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Tantrasāra (Tantrasara): Chapter 15
Sapratyayadīkṣāprakāśanam - Explaining the initiation with conviction
Introduction
This is the fifteenth chapter (called Sapratyayadīkṣāprakāśanam).
This work was written by the great Master Abhinavagupta and is a summary of Tantrāloka. Tantrāloka is the most important and voluminous work of the greatest Trika Master. Abhinavagupta was also the teacher of eminent Kṣemarāja and lived about 975-1025 AD in Kashmir.
This treatise whose name is Tantrasāra is a summarized encyclopedia of Tantra. Since it is a very advanced text in Trika Shaivism, there is no surprise if a neophyte finds it difficult to understand. To start to understand it, the level of the reader must be the one of a real disciple in Trika Shaivism. If this requirement is not met, then there will be a lot of confusion and constant disappointment. Because in spite of my great efforts to explain the things so easily as possible, to study this treatise requires some spiritual caliber. In this system, sometimes it is not possible even to write about certain topics due to the extreme limitation of the words. Because in the end, all this knowledge has to do with 'states', and it is extremely difficult to write about 'states' in a precise way. Abhinavagupta has done his best to accomplish this formidable task of writing about what is superior and intangible. Anyway, despite his incredible skills to carry out this, he is not revealing everything. It is not because he is all the time hiding things from the reader, but because he is sometimes hiding and on other occasions he just cannot write about some extremely subtle topics because of the limitation of the words.
Goal of life is Liberation. Man has searched for freedom always in human history, but according to Trika Shaivism that is not real Liberation. Real Liberation does not mean that your body should be free from some prison and things like that. Real Liberation amounts to attaining His Svātantrya or Absolute Freedom. When the Great Lord's Svātantrya is achieved, then you see unity in all the things, i.e. you stop seeing duality as before. All is forever identified with Svātantrya, with Him, and that is the end of the story called 'you in bondage'. From this point on nothing will get in your way, because if something apparently gets in your way, that is Svātantrya again. This constant awareness of unity in all is real Freedom. There is no other attainment greater than this!
Keeping the above in mind, now read Tantrasāra and experience Supreme Delight, dear Śiva.
Important: All that is in brackets and italicized within the translation has been added by me in order to complete the sense of a particular phrase or sentence. In turn, all that is between double hyphen (--...--) constitutes clarifying further information also added by me.
Chapter 15
तन्त्रसारः
पञ्चदशमाह्निकम्
यदा पुनरासन्नमरणस्य स्वयं वा बन्धुमुखेन शक्तिपात उपजायते तदास्मै सद्यः समुत्क्रमणदीक्षां कुर्यात्। समस्तमध्वानं शिष्ये न्यस्य तं च क्रमेण शोधयित्वा भगवतीं कालरात्रीं मर्मकर्तनीं न्यस्य तया क्रमात्क्रमं मर्मपाशान्विभिद्य ब्रह्मरन्ध्रवर्ति शिष्यचैतन्यं कुर्यात्। ततः पूर्वोक्तक्रमेण योजनिकार्थं पूर्णाहुतिं दद्याद्यथा पूर्णाहुत्यन्ते जीवो निष्क्रान्तः परमशिवाभिन्नो भवति। बुभुक्षोस्तु द्वितीया पूर्णाहुतिः - भोगस्थाने योजनाय तत्काले च तस्य जीवलयो नात्र शेषवर्तनं ब्रह्मविद्यां वा कर्णे पठेत्सा हि परामर्शस्वभावा सद्यः प्रबुद्धपशुचैतन्ये प्रबुद्धविमर्शं करोति। समय्यादेरपि चैतत्पाठेऽधिकारः। सप्रत्ययां निर्बीजां तु यदि दीक्षां मूढाय आयातशक्तिपाताय च दर्शयेत्तदा हि शिवहस्तदानकालेऽयं विधिः - त्रिकोणमाग्नेयं ज्वालाकरालं रेफविस्फुलिङ्गं बहिर्वात्याचक्रध्मायमानं मण्डलं दक्षिणहस्ते चिन्तयित्वा तत्रैव हस्ते बीजं किञ्चिन्निक्षिप्योर्ध्वाधोरेफविबोधितफट्कारपरम्पराभिरस्य तां जननशक्तिं दहेदेवं कुर्वन्तं हस्तं शिष्यस्य मूर्धनि क्षिपेदिति द्वयोरप्येषा दीक्षा निर्बीजा स्वकार्यकरणसामर्थ्यविध्वंसिनी भवति - स्थावराणामपि दीक्ष्यत्वेनोक्तत्वाद्वायुपुरान्तर्व्यवस्थितं दोधूयमानं शिष्यं लघूभूतं चिन्तयेत् - येन तुलया लघुर्दृश्यत इति।
मर्मकर्तनविधौ लघुभावे बीजभावविलये यदि मन्त्रः।
तत्तथोचितपथेन नियुक्तस्तत्तदाशु कुरुते परमेशः॥
Tantrasāraḥ
Pañcadaśamāhnikam
Yadā punarāsannamaraṇasya svayaṁ vā bandhumukhena śaktipāta upajāyate tadāsmai sadyaḥ samutkramaṇadīkṣāṁ kuryāt| Samastamadhvānaṁ śiṣye nyasya taṁ ca krameṇa śodhayitvā bhagavatīṁ kālarātrīṁ marmakartanīṁ nyasya tayā kramātkramaṁ marmapāśānvibhidya brahmarandhravarti śiṣyacaitanyaṁ kuryāt| Tataḥ pūrvoktakrameṇa yojanikārthaṁ pūrṇāhutiṁ dadyādyathā pūrṇāhutyante jīvo niṣkrāntaḥ paramaśivābhinno bhavati| Bubhukṣostu dvitīyā pūrṇāhutiḥ - Bhogasthāne yojanāya tatkāle ca tasya jīvalayo nātra śeṣavartanaṁ brahmavidyāṁ vā karṇe paṭhetsā hi parāmarśasvabhāvā sadyaḥ prabuddhapaśucaitanye prabuddhavimarśaṁ karoti| Samayyāderapi caitatpāṭhe'dhikāraḥ| Sapratyayāṁ nirbījāṁ tu yadi dīkṣāṁ mūḍhāya āyātaśaktipātāya ca darśayettadā hi śivahastadānakāle'yaṁ vidhiḥ - Trikoṇamāgneyaṁ jvālākarālaṁ rephavisphuliṅgaṁ bahirvātyācakradhmāyamānaṁ maṇḍalaṁ dakṣiṇahaste cintayitvā tatraiva haste bījaṁ kiñcinnikṣipyordhvādhorephavibodhitaphaṭkāraparamparābhirasya tāṁ jananaśaktiṁ dahedevaṁ kurvantaṁ hastaṁ śiṣyasya mūrdhani kṣipediti dvayorapyeṣā dīkṣā nirbījā svakāryakaraṇasāmarthyavidhvaṁsinī bhavati - Sthāvarāṇāmapi dīkṣyatvenoktatvādvāyupurāntarvyavasthitaṁ dodhūyamānaṁ śiṣyaṁ laghūbhūtaṁ cintayet - Yena tulayā laghurdṛśyata iti|
Marmakartanavidhau laghubhāve bījabhāvavilaye yadi mantraḥ|
Tattathocitapathena niyuktastattadāśu kurute parameśaḥ||
Essence of Tantra (tantra-sāraḥ)
Fifteenth (pañcadaśam) chapter (āhnikam)
However (punar), when (yadā), in the case of a person who is about to die (āsanna-maraṇasya), a descent of Power (śakti-pātaḥ) takes place (upajāyate) by itself (svayam) or (vā) through a relative (bandhu-mukhena), then (tadā) (the Guru) should immediately perform (sadyas... kuryāt) for him (asmai) the initiation of departure/ascent (samutkramaṇa-dīkṣām)|
After placing (nyasya) the whole (samastam) (six) course(s) (adhvānam) on the disciple (śiṣye), and (ca) after purifying (śodhayitvā) him (tam) in succession (krameṇa), (the Guru) should place (nyasya) the Goddess (bhagavatīm) Kālarātrī (kāla-rātrīm) —the One who cuts the marma-s or joints --"marman" also means "vital organ" or in general any vulnerable point in the body-- (marma-kartanīm)—. (Next,) after gradually piercing (kramāt kramam... vibhidya) the bonds in the marma-s (marma-pāśān) by Her (tayā), (the Guru) should cause (kuryāt) the consciousness of the disciple (śiṣya-caitanyam) to reside in Brahmarandhra --the hole of Brahmā, in the crown of the head-- (brahma-randhra-varti)|
After that (tatas), by means of the aforesaid method (pūrva-ukta-krameṇa), (the Guru) should offer (dadyāt) a full oblation (pūrṇa-āhutim) for the yojanikā --i.e. for joining the disciple with the desired state-- (yojanikā-artham). So (yathā) the departed (niṣkrāntaḥ) individual soul (jīvaḥ), at the end of the full oblation (pūrṇa-āhuti-ante), becomes (bhavati) one with the Supreme Śiva (parama-śiva-abhinnaḥ)|
Nonetheless (tu), for the one who is desirous of bhoga or enjoyment (bubhukṣoḥ), a second (dvitīyā) full oblation (pūrṇa-āhutiḥ) (is to be performed by the Guru) to join (that person) (yojanāya) with the place of enjoyment (bhoga-sthāne). And (ca) at that time (tad-kāle), (there is) the dissolution of his individual soul (tasya jīva-layaḥ). Here (atra) there is no (na) other thing to do --i.e. no other rituals have to be performed-- (śeṣa-vartanam). Or (vā) (the Guru) should recite (paṭhet) the Knowledge of the Absolute (brahma-vidyām) into (his) ear --i.e. into the ear of the dying person-- (karṇe). (Why?) Because (hi) It --viz. Knowledge of the Absolute-- (sā), being of the nature of Consciousness (parāmarśa-sva-bhāvā), immediately (sadyas) awakes Śakti --i.e. I-consciousness-- (prabuddha-vimarśam karoti) in the consciousness of the awakened limited being (prabuddha-paśu-caitanye)|
Even (api ca) a samayī, etc. (samayī-ādeḥ) is entitled (to perform) (adhikāraḥ) this recitation (etad-pāṭhe)|
But (tu) if (yadi) (the Guru) shows (darśayet) the Nirbījā (nis-bījām) initiation (dīkṣām) with conviction (sa-pratyayām) to (someone who is) a fool --viz. someone under the sway of Māyā-- (mūḍhāya) but (ca) who (at the same time is someone) in whom the descent of Power has arrived (āyāta-śaktipātāya), then (tadā hi), at the moment of offering the Hand of Śiva (śiva-hasta-dāna-kāle), this (ayam) ritual (vidhiḥ) (should be carried out by the Guru): After visualizing --i.e. after thinking about, meditating on, etc.-- (cintayitvā) on (his own) right hand (dakṣiṇa-haste) a maṇḍala (maṇḍalam) in which there is a triangle (trikoṇam) of fire (āgneyam), dreadful due to the flames (jvālā-karālam), with sparks (emerging in the form of) "ra" (repha-visphuliṅgam), being violently blown by a whirlwind (vātyācakra-dhmāyamānam) from outside (bahis), (the Guru) should throw --lit. after throwing-- (nikṣipya) some (kiñcid) seed --e.g. a betel-nut seed-- (bījam) right there (tatra eva) —i.e. into the hand (haste)—. (Next, the Guru) should burn (dahet) the creative power (tām janana-śaktim) of this (seed) --which stands for the power creating karma-s in the disciple-- (asya) by means of an uninterrupted series of Phaṭ (mantra-s) which have been awakened by "ra", up and down (ūrdhva-adhas-repha-vibodhita-phaṭ-kāra-paramparābhiḥ). While doing (kurvan) like that (evam), (the Guru) should put (kṣipet) that hand --i.e. his right hand-- (tam hastam) on the head (mūrdhani) of the disciple (śiṣyasya). Therefore (iti), this (eṣā) Nirbījā --Seedless-- (nis-bījā) initiation (dīkṣā) of the two --viz. of the seed in the palm of the Guru's hand and of the creative power which is the seed generating karma-s in the disciple-- (dvayoḥ api) becomes (bhavati) the annihilator of the capacity to produce their effects --i.e. the destroyer of both the latent power inside the seed and the latent power of the saṁskāra-s residing in the disciple-- (sva-kārya-karaṇa-sāmarthya-vidhvaṁsinī) — It has been said (uktatvāt) that even (api) vegetables --also "stationary/inanimate objects"-- (sthāvarāṇām) can be initiated (like that) (dīkṣyatvena). (The Guru) should visualize --lit. think about, ponder over, etc.-- (cintayet) that the disciple (śiṣyam), having become light (laghū-bhūtam) and shaking violently (dodhūyamānam), resides inside the world of Air (vāyu-pura-antar-vyavasthitam) — On which account (yena), (the disciple) is seen (dṛśyate) as light (laghuḥ) (when measured) with a scale (tulayā... iti)|
"If (yadi) a Mantra (mantraḥ) (is used) in the ritual of cutting the marma-s or joints --also, vital organs or any vulnerable point in the body-- (marma-kartana-vidhau), (if it is used to attain) a light condition (laghu-bhāve) (and) to destroy the seed state (bīja-bhāva-vilaye), then (tad) the Supreme Lord (parama-īśaḥ) —prompted (niyuktaḥ) by a suitable path --i.e. He is prompted or incited because everything is being carried out according to the right instructions-- (tathā-ucita-pathena)— quickly (āśu) does (kurute) this and that --i.e. all that is needed to be done-- (tad tad)"||
TRANSLATION IS COMPLETELY FINISHED BUT THERE IS NO POLISHING YET
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