Tantra Its Mystic and Scientific Basis

Citation preview

TANTRA ITS MYSTIC AND SCIENTIFIC BASIS

LALAN PRASAD SINGH M.A., D.Litt.

01 CONCEPT PUBLISHING COMPANY DELHI

First Published

©

Lalan Prasad Singh

Lalan Prasad Singh

1976 1975 1936-

Published by:

Naurang Rai Concept Publishing Company 65 F, Anand Nagar DELHI-110035 (India) Printed at:

Pioneer Fine Art Press Df.LHI-110006 (India)

To the Sweet Memory of My Mother and Father

FOREWORD Philosophy in India has never been considered a purely theo retical exercise. The very word Dar�ana implies seeing or experiencing. Ultimately, all philoso phy in India has been judged by the yardstick of spiritual realization rather than in terms of neat intellectual syllogisms or a barren rationalism.

The entire thrust of

philosophical and mystical literature in India has been towards providing the seeker after truth with a direct, intuitive and definitive contact with the Reality that per­ vades all existence.

As Samkara says, not all the rules of grammar and prosody

will help one to cross the dark barrier of death, nor all the fasts and pilgrimages in the world ensure that overwhelming contact with the Divine from which, as the �gveda has it, words fall back along with the mind, unable to comprehend. The Indian tradition has a vast treasure of spiritual literature based upon the practice and realization of countless generations of sages and seers stretching back unbroken over many millenia to the very dawn of our civilization.

In this

great heritage, the Tantra tradition represents a particularly brilliant and e vocative strand.

Based as it is upon psycho-physical endeavour aimed at expanding the

human consciouness so that it can comprehend vibrant realms hitherto entirely beyond its ambit, the Tantra represents a powerful and impressive corpus of know­ ledge to which not sufficient attention has been paid by students of Indian philoso­ phy.

Despite the pioneering work done by Sir John Woodroffe , the whole science

of Tantra remains the subject of general ignorance or, at best, misconception. Indeed, in the present age when theoretical philosophy is rapidly losing such appe al that it had over the minds of men, Tantra represents a vigorous and virile approach to suprarational experience which should evoke widespread interest in India and abroad. Based as it is upon the twin Shiva- Shakti concept, the union of which alone can bring about spiritual transformation, the Tantra lays special emphasis upon a system of carefully disciplined and deeply meaningful practice directed

towards

arousing the 'Kur:u;lalini', the mysterious 'serpent power', which represents and symbolizes the dynamic aspect of cosmic becoming.

Whether one practices Tantra

or not, a knowledge of its principles and application is essential for a full under­ standing of the rich and varied Indian spiritual tradition.

I have looked through Lalan Prasad Singh's work on Tantra with interest, and commend it as a useful addition to the literature on this fascinating and many­ splendoured science. Karan Singh New Delhi

15.1.1973

P R EFACE Tantra, till today, is regarded as a system of black magic. fore, it still remains a neglected branch of study.

Perhaps, there­

That Tantra has a rich spiritual

heritage and a developed form of cultural history, and is rich in literature and sub­ lime in philosophy has remained a fact only. deserves.

It has not received the attention it

The large stock of its literature is still in manuscript form.

But thanks

to Sir John Woodroffe for his enormous endeavour to show that the Tantric cult and culture are neither magic nor an immoral practice. The Sadhana of Paficamakara (Five M's) has created many misgivings about Further

Tantra which is full of symbolism.

the esoteric and deeper meaning of the mystic symbolism of Tantra

cannot be understood without one's initiation into its science. To a layman mantra is a nonsensical syllable and the Five M's are morbid forms of a sexo-yogic process. But, for the initiates, mantra is full of mystic power and the Five M's are esoteric symbols Sadhana of which brings liberation from the fetters of the world. Tantra Sadhana cuts asunder the trammels of Maya and gives occult power taking man to the higher realm of mystic experience. Tantra is known as Agama Sastra.

The Sivadvaita school of Tantra philo­

sophy is a unique contribution of India to the speculative mataphysics.

In Tantra,

Advaita means the eternal coexistence of Siva and Sakti which constitute the Abso­ lute of Tantra philosophy.

Siva is transcendental and Sakti the immanent aspect

of the Absolute. The KuQQalini, Mantra and Yantra are the three mystic principles of Tantra Sadhana.

Reality is open only

to mystic experience.

The incomprehensible

certainty of the Absolute cannot be explained by any grammar of metaphysics. The mystic experience of Tantra Sadhana is vivid, direct and integral.

In the intuitive

experience, the yogi feels the impact of Reality. The mystery of

the

Absolute cannot

beyond the scope of logical concepts. of the Reality. is non-being.

be rationally determined.

It is

The Vedas give only the negative account

According to them the supreme Reality is 'not this, not this'. He is nothing, that is, the Vedas simply affirm that

cannot be realized through the various categories of reason. tuitional science for the �ealization of God.

He

the Reality

But Tantra is an in­

The mystic and the scientific bases of

Tantra are variations of the central theme that the Divinity is to be realized with the awakening of the KUQQalini. cess of divinization.

This awakening of the KuQQalini is a mystic pro­

It leads one to the path of inner spiritual t ransformation.

The rousing of the KUQQalini brings about an inner transformation in the physical, vital and psychic forces.

The conversion of mechanical energy into psychic force

is called Upavidya and the practice of this force for physical gain is called Avidya

(x) Sadhana. The transformation of psychic energy into spiritual force or bliss is called Vidya Tantra. Tantra Sadhana leads to higher and spiritual levels of perfection, and the yogi continues till he achieves the supreme end of life, becomes one with Param Siva.

This is called Para-Samvit. Tantra Sadhana, in fact, is m:!ant for the attainment of the fourfold objec­

tive of life, viz. Artha (wealth), Kama (mundane possessions), Dharma (virtue) and Mok�a (salvation).

It is not, as is ordinarily misunderstood, devoted to salvation

Human life is multidimensional.

alone.

And the Sadhana which does not fulfil

these four objectives of life, which follow one another in one's spiritual progress and perfection, remains a futile pursuit. The material science does not give any holistic view of the Reality. method is analytic.

Its

It explains the phenomenal world in mathematical forms and

physical concepts. These forms and concepts are mere abstractions.

The approach

to Reality through science remains only partial. Physics, which employed mechani­ cal models of the universe to explain the fundamental principles of the Cosmos, has now changed its course and theme because the models have failed.

Of late,

physici.sts have taken shelter in concepts and ideas, and agreed with Newton in the view that thin gs 'certainly are not mechanical' entities. philosophy and science are bound up with mysticism. spirituality, fact and ideal. of life.

To Tantra Sadhana, both Tantra combines science and

Philosophy in India is not mere speculation but a way

Mysticism is a philosophy of oneness.

It is based on the rule of identity

in life. The mysticism of Tantra denotes a state of consciousness which is charac­ terized by a complete cessation of sensations, ideas, concepts and subject-object relationship. Through Tantra Sadhana, the mind reaches the pure state of Cons­ ciousness and Bliss. The Sadhaka attains the state of equal-mindedness which finally leads to salvation. Tantra leads to the integrated elevation and evolution of human personality.

Tantra is mysticism as it takes man to the realization of Param Siva

which is beyond the dualism of subject and object. lini, incantation of Mantra and use

The awakening of the KUQQa­

of Yantra (mystic diagram) are mystical

in import. Tantra and the Veda are the two streams of Indian culture and civilization. Tantra is ancient and indigenous to India.

It is a cult whereas the Veda is a creed.

But all their apparent contradictions and conflicts have long bt:en resolved and both assimilated into the organism of Hindu culture. Nigama.

Tantra is Agama and the Veda

Tantra deals with tattva and mantra, the former a cosmic principle and

the latter a mystic sound. The account of Tantra philosophy has mainly been drawn from Siva Sutra,

Tantraloka, S1>achanda Tantra,

Miilini Vijoyottara

Tantara, Pratibhijiiii-hrdayam,

Kiimika Agama, Siva-Dri�ti and other works of Kashmir Saivism. My interpreta­ tion of the Tantra cult is based on Siiradii Ti/akam, Satcakra Nirupa!Ja (Serpent Power), MahiinirviiJJa Tantra, KuliirJJava Tantra,

Tripurii Rahasya, Saundaryalahari,

(xi) etc.

I have also made use of Hevajra Tantra, Sadhana Mala and Guhya Samaj

Tantra as the base books in dealing with the Buddhist Tantra.

I have derived con­

siderable help from the works of many authors, especially Sir John Woodroffe, Dr. Gopinath Kaviraj, Dr. P.C. Bagchi, Swami Pratyagiitmiinanda and Dr. Benoytosh Bhattacharya and am deeply indebted to all of them. This book has grown out of the thesis submitted to Ranchi University for the award of D.Litt degree.

The preparation of the thesis would not indeed have

been possible without the benevolent help of many individuals and I am thankful to them.

I am specially deeply indebted to Dr. R. S. Srivastava, Professor and Head

of the Department of Philosophy, Ranchi University, who took great interest in the present work and offered precious help to me in all possible ways. I acknowledge my deep gratitude to Dr. Karan Singh, Union Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation and a scholar of repute, for writing a Foreword for the book. I also record my sincere thanks

to

Dr. G. C. Pande,

Rajasthan University, Jaipur, and Dr. Frederick Studies, Stanford University, of D.Litt. degree.

Vice-Chancellor,

Spiegelberg, Director, Asian

U.S.A., for recommending the thesis for the award

I am also grateful to

Prof. S. C. Dube, Director, Indian

Institute of Advanced Study, Simla, for awarding me Guest Fellowship which gave me a rare opportunity to revise the present work there.

I must also express my

thanks to my friends, Mrs. Indu Jain, Sri K. C. Sharma, Advocate, Sri Maniram Gupta, Sri B. P. Sinha and Sri Hari Kishore Singh, M.P., for their encouragement and kind help in the publication of this book. I am also indebted to Prof. H. G. Singh for his kind help and inspiration.

Sincere thanks are also due to my brother,

Devendra, my nephew, Bageshwari, both of whom helped me in many ways, and late Sri Suraj Narayan Singh, a close relation, whose help and inspiration were quite invaluable in completing this research project. Lastly, I am thankful to my friend, Sri G. R. Hingorani, of The Statesman, New Delhi, for his editorial assistance and some valuable suggestions. Lalan Prasad Singh Rashtrapati Nivas Simla. Vijaya Dasami October

25, 1974

C O N TE N T S

Page vii

Foreword

ix

Preface Chapter

I

Background of Tantra : Origin of Tantra;

Lord Siva Founder

of

Tantra;

Nigama and Agama Chapter

II

16

Tantra and Veda : The Vedas; Vedic

Literature;

The B.g-Veda;

The

"\

Atharva-Veda Chapter

III

27

Buddhist Tantra and Hindu Tantra Prajfia

and

Upaya; Forms

of

Buddhistic

Tantra

-

Sadhana; Mantra- Yana; Vajra- Yana; Sakti-Tattva in Buddhist

Tantra;

Adi

Buddha;

Kalacakrayana;

Sahaja-Yana Chapter

IV

Principles of Tantra Philosophy :

43

The Absolute; Siva-Tattva; Sakti- Tattva;Evolution Chapter

V

Kundalini-Yoga: Kulakm:��

�"Qrnr�q-rfu��llf f.n: