[Advaita-l] Re: Bhutas and Tantra

[Vidyasankar Sundaresan]

>The reply has cleared some of my doubts.
>however, in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita Bhashya, is not the Acharya using the 
>word - Vinayaka matrugana chaturbhaginyadi.....(if i remember correct).
>
>the word "vinayaka" there is it not is singular ?!  the "adi" is only the 
>prathyahara of etc.
>thus vinayaka is it not in singular there.  if it is so, then how come can 
>we take it directly as vinayakas and mean only the evil spirits.
>

vinAyakamAtRgaNa is one compound, and refers to the groups of vinAyaka-s and 
mAtR-s. The former refers to yakShas and the latter usually to the 
sapta-mAtRkAs, who are usually worshipped together in Tantric rites. Sankara 
actually uses the term saptamAtRkA in chapter 17. The term caturbhaginI is a 
bit more obscure. I have found references to "four sisters" only in Tantric 
Buddhist (vajrayAna) accounts.

Vidyasankar

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