Fwd: Pratyangira

[Guest guest]

shrIH

 

Shrimati Rajita forwarded this(her freind's views on

Pratyangira) upon my request.

 

Thought it might be of interest to people.

 

Following also shows how some of the Tantric concepts

have the Vedas as their origin. Those who think

SriVidya and Tantra are "totally" outside the vedas

and those holding erroneous views like every form of

Devi having adivasi roots should read this.

 

Regarding another thread

>Can anyone point to the correct version of

>mahishasura mardini

>stotram.

 

I dont think any one version is considered right and

others not. The differences are minor and it will not

make any difference and no harm in reciting if there

are extra shlokas.

http://sanskrit.gde.to/doc_devii/doc_devii.html

http://sanskrit.gde.to/doc_devii/mahisha_mean.itx

In the above link too, the author is given as

Ramakrishna Kavi.

An incomplete translation:

http://www.hindunet.com/forum/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Number=22335&page=&view=&sb=\

5&o=&vc=1

 

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The origin of the great tantric pratya~ngirA is

clearly linked to the atharvanic tradition. This is

link is one of the strongest links found between the

atharvanic tradition and that of later tantrism. The

earliest roots of the deity can be traced back to the

praty~angira R^ichas that are used by the bhR^igus and

the a~ngiras in countering the spells hurled at them.

Different version of the yAm kalpayanti or

praty~angira mantras attributed to the R^iShi

pratichIna of a~ngIrasa clan (hence the name) are seen

in the khila of the RV (RVKh4.5); khANDa 10 of AV-S

(10.1) and khANDa 16 of AV-P.

 

The kauShika sutra of the AV tradition provides the

deployment of the hymn in the atharvanic rite to

counter an abhichAra attack (See KS 39.7 for details).

A similar rite is also performed in a parallel

bhArgava tradition, the R^igvidhAna:

yamm a~ngirasa kalpais tu tadvido abhicharanti sah /

pratya~ngirasa kalpena sarvaams taan pratibaadhate //

pratya~ngirasa vidvaams tu na riShyeta kadaacana /

na enam kR^ityaa nihimsanti jnaata ajnaataani vaa

kvacit //

-RVidh4.6

 

Main difference is that in the RVidh tradition the

kR^ityA of the a~ngira is countered by the Khila

pratya~ngira mantras:

tasya abhicaratah saakShaad aa~ngirasa R^iSheh svayaM/

pratya~ngirasa kalpena sarvam tat pratibaadhate //

-RVidh4.8

 

If even the A~ngirasa R^ishi himself sends a kR^ityA

that can be countered by the pratya~ngirasa mantra.

 

None of these rituals or the atharvanic shrauta rite

(vaitAna sUtra 8.9) are actually to any goddess of the

name pratya~ngirA, but they all repel the kR^itya that

is identified as a female being (vadhumIva- like a

bride). The atharvanic fire oblations for back-hurling

the kR^itya were primarily made to the gods : indra

and agni (mantra AV-S10.21), soma (AV-S10.22) and

rudra (AV-S10.21).

 

In the atharvan tradition the actual laying of an

abhichara spell is described in a somewhat later text

called the Asuri kalpa. The Asuri kalpa uses various

plants of the atharvan tradition in a rite to a deadly

goddess to hurl spells. The goddess is clearly

identified as mahAdevI and trilochani. She is also

said to be protective in addition dispatching the

deadly spells to subdue foes. She is repeatedly

addressed as the foe-destroyer as well as the spell

hurled in the rite. So this deity appears to have been

the root of the goddess pratya~ngirA in the later

tantras.

 

This connection to the goddess of the Asuri Kalpa

might explain the depiction of pratya~ngirA as both a

kR^itya -like being as well as a kR^itya-countering

goddess. In some vaiShNava tantric texts pratya~ngirA

is countered as a harrassing deity repulsed by the

sudarshANa of viShNu. In some Tibetan tantras like the

lower Bari Gytsa she is described as apparelled in

black clothes or awful and naked. Thus, she seems to

have inherited the features of the vedic kR^ityA

herself and appears to be identified with the kR^ityA

in these traditions.

 

Her extensive worship in the chIna and bauddha tantras

suggests that she was a very early deity in the

tantric pantheon before the break of these above

schools. In some texts like the chIna tantra manual:

the Arya pratya~ngira vidhi, she is worshiped similar

to surviving Hindu tantric version and it even

utilizes the atharvanic verses.

 

This suggests that the Hindu versions seen in the

mantra mahodadhi (see taranga 9); the pratya~ngira

tantra followed by the righ-handed shri vidyA

exponents, the shaiva version associated with the

sharabha paddhati and the bauddha Tibetan trayodasha

hiraNya dharma tantra (book 13) all have a common

origin. Basically they are tantricized version of the

old atharvanic pratya~ngirasa kalpa vidhi.

 

In support of this we see that in the core of the rite

in the pratya~ngirA devI rite we find the use of the

great vAmadeva R^ichas known as the kR^iNuShva pAja

iti pa~ncha. In the vedic context this to rakShohA

agni for the destruction of foes and rakShas. The core

of the tantric pratya~ngirA devI rites also uses the

oblations to the vedic deities in the pattern of the

old atharvanic prayAja before the kR^itya-destroying

ritual is applied.

 

In the final stage of evolution in the Hindu Tantric

stream pratya~ngirA was paired with the sharabha form

of The god. You for course know the interesting story

on this matter only too well.

 

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