with a particular idea, the total development of the mind will remain an impossibility. That’s why all these ideas of [this school of] Tantra should be rejected. The great mystic Ramprasad said,

Hrdipadma ut́hbe phut́e, maner áṋdhár yábe t́ut́e
Dharátale paŕbo lut́e, “Tárá” bale habo sárá.
Tyajiba sav bhedábhed, ghuce jábe maner khed,
Shatashata satya ved, “Tárá” ámár nirákárá.

[The lotus will bloom, the darkness of my mind will disappear, I shall roll on the earth⁽⁹⁾ with the holy name of Tárá on my lips. All sorts of distinction will be obliterated, all the afflictions of my mind will be totally removed; the scriptures are right when they declare that Tárá is formless.]

So if people concentrate their minds on a particular idea, their progress will remain a far cry away from total progress. So sádhakas must try to realize Parama Puruśa, and not any non-integral entity. There is no other way.

It is not that the concepts of different gods and goddesses are based on Tantric ideas alone. For instance, when people suffer terribly from various incurable diseases, they conveniently invent one deity Rakśá Kálii (that Kálii which protects one from disease). When society faces some problem, people worship Shmashána Kálii or Vámá Kálii, and so on. Here also you see that the people are creating deities depending on their own psychic ideation.

When the deity stands with the right foot forward, she is called “Dakśińá Kálii”; whereas the Kálii deity with her left foot forward is called “Vámá Kálii”. This much is the difference between the two deities. Then again there are other deities, such as Durgá, Navadurgá, etc. The system of worship of Navadurgá – she is worshipped through nine varieties of plant – is centered around Tantra, but the worship of Durgá in general does not originate in Tantra. The worship of Durgá originated in the Puranic tradition.

The nine kinds of plant having special qualities of their own are themselves treated as deities. They are repositories of power, but of partial nature. They are not as vast as the Supreme Entity. As they are conceived to be as powerful as the goddesses, they are worshipped. These nine plants are kadalii [plantain], kacu [arum], haridrá [turmeric], jayantii [sesbania], ashoka [sarica], bilva [bel-fruit], dád́imba [pomegranate], mán [alocasia], and dhánya [rice]. Before the actual worship of the goddess Durgá, these nine plants are bathed in pure water. A plantain tree is considered as kalábau, but it is not a kala [plantain] tree as the bau [wife] of somebody. And some think that kalábau means “wife of Gańesha”; but no, nothing like that exists.⁽¹⁰⁾ A plantain tree is taken as a symbol of Brahmáńii Shakti. So the presiding deity in plantain is called Brahmáńii. The presiding deity of arum (kacu) is Káliká. Likewise the presiding deity in turmeric is called Durgá. The presiding deity in jayantii is called Kárttikii; in ashoka is called Shokarohitá; in dád́imba, Raktadantiká; in bel-fruit, Shivá; in mán, Cámuńd́ii; and in rice, Mahálakśmii. The nine plants are worshipped as symbols of nine Tantric deities. For instance, the plantain tree, as mentioned represents Brahmáńii Shakti, the mythological mother of Gańesha (and not the wife of Gańesha, as commonly misunderstood by the masses). So you see, these are just small ideas and limited powers. No benefit will come from adopting these ideas.

Suppose a person meditates on turmeric; one will become turmeric. If one meditates on Gańesha, one will become Gańesha. Gańesha is dalapati; dalapati means gańapati [mass leader]. A kind of leader worship is still to be observed in many countries! So if you meditate on Gańesha, it means you want to become like Ganesha, you want to become a “leader” – but in fact you will develope a long trunk and a fat belly. People become like their objects of meditation.⁽¹¹⁾

I do not know whether Gańesha has any spiritual knowledge or scientific understanding, wisdom, spiritual quality or not. I know that he has some occult power, so if one meditates on him, one may or may not get some of his powers; but the problem is that if one meditates on Gańesha, one will have to meditate on his mount also – his mount being a mouse. Think what the consequences could be!

Each of the gods and goddesses has a particular mount, or vehicle. Had they been modern gods and goddesses, their vehicle would have been a jeep. But the ancient gods and goddesses had birds and animals as vehicles. Now if you meditate on these birds and animals, yádrshii bhávaná yasya siddhirbhavati tádrshii [As you think, so you become]. How dangerous it is! It is more dangerous for women. They generally like to remain well-dressed and well-decorated. But if they worship Lakśmii and if they become like an owl which is the mount of Lakśmii (because in meditating on Lakśmii you are meditating on owl also), then would it be good?

Suppose someone meditates on turmeric; they may imbibe the qualities of turmeric. Now turmeric does have one quality, it is an antidote to poison; and if you eat turmeric, it kills hookworms; but remember, there are innumerable varieties of medicinal plants, with so many qualities, in our universe. So you see, you are still not adopting the qualities of all those medicinal herbs. And suppose you do adopt all the qualities of all the herbs, there are still so many animals roaming around, and various animals have various qualities which might be great assets to human beings. You may have seen certain lizards that sit silently on the walls in a state of ambush for cockroaches. You will see that the lizard does not move even slightly for ten to fifteen minutes. Is not this patience and stillness a wonderful quality? Very few human beings have that quality. They cannot sit silently that long, they become restless. You do not have that quality, you cannot sit silently that long. Ants move in long columns, sheep also move in long columns; an ox stands in the middle of the road without the least motion. The vehicles and carriages have to pass by the standing ox.

How does the lizard or the ox do that? The secret is explained in yogic scriptures. These scriptures say that in our throats is the kúrma nád́ii [energy channel related to vocal cord]. If one’s mind is fixed on the kúrma nád́ii, one’s body becomes motionless. So the ox can remain standing on the road without the slightest movement. A lizard can do similarly. Oxen, crocodiles and many other animals and birds have this same faculty.

A chameleon (vahurúpii), by concentrating its mind on the úrdhva kúrma nád́ii above the kúrma nád́ii, can change the complexion of its body every moment. A chameleon (similar to a lizard) can take on the colour of the leaves of the tree on which it is perched.

Now, if one meditates on a particular animal or bird, one will imbibe the qualities of that animal. Similarly, each of the [Puranic] gods and goddesses has a particular quality of its own. Yes, one may acquire some quality, but one will never attain Parama Puruśa. Hence the only object of meditation of human beings should be Parama Puruśa. One can never attain the Macrocosmic vastness if one meditates on a limited idea, a finite entity. The Tantric gods and goddesses, whether we are speaking of Hindu Tantra or of Buddhist Tantra, have equally limited powers. Moreover, as each of the gods and goddesses has its own vehicle, and it is unscientific to meditate on that vehicle [because of the possibility that one will acquire the qualities of the vehicle along with those of the deity.], the Tantric gods and goddesses are not to be accepted as objects of meditation. And Tantra has also emphatically said,

Uttamo Brahmasadbhávo
Mahdyamá dhyána dhárańá;
Japastutih syádadhamá
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.]

It is also stated in Tantra that if a person wants only to attain limited progress, one may practise on certain limited ideas. But those who are genuine seekers of Brahma will never agree to worship any finite idea. Those who want the Supreme Entity will have to ideate on Parama Puruśa alone. People may attain limited achievement in terms of occult power through the grace of the gods and goddesses – whether belonging to Tantra or Purana – but they will remain far away from the attainment of the Supreme Entity.

Footnotes

(1) A kind of breath control in spiritual practice. –-Trans.

(2) [[This linguistic comment]] has been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Trans.

(3) The above poem goes on to describe, in similar fashion, the nine other Mahávidyás: Kálii, Tárá, Śod́ashii, Bhuvaneshvarii, Bhaeravii, Bagalámukhii, Mátaungii, Chinnamastá and Kamalá. –Trans.

(4) The foregoing clause has been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Trans.

(5) Vara mudrá is depicted not as an empty hand, but as a hand giving nectar. –Trans.

(6) But the alphabet was known orally. –Trans.

(7) The foregoing twenty words have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Trans.

(8) The foregoing sentence has been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Trans.

(9) As the kuńd́alinii of an aspirant rises, the previously-unexpressed spiritual qualities of the higher glands become expressed. Sometimes the nervous system is affected in such a way as to make certain “occult feelings” or “occult symptoms” appear in the physical body; they are experienced by the aspirant as pleasurable. There are eight basic types (e.g., stambha, or immobility, and kampa, or trembling), and thirteen associated feelings, one of which is viluńt́hana – rolling on the earth. –Trans.

(10) The foregoing two sentences have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Trans.

(11) The foregoing two sentences have been transcribed from the original tape for this edition and incorporated here. –Trans.