Introduction to Tantra Sastra - Aghori

WORSHIP 113
of the body. The bīja of the Devatā are the jewels which
the sādhaka places on the different parts of his body.
By nyāsa he places his Abhīṣṭ adevatā in such parts, and
by vyāpaka-nyāsa, he spreads its presence throughout
himself. He becomes permeated by it losing himself in
the divine Self.
Nyasa is also of use in effecting the proper distribution
of the śaktis of the human frame in their proper
positions so as to avoid the production of discord and
distraction in worship. Nyāsa as well as Āsana are
necessary for the production of the desired state of mind
and of cittaśuddhi (its purification). “Das denken ist der
mass der Dinge.” 1 Transformation of thought is Transformation
of being. This is the essential principle and
rational basis of all this and similar Tāntrik sādhanas.
PAÑCATATTVA
There are as already stated, three classes of men—
Paśu, Vīra, and Divya. The operation of the guṇ as which
produce these types affect, on the gross material plane,
the animal tendencies, manifesting in the three chief
physical functions—eating and drinking, whereby the
annamayakośa is maintained, and sexual intercourse,
by which it is reproduced. These functions are the subject
of the pañcatattva or pañcamakara (“five m’s”), as they
are vulgarly called—viz: madya (wine), māmsa (meat),
matsya (fish), mudrā (parched grain), and maithuna
(coition). In ordinary parlance, mudrā means ritual gestures
or positions of the body in worship and haṭ hayoga,
but as one of the five elements it is parched cereal, and
is defined 2 as Bhriṣṭ adānyādikam yadyad chavyanīyam
1 Prantl.
2 Yoginī-Tantra (chap. vi).