Tantra in a nutshell

We examine tantra, a large sub-culture of Indian roots, and its development today. In modern times, Tantra is misunderstood as a collection of sexual practices, yet it has affected practically every aspect of spiritual knowledge including mantras, yantras, meditations, chakras, and more. It was an exploration of the subtle and physical body, highlighting the masculine and feminine energies.

Tantric Yoginis from Chausath Yogini Temple, Hirapur. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

The term "Tantra" is derived from Sanskrit meaning "to weave". It also implies "spinning out," "spreading," or "pushing out" referring to the incorporation of several traditions into a holistic practice. Tantra's original practitioners regarded it as a complete method for expanding knowledge and wisdom that the whole universe is one intertwined organism.

Tantra is a science of religion and philosophy of science. Tantra was a Sadhana. Tantra's meaning as an esoteric ritual is a colonial-era European narrative, the meaning was far deeper. ‘Tan’ is a Sanskrit word that signifies "the warping of strands on a loom." and referred to the amalgamation of tantric teachings (the threads) into a unified tradition that involved rituals, mantras, and practices to attain moksha. Tantra is a mixture of two words, 'tanoti' or expansion and 'trayati' or liberation. It is a process of expansion that climaxes in liberated existence or jivanmukta.

Tantra Shastra as a whole is the system that deals with the methods to empower the individual and provides ways to reach wisdom that lies in the depths of human awareness. It was often assumed that only a sannyasin, brahmachari, or a complete renunciate may acquire psychic talents, and that the average person had no access to these deeper levels of awareness. Tantra Shastras, on the other hand, declared unequivocally that neither diet, character, or social position, can stand in the way of attaining it.

Traditional Tantric paths critique current Western versions of Tantra as having little to nothing in common with Tantra as practised for generations in India, Nepal, and Tibet. Only a small subset of Tantric writings deal with sexuality. Most concentrate on the use of mantras, deity worship, and the production of visual meditation aids. Later, these natural divisions of Vedic tantra developed into two main groups, namely Shakta Tantra, worshipping Shakti, and Shaiva Tantra, worshipping Shiva. The Tantras Shastras total 92 scriptures, and are usually associated with a particular tradition and deity. These Shastras are of a many types, most famously are the Nigamas and Agamas. Nigams were stories which Devi tells to Shiva, and Agams were stories told by Shiva.

The tradition spawned new deities, and goddess worship. Devi, or Shakti, the feminine goddess, represents the immense power of creation, growth, and destruction that restlessly lies in the deepest realms of individual awareness. Devi is Shiva's left half. If Shiva is awareness, Shakti represents energy. If Shiva is the tongue, Shakti is the power of speech. Shiva and Shakti coexist, but neither can manifest and become active without the other. As a result, whether Shakti Tantra or Shaiva Tantra, Shakti is the theme of Tantra Shastras. Although Shakti is represented as a feminine frame, a goddess, the tantras universally proclaim that Shakti is the all-pervading and all-encompassing life in all people; men and women, a believer and a nonbeliever, spiritual or not.

Tantra acquired popularity in South Asia during a period of political turmoil, with the fall of the Gupta and Vakataka empires and the rise of new kingdoms whose rulers were drawn to Tantra's promise of temporal and spiritual power. They erected magnificent temples for Tantric deities, particularly after 900 CE (especially between 1500 and 1800 CE).

In Tantra tradition, women were known as yoginis. The culture of the sixty-four Yoginis was the manifestation of an extreme form of tantrism during its peak in the 8th century CE. The origins of sixty-four yoginis are largely unknown but are of high significance in tantric culture. There were core seven or eight who were known as mother goddesses called Matrikas, and according to Puranic mythology, they were created to consume demon's blood. Each of the sixty-four yoginis protects her community, sometimes by providing unique advantages or aid. Hirapur, Odisha, is home to the sixty-four yogini temple. Tantric sadhaks often erected roofless temples for rituals in the deep recesses of the woods or in areas inaccessible to the general public in order to retain seclusion and sanctity.

Given tantrism's enormous cultural relevance, encapsulating it proves to be a monumental effort. Tantric literature contains nuggets of knowledge that must be individually unraveled and understood for what they imply and what they intended to accomplish. In and of itself, the term tantra is interpreted variously depending on the connotation; sometimes it refers to a collection of practises, while other times it refers to a whole tradition in and of itself. Parvati once said to Lord Shiva "You have revealed to me crores of tantras, each with its own special features". Each tantra has its own philosophy, ritual practise system, and deity.

Tantric Yantra. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons