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Guptasadhana Tantra
A mantra is, like everything else, Shakti. But the
mere utterance of a mantra without more is a mere movement of the lips.
Shakti and Shakti, Sir John Woodroffe
This tantra is likely quite old. It is quoted as a
source in the Matrikabhedatantra, which may possibly date from
the 13th century c.e. The edition used for this abstract is No. 311 in
the Chowkhamba Haridas Sanskrit series. The work is unabashedly of a
Kaula slant, briefly exposed in twelve short patalas (chapters).
Chapter One
Set on the pleasant peak of Kailash mountain, Devi first
says that she has heard of the greatness of the path of the Kulas, but
now wants to hear more. Shiva says that as he is her slave, and out of
love, he will tell her what she requests. Kulachara, he says, is great
knowledge and should be concealed, particularly from those of the pashu
(herdlike) disposition, in the same way that Devi would hide her sexual
organs from others. Kulachara, he says, is the essence of the vedas, the
puranas and other shastras, and is very difficult to obtain. Even if he
had tens upon tens of millions of mouths, he would be unable to describe
the magnificence of the path of Kula. Shakti, he says, is the root of
the entire universe, pervading all, and she is the cause of knowledge
arising in a sadhaka. Knowing Shakti brings happiness in this world and
causes a sadhaka to dissolve in the body of Shakti in the next. Next,
Shiva says that the Kulashakti should be worshipped with the five
makaras, and describes suitable shaktis for this worship as a dancer, a
Kapalini, a whore, a washing girl, a girl who cuts hair, a Brahmani, a
Shudrani, a Bhopala maiden and a flower-girl. These are the nine tantrik
Kulashaktis.
Chapter Two
Parvati says she wants to know about sadhana, and breaks
into a eulogy of the guru. She says the guru is Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra
and is the refuge. Guru is sacred bathing places (tirtha), guru is
tapas, guru is fire, guru is the sun and consists of the whole universe.
She asks by which mantra and in which ways the guru should be served and
worshipped. She asks what his meditation image is. Shiva says that
women, because of their emotional nature, should not have secrets
revealed to them. Nevertheless, out of love for her, he will tell her of
the meditation image and the nature of the guru. It should not be
revealed to pashus, he warns. He says that just as Kula represents
Shakti, so Akula represents Shiva. A person who is dissolved in Shakti
is called a Kulina. This is a reference to the idea that Shiva is the
witness, inert, a corpse, and it is Shakti, Kula, who creates, maintains
and destroys the universe. The guru is the Kula circle, and one should
bow to the guru seated in the centre of a great lotus which has the
colour of an autumnal moon. He has a face like the full moon, and wears
celestial clothes, and is scented with heavenly perfumes. He is united
with the greatly alluring Suradevi, on his left, and his hands show the
mudras giving boons and dispelling fear. He is marked with every
auspicious sign, and is situated in the great 1,000 petal lotus on the
head. Shri Parvati then asks to hear more. She wants to know about the
meditation image of the guru's shakti. Shiva replies that she is like
the red lotus, wearing beautiful red clothes, she has a slender waist,
and is adorned with red jewels and a red diadem. She resembles the
brightness of the autumn moon, wears beautiful shining earrings, and
sits on the left of her own lord (natha). She shows the signs giving
boons and dispelling fear and holds a lotus in one of her hands.
Chapter Three
Parvati asks Ishvara, whom she addresses as the giver of
liberation, the lord of breath and Mahadeva, about preparatory acts
(purashcharana) sadhakas must undertake. As in the
Kankalamalinitantra,
Shiva says that the way to accomplish sadhana of the great mantra is
through one's own will, here described as sveshtachara rather
than svecchacharya. The usual defects and rules applying to
whether worship is during the day or night do not apply. At morning, and
at midday the sadhaka should recite the mantra and having performed puja
should once more recite the mantra at the evening twilight. In the
evening, the sadhaka is to offer food and other offerings according to
his will. After doing so, the best of sadhakas should also recite the
mantra at the dead of night. Together with his own shakti, he should
recite the mantra. Joined with his shakti, the mantra gives siddhi, and
not otherwise, Shiva says. There is no siddhi without a Kulashakti, even
in thousands of millions of years. After worshipping the Kumari, a
sadhaka should give her offerings of food and the like and recite the
mantra 108 times. After doing so, one should give dakshina (gift) to the
guru, such as gold and clothes. Unless the guru is satisfied, success in
the mantra cannot be obtained. Success means that one becomes like
Bhairava or Shiva himself.
Chapter Four
This chapter deals with the shakti and her
characteristics. Shankara says that she may be one's own shakti or
another's. She should be youthful and intelligent, and should be free of
shame (lajja) and disgust (ghrna). After using the five
elements according to the rule, the sadhaka should recite the
mantraplacing it 100 times on the head, 100 times on the forehead, 100
times where the hair is parted in the centre (sinduramandala or
simanta), 100 times on the mouth, 100 times on the throat, 100
times in the region of the heart, 100 times for each of her breasts, 100
times for the navel, and 100 times at the yoni. After doing so, the
sadhaka should think of himself as one with Shiva, and using the Shiva
mantra should worship his own lingam. Chewing tambula (pan), and with
bliss or excitement in his heart, he should place his lingam in the yoni
of shakti. He should offer his atma, together with dharma and adharma,
and everything else in his nature as a sacrificer offers to fire in the
susumna nadi using a mantra ending with Svaha. Then, while still joined
with his shakti, he should utter the mantra 100 or 1,000 times. The full
sacrifice, which here implies orgasm, he should then offer using the
prakashakasha mantra, again ending with Svaha. The semen which flows
from this orgasm should then be offered to the Devi. It may be noted
here that this whole process, though couched in explicitly sexual terms,
can also refer to the bliss when Kundalini rises through the sushumna
nadi and the chakras. Whoever worships according to the previous method,
says Shiva, becomes free from illness, wealthy, and equal to the god of
love Kama himself. His enemies are all destroyed, and he becomes
successful on earth, gaining all dominion, and equal to Shiva himself.
Chapter Five
After all this excitement, Parvati wants to know about
preparatory acts, and how many times the mantra given to the disciple by
the guru should be recited in the months after initiation. Shiva says
that during the first month, the mantra should be recited 600,000 times,
in month two 1,200,000 times, and in the third month 1,600,000 times. In
months four and five, the number is 3,000,000 times for each. In month
six, the mantra has to be recited 3,600,000 times, and in the seventh
month, 4,200,000 times. In the eighth month, japa is 4,400,000 times,
and in month nine 4,500,000 (or could be 5,400,000) times. Month ten
needs recitation 6,000,000 times, while month 11 the number creeps up to
6,500,000 times. By the time the last month of the year is reached, the
mantra has to be recited 10,000,000 times. Shiva says that only be
reciting the mantra this many times, does it become successful. As well
as worshipping the shakti in the manner described in chapter four, a
sadhaka must also worship the Kumaris, or virgins, feeding them and so
forth. The Kulachudamanitantra goes into some detail about this process.
Shiva says here that without shakti, he has the form of a corpse, while
when he is joined with the devi, he is Shivo-ham.
Chapter Six
The goddess says she wants to know about the Dakshina
form of Kalika, who she describes as the giver of siddhi, and very hard
to get knowledge of in the three worlds. Shiva says he will reveal this
information, which, he says is also spoken of in the Kalitantra
and in Yamala. He says that knowing the essence of Dakshina Kali
liberates an individual from the ocean of being and says that Bhairava
is the rishi who revealed the mantra, it should be pronounced in the
Ushnik metre. He gives the linchpin (kilaka), shakti and other details
and says that the application of the mantra is the four ends or aims of
all human beings, dharma, artha, kama and moksha. He tells the Devi that
he has already given the complete mantra in the Kalitantra. Devi
then responds by asking about different elements in puja including
meditation, the place of worship the different asanas (positions, seats)
called Alidha and Pratyalidha, the cremation ground, and the nights when
she should be worshipped. He answers that a candidate should be an
adhikari, that is competent or entitled to worship Kalika, and should do
the daily puja dedicated to his or her guru, or the guru's son or the
guru's shakti. Without this, the fruit of a sadhaka's puja is taken by
the rakshas and the yakshas. The guru and his or her family are to be
offered the fruit of the puja and satisfied in every way. The Alidha and
Pratyalidha postures are the form of Kali as the destroyer and deluder
of the universe, the form of Kali as fire itself, and so situated in the
cremation ground. By performing these according to the injunctions of
the guru, one obtains the four aims of mankind. One should do the puja,
by implication in the cremation ground, at night at a time which appears
to be in the second ghatika (a ghatika =24 minutes) after midnight. On a
great night of Kali, one should perform puja at midnight, using the five
bhavas, here meaning the five makaras, as part of vira sadhana.
Worshipping at different times, and in the different velas, gives
different results. Those of the divine and heroic dispositions (bhavas),
should worship using the five tattvas, at midnight, to achieve the
highest results and become free from time.
Chapter Seven
The chapter opens with something of a tiff between Shiva
and Shakti. The goddess wants to know about the tattva, and entreats
Shiva, if he has love for her, to reveal these details. Shiva replies
that she herself is the supreme tattva, while he is a scatterbrain, and
got it from her. Devi entreats him to speak, and he says that he has
spoken of these matters in many tantras of old. He asks her why she
keeps asking again and again. After another short exchange, Shiva
launches into the matter in hand. He reveals a five syllabled purifying
mantra which he says is hidden in all the tantras and which refers to
the five elements of the hidden ritual. He then describes how this
affects the different worshippers. Brahmins, he says dissolve into the
supreme tattva, just as water flows into water; Kshatriyas achieve
oneness (sahayoga); Vaishyas gain equality with the Devi, Shudras dwell
eternally in the Devi's heaven; while others achieve equality with the
(supreme) tattva. More details, he says, may be found in the
Nilatantra, which may be the Brihadnilatantra, and in other
places such as yamalas.
Chapter Eight
This chapter describes a chakra which may be used to
decide whether a given Mantra will produce success. The then follows a
description of the bases used for puja. These may be yantras, gems,
images, or a Shiva lingam. Unlike some other tantras, this work
recommends the puja using the lingam should be performed only when the
lingam is made of a permanent substance. The Todala Tantra recommends
that Shiva lingams should be made of clay. This chapter only has 22
verses.
Chapter Nine
This entire chapter is devoted to the worship of Dhanada
Lakshmi. It includes her Mantra, Yantra, puja, Kavacha, and other ritual
details. Dhanada bestows wealth to a devotee.
Chapter Ten
Deals with the worship of the Goddess known as Matangi.
contains the hymn of Matangi, Kavacha and the Mantra. She bestows the
four aims of mankind.
Chapter Eleven
This brief chapter covers the garland of letters, of 50
letters of the alphabet which make up the body of the goddess. It also
deals with the physical rosary and describes the different substances
from which it may be fashioned. These include crystal, red sandalwood,
and beads of the Rudraksha plant. The best rosary is made of human
skulls, and as also described as the great conch rosary. Inner
recitation of the mantra is more powerful than external japa.
Chapter Twelve
The Mantra known as Gayatri is described in this
chapter. The fifteen verses describe the Gayatri as the greatest of all
mantras. having this tantra in one's house protects from all
misfortunes, and brings liberation. |
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