GODDESS - DEVI Lalita Laya!

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Introduction

 

Only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create

- Saundaryalahari

 

Second-hand knowledge of the self gathered from books or gurus can

never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and

applied; only direct realisation will do that. Realise yourself,

turning the mind inward. - Tripura Rahasya, 18: 89

 

Tantra, or more properly tantrika, is a diverse and rich spiritual

tradition of the Indian sub-continent. Although in recent years, in

the Western world, it has become almost exclusively associated with

sex, in reality this is one aspect of what is a way of life. In India

itself, tantra is now, nearly always, associated with spells and black

deeds.

 

Neither of these views is correct, and each wildly underestimates the

wide-ranging nature of the different traditions. Further, there

remains an ocean of tantrik and agamic literature still to be

discovered and translated, spanning a period of time which at least

reaches back to the 10th century of the common era (c.e.).

 

The tradition, or perhaps better, the traditions, underwent many

phases and schools over this period of time, ranging from an extremely

heterodox viewpoint to, in some cases, a very orthodox standpoint.

Refer to this page to see the vast diversity of thoughts and practices

subsumed under the word " tantra " . Much of the material on this site is

related to the Kaula tradition in many of its guises. The work kaula

is cognate with clan and the communities venerated a huge number of

gods (devas) and goddesses (devis).

 

On this large Web site you will find yantra, mantra, tantra and other

material relating to some of the different traditions; texts on the

siddhas, gurus and yogis of the Natha sampradaya including Gorakhnath,

Matsyendranath and Dattatreya; much about kundalini, nadis, chakras;

images of tantric kula devas (gods) and devis (goddesses) including

Kali, Tripura, Shiva, Ganesha, Cchinnamasta, Durga and Tara; pujas and

practices; meditations and dharanas; the inner meaning of kaulachara,

vamachara and svecchacharya; an extensive bibliography, and original

English translations as well as links to other sites.

 

Although some tantras appear at first glance to be straightforward,

most, if not all of them, employ a type of language which can be taken

on many levels. According to the tradition, everything has a gross, a

subtle and a supreme meaning and as the Devi is the goddess of

letters, she can bewilder with her Maya as well as enlighten.

 

Many terms used in the tantrik tradition have meanings which can be

taken at face value but do not always have this meaning, thus making

them difficult to understand to the literally-minded. The mentality of

the pashu, or a person with a herd-disposition, is said to predispose

him or her to misunderstand the meaning.

 

This cryptic way of speaking pervades many of the texts. Should a

cremation ground, for instance, be understood as the yoni, as the real

place where corpses are burnt, or as a symbol for the Absolute? The

answer may be all three. Is a crossroad a symbol of the five elements,

the place where roads meet, or four centres within the human body?

Again, it may have one or any of these meanings. And is the union of

Shiva and Shakti the symbol of sexual intercourse, the union of vital

breaths within the body or an eclipse?

 

We can probably find the answers to these questions by going to the

root philosophy of the tantrik traditions. There is no Shiva without

Shakti and yoga is a realisation of the unity of all things. That is

not to say that everything in tantrik texts is figurative; many

describe practices which are said to bring about this realisation.

 

It is also important to remember that legends and stories within the

tradition may be intended to appeal to parts of the human mind which

are not solely connected with logic.

 

For example, in the Tripurarahasya (secrets of Tripura), a wonderful

work available in an English translation (see Bibliography), much of

the teaching and practical philosophy of the tradition is told in

story form, easy to digest but pregnant with meaning. Bear these

considerations in mind when browsing this site.

 

If you are new to the subject, we suggest you visit the glossary page,

where many of the terms on this site are explained in a simple manner.

The headings below each open out into sub-pages where you can sample

many of the mysteries of this ancient tradition.

 

The sections and the topics left also need some explanation. Very

broadly speaking, tantras fall into traditions belonging to greater or

lesser schools. The Kali tradition, for example, has a large

literature and there are specific areas in India where her worship is

concentrated. The Lalita, or Shri Vidya tradition, also has a very

extensive literature, much of which is still unplumbed.

 

The Natha Sampradayas or lines relate to sects said to have originated

mostly from Matsyendranath and Gorakhanath, and occupy an important

position in the yoga schools of the mediaeval period.

 

Under other topics, we have included a selection of tantrik topics,

each of which could form vast topics on their own.

 

Tantrik ritual is included because above all else the adepts of these

schools insisted on practical work. Many tantras are practical manuals

and this section will be expanded in the future.

 

We have also included some translations of parts of the tantrik

literature along with abstracts of other texts to give a feel for the

whole subject. If there are mistakes in the translations, please

forgive us. Also, let us know, and we will fix them.

 

The Sanskrit texts section will also be expanded in the future to

include material hard to find, out of print and also out of copyright.

 

Because the tradition still lives on in the last years of this

millennium, we have also included material written by HH Shri Gurudev

Mahendranath, the 23rd guru of the Adinatha Sampradaya, who died just

a few years ago.

 

To charges that in some way we have breached rules about publishing

mantras and the like, we can only respond that a great deal of this

information is available in Hindi and Sanskrit books which are not

hard to obtain, and also in manuscripts available to anyone who takes

the time to dig them out of libraries.

 

Suggestions, corrections and comments about the site are very welcome.