Chatuh Shashti tantra : Svatantra and Paratantra

[Guest guest]

This concerns Saundaryalahari 31.

 

I have come across a reading that mentions : atisaMdhAya bhuvanaM in

the first paragraph and prasava paratantraiH

 

The normal reading we tend to follow is abhisaMdhAya bhuvanaM and

prasabha paratantraiH.

 

Can someone tell me if any of the readings violate the classical

syllable pattern for Anushtubhs?

 

At least in the first case I believe abhisaMdhAya makes better sense.

 

The general belief is that svatantra comprises of 8 tantras: 1)

chandrakalA 2)kulArNava 3) A~ngirasa 4) krodha Atreyamata 5)

bhuvaneshvarI vidya 6) kalAnidhi 7)jyotiShmatI 8) kulA~ngana

 

Is this list commonly accepted? Alternative lists mention the more

familiar vAmakeshvara, tantrarAja, gYAnArNava, AnandArNava and

paramAnanda in place of some of the less familiar ones.

 

There is one interpretation that 64 tantra mentioned here are the

Mahachinachara and upachinachara tantras. Lakshmidhara, the Orissan

tantric, believes that non-divjas practice the 64 and he lists the 64

tantras mentioning most of them to be un-fit for brahmans. However,

most of Lakshmidhara's interpretations in this regard seem to be

contrary to the great Amritananda Natha in his exposition termed the

Yoginihridaya-dipika. Lakshmidhara definitely appears unfamiliar with

the large tradition because he mentions Kamika and Malinivijaya in his

list. In the Himalayan tradition many dvija Shrividya practioners

followed both these tantras. Laksmidhara also considers the Tattva

Shambhara tantra (the "chemical tantra") as unfit for dvijas, despite

its origins being connected with the Katha school of the Yajur Veda.

Strangely Lakshimdhara also lists Chandra Gyana in his list, but

normally that is considered same as Chandrakala.

 

Rajita

[Guest guest]

, "rajita_rajvasishth"

<rajita_rajvasishth> wrote:

> This concerns Saundaryalahari 31.

> I have come across a reading that mentions : atisaMdhAya bhuvanaM

>in

> the first paragraph and prasava paratantraiH

> The normal reading we tend to follow is abhisaMdhAya bhuvanaM and

> prasabha paratantraiH.

 

> At least in the first case I believe abhisaMdhAya makes better

>sense.

 

This book might help:

 

UNIFORM TITLE:

Saundaryalahari. English & Sanskrit

TITLE:

Saundaryalahari : Laksmidhara-Saubhagyavardhani-Arunamodini-

Anandagiriya-Tatparyadipini-Padarthacandrika-Dindimabhasya-

Gopalasundari-Anandalahari-Kaivalyavardhani Anglanuvada, tippani,

prayogayantra tatha puja vidhi sahita /

Srimatchankarabhagavatpadaviracita = Saundaryalahari of Sri Shankara

Bhagavatpadacharya : with commentaries (in Sanskrit), Lakshmidhara,

Saubhagyavardhani, Arunamodini, Anandagiriya, Tatparyadipini,

Padarthachandrika, Dindima Bhashya, Gopalasundari, Anandalahari, and

Kaivalyavardhani, English

translation and notes, prayoga, tantras, and illustrations / editor,

A. Kuppuswami.

EDITION:

Rev. & enl. ed.

PUBLISHED:

Delhi : Nag Publishers, 1991.

 

Of these, 4 of them(including Lakshmidhara) follow atisaMdhAya

bhuvanaM and the rest 6 abhisaMdhAya bhuvanaM.

Harshaji mentioned that bhAskararAya follows abhisaMdhAya bhuvanaM.

>

> The general belief is that svatantra comprises of 8 tantras: 1)

> chandrakalA 2)kulArNava 3) A~ngirasa 4) krodha Atreyamata 5)

> bhuvaneshvarI vidya 6) kalAnidhi 7)jyotiShmatI 8) kulA~ngana

>

> Is this list commonly accepted?

 

Those are called mishra tantra-s according to shrI lakshmIdharA

and the commentary AnandalaharI tIkA.

 

They say that by svatantra is meant, the shubhAgama pa~ncakA i.e,

vashiShTha, sanaka, shuka, sanandana, sanatkumAra saMhita-s which

are samayAcArA.

 

or kAdi matA accordng to saubhAgyavardhinI

 

Both those commentaries also quote the statement "mishrakaM

kaulamArgaM ca parityAjyaM hi shAnkarI - iti Ishvara vacanAt.h

mishraka mataM kaulamArgaM ca parityAjyaM" meaning both mishraka and

kaula tantra-s are to be discarded by vaidikA-s.

>Alternative lists mention the more

> familiar vAmakeshvara,

 

Sri bhAskararAya says that idaM in the shloka refers to above text.

>Lakshmidhara definitely appears unfamiliar with

> the large tradition because he mentions Kamika and Malinivijaya in

>his

> list.

 

Not just Lakshmidhara but aruNAmodinI and AnandalaharItIkA also

mention both. By mAlinI they probably dont mean mAlinIvijayottara

that is mentioned above, but some thing else which has to do with

crossing seas etc.

 

laxmIdharA says this about mAlinI:

samudrayAnopAyahetuH. sApi vaidikamArga dUravartinI.

Others concur.

>In the Himalayan tradition many dvija Shrividya practioners

> followed both these tantras. Laksmidhara also considers the Tattva

> Shambhara tantra (the "chemical tantra") as unfit for dvijas,

>despite

> its origins being

 

They rightfully condemned it because it is known to deal with(and

also probably employs reprehensible methods to acheive it) indrajAla

(making earth appear as water and vice versa etc).

 

A mokSharthI/devI bhakta doesnt need such things.

> Strangely Lakshimdhara also lists Chandra Gyana in his list, but

> normally that is considered same as Chandrakala.

 

Both are different and none of them is a pure(like shubhAgama

pa~ncaka) samayAcArA text according to Shri Lakshmidhara and hence

according to him, vaidikA-s should shun such texts/schools.

 

Regards

[Guest guest]

Sri Harsha's input on this.

 

I think I was wrong about mAlini(vijayottara).

I read elsewhere that Svatantra according to

Laxmidhara means Panchadashakshari (te tantraM).

 

Rgds

 

--- harsha_ramamurthy <harsha_ramamurthy

wrote:

> Sun, 28 Nov 2004 04:41:50 -0000

> "harsha_ramamurthy"

> <harsha_ramamurthy

> satisharigela

Namaste,

 

Firstly, the only texts which teach Samayachara

are the

Shrutis, Smritis and Shubhagama Panchaka (Vasishtha,

Shuka, Shaunaka,

Sanandana and Sanatkumara Samhitas). Every other text

falls under the

category of Mishra Marga (Sri Lakshmidharacharya's

Tripurasundari

Stotra - 12th Shloka). Though some of the Tantras and

agamas advocate

Vedic practices, they do not confirm to the rules of

the Shruti and

smriti completely. This is also applicable to Tantras

like Malini

Vijayottara. Also, Srimadacharya has refuted many

concepts of

Kashmiri Shaivism with the argument that they do not

confirm to the

Shruti and the Smriti (Madhaviya Shankara Vijaya and

Brihat Shankara

Vijaya deal in detail with these things).

Lakshmidharacharya

advocates complete purity and does not seem to believe

in Hamsa

Kshira Nyaya when it comes to choosing Upasana Marga.

It is clearly

said: bAhyapUjA na kartavyA kartavyA bAhyajAtibhiH .

sA

kShudraphaladA nR^INAM aihikArthaikasAdhanaat .. This

is again

confirmed by Sri Gaudapadacharya in his Subhagodaya

Stotra. It is

hence correct on Sri Lakshmidharacharya's part to

reject even those

Tantras which deal partly with Antaryaga and partly

with Bahiryaga.

Thus Upasana falls under three categories (Shuka

Samhita): Satviki

(tasyAM cha mAnasau pUjA japaU. dwija yogyA) -

SamayAchAra; rAjasI

(bAhyopachAraiH puShpAdayiH) - dakShiNAchAra; tAmasI

(piThAdau

balidAnAntaH kaulaiH) - vAmAchAra or KaulikAchAra.

Shuddha (taught by

Shubhagama Panchakas) is prescribed for the Dwijas,

Mishra (taught by

various Agamas) is prescribed for the second two

varnas) and tAmasa

(taught by the 64 Tantras) is prescribed for the

Antyajas

(Dakshinamurti Samhita). As Sri Karapatri Swami and

Sri Simhambhattla

Shastrigal observe, many Dwijas, owing to the

influence of

Mishra/Kaula sects from Gauda desha, incorporated

aspects of

Mishra/Kaula paths in their own practices. Thus, one

cannot consider

the practice of any groups of individuals as pramANa.

Shastra Vachana

is the only pramANa. The practices of kAmikAgama are

clearly against

the rules laid down by the smriti and hence not

acceptable to the

Dwijas, who have the Shruti and the Smriti as their

sole authority.

Traditionally, scholars derive the Kauberi Vidya from

this stanza of

Saundaryalahari, which becomes posible only with the

pAtha -

atisandhAya. This pAtha is also what is said to be

present in the

temple of Akhilandeshwari, where it is believed that

there are

inscriptions giving out the text of 41 shlokas of

Saundaryalahari.

namaste.

 

 

 

 

 

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