Introduction to Tantra Sastra - Aghori

30
INTRODUCTION TO TANTRA ŚĀSTRA
Purāṇ a to Sūta. The three chief classes of Ṛ ṣis are the
Brahmaṛ ṣi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devaṛ ṣi of
lower rank, and Rājaṛ ṣi or Kings who became Ṛ ṣis
through their knowledge and austerities, such as
Janaka, Ṛ tapārṇ a, etc. The Śrutaṛ ṣi are makers of
Śastras, as Śuśruta. The Kāndaṛ ṣi are of the Karmakānda,
such as Jaimini.
The Muni, who may be a Ṛ ṣi, is a sage. Muni is so
called on account of his mananam (mananāt munirucyate).
Mananam is that thought, investigation, and
discussion which marks the independent thinking mind.
First there is Śravanam, listening; then Mananam,
which is the thinking or understanding, discussion
upon, and testing of what is heard as opposed to the
mere acceptance on trust of the lower intelligence.
These two are followed by Nididhyāsanaṃ, which is
attention and profound meditation on the conclusions
(siddhānta) drawn from what is so heard and reasoned
upon. As the Mahabharata says, “The Vedas differ, and
so do the Smṛ tis. No one is a muni who has no independent
opinion of his own (nāsau muniryasya mataṃ
na bhinnam).”
The human being is called jīva 1 —that is, the embodied
Ātmā possessed by egoism and of the notion that it
directs the puryaṣtaka, namely, the five organs of action
(karmendriya), the five organs of perception (jnānendriya),
the fourfold antahkarana or mental self (Manas,
Buddhi, Ahaṃkāra, Citta), the five vital airs (Prāṇ a),
the five elements, Kāma (desire), Karma (action and its
results), and Avidyā (illusion). When these false notions
1 That is specially so as all embodiments, whether human or not, of the
Paramātmā are jīva.