Introduction to Tantra Sastra - Aghori

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INTRODUCTION TO TANTRA ŚĀSTRA
ther, 1 and worships without flesh and fish. He is always
bathing, owing to his ignorance, 2 and talks ill of others. 3
Such an one is called paśu and he is the worst kind of
man.” 4 Similarly the Nitya-Tantra 5 describes the paśu
as—“He who doe not worship at night nor in the
evening, nor in the latter part of the day, 6 who avoids
sexual intercourse, except on the fifth day after the
appearance of the courses 7 (ṛ tukālam vinā devī
vamanaṃ parivarjayet); who does not eat meat etc., even
on the five auspicious days (pārvana)”; in short, those
who, following Vedācāra, Vaiṣṇ avācāra, and Śaivācāra,
are bound by the Vaidik rules which govern all paśus.
In the case of vira-bhāva, rajas more largely works
on sattva, yet also largely (though in lessening degrees,
until the highest stage of divya-bhava is reached) works
independently towards the production of acts in which
sorrow inheres. There are several classess of vira.
The third, or highest, class of man is he of the divyabhāva
(of which, again, there are several degrees—some
1 Not recognising that all are but plural manifestations of the One.
2 That is, he only thinks of external and ceremonial purity, not of internal
purity of mind, etc,
3 That is, decrying as sectarian-minded Vaiṣṇavas do, all other forms of
worship than their own, a common fault of the paśu the world over. In fact,
the Picchilā-Tantra (chap. XX) says that the Vaiṣ ṇava must worship
Parameśvara like a paśu.
4 All the Tantras describe the paśu as the lowest form of the three
temperaments. Nityā-Tantra, and chap. X. of Picchilā Tantra, where paśubhāva
is described.
5 See Prāna-toṣinī, p. 547.
6 As Tantrika vīra do.
7 Taking their usual duration to be four days. This is a Vaidik injunction,
as to which see post. The Vīra and Divya are not so bound to maithuna on
the fifth day only; that is as to maithuna as a part of virācāra.