Chapter One. Indian Religion As Bharata Dharma
A FRIEND of
mine who read the first edition of this book suggested that I
should
add to it an opening Chapter, stating the most general and
fundamental principles of the subject as a guide to the
understanding
of what follows, together with an outline of the latter in which
the
relation of the several parts should be shown. I have not at
present
the time, nor in the present book the space, to give effect to my
friend's wishes in the way I would have desired, but will not
altogether neglect them.
To
the Western, Indian Religion generally seems a "jungle" of
contradictory beliefs amidst which he is lost. Only those who have
understood its main principles can show them the path.
It
has been asserted that there is no such thing as Indian Religion,
though there are many Religions in India. This is not so. As I have
already pointed out
(Is
India Civilized?)
there
is a common Indian religion which I have called Bharata Dharma,
which
is an Aryan religion (Aryadharma) held by all Aryas whether
Brahmanic, Buddhist or Jaina. These are the three main divisions of
the Bharata Dharma. I exclude other religions in India, namely, the
Semitic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Not that all
these are purely Semitic. Christianity became in part Aryanized
when
it was adopted by the Western Aryans, as also happened with Islam
when accepted by such Eastern Aryans as the Persians and the
Aryanized peoples of India. Thus Sufism is either a form of Vedanta
or indebted to it.
The
general Indian Religion or Bharata Dharma holds that the world is
an
Order or Cosmos. It is not a Chaos of things and beings thrown
haphazard together, in which there is no binding relation or rule.
The world-order is Dharma, which is that by which the universe is
upheld (Dharyate). Without Dharma it would fall to pieces and
dissolve into nothingness. But this is not possible, for though
there
is Disorder (Adharma), it exists, and can exist only locally, for a
time, and in particular parts of the whole. Order however will and,
from the nature of things,
must
ultimately
assert itself. And this is the meaning of the saying that
Righteousness or Dharma prevails. This is in the nature of things,
for Dharma is not a law imposed from without by the Ukase of some
Celestial Czar. It is the nature of things; that which constitutes
them what they are (Svalakshana-dharanat Dharma). It is the
expression of their true being and can only cease to be, when they
themselves cease to be. Belief in righteousness is then in
something
not arbitrarily imposed from without by a Lawgiver, but belief in a
Principle of Reason which all men can recognize for themselves if
they will. Again Dharma is not only the law of each being but
necessarily also of the whole, and expresses the right relations of
each part to the whole. This whole is again harmonious, otherwise
it
would dissolve. The principle which holds it together as one mighty
organism is Dharma. The particular Dharma calls for such
recognition
and action in accordance therewith. Religion, therefore, which
etymologically means that which obliges or
binds
together,
is in its most fundamental sense the
recognition
that
the world is an Order, of which each man, being, and thing, is a
part, and to which each man stands in a definite, established
relation; together with
action
based
on, and consistent with, such recognition, and
in
harmony
with
the whole cosmic activity. Whilst therefore the religious man is he
who feels that he is
bound
in
varying ways to all being, the irreligious man is he who
egoistically
considers everything from the standpoint of his limited self and
its
interests, without regard for his fellows, or the world at large.
The
essentially irreligious character of such an attitude is shown by
the
fact that, if it were adopted by all, it would lead to the negation
of Cosmos, that is Chaos. Therefore all Religions are agreed in the
essentials of morality and hold that selfishness, in its widest
sense, is the root of all sin (Adharma). Morality is thus the true
nature of man. The general Dharma (Samanya Dharma) is the universal
law governing all, just as the particular Dharma (Vishesha Dharma)
varies with, and is peculiar to, each class of being. It follows
from
what is above stated that disharmony is suffering. This is an
obvious
fact. Wrong conduct is productive of ill, as right conduct is
productive of good. As a man sows, so he will reap. There is an
Immanent Justice. But these results, though they may appear at
once,
do not always do so. The fruit of no action is lost. It must,
according to the law of causality, which is a law of reason, bear
effect. If its author does not suffer for it here and now in the
present life, he will do so in some future one. Birth and death
mean
the creation and destruction of bodies. The spirits so embodied are
infinite in number and eternal. The material universe comes and
goes.
This in Brahmanism has been said (see
Sanatana
Vaidika Dharma
by
Bhagavan Das) to be "the Systole and Diastole of the one
Universal Heart, Itself at rest -- the moveless play of
Consciousness". The appearance and disappearance of the Universe
is the nature or Svabhava of That which it ultimately is. Its
immediate cause is Desire, which Buddhism calls Trishna -- or
Thirst,
that is desire or thirst for world-enjoyment in the universe of
form.
Action (Karma) is prompted by desire and breeds again desire. This
action may be good (Dharma) or bad (Adharma) leading to enjoyment
or
suffering. Each embodied soul (Jivatma) will be reborn and reborn
into the world until it is freed from all desire. This involves the
doctrine of Re-incarnation. These multiple births and deaths in the
transmigratory worlds are called Samsara or Wandering. The world is
a
Dvandva, that is, a composite of happiness and suffering. Happiness
of a transitory kind may be had therein by adherence to Dharma in
following Kama (desire) and Artha (the means) by which lawful
desires
may be given effect. These constitute what Brahmanism calls the
Trivarga of the Purushartha, or three aims of sentient being. But
just as desire leads to manifestation in form, so desirelessness
leads away from it. Those who reach this state seek Moksha or
Nirvana
(the fourth Purushartha), which is a state of Bliss beyond the
worlds
of changing forms. For there is a rest from suffering which Desire
(together with a natural tendency to pass its right limits) brings
upon men. They must, therefore, either live with desire in harmony
with the universal order, or if desireless, they may (for each is
master of his future) pass beyond the manifest and become That
which
is Moksha or Nirvana. Religion, and therefore true civilization,
consists in the upholding of Dharma as the individual and general
good, and the fostering of spiritual progress, so that, with
justice
to all beings, true happiness, which is the immediate and ultimate
end of all Humanity, and indeed of all being, may be
attained.
Anyone
who holds these beliefs follows the Bharata Dharma or common
principles of all Aryan beliefs. Thus as regards God we may either
deny His existence (Atheism) or affirm it (Theism) or say we have
no
sufficient proof one way or another (Agnosticism). It is possible
to
accept the concept of an eternal Law (Dharma) and its sanctions in
a
self-governed universe without belief in a personal Lord (Ishvara).
So Samkhya, which proceeds on intellectual proof only, doe not deny
God but holds that the being of a Lord is "not proved".
There
are then based on this common foundation three main religions,
Brahmanism, Buddhism and Jainism. Of the second, a great and
universal faith, it has been said that, with each fresh acquirement
of knowledge, it seems more difficult to separate it from the
Hinduism out of which it emerged and into which (in Northern
Buddhism) it relapsed. This is of course not to say that there are
no
differences between the two, but that they share in certain general
and common principles as their base. Brahmanism, of which the
Shakta
doctrine and practice is a particular form, accepts Veda as its
ultimate authority. By this, in its form as the four Vedas, is
revealed the doctrine of the Brahman, the "All-pervader,"
the infinite Substance which is in Itself (Svarupa) Consciousness
(Caitanya or Cit), from Which comes creation, maintenance and
withdrawal, commonly called destruction (though man, not God,
destroys), and Which in Its relation to the universe which the
Brahman controls is known as Ishvara, the Ruling Lord or Personal
God. Veda both as spiritual experience and the word "which is
heard" (Shruti) is the warrant for this. But Shruti, as the
ultimate authority, has received various interpretations and so we
find in Brahmanism, as in Christianity, differing schools and sects
adopting various interpretations of the Revealed Word. Veda says:
"All this (that is, the Universe) is Brahman." All are
agreed that Brahman or Spirit is relatively to us, Being (Sat),
Consciousness (Cit) and Bliss (Ananda). It is Saccidananda. But in
what sense is "This" (Idam) Brahman? The Monistic
interpretation (Advaitavada), as given for instance by the great
scholastic Shamkaracarya, is that there is a complete identity in
essence of both. There is one Spirit (Atma) with two aspects: as
transcendent supreme (Paramatma), and as immanent and embodied
(Jivatma). The two are at base one when we eliminate Avidya in the
form of mind and body. According to the qualified Monism
(Vishishtadvaita) of the great scholastic Ramanuja, "This"
is Brahman in the sense that it is the body of the Brahman, just as
we distinguish our body from our inner self. According to the
Dualists (Dvaitavada) the saying is interpreted in terms of
nearness
(Samipya) and likeness (Sadrishya) for, though God and man are
distinct, the former so pervades and is so inextricably involved in
the universe as creator and maintainer, that the latter, in this
sense, seems to be Brahman through proximity.
Then
again there is the Shuddhadvaita of that branch of the Agamas which
is called Shaivasiddhanta, the Vaishnava Pañcaratra doctrine, the
Advaita of the Kashmirian Shaiva-gama (Trika), the followers of
which, though Advaitins, have very subtly criticized Shamkara's
doctrine on several points. Difference of views upon this question
and that of the nature of Maya, which the world is said to be,
necessarily implies difference upon other matters of doctrine. Then
there are, with many resemblances, some differences in ritual
practice. Thus it comes about that Brahmanism includes many
divisions
of worshippers calling themselves by different names. There are
Smartas who are the present day representatives of the old Vaidik
doctrine and ritual practice, and on the other hand a number of
divisions of worshippers calling themselves Shaktas, Shaivas,
Vaishnavas and so forth with sub-divisions of these. It is not
possible to make hard and fast distinctions between the sects which
share much in common and have been influenced one by the other.
Indeed the universality of much of religious doctrine and practice
is
an established fact. What exists in India as elsewhere to-day has
in
other times and places been in varying degrees anticipated. "In
Religion," it has been said
(Gnostics
and 1heir Remains,
viii)
"there is no new thing. The same ideas are worked up over and
over again." In India as elsewhere, but particularly in India
where religious activity has been syncretistic rather than by way
of
supersession, there is much which is common to all sects and more
again which is common between particular groups of sects. These
latter are governed in general, that is, in their older forms, by
the
Agamas or Tantra-Shastras, which, at any rate to-day and for
centuries past (whatever may have been their origin), admit the
authority of the Vedas and recognize other Scriptures. (As to
these,
see the Introduction to the Kaulacarya Satyananda's Commentary on
the
Isha Upanishad which I have published.)
The
meaning of Veda is not commonly rightly understood. But this is a
vast subject which underlies all others, touching as it does the
seat
of all authority and knowledge into which I have not the space to
enter here. There are four main classes of Brahmanical Scripture,
namely, Veda or Shruti, Smriti, Purana, and Agama. There are also
four ages or Yugas the latter being a fraction of a Kalpa or Day of
Brahma of 4,320,000,000 years. This period is the life of an
universe, on the expiration of which all re-enters Brahman and
thereafter issues from it. A Mahayuga is composed of the Four Ages
called Satya, Treta, Dvapara, Kali, the first being the golden age
of
righteousness since when all has gradually declined physically,
morally, and spiritually. For each of the ages a suitable Shastra
is
given, for Satya or Krita the Vedas, for Treta the Smritishastra,
for
Dvapara the Puranas, and for Kaliyuga the Agama or Tantra Shastra.
So
the
Kularnava
Tantra
says:
Krite
shrutyukta acarastretayam smriti-sambhavah
Dvapare
tu puranoktah, kalavagamasammatah
(see
also
Mahanirvana
Tantra,
I --
28
et seq.)
and
the
Tara-pradipa
says
that in the Kaliyuga (the supposed present age) the Tantrika and
not
the Vaidika Dharma, in the sense of mode of life and ritual, is to
be
followed (see
Principles
of Tantra).
When
it is said that the Agama is the peculiar Scripture of the Kali
age,
this does not mean (at any rate to any particular division of its
followers) that something is presented which is opposed to Veda. It
is true however that, as between these followers, there is
sometimes
a conflict on the question whether a particular form of the Agama
is
unvedic (Avaidika) or not. The Agama, however, as a whole, purports
to be a presentment of the teaching of Veda, just as the Puranas
and
Smritis are. It is that presentment of Vaidik truth which is
suitable
for the Kali age. Indeed the Shakta followers of the Agama claim
that
its Tantras contain the very core of the Veda to which it is
described to bear the same relation as the Supreme Spirit
(Paramatma)
to the embodied spirit (Jivatma). In a similar way, in the seven
Tantrik Acaras (see Ch.
IV
post),
Kaulacara
is the controlling, informing life of the gross body called
Vedacara,
each of the Acaras, which follow the latter up to Kaulacara, being
more and more subtle sheaths. The Tantra Shastra is thus that
presentment of Vedantic truth which is modeled, as regards mode of
life and ritual, to meet the characteristics and infirmities of the
Kaliyuga. As men have no longer the capacity, longevity and moral
strength required to carry out the Vaidika Karmakanda (ritual
section), the Tantra Shastra prescribes a Sadhana of its own for
the
attainment of the common end of all Shastra, that is, a happy life
on
earth, Heaven thereafter, and at length Liberation. Religion is in
fact the true pursuit of happiness.
As
explained in the next and following Chapters, this Agama, which
governs according to its followers the Kali-yuga, is itself divided
into several schools or communities of worshippers. One of these
divisions is the Shakta. It is with Shakta doctrine and worship,
one
of the forms of Brahmanism, which is again a form of the general
Bharata Dharma, that this book deals.
The
Shakta is so called because he is a worshipper of Shakti (Power),
that is, God in Mother-form as the Supreme Power which creates,
sustains and withdraws the universe. His rule of life is
Shaktadharma, his doctrine of Shakti is Shaktivada or Shakta
Darshana. God is worshipped as the Great Mother because, in this
aspect, God is active, and produces, nourishes, and maintains all.
Theological Godhead is no more female than male or neuter. God is
Mother to the Sadhaka who worships Her Lotus Feet, the dust on
which
are millions of universes. The Power, or active aspect of the
immanent God, is thus called Shakti. In Her static transcendent
aspect the Mother or Shakti or Shivé is of the same nature as Shiva
or "the Good". That is, philosophically speaking, Shiva is
the unchanging Consciousness, and Shakti is its changing Power
appearing as mind and matter. Shiva-Shakti is therefore
Consciousness
and Its Power. This then is the doctrine of dual aspects of the one
Brahman acting through Its Trinity of Powers (Iccha, Will; Jñana,
Knowledge; Kriya, Action). In the static transcendent aspect
(Shiva)
the one Brahman does not change and in the kinetic immanent aspect
(Shivé or Shakti) It does. There is thus changelessness in change.
The individual or embodied Spirit (Jivatma) is one with the
transcendent spirit (Paramatma). The former is a part (Amsha) of
the
latter, and the enveloping mind and body are manifestations of
Supreme Power. Shakta Darshana is therefore a form of Monism
(Advaitavada). In creation an effect is produced without change in
the Producer. In creation the Power (Shakti) "goes forth"
(Prasharati) in a series of emanations or transformations, which
are
called, in the Shaiva and Shakta Tantras, the 36 Tattvas. These
mark
the various stages through which Shiva, the Supreme Consciousness,
as
Shakti, presents Itself as object to Itself as subject, the latter
at
first experiencing the former as part of the Self, and then through
the operations of Maya Shakti as different from the Self. This is
the
final stage in which every Self (Purusha) is mutually exclusive of
every other. Maya, which achieves this, is one of the Powers of the
Mother or Devi. The Will-to-become-many (
Bahu
syam prajayeya
) is
the creative impulse which not only creates but reproduces an
eternal
order. The Lord remembers the diversities latent in His own Maya
Shakti due to the previous Karmas of Jivas and allows them to
unfold
themselves by His volition. It is that Power by which infinite
formless Consciousness veils Itself to Itself and negates and
limits
Itself in order that it may experience Itself as Form.
This
Maya Shakti assumes the form of Prakriti Tattva, which is composed
of
three Gunas or Factors called Sattva, Rajas, Tamas. The function of
Prakriti is to veil, limit, or
finitize
pure
infinite formless Consciousness, so as to produce form, for without
such limitation there cannot be the appearance of form. These Gunas
work by mutual suppression. The function of Tamas is to veil
Consciousness, of Sattva to reveal it, and of Rajas the active
principle to make either Tamas suppress Sattva or Sattva suppress
Tamas. These Gunas are present in all particular existence, as in
the
general cause or Prakriti Shakti. Evolution means the increased
operation of Sattva Guna. Thus the mineral world is more subject to
Tamas than the rest. There is less Tamas and more Sattva in the
vegetable world. In the animal world Sattva is increased, and still
more so in man, who may rise through the cultivation of the Sattva
Guna to Pure Consciousness (Moksha) Itself. To use Western
parlance,
Consciousness more and more appears as forms evolve and rise to
man.
Consciousness does not in itself change, but its mental and
material
envelopes do, thus releasing and giving Consciousness more play. As
Pure Consciousness is Spirit, the release of It from the bonds of
matter means that Forms which issue from the Power of Spirit
(Shakti)
become more and more Sattvik. A truly Sattvik man is therefore a
spiritual man. The aim of Sadhana is therefore the cultivation of
the
Sattva Guna. Nature (Prakriti) is thus the Veil of Spirit as Tamas
Guna, the Revealer of Spirit as Sattva Guna, and the Activity
(Rajas
Guna) which makes either work. Thus the upward or revealing
movement
from the predominance of Tamas to that of Sattva represents the
spiritual progress of the embodied Spirit or Jivatma.
It
is the desire for the life of form which produces the universe.
This
desire exists in the collective Vasanas, held like all else, in
inchoate state in the Mother-Power, which passing from its own
(Svarupa) formless state gives effect to them. Upon the expiration
of
the vast length of time which constitutes a day of Brahma the whole
universe is withdrawn into the great Causal Womb (Yoni) which
produced it. The limited selves are withdrawn into it, and again,
when the creative throes are felt, are put forth from it, each
appearing in that form and state which its previous Karma had made
for it. Those who do good Karma but with desire and self-regard
(Sakama) go, on death, to Heaven and thereafter reap their reward
in
good future birth on earth -- for Heaven is also a transitory
state.
The bad are punished by evil births on earth and suffering in the
Hells which are also transitory. Those, however, who have rid
themselves of all self-regarding desire and work selflessly
(Nishkama
Karma) realize the Brahman nature which is Saccidananda. Such are
liberated, that is never appear again in the World of Form, which
is
the world of suffering, and enter into the infinite ocean of Bliss
Itself. This is Moksha or Mukti or Liberation. As it is freedom
from
the universe of form, it can only be attained through detachment
from
the world and desirelessness. For those who desire the world of
form
cannot be freed of it. Life, therefore, is a field in which man,
who
has gradually ascended through lower forms of mineral, vegetable
and
animal life, is given the opportunity of heaven-life and
Liberation.
The universe has a moral purpose, namely the affording to all
existence of a field wherein it may reap the fruit of its actions.
The forms of life are therefore the stairs (Sopana) on which man
mounts to the state of infinite, eternal, and formless Bliss. This
then is the origin and the end of man. He has made for himself his
own past and present condition and will make his future one. His
essential nature is free. If wise, he adopts the means (Sadhana)
which lead to lasting happiness, for that of the world is not to be
had by all, and even when attained is perishable and mixed with
suffering. This Sadhana consists of various means and disciplines
employed to produce purity of mind (Cittashuddhi), and devotion to,
and worship of, the Magna Mater of all. It is with these means that
the religious Tantra Shastras are mainly concerned. The Shakta
Tantra
Shastra contains a most elaborate and wonderful ritual, partly its
own, partly of Vaidik origin. To a ritualist it is of absorbing
interest.
Ritual
is an art, the art of religion. Art is the outward material
expression of ideas intellectually held and emotionally felt.
Ritual
art is concerned with the expression of those ideas and feelings
which are specifically called religious. It is a mode by which
religious truth is presented, and made intelligible in material
forms
and symbols to the mind. It appeals to all natures passionately
sensible of that Beauty in which, to some, God most manifests
Himself. But it is more than this. For it is the means by which the
mind is transformed and purified. In particular according to Indian
principles it is the instrument whereby the consciousness of the
worshipper (Sadhaka) is
shaped
in actual fact
into
forms of experience which embody the truths which Scripture
teaches.
The Shakta is thus taught that he is one with Shiva and His Power
or
Shakti. This is not a matter of mere argument. It is a matter for
experience. It is ritual and Yoga-practice which secure that
experience for him. How profound Indian ritual is, will be admitted
by those who have understood the general principles of all ritual
and
symbolism, and have studied it in its Indian form, with a knowledge
of the principles of which it is an expression. Those who speak of
"mummery," "gibberish" and "superstition"
betray both their incapacity and ignorance.
The
Agamas are not themselves treatises on Philosophy, though they
impliedly contain a particular theory of life. They are what is
called Sadhana Shastras, that is, practical Scriptures prescribing
the
means
by
which happiness, the quest of all mankind, may be attained. And as
lasting happiness is God, they teach how man by worship and by
practice of the disciplines prescribed, may attain a divine
experience. From incidental statements and the practices described
the philosophy is extracted.
The
speaker of the Tantras and the revealer of the Shakta Tantra is
Shiva
Himself or Shivé the Devi Herself. Now it is the first who teaches
and the second who listens (Agama). Now again the latter assumes
the
role of Guru and answers the questions of Shiva (Nigama). For the
two
are one. Sometimes there are other interlocutors. Thus one of the
Tantras is called Ishvarakartikeya-samvada, for there the Lord
addresses his son Kartikeya. The Tantra Shastra therefore claims to
be a Revelation, and of the same essential truths as those
contained
in the Eternal Veda which is an authority to itself
(Svatah-siddha).
Those who have had experience of the truths recorded in Shastra,
have
also proclaimed the
practical
means
whereby
their experience was gained. "Adopt those means" they say,
"and you will also have for yourself our experience." This
is the importance of Sadhana and all Sadhana Shastras. The Guru
says:
"Do as I tell you. Follow the method prescribed by Scripture.
Curb your desires. Attain a pure disposition, and thus only will
you
obtain that certainty, that experience which will render any
questionings unnecessary." The practical importance of the Agama
lies in its assumption of these principles and in the methods which
it enjoins for the attainment of that state in which the truth is
realized. The following Chapters shortly explain some of the main
features of both the philosophy and practice of the Shakta division
of the Agama. For their full development many volumes are
necessary.
What is here said is a mere sketch in a popular form of a vast
subject.
I
will conclude this Chapter with extracts from a Bengali letter
written to me shortly before his death, now many years ago, by
Pandit
Shiva-candra Vidyarnava, the Shakta author of the
Tantratattva
which
I have published under the title
Principles
of Tantra.
The
words in brackets are my own.
"At
the present time the general public are ignorant of the principles
of
the Tantra Shastra. The cause of this ignorance is the fact that
the
Tantra Shastra is a Sadhana Shastra,
the
greater part of which becomes intelligible only by Sadhana.
For
this reason the Shastra and its Teachers prohibit their general
promulgation. So long as the Shastra was learnt from Gurus only,
this
golden rule was of immense good. In course of time the old Sadhana
has become almost extinct, and along with it, the knowledge of the
deep and mighty principles of the Shastra is almost lost.
Nevertheless some faint shadowings of these principles (which can
be
thoroughly known by Sadhana only) have been put before the public
partly with the view to preserve Shastric knowledge from
destruction,
and partly for commercial reasons. When I commenced to write
Tantra-tattva some 25 years ago, Bengali society was in a perilous
state owing to the influx of other religions, want of faith and a
spirit of disputation. Shortly before this a number of English
books
had appeared on the Tantra Shastra which, whilst ignorant of
Dharma,
Sadhana and Siddhi contained some hideous and outrageous pictures
drawn by the Bengali historians and novelists ignorant of, and
unfaithful to, Shastric principles. The English books by English
writers contained merely a reflection of what English-educated
Bengalis of those days had written. Both are even to-day equally
ignorant of the Tantra Shastra. For this reason in writing
Tantratattva I could not go deeply into the subject as my heart
wished. I had to spend my time in removing thorns (objections and
charges) from the path by reasoning and argument. I could not
therefore deal in my book with most of the subjects which, when I
brought out the first volume, I promised to discuss. The Tantra
Shastra is broadly divided into three parts, namely Sadhana, Siddhi
(that which is gained by Sadhana) and Philosophy (Darshana). Unlike
other systems it is not narrow nor does it generate doubt by
setting
forth conflicting views. For its speaker is One and not many and He
is omniscient. The philosophy is however scattered throughout the
Tantrik treatises and is dealt with, as occasion arises, in
connection with Sadhana and Siddhi. Could (as I had suggested to
him)
such parts be collected and arranged, according to the principles
of
the subject-matter, they would form a vast system of philosophy
wonderful, divine, lasting, true, and carrying conviction to men.
As
a Philosophy it is at the head of all others. You have prayed to
Parameshvara (God) for my long life, and my desire to carry out my
project makes me also pray for it. But the state of my body makes
me
doubt whether the prayer will be granted. By the grace therefore of
the Mother the sooner the work is done the better. You say 'that
those who worship Parameshvara, He makes of one family. Let
therefore
all distinctions be put aside for all Sadhakas are, as such, one.'
This noble principle is the final word of all Shastras, all
communities, and all religions. All distinctions which arise from
differences in the physical body are distinctions for the human
world
only. They have no place in the world of worship of Parameshvara.
The
more therefore that we shall approach Him the more will the
differences between you and me vanish. It is because both of us
pray
for the removal of all such differences, that I am led to rely on
your encouragement and help and am bold to take up on your
encouragement and help and am bold to take up this difficult and
daring work. If by your grace the gate of this Tantrik philosophy
is
opened in the third part of Tantra-tattva I dare to say that the
learned in all countries will gaze, and be astonished for it is
pure
truth, and for this reason I shall be able to place it before them
with perfect clearness."
Unfortunately
this project of a third part of the Tantra-tattva could not be
carried out owing to the lamented death of its author, which
followed
not long after the receipt of this letter. Naturally, like all
believers throughout the whole world, he claimed for his Scripture
the possession in all its details of what was true or good. Whilst
others may not concede this, I think that those with knowledge and
understanding and free from prejudice will allow that it contains a
profoundly conceived doctrine, wonderfully worked out in practice.
Some of its ideas and principles are shared (through it be under
other names and forms) by all religious men, and others either by
all
or some Indian communities, who are not Shaktas. Leaving therefore
for the moment aside what may be said to be peculiar to itself it
cannot be that wholly absurd, repulsive, and infamous system
("lust,
mummery and magic" as Brian Hodgson called it) which it has been
said to be. An impartial criticism may be summed up in the few
words
that, together with what has value, it contains some practices
which
are not generally approved and which have led to abuse. As to these
the reader is referred to the Chapter on the Pañcatattva or Secret
Ritual.
I
conclude with a translation of an article in Bengali by a
well-known
writer, (P. Bandyopadhyaya, in the
Sahitya,
Shrubby
1320, Calcutta, July-August 1913). It was evoked by the publication
of Arthur Abalone's Translation of, and Introduction to,
the
Mahanirvana
Tantra.
It is
an interesting statement as regards the Shakta Tantra and Bengali
views thereon. Omitting here some commendatory statements touching
A.
Avalon's work and the writer's "thanks a hundred times" for
the English version, the article continues as follows:
"At
one time the
Mahanirvana
Tantra
had
some popularity in Bengal. It was printed and published under the
editorship of Pandit Ananda-candra Vedanta-vagisha and issued from
the Adi-Brahmo-Samaj Press. Raja Ram Mohan Roy himself was a
follower
of the Tantras, married after the Shaiva form and used to practice
the Tantrik worship. His spiritual preceptor Svami Hariharananda,
was
well known to be a saint who had attained to perfection
(Siddha-purusa). He endeavored to establish the
Mahanirvana
Tantra
as the
Scripture of the Brahmo-Samaj. The formula and the forms of the
Brahmo Church are borrowed from the initiation in Brahman worship,
(Brahma-diksha) in this Tantra. The later Brahmos somewhat losing
their selves in their spirit of imitation of Christian rituals were
led to abandon the path shown to them by Raja Ram Mohan; but yet
even
now many among them recite the Hymn to the Brahman which occurs in
the
Mahanirvana
Tantra.
In the
first era of the excessive dissemination of English culture and
training Bengal resounded with opprobrious criticisms of the
Tantras.
No one among the educated in Bengal could praise them. Even those
who
called themselves Hindus were unable outwardly to support the
Tantrik
doctrines. But even then there were very great Tantrik Sadhakas and
men learned in the Tantras with whose help the principles of the
Tantras might have been explained to the public. But the educated
Bengali of the age was bewitched by the Christian culture, and no
one
cared to inquire what did or did not exist in their paternal
heritage; the more especially that any who attempted to study the
Tantras ran the risk of exposing themselves to contumely from the
'educated community'. Maharaja Sir Jatindra Mohan Tagore of sacred
name alone published two or three works with the help of the
venerable Pandit Jaganmohan Tarkalankara. The Hara-tattva-didhiti
associated with the name of his father is even now acknowledged to
be
a marvelously glorious production of the genius of the Pandits of
Bengal. The venerable (Vriddha) Pandit Jaganmohan also published a
commentary on the
Mahanirvana
Tantra.
Even
at that epoch such study of the Tantras was confined to a certain
section of the educated in Bengal. Maharaja Sir Jatindra Mohan
alone
endeavored to understand and appreciate men like Bama Khepa (mad
Bama), the Naked Father (Nengta Baba) of Kadda and Svami Sadananda.
The educated community of Bengal had only neglect and contempt for
Sadhakas like Bishe Pagla (the mad Bishe) and Binu the Candala
woman.
Bengal is even now governed by the Tantra; even now the Hindus of
Bengal receive Tantrik initiation. But the glory and the honor
which
the Tantra had and received in the time of Maharajas Krishna-candra
and Shiva-candra no longer exist. This is the reason why the
Tantrik
Sadhakas of Bengal are not so well known at present. It seems as if
the World-Mother has again willed it, has again desired to manifest
Her power, so that Arthur Avalon is studying the Tantras and has
published so beautiful a version of the
Mahanirvana.
The
English educated Bengali will now, we may hope, turn his attention
to
the Tantra.
"The
special virtue of the Tantra lies in its mode of Sadhana. It is
neither mere worship (Upasana) nor prayer. It is not lamenting or
contrition or repentance before the Deity. It is the Sadhana which
is
the union of Purusha and Prakriti; the Sadhana which joins the Male
Principle and the Mother Element within the body, and strives to
make
the attributed attributeless. That which is in me and that for
which
I am (this consciousness is ever present in me) is spread, like
butter in milk, throughout the created world of moving and unmoving
things, through the gross and the subtle, the conscious and
unconscious, through all. It is the object of Tantrik Sadhana to
merge that self-principle (Svarat) into the Universal (Virat). This
Sadhana is to be performed through the awakening of the forces
within
the body. A man is
Siddha
in
this Sadhana when he is able to awaken Kundalini and pierce the six
Cakras. This is not mere 'philosophy' a mere attempt to ponder upon
husks of words, but something which is to be done in a thoroughly
practical manner. The Tantras say -- 'Begin practicing under the
guidance of a good Guru; if you do not obtain favorable results
immediately, you can freely give it up.' No other religion dares to
give so bold a challenge. We believe that the Sadhana of the
Moslems
and the 'esoteric religion' or secret Sadhana (and rituals) of the
Christians of the Roman Catholic and Greek Churches is based on
this
ground work of the Tantras.
"Wherever
there is Sadhana we believe that there is the system of the Tantra.
While treating of the Tantras some time back in the
Sahitya,
I
hinted at this conclusion and I cannot say that the author, Arthur
Avalon, has not noticed it too. For he has expressed his surprise
at
the similarity which exists between the Roman Catholic and the
Tantrik mode of Sadhana. The Tantra has made the Yoga-system of
Patañjali easily practicable and has combined with it the Tantrik
rituals and the ceremonial observances (Karma-kanda); that is the
reason why the Tantrik system of Sadhana has been adopted by all
the
religious sects of India. If this theory of the antiquarians, that
the Tantra was brought into India from Chaldea or Shakadvipa be
correct, then it may also be inferred that the Tantra passed from
Chaldea to Europe. The Tantra is to be found in all the strata of
Buddhism; the Tantrik Sadhana is manifest in Confucianism; and
Shintoism is but another name of the Tantrik cult. Many historians
acknowledge that the worship of Shakti or Tantrik Sadhana which was
prevalent in Egypt from ancient times spread into Phoenicia and
Greece. Consequently we may suppose that the influence of the
Tantra
was felt in primitive Christianity.
"The
Tantra contains nothing like idolatry or 'worship of the doll'
which
we, taking the cue from the Christian missionaries, nowadays call
it.
This truth, the author, Arthur Avalon, has made very clear in the
Introduction to his translation. The Tantra repeatedly says that
one
is to adore the Deity by becoming a Deity (Devata) himself. The
Ishta-devata is the very self of Atman, and not separate from It;
He
is the receptacle of all, yet He is not contained in anything, for
He
is the great witness, the eternal Purusha. The true Tantrik worship
is the worship in and by the mind. The less subtle form of Tantrik
worship is that of the Yantra. Form is born of the Yantra. The form
is made manifest by Japa, and awakened by Mantra-Shakti. Tens of
millions of beautiful forms of the Mother bloom forth in the
heavens
of the heart of the Siddhapurusha. Devotees or aspirants of a lower
order of competency (Nimna-adhikari) under the directions of the
Guru
adore the great Maya by making manifest'. (to themselves) one of
Her
various forms which can be only seen by Dhyana (meditation). That
is
not mere worship of the idol! if it were so, the image would not be
thrown into the water; no one in that case would be so irreverent
as
to sink the earthen image of the Goddess in the water. The
Primordial
Shakti is to be awakened by Bhava, by Dhyana, by Japa and by the
piercing of the six Cakras. She is all will. No one can say when
and
how She shows Herself and to what Sadhaka. We only know that She
is,
and there are Her names and forms. Wonderfully transcending is Her
form -- far beyond the reach of word or
thought.
This has made the Bengali Bhakta sing this
plaintive
song --
'Hard
indeed is it to approach the sea of forms, and to
bathe
in it.
Ah
me, this my coming is perhaps in vain?'
"The
Tantra deals with another special subject --
Mantra-Shakti.
It is no exaggeration to say that we have never heard even from any
Bengali Pandit such a clear exposition of Mantra-Shakti as that
which
the author, Arthur Avalon, has given in his Introduction to
the
Mahanirvana
Tantra.
We had
thought that Mantra-Shakti was a thing to be felt and not to be
explained to others. But the author with the force of his genius
has
in his simple exposition given us such explanation of it as is
possible in the English language. The Tantras say that the soul in
the body is the very self of the letters -- of the Dhvani (sound).
The Mother, the embodiment of the fifty letters (Varna), is present
in the various letters in the different Cakras. Like the melody
which
issues when the chords of a lute are struck, the Mother who moves
in
the six Cakras and who is the very self of the letters awakens with
a
burst of harmony when the chords of the letters (Varnas) are struck
in their order; and Siddhi becomes as easy of attainment to the
Sadhaka as the Amalaka fruit in one's hand when She is roused. That
is why the great Sadhaka Ramaprasad awakened the Mother by the
invocation -- 'AriseO Mother (Jagrihi, janani)'. That is the reason
why the Bhakta sang --
'How
long wilt thou sleep in the Muladhara,O Mother
Kulakundalini?'
"The
Bodhana (awakening) ceremony in the Durga Puja is nothing but the
awakening of the Shakti of the Mother, the mere rousing of the
consciousness of the Kundalini. This awakening is performed by
Mantra-Shakti. The Mantra is nothing but the harmonious sound of
the
lute of the body. When the symphony is perfect, She who embodies
the
Worlds (Jaganmayi) rouses Herself. When She is awake it does not
take
long before the union of Shiva and Shakti takes place. Do Japa
once;
do Japa according to rule looking up to the Guru, and the effects
of
Japa of which we hear in the Tantra will prove to be true at every
step. Then you will understand that the Tantra is not mere
trickery,
or a false weaving out of words. What is wanted is the good Guru;
Mantra capable of granting Siddhi, and application (Sadhana).
Arthur
Avalon has grasped the meaning of the principles of Mantra which
are
so difficult to understand. We may certainly say that he could only
make this impossible thing possible through inherent tendencies
(Samskara) acquired in his previous life.
"The
Tantra accepts the doctrine of rebirth. It does not, however,
acknowledge it as a mere matter of argument or reasoning but like a
geographical map it makes clear the unending chain of existences of
the Sadhaka. The Tantra has two divisions, the Dharma of Society
(Samaja) and the Dharma of Spiritual Culture (Sadhana). According
to
the regulation of Samaja-Dharma it acknowledges birth and caste.
But
in Sadhana-Dharma there is no caste distinction, no Brahmana or
Shudra, no man or woman; distinction between high and low follows
success in Sadhana and Siddhi. We only find the question of fitness
or worthiness (Adhikara-tattva) in the Tantra. This fitness
(Adhikara) is discovered with reference to the Samskaras of past
existences; that is why the Candala Purnananda is a Brahmana, and
Kripasiddha the Sadhaka is equal to Sarvananda; that is why
Ramaprasada of the Vaidya caste is fit to be honored even by
Brahmanas. The Tantra is to be studied with the aid of the
teachings
of the Guru; for its language is extraordinary, and its exposition
impossible with a mere grammatical knowledge of roots and
inflections. The Tantra is only a system of Shakti-Sadhana. There
are
rules in it whereby we may draw Shakti from all created things.
There
is nothing to be accepted or rejected in it. Whatever is helpful
for
Sadhana is acceptable. This Sadhana is decided according to the
fitness of the particular person (Adhikari-anusare). He must follow
that for which he is fit or worthy. Shakti pervades all and
embraces
all beings and all things, the inanimate and the moving, beasts and
birds, men and women. The unfolding of the Power (Shakti) enclosed
within the body of the animal (Jiva) as well as the man is brought
about only with the help of the tendencies within the body. The
mode
of Sadhana is ascertained with regard to these tendencies. The very
meaning of Sadhana is unfolding, rousing up or awakening of Power
(Shakti). Thus the Shakta obtains power from all actions in the
world. The Sadhana. of the Tantra is not to be measured by the
little
measuring-yard of the well-being or ill-being of your community or
mine.
"Let
you understand and I understand,O my mind --
Whether
any one else understands it or not."
The
author, Arthur Avalon, is fully conscious of this. In spite of it,
he
has tried to explain almost all points making them easy to
comprehend
for the intellect of materialistic civilized society of to-day. For
this attempt on his part we are grateful to him.
"The
Tantra has no notion of some separate far-seeing God. It preaches
no
such doctrine in it as that God the Creator rules the Universe from
heaven. In the eye of the Tantra the body of the Sadhaka is the
Universe, the
auto-kratos
(Atma-Shakti)
within the body is the desired (Ishta) and the "to be sought
for" (Sadhya), Deity (Devata) of the Sadhaka. The unfolding of
this self-power is to be brought about by self-realization
(Atma-darshana) which is to be achieved through Sadhana. Whoever
realizes his self attains to Liberation (Mukti). The author, Arthur
Avalon, has treated of these matters (Siddhanta) in his work,
the
Tantra-tattva.
Many
of the topics dealt with in the
Mahanirvana
Tantra
will
not be fully understood without a thorough perusal of the book. The
Principles of the Tantra must be lectured on to the Bengali afresh.
If the
Mahanirvana
Tantra
as
translated by Arthur Avalon is spread abroad, if the Bengali is
once
more desirous to hear, that attempt might well be
undertaken.
"Our
land of Bengal used to be ruled by Tantrik works such as the
Saradatilaka, Shaktanandatarangini, Pranatoshini, Tantrasara, etc.
Then the Mahanirvana Tantra did not have so great an influence. It
seems to us that, considering the form into which, as a result of
English education and culture, the mind of the Bengali has been
shaped, the Mahanirvana is a proper Tantra for the time. Raja Ram
Mohan Roy endeavored to encourage regard for the
Mahanirvana
Tantra
because
he understood this. If the English translation of the
Mahanirvana
Tantra
by
Arthur Avalon is well received by the thoughtful public in Bengal,
the study of the original Sanskrit work may gradually come into
vogue. This much hope we may entertain. In fact, the
English-educated
Bengali community is without religion (Dharma) or action (Karma),
and
is devoid of the sense of nationality (Jatiya Dharma) and caste.
The
Mahanirvana
Tantra
alone
is fit for the country and the race at the present time. We believe
that probably because such an impossibility is going to be
possible,
a cultured, influential, rich Englishman like Arthur Avalon,
honored
of the rulers, has translated and published the
Mahanirvana
Tantra.
When
his
Tantratattva
is
published we shall be able to speak out much more. For the present
we
ask the educated people of Bengal to read this most
unprecedented
Mahanirvana
Tantra.
Arthur
Avalon has not spoken a single word to satisfy himself nor tried to
explain things according to his own imagination. He has only given
what are true inferences according to the principles of Shastric
reasoning. An auspicious opportunity for the English-knowing public
to understand the Tantra has arrived. It is a counsel of the Tantra
itself, that if you desire to renounce anything, renounce it only
after a thorough acquaintance with it; if you desire to embrace
anything new, accept it only after a searching inquiry. The Tantra
embodies the old religion (Dharma) of Bengal; even if it is to be
cast away for good, that ought only to be done after it has been
fully known. In the present case a thoughtful and educated
Englishman
of high position has taken it upon himself to give us a full
introduction to the Tantra. We can frankly say that in this
Introduction he has not tried a jot to shirk or to gloss over the
conclusions of the Shastra, with the vanity of explanation born of
his imagination. He has endeavored to bring before the mind of his
readers whatever actually is in the Tantra, be it regarded as
either
good or evil. Will not the Bengali receive with welcome such a full
offering (Arghya) made by a Bhakta from a foreign land?"