04 Concluding Reflections

  1. Mahidhara, *Mantra **Mahodadhih, *vol. 1, ed. and trans. Ram Kumar Rai (Varanasi: Prachya Prakashan, 1992), p. 214.

  2. Ibid., p. 146; see also p. 145.

  3. Ibid.

  4. Ibid., p. 198.

  5. Krsnananda Agamavagisa, *Br **hat **Tantrasdra *(Calcutta: Navabharat Publishers, 1984), pp. 438-44.

  6. Ibid., pp. 434-38.

  7. See David Kinsley, " ‘The Death That Conquers Death’: Dying to the World in Medieval Hinduism," in Frank E. Reynolds and Earle H. Waugh, eds., *Religious **Encounters **with **Death: **Insights **from **the **History **and **Anthropology **of Religions *(University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1977), pp. 97-108.

  8. P. H. Pott has used the term in reference to rituals in cremation grounds by tantric Buddhists in Nepal; *Yoga **and **Yantra: **Their **Interrelation **and **Their Significance **for **Indian **Archaeology *(The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1966), p. 77.

  9. *Mahabhagavata-purana *3.15-70; Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty, *Sexual Metaphors **and **Animal **Symbols **in **Indian **Mythology *(Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1981),

P. 98.

  1. *Brhaddharma-purana *2.31.16-36; O’Flaherty, *Sexual **Metaphors, *p. 99.

  2. Mark S. G. Dyczkowski, *The **Canon **of **the **Saivdgama **and **the **Kubjikd **Tantras **of **the **Western **Kaula **Tradition *(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1988), pp. 6-7.

  3. See Mircea Eliade, *Rites **and **Symbols **of **Initiation: **The **Mysteries **of **Birth **and **Rebirth *(New York: Harper & Row, 1958).

  4. For a vivid description of the cremation ground as the locale of a host of spirits, see Mary Shepherd Slusser, *Nepal **Mandala: **A **Cultural **Study **of **the Kathmandu **Valley, *2 vols. (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1982), vol. 1, p. 3 3 3; see also Robert E. Svoboda, *Aghora:At **the **Left **Hand **of **God *(Albuquerque, N.M.: Brotherhood of Life, 1986), pp. 187-210, for a discussion of making contact with spirits in the cremation ground.

  5. See Victor Turner, *The **Ritual **Process: **Structure **and **Anti-structure *(Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin, 1969), for a definition and discussion of the “liminal” as central to many sets of rituals.

  6. *Uddisa-tantra, *chap. 9; S. C. Banerjee,/4 *Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature *(Calcutta: Naya Prokash, 1986), p. 325.

  7. Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *pp. 496-97.

  8. June McDaniel, *The **Madness **of **the **Saints: **Ecstatic **Religion **in **Bengal *(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989), p. 112.

  9. Mahidhara, p. 214.

  10. See the discussion of chopped-off heads in the chapter on Chinnamasta.

  11. *Tantrasara, *pp. 682-83;see also *Parasurama-kalpasutra, *ed. A. N. Jani (Baroda: University of Baroda, 1979), pp. 222, 245, 253.

  12. The *asta **siddhis, *which are superior powers or “perfections” achieved by means of yoga, include some of these abilities and are ancient in the Hindu tradition. A well-known example of the ability to change form at will, including changing into animal form, is Mahisasura, the buffalo demon whom Durga slays in the *Devi-mdhdtmya. *

  13. Kinsley, " “The Death that Conquers Death.’”

  14. McDaniel, p. 58.

  15. Ajit Mookerjee and Madhu Khanna, *The **Tantric **Way: **Art, **Science, **Ritual *(Delhi: Vikas Publishing House, 1977), pl. 3, which is identified as Kali but is actually Tārā.

  16. *The **Yonitantra, *ed. J. A. Schoterman (New Delhi: Manohar, 1980), 3.14, p. 23.

  17. *Tantrasara, *pp. 692-702.

  18. For example, Mookerjee and Khanna, pp. 166-67, *l%5. *

  19. *Tantrasara, *p. 702.

  20. Miranda Shaw, *Passionate **Enlightenment: **Women **in **Tantric **Buddhism *(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994), argues that sexual complementarity and sexual union are central to Buddhist tantric spirituality and that sexual union is used to clear the central channel *(avadhuti) *of all obstructions and “knots.” Sexual union, she argues, is a meditative technique whereby illumination is achieved (pp. 147, 160, 171, 186-88).

  21. *Kuldrnava-tantra *108-9; McDaniel, p. in.

  22. See Mookerjee and Khanna, pl. 3, p. 83.

  23. In one rendition of Kali and Siva, he is lying beneath her feet on a cremation pyre that is surrounded by bones, crows, and jackals. He is naked and has an erection. Philip Rawson, *Oriental **Erotic **Art *(New York: A and W Publishers, 1981),fig 16, p. 22.

  24. Mahidhara, p. 145.

  25. Ibid.

  26. Ibid., p. 181.

  27. *Uddisa-tantra, *chaps. 7-9; Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *P.325.

  28. For example, *Kaulavali, *ed. Arthur Avalon (Delhi: Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, 1985), chap. 10, p. 12; Mahidhara, p. 181; and *Kankalamalini-tantra, *chap. 4; for a brief discussion of women in tantric literature, see Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *pp. 499-503.

  29. *Kaulavali-tantra, *chap. 10; Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *p. 217.

  30. Chap. 16; Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *p. 253.

  31. *Tantrasara, *p. 694.

  32. It is not fair to conclude from this text, however, that only low-caste or socially marginal women took part in tantric *sadhana. *Nor would it be fair to say that low-caste or socially marginal women were never full participants in tantric *sadhana *(as opposed to being simply “used” by male *sddhakas). *See Shaw, passim, esp. pp. 35-68.

  33. *Tantrasdra, *p. 701.

  34. *Guptasadhand-tantra, *chap. 4; Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric Literature, *pp. 184-85.

  35. *Kubjika-tantra, *chap. 16; Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *p. 223.

  36. *Yogini-tantra, *chap. 7; Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *P. 347.

  37. *Kdmdkhya-tantra *36; McDaniel, p. 122.

  38. *Mdyd-tantra **6; *McDaniel, p. 123.

  39. *Yoni-tantra *6.5 *(The **Yonitantra, *p. 20) specifies that yoni *pujd *should be undertaken during menstruation.

  40. *Sarvolldsa-tantra *(Calcutta: Harambacandra Bhattacharya, 1953), 50.3032, p. 202; see also *The **Yonitantra, *pp. 23-24.

  41. *Sarvolldsa-tantra *50.40-42.

  42. Ibid. 50.37.

  43. See *Kauldvali-tantra, *chap. 15; *Gandharva-tantra, *chap. 18; *Kdmdkhya**tantra, *chap. 11; *Kubjika-tantra, *chap. 7; and *Nila-tantra, *chap. 15, where this rite is described as being undertaken on a corpse; Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *p. 251.

  44. Dyczkowski, *The **Canon **of **the **Saivdgama, *p. 64.

  45. Ibid., p. 65.

  46. Banerjee, *A **Brief **History **of **Tantric **Literature, *p. 184. Mark Dyczkowski, the author of several books on Hindu Tantrism, has told me that both Hindu and Buddhist tantric lineages mention female teachers, although they are clearly in the minority.

  47. *Prdnatosini-tantra *(Calcutta: Basumati Sahitya Mandir, 1928), 2.2, p. 96. It is also clear in this passage that the discussion is very much from a male point of view. The conditions under which a female may function as a guru depend on whether her husband is a guru, whether she is a widow (and, if so, whether she has a son), and so on. Similarly, among her commendable qualities, loyalty to her husband is mentioned first. See also N. N. Bhattacharyya, *History **of **the **Tantric **Religion: **A **Historical, **Ritualistic **and **Philosophical **Study *(New Delhi: Manohar Publishers, 1982), p. 121: “In the Tantric religious system a woman has the right of initiating persons into the secrets of the cult and acting as guru.”

  48. Shaw, p. 174 and passim.

  49. For a discussion of tantric female spirituality in the Hindu tradition, see Sanjukta Gupta, “Women in the Saiva/Sakta Ethos,” pp. 193-210, and Lynn Teskey Denton, “Varieties of Hindu Female Asceticism,” pp. 225-27, both in Julia Leslie, ed., *Roles **and **Rituals **for **Hindu **Women *(Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1992).

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