64 tantras and tE tantram

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>From :- sriparasukhanandanatha

Subject :- The 64 tantras and the “tE tantra”

Date :- Thursday, March 02, 2006

 

Priya mahAsayAh,

 

In soundarya lahari SankarAchArya writes …

 

“catuShShaShTyaa tantraiH sakalamatisaMdhaaya bhuvanaM

sthitas tattatsiddhiprasavaparatantraiH pashupatiH .

punastvannirbandhaadakhilapuruShaarthaikaghatanaa

svatantraM te tantraM kShititalamavaatiitaradidam ||” .. 31..

 

The meaning in brief is – “ O mother ! it is only to misguide

people the paramESwra has endowed sixty four tantras which can give many

benefits of the worldly pleasures. But because of your instigation and

triggering, he could`nt but to inaugurate

Your tantra, which will give all the puruShArThAs, like dHarma, artha, kAma and

also mOxa very easily.”

 

Before we enter into any details of the meaning of this shloka, in my opinion,

we have to first understand what the tantra is ? Sri BhAskarAchArya while

explaining the name “sarva tantra roopa” has categorized the tantra as a synonym

for the words “agama” and “AmnAya”.saying as …

 

“bahudHAsyAgamair Bhinnah pandHAnah siddhi hEtavah

twayyEva nipantyEtE srotaswinya iva arNavE ||”

 

The whole of our hindu tradition is totally dependent upon the

‘sampradAya’ method only. SampradAya means, handing over of some thing to some

one exactly how it was handed over to him by some one in the past. The vEdas,

which are useful for performing ya~jnas and yAgas are, more specific of course,

only for a sect of people, But the same text in a different version has been

initiated by the learned gurus to all the people according to the suitability of

the individual beliefs and standards of knowledge, in the same sampradAya method

only for the achievement of all the four puruShardHas.

This continuous process is called “Agama”. These AgamAs were mentioned in two

separate sections as Agamas and AmnAyAs.

 

The AgamAs mention mainly about the construction of temples,

installation of idols, methods of daily archana, aBhiShEka vidHi, Performing the

utsavas and viSEsharchA kramam, and also about prAyaschitta etc., The AmnAyas

contain different varieties of mantras which are being carried from one man to

another preaching about Bhakti and j~nAna to achieve mokSha.

 

The paramaSiva has got five heads, with their names as sadyOjatam,

vamadEvam, aGhoram, tatpuruSham and Isanam. The five powers (Saktis) of

paramEswara, namely, chit, Ananda, itcHa, j~nAna, and kriya, were mentioned as

the five heads. Seven crores of mantras were manifested out by these five

Saktis/heads.

The chief of all these five Saktis is chitChakti is situated at the top in the

name of ISAna. This Isana head in other words called “SAmBhava piitha”. This is

the turiiyAtiita avasTha in an individual. The UrdHwa amnAya has come into

existence from this peetha only. One crore of mantras are in the control of this

peeTa only., Its form is SUnya and it belongs to AkASa tatwa. This is spread

right from the moolAdHara to the brahmarandHra and it is the prAnaswarUpini.

“parAtpara linga” is situated here only.

 

The second one ‘AnandaSakti’ is generally called “parA vAk”. This

is situated in the eastern face “tatpuruSham”, This face is also called

“kAmagiripiiTham” . The pUrvAmnAya has emerged out from this face only. It

controls two crores of mantras. This is yellow coloured, square and BhUtatwa.

Here only swayamBhU linga is situated. This is mano rUpa (mental plane)

 

The third one j~nana Sakti is called the aGhOra vaktram, the

southern face of paramESwara. This is the prakriti rUpini of all the fourteen

worlds. This is the sum unit (samaSti) of the four antahkaraNas the manas,

buddhi, chitta and ahamkAra. It is the result of the acquired or accrued results

of the deeds of the previous births. This is also called the pUrnagiri pITham.

>From here the daXinAmnaya has emerged. It controls one crore of mantras. This

is budDi rUpa (intellect), dHumra varna, in the form of a circle with six points

in it.and vAyu tatwa. The name of the linga here is “bANa lingam”. This is the

place of conjunction for pramANa and pramEya. In fact this is the parASakti`s

form, which can convey us to the Siva`s abode.

 

The fourth one kriyA sakthi is “viSwa janana vyApAra

badDhOdyama”. This is vasana swaroopm. This is the northern face ”vAmadEvam”.

Here is situated the “ODDhyanapiiTam”. This belongs to “turIya avasTha”. From

here only the uttarAmnAya has emerged out. It controls two crores of mantras.

This is blood coloured and belongs to the ‘tEjas tattwam’.This is chitta rUpini.

The name of the linga is “para lingam”.

 

The last one icChA Sakti, which gives experiences of pleasure

and sorrow to the mind is called “sadyOjAtam” which is another form of

‘ahamkAra’,the western face. This face is called as “jAlandHara pITham”.

paschimAmnAya has emerged out from this place only. This is having control over

one crore of mantras. This is white in colour, half moon phase and jala tatwam.

The name of the linga here is “itara lingam”.

 

In this way, the five faces of parama Siva, being the lords of five

pIThas are propagating seven crores of mahA mantrAs through the five AmnAyAs and

doing good services to the universe. The essence of these.AmnAyAs have resulted

in the formation of sixtyfour tantras.

 

“pUrva daxiNa paSchimOttara UrdHwa anuttarAh SaktErAmnAyAh |

pArdHivApyanala vAyavya nABhasa mAnasAdi SAmBhavaamnAyAh ||”

 

So, it is understood that all these five AmnAyAs belong to the five elements

(pancha BhUtatmakAs) only; and in the same way all the sixty four tantras also

belong to the five elements only. In the vAmakESwara tantra, Sixty four names

of these tantras were mentioned in detail.

 

Of course the paSupati has manifested the sixty four tantras, which

can give many good results. But they are all preaching the same materialistic

benefits only.. After that, as per the above SlOka, we can understand that he

has also manifested another tantra for the benefit of the real mumuxu (seekers

of real knowledge) people, a separate tantra. Some people claim it as

vamakESwara tantra, and some others say that it is tantrarAja tantra. Some

others say that there is another tantra with the name of swatantra tantra. But

all these can not be other than the afore said sixty four tantras. And no other

such tantra is not in anybody`s knowledge.

 

“ smartavA pAdukapUrvam charaNam tadanantaram |

panchAmbA nava nAdHascha mUla vidyAstatahparam ||

AdHAra vidyA Shatkam cha punara~nGri dwayam kramAt |

UrdHwa SrI pAdukApUrvam charaNAntam gurukramAt ||

paSchAdanuttaram vandE parabrahma swarUpiNam |

anuttarAmnAya manUn a~JnA chakre viBhavayEt ||”

 

All these five faces of paramaSiva have become inefficient to describe

about the parabrahma. Far beyond all the knowledges, that which could be known

or that which has to be known is no where at all. So it is the sixth AmnAya

which was named as anuttara

AmnAya, and that is “swaswarUpa mahA samvit srOtas swcChanda sanchAra rUpa”

separate tantra

 

“SrInAdha guru mantraadiin mandalAntam yatha kramAt |

sapta kOti mahA mantrAn dwadaSAntE sada smarEt ||

SuchirvapyaSuchirvApi gacChanstiShTan swapannapi |

mantraIka SarNO vidwan manasApi sada smaran ||

tattat sidDincha sahasram japEt sadhaka pungavah |

japAnte SudDH mAlAcha amnAya stotramuttamam ||

lalitA nAma sAhasram sarva pUrtikaram stavam |

stavarAjancha panchaite Bhaktah pratidinam paTet ||

Bhuktwa BhOgAn yaTha kAmam sarwa BhUta hite ratah |

Sa BhAryA putra souBhagyah sa BhUtih paSuman BhavEt ||

Eka varam japEdEtat kOti ya~jna Palam laBhEt |

Etad vi~jnAna mAtrENa sarvESham dEsikOttamah ||

Siva sayujya mApnOti SivayOrEva SAsanAt ||

 

Please excuse me if I Have exceeded any thing.

 

sriparasukhanandanatha

 

 

 

krishnarao.lanka

(sriparasukhanandanadha)