Ritual

that involves the sperm's odyssey through the tunnels and portals of the
female genital tract, its quest for the waiting egg, its union with this
egg. 37
But what is said about the desire for union on the biological level
applies to the whole cosmic system. The complete drama of the
universe is repeated in this human body. The individual and
universal, according to the tantra, are built on the same plane. The
intensity of joy derived from sexual gratification, whether it is
dissipated in a gross form or revitalized in a subtle form for a
spiritual pursuit, differs only in degree. In its existential content,
the ritual of union is functionally detachable from the conceptual.
Here the male and female are both playing roles. They do not wish
to 'explain', but to act in order to 'feel'. In all respects the ritual is
confined to being an expressive encounter in visible and intelligible
forms, in a relationship which yields satiety through a series of
personifications, transformations, visualizations, identity and
transference rituals. As the ritual gathers momentum the play of
creative imagination and feeling are brought into focus by
empathy; through this apprehension, both the male and the female
partners are seen 'anew' by each other and they move together
towards the fulfilment of unity. Thus in essence the ritual of union
remains a 'felt-experience' - a product of the Dionysan nature
rather then the Apollonian, or analytic in content.
The ritual is performed with a partner who is considered the
reflection of Sakti, and unless the adept has the attitude of complete
surrender to the object of his worship, in this case the female
participant who plays the role of the divine energy, the practice of
asana cannot be successful. The 'devout woman' epitomizes the
entire nature of femaleness, the essence of all the Saktis in their
various aspects. She becomes a perennial source of joy. From
whatever stratum of society she comes she must bear certain
auspicious signs in appearance and physical condition in order to be
an ideal participant: she must be in good health, have lotus eyes,
full breasts, soft skin, slender waist 'swelled into jewelled hips'
(Lalaita Vistara). Similarly, the male adept also has to meet specific
physical requirements.
The methods of tantric asana incorporate three main controls
and mark out five subdivisions in the entire course of the
discipline:
(1) Control of mind or autonomy of thought: The adept has to
develop the ability to concentrate and consciously learn to
exercise control over the mind. On the physical plane, asana is
Early stone carving of 'latasadhana''.
Khajuraho, Madhya
Pradesh, c. 12th century.
165