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(V. 46.) (Chowkhamba Sanskrit Studies) Benoytosh Bhattacharyya - Introduction To Buddhist Esoterism-Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office (1964) PDF
(V. 46.) (Chowkhamba Sanskrit Studies) Benoytosh Bhattacharyya - Introduction To Buddhist Esoterism-Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office (1964) PDF
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( IN D IA )
1964
P H O N E : 3145
TO THE SACRED M EM O RY
OF MY FA TH ER
jir *rfo n :
( A B io g r a p h ic a l N ote )
cotild be obtained.
agreed.
iXiritig the l;isi thirty years tun ;h original work has been done
and many new publications have made their appearance. The
Guhyasamäja Tantro, the Bible of the Buddhist T antrics, was publi
shed in 1931, the Nispannayogavali of Ahhnyakara Pundila in 1949
besides many other texts and treatises dealing with Buddhist Tantra
were published during the period. The Indian Buddhist iconography
C osm ic C olour.
Sfinya and ends in Sünya. All N am es and Form s have their root
The Buddhist T a n trics form ulated that all tellers, words and
sentences with o r without m eaning arc nothing hut &inya in essence,
that is to sa y , they are condensations o fS iin y a bristling with cosm ic
power o f a high o rd er. These letters, words and sentences have a
certain rate o f vibration and these vibrations can be employed for
good as well as evil. T he deities a rc the beings o f the invisible
world just as we a rc th e beings o f the visible world. The deities
F o rce .
M a n tra V ib ra tio n s .
t
extremely powerful they arc able to attract the deity towards the
worshipper. In the cosm ic sphere there is no difference between
Name and Form , and whenever the Nam e is uttered the Form is hit.
The M antras with the name o f the deity reach the deity o f the
invisible world no sooner it is uttered, and when repeatedly uttered,
they arc able to attract the deity in a visible form which is descri
bed in the numerous Sädhanas in the Sfulhananuäü.
P erso n al Experience.
4
X WU»ACh
The 'icily s;il in Laliläs,ina on a il.mblc lotus and held in her left
hand some leaves mul in the right showed the Varada ( gift-bestow
ing ) Mudrä with a gem o f extreme brilliance. The deity Stood
before my eyes for a few seconds and disappeared into the white
light. I was satisfied with this my first experience and did not
pursue the matter further, although even now I often repeat this
M antra in my difficulties, without ever visualizing the deity for a
second time.
and covered the whole o f the ceiling on all sides. Her face, terrible
to behold, was full o f wrath with three protruding and blood-shot
eyes, and bare fangs. She held in her hands the fierce Karlri
( k n i f e ) and Kapala ( skull-cup ) full o f blood. Her chest was
miilicring the M antra. This vision barely lasted half a minute but
this period appeared to me to be very long, and I thought my end
was near. But when 1 stopped repeating the M antra, the deity gra
dually vanished into thin air, and I was able to open my eyes and
T h o u g h ts a r e T h in g s.
or the Five Tanm ätras a rc the five cosm ic colours which by conden
sation give rise to the Five D hväni Buddhas and their offspring.
The Five Dhyftni Buddhas and the Five Skandhas along with their
N:tm c an<l F o rm .
ples such as E arth , W ater, Fire and Air. The seed LA M , for ins
tance, stands for the Earth principle, VAM for w ater principle,
RANI for Fire principle and Y A M for Air principle. This indicates
that there is no dilTercnce between the syllabic RAM and the element
G erm Syllable«:.
themselves and the M antras formed the call-signs for the different
deities. In other w ords, the Täntrics discovered the supreme truth
that (he Bijnmantras arc endowed with the same vibrations as those
tions as the deities o f the invisible world, and the human mind
12 PKH-ACl:
the deity o f the invisible world and bring her near the worshipper
powers, although they may relate to the same deity. The different
Mantras have to be utilized fo r different purposes. Everyw here it
was conceded that the Bija, Mantra and the rest had the sam e set
and arn m gcm cnt o f cosm ic rays w hich are Ihc beginning, middle
and end o f all Names and Form s.
Sadhana.
The method o f propitiation and realisation o f the deities o r the
radiant beings o f the invisible world was elaborated in a special
literature called the Sfnlhanas o f which we have two large collec
tions as the SöUuvumuäa and the Siulhanasamttccaya. All the
Gupto entitled, the Nispan nay ogavali which was also published by
to distant objects at will, either for good o r for evil. In the Mahd-
käla Sädhuna ( Vide—SailhanamßUi, Vol. II, p. 589 ) the process is
made for the person aimed at, and thereon the Mahäkäla Mantra
should be repealed continuously. Then mustard seeds and pungent
condiments like black pepper, dry ginger and PippaU should be
powdered, mixed and prepared into a paste. The paste should be
liberally applied to the effigy while repeating the Mahäkäla Mantra
all the time. Then on each and every limb thorns should be pierced.
Thereafter, a fire should be made with KhatHra ( catechu ) wood
and on that fire thejefTigy should be baked while repeating the Mantra.
When this is done, the person aimed a t ( Sädhya ) is suddenly over*
taken by high fever, and his consciousness is lost.
person is (tnicil to the sm ie longih, the cosmic force* «»f heal and
colil will not he able to recognise the person, just as a Radio set
will not give any programme, until it is tuned to the same wave*
length as that of the station radiating the programme.
Taking the cue from the the Mahäkäla Sudhana a new system of
healing has been developed which seeks to transmit hot and cold
forces or the forces o f the Five Elements, Earth, Water. Fire, Air
and Ether, through space to patients at a distance, and make them
P K l-.F A U l.
hours a day, and this has yielded rem arkable results in a number o f
chronic and acute cases. The experience of the last ten years in
the line has shown great promise, and It is now possible for us to
foresee a tim e when the work o f healing will be done from an office
or a laboratory. This method o f healing will be equivalent to th e
C o sm ic R a y s.
W hether we like it o r not we a r c , every moment o f our life,
enveloped in cosm ic rays, call them by any name we choose, the
Five G reat Elem ents or the Seven Planets o r the Seven R ays o f th e
Rainbow o r th e V IB G Y O R colours. T hese cosm ic rays are not a t a
distance, they are right in the midst o f o u r bodies and on our sense
organs, the N ose, E ars, Eyes, Tongue and Skin. This will be revea
inquirer. T h e nose tip, for instance, will show cosm ic Green, the
PRKFACF. 17
Tongue will exhibit cosm ic Orange, the Skin will show cosm ic
Violet, the eyes cosm ic R ed, while the cavities will exhibit cosmic
ltlue.
their cures arc nothing but Names and Form s, having their roots in
the vast Cosmic Light Reservoir, which is called in Täntric Uuddhism
it. With the help o f a prism the true colour can be asccitnincd. On
this principle the true colour o f gems where the cosmic colour is the
strongest, has been determined, The Ruby is Red, Pearl is Orange,
With the help o f the prism all the seven V 1BG YO R colours have
been individualised, their powers o f heat and cold have been pretty
well determined. Thus the three colours R ed, Yellow and Blue are
the hot cosm ic forces, while Orange, Green, Indigo and Violet are
the cold cosm ic forces, These forces can be radiated to any one in
any part o f the world in an instant. T he way the T äntrics o f
Buddhism showed centuries earlier.
P ow er o f G em s.
The seven cosmic colours can be produced with the help o f gems
and n small electric m otor, and transmitted through space to any
person over his photograph with gratifying results. T he gems arc
brilliance shows that they are not only rich in cosm ic colours but
also can readily discharge their rays when rotated on an electric
m otor. The rays, travel with the speed o f thought, and they are,
W hat is a M an tra ?
the pen o f the scribe. You will be surprised to see that every dot,
every line, every letter and every word is immediately covered by
M antras have power, they release power, and they transm it power
20 I'IU.IAOK
to anything o r any person ;ti any distance the moment the Mantra
is rotated with speed. H must ho remembered tli.it the M antras or
gems must remain in constant motion Ix-forc they are able to release
their powers.
T esting o f M antras.
vibrate its power to the photograph in front and envelope its owner
with the cosm ic colours released by the M antra. By giving a trial
to a M antra like this for a few days it will be possible for the person
M antra Healing.
Om Tryamhakam yujämahc
sugandhiih pu$(ivardhanam I
UrvSrukanwva bandhanat
Mrtyor-mukslya nuVmrtät. 11
teil by me wiili the power o f the M antras in order lhal these may
inspire some one some day» and lead him to make similar experi
ments and bring ou t the hidden power o f the Mantras for the
Service o f th e T a n tra s.
even as the Great First Creator does. When that stage is reached
the latest scientific developments will pale into insignificance,
rays and the great cosm ic powers responsible for the origin,
maintenance and destruction of the Universe with its tangible and
intangible contents. When we in the present century com e to
know what the T äntrics discovered centuries ago, the difference
between M agic, Philosophy and Science will disappear and they
will be knit into a harmonious whole.
I'lOiKAflh 23
The New age that is coming will be the Tanlric Age. We are
every day running towards that end. May the Esoteric know*
ledge embodied in the T antras live for ever. Truth is G od, and
B. Bbattacharyya
CONTE NTS
C hapter Page
I. In tro d u cto ry . 1
II. Origin o f Buddhist M agic. 10
V. T h e P lace o f O rigin. 43
VI. T h e T an tras. 47
V II. T h e M an tras. 55
X. Leading T enets. 93
Index. 175
ILLUSTRATIONS
Plate
IV. ( a ) A ksobhya.
( b ) V ulrocana.
( c ) L o ca n ä .
( d ) V ajradhälvlSvarl. 12»
V. ( a ) Amitftbha.
( b ) R atnasnm bhava.
( c ) A m oghasiddhi.
VI. ( a ) Pandora. 129
( b ) M am äki.
( c ) AryalfuA. 130
( b ) V ajrasattva.
( c ) V ajrasattva in Y a b 131
N airälm ä. 135
VIII.
Muriel. 137
IX.
Sim hanäda LokeSvara. 141
X.
143
X I. Jambliala.
ParnaSabarl. 145
XII.
C l l A T I MR I
IN T R O D U C T O R Y
1 This is the chief pivot on which the whole fabric of the Mimäriisä
philosophy revolves. T he Mimarhsakas therefore take the greatest i>ains in
establishing the eternity of the Vedic words, and their divinity or
cf., for instance, Sayana, Ftgveda. ßhä$ya, Sanskrit Sahitya Parisad Series, No. 9,
pp. 3 0 t!.; also Ja tm in i Sillra, 1 - 1 - 2 7 and ff., and commentary by Sahara.
* cf., for instance, Manu 1 -3 1 , where the Brahman creates the four castes
from the four different lim bs: cjfafri 3 SjfVl W
^ ii
I N T K O D l CTOK V 7
2
CH A PTER li
fH
14 AN I N T K ( H » r < T I O N M> W' I »1 »HI ST I . S O I ’h R I S M
fö ^ s^ a flfa ip Jp R W ’Sl:
«iq üfiPi^M fa-^fv-2» 1,1
II
* 7'attvasaiHgraha, si. 3 4 8 7 :
1 S.B.E., Vol. X X , p. 7 8 1.
OU i t ; IN O F DIIDDH IS T MAli lC 21
II. T h e second story' related to the miraculous powers of
ihe whole family of a layman. In the Bhaddiyanagara there was
a householder named Mendaka who, when he had bathed his head,
could fill the empty granary by making showers of grain fall
from the sky.
W h en his wife sat down beside a pint pot and vessel for curry
and sauce, she could serve the serving men with food: and so
long as she did not get up it was not exhausted.
, T h e ir son could take up a bag containing a thousand coins,
and give to each serving man six months' wages: and so long as
as he held it in his hand it was not exhausted.
W h en their daughter-in-law sat down beside a four-bushel
basket, she could give six months' rice to serving m en: and so
long as she did not get up, it was not exhausted.
W h e n their slave ploughed the land with one ploughshare,
seven furrows were formed on the ground.
T h e Magadha king Seniya Bimbisärn came to know about
the miraculous powers of the householder, and* wanted to know
the whole truth about it. H e called his minister and asked him
personally to g o to the Bhaddiyanagara to test the truth of the
rumours. T h e minister accordingly went to the house of Mendaka
and asked him to show his special powers and those of the
members of his family. Mendaka showed the identical feats men
tioned before, and satisfied the minister and K in g Bim bisära about
the truth of his miraculous powers.
GROW TH OF BH ™ M U ST M A G IC
meat, appetisers, and many sim ilar o b je cts of enjoym ent were
specially forbidden. T h e rules were indeed good, and were very
attractiv e in the time of Buddha, but as they were very unnatural
his followers could be expected to follow them only for a certain
time, but not for centu ries afterwards. I t was wholly absurd to
expect obedience to such strict disciplinary m easures from all
m em bers of the S an g h a even in Bu d d h a's lifetime, to say nothing
of ce n tu rie s after his M ahäparinirväna. Buddha’s was a g rea t p e r
sonality, and so long as he was alive the majority of his followers
dared not com m it any o ffen ce by going against his wishes.
But all were not of the same m e n ta lity ; there were monks in
his own time who used to send, co ntrary to his specific injunctions,
wreaths of flowers to wives, daughters, young women and female
slaves, to sit on one seat, lie on one bed, one mat, one coverlet,
with the wives and daughters and young women and female
slaves, to eat food at any time, to drink strong drin ks, to dance, to
sing and play music, and all these together in every combination.
T h e s e m onks must have considered in their minds what the result
would be by forgoing all the pleasures of life, by strictly following
the injunctions imposed on the S a n g h a by Buddha. T h e piom ise
of freedom from births and rebirths may be only a possibility,
and su ccess at best is very questionable. T h i s particu lar set of
m onks, therefore, instead of running after a deluding Nirvana,
violated the rules of discipline and took to worldly enjoym ents.
Buddha was very much perturbed when he heard of the infamous
condu ct of his followers, and sent some of his trusted disciples
to carry out his o rd er of expulsion from the Sa n g h a against these
m o n k s.’ .
T h u s the m em bers of th e S a n g h a must have revolted from
time to time against the unnatilral rules of discipline, and party
q uarrels on such points were already in evidence in the second
(IriL-i K-< d r n e <ni the pari of the au thors to thwart a!) unnatural
i n k s and regulations forcibly chained oil to the followers of
Buddhism. T h e s e disciplinary regulations were gradually relaxed
«>ne .liter anoth er, and ultim ately, when the V a jra y a n is ts gained in
power and got an overw helm ing m ajority, a g enera) revolution
was declared against the orthodox M ahayäna, which in cmitM- o|'
time dwindled to nothingness, as it was pow erless to lighi the
growing d iso rd er am ongst the T a n tr ic s .
It is thus quite cle a r that there was nothing inherently wrong
when Buddha imposed certain moral discipline on his d is c ip le *
On the contrary, they were very attractive in his time. IV oplr
praised them and Buddha got a large n u m ber of co n v ert*. It i>
a most trag ic e v e n t in the history of the subsequent developm ent
of Buddhism , that the s tric tn e s s of discipline actuated a large
section of Buddhists in later tim es to revolt against it and undo
everything that the founder of the religion had attem pted to a cco m
plish, and bring about a disgraceful d eg en eration in Buddhism
and weaken its very foundations. Bu t how this degeneration
ho ped the grow th of Buddhist m agic will be shown in the sequel.
T h e r e was a n o th er d istu rb ing factor which htdped the
degeneration of Buddhism , though the factor itself was quite lofty
and laudable. T h i s was the developm ent of the idea of Buddhist
em ancipation, o r N irvana, as it was term ed by Buddha. Buddha
was himself satisfied when the truth of N irvana dawned on h im :
this was a loftier doctrine than any the leading S a n k h y a philo
sophers of his ag e taught. B u t did he define N ir v a n a ? No.
W h e n e v e r questioned, his usual answ er w a s: ‘ Y o u should
first realize N irvana and then you can know what it is.
You need not know that even. T h e attainm en t of N irvana will
give you freedom from births and rebirths, which means
em ancipation.’ In the first cen tu ry B.C., in the M ilin d a P a h h o l we
1 The Questions oi K in g Milinda, S.B.E., Part II, pp. 186 ff., ‘ Dilemma the
Eighth. The Outward Form of Nirvana.’
4
20 AN IN TRO DU CTION TO U lP D ID ST KSOTEKI.^M
KISK OB YAJKAYANA
1 This theory was for the first time formulated in the ( iuhyasatnitia, first
chapter, now published in the Gnek wad’s Oriental Series.
R IS K O K V A ]K A Y Ä N A 33
3R?R{**,ffUrT*0Jrf
JfVT^r'RrTdf^f^ ^ I
f^-Tf ft ii'
i
*nxr *
Prcfarcr svn? u1
1 o p . c i t , p. 18 , £ 1. 22 .
2 This definition reminds us of the well-known differentiation made by
Nagarjuna in his Madhyamaka K ä rik ä :
P w fw * *n ^ I
•t tjqw uft font n
— chap. X X V , Kärikä 2*».
* op. c it, p. 18, i t 23.
6
42 AN IN T R O D U C T IO N T O R U D I » H IS T ESO TER1SM
THE P L A C E O F O R IG IN
mentioned am ong the four Pithas, and its e xa ct situation has been
a m atter of great co n trov ersy . W a d d e ll 1 identified Uddiyäna
with U d yan a in the S w a t valley. . T h e T ib e t a n scholar, S . C . D as,
followed in his footstep s .2 M . Sy lv ain L e v i would place Uddiyäna
som ewhere in K a sh g arh . M m . H arap rasäd S ä s t r i definitely id en
tifies Uddiyana with O rissa . In view of this wide d iv e rg e n ce of
opinion am ongst sch o lars of high reputation, it is necessary to
enter into the question in detail and exam ine it carefully. In d ra-
bhüti is described as a Wing of U ddiyana, and G u ru Padm asam-
bhava, who went to T i b e t to help S ä n ta r a k sita in founding the
great m onastery at S a m y e , is described as the son of Indrabhuti.*
Padm asam bhava m arried a s iste r of S ä n ta ra k sita in the la tte r ’s
native place at Z a h o r ,4 when driven away by his father (Ind rabh u ti)
for killing some of his favourite su b je cts. T h i s Z ähor is identified
with the modern village of S a b h a r , in the d istrict of D a c c a in
E a s te r n Beng al.* S ä n ta ra k s ita belonged to the royal family of
Zähor, and, therefore, it is hardly possible that the k in g of this
place would allow his dau g hter to be m arried to an unknown
vagabond, who cam e from su ch a d istan t place a s K ash g arh , o r
Udväna in Sw at, being driven out of the kingdom. T h i s m a rriag e
can be explained only if U d diyäna and Zähor a r e taken to be
nearer to each other. M oreov er, U d diyäna is m entioned along
with K ä m ä k h y ä and Sirih atta , which, as we can see, are very near
each o t h e r ; and it is hardly possible that U d diyana would be
associated in Bu d d h ist books with the o th e r two if the distance
were very considerable.*
in the Za-bor, where be was named “ Padmasambhava Note this Lanka was a
part of the kingdom of UddiyÄna.
' op. a t , index, p. c x l l
* J'äränäJha, p. 325.
1 Note in Waddell, op. c i t , p. 382, Lanka is associated with Z4-hor.
4 Vol. II, June, p. 354.
* op. d t , index, p. cxv.
46 AN J N T K O I H C T I O N TO BUDDHIST KSOTKRiSM
TH E TANTRAS
Y ana, the M antra Yana, the Bhadra Y a n a , etc., which may be said
to have originated from the V ajray äna— the principal Y ana among
the three mentioned above. M oreover, we must also consider the
numerous s u b d iv isio n s of each of these three powerful Y ä n a s and
many less powerful systems, in all of which the Buddhist T ä n t r ic
literature was deeply interested. T h e T ä n t r i c literature was
mainly written by the V ajray an ists, who called themselves
V a jr ä c a r y a s ; and by the Siddhas, whose num ber is reputed to be
cighty-fou r.
W ith o u t associating ourselves with the views expressed by an
eminept authority on later Buddhism, let us close this chapter
with the definition and the origin of T a n t r a given by Maha-
rrahopädhyäya Marapasäd S ä stri as early as 1911, in his in trod u c
tion to N. N. V a s u ’s M od em B u d d h ism a n d Its F o llo w ers in O rissa.
T h e r e he w rite s : ' T h e word T a n t r a is very loosely used. O r d i
nary people understand by it any system o th e r than the Verlas.
But it really means the worship of Sak ti, or female energy. T h e
female energ y is worshipped in co n ju n ctio n with male energy.
T h e union of male and female is the essen ce of T a n t r a .*1
T h i s definition truly applies to the advanced Buddhist
T a n tra s of the Y o g a ta n tra and A n u ttaray o gatan tra classes d es
cribed in sequel, but it cannot be said to apply to the lower
forms of T a n tr a , su ch as the K riyätan trayän a or the Caryä-
tantrayäna, nor is the definition all-em bracing so as to include all
classes of T ä n t r i c literature, such as the Sädhana, Dharani, Stava.
H om a, M amjala, etc.
B u t what the same veteran scholar has said regarding the
origin of T a n t r a is well worth considering by all students of
T a n tr a , H indu or Buddhist. H e has sa id : ‘ T a n t r a came from
outside India. M ost probably it came with M agi priests of the
Scy thians. In the old Sariihitäs such as the N ihS vasadattva
1 op. cit., p. 10 .
5-4 AN I N T K O n r C T f O N T O m ilUm iST KSOTKKISM
M ANTRAS
1 See, for instance, the mantra of Jähguli for the prevention and cure of
snake-bites. Scülhanartiälä, pp. 249-50.
* cf. Sädhanamälä, p. 334*: SRüfftPRfar 9/T(T>Tf&H l
p. 335 : fl W r
9 Manual ol Buddhism, p. 6.
56 AN INTRODUCTION TO HUDDHIST KSOTKRiSM
8
58 AN I N T K O m ( “I'ION IO HWDhHIST F. SOTF. RI SM
3fT^t qviMM:
p w * »ft ihn «ft i
W l¥ l ^ f R # 3 3^ «2
M ANTRAS 61
fra jwrcraq ^ i
ga: n
y il& t Rf*<fa n& w%&{ i
trra ^P^HI^Tt. II
'»r^*viHr?jTT. f^fhr fNr^ i
3 gjtffä W # TOR: »
f r a s^TTvra i
q<nftwif ^re n
? > l # r =*j$ ^ qqr 3 ^ 1 Mffarq I
^ra 3P3 ^rarfq f l a f f a f ^ r a s q »
w & fi *ra^rafrWR^q i
iwwRfri g awft* 3 npra; >i1
* ibxL, p. 261 f.
C H A P T E R VIII
SO M E P R O M IN E N T A U T H O R S
SO M B J 'K O M IN K N T A U T H O R S 63
1 Täränätka, p. 275 f.
* Catalogue du Fonds T ib i tain, 2* partie, p. 248.
’ Waddell, Lamaism , p. 379 et se q .; see also TattvasaM graha, Foreword,
pp. x ff.
SO M K I’ R O M 1 N K N T A U T H O R S 65
fixed to a period betw een A.D. (>R7 and A.D. 717 onwards. If we take
a . D . 717 a s the starting-point, and twelve y ea rs between each
1. SA RA H A (A.D. 633)
2 . N Ä G Ä R JU N A (A.D G45)
docs not tak e into a cco u n t the T ä n t r ic N ägärju na, is less confus*
ing, though it also abounds in absurd stories about his life. W e
are not, however, co ncerned here with the accou nts of N ä g ärju n a
the founder of the Madhyamaka s c h o o l; but it can be easily
proved that the second or the T ä n t r i c N ä g ä rju n a is a historical
person and a follower of V a jra y än a. T w o Sad h an as of his are
recorded in the Säd/ianamäiä, one for the worship of V ajra tara ,
while the o th e r relates to the w orship of Ekajata.* I n the colophon
of the latter, it is distinctly said that N ä g ä rju n a rescued this
Sä d h a n a from the country of Bhota, which is identified with
T i b e t . 2 N ä g ä rju n a was a leading sta r in the V a jra y än a horizon,
and com posed a large num ber of T ä n t r ic works, the translations
of many of which have been preserved in the T ib e ta n T a n g y u r.*
3. S A B A R IP Ä OR Ö A BA RA PÄ (A.D. 65/J
S a b a rip ä is the third author in chronological order. H e is
described in T ib e ta n works4 as belonging to the hill-tribe called
the Sa b a ras, or the huntsmen, in Bäftgälä, where he met N äg ärju n a
du ring the latte r’s residence in that country, and em braced
T ä n tris m , and , after being initiated by him along with his two
wives, L o k l and G u^i, attained sainthood. T h i s S ab arip ä also must
have been a historical person, as he has composed a Säd h a n a of
K u ru ku llä, which was published in the S ädhan am älä for the first
time." T h i s Säd hana is found in only one m anuscript, namely,
the one from C am bridge U n iv ersity , which bears a date in the
Newari e r a equivalent to A.D. 1165. H e is also the au thor of a
num ber of m elodious songs in the vernacular of his country, which,
a cco rd in g to the T ib e ta n authorities, was B än gälä, o r Bengal.
5. PA D M A V A JR A (A D . 693)
6 . JÄ L A N D H A R IPÄ (A JX 705)
10
74 an INTKOliVCrriON TO m -PM U ST I-SOTKKISM
9. K R SN Ä C Ä R Y A (A.D. 717)
T h e next author in chronological order is K rsnäcärya. In the
T nngyur* several K rsn äcäry as are found, and it is indeed difficult
U> differentiate between them in the absence of more definite
materials. T ä rä n ä th a makes K rsn äcäry a a contem porary of
Jafandhari, Hhartrhari, G o p ican d ra and even D harm akirti. Hut
he is probably wrong in m aking him a contem porary of D harm a
kirti, who is definitely known to have flourished in the first half of
the seventh century. K rsijäcäry a seems to be a contem porary of
jälan d h ari and G opican dra ,4 both ot whom in all probability
ffourished in the first quarter of the eighth century. A c co rd in g to
the P a g S am J o n Z an , this K rsn a was born of a Hrähman family
of O rissa, and was initiated into the mystic cult by Jälandharipä.
K rsn a had a disciple in T ä n tip ä / who was a weaver. K fsn a is
credited in the same work with having introduced the T a n tr a s in
which the male and female divinities sit clasping each other/
K rsnäcärya wrote D ohäs also in his own vernacular, which wa*
probably U<jiya and had a g reat affinity with the old Hengali
language. N o less than 12 songs of his are available in the
original vernacular, and were printed and published for the first
tim e in the B a u d d h a G än O D o/m .1
1 * * * ftont I WR JTTTNtffopTC'f n -4 ^
'ip r f f a R c r a r f t a : n
IX S A H A JA Y W H N t C IN T Ä (A.D. 705)
N ext com es S a h a ja y o g in i Cintd, a fem ale a sce tic and a disciple
of D ärikapäda, who is known to us as the au th o ress of the
V y ak ta b h ax m w g a ia ta U v a sid d h i 1 A translation of this in T ib e ta n
also e x is t s .3 It appears from her w ork that she was a follow er of
the V ijn ä n a v äd in school, and laid p a rticu la r stress on the universe
being nothing but the cre a tio n of the C itta. o r mind. I t is the
m ind, she says, which b e g ets m iseries, and in co n se q u e n ce cre a te s
e x te rn a l objects. T h e P r a jn ä and U p ä y a are also cre a tio n s of the
mind, and when they co m b in e they give rise to M ahäsukh a in the
mind, w hich fancies the whole e x te rn a l world to be the form s of
M ahäsuk h a. T h e mind, she says, has its vagaries and its own
w ay s: som etim es it js sleep in g , so m etim es it is aw ake, som etim es
it b e g ets desires, so m etim es it is p u re and at o th ers it is
im pure, som etim es it has many forms, and sometim es it is in an
in d escrib a b le state. T h e Y o g i n , who is able to realize the
voidness of the external world and keep his m ind free from
reflections in all its d iffe ren t states and in all its v agaries and
ways, is really the e m a n c ip a te d ; and Buddha-hood for him is
easy of attainm ent. A t the end of the work, the au th o ress d escrib es
V a jr a s a ttv a in eloq u ent langu age, and pays him a g lo w in g tribute
by ch a ra c te riz in g him as one who is realized by self alone, who
defies com parison and is o m n ip rese n t and all*pervading, who is
the cre ato r, destroyer and p ro te cto r of the universe, and who
b rin g s into prom inence the m anifestations of th e m ind .9
th is is the reason why they are called K u lesas, o r the lords of the
K u la s o r the fam ilies. D om bi thus echoes th e d o ctrin es inculcated
in the G u /iyasam äja. the earliest V a jra y ä n a work extant.
From the word K ula, th e words K u lä cä ra , K uladharm a,
K au la. K a u lik a , e tc ., are derived. T h e K a u la s d e c la r e them selves
to he T a n t r i c H in d u s. F r o m the literatu re e x ta n t on K aulism ,
the m oaning of K u la is not cle ar. M oreov er, the large number,
of in terp retatio n s of the word show s unm istakably that the
H in d u s w ere no t c e rta in about the m eanin g of i t ; but the
m oaning in the B u d d h ist sense, as ex p re ssed in th e G uhya -
MttfM/’a and the S a /ia /a s ü M i, is q uite c le a r and unequivocal.
T h e B u d d h ists gave o n ly a sin g le in terp retatio n of the w o rd ; the
K au las, a c c o r d in g to them, mean th e w orshipp ers o r th e followers
of the o rig in a to rs of the five fam ilies, nam ely of the five D hy äni
Buddhas. T h e question will then arise a s to w hether the K aulas
a re really H in d u o r Buddhist in o rigin . W e c a n n o t h e re discuss
this g r e a t q u estio n , w hich should rem ain open for th e present
until sufficient m aterials are at hand to pro ve c ith e r theory.
T h e r e is, how ever, very little d iffe re n c e between the K u läcära
of the H in d u s and the T ä n t r i c p r a c tic e s of the B u d d h is ts ;
b e cau se in both the desire to do im p rop er and illegal things to the
fu llest e x te n t is present.
D om bi H e r u k a has explain ed M a h ä s u k h a ; and th e happiness
o btain able from it has been fully 'dealt with. H ap p in ess, which
c a n best be o btain ed from o n e’s own e x p e rien ce, a cco rd in g to him,
has fo u r su cce ssiv e s t a g e s : Ä n a n d a , P aram änanda, V iram änan da
and S a h a jä n a n d a . B y the com bination of the two elem en ts, P rajnä
and U paya, th ese four stages of g re a t happiness can be obtained . 1
It can only be exp erien ced by o n e ’s own self, and when it is
realized e m an cip atio n , o r perfection, c a n easily be attained. In
1
ftnu: II
11 6
82 AN IN T R O D U C T IO N T O IW D D M JS T K N O T K R IS M
A JM S A N I> O B JE C T S
1 P aU hjali Yogasitlra, I, 1.
AIMS AND O ltJK C T S 87
^ * S&lhanartuila, p. 3 5 0 :
AIMS A N D O K JK C T S 89
12
90 AN INTRODUCTION TO liUDDTIIST KKOTKKISM
stopping all action s of others, and to stop the e fle c t even when
its cause is o perating. T h u s the bu rn in g power of fire can be
stopped, so that even when fire is present it will not burn. It is
the rite by w h ich all a ctio n s of hu m an beings can be stopped a t
will. T h e fo u rth , Vidve§ana, is a n o th e r interesting rite which g iv es
the p e rfo rm er the power to sep arate two friends, relatives, lovers,
and so forth, from each o ther, and th e power to cre a te anim osity
between tw o friends. T h e fifth, U ccätan a, is the rite which when
perform ed g iv e s the perform er special power to make his enem y
fiee from th e co u n try , with all attend ant disgrace. U ccäta n a was
also em ployed in destroying the dwelling-houses of enem ies by
in can tatio n s of m an tras and o th e r m eans. T h e sixth, M ärana, is
perhaps th e most cruel am ong the six cru el rites of T ä n tr is m .
T h i s co n s ists in killing, or perm anently in ju ring , enem ies by m eans
of apparently harm less p ractices.
T h e s e a r e known as §atkarm as, and it is said that experien ced
T ä n t r ic s , even in modern times, g e t resu lts immediately these rites
are perform ed. I t is, nevertheless, difficult for ordinary laymen to
obtain any su ccessfu l result, because th e rites have to be perform ed
according t o time, planets, seasons, g o d s and m antras appropriate
to the rite, which are known only to the specialists. T h e m an tras
are of prim ary im portance in all cru e l rites, and no less than six
m ethods of application are generally fo rm u lated : (1 ) G rathana—
co n sists in reciting the mantra o v e r each of the letters of th e
name of th e m edium 1 ( S ä d h y a ) : g en erally required in S ä n t i
(protective rites). (2 ) V id arb h a— co n sists in recitin g th e letters o n
the nam e of the medium betw een the letters of the m a n t r a : used
mostly in V a £ ik a r a n a , o r bew itching. (3 ) Sam puta— co n sists in
reciting the m antra both in the b e g in n in g and at the end of the nam e
of the m e d iu m : mostly required in Stam bh ana. (4 ) R o d han a—
L E A D IN G T E N E T S
l. G urus
2. D isc ip l e s
1 Two Vajrayäna Works. G.O.S., No. 44, p. 12, verses 9 -1 6 , where the
guru is eulogized by the disciple.
a ibid., pp. 71 ff.
3 ibid.. p. 72.
^ ffcwiWWlfMinfsW: »
sfapp} "
M v A D I N U l'K N K 'IS 95
1 op. dL, p. 5,
I.K.MUNC; TKNT.TS 99
has been given by Santarak sita, in his famous polemical work, the
T a ttv a so m g ra h a ' T h e r e it is said :
1 p. 916.
* cf. Two Vajrayäna Works, p. 75, where the following line is quoted
from the Gukyasamäja : I
100 A N IN T R O D U C T IO N T O IU / U U IU S T K S O IK R IS U
5. A dvaya
PROCEDURE FO R W O R S H IP
14
106 AN IN T R O D U C T IO N TO B U D D H I S T K S O T E K IS M
T H E D E IT IE S
*wr at m m
HO AN I N T R O D U C T I O N T O UUI>I>HIST K S O T K K I S M
«fasasRTiwinui n
3(?w 3P*reis?S
yppr II2
' But Dr. Coomaraswami, of Boston, has no faith in this, and, in fact, in
the mass of evidence collected here. J.A.O.S., Vol. 46, p. 187.
THK liK IT IK S 117
THE PANTHEON
it docs not m'ciii clear that the Buddhists had any conception
of a w e l l - d e f i n e d and well-classified pantheon. It is in the
GMftytixwMjtt that w e lind the idea uf a Buddhist pantheon properly
c r y s ta lliz e d ; here, for the first time, we find the description of the
five D hyäni Buddhas, their m antras, th eir M andalas and their
S a k tis . T h e s e Dhyäni Buddhas represented the five S k a n d h a s, 01
elem ents, of which the world is composed, T h e y are here d e scrib
ed as the p rogenitors of five K u las, o r fam ilies. M ere we read :
their own ideas and w h im s ; and it was precisely in this way that
the deities increased to an amazing number.
I t has already been indicated that the G u fiy asam aja went into
private hands after its inception, and was handed down through
an unbroken chain of g u ru s and disciples for three hundred y e a r s ;
and obtained publicity, through the teach ing s and mystic so n g s of
the Buddhist Sid d h äcäry as and V a jrä cä ry a s, in about the middle
of the seventh centu ry . I t is for this reason that we do not find
references to this pantheon in the general Buddhist literature, or
in the works of the C h in ese travellers who cam e to Ind ia to
investigate the condition of Buddhism prevalent in their own time.
D espite this fact, certain names of Buddhist god s and goddesses
are indeed found in these w ritings, though they do not pertain to
the wcli-cJassified pantheon referred to above. I n the S u khävatt-
vyuha ,* which was translated into C h in e se betw een A.D. 148 and
170, the name of A m ita b h a appears for the first tim e, who was the
presiding deity of the Su k h äv ati o r the A kanisfha heaven, where
he is believed to have brought A valokitesvara into existen ce. W e
should rem em ber that in the V a jra y ä n a works also this heaven has
been characterized a s the abode of all deities. I n the sm aller
recension of the same work, which was also translated into C hinese
between a . i >. 3 8 4 and 4 1 7 , m ention is made of two m o re gods,
namely A ksobhya as a T a th ä g a t a and M anju£ri as a Bodhisattva.
F a-hien ( a . d . 3 9 4 to 4 1 4 ) m entions the nam es of M anjuSri, Avalo-
kiteSvara and the future Buddha M a itr e y a ; and H iu en -th san g (A .i).
6 29 to 6 4 5 ) the names of Avalokitesvara, H ä r lti, K sitig a rb h a , M a i
treya, M anju sri, Padm apäni, VaiSravana, Säkyabuddha, Säk y a-
Bodhisattva and Y a m a , as also the nam es of deified saints such as
A^vaghosa, N ägärju na, Asafiga, Sum edhas, and others. I * T s in g
( a .d . 671 to 6 9 5 ) m entions the nam es of A valokitesvara, A m itäyu s
o r A m itäb ha, H a riti, the C atu rm ah äräjik as, M aitreya, M anjusri,
art was carried there ; l>ut it was soon modified when it cam e
in contact with the native artists, and was thus stereotyped. T h e
general impression of the visitor who visits the numerous
m onasteries in Nepal, which are a repository of a large number
of im ages of the diverse Buddhist deities, is that the e x cellen ces
of the Bengal school could not be preserved by the Nepal
artists, and that decadence in art was already in evidence.
T h e followers of V ajrayäna, who went to Nepal in order to
make sure of their existence, converted a good many N ewars
of the land to Buddhism, and carved innum erable images of gods
and goddesses in stone, metal and wood, so m u ch so that a student
of iconography is overwhelmed by th eir wealth and variety.
T h e cumulative evidence of art, history, philosophy and
literature leads us to believe that the pantheon of the N orthern
Buddhists was not widely known before the e ig h th century A .D .,
nor was the underlying philosophy, which may warrant the for
mation of a pantheon, well-developed before that time, though the
origin of the latter may have been considerably eariier. T h is
may be explained by the fact that the G u h y asam äja , which for the
first time inculcated the doctrine of the five D hyäni Buddhas and
their families, was composed and transmitted in se cret for about
three hundred y e a r s ; and that is why it did n o t attain wide publi
city. I t is only in the Sad h an a composed by A s a n g a 1 that we find
a definite reference to the five D hyäni Buddhas and their families,
and it is for that reason not unreasonable to co n n ect A sa n g a
with the introduction of the very G u h y asam ajatan tra itself. The
subsequent writers got only a glimpse of what filtered through
the secret organizations. A fte r the eighth ce n tu ry se crecy was
no longer required, as the principles of V a jra y ä n a then were fully
established and widely spread, through the te a ch in g s and mystic
songs of the eighty-four Siddhapurusas.
T h e pantheon of the N orthern Buddhists revolves round the
1 Sadhana No. 159, in the Sädhanamäiä.
a j >i * h u i >i >i i a \ a jk a d iia k a
T I IK 1‘A N T ll KON' 127
1 J.A .S.P., Vol. II, 1833, pp. 57 flf. Sec also fthfttacharyya, 'Vajradh.*)
vs. Vajrasattva,’ in J.13.0.R.S., IX , pp. 114 ff.
2 Oldfield, Sketches from Nepal, II, pp. 90, 156 ff., 1 8 8 ; ff&lgsons ftssay
pp. 115 ff.
1/8 AN IN T R O D U C T IO N TO B U D D H IS T E S O T E R IS m
(•») I^ND.VM
I. T he D v esa F a m il y
1. IIEUU KA *
A m o n g s t the m em bers of the D v e sa family H c ru k a is perhaps
the m ost popular and the m ost powerful. H e is assigned many
S a k tis, an d , as he is associated with the different S a k tis, his forms
are distinctiv ely called Buddhakapäla, S a m v a ra , V ajrad ak a, Sapta-
k sara a n d M aham äyä. Independent T a n t r a s , said to be delivered
by B u d d h a in an assem bly of the faithful, are ascribed to all the>e
d ifferen t fo rm s of H eru k a. W h e n tw o-arm ed 1 le ru k a dances in the
Ard haparyarika attitude on a co rp se, an d ca rrie s the V a jra and the
skull cu p full of human blood in the two hands. T h e KhjiJvanga,
su rm ounted by human sk u lls with flowing banner, hangs from the
left shou ld er like the sacred thread. I n the two-armed form he is
Y a m ä r i, when blue, may have e ith e r one lace and two arm s,
o r th ree faces and four a rm s, o r th ree o r six faces and six arm s.
W h e n he is tw o-arm ed,he stan d s in the P raty ä lid h a attitude, and
show s a s ta ff su rm ounted by a V a jr a in the right hand, and the
raised index finger with a noose in the left hand placed against the
breast. W h e n three-faced and four-armed he is co n ce iv ed in yah*
yum in the e m b ra ce of th e S a k ti. H e c a r rie s in his right hands
th e ham m er and the s w o r d ; in the two left the lotus and the
jew el. W h e n Ihree-faced and six-arm ed he may also be re p re
sented s i n g l y ; and in this form he c a r rie s the thunderbolt, the
sword and the M üsala in the three right h a n d s ; and the goblin
(V e tä li), the axe and the lasso in the th ree left. H e may also
'h a v e the sword, th e M udgara and the th un d erb olt in the three
right h a n d s ; and the G h a n ja , the V a jr a p ä s a and th e Milsala in
the th re e left. In the seco n d form he may have six face s and six
legs, with th e sam e weapons.
3. E K A JA T Ä
4. N AIRÄ TM Ä
N airätm ä is a n o th e r goddess who em anates from A ksobhya.
T h e word, N a irä tm ä , means soul-less, which is anoth er name for
Sü n y a , in which the B o dhisattva m erges on th e attainm ent of
N irvana. In V a jr a y ä n a the co n ce p tio n of S ü n y a took the form of
a goddess in whose eternal em brace the B o dhisattva is said to
remain in eternal bliss and happiness. N a irätm ä g e ts the blue
co lo u r because the colour of S ü n y a , acco rd in g to Buddhist
traditions, is the sam e a s the co lo u r of the sky.
N airätm ä is co n ceiv ed as standing in Ardhaparyaftka, in a
dan cing attitude on the ch e st of a corpse. S h e carries the
K a r tr i in the right hand and the K a p ä la in the le f t; and a
K hajväftga hangs from the left shoulder. S h e is decked with the
five auspicious symbols, or the M udras, viz. the torque, the bracelet,
th e girdle, the tiara and th e arm lets. Im ag es of N airätm ä are
extrem ely rare.
136 AN IN T R O D U C T IO N T O H M H U ilS T Km M 'K R In M
I I . T iik Mo iia F a m il y
T h e originator of th e M oha family is V airocana. who is
usually conceived as sittin g in the V ajrap ary an k a attitude, white
in colour, and showing the D h arm acak ra M udrä. H is re co g n itio n
symbol is the C ak ra, or th e disc, and his V äh an a is a pair of
dragons. H is place is in th e middle of the stüpa, and therefore
he is not usually represented outside the stü p a ; but exceptions
to this rule are occasio nally to be found, when he is given a
place in th e co rn e r betw een A ksobhya in the ca st and R atna-
sambhava in the south. H is B o dhisattva is Sam antabhadra and
his S a k ti is V ajrad h ätv isv a ri, through whom he brings forth the
m em bers of his family. A m o n g st the m em bers of the family,
M ärici and V a jra v ä rä h i may be cited as examples.
1. M ÄRlCl
M ärici is invoked by the L a m a s of T ib e t at the advent of the
m orning, showing her co n n exio n with the sun. L ik e the H indu
sun god, she also has a c h a r i o t ; but the chariot of M ärici is drawn
by seven pigs, while that of the sun is drawn by seven horses.
T h e sun has a ch a rio tee r in A runa, who has no le g s : while the
ch a rio tee r in the ca se of M ä rici is R ä h u , who has only a head
and nothing else. M ärici is conceived in six d ifferen t forms.
S h e may have one, three, five o r six faces, and two, eight, ten or
twelve arm s. S h e is g en erally accompanied by her four attendants,
V a rtä li, V ad äli, V a r a li and V a räh am u k h i, and is recognized by her
sow face and the seven p ig s that run her chariot. T h e needle
and thread are her ch a ra c te ristic symbols, by which she is said
to sew up the mouths a n d the eyes of the wicked. Im ag es of
M ärici are rath er com m on in India. I n her two-armed form of
A Sokakäntä she is seen in scu lp tu res as an attendant of K hadira-
vani T a r a , who is an em anation of Am oghasiddhi. A m on g the
other varieties of M ärici, th e form with three faces and eig h t arm s
is extensively found in sculptures.
IM A ! I- IX
MÄRlCl
THE PA N TH EO N 137
18
13« AN IN T R O D U C T IO N TO H U D D H iS T K SO T K K 1 S M
2. V A JR A V Ä R Ä H I
V a jra v ä rä h i is an o th er im portant m em b er of the M oha family.
S h e is so called becau se she has an e x c r e s c e n c e near the right
ear, which resem bles the face of a s o w ; and th is is evident from
the ep ith et V a jra g h o n ä , which is usually applied to her. T h e union
of V a jra v ä rä h i with H e ru k a is the s u b je ct m atte r of the two
popular Buddhist T a n tra s , namely the C ak ra sa m v a ra ta n tra and
the V a jra v ä ra h ita n tra . S h e is described in the S ä d h a n a s as the
first queen of the god S r i H eru k a. S h e is also called a p ä k i n i ,
which in B u d d h ist T a n t r a signifies any god dess who may be
associated with the m ale g od s in yab-yum. S h e is d escribed
also as V airocanakulodbh avä, o r b e lo n g in g to the V a iro c a n a
family.
V a jra v ä rä h i is co nceiv ed in th ree d ifferen t forms. T h e first
two are one-faced and two-armed, while the third is four-armed.
In all form s she is te rrib le in ap p e a ran ce , with th re e eyes,
dishevelled hair, the six M udräs, the P raty ä lid h a attitude, and a
garland of severed heads. S h e is e n tire ly nude, and dances on a
co rp se. S h e is su rrou nded by four d eities of the Mapcjala, viz.
IJa k in i, L ä m ä , K h a m ja ro h ä and R ü p ig f. In the first form she
stands in the P raty älid ha attitude, and shows in the right hand the
V a jr a , with T a r ja n i and the K a p ä la in the left, the K hatvänga
h a n g in g from h er left shoulder.
I n the second form she d an ces in the A rd hapary ank a attitude
on a c o r p s e lying o n its breast, and c a r r ie s the K a r t r i in a m e n a c
ing attitude in the right hand, and the K ap äla, full of blood, in the
left. T h e Kha{väfiga, as usual, hangs from the left shoulder. T h i s
variety of V a jr a v ä rä h i is invoked widely in the rite of bew itching
men and women, and h e r worship is very popular in modern days
in N epal and other Bu d d h ist co u n tries.
140 an I M K U O U C 'l IO N to llU L D H lS T K S O T E K IS M
III. T h e R äga F a m il y
2. K U R U K U LLÄ
A m o n g st the goddesses em anating from the D hyäni Buddha
A m itäb h a, K u ru k u llä may be cited as an exam ple. K u ru k u llä is
said to c o n fe r su ccess in the T ä n t r i c rite of V asik arana, or
betw itching. If her mantra is muttered ten thousand times any
m an can be bewitched, thirty thousand will be sufficient for sub
duing a m inister, and one lakh for a king. H e r m antra is also a
ch arm ag ain st snake b i t e s ; and it has the power to e x tra c t poison
from patien ts bitten by a snake. K u ru k u llä is worshipped in four
differen t form s, with two, four, six or eig h t arm s. W h e n two-armed
3 42 AN I N T R O D U C T I O N T O K U O D H I S T I ' S O T E K I S M
I V . T h e C in ta m a is ’ i F a m il y
1. JAMBHALA
A s an emanation o f Ratnasam bhava he may be conceived
as single, as also in yab-yum. W h e n single, Jam bhala is of
golden complexion and carries the mongoose in the left hand
and the citron in the right. T h e mongoose is supposed to be the
receptacle of all gem s, and when Jambhala presses the two sides
of the mongoose it vom its forth the riches. B y noticing this
mongoose in actual representations it is easy to recognize the
possessor to be Jam bhala. W h e n represented in yab-yum, he sits
on the moon, placed on a double conventional lotus of eight
petals. H e wears all sorts of ornaments, a garland of yellow
lotuses, and is locked in em brace with V asudhärä. H is complexion
is golden y ellow ; he has a protruding belly, and he ca rrie s the
mongoose and the citro n in his left and right hands respectively.
T h e eight petals of the lotus are occupied by eight Yak§as, who
are also associated with th eir respective S a k tis in yab-yum. T h e
S a k ti, V asudhärä, is yellow in complexion, and carries the e ars of
corn and shows the Varadam udrä in her two hands.
Jam bhala has an o th er fierce form in Ucchu?m a Jam bhala, who
144 AN IN T R O D U C T IO N T O B U D D H IS T K SO T K R 1 S M
2. VASUDHÄRÄ
A m ongst the female members of the C intäm ani family
V asudhärä is noteworthy. V asudhärä is the goddess of plenty,
and is worshipped for various boons. S h e is fully decked in
ornaments, and is invariably accompanied by her confidants. H e r
complexion is always yellow, like the colour of Ratnasambhava,
and she carries in her left hand ears of corn placed on a vessel
which showers g e m s ; while the right hand e xh ib its the
Varadamudrä. V asudhärä is very popular with the H in d u s, who
worship her widely, and there are many Hindu T ä n tr ic works in
which the V asudhärä cult is inculcated.
V . T h e S am aya F a m il y
A t the head of the Sam a y a family is the D hyäni Buddha,
A m og h asid d h i; and a tolerably large number of deities em anates
from him. H is left hand lies open on his lap, and the right exhibits
the Abhaya-mudrä, or the attitude of assurance. W h e n represented,
his colour is green and he always faces north in the stüpa. H is
V ähana is a pair of Garu<Jas and his recognition symbol is
V isvavajra, o r the conventional double thunderbolt. So m e tim es a
serpent with seven hoods form s the background, while the expanded
hoods appear like an um brella. I n front of his shrine, therefore,
is found a small square pit, which represents the tank in w hich the
serpent resides. H is Bodhisattva is Vi€vapani and his co n so rt is
Ä ry atärä, through whom he brings the m em bers of his family into
THE PA N TH EO N 145
2. PARÜfAäAVARl
Pan?a£avarl, the second deity em anating from Am oghasiddhi,
is also green. T h e m an tra assigned to Wer d esignates her as a
PiäacI and as Sarvam äripraäam ani, or th e destro y er of all kinds
of epidemics. I t is very probable th at in tim e s of epidemics,
su ch as cholera, plague or smallpox, P a n ja s a v a r i was invoked and
worshipped, in the sam e way as Rak^akalT is worshipped in
Indian villages in m odern days, to prevent and ward o ff epidemics.
P am a sav ari is endowed with three faces,i with th ree eyes in each,
and six arm s. H e r rig h t and left faces a r e blue and white respec
tively. In h er three rig h t hands she c a r r ie s the V a jra , Parasu
and the arrow ; and in the three left the bow, the c lu ste r of leaves
and the T a r ja n i with the noose. H e r face is depicted with an
angry laugh, and h e r hair is tied up above. S h e is in the fullness
of youth, is decked in a tig e r ’s sk in, wea;rs an a p ro n of leaves, and
tram ples under h e r feet various diseases and pestilen ces. In the
im ages of Parnaäavari discovered in Esist B e n g a l, two divinities
a re represented, to her right and left, a s flying away in opposite
direction s in terro r to e s ca p e the w rath <,»f the principal goddess.
T h e y a re H ayagriva— the H ind u god ojf f e v e r ; and S ita la — the
146 AN INTRODUCTION T O B U D D H IS T ESO TER1SM
IN F L U E N C E O F B U D D H IS T T A N T R IS M
ON H IN D U IS M
inqu iry into the relative priority, o r otherw ise, of the H ind u and
Bu ddh ist T a u t t a s , and this can be best accom plished by taking
up the o rig in of certain deities com m on to both the systems.
L e t us take, for exam ple, th e in stan ce of the H in d u deity,
T a r a , who is included in the g ro u p of the ten M ahävidyä
goddesses. T h e s e goddesses are personifications of ce rtain m an
tras o r V id y äs, popularly known as Sid d ham antras, as they are
reputed to bestow perfection on those who co nstantly m u tter them
one hundred thousand times. T h e ten M ahävidyä goddesses
a r e : K a li, T ä r ä , §odasi, BhuvaneSvari, Bhairavt, C hinnam astä,
DhumävatT, Bagalä, M ätangi and K am ala.* A m an tra is attached
to each of these ten deities, and, a cco rd in g to ch a n g e s in the o rd er
of the letters in the mantra, new form s of the same deity sprin g
forth into existence. T h e m an tra of T ä r ä , a cco rd in g to the
H ind u s, is H rirh S tr im Hürh Phat, which g iv es rise to seven more
deities, a cco rd in g as the four syllables of the m an tra are recited
in d ifferen t ord ers o r sequ en ce. T h e s e seven deities, who are
regarded as seven d ifferent forms of the sam e deity T ä r ä , are
named as U g rä , M ahogrä, V a jrä , K älf, S a ra s v a ti, K äm eSvari and
BhadrakälL* T h e table a t top of th e n e x t page shows the name
and the m an tra of each.
F r o m th e above it is not difficult to imagine that all the
seven deities m entioned above represent seven d ifferen t forms of
th e original deity, T ä r ä , who is one of the ten Mahävidyäs. I f the
Tärä . . er «ft* t
U grä . . «r tr t
M ahogrä i «ft tr
V a jr ä . . i <r «fr 'K
K a li . . tr «ft* 'K i
S a ra sv a ti «ft* tr i
K äm eSvarl tr $ «fr
B had rak äli . . i «ft* f tr i
a t w rtforto qfhAfe: u
to üifHl toa h
1 Sädhanamälä, p. 494.
qirfhm qm qlfto: n
i 52 AN IN l K D D U C I K 'N TO W JiD H ls r K S O l'K K tS M
the oho or the other ul liie six is dropped, the deities are des-
« i iln d as decked in five M udras o r four Mudräs. A large number
i*i Buddhist deities are described as decked in ornam ents of these
M udras, numbering from four to six. Evidently, there were
several enumerations of six M udras, which were not definitely
fixed because the different T a n tr a s had different enumerations.
T h e following, among others, were included in the series of six
M u d r ä s - ( l ) the torque, (2) bracelets, (3) ear-rings, (4) ashes, (5 )
the sacred thread, (ti) the tiara, (7) the girdle, and ( 8 ) the jew els.
W h e n a deity is described as decked in five Mudras, any five
among the eight enumerated above are selected in accordance with
the traditions cu rren t am ongst each s c h o o l; and the five are p re
sided over by the five D hyäni Buddhas. T h u s Aksobhya is the
presiding deity of the t i a r a ; A m itäb h a of the e a r -r in g s ; Ratna-
sam bhavaof the to rq u e ; V a ir o c a n a o f the b racelets; and Am ogha-
siddhi of the g ird le .1
T h u s, though to the H indu s the five M udräs may appear to be
strange and in a way unintelligible, which fact is amply borne out
by the attempt at their elucidation in the Tantrasära, the M udras*
as ornaments were not unknown to the Buddhists. T h e y knew
how many M udräs could be applied in the form of o r n a m e n ts ;
they knew th eir precise meaning, and their precise position in the
different parts of the body, and could enum erate the different
Dhyäni Buddhas associated with each of the five Mudräs.
Now, with regard to the third point, of having a figure
of Aksobhya on the crow n of T ä r ä , it is also to be pointed out
that an explanation of this phenomenon can com e only from
the Buddhist sources. I t is absurd to believe in the mode of
explanation suggested in the H indu T a n tra s, especially in the
20
'IM AN I N T R O D U C T I O N T O B U D D H IS T KSOTKR1SM
was fully convince«} aiui soon followed the ways of Buddha, and
eventually attained final liberation by an unrestrained use of the
jive Makaras. T h is is evident from the following v erse :
sfafci w q 1
flftrwNH swim it
nq jth w mei qid % *ipf ^ i
3* 3* fliv fW fl: it1
1 Tantrasära: Oriental Institute MS, No. 4995, fol. 309 f, where the
Dhyäna is quoted from an earlier work, namely the Bhairavatantra. Also
Chinnamastäkalpa, Oriental Institute MS, No. 1692, fol. 36 f. For the Buddhist
Dbyana see Sädhanamälä, p. 452.
i(><) AN IN T R O D U C T IO N T U B U D D H IS T E S Q T E K IS M
3* 3* a*
H i i2
TOÄrfasffo fp r? etc.*
5 f ^ 1 5 1 1 1
tjcfäreffarpri s v p 1
after the borrowing, they were unable to keep up the purity and
the accu racy of the mantras, though they had been partially
successful in preserving the co rr e c tn e s s of the form of the deities.
T h e r e is hardly a T a n t r a in 'H in d u literature which is not tinged
with Buddhistic ideas of V a jray ä n a and its leading tenets, including
the Mahäsukhaväda, and it is no exaggeration to say that some of
the T a n tr a s of the H indus, such as tDie M ah acin akram atan tray are
entirely Buddhist in origin. It has already been pointed out how the
R u d ray h m ala and R ra h m a y am ala t works of the highest authority
and antiquity for the H indus, are profoundly influenced by
B u ddh ist ideas, and how words of ordinary mortals, such as A jita-
m itra, etc., have been put into the mouth of the highest god
M ahädcva in the H indu T a n tr a s . I t is thus amply proved that
the Buddhist T a n tr a s greatly influenced the H indu T ä n tr ic
literature, and it is. therefore, not c o r r e c t to say that Buddhism
was an outcome of Saiv aism . I t is to be contended, on the other
hand, that the Hindu T a n tr a s were an outcom e of V ajrayäna, and
that they represent baser im itations of Buddhist T an tra s. O n e
m ore instance is furnished by the B h ü tad äm aratan tra and the
deity Bhütadämara. T h e deity and the T a n tr a are claimed by the
H indus, though their origin is thoroughly Buddhist .1
H aving established the priority of the B u ddh ist T an tras
over the T a n tr a s of the H indu literature, it is necessary to
indicate certain general prin ciples by which Buddhist geds can
be detected and separated from among those already included in
the Hindu pantheon. I t has already been shown that the
V ajrayanisrs described M ahäsukha as a s ta te when Bodhicitta
m erg es in Sü nya, even as salt melts in water, on the attainment
of N ir v a n a ; apd to symbolize this they conceived the idea of
Yuganaddha deities, o r deities in yab-yum, where the male and
1 See The Cult of Bhütadämara >a paj)cr read before the Patna Oriental
Conference, 1930, and published in Man in India, 1931, Vol. XI, pp. 83 ff.
164 AN I N T K O D l ' C T f O N ' T O B U D D H I S T F S O T K R 1 S M
C O N C L U S IO N
SEVEKAI. times it has been pointed out that the T a n tras and
the T ä n tric culture, which at one time regulated the life in ancient
India, did not prove very healthy either for the country or for
Buddhism. T o o much attention to psychic culture, particularly
on the part of the general population, was certain to have its
repercussions in all departments of life, and history tells us that
such repercussions did actually take place. T h e result was the
destruction of Buddhism and the occupation of the country by
the Muhammadans, for the first time showing that spiritual force
can be conquered by physical force. T h e advocates of psychic
culture were hopelessly out of touch with the realities of life, and
practically destroyed themselves and their followers.
Unduly severe criticisms have been levelled against the
theory advanced in the foregoing pages, particularly with regard
to the unhealthy influence of the T a n tras and T ä n tric culture on
the general public. It has, therefore, become necessary to state
clearly the correct estimate of the T a n tras and T än tric culture,
especially from an orthodox point of view. No one will be so fool
ish as to declare that the T a n tras contain nothing but preachings
of immorality and all kinds of unnamable vices, and in this work,
particularly, such views can never find a place. On the contrary,
the T a n tras should be regarded as the greatest contribution of
India to world culture. T h e T a n tra s which are intimately connect
ed with the Räjayoga, as advocated in the system of Patanjali and
Hathayoga, have shown to the world the correct way of developing
mental faculties and obtaining great spiritual powers through
psychic culture. If by developing the material resources alone
great wonders could be achieved, what infinitely greater wonders
166 AN IN T R O D U C T IO N TO B U D D H IS T K S O T E R IS M
widespread now, and certain ly it has its value in its own sphere,
but, though T ä n t r i c in origin, it has no co n n exio n with the
T a n t r a . It is virtually the m etam orp hosis of T a n tr a , on which
has been put a com m ercial value.
T h e above further shows that Y o g a , o r even Hathayoga, is
not meant for all, as it is expected that only a few can fulfil the
condition required in a student of Y o g a . W h e n this permeates
into the m asses, the V ä m ä c ä r a is reduced to vulgarity and
prostitution, which, instead of rousing the sacred Kundalini
produces illegitim ate children, who form a caste by themselves.
T h i s was inevitable, and th is is what actually happened in the
olden days in ancient India, and this is what is even today happening
in Nepal, as also in T ib e t . S im ilarly , when god co n cep tion becomes
the com m on property of all, it chan ges into idolatry and super
stition. T h e T a n tr a , rightly applied, elevates the Jivatm an, but,
wrongly applied, it takes vengeance and destroys the Jivatm an.
It caused the destru ction of Buddhism as the g reatest spiritual
and moral force in India.
I t is, however, not the o b je c t to emphasize here that Buddhism
was destroyed simply because its followers were improperly
applying the T a n tr a s , but it can n o t be gainsaid that the moral
fo rce of Buddhism was e n tirely sp en t before the Muhammadan
co n q u est of E a s te rn India, only to be given the last pi*>h by the
Muhammadans. T h e o th e r reason why the Muhammadans
specially took upon them selves the unwanted duty of destroying
Buddhism may be looked for in anoth er quarter.
W ith the B u d d h ists m onasteries were a necessity from very
early times, ow ing to the pecu liar nature of the restrictions and
d isciplines enjoined by Buddha on hut. followers. Buddhism,
m oreover, had no respect for birth o r for the orthodox society, and
it was mostly co n ce rn e d with ou tcastes o r low castes, co nsisting of
original inhabitants of the co u n try not affiliated to the orthodox
social hierarchy, and for that reason also separate organizations
C O N C L U S IO N 17.*
23
178 AN I N T K o r n n r n o N TO IUI|i|>1! I S T F .S O T F .iU S M
Hant i. 122. Jutnkas, 11.
U . i t h a y ’ga, 105, iw», 16 9, 17 2. Jayatura, 142.
II:iv;vjrjva, 118, 1 4 1 : Hindu god of Jethri,66.
lever, 1 1 9 .1 4 5 . Jivätman, 166,167,168,172.
heaven, 7 ,9 7 . JncyavArapa, 35,37.
herbs. 1.
heretical teachers, 9. Kacchnpä, 69.
Heruka, 103,131,139,161. Kahnupn, 72, 73.
hell, 7. Kälaca kray ana, 52.
Hinayäna, 36, 37. Käli. 150, 157, 104.
Hinayünists, 28,3 6 ,3 7 . Kalpnnu, 37, 97.
Hinduism, 4 9 ,5 6 ,1 4 7 ,1 7 3 . Kamadeva, 142.
Hindus, 50, 114 ; Täntric, 81. Kämakbyä, 43, 54.
Homn, 53. KamalnSila, 57, 99.
Hrdayasutrn, 3 1,49. Kamlttln, 6 4 ,6 9 ; same as KamKMn-
hypothetical Ixjings, 114. pada.
Kamcs vari, 156.
icon, 110. Knndarpa, 3 37.
Iddhipädas, 19. Käpalikas, 17 n.
Uklhis, 17 a , 19. Kapilavistu, 10.
idolatry, 113. Karma, 7, 17.
idol worship, 114. Kamatärä, 142.
images, 115. Kanina, 27, 29, 30, 33, 101, 102,
indifferenoe, 106. 103.
Indra, 4 1 ,1 1 7 . Karuo&cala, 76.
Indrabhüti, 4 4 ,4 5 ,6 4 ,6 9 , 7 4 ,7 6 ,9 5 . Kashgarh, 44.
initiation, 3 9 ,7 1 ; novel mode of, 53. Ka&yapa, 18.
institution* divine, 6 . Kauln, 81.
Iyengar, Dr. S. Kreoaswami, 73. Kaulika, 81.
Kaulism, 81.
Jainas, 114. Kaulas, 155.
Jainism, 147. Kazi Dawasamdup, 62 .
Jalandhara, 54. Kesini, 162.
Jälandharipä, 71, 72, 74, 75. See Khadga Siddhi, 88.
Hädipä. Khadiravapi T ärä, 145.
Jalendra, 4 5 . Khaodarohä, 139.
Jambhala, 143. Khasarpapa, 140.
Janguh, 55 n. Khecara Siddhi, 8 8 -9 .
Japan, 50. Kleäävam a, 35.
t NHKX 1 79