Kashmir Tantrism

September 9, 2005

Kashmir Tantrism

Justice Shiva Nath Katju

Kashmiri Overseas Association

Kashmir Shaivism

TANTRA SHASTRA is one of the most misunderstood subjects not only

in India but throughout the world. In popular thought and imagination

a Tantrik is a person who dabbles in strange, awful and mysterious

rites involving visits to cremation grounds and use of wine and women.

He is feared also because he is credited with powers of inflicting

harm as also of bringing relief and good fortune. The so-called

Tantriks run a flourishing business catering to the needs of

politicians, men in trade and industries and in other walks of life.

Very often most of such Tantriks, after acquiring some powers by

elementary Tantrik practices, use them for petty monetary gains. For a

time they show good results but they are side - tracked from the path

of spiritual advancement and have to content themselves by giving

magic shows and demonstrations of cheap miracles. As a matter of fact,

an earnest Tantrik practitioner avoids being caught in the mesh of

sidhis and keeps his eyes fixed on his spiritual objective very often

preferring anonymity.

Tantra Shastra is part of the Dharma Shastra of the Hindus and has

its roots in the Vedas. Western scholars in their anxiety to put the

age of Hindu Civilization later to the Greek Civilization have

attempted to put the age of Rig Veda to 2000 B.C. and this too

seemingly has been done reluctantly and out of generosity. The tragedy

is that Indian scholars who take their inspirations from their western

teachers and masters have toed the Western line of thought. If Rig

Veda goes back only to 2000 B. C. then the period of Shri Ramachandra

and of Mahabharta have all to be squeezed in between 2000 B. C. and

the birth of Gautam Buddha. A more glaring instance of the western

myth is the Aryan invasion of India. Every text book of history starts

with that myth which has no basis. It is assumed as a geometrical

maxim that Aryans were not Indians and they entered into India from

some country other than India. The question then arises as to where

did they come from. Then the hunt begins and we are confronted with

different theories about the original home of the Aryans and here the

wise and pompous scholars are not agreed at all. We have the Central

Asian, Caucasian & Lithunian theories, regarding the original home of

the Aryans. Even such a profound scholar like the late Lokmanya Bal

Gangadhar Tilak was so overwhelmed by the weight of western opinion

that he too propounded his Arctic theory on the basis of the long

drawn twilights indicated by some Rig Vedic Richas on 'Ushas' and said

that the Arctic Region was the original homeland of the Aryans. It has

to be categorically stated that the Indian tradition as also the Vedic

literature clearly supports the view that the homeland of the Aryans

was Sapta Sindhava viz. the land covered by the River Sindhu Indus and

its tributaries.

It is now admitted that in some remote past the land south of the

present Punjab and Haryana and the north of the Vindhyas was covered

by sea. The Rajputana desert has the Sambhar lake which has salty

water indicative of its marine past. It is now well recognised that

the Himalayan mountain ranges are, from a geological angle, of

comparatively recent origin and marine fossils have been found in its

rock stratas. History is silent as to when did that happen. Sahara and

Gobi deserts were in times past cradles of human civilisation and as a

result of intensive grazing the soil became barren and ultimately

turned into deserts wiping off the old civilisation of which no traces

are left. Again, due to geological changes land between Europe and

Africa which connected the two continents got submerged under water

when the Atlantic ocean broke through the strait of Gibraltar. We know

nothing of these dead and past ancient civilisations.

The Red Indians of North America use Swastika as a symbol. The

surprising fact is that they also pronounce it as Swastika as we do.

It is said that the American Red Indians are descendants of Asian

Tribes who entered America through the Behring strait in some remote

past. History is silent as to when that happened. Our known recorded

history hardly covers three to four thousand years.

We go further three thousand years back for our sketchy

information about Ancient Egypt. The Egyptian pyramids still remain a

mystery. Results of archaeological excavations in Sumer Akkad and

Mohenjodaro have thrown some light, though dim, on the history of

those regions. Beyond 4000 and 5000 B. C. is the era of darkness which

is sought to be penetrated by the valiant efforts of anthropologists,

archaeologists gists, and we hear of such phases in human history as

stone age and copper age. It is now said that human beings first

appeared on our planet five million years back. How they, evolved is

still a controversial subject. Some say that we evolved from a type of

sea fish which had a verbetra like ours. Another widely believed

theory is that apes were our ancestors. McGlashan, one of the renowned

psychologists of the world, in his recently publish book, " The savage

and beautiful country " , which deals with the working of human mind,

has suggested that just as we are now sending human beings in outer

space similarly by a reverse process the human species, on our planet

came from some planet of our galaxy. Madame Blavatsky, the founder of

theosophical movement has propounded the same view.

In short we are so dazzled by the scientific and technological

advancement made during the last three or four centuries that we

faithfully believe that ours is the most progressive era of our world

history and the human beings who inhabited our planet six or seven

thousand years back were savages and primitive men. Our self-conceit

makes us unable to realise that we are totally ignorant about the past

beyond the aforesaid limits. McGlashan says:

" A time will come once more when the whirling machinery will grind

to a halt, the harsh music cease and the roundabout riders step down

stiffly from their apocalyptic beasts. Looking round for his friends

of the inner world, everyman will, see them, too, in troops of gray

shadows, slipping silently away. One by one the lights of the fair

ground will go out, and every man will be left at last, as at the

shadowed close of so many earlier civilisations, to find his own way

home, by himself, in the dark " .

So civilisations have grown and blossomed and then faded away on

our planet. We hear now of continental drifts; shifting of land masses

breaking old continents and forming new ones. No one knows the history

of the people who lived on land that has now been submerged under

seas. Time has devoured them all. In this respect the Hindus are

unique. Their memories, thoughts and traditions go back to the dawn of

creation itself and the time when man first appeared on this planet.

The Rishis heard the Vedas with the appearance of human beings on our

Earth. Today the Hindus are not those people whose history may be

sought to be built up on inferences drawn from ancient ruins and

relics of the past. With all the ups and downs that the Hindus have

faced in the then history they have gone on marching in tune with

KALA, the devourer of all, still chanting the primeval songs that were

passed on by the Rishis from generation to generation. The Hindu does

not begin from any popularly known starting point of era such as B.

C., A.D., Vikram or Shaka. He calculates his day from the beginning of

creation itself viz. the start of Brahma's day. The universe which we

call Srishti begins and lasts till the close of a Brahma's day and

there is Pralaya at night. The creation restarts from the dawn of the

next Brahma's day. After hundred such days of Brahma there is the

Great Dissolution - Mahapralaya. After its end srishti starts again

and so the cycle goes on and on.

" Those yogis know the essence of time who are aware of the fact

that Brahma's day extends to a thousand Mahayugas and similar is the

extent of one night of Brahma's day. "

- Geeta VIII-17

The four Yugas viz. Satyayuga,Treta, Dwapar and Kaliyuga make one

Mahayuga. This concept is not any hidden or secret doctrine. On the

other hand, every Hindu who performs the daily Sandhya recites the

following Sankalpa at the start of his worship:

" Today, the first half of the second Prahar of Brahma's Day in

Vaivaswat Manvantar and Shvetvarah Kalpa in the land of Aryas in the

holy Bharat-Khand of Jambudweep and the first charan of Kaliyuga, in

so and so Samvatsar, Month, Paksha, Tithe, Day, I of such and such

Gotra and name............ "

One day of Brahma is equal to a Kalpa and 14 Manwantars make one

Kalpa.

Kali 1 x 432000 human years

Dwapar 2 x 432000 human years

Treta 3 x 432000 human years

Satya 4 x 432000 human years

Total 43.2 lakhs of years

= one Mahayuga

One day of Brahma or 1 Kalpa, is 100 x 43.2 = 432 crores of human

years.

One Manwantar is equal to 432000000/14 human years = 30.858 crores.

We are at present in the seventh Manwantar Vaivaswat after the

elapse of 27 Mahayugas and in the beginning of 28th Kaliyuga of the

presently running Brahma's Day. The current Kali year is 5081.

Manus change in every Manwantar and they have particular names.

The manu of the presently running manwantar is Vaivaswat and the

manwantar is named after him. Since one Kalpa is one day of Brahma's

life there are thirty Kalpas in every month of his life which have

separate names.

The late Shrimad Upendra Mohan, the great scholar, sage and savant

of Bengal has said in his remarkable book " Reason, science and shastras " :

" The same Yugas, the same Manus, the same Kalpas, the same Brahma

constantly return through time eternal, therefore the calculation of

the creation, of its age, its life and its destruction is constant in

correct to the minutest fracton of the time, unlike stupid modern

science which does not know what it talks and flounders on from

statement to statement through a quagmire of ridiculous falsehoods.

Now which is right? The changeless shastras or the ever changing

science............ "

The Hindus know according to the calculation of the shastras that

the present age of the earth is 198 crores of years. This calculation

is changeless and unchangeable - it is God's spoken word and therefore

the truth which is

[ That which remains the same at all times - the past, the present

and the future, that which is permanent and unchangeable under all

conditions, that which is eternal is a called truth. It admits no ebb

nor flow ]

In the sombre and awe - inspiring dance of time the origin and

flow of Tantra Shastra and Shiva Shakti upasana has to be seen. It

must be, stated at the outset that " Tantricism in Kashmir " is not any

separate system which is distinct from the general frame-work of

Shakta Agams. On the contrary, it is a part of it. Kashmiri savants

and sages however made important and lasting contributions in

interpreting the Agam Shastra and more so in expounding the world

famous Shaiva Darshan (Shaiva Philosophy). According to our Shastras

the Vedas are revealed to the Rishis in every Satya Yugas and they are

gradually withdrawn in the succeeding yugas and very little of them is

left in Kaliyuga. There are 21 branches of Rigveda, 109 of Yajurveda,

50 of Atharva veda and 1000 of Sam veda. Only 2 of the 1000 branches

of Sam Veda are now extant in this world and the rest have been

withdrawn. Rig Veda, Atharva Veda and Yajur Veda have similarly been

depleted. It is not possible for men of Kaliyuga either to perform the

long-drawn vedic yagnas or derive benefit from it. So Mahadeva in His

infinite mercy revealed the Tantras for the men and women of our age.

But the principles of Tantrik worship, particularly Shakti worship,

were known to a section of spiritual practitioners even in the Yugas

preceding Kaliyuga and they ran parallel to the vedic sadhana system.

Tantric rites are 'kriyAtmak' and have to be practised. Having their

roots in the Vedic system they are comparatively short and easier to

perform than the Vedic Yugnas and they are highly potent and give

quick results and raise man to godhood. Even in Satayuga, Treta and

Dwapar the Tantric practitioners were frowned upon by those who

followed the orthodox form of Vedic rituals. These differences gave

rise to the cool relations between Dakhsa Prajapati and Mahadeva. At

that time the daughter of Daksha was the Divine consort of Mahadeva.

Shrimad Bhagwat (3rd Skandh, 4th. Adhyaya) refers to the strained

relations between Mahadeva and Daksha Prajapati. Their relations had

been so embittered that when Daksha Prajapati decided to perform a big

Yagna he did not invite either Mahadeva or the latter's consort. The

episode is described in enchanting language in Puranas and by poets.

Mahadeva and Sati, as she was called in view of what happened

later, were sitting on Mount Kailasa, when Sati observed the Devas

going with their retinues in Akash (sky). She enquired from Shiva as

to what was happening. Mahadeva said the Devas were going to her

father's house to join the yagna there. She was pained to hear of the

yagna of which she had not been informed. She asked as to why Mahadeva

was not participating in the yagna. Mahadeva said that her father was

annoyed with him and they had not been invited. She insisted on going

to her father's house inspite of the fact that she had not been asked

to come by her own father. Mahadeva tried to persuade her not to go

saying that even a daughter should not go to her father's house when

she had not been so asked. Sati persisted and when Lord Mahadeva was

not inclined to accede to her wish to go uninvited to her father's

house She projected Her dazzling form as Mahamaya in all directions, 4

in four directions on surface, 4 upwards in four directions, one above

and ane below, ten in all Her aspects of Kali, Bagla, Chinnamasta,

Bhuvaneshwari, Matangi, Kamala Dhumavati, Tripursundari, Tara and

Bhairavi. They are the Ten Mahavidyas and the Tantrik worship of

Shiva-Shakti in its upper reaches revolves on them or any of their

other aspects. In fact they are the different entrance gates around

the base of the mountain on which a Tantrik practioner starts on his

climb to the summit where the Mahavidyas all merge into one and he

worships at the alter of the Creatrix of all who keeps on creating,

preserving and dissolving the Universe. She has three forms viz. Para

Rupa which no one knows, Mantra Rupa which is Her subtle form, and

lastly, Her physical which are described in Her strotras in Tantra

Shastras and Puranas.

She is very graphically described in " Durga Saptashati " by Rishi

Medhas. Commonly called the " Chandi Path " its recitation is believed

to be very effective and the Hindus all over India and also, in other

countries recite it individually as also collectively. All its Mantras

are Siddha Mantras. It is the story of Emperor Surath and Samadhi

Vaishya which cuts the barriers of Time and Space. Both of them were

in distress and seek the refuge of Medhas Rishi. It describes Surath as:

In swaroch manvantar (the second Manvantar in the cycle) born in

Chaitra vansh was Emperor Surath who ruled on Earth. Having been

defeated by his enemies he entered a dense forest and came to the

ashram of Medhasa Rishi. While the Emperor was in the Rishi's ashram

Samadhi Vaishya, who was a prosperous merchant but was in adverse

circumstances, also came in the Ashram. They related to each other

their tales of woe and misfortune and eventually met the Rishi and put

questions to the Rishi and asked the cause of their acute mental

distress. The Rishi spoke of Devi Bhagwati who is the cause of all;

She, the Mahamaya, forcibly puts the minds of even the wise into

hazen. She creates the Jagat and when she is pleased. She grants

liberation to men.

" Astonished, Emperor Surath asked who is that Devi whom you call

Mahamaya How did she come into Being, what is Her sphere of working,

what is Her form and character. I want to hear all about Her.

The Rishi replied:

" Even though She is ever present, personifies in Herself the

entire Jagat, is the cause of all, She manifests Herself in different

forms and now that you have come to me - so listen " .

The Rishi spoke of the appearance at the time of 'Deluge' when

Brahma sitting on a lotus, which had its roots in the navel of Vishnu

who was asleep, saw himself being furiously attacked by Asura Madhu

and Kaitabha. He prayed to the Devi to save him. The famous ode of

Brahma begins thus:

He prayed the Devi to free Vishu from Her mesh of sleep. The Devi

thereupon released Vishnu from sleep and the latter fought against the

two Asuras and killed them. Here the Devi did not fight Herself but

acted through Vishnu.

The second chapter of the Saptashati refers to the powerful Asuras

led by Mahishasura who had subdued the Devas and had himself became

Indra. The Devas led by Brahama approached Shiva and Vishnu for

protection. Plight of the Devas greatly infuriated Shiva and Vishnu

and their anger caused effulgence to burst out from their faces and

similarly the Teja of the Devas also appeared and the entire

effulgence uniting produced the form of a Dazzling Lady whose radiance

spread to the three lokas (triloki)

The Devi fought several Asuras of the legions of Mahishasura and

killed them. Finally Mahishasura came in person to fight the Devi and

after initial encounters assumed the form of Mahisha and attacked the

Devi. The Devi became furious and refreshed Herself by superfine

drink-wine:

and said -

" Shout, shout, boastfully you fool ! till I take madhu (wine).

Superfine drink and wine has, relevance to the use of wine by

Tantrik practitioners on special occasions. After a grim fight with

Mahishasura the latter was slain by the Devi;

" The Devi by Her great sword cut off the head of Mahishasura.

Delighted to see Her victorious, the Devas prayed to Her as Sura Devi

The hymn in praise of the Devi by the Devas is soul stirring. It

pleased the Devi who was in the form of Bhadra Kali, and She granted

the Devas prayer to came to their help whenever they were in trouble.

The last Act in the Drama starts with another deadly combat

between the Devas and the Asuras when two miohty Asuras - Shumbha and

Nishumbha overpowered Indra as also Surya, Chandra, Yama and Varuna.

They again prayed to the Devi to save them. This is another famous

hymn in Durga Saptashate. While the Devas were praying to Her she

passed by in the form of maiden-Parvati-and asked the Devas as to whom

they were praying. As soon as she put that question there emerged

Shiva from Her own body and said that the Devas are praying to Us;

Having come out of the body of the Devi She is known and venerated

in the universe as Kaushiki;

As a result of Kaushiki's separation from Her body the complexion

of Parvati underwent a change and became dark and stayed in the

Himalyas and became known as Kali;

Apart from the fact that Durga Saptashati occupies a very

important place in Tantrik worship I have referred to it at some

length because the aforesaid change in the complexion of Parvati and

Her being called Kali appears to have a direct bearing on Kashmir

Tantricism and the form of our Ragnya Bhawani. A notice board in the

courtyard of Kheer Bhawani Kund in Tulmula says, so far as I

recollect, that the Devi was Worshipped by Ravana in Lanka and was

brought from there and installed in Tulmula after the defeat ef Ravana

by Shri Ram Chandraji. In the shrine in the Kheer Bhawani Kund Devi

Ragnya Bhagwati is sitting on the left of Her Bhairava, Bhuteshwara,

and Her complexion is dark. Kali is Krishna-Varna and has dark

complexion. But as mentioned in the dhyan of Ragnya Bhawani Her

complexion is very fair, like fresh snow;

Has the change, as seen in Her image in the Tulmula Shrine and the

description in Her dhyan, any bearing on the aforesaid narrative in

the Saptashati which transformed the Parvati into dark complexioned

Kali ? I met the famous sage and scholar, Swami Lakshman joo Maharaj

in the summer of 1979 when I was in Kashmir. I pointedly referred to

the aforesaid description of Ragnya's complexion in Her Dhyan and Her

complexion in Her image in the Kheer Bhawani Shrine and asked him

whether Ragnya Bhawani is Kali and if I remember rightly he said it is

so. The point is interesting and requires clarification. It is

generally believed that Ragnya Bhawani is Tripura Sundari. But if She

is Kali also then She combines in Herself the aspects of two Mahav dyas.

I resume the narrative of the Devi's encounter with Shumbha and

Nishumbha which again has an important bearing on the form of our

Sharika Devi.

Parvati of dazzling beauty was seen by Chand and Mund and they

reported to their Master Shumbha that a maiden of unrivalled beauty

was residing in the Himalyas and she was fit, to be his queen and he

should have her;

Shumbha thereupon sent a messenger to Parvati who spoke to her

about the prowess of his master and asked her on his behalf either to

marry Shumbha or his brother Nishumbha. Parvati said that she was

aware that Shumbho and Nishumbha were masters of the three regions -

Trilok but while in a fitful mood. She had taken a view that she will

marry only that person who breaks her pride in combat and proves that

he is more powerful than herself;

The messanger was astounded to hear the Devi's reply. How could a

maiden like her think of defeating the powerful Shumbha and his

legions in fight. He conveyed the Devi's reply to his master. Shumbha

was enraged on hearing the Devi's reply and asked his general

Dhumralochan to go to the Devi with his legion and bring her to him by

force. When he attacked the Devi the latter burnt him by her powerful

hissing;

Her lion destroyed the asuras who had come with Dhumralochan. Then

Shumbha sent the two demons Chanda and Munda to fight with her and

bring her back to him by force. The two demons were well armed and had

a big force with them. Seeing the force arrayed against her the Devi

was enraged and Kali emerged from her forehead,

Kali fought furiously and killed Chanda and Munda and what

remained of their troops ran away. The Shumbha decided to go himself

with Nishumbha with his legions and fight the Devi who had Kali by her

side. Seeing the huge force of Shumbha the Devas could not remain

aloof but this time the Shaktis of Brahma, Shiva, Kartikeya, Vishnu,

and Indra emerging out of them joined Parvati and Kali in the fight

against Shumbha. The fight raged furiously and the Devis decimated the

forces of Shumbha. The fight against Shumbha's general Raktabeeja was

deadly. Whenever blood flowed from his body, thousands of other Demons

appeared. Parvati asked Kali to open her mouth wide and drink the

blood flowing from Raktabeeja's body. Kali was addressed by Parvati as

Chamunda and acting accordingly she drank the blood flowing out of

Raktabeeja's body until he was slain dead by Parvati. Nishumbha

resumed fighting and he was also killed. After the death of his

brother and his generals, Shumbha himself confronted the Devi and said:

" O Durga ! do not boast of your strength because fighting with the

support of Devi Shaktis has swollen your pride. "

The Devi replied:

Thou wicked person ! who else besides me is there in this Universe

(Jagat) ? I am one; see all these aspects of Mine re-enter in Me. On

saying this all the Deva - Shaktis including Brahmani merged into Her

and Ambika stood alone;

The fight between the Devi and Shumbha was bitter and lasted for

long and ultimately Shumbha was slain by the Devi. The Devas prayer to

her is another stirring hymn in her praise. As mentioned earlier every

Shloka in Durga Saptashati is clothed in highly esoteric language and

describes the constant struggle which goes on in the astral plane

between the forces of virtue and evil which the Shastras refer to as

the fight between the Devas and Asuras - Devasurasangrama. It is

reflected in our world as also in mankind inhabiting it.

The tnteresting question arises, particularly with reference to

Shakti worship in Kashmir, whether the Devi referred to above who

annihilated Shumbha and Nishumbha and their legions is represented in

any of her aspects still existing in Kashmir and worshipped by the

Kashmiris. Can it be our Sharika Bhawani !

The Deva - Shaktis, which came by her side when Shumbha himself

came with his forces to fight her, were:

Brahmani, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Narsingh, and

Indrani emerging out of the Devas came by her side. The remarkable

coincidence is that in the Yantra Puja of Sharika Bhagwati all the

aforesaid Devis are worshipped as Matrikas;

The names of some of the aforesaid matrikas appear in the Avaran

Puja of the Yantras of Ragnya, Jwala and Bala also but not in such

remarkable sequence as mentioned above.

Another remarkable coincidence appears from the following lines

the Sharika Stotra in

As mentioned above Dhumralochan, the general of Shumbba was

reduced to ashes by the hissing of the Devi:

In Sharika Bhagwati's dhyan she is shown as sitting on lion and in

blood red garments with her Bhairava Vamadeva by her said

In another dhyan of Sharika Bhawani she is shown as having

eighteen arms. Do they symbolise the aspects of Kali with 10 arms and

Lakshmi and Saraswati having 4 arms each, of uniting in Her. Is She

the Durga of Durga Saptashati who fought against Shumbha and

Nishumbha? The question has to be answered by the Savants of Kashmir.

The principal Kula Devis of the Kashmiri Brahmins are Ragnya,

Sharika, Jwala, and Bala Tripur Sundari. The Shrines of both Sharika

and Jwala do not contain any Murtis but are rocks (Shilas) and are not

man made. They go back to hoary past. Thus it can be inferred that the

Devi was worshipped in her aspects of Ragnya, Sharika and Jwala and

others since time immemorial and before the epic war of Mahabharata

and the dawn of Kaliyuga.

The worship of the Devi existed in the Vedic Times and prior to

Kaliyuga as would appear from, the vedic Devi Sukta and any number of

references in Puranas and Itihas apart from what is said in the Durga

Saptashati and it so existed in Kashmir as in other parts of the

country. Thus the Devi was generally worshipped as the creatrix of the

universe from the very dawn of human civilisation side by side with

the vedic rites which were performed by the people. The hidden Sadhana

of the Devi was also known to some elite practitiones before the

advent of the Kali era.

The Mababharata was fought towards the close of Dwapar Yuga. In

the conversation between Yudhistera and Sanjaya before the start of

the war the time mentioned was the prevailing Dwapar Yuga. (Bhisma

Parva, Chap. X)

Calculating from the present Kaliyuga year 5081, Kaliyuga began in

3101 B.C. which is a crucial and turning point in human history on our

planet.

" It is said that Kaliyuga could not begin as long as Lord Shri

Krishna was touching this Earth with His holy feet and it was only

after He left this mundane world that Kaliyuga commenced. [ Kaliyuga

Raja. Vrittantam, Bhagwat III Chap. III ]

According to the tradition, It has and Puranic literature of the

Hindus the Mahabharata War took place in about 3136 B. C. viz about 36

years before the commencement of Kaliyuga.

The Mahabharat is full of references to Shiva and Devi. When the

rival forces were arrayed on the battlefield and before the Start of

fighting Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to pray to Durga for victory

and then Arjuna prayed to Dnrga in a soul-stirring hymns the

opening of which is

In this hymn the Devi is addressed in all names which occur in the

Durga Saptashate and in the Puranas.

Similarly there are any number of references to Shiva and Several

Odes and hymns in which He is addressed in hundreds of names along

with His Divine consort- the Devi in Her various aspects. Veda Vyas

himself describes tho glory and attributes of Shiva. He is also

described as Pashupate and His worship in the form of Shivalinga is

mentioned by Ved Vyas. Similarly in the Sauptik Parva of Mahabharata

there is the Stuti of Shankara by Ashwatthama (Chap.7) and the

description of the Mahima of Shiva-Parvati and Shankara (Chap. 17).

There is also the Sahsranama of Shiva in Chap. 284. The Anushasana

Parva of Mahabharata again describes the Mahima of Shiva. The

Meghavahan Parva is again full of the description of Shiva and His

Stotra (Chapters 14 to 18.)

It is clear that during the time of Shri Krishna the worship of

Shiva and Devi was, well known and was performed by the Hindus all

over the country including Kashmir. Vitasta is mentioned as one of the

Rivers of Bharat Khanda and Kashmir as one of its regions in the

Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata (Chap. 9). Bhishma Pitamaha while lying

on his bed of arrows after the close of the Mahabharata War told

Yudhishthira about the then existing forms of Dharma in Bharat Khanda.

He described them thus:

[ e.g. Sankhya, Yoga Panchratra, Veda and Pashupat ]

The destruction and loss of life in the Mahabharata War was

collosal. The weapons used were more lethal than what may appear from

the use of bows and arrows. There is specific mention of several

weapons such as Brahmastra and others which were highly destructive

and very likely some kind of arrows with unclear heads were used. A

large number of tribes from behind the frontiers of United India took

part in the fighting. Drona Parva of Mahabharata specifically mentions

the " Shaved headed " Kamboj soldiers, the Yavanas, Shak, Shabar, Kirat

and Barbar tribes who took abroad part in the fighting (Ch. 19.) The

influx of people from abroad caused a great social confusion in the

country. And then also began the Kali era. The vedic rites became

difficult and beyond the capacity of men. There is another incident on

the record. Janmejaya orgauised a great yagna for avenging the killing

of his father Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna, by Takshak Nag. The

yagna started and snakes from all regions were drawn and started

falling in the burning sacrificial pits. Then a Rishi, the protector

of the Nagas appeared and stopped the rites. The interruption

infuriated Agni Deva and he gave a curse to the Brahmins saying that

hence onwards the Vedic Mantras would be ineffective to them like a

poisonless snake. Then began the age of the Tantras.

The Mahanirvana Tantra is one of the Agamas which are ranked with

the shrutis. Agamas are in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and

Parvati. The latter questions and Shiva replies. In Nigamas Shiva

questions and Parvati answers. In other Tantras such as Damaras and

Yamalas only Shiva speaks, there being no conversaton between Him and

Parvati. There are several Upa-Tantras and commentary on the Mul

Tantras by Rishis and savants.

The Mahanirvana Tantra has a dramatic opening, Parviti says

The Devi said : " At present Kaliyuga holds sway and causes the

destruction of Dharma and prompts people to commit wicked deeds,

immoral and false acts. Now influence of Vedas has gone, Smrites have

also been drowned in forgetfulness and the names of various Puranas

which are full of history and point to various paths will not remain

known and consequently the people will turn against virtuous acts. The

people of Kali will become rudderless, vain, full of Sin, voluptuous,

greedy, cruel without feelings of pity and will become haughty and

accustomed to using unkind words. The people of Kaliyuga will keep

company of low persons, will try to acquire the wealth of others,

speak ill of others, act viscously and will become wicked. In trying

to forcefully get another's wife these people will have no fear of

sin. These persons will always remain poor, dirty and diseased. The

Brahmins will not perform the daily Sandhya and will act like Shudras.

Prompted by greed they will try to earn their living by performing

forbidden acts and commit sins. They will be liars wicked persons

vain, have evil tendancies and sell their daughters and will be

opposed to tapas and vrat. They will flout the rubes with regard to

eating and drinking and will always denounce the Shastras and virtuous

men. 0 ! Lord of jagat, who among these people will read stotras and

understand yantras and under the Kaliyuga perform Purashacharans. Men

of Kaliyuga will be of very evil tendencies and will be sinful

persons. How will they be reduced? " Sadashiva replied:- " Devi, you are

blessed, merciful and kind and you are the well wisher of people of

Kaliyuga. Whatever you have said about me is true " . Then Sadashiva

revealed the forms of worship which leads to liberation from bondage.

Tantra shastra has a wide connotation and it covers the Panchadeva

upasana which came into vogue after the Mahabharata war with the start

of Kaliyuga. The Pancha-devas are Ganesh, Vishnu, Surya. Shiva and

Devi and there are separate sets of Agamas for each of them. Thus

there are Ganpatya, Vaishnava, Saura, Shaiva and Shakta Agamas. In

popular parlance Tantriks are supposed to be those who are worshippers

of Shakti (Devi). Shakti is never worshipped alone. Every aspect of

Shakti has Her Bhairava and both are worshipped together. Every

Mahavidya has Her corresponding Bhairava. The same is the case With

the Kul-devis of Kashmiri Brahmins. Ragnya's Bhairava is Bhuteshwar,

Sharika's Bhairava is Vemdeva, Jwala's Bhairava is Mahadeva and Bala

Tripura Sundari's Bhairava is Karneshwar. Similarly Shaiva's cannot

ignore the consort of Shiva- the Devi and Shaiva and Shakta Upasana

cannot be separated.

There are two broad forms of Shakta worship viz the Sbri Kul and

Kali Kul. Kularnava Tantra is the authoritative Agam for Shri Kul and

the Mahanirvana Tantra for Kali Kul. The Sammohan Tantra (Chap. VI)

mentions 64 Tantras, 327 Upatantras, and several yamalas, Damaras,

Samhitas and other scriptures of the Shaktas and 32 Tantras, 125

Upatantras and Yamalas, Damaras and other scriptures of Shaivas. The

number of known Tantras is much less than the number mentioned and

they have been either withdrawan or lost.

The question is raised as to the value and worth of the teachings

of Agamas. It is answered by Sir John Woodroffe in the following words:

" In the first place there must be a healthy physical and moral

life. To know a thing in its ultimate sense is to be that thing. To

know Brahman, is according to Advaita, to be Brahman........... But to

attain and keep this state as well as progress therein certain

specific means, practices, rituals or disciplines are necessary. The

result annot be got by mere philosophical talk about Brahman. Religion

is practical activity. Just as the body requires exercise, training

and gymnastic, so does the mind. The means employed are called

sadhana. Sadhana is that which leads to Siddhi. Sadhana is development

of Shakti. Man is a vast magazine of both latent and expressed power.

The object of Sadhana is to develop man's Shakti, whether for temporal

or spiritual purposes. But where is Sadhana to be found. Seeing that

the Vaidika Achara has fallen into practical desuetude we can find

nowhere but in the Agamas and in the Puranas which are replete with

Tantrik rituals. "

The sway of Tantra Shastra after the Mahabharata war extended

beyond the frontiers of India and included Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet,

Burma and nearly south eastern Asian countries and Tantrik literature

divided them into three zones viz Vishnukranta, Ratha Kanta and Ashwa

Kranta. The North eastern zone camo under Vishnu Krant, North western

zone under Ratha Kranta and Southern zone under Ashwa Kranta. The

dividing point of the aforesaid division was the eastern end of the

Vindhvas. The three Krarnas (schools) of Tantrik Sadhana prevailed in

each of the aforesaid zones viz Kashmir Krama in Rath Krant; Bang or

Gaur Krama in Vishnu Krant and Kerala Krama in Ashwa Krant. The

Shakti-Sangam Tantra speaks of the aforesaid three schools:

Eighteen regions of North East beginning from Nepal and going upto

Orissa come under the sway of Gaur school; Nineteen regions from

Aryavarta upto the seas come under Kerala Krama and the Kashmir Krama.

Kashmir occupied remaining eighteen come under a prominent place in

the field of Tantrik worship during the past Mahabharata period. Its

scholars and savants were treated as authorities for the Kashmir Krama

in the regions North-West of the Vindhyas. As in the parts of India

there were votaries of Vishnu, Ganesh an Surya, so were they in

Kashmir also but Shiva Shakti worship had a place of its own in Kashmir.

It was in Kashmir that the Adi - Shankaracharya realized the full

impact of Shakti. There is controversy with regard to the age of Adi

Shankaracharya. According to one view he was born in 740 A.D. while

according to the Kanchi Math history the year of his birth is said to

be 509 B.C. The present Shankaracharya of Kanchi Math, Jagatguru

Shrimad Chandra Shekhar Sarswati Maharaj, the greatest savant of

present day India, is sixty eighth in line of spiritual descent from

the Adi Shankaracharya. The Kanchi records give the chronological

table in the of all the Shankaracharyas of Kanchi Math together with

names and dates of assumption of office by them. In spiritual descent,

on an average there are usually three holders of the office in a

century. Very often a holder of office takes a boy disciple in the

later period of his life and the successor if he does not meet a

premature death may continue in the seat of his office for a long span

of years. Among the Shankaracharyas of Kanchi Math as many as 11

Shankaracharyas including the present one have held their office for

more than 60 years. Out of them the second Shankaracharya presided

over the Math for 70 years, the fourth for 96 years, the sixth for 81

years, the eighth for 83 years and the fifty - third for 81 years. The

present Shankaracharya has been holding his office for 68 years.

The Adi Shankaracharya dividing the country into four zones

founded four Maths; Jyotir Math at Joshimath near Almora district of

U. P. ; Govardhan at Puri (Orissa), Sharda at Dwarka (Saurashtra) and

Shringeri in south. After installing his disciples in each of these

Maths, who were also called Shankaracharyas, the Adi Shankaracharya

retired to Kanchi where also be had a Math, the fifth, and another

disciple of the Adi Shankaracharya became the Shankaracharya of the

Kanchi Math. The Kanchi parampara also finds support from the history

of the Gaudapadacharya Math or Kaivalya Math now called the Kavale

Math of Saraswat Brahmins. It was founded by Swami Vivarnananda at the

same time when the Adi Shankaracharya founded his Maths. Sri

Gaudapadacharya's disciple was Shri Govindacharya. The latter had two

disciples the Adi Shankaracharya and Swami Vivarnananda. The

headquarter of the Kavale Math is near the city of Goa and the present

head of the Math Shrimad Sacchidananda Sarasawati Maharaj is

seventy-sixth in line of descent from Swami Vivarnananda. There is no

reason to doubt the authenticity of Kanchi records which give the date

of Shri Shankar's (Adi Shankaracharyas) birth as 2593th year of

Kaliyuga era which corresponds to 509 B. C. The aforesaid date of Shri

Shankar's birth is also supported by some Jain compositions and the

" Brihat Shankara Vijaya " by Shri Chitsukhacharya who was also a

disciple of the Adi Shankaracharya. It would appeal that the Maths

founded by the Adi Shankaracharya and the Kavale Math are the oldest

monastic institutions in India. All the aforesaid Shri Shankara Maths

have Shri Yantras installed therein and the worship of Shri Yantras is

performed according to Tantrik rites as prescribed by the Parashuram

Kalpa Sutra.

Kashmir was the centre of Tantrik as also of Sanskrit learning

when the Adi Shankaracharya visited Kashmir. Perhaps the Sanskrit

University in Kashmir in those days was located near the shrine of

Shardaji near the banks of Krishna Ganga-now in Pakistan occupied

Kashmir. The Saraswat Brahmins who left their homeland more than two

thousand years back and settled in Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Gujrat,

Karnataka and Kerala, have a tradition that their homeland was

Kashmir. They hold Sharda Devi in great veneration. I visited the

Sharda Devi shrine alongwith my late grand father-in-law, Dr.

Balkrishna Kaul in the summer of 1935. My late wife Girija and members

of Dr. Kaul's family were in the party. The shrine is located on a

hill top like the shrine of Jwalaji. The steps leading to the top of

the hill appeared to be twisted as if they had been battered by an

earthquake. The question as to when did the University township cease

to exist requires investigation. It was in the Shrine itself that I

first met the late Pandit Shridhar joo Dhar who had become my guide

and philosopher in the closing years of his life. He was the greatest

living Shakta Sadhak of his days and his death last year was a great

loss to the Tantrik World.

Swami Vivarnananda, founder of the Kavale Math was a Saraswat and

very likely a Kashmiri Brahmin. Even in Adi Shankaracharya's times the

sway of Kashmir School had extended to far south. The famous temple of

Kanya Kumari is a gift of Kashmir Krama to the country. The rites

performed in the temple are in accordance with the Kashmir Krama.

Hindusim, as it emerged after the carnage of the Mahabharata war,

has the fullest impress of Tantras on it. In the words of Shri

Aurobindo modern Hinduism is ninety percent Tantrik. It influenced

Jainism and Buddhism also and there are Jain and Buddhist Tantras.

Gautam Buddha denounced the Vedas and also the Tantriks. There are any

number of Buddhist Jataks in which the Tantrik Brahmins are badly

criticised. It appears that by that time some degenerate Tantrik Cults

had come up and so-called Tantrik widely practised black magic and

indulged in drinking, womanising and senseless animal killing. That

led to a reaction in society and genuine Tantrik Sadheks retired in

their shells. What happened then is happening even now. We hear of

miracle performing Tantriks whose services are openly offered to those

who pay handsomely. One also heals of weird rites performed by

Tantriks or persons belonging to so-called Tantrik cults where sex

plays a part and all sorts of immoral acts are performed. Such cults

are not peculiar to India. They are also to be found to a larger

extent, in Europe, America and other countries of the world. There are

groups and societies in Europe and America which worship Satan calling

him by his old name Lucifer and in their rites every accepted norm of

decent behaviour is flouted. The truth of Shastrik way has to be

judged by what it lays down and not by what is twisted or degenerate

aspects show. Sir John Woodroffe says:

" I refer to the well known division of worshippers into

Dakshinachara and Vamachara. The secret sadhana of some of the latter

(which I may say here is not usually understood) has acquired such

notoriety that to most the term " the Tantra " connotes this particular

worship and its abuses and nothing more. I may here also observe that

it is a mistake to suppose that aberrations in doctrine and practice

are peculiar to India. The west has produced many a doctrine, and

practice of an antinomian character. Some of the most extreme are to

be found there. Moreover, though this does not seem to be recognised,

it is never-the-less the fact that these Kauli rites are

philosophically based on monistic doctrine. Now, it is this Kaula

doctrine and practice, limited probably, as being a secret doctrine,

at all time to comparatively few, which has come to be known as " the

Tantra Nothing is more incorrect.............

Here I shortly deal with the significance of the Tantra Shastra

which is of course also misunderstood, being generally spoken of as a

jumble of " black magic, " and " erotic mysticism, " cemented together by

a ritual which is " meaningless mummery " . A large number of persons who

talk in this strain have never had a Tantra in their hands, and such

orientalists, as have read some portions of these scriptures, have not

generally understood them, otherwise they would not have found them

meaningless. They may be bad or they may be good, but they have a

meaning. Men are not such fools as to believe for ages what is

meaningless. The use of this term implies that their contents had no

meaning to them. Very likely; for to define as they do, Mantra as

" mystical words " , Mudra as " mystical gesture " and yantra as " mystical

diagrams " , does not imply knowledge. These erroneous notions as to the

nature of Agama are of course due to the mistaken identification of

the whole body of the scripture with one section of it. (Viz.

Vamachara doctrine and practice). Further this last is only known

through the abuses to which its dangerous practices, as carried out by

inferior persons have given rise. It is stated in the Shastra itself

in which they are prescribed that the path is full of difficulty and

peril and he who fails upon it goes to hell. That there are those who

have so failed, and others who have been guilty of evil magic, is well

known. "

The Sadhana of Shiva - Shakti in Tantra Shastra is graded.

Initially it has two forms viz general and special. The general form

is open to all. People read from scriptures, recite stotras, go to

shrines and ship the deity according to Panchopachar rites or

shodashopachar rites. In Kashmir the people recite the stotras of

Ragnya, Sharika, Jwala, Bala, Shiva, Ganesh, Vishnu, etc. and offer

worship at their shrines. They perform the rites peculiar to the

Kashmiri Brahmans, such as Herat during Shivaratri, Pan for Lakshmi

and worship Vatuk Bhairava on Khecher Mavas day besides performing the

rites and rituals which are common among the Hindus. All these come

within the category of general worship. Only after initiation in the

mantra of any Devata or Devi the form of worship becomes different and

acquires a special character. The aforesaid grades are described as

follows in Kul Pradeep:

They are Vedachar, Vaishnavachar, Shaivachar Dakshinachar,

Vamachar, Siddhantachar, and Kaulachar in order of their graded

superiority, Kaulachar being superior to all. There is nothing above

Kaulachar. It is most secret and subtle and this only is the Sakshat

Param tatwa which travelling from ear to ear remains always " .

The aforesaid first four are paths of Pravrithi and the rest from

Vamachar onwards lead to Nivritti. In the first four the practitioner

is in Pashubhava and from Vamachar and onwards he assumes the

Veerabhava. In Vamachar worship the five makars are used viz meat,

wine, fish, fried cereal and communion between man and woman. It is

the use of the five makars by the shakta sadhaks which has been

subjected to criticism since long as has been mentioned by Sir John

Woodraffe. The shakta practioners have never shown any anxiety to meet

ignorant criticism because they were always anxious to keep their

highly powerful mode of worship a close secret. The veerabhava is not

meant for all. It is Raj Vidya, princely knowledge Guhya Vidya, secret

knowledge which is meant only for the elite, the select few. It is

full of dangers and pitfalls and even Yogins cannot easily be admitted

into its secrets.

Only that person is admitted in Veerachar who has sufficient

self-discipline and control over his body and senses and who would not

be tempted to misuse his powers. Such misuse leads to the cultivation

of Siddhis and black magic and hinders spiritual progress. The person

who is qualified to handle this highly potent sadhana should be free

from avarice and blind to the wealth of others, impotent for women

other than his wife, dumb in talking ill of others, and should have

mastery over his senses. Only such a person can safely handle the

stages of Sadhna from Vamachar to Kaulachar.

There is nothing obnoxious in meat, fish and fried cereal. The

Kashmiri Brahmins freely use meat and fish in 'Herat Puja', on the

occasion of 'Khechir Mawas' and these are used during the Navaratras

by those whose Kul Devis are Sharika and Jwala and in Shradhapuja for

a departed person. Most of Kashmiri Brahmins are non-vegetarians and

meat and fish form part of their diet. Wine taken in measured dose is

tonic and medicine but its misuse is disastrous. There are strict

injunctions of the shastra that wine should be taken only in the

course of sadhana and in a restricted manner. The practice of shakta

sadhana in its upper reaches awakens the dormant centres of energy in

the body and raises ferment in it. During such phases the use of wine,

meat, and fish becomes necessary to suitain the body lest it should

break. Further, the Tantrik practioner uses the very things which

rouse sense and passion in order to subdue them. Poison is used to

eliminate the poison itself. The Kularnava Tantra says:

As for the last M, it symbolises the cosmic process of creation.

It is the adaptation of the sansl~ar of the Hindus - the Garbhadana

Sanskar. The Mahanirvana Tantra makes the emphatic assertion that in

the " fifth tatwa " the participant should only be a Swakiya, the

lawfully wedded wife and no one else;

0 Consort of Shiva ! in this strong Kaliyuga which has an

enervating effect, for the remaining fifth tatwa viz 'maithun', only

the lawfully wedded wife should be made the participant as she alone

is free from all blemishes. [ Mahanirvana Tantra Chap. VI- 14 ]

The Veerachar Sadhana and the subsequent stages leading to

Kaulachar can only be safely performed by a householder. In such

worship it is necessary for the practitioner to have a female partner

as his shakti and the wife is the safest shakti. Solo efforts in

shakti worship are always fraught with risks and dangers. Wife as

shakti acts as a shock absorber and safety valve and provides a shield

against adverse currents which often come in his way besides helping

him in his sadhana. But Shakti worship with another woman who is not

the wife - a parkiya -is Fraucht with great dangers which may unhinge

the practioner's mind or may even prove fatal. It may be frankly

stated that the worship involving sex union with wife is always in

privacy of the two and any suggestion that such acts are indulged in

groups is patently absurd and needs no comment.

Lastly, the sadhak arrives in the Divya Bhava where he no longer

needs the use of meat, wine etc. and the crutches of makars are

discarded. Non-vegetarian diet is no longer necessary. Sex union with

his shakti assumes the shape of cosmic union that takes place when the

Kundalini rising from her seat in the base of the spine, the four

petalled Muladhar Chakra, goes up piercing the upper Chakras viz

Swadhishthan Manipur, Anahat, Visshudba, and Agya and meets her Lord

in the uppermost thousand-petalled chakra, the Sahsrar. The union of

the two symbolises the setting into motion the creative process in the

universe. The practitioner, and such exalted sadhaks are few, reaches

the top of the Everest in his spiritual climb and becomes a Kaul, an

Aghoreshwara. He has burnt all his Karmic bonds, there is no death or

rebirth for him, neither Mangal or Amangal, nor pain or pleasure.

While he is in his mortal body he is a Shiva and when he leaves his

body he remains on the astral plane as long as he likes having become

a sun of a solar system of his own. He carries on his wishes from the

astral plane through the medium of other persons. The shastra is full

of praise for Kaulas. The line of such Kaulas has continued unbroken

in Kashmir since times immemorial and they along with the few advanced

Sadhaks have been directing the Kashmir Krama while the people in

general carried on their general Kulapuja.

The Kashmiri Brahmans who are the only remnant left of the Hindus

of Kashmir, the rest having been converted to Islam, have shown an

amazing tenacity in sticking to their Vedic and Tantrik heritage.

Their shakha is Kath and their veda is Krishna Yajurveda. Their grihya

sutra which controls their rituals is Laughakshi, which certainly goes

back prior to the Mahabharata era. I doubt if there is any other

section of the Hindu community in India which has kept up its Vedic

and Tantrik heritage in all its purity unaffected by the tidal waves

of Jainism, Buddhism and the later equally strong Vaishnava movements

led by Rarnanujacharya, Ramanand, Madhavacharya, Vallabhacharya and

Nimbarkacharya. Some individuals might have been influenced by the

teaching of the aforesaid Acharyas but the community as a whole firmly

stuck to its old moorings.

Buddhism made a great impact in Kashmir during and after the

period of Emperor Ashok but he last ditchers among the community stuck

to their guns and remained steadfast.

For nearly 300 years beginning from the IX century A. D. till the

commencement of XI century A.D. Kashmir remained under the spell of

the brilliant sages and savants who propounded the Kashmir Shaivism

and Trika Shastra. Their unbroken chain beginning from Shri Kantha and

followed by Vasugupta, Kallata, Somananda, Utpalacharya, Lakshmana,

Abhinavagupta, Khsemraja and Yogaraja raised Kashmir Shaivism to

sublime heights. After the Adi Shankaracharya, no other sage or savant

occupies such a dazzling place of honour among the Hindus than

Mahamaheshwara Abhinavagupta.

Sir John Woodroffe says:

" Unsurpassed for its profound analysis is the account of the

thirty - six Tattwas or stages of cosmic Evolution (accepted by both

Shaivas and Shaktas) given by the Northern Shaiva School of the

Agama.......... "

" In fact Shakta literature is in parts unintelligible to one

unacquainted with some features of what is called the Shaiva Darshan. "

The Trika Shastra also lays down the practical forms of Sadhana.

While the culminating points in Shakta Sadhana and the Trika Sadhana

are the same but the starting points are different. For a Shakta

Kashmiri Brahmin his form of Sadhana is well chalked out in the

Prescribed forms of worship of Ragnya, Sharika, Jwala etc. but the

Sadhana mentioned in the Malinivijayottara Tantra (which lays down the

Trika Sadhana) is different though there are common points. I have

considered the aspects of Shaiva Darshana and Trika Shastra as also

the forms of Shiva-Shakti worship at some length in my Review of the

Biography of Bhagwan Gopi Nath ji of Kashmir and in a letter which I

wrote to Swami Lakshman ji Maharaj, the famous Shaiva philosopher of

Kashmir, which have been published in the form of a booklet.

I have tried to avoid repetition of what I have said in my

" Review " and in my letter to Swamiji. But the teachings of Shaiva

Darshan and Trika have raised a conflict among the Kashmiris whether,

particularly in their special Sadhana, they should follow their old

traditional path or giving up their Ragnya, Sharika and jwala, should

follow the path as prescribed by Trika Shastra. Swami Lakshman ji

Maharaj has yet to answer this question.

The advent of Islam in Kashmir wiped off the Hindus leaving only

11 families, some say 9. It is a tribute to their amazing tenacity

that the few who remained blossomed again. They had occasional periods

of respite particularly in the reign of Zainul-Ab-din and in phases

after the Moghul conquest of Kashmir. Their plight worsened again

during the Pathan rule and then improved again during the Sikh and

Dogra regimes. Now again they are in low waters. Their economic

condition is bad and they are facing unemployment. The younger

generation, though highly educated has lost its religious moorings and

has become rudderless. Kashmir is no longer the famous seat of

Sanskrit learning as it was in former days. There is no Sanskrit

Department in the Kashmir University. Members of our priestly class

who are our traditional teachers and custodian of our religious and

cultural heritage are leaving their vocations and their children are

taking to other professions. The perennial source of ancient

Kashmir-Krama seem to have dried up. This has caused grave concern to

shaktas all over India. The weakening of the Kashmir Krama is creating

a great imbalance in Shakta worship. Sometimes back the matter was

considered by the executive committee of the All-India Shakta sammelan

and it expressed its serious anxiety over the prevailing conditions in

Kashmir, and I as the president of the Sammelan was asked to go to

Kashmir and assess the situation. I have been to Kashmir several times

during the last five years and even though what I have seen has pained

me but I have not lost hope. Things could not be worse than what they

were when we were only 9 or 11 families left. Then we rose as if from

ashes. I have not met initiates in our Kaul Sadhana besides a very

few. But there are quite a number of eminent Sanskrit scholars. It is

indeed a matter of regret that nearly 4000 Sanskrit manuscripts

pertaining or Shakta worship and Shaiva Darshan were lying

uncatalogued in some almirahs of the Research Department and Archives

in Srinagar. I wrote about them to the Government of Jammu & Kashmir

as also to the Union Government. Now they have been removed and handed

over to the Kashmir University, which does not have a Sanskrit

department. I do not know how the Kashmir University proposes to deal

with them.

Tantricism and Kaulachar in Kashmir, having a hoary past, has gone

on, facing ups and downs and will continue to go on. A letter which I

received from late Pandit Shridhar Joo Dhar is instructive and

interesting. It runs thus

AUM

S. D. Dhar

Retired Conservator of Forests.

My dear Shriman Shivaji,

Many thanks for your so affectionate letter of 27th July. Your

contact with such an elevated Shakta Yogin as your Gurudev Maharaj

could not be accidental. Apparently you have been carrying the seed of

your spiritual Sadhana from many past births and you seem destined to

be a torchbearer of our highly inspiring ancient Kaulachar. You are

now in the hands of Bhagwan Gopi Nath ji Maharaj who will raise you to

the highest pinnacle of self-realisation in due course. Our Kaulachar

has received a great set-back in Kashmir. There is however a redeeming

feature. I have come across some young aspirants who are collecting

all available connected literature and conducting research in its

sadhana. Their efforts will not go in vain and our spiritual

resurgence is only a matter of time.

The " Trika " philosophy has its own charm. I have not studied it

critically but I feel that it appeals more to the present day youth as

it does not involve much of practical kriya such as Yantra Puja and

all its usual rites and is mainly based on " Vimarsha " . I am however

confident that it will not eclipse our " Kaulachar " which has so far

survived the onslaughts of Buddhism, Shaivism and Islam.

It is a well - established fact that a tree grows best in its own

habitat i.e. natural environment. So it is with every human being.

One's " Jati-dharma " is its natural environment and so long as he

remains within fold and limits he is sure to flourish well. This is

what our Avtars have stressed by example and precept. Our effort

should naturally be to uphold our jati-dharma on which one's

Kul-dharma is essentially based. It is very laudable that you are so

determined to uphold our 'Kul-dharma' and I pray that your efforts may

succeed in the renaissance of your " kaulachar " . OM TAT SAT.

I am well. I trust this finds you in the best of health along with

your wife and others.

With all best wishes,

Yours Own

S. D. Dhar.

There are followers of " Kashmir Krama " all over India and some of

them are persons of high standing in spiritual field. But the " kashmir

Krama " has to be directed by savants who spring from the soil of

Kashmir which is the natural habitat of the Directors of the " Kashmir

Krama. " Our Kula Devis--Rajnya, Sharika, Jwala and Bala Tripurasundari

will soon fill the void.

__

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