"The Mother Goddess and Tantric Shaktism", Part IV

[Guest guest]

The Shakta orientation of Tantric culture had become firmly

established by the 13th Century.

 

The Sammoha Tantra deals with various traditions and mantras, the

geographic classification of the Tantras (into four areas -- Kerala,

Kashmira, Gauda and Vailasa), and a detailed account of the Vidyas

or cults belonging to different schools. ... [it shows] that the

Tantras had by this time assumed a complete Shakta character and

that they had assimilated a very large number of cults of various

origins -- regional, tribal and sectarian. This state of things must

have been attained by the 14th Century, when the Sammoha Tantra

seems to have assumed its final form.

 

According to the Kaulajnananirnaya, a work of the 11th Century, the

Kaula class of Tantras was introduced by Matsyendra Natha, who was

probably the founder of the Yogini-Kaula of Kamarupa. The

term "Kula" stands for Shakti. There were a good number of Kaula

schools, e.g. Vrsanottha, Vahni, Srsti, Candra, Saktibheda, Urmi,

Jnana, and so on. ...

 

The asprirants of all these groups believed in the use of psychic

energy in bringing about the union of the two principles. The body

was recognized as the abode of all truth.

 

 

[Regarding the] conception of plexuses or lotuses [i.e. chakras]

within the body: In the Shakta Tantras, the nerve on the right

(Upaya of the Buddhists) is known as the pingala, and that of the

left (Prajna of the Buddhists) as ida. These two represent the

principle of duallity, and the middle one (variously known as

susummna, avadhutika or sahaja) represents absolute unity.

 

The Shakti which resides in humans -- the development of which is

one of the aims of Tantricism -- is called kundalini. It resides in

the muladhara (seat of goddess Shakini, at the lower extremity of

the spinal cord) where it remains latent and sleeps quietly. When

roused by successful manipulation, this kundalini ascends to the

next higher stage, viz. svadhisthana (seat of Kamini, near the root

of the generative organs). Then it moves on to the centers manipura

(seat of Lakini, in the navel region), anahata (seat of Rakini, in

the heart region), and visuddha (seat of Dakini, at the junction of

the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata) and finally to the ajna

(seat of Hakini, between the eyebrows), where the Shakti becomes

manifest in a flash of light. ...

 

The Kundalini Shakti is the original Female Principle, the Devi,

whom the aspirant has to send from the lower extremity of the spinal

cord to the highest cerebral point where she meets Shiva, and their

union produces the liquor of immortality. Wine is the nectar which

flows from the union of the Kundalini Shakti with Shiva at the

Sahasrara in the head. Maithuna, one of the five tattvas, symbolized

by the concept of unity behind all duality, is brought into harmony

with the concept of the union of Shiva and Shakti, which takes place

in the sahasrara.

 

(Excerpted from Bhattacharyya, Narendra Nath, "The Indian Mother

Goddess," 2nd Edition. South Asia Books, New Delhi, 1977.)

 

(To be continued …)

[Guest guest]

Namaste, Devi Bhakta,

 

- and thank you for the truly engaging postings!

 

I must return to the subject of 'wine' in the Tantric tradition:-

 

Sanskrit scholars, help me please -

 

Is the original meaning of 'madya', that of 'wine', or does it

basically mean 'that which intoxicates', surely - in this context - a

metaphor of subjective transcendency?

 

Kindest regards,

 

m6

 

 

 

, "Devi Bhakta"

<devi_bhakta> wrote:

 

Wine is the nectar which

> flows from the union of the Kundalini Shakti with Shiva at the

> Sahasrara in the head. Maithuna, one of the five tattvas,

symbolized

> by the concept of unity behind all duality, is brought into harmony

> with the concept of the union of Shiva and Shakti, which takes

place

> in the sahasrara.

>

> (Excerpted from Bhattacharyya, Narendra Nath, "The Indian Mother

> Goddess," 2nd Edition. South Asia Books, New Delhi, 1977.)

>

> (To be continued …)