Fertility Rites & Rituals in Tantra

URMI CHANDA-VAZ
Masters Program in Ancient Indian Culture,
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
urmi.chanda@gmail.com

Abstract

As opposed to the sanctimonious school of Vedic thought, the Tantric religion is associated with all
things impious. Such widespread perception can be attributed to some magical and sexual rites
practiced by Tantrics. Performed primarily for acquiring siddhis and achieving mystical union the divine
feminine, such rituals form only a small part of the sphere of Tantra. However, they dominate its image
and have left practitioners and laymen equally curious over the centuries, especially from the medieval
period. This paper charts the history of magic rites and fertility rituals as prescribed and practiced in
mostly in Shakta Tantra. Some parallel practices from the Buddhist Tantra have also been enumerated
and comparisons with Vedic fertility rites have been attempted.

INTRODUCTION

Famous novelist, Dan Brown perfectly surmised the common attitude to Tantra when he said, “We all
fear what we do not understand.” Associated with all things dark and disturbing, Tantra has been the
subject of much speculation and very little scholarship over the centuries. The very mention of Tantra
brings to the mind ash-smeared aghoris carrying skull bowls and indulging in shava sadhana
(meditating upon corpses). Foul language, orgiastic rituals and excessive consumption of flesh and
intoxicants are considered representative of the Tantric way.

But these are just a few ritualistic aspects. Tantra is really an alternate way of spiritual life. The word
'Tantra' comes from the Sanskrit root word, 'tan', which means 'to expand'. Tantra, then, is a way to
expand one's mind1. The Tantric way is said to have parallelly existed with the Vedic way and was
sometimes referred to as the Avedic or Veda bahya (outside the Vedic fold) path.

1 Mookerjee, A., & Khanna, M. (1977). Introduction. In The Tantric way: Art, Science, Ritual (2003 reprint ed., p. 9).
Boston, Massachusetts: New York Graphic Society.

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Bose2 quotes Kalluka Bhatta, an illustrious commentator of the Manusmriti on this. Bhatta has said
that “There are two classes on Sruti – Vedic and Tantric”, thereby proving the antiquity of Tantrism. An
alternative way of attaining salvation existed from the time man sought it.

Like Yoga, the scope of Tantric philosophy and ritual is vast. It involves a number of methods and
practices by which an adept slowly moves from one level of spiritual achievement to another. In very
simple terms, the fundamental difference between popular Upanisadic tenets and the Tantras is that
the former advocates liberation through abstinence while the latter preaches salvation through
indulgence.

There are indeed some rites and rituals in Tantrism that are rightly thought of as revolting. But most of
them are derived from simple fertility practices of ancient folk cults. Sir James Frazer's theory of
sympathetic or homeopathic magic serves well to explain the rationale behind most of these rites and
rituals.

Bhattacharyya3 further elucidates, “Because of its original association with the simpler peoples,
popular cults and rituals became an integral part of the Tantric way of life. This brought the cult of the
Mother Goddess and the fertility rites associated with its original conception into close relationship
with Tantra. The magical rites performed to obtain greater fertility of land, which really underlay
elaborate Tantric rituals, were not the creations of fancy or leisure. Rather they served as a guide of
action as an illusory technique complementary to the deficiencies of real techniques. By this illusory
technique, which consisted of the miming of an incident or symbolical representation of a coveted
object, primitive man thought he could secure the actual occurrence of what he desired.”

However, the vast body of Agamic and Tantric literature proffers philosophical and spiritual
explanations for such practices. In this paper, we shall trace the historical development of fertility
rituals from primitive folk religions to Shakta Tantra in medieval India.

2 Bose, D., & Haldar, H. (2004). Authority and Antiquity. In Tantras: Their Philosophy and Occult Secrets (Enl., 3rd ed., p.
2). Calcutta: Munshiram Manoharlal Pvt.
3 Bhattacharyya, N. (1982). Introduction in History of the Tantric Religion: A Historical, Ritualistic, and Philosophical Study
(pp. 159-160). New Delhi: Manohar Publications.

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THE BEGINNINGS

Archaeological evidence has proven that in almost all primitive cultures

of the world, fertility rituals were practiced. Statues of Mother Goddesses
and later, phallic objects have been uniformly found at many prehistoric
sites proving that sexual symbolism has been an inherent aspect of
nature worship since time immemorial. Palaeolithic cultures, especially,
seem to have been matriarchal in nature. They gave the highest place of
reverence to a woman and her awe-inspiring procreative powers4.

Terracotta figurines of females with heavy breasts and wide hips, often
with a red wash, are among the primary artifacts seen as proof of such
beliefs. It is commonly held, even today, that a full figure and the red
colour are signs of fertility. Other prehistoric cave paintings and rock
Venus of Villendorf, paleolithic lime
carvings in the same vein help corroborate the hypothesis. The symbol of statue, 24000-22000 BCE

the yoni or female genitals find special importance in such primitive art 5.

But with the introduction of patriarchal systems, whether Vedic or Greek, Egyptian or Abrahamic, the
importance of the Mother Goddess cult saw a gradual decline. The Vedic Aryans in particular, who had
a primarily pastoral economy, deified natural forces in their male forms. Gods like Indra, Agni, Varuna,
Prajapati, Rudra and Vishnu received all the importance in the Vedas, while female deities like Ushas,
Ratri and Saraswati were barely recognized.

However, for the indigenous people who had a strong agricultural base, the Earth Mother remained
central. The feminine principle was not only recognized but highly venerated in her many forms.
Religious practices pertaining to these local mother goddesses continued unabated among the
masses.

4 Camphausen, R. (1996). Introduction. In The Yoni: Sacred Symbol of Female Creative Power (pp. 3-4). Rochester, Vt.:
Inner Traditions.
5 Ibid. p 10-11

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 The famous Mahishasura Mardini relief sculpture at Cave no. 14 at Ellora, 8th cent. CE

Unable to ignore the local religion with strong matriarchal flavours, goddesses were slowly inducted
into the Vedic fold. By the time of the epics and Puranas i.e. the Gupta Era, the idea of Devi had been
firmly fixed in the mainstream Vedic religion. Some ancient Tantric elements were absorbed in Vedic
practices, while some others were squarely rejected. The revival of the pre-Vedic Mother Goddess
cult in the post Rig Vedic age is attributed to the spread of an agricultural mode of economy 6.

Eventually, all major cults grew in two ways – the Brahmanical way and the Tantric way. Thus, for
classic Shaivism, there was a corresponding Shaiva tantra, for Vaishnavism, there was Pancharatra, for
Shaktism, there was Shakta tantra and so on. Even Buddhism and Jainism had their corresponding
Tantric branches. But it was in the flexible and fertile ground of Shaktism that the Tantric elements
flourished best. Classic Brahmanical Shaktism is not very dissimilar from Shakta Tantra. Shaktas can be
divided into practitioners of the right hand and left hand paths. The right hand path or Dakshinachara
is usually understood to mean orthodox practices in line with Vedic injunctions, while the left-hand
path or Vamachara is usually associated with heterodox and extreme modes of worship 7. There is

6 Bhattacharyya, N. Op. Cit. pp. 159-161

7 Reddy, K. (2011). Ancient India in Indian History (1st ed., p. A310). Mcgraw Hill Education.

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even a Madhyama Marga8, which treads the middle ground. We shall explore some of the fertility
rituals and magic rites of the Vama Marga in the following sections.

SHAKTA TANTRA

Shaktism differs from the four other Pancayatana

cults in proclaiming the Supreme as feminine. While
Brahman is said to be without attributes, its
conception is essentially masculine for Shaivas,
Vaishnavas, Suryas and Ganapatyas. The Shaktas, on
the other hand, are unequivocal about their notion
that the Almighty is a mother figure and from her
emanates everything. Where Shakti is relegated to
the position of a consort in the male-oriented cults,
the reverse is true in Shaktism. Here, Vishnu or
Shiva, for example, are seen as mere consorts to the
Devi. Shiva is particularly popular in his Bhairava A Tantric painting depicting the Goddess as the supreme with
aspect among Shaivas and Shaktas and the two cults even Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva supplicating to her

are closely aligned.

There are two fundamental philosophical tenets of Shakta Tantra. The first refers to Prakriti (Shakti)
and Purusha (the male principle, often conceived as Shiva), who are immutable and inseparable. From
their union the cosmos evolves9. This idea is common to all Tantras. The second is the conception of
the body as the universe. The human body is a microcosm that is identical with the macrocosm and
what happens on the physical level, happens on the universal level too10.

The human body is given a lot of importance in the Tantras, where it is believed to be the conduit

8 Bagchi, PC. (1956). Evolution of the Tantras in The Cultural Heritage of India (Vol. IV, p. 217). Calcutta: Ramakrishna
Mission, Institute of Culture.
9 Bose, D., & Haldar, Op. Cit., p 16
10 Mookerjee, A., & Khanna, M, Op. Cit., p 21

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between the gross and the subtle world; the individual and the cosmic energies. In Johari's 11 words,
“The highly evolved human body is capable of self-expression and the realisation of Truth beyond the
realm of sensory perception. … it is the most perfect instrument for the expression of consciousness.”

Sexo-yogic practices, commonly associated with Tantra, are a derivation of the body-universe
identification. The basic underlying implication is that when the female body is worshipped in
conjunction with the male body, its fertility is replicated in the earth. From a strictly anthropological
standpoint, this magical association seems to be the rationale.

There are, of course, exhaustive explanations and interpretations of these rituals. Much of this
esoteric Tantric knowledge is contained in three major classes of texts viz. Tantras, Agamas and
Yamalas. There are many other kinds of texts like Damaras, Samhitas, Kalpas, Tattvas, etc 12. The best-
known texts expounding Shakta Tantra include the Markandeya Purana [Durga Saptashati], Kaalika
Purana, Devi Bhagavatam, Varaahi Tantra, Kularnava Tantra, Guhyasamaja Tantra and Yoni Tantra
among others. Some of the most mystical, magical and mysterious practices that seem revolting by
the standards of Brahmanism are enlisted in such texts. The following section takes a look at some of
these rituals, based on the idea of fertility.

FERTILITY RITES

Fertility rituals can be divided into two main categories – sexual rites and blood sacrifices. In this
section, we shall first explore the sexual rites and then look at the blood sacrifices. One of the basic
injunctions in Tantric practice includes partaking of the Pancha Makaras 13 or Tattvas, also known as the
“5 Ms”. These include the ritual consumption/practice of five things viz. Madya (wine), Māṃsa (meat),
Matsya (fish), Mudrā14 (parched grain) and Maithuna (sexual intercourse). Whether taken literally or
metaphorically, the idea is to offer the tattva or essence of these elements to the goddess within. As

11 Johari, H. (1987). Principles of Tantra in Chakras: Energy Centers of Transformation (p. 5). Inner Traditions
12 Bhattacharyya, N. Op. Cit., p 52
13 In the higher/subtler tantras, the Pancha Makaras are interpreted metaphorically, as opposed to the Left Hand path,
where the meaning is often taken literally.
14 The meaning/interpretation of Mudra is contested, though most scholars agree that it means parched grain.

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Ghosh15 says, “... by the repeated practice of the ritualistic observances, one acquires a nature
whereby everything one does in ordinary life becomes an act of worship.”

Of the five, the Maithuna ritual has received most flak for being a morally degenerative practice. It is
perceived as an illicit religious license that permits seemingly perverted acts of sex between men and
women. The practitioners, of course, beg to differ. Sexual pleasure is not the object of this ritual.
Rather, the sexual union is seen as a key aspect of primordial sacrifice (adiyaga) or clan sacrifice
(kulayaga). According to Urban16, '...the male's shedding of semen into the womb of the female is
directly compared (in the Upanishads) to pouring the oblation into the Vedic sacrificial fire.' These
ritualised sexual rites have even been compared to the Soma sacrifice in some Vedic and Tantric texts.

These rites may be performed at an individual level, i.e. only with one man and one woman involved
or they may be performed in a group. The former is known as Asana 17, and the latter as Chakra Puja18.
The basis of these practices is using the gross sexual energies to transcend to the subtler planes. It is
aimed at raising the Kundalini, through an activation of the chakras. Before the ritual can be studied,
we shall take a small detour and briefly examine the fundamental concepts of chakras and kundalini.

Chakras & Kundalini

There is no one definition of chakras, since it is a highly esoteric concept. However, it has been
generally agreed that they are energy centres in the body, circular in form and seven in number. The
word chakra in Sanskrit denotes a circle, wheel or movement. Johari 19 succinctly defines chakras as
“centers of activity of subtle, vital force termed Sukshma Prana (subtle prana); they are interrelated
with the parasympathetic, sympathetic, and autonomous nervous systems, and thus the gross body is
related to them.”
15 The Spirit and Culture of the Tantras. (2011), in The Cultural Heritage of India (2e ed. rev. et augm. ed., p. 241). Kolkata:
Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture.
16 Urban H, (2011), The Sacrifice of Desire in The Power of Tantra: Religion Sexuality and the Politics of South East Asian
Studies, (p 110), Tauris & Co Ltd.
17 The word 'asana' generally refers to a Yogic asana or pose, but here, the ritual of union in Tantra has been so called by
Mookerjee, A., & Khanna, M, Op. Cit., p 163
18 Ibid. p 185
19 Johari H, Op. Cit. p 14

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The seven main chakras are Muladhara, Svadhishtana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Ajna and
Sahasrara. The Muladhara is based near the anus, the Svadhishtana in the pelvic region, the Manipura
near the navel, the Anahata near the heart, the Vishuddhi near the throat, the Ajna between the eyes
and the Sahasrara on the crown of the head. They have been described in great detail and each has a
specific function, reigning deity, bija mantra, tattva, colour, shape, number of petals, ruling planet, etc.

An illustration of the seven chakras and the

Kundalini snaking its way up through them

It is at the Muladhara Chakra that energy lies dormant in the form of a coiled snake or Kundalini. The
word Kundalini is derived from the Sanskrit kundal i.e. coiled. It has been defined 20 as “an aspect of
the eternal, supreme consciousness, which is both with and without attributes. … In individual bodies,
the energy lies dormant, as a static center around which every form of existence revolves...”

This latent, static energy can be activated through various practices such as postures or asanas,
gestures or mudras, meditation, chanting, visualisation techniques, etc. When awakened, the

20 Ibid. p 17

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kundalini becomes kinetic and in defiance to the law of gravity, moves upwards. As it passes through
each chakra opening it, it unlocks more energy in the aspirant until it finally reaches the Sahasrara
chakra, which is the seat of consciousness. “The force generated by such fusion creates a great
illumination that destroys the ignorance of the mind, the primary cause of duality. One who
experiences this state attains non-dual consciousness and becomes enlightened21.”

Asana, the maithuna ritual

Sex has been traditionally associated with only two functions: procreation and recreation. However,
Tantriks realised along the way that the immense energy generated during the act could be harnessed
to achieve higher purposes. They explored sexual acts practically, as a measure to unify the energy
polarities, outside the ambit of morality and social judgments. No emotion or sentiments were to be
attached to an act that was spiritually driven. The body was to be considered no more than an
instrument, a yantra, of achieving unity with the goddess and ultimately, liberation.

Two participants are needed for an asana ritual – a male aspirant and a devout woman who is
considered a reflection of Shakti. According to the Lalaita Vistara, there are certain parameters that
the object of worship should fulfill. Representing the essence of femaleness, she must be of 'good
health, have lotus eyes, full breasts, soft skin, (and a) slender waist' 22. Regardless of caste or her
station in life, the woman The aspirant's attitude should that be of complete surrender to the divine,
and complete detachment to the mortal woman.

There are three chief aspects23 to performing this ritual viz.

(i) Control of mind or autonomy of thought

(ii) Control of breath through pranayama
(iii) Control of semen/ova

21 Ibid.
22 Mookerjee, A., & Khanna, M, Op. Cit., p 165.
23 Ibid.

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This three-fold control over one's mind, body, and sexual ejaculations is achieved with sustained
practice. It helps the aspirant keep a single-pointed focus over the spiritual objective of the ritual.
These rituals are fairly long-winded and involve many steps. These can be roughly classified as
preparation, purification, worship, meditation and unification. Ablutions, dressing, nyasa and bhuta
shuddhi are to be performed correctly before commencing the ritual. The guidance of a guru is
mandatory. In fact, even in a ritual of this intimate nature, the presence of the guru is symbolically
acknowledged. The fixing of an opportune day, time and place of performing the ritual are important,
and so is securing and protecting the environs.

A bronze sculpture of a Buddha with his

consort in the classic Tantric pose. Tantra
had a huge influence on Buddhism, and
Buddhist Tantras became a force in their
own right

Preparatory steps24 with respect to the woman are especially interesting to note. After both adepts
have bathed, the male adept liberally applies and massages various parts of the female adept's body
with several scented oils. These help stimulate her Muladahara chakra – the one related to the earth
and hence the function of smell. A vermillion dot is applied between her brows to mark the Ajna
chakra. The sadhaka and his shakti sit across each other surrounded by sacred ritual paraphernalia,
with each component having a symbolic meaning.

24 Mookerjee, A., & Khanna, M, Op. Cit. p 168

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At first, she is identified as Shakti and the stage of body worship or kama-kala begins. In this, he
touches every part of the body, going from the feet up, consecrating them by uttering specific
mantras. The sadhaka then moves on to Yoni (vagina) worship, envisaging the goddess Tripurasundari
in the organ. The next steps involve the worship of her feet that supposedly embody the goddess Kali,
and lastly, Linga (phallus) worship.

Having been consecrated as Shakti, the female assumes the role of the guru and if she so pleases,
orders the sadhaka to unite with her as Bhairava. The union takes place even as the adepts
continuously chant mantras, control their sexual impulses and are absorbed in meditation. This state is
equated with samadhi in Tantric texts.

Chakra Puja

The communal version of the asana ritual is known as Chakra Puja. It may also be referred to as Kaula
Chakra, Yogini Chakra and Bhairava Chakra25. The Penguin Dictionary of Alternative Medicine defines
it is an ancient, esoteric fertility practice in which an equal number of men and women gather in a
circle or chakra and engage in ritual-based sex in front of a yantra, representing the Mother Goddess.
There are usually eight or more couples in a chakra but the number may vary and the adepts are
chosen with great discretion by the officiating guru long in advance 26. All participants must necessarily
be part of a kula or spiritual family, and initiation into the kula is in itself a complex rituals.

Tantrik couples sit in a circle for the Chakra Puja ritual

25 Urban H, Op. Cit. p 105

26 Mookerjee, A., & Khanna, M, Op. Cit., p 185.

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Depending on the desired goal, such sexual activity varies widely and generally involves a great deal of
purification and focusing prior to the actual sexual experience. Like in the asana, this ritual includes
invocation or prayer, utilisation of mantra and yantra, purification exercises including pranayama,
concentration, the use of nyasa, mudra and bandha, and worship of the Shiva and Shakti principles.

“Wine and women”

An important feature of some of these maithuna ritual is the

involvement of menstruating women. Menstrual blood is
considered a potent fluid infused with the divine energy of the
mother goddess. It is a symbol of regenerative powers that is
unique to women. This idea finds full expression in the cult of
Kamarupa in Kamakhya, Assam, which is a highly revered shakti
peetha. The goddess in her yoni form is worshipped at this
centre and her supposed menstrual fluids are offered as
'prasad' to devotees. The festival of Ambuvaci is also an
acknowledgment and celebration of the regenerative powers of
A sculpture of the goddess daubed in
the woman, that are akin to the earth mother's. vermillion to symbolise menstruation

Explicit Tantric texts like Yoni Tantra and Kamakhya Tantra especially prescribe a female adept during
her menses as an ideal candidate for the sexual rites. They even recommend the use and consumption
of the female fluids (yonipushpa) to accrue maximum benefits from the ritual. Menstrual blood
equated to a red flower to be offered to the goddess and is referred to as Khapushpa. The menstrual
blood of virgins is said to be especially dear to the goddess 27. According to Camphausen28, “the most
esoteric of Tantrics in their most secret modes of worship consume the juices of love produced by the
woman/Goddess or produced by mingling the female juices with those of the male. Two-thirds of this
yoni tattva, or divine nectar, is mixed with wine and drunk by the congregation; the remaining one
third is offered to the goddess.”

27 Bhattacharyya N., Op. Cit. Pp 133-136

28 Camphausen, R. , Op. Cit. p. 41

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Wine is also consumed by itself, as it is one of the panca makaras. Texts like Mahanirvanatantra,
Paranandasutra, Kaulavalinirnaya make the consumption of wine a mandatory practice in Tantra, as
the intoxicant is believed to help achieve ecstasy and liberation. But wine is not drunk for mere
intoxication; it is to be purified ritually and consumed only for spiritual ends. The madya of the
makaras is sometimes interpreted mystically – as a symbol of intoxicating knowledge. However, in
most cases, real wine is drunk. This ritual has its roots in ancient fertility and funerary practices, as
wine was considered life-giving and death defying29.

Sacrifices

Concomitant to sexual rites are sacrificial rituals. The legacy of animal sacrifices as fertility rites was
shared by both, the Vedic and Tantric ideologies, in the beginning. But while classical Brahminism
slowly distanced itself from animal sacrifices to compete with the non-violent teachings of Buddhism
and Jainism; in Tantra, sacrifices held their sway. The ethos of sacrifice is the same in Tantra as any
other primitive religion – one must give in order to get. Sacrifice was the medium through which the
humans and gods communicated and interacted. By making offerings to the goddess, whether
materially or spiritually, one appeases her and earns her benevolence. While some Tantric cults offer
symbolic sacrifices, most others subscribe to the idea of offering flesh and blood. In order to replenish
the earth/mother of its reproductive powers, one had to offer her lifeblood.

In most cases, the sacrificial victim is an animal of the male species, but certain Tantric texts like the
Kalika Purana even prescribe human sacrifices, and human flesh was considered maha prasad that
would please the goddess Kali for a thousand years 30. Human sacrifice or nara bali was not uncommon
in Assam, Bengal and some other parts of India in the medieval period. Eraly quotes Eliade on this
aspect saying that certain men who offered themselves to be sacrificed to the goddess were called
bhogis. Their intent to be sacrificed made them extremely sacred in tantriks' eyes and he was allowed
every conceivable pleasure – especially carnal, with a number of females 31.

29 Bhattacharyya N., Op. Cit. Pp 141-144

30 Eraly, A. (2011). Religion. In The First Spring: The Golden Age of India (p. 872). New Delhi: Viking, Penguin Books India.
31 Ibid.

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Some 'human sacrifices' were made symbolically too, in a manner similar to voodoo rituals 32: “They
make a doll of the man by the name of whom the ceremony is undertaken and after piercing a knife in
the body of the doll and destroying its eyes, sacrifice it piece by piece and recite mantras; this
ceremony is called marana (killing) or abhichara-karman (act of killing).” This ritual is found in an
anonymous Buddhist Tantric text called Agama Prakasha, but variants of the ritual may be found in
non Buddhist Tantras as well.

Human sacrifices and cannibalism may

have nearly stopped in the context of
Tantra, but animal sacrifices continue
with great gusto even today. The Kalika
Purana also asserts that while the male
gods can be appeased by offerings of
sweets, chants and prayers, the goddess
demands only blood33. Similarly, the
Kaulavali Nirnaya declares that blood
and meat are important in the worship
A black buffalo calf is tied to the stake in readiness for a ritual sacrifice
of the yoginis and Bhairavas34. Myths
such as the Shiva/Sharabha story further give credence to the concept of animal sacrifices and point
to their possibly tribal origin.

In an inversion of the Brahmanic norms of purity, Shakta Tantra chooses what are considered 'impure'
animals to sacrifice to the goddess. A black buffalo is considered a prize sacrificial victim, although
other creatures like goats, cocks and fish are also offered. Also in dissonance with Vedic norms, the
modus operandi of sacrifices is rather bloody. Where in a Vedic sacrifice, the victim was
suffocated/pacified with nary a drop of blood shed, the protocol of Tantric sacrifice is a bloody
beheading. The sword with which the victim is beheaded is considered Shiva in his fiercest aspect,

32 Rinehart, R., & Stewart, T. (2000). The Anonymous Agama Prakasa: Preface to a Nineteenth Century Gujarati Polemic. In
D. White (Ed.), Tantra in Practice (p. 284) Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
33 Urban H, Op. Cit. p 57
34 Ibid.

14
Bhairava. A burning lamp is placed on the severed head and it is offered along with the blood to the
goddess35.

Another important thing to be said here is the purpose of the sacrifices in the context of Tantra. It may
have started as a fertility ritual, but its esoteric connotations changed over time. Where Brahmanical
sacrifices were aimed at attaining liberation, Tantric sacrifices centered around the acquisition of
power. The Tantric adept is well aware of the karmic debt of the act (despite its religious motives), but
does it anyway for the promise of immense worldly powers or siddhis36. It has been a point of debate
among scholars whether the aims of Tantra sadhana stop at worldly power or its ultimate goal is
liberation and unity with godhead.

Conclusion

India is not called the land of living traditions for nothing. A supremely dynamic, organic, and complex
system, Hinduism is much more than a religion. Under its vast umbrella lie a dizzying number of
philosophies, gods, belief systems, castes, cultures, sub cultures, sects, cults and so on. Each carries
within itself seeds of the ancient, even as it adapts to the present. The Tantras are no exception.

Certain Tantric practices can said to have originated in prehistoric India and continued to evolve
through the Vedic, Epic, Puranic, Classical and Medieval ages. The most prominent among these
practices were fertility rituals by which the primitive man ensured the earth mother's sustained
bounty. Rites involving bodily fluids and sexual activities came to be associated with the Tantras. as
they were primeval symbols of life. Though misconstrued and even condemned by the mainstream
society, these rituals continue to be practiced to this day. Most tantriks are highly secretive and
perform these rituals hidden from public view. However, milder and symbolic forms of these fertility-
based rituals are practiced by lay persons too, especially those with Shakta affinities.

It is hard, after all, to make a man forget his Mother.

35 Urban H, Op. Cit. p 64

36 Urban H, Op. Cit. p 59

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16