Mircea Eliade YOGA IMMORTALITY AND ... - Brihaspati.net

Some Orientalists tend to exaggerate the antigiiedad of Tantra. Thus, Braja Lai Mukerji,
Tantra Shastra and Veda (in the volume of Sir John Woo-Draff, Shakti and Shakta, ed.
III. P. 95-105) and C, Chakravarti, Antiquity of Tan-tricism (Iridian Historical Quarterly
VI, 1930, p. 114-126) attempt to demonstrate perfect solidarity between Tantrism and
Veda. B. Bhattacarya believes that tantric practices and doctrines have been introduced
by the Buddha himself, An Introduction to Buddhist Esoterism (London, 1932), p. 48;
and introduction to the edition of Sadhana-mala, P. XVI-XVII. All these views are
exaggerated: they are found in Tantra ancient elements of which some belong to the early
history of religion in India, but its introduction in Buddhism and Hinduism began quite
late, at least before the first centuries of the era Christian.
B. Bhattacarya, the editor of Guhyasamaia tantra (Gaekwad'sOriental Series, vol 53,
Baroda, 1931), proposes to consider this text (it attaches to Asanga) as belonging to the
third century (p. XXXVII). According to Winternitz (Notes on the Guhyasamaia tantra)
no precise indication this agreement allows us to attribute the great philosopher Asanga.
However, many Buddhist Tantra do: S. B. Dasgupta, An Introduction to Tantric
Buddhism (University of Calcutta, 1950), p. 46, note 4. The importance of this
Guhyasamaia attested by his numerous co-commentator: Marcelle Lalou, Repertoire du
Tanjur, P. 13; for the comments of Tson-kha-pa, E. Obermiller, pale Tson-kha-pandit
(Melangeschinois et bouddhiques, III, p. 319-338), p. 335-337. See also G. Tucci, Some
Glosses "Put the Guhyasamaia (Melangeschinois et bouddhiques, III, p. 339-353).
On the origin and diffusion of Tantrism, see S. Ch Roy, Caste, Race and Religion m India
(Man in India, XIV, 1934, p. 39-63, 75-220, 271-311, p. 92 et seq.; W. Koppers,
Probleme der Religions-indischen geschichte (Antropos, 25, 1940-1941, p. 761-814), 773
and passim; RC Hazra, Influence of Tantra on the TattvasqfRaghunandana (Ind. Hist.
Quart., IX, 1933, p. 678-704), Sylvain Levi, On a tantrikfragmentfrom Kucha (ibid., XII,
1936, p. 199-214); Baggchi PC, On some Tantrik texts studied in Ancient Kambuja;
idem, Further notes on Tantric texts studied in Ancient Kambuja; idem, On Foreign
element in The Tantra (studies reprinted in the volume Studies in the T Antras, p. 1-26,
45-60), B. Bhattacharya, The Cult Bhutadamara cf (Proceedingsand Transactions of the
Sixth All-India Oriental Conference, Patna, 1933, p . 349-370).
About Tantrism also see: E. Burnouf, Introduction to V6tudedu Bouddhisme Indien (2nd
ed. Paris, 1876), p. 465; Barth, Oeuvres, vol. I, p. 178; Wilson, Sketch (ed. 1846), p. 159;
Rajendralal Mitra, Buddhist Sanskrit Literature of Nepal (Calcutta, 1882), p. 17;
Wassilief, Le Bouddhisme, P. 162 L. de la Vallee-Poussin, Bouddhisme, Etudes et
materiaux (Memoires de I'Academie Royale Belgiaue .. London, 1898), p. 118; De la
Vallee-Poussin, Bouddhisme, Opinions thistorie south of dogmatique (ed. Ill, Paris,
1925), p. 378; Kern, Show Buddhismus, vol. 11, p. 521; Winternitz, Geschichte, vol. I, p.
482; Bhandarkar, Report on the Search for Sanskrit manuscripts in the Bombay
presidency, during the year 1883-1884 (Bombay, 1887), p. 87; Haraprasad Sastri, JV
(ides of Sanskrit manuscripts, second series, vol. I, 1900, p. XXIV; H. Kern, Manual
cflridian Buddhism (Strasbourg, 1896), p. 133; Waddel, La-Maisman, P. 147.
About the Vajrayana, see also: H. P. Shastri, Discovery of a work by Ar-yadeva in
Sanskrit (Journal of Royal Society of Bengal, 1898, idem, Buddhism in Bengal since the
Muhammadan Conquest, idem, 1895. P. 55 et seq.) Bhatta-caryya, Origin and
Development of Vajrayana (Ind. Hist. Quart., 1927, p. 733 ff., idem, Buddhists in Bengal,
Dacca Review, vol. n, n. 7; idem, Glimpses of Vajrayana, Proceedings of the Madras