[Advaita-l] The 64tantras and tE tantra

[Krishnarao Lanka]

>From :- krishnarao lanka

Subject :-   The 64 tantras and the "tE tantra"

Date :- Thursday, March 02, 2006



Priya mahAsayAh,



              In soundarya lahari SankarAchArya writes …



"catuShShaShTyaa tantraiH sakalamatisaMdhaaya bhuvanaM
   sthitas tattatsiddhiprasavaparatantraiH pashupatiH .
punastvannirbandhaadakhilapuruShaarthaikaghatanaa
   svatantraM te tantraM kShititalamavaatiitaradidam ||" .. 31..



              The meaning in brief is – " O mother !  it is only to misguide
people the paramESwra has endowed sixty four tantras which can give many
benefits of the worldly pleasures.  But because of your instigation and
triggering, he could`nt but to inaugurate

Your tantra, which will give all the puruShArThAs, like dHarma, artha,
kAmaand also mOxa very easily."



 Before we enter into any details of the meaning of this shloka, in my
opinion, we have to first understand what the tantra is ?  Sri
BhAskarAchArya while explaining the name "sarva tantra roopa" has
categorized the tantra as a synonym for the words "agama" and
"AmnAya".saying as …



"bahudHAsyAgamair Bhinnah pandHAnah siddhi hEtavah

 twayyEva nipantyEtE srotaswinya iva arNavE ||"



              The whole of our hindu tradition is totally dependent upon the
'sampradAya' method only.  SampradAya means, handing over of some thing to
some one exactly how it was handed over to him by some one in the past.  The
vEdas, which are useful for performing ya~jnas and yAgas are, more specific
of course, only for a sect of people,  But the same text in a different
version has been initiated by the learned gurus to all the people according
to the suitability of the individual beliefs and standards of knowledge, in
the same sampradAya method only for the achievement of all the four
puruShardHas.

This continuous process is called "Agama".  These AgamAs were mentioned in
two separate sections as Agamas and AmnAyAs.



               The AgamAs mention mainly about the construction of temples,
installation of idols, methods of daily archana, aBhiShEka vidHi, Performing
the utsavas and viSEsharchA kramam, and also about prAyaschitta etc.,  The
AmnAyas contain different varieties of mantras which are being carried from
one man to another preaching about Bhakti and j~nAna to achieve mokSha.



              The paramaSiva has got five heads, with their names as
sadyOjatam, vamadEvam, aGhoram, tatpuruSham and Isanam.  The five powers
(Saktis) of paramEswara, namely, chit, Ananda, itcHa, j~nAna, and kriya,
were mentioned as the five heads.  Seven crores of mantras were manifested
out by these five Saktis/heads.

The chief of all these five Saktis is chitChakti is situated at the top in
the name of ISAna.  This Isana head in other words called "SAmBhava piitha".
This is the turiiyAtiita avasTha in an individual.  The UrdHwa amnAya  has
come into existence from this peetha only. One crore of mantras are in the
control of this peeTa only.,  Its form is SUnya and it belongs to AkASa
tatwa. This is spread right from the moolAdHara to the brahmarandHra and it
is the prAnaswarUpini. "parAtpara linga" is situated here only.



             The second one 'AnandaSakti' is generally called "parA vAk".  This
is situated in the eastern face "tatpuruSham", This face is also called
"kAmagiripiiTham" .  The pUrvAmnAya has emerged out from this face only.  It
controls two crores of mantras.  This is yellow coloured, square and
BhUtatwa. Here only swayamBhU linga is situated.  This is mano rUpa (mental
plane)



            The third one j~nana Sakti is called the aGhOra vaktram, the
southern face of paramESwara.  This is the prakriti rUpini of all the
fourteen worlds.  This is the sum unit (samaSti) of the four antahkaraNas
the manas, buddhi, chitta and ahamkAra. It is the result of the acquired or
accrued results of the deeds of the previous births.  This is also called
the pUrnagiri pITham.  From here the daXinAmnaya has emerged.  It controls
one crore of mantras.  This is budDi rUpa (intellect), dHumra varna, in the
form of a circle with six points in it.and vAyu tatwa.  The name of the
linga here is "bANa lingam".  This is the place of conjunction for pramANa
and pramEya.  In fact this is the parASakti`s form, which can convey us to
the Siva`s abode.



               The fourth one kriyA sakthi is "viSwa janana vyApAra
badDhOdyama". This is vasana swaroopm. This is the northern face
"vAmadEvam".  Here is situated the "ODDhyanapiiTam".  This belongs to
"turIya avasTha".  From here only the uttarAmnAya has emerged out.  It
controls two crores of mantras.  This is blood coloured and belongs to the
'tEjas tattwam'.This is chitta rUpini. The name of the linga is "para
lingam".



                The last one icChA Sakti, which gives experiences of
pleasure and sorrow to the mind is called "sadyOjAtam" which is another form
of 'ahamkAra',the western face. This face is called as "jAlandHara pITham".
paschimAmnAya has emerged out from this place only.  This is having control
over one crore of mantras.  This is white in colour, half moon phase and
jala tatwam. The name of the linga here is "itara lingam".



             In this way, the five faces of parama Siva, being the lords of
five pIThas are propagating seven crores of mahA mantrAs through the five
AmnAyAs and doing good services to the universe. The essence of
these.AmnAyAs have resulted in the formation of sixtyfour tantras.



   "pUrva daxiNa paSchimOttara UrdHwa anuttarAh SaktErAmnAyAh |

    pArdHivApyanala vAyavya nABhasa mAnasAdi SAmBhavaamnAyAh ||"



So, it is understood that all these five AmnAyAs belong to the five elements
(pancha BhUtatmakAs) only; and in the same way all the sixty four tantras
also belong to the five elements only.  In the vAmakESwara tantra, Sixty
four names of these tantras were mentioned in detail.



            Of course the paSupati has manifested the sixty four tantras,
which can give many good results.  But they are all preaching the same
materialistic benefits only.. After that, as per the above SlOka, we can
understand that he has also manifested another tantra for the benefit of the
real mumuxu (seekers of real knowledge) people, a separate tantra.  Some
people claim it as vamakESwara tantra, and some others say that it is
tantrarAja tantra.  Some others say that there is another tantra with the
name of swatantra tantra.  But all these can not be other than the afore
said sixty four tantras. And no other such tantra is not in anybody`s
knowledge.



"  smartavA pAdukapUrvam charaNam tadanantaram |

   panchAmbA nava nAdHascha mUla vidyAstatahparam ||

   AdHAra vidyA Shatkam cha punara~nGri dwayam kramAt |

   UrdHwa SrI pAdukApUrvam charaNAntam gurukramAt ||

   paSchAdanuttaram vandE parabrahma swarUpiNam |

   anuttarAmnAya manUn a~JnA chakre viBhavayEt ||"



          All these five faces of paramaSiva have become inefficient to
describe about the parabrahma.  Far beyond all the knowledges, that which
could be known or that which has to be known is no where at all.  So it is
the sixth AmnAya which was named as anuttara

AmnAya, and that is "swaswarUpa mahA samvit srOtas swcChanda sanchAra rUpa"
separate tantra



"SrInAdha guru mantraadiin mandalAntam yatha kramAt |

  sapta kOti mahA mantrAn dwadaSAntE sada smarEt ||

  SuchirvapyaSuchirvApi gacChanstiShTan swapannapi |

  mantraIka SarNO vidwan manasApi sada smaran ||

  tattat sidDincha sahasram japEt sadhaka pungavah |

  japAnte SudDH mAlAcha amnAya stotramuttamam ||

  lalitA nAma sAhasram sarva pUrtikaram stavam |

  stavarAjancha panchaite Bhaktah pratidinam paTet ||

  Bhuktwa BhOgAn yaTha kAmam sarwa BhUta hite ratah |

  Sa BhAryA putra souBhagyah sa BhUtih paSuman BhavEt ||

  Eka varam japEdEtat kOti ya~jna Palam laBhEt |

  Etad vi~jnAna mAtrENa sarvESham dEsikOttamah ||

  Siva sayujya mApnOti SivayOrEva SAsanAt ||



Please excuse me if I Have exceeded any thing.



krishnarao

--
Krishnarao Lanka