Introduction to Tantra Sastra - Aghori

WORSHIP 85
far more powerful, and this for the reason that, in the
first, the sādhaka’s sādhana-śakti works, in conjunction
with mantra-śakti which has the revelation and force of
fire, and than which nothing is more powerful. The
special mantra which is received at initiation (dīkṣa) is
the bīja or seed mantra, sown in the field of the sādhaka’s
heart, and the Tāntrik saṃdhyā, nyāsa, pūjā and
the like are the stem and branches upon which hymns of
praise (stuti) and prayer and homage (vandana) are the
leaves and flower, and the kavaca, consisting of mantra,
the fruit.
Mantras are solar (saura) and lunar (saumya), and
are masculine, feminine, or neuter. The solar are masculine
and lunar feminine. The masculine and neuter
forms are called mantra. The feminine mantra is known
as vidyā. The neuter mantra, such as the Paurānikmantra,
ending with namah, are said to lack the force
and vitality of the others. The masculine and feminine
mantras end differently. Thus, Hūṃ, phaṭ , are masculine
terminations, and thaṃ, svāhā, are feminine ones. 1
The Nitya-Tantra gives various names to mantra,
according to the number of their syllables, a one-syllabled
mantra being called piṇ ḍ a, a three-syllabled one
kartarī, a mantra with four to nine syllables bīja, with
ten to twenty syllables mantra, and mantra, with more
than twenty syllables malā. Commonly, however, the
term bīja is applied to monosyllabic mantra. The Tāntrik
mantras called bīja (seed) are so named because they
are the seed of the fruit, which is siddhi, and because
1 See Sāradā-tilaka (chap. ii); Nārada-pāñca-rātra (chap. vii), the Prayogasāra
and Prāṇa-toṣini, (p. 70). If it be asked why formless things of mind
are given sex, the answer is for the sake of the requirements of the worshipper.