Lalan Prasad Singh - Tantra, Its Mystic and Scientific Basis 1976.pdf
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TANTRA ITS MYSTIC AND SCIENTIFIC BASIS
LALAN PRASAD SINGH M.A., D.Litt.
01 CONCEPT PUBLISHING COMPANY DELHI
First Published
©
Lalan Prasad Singh
Lalan Prasad Singh
1976 1975 1936-
Published by:
Naurang Rai Concept Publishing Company 65 F, Anand Nagar DELHI-110035 (India) Printed at:
Pioneer Fine Art Press Df.LHI-110006 (India)
To the Sweet Memory of My Mother and Father
FOREWORD Philosophy in India has never been considered a purely theo retical exercise. The very word Dar�ana implies seeing or experiencing. Ultimately, all philoso phy in India has been judged by the yardstick of spiritual realization rather than in terms of neat intellectual syllogisms or a barren rationalism.
The entire thrust of
philosophical and mystical literature in India has been towards providing the seeker after truth with a direct, intuitive and definitive contact with the Reality that per vades all existence.
As Samkara says, not all the rules of grammar and prosody
will help one to cross the dark barrier of death, nor all the fasts and pilgrimages in the world ensure that overwhelming contact with the Divine from which, as the �gveda has it, words fall back along with the mind, unable to comprehend. The Indian tradition has a vast treasure of spiritual literature based upon the practice and realization of countless generations of sages and seers stretching back unbroken over many millenia to the very dawn of our civilization.
In this
great heritage, the Tantra tradition represents a particularly brilliant and e vocative strand.
Based as it is upon psycho-physical endeavour aimed at expanding the
human consciouness so that it can comprehend vibrant realms hitherto entirely beyond its ambit, the Tantra represents a powerful and impressive corpus of know ledge to which not sufficient attention has been paid by students of Indian philoso phy.
Despite the pioneering work done by Sir John Woodroffe , the whole science
of Tantra remains the subject of general ignorance or, at best, misconception. Indeed, in the present age when theoretical philosophy is rapidly losing such appe al that it had over the minds of men, Tantra represents a vigorous and virile approach to suprarational experience which should evoke widespread interest in India and abroad. Based as it is upon the twin Shiva- Shakti concept, the union of which alone can bring about spiritual transformation, the Tantra lays special emphasis upon a system of carefully disciplined and deeply meaningful practice directed
towards
arousing the 'Kur:u;lalini', the mysterious 'serpent power', which represents and symbolizes the dynamic aspect of cosmic becoming.
Whether one practices Tantra
or not, a knowledge of its principles and application is essential for a full under standing of the rich and varied Indian spiritual tradition.
I have looked through Lalan Prasad Singh's work on Tantra with interest, and commend it as a useful addition to the literature on this fascinating and many splendoured science. Karan Singh New Delhi
15.1.1973
P R EFACE Tantra, till today, is regarded as a system of black magic. fore, it still remains a neglected branch of study.
Perhaps, there
That Tantra has a rich spiritual
heritage and a developed form of cultural history, and is rich in literature and sub lime in philosophy has remained a fact only. deserves.
It has not received the attention it
The large stock of its literature is still in manuscript form.
But thanks
to Sir John Woodroffe for his enormous endeavour to show that the Tantric cult and culture are neither magic nor an immoral practice. The Sadhana of Paficamakara (Five M's) has created many misgivings about Further
Tantra which is full of symbolism.
the esoteric and deeper meaning of the mystic symbolism of Tantra
cannot be understood without one's initiation into its science. To a layman mantra is a nonsensical syllable and the Five M's are morbid forms of a sexo-yogic process. But, for the initiates, mantra is full of mystic power and the Five M's are esoteric symbols Sadhana of which brings liberation from the fetters of the world. Tantra Sadhana cuts asunder the trammels of Maya and gives occult power taking man to the higher realm of mystic experience. Tantra is known as Agama Sastra.
The Sivadvaita school of Tantra philo
sophy is a unique contribution of India to the speculative mataphysics.
In Tantra,
Advaita means the eternal coexistence of Siva and Sakti which constitute the Abso lute of Tantra philosophy.
Siva is transcendental and Sakti the immanent aspect
of the Absolute. The KuQQalini, Mantra and Yantra are the three mystic principles of Tantra Sadhana.
Reality is open only
to mystic experience.
The incomprehensible
certainty of the Absolute cannot be explained by any grammar of metaphysics. The mystic experience of Tantra Sadhana is vivid, direct and integral.
In the intuitive
experience, the yogi feels the impact of Reality. The mystery of
the
Absolute cannot
beyond the scope of logical concepts. of the Reality. is non-being.
be rationally determined.
It is
The Vedas give only the negative account
According to them the supreme Reality is 'not this, not this'. He is nothing, that is, the Vedas simply affirm that
cannot be realized through the various categories of reason. tuitional science for the �ealization of God.
He
the Reality
But Tantra is an in
The mystic and the scientific bases of
Tantra are variations of the central theme that the Divinity is to be realized with the awakening of the KUQQalini. cess of divinization.
This awakening of the KuQQalini is a mystic pro
It leads one to the path of inner spiritual t ransformation.
The rousing of the KUQQalini brings about an inner transformation in the physical, vital and psychic forces.
The conversion of mechanical energy into psychic force
is called Upavidya and the practice of this force for physical gain is called Avidya
(x) Sadhana. The transformation of psychic energy into spiritual force or bliss is called Vidya Tantra. Tantra Sadhana leads to higher and spiritual levels of perfection, and the yogi continues till he achieves the supreme end of life, becomes one with Param Siva.
This is called Para-Samvit. Tantra Sadhana, in fact, is m:!ant for the attainment of the fourfold objec
tive of life, viz. Artha (wealth), Kama (mundane possessions), Dharma (virtue) and Mok�a (salvation).
It is not, as is ordinarily misunderstood, devoted to salvation
Human life is multidimensional.
alone.
And the Sadhana which does not fulfil
these four objectives of life, which follow one another in one's spiritual progress and perfection, remains a futile pursuit. The material science does not give any holistic view of the Reality. method is analytic.
Its
It explains the phenomenal world in mathematical forms and
physical concepts. These forms and concepts are mere abstractions.
The approach
to Reality through science remains only partial. Physics, which employed mechani cal models of the universe to explain the fundamental principles of the Cosmos, has now changed its course and theme because the models have failed.
Of late,
physici.sts have taken shelter in concepts and ideas, and agreed with Newton in the view that thin gs 'certainly are not mechanical' entities. philosophy and science are bound up with mysticism. spirituality, fact and ideal. of life.
To Tantra Sadhana, both Tantra combines science and
Philosophy in India is not mere speculation but a way
Mysticism is a philosophy of oneness.
It is based on the rule of identity
in life. The mysticism of Tantra denotes a state of consciousness which is charac terized by a complete cessation of sensations, ideas, concepts and subject-object relationship. Through Tantra Sadhana, the mind reaches the pure state of Cons ciousness and Bliss. The Sadhaka attains the state of equal-mindedness which finally leads to salvation. Tantra leads to the integrated elevation and evolution of human personality.
Tantra is mysticism as it takes man to the realization of Param Siva
which is beyond the dualism of subject and object. lini, incantation of Mantra and use
The awakening of the KUQQa
of Yantra (mystic diagram) are mystical
in import. Tantra and the Veda are the two streams of Indian culture and civilization. Tantra is ancient and indigenous to India.
It is a cult whereas the Veda is a creed.
But all their apparent contradictions and conflicts have long bt:en resolved and both assimilated into the organism of Hindu culture. Nigama.
Tantra is Agama and the Veda
Tantra deals with tattva and mantra, the former a cosmic principle and
the latter a mystic sound. The account of Tantra philosophy has mainly been drawn from Siva Sutra,
Tantraloka, S1>achanda Tantra,
Miilini Vijoyottara
Tantara, Pratibhijiiii-hrdayam,
Kiimika Agama, Siva-Dri�ti and other works of Kashmir Saivism. My interpreta tion of the Tantra cult is based on Siiradii Ti/akam, Satcakra Nirupa!Ja (Serpent Power), MahiinirviiJJa Tantra, KuliirJJava Tantra,
Tripurii Rahasya, Saundaryalahari,
(xi) etc.
I have also made use of Hevajra Tantra, Sadhana Mala and Guhya Samaj
Tantra as the base books in dealing with the Buddhist Tantra.
I have derived con
siderable help from the works of many authors, especially Sir John Woodroffe, Dr. Gopinath Kaviraj, Dr. P.C. Bagchi, Swami Pratyagiitmiinanda and Dr. Benoytosh Bhattacharya and am deeply indebted to all of them. This book has grown out of the thesis submitted to Ranchi University for the award of D.Litt degree.
The preparation of the thesis would not indeed have
been possible without the benevolent help of many individuals and I am thankful to them.
I am specially deeply indebted to Dr. R. S. Srivastava, Professor and Head
of the Department of Philosophy, Ranchi University, who took great interest in the present work and offered precious help to me in all possible ways. I acknowledge my deep gratitude to Dr. Karan Singh, Union Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation and a scholar of repute, for writing a Foreword for the book. I also record my sincere thanks
to
Dr. G. C. Pande,
Rajasthan University, Jaipur, and Dr. Frederick Studies, Stanford University, of D.Litt. degree.
Vice-Chancellor,
Spiegelberg, Director, Asian
U.S.A., for recommending the thesis for the award
I am also grateful to
Prof. S. C. Dube, Director, Indian
Institute of Advanced Study, Simla, for awarding me Guest Fellowship which gave me a rare opportunity to revise the present work there.
I must also express my
thanks to my friends, Mrs. Indu Jain, Sri K. C. Sharma, Advocate, Sri Maniram Gupta, Sri B. P. Sinha and Sri Hari Kishore Singh, M.P., for their encouragement and kind help in the publication of this book. I am also indebted to Prof. H. G. Singh for his kind help and inspiration.
Sincere thanks are also due to my brother,
Devendra, my nephew, Bageshwari, both of whom helped me in many ways, and late Sri Suraj Narayan Singh, a close relation, whose help and inspiration were quite invaluable in completing this research project. Lastly, I am thankful to my friend, Sri G. R. Hingorani, of The Statesman, New Delhi, for his editorial assistance and some valuable suggestions. Lalan Prasad Singh Rashtrapati Nivas Simla. Vijaya Dasami October
25, 1974
C O N TE N T S
Page vii
Foreword
ix
Preface Chapter
I
Background of Tantra : Origin of Tantra;
Lord Siva Founder
of
Tantra;
Nigama and Agama Chapter
II
16
Tantra and Veda : The Vedas; Vedic
Literature;
The B.g-Veda;
The
"\
Atharva-Veda Chapter
III
27
Buddhist Tantra and Hindu Tantra Prajfia
and
Upaya; Forms
of
Buddhistic
Tantra
-
Sadhana; Mantra- Yana; Vajra- Yana; Sakti-Tattva in Buddhist
Tantra;
Adi
Buddha;
Kalacakrayana;
Sahaja-Yana Chapter
IV
Principles of Tantra Philosophy :
43
The Absolute; Siva-Tattva; Sakti- Tattva;Evolution Chapter
V
Kundalini-Yoga: Kulakm:��
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