गान्धर्व तन्त्र (शैव-शाक्त आगम - मन्त्र-रहस्य, यन्त्र एवं देवतोपासना सटीक)

the remainder is to be used in rubbing the head and the remaining parts Arghya is offered to the Sun-god with his mantra for completing the ceremony. In this the knees of the worshipper are to touch the ground and the mind to be concentrated Salutation to and seeing of the sun are to begin and end the ceremony The place where the vessels have been arranged should be duly washed with the water and the washing should be thrown into the water or near the root of a tree After offering the food to the preceptor and his wife or in their absence to the girls, the remaining part of the same should be eaten by the devotee Such a food is considered as Amrita. Sipping water before and after is necessary as also reciting the following prayer - शिवो दाता शिवो भोक्ता etc Ladies and Brahmins are to be fed each time the worship is performed Offering of food to the peceptor, girls, Brahmins and cows helps to remove the sin of errors committed in worshipping In doing Japa the concentration of the mind is to be aimed at by believing in and feeling identity with Śrīvidyā either as transcendent or as immanent 22nd CHAPTER This chapter describes the duties of a Sādhaka. These are - (1) Realisation of the Supreme Reality as identical with the individual soul. Anything offered with this conviction receives sacredness (2) The worship of Tripurā

It is to be done either as Nitya or as Naimittika or as Kāmya By the first is meant that which is done every- day and omission of which is sinful By the second is meant that which is done occasionally with a definite end in view and failure in the performance of which is attended with the evil consequences The last denotes that kind of worship which is done avowedly to gain some object. In rendering all these kinds of worships it is to be kept in view that nothing is done contrary to the popular usage Worship in all its forms if done without any desire to gain this or that object is viewed as Sāttvika (3) Performance of the acts that are prescribed for him by the Shruti and Smriti such as service to the parents and entertainment of frien- ds and relations, maintenance and protection of the dependents, preservation of peace and order with a view to honouring the righteous and punishing the wicked (4) Meditation upon Tripura Sundari and Tripura Bhairva four times a day in the morning, mid-day, evening and mid night 23rd CHAPTER This describes the importance of worshipping the girls, their prescribed ages and the way in which they are to be worshipped Maidens also are mentioned in this chapter to receive the worship of the practitioner as representing the eight mothers Brāhmi etc.

24th CHAPTER It describes the importance and fruit of offering worship to the girls and the Prāyaścitta or penance that is to be done by the devotee when he misses performance of the daily worship. It lays stress on the daily worship as compared with the occasional or purposeful and instructs that, on the 14th, 8th or 15th days of the bright half of the month as also on the 14th day of the dark half falling on Tuesday Yajna or sacrifice should be offered to Tripurā. Yajna is considered as a body in which meditation, worship, muttering of the mantra and Homa constitute the four hands, devotion head, faith heart, skill in action eyes, knowledge of the Ātman the soul and Nyāsas the remaining parts of the body. Such a 14th day of the dark-half of the month on which Tuesday and the constellation Tishya fall simultan- eously is the most sacred day for the devotee of Tripurā. 25th CHAPTER This chapter is devoted to the description of the sacred spots in India and the merits that a devotee gains by offering worship in these places. The sacred places are river banks, caves, mountain tops, sources of water, confluences of rivers, forests, gardens, mountain feet, Tulasī-groves, cow- sheds, root of the Aśvattha or Āmalakī, temple of Shiva,

shore of ocean, solitary places and those where the preceptor lives or which help in the concentration of the mind, the cities of Benares and Dwārikā, the Vindhya mountain, Āryāvarta, Brahmāvarta, Prayāga, Pushkara, the river Karatoyā, Nandi kunda etc It also tells that the devotee is not held back from worship by the consideration of impurity arising from death or birth and that he should offer worship mentally in times of such a calamity 26th CHAPTER It deals with Dīkshā or initiation. It is necessary for the practitioner of mantras because it imparts right knowledge and removes sins Before having been done by man to man initiation was started by the holy line of nine divine teachers, viz Prakāśa, Vimarśa, Ānanda, Jñāna, Satya, Purna, Svabhāva, Pratibha, Subhaga, the first three living eternally in heaven, the middle three partly in heaven and partly on earth and the last three only on earth These receive their worship between Vimalā and Jayani in Shrīchakra Qualifications are laid down of both the initiator and the initiate The former among other things must have all good qualities = be free from vanity, greedless, healthy, pure, speaking truth and knowing sacred laws of the Tantras The latter must be orthodox, merciful, attached to the teacher, considerate and greedless. He should aviod all acts of indecency especially when in

presence of the teacher and should have as much faith in him as in his own God or Mantra and be respectful towards him The months which are described for initiation are given in the following order of importance:- Assoon, Katak, Baisakh, Phagan, Maghar, Chet, Har, and Magh Days of the lunar reckoning and the week days prescribed for the said purpose are 15th, 5th, 2nd, 7th, and 13th and 10th and Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Monday and Wednesday. The initiation is said to be of three kinds that of mantras, that of Shakti and that of Shiva. The first involves the use of mantras, worship, postures, meditation and con- centration etc The second has a reference to that in which the initiator infuses his own spiritual power in the initiate. The third is that in which a spiritualist par excellence sanctifies the person with no regard to qualifications merely by his glance to the extent that the Reality becomes visible to him. The end of the chapter explains the details of initiation such as selection and preparation of a place for initiation, making offerings to Vāstupāla together with the Vedic recitation and blessings of the learned Brahmins, sowing of seeds, and rendering worship to the Dikpālas with a view to invoking their help in performing initiation, puri- fication of the place, Shrichakra and the disciple with

Panchagavya, performing Homa and disclosing the mantra called Svapnamānava, i e , हिलि हिलि शूलपाणये स्वाहा to the disciple and putting him to sleep afterwards The disciple is instructed to carefully remember the dreams good or bad he has seen in sleep The good dreams are those in which the objects seen are a girl, an umbrella, a chariot, a lamp, a palace, a river, saffron etc Bad dreams on the other hand involve reference to an ass a crow, ditch etc The preceptor has to make a hundred offerings with the Astra matia in case the initiate sees bad dreams 27th CHAPTER This also is devoted to the description of initiation The seeker after initiation is to approach the initiator with the request for initiation after having duly done worship to gods and the manes Initiator is to enter the pavilion raised for the purpose and instal a water-pot of gold or silver or copper on the Shrichakra drawn on the earth The water-pot is to be filled with fragrant substances and certain herbs and varieties of earth, and wrapped with a couple of cloths The same is to be placed on a stand. The stand, the water-pot and the water respectively representing the Fire, the Sun and the Moon are to receive worship through their Kalās. The candidate for initiation is asked after this

to fill his hands with flowers and throw them so as to see whether their throw is in the auspicious direction or other- wise In the latter case the initiator is to ward off the evil by performing a Homa After performing worship to the attendant deities of Tripurasundarī sacrificial food is to be prepared of which a part is to be offered to her and the rest to the fire, care being taken that the fire is ablaze The candidate is to have his face covered with a cloth and then be besprinkled with the water from Viśeshārghya and the initiator is to request the goddess to be kind to the candidate and inspire him with her devotion After this he has to receive instructions from the initiator as to the line of action he should follow in future The initiator should imagine that the fetters of sins binding the body of the candidate have been burnt down with the fire of kuṇḍalinī rising from the Mulādhāra to the Brahmarandra and also enter his body through the Yogic power and unite his soul with his own After having him seated on a diagram of the alphabet, the initiator should bathe him with the water of the water-pot, muttering the three Bījas of the Mūlamantra and then dress him and oint him with sandal-wood and other pastes He should also instruct the candidate to perform the Mātrikā-nyāsa and the Mantra-nyāsa at the end of which his face is to be unveiled and he sees things required for the worship and takes food, while muttering the mantras of

the Tattvas, with the Mudrā of morsels. Then the initiator acquaints him with the mantras of the Guru and Bālā and the mantra of the candidate's choice or all mantras atonce In doing the latter the initiator keeps his foot on the head of the candidate He also gives him a new name of initiation consisting of two or three syllables with the word आनन्दनाथ coming at the end Having thus brought him up to the same footing with himself in the spritual sphere, the initiator should embrace him and smell him on the head In order to keep his own spritual power intact the teacher should also perform the Japá of the Mulamantra one thousand and eight times The candidate should offer due and costly presents so that his teacher may be satisfied

28th CHAPTER

In this are given the instructions regarding Purash charana which is necessary for obtaining success in the mantra Purashcharna means performance of the Japa of a mantra either one thousand and eight times or fiftythou- sand times This is necessary to remove the obstacles due to lack of faith, scepticism and the demerits of the previous lives This may be done either by the disciple or by the teacher or by some worthy Brahmin in some sacred place either on the 14th or the 8th or the 15th day of the dark half of the month The practitioner is to keep a fast for

the previous day and perform worship to Brahmins or teachers, Gaṇeśa, mother deities ad manes. The Japa is to be done in a suitable place which is to be selected carefully by testing the same with the help of the diagram called Kur- machakra consisting of nine sections in which the alphabet or the Mātṛkā is arranged in a prescribed manner The rosary to be used is to consist of the beads of pearl, crystal etc Beads may number a hundred, fifty or twentyeight One of them which stands for the Meru should be the biggest, the rest being gradually smaller in size and each bead should have a knot The holy articles of food such as curd, milk, Ghee etc should be taken and those of the opposed character should be avoided The practitioner should also observe sleeping on the earth, celibacy, silence, absence of envy, three daily baths, avoidance of mean acts, daily worship, daily charity, praising of the deity, occasional worship, reliance on the teacher and the deity and avoid the company of and eating with women, Sudra, outcast etc, lying, cheating, deceitful talk, hearing the music and seeing a dance etc Japa should not be done when the doer is without a Pavitra in the hand naked, with the head covered, without a seat, asleep, going or standing in the street, dark places or talking It should not be continued on seeing, talking to and hearing an outcast, sneezing, discharging the wind and yawning Everyday such an amount of Japa should be done from the morning till midday as has been fixed per day

44 There should not be a pause of even one day in the period of Puraścharana. At the end of Japa the offering should be made to the extent of its 10th part in the puri- fying fire. Tarpaṇa, Mārjana and the feeding of the Bramins should be done respectively to the extent of the 10th part of the Homa, 10th part of the Tarpaṇa and the 10th part of the Mārjana. The five acts of a sacred bath, purging of the sins, offering water to the Sun, sipping of water and Prāṇāyāma come after the above. The large scale worship is to be conducted at the end to complete the Puraścharana. There is yet another way of performing the same. According to this the practitioner is to keep a fast previous to the day on which a Solar or Lunar eclipse falls and stand in the river navel-deep and mutter the mantra during the time of the eclipse, and after having done so perform Homa etc. 29th CHAPTER In the above the practitioner is instructed to mutter the mantra of Devi with his wife at the time of midnight, because anything done of religious merit at this time has got far greater significance than if done at others. Perfor- mance of Japa nine-hundred-thousand times of Devi is calculated to qualify the practitioner for approach to her. This is to be done in the following manner:-

Three-hundred-thousand times when the practitioner has to concentrate his mind upon Kundalinī in the Mūlādhāra centre coiling herself round a phallic mass of light called Svayambhu. Again three hundred thousand times in the heart with the mind fixed on Kundalinī with the Liṅga as above called Bāna. Lastly the same number of times in the head with attention fixed on Kundalinī with the Liṅga called Itara. Mind loses its separate entity and becomes one with the object of meditation when Japa is performed a crore times. The serpent power lying dormant is to be awakened and raised from centre to centre in the body of the practitioner and these centres number nine and are located in the Mūlādhāra, Liṅga, navel, heart, throat, middle of the eyebrows and so on. The practitioner is advised further to see that the mantra when muttered is not subjected to the impurity, attendant on birth and death. Each breath before its beginning and termination is said to have this pollution. Immunity from such impurity is obtained by that practitioner who knows the meaning of the mantra, the life of the mantra and the Yonimudrā. The meaning of the mantra of Devī Tripurasundarī is said to be sixfold, i. e., literal meaning, traditional meaning, inner meaning, Kaulika meaning, occult meaning and real meaning. According to the literal meaning, the mantra is to be understood as implying the union of Śiva and Śakti because

44 There should not be a pause of even one day in the period of Puraścharaṇa At the end of Japa the offering should be made to the extent of its 10th part in the puri- fying fire Tarpana, Mārjana and the feeding of the Bramins should be done respectively to the extent of the 10th part of the Homa, 10th part of the Tarpana and the 10th part of the Mārjana The five acts of a sacred bath, purging of the sins, offering water to the Sun, sipping of water and Prāṇāyāma come after the above The large scale worship is to be conducted at the end to complete the Puraścharaṇa There is yet another way of performing the same According to this the practitioner is to keep a fast previous to the day on which a Solar or Lunar eclipse falls and stand in the river navel-deep and mutter the mantra during the time of the eclipse, and after having done so perform Homa etc 29th CHAPTER In the above the practitioner is instructed to mutter the mantra of Devī with his wife at the time of midnight, because anything done of religious merit at this time has got far greater significance than if done at others. Perfor mance of Japa nine-hundred-thousand times of Devī is calculated to qualify the practitioner for approach to her. This is to be done in the following manner:-

Three-hundred-thousand times when the practitioner has to concentrate his mind upon Kundalinī in the Mūlādhāra centre coiling herself round a phallic mass of light called Svayambhu. Again three hundred thousand times in the heart with the mind fixed on Kundalinī with the Liṅga as above called Bāṇa. Lastly the same number of times in the head with attention fixed on Kundalinī with the Liṅga called Itara. Mind loses its separate entity and becomes one with the object of meditation when Japa is performed a crore times. The serpent power lying dormant is to be awakened and raised from centre to centre in the body of the practitioner and these centres number nine and are located in the Mūlādhāra, Liṅga, navel, heart, throat, middle of the eyebrows and so on. The practitioner is advised further to see that the mantra when muttered is not subjected to the impurity, attendant on birth and death. Each breath before its beginning and termination is said to have this pollution. Immunity from such impurity is obtained by that practitioner who knows the meaning of the mantra, the life of the mantra and the Yonimudrā. The meaning of the mantra of Devī Tripurasundarī is said to be sixfold, i.e., literal meaning, traditional meaning, inner meaning, Kaulika meaning, occult meaning and real meaning. According to the literal meaning, the mantra is to be understood as implying the union of Śiva and Śakti because

the constituent syllables of the same represent either Śiva or Śakti Hence the first part of the mantra called Vāg- bhava, i. e., हसकलह्री represents Vāmā Śakti, Brahmā Goddess of wisdom, volition and Pūrvāmnāya, the second called Kāmarāja, i, e , हमकहहलह्री Jyeṣṭhā Śakti, Viṣṇu, Goddess of earth, cognition and Dakshiṇāmnāya and the third called Śaktı, i. e., सकलह्री Raudrī Śaktı, Rudra, action and Paśchimā- mnāya The syallable at the end of all these parts represents Ambikā Śaktı, Śambhu, Śāntā, all the three aspects volition etc and Uttarāmnāya All these parts are further viewed as represen- tatives of the three acts of creation, sustenance and destruction In this way in the Vāgbhava with reference to the creation as beginning, ह denotes Brahmā, स Goddess of wisdom with reference to the same as continuing (considered as sustenance) क denotes Viṣṇu, ल Goddess of earth, with reference again to the same as ending, ह denotes Rudrāṇī and र Rudra and the syllable ई denotes Śiva Sakti and their combination (Anākhya) In the Kāmarāja ह & स represent continuity as beginning, क & ल continuity as continuous ह continuity as ending and ई as Anākhya. Addition of ह in this part indicates that it refers to the stage of continuity In the Śaktı स as abbreviation of हस denotes destruction as beginning, कल destruction as continuity, ह destruction as ending and ई the same as before

According to the Sampradayartha ह denotes sky क are र fire स water and ल earth, giving birth respectivly to sky etc The goddess of the mantra is to be meditated upon as identical with the whole universe The fifteen syllables of the mantra respectively represent also the 15 qualities of the elements i e, 1 of the sky, 2 of the air, 3 of the fire and 4 of the water and 5 of the earth The mantra when analyzed into its constituents including both vowels and consonants resolves itself into the 37 parts as 5 vowels (4 अs + 1 ई) and 6 consonants हसकलहर in the first part, as 6 vowels (5 अs + 1 ई) and 7 consonants हसकहलहर in the 2nd part, as 4 vowels (3 अs + 1 ई) and 5 consonants सकलहर in the 3rd part, as 3 Bindus at the end of these parts and as a whole. These 37 constituents represent the 36 categories both individually and collectively The 6 हs in the mantra represent the sound as effect (fivefold) and as cause. The 3 ईs and the Bindu at their end stand for the 4 forms of touch, 3 रs represent 3 aspects of form, 2 सs represent 2 kinds of water gross and subtle and the 3rd स stands for the connection between water and nectar. 3 लs represent the earth as existing in the 3 worlds 3 कs also represent 3 classes of cognisers— Aśuddha, Suddha and Miśra, 12 अs represent Jivā as such, Jīva as breath, Jīva as spirit, 3 Bindus, purusha, Rāga, Vdyā, Kalā Nīyatī, Kāla, Māyā, Śuddhavidyā, Ishvara and Sadāshiva and 3 Nādas, Sānti, Śakti and Śambhu

According to the inner meaning, the mantra reminds of the identity between Śiva, the teacher and the disciple. According to the Kaulika meaning it reminds of the identity between the mantra, the diagram, the deity, the teacher and the disciple. Identity between the mantra and the diagram is thus established— 3 लs = 3 rectangles, 3 सs = 3 circles enclosing the two lotuses, thrice three parts of ह्रीं i. e. हर्ड = 9 triangles, 3 हs = one 14 sided figure and 2 decagons, 3 कs = the centre. Identity. between the diagram and the deity is shown as below - One hundred and eleven deities that are worshipped in the different parts of the diagram attend upon the Devi and hence she is the main deity of the chakra. She is also manifest in the form of the planets counting nine as she constitutes the essence of the moon, the sun and the fire, volition cogination and action, Sattva Rajas and Tamas. She appears in the form of constellations representing sense organs (5) active organs (5) sense and action objects (10) mind, wisdom, ego, chitta, matter, qualities, and spirit. The six Yoginis Dākinī to Hākinī as presiding deities of the six constituents of the body skin, etc. and the eight mothers Brāhmī etc. as presiding over vowels, gutturals, palatals, linguals, dentals, labials, semi vowels and aspirates are mere representations of the Devi. As one with the ten vital currents, limited soul and supreme soul she appears

as twelve signs of zodiac. The above forms of Gaṇeśa are also traceable from the mantra. The three parts of the mantra respectively represent Vaikharī, Madhyamā and Paśyantī as presiding over the three groups of sixteen letters each (थ to स, क to त थ to स.). Hence Devī the deity of the mantra stands as the mistress of all the forms of speech. As the mantra has three parts, three Bindus and three Nadas, it reminds of her planetary form. Again as it possesses three parts having 5 letters (ह र ई Bindu and Nāda) at the end of each in addition to the remaining letters numbering 12 she is to be considered as one with constel- lations. As the 6 letters suggestive of Śakti, i. e., 3 ह्रीँs and 3 लs, represent Yoginīs she assumes their form. Similarly all the letters of the mantra excepting the 3 ending ह्रीँs counting twelve stand for the 12 signs of zodiac and hence she appears in the form of Rāshis also. The identity between the teacher and the taught This can be acquired and realized just as that between the deity and her body either as mantra or as chakra, which has been described above. According to the occult meaning the mantra reminds the practitioner again and again to be attentive to the idea of identity between his self and Kuṇḍalinī which wakes up in the Mūlādhāra and rises from there to the lunar seat in the head.

According to the real meaning the practitioner has to merge himself in the Transcendental Self. 30th CHAPTER The three parts of the incantation of Devī known by the terms Vāgbhava, Kāmarāja and Śakti together with the Hamsa-mantra are described in this chapter. ह and स of हंस are said to be representative of the vital breath and the soul, existence and intelligence, Śiva and Śakti. This mantra is called Ajapā because it is not to be muttered but to be meditated upon so much so that the practitioner is to realize his unity with the Transcendental Self. Of the Mātṛkā of the Sanskrit alphabet, vowels constitute the breath, and Bindu and Visarga consciousness. Every incantation becomes lifeless as it were, if not possessing Bindu, Visarga, ह, स and ई श्रीं ह्रीं. हंस ऐँ क्लीं सौः ह्रीँश्रीँ is supposed to vitalise every mantra as do Bodhinī and Dīpinī. Meditation on Kuṇḍalinī in the form of a flame, if accompanied by the 3 Kūṭas above referred to, leads the practitioner to acquire respectively extraordinary wisdom, power of charming and immunity from the effect of poison. The meaning of Kāmakalā and what it stands for and other details regarding the same are given at the end of the chapter.

31st CHAPTER This chapter gives the details regarding the Homa or sacrifice These are offerings to be made, formation of the Kunda and the diagram, sacrificial pots, the incan- tations meant to invoke the fire etc Particular objects obtainable from making particular offerings are also fully mentioned together with the measure and weight of the latter at the end of the chapter 32nd CHAPTER How a particular ring is to be prepared and how the same is to be worn by a worshipper of Devi are mentioned in this chapter The ring like the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet is to be considered as identical with the Sun, Moon and Fire. Hence the same is to be made up of gold, silver and copper as representing Sun, Moon and Fire The metals named above are to be in the ratio of 12, 16 and 10. The ring is to be washed with the five products of cow and five Amritas on a bright Tuesday. The alpha- bet should be written in the form of a lotus and the 9 pots full of perfume, water and jewels should occupy the place of the 8 leaves and the centre of the lotus. In the central pot should be placed the ring the three parts whereof should be worshipped as Moon, Sun and Fire with the three Bijas of Devi and with the three groups

of letters 16 vowels, 24 consonants क to भ , and ten other consonants य to क्ष Nayāsa of Sammohini and Mātṛkā comes after this The goddess of the latter is to be meditated upon as three-eyed, moon-white and wearing the emblems rosary, goad, arrows, noose, two lotuses, bow and book After offering the worship with flowers, lamps etc , together with that of attendant deities and muttering the mantra thousand times, the ring should be put in hand The Sampāta Homa also should be done after this The disciple who is to wear the ring should be bathed with the water of the 9 pots above referred to when placed on the lotus of the Mātṛkā. When thus qualified, he is to wear the same on the index finger. It may be made of 9 jewels which are sacred to the 9 planets which represent the 9 classes into which the Sans- krit alphabet is divided. 33rd CHAPTER. This chapter deals with the invocation of the presence of Devi It is said to be possible in three ways in the diagram, in the image and in the disciple The disciple should make an image either of a jewel or of gold or of silver and have Devi invoked in it. The image should be taken out every month and worship conducted through it with the 64 articles of the same The diagram should be washed with the five products