Books on Tantra

In (perhaps) secret defiance of the rigid prescriptive codes of the Buddhist monastic order cropped up a new, esoteric cultic phenomenon. Which, later known as Buddhist tantra, not just compromised Shakyamunis ethical legacy, but came to be administered by a whole host of mudras, mandalas, kriyas, caryas and mysteriously ritualistic elements, even hedonistic practices. Dr. Mishras book attempts afresh to investigate when, why and how emerged this secrecy-ridden cult: now a spiritual tradition in its own right. The author, who…

The emergence of Tantrism and Shaktism in the sixth seventh centuries in ancient India symbolised a belief in fertility worship, worship of the female principle with the Devi Goddess supreme as the Energy Power the substance of everything, pervading everything. In Orissa in particular, the shakta tantra cults played a major role in the religion and culture of the region and this is testified by its many temples and sculptural wonders therein. In this work, Prof. Donaldson presents a rich…

The Indian perspective has always been holistic and all-inclusive: thought and activity in different fields, at different levels, have been interlinked to produce what has been timeless. Indian arts is a classic example of such amalgamation: it interlinks aspects of art, philosophy, mythology, religion, and mysticism. This book is an attempt to unravel such links with specific reference to the Kathaka dance form. Dr. Ranjana Srivastava explores the roots of Kathaka dance form to reveal its sublime, philosophic, esoteric and…

The Manthanabhairavatantra is about 24,000 verses long and is divided into three sections (khanda). The one edited and translated here is the Kumarikakhanda. Along with the Kubjikamata, the Manthanabhairavatantra is the most important and extensive Tantra dedicated to the worship of the goddess Kubjika. Although originally an Indian goddess, Kubjika is almost exclusively worshipped in the Kathmandu Valley, where her cult has been kept scrupulously secret by Newar initiates for centuries. Almost all the manuscripts of her Tantras and related…

Transmitted to us in a well-preserved ninth-century Nepalese manuscript, the Ni?v?satattvasa?hit? has come in recent years to be recognised as probably the oldest surviving complete scripture of the Mantram?rga.  Although its historical importance has been hinted at by a range of scholars across the twentieth century, this is the first time its text appears in print.

This volume presents a critical edition and annotated translation of the three earliest layers of the text: the M?las?tra, Uttaras?tra and Nayas?tra. The topics dealt with include cosmology,…

Manjuvajramukhyakhyana: Introduction, Romanized Sanskrit Text and Related Articles

Author: Kimiaki TANAKA

Publishers: Watanabe Publishing Co. LTD

Printer: SHINANO BOOK PRINTING Co. LTD

Distributor: Vajra Publications

In this groundbreaking study on Sarvamnaya Shakta Tantra in Nepal, Jeffrey S. Lidke combines the study of primary sources with the investigation of living interpretations of these sources by contemporary Nepalese practitioners. Lidke focuses his twenty-year analysis on a specific Tantric tradition - Shri Vidya - a specific deity - Tripurasundari - a specific text Nityashodashikarnava - and a specific set of initiates within a specific locale - the Kathmandu Valley. This emphasis on specificity enables the…

This volume furnishes one more previously unpublished document of the pre-tenth-century thought-world of the ?aiva Siddh?nta, a religion that was spread across and beyond the Indian subcontinent. The Par?khyatantra dates from the period before the appearance of the most significant body of theological exegesis in the history of the school, namely the writings of the tenth-century Kashmirian lineage of Bhat?t?a R?makant?ha II.  Only those chapters that deal with doctrine and yoga survive. Those on ritual…

This book is a complete analytical study of all the oeuvres of Nigamajñ?na I and his nephew-cum-disciple Nigamajñ?na II. This study aims at bringing to limelight the great contributions made by these two teachers in the sixteenth century for the consolidation, elaboration and propagation of the ?aivasiddh?nta religious system and philosophical doctrines. For the first time the contents of all the available texts of these two ?aiva teachers in Sanskrit and Tamil, of which many…

Starting around the sixth century of the common era, a new form of fervent religiosity seems to be discernible in the Tamil-speaking South that is often termed the “Bhakti movement”. The eleven essays gathered in this volume all deal with South Indian primary sources related to the various phenomena that can be grouped together under the head of “Bhakti”, which may be broadly defined as personal devotion between a devotee and his god. What characterised the early phase of…

Rites of expiation and reparation (pr?ya?citta) may not seem central to the history of the Mantram?rga, but they provide a fascinating angle from which to view the evolution of this broad religious tradition. Instead of focussing on the evolution and philosophical defence of ?aiva doctrines, or on the examination of ritual practices and of theories developed to justify and shore up such practices, this study puts the spotlight instead on social dimensions of the religion.

This…

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The Brahmay?malatantra (aka Picumata) is probably one of the earliest surviving ?aiva tantras, and possibly the earliest one known to us of the Bhairavatantra tradition. The present volume contains a critical edition and annotated translation of three of its chapters: one on the central ma??ala of the cult, one on preliminary religious observances (vrata) prescribed for all practitioners (s?dhaka), and one on instructions for each individual category of s?dhaka — instructions on transgressive sexual rituals for the T?laka, on strict rules of conduct for the chaste…

The principal works that have emerged from our stimulating project on Early Tantra are critical editions and translations of previously unpublished primary material, which have begun to appear in this new series. This volume complements those publications by gathering together some of the fruits, direct and indirect, of the wide-ranging discussions that took place during the projects workshops. By way of introduction, the volume opens with an attempt by the editors to draw together our findings about the…

The Karmapañjik? is a manual for the domestic rituals of the Paippal?da tradition. Claiming to follow a S?tra of Pai?h?nasi, the text was composed by an otherwise unknown ?r?dhara in Orissa in the 16th century CE. His work is a precious late-medieval witness to the Atharvavedic tradition, preserving archaic features dating from the Vedic period, but also showing much influence from various non-Vedic traditions that have been prevalent in this part of…

This book is a complete annotated translation of a 9^th-century Tamil bhakti poetic work known as the Perum?? Tirumo?i, by Kulac?kara ??v?r, as well as of its medieval ?r?vai??ava commentary in Sanskrit-Tamil Ma?iprav??am by Periyav?cc?? Pi??ai (13^th c.). The Perum?? Tirumo?i is now part of the Tamil ?r?vai??ava canon called the N?l?yira tivviya pirapantam (N?l?yira Divyaprabandham

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The Brahmay?mala or Picumata is one of the earliest surviving goddess-oriented (??kta) tantras, its core probably dating back to the late seventh or early eighth century. Though long forgotten, it is thus crucial to understanding the early history of the Tantric traditions. Spanning more than twelve-thousand verses and 104 chapters,…

The Brahmay?mala or Picumata is one of the earliest surviving goddess-oriented (??kta) tantras, its core probably dating back to the late seventh or early eighth century. Though long forgotten, it is thus crucial to understanding the early history of the Tantric traditions. Spanning more than twelve-thousand verses and 104 chapters,…

Papers presented at a session of a conference held at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, in August 1988.

Volume four is an immense cerebral accomplishment on the genious of Abhinavagupta. This special issue of Evam showcases some of the finest scholarship on him carried out over a twenty-year period. This volume contians fresh translations, re-readings and re-assessments of his mammoth contributions to dramaturgy, literary criticism, philosophy and Sanskrit, to name a few, and Abhinavaguptss seminal contributions in shapping them. Some of the essays in this volume are being published for the first time. The broader project of Evam…