तन्त्र -मूलभूत जड़ और अनुष्ठान ( अंग्रेजी रूपान्तरण )
Tantra-The Basics root and rituals
Time ,the old gypsy man is a restless wanderer. It never tarries even for a while. Empires rise and fall ,sea -bed deposits are flung up as mountains and river -beds become sandy stretches. time marches on unconcernedly . Heroic figures enter and exit on the stage of world -theatre ,time marches on with a stance of I care two hoots. Like the brook of Tennyson it says, ' for men may come and men may go but I go on for ever . Yes ,Time is the only permanent reality. It is the eternal flow without a beginning and without an end. And yet time changes Times change. This change is manifest not only in the bigger segments of seasonal flux or comparatively small rotational moves but in the awareness of the sentient beings who people time . For without the spectators and recorders of the time march there would have been no History. The Tantra concept of the never -ending flow of time seems to bee at conflict with the present view-point which regards present times as the progressive culmination of the undeveloped phase in the past . From primitive tools and barbaric sets of social principles man is moving spirally towards an egalitarian society by bringing the causative energy in nature under the control and the day is not far off when he will become the supreme master of the universe. This view point continued to dominate man's thought till the forties in the twentieth century. But the discovery of the inseparable oneness of matter and energy has put a brake and now new explanation are being offered and the role of intelligence has come under a challenge. in Tantra Parashiva ,the transcedent , reveals its-one-two the energy matter combine by initiating the spanda process. This process stratifies parashiva in to Shiva and Shakti . The creative movement starts and the universe is created. But still by and large the scientific approach sticks to the view that modern age is the most progressive stage in human History and for the first time in known existence man has the means to feed , clothe and shelter all living humans. The globe is a village now and space -travels have greater mysteries and thrills in store than the miracles contained in holy books. There is much truth in these assertions and it would be cynical to deny the phenomenal progress. Technical , material and civilizational that modern age has registered what however modern world lacks is the moral will to go the ladder of spiritual awakening and without moral will there is little chance of the emergence of global consciousness. The end result might be utter chaos-a return to wilderness and primitivity . And who knows man may disappear from the universal stage altogether because some of the evolutionary trends indicate that man was not in the central scheme of evolution but came only as by product. So,when studied in depth the concept of time-march in Tantra Shastra is not as unscientific as it looks. Rather it is science with a deeper sense. It does not say that Kaliyuga has less of technical or manufacturing skill. It simply states that in kaliyuga Dharma is only a quarter of what it was in Satayuga. In tantra there was three quarters of it and in Dwapara only a half of it. This seems a perfectly valid observation in the light of things as seen today. Indian tradition accepts the view -point that each age has its scripture,yuga sastra,governing and leading the life of people in the rightful direction. In the Satyayuga ( Golden Age ) says that Kularnava Tantra the scripture is Sruti , the revealed word the Veda , In the Treta ( Silver Age ) Smritis , in the Dvapara ( Cooper Age ) the Purans ,treatises which convey the doctrines of the Vedas and Smritis in a popular garb ,myth and story,In the Kali (Iron Age) the Tantra .A search light therefore must be thrown on the special features of Tantra. A search light therefore must be thrown on the special features of Tantra that make it a yuga sasatra of modern times. Tantra let me assert it without any fear from orthodox quarters ,is more broad -based or catholic than the Vedas. The study of the Vedas was not open to everyone. Certain classes of people were denied acess to it . There are stories a galore in a number or religious text,s that speak of the exclusive nature of the vedic studies. It is possible that restrictions might have been placed in a historical context and the cross cultural currents of the time might have justified them. But the fact remains that a large section of masses was not only kept outside the centers of Vedic studies but was considered dull-wittedand un worthyof the understanding of this sacred literature. What is more surprising is the fact that women as a class did not have the universal acceptance of the right of vedic studies the way men of the exclusive classes had. The fact gives a greater shock when we realize that many hymns in Rigveda and later sacred invocations were inspired utterances of exceptionally learned women , just a few years back on of the shankaracharyas objected to the reciting of vedic hymns by a learned woman in a distinguished gathering. Doggedness of this nature still persists in certain sections of Hindu society . Tantra Sastra gave the right of study and practice to all sections of the society. It did not stand on false prestige and made it clear that all hymen beings had the right to realize the inner spiritual strength underlying their psyche. It was catholicity of the highest order and genuine attempt towards universalisation of religion. Women got a place of pride in the study and practice of Tantra Sastra. Sakti being the mother figure of of the Tantra cult, women gurus were considered more effective and Tantra can be cited as an effective example of sex equality, with a preference towards women.
(Continued in next issue.....)
Tantra-The Basics root and rituals
Time ,the old gypsy man is a restless wanderer. It never tarries even for a while. Empires rise and fall ,sea -bed deposits are flung up as mountains and river -beds become sandy stretches. time marches on unconcernedly . Heroic figures enter and exit on the stage of world -theatre ,time marches on with a stance of I care two hoots. Like the brook of Tennyson it says, ' for men may come and men may go but I go on for ever . Yes ,Time is the only permanent reality. It is the eternal flow without a beginning and without an end. And yet time changes Times change. This change is manifest not only in the bigger segments of seasonal flux or comparatively small rotational moves but in the awareness of the sentient beings who people time . For without the spectators and recorders of the time march there would have been no History. The Tantra concept of the never -ending flow of time seems to bee at conflict with the present view-point which regards present times as the progressive culmination of the undeveloped phase in the past . From primitive tools and barbaric sets of social principles man is moving spirally towards an egalitarian society by bringing the causative energy in nature under the control and the day is not far off when he will become the supreme master of the universe. This view point continued to dominate man's thought till the forties in the twentieth century. But the discovery of the inseparable oneness of matter and energy has put a brake and now new explanation are being offered and the role of intelligence has come under a challenge. in Tantra Parashiva ,the transcedent , reveals its-one-two the energy matter combine by initiating the spanda process. This process stratifies parashiva in to Shiva and Shakti . The creative movement starts and the universe is created. But still by and large the scientific approach sticks to the view that modern age is the most progressive stage in human History and for the first time in known existence man has the means to feed , clothe and shelter all living humans. The globe is a village now and space -travels have greater mysteries and thrills in store than the miracles contained in holy books. There is much truth in these assertions and it would be cynical to deny the phenomenal progress. Technical , material and civilizational that modern age has registered what however modern world lacks is the moral will to go the ladder of spiritual awakening and without moral will there is little chance of the emergence of global consciousness. The end result might be utter chaos-a return to wilderness and primitivity . And who knows man may disappear from the universal stage altogether because some of the evolutionary trends indicate that man was not in the central scheme of evolution but came only as by product. So,when studied in depth the concept of time-march in Tantra Shastra is not as unscientific as it looks. Rather it is science with a deeper sense. It does not say that Kaliyuga has less of technical or manufacturing skill. It simply states that in kaliyuga Dharma is only a quarter of what it was in Satayuga. In tantra there was three quarters of it and in Dwapara only a half of it. This seems a perfectly valid observation in the light of things as seen today. Indian tradition accepts the view -point that each age has its scripture,yuga sastra,governing and leading the life of people in the rightful direction. In the Satyayuga ( Golden Age ) says that Kularnava Tantra the scripture is Sruti , the revealed word the Veda , In the Treta ( Silver Age ) Smritis , in the Dvapara ( Cooper Age ) the Purans ,treatises which convey the doctrines of the Vedas and Smritis in a popular garb ,myth and story,In the Kali (Iron Age) the Tantra .A search light therefore must be thrown on the special features of Tantra. A search light therefore must be thrown on the special features of Tantra that make it a yuga sasatra of modern times. Tantra let me assert it without any fear from orthodox quarters ,is more broad -based or catholic than the Vedas. The study of the Vedas was not open to everyone. Certain classes of people were denied acess to it . There are stories a galore in a number or religious text,s that speak of the exclusive nature of the vedic studies. It is possible that restrictions might have been placed in a historical context and the cross cultural currents of the time might have justified them. But the fact remains that a large section of masses was not only kept outside the centers of Vedic studies but was considered dull-wittedand un worthyof the understanding of this sacred literature. What is more surprising is the fact that women as a class did not have the universal acceptance of the right of vedic studies the way men of the exclusive classes had. The fact gives a greater shock when we realize that many hymns in Rigveda and later sacred invocations were inspired utterances of exceptionally learned women , just a few years back on of the shankaracharyas objected to the reciting of vedic hymns by a learned woman in a distinguished gathering. Doggedness of this nature still persists in certain sections of Hindu society . Tantra Sastra gave the right of study and practice to all sections of the society. It did not stand on false prestige and made it clear that all hymen beings had the right to realize the inner spiritual strength underlying their psyche. It was catholicity of the highest order and genuine attempt towards universalisation of religion. Women got a place of pride in the study and practice of Tantra Sastra. Sakti being the mother figure of of the Tantra cult, women gurus were considered more effective and Tantra can be cited as an effective example of sex equality, with a preference towards women.
(Continued in next issue.....)
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