Sivananda Mahaguru Lesson about Tantra! KRISHNA-KALA & ONE LORD GOD!!! or SATYA SAI BABA rather now!

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Tantra Yoga

 

By

Sri Swami Sivananda

 

Introduction

Tantra Yoga

Guru and Diksha

Qualifications of a Disciple

Tantra Sadhana

Pancha Tattva

Conclusion

Introduction

 

Sanskrit literature can be classified under six orthodox heads and four secular

heads.

They are: (i) Sruti, (ii) Smriti, (iii) Itihasa, (iv) Purana, (v) Agama, and

(vi)

Darsana; and (i) Subhashita, (ii) Kavya, (iii) Nataka and, (iv) Alankara.

 

The Agamas are theological treatises and practical manuals of divine worship.

The Agamas

include Tantras, Mantras, and Yantras. These are treatises explaining the

external

worship of God, in idols, temples, etc. All the Agamas treat of (i) Jnana or

Knowledge,

(ii) Yoga or concentration, (iii) Kriya or making, and (iv) Charya or doing.

They also

give elaborate details about the ontology, cosmology, liberation, devotion,

meditation,

philosophy of Mantras, mystic diagrams, charms and spells, temple-building,

image-making,

domestic observances, social rules, and public festivals.

 

The Agamas are divided into three sections: the Vaishnava, the Saiva, and the

Sakta. The

three chief sects of Hinduism, viz., Vaishnavism, Saivism, and Saktism, base

their

doctrines and dogmas on their respective Agamas. The Vaishnava Agamas or

Pancharatra

Agamas glorify God as Vishnu. The Saiva Agamas glorify God as Siva and have

given rise to

an important school of philosophy known as Saiva Siddhanta. The Sakta Agamas or

Tantras

glorify God as the Mother of the world under one of the many names of Devi. The

Agamas do

not derive their authority from the Vedas, but they are not antagonistic to

them. They

are all Vedic in spirit and character. That is the reason why they are regarded

as

authoritative.

 

The Tantra Agamas belong to the Sakta cult. They glorify Sakti as the

World-Mother. They

dwell on the Sakti (energy) aspect of God and prescribe numerous courses of

ritualistic

worship of Divine Mother in various forms. There are seventy-seven Agamas. These

are very

much like the Puranas in some respects. The texts are usually in the form of

dialogues

between Siva and Parvati. In some of these, Siva answers the questions put by

Parvati and

in others Parvati answers, Siva questioning. Mahanirvana, Kularnava, Kulasara,

Prapanchasara, Tantraraja, Rudra Yamala, Brahma Yamala, Vishnu Yamala, and

Todala Tantra

are the important works. The Agamas teach several occult practices, some of

which confer

powers, while the others bestow knowledge and freedom. Among the existing books

the

Mahanirvana Tantra is the most famous.

Tantra Yoga

 

Tantra Yoga had been one of the potent powers for the spiritual regeneration of

the

Hindus. When practised by the ignorant, unenlightened, and unqualified persons,

it has

led to certain abuses; and there is no denying that some degraded forms of

Saktism have

sought nothing but magic, immorality, and occult powers. An example of the

perverted

expression of the truth, a travesty of the original practices, is the theory of

the five

Makaras (Pancha Makaras);-Madya or wine, Mamsa or flesh, Matsya or fish, Mudra

or

symbolical acts, and Maithuna or coition. The esoteric meaning of these five

Makaras is:

" Kill egoism, control flesh, drink the wine of God-intoxication, and have union

with Lord

Siva " .

 

Tantra explains (Tanoti) in great detail the knowledge concerning Tattva (Truth

or

Brahman) and Mantra (mystic syllables). It saves (Trayate). Hence it is called

Tantra.

 

The Tantras are not books of sorcery, witchcraft, magic spells, and mysterious

formulae.

They are wonderful scriptures. All persons without the distinctions of caste,

creed, or

colour may draw inspiration from them and attain spiritual strength, wisdom, and

eternal

bliss. Mahanirvana and Kularnava Tantras are the important books in Tantra

Sastra. Yoga

Kundalini Upanishad of Krishna Yajurveda, Jabala Darsana, Trisikha Brahmana, and

Varaha

Upanishad are useful for getting knowledge of Kundalini Sakti and the methods to

awaken

it and take it to Sahasrara Chakra at the crown of the head.

 

The Tantra is, in some of its aspects, a secret doctrine. It is a Gupta Vidya.

You cannot

learn it from the study of books. You will have to get the knowledge and

practice from

the practical Tantrikas, the Tantric Acharyas and Gurus who hold the key to it.

The

Tantric student must be endowed with purity, faith, devotion, dedication to

Guru,

dispassion, humility, courage, cosmic love, truthfulness, non-covetousness, and

contentment. Absence of these qualities in the practitioner means a gross abuse

of

Saktism.

 

The Sakti Tantra is Advaita Vada. It proclaims that Paramatman (Supreme Soul)

and

Jivatman (individual soul) are one. The Saktas accept the Vedas as the basic

scriptures.

They recognise the Sakta-Tantras as texts expounding the means to attain the

goal set

forth in the Vedas.

 

Tantra Yoga lays special emphasis on the development of the powers latent in the

six

Chakras, from Muladhara to Ajna. Kundalini Yoga actually belongs to Tantric

Sadhana which

gives a detailed description about this serpent-power and the Chakras (plexus).

Entire

Tantric Sadhana aims at awakening Kundalini, and making her to unite with Lord

Sadasiva,

in the Sahasrara Chakra. Methods adopted to achieve this end in Tantric Sadhana

are Japa

of the Name of the Mother, prayer, and various rituals.

Guru and Diksha (Initiation)

 

Yoga should be learnt from a Guru (spiritual preceptor). And this is true all

the more in

the case of Tantra Yoga. It is the Guru who will recognise the class to which

the

aspirant belongs and prescribe suitable Sadhana.

 

The Guru is none other than the Supreme Divine Mother Herself, descended into

the world

in order to elevate the aspirant. As one lamp is lit at the flame of another, so

the

divine Sakti consisting of Mantra is communicated from Guru to the disciple. The

disciple

fasts, observes Brahmacharya, and gets the Mantra from the Guru.

 

Initiation tears the veil of mystery and enables the disciple to grasp the

hidden truth

behind scriptures' texts. These are generally veiled in mystic language. You

cannot

understand them by self-study. Self-study will only lead you to greater

ignorance. The

Guru only will give you, by Diksha (initiation), the right perspective in which

to study

the scriptures and practise Yoga.

Qualifications of a Disciple

 

The qualifications of the disciple are purity, faith, devotion, dispassion,

truthfulness,

and control of the senses. He should be intelligent and a believer in Vedas. He

must

abstain from injury to all beings. He must be vigilant, diligent, patient, and

persevering. He must be ever doing good to all. All Sadhana should be done under

the

personal direction of a Guru or spiritual teacher.

Tantra Sadhana

 

Bhuta Suddhi is an important Tantric rite. It means purification of the five

elements of

which the body is composed. The Sadhaka (aspirant) dissolves the sinful body and

makes a

new divine body. He infuses into the body the life of the Devi.

 

Nyasa is a very important and powerful Tantric rite. It is placing of the tips

of the

fingers of the right hand on various parts of the body, accompanied by Mantra.

 

In Kavacha the one Brahman is invoked by different names in order to protect

different

parts of the body. For example, Parabrahman is thought of as in the Sahasrara

Padma in

the head. The Supreme Lord is meditated upon in the heart. Protector of the

world, Vishnu

is invoked to protect the throat, so that the aspirant may utter the Mantras of

his Ishta

Devata.

 

Mudra is ritual of manual gestures. Mudra gives pleasure to the Devatas. There

are 108

Mudras. In welcoming (Avahana) the Devata an appropriate gesture is made. In

making

offering (Arghya) Matsya Mudra is made. The right hand is placed on the back of

the left

and the two thumbs are extended finlike on each side of the hands. Similarly,

there are

Mudras for the various acts done during the worship.

 

Yantra takes the place of the image. It is an object of worship. Yantra is a

diagram,

drawn on paper. It is engraved on a metal sheet also. A Yantra is appropriated

to a

specific Devata only. Various Yantras are peculiar to each Devata. They are

various

designs according to the object of worship. Yantra is the body of the Devata.

All the

Yantras have a common edging called Bhupura. They have a quadrangular figure

with four

doors, which encloses and separates the Yantra from the external world.

 

The Sadhaka first meditates upon the Devata or Deity and then arouses the Devata

in

himself. He then communicates the Divine presence thus aroused to the Yantra.

When the

Devata has been invoked into the Yantra by the appropriate Mantra, the vital

airs (Prana)

of the Devata are infused therein by the Pranapratishtha ceremony. The Devata is

thereby

installed in the Yantra. The materials used or acts done in Puja are called

Upachara.

They are sixteen in number, viz., (1) Asana (seating of the Devata); (2) Svagata

(welcoming of the Devata); (3) Padya (water for washing the feet); (4) Arghya

(water for

ablution); (5) Achamana (water for sipping); (6) Madhuparka (honey, ghee, milk,

and

curd); (7) Snana (bath); (8) Vastra (cloth); (9) Abharana (jewels); (10) Gandha

(perfume); (11) Pashpa (flowers); (12) Dhupa (incense); (13) Dipa (light); (14)

Naivedya

(food) and Tambulam (betel); (15) Nirajana (Arati); and (16) Vandana

(prostration and

prayer).

 

Sadhakas are of three kinds, viz., Pasu (animalistic), Vira (valorous), and

Divya

(divine).

The Pancha Tattva

 

The Pancha Tattva is essential for the worship of Sakti. The Pancha Tattvas are

wine

(Madya), meat (Mamsa), fish (Matsya), parched cereal (Mudra) and sexual union

(Maithuna).

As they all commence with the letter M, they are vulgarly called Pancha-ma-kara

or five

M's. The Pancha Tattvas stand for drinking, eating and propagation. The Pancha

Tattvas,

the five elements of worship destroy great sins, Maha-pataka-nasanam.

 

The Pancha Tattvas have not always their literal meaning. The meaning differs

according

as they refer to the Tamasic (Pasu), Rajasic (Vira) or Sattvic (Divya) Sadhanas

respectively.

 

Wine may be wine; or it may be coconut water or it may mean God-intoxication or

the

intoxicating knowledge of Brahman or the Absolute. Wine is a symbol to denote

the

Supreme, eternal Bliss of Yoga knowledge, or knowledge of Atman (Atma-jnana).

 

The union of Siva and Sakti in the upper brain centre known as Sahasrara or

thousand-petalled lotus is Maithuna.

 

Mamsa (meat) is the act by which the aspirant consecrates all his actions to the

Lord.

 

Matsya (fish) is that Sattvic knowledge by which the Sadhaka sympathises with

the

pleasure and pain of all beings.

 

Mudra is the act of abandoning all associations with evil which leads to

bondage.

 

Wine is fire; flesh is air; fish is water; cereal is earth; sexual union is

ether.

 

Milk, ghee, honey are all substitutes for wine. Salt, ginger, sesamum, white

beans,

garlic are substitutes for meat. White brinjal, red radish, masur (a kind of

grain) and

red sesamum are substitutes for fish. Paddy, rice, wheat and grain are Mudra.

Offering of

flowers with the hands formed with a particular Mudra is Maithuna.

 

The Sadhaka thinks that he has got a Deva body. This is Bhuta- Suddhi. Various

Nyasas are

performed. Mental worship is performed of the Devi who is thought of as being in

red

raiment seated on a red lotus. Her dark body is like rain-cloud. Her forehead is

shining

with the light of the crescent moon. Japa of Mantra is then done. Thereupon

there is

external worship.

 

Sexual intercourse by a man with a woman who is not lawful to him is a sin. The

Vaidika

Dharma is very strict on this point. It forbids not merely actual Maithuna but

Ashtanga

or eightfold Maithuna namely Smaranam (thinking upon it), Kirtanam (talking of

it), Keli

(play with women), Prekshanam (making eyes at women), Guhya-bhashanam (talking

in private

with women), Sankalpa (wish or resolve for sexual union), Adhyavasaya

(determination

towards it), Kriyanishpatti (actual accomplishment of the sexual act).

 

A Tantric can have copulation with his wife. He calls his wife his Sakti. Wife

is a

house-goddess Griha-lakshmi or Griha-devata united to her husband by the

sacramental

Samskara of marriage. She should not be regarded as an object of enjoyment. She

is his

partner in life (Ardhangini). The union of a man and his wife is a veritable

sacred

scriptural rite.

Conclusion

 

Tantra Yoga is the saving wisdom. It is the marvellous boat which takes man

safely to the

other shore of fearlessness, immortality, freedom, and perfection, when

practised with

understanding under personal guidance of well-established Tantric Guru.

 

 

 

 

 

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