Shakti and Shâkta : essays and addresses on the Shâkta Tantrashâstra

SHAKTI AND SHAKTA

He who has not understood Tantra Shastra has not understood what “ Hinduism” is as it exists to-day. The subject is an important part of Indian culture and therefore worth study by the duly qualified. What I have said should be sufficient to warn the ignorant from making rash generalizations. At present we can say that he who worships the Mantra and Yantra of Shakti is a Shakta, and that there were several Sampradayas of these worshippers. What we can, and should first, do, is to study the Shakta Darshana as it exists to-day, working back from the known to the unknown. What I am about to describe is the Shakta faith as it exists to-day, that is Shaktivada, not as something entirely new but as the development and amalgamation of the various cults which were its ancestors.

Summarising Shakta doctrine we may first affirm that it is Advaitavdada or Monism. This we might expect seeing that it flourished in Bengal which, as the old Gauda Desha, is the Guru both of Advaitavada and of Tantra ShAstra. From Gauda came Gaudapadacharyya, Madhustdana Sarasvati author of the great Advaitasiddhi, Ramachandratirthabharati, Chitsukhacharyya and others. There seems to me to be a strong disposition in the Brahmapardyana Bengali temperament towards Advaitavada. For all Advaitins the Shakta Agama and Advaita Shaivagama must be the highest form of worship. A detailed account of the Advaita teachings of the Shaktas is a matter of great complexity and of a highly esoteric character, beyond the scope of this paper. I may here note that the Shakta Tantras speak of 94 Tattvas made up of 10, 12 and 16 Kalas of Fire, Sun and Moon constituting the Kamakala respectively ; and 19 of SadAshiva, 6 of Ishvara, 10 each of Rudra, Vishnu and Brahma. The 51 Kalas or Matrikas which are the Sikshmaripa of the 51 letters (Varna) are a portion of these 94. These are the 51 coilsof Kundali from Bindu to ShrimAtrikotpatti-Sundari mentioned in my “Studies on the Mantra Shastra.’ These are all worshipped in the wine

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